bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN ZAT ADITIF TIPE F (SUPERPLASTICIZER) DENGAN VARIASI PENGURANGAN AIR TERHADAP NILAI KUAT TEKAN PADA MORTAR
Authors: Dewi Frida Mustika , Rifqi Mirza Ghulam , Hilmy Muhammad
Published: October 2022

Many concrete technological innovations are expected to produce high quality. One of them is by improving the quality of the constituent material, namely mortar which functions as a matrix for binding aggregates in the concrete mixture. Reducing the water content in the mortar mixture results in a decrease in the workability of the mortar and causes the mortar to be hollow/porous so that the resulting quality decreases. Added materials are needed that can reduce the amount of water without reducing the value of flow. This study uses an additive type F (superplasticizer) with variations in water reduction which aims to determine its effect on the compressive strength value of the mortar. The test object is in the form of a cube with variations in the addition of 1% and 2% superplasticizer from the use of cement, and variations with the addition of superplasticizer with the same amount but reducing the amount of water use by 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% respectively. The test results showed that the addition of SP increased the compressive strength of the mortar. The increase in mortar with the addition of SP obtained the optimum value for the mixture B-1 of 30.128% with a compressive strength value of 36,889 MPa and B-2 of 34,513% with a value of 38,143 MPa. The addition of superplasticizer levels also affects the flow mortar value, namely the higher the addition of SP, the higher the flow value. The optimum value of flow mortar in sample B-2 was 20 cm.
Monitoring Chicken Cage Based on Wireless Sensor Network and Internet of Things
Authors: Fahmi Nurul , Riyanti Agus
Published: October 2022

The Farming is a business that is growing very rapidly and has a high enough demand, especially raising poultry such as broilers. Poultry farming includes all processes of raising poultry for food purposes, namely broilers. Most Indonesian people, especially in the area of Sumatra Island, Riau Province in Bengkalis Regency, raising broiler chickens does not really pay attention to the conditions of temperature and humidity. So, that body growth is slower and health is less guaranteed. This results in chickens that are not producing meat as usual. From the problem above, in this paper proposed a system Smart Chicken Cage where can monitoring chicken cage using sensor temperature and humidity. The system generally consists of two sensors such as temperature LM35 and humidity DHT22. Arduino uno used as micro-controller to collect data chicken cage from sensor used. Raspberry Pi as gateway for the saving data temperature and humidity to database MySQL. Communication from Arduino to gateway used Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) with protocol Xbee 802.15.4 and to connect to cloud used Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Furthermore, all sensor data sensor will display to process and testing analysis. So, chicken farmer can be monitoring chicken cage use web-based application, Android Application.
İmmunsupresif Tedavi Alan Hastalarda Hepatit B Reaktivasyonu Riskinin Değerlendirilmesi
Authors: CEYLAN Mehmet , TURKEN Melda , SİNGİL Sarp , ADAR Pelin , KÖSE Şükran
Published: October 2022

Giriş: İmmunsupresif tedaviye bağlı hepatit B reaktivasyon riski, HBV ilişkili parametreler ve hastanın kullandığı immunsupresif ajana bağlı olarak değişmektedir. Çalışmamızda immunsupresif tedavi nedeniyle hepatit B enfeksiyonuna karşı proflaktik tedavi alan hastaların özellikleri ve Hepatit B virüsü (HBV) reaktivasyon risklerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışma, 2015-2020 yılları arasında HBV'ye yönelik antiviral profilaksi başlanan hastaların değerlendirildiği retrospektif tanımlayıcı bir çalışma olarak tasarlandı. Hastalara ait veriler hasta dosyaları ve hastane otomasyon sistemi üzerinden kaydedildi. Çalışmaya dâhil edilen hastalar, Amerikan Gastroenteroloji Derneği Rehberi’ndeki tanımlamalara göre yüksek-orta-düşük riskli şeklinde gruplandırılarak değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Hepatit B profilaksisi başlanan toplam 105 hastanın yaş ortalaması 56,5 yıl olup %62.9’u (n=66) erkekti. Hastaların HBV reaktivasyonu yönünden, %35’i yüksek, %49’u orta, %16’sı düşük riskli olarak değerlendirildi. Hastaların %22’sinde HBsAg pozitifliği, %20’sinde izole anti-HBc IgG pozitifliği, %58’inde anti-HBs ve anti-HBc IgG birlikte pozitifliği mevcuttu. İmmunsupresif tedaviye en sık gerekçe oluşturan hastalık grubu dermatolojik hastalıklar olarak saptandı. İncelenen hasta grubunda kullanım sıklığı en fazla olan immunsupresif ilaç grubu B lenfosit baskılayıcıları olarak bulundu. Profilaksi amacıyla en sık tercih edilen ajanın entekavir olduğu görüldü. Profilaktik tedavisi sonlanan hastalarda immunsupresif tedavi süresi ortalama 10.2 ay, antiviral profilaksi tedavi süresi ortalama 7.9 aydı. Profilaksi alan hastaların hiçbirinde reaktivasyon görülmedi. Sonuç: Hepatit B virüsü reaktivasyonunu önlemek amacıyla, immunsupresif tedavi alanlarda başlanan antiviral profilaksi hayat kurtarıcıdır. Hepatit B virüsü açısından orta endemisite grubundaki ülkemizde, bu hasta grubunda HBV profilaksisi gerekliliğine dair hekim farkındalığının arttırılması ve tedavi etkinliğinin değerlendirilmesi büyük bir öneme sahiptir.
International Legal Protection of the Marine Environment from Plastic Pollution
Authors: Kudelkin Nikolai
Published: October 2022

