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The gasification behavior of six different biomass species (four forest pruning residues including Pinus pinaster, Pinyon pine, Eucalyptus, and white poplar as well as two types of garden prunings) has been investigated in a pilot fluidized bed gasifier to experimentally quantify (i) the yields of pyrolytic gas released from the fuel particle in the absence of oxygen; (ii) the effect of oxygen on the gas yields and the significance of the secondary reactions (gasification of char and reforming/cracking of gas species) during gasification with air; and (iii) the effect of fuel throughput on gasification performance. Continuous steady-state experiments were conducted using air at temperatures 800, 850, and 900 °C, equivalence ratios (ER) in the range of 0.16–0.32, and throughputs between 245 and 426 kg/h/m2, as well as semicontinuous (batch of fuel in a continuous gas stream) devolatilization experiments with N2(ER = 0). Although significant quantitative differences in the gas yields, char conversion, gas heating value, and gasification efficiency were found for different fuels, the trends with changing temperature and ER followed similar characteristics. P. pinastergave the best results, showing cold gas efficiencies of up to 70% at 900 °C, while white poplar and garden prunings performed considerably worse. The effect of throughput was analyzed for three out of six fuels, and it was observed to be small for P. pinasterand garden prunings, whereas it was significant for white poplar as a result of the lower bulk density of white poplar compared to the other fuels. The results conclude about gas composition and process efficiency expected from different biomass residues in fluidized bed gasifiers and provide fundamental data to validate a theoretical model, currently under development, to scale up the process.

ABSTRACTCitrobacter rodentiuminfection is a murine model for pathogenic intestinal Escherichia coliinfection. C. rodentiuminfection causes an initial decrease in mucus layer thickness, followed by an increase during clearance. We aimed to identify the cause of these changes and to utilize this naturally occurring mucus stimulus to decrease pathogen impact and inflammation. We identified that mucin production and speed of transport from Golgi to secretory vesicles at the apical surface increased concomitantly with increased mucus thickness. Of the cytokines differentially expressed during increased mucus thickness, IFN-γ and TNF-α decreased the mucin production and transport speed, whereas IL-4, IL-13, C. rodentiumand E. colienhanced these aspects. IFN-γ and TNF-α treatment in combination with C. rodentiumand pathogenic E. coliinfection negatively affected mucus parameters in vitro, which was relieved by IL-4 treatment. The effect of IL-4 was more pronounced than that of IL-13, and in wild type mice, only IL-4 was present. Increased expression of Il-4, Il-4-receptor α, Stat6and Spdefduring clearance indicate that this pathway contributes to the increase in mucin production. In vivoIL-4 administration initiated 10 days after infection increased mucus thickness and quality and decreased colitis and pathogen contact with the epithelium. Thus, during clearance of infection, the concomitant increase in IL-4 protects and maintains goblet cell function against the increasing levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ. Furthermore, IL-4 affects intestinal mucus production, pathogen contact with the epithelium and colitis. IL-4 treatment may thus have therapeutic benefits for mucosal healing.

Abstract Study objective-It is still unclear if men and women are equally susceptible to the hazards of tobacco smoking. The objective of this study was to examine smoking related mortality [...]

It has been suggested that the superiority of antidepressants over placebo in controlled trials is merely a consequence of side effects enhancing the expectation of improvement by making the patient realize that he/she is not on placebo. We explored this hypothesis in a patient-level post hoc-analysis including all industry-sponsored, Food and Drug Administration-registered placebo-controlled trials of citalopram or paroxetine in adult major depression that used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and included a week 6 symptom assessment (n=15). The primary analyses, which compared completers on active treatment without early adverse events to completers on placebo (with or without adverse events) with respect to reduction in the HDRS depressed mood item showed larger symptom reduction in patients given active treatment, the effect sizes being 0.48 for citalopram and 0.33 for paroxetine. In actively treated subjects reporting early adverse events, who also outperformed those given placebo, the severity of the adverse events did not predict response. Several sensitivity analyses, for example, including (i) those using change of the sum of all HDRS-17 items as effect parameter, (ii) those excluding all subjects with adverse events (that is, also those on placebo) and (iii) those based on the intention-to-treat population, were all in line with the primary analyses. The finding that both paroxetine and citalopram are clearly superior to placebo also when not producing adverse events, as well as the lack of association between adverse event severity and response, argue against the theory that antidepressants outperform placebo solely or largely because of their side effects.

