The effects of homologous plasma HDL and VHDL fractions on established atherosclerotic lesions were studied in cholesterol-fedrabbits. Atherosclerosis was induced by feeding the animals a 0.5% cholesterol-rich...Full Text Available
In a series of experiments carried out on young and adult rabbits the effect of isocaloric low protein diets containing 4% or 8% protein compared with a diet containing 21% protein on Obeliscoides cuniculi infection was studied. The pathogenesis, resistance and local immunity were assessed after single infections with 10,000 larvae or reinfection with 5000 larvae. Live weight gain was reduced in young and adult rabbitsfed the low protein diets, but the establishment of parasites was not substantially influenced by protein deprivation. However, development of worms in the histotrophic phase and parasite fecundity were impaired in association with the low protein diet. Moreover, mild anaemia as well as changes in the mucosal immune response as a result of infection were related to the level of dietary protein. (author). 30 refs, 6 figs, 5 tabs.
Unlike in normal rabbits, pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors (RARs) in rabbits with chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) do not respond to small changes in extravascular...Full Text Available
We have developed a new strategy for immunization of wild rabbit populations against myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) that uses recombinant viruses based on a naturally attenuated field...Full Text Available
Angular distributions for the elastic and inelastic scattering of /sup 12/C at 80 MeV by /sup 88/Sr and of /sup 7/Li at 36, 42 and 48 MeV by /sup 54/Fe have been analysed. The optical potentials of /sup 12/C and /sup 7/Li ions are calculated in terms of the alpha-particle and triton optical potentials. Coupled-channels calculations using these potentials are performed. Good fits to the experimental data and the phenomenological calculations are obtained for /sup 12/C projectiles.
To evaluate the effect of plugging the biopsy tract in rabbit liver and the pathologic changes caused by plugging materials. Thirty-two New Zealand White rabbits were divided into four groups (eight rabbits in each) and compared with one another. They were labeled group A (control), B (gelfoam), C (fibrin sealant) or D (NBCA). the liver was exposed and biopsied with an 18G disposable biopsy gun. The inner Tru-cut needle was withdrawn and plugging was undertaken through the outer cannula of the biopsy gun. Bleeding times of each material were compared. The rabbits were sacrificed and pathologically evaluated for 17 days.
The percentages of total airflows over the nasal respiratory and olfactory epithelium of female rabbits were calculated from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of steady-state inhalation....Full Text Available
The cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV)/rabbit model has been used to study oncogenicity and immunogenicity of different antigens from the papillomavirus genome and has therefore served...Full Text Available
During the anamnestic response, the sera of four rabbits immunized with a polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine contained large amounts of cryoglobulins belonging to the G and M immunoglobulin classes. These...Full Text Available
The efficacy of beta-lactam antibiotics and amikacin alone and in various combinations against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied in a rabbit model simulating a closed-space infection in a locally neutropenic...Full Text Available
The pharmacokinetics of two prodrugs of zidovudine (AZT), 1,4-dihydro-1-methyl-3-[(pyridylcarbonyl)oxy] ester and isoleucinyl ester (DPAZT and IAZT, respectively), were investigated in a rabbit model...Full Text Available
The investigations were conducted at the Center of Biotechnology and Molecular Diagnostics of the All-Russian Animal Husbandry Research Institute, where a number of valuable transgenic animals (rabbits, sheep, and pigs) have been produced over the course of 20 years. The article presents the blood indices of control and transgenic rabbits with an integrated insulin gene.
Understanding the physical characteristics of the local microenvironment in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides is an important goal that may allow the targeting of metabolic processes...Full Text Available
The susceptibility of 19 isolates of Haemophilus ducreyi from a recent chancroid outbreak and four reference strains was determined in vitro to 13 antimicrobial agents. The rabbit intradermal...Full Text Available
In this work feed hardware for fed-batch cultivation is presented (broth recycle feed injection system or BRFIS). BRFIS proved superior to conventional submerged or dripped feed systems in reducing dissolved oxygen (DO) oscillations during Escherichia coli fed-batch cultivation (5 min coefficient of variation of 0.7% for BRFIS as compared to 26% or greater for conventional feeding hardware in a 2 L test reactor). Hence, BRFIS is useful for fed-batch cultivation systems where the DO signal is used in measurement or control. PMID:12675613
A case report of falsely elevated serum hormone values measured by radio-immunoassay (RIA) is described. The radio-immunoassays concerned have a first antibody raised in rabbits and mostly a separation technique based on a second antibody-solid phase system. The presence of heterophyle (anti-rabbit) antibodies in patients' serum is proved.
Eight rabbits and 24 guinea-pigs were exposed to a silica dust cloud of about 40,000 pp./ml. (0·3-3·0 μ) and killed at four-weekly intervals up to 30 weeks. The guinea-pigs showed...Full Text Available
PurposeWe objectively quantified the gain in urethral diameter and the effect of stenting after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in a rabbit hypospadias model. Materials and MethodsWe created a hypospadias model in 12 New Zealand white male rabbits by excising the ventral urethra. A 3 cm tattoo line was made longitudinally in the dorsal urethral plate midline. Two weeks later a 2 cm relaxing incision was made in the middle part of the tattooed line. The stretched incision width between the tattooed edges was measured, followed by urethral plate tubularization. Six rabbits were stented and 6 were nonstented. Two weeks later the animals were sacrificed and the distance separating the tattoo was measured at the midpoint of the tattooed line. Transverse sections at this point were exami...
Experiments have been reported previously in which lead-212 ions with lead carrier were instilled into the lungs of anaesthetised rabbits. Experiments were also reported in which bismuth-207 chloride was instilled into rabbit lung. To check that the chloride compound was cleared in the same way as ions instilled in isolation, lead-203 chloride has been instilled in three rabbits. Measurements of absorption of ionic lead have been repeated using the radon-222 daughter, lead-214. Rates of clearance from the lung of "2"0"3Pb as the chloride and "2"1"2Pb ions are compared, and retention functions are derived. Clearance from the lung of "2"1"4Pb ions is also shown, and retention functions are derived. (U.K.).
Use of treated effluent and duckweed biomass from a pilot-scale UASB-duckweed ponds system treating domestic sewage was evaluated in rearing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Nutritional value of duckweed as sole feed was compared with wheat bran. Two sources of water were used for each feed trial, treated-sewage and freshwater. The experiment was conducted in parallel with a conventional settled sewage-fed fishpond. Results of growth performance demonstrated that, in case of freshwater ponds specific growth rate (SGR) of tilapia fed on fresh duckweed was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than the SGR in wheat bran fed pond. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed between the two feeding regimes in treated sewage fed ponds. The SGR of tilapia reared in the treated sewage-wheat bran-fed pond (TWP) was significant higher (p <0.01) than the SGR in the ...
A comparative and quantitative study of the tissue distribution of brain-thymus shared antigens was carried out using rabbit antisera to rat, dog and human brain homogenates, assayed on rat, dog and...Full Text Available
1. Seven unique carboxymethylcysteine-containing peptides have been isolated from tryptic digests of rabbit muscle aldolase carboxymethylated with iodo[2-14C]acetic acid in 8m-urea....Full Text Available
1. A novel phthalazine analogue taloximine (1-hydroxyimino-4(2-dimethyl-aminoethoxy)-1,2-dihydrophthalazine monohydrochloride monohydrate) stimulated respiration in conscious rabbits at doses of 7...Full Text Available
The pharmacological effects of a series of fatty acid-choline esters have been studied on the isolated rabbit heart, the isolated guinea-pig ileum and the rat stomach. The effect changed with increasing...Full Text Available
A regulatory locus on the Staphylococcus aureus chromosome, designated sar, is involved in the expression of cell wall proteins, some of which are potentially important in the pathogenesis of endocarditis....Full Text Available
Hyaluronan (HA) is important for joint cavitation, lubrication, volume regulation and synovial fluid drainage but little is known about the regulation of joint HA synthesis/secretion in vivo....Full Text Available
... Weiss, S., D. Kobiler, H. Levy, H. Marcus, A. Pass, N. Rothschild, and Z ... of Bacillus anthracis spores conferred by a protective antigen-based vaccine in rabbits ...
Naturally occurring, double-stranded RNA (ds-RNA)) was immunogenic when injected into mice, rats, guinea-pigs, rabbits, dogs and baboons. The response to native material administered intravenously (i.v.)...Full Text Available
An antiserum was raised in a rabbit against highly purified human liver dihydropteridine reductase (EC 1.6.99.7). Dihydropteridine reductase from human liver, in human cultured fibroblasts and in continuous...Full Text Available
Antibodies of the IgM type present in rabbit anti-epiglycanin antiserum were purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and by ion-exchange, affinity and gel-filtration chromatography. After papain treatment...Full Text Available
ABSTRACTObjectivesTo test the feasibility of human immune globulin (IG, Gamimune N, 10%) as a new treatment for endophthalmitis, the ocular tolerance, distribution,...Full Text Available
Orientation and movement relies on both visual and vestibular information mapped in separate coordinate systems. Here, we examine how coordinate systems interact to guide eye movements of rabbits....Full Text Available
... The costal plain still supports Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata ) forest, dense woodlands, coastal heath and diverse swamplands. Many species of plants are endemic. 20 species of mammals and 12 species of introduced mammals including with feral pigs, rabbits and foxes of particular concern....
1. Gamma globulin metabolism and distribution were studied employing rabbit gamma globulin (RGG)I(131) 24 times in 13 control rabbits. Similar studies were performed before and during the ananmestic response in 4 rabbits previously sensitized with a polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine. 2. During the ananmestic response, gamma-globulin levels increased from 1.0 to 6.0 gm/100 ml, and the gamma-globulin pool increased from 0.7 to 4.7 gm/kg. There was no change in the intravascular-extravascular partition of gamma globulin. 3. Gamma globulin degradation increased from 0.06 to 0.33 gm/kg/day during the 28 days of the immunization period while gamma globulin synthesis increased even further to average 0.47 gm/kg/day. Following the attainment of elevated gamma globulin levels the fractional rate of RGG-I(131) turnover increased from 8.0 to 12.5 per cent/day. 4. No differences were noted in the metabolism of homologous or autologous ...
Assessment of subtle changes in the primary macromolecular components of cartilage, proteoglycan (PG) and collagen, is critical for the diagnosis of early stages of osteoarthritis (OA), but...Full Text Available
Drugs used for the inhibition of DNA viruses, such as iododeoxyuridine, adenine arabinoside, or trifluorothymidine, are not biochemically selective in their action and also interfere with normal cellular...Full Text Available
ObjectivesWe examined the expression of Rho Kinase (ROK) isoforms in young and old rabbit’s detrusor smooth muscles (SM) during the progression of short term...Full Text Available
In vivo, mammalian lenses have the capacity to effect fully reversible changes in shape, and possibly volume, during the accommodation process. Isolated lenses also change shape...Full Text Available
Reaggregated cells from 6- to 8-day-old mouse cerebella have been used to raise antibodies in rabbits. The interaction of these antibodies with cerebellar cell surface components was assessed by cytotoxicity...Full Text Available
Tooth enamel biomineralization is mediated by enamel proteins synthesized by ameloblast cells. Two classes of proteins have been described: enamelins and amelogenins. In lower vertebrates the absence...Full Text Available
Polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits by immunization with free peptides corresponding to positions 197-222 of the human beta 1-adrenergic receptor (beta 1 peptide) and the corresponding sequence...Full Text Available
The placental transfer of a single intravenous injection of 14C-hexoprenaline was studied in eight pregnant New Zealand white rabbits. Maternal and fetal blood was sampled intermittently for 60 minutes after the injection. An initial rapid decrease in the levels of 14C-hexoprenaline in maternal blood was followed by a second slower phase, whereas fetal levels remained insignificant. The conclusion, therefore, is that the rapid improvement in fetal heart rate after the administration of a single maternal intravenous injection of hexoprenaline in the treatment of fetal distress is due to the action on the uterus and/or on maternal cardiovascular function, and not to direct stimulation of the fetus.
Objective: To evaluate technical feasibility and acute and subacute radiotolerance of a self-expandable stent loaded with {sup 125}I seeds in the rabbit esophagus. Methods: A self-expandable stent designed for esophageal application was made of 0.16 mm nitinol wire and loaded with {sup 125}I seeds (CIAE-6711). Twenty-seven stents with three different radioactive dosages (n = 9 in each dosage group) were implanted in the esophagus of healthy rabbits, while nine stents alone were used as controls. The stents were perorally deployed into the esophagus under fluoroscopic guidance. Radiological follow-up included plain chest film, CT scan, and barium esophagography which were undertaken in all rabbits of each group at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, respectively, which were correlated to histopathological findings. The stented esophageal segments along with their adjacent tissues were harvested for histopathological examinations. Results: ...
We followed 183 infants for two years, 31 of whom were breast fed less than three and a half months (median 70 days; short breast feeding group) and a further 31 of whom were exclusively breast fed...Full Text Available
In this study, six groups of rats were fed as follows: Groups 1 and 2 were fed formulated diets supplemented with zinc or without zinc respectively. Groups 3 and 4 were fed formulated diets supplemented with zinc plus phytic acid extracted from sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) or commercial phytic acid respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were fed formulated diets supplemented with phytic acid extract from sweet potato or commercial phytic acid respectively. The animals were fed for three weeks and then sacrificed The activities of key enzymes of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as transaminases in the liver were determined. Blood glucose level was also assessed. Phytic acid extract consumption from sweet potato and commercial phytic acid plus zinc supplement lowered blood glucose levels. There was no significant change in the activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase among the ...
To assess the technical feasibility of a newly designed stent-like electrode in rabbits. A stent-like electrode was knitted from a single thread of nitinol wire and interconnected to a generator using similar wire. In order to gauge the extent of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), we measured the depth of the ablated area in cow liver using a combination of 180-sec time intervals and 20- watt power increments. For data processing, Cox regression analysis was used. RFA was also applied to the small intestine of rabbits using this stent-like electrode under six different sets of conditions: 10 watts for 1 min, 10 watts for 2 mins, 20 watts for 1 min, 20 watts for 2 mins, 30 watts for 1 min, and 30 watts for 2 mins. To determine the gross and microscopic findings, six animals were sacrificed immediately after the procedure and the results obtained under the different sets of conditions were correlated. Eight rabbits were monitored ...
This article describes a methodology that implements a Markov decision process (MDP) optimization technique in a real time fed-batch experiment. Biological systems can be better modeled under the stochastic framework and MDP is shown to be a suitable technique for their optimization. A nonlinear input/output model is used to calculate the probability transitions. All elements of the MDP are identified according to physical parameters. Finally, this study compares the results obtained when optimizing ethanol production using the infinite horizon problem, with total expected discount policy, to previous experimental results aimed at optimizing ethanol production using a recombinant Escherichia coli fed-batch cultivation. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 317-327, 1997. PMID:18636490
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was localized by an immunocytochemical technique in the thyroid-parathyroid complexes of rat, guinea pig, rabbit, and in normal human thyroids and parathyroids. Human medullary carcinomas and parathyroid adenomas were also studied. In man and all animal species examined CGRP was present in the parafollicular cell, however, in guinea pigs only in small amounts. Except in rabbits, presence of CGRP was demonstrated in nerves of the thyroid and parathyroid capsule as well as in the nerve fibers of the capsular blood vessels. In the thyroid of guinea pigs CGRP was also noted in nerve fibers and in blood vessel walls between follicles. CGRP was also present in the parathyroid glands of rat and man, in nerve fibers localized between parathyroid cells. In rabbit the parafollicular cells between parathyroid cells also expressed CGRP immunoreactivity. No CGRP was noted in the parathyroids of the ...
Glycosaminoglycans synthesized by cultured rabbit smooth muscle cells were isolated after incorporation of (/sup 3/H)-glucosamine into glycosaminoglycans in the presence or absence of 10% fetal bovine serum. Glycosaminoglycans were quantitated by two-dimensional electrophoresis after proteolytic digestion of the cell layers and media. The results show that the presence of serum has no effect on the chondroitin sulfate, heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate content of the cell layers. The incorporation of (/sup 3/H)-glucosamine into hyaluronic acid of the cell layers was three times higher in the presence of serum. In the medium , the quantity of hyaluronic was two times higher in the presence of serum while the other glycosaminoglycans remained unchanged. The incorporation of (/sup 3/H)-glucosamine into hyaluronic acid was unaffected by the presence of serum. Specific proteoglycans were isolated from medium after with (/sup 35/S)-sulfate and (/sup 3/H)-serine by ...
A multifunctional protein kinase, purified from rat liver as ATP-citrate lyase kinase, has been identified as a glycogen synthase kinase. This kinase catalyzed incorporation of up to 1.5 mol of and)2numberSPO4/mol of synthase subunit associated with a decrease in the glycogen synthase activity ratio from 0.85 to a value of 0.15. Approximately 65-70% of the TUPO4 was incorporated into site 3 and 30-35% into site 2 as determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. This multifunctional kinase was distinguished from glycogen synthase kinase-3 on the basis of nucleotide and protein substrate specificities. Since the phosphate contents in glycogen synthase of sites 3 and 2 are altered in diabetes and by insulin administration, the possible involvement of the multifunctional kinase was explored. Glycogen synthase purified from diabetic rabbits was phosphorylated in vitro by this multifunctional kinase at only 10% of the rate compared to synthase ...
Purpose: The lifelong persistence of foreign bodies within the arteries may contribute to restenosis. Thus,biodegradable devices might decrease recurrence rates. Methods: Eleven polyhydroxybutyrate biodegradable stents and 13 tantalum stents were implanted into the iliac arteries of New Zealand white rabbits for up to 30 weeks. After killing the animals,the specimens were harvested, fixed in formalin, processed in paraffin,and stained. Results: Polyhydroxybutyrate instigated intense inflammatory and proliferative reactions with an increase in collagen (2.4- to 8-fold vs native segments), thrombosis and in-stentlumen narrowing (375.5-606.6 mm vs 655.6 #+-# 268.8 mm in native segments). The elastic membranes were destroyed in all specimens. The tantalum stents increased the in-stent lumen progressively (769.7 #+-# 366.6 mm vs 1309.9 #+-# 695.3 mm),penetrated the external elastic membrane, and increased mural collagen content (6- to 8.6-fold vs native segments). ...
Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a nutrient-regulated intestinotrophic hormone derived from proglucagon in the distal intestine. Enteral nutrients (EN) potentiate the action of GLP-2 to reverse parenteral...Full Text Available
Previous studies have shown that salicylates and protein-calorie malnutrition independently compromise maturation and growth of infants. In the present study, pregnant rats were fed normal-and low-protein...Full Text Available
Several dissimilatory, sulfate-reducing bacteria were isolated from the rumen fluid of sheep fed purified diets containing sulfate. One isolate, strain D, was selected for characterization. This organism...Full Text Available
Commercial feed rations containing sulfamethazine at the level of 110 ppm were fed for a period of 65 days to market pigs in a study simulating normal farm practices. The levels of sulfamethazine at...Full Text Available
Ninety percent of foxes fed commercial ERA vaccine in a specially designed bait developed rabies serum neutralizing antibodies. The vaccine bait did not cause clinical signs of rabies when consumed...Full Text Available
The rate and capacity for chloroform (CF) and trichloroethylene (TCE) transformation by a mixed methanotrophic culture of resting cells (no exogenous energy source) and formate-fed cells were measured....Full Text Available
Klebsiella oxytoca can use nitrate and nitrite as sole nitrogen sources. The enzymes required for nitrate and nitrite assimilation are encoded by the nasFEDCBA operon....Full Text Available
AbstractMilk residues and performance were evaluated in lactating cows that were fed up to 10 times the recommended dose of monensin. Following an acclimatization period of 14 d, during...Full Text Available
Gestational exposure to maternal overweight (OW) influences the risk of obesity in adult life. Male offspring from OW dams gain greater body weight and fat mass and develop insulin resistance when fed...Full Text Available
Hypothalamic systems which regulate appetite may be permanently modified during early development. We have previously reported hyperphagia and increased adiposity in the adult offspring of rodents fed...Full Text Available
During the treatment of neonatal apnea, formula-fed infants, compared to breastfed infants, show nearly three-fold increase in clearance of caffeine, a substrate...Full Text Available
Little change was observed in primates fed 75 mg/kg adenine over the four-week period. Minimal tissue pathology was encountered upon completion of the study. In contrast to earlier studies in which oral feeding of adenine to dogs caused severe symptoms, a...
A commercial blend of essential oil (EO) compounds was added to a grass, maize silage, and concentrate diet fed to dairy cattle in order to determine their influence on protein metabolism by ruminal...Full Text Available
Rumen-cannulated cows (n = 4) were fed successively silage made from either conventional or genetically modified (GM) maize. Results revealed no effects of GM maize on the dynamics...Full Text Available
Rats from an inbred Sprague-Dawley strain were fed semisynthetic diets with a low (0.3 energy percent (en %)), normal (3 en %) or high (10 en %) content of essential fatty acids (EFA) for at least three generations. Twenty-nine- to 33-day-old male rats were given a single intragastric dose of (1-14C)linoleic acid in olive oil, and the respiratory CO2, urine and feces were collected for 46 hours (expt 1) or 20 hours (expt 2). The 14C activity in respiratory CO2, feces, urine and the carcass was determined in both experiments. In experiment 2 it was also measured in samples of the brown fat, liver, adrenals, white fat, skeletal muscles and brain. In both experiments the rats fed the low EFA diet retained significantly more 14C activity than the rats fed the normal or high EFA diets. In all groups the concentration of label was highest in the brown fat and the adrenals, but the above differences among the groups with respect ...
The bioavailability of lead was studied in rats fed various baby foods (Babymix-turkey, Babymix-vegetables, Frutolino-fruit, Frutamix-bananas, Babyron-S-26, Truefood), cow's milk, bread, liver and standard rat diet. Lead absorption was determined by measuring the whole body retention of "2"0"3Pb 6 days after a single oral application. Highest absorption values ranging from 17 to 20% were obtained in animals fed cow's milk and fruit foods. Rats on other human diets absorbed between 3 and 8% of the radioactive lead dose. Only in animals on rat diet lead absorption was below 1%. It is concluded that rats fed human diets show absorption values similar to those in humans. This might indicate that the bioavailability of lead is primarily dependent on dietary habits. This experimental model, if confirmed by further work, might be useful for obtaining preliminary data on the bioavailability of metals from various foods.
Alterations in basement membrane components, notably proteoglycans, in a rat model of polycystic kidney disease have been investigated. Rats were fed phenol II (2-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl-5-phenyl thiazole)...Full Text Available
Abstract Purpose: We investigated the effects of various rinsing and healing protocols on corneal wound repair and inflammation following alkali burn in rabbits. Methods: We conducted in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies. First, different rinse solutions were tested in vitro after incubation of ocular cells with methanol or NaOH. Cell viability was then assessed using the neutral red test (cytofluorometry). Second, NaOH was applied to rabbit corneas and associations of rinse solutions (NaCl 0.9% or controlled ionization marine solutions) with N-acetylcysteine or vegetable oils (from Calophyllum inophyllum and Aleurites moluccana) were tested in vivo. The regeneration of the corneal epithelium and the infiltration of inflammatory cells were evaluated using in vivo confocal microscopy and e...
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating could induce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) artificial ligament graft osseointegration in the bone tunnel. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits underwent artificial ligament graft transplantation in bilateral proximal tibia tunnels. One limb was implanted with HAp-coated PET graft, and the contralateral limb was implanted with non-HAp-coated PET graft as control. The rabbits were randomly sacrificed at four and eight?weeks after surgery. The loads to failure of the experimental group at eight?weeks were significantly higher than those of the control group (p?=?0.0057). Histologically, application of HAp coating induced new bone formation between graft and bone at eight?weeks compared with the controls. Rea...
Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of heated (60 deg. C) lipiodol via hepatic artery administration in a rabbit model of VX2 liver cancer. Materials and methods: Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups with 10 rabbits assigned to each group. VX2 carcinoma cells were surgically implanted into the left hepatic lobe. The tumors were allowed to grow for 2 weeks, and studies were performed until the diameter of the tumors detected by ultrasonograph reached 2-3 cm. Under anesthesia, trans-catheter hepatic arterial embolization was performed and doxorubicin-lipiodol (37 deg. C) (1 mL), lipiodol (60 deg. C) (1 mL) or control (physiological saline (37 deg. C) (1 mL)) solution was injected into the hepatic arteries of animals in the three groups. One week later, the volume of the tumor was measured by ultrasonograph again. The serum of all rabbits was collected ...
Aim: This study was performed: 1) to assess the relationship between blood flow velocity in the internal carotid artery (CBFICA) and pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) and 2) to evaluate flow-induced changes in pial artery compliance. Methods: Experiments were performed on 10 crossbred male rabbits. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), CBFICA, the systolic-diastolic blood volume fraction in the brain circulation (CBFSDF) and cc-TQ were recorded after glucagon and acetazolamide administration. cc-TQ was measured with near-infrared transillumination back scattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS), LVEF and CBFSDF with gated scintigraphy and BP and CBFICA with electromagnetic pressure and flow transducers, respectively. Doses of drugs were chosen to exert a haemodyna...
Rats and guinea pigs were fed "2"3"8Pu either biologically incorporated into alfalfa (by growth of the plant on soil containing Pu) or added as a solution to alfalfa, or were gavaged with a Pu solution. Depending upon the plant material fed, there appeared to be a twofold increase in "2"3"8Pu-gut absorption by the rat and a two- to fourfold increase in the guinea pig as compared with absorption from the Pu solution. The data, though limited and variable, suggest that Pu bound to plant tissue may have higher gut absorptivity than inorganic Pu in both herbivorous and nonherbivorous rodents.
The effects on reproductive functions of feeding adult rhesus monkeys on a diet of irradiated wheat flour and potato was investigated. Wheat flour and potatoes were exposed to 75 000 and 10 000 rad, respectively, of #gamma#-irradiation and then fed to the animals. Various parameters of reproductive function were compared with those of animals fed on unirradiated food. These were: external changes in the reproductive organs, menstrual cycle, vaginal cytology, assay of urinary hormones (oestrogens and pregnanediol), and post-mortem histopathological examination of the reproductive organs. At the end of 3 months, the experimental and control animals behaved similarly with regard to their reproductive functions. (author).
The beneficial effect of compost application to the sandy soil on dry matter production of shoots and fruits as well as its effect on l5N-uptake and nitrogen utilization percent of cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus L.) were studied under field conditions. Two types of natural compost (i.e. sugar cane bagasse (SC) and beet compost (BC)) with three levels (2, 4, 6 ton/fed) in addition to check treatment for each kind of compost (sheep manure with rate of 20 in/fed) combined with three rates of nitrogen fertilizer rates (50, 75, 100% from the recommended rate, i.e. 75 kg /fed) were used. The bagasse compost in both seasons gave a significantly higher response than the beet compost. There was a greet reduction in cucumber dry weight, N yield, Ndff%, FN yield and N utilization % of shoots and fruits as the level of compost application decreased. However, cucumber plants grown on high compost application level (6 ...
Uteroglobin (UG) gene encodes a cytokine-like, multifunctional, antiinflammatory protein, with potent phospholipase A2-inhibitory activity. It has been suggested that during implantation this protein...Full Text Available
... 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....
The use of tick vaccines in mammalian hosts has been shown to be the most promising alternative tick control method to current use of acaricides, which suffers from a number of limitations. However,...Full Text Available
BackgroundHerpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) infections can cause a number of diseases ranging from simple cold sores to dangerous keratitis and lethal encephalitis. The interaction...Full Text Available
Correlates between immunological parameters and protection against Bacillus anthracis infection in animals vaccinated with protective antigen (PA)-based vaccines could provide surrogate markers to evaluate the putative protective efficiency of immunization in humans. In previous studies we demonstrated that neutralizing antibody levels serve as correlates for protection in guinea pigs (S. Reuveny et al., Infect. Immun. 69:2888-2893, 2001; H. Marcus et al., Infect. Immun. 72:3471-3477, 2004). In this study we evaluated similar correlates for protection by active and passive immunization of New Zealand White rabbits. Full immunization and partial immunization were achieved by single and multiple injections of standard and diluted doses of a PA-based vaccine. Passive immunization was carried out by injection of immune sera from rabbits vaccinated with PA-based vaccine prior to challenge with B. anthracis spores. Immunized ...
An analogue of hGH isolated from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides displaces ["1"2"5I]hGH from its receptors in rabbit, rat, and hamster liver membranes. Biologically, plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) is more similar to hGH than to other mammalian GH's but has not been shown to bond human cells. Receptors specific for hGH have been described on cultured human lymphocytes (IM-9). In this study, the authors compared the binding of PGF and hGH in IM-9 cells and in rabbit hepatic membranes. IM-9 lymphocytes (12 x 10"6 cells/tube) were incubated with ["1"2"5I]hGH and increasing concentrations of hGH (ng/ml) or PGF (serial dilutions) for 90 min at 30"0 C. Specific binding (B_0 - NSB) was determined for each dose of hGH or PGF and the binding curves were analyzed by logit-log regression. The results show that PGF displaced ["1"2"5I]hGH from human cells in a dose dependent manner (r = 0.98). Based on the IM-9 assay, 1 ml of the PGF ...
1. Amino acid sequences covering the region between residues 173 and 248 [adopting the numbering system proposed by Lai, Nakai & Chang (1974) Science 183, 1204-1206] were derived for trout (Salmo...Full Text Available
These studies were undertaken to assess the effects of increased galactose (v increased glucose) metabolism via the polyol pathway on vascular filtration function in the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and aorta. Quantitative radiolabeled tracer techniques were used to assess glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and regional tissue vascular clearance of plasma 131I-bovine serum albumin (BSA) in five groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats: nondiabetic controls, streptozotocin-diabetic rats, nondiabetic rats fed a 50% galactose diet, diabetic rats treated with sorbinil (an aldose reductase inhibitor), and galactose-fed rats treated with sorbinil. Sorbinil was added to the diet to provide a daily dose of approximately .2 mmol/kg body weight. After 2 months of diabetes or galactose ingestion, albumin clearance was increased twofold to fourfold in the eye (anterior uvea, choroid, and retina), sciatic nerve, aorta, and kidney; GFR was increased approximately twofold ...
Abstract Unrefined and refined black raspberry seed oils (RSOs) were examined for their lipid-modulating effects in male Syrian hamsters fed high-cholesterol (0.12% g/g), high-fat (9% g/g) diets. Hamsters fed the refined and the unrefined RSO diets had equivalently lower plasma total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in comparison with the atherogenic coconut oil diet. The unrefined RSO treatment group did not differ in liver total and esterified cholesterol from the coconut oil-fed control animals, but the refined RSO resulted in significantly elevated liver total and esterified cholesterol concentrations. The unrefined RSO diets significantly lowered plasma triglycerides (46%; P=.0126) in comparison with the coconut oil diet, whereas the refined RSO only tended to lower plasma triglyceride (29%; P=.1630). Liver triglyceride concentrations were lower in the unrefined (46%; P=.0002) and refined ...
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the circadian rhythms of cortisol, thyroxine (T/sub 4/) and triiodothyronine (T/sub 3/) in pigs under two temperature and feeding regimes. Twenty-eight barrows were randomly assigned to one of the following: 1) ad-libitum fed at 5/sup 0/C(AL-5); 2) ad-libitum fed at 20/sup 0/C(AL-20); 3) meal fed at 5/sup 0/C(M-5); and 4) meal fed at 20/sup 0/C(M-20). M-5 and M-20 animals were fed at 0730 and 1400 hrs. Lights were on from 0600 to 2000 hrs. After 5 wks, blood samples were collected for 27 hrs. Serum cortisol, T/sub 4/ and T/sub 3/ concentrations were determined by RIA. No significant differences were found in the mesors, amplitudes or acrophases for cortisol. The mesors for T/sub 4/ (p<.01) were 60.6 +/- 5.6, 40.2 +/- 5.6, 61.2 +/- 5.6 and 49.1 +/- 5.0 ng/ml for AL-5, AL-20, M-5, and M-20, respectively. The mesors for T/sub 3/ (p<.01) ...
Anaerobic treatment of olive oil mill wastewaters (COD up to 220 kg/cubic m) is feasible, and the most promising results were obtained on UASB reactors, both at laboratory and pilot scale (tank capacity 15 litres and 5 cubic m), fed on diluted waste (COD = 13-18 kg/cubic m). Volumetric loading rates ranging from 16-21.5 kg COD/cubic m/day and 70% removal efficiencies were obtained with these digesters. Start-up of UASB reactors fed on olive oil mill waste is a delicate step which still has to be fully controlled and optimized. The best results were obtained by starting with very diluted waste (COD = 5 kg/cubic m). Granulation of the sludge, as achieved in Dutch UASB digesters fed on sugar beet wastewaters, was not obtained, but, even so, the settleability of the sludge was very good. 22 references.
Object: To suppress a quantity of impurities in a coolant fed into a reactor vessel. Structure: The concentration of oxygen in a coolant flowing from a condensation desalting instrument into a feed and condensation piping is measured by an oxygen-concentration detector to feed its signal to an adjusting instrument. A degree of opening of an oxygen flow control valve to maintain the concentration of oxygen in the cooling water flowing within the pipe in the range from about 10 to about 200 ppb. Also, the concentration of oxygen in the cooling water fed to the desalting instrument is maintained at a level less than 2 ppb. Thereby, the total amount of iron flown into the vessel can be suppressed to a fine amount such as less than about 1 ppb. (Kawakami, Y.).
Chromium nitride thin films were deposited on SA-304 stainless steel substrates by using direct-current reactive magnetron sputtering. The influence of process conditions such as nitrogen content in the fed gas, substrate temperature, and different sputtering gases on microstructural characteristics of the films was investigated. The films showed (200) preferred orientation at low nitrogen content (< 30%) in the fed gas. The formation of Cr_2N and CrN phases was observed when 30% and 40% N_2 were used, with a balance of Ar, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the morphology and surface topography of the thin films, respectively. Microhardness tests showed a maximum hardness of 16.95 GPa for the 30% nitrogen content.
The growth response, total hemocyte count (THC), respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), phenoloxidase (PO) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity as well as resistance to the pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus were measured in Litopenaeus vannamei, which had been fed diets supplemented with glycyrrhizin (the aqueous extract of licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, roots) at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg of feed for 8 wk. In the feeding trial, there was no significant difference in survival rate (P > 0.05). Significant higher specific growth rate was observed in treatments with dietary glycyrrhizin than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Shrimp fed a diet with 200 mg/kg of glycyrrhizin had significant higher THC, PO activity, respiratory burst a...
To define the quantitative and qualitative effects of gossypol (GP) on deer (Cervus elaphus) semen, the animals were fed cottonseed (CS). Adult stags each received 350?g of CS for 109?days. Animals received 15?mg of gossypol per kilogram body weight per day. Quantitative and qualitative parameters of experimental ejaculates (n?=?182) were compared to ejaculates (n?=?571) of control animals (n?=?5) collected during three previous natural reproductive seasons. Ejaculate fractions were evaluated by classical methods used in domestic animals. In this paper, we show that mature male deer fed CS exhibited morphological changes and decreased motility of spermatozoa and abnormalities in spermatogenesis. Radioimmunoassay measured concentrations of various steroid hormones (T-testosterone, A4-andros...
The authors used radioligand binding and studies of cell contraction to characterize muscarinic receptors on dispersed smooth muscle cells from rabbit proximal and distal colon. Cells obtained after serial incubations in collagenase were used to measure binding of tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate (["3H]QNB). At 37 degree C, specific ["3H]QNB binding was saturable and linearly related to cell number. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to determine the affinity of ["3H]QNB for its receptor. The IC_5_0 for the muscarinic agonists bethanechol and oxotremorine were 80 and 0.57 #mu#M, respectively. Hill coefficients were 0.67 for both, suggesting more complex interaction involving receptors of different affinities. In studies of cell contraction, bethanechol stimulated a dose-dependent decrease in cell length with half the maximal contraction occurring at 100 pM. These results suggest that (1) contraction is mediated by binding of bethanechol to M_2-muscarinic ...
Hyaluronan is an important constituent of the extracellular matrix in skin, and recent studies suggest that there is a pool of easily removable (free) hyaluronan drained by lymph. The removal rate of free hyaluronan in skin was measured from the elimination of ({sup 3}H)hyaluronan, injected subcutaneously in 13 rabbits. The removal of radioactivity was determined from appearance of {sup 3}H in plasma. During the first 24 h after injection, 10-87% of the tracer entered blood, less in injectates with high concentrations of hyaluronan. The removal was monoexponential with a half-life of 0.5-1 day when concentration of hyaluronan was 5 mg/ml or less. When hyaluronan concentration was 10 mg/ml or higher, the removal was slow for about 24 h and then became similar to that in experiments with low hyaluronan concentration. Free hyaluronan at physiological concentrations is thus turned over with the same rate as serum albumin, supporting the concept that hyaluronan is ...
Rat lung and liver microsomes did not undergo lipid peroxidation in the absence of iron when incubated with NADPH and concentrations of paraquat ranging from 10/sup -7/ to 10/sup -2/ M. Paraquat also did not stimulate rat liver and lung microsomal peroxidation induced by added iron and NADPH, and was inhibitory at concentrations above 10 ..mu..M. Similarly, no stimulation of peroxidation was produced by paraquat in rabbit or human lung microsomes; however, under similar conditions, paraquat enhanced NADPH/iron-dependent peroxidation in mouse lung and liver microsomes obtained from rats sacrificed at 12, 18, and 24 hr following a lethal dose of paraquat (50 mg/kg, ip), there was no loss of vitamin E or increase in susceptibility to in vitro peroxidation which would be expected if lipid peroxidation had occurred in vivo although extensive lung damage developed during this time period. These results indicate that paraquat does not cause pulmonary toxicity by ...
A new /sup 99m/Tc-phosphine-isocyanide complex with the general structure (/sup 99m/Tc (DEPE)/sub 2/(CNR)/sub 2/)/sup +/ has been synthesised and tested in animals and one human. In three animal species (rat, rabbit, dog), the complex is an efficient myocardial imaging agent, while in humans it remains in the blood pool. The complex is 100% protein bound in animals and humans, but whereas in humans it is attached to a 51.5 kdalton protein (probably prealbumin), in rabbits it appears to be bound to a larger macromolecule (M.W.>100 kdalton). The efficiency of the complex for blood pool labelling was tested in a human volunteer and compared with the standard in vivo red cell labelling technique with stannous pyrophosphate. A satisfactory radionuclide angiogram could be performed with less than 370 MBq of the complex. The count rate for the complex (cps/MBq) was 15% higher than that obtained with the labelled red cells and the absence of splenic ...
The placental transfer of a single intravenous injection of 14C-hexoprenaline was studied in eight pregnant New Zealand white rabbits. Maternal and fetal blood was sampled intermittently for 60 minutes after the injection. An initial rapid decrease in the levels of 14C-hexoprenaline in maternal blood was followed by a second slower phase, whereas fetal levels remained insignificant. The conclusion, therefore, is that the rapid improvement in fetal heart rate after the administration of a single maternal intravenous injection of hexoprenaline in the treatment of fetal distress is due to the action on the uterus and/or on maternal cardiovascular function, and not to direct stimulation of the fetus.
Central penetrating excisional wounds were made in the corneas of 12 rabbits and 10 trout. The scar tissue and the surrounding cornea were compared using a new method for assessing inorganic elements in the cornea: the scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis of x-ray (EDAX). Semiquantitative determination of inorganic elements within the range of atomic numbers 9-93 in the periodic system was performed, comparing the relative concentration of those elements in the scar tissue to the surrounding cornea. Results showed that calcium was the only element higher in the healing wound than in the surrounding cornea.
The plerocercoid stage of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produces a functional analog of human growth hormone (hGH). Among the similarities between plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) and hGH is competition for the same receptors on rabbit liver membranes. To take advantage of this characteristic in a purification scheme for PGF, rabbit liver microsomes were solubilized in Triton X-100 and the hGH receptors were purified over an hGH affinity column. The purified receptors from six rabbit livers were coupled to Affi-Gel-10 to create a receptor affinity column which was used to purify PGF. Chromatography of crude PGF over the receptor column resulted in a 1044 fold increase in specific activity. SDS-PAGE in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol showed that the affinity-purified PGF contained three protein bands with apparent Mrs of 27.5 K, 22 K, and 16.7 K. Injections of the partially-purified PGF into hypophysectomized rats ...
We irradiated proton beams on the ears of rabbits and the Harding-Passey mouse melanoma and observed their morphological change. We used 52 MeV proton beams from the INS-FM cyclotron. We adjusted the energy of the proton beams to be at the plateau part of the Bragg curve, at the half-way point of the Bragg peak, and at the Bragg peak. The amount of radiation was 5000rad in each case. The Harding-Passey mouse melanoma was transplanted into the subcutan of a three week old mouse. In this experiment, we used tumors, the diameter of which grew up to 1.5-2cm in 2-3 weeks after the transplantation. Using the jroscope, we observed both lightly and severely damaged cells. Using proton irradiation with the Bragg peak located at depth of 1mm in the rabbit's ears, we studied the change in the tissue. Irradiated epidermis fell off and was eroded because of radiation damage, but the rear surface of the rabbit's ears ...
A comparison of the concentration-response effects of inhaled ozone (O/sub 3/) and phosgene (COCl/sub 2/) in different species of laboratory animals was made in order to better understand the influence of the choice of species in inhalation toxicity studies. The effect of 4-h exposures to ozone at concentrations of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ppm, and to COCl/sub 2/ and 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 ppm was determined in rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, and mice. Lavage fluid protein (LFP) accumulation 18-20 h after exposure was used as the indicator of O3- and COCl/sub 2/-induced pulmonary edema. All species had similar basal levels of LFP (250-350 mg/ml) when a volume of saline that approximated the total lung capacity was used to lavage the collapsed lungs. Ozone effects were most marked in guinea pigs, which showed significant effects at 0.2 ppm and above. Mice, hamsters, and rats showed effects at 1.0 ppm O3 and above, while rabbits responded ...
Described herein is a system for the co-generation of hydrogen gas and electricity, wherein the proportion of hydrogen to electricity can be adjusted from 0% to 100%. The system integrates fuel cell technology for power generation with fuel-assisted steam-electrolysis. A hydrocarbon fuel, a reformed hydrocarbon fuel, or a partially reformed hydrocarbon fuel can be fed into the system.
Global angular momentum balance suggests that the neutron stars in Be/X-ray binaries are not spinning in equilibrium. This requires an X-ray lifetime ''approx <'' 10"5 yr, and suggests that there are many 'dead' Be/X-ray binaries in the Galaxy. Some of these may be turned up as millisecond radio pulsars with Be star companions. (author).
To the crushed ore leaching is applied. The resulting solid-liquid mixture is fed to a hydro-cyclon grading facility; here the superfine grain is separated before the concentrated mixture can be filtered or centrifuged. The grading is done in several steps. From the liquid, ultimately ridded of the solid, uranium compounds are precipitated and the yellow cake is obtained. (DG).
Sewage gas or biogas as a product of anaerobic digestion contains methane and carbon dioxide as its main components. Biogas is scrubbed off carbon dioxide in absorption columns and purified to natural-gas quality. The purified gas then is piped to the gas pressure control station and fed into the public network. Description of process and plant is given.
An overview of emissive display technologies is presented. Display types briefly described include: cathode ray tubes (CRTs), field emission displays (FEDs), electroluminescent displays (ELDs), and plasma display panels (PDPs). The critical role of phosphors in further development of the latter three flat panel emissive display technologies is outlined. The need for stable, efficient red, green, and blue phosphors for RGB fall color displays is emphasized.
... The moorland landscape looks especially colourful in late summer, while spring is the perfect time to come and see migrant birds like redstarts,...Valley This is a delightful oak woodland to walk through - especially in spring and early summer when lots of migrating birds come to breed ... Fowlmere Fowlmere's reedbeds and pools are fed by natural chalk springs, and a chalk stream runs through the reserve. Special birds ... There are common woodland birds in spring and turtle doves in spring and summer. Haweswater If you want to see a golden ...
Object: To prevent a sudden drop in the level of a coolant in a annular pipe encased within a downcomer pipe. Structure: The coolant levels in annular pipes encased within downcomer pipes are simultaneously measured by level gauges which generate signals representative of coolant levels. The signals are fed to a level control system which will actuate valves to regulate the cover gas pressure in order to average the level differences among the annular pipes in different downcomer pipes. (Kamimura, M.).
We previously showed that very thin filamentous bacteria affiliated with the division green non-sulfur bacteria were abundant in the outermost layer of thermophilic methanogenic sludge granules fed...Full Text Available
Implementation of an adaptive power system stabilizer (PSS) based on linear optimal control is described in this paper. The generator is identified in real time, and a special 3rd order discrete Riccati equation is solved in each sample interval. Because the output of the generator is fed back directly, the controller can track the system very fast. Experimental studies on a physical model of a power system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive optimal controller.
Research highlights: #-># Red mud residues (RM) were disposed in alumina production. #-># Utilization of Red mud residues was affected by its iron content. #-># Superconducting magnetic separation (HGSMS) was used in iron separation from RM. #-># RM with high and low iron contents were separated in HGSMS. - Abstract: The disposal of bayer red mud tailings now seriously threats the environment safety. Reduction and recycling of red mud is now an urgent work in aluminum industry. High gradient superconducting magnetic separation (HGSMS) system was applied to separate the extreme fine RM particles (<100 #mu#m) into high iron content part and low iron content part. Two sorts of RM were fed in the HGSMS. The iron oxide contents in concentrates were about 65% and 45% when RM 1 and RM 2 were fed respectively. Meanwhile, the residues contained 52.0% or 14.1% iron oxide in residues after eight separation stages when RM 1 and RM 2 were ...
An induced mutant, RT-10 (M6 generation) was re-irradiated with 300 Gy of gamma rays. In M2 generation a mutant plant was identified, which characterized with large pods, prominent longitudinal ribbon reticulation and slight constriction. The selected mutant, RT-1010 has the highest pod yield (.3.59 t/fed.vs.2.91 and 2.61 t/fed respectively) and harvest index ( 0.52 vs. 0.42 and 0.45 resp.), the best in fancy pods percentage (57.67 % vs. 38.33 % and 44.17 % resp.), TSMK grade (98.96 % vs. 83.03 % and 84.05 % resp.), the largest pod mass (253.37 g vs . 211.32 g and 222.19 g resp.) and the highest expected oil yield (1370 Kg/fed vs. 895.44 Kg and 868.17 Kg/fed. resp.). With regard to fatty acid compositions, both the selected mutant, RT-1010 and the parental mutant RT-10 have almost a similar high oleic fatty acid (C18:1) percentage (56.35 % and 55.103 % respectively), low linoleic fatty acid (C18:2) ...
