The genes which encode glycosomal glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) of Trypanosoma cruzi are arranged as a tandemlyrepeated pair on a single chromosome and are identical at the level...Full Text Available
BackgroundYersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is a young and highly monomorphic species. Three biovars, each one thought to be associated with the last three Y....Full Text Available
A unique feature of cyanobacteria genomes is the abundance of genes that code for hypothetical proteins containing tandem pentapeptide repeats approximately described by the consensus motif A(N/D)LXX. To date, the structures of two pentapeptide-repeat proteins (PRPs) have been determined, with the tandem pentapeptide-repeat sequences observed to adopt a novel type of right-handed quadrilateral ?-helix, or Rfr-fold, in both structures. One structure, Mycobacterium tuberculosis MfpA, is a 183-residue protein that contains 30 consecutive pentapeptide repeats and appears to offer antibiotic resistance by acting as a DNA mimic. The other structure, Cyanothece 51142 Rfr32, is a 167-residue protein that contains 21 consecutive pentapeptide repeats. The function of Rfr32, like the other 35 hypothetical PRPs identified in the genome of Cyanothece, is ...
As a consequence of the close integration of cattle into the food chain of humans, forensically relevant cases involving cattle (Bos taurus) DNA analysis are common. However, scientific publications reporting the information content of the commonly used bovine short tandemrepeat (STR) loci remains scarce. Population studies were performed for 16 polymorphic STR loci (BM1818, BM1824, BM2113, CSRM60, CSSM66, ETH3, ETH10, ETH225, HAUT27, ILSTS006, INRA023, SPS115, TGLA53, TGLA122, TGLA126, and TGLA227) including 4,162 randomly selected cattle representing 20 distinct breeds. The power of parental exclusion, expected and observed heterozygosity, probability of identity, and non-amplifying (?null?) allele frequencies were calculated. Major differences existed in the information content between...
Background and objectives.Thymidylate synthase (TS) expression levels appear to be related to response to 5-fluorouracil-(5-FU)-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Three polymorphisms have been proposed as modulators of TS expression: a tandemlyrepeated sequence (2R/3R) in the 5? UTR, a SNP (G > C) within the 3R allele and a 6 bp deletion in the 3' UTR.To evaluate the influence of TS expression and polymorphisms on clinical outcome of 5-FU-treated patients we performed a comprehensive genetic analysis on 63 CRC patients.Methods.TS expression levels were analyzed in normal and tumor tissues. TS coding sequence and UTR polymorphisms were investigated on DNA from normal tissue. LOH analysis was performed to determine tumor genotype.Results.A difference in disease-free sur...
The main physical processes allowing negative ion production by surface sputtering for further acceleration in tandem acceleration are briefly reviewed. The sputtering yield and the probability of negative ion ejection are discussed. The properties of negative ion beams for an efficient acceleration in tandem accelerators are also discussed, with an emphasis on space charge problems. The main features and performances of the heavy negative ion injector of the Bucharest tandem accelerator are given.
Computer simulations of two-junction, concentrator tandem solar cell performance show that IR-sensitive bottom cells are required to achieve high efficiencies. Based on this conclusion, two novel concentrator tandem designs are under investigations: (1) a mechanically stacked, four-terminal GaAs/GaInAsP (0.95 eV) tandem, and (2) a monolithic, lattice-matched, three-terminal InP/GaInAs tandem. In preliminary experiments, terrestrial concentrator efficiencies exceeding 30% have been achieved with each of the above tandem designs. Methods for improving the efficiency of each tandem type are discussed. (orig.).
Full text: Nuclear material is subjected to chemical processing throughout the entire fuel cycle. Traces of the chemical reagents and solvents are left behind in the nuclear material. So far essentially metallic impurities or light elements have been investigated for their potential in providing clues on the type of process they originate from. In the present investigation, the applicability of anions for attributing nuclear material to a certain chemical process has been investigated. Anions (e.g. nitrate, sulphate, phosphate, chloride) originate from acids or salt solutions that are used for processing of solutions containing uranium or plutonium. The study presented in this paper focuses on yellow cake samples originating from different mines applying different chemical processes for leaching, dissolving and precipitating the uranium. Consequently, the anionic patterns should be different. The concentrations of different anionic species were measured by ion ...