The recent questioning of the antidepressant effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is partly based on the observation that approximately half of company-sponsored trials have failed to reveal a significant difference between active drug and placebo. Most of these have applied the Hamilton depression rating scale to assess symptom severity, the sum score for its 17 items (HDRS-17-sum) serving as effect parameter. In this study, we examined whether the negative outcomes of many SSRI trials may be partly caused by the use of this frequently questioned measure of response. We undertook patient-level post-hoc analyses of 18 industry-sponsored placebo-controlled trials regarding paroxetine, citalopram, sertraline or fluoxetine, and including in total 6669 adults with major depression, the aim being to assess what the outcome would have been if the single item depressed mood (rated 0–4) had been used as a measure of efficacy. In total, 32 drug-placebo comparisons were reassessed. While 18 out of 32 comparisons (56%) failed to separate active drug from placebo at week 6 with respect to reduction in HDRS-17-sum, only 3 out of 32 comparisons (9%) were negative when depressed mood was used as an effect parameter (P<0.001). The observation that 29 out of 32 comparisons detected an antidepressant signal from the tested SSRI suggests the effect of these drugs to be more consistent across trials than previously assumed. Further, the frequent use of the HDRS-17-sum as an effect parameter may have distorted the current view on the usefulness of SSRIs and hampered the development of novel antidepressants.

High-pressure press needs only one tool Styling still sells a lot of automobiles. And to automotive production people, new styling means new challenges in the forming of sheet metal. After [...]

Summary. Background:Factor VII‐activating protease (FSAP) is a recently discovered plasma protease with a role in the regulation of hemostasis and vascular remodeling processes. Higher levels and activity of FSAP have been reported in patients with deep vein thrombosis, but there are no data on plasma FSAP in ischemic stroke (IS).

Background: Compared with coronary artery disease, there are few studies on von Willebrand factor (VWF) in ischemic stroke (IS). Moreover, there is little information on VWF in the etiologic subtypes of IS. Objectives:The aim of the present study was to investigate VWF in IS and in the etiologic subtypes of IS. Patients/methods:The Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke (SAHLSIS) is a case–control study comprising 600 patients and 600 matched controls. Etiologic IS subtype was defined according to the TOAST criteria. Blood sampling was performed in the acute phase and after 3 months. Results:The levels of VWF were increased in overall IS, at both time‐points. The 3‐month VWF levels were increased in the subtypes of large‐vessel disease (LVD), cardioembolic (CE) stroke and cryptogenic stroke, but not in the subtype of small‐vessel disease (SVD), as compared with the controls. The acute phase VWF levels were significantly increased in all four subtypes. In the multivariate regression analysis, with vascular risk factors as covariates, the 3‐month VWF levels were associated with CE stroke and cryptogenic stroke, and the acute phase VWF levels with all subtypes. There were significant subtype‐specific differences in VWF, with the highest levels in LVD and CE stroke. Conclusions:The present results show that VWF levels are increased in patients with IS. Furthermore, the VWF levels differ between etiologic IS subtypes and thus, it is important to consider etiologic subtypes in future studies of VWF in patients with IS.

The paper is a summary of contributed papers in this volume from an outsider's view. The objective of the paper is to try to identify the most important issues for actions in order to enable the forest sector/system to meet future national needs.The paper identifies four interlinked issues/components as priorities in order to promote sustainable development of the Indian forest sector. Nearly all of the papers identify a lack of reliable Data and Inventorieswith respect to functions, management and impacts of the Indian forest sector. Therefore, it is imperative to start the process of establishing needed inventories. This process should have integrated and systems viewapproaches. The new data and inventories should feed into the component of Integrated Assessments. In order to set appropriate strategies and policies, relevant integrated assessments are necessary with respect to outlooks and impacts of different actions. These integrated assessments should go far beyond the traditional forest sector to be meaningful and to deal with real issues causing the degradation of the Indian forest resources, like sustenance and livelihood pressures. The integrated assessments should feed into a Strategic Planningprocess. Currently there is no strategic planning process in place with respect to the forest sector. An ongoing institutionalised process has to be established with integrated and systems view approaches that attempt to interlink the major sectors affecting the over-utilisation of the Indian forest resources and deriving non-sustainable benefits from the sector. The strategic plan implementation will require restructuring of the existing Governance and Institutionswith respect to the forest sector. The governance and institutions have to, in the future, operate in a much more integrated way taking on board crosscutting issues in order to address the real problems of the sector and to interlink more efficiently in governance between states and central government.The four components above are strongly interlinked and should be regarded as one package for actions. Many more issues/ concerns can be identified in the presented papers but I feel it is important to start with the implementation of a limited package of important actions in order to reach results.

