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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made more awful effect on wellbeing and economy worldwide on an extraordinary scale. Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), the principal receptor of SARS-CoV2, has been found to be communicated with Dopa decarboxylase in unwinding the connection of catecholamines with COVID-19 infection. Cardiovascular (CV) sickness, diabetes, hypertension, and related conditions cause significant risks during the current situation and the affected people are under basic observation around the world. The hypertension and diabetes are related with alterations in the degrees of catecholamines associated with renal gland. The naive form of renal dopaminergic framework is related with the expanded reabsorption of sodium resulting in downregulation of the ACE2 expression. Catecholamine biosynthesis is managed by counter-controlling angiotensin type 1R (AT1R) and angiotensin type 2R (AT2R), incitement of AT2 lessens catecholamine biosynthesis by means of a diminishing in cGMP levels likewise incitement of AT1 initiate catecholamine biosynthesis. This audit sums up the conceivable contribution of catecholamines in intense COVID-19 contamination and furthermore featured possible restorative adequacy of catecholamine flagging pathways against the incessant SARS-CoV-2.

To probe pollution ecology effects of pesticide in vegetables, the chlorophyll fluorescence transients were measured by a Plant Efficiency Analyzer (PEA; Hansatech Ltd., King's Lynn, Norfolk, England) in no-heading Chinese cabbage, and the activity of photosystem II (PS II) was analyzed by the fluorescence transient (the JIP-test). Three pestcides, including phorate, phoxin and cypermetrin, were sprayed on the leaves of no-heading Chinese cabbage. The results showed that on the third day after treatments, these pesticides could promote reducing from primary quinone acceptor Q A to Q A - in PS II, e.g., increasing parameters in relation to J phase, i.e., relative variable fluorescence at the J-step (V J ) and approximated initial slope of the fluorescence transient (M o ). Meanwhile they prohibited electron transmission from Q A - to Q B in PS II, e.g., sharply decreasing parameters of electron transport flux per PS II reaction center (ETo/RC), probability that a trapped exciton moved an electron into the electron transport chain beyond Q A - (ψ o ) and quantum yield of electron transport (ϕ Eo ), and further resulted in sharping decrease of driving force on absorption and cross section basis of PS II (DF ABS and DF CS ), respectively. Effects of phorate on the above parameters showed that dynamic change of residuals was significant and strongly related to the dosage, which would be loss of effect gradually from the fifth day after treatment.

Polyamide 6/silica nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ ring-opening anionic polymerization of e-caprolactam in the presence of sodium caprolactamate as a catalyst and caprolactam-functionalized silica as an initiator. The initiator precursor, isocyanate-functionalized silica, was prepared by directly reacting commercial silica with excess toluene 2,4-diisocyanate. This polymerization was found to occur in a highly efficient manner at relatively low reaction temperature (170°C) and short reaction times (6 h). FTIR spectroscopy was utilized to follow the introduction and consumption of isocyanate groups on the silica surface. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the polyamide 6 was successfully grown from the silica surface. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to image polymer-functionalized silica, showing fine dispersion of silica particles and their size ranging from 20 to 40 nm.

The effect of Ru substitution for Mn in bilayered oxides La 1.2 Sr 1.8 (Mn 1− y Ru y ) 2 O 7 ( 0 ⩽ y ⩽ 0.2 ) was investigated by magnetization measurements and low-temperature Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the magnetic anisotropy is controlled by the Ru content y and temperature T . The easy axis changes from 〈1 1 0〉 for the y = 0 crystal to the c -axis for y = 0.2 , and it rotates away from the c- axis for the y = 0.05 and y = 0.07 crystals with decreasing temperature. Furthermore, maze-shaped magnetic domain structures were observed in the (0 0 1) thin crystals with 0.05 ⩽ y ⩽ 0.2 . Changes in domain size and structure indicate that the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy becomes stronger as Ru content y increases.

