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In the absence of a complete profile through fast-spreading modern oceanic crust, we established a reference profile through the whole paleo crust of the Samail ophiolite (Sultanate of Oman), which is regarded as the best analogue for fast-spreading oceanic crust on land. To establish a coherent data set, we sampled the Wadi Gideah in the Wadi-Tayin massif from the mantle section up to the sheeted dikes and performed different analytical and structural investigations on the same suite of samples. This paper reports our studies of the lower crust, a 5 km thick pile of gabbros, focusing on petrographic features and on the results of mineral analyses. Depth profiles of mineral compositions combined with petrological modeling reveal insights into the mode of magmatic formation of fast-spreading lower oceanic crust, implying a hybrid accretion mechanism. The lower two thirds of the crust, mainly consisting of layered gabbros, formed via the injection of melt sills and in situ crystallization. Here, upward moving fractionated melts mixed with more primitive melts through melt replenishments, resulting in a slight but distinct upward differentiation trend. The upper third of the gabbroic crust is significantly more differentiated, in accord with a model of downward differentiation of a primitive parental melt originated from the axial melt lens located at the top of the gabbroic crust. Our hybrid model for crustal accretion requires a system to cool the deep crust, which was established by hydrothermal fault zones, initially formed on-axis at very high temperatures.

A total of 239 pigs (initial BW 6.56 ± 0.87 kg, 21 d of age) were used in a 35-d study to investigate the effects of fish meal (FM) and spray dried plasma (SDP) in combination with a bioprocessed soybean meal (SBM) on growth performance and immune responses in weaned pigs. Equal numbers of barrows and gilts were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment) according to initial BW and sex: positive control (CON; corn/SBM diet) containing SDP and FM, the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing FM (BPSBM), the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing SDP (BPSBM), and the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing both SDP and FM (BPSBM). Experimental diets were fed in Phase I (d 1-7 post-wean) and II (d 8-21) followed by a common Phase III diet (d 22-35); changes in BW and feed disappearance were determined accordingly. Pigs were sensitized against ovalbumin (OVA) and Candida albicans (CAA) on d 7 and 21. Assessment of immune response was based on lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens Concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin (d 14 post-wean), dermal hypersensitivity to OVA and CAA (% increase in local swelling at 2, 6, 24, and 48 h post-injection) on d 28, and primary and secondary anti-OVA IgG at d 21 and 28, respectively. Pigs fed CON were heavier (P < 0.01) than pigs fed BPSBM and BPSBM, and not different from pigs fed BPSBM, at the end of Phase I and II (6.99, 6.80, 6.52, or 6.60 kg, pooled SEM 0.08, respectively in Phase I or 12.47, 12.18, 11.42, and 11.85 kg, pooled SEM 0.21, in Phase II, respectively). Hypersensitivity to OVA peaked at 2h in pigs fed CON, BPSBM, and BPSBM or peaked at 6h in pigs fed BPSBM (121.4, 165.6, 139.0, and 144.1%, pooled SEM 22.9, respectively, at 2 h and 86.7, 114.5, 95.0, and 156.8%, pooled SEM 29.4, respectively at 6 h). Peak response to CAA occurred at 2h in all groups (42.6, 55.2, 48.2, and 50.6%, pooled SEM 11.9, respectively, in the CON, BPSBM, BPSBM, and BPSBM, respectively). There was no difference in hypersensitivity due to experimental diet at any time point. Secondary anti-OVA IgG was 2-fold lower based on optical density values in pigs fed CON compared with BPSBM and BPSBM (0.78 vs. 1.56 and 1.55 optical density at 405 nm, pooled SEM 0.42, respectively). Dietary treatment did not impact lymphocyte proliferation. The bioprocessed SBM is a suitable alternative for FM and/or SDP in Phase I and II nursery diets based on pig growth. The prolonged hypersensitivity to OVA indicate that bioprocessed SBM may have a positive impact on pig immune function and the 2-fold increase in anti-OVA IgG warrants further investigation on the impact of bioprocessed SBM on pig immune function.

