DETERMINATION OF QUARTZ (FREE SILICA) IN REFRACTORY CLAYS*

A rapid procedure is described for determining quartz in refractory clays by fusion in potassium bisulfate and subsequently by dissolving precipitated silica with a hot caustic solution. Data are included on the quartz content of several clays.     

Paracetamol poisoning in the north east of England: presentation, early management and outcome

1. Paracetamol is increasingly involved in self-poisoning in the United Kingdom and remains a common cause of fatal poisoning. 2. To document the epidemiology and early management of paracetamol poisoning data were collected on consecutive patients with suspected paracetamol poisoning presenting to 6 hospitals in the North East of England over 12 weeks in 1994. 3. There were 400 presentations (attendance rate 1.14/10(3) population/yr) involving 343 persons (45% male). Paracetamol concentrations at 4 h correlated weakly with reported paracetamol dose (R = 0.49, P < 0.0001) and were similar comparing those treated and not treated by gastric decontamination. 4. In 38 (9%) cases paracetamol concentrations were above the appropriate nomogram treatment line, including 3% and 20% of patients who reported ingesting less than and more than 12 g respectively. In 21 patients acetylcysteine treatment was deferred until admission to the ward, the mean delay involved was 2.8 h. 5. One patient died, from arrhythmias caused by co-ingested dothiepin. 6. Paracetamol poisoning is common. Most cases do not have potentially toxic plasma paracetamol concentrations, but those who do often present late and antidotal treatment may be delayed inappropriately.     

The effect of flaming on computer-mediated negotiations

There is an increasing use of computer media for negotiations. However, the use of computer-mediated channels increases the hostile expressions of emotion, termed flaming. Although researchers agree that flaming has important effects on negotiation, predictions concerning these effects are inconsistent, suggesting a need for further investigation. We address this need by extending current flaming and negotiation research in two ways. First, we identify two different types of flaming: that which is motivated by perceptions concerning the negotiating opponent (e.g., he/she is unfair) and that which is motivated by perceptions concerning the negotiating context (e.g., the communication channel is too slow). Second, we differentiate between the effects of flaming on the concession behaviors of the flame sender and the flame recipient, and the effects of these behaviors on negotiated agreement. Via a laboratory study, we demonstrate that flames directed at the negotiation opponent slightly decrease the likelihood of reaching an agreement, and when an agreement is reached, it result in outcomes significantly favoring the flame recipient rather than the flame sender. In contrast, flames directed at the negotiation context significantly increase the likelihood of agreement, although outcomes still favor the flame recipient over the flame sender. These results suggest that flame senders are generally worse off than flame recipients, which provides an important basis for the strategic use of flaming in negotiations.     

Fast image retrieval using color-spatial information

In this paper, we present an image retrieval system that employs both the color and spatial information of images to facilitate the retrieval process. The basic unit used in our technique is a single-colored cluster, which bounds a homogeneous region of that color in an image. Two clusters from two images are similar if they are of the same color and overlap in the image space. The number of clusters that can be extracted from an image can be very large, and it affects the accuracy of retrieval. We study the effect of the number of clusters on retrieval effectiveness to determine an appropriate value for “optimal' performance. To facilitate efficient retrieval, we also propose a multi-tier indexing mechanism called the Sequenced Multi-Attribute Tree (SMAT). We implemented a two-tier SMAT, where the first layer is used to prune away clusters that are of different colors, while the second layer discriminates clusters of different spatial locality. We conducted an experimental study on an image database consisting of 12,000 images. Our results show the effectiveness of the proposed color-spatial approach, and the efficiency of the proposed indexing mechanism. Received August 1, 1997 / Accepted December 9, 1997     

Thermal coefficients of the expansion and refractive index in YAG

The thermal expansion coefficient and dn/dT are measured by interferometry techniques in undoped YAG below 300 K. The thermal expansion coefficient at 125 K is measured to be 2.70 x 10(-6) K(-1) and dn/dT at 633 nm is 2.5 x 10(-6) K(-1), compared with 7 x 10(-6) K(-1) and 9 x 10(-6) K(-1) for these quantities at 300 K.     

PassiveQswitching of a CO2laser near 9.2 µ using CF2Cl2

CF2Cl2is found to cause passiveQswitching on practically all of the lines in theRbranch of the00deg1-02deg0vibrational-rotational band of CO2.     

A logit model for predicting wetland location using ASTER and GIS

Data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to develop a logistic regression model to predict the location of wetlands in the Coastal Plain of Virginia. We used the first five bands from two ASTER scenes (spanning 0.52–2.18 µm) covering the same area, acquired 6 March 2005 and 16 October 2005. March Band 3 contributed the most in discriminating wetlands over the other ASTER bands (marginal effect = 7.277), and it predicted the location of 60% of the total wetlands. We used a canonical discriminant analysis to test the significance of GIS variables in separating wetlands from uplands. Soil Survey Geographic Database soil data had the highest correlation with the first canonical component (0.876), followed by March Band 3 (?0.803), and the National Hydrography Dataset water (0.725). We included GIS data layers into the logit model. The resulting model predicted the location of over 78% of total wetlands, highlighting the potential of models incorporating ASTER data for speeding the wetland mapping process, lowering costs of map production, and improving wetland mapping accuracy.     

Sugar content of swedes for stockfeeding

The sugar content was determined of 19 cultivars of swede (Brassica napus ssp rapifera L) grown in rows 50 and 75 cm apart. Sugar concentration ranged from 54.3 to 78.7 g kg^?1 fresh weight and was positively correlated with dry matter content which ranged from 90.4 to 138.7 g kg^?1 fresh weight. The average concentration of fructose, glucose and sucrose in the dry matter was 225.0, 328.4 and 34.5 g kg^?1 DM, respectively. The high-dry-matter cultivars tended to have less fructose and more sucrose than the low-dry-matter ones, but total sugar concentration in the dry matter was not associated with dry-matter content. Row width had little effect on sugar content compared with the differences between cultivars. The implications for the feeding value of swedes are discussed.     

Visual discrimination learning and strategy behavior in the fat-tailed dunnarts ( Sminthopsis crassicaudata ).

Fat-tailed dunnarts (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) were trained on visual discrimination learning-set, reversal-set, and spatial delayed-alternation tasks. The learning set involved 36 2-way black-and-white pattern discriminations and 5 probe reversals. Ten reversals of a black-and-white pattern discrimination were followed by 5 novel tasks. Spatial alternation was tested at delays up to 20 s. Learning-set and reversal-set formation, including 1-trial learning and spontaneous transfer from learning set to reversals and vice versa, was found. Learning-set-experienced dunnarts showed no retention of previously learned tasks 1 week after testing but demonstrated consistently high Trial 2 performance, indicating the retention of a response strategy. Delayed-alternation tasks were learned up to 10-s delays. These results provide the first evidence of a visually guided "win-stay, lose-shift" strategy in a marsupial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)