The partitioning of three polysaccharides, Dextran sulfate (DxS), λ‐Carrageenan (CAR), and Dextran (Dx), and its dependence on polymer charge density and ionic strength have been investigated in the segregative mixture of poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) (NaPSS) and sodium polyacrylate‐acrylamide copolymers, NaP(AA/AM), of variable charge density, in aqueous solutions. It is shown that the solubility of all the three may be zero or finite in one or both phases, but the preferred phase is determined by the charge density on the copolymer. When charge densities are equal on the phase forming polymers, the saccharides CAR and Dx favor the phase rich in PSS, but they have greater affinity for the polymer of lower charge density when the charge densities on phase polymers are unequal. The partitioning behavior of DxS is the opposite of the other two polysachharides with respect to which phase it has the greatest affinity for. The values of the partitioning coefficients show that the system may be potentially useful for the purification of polysaccharides and other macromolecules, if appropriate conditions are selected. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1728–1734, 2006

A 47-year old man attending at an in vitro fertilization clinic for infertility was diagnosed with congentital idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. No palpable testes and no spermatozoa in the ejaculate were found. Endocrinologically serum FSH, LH and testosterone was undetectable. A retroperitoneal magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the testicular absence. rFSH/hCG treatment was initiated. At four months almond-sized testes had developed and puncture with testicular sperm extraction (TESE) showed occasional immobile spermatozoa. Six months after initiation of treatment occasional mobile spermatozoa in semen were successfully used for intracytoplamic sperm injection (ICSI) and one oocyte was fertilized and transferred. After 12 months sperm count revealed 105 mobile spermatozoa and three oocytes were fertilized. The embryo transfers did not result in a clinical pregnancy. As far as we know, this is the first time that objectively diagnosed testes atrophy could be successfully treated with FSH/hCG.

Based on the papers contributed to this Special Issue and other studies an effort is made to identify the major policy issues facing the Chinese forest sector. The policy analysis is organized around the so-called ,supply china‘ (from stump to final products' markets). The discussion of policy issues and implications centers on the identified large and growing gap in the demand/supply balance of forest products. A major problem to carry out the policy analysis is the identified lack of consistent and transparent data for the different components of the ,supply chain‘. This is a situation which must be substantially improved in order to undertake relevant policy setting for the Chinese forest sector.

China's forest resources have been and continue to be threatened. The analysis of the various reported statistics, while often conflicting, does indicate significant challenges ahead for the forest to supply the material for industrial, non-industrial, fuelwood and conservation objectives. Given forecasted constraints on domestic fibre supply for at least two decades there could be a significant increase demand for logs and forest products from China's trading partners. Overall this paper indicates the challenge in reaching more specific conclusions since there are serious data discrepancies in all major statistical areas. These discrepancies must be addressed before a clear set of land and sustainable development policies can be created.

To explore the suitability of FTICR mass spectrometry for the analysis of the protein composition of amniotic fluid (AF), an AF sample from 15 weeks gestation from a healthy 36-year-old woman was tryptically digested, with or without prior serum albumin removal. The tryptic peptides were separated by gradient capillary liquid chromatography (LC) followed by electrospray ionization (ESI) and mass spectrometric detection with a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR). The obtained data underwent computer-aided mathematical and statistical evaluation to extract significant tryptic peptide patterns from human proteins. Forty-three proteins were putatively identified; among them were known protein constituents of amniotic fluid, but also many that not have been detected before. The removal of serum albumin prior to tryptic digestion reduced ion suppression from abundant HSA fragments. The protein analysis of amniotic fluid by albumin removal, tryptic digestion and LC/FT-ICR−MS analysis was found to be a straightforward technique. Keywords: amniotic fluid · data handling · depletion · LC/ESI−FT-ICR−MS · proteomics

