Modeling Escherichia Coli and Its Sources in an Urban Bayou with Hydrologic Simulation Program—FORTRAN

Bacterial levels in Buffalo Bayou in Houston commonly exceed contact recreation standards. Potential sources of bacteria include wastewater treatment plants, sanitary sewer overflows, septic systems, wet and dry nonpoint-source discharges via direct runoff and pipes, direct deposition, and sediment. A water-quality model in the Hydrologic Simulation Program—FORTRAN (HSPF) was calibrated and validated for hydrology, sediment, and Escherichia coli and subsequently used to evaluate the impacts of the bacterial sources in the watershed. In addition, simple estimates of bacterial loads were calculated along with source evaluations from load duration curves. Load reductions based upon the simple estimates indicated that water-quality standards were met by reducing dry-weather indicator bacterial loads by 69% and wet-weather loads by 98%. When these load reductions were implemented in the HSPF model, however, standards were not met under dry-weather conditions. Residual nonpoint-source loading was found to cause the discrepancy between simple load estimate calculations and the developed water-quality model. This paper demonstrates that runoff can play a significant role in maintaining high levels of bacteria under all flow conditions and that understanding the temporal variations in bacterial source loading is critical to ensure that load reductions will achieve water-quality standards.     

Comparison of health-relevant flavonoids in commonly consumed cranberry products

The human health benefits from consumption of cranberry products have been associated with the fruits' unique flavonoid composition, including a complex profile of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. However, when processed by techniques such as pressing, canning, concentrating, or drying, a number of these natural components may be compromised or inactivated due to physical separation, thermal degradation, or oxidation. Fresh cranberries were compared to freeze-dried berries and individual fruit tissues (skin and peeled fruit). Products examined included cranberry juices (commercial and prepared from concentrate), cranberry sauces (commercial and homemade), and sweetened-dried cranberries (commercial). Freeze-drying resulted in no detectable losses of anthocyanins or proanthocyanidins from cranberry fruits. Anthocyanins were localized in the skin. Proanthocyanins were higher in the skin than in the flesh, with the exception of procyanidin A-2 dimer which was concentrated in the flesh. Anthocyanins were significantly higher in not-from-concentrate juice than in reconstituted juice from concentrate (8.3 mg and 4.2 mg/100 mL, respectively). Similarly, proanthocyanidins were markedly higher in not-from-concentrate juice compared to juice from concentrate (23.0 mg and 8.9 mg/100 mL, respectively). Homemade sauce contained far higher anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins (15.9 and 87.9 mg/100 g, respectively) than canned sauces processed with whole berries (9.6 and 54.4 mg/100 g, respectively) or jelled-type (1.1 and 16 mg/100 g, respectively). Sweetened-dried cranberries were quite low in anthocyanins (7.9 mg/100 g), but they still retained considerable proanthocyanidins (64.2 mg/100 g). Commercially processed products contained significantly lower levels of polyphenols as compared to fresh and home-processed preparations. Anthocyanins were more sensitive to degradation than proanthocyanidins. Practical Application: As cranberry juices and other products are increasingly consumed for their recognized health benefits (including prophylaxis against urinary tract infection), it is relevant to consider how various degrees of commercial and home processing can alter innate levels of the biologically active flavonoids (especially anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins) characteristic to the intact fruits.     

The emerging Hispanic population: a foundation for cancer prevention and control

Although making up only 9% of the U.S. population and concentrated in urban areas of a few states, Hispanics are found throughout the country and represent a mix of historical and cultural backgrounds. This diverse group cuts across racial and ethnic lines, with origins in various countries of Europe and North, Central, and South America. The Hispanic population has several distinguishing demographic characteristics, including its rapid growth rate, relative youth, and low educational and socioeconomic levels. However, considerable differences exist among Hispanic groups, particularly in median age, household size, education, and family income. The majority of Hispanics face barriers to health care access, including a lack of health insurance coverage, underrepresentation in health care fields, and cultural and language differences. These distinct demographic characteristics and barriers have a direct impact on the risk of cancer in Hispanics and on the development of prevention and control strategies. The purpose of this review is to examine the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Hispanics and issues of access to health care among this population within the context of cancer prevention and control.     

