Search

As we face the Anthropocene extinction, many species are threatened or becoming so, and great ape species are no exception (all are Endangered or Critically Endangered). As humans work to combat this trend, research on every aspect of the lives of animals is vital. One area of research that has the potential to be particularly useful is the study of personality. Zoological institutions offer a unique opportunity for research on personality in non‐human primates, with knowledgeable staff, consistency in environment, accessibility of a variety of species and the possibility to have large sample sizes to provide generalizability. Here, we offer a perspective on how zoos have contributed to the personality literature, how the personality literature can aid animal management and how much further such research can continue, with implications for both welfare and conservation. As we face the Anthropocene extinction, many species are threatened or becoming so, and great ape species are no exception (all are Endangered or Critically Endangered). As humans work to combat this trend, research on every aspect of the lives of animals is vital. One area of research that has the potential to be particularly useful is the study of personality. Zoological institutions offer a unique opportunity for research on personality in non‐human primates, with knowledgeable staff, consistency in environment, accessibility of a variety of species and the possibility to have large sample sizes to provide generalizability. Here, we offer a perspective on how zoos have contributed to the personality literature, how the personality literature can aid animal management and how much further such research can continue, with implications for both welfare and conservation. (Photo: Paul Johnson)

A series of SnO2–CeO2powder mixed oxides (with 5, 10, and 20 % wt SnO2) was prepared, characterized and used to study the sensing properties for CO, in absence of oxygen, using a CO-helium mixture. The results have shown that the SnO2–CeO2powder has good response and recovery characteristics. This powder has better sensitivity to CO than pure SnO2at the working temperature of 400–450 °C. A sensing mechanism was proposed and discussed in this paper. The results have indicated that the SnO2–CeO2mixed oxides can be used as CO sensors, in absence of oxygen.

In this paper we present the morphological and structural properties of the low pressure chemically vapor deposited (LPCVD) silicon films after annealing at 600°C for 26 hours in nitrogen, in comparison with the properties of as-deposited layers. For the films found in the poly-crystalline state after deposition (i.e. those prepared at temperatures below and above 550°C), XRD spectra have indicated a supplementary (111) diffraction peak after annealing. In addition, from XRD data, we obtained a dependence of grain size of annealed Si layers on initial CVD conditions. The spectroellipsometry (SE) and Ultra-Violet (UV) spectroscopy have indicated an important increase of the crystalline/amorphous silicon ratio for all annealed films. The signature of initial CVD conditions in optical properties investigated by SE and UV was found only for as-deposited Si films. From AFM measurements we have found that the surface roughness has increased by annealing, with a higher value for the annealed films, which were in the poly-crystalline state, immediately after deposition. In connection to our earlier results we bring here further support (by SE and UV data) for the crystalline state detected in as-deposited LPCVD films prepared at temperatures as low as 500°C. The value of the amorphous fraction present in the as-deposited film can explain the structural changes of the LPCVD Si films after annealing, as a function of initial CVD conditions.

Polycrystalline silicon deposited at 570 ○C and 620 ○C temperature, as-deposited and after hydrogenation, was investigated by spectroellipsometry. The behaviour of refractive and absorption index versuswavelength is presented. The paper also includes evaluation of the surface roughness and the crystallinity fraction of polysilicon viaBruggeman-Effective Medium Approximation. An attempt to evaluate the first two direct interband transitions from spectroellipsometric spectrum and comparison with other measurements is reported.

There is a paucity of therapies for gait impairment in Parkinson disease (PD). Open-label studies have suggested improved gait after treatment with methylphenidate (MPD).

This study was conducted to investigate maturation of the medial olivocochlear efferent system (MOCS) in pre- and full-term neonates using Quickscreen (Otodynamics Ltd) and to confirm previous findings on transient otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) suppression in neonates. MOCS maturation was investigated in 46 neonates born at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, using Quickscreen. All neonates were normal with no family history of general or auditory disease and no risk factors for hearing impairment. MOCS function appears gradually in human pre-term neonates and is considered to reach maturity shortly after term birth. The clinical value of MOCS testing in specific populations of newborns at risk for hearing and/or brainstem function can be legitimately raised as activation of the MOCS clearly alters cochlear output. The present results can be interpreted to support the testing of infants at risk of developing abnormal MOCS function using a commercially available rapid TEOAE measurement system.

