Dynamic ventilation 3He MRI for the quantification of disease in the rat lung

Pulmonary diseases are known to be largely inhomogeneous. To evaluate such inhomogeneities, we are testing an image-based method to measure gas flow in the lung regionally. Dynamic, spin-density-weighted hyperpolarized (3)He MR images performed during slow inhalation of this gas were analyzed to quantify regional inflation rate. This parameter was measured in regions of interest (ROIs) that were defined by a rectangular grid that covered the entire rat lung and grew dynamically with it during its inflation. We used regional inflation rate to quantify elastase-induced emphysema and to differentiate healthy (n = 8) from elastase-treated (n = 9) rat lungs as well as healthy from elastase-treated areas of one rat unilaterally treated with elastase in the left lung. Emphysema was also assessed by gold standard morphological and well-established hyperpolarized (3)He MRI diffusion measurements. Mean values of regional inflation rates were significantly different for healthy and elastase-treated animals and correlated well with the apparent diffusion coefficient of (3)He and morphological measurements. The image-based biomarker inflation rate may be useful for the assessment of regional lung ventilation.     

XV. Yeast sequencing reports. A 29·425 kb segment on the left arm of yeast chromosome XV contains more than twice as many unknown as known open reading frames

The nucleotide sequence of a 29·425 kb fragment localized on the left arm of chromosome XV from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been determined. The sequence contains 13 open reading frames (ORFs) of which four encode the known genes ADH1, COQ3, MSH2 and RCF4. Predictions are made concerning the functions of the unknown ORFs. Some of the ORFs contain sequences similar to expressed sequences tags (EST) found in the database made available by TIGR. In particular, the highly expressed ADH1 gene is represented in this database by no less than 20 EST sequences. Two ARS sequences and a putative functional GCN4 motif have also been detected. One ORF (O0953) containing nine putative transmembrane segments is similar to a hypothetical membrane protein of Arabidopsis thaliana. Characteristic features of the other ORFs include ATP/GTP binding sites, a fungal Zn(2)-Cys(6) binuclear centre, an endoplasmic reticulum targeting sequence, a β-transducin repeat signature and in two instances, good similarity to the prokaryotic lipoprotein signal peptide motif. The sequence has been deposited in the EMBL data library under Accession Number X83121.     

Performance of Uplink NOMA with User Mobility Under Short Packet Transmission

Wireless Personal Communications - The scenario of an uplink two-user non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) communication system is analytically studied when it operates in the short packet...     

A1H NMR anomaly for steroidal alcohols? Reactions of a steroidal γ-ketoacid

The chemical and spectroscopic properties of several reaction products of 17β-hydroxy-1,3-seco-2-nor-5α-estran-1-oic acid and 17β-hydroxy-1,3-seco-2-nor-4-oxo-5α-estran-1-oic acid were examined and found to be atypical. For instance, the methyl ester of the first acid was resistant to basic hydrolysis conditions but partly hydrolyzed with 100% H₂SO₄. Reduction of the ester by LiA1H₄ gave 1,3-seco-2-nor-5α-estrane-1,17β-diol from which diacetate, ditosylate and 17-monotosylate derivatives were prepared. The C-1 methylene protons of each appeared as a singlet in 60, 100 and/or 270 MHz NMR spectra. The methyl ester and the diacetate of the diol were synthesized by alternate methods to verify the assigned structures. A 470-MHz spectrum eventually resolved the C-1 methylene protons of the monotysylate into the AB portion of an ABX pattern, further confirming the assigned structures. Also, 2,3-seco-1-oxo-5α-estran-17β-ol 17-nitrate was synthesized.     

Edge loading in metal-on-metal hips: low clearance is a new risk factor

The revision rate of large head metal-on-metal and resurfacing hips are significantly higher than conventional total hip replacements. The revision of these components has been linked to high wear caused by edge loading; which occurs when the head-cup contact patch extends over the cup rim. There are two current explanations for this; first, there is loss of entrainment of synovial fluid resulting in breakdown of the lubricating film and second, edge loading results in a large local increase in contact pressure and consequent film thickness reduction at the cup rim, which causes an increase in wear. This paper develops a method to calculate the distance between the joint reaction force vector and the cup rim--the contact patch centre to rim (CPCR) distance. However, the critical distance for the risk of edge loading is the distance from the contact patch edge to rim (CPER) distance. An analysis of explanted hip components, divided into edge worn and non-edge-worn components showed that there was no statistical difference in CPCR values, but the CPER value was significantly lower for edge worn hips. Low clearance hips, which have a more conformal contact, have a larger diameter contact patch and thus are more at risk of edge loading for similarly positioned hips.     

Reflectivity of buried slab waveguides

The scattering properties of an abruptly ended buried slab waveguide for both TE and TM modes are examined by an improved iteration technique that is based on the integral equation method with "accelerating" parameters. The waveguide is considered a symmetrical slab, for which the weakly guiding conditions are invalid, and it is embedded in a different dielectric material. The tangential electric field distribution on the terminal plane, the reflection coefficient of the first TE and TM guided modes, and the far-field radiation pattern are computed. Numerical results are presented for several ended waveguides, while special attention is given to the far-field radiation pattern rotation and the terminal field distributions.     

Metal iris influence on guided-mode diffraction

The effects of the presence of metal irises on guided-mode propagation through a symmetrical three-layer slab waveguide are examined by using the integral equation method. The aperture electric field distribution is expressed in terms of a finite series of Chebyshev polynomials. The modal reflection and transmission coefficients, the near-field structure, and the far-field radiation pattern are calculated, while numerical results are presented for several iris apertures.     

Infertility and multiple urogenital abnormalities in a male with mosaic 46,XY/45,XO/47,XXY karyotype and mixed phenotype

The effect of infusing the neuroactive steroids pregnanolone and iso-pregnanolone on somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and electrocortical (ECoG) activity was studied in unanaesthetised fetal sheep, 130-135 days gestation. Intravenous infusion of pregnanolone (6 mg/kg per h) significantly increased the proportion of high voltage ECoG (56.1+/-4.8% vs. control 43.5+/-3.2%, P < 0.05), and decreased low voltage ECoG (43.9+/-4.8% vs. control 56.6+/-3.2%, P < 0.05). Pregnanolone treatment decreased the amplitude of the N25 peak of the SEP (89.9+/-2.8% of control, P < 0.05) evoked following stimulation of the skin of the upper lip. In contrast, iso-pregnanolone treatment had no effect on ECoG activities, or on the amplitude and latency of peaks in the SEP. We conclude that 3alpha-hydroxy pregnane steroids are active at GABA(A) receptors in fetal sheep and can modulate sleep/wake activity before birth.     

Trichodysplasia and amelogenesis imperfecta

A nonradioactive RNA-RNA in situ hybridization method using digoxigenin-labeled probes is described. The visualization of hybrids is done using the indoxyl-nitro blue tetrazolium alkaline phosphatase reaction. The addition of polyvinyl alcohols of high molecular weight (40-100 kDa) to the reaction medium enhances the alkaline phosphatase reaction and prevents diffusion of reaction intermediates, resulting in a 20-fold increase in sensitivity without increasing the background. Due to the more localized precipitation of the formazan, the site of hybridization can be determined more precisely.