Pathway selection's utility for control of word recognition

Regularity effects signify assembled phonology: the nonlexical pathway in word recognition. Assembled phonology may be strategically controlled. When task conditions do not favor its use, such as when a lexical decision task includes pseudohomophone (durt) foils, an alternative pathway is selected. Consequently, regularity effects will be reduced or absent. This prediction was tested in 3 lexical decision experiments using several definitions of word regularity. Word regularity was crossed in factorial designs with nonword lexicality, the degree to which nonword foils mimic the properties of actual words. Regularity effects to words were large and most reliable in pseudohomophone conditions, opposite to the tested prediction. Instead, the observed pattern corroborated a resonance account with parametric control.     

Effects of lead, iron, and bismuth alloy shot embedded in the breast muscles of game-farm mallards

Trends in production of technical HCH (BHC: 1,2,3,4,5, 6-hexachlorocyclohexane) in China have been surveyed from 1952 to 1983, when the Chinese government banned the use of this pesticide. While the total 4.46 million metric tons produced during this period make China by far the biggest producer and user of technical HCH, Japan consumed the largest accumulated average amount of this insecticide over arable land (84 t/kha for Japan versus 44 t/kha for China). The relationship between technical HCH production/usage trends and their impact on the environment has been studied. The similarity between total HCH isomer concentrations in Chinese environmental compartments in the beginning of 1980s and those in Japanese in the beginning of 1970s indicates the linkage between the average accumulated usage of technical HCH and the magnitude of contamination in the environment by this organochlorine insecticide. According to data from a national monitoring program on food contamination by organochlorine pesticides, residues of total HCH in foodstuffs in China decreased by about five times in rice, 127 times in fish, 32 times in poultry eggs, and 32 times in meat between 1978 and 1992.     

Verification of the hygienic adequacy of beef carcass cooling processes by microbiological culture and the temperature-function integration technique

To enhance food safety and keeping quality, beef carcasses are cooled immediately after leaving the slaughter floor. Within hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems, this cooling process needs to be monitored by the industry and verified by regulatory agencies. This study assessed the usefulness of the temperature-function integration technique (TFIT) for the verification of the hygienic adequacy of two cooling processes for beef carcasses at one abattoir. The cooling process passes carcasses through a spray cooler for at least 17 h and a holding cooler for at least 7 h. The TFIT is faster and cheaper than culture methods. For spray cooler 1, the Escherichia coli generations predicted by TFIT for carcass surfaces (pelvic and shank sites) were compared to estimated E. coli counts from 120 surface excision samples (rump, brisket, and sacrum; 5 by 5 by 0.2 cm) before and after cooling. Counts of aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and E. coli were decreased after spray cooler 1 (P < or = 0.001). The number of E. coli generations (with lag) at the pelvic site calculated by TFIT averaged 0.85 +/- 0.19 and 0.15 +/- 0.04 after emerging from spray coolers 1 and 2, respectively. The TFIT (with lag) was considered convenient and appropriate for the inspection service to verify HACCP systems for carcass cooling processes.     

Relevance of abattoir hygiene assessment to microbial contamination of British beef carcases

Eleven beef abattoirs were visited, each on five separate occasions. On each occasion, an audit was carried out according to the official Hygiene Assessment System (HAS) and 10 carcases were sampled at four different sites to assess total viable counts and counts of presumptive coliform bacteria. The HAS scores ranged from 11 to 84 (maximum 100), and the logarithmic mean total viable counts for all sampling sites on each batch of carcases varied between 1.98 and 4.14 colony forming units/cm2. The mean prevalence of coliform contamination ranged from 0 to 85 per cent. There was a significant negative correlation (P < 0.001) between the mean HAS scores and the mean total viable count for each abattoir, but not between the HAS scores and the numbers of coliforms. Within the HAS, the mean scores for all five categories, before weighting, showed a significant correlation with the mean total viable count (P < 0.001); however, the categories concerned with slaughter and dressing, and personnel and practices were of most value in determining trends in carcase contamination. A new advisory classification is proposed for levels of microbial contamination on beef carcases.     