The biogeochemical cycle of organic carbon in Russian terrestrial ecosystems in 1990 is considered. Its components have been estimated as follows: net primary production, 4354 million metric tons of carbon (Mt C); annual amount of plant detritus, 3223 Mt C; heterotrophic soil respiration, 3214 Mt C; biomass utilization, 680 Mt C; damage to vegetation caused by fire and pests, 140 Mt C; and removal by surface and ground waters, 79 Mt C. Anthropogenically regulated fluxes of organic carbon (820 Mt C) are comparable to its amount involved in the natural cycle.

Interactions between poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (NaPSS) and sodium polyacrylate−acrylamide copolymers, NaP(AA/AM), in aqueous solutions have been studied. Equilibrium pseudoternary phase diagrams have been determined, for varying combinations of molecular weights and charge densities of the components and with varying concentrations of salt in solution. All the fully charged mixtures segregate at sufficiently high concentrations of polyelectrolytes (typically 6−8 wt %). Addition of salt and/or increasing the molecular weight results in a larger two-phase area in the diagrams. The main finding on reducing the charge density of one of the components P(AA/AM) is that the extent of the two-phase region changes relatively little until the charge density is reduced to about 20%, where, abruptly, complete miscibility occurs. The phase behavior is qualitatively reproduced by a modified Flory−Huggins model where dissociated counterions are included as a separate component contributing to the entropy of mixing. Experimental observations and theoretical modeling suggest that the model presented is a promising tool for achieving better quantitative, as well as qualitative, predictions of phase behavior of polyelectrolyte−polyelectrolyte−solvent systems, if appropriate modifications are implemented.

AbstractObjectives:To describe and compare the consumption of dairy products in cohorts included in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).Methods:Data from single 24-hour dietary recall interviews collected through a highly standardised computer-based program (EPIC-SOFT) in 27 redefined centres in 10 European countries between 1995 and 2000. From a total random sample of 36 900, 22 924 women and 13 031 men were selected after exclusion of subjects under 35 and over 74 years of age.Results:A high total consumption of dairy products was reported in most of the centres in Spain and in the UK cohort sampled from the general population, as well as in the Dutch, Swedish and Danish centres. A somewhat low consumption was reported in the Greek centre and in some of the Italian centres (Ragusa and Turin). In all centres and for both sexes, milk constituted the dairy sub-group with the largest proportion (in grams) of total dairy consumption, followed by yoghurt and other fermented milk products, and cheese. Still, there was a wide range in the contributions of the different dairy sub-groups between centres. The Spanish and Nordic centres generally reported a high consumption of milk, the Swedish and Dutch centres reported a high consumption of yoghurt and other fermented milk products, whereas the highest consumption of cheese was reported in the French centres.Conclusion:The results demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative disparities in dairy product consumption among the EPIC centres. This offers a sound starting point for analyses of associations between dairy intake and chronic diseases such as cancer.

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the consumption of added fats and oils across the European centres and countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).Design and setting:24-Hour dietary recalls were collected by means of standardised computer-guided interviews in 27 redefined EPIC centres across 10 European countries.Subjects:From an initial number of 36 900 subjects, single dietary recalls from 22 924 women and 13 031 men in the age range of 35?74 years were included.Results:Mean daily intake of added fats and oils varied between 16.2 g (Varese, Italy) and 41.1 g (Malm?, Sweden) in women and between 24.7 g (Ragusa, Italy) and 66.0 g (Potsdam, Germany) in men. Total mean lipid intake by consumption of added fats and oils, including those used for sauce preparation, ranged between 18.3 (Norway) and 37.2 g day?1(Greece) in women and 28.4 (Heidelberg, Germany) and 51.2 g day?1(Greece) in men. The Mediterranean EPIC centres with high olive oil consumption combined with low animal fat intake contrasted with the central and northern European centres where fewer vegetable oils, more animal fats and a high proportion of margarine were consumed. The consumption of added fats and oils of animal origin was highest in the German EPIC centres, followed by the French. The contribution of added fats and oils to total energy intake ranged from 8% in Norway to 22% in Greece.Conclusions:The results demonstrate a high variation in dietary intake of added fats and oils in EPIC, providing a good opportunity to elucidate the role of dietary fats in cancer aetiology.

