Positive and Negative Emotional Feelings and Behaviors in Mother-Daughter Ties in Late Life.

Behaviors and emotions during specific visits may reveal the interpersonal processes of mother-daughter ties, yet most research uses global assessments of these ties. Forty-eight mother-daughter pairs participated in audiotaped conversations and completed surveys. All mothers were over age 70 and in good health. Daughters tended to take a central role in structuring the conversations. Conversations were characterized by high levels of felt and expressed positive emotions and behaviors for mothers and daughters. Nevertheless, mothers reported more positive and fewer negative emotions, whereas daughters expressed more positive behaviors than did mothers. Mothers' positive feelings and behaviors were associated with daughters'. Finally, mothers' and daughters' emotions and behaviors were associated with their destructive responses to being upset with each other, providing support for the ambivalence perspective of parent-offspring relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of Gaseous Atmosphere on Morphology and Cellular Fatty Acid Composition of Campylobacter jejuni

ABSTRACT: We evaluated the effect of growth environment on morphology and fatty acid (FA) profiles of 2 strains of C ampylobacter jejuni (ATCC 29428 and 33560) grown under various gaseous conditions. Viable counts were determined by plate count and percentages of coccoid cells. FA profiles were measured by gas chromatography. Plate counts were lowest when cultures were grown in air and highest in CO₂ (10%), O₂ (5%), and N₂ (85%). For 29428, percentages of coccoid cells did not differ among treatments. For 33560, percentages of coccoid cells were greater than for 29428 and varied among treatments (13% to 87%). There were no significant ( P > 0.05) relationships between percentages of coccoid cells and amounts of individual or combinations of FA either between or within strains.     

Performance evaluation of a biotrickling filter degrading mixtures of hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds

The removal of a mixture of painting solvents from waste air using a biofiltration process was evaluated in this project. The pollutants removed included hydrophobic (aromatic hydrocarbons) and hydrophilic (water soluble ketones and esters) compounds. A trickle bed reactor with a defined immobilized mixed culture on polyethylene Pall rings was utilized in this biodegradation study. The removal efficiencies (RE) of the individual groups of pollutants during loading experiments were determined. An increase of the aromatic hydrocarbons loading resulted in a drop of their RE_AROM with no effect on the RE value of ketones. The overloading of ketones caused a rapid drop in RE_AROM and a small drop in RE_KET. To achieve a restoration of the biocatalyst degradation properties after the increase in loading, an addition of phosphate to the aqueous medium was implemented which successfully restored the removal efficiency.     

Effects of Ajoene on lymphocyte and macrophage membrane-dependent functions

An increasing flow of evidences collected on elementary forms of learning processes in selected animal models evidentiates some mechanisms which can represent the basic cellular principles underlying plastic changes: 1. 5HT and second messengers of nucleotide type (like cAMP) have a pivotal role in the learning process. 2. In almost all short-term learning processes the modifications are subserved by a mechanism of protein phosphorylation. 3. In various animal models the modulation of K+ and Ca2+ channels is the molecular mechanism for learning. Experiments performed in sensory T neuron of the leech indicate that the modulation of Na+/K+ electrogenic pump is one of the fundamental mechanism for learning. 4. In long-term plastic changes, the most important finding is that newly synthesized proteins are formed. 5. In addition to what has been observed in the Aplysia model, where changes in synaptic efficacy represent the basic principles of memory storage, in the leech it has been demonstrated that a molecular machinery present in a single neuron can adapt the activity of the cell to environmental stimuli.     

Analysis of Caching and Replication Strategies for Web Applications

Developers often use replication and caching mechanisms to enhance Web application performance. The authors present a qualitative and quantitative analysis of state-of-the art replication and caching techniques used to host Web applications. Their analysis shows that selecting the best mechanism depends heavily on data workload and requires a careful review of the application's characteristics. They also propose a technique for Web practitioners to compare different mechanisms' performance on their own     

FE3 EPR investigation of PLZT 1/65/35 and 8/65/35

X-band EPR spectra of PLZT 1/65/35 and PLZT 8/65/35 doped with 1% FE³⁺ were recorded at temperature range -175°C to 200°C. Three types of paramagnetic centers were found. Two of them are in strong axial and rhombic crystal field due to neighboring oxygen and lead vacancies. The other center has symmetry determined by polarization and oxygen octahedra tilt. EPR spectra of PLZT 8/65/35 are in agreement with its glassy behavior.     

