Structural Response of Nuclear Containment Shield Buildings with Construction Openings

Steam generator replacement at nuclear power plants requires large construction openings in nuclear containment structures. This study examines the effects of such openings placed in a 61?cm (2?ft) thick dome of a shield building. The dome is cast in two layers, and the limiting cases of the two layers acting as one and the lower layer carrying the entire load are considered. Without openings, the stresses due to dead load in the structure are very low when compared to the material strength. With openings, the loads are easily redistributed around the opening, and the maximum stresses for the conservative case are between three and four and one-half times larger than in the original structure with no openings. The extent of the affected area around the holes is relatively small. Smooth corners in the openings are necessary to avoid high local stress concentrations.     

Real-time control of video surveillance systems with program supervision techniques

In this article, we describe a knowledge-based controlled platform using program supervision techniques. This platform eases the creation and the configuration of video surveillance systems. Several issues need to be addressed to provide a correct system configuration: (1) to choose, among a library of programs, those which are best satisfying a given user request, (2) to assign a correct value for each program parameter, (3) to evaluate performances and to guarantee a performance rate which is satisfactory regarding end-user requirements. This platform is composed of three main components: the library of programs, the knowledge base and the control component. The knowledge is either given by experts or learnt by the system. The control is generic in the sense that it is independent of any application. To validate this platform, we have built and evaluated six video surveillance systems which are featured with three properties: adaptability, reliability and real-time processing.     

The held out wings (how) Drosophila gene encodes a putative RNA-binding protein involved in the control of muscular and cardiac activity

In an attempt to identify genes that are involved in Drosophila embryonic cardiac development, we have cloned and characterized a gene whose function is required late in embryogenesis to control heart rate and muscular activity. This gene has been named held out wings (how) because hypomorphic mutant alleles produce adult animals that have lost their ability to fly and that keep their wings horizontal at a 90 degree angle from the body axis. In contrast to the late phenotype observed in null mutants, the How protein is expressed early in the invaginating mesoderm and this expression is apparently under the control of twist. When the different mesodermal lineages segregate, the expression of How becomes restricted to the myogenic lineage, including the cardioblasts and probably all the myoblasts. Antibodies directed against the protein demonstrate that How is localized to the nucleus. how encodes a protein containing one KH-domain which has been implicated in binding RNA. how is highly related to the mouse quaking gene which plays a role at least in myelination and that could serve to link a signal transduction pathway to the control of mRNA metabolism. The properties of the how gene described herein suggest that this gene participates in the control of expression of as yet unidentified target mRNAs coding for proteins essential to cardiac and muscular activity.     

The binding of substrates and inhibitors to the metal center of myoinositol monophosphatase

The synthetic substrate anthraniloyl-beta-glycerol-P binds to myoinositol monophosphatase with a Kd = 5 microM at pH 7.5. The anthraniloyl chromophore, excited at 330 nm, sensitizes the long lived luminescence of bound Tb(III) at 490, 545, 585 and 620 nm. Assuming a mechanism of radiationless energy transfer, the actual distance of separation between the donor-acceptor pair was calculated to be R = 10 A. Tb(III) binds to the monophosphatase with a Kd = 2 microM, whereas Ca-(II) displaces the lanthanide at concentrations above 0.1 mM. The binding studies support the notion that Tb(III), Ca(II) and Mg(II) interact with a common binding site on the protein. Phosphate ion, a strong competitive inhibitor, perturbs the luminescence of bound Tb(III), whereas the substrate beta-glycero-P has no effect on the luminescence yield and long-lived emission of bound Tb(III). It is suggested that the phosphate group of the substrate is not in direct contact with the metal ion coordinated to several amino acid residues of the enzyme.     

Cooperation of Ito cells and hepatocytes in the deposition of an extracellular matrix in vitro

Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the deposition of extracellular matrix components in both normal and fibrotic liver are still poorly understood. We have investigated the influence of cooperation between Ito cells and hepatocytes in matrix deposition in vitro. Immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled proteins from media of 5-day-old Ito cell primary cultures showed that these cells secreted high levels of the major basement membrane components, ie, collagen IV, laminin, and entactin/nidogen. By immunocytochemistry, precursors of basement membrane components were found intracellularly, but only scarce deposits were seen around the cells. When hepatocytes were added to 2-day-old Ito cell primary cultures, they established close contacts with Ito cells in less than 24 hours and expressed ZO-1, a tight junction-associated protein not detectable in standard hepatocyte culture. Cytochemistry analysis revealed an abundant extracellular matrix deposited over hepatocyte cords and between hepatocytes and Ito cells. Immunocytochemistry studies showed that this matrix contained laminin, fibronectin, and collagens proIII and IV. These data indicate that a high level of matrix protein synthesis by liver cells in vitro is not sufficient to induce extracellular matrix deposition, and that cell-cell interactions are strongly involved in this process. Hepatocyte/Ito cell co-culture, which may reflect the actual situation in vivo, represents a useful tool for studying liver fibrogenesis.     