A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) assay was developed for the quantitative determination of salirasib (S-trans, trans-farnesylthiosalicylic acid,...Full Text Available
The motivation for using a tandem electrostatic accelerator as an electron accelerator for a free electron laser (FEL) is presented. The adaptation of the HVEC EN tandem at the Weizmann Institute for this purpose, electron beam optics and nonlinear FEL computation relevant for this FEL realization are described. In the tandem configuration the terminal is held at a positive potential. The electron beam is accelerated from ground potential to the terminal in one beam tube and then decelerated down the other beam tube. The FEL wiggler and cavity are at the terminal. Due to the beam energy recovery this scheme produces a high power beam at the terminal with a small investment in electrical power. (orig.).
From 1977 through 1984, 293 previously untreated patients with biopsy proven carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated by whole pelvis irradiation and high intensity 60Co remote afterloading (RAL) intrauterine tandem techniques in Haiti. The treatment results were analyzed retrospectively to evaluate the therapeutic results and prognostic factors of a strict protocol involving 40 Gy to the whole pelvis (2 Gy/day, 5 days/week). In addition, on the 5th day of the 3rd week, the first outpatient 60Co remote afterloading intracavitary insertion, delivering 7.5 Gy to point A with each insertion, repeated 3 times by a week separation for a total of 4 times. The total TDF for external beam plus RAL was 158 and 175 for early and late effects respectively. One hundred-four patients were evaluable after 1 year or more follow-up, with a median of 26.5 months. No evidence of disease (NED) by Stage at 1 year was: Stage I of 100% (3/3), Stage II of 82% ...
N/C and S/C ratios show only minor differences between asphaltenes and coal on this basis, the asphaltenes continue to appear to be good surrogates for the characterization of organic acid rain precursors in coal. Alkylmethoxythiophene carboxylic acids (ATCA) are detected in all dichromate oxidation products analyzed to date. Relative concentrations of ATCA compounds are directly proportional to the sample`s bulk organic sulfur contents. Concentrations of ATCA compounds in oxidation products decrease upon repeated oxidation. This may indicate that the thiophenic groups tend to be located in external positions on the coal macromolecular structure and a high proportion of them can be stripped away with only one mild oxidation step. If true, this may make industrial-scale removal of organic sulfur easier than expected. Using analytical micropyrolysis-gas chromatography with a sulfur-selective flame photometric detector, it is possible to easily see a full distribution ...
Previous karyotypic studies have indicated a possible series of non-random chromosomal events involved in the progression of melanoma. We sought to define a model of melanocyte tumorigenesis by studying allelic deletions of polymorphic simple tandemrepeat markers mapping to chromosome 1, 6q, 7, 9p, 10, 11, 17, and 21 in thirty matched pairs of melanoma and constitutional DNAs. The most frequent and earliest deletions were found on 9p (57%) and 10q (32%) and with the exception of one case, no sample has loss of markers on another chromosome without concomitant loss of markers on 9p and/or 10q. Losses on 6q were also a frequent (32%) event that sometimes occurred in primary melanomas, whereas losses of loci on distal 1p (26%) or 11q (26%) occurred only in metastic melanomas. A background rate (0-17%) of allele loss was seen on chromosomes 7, 17, and 21. Homozygous deletions in a panel of 31 melanoma cell lines were only detected for markers on ...
