Characterization of six-coordinated iron (V) in an oxide lattice

On the basis of a discussion of the correlations between the stability of the d³ configuration and the symmetry and size of the cation site, six-coordinated iron (V) has been stabilized in the La₂LiFeO₆ perovskite-type oxide and characterized by magnetic susceptibility, Mössbauer resonance and EPR measurements.     

Effects of oral deprivation on responses to subliminal and supraliminal verbal food stimuli.

The effect of 2 kinds of oral deprivation on reactions to a subliminal and supraliminal food stimulus was investigated. Varying hours of food deprivation (1-5 or more) constituted the 1st independent variable; smoking frequency constituted the 2nd. Different groups of Ss were exposed to a word list preceded by: (a) no stimulus, (b) the subliminal stimulus CHEESE, and (c) the supraliminal stimulus CHEESE. The stimulus word was associatively linked to 10 of the words on the recall list. Relative recall of stimulus-related associates was a function of hours of deprivation in the subliminal and supraliminal conditions, and a function of smoking frequency in the subliminal condition. Other nutritional and oral variables were also investigated. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Salaries and satisfactions of medical school psychologists.

Used data from a 1977 survey to investigate the relationship of salary to professional activities and to vocational satisfactions of 642 medical school psychologists. Results show the following: (1) current and potential salaries correlated with items involving seniority and rank, and with beliefs of appropriate skill utilization and advantages accruing in the setting. (2) Salaries are negatively related to time spent in diagnostic and therapeutic work. (3) Only salary expectations are significantly related to personal satisfactions and comparative occupational freedoms. (4) Vocational interests and career commitments are not closely tied to salaries. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive versus inference..

Expresses reservations concerning not the content but the vocabulary used by R. B. Zajonc in his article on feeling and thinking (see record 1980-09733-001). The vocabulary serves to perpetuate a pervasive confusion among several legitimate senses of the words cognitive and inference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Example of the enrichment of carbon-13 in coals in the process of coalification

δ13 C measurements on a series of coals from the Mahakam delta (Kalimantan, Indonesia) show a progressive increase from ≈ ? 29.5% at the peat-lignite transition to ≈ ? 27.5% at a reflectance of R₀ ≈ 0.9. Given the very good homogeneity of the series, the shift is likely to be due to coalification. However, a coalification model based on this trend and the release of C0₂, H₂0 and CH₄ indicates δ13 C values of C0₂ which are very low as compared to currently accepted figures.     

The autoignition of polymers

A consistent and relatively simple method is presented for studying the unpiloted ignition of polymeric materials in contact with hot air. The ignition behavior of a particular polymer as determined by its bulk properties may be characterized by the relationship between sample mass and ignition time at constant area for a series of furnace temperatures. Extrapolation of this linear relationship at a given furnace temperature to zero mass results in an intrinsic ignition time which represents the rate of the ignition process when the time required to heat the sample to its decomposition temperature has been eliminated, i.e., the sample is brought to its decomposition temperature instantaneously. The temperature dependence of this intrinsic ignition time shows an Arrhenius relationship with an apparent activation energy of 8–10 kcal/mole for all but one material investigated. This indicates that the mechanism controlling the kinetics of such an ignition process is a physical one, most likely the diffusion of combustible gaseous products into the heated air surrounding the sample.     

Alveolar hydatid disease of the liver. An experience based on 20 cases. II. Pathology (author''s transl)

A three-factor factorial experiment was performed to assess the efficiency of lipid extraction from the back of human volunteers. Chloroform-methanol (2:1 v/v) proved substantially superior to acetone or diethyl ether. The latter two solvents were also significantly more efficient than n-hexane. The implication of the findings is discussed with regard to the isolation and characterization of fungistatic and bacteriostatic agents on the surface of the skin.     

As(V) retention and As(III) simultaneous oxidation and removal on a MnO2-loaded polystyrene resin

Based on KMnO4 oxidative capacity, a polystyrene matrix loaded with manganese dioxide was synthesized from an anionic commercial resin in chloride form. This medium, called R-MnO2, was tested for As(V) retention and for As(III) simultaneous oxidation and removal. Equilibrium was reached in 2 h and isotherms showed that R-MnO2 maximal capacities towards As(III) and As(V) are, respectively, 0.7 and 0.3 mmol/g. Various mechanisms were involved in As(III) retention: oxidation of H3AsO3(0) by MnO2(s) leading to the formation of HAsO4(2)- and Mn2+, fixation of As(V) formed on the resin beads and precipitation of Mn3(AsO4)2 with Mn2+ released. Successive arsenic desorption and retention steps were performed and showed that the quantity desorbed was low compared to the quantity removed during the first stage of the process. A second removal step, carried out under the same conditions as the first one, proved that the matrix second-removal capacity was weak. This solid sorbent, although not reusable, can be considered in field application as arsenic retention is really strong.     

Assessment of elastic parameters of human skin using dynamic elastography

Sonoelastography and transient elastography are two ultrasound-based techniques that facilitate noninvasive characterization of the viscoelastic properties of soft tissues by investigating their response to shear mechanical excitation. Young's modulus is the principle assessment parameter. Because it defines local tissue stiffness, it is of major interest for the medical imaging and cosmetic industries as it could replace subjective palpation by yielding local, quantitative information. In this paper, we describe a new high-resolution device capable of measuring local Young's modulus in very thin layers (1-5 mm) and devoted to the in vivo evaluation of the elastic properties of human skin. It uses an ultrasonic probe (50 MHz) for tracking the displacements induced by a 300 Hz shear wave generated by a ring surrounding the transducer. The displacements are measured using a conventional cross-correlation technique between successive ultrasonic back-scattered echoes. First, this noninvasive technique has been experimentally proven to be accurate for investigating elasticity in different skin-mimicking phantoms. Second, data were acquired in vivo on human forearms. As expected, Young's modulus was found to be higher in the dermis than in the hypodermis and other soft tissues.     

Texture-based approaches for identifying neuro-anatomical structures and electrode tracks

An automated approach to identifying electrode tracks and neuro-anatomical structures (nuclei) was developed using texture attributes of their neuro-anatomical stains. The properties that make up the texture features of the nuclei include size, shape and distribution of elemental structures. The electrode tracks are characterized by elongated darkened formations due to gliosis. Based on a Gabor wavelet transform, a texture feature vector was constructed, consisting of localized texture energies along different orientations at different scales. Stained images of brainstem sections in the vestibular nuclei were segmented using partitional clustering in feature space. A metric that computes the location of the tracks relative to the nuclei centers was then implemented. This methodology should be useful for quantifying and automating the procedure by which tracks are localized in anatomical structures.