Techno-economic data and assumptions for open energy modelling of decarbonisation pathways in the Philippines.

This article introduces an openly accessible dataset aimed at supporting energy system modelling of decarbonisation pathways in the Philippines. The dataset was compiled through an extensive literature review, incorporating information from various sources such as the Philippines Department of Energy, academic publications, and international organisations. To ensure compatibility with OSeMOSYS modelling requirements, the data underwent processing and standardisation. It includes power plant data covering existing capacity from classified by grid, off-grid, and planned additions, as well as historical generation data. Additionally, the dataset provides historical and projected electricity demand from 2015 to 2050 segmented by sectors. It also offers technical potential estimates for fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, along with key techno-economic parameters for emerging technologies like floating solar PV, in-stream tidal, and offshore wind. The dataset is freely available on Zenodo, empowering researchers, policymakers, and private-sector actors to conduct independent energy modelling and analyses aligned with the U4RIA framework principles. Its open access encourages collaboration and facilitates informed decision-making to advance a sustainable energy future not only for the Philippines but also for broader global contexts.

Extinction and spontaneous recovery of ataxic tolerance to ethanol in rats.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Two experiments with rats using an ethanol ataxia method investigated extinction and spontaneous recovery of tolerance. Tolerance extinction has been shown with a variety of drugs and methods, but until now it has not been shown with ethanol ataxia. Extinction was investigated here because of its connection with cue exposure treatments, and also to allow an assessment of spontaneous recovery. Spontaneous recovery is the return of conditioned responses, such as those potentially contributing to tolerance, when time passes after extinction. In terms of response topography it resembles instances of relapse in humans. Its demonstration constitutes one technique for illustrating that the effects of extinction are often temporary. There are no published reports showing a recovery of tolerance to any drug due to the passage of time after extinction. A demonstration of spontaneous recovery contributes to an understanding of the effects and time course of tolerance extinction. It also raises the possibility that spontaneous recovery involving drug tolerance has mechanisms similar those involved in instances of spontaneous recovery studied more extensively with non-drug methods. METHODS: In one experiment, ataxic tolerance was conditioned to a strobelight conditioned stimulus (CS) by exposing rats to the strobelight while experiencing the effects of an ethanol injection. Tolerance was extinguished in 17 or 24 once-daily trials by presenting the strobelight without ethanol (with saline). The effect of those numbers of trials was assessed on the day after extinction in the presence of the strobelight when ethanol was again injected. The effect was compared to the effect of the strobelight and ethanol in naive rats and in rats that had received only tolerance conditioning. In a second experiment, ataxic tolerance was conditioned and then extinguished over 17 trials, just as in the other experiment. Different groups were then tested 1, 12, 18, and 24 days after extinction in the presence of the strobelight when ethanol was again injected. RESULTS: Ataxic tolerance was fully extinguished after either 17 or 24 trials, as shown by comparisons with the naive and conditioning-only controls. Tolerance was greater (it recovered) when the strobelight CS was reintroduced 24, 18, and even 12 days after extinction, compared with testing 1 day after extinction. CONCLUSIONS: Conditioned ataxic tolerance can be extinguished, just as other conditioned tolerances can. More important, the return of tolerance over time after extinction represents spontaneous recovery of ethanol tolerance, and indicates that as in other conditioning preparations, extinction does not result in unlearning of the original conditioning association. The identification of spontaneous recovery of tolerance isolates a robust source of the potential for drug use relapse: the mere passage of time after extinction.

Effect of training/detraining on submaximal exercise responses in humans.

