Anomalous drainage of right superior vena cava into the left atrium

Tracheal glomus tumors are extremely rare. We present herein the case of a 43-year-old man with hoarseness who was found to have a glomus tumor arising from the lower trachea. Bronchoscopy and chest computed tomography revealed a polypoid mass in the membranous portion of the trachea just above the carina. The patient underwent successful tracheal sleeve resection and reconstruction. A pathologic diagnosis of a glomus tumor with clear surgical margins was subsequently confirmed, and the patient is well 20 months postoperatively with an intact anastomosis.     

Performance analysis of a directly coupled photovoltaic water-pumping system

The application of a stand-alone directly coupled photovoltaic (PV) electromechanical system for water pumping has increased in remote areas of developing countries. In this work, the performance of a PV-powered dc permanent-magnet (PM) motor coupled with a centrifugal pump has been analyzed at different solar intensities and corresponding cell temperature. The results obtained by experiments are compared with the calculated values, and it is observed that this system has a good match between the PV array and the electromechanical system characteristics. Through manual tracking (i.e., changing the orientation of PV array, three times a day to face the sun) the output obtained is 20% more compared to the fixed tilted PV array. It has been observed that the torque-speed curve at low solar intensities for a PV electromechanical system should be steeper than at higher solar intensities, and the load torque-speed curve should be as steep as possible in the operating region with low starting torque. The performance analysis will be helpful to select the suitable PV electromechanical system for water-pumping applications.     

Improvement in Corrosion Resistance of Biomaterial Alumina after 60 keV Nitrogen Ion Implantation

Surface modification of polycrystalline α-alumina is carried out using ion implantation. Samples were implanted at 60 keV N⁺ ions with different ion doses ranging from 1 × 10¹⁵ to 1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². Corrosion resistance is studied in a Ringer solution. The increase in corrosion resistance is due to the compound formation studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and glancing-angle X-ray diffraction techniques. Nanohardness is more at a lower ion dose and decreases at a higher ion dose. Microstrutural investigation shows that the decrease in corrosion resistance and nanohardness at a higher ion dose is due to the damage accumulation at the surface.     

An open label study to determine the effects of an oral proteolytic enzyme system on whey protein concentrate metabolism in healthy males

Background

Current research suggests that protein intake of 1.5 – 2.8 g/kg/day (3.5 times the current recommended daily allowance) is effective and safe for individuals trying to increase or maintain lean muscle mass. To achieve these levels of daily protein consumption, supplementing the diet with processed whey protein concentrate (WPC) in liquid form has become a popular choice for many people. Some products have a suggested serving size as high as 50 g of protein. However, due to possible inhibition of endogenous digestive enzymes from over-processing and rapid small intestine transit time, the average amount of liquid WPC that is absorbed may be only 15 g. The combined effect of these factors may contribute to incomplete digestion, thereby limiting the absorption rate of protein before it reaches the ceacum and is eliminated as waste. The purpose of this study was to determine if Aminogen^®, a patented blend of digestive proteases from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae, would significantly increase the in-vivo absorption rate of processed WPC over control values. It also investigated if any increase would be sufficient to significantly alter nitrogen (N2) balance and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels over control values as further evidence of increased WPC absorption rate.

Methods

Two groups of healthy male subjects were assigned a specified balanced diet before and after each of two legs of the study. Subjects served as their own controls. In the first leg each control group (CG) was dosed with 50 g of WPC following an overnight fast. Nine days later each test group (TG) was dosed following an overnight fast with 50 g of WPC containing either 2.5 g (A2.5) or 5 g (A5) of Aminogen^®. Blood samples were collected during each leg at 0 hr, 0.5 hr, 1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 3.5 hr and 4 hr for amino acid (AA) and CRP analyses. The following 18 AAs were quantified: alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine. Urine was collected for 24 hours from 0 hr for total N2 analysis. Results are expressed as means ± SEM. All significance and power testing on results was done at a level of alpha = 0.05. Area under the concentration time curve (AUC) was calculated using the trapezoidal rule. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA-1) was done between CGs, between TGs and between time points. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA-1-RM) was done to compare CGs and TGs. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA-2) was performed on total serum amino acid (TSAA) levels, urine N2 levels and CRP levels between each CG and TG.

Results

After baseline subtraction the mean AUC was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater in each TG compared the corresponding CG. Comparison of the mean AUC between each TG and each CG was not significantly different. Total serum amino acid (TSAA) levels were significantly greater in each TG compared the corresponding CG. They were also significantly different between each TG but not between each CG. All individual serum amino acid (ISAA) levels in TG-A2.5 except glycine, histidine, methionine and serine were significantly higher than in CG-A2.5 at 4 hr. All ISAA levels in TG-A5 except methionine and serine were significantly higher than in CG-A5 at 4 hr. The N2 balance was significantly higher in each TG compared to the corresponding CG, but not significantly different between each CG and between each TG. Significant differences in CRP levels are reported between each TG compared to the corresponding CG, but not significantly different between each TG and between each CG.

Conclusion

A patented blend of digestive proteases (Aminogen^®) increased the absorption rate of processed WPC over controls, as measured by statistically significant increases in AUC, TSAA levels, ISAA levels and N2 balance. Significant decreases in CRP levels and fluxes in AA levels are also reported.

     

Reduced leakage current of multiferroic BiFeO3 ceramics with microwave synthesis

Preparation of multiferroic BiFeO₃(BFO) is reported using microwave heating. The prepared sample is characterized using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and leakage current measurements. It is observed that the BFO can be prepared with microwave heating at a fast heating rate, consisting of more homogeneous microstructure and better electrical properties. Phase purity of the sample is confirmed from x-ray diffraction measurements. Uniform grain size distribution is observed for the sample prepared with microwave heating. More than an order of magnitude reduction in the leakage current is observed for the sample prepared with microwave heating as compared to conventional radiant heating.     

Development of an ASIC set for signal processing

An approach to signal acquisition, digitization, and processing of low-frequency physiological signals is discussed. The approach uses a chip attached to a transducer through a digital wire placed at the sensing point. The wire transmits digital information instead of an analog signal to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) signal processor. This digital wire/Visp chip set produces a noise-immune signal processing system usable in a variety of biosignal processing needs. The concept is demonstrated using the Visually Evoked Potential (VEP) measurement system     

The Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study: preliminary first-ever and total incidence rates of stroke among blacks

In this study a rat self-administration model was used to examine the effects of training dose and time in the session on the dose-effect curve for heroin. Doses of heroin lower than 5.4 microg/inf maintained higher rates of drug intake in animals trained with 5.4 microg/inf compared to 18 microg/inf. Doses greater than 5.4 microg/inf maintained similar rates of intake in both groups of animals. The dose-response curve was shifted downward and to the right as the session progressed for animals trained with 5.4 microg/inf of heroin; however, the shift in the dose-intake curve over the session was less pronounced when the training dose was 18 microg/inf. Naltrexone and naltrindole were administered to animals in which responding was engendered with infusions of 5.4 microg of heroin to determine the effects of these antagonists in the context of time is the session. The potency of naltrexone decreased across the 4 h of the session with a time course that was consistent with literature reports on the elimination kinetics of naltrexone in rat brain. In contrast, there was not a significant interaction between naltrindole dose and session time. Therefore, the rates of heroin intake in rats are dependent not only upon the dose available for self-administration, but upon the session time and training dose as well.