Validation of the virtual-reality prospective memory test (Hong Kong Chinese version) for individuals with first-episode schizophrenia.

This study was performed to examine the psychometric properties of a Virtual-Reality Prospective Memory Test (Hong Kong Chinese version; VRPMT-CV). The VRPMT was administered to 44 individuals with first-episode schizophrenia. The test was administered again 2 weeks later to establish test-retest reliability. The concurrent validity of the VRPMT was evaluated by examining the correlations between the VRPMT score and the score on the Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT-CV). The performance of individuals with schizophrenia on the VRPMT was also compared with that of 42 healthy control subjects to examine the test's sensitivity and specificity. The intraclass correlation for test-retest reliability of the total VRPMT-CV score was 0.78 (p = .005). A significant correlation was found between the total VRPMT-CV score and the total CAMPROMPT-CV score (r = 0.90; p < .001). Comparison with the healthy control subjects revealed that the total VRPMT-CV score was a sensitive (92.9%) and specific (75%) measure of prospective memory deficits in individuals with schizophrenia. The VRPMT-CV is an assessment of prospective memory that has good construct validity, test-retest reliability, sensitivity and specificity in the context of first-episode schizophrenia.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions from a coal-fired pilot FBC system.

Due to the extensive amount of data suggesting the hazards of these compounds, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Priority Pollutant List. Emissions of these PAHs in the flue gas from the combustion of four coals were measured during four 1000h combustion runs using the 0.1MW heat-input (MWth) bench-scale fluidized bed combustor (FBC). An on-line sampling system was designed for the 16 PAHs, which consisted of a glass wool filter, condenser, glass fiber filter, Teflon filter, and a Tenax trap. The filters and Tenax were extracted by methylene chloride and hexane, respectively, followed by GC/MS analysis using the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. In this project, the effects of operating parameters, limestone addition, chlorine content in the coal, and Ca/S molar ratio on the emissions of PAHs were studied. The results indicated that the emissions of PAHs in an FBC system are primarily dependent on the combustion temperature and excess air ratio. The injection of secondary air with high velocity in the freeboard effectively reduces PAH emissions. The addition of extra limestone can promote the formation of PAHs in the FBC system. Chlorine in the coal can possibly lead to large benzene ring PAH formation during combustion. The total PAH emission increases with an increase in the sulfur content of coal. Incomplete combustion results in PAHs with four or more benzene rings. High efficiency combustion results in PAHs with two or three benzene rings.

Soluble polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in raw coals.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be a group of compounds that pose potential health hazards since some PAHs are known carcinogens. During coal utilization processes, such as coal combustion and pyrolysis, PAHs released may be divided into two categories according to their formation pathways. One category is derived from complex chemical reactions and the other is from free PAHs transferred from the original coals. PAHs released from complex chemical reactions during combustion and pyrolysis have received considerable attention in recent years. However, free PAHs contained in raw coals have not been seriously considered as a source of these materials to be released during the utilization of coal. The goal of this study was to observe the relation between the content of PAHs in different coals and the elemental composition of the coals. In this study, eight bituminous coals with dry, ash-free carbon values varying from 65% to 90% were selected. Each coal was extracted with dichloromethane in a Soxhlet extractor for 6 h. The extracts were quantitatively analyzed with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC-MS). More than 20 kinds of PAHs were identified. The total amount of PAHs determined varied from 1.2 to 28.3 mg/kg from the various coal types. The maximum total PAHs extracted was reached when the carbon content exceeded 84% by weight.

Photoacoustic study of iron-deficiency anaemia.

A photoacoustic spectrum of a smear of whole blood clearly shows all of the details of the haem absorption in an optical spectrum and good optical absorption data without a data extraction procedure. There are three peaks; gamma (420 nm), beta (550 nm), and alpha (585 nm) in the band 350-700 nm. For iron-deficiency anaemia the peak/peak ratios, ratios of the value of peak gamma to that of the peak beta and peak alpha, and the integral/integral ratios, ratios of the value of the integral under the peak gamma to that under the peak beta, peak alpha, peak beta and peak alpha are closely related to the variation of haemoglobin concentration. Linear relationships among the ratios and the Hb concentration are found. These ratios could be a good index of haem synthesis disturbance.

Stereospecific analysis of triglycerides of Glycine max, Glycine soya, Avena sativa and Avena sterilis strains.

A rapid method for the stereospecific analysis of triglycerides based on enzymatic hydrolysis on thin layer plates was applied to a number of Glycine max, Glycine soya, Avena sativa and Avena sterilis strains. The percentage of each fatty acid on the sn-1-, sn-2- and sn-3-positions was linearly related to the total percentage of the fatty acid in the triglyceride. Large deviations from the common triglyceride pattern were not found.