Prednisolone therapy of idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease: a double-blind clinical study

A double-blind clinical study was performed to evaluate prednisolone as treatment for idiopathic feline lower urinary tract disease. No differences in response were observed in prednisolone- and placebo-treated cats.     

Apparatus for steady-state kinetic measurements of the catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ammonia on iron oxide

The reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia on an unsupported iron oxide catalyst has been studied in a continuous-flow recycle reactor using simulated flue gas. The responses of the employed reactor system to step and pulse inputs of tracer indicate that the system could be regarded as a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Preliminary tests were carried out to determine the effect of temperature and particle size on the measured reaction rates. Additional experiments were performed in order to study the influence of oxygen and water concentration on these rates. A gas chromatographic system has been developed to analyze the gas components NO, N₂O, NO₂, NH₃, H₂O, O₂, CO₂ and N₂. In addition, the concentrations of NO and NO₂ were measured with a nondisperse infrared (NDUV/NDIR) analyzer.     

Influence of Solution Composition on the Formation of Crystalline Scales

Scale formation is a difficulty encountered with water containing ions of sparingly soluble salts that can readily precipitate on heat transfer surfaces in evaporative concentration operations. Scale formation, hindering the heat transfer process, increases specific energy consumption and operating costs and causes frequent shut down of the evaporator for cleaning. The effects of changes in composition of the solution due to evaporation and CO₂ release on the formation of crystalline scales in seawater evaporators are studied. A model that predicts the CO₂ release is presented. The carbonate system in the salt solution on its whole flow path through the evaporator and the scaling (crystallization) tendency are described. Simulation results for different process configurations are shown and the differences are discussed, particularly with regard to the incrustation tendency.     

Polymeric materials

Summary The Polymer Section of the Santa Barbara Workshop on Modeling of Materials is briefly reviewed. Motivation and need for modeling in polymer-based materials are outlined and the recommendations resulting from the workshop reported.     

Molecular basis and species specificity of high affinity binding of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide by the rat secretin receptor

The affinity and specificity of the binding interaction between ligands and their receptors are key for appropriate hormonal regulation of target tissues. However, it is now apparent that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) binds to the rat secretin receptor with similar affinity to that for its natural ligand, secretin (Holtmann et al., 1995). In this report, we establish that this is not a characteristic of the human secretin receptor, and use rat-human secretin receptor chimeras, site mutants and truncated receptor constructs to establish the molecular basis for this unusual binding interaction. Of note, isolated N-terminal domains of the rat secretin and the VIP receptors are capable of high affinity binding of VIP. In the recently recognized secretin family of receptors, this domain has six conserved cysteine residues and disulfide bonds that are likely important to achieve the complex conformation critical for this binding. A single acidic residue (Asp98) present in the rat secretin receptor appears to be critical, because a site-mutant changing this to the polar, but uncharged residue present in that position in the human receptor (Asn) eliminates the high affinity binding of VIP. Of interest, a previously identified critical basic residue in VIP (Lys15) provides a candidate for charge-pairing with this residue, potentially aligning the peptide ligand in a nonproductive orientation within this receptor.     

Reinigung lösungsmittelhaltiger Abluft – alternative Möglichkeiten

Purification of solvents containing air – Alternative methods. Different processes are used for the purification of solvents containing air: condensation, absorption, adsorption, combustion, membrane permeation, and biofilters or bioscrubbers. The processes will be explained by examples. The specifications required by “TA Luft” often cannot be reached only by condensation and membrane permeation. The success of absorption depends on the scrubbing liquid. Glycol ethers are useful scrubbing liquids – especially for chlorinated hydrocarbons. The choice of the process depends on the volume flow rate, the solvent concentration, and the kind of solvent. Recycling of the solvents reduces the costs of the process.     

Photocrosslinking of stilbene-modified polymers

The reactions of trans-2,5-dimethoxy-4′-aminostilbene with poly(maleic anhydride-co-methylvinyl ether) and trans-2,5-dimethoxy-4′-isocyanatostilbene with poly(oxy-1,4-phenyleneisopropylidene:1,4-phenyleneoxy-2-hydroxytrimethylene) yield polymeric systems which undergo rapid crosslinking upon short exposure to ultraviolet light. The extent of photocrosslinking as a function of exposure time was determined by the decrease of the trans-stilbene ultraviolet absorption at 350 nm.