The subject of the work is the norms of international law regulating the protection of the marine environment from plastic pollution. The purpose of the work is to analyze the existing international legal regulation in the field of protection of the oceans from plastic pollution and to develop recommendations aimed at improving the level of protection of the marine environment. In the process of preparing the work, various methods, means of cognition and logical techniques were used, such as analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, etc. Currently, plastic pollution is one of the main threats to the oceans, every year a huge amount of plastic debris from various sources located both directly in the marine environment and on land enters the marine environment. Plastic pollution is detected even in the most remote corners of the planet, while the level of pollution in them is comparable to industrially developed areas. High concentrations of microplastics are found even in the Arctic sea ice, while it is at least two orders of magnitude higher than in the heavily polluted surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. These facts speak both about the urgent need to develop legal protection of the marine environment from pollution, and about the high degree of relevance of the research topic, its practical and scientific significance. The conducted research allowed us to come to a number of conclusions and proposals of a practical and theoretical nature. Among them is a proposal on the need to include in Annex 1 to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Antifouling Systems on Ships those antifouling systems that are a source of microplastics entering the marine environment. Among other things, based on the data on plastic pollution of the world's oceans, it is concluded that the current system of legal protection of the marine environment from pollution does not cope with this problem.
Optimal resource allocation in practical quantum key distribution optical networks
Authors: Zhu Jia-Li , Cao Yuan , Zhang Chun-Hui , Wang Qin ,   Institute of Quantum Information and Technology, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China,   Key Laboratory of Broadband Wireless Communication and Sensor Network of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China,   The National Engineering Research Center for Communications and Networks, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China
Published: October 2022

In the application research of large-scale quantum communication network, one generally realizes resource allocation by constructing virtual service network and mapping it to actual physical space. In this mapping process, some assumptions are often made to simplify the model. For example, the key resource in the physical topology is assumed to be a fixed value, that is, the actual physical conditions and the performance differences of key supply caused by different protocols are ignored. This assumption may lead the network to fail to run appropriately in practical applications. In order to solve the above problems, from the perspective of link mapping, this paper proposes an improved virtual service mapping model and virtual service mapping algorithm with the quantum key distribution optical network as the underlying network, which makes it closer to the actual application scenario. On the one hand, by increasing the constraints of geographical location, the range from virtual nodes to the mappable physical nodes is reasonably restricted. On the other hand, from the perspective of hardware cost and actual key generation rate, the cost performance evaluation index is proposed to allocate and manage resources. In addition, by combining three mainstream quantum key distribution protocols (BB84, measurement-device-independent, and twin-field), we construct a universal virtual service mapping model in the quantum key distribution optical network, and realize the recommendation of the optimal protocol and the optimal allocation and management of resources.
The Agronomic Performance of Rice Seeds Coated with N-Enriched Organomineral Fertilizer
Authors: Priyono Joko , Sudharmawan Anak Agung Ketut
Published: October 2022

Seed coating with silicate rock-basis organomineral fertilizer (OMF) was proposed as an appropriate method to improve the productivity and profitability of rice farming. This research aimed to evaluate the growth and yield components of rice grown from coated seeds with N-enriched OMF. The coated seeds of two rice varieties, i.e., Trisakti (T) and Nutri Zinc (NZ) were tested in separate experimental sets. A randomized block design was applied for each experiment with the treatment consisting of non-coated seed (NCS), coated seeds containing 4.5% N (CS-1), 7.8% N (CS-2), and 9.0% N (CS-3) in 3 blocks. The coating material of OMF was a mixture of 90% basaltic rock and 10% rock phosphate, enriched with N accordingly to the treatment; and the weight ratio of seed to OMF was about 1:16. The coated seeds were planted directly to the ground (without sowing and transplanting steps), and only NCS was fertilized with NPK (15:15:15) equivalent to 300 kg. ha-1. Results reveal that there was no significant difference in growth components (number of tillers and the weight of top-biomass) and quality of rice grains (weight of 1,000 grains) for the plants of coated and non-coated seeds. Enriching OMF with N up to 9% consistently improved the total yield of rice. Therefore, seed coating with OMF containing about 9% N was an appropriate method to optimize rice yield.
Studies of Phenotypic and Genotypic Variation for Morphological Traits in Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)
Authors: Irfan Mohammad , Nasseer Sabina , Rashid Uzma , Wani M. Altaf , Khan M. H. , Bhat Raies A. , Nagoo Shahina A. , Rashid Zahida , Bashir Sabiya , Majeed Shabeena
Published: October 2022

Aims: The “Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)” germplasm was evaluated, based on phenotypic and genotypic variability studies to identify elite divergent traits for economic yield enhancement.