Deployment of solar fuels derived from water requires robust oxygen-evolving catalysts made from earth abundant materials. Copper has recently received much attention in this regard. Mechanistic parallels between Cu and single-site Ru/Ir/Mn water oxidation catalysts, including intermediacy of terminal Cu oxo/oxyl species, are prevalent in the literature; however, intermediacy of late transition metal oxo species would be remarkable given the high d-electron count would fill antibonding orbitals, making these species high in energy. This may suggest alternate pathways are at work in copper-based water oxidation. This report characterizes a dinuclear copper water oxidation catalyst, {[(L)Cu(II)]2-(μ-OH)2}(OTf)2 (L = Me2TMPA = bis((6-methyl-2-pyridyl)methyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) in which water oxidation proceeds with high Faradaic efficiency (>90%) and moderate rates (33 s–1 at ∼1 V overpotential, pH 12.5). A large kinetic isotope effect (kH/kD = 20) suggests proton coupled electron transfer in the initial...

International audience; 809 deep IODP Hole U1473A at Atlantis Bank, SWIR, is 2.2 km from 1,508-m Hole 735B and 1.4 from 158-m Hole 1105A. With mapping, it provides the first 3-D view of the upper levels of a 660-km 2 lower crustal batholith. It is laterally and vertically zoned, representing a complex interplay of cyclic intrusion, and ongoing deformation, with kilometer-scale upward and lateral migration of interstial melt. Transform wall dives over the gabbro-peridotite contact found only evolved gabbro intruded directly into the mantle near the transform. There was no high-level melt lens, rather the gabbros crystallized at depth, and then emplaced into the zone of diking by diapiric rise of a crystal mush followed by crystal-plastic deformation and faulting. The residues to mass balance the crust to a parent melt composition lie at depth below the center of the massif-likely near the crust-mantle boundary. Thus, basalts erupted to the seafloor from >1,550 mbsf. By contrast, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge lower crust drilled at 23°N and at Atlantis Massif experienced little high-temperature deformation and limited late-stage melt transport. They contain primitive cumulates and represent direct intrusion, storage, and crystallization of parental MORB in thinner crust below the dike-gabbro transition. The strong asymmetric spreading of the SWIR to the south was due to fault capture, with the northern rift valley wall faults cutoff by a detachment fault that extended across most of the zone of intrusion. This caused rapid migration of the plate boundary to the north, while the large majority of the lower crust to spread south unroofing Atlantis Bank and uplifting it into the rift mountains.

Although mitochondria have been used for bio-electrochemistry for over 5 years, little is known about their direct electrochemistry mechanism. This paper focuses on developing a better understanding of the electron transfer mechanism of mitochondria from three different organisms at carbon electrodes. Yeast, potato and bovine mitochondria have been successfully isolated and immobilized onto Toray paper electrodes via vapor deposited silica. Organelle-modified electrodes were first characterized using cyclic voltammetry. Similar electrochemical signals were obtained for all organisms. Direct electron transfer was observed when a metabolite of the Krebs cycle was present in the buffer solution. Control experiments based on the immobilization of two electron carriers contained in mitochondria, cytochrome c and a quinone (coenzyme Q 10 ), tend to show the electron transfer mechanism to the carbon material comes from the quinone pool of the organelles. As quinones are known to be pH-dependent, we further investigated the response of the electrochemical signal of the three isolated mitochondria and the two electron carriers separately. The half wave potentials obtained from the organelles appeared to be pH-dependent and their variations are comparable to coenzyme Q 10 rather than cytochrome c. Finally, extraction of both the cytochrome c and the quinone pool from intact mitochondria was performed to validate our hypothesis that direct electrochemistry of mitochondria happens via the quinone pool. Electrochemistry of immobilized quinone-depleted mitochondria validated the hypothesis that the mitochondria are communicating with the electrodes through the quinone pool.

