Proinflammatory cytokines contribute to the development of inflammatory and neuropathic pain and hyperalgesia in many in vivo models. The rat skin model was used to investigate the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on the basal and heatevoked release of calcitonin gene-related peptide from nociceptors in vitro. In contrast to the excitatory effects of cytokines observed in vivo, none of the ...

Homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines have been shown to have higher thermal efficiencies and lower NOx and soot emissions than spark ignition engines. However, HCCI engines experience very large heat release rates which can cause too rapid an increase in pressure. One method of reducing the maximum heat release rate is to introduce thermal inhomogeneities, thereby spreading th...

The influence of water-to-cement mass ratio (w/c) on early-age properties of cementbased materials is investigated using a variety of experimental techniques. Properties that are critical to the early-age performance of these materials are tested, including heat release, semiadiabatic temperature, setting time, autogenous deformation, and strength development. Measurements of these properties u...

Water vapor directly affects the dynamics of atmospheric eddy circulations through the release of latent heat. But it is difficult to include latent heat release in dynamical theories because of the associated nonlinearity (precipitation generally occurs where there is upward motion). A new effective static stability is derived that fundamentally captures the effect of latent heat release on mo...

The objectives of this study were to determine the secretion patterns of prostaglandins (PG) and protein during mid- (Day 100) and late- (Day 140) pregnancy in the ewe and to ascertain whether that pattern is altered by in vitro heat shock. Explant cultures were prepared from intercaruncular endometrium, caruncular endometrium, fetal cotyledon and interplacentomal placenta. Cultures were incuba...

The effects of resin molecular weight on the flame-retardant mechanism of silica were studied with two different molecular weights of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), 122,000 and 996,000 g/mol, and two silicas, fused silica with a small surface area and silica gel with a large surface area. A total of six different samples were studied, with a mass fraction of 10% silica. The mass loss rate of...

A novel strategy for heat-mediated activation of recombinant Taq DNA polymerase is described. A serum albumin binding protein tag is used to affinity-immobilize an E. coli-expressed Taq DNA polymerase fusion protein onto a solid support coated with human serum albumin (HSA). Analysis of heat-mediated elution showed that elevated temperatures (> 70 degrees C) were required to significantly relea...

A challenge encountered by many practicing fire engineer carrying out fire modelling is that the combustible fuel is not completely well-known. Practical materials may, for instance, be identified as some well-known polymer, but this is usually not the whole truth from the viewpoint of the fire behaviour. Besides of the nominal polymer, the blend may include large quantities of different additi...