Study Design: 140 germplasm lines were collected from different saffron growing areas of Kashmir and abroad viz., Afghanistan, Iran. The pedigree details of all samples were recorded. Saffron corms weighing 5g to 16g were planted in Augmented Block Design with a row length, width of 3m, 2m and inter and intra-row spacing of 20 and 10 cms, respectively.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted at Advanced Research Station        for Saffron and Seed Spices (ARSSSS), Pampore, SKUAST-Kashmir during cropping season 2017-18.

Methodology: Observations were recorded for 15 morphological traits viz., number of flowers corm-1 line-1, number of days to 50% flowering, fresh flower weight corm-1 line-1, inner tepal length, outer tepal length, inner tepal width, outer tepal width, anther length, anther width, style length, stigma length, fresh pistil weight, dry pistil weight, leaf length, number of leaves corm-1line-1. Results: Significant variation was observed for all traits like., number of flowers corm-1 line-1 (4.00-35.33), fresh pistil weight (104.84- 1207.38 mg), stigma length (2.55-4.18 cm), leaf length (16.12-37.10 cm), number of leaves corm-1 line-1 (6.00-11.33), fresh flower weight corm-1 line-1 (1.80-14.31 mg) indicating presence of high level of variability in germplasm.

Conclusion: The estimates of phenotypic variation were higher than equivalent estimates of genotypic variation except few traits indicating major impact of environment towards expression of a trait. Our findings contributes better understanding of genetic variation in saffron for both vegetative and yield attributes and indicates high level of variability in germplasm, therefore imply considerable scope for saffron improvement through clonal selection.
Panchagavya as Soil Conditioner: Ancient Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Agriculture
Authors: Raju Guntimadugu Sanhthosh Kumar , Nawabpet Prudhvi , Kumar Arun
Published: October 2022

Panchagavya is an ancient traditional agricultural knowledge in Indian farming, where farmers were used in crops from decades, It is completely cow based products combination of five ingredients majorly Cow's dung, urine, milk, ghee and curd, instead of these other ingredients like jaggery, coconut water, ripped bananas were also used to boosting its role. In agriculture, Panchagavya acts as a soil health improver by providing nutrients to plants that it has the abundant quantity of growth promoting hormones, macro and micro nutrients, helpful microorganism that are mutually cooperated with the plant roots and soil in Rhizosphere zone that may helpful in conversion of organic form of nutrients to inorganic form where plants can easily uptake them and results better plants immune system and effective control of various diseases in plants.
The Characteristic, Occurrence of Aflatoxin and Associated Risk with Human Health
Authors: Ahmad Sharique , Anwar Subuhi , Pratap Pushpendra D.
Published: October 2022

Aflatoxins are toxins produced by the fungus Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. They are colorless, cannot be detected under normal light, odorless and contaminated foods most often do not have any special or bad smell. Environmental factors such as the temperature, and vectors causing grain damage have an important effect on favoring the colonization of fungus and the production of aflatoxins. They contaminate agriculture products worldwide affecting their quality, safety & security. The effects on safety & security cause health threats among people and animals on their long-term exposure through consumption because they are mutagenic, teratogenic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic. Humans and animals can develop the disease known as aflatoxicosis as a result of aflatoxins known as Acute and Chronic primary aflatoxicosis. Aflatoxins' long-term effects have been shown to decrease normal immune response also it can cause growth retardation in babies and affect nutritional deficiency. It can disrupt such enzymes that can affect hormones, endocrine glands, and neurotransmitters which may influence a person's cognitive abilities, memory, and learning, restlessness, muscular tremors, seizures, absentmindedness, tremors, uncoordinated movement of muscles, and aberrant agitation are caused by deficiencies in the neurotransmitters. Aflatoxin toxicity in humans can range from acute or chronic conditions to liver damage such as liver carcinoma, internal bleeding, edema, and instant death. Acute toxicosis can cause gastrointestinal dysfunctions in humans and animals. Aflatoxins have been shown to have detrimental negative impacts on vascular fragility and cardiovascular health, tissue bleeding, and teratogenic consequences. According to reports, aflatoxins have severe and detrimental impacts mostly on the respiratory systems it can also cause lung cancer.
SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Authors: Pahlevi Reza Widhar , Nurcahyo Narwanto
Published: October 2022

This study aims to analyze international scientific articles for integrated marketing communication research systematically, both from the perspective of themes, research locations and subjects, as well as the research methods used. This study reviewed 149 scientific articles and presented four main findings. First. The first theme in marketing communications research is integrated with marketing communications and customer relationship management, the second theme deals with the concept known as value added of the plans developed for the role of communication. Second, the questionnaire is a data collection that is predominantly used. Third, research on integrated marketing communications, both in developing and developed countries, has almost the same number of studies. Fourth, based on the bibliometric technique using Vosviewer, it is divided into four clusters and recommends further research agendas to elaborate theoretical and methodological aspects by testing the four themes. By exploring these four themes, it will contribute further to the development of integrated marketing communications in the future.
KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN ONLINE MELALUI CITRA MEREK BERDASARKAN EFEKTIVITAS IKLAN DENGAN EPIC MODEL STUDI PADA KONSUMEN TRAVELOKA.COM
Authors: Enjelina Annisa Een
Published: October 2022