Spectroellipsometry represents a powerful technique in non-destructive and contactless material characterization. In this paper, using the above mentioned spectroellipsometric technique, we measure the refractive index profile of wet thermal SiO2films on single-crystal silicon substrate under various thermal oxidation conditions. The optimum conditions for an accurate evaluation of the thin films parameters – refractive index and thickness – are determined. The effect of different oxidation conditions upon these parameters are further investigated.

Low-pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) amorphous silicon oxynitride (a-SiOxNy) thin films of various compositions as well as the atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) thin films with varying phosphorus and boron contents were investigated. The dependence of the optical properties of the films on the deposition temperature and the gas flow ratio was studied by spectroellipsometry (SE) and infrared spectroscopy (IR).

The gels which are precursors of TiO2porous materials are prepared by the controlled hydrolysis-condensation of titanium isopropoxide by polymeric method. In the present work, a study of the influence of different experimental conditions (water/alkoxide ratio, solvent/alkoxide ratio and temperature) on the structure and texture of the polymeric gels obtained with the same type of alkoxide has been investigated. The structural and textural modifications for the unsupported materials have been detected using DTA/TGA, XRD, specific surface area and pore size computerized measurements. The optical properties of the supported materials deposited on silicon wafers have been investigated using ellipsometric method. Supported and unsupported porous materials with different structure and texture have been obtained depending on different experimental and thermal treatment conditions.

SiO2-Sm2O3 vitreous films 120 nm thick were obtained via the sol-gel method. Infrared, energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays, spectroscopic ellipsometry and absorption spectroscopy showed a total inclusion of samarium in the silica matrix, which remains amorphous up to 1000 °C. The inclusion of the samarium ion increases the porosity. The optical properties of films were investigated by spectro-ellipsometry, and the parameters obtained were compared with those obtained by other techniques.

The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the influence of hypothermia on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in humans. Hypothermic alterations were brought about directly by cooling the cardiovascular system of young children during open heart bypass surgery. This condition caused TEOAE levels to decrease with a significant positive correlation between total and frequency band TEOAE amplitudes during cooling. TEOAEs were totally abolished at tympanic temperatures around 30°C, without it being possible to find differences in TEOAE alteration among the frequency components. During rewarming, the changes reversed and TEOAEs returned to their initial prehypothermia status, although sometimes only partially. Despite large possible metabolic changes caused by this hypothermic condition at various levels, it is concluded that the motile properties of outer hair cells (OHCs), that are related to TEOAEs, are temperature-sensitive. The total suppression found in deep hypothermia (above 30°C) could conceivably be attributable to a process involving a temperature-dependent energy source. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

A cDNA that encodes the peptide core of the secretory granule proteoglycan of the human promyelocytic leukemic cell line, HL-60, has been isolated and analyzed. When human genomic DNA was digested and probed under conditions of low stringency with a rat cDNA that encodes a Mr = 18,600 serine/glycine-rich proteoglycan peptide core in L2 yolk sac tumor cells (Bourdon, M. A., Oldberg, A., Pierschbacher, M., and Ruoslahti, E. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 1321-1325) and basophilic leukemia-1 cells (Avraham, S., Stevens, R. L., Gartner, M. C., Austen, K. F., Lalley, P. A., and Weis, J. H. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 7292-7296), a number of DNA fragments were identified. A HL-60 cell-derived cDNA library was therefore screened under conditions of low stringency with the rat probe to identify and isolate a human homologue of this rat proteoglycan peptide core. Analysis of the resulting human cDNA clones indicated that the proteoglycan peptide core that is expressed in HL-60 cells is Mr = 17,600 and contains an 18-amino acid glycosaminoglycan attachment region that consists primarily of alternating serin and glycine. Northern blot analysis of total RNA probed with the human cDNA revealed that the major message for this proteoglycan peptide core in HL-60 cells is approximately 1.3 kilobase pairs in size. When a Southern blot of digested human genomic DNA was probed with the human cDNA, three bands of approximately 6, 9, and 12 kilobase pairs were detected. However, when the Southern blot was probed with the XmnI—-3' fragment of this human cDNA, one prominent band was detected, indicating that a single gene encodes this protein in the human. Analysis of the DNA from human/mouse and human/hamster somatic cell hybrids probed with the human cDNA demonstrated that the gene that encodes this molecule resides on human chromosome 10. Because the proteoglycans that are present in the secretory granules of different types of rat and mouse mast cells possess small peptide cores that are rich in serine and glycine, we propose that this HL-60 cell-3 derived cDNA encodes the peptide core of the proteoglycan that is expressed in the secretory granules of this human promyelocytic cell.