Abstract: We study an order-preserving general purpose data structure for binary data, the LPC-trie. The structure is a compressed trie, using both level and path compression. The memory usage is similar to that of a balanced binary search tree, but the expected average depth is smaller. The LPC-trie is well suited to modern language environments with efficient memory allocation and garbage collection. We present an implementation in the Java programming language and show that the structure compares favorably with a balanced binary search tree.

Recent developments in antiarrhythmic therapy have indicated that the best approach to pharmacologically controlling supraventricular arrhythmias and life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias is by prolonging cardiac repolarization rather than by blocking conduction. In this context, amiodarone has emerged as the most potent compound, but its universal use has been limited by its toxicity profile. There are data to suggest that an important component of amiodarones antiarrhythmic action might be mediated via inhibition of thyroid hormone action in the heart. Therefore, a new series of carboxymethoxybenzoyl and benzyl derivatives of benzofuran has been prepared and evaluated as thyroid hormone receptor antagonists. Within this series, 2-methyl-3-(3,5-diiodo-4-carboxymethoxybenzyl)benzofuran KB130015 (7) was found to reveal the most promising in vitro data. It inhibits the binding of ¹²⁵I-T3 to the human thyroid hormone receptors (hThR) α1 and β1. T3-Antagonism was confirmed in reporter cell assays employing CHOK1 cells (Chinese hamster ovary cells) stably transfected with hThRα1 or hThRβ1 and an alkaline phosphatase reporter gene downstream a thyroid response element. The derived IC50 values were 2.2 μM for hThRα1 and 4.1 μM for hThRβ1. Compound 7 was selected for further characterization of chronic effects on ventricular papillary muscle by transmembrane electrophysiology after daily intraperitoneal injection of the ligand (40 mg/kg body weight) in guinea pigs. Compound 7 was found to prolong the action potential duration at 90% (APD90) repolarization time (219 ± 22 ms, control:  186 ± 9 ms, p &lt; 0.01) without exhibiting any reverse rate dependency of action in a manner similar to that of amiodarone. In general, preliminary tolerance experiments with 7 demonstrated an improved safety profile compared to that of amiodarone. In summary, 7 appears to be less toxic than amiodarone while maintaining its electrophysiologic properties consistent with antiarrhythmic activity. Its potential antiarrhythmic actions warrant further investigations.

The estimated net primary production (NPP) of Russian terrestrial ecosystems (annual average over the period from 1988 to 1992) is 9544 Tg of dry matter, or 4353 Tg of carbon. Of the total amount, forests account for approximately 39.2% (here and below, comparisons are made with respect to carbon content); natural grasslands and brushwoods, for 27.6%; farmlands (arable land and cultivated pastures), for 22.0%; and wetlands, for 11.2%. The average NPP density on lands covered with vegetation (1629.8 million hectares in Russia) is 267 g C/m2per year. The highest value (498 g C/m2per year) is characteristic of arable lands. Other land-use/land-cover (LULC) classes have the following NPP densities (in areas covered with vegetation): grasslands and brushwoods, 278 g C/m2; forests, 224 g C/m2; and wetlands, 219 g C/m2per year. In general, Russian terrestrial ecosystems accumulate 59.7% of the total NPP in the aboveground phytomass (47.8% in green parts and 11.9% in wood) and 40.3% in the underground phytomass. The latter parameter differs significantly in different LULC classes and bioclimatic zones. According to calculations, the uncertainty in estimating the total NPP is 11% (a priori confidential probability 0.9).

Viscosity (dilute regime) and surfactant and polymer NMR self-diffusion (dilute and semidilute regime) measurements were carried out on aqueous solutions of ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (EHEC) and of a hydrophobically modified analogue, with (HM4-EHEC) and without (HM0-EHEC) a spacer, in the presence of various amounts of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Strong polymer−surfactant interactions were revealed. From the binding isotherm the critical aggregation concentration (cac ≈ 3 mm) was obtained for the EHEC/SDS system. By comparing the results from the binding isotherms with those from the rheological measurements, molecular interactions could be correlated to macroscopic properties. The polymer self-diffusion results suggest that the spin-echo attenuation can be described by a log-normal distribution (distribution of self-diffusion coefficients), giving a median polymer self-diffusion coefficient DME. There is no difference in the trend of DME between EHEC and the hydrophobically modified analogues at various SDS concentrations. The NMR signal decays of highly viscous samples of the modified analogues are initially described by a distribution mode followed by a single exponential (slow component). The effect of hydrophobic modification is seen in the existence of a slowly diffusing component (Dnet ≈ 10^-14 m² s^-1) (not observed for the unmodified analogue) that is related to a strong and long-lived network, at least of the order of the NMR time scale (ca. 0.5 s).

