The effect of L-arginine on guinea-pig and rabbit airway smooth muscle function in vitro

We have investigated the effects of L-arginine, D-arginine and L-lysine on airway smooth muscle responsiveness to spasmogens in vitro. Both L-arginine and D-arginine (100 mM) significantly reduced the contractile potency and maximal contractile response to histamine but not to methacholine or potassium chloride in guinea-pig epithelium-denuded isolated trachea. Similarly, the contractile response to histamine was significantly reduced by L-arginine (100 mM) in rabbit epithelium-denuded isolated bronchus. The amino acid L-lysine (100 mM) failed to significantly alter the contractile potency of histamine in guinea-pig isolated trachea (P>0.05). In guinea-pig isolated trachea precontracted with histamine, both L-arginine and D-arginine produced a concentration-dependent relaxation which was not significantly altered by epithelium removal or by the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 50 µM). Thus, at very high concentrations, arginine exhibit a non-competitive antagonism of histamine-induced contraction of isolated airway preparations that was independent of the generation of nitric oxide and was not dependent on charge. These observations confirm previous studies of cutaneous permeability responses and of contractile responses of guinea-pig isolated ileal smooth muscle. Taken together, the data suggest that high concentrations of arginine can exert an anti-histamine effect.

Interpolating EFGM for computing continuous and discontinuous electromagnetic fields

Purpose - This paper proposes an interpolating approach of the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) coupled with a modified truncation scheme for solving Poisson's boundary value problems in domains involving material non-homogeneities. The suitability and efficiency of the proposed implementation are evaluated for a given set of test cases of electrostatic field in domains involving different material interfaces.Design/methodology/approach - the authors combined an interpolating approximation with a modified domain truncation scheme, which avoids additional techniques for enforcing the Dirichlet boundary conditions and for dealing with material interfaces usually employed in meshfree formulations.Findings - the local electric potential and field distributions were correctly described as well as the global quantities like the total potency and resistance. Since, the treatment of the material interfaces becomes practically the same for both the finite element method (FEM) and the proposed EFGM, FEM-oriented programs can, thus, be easily extended to provide EFGM approximations.Research limitations/implications - the robustness of the proposed formulation became evident from the error analyses of the local and global variables, including in the case of high-material discontinuity.Practical implications - the proposed approach has shown to be as robust as linear FEM. Thus, it becomes an attractive alternative, also because it avoids the use of additional techniques to deal with boundary/interface conditions commonly employed in meshfree formulations.Originality/value - This paper reintroduces the domain truncation in the EFGM context, but by using a set of interpolating shape functions the authors avoided the use of Lagrange multipliers as well Mathematics in Engineering high-material discontinuity.

Chronotropic response of beta-adrenergic-, muscarinic-, and calcitonin gene-related peptide-receptor agonists in right atria from neonatal capsaicin-treated rats

We evaluated the potency of isoproterenol, carbachol, pilocarpine and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the rat right atria at 30, 60 and 90 days after neonatal capsaicin treatment. Neonatal rats were pretreated on the second day of life with capsaicin (50 mg/kg). The capsaicin pretreatment caused a five-fold rightward shift at the pEC(50) level on the concentration-response curves to isoproterenol in 30-day-old rats. Propranolol (10 mg/kg, given 15 min prior to capsaicin treatment) prevented this subsensitivity. No changes in the potency of isoproterenol were observed at 60 and 90 days after capsaicin pretreatment. The potency and maximal responses of CGRP in the right atria in 30-day-old rats were significantly higher than in 60- and 90-day-old rats; however, no differences were found between control and capsaicin groups. The potency and maximal responses to carbachol and pilocarpine were not changed in all groups. The neonatal capsaicin treatment reduced by about 74% the CGRP content in the heart in all groups. In summary, capsaicin treatment in newborn rats produces a desensitization of chronotropic response mediated by beta-adrenoceptors in isolated right atria from 30-day-old rats possibly due to a massive release of catecholamines. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and management optimization of trickle irrigation systems using non-linear programming

