Knife Cuts Research Articles

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Palm Oil Frond and Stem Bunch for Developing Pruner and Harvester Machinery Design

A development of oil palm pruner and harvester machinery design implemented in the field still faces a problem due to the lack of effective and efficient design which is need to be solved. It was noted that in order to develop the design, an early data and information of physical and mechanical properties of palm oil frond and stem fruits is critically important. The objective of the research was to obtain the physical and mechanical properties of palm oil frond and stem in order to develop the design of pruner and harvester machinery. The result showed that tool machinery was been advantageous by the physical properties of the plant i.e. the total weight of frond and leaf which enable to support the cutting process. The average of total weight of frond and leaf was 16.8 kg. The diagonal cutting trajectory was been more advantageous because of total weight and frond shape toward to the different of the plant tissue area. The measurement result shows that cutting curve follows the time required for cutting. The comparison among cutting curve shows differences in cutting thickness or length. In this case, the thickness is linear with cutting time. Besides, those curves show differences at the height which determine the maximum value of tested material cutting resistance. Alternative solution for machinery development design is pruner-harvester for height plant below 6 m and among 6 to 12 m. For below 6 m, pruner-harvester was designed by incorporating motor as power source and cutter-disc as the knife cutter. That condition was relied on that estate which was maintenance intensively commonly used cutter-disc. Pruner-harvester above 6 m and up to 12 m was improved based on manual egrek-designed by adding fresh fruit bunch alley supply glide in order to keep the fruits still in intact form. The consideration was based on affectivity and efficiency. It also considers homogenous ecological of palm oil plant which should be maintained to reduce global warming effect. Information obtained in this research could become positive consideration and alternative solution to provide problem solvingat early development design of palm oil pruner and harvester machinery. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12777/ijse.4.2.2013.69-74 [How to cite this article : Intara, Y.I., Mayulu, H., and Radite , P.A.S. (2013). Physical and Mechanical Properties of Palm Oil Frond and Stem Bunch for Developing Pruner and Harvester Machinery Design . International Journal of Science and Engineering , 4(2),69-74. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12777/ijse.4.2.2013.69-74 ]

A 24-Year-Old Man with Previously Diagnosed Hemophilia

A 24-year-old Middle Eastern man diagnosed with hemophilia at the age of 4 or 5 years presented to the hematology clinic for follow-up after a recent hospitalization for excessive bleeding from an accidental knife cut. The patient reported a history of prolonged bleeding after teeth extractions, an upper gastrointestinal bleed 3 years previously, and excessive bruising since childhood. He denied hemarthroses but reported chronic pain in his ankles and joints. The patient reported having been treated for episodes of excessive bleeding with fresh frozen plasma (FFP)3 and factor VIII during past hospitalizations. Because of poor continuity of care, his disease had not been monitored or treated on an ongoing outpatient basis. The patient's family history is noteworthy for consanguineous parents (first cousins) and a sister who also experienced excessive bleeding, although her diagnosis was uncertain. Initial laboratory test results included a normal complete blood count, including platelets, a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and a prolonged prothrombin time (PT) (Table 1). Fibrinogen activity was normal. A 1:1 mixture of the patient's plasma with pooled normal plasma demonstrated full correction of the PT and aPTT, a result consistent with factor deficiency. View this table: Table 1. Patient's laboratory results (citrated plasma). ### ADDITIONAL PATIENT DATA AND DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS Patients with isolated hemophilia A, B, or C (due to deficiencies in factors VIII, IX, and XI, respectively) or factor VIII deficiency due to von Willebrand disease typically have a prolonged aPTT but a normal PT. In the absence of anticoagulation therapy or suspected vitamin K deficiency, a prolonged PT in this patient's initial workup should raise clinical suspicion for a bleeding disorder of a different etiology. Given the patient's clinically notable bleeding symptoms since childhood, a genetic disorder should be considered. The differential diagnosis includes dysfibrinogenemia, prothrombin deficiency, factor V deficiency, combined deficiency of factors V and VIII (F5F8D), factor X deficiency, and hereditary combined deficiency of …