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment enhance intestinal adaptation. To determine whether these growth factors exert synergistic effects on intestinal growth and function, GLP-2 and EGF-containing media (EGF-cm) were administered, alone and in combination, in neonatal piglet models of short bowel syndrome (SBS). Neonatal Landrace-Large White piglets were block randomized to 75% midintestinal [jejunoileal (JI) group] or distal intestinal [jejunocolic (JC) group] resection or sham control, with 7-day infusion of saline (control), intravenous human GLP-2 (11 nmol·kg−1·day−1) alone, enteral EGF-cm (80 μg·kg−1·day−1) alone, or GLP-2 and EGF-cm in combination. Adaptation was assessed by intestinal length, histopathology, Üssing chamber analysis, and real-time quantitative PCR of intestinal growth factors. Combined EGF-cm and GLP-2 treatment increased intestinal length in all three surgical models ( P < 0.01). EGF-cm alone selectively increased bowel weight per length and jejunal villus height in the JI group only. The JC group demonstrated increased intestinal weight and villus height ( P < 0.01) when given either GLP-2 alone or in combination with EGF-cm, with no effect of EGF-cm alone. Jejunal permeability of mannitol and polyethylene glycol decreased with combination therapy in both SBS groups ( P < 0.05). No difference was observed in fat absorption or body weight gain. IGF-1 mRNA was differentially expressed in JI vs. JC piglets with treatment. Combined treatment with GLP-2 and EGF-cm induced intestinal lengthening and decreased permeability, in addition to the trophic effects of GLP-2 alone. Our findings demonstrate the benefits of novel combination GLP-2 and EGF treatment for neonatal SBS, especially in the JC model representing most human infants with SBS. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) are intestinotrophic, with demonstrated benefit in both animal models and human studies of short bowel syndrome (SBS). The current research shows that over and above known trophic effects, the combination of GLP-2 and EGF synergistically lengthens the bowel in neonatal piglet models of SBS. Most notable benefit occurred with resection of the terminal ileum, the common clinical anatomy seen in neonatal SBS and associated with least de novo lengthening postsurgery.

We have devised a new approach that extends the kinetic method to systems where the competitive dissociation (the cornerstone of the kinetic method) will occur not at one binding center but at two spatially different places. This approach was tested on dissociation of complexes of two symmetric doubly protonated diamines with seven different crown ethers resulting in the relative binding order of alkylammonium cation (half of the protonated diamine dication) to the crown ethers. For the experiments with 1,10-diaminodecane, leading to the n-alkylammonium binding ladder, the order was dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 > dibenzo-21-crown-7 > 18-crown-6 > dibenzo-24-crown-8 > dibenzo-18-crown-6 > 15-crown-5 > 12-crown-4. When N,N′-dimethyl-1,8-octanediamine was used, the experiments gave rise to the relative binding of N-methyl-n-alkylammonium cation, which was dibenzo-24-crown-8 > dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 > dibenzo-21-crown-7 > dibenzo-18-crown-6 > 18-crown-6 > 15-crown-5 > 12-crown-4. The observed binding trends were explained in terms of size of the alkylammonium cation, size of the cavity of the crown, flexibility of the crown substituents, and overall crown polarizability. Our data qualitatively correlate well to the literature gas-phase values for these systems as well as to the solution data (where available).

—We have investigated the diffusivity of trace elements in hydrous iron-free andesitic melts containing 4.5 to 5.2 wt.% water at a pressure of 500 MPa and at temperatures between 1100 and 1400°C using the diffusion couple technique. The studied elements can be combined in several groups of particular geochemical interest: low field strength elements (LFSE: Rb, Sr, Ba), transition elements (Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn), rare earth elements (REE: La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Er, Yb, Y), and high field strength elements (HFSE: Zr, Nb, Hf). The diffusion profiles of the trace elements were measured using the synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SYXRF) microprobe. H2O distribution in the samples was analyzed by IR microspectroscopy. Diffusion profiles are excellently reproduced, assuming concentration-independent diffusion coefficients. For all trace elements, the temperature dependence of diffusion in the hydrous melt can be described by a simple Arrhenius law. In general, the diffusivity decreases from the LFSE, to transition elements, to REE, and to the HFSE, a trend that can be correlated to the increase of charge in the same order. The activation energy shows a similar trend, increasing from 129 kJ/mol for Rb to 189 kJ/mol for Zr. For the transition elements Cr and Fe, the activation energy is relatively high (228 and 193 kJ/mol, respectively), which can be explained by increasing contributions of divalent cations to the diffusion flux with increasing temperature. Higher diffusivity of Eu compared to its neighbor elements also is attributed to contributions of divalent cations. Modeling Eu-diffusivity using data of Sr as representative for Eu2+, and of Sm and Gd as representative for Eu3+, shows that at all temperatures Eu3+ is clearly dominating in the hydrous melt. To quantify the effect of water, an additional experiment was performed at 1400°C using a nominally anhydrous melt. The obtained diffusion coefficients are (for most of the elements) by one and a half orders of magnitude lower than for a melt containing 4.5 wt.% H2O. Chemical diffusion coefficients Dη, which were calculated from the viscosity data of Richet et al. (1996) using the Eyring equation, and which assumed a jump distance of 3 A, are in excellent agreement with the diffusivity of the HFSE for both dry and hydrous melt. Most of the investigated elements show a linear relation between log diffusivity and log viscosity, enabling the prediction of diffusivities in hydrous andesite systems at various conditions. Provided viscosity data are available, we suggest that this relation can be a useful tool to estimate trace element diffusivities for silicate melts with different compositions. The new diffusion data show that water strongly enhances diffusivity of trace elements in andesitic melts. After 10,000 yr at 1200°C, diffusion produces in the dry melt relatively short profiles with lengths (defined as x=(Dt)1/2) between 0.8 and 0.07 m (for Sr and Zr, respectively), whereas in hydrous melts (5 wt.% water), profiles are much longer with lengths between 3.9 and 0.92 m (for Sr and Zr, respectively).

