The characterization of the capability of a balance

1996

A survey is given on important standardized definitions by which the capability of balances may be characterized. Some modifications are proposed with regard to the use of mass sensors for the continuous determination of mass variations. An important supplement is the ‘relative resolution’ introduced by Jenemann. Optimum values are presented.

Evaluation of the use of phase-specific gene promoters for the expression of enological enzymes in an industrial wine yeast strain

1996

Genes as POT1, HSP104 and SSA3, which are late expressed in laboratory culture conditions are expressed only during the first few days in microvinifications in wine yeast cells. This effect is probably due to the different growth conditions and leads to useless levels of enzyme activity for a reporter gene. However the ACT1 promoter, which is constitutively expressed in laboratory conditions, produces sufficient amounts of enzyme activity in late fermentation phases.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, and Crystal Structure Determination of Cationic [(Cyclopentadienyl)dicarbonyliron](alkynyl)‐aminocarbene C…

1996

(Alkynoyl)iron complexes 1, Cp(CO)2Fe(OCCCR) (R = CH3, Ph, SiMe3), were synthesized by applying a mixed anhydride procedure and transformed into the cationic methoxycarbene complexes 2, [Cp(CO)2 Fe(C(OMe)CCR)+]-[PF6–]. Primary amines H2NR′ react with the methoxycarbene complexes to furnish exclusively cationic aminocarbene complexes 3, [Cp(CO)2 Fe(C(NHR′)CCR)+][PF6–], or (2-methoxyvinyl)aminocarbene complexes 5. The spectroscopic properties of the new complexes are discussed. The (alkynyl)-aminocarbene complexes 3e and 3f were characterized by X-ray crystal structure analysis.

Palmitoylation of Endothelin Receptor A

1996

Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and palmitoylation play important roles for the function and regulation of receptors coupled to heterotrimeric guanyl nucleotide-binding proteins. Here we demonstrate that the human endothelin receptor A (ETA) incorporates [3H]palmitate. Mutation of a cluster of five cysteine residues present in the cytoplasmic tail of ETA into serine or alanine residues completely prevented palmitoylation of the receptor. The ligand binding affinity of the non-palmitoylated ETA mutants was essentially unchanged as compared to the palmitoylated wild type ETA suggesting that the replacement of the cysteine residues did not alter the overall structure o…

The climate in relation to the quality/typicity of the wines of Burgundy: the 1995 vintage

1996

(1996). The climate in relation to the quality/typicity of the wines of Burgundy: the 1995 vintage. Journal of Wine Research: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 125-129.

The evolution of breast cancer mortality and morbidity in Spain (1977?1988)

1996

A study of breast cancer mortality and cancer morbidity has been carried out in Spain recently for the period 1977-1988, covering the population of the 17 Autonomous Communities and 50 provinces of the country. Data was obtained from INE, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (National Institute of Statistics), with age standardization using the indirect method. The different Autonomous Communities and provinces were compared in order to establish possible significant differences. The crude mean mortality rate was 21 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year; Las Palmas, Gerona, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, Navarra and Zaragoza have the highest mortality rates, with a proportional increment of 54%…

Guanidyl and phosphoraniminyl substituents: New electron donors in second-order nonlinear optical chromophores

1996

The Sources of Ca2+ for Muscarinic Receptor-induced Contraction in the Rat Ileum

1996

Abstract The contractile responses obtained by activation of different muscarinic receptor subtypes in the longitudinal muscle of the rat ileum and especially the responses of this muscle to acetylcholine in a Ca2+-free medium have been investigated. In Ca2+-containing solution, acetylcholine elicited similar concentration-dependent contractile responses in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum strips of the rat intestine. The response to a maximal concentration of the agonist (1 μM) consisted of a rapid phasic response followed by a slower tonic one. Nifedipine completely relaxes or inhibits the sustained response and only partially diminishes the phasic one, which suggests that the phasic contr…

