A novel simple method for quantifying bacteria from endotracheal aspirates

Two children with neuronal migration disorders and unexpectedly mild clinical symptoms are reported. The first patient was followed with the diagnosis of febrile convulsion and seizures associated with fever for 14 years. Computed tomography scans were normal. Although periodic slow waves of the left parietal cortex were detected on the first two electroencephalograms, his latest examination was normal. Magnetic resonance imaging performed at 16 years of age disclosed a left parietal schizencephaly extending between the parietal cortex and corpus callosum. The second patient was followed with the diagnosis of febrile convulsion for 2 years and later experienced afebrile seizures. On his latest visit, a posterior parietal pachygyric region and a parieto-occipital island heterotopia on the left hemisphere were diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. We believe that review of these patients, at the mildest end of the clinical spectrum of neural migration disorders, will contribute to a new understanding of the correlation between clinical and pathologic findings of neuronal migration disorders.     

离子型稀土矿山集液沟区域耐盐异养硝化细菌的筛选及其脱氮特征

为筛选处理高盐含氨氮矿冶废水的耐盐微生物,从赣南离子型稀土矿山集液沟区域采集样品,利用选择性培养基富集培养分离耐盐异养硝化细菌,并考察碳源、pH、盐度等因素对其脱氮性能的影响.结果表明,分离得到一株耐盐异养硝化细菌X1,经16S rDNA鉴定为肠杆菌属Enterobacter sp. X1,确定该菌适宜的脱氮条件为:以蔗糖作为碳源,pH值为5,盐度≤15 %.菌株X1的NH₄+-N去除率可达到60 %以上.研究结果可为高盐含氨氮矿冶废水的微生物处理提供菌株和数据参考.      

Reduction of faecal coliform, coliform and heterotrophic plate count bacteria in the household kitchen and bathroom by disinfection with hypochlorite cleaners

Fourteen sites evenly divided between the household kitchen and bathroom were monitored on a weekly basis for numbers of faecal coliforms, total coliforms and heterotrophic plate count bacteria. The first 10 weeks comprised the control period, hypochlorite cleaning products were introduced into the household during the second 10 weeks, and a strict cleaning regimen using hypochlorite products was implemented during the last 10 weeks. The kitchen was more heavily contaminated than the bathroom, with the toilet seat being the least contaminated site. The highest concentrations of all three classes of bacteria were found on sites that were moist environments and/or were frequently touched; these included the sponge/dishcloth, the kitchen sink drain area, the bath sink drain area, and the kitchen faucet handle(s). The implementation of a cleaning regimen with common household hypochlorite products resulted in the significant reduction of all three classes of bacteria at these four sites and other household sites.     

Priming of simple and complex scene layout: Rapid function from the intermediate level.

Three experiments examined the time course of layout priming with photographic scenes varying in complexity (number of objects). Primes were presented for varying durations (800–50 ms) before a target scene with 2 spatial probes; observers indicated whether the left or right probe was closer to viewpoint. Reaction time was the main measure. Scene primes provided maximum benefits with 200 ms or less prime duration, indicating that scene priming is rapid enough to influence everyday distance perception. The time course of prime processing was similar for simple and complex scene primes and for upright and inverted primes, suggesting that the prime representation was intermediate level in nature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Olfactory G proteins: simple and complex signal transduction

In both vertebrates and invertebrates, olfactory perception is mediated by G-protein-coupled receptors. Recent work, in both mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans, sheds light on the role of specific G proteins in olfactory signal transduction, neuronal morphology and axon guidance.     

Metal removal by sulphate-reducing bacteria from natural and constructed wetlands

The use of wetlands is a promising technology to treat acid mine drainage, yet there is little understanding of the fundamental biological processes involved. They are considered to centre on the complex anaerobic ecology within sediments and involve the removal of metals by sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). These bacteria generate hydrogen sulphide and cause precipitation of metals from solution as the insoluble metal sulphide. Sulphate-reducing bacteria have been isolated from natural and constructed wetlands receiving acid mine drainage. Sulphide production by isolates and removal of the metals iron, manganese and zinc were measured, as well as utilization of a range of carbon sources. Marked ecological differences between the wetlands were reflected in population composition of SRB enrichments, and these consortia displayed significant differences in sulphide generation and rates of metal removal from solution. Rates of metal removal did not correlate with sulphide generation in all cultures, suggesting the involvement of other biological mechanisms of metal removal. Differences in substrate utilization have highlighted the need for further investigation of carbon flow and potential carbon sources within constructed wetlands.     

