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We prove that 5 6 + ∑ k = 1 n cos k θ k ≥ 1 4 (1 + cos θ) 2 (n = 2 , 3 , ... ; θ ∈ (0 , π)) , where equality holds if and only if n = 2 and θ = π - cos - 1 1 3 . This refines a result of Brown and Koumandos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Seizures are often followed by a period of transient neurological dysfunction and postictal alterations in cerebral blood flow may underlie these symptoms. Recent animal studies have shown reduced local cerebral blood flow at the seizure onset zone (SOZ) lasting approximately 1 h following seizures. Using arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI, we observed postictal hypoperfusion at the SOZ in 75% of patients. The clinical implementation of ASL as a tool to identify the SOZ is hampered by the limited availability of MRI on short notice. Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) also measures blood flow and may circumvent the logistical limitations of MRI. Thus, we aimed to measure the extent of postictal hypoperfusion using CTP. Methods: Fourteen adult patients with refractory focal epilepsy admitted for presurgical evaluation were prospectively recruited and underwent CTP scanning within 80 min of a habitual seizure. Patients also underwent a baseline scan after they were seizure-free for > 24 h. The acquired scans were qualitatively assessed by two reviewers by visual inspection and quantitatively assessed through a subtraction pipeline to identify areas of significant postictal hypoperfusion. Results: Postictal blood flow reductions of > 15 ml/100 g−1/min−1 were seen in 12/13 patients using the quantitative method of analysis. In 10/12 patients, the location of the hypoperfusion was partially or fully concordant with the presumed SOZ. In all patients, additional areas of scattered hypoperfusion were seen in areas corresponding to seizure spread. Conclusion: CTP can reliably measure postictal hypoperfusion which is maximal at the presumed SOZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a real-time gaze estimation system using a webcam is proposed, in which variation of head pose is tracked. At first, variation of head position and pose are estimated by using facial features. Then, an iterative iris center detection method is proposed for tracking iris in eye image. Finally, gaze is estimated by using estimated head pose and position, and iris center position. The proposed gaze estimation system is applied to four different applications. Experimental results show that the proposed iterative iris center detection method has a higher accuracy than conventional ones. Also, the proposed gaze estimation system shows about 98 % accuracy using $$640\times 480$$ resolution webcam and 42-inch monitor that are 0.75 m apart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) assesses the vascular support of tumours through analysis of temporal changes in attenuation in blood vessels and tissues during a rapid series of images acquired with intravenous administration of iodinated contrast material. Commercial software for DCE-CT analysis allows pixel-by-pixel calculation of a range of validated physiological parameters and depiction as parametric maps. Clinical studies support the use of DCE-CT parameters as surrogates for physiological and molecular processes underlying tumour angiogenesis. DCE-CT has been used to provide biomarkers of drug action in early phase trials for the treatment of a range of cancers. DCE-CT can be appended to current imaging assessments of tumour response with the benefits of wide availability and low cost. This paper sets out guidelines for the use of DCE-CT in assessing tumour vascular support that were developed using a Delphi process. Recommendations encompass CT system requirements and quality assurance, radiation dosimetry, patient preparation, administration of contrast material, CT acquisition parameters, terminology and units, data processing and reporting. DCE-CT has reached technical maturity for use in therapeutic trials in oncology. The development of these consensus guidelines may promote broader application of DCE-CT for the evaluation of tumour vascularity. Key Points • DCE-CT can robustly assess tumour vascular support • DCE-CT has reached technical maturity for use in therapeutic trials in oncology • This paper presents consensus guidelines for using DCE-CT in assessing tumour vascularity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncofetal genes are expressed in embryos or fetuses, are downregulated or undetectable in adult tissues, and then re-expressed in tumors. Known oncofetal genes, such as AFP, GCB, FGF18, IMP-1 and SOX1, often have important clinical applications or pivotal biological functions. To find new oncofetal-like genes, we used the public information of expressed sequence tags to systematically analyze gene expression patterns and identified a novel oncofetal-like gene, LRRC16B. It increased the proliferation, anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenesis of transformed cells in xenografts, possibly through its effects on cyclin B1 protein levels. These findings exemplify the feasibility of using bioinformatics to find new oncofetal-like genes and suggest that more genes with important functional roles will be uncovered in the candidate gene list. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum was added into Sn-3.0Ag (wt.%) solder to investigate the effect of aluminum concentration on the interfacial reaction of Sn-3.0Ag- xAl solders with copper or electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) metallizations. Four different Sn-3.0Ag- xAl solders ( x = 0 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, and 1.0 wt.%) were used for comparison. It was found that the composition, morphology, and thickness of interfacial reaction products were strongly dependent on aluminum concentration. At low aluminum concentration (0.1 wt.%), the typical Cu6Sn5 layer was formed at the interface. When the aluminum concentration was 0.5 wt.%, a continuous CuAl2 layer spalled off from the interfacial Cu-Sn intermetallic compound (IMC) layer. Only a planar CuAl2 layer was observed at the interface when the aluminum concentration was increased to 1.0 wt.%. In Sn-Ag-Al/ENIG reactions, Ni3Sn4 was formed and spallation occurred near the interface in the Sn-3.0Ag and Sn-3.0Ag-0.1Al solder joints. When the aluminum concentration was higher than 0.1 wt.%, a thin planar AuAl compound formed at the interface. There was no P-rich phase formation that retarded the spalling phenomenon. The aluminum additive in Sn-Ag solder inhibited the growth of IMCs in the reaction with copper or ENIG metallizations, which was favorable for the reliability of solder joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese secondary school students ( N = 2758) responded to measures of perceived family life quality (parenting quality and parent–child relational quality) and emotional quality of life (hopelessness, mastery, life satisfaction and self-esteem). Parenting quality included different aspects of parental behavioral control (parental knowledge, expectation, monitoring, discipline and demandingness as well as parental control defined in terms of indigenous Chinese concepts), parental psychological control, and parental responsiveness whereas parent–child relational quality included satisfaction with parental control, child’s readiness to communicate with the parents, parental trust of the child, and child’s trust of the parent. Results showed that parenting quality and parent–child relational quality in poor families were generally poorer than those of non-poor families and the differences were more pronounced in paternal parenting quality and father–child relational quality than in maternal parenting quality and mother–child relational quality. Emotional quality of life of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage was also found to be poorer than that of adolescents not experiencing economic disadvantage. The present findings replicate the previous research findings in the literature and generate a pioneering dataset based on Chinese adolescents at Secondary 2 level in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sn-Ag solder was electrodeposited from a bath that basically is composed of tin sulfate (SnSO4), silver nitrate (AgNO3), and thiourea (CH4N2S), acting as a complexing agent to silver. The composition and morphology of electrodeposited Sn-Ag solder were studied in terms of silver concentration in bath current density, duty cycle, and additives. It was possible to control silver content in the electrodeposit by means of varying silver concentration in bath and current density. The microstructure and surface morphology of the electrodeposit become finer and smoother with increasing current density. The pulse-current (PC) plating method was applied to compare to the conventional direct-current (DC) plating. Varying duty cycle in PC plating did not change the microstructure in general, but some improvement in surface roughness was observed compared to DC plating. However, the silver composition in the electrodeposit increased with decreasing the duty cycle at a constant current density. An addition of a surfaceactive agent helped to reduce the surface roughness and the variation of silver content in the electrodeposit. In an optimum condition, eutectic Sn-Ag solder bumps with a fine pitch of 30 µm and height of 15 µm were successfully electroplated. The composition of Sn-Ag bumps was analyzed by energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS) and wavelength dispersive x-ray spectrometry (WDS) methods, and the surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a three-dimensional surface analyzer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure Ni, the Ni-Cu alloy, and pure Cu layers as the under bump metallurgy (UBM) for a flip-chip solder joint were deposited by electrolytic plating. For the pure Ni layer, residual stress can be controlled by adding a wetting agent and decreasing current density, and it is always under tensile stress. The Ni-Cu alloys of different Cu compositions from ∼20wt.