Liquid crystalline nanowires in porous alumina: geometric confinement versus influence of pore walls

Aligned liquid crystalline nanowires within ordered porous alumina templates show a pronounced texture on a macroscopic scale. We have investigated the influence of the geometric confinement and the nature of the pore walls on the mesophase formation by means of X-ray diffraction. The apparent texture is the result of a complex interplay of the pore geometry, interfacial phenomena, and the thermal history. Pores with a diameter of a few hundred nm guide the mesophase formation more efficiently than those with a diameter below 100 nm.     

Intraoperative autotransfusion is associated with modest reduction of allogeneic transfusion in prosthetic hip surgery

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of intraoperative salvage and washing of wound blood and the predictors of allogeneic red cell transfusions in prosthetic hip surgery are insufficiently known. METHODS: In 96 patients, undergoing primary or revision surgery, salvaged and washed red cells and, if necessary, allogeneic blood were used to keep haematocrit not lower than 33%. The bleeding of red cells during hospital stay was calculated from the red cell balance. The preoperative red cell reserve (mililitres of red cells in excess of a haematocrit of 33%) was estimated and the difference between this volume and the total bleeding of red cells was retrospectively used to classify patients with regard to the need for red cells. Stepwise regression analysis was used to define patient-related variables associated with allogeneic blood transfusion. RESULTS: Preoperative knowledge of the type of operation (primary, revision), the preoperative red cell reserve, and the body mass could predict roughly half of the need for banked blood (r2 = 0.45). Only one-third of the total bleeding of red cells was retransfused. For complete avoidance of allogeneic blood, autotransfusion was most effective in patients with a moderate need (0-4 u). However, 32% of such patients required allogeneic blood. CONCLUSIONS: Autotransfusion has a limited efficacy to decrease the need for allogeneic blood, and other blood-saving methods should be added for this purpose. It is difficult to predict the need for allogeneic blood preoperatively.     

Why colour order systems?

In this introductory lecture to the AIC Forsius Symposium on Colour Order Systems, the author reviews color order systems from a historical point of view as samplings of the World of Colour, seeking with each example to find an answer to the question posed in the title.     

Comparative Analysis of Volatile Constituents from Mice and their Urine

We report the volatile composition of the body scent of male C57BL/6J mice in comparison to the volatile composition of their urine. From a total of 67 components, nitromethane, propanoic acid, dimethyldisulfide, 1-octene, 1-hexanol, hexanoic acid, indole, α- and β-farnesene, and one unidentified component were observed only in the volatiles from the body of mice. On the other hand, 3-penten-2-one, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, 3-methyl-cyclopentanone, p-xylene, 3-hepten-2-one, 2,3-dehydro-exo-brevicomin, benzylmethylketone, and 13 unidentified components were only found in urine volatiles. All other substances were present in the volatiles of both mice and their urine. Aliphatic aldehydes from pentanal to decanal were prominent mouse odor components. Because receptors for these aldehydes have been extensively characterized in the main olfactory organ, these components may be important for mice in recognizing their conspecifics.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Perinatal High-Fat Diet Influences Ozone-Induced Responses on Pulmonary Oxidant Status and the Molecular Control of Mitophagy in Female Rat Offspring

Previous research has shown that a perinatal obesogenic, high-fat diet (HFD) is able to exacerbate ozone-induced adverse effects on lung function, injury, and inflammation in offspring, and it has been suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated herein. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a perinatal obesogenic HFD affects ozone-induced changes in offspring pulmonary oxidant status and the molecular control of mitochondrial function. For this purpose, female Long-Evans rats were fed a control diet or HFD before and during gestation, and during lactation, after which the offspring were acutely exposed to filtered air or ozone at a young-adult age (forty days). Directly following this exposure, the offspring lungs were examined for markers related to oxidative stress; oxidative phosphorylation; and mitochondrial fusion, fission, biogenesis, and mitophagy. Acute ozone exposure significantly increased pulmonary oxidant status and upregulated the molecular machinery that controls receptor-mediated mitophagy. In female offspring, a perinatal HFD exacerbated these responses, whereas in male offspring, responses were similar for both diet groups. The expression of the genes and proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial biogenesis, fusion, and fission was not affected by ozone exposure or perinatal HFD. These findings suggest that a perinatal HFD influences ozone-induced responses on pulmonary oxidant status and the molecular control of mitophagy in female rat offspring.     

Fiber Bragg Gratings in Small-Core Ge-Doped Photonic Crystal Fibers

This paper reports fiber Bragg gratings （FBGs） inscribed in a small-core Ge-doped photonic crystal fibers with a UV laser and a Talbot interferometer. The responses of such FBGs to temper- ature, strain, bending, and transverse-loading were systematically investigated. The Bragg wavelength of the FBGs shifts toward longer wavelengths with increasing temperature, tensile strain, and transverse-loading. The bending and transverse- loading properties of the FBGs are sensitive to the fiber orientations.     

Validation of the performance of a GMO multiplex screening assay based on microarray detection

A new screening method for the detection and identification of GMO, based on the use of multiplex PCR followed by microarray, has been developed and is presented. The technology is based on the identification of quite ubiquitous GMO genetic target elements first amplified by PCR, followed by direct hybridisation of the amplicons on a predefined microarray (DualChip^® GMO, Eppendorf, Germany). The validation was performed within the framework of a European project (Co-Extra, contract no 007158) and in collaboration with 12 laboratories specialised in GMO detection. The present study reports the strategy and the results of an ISO complying validation of the method carried out through an inter-laboratory study. Sets of blind samples were provided consisting of DNA reference materials covering all the elements detectable by specific probes present on the array. The GMO concentrations varied from 1% down to 0.045%. In addition, a mixture of two GMO events (0.1% RRS diluted in 100% TOPAS19/2) was incorporated in the study to test the robustness of the assay in extreme conditions. Data were processed according to ISO 5725 standard. The method was evaluated with predefined performance criteria with respect to the EC CRL method acceptance criteria. The overall method performance met the acceptance criteria; in particular, the results showed that the method is suitable for the detection of the different target elements at 0.1% concentration of GMO with a 95% accuracy rate. This collaborative trial showed that the method can be considered as fit for the purpose of screening with respect to its intra- and inter-laboratory accuracy. The results demonstrated the validity of combining multiplex PCR with array detection as provided by the DualChip^® GMO (Eppendorf, Germany) for the screening of GMO. The results showed that the technology is robust, practical and suitable as a screening tool.