Density gradient

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of spermatozoa and leukocytes in semen to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) staining and to examine the association between NBT staining and levels of ROS as measured by chemiluminescence. Twenty-one infertility patients (leukocytospermia; n = 8; nonleukocytospermia, n = 13) and 9 healthy donors were included. Standard semen analysis and density gradient centrifugation were performed to test NBT staining, ROS, and total antioxidant capacity. A ROS-total antioxidant capacity (ROS-TAC) score was calculated by using principal component analysis. In the leukocytospermic group, after separation on a density gradient, the percentage of NBT-positive staining was significantly higher in sperm suspensions contaminated with leukocytes (median [25th, 75th percentiles]; 70% [61%, 79%]) compared to the nonleukocytospermic group (14.5% [9%, 25.5%]; P =.03) and donors (7% [3%, 11%]; P =.02), respectively...

SUMMARY A virus with isometric particles ca. 30 nm in diameter and angular contour was recovered by mechanical trans- mission from a grapevine with fanleaf-like symptoms growing at Nevsheir (Cappadocia, Turkey). In sucrose density gradient centrifugation this virus (laboratory code: isolate N66) sedimented as three components, T (empty shells), M, and B, both of which consisted of ap- parently intact particles. Virus preparations contained two RNA species with mol. wt. 2.6·10 6 Da (RNA-1) and 1.3·10 6 Da (RNA-2). The coat protein (CP) subunits were of a single type with M r of c. 53,000. An antiserum with a titre of 1:1024 was raised, which did not react with healthy plant antigens. A fragment 1,175 nt in size from the 3' terminal region of RNA-2 was sequenced, which comprised part of the CP cistron. Comparison analysis with GenBank sequences from the same region revealed variable levels of homology with other grapevine nepoviruses, the closest being Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV, ...

We have carried out a comparison study of hydrodynamical codes by investigating their performance in modelling interacting multiphase fluids. The two commonly used techniques of grid and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) show striking differences in their ability to model processes ...

The onset of clinical assisted reproduction, a quarter of a century ago, required the isolation of motile spermatozoa. As the indication of assisted reproduction shifted from mere gynaecological indications to andrological indications during the years, this urged andrological research to understand the physiology of male germ cell better and develop more sophisticated techniques to separate functional spermatozoa from those that are immotile, have poor morphology or are not capable to fertilize oocytes. Initially, starting from simple washing of spermatozoa, separation techniques, based on different principles like migration, filtration or density gradient centrifugation evolved. The most simple and cheapest is the conventional swim-up procedure. A more sophisticated and most gentle migration method is migration-sedimentation. However, its yield is relatively small and the technique is therefore normally only limited to ejaculates with a high number of motile spermatozoa. Recently, ...

Lake Hallstättersee is a holomictic alpine lake, which is influenced by salt mining since the middle Bronze Age. Beside the constant saline waste water load, two massive brine spills loaded the lake with additional 16,900 tons sodium chloride (≈10,250 tons Cl−) from 1977 to 1979 and 3,000 tons salt (≈1,820 tons Cl−) in 2005. The effect of waste water intrusions from salt mining on stratification of Lake Hallstättersee was analysed over a period of 40 years. Water density, dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were measured and an exponential model was fitted to describe the wash-out of chloride from Lake Hallstättersee after the brine spills. Furthermore, the time required returning to holomixis and steady chloride content after the second brine spill was estimated. During the whole sampling period the minimum and maximum volume-weighted annual mean chloride concentrations were 23.58 mg/L in 1979 and 3.19 mg/L in 1998. However, the mixing regime of Lake Hallstättersee, as well as the chloride concentrations, varied considerably and exhibited three holomictic and three meromictic periods between 1970 and 2009. Holomictic periods were observed when the yearly density gradient was below 0.06 kg/m3, deepwater oxygen in spring above 4 mg/L and consequently declining TP concentration in the deepest water layer below 60 mg/m3, otherwise meromictic periods were observed. Our study showed that Hallstättersee was 13 years ectogenic meromictic and 27 years holomictic during the study period.

Semilocal density functionals for the exchange-correlation energy are needed for large electronic systems. The Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria (TPSS) meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) is semilocal and usefully accurate, but predicts too-long lattice constants. Recent "GGA's for solids" yield good lattice constants but poor atomization energies of molecules. We show that the construction principle for one of them (restoring the density gradient expansion for exchange over a wide range of densities) can be used to construct a "revised TPSS" meta-GGA with accurate lattice constants, surface energies, and atomization energies for ordinary matter.

Abstract. Variation of wood specific gravity from the base to the top of tree and from pith to bark was investigated for Gmelina arborea Roxb. plantations in western Venezuela. Increment cores were taken from thirty trees at five different sections up the stem: 0.1 m; 1.3 m, half total height, 3/4 total height and at the top. These trees were chosen from commercial plantations located at three different sites. Specific gravity was obtained using an X-ray densitometer. The results show that there is an increase in specific gravity from pith to bark. It was also evident that specific gravity decreased from stump to half of the total height, then increased towards the top of the stem. No correlation between specific gravity and height of the tree was found. Correlations in specific gravity with height categories were generally small, and non-significant at level α=0.05. Palabras clave: Gmelina arborea, Propiedades de la madera, Gravedad específica Resumen. En la Gmelina arborea Roxb se estudió la variación de la gravedad específica desde la base hasta el tope del árbol y desde la médula hasta la corteza. Se tomaron muestras de madera provenientes de treinta árboles a cinco alturas diferentes a lo largo del fuste a 0.1 m; 1.3 m, mitad de la altura total, 3/4 de la altura total, y del tope, las cuales fueron seleccionadas de plantaciones comerciales localizadas en tres sitios distintos al occidente de Venezuela. La gravedad específica fue determinada con la ayuda de un densitómetro de rayos-x. Los resultados muestran un incremento de la gravedad especifica desde la médula hacia la corteza. También se encontró que la gravedad específica disminuye de la base a la mitad del fuste y luego aumenta hacia el tope del fuste. No se encontró correlación entre la gravedad específica y la altura del árbol. La correlación entre la gravedad específica y las categorías de altura donde las muestras fueron tomadas son generalmente pequeñas y poco significativas a un nivel de probabilidad α=0.05.