Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin on serum levels of progesterone and estrogens in the pregnant bonnet monkev (Macaca radiata)

Administration of human chorionic gonadotropin to pregnant bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) at 55-60 days and 130-140 days of pregnancy resulted in a significant increase in serum progesterone levels. This effect could be observed even in lutectomized monkeys.However, no significant change in the serum estrogen level was noticed. These results suggest that although no chorionic gonadotropin is detectable in the serum after 35 days of pregnancy, the foetoplacental steroidogenic system is still responsive to exogenous gonadotropic stimulation.

Effect of the antitumor antibiotic chromomycin A3 on the humoral immune response in rats

Chromomycin A3 (250 mug/kg) suppressed the humoral immune response in rats against sheep erythrocytes when administered 48 h or later after antigenic stimulus. The antibiotic at this dose enhanced immunity when given along with or before antigen administration. The natural heterohemagglutinin levels in rabbits and guinea pigs were not affected by the antibiotic (10 mug/kg per day x 7).

The effect of post harvest handling on selected native food plants

A commercial issue currently facing native plant food producers and food processors, and identified by the industry itself, is that of delivering quality products consistently and at reasonable cost to end users based on a sound food technology and nutrition platform. A literature survey carried out in July 2001 by the DPI&F’s Centre for Food Technology, Brisbane in collaboration with the University of Queensland to collect the latest information at that time on the functional food market as it pertained to native food plants, indicated that little or no work had been published on this topic. This project addresses two key RIRDC sub program strategies: to identify and evaluate processes or products with prospects of commercial viability and to assist in the development of integrated production, harvesting, processing and marketing systems. This project proposal also reflects a key RIRDC R&D issue for 2002-2003; that of linking with prospective members of the value chain. The purpose of this project was to obtain chemical data on the post harvest stability of functional nutritional components (bio actives) in commercially available, hand harvested bush tomato and Kakadu plum. The project concentrated on evaluating bioactive stability as a measure of ingredient quality.

Effect of some "strong" excitants of central neurones on the uptake of L-glutamate and L-aspartate by synaptosomes

"Strong" excitants of central neurones such as β N-oxalyl L α,β-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP), N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and kainic acid (KA) were found to inhibit the high affinity uptake of glutamate and aspartate in synaptosomes isolated from young rat brain. The potency of these "strong" excitants as convulsants appear to parallel their ability to inhibit glutamate uptake by synaptosomes. The data suggest the possibility that the convulsive effect of these "strong" excitants could be mediated by glutamate/aspartate.

The business of myth-making: Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers and the Disney effect

In just one of the many extraordinary moments during the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games, thirty Mary Poppinses floated into the stadium on their umbrellas to battle a 40 foot-long inflatable Lord Voldemort. This multi-million pound extravaganza was telecast to a global audience of over one billion people, highlighting in an extremely effective manner the grandeur and eccentricities of the host nation, and featuring uniquely British icons such as Mr Bean, James Bond, The Beatles and Harry Potter, as well as those quintessential icons of Englishness, the Royal Family, double-decker red buses and the National Health Service.

Combined effect of double antireflection coating and reversible molecular doping on performance of few-layer graphene/n-silicon Schottky barrier solar cells

Few-layer graphene films were grown by chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto n-type crystalline silicon wafers to fabricate graphene/n-silicon Schottky barrier solar cells. In order to increase the power conversion efficiency of such cells the graphene films were doped with nitric acid vapor and an antireflection treatment was implemented to reduce the sunlight reflection on the top of the device. The doping process increased the work function of the graphene film and had a beneficial effect on its conductivity. The deposition of a double antireflection coating led to an external quantum efficiency up to 90% across the visible and near infrared region, the highest ever reported for this type of devices. The combined effect of graphene doping and antireflection treatment allowed to reach a power conversion efficiency of 8.5% exceeding the pristine (undoped and uncoated) device performance by a factor of 4. The optical properties of the antireflection coating were found to be not affected by the exposure to nitric acid vapor and to remain stable over time.

Effect of fourier domain quantization on matched filtering

It is shown that the use of a coarsely quantized binary digital hologram as a matched filter on an optical computer does not degrade signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) appreciably.

Effect of ionic temperature on propagation of ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisionless plasma of warm-ion fluid and non-isothermal electrons

Using a perturbation technique, we derive Modified Korteweg—de Vries (MKdV) equations for a mixture of warm-ion fluid (γ i = 3) and hot and non-isothermal electrons (γ e> 1), (i) when deviations from isothermality are finite, and (ii) when deviations from isothermality are small. We obtain stationary solutions for these equations, and compare them with the corresponding solutions for a mixture of warm-ion fluid (γ i = 3) and hot, isothermal electrons (γ i = 1).

Effect of beta-n-oxalyl-L-alpha, beta-diaminopropionic acid on glutamate uptake by synaptosomes

THE unusual amino acid beta-N-oxalyl-L-alpha, beta-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP), isolated from the seeds of Lathyrus sativus is a potent neurotoxin1−3. It produces biochemical changes in the brain typical of an excitant amino acid and is implicated in the aetiology of human neurolathyrism caused by eating the seeds of L. sativus 4−6. It may act as a glutamate antagonist: ODAP inhibits glutamate oxidation7 possibly by inhibiting glutamate uptake in bovine brain mitochondria; it also acts as a competitive inhibitor of glutamate uptake in certain strains of yeast8, and a similar process might occur at the synaptic level. Any effect of ODAP on glutamate uptake at synapses is significant in view of the neurotransmitter function of glutamate, which seems to be neuroexcitory as well as neurotoxic9−12. But Balcar and Johnston13 have shown with rat brain slices that ODAP does not inhibit the glutamate uptake by the high affinity system.