The aim is to provide accurate data on elevation change due to mining activity, via the application of interferometry with ERS SAR data. Ultimately, these elevation changes can then be fed into subsidence models. Interferometry results are presented showing initial evidence of subsidence occurring within the 35 day repeat orbit period of the ERS satellites. The result of extending the monitoring period beyond 35 days is also shown.
The latest electronic circuit technology that can be used for the electric railway traction system fed by an AC/DC dual power line was developed. This system consists of reverse conducting GTO thyristors, microprocessors, and DSP`s. In the AC power supply line section, the line converter is controlled by PWM technology to secure a high power factor and reduce the higher harmonic generation of an input current as far as possible. The line converter and motor converter use reverse conducting GTO thyristors. Since these converters are cooled using a heat pipe cooler, they are reduced in size and weight. The electric grounding point of the main power circuit is set to the negative side of the DC line for AC and DC line sections. Therefore, the AC/DC selector switch was simplified in structure. Moreover, the DC input for the auxiliary power supply can be obtained from multiple line converters using diodes. As the result of the actual operational test, the expected ...
Our goal was a process to convert methane to higher hydrocarbons oxidatively, since this circumvents thermodynamic yield limits of a strictly degydrogenative process. Keller and Bhasin converted thermodynamic yield limits of a strictly dehydrogenative process. Keller and Bhasin converted methane to higher hydrocarbons by using metal oxides as oxidants, without co-fed oxygen. They stated that selectivity is necessarily poor if gaseous oxygen is present. Jones and Sofranko have also used reducible metal oxides as oxidants in a group of their parents, but later used some of those materials with continuous O{sub 2} feed without much loss of selectivity. Baerns, Lunsford and Otsuka have shown that high selectivity could be possible with co-fed O{sub 2} at least for low O{sub 2} partial pressures, over PbO-A1{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Li-MgO and rare earths. The performance of a group of multicomponent oxide catalysts, containing lead and magnesium oxides, for ...
An on-line cell disruption system for at-line monitoring of the intracellular concentration of recombinant human superoxide dismutase (rhSOD) in a genetically modified Escherichia coli strain, HMS174(DE3) (pET11a/rhSOD), in bioreactor cultivations is described. The sampled bacteria were disrupted on-line by rapid mixing with a nonionic detergent. The recombinant protein content of the lysed bacterial sample was quantitated by a subsequent surface plasmon resonance biosensor with a specific monoclonal antibody. Extraction efficiency of the monitoring system was optimized with respect to the flow rate ratio of the cell suspension and the detergent at relevant cell densities with the aim to attain rapid monitoring. Monitoring was demonstrated for a shake flask culture and a glucose-limited fed-batch cultivation. The results are compared with a traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method showing a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.97. Extraction efficiency of ...
Both ammonium and nitrite act as substrates as well as potential inhibitors of anoxic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria. To satisfy demand of substrates for Anammox bacteria and to prevent substrate inhibition simultaneously; two strategies, namely high or low substrate concentration, were carefully compared in the operation of two Anammox upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with different substrate concentrations. The reactor working at relatively low influent substrate concentration (NO(2)(-)-N, 240 mg-NL(-1)) was shown to avoid the inhibition caused by nitrite and free ammonia. Using the strategy of low substrate concentration, a record super high volumetric nitrogen removal rate of 45.24 kg-Nm(-3) day(-1) was noted after the operation of 230 days. To our knowledge, such a high value has not been reported previously. The evidence from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the morphology and ultrastructure of the Anammox cells in ...
Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of nutrition and suckling patterns on the ovarian cyclicity of postpartum buffaloes. In Study 1, which was conducted on an institutional farm, two different diets were fed to 24 buffaloes during late gestation and postpartum period. Restricted (twice daily) suckling began on day 30 postpartum in half the animals on each diet. The body weight of both ad libitum suckled and twice daily suckled groups declined during the postpartum period, irrespective of the diet fed. Buffaloes subjected to restricted suckling lost less body weight and re-established ovarian cyclicity earlier than those suckled ad libitum. In Study 2, which was conducted under village conditions, temporary calf removal for 72 hours on days 91-93 postpartum in anoestrous buffaloes induced the re-establishment of ovarian cyclicity within 14 days. (author). 11 refs, 7 tabs.
Abstract Juvenile cobia (Rachycentron canadum) (100-g) were fed four moist diets (447-476-g-kg-1-dry-wt) where 0, 130, 260 or 390-g-kg-1 of concentrated lizardfish (Saurida undosquamis) silage replaced fresh lizardfish, respectively. Blood and livers were sampled at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48-h postfeeding at the end of the 3-week experiment. At 6-h postfeeding in all groups, maximum concentrations of most plasma essential amino acids were observed, while significantly lower levels of most non-essential amino acid levels were recorded compared to the other sampled times. At 6 and 12-h after feeding, the concentration of most plasma free amino acid (FAA) increased with an increase in dietary fish silage levels. Most FAA in livers of all groups peaked at 12 and 24-h postfeeding. However, at 48-h po...
The present study was performed to investigate the effects of various levels of dietary Bacillus subtilis and chitosan on the growth performance, non-specific immunity and protection against Vibrio harveyi infection in cobia, Rachycentron canadum. Fish were fed with the control diet and six different experimental diets containing three graded levels of B. subtilis at 2 x 10^1^0 CFU g^-^1 (0.0, 1.0, 2.0 g kg^-^1 diet) for each of two levels of chitosan (3.0 and 6.0 g kg^-^1 diet). The results of 8 weeks feeding trial showed that the survival rate ranged from 81.3% to 84.0% with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The SGR (%) in the fish fed with dietary treatments was significantly higher than that of the control fish except diet 6 group with 2.0 g kg^-^1B. subtilis and 3.0 g kg^-^1 chito...
Six men were fed a diet composed of conventional foods with all bread as whole wheat bread. Intrinsically labeled "6"5Cu bread (containing 6.5 ppm Cu and 48 atom % "6"5Cu) was substituted for unlabeled bread for 3 days, and stools were collected for 24 days. Extrinsically labeled bread was then substituted for 3 days and another 24-day stool collection made. "6"5Cu excretion was measured by mass spectrometry. Mean Cu intake was 1.10 mg of Cu/day. Average Cu balance was /minus/0.06 /+-/ 0.08 mg/day. Average absorption of the intrinsic copper was 72.2 /+-/ 9.3% and of extrinsic Cu 64.2 /+-/ 5.8%. The ratio of extrinsic to intrinsic absorption was 0.906 /+-/ 0.164. Absorption of intrinsic and extrinsic tracers did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) by a paired t-test, and the ratio (E/I) was not significantly different from 1. Use of extrinsic Cu tracers to assess Cu absorption is supported by these results.
A few papers have been interested by the fixed switching frequency direct torque control fed by direct matrix converters, where we can find just the use of direct torque controlled space vector modulated method. In this present paper, we present an improved method used for a fixed switching frequency direct torque control (DTC) using a direct matrix converter (DMC). This method is characterized by a simple structure, a fixed switching frequency which causes minimal torque ripple and a unity input power factor. Using this strategy, we combine the direct matrix converters advantages with those of direct torque control (DTC) schemes. The used technique for constant frequency is combined with the input current space vector to create the switching table of direct matrix converter (DMC). Simulation results clearly demonstrate a better dynamic and steady state performances of the proposed method.
Similar to stand-alone ER-MCFC power systems industrial ammonia production facilities include hydrogen-rich synthesis-gas production. Therefore, integration of ER-MCFC stacks in a conventional industrial ammonia plant was investigated. By preliminary process design calculations three promising process structures were evaluated: (1) ER-MCFC is fed by the ammonia plant`s steam-reformer; anode off-gas to firing (2) similar to structure 1; in this case the anode off-gas is redirected to the ammonia process (3) ER-MCFC is fed by ammonia-synthesis purge gas The results indicate that for options 1 and 3 a return-on-investment for the ER-MCFC of around 8% is achievable at a stack cost of $250/kW and a revenue of 7c/kWh. Option 2 is not profitable, because of the associated reduction in ammonia production. The degree of hydrogen-utilization in the ER-MCFC to be selected for maximum profit varies with the process structure and indicates that there is ...
The wholesomeness of irradiated wheat was investigated in a series of experiments involving several species of animals and a small number of children, at the National Institute of Nutrition in India. Our observations indicated some effects following the feeding of freshly irradiated wheat while no such changes were found in the groups fed either unirradiated or stored irradiated wheat. Also, there were no significant differences between the groups fed unirradiated and stored irradiated wheat. Based on these results, a recommendation had been made to the government that when subjected to irradiation, wheat should be stored for at least 3 months before considering it as safe for human consumption. Similar experiments conducted in an establishment of the Department of Atomic Energy in India indicated no undesirable effects, unlike those found in our studies, and this had led to the development of a serious controversy. In this paper, we have not ...
This study describes the chemical composition of the essential oil of Artemisia maritima (Am.Oil) and the pharmacological basis for its medicinal use in gut and airways disorders. Twenty five compounds, composing 93.7% of the oil, were identified; among these, chrysanthenyl propionate and elixene were identified for the first time from any Artemisia species. The Am.Oil (0.3?1.0 mg/mL) suppressed spontaneous and high K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum, suggestive of an antispasmodic effect mediated possibly through calcium channel blockade. The calcium channel blockade activity was confirmed when pre-treatment of the tissue with Am.Oil (0.01?0.03 mg/mL) shifted the Ca++ concentration-response curves to the right, similar to verapamil and papaverine. In isolated trach...
It was developed a new formulation of macro aggregates of Samarium 153 ({sup 153} Sm-MH) for the arthropaties treatment. The radio pharmaceutic was prepared by reaction of Samarium 153 chloride (SmCl{sub 3}) in aqueous environment with sodium boron hydride in NaOH 0.5 N. The microscopic analysis shown that the particles have an average size of 4% m (range 1-14 {mu} m). The velocity of sedimentation was 0.008 cm/min with high stability in vitro in human serum. The biological studies in healthy rabbits, shown that the complex is retained inside the articulation still eight days after of the administration of the radiopharmaceutical. Likewise, it is presented the data of absorbed dose in the different target organs, which was determined by thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) through the use of a REMCAL phantom (radiation equivalent manikin calibration). (Author)
Neutron energy spectra were measured for two OSURR experimental facilities. The method of multiple foil activation was used with the SAND-II neutron spectrum unfolding code to obtain spectral data for the Central Irradiation Facility and Rabbit tube. Limited data was obtained for the thermal column using only gold foils. Calculations were made of the neutron environment in various locations using the MORSE code. A shift towards higher neutron energies was observed comparing results for LEU and HEU cores. A slight loss in total thermal neutron flux was measured for all positions. Calculational results show reasonable agreement with measured data.
Aim:To examine the electrophysiological effects of sophocarpine on action potentials (AP) and ionic currents of cardiac myocytes and to compare some of these effects with those of amiodarone.Methods:Langendorff perfusion set-up was used in isolated guinea pig heart, and responses to sophocarpine were monitored using electrocardiograph. Conventional microelectrode, voltage clamp technique and perforated patch were employed to record fast response AP (fAP), slow response AP (sAP) and ionic currents in guinea pig papillary muscle or rabbit sinus node cells.Results:Tachyarrhythmia produced by isoprenaline (15 ?mol/L) could be reversed by sophocarpine (300 ?mol/L). Sophocarpine (10 ?mol/L) decreased the amplitude by 4.0%, maximal depolarization velocity (Vmax) of the fAP by 24.4%...
Two lines of mouse tumor cells were shown to be capable of aggregating mouse and rabbit platelets in vitro. This process required higher Mg/sup 2 +/ concentrations than were needed by other commonly used platelet-aggregating agents. Platelet-aggregating activity was also found in tumor cell membrane fragments. This membrane-bound platelet-aggregating material contained protein, lipid, and carbohydrate moieties. The presence of all three appeared to be essential for stimulating platelet aggregation. Destruction of any component abolished its activity. Platelet aggregation induced by tumor cell membrane fragments was associated with a secretory release reaction. In this process, growth-promoting activity for tumor cells was also released from platelets. These results underline the importance of platelets in establishing tumor metastases.
In FY1994, JMTR was in operation during 4 operation cycles with low enriched Uranium(LEU,20%) fuel for irradiation study of nuclear fuels and materials and for radioisotope production. Irradiation studies were carried out using capsules, Oarai Gas Loop-1(OGL-1), Oarai Shroud Facility(OSF-1) and hydraulic rabbits irradiation facilities in support of LWR, FBR, HTTR and thermonuclear reactor. Irradiation studies on blanket materials were intensively carried out. Power ramping tests were carried out and the future program is under consideration. For R and D works, neutron spectrum evaluation technology, re-instrumentation technique for irradiation fuel rod, remote controlled SEM apparatus and examination technique with miniaturized specimens were successfully developed. (author).
Techniques of chemical analysis, amino acid sequencing and autoradiography are being used to study the frequency of incorporation of normally noncoded amino acids into hemoglobins and seminal fluid proteins. We are studying, by the sequencing of radiolabeled proteins followed by the recovery of ["3H] isoleucine phenylthiohydantoin by high-performance liquid chromatography, the frequency at which normally noncoded isoleucine is incorporated into hemoglobin because of base-substitution mutations versus translational errors. Irradiation increases the isoleucine content of human hemoglobin and the frequency of substitution of isoleucine for specific amino acids in rabbit hemoglobin. Studies to date indicate that these techniques have been developed sufficiently for initial analysis of the potential of drugs and environmental pollutants to induce base-substitution mutations in mammalian somatic cells.
Transparency is essential for normal corneal function. Recent studies suggest that corneal cells express high levels of so-called corneal crystallins, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and transketolase (TKT) that contribute to maintaining cellular transparency. Stromal injury leads to the appearance of repair phenotype keratocytes, the corneal fibroblast and myofibroblast. Previous studies on keratocytes from species such as bovine and rabbit indicate that the transformation from the normal to repair phenotype is accompanied by a loss of corneal crystallin expression, which may be associated with loss of cellular transparency. Here we investigated if a similar loss occurs with human keratocyte repair phenotypes. Human corneal epithelial cells were collected by scraping and keratocytes...
This report presents the operating results for Run 255 at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction Research and Development Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. This run operated in the Close Coupled Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction mode (CC-ITSL) using Martin Lake Texas lignite. The purpose of this run was to demonstrate unit and system operability with Martin Lake lignite. Run 255 began on 20 March 1988 and continued through 9 June 1988. During this period, 204.4 MF tons of Martin Lake Texas lignite were fed in 1865.5 hours of operation. 70 figs., 21 tabs.
The energy fed by active galactic nuclei to the surrounding diffuse baryons changes the latter's amount, temperature, and distribution; so in groups and in member galaxies it affects the X-ray luminosity and also the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. Here we compute how the latter is enhanced by the transient blastwave driven by a shining quasar, and is depressed when the equilibrium is recovered with a depleted density. We constrain such depressions and enhancements with the masses of relic black holes in galaxies and the X-ray luminosities in groups. We discuss how all these linked observables can tell the quasar contribution to the thermal history of the baryons pervading galaxies and groups.
Recent research work on adjustable speed pumped storage plants conducted in Japan, the USA and Europe suggests that they have many advantages over fixed-speed plants, and can contribute to power system regulation even in pump mode. This paper describes two types of static frequency converter for such pumped storage plants, especially those with greatly fluctuating heads. The design characteristics and operation of the doubly fed induction machine and the synchronous machine with DC link converter are set out and the devices compared. (UK)
This paper reports on hydrolysis of 10 metal salt aqueous solutions of 6 metal oxides that was conducted in supercritical water. Continuous and rapid production of metal oxide fine particles was achieved by mixing a metal salt aqueous solution with preheated water fed from another line. The reaction time required was less than 2 min. Particle size, morphology, and crystal structure of the obtained metal (hydrous) oxides were examined. Particle size (20 to 600 nm) was different among the system but the size range was relatively narrow in all the cases.
In a treatment system of radioactive waste solution including sodium sulfate generated from a boiling water type nuclear reactor, waste solution is fed into a thin film evaporator where the waste solution is evaporated and made into powder while precipitating in a peripheral surface of the evaporator vessel. The surface of the precipitated solid is wiped by rotating wiper blades and removed off as radioactive solid powder. The rotational speed of a rotor to which the wiper blades are secured is controlled at a minimum and necessary rotational speed which contributes to make the waste solution into the powder so that the rate of worn out of the wiper blade is decreased.
Purpose: In a case of automatically controlling the water level at the time of generating a lower power, to impact the followability of the control necessary for the power variation of the steam generator thereby to obtain good controllability. Constitution: A signal of deviation of water level of a steam generator and its set value and a signal of a difference between the temperature of the primary coolant in the high temperature side pipeline and that of the primary coolant in the low temperature side pipeline are used to automatically or manually control the flow quantity of water fed to the steam generator. (Yoshihara, H.).
During a high temperature treatment of the radioactive wastes that contain ruthenium, some ruthenium is volatilized and released to the off gas system. The volatilized ruthenium is removed with a scrubber and an adsorber. It was expected that the scrubber was one of the most effective equipments to remove ruthenium and the decontamination factor of the scrubber was studied. The experimental apparatus was simulated as part of an actual perforated plate column scrubber. The non-radioactive ruthenium which simulated the radioactive ruthenium was volatilized and fed into the scrubber. The decontamination factor of the scrubber was determined by the ratio of the ruthenium concentration at the inlet and outlet of the scrubber off gas stream. The results showed that the scrubber removed the volatile ruthenium effectively as expected.
Power supply ripple at frequencies of 720 Hz and its harmonies is expected to affect the motion of particles in the collider. These ripple frequencies are nearly resonant with the betatron frequencies. To estimate the tolerable ripple levels, we have tracked particles through the complete nonlinear lattice for 10[sup 4] turns with ripple fed from 10 different power stations and including up to 7 different ripple frequencies. We presently estimate that relative ripple amplitudes must be below the 10[sup 8] level for there to be no significant impact on the emittance over the short term.
Power supply ripple at frequencies of 720 Hz and its harmonies is expected to affect the motion of particles in the collider. These ripple frequencies are nearly resonant with the betatron frequencies. To estimate the tolerable ripple levels, we have tracked particles through the complete nonlinear lattice for 10{sup 4} turns with ripple fed from 10 different power stations and including up to 7 different ripple frequencies. We presently estimate that relative ripple amplitudes must be below the 10{sup 8} level for there to be no significant impact on the emittance over the short term.
Biogas supply to the public gas grid is a new option discussed in the most recent publication of Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) e.V. The biogas is purified, upgraded to natural gas quality and fed into an existing gas grid. Once there, it can be transported across long distances and also used for electric power generation at the consumer side. The study investigates inhowfar and in what instances this method is feasible and promising. It discusses the technical background and the regional potential of biogas. Seven model biogas systems are presented as examples. (orig.)
Anaerobic digestions fed with waste orange peels are stable at loading rates up to 3.5 kg total solids (TS)/cubic m.d if the amount of peel oil introduced into the digestion is less than 0.075 g/L digestion liquor per day. The yield of gas (50-55% methane) is 0.5 cubic m/kg of TS; conversion of solids to gas approaches 100%. Oil content of peels can be reduced to non-toxic levels using commercial oil recovery equipment. Presence of aromatic acids in digestion liquors cannot serve as an indication of toxicity or overloading.
Carbon isotope discrimination (?(13) C) is considered a useful indicator for indirect selection of grain yield (GY) in cereals. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the genetic variation in ?(13) C and its relationship with GY. A doubled haploid (DH) population derived from a cross of two common wheat varieties, Hanxuan 10 (H10) and Lumai 14 (L14), was phenotyped for ?(13) C in the flag leaf, GY and yield associated traits in two trials contrasted by water availability, specifically, rain-fed and irrigated. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified by single locus and two locus QTL analyses. QTLs for ?(13) C were located on chromosomes 1A, 2B, 3B, 5A, 7A and 7B, and QTLs for other traits on all chromosomes except 1A, 4D, 5A, 5B and 6D. The population selected for high ?(13) C had an increased frequency of QTL for high ?(13) C, GY and number of spikes per plant (NSP) when grown under rain-fed conditions and only for high ?(13) C and NSP ...
The research for the development of flexible organic electronic devices (FEDs) is rapidly increasing worldwide, since FEDs will change radically several aspects of everyday life. Although there has been considerable progress in the area of flexible inorganic devices (a-Si or solution processed Si), there are numerous advances in the organic (semiconducting, conducting and insulating), inorganic and hybrid (organic-inorganic) materials that exhibit customized properties and stability, and in the synthesis and preparation methods, which are characterized by a significant amount of multidisciplinary efforts. Furthermore, the development and encapsulation of organic electronic devices onto flexible polymeric substrates by large-scale and low-cost roll-to-roll production processes will allow their market implementation in numerous application areas, including displays, lighting, photovoltaics, radio-frequency identification circuitry and chemical ...
In this study, we measured the effects of different concentrations of paraquat (0,01 mM and 1,0 mM) on the 1-"1"4CO_2 and 6-"1"4CO_2 production of rabbit lung slices and isolated alveolar macrophages, in 20% and 95% oxygen phases respectively. A 95% oxygen phase induced an increase in the 6-"1"4C-glucose oxidation of control lung slices over a 3-hour period, while the increased activity of the pentose pathway over the first 2 hours started to decline during the third hour of incubation. Paraquat (1,0mM) in 20% oxygen caused a consistent increase in the 6-"1"4CO_2 production by lung slices, but in a 95% oxygen phase gradually inhibited the 6-"1"4C-glucose oxidation over a period of 3 hours. The pentose phosphate pathway was highly significantly stimulated by 1,0 mM paraquat in 20% and 95% oxygen over 3 hours. When isolated alveolar macrophages (viability 95%) were incubated in a 20% and 95% oxygen phase respectively, both the 6-"1"4C-glucose and 1-"1"4C-glucose ...
A portion of the active site of rabbit skeletal myosin near the ribose ring of ATP can be labeled by the photoaffinity analogue 3{prime}(2{prime})-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)adenosine triphosphate (Bz{sub 2}ATP). The specificity of the photolabeling was assured by first trapping ({sup 14}C)Bz{sub 2}ATP at the active site by use of thiol cross-linking agents. Five radioactive peptides were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography after extensive trypsin and subtilisin digestion of photolabeled myosin subfragment 1. Four of these peptides were sequenced by Edman techniques, and all originated from a region with the sequence Gly-Glu-Ile-Thr-Val-Pro-Ser-Ile-Asp-Asp-Gln, which corresponds to rabbit myosin heavy chain residues 312-328. The fifth labeled peptide had an amino acid composition appropriate for residues 312-328. Amino acid composition, radiochemical analysis, and sequence data indicate that Ser-324 is the major amino acid residue ...
Aldosterone has been suggested to elicit vessel contraction via a nongenomic mechanism. We tested this proposal in microdissected, perfused rabbit renal afferent arterioles. Aldosterone had no effect on internal diameter in concentrations from 10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/L, but aldosterone abolished the ability of 100 mmol/L KCl to induce vascular contraction. The inhibitory effect of aldosterone was observed from 1 pmol/L. The inhibitory effect was significant after 5 minutes and maximal after 20 minutes and was fully reversible. Actinomycin D (10(-6) mol/L) prolonged the effect of aldosterone. The effect was abolished by the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone (10(-7) mol/L) but not by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (10(-6) mol/L). The K+-mediated increase of intracellular calcium concentration in afferent arterioles was not affected by aldosterone. Mineralocorticoid receptor was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain ...