Human subjects participated in a training/detraining paradigm which consisted of 7 wk of intense endurance training followed by 3 wk of inactivity. In previously sedentary subjects, training produced a 23.9 +/- 7.2% increase in maximal aerobic power (V02max) (group S). Detraining did not affect group S V02max. In previously trained subjects (group T), the training/detraining paradigm did not affect V02max. In group S, training produced an increase in vastus lateralis muscle citrate synthase (CS) activities (nmol.mg protein-1. min-1) from 67.1 +/- 14.5 to 106.9 +/- 22.0. Detraining produced a decrease in CS activity to 80 +/- 14.6. In group T, pretraining CS activity (139.5 +/- 14.9) did not change in response to training. Detraining, however, produced a decrease in CS activity (121.5 +/- 7.8 to 66.8 +/- 5.9). Group S respiratory exchange ratios obtained during submaximal exercise at 60% V02max (R60) decreased in response to training (1.00 +/- 0.02 to 0.87 +/- 0.02) and increased (0.96 +/- 0.02) after detraining. Group T R60 (0.91 +/- 0.01) was not affected by training but increased (0.89 +/- 0.02 to 0.95 +/- 0.02) after detraining. R60 was correlated to changes in CS activity but was unrelated to changes in V02max. These data support the hypothesis that the mitochondrial content of working skeletal muscle is an important determinant of substrate utilization during submaximal exercise.

Time course of effects of brief inhalations of nitrous oxide in normal volunteers.

Nitrous oxide is commonly used (abused) recreationally by inhaling it in a bolus form (i.e. single or several breaths). The time course of the psychoactive effects of nitrous oxide, via this mode of inhalation, has not been adequately characterized and thus formed the basis for this study. Twelve healthy volunteers participated in four sessions, using a randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled design. In each session one of the following four measures were assessed: self-reported strength of drug effects, mood, memory and psychomotor performance. Within sessions, subjects were exposed to four different concentrations of nitrous oxide in a randomized fashion: 0% (oxygen-placebo), 40%, 60% and 80%. At each concentration, or "trial", subjects took four deep breaths of the gas. Peak drug effects, as reported by our subjects, occurred within 30 seconds after the last inhalation of nitrous oxide, persisted for about a minute, and then gradually subsided to near-baseline levels by 5 minutes post-inhalation. Certain aspects of mood were briefly affected by nitrous oxide, generally in a dose-related fashion with increases in visual analog scale ratings of "anxious", "stimulated", "coasting (spaced out)", "lightheaded", "confused", and "high". Free recall of wards that had been presented between 30 and 60 seconds post-inhalation was significantly reduced after 80% nitrous oxide, relative to oxygen-placebo. There was a trend towards psychomotor impairment (Concentration x time: p = 0.08), as measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, with peak decrements in performance (about a minute after inhalation) being greater after 80% nitrous oxide than after 0% nitrous oxide. Our results suggest that there arc acute, albeit brief, adverse effects of inhaling bolus concentrations of nitrous oxide.

The reproducibility of VO2max, ventilatory, and lactate thresholds in elderly women.

The reproducibility of VO2max, ventilatory, and lactate thresholds in elderly women. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 425-430, 1986. This investigation examined the reproducibility of maximal (VO2max) and submaximal measures of fitness for elderly women. Eight subjects [age (yr): mean = 80.6 +/- 3.7; range = 73-86] volunteered to repeat three continuous, incremental maximal effort treadmill tests. Blood lactate determinations were made for each increment from blood samples taken from an indwelling venous catheter located in the back of the hand. Average VO2max values (ml X min-1 X kg X l-1) were 13.21 + 1.95 for test 1, 13.44 +/- 1.83 for test 2, and 13.62 + 2.95 for test 3. In all but one subject, a threshold was not definable by either ventilatory or lactate measurements. Maximal lactate values were low, with the average values for tests 1, 2, and 3 being 1.89, 1.46, and 1.86 mmol X l-1, respectively. The data demonstrates that VO2max is reproducible for older women and can, therefore, be used for fitness assessment and exercise prescription. The use of ventilatory or lactate thresholds as submaximal measures of fitness or as minimal intensities for exercise prescription was determined not to be applicable for women in the eighth and ninth decades of life.