A non-linear model is presented which optimizes the lay-out, as well as the design and management of trickle irrigation systems, to achieve maximum net benefit. The model consists of an objective function that maximizes profit at the farm level, subject to appropriate geometric and hydraulic constraints. It can be applied to rectangular shaped fields, with uniform or zero slope. The software used is the Gams-Minos package. The basic inputs are the crop-water-production function, the cost function and cost of system components, and design variables. The main outputs are the annual net benefit and pipe diameters and lengths. To illustrate the capability of the model, a sensitivity analysis of the annual net benefit for a citrus field is evaluated with respect to irrigated area, ground slope, micro-sprinkler discharge and shape of the field. The sensitivity analysis suggests that the greatest benefit is obtained with the smallest microsprinkler discharge, the greatest area, a square field and zero ground slope. The costs of the investment and energy are the components of the objective function that had the greatest effect in the 120 situations evaluated. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited

Diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of high school girls

Evaluation of rhythmic fluctuations cf physical and mental variables should be of special significance for the understanding of students' performance and setting the schedules of school activities. The present study investigated the pattern of diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of a group of adolescents undergoing a daytime school schedule. Eighteen girls (mean age 16 years-old), who attended the same class from 0715h to 1645h, were tested on seven days. They measured their oral temperature, quantified their sleepiness level by means of a visual analogue scale, and completed the following tests: letter cancellation test, addition test, and a simple motor task. One-way ANOVA statistics for repeated measures was used in order to verify the effect of test time on oral temperature,sleepiness and performance. Possible correlations between the level of sleepiness and performance were investigated by means of Spearman rank correlation. The results revealed significant time of day effect cn all variables, except for the number of addition errors. Oral temperature values showed an increase from morning to afternoon. Letter cancellation, motor task and addition scores increased from early morning to late afternoon, showing rapid fluctuations throughout the day. Sleepiness level was negatively correlated with letter cancellation scores during the first three tests of the day. In agreement with other work, the diurnal variation of oral temperature, letter cancellation and addition test showed an improvement as the day progressed. Sleepiness, on the other hand, decreased throughout the day, with the highest level associated with the first test of the day, suggesting a circadian pattern of variation rather than a cumulative effect due to school activities.

The validity of critical speed determined from track cycling for identification of the maximal lactate steady state

The objective of this study was to determine the critical speed (CS) for track cycling and to assess whether a lactate steady state occurs at this speed. Fourteen competitive cyclists performed the following tests on an official cycling track (333.3 m): 1) incremental test for determination of the intensity corresponding to 4 mM of blood lactate (onset of blood lactate accumulation, OBLA) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max); 2) CS: 3 maximal bouts for distances of 2, 4 and 6 km executed in random order and with a period of recovery of 40 to 50 min between bouts. CS was determined for each subject from the linear regression between the distance and the time taking to cycle it; 3) Endurance test in which subjects were instructed to pedal at 100% of their individually determined CS for 30 min. At the 10(th) and 30(th) min (or upon exhaustion), 25 mul of blood were collected from ear lobe for later analysis of blood lactate [Lac]b. An increase less than or equal to1 mM between 10 and 30 min of exercise was considered as the criterion for the occurrence of the lactate steady state. CS (49.6 +/- 8.6 ml.kg(-1).min(-1); 36.9 +/- 2.7 km.h(-1)) was significantly higher than OBLA (43.7 8.0 ml.kg(-1).min(-1); 35.24 +/- 2.6 km.h(-1)) although the two parameters were highly correlated (r=0.97). During the endurance test, only 8 of the 14 subjects completed the 30 min period at CS. of these 8 subjects, only 2 presented a lactate steady state. Time to exhaustion at CS was 20.3 +/- 1.6 min for the remaining 6 subjects. The 12 subjects who did not reach a lactate steady state presented mean [Lac]b values of 7.4 +/- 1.3 mM at 10 min and of 9.4 +/- 1.9 mM at the end of the test (exhaustion), characterizing an exercise intensity of high lactacidemia. on the basis of the present results, we can conclude that CS determined by a track cycling test seems to overestimate the intensity of the maximal lactate steady state for most subjects.

Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy analysis of BaBi2Ta2O9 thin films

Thin films of BaBi2Ta2O9 (BBT) composition were prepared through the metal organic decomposition method. The crystallinity, phase formation, crystallite size and morphology of the thin films were measured as a function of the type of substrate, stoichiometry of solution and process variables such as thickness and temperature. The thin films were investigated by grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. For the sample without excess of bismuth, diffraction peaks other than that of the BBT phase were observed. A well crystallized BBT single phase was observed for films prepared from a solution with 10% excess of bismuth, deposited on Si/Pt substrate, with a thickness up to 150 nm and sintered at temperatures of 700 degreesC. The thin BBT phase films heat-treated at 600 degreesC presented a diffraction pattern characteristic of samples with lower degree of crystallinity whereas for the thin films heat-treated at 800 degreesC, we observed the presence of other phases than the BBT. For the thin film deposited on the Sin+ substrate, we observe that the peaks corresponding to the BBT phase are broader than that observed on the samples deposited on the Pt and Si/Pt substrates. No variation of average crystallite size was observed as the excess of Bi increased from 10 to 20%. AFM images for the samples showed that the increasing the amount of bismuth promotes grain growth. The average surface roughness measured was in the range of 16-22 nm showing that the bismuth amount had no or little effect on the roughness of films. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic parameters estimate for milk and mozzarella cheese yield, fat and protein percentage in dairy buffaloes in Brazil

The aim of this study was analyze the (co)variance components and genetic and phenotypic relationships in the following traits: accumulated milk yield at 270 days (MY270,), observed until 305 days of lactation; accumulated milk yield at 270 days (MY270/A) and at 305 days (MY305), observed until 335 days of lactation; mozzarella cheese yield (MCY) and fat (FP) and protein (PP) percentage, observed until 335 days of lactation. The (co)variance components were estimated by Restricted Maximum Likelihood methodology in analyses single, two and three-traits using animal models. Heritability estimated for MY270, MY270/A, MY305, MCY, FP and PP were 0.22; 0.24, 0.25, 0.14, 0.29 and 0.40 respectively. The genetic correlations between MCY and the variables MY270, MY270/A, MY305, PP and FP was: 0.85; 1.00; 0.89; 0.14 and 0.06, respectively. This way, the selection for the production of milk in long period should increase MCY. However, in the search of animals that produce milk with quality, the genetic parameters suggest that another index should be composed allying these studied traits.

Experimental and theoretical study of the ferroelectric and piezoelectric behavior of strontium-doped PZT

Theoretical data using ab initio perturbed ion calculation were compared with ferroelectric and piezoelectric experimental data of strontium doped PZT. Various concentrations of SrO in PZT at constant temperature and sintering time were carried out. Experimental results, such as the remanent polarization, P-R of 6.9-8.9 muC/Cm-2, the coercive field, E-C of 6.6-7.8 kVcm, and the planar coupling factor, Kp of 0.45-0.53, were compared with the energy of Zr4+ and Ti4+ ion dislocation and the lattice interaction energy which show that strontium increment in PZT alter the energies and increase the values of piezoelectric and ferroelectric variables. Calculations of lattice energy of the rhombohedral phase show that a phase non-stability is coincident with increasing experimental values of the P-R, E-C and Kp. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between diet and anticoagulant response to warfarin - A factor analysis

Background Diet composition is one of the factors that may contribute to intraindividual variability in the anticoagulant response to warfarin. Aim of the study To determine the associations between food pattern and anticoagulant response to warfarin in a group of Brazilian patients with vascular disease. Methods Recent and usual food intakes were assessed in 115 patients receiving warfarin; and corresponding plasma phylloquinone (vitamin K-1), serum triglyceride concentrations, prothrombin time (PT), and International Normalized Ratio (INR) were determined. A factor analysis was used to examine the association of specific foods and biochemical variables with anticoagulant data. Results Mean age was 59 +/- 15 years. Inadequate anticoagulation, defined as values of INR 2 or 3, was found in 48% of the patients. Soybean oil and kidney beans were the primary food sources of phylloquinone intake. Factor analysis yielded four separate factors, explaining 56.4% of the total variance in the data set. The factor analysis revealed that intakes of kidney beans and soybean oil, 24-h recall of phylloquinone intake, PT and INR loaded significantly on factor 1. Triglycerides, PT, INR, plasma phylloquinone, and duration of anticoagulation therapy loaded on factor 3. Conclusion Fluctuations in phylloquinone intake, particularly from kidney beans, and plasma phylloquinone concentrations were associated with variation in measures of anticoagulation (PT and INR) in a Brazilian group of patients with vascular disease.

