bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of critical micelle concentration of surfactant by ultraviolet absorption spectra
Authors: Suzuki Hiroshi
Published: April 2007

A method was investigated for determining the critical micelle concentration (CMC) by the shift of absorption maxima when an organic compound (I) with ultraviolet absorption was added to an aqueous solution of a surfactant. When I was added to the surfactant solution at higher concentrations (above the CMC), λmax of I approached the value inn‐octane, since I was solubilized in the hydrocarbon atmosphere of the inner part of the surfactant micelle. At lower concentrations (below the CMC), however, I was present in the water phase and λmax approached the value in water. The curve of λmax vs. surfactant concentration declined from the high concentration values as the CMC was approached and at the CMC, the curve broke upward sharply. Then, it rose for some time and approached the value in water. N,N′‐diethylaniline was used because it exhibited larger shifts of λmax. The standard amount used was 0.002 ml/3–10 ml of aqueous solution of the surfactant. The CMC values obtained agreed with those obtained by the electric conductivity method, dye adsorption method and light scattering method, for surfactants such as tetradecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyoxyethylene cetyl ether.
Some carbonyl flavor compounds of oxidized soybean and linseed oils
Authors: Seals R. G. , Hammond E. G.
Published: April 2007

Evidence is presented that 2,3‐pentanedione, as well as diacetyl, contributes to the buttery flavor found in the early stages of oxidation of soybean oil. Components with a fishy and potatoey flavor were found in distillates from soybean oil that had a fishy or paint‐like flavor. Linseed oil proved a reliable source of these flavor compounds. The fishy compound was identified ascis‐4‐heptenal and the potatoey compound is probably 2,4‐pentadienal. Mechanisms for the production of these compounds are suggested.
Syntheses of dialkyl trichloromethylphosphonates and their properties for additives
Authors: Nakasato Satoshi , Higuchi Katsuhiko
Published: April 2007

Nine dialkyl trichloromethylphosphonates (TCMPs) were synthesized by the Arbusov reaction from the corresponding trialkyl phosphite and carbon tetrachloride. Some characteristics of these compounds were studied. The alkyl groups contained from 2 to 18 even carbon atoms. The reaction of triethyl phosphite and carbon tetrachloride was completed in about 4 hr under an indoor natural light. However, in the preparation of the lower dialkyl TCMPs the mixture of trialkyl phosphite and carbon tetrachloride was refluxed for 8 hr. With alkyl groups higher than decyl, a reaction time of 8 hr was insufficient. Utilization of these dialkyl TCMPs was discussed. These compounds were shown to be effective chelating, antistatic and flame resistant additives in a formulation of polyvinyl chloride. Moreover, they were found to be very excellent extreme pressure additives for lubricating oil; especially the dibutyl TCMP which was extremely effective at concentrations as low as 0.25%.
Monohydroxylation of unsaturated oils: I. Sulfation‐hydrolysis and sultone‐formation
Authors: Venkateswara Rao G. , Achaya K. T.
Published: April 2007

Hydroxy unsaturated glycerides were sought from safflower and linseed oils by partial sulfation with sulfuric acid, followed by hydrolysis of sulfate to hydroxy groups. Sulfation of oleicrich oils or their fatty acids and subsequent hydrolysis (effected conveniently with acidified barium chloride) yielded hydroxy products corresponding to 50–70% of the monoene content. Sulfation of a mixture of methyl oleate and linoleate with 78% w/w of sulfuric acid was directed mainly at the oleate component. Safflower oil was partially sulfated without side reactions using 78% or 79% w/w of sulfuric acid, the hydrolyzed products showing hydroxyl value (HV) of about 35 for a loss of 13 units of iodine value (IV). Use of more concentrated sulfuric acid, and subsequent hydrolysis, led to sulfur‐containing products which include sultones. Treatment of atrans,trans, but not of acis,trans conjugated diene with sulfuric acid led to sultone formation. It is postulated that when linoleate is sulfated with strong acids, acidisomerization to atrans,trans conjugated diene occurs, probably followed by 1,4‐addition of ‐OH and ‐SO3H and quick dehydration of these moieties to give a 1,4‐sultone. Linseed oil was apparently sulfated without side reactions using 80% w/w sulfuric acid at 0–5 C and then hydrolyzed to a product of HV 77 and IV 159.
Surgical Resection of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: Analysis of Survival and Postoperative Complications
Authors: Hasegawa Suguru , Ikai Iwao , Fujii Hideaki , Hatano Etsuro , Shimahara Yasuyuki
Published: April 2007

Background

Surgery is the only potentially curative treatment for hilar bile duct cancer. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management of hilar bile duct carcinoma, including radical hepatectomy, at a single institution.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of 49 consecutive patients who underwent surgery at our hospital between 1990 and 2003.

Results

Altogether, 44 of 49 patients underwent radical hepatectomy combined with caudate lobectomy and lymphadenectomy. One and four patients underwent partial hepatectomy or bile duct resection, respectively. No patients underwent preoperative portal vein embolization. The 5‐year survival rate was 39.7%, with a median survival time of 3.75 years. The postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 46.8% and 2.0%, respectively. Cox’s proportional hazard model revealed that lymph node status and the residual tumor factor were independent prognostic factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative hyperbilirubinemia, postoperative complications, and extended surgical procedures were independently associated with postoperative hyperbilirubinemia. After potentially curative resection, 39.4% of patients suffered from disease recurrence. In 60% of the total cases, the sites of recurrence were distant metastases.

