A DNA test to sex most birds.

There is a special reason for reviewing this book at this time: it is the 50th edition of a compendium that is known and used frequently in most chemical and physical laboratories in many parts of the world. Surely, a publication that has been published for 56 years, withstanding the vagaries of science in this century, must have had something to offer. There is another reason: while the book is a standard fixture in most chemical and physical laboratories, including those in medical centers, it is not as frequently seen in the laboratories of physician's offices (those either in solo or group practice). I believe that the Handbook can be useful in those laboratories. One of the reasons, among others, is that the various basic items of information it offers may be helpful in new tests, either physical or chemical, which are continuously being published. The basic information may relate

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

We discuss an Adams-type predictor-corrector method for the numericalsolution of fractional differential equations. The method may be usedboth for linear and for nonlinear problems, and it may be extended tomulti-term equations (involving more than one differential operator)too.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20020024453/downloads/20020024453.pdf

A Predictor-Corrector Approach for the Numerical Solution of Fractional Differential Equations

Alkanes, the major constituents of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, are naturally produced by diverse species; however, the genetics and biochemistry behind this biology have remained elusive. Here we describe the discovery of an alkane biosynthesis pathway from cyanobacteria. The pathway consists of an acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase and an aldehyde decarbonylase, which together convert intermediates of fatty acid metabolism to alkanes and alkenes. The aldehyde decarbonylase is related to the broadly functional nonheme diiron enzymes. Heterologous expression of the alkane operon in Escherichia coli leads to the production and secretion of C13 to C17 mixtures of alkanes and alkenes. These genes and enzymes can now be leveraged for the simple and direct conversion of renewable raw materials to fungible hydrocarbon fuels.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/329/5991/559.full.pdf

Microbial Biosynthesis of Alkanes

Optical Waveguide Theory

Autoantibodies to cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase 1A (cN-1A; NT5C1A) have a high specificity differentiating sporadic inclusion body myositis from polymyositis and dermatomyositis. In primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) anti-cN-1A autoantibodies can be detected as well. However, various frequencies of anti-cN-1A reactivity have been reported in SLE and pSS, which may at least in part be explained by the different assays used. Here, we determined the occurrence of anti-cN-1A reactivity in a large number of patients with pSS and SLE using one standardized ELISA. Sera from pSS (n = 193) and SLE patients (n = 252) were collected in five European centers. Anti-cN-1A, anti-Ro52, anti-nucleosome and anti-dsDNA reactivities were tested by ELISA (Euroimmun AG) in a single laboratory. Correlations of anti-cN-1A reactivity with demographic data and clinical data (duration of disease at the moment of serum sampling, autoimmune co-morbidity and presence of muscular symptoms) were analyzed using SPSS software. Anti-cN-1A autoantibodies were found on average in 12% of pSS patients, with varying frequencies among the different cohorts (range: 7% - 19%). In SLE patients, the anti-cN-1A positivity on average was 10% (range: 6% - 21%). No relationship was found between anti-cN-1A reactivity and the presence or absence of anti-Ro52, anti-nucleosome and anti-dsDNA reactivity in both pSS and SLE. No relationship between anti-cN-1A reactivity and duration of disease at the moment of serum sampling and the duration of serum storage was observed. The frequency of muscular symptoms or viral infections did not differ between anti-cN-1A-positive and –negative patients. In both disease groups anti-cN-1A-positive patients suffered more often from other autoimmune diseases than the anti-cN-1A-negative patients (15% versus 5% (p = 0.05) in pSS, 50% versus 30% (p = 0.02) in SLE). Our results confirm the relatively frequent occurrence of anti-cN-1A in pSS and SLE and the variation in anti-cN-1A reactivity between independent groups of these patients. The explanation for this variation remains elusive. The correlation between anti-cN-1A reactivity and polyautoimmunity should be evaluated in future studies. We conclude that anti-cN-1A should be classified as a myositis-associated-, not as a myositis-specific-autoantibody based on its frequent presence in pSS and SLE.

Autoantibodies to Cytosolic 5′-Nucleotidase 1A in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

On the determination of the constitutive properties of thin interphase layers : an exact inverse solution

On the determination of the constitutive properties of thin interphase layers — An exact inverse solution

Nasal mucosal blood flow and nasal patency were studied in seven healthy subjects in order to evaluate normal physiological reactions to cold and heat. Blood flow was measured by means of the 133Xe washout method, and nasal patency was determined by measuring maximal nasal expiratory air flow. In comparison with the results at room temperature (23 degrees C), there was a decreased blood flow and a decreased nasal patency after 20 minutes of exposure to cold (6 degrees C). After exposure to heat (40 degrees C), an unaltered blood flow and an increased nasal patency were registered. The results suggest that nasal patency is important for the conditioning of air and support the hypothesis that changes in nasal mucosal blood flow is engaged in body temperature regulation.

Influence of environmental temperature on human nasal mucosa.

A new technique, based on the laser doppler principle, for measuring nasal mucosal microcirculation in humans, is presented. With this technique the relation between the blood flow and the temperature of the nasal mucosa was evaluated in healthy subjects exposed to peripheral cold stimulus. A decrease in blood flow and in mucosal temperature was found in all subjects when the feet were exposed to cold water for 5 min. The decrease in blood flow occurred almost momentarily and was restored to normal within the 5 min of exposure, while the drop in mucosal temperature was more gradual and persisted for a longer time. The implication of this study is that the laser doppler flowmeter seems to be a useful tool for estimation of changes in nasal mucosal microcirculation.

The laser Doppler flowmeter for measuring microcirculation in human nasal mucosa.

Ferrous sulphate gel dosimetry has the potential for measurement of absorbed dose distributions in proton therapy. The chemical properties of the gel are altered according to the radiation dose and these changes can be evaluated in three dimensions using MRI. The purpose of this work was to investigate the properties of a ferrous gel used with clinical proton beams. The gel was irradiated with both monoenergetic and range-modulated proton beams. It was then evaluated using MRI. The depth dose by means of the 1/T1 distribution was studied and compared with data from a plane-parallel plate ionization chamber. 1/T1 was shown to be proportional to the dose at a mean proton energy of approximately 90 MeV. The dose response was no different from that obtained using photon beams. However, on normalization at the entrance, the relative 1/T1 at the Bragg peak was 15-20% lower than the corresponding ionization chamber data for the monoenergetic proton beam. Better agreement was found for the modulated beam, but with significant differences close to the distal edge of the 1/T1 distribution. The change in sensitivity with depth was explained by means of a linear energy transfer dependence. This property was further studied using Monte Carlo methods.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/44/8/310/pdf

Peter Olsson

Papers

Autoantibodies to Cytosolic 5′-Nucleotidase 1A in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

On the determination of the constitutive properties of thin interphase layers — An exact inverse solution

Influence of environmental temperature on human nasal mucosa.

The laser Doppler flowmeter for measuring microcirculation in human nasal mucosa.

Ferrous sulphate gel dosimetry and MRI for proton beam dose measurements