Bioimpedance monitoring of rehydration in cholera

Measurement of bioimpedance (BI) is a simple non-invasive technique that relies on the different conductivity of tissues to define body composition and can be easily adapted to automated monitoring. We assessed the accuracy of BI in monitoring rehydration and acute fluid fluxes in 35 Peruvian cholera patients. Patients were monitored throughout the acute phase of diarrhoea and followed up at 3 and 10 days. BI was compared with other objective measures of dehydration including packed cell volume, serum protein, and calculated fluid balance. BI rapidly detected inadequate treatment and acute fluid flux, correlating highly with intravascular hydration as measured by serum protein and packed cell volume. BI values during dehydration were significantly raised compared with 10-day convalescent values and age-matched controls (p < 0.05). We also encountered an unexpected difference in the bioelectrical response to dehydration and rehydration between sexes. We conclude that BI has uses in monitoring dehydrated patients, in oral rehydration trials, and in physiological studies.     

DNA computing, sticker systems, and universality

We introduce the sticker systems, a computability model, which is an abstraction of the computations using the Watson-Crick complementarity as in Adleman's DNA computing experiment, [1]. Several types of sticker systems are shown to characterize (modulo a weak coding) the regular languages, hence the power of finite automata. One variant is proven to be equivalent to Turing machines. Another one is found to have a strictly intermediate power. Received: 10 October 1996 / 16 April 1997     

Mechanical properties of polystyrene/polyamide 6 blends compatibilized with the ionomer poly(styrene‐co‐sodium acrylate)

The compatibilizing effect of the ionomer, poly(styrene‐co‐sodium acrylate) (PSSAc), on immiscible blends of polystyrene (PS)/polyamide 6 (PA6) was studied by mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy. The PSSAc acts as an effective compatibilizer because both the deformation at break (%) obtained by tensile stress–strain tests and the impact rupture energy are larger in blends containing small amounts of PSSAc. The morphologies of the fractured surfaces produced by tensile stress–strain tests of blends with or without the ionomer confirm that PSSAc increases the interfacial adhesion between PS and PA6 phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2545–2551, 2004     

The heartmate left ventricular assist system: first successful implantation in Missouri

To better care for patients with chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease, the National Kidney Foundation has published a set of Clinical Guidelines, the Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative, based on current available evidence and, where such evidence is lacking, the expert opinions of current leaders in vascular access research. These Guidelines were developed to standardize the care of chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease patients. This report describes some of the more important aspects of these recommendations and the authors' implementation strategies.     

Effect of vaporization and melt ejection on laser machining of silica glass micro-optical components

A new regime for silica glass machining for micro-optical fabrication applications, which uses pulsed CO2 laser radiation in the 2.5-100-micros pulse width region that has been generated by an acousto-optic modulator, is investigated. A filamentary melt ejection process that generates fibers and significant melt displacement limits machining quality below 30-micros pulse width. Ablation and melt ejection thresholds are quantified relative to pulse width, and the region from 30 to 50 micros is identified for low-threshold, smooth machining without melt displacement and ejection effects.     

Item sorts versus graphic procedure for obtaining Thurstone scale judgments.

An investigation of the stability of median and Q values computed from graphically derived and from sorted judgments used in attitude scaling by the method of equal-appearing intervals. One group of Ss (N = 42) judged 135 statements using a 9-point graphic continuum. A 2nd group (N = 42) sorted the identical sequence of statements presented as a card deck into 9 piles. Graphic judgments tended to yield higher Q values than sorts for relatively unambiguous items. Correlations expressing confluence of final decision regarding specific items were .99, .74, and .53 when "acceptable" Q values were below 2.0, 1.7, and 1.5, respectively. The medians derived from the 2 procedures correlated .97. These findings were interpreted in the light of a presumed heightened focusing effect of the sorting procedure for making judgments. From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5GD57S. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)