Study of the relationship between solar activity and terrestrial weather

Evidence for some connection between weather and solar related phenomena is presented. Historical data of world wide temperature variations with relationship to change in solar luminosity are examined. Several test methods for estimating the statistical significance of such phenomena are discussed in detail

Optimization of Monte-Carlo calculations of the effective potential

We study Monte Carlo calculations of the effective potential for a scalar field theory using three techniques. One of these is a new method proposed and tested for the first time. In each case we extract the renormalised quantities of the theory. The system studied in our calculations is a one component $\phi^4$ model in two dimensions. We apply these methods to both the weak and strong coupling regime. In the weak coupling regime we compare our results for the renormalised quantities with those obtained from two-loop lattice perturbation theory. Our results are verified in the strong coupling regime through comparison with the strong coupling expansion. We conclude that effective potential methods, when suitably chosen, can be accurate tools in calculations of the renormalised parameters of scalar field theories.Comment: 26 pages of LaTeX, uses psfig.sty with 6 figures. Entire manuscript available as a postscript file via WWW at http://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/theory/papers/ADP-97-13.T250-abs.html or via anonymous ftp at ftp://bragg.physics.adelaide.edu.au/pub/theory/ADP-97-13.T250.p

レミフェンタニル麻酔中の１％糖負荷が高齢者の代謝に与える影響 : 無作為対照比較試験

Background: Previous studies showed that remifentanil-induced anesthesia can inhibit surgical stress response in non-diabetic adult patients and that low-dose glucose loading during anesthesia may attenuate fat catabolism. However, little is known about the influence of glucose loading on metabolism in elderly patients, whose condition may be influenced by decreased basal metabolism and increased insulin resistance. We hypothesized that, in elderly patients, intraoperative low glucose infusion may attenuate the catabolism of fat without causing harmful hyperglycemia during remifentanil-induced anesthesia. Methods: Elderly, non-diabetic patients scheduled to undergo elective surgery were enrolled and randomized to receive no glucose (0G group) or low-dose glucose infusion (0.1 g/kg/hr. for 1 h followed by 0.05 g/kg/hr. for 1 h; LG group) during surgery. Glucose, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), 3-methylhistidine (3-MH), insulin, cortisol, free fatty acid (FFA), creatinine (Cr), and ketone body levels were measured pre-anesthesia, 1 h post-glucose infusion, at the end of surgery, and on the following morning. Results: A total of 31 patients (aged 75–85) were included (0G, n = 16; LG, n = 15). ACTH levels during anesthesia decreased significantly in both groups. In the LG group, glucose levels increased significantly after glucose loading but hyperglycemia was not observed. During surgery, ketone bodies and FFA were significantly lower in the LG group than the 0G group. There were no significant differences in insulin, Cr, 3-MH, and 3-MH/Cr between the two groups. Conclusion: Remifentanil-induced anesthesia inhibited surgical stress response in elderly patients. Intraoperative low-dose glucose infusion attenuated catabolism of fat without inducing hyperglycemia

Isoflurane actions via the mKCa channel

Purpose : Activation of the mitochondrial calcium-activated potassium (mKCa) channel reportedly confers resistance to myocardial ischemic stress. However, the role of the mKCa channel in postconditioning induced by volatile anesthetic remains unclear. Methods :Male Japanese white rabbits underwent coronary artery occlusion for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 3 h. Volatile anesthetic, isoflurane, was administered at 3min prior to reperfusion for 5 min. Rabbits were injected with the mKCa channel blocker, iberiotoxin, or the mKCa channel opener, NS1619, at 8 min prior to reperfusion. Myocardial infarct size and the area at risk (AAR) were measured at the end of the experiment. Results : Isoflurane significantly reduced infarct size (23.0±9.8% of the AAR, P<0.05) compared with the control (44.0±9.1%). Iberiotoxin abolished the cardioprotective impact of isoflurane (43.0±11.6%), while iberiotoxin alone exerted no effect on infarct size (45.0±9.5%). NS1619 and isoflurane/ NS1619 both significantly reduced infarct size (21.0±10.3% and 19.0±8.8%, respectively, P<0.05 vs control group), but isoflurane/NS1619 showed no additional benefits compared with isoflurane alone. Conclusion : These results indicate that activation of the mKCa channel contribute isoflurane-induced postconditioning

ホエーの長期間摂取が老齢ラット唾液腺の萎縮、遺伝子変化、機能低下に及ぼす効果

Salivary glands in elderly individuals commonly exhibit morphological changes and dysfunction resulting in xerostomia. Long-term (4-week) drinking of whey prevented and/or restored age-dependent decline of salivary volume and protein concentration, and atrophy of sublingual glands (SLGs) significantly in 88-week-old rats. The transcripts of 42 genes were up-regulated and 7 genes were down-regulated by more than 1.5-fold change with FDR ≦ 0.1 after whey-drinking. The expression levels of genes associated with salivary proteins and tissue repair were significantly increased, while those associated with lipid metabolism were decreased. Venn diagram analysis revealed that expressions of 13 genes, including Tcfap2b and Abpa, were induced significantly by whey-drinking. Furthermore, secretory protein levels in SLGs and saliva were revealed by immunoblot analysis. This is the first study to report that whey-administration can prevent and/or restore age-dependent atrophy and functional decline of SLGs in relation to gene expression and thus may serve as a functional food ingredient