Sedimentation in a tropical, microtidal, wave-dominated coastal-plain estuary

1996

The Mono estuary is an infilled, microtidal estuary located on the wave-dominated Bight of Benin coast which is subject to very strong eastward longshore drift. The estuarine fill comprises a thick unit of lagoonal mud deposited in a ‘central basin’between upland fluvial deposits and estuary-mouth wave-tide deposits. This lagoonal fill is capped by organic-rich tidal flat mud. In addition to tidal flat mud, the superficial facies overlying the ‘central basin’fill include remnants of spits resting on transgressive/washover sand, an estuary-mouth association of beach, shoreface, flood-tidal delta and tidal inlet deposits, and a thin sheet of fluvial sediments deposited over tidal flat mud. Af…

Social integration, sexual behavior and fertility in patients with bladder exstrophy--a long-term follow up.

1996

After primary bladder closure or urinary diversion, other factors apart from the reconstruction itself gain importance for individuals with the exstrophy-epispadias complex: social integration and, after reaching puberty, sexuality and fertility. Between 1968 and July 1994 115 patients with bladder exstrophy or incontinent epispadias underwent surgery at our institution. A total of 104 patients could be followed, 2 of whom died in the meantime. Of the remaining 102 patients 48 attend school, 4 are in college, 40 have completed or are currently undergoing vocational training, 3 are unemployed, 1 lives in a therapeutic centre and 6 are younger than 6 years of age. A total of 95% of the patien…

Strukturelle Veränderungen in säuregeätztem Schmelz im konfokalen Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop

1996

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate structural alternations in enamel subjected to acid etch technique and treatment under remineralizing conditions by means of a new microscopy technique known as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Blocks of enamel were treated with 37% phosphoric acid and exposed for 3 weeks to an oral environment. Tomographic CLSM images were subsequently obtained and compared with controls. CLSM proved to be a reliable, highly reproducible and simple method of qualitative assessment of structural changes occurring on the surface of enamel and in areas below the surface as deep as 100 microns or more. Structural alterations associated with acid a…

On the influence of the acid-base character of catalysts on the oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes

1996

Vanadium oxides supported on metal oxide, i.e. Al2O3, MgO and Mg-Al mixed oxide, and V-containing microporous materials (VAPO-5 and MgVAPO-5) have been tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation of C2-C4 alkanes. In all cases, tetrahedral vanadium species (isolated and/or associated) were mainly observed from51V-NMR and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies. The reducibility of V5+-species, determined from the onset-reduction temperature, decreases as follows: VOx/AL > VAPO-5 > MgVAPO-5 =VOx/MG > VOx/MG + AL. The acid character of catalysts, determined from the FTIR spectra of pyridine adsorbed, decreases as: MgVAPO-5 > VOx/AL > VAPO-5 > VOx/MG + AL > VOx/MG. A similar trend between V-reducibilit…

Accurate Evaluation of Fermi-Dirac Integrals and Their Derivatives for Arbitrary Degeneracy and Relativity

1996

The equation of state of an ideal Fermi gas is expressed in terms of Fermi-Dirac integrals. We give formulae for evaluation the Fermi-Dirac integrals of orders 1/2, 3/2, and 5/2 and their derivatives in various limits of non- and extreme degeneracy and relativity. We provide tables and a Fortran subroutine for numerical evaluation of the integrals and derivatives when a limit does not apply. The functions can be evaluated to better than 1% accuracy for any temperature and density using these methods.

Evaluation of 24-hour gastric acidity in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

1996

Data from previous studies on gastric acid secretion in patients with hepatic cirrhosis are controversial, due, at least in part, to the possible interference of liver failure and altered gastric mucosal microcirculation on the pharmacological action of the substances used to stimulate the parietal cell. For this reason, we wished to investigate the circadian pattern of gastric acidity by means of continuous 24-hour pH monitoring, which permits measurement of pH fluctuations in a nearly physiological manner and does not require any pharmacological stimulus.Forty-nine patients with liver cirrhosis of different aetiology were recruited for this study. They underwent 24-hour gastric pH-metry w…

Kinetic and functional characterization of a membrane-bound NAD(P)H dehydrogenase located in the chloroplasts of Pleurochloris meiringensis (Xanthoph…

