Memory complaints in epilepsy: correlations with cognitive performance and neuroticism

Experimental results are presented to show that the adhesion force is the single most important limiting factor in high-resolution atomic force microscopy of DNA in air, prepared by the cytochrome-C-assisted spreading method. It is also shown that humidity plays a minor role in the control of probe force. Using a pure carbon film as the substrate to clean the AFM tip prior to imaging, it is demonstrated that 4-6 nm resolution on DNA can be routinely obtained by the atomic force microscope with commercial Si3N4 pyramid cantilevers. We also show that in organic solvents a resolution of up to 3 nm can be obtained under optimal conditions.     

Toward the reduction of population obesity: Macrolevel environmental approaches to the problems of food, eating, and obesity.

The authors reviewed the evidential basis of three environmental approaches to reducing population obesity: What are the effects of (a) taxing or subsidizing foods, (b) manipulating the ease of food access, and (c) restricting access to certain foods? A narrative review evaluated evidence using National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. There was strong evidence that subsidization influences food purchases, but not necessarily food consumption or body weight. Ease of food access may influence food purchases, and possibly food intake and body weight. Data on restriction were lacking. More studies are needed to justify that altering these macro-environmental variables will necessarily reduce population obesity. A proposed conceptual model posits that the steps through environmental interventions may exert intended and unintended influences on body weight and obesity prevalence. Contemplated policy changes should weigh scientific evidence with social judgments and values concerning changes to the environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phase equilibrium in a polarized saturated3He—4He mixture

We present experimental results on the phase equilibrium of a saturated³He−⁴He mixture, which has been cooled to a temperature of 10–15 mK and polarized in a⁴He circulating dilution refrigerator to a stationary polarization of 15%, 7 times higher than the equilibrium polarization in the external field of 7 T. The pressure dependence of the polarization enhancement in the refrigerator shows that the molar susceptibilities of the concentrated and dilute phase of a saturared³He-⁴He mixture are equal atp=2.60±0.04 bar. This result affects the Fermi liquid parameters of the dilute phase. The osmotic pressure in the dilute phase has been measured as a function of the polarization of the coexisting concentrated phase up to 15%. We find that the osmotic pressure at low polarization (<7%) agrees well with thermodynamics using the new Fermi liquid parameters of the dilute phase.     

Insulin-like growth factor I activates the invasion suppressor function of E-cadherin in MCF-7 human mammary carcinoma cells in vitro

The calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin has been shown to counteract invasion of epithelial neoplastic cells. Using three monoclonal antibodies, we have demonstrated the presence of E-cadherin at the surface of human MCF-7/6 mammary carcinoma cells by indirect immunofluorescence coupled to flow cytometry and by immunocytochemistry. Nevertheless, MCF-7/6 cells failed to aggregate in a medium containing 1.25 mM CaCl2, and they were invasive after confrontation with embryonic chick heart fragments in organ culture. Treatment of MCF-7/6 cells with 0.5 microgram ml-1 insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) led to homotypic aggregation within 5 to 10 min and inhibited invasion in vitro during at least 8 days. The effect of IGF-I on cellular aggregation was insensitive to cycloheximide. However, monoclonal antibodies that interfered with the function of either the IGF-I receptor (alpha IR3) or E-cadherin (HECD-1, MB2) blocked the effect of IGF-I on aggregation. The effects of IGF-I on aggregation and on invasion could be mimicked by 1 microgram ml-1 insulin, but not by 0.5 microgram ml-1 IGF-II. The insulin effects were presumably not mediated by the IGF-I receptor, since they could not be blocked by an antibody against this receptor (alpha IR3). Our results indicate that IGF-I activates the invasion suppressor role of E-cadherin in MCF-7/6 cells.     

The interactive editing and contouring of empirical fields

A system for the interactive editing and contouring of surfaces derived from empirical fields is described. The approach taken begins with the representation of a field as a general-order, nonuniform, tensor-product, B-spline surface. It provides an interactive display for editing the surface by control-vertex manipulation and a contouring algorithm that is specifically designed for the fast and robust contouring of B-spline surfaces. Interactive editing of the resulting model is feasible because of the local nature of editing changes when B-splines are used. The use of nonuniform B-splines gives the flexibility required to model highly irregular data efficiently     

Thermal Analysis of Sulphamethoxazole - Sugar Physical Mixes

Differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage microscopy have been used to study the interactions between sulphamethoxazole and the sugars maltose, glucose, sucrose and mannitol. Only the sulphamethoxazole-mannitol system appeared to be stable and presented a eutectic containing 90.3% sulphamethoxazole. Heats of fusion for sulphamethoxazole, mannitol and their eutectic were 33.4, 73.6 and 39.9 cal g respectively.     

