Waist circumference and VO2max are associated with metabolic and hemostatic risk in premenopausal nurses

In 21 nurses (34.4+/-3.9 yr), VO2max, physical activity, body composition and lifestyle parameters were measured to determine which of these characteristics are related to metabolic and hemostatic risk for cardiovascular disease. Physical activity was assessed with the 7-day recall interview VO2max was measured in a progressive and continuous treadmill test to volitional fatigue. Fasting insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-C, triglycerides, fibrinogen, tPA-act, tPA-ag, and PAI-1-ag were determined from fasting blood samples. Contrary to our expectation, there was no association of physical activity with any of these risk indicators. High VO2max was associated with lower levels of insulin and fibrinogen. Regression analyses indicated that metabolic and hemostatic risk indicators, as measured in healthy premenopausal nurses, were mainly predicted by waist circumference and oral contraceptive use

Residues Clustered in the Light-Sensing Knot of Phytochrome B are Necessary for Conformer-Specific Binding to Signaling Partner PIF3

The bHLH transcription factor, PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 3 (PIF3), interacts specifically with the photoactivated, Pfr, form of Arabidopsis phytochrome B (phyB). This interaction induces PIF3 phosphorylation and degradation in vivo and modulates phyB-mediated seedling deetiolation in response to red light. To identify missense mutations in the phyB N-terminal domain that disrupt this interaction, we developed a yeast reverse-hybrid screen. Fifteen individual mutations identified in this screen, or in previous genetic screens for Arabidopsis mutants showing reduced sensitivity to red light, were shown to also disrupt light-induced binding of phyB to PIF3 in in vitro co-immunoprecipitation assays. These phyB missense mutants fall into two general classes: Class I (eleven mutants) containing those defective in light signal perception, due to aberrant chromophore attachment or photoconversion, and Class II (four mutants) containing those normal in signal perception, but defective in the capacity to transduce this signal to PIF3. By generating a homology model for the three-dimensional structure of the Arabidopsis phyB chromophore-binding region, based on the crystal structure of Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome, we predict that three of the four Class II mutated phyB residues are solvent exposed in a cleft between the presumptive PAS and GAF domains. This deduction suggests that these residues could be directly required for the physical interaction of phyB with PIF3. Because these three residues are also necessary for phyB-imposed inhibition of hypocotyl elongation in response to red light, they are functionally necessary for signal transfer from photoactivated phyB, not only to PIF3 and other related bHLH transcription factors tested here, but also to other downstream signaling components involved in regulating seedling deetiolation

The physical properties of Fluorine-doped tindioxide films and the influence of ageing and impurity effects

Fluorine-doped tin dioxide layers were produced by spraying an organic tin solution onto a hot substrate. The substrates were common window glass, pyrex and black enamelled steel. Best results were obtained with black enamelled steel, in which case typical values of the spectral selective layers were: a solar absorptance of 0.92 and a thermal emittance of 0.15. Investigations of the optical and electrical properties show that optical behaviour in the 3–10 µm region conforms well to the Drude theory. Ageing tests were carried out in air and in vacuum. In vacuum above about 250°C ageing effects occur, which are related to a decrease of the SnO-fraction of the layer. The effect of sodium, which can diffuse from the glass substrate into this layer, was also investigated. Experiments show that only unrealistically high concentrations of sodium show significant changes in the properties of the layer

Physical properties of pyrolytically sprayed tin-doped indium oxide coatings

The optical and electrical properties of tin-doped indium oxide coatings obviously depend on a number of production parameters. This dependence has been studied to obtain a more general insight into the relationships between the various coating properties. The coatings have been produced by spray pyrolysis using a solution of indium chloride in butylacetate with tin chloride as a dopant. The influence of the tin concentration, the carrier gas for the spraying, the coating thickness, the substrate temperature and annealing has been investigated using various techniques. The best result is obtained when producing a coating of about 300 nm thickness, using nitrogen as the carrier gas to prevent an excess of oxygen in the coating. When the tin doping is about 5%, the maximum density and mobility of the free electrons are obtained (about 5×1020 cm-3 and 45 cm2V-1s-1 respectively). The substrate temperature has to be high; about 580°C in the case of glass substrates. The electrical and optical properties are satisfactorily described using the theory of ionized impurity scattering. The study of the relation between the structural and the electrical-optical properties shows that the structural properties, i.e. the crystallite size and orientation, influence the electrical and optical properties only weakly

The physical properties of Fluorine-doped tindioxide coatings for Solar Collectors

Tinoxide coatings and their use for solar energy are investigate

The optical, electrical and structural properties of Fluorine-doped, Pyrolytically sprayed tindioxide coatings

Tindioxide coatings with different fluorine-doping have been produced by spray pyrolysis. The coatings have been analysed by spectrophotometry, Hall-effect measurements, X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. It is shown that the the electron mobility is limited by impurity scattering with a slight lattice scattering component for doped coatings, while the low mobility observed in undoped coatings is due to grain-boundary scattering. The diffraction measurements show a strong preferential orientation which is independent of the doping level. Electron probe microanalysis shows that it is a plausible assumption that the fluorine occupies the oxygen positions in the lattice, while the free electron density is about one third of the fluorine concentration