The pathophysiology of 'brain shrinkage' in alcoholics - Structural and molecular changes and clinical implications

This article represents a symposium of the 2004 ISBRA Congress held in Mannheim. The presentations were: Review of the neuropathological and neurochemical changes seen in alcohol-related ' brain shrinkage ' by Clive Harper; In Vivo Detection of Macrostructural and Microstructural Markers of Brain Integrity in Human Alcoholism and a Rodent Model of Alcoholism by Adolf Pfefferbaum, Elfar Adalsteinsson and Edith Sullivan; Gene and Protein Changes in the Brains of Alcoholics with ' Brain Shrinkage ' by Joanne Lewohl and Peter Dodd; Cross sectional and longitudinal MR spectroscopy studies of chronic adult alcoholics by Michael Taylor; Brain Atrophy Associated with Impairment on a Simulated Gambling Task in Long-Term Abstinent Alcoholics by George Fein and Bennett Landman.

Fracture load and marginal fit of shrinkage-free ZrSiO4 all-ceramic crowns after chewing simulation

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the fracture load and marginal accuracy of crowns made from a shrinkage-free ZrSiO4 ceramic cemented with glass-ionomer or composite cement after chewing simulation. Thirty-two human mandibular molars were randomly divided into two groups. All teeth were prepared for and restored with shrinkage-free ZrSiO4 ceramic crowns (Everest HPC (R), KaVo). The crowns of group A (N = 16) were luted to the teeth using KetacCem (R) and group B (N = 16) were adhesively cemented using Panavia (R) 21EX. Measurements of the marginal accuracy before and after cementation were made using replicas and an image analysis system. All specimens were exposed to 1.2 million cycles of thermo-mechanical fatigue in a chewing simulator. Surviving specimens were subsequently loaded until fracture in a static testing device. Fracture loads (N) were recorded. All specimens survived chewing simulation. The mean fracture loads (+/- s.d.) were Group A, 1622 N (+/- 433); group B, 1957 N (+/- 806). There was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The marginal gap values before cementation were (mean +/- s.d.): Group A, 32.7 mu m (+/- 6.8); group B, 33.0 mu m (+/- 6.7).The mean marginal gap values after cementation were (+/- s.d.): Group A, 44.6 mu m (+/- 6.7); group B, 46.6 mu m (+/- 7.7). The marginal openings were significantly higher after cementation for both groups (P < 0.05). All test groups demonstrated fracture load and marginal accuracy values within the range of clinical acceptability.

CFD modelling of the fast pyrolysis of biomass in fluidised bed reactors: modelling the impact of biomass shrinkage

The fluid–particle interaction and the impact of shrinkage on pyrolysis of biomass inside a 150 g/h fluidised bed reactor is modelled. Two 500 View the MathML sourcem in diameter biomass particles are injected into the fluidised bed with different shrinkage conditions. The two different conditions consist of (1) shrinkage equal to the volume left by the solid devolatilization, and (2) shrinkage parameters equal to approximately half of particle volume. The effect of shrinkage is analysed in terms of heat and momentum transfer as well as product yields, pyrolysis time and particle size considering spherical geometries. The Eulerian approach is used to model the bubbling behaviour of the sand, which is treated as a continuum. Heat transfer from the bubbling bed to the discrete biomass particle, as well as biomass reaction kinetics are modelled according to the literature. The particle motion inside the reactor is computed using drag laws, dependent on the local volume fraction of each phase. FLUENT 6.2 has been used as the modelling framework of the simulations with the whole pyrolysis model incorporated in the form of user defined function (UDF).

Growth and shrinkage in Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is sex-dependent

ABSTRACT: The ability of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana to withstand the overwintering period is critical to their success. Laboratory evidence suggests that krill may shrink in body length during this time in response to the low availability of food. Nevertheless, verification that krill can shrink in the natural environment is lacking because winter data are difficult to obtain. One of the few sources of winter krill population data is from commercial vessels. We examined length-frequency data of adult krill (>35 mm total body length) obtained from commercial vessels in the Scotia-Weddell region and compared our results with those obtained from a combination of science and commercial sampling operations carried out in this region at other times of the year. Our analyses revealed body-length shrinkage in adult females but not males during overwinter, based on both the tracking of modal size classes over seasons and sex-ratio patterns. Other explanatory factors, such as differential mortality, immigration and emigration, could not explain the observed differences. The same pattern was also observed at South Georgia and in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Fitted seasonally modulated von Bertalanffy growth functions predicted a pattern of overwintering shrinkage in all body-length classes of females, but only stagnation in growth in males. This shrinkage most likely reflects morphometric changes resulting from the contraction of the ovaries and is not necessarily an outcome of winter hardship. The sex-dependent changes that we observed need to be incorporated into life cycle and population dynamic models of this species, particularly those used in managing the fishery. KEY WORDS: Southern Ocean · Population dynamics · Production · Life cycle · Fishery

Growth and shrinkage in Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is sex-dependent

ABSTRACT: The ability of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana to withstand the overwintering period is critical to their success. Laboratory evidence suggests that krill may shrink in body length during this time in response to the low availability of food. Nevertheless, verification that krill can shrink in the natural environment is lacking because winter data are difficult to obtain. One of the few sources of winter krill population data is from commercial vessels. We examined length-frequency data of adult krill (>35 mm total body length) obtained from commercial vessels in the Scotia-Weddell region and compared our results with those obtained from a combination of science and commercial sampling operations carried out in this region at other times of the year. Our analyses revealed body-length shrinkage in adult females but not males during overwinter, based on both the tracking of modal size classes over seasons and sex-ratio patterns. Other explanatory factors, such as differential mortality, immigration and emigration, could not explain the observed differences. The same pattern was also observed at South Georgia and in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Fitted seasonally modulated von Bertalanffy growth functions predicted a pattern of overwintering shrinkage in all body-length classes of females, but only stagnation in growth in males. This shrinkage most likely reflects morphometric changes resulting from the contraction of the ovaries and is not necessarily an outcome of winter hardship. The sex-dependent changes that we observed need to be incorporated into life cycle and population dynamic models of this species, particularly those used in managing the fishery. KEY WORDS: Southern Ocean · Population dynamics · Production · Life cycle · Fishery