1996

Using isolated chloroplasts or purified thylakoids from photoautotrophically grown cells of the chromophytic alga Pleurochloris meiringensis (Xanthophyceae) we were able to demonstrate a membrane bound NAD(P)H dehydrogenase activity. NAD(P)H oxidation was detectable with menadione, coenzyme Q0, decylplastoquinone and decylubiquinone as acceptors in an in vitro assay. K m-values for both pyridine nucleotides were in the μmolar range (K m[NADH]=9.8 μM, K m[NADPH]=3.2 μM calculated according to Lineweaver-Burk). NADH oxidation was optimal at pH 9 while pH dependence of NADPH oxidation showed a main peak at 9.8 and a smaller optimum at pH 7.5-8. NADH oxidation could be completely inhibited with…

Physical and structural characterization of blends made with polyamide 6 and gamma-irradiated polyethylenes

1996

Abstract Morphological, calorimetric and rheological results of blends made with polyamide 6 and polyethylene gamma irradiated in air are presented. The polar oxidized groups grafted in the poliolefin chains through gamma-radiation induce “compatibilization” effects in the blends with a more uniform and finer distribution of the polyethylene “phase” in the polyamide matrix, with respect to blends made with the unirradiated polymer. This effect, observed with polyethylenes of different molecular structure, i.e. low density, linear low density and high density, was attributed to the presence of interactions among the functional oxidized groups of the polyethylene chains and the polyamide. Tes…

Orientation of polybutadiene chains in a thermoplastic elastomer

1996

The orientation of polybutadiene chains in thermoplastic elastomers based on hydrogen bonding complexes is investigated under uniaxial deformation by two-dimensional small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), deuteron magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2H-NMR), optical birefringence and infrared dichroism spectroscopy (FTIR-D). While SANS probes orientation on the length scale of the radius of gyration,2H-NMR, birefringence and FTIR-D monitor orientation on a segmental scale. The deformation of the elastomer chains appears to be affine on the different length scales.

Neuromuscular adaptations during bilateral versus unilateral strength training in middle-aged and elderly men and women.

1996

Twelve middle-aged men and 12 middle-aged women in the 50-year-old age group (M50; range 44-57 years; W50; 43-57), and 12 elderly men and 12 elderly women in the 70-year-old age group (M70; 59-75; W70; 62-75) volunteered as subjects in order to examine effects of 12-week progressive heavy resistance strength training on electromyographic activity (EMG), muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of the quadriceps femoris and maximal concentric force in a one repetition maximum (1 RM) test of the knee extensor muscles. One half of the subjects in each group performed the knee extension (and flexion) exercises only bilaterally (BIL), while another half performed the exercises only unilaterally (UNIL).…

Acute, subchronic and discontinuation effects of zopiclone on sleep EEG and nocturnal melatonin secretion

1996

Zopiclone is a new short half-life cyclopyrrolone hypnotic agent acting at the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex. In order to characterize its pharmacological profile, the effects of 7.5 mg zopiclone on nocturnal melatonin secretion were investigated under polysomnographic control in 11 healthy subjects following acute and subchronic administration as well as after abrupt discontinuation of the drug. No effect of zopiclone on the melatonin plasma levels could be observed. Regarding both total melatonin production and the temporal pattern of melatonin secretion during the night, there was no difference between placebo baseline condition, acute and subchronic administration, and discontinu…

Virtual Compton scattering off the nucleon at low energies

1996

We investigate the low-energy behavior of the four-point Green's function $\Gamma^{\mu\nu}$ describing virtual Compton scattering off the nucleon. Using Lorentz invariance, gauge invariance, and crossing symmetry, we derive the leading terms of an expansion of the operator in the four-momenta $q$ and $q'$ of the initial and final photon, respectively. The model-independent result is expressed in terms of the electromagnetic form factors of the free nucleon, i.e., on-shell information which one obtains from electron-nucleon scattering experiments. Model-dependent terms appear in the operator at $O(q_\alpha q'_\beta)$, whereas the orders $O(q_\alpha q_\beta)$ and $O(q'_\alpha q'_\beta)$ are c…

