High-Performance Dual Raman Spectrometer

12 pages, 16 figures.The transformation of an old Raman double monochromator into a dual spectrometer capable of working either as the origin al instrument or as a very high sensitivity scanning single monochromator with multichannel charge-coupled device (CCD) array detection is described. The merits and limitations of this instrument, particularly suited for medium/low resolu tion (0.3 to 2 cm2 1) Raman spectroscopy in the gas phase, are discussed. Example spectra of O2, N2, CO2, H2O, and CCl4 are shown.The Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (DGICYT), of Spain, is acknowledged for financial support (Research Project PB91-0133).Peer reviewe

Phytotoxicity and cytogenotoxicity of water and sediment of urban stream in bioassay with Lactuca sativa

The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal influence of the phytotoxicity and cytogenotoxicity of water and sediment of urban stream on the germination and initial growth of Lactuca sativa. Samples were collected from water and sediment at five sites of the Pântano Stream (Alfenas, Minas Gerais) during the period from October 2010 to July 2011. The concentrations of the metals Cd, Pb and Zn were quantified. Moreover, phytotoxicity and cytogenotoxicity were tested with samples of water and aqueous extracts of sediments. The evaluated end points were the germination rate, root length, fresh and dry weight, mitotic index and frequency of chromosomal abnormalities. Higher levels of Cd and Pb were verified in water samples collected during the rainy months. Water and sediment showed phytotoxic effect on germination, fresh weight and dry weight of Lactuca sativa. Root length was stimulated and only samples of water reduced the mitotic index. Significant temporal variation related to rainfall was observed only for phytotoxicity tests.Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar a influência espacial e temporal da fitotoxicidade e da citogenotoxicidade da água e do sedimento de córrego urbano quanto às características germinativas e de crescimento inicial de Lactuca sativa. Amostras de água e de sedimento foram coletadas em 5 pontos do Córrego do Pântano (Alfenas, Minas Gerais), no período de outubro de 2010 a julho de 2011 e as concentrações dos metais Cd, Pb e Zn foram quantificadas. Os ensaios de fitotoxicidade e de citogenotoxicidade foram realizados com as amostras de água e extratos aquosos dos sedimentos. Os parâmetros avaliados foram taxa de germinação, comprimento de raízes, biomassa fresca e seca, índice mitótico e a frequência de anormalidades cromossômicas. Constataram-se maiores concentrações de Cd e Pb nas amostras de água coletadas nos meses com a ocorrência de precipitações pluviométricas. Água e sedimento apresentaram efeito fitotóxico sobre germinação, biomassa fresca e seca de Lactuca sativa. O comprimento de raízes foi estimulado e apenas as amostras de água reduziram o índice mitótico. Evidenciou-se, também, variação temporal significativa relacionada com o regime pluviométrico apenas para o teste de fitotoxicidade.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)UNIFAL Instituto de Ciências da NaturezaUNIFAL Instituto de Ciências ExatasUNIFESPUNIFESPSciEL

Unmet needs in the diagnosis and treatment of dyslipidemia in the primary care setting in Germany

Objectives and methods: DETECT is a cross-sectional study of 55,518 unselected consecutive patients in 3188 representative primary care offices in Germany. In a random subset of 7519 patients, an extensive standardized laboratory program was undertaken. The study investigated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, known risk factors (such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia and their co-morbid manifestation), as well as treatment patterns. The present analysis of the DETECT laboratory dataset focused on the prevalence and treatment of dyslipidemia in primary medical care in Germany. Coronary artery disease (CAD), risk categories and LDL-C target achievement rates were determined in the subset of 6815 patients according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) ATP III Guidelines. Results: Of all patients, 54.3% had dyslipidemia. Only 54.4% of the NCEP-classified dyslipidemic patients were diagnosed as ‘dyslipidemic’ by their physicians. Only 27% of all dyslipidemic patients (and 40.7% of the recognized dyslipidemic patients) were treated with lipid-lowering medications, and 11.1% of all dyslipidemic patients (41.4% of the patients treated with lipid-lowering drugs) achieved their LDL-C treatment goals. In conclusion, 80.3% of patients in the sample with dyslipidemia went undiagnosed, un-treated or under-treated

