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•Metal-induced effect studied instead of the conventional effect of increasing the content of a single metallic modifier.•Optical microscopy is employed for the determination of micro-hardness.•Observed correlation between micro-hardness and glass transition of present alloys.•Observed correlation between compactness and molar volume of alloys.

A chain of Josephson junctions represents one of the simplest many-body models undergoing a superconductor–insulator quantum phase transition1,2. Apart from zero resistance, the superconducting state is necessarily accompanied by a sound-like mode due to collective oscillations of the phase of the complex-valued order parameter3,4. Little is known about the fate of this mode on entering the insulating state, where the order parameter’s amplitude remains non-zero, but the phase ordering is ‘melted’ by quantum fluctuations5. Here, we show that the phase mode survives far into the insulating regime, such that megaohm-resistance chains can carry gigahertz-frequency alternating currents as nearly ideal superconductors. The insulator reveals itself through interaction-induced broadening and random frequency shifts of collective mode resonances. Our spectroscopic experiment puts forward the problem of quantum electrodynamics of a Bose glass for both theory and experiment6–8. By pushing the chain parameters deeper into the insulating state, we achieved a wave impedance of the phase mode exceeding the predicted critical value by an order of magnitude9–14. The effective fine structure constant of such a one-dimensional electromagnetic vacuum exceeds unity, promising transformative applications to quantum science and technology. A Josephson junction array is used to show the phase mode associated with superconductivity surviving deep in the insulating regime at high frequency. This generates a device with an effective fine structure constant larger than unity.

The effect of duration before deskinning and the effect of lipid oxidation on yellow and pink discoloration of squid (Loligo duvauceli) held in ice was studied. The yellowness (b*) increased significantly (p≤ 0.05) if deskinning was delayed even by 2 days. Yellow discoloration of squid mantle was found to increase with increase in duration before deskinning at a much faster rate compared to lipid oxidation. Similar results were documented for the redness (a*) of squid mantel during ice storage. Squid samples treated with pro-oxidants showed higher TBARS and yellowness but the yellowness was found to be less in comparison to samples kept with the skin on. This was correlated with the results of pro-oxidant where pro-oxidation of fat (TBARS) gave yellowness to squid mantle similar to that of the effect of delay in deskinning. The study indicated that increase in delay in deskinning of squid might reduce the shelf life of squids considerably by increasing the yellow and pink discoloration. The exposure of squids to pro-oxidants further may increase the yellow and pink coloration during handling and storage.

Background:Eating late in the day is common, and stress can induce eating. Little is understood about how time of day and stress interact to affect appetite and thereby body weight. These may be particularly important influences in binge eaters, who tend to binge in the evening, and in response to stress.Method:Obese participants with (n=16) and without (n=16) binge eating disorder (BED) participated in two identical test protocols beginning either in the morning or the afternoon (AM condition/PM condition), each following an 8 h fast. For each protocol, they first received a standardized liquid meal (0900/1600 hours), then a stress test (Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test, 1110/1810 hours), and then a multi-item ad libitum buffet meal (1140/1840 hours) while rating appetite and stress and having blood drawn for hormone measures.Results:Appetite at baseline was greater in the PM than in the AM condition (higher hunger, lower fullness). Following the liquid meal, area under the curve (AUC) values for hunger and ghrelin were greater and AUC values for peptide YY lower in the PM than in the AM condition. Only those with BED showed lower fullness AUC in the PM condition, as well as a pattern of higher initial PM and lower initial AM ghrelin. Following the stress test, cortisol and ghrelin increased in both the AM and PM conditions, but higher ghrelin AUC and lower cortisol AUC were observed in the PM condition. Again, only participants with BED showed lower fullness AUC in the PM condition. Buffet meal intake was similar across groups and conditions but those with BED reported greater loss of control and binge resemblance than those without.Conclusions:Afternoon/evening may be a high-risk period for overeating, particularly when paired with stress exposure, and for those with binge eating.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser has been designed to support high energy density science (HEDS), including the demonstration of fusion ignition through Inertial Confinement. NIF operated a single “quad” of 4 beams from December 2002 through October 2004 in order to gain laser operations experience, support target experiments, and demonstrate laser performance consistent with NIF's design requirement. During this two-year period, over 400 Main Laser shots were delivered at 1ωto calorimeters for diagnostic calibration purposes, at 3ωto the Target Chamber, and at 1ω, 2ω, and 3ωto the Precision Diagnostics System (PDS). The PDS includes its own independent single beam transport system, NIF design frequency conversion hardware and optics, and laser sampling optics that deliver light to a broad range of laser diagnostics. Highlights of NIF laser performance will be discussed including the results of high energy 2ωand 3ωexperiments, the use of multiple focal spot beam conditioning techniques, the reproducibility of laser performance on multiple shots, the generation on a single beam of a 3ωtemporally shaped ignition pulse at full energy and power, and recent results on full bundle (8 beamline) performance. NIF's first quad laser performance meets or exceeds NIF's design requirements.

