Motorized two-point safety belt effectiveness in preventing fatalities

The effectiveness of two-point motorized restraint systems in preventing fatalities to outboard front-seat car occupants is estimated using published fatality data for one model car equipped with a motorized two-point-belt system, together with a number of assumptions. Effectiveness estimates are obtained for the motorized belt system as used in the field, which reflects the mix of occupants who do and do not fasten the manual lap belt, and for effectiveness when the lap belt is not used. This latter estimate is, therefore, an estimate of the effectiveness of shoulder belts in preventing fatalities. In the data for the one car model, 18% of the fatally injured occupants were ejected. By assuming that three-point belt systems prevent ejection, these data are used to compute the difference in effectiveness between two-point and three-point systems. The result applies to the two-point belt system used in conjunction with whatever manual belt-use rates occurred in traffic. From published observations of lap-belt-use rates for this same vehicle, the effectiveness of the shoulder belt only is estimated. It is found that effectiveness of the two-point restraint system in conjunction with the lap-belt use that occurred in traffic is (32 +/- 5)%. The effectiveness of the shoulder belt only is estimated as (29 +/- 8)%.     

Allelotype analysis of uterine leiomyoma: localization of a potential tumor suppressor gene to a 4-cM region of chromosome 7q

The degree and nature of patient involvement in consultations with health professionals influences problem and needs recognition and management, and public accountability. This paper suggests a framework for understanding the scope for patient involvement in such consultations. Patients are defined as co-producers of formal health services, whose potential for involvement in consultations depends on their personal rights, responsibilities and preferences. Patients' rights in consultations are poorly defined and, in the National Health Service (NHS), not legally enforceable. The responsibilities of patients are also undefined. I suggest that these are not to deny, of their own volition, the rights of others, which in consultations necessitate mutuality of involvement through information-exchange and shared decision-making. Preferences should be met insofar as they do not militate against responsibilities and rights.     

Leukoregulin induction of protein expression in human orbital fibroblasts: evidence for anatomical site-restricted cytokine-target cell interactions

The molecular basis for the profound inflammatory response and the accumulation of hyaluronan in orbital connective tissues seen in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy is unknown. Moreover, the link between the orbital manifestations of Graves' disease and those in the pretibial skin, localized dermopathy, has yet to be established. We have reported recently that leukoregulin, an activated T lymphocyte-derived cytokine, dramatically induces hyaluronan synthesis and prostaglandin-endoperoxide H synthase 2 in human orbital fibroblasts in culture. In the current studies, utilizing giant two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we find that orbital fibroblasts express constitutively a protein profile that distinguishes them from skin fibroblasts derived from the abdominal wall and from the pretibium. We further demonstrate that leukoregulin, when present in culture medium for 16 hr, up-regulates a set of orbital fibroblast proteins not present in untreated cultures or in fibroblasts from the abdominal wall. However, some of the same protein inductions are present in the pretibial fibroblasts. These leukoregulin-induced changes in protein expression are completely blocked by dexamethasone (10 nM). Our findings are the first to identify proteins that appear to be expressed and differentially regulated in an anatomical site-restricted manner in orbital and pretibial fibroblasts and seem to establish a molecular link between fibroblasts from the orbit and those in pretibial skin.     

Energy consumption modeling and optimization for SRAM's

The recent trends in portable computing technologies have established the need for energy efficient design strategies. To achieve minimum energy design goals, system designers need a technique to accurately model the energy consumption of their design alternatives without performing a full physical design and full-circuit simulation. This paper presents and compares five approaches for modeling the energy consumption of CMOS circuits. These five modeling approaches have been chosen to represent the various levels of model complexity and accuracy found in the current literature. These modeling approaches are applied to the energy consumption of SRAM's to provide examples of their use and to allow for the comparison of their modeling qualities. It was found that a mixed characterization model-using a CV² prediction for digital subsections and fitted simulation results for the analog subsections-is satisfactory (within ±1 process variation) for predicting the absolute energy consumed per cycle. This same model is also very good (within 2%) for predicting an optimum organization for the internal structures of the SRAM. Several common architectures and circuit designs for SRAM's are analyzed with these models. This analysis shows that global, rather than local improvements, produce the largest energy savings     

Regulation of an Escherichia coli/mammalian chimeric carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase

Carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase (CPSase) consists of a 120-kDa synthetase domain (CPS) that makes carbamoyl phosphate from ATP, bicarbonate, and ammonia usually produced by a separate glutaminase domain. CPS is composed of two subdomains, CPS.A and CPS.B. Although CPS.A and CPS.B have specialized functions in intact CPSase, the separately cloned subdomains can catalyze carbamoyl phosphate synthesis. This report describes the construction of a 58-kDa chimeric CPSase composed of Escherichia coli CPS.A catalytic subdomains and the mammalian regulatory subdomain. The catalytic parameters are similar to those of the E. coli enzyme, but the activity is regulated by the mammalian effectors and protein kinase A phosphorylation. The chimera has a single site that binds phosphoribosyl 5'-pyrophosphate (PRPP) with a dissociation constant of 25 microM. The dissociation constant for UTP of 0.23 mM was inferred from its effect on PRPP binding. Thus, the regulatory subdomain is an exchangeable ligand binding module that can control both CPS.A and CPS.B domains, and the pathway for allosteric signal transmission is identical in E. coli and mammalian CPSase. A deletion mutant that truncates the polypeptide within a postulated regulatory sequence is as active as the parent chimera but is insensitive to effectors. PRPP and UTP bind to the mutant, suggesting that the carboxyl half of the subdomain is essential for transmitting the allosteric signal but not for ligand binding.     