Cardiovascular and abdominal motor responses evoked by intravenous neurotensin in guinea pigs

Developing T cells in the thymus are subject to a screening process, through interactions with thymic stromal cells, from which T cells with appropriate T-cell receptors are selected. The recent generation of T-cell receptor transgenic mice and mice homozygous for disrupted T-cell receptor genes have now supplied tools that improve the prospect for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of this thymic selection process. In addition these model systems appear to indicate a role for a, not yet fully characterized, pre-T cell receptor complex in survival and further differentiation of pre-T cells.     

Epidemiology of hepatitis C and G in sporadic and familial porphyria cutanea tarda

From 1995 to 1997, we prospectively evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in 124 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) from Northern France (83 sporadic and 41 familial PCT). Serum samples were analyzed for ferritin, transaminases, HCV antibodies, and HCV RNA. In addition, genotyping of HCV and searches for HCV infection risk factors (blood transfusion, iv drug abuse, and surgical intervention) were performed. Twenty-six of 124 patients (21%; 95% CI: 13.9-28) were positive for serum HCV antibodies. All of them were also positive for HCV RNA. The prevalence of HCV infection was higher in the sporadic PCT group (26.5%, 22 out of 83) than in the familial PCT group (9.7%, 4 out of 41). Risk factors for hepatitis C infection were found to be significantly increased in the HCV-positive group when compared with the HCV-negative PCT group. In all HCV-positive patients with a risk factor, the suspected date of exposure to the virus always preceded the clinical onset of PCT. The HCV genotype pattern in PCT patients was similar to that observed in nonporphyric HCV patients in western European countries. Serum ferritin level was increased in both HCV-positive and HCV-negative porphyric patients. Transaminase levels were significantly higher in HCV-infected PCT patients. Sixty-seven out of 124 patients were retrospectively studied for hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection. Six of these 67 patients (8.9%; 95% CI: 2.1-15.8) were positive for HGV RNA. None of the six HGV-infected patients were positive for HCV RNA. The HGV-infected patients did not differ statistically from those without HGV infection with regard to age, ferritin, transaminase levels, and PCT treatment. These results support the view that sporadic cases of HGV infection may occur frequently. This study of a large cohort of HCV and PCT patients further documents an increasing gradient in HCV prevalence from northern to southern Europe, and shows that HCV infection acts as a triggering factor of PCT. Finally, the HGV prevalence found in the PCT patients was comparable with that found in French blood donors, suggesting that HGV is not a PCT triggering factor.     

BCG vaccination

The author expounds the fairly obscure history of BCG vaccination. Summarises the efficiency of accomplished vaccinations of different geographical areas. He accounts the diversity of results by the distinction of technical and methodical conditions and disparity in virulence of BCG strains. Overviews the Inland and European routine and the risk of possible complications. The favourable position of domestic childhood tuberculosis is due to the effective preventive arrangements. Considering the international and national epidemiology of tuberculosis in adults the administration of BCG vaccine, by chance in modified form, is recommended further on.     

Abnormal behavioral responses to fenfluramine in patients with affective and personality disorders. Correlation with increased serotonergic responsivity

Serotonergic responsivity was assessed in 20 psychiatric patients by the prolactin response to a fenfluramine challenge test. During the fenfluramine challenge 6 of 20 patients (30%) spontaneously reported psychopathologic reactions that included: increased anxiety/agitation, psychotic symptoms, illusions, mood elevation, and anergia. The time of peak behavioral symptoms (2.5 +/- 0.8 hrs) corresponded closely to the time of peak increase in prolactin levels (3.0 +/- 1.1 hr). Abnormal behavioral responders had statistically significant greater increases in prolactin 1 to 4 hr after fenfluramine when compared to normal responders. Patients who developed an abnormal psychopathologic response to fenfluramine were characterized by higher levels of anxiety and agitation at the time of admission to the hospital but otherwise were not distinguishable on the basis of severity of other psychiatric symptoms. This study suggests that increased serotonergic transmission may trigger anxiety, psychosis, and mood elevation in specific vulnerable individuals, whereas other patients with similar psychiatric illnesses are not affected.     

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP/HUS). Description of a series of 35 patients

Subsequent to the implementation of a severity marker stamp in case notes, an audit was performed in 86 admissions with acute asthma to a specialist centre over a 12 month period. Compared to previous audit the documentation of severity markers was significantly better (PEFR: 52% vs 83% p = 0.001, Respiratory rate: 44% vs 81% p = 0.001, ABG: 72% vs 80% p = 0.04, air entry: 58% vs 86% p = 0.001, speech: 27% vs 86% p = 0.001, exhaustion: 4% vs 86% p = 0.001). In contrast to the previous audit where no patient received FiO2 > 0.35, 66% of the cases in the repeat audit received FiO2 0.60 (p = 0.001). The mean duration of admission was five days and showed highest partial correlation (r = 0.6) to the time in hours for the pulse to fall to 80/min. Multiple linear regression showed that this was the only variable best predicting the duration of admission (R2 = 0.3). Admission pulse rate (p = 0.04) and serum K+ (p = 0.04) best discriminated between patients admitted for over and under five days. Logistic regression identified only the admission pulse as significant in calculating the odds of the patient staying in the hospital for > 5 days.