Calcium additional to that bound to the transport sites is required for full activation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase from skeletal muscle

The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase is fully activated when approximately 1 microM [Ca2+] saturates the two transport sites; higher [Ca] inhibits the ATPase by competition of Ca-ATP with Mg-ATP as substrates. Here we describe a novel effect of EGTA and other chelators, raising the possibility of an additional activating effect of Ca in the sub- or low microM range. Sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes were isolated from rabbit skeletal muscles. The ATPase activity was measured after incubation at 37 degreesC in 3 mM ATP, 3 mM MgCl2, 50 mM MOPS-Tris (pH 7.2), 100 mM KCl, and variable CaCl2, EGTA and calcimycin. In the absence of added EGTA and Ca the ATPase activity is high due to contaminant Ca. The determination of the ATPase activity in the presence of increasing amounts of EGTA, without added Ca, yields a decreasing sigmoidal function. Ki ranged between 20 and 100 microM, depending on the enzyme concentration. Pi production is linear with time for several [EGTA] yielding suboptimal ATPase activities, which are inhibited by thapsigargin. These suboptimal Ca-ATPase activities are inhibited by preincubation of the enzyme in EGTA, at pH 7.2. This effect increases upon increasing EGTA concentration and preincubation time. The inhibitory effect of the previous exposure of the enzyme to EGTA is partially but significantly reverted by increasing [Ca2+] during incubations. Calcimycin and EDTA have similar effects as EGTA when added in preincubations. The effect of calcimycin is fully reverted by optimal [Ca2+] in incubations. The effects of EGTA, EDTA and calcimycin in preincubation are not additive. The results suggest that an additional calcium, lost during preincubations from a site with affinity near 1 microM, is necessary for full activation of the ATPase.     

Factors controlling cracking of concrete affected by reinforcement corrosion

The present paper tries to contribute to quantifying the relationship between the amount of corrosion and cover cracking. The variables studied were: cover/diameter (c/ø), proportions of cement, w/c, cast position of the bar, transverse reinforcement and corrosion rate. The corrosion is accelerated by applying constant currents causing the rebar to act as an anode. The results indicate that the cracking process develops in two steps: generation and propagation. Radius losses of about 15–50 μm are necessary to generate the first visible crack (<0.1 mm width). The propagation follows a behaviour of the type: w (crack width in mm)=a+bx (radius loss in μm).     

Mumps orchitis; review of 8 cases]

The occurrence of secondary hypogonadism is a common finding in males who seek help with erectile dysfunction, although the relationship to diminished testosterone is unclear. Two possibilities exist regarding both the genesis and maintenance of the hypogonadotropic hypogonadal state. First, a defect in hypothalamic function, resulting in downregulation as well as in alterations of anterior pituitary function; second, estradiol inhibition of gonadotropin release, both of which result in decreased testosterone production. As testosterone levels decrease and estradiol levels increase, the ratio of free testosterone to estradiol reaches a critical point and the estrogenic gonadotropin suppressive effects predominate. This ratio may signal the biological point of no return and could become one of the criteria for defining the separation of the transitional hypogonadal state from the final 'end stage' hypogonadotropic hypogonadal state. As the aging process continues, there is a relative accumulation of fatty tissue, and aromatization accelerates the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. This additional secondary estradiol inhibition results in the maintenance of the testosterone deficient state, and the aging process continues uncontested.     

Bone growth and bone development in the presence of implants or after induced leg-lengthening studied using the Oxford Scanning Proton Microprobe

To respond to varying environmental demands the bone tissue in the body is under continual reconstruction throughout life. It is known that metallic elements are important for maintaining normal bone structure, but their roles are not well understood. More information about the effects of metal excess or deficiency is needed to help in the development of metallic bone implants and to improve the treatment of bone fractures and defects. The Oxford Scanning Proton Microprobe (SPM) is being applied in two studies involving metal ions in bone: (1) bone regrowth and bonding to titanium bone implants may be influenced by diffusion of Ti ions into the bone. We are using microPIXE to determine the metal ion content of bone developing in contact with implants of pure Nb, Ti and Ti alloys. (2) Bone lengthening as a surgical procedure is induced by fracturing the bone and allowing it to heal with a small gap between the fractured ends created by the use of external fixators. The gap can be slowly increased during the healing process to stimulate the production of new bone. The enzymes and other constituents of the developing bone need certain metals for their function. Using experimental animals we have studied the concentrations of the metals and whether a deficiency of trace metals limits the optimum rate of bone lengthening.