Dopamine receptors influence vasoactive intestinal peptide release from turkey hypothalamic explants

Amongst the elements which contributed to the success of the early lung transplants at the beginning of the 1980's we feel that the careful selection of candidates probably played a predominant role. If some of the selection criteria initially described remain somewhat intangible, others have either been eased or have been invalidated. The experience acquired over the last 15 years has enabled to precise the optimal moment to include patients on the waiting list and to refine the choice for the type of surgical procedure according to the underlying disease. This article aims to review the different selection criteria for candidates for transplantation and stresses those which have recently undergone change.     

Impact Fracture of Thermally Tempered Glass Helicopter Windshields

In-service fracture of helicopter windshields was studied. Simulated catastrophic fracture tests were conducted by firing alumina and steel spheres onto stationary tempered and as-received glass panels. The results were studied by Hertzian analysis and modified Auerbach's relations. Thermally tempered glass shows much higher impact resistance than that estimated from superposition of residual stresses. Subcritical impact sites exhibit slow crack growth in tempered plates, eventually leading to fracture of the entire plate.     

轴类零件直径、偏心、圆度等的自动测量中的角度空间谐波分析

为保证轴类零件的加工精度,通常需要在加工过程中对其直径、偏心、圆度等进行实时自动测量,本文提出了一种角度空间谐波分析法,通过圆周方向大于8点的测量,可计算出直径、偏心、圆度等多个参数,计算精度高。     

Depression as a dynamical disease

Mathematical models are helpful in the understanding of diseases through the use of dynamical indicators. A previous study has shown that brain activity can be characterized by a decrease of dynamical complexity in depressive subjects. The present paper confirms and extends these conclusions through the use of recent methodological advances: first episode and recurrent patients strongly differ in their dynamical response to therapeutic interventions. These results emphasize the need for clinical follow-ups to avoid recurrence and the necessity of specific therapeutic intervention in the case of recurrent patients.     

A case of intractable epistaxis

The surgical management of intractable epistaxis by external carotid artery ligation may become complicated if there is a high bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Occlusion of the bleeding vessels by catheter embolization is described in a patient in whom exploration of the neck had failed to locate the external carotid artery.     

Effect of single oral dose of azithromycin, clarithromycin, and roxithromycin on polymorphonuclear leukocyte function assessed ex vivo by flow cytometry

Azithromycin was given as a single oral dose (20 mg/kg of body weight) to 12 volunteers in a crossover study with roxithromycin (8 to 12 mg/kg) and clarithromycin (8 to 12 mg/kg). Flow cytometry was used to study the phagocytic functions and the release of reactive oxygen products following phagocytosis by neutrophil granulocytes prior to administration of the three drugs, 16 h after azithromycin administration, and 3 h after clarithromycin and roxithromycin administration. Phagocytic capacity was assessed by measuring the uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bacteria. Reactive oxygen generation after phagocytosis of unlabeled bacteria was estimated by the amount of dihydrorhodamine 123 converted to rhodamine 123 intracellularly. Azithromycin resulted in decreased capacities of the cells to phagocytize Escherichia coli (median [range], 62% [27 to 91%] of the control values; P < 0.01) and generate reactive oxygen products (75% [34 to 26%] of the control values; P < 0.01). Clarithromycin resulted in reduced phagocytosis (82% [75 to 98%] of control values; P < 0.01) but did not alter reactive oxygen production (84% [63 to 113%] of the control values; P > 0.05). Roxithromycin treatment did not affect granulocyte phagocytosis (92% [62 to 118%] of the control values; P > 0.05) or reactive oxygen production (94% [66 to 128%] of the control value; P > 0.05). No relation between intra- and/or extracellular concentrations of azithromycin and/or roxithromycin and the polymorphonuclear phagocyte function and/or reactive oxygen production existed (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). These results demonstrate that the accumulation of macrolides in neutrophils can suppress the response of phagocytic cells to bacterial pathogens after a therapeutic dose.     