Effect of carbon equivalent and inoculation on residual stresses in grey iron castings

It is virtually impossible to produce castings free from internal stresses using conventional methods of founding. Castings with appreciable stresses distort during storage, transportation, machining and service. Though composition and melt treatment are known to affect the magnitude of residual stress in castings, the data on the effect of carbon equivalent and inoculation on the magnitude of residual stress in castings are limited. In the present investigation, an attempt is made to study (i) the effect of carbon equivalent on residual stress in cast iron castings, and (ii) the effect of inoculants such as calcium silicide and ferrosilicon on residual stress in iron castings in the carbon equivalent range 3.0–4.0%. The results of the investigation indicate the following: (i) the residual strains decrease linearly with increase in carbon equivalent in the uninoculated and inoculated irons; (ii) the tensile residual stresses decrease linearly with increase in carbon equivalent value of the uninoculated, calcium silicide-inoculated and ferrosilicon-inoculated cast iron castings; (iii) the ratio of UTS to residual stress increased on inoculating the grid castings. This increase is higher for calcium silicide-inoculated grids than for ferrosilicon-inoculated grid castings. This implies that from the residual stress point of view, inoculation of the iron with calcium silicide is beneficial.

Effect of environmental stress of low pressure on tyrosine aminotransferase and phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase activities in the rat.

Tyrosine aminotransferase activity in the liver increased about fourfold after 9h, on exposure of rats to stress of low pressure. 2. The phenylalanine hydroxylase activity increased about 60% on exposure for 24h or more. 3. An environmental pressure decrease of about 0.033 MN/m2 is needed to increase the activity of tyrosine aminotransferase. 4. Adrenalectomy completely abolished the increase in activity of tyrosine aminotransferase obtained on exposure to low pressure. 5. Treatment with cycloheximide or actinomycin D prevented the increase in activity of tyrosine aminotransferase. 6. Treatment with cycloheximide at the early part of exposure to stress prevented the increase in activity of phenylalanine hydroxylase obtained after 24h.

The effect of flexor tenotomy on healing and prevention of neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers on the distal end of the toe

Background Flexor tenotomy is a minimally invasive surgical alternative for the treatment of neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers on the distal end of the toe. The influence of infection on healing and time to heal after flexor tenotomy is unknown. Flexor tenotomy can also be used as a prophylactic treatment. The effectiveness as a prophylactic treatment has not been described before. Methods A retrospective study was performed with the inclusion of all consecutive flexor tenotomies from one hospital between January 2005 and December 2011. Results From 38 ulcers, 35 healed (92%), with a mean time to heal of 22 ± 26 days. The longest duration for healing was found for infected ulcers that were penetrating to bone (35 days; p = .042). Cases of prophylactic flexor tenotomies (n=9) did not result in any ulcer or other complications during follow-up. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that flexor tenotomy may be beneficial for neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers on the distal end of the toe, with a high healing percentage and a short mean time to heal. Infected ulcers that penetrated to bone took a significantly longer time to heal. Prospective research, to confirm the results of this retrospective study, should be performed.

Ethics in a Technological World : Framing the Questions and Three Approaches

This study addresses the following question: How to think about ethics in a technological world? The question is treated first thematically by framing central issues in the relationship between ethics and technology. This relationship has three distinct facets: i) technological advance poses new challenges for ethics, ii) traditional ethics may become poorly applicable in a technologically transformed world, and iii) the progress in science and technology has altered the concept of rationality in ways that undermine ethical thinking itself. The thematic treatment is followed by the description and analysis of three approaches to the questions framed. First, Hans Jonas s thinking on the ontology of life and the imperative of responsibility is studied. In Jonas s analysis modern culture is found to be nihilistic because it is unable to understand organic life, to find meaning in reality, and to justify morals. At the root of nihilism Jonas finds dualism, the traditional Western way of seeing consciousness as radically separate from the material world. Jonas attempts to create a metaphysical grounding for an ethic that would take the technologically increased human powers into account and make the responsibility for future generations meaningful and justified. The second approach is Albert Borgmann s philosophy of technology that mainly assesses the ways in which technological development has affected everyday life. Borgmann admits that modern technology has liberated humans from toil, disease, danger, and sickness. Furthermore, liberal democracy, possibilities for self-realization, and many of the freedoms we now enjoy would not be possible on a large scale without technology. Borgmann, however, argues that modern technology in itself does not provide a whole and meaningful life. In fact, technological conditions are often detrimental to the good life. Integrity in life, according to him, is to be sought among things and practices that evade technoscientific objectification and commodification. Larry Hickman s Deweyan philosophy of technology is the third approach under scrutiny. Central in Hickman s thinking is a broad definition of technology that is nearly equal to Deweyan inquiry. Inquiry refers to the reflective and experiential way humans adapt to their environment by modifying their habits and beliefs. In Hickman s work, technology consists of all kinds of activities that through experimentation and/or reflection aim at improving human techniques and habits. Thus, in addition to research and development, many arts and political reforms are technological for Hickman. He argues for recasting such distinctions as fact/value, poiesis/praxis/theoria, and individual/society. Finally, Hickman does not admit a categorical difference between ethics and technology: moral values and norms need to be submitted to experiential inquiry as well as all the other notions. This study mainly argues for an interdisciplinary approach to the ethics of technology. This approach should make use of the potentialities of the research traditions in applied ethics, the philosophy of technology, and the social studies on science and technology and attempt to overcome their limitations. This study also advocates an endorsement of mid-level ethics that concentrate on the practices, institutions, and policies of temporal human life. Mid-level describes the realm between the instantaneous and individualistic micro-level and the universal and global macro level.