Diarrhea in young children associated with Escherichia coli non-O157 organisms that produce Shiga-like toxin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the way in which short-term protection declines and is eventually lost in preconditioning and to determine the efficacy of a second preconditioning at various reperfusion intervals. Male rabbits were divided into six groups. Forty-five minutes (sustained) ischemia followed by 120 minutes reperfusion was applied 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 minutes after a 5 minute preconditioning (groups A, B, C, D, and E) and in a control group (F) after no preconditioning. The infarct to risk ratio (I/R) was 38.3 +/- 3.5% in group A, 46.0 +/- 7.8% in B, 61.6 +/- 9.7% in C, 68.1 +/- 4.2% in D, 64.5 +/- 7.8% in E, and 61.0 +/- 7.7% in F. Group A had a smaller I/R compared with groups C, D, E, and F (p < 0.05). In another series, groups G, H, and I were exposed to two 5-minute preconditioning stimuli, separated, respectively, by 45, 60, and 75 minutes of reperfusion; 10 minutes after the last preconditioning, the animals were exposed to 45-minutes ischemia and 120 minutes reperfusion. Groups A and D (with the smaller and higher I/R ratio) were also incorporated into this protocol in order to compare the effect of the additional preconditioning with the single one. The I/R ratio was 25.4 +/- 8.5% in group G, 22.8 +/- 7.0% in group H, and 14.7 +/- 4.0% in group I (p = NS). Group D showed a higher I/R compared with groups G, A, and H (p < 0.01), and group I had a smaller I/R compared with groups A (p < 0.01) and D (p < 0.001). Cardioprotection after a first preconditioning declines gradually and is eventually lost. An additional preconditioning is always effective, and the longer the interval from the first preconditioning, the more potent is the effect.     

Superconductivity,magnetic properties,and specific heat of the pseudoternary,body-centered tetragonal system Ho(Rh1−x Ru x )4B4

The phase boundaries between superconductivity and various types of magnetism in the pseudoternary system Ho(Rh_1–x Ru _x )₄B₄ were examined by low-temperature measurements of the specific heatc(T), dc magnetizationM(H), superconducting upper critical fieldH _c2 (T), and ac susceptibility x_ac (T). For Ru concentrationsx0.37 superconductivity coexists with antiferromagnetic order below about 1 K, as shown by characteristic minima in theH _c2 (T) curves and an extrapolation ofM(H) data. Additionally, theH _c2 (T) measurements exhibit an unusual hysteresis between data taken in increasing and decreasing fields below 0.6 K. As a starting point for a theoretical explanation of this feature, a mean-field model is proposed with antiferromagnetic as well as ferromagnetic interactions, which are tentatively identified as the RKKY and dipole-dipole interactions. The existence of two competing interactions is supported by the observation of a time-dependence of the x_ac signal at 50 mK for 0.40x0.70, leading to a pronounced hysteresis in x_ac (T), which reflects a relaxation of the magnetic structure with time constants of several hours. Forx0.80 the x_ac (T) andM(H) data indicate ferromagnetic ordering withT _m increasing withx. However, an irregular temperature dependence of the Arrott plots forx=1.0 and unusual features of the magneticc(T) anomalies forx=0.95 and 1.0 exclude simple mean-field ferromagnetism. A discussion of the experimental results based on anx-dependent variation of the electronic density of states at the Fermi level is presented.     