The data presented were obtained at the first stage (1993–1999) of studies on evaluating the basic parameters of biological production in Russian terrestrial ecosystems in order to provide information for assessing and modeling the carbon budget of the entire terrestrial biota of the country. Stocks of phytomass (by fractions), coarse woody debris, and dead roots (underground necromass) were calculated by two independent methods, which yielded close results. The total amount of phytomass in Russian terrestrial ecosystems was estimated at 81 800 Tg (=1012g = million t) dry matter, or 39 989 Tg carbon. Forest ecosystems comprise a greater part (82.1%) of live plant organic matter (here and below, comparisons are made with respect to the carbon content); natural grasslands and brushwoods account for 8.8%; the phytomass of wetlands (bogs and swamps), for 6.6%; and the phytomass of farmlands, for only 2.5%. Aboveground wood contains approximately two-thirds of the plant carbon (63.8%), and green parts contain 9.9%. For all classes of ecosystems, the proportion of underground phytomass averages 26.7% of the total amount, varying from 22.0% in forests to 57.1% in grasslands and brushwoods. The average phytomass density on lands covered with vegetation (1629.9 million hectares in Russia) is 5.02 kg/m2dry matter, or 2.45 kg C/m2. The total amount of carbon in coarse woody debris is 4955 Tg C, and 9180 Tg C are in the underground necromass. In total, the vegetation of Russian terrestrial ecosystems (without litter) contains 54 124 Tg carbon.

In solutions of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (HMHEC) and two oppositely charged surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (DoTAC), an organized structure of micelles has been observed by using cryogenic temperature transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). On the cryoelectron micrographs the micelles appear to be thread on strings, arranged in a cell-like pattern. This organized structure is induced by the polymer when the average number of polymer hydrophobic tails per mixed micelle is about 3−5, allowing hydrophobic tails from different polymer molecules to bind to the same surfactant micelle. The organized structure was not observed either in the surfactant mixture alone or in a low-viscous solution with a low number of polymer hydrophobic tails per mixed micelle. The oppositely charged surfactant mixture was studied at a total surfactant concentration of 30 mm in the presence and in the absence of 1% w/w polymer. The number of polymer hydrophobic tails per mixed micelle was varied by decreasing the micelle concentration through induced micellar growth. The micelles grow when the mole fraction of DoTAC (X) on the SDS-rich side of the phase diagram is increased. At low X values, only micelles are found, but from X = 0.29 upward an increasing fraction of vesicles is present. Pulsed field gradient NMR was used to measure the self-diffusion of water for determining the aggregate structure and self-diffusion of the surfactant for determining the micellar aggregation number and the concentration of free SDS molecules.

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy in runners of two relaxation techniques with regard to exercise reactivity and recovery after exercise.MethodsThirty one adult male runners were studied prospectively for six months in three groups practising either meditation (n = 11) or autogenic training (n = 11) or serving as controls (n = 10). Before and after the six months relaxation intervention, indicators of reactivity to exercise and metabolism after exercise (blood lactate concentration, heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption (VO₂)), were tested immediately after and 10 minutes after exercise. Resting HR was also assessed weekly at home during the trial. State anxiety was measured before and after the intervention.ResultsAfter the relaxation training, blood lactate concentration after exercise was significantly (p&lt;0.01) decreased in the meditation group compared with the control group. No difference was observed in lactate responses between the autogenic training group and the control group. There were no significant differences among the groups with regard to HR, VO₂, or levels of anxiety.ConclusionMeditation training may reduce the lactate response to a standardised exercise bout.

