Does nitric oxide act in the ventromedial preoptic area to mediate oestrogen negative feedback in the seasonally anoestrous ewe?

Seasonal anoestrus in the ewe results from enhanced oestrogen negative feedback. Recent data have implicated the ventromedial preoptic area (vmPOA) as an important site of oestrogen action. This study addressed whether NO acts within the vmPOA to inhibit LH during seasonal anoestrus. In Experiment 1, microimplants containing Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, NOS inhibitor), S-methyl thiocitrulline (SMTC, neural NOS (nNOS) inhibitor) or empty implants (control) were administered during mid-anoestrus to the vmPOA. l-NAME, but not SMTC, significantly increased LH pulse frequency. For Experiment 2, ewes in late anoestrus were administered 7-nitroindazole (7NI; nNOS inhibitor), l-NAME, SMTC, or empty implants. 7NI, but not l-NAME or SMTC, increased LH pulse frequency. In Experiment 3, the effects of microimplants and microinjections of l-NAME were compared in mid-anoestrus. Microinjections of l-NAME (300 nl at 10 microg/microl) increased LH pulse frequency, but microimplants did not. In late anoestrus, similar microinjections were ineffective. Taken together, the results of Experiments 1-3 suggested that NO inhibition may be stronger during the middle than at the end of seasonal anoestrus. To test this hypothesis, ewes in Experiment 4 received microinjection of l-NAME or vehicle thrice during the non-breeding season; none of the treatments increased LH pulse frequency. These results indicate that NO plays a role in the vmPOA in suppressing LH secretion during seasonal anoestrus because NOS inhibitors were consistently stimulatory when LH pulse frequency was low. However, the inconsistent and modest effects of these inhibitors suggest that NO actions in this area cannot completely account for the effects of inhibitory photoperiod.     

New aspects in cationization of lignocellulose materials. VII. Modification of spruce wood meal with quarternary ammonium groups

Trimethylammonium-2-hydroxypropyl (TMAHP) derivatives of spruce wood meal (SWM) and holocellulose of this specia were prepared by the reaction of wood meal with 3-chlor-2-hydroxy-propyltrimethylammoniumchloride (CHMAC) in alkaline medium. The TMAHP samples were fractionated and yields and exchange capacity (Q) of individual fractions were compared with beech and aspen fractions obtained under the same conditions. As it is evident from ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy and GPC analysis the water soluble fraction from TMAHP–SWM consists only of lignin–saccharide degradation products. The NaOH extracts of TMAHP–SWM and TMAHP–holocellulose as well as the water-soluble fraction from TMAHP–holocellulose are polymeric materials. From TMAHP–SWM only 3.1% of alkali-soluble material could be extracted, while from TMAHP–holocellulose 15.7% of water-soluble and 7.9% of alkali-soluble materials were obtained.     

New aspects in cationization of lignocellulose materials. IX. Flame retardancy effect of modification with nitrogen and sulfur containing groups

Lignocellulose materials were modified with 3-chlor-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammoniumchloride, 1,3-bis(3-chlor-2-hydroxypropyl)imidazoliumhydrogensulphate, and 2-chlorethyl-sodiumsulphonate and the flame-retardant properties of materials obtained were studied. The flame-retardant effect was proved using the limited oxygen index (LOI) method and values up to 32.8 vol % of oxygen were determined. The LOI values were higher when the modification was done without using NaOH for activation, but in that case the alkylating groups were not chemically bonded to the material. The NaOH activation was necessary to obtain material with flame-retardant properties stable against washing. No synergistic effects were observed when the material was modified with both nitrogen- and sulfur-containing groups.     

