Hyperdynamic circulation of cirrhotic rats: role of substance P and its relationship to nitric oxide

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that excessive formation of nitric oxide (NO) is responsible for the hyperdynamic circulation observed in portal hypertension. Substance P is a neuropeptide partly cleared by the liver and causes vasodilatation through the activation of the endothelial NO pathway. However, there are no previously published data concerning the plasma level of substance P in cirrhotic rats and its relationship to NO. METHODS: Plasma concentrations of substance P and nitrate/nitrite (an index of NO production) were determined in control rats and cirrhotic rats with or without ascites using an enzyme-linked immununosorbent assay and a colorimetric assay, respectively. In addition, systemic and portal hemodynamics were evaluated by a thermodilution technique and catheterization. RESULTS: Cirrhotic rats with and without ascites had a lower systemic vascular resistance (2.6 +/- 0.2 and 3.9 +/- 0.4 mmHg ml(-1) x min x 100 g body weight, respectively) and higher portal pressure (14.6 +/- 0.6 and 11.3 +/- 1.8 mmHg) than control rats (6.5 +/- 0.3 mmHg x ml(-1) x min x 100 g BW and 6.8 +/- 0.2 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.05), and cirrhotic rats with ascites had the lowest systemic vascular resistance. Plasma levels of nitrate/nitrite progressively increased in relation to the severity of liver dysfunction (control rats, 2.7 +/- 0.5 nmol/ml; cirrhotic rats without ascites, 5.6 +/- 1.3 nmol/ml; cirrhotic rats with ascites, 8.3 +/- 2.2 nmol/ml; P < 0.05). Cirrhotic rats with ascites displayed higher plasma values of substance P (57.7 +/- 5.9 pg/ml) than cirrhotic rats without ascites (37.9 +/- 3.1 pg/ml, P < 0.05) and control rats (30.1 +/- 1.0 pg/ml, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in plasma substance P values between control rats and cirrhotic rats without ascites (P > 0.05). No correlation was found between plasma levels of substance P and nitrate/nitrite (r = 0.318, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Excessive formation of NO may be responsible, at least partly, for the hemodynamic derangements in cirrhosis. Although substance P may not participate in the initiation of a hyperdynamic circulation in cirrhosis, it may contribute to the maintenance of the hyperdynamic circulation observed in cirrhotic rats with ascites.     

A 2.2 W, 80 MHz superscalar RISC microprocessor

A 28 mW/MHz at 80 MHz structured-custom RISC microprocessor design is described. This 32-b implementation of the PowerPC architecture is fabricated in a 3.3 V, 0.5 μm, 4-level metal CMOS technology, resulting in 1.6 million transistors in a 7.4 mm by 11.5 mm chip size. Dual 8-kilobyte instruction and data caches coupled to a high performance 32/64-b system bus and separate execution units (float, integer, loadstore, and system units) result in peak instruction rates of three instructions per clock cycle. Low-power design techniques are used throughout the entire design, including dynamically powered down execution units. Typical power dissipation is kept under 2.2 W at 80 MHz. Three distinct levels of software-programmable, static, low-power operation-for system power management are offered, resulting in standby power dissipation from 2 mW to 350 mW. CPU to bus clock ratios of 1×, 2×, 3×, and 4× are implemented to allow control of system power while maintaining processor performance. As a result, workstation level performance is packed into a low-power, low-cost design ideal for notebooks and desktop computers     

基于媒体用户访问行为偏好模型的代理缓存算法

目前,代理缓存技术广泛应用于改善流媒体传输的服务质量.文章从实际用户日志文件的分析出发,利用发现的用户浏览流媒体对象时的行为分布模型,提出了一种新的视频流媒体缓存算法.仿真结果证明,该算法可以通过记录很少的用户访问信息获取较高的性能表现.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Luminescent Properties of Complexes of Rare Earth Nitrates with Tris{2-[N-(pyridine-methanoyl)amino]ethyl} amine

Duringthelastdecade ,thedesignandsynthesisoftripodalligandsandtheirmetalcomplexeshaveattractedconsiderableattentionduetotheirpotentialusesaslumi nescentprobesinmedicineandbiochemistry[1～ 7] ,ascatalysts[8] andelectrochemicalmaterials[9] .However ,thecomplexesofrareearthmetalwithtripodalligandshavefewreported[10 ] .Asanextensionofourstudiesoncomplexesofmetalwithtripodalligands ,anewtripodalligand (tris { 2 [N (pyridine methanoyl)amino]ethyl}amine ,L)anditscomplexeswithrareearthnitratesweresyn…     

膜控晶体生长及纳米微粒的形成

膜控晶体生长不同于一般在溶液中的沉淀与结晶，由膜形成的有机界面具有空间定位和空间约束、定域化学控制及成核过程和晶体生长的立体化学专一的特性，使得晶体的结构、形状和尺寸上得到控制，并具有良好的重现性，由此可获得具有光、电以及磁特性的纳米功能材料。研究膜控晶体生长不仅可以模拟生物体系内的生物矿化作用，而且对于材料科学也有着特别重要的意义和应用前景。     

Mixed-Cation Oxide Powders via Resin Intermediates Derived from a Water-Soluble Polymer

Submicrometer powders of complex oxides were prepared via resin intermediates based on a starch type of organic precursor. A commercially available water-soluble starch derivative was (for the first time) used as the organic base for solution synthesis of ceramic powders. Calcination of the charred, fluffy, amorphous resins at a temperature below 600°C for 4 h yielded perovskite powders of Sr-doped LaMnO₃ and Sr-doped La(Fe,Co)O₃. Sr-doped LaCrO₃ needed to be calcined above 750°C to ensure phase purity and to remove organic residue. Due to the low cost of starch derivatives, the process has the potential of being more economical than the commonly used Pechini's type process, which utilizes citric acid and ethylene glycol.     

以ARM为核心的嵌入式体感遥控器设计

介绍一种以ARM为核心的嵌入式服务机器人体感遥控器的设计。硬件上,本遥控器采用具有ARM Cortex—M3内核的STM32F103C8T6作为核心处理器,选用ST公司的iNEMO惯性导航模块进行手部姿态的识别,同时还具有LCD显示模块、无线收发模块和电源模块;软件上,采用嵌入式操作系统μC／OS—Ⅱ实现多任务的调度和外围设备的管理。经实验验证,本遥控器具有高稳定性、高实时性、高可靠性、低误码率等优点。