bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimated GFR reporting is not sufficient to allow detection of chronic kidney disease in an Italian regional hospital
Authors: Gentile Giorgio , Postorino Maurizio , Mooring Raymond D , De Angelis Luigi , Manfreda Valeria Maria , Ruffini Fabrizio , Pioppo Manuela , Quintaliani Giuseppe
Published: September 2009

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an emerging worldwide problem. The lack of attention paid to kidney disease is well known and has been described in previous publications. However, little is known about the magnitude of the problem in highly specialized hospitals where serum creatinine values are used to estimate GFR values.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional evaluation of hospitalized adult patients who were admitted to the medical or surgical department of Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in 2007. Information regarding admissions was derived from a database. Our goal was to assess the prevalence of CKD (defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and detection of CKD using diagnostic codes (Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM]). To reduce the impact of acute renal failure on the study, the last eGFR obtained during hospitalization was the value used for analysis, and intensive care and nephrology unit admissions were excluded. We also excluded patients who had ICD-9-CM codes for renal replacement therapy, acute renal failure, and contrast administration listed as discharge diagnoses.

Results

Of the 18,412 patients included in the study, 4,748 (25.8%) had reduced eGFRs, falling into the category of Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) stage 3 (or higher) CKD. However, the diagnosis of CKD was only reported in 19% of these patients (904/4,748). It is therefore evident that there was a "gray area" corresponding to stage 3 CKD (eGFR 30-59 ml/min), in which most CKD diagnoses are missed. The ICD-9 code sensitivity for detecting CKD was significantly higher in patients with diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (26.8%, 22.2%, and 23.7%, respectively) than in subjects without diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease (p < 0.001), but these values are low when the widely described relationship between such comorbidities and CKD is considered.

Conclusion

Although CKD was common in this patient population at a large inpatient regional hospital, the low rates of CKD detection emphasize the primary role nephrologists must play in continued medical education, and the need for ongoing efforts to train physicians (particularly primary care providers) regarding eGFR interpretation and systematic screening for CKD in high-risk patients (i.e., the elderly, diabetics, hypertensives, and patients with CV disease).
The role of cervical Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in the prediction of the course and outcome of induced labour
Authors: Jokhi Roobin P , Brown Brian H , Anumba Dilly OC
Published: September 2009

Background

Previous work by us and others had suggested that cervical electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) may be predictive of the outcome of induced labour. We sought to determine which probe configuration of the EIS device is predictive of the outcome of induced labour and compare this to digital assessment by the Bishop score.

Methods

In a prospective cohort of 205 women admitted for induction of labour, we used four probes of diameter 3, 6, 9 and 12 mm connected to an impedance meter to measure cervical resistivity (CR) in Ohm.meters at 14 electrical frequencies and compared their values to digital assessment of the cervix by the Bishop score for the prediction of the outcome of induced labour. We tested the association of labour characteristics and outcomes with CR and Bishop score by stepwise multilinear regression analyses, and the accuracy of prediction of categorical clinical outcomes by analysis of the area under the curves (AUC) of derived Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

Of the four CR probe dimensions studied, only the 12 mm probe was predictive of any labour indices. In the frequency range 19 - 156 kHz, CR obtained with this probe was higher in women who delivered by caesarean section (CS) than those who delivered vaginally, and in labours lasting > 24 hrs. Cervical resistivity at 78.1 kHz best predicted vaginal delivery [optimal cut-off <2.25 Ohm.meter, AUC 0.66 (95% CI 0.59-0.72), sensitivity 71.0%, specificity 56.5%, LR+ 1.63, LR- 0.51, P < 0.01] and labour duration >24 hrs [optimal cut-off 2.27 Ω.m, AUC 0.65 (95% CI 0.58, 0.72), sensitivity 71%, specificity 59%, LR+ 1.72, LR- 0.50, P < 0.05]. In contrast digital assessment by the Bishop score neither predicted vaginal delivery nor the duration of labour. However, Bishop score predicted time to onset of labour > 12 hours and induction-delivery interval < 24 hrs [optimal cut-off ≤ 4, AUC 0.8 (95% CI 0.75, 0.86), sensitivity 77%, specificity 76%, LR+ 3.3, LR- 0.3, P < 0.05] whilst CR did not.

Conclusion

Cervical resistivity appears predictive of labour duration and delivery mode following induced labour. However the low predictive values obtained suggest that its current design proffers no immediate clinical utility.
Customized pachymetric guided epithelial debridement for corneal collagen cross linking
Authors: Kymionis George D , Diakonis Vasilios F , Coskunseven Efekan , Jankov Mirco , Yoo Sonia H , Pallikaris Ioannis G
Published: September 2009

Backround

We describe a modified method for deepitheliazation prior to corneal cross linking (CXL). The technique may overcome the current corneal pachymetric limitation parameter (over 400 microns) that is necessary for the safety of the procedure without affecting the overall benefits.

