Platelet serotonin in patients with analgesic-induced headache

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of area postrema AP on DOCA-salt induced hypertension in rat, with emphasis on renal hemodynamics. METHOD: Blood pressure, salt and water balances and renal hemodynamics were observed in AP ablated and sham-operated rats treated with DOCA-salt. RESULTS: In AP intact (API) rats, after one week of DOCA-salt treatment BP began elevating to statistical significance at the end of the second week (MAP 15.9 +/- 0.7 vs. 13.5 +/- 0.5 kPa), followed by a plateau period from the third to fifth week. In AP ablated (APX) rats, BP raised during the first week of DOCA-salt treatment. However, the elevation gradually disappeared and BP returned to baseline at the fifth week. Sodium balance study showed that DOCA-salt treatment induced significant sodium retention in API rat, while the sodium metabolism remained stable in APX group except in the first week. Basal renal hemodynamic parameters (GFR, RPF, UNaV, UV) were not changed at neither the beginning nor the end of the study. However, a small dose of hypertonic saline (7% NaCl 0.3 ml) injection caused a brisk rising of these four parameters in APX but not API group. CONCLUSION: AP plays an important role in normal salt and water metabolism and might be involved in pathogenesis of DOCA-salt hypertension through regulation for renal hemodynamics and body fluid homeostasis.     

An integrated intelligent machining system for axisymmetric parts using PC-based CAD and CAM software packages

Machining process planning involves the formation of a set of directions describing the machining operations required to transform raw stock into a finished part. Conventional process planning, performed manually, relies on the knowledge and competence of an experienced process planner and tends to be time consuming and error prone. In the past two decades, much effort has been spent on improving process planning by utilizing the power of a computer to emulate the capabilities of an experienced planner. During the same period, computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software has been developed to enhance design productivity and to assist the NC code generation facets of the machining process. The entire planning process may be automated be integrating CAD and CAM using computer-aided process planing (CAPP). The research described in this paper outlines the design and development of an intelligent CAPP system integrating two commercial CAD and CAM software packages, Autocad and Mastercam.     

The geometry effects for stress intensity factor of sandwich specimen for measuring interfacial fracture toughness

The interfacial stress intensity factors for three types of sandwich specimens: the single edge crack tensile specimen, the three point bend specimen and the four point shear specimen were obtained by the finite element analysis and compared with the asymptotic solutions. The results show that the geometric effect for mode II specimen is larger than mode I specimen. The limit curves for geometry factor equal to 1.05 were obtained to indicate the usable range of validity of the asymptotic solution.     

Is urine leukocyte esterase test a useful screening method to predict Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women?

We evaluated the use of the leukocyte esterase test (LET) on first-catch urine specimens from women as a screening test to predict infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. For diagnosis, we used Abbott's ligase chain reaction (LCR) on urine specimens and isolation by tissue culture (TC) on cervical brushes. Of 4,053 women attending sexually transmitted disease and family planning clinics, 4.3% (n = 174) were positive by TC and 5.9% (n = 239) were positive by LCR. When LET was compared to TC, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 54.0, 67.0, 6.8, and 97.0%, respectively. The corresponding performance of LET versus LCR was 53.1, 67.3, 10.1, and 95.8%. Almost half of the laboratory-confirmed chlamydial infections were negative by LET. The low specificity probably reflects multiple causes of pyuria in women and results in a low positive predictive value. LET is neither sensitive nor specific as a predictor of chlamydial infection and cannot be recommended for use as a screening test for C. trachomatis with first-catch urine samples from females from low- or moderate-prevalence populations.     