Application of the hybrid process ultrasound enhanced friction stir welding on dissimilar aluminum/dual‐phase steel and aluminum/magnesium joints

Friction stir welding as a solid‐state joining method with its comparatively low process temperatures is suitable for joining dissimilar materials like aluminum/magnesium or aluminum/steel. Such hybrid joints are of great interest regarding lightweight efforts in different industrial fields like the transportation area. The present work investigates the influence of additionally transmitted power ultrasound during the friction stir welding on the joint properties of EN AC‐48000/AZ91 and EN AW‐6061/DP600. Therefore, conventional friction stir welding was continuously compared to ultrasound enhanced friction stir welding. Light microscopic analysis and nondestructive testing of the joints using x‐ray and high frequency ultrasound show different morphologies of the nugget for the aluminum/magnesium joints as well as differences in the amount and size of steel particles in the nugget of aluminum/steel joints. Scanning electron microcopy proves differences in the thickness of continuous intermetallic layers for the aluminum/steel joints realized with and without power ultrasound. Regarding the tensile strength of the joints the power ultrasound leads to increased joint strengths for EN AC‐48000/AZ91 joints compared to a decrease for EN AW‐6061/DP600 joints. Corrosion investigations show an influence of the ultrasound power on the corrosion properties of EN AC‐48000/AZ91 joints which is attributed to a changed aluminum content in the nugget region. Because of the great potential difference between the magnesium and the nugget phase the transitional area exhibits strong galvanic corrosion. For EN AW‐6061/DP600 joints an increased corrosion caused by galvanic effects is not expected as the potentials of the EN AW‐6061 aluminum alloy and DP600 steel are very similar.     

Reformation of casein particles from alkaline-disrupted casein micelles

In this study, the properties of casein particles reformed from alkaline disrupted casein micelles were studied. For this purpose, micelles were disrupted completely by increasing milk pH to 10.0, and subsequently reformed by decreasing milk pH to 6.6. Reformed casein particles were smaller than native micelles and had a slightly lower zeta-potential. Levels of ionic and serum calcium, as well as rennet coagulation time did not differ between milk containing native micelles or reformed casein particles. Ethanol stability and heat stability, >pH 7.0, were lower for reformed casein particles than native micelles. Differences in heat stability, ethanol stability and zeta-potential can be explained in terms of the influence of increased concentrations of sodium and chloride ions in milk containing reformed casein particles. Hence, these results indicate that, if performed in a controlled manner, casein particles with properties closely similar to those of native micelles can be reformed from alkaline disrupted casein micelles.     

Equine milk proteins: Chemistry,structure and nutritional significance

Equine milk has important nutritional and therapeutic properties that can benefit the diet of the elderly, convalescent or newborn. The protein content of equine milk is lower than that of bovine milk but similar to that of human milk. In this review qualitative and quantitative differences between the caseins and whey proteins of equine, bovine and human milk are discussed. Important biological and functional properties of specific proteins are reviewed and their significance in human nutrition considered. As well as characterizing equine milk proteins in the context of human nutrition and allergology, the potential industrial exploitation of equine milk is explored. Cross-reactivity of proteins from different species is discussed in relation to the treatment of cows’ milk protein allergy. While there is some scientific basis for the special nutritional and health-beneficial properties of equine milk based on its protein composition and similarity to human milk, further research is required to fully exploit its potential in human nutrition.     

Estimation and forecasting of machine health condition using ARMA/GARCH model

This paper proposes the hybrid model of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) to estimate and forecast the machine state based on vibration signal. The main idea in this study is to employ the linear ARMA model and the nonlinear GARCH model to explain the wear and fault condition of machine, respectively. The successful outcomes of the ARMA/GARCH prediction model can give obvious explanation for future states of machine, which enhance the worth of machine condition monitoring as well as condition-based maintenance in practical applications. The advance of the proposed model is verified in empirical results as applying for a real system of a methane compressor in a petrochemical plant.     

