Infiltrated photonic crystals for light-trapping in CuInSe2 nanocrystal-based solar cells.

Solution processable nanocrystal solar cells combine the advantages of low-cost printing and wide range of accessible absorber materials, however high trap densities limit performance and layer thickness. In this work we develop a versatile route to realize the infiltration of a photonic crystal, with copper indium diselenide nanocrystal ink. The photonic crystal allows to couple incident light into pseudo-guided modes and thereby enhanced light absorption. For the presented design, we are able to identify individual guided modes, explain the underlying physics, and obtain a perfect match between the measured and simulated absorption peaks. For our relatively low refractive index layers, a 7% maximum integrated absorption enhancement is demonstrated.

Understanding geographic origins and history of admixture among chimpanzees in European zoos, with implications for future breeding programmes.

Despite ample focus on this endangered species, conservation planning for chimpanzees residing outside Africa has proven a challenge because of the lack of ancestry information. Here, we analysed the largest number of chimpanzee samples to date, examining microsatellites in >100 chimpanzees from the range of the species in Africa, and 20% of the European zoo population. We applied the knowledge about subspecies differentiation throughout equatorial Africa to assign origin to chimpanzees in the largest conservation management programme globally. A total of 63% of the genotyped chimpanzees from the European zoos could be assigned to one of the recognized subspecies. The majority being of West African origin (40%) will help consolidate the current breeding programme for this subspecies and the identification of individuals belonging to the two other subspecies so far found in European zoos can form the basis for breeding programmes for these. Individuals of various degree of mixed ancestry made up 37% of the genotyped European zoo population and thus highlight the need for appropriate management programmes guided by genetic analysis to preserve maximum genetic diversity and reduce hybridization among subspecies.

The safety and efficacy of MenoTreat, a new balloon device for thermal endometrial ablation.

BACKGROUND: An evaluation of the performance and safety of the prototype of a new device, MemoTreat (Atos Medical) for thermal endometrial balloon ablation in patients with menorrhagia. The evaluation was performed at four Swedish hospitals. METHODS: In total 51 consecutive, premenopausal patients, suffering from menorrhagia due to benign causes and not responding to conventional treatment, were treated between March 1997 and March 1998. The treatment entailed heated (85 degrees C) sterile saline circulated in a uterine balloon at a treatment pressure of 200 mmHg for 11 minutes. The procedure was performed mainly under general anesthesia and no pre-treatment endometrial thinning was performed. A validated pictorial assessment technique was used to evaluate changes in menstrual blood loss before and after treatment. Changes in quality of life and severity of dysmenorrhea were also evaluated. Data analysis was based on the 'intention to treat' method. RESULTS: The success rate in terms of a 50% reduction in menstrual bleeding was 84.3% at 6 months after treatment. Five patients became amenorrheic. The quality of life assessment showed substantial improvement and the severity of dysmenorrhea was markedly reduced. No intra-operative treatment complications occurred and the post-treatment morbidity was similar to that reported for other similar treatment methods. CONCLUSIONS: MenoTreat significantly reduced menstrual bleeding in menorrhagic patients, with a concomitant improvement in quality of life. The findings in this study resulted in a redesigned device with a thinner balloon catheter, improved cervical protection and treatment temperatures kept at a constant level.

Immunolocalization of electroneutral Na-HCO(3)(-) cotransporter in rat kidney.

