Histologic variations in the epididymis: findings in 167 orchiectomy specimens

Nonpathologic morphologic variations in the epididymal histology in 167 orchiectomy specimens were analyzed to assess and document the nature, frequency, and possible relation to patient age and underlying testicular pathology. Variations in histology included intranuclear eosinophilic inclusions, lipofuscin pigment, cribriform hyperplasia, Paneth cell-like metaplasia, and nuclear atypia. Intranuclear eosinophilic inclusions were observed in 72.5% of patients, and they appeared to occur at an older age than cribriform hyperplasia and Paneth cell-like metaplasia. Lipofuscin pigment was found in 32.9% of patients; this change was observed predominantly in ductuli efferentes and was more commonly associated with obstructive changes. Cribriform hyperplasia was seen in 41.9% of patients, and it occurred in 1 normal testis and in 33 testes with diverse pathologic alterations. Paneth cell-like metaplasia characterized by bright eosinophilic intracytoplasmic hyaline-like granules and globules, was present in 8.3% of patients and was accompanied by changes of obstruction in almost all instances. The globules were strongly periodic acid-Schiff positive, both before and after diastase digestion, and were negative for chromogranin A, KP-1, and MAC387 immunostains. Nuclear atypia, similar to that seen in seminal vesicles, was focally present in 13.8% of patients and tended to occur at an older age. The authors conclude that variations in epididymal morphology are fairly common and, therefore, surgical pathologists should be aware of these changes. Although exuberant in some patients, in no cases did these variations cause serious diagnostic problems.     

Personalisierung in der E-Welt Aus dem Blickwinkel der informationellen Selbstbestimmung gesehen

Personalisation in the E-World — Seen from the Perspective of Informational Self-Determination Compared to the material world, data traces will to an increasing degree be used for the purpose of personalisation in the e-world. The article examines both the risks for the self-determination of the data subject and the safeguards of data protection law in this world. It is apparent that the requirements of data protection law are frequently not observed. However, the law is able to form the legal basis of necessary personalisations and to protect the data subject if this process is carried out without his/her consent. It is important to distinguish these single processes from the accumulating effects of ubiquitous electronic personalisation. The latter form fundamental problems for democratic societies, and data protection laws do not have the ability to solve these issues. In contrast, there is a strong need for the separation between personalisation and control on a technical level.

Eingereicht am 2006-09-17, nach überarbeitung angenommen am 2006-09-22 durch die Herausgeber des Schwerpunktheftes.     

Effect of the rotating magnetic field on the unidirectionally solidified macrostructure of Al6Si4Cu alloy

The topic of this paper is the unidirectional solidification of ternary Al6Si4Cu aluminium alloy in a rotating magnetic field of 0 ÷ 150 mT and the characterisation of effect of stirring on the solidified macro- and microstructure. During performing the experiment-series, two solidification parameters, i.e. solid/liquid interface velocity, magnetic induction, were changed. The effect of these parameters on the developed macrostructures as well as the Si and Cu macrosegregation on the longitudinal sections of samples as a function of the two basic parameters was investigated.     

The rewriting logic semantics project

Rewriting logic is a flexible and expressive logical framework that unifies algebraic denotational semantics and structural operational semantics (SOS) in a novel way, avoiding their respective limitations and allowing succinct semantic definitions. The fact that a rewrite logic theory’s axioms include both equations and rewrite rules provides a useful “abstraction dial” to find the right balance between abstraction and computational observability in semantic definitions. Such semantic definitions are directly executable as interpreters in a rewriting logic language such as Maude, whose generic formal tools can be used to endow those interpreters with powerful program analysis capabilities.     

Nanoscale characterization of anodic oxide films on Ti-6Al-4V alloy

The paper analyses, at nanoscale levels, the chemical composition and mechanical properties of the anodic oxide films formed on Ti-6Al-4V alloy by galvanostatic polarization at maximum final voltages of 12-100 V. For the investigations Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Photoelectron Spectroscopy and nanoindentation measurements have been used. The results have shown that anodizing the Ti-6Al-4V alloy produces an oxide film whose thickness depends on the final voltage. The chemical composition is not significantly dependent on the thickness, the film consists of TiO₂ and Al₂O₃. However, the best insulating properties of the films, determined from the growth parameter nm/V, are achieved with a final voltage between 30 and 65 V. Nanohardness and Young's modulus measurements have shown that the anodic films formed by different voltages exhibit similar mechanical properties which is consistent with the results of the surface analysis.     

Ir-base refractory superalloys for ultra-high temperatures

The microstructure and compression strengths of Ir-15 at. pct X (X=Ti, Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, or V) binary alloys at temperatures between room temperature and 1800 °C were investigated to evaluate the potential of these alloys for ultra-high-temperature use. The fcc and L1₂ two-phase structures of these alloys were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The strengths of the Ir-Ta, -Nb, -Hf, and -Zr alloys were above 800 MPa at temperatures up to 1200 °C and about 200 MPa at 1800 °C. The strengths of these alloys under 1000 °C are equivalent to or higher than those of the commercially used Ni-base superalloys, MAR-M247 and CMSX-10. The Nb concentration dependence of strength was investigated using a series of Ir-Nb alloys with Nb concentrations from 0 to 25 at. pct. It was found that the Ir-base alloys were strengthened by L1₂ precipitation hardening. The potential of the Ir-base alloys for ultra-high temperature use is discussed.     

Prestimulus effects on startle magnitude: Sensory or motor?

Startle may be inhibited when the startling event is preceded by a stimulus; this is called prepulse inhibition (PPI) when the prestimulus is weak and nonstartling (s) and paired pulse inhibition when the prestimulus elicits startle (S1). The authors examined the relationship of these measures across species and tested whether paired pulse inhibition-like PPI-is independent of the startling effects of the prestimulus. PPI (s-S1 configuration) and paired pulse inhibition (S1-S2 configuration) were elicited in 1 test, using similar stimulus parameters in rats and humans. The amount of PPI and paired pulse inhibition was significantly correlated within subjects in both rats and humans. Paired pulse inhibition was not diminished when the startling effects of S1 were eliminated by a weak prepulse (s-S1-S2 configuration), nor was it enhanced when these prepulse effects were eliminated by the dopamine agonist apomorphine (in rats). Despite apparent differences in the inhibitory processes mediating PPI and paired pulse inhibition, both are independent of the motoric response to the prestimulus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)