Flavor reversion in soybean oil

Summary A simulated soybean oil has been synthesized from purified fatty acids. The flavor characteristics of the oil after heat and light treatment are described and compared to those of soybean and cottonseed oils. The generous financial assistance of the National Association of Margarine Manufactures is gratefully acknowledged. Contribution No. 613 from the Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh.     

Basophilic blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia

Acute nonoliguric renal failure developed in a 13-year-old girl, 1 month after the institution of isoniazid therapy because of a positive tuberculin test at school screening. A renal biopsy demonstrated severe crescentic glomerulonephritis with focal interstitial changes. Discontinuation of isoniazid and a short course of steroids and cyclophosphamide therapy were followed by complete recovery. Whereas isoniazid has been shown to induce a lupus-like syndrome and antihistone antinuclear antibodies, our patient displayed none of the clinical or immunological features that are characteristic of drug-induced lupus. Furthermore, none of the identifiable causes for crescentic glomerulonephritis was evident in this girl. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report suggesting a possible association of crescentic glomerulonephritis to isoniazid treatment.     

Microwave Heated Chemical Vapor Infiltration: Densification Mechanism of SiCf/SiC Composites

Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (SiC_f/SiC) have been produced using microwave heated chemical vapor infiltration. Preferential densification of the composite from the inside out was clearly observed. Although an average relative density of only 55% was achieved in 24 h, representative of an ∼26% increase over the initial fiber vol%, the center of the preform densified to 73% of the theoretical. The densification mechanisms were investigated using X-ray absorptiometry and scanning electron microscopy. The initial inverse temperature profile obtained, which was found to result in the efficient filling of the intratow porosity, although not the intertow porosity, flattened out after approximately 6 h as the densification front moved outward toward the edges. Although not investigated directly, the evidence suggested that this was caused by changes in both the thermal conductivity and microwave absorption characteristics as the samples densified.     

Color–concept associations: A cross‐occupational and ‐cultural study and comparison

This study used a questionnaire survey to examine color–concept associations in two occupational groups from Hebei Province in China: steel workers (n = 139) and managerial staff (n = 74). The color stereotypes held by these two groups were also compared to those held by three other cultural groups studied elsewhere (Hong Kong Chinese, Yunnan Chinese, and Americans). The participants were presented with 16 concepts and asked to choose one of 10 colors to represent each concept. The chi‐square test results showed that each concept was significantly associated with at least one color. Both the steel workers and the managerial staff primarily associated green with “go” and “safe” and red with “stop” and “danger.” The cross‐group comparisons indicated that the steel workers and the managerial staff produced stronger color associations than those produced by the Yunnan Chinese and the Hong Kong Chinese subjects, but weaker than those produced by the US subjects. Our findings build on existing knowledge of population stereotypes for color–concept associations and provide guidelines for the design of color displays and products for global users. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 39, 630–635, 2014     

Discarded needles do not increase soon after the opening of a needle exchange program

This study examines the effect of a Needle Exchange Program (NEP) on the quantity and geographic distribution of discarded needles on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, and presents methods to survey discarded needles in the community. A random sample of 32 city blocks located within high-drug-use census tracts, stratified by east and west sides of the city and by proximity to the NEP, was selected for survey. Three teams surveyed the number of needles and the number of drug vials and unbroken glass bottles ("trash") to control for practice effects. Surveillance was conducted prior to initiation of the NEP in August 1994 and 1 and 2 months thereafter. Over the three study periods, the absolute count of discarded needles was 106, 130, and 128, respectively; the number of vials and bottles was 3,048, 3,825, and 3,796, respectively. The initial nonstatistically significant increase in needles (mean change = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.18 to 0.93) was offset by accounting for background trash. Regression models fitted with the generalized estimating equation method, which accounted for within-block correlation over time, showed no significant increase in the number of needles after adjustment for trash during the first 2 months of the NEP's operation. These data suggest that the initiation of NEPs does not result in an increase in the number of discarded needles on the street.     

Effect of ethanol on nuclear casein kinase II activity in brain

The mutual enhancement of insulin release by glucose and amino acids is not clearly understood. In this study, the effects on electrical activity and insulin release of a mixture of amino acids and glucose at concentrations found in fed (aaFD) and fasted (aaFT) animals were determined using freshly isolated mouse islets. Islets perifused with aaFD mixture showed an oscillatory pattern of electrical activity at lower glucose concentrations (5 mmol/l) than in islets perifused with the aaFT mixture and with glucose (G) alone (10 mmol/l). The concentration/response curve for the fraction of time spent by the membrane potential in the active phase in aaFD-stimulated islets was found to be significantly shifted to the left and had a smaller slope than that for glucose-stimulated islets. Insulin release followed the same pattern. This resulted in a concentration/response curve for glucose that was closer to that recorded "in vivo". We have also found that four amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, alanine and arginine) are largely responsible for the observed effects and that there is a non-linear enhancement of insulin release as a consequence of the combined effect of amino acids and glucose. This effect was more pronounced in the second phase of insulin release and was dependent on intracellular Ca2+. These findings indicate that amino acids account for most of the left-ward shift in the concentration/response curve for glucose and that a reduction in the threshold for the glucose-induced oscillatory electrical activity response and in the generation of Ca2+ spikes accounts for the triggering of insulin release at lower glucose concentrations. Nevertheless, the effects on insulin release at high glucose concentrations cannot be explained solely by the increase in glucose-induced electrical activity.     

Ruptured or intact: what can linear echoes within silicone breast implants tell us?

OBJECTIVE: During sonographic evaluation of silicone breast implants for possible rupture, we have frequently encountered several patterns of linear echoes within the implants. To our knowledge, the significance of this finding has not been established in the literature. The purpose of this study was to determine whether internal echoes are significant in predicting implant rupture. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients with 64 silicone implants were prospectively entered into a study that included gray-scale sonography of the implants and subsequent surgical removal. Echo patterns within the implants were retrospectively evaluated on hard-copy films and compared with the integrity of the implant at surgery. RESULTS: Three categories of internal echo patterns were identified: "thick linear echoes." "thin linear echoes," and "commas." One or more of these echo patterns were seen in 57 (89%) of the 64 implants. Thick linear echoes were seen in 23 (36%) of the 64 implants, thin linear echoes were seen in 33 (52%) of the 64 implants, and commas were seen in 47 (73%) of the 64 implants. All echo patterns were seen in intact and ruptured implants with nearly equal frequency. We found no statistical significance for any echo pattern in predicting whether an implant was ruptured or intact. Of the 64 implants, four were entirely free of internal echoes. All four implants were intact. CONCLUSION: A variety of linear echoes can be seen in most silicone breast implants on gray-scale sonography. The presence or absence of linear echoes is not useful in predicting implant rupture. Complete absence of internal echoes, while highly predictive of an intact implant, is infrequently seen.