AbstractAfter every other failure mode has been considered, in the end, the high-performance limit of all lasers is set by optical damage. The demands of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) pushed lasers designed as ICF drivers into this limit from their very earliest days. The first ICF lasers were small, and their pulses were short. Their goal was to provide as much power to the target as possible. Typically, they faced damage due to high intensity on their optics. As requests for higher laser energy, longer pulse lengths, and better symmetry appeared, new kinds of damage also emerged, some of them anticipated and others unexpected. This paper will discuss the various types of damage to large optics that had to be considered, avoided to the extent possible, or otherwise managed as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser was designed, fabricated, and brought into operation. It has been possible for NIF to meet its requirements because of the experience gained in previous ICF systems and because NIF designers have continued to be able to avoid or manage new damage situations as they have appeared.

We consider a few-boson system confined to one dimension with a single distinguishable particle of lesser mass. All particle interactions are modeled with δ functions, but due to the mass imbalance the problem is nonintegrable. Universal few-body binding energies, atom-dimer and atom-trimer scattering lengths, are all calculated in terms of two parameters, namely the mass ratio mL/mH, and ratio gHH/£HL of the δ-function couplings. We specifically identify the values of these ratios for which the atom-dimer or atom-trimer scattering lengths vanish or diverge. We identify regions in this parameter space in which various few-body inelastic processes become energetically allowed. In the Tonks-Girardeau limit (gHH → ∞), our results are relevant to experiments involving trapped fermions with an impurity atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Decoding Femininity in Computer Science in India" by Roli Varma in the May 2015 issue.

The energy spectrum, atom-dimer scattering length, and atom-trimer scattering length for systems of three and four ultracold atoms with δ-function interactions in one dimension are presented as a function of the relative mass ratio of the interacting atoms. The Born-Oppenheimer approach is used to treat three-body ("HHL") systems of one light and two heavy atoms, as well as four-body ("HHHL") systems of one light and three heavy atoms. Zero-range interactions of arbitrary strength are assumed between different atoms, but the heavy atoms are assumed to be noninteracting among themselves. Fermionic and bosonic heavy atoms with both positive and negative parity are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(BJOG. 2021;128:922–932. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16512. Epub November 4, 2020)Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of maternal mortality. Severe maternal morbidity can drastically reduce quality of life, increase hospital lengths of stay, adversely impact finances, and lead to maternal mortality. Thus, it is critical to identify women at high risk for cardiovascular severe maternal morbidity (CSMM) during pregnancy and postpartum and develop strategies to mitigate its adverse effects. This study aims to create and validate risk prediction models so high-risk women can be more accurately identified.

In the present work, we have prepared high yield of glassy Se98Cd2nanorods using melt–quench technique. The morphology and micro-structural analysis of as-prepared nanorods are characterized by SEM, XRD and EDX techniques. The glass transition and crystallization kinetics of glassy Se98Cd2nanorods are studied at different heating rates (5, 10, 15, 20 K/min) using differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) technique. Four iso-conversional methods [Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), Tang and Straink] were used to determine the various kinetic parameters (crystallization temperature Tαc, transition temperature Tαg, activation energy of crystallization Eαc, activation energy of glass transition Eαg, order parameter n) of glass transition and crystallization process in non-isothermal mode. The monotonous decrease in activation energy Eαwith the crystallization fraction α confirm the complex kinetic mechanism of the glassy Se98Cd2nanorods.