A heterobifunctional reagent, N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate, was synthesized. Its N-hydroxysuccinimide ester group reacts with amino groups and the 2-pyridyl disulphide structure reacts...Full Text Available
Nucleoside 3'-phosphoramidite and chlorophosphite reagents have been found to react with the lactam function of guanine. This reaction caused unsatisfactory results when oligodeoxyribonucleotides containing...Full Text Available
The effects of thiol-specific reagents on the amplitude of the electro-olfactogram (E.O.G.) responses elicited from frog olfactory mucosa by pulses of odorant vapours was studied. The impermeant thiol-specific...Full Text Available
The adsorption interaction of different types of demulsifiers and the oils of Western Siberia is covered. The high adsorption capacity of Separol-5084 and disolvan-4490 reagents is established. The positive role of this phenomen in breaking aqueous oil emulsifiers is theoretically substantiated and experimentally confined.
Samples of geothermal scale formed from Magmamax No. 1 and Woolsey No. 1 wells in the Imperial Valley, Calif., were exposed to concentrated and dilute solutions of common laboratory reagents. The time of exposure and temperature of the reagent were also varied. Several reagents easily dissolved significant amounts of the scale. An in situ test was performed with marginal success.
The various factors that affect the open-circuit voltage ([ital V][sub oc]) of a two-terminal GaInP[sub 2]/GaAs tandem cell are examined. These include a) an anomalous problem associated with the GaAs bottom cell and b) back surface passivation of the thin GaInP[sub 2] top cell. Solutions to these problems are presented and yield tandem [ital V][sub oc]s close to the practical theoretical limits.
A description is given of the principal steps involved in `USIMINAS` work roll manufacturing project for its tandem cold mill. The service performance of these rolls was found to be similar to that rolls supplied by traditional manufacturers. (author). 5 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.
The behaviour of an elastomeric seal for vehicle brake Tandem master cylinder is measured and analyzed in temperature and brake fluids changed. Working conditions are simulated for different piston rod velocity and cylinder supply pressure, in temperature rising, brakefluid boundary and Nanoaluminum oxide brakefluid oxide brakefluid lubrication. The result shows that Nanoaluminum oxide brakefluid with its ball shape can highly reduce friction coefficient to avoid seal excessive wear and reduce slick slip in brake applications.
This annual report describes research activities which have been performed with the JAERI tandem accelerator and the Van de Graaff accelerator from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001. Summary reports of 46 papers, and lists of publication, personnel and cooperative research with universities are contained. (author)
We discuss the initial development of a concentrator device based on the GaInP/GaAs monolithic tandem cell structure. The very high one-sun efficiency of this device, coupled with its characteristic low operating current, make this a promising candidate for use under high concentration. Test results for a prototype device are presented. This device achieves an efficiency of 29.5% at a concentration of 102 suns.
The electrical transport taking place in the {mu}c-Si tunnel recombination junction (TRJ) of a-Si:H/a-Si:H tandem solar cells and the role of CO{sub 2} plasma oxidation performed between microcrystalline layers is investigated in this paper with the computer code AMPS. Oxidized interfaces were modelled as simple highly defective intrinsic {mu}c-Si layers. Two different tunnel junction structures are studied in this paper: (a) (n){mu}c-Si/oxide/(p){mu}c-Si and (b) (n){mu}c-Si/(i){mu}c-Si/(p){mu}c-Si. In the last configuration the oxide interface is removed and replaced by a thin defective (i) {mu}c-Si layer. Both tunnel junctions have comparable theoretical and experimental tandem solar cell efficiencies which indirectly proves that our modelling assumption for oxidised interfaces is correct. A-Si:H/a-Si:H tandem solar cell efficiencies depend on the thickness of the intrinsic layer introduced in the tunnel junction. The ...
The need for material standards in the field of clinical immunology, together with the mode of operation of the combined World Health Organization/International Union of Immunological Societies programme...Full Text Available
Hydrophobic labelling is frequently used in the study of membrane-inserted domains of intrinsic proteins. However, the published procedures, fail to incorporate sufficient radioactivity into membrane immunoglobulins of B lymhocytes to permit investigation of their subunit structures and associations with other proteins. In order to increase the specific radioactivity of ["1"2"5I]iodonaphtylazide ["1"2"5I]INA), an improved method for the synthesis of the reagent was developed. In addition, the optimal conditions for labelling B lymhpocytes with ["1"2"5I]INA and commercially available reagent 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(3'-["1"2"5Iliodophenyl)diazirine (["1"2"5I]TID were isolated and analysed in detail by SDS-PAGE. The usefulness of the two reagents for the investigation of lipid-embedded domains of membrane proteins is discussed. (author). 28 refs.; 4 figs.
