Process for preparing sterile solid propellants Patent

Using ethylene oxide in preparation of sterilized solid rocket propellants and encapsulating material

Direct and long-lasting effects elicited by repeated drug administration on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations are regulated differently: Implications for the study of the affective properties of drugs of abuse

Several studies suggest that 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) may indicate a positive affective state in rats, and these vocalizations are increasingly being used to investigate the properties of psychoactive drugs. Previous studies, however, have focused on dopaminergic psychostimulants and morphine, whereas little is known about how other drugs modulate 50-kHz USVs. To further elucidate the neuropharmacology of 50-kHz USVs, the present study characterized the direct and long-lasting effects of different drugs of abuse, by measuring the number of 50-kHz USVs and their 'trill' subtype emitted by adult male rats. Rats received repeated administrations of amphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 7.5 mg/kg, i.p.), morphine (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.), or nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, s.c.), on either consecutive or alternate days (five administrations in total) in a novel environment. Seven days later, rats were re-exposed to the drug-paired environment, subjected to USVs recording, and then challenged with the same drug. Finally, 7 d after the challenge, rats were repeatedly exposed to the drug-paired environment and vocalizations were measured. Amphetamine was the only drug to stimulate 50-kHz USVs and 'trill' subtype emission during administration and challenge. Conversely, all rats emitted 50-kHz USVs when re-exposed to the test cage, and this effect was most marked in morphine-treated rats, and less evident in nicotine-treated rats. This study demonstrates that the direct and long-lasting effects of drugs on 50-kHz USVs are regulated differently, providing a better understanding of the usefulness of these vocalizations in the study of psychoactive drugs

Encapsulation process sterilizes and preserves surgical instruments

Ethylene oxide is blended with an organic polymer to form a sterile material for encapsulating surgical instruments. The material does not bond to metal and can be easily removed when the instruments are needed

Dissecting Kinematics and Stellar Populations of Counter-Rotating Galaxies with 2-Dimensional Spectroscopy

We present a spectral decomposition technique and its applications to a sample of galaxies hosting large-scale counter-rotating stellar disks. Our spectral decomposition technique allows to separate and measure the kinematics and the properties of the stellar populations of both the two counter-rotating disks in the observed galaxies at the same time. Our results provide new insights on the epoch and mechanism of formation of these galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Contributed talk presented at the Conference "Multi-Spin galaxies", September 30 - October 3, 2013, INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy. To be published in ASP Conf. Ser., Multi-Spin Galaxies, ed. E. Iodice & E. M. Corsini (San Francisco: ASP

Injunction Against Prosecution of Divorce Actions in Other States

Aims: The formation scenario of extended counter-rotating stellar disks in galaxies is still debated. In this paper, we study the S0 galaxy IC 719 known to host two large-scale counter-rotating stellar disks in order to investigate their formation mechanism. Methods: We exploit the large field of view and wavelength coverage of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) spectrograph to derive two-dimensional (2D) maps of the various properties of the counter-rotating stellar disks, such as age, metallicity, kinematics, spatial distribution, the kinematical and chemical properties of the ionized gas, and the dust map. Results: Due to the large wavelength range, and in particular to the presence of the Calcium Triplet \u3bb\u3bb8498, 8542, 8662 \uc5 (CaT hereafter), the spectroscopic analysis allows us to separate the two stellar components in great detail. This permits precise measurement of both the velocity and velocity dispersion of the two components as well as their spatial distribution. We derived a 2D map of the age and metallicity of the two stellar components, as well as the star formation rate and gas-phase metallicity from the ionized gas emission maps. Conclusions: The main stellar disk of the galaxy is kinematically hotter, older, thicker and with larger scale-length than the secondary disk. There is no doubt that the latter is strongly linked to the ionized gas component: they have the same kinematics and similar vertical and radial spatial distribution. This result is in favor of a gas accretion scenario over a binary merger scenario to explain the origin of counter-rotation in IC 719. One source of gas that may have contributed to the accretion process is the cloud that surrounds IC 719

Mitochondrial DNA lineages of Italian Giara and Sarcidano horses

Giara and Sarcidano are 2 of the 15 extant native Italian horse breeds with limited dispersal capability that originated from a larger number of individuals. The 2 breeds live in two distinct isolated locations on the island of Sardinia. To determine the genetic structure and evolutionary history of these 2 Sardinian breeds, the first hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was sequenced and analyzed in 40 Giara and Sarcidano horses and compared with publicly available mtDNA data from 43 Old World breeds. Four different analyses, including genetic distance, analysis of molecular variance, haplotype sharing, and clustering methods, were used to study the genetic relationships between the Sardinian and other horse breeds. The analyses yielded similar results, and the FST values indicated that a high percentage of the total genetic variation was explained by between-breed differences. Consistent with their distinct phenotypes and geographic isolation, the two Sardinian breeds were shown to consist of 2 distinct gene pools that had no gene flow between them. Giara horses were clearly separated from the other breeds examined and showed traces of ancient separation from horses of other breeds that share the same mitochondrial lineage. On the other hand, the data from the Sarcidano horses fit well with variation among breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Europe: genetic relationships among Sarcidano and the other breeds are consistent with the documented history of this breed

Extracorporeal CO2 removal in hypercapnic patients who fail noni nvasive ventialtion and refuse endotracheal intubation. a case series

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) represents the standard of care for patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, NIV fails in almost 40% of the most severe forms of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and patients must undergo endotracheal intubation and invasive ventilation. Such transition from NIV to invasive ventilation is associated to increased mortality. Under these circumstances, patients may express a clear intention not to be intubated

The pseudobulge of NGC 1292

The photometric and kinematic properties of Sb NGC 1292 suggest it hosts a pseudobulge. The properties of the stellar population of such a pseudobulge are consistent with a slow buildup within a scenario of secular evolution.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure to appear in the proceedings of "Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Disks", Rome, October 2007, Eds. J. Funes and E. M. Corsin