The authors have shown previously that the domain recognizing receptors on activated human platelets is located on the human fibrinogen {gamma} chain between residues 400 and 411. To study the correlation between the structure of this segment of the {gamma} chain and its reactivity toward receptors on ADP-activated human platelets, they designed a series of analogues containing replacements at 9 out of 12 positions. A double substitution of the normal His{sup 400}-His{sup 401} sequence by Ala-Ala reduced the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 3-fold. When Lys{sup 406} was replaced by Arg, the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide decreased 15 times. On the other hand, substitution of Ala{sup 408} with Arg increased the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 6-fold. A drastic decrease in the reactivity of the dodecapeptide toward platelet receptors was observed when Val{sup 411} was replaced by leucine or cysteine or tyrosine. A 3-fold decrease in reactivity was noted when ...
(Materials and Methods) (I) VX/sub 2/ carcinoma was transplanted to the rabbit tibia, sup(99m)Tc-MDP was intravenously injected when bone destruction was radiologically seen. Preoperative scintigraphs, postoperative one of the resected tibia and fibra and scintigraphs of sliced tumor were compared with each other. Tissue fragments were collected from the sliced tumor, and RI was measured to compare concentration rates at different parts together with histological investigations. (II) Tetracycline was given to the rabbit of Experiment (I) to compare with the concentration of sup(99m)Tc-MDP. (III) Microautoradiography method was done on the experimental animals for investigation of the concentration of sup(99m)Tc-MDP. (Results) (I) Localization of sup(99m)Tc-MDP was increased at the sites of tumorous bone formation, of reactive bone formation at tumor edges, and of cartilage calcification, with little concentration at tumor cells or necrotic ...
Tc-MDP 10mCi was intravenously given preoperatively to 20 patients with primary bone tumors and 1 with a metastatic bone tumor. Preoperative and postoperative scintigraphs of resected tumor and scintigraphs of sliced tumor were compared. Tissue fragments were collected from the sliced tumor, and RI measured to compare concentration rates at different areas. Histological investigations were also done. Localization of Tc-MDP was increased at sites of tumorous bone formation, of reactive bone formation at tumor edges, and of cartilage calcification, with little concentration at tumor cells or necrotic tissue. VX/sub 2/ carcinoma was transplanted into the rabbit tibia, Tc-MDP was intravenously injected when bone destruction was radiologically evident, and investigations were done as in the clinical cases. In experimental bone tumor, increased uptake localization of Tc-MDP was much the same as in clinical cases. Tetracycline was given to the rabbit ...
Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that Ho:YLF laser is capable of inducing physical and chemical changes on dental surfaces treated for caries prevention. The temperature in the pulp chamber was in vitro evaluated to as a function of the power and frequency of the laser irradiation. The purpose of this work is to verify the occurrence of pulp inflammation after Ho:YLF laser irradiation using different parameters in rabbits' teeth. The premolars and molars of ten rabbits (NZB) were divided in two groups according to the irradiation energy values of a Ho:YLF laser prototype operating at 2.065{mu}m wave length, frequency of O,5Hz and pulse length of 250{mu}s. An group A teeth were irradiated with using ten pulses of 334mJ/pulse of a Ho:YLF laser prototype operating at O.5Hz, and group B, with 512mJ/pulse. Animals were killed by transcardiac perfusion and the samples were prepared for histopathological analysis. The in vitro ...
In 65 adult rabbits of both sexes (2.5 to 6 kg) the following salvaging procedures were performed after simulated trauma: (1) Continuous suture line; (2) closure with fibrin sealant after temporary clamping; (3) hemisplenectomy with omental wrap; (4) suture fixation of fragments and slices of spleen tissue to the peritoneum; (5) suture fixation of spleen fragments to the omentum; (6) extraperitoneal subcutaneous transposition of spleen cubes. In addition, the likelihood of spontaneous splenosis was examined in a preliminary study involving 5 animals by introducing unattached spleen meal and fragments. Scanning was repeated 4 to 12 weeks postoperatively. The functional competence of minor parenchymal islands was also investigated with well counter measurements of organ and muscle tissue homogenates. Spontaneous splenosis after abdominal injuries was not found to be the rule. Salvaging procedures at the natural vascular hilus by sutures, fibrin sealant and ...
The affinity label 8-((4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio)adenosine 5{prime}-triphosphate (8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP) reacts covalently with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase, incorporating 2 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit upon complete inactivation. Protection against inactivation is provided by phosphoenolpyruvate, K{sup +}, and Mn{sup 2+} and only 1 mol of reagent/mol of subunit is incorporated. The authors have now identified the resultant modified residues. After reaction with 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP at pH 7.0, modified enzyme was incubated with ({sup 3}H)NaBH{sub 4} to reduce the carbonyl groups of enzyme-bound 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP and to introduce a radioactive tracer into the modified residues. Following carboxymethylation and digestion with trypsin, the radioactive peptides were separated on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid with an acetonitrile gradient. Gas-phase sequencing ...
We have done analysis of elements in the Baltic sea sediment by using gamma spectrometry in neutron activation analysis Goal of the analysis is to determine the rate of morsel elements which is contained in the Baltic sea sediment. Sample of the Baltic sea Sediment (IAEA-SED-1), Standard of Reference Material (SRM) 1646 Estuarine Sediment and Standard Ce, Fe, Sc, and Co are put into vial of capsule rabbit, then irradiated together for 30 minutes in rabbit facility Multi Purpose Reactor at power of 25 MW and then cooled for one week. Next sample, standard, and SRM which have irradiated, each is cut for 30 minutes using gamma spectrometer. Result of analysis of rate of elements Ce, Fe, Sc and Co in the baltic sea sediment successively equal to 141.20 ppm, 5.91 %, 14.88 ppm, and 19.59 ppm. Result of analysis in SRM Estuarine sediment successively equal to 96.60 ppm, 3.21 %, 10.25 ppm, and 9.63 ppm. Result of this analysis if compared to the value ...
This report presents the operating results for Run 243 at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. This run was made in an Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction (ITSL) mode using Illinois 6 coal from the Burning Star mine. The primary objective was to demonstrate the effect of a dissolver on the ITSL product slate, especially on the net C/sub 1/-C/sub 5/ gas production and hydrogen consumption. Run 243 began on 3 February 1983 and continued through 28 June 1983. During this period, 349.8 tons of coal was fed in 2947 hours of operation. Thirteen special product workup material balances were defined, and the results are presented herein. 29 figures, 19 tables.
The production of ozone in a negative corona discharge fed by carbon dioxide with embedded traces of oxygen and water has been studied. The presence of traces of oxygen in both pure and dry CO_2 leads to an increase in nascent ozone concentrations. In contrast, traces of water vapour (0-800 ppm) are shown to rapidly suppress ozone concentrations with the largest decreases being observed at lowest gas pressures in the discharge (300 Torr). The presence of water vapour did not considerably affect the electrical properties of negative dc corona suggesting that a chemical process is responsible for the ozone loss. We have shown that the addition of water up to a concentration of 1500 ppm has only a marginal effect on the processes of ozone formation but the catalytic cycle of ozone destruction involving OH radicals can be the reason for observed decrease in the total ozone concentration with increasing water concentration.
The current status and prospects for Japan`s economy and steel industry, forecast for demand and supply of coking coal, directions in steel making technology, and Japan`s expectations for Canadian coal are discussed. The PCI system, the Coal Moisture Control System (CMC) to increase coke density before it is fed into coke ovens, a feeder that allows use of lower quality coke on the outskirts of blast furnaces, the Direct Iron Ore Smelting (DIOS) Process, and the `Next Generation Coke Oven`, where coke is heated rapidly and coked at 700-800{degree}C are considered. By 2000, semi-soft coking coals are expected to account for over half of total coal consumption by Japanese steel mills.
The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a SASE x-ray Free-Electron Laser (FEL) based on the final kilometer of the Stanford Linear Accelerator. Such an FEL requires a high energy, high brightness electron beam to drive the FEL instability to saturation. When fed by an RF-photocathode gun, and modified to include two bunch compressor chicanes, the SLAC linac will provide such a high quality beam at 14 GeV and 1-{micro}m normalized emittance. In this paper, we report on recent linac studies, including beam stability and tolerances, longitudinal and transverse feedback systems, conventional and time-resolved diagnostics, and beam collimation systems. Construction and installation of the injector through first bunch compressor will be completed by December 2006, and electron commissioning is scheduled to begin in January of 2007.
ObjectiveExtended periods of muscle disuse, physical inactivity, immobilization, and bedrest result in a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in muscle force, which are accompanied by an increase in oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of the intake of green tea catechins on unloading-induced muscle dysfunction in tail-suspended mice. MethodsTen-week-old male BALB/c mice were fed a purified control diet or a diet containing 0.5% tea catechins for 14 d. Thereafter, the mice were subjected to continuous tail suspension for 10 d. On the final day, muscle mass, contractile force production, antioxidant potential, and carbonylated protein levels were evaluated. ResultsHind limb unloading caused a loss of soleus muscle weight and muscle force. Intake of tea catechins significantly inhibit...
This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that involves the building of a joint biogas plant serving 60 farmers and industrial companies with an annual processing capacity of 45,000 tons. The plant is to produce biogas to be fed into the gas mains and will not only reduce nutrient loading in a region with an extensive livestock industry but also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by using the gas as a motor fuel. The importance of the project with respect to both the environment and energy policy-making is discussed and the costs involved are examined. Details are presented on the technology used and on the material flows involved. Figures are quoted on energy production. The various biogenic substrates used, such as food wastes, waste oils, cereal wastes and used mushroom substrates, are discussed, as is the use of the solid and liquid outputs of the digester in farming activities.
A new procedure of fuel layering for the Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX) target is proposed. A conical laser guide heating technique was experimentally demonstrated in principle as the followings. It employed the target consisting of a polystyrene (PS) shell, a fill tube and a conical laser guide. At first, liquid fuel was fed into the shell and existed around the conical laser guide because the surface tension of the fuel must cause it. Then, it was solidified. The laser light provided a heat source to the conical laser guide so that the solid fuel was moved to the other interior of the shell. This process resulted in missing solid fuel around the conical laser guide. To fill the vacant space, liquid fuel was added as temperature was raised to the melting point. After the liquid fuel addition, temperature was lowered to the solidification point again. During this process, most of the solid fuel could survive.
We have studied energy levels in "6"3Fe populated in the #beta#-decay of "6"3Mn. A new (preliminary) level scheme of "6"3Fe includes 10 excited states connected by 21 #gamma#-rays. The first excited states at 357 and 451 keV have the level half-lives of 110 ps and 780 ps, respectively. Three states, at 357, 451 and 1132 keV, are strongly #beta#-fed with log ft #approx# 5, while there is only a very week #beta#-feeding, if any at all, to the ground state. The new results imply that "6"3Fe departs from a simple shell model structure observed for heavier N = 37 isotones of "6"5Ni and "6"7Zn. (author)
This paper presents a new and simple method for sensorless control of matrix converter drives using a power flowing to the motor. The proposed control algorithm is based on controlling the instantaneous real and imaginary powers into the induction motor. To improve low-speed sensorless performance, the nonlinearities of a matrix converter drive such as commutation delays, turn-ON and turn-OFF times of switching devices, and on-state switching device voltage drop are modeled using a PQ power transformation and compensated using a reference power control scheme. The proposed sensorless control method is applied for the induction motor drive using a 3 kW matrix converter system. Experimental results are shown to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed strategy. Udgivelsesdato: September
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicological effects of feeding the oils of Calophyllum inophyllum, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Terminalia catappa to rats. The effects on physical appearance, feed intake, weight gain, plasma and tissue cholesterol and triacyglycerol levels in rats with 5% of the oils in normal rat feed were determined. Weekly monitoring of the rats showed good physical appearance and steady weight gain, with no mortality recorded for the period of the study. Haematological analysis of the rats indicated that they were not anaemic. Histopathotogical examination of the sections of the heart, liver, kidney and spleen revealed moderate (T. catappa oil) to severe fatty change and necrosis in the liver. Glomerulonephrotic changes in the kidneys of rats fed with T...
In the group of persistent aromatic hydrocarbons, the highest values were determined for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), total DDT and hexachlorobenzene (HBC). Comparisons of the relevant median values for the past six years led to the conclusion that the steep initial decline in the breast milk concentrations of DDT and HBC was followed by reductions at a much lower pace in the years after 1987. The time course of the concentration of the total PCB did not appear to follow any particular pattern. The mean contents of lead and cadmium remained by a wide margin below the threshold values for these heavy metals and thus were of no relevance from the toxicological point of view. It was found that the 134 and 137 cesium isotopes constituted no particular health hazard for breast-fed infants, as the relevant concentrations in breast milk were low. (VHE).
In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that long term dietary restriction would have beneficial effects on the oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme systems in liver, heart and kidney in adult male rats undergoing different intensities of swimming exercise. Sixty male, Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned as either dietary restricted on every other week day (DR) or fed ad libitum (AL) groups, and each group was further subdivided into sedentary, endurance swimming exercise training (submaximal exercise) and exhaustive swimming exercise (maximal exercise) groups. Animals in the submaximal exercise group swam 5 days/week for 8 weeks, while maximal exercise was performed as an acute bout of exercise. In parallel with the increase in the intensity of the exercise, the degree of lipid peroxi...
This is a process for producing calcium sulfate dihydrate during desulfurization of stack gases from power station boilers, where the stack gases are introduced into a washing tower and are treated with a washing water suspension containing lime in the washing tower, where oxygen in the form of air or of air enriched in oxygen is also blown into the washing tower, and where the washing water suspension drawn off from the washing tower is fed back to the washing tower at a temperature of 45 to 50/sup 0/C in the circuit and at least part of the flow goes via a thickener and where calcium sulfate dihydrate slurry is drawn off from the thickener.
This study serves to investigate the uptake of POPs in the different trophic levels (scrapers, collectors, predators, shredders) of macroinvertebrate communities sampled from a glacial and a non-glacial stream in the Italian Alps. The presented results show that the contaminant concentrations in glacial communities are generally higher compared to those from non-glacial catchments, highlighting the importance of glaciers as temporary sinks of atmospherically transported pollutants. Moreover, the data also suggests that in mountain systems snow plays an important role in influencing macroinvertebrate contamination. The main chemical uptake process to the macroinvertebrates is considered to be bioconcentration from water, as similar contaminant profiles were observed between the different trophic levels. The role of biomagnification/bioaccumulation is thought to be absent or negligible. The enrichment of chemicals observed in the predators is likely to be related to their greater lipid ...
Ozone production in a negative corona discharge has been studied experimentally at atmospheric pressure in mixtures of N_2O+O_2 at ambient temperature. Ozone formation was found to be dramatically reduced with increase in the content of N_2O in the mixture. The reaction of O("1D) with nitrous oxide is the most likely process reducing the rate of ozone generation. A considerable decrease in the mean discharge current at a constant voltage was also observed with increasing content of nitrous oxide in the mixture and is attributed to the formation of anions in the discharge. The low values of the calculated mobility of negative charge carriers in the drift region of the discharge is caused by the formation of O"- #centre dot# (N_2O)_n and NO"-#centre dot#(N_2O)_n cluster anions in the drift region of the negative corona discharge.
Abstract Smoke is a mixture of toxic gases and suspended particulate matter of solids and liquids that evolves from a fire of flammable materials. This article presents real-time consequence modeling to track the concentration of individual species in smoke as well as its soot deposition. In the modeling process presented, the burning rate or vapor mass is fed into a combustion model in which the combustion of products has been identified and quantified along with the temperature of the fire. The output of the combustion model is the smoke that will be dispersed into the ambient. The fire geometry, which depends on the type of fire (e.g., pool or flare), is identified. A dispersion model with the capability of determining particulate deposition is then used for tracking the smoke plume. Th...
Abstract Development of inhibitors and vaccines that mitigate rumen-derived methane by targeting methanogens relies on knowledge of the methanogens present. We investigated the composition of archaeal communities in the rumens of farmed sheep (Ovis aries), cattle (Bos taurus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to generate fingerprints of archaeal 16S rRNA genes. The total archaeal communities were relatively constant across species and diets, and were less variable and less diverse than bacterial communities. There were diet- and ruminant-species-based differences in archaeal community structure, but the same dominant archaea were present in all rumens. These were members of three coherent clades: species related to Methanobrevibacter ruminan...
Summary Fruit vinegar can be obtained biologically from the fermentation of fruit wine using species of the genera Acetobacter. However, the productivity of vinegar is generally low because of the inhibition by substrate ethanol and product acetic acid. In this research, the yield of acetic acid, as well as the cell growth, in hawthorn vinegar fermentation was enhanced using beer for seed preparation. The higher yield of acetic acid of AC2005 was because of the higher alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities caused by using beer for seed preparation. Furthermore, Acetobacter pasteurianus AC2005 showed acid stability during the fed batch fermentation of hawthorn vinegar.
The enzyme TEM1-b-lactamase has been used as a model to study the impact of different cultivation and induction regimes on the structure of cytosolic inclusion bodies (IBs). The protein has been heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli in fed-batch cultivations at different temperatures (30, 37, and 40degreeC) as well as induction regimes that guaranteed distinct product formation rates and ratios of soluble to aggregated protein. Additionally, shake flask cultivations at 20, 30, and 37degreeC were performed. IBs were sampled during the whole bioprocess and structural analysis was performed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy. This work clearly demonstrates that the tested production regimes and rates had no impact on the IB structure, wh...
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a synthetic medium is stimulated by the presence of glycine. Methionine enhances this stimulation but will not substitute for glycine as a stimulator of cyanogenesis. Threonine and phenylalanine are effective substitutes for glycine in the stimulation of HCN production. Glycine, threonine, and serine are good radioisotope precursors of HCN, but methionine and phenylalanine are not. Cell extracts of P. aeruginosa convert (/sup 14/C)threonine to (/sup 14/C)glycine. H14CN is produced with low dilution of label from either (1-/sup 14/C)glycine or (2-/sup 14/C)glycine, indicating a randomization of label either in the primary or secondary metabolism of glycine. When whole cells were fed (1,2-/sup 14/C)glycine, cyanide and bicarbonate were the only radioactive extracellular products observed.
Roller bearing is one of the most widely used elements in rotary machines. Condition monitoring of such elements is conceived as pattern recognition problem. Pattern recognition has three main phases: feature extraction, feature selection and feature classification. Histogram features can be used for fault diagnosis of roller bearing. This paper presents the use of decision tree for selecting best few histogram features (bin ranges) that will discriminate the fault conditions of the bearing from given train samples. These features are extracted from vibration signals. A rule set is formed from the extracted features and fed to a fuzzy classifier. The rule set necessary for building the fuzzy classifier is obtained largely by intuition and domain knowledge. This paper also presents the usag...
To sophisticate the nuclear fuel recycling processes, the transfer percentages for Pd, Mo, Te, and Sb should be determined. Each element solution containing NaNO_3 or HNO_3 was fed consistently into the thin film evaporator regulated in vac and at 50 deg C. The analyte percentages in the inside of the lid, in the condenser, and in the distillate were 10"-"1%/m"2, 10"-"3%/m"2, and 10"-"3% (DF = 10"5), respectively. The Mo percentage in the condenser was lower by a factor of 10 than those of other elements investigated. The NO_3"- percentages were nearly constant despite increasing HNO_3 concentrations, however, the ratios decreased with increasing NaNO_3 concentrations. (author)
Extracts were prepared from leaf, bark, and seed of Azadirachta indica, leaf and seed of Prunus persica, bark of Mangifera indica, and leaf of Psidium guajava and were evaluated against Boophilus microplus. Of the eight extracts screened, the extracts prepared from the A. indica seed showed very high level of efficacy (80%) after 5?h of treatment. Besides the immediate effect on adult ticks, the egg-laying properties of the survived ticks was also assessed, and a significant reduction (P?A. indica seed extracts was noted in comparison to control. The efficacy of the neem seed extracts was compared with the commonly used synthetic pyrethroids, and comparable efficacy against B. microplus fed on animals treated with neem seed extracts and acaricide treated was noted. The possibility of using...
The effects of dietary plant and yeast cerebroside (glucosylceramide), a major sphingolipid in plants and yeast, on atopic dermatitis (AD) like symptoms were investigated in a mouse model. After 7 wk of feeding with a diet containing maize glucosylceramide, plasma IgE levels became significantly lower and in contrast, the levels of interleukin (IL)-12, which induces cellular immunity, became significantly higher in the AD mice than in the controls. However, the sphingolipid constituents of the skin fraction in the maize glucosylceramide fed group did not contain sphingoid bases of plant origin, such as 8-unsaturated sphingoid bases. The results of the present study indicated that dietary plant glucosylceramide prevented AD-like symptoms in AD model mice via regulation of Th1/Th2 balance. P...
Abstract The glycosylation profile of therapeutic antibodies is routinely analyzed throughout development to monitor the impact of process parameters and to ensure consistency, efficacy, and safety for clinical and commercial batches of therapeutic products. In this study, unusually high levels of the mannose-5 (Man5) glycoform were observed during the early development of a therapeutic antibody produced from a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, model cell line A. Follow up studies indicated that the antibody Man5 level was increased throughout the course of cell culture production as a result of increasing cell culture medium osmolality levels and extending culture duration. With model cell line A, Man5 glycosylation increased more than twofold from 12% to 28% in the fed-batch process...
Steam generator tubes in nuclear power plants are periodically checked by means of eddy current probes. The output of a probe is composed of three types of signals: known events (rolling zone, support plates, U-bend part), noise (mainly metallurgical noise) and possible flaws. The latter are random transients, both in arrival time and in shape: they have to be detected and then estimated, before to be fed to the high level stages of a diagnostic system. The objective of the study presented is to develop a semi-automatic system, which could manage and process more than 1 M-bytes of data per tube and provide an operator with reliable diagnostics proposals within a few minutes. This can be achieved only by cooperation of several digital signal processing techniques: detection, segmentation, estimation, noise subtraction, adaptive filtering, modelization, pattern recognition. The paper describes some of these items.
Please cite this paper as: Ectopic mineralization of connective tissue in Abcc6-/- mice: effects of dietary modifications and a phosphate binder - a preliminary study. Experimental Dermatology 2008; 17: 203-207. Abstract: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a heritable multisystem disorder, is caused by mutations in the ABCC6 gene. We have developed a murine model for PXE by targeted inactivation of the corresponding mouse gene. A feature of this mouse model is ectopic mineralization of connective tissue capsule surrounding the bulb of vibrissae. This study was designed to investigate the effect of dietary sevelamer hydrochloride (Renagel), a phosphate binder, and specific mineral modifications on ectopic mineralization of connective tissue in Abcc6-/- mice. Three groups were fed a specific di...
This report describes the physical characteristics of a ceramic-lined, joule-heated glass melter that is directly connected to the discharge of a spray calciner and is currently being used to study the vitrification of simulated nuclear-waste slurries. Melter performance characteristics and subsequent design improvements are described. The melter contains 0.24 m/sup 3/ of glass with a glass surface area of 0.76 m/sup 2/, and is heated by the flow of an alternating current (ranging from 600 to 1200 amps) between two Inconel-690 slab-type electrodes immersed in the glass at either end of the melter tank. The melter was maintained at operating temperature (900 to 1260/sup 0/C) for 15 months, and produced 62,000 kg of glass. The maximum sustained operating period was 122 h, during which glass was produced at the rate of 70 kg/h.