A simple, sensitive and rapid method for analysis of granisetron in human plasma, utilizing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), has been developed and validated to satisfy FDA guidelines for bioanalytical methods. The analyte and internal standard (IS) were isolated from 100ml plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). A Varian 1200l tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor-to-product ion transitions m/z 313.4/138 for granisetron and m/z 270/201 for the IS used for quantitation. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.02-20ng/ml for granisetron in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.02ng/ml with a relative standard deviati...
A qualitative method, involving supported liquid?liquid extraction (SLE) and ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS?MS), was developed for the rapid tentative identification of various drugs of abuse in urine. In this study, 28 drugs and metabolites were covered by the screening procedure. Before analysis, urine samples were extracted by SLE and good extraction recoveries were obtained for most investigated compounds. The UHPLC strategy was then selected for the rapid separation of amphetamines, cocaine, opiates and related compounds in urine. Using columns packed with sub-2??m particles, analysis time was reduced down to 2?min, while maintaining acceptable performance. Finally, the detection was by tandem MS operating in the single reaction...
The goal of the invention is to increase the effectiveness of the isolation process through increasing the waterproofing of the stratum. The cited goal is achieved by isolating water influx into a well through introduction of a chemical reagent into the stratum. To interact with the stratum, an alloy of titanium and iron is introduced into the stratum as the chemical reagent with subsequent pumping of hydrogen into the stratum at 100 to 200C.
Trypanosoma brucei contains two isoenzymes for glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH); one enzyme resides in a microbody-like organelle, the glycosome, the other one is found in the cytosol....Full Text Available
BackgroundSubtle alternative splicing events involving tandem splice sites separated by a short (2-12 nucleotides) distance are frequent and evolutionarily widespread in eukaryotes,...Full Text Available
Charge-charge interactions dramatically influence the dissociation and proton transfer reactivity of large multiply protonated ions. In combination with tandem mass spectrometry, proton transfer...Full Text Available
In this study we have profiled the free sterol content of cerebrospinal fluid by a combination of charge tagging and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, the most abundant cholesterol...Full Text Available
... ie on all paths from the root to a terminal node we ... (A) A stochastic Petri net ... Tandem Queueing Network [HMKS99] 63 26 19 173 2.297e4 7.148e ...
Purpose: Reverse helical cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a scanning configuration for potential applications in image-guided radiation therapy in which an accurate anatomic image...Full Text Available
This paper discusses design considerations for the recently introduced GaInP/GaAs monolithic tandem concentrator cell. The prototype device achieves a peak efficiency of 30.2% in a range of 140--180 suns, making this the first two-terminal device to demonstrate a verified efficiency exceeding 30%. At 425 suns the efficiency is still above 29%. The authors focus on the issues of grid design, top-cell thickness, and antireflectance coat. They also examine ways in which these aspects of the device may be modified to provide further performance improvements for future devices.
The stability of a symmetric tandem mirror with hot-electron end plugs against low-frequency modes is investigated using a model first proposed by Baldwin. The Baldwin instability, which is due to the coupling of a negative-energy mode in the plug and a shear Alfven mode in the center cell, is confirmed. It is found that this instability is confined to small ranges of value of L/sub c/, the length of the center cell. Under modest restriction of parameters, the unstable regions in L/sub c/ impose little limitation on L/sub c/.