Is there a role for continuation phase cognitive therapy for depressed outpatients?

Two pilot studies evaluated the rate of relapse or recurrence (i.e., major depressive disorder) after cognitive therapy (CT). Two sequential cohorts included outpatients who responded to acute phase CT (A-CT) and who agreed to monthly, treatment-free follow-up. In Study 1, the Kaplan-Meier technique estimated relapse and recurrence rates of 40% at 6 months, 45% at 8 months, 50% at 12 months, 67% at 18 months, and 74% at 24 months. In Study 2, responders to A-CT received 8 months (10 sessions) of continuation phase CT (C-CT). In Study 2, relapse or recurrence was 20% at 6 and 8 months, 27% at 12 months, and 36% at 18 and 24 months after A-CT. An exploratory log-rank test showed that relapse or recurrence-free survival was greater in Study 2 than in Study 1. If replicated, this result suggests that C-CT can reduce depressive relapse or recurrence. Alternative explanations are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microfluidic motion for a direct investigation of solvent interactions with PDMS microchannels

Solid surface/liquid interactions play an important role in microfluidics and particularly in manipulation of films, drops and bubbles, a basic requirement for a number of lab-on-chip applications. The behavior of solvents in coated microchannels is difficult to be predicted considering theories; therefore, experimental methods able to estimate the properties at the interface in real time and during the operational regime are amenable. Here, we propose to use an experimental setup to evaluate the effective dynamics of solvents inside PDMS microchannels. The influence of the solvent properties as well as of the channel wall’s wettability on the fluid movements was evaluated. Modification of the channel properties was achieved by introducing Teflon coatings that allow producing stable hydrophobic microchannel walls. The results were fitted according to Washburn-type power-law and compared with theoretical calculations of the parameter β that expresses the dependence of capillary dynamics on surface tension γ, liquid viscosity η, contact angles θ and the hydraulic radius R _H. A comparison between the calculated and the experimental values reveled that parameters other than the contemplated ones influenced the measurements. The main parameter that affects the flow of solvents such as water, methanol ethanol, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile and acetone was found to be the γ/η ratio. Considering these results, the investigation tool described here is believed to be promising to predict the dynamics of common organic solvents inside integrated functional fluidic devices and to accurately control solvent flow, particularly in capillary-driven pumpless systems, a basic requirement for widening the application range of PDMS lab-on-chip devices.     

Resistant starch formation during baking -effect of baking time and temperature and variations in the recipe

Summary The dietary fibre content in white wheat bread, measured with an enzymatic, gravimetric method, was almost 20% higher than in the corresponding flour. The increment was largely explained by the formation of resistant starch, i.e. starch available to amyloglucosidase only after solubilization with 2m-KOH. The resistant starch was formed in the oven or upon cooling of the finished bread. The water content in the dough seemed to influence the extent of the resistant starch formation, whereas changes in the fat content had no effect. The results indicate that the resistant starch might be hard retrograded starch, possibly amylose.

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Bildung von resistenter Stärke während des Backens in Abhängigkeit von Backzeit, Backtemperatur und Rezeptvariationen

Zusammenfassung Die Menge an Ballaststoffen, die nach einer enzymatisch-gravimetrischen Methode bestimmt wurde, war in weißem Weizenbrot fast 20% höher als in dem entsprechendem Mehl. Die Erhöhung konnte zum großen Teil auf die Bildung von resistenter Stärke zurückgeführt werden, d. h. auf eine Stärkefraktion, die nur nach Auflösung mit 2m-KOH für Amyloglucosidase zugänglich ist. Die resistente Stärke wird während des Backens oder während der Abkühlung des Brotes gebildet, und die Menge scheint vom Wassergehalt des Teiges, aber nicht vom Fettgehalt abhängig zu sein. Die Resultate dieser Untersuchung weisen darauf hin, daß die resistente Stärke retrogradierte Stärke, möglicherweise Amylose, ist.