Classification of metabolic and respiratory demands in fire fighting activity with extreme workloads

Fire fighting work comprises work tasks requiring an energy yield at maximal or close to maximal levels of the individual. Due to the very nature of fire fighting more complex physiological variables are difficult to measure. We measured metabolic and respiratory responses in 15 male, professional fire fighters during simulated work tasks on a test ground. Work time was on the average 22 min with individual components of work tasks lasting 2-4 min. The mean oxygen consumption for the whole exercise (22 min) was 2.75+/-0.29 l/min. The most demanding work task demanded an oxygen uptake of 3.55+/-0.27 l/min. Corresponding values for respiratory minute volumes were 82+/-14 and 102+/-14l/min, respectively. Heart rates averaged 168+/-12 for the whole test and 179+/-13 beats/min for the heaviest work task. Two new classes for classification of intensive and exhausting, short term physical work are proposed for inclusion in ISO8996 and values for relevant parameters are proposed.     

Predicting dementia from the Mini-Mental State Examination in an elderly population: the role of education

Steroid hormone regulation and cell-type specific expression of the jun-D protooncogene in rat uterus was examined. Adult, ovariectomized rats were injected with progesterone, testosterone, 17beta-estradiol (E2-17beta), 16alpha-estradiol (E2-16alpha), dexamethasone or cycloheximide. Uteri were collected between 0 and 6 h post-treatment. Northern blot analysis of uterine RNA revealed that induction of jun-D was specific for estrogenic steroids, as progesterone and testosterone had no effect on expression of this member of the jun gene family. Treatment with E2-17beta increased jun-D mRNA levels by approx. 5-fold, with expression reaching peak levels at 3 h after treatment and declining thereafter. Administration of E2-16alpha, a short-acting estrogen that does not cause uterine cell proliferation, increased expression of jun-D but with different kinetics compared to the long-acting E2-17beta. The mRNA levels of jun-D increased by 3-fold 1 h after administration of E2-16alpha but declined soon after. Slight induction of jun-D mRNA by dexamethasone was apparent, but to a much lesser extent compared to estrogen. The protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, did not block jun-D induction, indicating that this is an "immediate early" response. Expression of Jun-D protein was examined by immunohistochemical methods. E2-17beta treatment activated jun-D primarily in the nuclei of luminal and glandular epithelial cells of the endometrium. These results demonstrate that hormonal induction of jun-D is specific for estrogens and that uterine expression of this protooncogene occurs in a cell-type specific manner.     

Cardiac transplantation in perspective for the future. Survival, complications, rehabilitation, and cost

Two hundred twenty-seven cardiac transplant procedures have been performed in 206 patients from January, 1968, to April, 1981. Postoperative survival rates, calculated by the actuarial method for program years 1968 to 1973 (66 patients), are 44%, 33%, 27%, 21%, and 18% at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after transplantation, respectively. Postoperative survival rates for program years 1974 to 1981 (140 patients) are 63%, 55%, 51, 44%, and 39% at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after transplantation, respectively. This increase results primarily from improvement in survival achieved in the first 3 postoperative months (59% +/- 7%, 1968 to 1973, versus 80% +/- 40%, 1974 to 1980), reflecting improved patient management. Infection remains the primary cause of death following transplantation (76/131 patients, 58%), followed by acute rejection (24/181, 18.3%), graft arteriosclerosis (14/131, 10.7%), and malignancy (6/131, 4.6%). The development of graft arteriosclerosis has been examined in 85 one-year survivors studied by annual coronary arteriograms. Coronary lesions of varying severity have developed in 21 patients. HLA-A2 incompatibility was associated with a higher incidence of graft arteriosclerosis than was apparent for all other A locus incompatibilities (p less than 0.0003). Lymphoma has been shown to be associated with younger recipient age, a primary disease diagnosis of idiopathic cardiomyopathy, and retransplantation. One hundred six patients have survived at least 1 year after transplantation; 97% were in NYHA Class 1 at that time interval and 82% returned to employment or activity of choice. The longest survival time is new 11 years, 3 months. Cardiac transplantation can be considered "reasonable and therapeutic treatment to extend life" in selected individuals.     