It has been previously shown that a single gene is used to encode the peptide core of the extracellular proteoglycan of rat L2 yolk sac tumor cells and the intracellular proteoglycan of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-1 cells. In order to determine if the predicted amino acid sequences of these proteoglycans are identical as well as to isolate a full length cDNA encoding a rat secretory granule proteoglycan, a cDNA library was prepared from RBL-1 cells and screened with the 165-base pair 5'—-XmnI fragment of pPG-1, a partial cDNA which encodes the rat L2 cell proteoglycan peptide core. Based on the consensus nucleotide sequence of two full length RBL-1 cell-derived cDNAs, the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA that is expressed in RBL-1 cells is shorter than that expressed in the rat L2 cells although the coding regions of the mRNAs from the two cell types are identical. These findings indicate that the targeting of proteoglycans to an intracellular or extracellular compartment is a cell-specific event which is independent of the translated peptide core. Since the RBL-1 cell and the rat L2 cell proteoglycans have different types of glycosaminoglycans bound to them, it can also be concluded that the selection of the type of glycosaminoglycan that will be synthesized onto a peptide core is a cell-specific event which is not exclusively dependent on the translated peptide core. When the predicted amino acid sequence of the RBL-1 cell proteoglycan peptide core was compared to the predicted sequence of the homologous human molecule from HL-60 cells, 48% of the amino acids were identical. The N terminus was the most highly conserved area of the molecule. This region of the peptide core, which precedes the serine-glycine repeat region, is likely to be of critical importance for the biosynthesis and/or function of these proteoglycans. Analysis of 10 different mouse/hamster somatic cell hybrid lines with a SspI—-3' fragment of the rat L2 cell cDNA revealed that, as in the human, the gene that encodes the mouse analogue of this peptide core resides on chromosome 10.

The gels which are precursors of TiO2porous materials are prepared by the controlled hydrolysis-condensation of titanium isopropoxide by polymeric method. In the present work, a study of the influence of different experimental conditions (water/alkoxide ratio, solvent/alkoxide ratio and temperature) on the structure and texture of the polymeric gels obtained with the same type of alkoxide has been investigated. The structural and textural modifications for the unsupported materials have been detected using DTA/TGA, XRD, specific surface area and pore size computerized measurements. The optical properties of the supported materials deposited on silicon wafers have been investigated using ellipsometric method. Supported and unsupported porous materials with different structure and texture have been obtained depending on different experimental and thermal treatment conditions.

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) thin films deposited on a (100) Si wafer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were irradiated by KrF (λ=248 nm) excimer laser or treated in a plasma jet generated by a capacity coupled RF discharge in N2, respectively. Various techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ellipsometry, optical microscopy and microhardness measurements were used to characterize the laser and nitrogen plasma jet induced composition and crystallinity modifications. Oxidation/reduction effects together with crystallization were evidenced in the case of the laser treatment. The formation of different compounds containing Si, C, N and O was observed as an effect of nitrogen plasma treatment.

Summary Controversy exists about the extent of mesial temporal lobe resection that improves seizure control in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Venous blood lactate concentrations [lab] were measured every 30 s in five athletes performing prolonged exercise at three constant intensities: the aerobic threshold (Thaer), the anaerobic threshold (Than) and at a work rate (IWR) intermediate between (Thaer and Than. Measurements of oxygen consumption and heart rate (HR) were made every min. Most of the subjects maintained constant intensity exercise for 45 min at Thaer and IWR, but at Than none could exercise for more than 30 min. Relationships between variations in [lab] and concomitant changes in or HR were not statistically significant. Depending on the exercise intensity (Thaer, IWR, or Than) several different patterns of change in [lab] have been identified. Subjects did not necessarily show the same pattern at comparable exercise intensities. Averaging [lab] as a function of relative exercise intensity masked spatial and temporal characteristics of individual curves so that a common pattern could not be discerned at any of the three exercise levels studied. The differences among the subjects are better described on individual [lab] curves when sampling has been made at time intervals sufficiently small to resolve individual characteristics.