Conclusion

Surgery, including radical hepatectomy combined with caudate lobectomy and lymph node dissection, is a feasible, effective treatment for hilar bile duct cancer.
Association Between Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines and Outcome for Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Keris Valdis , Lavendelis Egils , Macane Inta
Published: April 2007

Background

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death in the population under 40 years of age in Western countries, and the same was true for Latvia in 1999. This indicated a strong need to improve the management of TBI. The Latvian Society of Neurosurgeons in collaboration with related societies created a dedicated working group, and the Guidelines for Medical Management of TBI in Latvia (Guidelines) were developed in 2001. This study aimed to assess the association between implementation of the Guidelines and the outcome of TBI patients.

Methods

The Guidelines were printed and distributed to relevant clinical units and teaching institutions. To assess the impact of the Guidelines on the outcome of TBI, Latvian medical statistics were researched. All patients admitted to emergency departments and registered as either discharged or dead with a diagnosis of head trauma from 1998 to 2004 were included in a retrospective survey. The primary endpoint accepted for analysis was the hospital case fatality rate (HCFR).

Results

The survey included 73,062 consecutive cases. The annual incidence rate of TBI admissions was stable during the period 1998 to 2004 (range 41.5‐46.0/10,000), and the incidence of moderate and severe TBI (range 7.2‐8.7/10,000) showed no significant trends. There was a reduction of HCFR from 3.7% during 1998‐2000 to 2.6% during 2002‐2004 (relative risk 0.72; 95% confidence interval 0.67–0.76; p = 0.03).

Conclusion

Implementation of the Guidelines was associated with a statistically significant decrease of HCFR in TBI patients.
An Anterior or Posterior Approach to Partial Fundoplication? Long‐term Results of a Randomized Trial
Authors: Engström C. , Lönroth H. , Mardani J. , Lundell L.
Published: April 2007

Background

Partial fundoplications have been popularized by their lower risk of mechanical side effects. The question then emerges whether a similar partial wrap should be done posterior or anterior to the distal esophagus? We therefore conducted a study to compare the long‐term outcome of laparoscopic partial fundoplications constructed either as anterior (AF) or posterior (PF) repairs.

Patients and Methods

Ninety‐five patients were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. After a mean follow up of 65 months, 43 AF and 45 PF patients remained in the study. The levels of reflux control and postfundoplication complaints were assessed by use of validated instruments.

Results

A posterior fundoplication was found to provide significantly better control of reflux related symptoms (heartburn p < 0.0001, acid regurgitation p < 0.0001). This was also reflected in a significantly lower number of reoperations and need for antisecretory drug therapy. The earlier postoperative difference in postfundoplication symptoms had disappeared.

Conclusions

A laparoscopic posterior partial fundoplication offers a high and durable level of disease control with few side effects. The current anterior type of repair cannot be recommended due to insufficient reflux control.
Cost/Accuracy Ratio Analysis in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Ultrasound‐Guided Fine‐Needle Aspiration Cytology, Sentinel Node Biopsy, and Frozen Section of Node
Authors: Genta Franco , Zanon Eugenio , Camanni Marco , Deltetto Francesco , Drogo Mauro , Gallo Rosanna , Gilardi Carla
Published: April 2007

We evaluated the effectiveness and the cost of axillary staging in breast cancer patients by ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration cytology (US‐FNAC), sentinel node biopsy (SNB), and frozen sections of the sentinel node to achieve the target of the highest number of immediate axillary dissections. From January 2003 through October 2005, a total of 404 consecutive eligible breast cancer patients underwent US‐FNAC of suspicious axillary lymph nodes. If tumor cells were found, immediate axillary dissection was proposed (33% of node‐positive cases). If US or cytology was negative, SNB was performed. Frozen sections of the sentinel node allowed immediate axillary dissection in 31% of node‐positive cases. The remaining 36% underwent delayed axillary dissection. We compared our policy with clinical evaluation of the axilla, showing better specificity of US‐FNAC, the cost balanced by a 12% reduction of SNBs, and a marked reduction of unnecessary axillary dissections resulting from false‐positive clinical staging. Moreover, the comparison between our policy and permanent histology of the sentinel node showed an 8% cost saving, mainly associated with the immediate axillary dissections. US‐FNAC of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients reliably predicts the presence of metastases and therefore refers a significant number of patients to the appropriate surgical treatment, avoiding an SNB. As cost saving to the health care system in our study is mainly related to one‐step axillary surgery, US‐FNAC of axillary lymph nodes and frozen section of the sentinel node generate significant cost saving for patients who have metastatic nodes.
Peritoneal Perforation of Liver Hydatid Cysts: Clinical Presentation, Predisposing Factors, and Surgical Outcome
Authors: Akcan Alper , Akyildiz Hizir , Artis Tarik , Ozturk Ahmet , Deneme Mehmet Ali , Ok Engin , Sozuer Erdogan
Published: April 2007

