HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in pregnant women in the City of Maputo, Mozambique. A comparative study between 1982/1983 and 1990

The seroprevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 among pregnant women in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, was compared between the years 1982/83, 1988 and 1990. None of the 432 serum samples collected in 1982/83 was positive for HIV antibodies whereas in 1988 the HIV-1 and HIV-2 seroprevalence was 0.4% (2/500) and 0.6% (3/500), respectively, and in 1990 0.6% (12/2014) and 0.2% (4/2014), respectively. These results indicate that HIV infection has been introduced recently in Maputo and is spreading at a slow rate among women.     

Cigarette smoking, serum lipids, folate, and vitamin B12 in lung cancer

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoking and serum lipids, folate, and vitamin B12 on the development of lung cancer in the Turkish population. The study group consisted of patients with histologically proven lung cancer and the control group comprised healthy smokers being followed in our smoking cessation outpatient department. Smoking history was obtained from all subjects and serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, vitamin B12, and folate levels were measured. Pack/years of cigarettes smoked were significantly higher in the subjects with lung cancer than in the control group (p < 0.01). Serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, serum folate, and vitamin B12 levels were within normal limits in both groups (p < 0.05), but serum vitamin B12 levels were statistically significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the cancer group than in the controls. In our study, we did not observe low levels of serum cholesterol, vitamin B12, or folate in the lung cancer patients.     

Qualitativ-quantitative Simulation, ein Instrument zur Analyse nichtlinearer Regelkreise

Qualitative-quantitative simulation is one of the most productive and promising research areas in Artificial Intelligence to emerge in recent years. This method provides an elegant way for an exhaustive analysis of uncertain dynamic systems. The application of the qualitative-quantitative simulation is shown in this paper. The important question about the stability of a quanlitatively described dynamical system is solved by a novel analytic method.     

pH titration of native and unfolded beta-trypsin: evaluation of the delta delta G0 titration and the carboxyl pK values

The stabilizing free energy of beta-trypsin was determined by hydrogen ion titration. In the pH range from 3.0 to 7.0, the change in free energy difference for the stabilization of the native protein relative to the unfolded one (delta delta G0 titration) was 9.51 +/- 0.06 kcal/mol. An isoelectric point of 10.0 was determined, allowing us to calculate the Tanford and Kirkwood electrostatic factor w. This factor presented a nonlinear behavior and indicated more than one type of titratable carboxyl groups in beta-trypsin. In fact, one class of carboxyl group with a pK = 3.91 +/- 0.01 and another one with a pK = 4.63 +/- 0.03 were also found by hydrogen ion titration of the protein in the folded state.     

Speed reduction on through roads in Nordrhein-Westfalen.

The paper describes a program of experiments for speed reduction on 28 through roads in Nordrhein-Westfalen. In the process, different measures of construction, design, and traffic control were examined to determine their usefulness to reduce speed and to improve road safety. The need for systematic evaluation of a catalogue of measures partly resulted in unsatisfactory design conceptions for the through roads. The evaluation of the effects of the program has been carried out by use of before-and-after-studies of large extent. The speed measurements show that a distinct speed reduction can be obtained only from selected physical improvements. Measures based on optical effects and traffic signs were found to have very little effect on vehicle speeds. Furthermore, in light of the relatively small number of accidents that occur on the selected facilities, it was not possible to establish the beneficial impact of each specific control measure with statistical certainty. However, the results of the experiment have had an influence on the current definition of new design standards for main urban streets in Germany.