Clinical and Epidemiologic Characterization of WU Polyomavirus Infection, St. Louis, Missouri

WU polyomavirus is a recently described polyomavirus found in patients with respiratory infections. Of 2,637 respiratory samples tested in St. Louis, Missouri, 2.7% were positive for WU polyomavirus by PCR, and 71% were coinfected with other respiratory viruses. Persistent human infection with WU polyomavirus is described

Stable and Metastable Structures of Cobalt on Cu(001): An ab initio Study

We report results of density-functional theory calculations on the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of (1x1)-structures of Co on Cu(001) for coverages up to two monolayers. In particular we discuss the tendency towards phase separation in Co islands and the possibility of segregation of Cu on top of the Co-film. A sandwich structure consisting of a bilayer Co-film covered by 1ML of Cu is found to be the lowest-energy configuration. We also discuss a bilayer c(2x2)-alloy which may form due to kinetic reasons, or be stabilized at strained surface regions. Furthermore, we study the influence of magnetism on the various structures and, e.g., find that Co adlayers induce a weak spin-density wave in the copper substrate.Comment: 11 pages including 4 figures. Related publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm

Stability of Cementite formed from Hematite and Titanomagnetite Ore

The stability of cementite formed during the reduction of hematite and preoxidized titanomagnetite ores in a methane-hydrogen gas mixture was examined in the temperature interval 500oC to 900oC for the hematite ore and 300oC to 1100oC for titanomagnetite. Cementite formed from hematite ore was most stable at temperatures between 750oC to 770oC. Its decomposition rate increased with decreasing temperature between 750oC and 600oC and with increasing temperature above 770oC. Cementite formed from preoxidized titanomagnetite was most stable in the temperature range 700oC to 900oC. The rate of cementite decomposition increased with decreasing temperature between 700oC and 400oC and with increasing temperature above 900oC. Cementite formed from titanomagnetite ore was more stable than cementite formed from hematite under all conditions examined

Risk of Stillbirth in the Relation to Water Disinfection By-Products: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Taiwan

Background: Few epidemiological studies that have assessed the relation between water disinfection by-products (DBPs) and the risk of stillbirth provide inconsistent results. The objective was to assess the relation between exposure to water disinfection by-products and the risk of stillbirth. Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study of 3,289 cases of stillbirth and a random sample of 32,890 control subjects from 396,049 Taiwanese newborns in 2001–2003 using information from the Birth Registry and Waterworks Registry in Taiwan. We compared the risk of stillbirth in four disinfection by-product exposure categories based on the levels of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) representing high (TTHMs 20+ mg/L), medium (TTHMs 10–19 mg/L), low exposure (TTHMs 5–9 mg/L), and 0–4 mg/L as the reference category. In addition, we conducted a meta-analysis of the results from the present and 5 previous studies focusing on stillbirth. Findings: In logistic regression analysis adjusting for gender, maternal age, plurality, conception of season and population density of the municipality where the mother lived during pregnancy, the odds ratio (OR) for stillbirth was 1.10 (95 % CI 1.00–1.21) for medium exposure and 1.06 (95 % 0.96–1.17) for high exposure compared to reference category. In the metaanalysis, the summary odds ratio for stillbirth (1.11, 95 % CI: 1.03, 1.19) was consistently elevated. Conclusions: The present study is consistent with the hypothesis that the risk of stillbirth is related to prenatal exposure t

Self Assessment in Insects: Honeybee Queens Know Their Own Strength

Contests mediate access to reproductive opportunities in almost all species of animals. An important aspect of the evolution of contests is the reduction of the costs incurred during intra-specific encounters to a minimum. However, escalated fights are commonly lethal in some species like the honeybee, Apis mellifera. By experimentally reducing honeybee queens' fighting abilities, we demonstrate that they refrain from engaging in lethal contests that typically characterize their reproductive dominance behavior and coexist peacefully within a colony. This suggests that weak queens exploit an alternative reproductive strategy and provides an explanation for rare occurrences of queen cohabitation in nature. Our results further indicate that self-assessment, but not mutual assessment of fighting ability occurs prior to and during the agonistic encounters

Individual Recognition in Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus): Evidence from 2D-Images of Heads from Different Breeds

BACKGROUND: In order to maintain cohesion of groups, social animals need to process social information efficiently. Visual individual recognition, which is distinguished from mere visual discrimination, has been studied in only few mammalian species. In addition, most previous studies used either a small number of subjects or a few various views as test stimuli. Dairy cattle, as a domestic species allow the testing of a good sample size and provide a large variety of test stimuli due to the morphological diversity of breeds. Hence cattle are a suitable model for studying individual visual recognition. This study demonstrates that cattle display visual individual recognition and shows the effect of both familiarity and coat diversity in discrimination. [br/]METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We tested whether 8 Prim'Holstein heifers could recognize 2D-images of heads of one cow (face, profiles, (3/4) views) from those of other cows. Experiments were based on a simultaneous discrimination paradigm through instrumental conditioning using food rewards. In Experiment 1, all images represented familiar cows (belonging to the same social group) from the Prim'Holstein breed. In Experiments 2, 3 and 4, images were from unfamiliar (unknown) individuals either from the same breed or other breeds. All heifers displayed individual recognition of familiar and unfamiliar individuals from their own breed. Subjects reached criterion sooner when recognizing a familiar individual than when recognizing an unfamiliar one (Exp 1: 3.1+/-0.7 vs. Exp 2: 5.2+/-1.2 sessions; Z = 1.99, N = 8, P = 0.046). In addition almost all subjects recognized unknown individuals from different breeds, however with greater difficulty. [br/] CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrated that cattle have efficient individual recognition based on categorization capacities. Social familiarity improved their performance. The recognition of individuals with very different coat characteristics from the subjects was the most difficult task. These results call for studies exploring the mechanisms involved in face recognition allowing interspecies comparisons, including humans

Cost-effective alternatives for disposal of obsolete navy personal computers

The Department of the Navy (DoN) disposes of large quantities of obsolete personal computers (PCs) annually. The methods of disposal are well regulated and predictable. There seems to be little concern, however, for the financial implications of such practices and if there exists cost-effective uses for obsolete PCs. With initiatives to put new computers in the hands of DoN employees, no initiatives were discovered that make use of used PCs to help meet the need. This thesis explores disposal procedures for obsolete DoN computers and examines if cost-effective alternatives exist. The pending Navy/Marine Corps lntranet (NMCI) initiative is examined (along with PC leasing) since computer disposal could be a significant function in the annual cost of NMCI. Major conclusions: A PC disposal problem will exist under NMCI, existing regulations do not expedite putting used PCs in the hands of DoN employees and there may be uses for obsolete PCs in Navy Recruiting efforts. Major recommendations: Selling or giving obsolete NMCI PCs to DoN employees thereby reducing the cost of NMCl, an interim suggestion to modify our disposal procedures to include PC issue to DoN employees, suggestions for Navy Recruiting to give used PCs to Delayed Entry Program personnelhttp://www.archive.org/details/costeffectivealt00tibbCommander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited