Searching for adverse drug reactions at the margin of scientific fields

Results are presented of a scientometric analysis focusing on peripheral dynamics in a scientific field. We evaluate different techniques on their appropriateness for detecting relations between aspects that seem to be not of central interest but are important in innovative research. We do so in order to quantify the role that adverse drug reactions can play as trigger points in innovative drug research.Paper presented at the Fourth International Conference on Bibliometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics in Berlin (Germany), September 11–15, 1993.     

Fecal bile acid excretion and composition in response to changes in dietary wheat bran,fat and calcium in the rat

The effect and possible interactive influence of different dietary amounts of wheat bran, fat and calcium on the fecal excretion, concentration and composition of bile acids was studied in Fischer-344 rats. The fecal bile acids were analyzed using gas-liquid chromatography. Dietary wheat bran increased both total bile acid excretion and fecal weight without changes in fecal bile acid concentration. The proportion of fecal hyodeoxycholic acid decreased with increasing dietary fiber, whereas that of lithocholic and deoxycholic acids increased significantly with fiber intake. The percent content of fecal chenodeoxycholic acid did not change. Increasing dietary fat led to an increase in bile acid excretion without changes in either fecal weight or bile acid concentration. In contrast, the level of dietary calcium did not affect the total excretion of bile acids. However, since calcium increased the fecal weight, it consequently diluted bile acids and decreased their fecal concentration. Dietary fat and calcium had no influence on fecal bile acid composition. There were no interactive effects of wheat bran, fat and calcium on fecal bile acids. The finding in this study that dietary fiber, fat and calcium induce significant changes in fecal bile acids may be of relevance to the potential of bile acids to promote carcinogenesis.     

Preparation and Calcium Complexation of Oxidized Polysaccharides. Part I: Oxidation of Maltodextrins and Starch with Alkaline Sodium Hypochlorite

The oxidation of maltodextrins and starch with aqueous alkaline sodium hypochloride has been studied. At an oxidant level of 3 moles hypochlorite per anhydroglucose unit at pH 8–9, a C2, C3-glycol-cleaved dicarboxy polysaccharide was obtained containing up to 45% ring-opened glucose units. Hydrolysis of the oxidation products yielded (apart from glucose) erythronic and glyoxylic acids, but no glucuronic acid evidencing the absence of C6-oxidation. The average degree of polymerization of the products ranged from 14 to 87 and indicated severe chain degradation during the oxidation. The products were shown to be effective calcium complexing agents and behaved as regular polyelectrolytes with identical complexing sites.     

Transport of Dissolved Si from Soil to River: A Conceptual Mechanistic Model

This paper reviews the processes which determine the concentrations of dissolved silicon (DSi) in soil water and proposes a conceptual mechanistic model for understanding the transport of Si through soils to rivers. The net DSi present in natural waters originates from the dissolution of mineral and amorphous Si sources in the soil, as well as precipitation processes. Important controlling factors are soil composition (mineralogy and saturated porosity) and soil water chemistry (pH, concentrations of organic acids, CO₂ and electrolytes). Together with production, polymerization and adsorption equations they constitute a mechanistic framework determining DSi concentrations. We discuss how key controls differ across soil horizons and how this can influence the DSi transport. A typical podzol soil profile in a temperate climate is used as an example, but the proposed model is transferrable to other soil types. Additionally, the impact of external forcing factors such as seasonal climatic variations and land use is evaluated. This blueprint for an integrated model is a first step to mechanistic modelling of Si transport processes in soils. Future implementation with numerical methods should validate the model with field measurements.     

底层大空间剪力墙结构12层模型的试验研究

为研究底层大空间剪力墙结构的设计方法,进行了12层结构模型(1/6缩尺)的试验研究。本文介绍弹性阶段试验结果,其中包括;结构在竖向及水平荷载作用下的应力分布和变形特点、楼板变形的影响、结构的动力特性。并将理论分析与实测结果作了比较。     