Cyclosporin A in patients receiving renal allografts from cadaver donors. 1978

A psychrotrophic yeast, Rhodotorula glutinis KUJ 2731, isolated from soil, effectively produced an extracellular endo-beta-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4). The enzyme was monomeric, and the molecular mass was about 40,000 Da. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was H-Ser-Leu-Pro- Lys-Leu-Gly-Gly-Val-Asp-Leu-Ala-Gly-Leu-Asp-Ile-Gly-Lys-Asp-Lys-Asn-. alpha-Helix content was calculated to be about 32.6%. The isoelectric point was 8.57. The activation energy was 20.9 kJ/mol, which was much smaller than that of mesophilic enzymes. The enzyme was active at temperatures from 0 to 70 degrees C, with a highest initial velocity at 50 degrees C similar to other psychrotrophic enzymes. The enzyme was inhibited by Hg2+. The enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of carboxymethyl cellulose with an apparent K(m) of 1.1% and Vmax of 556 mumol/min/mg. Products from the enzymatic hydrolysis of carboxymethyl cellulose by the enzyme were glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose. The enzyme also catalyzed the transglycosylation of p-nitrophenyl-beta-cellotrioside to cellotetraose.     

Highly active antiretroviral therapy results in a decrease in CD8+ T cell activation and preferential reconstitution of the peripheral CD4+ T cell population with memory rather than naive cells

Criteria for detection of chromosome aberrations by Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) are not standardized and improvement of this part of the analysis is of paramount importance to the applicability of the technique. The aim of this work was to suggest CGH detection criteria that increase the specificity and sensitivity and at the same time include chromosome regions previously excluded from CGH analysis. We analyzed 33 hybridizations with normal DNA and modified our CGH software in order to use a selection of these normal analyses as a model for interpretation of analyses of unknown samples. This approach was successfully tested on 14 samples with known aberrations.     

Endotoxin-induced platelet aggregation in heparinised equine whole blood in vitro

Endotoxaemia is a leading cause of death among horses. Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in clinical and experimentally-induced cases of endotoxaemia and can lead to coagulopathies, including disseminated intravascular coagulopathy which is usually fatal. In this study it was shown that endotoxin (3 ng ml-1 to 25 micrograms ml-1) can aggregate equine platelets in heparinised whole blood in vitro. The endotoxin-induced aggregation (EIA) was shown to be dependent on the presence of leucocytes in the blood and did not occur when detoxified endotoxin was used, suggesting that lipid A was necessary for the response. Aspirin (1 mmol litre-1) had no effect on EIA whereas apyrase (40 micrograms ml-1) completely abolished it and CV3988 (3 to 30 mumol litre-1) (a competitive antagonist of platelet-activating factor) inhibited the response in a concentration-dependent manner. It is concluded that endotoxin activates equine platelets at low concentrations through an indirect mechanism that involves calcium, leucocytes, adenine nucleotides and platelet-activating factor.     

Mechanical performance of ceramic matrix composite I-beams

Experimental studies have been performed on ceramic matrix composite (CMC) I-sections, which typify joint designs for CMC components. Axial loads and moments have been applied to activate delamination mechanisms. The maximum load bearing capacity has large variability, governed by the severity of manufacturing flaws located in the transition region of the I-section. This variability leads to an unsatisfactory design situation. Delaminations that form from these flaws arrest and behave in a stable manner, subject to a remanent load bearing capacity. This remanent capacity has minimal variability. Hence, design based on the remanent load would be robust. An expression for this design criterion is presented.     

The relationship between isometric strength of Cantonese males and the US NIOSH guide for manual lifting

A laboratory study was undertaken to assess the relationship between the maximal voluntary isometric strength (MVIS) of a group of Hong Kong Cantonese males and recommended limiting values for lifting proposed in the Work Practices Guide for Manual Lifting (NIOSH, 1981). Forty-one male subjects were required to apply a 'free-style' vertical 'lift' force to a horizontal bar located 150 mm from the ground. Forces were applied with the horizontal location of the midpoint of the ankles at 200, 400, 600 and 800 mm from the bar. The results were compared with the Maximal Permissible Limit (MPL) and the Action Limit (AL) values proposed in the NIOSH guide. The results showed that the mean MVIS of the Hong Kong subjects lay between the MPL and AL when the load was 200 mm and 400 mm from the ankles, but was significantly below the AL at 600 mm. At 800 mm more than half of the subjects were unable to apply any measurable positive vertical force. The compressive force at the L5/S1 disc of four subjects was estimated using a static biomechanical model. The relationship between the disc pressure and the force exerted was largely in accordance with NIOSH guide values. The results are discussed in terms of differences in subject population and lifting technique. Comments on the applicability of the NIOSH standards internationally, are also presented.