Cent Weight Loss Research Articles

Leaf litter decomposition and nitrogen concentration in decomposing leaves of aquercus seme‐carpifoliasmith forest stand of Kumaun Himalaya

Abstract Decomposition patterns of Quercus semecarpifolia (Kharsu oak; tree species), Viburnum cotinifolium, and Berberis asiatica (shrub species), Senecio rufinervis, Polygonum amplexicaule, and Selinum candollii (herb species) were studied. Sixty‐five per cent weight loss occurred in Kharsu oak in 360 days, whereas total disappearance of leaf litter was achieved in 360 days in both the shrub species and in 210 days in case of herb species. A highly negative correlation (r2 = 0.861 to 0.949) was established between nitrogen (N) concentration and per cent weight remaining during decomposition. The absolute amount of N at various periods was calculated and N was never found more than 100% of initial mass.

Biomechanical Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy: Relation of Applied Voltage and Shock Wave Number to Cell Viability and Stone Fragmentation*

High-energy shock waves (HESW) are harmful to both benign and malignant cells in culture. However, the extent to which the applied voltage (kV) and shock wave number interact to induce both cellular injury and stone fragmentation remain unclear. To investigate these interactions, single-cell suspensions of a human renal carcinoma cell line (TK-10) were subjected to HESW using a Dornier HM3 lithotripter at 15,18, 21, and 24 kV each at 100, 1200, and 2400 shocks. Cell viability was measured by trypan-blue exclusion. Similarly, the relation of kV and shock wave number to stone fragmentation was elucidated by exposing standardized plaster of Paris blocks in three trials to HESW at 16,18,20,22, and 24 kV at 750 shocks and to 250, 500, 750,1000,1500, and 2000 shocks at 18 kV. Stone fragmentation was recorded as the per cent weight loss after passage of the fragments through a 1-mm pore-diameter sieve. Ceil viability decreased as a linear function of kV and as an inverse exponential function of shock wave number. Stone fragmentation, on the other hand, related linearly to both kV and shock wave number. As the total number of delivered shock waves increases, kV apparently becomes the primary determinant of cell viability, whereas kV and shock wave number retain approximately equivalent effects on stone fragmentation over a wide range of power settings.

Use of NAA to inhibit sprouting in sweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas)

AbstractSweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas L (Lam) cv LO 323) were treated with naphthaleneacetic acid, and during storage at 25°C per cent sprouting and per cent weight loss were measured. Naphthaleneacetic acid was applied either under reduced pressure as a 1 g litre−1 solution containing wetting agent or as a dust of 1, 10 or 100 mg per gram of talc. Application of naphthaleneacetic acid by either method reduced sprouting by more than 50% during a storage period of at least 40 days, with the exception of the 1 mg naphthaleneacetic acid per gram of talc which reduced sprouting by 29%. Treatments that significantly reduced sprouting increased water loss. A mechanism for the control of sprouting is proposed.

Effects on urine profiles of diatrizoate in hydrated and dehydrated rats

Effects of intravenous diatrizoate on urine profiles in hydrated and dehydrated rats were compared. in 12 normal rats albumin, glucose, sodium, and the enzymes LDH and GGT were followed twice over 3 hours. the 6 rats being dehydrated at the first examination were hydrated 28 days later and vice versa. at both examinations diatrizoate affected all profile components significantly during the first two hours and caused a 3 per cent weight loss in both groups. Only one significant difference between the hydrated and dehydrated rats was found: the excretion of the brush border enzyme GGT was 1.5 times higher in the dehydrated than in the hydrated rats in both series. Thus, the effect of diatrizoate on the tubular brush border seems to depend on the state of hydration in normal rats

Effects on Urine Profiles of Diatrizoate in Hydrated and Dehydrated Rats

Effects of intravenous diatrizoate on urine profiles in hydrated and dehydrated rats were compared. In 12 normal rats albumin, glucose, sodium, and the enzymes LDH and GGT were followed twice over 3 hours. The 6 rats being dehydrated at the first examination were hydrated 28 days later and vice versa. At both examinations diatrizoate affected all profile components significantly during the first two hours and caused a 3 per cent weight loss in both groups. Only one significant difference between the hydrated and dehydrated rats was found: The excretion of the brush border enzyme GGT was 1.5 times higher in the dehydrated than in the hydrated rats in both series. Thus, the effect of diatrizoate on the tubular brush border seems to depend on the state of hydration in normal rats.