Polymer, Heal Thyself

Chemistry![Figure][1] CREDIT: ZHENG AND MCCARTHY, J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 134 , 10.1021/JA2113257 (2012) Damage to a polymer, such as a cut or crack, can be repaired if it's possible to recover the reactive groups that initiate and sustain polymerization. Zheng and McCarthy show that one of the oldest polymerization schemes—the formation of silicones from cyclic siloxanes—can be used in this fashion. An 80:1 mixture of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and its ethylene-linked dimer (bis-D4) was polymerized with an anion initiator by heating at 90°C for 4 hours. The resulting polymers contained active silanolate end groups under ambient conditions. The rubbery material could be cut with a knife and then repaired by holding the pieces in place next to one another and reheating at 90°C for 4 hours. When the repaired material was stressed by bending, it split at a location different from the knife cut. The authors note that this propensity was probably evident ∼60 years ago when these polymerization methods were originally explored. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134 , 10.1021/ja2113257 (2012). [1]: pending:yes

Blood, guts and knife cuts: reducing the risk of swine brucellosis in feral pig hunters in north-west New South Wales, Australia

Humans who have close contact with livestock, wild or feral animals can risk acquiring zoonotic infections such as brucellosis, Q fever, and leptospirosis. Human infection with Brucella suis (swine brucellosis) usually follows occupational or recreational exposure to infected animals. Worldwide, many cases of human infection follow contact with infected feral pigs. In Australia there is a growing market for the export of 'wild boar' and a considerable number of people are involved in feral pig hunting. However, feral pig hunters are often hard to reach with health strategies. According to Australian authorities the most important means of preventing disease in humans includes covering cuts; wearing gloves; washing hands; and avoiding blood when coming into contact with feral pigs. There has not been an evaluation of the acceptability of these recommended risk-reduction strategies in the settings where feral pig hunting and evisceration occurs. Semi-structured interviews and small focus groups were conducted with feral pig hunters in north-west New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to explore their hunting experiences and views on the brucellosis prevention strategies. Interview and focus group notes were thematically analysed. There was a range of experiences of feral pig hunting, from a very professional approach to a purely recreational approach. The main domains that emerged from participants' experiences during their most recent feral pig hunting activity and their reflections on current swine brucellosis risk reduction strategies were: 'you've gotta be tough to be a feral pig hunter'; 'most of the suggested strategies won't work as they are'; 'reducing risk in the scrub'; and 'how to let pig hunters know'. The recreational nature and prevailing macho perspective of participants demand a pragmatic approach to risk reduction if it is going to prove acceptable to feral pig hunters. The 'you've gotta be tough to be a feral pig hunter' context of the activity and the reality that many feral pig hunters participate with little preparation and a 'just keep going' approach, may counteract currently recommended risk-reduction strategies. The alternate strategies that emerged from the interviews need to be tested in the real activity, especially evisceration 'in the scrub' (at the site of slaughter). But the following ideas were grounded in the participants' experiences: take more time and watch your hands when making cuts; have good lighting; take care when cutting near a sow's uterus; use latex gloves to cover cuts on hands. Swine brucellosis is a zoonosis of concern for feral pig hunters in many parts of Australia, including north-west NSW. Many of the current strategies to reduce the risk of brucellosis did not appear appropriate or acceptable to the feral pig hunters interviewed. More acceptable strategies when eviscerating, such as taking more time, watching hands when cutting, ensuring good lighting, being careful in the vicinity of the uterus and using a latex glove to cover cuts and abrasions on hands need to be field tested. Further development of the food safety regulations is required to also support zoonosis risk reduction strategies.

Local establishment of repetitive long-term potentiation-induced synaptic enhancement in cultured hippocampal slices with divided input pathways

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the rodent hippocampus is a popular model for synaptic plasticity, which is considered the cellular basis for brain memory. Because most LTP analysis involves acutely prepared brain slices, however, the longevity of single LTP has not been well documented. Using stable hippocampal slice cultures for long-term examination, we previously found that single LTP disappeared within 1 day. In contrast, repeated induction of LTP led to the development of a distinct type of plasticity that lasted for more than 3 weeks and was accompanied by the formation of new synapses. Naming this novel plastic phenomenon repetitive LTP-induced synaptic enhancement (RISE), we proposed it as a model for the cellular processes involved in long-term memory formation. However, because in those experiments LTP was induced pharmacologically in the whole slice, it is not known whether RISE has input-pathway specificity, an essential property for memory. In this study, we divided the input pathway of CA1 pyramidal neurons by a knife cut and induced LTP three times, the third by tetanic stimulation in one of the divided pathways to express RISE specifically. Voltage-sensitive dye imaging and Golgi-staining performed 2 weeks after the three LTP inductions revealed both enhanced synaptic strength and increased dendritic spine density confined to the tetanized region. These results demonstrate that RISE is a feasible cellular model for long-term memory.