Methods

In a series of two patients, with inferior topographic steepening and regional thinning (less than 400 microns corresponding to the area of corneal steepening), CXL after customized epithelial removal was performed.

Results

There were no intra- or postoperative adverse events seen by the nine month follow up examination. Stabilization of the corneal ectasia was observed up to nine months post-costumized pachymetric-guided epithelial removal.

Conclusion

The technique of customized pachymetric-guided epithelial removal is easy to perform and may overcome the limitations of the preoperative corneal pachymetry expanding the application of the procedure in patients with regional corneal thinning.
Asymptomatic papillary fibroelastoma of the Aortic valve in a young woman - a case report
Authors: Parthenakis Fragiskos , Nyktari Evangelia , Patrianakos Alexandros , Pitsis Antonis , Asimaki Anthoula , Vardas Panos
Published: September 2009

Echocardiography represents an invaluable diagnostic tool for the detection of intracardiac masses while simultaneously provides information about their size, location, mobility and attachment site as well as the presence and extent of any consequent hemodynamic derangement.

A 29-year-old asymptomatic young woman with incidental transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) discovery of an aortic valve mass is presented. The 2-dimensional TTE showed a mobile, pedunculated mass, attached by a thin stalk to the aortic surface of the right coronary aortic cusp at the junction of its base with the anterior aortic wall. The importance of valve sparing tumour resection even in asymptomatic patients is emphasised.
Modulation of Apolipoprotein D levels in human pregnancy and association with gestational weight gain
Authors: Do Carmo Sonia , Forest Jean-Claude , Giguère Yves , Masse André , Lafond Julie , Rassart Eric
Published: September 2009

Background

Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) is a lipocalin involved in several processes including lipid transport, but its modulation during human pregnancy was never examined.

Methods

We investigated the changes in the levels of ApoD in the plasma of pregnant women at the two first trimesters of gestation and at delivery as well as in the placenta and in venous cord blood. These changes were studied in 151 women classified into 9 groups in relation to their prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG).

Results

Plasma ApoD levels decrease significantly during normal uncomplicated pregnancy. ApoD is further decreased in women with excessive GWG and their newborns. In these women, the ApoD concentration was tightly associated with the lipid parameters. However, the similar ApoD levels in low cholesterol (LC) and high cholesterol (HC) women suggest that the plasma ApoD variation is not cholesterol dependant. A tight regulation of both placental ApoD transcription and protein content is most probably at the basis of the low circulating ApoD concentrations in women with excessive GWG. After delivery, the plasma ApoD concentrations depended on whether the mother was breast-feeding or not, lactation favoring a faster return to baseline values.

Conclusion

It is speculated that the decrease in plasma ApoD concentration during pregnancy is an adaptive response aimed at maintaining fetal lipid homeostasis. The exact mechanism of this adaptation is not known.
Mary Elizabeth Hickox Mandels, 90, bioenergy leader
Authors: Allen Fred , Andreotti Raymond , Eveleigh Douglas E , Nystrom John
Published: September 2009

Mary E H Mandels, who spearheaded the US Army's national bioconversion studies for four decades and was an early proponent of conversion of waste biomass to readily bioconvertible sugars for the production of chemicals and transportation fuels such as ethanol, died 17 February 2008 at Natick, MA, USA. She was 90.
Immanentism, Double Abjection, and the Politics of Psyche in (Post)Colonial Taiwan
Authors: Liu Joyce C. H.
Published: September 2009

This essay discusses what I define as the psyche politics employed in the discourse of identity and of subjectivity in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), and how the use of such politics of psyche recurred in postcolonial Taiwan, especially in the discourse of the nativized Taiwanese subject of the recent decades under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government (1990s to 2008). I use psyche politics to refer to the discursive operations of molding, shaping, fashioning, policing, and governing of the interior essence of life.

Through analyzing the discursive event triggered by Yoshinori Kobayashi's graphic history On Taiwan, (Shin G manism Sengen Supesharu—Taiwan Ron) which appeared in 2001, and the discourse of self-effacement and self-abjection present in many literary texts, cultural policies, and public opinions during the Japanese colonial period, I point out that the discursive self-abjection, or the will to cleanse the uncleanliness of one's heart, maneuvered and coerced through cultural regime, is indispensable for the formation of a non-I subject. More significantly, the discourse of the gong, the reverse side of the self-abjection, sets the frame of the spiritual totality to be shared by the individuals as parts of the whole. The two symbiotic states, self-abjection and the participation within the gong, constructed a particular mode of discourse of the psyche in East Asia during the Pacific War and paved the way for the frame of consciousness of the modern nation-state as well as the ground for subjectivation. Through such a discursive mode of psyche politics, a certain sense of community is engineered. We observe that the function of abjection operates in double directions: the internal effacement and the external exclusion. The locus of the gong, defined variously according to different contexts, which is often erected in the name of love in order to uphold the sense of community, paradoxically also serves the cause for cruelty and abjection against difference, both outside and inside the community.
Representation Crisis: History, Fiction, and Post Martial Law Writers from the “Soldiers' Villages”
Authors: Hsiao-yen Peng
Published: September 2009