Changes in the main physiological parameters and circulating indicators of carbohydrate, protein, lipid (and ketone body) metabolism were measured in ten exercising subjects before L-carnitine (L-carn) loading, after 4 weeks of daily loading with 2 g L-carn, and 6–8 weeks after terminating L-carn administration. Measurements were made on venous blood samples collected during each experiment at fixed time intervals over an initial rest of 45 min, 60 min bicycle exercise performed near 50% and 120 min recovery. Free and total plasma carnitine levels reached a plateau corresponding to an average rise of 25% for both fractions, 9–10 days after the beginning of the L-carn diet. These levels returned to their initial values 6–8 weeks after cessation of the supply. Generally L-carn supplementation did not significantly modify the physiological parameters and circulating metabolites. No distinct increase of the relative participation of endogenous lipids in the fuel supply of prolonged submaximal exercise was observed. In normal human subjects the increased demand for fatty acid oxidation resulting from exercise seems to be adequately supported by endogenous levels of carnitine.

Levels of120Sb have been observed using the120Sn(p, nγ) reaction at proton energies between 3.90 and 6.25 MeV. Sixteen previously unobserved levels below 1.03 MeV were populated. The resulting level scheme is compared with that obtained using the121Sb(p, d) reaction.

Levels of120,122Sb have been observed using the121,123Sb(p, d) reactions atEp= 26.2 MeV. Thirty-two levels of120Sb and thirty-four levels of122Sb are observed below 2.0 MeV excitation with an energy resolution better than 25 keV FWHM. Experimental angular distributions were compared to DWBA calculations in order to extractl-transfers and spectroscopic factors. Strong mixing between the 3s1/2, 2d3/2, 2d5/2, and 1g7/2 neutron orbitals is observed in both nuclei. Nuclear Reactions:121,123Sb(p, d),E=26.2 MeV; measureds(Ed,?).120,122Sb deduced levels,l,J,p, spectroscopic factors. Enriched targets, magnetic spectrometer.

TiO2(Ln) films deposited by the sol-gel and dip coating technique on Si wafers and soda-lime glass as substrates have been characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy.

A process for the continuous production of high purityL-lactic acid in a membrane bioreactor at 65°C has been developed. Two differentBacillus stearothermophilusstrains have been tested in batch experiments. Lactic acid yields are between 60 and more than 95% of theoretical yields. The amounts of ethanol, acetate, and formate formed varied between 0 and 0.4, 0 and 0.1, and 0 and 0.5, respectively (mol/mol glucose). All byproducts are valuable and may be separated easily by rectification of the fermentation broth. Complete cell retention enables high volumetric productivity (5 g/Lh), and a minimum of growth supplements. The high temperature of 65°C allows the autoselective fermentation without problems with contamination.

The quantitative conversion of lactic acid to acrylic acid would open a new market for renewable resources within the chemical industry. This paper focuses on the theoretical ways of producing acrylics out of renewable resources. It summarizes possible fermentation routes from carbohydrates to acrylic acid and reviews former research activities in this area. It also illustrates novel approaches involving recombinant microorganisms.

A mouse liver genomic library was probed with a 450-base pair AccI → 3′ gene-specific fragment of a mouse bone marrow-derived mast cell proteoglycan cDNA to isolate 15-18-kilobase (kb) genomic clones containing the gene that encodes the peptide core of mouse secretory granule proteoglycans. Based on the nucleotide sequences of its 2.0-3.5-kb subcloned fragments, this mouse gene consists of three exons. The first exon contains 41 base pairs of untranslated nucleotides that are present in the 5′ region of the transcript and also encodes the hydrophobic 25-amino acid signal peptide. The second exon encodes a 48-amino acid sequence that would be predicted to be the N terminus of the peptide core after the signal peptide has been removed in the endoplasmic reticulum. The third exon encodes a 79-amino acid sequence that includes the 15 amino acids immediately preceding an alternating serine-glycine 21-amino acid sequence for glycosaminoglycan attachment, and the subsequent C-terminal 43 amino acids; this exon also contains the 424 untranslated nucleotides present in the 3′ region of the transcript. Primer extension and S1 nuclease protection analyses were performed to determine the transcription initiation site of the mouse gene. Rat-1 fibroblasts were cotransfected with the selectable marker pSV2 neoand a λ clone (λ MG-PG1) to obtain two rat-1 fibroblast cell lines that had the mouse secretory granule proteoglycan gene integrated into their genomes. RNA blot analysis of both cell lines revealed the presence of the 1.0-kb secretory granule proteoglycan peptide core mRNA transcript, indicating that λ MG-PG1 contained the entire mouse secretory granule proteoglycan peptide core gene including some of the regulatory elements in its promoter region. The gene that encodes the peptide core of mouse secretory granule proteoglycans is the first proteoglycan gene to have its complete exon/intron organization determined and to be transfected and expressed in another cell type.