Ophthalmic practice health hazards among ophthalmologists in a resource–limited setting

Objective To determine ophthalmic practice health hazards among ophthalmologists in a resource-limited setting. Methods The study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey of 53 ophthalmologists' experiences on ophthalmic practice health hazards using semi-structured questionnaire. Results Most practitioners felt eye surgical procedures 40 (75.5%) and examination of eye patients (62.3%) were potentially hazardous to practitioners and, 49 (92.5%) thought clerking was not. Most, 92.5% had experienced patients' halitosis/cough during ophthalmoscopy and, 77.4% experienced hand smeared with patients' eye discharges/tears. Important health hazards experiences included, having contacted systemic diseases (5.7%) and infective eye diseases (18.9%), knife cut during surgical procedure (7.6%), needle pricks (49.1%) and hand smeared with patients' blood (49.1%). Others were neck pain at ophthalmoscopy (35.9%), blurred vision at retinoscopy (20.8%) and hoarseness while performing visual acuities (1.9%). Conclusions Eye practitioners are exposed to hazards in their practice including potentially life threatening ones. Necessary precautions at work, use of hazard free ophthalmic equipment and working conditions would reduce hazards in ophthalmic practice.

Affordances, Adaptive Tool Use and Grounded Cognition

The role of affordances In our opinion the model would be improved if affordance for action mechanisms were integrated: The potentiation of motor interactions consistent with the conventional use of a perceived tool (Bub et al., 2008). Affordances would easily explain the mechanism underlying the quick choice of the most appropriate tool when an action goal is given. In Figure 1A, bidirectional connections between available tools and usage contexts represent the automatic activation of stable affordances (Borghi and Riggio, 2009) emerging from invariant features of the tool (mainly its functional meaning) incorporated into the object representation in long term memory (e.g., a spoon typically stirs and scoops, a knife cuts and spreads). Activation of stable affordances is independent of context or task to be carried out. Furthermore, for each stable affordance, variable affordances emerging from temporary characteristics of the tools such as their current handle orientation are also activated. When an action goal is given (stir the coffee), attention is restricted to a specific action context (to stir) and oriented to available and action-consistent tools (spoon and stirrer). Thus, activation of a restricted number of stable and variable affordances is privileged (e.g., “spoon + to stir” and “stirrer + to stir” with the right hand) over those not consistent with the action goal. Here, the controller will select “spoon + to stir” instead of “stirrer + to stir” and execute the required action with the hand corresponding to the handle orientation. Selection between two equally appropriate tools is assumed to be determined by stronger stable and variable affordances being activated. A commentary on

Avaliação do teor de Atenolol em comprimidos divididos com faca caseira e aparelho cortador

OBJETIVO: Avaliar se o teor de Atenolol em fragmentos de comprimidos nas dosagens de 100 mg, 50 mg e 25 mg partidos em duas e quatro partes com auxílio de faca caseira e de aparelho cortador de comprimidos é diferente em função do modo como a divisão é realizada. MÉTODOS: Os comprimidos íntegros foram divididos com faca caseira e com aparelho cortador de comprimidos, e os teores de Atenolol foram determinados em todos os fragmentos. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença significativa entre os teores obtidos, após divisão dos comprimidos com faca caseira ou com aparelho cortador, apesar da divisão levar a acentuada dispersão dos teores entre os fragmentos, na divisão em metade, a dispersão dos resultados deu-se entre 7,8% e 12,1%, e quando divididos em quatro partes, foi entre 9,2% e 21,1%, indicando a possibilidade de comprometer a eficácia do tratamento dos pacientes independente de como a divisão foi feita. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados indicaram a ocorrência de dispersão maior do que a estabelecida para garantir uniformidade da dose recebida a cada administração do medicamento independente da forma de realizar a divisão, seja por meio de faca caseira ou com aparelho cortador de comprimidos.

Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues- immunoreactive fibers in the zona incerta and the supraoptic decussations terminate in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus.

Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) is expressed by neurons in the subparafascicular area, the posterior intralaminar complex of the thalamus and the pontine medial paralemniscal nucleus. TIP39-positive fibers from these areas do not form individual bundles or fascicles, they join other pathways to reach their innervated brain areas. Fibers arise from TIP39 perikarya located in the subparafascicular area and the posterior intralaminar complex of the thalamus could be followed to the hypothalamus. After uni- and bilateral posterolateral surgical deafferentations of the hypothalamus, accumulation of TIP39 immunoreactivity was observed in the fibers caudal to the knife cut, while it disappeared completely rostral to the transection. In serial sections of the forebrain, we could follow TIP39-ir fibers coursing within the zona incerta and the supraoptic decussations. TIP39-positive fibers that join the incerto-hypothalamic pathway reach the medio-dorsal part of the hypothalamus and form moderate to high density networks in the dorsomedial and paraventricular nuclei. The other set of TIP39-positive axons from the subthalamic area join the fibers of the supraoptic decussations and run in an antero-medial direction through the most ventral portion of the hypothalamus up to the retrochiasmatic area, where they crossover. A certain portion of these TIP39-positive fibers terminates in the territories of the arcuate and the medial preoptic nuclei, as well as in the retrochiasmatic area.

Conductas complejas durante el sueño inducidas por zolpidem

Objective To present five patients with zolpidem-induced sleep-related behavioural disorders. Methods Evaluation using a questionnaire designed to study sleep behaviours and past medical history in all patients. Results The patients performed complex actions while sleep-walking (telephoning, house-cleaning, feeding the dog or waxing their legs). Inappropriate feeding behaviour with excessive food intake during the night were reported by all patients. All had weight gain, which in one patient led to extreme obesity. Two patients suffered injuries (knife cuts and burns) related to attempting to prepare food. One patient took a laxative. Conclusion Withdrawal of zolpidem resolved the behaviours in all cases, highlighting the importance of an adequate diagnosis of this side effect.

Paediatric Hand Injuries At The Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Paediatric hand trauma represents a subset of hand injury that can be quite challenging to manage. Local studies on this injuries are few therefore a 4 year retrospective study at the Trauma and hand rehabilitation unit of the Lagos University teaching hospital was carried out. To determine the percentage of hand trauma occurring in the paediatric age group, the predominant age group involved, place of injury, the major injury types occurring as well as the most common surgical procedure required. The case records of all cases that presented at the hand rehabilitation clinic or the emergency center of the Lagos University teaching hospital over a 4 year period were reviewed. Those below the age of 12 years were studied. Their biodata, type of injury, place of injury and other details were obtained. 634 patients were seen over the study period, 61 cases of hand injuries were in the paediatric age group. Hand trauma constituted less than a third of all paediatric hand cases. The commonest age group affected was 2-6 years. Most of the injuries occurred around the home. Burns injury, blunt trauma, glass and knife cuts were the commonest causes of hand trauma. Soft tissue reconstruction was commonest procedure done. Infants and toddlers were the most vunerable groups while burns injury was the commonest cause of hand trauma seen at the Lagos university teaching hospital.

Zolpidem-induced sleep-related behavioural disorders

Objective To present five patients with zolpidem-induced sleep-related behavioural disorders. Methods Evaluation using a questionnaire designed to study sleep behaviours and past medical history in all patients. Results The patients performed complex actions while sleep-walking (telephoning, house-cleaning, feeding the dog or waxing their legs). Inappropriate feeding behaviour with excessive food intake during the night were reported by all patients. All had weight gain, which in one patient led to extreme obesity. Two patients suffered injuries (knife cuts and burns) related to attempting to prepare food. One patient took a laxative. Conclusion Withdrawal of zolpidem resolved the behaviours in all cases, highlighting the importance of an adequate diagnosis of this side effect.

The medial hypothalamus is required for the feeding response to glucoprivation but not to food deprivation

While the hypothalamus has been implicated in the regulation of energy balance, the central mechanisms and neural circuit that coordinate the feeding response to energy deficit have not been fully clarified. To better understand the role of the hypothalamus in mediating hyperphagic responses to food deprivation or glucoprivation, we examined the feeding responses in rats in which the medial hypothalamus (MH) was isolated from the rest of the brain. The isolation of the MH was performed with a Halasz's knife cut, and experiments were performed 7 days after the operation. Food consumption between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. in rats which had been fasted overnight was significantly increased compared to that in rats which had access to food ad libitum before the measurement in both the sham and MH-isolated groups, and the absolute values of food consumption in fasted rats were not significantly different between the groups. On the other hand, while an injection of 2-deoxy- d-glucose, which blocks glucose utilization, significantly increased food consumption for 2 h after injection compared to a saline injection in the sham group, it did not increase food intake compared to saline injection in the MH-isolated groups. Thus, it is demonstrated that glucoprivation is not an effective stimulus to induce feeding in MH-isolated rats.

