Early Modern African Architecture. The House of Wonders Revisited

This essay explores the various strands of the advent of Modernity in African architecture. It starts from the assumption that the history of Modernity in African architecture is a complex and rich subject that merits increased scientific attention

The Role of Fascia in the Musculoskeletal System

The function of fascia in the human body is poorly understood. This anatomical structure has not been given the clinical significance it may deserve. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a physiological explanation for physical therapy techniques that manipulate fascia. The review is designed to facilitate an understanding of the role of fascia in the\u27 musculoskeletal system. Physical therapists may deal with musculoskeletal system pathologies on a daily basis. In order for the therapist to utilize soft-tissue techniques, it is necessary to have a working knowledge of the involved structures. Anatomical material is presented to define the structure and function of fascia. However, it is equally important to understand the process of tissue healing as the fascia has the potential to become restricted during the healing process. Therefore, the stages of inflammation and repair are outlined. Manual techniques like Myofascial Release are being used in the clinics to treat fascial restrictions. Many clinicians are claiming to have successful treatment techniques, yet they have very little scientific evidence to support their claims. Few articles dealing specifically with Myofascial Release have been published in professional journals. Case studies are the main type of literature available. There is a definite need for future research in this area. The case studies presented in this review used objective data and may provide future researchers with study designs upon which to build

Black Elk Speaks (and so does John Neihardt) An Intercultural Relationship

In 1930, John Neihardt went to South Dakota to interview a Native American religious man about the ghost dance religion. When he got there, he discovered a 79 year old Oglala Lakota man named Black Elk who wanted to share his religious visions with the author. Neihardt was excited about the possibility of writing down the story and postponed his other work to interview Black Elk. These interviews turned into Black Elk Speaks. Although its first copyright was in 1931, Black Elk Speaks has been reprinted many times since then. My thesis is about the relationship between Neihardt and Black Elk--both as writer/speaker and as men. This relationship parallels the relationship between the dominant culture in the United States and Native American ones. It also parallels the relationship between two people that believe they are spiritually connected. Because Neihardt was not fully aware of Black Elk\u27s Native American perspective, and because he adapted the text, I argue that Black Elk Speaks does not represent Native American cultures. I do however, offer the possibility that spiritual transcendence, especially given a Native American perspective of traditional storytelling, makes Black Elk Speaks a fantastic text that should continue to represent the powerful spiritual relationship between Neihardt and Black Elk

Sauerstoffhaltige flüchtige organische Verbindungen in der Troposphäre: Entwicklung und Anwendung einer gaschromatographischen Nachweismethode

Flüchtige organische Verbindungen (VOC) beeinflussen die Radikalbilanz und die photochemische Ozonproduktion in der Troposphäre. Sie spielen daher eine bedeutende Rolle in der Atmosphärenchemie. Die Quellstärke biogener VOC ist um etwa eine Größenordnung höher als die Quellstärke anthropogener VOC. Mehr als 30% der biogenen Emissionen werden als kurzkettige sauerstoffhaltige flüchtige organische Verbindungen (SOVOC, C HXOy mit n G 7) emittiert . Über die atmosphärischen Konzentrationen und die Emissionsraten dieser Verbindungen aus Pflanzen ist bisher nur wenig bekannt, da die zur Quantifizierung der Konzentrationen benötigte Meßtechnik nicht weit verbreitet ist. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde eine analytische Methode entwickelt, mit der die Konzentrationen von SOVOC in atmosphärischen Proben quantifiziert werden können . Die Reproduzierbarkeit der Methode ist besser als 5% und die Nachweisgrenzen liegen im Bereich weniger ppt. Zur Kalibration wurde eine Kalibrationseinheit aufgebaut, die es ermöglicht, feuchte, gasförmige SOVOC-Standards mit Mischungsverhältnissen von einigen wenigen ppb zu erzeugen . In einer Feldkampagne auf dem Kleinen Feldberg im Taunus wurden die atmosphärischen Konzentrationen von SOVOC quantifiziert . Die SOVOC-Mischungsverhältnisse variierten zwischen wenigen ppt und mehreren zehn ppb. Mit einer Cluster-Analyse konnte gezeigt werden, daß sich für die SOVOC keine eindeutige Quelle - anthropogen bzw. biogen - identifizieren läßt . In Experimenten an den Pflanzen Expositionskammern wurden die Mechanismen der Emissionen von SOVOC aus Pflanzen untersucht . Durch die Exposition einer Birke mit isC02 konnte gezeigt werden, daß Aceton, Methanol und Ethanol synthetisiert und emittiert werden . Die Emissionsraten von SOVOC aus der untersuchten Birke sind nicht ausschließlich von der Temperatur und der Lichtintensität abhängig. Sie sind daher mit zur Zeit zur Verfügung stehenden Algorithmen nicht zu beschreiben. In Experimenten an der Modellpflanze Sonnenblume wurde phänomenologisch untersucht, welchen Einfluß Stressoren auf die Emissionsraten von SOVOC haben . Während der Überflutung der Wurzeln wurde eine Erhöhung der Emissionsrate von Ethanol um einen Faktor 200 beobachtet . Bei anoxischen Bedingungen im Wurzelbereich erfolgt die Energieversorgung in den Wurzeln durch Fermentation . Dies führt zu erhöhter Produktion und Emission von Ethanol und Acetaldehyd . Die Emissionsraten anderer SOVOC und VOC erhöhten sich kaum . Auf eine stark saure Nährlösung reagierte die untersuchte Sonnenblume ähnlich wie auf Trockenstreß . So wurden Emissionen von Produkten der Reaktionsfolge der Lipoxygenase (LOX) induziert . Die Emissionsraten von Methanol erhöhten sich um einen Faktor vier, die der Monoterpene um einen Faktor drei . Die Aktivierung der Lipoxygenase ist eine unspezifische Reaktion der Pflanze auf Streß. Auch Erhöhungen der Monoterpen- Emissionen aus Pflanzen sind als Folge der Aktivierung der LOX bekannt. Die Induktion der erhöhten Methanol-Emissionsraten ist wahrscheinlich nicht auf die Aktivierung der LOX zurückzuführen . In einem Experiment mit Weizen konnte gezeigt werden, daß die Emission von Produkten der Reaktionsfolge der LOX mit der Aktivität des Enzyms Lipoxygenase korrelier