An electroneutral Na-HCO(3)(-) cotransporter (NBC(N)1) was recently cloned, and Northern blot analyses indicated its expression in rat kidney. In this study, we determined the cellular and subcellular localization of NBC(N)1 in the rat kidney at the light and electron microscopic level. A peptide-derived antibody was raised against the COOH-terminal amino acids of NBC(N)1. The affinity-purified antibody specifically recognized one band, approximately 180 kDa, in rat kidney membranes. Peptide-N-glycosidase F deglycosylation reduced the band to approximately 140 kDa. Immunoblotting of membrane fractions from different kidney regions demonstrated strong signals in the inner stripe of the outer medulla (ISOM), weaker signals in the outer stripe of the outer medulla and inner medulla, and no labeling in cortex. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that NBC(N)1 immunolabeling was exclusively observed in the basolateral domains of thick ascending limb (TAL) cells in the outer medulla (strongest in ISOM) but not in the cortex. In addition, collecting duct intercalated cells in the ISOM and in the inner medulla also exhibited NBC(N)1 immunolabeling. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that NBC(N)1 labeling was confined to the basolateral plasma membranes of TAL and collecting duct type A intercalated cells. Immunolabeling controls were negative. By using 2, 7-bis-carboxyethyl-5,6-caboxyfluorescein, intracellular pH transients were measured in kidney slices from ISOM and from mid-inner medulla. The results revealed DIDS-sensitive, Na- and HCO(3)(-)-dependent net acid extrusion only in the ISOM but not in mid-inner medulla, which is consistent with the immunolocalization of NBC(N)1. The localization of NBC(N)1 in medullary TAL cells and medullary collecting duct intercalated cells suggests that NBC(N)1 may be important for electroneutral basolateral HCO(3)(-) transport in these cells.

Population structure of African buffalo inferred from mtDNA sequences and microsatellite loci: high variation but low differentiation.

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is found in most major vegetation types, wherever permanent sources of water are available, making it physically able to disperse through a wide range of habitats. Despite this, the buffalo has been assumed to be strongly philopatric and to form large aggregations that remain within separate home ranges with little interchange between units, but the level of differentiation within the species is unknown. Genetic differences between populations were assessed using mitochondrial DNA (control region) sequence data and analysis of variation at six microsatellite loci among 11 localities in eastern and southern Africa. High levels of genetic variability were found, suggesting that reported severe population bottlenecks due to outbreak of rinderpest during the last century did not strongly reduce the genetic variability within the species. The high level of genetic variation within the species was found to be evenly distributed among populations and only at the continental level were we able to consistently detect significant differentiation, contrasting with the assumed philopatric behaviour of the buffalo. Results of mtDNA and microsatellite data were found to be congruent, disagreeing with the alleged male-biased dispersal. We propose that the observed pattern of the distribution of genetic variation between buffalo populations at the regional level can be caused by fragmentation of a previous panmictic population due to human activity, and at the continental level, reflects an effect of geographical distance between populations.

Three-colour flow cytometric immunophenotyping in HIV-patients; comparison to dual-colour protocols.

Flow cytometric measurement of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes is important in the evaluation of disease progression in HIV-infected patients. Development of dyes that can be exited at 488 nm and have emission maximum in the far red area has made three-colour protocols, together with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and R-phycoerythrin (PE), possible in most clinical flow cytometers. We report here the comparison of a two-tube, three-colour protocol (including CD45/CD4/ CD3 and CD8/CD4/CD3) with our conventional dual-colour protocol. No significant differences were found between percentage of CD3+ lymphocytic cells determined with three different antibody combinations. When the CD8/CD4/CD3 combination was used a systematic overestimation of CD3+ CD4+% cells was found. This turned out to be caused by the formation of 'CD8-escapees'. These are clumps of CD8+ cells that fall outside the lymphocyte gating region, principally because of high side scatter. The problem can be overcome by rigorous vortexing to loosen aggregates. The lymphocyte gating principle used in this protocol (gating on a side scatter/CD45 dot plot) is readily applicable to other antibody combinations. This was demonstrated by measuring CD5+ B lymphocytes, a subset receiving increasing attention in the study of HIV-induced immune deviations. We conclude that our three-colour protocol for CD4+ T-lymphocyte determinations offers significant advantages to the conventional dual-colour method, and we suggest that when possible anti-CD45 be added to dual-colour combinations in order to improve lymphocyte gating.

The Alaska Trauma Registry.

Recognizing that injury is the leading cause of death and disability for virtually all age groups in Alaska, a trauma task force was developed in the Anchorage area in the early 1980s. This task force established the trauma registry pilot project in the state of Alaska. The Emergency medical Services Section, Department of Health and Social Services provided the funding to the Southern Region Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc. and the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to develop this pilot project. The funding originated from a federal grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Seven hospital participated in the pilot project which lasted approximately two and one half years. There were 5,087 entries into the registry with information on 4,860 patients. The rationale, methodology, and development of the registry, as well as some of the data accumulated is presented. The potential usefulness of the registry as a quality improvement tool and as an extensive data base for injury prevention and trauma care research also is discussed.