Colonoscopic full-thickness resection of the colon in a porcine model as a prelude to endoscopic surgery of difficult colon polyps: a novel technique (with videos)

Colonoscopic full-thickness resection (CFTR) of the colon may obviate the need for surgical resection of benign lesions. To develop an animal model for CFTR of the colon followed by endoscopic suture closure with through-the-endoscope devices. Pilot study. University medical center. Twenty pigs. A 2-cm circular area was resected on the antimesenteric side of the colon (phase 1, n = 10) and on the mesenteric side (phase 2, n = 10) by using an insulated tip knife cut followed by the use of a grasping forceps and a snare to resect and retrieve the specimen. The tissue apposition system was used to close the defect. Resection and closure times were recorded. The animals were euthanized at 2 weeks and examined for peritonitis, adhesions, wound healing, and T-tag injury to adjacent viscera. The CFTR was successful in all 20 attempts. The median resection time was 6 minutes (range 2.5-35 minutes). Suture closure was successful in 19 animals. It took a median time of 41 minutes (range 21-125 minutes) and 4 sutures to close the defect. Eighteen animals survived without clinical signs of distress; there was a well-healed scar without peritonitis or distant adhesions on necropsy at 2 weeks. One animal failed to thrive, and necropsy revealed mild peritonitis, small abscesses, distant adhesions, and a 2-mm hole at the suture site. Two of the 132 T-tags were inserted in the adjacent viscera. Colon resection in the proximal colon was not studied. In this animal model, CFTR of the colon followed by suture closure can be accomplished successfully by using through-the-endoscope devices.

The medial forebrain bundle mediates cardiovascular responses to electrical stimulation of the medial prefrontal cortex

The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is involved in cardiovascular control. MPFC electrical stimulation has been reported to cause depressor and bradycardic responses in anesthetized rats. Although the pathway involved is yet unknown, there is evidence indicating the existence of a relay in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). The medial forebrain bundle (MFB) that courses in the lateral portion of the LH carries the vast majority of telencephalic afferent as well efferent projections, including those from the MPFC. To evaluate if the hypotensive pathway originating in the MPFC courses the MFB, we studied the effect of coronal or sagittal knife cuts through the LH and other brain areas on the cardiovascular responses to MPFC electrical stimulation. Knife cuts were performed using blades 1 to 6 mm wide. Results indicate that the neural pathway descending from the MFB decussates early in the vicinity of MPFC, crossing the midline within the corpus callosum and yielding two descending pathways that travel rostro-caudally in the lateral portion of the LH, within the MFB. The decussation was confirmed by histological analysis of brain sections processed after the injection of biotinilated dextran amine in the site of the stimulation in the MPFC. Because knife cuts through the LH ipsilateral had minimal effects on the cardiovascular responses and knife cuts performed contralateral to the stimulated MPFC had no effect on the response to MPFC stimulation, data indicate that the contralateral limb of the pathway may be only activated as an alternative pathway when the ipsilateral pathway is blocked.

Influence of <I>Prunus</I> spp., Peach Cultivars, and Bark Damage on Oviposition Choices by the Lesser Peachtree Borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

An examination of oviposition choices by the lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes (Grote and Robinson) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), showed that wounded peach, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, bark was attractive to females for oviposition. Females responded to bark that was injured mechanically (e.g., hammer blows, knife cuts, pruning wounds), infested by lesser peachtree borer larvae or injured by disease. In fact, there was no difference in female oviposition response to knife cut wounds and knife cut wounds infested with lesser peachtree borer larvae. Oviposition on wounded bark from three different high chill peach cultivars was similar and strongly suggests that the narrow genetic base of high chill peach cultivars grown in the southeastern United States has little inherent resistance to the lesser peachtree borer. In stark contrast, when provided different Prunus spp., i.e., exotic peach and the native species P. angustifolia and P. serotina, the exotic peach was highly preferred for oviposition by the native lesser peachtree borer.

Regional‐specific regulation of BDNF and trkB correlates with nigral dopaminergic cell sprouting following unilateral nigrostriatal axotomy