We report on the first observation of magnetoelectric X-ray scattering (MEXS), i.e., incident- k -direction-dependent scattering, for a polar ferrimagnet GaFeO 3 . Near the K edge of Fe, the magnet...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND/PATIENTS: A reverse flow in the umbilical artery and/or fetal aorta is associated with a higher perinatal and neonatal mortality. 30 fetuses showed a reverse flow using pulsed wave Doppler sonography (group I). A matched-pair control group including 30 fetuses with the same gestational age as well as a normal Doppler flow pattern in the umbilical artery and/or fetal aorta was taken for comparison (group II). RESULTS In the group with reverse flow the rates of pregnancies with pre-eclampsia (n = 19/30, p < 0.0001), intrauterine growth retardation (n = 25/30, p < 0.0001), oligohydramnios (n = 21/30, p < 0.0001) and nicotine abuse (n = 15/30, p < 0.01) were significantly higher compared to the control group. Postnatal data showed significantly lower pH values in group I (p < 0.01). 40 % of the fetuses with reverse flow died in utero whereas in 67 % the reverse flow was accompanied by an insufficiency of the placenta (IUGR, oligohydramnios, histopathological abnormalities of the placenta). None of the fetuses in the control group died in utero. The incidence of IUGR (< 5ht percentile) was 83 % in group I but only 3 % in group II. The perinatal and overall mortality (including neonatal mortality 7 - 28 days after birth) amounted to 27 % and 53 % in group I, respectively, compared to 3 % and 0 % in the control group (p < 0.001). In addition cerebral anomalies could be found by ultrasound in 50 % of the neonates who presented a reverse flow prenatally. In 28 % of the surviving newborns an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) could be detected. None of the newborns of group II developed an ICH. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancies with a reverse flow in the umbilical artery and/or fetal aorta have to be considered as a high risk group with a poor prognosis. The reverse flow is mainly caused by chronic placental insufficiency with IUGR. With respect to the further neuromotor development the incidence and severity of cerebral lesions in affected fetuses should be considered when discussing the perinatal situation with the parents.

Background Fetuses with a reversed enddiastolic flow in the umbilical artery and/or aorta are at risk pregnancies and show a higher incidence of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological changes in the terminal villous tree in fetuses with a reverse flow in the fetal aorta or umbilical artery. Materials and methods In this retrospective study, 16 cases with a reverse flow in the fetal aorta or umbilical artery (Gr. 1) were compared with gestational age matched 16 healthy pregnant women (Gr. 2). The following morphometric parameters were evaluated in 50 sections in each placenta (1600 measurements): mean vessel diameter, volume density of the villous tissue, stem villi and terminal villi. Measurements were performed using a computerized Video Image Analysis system. Results The mean gestational age at birth was similar in both groups (30 + 4 weeks gestation vs. 30 + 6 weeks gestation, respectively, for Gr. 1 and Gr. 2). The birth weights (985 g vs. 1780 g) and the placental weights (216 g vs. 385 g) were significantly lower in the reverse flow group. There was a significant reduction in the proportion of total villous tissue (19 % versus 45 %) and in the diameter of tissue at the terminal villi (2.1 % versus 7.6 %) in the reverse flow group. Although the mean number of vessels at the terminal villi was lower than the control group (4.1 versus 5.6), the mean and total areas of the vessels were not different. Conclusion Our observations showed a significant association between the placental morphometric parameters and reversed enddiastolic flow in the umbilical artery or fetal aorta. The reduced number of functional placental units is responsible for the diminished exchange function of the placental vessels in "reverse flow" cases. This could partially explain the adverse outcome in this clinical situation.

In this paper, the sulfur 1s and oxygen 1s near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of (SO + 2O)/Cu(100) are studied by the multiple-scattering cluster (MSC) method. The cause of ...

Magnetic domain structures and microstructures of ferrimagnets A 2 FeMoO 6 (A=Ba or Ca) with double perovskite-type structure were studied by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) and dark-field imaging technique. The magnetization distribution was obtained using the transport-of-intensity equation method based on LTEM images. In the Ba 2 FeMoO 6 single crystal, the magnetic domain walls are pinned at antiphase boundaries due to the Fe/Mo anti-sites, while in the Ca 2 FeMoO 6 polycrystalline sample, magnetic domain walls are pinned at grain boundaries. These results indicate that underlying crystal defects such as the antiphase and grain boundaries affect the local magnetization distribution.