Results in this study are consistent with those of Murdock and his colleagues who clearly demonstrated that clonidine, an agonist of octopaminergic receptors in some insects, significantly increases sucrose feeding. Their studies, however, did not examine the effect of clonidine on protein feeding. Injection of a 20mg/ml/fly dose of clonidine significantly reduces protein feeding in both sexes of Phormia regina, instead of stimulating feeding as is observed with carbohydrate feeding. The manner in which the flies are fed prior to starvation and the method of testing influences the amounts of diet consumed. It is proposed that the biogenic amines influence the state of hunger (i.e., protein versus carbohydrates) while other chemicals and neural mechanisms (i.e., such as sulfakinins and stre...
A multivariate bioprocess control approach, capable of tracking a pre-set process trajectory correlated to the biomass or product concentration in the bioprocess is described. The trajectory was either a latent variable derived from multivariate statistical process monitoring (MSPC) based on partial least squares (PLS) modeling, or the absolute value of the process variable. In the control algorithm the substrate feed pump rate was calculated from on-line analyzer data. The only parameters needed were the substrate feed concentration and the substrate yield of the growth-limiting substrate. On-line near-infrared spectroscopy data were used to demonstrate the performance of the control algorithm on an Escherichia coli fed-batch cultivation for tryptophan production. The controller showed good ability to track a defined biomass trajectory during varying process dynamics. The robustness of the control was high, despite significant external disturbances on the ...
This paper presents a study on Manasbal lake, which is one of the high altitude lakes in the Kashmir Valley, India. Eighteen water samples were analysed for major ions and trace elements to assess the variability of water quality of the lake for various purposes. Geostatistics, the theory of regionalized variables, was then used to enhance the dataset and estimate some missing spatial values. Results indicated that the concentration of major ions in the water samples in winter was higher than in summer. The scatter diagrams suggested the dominance of alkaline earths over the alkali elements. Three types of water were identified in the lake that are referred to as Ca?HCO3, Mg?HCO3 and hybrid types. The lake water was found to be controlled by rock?water interaction with carbonate lithology ...
This paper assesses farming eco-efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. Eco-efficiency scores at both farm and environmental pressure-specific levels are computed for a sample of Spanish farmers operating in the rain-fed agricultural system of Campos County. The determinants of eco-efficiency are then studied using truncated regression and bootstrapping techniques. We contribute to previous literature in this field of research by including information on slacks in the assessment of the potential environmental pressure reductions in a DEA framework. Our results reveal that farmers are quite eco-inefficient, with very few differences emerging among specific environmental pressures. Moreover, eco-inefficiency is closely related to technical inefficiencies in the managemen...
A non-resonant RF cavity loaded with amorphous alloy cores has been designed and tested. The cavity has a re-entrant structure loaded with 8 amorphous alloy toroidal core and its characteristic impedance is designed as 450 Omega . The RF power is fed by 1 kW solid state amplifier using a step-up transformer with 1:9 impedance ratio. In the high power test, an accelerating gap voltage of more than 900 V was measured with input power of 1 kW in the frequency range of 1 to 10 MHz. The voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) was less than 2.0. The results prove that the cavity may be used successfully within a compact proton synchrotron for a cancer therapy facility. (3 refs).
This paper discusses a new control strategy for photovoltaic power generation systems with consideration of dynamic characteristics of the photovoltaic cells. The controller estimates internal currents of an equivalent circuit for the cells. This estimated, or the virtual current and the actual voltage of the cells are fed to a conventional Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking (MPPT) controller. Consequently, this MPPT controller still tracks the optimum point even though it is so designed that the seeking speed of the operating point is extremely high. This system may suit for applications, which are installed in rapidly changeable insolation and temperature-conditions e.g. automobiles, trains, and airplanes. The proposed method is verified by experiment with a combination of this estimating function and the modified Boehringer's MPPT algorithm.
Active oxygens produced by low-dose irradiation can induce the synthesis of proteins involved in the active oxygen reduction path and can activate the chemical self-defense mechanisms in vivo, which can alleviate the injuries caused by active oxygens themselves. The following findings suggests that it is not only by low-dose irradiation that can induce the responses described above but also by any physical and/or chemical stresses which can produce small amount of active oxygens in vivo. 1. X-irradiation with 0.5 Gy and/or water immersion and restraint induced heat shock protein (HSP)70 in rat stomach cells. HSP70 was also induced in adrenal cells by paraquat administration. 2. The SOD activity in pancreas of rat significantly increased by #gamma#-irradiation with 0.5 Gy. 0.5 Gy irradiation preceeding the alloxan administration significantly suppressed the increase in pancreatic lipid peroxides and in blood glucose levels, degranulation in #beta# cells, and decrease in blood insulin ...
The effects of 0.2 and 0.5 mL/kg Innovar (a neuroleptic analgesic) on cardiovascular functions and reflexes in rabbits were measured. We recorded the effects of Innovar on arterial pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, ventricular contractility, arterial oxygen tension, as well as the drug's effects on the bradycardia and vasoconstrictor response to cigarette smoke stimulation of the nose (the so-called "nasopharyngeal reflex"). In animals given 0.2 mL/kg Innovar, all steady state cardiovascular variables had returned to pre-Innovar levels in 45 min, as had the efficacy of the nasopharyngeal reflex. In animals given 0.5 mL/kg Innovar, all steady state cardiovascular variables, except PaO2, were slightly but significantly depressed for up to 135 min after injection. The nasopharyngeal reflex returned to normal within 90 min. Because of the calmative and analgesic effects of Innovar, and its only moderate effects on cardiovascular functions and reflexes, we feel it ...
The Ohio State University Research Reactor (OSURR) is licensed to operate at a maximum power level of 500 kW. A pool-type reactor using flat-plate, low enriched fuel elements, the OSURR provides several experimental facilities including two 6-inch i.d. beam ports, a graphite thermal column, several graphite-isotope-irradiation elements, a pneumatic transfer system (Rabbit), various dry tubes, and a Central Irradiation Facility (CIF). The core arrangement and accessibility facilitates research programs involving material activation or core parameter studies. The OSURR control room is large enough to accommodate laboratory groups which can use control instrumentation for monitoring of experiments. The control instrumentation is relatively simple, without a large amount of duplication. This facilitates opportunities for hands-on experience in reactor operation by nuclear engineering students making reactor parameter measurements. For neutron activation analysis and ...
Intramuscular hermorrhage was induced by injecting autologous blood into the paraspinal muscle of 8 rabbits. In order to evaluate the time-dependent changes of hemorrhage observed on MRI, the animals were imaged at different stages of blood resolution at 0.02 tesla (T), and control examined with ultrasound using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Six inversion recovery sequences (TR=1 000 ms. TE=30 ms, and TI=18, 48, 148, 201, 302, and 398 ms) were used for the invivo calculation of T1 relaxation times. IR 1 000 (398)/30 imaging was performed before and after the Gd-DOTA administration. The hemorrhage was evident on MR images throughout the study, especially on the T2 weighted (SE 1 000/100) images. MRI showed the healing lesion longer than ultrasound. The T1 relaxation time increased during the time of resolution. Lesions on days 4 to 7 enhanced in intensity after the injection of Gd-DOTA. (orig.).
A tick/rickettsial survey in various parts of Switzerland revealed the presence of a new, hitherto undescribed spotted fever group rickettsia ("Swiss agent") in up to 11.7% of I. ricinus collected off vegetation. Infection in ticks was found to be generalized with rickettsiae developing intracellularly and occasionally also intranuclearly. As a result of massive growth in ovarial tissues, including the germinative cells, the rate of transovarial and filial infection was 100%. The "Swiss agent" appears to be nonpathogenic for guinea pigs, domestic rabbits, and Swiss mice, but in male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) it produces a microscopically detectable infection in the tunica vaginalis. The rickettsia grows well in tissue culture systems including chick embryo fibroblast, Vero, and vole tissue cells, when inoculated via yolk sac into 5-day-old hens' eggs, it kills 100% of the embryos after 5 to 7 days. Antigenic relatedness of the "Swiss agent" to ...
The heavy chains of Acanthamoeba myosins, IA, IB and II, turkey gizzard myosin, and rabbit skeletal muscle myosin subfragment-1 were specifically labeled by radioactive ATP, ADP, and UTP, each of which is a substrate or product of myosin ATPase activity, when irradiated with uv light at 0"0C. With UTP, as much as 0.45 mol/mol of Acanthamoeba myosin IA heavy chain and 1 mol/mol of turkey gizzard myosin heavy chain was incorporated. Evidence that the ligands were associated with the catalytic site included the observations that reaction occurred only with nucleotides that are substrates or products of the ATPase activity; that the reaction was blocked by pyrophosphate which is an inhibitor of the ATPase activity; that ATP was bound as ADP; and that label was probably restricted to a single peptide following limited subtilisin proteolysis of labeled Acanthamoeba myosin IA heavy chain and extensive cleavage with CNBr and trypsin of labeled turkey gizzard myosin heavy ...
Treatment of cultures of 3T3-L1 cells with methylisobutyl-xanthine and dexamethasone has been shown to result in accumulation of lipid and conversion to the morphology of adipocytes in more than 90% of the cells. The status of the stimulatory (Gs), inhibitory (Gi) and Go-proteins during the course of 3T3-L1 differentiation was examined. The amount of alpha subunit of Gs (#alpha#Gs), assayed by radiolabeling in the presence of cholera toxin and ["3"2P]NAD"+, increased upon differentiation as previously described by others. The amounts of #alpha#Gi and #alpha#Go assayed by radiolabeling in the presence of pertussis toxin and ["3"2P]NAD"+ increased 3-fold upon differentiation. Immunoblots of cell membranes subjected to gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate were probed with two rabbit antisera raised against bovine brain #alpha#Go and with one raised against the#beta#-subunit of the bovine rod-outer-segment G-protein, referred to as transducin. The ...
In 18 piglets, weighing 10-15 kg, third-degree burns or full-thickness skin excisions of 4 X 4 cm were inflicted. The effect of five dressing materials on adhesiveness to the wounds, appearance, conformability, wound contraction, bacterial count, and morphology of the wound was studied at the end of the seventh and fourteenth days without dressing changes. In 11 piglets with a burn wound, the most adherent dressing was collagen sponge(CS), followed by polyurethane sponge (PU), pigskin xenograph (PS), and xeroform. CS more effectively debrided the wound from coagulated necrotic tissue than the other dressings. Wound contraction was maximal with CS dressing (52%), followed by PU (44%), xeroform (32%), and PS (27%). In another seven piglets with full-thickness excised wounds, a velour dressing made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or PU adhered significantly more than CS or PS. Wound contraction was greater with CS (37%) or PTFE (35%) than with PS (23%) or PU (18%). The bacterial counts ...
Two overlapping cDNA clones encoding human DNA topoisomerase II were identified by two independent methods. In one, a human cDNA library in phage {lambda} was screened by hybridization with a mixed oligonucleotide probe encoding a stretch of seven amino acids found in yeast and Drosophila DNA topoisomerase II; in the other, a different human cDNA library in a {lambda}gt11 expression vector was screened for the expression of antigenic determinants that are recognized by rabbit antibodies specific to human DNA topoisomerase II. The entire coding sequences of the human DNA topoisomerase II gene were determined from these and several additional clones, identified through the use of the cloned human TOP2 gene sequences as probes. Hybridization between the cloned sequences and mRNA and genomic DNA indicates that the human enzyme is encoded by a single-copy gene. The location of the gene was mapped to chromosome 17q21-22 by in situ hybridization of a cloned fragment to ...
The overall objective of this project has been to develop immunochemical methods to quantitate unique DNA base damages in order to facilitate studies on radiation-induced damage production and repair. Specifically, we have been using antibodies raised to damaged bases to quantitate unique lesions in model systems in order to evaluate their potential biological consequences. Our approach has been to synthesize modified nucleotides or nucleosides, conjugate them to protein carriers, and use the conjugates as immunogens in rabbits or to prepare monoclonal antibodies. We have been studying damages that are stable radiolysis products found in X-irradiated DNA and thus of potential biological consequence. Our aim is to build an in vitro and in vivo data base on the interactions between model DNA lesions and such cellular enzymes as DNA polymerases and repair endonucleases. Initial studies have focused on pyrimidine ring saturation products (thymine glycol.and ...
The overall objective of this project has been to develop immunochemical methods to quantitate unique DNA base damages in order to facilitate studies on radiation-induced damage production and repair. Specifically, we have been using antibodies raised to damaged bases to quantitate unique lesions in model systems in order to evaluate their potential biological consequences. Our approach has been to synthesize modified nucleotides or nucleosides, conjugate them to protein carriers, and use the conjugates as immunogens in rabbits or to prepare monoclonal antibodies. We have been studying damages that are stable radiolysis products found in X-irradiated DNA and thus of potential biological consequence. Our aim is to build an in vitro and in vivo data base on the interactions between model DNA lesions and such cellular enzymes as DNA polymerases and repair endonucleases. Initial studies have focused on pyrimidine ring saturation products (thymine glycol.and ...
This report presents the operating results for Run 244 at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. This run was made in an all-distillate Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction (ITSL) mode using Illinois 6 coal from the Burning Star mine. The primary objective was to demonstrate the effects of temperature programming an aged catalyst batch on the ITSL product slate, especially on the net C/sub 1/-C/sub 5/ gas production and hydrogen consumption. Other objectives were to demonstrate the effect of fresh catalyst addition and to age the catalyst batch for an extended run with catalyst addition and withdrawal. Run 244 began on 4 July 1983 and continued through 27 September 1983. During this period, 182.9 tons of coal was fed in 1872 hours of operation. Seven special product workup material balances and two hydrotreater balances were defined, and the results are presented herein. From 27 to 30 September, 7.4 tons of Wyodak (Clovis Point mine) ...
In Pakistan, the agricultural sector is the largest water user with 95%, leaving only marginal quantities for households and industry. On one hand, agriculture is a very important sector in Pakistan's economic development, contributing about 23 % to the national GDP -but industry contributes slightly more using only about 2 % of the available water resources. As Pakistan faces a growing problem of water shortage, significant achievements in water conservation have to be materialized, predominantly on the agricultural sector. There is scope for a higher degree of efficiency in water use, as water losses, namely in irrigation, are still rather high. There is another good reason for water conservation in agriculture: Over-irrigation results in rising water tables and increased soil salinity, which has reduced Pakistan's agricultural output during the last 2 decades by nearly 25%. Water conservation measures can be divided into (1) measures which are only applicable under ...
In analysis of hydrogen in metals and alloys by SIMS, control of the hydrogen blank mainly due to residual gases is a persistent problem. Contrarity, this problem becomes less important in case of deuterium analysis. The prescribed amounts of deuterium were introduced into a pure titanium and a beta-titanium alloy (Ti- 6.6wt%Fe) by the gas reaction method. Intensities of the various secondary ions sputtered from each sample were measured by the Hitachi Ion Microanalyzer with primary ions of Ar"+. Energy distributions of the various secondary ion species were measured with the energy window of about 15eV width. The effects of oxygen gas pressure in the target chamber and the bulk deuterium concentration on the shape of energy distribution curves are discussed. For all samples, intensity of D"- ions is higher than that of D"+ ions, especially at higher energy ranges. With increasing the deuterium concentration: a) intensities of D"+ and D"- ions from Ti-D system increased, but their ...
The Coal Fired Combined Cycle (CFCC) power system thermodynamic cycle is illustrated schematically. Pressurized air supplied at the discharge of gas turbine compressors is ducted to the pressure vessel of pressurized, fluidized-bed, combustor-steam generator modules. The air is introduced in parallel to the beds, entering through distribution grids beneath each bed. Steam generation tubes are buried within the beds and are also arranged as membrane tube walls enclosing the four sides. Crushed coal (1/4 inch x 0) is pneumatically fed at locations just above the air inlet grids at the bottom of each bed. Dolomite is similarly fed to the individual beds. The coal is burned at a temperature below the ash fusion point. Sulfur is removed in the fluid beds through reaction of the SO/sub 2/ with CaCO/sub 3/ and O/sub 2/ to form solid CaSO/sub 4/ and CO/sub 2/ gas. The combustion gases leave the beds at a temperature in the range of 1400/sup 0/F to ...
Nitrogen metabolism and protozoa production rate using "1"4C-choline as marker were studied on 9 adult male crossbred (Tharparker x Brown Swiss) rumen fistulated animals divided into 3 groups (A, B and C). All the animals were fed concentrate mixture and wheatstraw. However, groundnut cake (GNC) in concentrate mixture was untreated in group A, 50 per cent formaldehyde treated in group B and 100 per cent formaldehyde treated in group C. Although, DM intake was similar in these groups but water intake was significantly (P<0.05) higher in control group. Total-N, ammonia-N and blood urea were significantly lower in group B and C as compared to group A. Apparent CP digestibility was not affected by addition of formaldehyde treated GNC at 50 and 100 per cent levels. However, N balances increased significantly (P<0.05) due to addition of protected protein in diet. Protozoal pool as well as production rate were significantly (P<0.01) decreased due to formaldehyde ...
The effects of a daily 3-g supplement of betaine on kinetic aspects of L-[2H3-methyl-1-13C]methionine (MET) metabolism in healthy young adult men were explored. Four groups of four subjects each were given a control diet, based on an L-amino acid mixture supplying 29.5 and 21.9 mg.kg-1.d-1 of L-methionine and L-cystine for 4 d before the tracer study, conducted on day 5 during the fed state. Two groups received the control diet and two groups received the betaine supplement. Tracer was given intravenously (iv) or orally. The transmethylation rate of MET (TM), homocysteine remethylation (RM), and oxidation of methionine were estimated from plasma methionine labeling and 13C enrichment of expired air. RM tended to increase (P = 0.14) but the TM and methionine oxidation were significantly (P less than 0.05) higher after betaine supplementation when estimated with the oral tracer. No differences were detected with the intravenous tracer. Methionine concentration in ...
We carried out a feeding study in rats aimed at extending our aboservations of contaminant-induced immunosuppression in harbour seals. Two herring batches were freeze-dried, supplemented and fed to female adult PVG rats for a period of 4 1/2 months. Daily contaminant intakes of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) toxic equivalents (TEQ) were estimated to be 0.3 ng/kg body weight and 1.6 ng/kg in the Atlantic and Baltic groups, respectively. At the end of the feeding experiment, no contaminant-related changes in spleen CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} cellularity, natural killer cell activity, or mitogen-induced proliferative responses of thymus or spleen cells could be detected. However, total thymocyte numbers and thymus CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} ratios were reduced in the Baltic group. A novel model was established to assess the specific T-cell response to rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV). When applied to the feeding study, no differences between the ...
The concentration of trace elements in brain sections was measured by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence. The relative concentration was calculated by means of the normalization of Compton scattering intensity approximately 22 keV, after the normalization for collecting time of X-ray spectrum and the counting of the ion chamber, and subtracting the contribution of the polycarbonate film for supporting sample. Furthermore, the statistical evaluation of the element distribution in various regions of the brain sections of the 20-day-old rats was tested. For investigating the distribution of elements in the brain of iodine deficient rats, Wistar rats were fed with iodine deficient diet and deionized water (ID group). The rats were fed the same iodine deficient diet, but drank KIO_3 solution as control (CT group). The results showed that the contents of calcium (Ca) in thalamus (TH) and copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) in cerebral cortex (CX) of ID ...
To determine the effects of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) dosage and swimming exercise training during 4 weeks on bone metabolic turnover in rats, seven-week-old female 24 Wister-Kyoto (WKY) rats were investigated by bone status including bone mineral density (BMD) and biomechanical markers from blood and urine. Twenty-four rats (initial weight: 191.2+/-7.6 g) were randomly divided into four groups: baseline (8 weeks old) control group (n=6, BC), 4-week control group (n=6, Con), 4-week swimming exercise loading group (n=6, Swim) and 4-week chronic NH4Cl dosage group (n=6, Acid). All rats were fed an AIN93M diet (Ca: 0.5%, P: 0.3%), and both Con and Swim groups were pair-fed by feeding volume of the NH4Cl dosage group. The acid group only received 0.25 M NH4Cl distilled water ad libitum. At the end of the experimental period, rats were sacrificed with blood drawn and femur and tibia were removed for analysis of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual ...
This report presents the operating results for Run 245 at the Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. This run was made in an all-distillate Integrated Two-Stage Liquefaction (ITSL) mode using Illinois 6 coal from the Burning Star mine. The primary run objective was to obtain steady-state ITSL performance by replacing spent HTR reactor catalyst with fresh, sulfided catalyst. Secondary objectives were to maintain an all-distillate (minimum resid production) product slate and to demonstrate the effects of catalyst addition on the net gas production and hydrogen consumption. Run 245 began on 7 November, 1983, and continued through 12 February, 1984. During this period, 179.0 tons of coal was fed in 2045 hours of operation. Eight special product workup material balances were defined, and the results are presented herein. 6 references, 28 figures, 20 tables.
We have been developing an innovative Steam Generator concept of Fast Breeder Reactors by using liquid-liquid direct contact heat transfer. In this concept, the SG shell is filled with a molten alloys, which is heated by primary sodium. Water is fed into the high temperature molten alloy, and evaporates by direct contact heating. In order to obtain the fundamental information to discuss the heat transfer mechanisms of the direct contact between the water and the alloy, this phenomenon was visualized by real-time neutron radiography. JRR-3M real-time thermal neutron radiography in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute was used. Followings are main results. (1) The vigorous evaporation occurs in the molten alloy. This phenomena is different from the known phenomenon such as the evaporation of refrigerant R-113 in the water. (2) The evaporation in the bubble has finished in a moment due to high heat transfer performance between the liquid and molten alloy. (3) It is ...
Gastric evacuation experiments were performed on whiting Merlangius merlangus fed discrete meals of different sizes. Herring Clupea harengus, sandeel Ammodytes tobianus, common goby Pomatoschistus microps, and brown shrimp Crangon crangon were tested as prey. A simple power model to describe gastric evacuation was evaluated and compared with a power model expanded as a function of meal size. The model parameters were estimated by means of nonlinear least squares. When all meal sizes were included the estimates of the power (curvature) parameter in the expanded model were within the range 0.36-0.77 for the different prey. The power estimates in the simple model were generally close to 0.5. The exception was crustacean prey, which gave a higher value. In the simple model the power estimate represents a compromise between the curvatures of the curves fitted to the observations for each meal size and the relationship between meal size and overall evacuation rate. ...
Recent experimental and theoretical studies of two-dimensional (2D) turbulence reveal that spectrally condensed turbulence which is a system of coupled large-scale coherent flow and broadband turbulence, is similar to plasma turbulence near the L-H transition threshold. Large condensate vortices fed via the turbulent inverse energy cascade, can control both the level of the broadband turbulence by shear decorrelation, and the energy injected into turbulence at the forcing scale via sweeping of the forcing-scale vortices. The interaction between these ingredients of spectrally condensed fluid turbulence is in many aspects similar to the interactions in the zonal flow-GAMs-turbulence system in plasma. In this paper we overview recent results on condensed 2D turbulence and present evidence of interaction between its three components: condensate structures, turbulence and forcing-scale vortices. This is compared with the modifications in the spectra of plasma ...
A ground-breaking study was recently completed as part of the Seabrook Level 2 PRA update. This study updates the post-core damage phenomena to be consistent with the most recent information and includes accident management activities that should be modeled in the Level 2 PRA. Overall, the result is a Level 2 PRA that fully meets the requirements of the ASME PRA Standard with respect to modeling accident management in the LERF assessment and NRC requirements in Regulatory Guide 1.174 for considering late containment failures. This technical paper deals only with the incorporation of operator actions into the Level 2 PRA based on a comprehensive study of the Seabrook Station accident response procedures and guidance. The paper describes the process used to identify the key operator actions that can influence the Level 2 PRA results and the development of success criteria for these key operator actions. This addresses a key requirement of the ASME PRA Standard for considering SAMG. An ...
