The pigmentation of dark brown rigid PVC window frames in central Europe

Europe has experienced phenomenal growth in the market share of rigid vinyl windows. The American market has shown intensified interest in dark brown rigid vinyl windows. European experience with these pigmentation systems provides a useful data base for designing these dark brown shades suitable for use in North American climatic conditions. Criteria for pigment selection are discussed, including the suitability of both organic and inorganic pigments. Test data are provided for selected pigment systems to show their suitability with regard to several application parameters. The contribution of other additives to appearance retention of colored rigid PVC is discussed. Typical formulations are presented in detail.     

Die Wirkung mechanischer Einflußgrößen bei der Rißkorrosion von Kohlenstoff-Mangan-Stählen. Mechanical Factors Influencing Corrosion Cracking of Carbon-Manganese Steels

Knowledge about stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue until 1970; specific aggressive media to cause stress corrosion cracking: alkali solution, nitrates, ammonia salts – meaning of the constant strain rate technique and stress corrosion cracking in bicarbonate solutions – dependence of tensile stress, strain and strain rate upon time; significance of strain rate – investigations in bicarbonate, carbonate and hydroxide solutions – critical potential ranges – relation between strain rate and low cycle fatigue – theoretical differences between stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue in spite of gradual transient in physical appearances.     

A comparison of optical and nuclear methods for the measurement of the thickness of thin metal foils

The areal mass densities and the geometrical thicknesses of non-supported vacuum-deposited metal foils are derived from the results of three differen experiments. Rutherford backscattering, energy loss measurements and the Tolansky technique were applied to identical samples. Systematic discrepancies were found; these are explained in terms of contaminations and roughness of the surfaces.     

Putative association between a new polymorphism in exon 3 (Arg109Cys) of the pancreatic colipase gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus in two independent Caucasian study populations

The protein encoded by the pancreatic colipase (CLPS) gene is an essential cofactor needed by pancreatic triglyceride lipase (PNLIP) for efficient dietary lipid hydrolysis. Since the inhibition of lipase activity was shown to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, we tested the hypothesis that genetic variations in the CLPS and PNLIP genes are associated with type 2 diabetes; 47 unrelated subjects were screened for polymorphisms of the CLPS and PNLIP genes. A nested-case control study of 192 incident type 2 diabetes subjects and 384 sex- and age-matched controls taken from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Potsdam Cohort (EPIC) was employed for association studies. The Metabolic Intervention Cohort Kiel (MICK) consisting of 716 males was used for verification. A novel putative functional polymorphism (Arg109Cys) was identified in the CLPS gene. The frequencies of the Arg/Cys genotype were 2.6% in EPIC and 2.2% in MICK study subjects. No homozygotes for the Cys/Cys genotype were found in either study population. Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association of the Arg/Cys genotype with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The odds ratios estimated by the model were 3.75 (95%CI = 1.13-12.49, p = 0.03) in EPIC and 4.86 (95%CI = 1.13-20.95, p = 0.03) in MICK. No comparable associations were found with other traits of the insulin-resistance syndrome (e. g.; body mass index, waist to hip ratio). In conclusion, we obtained evidence in two German Caucasian study populations that the variant of the rare CLPS Arg109Cys polymorphism might contribute to increased susceptibility of type 2 diabetes.     

The identification and characterization of umbilical cord blood-derived human basophils

Cross-linking allergen-specific immunoglobin E on human peripheral blood basophils results in the release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators that initiate allergy and asthma. The signaling pathways leading from IgE binding to mediator release have not been well established, mainly due to the difficulty in obtaining adequate numbers of highly purified basophils. It was the goal of this study to easily obtain Fc epsilonRI-positive human basophils in high yield and purity for studies of signal transduction pathways. We describe an in vitro culture system in which pulsing normal human cord blood leukocytes with interleukin-3 (IL-3) for 3-4 h followed by incubation in medium with fetal bovine serum generates a cell population that is predominately Fc epsilonRI positive between 14 and 28 days of culture. These cells resemble peripheral blood basophils when examined by light and electron microscopy. Like normal blood basophils, they express the integrins, CD11b, CD18, CD29, and CD49d. A majority of the IL-3-pulsed cells also express a marker recognized by the basophil-specific antibody, 2D7. Fc epsilonRI cross-linking results in a time and dose-dependent release of histamine. Fc epsilonRI cross-linking also stimulates protein-tyrosine phosphorylation, thought to be the first event leading to the IgE-mediated activation of peripheral blood basophils. These studies establish cord blood as an accessible source from which basophil-like cells can be developed to examine Fc epsilonRI-mediated signal transduction.     