Light-pollution model for cloudy and cloudless night skies with ground-based light sources

The scalable theoretical model of light pollution for ground sources is presented. The model is successfully employed for simulation of angular behavior of the spectral and integral sky radiance and/or luminance during nighttime. There is no restriction on the number of ground-based light sources or on the spatial distribution of these sources in the vicinity of the measuring point (i.e., both distances and azimuth angles of the light sources are configurable). The model is applicable for real finite-dimensional surface sources with defined spectral and angular radiating properties contrary to frequently used point-source approximations. The influence of the atmosphere on the transmitted radiation is formulated in terms of aerosol and molecular optical properties. Altitude and spectral reflectance of a cloud layer are the main factors introduced for simulation of cloudy and/or overcast conditions. The derived equations are translated into numerically fast code, and it is possible to repeat the entire set of calculations in real time. The parametric character of the model enables its efficient usage by illuminating engineers and/or astronomers in the study of various light-pollution situations. Some examples of numerical runs in the form of graphical results are presented.     

Helium Conditioning Increases Cardiac Fibroblast Migration Which Effect Is Not Propagated via Soluble Factors or Extracellular Vesicles

Helium inhalation induces cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion injury, the cellular mechanism of which remains not fully elucidated. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived, nano-sized membrane vesicles which play a role in cardioprotective mechanisms, but their function in helium conditioning (HeC) has not been studied so far. We hypothesized that HeC induces fibroblast-mediated cardioprotection via EVs. We isolated neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) and exposed them to glucose deprivation and HeC rendered by four cycles of 95% helium + 5% CO₂ for 1 h, followed by 1 h under normoxic condition. After 40 h of HeC, NRCF activation was analyzed with a Western blot (WB) and migration assay. From the cell supernatant, medium extracellular vesicles (mEVs) were isolated with differential centrifugation and analyzed with WB and nanoparticle tracking analysis. The supernatant from HeC-treated NRCFs was transferred to naïve NRCFs or immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC-TERT2), and a migration and angiogenesis assay was performed. We found that HeC accelerated the migration of NRCFs and did not increase the expression of fibroblast activation markers. HeC tended to decrease mEV secretion of NRCFs, but the supernatant of HeC or the control NRCFs did not accelerate the migration of naïve NRCFs or affect the angiogenic potential of HUVEC-TERT2. In conclusion, HeC may contribute to cardioprotection by increasing fibroblast migration but not by releasing protective mEVs or soluble factors from cardiac fibroblasts.     

A biosensing method for detection of caffeine in coffee

A specific inhibition of 3′,5′‐cyclic phosphodiesterase (CPDE) from bovine heart by methylxanthines was used in combination with a pH electrode to develop a new biosensing method for the detection of caffeine in coffee. The potential response changes of the sensor were proportional to the concentration of caffeine in the range 0–4 mg ml⁻¹. The response time was about 2–4 min. The standard deviation of five measurements of a 0.2 mg ml⁻¹ caffeine solution was ±7.1 µg ml⁻¹. The electrode gave a detection limit of 0.6 mg l⁻¹ caffeine. The concentration of caffeine in espresso coffee was analysed. This model gave excellent correlation between observed and predicted caffeine values. This electrode exhibits advantages such as fast response, short conditioning time and low cost of the instrumentation used. We also expected to be able to perform the detection of caffeine in food and clinical analysis. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optimizing bioreactors by extremum seeking

The optimization of the operation of biological reactors is an interesting non‐linear problem whose solution offers potential economic benefit. We apply a peak seeking method to approach the maximum biomass production rate in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor. Two models, Monod and Haldane, are investigated and it is shown by simulation that the peak seeking scheme achieves optimization for both cases. A stabilizing feedback controller with a washout filter is designed to extend the operating range for the Haldane model. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffusion of One‐ and Two‐Component Fluids into Polymeric Membranes

The starting point of this paper is a model of the non‐Fickian diffusion of a simple fluid into a polymeric medium that has been introduced in El Afif and Grmela (2002). The model is extended to a mixture consisting of two simple fluids and one polymeric medium. The effects of the polymeric medium on diffusion are included in the formulations through the use of relative momenta playing the role of internal variables. In ternary mixtures, new phenomena arise due to cross‐coupling effects. As a consequence, the single diffusion Deborah number in binary mixtures becomes a 2 × 2 matrix in ternary mixtures. Two specific examples for which experimental data are available are investigated in detail.