Diagnosis and prediction of the severity of hepatitis C virus recurrence (HCVrec) after liver transplantation (LT) remain a challenge. MicroRNAs have been recently recognized as potential disease biomarkers. Archival liver biopsy samples from 43 HCV+ LT recipients were collected at clinical HCVrectime and at 3 years post‐LT. Patients were classified as progressors (P = F0/F1) or nonprogressors (NP = F3/F4) according to the severity of fibrosis on the 3‐year biopsy. Training (n = 27) and validation (n = 16) sets were defined. RNA was isolated from all biopsies at clinical HCVrectime, labeled and hybridized to miRNA‐arrays. Progressors versus nonprogressors were compared using the two‐sample t‐test. A p‐value ≤0.01 was considered significant. The ingenuity pathway analysis tool was used for microRNA and miRNA:mRNA ontology data integration. Nine microRNAs were differentially expressed between groups. A supervised cluster analysis separated samples in two well‐defined groups (progressors vs. nonprogressors). Pathway analysis associated those microRNAs with hepatitis, steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and T cell‐related immune response. Data integration identified 17 genes from a previous genomic study as 9‐microRNAs signature targets. Seven microRNAs were successfully validated in the validation set using QPCR. We have identified a 9‐microRNA signature able to identify early post‐LT patients at high risk of severe HCVrecduring long‐term follow‐up.

Fluxes in submerged arc welding of high-strength low-alloy steels are not readily available, flux compositions are not clear and compositions are patented. This study aims at the design, development and optimization of flux for submerged arc welding of high-strength low-alloy steel. Extreme vertices design suggested by McLean and Anderson is used to formulate twenty-one fluxes to study the effect of flux constituents on tensile strength, percentage elongation, impact strength, diffusible hydrogen content and microstructure of the weld metal. Mathematical models for ultimate tensile strength, percentage elongation, impact strength and diffusible hydrogen content for welded specimens versus flux constituents have been developed. From the experiments, it is found that tensile strength and elongation are affected the most with Al2O3content, whereas CaO and CaF2contents have significant effect on impact strength. Synergic binary effect of CaO·CaF2, CaO·MgO and Al2O3·CaF2mixtures is more than other binary mixtures on the mechanical properties. Developed regression models have been checked for adequacy using t-test for regression coefficients and analysis of variance (F-test) for whole regression equation. Finally, optimum flux composition giving optimum mechanical and microstructural characteristics is suggested.

The Temperature and Frequency Dependences of the Dielectric Constants () and Dielectric Loss (") Were Studied in Glassy Se70Te20Sn10 Alloy in the Audio-Frequency Range below the Glass Transition Region. the Results Indicated that Dielectric Dispersion Occurred in Glassy Se70Te20Sn10 Alloy. Well-Defined Dielectric Peaks Were Obtained in Glassy Se70Te20Sn10 Alloy; these Are Rarely Observed in Chalcogenide Glasses. such Loss Peaks Were Not Observed in the Glassy Se80-xTe20Snx System in the past for Sn Concentrations of x ≤ 8. A Detailed Analysis of the Data Showed that the Results Could Be Explained in Terms of Dipolar Relaxation, with a Distribution of Relaxation Times, this Is Quite Expected in the Case of Chalcogenide Glasses.

A single beamline of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has been operated at a wavelength of 526.5 nm (2ω) by frequency converting the fundamental 1053 nm (1ω) wavelength with an 18.2 mm thick type-I potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) second-harmonic generator (SHG) crystal. Second-harmonic energies of up to 17.9 kJ were measured at the final optics focal plane with a conversion efficiency of 82%. For a similarly configured 192-beam NIF, this scales to a total 2ω energy of 3.4 MJ full NIF equivalent (FNE).