A ground-breaking study was recently completed as part of the Seabrook Level 2 PRA update. This study updates the post-core damage phenomena to be consistent with the most recent information and includes accident management activities that should be modeled in the Level 2 PRA. Overall, the result is a Level 2 PRA that fully meets the requirements of the ASME PRA Standard with respect to modeling accident management in the LERF assessment and NRC requirements in Regulatory Guide 1.174 for considering late containment failures. This technical paper deals only with the incorporation of operator actions into the Level 2 PRA based on a comprehensive study of the Seabrook Station accident response procedures and guidance. The paper describes the process used to identify the key operator actions that can influence the Level 2 PRA results and the development of success criteria for these key operator actions. This addresses a key requirement of the ASME PRA Standard for considering SAMG. An ...
An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the use of local poultry by-product meal (PBM) in replacement of imported fishmeal in the diets of cobia, Rachycentron canadum. Six isolipidic (12%) and isoproteic (45%) experimental diets were formulated using PBM to replace fishmeal at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% dietary protein. Eleven juvenile cobia (initial mean weight of 30.7???0.78?g) were randomly stocked in 300-L circular fibreglass tanks and hand-fed based on the total biomass of each tank, twice a day at 0900?h and 1500?h. The fish were group weighed at 2-week intervals to monitor their growth performance in order to adjust the feeding ratio. At the end of the feeding trial, weight gains (WGs) ranging from 221 to 322% were obtained. The specific growth rate (SGR), WG and protein effi...
Twenty-four male weanling rats were fed either copper-adequate or -deficient diets until 9 or 11 weeks of age. Deficient rat hearts had increased mitochondria: myofibril compared to adequate rats. Eleven week old deficient rat hearts had decreased mitochondria: myofibril as the hearts increased in weight, but the larger hearts had greater myofibril volume densities. Cardiac mitochondria of deficient rats appeared vacuolated with fragmented cristae and translucent matrix. Valves from copper deficient rats appeared to have less connective tissue and were fragmented in areas. For deficient rats, heart:body weights of 9 wk old rats were negatively correlated with bicuspid valve pathology scores, whereas tricuspid valve scores from 11 wk old rats were negatively correlated with myofibril volume densities. These data suggest that the enlargement of the copper-deficient rat heart is due to: larger (1) mitochondria and (2) myofibril volume densities.
CO poisoning is a major issue when reformate is used as a fuel in PEM fuel cells. Normally it is necessary to reduce the CO to very low levels (#approx#5 ppm) and CO tolerant catalysts, such as Pt-Ru, are often employed. As an alternative approach, we have studied the use of pulsed oxidation for the regeneration of CO poisoned cells. Results are presented for the regeneration of Pt and Pt-Ru anodes in a PEM fuel cell fed with CO concentrations as high as 10,000 ppm. The results show periodic removal of CO from the catalyst surface by pulsed oxidation can increase the average cell potential and increase overall efficiency. A method for enhancing the performance of a fuel cell stack using a microprocessor-based Fuel Cell Health Manager (FCHM) has been developed. The results of a cost/benefit analysis for the use of a FCHM on a 4 kW residential fuel cell system are presented. (author)
The radioprotective effects of Liv.52 on tissue-reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were studied in rats. Adult female Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to whole body gamma radiation of 4 Gy and 8 Gy. Prior to radiation exposure, Liv.52 was fed, one ml per rat, daily for 15 days. Three days after radiation exposure, reduced glutathione levels in the liver, spleen, kidney and blood were studied. Liv.52 was beneficial in restoring the spleen weight to body weigh t ratio in the animals of the 4 Gy group. In the spleen and liver, Liv.52 helped to restore reduced glutathione in sub-lethally exposed rats. Blood-reduced glutathione was found to be normal in both groups of experimental rats who received Liv.52. The above results exhibit the radioprotective effects of Liv.52 in relation to tissue-reduced glutathione in experimental rats exposed to sub-lethal doses of radiation. (author). 3 tabs., 25 refs.
Resistance against anthelmintics is widespread, particularly in parasitic nematode populations of small ruminants. Several new techniques or supplements have been developed or are under investigation. Biological control (BC) is one of these new methods. The net-trapping predacious fungus Duddingtonia flagrans produces thick walled resting spores, chlamydospores, which are able to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract of cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. Under Danish climatic conditions it has been shown that the number of parasite larvae on pasture and the worm burden of the grazing animals is significantly reduced when animals are fed spores during the initial 2-3 months of the grazing season. Work with D. flagrans in France, Australia, USA, and Mexico has confirmed the strong BC potential of this fungus. Today much work is going into development of suitable delivery systems for grazing livestock worldwide. Ultimately, BC should be implemented in ...
A patent is claimed for a process by which a low-hydrogen gas containing at least 90 percent by volume of methane which is suited for natural gas substitution is produced by transformation of vaporizable hydrocarbons with the aid of steam in the presence of a catalyst containing nickel, at temperatures of 350 to 600/sup 0/C and at increased pressure. Hydrocarbons and steam are supplied to the reaction in mixed form with recycle product gas. Per kilogramme of hydrocarbons to be converted in the high btu gas reactor, less than 1 kilogramme of fresh steam is needed. High btu gas is fed back from the high btu gas reactor to the input end of the same via a gas cycle comprising a cooler, a carbon dioxide absorption device, and a saturator. Between the carbon dioxide absorption device and the saturator a product gas is branched off which may pass a methanation device.
Short photoperiods reduce both body mass and food intake of male meadow voles. To help determine whether the primary effect of short day lengths is on regulation of some component of body mass or on the control of food consumption, voles housed in a long photoperiod were provided rations equivalent to those consumed by animals in short day lengths. Animals were transferred to a short photoperiod and after either 3 or 6 weeks of food restriction were fed ad lib. Both groups of voles overate after termination of food restriction and achieved seasonally appropriate body masses that were influenced by the duration of short photoperiod treatment. We conclude that short photoperiods gradually alter the regulated level of one or more components of body mass. We tested and failed to support the hypothesis that the subcutaneous fat depot is selectively spared during seasonal weight loss and thereby increases surface insulation. Thus, the proportion of adipose tissue ...
In China, the conventional utilization of oil shale is concentrated mainly on retorting oil shale to produce shale oil and fuel gas, and burning oil shale to generate electricity. The growth of petroleum price, and the development in heavy industry, make these conventional utilization facilities become unavailable on the energy market. In this paper, a new comprehensive utilization system is recommended for the future use of Huadian oil shale, based on the current status of energy and the characteristics of oil shale. The system involves three subsystems: retort subsystem, where coarse oil shale (8-80 mm) is retorted to shale oil, hydrocarbon gases and oil shale semicoke; combustion subsystem, where the mixture fuel of oil-shale semicoke and fine oil shale (0-8 mm) is fed to a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) furnace to burn, in order to generate high-pressure steam which is used to supply heat and generate electricity via a traditional steam-electric power mode; ...
The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) tests the quantitative fit of masks which are worn by military personnel during nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare. Subjects are placed in a Dynatech-Frontier Fit Testing Chamber, salt air is fed into the chamber, and samples of air are drawn from the mask and the chamber. The ratio of salt air outside the mask to salt air inside the mask is called the quantitative fit factor. A motion-time study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the layout and work method presently used in the laboratory. A link analysis was done to determine equipment priorities, and the link data and design guidelines were used to develop three proposed laboratory designs. The proposals were evaluated by projecting the time and motion efficiency, and the energy expended working in each design. Also evaluated were the lengths of the equipment links for each proposal, and each proposal's adherence to ...
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of partially substituting cottonseed cake with graded levels of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) seed cake (BSC) on milk yield and quality in Guernsey cows. Sixteen cows in mid-lactation and in their third parity were allocated to diets containing 0% (control), 5%, 10%, and 15% BSC in a completely randomized design. Each cow was given a daily feed ration of 6?kg and a basal diet of soya bean stover ad libitum. There were no differences in daily feed intake (P?>?0.05), but basal intake differed among all treatment groups with cows on the control diet having the highest intake (30???0.34?kg/day). Mean daily milk yield differed (P?P?P?P?P?>?0.05). These results indicate that BSC can substitute soya bean cake in dairy diets, but milk produ...
Computer programs have been developed to define the temperature increase which would be needed to bring deep-ocean water into density equilibrium with surface water for locations where data are available. A series of continuous-flow studies on phytoplankton blooms resulting from mixtures of 80 percent deep and 20 percent surface water in 2000-liter concrete culturing vessels (''reactors'') has been completed. A quantitative determination of nutrient utilization and flow through a combined primary and secondary trophic level system has been completed. This study utilized the clam Tapes semidecussata, fed from phytoplankton grown in 80 percent deep and 20 percent surface water. An analysis of the fate of the deep water discharged from a floating OTEC plant indicates that horizontal containment of the resulting deep water: surface water mixture is necessary if conditions optimal for open-sea mariculture are to obtain. The design of ...
Macronutrient self-selection and responses to dietary protein dilution were investigated in Senegalese sole, a flatfish species of interest for Mediterranean aquaculture. Eight groups of six sole were distributed among 75-l tanks and allowed to feed on three experimental diets composed of pure macronutrients: PC (75% crude protein and 25% carbohydrate), PF (75% crude protein and 25% crude fat) and PFC (10% crude protein, 45% crude fat and 45% carbohydrate). Choosing from the above diets, the sole selected a diet containing 68.0% crude protein, 15.7% crude fat and 16.3% carbohydrate. When the PF diet was diluted 50% with cellulose, the fish increased their feed intake to sustain the energy intake (5.0?kJ/kg BW/day). Their selection of fat remained unchanged, while carbohydrate selection sig...
Full text: Red blood cells (RBCs) labeled with "9"9"mTc are commonly used in the evaluation of cardiac function, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, red blood cell volume or splenic sequestration. Generally stannous ion is used as reducing agent. A proposed mechanism is that once the stannous ion (Sn) and the pertechnetate ("9"9"mTc) reach the interior of the RBC, the radionuclide is mainly house in the #beta#-chain of hemoglobin. The aim of this study was to determine if hemoglobin content reduction, an indicator of iron deficiency anemia, could affect the efficiency of RBC labeling and the biological distribution of this radiopharmaceutical. We studied 30 rats fed for 3 weeks after weaning with diets with iron contents of 6.5 ppm (group A), 18 ppm (group B) and 100 ppm (control). For all groups, the labeling yields were always higher than 97%; the percentage of radioactivity was mostly founded in blood with almost negligible radioactivity the rest of the studied ...
In this paper, we present the work carried out within the framework of the FEVER project (Fuel cell Electric Vehicle for Efficiency and Range), an European project coordinated by Renault, joining Ecole des Mines de Paris, Ansaldo, De Nora, Air Liquide and Volvo. For the FEVER project, where an electrical air compressor is used for oxidant supply, there is no need for hydrogen spill over, meaning that the hydrogen stoichiometry has to be as close to one as possible. To determine the optimum hydrogen utilization efficiency for a 10 kW Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) fed with pure hydrogen, a 4 kW prototype fuel cell was tested with and without a hydrogen recirculator at the test facility of Ecole des Mines de Paris. Nitrogen cross over from the cathodic compartment to the anodic compartment limits the hydrogen utilization of the fuel cell without recirculator to 97.4 % whereas 100% is feasible when a recirculator is used. 5 refs.
A fuzzy-decision-making procedure is applied to find the optimal feed policy of a fed-batch fermentation process for fuel ethanol production using a genetically engineered Saccharomyces yeast 1400 (pLNH33). The policy consisted of feed flow rate, feed concentration, and fermentation time. The recombinant yeast 1400 (pLNH33) can utilize glucose and xylose simultaneously to produce ethanol. However, the parent yeast utilizes glucose only. A partially selective model is used to describe the kinetic behavior of the process. In this study, this partially selective fermentation process is formulated as a general multiple-objective optimal control problem. By using an assigned membership function for each of the objectives, the general multiple-objective optimization problem can be converted into a maximizing decision problem. In order to obtain a global solution, a hybrid method of differential evolution is introduced to solve the maximizing decision problem. A simple ...
This patent describes an expert overseer for the operation and real-time management of a mass spectrometer and associated laboratory equipment. The overseer is a computer-based expert diagnostic system implemented on a computer separate from the dedicated computer used to control the mass spectrometer and produce the analysis results. An interface links the overseer to components of the mass spectrometer, components of the laboratory support system, and the dedicated control computer. Periodically, the overseer polls these devices and as well as itself. These data are fed into an expert portion of the system for real-time evaluation. A knowledge base used for the evaluation includes both heuristic rules and precise operation parameters. The overseer also compares current readings to a long-term database to detect any developing trends using a combination of statistical and heuristic rules to evaluate the results. The overseer has the capability to alert lab ...
This patent describes an expert overseer for the operation and real-time management of a mass spectrometer and associated laboratory equipment. The overseer is a computer-based expert diagnostic system implemented on a computer separate from the dedicated computer used to control the mass spectrometer and produce the analysis results. An interface links the overseer to components of the mass spectrometer, components of the laboratory support system, and the dedicated control computer. Periodically, the overseer polls these devices and as well as itself. These data are fed into an expert portion of the system for real-time evaluation. A knowledge base used for the evaluation includes both heuristic rules and precise operation parameters. The overseer also compares current readings to a long-term database to detect any developing trends using a combination of statistical and heuristic rules to evaluate the results. The overseer has the capability to alert lab ...
The D2 antidopaminergic drug Domperidone was evaluated singly and in combination with synthetic adrenocorticoid and an H2 antihistamine for its ability to reduce the acute emetic effects of /sup 60/Co whole-body radiation. Random-source adult male dogs were fasted 12 hours, fed a standard meal, injected 44 minutes later and irradiated 47 minutes after that. Four groups of dogs were radiated after drug injections as follows: saline (Con), domperidone (Dom), cimetidine + thiethylperazine (Cim+Thi), and dexamethasone + domperidone + cimetidine (Dex+Dom+Cim). Drug quantities for dogs represented 10 mg Dom, 10 mg Thi, 20 mg Dex, and 300 mg Cim for an average human (70 ka, 1.8 m2). Subjects were exposed on an up-down schedule to determine the radiation necessary to produce vomiting in 50% (ED50) of each group. Emesis onset times, offset times, and number of episodes were recorded. The ED50 of Dex+Dom+Cim was higher than Con. Dom produced more emetic episodes than Con or ...
A field experiment was conducted during 2004 and 2005 at the research farm of Central Institute of Medicinal And Aromatic Plants, Lucknow located at 26.5^o N 80.5^o E and 120m above the mean sea level to study the effect of harvesting stage and cutting height on growth, yield and quality of Indian basil. The objective of this study was to increase the essential oil yield of Indian basil without adverse effect on quality by taking two harvests through manipulating harvesting stage and cutting height and to increase the land and rain water utilization efficiency under rain fed condition. The treatments consisted of four stages of first harvest (40, 60, 80 and 100 days after transplanting (DAT)) and three cutting height (0, 7.5 and 15.0cm above ground level). The Indian basil (Ocimum basilicu...
ObjectivesIn the long term, we aim to improve understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services, water resources, food production and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, we seek to understand how local communities deal with climate-related risk and uncertainty and the opportunities they have - or could have - in shaping adaptation planning around pro-poor, small-scale irrigation and to identify priorities for ecosystem management, particularly in terms of pro-poor water allocation. In [continued...]DescriptionIncreased food production is widely considered to be a fundamental step toward the reduction of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although the agricultural sector account for two-thirds of the labour force, SSA is the only region in the world where per capita food production declined over the latter half of the 20th century. It also remains highly vulnerable to extreme climate variability and future climate change as almost all (>95%) food production is ...
Previous work suggests that supplemental ascorbic acid (AA) may inhibit intestinal copper absorption by stabilizing the less absorbable cuprous state. The authors studied copper absorption in healthy men (age 19-32) fed a constant diet with different amounts of ascorbic acid supplements. The 6 men were confined to a metabolic unit for the entire 14 week study. The basal diet consisted of a 7 day rotating menu which provided an average of 2.1 mg Cu/d and was adequate in all other nutrients except AA (5 mg/d). The basal diet was supplemented with either zero, 60, or 600 mg of AA daily, added to grape juice and consumed at each meal. All feces were collected. Blood was taken weekly for monitoring AA and copper status. Copper absorption was determined by both balance and "6"5Cu stable isotope techniques. As determined by fecal Cu excretion, varying intakes of AA between 0.1 to 10 times the RDA had no significant effect on copper retention. This is consistent with the ...
Investigations are discussed carried out in a pilot plant at the Kaz. Power Engineering Scientific Research Institute into the effect of the amount of primary air in coal-dust flame on the final concentration of nitrogen oxides in flue gases. The tests were carried out in a 7500 mm high, 1600 mm dia vertical cylindrical combustion chamber having type P-57 burner, and air dispersed fuel plus additional air supplies located at the top. Amounts of coal dust fed by a drum feeder along the air pipe varied from 100-600 kg/h. The required air was supplied by 5000 m/sup 3//h Type TK-700/5 blowers at 0.04 MPa. Ehkibastuz coal samples contained: 1.3% moisture; 48.1% ash; 38.02% carbon; 2.56% hydrogen; 0.73% sulfur; 0.60% nitrogen; heat of combustion was 14.3 MJ/kg. Results obtained indicate that variations in the amount of primary air in swirl flow burners affect formation of fuel nitrogen; there is an optimum volume at which minimum quantities of nitrogen oxides are formed. ...
Steam generator tubes in nuclear power plants are periodically checked by means of eddy current probes. The output of a probe is composed of three types of signals: known events (rolling zone, support plates, U-bend part), noise (mainly metallurgical noise) and possible flaws. The latter are random transients, both in arrival time and in shape: they have to be detected and then estimated, before to be fed to the high level stages of a diagnostics system. The objective of the study presented is to develop a semi-automatic system, which could manage and process more than 1 M-bytes of data per tube and provide an operator with reliable diagnostics proposals within a few minutes. This can be achieved only by cooperation of several digital signal processing techniques: detection, segmentation, estimation, noise subtraction, adaptive filtering, modelization, pattern recognition. The paper describes some of these items.
Steam generator tubes in nuclear power plants are periodically checked by means of eddy current probes. The output of a probe is composed of three types of signals: known events (rolling zone, support plates, U-bend part), noise (mainly metallurgical noise) and possible flaws. The latter are random transients, both in arrival time and in shape: they have to be detected and then estimated, before to be fed to the high level stages of a diagnostic system. The objective of the study presented is to develop a semi-automatic system, which could manage and process more than 1 M-bytes of data per tube and provide an operator with reliable diagnostics proposals within a few minutes. This can be achieved only by cooperation of several digital signal processing techniques: detection, segmentation, estimation, noise subtraction, adaptive filtering, modelization, pattern recognition. The paper describes some of these items.
We present ultraviolet spectra of Mira's companion star from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The companion is generally assumed to be a white dwarf surrounded by an accretion disk fed by Mira's wind, which dominates the UV emission from the system. The STIS UV spectrum is dominated by numerous, narrow H2 lines fluoresced by H I Ly-alpha, which were not detected in any of the numerous observations of Mira B by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). The high temperature lines detected by IUE (e.g., C IV 1550) still exist in the STIS spectrum but with dramatically lower fluxes. The continuum fluxes in the STIS spectra are also much lower, being more than an order of magnitude lower than ever observed by IUE, and also an order of magnitude lower than fluxes observed in more recent HST Faint Object Camera objective prism spectra from 1995. Thus, the accretion rate onto Mira B was apparently ...
RNA interference (RNAi) plays an important role in regulating gene expression in eukaryotes. Previously, we generated Arabidopsis and tobacco plants expressing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting a cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) P450 gene, CYP6AE14. Bollworms fed on transgenic dsCYP6AE14 plants showed suppressed CYP6AE14 expression and reduced growth on gossypol-containing diet (Mao et?al., in Nat Biotechnol 25: 1307?1313, 2007). Here we report generation and analysis of dsRNA-expressing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) plants. Bollworm larvae reared on T2 plants of the ds6-3 line exhibited drastically retarded growth, and the transgenic plants were less damaged by bollworms than the control. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that the CYP6AE1...
The paper reports a work-in-progress outlook of a R and D project aimed at developing an advanced boiler for the combustion of virgin and exhaust olive husks at small scale. Fluidized bed technology has been preferred because of its well known advantages that include large thermal inertia, high combustion efficiency, low NOx emissions and considerable heat transfer rate. A 100 kW atmospheric bubbling fluidized bed combustor has been designed and built. The facility is equipped with devices for continuous fuel feeding as well as heat extraction from the bed region. Measurements of temperature and gas concentrations are obtained by using thermocouples and gas-analyzer. Steady state tests of combustion were carried out at typical fluidized bed combustion temperatures. Tests proved that not only exhaust olive husks but also the virgin ones - with a water content larger than 50% by mass - can be reliably fed onto the fluidized bed. Further, they have been successful in ...
For IGCC, the primary investment is too high due to the demand of high gasification efficiency. For PFBCC, the thermal efficiency is too low due to the relatively low turbine inlet temperature and the hot working medium of the gas turbine is not easy to clean. A new scheme is proposed for coal fired combined cycle to overcome the main drawbacks of IGCC and PFBCC. The research targets are developing a new cycle construction of coal fired combined cycle to raise the efficiency and reduce the primary investment. Actually, the new scheme is a synthesis of some existing proposals. It adopts partial gasification to reduce the primary investment of the gasification equipment. The un-gasified surplus solid is then fed to a pressurized fluidized bed boiler, but adopting Curtiss Wright type external combustion to lower the ash content in the working medium. The gas fuel from the partial gasifier is combusted in a top combustor to further increase the working medium ...
This paper presents a new grid connected inverter for fuel cells. It consists of a two stage power conversion topology. Since the fuel cell operates with a low voltage in a wide voltage range (25 V-45 V) this volt- age must be transformed to around 350-400 V in order to invert this dc power into ac power to the grid. The proposed converter consists of an isolated dc-dc converter cascaded with a single phase H-bridge inverter. The dc-dc converter is a current-fed push-pull converter. A new dedicated voltage mode startup procedure has been developed in order to limit the inrush current during startup. The inverter is controlled as a power factor controller with resistor emulation.Experimental results of converter efficiency, grid performance and fuel cell response are shown for a 1 kW prototype. The proposed converter exhibits a high efficiency in a wide power range (higher than 92%) and the inverter operates with a near unity power factor and a low current THD.
Stream temperature is an important physical characteristic of headwater streams that plays a critical role in the presence and health of juvenile salmonids. Headwater stream temperature was documented in two geomorphic settings on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, focusing on the variation in temperature induced by diffuse groundwater discharge and variable air temperature. Eighteen headwater stream reaches were studied in four watersheds, with 11 drainageway sites and seven discharge-slope sites. In drainageway sites, low-gradient streams flow through broad valleys with groundwater-fed fen wetlands; in discharge-slope sites, high-gradient streams flow through narrow valleys with groundwater-fed slope wetlands. At all 18 sites, hourly stream temperatures were measured for one year. At one drainageway and one discharge-slope site, groundwater temperatures, stream stages, and groundwater heads in the local groundwater flow systems were also measured ...
To determined precisely a possible connection between the amount of copper in tap-water and the risk of early childhood liver disease, it was attempted through an epidemiological survey, to determine the extent of excessive concentrations of copper in the tap-water of households with copper pipes. Water samples from 956 households were tested for copper, and the state of health of the infants in these households was documented. Infants who had been fed using water with a copper concentration of 0.8 mg/l or more received a paediatric examination with a blood serum analysis to rule out any liver damage. A copper level greater than 0.8 mg/l was found in only 2% of the households examined. Eight infants were examined by a paediatrician and their serum was analysed. These infants had either been breast-fed to the 12th week or had received more than 200 ml of tap water per day during first 12 months. None of the infants examined showed any signs of ...
