Review of The mental hospital. A study of institutional participation in psychiatric illness and treatment.

Reviews the book, The mental hospital. A study of institutional participation in psychiatric illness and treatment by Alfred H. Stanton and Morris S. Schwartz (see record 2005-02933-000). This is a rich and rewarding book. It is a report of research, conducted in collaboration by a psychiatrist and a sociologist, into the social organization of a psychiatric hospital and into the effects of this social organization on the behavior of patients. Although it is primarily intended as a contribution to administrative psychiatry, it is also a major contribution to the general literature of social science and, in particular, to the broad area of personality and social structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utilization of a new strength citrate anticoagulant during centrifugal plateletpheresis. I. Assessment of donor effects

The minimal inhibitory concentrations of 32 antimicrobial agents were established for 73 strains of Propionibacterium acnes and four related species (P. granulosum, P. avidum, Corynebacterium minutissimum, and C. parvum). Most strains showed good susceptibility to those agents usually considered active against gram-positive organisms. With the exception of C. minutissimum, the strains tested revealed more or less identical susceptibility ranges. The lowest minimal inhibitory concentrations were observed with benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, cephalothin, rifampin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and minocycline. C. minutissimum was more susceptible to gentamicin, sisomicin, tobramycin, and fusidic acid but more resistant to most other drugs than were the other species examined.     

Effects of hearing protectors on auditory localization in azimuth and elevation

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of two types of hearing protectors on auditory localization performance. Six listeners localized a 750-ms broadband noise from loudspeakers ranging in azimuth from -180 degrees to +180 degrees and in elevation from -75 degrees to +90 degrees. Independent variables included the type of hearing protector and the elevation of the source. Dependent measures included azimuth error, elevation error, and the percentage of trials resulting in a front-back confusion. Performance on each of the dependent measures was found to be mediated by one or more of the independent variables. Actual or potential applications include the generation of improved design guidelines for hearing protectors and workplace alarms.     

A review of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: Technology,applications, and needs on fundamental research

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, which convert the chemical energy stored in hydrogen fuel directly and efficiently to electrical energy with water as the only byproduct, have the potential to reduce our energy use, pollutant emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels. Great deal of efforts has been made in the past, particularly during the last couple of decades or so, to advance the PEM fuel cell technology and fundamental research. Factors such as durability and cost still remain as the major barriers to fuel cell commercialization. In the past two years, more than 35% cost reduction has been achieved in fuel cell fabrication, the current status of $61/kW (2009) for transportation fuel cell is still over 50% higher than the target of the US Department of Energy (DOE), i.e. $30/kW by 2015, in order to compete with the conventional technology of internal-combustion engines. In addition, a lifetime of ∼2500 h (for transportation PEM fuel cells) was achieved in 2009, yet still needs to be doubled to meet the DOE’s target, i.e. 5000 h. Breakthroughs are urgently needed to overcome these barriers. In this regard, fundamental studies play an important and indeed critical role. Issues such as water and heat management, and new material development remain the focus of fuel-cell performance improvement and cost reduction. Previous reviews mostly focus on one aspect, either a specific fuel cell application or a particular area of fuel cell research. The objective of this review is three folds: (1) to present the latest status of PEM fuel cell technology development and applications in the transportation, stationary, and portable/micro power generation sectors through an overview of the state-of-the-art and most recent technical progress; (2) to describe the need for fundamental research in this field and fill the gap of addressing the role of fundamental research in fuel cell technology; and (3) to outline major challenges in fuel cell technology development and the needs for fundamental research for the near future and prior to fuel cell commercialization.     

Adrenaline: further discussion of its role in the mobilization of neutrophils

A spontaneous outbreak of salmonellosis in a guinea pig colony was caused by Salmonella typhimurium. A simple, comprehensive monitoring procedure, consisting of mass fecal sampling, was developed. Using the monitoring system described, the disease was eliminated by: 1) removal of animals in pens in contact with Salmonella, and 2) strict hygienic procedures. It was not necessary to depopulate the colony in order to control the disease.