%Cu to 100wt.%Cu were deposited with varying current density in a single bath. The residual stress was a strong function of current density and Cu composition. Decreasing current density and increasing Cu content simultaneously causes the residual stress of the metal layers to sharply decrease. For the pure Cu layer, the stress is compressive. The Cu layer acts as a cushion layer for the UBM. The residual stress of the UBM strongly depends on the fraction of the Cu cushion layer. Interfacial reaction of the UBM with Sn-3.5 wt.% Ag was studied. As the Cu contents of Ni-Cu alloys increased, the dissolution rate increased. Several different electrolytic platin (IMCs) were found. The lattice constants of alloys and the IMC increase with increasing Cu contents because the larger Cu atoms substitute for the smaller Ni atoms in the crystallites. The Cu content of the IMC are strongly dependent on the composition of the alloys. Ball shear tests were done with different metal-layer schemes. The failure occurs through the IMC and solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermetallic compound (IMC) spalling from electroless Ni-P film was investigated with lead-free solders in terms of solder-deposition methods (electroplating, solder paste, and thin foil), P content in the Ni-P film (4.6. 9, and 13 wt% P), and solder thickness (120 versus .200 µm). The reaction of Ni-P with Sn3.5Ag paste easily led to IMC spalling after 2-min reflow at 250 °C while IMCs adhered to the Ni-P layer after 10-min reflow with electroplated Sn or Sn3.5Ag. It has been shown that not only the solder composition but also the deposition method is important for IMC spalling from the Ni-P layer. The spalling increased with P content as well as with solder volume. Ni3Sn4 intermetallics formed as a needle-shaped morphology at an early stage and changed into a chunk-shape. Needle-shaped compounds exhibited a higher propensity for spalling than chunk-shaped compounds because many channels among the needle-shaped IMCs facilitated Sn penetration. A reaction between the penetrated Sn and the Ni3P layer formed a Ni3SnP layer and Ni3Sn4 IMCs spalled off the Ni3SnP surface. Dewetting of solder from the Ni3SnP layer, however, did not occur even after spalling of most IMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetics for the crystallization of amorphous Ni(P) films and the formation of intermetallic compounds in Sn/Ni(P) films during isothermal aging treatment were studied with in situ intrinsic stress measurements. The intrinsic stress changes from crystallization were about 200 and 150 MPa for Ni(14P) and Ni(11.7P) films, respectively, and according to Johnson-Mehl-Avrami analysis, the Avrami exponents were about 3.6 ± 0.46 and 4.2 ± 0.39, and the activation energies were 242 and 240 kJ/mol, respectively, for the crystallization of Ni(14P) and Ni(11.7P) films. The stress due to the formation of intermetallic compounds such as Ni3Sn4 and Ni3P in Sn/Ni(11.7P) films was about 320 MPa. Application of in situ stress measurements to the empirical growth model during isothermal phase transformation of Sn/Ni(P) showed that the intermetallic compounds growth was interface reaction-controlled (n = 0.91 ± 0.08) in the early stage and then became diffusion-controlled (n = 0.38 ± 0.01), and the activation energy was about 35.9 kJ/mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We compared the perioperative parameters and outcomes achieved with hand-assisted laparoscopic colectomy (HALC) vs open colectomy (OC) for the management of benign and malignant colorectal disease, including cancer patients treated with curative intent.Methods: Sixty eligible patients were randomized to either HALC (n = 30) or OC (n = 30) treatment groups. We used Pearson's chi-square and two-sample t-tests to compare the differences in demographics and perioperative parameters.Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender distribution, disease pattern, operative procedure, comorbidity, or history of abdominal surgery. The HALC patients had significantly shorter hospital stays and incision lengths, faster recovery of gastrointestinal function, less analgesic use and blood loss, and lower pain scores on postoperative days 1, 3, and 14. There were no significant differences in operative time, complications, or time to return to normal activity.Conclusion: Hand-assisted laparoscopic colectomy (HALC) is safe and produces better therapeutic results in terms of perioperative parameters than OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a comparison theorem extending Li(6) and develop a complex-analytic approach to treat L2 small ball probabilities of Gaussian processes. We demonstrate the techniques for the m-times integrated Brownian motions and