Effects on urine profiles of diatrizoate in hydrated and dehydrated rats

Effects of intravenous diatrizoate on urine profiles in hydrated and dehydrated rats were compared. In 12 normal rats albumin, glucose, sodium, and the enzymes LDH and GGT were followed twice over 3 hours. The 6 rats being dehydrated at the first examination were hydrated 28 days later and vice versa. At both examinations diatrizoate affected all profile components significantly during the first two hours and caused a 3 per cent weight loss in both groups. Only one significant difference between the hydrated and dehydrated rats was found: The excretion of the brush border enzyme GGT was 1.5 times higher in the dehydrated than in the hydrated rats in both series. Thus, the effect of diatrizoate on the tubular brush border seems to depend on the state of hydration in normal rats.

Gastric Restrictive Procedures: Gastroplasty

Gastroplasty for the treatment of morbid obesity has developed over the last 20 years from inconsistent suture technique operations to precisely constructed procedures. To date, the best results are achieved with the most recently developed techniques, vertical (mesh) banded gastroplasty, and silicone elastomer ring vertical gastroplasty. These operations produce a 33 to 37 per cent weight loss at 2 years with a failure rate of 6 to 8 per cent.

Macroinvertebrate community structure and detritus processing rates in two southwestern Pennsylvania streams acidified by atmospheric deposition

A one-year study of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and leaf litter decomposition rates was conducted on Wildcat and McGinnis Runs, two headwater tributaries of Rolling Rock Creek in southwestern Pennsylvania. Previous studies have shown these two streams to be affected by acidic runoff following periods of precipitation and snow-melt. The more highly buffered waters of Wildcat Run support wild fish populations while McGinnis Run lacks native fish fauna. Five benthic macroinvertebrate samples were taken from riffle areas in each stream using a Surber sampler during the spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. Thirty 10-g packs of white ash (Fraxinus americana) leaves were placed in each stream on October 7, 1982, and sampled over a 5-month period to determine per cent weight loss. The benthic macroinvertebrate community of McGinnis Run was found to be depressed compared to that of Wildcat Run in terms of density, diversity, and total taxa. The overall rate of leaf-litter decomposition was also slower in McGinnis Run.

Anthropometric nutritional assessment is of value in colorectal patients.

Eighty patients undergoing elective major colorectal surgery were nutritionally assessed using simple anthropometric methods and serum albumin. Although most of the patients were not malnourished, these tests were able to detect a small group of high-risk patients. Thirty major complications were recorded. The incidence of complications was 72 per cent in patients with low body weight, 69 per cent with low forearm muscle circumference, 55 per cent with recent weight loss, and 57 per cent with serum albumin below 35 g/l. Anthropometric tests were better in predicting postoperative complications than serum albumin. Of those patients who developed complications, 60 per cent had low grip strength, 37 per cent weight loss, 37 per cent high malnutrition score, 33 per cent low body weight, and 27 per cent had lower serum albumin. Anthropometric tests were more sensitive and more accurate than serum albumin. Anthropometry has the additional advantages of being simple, noninvasive, and independent of laboratory facilities; it also provides instant bedside assessment.

Prognostic indicators of hepatic injury following jejunoileal bypass performed for refractory obesity: a prospective study.

To evaluate factors predisposing to liver injury following jejunoileal bypass, 27 patients underwent clinical evaluation and liver biopsy prior to bypass and at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months and yearly thereafter. Nineteen patients developed increased fatty infiltration of the liver, 1 developed cryptogenic cirrhosis, and 7 developed steatonecrosis, central hyaline sclerosis, or cirrhosis indistinguishable from alcoholic liver disease during the period of rapid weight loss. Two of these 7 patients developed clinical liver failure; inactive cirrhosis evolved after parenteral alimentation and reanastomosis in one, and after oral nutritional supplementation in the other. Four of 5 asymptomatic patients resolved to inactive cirrhosis as weight loss diminished. Each of the 7 patients had pericentral fibrosis on pre-bypass liver biopsies, suggesting a previous hepatic injury. These patients were older (p less than 0.02) and, 3 months following bypass, had greater cumulative per cent weight loss (p less than 0.05), higher levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (p less than 0.005), and greater 45-min bromosulfophthalein retention (p less than 0.02). Histologic evidence of pericentral fibrosis identified patients at risk to develop steatonecrosis and cirrhosis; these lesions occurred in older patients who had greater weight loss following jejunoileal bypass.

Haematological studies on two rodents after zinc phosphide and vacor poisoning

Both zinc phosphide and vacor induced almost similar changes in the haematology ofBandicota bengalensis andTatera indica. Lymphocytes decline and an increase was seen in the counts of red blood cells (RBC) and neutrophils, bleeding and clotting times. Per cent weight loss was more in zinc phosphide poisonedB. bengalensis. The variations exhibited by the two species and sexes indicate gerbils, particularly females as most resistant and female lesser bandicoots to be the most susceptible to the poisons tested.