Development co-operation and solar energy

The applications of energy in Colombia, India and Upper Volta, for which an improvement in the situation is the most urgent, are described. to a more limited extent these applications have also been investigated with respect to Niger, Pakistan and Senegal. the technical economic possibilities of achieving these improvements by means of solar energy in the period up to 1985 are discussed. Concerning those cases which offer a reasonable chance of the use of solar energy, the investigation then turns to the kind of co-operative programmes between industrialized countries and the developing countries being considered which might contribute to putting these opportunities into practice. This study has revealed the following programmes as offering the best possibilities. 1. Small thermal electric generators powered by concentrated sunlight at an operating temperature of about 300°C, the principal application being the driving of pumps for irrigation in India and Pakistan. 2. Small absorber cooling systems for India and Pakistan. 3. Drinking-water purification for Niger, Pakistan, Senegal and Upper Volta. 4. Battery-charging systems for India and Pakistan. 5. Reforestation for firewood production, close to the major towns of the Sahel countries. Furthermore, much importance is found to attach to the improving of the efficiency of cooking.     

Leaving randstad Holland: An analysis of housing preferences with decision plan nets

This article considers the willingness of Randstad residents to move out of this urban region. The research question is “Which households plan to leave the Randstad and under what conditions?” The focus is on growth centers, which were developed to resolve soccial and environmental problems in the congested cities and to prevent urban sprawl. After giving some theoretical background on the phenomenon of mobility, the article considers migration from the Randstad to other parts of the country. That discussion is based on the literature and on empirical data. The design of our own investigation is presented, with an emphasis on the method we used, namely Decision Plan Nets. This method allows the investigator to query people with a propensity to move more explicitly on their housing preferences. The main conclusions of our research are that residents of growth centers generally express very little desire to leave the Randstad, even upon further probing. If they want to leave, they would only do so under certain conditions, primarily related to employment opportunities outside the Randstad.     

Thy-1 is a component common to multiple populations of synaptic vesicles

To understand the influence of the ascending path linking area 17 to area 18 of visual cortices, experiments were carried out in which a small neuronal population of area 17 was inactivated with GABA, while unitary responses were recorded in area 18. In the latter, cells are identified as belonging to the simple or complex family according to their firing pattern evoked in response to sine-wave gratings scrolling through the receptive fields. Anesthetized cats were prepared for single-cell recordings. In area 17, a GABA-containing pipette was placed in superficial layers in order to inactivate reversibly a small neuronal population. Prior to blockade, the orientation tuning curves were obtained in both areas and the difference in optimal orientation between areas 17 and 18 was recorded. In area 18, cells were classified as simple or complex. The strategy was to study the reaction of neurons in area 18 prior to, during and after area 17 depression. In most simple cells, whenever the difference in orientation was in the iso-range, that is when the difference in optimal orientations of the injected site (in area 17) and of the neuron in area 18 was less than 30 degrees, the GABA application produced a decline of the evoked discharges, whereas GABA injection augmented the evoked firing rate when the difference was in the cross-range (>60 degrees). In contrast to simple cells, GABA depression enhanced the responses in the majority of complex cells with like orientations in both areas. When the difference between recording sites was in the cross-range, then area 17 depression produced weaker evoked firing. A tangential penetration of the injecting pipette, allowing injection of different orientation sites while testing the same unit in area 18, revealed that the latter could react with an enhancement or a decline of the responses as the injecting pipette shifted from iso (or cross) to cross (or iso) disparity in optimal orientations between areas 17 and 18. These results suggest that the path connecting area 17 to area 18 may be functionally discriminated on the basis of the orientation domain and cell types. In addition, our data suggest that the ascending visual streams are required to generate orientation specificity in area 18.     

Dissolved Silicon and Its Origin in Belgian Beers—A Multivariate Analysis

Beer is a quintessential part of Belgian heritage. We performed a detailed analysis of factors controlling Si content in Belgian beers as a case study to coincide with the 2011 IBiS meeting in Antwerp (Belgium). Beer is one of the richest dietary sources of Si. Three decades of research have yielded evidence of a role for Si in human physiology: it plays an essential role in bone mineral density and reduces the biological availability of aluminium. We analysed 119 Belgian beers: highest dissolved Si concentrations were found in high fermentation, traditionally brewed ales. Concentrations ranged between 214 and 2,071 μmol L^???1. This is probably due to the complexity and length of the brewing procedure: longer, more complicated processing and presence of brewing sediment in the bottle allows more Si to dissolve out of the base products like hop, barley or even rice. As a side effect of fermentation, alcohol content was related to Si content.