Rubral tremor associated with cavernous angioma of the midbrain

The insecticidal activity of five alkylfurans against the generalist insect herbivore beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, was examined. Two naturally occurring compounds, the avocadofurans 2-(pentadecyl)furan (1) and 2-(heptadecyl)furan (2), previously isolated from specialized avocado idioblast oil cells, and three homologues, 2-(tetradecyl)furan (3), 2-(hexadecyl)furan (4), and 2-(octadecyl)furan (5), were synthesized. Bioassays of alkylfurans 1-5 using a 9-day diet-incorporation initiated with neonates showed that all alkylfurans tested significantly increased S. exigua larval mortality and reduced larval weights, with maximal biological activity detected among the naturally occurring alkylfurans 1 and 2.     

Cross sectional echocardiographic assessment of the extent of the atrial septum relative to the atrioventricular junction in atrioventricular septal defect

A study of brain lipids in patients with the sphingomyelinase-deficient types of Niemann-Pick disease demonstrated that abnormal accumulation of sphingomyelin occurs only in the brain of neuronopathic type A patients but not in the non-neuronopathic type B. Additional lipid abnormalities were present in the type A brain. In contrast, the brain lipid profile was normal in type B patients. Since lysosphingolipids have been implicated in the biochemical pathogenesis of other genetic lysosomal sphingolipidoses, the occurrence of sphingosylphosphorylcholine (lysosphingomyelin) was specifically investigated in brain and extraneural tissues, using an HPLC method with fluorescent detection of orthophtalaldehyde derivatives. Levels close to or below the limit of detection (10 pmol/mg tissue protein) were observed in normal and pathological controls. A striking accumulation was observed in brain of two Niemann-Pick type A patients (830 and 430 pmol/mg protein in 27-and 16-month-old children with severe and milder neurological course, respectively), which was not present at the fetal stage of the disease. No significant increase was found in brain tissue from a 3.5 year-old type B patient. In liver and spleen, abnormally high sphingosylphosphorylcholine levels were observed in both types of the disease, with indication of a progressive increase during development. This study establishes the integrity of brain tissue in Niemann-Pick disease type B and suggests that the lysocompound sphingosylphosphorylcholine could play a role in the pathophysiology of brain dysfunction in the neuronopathic type A.     

Electrospun three‐dimensional silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffold

Practical application to three‐dimensional (3‐D) tissue culture has been limited by the structural restriction of two‐dimensional (2‐D) nature of electrospun nanofiber mat. In this study, for constructing 3‐D nanofibrous structure as real 3‐D tissue engineering scaffold, we developed new fabrication process with silk fibroin (SF) by electrospinning and evaluated the features of this SF nanofiber scaffold (SFNS) through morphological and cell‐culture analyses. Foam type of the SFNS exhibited high porosity as well as large pores and its cell proliferation well occurred inside (inner spaces of pores), which makes this suitable for 3‐D cell‐culture scaffold. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Assessment of world aerosol research trends by bibliometric analysis

This study was to explore a bibliometric approach to quantitatively assessing current research trends on atmospheric aerosol, using the related literature in the Science Citation Index (SCI) database from 1991 to 2006. Articles were concentrated on the analysis by scientific output, research performances by individuals, institutes and countries, and trends by the frequency of keywords used. Over the years, there had been a notably growth trend in research outputs, along with more participation and collaboration of institutes and countries. Research collaborative papers shifted from national inter-institutional to international collaboration. The decreasing share of world total and independent articles by the seven major industrialized countries (G7) was examined. Aerosol research in environmental and chemical related fields other than in medical fields was the mainstream of current years. Finally, author keywords, words in title and keywords plus were analyzed contrastively, with research trends and recent hotspots provided.     

Characterization of electrosynthesized iron diselenide thin films

Iron diselenide (FeSe₂) is an interesting p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 1 eV suitable for solar cell applications. Deposition of FeSe₂ thin films by electrodeposition from aqueous solutions is a low temperature and inexpensive technique. In the present work, FeSe₂ thin films were deposited onto tin oxide coated conducting glass substrates by cathodic electrodeposition technique. The deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Scanning electron microscope and optical absorption techniques. The effects of electrolyte concentration and deposition potential on the structural, compositional, morphological and optical properties of FeSe₂ thin films are studied. The experimental observations are discussed in detail.     

