Manufacture and testing of prototype microturbine module

The practical testing of a prototype microturbine module has shown that the levitation of the rotor that was predicted from previous simulation results does indeed take place and can enhance the performance of the device since contact friction can be considerably reduced. Some preliminary results on the operation of the module are presented.     

Effect of anticoagulant therapy on the hypercoagulable state in patients carrying the factor V Arg506Gln mutation

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), created by the 1986 Health Care Quality Improvement Act, has been in operation since 1990. Hospitals and other credentialing bodies must query the NPDB when granting and renewing privileges. The NPDB receives about 25,000 reports of adverse actions against health practitioners each year. The NPDB was designed to be a flagging system providing information to licensing or credentialing authorities who would further examine practitioner records. Its purpose is to ensure that decision makers have information that might not otherwise be readily available, especially in the case of incompetent practitioners who move from hospital to hospital or state to state. Access to NPDB information is a concern for consumers and providers alike. Only 2% of matched reports to the NPDB made a difference in hospital privileging decisions. A limitation of NPDB information is that malpractice payments recorded in the NPDB do not necessarily constitute a comprehensive and definitive reflection of actual health care incompetence. All health care providers need to be aware of the NPDB, its mission, potential impact on their ability to be credentialed, and proposed additional uses of its information.     

Changes in neural modulation and motor control during voluntary movement of older individuals

BACKGROUND: Changes in the modulation of soleus alpha motoneuron excitability, as assessed by H reflexes, and temporal sequencing of the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles during voluntary ankle dorsiflexions and plantar flexions of young (24.7 +/- 11.5; n = 13) and older (68.7 +/- 5.4; n = 13) subjects were assessed to determine potential neural mechanisms that might contribute to motor control changes associated with aging. METHODS: A repetitive stimulation (5 Hz) soleus H-reflex testing protocol and surface electromyography (EMG) were used to assess the latencies of soleus H-reflex changes in relation to tibialis anterior and soleus EMG activations of standing subjects during voluntary ankle dorsiflexions and plantar flexions at self-selected speeds. The pattern and latency of H-reflex changes in relation to EMG activity were compared between young and old subjects. RESULTS: There were no differences in the relative amount of antagonist muscle (soleus) inhibition during voluntary ankle dorsiflexions between young and old subjects (26.4% and 27.2% decrease from resting H-reflex values, respectively). Older subjects, however, required additional time to achieve these levels of inhibition. Delays in the activation of soleus H reflexes during the plantar flexion task were also observed in older subjects. Older subjects also had considerable intra- and intersubject variability in muscle temporal sequencing patterns during ankle plantar flexions. CONCLUSIONS: Although older subjects exhibited similar relative levels of alpha motoneuron inhibition and excitation during voluntary movements, this modulation was delayed when compared to younger subjects. Temporal sequencing of distal muscle activations also appears to undergo change with aging.     

Nomadic computing (keynote address)

Nomadic computing is a phenomenon in computing and communications that is spreading rapidly. At this stage of its technology, the key problems and the basic understanding of its underlying principles are only beginning to be identified. Analysis and design tools are needed to assist in its development. In this paper, we discuss the nature of the tools and what one might look for in the way of applying some of them. We then pose some of the essential issues of nomadic computing and communications. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phosphorylation events mediated by protein kinase C alpha and epsilon participate in regulation of tau steady-state levels and generation of certain "Alzheimer-like" phospho-epitopes

Hyperactivation of protein kinase C (PKC) in intact neuroblastoma cells by several methods increases site-specific tau phosphorylation as shown by increases in paired helical filament-I (PHF-I) and ALZ-50 but not AT-8 immunoreactivity. In the present study, the influence of PKC on tau metabolism was further examined by isoform-specific antisense oligonucleotide-mediated PKC downregulation in human SH-SY-5Y neuroblastoma cells and by generation of stably-transfected subclones expressing isoform-specific anti-PKC mRNA sequences. Downregulation of PKC epsilon by both of these methods reduced PHF-I and ALZ-50 immunoreactivity, suggesting that this PKC isoform, perhaps via downstream kinase cascades, regulated tau phosphorylation events that normally generate these epitopes. By contrast, downregulation of either PKC epsilon or PKC alpha reduced immunoreactivity towards the phosphate-independent anti-tau antibodies 5E2 and JM, suggesting that both of these isoforms participated in regulation of tau steady-state levels. Downregulation of PKC beta did not affect any of the above changes. The above roles were apparently unique for PKC epsilon and PKC alpha, since activation of multiple PKC isoforms by phorbol ester treatment and/or other calcium-dependent kinase(s) by ionophore-mediated calcium influx could not compensate for downregulation of PKC alpha or PKC epsilon in maintaining tau steady-state levels or PHF-I/ALZ-50 immunoreactivity, respectively. These findings suggest that hyperactivation of signal transduction pathways, including those regulated by PKC, could evoke changes in neuronal cells reminiscent of those seen in affected neurons in Alzheimer's disease.     

Opening remarks to the National Conference on Graduate Education in Psychology.

Presents the opening remarks to the National Conference on Graduate Education in Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acquaint

Acquaint is an expert system shell developed for IBM-compatible personal computers by Lithp Systems BV. Acquaint costs $5000. Lithp Systems can be contacted at Waterlandlaan 120,1441 RW Purmerend, The Netherlands (Tel: +31 (0)2990/38153). The 3.25 inch version is reviewed in this article. It was run on an IBM PS/2 model 80, with 6 Mb RAM, a 40 Mb hard disk drive and a black and white monitor.