A study of deformation of Zr and Ti by positron annihilation spectroscopy

Measurements of the effect of deformation on positron annihilation in Zr and Ti have been made by the Doppler-broadening technique, using both ⁶⁴Ge and ²²Na positron sources. The results are reported in terms of peak ($\text{S}$) and wing ($\text{W}$) lineshape parameters. The results show saturation of the trapping of positrons at deformation-induced defects for deformation equivalent to a thickness reduction of 15%. Ten minute anneals at 600 K for Ti and 650 K for Zr, to eliminate point defect populations, reduced the deformation-induced changes in $\text{S}$ and $\text{W}$ by ~ 40%.     

Retrieval dynamics of priming in recognition memory: Bias and discrimination analysis.

We investigated semantic priming effects on item recognition from short (8-word) lists in one reaction-time (RT) and three interruption speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) experiments. SAT priming conditions included modest (0.35-s) prime durations; prime as a final list member; and long (1.5-s) prime durations with special instructions. Analyses tested for constant increment (bias) priming (an equivalent increase in both hits and false alarms) and enhanced discrimination priming (differential priming for targets and lures). Constant increment (bias) priming was ubiquitous, but some subjects showed enhanced early discrimination in restricted conditions. In constant increment (bias) priming, the semantic relations between prime and test either additively increase familiarity or lower criterion. Only enhanced discrimination must imply an interaction between the prime and the retrieval process, due to either interaction or use of compound cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrathecal, but not intravenous, clonidine reduces experimental thermal or capsaicin-induced pain and hyperalgesia in normal volunteers

Plactin D, a cyclic pentapeptide [cyclo(-D-Val-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Phe-D-Arg-)] produced by a fungal strain, enhances fibrinolytic activity (6). The present study deals with the structure-activity relationship of plactins and their effects in U937 cells and mice. The results obtained from 50 plactin D analogues with a single amino acid substitution demonstrated that the following substitutions were detrimental: the enantiomer for each of the five residues; a polar, an acidic or a basic residue for D-Val, L-Leu, D-Leu or L-Phe; a polar, a hydrophobic or an acidic residue for D-Arg. On the other hand, a compound with L-Leu or L-Val in place of L-Phe was seven times as active as plactin D. These results suggest an essential role of a sterically restricted arrangement of four hydrophobic residues and the adjacent basic residue. The enhancement of fibrinolysis was dependent on plasma, ranging from 2- to 3-fold when U937 cells were incubated with 15-30 microM plactin D in the presence of 6-50% plasma, while no elevation was observed when cells were incubated in the absence of plasma. Plasminogen alone could not substitute for plasma. The plactin D effect was totally abolished by anti-urokinase IgG but not by anti-tissue plasminogen activator IgG. Plactin D caused a plasma-dependent, transient increase in the cellular urokinase activity. This urokinase activation may have accounted for the increased fibrinolytic activity of plactin D-treated U937 cells. Homogenates of the lung obtained from mice 0.5 to 2 h after intravenous plactin D (5 mg/kg) showed 2- to 3-fold increased levels of fibrinolytic activity, while activities of the brain, heart, liver, spleen, kidney and aorta were not significantly affected. In conclusion, plactin D enhances fibrinolysis both in cultured mammalian cells and in experimental animals.     

Phase I human safety assessment of intrathecal neostigmine containing methyl- and propylparabens

Intrathecal (i.t.) neostigmine produces analgesia in humans with acute experimental, postoperative, and chronic pain. The sole manufacturer of the preservative-free neostigmine solution used in the initial clinical studies no longer markets this preparation. Although solutions containing preservatives are generally avoided for i.t. injection, methyl- and propylparabens have not been demonstrated to be toxic. After preclinical toxicity screening in animals and Food and Drug Administration approval, 12 volunteers received i.t. neostigmine 10, 30, or 100 micrograms, containing these preservatives and glucose. This preparation produced dose-dependent analgesia, nausea, weakness, and sedation similar to the preservative-free preparation. I.t. neostigmine increased acetylcholine but not norepinephrine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid. Although nitric oxide synthesis has been implicated in analgesia from i.t. neostigmine injection in animals, cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of nitrite as a measure of nitric oxide were not increased by i.t. neostigmine in these volunteers. These data support the investigational application of i.t. neostigmine containing methyl- and propylparabens in the concentrations studied. Implications: Because intrathecal injection of neostigmine may be a useful analgesic, we performed a Phase I tolerability and safety study of the commercially available neostigmine formulation in human volunteers and found no evidence of toxicity. These data are important to the clinical use of this new therapy.     