Membranes of semicrystalline aliphatic polyamide nylon 4,6: Formation by diffusion-induced phase separation

The preparation of membranes of nylon 4,6 by diffusion-induced phase separation (DIPS) using formic acid as a solvent and water as a nonsolvent was studied. Nylon 4,6 is a semi-crystalline polymer; phase separation from a solution can occur by solid-liquid (s-l) de-mixing as well as by liquid-liquid (l-l) demixing. Upon quenching films of solutions with low polymer concentration (< 17 wt %) in a nonsolvent bath containing water, the morphology of the membranes show a foam-like structure typical for l-l demixing. When phase separation is induced by water vapor a transition in structure occurs from the cellular type to a morphology typical for s-l phase separated films. At higher polymer concentrations membranes exhibit structures consisting of spheres or smaller crystal-like units resulting from an s-l phase separation process. The addition of 2 wt % or more of water to polymer solutions with low concentration (up to 15 wt %) resulted in s-l demixing as well. In a DIPS process s-l demixing is kinetically competitive with l-l demixing if nuclei are already present in the starting solutions (heterogeneous nucleation), or if a relatively long time is available for crystal nuclei to be formed. The morphology resulting from s-l demixing is a result of spherulitic crystallization. A certain concentration of nuclei or of precursor particles already present results in a small nucleation density during precipitation and thus large spherulites can be grown; at higher polymer and/or water concentrations the nucleation density increases resulting in an axialitic morphology of the membranes

Adsorbent filled membranes for gas separation. Part 1. Improvement of the gas separation properties of polymeric membranes by incorporation of microporous adsorbents

The effect of the introduction of specific adsorbents on the gas separation properties of polymeric membranes has been studied. For this purpose both carbon molecular sieves and zeolites are considered. The results show that zeolites such as silicate-1, 13X and KY improve to a large extent the separation properties of poorly selective rubbery polymers towards a mixture of carbon dioxide/methane. Some of the filled rubbery polymers achieve intrinsic separation properties comparable to cellulose acetate, polysulfone or polyethersulfone. However, zeolite 5A leads to a decrease in permeability and an unchanged selectivity. This is due to the impermeable character of these particles, i.e. carbon dioxide molecules cannot diffuse through the porous structure under the conditions applied. Using silicate-1 also results in an improvement of the oxygen/nitrogen separation properties which is mainly due to a kinetic effect. Carbon molecular sieves do not improve the separation performances or only to a very small extent. This is caused by a mainly dead-end (not interconnected) porous structure which is inherent to their manufacturing process

Restoration of impaired cardiac function of patients with diverse muscular dystrophies by therapy with coenzyme Q10

The present invention relates to the use of Coenzyme Q in the treatment of slow muscle degeneration, commonly known to those of skill in the art so a dystrophy or atrophy, and the accompanying cardiac complications typically identified in such patients. Administration of Coenzyme Q, and particularly the analog Coenzyme Q.sub.10 (CoQ.sub.10) to humans increases the pumping of blood by the heart, and thereby increases tissue oxygeneration throughout the body. The net physiological effect halts the progression of muscle deterioration and improves cardiac function. An overall improvement in the quality of life for these human subjects is also observed, said patients reportedly experiencing less fatigue. A method for treating human patients with progressive muscular dystrophies or the neurogenic atrophies with Coenzyme Q.sub.10 (CoQ.sub.10) specifically disclosed. The method is similarly effective for the treatment of any form of muscle degeneration or cardiac muscular dysfunction independently.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste