LANDSAT-4 MSS And Thematic Mapper Data Quality And Information Content Analysis

Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper and Multispectral Scanner data were analyzed to obtain information on data quality and information content. Geometric evaluations were performed to test band-to-band registration accuracy. Thematic Mapper overall system resolution was evaluated using scene objects which demonstrated sharp high contrast edge responses. Radiometric evaluation included detector relative calibration, effects of resampling, and coherent noise effects. Information content evaluation was carried out using clustering, principal components, transformed divergence separability measure, and numerous supervised classifiers on data from Iowa and Illinois. A detailed spectral class analysis (multispectral classification) was carried out on data from the Des Moines, Iowa area to compare the information content of the MSS and TM for a large number of scene classes.     

Pharmacokinetics, disposition and metabolism of 546C88 (L-NG-methylarginine hydrochloride) in rat and dog

1. 14C-546C88 (14C-L-NG-methylarginine hydrochloride) was administered to rat and dog as a single 5-min intravenous infusion at 1.7 mg/kg (20 mg/kg/h) to aid in the preclinical safety evaluation of the compound. 2. The distribution and elimination of parent compound from plasma was rapid in both species. 3. Drug-derived radioactivity was eliminated slowly. There was up to 39% of the dose retained in the carcasses at the end of the 7-day collection periods. The main route of elimination was as 14CO2 in the expired air. Less than 8% of the dose was excreted in the urine, and < 5% in the faeces. 4. Drug derived radioactivity was widely distributed throughout the body with highest concentrations in tissues with a high protein turnover, such as glandular tissue and liver. 5. 14C-546C88 appeared to be eliminated primarily by metabolism and subsequent putative amino acid catabolism, resulting in retention of drug-derived radioactivity in tissues, and ultimate elimination as 14CO2 in the expired air. Potential routes of metabolism of 546C88 have been identified.     

Taking sides.

Reviews the books, Human Laterality (1983) and The Ambivalent Mind (1983)by Michael C. Corballis. These two books explore human cerebral lateralization and handedness, their relationship to each other, and the relationship of both to aspects of cognitive performance. Human Later ality is the better of the two books for the researcher or the professional interested in these topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Immunogenic characterization of a tissue culture-derived vaccine that affords partial protection against avian coccidiosis

The immunogenicity of a tissue culture-derived vaccine generated from an Eimeria tenella-infected cell line in a serologically defined bird line, and the ability to confer protection against homologous challenge in young chicks was examined. The cell line, SB-CEV-1/F7, was infected with E. tenella sporozoites and the resulting 72-h postinfection cell-free supernatants were adjuvanted and used to immunize Leghorn chicks homozygous for the B19 haplotype. Peripheral blood and splenic lymphocytes from these immunized birds proliferated in vitro in response to both sporozoite and SB-CEV-1/F7 tissue culture-derived parasite antigens. In addition, splenic immune lymphocytes obtained from birds previously exposed to E. tenella in vivo responded to these tissue culture-derived parasite antigens in vitro. To evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine, B19B19 chicks were vaccinated s.c. with adjuvanted 72-h postinfection cell-free supernatants or an ammonium sulfate precipitate derivative thereof, orally boosted, and then subjected to homologous parasite challenge at 10 d of age. The level of protection (body weight gain, cecal lesions) was assessed 6 d after challenge. Performance results from four battery trials demonstrated that vaccinated birds were significantly protected against weight loss compared to unimmunized, challenged controls. In addition, in two of the four trials, vaccinated birds were significantly protected against lesions. These results provide strong evidence that tissue culture-derived parasite antigens obtained from the E. tenella-infected SB-CEV-1/F7 cell line are immunogenic in birds and can provide partial protection against E. tenella clinical coccidiosis.     

Removal of iron and formation of copper(i) from solutions containing iron(ii) and copper(ii) by addition of chloride ion or acetonitrile

Solutions of Cu(II) and Fe(II) establish the redox equilibrium

$\text{Cu(II) + Fe(II)}\text{?}\text{K}\text{Cu(I) + Fe(III)}$

which is displaced to the right by addition of either Cl^? or acetonitrile (AN). Log K varies from ?10.5 in water to about ?2.5 in 4 M NaCl or AN, allowing iron to be removed selectively from copper (II) solutions either by solvent extraction with Versatic acid or by precipitation as goethite or j jarosite. To establish the required conditions Eh-pH diagrams have been developed for the CuH₂OCl and CuH₂OANSO₄²-systems at 25°C and 90°C. It is demonstrated that the catalytic effect of Cu(II) on the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) by O₂ is dependent on the concentration of Cl^? or AN and on the position of this redox equilibrium. Applications to removing iron from hydrometallurgical solutions are discussed and tested.     