We have investigated the in-plane anisotropy of the electronic response for the charge/orbital ordering (CO–OO) phase in half-doped layered manganites. It has been suggested that the CE-type magnetically ordered CO–OO phase might show the electronic anisotropy in the MnO 2 plane due to the quasi-one-dimensional electron hopping along the ferromagnetic chain. To address this issue, we measured optical spectra for a single domain of layered manganites Eu 1/2 Ca 3/2 MnO 4 with polarization dependence. It was found that the optical conductivity along the chain direction exhibits smaller optical gap and lower energy distribution of the spectral weight than along the stripe (interchain) direction. This sizable anisotropy, which is identified below the CO–OO transition temperature, is attributed mainly to the e g orbital ordering.

We have investigated the magnetic, electrical, structural, as well as the orbital properties of high-quality single crystals of R 0.5 A 1.5 MnO 4 manganites with the two-dimensional (2D) Mn–O network. The long-ranged charge- and orbital-order established for crystals with small bandwidth and quenched disorder was found to be replaced by an homogeneous disordered “CE-glass” state as the bandwidth (related to the average ionic radius of the cations on the A -site, r A ) and the quenched disorder associated with the solid solution of the A -site cations (measured by the ionic radius variance σ 2 ) increase by substitution. Our results are compared to the three-dimensional (3D) perovskite case, which exhibits similar bandwidth-disorder phase diagram in low-bandwidth regions.

Changes in the charge/orbital ordering (CO/OO) structure with the bandwidth of the e(g) band and quenched disorder were investigated in doped manganites RE(0.5)(Ca(1-y)Sr(y))(1.5)MnO(4)(RE = Pr,Eu) with a single-layer perovskite structure. A systematic study of the modulation structure associated with the CO/OO phase demonstrated that the long-range commensurate structure changes to a short-range incommensurate structure with increasing Sr content through the enhancement of the bandwidth and quenched disorder in these systems. At the same time, the transition temperature of CO/OO (T(CO/OO)) decreases. Changes in structure and T(CO/OO) with different A-site combinations reveal that the CO/OO phase is strongly suppressed by the widening of the e(g) band and the stronger quenched disorder in these layered manganites.

The expression and localisation of downstream signalling molecules of transforming growth factor beta superfamily, Smad2 and Smad4 proteins, was investigated in immature and mature dog testis. Cellular localisation of Smad2 and Smad4 proteins was examined using immunohistochemistry. Quantitative analysis of immunostaining was determined by the image analysis system. The specificity of the antibodies was examined using Western blotting assay. Smad2 and Smad4 were widely expressed in the testes, mainly immunolocalised in the cytoplasm of gonocytes, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells of immature testes, and Leydig cells and Sertoli cells of mature testes. At the same time, the expression levels for both proteins were different between immature and mature age groups: the expression of Smad2 and Smad4 proteins in the Sertoli cells of mature testis was higher than in the immature group (P0.05), but the expression of these two proteins in Leydig cells of mature testis was weaker than that seen in immature stage (P0.05). The temporospatial distribution of Smad2 and Smad4 proteins in testicular cells suggests that these two signalling molecules may play an important role in specific stages of testicular development and spermatogenesis, thus providing direct evidences for transforming growth factor beta action in the dog testis.

We have investigated the ultrafast electric and magnetic response of multiferroic ${\text{GaFeO}}_{3}$ induced by irradiation of a femtosecond laser pulse. By using the polarization selection rules of crystallographic and magnetic second-harmonic generation, the dynamics of electric polarization $P$ and toroidal moment $T$ were simultaneously and separately detected on a femtosecond time scale. The magnetization dynamics was derived by comparing the dynamics of $P$ and $T$. We demonstrate the availability of time-resolved nonlinear optical techniques for the dynamical probe of multiple degrees of freedom in multiferroics.

