Cognitive–behavioral stress management decreases dysphoric mood and herpes simplex virus-Type 2 antibody titers in symptomatic HIV-seropositive gay men.

This study tested the effects of a 10-week group cognitive–behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention on mood and immunologic parameters in HIV-seropositive gay men whose disease had progressed to a symptomatic stage. Men were randomized to either CBSM or a modified waiting-list control group. The CBSM intervention significantly decreased self-reported dysphoria, anxiety, and total distress. Individuals who practiced relaxation more consistently had significantly greater drops in dysphoria. The intervention also decreased herpes simplex virus-Type 2 (HSV-2) immunoglobulin G antibody titers. The control group showed no significant changes in either mood or antibody titers. Individual difference analyses revealed that decreases in dysphoria significantly predicted lower HSV-2 antibody titers by the end of the 10-week period. Neither group displayed changes in HSV-Type I antibody titers or in CD4+ or CD8+ cell numbers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of containment structures for randomly arriving transient loads

Hydrodynamic loads such as those due to safety relief valve discharges and a postulated accidental loss of coolant are some of the major loads on boiling water reactor (RWR) containments. Structural analysis of containments for these highly transient loads can be more efficiently carried out if the response transfer function approach is used. The formulation of such an approach is developed for axisymmetric containment structures. The load parameters, e.g. the maximum intensity, arrival time and predominant frequency may be randomly defined. To obtain the design response, repeated analyses for various sets of parameter values may be required. In such cases the transfer function approach as presented here is computationally very efficient. The formulation to obtain the mean and standard deviation of response for uniformly distributed load arrival time is also provided and the numerical results for a typical BWR containment are given.     

Identification of the intermediates of in vivo oxidation of 1 ,4-dioxane by monooxygenase-containing bacteria

1,4-dioxane is a probable human carcinogen and an emerging water contaminant. Monooxygenase-expressing bacteria have been shown to degrade dioxane via growth-supporting as well as cometabolic mechanisms. In this study, the intermediates of dioxane degradation by monooxygenase-expressing bacteria were determined by triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry. The major intermediates were identified as 2-hydroxyethoxyacetic acid (HEAA), ethylene glycol, glycolate, and oxalate. Studies with uniformly labeled 14C dioxane showed that over 50% of the dioxane was mineralized to CO2 by CB1190, while 5% became biomass-associated after 48 h. Volatile organic acids and non-volatiles, respectively, accounted for 20 and 11% of the radiolabeled carbon. Although strains cometabolizing dioxane exhibited limited transformation capacities, nearly half of the initial dioxane was recovered as CO2. On the basis of these analytical results, we propose a pathway for dioxane oxidation by monooxygenase-expressing cells in which dioxane is first converted to 2-hydroxy-1,4-dioxane, which is spontaneously oxidized to HEAA. During a second monooxygenation step, HEAA is further hydroxylated, resulting in a mixture of dihydroxyethoxyacetic acids with a hydroxyl group at the ortho or para position. After cleavage of the second ether bond, small organic molecules such as ethylene glycol, glycolate, glyoxalate, and oxalate are progressively formed, which are then mineralized to CO2 via common cellular metabolic pathways. Bioremediation of dioxane via this pathway is not expected to cause an accumulation of toxic compounds in the environment.     

Identification and molecular mechanisms of novel antioxidative peptides from fermented camel milk (Kachchi breed,India) with anti-inflammatory activity in raw macrophages cell lines

The investigation was aimed at assessing anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities along with the release of peptides with antioxidative properties during the fermentation of camel milk by Lacticaseibacillus casei (NK9). Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to separate the bioactive peptides of 3 and 10 kDa (permeates and retentates). Reverse-phase liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (RPLC/MS) was used to identify and characterise the pure bioactive peptides, and the effect of fermented camel milk on inflammation produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/endotoxin in RAW 264.7 (Ralph and William's cell line) was also examined. Furthermore, docking revealed that peptides (LLNEK and IYTFPQPQSL) were predicted to inhibit myeloperoxidase (nMPO) activity by engaging with different residues in and around the human myeloperoxidase (hMPO) active site.     

Short review on cobalt-free cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells

Cobalt-containing cathodes are known for their ability to operate under high-temperature applications in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Reducing the operation temperature into intermediate temperature-to-low temperature (IT-LT) zones may lead to a mismatch in the thermal expansion coefficient between the cathodes and the developed IT-LTSOFC electrolyte materials. Hence, cathode materials are adjusted to resolve this issue. Studies on IT-LTSOFC propose cobalt-free cathodes as an alternative way to produce high electrochemical performance cells for operation within the IT-LT range. Novel cobalt-free cathode powders are developed using perovskite structured materials, such as strontium ferrite oxide, as the main components together with dopants. This paper reviews various studies on cobalt-free cathode development, including the most important parameter in determining cathode performance, namely, the polarization resistance of SOFC cathodes.     

Estimation of Luminous efficacy of daylight and exterior illuminance for composite climate of Indore city in Mid Western India

Daylighting is one of the basic components of passive solar building design and its estimation is essential. In India there are a few available data of measured illuminance as in many regions of the world. The Indian climate is generally clear with overcast conditions prevailing through the months of June to September, which provides good potential to daylighting in buildings. Therefore, an analytical model that would encompass the weather conditions of Indore was selected. Hourly exterior horizontal and slope daylight availability has been estimated for Indore using daylight modeling techniques based on solar radiation data.