According to theory, a small diurnal bird living in a predictable environment should have the highest feeding effort as late as possible in the day in order to minimize the time it carries large and costly reserves. The feeding effort should also decline with increasing food availability. We tested both these ideas with the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor). For most of the year, this bird feeds on wood–living insects in dead tree branches. This food supply is likely to be highly predictable on a daily scale. Our results corroborated the theory. We found that the proportion of time spent actively feeding was lower in the mornings (before noon) than in the afternoons. We also found that woodpeckers spent less time feeding the higher their food availability. However, for a given food availability they spent more time feeding in the afternoons. This supports the idea that feeding is less and other activities are more valuable in the mornings given a predictable food resource. This is the first demonstration of daily routines in small birds concordant with a predictable environment. In spring, males but not females reduced their feeding time. This difference between the sexes may be related to their sex–specific reproductive effort.

Objectives:Prostasomes, small corpuscular organelles derived from the prostate gland, were isolated from human seminal plasma for incubation with three human prostatic cancer cell lines: DU145, PC3, and LNCaP. The aim of this study was to establish any possible growth–inhibitory effect of prostasomes on prostatic cancer cell lines.Methods:Prostasomes were isolated from human seminal plasma. We determined their growth–inhibitory effect on the prostatic cancer cell lines by a fluorimetric cytotoxic assay technique. The results obtained were presented as survival index, defined as a percentage of control cultures, after compensation for blank values.Results:The prostasomes exhibited a dose–dependent growth–inhibitory effect on the cells, cell line DU145 being the most sensitive one displaying a survival index (mean ± SD) of 46±10% at 200 μg prostasomes (protein)/ml while the other two cell lines displayed survival indices of 93±6 and 93±9%. Heat treatment of the prostasomes abolished their growth–inhibitory effect on the cell lines, whereas 24–hour dialysis of the prostasomes did not affect their activity in this regard. Seminal plasma devoid of prostasomes exhibited less effect on the growth of these cancer cell lines, and heat treatment of the plasma did not influence the result. However, dialysis of the seminal plasma for 24 h abrogated its growth–inhibitory effect.Conclusion:The prostasomal growth–inhibitory effect on the cancer cell lines was different from that of the prostasome–free seminal plasma. The former effect was most probably of a proteinaceous nature while the latter effect was most likely due to the divalent cation composition of seminal plasma. In this regard, the zinc ion content seemed to be decisive.

Dynamical, rheological, and some structural properties of 1 wt % aqueous solutions (semidilute regime) of ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (EHEC) and of a hydrophobically modified analogue, with (HM4-EHEC) and without (HM0-EHEC) spacer (the spacer consists of four EO groups), in the presence of various amounts of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) have been investigated by different experimental methods. Both the dynamical and rheological relaxation processes were slowed at moderate surfactant concentrations due to enhanced hydrophobic associations. The time correlation data obtained from the dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments showed the existence of two relaxation modes, one single exponential at short times followed by a stretched exponential at longer times. The slow relaxation time, as well as the rheological counterpart (the longest relaxation time), revealed an optimum in intermolecular hydrophobic interactions for the HM4-EHEC/SDS and HM0-EHEC/SDS systems at a surfactant concentration of ca. 4 mm, while the corresponding concentration for the EHEC/SDS system is ca. 15 mm. The dynamical and rheological features were found to be strongly dependent upon the level of surfactant addition, with at first an increase and then a decrease in the values of the parameters. The values are highest for the HM0-EHEC/SDS system, followed by those representing the HM4-EHEC/SDS system, and the lowest values were observed for the EHEC/SDS system. Under conditions of high association strength, the angular dependence of the slow mode of the three systems is much stronger than that of the fast diffusive mode and decreases at high SDS concentrations. This wave vector dependence of the slow relaxation time as well as other dynamic features can be rationalized in the framework of the coupling model of Ngai. At high surfactant concentrations, the influence of hydrophobic association was essentially lost, and the behavior is virtually the same for the three polymers. The picture that emerges from this study is that the associated polymer network undergoes a structural reorganization from a heterogeneous structure at low surfactant concentrations to a more homogeneous network at high levels of surfactant addition.