Penelitian ini menguji toko online (E-Commerce) khususnya online travel dan mengacu pada keputusan pembelian online pada citra merek berdasarkan efektivitas periklanan. Salah satunya adalah PT Trinusa Travelindo atau Traveloka yang bergerak di bidang yang membutuhkan online dan Traveloka.com memiliki inovasi layanan jual beli tiket online yang fokus pada online. Epic Model adalah metode yang paling akurat untuk mengukur efektivitas iklan. yang telah terlayani di masyarakat dibandingkan dengan model pengukuran menggunakan Customer Response Index (CRI) dan Direct Rating Method (DRM). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dan menentukan keputusan pembelian online melalui brand image berdasarkan efektivitas periklanan dengan studi epicmodel pada konsumen Traveloka.com. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kuantitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif dan kausal. Untuk memperoleh data, peneliti menggunakan kuesioner sebagai instrumen untuk mengumpulkan data dan menyebarkannya kepada responden secara online. Data diperiksa menggunakan smartPLS 3.2.9. Hasil pengujian hipotesis yang telah dilakukan menunjukkan bahwa: 1) efektivitas periklanan berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap efektivitas periklanan, 2) citra merek berpengaruh signifikan dan positif terhadap keputusan pembelian.3) efektivitas periklanan adalah signifikan dan berpengaruh positif terhadap keputusan pembelian 4) citra merek dimoderasi dengan memperkuat pengaruh efektivitas iklan terhadap keputusan pembelian.
ANTESEDEN NIAT PEMBELIAN DALAM APLIKASI ONLINE FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES: PENGEMBANGAN MODEL KAUR, ET AL. (2020)
Authors: Nugroho Aloysius Haryo , Siemaputra Mario Stefanus Rezky , Roswinanto Widyarso
Published: October 2022

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk melihat pengaruh price value, health consciousness, food safety concern, affordance value, prestige, and visibility yang merupakan replikasi dari model penelitian Kaur, et al. (2020) terhadap purchase intention pada penggunaan Online Food Delivery Service (OFDS) dan untuk melihat apakah model ini dapat digeneralisasi di pasar OFDS di Indonesia. Penelitian ini juga menambahkan variabel baru yaitu online customer review untuk melihat pengaruhnya pada purchase intention pada pasar OFDS. Survei dilakukan dengan melakukan penyebaran kuesioner pada masyarakat di daerah DKI Jakarta. Jumlah responden yang diperoleh sebanyak 204 responden yang kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan uji regresi linier berganda. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa price value, health consciousness, food safety concern, affordance value, visibility, dan online customer review mempengaruhi purchase intention pada Online Food Delivery Service. Namun variabel prestige tidak signifikan mempengaruhi purchase intention pada Online Food Delivery Service. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa konsumen OFDS Indonesia memiliki karakter yang berbeda dan model Kaur, et al. (2020) dan tidak sepenuhnya bisa digeneralisasi di luar pasar India. Penelitian ini menghasilkan model yang lebih tepat untuk mengenali pasar OFDS di Indonesia.
Computer‐assistant prediction of phospholipid binding sites of caldesmon and calponin
Authors: Bogatcheva Natalia V. , Gusev Nikolai B.
Published: July 2002

The primary structure of smooth muscle caldesmon and calponin was screened for the presence of amphiphilic α‐helices which can participate in the formation of protein‐lipid contacts. Only one caldesmon segment (residues 645–660) having a predominantly α‐helical structure and high hydrophobic moment satisfies all criteria for a surface‐seeking helix and is predicted to be involved in the caldesmon‐phospholipid interaction. This prediction agrees with experimental results indicating that one of the caldesmon‐phospholipid binding sites is located in the sequence 628–658 [Bogatcheva et al. (1994) FEBS Lett. 342, 176]. Two segments of calponin (residues 45–55 and 85–95) exhibit high hydrophobic moments and the sequence 85–95 is characterized by a high probability of α‐helix formation. This may suggest that at least one of these segments could facilitate the calponin‐phospholipid interaction and that calponin, as with many other actin binding proteins, is able to interact with membranes.
Distinct function of the cytoplasmic tail in human D1‐like receptor ligand binding and coupling
Authors: Jackson Adele , Iwasiow Rafal M. , Tiberi Mario
Published: July 2002

To delineate the role of the cytoplasmic tail in the distinct binding and coupling properties of human dopamine D1‐like receptors, chimeric receptors were generated in which the entire tail region of wild‐type human D1A (or D1) and D1B (or D5) receptors was exchanged. The hD1A‐D1BT, but not hD1B‐D1AT, receptor expression was dramatically reduced compared with wild‐type receptor expression. Swapping the cytoplasmic tail resulted in a full switch of dopamine binding affinity and constitutive activity, while dopamine potency decreased and agonist‐mediated maximal activation of adenylyl cyclase increased for both chimeras. Hence, the cytoplasmic tail plays a crucial role in D1‐like receptor expression, agonist binding affinity and constitutive activation but regulates in a distinct fashion the formation of D1A and D1B receptor active states upon dopamine binding.
OMEC II: A new ovine mammary epithelial cell line
Authors: Düchler Markus , Schmoll Fritz , Pfneisl Franz , Brem Gottfried , Schellander Karl
Published: July 2002