The present study considers the validity of objective auditory investigation via bone conduction. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) and Middle Latency Responses (MLR) were recorded in response to a bone vibrator stimulation with or without continuous bilateral air white noise masking. In all cases, such masking was found to result in an absence of recorded evoked potentials. It shows that under bone-conducted stimulation the evoked potential recorded is purely auditory, with no additional mechanical somatosensory component. In a further study, the feasibility of oto-acoustic emissions (OAEs) via bone conduction is demonstrated. These OAEs are, for a given subject, comparable to those found for air-transmission stimulation.

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films were treated in a capacity coupled r.f. discharge plasma jet working in nitrogen. The samples, with a carbon content in the range of 30%–50%, were deposited onto Si(100) wafers by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The capacity coupled r.f. discharge (less than 100W) is generated in flowing nitrogen or ammonia in a small distance (1–2 mm) gap, at medium pressure (3–25 torr). The gap is limited by a planar (40 mm diameter) electrode and a nozzle (1–2 mm) opening. Plasma expands as a bright nitrogen plasma jet in a larger vacuumed vessel. The sample's holder (which can be heated) was placed downstream the nozzle at several centimeters distance, being exposed to the plasma beam. In this way the samples (a-SiC:H) were irradiated. Various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier infrared transmission spectroscopy measurements, spectroscopic ellipsometry and microhardness measurements were used to characterize the induced composition evolution towards Si-C-N (SiC-SiN-CN) mixtures.

A cDNA that encodes a mouse secretory granule proteoglycan peptide core was isolated from a cDNA library prepared from nontransformed mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) using as a probe a 280-base-pair fragment of a rat cDNA that encodes the proteoglycan peptide core of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-1 cells. Based on the consensus nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA, the mouse BMMC proteoglycan peptide core is 16.7 kDa and contains a 21-amino acid glycosaminoglycan attachment region consisting of alternating serine and glycine residues. When the predicted amino acid sequence of the mouse BMMC proteoglycan peptide core was compared with the predicted amino acid sequences of the homologous molecules expressed in RBL-1 cells and in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells, the mouse-derived sequence was more closely homologous to the rat sequence than the human sequence except for the length of the serine-glycine repeat region. The N terminus was found to be a highly conserved region of the molecule in the three species, suggesting that this region is important for the structure, function, and/or metabolism of this family of proteoglycans. Nucleotide sequences within the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the mouse, rat, and human proteoglycan cDNA were conserved. That similar sequences were also present in the corresponding regions of a cDNA that encodes a rat mast cell protease suggests that particular nucleotide sequences may be important for regulation of expression of those proteins that are destined to reside in secretory granules.

Evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and sound evoked olivocochlear feedback were performed in 200 subjects (noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), η=109; sensori-neural hearing loss (SNHL), η=91). Intensity of EOAE is greater in NIHL than in SNHL. This result does not seem to be related to the medial olivocochlear system since sound olivocochlear feedback was not significantly different between the two groups. No correlations were seen between temporary threshold shifts (TTS) and sound-olivocochlear feedback in the NIHL group.

The type, distribution and annealing characteristics of implantation damage produced by phosphorus implantation in silicon are important parameters in controlling the dopant diffusion process. The amount of residual disorder strongly depends upon the particular annealing cycle used. RBS, TEM and spectro-ellipsometric investigations were carried out in order to investigate the damage evolution in phosphorus (E= 80 keV) implanted c-Si.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.