Purpose To provide methods for stereoscopic visual demonstration from 3D reconstructed MR angiographic images. Methods Stereoscopic viewing can be obtained with pairs of images that are displayed at angles of 15 degrees. Optical devices as stereoscopic binoculars or minor stereoscopes facilitate stereoscopic viewing. The possibility of stereoscopic projections for a larger auditorium is mentioned. Results Using three clinical examples the advantages of stereoscopic display of MR angiograms are demonstrated. Conclusions MR angiography allows stereoscopic viewing with simple methods, like CT- and conventional rotation angiography. This principle, which has been known for 100 years, may thus acquire a new significance.

During the first week of February 2011, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), an independent system operator that manages approximately 85% of Texas' power usage, experienced unusually cold weather conditions. The severe conditions led to generation losses which affected over 3 million electric customers [1]. This paper describes the weather conditions experienced and summarizes the chronology of ERCOT's operational events.

The Superfast Spreading Crust campaign, echoing long-standing ocean lithosphere community endeavors, was designed to understand the formation, architecture, and evolution of ocean crust formed at fast spreading rates. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 335, “Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4” (13 April–3 June 2011), was the fourth scientific drilling cruise of the Superfast Spreading Crust campaign to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1256D. The expedition aimed to deepen this basement reference site several hundred meters into the gabbroic rocks of intact lower oceanic crust to address the following fundamental scientific questions: Does the lower crust form by subsidence of a crystal mush from a high-level magma chamber (gabbro glacier), by intrusion of sills throughout the lower crust, or by some other mechanism? How does melt percolate through the lower crust, and what are the reactions and chemical evolution of magmas during migration? Is the plutonic crust cooled by conduction and/or hydrothermal circulation? What are the role and extent of deeply penetrating seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids in cooling the lower crust and the chemical exchanges between the ocean crust and the oceans? What are the relationships among the geological, geochemical, and geophysical structure of the crust and, in particular, the nature of the seismic Layer 2–3 transition?

Expedition 335 of the riserless drilling platform Puntarenas, Costa Rica, to Balboa, Panama Site 1256 13 April-3 June 2011

A list (n = 423) of phenytoin steady-state concentrations from children taking phenytoin alone or in combination with other drugs (n = 308) was obtained from our therapeutic drug monitoring database (1984-1990). Only 43% of concentrations were within the commonly accepted "therapeutic" or "reference" range (10-20 mg/L). Age-dose-concentration relationships showed that while occasional concentrations were above 20 mg/L, many patients receiving commonly recommended pediatric phenytoin doses (4-8 mg/kg/day) achieved concentrations below the reference range, especially children under 3 years of age. Michaelis-Menten pharmacokinetic parameters, maximal elimination rate (Vmax) and Michaelis constant (Km), were evaluated for patients with at least two steady-state concentrations measured for two or more different daily doses. Comedication with other drugs had no effect on either Vmax or Km for phenytoin. Vmax appeared to decrease significantly with age, but there was no age relationship for Km.

