An adaptive descent method for non-linear viscoplasticity

A forming model based on a viscoplastic flow formulation is derived which includes the effects of small elastic strains. A significant feature of the formulation is its reliance on the dominant inelastic material characteristics in the formation of the stiffness matrix for large strain problems. The resultant non-linear system of equations is solved by an adaptive descent method which combines the rapid convergence of Newton's method near the solution with the robustness of a method of successive approximations. The use of the adaptive descent method effectively extends the viscoplastic flow formulations into the nearly rate-insensitive range of behaviours exhibited, for example, by metals at low temperature, where slow convergence of the non-linear solution algorithm has traditionally hampered their use.     

Transmission electron microscopic analysis of kidney glomeruli obtained by fine-needle aspiration

Aspiration biopsy of tumors and transplanted organs is a popular atraumatic method for diagnosis and also for the management of patients. Apart from the cytological analyses, it is clear that large aggregates of cells are obtained and these may be examined by electron microscopy. A study was carried out with dogs to assess the yield of intact glomeruli and tubules, resulting from a standard fine-needle aspiration procedure. Employing a 20-gauge needle, yields of approximately ten intact glomeruli were obtained with a tissue processing protocol that utilized filtration through a nylon mesh and backwashing, to resuspend the trapped aggregates. Processing for electron microscopy was carried out in microcentrifuge tubes. The ultrastructural preservation was excellent and the extension of these studies to investigations of not only renal transplantation, but also for diagnosis in human renal diseases of a broad spectrum, is suggested.     

Serial deployment of attention during visual search.

This study examined whether objects are attended in serial or in parallel during a demanding visual search task. A component of the event-related potential waveform, the N2pc wave, was used as a continuous measure of the allocation of attention to possible targets in the search arrays. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the relative allocation of attention shifts rapidly, favoring one item and then another. In Experiment 2, a paradigm was used that made it possible to track the absolute allocation of attention to individual items. This experiment showed that attention was allocated to one object for 100-150 ms before attention began to be allocated to the next object. These findings support models of attention that posit serial processing in demanding visual search tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative priming in associative learning: Evidence from a serial-conditioning procedure.

Three experiments investigated the suggestion that a predicted or primed stimulus commands less processing and consequently elicits a weaker CR than a stimulus that is not primed. In each experiment rats received initial training in which the presentation of each of 2 serial compounds, A-X and B-Y, was followed by the delivery of food. Subsequently, X's capacity to elicit the CR, approaching the site of food delivery, was assessed when X was preceded by Stimulus A (i.e., primed) or was presented after Stimulus B. Stimulus X elicited a more vigorous response when it was presented after B than when it followed A. These results show that the ability of one event to elicit its CR is reduced if its presentation has been predicted by some other event. This negative priming effect supports one aspect of A. R. Wagner's (1981) model of Pavlovian conditioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Underrecognition of cervical Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in the emergency department

OBJECTIVES: 1) To quantify the frequency of underrecognized Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis cervical infections in women tested in the ED, 2) to describe and compare the characteristics of those treated and not treated during the initial visit, and 3) to quantify the delay interval until treatment was provided. METHODS: A 2-year, retrospective consecutive case series was performed from June 1, 1992, to May 31, 1994. There were 148 women with > or = 1 discrete occurrence of culture-proven cervical N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis infection studied. All the patients were evaluated in a university-affiliated, tertiary care hospital-based ED with a large rural referral area. The main outcome measures were the proportions of patients with positive cultures both treated and not treated in the ED, the clinical characteristics of each group, and the proportion remaining untreated or experiencing treatment delays of > 2 weeks after attempted phone, mail, and public health follow-up. RESULTS: Of 157 occurrences of positive cultures for N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis, 86 (53%) were treated with a regimen suggested by the CDC prior to ED release. The proportion of women with isolated C. trachomatis infections that were underrecognized and untreated initially was larger than the proportions with isolated N. gonorrhoeae or combined infections (79% vs 27% and 53%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Women with findings suggestive of advanced disease (history of fever or chills, or examination evidence of temperature > 38 degrees C, purulent vaginal discharge, or any uterine/salpinx/ovarian tenderness) were more often recognized and treated with appropriate antibiotics initially (p = 0.02 to < 0.00001 for all). After phone, mail, and public health follow-up, treatment could not be documented for 25% of the occurrences, in all cases due to an inability to locate the patient. An additional 20% of the women did not receive treatment for 14-60 days. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, both N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis cervical infections are frequently underrecognized in the ED, with isolated C. trachomatis infections associated with significantly higher proportions of underrecognition. Many affected women remain untreated for extended intervals, creating public and individual health risks. Improved point of contact detection, follow-up, and treatment policies are needed to limit these risks.     

Metal sorption by biomass of melanin‐producing fungi grown in clay‐containing medium

The sorption of toxic metals by fungal mycelia grown in clay‐containing medium is reported in this work. Biomass of melanin‐producing microfungi of the genus Cladosporium (C cladosporioides, C resinae and C herbarum) and Aureobasidium pullulans, clay minerals and fungal mycelia grown in clay‐containing medium were compared for their equilibrium Cu and Cd uptake from pH‐buffered solutions using experimental sorption isotherms. Bentonite (Cherkassy) in the natural form was shown to be the best Cu sorbent compared with the other clays and clay minerals tested. Cu sorption isotherms fitted the Langmuir sorption model for all cases. Comparison of Cu and Cd uptake for biomass and bentonite showed a lower biomass uptake capacity but a considerably higher affinity of the biosorbent for the solute. The presence of kaolinite and palygorskite in the medium generally reduced both Cu and Cd sorption capacity and the metal‐binding ability of the fungal–clay mixtures. In contrast, addition of bentonite into the medium did not appreciably alter the Cd sorption ability but increased the sorption of Cu by A pullulans and C cladosporioides grown in this medium. A common feature for all fungi grown in the presence of bentonite was an increase in the Cu sorption capacity (Q_max) of the biomineral sorbents and a reduction in their affinity (Langmuir parameter b) compared with control biomass. A difference between predicted and experimental data obtained for biomass grown on bentonite medium was also observed. The connection between the sorption capacity of biomass grown in clay‐containing medium, mycelial morphology and the structure of fungal pellets is discussed and a mechanism for the changed sorption capacity of the combined biomineral sorbents is proposed which involves blocking or modification of binding sites on biotic and abiotic components of the ‘biomineral’ association. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry