Primary pericardial mesothelioma

This study reports the results of analysis concerning some chemical characteristics of 63 samples of tomato juice and paste. Copper was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and its average content was 32 ppm. This is not a critical value for human health and results below the upper limit provided by law of several european and not european countries.     

Propagation in fretting fatigue from a surface defect

This paper analyses the growth of cracks in fretting fatigue from an initial flaw at the surface. Different crack growth laws are used in order to take into consideration the particular behaviour of short cracks. This methodology is applied to estimate life in various fretting fatigue tests with spherical contact characterized by two different geometries. The material used in the experiments is Al7075. The two geometries present significant differences in the evolution of the stresses, crack growth, etc. which are discussed. The approaches used to model short crack growth give different results, some of them being in good agreement with the experiments.     

A MICROSTRUCTURALLY-SHORT FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH EQUATION

Abstract— A brief outline of a recently developed model which describes the microstructurally short and the physically short crack periods of fatigue crack growth is presented. A single equation to describe both regimes is discussed and the model applied to data on a medium carbon steel. Good predictions relating to the actual experimental lifetime were achieved. The results are compared with the prediction of fatigue life based on a previously reported two-equation approach.     

Exposure of Ephestia cautella (Wlk.) pupae to carbon dioxide concentrations at different relative humidities: The effect on adult emergence and loss in weight

The effects on mortality and loss in weight caused by 21, 51 and 88% carbon dioxide in combination with relative humidities of 20–22, 54–55, and 95–96% were tested on 0–24 hr old Ephestia cautella pupae, at 26°C. Exposure times ranged from 1 to 6 days. At 54–55%, and 20–22% r.h. pupal mortality was high for all carbon dioxide concentrations used, while at 95% r.h. total mortality was obtained only at the highest carbon dioxide concentration tested. At carbon dioxide concentrations of 51 and 88% a 9–11% concentration of oxygen was present. At 20–22% and 54–55% r.h. loss in weight of pupae exposed to carbon dioxide concentrations of 21% and higher was very pronounced. At 95–96% r.h., none of the treatments resulted in loss in weight exceeding 16% after six days of exposure. A 95% mortality curve represents the interrelated effect of carbon dioxide and relative humidity on the moth pupae. The fumigant effect of carbon dioxide is discussed.     

The underdevelopment of health of working America: causes, consequences and possible solutions

This article presents the health conditions of working America, and provides an analysis of the causes of that situation. It is postulated that the main health problems in the U.S. are due not to prevalent life styles-as the behavioralists indicate-but to the dramatic maldistribution of economic and political power in our society, with the absence of control by the majority of the U.S. population-the working and lower-middle classes-over the work process with which they are involved, the economic wealth that they produce, and the political institutions that they pay for. The production of goods and wealth as well as the political institutions of the United States are dominated and controlled by a minority of our population-the corporate and upper-middle classes. Empirical information is presented to support this postulate. In light of this explanation, it is asserted that a major public health task is to deliberately and actively contribute to the political mobilization of forces aimed at bringing about profound changes in the pattern of control of our working insitutions and of the distribution of wealth and political power, changes which seek to shift that control from the few to the many.     

Seip-Lawrence syndrome associated with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. Report of a case

In biological systems, weak-affinity interactions (association constant, Ka, of less than approximately 10(4) M-1) between biomolecules are common and essential to the integrity of such units. However, studies of weak biological interactions are difficult due to the scarcity of analytical methods available for the bioscientist. In this communication, we report on the use of biosensors based on surface plasmon resonance to detect and characterize weak affinity antibody-antigen interactions. Monoclonal antibodies towards carbohydrate antigens were immobilized on sensor surfaces and were used to detect weak binding of the carbohydrate tetraglucose of dissociation constant, Kd, in the millimolar range. Sensorgrams were received in the form of square pulses where the kinetic rate constants were difficult to assess due to the rapid association and dissociation of the antigen to/from the immobilized antibody.     

Dietary deficiency of docosahexaenoic acid impairs vision at low light intensities in juvenile herring (Clupea harengus L.)

In the retina of herring (Clupea harengus L.), rods are recruited from about 8 wk after hatching, and from this time there is a linear relationship between the number of rods in the photoreceptor cell population and the content of di22∶6n−3 molecular species of phospholipids. Juvenile herring were reared from four weeks' post-hatching for 15 wk on eitherArtemia nauplii deficient in 22∶6n−3 or on enrichedArtemia nauplii containing 4.3% 22∶6n−3. The visual performance of the fish was then determined at three light intensities (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 lux) by observing their frequency of striking at liveArtemia nauplii using infrared video recording. Herring reared on the diet containing no 22∶6n−3 were less active predators, especially at the lowest light intensity where very few strikes were observed. The eyes of these fish contained greatly reduced levels of di22∶6n−3 molecular species of total phospholipid, 2.1% vs. 12.0% in fish supplemented with 22∶6n−3. The contribution of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) was virtually unchanged, while 20∶5n−3 and 22∶5n−3 largely replaced 22∶6n−3. There was an almost complete disappearance of di22∶6n−3 PC, while the amounts of di22∶6n−3 PE and PS fell by 18.1 and 20.6% to 2.7 and 7.6%, respectively. The dipolyunsaturated molecular species di20∶5n−3, 20∶5n−3/22∶5n−3, and di22∶5n−3 made up a substantial part of the deficit. We conclude that a dietary deficiency of 22∶6n−3 during the period early in rod development impairs visual performance such that the fish can no longer feed at low light intensities. Deceased.     

Characterization and study of Na2O-B2O3-SiO2 glasses prepared by the sol-gel method

The sol-gel procedure has been used to prepare vitreous materials whose compositions are situated in the liquid-liquid immiscibility area of the Na₂O-B₂O₃ SiO₂ phase equilibrium diagram. Gels were prepared from different precursors and under different experimental conditions. After determining optimum conditions for gelling and heat-treatment, the gels were characterized with the aid of thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, density and specific surface area measurements, as well as infrared and near-infrared spectroscopy. The textures of the samples and their microstructures were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The phase separation in the gels was compared to the same phenomenon in one of the glasses of identical composition, but prepared by conventional melting.