The ODP/IODP multileg campaign at ODP Site 1256 (Cocos plate, eastern equatorial Pacific) provides the first continuous in situ sampling of fast spreading ocean crust from the extrusive lavas, through the sheeted dikes and down into the uppermost gabbros. This paper focuses on a detailed petrographic and microanalytical investigation of the gabbro section drilled during IODP Expedition 312. The marked patchy and spotty features that can be observed in many Hole 1256D gabbros is mostly due to a close association of two different lithological domains in variable amounts: (1) subophitic domains and (2) a granular matrix. Major and trace element mineral compositions, geothermometry, and petrological modeling suggest that subophitic and granular domains follow one single magma evolution trend formed by in situ fractionation. The subophitic domains correspond to the relative primitive, high-temperature end-member, compositionally similar to the basalts and dikes from the extrusive unit upsection, while the granular domains fit with a magma evolution by crystal fractionation to lower temperatures, up to a degree of crystallization of ∼80%. Our results support the following scenario for the fossilization of the axial melt lens at ODP Site 1256: relatively primitive MORB melts under near-liquidus conditions fill the melt lens and feed the upper, extrusive crust. Near the melt lens–sheeted dike boundary at lower temperatures, crystallization starts with first plagioclase before clinopyroxene in a mushy zone forming the subophitic domains. At decreasing temperatures, the subophitic domains continue to crystallize, finally forming a well-connected framework. Evolved, residual melt is finally trapped within the subophitic network, crystallizing at near-solidus conditions to the granular matrix. Another important textural feature in Hole 1256D gabbros is the presence of microgranular domains which are interpreted as relics of stoped/assimilated sheeted dikes (transformed to “granoblastic dikes” by contact metamorphism). All these different domains can be observed in close association, often at the thin section scale, demonstrating the extremely complex petrological record of combined crystallization/assimilation processes ongoing in the axial melt lens. Very similar gabbros with a marked spotty/patchy appearance, and bearing the same close association of lithological domains as observed at Site 1256, are known in the so-called “varitextured gabbro” unit from the Oman Ophiolite located at the same structural level, between cumulate gabbros and granoblastic dikes. The close petrological similarity of the gabbro/dike transition between both IODP Hole 1256D and the Oman ophiolite suggests that in situ fractionation and dike assimilation/contamination are major magmatic processes controlling the dynamics and fossilization of the axial melt lens at fast spreading oceanic ridges.

The Superfast Spreading Crust campaign, echoing long-standing ocean lithosphere community endeavors, was designed to help us understand the formation, architecture, and evolution of ocean crust formed at fast spreading rates. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 335, "Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4" (13 April-3 June 2011), was the fourth scientific drilling cruise of the Superfast Spreading Crust campaign to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1256D. The expedition aimed to deepen this basement reference site several hundred meters into the gabbroic rocks of intact lower oceanic crust to address the following fundamental scientific questions: Does the lower crust form by subsidence of a crystal mush from a high-level magma chamber (gabbro glacier), by intrusion of sills throughout the lower crust, or by some other mechanism? How does melt percolate through the lower crust, and what are the reactions and chemical evolution of magmas during migration? Is the plutonic crust cooled by conduction or hydrothermal circulation? What are the role and extent of deeply penetrating seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids in cooling the lower crust and the chemical exchanges between the ocean crust and the oceans? What are the relationships among the geological, geochemical, and geophysical structure of the crust and, in particular, the nature of the seismic Layer 2-3 transition? What is the magnetic contribution of the lower crust to marine magnetic anomalies?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) as tissue specific contrast agent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in detection and characterization of focal hepatic lesions. We investigated 45 patients with focal hepatic lesions. T 1 -weighted SE (TR 650/TE 15 ms) and T 2 -weighted SE (TR 2015–2030/TE 45 and 90 ms) unenhanced images were obtained. After SPIO application we performed T 1 -weighted images with and T 2 -weighted images with and without fat suppression using the same image parameters. Liver signal intensity decreased by 74% (min 47%, max 83%) on T 2 -weighted images after application of the contrast agent. Benign lesions (FNH, adenoma) showed an average signal drop of 40% (min 20%, max 47%) whereas malignant lesions showed no significant change of signal intensity on post-contrast images. The mean tumor-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio (C/N) was improved in all post-contrast sequences irrespective of the lesion type. An additional increase of tumor-to-liver contrast by use of fat suppression technique could be established in the slightly T 2 -weighted sequence (TE 45 ms). In metastases, divided in different size groups, we could determine a significant size relation of tumor-to-liver C/N. After SPIO application the number of detected lesions increased distinctly, especially small foci are more easily demonstrated. SPIO particles are a efficacious contrast agent for MR examinations of the liver. For tumor characterization T 1 - and T 2 -weighted pre- and post-contrast images are necessary. The T 1 -weighted sequences are helpful to differentiate benign lesions such as cysts and hemangiomas from malignant lesions. Detection and differential diagnoses of hepatic lesions are improved by use of the SPIO-particles.

