Analysis of molecular determinants in native AMPA receptors

For this study, 194 respondents completed a biographical data sheet, the Templer (1970) Death Anxiety Scale and the Constantinople (1973) Inventory of Psychosocial Development to help assess the relationship among death anxiety, age, and psychosocial maturity. Findings showed that psychosocial maturity was a better predictor of death anxiety than age was. However, both variables were significantly negatively correlated with death anxiety, revealing that as psychosocial maturity and age increase, death anxiety decreases.     

Smoothing the electromagnetic heating pattern in polymers

In the production of polymers, particles and fibers are often added for coloring and/or improvement of mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Carefully choosing the electrical properties and size of these additives can allow manipulation of the electrical properties of the composite so that the material can then be heated in both the electric and magnetic fields. Heating can be induced by fields at microwave frequences, where the electric and magnetic fields tend to be concentrated in different regions, or by fields that are quasistatic. These features add a degree of freedom in smoothing the total heating pattern. Models for predicting the electrical properties with the addition of particles or fibers are developed and verified experimentally. Engineering guidelines are established in choosing the electrical properties and size of the additives. Experimentally, a rectangular cavity at 2.45 GHz is used to heat a casting resin with a 5.7 micrometer aluminum powder additive, demonstrating the dramatic smoothing in the heating, pattern made possible by using these additives. Some examples are also suggested to indicate the use of this technique in quasistatic heating configurations.     

VEDA: a web-based virtual environment for dynamic atomic force microscopy

We describe here the theory and applications of virtual environment dynamic atomic force microscopy (VEDA), a suite of state-of-the-art simulation tools deployed on nanoHUB (www.nanohub.org) for the accurate simulation of tip motion in dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) over organic and inorganic samples. VEDA takes advantage of nanoHUB's cyberinfrastructure to run high-fidelity dAFM tip dynamics computations on local clusters and the teragrid. Consequently, these tools are freely accessible and the dAFM simulations are run using standard web-based browsers without requiring additional software. A wide range of issues in dAFM ranging from optimal probe choice, probe stability, and tip-sample interaction forces, power dissipation, to material property extraction and scanning dynamics over hetereogeneous samples can be addressed.     

Anwendung und Vorkommen von Holzschutzmitteln in gedeckten Räumen in der ehemaligen DDR – Theorie und Praxis

Dohnalit Ull ; salzartiges Holzschutzmittel auf Basis von Chrom- und Fluorverbindungen) oder DDT und Lindan (Hylotox 59; ?liges Holzschutzmittel). Besonders hervorzuheben ist, da? h?ufig wasserbasierte und ?lige Holzschutzmittelformulierungen nebeneinander eingesetzt wurden. Deutliche Hinweise auf eine Holzschutzmittelbehandlung liefern Dachkarten, nadelf?rmige Kristallablagerungen, ?lterer inaktiver Insektenbefall, Mazeration und Farbtests. “Fehlanwendungen” von Holzschutzmitteln stellten eine Ausnahme dar, welche nur im “Do-it-yourself-Bereich” vorgefunden wurden.

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Dohnalit Ull (waterborne product with chromium and fluorine compounds) and Hylotox 59 (organic solvent based product with DDT and lindane). This fact deserves special mention that frequently wood preservative formulas based on water had been used jointly with formulas based on oil. Roof labels, crystalline deposits on the surface of trusses, signs of old inactive insect attack, chemical corrosion and colour tests are clearly indicative of the use of wood preservatives. Wrong use of wood preservatives was found to be the exception and was only observed in the “do-it-yourself ” sector.

     

A family of bicistronic vectors to enhance both local and systemic antitumor effects of HSVtk or cytokine expression in a murine melanoma model

The herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSVtk/GCV) system produces both direct and immune-mediated tumor cell killing. Here, we compare the efficacy of HSVtk/GCV with cytokines, alone and in combination, on the tumorigenicity and immunogenicity of B16 cells. With respect to single gene modifications, only HSVtk/GCV, or high-level interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion, completely prevented tumor growth, whereas granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) generated the best levels of long-term systemic protection. To augment both local killing and immune activation, we constructed bicistronic constructs that express HSVtk and a cytokine within the same cell. Co-expression of HSVtk with IL-2 or GM-CSF enhanced the local antitumor activity of any gene alone. In a tumor-prevention model, HSVtk killing, in an environment preprimed with GM-CSF, generated the best long-term immune protection. However, in a short-term therapy model, continued IL-2 expression was most effective against 3-day established tumors. This probably reflects differences in the activities of IL-2 and GM-CSF in generating short-term, nonspecific immune stimulation compared to long-term immunological memory, respectively. As a prelude to in vivo delivery experiments, we also demonstrated that these bicistronic cassettes can be packaged normally into retroviral (5 x 10(5) virus/ml from pooled populations) and adenoviral vectors (5 x 10(9) virus/ml) and function as predicted within virally infected cells. This family of bicistronic vectors can be used to stimulate synergy between suicide and cytokine genes, overcomes the problems of delivering two genes on separate vectors, and should allow easier preparation of vectors for the delivery of multiple genes to patients' tumor cells.     

The obese client: myths, facts, assessment, and intervention

The effects of evening primrose oil (EPO) treatment, a source of gamma-linolenic acid, on the proportions of arachidonoyl-containing molecular species (ACMS) in sciatic nerve phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were determined in conjunction with alterations in nerve conduction velocity. Normal and diabetic rats were either untreated or fed a dietary supplement containing isocalorically equivalent amounts of either EPO or corn oil for the duration of the experiment. After 8 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetes, nerve conduction velocity was reduced 16% and this deficit was prevented by either EPO or corn oil treatment. Neither EPO nor corn oil supplementation significantly increased the depressed proportions of ACMS. The level of the linoleoyl-containing molecular species, 16:0/18:2, was elevated in the phospholipids from untreated diabetic rats and was further increased by EPO treatment. These results are consistent with decreased activity of the delta6 desaturase that is required for arachidonic acid synthesis in vivo, but suggests that an accompanying deficit in the subsequent delta5 desaturase-catalyzed reaction may be rate-limiting. These findings indicate that maintenance of normal ACMS levels is not required for prevention of diminished nerve conduction velocity and suggest that other factors influenced by an altered polyunsaturated fatty acid pattern, such as metabolites of linoleic acid or gamma-linolenic acid other than arachidonic acid, the energy state of the nerve or the degree of membrane fluidity may contribute to impaired nerve conduction velocity in diabetic neuropathy.     

Die Holzschutzmittelproduktion und die Standorte von Imprägnieranlagen in der ehemaligen DDR

In order to record the production of wood preservatives and the location of impregnation plants in the former GDR, documents of the Office for Standardisation, Measuring Affairs, and Products Testing (Amt für Standardisierung, Meßwesen und Warenprüfung, ASMW) were evaluated. During the period of 1970–1988 annually app. 15.000 t of wood preservatives were produced, thereof 1/3 water soluble salts and 2/3 oilbased products. The records revealed that environmentally relevant substances such as arsenate and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were used in the former GDR. The present situation of impregnation plants involves special problems, as the majority of the recorded vacuum pressure- and dipping devices showed a desolate condition since in the time of GDR. Corresponding investigations at the different locations will show to what extent remedial measures are necessary.