Total hip replacement in patients aged 80 years and older.

Total hip replacement was performed in 27 patients aged 80 years and older. In the early postoperative period, medical complications occurred in 13 patients and arthroplasty-related complications in 5 patients. At the time of the follow-up, after an average of 31 months, there was one case of acetabular cup loosening, which was revised. Twenty of 22 patients were free from pain at rest, and the social function of the patients had remained almost unchanged.

Safety of Shelf-Stable Canned Cured Meats.

Shelf-stable canned cured meats (SSCCM) are preserved by thermodestruction of the vegetative microflora, partial destruction of the microbial spores, and subsequent inhibition of the surviving spores. Inhibition depends primarily on the concentration of salt, nitrite input and the severity of the thermoprocess. On the basis of published experimental work, the botulism risk of SSCCM may be estimated, either as the equivalent of the decimal heat destruction of spores, taking into account the combined destruction and inhibition in SSCCM (log 1/P), or as the decimal number of cans needed for a single can to become toxic, i.e., log 1/(P × i), where P is the probability of individual spores developing and producing toxin in the processed can, and i is the incidence of Clostridium botulinum spores in the raw product. The experimental data demonstrate that the 12 D concept (or its equivalent) is not applicable to SSCCM and cast doubt on the adequacy of the F0 value as a measure of the effective heat treatment for this type of product. Research data on the safety of SSCCM are limited and do not allow us at present to propose minimal requirements of the essential safety factors. Instead, our risk assessment relies heavily on commercial practice and experience. In analogy to log 1/(P × i), the safety of commercial cans is expressed as the decimal number of cans produced per can causing severe illness, arbitrarily designated SU (safety units). Estimated SU values for defined commercial luncheon meats, canned cured ham and sausages, range from > 7 to > 9. Provided that the microbial spore levels of both the raw meat and non-meat ingredients of SSCCM are rigidly controlled, the SU estimates allow us to specify minimum safety requirements for the major groups of shelf-stable canned cured meats.

Number and distribution of bacteria on some beef carcasses at selected abattoirs in some member states of the European communities.

In seven member countries of the European Communities, three abattoirs were visited on three occasions in each of two surveys and at each visit ten beef carcasses were sampled, before chilling, at defined sites on the neck, brisket, forerib and medially on the round. In Survey I, samples were plated for total viable count (TVC) at 30° (ISO 2293) and Enterobacteriaceae at 37° (ISO 5552); in Survey II only TVCs were made. This paper is confined to analyses of the TVCs in the two surveys. Data from each country were analysed separately as sampling methodology may not have been sufficiently reproducible by different workers to allow between-countries comparison. Variations among visits to particular abattoirs and abattoir × site interactions made comparisons among abattoirs invalid within five of the seven countries. To effectively monitor differences between abattoirs within most countries it would be necessary to make more than three visits to each abattoir. Despite abattoir × site interactions in three countries in Survey I and four countries in Survey II, comparisons between sites were generally valid because of the consistent high contamination of the brisket. In the remainder of countries the abattoir × site interaction was too large to allow valid comparisons between sites. It is recommended that at least three or four sites are sampled in future surveys as only one site per carcass would underestimate the number of more heavily contaminated carcasses.

Necrotizing sialometaplasia of the palate. Ulcerative or necrotizing stage of leukokeratosis nicotina palati?

A typical case of the recently described tumor-suspect lesion, necrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) of the palate, in a 54-year old Caucasian male is presented. Results of complete blood- and urinanalysis including serum electrophoresis and labial salivary gland biopsy strongly pointed at a local etiologic factor. Previous statements that the disease represents a new entity are questioned. The present authors favor the idea that NS is the necrotizing (ulcerative) or terminal stage of leukokeratosis nicotina palati (nicotinic stomatitis). It is of particular importance that this lesion is not diagnosed as a malignancy, as it heals spontaneously and uneventfully.