The effect of nedocromil sodium on the plasma membrane fluidity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) was investigated by measuring steady-state fluorescence anisotropy of 1-[4-trimethylammonium-phenyl]-6-phenyl- 1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH) incorporated in the membrane. Our results show that nedocromil sodium 300 muM significantly decreased membrane fluidity of PMNs. The decrease in membrane fl...

The influence of various concentrations of 15 detergents at different temperatures on the fluidity of membranes was analysed by fluorescence anisotropy of inserted 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5hexatriene in rat cortical and Sf9 cell membranes. Comparison of the obtained data with the abilities of the detergents to solubilize muscarinic receptor subtypes indicated that not only the fluidity of the micelles...

Rigid social categorization can lead to negative social consequences such as stereotyping and prejudice. The authors hypothesized that bodily experiences of fluidity would promote fluidity in social-categorical thinking. Across a series of experiments, fluid movements compared with nonfluid movements led to more fluid lay theories of social categories, more fluidity in social categorization, an...

Semen cryopreservation is an important procedure in the treatment of human infertility. However, the ability of spermatozoa to survive freeze/thaw processes varies between patients. Cryopreservation-induced stress may result in membrane injury with consequent loss of sperm motility and viability. We investigated the relationship between the physico-chemical state of the human sperm membranes an...

Recent evidence indicates that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), an acute phase of an inflammatory marker, might be associated with atherosclerosis, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases. The present study was performed to assess the possible link between plasma hs-CRP and membrane fluidity (a reciprocal value of membrane microviscosity) in hypertensive elderly men. We mea...

Ontologies are developed to describe data semantics on the Semantic Web. Given the distributed nature and scale of the Semantic Web, a large number of ontologies with different terminologies and structures will be created to describe the same concepts and domains. Without semantic mapping, information fluidity within the Web could be blocked at the boundaries of these ontologies. Therefore, ont...

Conclusions Catalytic hydrogenation of the unsaturated fatty acyl residues of the lipids of sarcoplasmic reticulum to the extent of about 25% does not affect Cat+-activated ATPase activity and the process therefore is unlikely to markedly affect membrane fluidity. Since it is mainly the polyunsaturated fatty acids that are hydrogenated it may be concluded that such residues are not directly res...

Shear viscosity is a measure of the amount of dissipation in a simple fluid. In kinetic theory shear viscosity is related to the rate of momentum transport by quasi-particles, and the uncertainty relation suggests that the ratio of shear viscosity η to entropy density s in units of h̄/kB is bounded by a constant. Here, h̄ is Planck’s constant and kB is Boltzmann’s constant. A specific bound has b...

Apparent life-threatening events (ALTEs) are frightening to caregivers and clinicians alike. This article provides a comprehensive review of the causes, management, and consequences of ALTEs. The information provided was collected from an extensive literature review using the search terms ALTE, sudden infant death syndrome, and apnea. There is a wide array of contributing factors to ALTE syndro...

This introduction to the special issue considers central themes raised by volume’s contributions as a whole, focusing on their collective interest in political and cultural — opposed geographical fluidity of borderland zones early medieval Britain. To highlight these important points, two case studies from Anglo-Welsh border region are discussed: Old English legal text known Dunsæte Agreement o...