Increased prolactin and thyrotrophin secretion following oral metoclopramide: dose-response relationships

In pregnant female rat, oxygen tension was measured in vivo with an oxygen microelectrode and the following statistically significant data (Student's test) were obtained: -- not significant variability in four groups of six control rats; -- highly significant decrease of oxygen tension twenty-four hours after biovariectomy in four groups of six operated rats; -- in twelve operated and treated by substitutive hormonotherapy rats, pO2 was at the same level than in control rats; -- in eighteen operated rats, the oxygen tension measured after embryonic death was identical to control rats. These experiments clearly demonstrate twenty four hours after biovariectomy a decreased oxygen tension. Simultaneously to this decrease, a diminution of uterine blood flow takes place. This pO2 diminution should be dependent on decrease of ovarian hormones since the substitutive hormonotherapy prevents its appearance. A good explanation of this phenomenon is the high requirement of hypoxic embryo for oxygen; moreover after the embryonic death, the intra-uterine pO2 increases.     

Antagonistic effect on Listeria monocytogenes and L. innocua of a bacteriocin-like metabolite produced by lactic acid bacteria isolated from sucuk

Two Lactobacilli and four Pediococci strains producing bacteriocin-like metabolities isolated from sucuk were tested with agar spot tests and well diffusion assays for their inhibitory activity against 16 Listeria strains, also isolated from sucuk. The production of organic acids and hydrogen peroxide limited, L. sake Lb 706 (used as a bacteriocin producer strain) and the isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) showed inhibitory activity against all of the Listeria strains, while L. sake Lb 706-A (used as a bacteriocin non-producer mutant) had the same effects against only two Listeria monocytogenes strains (51, 52) in agar spot tests. In the well diffusion assays, while L sake Lb 706 and four Pediococci isolates (413, 416, 419, 446) exhibited inhibitory activity against all of the Listeria strains tested, L. sake Lb 706-A and two of the Lactobacilli isolates (77, 116) showed no effect on the Listeria strains tested.     

Nonlinear analysis techniques of block masonry walls in nuclear power plants

Concrete masonry walls have been used extensively in nuclear power plants as non-load bearing partitions serving as pipe supports, fire walls, radiation shielding barriers, and similar heavy construction separations. When subjected to earthquake loads, these walls should maintain their structural integrity. However, some of the walls do not meet design requirements based on working stress allowables. Consequently, utilities have used non-linear analysis techniques, such as the arching theory and the energy balance technique, to qualify such walls. This paper presents a critical review of the applicability of non-linear analysis techniques for both unreinforced and reinforced block masonry walls under seismic loading. These techniques are critically assessed in light of the performance of walls from limited available test data. It is concluded that additional test data are needed to justify the use of nonlinear analysis techniques to qualify block walls in nuclear power plants.     

Processes underlying long-term repetition priming in digit data entry.

Two experiments examined long-term repetition priming in data entry. In each experiment, participants entered 4-digit numbers displayed as either words or numerals, and responded with digits (Experiment 1), or either digits or initial letters (Experiment 2). At test 1 week later, they entered old and new numbers, with the format changed for half of the old stimuli. Implicit memory was evidenced at test by faster entry of the old than the new numbers, regardless of whether the numbers were in the same or different format, suggesting that the abstract numerical meaning, not the surface form, contributes to repetition priming. Numbers presented as words in training had an advantage over numbers presented as numerals, regardless of response format, implying that type of processing also contributes to the effect and ruling out an explanation based on time spent processing numbers in word format. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior-state matching and synchrony in mother-infant interactions of nondepressed versus depressed dyads.

Behavior-state matching and synchrony in interactions were assessed in 48 depressed and nondepressed mother–infant dyads when the infants were 3 months old. Attentive/affective behavior states were coded for the infants and mothers on a negative to positive scale. The depressed mothers and their infants matched negative behavior states more often and positive behavior states less often than did the nondepressed dyads. The total percentage of time spent in matching behavior states was less for the depressed than for the nondepressed dyads. Cross-spectral analyses of the mothers' and the infants' behavior-state time series suggested only a trend for greater coherence or synchrony in the interactions of the nondepressed dyads. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computing Fibers: A Novel Fiber for Intelligent Fabrics?

This communication describes a possible path for transition from a wearable computer to a fiber computer in which digital processing power is integrated directly into textiles via circuits on individual fibers. Three different classes of computing fiber substrate (active, passive, and intermediate) are discussed and some technologies for their manufacture are reviewed. It is shown here that with two of these techniques it is possible to develop new substrates for the semiconductor industry. Using an silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) process, polycrystalline silicon fibers with a length of 42 mm have been successfully produced at NMRC in Ireland. These fibers are 35 μm wide and 1 μm thick. Silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) endless fibers (subsequently cut in to 20 cm lengths) have also been produced by extrusion. After sintering, this method yielded polycrystalline SiC fibers and pure amorphous SiO₂ glass fibers. For many future applications, fiber computing appears to be a possible key to success. The computing power offered by such fibers may be combined with additional in‐ and output functions by weaving fiber‐based sensors and piezoelectric materials into textiles.     

A probabilistic approach to measure the strength of bone cell adhesion to chemically modified surfaces

Patterned surfaces with alternating regions of amino silanes [N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (EDS)] and alkyl silanes [dimethyldichlorosilane (DMS)] have been used to alter the kinetics of spatial distribution of cells in vitro. In particular, we have previously observed the preferential spatial distribution of bone cells on the EDS regions of EDS/ DMS patterned surfaces (10). In this study, we examined whether the mechanism of spatial distribution of cells on the EDS regions was adhesion mediated. Homogeneous layers of EDS and DMS were immobilized on quartz substrates and characterized by contact angle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The strength of bone cell attachment to the modified substrates was examined using a radial flow apparatus, within either 20 min or 2 hr of cell incubation in the presence of serum. A Weibull distribution was chosen to characterize the strength of cell-substratum adhesion. Within 20 min of cell exposure, the strength of adhesion was significantly larger on EDS and clean surfaces, compared with DMS surfaces (p < 0.001). Within 2 hr of cell incubation, there was no statistical difference between the strength of cell adhesion to EDS, DMS, and clean surfaces. The results of this study suggest that the surface chemistry mediates adhesion-based spatial cell arrangement through a layer of adsorbed serum proteins.