AimsTo assess the tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of single and repeat doses of the oral matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor marimastat in healthy male volunteers.Full Text Available
Spinocerebellar ataxia 10 (SCA10) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by large-scale expansions of the (ATTCT)nrepeat within an intron of the human ATXN10 gene. In contrast...Full Text Available
Since polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregate formation has been implicated as playing an important role in expanded CAG repeat diseases, it is important to understand the biophysics underlying the...Full Text Available
Huntington's disease (HD) is one of several neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansion of CAG repeats in a coding gene. Somatic CAG expansion rates in HD vary between organs, and the greatest instability...Full Text Available
During sexual development, Neurospora crassa inactivates genes in duplicated DNA segments by a hypermutation process, repeat-induced point mutation (RIP). RIP introduces C:G to T:A...Full Text Available
... Propulsive efficiency is equivalent to the product of thrust efficiency and the hull/waterjet interaction efficiency. ... t'waterjet pump Ktorque repeated ...
A new reagent 7-(6-Br-2-henzthiazolilazo)-8-oxyquinoline-5-sulphoacid has been studied spectrophotometrically. Dissociation constants have been determined in 50% acetone (pK_1=2.5 and pK_2=5.9) and 50% dioxane (pK_1=1.7 and pK_2=6.1) as well as molar extinction coefficients of the reagent dissociated form in the same solvents (71.1.10"3 and 72.4.10"3). The conditions have been studied of complexing the reagent with ions of uranium (6), zinc (2), and manganese (2) in 50% dioxane (pH 2.5-4.5) and the properties of the formed complexes.
Amidination of aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, tryptophan synthetase B protein, L-arabinose isomerase, and the catalytic subunit of E. coli aspartate transcarbamylase...Full Text Available
A fast and sensitive LC-ESI-MS method is described for the comparative quantification of 16 estrogen metabolites based on the derivatization of estrogens with a novel derivatizing reagent, N-methyl-nicotinic...Full Text Available
Beta silicon carbide is an excellent candidate semiconductor material for demanding applications in high power and high temperature electronic devices due to its high breakdown voltage, relatively large band gap, high thermal conductivity and high melting...
Phosphoramidite reagents can phosphitylate guanine bases at the O6-position during solid phase synthesis and serious chain cleavage occurs if the base phosphitylation is not eliminated before the iodine/water...Full Text Available
The report gives results of the measurement of dissolution rates of reagent CaCO3 and commercial limestones (9 types/19 grinds) at constant pH and solution composition by batch titration with HC1. Conditions were selected to simulate flue gas desulfurizat...
The asymmetric organocatalytic α-sulfenylation of substituted piperazine-2,5-diones is reported, with cinchona alkaloids as chiral Lewis bases and electrophilic sulfur transfer reagents....Full Text Available
Trypanothione reductase (TryR) is a key enzyme involved in the oxidative stress management of the Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites, which helps to maintain an intracellular reducing environment...Full Text Available
The passage of a vascular-injected paramagnetic contrast reagent (CR) bolus through a region-of-interest affects tissue 1H2O relaxation and thus MR image intensity. For longitudinal...Full Text Available
The French strategy of high level radioactive aqueous waste management is an incorporation in glassy fission products containers. Therefore, nitric acid soluble organic reagents needed for minor actinides and lanthanides selective separation from fission product solutions have to be sufficiently removed to reach carbon concentrations compatible with calcinator working. Thus, the ability of reagents to be oxidized under concentration conditions with or without denitration becomes a criteria of selection and have been studied. Further, if not working, other operations like hot hydrogen peroxide oxidation, catalyzed or not, are investigated. Reagents involved in this work are mainly complexing products (N-(2-Hydroxyethyl) Ethylene-diamine-tri-acetic Acid), pH keeping reagents (carboxylic acids like citric, glycolic, tartaric and lactic acid) and alkaline species (Tetramethylammonium hydroxide). Behaviour ...
