1,203 research outputs found
Testing forest ecosystem management in boreal mixedwoods of northwestern Quebec: initial response of aspen stands to different levels of harvesting
The SAFE (sylviculture et am
Tegaserod for Female Patients Suffering From IBS With Mixed Bowel Habits or Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73726/1/j.1572-0241.2008.01808.x.pd
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Slope of the intracranial pressure waveform after traumatic brain injury.
BackgroundThe measurement and treatment of ICP within the management of TBI generally focuses on keeping the mean ICP to less than 20 mm Hg. More sophisticated analysis of the intracranial pressure waveform has yielded important relationships, but those methods have not gained widespread use. Prior analysis of the slope of the ICP waveform during inspiration and expiration in patients with hydrocephalus has provided valuable information that has never been applied to patients with TBI. This study used digital methods to examine ICP and the slope of the ICP waveform in relation to the respiratory cycle in subjects with TBI.MethodsIntracranial pressure was monitored in 6 randomly selected patients admitted with acute TBI. In the first 3 subjects, a single 5-minute recording was analyzed. In 3 subsequent subjects, 4 nonsequential 5-minute epochs were analyzed during periods of varying ICP. The systolic slope of the ICP waveform was compared during inspiration and expiration, and then evaluated in relation to simultaneous mean ICP.ResultsThe slope of the systolic ICP waveform was significantly greater during inspiration than during expiration (P < .0001 for 5 subjects and P < .03 for 1 subject). Within each subject, the ICP slope was positively correlated with simultaneous ICP (P < .0001 in all 6 cases).ConclusionGreater systolic ICP waveform slope during inspiration has not been described previously after TBI and is consistent with prior observations in subjects with hydrocephalus. The strong correlation between ICP slope and simultaneous mean ICP suggests that increasing ICP slope might indicate loss of intracranial compliance after TBI
Leafy amaranthus consumption patterns in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
There is a new attention to vegetables as vital components of daily diet. A concerted effort to raise their standing has begun to change mentalities and to fuel a rapid growth of traditional leafy vegetables marketing and consumption in African cities. However, little is known about the production and consumption patterns of these plant foods. This study examined, through a field survey the socio-economic, food consumption and conservation aspects of leafy vegetables in the region of Ouagadougou. It was found that leafy vegetables are cultivated under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions in the villages and also in the city’s gardens. The study has demonstrated that there is considerable indigenous knowledge on the leafy vegetables of the region. Amaranth species are the most cultivated and marketed and have potential for commercialization. They are used for many dishes in the local kitchen. Leafy Amaranths are consumed during all seasons even though they are more available (and cheap) during rainy season (June to end October). Ninety-four per cent of the interviewed people use vegetable Amaranth in sauce. There is a growing trend to use cultivated (introduced) species of Amaranth, which were brought to Africa by colonial powers and gained popularity because they were associated with high status. The introduced species are spreading quickly in a spontaneous manner. This can be a threat to biodiversity. There is need for a conservation initiative for the native species. In the commercialization of leafy vegetable and in particular for Amaranth, women play an important role. That could be optimized for marketing purpose to improve leafy vegetable adding-value. Because transportation is a cost increase factor, and given that cities should be targets for increased consumption, it is necessary to promote peri-urban agriculture of leafy vegetables, by policy guidelines. There is a need of documentation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge on indigenous leafy vegetables.Key words: vegetables, African greens, Amaranthus, micronutrients, biodiversity, horticulture, Ouagadougou, Burkina Fas
Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the central nucleus of the amygdala
Much evidence indicates that fear conditioning involves potentiation of some thalamic inputs to the lateral amygdala (LA). In turn, the LA would excite more neurons in the central nucleus (CE), leading to the generation of fear responses via their brainstem and hypothalamic projections. However, the posterior thalamus not only projects to LA but also to the medial sector of CE (CEm), suggesting that CEm might also be a site of plasticity. To test whether CEm also exhibits activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, we performed whole-cell recordings of CEm neurons in amygdala slices and stimulated thalamic axons coursing through the internal capsule and, as a control, the basolateral (BL) nucleus. High-frequency stimulation of thalamic inputs led to a long-lasting potentiation of thalamic responses, whereas BL-evoked responses remained unchanged. This thalamic long-term potentiation (LTP) developed even when slices were prepared with a cut severing the connections between the LA and CEm but was greatly reduced when an NMDA receptor antagonist was added to the perfusate shortly before and during LTP induction. Yet, intracellular dialysis with the NMDA receptor antagonist (Ï©)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate did not prevent induction of the thalamic LTP, suggesting that presynaptic NMDA receptors are required for its induction. Consistent with this, the thalamic LTP also developed when the cells were dialyzed with a calcium chelator or kept hyperpolarized during induction. Finally, this thalamic LTP was associated with reduced amounts of paired-pulse facilitation, suggesting that it is expressed presynaptically. These results are consistent with the idea that the CEm plays an active role in fear conditioning
Multi-band Superconductivity in the Chevrel Phases SnMo6S8 and PbMo6S8
Sub-Kelvin scanning tunnelling spectroscopy in the Chevrel Phases SnMo6S8 and
PbMo6S8 reveals two distinct superconducting gaps with Delta_1 = 3 meV, Delta_2
~ 1.0 meV and Delta_1 = 3.1 meV, Delta_2 ~ 1.4 meV respectively. The gap
distribution is strongly anisotropic, with Delta_2 predominantly seen when
scanning across unit-cell steps on the (001) sample surface. The spectra are
well-fitted by an anisotropic two-band BCS s-wave gap function. Our
spectroscopic data are confirmed by electronic heat capacity measurements which
also provide evidence for a twin-gap scenario.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
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