We have established three independent ovine mammary epithelial cell lines which arose from primary cultures of ovine mammary epithelial cells by spontaneous immortalization. One of them, OMEC II, was characterised in greater detail. The cells grow rapidly on plastic dishes in medium containing 10% FCS without any requirement for additional growth factors or hormones. Immunofluorescence staining of this cell line showed expression of cytokeratin (46 kDa) and ZO‐1, a tight‐junction associated protein, but negative immunostaining for an anti‐vimentin antibody. In confluent cell monolayers ‘domes’ became visible indicating the development of a polarised phenotype and the ability of directed secretion. When grown in collagen gels typical ducts with end‐buds were observed. Treatment with lactogenic hormones increased the frequency of dome formation, but no expression of β‐lactoglobulin was found. To our knowledge this is the first report on an ovine mammary epithelial cell line.
pH Transitions in Ion‐Exchange Systems: Role in the Development of a Cation‐Exchange Process for a Recombinant Protein
Authors: Ghose Sanchayita , McNerney Thomas M. , Hubbard Brian
Published: July 2002

Unexpected transient changes in effluent pH can occur during ion‐exchange chromatography. Such changes can occur even if a column that is equilibrated with a buffer receives another solution in the same buffer and of the same pH but of a different salt concentration. An attempt is made to understand the basis for this phenomenon and apply it to the process purification of a recombinant protein on a strong cation‐exchange resin. Incomplete column equilibration was eliminated as a possible cause of these effects. Various buffering species and various salt ions were studied at different solution concentrations to investigate pH transitions on strong cation‐exchange resins. A further comparison was made between cation‐exchange resins with different backbone chemistries. On the basis of these studies, a mechanism is proposed for these phenomena based on competitive equilibria between ions from the buffer salts and H+/OH‐ ions. In addition to the equilibria between these ions and the functional groups on the resins, charged groups on the resin backbone were also found to contribute to transient pH changes. The results from this study were applied to the cation‐exchange step for a recombinant protein that was sensitive to pH excursions to help maintain activity of the protein during the purification process.
Statistical model for assessing the proportion of subjects with subjective sensitisations in adverse reactions to foods
Authors: Briggs David , Aspinall Laurence , Dickens Andrea , Bindslev‐Jensen Carsten
Published: July 2002

The outcome from a Double‐Blind Placebo‐Controlled Food Challenge is often of a subjective nature and cannot be measured directly. Reactions to placebo challenges are frequently observed, implying that some of the responses in the study are in fact ‘false responses’. In order to adjust for these false responses, previous studies have used various methods, including removing subjects from the analysis who reacted to the placebo. Simply ignoring the false responses can lead to misleading estimates for the true proportion of sensitised individuals. This paper outlines two models which can account for these false responses. In the single challenge study, a simple model is developed which enables the estimation of the rate of false responses in the study, as well as the true proportion of sensitised subjects. This model is very easy to apply in practice. For a repeated challenge study, a more complicated model is developed which again enables the estimation of the rate of false responses and the true proportion of sensitised subjects.
Lack of ethylene involvement in tulip tepal abscission
Authors: Sexton Roy , Laird Gillian , G. van Doorn Wouter
Published: July 2002

The tepals of cut flowers of Tulipa hybrida cv. Golden Apeldoorn and Tulipa kaufmanniana cv. Shakespeare abscise 3–4 days after harvest. The weakening of the abscission zones is accompanied by cell wall breakdown and the separation of 3–4 rows of intact cells at the base of the tepal. During senescence, there is no ethylene climacteric and ethylene production rates remain low, between 0.07 and 0.4 nl g−1 fresh weight h−1. Adding 3–5 μl l−1 ethylene slightly accelerated the weakening of the abscission zones but had no effect on the time of first abscission. Neither 0.5 mM silver thiosulphate nor 5 mM aminoethoxyvinylglycine delayed the time to abscission. It is concluded that tulip tepal fall does not involve primary regulation by ethylene, unlike the majority of other abscission systems that have been studied.
Metamorphic devolatilization of subducted marine sediments and the transport of volatiles into the Earth's mantle
Authors: Kerrick D. M. , Connolly J. A. D.
Published: July 2002

Volatiles, most notably CO2, are recycled back into the Earth's interior at subduction zones1,2. The amount of CO2 emitted from arc volcanism appears to be less than that subducted, which implies that a significant amount of CO2 either is released before reaching the depth at which arc magmas are generated or is subducted to deeper depths. Few high-pressure experimental studies3,4,5 have addressed this problem and therefore metamorphic decarbonation in subduction zones remains largely unquantified, despite its importance to arc magmatism, palaeoatmospheric CO2 concentrations and the global carbon cycle6. Here we present computed phase equilibria to quantify the evolution of CO2 and H2O through the subduction-zone metamorphism of carbonate-bearing marine sediments (which are considered to be a major source for CO2 released by arc volcanoes6). Our analysis indicates that siliceous limestones undergo negligible devolatilization under subduction-zone conditions. Along high-temperature geotherms clay-rich marls completely devolatilize before reaching the depths at which arc magmatism is generated, but along low-temperature geotherms, they undergo virtually no devolatilization. And from 80 to 180 km depth, little devolatilization occurs for all carbonate-bearing marine sediments. Infiltration of H2O-rich fluids therefore seems essential to promote subarc decarbonation of most marine sediments. In the absence of such infiltration, volatiles retained within marine sediments may explain the apparent discrepancy between subducted and volcanic volatile fluxes and represent a mechanism for return of carbon to the Earth's mantle.
γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase expression in Ewing's sarcoma cells:up-regulation by interferons
Authors: BOUMAN Lena , SANCÉAU Josiane , ROUILLARD Dany , BAUVOIS Brigitte
Published: July 2002