This article centers on Zhu Tianwen, Zhu Tianxin, and Zhang Dachun, writers who were born and brought up in the “solders' villages” and have cultivated a condition of marginality that allows them to position themselves as nonbelievers—those who question the truth of any totalizing narrative. The main argument is about what I call a “representation crisis,” the deep feeling that both language and narrative have lost their referent in the post-martial law cultural state in Taiwan. I point out that these writers' mistrust of official histories leads to an inward turn toward personal experiences, whereas the inability to grab a unifying self results in the questioning of language as a useful means to convey meaning; language or narrative as a signifier of an external referent is put into question. I demonstrate how these writers put into relief the fictional quality of both fiction writing and history making and how the intricate network of intertextuality in their stories highlight the parallel between a split self and the failure of the referentiality of language. The end of the paper analyzes the movie A City of Sadness as the epitome of the concept of representation crisis.
Engendering Victimhood: Women in Literature of Atrocity
Authors: Lin Sylvia Li-chun
Published: September 2009

This essay examines the current state of Taiwanese culture through the project of restoration of history, focusing on a corpus of literary works that represent Taiwan's 2/28 Incident and its aftermath, the White Terror. Post-martial law Taiwan witnessed the birthing of a new nation with burgeoning writings of a new historiography, particularly in the literary field. Writers have re-created scenes and the effects of atrocity in order to fill in the gaps in history as a new Taiwan is being written into existence. In this body of literature, women as victims have clearly been considered the most powerful trope to convey a sense of injustice. By situating my analysis in the larger context of third-world women and their changing roles vis-à-vis tradition during national crises, I argue that the definition of victimhood is, in fact, never readily transparent, and hence equivocal portrayals of women as victims not only constitute a sign of an evolving understanding of Taiwanese history but become a crucial narrative device that helps to avoid the pitfall of trivialization.
Cinema of Disillusionment: Chen Guofu, Cai Mingliang, and Taiwan's Second New Wave
Authors: Deppman Hsiu-Chuang
Published: September 2009

This essay is a study of Chen Guofu and Cai Mingliang, two prominent Taiwan directors whose work in the 1980s helped shape the Second New Wave movement. More recently, Chen's 1998 The Personals and Cai's 2002 What Time Is It There? broke new ground by developing controlled realist styles into an aesthetics of “disillusioned cinema”: a postmodern urban genre that simultaneously derides personal fantasies of sexual love and political fantasies of nation building. Both films use the formulas of romance to highlight the illusions and alienations of contemporary love, of individual pleasures disintegrating communal bonds. On a more symbolic level, they banish male authority into the netherworld and deconstruct patriarchal structures, some of which can be associated with the oppression of “first-world” cultural imperialism. Such thematic and allegorical topics are presented through a variety of styles—including play-within-the-play, repetitions of plot and motif, and symbolic mise-en-scène—with Cai, in particular, testing the possibilities of antinarrative. Both directors also use a gendered filmic language to illustrate Taiwan's “third-world” deconstruction of the classical Hollywood narrative and to echo the crises of a new democracy.
New approaches for modelling sporadic genetic disease in the mouse
Authors: Fisher Elizabeth M. C. , Lana-Elola Eva , Watson Sheona D. , Vassiliou George , Tybulewicz Victor L. J.
Published: September 2009

Sporadic diseases, which occur as single, scattered cases, are among the commonest causes of human morbidity and death. They result in a variety of diseases, including many cancers, premature aging, neurodegeneration and skeletal defects. They are often pathogenetically complex, involving a mosaic distribution of affected cells, and are difficult to model in the mouse. Faithful models of sporadic diseases require innovative forms of genetic manipulation to accurately recreate their initiation and pathogenesis. Such modelling is crucial to understanding these diseases and, by extension, to the development of therapeutic approaches to treat them. This article focuses on sporadic diseases with a genetic aetiology, the challenges they pose to biomedical researchers, and the different current and developing approaches used to model such disorders in the mouse.
Rodent models of diabetic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Bugger Heiko , Abel E. Dale
Published: September 2009

Diabetic cardiomyopathy increases the risk of heart failure in individuals with diabetes, independently of co-existing coronary artery disease and hypertension. The underlying mechanisms for this cardiac complication are incompletely understood. Research on rodent models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and the use of genetic engineering techniques in mice, have greatly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for human diabetic cardiomyopathy. The adaptation of experimental techniques for the investigation of cardiac physiology in mice now allows comprehensive characterization of these models. The focus of the present review will be to discuss selected rodent models that have proven to be useful in studying the underlying mechanisms of human diabetic cardiomyopathy, and to provide an overview of the characteristics of these models for the growing number of investigators who seek to understand the pathology of diabetes-related heart disease.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis: malignancy or inflammatory disorder doing a great job of imitating one?
Authors: Degar Barbara A. , Rollins Barrett J.
Published: September 2009