Subjective time experience in an intergenerational sample

The roles chronological age and gender play in subjective time experience were explored in a sample of 294 adult men and women. Subjective time experience (STE: the difference between subjective age and chronological age) was found to vary widely among individuals, with some being "accurate" (SA = CA), and others either "retarded" (SA less than CA) or "advanced" (SA greater than CA). Males were more retarded in STE than females at every point in the lifespan, and patterns of age differences in adulthood differed for the two sexes as well. The results suggest that chronological age may play a key role in transitions in STE, and that chronological age is more significant in the STE of women than in the STE of men.     

Using enterprise architecture analysis and interview data to estimate service response time

Insights into service response time is important for service-oriented architectures and service management. However, directly measuring the service response time is not always feasible or can be very costly. This paper extends an analytical modeling method which uses enterprise architecture modeling to support the analysis. The extensions consist of (i) a formalization using the Hybrid Probabilistic Relational Model formalism, (ii) an implementation in an analysis tool for enterprise architecture and (iii) a data collection approach using expert assessments collected via interviews and questionnaires. The accuracy and cost effectiveness of the method was tested empirically by comparing it with direct performance measurements of five services of a geographical information system at a Swedish utility company. The tests indicate that the proposed method can be a viable option for rapid service response time estimates when a moderate accuracy within 15% is sufficient.     

Hyperwelcome

Web page annotation and adaptive navigation support are two active, but independent research directions focused on the same goal: expanding the functionality of the Web as a hypertext system. The goal of the AnnotatEd system presented in this paper has been to integrate annotation and adaptive navigation support into a single value-added service where the components can reinforce each other and create new unique attributes. This paper describes the implementation of AnnotatEd from early prototypes to the current version, which has been explored in several contexts. We summarize some lessons we learned during the development process and which defined the current functionality of the system. We also present the results of several classroom studies of the system. These results demonstrate the importance of the browsing-based information access supported by AnnotatEd and the value of both the annotation and navigation support functionalities offered by the system.     

The stretch zone of automotive steel sheets

The paper deals with an experimental determination of the stretch zone dimensions in the notch tip in thin steel sheets. The stretch zone dimensions depend on steel grade, on the rolling direction as well as on the loading rate. Stretch zones were observed and measured on three steel grades. Fracture area and stretch zones were analysed by SEM. Stable crack growth was monitored by videoextensometry techniques on CT (Compact Tension) specimens. Specimens were loaded under two loading rates by eccentric tension, whereby the deformation in the notch surrounding area was recorded using a non-contact measurement–videoextensometry technique. Linear relation between the stretch zone dimensions was determined.     

What Math Matters? Types of Mathematics Knowledge and Relationships to Methods Course Performance

This study investigated the effect of a departmental focus on enhanced mathematics knowledge for teaching on overall performance in upper elementary mathematics methods courses. The study examined the effect of performance on a new course in mathematics for teaching on performance at the methods course level. In addition, the effect of performance on a high-stakes test of general elementary-level mathematics content knowledge was explored. Mathematics knowledge for teaching was found to be a highly significant predictor of first semester methods course performance, arguably pedagogical content knowledge, whereas knowledge of the general elementary mathematics content appeared less related.     

Mini-chunk biochar supercapacitors

Biochar prepared from the pyrolysis of maple wood was studied as supercapacitor electrode materials. Three kinds of electrodes were fabricated: mini-chunk electrodes, thin-film electrodes, and large-disk-chunk electrodes. Their capacitive behaviors were studied using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The mini-chunk supercapacitor shows an electrochemical behavior similar to the supercapacitor using the thin-film electrodes. It exhibits outstanding performance characteristic of a high specific capacitance of approximately 32 F g^?1 and a high stability without obvious capacitance decays upon 2,600 potential cycles. This indicates that the mini-chunk supercapacitor can be used as an mF-scale power source for electronic device applications. Moreover, the mini-chunk electrode provides a simple and fast technique to evaluate biochar materials used as potentially high-performance, low-cost, and environmental friendly supercapacitor electrodes without the need of binder and complicated fabrication procedures. However, the supercapacitor using large-disk-chunk biochar electrodes shows lower specific capacitive performance due to the high ohmic resistance stemming from long tubular structures within biochar.