Effects of varying the method of applying alkaline emulsion on the drying of Sultana grapes

Sultana berries were treated with alkaline oil-in-water emulsion by partial or total immersion, spotting or spraying. Their weight loss during dehyration at 40°C and the colour and extent of surface bloom of the resultant raisins were determined. Approximately 37 μl of emulsion adhere to the berry during immersion but about 85% of this accumulates as a run-off droplet. Spread of emulsion from treated to untreated parts occurs on mature berries only; it increases with increasing maturity, as shown by its linear relationship with the concentration of total soluble solids in the fruit. Comparable amounts of emulsion are more effective when spotted uniformly instead of distally on the berry surface. Drying accelerates as berries receive more spots of emulsion. Approximately 9 μl of emulsion placed by spotting or part-immersion give raisins of similar quality to that of raisins dried after total immersion, despite slower drying rates during the first 36–48 h of dehydration. Any further reduction in the amount of emulsion leads to slower drying and darker raisins. The spray emitted by the nozzels used contained droplets of 190 or 440 μm mean diameter. Between 0.5 and 1.5 μl of emulsion was applied per berry. Small droplets were about 20% more effective than large ones. The efficacy of the best spraying treatment, 1.5 μl berry^?1 and small droplet size, was almost as good as that of immersion. It is concluded that the efficacy of emulsion treatment depends in part on the characteristics of the fruit to be dried. Comparisons between treatments should only be made from several measurements during the course of drying. The cost of drying may be reduced and the quality of the raisins may improve when the emulsion treatment is modified according to the type of Sultana berry to be dried.     

Trapping,emission and generation in MNOS memory devices

This study is concerned with trapping phenomena occuring at the semiconductor-oxide interface and in the nitride layer of variable-threshold metal-nitride-oxide-semiconductor (MNOS) memory devices. The technique consits of biasing the device in such a manner as to charge or discharge either the interface traps or the nitride traps, or both sets of traps simultaneously. The device is then cooled to low temperature with the bias still applied, and at the low temperature the biasing condition is changed, in order to induce the device into a non-steady mode that is quasi-stable at the low temperature. The temperature of the device is then raised at a constant rate, and the resulting current vs temperature (I-T) characteristics is found to be rich in structure. By means of a series of systematic experiments the various portions of the I-T characteristic are identified with emission of electrons from interface states and the nitride traps, and surface generation. From this data the energy distribution of interface states is determied. It is shown that the memory charge in the nitride is distributed throughout the nitride, and temporary memory charge and semi-permanent memory charge are distinguished.     

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide-mediated fetal death. Production of a newly recognized form of inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in murine decidua in response to lipopolysaccharide

Maternal infection is a cause of spontaneous abortion and preterm labor in humans, but the pathophysiology is unclear. We hypothesized that eicosanoids play an important role in infection-driven pregnancy loss. To investigate this hypothesis, we administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to pregnant C3H/HeN mice and found that LPS administration caused fetal death in a dose-dependent fashion. Pretreatment with indomethacin significantly decreased the proportion of fetal death from 83% to < 25% in mice injected with 10 micrograms of LPS. Also, decidual explants from LPS-treated mice produced significantly more inflammatory eicosanoids, including prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha and thromboxane B2, than controls. We investigated the regulatory mechanisms responsible for increased decidual prostanoid production in response to LPS. Western and Northern blots demonstrated that decidual protein and mRNA levels of a recently recognized highly inducible form of cyclooxygenase, COX-2, were substantially increased in mice treated with LPS. Induction of COX-2 was rapid: mRNA was detected 30 min after LPS injection. In contrast, another form of cyclooxygenase, COX-1, was only minimally induced in response to LPS. Our data indicate that LPS induces decidual prostanoid production via increased COX-2 expression. Since LPS-mediated fetal death is markedly diminished by pretreatment with indomethacin, COX-2-mediated eicosanoid production is likely a key pathophysiologic event in LPS-mediated fetal death.     

