Association of serum hemolytic complement levels with the major histocompatibility complex in chickens

The total hemolytic complement (C) levels in inbred line 7 chicks and adults were lower than C levels in inbred lines 2 and 3 and in outbred chickens of the same age. In all birds, adult levels of C were obtained in 5- to 6-wk-old chickens. Analysis of F1 and F3 generations clearly showed that the C level in chickens was determined by a dominant gene(s) associated with the major histocompatibility complex. Finding this association in a nonmammal strengthens the importance of the relationship between closely linked genes controlling histocompatibility, immune responsiveness, mixed leukocyte reaction, and C activity.     

Influence of temperature on the fracture of a W-Ni-Fe alloy

A 95wt%W 3.5wt%Ni 1.5wt%Fe alloy is strained to failure in uniaxial tension at temperatures in the range –100°C to 300°C. The fracture surfaces of the tensile specimens are examined and the contributions from the fracture mechanisms: tungsten-tungsten intergranular decohesion, tungsten-binder interface decohesion, binder rupture and tungsten cleavage, are identified as a function of temperature. The observed variations are explained in terms of the flow stress temperature dependence of the two phases within the alloy. The results are consistent with a changing mode of specimen rupture from one of a localized cascade of nucleation events at low temperatures to one of crack propagation through linking of cracks within the necked region of the specimens deformed at higher temperatures.     

Local pressure stresses on lateral pipe-nozzle with various angles of intersection

This paper reports the variations of local pressure stress factors (local pressure stress/internal pressure) at the juncture of a pipe-nozzle when the angle of the pipe-nozzle intersection varies from the standard 90° to the 30° lateral. These stress factors in both the circumferential and longitudinal directions at four symmetric points around the pipe-nozzle juncture are plotted as functions of the angle. The ALGOR finite element software was employed to model the true pipe-nozzle geometry. The numerical stress results come from a pipe-nozzle with geometric parameters, beta, β, (nozzle mean radius/pipe mean radius) of 0.5, and gamma, γ, (pipe thickness/pipe mean radius) of 50.0. This study shows that the 90° intersection, a standard pipe-nozzle, exhibits relatively less severe local stresses. These stresses are increasing as the angle of intersection is decreasing from 90° and become more severe when the angle of intersection is further decreasing from 45°. The circumferential stress at the inside crotch point exhibits the worst stress value. The stress factor results in pipe circumferential direction at the inside crotch points are in good agreement with the stress factor equation from the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code.     

Use of starch and potato peel waste for perchlorate bioreduction in water

The cost of carbon substrates for microbial reduction of perchlorate (ClO(4)(-)) is central to the success and competitiveness of a sustainable bioremediation strategy for ClO(4)(-). This study explored the potential application of starch in combination with an amylolytic bacterial consortia and potato peel waste for ClO(4)(-) bioreduction. We obtained a potent amylolytic bacterial consortium that consisted of a Citrobacter sp. S4, Streptomyces sp. S2, Flavobacterium sp. S6, Pseudoxanthomonas sp. S5, Streptomyces sp. S7, and an Aeromonas sp. S8 identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. ClO(4)(-) concentration substantially decreased in purified starch medium inoculated with the amylolytic bacterial consortium and Dechlorosoma sp. perclace. Potato peel waste supported ClO(4)(-) reduction by perclace with the rate of ClO(4)(-) reduction being dependent on the amount of potato peels. Over 90% ClO(4)(-) removal was achieved in 4 days in a single time point experiment with 2% (w/v) potato peels waste. ClO(4)(-) reduction in a non-sterile 0.5% potato peel media inoculated with perclace occurred with an initial concentration of 10.14+/-0.04 mg L(-1) to 2.87+/-0.4 mg L(-1) (71.7% reduction) within 5 days. ClO(4)(-) was not detected in the cultures in 6 days. In a non-sterile 0.5% potato media without perclace, ClO(4)(-) depletion occurred slowly from an initial value of 9.99+/-0.15 mg L(-1) to 6.33+/-0.43 mg L(-1) (36.63% reduction) in 5 days. Thereafter, ClO(4)(-) was rapidly degraded achieving 77.1% reduction in 7 days and not detected in 9 days. No susbstantial reduction of ClO(4)(-) was observed in the sterile potato peel media without perclace in 7 days. Redox potential of the potato peel cultures was favorable for ClO(4)(-) reduction, decreasing to as low as -294 mV in 24 h. Sugar levels remained very low in cultures effectively reducing ClO(4)(-) and was substantially higher in sterilized controls. Our results indicate that potato peel waste in combination with amylolytic microorganisms and Dechlorosoma sp. perclace can be economically used to achieve complete ClO(4)(-) removal from water.     

High pressure behaviour of TmTe and EuO

The high pressure behaviour of TmTe and of EuO have been investigated up to pressures of 49 and 63 GPa respectively, using the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction technique and synchrotron radiation. TmTe shows a phase transformation at 8 GPa to a possible tetragonal structure. Above 35 GPa this structure undergoes a further distortion. EuO shows a normal compressibility curve leading up to an NaCl to CsCl type phase transition beginning at 47 GPa.     

Assessment of retrograde amnesia: Findings with a new public events procedure.

Existing public events tests for retrograde amnesia quickly become out of date and require frequent restandardization. The initial development of the Oscar Test is reported, which requires Ss to match the titles of Academy Award winning movies with the years in which they were made, a procedure that updates itself automatically every year. Data from 25 normal Ss and 7 patients with severe anterograde amnesia are presented. As a group, the patients demonstrated significant impairment, misdating movies by an average of 14 yrs. Several individual amnesic patients were much more impaired and produced profiles similar to those found on other remote memory tests. Performance on the Oscar Test tended to parallel performance on the Autobiographical Memory Interview in revealing mild, time-limited retrograde amnesia in some patients and severe, temporally extensive retrograde amnesia in others. Neuropathology outside the classical memory system may be required for the latter type. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collection of pheromone from atmosphere surrounding boll weevils,Anthonomus grandis

An effluvial method was developed to collect the pheromone, grandlure from actively calling male boll weevils,Anthonomus grandis Boheman. The adsorbant, Porapak Q (ethylvinylbenzene-divinylbenzene), was utilized to trap and concentrate the pheromone. Captured pheromone was desorbed from columns packed with Porapak Q by elution withn-pentane and quantified by capillary column gas-liquid chromatography. In recovery studies with known amounts of synthetic grandlure, we found that the amount of each pheromone component collected was a function of collection duration, elution volume, and initial concentration. This effluvial method was capable of recovering as much as 94.9% of a known quantity (80 μg) of grandlure. The chromatograms were free of extraneous peaks. In studies of insect-produced pheromone, the effluvial method was used to collect pheromone from the air space surrounding male boll weevils as they fed on flower buds from CAMD-E cotton. The quantity and quality of boll-weevil-produced pheromone was determined for days 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of boll weevil adulthood. The maximum quantity of natural pheromone was produced on day 13 (4.2 μg/weevil) with a pheromone component ratio of 2.41∶2.29∶0.95∶1 for components I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The effluvial method described in this report is an efficient method to collect and quantify boll weevil pheromone from the atmosphere surrounding actively calling insects. Other applications of this method are suggested.