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is the unifying designation for a rare proliferative disorder that occurs predominantly in childhood and involves the main antigen-presenting cell of the epidermis. LCH can present in a multitude of ways, from a self-limited rash that resolves spontaneously to a systemic multi-organ disease with a 20% mortality rate. Because some forms behave in a relatively benign manner and are associated with an inflammatory cell infiltrate, it has been proposed that LCH might be a reactive disease. However, its neoplastic nature is suggested by the fact that the proliferating cells in LCH are clonal and overexpress p53. Nonetheless, no recurrent genomic, genetic or epigenetic abnormalities have been identified. Instead, a variety of molecular abnormalities that are consistent with disordered Langerhans cell maturation have been described. A faithful small animal model would aid our understanding of the pathophysiology of LCH but, to date, none exists. Challenges to the creation of a model include the lack of characteristically recurrent genetic abnormalities and the absence of a truly tissue-specific promoter to drive expression of genetic elements solely in Langerhans cells. Still, some of the phenotypic abnormalities in adhesion molecule or chemokine receptor expression might be modeled with sufficient precision to allow the testing of novel therapies.
Taking translational research to heart: an interview with Sir Magdi Yacoub
Authors: Rosenthal Nadia
Published: September 2009

Sir Magdi Yacoub is a founding editor of DMM, whose work as a cardiac surgeon and researcher has devised new operations for congenital and acquired heart disease, and has advanced heart and heart-lung transplantation techniques. He and his collaborators have studied the sophisticated functions of living heart valves and are using stem cells to produce a tissue-engineered valve that can reproduce their functions. Here, he discusses with fellow DMM founding editor Nadia Rosenthal, how his career evolved and why he hopes research will put heart surgeons like himself out of business.
Stabilin-1 mediates phosphatidylserine-dependent clearance of cell corpses in alternatively activated macrophages
Authors: Park Seung-Yoon , Jung Mi-Yeon , Lee Sung-Jin , Kang Kae-Bok , Gratchev Alexei , Riabov Vladimir , Kzhyshkowska Julia , Kim In-San
Published: September 2009

Stabilin-1 is specifically expressed in alternatively activated macrophages. These macrophages participate in anti-inflammatory and healing processes, and display a high phagocytic capacity. In this study, we provide evidence that stabilin-1 is a membrane receptor that performs a crucial function in the clearance of cell corpses. Stabilin-1 is expressed on the cell surface of alternatively activated macrophages and is recruited to the sites of recognition and engulfment of apoptotic bodies, as well as to early phagosomes. Blocking stabilin-1 in macrophages results in defective engulfment of aged red blood cells. Ectopic expression of stabilin-1 induces the binding and engulfment of aged cells in mouse fibroblast L cells. The binding and phagocytosis are dependent on phosphatidylserine (PS), which is well known as an engulfing ligand. Furthermore, using PS-coated beads, we demonstrate that PS directly interacts with stabilin-1 and is sufficient for stabilin-1-mediated phagocytosis. EGF-like domain repeat in stabilin-1 is responsible for PS recognition and binding. Thus, our results demonstrate that stabilin-1, found on alternatively activated macrophages, is a phagocytic receptor mediating the clearance of apoptotic cells in a PS-dependent manner. Therefore, this protein might play an important role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and prevention of autoimmunity.
Retrospective case review of time taken for 130 professional musicians to fully return to playing their instruments following hand surgery
Authors: Butler Katherine , Winspur Ian
Published: September 2009

Background.

Surgery on musicians must be entered into cautiously and should be the only treatment option indicated after trialling all other appropriate ones. There are four main principles that must be carefully considered when operating on musicians: the exact location of incisions, anatomic repair and reconstruction, adjustment of any anticipated anatomic compromise to the musician's specific musical needs and the need for an early return to limited playing. The purpose of this case review was to identify which instrument and what medical condition require the most time for the musician to fully return to playing. This in turn can assist in realistic goal setting with individual patients according to these two categories.

Methods.

A retrospective review of a single surgeon's case series of 130 professional musicians was undertaken. Data regarding their medical condition, instrument played, length of time off the instrument following surgery and the time taken to return to full normal professional playing were recorded and analysed.

Results.

A total of 97.7 percent of the patients returned to full time playing and there was a 2.3% ‘failure’ rate. The results indicate that piano players appear to initially take the most time to return to their instrument and string players take the most time to fully rehabilitate. Trauma appears to be the most difficult condition from which to initially recover however, nerve decompressions (with the exception of carpal tunnel releases) take the most time to fully rehabilitate. The most common medical condition requiring surgical intervention was nerve compressions and the piano was the most common instrument played in the series.