in examples where one can not apply Li comparison theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously reported methods of dynamic, contrast-enhanced, CT perfusion imaging in acute stroke have been promising but substantially limited by their dependence on very rapid rates of injection (typically 10–20 ml/s in an arm vein). Newly available deconvolution software permits the use of lower rates of injection (e. g., 3–4 ml/s), and rapidly provides maps of cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume and mean transit time. We report the potential of CT perfusion imaging performed with an injection rate of 4 ml/s to provide information on the extent of hemodynamic abnormality, and to help distinguish viable from nonviable ischemic tissue. The slower injection rates permitted by deconvolution analysis substantially enhance the practicality of CT perfusion imaging for studying stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this prospective study was to assess the feasibility and diagnostic relevance of repetitive dynamic (contrast-enhanced) CT measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT) in the first 3 weeks after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In 15 patients with SAH, 59 dynamic CT studies including 944 regions of interest (ROI) were analyzed. The results were correlated with the clinical course and time after the event and the occurrence of vasospasm. Values for the entire series were 33.8 ± 19.3 ml/100 g/min (CBF), 3.3 ± 1.3 ml/100 g (CBV), and 7.3 ± 3.9 s (MTT). Significant differences in CBF and CBV were found between ROI in grey and white matter, with time after the event, between patients with significant and absent or minor vasospasm, and between patients with and without a presumed vasospasm-related infarct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. We study systems of reaction – diffusion equations of KPP-type with the coefficients and nonlinear terms slowly varying in the space variables. The long time behavior of the solution to such systems can be characterized by the motion of wave fronts. We describe the wave front motion, using the Feynman–Kac formula and the large deviation principle for the corresponding diffusion – transmutation process. We give a geometrical description of the motion in the examples and show some effects which appear in case of systems but not in the single RDE’s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acute aortic dissection involved the retroesophageal aortic diverticulum (RAD) and descending thoracic aorta in a patient with right aortic arch. The RAD, which was separated into false and true lumens by an intimal flap-the classic diagnostic sign of aortic dissection-was overlooked on transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography but was clearly depicted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It was found that MRI can delineate the anatomy of a congenital arch anomaly complicated by great vessels disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors report their experience with the treatment of intrahepatic bile duct strictures associated with hepatolithiasis.Methods: Eighty patients had multiple postoperative retained intrahepatic duct stones trapped behind intrahepatic biliary strictures. Before stone extraction, the strictures were opened gradually by semirigid dilators, followed by stent placement to create enough patency for stone removal. All procedures were carried out through the T-tube tracts and were aided by cholangioscopy and electrohydraulic lithotripsy.Results: Complete clearance of stones was achieved in 69 patients. Failure to dilate the strictures was due to acute and multiple ductal angulations. These included the right posterior inferior intrahepatic duct at its junction with the left intrahepatic ducts when it was more than 2 cm distal to the hepatic bifurcation, when the angle between the T-tube tract and the common bile duct was smaller than 90 degrees, and when stones were located in peripheral intrahepatic ducts with more than five angulations.Conclusion: This technique is considered safe and effective for complicated hepatolithiasis with intrahepatic biliary strictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From October 1989 through December 1993, 124 pregnant women (114 in the second trimester and 10 in the third trimester) underwent transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS) for prenatal molecular or cytogenetic diagnosis. The mean gestational age was 18.2 weeks. Indications for CVS comprised single gene disease (72%), fetal anomalies detected by ultrasound (17%), advanced maternal age (6%), and previous siblings with chromosomal aberration (5%). Among the 89 fetuses at risk for single gene disease, 20 were diagnosed as affected by DNA analysis. Among the 35 fetuses at risk for chromosomal anomaly, 4 had trisomy, 3 had a 45,XO karyotype and 2 had a structural chromosomal abnormality. The miscarriage rate was 