Selected bioelements in bark and wood of native tree species from Central-Amazonian inundation forests

The chemical differences between tree foliage from várzea- and igapó forests are confirmed by respective analyses of bark and wood. While generally bark presents higher concentrations than wood, bark and wood of trees from the várzea have higher concentrations than those from the igapó forest. Species composition as well as river water chemistry and soil quality account for the differences between várzea and igapó

Foliar nutrient levels of native tree species from Central Amazonia. I. Inundation forests

The study of the leaf size spectra and foliar concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na of 52 species sampled in three Central-Amazon inundation forests (2 várzea sites, 1 igapó site) yielded signifìcant differences between várzea and igapó forests. The várzea foliage consists of larger and less heavy leaves with elemental concentrations being high even by tropical standards. The igapó foliage consists of relatively small leaves which are heavier, but much lower in the studied elements. The igapó leaves are supposed to be sclerophyllous and evergreen

Hernia fibroblasts lack β-estradiol induced alterations of collagen gene expression

BACKGROUND: Estrogens are reported to increase type I and type III collagen deposition and to regulate Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) expression. These proteins are reported to be dysregulated in incisional hernia formation resulting in a significantly decreased type I to III ratio. We aimed to evaluate the β-estradiol mediated regulation of type I and type III collagen genes as well as MMP-2 gene expression in fibroblasts derived from patients with or without history of recurrent incisional hernia disease. We compared primary fibroblast cultures from male/female subjects without/without incisional hernia disease. RESULTS: Incisional hernia fibroblasts (IHFs) revealed a decreased type I/III collagen mRNA ratio. Whereas fibroblasts from healthy female donors responded to β-estradiol, type I and type III gene transcription is not affected in fibroblasts from males or affected females. Furthermore β-estradiol had no influence on the impaired type I to III collagen ratio in fibroblasts from recurrent hernia patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that β-estradiol does not restore the imbaired balance of type I/III collagen in incisional hernia fibroblasts. Furthermore, the individual was identified as an independent factor for the β-estradiol induced alterations of collagen gene expression. The observation of gender specific β-estradiol-dependent changes of collagen gene expression in vitro is of significance for future studies of cellular response

Clinical periodontal diagnosis.

Periodontal diseases include pathological conditions elicited by the presence of bacterial biofilms leading to a host response. In the diagnostic process, clinical signs such as bleeding on probing, development of periodontal pockets and gingival recessions, furcation involvement and presence of radiographic bone loss should be assessed prior to periodontal therapy, following active therapy, and during long-term supportive care. In addition, patient-reported outcomes such as increased tooth mobility, migration, and tilting should also be considered. More important to the patient, however, is the fact that assessment of signs of periodontal diseases must be followed by an appropriate treatment plan. Furthermore, it should be realized that clinical and radiographic periodontal diagnosis is based on signs which may not reflect the presence of active disease but rather represent the sequelae of a previous bacterial challenge. Hence, the aim of the present review is to provide a summary of clinical and radiographic diagnostic criteria required to classify patients with periodontal health or disease

Особенности и закономерности изменения восстановлености углей башкирского яруса Западного Донбасса

В статье приведена детальная петрографическая характеристика углей башкирского яруса Западного Донбасса. Проведена классификация по восстановлености в соответствии с петрографическими типами. Установлены стратиграфические и площадные закономерности изменения степени восстановлености.У статті наведена детальна петрографічна характеристика вугілля башкирського ярусу Західного Донбасу. Проведена класифікація відновленості, згідно з петрографічними типами. Встановлені стратиграфічні та просторові закономірності зміни ступеню відновленості.The article gives detailed petrographic characteristics of coal of Bashkirian formation of Western Donbas. The classifications for recovery in accordance with petrographic types are given. The stratigraphic and areal patterns of change in the degree of recovery are established

Cellulose hydrolysis-hydrogenolysis to ethyleneglycol and propyleneglycol over Ru and heteropolyacid catalysts

Еthylene and propylene glycols (EG and PG) are widely used in industry to produce cooling systems and other valuable chemical products. But PG is non-toxic, therefore it is used in industries where EG can not be used: pharmaceutical, food, etc. This polyols produced by "one-pot" method, which is one of the promising and effective methods for producing alcohols from cellulose under harsh conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal composition of the solid bifunctional catalyst and the conditions of its preparation for the hydrolysis-hydrogenolysis of cellulose. Catalists are Ru-HPA/ZrO[2], RuHPA/Nb[2]O[5] and Ru/CsHPK. As a result of the study, the most promising catalyst system is 1%Ru/Cs[3.5]H[0.5]SiW[12]O[40]. In the presence of 1%Ru/CsHPA, the yield of 25% EG and 11% PG was detected (EG and PG selectivity is 60 and 27%). The activity of the catalysts was studied in the presence of Ca(OH)[2]

Template design and automatic generation of controllers for industrial robots

The basic theory of supervisory control of discrete-event sys-tems is extended with the notion of templates, which sim-plifies the modeling of controllers since one can work with conceptual designs. In this work, software which provides support for the new design approach is presented along with its application to a robotic testbed