Using a linear mass-spring model of the body and leg (T. A. McMahon and G. C. Cheng. J. Biomech. 23: 65–78, 1990), we present experimental observations of human running under simulated low gravity and an analysis of these experiments. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the spring properties of the leg are adjusted to different levels of gravity. We hypothesized that leg spring stiffness would not change under simulated low-gravity conditions. To simulate low gravity, a nearly constant vertical force was applied to human subjects via a bicycle seat. The force was obtained by stretching long steel springs via a hand-operated winch. Subjects ran on a motorized treadmill that had been modified to include a force platform under the tread. Four subjects ran at one speed (3.0 m/s) under conditions of normal gravity and six simulated fractions of normal gravity from 0.2 to 0.7 G. For comparison, subjects also ran under normal gravity at five speeds from 2.0 to 6.0 m/s. Two basic principles emerged from all comparisons: both the stiffness of the leg, considered as a linear spring, and the vertical excursion of the center of mass during the flight phase did not change with forward speed or gravity. With these results as inputs, the mathematical model is able to account correctly for many of the changes in dynamic parameters that do take place, including the increasing vertical stiffness with speed at normal gravity and the decreasing peak force observed under conditions simulating low gravity.

We report on the real-space observation of a type of spin texture, i.e., the Swiss-roll-like vortex, in cubic helimagnet ($B20$-type) FeGe in terms of the Lorentz electron microcopy. This structure is enabled by the weak spin anisotropy in FeGe and the two-dimensional confinement, as revealed by a theoretical analysis that takes into account the Berry phase [Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 392, 45 (1984)] associated with the curved spin stripes, i.e., the change in the spiral direction.

Temperature (5--250 K) and magnetic field (0--70 kOe) variations of the low-energy (1--10 meV) electrodynamics of spin excitations have been investigated for a complete set of light-polarization configurations for a ferroelectric magnet DyMnO$_3$ by using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. We identify the pronounced absorption continuum (1--8 meV) with a peak feature around 2 meV, which is electric-dipole active only for the light $E$-vector along the a-axis. This absorption band grows in intensity with lowering temperature from the spin-collinear paraelectric phase above the ferroelectric transition, but is independent of the orientation of spiral spin plane ($bc$ or $ab$), as shown on the original $P_{\rm s}$ (ferroelectric polarization) $\parallel c$ phase as well as the magnetic field induced $P_{\rm s}\parallel a$ phase. The possible origin of this electric-dipole active band is argued in terms of the large fluctuations of spins and spin-current., New version, 11 pages including colored 8 figures

The local spectroscopic signatures of metamagnetic criticality in Sr(3)Ru(2)O(7) were explored using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Singular features in the tunneling spectrum were found close to the Fermi level, as would be expected in a Stoner picture of itinerant electron metamagnetism. These features showed a pronounced magnetic field dependence across the metamagnetic critical point, which cannot be understood in terms of a naive Stoner theory. In addition, a pseudogap structure was observed over several tens of meV, accompanied by a c(2 x 2) superstructure in STM images. This result represents a new electronic ordering at the surface in the absence of any measurable surface reconstruction.

The ac-susceptibility of the electron doped single-layered manganite La$_{1.1}$Sr$_{0.9}$MnO$_4$ is analyzed in detail. A quasi two-dimensional (2$D$) antiferromagnetic (AFM) order with Ising anisotropy is stabilized below $T_N$ $\sim$ 80K. We show that below $T_N$, a rare 2$D$ spin-glass (SG) correlation develops with the same Ising anisotropy as the AFM state. Using simple scaling arguments of the droplet model, we derive a scaling form for the ac-susceptibility data of a 2$D$ SG, which our experimental data follows fairly well. Due to simplifications in this 2$D$ case, the proposed scaling form only contains two unknown variables $\psi\nu$ and $\tau_0$. Hence, the logarithmic growth law of the SG correlation predicted by the droplet model is convincingly evidenced by the scaling of our experimental data. The origin and nature of this 2$D$ SG state is also discussed., Comment: REVTeX 4 style; 5 pages, 4 figures

We investigated the doping-dependent evolution of the charge-orbital ordering (CO-OO) phase using optical spectroscopy of a series of single-layer manganites, ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{1+x}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ ($x=0$ and 1) and ${\mathrm{Pr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{1+x}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ $(0.3\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.7)$. We found that the electronic response of the CO-OO phase changes asymmetrically with respect to the addition or removal of ${e}_{g}$ electrons from $x=1∕2$. Especially, low-energy optical spectra depend strongly on the modulation vector of striped phase in a higher doping region $(x\ensuremath{\ge}1∕2)$. This finding highlights the role of the nanoscale structure of ${e}_{g}$ ordering in the electronic property of the striped phase in the layered manganite.