Axotomy is a powerful stimulus of axon growth and plastic changes. We investigated the potential role of BDNF/trkB signaling in the sprouting of dopaminergic nigral axons in response to axotomy of the medial forebrain bundle. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry revealed the existence of sprouting mechanisms in the axotomized substantia nigra (SN). Time-course changes of trkB mRNA expression demonstrated a robust increase in an area projecting from the rostral tip of the SN to the glial scar, which coincided with evidence of nigral dopaminergic sprouting. In addition, we found an early loss of this messenger in areas related to the knife cut, which recovered by 7 days postlesion. TrkB down-regulation appeared to be associated to the lesion-induced local damage, as it was restricted to an area showing Fluoro-Jade B- and TUNEL positive cells. In trkB-depleted areas, an inverse correlation between mRNA expressions of BDNF and trkB was apparent. Specific induction of BDNF mRNA was mostly seen in border of areas devoid of trkB mRNA. In contrast, in the areas exhibiting trkB mRNA expression, no BDNF mRNA was detected. We suggest that trkB levels could be a determinant element in regulating BDNF expression. Finally, the search for molecules involved in either promoting or inhibiting axonal growth, demonstrated up-regulation of GAP-43 and Nogo-A mRNA at sites close to the knife transections as early as 1 day postlesion. However, overall, Nogo-A induction was more robust than that seen for GAP-43.

A potential role for bone morphogenetic protein signalling in glial cell fate determination following adult central nervous system injury in vivo

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and their endogenous inhibitors, including noggin, chordin and follistatin, have roles in pattern formation and fate specification of neuronal and glial cells during nervous system development. We have examined their influence on glial reactions in the injured central nervous system (CNS). We show that penetrating injuries to the brain and spinal cord resulted in the upregulation of BMP-2/4, BMP-7, and noggin, with the latter being expressed almost exclusively by reactive astrocytes at the injury site, and we show that astrocytes in vitro produce noggin. As BMPs have been shown to drive cultured NG2-positive oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) towards a multipotential phenotype (type II astrocytes), we investigated the effects of inhibiting noggin with a function-blocking antibody (noggin-FbAb). In vitro, BMP-driven conversion of OPCs to type 2 astrocytes was inhibited by noggin, an effect that was reversed by noggin-FbAb. Noggin-FbAb also increased the number of type 2 astrocytes generated from cultured OPCs exposed to an astrocyte feeder layer, consistent with astrocytes producing both BMPs and noggin. In knife cut injuries in vivo, noggin-FbAb treatment resulted in an increase in the number of NG2-positive cells and small GFAP-positive cells in the injury site, and the appearance of glial cells with the morphological and antigenic characteristics of type 2 astrocytes (as generated in vitro), with coexpression of both GFAP and NG2. This potential conversion of inhibitory OPCs to type 2 astrocyte-like cells in vivo suggests that endogenous BMPs, unmasked by noggin antagonism, might be exploited to manipulate cell fate following CNS trauma.

Peripheral anti-inflammatory actions of corticotropin-releasing factor.

Swelling, oedema, and loss of fluids and protein from the vascular compartment are immediate responses seen in living tissues after severe injury. Peptides of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) superfamily have the unusual property of preventing the vascular leakage that occurs in tissues after damage. For example, CRF decreased protein extravasation, oedema and swelling in the anaesthetized rat's paw after exposure to heat or to extreme cold, in tracheal mucosa after exposure to formaldehyde, in skeletal muscle after a knife cut, and in brain cortex after freezing. The anti-inflammatory actions of CRF were independent of steroid release or hypotensive effects. CRF was a functional antagonist of inflammatory mediators such as histamine and substance P. It inhibited neurogenic inflammation, but interactions with unmyelinated sensory neurons did not account for the wide range of CRF's anti-inflammatory activities. Localized application of CRF prevented histamine-induced leaks in the hamster cheek pouch, and displaceable binding sites to iodinated CRF were found on blood vessels and on epithelial cells in close proximity to sites of vascular leakage. These results indicated peripheral sites of action. CRF may be the first example of a peptide hormone demonstrated to have potent anti-inflammatory agonist actions in vivo.

The use of a modified peel specimen to assess the peel resistance of aircraft fuel tank sealants

The aim of this study was to comprehensively review the traditional peel specimen for assessing adhesion of aircraft fuel tank sealants. A modified peel specimen was proposed that overcomes the inherent problems of the traditional test, which are associated with inaccurate geometry definition and clamping, and avoids any subjective interaction during testing from the knife cuts used to re-initiate the crack at the metallic interface. Artificial defects, which are easy to apply consistently, were introduced during manufacturing of the peel specimens and it was shown that these can act as precise knife cuts during testing. Two aircraft fuel tank sealants were tested using two different peel angles (135° and 180°), several sealant layer thicknesses (1.5, 2, 3 and 4 mm), various substrates (aluminium and mild steel) and chromate epoxy primers (low and conventional VOC). For those specimens that failed cohesively, the peel resistance increased significantly with the peel angle and the sealant layer thickness. On the other hand, the use of chromate epoxy primers did not affect either the peel resistance of the sealants or the failure mode.