This study measured sweat rates (m(sw)) during high-altitude summer treks on Mt. Kilimanjaro to evaluate the efficacy of a recently developed fuzzy piecewise sweat prediction equation (Pw,sol) for application to high-altitude conditions. We hypothesized that the Pw,sol equation, adjusted for the barometric pressure (Pb) decreasing steadily at high altitude (Pw,sol+Alt), would allow for a more a...

H-reflex conditioning is a model for studying the plasticity associated with a new motor skill. We are exploring its effects on other reflexes and on locomotion. Rats were implanted with EMG electrodes in both solei (SOL(R) and SOL(L)) and right quadriceps (QD(R)), and stimulating cuffs on both posterior tibial (PT) nerves and right posterior femoral nerve. When SOL(R) EMG remained in a defined...

This work presents a novel method for direct desorption/ ionization of analytes from sol-gel-derived film. 2,5-Dihydroxy benzoic acid (DHB), a common MALDI matrix, was incorporated into a sol-gel polymeric structure. The sol-gel-derived DHB thin film can assist the mass analysis of analytes by laser desorption/ionization, with a matrix interference-free background in the mass spectra. The sol-g...

This study was designed to prospectively evaluate the role of nebulized hyaluronic acid (HA) administered for 10 days as treatment for patients with rhinitis medicamentosa (RM). RM is a pathological condition of the nasal mucosa induced by prolonged, excessive or improper use of topical decongestants. It is characterized by persistent nasal congestion that can lead the patient to increase the f...

A modified sol-gel process for synthesizing nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite powders (nHA) for biomedical applications, using tetrahydrated calcium nitrate [Ca(NO(3))(2)∙4H(2)O] and phosphorous pentoxide [P(2)O(5)] as precursor, is presented and discussed. The powders were washed and heat-treated at different temperatures and then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micros...

Elevated levels of a circulating form of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) coreceptor endoglin correlate with poor clinical outcome in different types of cancer. Soluble endoglin (Sol-Eng) is primarily produced by cleavage of cell-surface endoglin by the transmembrane metalloprotease MMP14 that releases most of its extracellular domain. Sol-Eng has been found to contribute to different c...

Scrapeoff Layer (SOL) data from DIII-D and C-Mod have been acquired and analyzed for radial particle transport based on a particle balance model. This has allowed a detailed comparison for L-mode plasmas. The inferred radial particle flux, Γ⊥(r), is parameterized in terms of diffusive [Deff(r) ≡ Γ⊥(r)/∇n(r)] and convective particle transport [veff(r) ≡ Γ⊥(r)/n(r)]. The magnitude of the inferred...

The surface of mercapto-functionalized mesoporous silica having a highly ordered open pore network was modified into a super-hydrophilic surface through a stepwise sulfonation process involving oxidation and ionization reactions. The initial mesoporous silica was prepared using an acid-catalyzed sol-gel reaction between tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) in th...

The aim of this research was to prepare rare metal (Er, Yb)-modified TiO2 nanoparticles by a sol-gel method. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by BET measurements, UV-Vis spectra and the Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) method. Visible light photocatalytic activity of the sample was studied by photodegradation of phenol while considering the influence of the dopant concentration. Th...

This study concerns the synthesis of gel materials based on carbon nanotubes dispersed strontium-modified hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) at different compositions obtained by sol-gel technology and their influence on human-bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, an evaluation of the influence of nanotubes and Strontium on physico-chemical, morphological, rheological and biological prop...