Comparison of Rheological and Mechanical Behavior of Dynamically and Statically Vulcanized PP/SBS Blends

Summary Rheological behavior of dynamically and statically vulcanized blends of isotatic Polypropylene (PP) and 20% wt Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene block copolymer (SBS) was studied with reference to the effect of extrusion conditions, curing agents (sulphur, peroxide) and curing times. All blends showed pseudoplastic behavior. When using sulphur, a slight increase on melt viscosity was observed, showing no differences with vulcanization method or with pre-vulcanization time. With peroxide, melt viscosity changed drastically. Dynamically vulcanized blends with sulphur showed a noticeable rise on elongation at break as well as on toughness while those statically vulcanized showed very low values on these properties.     

Critical carotid artery stenosis: diagnosis, timing of surgery, and outcome

PURPOSE: Patients with critical carotid artery stenoses have been considered to be at high risk for carotid artery occlusion necessitating urgent or emergency endarterectomy once the stenosis is identified. Included in this group of patients are those with carotid string sign or atheromatous pseudoocclusion (APO). This review was conducted to determine the impact of the severity of stenosis including APO on the treatment and outcome of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. METHODS: The records of 203 consecutive carotid endarterectomies performed in 197 patients were reviewed in detail. Patients were stratified into a critical stenosis group (80% to 99% diameter) and noncritical stenosis group based on noninvasive vascular laboratory and carotid arteriography results. Comparisons were performed of demographic data, atherosclerotic risk factors, carotid artery disease presentation, interval between arteriography and endarterectomy, operative details, and surgical results between the critical and noncritical groups and between patients in the critical group with and without APO. RESULTS: Carotid endarterectomies were performed on 91 critical carotid artery stenoses and 112 noncritical stenoses. The groups did not differ significantly with regards to demographics, risk factors, carotid artery disease presentation, mean back pressure, and operative use of shunt or patch closure. For the critical group the interval between arteriography and endarterectomy was 8.63 +/- 2.38 days compared with 9.64 +/- 2.14 days for the noncritical group (mean +/- SEM, p = 0.75). No patient in either group progressed to occlusion in the interval between arteriography and endarterectomy. Perioperative strokes occurred in two patients (2%) in the critical group and four patients (3.6%) in the noncritical group (p = 0.09). Likewise, no significant difference was demonstrated in these variables when comparing patients with critical carotid artery stenosis and APO with those without APO. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a critical carotid artery stenosis including APO did not impact on the treatment or outcome of patients requiring endarterectomy nor did it imply the need for emergency intervention to prevent thrombosis. Surgical intervention can proceed after evaluation and optimization of comorbid conditions without undue concern for interval thrombosis.     

Cinedefecography and electromyography in the diagnosis of nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome

A prospective study was undertaken to assess the correlation between electromyography (EMG) and cinedefecography (CD) for the diagnosis of nonrelaxing puborectalis syndrome (NRPR). Clinical criteria for NRPR included straining, incomplete evacuation, tenesmus, and the need for enemas, suppositories, or digitation. EMG criteria included failure to achieve a significant decrease in electrical activity of the puborectalis (PR) during attempted evacuation. CD criteria included either paradoxical contraction or failure of relaxation of the PR along with incomplete evacuation. In addition, other etiologies for incomplete evacuation, such as rectoanal intussusception or nonemptying rectocele, were excluded by proctoscopy and defecography in all cases. One hundred twelve patients with constipation, 81 females and 31 males, with a mean age of 59 (range, 12-83) years were studied by routine office evaluation, CD, and EMG. Forty-two patients (37 percent) had evidence of NRPR on CD (rectal emptying: none, 24; incomplete, 18). Twenty-eight of these patients (67 percent) also had evidence of NRPR on EMG. EMG findings of NRPR were present in 12 of 70 patients (17 percent) with normal rectal emptying. Conversely, 14 of 72 patients (19 percent) with normal PR relaxation on EMG had an NRPR pattern on CD. The sensitivity and specificity for the EMG diagnosis of NRPR were 67 percent and 83 percent, and the positive and negative predictive values were 70 percent and 80 percent, respectively. Conversely, if EMG is considered as the ideal test for the diagnosis of NRPR, CD had a sensitivity of 70 percent, a specificity of 80 percent, and positive and negative predictive values of 66 percent and 82 percent, respectively. In summary, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of EMG and CD are suboptimal. Therefore, a combination of these two tests is suggested for the diagnosis of NRPR.