The examination of myofascial face pain and its relationship to psychological distress among women.

In this study, 110 female myofascial face pain patients were assessed monthly for 10 months on measures of pain, distress, and stressful life events. D. A. Kenny and A. J. Zautra's (1995) structural equation model for examining the separate trait, state, and error components of the variables was used to analyze the data. Both pain and distress had sizable trait variance, and the trait components were correlated. The 2 variables also showed sizable state variance, and the states of pain covaried with states of distress. A significant time-lagged relationship between the 2 variables was found: Increases in distress led to elevations in pain 1 mo later. Stressful life events arising from major social roles were also associated with greater distress, but not pain. Illness events unrelated to the pain syndrome were associated with both pain and distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From the green bean to the cup of coffee: investigating coffee roasting by on-line monitoring of volatiles

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), emitted from green coffee beans, during coffee roasting and from a cup of coffee, were all analysed by proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry. Firstly, the headspace (HS) of green beans was investigated. Alcohols dominate the HS, but aldehydes, hydrocarbons and organic acids were also abundant. Secondly, we roasted coffee under two different conditions and monitored on-line the VOCs emitted during the process. In a first roasting series, a batch of beans was roasted. After an initial drying phase, dominated by evaporation of water and methanol, the HS concentrations of VOCs such as acetic acid, acetaldehyde, pyridine and methylbutanal rapidly increased and went through a maximum at medium roast level. In a second series, just six beans were roasted. We observed sporadic bursts of some volatiles (furans, butanal, 2,3-pentanedione), coinciding with popping sounds. Other VOCs showed smooth time-intensity profiles (pyridine, pyrazine). These experiments gave a real-time insight into the complex processes taking place during roasting. Finally, the HS of coffee extracts, prepared from beans roasted to different roast levels, were analysed. Most VOCs showed a maximum concentration at medium roast level (e.g. pentanedione, furfural, 5-methyl furfural), while others showed a gradual increase (e.g. pyrrol) or decrease (e.g. methanol).     

Digital Rights Management

This article presents a selection of Internet links which provide a sound introduction to Digital Rights Management Systems (DRMS). First, links to scientific papers, information portals, organizations companies and consortia are presented to give a general view about DRMS. Then, various aspects about DRMS are presented with a special focus on legal, technological and economical aspect. For each of those further information and links are provided in order to give a better understanding about this topic.     

Brodifacoum toxicity and treatment in a white-winged wood duck (Cairina scutulata)

BACKGROUND: Patients with AIDS frequently show secondary involvement of the brain by different infectious agents, and Chagas' disease is now recognized as a potential opportunistic infection. To our knowledge, pseudotumoral chagasic meningoencephalitis has not been previously reported as the first manifestation of AIDS. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 30-year-old Argentinian man without any risk factor for HIV infection was admitted to the hospital with an acute onset of drowsiness. A computed tomography scan showed a hypodense parietal tumor-like lesion. Open brain biopsy revealed hemorrhagic necrosis and numerous amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi. Nifurtimox was started, but the patient died. CONCLUSIONS: Chagas' disease can reactivate in patients with AIDS and present as a brain mass that is indistinguishable from other infectious or neoplasic processes. Our report demonstrates this entity as the first manifestation of AIDS.     

Transport of dietary cholesterol into blood and milk of the goat.

Position 4 labeled carbon-14 cholesterol was placed in abomasums (stomachs) of two lactating goats. Blood and milk samples were collected from the animals for 5 to 13 days. Specific activities of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters in various fractions of blood serum and milk were determined to reveal pathways by which dietary cholesterol enters milk. Results with the two animals showed similar trends. Within 24 h both cholesterol and cholesteryl esters of the three principal serum lipoproteins of the goat were labeled, and this labeling persisted in substantial degree for the 13-day experiment. Specific acities for cholesteryl esters in milk fat globules exhibited several remarkable attributes: they fluctuated in intensity with a 3-to 4-day cycle reaching a maximum at 7 to 8 days after tracer injection; they exceeded cholesteryl ester specific activity in the skim milk by an order of magnitude; and at their maximum they exceeded all specific activities for serum components. The results of this investigation exemplify the ease with which dietary cholesterol enters and crosses membranes in the animal body.     

Polyelectrolytes

Summary The polymerization of N,N-dimethyl-3,4-dimethylene-pyrrolidinium bromide was carried both in the presence and absence of initiators. Aqueous solutions with 10–50% monomer were polymerized by heating at 60°. The conversion time decreased with increased monomer concentration and molecular weight increased with increased monomer concentration. High monomer concentration also yielded significant amounts of monomer dimer.     

Derivatives of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a general complex matrix

A survey of methods for sensitivity analysis of the algebraic eigenvalue problem for non-Hermitian matrices is presented. In addition, a modification of one method based on a better normalizing condition is proposed. Methods are classified as Direct or Adjoint and are evaluated for efficiency. Operation counts are presented in terms of matrix size, number of design variables and number of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of interest. The effect of the sparsity of the matrix and its derivatives is also considered, and typical solution times are given. General guidelines are established for the selection of the most efficient method.     

The Impact of Air Pollution on a Regional Economy

A study was made to determine a more comprehensive method of estimating the impact of an air pollutant on a region's economy. To do this, a Leontief input-output model of Clinton County, Pennsylvania was employed. Economic and related changes were simulated with the model by making appropriate changes and/or additions to the parameters of the model, i.e., the technical coefficients and elements of the external income input vector. In this specific application, the technical coefficients were represented by Direct Cost Response Functions in which the technical coefficient was a function of pollutant concentration. These functions were derived for the coefficients of all sectors whose expenditure pattern was affected by the pollutant. With these functions, it was possible to modify the base model to reflect the effect of different levels of pollutant concentration in the region. Economic impact studies yielding the direct and indirect changes in expenditures in all sectors of the model were then carried out showing the cost of air pollution damages to the region.