Glomerular and tubular function in glycogen storage disease

Urinary protein and calcium excretion were assessed in 77 patients with the hepatic glycogen storage diseases (GSD): 30 with GSD-I (median age 12.4 years, range 3.2-32.9 years), 25 with GSD-III (median age 10.5 years, range 4.2-31.3 years) and 22 with GSD-IX (median age 11.8 years, range 1.2-35.4 years). Inulin (Cinulin) and para-aminohippuric acid (CPAH) clearances were also measured in 33 of these patients. Those with GSD-I had significantly greater albumin (F = 15.07, P < 0.001), retinol-binding protein (RBP) (F = 14.66, P < 0.001), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) (F = 9.41, P < 0.001) and calcium (F = 7.41, P = 0.001) excretion than those with GSD-III and GSD-IX. GSD-I patients (n = 18) also had significantly higher Cinulin (F = 5.57, P = 0.009), but CPAH did not differ (F = 0.77, NS). Renal function was normal in GSD-III and GSD-IX patients. In GSD-I, Cinulin (r = -0.51, P = 0.03) and NAG excretion (r = -0.40, P = 0.03) were inversely correlated with age, whereas albumin excretion was positively correlated with age (r = +0.41, P = 0.03). RBP and calcium excretion were generally high throughout all age groups. Hyperfiltration in GSD-I is associated with renal tubular proteinuria that occurs before the onset of significant albuminuria. Deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase within the proximal renal tubule may primarily cause tubular dysfunction, glomerular hyperfiltration being a secondary phenomenon.     

Chemical composition and nutritional quality of tehineh (sesame butter)

The chemical composition and nutritional quality of tehineh, a paste of dehulled roasted sesame seeds, from Saudi Arabia and other countries, were studied. Results showed 24.7% protein, 58.9% fat, 2.3% fiber, 3.0% ash and <1.0% moisture. The tehineh contained relatively high amounts (mg/100 g) of P (692), Mg (362), Fe (7.19), Cu (1.96), Mn (1.46) and Zn (7.82) and low amounts of Ca (61) and Se (0.05). Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) analysis of the oil revealed percentages of 42.4 for oleic, 39.7 for linoleic, 9.8 for palmitic and 6.4 for stearic acid. Lysine was the only limiting amino acid with a chemical score of 64, while the sulphur-containing amino acids (methionine + cystine) and tryptophan were present in amounts exceeding the requirement of the FAO/WHO (1973) reference protein. The in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) value of 83.3% and the calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER), 2.14, were slightly higher than those of sesame seeds and both values were lower than the IVPD and C-PER of 90.0% and 2.50, respectively, for ANRC casein.     

Crystallization and agglomeration kinetics of nickel ammonium sulphate in an MSMPR crystallizer

Precipitation of nickel ammonium sulphate achieved by mixing solutions of nickel sulphate and ammonium sulphate in a 5 1 MSMPR crystallizer is used to investigate both crystallization and agglomeration kinetics from the steady-state crystal size distribution. An iterative non-linear parameter estimation procedure is used to deduce the kinetic rate parameters in the solution of the agglomeration model suggested by Liao and Hulburt from the data-set obtained by size analysis of the product crystals. The results obtained are correlated in terms of conventional power law kinetic expressions.     

Geometry-Dependent R-Curve for Quasi-Brittle Materials

Fracture of quasi-brittle materials such as ceramics and cement-based materials can be described by an R -curve, defined as fracture resistance. The R -curve can be constructed as the envelope of the strain energy release rates ( G ). In this study, R -curve is defined as an envelope of G -curves obtained by varying the dimensions of identical specimens, while keeping the geometry and the initial flaw size constant. By approximating the G -curve with a second-order function of the crack length, a simple formulation of the R -curve is derived by solving a differential equation. Three parameters are needed for the proposed R -curve. These parameters can be obtained by testing a notched-beam specimen and using linear elastic fracture mechanics. The proposed R -curve simulates well the geometry dependency as well as other characteristics of the fracture response of quasi-brittle materials.     