Effects of displacement and trajectory length on the variability pattern of reaching movements

The design of the present study enabled the authors to distinguish between the possible effects of movement displacement and trajectory length on the pattern of final positions of planar reaching movements. With their eyes closed, 9 subjects performed series of fast and accurate movements from different initial positions to the same target. For some series, the movements were unconstrained and were therefore performed along an approximately straight vertical line. For other series, an obstacle was positioned so that trajectory length was increased because of an increase in movement curvature. Ellipses of variability obtained by means of principal component analysis applied to the scatter of movement final positions enabled the authors to assess the pattern of movement variable errors. The results showed that the orientation of the ellipses was not affected by movement displacement or by trajectory length, whereas variable errors increased with move ment displacement. An increase in trajectory length as a consequence of increased curvature caused no change in variable error. From the perspective of current motor control theory, that finding was quite unexpected. Further studies are required so that one can distinguish among the possible effects of various kinematics, kinetics, and other variables that could affect the pattern of variable errors of reaching movements.

On-line preconcentration and speciation analysis of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using baker's yeast cells immobilised on controlled pore glass

A study was undertaken to evaluate Saccharonzyces cerevisiae as a substrate for the biosorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) aiming to the selective determination of these species in aqueous solutions. The yeast cells were covalently immobilised on controlled pore glass (CPG), packed in a minicolumn and incorporated in an on-line flow injection system. The effect of chemical and physical variables affecting the biosorption process was tested in order to select the optimal analytical conditions for the Cr retention by S. cerevisiae. Cr(III) was retained by the immobilised cells and Cr(VI) were retained by CPG. The speciation was possible by selective and sequential elution of Cr(III) with 0.05 mol L-1 HCl and 2.0 mol L-1 HNO3 for Cr(VI). The influence of some concomitant ions up to 20 mg L-1 was also tested. Quantitative determinations of Cr were carried out by means of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Preconcentration factors of 12 were achieved for Cr(III) and 5 for Cr(VI) when 1.7 mL of sample were processed reaching detection limits of 0.45 for Cr(III) and 1.5 mu g L-1 for Cr(VI). The speciation of inorganic Cr in different kinds of natural waters was performed following the proposed method. Spiked water samples were also analysed and the recoveries were in all cases between 81 and 103%. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Does 75% of the difference between VO2 at lactate threshold and VO2max lie at the severe-intensity domain in well-trained cyclists?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chewing in temporomandibular disorder patients: an exploratory study of an association with some psychological variables

Aims: To compare kinematic parameters (ie, amplitude, velocity, cycle frequency) of chewing and pain characteristics in a group of female myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with an age-matched control female group, and to study correlations between psychological variables and kinematic variables of chewing. Methods: Twenty-nine female participants were recruited. All participants were categorized according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) into control (n = 14, mean age 28.9 years, SD 5.0 years) or TMD (n = 15, mean age 31.3 years, SD 10.7) groups. Jaw movements were recorded during free gum chewing and chewing standardized for timing. Patients completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-42), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III (FPQ-III), and the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ). Statistical analyses involved evaluation for group differences, and correlations between kinematic variables and psychological questionnaire scores (eg, depression, anxiety, stress) and pain intensity ratings. Results: Velocity and amplitude of standardized (but not free) chewing were significantly greater (P < .05) in the TMD group than the control group. There were significant (P < .05) positive correlations between pain intensity ratings and velocity and amplitude of standardized chewing but not free chewing. There were significant (P < .05) positive correlations between depression and jaw amplitude and stress and jaw velocity for standardized but not free chewing. Conclusion: This exploratory study has provided data suggesting that psychological factors, manifesting in depression and stress, play a role in influencing the association between pain and motor activity. J OROFAC PAIN 2011;25:56-67

Passive and active dispersers respond similarly to environmental and spatial processes: an example from metacommunity dynamics of tree hole invertebrates

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)