Peripheral osteopenia in adult patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Alterations in bone metabolism in diabetes mellitus is a topic of special interest. Bone blood flow is increased in the distal limb of diabetic patients, which is believed to increase osteoclastic activity. We measure bone mineral density using dual-photon absorptiometry in the distal lower limb, the femoral neck, and the lumbar spine in 41 IDDM patients and in 30 control persons. In the diabetic group there was a 10% reduction of bone mineral density in the femoral neck (p < 0.01) and a 12% reduction in the distal limb (p < 0.001) compared with the control group. No significant difference was found in the lumbar spine (p = 0.22). Our data yield incidence for peripheral osteopenia in IDDM-patients, independent of any systemic bone disease such as osteoporosis. A link between decreased bone mineral density and diabetic neuropathy has been observed for the femoral neck (p < 0.001), but not for the distal limb or axial skeleton. Whether there is a common aetiological link or a casual connection between diabetic neuropathy and bone mineral density has still to be determined.     

Critical enhancement of the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section at low temperatures

As part of an 18-month carcinogenicity study, 680 Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) received daily gavage doses of fenazaquin, an experimental miticide. Mortality associated with severe enteritis was noticed beginning when the hamsters were 4 months old and ranged from one to five deaths per month until the hamsters were about 10 months old, when 41 deaths occurred in a 1-month period. Ante- and postmortem findings were consistent with those reported for antibiotic-induced enteritis in hamsters. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 12 of the 13 samples of cecal contents analyzed. Toxin assays of C. difficile isolates collected from 11 affected animals were positive for both cyto- and enterotoxins. Daily oral administration of vancomycin hydrochloride at a dose of 20 mg/kg was initiated when the hamsters were about 10 months old. Deaths due to C. difficile enteritis were significantly decreased within 2 weeks, and treatment was continued for 3 months. A trial withdrawal period for a subset of 64 hamsters (approximately 16% of the total population) was initiated to evaluate survival after discontinuation of the antibiotic treatment. Clostridium difficile enteritis recurred within 2 weeks and caused 19 deaths during the next month; therefore, these hamsters were returned to daily vancomycin treatment for the remainder of the study. With the exception of severe gaseous distention of the ceca, which caused death in 17 (< 4% of the total population) of the affected hamsters, vancomycin treatment did not cause any major adverse effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Calculation of the stress intensity factor for arbitrary finite cracked body by using the boundary weight function method

The state of thermal stresses for a periodic two-layered elastic space weakened by an interface thermally insulated Griffith crack and loaded by concentrated line heat sources is investigated. The analysis is performed within the framework of the homogenized model with microlocal parameters. The stress intensity factors at the crack tips are determined. Two examples of the application of the results obtained are detailed.     

Sustainable transport? RE supply options and resource potential for transportation

As the pace of life in the 21st Century continues to increase dramatically, mobility is now one of the defining characteristics of most societies. This has lead to more and more cars and, unfortunately, more and more pollution. Some way of providing sustainable transport has to be found and alternative energy supplies such as wind and solar will undoubtedly play a major part in providing the power for any such solution. Urs Muntwyler and Frans Koch, respectively chair and secretary of the IEA group, provide an overview of the general sustainable energy supply options for transportation and the resource potential of various forms of renewable energy.     

Adsorption and decomposition of NO on carbon and carbon-supported catalysts

The interactions of NO with carbon and carbon-supported catalysts have been investigated by means Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Nitric oxide direct decomposition over carbon-supported catalysts (Cu, Pt) was studied in a temperature ranging from 473 to 623 K. NO conversion increased with increasing reaction temperature in the whole temperature range. The carbon-supported Pt catalyst has a very high activity for the decomposition of NO in the absence of oxygen. As a result of NO chemisorption isocyanate (-NCO) species on the surface of carbon containing Cu were observed. When the reaction temperature was increased, the -NCO band at 2229 cm⁻¹ became more intense.     

压电主动杆位置和增益在随机智能桁架结构振动控制中的优化

对结构物理参数、几何尺寸、作用荷载和控制力同时具有随机性时 ,随机压电智能桁架结构中主动杆的配置位置和闭环控制系统增益进行了优化 ,基于系统最小储存能 ,构建了具有动应力、动位移可靠性约束的主动杆配置和控制增益的优化模型 ;并对结构动力响应的数字特征进行了推导。通过算例 ,验证了该优化配置模型的合理性和有效性 ,获得了若干有意义的结论。