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation of, predisposing factors in, and early and long‐term outcome of patients treated surgically for intraperitoneal ruptured liver hydatid cysts. Medical records of 27 patients with traumatic rupture of hydatid cysts were evaluated retrospectively, as were records of 347 patients with nonperforated hydatid cysts. The ratio of perforation cases to nonperforation cases was 7.8%. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of perforation (n = 16). All patients had abdominal findings, and two patients (7%) had anaphylactic findings. The sensitivities of computed tomography and ultrasonography were 100% and 93%, respectively. Conservative surgical procedures were used for 80.5% of cysts and radical procedures for 19.5%. Associated organ injuries were determined in 10 patients. No significant difference was found between patients with peritoneal perforation and those without perforation in terms of sex (p = 0.403), previous hydatid disease surgery (p = 0.565), localization (p = 0.241), number of cysts (p = 0.537), presence of cystic content infection (p = 0.65), or presence of bile duct communication (p = 0.37). However, there were significant differences in age (p = 0.004), cyst diameter ( > 10 cm) (p = 0.03), and presence of superficially localized cysts (p = 0.011). Three patients developed recurrence. In the group of patients with perforation, the complication and recurrence rates were not statistically different in a comparison of surgical techniques (p = 0.37). No postoperative deaths occurred. The main predisposing factors for cyst perforation are young age and superficial localization. Peritoneal rupture increases the rates of postoperative morbidity and recurrence; in contrast, there was no significant relation between the operative procedure and the morbidity and recurrence rates.
Authenticating Production Origin of Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) by Chemical and Isotopic Fingerprinting
Authors: Morrison Douglas J. , Preston Tom , Bron James E. , Hemderson R. James , Cooper Karen , Strachan Fiona , Bell J. Gordon
Published: April 2007

Recent EU legislation (EC/2065/2001) requires that fish products, of wild and farmed origin, must provide consumer information that describes geographical origin and production method. The aim of the present study was to establish methods that could reliably differentiate between wild and farmed European gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). The methods that were chosen were based on chemical and stable isotopic analysis of the readily accessible lipid fraction. This study examined fatty acid profiles by capillary gas chromatography and the isotopic composition of fish oil (δ13C, δ18O), phospholipid choline nitrogen (δ15N) and compound specific analysis of fatty acids (δ13C) by isotope ratio mass spectroscopy as parameters that could reliably discriminate samples of wild and farmed sea bream. The sample set comprised of 15 farmed and 15 wild gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), obtained from Greece and Spain, respectively. Discrimination was achieved using fatty acid compositions, with linoleic acid (18:2n‐6), arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6), stearic acid (18:0), vaccenic acid (18:1n‐7) and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n‐3) providing the highest contributions for discrimination. Principle components analysis of the data set highlighted good discrimination between wild and farmed fish. Factor 1 and 2 accounted for >70% of the variation in the data. The variables contributing to this discrimination were: the fatty acids 14:0, 16:0, 18:0, 18:1n‐9, 18:1n‐7, 22:1n‐11, 18:2n‐6 and 22:5n‐3; δ13C of the fatty acids 16:0, 18:0, 16:1n‐7, 18:1n‐9, 20:5n‐3 and 22:6n‐3; Bulk oil fraction δ13C; glycerol/choline fraction bulk δ13C; δ15N; % N; % lipid.
Rho activation is required for transforming growth factor‐β‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in lens epithelial cells
Authors: Cho Hee Jun , Yoo Jiyun
Published: April 2007

Lens epithelial cells undergo epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) after injury as in cataract extraction, leading to fibrosis of the lens capsule. We have recently shown that TGF‐β‐induced EMT in lens epithelial cells depends on PI3 kinase/Akt signal pathway. In this report, we suggest Smad3 is necessary for TGF‐β‐induced EMT by showing that the expression of dominant‐negative Smad3 blocks the expression of α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) and morphological changes. We also show that TGF‐β induces a biphasic change in Rho activity, and that Y27632, a selective inhibitor of Rho effector ROCK, inhibits TGF‐β‐induced EMT in vitro and in vivo. We finally show that Smad3 activation and Rho signal activation is independent each other. All of these findings suggest that Rho/ROCK activation together with Smad3 is necessary for TGF‐β‐induced EMT in lens epithelial cells.
Right ventricular dysfunction as an independent predictor of short‐ and long‐term mortality in patients with heart failure
Authors: Kjaergaard Jesper , Akkan Dilek , Iversen Kasper Karmark , Køber Lars , Torp‐Pedersen Christian , Hassager Christian
Published: April 2007

Background:

The prognostic importance of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in heart failure (HF) has been suggested in patients with severe systolic heart failure. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is a simple echocardiographic measure of RV ejection fraction, but may be affected by co‐existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Aims:

To examine the prognostic information from TAPSE adjusted for the potential confounding effects of co‐existing cardiovascular and COPD in a large series of patients admitted for new onset or worsening HF.

Methods and results:

Eight hundred and seventeen patients screened for participation in a large clinical trial by trans‐thoracic echocardiography, including measurement of TAPSE, were followed for a median of 4.1 years (maximum 5.5 years). Decreased TAPSE as well as presence of COPD were independently associated with adverse short‐ and long‐term survival, hazard ratio was 0.74 (p=0.004) for every doubling of TAPSE; and 2.4 (p=0.0001) for the presence of COPD.