Effect of intrathecal morphine on blood glucose, glucagon and tissue glycogen in rat: comparison with the effect of xanthan gum on blood glucose

Eleven patients suffering from chronic disabling tinnitus underwent an FDG-PET study (positron emission tomography with [18F]deoxyglucose). Nine tinnitus patients revealed a significantly increased metabolic activity in the left, 1 in the right primary auditory cortex (PAC, Brodmann area 41). These results were statistically significant when compared to 14 healthy control individuals without tinnitus. A negative result was obtained from a chronic tinnitus patient but who had no subjective complaints during the period of PET investigation. One patient was first investigated during a disabling tinnitus period, later during a period with tinnitus relief and again when suffering from severe tinnitus. The metabolic activity of his left PAC was in good accordance with the subjective degree of tinnitus complaints present during each PET investigation. Although for the first time these results give objective evidence of tinnitus sensation and localization, they are difficult to interpret because of the limited research data available that combine functional brain imaging and acoustic stimuli.     

Enthalpies of formation of some solid hafnium nickel compounds and of the Ni-Rich HfNi liquid by direct reaction calorimetry

In the course of a systematic study of binary transition metal alloys, the enthalpies of formation of five Hf-Ni compounds were measured by direct reaction calorimetry: Hf_0.17Ni_0.83(l/6HfNi₅): Δ_fH(1323 K) = − 37,000 J/mole of atoms (±3200) Hf_0.22Ni_0.781/9Hf₂Ni₇): Δ_f(1623 K) = −50,700 J/mole of atoms (±2000) Hf_0.45Ni_0.55(l/2OHf₉Ni₁₁): Δ_fH(1473 K) = −54,500 J/mole of atoms (±2200) Hf_0.50Ni_0.50(l/2HfNi): Δ_fH(1573 K) = −47,900 J/mole of atoms (±1800) Hf_0.67Ni_0.33(l/3Hf₂Ni): ΔH(1423 K) = −36,700 J/mole of atoms (±1300) with reference to pure metals in their equilibrium states at the reaction temperatures. The Ni-rich Hf-Ni liquid was also studied by the dissolution of Hf in the liquid alloy of variable composition at 1743 and 1633 K. Results show that the enthalpy of formation of the liquid at a given composition depends strongly on temperature, and this point suggests the existence of associations in the liquid. The melting temperature of Hf_0.22Ni_0.78(Hf₂Ni₇) which was found (1705 K) is slightly lower than the one (1743 K) given in the literature. Formerly Senior Research Student with the Laboratoire de Thermodynamique Métallurgique, Université de Nancy Un, France     

陆相碎屑岩储层隔夹层成因、特征及其识别

陆相储层隔夹层是形成储层流体流动非均质的主要因素之一，也是储层精细表征的重要内容，油田勘探开发实践表明，陆相储层隔夹层主要可分为泥质隔夹层、钙质隔夹层和物性隔夹层三大类。根据这种分类，深入分析和总结了这三类隔夹层成因、岩性特征、分布特征和测井识别特征，并比较其区别，这对以后新老区块隔夹层研究有参考和适用价值。     

Improvement of the engineering properties of asphalt pavements using a ‘soft’ compaction technique (AMIR-Compaction)

In most countries of the world asphalt pavement of road networks represents the biggest single investment in the transportation system. In Canada, asphalt pavement built over the past decade is worth more than 70 billion dollars (in 1984 dollars). In order to maintain the current road network at the present level of service and prevent it from further deterioration, over 6 billion dollars is needed anually.

Traditionally, asphalt overlays are widely used to rehabilitate existing deteriorated pavements. Unfortunately the new overlays have been observed to fail in a relatively short time. Thus the investment in overlays is lost.

Recent research based on the concept of relative rigidity has indicated that the rapid deterioration of new asphalt overlays is directly related to current construction equipment. It has been shown analytically and experimentally that steel rollers used in compacting the asphalt layer will result in surface cracks during construction. Traffic and environmental influences will accelerate the failure of the new layer.

This paper presents the results of a testing programme evaluating the engineering properties of asphalt slabs compacted by a new method using a compactor termed AMIR. The results showed that the AMIR compactor will prevent the formation of constitution cracks resulting in an increase of indirect tensile strength of 10% and an increase of direct tensile strength of up to 60% when compared to steel roller compacted asphalt slabs.