Breast feeding and serum bilirubin values during the first 4 days of life

One hundred ninety-nine breast-fed and bottle-fed infants were studied for the first 4 days of life to determine if breast feeding and hyperbilirubinemia were related, and to see if altering the standard hospital breast-feeding regimen would affect bilirubin levels. Breast feeding did not results in increased serum bilirubin concentrations. Regardless of feeding regimen, breast- and bottle-fed groups had similar mean bilirubin values, and a similar low incidence of hyperbilirubinemia. Incidental findings included an 8 per cent mean weight loss in infants who were breast fed without supplements, compared to a 4 per cent weight loss in all other infants. Hyperbilirubinemia was not related to weight loss.

Anatomical and physiological studies of water balance in the millipedes Pachydesmus crassicutis (polydesmida) and Orthoporus texicolens (spirobolida)

1. 1. A spiracular closing mechanism is lacking in both Pachydesmus crassicutis and Orthoporus texicolens, but in the latter the spiracles can be closed by a combination of diplosegmental overlap and close appression of the coxae. 2. 2. Cuticular water loss accounts for about half the daily water loss in O. texicolens under desiccating conditions, but in P. crassicutis so much water is lost via the respiratory system that cuticular water loss (except for teneral forms) is minor in comparison. 3. 3. P. crassicutis has a greater desiccation tolerance (65 per cent weight loss at death) than O. texicolens (40 per cent weight loss at death), but O. texicolens has a greater tolerance to desiccating conditions (17 days until death) than P. crassicutis (1 day until death) at 24 mm S.D., 24°C. 4. 4. Both species are oxygen conformers, but P. crassicutis has a much higher rate of oxygen consumption (105 μl/g per hr, 24°C) than O. texicolens (65·5 μl/g per hr, 24°C). 5. 5. Both species are ammonotelic, but P. crassicutis feces contains 0·009% urea, and O. texicolens feces contains 0·007% uric acid.

Renal salt and water excretion in the budgerygah ( Melopsittacus undulatus)

1. 1. The renal functions were studied in dehydrated budgerygahs and in hydrated specimens (intravenous infusion of hypotonic saline) under phenobarbital anaesthesia. 2. 2. The urine was collected into calibrated capillary tubes placed directly over the ureteral orificia. Urine and plasma osmolality, inulin, Na + and Cl − concentrations were determined by semi-micromethods. Experimental periods of 20 min were used. 3. 3. The glomerular filtration rate was 3·24 ± 0·92 μl/g per min (mean ± S.D.) in the dehydrated group, it increased to 4·43 ± 0·61 μl/g per min (by 37 per cent) in the hydrated group. Concomitant with this the urine flow increased from 28 to 105 nl/g per min, and the average urine to plasma osmolality ratio fell from 2·33 to 0·73. 4. 4. Less than 1 per cent of the filtered load of Na + and Cl − was excreted in the ureteral urine. 5. 5. The budgerygah was able to survive with only 10 per cent weight loss, fed dry seeds without access to water at an ambient temperature of 21–24°C and a relative humidity of 30–55 per cent. The food intake was 16·3 per cent of the body weight per day. The caloric intake corresponded to the double of the basal metabolic rate. 6. 6. The daily water budget of a non-drinking budgerygah was calculated. The water content of the food plus the water produced by oxidation was found to match the ureteral urine output plus the evaporative water loss. An analog computer simulation suggested that it is possible for the bird to pass the hyperosmotic urine into the cloaca without a net water loss.

Phases and transformations in the curium-oxygen system

The thermal decomposition of curium dioxide and the polymorphism of curium sesquioxide have been investigated by high-temperature X-ray diffractometry and thermogravimetric analysis. Curium dioxide has the fluorite (fcc) structure with a = 5·357 ± 0·001 A ̊ at room temperature; radiation damage from α-decay of curium-244 causes the cell to swell to a saturation value of 5·373 Å within 3 days. Thermal decomposition of the dioxide proceeds through two intermediate phases, CmO 1·81 with apparent fluorite symmetry ( a = 5·435 ± 0·001 A ̊ ) and Cm 7O 12 with a rhombohedral cell ( a = 6·677 ± 0·004 A ̊ , α = 99·52 ± 0·07° ), to form a nonstoichiometric phase CmO 1·64−1·52 with the C-type (bcc) rare earth sesquioxide structure and a lattice parameter varying between 10·922 and 10·996 Å. The C-type sesquioxide phase transforms irreversibly to monoclinic B-type Cm 2O 3 ( a = 14·276 ± 0·008 A ̊ , b = 3·656 ± 0·001 A ̊ , c = 8·913 ± 0·004 A ̊ , and β = 100·39° ± 0·03°) between 800 and 1300°C with a 0·1 per cent weight loss. B-Type Cm 2O 3 transforms reversibly to hexagonal A-type Cm 2O 3 ( a = 3·845 ± 0·005 A ̊ , c = 6·092 ± 0·005 A ̊ at 1600°C) at 1600°C; the A-type Cm 2O 3 is stable to the melting point.

