Additive Free Crosslinking of Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate via Electron Beam Irradiation at Elevated Temperatures.

When applying electron or gamma irradiation to poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), main chain scissions are the dominant material reactions. Though propositions have been made that crosslinking in the amorphous phase of P3HB occurs under irradiation, a conclusive method to achieve controlled additive free irradiation crosslinking has not been shown and no mechanism has been derived to the best of our knowledge. By applying irradiation in a molten state at 195 °C and doses above 200 kGy, we were able to initiate crosslink reactions and achieved gel formation of up to 16%.

It is Never Too Late for a Cocktail - Development and Analytical Characterization of Fixed-dose Antibody Combinations.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been immensely successful as biological drugs. However, the treatment of some diseases requires combinations of antibodies that bind to different pharmacological targets. An elegant approach to delivering the therapeutic potential of antibody combinations is to develop drug products based on fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of co-formulated mAbs.

Biophysical Characterization of Binary Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Mixtures.

Coformulations containing two therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) could offer various benefits like enhanced therapeutic efficacy and better patient compliance. However, there are very few published studies on coformulations and binary mixtures of mAbs. It remains unclear to what extent mAbs with different physicochemical properties can be combined in solution without detrimental effects on protein stability.

Overcoming challenges in co-formulation of proteins with contradicting stability profiles - EPO plus G-CSF.

The co-formulation of drugs is widely used for small molecules, e.g. fixed-dose-combinations of synergistic medicines in the treatment of infections, diabetes or neurodegenerative diseases.

A unifying theory of synaptic long-term plasticity based on a sparse distribution of synaptic strength.

Long-term synaptic plasticity is fundamental to learning and network function. It has been studied under various induction protocols and depends on firing rates, membrane voltage, and precise timing of action potentials. These protocols show different facets of a common underlying mechanism but they are mostly modeled as distinct phenomena.

A prospective randomized single-center study on the risk of asymptomatic cerebral lesions comparing irrigated radiofrequency current ablation with the cryoballoon and the laser balloon.

Background: Asymptomatic cerebral lesions (ACL) may occur during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We sought to compare the ACL incidence between 3 contemporary technologies: (1) irrigated radiofrequency current (RFC), (2) the single big cryoballoon (CB), and (3) the endoscopic laser-balloon (LB) in a prospective randomized pilot study.

Methods And Results: Ninety-nine patients were treated in 3 groups.

[The fate of fusarium toxins in the course of the synthesis of bioethanol from contaminated grain].

By means of a modelling experiment we followed the fate of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) in the production of bioethanol from grain.The experiment has been performed at the 'Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin e.V.

Development of the comprehension and appreciation of fables.

The authors proposed and tested a model of fable comprehension and appreciation. They proposed that fables are metaphoric in that they teach moral lessons about human activity, and that apprehension of the moral derives from a belief in a just world. In Study 1, children from kindergarten to 8th grade and college students received Aesop fables, reversed-outcome Aesop fables, and fable-like stories.

[Investigations of basic feed quality: Mycotoxins on maize for silage 1997-2003].

Maize for silage purposes is investigated on Zeralenone (ZEA) and Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Saxony since 1997. About 45 samples from various regions of Saxony are analyzed every year. The occurrence of DON and ZEA was proved for 20 to 90% of all samples.

AlgR-binding sites within the algD promoter make up a set of inverted repeats separated by a large intervening segment of DNA.

Activation of algD by AlgR is essential for mucoidy, a virulence factor expressed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis. Two AlgR-binding sites, RB1 and RB2, located far upstream from the algD mRNA start site, are essential for the high-level activity of algD. However, the removal of RB1 and RB2 does not completely abolish inducibility of algD in response to environmental signals.

Osmotic Adjustment in Sorghum: II. Relationship to Gas Exchange Rates.

Lowering of the solute potential by osmotic adjustment (OA) has been proposed to allow maintenance of leaf turgor potential (Psi(p)), stomatal conductance (g), and photosynthesis (A) at low leaf water potential. However, literature concerning the role of OA in the maintenance of g and A under water stress is limited and often contradictory. The objective of this experiment was to examine the association of OA with g and A in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.

Osmotic adjustment in sorghum: I. Mechanisms of diurnal osmotic potential changes.

