Cast segment evaluation

Evaluation program to determine feasibility of fabricating segmented rocket engine thrust chambers using low cost, lightweight castings extends state of the art in areas of casting size and complexity, and in ability to provide thin sections and narrow, deep, cooling channels. Related developments are discussed

Tropical and subtropical actinorhizal plants

A maioria dos países tropicais enfrenta dois grandes problemas: o aumento constante da exploração das reservas florestais para extração de madeira ou lenha e a diminuição da fertilidade do solo para produção agrícola. O conceito geral é o de que plantas fixadoras de N2 podem evitar a propalada crise de madeira e alimentos. Juntas com um grande número de leguminosas fixadoras de N2, plantas actinorrízicas podem ter um papel importante na produção de madeira e recuperação de solos. As plantas actinorrízicas compreendem oito famílias de dicotiledôneas, todas elas representadas nos trópicos. Neste trabalho, as mais promissoras plantas actinorrízicas tropicais são brevemente apresentadas e a ênfase é dada principalmente à família Casuarinaceae. Esta família compreende quatro gêneros (Casuarina, Allocasuarina, Gymnostoma e gênero C), com 82 espécies, incluindo muitas árvores que podem produzir madeira de boa qualidade. As estirpes de Frankia que têm sido isoladas das Casuarinaceae crescem lentamente e são capazes de reduzir acetileno in vitro sob ar, o que indica uma capacidade de proteção contra o O2 muito mais eficiente do que no Rhizobium. Apenas as espécies do gênero Casuarina podem ser noduladas pela estirpe ORS 021001, isolada de Casuarina junghuhniana, o que sugere a existência de grupos de inoculação dentro da família Casuarinaceae. A fixação de N2 de Casuarina equisetifolia, crescida em microparcelas de 1 m2, na estação experimental de ORSTM, em Dakar, foi estimada através da comparação do N total em plantas não-inoculadas e plantas inoculadas com a estirpe ORS 021001. Extrapolando para um hectare, a fixação de N2 foi de 131 kg/N em um período de 6,5 meses. Usando o método de equivalência com adubo nitrogenado, a inoculação parece ser equivalente à aplicação de 288 kg de N/ha-1.Most tropical countries face two major problems: increasing overexploitation of wood reserves for timber or fuel wood and diminishing soil fertility for agricultural production. The present consensus is that N2 -fixing plants can help prevent the forthcoming wood and food crisis. Together with the vast group of N2 -fixing Leguminoseae, actinorhizal plants (AP) can play a major role in wood production and land regeneration. AP comprise eight families of dicotyledonous plants all of which are represented in the tropics. In this paper the most promising tropical AP are briefly presented and the emphasis is put mainly on Casuarinaceae. This family forms a group of four genera (Casuarina, Allocasuarina, Gymnostoma and genus C) with 82 species, including many trees that can yield wood of good quality. The Frankia strains that have been isolated from Casuarinaceae grow slowly and are able to reduce acetylene in vitro under air, which indicates that the protection against O2 is much more efficient in Frankia than in rhizobia. Only the species belonging to the Casuarina genus could be nodulated by strain ORS 021001, isolated from Casuarina junghuhniana, suggesting the existence of crossinoculation groups within the family Casuarinaceae. N2 fixation of Casuarina equisetifolia, grown in 1 m2 microplots at the ORSTOM experimental station of Dakar, was estimated by comparing total N in non-inoculated plants and plants inoculated with Frankia strain ORS 021001. Extrapolating to 1 hectare, N2 fixation was 131 kg for a 6.5-month period. Using the N fertilizer equivalence method, inoculation appeared to be equivalent to the application of 288 kg of N fertilizer per hectare

Natalizumab induced blood eosinophilia: A retrospective pharmacovigilance cohort study and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE To describe frequency of natalizumab related eosinophilia and clinical symptoms of eosinophilic disease in our monocentric cohort. METHODS Comparison of clinical characteristics of 115 natalizumab treated and 116 untreated RRMS patients and review of literature. RESULTS 38% of natalizumab treated patients had eosinophilia, which occurred significantly more frequently compared to untreated MS patients (3%, p-value<0.001). In symptomatic patients, mean eosinophil counts were significantly higher than in asymptomatic patients and symptoms developed within one year. DISCUSSION Eosinophilia is a side effect of natalizumab and mostly asymptomatic. However, few patients develop within one year after start of natalizumab an eosinophilic disease as severe side effect