Radiofrequency ablation of accessory pathways in pre-excitation syndrome

Various parameters relating to the radio-frequency ablation of accessory pathways were studied in 53 patients (27 males, 26 females: mean age 38.5 [14-64] years) with a history of paroxysmal tachycardia (over 1 month to 50 years), shown to be caused by an accessory pathway (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome). In all patients the following values were obtained: (1) number of procedures necessary to achieve permanent blockage of the accessory pathway (1-4); (2) duration of each procedure (45-420 min); (3) duration of fluoroscopy (5-102 min); (4) number of necessary radio-frequency applications (1-48); and (5) cumulative energy per procedure. To ablate left-lateral pathways (n = 10) required fewer procedures, shorter duration per procedure, shorter fluoroscopy time, fewer current applications and less total energy than coagulation of right-sided pathways (n = 10). Those various parameters were greatest for ablation of septal and para-septal pathways (n = 9). Pathways which conducted only retrogradely (n = 15) were more difficult to ablate than those with anterograde conduction (n = 38). There were two complications. In one case a tension pneumothorax occurred after faulty puncture of the subclavian vein; in the other, the left ventricle was perforated causing an acute tamponade which required pericardiocentesis with subsequent suture closure of the perforation. It is concluded that, in principle, all accessory pathways, regardless of their conduction potential and site, can be ablated by a radio-frequency current.     

Use of DNA end joining activity of a Xenopus laevis egg extract for construction of deletions and expression vectors for HIV-1 Tat and Rev proteins

Blood gases were analyzed in dogs with pulmonary heartworm (HW) disease. The arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) in dogs with mild signs of dirofilariasis (mildly affected group, n = 48, 85.7 +/- 8.2 mmHg) and in dogs with signs of right heart failure (severely affected group, n = 13, 76.4 +/- 11.6 mmHg) was lower (p < 0.01) than in dogs without HW infection (HW-free group, n = 19, 91.5 +/- 7.3 mmHg). Only 2 dogs in the severely affected group had a PaO2 less than 60 mmHg. The arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2, p < 0.01) and mixed venous O2 (p < 0.01) and CO2 (p < 0.01) tensions were lower, and alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2, p < 0.01) was greater in the severely affected group than in the HW-free and mildly affected groups. Arterial pH and bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentrations were lower (p < 0.01) in both affected groups than in the HW-free groups. The anion gap level was not different among the 3 groups. Serum lactic acid level in the severely affected group was higher (p < 0.01) than in the HW-free and mildly affected groups. However, a slightly higher serum lactic acid concentration was found only in 2 dogs of the severely affected group (3.84 mmol/l and 3.82 mmol/l). The PaO2 (r = -0.62) and AaDO2 (r = 0.66) correlated significantly (p < 0.01) with mean pulmonary arterial pressure. One week after HW removal, blood gases, pH and HCO3- concentration remained unchanged in the mildly affected group. In the severely affected group, blood gas values were the same, but pH and HCO3- concentration improved slightly.     

Ptychographic characterization of the wavefield in the focus of reflective hard X-ray optics

A technique for quantitatively characterizing the complex-valued focal wavefield of arbitrary optics is described and applied to reconstructing the coherent focused beam produced by a reflective/diffractive hard X-ray mirror. This phase-retrieval method, based on ptychography, represents an important advance in X-ray optics characterization because the information obtained and potential resolution far exceeds that accessible to methods of directly probing the focus. Ptychography will therefore be well-suited for characterizing and aligning future nanofocusing X-ray optics.