Web site design and development issues: the Washington State Breast and Cervical Health Program Web Site Demonstration Project.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To explore the development of a customized Web site to assist Breast and Cervical Health Program (BCHP) outreach staff in a community screening program and to evaluate the Internet knowledge and access issues and barriers of outreach staff during a two-year period using the Web site. DESIGN: Knowledge, access issues and barriers, and descriptive questionnaires. SETTINGS: Comprehensive cancer center in Seattle, WA, workshops, and presentations around the state. SAMPLE: BCHP outreach workers, screening coordinators, and almost exclusively public health nurses from regional health districts and program-contracted clinics. METHOD: Web site development was based on continuous input from sample. Detailed descriptions of computer and Internet resources and opinions about the use and usefulness of the BCHP Web site came from a 1996 evaluation and 1998 follow-up conducted using mailed and online Web questionnaires. "Hits" to the Web site were monitored monthly. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Computer and Internet resources were used along with monthly Web site traffic and opinions about the use and usefulness of the BCHP Web site in the outreach program. FINDINGS: Use of the BCHP Web site has risen steadily over two years to reach a stable plateau. User evaluations show a marked increase in the adoption of the Internet as a working tool. Users believe the Internet is becoming increasingly important to their work. More training and familiarization with the Web is needed. CONCLUSIONS: The Web is an efficient medium for improving communication and providing easy access to resources within the BCHP program. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Public health programs with meager resources can benefit from the relatively inexpensive use of customized and versatile Web sites.

Mivacurium infusion during nitrous oxide-isoflurane anesthesia: a comparison with nitrous oxide-opioid anesthesia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the potentiation of the neuromuscular blockade induced by a titrated infusion of mivacurium in the presence of isoflurane versus a nitrous oxide (N2O)-opioid anesthesia. DESIGN: An open-label, controlled study. SETTING: The inpatient anesthesia service of two university medical centers. PATIENTS: Thirty adults divided into two groups. INTERVENTION: An intravenous infusion of mivacurium during anesthesia with N2O-opioid or N2O-isoflurane. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A neuromuscular blockade was monitored by recording the electromyographic activity of the adductor pollicis muscle resulting from supramaximal stimulation at the ulnar nerve at 2 Hz for 2 seconds at 10-second intervals. The mivacurium infusion rate was significantly less in the presence of isoflurane [4.0 +/- 0.8 micrograms/kg/min (mean +/- SEM)] than during N2O-opioid anesthesia (6.4 +/- 0.6 micrograms/kg/min). The recovery rates did not differ between anesthetic groups. After the termination of the infusion, spontaneous recovery to T4/T1 of at least 0.75 occurred in an average of 17.9 +/- 1.5 minutes, with a mean recovery index (T25-75) of 6.0 +/- 0.7 minutes. CONCLUSION: Isoflurane anesthesia reduces the infusion rate of mivacurium required to produce about 95% depression of neuromuscular function.

Developmental profiles of adolescents and young adults choosing abortion: stage sequence, décalage, and implications for policy.

Three groups of unmarried females (ages 12-14, 17-19, and 23-25) electing to have an abortion in the first trimester of their first pregnancy were administered the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, the Rest Defining Issues Test, and a moral judgment interview of their reasons for choosing an abortion. Results indicated that there were clear developmental differences between the youngest group and the two older groups on the general measures of ego development and principled moral reasoning, as theory would have predicted. There were, however, no major differences across the three groups on the level of reasoning which directly assessed the specific decision concerning abortion. Further, all three groups were assessed at the self-protective level characterized by Stage 2 reasons of financial consequences and the need to rely exclusively on one's own self in such a difficult dilemma. These findings and developmental profiles are compared to national base rates, and the possible implications of apparent décalage, or discrepancy between the general stage assessments and the specific assessment on abortion, are discussed. In addition, the similarity between the older group of adolescents and the young adults was examined, particularly in light of the current controversy over mandatory parental consent.

Preliminary evaluation of the effects of a nutrition awareness project on the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara communities of central Australia.

Preliminary observations from one nutrition awareness project--Approaches to Failure to Thrive--in progress in the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara region of central Australia are discussed, current strategies are listed and the need for multi-faceted solutions emphasised. A more rigorous quantitative evaluation is recommended, within the constraints of funding and access to data.