The relationship between orbital and spin degrees of freedom in the single-crystals of the hole-doped Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{1+x}$MnO$_4$, 0.3 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 0.7, has been investigated by means of ac-magnetometry and charge transport. Even though there is no cation ordering on the $A$-site, the quenched disorder is extremely weak in this system due to the very similar ionic size of Pr$^{3+}$ and Ca$^{2+}$. A clear asymmetric response of the system to the under- (respective over-) hole doping was observed. The long-ranged charge-orbital order established for half doping ($x$=0.5) subsists in the over-doping case ($x$ $>$ 0.5), albeit rearranged to accommodate the extra holes introduced in the structure. The charge-orbital order is however destabilized by the presence of extra localized electrons (under-doping, $x$ $, Comment: EPL style; 6 pages, 5 figures

Phase diagrams in the plane of $r_A$ (the average ionic radius, related to one-electron bandwidth $W$) and $\sigma^2$ (the ionic radius variance, measuring the quenched disorder), or ``bandwidth-disorder phase diagrams'', have been established for perovskite manganites, with three-dimensional (3$D$) Mn-O network. Here we establish the intrinsic bandwidth-disorder phase diagram of half-doped layered manganites with the two-dimensional (2$D$) Mn-O network, examining in detail the ``mother state'' of the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) phenomenon in crystals without ferromagnetic instability. The consequences of the reduced dimensionality, from 3$D$ to 2$D$, on the order-disorder phenomena in the charge-orbital sectors are also highlighted., Comment: REVTeX 4 style; 5 pages, 4 figures

Ferroelectric transition has been detected in a ferrimagnetic spinel oxide of CoCr2O4 upon the transition to the conical spin order below 25 K. The direction [110] of the spontaneous polarization is normal to both the magnetization easy axis [001] and to the propagation axis [110] of the transverse spiral component, in accord with the prediction based on the spin-current model. The reversal of the spontaneous magnetization by a small magnetic field (approximately 0.1 T) induces the reversal of the spontaneous polarization, indicating the clamping of the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric domain walls.

We report on the in-plane anisotropy of the electronic response in the spin/charge/orbital ordered phase of a half-doped layered-structure manganite. The optical conductivity spectra for a single domain of Eu$_{1/2}$% Ca$_{3/2}$MnO$_{4}$ unambiguously show the anisotropic charge dynamics which well corresponds to the theoretical calculation: the optical conductivity with the polarization along the zigzag ferromagnetic chain direction exhibits a smaller gap and a larger intensity at lower energies than that of the perpendicular polarization mostly due to the charge/orbital ordering and the associated quantum interference effect., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

Specific heat measurements and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) were performed for Sr3Ru2O7 to investigate the evolution of electronic states across the quantum critical point (QCP) associated with the metamagnetic transition. A differential conductance dI/dV spectrum taken at T = 560 mK shows two fine peaks near the Fermi level EF (−3 mV and +4 mV) in zero field. With increasing magnetic field, these peaks shift toward EF and dI/dV at EF increases drastically above the QCP. Near the QCP, the specific heat shows a characteristic sharp enhancement at low temperatures. These observations suggest that there are magnetic‐field dependent sharp features in the low‐lying excitation spectrum, which might be crucial to the quantum criticality.

The electrical, magnetic, and structural properties of ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{3}{({\mathrm{Ru}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}(0\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.2)$ are investigated. The parent compound ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{3}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is a paramagnetic metal, critically close to magnetic order. We have found that, with a Ru-site doping by only a few percent of Mn, the ground state is switched from a paramagnetic metal to an antiferromagnetic insulator. Optical conductivity measurements show the opening of a gap as large as 0.1 eV, indicating that the metal-to-insulator transition is driven by the electron correlation. The complex low-temperature antiferromagnetic spin arrangement, reminiscent of those observed in some nickelates and manganites, suggests a long-range orbital order.