A dissociation between simple and complex span impairment in alcoholics

We investigated whether the surprisingly good memory performance of alcoholics may result from simple memory performance being spared while performance in complex memory tasks is impaired. Simple word span was contrasted with a complex word span task involving concurrent monitoring and re-organisation of items for recall. To control for disruption of rehearsal in the complex word span task, performance on two additional tasks with disrupted rehearsal but no additional processing components was studied. As hypothesised, the alcoholics showed a deficit in the complex but not the simple word span task. They were also impaired, compared to controls, on both tasks with disrupted rehearsal. The difference between groups remained in the complex span task when scores in simple span and either of the two other tasks were used as covariates. Thus, both executive processes necessary for coping with disrupted rehearsal and additional processes scheduling processing and storage in a complex task may play a role in accounting for working memory deficits found in alcoholics.     

The power to detect linkage in complex disease by means of simple LOD-score analyses

Maximum-likelihood analysis (via LOD score) provides the most powerful method for finding linkage when the mode of inheritance (MOI) is known. However, because one must assume an MOI, the application of LOD-score analysis to complex disease has been questioned. Although it is known that one can legitimately maximize the maximum LOD score with respect to genetic parameters, this approach raises three concerns: (1) multiple testing, (2) effect on power to detect linkage, and (3) adequacy of the approximate MOI for the true MOI. We evaluated the power of LOD scores to detect linkage when the true MOI was complex but a LOD score analysis assumed simple models. We simulated data from 14 different genetic models, including dominant and recessive at high (80%) and low (20%) penetrances, intermediate models, and several additive two-locus models. We calculated LOD scores by assuming two simple models, dominant and recessive, each with 50% penetrance, then took the higher of the two LOD scores as the raw test statistic and corrected for multiple tests. We call this test statistic "MMLS-C." We found that the ELODs for MMLS-C are >=80% of the ELOD under the true model when the ELOD for the true model is >=3. Similarly, the power to reach a given LOD score was usually >=80% that of the true model, when the power under the true model was >=60%. These results underscore that a critical factor in LOD-score analysis is the MOI at the linked locus, not that of the disease or trait per se. Thus, a limited set of simple genetic models in LOD-score analysis can work well in testing for linkage.     

Turning simple span into complex span: Time for decay or interference from distractors?

We investigated the effects of the duration and type of to-be-articulated distractors during encoding of a verbal list into short-term memory (STM). Distractors and to-be-remembered items alternated during list presentation, as in the complex-span task that underlies much of working-memory research. According to an interference model of STM, known as serial order in a box (SOB; Farrell & Lewandowsky, 2002), additional repeated articulations of the same word between list items should cause minimal further disruption of encoding into STM even though the retention interval for early list items is increased. SOB also predicts that the articulation of several different distractor items should lead to much enhanced disruption if the distractor interval is increased. Those predictions were qualitatively confirmed in 4 experiments that found that it is the type of distractors, not their total duration, that determines the success of encoding a list into STM. The results pose a challenge to temporal models of complex-span performance, such as the time-based resource sharing model (Barrouillet, Bernardin, & Camos, 2004). The results add to a growing body of evidence that memory for the short term is not exclusively governed by purely temporal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Temporal rescaling of simple and complex ratios in rhythmic tapping.