Detection and recovery of mycobacteria by a radiometric procedure.

During a 6-month period, 5,375 clinical specimens were cultured on Middlebrook-Cohn 7H10 medium, on Lowenstein-Jensen medium, and in Middlebrook 7H12 medium containing [14C]palmitic acid. More mycobacteria were recovered when all three media were used than when either the conventional method with 7H10 agar and Lowenstein-Jensen slants or the radiometric method with 7H12 broth was used alone.

Pharmacodynamic and hemodynamic effects of mivacurium in infants anesthetized with halothane and nitrous oxide.

BACKGROUND: The newly developed neuromuscular blocking agent, mivacurium, has been evaluated in adults and children, but there are no data on its effects in infants. This study was designed to evaluate the neuromuscular effects of mivacurium by dose-response analysis, and its cardiovascular effects in 90 infants 2-11 months of age anesthetized with 1% halothane and nitrous oxide:oxygen. METHODS: The neuromuscular response was measured by recording the force of contraction of the adductor pollicis during train-of-four stimulation at 0.1 Hz. The infants were divided according to age into two equal groups of 45; group A infants were 2-6 months of age, and group B infants were 7-11 months of age. Each group was further subdivided into five subgroups of nine. Infants in group A received mivacurium at sequential doses of 40, 50, 55, 75, and 150 micrograms/kg, while those in group B received mivacurium at doses 40, 50, 60, 75, and 150 micrograms/kg. The first four doses in each group were used to determine dose-response relationships. The last two doses of 75 and 150 micrograms/kg were based on the observed preceding dose-response data to approximate the ED95 and 2XED95. Heart rate and blood pressure were determined every minute for a minimum of 3 min after mivacurium. RESULTS: The effective doses for 50% depression of the first twitch response of the train-of-four (ED50) were 44-50 micrograms/kg (confidence limits 29-74 micrograms/kg), without any significant difference between groups A and B. In both groups, a larger dose of mivacurium, 150 micrograms/kg, caused complete ablation of the twitch response in 1.3 +/- 0.2 min (mean +/- SE) with recovery to 5, 25, and 95% of control in 7.6 +/- 0.5, 9.4 +/- 0.6, and 16.2 +/- 0.9 min, respectively. In infants, the 25-75% recovery index was 3.8 +/- 0.4 min, and the 5-95% recovery index was 8.5 +/- 0.8 min. In 28 infants, in whom surgical relaxation was required for more than 20 min, the infusion requirements to maintain 90-99% neuromuscular block in infants 2-6 and 7-11 months of age were 12.1 +/- 1 and 9.9 +/- 1 micrograms.kg-1.min-1, respectively (NS). No significant changes of heart rate of blood pressure occurred in infants, except in the subgroup of infants 7-11 months of age who received 150 micrograms/kg mivacurium. In this group, a 13-mmHg increase in mean systolic blood pressure was seen without any significant change in diastolic pressure or heart rate. In addition, in 7 of 36 patients receiving 75-150 micrograms/kg mivacurium, a greater than 29% change in systolic or diastolic pressure occurred. One infant with cholinesterase deficiency had a prolonged neuromuscular block from mivacurium. CONCLUSIONS: The ED50 duration of action and infusion requirements of mivacurium in infants 2-6 months of age are comparable with those of infants 7-11 months of age.

Reducing the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors.

This study reports on an effort to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors. In Santa Clara County, Calif, 412 stores and 30 vending machines were visited by 18 minors aged 14 through 16 years with the intent to purchase cigarettes; they were successful at 74% of the stores and 100% of the vending machines. After an aggressive six-month campaign using communitywide media, direct merchant education, contact with the chief executive officers of chain stores and franchise operations owned by major companies, and grassroots work with community organizations, the percentage of stores with illegal over-the-counter sale of cigarettes to minors was reduced to 39%. Sales from vending machines were not reduced. While much remains to be accomplished in stopping the illegal sale of tobacco to minors, data from this study illustrate that a well-designed community and merchant education campaign can significantly reduce such sales.