To provide methods for stereoscopic visual demonstration from 3D reconstructed MR angiographic images.Stereoscopic viewing can be obtained with pairs of images that are displayed at angles of 15 degrees. Optical devices as stereoscopic binoculars or minor stereoscopes facilitate stereoscopic viewing. The possibility of stereoscopic projections for a larger auditorium is mentioned.Using three clinical examples the advantages of stereoscopic display of MR angiograms are demonstrated.MR angiography allows stereoscopic viewing with simple methods, like CT- and conventional rotation angiography. This principle, which has been known for 100 years, may thus acquire a new significance.

Background and objectives Pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) is a protein with pro-inflammatory properties elevated in serum, synovial tissue and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Levels of PBEF correlate with the degree of inflammation and clinical disease activity in RA patients. Local downregulation of PBEF in the joint can therefore be beneficial. To investigate this approach, an rAAV5 vector encoding PBEF shRNA (rAAV5-PBEFshRNA) was designed to reduce the expression of PBEF. Its capacity to influence arthritis development after local injection in the joint was tested in a murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. Materials and methods Murine fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were transduced with rAAV5-PBEFshRNA or rAAV5-scrambledshRNA. 5 days after transduction, levels of PBEF mRNA and protein were assessed. CIA was induced in male DBA/1 mice on day 0 (intradermal injection of a bovine collagen type II (bCII)/complete Freund9s ajuvant (CFA) emulsion at the base of the tail, 12 mice per group) followed by an intraperitoneal boost injection with bCII on day 21. Mice were scored 3× weekly using an established macroscopic clinical scoring system and a calliper to measure paw swelling. At day 21, mice were injected intra-articularly in knee (5 μl) and ankle joints (2.5 μl) of both hind paws with rAAV5-PBEFshRNA, or rAAV5-scrambledshRNA (1.5×10 10 vp/μl). At day 40, mice were killed and whole ankle joints and synovial tissue from the knee joint were collected. Synovial tissue was analysed for PBEF mRNA expression levels and sections of decalcified ankle joint were stained with H&E and scored for synovitis and cartilage degradation. Results Transduction of murine FLS with rAAV5-PBEFshRNA resulted in downregulation of PBEF mRNA (61%) and protein (32%) compared to rAAV5-scrambledshRNA after 5 days. In the mice treated locally with rAAV5-PBEFshRNA, the authors observed reduced clinical arthritis scores (53.5% reduction, p Conclusions Downregulation of PBEF locally in an inflamed joint using a viral vector results in a decrease in clinical scores and synovial inflammation, as reflected by histological analysis. These data further denote the potential of PBEF as therapeutic target for inflammatory conditions like arthritis.

In a study of blood transfusion and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in 385 infants, 5 (8%) of 60 seropositive infants with birthweights less than or equal to 1250 g acquired CMV. Four infants had become seronegative by the time of viral excretion and demonstrated significant morbidity with one death. Morbidity included variant (atypical) lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia, Staphylococcal epidermidis and Candida parapsilosis infections, and respiratory deterioration. Interestingly, the infant who exhibited only minimal morbidity was seropositive at the time of viral excretion. CMV seropositivity at birth may not protect low birthweight (LBW) infants from the morbidity and mortality associated with CMV infection.

In a double-blind study involving 205 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis, statistically significantly greater symptomatic improvements were evident following the administration of 200 micrograms/day triamcinolone acetonide aerosol than following placebo. These improvements were evident as early as week 1 and were sustained throughout the 12-week study. They were accompanied by greater reductions in nasal eosinophils. Triamcinolone acetonide aerosol was well tolerated and had no effect on serum cortisol levels.

In view of tackling the problem of heterogeneity among the schizo-affectives, methods of univariate and multivariate statistical analysis (canonical discriminant analysis) were applied to the sociodemographic and natural history variables of four groups of affective disorder patients from the NIMH Collaborative Study on the Psychobiology of Depression Clinical section: the schizo-bipolar (SBP, n = 45), the schizo-unipolar (SUP, n = 30), the bipolar I (BP, n = 159) and the primary unipolar depressed (UP, n = 387) defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria. Two dimensions were identified among the four groups of ‘affective’ patients: the ‘bipolar’ and the ‘schizophrenic’ dimensions. Theyprovided highly significant discrimination among the means of the four groups but were not very accurate in predicting group membership. The ‘bipolar’ dimension separates the UP from the BP and SBP, the SUP taking some intermediate value. The ‘schizophrenic’ dimension separates the BP and UP from the SUP, the SBP being intermediate. The two groups with the most similarities were the SBP and BP. The group with the most heterogeneity was the SUP, sharing similarities with the UP and SBP mostly. These conclusions are supported by results of familial aggregation on the same group of patients.