Lowering the cut off value of an automated chlamydia enzyme immunoassay and confirmation by PCR and direct immunofluorescent antibody test

AIMS: To increase the sensitivity of an automated chlamydia enzyme immunoassay by significantly lowering its cut off value, and to maintain specificity by confirmation with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct immunofluorescent antibody test (DFA). METHODS: Over five months, the cut off value of the enzyme immunoassay used to screen urogenital samples for chlamydia antigen was reduced from 80 to 10. Samples with a test value of 10 or above were further tested with a commercial PCR assay. All samples during the first three months and discrepant samples during the last two months of the study were also tested with the DFA. RESULTS: 3250 urogenital swabs (1246 urethral, 1335 endocervical, 669 pooled urethral/endocervical) from 1246 males and 2004 females were processed. Using the manufacturer's recommended cut off of 80, the enzyme immunoassay identified chlamydia antigen in 134 samples (4.1%). Using the lower cut off value of 10 and either PCR or DFA as the confirmatory test, Chlamydia trachomatis was identified in 178 samples (5.5%). Thus, 45 additional positive samples were identified and the confirmed detection rate was increased by 33.8% (45/133). Excluding equivocal PCR results, the concordance between DFA and PCR was 91.8%. This strategy increased the detection rate by 2.1% in men and 0.9% in women (significant only in men). In female patients, pooled urethral/endocervical swabs as a specimen gave a significantly higher yield than endocervical swabs regardless of whether the lower cut off strategy was used. CONCLUSIONS: This strategy of significantly lowering the cut off test value with confirmation on the same specimen by either PCR or DFA is feasible and cost effective. The use of pooled urethral/ endocervical specimens in females should be considered routinely as detection rate was significantly improved.     

Determining health risks associated with disinfectants and disinfection by-products: research needs

In order to minimize the levels of potentially toxic disinfectants and disinfection by-products in treated water while maintaining adequate protection against microbiological contamination, the total risks associated with disinfection have to be measured and compared with the risks from microbial agents. Because much work has already been carried out on chlorination and its by-products, it is recommended that research focus on major disinfection alternatives, i.e., ozonation, chloramination, carbon dioxidation, and the most practical combinations of these options. The primary research needs are (1) assessment of the relative toxicological hazards of the disinfectants and their by-products and (2) development of biologically based models for the dose-response relationships of these chemicals.     

Probabilistic cuing in large-scale environmental search.

Finding an object in our environment is an important human ability that also represents a critical component of human foraging behavior. One type of information that aids efficient large-scale search is the likelihood of the object being in one location over another. In this study we investigated the conditions under which individuals respond to this likelihood, and the reference frames in which this information is coded, using a novel, large-scale environmental search paradigm. Participants searched an array of locations, on the floor of a room, for a hidden target by pressing switches at each location. We manipulated the probability of the target being at a particular set of locations. Participants reliably learned target likelihoods when the possible search locations were kept constant throughout the experiment and the starting location was fixed. There was no evidence of such learning when room-based and body-based reference frames were dissociated. However, when this was combined with a more salient perceptual landmark, an allocentric cuing effect was observed. These data suggest that the encoding of this type of statistical contingency depends on the combination of spatial cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formation of antibiotic,biodegradable polymers by processing with Irgasan DP300R (triclosan) and its inclusion compound with β-cyclodextrin

The inclusion compound (IC) between the FDA-approved antibacterial Irgasan DP300 (Trichlosan), and β-cyclodextrin (CD) has been formed. When the Irgasan–β-CD–IC is embedded in biodegradeable/bioabsorbable films of poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) at low levels (a few wt %), they are rendered resistant to the growth of E. coli bacteria. When these same PCL films embedded with Irgasan–β-CD–IC are used as the adhesive for laminating cotton fabrics, we observe the resulting cotton laminates to also be resistant to the growth of E. coli bacteria. These results hold promise for the fabrication of bacteria-resistant polymer films and fibers, as well as antibacterial fabrics, by means of simple melt processing with Irgasan–β-CD–IC. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 300–309, 2001