The role of echography in the diagnosis of pelvic masses

The authors confirm the fundamental role of the pulse-echo technique in the study of pelvic masses; they outline the usefulness of the ultrasonography in the early presumptive diagnosis of the possible neoplastic alterations of such masses. The authors present five clinical cases in which the use of the pulse-echo technique has allowed to locate, in spite of a scanty clinical symptomatology, the presence of pathologies requiring a rapid surgical resolution.     

Induction of metallothionein in astrocytes and microglia in the spinal cord from the myelin-deficient jimpy mouse

Jimpy is a shortened life-span murine mutant whose genetic disorder results in severe pathological alterations in the CNS, including hypomyelination, oligodendrocyte death and strong astroglial and microglial reaction. The knowledge of metallothionein (MT) regulation in the CNS and especially of MT presence in specific glial cell types under pathological conditions is scarce. In the present study, immunocytochemical detection of MT-I + II has been performed in spinal cord sections from 10-12- and 20-22-day-old jimpy and normal animals. The identification of MT-positive glial cells was achieved through double labeling combining MT immunocytochemistry and selective markers for oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia. MT was found in glial cells and was present in the spinal cord of jimpy and normal mice at both ages, but there were remarkable differences in MT expression and in the nature of MT-positive glial cells depending on the type of mouse. The number of MT-positive cells was higher in jimpy than in normal spinal cords. This was apparent in all spinal cord areas, although it was more pronounced in white than in the gray matter and at 20-22 days than at 10-12 days. The mean number of MT-positive glia in the jimpy white matter was 1.9-fold (10-12 days) and 2.4-fold (20-22 days) higher than in the normal one. Astrocytes were the only parenchymal glial cells that were positively identified as MT-producing cells in normal animals. Interestingly, MT in the jimpy spinal cord was localized not only in astrocytes but also in microglial cells. The occurrence of MT induction in relation to reactive astrocytes and microglia, and its role in neuropathological conditions is discussed.     

Thermal behavior of 1,3-butadiene-acrylic acid copolymers

Summary Thermal behavior studies were carried out on copolymer fractions of 1,3-butadiene-acrylic acid (Bu/AA) obtained from bulk polymerization. Three procedures uere used: a) Decomposition temperature, b) A combined method: thermal and electron impact degradation, c) Differential scanning calorimetry (D.S.C.). Thus, limiting stability temperatures and the different products could be determined. A behavior of Bu/AA after addition of different chemicals with suppressor effects on the thermal decomposition has also been studied. The resulting products, analyzed after thermal decomposition, showed that the retardation occurred in different ways depending on the inhibitor used.     

Niobium microelectrodes for submicron particle confinement

By the superposition of niobium, titanium and gold layers have been fabricated electrodes for submicron particles confinement by dielectrophoresis forces. Electron beam lithography allowed us to define the critical geometries of the electrodes in the submicron range. The niobium layer improves also the mechanical strength of the electrodes and their robustness against the galvanic corrosion making them suitable for the confinement of particles and viruses immersed in a physiological solution.     

Behavioral lateralization in rats and dopaminergic system: Individual and population laterality.

Recently, we reported that practice facilitates the expression of the behavioral asymmetry in rats at individual and population levels. In the present study we investigated the side preference in the performance of four different tasks during 10 successive days. The practice increased individual laterality and internal consistency in all tasks. In addition, practice facilitated the expression of marked population laterality in two tasks (78.1% and 63.3% for right bias). The influence of dopaminergic systems on these behaviors was evaluated with apomorphine and with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions ipsi- and contralateral to the side preference. Results suggest that there is a presynaptic dominance contralateral to the side preference in the four tests. However, as influences of dopaminergic systems were different in each task and because the tests were unrelated, the results suggest that the behavioral laterality in rats, as in humans, is a phenomenon caused by different and relatively independent systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facile Room‐Temperature Anion Exchange Reactions of Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dots Enabled by a Modular Microfluidic Platform

In an effort to produce the materials of next‐generation photoelectronic devices, postsynthesis halide exchange reactions of perovskite quantum dots are explored to achieve enhanced bandgap tunability. However, comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted halide exchange reactions is inhibited by their vast relevant parameter space and complex reaction network. In this work, a facile room‐temperature strategy is presented for rapid halide exchange of inorganic perovskite quantum dots. A comprehensive understanding of the halide exchange reactions is provided by isolating reaction kinetics from precursor mixing rates utilizing a modular microfluidic platform, Quantum Dot Exchanger (QDExer). The effects of ligand composition and halide salt source on the rate and extent of the halide exchange reactions are illustrated. This fluidic platform offers a unique time‐ and material‐efficient approach for studies of solution phase‐processed colloidal nanocrystals beyond those studied here and may accelerate the discovery and optimization of next‐generation materials for energy technologies.     

RECODE: revision control for digital images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Revision control is a vital component in the collaborative development of artifacts such as software code and multimedia. While revision control has been widely...     

A comparative activity study of a new ultra-dispersed catalyst system for a hydrocracking/hydrotreating technology using vacuum residue oil: Merey/Mesa

Ultra-dispersed catalysts give an improvement over the main reactions activity by having a low deactivation rate. They provide as well other advantages like a diminution in the catalysts metal concentration, a reduction in contaminants and also these catalysts can be used in almost every area where heterogeneous catalysts are used. Catalysts synthesis optimization is important to improve process recovery, especially in hydrocracking/hydrotreating processes, where feedstock is vacuum residue. Here, we have evaluated the catalytic performance of two molybdenum–nickel catalysts prepared using different emulsion formulation, named E-T (base catalyst) and AT-48 (new catalyst). Our results showed that, the percentage of converted products for VR 500 °C⁺, asphaltenes and microcarbon are comparable for both E-T and AT-48 catalysts, despite the fact that for the latter a lower molybdenum concentration was used. In addition, post-catalytic particles analyses using SEM and TEM techniques demonstrated that AT-48 catalyst showed a non-aggregated and homogeneous narrower distribution of metallic particles than E-T one. The lower average particle size distribution is related to the improvement of the liquid product yields for the hydroconversion of Mery/Mesa VR using the AT-48 catalyst.