Lattice-structural, magnetic, and magnetoelectric (ME) properties have been investigated for single crystals of prototypical polar ferrimagnet ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ $(0.8\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}1.4)$ as melt-grown by a floating-zone (FZ) method. Magnetization measurements show that the saturated magnetization as well as the ferrimagnetic phase transition temperature $({T}_{C})$ increases with as increase of $\mathrm{Fe}$ content $x$, while the coercive force decreases. A neutron powder diffraction study indicates fairly low ordering of $\mathrm{Ga}$ and $\mathrm{Fe}$ arrangement at cation sites, which is likely related to the lower ${T}_{C}$ in the FZ crystals than in the corresponding flux-grown crystals. Coefficients of linear and quadratic ME effects have been obtained with measurements of change in electric polarization induced by sweeping a magnetic field. Electric polarization was largely modulated in a magnetic field applied parallel to the direction of spontaneous magnetization, but not in a field parallel to that of the spontaneous polarization. A simple model to explain the sharp contrast is presented.

The optical magnetoelectric (ME) effect, i.e., the change of optical absorption upon the reversal of the light propagation direction, has been investigated for a polar ferrimagnet GaFeO3. For dipole- and spin-forbidden d-d transition bands located at 1.2-2.3 eV, a clear signal of the optical ME effect (Deltaalphat approximately 3x10(-3)) is observed with an applied magnetic field as low as 500 Oe and a sample thickness (t) of 50 microm. The observation of a large ME effect in the present compound suggests a possible route to magnification of this novel phenomenon for application.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) induced by spontaneous magnetization has been investigated for a polar ferromagnetic crystal of GaFeO3. The Kerr rotation of the second harmonic light becomes gigantic with decreasing temperature below the magnetic transition temperature (approximately =205 K), e.g., as large as 73 degrees at 100 K. The magnetic domains can be visualized by using that large nonlinear Kerr rotation. The spectrum of the magnetization-induced SHG as measured indicates the two-photon resonant electronic process on a Fe3+ ion in the crystal.

The optical magnetoelectric (ME) effect, i.e., the change of optical absorption upon the reversal of the light propagation direction, has been investigated for a polar ferrimagnet GaFeO3. For dipole- and spin-forbidden d-d transition bands located at 1.2-2.3 eV, a clear signal of the optical ME effect (Deltaalphat approximately 3x10(-3)) is observed with an applied magnetic field as low as 500 Oe and a sample thickness (t) of 50 microm. The observation of a large ME effect in the present compound suggests a possible route to magnification of this novel phenomenon for application.

Fetuses with a reversed enddiastolic flow in the umbilical artery and/or aorta are at risk pregnancies and show a higher incidence of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological changes in the terminal villous tree in fetuses with a reverse flow in the fetal aorta or umbilical artery.In this retrospective study, 16 cases with a reverse flow in the fetal aorta or umbilical artery (Gr. 1) were compared with gestational age matched 16 healthy pregnant women (Gr. 2). The following morphometric parameters were evaluated in 50 sections in each placenta (1600 measurements): mean vessel diameter, volume density of the villous tissue, stem villi and terminal villi. Measurements were performed using a computerized Video Image Analysis system.The mean gestational age at birth was similar in both groups (30 + 4 weeks gestation vs. 30 + 6 weeks gestation, respectively, for Gr. 1 and Gr. 2). The birth weights (985 g vs. 1780 g) and the placental weights (216 g vs. 385 g) were significantly lower in the reverse flow group. There was a significant reduction in the proportion of total villous tissue (19 % versus 45 %) and in the diameter of tissue at the terminal villi (2.1 % versus 7.6 %) in the reverse flow group. Although the mean number of vessels at the terminal villi was lower than the control group (4.1 versus 5.6), the mean and total areas of the vessels were not different.Our observations showed a significant association between the placental morphometric parameters and reversed enddiastolic flow in the umbilical artery or fetal aorta. The reduced number of functional placental units is responsible for the diminished exchange function of the placental vessels in "reverse flow" cases. This could partially explain the adverse outcome in this clinical situation.