The rate of crystallization in glassy Se100–xTex (5 ≤ x ≤ 30) and Se100–xInx (5 ≤ x ≤ 30) alloys has been determined by using the Arrhenius dependence of the rate constant of crystallization. For this, the pre-exponential factor K0 of the rate constant K (T) in these alloys has been determined using isothermal and non-isothermal methods. The glass forming tendency is determined using the Sun–Rawson–Minaev criterion. A correlation is observed between the glass forming tendency and the rate of crystallization in these alloys. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world's largest laser system. It contains a 192 beam neodymium glass laser that is designed to deliver 1.8 MJ at 500 TW at 351 nm in order to achieve energy gain (ignition) in a deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion target. To meet this goal, laser design criteria include the ability to generate pulses of up to 1.8 MJ total energy, with peak power of 500 TW and temporal pulse shapes spanning 2 orders of magnitude at the third harmonic (351 nm or 3ω) of the laser wavelength. The focal-spot fluence distribution of these pulses is carefully controlled, through a combination of special optics in the 1ω (1053 nm) portion of the laser (continuous phase plates), smoothing by spectral dispersion, and the overlapping of multiple beams with orthogonal polarization (polarization smoothing). We report performance qualification tests of the first eight beams of the NIF laser. Measurements are reported at both 1ω and 3ω, both with and without focal-spot conditioning. When scaled to full 192 beam operation, these results demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, that the NIF will meet its laser performance design criteria, and that the NIF can simultaneously meet the temporal pulse shaping, focal-spot conditioning, and peak power requirements for two candidate indirect drive ignition designs.

Bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde‐toluene‐2,4‐di isocyanate polyurethane (PU) has been synthesized at room temperature and used for the fabrication of jute and jute–rice husk/wheat husk hybrid composites. PU–jute and PU–jute–RH/WH composites were prepared under pressure of 30.4 MPa at room temperature for 8 h, while PU–jute–RH/WH composites were prepared under same pressure at 110°C for 5 h. PU–jute composite has good tensile strength and flexural strength (50–53 MPa), while PU–jute–RH/WH hybrid composites have moderate tensile strength (9–11 MPa) and a fairly good flexural strength (15–31 MPa). Composites possess 1.1–2.2 kV electric strength and 0.94–1.26 × 1012 ohm cm volume resistivity. Water absorption in PU–jute composite is different in water (9.75%), 10% HCl (12.14%), and 10% NaCl (6.05%). Equilibrium water uptake time in salt environment is observed 96 h, while in pure water and acidic environments it is 192 h. In boiling water equilibrium water content and equilibrium time are found to be 21.7% and 3 h, respectively. Water absorption increased 2.2 times in boiling water, whereas equilibrium time reduced 64 times. Thus, PU–jute composite has excellent hydrolytic stability against boiling water, 10% HCl, and 10% NaCl solutions. Fairly good mechanical and electrical properties and excellent hydrolytic stability of composites signify their usefulness for low cost housing units and in electrical and marine industries. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2363–2370, 2006

Amorphous, diamond-like carbon films with a mixture of sp2and sp3hybridizations have exhibited excellent material properties such as chemical stability, wear resistance and optical transparency resulting in their wide use as protective coatings in numerous applications. The hydrogenated forms of these films, a-C:H, and specifically the near-frictionless carbon (NFC) films developed at Argonne National Laboratory have exhibited the lowest ever recorded friction coefficient, 0.001, and ultra-low wear rates of 10?11?10?10mm3N?1m?1, even under dry sliding conditions and at very high contact pressures (Robertson 2002 Diamond-like amorphous carbon Mater. Sci. Eng.R 37129). Application of these films to sliding or rotating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) would open up an entirely new class of commercialized MEMS devices. With this in mind, this paper reports on thin-film mechanical property measurements of the NFC films relevant to MEMS. The membrane deflection experiment was employed to subject microfabricated freestanding films to pure tension and measure mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, residual stress and fracture strength. Young's modulus was consistently measured at 35.13 ± 2.29 GPa. The fracture strength varied from 0.12 GPa to 0.90 GPa and the residual stress state was compressive and ranged from 79 MPa to 310 MPa. Width and thickness effects of the membranes were also observed in this work, where fracture strength increased with decreasing membrane width and thickness. Weibull analysis of the fracture strength is also presented in the paper.

Hybrid composites based on bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde resin and jute mat with rice, wheat, sugar cane, and jamun husks have been fabricated at 150°C under 30.4 MPa pressure for 2 h. The resin content in composites was 50% of fibers. Tensile strength, flexural strength, electric strength, and volume resistivity of hybrid composites have been evaluated and compared with those of jute‐bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde composites. It is observed that the tensile strength of composites is found to decrease by 53–72%, which is mainly due to random orientation of sandwiched fibers. Flexural strength has increased by 53–153% except jute–rice husk composite for which it is decreased by 26%. A little change in dielectric breakdown strength (1.89–2.11 kV/mm) is found but volume resistivity of Jute–wheat husk and Jute–jamun husk composites has improved by 437–197% and it is slightly decreased(2.3–25.2%) for the remaining two composites. Thus, hybrid composites possess good mechanical and electrical properties signifying their importance in low strength and light weight engineering applications as well as low cost housing units such as partition and hard boards. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1754–1758, 2006

