Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with preharvest leaf lettuce upon exposure to contaminated irrigation water.

Recent foodborne outbreaks have linked infection by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) serotype O157:H7 to the consumption of contaminated lettuce. Contamination via food handler error and on-the-farm contamination are thought to be responsible for several outbreaks. Though recent studies have examined the application of EHEC to store-bought lettuce, little is known about the attachment of EHEC to growing plants. We investigated the association of lettuce seedlings with EHEC O157:H7 strains implicated in lettuce or fruit outbreaks using hydroponic and soil model systems. EHEC strains that express the green fluorescent protein were observed by stereomicroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to determine adherence patterns on growing lettuce seedlings. Bacteria adhered preferentially to plant roots in both model systems and to seed coats in the hydroponic system. Two of five nonpathogenic E. coli strains showed decreased adherence to seedling roots in the hydroponic system. EHEC was associated with plants in as few as 3 days in soil, and contamination levels were dose-dependent. EHEC levels associated with young plants inoculated with a low dose suggested that the bacteria had multiplied. These data suggest that preharvest crop contamination via contaminated irrigation water can occur through plant roots.     

Cross-validiation of the Neuropsychology Behavior and Affect Profile in stroke patients.

Internal stability and discriminant validity of the Neuropsychology Behavior and Affect Profile (L. Nelson et al, 1989) were examined in samples of 70 stroke patients and 88 elderly controls. The test is designed to yield indices of premorbid (before-item subset) and present (now-item subset) levels of emotional functioning in each of 5 scales. With coefficient alphas ranging from .76 to .87, results indicated moderate to high internal stability. The test was also able to reliably distinguish between the criterion stroke sample (n?=?42) and a matched group of elderly controls in terms of present levels of emotional functioning (2 wks poststroke). When discriminant validity was examined in terms of premorbid emotional status (before-item subset), group differences were unexpectedly obtained. Clinical and research implications of these results are discussed, noting the possibility of early, noncognitive correlates preceding stroke. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the brains of parent ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) given tactile and nontactile exposure to their young.

Neuronal activation was examined by fos immunohistochemistry in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) reunited with their young after overnight separation. In an initial study, squab-exposed parents showed more fos immunoreactivity (ir) in the preoptic area (POA) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) than squab-deprived parents. In a 2nd study, parents allowed free access to young and those separated from young by a wire mesh partition showed more fos-ir in the POA, LH, and lateral septum than box-exposed controls. Contact with young also increased fos-ir in the medial preoptic nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but noncontact exposure did not. Conversely, nontactile squab exposure stimulated more fos-ir in the POA than did free access to young, which suggests POA involvement in appetitive aspects of parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Limb salvage surgery for widely infiltrating bony sarcomas

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for bony sarcomas extending into soft tissues would allow limb salvage yet maintain local disease control. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: A university-affiliated cancer centre in Alberta. PATIENTS: All patients with potentially curable, widely infiltrating bony sarcomas of the extremity without neurologic deficit, referred to the centre in the 6 years from January 1984 to December 1990. There were 11 patients; 1 did not complete the protocol. The mean follow-up was 24 months. INTERVENTIONS: Adriamycin (doxorubicin) was infused for 3 days at a rate of 30 mg/d. A few days later radiotherapy was given 5 days a week for 10 doses at a rate of 3.0 Gy per dose. Four to 5 weeks later the tumour was excised surgically, with placement of a bone allograft or prosthesis, allowing a 1-cm margin of healthy soft tissue and a 5-cm margin of healthy bone and marrow cavity whenever possible. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Need for limb amputation, infectious complications, recurrence of local or regional disease. RESULTS: One patient underwent amputation after fracture through the tumour site. There were two postoperative infections, one acute and one chronic. All patients had full neurologic function of the distal limb. There was no local or regional recurrence of disease. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and tumour excision provides control of aggressive local bone sarcomas while maintaining limb integrity.     

DDFSGEN

This paper presents a functional compiler for the automatic design of Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizer (DDFS) integrated circuits (ICs) using a ROM based table look-up architecture. The compiler allows the user to specify high-level specifications such as the acceptable spurious response and it generates the IC architecture, floorplan, and layout. To construct the layout for different specifications, a library of parameterized macrocells has been developed in 1.2 m CMOS technology.A test chip with a quadrature DDFS module has been generated, using the compiler, and fabricated. The chip has two input signals: one is for frequency control while the other is for phase initialization. Input and output word lengths are 16 bits and 6 bits respectively. The chip complexity is approximately 12,000 transistors (DDFS core) and the die size is 4.8×2.9mm ². A maximum sample rate of 80 MHz has been attained implying a maximum sine (cosine) output frequency of 40 MHz and a frequency resolution of 1.22 kHz. The maximum spurious level measured is –46 dB.     

Fractography of unidirectional graphite-epoxy as a function of moisture,temperature and specimen quality

The tensile failure surfaces of (0°)₈ T300/5208 graphite-epoxy specimens were examined using both optical and scanning electron microscopy. Fractography was used to determine how moisture content and temperature as well as specimen preparation technique, prepreg batch and cure condition affected the failure mode. A distinctive low-energy failure morphology was found in defective specimens and also in those whose edges were poorly prepared. This morphology was predominant in failures at elevated temperature or moisture content for specimens which had been made from one suspect batch of prepreg. This finding combined with unusual end-tab failures from such specimens indicated that this batch was indeed defective, but that such defective batches could in the future be identified by tests under hot, wet conditions. For specimens made from good prepreg, temperature or moisture appeared to decrease flaw sensitivity and thus increase strength, even though moisture also seemed to increase interfacial debonding between filament and matrix. When combined, moisture and temperature appeared to degrade performance by increasing interfacial debonding and making the epoxy matrix more prone to fracture.     

Bit transposition for very large scientific and statistical databases

Conventional access methods cannot be effectively used in large Scientific/Statistical Database (SSDB) applications. A file structure (called bit transposed file (BTF)) is proposed which offers several attractive features that are better suited for the special characteristics that SSDBs exhibit. This file structure is an extreme version of the (attribute) transposed file. The data are stored by vertical bit partitions. The bit patterns of attributes are assigned using one of several data encoding methods. Each of these encoding methods is appropriate for different query types. The bit partitions can also be compressed using a version of the run length encoding scheme. Efficient operators on compressed bit vectors have been developed and form the basis of a query language. Because of the simplicity of the file structure and query language, optimization problems for database design, query evaluation, and common subexpression removal can be formalized and efficient exact solution or near optimal solution can be achieved. In addition to selective power with low overheads for SSDBs, the BTF is also amenable to special parallel hardware. Results from experiments with the file structure suggest that this approach may be a reasonable alternative file structure for large SSDBs.     

改善30Cr2MoV钢大锻件冲击韧性及晶粒度的研究

通过模拟试验及生产试验,对改善30Cr2MoV钢锻件冲击性能及晶粒度进行了分析研究,找到了较为有效的热处理方法,可使用的FATT达到20℃以下,晶粒度达到6级以上。     

Neuroprotective Effects of Testosterone in the Hypothalamus of an Animal Model of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known to be associated to inflammation and alteration in the hypothalamus, a brain region implicated in the control of several physiological functions, including energy homeostasis and reproduction. Previous studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of testosterone treatment (TTh) in counteracting some MetS symptoms in both animal models and clinical studies. This study investigated the effect of TTh (30 mg/kg/week for 12 weeks) on the hypothalamus in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced animal model of MetS, utilizing quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. The animal model recapitulates the human MetS features, including low testosterone/gonadotropin plasma levels. TTh significantly improved MetS-induced hypertension, visceral adipose tissue accumulation, and glucose homeostasis derangements. Within hypothalamus, TTh significantly counteracted HFD-induced inflammation, as detected in terms of expression of inflammatory markers and microglial activation. Moreover, TTh remarkably reverted the HFD-associated alterations in the expression of important regulators of energy status and reproduction, such as the melanocortin and the GnRH-controlling network. Our results suggest that TTh may exert neuroprotective effects on the HFD-related hypothalamic alterations, with positive outcomes on the circuits implicated in the control of energy metabolism and reproductive tasks, thus supporting a possible role of TTh in the clinical management of MetS.