Adenocarcinoma of the colon presenting as anaemia

All patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon treated surgically at the Austin Hospital over a five-year period were reviewed to determine the relevance of anaemia in diagnosis. It was found that one-fifth of the patients presented with symptoms of anaemia to the doctor of first contact, and of these, one-third had an unwarranted delay in diagnosis (mean delay 13 months).     

Psychopathy and physiological responses to adrenalin.

Made physiological recordings while 16 psychopaths (P), 16 nonpsychopaths (NP), and 16 "mixed" (M) Ss received a saline injection, followed 15 min. later by an adrenalin injection. Tonic skin conductance of Group NP was generally greater than that of Groups M and P, a difference that increased throughout the course of the experiment. There were no significant group differences in tonic heart rate (HR), respiration rate, blink rate, or electromyogram (EMG) activity. Both saline and adrenalin injections produced sharp increases in skin conductance, blink rate, digital vasoconstriction, and EMG activity, but these changes were more persistent with adrenalin. Adrenalin also produced large and prolonged increases in HR, while saline had virtually no effect. There were no significant differences between groups in responsivity except in electrodermal activity the increases in skin conductance following saline and adrenalin were smaller in Group P than in Group NP. Physiological responses given by each group were unrelated to scores on the Activity Preference Questionnaire. Results do not support earlier claims that psychopaths show extreme cardiac lability in response to adrenalin, but are consistent with the view that psychopaths are electrodermally hypoactive. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Temporal gradient of fear arousal in psychopaths.

Skin conductance of psychopathic (P) and nonpsychopathic (NP) criminals and noncriminal controls (N = 11 each group) was monitored while the numbers 1-12 were consecutively presented on a memory drum. After the 1st trial, Ss were informed that on each of the remaining 5 trials they would receive a strong electric shock when Number 8 appeared. Log conductance increases in the interval prior to shock were significantly smaller and began later for the P than for the NP Ss. The psychopaths were less responsive to shock than were the NP criminals but did not differ significantly from the noncriminal controls. There were no significant differences among groups in the rate of recovery from the effects of shock. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that the temporal gradient of fear arousal and response inhibition is steeper for psychopaths than for normal persons. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Growth ofLeptinotarsa decemlineata larvae in response to simultaneous variation in protein and glycoalkaloid concentration

Growth of larvae of the Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), as measured by weight gain, was determined when larvae were reared on synthetic diets containing measured quantities of protein and one of fiveSolanum glycoalkaloids. Data were analyzed to determine if growth was affected by these two aspects of phytochemical variation independently, or if there was a significant interaction component in larval weight gain to simultaneous variation in protein and glycoalkaloid concentration. For four of the five glycoalkaloids examined, a bivariate regression model without interaction accurately accounted for growth ofL. decemlineata larvae. For alpha-tomatine, however, a regression model with the addition of a (protein × glycoalkaloid) interaction term more accurately accounted for larval growth. The influence of this interaction was less than either protein or glycoalkaloid concentration alone. The variation in protein concentration accounted for most of the variation in larval growth, and high protein concentrations could more than offset the effect of high concentration of any of the five glycoalkaloids.     

Non-parametric distribution of the reliability function for some basic system configurations

In this study, non-parametric distributions of the reliability functions of some basic system configurations which are useful for making inferences about the reliability characteristics of the system are given.     

Bayesian reliability analysis of a k-out-of-m system and the estimation of sample size and censoring time

In the absence of lifetime data on a complete system, it is desirable to use operational experience on its components in the Bayesian analysis of the system. The present study deals with Bayesian reliability analysis of a k-out-of-m system using two types of censored failure information. In another development, Bayesian confidence intervals for unreliability have been used for estimating the sample size and the censoring time needed to get sufficient failure information.     

Use of durum residue flour,a lower value product of durum milling,by incorporation into wheat flour dough without deterioration in baking quality

BACKGROUND: During the milling of durum wheat to semolina, about 10–15% of total products produced is residue flour, a lower value product than the semolina. This study investigated the potential for using the durum residue flour as an additive in bread‐making to improve its potential commercial value. RESULTS: Incorporation of residue durum flour from 102 breeding lines into a low protein flour and standard bakers' flour at 20% incorporation improved the bake loaf volume with minimal change in Mixograph dough mixing time and peak resistance in many of the lines tested. Loaf yellow b was always increased even with only a 10% incorporation. Baking flours can tolerate 20% incorporation with no deleterious affects on loaf volume and bake score. CONCLUSION: The results show a potential for using the lower value durum residue flour for baking bread of acceptable quality with a slightly higher yellow colour. This would improve the profitability for the miller and provide alternative ingredients to the baker for preparing specialty breads. Copyright © 2008 Crown in the Right of the State of New South Wales and Society of Chemical Industry     

Measuring plant protein with the Bradford assay

The suitability of the Bradford protein assay for measuring plant protein was evaluated and a standard method developed. The assay involves extraction of dried, fresh, or frozen plant material in 0.1 NaOH for 30 min. Replicate 100-l aliquots of centrifuged supernatant are assayed with 5 ml Bio-Rad Bradford dye reagent (Coomassie brilliant blue G-250) diluted 1:4 and containing 3 mg/ml soluble polyvinylpyrollidone. Absorbance at 595 nm is recorded after 15 min against an NaOH blank. Samples are calibrated against a ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase standard in NaOH. Procedures for plant preparation, extraction stability, the effects of phenol removal and quinone formation, and assay recovery are evaluated. Assay absorbance stability and techniques for increasing absorbance stability are reported. Changes in protein quality are briefly discussed.     

Intelligent Sensing for Citizen Science

Interest in Citizen Science has grown significantly over the last decade. Much of this interest can be traced to the provision of sophisticated platforms that enable seamless collaboration, cooperation and coordination between professional and amateur scientists. In terms of field research, smart-phones have been widely adopted, automating data collection and enriching observations with photographs, sound recordings and GPS coordinates using embedded sensors hosted on the device itself. Interaction with external sensor platforms such as those normally used in the environmental monitoring domain is practically null-existent. Remedying this deficiency would have positive ramifications for both the professional and citizen science communities. To illustrate the relevant issues, this paper considers a common problem, that of data collection in sparse sensor networks, and proposes a practical solution that would enable citizen scientists act as Human Relays thus facilitating the collection of data from such networks. Broader issues necessary for enabling intelligent sensing using common smart-phones and embedded sensing technologies are then discussed.     

High-Resolution Elemental Bioimaging of Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn Employing LA-ICP-MS and Hydrogen Reaction Gas

Imaging of trace metal distribution in tissue sections by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is typically performed using spatial resolutions of 30 μm(2) and above. Higher resolution imaging is desirable for many biological applications in order to approach the dimensions of a single cell. The limiting factor for increasing resolution is sensitivity, where signal-to-noise ratios are poor due to inherent background spectral interferences and reduced sample volume with decreasing laser beam diameter. Several prominent spectral interferences are present for a number of biologically relevant isotopes, including the (40)Ar(16)O(+) spectral interference on (56)Fe(+). We examined if H(2) as a reaction gas could improve the analytical performance of imaging experiments for a range of masses with spectral interferences. At low (<1 mL min(-1)) H(2) flow rates, greater spectral interference due to H(+) adducts was observed for (55)Mn, (57)Fe, and (59)Co. At higher flow rates of up to 3 mL H(2) per minute, the spectral interferences were reduced leading to improvement in limits of analysis for masses with O- and N-based polyatomic interferences. Enhanced sensitivity with the reaction cell allowed construction of high resolution (6 μm(2)) imaging of (56)Fe in the mouse brain that approached the dimensions of single cells.