Distress and boredom among orchestra musicians: The two faces of stress.

Survey data gathered from 63 professional musicians in a small symphony orchestra in the eastern United States were used to examine the effects of work-generated stressors on their psychological health and well-being. Lack of artistic integrity, task difficulty, and social tension were found to be the 3 most potent stressors that evoked 2 types of stress reactions: distress reflecting role overload and boredom stress reflecting role underload. Lack of artistic integrity and social tension contributed to heightened distress. Lack of artistic integrity was also associated with increased boredom stress, whereas task difficulty had the opposite effect. Musicians' job involvement and the instrument group in which they played moderated the relationship of selected stressors with the 3 outcome variables. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

10-Dehydrogingerdione Attenuates Tramadol-Induced Nephrotoxicity by Modulating Renal Oxidative Stress,Inflammation and Apoptosis in Experimental Rats: Role of HO-1 Activation and TLR4/NF-κB/ERK Inhibition

Tramadol represents a synthetic opioid analgesic especially for mild to severe pain. Its dose must be commonly monitored according to pain status and to alleviate the appearance of any adverse effects such as renal cellular damage during its excretion. Present work aimed mainly to study the effects of tramadol intake on renal tissues and 10-dehydrogingerdione (10-DHGD) potential as a protective agent. Tramadol administration induced an increase in serum levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid, the renal immune expression of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and caspase-3 which turned out to be decreased by 10-DHGD intake. Our results also recorded a significant increase in renal malondialdehyde (MDA), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase-1 (ERK1) along with glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) decrease due to tramadol intake, which were counteracted by 10-DHGD administration as illustrated and supported by the histopathological findings. Our conclusion refers to renoprotective potential of 10-DHGD against tramadol adverse effects.     

Responses of Mud Snails and Periwinkles to Environmental Odors and Disaccharide Mimics of Fish Odor

Estuarine snails, periwinkles (Littoraria irorata), and mud snails (Ilyanassa obsoleta) were tested for behavioral responses to aqueous extracts of tissue macerates, odors of living intact organisms, and to disaccharides derived from heparin. Extracts included salt-marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum), crushed periwinkles, and crushed mud snails. Odors included live periwinkles, mud snails, stone crab (Menippe mercenaria), striped hermit crab (Clibanarius vittatus), tulip snail (Fasciolaria hunteria), and mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). Responses were determined upon contact by snails of a ring of solution in the bottom of an otherwise dry bowl and by presenting snails in seawater with 25 l of solution on a cotton swab. In each test, the response of 30 individuals was determined. Behaviors were recorded as fed, alarm, and no response. The strongest alarm response (>80% of all snails tested) in both snails was elicited by crushed mud snails. The strongest feeding response was to shrimp and periwinkle extract for mud snails (>70%), and salt-marsh cordgrass extract attracted periwinkles. High percentages of mud snails and periwinkles fled in response to the odors of intact snail predators, stone crabs, tulip snails, and mummichogs. Mud snails and periwinkles did not flee in response to nonpredator odors, including each other's odor, as well as that of hermit crabs, shrimp, and marsh cordgrass. Heparin disaccharides were tested because other studies reported that biological activity of predatory fish odor is due to similar disaccharides originating from fish mucus. Mud snail responses to disaccharides indicate that they respond to the same kinds of molecules as crustacean larvae and that the modified amine on the disaccharide is essential for activity. The Q-tip assay is appropriate for bioassay-directed purification of alarm signals originating in fish body odor.     

Phloem Alkaloid Tolerance Allows Feeding on Resistant Lupinus angustifolius by the Aphid Myzus persicae

We examined the hypothesis that the polyphagous green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) shows clone-specific adaptation to the narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) containing toxic quinolizidine alkaloids. We compared the performance of a lupin-feeding clone of M. persicae from Western Australia to that of nine clones of the same species collected from eastern Australian locations, where narrow-leafed lupins rarely occur. Mean relative growth rate (MRGR) and colonization ability varied among the M. persicae clones on one aphid-susceptible and two aphid-resistant lupin varieties. The performance of the lupin-feeding clone was better than that of all other clones on the resistant narrow-leafed lupin varieties “Tanjil” and “Kalya”, indicating that successful lupin feeding is not a characteristic of the species. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses (GC-MS) of phloem from the different lupin varieties detected differences in the quantities of two alkaloid compounds identified as 13-OH-lupanine and lupanine. The lupin-feeding M. persicae clone also showed better performance on artificial diet amended with lupanine. The results suggest that the M. persicae clone collected from Western Australia is adapted to feed successfully on narrow-leafed lupin, and that this adaptation may involve improved tolerance of lupanine in its diet.     