A diamond anvil high‐pressure cell especially designed for single‐crystal x‐ray diffraction studies is described, and with its commercial STOE goniometer head the new cell fits to almost every diffractometer type in use. In this high‐pressure cell the x‐ray beam passes nearly perpendicular to the pressure generating force. This geometry also allows the cell to be used on Weissenberg cameras, but with double‐radius film cylinders and adequately enlarged layer line screens. A knee‐type lever arm system generates the thrust. In the path of the beams there are no longer larger beryllium parts, which has improved the signal‐to‐noise ratio. Approximately 90% of all possible non‐Friedel reflections for Bragg angles up to 45° can be measured in the bisecting (ϑ=ω) position, up to 95% with general diffractometer settings. An analytic absorption correction was used with beryllium gasketing to eliminate the need to know the thickness of the gasket between the two diamonds. The highest pressure reached which gave satisfactory results was 2.3 GPa. Inconel gaskets were used to collect data at pressures up to 10.2 GPa. Corrections for shadowing by the beams of the cell, absorption, and overlapping of sample reflections from other single crystals inside the cell are calculated using a special control program.

An improved single-crystal high-pressure anvil cell with beryllium-gaskets was used for the investigations of structure and lattice parameters of cordierite which had been heated in an Ar stream at about 1,000° C to remove natural water from its structural channels. The influences of pressure transmitting media were studied by using water as a pressure medium at pressures of 0.3, 0.9, 1.2, and 2.3 GPa and fluorcarbon, a liquid consisting of large molecules, at 2.2 GPa. Water, but not fluorcarbon, is able to enter the channels in the cordierite structure. Large variations in the lattice constants resulted from changing the pressure medium used. A previously supposed discontinuity of the b lattice constant at nearly 0.3 GPa could not be established by the measurements taken so that there is no evidence for a phase transition at this pressure. Possibly the observed tilting of two tetrahedra against each other in this structure could have led to this misinterpretion. When water, but not fluorcarbon, is used as a pressure medium at 2.3 GPa, an additional electron density peak, presumably a water oxygen atom, appears in the channels. The water prevents the channels from shrinking and fixes their width at a value comparable to that of a naturally hydrated cordierite. In one of the silicate-tetrahedra the Si-O bond lengths are compressed almost 1 percent (2.3 GPa). This process may initiate a phase transition at higher pressures.

Data from the 1978 CAP Hematology Survey were analyzed for the effect of sodium and calcium salts of heparin on the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). The results indicate that the sodium salt of heparin prolongs the APTT more than the calcium salt at a heparin concentration of 0.2 units/ml. Furthermore, there was a variable response of the different APTT reagents to the different heparin salts. Data from the 1979 CAP Hematology Survey showed a greater sensitivity of the Automated APTT reagent and the Platelin Plus Activator of General Diagnostics compared with Actin (Dade) and Thrombofax (Ortho) at therapeutic heparin levels of 0.2 units/ml to 0.4 units/ml. The 1979 CAP heparin questionnaire results are presented and analyzed.

In view of tackling the problem of heterogeneity among the schizo-affectives, methods of univariate and multivariate statistical analysis (canonical discriminant analysis) were applied to the sociodemographic and natural history variables of four groups of affective disorder patients from the NIMH Collaborative Study on the Psychobiology of Depression Clinical section: the schizo-bipolar (SBP, n = 45), the schizo-unipolar (SUP, n = 30), the bipolar I (BP, n = 159) and the primary unipolar depressed (UP, n = 387) defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria. Two dimensions were identified among the four groups of 'affective' patients: the 'bipolar' and the 'schizophrenic' dimensions. They provided highly significant discrimination among the means of the four groups but were not very accurate in predicting group membership. The 'bipolar' dimension separates the UP from the BP and SBP, the SUP taking some intermediate value. The 'schizophrenic' dimension separates the BP and UP from the SUP, the SBP being intermediate. The two groups with the most similarities were the SBP and BP. The group with the most heterogeneity was the SUP, sharing similarities with the UP and SBP mostly. These conclusions are supported by results of familial aggregation on the same group of patients.