Promotion of wound healing by Plantago major L. leaf extracts – ex-vivo experiments confirm experiences from traditional medicine

The wound-healing properties of Plantago major L. (plantain) were evaluated using an ex-vivo porcine wound-healing model. Ethanol- and water-based extracts were prepared from greenhouse-grown and freeze-dried leaves of P. major. Both types of extracts stimulated wound healing in porcine skin, but the ethanol-based extracts had a somewhat stronger effect. A concentration of 1.0 mg/mL (on dry weight basis) produced the best results for both types of extracts.     

Synthesis and reactions of telechelic polyacetals

Telechelic polyacetals have been synthesized by endcapping of bifunctionally living polyacetals with tertiary amines. Bifunctionally living poly-(1, 3-dioxolane) (poly-DXL) was obtained by polymerization of the cyclic acetal initiated with terephthaloyl-bis-triflate. Attempts to prepare well defined bifunctionally growing poly-DXL with trifluoro-methane sulfonic acid anhydride failed. Low molecular weight dialkyl formals containing functional groups were used as transfer agents for the polymerization of cyclic acetals to control the molecular weight of the polymer and to introduce functional endgroups. Polytelechelic hydroxy-terminated poly-DXL was synthesized by copolymerization of DXL and glycidol. The latter monomer reacts as comonomer through its epoxy ring and as transfer agent by its hydroxyl group.     

Societal response to nanotechnology: converging technologies–converging societal response research?

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology particularly vulnerable to societal unrest, which may hinder its further development. With the increasing convergence of several technological domains in the field of nanotechnology, so too could convergence of social science methods help to anticipate societal response. This paper systematically reviews the current state of convergence in societal response research by first sketching the predominant approaches to previous new technologies, followed by an analysis of current research into societal response to nanotechnology. A set of 107 papers on previous new technologies shows that rational actor models have played an important role in the study of societal response to technology, in particular in the field of information technology and the geographic region of Asia. Biotechnology and nuclear power have, in contrast, more often been investigated through risk perception and other affective determinants, particularly in Europe and the USA. A set of 42 papers on societal response to nanotechnology shows similarities to research in biotechnology, as it also builds on affective variables such as risk perception. Although there is a tendency to extend the rational models with affective variables, convergence in social science approaches to response to new technologies still has a long way to go. The challenge for researchers of societal response to technologies is to converge to some shared principles by taking up the best parts from the rational actor models dominant in information technology, whilst integrating non-rational constructs from biotechnology research. The introduction of nanotechnology gives a unique opportunity to do so.     

Physical Appearance and Voice in Male-To-Female Transsexuals

It has been suggested that sex judgments of male-to-female transsexuals based on the voice may be influenced by the physical appearance of the clients. To explore this hypothesis, a listener experiment was designed in which a panel of 22 laypersons and 22 students in speech-language pathology rated the “femaleness” of fourteen male-to-female transsexuals from video-recorded speech samples in three modes of presentation: auditory-only presentation, visual-only presentation, and audiovisual presentation. Results indicate that appearance and voice are indeed interacting factors. Ratings from the auditory-only presentation were significantly lower than ratings from the audiovisual presentation and ratings from the visual-only presentation were significantly higher than those from the audiovisual presentation. It follows that the success of voice training in male-to-female transsexuals is not solely dependent on vocal characteristics and that speech pathologists should consider incorporating physical appearance as a treatment and outcome variable in the voice training of male-to-female transsexuals.     

Ein Sylowsatz für endlichep-Untergruppen von GL (n, ℤ)

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