Salivary proline-rich proteins in mammals: Roles in oral homeostasis and counteracting dietary tannin

We review information on the structure of proline-rich proteins (PRPs), their various functions related to oral homeostasis and dietary tannin, and the structural basis of these functions. Consideration of the multifunctional nature of these salivary proteins helps explain both the subtle and large variations found in structure and secretion rates both within individuals and between species. We propose that the ancestral function of PRPs is in maintaining oral homeostasis and that counteracting dietary tannins by binding with them is a derived function. PRPs are effective in oral homeostasis at low secretion levels, whereas counteracting tannin depends on high secretion levels. In the dietary habits ranging from carnivores through omnivores to exclusively planteaters, the dietary nitrogen level is progressively reduced, and plant allelochemical intake, including tannins, increases. We suggest that during this evolution from meat-eater to plant-eater, there was some point in omnivory at which selective pressure from nitrogen limitations, arising from a low nitrogen/high tannin diet, became sufficiently great for the evolution of increased secretion level and diversification of PRPs for dealing with tannin. If this hypothesis is correct, carnivorous mammals should secrete low levels of PRPs for oral homeostasis, but should never secrete high levels, unless they are secondarily carnivorous. Omnivores consuming a diet of very little animal tissue but higher levels of tannin-containing foliage or fruit should generally have the capacity to produce high levels of salivary PRPs. Browsers and frugivores should also produce high levels of PRPs, but grazers may have reduced secretion rates depending on the antiquity of the dietary habit. This hypothesis is consistent with the limited information available on the abundance, type, and distribution of PRPs in mammals. Studies are suggested which would test the functional and evolutionary arguments presented.     

J Integral measurements of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Fracture of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) contributes to damage modes occurring on the articulating surfaces of total joint replacement components. To minimize damage through the optimization of component design requires an understanding of the fracture behavior of UHMWPE. A fracture/mechanics approach was taken in which J integral tests were performed on three-point bend specimens of two thicknesses. J_IC was determined to be 99.5 kJ/m² and was independent of specimen thickness. The fracture surfaces for both specimen thicknesses showed extensive orientation and failure through multiple layers of material, suggesting that UHMWPE experiences plane stress conditions at the crack tip, regardless of thickness.     

An Assessment of the Potential of the TWINSPAN Program of Multi-variate Analysis to Contribute to the Classification and Management of Village Landscapes,with Reference to Historical Features

The potential of Village Design Statements and other initiatives to achieve their stated objectives without a comparison between several villages is questioned. The basic premise is, therefore, that local decision making should be informed by analyses which show which features are common and which are confined to particular areas. The TWINSPAN (two-way in dicator species analysis) program is used to identify a number of village types within part of north-west England and these classes are shown to have historical and environmental meaning. It is, however, recognized that such analyses do not assign value, that such a step remains for the local community or the professional.     

A comparative study of Inconel 625 laser cladding by wire and powder feedstock

It has been established that laser cladding technique is useful for enhancing surface performances, hence extending the life of many components in severe corrosive-wear environments. However, a comparative study of the surface performances of laser coatings made via powder and wire feeding systems has not been performed. Inconel 625 powder and wire were deposited on the AISI 304 substrate using similar processing parameters. The microstructure, together with the depth of substrate penetration and the degree of dilution of the deposited tracks, was examined using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope (equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer). The micro-hardness was measured using a Vickers hardness tester. At optimized parameters, laser tracks of Inconel 625 wire and powder had a strong metallurgical bond at the track–substrate interface and no crack and pore were deposited. Due to the higher laser beam infiltration and a larger depth of substrate penetration, higher substrate dilution was observed in the powder-fed tracks. The tracks comprise continuous ?-matrix and secondary compounds (rich in Nb and Mb). However, finer dendritic microstructure and higher number density of inter-dendritic precipitates were observed in a typical powder laser track compared with the corresponding wire laser track. The typical powder laser track demonstrated higher hardness (245 HV_0.3) compared with the corresponding wire laser track (224 HV_0.3).