The genetic hallmark of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours (ET) is the presence of the translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12), which creates the ET fusion gene, leading to cellular transformation. Five human γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) genes are located near the chromosomal translocation in ET. γ-GT is a major enzyme involved in glutathione homoeostasis. Five human cell lines representative of primary or metastatic tumours were investigated to study whether γ-GT alterations could occur at the chromosomal breaks and rearrangements in ET. As shown by enzymic assays and FACS analyses, all ET cell lines consistently expressed a functional γ-GT which however did not discriminate steps of ET progression. As shown previously [Sancéau, Hiscott, Delattre and Wietzerbin (2000) Oncogene 19, 3372–3383], ET cells respond to the antiproliferative effects of interferons (IFNs) type I (α and β) and to a much less degree to IFN type II (γ). IFN-α and -β arrested cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle. We found an enhancement of γ-GT mRNA species with IFN-α and -β by reverse transcriptase—PCR analyses. This is reflected by up-regulation of γ-GT protein, which coincides with the increase in γ-GT-specific enzymic activity. Similarly, IFNs up-regulate the levels of γ-GT in another IFN-responsive B cell line. Whether this up-regulation of γ-GT by IFNs is of physiological relevance to cell behaviour remains to be studied.
Psychological adjustment of children awaiting limb reconstruction treatment
Authors: Bond J. M. , Kent G. G. , Binney V. A. , Saleh M.
Published: July 2002

The psychological profiles of 53 children aged 6–17 years, with congenital and acquired limb abnormalities attending a limb reconstruction centre, were examined to determine the level of need for pretreatment psychological intervention. The profiles of two groups presenting for treatment — patients of short stature and those with other limb abnormalities — were compared with each other and with general population norms. Standardized questionnaires were administered to patients and their parents during pretreatment assessment visits to the clinic. There were few differences between the families taking part in this study and the general population norms, or between the scores of children with short stature and those with other limb abnormalities. These results may indicate that most children awaiting limb reconstructive surgery are not in need of psychological intervention other than the support routinely offered. The findings are discussed in terms of the biases which may be reflected in the referral process, possible protective effects of family environment factors and clinical support systems, and the impact of the timing of the assessments. Implications for future research are discussed.
The Design of the Feeding Support Trial – does intensive feeding support improved nutritional status and outcome in acutely ill older in‐patients?
Authors: Hickson M. , Nicholl C. , Bulpitt C. , Fry M. , Frost G. , Davies L.
Published: July 2002

Introduction: Malnutrition has been estimated to cost the NHS £266 million a year because malnourished patients have longer hospital stays and increased morbidity. Malnutrition is particularly common in the elderly. Most attempts to reverse malnutrition in this group have used liquid supplements but the results have been disappointing; even under surveillance, ill older patients often do not take enough supplements to improve their nutritional status. In routine clinical practice the situation is worse because poor nutrition is often not recognized and compliance with supplements is low. Another approach is needed.

Objective: To describe the protocol of The Feeding Support Trial which aims to examine whether health care assistants, trained to provide support with all aspects of feeding, can make a significant impact on nutritional intake and whether this improves outcome.

Design: A randomized control trial designed to determine whether feeding support increases nutritional intake leads to measurable changes in nutritional status (body mass index, arm circumference, serum albumin) and leads to improved outcome (infection rate, Barthel score, length of stay and readmission rate).

Setting: Three elderly medicine wards at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust. The study commenced in June 1998.

Subjects: The trial aims to recruit 1500 subjects (750 in each group).
Audit of supplement use on care of the elderly and rehabilitation wards
Authors: Nolan A.
Published: July 2002

Background: Increased awareness of malnutrition in hospital and community has led to increased use of nutrition support. However, questions about the use and effects of supplements have been raised.

Aims: To audit the use of supplements on two care of the elderly/rehabilitation wards to check whether supplements were used and determine the level of wastage.

Methods: The number of supplements used during the 2‐week audit period was calculated by examining the number of cartons on the first day of audit, recording the number of supplements sent by the pharmacy and counting the number remaining on the wards at the end of the audit period. Records were made of supplements prescribed and issued according to drug charts. In addition, nursing staff made regular measurements of supplement wastage during the audit period.

Results: The number of patients taking supplements was lower than expected. However, a discrepancy arose, with more supplements being used than had been prescribed. A comparison of supplements prescribed with supplements unused showed a variation of 22–113%. Wastage of supplements was also variable, 24% for Entera and 45% for Enlive.