Conclusions.

This case series highlights the importance of early return to playing and utilizing the musical instrument as a therapeutic tool in the rehabilitation programme of musicians.
The Role of Voriconazole in the Treatment of Central Nervous System Blastomycosis
Authors: Ta Mai , Flowers Stephanie A , Rogers P David
Published: September 2009

Background:

Blastomycosis is an endemic mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. Although this disease primarily involves the lungs, the clinical spectrum of blastomycosis can range from subclinical infection to extrapulmonary dissemination. The central nervous system (CNS) form of blastomycosis is primarily treated with an amphotericin B formulation, but associated toxicities of this agent preclude its use in some patients. Voriconazole is a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal that has emerged as a potential treatment option for CNS blastomycosis because of its excellent penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue.

Objective:

To evaluate evidence for the use of voriconazole in the treatment of CNS blastomycosis.

Data Sources:

A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, and PubMed (all up to April 2009). Search terms included voriconazole, blastomyces, blastomycosis, CNS, cerebral, and central nervous system.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

English-language clinical trials, case reports, treatment guidelines, and background material were searched for voriconazole safety and efficacy data. References of reviewed articles were examined and used to identify additional sources.

Data Synthesis:

A search of the literature yielded 2 published case reports and 2 case series documenting a total of 7 cases of CNS blastomycosis. In all cases, CNS blastomycosis was successfully treated sequentially with amphotericin B followed by voriconazole. To date, no clinical trials have evaluated the use of voriconazole in treating CNS blastomycosis. Ages of the patients with documented cases of CNS blastomycosis ranged from 14 months to 63 years. In at least 5 cases, CNS blastomycosis presented as lesions in the brain detected by magnetic resonance imaging. One case presented as focal splenic lesions. The remaining 2 were diagnosed based on neuroimaging studies or positive spinal fluid serology. Prior to receiving voriconazole, patients were treated with an amphotericin B formulation combined in some situations with either fluconazole or itraconazole. Subjects underwent treatment with voriconazole for an average of 11 months, with disease remission or stabilization detected in all cases.

Conclusions:

Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the role of voriconazole in the treatment of CNS blastomycosis. It nonetheless may be considered as an azole option for either follow-up therapy after liposomal amphotericin B therapy or as salvage therapy in patients intolerant of amphotericin B or other azoles.
C 375 - 58 Standard Classification of Water Used in Milling of Porcelain Enamel
Authors: Committee C-22
Published: September 2009

This classification covers water used in the milling of porcelain enamel frit.
D 512 - 55 T Tentative Methods of Test for Chloride ion in Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) These methods cover the volumetric determination of chloride ion in industrial water and industrial waste water. The following two methods are included: Sections Referee Method A (Mercurimetric Titration) 5 to 12 Referee Method B (Silver Nitrate Titration) 13 to 19 (b) Referee Method A is applicable to high-purity industrial water and water relatively free of heavy metal ions. Referee Method B is applicable to low-purity industrial water and industrial waste water.
D 516 - 59 T Tentative Methods of Test for Sulfate ion in Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) These methods cover the determination of sulfate ion in industrial water and industrial waste water. Three methods are given as follows: Sections Referee Method (Gravimetric Method) 5 to 11 Non-Referee Method A (Turbidimetric Method) 12 to 20 Non-Referee Method B (Volumetric Method) 21 to 31 (b) The Referee method is a primary measure of sulfate ion in all industrial water. The Non-referee methods are less time-consuming but often more liable to interference than the Referee method. They are particularly useful in the lower sulfate range, below 20 ppm SO4−−.
D 859 - 55 T Tentative Methods of Test for Silica in Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) These methods cover the determination of silica in industrial water and industrial waste water. The following three methods are included: Sections Referee Method (Gravimetric Method) 5 to 11, Non-Referee Method A (Colorimetric Method) 12 to 20, Non-Referee Method B (Colorimetric Method) 21 to 29, (b) The Referee Method covers gravimetric, acid-dehydration procedures; it is independent of interferences, and is a primary measure of total silica in water. The Non-Referee Methods are colorimetric determinations, and are secondary measures of crystalloidal (noncolloidal) silica in that they must be standardized against the Referee Method or primary silica standards.
D 888 - 49 T Tentative Methods of Test for Dissolved Oxygen in Industrial Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) These methods of test cover procedures for the determination of dissolved oxygen in industrial water. Three methods are given, as follows: Sections Referee Method 4 to 9, Non-Referee Method A 10 to 15, Non-Referee Method B 16 to 21, (b) The referee method covers the procedure for the most precise and accurate determination of dissolved oxygen in all industrial waters. Non-referee methods A and B cover procedures of greater simplicity and lesser precision and accuracy than the referee method.
D 934 - 52 Standard Method for Identification of Crystalline Compounds in Water-Formed Deposits by X-Ray Diffraction
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

