Prostaglandin-F-levels in human plasma during late pregnancy and labour (author's transl)

The concentrations of prostaglandin F-equivalents were measured in peripheral plasma during labour at a cervical dilatation of 5 cm and at complete dilatation. After purification, extraction and chromatography the PGF-equivalents were measured radioimmunologically. The intraassay variation was 1.5%, the interassay variation 3.5%. The specificity for PGF was 96-98%. Logit/log transformation of the standardcurve yielded a sensitivity of the assay of 120 pg. At cervical dilatation of 5 cm PGF-equivalents varied between 1300 and 3200 pg/ml plasma. At complete dilatation values changed between 1200 and 5400 pg/ml. These fluctuations correlate timedepending to the uterine contractions recorded and may be interpreted as a result of uterine PGF-release.     

Note on the Design of an Equiripple DC-Notch FIR Filter

An extremely robust analytical procedure for the effective evaluation of the impulse response of a highly selective optimal equiripple DC-notch finite-impulse response (FIR) filter is presented. The DC-notch filter is optimal in the Chebyshev sense. The computational superiority of the presented procedure over the standard approach is emphasized     

Effect of a weight loss intervention on anthropometric measures and metabolic risk factors in pre- versus postmenopausal women

Background

The present study examines changes in body weight, fat mass, metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight and obese pre- and postmenopausal women who participated in a weight loss intervention.

Methods

Seventy-two subjects were included in the analysis of this single arm study (premenopausal: 22 women, age 43.7 ± 6.4 years, BMI 31.0 ± 2.4 kg/m²; postmenopausal: 50 women, age 58.2 ± 5.1 years, BMI 32.9 ± 3.7 kg/m²). Weight reduction was achieved by the use of a meal replacement and fat-reduced diet. In addition, from week 6 to 24 participants attended a guided exercise program. Body composition was analyzed with the Bod Pod^®. Blood pressures were taken at every visit and blood was collected at baseline and closeout of the study to evaluate lipids, insulin, cortisol and leptin levels.

Results

BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, leptin and cortisol were higher in the postmenopausal women at baseline. Both groups achieved a substantial and comparable weight loss (pre- vs. postmenopausal: 6.7 ± 4.9 vs 6.7 ± 4.4 kg; n.s.). However, in contrast to premenopausal women, weight loss in postmenopausal women was exclusively due to a reduction of fat mass (-5.3 ± 5.1 vs -6.6 ± 4.1 kg; p < 0.01). In premenopausal women 21% of weight loss was attributed to a reduction in lean body mass. Blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose improved significantly only in postmenopausal women whereas total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lowered significantly in both groups.

Conclusion

Both groups showed comparable weight loss and in postmenopausal women weight loss was associated with a pronounced improvement in metabolic risk factors thereby reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.     

GAS HOLDUP IN UNIFORMLY AERATED BUBBLE COLUMN REACTORS

Conditions of the stable performance of gas distributing plates were studied and the effect of plate geometry on gas holdup of uniformly aerated gas-liquid beds was investigated. The ratio of plate holes opened for gas passage was determined as a function of gas hole velocity and critical values of gas hole velocity corresponding to the onset of stable performance of distributing plates were obtained.

Two regimes of bubbling were observed under conditions of stable uniform gas distribution; the regions of their existence being determined by the values of gas flow velocity and distributing plate parameters. Considerable increase of gas holdup was observed in the region of “foam” bubbling compared to the “turbulent” bubbling regime commonly encountered in bubble column reactors. The character of the bed and hence its gas holdup value were affected by the geometry of distributing plates in the “foam” bubbling region while no such effect was observed under “turbulent” bubbling conditions.     

ISOLA a Fortran code and a Matlab GUI to perform multiple-point source inversion of seismic data

In this paper, a software package for multiple- or single-point source inversion is presented. The package consists of ISOLA-GUI, a user-friendly MATLAB-based interface, and the ISOLA Fortran code, which is the computational core of the application. The methodology used is similar to iterative deconvolution technique, often used in teleseismic studies, but here adjusted for regional and local distances. The advantage of the software is the graphical interface that provides the user with an easy to use environment, rich in graphics and data handling routines, while at the same time the speed of Fortran code is retained. Besides that, the software allows the results to be exported to popular software packages, like Generic Mapping Tools, while at the same time utilizing them for quality plots of the results. The modular design of ISOLA-GUI can be used by users for the addition of supplementary routines in all the stages of processing. An example of the method's ability to obtain a quick insight into the complexity of an earthquake is presented, using records from a moderate size event.     