In the present paper, we report the compensation effect for the crystallization of different binary and ternary systems of some chalcogenide glasses. We have observed Meyer-Neldel rule between the pre-exponential factor K0of rate constant K(T) of crystallization and activation energy of crystallization Ecin the present case.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been performed at different heating rates under non-isothermal conditions to study the crystallization kinetics of glassy Se100–xSbx (2 ≤ x ≤ 10) alloys. The crystallization kinetics have been studied using four different methods of analysis of the non-isothermal DSC data and various kinetic parameters (the activation energy of crystallization, order parameter, rate constant and frequency factor) have been determined. The difference Tc – Tg (indicator of thermal stability) has been determined from the DSC thermograms for each sample. The rate constant K (indicator of the rate of amorphous to crystalline phase transformation) has been evaluated using the method of Augis and Bennett. The increasing sequence of the rate constant in the glasses studied is opposite to that of Tc – Tg. This indicates that chalcogenide glasses having a higher rate of crystallization have less thermal stability. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Abstract: Temperature and frequency dependence of a.c. conductivity have been studied in glassy Se100- x Te x(x = 10, 20 and 30) over different range of temperatures and frequencies. An agreement between experimental and theoretical results suggests that the a.c. conductivity behaviour of selenium-tellurium system (Se100- xTex)can be successfully explained by correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. The density of defect states has been determined using this model for all the glassy alloys. The results show that bipolaron hopping dominates over single-polaron hopping in this glassy system. This is explained in terms of lower values of the maximum barrier height for single-polaron hopping. The values of density of charged defect states increase with increase in Te concentration. This is in agreement with our previous results obtained from SCLC measurements.

The glass formation and divitrification of a-Se80Te19.5M0.5(M = Ag, Cd, In, Sb) alloys were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). A comparison of various simple quantitative methods to assess the level of the stability of these glassy alloys is presented. All of these methods are based on characteristic temperatures such as the glass transition temperature (Tg), on-set crystallization temperature (To) at which crystallization begins, peak crystallization temperature (Tc) at which the crystallization rate is maximum and melting temperature (Tm). The Hruby number (Hr), which is the strong indicator of Glass Forming Tendency (GFT) and thermal stability parameter (S) representing resistance to divitrification have also been evaluated for these glassy alloys. The stability criteria based on Arrhenius dependence of rate constant K(T) are also studied. The stability of these glasses has been evaluated experimentally and correlated with the activation energy of the crystallization by the kinetic K(T) criteria and it is compared with Scriterion.

Antibodies against GD1a, GM1 and related gangliosides are frequently present in patients with the motor variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), and their pathological role in this variant of GBS is now widely accepted. However, two basic issues related to anti‐ganglioside antibody‐mediated neural injury are not completely resolved: (i) some anti‐ganglioside antibodies can cross‐react with glycoproteins and therefore the nature of antigens targeted by these antibodies is not well established; and (ii) although pathological studies suggest that complement activation occurs in GBS, experimental data for the role of complement remain inconclusive. To address these issues, we developed and characterized a simple anti‐ganglioside antibody‐mediated cytotoxicity assay. Our results demonstrate first, that both GBS sera containing anti‐ganglioside antibodies and monoclonal anti‐ganglioside antibodies cause neuronal cell lysis by targeting specific cell surface gangliosides, and secondly, that this cell lysis is complement dependent. In this assay, the GD1a cell membrane pool appears to be more susceptible to anti‐ganglioside antibody‐mediated injury than the GM1 pool. Further, human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), now a standard treatment for GBS, significantly decreased cytotoxicity in this assay. Our data indicate that the mechanisms of IVIg‐mediated protection in this assay include anti‐idiotypic antibodies and downregulation of complement activation. This simple cytotoxicity assay can potentially be used for screening of (i) pathogenic anti‐ganglioside antibodies in patients with immune‐mediated neuropathies; and (ii) new/experimental therapies to prevent anti‐ganglioside antibody‐mediated neural injury.