Proposal for st-Routing Protocol

A routing protocol chooses one of the several paths (routes) from a source node to a destination node in the computer network, to send a packet of information. In this paper, we propose a new routing protocol, which we call st-routing protocol, based on st-numbering of a graph. The protocol fits well in noisy environments where robustness of routing using alternative paths is a major issue. The proposed routing protocol provides a systematic way to retry alternative paths without generating any duplicate packets. The protocol works for only those networks that can be represented by biconnected graphs.     

Effect of Calcium Lactate, 4-Hexyl Resorcinol and Vacuum Packing on Physico-chemical, Sensory and Microbiological Qualities of Minimally Processed Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruits are very susceptible to pericarp browning which adversely affects consumer acceptability even though the aril portion remains in excellent condition. Litchi arils (litchis) were treated with a solution containing 0–2% (w/v) calcium lactate (CL), 0–0.02% (w/v) 4‐hexyl resorcinol (4‐HR) and 1% potassium sorbate. The pH of solution was adjusted to 4.0 with citric acid. Treated litchis were packed in polystyrene trays, over‐wrapped with polypropylene film, vacuum‐packed (0, 47409.3, 94831.9 Pa) and stored at 4 ± 2 °C. Drip losses, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), sensory attributes and microbiological quality of stored samples were estimated. A four‐factor, three‐level experimental design (D₆ Hokes design) with 19 experiments was chosen. Mathematical models were developed to analyse and predict the effect of CL, 4‐HR, in‐package vacuum and storage time on the responses. TSS, pH and sensory scores decreased significantly (P 0.01), whereas drip losses and microbial count increased significantly (P 0.01) with time. Drip loss was significantly (P 0.1) reduced by addition of CL. 4‐HR prevented browning and changes in colour score during storage were significantly less. Vacuum in packages exerted significant (P 0.01) effect over pH, TSS, sensory and microbiological qualities of minimally processed litchis.     

Using Automated Negotiation for Grid Services

The popularity of grid services has widened their application to numerous domains and increased the utilization of computational resources. In order to create more incentives for the resources owners to lease their resources and prevent users from wasting the resources, the introduction of a market-oriented grid is inevitable. However, the issues for the negotiation between service provider and consumer over the supply and demand of resources can be complex, with highly interdependent issues. In this research, a simulated automated negotiation mechanism including a co-evolutionary mechanism and a modified game theory approach is proposed, to assist them in reaching an agreement over the conflicting issues. In the proposed architecture, the co-evolution process is able to reduce the multiple dimensional search space into a two-dimension search space and identify the appropriate negotiation strategies for the negotiating agents to form a payoff matrix which can be used for the game theory related stage of their interaction. The multiple stage negotiation process is introduced to improve the negotiation result. In this paper, an application which requires a large amount of computational resources to process the data generated from mobile devises is used to demonstrate that the proposed system is able to resolve the conflicts and obtain a valid solution.     

State of Practice for Positive Moment Connections in Prestressed Concrete Girders Made Continuous

Precast bridges are often constructed as single span for dead load, but continuous for live load. A diaphragm connection is provided for negative moment continuity. However, the connection may also be subjected to positive moments due to time-dependent effects. Because these moments may be large enough to damage the diaphragm or even the girders, a positive moment connection is often provided. This paper reports on a study to determine the types of positive moment connections used across the country and to identify potential problems with these types of connections. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the state of practice for precast prestressed concrete bridges made continuous. The survey provides valuable information on this type of bridge and updates a previous survey on this subject.     

Ceric-induced grafting of ethyl-acrylate onto sodium alginate

Sodium alginate was graft-copolymerized with ethyl acrylate using ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator. In order to optimize the conditions for grafting, the concentrations of nitric acid, initiator and monomer together with temperature, time and amount of substrate were varied. The kinetic scheme of free radical graft copolymerization has been proposed and the equations relating the values of rate of polymerization, rate of graft copolymerization and rate of homopolymerization are also suggested. The experimental results agree very well with the proposed kinetic scheme.