On the masking of signals on immunoblots by cellular proteins

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is capable of detecting task-induced blood oxygenation changes using susceptibility sensitive pulse sequences such as gradient-recalled echo-planar imaging (EPI). The local signal increases seen in the time course are believed to be due to an increase in oxygen delivery that is incommensurate with oxygen demands. To help isolate the sources of functional signal changes, the authors have incorporated various forms of diffusion weighting into EPI pulse sequences to characterize the apparent mobility of the functionally modulated protons. Results suggest that the majority of the functional signal at 1.5 T arises from protons that have apparent diffusion coefficients that are approximately four or five times higher than that of brain tissue. This implies that significant functional signal sources are either protons within the vascular space or protons from the perivascular space that is occupied by cerebrospinal fluid.     

Hepatic and pancreatic effects of polyenoylphosphatidylcholine in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes

In neonatally allylestrenol treated animals in adult age a single benzpyrene treatment significantly decreases the female and significantly increases the male rat's sexual activity. Three month old females display the negative sexual behavioral effect of neonatal allylestrenol treatment less than the six month old ones. The benzpyrene treatment in adult age decreases the sexual activity of male rats. The experiments call the attention to the modifying effect of perinatal steroid treatments to similar exposure in adult age.     

Calculi with the greatest number

Translated from Kibernetika i Sistemnyi Analiz, No. 3, pp. 71–86, May–June, 1995.     

A high-current and high-temperature 6H-SiC thyristor

A 6H-SiC thyristor has been fabricated and characterized. A forward breakover voltage close to 100 V and a pulse switched current density of 5200 A/cm² have been demonstrated. The thyristor is shown to operate under pulse gate triggering for turn-on and turn-off, with a rise time of 43 ns and a fall time of less than 100 ns. The forward breakover voltage is found to decrease by only 4% when the operating temperature is increased from room temperature to 300°C. It is found that anode ohmic contact resistance dominates the device forward drop at high current densities     

Microinjection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogue into the central nucleus of the amygdala stimulates gastric contractility in rats

The effect on gastric contractility following bilateral microinjection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog, RX 77368, into the central nucleus of the amygdala was examined in fasted, urethane-anesthetized rats. Extraluminal force transducers were used to measure gastric corpus contractility. Bilateral microinjection of RX 77368 (0.5 microgram, 1.0 microgram, n = 6 each) stimulated gastric contractility for up to 120 min post-injection, P < 0.05. Gastric contractility was not significantly stimulated by microinjection of 0.1 microgram RX 77368, 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) into the central nucleus or RX 77368 (0.5 microgram, 1.0 microgram) into sites adjacent to the central nucleus. Peak responses (1.0 microgram) occurred 40 min post-injection and represented a 16-26-fold increase over basal values. The frequency of gastric contraction waves was attenuated for 0-90 min in rats receiving central amygdaloid microinjection of RX 77368 (0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 microgram) versus rats microinjected with the vehicle or RX 77368 into sites adjacent to the central nuclei. The stimulatory effect of RX 77368 (1.0 microgram) on gastric contractility was abolished by subdiaphragmatic vagotomy. These results indicate that the TRH analog, RX 77368, acts within the central amygdala to vagally stimulate gastric contractility.     

Effect of hardening and aging on thl resistance of nitrided niobium and its MN-1 alloy to low plastic deformation

Niobium, which possesses a unique combination of a high melting temperature (2465°C) and a low modulus of normal elasticity (80,000 –100,000 N/mm²), is a promising base for the creation of heat-resistant spring materials. In addition to the traditional technology, an efficient method for strengthening niobium and its alloys is gas nitriding, especially when it is combined with other strengthening techniques. The limited and temperature-dependent solubility of nirogen in niobium predetermines possibilities of using nitriding and subsequent heat treatment (hardening and aging) for improving the strength characteristics of thin-sheet materials. It is difficult to alloy refractory metals by metallurgical methods due to the high thermodynamic stability of nitrides and the desorption of nitrogen in vacuum. A more available and reliable method for bulk nitrogen alloying is suggested that consists in nitriding semiproducts of small cross section (complete penetration saturation). The present work is devoted to an investigation of the resistance of nitrided niobium and its MN-1 allov to low plastic deformations at room and elevated temperatures after hardening and aging.Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 7, pp. 33 – 36, July, 1996.     

Use of chemical fibre processing wastes for fabrication of thermoplastic composites

The behavior of the components of an inseparable mixture of processing wastes containing polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, and cellulose fibres was investigated. The possibility of using them in production of wood—polymer composites if cyclization in the structure of PAN and chemical reaction of basic and acid functional groups play the determining role in intensification of the interfacial interaction in the composite and correspondingly in increasing the strength properties of the final product, was demonstrated. The parameters of the process were optimized, and this allowed for obtaining materials with a static bending strength of up to 80 MPa, water absorption of up to 11%, and a degree of swelling of up to 8.3% according to GOST, which satisfies the requirements for brand ST_s-500 ultrahard board materials.St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design. Wood Technology Academy, St. Petersburg. Translated from Khimicheskie Volokna, No. 6, pp. 39–44, November–December, 1996.     

Moderate antioxidative efficiencies of flavonoids during peroxidation of methyl linoleate in homogeneous and micellar solutions

The relative reactivities as well as the stoichiometric coefficients for a number of flavonoids, catechols, and—for comparison—standard phenolic antioxidants were determined by analyzing the kinetics of oxygen consumption in organic and micellar systems, with peroxidation initiated by lipid- and water-soluble azo initiators. The results demonstrated that the flavonoids did not behave as classic phenolic antioxidants such as α-tocopherol, but showed only moderate chain-breaking activities. The results were in line with other structure-activity relationship studies on the importance of the B-ring catechol structure, the 2,3-double bond, and the 3,5-hydroxy groups. The data are discussed in view of possible explanations of the deviations flavonoids reveal in their behavior compared with regular phenolic antioxidants.