黄腐酸和羟丙基-β-环糊精对阿司匹林分解的影响比较

研究了黄腐酸（FA）作为一种的新的络合剂,与羟丙基-β-环糊精络合物（Hp-β-CD）相比,对阿司匹林（ASA）分解的影响。ASA与FA以1：0.5、1：1、1：2（物质的量比）络合,并用冷冻干燥、溶剂蒸发和喷雾干燥三种方法进行干燥。ASA-羟丙基-β-环糊精（1：1）络合物通过喷雾干燥制备,并与最佳FA络合物进行比较。将所有的络合物和ASA放入贴好标签的铝塑小包中密封,在温度为40±2℃、相对湿度为75%±5%的稳定暗箱中存放120d。分别在0、30d、60d、90d和120d分析各样品的水杨酸含量。以物质的量比为1：1进行络合的ASA-FA喷雾干燥络合物中水杨酸含量为4.31%,该络合物在所有不同制备方法的络合物中具有最佳稳定性。然而,1：1的ASA-羟丙基-β-环糊精喷雾干燥络合物中测得水杨酸含量只有2.35%。与FA相比,ASA与羟丙基-β-环糊精络合,其稳定性更强。为提高阿司匹林的稳定性,对一种新型FA络合剂进行了研究。与1：1ASA-FA喷雾干燥络合物相比,ASA与羟丙基-β-环糊精1：1络合时,ASA的稳定性有显著改善。     

Determination of free phenolic acids and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts obtained from fruits and leaves of Chenopodium album

In this study, determination of phenolic acids as well as investigation of antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from the fruits and leaves of Chenopodium album is described. Extracts were subjected to acidic hydrolysis in order to obtain total free phenolic acids. However, some of phenolic acids were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD. The results were confirmed by LC-MS equipped with MS-ESI. In addition, Folin–Ciocalteu method was applied to determine the total phenolic contents. The antioxidant activity of C. album extracts was examined by using DPPH and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity assays. Results revealed that the leaves extract exhibits better performance in antioxidant assays and in the higher total phenolic contents (3066 mg of GAE/100 g) when compared to fruits extract (1385 mg of GAE/100 g). From these results it has been revealed that the methanolic extracts of C. album from fruits and leaves have great potential as a source for natural health products.     

Toward a Consensus Model of the hERG Potassium Channel

Malfunction of hERG potassium channels, due to inherited mutations or inhibition by drugs, can cause long QT syndrome, which can lead to life‐threatening arrhythmias. A three‐dimensional structure of hERG is a prerequisite to understand the molecular basis of hERG malfunction. To achieve a consensus model, we carried out an extensive analysis of hERG models based on various alignments of helix S5. We analyzed seven models using a combination of conventional geometry/packing/normality validation methods as well as molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking. A synthetic test set with the X‐ray crystal structure of K_v1.2 with artificially shifted S5 sequences modeled into the structure served as a reference case. We docked the known hERG inhibitors (+)‐cisapride, (S)‐terfenadine, and MK‐499 into the hERG models and simulation snapshots. None of the single analyses unambiguously identified a preferred model, but the combination of all three revealed that there is only one model that fulfils all quality criteria. This model is confirmed by a recent mutation scanning experiment (P. Ju, G. Pages, R. P. Riek, P. C. Chen, A. M. Torres, P. S. Bansal, S. Kuyucak, P. W. Kuchel, J. I. Vandenberg, J. Biol. Chem. 2009 , 284, 1000–1008). 1 We expect the modeled structure to be useful as a basis both for computational studies of channel function and kinetics as well as the design of experiments.     

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activities in Relation to Total Phenolics and Flavonoids Content of Selected Malaysian Wild Edible Plants by Multivariate Analysis

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity, total phenolics, and total flavonoid content of six freeze dried wild edible plants, namely Helminthostachys zeylanica, Schismatoglottis ahmadii, Heckeria umbelatum, Lasia spinosa, Gonostegia hirta, and Aniseia martinicense from Sabah, Malaysia. All leaves had higher levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity than stems and flowers for all extracts, except the stem of Gonostegia hirta. Integrated antioxidant activity index showed the leaf of Heckeria umbellatum and Aniseia martinicense possessed the highest antioxidant activity for all extracts. Principal component analysis identified that the phenolic group present in the hot water and methanolic extracts was the main factor for higher values observed in oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. These wild edible plants are good natural sources of antioxidants to be incorporated as functional ingredients in the food industry.     

Wind energy estimation at Quetta

Hourly wind data at Quetta airport (Samungli) for the years 1984–1985, were obtained using a standard anemometer height of 10 m, with a view to work out the feasibility of wind energy utilization. Quetta (lat. 30°11 'N long. 66°57'E) is elevated at 1799 m above sea level. In this paper, we analyse the wind energy data by using the Weibull distribution. Scaling and shaping parameters are determined by using least-squares approximation to a straight line. Actual wind data, weighted Weibull density function and weighted Rayleigh probability density function for regular and continuous periods of 4 weeks up to a year (wind characteristics are being recorded and summarized as diurnal and monthly wind velocity distributions and wind power density roses) are plotted which shows that the Weibull distribution is generally of the right shape to fit low-averaged wind speed frequency curves. However, density function of a normal distribution is also determined. Deviations in wind speed distributions at very low-averaged wind speeds and at comparatively large-averaged wind speeds are found.     

Electrospinning of hollow and core/sheath nanofibers using a microfluidic manifold

In this article, we describe a microfluidic approach to fabricate hollow and core/sheath nanofibers by electrospinning. Key benefits in using microfluidic devices for nanofiber synthesis include rapid prototyping, ease of fabrication, and the ability to spin multiple fibers in parallel through arrays of individual microchannels. Hollow poly (vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) + titania (TiO₂) composite and core/sheath polypyrrole (PPy)/PVP nanofibers of the order of 100 and 250 nm, respectively, were successfully fabricated using elastomeric microfluidic devices. Fiber characterization was subsequently carried out using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.