This method describes equipment and a procedure for the identification by X-ray diffraction of crystalline compounds (1, 2, 3, 4) in deposits formed from or by water during its industrial use. The procedure is basically that of Hull (5) with the contributions of Hanawalt, Rinn, and Frevel (6). This method yields positive identification of the crystalline components of waterformed solids for which X-ray diffraction data are available or can be obtained. Without special treatment, amorphous phases cannot be identified. The sensitivity for a given component varies with a combination of such factors as the density, degree of crystallization, particle size, coincidence of strong lines of components, and the kind and arrangement of the atoms of the component. Minimum percentages for identification may therefore vary between the ranges of 5 to 40 per cent. Note 1.—The practice and theory of X-ray diffraction have been described in detail in the Recommended Practice for Identification of Crystalline Materials by the Hanawalt X-ray Diffraction Method (ASTM Designation: E 43) and in other available reference works (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).
D 1066 - 59 T Tentative Method of Sampling Steam
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

This method covers the sampling of steam, either saturated or superheated, flowing in a pipe or conduit. It applies to steam at pressures sufficiently above atmospheric pressure to establish the required rate of sample flow, and also to steam at lower and subatmospheric pressures for which means must be provided to establish the required rate of flow and to deliver the sample to a container at atmospheric pressure.
D 1125 - 59 T Tentative Methods of Test for Electrical Conductivity of Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

These methods cover the measurement of the electrical conductivity of industrial water and industrial waste water. These methods are applicable for such purposes as the detection of ionized impurities dissolved in condensed steam, the approximate determination of dissolved electrolytes in natural and treated waters, such as boiler feedwater, boiler water, evaporator salines, and cooling water. The following methods are included: Sections Referee Method 9 to 15, Non-Referee Method 16 to 22.
D 1178 - 54 T Tentative Method of Test for Chloroform-Extractable Matter in Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) This method covers the separation of chloroform-extractable matter from industrial water and industrial waste water, and the gravimetric determination of that portion of the extract which is not lost upon evaporation of the chloroform. This residue may contain one or more members of several classes of compounds, among which are heavy oils and fats, trace amounts of phenols, rubber and certain resins, asphaltenes and carbenes, and decomposition products of tannin. (b) This method is applicable to the determination of heavy oils in industrial water and industrial waste water. It is not intended to determine materials that volatilize under the conditions of test nor to determine specific oils, greases, and organic compounds. When such information is desired, the residue obtained by this method may be subjected to further extraction with specific solvents agreed upon by the interested parties.
D 1245 - 55 Standard Method for Examination of Water-Formed Deposits by Chemical Microscopy
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) This method describes a procedure for the examination of waterformed deposits by means of chemical microscopy. The procedures of chemical microscopy are applicable to all waterformed deposits. They are much less time consuming than chemical macroanalysis, and, when they can be supplemented by optical data, sufficient information may be obtained to make complete chemical analysis unnecessary. The sample required is small. The method can be applied in cases where there is not sufficient sample available for a macroanalysis. (b) The petrographic procedure which is a part of this method is limited to deposits that are composed of individual particles or crystals having a diameter of at least 10 μ, unless the particles have a characteristic form, cleavage, or highly specific identifying optical properties.
D 1252 - 58 T Tentative Method of Test for Chemical Oxygen Demand (Dichromate Oxygen Demand) of Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) This method describes a procedure for determining the quantity of oxygen which an industrial waste water will consume from a dichromate solution under specified conditions. (b) This method for chemical oxygen demand is recommended as a supplement to the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test, but not as a substitute for it (Note 1). Note 1.—In spite of weaknesses inherent in a biological assay, the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the only test which indicates directly the quantity of oxygen that will be utilized by natural agencies in stabilizing or ganic matter. However, the test for chemical oxygen demand (COD) may be used in evaluating the treatment and control of industrial waste water, and may be correlated with the BOD. Since these tests, COD and BOD, are not uniformly effective in oxidizing organic chemical compounds, there is no inherent constant relationship between the results of these tests for all industrial waste waters. If the basic composition of an industrial waste water continues to be relatively uniform, a fairly constant correlation may be expected between these paramenters. (c) This method can be applied to individual concentrated industrial wastes and to the combined effluents from a chemical plant. Ferrous iron, nitrites, sulfites, sulfides, halides, etc., are oxidized as well as organic constituents. Chlorides are quantitatively oxidized by this method, with 1 ppm of chloride as Cl− exerting the equivalent of 0l226 ppm chemical oxygen demand. Therefore, small amounts of organic matter cannot be reliably determined in the presence of a high chloride content, such as would be found in sea water. Furthermore, low results may be obtained under certain conditions, since not all organic compounds are completely oxidized (see Section 10).
D 1292 - 59 T Tentative Method of Test for Odor in Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) This method describes a procedure for determining the odor (that is, the property that affects the sense of smell) of industrial water and industrial waste water. A suggested system for classifying odors is given as an appendix to the method. The method is applicable to the determination of odor intensity in terms of threshold odor number or odor intensity index (Note 1). Note 1. Odor intensity index is the number of times the concentration of the original samples is halved by addition of odor-free water to obtain the least definitely perceptible odor. (b) Industrial effluents may carry a myriad of compounds that contribute to odor difficulties and yet can be measured individually only with difficulty. Combinations of compounds can provide odor intensity or characteristics that cannot be anticipated from individual analyses. (c) Because of the variation in human sensitivity, high precision in determining odor intensity is not possible. There will not always be agreement on odor characteristics by various testers. Odor analysis provides the tool to measure variation in odor intensity at a given sampling point. The degree of variation may indicate the magnitude or importance of an odor problem. Determining the cause of the variation or the source of the objectionable characteristic may define the odor problem better than analysis for individual compounds.
D 1429 - 56 T Tentative Methods of Test for Specific Gravity of Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