Calcitonin has been approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and other diseases involving accelerated bone turnover for approximately 25 years. The most commonly studied and prescribed form is salmon calcitonin, which has a greater efficacy in clinical use. A wealth of well-controlled clinical studies have demonstrated that calcitonin preserves or increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces the risk of vertebral fractures in osteoporosis. Recent studies have indicated that while a low BMD is correlated with an increase in fracture risk, increases in BMD alone do not explain the antifracture efficacy of antiresorptive therapies such as calcitonin. Therapies that moderately increase BMD may reduce fracture risk by reducing the rate of bone turnover and maintaining the integrity of the trabecular architecture, resulting in the preservation of bone strength and quality in osteoporotic patients. An advantage of calcitonin that is not shared by other antiresorptive therapies is its direct analgesic effect on bone pain. Calcitonin has been demonstrated to be clinically useful in improving pain, not only from the acute vertebral fractures of osteoporosis, but also in Pagets disease, bone malignancies, and other sources of musculoskeletal pain. Drugs containing calcitonin may be approved for additional indications in the near future, and as more convenient routes of administration such as the oral route become available, the demand for the calcitonin peptide is expected to increase.

Polyadenosine diphosphoribose glycohydrolase (PARG) catalyzes the intracellular hydrolysis of adenosine diphosphoribose polymers. Because structure−activity data are lacking for PARG, the specific inhibitor adenosine diphosphate (hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidinediol (ADP-HPD) was utilized to determine the effects of structure on inhibitor potency using PARG isolated from bovine thymus (bPARG) and recombinant bovine PARG catalytic fragment (rPARG-CF). Both enzymes were strongly inhibited by submicromolar levels of ADP-HPD, but ADP and the phosphorylated pyrrolidine displayed no activity. Utilizing ADP-HPD analogues containing 2-, N⁶, or 8-adenosyl substituents or guanine instead of adenine, the importance of adenine ring recognition as well as a correlation between loss of PARG inhibition and the length and bulkiness of 8-adenosyl substituents was shown. Utilization of ADP-HPD analogues lacking one or both pyrrolidine cis-hydroxyls demonstrated their importance for inhibitor binding. Last, the similarity between naturally occurring bPARG and heterologously expressed rPARG-CF was demonstrated. Therefore, readily available rPARG-CF is suitable for use in future studies to determine the structural aspects of PARG.

The orientation of surface-active molecules at interfaces is extremely important in determining the dynamic and equilibrium properties of such systems. Films of fatty acid salts were studied at various pH values of the solutions. It was found that there exists a pH where minimum evaporation of water, maximum foamability, maximum foam stability, minimum contact angle on PMMA surface, maximum single-bubble stability, and maximum surface viscosity are observed. It was also found that this optimum pH value is near the pKa of the fatty acid salts. The experimental results are explained in terms of area per molecule, intermolecular spacing, and cooperativity among soap molecules at the interface. It was further shown that the chain length of the soap molecules can modulate the area per molecule, and hence the intermolecular distance in the film, and thereby influence the ionization behavior of the fatty acid carboxyl group. The pKa increases from 6.5 to about 9.0 as the chain length of the fatty acid salt increases from C8 to C16. Cooperativity among surfactant molecules at the interface is controlled by the area per molecule and intermolecular spacing in the adsorbed film. A small change in intermolecular distance of 0.03 Å can significantly influence various technological processes such as foaming, emulsification, wetting, and retardation of evaporation.

Retroperitoneal liposarcomas (RPLS) are usually grow large with frequent recurrences. Complete surgical excision remains the gold standard treatment for primary and even recurrent tumours. Their prognosis depends on their histological type and grade. We report a recurrent giant de-differentiated RPLS weighing 18.55 kg which was completely excised. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the largest liposarcoma reported in the literature.

Glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCI) are the hallmark of multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare movement disorder frequently associated with autonomic dysfunction. In this study of 21 cases of MSA, GCI were consistently immunoreactive for α-synuclein and double-immunostained for ubiquitin and oligodendroglial markers, but not glial fibrillary acidic protein. No statistically significant difference was found in the density of GCI in various brain regions in the two forms of MSA, striatonigral degeneration (SND) and olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA). Postmortem brain samples from 9 cases of MSA were fractionated according to solubility in buffer, Triton-X 100, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and formic acid, and α-synuclein immunoreactivity was measured in Western blots. Total α-synuclein immunoreactivity was increased in MSA compared to controls, with no statistically significant difference between SND and OPCA. Most of the increase was due to α-synuclein in SDS fractions. In controls this fraction had little or no immunoreactivity. In 7 cases and 4 controls correlations were investigated between quantitative neuropathology and biochemical properties of α-synuclein. Surprisingly, the amount of SDS-soluble α-synuclein correlated poorly with the number of GCI in adjacent sections. Furthermore, areas with few or no GCI unexpectedly had abundant SDS-soluble α-synuclein. These findings provide evidence that modifications of α-synuclein in MSA may be more widespread than obvious histopathology. Moreover, these alterations may constitute a biochemical signature for the synucleinopathies.

AbstractIn the present study we have come across two cases (Paramjit Kaur and Amrik Singh) of tratsient alloalbumiaemia caused by antibiotic drugs in 1358 pathological sera. The results of our study show that some antibiotics such as neomycin affects the albumin molecule in-vivoas well as in-vitro, whereas some others like amikacia either show variations in-vivoor in-vitrolike erythromycin and cifran. Ute effect was seen only in a few individuals and the variations caused were found to be transient in nature.

In many educational institutions the preparation of a low-conflict-small-duration timetable for conducting the term-end examinations could be a very tedious exercise. This paper outlines a computer-based system for the design of a useful examination schedule. The system employs a computer and an administrator at various stages of design for the processes for which they are best suited to improve the applicability and efficiency of the exercise.

An orthogonally-displaced pressure dam bearing is obtained by horizontally displacing the two halves of an elliptical pressure dam bearing. This bearing is more stable than the other pressure dam and fixed geometry bearings. This paper describes the static characteristics such as film pressures, oil flow, friction, etc., and dynamic characteristics, namely spring and damping coefficients and the stability threshold speed of this bearing supporting both rigid and flexible rotors.

The gamma subunit composition of the major bovine brain Go and Gi proteins (GOA, GOB, GOC, Gi1, and Gi2) was characterized using antibodies against specific gamma isoforms. Each of the purified G protein heterotrimers contained a heterogeneous population of gamma subunits, and the profiles of the gamma subunits found with Gi1, Gi2, and GOA were similar. In contrast, each GO isoform had a distinct pattern of associated gamma subunits. These differences were surprising given that all three alpha O isoforms are thought to share a common amino-terminal sequence important for the binding of beta gamma dimers and that the alpha OA and alpha OC proteins may come from the same alpha O1 mRNA. The free alpha OA and alpha OC subunits had unique elution behaviors during MonoQ chromatography, compatible with differences in their post-translational processing. These results indicate that both the alpha and gamma subunit compositions of heterotrimers define the structure of an intact G protein. Furthermore, the exact subunit composition of G protein heterotrimers may depend upon regulated expression of different subunit isoforms or upon cellular processing of alpha subunits.

Longitudinal changes in selenium (Se) and protein concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity of milk collected from healthy mothers of term (n12), preterm (n10), and very preterm (n12) infants were assessed. All infants were size appropriate for gestational age. Milk samples representative of colostrum (d 3), transitional (d 7), and mature milk (d 21 and 42) were assayed. The content of Se in the colostrum secreted by mothers of preterm infants was significantly greater than the Se content of milk secreted by the same mothers at d 21 and 42 of lactation. Mothers of term and very preterm infants, however, produced colostrum with significantly higher levels of Se than milk produced at d 7 (p<0.05), d 21 (p<0.01), or d 42 (p<0.001). Significant differences between the protein concentrations measured in early lactation and in late lactation were evident in all maternal groups. Protein content did not differ significantly among groups at anytime during lactation. An age-related difference was detected in milk GSH-Px activities of mature milk (d 21). Mature milk produced by mothers of very preterm infants on d 21 of lactation contained significantly greater enzyme activity (p<0.05) than milk produced by mothers of term infants at the same stage of lactation. Activity of GSH-Px in milk from mothers of very preterm and preterm infants paralleled previously noted changes in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content in human milk with the progression of lactation. Although the function of GSH-Px in milk is unknown, results from this study suggest a possible role in the protection of milk lipids from oxidative damage.

