Potential applications of poly(vinyl alcohol)‐congo red aqueous solutions and hydrogels as liquids for hydraulic fracturing

The authors report on the viscoelastic characterization of guar hydrogels obtained through complexation reactions with borax ions. These gels are compared with hydrogels obtained from poly(vinyl alcohol) of different degree of hydrolysis through complexation reactions with congo red. The effect of the degree of hydrolysis and both, the concentration of PVA and the concentration of congo red, on the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels is analyzed. The potential use of the PVA‐based hydrogels as hydraulic fracturing liquids is discussed in relation to the commonly used fracturing liquid based on the guar–borax system. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Assessment of Hematological and Biochemical parameters with extended D-Ribose ingestion

D-ribose, a naturally occurring pentose carbohydrate, has been shown to replenish high- energy phosphates following myocardial ischemia and high intensity, repetitive exercise. Human studies have mainly involved short-term assessment, including potential toxicity. Reports describing adverse effects of D-ribose with prolonged ingestion have been lacking. Therefore, this study assessed the toxicity of extended consumption of D-ribose in healthy adults. Nineteen subjects ingested 20 grams/Day (10 grams, twice a Day) of ribose with serial measurements of biochemical and hematological parameters at Days 0, 7, and 14. No significant toxic changes over the 14-day assessment period occurred in complete blood count, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyltransferase, alanine amiotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. However, D-ribose did produce an asymptomatic, mild hypoglycemia of short duration. Uric acid levels increased at Day 7, but decreased to baseline values by Day 14. D-ribose consumption for 14 days appears not to produce significant toxic changes in both hematological and biochemical parameters in healthy human volunteers.     

The End of Black and White

It's no longer just black hats or white hats in computer security. The more someone has to lose, the less likely they should be to trust the computer. It means that all people, all programs, all transactions are shades of grey. Black and white are just a memory.     

Professionally-led support groups for cancer patients: an intervention in search of a model

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to evaluate the clinical and research literature on professionally-led support groups for cancer patients and to propose an approach that would address patients' needs from diagnosis through survivorship. METHOD: Computerized and manual searches, including Medline and Psychlit searches, were completed for reviews of the literature. Twelve research studies were identified that met our criteria for in-depth review. A clinical model emerged from discussions of an oncology study group based on theoretical formulations and clinical experience with oncology patients. RESULTS: We found that recent research suggests that professionally-led support groups are increasing in number and that participation in such groups seems to enhance patients' quality, and possibly even quantity, of survival. Despite this, little effort has been made to determine what type of group may be appropriate for which patients and when in their course of care. CONCLUSIONS: If psychosocial intervention, in the form of professionally-led support groups for cancer patients, is to be more effective, it should be guided by a model which takes into consideration the changing needs and concerns of patients over the course of illness and, in many cases, recovery. The authors present an outline delineating what such a model might entail.     

Religion's role in adjustment to a negative life event: Coping with the loss of a child.

Parents (N?=?124) who had lost an infant to sudden infant death syndrome were interviewed 3 wks and 18 mo postloss. Two components of religion (religious participation and religious importance) were assessed, and their relations with 3 coping-process variables (perceived social support, cognitive processing of the loss, and finding meaning in the death) were examined. Greater religious participation was related to increased perception of social support and greater meaning found in the loss. Importance of religion was positively related to cognitive processing and finding meaning in the death. Furthermore, through these coping-process variables, religious participation and importance were indirectly related to greater well-being and less distress among parents 18 mo after their infants' deaths. Results suggest that further study of the social and cognitive aspects of religion would be profitable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Destillation im Fein- und Hochvakuum

The distillation in the fine and high vacuum range requires not only appropriate vacuum pumps but also special apparatus and machines. The principle and the design of laboratory and industrial plants are explained. New mathematical methods are supporting laboratory and pilot testing required for process development and plant layout. An example was chosen for demonstration purposes.     

Influence of HIV-related immunodeficiency on the histopathology of chronic hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE: There is substantial evidence demonstrating the aggravating effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the progression of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. There is however, little data on the affect of certain factors which could affect liver pathology findings in patients with concomitant HIV infection such as the duration of HIV infection or T-cell subpopulation counts. We examined pathology findings in patients with concomitant HIV and HCV infections to determine the impact of immunodepression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed liver pathology data collected in patients with concomitant HIV and HCV infections grouping patients according to severity of the liver pathology: group 1 = cirrhosis or active hepatitis; group 2 = minimally active hepatitis or histologically normal liver. Transparietal liver biopsies were obtained for the work-up of viral hepatitis or because of long-term unexplained fever or suspected lymphoma. Epidemiological and biological data were obtained from medical files. The duration of the liver disease was estimated from the date of exposure to risk of immunodepression as determined by the peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ counts. All pathology specimens were read by two pathologists who established the Knodell score for each patient. RESULTS: Fifty patients were included: 23 were classed in group 1 and 28 in group 2. The Knodell score was significantly different between the two groups, 11 +/- 4 and 4 +/- 3 respectively (p < 0.0001). Disease duration was similar for the two groups: mean 8 years. Mean CD4+ count was significantly higher in group 1: 312/mm3 versus 110/mm3 for group 2 (p = 0.0057); as was the mean CD8+ count (758/mm3 versus 360/mm3, p = 0.0013). For the entire study population, there was a significantly negative correlation (p < 0.05) between the Knodell score and the CD4+ count (r = 0.31) and for the CD8+ count (r = 0.41). CONCLUSION: HCV-related liver pathology in patients co-infected with HIV depends on the level of immunodepression. CD8+ counts are better correlated with pathology findings than with CD4+ counts.     

Simulation of Facial Muscle Actions Based on Rational Free Form Deformations

This paper describes interactive facilities for simulating abstract muscle actions using Rational Free Form Deformations (RFFD). The particular muscle action is simulated as the displacement of the control points of the control-unit for an RFFD defined on a region of interest. One or several simulated muscle actions constitute a Minimum Perceptible Action (MPA), which is defined as the atomic action unit, similar to Action Unit (AU) of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), to build an expression.