Effect of temperature and voltage sweep rate on C ƒ- V characteristics of MIS capacitors

The capacitance (C) vs voltage (V) characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors have been measured, with temperature and sweep rate as parametric variables. The steady-state portions of the curves are seen to be strongly temperature dependent, while the non-steady-state portion of the curves exhibit pronounced hysteresis. The striking features of this portion of the curves is that the amount of hysteresis is only slightly dependent on temperature and sweep rate. Generally speaking, the curves are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.At relatively high temperature and high sweep rates, the non-steady-state portion of the C?V curve exhibits a minimum on the negative-going voltage cycle (for devices with n-type substrates). This phemenon is explained in terms of the combined effects of surface and bulk generation in the semiconductor. During the non-steady-state positive-going voltage cycle the C?V characteristic overshoots the steady-state inversion C ? V characteristic. This is explained in terms of the necessity of having the Fermi level of the semiconductor slightly above the level of the uppermost-filled trap, in order that there will be a net flow of current into the interface traps.     

Camptodactyly: classification and results of nonoperative treatment

To assess the relationship between clinical presentation and response to treatment, we reviewed the management of 59 involved proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints in 22 patients with camptodactyly at a mean follow-up of 33 months. This population represented 24 cases of isolated infantile camptodactyly (type I), five cases of adolescent camptodactyly (type II), and 30 cases of syndromic camptodactyly (type III). Treatment response was assessed through passive range of motion measurements. Splinting and close adherence to an occupational therapy program were particularly effective for type I digits. We also recommend this approach for type II and type III camptodactyly, although severe deformities and well-established contractures are more common in these patients. We reserve operative intervention for only those patients who fail nonoperative management.     

Significance of terminal rinse for rat liver preservation

A terminal rinse (TR) is standard practice in liver preservation with University of Wisconsin solution (UW) to avoid a potassium load. The fact that sodium lactobionate sucrose solution (SLS) is an effective organ preservation solution with a low potassium provided an opportunity to evaluate rat liver preservation without the TR step. Its importance was investigated in 122 rat liver preservation experiments. In study 1, UW and a hydroxyethyl starch-free, modified UW (UWm) were used for 20-hr liver preservation followed by either no TR or Ringer's lactate TR. The 1-week survival was: UW-TR, 2/14; UW-no TR, 1/6; UWm-TR, 0/6; UWm-no TR, 5/5 (P < 0.01). In study 2, livers were stored for 30 hr in SLS, UW, UWm, and UWm + chlorpromazine 5 mg/L, all without a TR. Nine of 11 rats survived 7 days after SLS, but there were no survivors in the other groups (P < 0.05). Study 3 compared no TR with TR with SLS, Ringer's lactate (RL), or a modified Carolina rinse (CRm) after 30-hr SLS preservation. Survival, serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and histology were assessed. One-week survival of 9/11 rats in no TR was significantly better than in the other groups (3/14 in TR-SLS, 0/8 in TR-RL, and 0/14 in TR-CRm, P < 0.01). The values of aspartate aminotransferase (mean +/- SE) 3 hr after transplantation were 1862 +/- 439 U/L, 3334 +/- 817 U/L, 6591 +/- 1944 U/L, and 7028 +/- 1704 U/L, respectively, in no TR, TR-SLS, TR-RL, and TR-CRm. There were significant differences both in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase between no-TR and each of TR-RL and TR-CRm (P < 0.05). Liver specimens from rats killed 3 hr after OLT showed only mild injury in the no TR group and severe injury in the remaining groups. We conclude that a terminal rinse is harmful in rat liver preservation.     

Control of defects in optical fibers-a study usingcathodoluminescence spectroscopy

Cathodoluminescence spectra of germanosilicate and silicate glass in modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) and vapor-phase axial deposition (VAD) preforms are presented, and the influence of co-doping with phosphorus, boron, and fluorine on the peaks associated with the E' and the so-called drawing-induced defects are studied. A simple reaction scheme is developed which illustrates that these defects can be controlled by the electron donor (P) and scavenger (B,F) properties of the co-dopant     

Molecular mechanisms of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are highly specialized to carry out their unique role in cell signalling. Significant progress has been made in the last several years determining the molecular mechanisms for these specializations. The activation of the channels begins with the binding of cyclic nucleotide to a domain in the carboxyl terminal region. This binding, in turn, produces an induced fit of the protein that involves a movement of the C-helix portion of the binding domain. The induced fit of the binding domain is coupled to an allosteric conformational change that opens the channel pore. The pore is formed primarily from the sequence between the S5 and S6 segments. A single glutamic acid in the pore represents the binding site for multiple monovalent cations, the blocking site for external divalent cations, and the site for the effect of protons on permeation.