Methods to determine mechanical properties in order to grade roundwood

Roundwood as a construction material is becoming more and more interesting to users. The use of roundwood with small diameters is not optimised in terms of value. Using roundwood in construction increases the value of the wood and may open new opportunities for construction design. In order to use roundwood for this application, suitable connectors and/or joints have to be developed. In addition, the strength of the single roundwood pieces must be determined so that it can be linked to European strength classes. This investigation deals with the determination of the modulus of elasticity (MOE) and the modulus of rupture (MOR). The MOE is determined by static and dynamic test methods. The wood species concerned are Larch, grown in The Netherlands, and Douglas fir. grown in France, with diameters between 80 mm and 140 mm. The data were included in a multiple regression model in order to predict MOR. The resulting model is compared with models for sawn timber that are nowadays used in practic

Metabolism of captopril carboxyl ester derivatives for percutaneous absorption

Original article can be found at: http://www.medicinescomplete.com/journals/jpp/current/ Copyright Pharmaceutical Press [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]To determine the metabolism of captopril n-carboxyl derivatives and how this may impact on their use as transdermal prodrugs. The pharmacological activity of the ester derivatives was also characterised in order to compare the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory potency of the derivatives compared with the parent drug, captopril.Peer reviewe

Licking and Liking: The Assessment of Hedonic Responses in Rodents

Affective processes are a key determinant of behaviour: At its simplest, liked stimuli are approached while disliked stimuli are avoided. Although assessing hedonic responses in nonverbal animals can be difficult, one relatively tractable approach relies on detailed analyses of rodents' consummatory behaviour. Rodents typically produce rhythmic sets of licks that can be grouped into clusters on the basis of the intervals between licks. The mean number of licks in a cluster (cluster size) is directly related to the concentration of palatable and unpalatable solutions. These relationships suggest that lick cluster size might be a useful index of an animal's hedonic reaction to the solution being consumed. I begin by reviewing studies of conditioned flavour preference and aversion that support the idea that lick cluster size can provide useful information about rats' hedonic reactions. I then describe how this methodology has been used to address previously intractable issues in the investigation of contrast effects as well as revealing an analogue of effort justification effects that, in humans, are commonly explained in terms of cognitive dissonance reduction. Finally, I consider how lick analysis might provide information about hedonic responses in animal models of human psychiatric disorders. In all these cases, how an animal did something was particularly informative about why it was doing it

Dictyostelium EB1 Is a Genuine Centrosomal Component Required for Proper Spindle Formation

EB1 proteins are ubiquitous microtubule-associated proteins involved in microtubule search and capture, regulation of microtubule dynamics, cell polarity, and chromosome stability. We have cloned a complete cDNA of Dictyostelium EB1 (DdEB1), the largest known EB1 homolog (57 kDa). Immunofluorescence analysis and expression of a green fluorescent protein-DdEB1 fusion protein revealed that DdEB1 localizes along microtubules, at microtubule tips, centrosomes, and protruding pseudopods. During mitosis, it was found at the spindle, spindle poles, and kinetochores. DdEB1 is the first EB1-homolog that is also a genuine centrosomal component, because it was localized at isolated centrosomes that are free of microtubules. Furthermore, centrosomal DdEB1 distribution was unaffected by nocodazole treatment. DdEB1 colocalized with DdCP224, the XMAP215 homolog, at microtubule tips, the centrosome, and kinetochores. Furthermore, both proteins were part of the same cytosolic protein complex, suggesting that they may act together in their functions. DdEB1 deletion mutants expressed as green fluorescent protein or maltose-binding fusion proteins indicated that microtubule binding requires homo-oligomerization, which is mediated by a coiled-coil domain. A DdEB1 null mutant was viable but retarded in prometaphase progression due to a defect in spindle formation. Because spindle elongation was normal, DdEB1 seems to be required for the initiation of the outgrowth of spindle microtubules

Deexcitation Dynamics of Muonic Atoms Revealed by High-Precision Spectroscopy of Electronic K X rays

International audienceWe observed electronic K x rays emitted from muonic iron atoms using superconducting transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters. The energy resolution of 5.2 eV in FWHM allowed us to observe the asymmetric broad profile of the electronic characteristic Kα and Kβ x rays together with the hypersatellite Khα x rays around 6 keV. This signature reflects the time-dependent screening of the nuclear charge by the negative muon and the L-shell electrons, accompanied by electron side feeding. Assisted by a simulation, these data clearly reveal the electronic K- and L-shell hole production and their temporal evolution on the 10–20 fs scale during the muon cascade process