Use of capillary electrophoresis as a method development tool for classical gel electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to optimize the buffer pH, ionic strength and sulfated cyclodextrin concentrations for enantiomeric separation of piperoxan. These enantioseparation conditions were then applied to a classical gel electrophoresis system. Binding constants of the sulfated beta-cyclodextrin–piperoxan couple were approximated using CE and the effects of organic solvents on the system were also investigated

Observation of a temperature dependent electrical resistance minimum above the magnetic ordering temperature in Gd2_2PdSi3_3

Results on electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, magnetic Results on electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and Gd Mossbauer measurements on a Gd-based intermetallic compound, Gd$_{2}$PdSi$_{3}$ are reported. A finding of interest is that the resistivity unexpectedly shows a well-defined minimum at about 45 K, well above the long range magnetic ordering temperature (21 K), a feature which gets suppressed by the application of a magnetic field. This observation in a Gd alloy presents an interesting scenario. On the basis of our results, we propose electron localization induced by s-f (or d-f) exchange interaction prior to long range magnetic order as a mechanism for the electrical resistance minimum.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Different types of soluble fermentable dietary fibre decrease food intake, body weight gain and adiposity in young adult male rats

We thank Donna Wallace and the Rowett Animal House staff for the daily care of experimental rats, body weight and food intake measurements and MRI scanning, Vivien Buchan and Donna Henderson of the Rowett Analytical Department for proximate analyses and SCFA GC, and Andrew Chappell for conducting the beta-glucan analysis. This research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Across-Column Cracks and Axial Splits in S2 Saline Ice under Compression

Experiments on plate-like specimens have established that across-column cracks from within S2 (columnar) salt-water ice when compressed uniaxially along a direction inclined to the long axis of the grains. Wing cracks initiate from the across-column cracks and lengthen into axial splits when the ice is rapidly deformed; correspondingly; the macroscopic behavior changes from ductile to brittle. The across-column cracking is attributed to grain-boundary sliding, and the splitting to the suppression of crack-tip creep

Diagnosis and Interim Treatment Outcomes from the First Cohort of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Tanzania.

Kibong'oto National Tuberculosis Hospital (KNTH), Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Characterize the diagnostic process and interim treatment outcomes from patients treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Tanzania. A retrospective cohort study was performed among all patients treated at KNTH for pulmonary MDR-TB between November 2009 and September 2011. Sixty-one culture-positive MDR-TB patients initiated therapy, 60 (98%) with a prior history of TB treatment. Forty-one (67%) were male and 9 (14%) were HIV infected with a mean CD4 count of 424 (±106) cells/µl. The median time from specimen collection to MDR-TB diagnosis and from diagnosis to initiation of MDR-TB treatment was 138 days (IQR 101-159) and 131 days (IQR 32-233), respectively. Following treatment initiation four (7%) patients died (all HIV negative), 3 (5%) defaulted, and the remaining 54 (89%) completed the intensive phase. Most adverse drug reactions were mild to moderate and did not require discontinuation of treatment. Median time to culture conversion was 2 months (IQR 1-3) and did not vary by HIV status. In 28 isolates available for additional second-line drug susceptibility testing, fluoroquinolone, aminoglycoside and para-aminosalicylic acid resistance was rare yet ethionamide resistance was present in 9 (32%). The majority of MDR-TB patients from this cohort had survived a prolonged referral process, had multiple episodes of prior TB treatment, but did not have advanced AIDS and converted to culture negative early while completing an intensive inpatient regimen without serious adverse event. Further study is required to determine the clinical impact of second-line drug susceptibility testing and the feasibility of alternatives to prolonged hospitalization

Development and Validation of a State-Based Measure of Emotion Dysregulation: The State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS)

Existing measures of emotion dysregulation typically assess dispositional tendencies and are therefore not well suited for study designs that require repeated assessments over brief intervals. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a state-based multidimensional measure of emotion dysregulation. Psychometric properties of the State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS) were examined in a large representative community sample of young adult women drawn from four sites (N = 484). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor solution, with results supporting the internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive validity of the total scale and the four subscales: Nonacceptance (i.e., nonacceptance of current emotions), Modulate (i.e., difficulties modulating emotional and behavioral responses in the moment), Awareness (i.e., limited awareness of current emotions), and Clarity (i.e., limited clarity about current emotions). S-DERS scores were significantly associated with trait-based measures of emotion dysregulation, affect intensity/reactivity, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness, as well as measures of substance use problems. Moreover, significant associations were found between the S-DERS and state-based laboratory measures of emotional reactivity, even when controlling for the corresponding original DERS scales. Results provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the S-DERS as a state-based measure of emotion regulation difficulties

Vacancy motion in rare-earth-deficient R_(1-x)Ni_2 Laves phases observed by perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy

Rare-earth-deficient R_(1-x)Ni_2 Laves phases, which reportedly crystallize in a C15 superstructure with ordered R vacancies, have been investigated by perturbed angular correlation (PAC) measurements of electric quadrupole interactions at the site of the probe nucleus ^111Cd. Although ^111Cd resides on the cubic R site, a strong axially symmetric quadrupole interaction (QI) with frequencies ν(q)approximate to265-275 MHz has been found in the paramagnetic phases of R_(1-x)Ni_2 with R=Pr,Nd,Sm,Gd. This interaction is not observed for the heavy R constituents R=Tb,Dy,Ho,Er. The fraction of probe nuclei subject to the QI in R_(1-x)Ni_2, R=Pr,Nd,Sm,Gd, decreases from 100% at low temperatures to zero at T>300 K and 500 K for R=Sm,Gd and R=Pr,Nd, respectively. At T=100 K the QI is static within the PAC time window, but at T=200 K fluctuations with correlation times τ_(C) 500 K nuclear spin relaxation related to vacancy hopping is observed in nearly all R_(1-x)N_i2. Auxiliary ^111Cd PAC measurements have been carried in Sc_0.95Ni_2, ScNi_2, ScNi_0.97, Gd_2Ni_(17), GdNi_5, GdNi_3, and GdNi