Conclusions: Further work is needed to identify why supplements are wasted, develop guidelines for appropriate use of supplements and to educate ward staff.
Autologous platelet‐rich plasma isolated using the Haemonetics Cell Saver 5 and Haemonetics MCS+ for the preparation of platelet gel
Authors: O'Neill E. M. , Zalewski W. M. , Eaton L. J. , Popovsky M. A. , Pivacek L. E. , Ragno G. , Valeri C. R.
Published: July 2002

Background and Objectives

We compared three methods of isolating platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) using the Haemonetics Cell Saver 5 and one method of isolating PRP by plateletpheresis using the Haemonetics MCS+. PRP contains both platelets and fibrinogen, which are used in the preparation of haemostatic agents.

Materials and Methods

When the Haemonetics Cell Saver 5 was used, 500 ml of blood from each of 30 normal volunteer donors was collected into 70 ml of citrate–phosphate–dextrose (CPD) anticoagulant. In a further 14 normal volunteers, the Haemonetics MCS+ was used to isolate PRP by plateletpheresis using an acid citrate dextrose (ACD) to blood ratio of 1 : 9. In a separate study, CPD‐anticoagulated whole blood from another 30 volunteers was used for measurement of fibrinogen levels in the plasma and cryoprecipitate.

Results

A larger volume of PRP can be collected using the Haemonetics Cell Saver 5 than by using the Haemonetics MCS+. The platelet concentration and the total number of platelets were higher in the PRP isolated using the Haemonetics MCS+ than in the PRP isolated by the three methods used with the Haemonetics Cell Saver 5, with differences in platelet concentration and PRP volume among the four methods. The mean fibrinogen level in the plasma was 253 mg % ± 47 (SD) and in the cryoprecipitate was 1085 mg % ± 304 (SD).

Conclusions

The most appropriate method of PRP isolation for preparation of platelet gel is dependent upon the specific surgical procedure to be undertaken and the patient’s needs.
Genetic relationships in Swiss sheep breeds based on microsatellite analysis
Authors: Stahlberger‐Saitbekova N. , Schläpfer J. , Dolf G. , Gaillard C.
Published: July 2002

Genetic relationships between Swiss sheep breeds were estimated on the basis of microsatellite analysis. In addition to the Swiss breeds wild‐type Mouflon was included in this investigation. Polymerase chain reaction amplifications of 31 ovine, bovine and caprine microsatellites were performed in a total of 307 animals representing eight populations. The average heterozygosity within each population was high in the domestic breeds (0.60–0.71) and lower in Mouflon 0.45. The average coefficient of gene differentiation GST over all loci was 0.17, i.e. a small part of the variability at the 31 microsatellite loci analysed must be ascribed to between‐breed variability. Genetic distances between breeds were obtained, which were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Microsatellites developed from closely related species of cattle and goat are useful for estimating genetic relationships among sheep breeds.
Absence of Cerebrospinal Fluid Abnormalities and Spinal Cord Lesions after Iotrolan Cervical Myelography in Normal Cats: An Open Placebo‐Controlled Study
Authors: Patsikas M. N. , Koutinas A. , Vlemas I. , Polizopoulou Z. , Moustardas N. , Tzegas S. , Dessiris1 A. K.
Published: July 2002

Iotrolan (Isovist® 300, Schering AG) at a volume of 0.5 ml/kg B.W. was injected into the cerebellomedullary cistern of 12 cats (Isovist group); the same volume of normal saline was injected in four other cats (control group). Two ml of CSF was collected from each anaesthetized cat by cisternal tap immediately before, and 7 and 15 days after, injection. The physical characteristics, specific gravity, total cell count and total protein concentration of each CSF sample were recorded. The cats were euthanized on day 15 immediately after CSF samples and spinal cord specimens had been obtained. Spinal cord histopathology was examined with the aid of light and transmission electron microscopy.

The physical characteristics of all the CSF samples were within the reference range. No significant differences were found for CSF specific gravity, total cell count and total protein concentration between the pre‐injection samples and those collected 7 and 15 days post‐injection in both groups; no spinal cord lesions were detected in histopathology.
Temporal limitations of information processing in global and local attention: the effect of information content
Authors: Lawson Murray L , Crewther David P , Crewther Sheila G
Published: July 2002

Purpose: The refractory period during which detection or identification of a probe is degraded, following the successful visual identification of a target, is referred to as the attentional blink (AB). Previous work in this laboratory using global/local letter forms has shown that the degree of complexity of information influences the length of time between successful visual identifications, as does the attentional modality required of the subject. In the standard rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task, a gap following the first target is reported to destroy the AB. The current study examines the effect on the AB duration of inserting a gap in the stream of local orthographic information while not interrupting the stream of global information. It was hypothesized that masking of the local elements of the item immediately following the target (the + 1 item) would lead to a decreased AB duration for local identification.

Methods: Twenty‐one adult participants, experienced in the experimental paradigm, viewed sequences of compound letter stimuli and were required to identify a global or local red letter (target) and detect the presence of a global or local X (probe) in the sequence following.