1.8% (2/114) and the spontaneous preterm birth rate was 2.4% (3/124). No maternal or other fetal complications occurred. This study suggested that second- and third trimester CVS is a safe and useful method for prenatal diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family with three children who had Down's syndrome and one healthy child is reported. Cytogenetic studies of the peripheral blood revealed trisomy 21 in the affected children, and normal karyotypes in both the parents and the healthy child. However, a biopsy of the mother's right ovary showed a mosaic trisomy 21 cell line (8/20 cells). By DNA polymorphism analysis, segregation of trisomy oogonia appeared to be the cause of recurrent trisomy 21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With enzyme immunoassay, maternal serum chorionic gonadotropin (MShCG) level was determined in 58 pregnancies affected with fetal homozygous alpha-thalassemia 1. In 40 pregnancies with a gestational age of 10 to 14 weeks, 8 (20%) had an MShCG level above 2.5 multiples of the median (MoM); while in the other 18 pregnancies with a gestational age of 15 to 23 weeks, 14 (78%) had a level above 2.5 MoMs and none had a level below the median. Homozygous alpha-thalassemia 1 of the fetus was associated with an elevated MShCG. Therefore in second-trimester screening for Down's syndrome by measurement of MShCG, homozygous alpha-thalassemia 1 should also be considered if elevated MShCG levels are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how conditional heteroskedasticity models can be estimated efficiently without imposing strong distributional assumptions such as normality. Using the generalized method of moments (GMM) principle, we show that for a class of models with a symmetric conditional distribution, the GMM estimates obtained from the joint estimating equations corresponding to the conditional mean and variance of the model are efficient when the instruments are chosen optimally. A simple ARCH(1) model is used to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed estimation procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the unusual magnetic resonance (MR) findings of a case of Wilson's disease (WD) in an asymptomatic 2-year-old girl. Preenhanced computed tomography revealed multiple hyperdense areas in the liver. These lesions were hyperintense on T1-weighted and hypointense on T2-weighted MR images, results that might be ascribed to the paramagnetism of copper deposited in liver at a relatively early stage of the disease before severe liver cirrhosis had evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To study the biological behavior of renal squamous cell carcinoma (RSCC).Methods: Fifteen cases of RSCC were retrospectively studied. These cases were classified as central (eight cases) and peripheral (seven cases) types by the tumor location. The clinical data and computed tomographic findings were analyzed and compared.Results: High incidence (87%) of urolithiasis was observed. The prognosis of RSCC was very poor, with a median survival time of 3.5 months. The infectious symptoms, central location, and modified stage IV of the tumor were the poor prognostic factors of RSCC. Two types of RSCC were different in the presenting symptoms, lymph node metastasis, modified tumor staging, and survival time.Conclusion: The central and peripheral types of RSCC were different biologically. High index of suspicion should be maintained when identifying the subtle clues of malignancy in patients with urolithiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe CT findings of a case of mucin-hypersecreting papillary cholangiocarcinoma (MHPC), with extrahepatic bile leakage to the rectus abdominis muscle via the ligamentum teres hepatis forming an abdominal wall abscess. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography was unsatisfactory. Spiral three-dimensional CT cholangiography was helpful in assessing the resectability of MHPC by offering anatomic details of the uninvolved biliary tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-two cases of verified gas-containing pyogenic liver abscess were reviewed to study the radiological and clinical prognostic factors. A mortality rate of 37.1% (23 cases) was observed. Among these patients, the survival time of 13 patients with alveolar gas pattern or pneumoperitoneum (6.15 +/- 7.36 days) was significantly shorter than that of the other 10 patients (17.70 +/- 13.32 days) despite immediate diagnosis and aggressive treatment. The poor radiological prognostic signs were: (1) alveolar gas pattern and pneumoperitoneum as viewed on radiographs; and (2) globular configuration, shaggy margin, alveolar internal structure, and total gas content on computed tomographic (CT) scans. High serum creatinine and glucose levels and a short time to diagnosis were the poor clinical prognostic factors. The aggressive treatment did not change the outcome. We conclude that, in addition to the clinical