These methods describe a referee and a non-referee procedure for determining the specific gravity of industrial water and industrial waste water free of separable oil. The referee method is applicable to clear samples or those containing only a moderate amount of suspended solids. The non-referee method is applicable to samples of mud or sludge. The methods are designated as follows: Sections Referee Method (Pycnometer Method) 6 to 9 Non-Referee Method (Erlenmeyer Flask Method) 10 to 13
D 1590 - 58 T Tentative Method of Test for Surface Tension of Industrial Water and Industrial Waste Water
Authors: Committee D-19
Published: September 2009

(a) This method covers the procedure for quantitative measurement of the surface tension of industrial water and industrial waste water. The method is based on instrumental measurement by the ring method and offers the most precise and accurate determination. (b) This test is not intended to show any direct relationship between surface tension and concentration of surface-active agents.
A Survey of the Effects of Nonsteady Load and Temperature Conditions on the Creep of Metals
Authors: Manson S. S. , Brown W. F.
Published: September 2009

The design of complex parts subjected to creep conditions is generally-based on the results of relatively simple laboratory tests in which both the load and temperature are held constant. In actual service such steady conditions seldom are encountered. The load and temperature usually vary in some complex manner depending on the operating cycle. In recent years there has been an increasing effort to evaluate the influence of nonsteady load and temperature conditions on the creep characteristics of a number of alloys. The object of such tests may be considered two-fold: first to provide a fundamental understanding of the influence of nonsteady conditions on the flow and fracture characteristics, and secondly to arrive at more rational methods of design which will reduce the safety factors now employed. It is not to be expected that the results of nonsteady creep tests can be related in any simple manner to those of steady tests. If either the load or temperature change in some manner, various recovery effects and/or transient effects may influence creep flow and fracture. In addition, many engineering alloys are subject to structural changes during creep and these may be altered by the nonsteady conditions. These changes include: (a) recrystallization, (b) precipitation or changes in the form or arrangement of precipitates present in the heat treated structure, and (c) oxidation or corrosion. Structural effects such as these can influence the mechanical properties directly through their influence on the strength or indirectly through influence on ductility. Further, it is well known (1) (2) that cyclic heating alone can produce grain deformation without overall dimensional change in certain noncubic metals and that thermal cycling of uranium results in gross elongation (3). Another effect that must be considered is that of thermally induced stress due to temperature gradients throughout the body caused by alternate heating and cooling. The magnitude of these stresses and their effects will of course depend both on the geometry of the part and the temperature gradients. These various mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and in a given case they may act in combination. The observed effects of nonsteady creep conditions can seldom be clearly related to one or more mechanisms. This is particularly true in the investigations of engineering alloys where the tests were not specifically designed to reveal fundamental information of this nature.
Fear Extinction across Development: The Involvement of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex as Assessed by Temporary Inactivation and Immunohistochemistry
Authors: Kim Jee Hyun , Hamlin Adam S. , Richardson Rick
Published: September 2009