Results: In one‐half of the trials the local letter identity of the +1 global/local form was obscured, leaving only a global form. Neither the attentional condition nor local +1 masking significantly influenced the slope of recovery from the AB. Furthermore, no difference was observed in the AB duration for global or local probe detection between control and crystallized trials.

Conclusions: The results suggest that the visual image of the item is accepted into VSTM and processed for target candidature.
Leiomyosarcoma of the rectum: What role does adjuvant therapy play?
Authors: Kiffer John D , Castles Lindsay , Quong George G , Feigen Malcolm
Published: July 2002

Leiomyosarcoma of the rectum is an exceedingly rare malignancy and for this reason the literature fails to provide definitive management guidelines with regard to the place of adjuvant therapies. The role of radiotherapy (RT) is often downplayed on the basis of articles written at a time when state‐of‐the art RT equipment was unavailable. A case of leiomyosarcoma of the rectum is presented and the literature is reviewed. Because the rarity of this tumour type virtually precludes a prospective randomized trial of adjuvant therapies, the authors recommend (in otherwise fit patients) postoperative pelvic RT because its morbidity is minimal. Smaller tumours may benefit to a greater extent than those lesions that are large at presentation and thereby run a worse clinical course.
Safety of synthetic surfactant use before preterm newborn transport
Authors: Pavuluri LFJ MILDENHALL, NN , Bowman ED
Published: July 2002

Objective: The benefit of surfactant administration in preterm newborns is well described. The increase in lung compliance and other effects that it produces might however be dangerous in a transportation situation. This study examined the safety of surfactant (primarily Exosurf; Burroughs–Wellcome Research, Triangle Park, NC, USA) administration in preterm babies prior to their transportation from a peripheral hospital to a tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Methodology: Two groups of babies were examined retrospectively over a 4‐year period. One group, designated C (n = 46), received surfactant prior to transport and the other, designated Z (n = 85), did not.

Results: There was no significant difference in morbidity or mortality between the groups. The benefits of early surfactant were reinforced in Group C with fewer days ventilated while having no significant change in days on continuous positive airways pressure, in oxygen or days before discharge. During transport, mean airway pressure was unchanged but group C had a significantly greater drop in oxygen requirement. In those less than 30 weeks gestation, increased respiratory benefit was apparent in those who received pretransport surfactant.

Conclusion: Administration of synthetic surfactant prior to preterm newborn transportation is safe with no intra‐transport complications.
Awake daytime oximetry measurements in the management of infants with chronic lung disease
Authors: Weening MJ VERMEULEN, FT , Battistutta D , Masters IB
Published: July 2002

Objective: To assess the value of 1‐h daytime awake oximetry as a means of weaning oxygen flows in infants with oxygen dependent chronic lung disease.

Methods: A cohort study of oxygen dependent infants enrolled in a 3‐month period. One hour of awake oximetry data were compared with equal time periods defined within a polysomnographic study and at the same oxygen flow rate. Sensitivity results were derived from the decision to wean oxygen to a lower flow or air.

Results: Twenty‐two infants were enrolled and 27 studies were performed. The infants that could be weaned had an awake median of mean oxygen saturations of 97% and spent 14% of the time ≤ 95% but only 2%≤ 92%, while for those not weaned, the awake median of mean oxygen saturations was 94% with 43% of their time ≤ 95% and 26.8%≤ 92% saturation.

Conclusions: Daytime oximetry can predict the outcome of polysomnography with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 65%, and could be used to wean oxygen or as a screening tool for polysomnographic studies in infants with chronic lung disease provided there are reasonably long periods of monitoring and mean oxygen saturations above 95%.
Nutritional profile of patients with chronic pancreatitis
Authors: Msc Namrata Singh , Md Yogendra Kumar Joshi , Md Anoop Saraya , Md Rakesh Kumar Tandon
Published: July 2002

The nutritional status of patients with chronic pancreatitis was assessed in 76 consecutive patients (63 males, mean age 35 ± 10 years; 13 females, mean age 40 ± 16 years) attending the pancreas clinic of a tertiary care hospital in India. A food frequency questionnaire was used to elicit information regarding dietary intake of food items. Nutrient intake was calculated using the 24 h recall method on a subsample of 20 patients. Anthropometric measurements were taken and haemoglobin and serum albumin were estimated. Thirty patients (45%) had made dietary modifications after they were diagnosed as having chronic pancreatitis. These changes in diet included a decrease in fat, spices and/or quantity of food consumed. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed that the majority of patients were taking wheat, lentils, vegetables, fruits, milk, curd, sugar and oils on a daily basis. The mean energy intake was 1750 ± 375 kcal in males and 1180 ± 246 kcal in females, which turned out to be 37% lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), both in males and females. Alhough most patients (86%) were in the normal range of Body Mass Index (BMI), 67% of the patients reported weight loss after onset of the disease. Biochemical parameters studied were in the normal range: haemoglobin 12.26 ± 1.99 gm% and albumin 4.05 ± 0.89 g/100 mL. We concluded that in patients with chronic pancreatitis, malnutrition occurs mainly due to a low intake of calories and protein as a result of dietary modification for symptomatic relief and pancreatic insufficiency. However, nutritional parameters such as haemoglobin and serum albumin are fairly well maintained.