evaluation, meticulous radiological study of the abscess morphology should be done in cases of gas-containing liver abscess in an effort to provide further aggressive treatment for those patients with poor radiological prognostic signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty-seven pairs of mothers with hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) and their infants were divided into two study groups to determine the effect of amniocentesis on intrauterine HBV infection. In the first study group (35 pairs), the infant's HBsAg status in cord blood was studied and the results were compared with those obtained in the cord blood from 65 infants born to HBsAg-positive women who did not have an amniocentesis. In the second study group (32 pairs), the HBV status of the infants was studied at the age of three months to five years and compared with the HBV status of 3,454 infants in the National HBV Prevention Program. In the first study group, one sample (2.9%) was weakly positive for HBsAg; while in the first control group, two (3.1%) were positive. In the second study group, three (10%) infants were positive for HBsAg. The failure rates of immunoprophylaxis in the second study and control groups were similar (9.4% vs 11% for HBsAg carrier mothers; 30% vs 14% for HBe antigen-positive carrier mothers). This suggested that genetic amniocentesis did not increase the risk of intrauterine HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about the synthesis of semiconductor diamond films.

A case of peripheral cholangiocarcinoma with the presentation of chronic hemoptysis and lung mass without evident jaundice is reported. Exophytic spread of hepatobiliary disease through the diaphragm through perihepatic ligaments is described as the possible route of invasion of the tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report two cases of small bowel obstruction (SBO) due to phytobezoar impaction. In both cases, computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a well-defined, ovoid intraluminal mass with mottled gas pattern within the dilated small bowel at the site of obstruction and an abruptly collapsed lumen beyond the lesion. Recognition of these CT findings allows specific preoperative diagnosis of SBO owing to this uncommon lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unusual case of rapid-growing posttraumatic gluteal epidermal cyst with ischiorectal and presacral extension is reported. Pertinent clinical history and magnetic resonance imaging allowed accurate preoperative diagnosis. Cautious complete excision was important to prevent recurrence. To our knowledge, posttraumatic gluteal epidermal cyst with this unusual clinical presentation has not been described previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an unusual case of mesenteric cystic lymphangioma presenting as a large multilocular mass with a well-enhanced solid component and a central cleft, which were were pathologically correlated to the prominent stromal myxoid degeneration interspersed with abundant capillaries and the central fibrosis, respectively. The findings of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are illustrated. Recognition of the multilocular configuration of the enhanced stroma may help to make the correct preoperative diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Void formation in lead-free solder joints, away from the joint interface, has been observed after solid-state aging. These voids are attached to intermetallic precipitates in the solder matrix, especially to those that are adjacent to the layered intermetallic at the joint interface. Two potential void formation mechanisms are discussed. The mechanism proposed to describe void formation is that a flux of vacancies is created due to volume contraction during solid-state reaction. The ripening process among the intermetallics also assists this process. Using the suggested mechanisms, the void size was estimated. This phenomenon differs from the classical Kirkendall void formation because it is a nonequilibrium state of void formation and stress generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scleractinian coral reefs, when coexistent with siliciclastic sediments, usually occur in association with deltaic or coastal sands. Nevertheless, Pleistocene reef limestones in southwestern Taiwan are developed in association with thick claystones that were deposited in a deeper-water environment. These reef limestones are characterized by: (1) rapid transition from underlying claystones upward to reefal limestones, (2) lateral interfingering with open-shelf claystones, (3) being overlain by terrestrial deposits or exposed with no covering strata, and (4) being located in close association with anticlines. The authors propose that these reef limestones developed on anticlinal ridges raised above the adjacent sea floor by thrust-front migration in a foreland setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]