Conclusion:

Decreased RV systolic function as estimated by TAPSE is associated with increased mortality in patients admitted for HF, and is independent of other risk factors in HF including left ventricular function. The co‐existence of COPD is also associated with an adverse prognosis independent of the RV systolic function.
Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and survival in women and men with heart failure
Authors: Keyhan Golyar , Chen Shun‐Fu , Pilote Louise
Published: April 2007

Background:

Several randomized controlled trials demonstrate that angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors improve survival in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, whether ACE inhibitors benefit both sexes is not adequately addressed.

Purpose:

Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of ACE inhibitors in women with CHF.

Methods:

The Quebec hospital discharge database was linked with the physician and drug claims database to identify a cohort with a discharge diagnosis of CHF between January 1998 and March 2003. In this retrospective cohort study, subjects who filled a prescription for ACE inhibitors (19,220 exposed) were compared to those who never filled such prescription (8617 non‐exposed). The primary outcome was survival by exposure to ACE inhibitors.

Main findings:

There were 14,693 women (67% exposed) and 13,144 men (72% exposed). The 1 year mortality was 19.5% and 30% in those exposed and non‐exposed, respectively. A significant survival benefit was demonstrated in both sexes exposed to ACE inhibitors [adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): women 0.80 (0.76–0.85); men 0.71 (0.67–0.75)].

Principal conclusions:

ACE inhibitors improve survival in both sexes with CHF, but the protective effect appears to be greater in men. Our results support the current recommendations for the management of women with CHF.
Intrathoracic impedance monitoring to detect chronic heart failure deterioration: Relationship to changes in NT‐proBNP
Authors: Lüthje Lars , Vollmann Dirk , Drescher Till , Schott Peter , Zenker Dieter , Hasenfuβ Gerd , Unterberg Christina
Published: April 2007

Background:

An alert algorithm, based on intrathoracic impedance monitoring, has been incorporated into a cardiac resynchronisation device (CRT) to detect pulmonary fluid accumulation, and to audibly alert patients to decompensating chronic heart failure (CHF).

Aims:

To evaluate this algorithm, alert events were correlated with changes in NT‐proBNP concentration and CHF status.

Methods and results:

In a prospective observational study of 62 patients (89% male, aged 67±1 year), NT‐proBNP plasma concentrations, clinical CHF status, and device data were collected at enrolment, during regular follow‐up and at device alerts. Over a mean follow‐up of 27±2 weeks, pooled data indicated a weak, but significant inverse relationship between relative changes in intrathoracic impedance and NT‐proBNP (r=0.3; p<0.001). In 52 device alerts from 35 patients, NT‐proBNP increased by 66±19% from 2039±331 pg/ml (p<0.001). The increase in NT‐proBNP was higher in alerts with clinical signs of CHF deterioration (n=30, 89±25%;p<0.001) than in alert events without clinical signs (n=22, 25–15%; p=n.s.).

Conclusion:

Intrathoracic impedance based alert events are associated with a significant increase in NT‐proBNP concentration. These data indicate that intrathoracic impedance monitoring might facilitate the outpatient management of CHF patients with implanted CRT devices.
Load application induces changes in the expression levels of Sox‐9, FGFR‐3 and VEGF in condylar chondrocytes
Authors: Papadopoulou Alexandra K. , Papachristou Dionysios J. , Chatzopoulos Stavros A. , Pirttiniemi Pertti , Papavassiliou Athanasios G. , Basdra Efthimia K.
Published: April 2007

Experimental and clinical observations have proven the modulatory effects of mechanical loading on the development and maintenance of cartilage architecture. Here we examined the involvement of Sox‐9, FGFR‐3 and VEGF (pivotal factors controlling cartilage development and growth) in the mechano‐transduction pathway of mandibular condylar cartilage by changing the dynamics of the transmitted load via changes in food hardness. To this end, condyle cartilage tissue of rats fed with hard or soft food was analyzed immunohistochemically at various time points. Our findings demonstrate that different mechanical loading conditions in condylar chondrocytes trigger differentiation‐/maturation‐related processes by affecting the expression levels of these factors, ultimately influencing condylar cartilage growth.
Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor regulates AMPA receptor trafficking to post‐synaptic densities via IP3R and TRPC calcium signaling
Authors: Nakata Hiroko , Nakamura Shun
Published: April 2007

The change in the number of post‐synaptic α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)‐type glutamatergic receptors (AMPARs) by neuronal activity is recognized as a molecular basis of synaptic plasticity. Here, we show that Ca2+ transients evoked by brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induce translocation of a subunit of AMPAR, GluR1, but not NMDAR, to the post‐synaptic membrane in cultured cortical pyramidal neurons. Among BDNF‐induced Ca2+ transients, that dependent on IP3R was fully required, while store‐operated calcium influx through the non‐selective cation channel TRPC (transient receptor potential canonical) was partially required for the GluR1 up‐regulation, suggesting that spatial and temporal calcium signaling regulate translocation of GluR1 to the polarized membrane domain.
Extracellular heat shock proteins in cell signaling
Authors: Calderwood Stuart K. , Mambula Salamatu S. , Gray Philip J. , Theriault Jimmy R.
Published: April 2007

