Effect of L-carnitine treatment on very low density lipoprotein kinetics in the hyperlipidemic rabbit

This study examined the hypolipidemic effect of 4 weeks of L-carnitine treatment (170 mg/kg b.w./day) in New Zealand White rabbits fed a high fat diet (5% corn oil/0.5% cholesterol). Specifically, [3H] glycerol and [125I] very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) turnover studies were conducted to examine the effect of treatment on VLDL kinetics. The masses of plasma VLDL-triglycerides (VLDL-TG) and VLDL-apoprotein B (VLDL-apoB) were significantly increased by the high-fat diet. Four weeks of treatment with L-carnitine significantly reduced these masses. Kinetic analysis indicated that fat feeding reduced the fractional catabolic rates (FCRs) of VLDL-TG and VLDL-apoB relative to chow-fed controls. The transport of these VLDL components was not altered by the diet. L-carnitine treatment had no effect on the FCRs of VLDL-TG and VLDL-apoB or on the transport of VLDL-apoB. Yet, treatment significantly lowered the transport of VLDL-TG. These data indicate that the lipid-lowering effect of L-carnitine in this animal model was due, in part, to a decrease in the transport and not due to an alteration in the fractional catabolic rate of VLDL-TG.     

Modified refraction-interference method for calculating the geometric and optical parameters of optical waveguides

We describe a ray method for analysis of the geometric and optical characteristics of two-layer fiber optical waveguides. We have analyzed the effect of the polarization of the illuminating beam on the overall pattern of the intensity distribution. We consider the characteristic types of rays for a single-layer and two-layer fiber optical waveguide. We have obtained definitive dependences of the beam intensity for each ray individually. We have developed a program for calculation of the scattering pattern in fiber optical waveguides illuminated by a broad beam. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 39–42, March, 1996.     

Wind energy systems

Wind energy has matured to a level of development where it is ready to become a generally accepted utility generation technology. A brief discussion of this development is presented, and the operating and design principles are discussed. Alternative designs for wind turbines and the tradeoffs that must be considered are briefly compared. Development of a wind energy system and the impacts on the utility network including frequency stability, voltage stability, and power quality are discussed. The assessment of wind power station economics and the key economic factors that determine the economic viability of a wind power plant are presented     

The Bi-Rb (bismuth-rubidium) system

This work was supported by ASM International. Literature searched through 1988. Dr. Pelton is the Alloy Phase Diagram Program Co-Category Editor for binary alkali alloys.     

The influence of the alloying elements upon the transformation kinetics and morphologies of ferrite plates in alloy steels

A series of Fe-C-X and Fe-C-X₁-X₂ alloys in which X, X₁ and X₂ either raise or depress the activity of C iny were investigated by autodilatometer, optical microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to reveal the relations among the chemical composition, transformation kinetics, and morphology of ferrite plates. The incubation time of austenite decomposition at the nose temperature in the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams, the concentration of C in y in contact with theα/gg boundary, and the growth rate of ferrite were evaluated to estimate the magnitude of the solute drag-like effect (SDLE) for the different alloying elements used. All the results are consistent qualitatively with the SDLE hypothesis. This article is based on a presentation made at the Pacific Rim Conference on the “Roles of Shear and Diffusion in the Formation of Plate-Shaped Transformation Products,” held December 18-22, 1992, in Kona, Hawaii, under the auspices of ASM INTERNATIONAL’S Phase Transformations Committee.     

A conserved sequence in tRNA and rRNA promoters of Lactococcus lactis

A tRNA operon (trnA) from Lactococcus lactis consisting of seven tRNA genes and a 5S rRNA gene was cloned and sequenced. Promoter-fusion of the trnA promoter to a promoter-less beta-galactosidase gene of Leuconostoc mesenteroides resulted in high levels of beta-galactosidase activity in L. lactis. Searching for sequences with similarity to the sequence of the promoter region revealed a consensus sequence of promoters preceeding rRNA operons and tRNA operons from Lactococcus species including a not previously described conserved sequence (AGTT).     

Do chart reviews and interviews provide the same information about breast and cervical cancer screening?

Magnetic resonance imaging allows a noninvasive assessment of myelination during normal brain maturation as well as the detection of genetically determined and acquired diseases that affect the synthesis and maintenance of myelin. If this high sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging for white matter changes is completed by adequate clinical and biochemical information, a unique diagnostic tool is available to gain new insights in the formation of myelin and pathogenesis of myelin disorders.