Informed consent: an evolution from battery/medical negligence to potential invasion of physician privacy

The data on Marburg virus resistance to freeze-drying in the presence of protective media and on a decrease in the freeze-dried virus biological activity at positive and negative temperatures are presented. Using the results of the experiments, kinetic parameters of virus thermoinactivation were determined for long-term storage at 20 and 37 degrees C. The rate of Marburg virus inactivation was comparable to the rates reported in the literature for para-, mixo- and toga-viruses. The conclusion is made on feasibility of prolonged storage of Marburg virus under negative temperatures.     

Ambient-Temperature Mechanical Response of Alumina–Fluoromica Laminates

Flexural delamination experiments were used to evaluate the mechanical performance of thermochemically stable alumina–fluoromica laminates. Hot-pressed, precracked laminate specimens, in which two MgAl₂O₄-spinel-coated alumina substrates were separated by a thin layer of fluorophlogopite (KMg₃(AlSi₃)O₁₀F₂), were tested in fourpoint flexure at room temperature. Two types of mechanical response were observed: steady-state delamination and brittle failure. Microstructural analysis showed that the delamination response was associated with fine (≤5 μm) grains of the mica; the brittle response occurred when the mica interphase consisted of large (>30 μm) grains that bridged the interphase. The steady-state strain-energy release rate ( G _ss) measured on the graceful, delaminating beams was 9.1 ± 0.4 Jm^–2 for randomly oriented ∼ 5–μm grains but only 2.8 ± 0.2 Jm^–2 for ∼1–μm grains that were aligned with easy-cleavage planes parallel to the laminate interfaces. The results suggested that debonding of the specimens occurred via cleavage of the mica grains. Observation of delamination cracks confirmed this point: propagation occurred within the fluoromica interphase rather than along the spinel/alumina or spinel/fluorophlogopite interfaces. The mechanical feasibility of laminate specimens without the protective spinel coating on the substrate containing the notch was also tested to address an issue related to the preparation of alumina fiber/mica interphase/alumina matrix composites. The delamination response again occurred for the case of a fine-grained mica interphase.     

Fuzzy independence and extended conditional probability

In many applications, the use of Bayesian probability theory is problematical. Information needed to feasibility calculate is unavailable. There are different methodologies for dealing with this problem, e.g., maximal entropy and Dempster-Shafer Theory. If one can make independence assumptions, many of the problems disappear, and in fact, this is often the method of choice even when it is obviously incorrect. The notion of independence is a 0–1 concept, which implies that human guesses about its validity will not lead to robust systems. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy formulation of this concept. It should lend itself to probabilistic updating formulas by allowing heuristic estimation of the “degree of independence.” We show how this can be applied to compute a new notion of conditional probability (we call this “extended conditional probability”). Given information, one typically has the choice of full conditioning (standard dependence) or ignoring the information (standard independence). We list some desiderata for the extension of this to allowing degree of conditioning. We then show how our formulation of degree of independence leads to a formula fulfilling these desiderata. After describing this formula, we show how this compares with other possible formulations of parameterized independence. In particular, we compare it to a linear interpolant, a higher power of a linear interpolant, and to a notion originally presented by Hummel and Manevitz [Tenth Int. Joint Conf. on Artificial Intelligence, 1987]. Interestingly, it turns out that a transformation of the Hummel-Manevitz method and our “fuzzy” method are close approximations of each other. Two examples illustrate how fuzzy independence and extended conditional probability might be applied. The first shows how linguistic probabilities result from treating fuzzy independence as a linguistic variable. The second is an industrial example of troubleshooting on the shop floor.     

Diaphragm structure and function in health and disease

The diaphragm is the primary muscle of inspiration, and as such uncompromised function is essential to support the ventilatory and gas exchange demands associated with physical activity. The normal healthy diaphragm may fatigue during intense exercise, and diaphragm function is compromised with aging and obesity. However, more insidiously, respiratory diseases such as emphysema mechanically disadvantage the diaphragm, sometimes leading to muscle failure and death. Based on metabolic considerations, recent evidence suggests that specific regions of the diaphragm may be or may become more susceptible to failure than others. This paper reviews the regional differences in mechanical and metabolic activity within the diaphragm and how such heterogeneities might influence diaphragm function in health and disease. Our objective is to address five principal areas: 1) Regional diaphragm structure and mechanics (GAF). 2) Regional differences in blood flow within the diaphragm (WLS). 3) Structural and functional interrelationships within the diaphragm microcirculation (DCP). 4) Nitric oxide and its vasoactive and contractile influences within the diaphragm (MBR). 5) Metabolic and contractile protein plasticity in the diaphragm (SKP). These topics have been incorporated into three discrete sections: Functional Anatomy and Morphology, Physiology, and Plasticity in Health and Disease. Where pertinent, limitations in our understanding of diaphragm function are addressed along with potential avenues for future research.     

Degradation of sorbic acid in model food systems

Solutions of sorbic acid are unstable in the presence of sulphur dioxide and light. At pH 2·1 in the presence of excess sulphur dioxide, sorbic acid was totally degraded in 8 days. Sorbic acid was also unstable in solutions of dilute sulphuric acid. Two volatile products from the degradation in sulphur dioxide solution and in dilute sulphuric acid were identified as α-angelica lactone and 2-methyl-5-acetylfuran.     

Use of microcomputers in monitoring instruments,data aquisition,analysis and control

The microprocessor is ideally suited to automating the collection of data, the control of processes and the measurement of important parameters in industry. A number of applications are presented here, where development and research work is carried out using a microcomputer made up of a Z80 microprocessor with additional circuit boards. The applications are in the areas of data acquisition, control and measurement of variables.     

The relationship between adhesion molecules and neuronal plasticity

1. It is presently widely assumed that structural reorganization of synaptic architectures subserves the functional gains that define certain neuronal plasticities. 2. While target molecules thought to participate in such morphological dynamics are not well defined, growing evidence suggests a pivotal role for cell adhesion molecules. 3. Herein, brief discussions are presented on (i) the history of how adhesion molecules became implicated in plasticity and memory processes, (ii) the general biology of some of the major classes of such molecules, and (iii) the future of the adhesion molecule/plasticity relationship.     

Specific techniques for the identification of O-acylated sialic acids in colonic mucins

The development of methodology for the histochemistry of mucins based upon their PAS reactivity is discussed in terms of mechanism, specificity and application. Two new histochemical methods (PB/KOH/PAS and PAT/KOH/PAS), supplemented by a variety of new and standard histochemical techniques, and correlated by parallel chemical studies, were used to demonstrate and identify C4 and side chain O-acylated sialic acids in colonic epithelial mucins. The application of these methods in the field of histopathology is discussed.