Abstract: Generally it is observed that the viscosity of an aqueous solution of a hydrophobically modified polymer increases with concentration; however, here it is shown that the viscosity profile of an end-capped poly(ethylene glycol) polymer passes through a maximum. Thus, a substantial decrease in viscosity is observed at high concentrations (≥50 wt%). The observation is suggested to be due to a gradual change, on the molecular level, from a structure containing micellelike structures that are interconnected via polymer bridges to a more meltlike state, where micro segregation in hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions is less pronounced.

c-src knockout and op/opmice develop osteopetrosis as a result of defective osteoclast function and osteoclast formation, respectively. The mutant mice can be distinguished readily from their wild-type littermates around 10–12 days after birth because their incisors do not erupt, but the morphology of their teeth and surrounding bone has not been reported previously in detail. Histologic examination of jaws of src-mutant mice reveals unerupted, abnormal incisors within their bony crypts. The tooth roots are distorted by foci of haphazard proliferation of odontogenic epithelium associated with primitive tooth structures that strongly resemble the tumor-like lesions in humans, known as odontomas. The crowns of the incisors are fused to the adjacent bone, and the developing periodontal ligament is disordered and hypocellular. Osteoclasts are present in the bone surrounding the distorted teeth, but as in other bones in these mice they lack ruffled borders and thus do not resorb effectively. Similar odontogenic proliferation is present around unerupted incisors in op/opmice which form very few osteoclasts, but the amount is significantly less than in src mutant mice. Molars fail to erupt in both types of mutant mice, but they are not accompanied by aberrant odontogenic proliferation. These findings and previous reports of similar abnormalities in jaws from op/oprats suggest that failure of incisor eruption and associated proliferation of odontogenic epithelium in osteopetrotic rodents are a direct result of defective osteoclastic bone resorption.

In a multicentre trial, 65 in-vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer cycles were severely hyperstimulated. Instead of cancelling the cycle, gonadotrophins were withheld for a 'coasting period' until serum oestradiol concentrations had dropped below 10,000 pmol/l (mean 4.3 days), and then human chorionic gonadotrophin was administered. Four cycles were cancelled and there were 61 oocyte aspirations. A total of 103 fresh embryos was transferred to 53 patients, resulting in a pregnancy rate of 42% per started cycle (51% per embryo transfer), with an implantation rate of 31%. Only one patient developed severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Four patients developed moderate OHSS. In all, two patients were hospitalized for OHSS. In order to optimize the coasting procedure, it seems important that each IVF centre identifies its appropriate cut-off limits for serum oestradiol concentrations and follicle size for initiating and ending of the coasting period. Correctly handled, it seems to be a major advance in the search for improved stimulation policies for high-responders.

The associative character of monodisperse amphiphilic copolymers of the same type, one with a diblock (DB) structure (hydrophobic tail on one end) and the other with a triblock (TB) structure (hydrophobic tails on both ends), has been studied in aqueous solution. The macroscopic properties of these systems have been investigated by rheological methods and correlated to properties on the microscopic level, as revealed from pulsed field gradient NMR and dynamic light-scattering (DLS). The results suggest that, in aqueous solution, both polymers associate, but the thickening effect is much more pronounced for TB due to the gradual formation of bridges between the micellar-like clusters as the concentration increases. This connectivity effect has been surveyed by mixing the polymers in different proportions. The rheological measurements showed that the concentration induced viscosification effect is considerably stronger for TB than that for the DB system; the dynamic moduli were, even at the highest TB concentration, successfully fitted to a single Maxwell element over the experimentally accessible frequency window. The NMR self-diffusion data revealed a much stronger slowing down of the dynamics for the TB system, and a gradually broader distribution of self-diffusion coefficients was observed for this polymer as the concentration increased. The DLS results for all the solutions, except for those of the two highest TB concentrations, indicate initially an exponential decay (always diffusive) followed by a stretched exponential at longer times. For the two highest TB concentrations an additional very slow stretched exponential mode appears in the profile of the correlation function. The slow mode exhibits an approximately q³ (q is the wave vector) dependence for all the DB solutions and for the dilute TB solutions, while at higher TB concentrations this mode becomes q independent (the viscoelastic effect). The very slow mode shows a strong q dependence (q⁵). The overall picture that emerges from this study is that, at low or moderate TB concentrations and over the considered concentration range for DB, the solution consists of a collection of large clusters of various sizes, slightly interconnected to each other, while at higher TB concentrations the structure of the solution is changed to a transient network, where the connectivity is provided by bridging chains.