Developing safe, reliable, cost-effective, and efficient hydrogen-electricity co-generation systems is an important step in the quest for national energy security and minimized reliance on foreign oil. This project aimed to, through materials research, develop a cost-effective advanced technology cogenerating hydrogen and electricity directly from distributed natural gas and/or coal-derived fuels. This advanced technology was built upon a novel hybrid module composed of solid-oxide fuel-assisted electrolysis cells (SOFECs) and solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), both of which were in planar, anode-supported designs. A SOFEC is an electrochemical device, in which an oxidizable fuel and steam are fed to the anode and cathode, respectively. Steam on the cathode is split into oxygen ions that are transported through an oxygen ion-conducting electrolyte (i.e. YSZ) to oxidize the anode fuel. The dissociated hydrogen and residual steam are exhausted from the SOFEC cathode and ...
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 of the fusion protein. ...
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 of the fusion protein. ...
A comparison of the concentration-response effects of inhaled ozone (O/sub 3/) in different species of laboratory animals was made in order to better understand the influence of the choice of species in inhalation studies of this gas. The effect of 4-hour exposure to ozone (O/sub 3/) at concentrations of 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ppm was determined in rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice. Lavage fluid protein (LFP) accumulation 18 hr after exposure was used as the indicator of O/sub 3/-induced pulmonary edema. All species had similar basal levels of LFP (250-350 ug/ml) when a volume of saline which approximated the total lung capacity was used for lavage of the collapsed lungs. Exponential dose-response curves were seen in all species except guinea pigs, which showed significant increases in LFP at low O/sub 3/ concentrations (0.2 ppm) and a leveling off of response at the higher O/sub 3/ levels. Other species usually showed significant elevations in LFP ...
The authors have localized and characterized 2-125I-iodomelatonin binding sites in the chicken brain using in vitro quantitative autoradiography. Binding sites were widely distributed throughout the chicken brain, predominantly in regions associated with the visual system. The specific binding of 2-125I-iodomelatonin to discrete chicken brain areas was found to be saturable, reversible, and of high affinity. The specific binding of 2-125I-iodomelatonin (75 pm) was quantitated for 40 identifiable brain regions. Eight brain regions were chosen for binding characterization and pharmacological analysis: optic tectum, Edinger-Westphal nucleus, oculomotor nucleus, nucleus rotundus, ventral supraoptic decussation, ventrolateral geniculate nucleus, neostriatum, and ectostriatum. These regions showed no rostral-caudal gradient in 2-125I-iodomelatonin specific binding, and saturation analysis revealed a single class of high-affinity sites with KD values in the range of 33-48 pM and receptor site ...
Previous investigations have shown that both the early biological response and the mechanical properties of a porous hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute are highly sensitive to its pore structure. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the pore structure continued to influence bone integration in the medium to long term. Two screened batches of porous hydroxyapatite (PHA) designated as batch A and batch B, with porosities of approximately 60 and 80%, respectively, were selected for this study and implanted for periods of 5, 13, and 26 weeks into the lower femur of New Zealand White rabbits. Histomorphometric analysis of the absolute volume of bone ingrowth within batch A and B implants from 5 to 26 weeks showed that the absolute volume of bone ingrowth was consistently lower in batch A (10-21%), compared to batch B implants (24-31%). However, when the volume of bone ingrowth was normalised for the available pore space, this difference was reduced ...
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, class II alpha and, ...
We present a femtosecond Laser Two-Photon Polymerization (LTPP) system of large scale three-dimensional structuring for applications in tissue engineering. The direct laser writing system enables fabrication of artificial polymeric scaffolds over a large area (up to cm in lateral size) with sub-micrometer resolution which could find practical applications in biomedicine and surgery. Yb:KGW femtosecond laser oscillator (Pharos, Light Conversion. Co. Ltd.) is used as an irradiation source (75 fs, 515 nm (frequency doubled), 80 MHz). The sample is mounted on wide range linear motor driven stages having 10 nm sample positioning resolution (XY--ALS130-100, Z--ALS130-50, Aerotech, Inc.). These stages guarantee an overall travelling range of 100 mm into X and Y directions and 50 mm in Z direction and support the linear scanning speed up to 300 mm/s. By moving the sample three-dimensionally the position of laser focus in the photopolymer is changed and one is able to write complex 3D ...
The purpose was to develop a simplified and reliable method of separating free from antibody-bound ligand using a precipitating antibody linked to a cellulose derivative. Dose-response curves and control sera were set up in parallel for various pituitary and placental polypeptides, steroid hormones, insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, angiotensin I, calcitonin, gastrin, cyclic AMP, and digoxin. After first-antibody reactions had reached equilibrium, free and bound ligand were separated using a double-antibody solid-phase system in parallel with conventional methods, including dextran-coated charcoal, double-antibody precipitation, single-antibody solid phase, organic solvents, salt precipitation, and anion-exchange resins. The effect of variations in temperature, incubation time, protein content, pH, and amount of separating material added were studied. The results showed that separation was complete within 1 hr for small ligand molecules and within 2 hr for larger ones. ...
The purpose was to develop a simplified and reliable method of separating free from antibody-bound ligand using a precipitating antibody linked to a cellulose derivative. Dose-response curves and control sera were set up in parallel for various pituitary and placental polypeptides, steroid hormones, insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, angiotensin I, calcitonin, gastrin, cyclic AMP, and digoxin. After first-antibody reactions had reached equilibrium, free and bound ligand were separated using a double-antibody solid-phase system in parallel with conventional methods, including dextran-coated charcoal, double-antibody precipitation, single-antibody solid phase, organic solvents, salt precipitation, and anion-exchange resins. The effect of variations in temperature, incubation time, protein content, pH, and amount of separating material added were studied. The results showed that separation was complete within 1 hr for small ligand molecules and within 2 hr for larger ones. ...
Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies are caused by defects of dystrophin, which forms a part of the membrane cytoskeleton of specialized cells such as muscle. It has been previously shown that the dystrophin-associated protein A1 (59-kDa DAP) is actually a heterogeneous group of phosphorylated proteins consisting of an acidic ({alpha}-A1) and a distinct basic ({beta}-A1) component. Partial peptide sequence of the A1 complex purified from rabbit muscle permitted the design of oligonucleotide probes that were used to isolate a cDNA for one human isoform of A1. This cDNA encodes a basic A1 isoform that is distinct from the recently described syntrophins in Torpedo and mouse and is expressed in many tissues with at least five distinct mRNA species of 5.9, 4.8, 4.3, 3.1, and 1.5 kb. A comparison of the human cDNA sequence with the GenBank expressed sequence tag (EST) data base has identified a relative from human skeletal muscle, EST25263, which is probably a human ...
A burgeoning interest in technetium coordination chemistry has been spurred by its widespread use in nuclear medicine. Recent focus has been on the design and preparation of new technetium complexes, the lipophilicity, polarity, and overall charge of which can be readily altered by simple substitutions in the molecular framework of the ligand in order to optimize the biodistribution and target specific organs. Examples are cationic (Cardiolite) and neutral (Ceretec) technetium complexes, used as myocardial and brain imaging agents, respectively. The authors have been pursuing a continuing study of tris(3-hydroxy-4-pyridinonato)gallium and -indium complexes that are water soluble, are hydrolytically stable, and are of varying lipophilicity and neutral charge. Studies of in vivo in rabbits and mice have revealed that several of these cationic complexes may be useful as morphologic kidney imaging agents, with [{sup 99m}Tc(pap){sub 3}]{sup +} showing elevated levels in ...
A burgeoning interest in technetium coordination chemistry has been spurred by its widespread use in nuclear medicine. Recent focus has been on the design and preparation of new technetium complexes, the lipophilicity, polarity, and overall charge of which can be readily altered by simple substitutions in the molecular framework of the ligand in order to optimize the biodistribution and target specific organs. Examples are cationic (Cardiolite) and neutral (Ceretec) technetium complexes, used as myocardial and brain imaging agents, respectively. The authors have been pursuing a continuing study of tris(3-hydroxy-4-pyridinonato)gallium and -indium complexes that are water soluble, are hydrolytically stable, and are of varying lipophilicity and neutral charge. Studies of in vivo in rabbits and mice have revealed that several of these cationic complexes may be useful as morphologic kidney imaging agents, with ["9"9"mTc(pap)_3]"+ showing elevated levels in the kidneys ...
Intact rat fat cell exposed to 12.5 ..mu..M (..gamma..-32P)ATP incorporate label into specific proteins within minutes. By solubilizing the reaction mixture with SDS which bypasses the subcellular fractionation steps, the labeled proteins can be identified in autoradiographs of SDS-PAGE gels. The most prominently labeled protein has an M/sub r/ of 42,000. Localization of this component to the cell surface can be made on the basis of inhibition of phosphorylation by addition of a protein derived from the rat brain with protein kinase inhibitory property, susceptibility of the phosphorylated protein to the tryptic digestion, inhibition of phosphorylation of this protein after brief exposure to melittin. To rule out the possibility that the cell surface protein might be a mitochondrial contaminant from broken cells, /sup 32/Pi-labeled and (..gamma..-/sup 32/P)ATP-labeled cells were chromatographed on a rabbit anti-pyruvate dehydrogenase antibody-Sepharose 4B column. A ...
Glycosaminoglycans (GAG) are believed to be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We have previously demonstrated that areas of injured aorta that have been re-endothelialized accumulate increased amounts of lipid and GAG when compared to areas remaining de-endothelialized. We have now examined the net incorporation of labeled precursors into the individual GAG present in both re-endothelialized and de-endothelialized areas of rabbit aorta. Aortic tissue was examined at 2-3 and 10-14 weeks after a denuding injury by incubating tissue minces with (/sup 3/H)glucosamine and sodium (/sup 35/S)sulfate for 24 hr. Following incubation, the aortic GAG were isolated and assayed for uronic acid concentration and radioactivity. Results indicate that the total GAG concentration was significantly greater in the re-endothelialized as compared to de-endothelialized areas. The concentration in uninjured aorta was 9.01. The difference between the injured tissues was ...
The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has two major functions: interacting with the receptor to mediate virus entry and inducing protective immunity. Coincidently, the receptor-binding domain (RBD, residues 318-510) of SAR-CoV S protein is a major antigenic site to induce neutralizing antibodies. Here, we used RBD-Fc, a fusion protein containing the RBD and human IgG1 Fc, as a model in the studies and found that a single amino acid substitution in the RBD (R441A) could abolish the immunogenicity of RBD to induce neutralizing antibodies in immunized mice and rabbits. With a panel of anti-RBD mAbs as probes, we observed that R441A substitution was able to disrupt the majority of neutralizing epitopes in the RBD, suggesting that this residue is critical for the antigenic structure responsible for inducing protective immune responses. We also demonstrated that the RBD-Fc bearing R441A mutation could not bind to soluble and ...
Environmental monitoring has been conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State since 1945. Fish and wildlife have been monitored since 1945, however, a major emphasis on mammals did not occur until the 1970s. This report focuses on the 10-year period from 1983 through 1992. The objectives of this report are to evaluate {sup 90}Sr and {sup 137}Cs concentrations in Site wildlife populations and, when possible, evaluate trends in concentrations over this period of time. No distinct trends in radionuclide concentrations were apparent in most species sampled. Many measurements were at or below the analytical limit of detection. This evaluation found that concentrations of {sup 90}Sr in rabbit and deer bone were elevated in animals collected from areas adjacent to industrialized areas. Similarly, radionuclide concentrations in duck muscle from waterfowl collected at B Pond were elevated with {sup 137}Cs when compared ...
Aim: Rheumatoid arthritis is a limiting disease having, among its pathological features, the inflammation of synovial tissue with progressive and later destruction of the articulation. This leads to joint deformation and loss of its function, generating pain and reducing the mobility of the affected articulation. The aim was to evaluate "1"6"6Ho-Hydroxyapatite ("1"6"6 Ho-HA) as potential radiopharmaceutical for the symptomatic treatment of chronic and acute arthritis. Materials and Methods: Holmiun-166 was produced by irradiation of Ho_2O_3 at La Reina Research Reactor, Nuclear Chilean Energy Commission. Hydroxyapatite was in-house synthesized. Its labelling and quality controls follows the internationally accepted procedures. An antigen's arthritis was induced to eight New Zealand rabbits with the "1"6"6 Ho-HA radiochemical being administered thereafter in two dosage modalities (single and double). The compound therapeutic efficiency was evaluated based upon ...
Two-stage gasification allows power production from biomass and waste with high efficiency. The process involves pyrolysis at about 550C followed by heating of the pyrolysis gas to about 1300C in order to crack hydrocarbons and obtain syngas, a mixture of H2, CO, H2O and CO2. The second stage produces soot as unwanted by-product. Experimental results are reported on the suppression of soot formation in the second stage for two different fuels: beech wood pellets and Rofire pellets, made from rejects of paper recycling. Syngas obtained from these two fuels and from an industrial waste fuel has been cleaned and fed to a commercial SOFC stack for 250 hours in total. The SOFC stack showed comparable performance on real and synthetic syngas and no signs of accelerated degradation in performance over these tests. The experimental results have been used for the design and analysis of a future 25 MWth demonstration plant. As an alternative, a 2.6 MWth system was considered ...
The 2- and 8-azido trimer 5'-triphosphate photoprobes of 2-5A have been enzymatically synthesized from [#gamma#-"3"2P]2-azidoATP and [#alpha#-"3"2P]8-azidoAPT by 2-5A synthetase from rabbit reticulocyte lysates. Identification and structural determination of the 2- and 8-azido adenylate trimer 5'-triphosphates were accomplished by enzymatic hydrolyses with T2 RNase, snake venom phosphodiesterase, and bacterial alkaline phosphatase. Hydrolysis products were identified by HPLC and PEI-cellulose TLC analyses. The 8-azido photoprobe of 2-5A displaces p_3A_4["3"2P]pCp from RNase L with affinity equivalent to p_3A_3. The 8-azido photoprobe also activates RNase L to hydrolyze poly(U)["3"2P]pCp 50% at 7 /times/ 10/sup /minus/9/ M in core-cellulose assays. The 2- and 8-azido photoprobes and authentic p_3A_3 activate RNase L to cleave 28S and 18S rRNA to specific cleavage products at 10/sup /minus/9/ M in rRNA cleavage assays. The nucleotide binding site(s) of RNase L and/or ...
Thirty-seven patients with primary nonresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (57% with prior treatment and/or metastasis) were prospectively treated with external radiation, chemotherapy, and "1"3"1I labelled anti-CEA. Therapy began in all trials with whole liver irradiation (21.0 Gy, 3.0 Gy/Fx, 4 days/week, 10 MV photons) with alternate treatment day chemotherapy (Adriamycin, 15 mg + 5-FU, 500 mg). One month after external beam therapy, chemotherapy was given (Adriamycin, 15 mg + 5-FU, 500 mg) followed the next day by the first administration of "1"3"1I anti-CEA. The treatment schedule used was 20 mCi day 0; 10 mCi day 5 as an outpatient. This schedule was derived from tumor dose estimates which indicated that 20 mCi (8-10 mCi/mg IgG) was sufficient to achieve tumor saturation with a tumor effective half-life of 3 to 5 days, depending upon the species of animal from which the antibody was obtained. The median tumor dose for the 20 mCi + 10 mCi regimen was 6.2 Gy. Antibody therapy ...
In the bacterial reversion assay with S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535 and TA1537, gamma irradiated hyaluronic acid (10 and 50 kGy) did not induce a significant increase in the number of revertant colonies in the presence of S9 metabolic activation system. In chromosomal aberration tests with CHO cells, gamma irradiated hyaluronic acid (10 and 50 kGy) did not result in an increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations. In vivo mouse micronucleus assay, gamma irradiated hyaluronic acid (10 and 50 kGy) did not show an increase in the frequency of polychromatic erythrocytes with micronuclei. These results indicate that hyaluronic acids irradiated at 10 and 50 kGy did not show any genotoxic effects under these experimental conditions. In order to evaluate their possible subacute toxicity, the male and female of ICR mouse were given to methanol extract of 50 kGy irradiated red ginseng and 20 kGy irradiated water extract of mistletoe for three months. During the experimental periods, ...
An approach of acidification was examined on formation of hydrogen-producing granules and biofilms in upflow column-shaped reactors. The reactors were fed with synthetic glucose wastewater and operated at 37 C and pH 5.5. The acclimated anaerobic culture was inoculated in four reactors designated R1, R2, R3 and R4, with R3 and R4 filled with granular activated carbon as support medium. To unveil the roles of acidification, microbial culture in R2 and R3 was subject to an acid incubation for 24 h by shifting the culture pH from 5.5 to 2.0. The experimental results suggested that the acidification substantially accelerated microbial granulation, but not biofilm formation. Microbial activities were inhibited by the acid incubation for about 78 h, resulting in the retarded formation of biofilms of the acidified culture. Reducing culture pH resulted in improvement in cell surface physicochemical properties favoring microbial adhesion and immobilization. Zeta potential ...
Within the framework of the French inter lab SPACT project (Fuel Cell Systems for Transportation Applications), the behavior of a 5 kW PEM fuel cell stack, fed by humidified hydrogen and compressed air, is investigated in a test platform at Belfort, France. A set of polarization curves are recorded, under various conditions of stack temperature, gas pressure, and stoichiometry rates, in order to obtain a kind of cartography, representing the static stack performance. Initially, the tests are defined considering experimental design techniques. In order to study the relative impacts of the physical factors on the fuel cell voltage, some polarization curve results are selected from the static tests available applying experimental design methodology. First, several analyses are used to estimate the impact of the stack temperature, gas pressure, and stoichiometry rate on the fuel cell voltage. Statistical sensitivity analyses (ANOVA) are used to compute, from the ...
Sida rhomboidea. Roxb leaf extract (SRLE) is being used by the populace of North-East India to alleviate symptoms of diabetes and obesity. We have previously reported its hypolipidemic and anti-diabetic properties. In this study, we report the effect of SRLE on (i) in vivo modulation of genes controlling high fat diet (HFD) induced obesity and (ii) in vitro 3T3L1 pre-adipocyte differentiation and leptin release. Supplementation with SRLE significantly prevented HFD induced increment in bodyweight, plasma lipids and leptin, visceral adiposity and adipocyte hypertrophy. Also, SRLE supplementation reduced food intake, down regulated PPAR?2, SREBP1c, FAS and LEP expressions and up-regulated CPT-1 in epididymal adipose tissue compared to obese mice. In vitro adipogenesis of 3T3L1 pre-adipocytes was significantly retarded in the presence of SRLE extract. Also decreased triglyceride accumulation, leptin release and glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate dehydrogenase activity along with higher glycerol ...
A synthesis of the sedimentation processes as deduced from the seismic stratigraphy and the deduced facies associations suggests the following. Small fans developed along the northern major fault line of the SCFVS and contains sediment fed directly from Crete through a series of small canyons, most of which trend perpendicular to the coast. However, the main east-west-trending valley transects the mid- and lower fan sectors and contains several intravalley basinal areas, converging toward the main Messara basin. Thus much of the suprafan sediment is reworked and longitudinally transported into the deeper basins. In these deeper intrabasinal and main basinal areas the thickness of the post-Messinian sediments generally exceeds 800 m and in places exceeds 1,500 m. Toward the south the SCFVS receives additional sediment from the Ptolemy Mountains and the Gavdos rise. Cores recovered along the SCFVS contain a remarkable association of sedimentary sequences which are ...
In the group of persistent aromatic hydrocarbons, the highest values were determined for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), total DDT and hexachlorobenzene (HBC). Comparisons of the relevant median values for the past six years led to the conclusion that the steep initial decline in the breast milk concentrations of DDT and HBC was followed by reductions at a much lower pace in the years after 1987. The time course of the concentration of the total PCB did not appear to follow any particular pattern. The mean contents of lead and cadmium remained by a wide margin below the threshold values for these heavy metals and thus were of no relevance from the toxicological point of view. It was found that the 134 and 137 cesium isotopes constituted no particular health hazard for breast-fed infants, as the relevant concentrations in breast milk were low. (VHE) [Deutsch] In der Gruppe der persistenten Chlorkohlenwasserstoffe werden die hoechsten Konzentrationen bei den ...
The present project examined the operating characteristics and application possibilities of a new, compact combined heating and electricity generating unit with a thermal output of 14,5 kW and a generating capacity of 5,5 kW. Such a module was installed in a plant in Arlesheim (Canton of Basel-Country) and subject to performance measurements. The small heating and generating plant is designed for cyclic operation (without heat storage) and is very compact and low in cost. The heating and generating unit conforms to all Swiss regulations relating to electrical installations and air pollution control. The NO{sub x} emissions of the unit (400 mg/m{sup 3} in steady state operation) are above the limits of LRV 92 (80 mg/m{sup 3}), but the regulation does not apply for units in this power range. The electricity generation costs are approximately CHF 0.16/kWh. It therefore makes sense to install the module in regions with average supply tariffs of at least CHF 0.16/kWh. Ideal locations are ...
We have presented evidence that the functional thyroid follicles (follicular units, FU) which are formed in grafts of monodispersed rat thyroid cells, and hence the thyroid tumors which later develop in such grafts, are clonal in origin. Recent studies have been designed to investigate: whether cell number-dependent inhibition of promotion-progression is mediated by remote hormonal feed-back, local cell-cell interactions, or both; the cell population kinetics of the clonogen subpopulation during goitrogenesis and goiter involution; and the effect of prolonged exposure to high levels of TSH (thyrotropin) on the capacity of the clonogens to give rise to functional FU. The results indicate that local cell-cell interactions play an important role in the cell number-dependent suppression of neoplastic promotion-progression. They also show that if sufficient thyroid cells are grafted, the thyroid-pituitary axis can be reestablished in thyroidectomized rats fed normal ...
Iron overload has been described in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. The present study was undertaken to evaluate a rapid, noninvasive method for determination of skin iron by the technique of diagnostic x-ray spectrometry (DXS). Thirty-five patients receiving chronic hemodialysis treatment entered the study and were compared with 25 normal controls. Since pathological skin iron deposition occurs mainly at the dermal-epidermal junction in the basal cells of the epidermis, measurements were made in the thenar eminence representing mainly epidermal tissue (FeE), and in the forearm representative mainly of dermis (FeD). The mean +/- SD FeE iron concentrations were equivalent to 14.5 +/- 8.8 and 18.2 +/- 10.2 parts per million wet weight tissue (ppm) and both were significantly higher than in normal controls in which they averaged 9.2 +/- 2.5 ppm (P less than 0.005) and 10.2 +/- 3.2 ppm (P less than 0.001), respectively. There was significant positive ...
The present invention is a fully connected feed forward network that includes at least one hidden layer 16. The hidden layer 16 includes nodes 20 in which the output of the node is fed back to that node as an input with a unit delay produced by a delay device 24 occurring in the feedback path 22 (local feedback). Each node within each layer also receives a delayed output (crosstalk) produced by a delay unit 36 from all the other nodes within the same layer 16. The node performs a transfer function operation based on the inputs from the previous layer and the delayed outputs. The network can be implemented as analog or digital or within a general purpose processor. Two teaching methods can be used: (1) back propagation of weight calculation that includes the local feedback and the crosstalk or (2) more preferably a feed forward gradient decent which immediately follows the output computations and which also includes the local feedback and the crosstalk. Subsequent ...