Studies on ultra-clean carbon surfaces—III. Kinetics of chemisorption of hydrogen on graphon

The chemisorption of hydrogen on activated Graphon was studied over the range 80–600°C at a hydrogen pressure of 0.10 Torr and at 500°C over the pressure range 0.020–0.47 Torr. The Graphon was activated by preoxidation in oxygen to 18.6 per cent weight loss at 625°C. The oxidized sample had a BET surface area of 100 m 2/g. Prior to adsorption measurements, the sample was outgassed at 1000°C at residual pressures < 10 −8 Torr. Adsorption was followed for times up to 24 hr. Plots of amount of hydrogen adsorbed vs. log of time showed linear regions. In all, four linear regions were identified. The activation energy for chemisorption changed little within a linear region. However, it changed abruptly between linear regions, increasing over-all from 5.7 kcal/mole for the first linear region to 30.4 kcal/mole for the last. It is concluded that each linear region represents chemisorption on different discrete configurations of sites on the carbon surface.

Pore characteristics of carbons

The pore characteristics of carbons, e.g. graphites, coke, and charcoals, have been investigated by utilizing X-ray and microscopic techniques and by measuring pore volume, pore surface area, and the corresponding effective diffusivities of CO–CO 2 and H 2–H 2O. The large surface area of carbons is shown to be due to the presence of micropores which become extensive in charcoals. A method is developed for the determination of surface areas from the BET technique using nitrogen (− 195°C) and carbon dioxide (− 78°C) adsorption isotherms at low relative pressures. Several techniques are used in determining the effective diffusivities of CO–CO 2 and H 2–H 2O. It is shown that over a wide temperature range (18–900°C) and at 1 atm pressure and above, the diffusive flux is that due primarily to normal (molecular) diffusion. The pore volume, pore surface area, and effective diffusivity increase with increasing weight loss during internal oxidation. These changes are not reflected in the measurements of the rate of oxidation. The results of our present and previous investigations indicate that for a given type of carbon the effective surface area (due primarily to large pores of 1 μm dia. or larger) does not change much with oxidation up to at least 20 per cent weight loss. The difference in the rate of oxidation between types of carbon is attributed essentially to the difference in the effective surface areas.

Studies on ultra-clean carbon surfaces—IV. Decomposition of carbon-oxygen surface complexes

Graphon was first activated by preoxidation to 16.6 per cent weight loss at 625°C to introduce a desired amount of active surface area. Varying amounts of oxygen were then chemisorbed on this sample at 100°C by exposure to 0.10 Torr O 2. Following each chemisorption, the sample temperature was increased at a constant rate of 2°C/min to 950°C. Oxygen was released as CO and CO 2; these gases were allowed to remain in contact with the sample. The cumulative recovery of CO increases with increasing temperature. Recovery of CO 2, meanwhile, goes through a maximum because of its reaction at elevated temperatures with nascent carbon sites, produced primarily by the decomposition of the CO-producing complex. The plot of cumulative recovery of CO + CO 2 against temperature shows distinct linear regions, the amount recovered in each linear region showing close agreement with the amount of oxygen previously chemisorbed at different site configurations on the Graphon surface.

Effects of dehydration and rehydration on Periplaneta americana

This study describes the effects of dehydration and rehydration on the cockroach. Osmolality and Na and K content of various body fluids have been measured. The haemolymph osmolality increases only slightly during 9 days of dehydration, although there is a 15 to 22 per cent weight loss and a decrease in haemolymph volume. During dehydration NaCl and other solutes are removed from the haemolymph. A cannulation technique was used to collect the fluid secreted by the Malpighian tubules in vivo. The tubules continue to secrete at a slow rate even after 8 days of dehydration. Although the tubules can remove the excess solutes from the haemolymph during dehydration, analyses of faecal pellets show that the excess NaCl is not excreted. After a dehydrated animal is given only water and no food, there is a rapid increase in haemolymph volume but only a slight decrease in haemolymph osmolality. The source of solutes used to form new haemolymph is not known.

Location of the Softwood Plywood and Lumber Industries: A Regional Programming Analysis

oriented. Sawtimber,1 the major raw material, is heavy and bulky, and up to 85 per cent weight loss occurs in manufacture. The cost of transporting lumber and plywood from mill to points of consumption is also a major, though less important, determinant of location. In the past, industry has tended to concentrate in timber regions that minimized product transportation costs to the Nation's centers of population. As a result, sawtimber stocks in the most accessible