Extinction in adult animals, including humans, appears to involve the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, the role of mPFC in extinction across development has not yet been studied. Given several recent demonstrations of developmental differences in extinction of conditioned fear at a behavioral level, different neural circuitries may mediate fear extinction across development. In all experiments, noise conditioned stimulus (CS) and shock unconditioned stimulus (US) were used. In experiment 1A, temporary unilateral inactivation of the mPFC during extinction training impaired long-term extinction the following day in postnatal day 24 (P24) rats but not in P17 rats. In experiment 1B, bilateral inactivation of the mPFC again failed to disrupt long-term extinction in P17 rats. In experiment 2, extinction training increased phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (pMAPK) in the mPFC for P24 rats but not for P17 rats, whereas rats of both ages displayed elevated pMAPK in the amygdala. Across both ages, “not trained,” “reactivated,” and “no extinction” control groups expressed very low numbers of pMAPK-immunoreactive (IR) neurons across both neural structures. This result indicates that the mere conditioning experience, the exposure to the CS, or the expression of CS-elicited fear in and of itself is not sufficient to explain the observed increase in pMAPK-IR neurons in the mPFC and/or the amygdala after extinction. Together, these findings show that extinction in P17 rats does not involve the mPFC, which has important theoretical and clinical implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders in humans.
Multisensory Integration of Sounds and Vibrotactile Stimuli in Processing Streams for “What” and “Where”
Authors: Renier Laurent A. , Anurova Irina , De Volder Anne G. , Carlson Synnöve , VanMeter John , Rauschecker Josef P.
Published: September 2009

The segregation between cortical pathways for the identification and localization of objects is thought of as a general organizational principle in the brain. Yet, little is known about the unimodal versus multimodal nature of these processing streams. The main purpose of the present study was to test whether the auditory and tactile dual pathways converged into specialized multisensory brain areas. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare directly in the same subjects the brain activation related to localization and identification of comparable auditory and vibrotactile stimuli. Results indicate that the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and both left and right insula were more activated during identification conditions than during localization in both touch and audition. The reverse dissociation was found for the left and right inferior parietal lobules (IPL), the left superior parietal lobule (SPL) and the right precuneus-SPL, which were all more activated during localization conditions in the two modalities. We propose that specialized areas in the right IFG and the left and right insula are multisensory operators for the processing of stimulus identity whereas parts of the left and right IPL and SPL are specialized for the processing of spatial attributes independently of sensory modality.
Impaired Category Fluency in Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia: The Role of Episodic Memory
Authors: Greenberg Daniel L. , Keane Margaret M. , Ryan Lee , Verfaellie Mieke
Published: September 2009

Memory tasks are often classified as semantic or episodic, but recent research shows that these types of memory are highly interactive. Category fluency, for example, is generally considered to reflect retrieval from semantic memory, but behavioral evidence suggests that episodic memory is also involved: participants frequently draw on autobiographical experiences while generating exemplars of certain categories. Neuroimaging studies accordingly have reported increased medial temporal lobe (MTL) activation during exemplar generation. Studies of fluency in MTL amnesics have yielded mixed results but were not designed to determine the precise contributions of episodic memory. We addressed this issue by asking MTL amnesics and controls to generate exemplars of three types of categories. One type tended to elicit autobiographical and spatial retrieval strategies (AS). Another type elicited strategies that were autobiographical but nonspatial (AN). The third type elicited neither autobiographical nor spatial strategies (N). Amnesic patients and control participants generated exemplars for eight categories of each type. Patients were impaired on all category types but were more impaired on AS and AN categories. After covarying for phonemic fluency (total FAS score), the N category impairment was not significant, but the impairment on AS and AN categories remained. The same results were obtained for patients with lesions restricted to the MTL and those with more extensive lesions. We conclude that patients' episodic memory impairment hindered their performance on this putatively semantic task. This interaction between episodic and semantic memory might partially account for fluency deficits seen in aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.
Sleep Homeostasis Modulates Hypocretin-Mediated Sleep-to-Wake Transitions
Authors: Carter Matthew E. , Adamantidis Antoine , Ohtsu Hiroshi , Deisseroth Karl , de Lecea Luis
Published: September 2009

The hypocretins (Hcrts) (also called orexins) are two neuropeptides expressed in the lateral hypothalamus that play a crucial role in the stability of wakefulness. Previously, our laboratory demonstrated thatin vivophotostimulation of Hcrt neurons genetically targeted with ChR2, a light-activated cation channel, was sufficient to increase the probability of an awakening event during both slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep. In the current study, we ask whether Hcrt-mediated sleep-to-wake transitions are affected by light/dark period and sleep pressure. We found that stimulation of Hcrt neurons increased the probability of an awakening event throughout the entire light/dark period but that this effect was diminished with sleep pressure induced by 2 or 4 h of sleep deprivation. Interestingly, photostimulation of Hcrt neurons was still sufficient to increase activity assessed by c-Fos expression in Hcrt neurons after sleep deprivation, although this stimulation did not cause an increase in transitions to wakefulness. In addition, we found that photostimulation of Hcrt neurons increases neural activity assessed by c-Fos expression in the downstream arousal-promoting locus ceruleus and tuberomammilary nucleus but not after 2 h of sleep deprivation. Finally, stimulation of Hcrt neurons was still sufficient to increase the probability of an awakening event in histidine decarboxylase-deficient knock-out animals. Collectively, these results suggest that the Hcrt system promotes wakefulness throughout the light/dark period by activating multiple downstream targets, which themselves are inhibited with increased sleep pressure.