In a polar ferrimagnet ${\mathrm{GaFeO}}_{3}$, we have found a novel magneto-optical effect, termed x-ray nonreciprocal directional dichroism (XNDD), that the x-ray absorption at around the $K$ edge of an Fe ion depends on whether the x-ray propagation vector is parallel or antiparallel to the outer product of the magnetization and electric-polarization vectors. The XNDD spectroscopy as demonstrated here can be a useful tool to probe the local magnetism in noncentrosymmetric systems such as magnetic interfaces and nanostructures.

Optical conductivity spectra sigma(omega) were used to investigate the effect of orbital ordering on the electronic structure of Ca2RuO4. Our LDA+U calculation predicts Ru 4d(xy) ferro-orbital ordering at the ground state, and well explains the present sigma(omega) as well as the reported O 1s x-ray absorption spectra. Variation of temperature (T) causes a large change of spectral weight over several eV as well as collapse of a charge gap accompanied by elongation of the c-axis Ru-O bond length. These results clearly indicate that the d(xy) orbital ordering plays a crucial role in the metal-insulator transition and the T-dependent electronic structure on a large energy scale.

Objectives: To examine the differences of perinatal outcome in fetuses with absent and reversed enddiastolic flow velocity waveforms of the umbilical artery or fetal descending aorta. Design: In a retrospective study, 30 pregnant women with reversed enddiastolic flow in the umbilical artery or fetal aorta (group I) were compared with 30 cases of absent enddiastolic flow (group II). Patients were included in the groups according to the last Doppler finding before delivery. Perinatal and neonatal outcome was correlated with antenatal Doppler flow findings. Results: The mean gestaltitnal age at birth was 31 weeks in both groups. Fetuses with reverse flow showed higher perinatal (27 % and 7 % respectively) and overall mortality (53.3 % and 10 % respectively) compared to the absent enddiastolic flow group (p < 0.05). All the intrauterine fetal deaths occurred in the reversed flow group (n 12). The rates of intrauterine growth retardation, oligohydramnios and hypocalcemia were different between the groups (p < 0.05). The cesarean section rate, perinatal and neonatal complications including the incidence of acidosis, the number of cases admitted to neonatal intensive care unit and mean treatment time were not different between the groups. A tendency to higher incidence of neonatal cerebral hemorrhage in reversed flow cases (28%) compared to absent enddiastolic flow cases (17 %) was observed, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The present study suggests that reversed flow should be seen as a particular clinical entity with higher incidences of perinatal and overall mortality, and severe intrauterine growth retardation (< 5. perc) compared to the absent enddiastolic flow group. The optimal timing of delivery in pregnancies complicated by highly pathological Doppler flow findings is only to be resolved in well-designed randomized, multicenter clinical trials.

Optical conductivity spectra sigma(omega) were used to investigate the effect of orbital ordering on the electronic structure of Ca2RuO4. Our LDA+U calculation predicts Ru 4d(xy) ferro-orbital ordering at the ground state, and well explains the present sigma(omega) as well as the reported O 1s x-ray absorption spectra. Variation of temperature (T) causes a large change of spectral weight over several eV as well as collapse of a charge gap accompanied by elongation of the c-axis Ru-O bond length. These results clearly indicate that the d(xy) orbital ordering plays a crucial role in the metal-insulator transition and the T-dependent electronic structure on a large energy scale.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain public health concerns because of their persistence in the environment and their potential health impact. We linked data from three mixed cross-sectional/longitudinal surveys of Michigan anglers conducted by the Michigan Department of Public Health in 1973-1974, 1979-1982, and 1989-1993 to examine the association between sport-caught fish consumption and serum PCBs. The reported weight of fish consumed declined over the three surveys (median 40, 38, and 31 lb/yr). Serum Aroclor 1260 levels were 2-3 times higher in fish-eaters than in nonfish-eaters in all three surveys in both men and women. In nonfish-eaters, serum PCB levels rose between 1973-1974 and 1979-1982 [adjusted change = 0.30 log(ppb), p = 0.01] and then declined between 1979-1982 and 1989-1993 [adjusted change = -0.16 log(ppb), p = 0.002]. Among fish-eaters, serum PCB levels also rose between 1973-1974 and 1979-1982 [adjusted change = 0.45 log(ppb), p0.001] but were unchanged between 1979-1982 and 1989-1993 [adjusted change = -0.09 log(ppb), p = 0.14]. Predictors of serum PCB levels included annual fish consumption, gender, and age. We conclude that background human serum levels of Aroclor 1260 had declined by 1989-1993 from earlier peak levels. Among consumers of sport-caught Great Lake fish, serum PCB levels did not significantly decrease, probably due to continued exposure and the long half-life of PCB.

