Metabolism of pregnenolone 16-3H and progesterone 4-14C by 18 day fetal mouse gonads in organotypic culture. Effect of the gonadotropic hormone LH

Fetal mice testes convert pregnenolone-16-3H and progesterone-4-14C to testosterone in organ culture. The 3H/14C ratio in progesterone and testosterone fractions isolated from culture media suggests the importance of the delta5-3 beta hydroxysteroid pathway in our experimental conditions. LH decreases radioactive testosterone production and increases the activity of the kelta4-3-ketosteroid pathway.     

Psychological problems resulting from parent-to-adolescent renal transplantation

This paper deals with the ways in which the psychological responses of renal transplant donors and recipients interfere with the developmental tasks of adolescence. The characteristic responses of donors and recipients in general are briefly reviewed. The special problems of the adolescent who has received a transplant from a parent are considered. Interference with the separation-individuation process is discussed. Also considered is the difficulty posed to the development of sexual identity. Excerpts from brief therapy are presented that illustrate the characteristic psychological conflicts described.     

A preliminary report on the antiarrhythmic action of some newly synthesized glutarimide compounds

The effects of a new series of glutarimide compounds have been studied in acetylcholine induced auricular fibrillation in anaesthetized cats and epinephrine induced ventricular arrhythmmias in conscious pigeons. Some of the compounds showed varying degree of protective action against experimental arrhythmias. However these compounds were found to be less potent than quinidine. The mechanism of antiarrhythmic action has been discussed.     

Optimisation of processing conditions for infrared drying of cashew kernels with testa

Cashew kernels are thermally processed to facilitate the removal of their outer skin (testa). Infrared (IR) processing of cashew kernels for differential drying is a novel approach. Processed cashew kernels are valued for their colour, size and texture. The kinetics of colour change and the effect of thermal processing on compressive strength (indicator of brittleness) during IR drying of cashew kernels were investigated. Kernels with testa were dried for different durations (15–55 min) over a range of temperatures (55–95 °C). The change in colour was expressed as total colour difference and browning index. The colour values increased with increasing drying temperature and duration, indicating darkening of the kernel colour. Increase in drying duration reduced the compressive strength, imparting the desired brittleness to the kernel. Optimisation of the drying conditions by response surface methodology and the peelability factor indicated that the best results could be obtained when cashew kernels were dried at 55 °C for 55 min. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Spark Discharge Doping—Achieving Unprecedented Control over Aggregate Fraction and Backbone Ordering in Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Solutions

The properties of semiconducting polymers are strongly influenced by their aggregation behavior, that is, their aggregate fraction and backbone planarity. However, tuning these properties, particularly the backbone planarity, is challenging. This work introduces a novel solution treatment to precisely control the aggregation of semiconducting polymers, namely current-induced doping (CID). It utilizes spark discharges between two electrodes immersed in a polymer solution to create strong electrical currents resulting in temporary doping of the polymer. Rapid doping-induced aggregation occurs upon every treatment step for the semiconducting model-polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene). Therefore, the aggregate fraction in solution can be precisely tuned up to a maximum value determined by the solubility of the doped state. A qualitative model for the dependences of the achievable aggregate fraction on the CID treatment strength and various solution parameters is presented. Moreover, the CID treatment can yield an extraordinarily high quality of backbone order and planarization, expressed in UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Depending on the selected parameters, an arbitrarily lower backbone order can be chosen using the CID treatment, allowing for maximum control of aggregation. This method may become an elegant pathway to finely tune aggregation and solid-state morphology for thin-films of semiconducting polymers.