Two well-established phenomena in temporal performance—preference for simple ratios over complex ratios and the ability to proportionately rescale temporal patterns—were examined together. Unlike the case with simple ratios, participants (3 trained musicians) showed only a limited ability to learn complex ratios and no ability to proportionately rescale them. These differences suggest that different mechanisms are used to produce the 2 ratio types. Systematic biases observed in the performances of the simple ratios (6 trained musicians) were modeled by assuming that an additive timing component, which is unequal for short and long intervals and changes with base rate, overlays a system that preferentially produces simple ratios. The general pattern of results was consistent with the view that rhythmic learning builds on or modifies a system of innate preferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Plasma glucose and insulin responses to orally administered simple and complex carbohydrates

We have studied the effects of glucose, sucrose, and various starches on postprandial plasma glucose and insulin responses in 19 subjects. All carbohydrate loads were calculated to contain 50 gm. of glucose, and the response to each carbohydrate was tested twice: when given alone in a drink or when given in combination with other nutrients as a meal. The data demonstrate: (1) Glucose and sucrose elicited similar plasma glucose response curves, but sucrose elicited a somewhat greater (20 per cent) plasma insulin response. (2) Raw starch ingestion resulted in a 44 per cent lower glucose response and a 35-65 per cent lower insulin response than did either glucose or sucrose ingestion. (3) When carbohydrate was given as a meal the plasma glucose responses were 40-60 per cent lower than when the same carbohydrate was given as a drink, while the insulin responses were generally similar, and (4) when different cooked starches were compared, the plasma glucose and insulin responses to rice were significantly lower (50 per cent) than to potato. In conclusion, the size of the carbohydrate molecule appears to influence the postprandial glucose and insulin responses such that more complex carbohydrates (starches) elicit lower responses. This effect may be related to differences in digestion rather than to differences in absorption.     

Flattering and unflattering personality portraits of integratively simple and complex managers.

Research has revealed a good deal about both the situational determinants and judgmental and behavioral consequences of integrative complexity. Little is known, however, about people who are prone to think in integratively simple or complex ways. The present study fills this gap by drawing on data collected during in-depth assessments of MBA candidates. Integrative complexity was correlated with a broad range of self-report, observer-rating, semiprojective, and managerial-simulation measures. Results revealed a more complex pattern of correlates than one would expect from the flattering theoretical portrayals of integrative complexity. On self-report measures, complex persons scored higher on openness and creativity and lower on social compliance and conscientiousness. On personality-observer ratings, they emerged as narcissistic and somewhat antagonistic. On managerial-observer ratings, complex persons emerged as higher on initiative and self-objectivity. On semiprojective measures, complex persons scored higher on power motivation. The integratively complex manager is reminiscent of creative architects, scientists, and writers who participated in previous assessments over the past 3 decades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computer-munching microbes: metal leaching from electronic scrap by bacteria and fungi

Microbiological processes were applied to mobilize metals from electronic waste materials. Bacteria (Thiobacillus thiooxidans, T. ferrooxidans) and fungi (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium simplicissimum) were grown in the presence of electronic scrap. The formation of inorganic and organic acids caused the mobilization of metals. Initial experiments showed that microbial growth was inhibited when the concentration of scrap in the medium exceeded 10 g L⁻¹. However, after a prolonged adaptation time, fungi as well as bacteria grew also at concentrations of 100 g L⁻¹. Both fungal strains were able to mobilize Cu and Sn by 65%, and Al, Ni, Pb, and Zn by more than 95%. At scrap concentrations of 5–10 g L⁻¹, Thiobacilli were able to leach more than 90% of the available Cu, Zn, Ni, and Al. Pb precipitated as PbSO₄ while Sn precipitated probably as SnO. For a more efficient metal mobilization, a two-step leaching process is proposed where biomass growth is separated from metal leaching.     

Control of PAHs from Incineration by Activated Carbon Fibers

The aim of this research was to use activated carbon fibers (ACFs) to adsorb 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) species from flue gas emissions during incineration. The operation conditions included the presence of three activated carbon fibers, the adsorption temperature (200, 300, and 340°C), and the weight of the ACFs. The removal efficiencies of the gaseous and solid-state PAHs were evaluated respectively. It was found that the BET surface area did not affect PAH removal when the BET surface area was enough for PAH removal and micropore volume was the determinant parameter for PAHs removal. The best adsorption temperature in this study was 300°C. The removal efficiency of PAHs was proportional to the weight of ACFs.