Forecasting Construction Manpower Demand by Gray Model

Construction is a labor-intensive industry that is heavily reliant on the availability of local manpower. The construction workload also fluctuates in either a cyclical or random manner. As a result, there is always either a shortage or surplus of manpower. Although a number of good forecasting models have been developed, they require input of sufficient and good-quality data to produce accurate results. The aim of this paper is to explore the use of the gray model in forecasting construction manpower based on a limited amount of data. A wide range of forecasting models in the literature is first reviewed. A single-variable first-order gray model is then proposed to forecast construction manpower one quarter ahead. The model is tested using manpower data based on the Quarterly Report on General Household Survey published by the Census and Statistics Department of the HKSAR Government. Data from 64 quarters, covering the first quarter of 1992 to the fourth quarter of 2007, are included. A computer program is formulated to manipulate all of the calculations involved. Based on the minimum mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) criterion, it is found that the optimal sample size is 5. Based on the input of data from five quarters, the MAPE of the overall forecast is only 3.21%, and the maximum absolute percentage error is 8.92%. It is thus concluded that the gray model produces very accurate results. The results of this study also suggest that this model is applicable to forecasts of other time series particularly when limited data are available.     

Effect of stress state on the high temperature workability of AZ31 Mg alloy

The influence of stress state on the high temperature workability of rolled AZ31 Mg alloy was investigated on the basis of a processing map. To construct the processing map, high temperature compression tests were carried out on samples oriented parallel to the rolling direction at various temperatures (25 °C∼450 °C) and strain rates (10⁻³ s⁻¹∼5s⁻¹), and then the results were compared with those of a torsion test. The overall efficiency profiles of both the compression and torsion processing maps were similar to each other, but the index of dissipation efficiency in the torsion was somewhat lower than that in the compression. The microstructure of the compressed specimens revealed much finer grained structure than that of the torsion specimens. Such microstructural differences were attributed to the different tendencies of twin formation and texture evolution depending on the stress state.     

A study on customer involvement in final assembly for DIY products

The objective of this paper is to investigate the degree of the customer involvement in final assembly (CIFA) in establishing a do-it-yourself (DIY) product design in order to achieve cost minimization of the incumbent firm in a competitive environment. Such a decision-making problem is addressed with consideration of the competitors and the learning curve effect within the three hypothetical stages of a product life cycle (PLC). Accordingly, a Bayesian decision model that incorporates expert opinions with available information is proposed to determine the optimal CIFA ratio for a DIY product. Finally, a numerical example is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, and sensitivity analyses are also performed in light of the numerical example.     

Enhancing the biofiltration of geosmin by seeding sand filter columns with a consortium of geosmin-degrading bacteria

Geosmin is a secondary metabolite that can be produced by many species of cyanobacteria and Actinomycetes. It imparts a musty/earthy taste and odour to drinking water which can result in consumer complaints and a general perception that there is a problem with the water quality. As geosmin is recalcitrant to conventional water treatment, processes are sought to ensure effective removal of this compound from potable water. Biological filtration (biofiltration) is an attractive option for geosmin removal as this compound has been shown to be biodegradable. However, effective biofiltration of geosmin can be site specific as it is highly dependent upon the types of organism present and there is often an extended acclimation period before efficient removals are achieved. We report here, a novel approach to enhance the biofiltration of geosmin by seeding sand filter columns with a bacterial consortium previously shown to be capable of effectively degrading geosmin. Geosmin removals of up to 75% were evident through sand columns which had been inoculated with the geosmin-degrading bacteria, when compared with non-inoculated sand columns where geosmin removals were as low as 25%. These low geosmin removals through the non-inoculated sand columns are consistent with previous studies and were attributed to physical/abiotic losses. The presence of an existing biofilm was shown to influence geosmin removal, as the biofilm allowed for greater attachment of the geosmin-degrading consortium (as determined by an ATP assay), and enhanced removals of geosmin. Minimal difference in geosmin removal was observed when the geosmin-degrading bacteria were inoculated into the sand columns containing either an active or inactive biofilm.