Rapid Etiological Classification of Meningitis by NMR Spectroscopy Based on Metabolite Profiles and Host Response

Bacterial meningitis is an acute disease with high mortality that is reduced by early treatment. Identification of the causative microorganism by culture is sensitive but slow. Large volumes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are required to maximise sensitivity and establish a provisional diagnosis. We have utilised nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to rapidly characterise the biochemical profile of CSF from normal rats and animals with pneumococcal or cryptococcal meningitis. Use of a miniaturised capillary NMR system overcame limitations caused by small CSF volumes and low metabolite concentrations. The analysis of the complex NMR spectroscopic data by a supervised statistical classification strategy included major, minor and unidentified metabolites. Reproducible spectral profiles were generated within less than three minutes, and revealed differences in the relative amounts of glucose, lactate, citrate, amino acid residues, acetate and polyols in the three groups. Contributions from microbial metabolism and inflammatory cells were evident. The computerised statistical classification strategy is based on both major metabolites and minor, partially unidentified metabolites. This data analysis proved highly specific for diagnosis (100% specificity in the final validation set), provided those with visible blood contamination were excluded from analysis; 6-8% of samples were classified as indeterminate. This proof of principle study suggests that a rapid etiologic diagnosis of meningitis is possible without prior culture. The method can be fully automated and avoids delays due to processing and selective identification of specific pathogens that are inherent in DNA-based techniques

Sicherung von Dämmen, Deichen und Stauanlagen : Handbuch für Theorie und Praxis ; Vol. V - 2015

Die Universität Siegen beschäftigt sich seit über 15 Jahren wissenschaftlich und im Bereich der anwendungsorientierten Forschung mit diesem Thema und hat dazu mittlerweile fünf Symposien durchgeführt. Mit der Veröffentlichung soll die langjährige Tradition als etablierte wissenschaftliche Plattform mit einem Wissensaustausch auf europäischer Ebene fortgesetzt werden. Die Bearbeitung dieser Thematik erfolgt auf der Basis der bewährten Kooperation zwischen Geotechnik und Wasserbau an der Universität Siegen. Aktuelle Ereignisse, wie z.B. die aus England oder Australien im Februar des Jahres 2014, machen uns aber auch deutlich, dass ein absoluter Schutz gegen Extremereignisse nicht möglich ist. Sie zeigen aber auch, dass dort wo technischer Hochwasserschutz konsequent umgesetzt wurde Schäden vermieden werden konnten. Wir sind nach den Ereignissen in den vergangenen Jahren aufgefordert wissenschaftlich noch leistungsfähigere und duktilere Systeme zu entwickeln. Weiter ist die Wissenschaft in der Pflicht, die Zivile Sicherheit im Hochwasser-schutz permanent zu bewerten, zu bearbeiten und ganzheitliche-interdisziplinäre und länderübergreifende Lösungen für die Zivilgesellschaft einzufordern

Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity.

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Visual Stability and the Motion Aftereffect: A Psychophysical Study Revealing Spatial Updating

Eye movements create an ever-changing image of the world on the retina. In particular, frequent saccades call for a compensatory mechanism to transform the changing visual information into a stable percept. To this end, the brain presumably uses internal copies of motor commands. Electrophysiological recordings of visual neurons in the primate lateral intraparietal cortex, the frontal eye fields, and the superior colliculus suggest that the receptive fields (RFs) of special neurons shift towards their post-saccadic positions before the onset of a saccade. However, the perceptual consequences of these shifts remain controversial. We wanted to test in humans whether a remapping of motion adaptation occurs in visual perception