Two plasmids which express either nearly intact or truncated filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) from Bordetella pertussis and which are marked with a tetracycline resistance (Tcr) gene were transformed into Salmonella dublin SL1438, an aroA deletion mutant intended for use as an attenuated oral vaccine against salmonellosis. These S. dublin recombinants, when fed to mice, induced serum immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin M (IgM), and sometimes IgA antibody responses to FHA and S. dublin. In addition, IgA antibodies against FHA were found in gut wash fluids. S. dublin carrying pDB2300, a multicopy plasmid encoding truncated FHA protein, induced a better antibody response than did S. dublin carrying pDB2000, a low-copy-number plasmid encoding full-sized FHA. Administration of tetracycline to mice enhanced the stability of recombinant plasmids, and tetracycline-treated mice developed higher anti-FHA titers. Although neither strain examined is suitable for use in a human oral ...
The complexity and diversity of the microbial communities in biogranules from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor were determined in response to short-term changes in substrate feeds. The reactor was fed simulated brewery wastewater (SBWW) (70% ethanol, 15% acetate, 15% propionate) for 1.5 months (phase 1), acetate / sulfate for 2 months (phase 2), acetate-alone for 3 months (phase 3), and then a return to SBWW for 2 months (phase 4). Performance of the reactor remained relatively stable throughout the experiment as shown by COD removal and gas production. 16S rDNA, methanogen-associated mcrA and sulfate reducer-associated dsrAB genes were PCR amplified, then cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis of 16S clone libraries showed a relatively simple community composed mainly of the methanogenic Archaea (Methanobacterium and Methanosaeta), members of the Green Non-Sulfur (Chloroflexi) group of Bacteria, followed by fewer numbers of Syntrophobacter, ...
The upper range of the requirement for methionine plus cystine in healthy adults was proposed in 1985 by FAO/WHO/UNU to be 13 mg.kg body wt-1.d-1. To explore the validity of this estimate, five healthy, young adult men were given for 7 d a diet based on an L-amino acid mixture supplying 13 mg methionine.kg-1.d-1 (87 mumol.kg-1.d-1) without cystine. Constant intravenous infusions of L-[2H3-methyl-1-13C]methionine were given on days 5 and 7 while subjects were in the fed and postabsorptive states, respectively. Estimates were made of methionine oxidation, and daily methionine balance was derived from the intake-oxidation data. For the five subjects, methionine balances were -0.9, +0.7, +3.5, -3.1, and -3.8 mg kg-1.d-1, or -6, +5, +23, -21, and -26 mumol.kg-1.d-1. These findings lead to the conclusion that the upper range of the requirement for methionine plus cystine probably exceeds 13 mg.kg-1.d-1 in healthy young adults. The implications of this conclusion for ...
Seismic transects in this area show a strongly reflective Moho of generally low relief, which, in the area of modern transects, consists of a thin zone (< 2 km thick) of short reflectors. The upper mantle is transparent and has a P{sub n} of 7.8-8.0 km/s similar to much of the western US. A lower crustal zone, 2-13 km thick, has variable internal reflectivity and a relatively low velocity of 6.6-6.8 km/s. Upper mantle peridotite xenoliths show both ductile and brittle deformational features and have structures and composition affected by magmatic intrusion; intrusions form complex dike systems and extensive zones of grain boundary infiltration in peridotite xenoliths. Whereas melt infiltration preceded and followed ductile deformation, brittle deformation, represented by closely spaced joint systems and faults, followed ductile deformation and is related to the youngest magmatic episodes. Lower crustal xenoliths are dominantly igneous-textured pyroxenites and mafic to intermediate ...
Vermicomposts as a biofertilizer can be a great option for pond manuring as they never cause any long term harm to the soil like chemical fertilizer. In this study vegetable and horticulture waste was used as an important media for vermiculture. Three separate cemented tanks (6 m{sup 3} each) were used in the system as control tank, vermicompost fertilized tank and inorganic fertilizer manured tank. Monoculture of fish was carried out with cat fish, Clarias batrachus. The produced earthworms were used as fish feed. Regular monitoring of water parameter was conducted in three different ponds. Specifically, the algal biomass variation was quite helpful in analysing the behavior of the ponds. NPK value of soil samples was analyzed intermittently to know the eutrophication level. Despite the hot summer temperature in northern part of India, which is not ideal for fish growth, we have recorded an encouraging growth performance in organic manured pond along with inorganic fertilizer treated ...
The advancement of bioprocess monitoring will play a crucial role to meet the future requirements of bioprocess technology. Major issues are the acceleration of process development to reduce the time to the market and to ensure optimal exploitation of the cell factory and further to cope with the requirements of the Process Analytical Technology initiative. Due to the enormous complexity of cellular systems and lack of appropriate sensor systems microbial production processes are still poorly understood. This holds generally true for the most microbial production processes, in particular for the recombinant protein production due to strong interaction between recombinant gene expression and host cell metabolism. Therefore, it is necessary to scrutinise the role of the different cellular compartments in the biosynthesis process in order to develop comprehensive process monitoring concepts by involving the most significant process variables and their interconnections. Although research ...
Four HVDC (high voltage DC) {+-} 250kV submarine OF (oil-filled) cables are to be installed each capable of 1.4-million kW for one dipole channel and two returns for forwarding to Yura Switchyard a part of the power to be generated by a Tachibanawan coal-fired power plant to open in 2000. The first cable is now being laid. They are to cover a distance of 48km on the sea bottom, and their 190mm diameter is the largest in the world and this decreases the required number of cables for a reduction in the construction cost. The installation is executed by use of a dedicated cable laying ship loaded with cables. The ship is equipped with five thruster screws by adjusting which a cable is fed into the sea and laid on the bottom with high positional accuracy in all directions, and with a 10m-accurate DPS (Dynamic Positioning System) besides GPS (Global Positioning System). Operating on the sea bottom is a simultaneous laying/burying machine which buries the cable 2-3m deep ...
The role of dietary calcium and phosphorus in modifying the intestinal absorption of lead and also the effect of lead ingestion on the metabolism of cholecalciferol were studied in chicks. The efficiency of absorption of /sup 203/Pb and /sup 47/Ca was increased when the animals were fed a low calcium diet and treated with cholecalciferol. The synthesis of the vitamin D-induced calcium-binding protein (CaBP) was correspondingly increased. When the chicks were depleted of vitamin D and repleted with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)/sub 2/D/sub 3/) as their only source of the vitamin, the absorption of both /sup 47/Ca and /sup 203/Pb was unaffected by dietary calcium levels, and no change in CaBP levels occurred. Low dietary intake of phosphorus resulted in an increase in /sup 47/Ca and /sup 203/Pb absorption and in CaBP synthesis when the animals were treated with cholecalciferol. However, when the birds were repleted with 1,25(OH)/sub 2/D/sub 3/, the ...
The role of dietary calcium and phosphorus in modifying the intestinal absorption of lead and also the effect of lead ingestion on the metabolism of cholecalciferol were studied in chicks. The efficiency of absorption of "2"0"3Pb and "4"7Ca was increased when the animals were fed a low calcium diet and treated with cholecalciferol. The synthesis of the vitamin D-induced calcium-binding protein (CaBP) was correspondingly increased. When the chicks were depleted of vitamin D and repleted with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25(OH)_2D_3] as their only source of the vitamin, the absorption of both "4"7Ca and "2"0"3Pb was unaffected by dietary calcium levels, and no change in CaBP levels occurred. Low dietary intake of phosphorus resulted in an increase in "4"7Ca and "2"0"3Pb absorption and in CaBP synthesis when the animals were treated with cholecalciferol. However, when the birds were repleted with 1,25(OH)_2D_3, the intestinal absorption of "4"7Ca and of "2"0"3Pb ...
Active Process Water (APW) system is provided as a unitized system in TAPP-3 and 4. Maintenance on APW system requires shutdown of this system. As shut down heat exchangers are fed by APW system; during APW system shutdown cold shutdown state cannot be maintained. Therefore safety analysis is done to optimize the duration of reactor shutdown (which means low decay heat) after which APW shutdown can be taken with minimum water supply to the shutdown heat exchangers. Based on this analysis, it is proposed in technical specification that APW system shutdown can be taken after 7 days of reactor shutdown with shutdown heat exchangers supplied with about 20 % of normal APW flow. With this configuration, PHTS, moderator, end shield, calandria vault water temperature can be maintained within limits. A design provision is made at TAPP-3 and 4 to interconnect APW system of both units in such a way that one unit in addition to its own APW requirement can provide limited ...
Interest in renewable and clean energies such as hydrogen has increased because of the high level of polluting emissions, increasing costs associated with petroleum and the escalating problems of global climate change. In the presence of a light source, a microbial photosynthetic process provides a system for the conversion of some organic compounds into biomass and hydrogen. Using Rhodopseudomonas palustris as a cell-factory, hydrogen photo-evolution was investigated in a photobioreactor (PBR) irradiated either from one or two opposite sides. Irradiating the photobioreactor from only one side, in the presence of malic acid, a reactor hydrogen production of 2.786 l(H{sub 2}) PBR{sup -1} was achieved. When the PBR was irradiated from two opposite sides, hydrogen photo-evolution increased to 3.162 l(H{sub 2}) PBR{sup -1}. Experiments were carried out using inoculum from either the retardation or the exponential growth phases. Using the latter, the highest hydrogen photo-evolution rate ...
Ten Holstein steers (579 kg average body weight) were fed either alfalfa hay (12.2% crude protein) or a 90% concentrate diet to supply 14.2 or 25.2 Mcal ME respectively for a minimum of 28 days. Samples of rumen epithelial tissue were removed at slaughter from the anterior ventral sac, washed free of feed particles and transported to the laboratory in oxygenated Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer (KRB; pH 7.4). Papillae were weighed (100-200 mg) in triplicate into flasks containing 3 ml KRB with 1 mM glutamine or 5 mM glucose and acetate (50 mM), propionate (25 mM), butyrate (15 mM), lactate (1 mM) and glucose (5 mM) or glutamine (1 mM) as competing substrates. A parallel set of flasks contained 1 or .5 #mu#Ci of [U-"1"4C]-glutamine or glucose respectively for "1"4CO_2 production. There were no interactions with dietary energy intake and substrate addition. Increasing the dietary energy intake increased (P < .01) rates of uptake, "1"4CO_2 production and net lactate ...
Shortened excerpt from the head notes: The emission limits laid down in the TA Luft concretize the scope of the measures ordered by the law to provide for protection against harmful effects on the environment. Air pollution abatement measures imposed by the competent authority as post-licensing requirements based on the BImSchG (German Federal Emission Control Act) in general are in compliance with the principle of reasonableness considering the terms allowed by the TA Luft for backfitting measures. With this decision, the court qualified the emission limits defined in the TA Luft to be substantial and legally binding standards, to be applied by the competent authorities in licensing and post-licensing administrative procedures, also in order to fulfill the intended task of concretizing the less definite concepts of law laid down in the relevant legislation. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] Verkuerzte Zitierung aus den Leitsaetzen: Die in der TA Luft aufgestellten emissionsbegrenzenden ...
The anaerobic transformation and degradation of nitrophenols by granular sludge was investigated in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors continuously fed with a volatile fatty acid (VFA) mixture as the primary substrate. During the start-up, subtoxic concentrations of 2-nitrophenol (2-NP), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), and 2, 4-dinitrophenol (2, 4-DNP) were utilized. 4-NP and 2, 4-DNP were readily converted to the corresponding aromatic amine; whereas 2-NP was converted to nonaromatic products via intermediate formation of 2-aminophenol (2-AP). These conversions led to a dramatic detoxification of the mononitrophenols because the reactors treated the nitrophenolics at the concentrations which were over 25 times higher than those that caused severe inhibition. VFA removal efficiencies greater than 99% were achieved in both reactors at loading rates greater than 11.4 g COD per liter of reactor volume per day even at volumetric loading of mononitrophenols up to 910 ...
We describe the development of a fully coupled climate model configuration where the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) has been coupled with the VERDE (Visualizing Energy Resources Dynamically on the Earth) analysis modules that compute the response of the electric grid to temperature drivers. The VERDE model includes datasets characterizing the 26,500 sub-stations and 6,000 power generation stations fuel mix, efficiency, service areas, and future performance and these have been geo-located on a 1.4 degree latitude by 1.4 degree longitude CCSM grid (T85). The total electric customers have been computed using conversions derived from economic structure and population data. The carbon emissions per customer and the power generation in megawatts electric (MWe) have also been placed on reconciled 1 km, 4 km and the T85 climate model grid. The CCSM temperature for the present and future have been extracted from the climate model output and placed on the same grid as the VERDE substation ...
After the introduction Chapter 2 presents details of the ecological-economic analysis based on the FAO/IIASA agro-ecological zones (AEZ) approach for evaluation of biophysical limitations and agricultural production potentials, and IIASA's Basic Linked System (BLS) for analyzing the world's food economy and trade system. The BLS is a global general equilibrium model system for analyzing agricultural policies and food system prospects in an international setting. BLS views national agricultural systems as embedded in national economies, which interact with each other through trade at the international level. The combination of AEZ and BLS provides an integrated ecological-economic framework for the assessment of the impact of climate change. We consider climate scenarios based on experiments with four General Circulation Models (GCM), and we assess the four basic socioeconomic development pathways and emission scenarios as formulated by the Intergovernmental Panel on ...
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) developed neoplastic disorders when experimentally exposed both in the laboratory and field to chemically contaminated sediment from Black Rock Harbor (BRH), Bridgeport, Connecticut. Neoplasia was observed in oysters after 30 or 60 days of continuous exposure in a laboratory flow-through system to a 20 mg/L suspension of BRH sediment plus postexposure periods of 3, 30, or 60 days. Composite tumor incidence was 13.6% for both exposures. Tumor occurrence was highest in the renal excretory epithelium, followed in order by gill, gonad, gastrointestinal, heart, and embryonic neural tissue. Regression of experimental neoplasia was not observed when the stimulus was discontinued. In field experiments, gill neoplasms developed in oysters, deployed in cages for 30 days at BRH and 36 days at a BRH dredge material disposal area in Central Long Island Sound, and kidney and gastrointestinal neoplasms developed in caged oysters deployed 40 days in Quincy ...
Tilapia Nilotica were exposed to "1"4 C- carbofuran (125 MUg/1) and "1"4 C - lindane (80 MUg/1) for 96 h. Uptake period followed by 8 days depuration period. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) for carbofuran reached 32.4 at 12 h and 82 for lindane at 48 h. The amount of "1"4 C-activity found in fish treated with "1"4 C - carbofuran after the uptake period showed the following descending order: viscera > remaining parts > gills > muscles. In case of "1"4 C - lindane treated fish the recovered amount followed the order; remaining parts> viscera > gills muscles. During the depuration period, carbofuran residues taken up by fish were eliminated in 2 phases, an initial rapid phase followed by a slower gradual one. However, the rate of elimination in case of lindane was much slower especially during the first 2 days. At the end of the depuration period (8 days), the muscles (edible portion) contained 10% and 58% of "1"4 C -activity in case of carbofuran and lindane treated ...
This paper reported on a new cutting mechanism that cuts fresh wood into small pieces instead of wood chips in order to avoid the problem of fermentation that occurs in storage. The prototype cutting device performs a gradual and oblique cut. It consists of a large auger in which a knife is inserted on the outer edge of the helicoid. Tree trunks up to 20 cm in diameter are fed perpendicularly into the machine and are pushed along the axis where slices are cut off against a fixed sharp-edged counter blade. The cylinder enclosing the auger is the main frame of the machine, and is closed at one end, where a heavy flywheel delivers the energy coming from the tractor's power take-off (PTO). The wood pieces ranging in length from 4 to 19 cm exit through the opposite end. The auger is 700 mm in diameter with a 300 mm pitch spacing. The logs are pushed into the machine by counter-rotating rollers placed in the feed funnel. Tests were conducted to determine the ...
Energy from biomass is a CO{sub 2} neutral, sustainable form of energy. Anaerobic digestion is an established technology for converting biomass to biogas, which contains around 60% methane, besides CO{sub 2} and various contaminants. Most types of biomass contain material that cannot be digested; in woody biomass, this portion is particularly high. Therefore, conventional anaerobic digestion is not suited for the production of biogas from woody biomass. While wood is already being converted to energy by conventional thermal methods (gasification with subsequent methanation), dung, manure, and sewage sludge represent types of biomass whose energy potential remains largely untapped (present energetic use of manure in Switzerland: 0.4%). Conventional gas phase processes suffer from a low efficiency due to the high water content of the feed (enthalpy of vaporization). An alternative technology is the hydrothermal gasification: the water contained within the biomass serves as reaction ...
An investigation was conducted into alternative techniques for zinc and electrolyte regeneration and reuse in the refuelable zinc/air battery that was developed by LLNL and previously tested on a moving electric bus using cut wire. Mossy zinc was electrodeposited onto a bipolar array of inclined Ni plates with an energy consumption of 1.8 kWh/kg. Using a H{sub 2}-depolarized anode, zinc was deposited at 0.6 V (0.8 kA/m{sup 2}); the open circuit voltage was 0.45 V. Three types of fuel pellets were tested and compared with results for 0.75 mm cut wire: spheres produced in a spouted bed (UCB); coarse powder produced by gas-atomization (Noranda); and irregular pellets produced by chopping 1-mm plates of compacted zinc fines (Eagle-Picher, Inc.). All three types transported within the cell. The coarse powder fed continuously from hopper to cell, as did the compacted pellets (< 0.83 mm). Large particles (> 0.83 mm; Eagle-Picher and UCB) failed to feed from ...
It has been previously stated that the minimum physiological recommendations for the indispensable amino acids in health adults, as proposed by FAO/WHO/UNU in 1985, are far too low, except for the methionine. An amino acid stable isotopic kinetic study was conducted to seek further experimental support to this hypothesis. Twenty healthy young men received an l-amino acid based diet, supplying 140 mg N.kg"-"1.d"-"1, patterned on egg protein for 1 week, then for 3 weeks either i) a pattern based on current international recommendations (FAO diet, n=7), ii) a the tentative Laboratory of Human Nutrition of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, new amino acid recommendation pattern (MIT diet, n=7) or iii) again the egg hen pattern (EGG diet, n=6). All subjects were again studied for one final, consecutive week of the egg diet. At the end of the initial week, at the first and third week with the three experimental diets,and after three days following the return of the egg diet, an 8 h ...
The important role of thyroid hormones in growth and development, maintenance of body temperature, digestion, cardiac function, and normal brain development can be disrupted by environmental contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Polychlorinated biphenyls are environmental contaminants that are widespread, persistent, lipophilic, and bioaccumulate through food webs, concentrating in adipose tissue. Placental and lactational PCB exposure of offspring causes metabolic and endocrine disruptions including hypothyroxinemia, spatial learning and memory deficits, neurochemical and neurobehavioral alterations, and reproductive problems. Previous studies in our lab using the individual congeners PCB 47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, ortho-substituted) and PCB 77 (3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, non-ortho-substituted) have demonstrated alterations in thyroid hormone levels, alterations in brain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, and spatial learning deficits. In the present ...
Total EU (and Norway) emissions of CO_2 from thermal power generation were some 950 million tonnes in 1990, the Kyoto agreement reference level. An ongoing research project, the GESTCO project, will provide the first documentation that, for the emission sources within the selected key areas, sufficient geological storage capacity is available for at least 30 years and possibly much longer. Cost of energy will obviously increase, but it is anticipated that electricity production cost price will be comparable to that of renewables. It would further have major implications for the European power generating industry which today is totally dominated by fossil fuel combustion with enormous emissions problems. The identification and siting of subsurface CO_2 storage capability can be expected to have considerable effect on the planning for and future siting of fossil fuel plants. In Norway there are plans to build several major, coastally sited, natural gas-fed ...
At the end of 2005, Robert D. Felner was riding high. A well-paid dean at the University of Louisville, he had just secured a $694,000 earmarked grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create an elaborate research center to help Kentucky's public schools. The grant proposal, which Mr. Felner had labored over for months, made some impressive promises. On paper this all seemed plausible: From 1996 until 2003, Mr. Felner directed the University of Rhode Island's education school, where he helped create a well-regarded statewide research center. To put it gently, Mr. Felner did not duplicate that feat at Louisville. By the spring of 2008, all but $96,000 of the grant had been spent, but none of the tasks listed in Mr. Felner's proposal had been accomplished. Late in May 2008, he told his colleagues that he had been hired as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, effective August 1. During his final weeks at Louisville, Mr. Felner pressed his luck one last time. Even ...
This study follows previous experimental work showing that the shrinking-core model applies to the pyrolysis (i.e., heating in the absence of oxygen) of particles (diam.{approx}14 mm) of a bituminous coal or a lignite in a fluidized bed at 700-950 {sup o}C. These experimental facts are in accord with the production of volatile matter being endothermic and not thermoneutral, as often assumed. Also, the rate at which volatile matter is produced in the presence of oxygen (i.e., devolatilization) or in its absence (pyrolysis) is demonstrated here to be controlled not at all by mass transfer, but by heat conduction to a moving reaction front inside a coal particle, provided its diameter exceeds {approx}3 mm. The resulting steady-state model of devolatilization indicates that six dimensionless groups are required to describe the rate of(I)coal->char+volatile matter for a nonfragmenting and nonswelling coal. This reaction occurs for a total time of c{sub 1}r{sub 0}+c{sub 2}r{sub 0}{sup ...
Historically the organizational models have followed an evolution that has underlined a parallel trend to the complexity of the market, introducing as different mechanisms of coordination. Up to yesterday the winning model it was that hierarchical that however it is not certainly immune from limits. Beginning from eight hundred and especially in the nine hundred experts of organization have studied an alternative or supplementary model to that hierarchical: the bureaucratic model. This last entrusts the organization of the firm to the norms and the procedures considering them like the best integrating mechanism of development of the organizations. Today it is not made that to speak of the model to net, but it would be a serious error if this had to a substitutive model thought of the precedents, that can work then without hierarchy and without alone procedures entirely thanks to the use of Internet. In the present job are individualized new models of management of the private firms and ...
The need for a Combustion and Melting Research Facility focused on the solution of glass manufacturing problems common to all segments of the glass industry was given high priority in the earliest version of the Glass Industry Technology Roadmap (Eisenhauer et al., 1997). Visteon Glass Systems and, later, PPG Industries proposed to meet this requirement, in partnership with the DOE/OIT Glass Program and Sandia National Laboratories, by designing and building a research furnace equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostics in the DOE Combustion Research Facility located at the Sandia site in Livermore, CA. Input on the configuration and objectives of the facility was sought from the entire industry by a variety of routes: (1) through a survey distributed to industry leaders by GMIC, (2) by conducting an open workshop following the OIT Glass Industry Project Review in September 1999, (3) from discussions with numerous glass engineers, scientists, and executives, and (4) during visits to ...
This thesis deals with the analysis of dominant loss mechanisms in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) and hydrogen fed polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEFC) by means of experimental characterization and modeling work. Due to different fuels used in these two fuel cell types, the dominant loss mechanisms are different in their nature. All in-situ characterization techniques that are used in this work are based on a novel test fuel cell with embedded reference electrodes. The first part of this work presents a new concept for realizing a reference electrode configuration in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell by means of laser ablation. The laser beam is used to evaporate a small gap into the electrode surface of a catalyst coated membrane (CCM) to isolate the reference electrode from the working/counter electrode (WE/CE). This method enables the simultaneous ablation of the electrodes on both sides of the CCM because the membrane is transparent for the ...