Effects of alcohol consumption on mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims/hypothesis: Moderate alcohol intake has been associated with increased life expectancy due to reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease. We prospectively examined the effects of alcohol consumption on mortality in Type 2 diabetic patients in Switzerland. Methods: A total of 287 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (125 women, 162 men), recruited in Switzerland for the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes, were included in this study. After a follow-up period of 12.6±0.6 years (means ± SD), mortality from CHD and from all causes was assessed. Results: During the follow-up, 70 deaths occurred (21 from CHD, 49 from other causes). Compared with non-drinkers, alcohol consumers who drank alcohol 1 to 15g, 16 to 30g and 30g or more per day had the following risk rates of death from CHD: 0.87 (95% CI: 0.25 to 2.51, NS), 0.00 (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.92, p less than 0.05) and 0.37 (95% CI, 0.01 to 2.42, NS), respectively. The corresponding risk rates of death from all causes were 1.27 (95% CI: 0.68 to 2.28, NS), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.99, p less than 0.05) and 1.66 (95% CI: 0.76 to 3.33, NS). Conclusions/interpretation: In Swiss Type 2 diabetic patients moderate alcohol consumption of 16 to 30g per day was associated with reduced mortality from CHD and from all causes. Alcohol intake above 30g per day was associated with a tendency towards increased all-cause mortalit

Metabolic and hormonal studies of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients after successful pancreas and kidney transplantation

Long-term normalization of glucose metabolism is necessary to prevent or ameliorate diabetic complications. Although pancreatic grafting is able to restore normal blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin, the degree of normalization of the deranged diabetic metabolism after pancreas transplantation is still questionable. Consequently glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, and pancreatic polypeptide responses to oral glucose and i.v. arginine were measured in 36 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic recipients of pancreas and kidney allografts and compared to ten healthy control subjects. Despite normal HbA1 (7.2±0.2%; normal <8%) glucose disposal was normal only in 44% and impaired in 56% of the graft recipients. Normalization of glucose tolerance was achieved at the expense of hyperinsulinaemia in 52% of the subjects. C-peptide and glucagon were normal, while pancreatic polypeptide was significantly higher in the graft recipients. Intravenous glucose tolerance (n=21) was normal in 67% and borderline in 23%. Biphasic insulin release was seen in patients with normal glucose tolerance. Glucose tolerance did not deteriorate up to 7 years post-transplant. In addition, stress hormone release (cortisol, growth hormone, prolactin, glucagon, catecholamines) to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia was examined in 20 graft recipients and compared to eight healthy subjects. Reduced blood glucose decline indicates insulin resistance, but glucose recovery was normal, despite markedly reduced catecholamine and glucagon release. These data demonstrate the effectiveness of pancreatic grafting in normalizing glucose metabolism, although hyperinsulinaemia and deranged counterregulatory hormone response are observed frequently

Oxidation and emission of methane in a monomictic lake (Rotsee, Switzerland)

The build-up of methane in the hypolimnion of the eutrophic Lake Rotsee (Lucerne, Switzerland) was monitored over a full year. Sources and sinks of methane in the water column were characterized by measuring concentrations and carbon isotopic composition. In fall, high methane concentrations (up to 1mM) were measured in the anoxic water layer. In the oxic layer, methane concentrations were much lower and the isotopic composition shifted towards heavy carbon isotopes. Methane oxidation rates peaked at the interface between oxic and anoxic water layers at around 8-10m depth. The electron balance between the oxidants oxygen, sulphate, and nitrate, and the reductants methane, sulphide and ammonium, matched very well in the chemocline during the stratified season. The profile of carbon isotopic composition of methane showed strong indications for methane oxidation at the chemocline (including the oxycline). Aerobic methane oxidizing bacteria were detected at the interface using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Sequencing the responsible organisms from DGGE bands revealed that aerobic methanotrophs type I closely related to Methylomonas were present. Sulphate consumption occurred at the sediment surface and, only towards the end of the stagnation period, matched with a zone of methane consumption. In any case, the flux of sulphate below the chemocline was not sufficient to oxidize all the methane and other oxidants like nitrate, iron or manganese are necessary for the observed methane oxidation. Although most of the methane was oxidized either aerobically or anaerobically, Lake Rotsee was still a source of methane to the atmosphere with emission rates between 0.2mgCH4m−2day−1 in February and 7mgCH4m−2day−1 in Novembe

Structure-Guided Mutagenesis Reveals the Catalytic Residue that Controls the Regiospecificity of C6-Indole Prenyltransferases

Indole is a significant structural moiety and functionalization of the C−H bond in indole-containing molecules expands their chemical space, and modifies their properties and/or activities. Indole prenyltransferases (IPTs) catalyze the direct regiospecific installation of prenyl moieties on indole-derived compounds. IPTs have shown relaxed substrate flexibility enabling them to be used as tools for indole functionalization. However, the mechanism by which certain IPTs target a specific carbon position is not fully understood. Herein, we use structure-guided site-directed mutagenesis, in vitro enzymatic reactions, kinetics and structural-elucidation of analogs to verify the key catalytic residues that control the regiospecificity of all characterized regiospecific C6 IPTs. The presented results also demonstrate that substitution of PriB_His312 to Tyr leads to the synthesis of analogs prenylated at different positions than C6. This work contributes to understanding of how certain IPTs can access a challenging position in indole-derived compounds

Impact of an Intravenous Magnesium Shortage on Potassium Doses in Adult Surgical Patients Receiving Parenteral Nutrition

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141001/1/jpen0688.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141001/2/jpen0688-sup-0001.pd