On Duality in Learning and the Selection of Learning Teams

1996

AbstractPrevious work in inductive inference dealt mostly with finding one or several machines (IIMs) that successfully learn collections of functions. Herein we start with a class of functions and considerthe learner setof all IIMs that are successful at learning the given class. Applying this perspective to the case of team inference leads to the notion ofdiversificationfor a class of functions. This enable us to distinguish between several flavours of IIMs all of which must be represented in a team learning the given class.

Visibility of fiscal systems and subsystems in some organization for economic cooperation and development countries

1996

Induction of c-fos gene expression by the selective sigma receptor ligand EMD 57445 in rat brain.

1996

Based on animal studies it has been reasoned that ligands to sigma binding sites might be effective in the treatment of schizophrenic disorders and may also be used to investigate this largely elusive disorder on a molecular level. Expression patterns of c-fos in rat brain were studied following treatment with single doses of the sigma ligand EMD 57445 (0.3, 1, 3, 30 mg/kg s.c.). Specific c-fos gene expression was detected at all concentrations tested in various cortical areas. The signals observed were dose-dependent with the highest intensities in the piriform cortex. Strong signals were also detected in hippocampal areas CA 1,2,3 and the gyrus dentatus, as well as in the medial habenula …

Determination of antimony, arsenic, bismuth and copper by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry in the electrorefining of copper

1996

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emissionspectrometry (ICP-AES) has been applied as a rapid and routine method for the analysis of process electrolytes in the electrorefining of copper. Antimony, arsenic, bismuth and copper have been selected as major electrolyte constituents. For these elements profound statistical studies of spectral and interelement effects have been carried out. For As, Bi and Sb two analyte wavelengths have been selected, and for Cu one relatively insensitive analyte line has been chosen due to the high Cu concentration in samples. Best analytical lines were: As at 193.759 nm, Bi at 306.772 nm, Sb at 206.833 nm and Cu at 216.953 nm. Multiple linear regression proved t…

Therapeutische Grenzwerte der akuten, arteriellen Hypoxie

1996

Effects of masked repetition priming and orthographic neighborhood in visual recognition of words.

1996

Summay.-The role of orthographic neighborhood (neighborhood size and neighborhood Erequency) in visual-word recognition was analyzed using the masked repetition-priming paradigm. Specifically, we varied stimulus-onset asynchrony (33, 50, and 67 msec.) and type of prime (identical, unrelated, unprimed) in a lexical-decision task. Analyses show additive effects of repetition and stimulus-onset asynchrony. Further, the unrelated condition overestimated the repetition effects relative ro an unprimed condition. Fachtatory effects of neighborhood size and inhibitory effects of neighborhood frequency were also found. The results are interpreted in terms of current models of visual-word recognition…

On languages factorizing the free monoid

1996

A language X⊂A* is called factorizing if there exists a language Y⊂A* such that XY = A* This work was partially supported by ESPRIT-EBRA project ASMICS contact 6317 and project 40% MURST “Algoritmi, Modelli di Calcolo e Strutture Informative”. and the product is unambiguous. First we give a combinatorial characterization of factorizing languages. Further we prove that it is decidable whether a regular language X is factorizing and we construct an automaton recognizing the corresponding language Y. For finite languages we show that it suffices to consider words of bounded length. A complete characterization of factorizing languages with three words and explicit regular expression for the co…

Inorganic polyphosphates in the developing freshwater spongeEphydatia muelleri: Effect of stress by polluted waters

1996

Relatively high amounts of inorganic polyphosphates (approximately 55 μg of polyphosphate/g of wet weight) were found in the freshwater sponge Ephydatia muelleri, particularly in the gemmules (260 μg/g). Here we report that the polyphosphate content of this sponge changes during development and in response to adverse environmental conditions. Germination and hatching of gemmules of E. muelleri is accompanied by a strong decrease (by 94% at day 2) in polyphosphate level and a rise in exopolyphosphatase activity. On the other hand, induction of gemmulogenesis by theophylline results in an increase (by 61%) in polyphosphate content of sponge tissue. An increase in polyphosphate content and a d…