Sustained effects of an educational program to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors.

We report 1-year follow-up data from a sample of stores participating in a 6-month community-wide educational effort to reduce cigarette sales to minors in Santa Clara County, California. The proportion of over-the-counter sales to minors at the 1-year follow-up illustrated that although statistically significant reductions were maintained 6 months after the intervention ended, recidivism occurred. Suggestions for achieving long-term reductions in sales to minors are offered.

Primary structure of the soybean nodulin-35 gene encoding uricase II localized in the peroxisomes of uninfected cells of nodules.

Nodulin-35 (N-35), a subunit of nodule-specific uricase (uricase II) of soybean (Glycine max), is shown to be preferentially synthesized on free polysomes during nodule development and is localized in peroxisomes of the uninfected cells of this tissue. A cDNA clone, isolated by using mRNA from immunoprecipitated polysomes, revealed the primary structure of this protein with a molecular mass of 35,100. That this clone represents N-35 was confirmed by comparing the deduced amino acid sequence with the partial sequence of a CNBr-cleaved peptide of purified N-35. Southern blot hybridizations with genomic DNA suggest that there are several EcoRI fragments containing N-35 sequences. Three of these sequences were isolated from a genomic library of soybean. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the complete gene extends almost 5000 base pairs on two EcoRI fragments and the coding region (309 codons) is interrupted by seven introns ranging in size from 154 to 1341 base pairs. Lack of a signal sequence and its translation on free polysomes suggest that N-35 is posttranslationally transported to the peroxisomes. Furthermore, there is no cross-hybridization of N-35 cDNA with RNA from young (3- to 4-day) roots and leaves, indicating that the observed "uricase" activity in these tissues is due to the product of a different gene.

Two host-inducible genes of Rhizobium fredii and characterization of the inducing compound.

Random transcription fusions with Mu d1(Kan lac) generated three mutants in Rhizobium fredii (strain USDA 201) which showed induction of beta-galactosidase when grown in root exudate of the host plants Glycine max, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Vigna ungliculata. Two genes were isolated from a library of total plasmid DNA of one of the mutants, 3F1. These genes, present in tandem on a 4.2-kilobase HindIII fragment, appear in one copy each on the symbiotic plasmid and do not hybridize to the Rhizobium meliloti common nodulation region. They comprise two separate transcriptional units coding for about 450 and 950 nucleotides, both of which are transcribed in the same direction. The two open reading frames are separated by 586 base pairs, and the 5H regions of the two genes show a common sequence. No similarity was found with the promoter areas of Rhizobium trifolii, R. meliloti, or Bradyrhizobium japonicum nif genes and with any known nodulation genes. Regions homologous to both sequences were detected in EcoRI digests of genomic DNAs from B. japonicum USDA 110, USDA 122, and 61A76, but not in genomic DNA from R. trifolii, Rhizobium leguminosarum, or Rhizobium phaseoli. Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis indicated that the inducing compound has properties of 4',7-dihydroxyisoflavone, daidzein. These results suggest that, in addition to common nodulation genes, several other genes appear to be specifically induced by compounds in the root exudate of the host plants.

Neuromuscular and cardiovascular effects of doxacurium in children anaesthetized with halothane.

The neuromuscular and cardiovascular effects of doxacurium chloride (BW A938U) were evaluated in 27 children (2-12 yr) anaesthetized with 1% halothane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. In nine children the incremental technique was used to establish a cumulative dose-response curve by train-of-four stimulation. The remaining children received either 30 or 50 micrograms kg-1 of the drug as a single bolus. The median ED50 and ED95 of doxacurium in children were 19 and 32 micrograms kg-1, respectively. No clinically significant change in heart rate or arterial pressure occurred. Following doxacurium 30 micrograms kg-1 and 50 micrograms kg-1, recovery to 25% of control occurred in 25 (SEM 6) and 44 (3) min, respectively. The recovery index (25-75% of control) was 27 (2) min. The duration of action of doxacurium is similar to that of tubocurarine and dimethyl-tubocurarine in children. Compared with adults, children seem to require more doxacurium (microgram kg-1) to achieve a comparable degree of neuromuscular depression, and they recover more rapidly.