Reconstruction and quantification of the carotid artery bifurcation from 3-D ultrasound images

Three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound is a relatively new technique, which is well suited to imaging superficial blood vessels, and potentially provides a useful, noninvasive method for generating anatomically realistic 3-D models of the peripheral vasculature. Such models are essential for accurate simulation of blood flow using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), but may also be used to quantify atherosclerotic plaque more comprehensively than routine clinical methods. In this paper, we present a spline-based method for reconstructing the normal and diseased carotid artery bifurcation from images acquired using a freehand 3-D ultrasound system. The vessel wall (intima-media interface) and lumen surfaces are represented by a geometric model defined using smoothing splines. Using this coupled wall-lumen model, we demonstrate how plaque may be analyzed automatically to provide a comprehensive set of quantitative measures of size and shape, including established clinical measures, such as degree of (diameter) stenosis. The geometric accuracy of 3-D ultrasound reconstruction is assessed using pulsatile phantoms of the carotid bifurcation, and we conclude by demonstrating the in vivo application of the algorithms outlined to 3-D ultrasound scans from a series of patient carotid arteries.     

Application of the double slip plane crack model to temperature and strain rate sensitive BCC metals

The double slip plane crack model proposed by Weertman, Lin and Thomson (1982) has been applied to model the effect of temperature and strain rate on the stress intensity factor at a crack tip in temperature and strain rate sensitive materials. Increase in temperature or decrease in strain rate (as well as a decrease in slip plane spacing) are shown to increase the shielding of the crack tip by dislocation distributions on the slip planes. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on the fracture toughness, K_llc, at various strain rates was shown to exhibit the same sigmoidal shaped curve seen for K_lc data in typical alloy steels.     

Various issues relating to computational fluid dynamics simulations of carotid bifurcation flow based on models reconstructed from three-dimensional ultrasound images

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow simulation techniques have the potential to enhance understanding of how haemodynamic factors are involved in atherosclerosis. Recently, three-dimensional ultrasound has emerged as an alternative to other three-dimensional imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). The method can be used to generate accurate vascular geometry suitable for CFD simulations and can be coupled with Doppler ultrasound to provide physiologically realistic flow boundary conditions. However, there are various ways to utilize the flow data acquired, possibly leading to different results regarding both flow and wall shear stress patterns. A disadvantage of three-dimensional ultrasound for imaging the carotid bifurcation has been established as being the scanning limitation of the jawbone position. This may make artificial extensions of the internal and/or external carotid arteries necessary, which in turn may influence the predicted flow patterns. Flow simulations were carried out for three outflow calculation schemes as well as four geometries with different extensions to the carotid daughter vessels. It was found that variation of flow patterns was more strongly influenced by the outflow conditions than by the extensions of the daughter vessels. Consequently, it is recommended that for future CFD simulations of carotid flow using three-dimensional ultrasound data, the outflow boundary conditions should rely on the most accurate measurement available, and flow data recorded in the common and internal carotid are considered more reliable than data from the external carotid. Even though the extended lengths of the daughter vessels have insignificant effects on the predicted haemodynamic parameters, it would be a safer option to extend the internal carotid by approximately three times the diameter of the common carotid artery.     

Modeling Human Judgment of Digital Imagery for Multimedia Retrieval

The application of machine learning techniques to image and video search has been shown to boost the performance of multimedia retrieval systems, and promises to lead to more generalized semantic search approaches. In particular, the availability of large training collections allows model-driven search using a substantial number of semantic concepts. The training collections are obtained in a manual annotation process where human raters review images and assign predefined semantic concept labels. Besides being prone to human error, manual image annotation is biased by the view of the individual annotator because visual information almost always leaves room for ambiguity. Ideally, several independent judgments are obtained per image, and the inter-rater agreement is assessed. While disagreement between ratings bears valuable information on the annotation quality, it complicates the task of clearly classifying rated images based on multiple judgments. In the absence of a gold standard, evaluating multiple judgments and resolving disagreement between raters is not trivial. In this paper, we present an approach using latent structure analysis to solve this problem. We apply latent class modeling to the annotation data collected during the TRECVID 2005 Annotation Forum, and demonstrate how to use this statistic to clearly classify each image on the basis of varying numbers of ratings. We use latent class modeling to quantify the annotation quality and discuss the results in comparison with the well-known Kappa inter-rater agreement measure.