In the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), pain and movement restrictions are considered as the result of a blocking of the "Jing-Luo-system" or of a disordered flow of the Jing-Qis in the "Jing-Luo-system".In this study 48 patients with mammary cancer after ablation and axillary lymphadenectomy were treated with acupuncture (group I); a control group of 32 patients with the same operation but without acupuncture was compared (group II).The results showed a significantly higher maximum abduction angle (AA) at the first treatment immediately after acupuncture without pain (59.1 degrees vs. 80.4 degrees, p0.001) with respect to maximum tolerable pain barrier (73.6 degrees vs. 92.3 degrees, p0.001). Between group I (12.3%) and group II (50%) there was a statistically significant difference (p0.01) in the appearance of pain in the operation field in the rest position on the 5th postoperative day, while on the 7th postoperative day 8.3% vs. 12.5%) and at the time of discharge a significant difference could not be seen (p0.05). The percentage of patients with pain during arm movements showed a statistically significant difference between group I and group II on the 5th postoperative day (81% vs. 100%, p0.01), on the 7th postoperative day (43% vs. 96.9%, p0.01) and at time of discharge (27.1% vs. 65.6%, p0.001). The differences in the abduction angle between group I and group II were also statistically significant on the 5th postoperative day at indolency (89.3 degrees vs. 74.5 degrees, p0.001) with respect to maximum tolerable pain (105.8 degrees vs. 87.4 degrees, p0.001). The differences in the abduction angle on the 7th postoperative day at indolency (97.5 degrees vs. 81.2 degrees, p0.001) and at maximum tolerable pain (118.5 degrees vs. 93.4 degrees, p0.001) were statistically significant. This statistically significant difference in the maximum abduction angle between group I and group II at indolency (116.1 degrees vs. 91.5 degrees) with respect to maximum tolerable pain (129.4 degrees vs. 112.7 degrees, p0.001) could be observed until discharge.Acupuncture seems to be an effective treatment to relieve pain and improve arm-movements after ablation and axillary lymphadenectomy. The "Xie-technique" is used at the main acupuncture points and the patient's feeling must be particularly considered. The combination of the different main points with the correctly selected additional acupuncture points--referred to the basic state and the pre- und post-operative state of the patient--are very important for a successful application of acupuncture.

To study the curative effect of Chinese medicine in treating severe cholestatic-hepatitis (SCH).Three hundred and fifty patients of SCH with total bilirubin levelor = 171 mumol/L were treated with Chinese medicines. For those with Blood Stasis Syndrome, treated with the recipe mainly consisted of Radix Paeoniae Rubra, and for which accompanied with blood Heat, fluid retention in epigastric region. Dampness dissenubated in Sanjiao ([symbol: see text]) or both Spleen and Kidney Yang-Deficiency Syndrome, the recipe was used in modification according to the Syndrome.Treatment was markedly effective in 288 cases and effective in 26 cases, the total effective rate being 89.7%.It is difficult in treating severe cholestatic hepatitis, especially the chronic cholestatic hepatitis, which could develop to severe chronic hepatitis if the jaundice lasted for a long time. This study showed a good effect of Chinese herbal medicine in eliminating jaundice.

There is a raised morbidity and mortality in fetuses with pathological waveforms in the umbilical arteries. Less differentiation of the placental villi could (partly) explain this finding.We examined a total of 51 placentas (28th to 35th week of gestation) as to a correlation between dopplersonographical findings in the umbilical arteries and placenta morphometry.In the groups with pathological waveforms there was not only a reduction in the weight of the placenta and child, but also less differentiation of the placental villi. The occurrence of so-called sprouts did not correlate with the dopplersonographical findings.The raised fetal morbidity and mortality in premature infants with pathological waveforms in the umbilical arteries can at least partly be explained less differentiation of the placental villi. We found no correlation with the occurrence of sprouts.