Extracellular stress proteins including heat shock proteins (Hsp) and glucose regulated proteins (Grp) are emerging as important mediators of intercellular signaling and transport. Release of such proteins from cells is triggered by physical trauma and behavioral stress as well as exposure to immunological “danger signals”. Stress protein release occurs both through physiological secretion mechanisms and during cell death by necrosis. After release into the extracellular fluid, Hsp or Grp may then bind to the surfaces of adjacent cells and initiate signal transduction cascades as well as the transport of cargo molecules such as antigenic peptides. In addition Hsp60 and hsp70 are able to enter the bloodstream and may possess the ability to act at distant sites in the body. Many of the effects of extracellular stress proteins are mediated through cell surface receptors. Such receptors include Toll Like Receptors 2 and 4, CD40, CD91, CCR5 and members of the scavenger receptor family such as LOX‐1 and SREC‐1. The possession of a wide range of receptors for the Hsp and Grp family permits binding to a diverse range of cells and the performance of complex multicellular functions particularly in immune cells and neurones.
ER chaperones in mammalian development and human diseases
Authors: Ni Min , Lee Amy S.
Published: April 2007

The field of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in mammalian cells has expanded rapidly during the past decade, contributing to understanding of the molecular pathways that allow cells to adapt to perturbations in ER homeostasis. One major mechanism is mediated by molecular ER chaperones which are critical not only for quality control of proteins processed in the ER, but also for regulation of ER signaling in response to ER stress. Here, we summarized the properties and functions of GRP78/BiP, GRP94/gp96, GRP170/ORP150, GRP58/ERp57, PDI, ERp72, calnexin, calreticulin, EDEM, Herp and co‐chaperones SIL1 and P58IPKand their role in development and diseases. Many of the new insights are derived from recently constructed mouse models where the genes encoding the chaperones are genetically altered, providing invaluable tools for examining the physiological involvement of the ER chaperones in vivo.
Attitudes of doctors toward establishing safe abortion units in Ghana
Authors: Morhe E.S.K. , Morhe R.A.S. , Danso K.A.
Published: April 2007

Objectives To assess physician knowledge of the current legal status of abortion in Ghana and determine the proportion physicians in favor of establishing units where safe abortion would be provided, and the proportion of those willing to offer such services. Methods A survey conducted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana, in August 2003. Using a self‐administered questionnaire, 74 randomly selected physicians expressed their views on whether abortion units should be established within national health facilities in Ghana, and what role they would play in them. Results Of the 59 physicians (80%) who favored the establishment of safe abortion units within national health facilities, 27 (36%) indicated a willingness to take part in counseling only, 33 (45%) were prepared to carry out abortions, and 14 (19%) said they would play no role in these units. Conclusion Most physicians participating in this study conducted in Ghana were willing to play some role in the provision of safe abortion services.
Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink
Authors: Shirreffs Susan M. , Watson Phillip , Maughan Ronald J.
Published: April 2007

The effectiveness of low-fat milk, alone and with an additional 20 mmol/l NaCl, at restoring fluid balance after exercise-induced hypohydration was compared to a sports drink and water. After losing 1·8 (sd 0·1) % of their body mass during intermittent exercise in a warm environment, eleven subjects consumed a drink volume equivalent to 150 % of their sweat loss. Urine samples were collected before and for 5 h after exercise to assess fluid balance. Urine excretion over the recovery period did not change during the milk trials whereas there was a marked increase in output between 1 and 2 h after drinking water and the sports drink. Cumulative urine output was less after the milk drinks were consumed (611 (sd 207) and 550 (sd 141) ml for milk and milk with added sodium, respectively, compared to 1184 (sd 321) and 1205 (sd 142) ml for the water and sports drink; P < 0·001). Subjects remained in net positive fluid balance or euhydrated throughout the recovery period after drinking the milk drinks but returned to net negative fluid balance 1 h after drinking the other drinks. The results of the present study suggest that milk can be an effective post-exercise rehydration drink and can be considered for use after exercise by everyone except those individuals who have lactose intolerance.
LATE Westphalian and early Stephanian sediments of the Dobrudzha Coalfield, NE Bulgaria
Authors: TENCHOV YANAKI G.
Published: April 2007

The Bolsovian to Cantabrian sediments in the Dobrudzha Coal Field are about 800 m thick. They were deposited in a depression bounded to the east, south and west by active synsedimentary faults. Most of the succession is coal-bearing clay- and siltstones, including occasional lacustrine deposits with fresh water faunas (molluscs and ostracods). Basin-wide sandstone intervals are associated with two periods of erosion and non-sequence. There are also localized sandstone bodies with vitrinized plant remains associated with the basin-margin faults. Conglomerates are only thin and rarely developed, and pebbles are only rarely found in the sandstones. There are only three basin-wide coals (m5 at the middle Makdonka Formation, n1 at the base of the Krupen formation and p3 in the middle Gurkovo Formation) representing times of diminished influx of clastic sediment, and thus of reduced movement along the basin-margin faults. Based on the depth of the erosive down-cutting, it is estimated that the elevation of the basin was at least 180 m above sea-level. The area surrounding the basin is supposed to be an alluvial plain covered with vegetation and swamps. The dense vegetation cover suggests periods of high precipitation, whereas dry conditions with active weathering are most probable during deposition of the Velkovo Formation. Volcanic activity occurred near to the depression, perhaps related to the boundary faults. In the stratigraphically highest part of the succession (the Kabalak Member), volcaniclastics are the main component of the detritic sediments. The basin eventually inverted to become a horst around which Permian sediments were deposited.
“A Story about Hair”: A Curious Mirror of Lu Xun's Pre-Republican Years
Authors: Chou Eva Shan
Published: April 2007