Hydrolysis of tetracalcium phosphate in H3PO4 and KH2PO4

The activity product of tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP, Ca₄(PO₄)₂O), was determined at 37°C, and the hydrolysis of TTCP was investigated in 0.01–0.1 mol l^–1 H₃PO₄ and KH₂PO₄ solutions by means of calcium and phosphorus analyses, X-ray diffraction and infrared analysis. The activity product, defined as K _sp=(Ca²⁺)⁴ (PO ₄ ^3– )² (OH^–)², was 37.36 as pK _sp, which was smaller than that previously reported (42.4). TTCP easily hydrolysed to form calcium-deficient apatite (Ca-def OHAp, Ca_5–x (HPO₄) _x (PO₄)_3–x (OH)_1–x ), or dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, CaHPO₄2H₂O), depending on the initial phosphate concentration. With 0.1 mol l^–1 H₃PO₄, TTCP hydrolysed to form DCPD within several minutes. In 0.025 mol l^–1 H₃PO₄ and 0.1 mol l^–1 KH₂PO₄, TTCP hydrolysed to form Ca-def OHAp through DCPD. In the latter solution, a small amount of octacalcium phosphate (OCP, Ca₈(H₂PO₄)₂(PO₄)₄5H₂O), was detected as an intermediate product. In 0.025 mol l^–1 KH₂PO₄, TTCP hydrolysed directly to form Ca-def OHAp. In 0.01 mol l^–1 H₃PO₄, hydrolysis of TTCP was not completed, although Ca-def OHAp was only a product. Thus the final product and the degree of hydrolysis depended on the pH and the overall Ca/P ratio in the reaction system. The rate of Ca-def OHAp formation seemed to be controlled by the dissolution rate of TTCP rather than the crystallization rate of the OHAp.     

Some nitrosoamino acids in bacon adipose tissue and their contribution to the total N-nitroso compound concentration

Zusammenfassung Der Gehalt an Nitrosoaminosäuren und ihr Anteil an den Gesamt-N-Nitrosoverbindungen im Fettgewebe von rohem Schinkenspeck wurde untersucht. In 80% der Proben wurde ein Gehalt an Nitrosoaminosäuren von bis zu 0,2 mg/kg festgestellt. Scheinbare Gesamt-N-Nitrosoverbindungen waren in allen Proben in einer Konzentration von 0,4 bis 3,7 mg (N-NO)/kg vorhanden. Die eigentlichen Nitrosoaminosäuren machen nur etwa 1% der scheinbaren Gesamt-N-Nitrosoverbindungen aus. Die Mehrzahl der scheinbaren Gesamt-N-Nitrosoverbindungen im Fettgewebe findet sich im nichtlöslichen Bindegewebe, wobei der verbleibende Rest chloroformlöslich ist.Summary The levels of nitrosoamino acids and apparent total N-nitroso compounds in the adipose tissue of raw bacon have been examined. Nitrosoamino acids were detected in 80% of the samples in levels of up to 0.2 mg/kg. Apparent total N-nitroso compounds were present in all samples in concentrations of between 0.4 and 3.7 mg (N-NO)/kg. Nitrosoamino acids accounted for approximately only 1 % of the apparent total N-nitroso compounds. The majority of the apparent total N-nitroso compounds in the adipose tissue were associated with the insoluble connective tissue fraction, with the remainder present as chloroform soluble species.

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Einige Nitrosoaminosäuren im fettgewebe von Schinkenspeck und ihr anteil an der Konzentration der Gesamt-N-Nitrosoverbindungen

     

Memory and hypnosis: Implications for the use of forensic hypnosis.

I review arguments regarding hypnosis in forensic investigations, offer procedures of a nonhypnotic nature to enhance memory recall, and suggest guidelines for hypnosis in criminal cases. The effects of hypnosis on memory, as well as the concomitant dangers regarding those effects, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative hall measurements on wet- and dry-oxidized 4H-SiC MOSFETs

Hall measurements have been used to compare the properties of 4H-SiC inversion-mode MOSFETs with “wet” and “dry” gate oxides. While the field-effect mobilities were approximately 3–5 cm²/Vs, the Hall mobilities in 4H-SiC MOSFETs in the wet and dry oxide samples were approximately 70–80 cm²/Vs. The dry-oxidized metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) had a higher transconductance, improved threshold voltage, improved subthreshold slope, and a higher inversion carrier concentration compared to the wet-oxidized MOSFETs. The difference in characteristics between the wet- and the dry-oxidized MOSFETs is attributed to the larger fixed oxide charge in the dry oxide sample and a higher interface trap density in the wet oxide sample.     

THE LAURENCE BISHOP SILVER MEDAL INAUGURAL LECTURE THE IMPACT OF SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENT ON THE BREWING PROCESS

Laurence Bishop's contribution to the brewing industry over more than 50 years of research endeavour and committee activities is reviewed. Three research areas — prediction of extract, the effect of turbidity on yeast activity during fermentation and the development of a 3-vessel fermentation system — are used to highlight his achievements. Five topics with which the author was intimately involved, three of which were connected with Laurence Bishop's own researches, are used to describe the author's activities. These concerned the assessment of beer foam, the prediction of beer stability, the assessment of the bittering value of hops, time course changes in the analytical characteristic of an ale fermentation and the use of fractional factorial designs to facilitate experimental programmes.