The modern enigma of radiation enteropathy: sequelae and solutions

With the extended indications for abdominal and pelvic radiation therapy, administered at higher dosage levels, an increased incidence of radiation injury to the intestine can be anticipated. Increased efforts are urgently needed to develop innovative methods in the detection, prevention, and management of radiation-induced intestinal injury. Fifty cases of radiation enteropathy have been reviewed to highlight problems in management and to suggest preventive and therapeutic measures, both surgical and nonsurgical.     

Erratum: "Studies in Early Infant Learning: Classical Conditioning of the Neonatal Heart Rate."

Reports an error in the original article by D. H. Crowell et al (Developmental Psychology, 1976[Jul], 12(4), 373-397). Corrections to equations 1, 2, and 3 on pages 381 and 382 are presented. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1976-20687-001.) Three experiments demonstrated that human newborn heart rate level can be reliably modified through classical conditioning procedures. The theory of sensitization served as a frame of reference for Exps I and II, and drive reduction served for Exp III. In Exp I the delay, delay-trace, and control groups, with 10 2-day-old newborns in each, received 5 preconditioning trials of the CS alone, 16 conditioning trials with CS-UCS pairings differing for each group, and 5 extinction trials. Exp II was a replication of the 1st study and involved only the delay and delay-trace groups with 10 infants each. In both studies the delay group curves showed significant monophasic acceleratory responses during extinction. Results support the sensitization hypothesis (i.e., the CR occurring in the interstimulus interval was fashioned out of the response to the CS). In Exp III, the measure of conditioning was the response to the probe technique. 10 experimental Ss received preconditioning trials of nitrogen puff (UCS-sub-1) administered to the abdomen, followed by 10 CS-UCS-sub-2 (500-Hz tone acetic acid) pairings with an interstimulus interval of 3 sec. 10 controls received the same design with a CS-UCS-sub-2 interval of 40 sec. Analyses of the probe stimulus trials showed significant changes for the control group and none for the experimental group. The CS-UCS-sub-2 pairings in the experimental group are interpreted as producing increased drive and adaptive damping of the heart rate response. Findings show that early learning may occur under a variety of conditions and that the results can be incorporated by different theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metal-insulator transition in graphite: A comparison to heterostructures with high carrier mobility

Conditions for a transition from the insulator (I) to metal (M) state in the electron system of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been studied by means of magnetotransport measurements in a broad temperature range (0.3–150 K). In magnetic fields below a certain critical value (B < B _c ≈ 0.05 T), HOPG exhibits the classical magnetoresistance, while for B > B _c, the temperature dependence of the resistance is determined by the state (insulator versus metal) of the electron system. The M-I transition in HOPG, by analogy with that in heterostructures with two-dimensional electron gas, obeys the power law T _c ∞ (B ? B _c) ^k (k = 0.25) and is related to the spin-orbit interaction of electron waves.     

Applicability,potential and limitations of staff-centred energy conservation initiatives in English hospitals

Increasing energy costs and climate change legislation have prompted efforts to reduce energy consumption in UK hospitals. In addition to technological conservation strategies focussing on buildings and building services, staff-centred initiatives such as energy awareness campaigns are increasingly being considered by National Health Service (NHS) trusts due to their potential cost-effectiveness. However, hospitals are complex buildings with unique energy requirements, and it is unclear to what extent these requirements are influenced by clinical staff. This paper combines a review of staff-centred energy conservation initiatives in organisations in general and in hospitals in particular with the results of a survey-based study among NHS energy managers (N?=?70). The study findings highlight that staff-centred energy conservation initiatives are currently of interest to a majority of NHS trusts in England and may become an increasingly important part of carbon reduction strategies in hospitals in the future. Policy assumptions regarding their savings potential, however, appear to be undifferentiated, and it seems advisable to relate behavioural efforts more closely to the physical context of the respective hospital building and its service infrastructure as well as the health care processes relevant to different departments.