This article examines the subject of queues in the life and writings of Lu Xun (1881–1936), the most prominent figure in modern Chinese literature. The long-standing reluctance of readers and critics to associate this backward hairstyle with Lu Xun's iconic figure has restricted our understanding of the topic to two well-known satirical portraits in his short fiction, Ah Q and Sevenpounder. This article, however, proposes that the queue is of more than satiric interest—that the author's own experience raises fundamental questions about how he discloses and transmutes certain experiences in his writings. Starting from some little-studied events featuring queues in his pre-Republican years and a puzzling short story that recounts them, this essay analyzes the queue's autobiographical connections and their varied literary manifestations. It also makes a case for reexamining the uses of autobiography for a writer whose life story is an important part of his influence.
Drugs, Consumption, and Supply in Asia: The Case of Cocaine in Colonial India, c. 1900–c. 1930
Authors: Mills James H.
Published: April 2007

This article examines the market for cocaine in India during the early twentieth century and the efforts of the colonial state to control it. The British authorities issued regulations to prohibit the drug's use as early as 1900, and yet by the start of World War I, cocaine's appeal had become socially diverse and geographically wide. This account of a significant market for a powerful new drug suggests that Indian society was able to rapidly develop a demand for such products even when the colonial state had no part in their introduction. Indians used these new products in complex ways—as medicines, as tonics, and as intoxicants, albeit through the localized medium of the everydaypaanleaf. The study points to a reconsideration of a number of debates about the history of drugs and modern medicines in Asia.
Of Germs, Public Hygiene, and the Healthy Body: The Making of the Medicalizing State in Thailand
Authors: Puaksom Davisakd
Published: April 2007

The historical study of Western medicine in nineteenth-century Siam has emphasized the dichotomy between Western medicine and traditional Thai medical practice. The former is often represented as a monolith, and the epistemological transformation of Western medicine during the nineteenth century is glossed over without sufficient attention. Pasteurian medicine, especially the idea of germs, was introduced to Siam by the American missionary Dan Beach Bradley. Its introduction spurred a process of negotiation with both pre-Pasteurian Western and traditional Thai medicine. In its pre-Pasteurian and Pasteurian variants, Western medicine was constituted as a new medical practice and disciplinary regime in Siam. As a discursive instrument of state hegemony, the ideas, structures, policies, and institutions of Western medicine furthered the understanding and management of virulent epidemics, the institution of the sanitary system, the shaping of new concepts of population and a healthy workforce, and not least, the framing of a medicalizing project to police people's bodies pursued by the Thai state in the 1930s.
Use of the DeLaval cell counter (DCC) on goats' milk
Authors: Berry Elizabeth , Broughan Jennifer
Published: April 2007

Milk quality is measured by a variety of parameters and one of these is the number of somatic cells in the milk. Within the bovine dairy industry there are maximum acceptable levels on bulk milk cell counts and these are being introduced into caprine dairy production. The reference method for cell counting in goats is the direct microscope (DM) method using pyronin Y-methyl green stain, which stains cell DNA. The use of the DeLaval cell counter (DCC) on goats' milk was compared with this reference method. Samples from 102 udder halves were cell counted using the direct microscope method and the DeLaval cell counter (DCC). Each sample was counted twice by two different observers by the DM method and once using DCC. DCC showed large coefficients of regression (1·03) and correlation (0·95) when compared with the DM cell count (F1,199=1080·0; P<0·001). Goat, udder half and reader type were significant factors.
Bi-directional flows in constrained systems
Authors: HUPPERT HERBERT E. , HALLWORTH MARK A.
Published: April 2007

We consider the exchange flow of relatively dense, viscous fluid in a container connected by a vertical pipe to a container beneath it, initially full of relatively light fluid. A non-dimensional value for the flux of dense fluid down the tube is determined experimentally as a function of the ratio of the two viscosities and the Reynolds number. The experimental data are satisfactorily collapsed using dimensional analysis and balancing buoyancy, inertial and viscous forces as appropriate. A theoretical analysis, assuming steady, axisymmetric motion, captures a considerable part, but not all of the processes involved. The paper discusses quantitative applications of the results to the movement of magma in volcanic conduits. The concepts indicate how bi-directional convection in the conduit between a lava lake and a magma reservoir deep in the crust is the essential ingredient in the explanation of the long-standing problem that the amount of degassing of sulphur dioxide from a lava lake in a volcanic crater can exceed by many orders of magnitude that consistent with the amount of lava solidified in the crater. Movies are available with the online version of the paper.
Rotating gravity currents: small-scale and large-scale laboratory experiments and a geostrophic model
Authors: THOMAS P. J. , LINDEN P. F.
Published: April 2007