Three normal subjects performed rest‐‐exercise transitions on a cycle ergometer, from rest to unloaded pedalling (0 W), 50, 100 and 150 W. Each experiment was performed in triplicate, with randomized work load order, in two sessions. Ventilation was obtained breath‐to‐breath by integration of a pneumotachygraph signal, and cardiac output beat‐to‐beat by a new development of the Doppler technique. Results were bin‐averaged in 4 s bins over the first 20 s, and compared to resting values. Both ventilation and cardiac output increased significantly in the first 2 s. This initial rise in ventilation was due entirely to an increase in rate, the subsequent rise mainly to increase in tidal volume. Cardiac output increased predominantly through change in rate with smaller increases in stroke volume. A striking feature was a tendency for ventilation and cardiac output responses to be biphasic with an initial rise followed by a slight fall at the 14 s mark, and a subsequent rise, at all work loads. Overall correlation between ventilation and cardiac output was therefore high (r = 0.92). Six normal subjects hyperventilated for 45 s voluntarily, (a) at rate 24/min and normal tidal volume; (b) at normal rate and tidal volume of 1.5 l; (c) at rate 24/min and tidal volume of 1.5 l. Cardiac output, averaged over 10‐45 s, rose by 0.4, 0.5, and 1.0 l min‐1 respectively, with falls in end‐tidal PCO2 of 4, 6, and 8 mmHg. Six normal subjects hyperventilated for 60 s with rate 24/min and tidal volume of 1.4 l, and end‐tidal PCO2 maintained at 38 +/‐2 mm Hg. Cardiac output, averaged from 10‐60 s, rose by 1.0 l min‐1. With increased rate and tidal volume, whether isocapnic or hypocapnic, cardiac output responses showed an overshoot with a peak value at about 30 s. The hypothesis of 'cardiodynamic hyperpnoea' considers a possible effect of increasing cardiac output on ventilation. The effects of ventilation on cardiac output must also be considered. We propose an extended hypothesis involving stable positive feed‐back.

We changed venous return transiently by postural manoeuvres, and by lower body positive pressure, to see what happened simultaneously to ventilation. Cardiac output was measured by a Doppler technique. In seven subjects, after inflation of a pressure suit to 80 and 40 mmHg at 30 deg head‐up tilt, both cardiac output and ventilation increased. Ventilation increased rapidly to a peak in the first 5 s, cardiac output more slowly to a steady state in about 20 s, at 80 mmHg inflation. After inflation to 80 mmHg in six subjects at 12.5 deg head‐up and 30 deg head‐down tilt, cardiac output did not change in the first, and fell in the second case. There were no significant changes in ventilation. On release of pressure there were transient increases in both cardiac output and ventilation, with ventilation lagging behind cardiac output, in contrast to (2) above. In five subjects, elevation of the legs at 30 deg head‐up tilt caused a rise in both cardiac output and ventilation, but in two subjects neither occurred. In all seven subjects there was a transient increase in cardiac output and ventilation when the legs were lowered. Ventilation and cardiac output changes were approximately in phase. We were therefore unable to dissociate entirely increasing cardiac output from increasing ventilation. The relation between them was certainly not a simple proportional one.

The effects of acute exposure to 25 mM ethanol on high voltage-activated, L-type Ca2+ channels in undifferentiated and nerve growth factor-treated pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells were examined using conventional, whole-cell, patch-clamp techniques. Acute exposure to 25 mM ethanol inhibited macroscopic L-type Ca2+ currents in undifferentiated PC-12 cells significantly more than in nerve growth factor-treated PC-12 cells. Intracellular infusion with guanosine-5'-O-(2-thio)diphosphate or pretreatment with pertussis toxin reduced ethanol inhibition in undifferentiated cells without altering inhibition in nerve growth factor-treated cells, suggesting the involvement of a G protein in ethanol inhibition of Ca2+ channels in undifferentiated cells. Intracellular infusion with an affinity-purified antibody that recognizes the carboxyl termini of alpha i1 and alpha i2 significantly reduced ethanol inhibition in undifferentiated cells, in contrast to the effects of antibodies that recognize the carboxyl termini of alpha oA and alpha oB. None of these antibodies reduced ethanol inhibition in nerve growth factor-treated cells. These results indicate that Gi1 alpha or Gi2 alpha mediates ethanol inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channel currents in undifferentiated but not in nerve growth factor-treated PC-12 cells.