Dietary habits and geographic variation in stomach cancer mortality in Spain

1996

Following examination of the geographical pattern of stomach cancer incidence in Spain, the possible relationship between diet and stomach cancer has been assessed using an ecological model which looks into the relationship between the consumption of different foods and the nutrient intake in each of the 50 Spanish provinces during the period 1964-65, and the mortality rate for stomach cancer in these same 50 provinces during a period 20 years later (1984-86). The geographical pattern of stomach cancer mortality has been arrived at using the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) calculated for each province. The per capita consumption of foods was obtained from the National Institute for Sta…

Contestación a la carta de los Dres. F. Barbé, B. Togores y A.G.N. Agustí

1996

Ionic conductivity in monophasic Ag2xNa2(1 − x)ZnSiO4 materials with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1

1996

Abstract Solid solution samples Ag 2 x Na 2(1 − x ) ZnSiO 4 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 have been prepared by heat treating powder mixtures of Na 2 ZnSiO 4 and Ag 2 ZnSiO 4 at 300 °C and characterised by X-ray powder diffraction. The ionic conductivity of the solid solution has been determined as a function of composition and temperature by means of impedance measurements. The ionic conductivity of the mixed-mobile ion compositions (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) shows no substantial deviation from the mutually similar conductivities of the end compositions Na 2 ZnSiO 4 and Ag 2 ZnSiO 4 , and neither activation energy nor conductivity pre-factor varies significantly with composition. The results indicate that the mixed-alk…

Activation by mitogens and superantigens of axolotl lymphocytes: functional characterization and ontogenic study.

1996

Urodele amphibians have weak and slow immune responses compared to mammals and anuran amphibians. Using new culture conditions, we tested the ability of lymphocytes of a well-studied salamander, the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) to proliferate in vitro with diverse mitogenic agents. We demonstrated that the axolotl has a population of B lymphocytes that proliferate specifically and with a high stimulation index to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) known as a B-cell mitogen in mammals. This proliferative capacity is observed without significant changes throughout ontogenesis. In the presence of LPS, axolotl B lymphocytes are able to synthesize and secrete both isotopes of immunoglobulin d…

Two-LO-Phonon Resonant Raman Scattering in II-VI Semiconductors

1996

Recently, absolute values of socond-order Raman scattering efficiency have been measured around the E 0 and E 0 + Δ 0 critical points of several II-VI semiconductor compounds. The measurements were perfomed in the z(x,x)z backscattering configuration on (001) (ZnSe and ZnTe) and (110) (CdTe) surfaces. They show strong incoming and outgoing resonances around the baud gap and larger scattering efficiencies as compaered to III-V compounds. A theoretical model which includes excitons as intermediate states in the Raman process is shown to give a very good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment. Only a small discrepancy exists, while III-V compounds the discrepancies were close to …

Modern vacuumbalances

1996

Different types of vacuum balances have been developed corresponding to the various applications [ 1 ]:

Flexible employment practices and working time patterns: the potential for and limits of ecological impact

1996

The discussion about the relationship between employment policy and environment policy has been predominantly about the extent to which environmental issues can be brought into industrial relations policy. Environmental problems are perceived as additional factors of influence, which have an impact on job security and working conditions, and which have so far not been adequately taken into account in standards and rules. From the current viewpoint of union representatives, conservation of the environment is being brought into discussion in the form of an "employment policy extended to include the environment". Progress made in this field in recent years is increasingly undermined by radica…

Ferroelectricity and orientational glass behavior in the [Rbx(NH4)1−x]2SO4system

1996

Abstract The ordering in the electric dipole subsystem of the [Rbx(NH4)1−x]22SO4 family is investigated. The microscopic origin of ferroelectricity for x=0 is discussed, and evidences for the existence of orientational glass behavior in highly substituted crystals are presented.