Laboratory experiments simulating gravity-driven coastal surface currents produced by estuarine fresh-water discharges into the ocean are discussed. The currents are generated inside a rotating tank filled with salt water by the continuous release of buoyant fresh water from a small source at the fluid surface. The height, the width and the length of the currents are studied as a function of the background rotation rate, the volumetric discharge rate and the density difference at the source. Two complementary experimental data sets are discussed and compared with each other. One set of experiments was carried out in a tank of diameter 1 m on a small-scale rotating turntable. The second set of experiments was conducted at the large-scale Coriolis Facility (LEGI, Grenoble) which has a tank of diameter 13 m. A simple geostrophic model predicting the current height, width and propagation velocity is developed. The experiments and the model are compared with each other in terms of a set of non-dimensional parameters identified in the theoretical analysis of the problem. These parameters enable the corresponding data of the large-scale and the small-scale experiments to be collapsed onto a single line. Good agreement between the model and the experiments is found.
Active control of high-speed and high-Reynolds-number jets using plasma actuators
Authors: SAMIMY M. , KIM J.-H. , KASTNER J. , ADAMOVICH I. , UTKIN Y.
Published: April 2007

Localized arc filament plasma actuators are used to control an axisymmetric Mach 1.3 ideally expanded jet of 2.54 cm exit diameter and a Reynolds number based on the nozzle exit diameter of about 1.1×106. Measurements of growth and decay of perturbations seeded in the flow by the actuators, laser-based planar flow visualizations, and particle imaging velocimetry measurements are used to evaluate the effects of control. Eight actuators distributed azimuthally inside the nozzle, approximately 1 mm upstream of the nozzle exit, are used to force various azimuthal modes over a large frequency range (StDF of 0.13 to 1.3). The jet responded to the forcing over the entire range of frequencies, but the response was optimum (in terms of the development of large coherent structures and mixing enhancement) around the jet preferred Strouhal number of 0.33 (f = 5 kHz), in good agreement with the results in the literature for low-speed and low-Reynolds-number jets. The jet (with a thin boundary layer, D/θ ∼ 250) also responded to forcing with various azimuthal modes (m = 0 to 3 and m = ±1, ±2, ±4), again in agreement with instability analysis and experimental results in the literature for low-speed and low-Reynolds-number jets. Forcing the jet with the azimuthal mode m = ±1 at the jet preferred-mode frequency provided the maximum mixing enhancement, with a significant reduction in the jet potential core length and a significant increase in the jet centreline velocity decay rate beyond the end of the potential core.
Stress-induced cavitation for the streaming motion of a viscous liquid past a sphere
Authors: PADRINO J. C. , JOSEPH D. D. , FUNADA T. , WANG J. , SIRIGNANO W. A.
Published: April 2007

The theory of stress-induced cavitation is applied here to the problem of cavitation of a viscous liquid in the streaming flow past a stationary sphere. This theory is a revision of the pressure theory which states that a flowing liquid will cavitate when and where the pressure drops below a cavitation threshold, or breaking strength, of the liquid. In the theory of stress-induced cavitation the liquid will cavitate when and where the maximum tensile stress exceeds the breaking strength of the liquid. For example, liquids at atmospheric pressure which cannot withstand tension will cavitate when and where additive tensile stresses due to motion exceed one atmosphere. A cavity will open in the direction of the maximum tensile stress, which is 45° from the plane of shearing in pure shear of a Newtonian fluid. This maximum tension criterion is applied here to analyse the onset of cavitation for the irrotational motion of a viscous fluid, the special case imposed by the limit of very low Reynolds numbers and the fluid flow obtained from the numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations. The analysis leads to a dimensionless expression for the maximum tensile stress as a function of position which depends on the cavitation and Reynolds numbers. The main conclusion is that at a fixed cavitation number the extent of the region of flow at risk to cavitation increases as the Reynolds number decreases. This prediction that more viscous liquids at a fixed cavitation number are at greater risk of cavitation seems not to be addressed, affirmed nor denied, in the cavitation literature known to us.
A SERIOUS JOY: ASTR FROM 1981 TO 2006
Authors: Williams Gary Jay
Published: April 2007

This history of the American Society for Theatre Research is written on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary and focuses chiefly on the years from 1981 to 2006, but with an overview of ASTR's first twenty-five years as a necessary prologue. A scholarly organization changing in response to complex cultural dynamics, ASTR is very different today from the society of 1956 and the society of 1981.
RHETORICS OF THEOBSCÆNE
Authors: Walker Jonathan
Published: April 2007

Usual stuff, more or less, only inside out. That is the condition under which Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern labor, a condition in which all the world's a backstage. Taking Shakespeare'sHamletas the “supposed to happen,” as a kind of imaginary promptbook,Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Deadreverses theatrical perspectives to show the lives of its not-so-lead characters “off.” In one sense Stoppard's play blunts the purpose of its dramatic forebear by not keeping to the usual stuff, but then it also highlights the various regions, conversations, and actions of an offstage world thatHamlet, like most other drama, must always take for granted.
DEATH'S ARRIVAL ANDEVERYMAN'SSEPARATION
Authors: Paulson Julie
Published: April 2007