A vaccine consisting of recombinant Borrelia burgdorferi outer-surface protein A to prevent Lyme disease. Recombinant Outer-Surface Protein A Lyme Disease Vaccine Study Consortium

The purpose of this study was to determine whether infrared tympanic membrane thermometry can replace mercury-in-glass temperatures as an assessment tool for detecting fevers earlier and more reliably in a pediatric oncology outpatient setting. A total of 313 patient visits had infrared tympanic temperatures (obtained by using the LighTouch LTX Pedi-Q thermometer (Exergen; Watertown, MA) and axillary temperatures taken simultaneously (obtained by using mercury-in-glass thermometers). Those patients with a normal axillary temperature and an elevated tympanic measurement of 38 degrees C or higher had a follow-up axillary temperature conducted that evening to determine whether an elevated tympanic temperature predicted on coming fever or infection. The mean tympanic temperature was 37.5 degrees C and the mean axillary temperature was 36.8 degrees C, a difference of 0.7 degree C (P = .0001). Sixty-two (20%) patients had discrepant temperatures with a febrile tympanic and normal axillary measurement. Three (5%) of these patients were febrile at their follow-up axillary reading. Tympanic thermometry resulted in a significantly higher temperature reading than the axillary method. Elevated tympanic temperatures were not predictive of oncoming fever or infection. Fevers were not missed when using the tympanic method. To prevent unnecessary medical intervention, it is recommended that mercury-in-glass thermometers verify elevated tympanic temperatures.     

A novel chemometric classification for FTIR spectra of mycotoxin-contaminated maize and peanuts at regulatory limits

The rapid identification of mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin B₁ in agricultural commodities is an ongoing concern for food importers and processors. While sophisticated chromatography-based methods are well established for regulatory testing by food safety authorities, few techniques exist to provide a rapid assessment for traders. This study advances the development of a mid-infrared spectroscopic method, recording spectra with little sample preparation. Spectral data were classified using a bootstrap-aggregated (bagged) decision tree method, evaluating the protein and carbohydrate absorption regions of the spectrum. The method was able to classify 79% of 110 maize samples at the European Union regulatory limit for deoxynivalenol of 1750 µg kg^–1 and, for the first time, 77% of 92 peanut samples at 8 µg kg^–1 of aflatoxin B₁. A subset model revealed a dependency on variety and type of fungal infection. The employed CRC and SBL maize varieties could be pooled in the model with a reduction of classification accuracy from 90% to 79%. Samples infected with Fusarium verticillioides were removed, leaving samples infected with F. graminearum and F. culmorum in the dataset improving classification accuracy from 73% to 79%. A 500 µg kg^–1 classification threshold for deoxynivalenol in maize performed even better with 85% accuracy. This is assumed to be due to a larger number of samples around the threshold increasing representativity. Comparison with established principal component analysis classification, which consistently showed overlapping clusters, confirmed the superior performance of bagged decision tree classification.     

Interface effects and the evolution of ferromagnetism in La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 ultrathin films

Pulse laser deposited La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ ultrathin films on SrTiO₃ substrates were characterized by polar and longitudinal Kerr magneto-optical spectroscopy. Experimental data were confronted with theoretical simulations based on the transfer matrix formalism. An excellent agreement was achieved for a 10.7 nm thick film, while a distinction in the Kerr effect amplitudes was obtained for a 5 nm thick film. This demonstrated the suppression of ferromagnetism due to the layer/substrate interface effects. A revised, depth-sensitive theoretical model with monolayer resolution described the experimental data well, and provided clear cross-section information about the evolution of ferromagnetism inside the film. It was found that the full restoration of the double-exchange mechanism, responsible for the ferromagnetic ordering in La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃, occurs within the first nine monolayers of the film. Moreover, all the studied films exhibited magneto-optical properties similar to bulk crystals and thick films. This confirmed a fully developed perovskite structure down to 5 nm.     

Non-isothermal inter-intraphase effectiveness factors for negative order kinetics—CO oxidation over Pt

Non-isothermal catalytic effectiveness for negative order kinetics is studied numerically for various ratios of Bi_m/Bi_h equal to and greater than unity. The specific case of carbon monoxide oxidation over supported Pt in a spherical catalyst is investigated for conditions of temperature and concentration of interest in automobile pollution abatèment. Due to the phenomenon of increasing reaction rate with decreasing concentration associated with negative order kinetics, it is found that such catalytic systems tend to be self-amplifying with respect to reaction rate rather than self-limiting (as with positive order kinetics) thus rendering them sensitive to temperature increases across the gas boundary layer and within the catalyst itself. In particular, the use of realistic values of the flow parameters suggests that the temperature rise across the gas film is usually large. This, together with the increased thermal sensitivity, leads one to conclude that systems described by negative order kinetics should rarely be treated without regard to thermal influences.