Osmotic adjustment, defined as a lowering of osmotic potential (psi(pi)) due to net solute accumulation in response to water stress, has been considered to be a beneficial drought tolerance mechanism in some crop species. The objective of this experiment was to determine the relative contribution of passive versus active mechanisms involved in diurnal psi(pi) changes in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) leaf tissue in response to water stress.

Leaf photosynthetic rate is correlated with biomass and grain production in grain sorghum lines.

Significant genetic variation in leaf photosynthetic rate has been reported in grain sorghum [Sorghum biocolor (L.) Moench]. The relationships between leaf photosynthetic rates and total biomass production and grain yield remain to be established and formed the purpose of this experiment.

Molecular analysis of hemolytic and phospholipase C activities of Pseudomonas cepacia.

By using a gene-specific fragment from the hemolytic phospholipase C (PLC) gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a probe and data from Southern hybridizations under reduced stringency conditions, we cloned a 4.2-kb restriction fragment from a beta-hemolytic Pseudomonas cepacia strain which expressed hemolytic and PLC activities in Escherichia coli under the control of the lac promoter. It was found, by using a T7 phage promoter-directed expression system, that this DNA fragment carries at least two genes.

Genetic variation for gas exchange rates in grain sorghum.

Carbon assimilation rate (A) and stomatal conductance (g) are highly correlated. However, the slope of the A versus g relationship differs among species and environments resulting in differences in gas exchange efficiency which should reflect water use efficiency. The objective of this research was to determine the genetic variation for A and g in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.

Resistance of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa to nonopsonic phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages in vitro.

A unique, recently described rat alveolar macrophage cell line (NR8383) was used to study the interaction of the pulmonary immune system with a mucoid cystic fibrosis isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (SRM-3), its nonmucoid revertant (SRM-3R), and a non-cystic fibrosis isolate (PAO-1). Strain SRM-3 was cultivated in a chemostat system to allow maintenance of an entirely mucoid population. The alveolar macrophage response to the mucoid and nonmucoid strains of P.

Phosphorylcholine stimulates capsule formation of phosphate-limited mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Production of both alginic acid and lipopolysaccharide by a mucoid strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, SRM-3, was studied in a chemostat system during growth under nutrient-limiting conditions chosen to reflect the chronic growth conditions in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Since mucoid strains have been shown to elaborate extracellular proteases and phospholipase C, nitrogen and phosphate limitation were selected for analysis. A modified alginate-promoting medium containing either 1 mM glutamate or 0.

Aeration selects for mucoid phenotype of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A mucoid strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a patient with cystic fibrosis and its nonmucoid revertant were grown in a chemically defined alginate-promoting medium under batch and continuous culture conditions. Selection for the mucoid and nonmucoid phenotype was accomplished by varying the levels of air available to the culture. The addition of air at a rate of 0.

[Multicenter study of the results of the extraction of transvenously implanted heart-pacemaker electrodes using continuous traction].

The continuous traction of firmly grown-in collar electrodes from the right ventricle is a simple technique poor in complications with a high success rate, which can be recommended taking into consideration the indications in the failure of the immediate manual extraction and which can be performed in every centre for cardiac pacemakers. Apart from the consideration of adequate informations in literature this evidence above all depends on the evaluation of data of 29 cases from 10 centres for cardiac pacemakers.

Photosynthetic rate control in cotton : photorespiration.

The purpose of this research was to determine the magnitude of photorespiration in field-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as a function of environmental and plant-related factors. Photorespiration rates were estimated as the difference between measured gross and net photosynthetic rates.

Photosynthetic rate control in cotton : stomatal and nonstomatal factors.

The relationship between single leaf photosynthesis and conductance was examined in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) across a range of environmental conditions. The purpose of this research was to separate and define the degree of stomatal and nonstomatal limitations in the photosynthetic process of field-grown cotton.

Relative sensitivity of photosynthetic assimilation and translocation of carbon to water stress.

The relationship between photosynthesis and translocation rate changes as affected by water stress intensity and stage of plant development was evaluated in cotton and sorghum, representing a C(3) and a C(4) photosynthetic type, respectively. Photosynthetic rates were reduced as midday leaf water potentials declined from -14 to -27 bars in both species. Sorghum maintained higher photosynthesis and translocation rates compared to cotton at comparable leaf water potentials; however, the rate of change per bar decline in water potential was greater in sorghum than in cotton.

Stomatal and nonstomatal regulation of water use in cotton, corn, and sorghum.

Stomata of corn (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) responded to changes in leaf water potential during the vegetative growth phase.