In the late medieval morality playEveryman, the character Death makes a grand entrance on stage only to be met with utter misrecognition and incomprehension. When Death explains that he is here to take Everyman on a “longe iourney” to make his “rekenynge … before God,” Everyman's incomprehension is humorous even as it reveals him to be deeply unready for Death's summons: he asks Death, “Sholde I not come agayne shortly?” Everyman's inability to recognize the permanence of Death's “journey” raises the question for the audience of what might constitute such a recognition. Depicting death as a presence initially inscrutable to its central character,Everymanasks what it means to make our own mortality present to us, to recognize our finitude, and to remember that we must die. The play presents a surprisingly circuitous answer to that question, first providing a sustained investigation into how one learns the meaning of a word, and then concluding that individual understandings of words, concepts, and mortality emerge through the interpersonal relations and communal rituals that reveal and guarantee their meanings. Through its focus on the interrelational dimensions of penance, the play emphasizes the impact of community on the formation of Everyman's self-understanding. By showing penance in performance,Everymanreveals penance itself to be performative, dynamic, and capable of changing Everyman's understanding of both himself and his relation to others. Attending to the play's investigation of language and penitential practice allows us to understand more fully the role of theatricality in medieval notions of subjectivity, wherein even the most individual of experiences are shown to rely on communal processes of generating meaning. By investigatingEveryman's presentation of the communal dimensions of penance, we can develop a new understanding of a morality play itself as a deeply social drama.
From blatant to latent protest (and back again): on the politics of theatrical spectacle in Madonna’s ‘American Life’
Authors: SCHERZINGER MARTIN , SMITH STEPHEN
Published: April 2007

This paper explores ambiguities of political resistance and anti-war protest in Madonna’s music video, ‘American Life’. We begin by tracing the history of the making, promotion and eventual withdrawal of the video in the context of the military build-up and media campaign that preceded the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. In these opening sections, we focus in particular on the (perhaps deliberately generated) controversy surrounding the work, and its problematic relationship with contemporary corporate mass media. We then proceed to describe the visual contents of the video, and present three distinct readings of it: first, as a gesture of overt protest against the war; second, as a work that is unaware of the manner in which its signifying textures unwittingly and covertly celebrate the culture it would critique, thus nullifying its overt subversive gesture; and third, as a work that is in fact far more politically resistant than it knows, through an uncanny form of protest that is dependent upon this very complicity.
On a singular Sturm-Liouville problem involving
an advanced functional differential equation
Authors: VAN BRUNT B. , WAKE G. C. , KI M H. K.
Published: April 2007

Solutions to a boundary-value problem involving a second-order linear functional differential
equation with an advanced argument are investigated in this paper. The boundary conditions
imposed on the differential equation are analogous to conditions defining various singular
Sturm-Liouville problems, and if an eigenvalue parameter is introduced certain properties of
the spectrum can be deduced having analogues with the classical problem. Dirichlet series
solutions are constructed for the problem and it is established that the spectrum contains
an infinite number of real positive eigenvalues. A Laplace transform analysis of the problem
then reveals that the spectrum does not generically consist of isolated points and that there
may be an infinite number of eigenfunctions corresponding to a given eigenvalue. In contrast,
it is also shown that there is a subset of eigenvalues that correspond to the zeros of an entire
function for which the corresponding eigenfunctions are unique.
Non-integrable lattice equations supporting kink
and soliton solutions
Authors: COMMON A. K. , MUSETTE M.
Published: April 2007

Nonintegrable differential-difference equations are constructed which support two-kink and
two-soliton solutions. These equations are related to the discrete Burgers hierarchy and a
discrete form of the Korteweg-de Vries equation. In particular, discretisations of equations
related to the Fitzhugh-Nagumo-Kolmogorov-Petrovskii-Piskunov, Satsuma-Burgers-Huxley
equations are derived. Methods presented here can also be used to derive non-integrable
differential-difference equations describing the elastic collision of more than two kinks or
solitary waves.
Source-type solutions of the fourth-order unstable thin film equation
Authors: EVANS J. D. , GALAKTIONOV V. A. , KING J. R.
Published: April 2007

We consider the fourth-order thin film equation (TFE)

with the unstable second-order diffusion term. We show that, for the first critical exponent

where N ≥ 1 is the space dimension, the free-boundary problem the with zero contact angle and zero-flux conditions admits continuous sets (branches) of self-similar similarity solutions of the form

For the Cauchy problem, we describe families of self-similar patterns, which admit a regular limit as n → 0+ and converge to the similarity solutions of the semilinear unstable limit Cahn-Hilliard equation

studied earlier in [12]. Using both analytic and numerical evidence, we show that such solutions of the TFE are oscillatory and of changing sign near interfaces for all n ∈ (0,nh), where the value

characterizes a heteroclinic bifurcation of periodic solutions in a certain rescaled ODE. We also discuss the cases p ⧧ = p0, the interface equation, and regular analytic approximations for such TFEs as an approach to the Cauchy problem.