In vivo lipolysis induced by heparin injection or fasting: a proton MR spectroscopy analysis of human plasma

The impact of induced lipolysis on the composition of plasma lipids is analyzed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in humans. The variations of the methylene and methyl resonances from lipids in lipoproteins are studied under two sets of lipolytic conditions: acute endovascular lipolysis induced by an intravenous injection of heparin and subacute lipolysis induced by short fasting. During acute lipolysis, the degradation of the very low density lipoproteins structures is well correlated to the modifications observed in the areas of CH₂ and CH₃ MRS signals. The comparison of regular spectra, spectra with water signal suppression, and spectra recorded with a spin-echo sequence provides information on the behavior of the different parts of the lipoproteins, that is, the neutral core, little affected by heparine-induced lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activation, and the surface layer supplying substrates to LPL. During 48 h of fasting, only limited modifications occur on the MR spectra, and lipolysis cannot be documented in details.Address for correspondence: CRMBM-CNRS, Faculté de Médecine, 27, bd Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France.     

Beobachtungen zur Oberflächenveränderung durch-Erosion und Kavitation

Observations of the effect on surfaces of “erosion and cavitation” With the cavitation of material due to liquids, the meterial is damaged by blowholes. In addition, observations on highgloss polished pure metals, tested in H. Schröter's and O. Walchner's flow apparatus with weir and counter-weir, occasionally showed damage caused by small particles of solids entrained by the liquid. In order to simulate mechanical damage by small particles, steel shot of different edge lengths was entrained with the liquid so as to bit the surface of the specimen. The results were lines of sliding in the case of Armco iron and mechanical twinning in the case of zine. An energy comparison is then carried out between the entrained solid particles and the blowhole. Solid particles with a maximum energy content theoretically equal to the minimum energy content of a blowhole are able to cause a plastic deformation of the surfaces of materials within minute zones, whilst blowholes with equal energy content obviously do not cause any mechanical damage. This indicates the need, with metallographic investigations into initial damage by flow cavitation, to ensure adequate filtering of the test medium so as to preclude the possibility of sand erosion.     

The melting pressure of helium-3 at very low temperatures

The melting pressure of³ He at very low temperatures was shown earlier to be determined overwhelmingly by the solid phase. Using an extended solid³He model based on isotropic effective first-neighbor-pair antiferromagnetic and second-neighbor-pair ferromagnetic exchange interactions, the melting process is reinvestigated here. One of its motivating aspects may be said to be tied to its possible use, suggested by us earlier, for the establishment of a thermodynamic temperature scale at very low temperatures. As a consequence of the assumed multineighbor interactions, spin ordering is accelerated and, at the same temperature, the extended-model solid entropy falls below that of the simpler nearest-neighbor-pair interaction model. Equivalently, the spinordering critical transition temperature is raised over that associated with the simpler interaction scheme. The overall result is a decrease in the melting pressure variations at very low temperatures below those arising from the simple solid model. In the absence of a reliable experimental temperature scale at very low temperatures, only a qualified and cursory comparison is justified with recent experimentally estimated melting pressures. Discrepancies arise between theory and preliminary data on the temperature derivatives of the melting pressure or the entropy of the solid at melting. They might be due in part to the tentative experimental temperatures, which appear shifted toward too low temperatures when compared with the theoretical temperature scale implicit in the treatment of the generalized solid model. However, from the viewpoint which accepts the rather preliminary, scarce, very low temperature melting pressure data at face value, failure of the extended exchange model of solid³He at those temperatures must be kept in mind.Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.     

Follow-up study of maladapting school children seen by nonprofessionals.

Examined whether children, seen 2-5 yr. earlier by nonprofessional child aides for school maladaptation problems, maintained short-term gains over time. Follow-up interviews, exploring the child's subsequent educational and interpersonal career, were held with mothers of 36 such children. Both mothers and interviewers independently rated change over the intervening time period along 9 salient educational and interpersonal dimensions. Ratings of the 2 groups were in substantial agreement. Both judged significant educational and interpersonal growth to have occurred. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A relationship between leader intelligence and leader rated effectiveness.

Conceptualizes intelligence as the leader's ability to integrate his experience and thus provide him with skills to deal effectively with the technical aspects of tasks and interpersonal relationships. In 4 studies, 55 sergeants in charge of field artillery sections, 55 navy petty officers, 58 unit commanders, and 52 sergeants in charge of army mess units completed the least preferred co-worker scale (LPC), a group atmosphere scale, a shortened version of the Henmon-Nelson Tests of Mental Ability, and ratings of situational favorableness on 3 dimensions (leader-member relations, task structure, and position power). Ratings of leader performance were completed by 2-3 superiors. Results indicate that the relationship between leader intelligence and performance depended on the leader's motivational style (LPC), his experience, and the leader-member relations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

THE SWEDISH HC-9 CIPHERING MACHINE

The HC-9 ciphering machine was used in Sweden after World War II. It satisfied the need for a simple key-setting process and the requirement of resistance to cryptanalysis by reduction of the risk of error when operated. The machine uses a punched card system instead of pin wheels and a drum with 16 changeable mixed alphabets which interrelated with the card reading mechanism and rotates after each letter is enciphered. The enciphering/deciphering process is described along with the machine's operating principles.     

Sufficient LMI stability conditions for Lur’e type systems governed by a control law designed on their Euler approximate model

In this paper, the stability issue of Lur’e systems governed by a control law stabilising their forward Euler approximate model is investigated. More specifically, the considered control law is obtained by exploiting the advantages of a new Lur’e type Lyapunov function with disconnected level sets. This Lyapunov function is adapted to discrete-time Lur’e systems and to the structure of the forward Euler approximate model. The main result consists of linear matrix inequality conditions allowing to guarantee that the continuous-time Lur’e system associated with the proposed digital control law is globally asymptotically stable. The relevance of this approach is illustrated using a numerical example.