Endurance training for elderly women: moderate vs low intensity.

This investigation evaluated the efficacy of training at moderate-60% Maximal Heart Rate Reserve, HRRmax, (MOD) and low-40% HRRmax (LOW) intensities in a population of older American women (N = 16, mean age = 78.4 years). Prior to and immediately following a 10-week training program consisting of exercising at the prescribed heart-rate intensity with a caloric expenditure of 100 calories, the following measurements were performed: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), Maximal Lactate Production (HLAmax), Maximal Heart Rate (HRmax), Maximal Workstage (WSmax), Total Cholesterol (TOTC), High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDLC), and Rate Pressure Product Max (RPPmax). Significant differences, p less than .05, were noted pre- to post-training for measures of VO2max, whether expressed in 1.min-1 or ml.kg-1.min-1, and WSmax. No statistical differences existed between the groups pre- or post-training for these measures. The results suggest that the low-intensity exercise prescription provides an adequate training stimulus for older women who have been sedentary and who might be at higher risk for cardiac or musculoskeletal injury, particularly at the initiation of an exercise program.

Maintenance of normal human breast organoids within rat mammary fat pads in organ culture.

Normal human breast organoids, derived by collagenase digestion of reduction mammaplasty tissue specimens, have been cultured in vitro for up to 28 days after injection into organ cultures of virgin rat mammary fat pads. The culture medium was serum-free Waymouth's MB 752/1 with hormonal additives. The rat mammary tissue responded well to growth-promoting and lactogenic stimuli in the culture medium, in agreement with previous investigations. Using immunohistochemistry casein was identified in rat epithelia exposed to lactogenic medium. Human organoids in culture remained viable but did not show hormone-responsiveness. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of both luminal epithelial cells and myoepithelial cells. The serum-free culture of normal human breast organoids in a three-dimensional matrix provides a system in which to study factors controlling growth and differentiation.

Clinical pharmacology of mivacurium chloride (BW B1090U) in children during nitrous oxide-halothane and nitrous oxide-narcotic anesthesia.

We determined the dose-response relationships of mivacurium (BW B1090U) in children (2-10 years) during nitrous oxide-halothane anesthesia (0.8% end-tidal) and during nitrous oxide-narcotic anesthesia. Neuromuscular blockade was monitored by recording the electromyographic activity of the adductor pollicis muscle resulting from supramaximal stimulation at the ulnar nerve at 2 Hz for 2 seconds at 10-second intervals. To estimate dose-response relationships, for each anesthetic background four subgroups of nine patients received single bolus doses of 20-120 micrograms/kg mivacurium. The ED50 and ED95 (estimated from linear regression plots of log-dose vs. probit of effect) were 52 micrograms/kg and 89 micrograms/kg during halothane anesthesia and 62 micrograms/kg and 103 micrograms/kg during narcotic anesthesia. Nine additional patients in each anesthetic group received 250 micrograms/kg mivacurium. Three of the 18 patients given 250 micrograms/kg mivacurium developed cutaneous flushing; in one of these mean arterial pressure decreased 32% for less than 1 minute; no significant changes in heart rate occurred. With the increase in mivacurium dose from 120 micrograms/kg to 250 micrograms/kg the times to onset of 90% and maximum neuromuscular block decreased by 0.5 to 1 minute, and the times to recovery of neuromuscular transmission to 5% (T5) or 25% (T25) increased by 2-4 minutes. The recovery index (T25-75) in patients anesthetized with halothane was 4.3 +/- 1.5 minute (mean +/- SD); the time to complete recovery (T4:1 greater than or equal to 0.75) was 19.8 +/- 7.4 minutes.