1. An acid ninhydrin reagent was found to react specifically in forming a pink product (Emax. 560mμ) with cysteine. 2. The method was highly sensitive for the determination...Full Text Available
Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are effective mapping and sequencing reagents for use with a wide variety of small and large genomes. This report describes the development of a physical...Full Text Available
When decontaminated with continuously replenished CAN-DECON reagent in a once-through system, carbon steel contaminated with "6"0Co during exposure to reducing coolant in stainless steel loops loses up to 90 percent of its radioactivity in the first few minutes. Afterwards, the rate of removal falls to much lower values which persist for many hours to the end of the experiment. The effects of flow rate, temperature and reagent concentration on the initial rates of decontamination indicate that mass transfer in the liquid is an important factor in the decontamination. The decontamination factor is influenced by the initial rate.
It is reported about the adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of uranium, antimony, tin, vanadium and molybdenum using chloranilic acid as complex forming reagent. The determination limits are in the l{sup 1}-range. (orig.) [Deutsch] Es wird ueber die Bestimmung von Uran, Antimon, Zinn, Vanadium und Molybdaen durch Adsorptions-Stripping-Voltammetrie mit Chloranilsaeure als Komplexbildner berichtet. Die Bestimmungsgrenzen liegen im ng l{sup -1} Bereich. (orig.)
Through the innovative design of a novel end plug scheme employing octopole MHD stabilization, the authors present the conceptual design of ''MINIMARS'', a small commercial fusion reactor based on the tandem mirror principle. The current baseline for MINIMARS has a net electric output of 600 MWe and they have configured the design for short construction times, factory-built modules, inherently safe blanket systems, and multiplexing in station sizes of #approx =# 600-2400 MWe. They demonstrate that the compact octopole end cell provides a number of advantages over the more conventional quadrupole (yin-yang) end cell encountered in the MARS tandem mirror reactor study, and enables ignition to be achieved with much shorter central cell lengths. Accordingly, being economic in small sizes, MINIMARS provides an attractive alternative to the more conventional larger conceptual fusion reactors encountered to date, and would contribute significantly to ...
Problems experienced during Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) tandem offloading operations were investigated. The aim of this research was to improve the reliability of such systems, and it needed a means to assess them. Time-domain simulation and analysis of offloading systems was performed using the multi-body mooring software ARIANE 7.0. Hydrodynamic interaction between the vessels was considered. The responses of the offloading system in different loading cases, different parameters of offloading hawsers and the effects of challenging environmental conditions were calculated. There was a focus on the problems of relative motion between the two bodies and its effects on the intensity of hawser forces. Minimum relative distance, maximum relative headings and maximum tens...
The mapping of the magnetic flux bundle from the center cell to the Plasma Potential Control plates (PPC) on the end fan of the Tandem Mirror Experiment Upgrade (TMX-U), was improved by the addition of trim coils (12,000 amp-turns) on each side of each end fan next to the pump beam magnetic shields. The coils' axes are oriented perpendicular to the machine centerline. These coils made the necessary corrections to the field-line mapping, while keeping the field in the nearby pump beam magnetic shield below the saturation threshold. This paper briefly describes the problem, discusses the design as it evolved, and presents the results of the field testing. A brief description of the improvement in the machine performance is also included.
In this paper, research on pass schedule of tandem cold mill (TCM) is carried out. According to load (reduction, rolling force, motor power) balance, non-linear equations set with variables of inter-stand thickness is constructed. The pass schedule optimization is carried out by solving the non-linear equations set. As the traditional method, the Newton-Raphson method is used for solving the non-linear equations set. In this paper a new simple method is brought up. On basis of the monotone relations between thickness and load, the inter-stands thickness is adjusted dynamically. The solution of non-linear equations set can be converged by iterative calculation. This method can avoid the derivative calculation used by traditional method. So, this method is simple and calculation speed is high. It is suitable for on-line control. (author)
In this paper, research on pass schedule of tandem cold mill (TCM) is carried out. According to load (reduction, rolling force, motor power) balance, non-linear equations set with variables of inter-stand thickness is constructed. The pass schedule optimization is carried out by solving the non-linear equations set. As the traditional method, the Newton-Raphson method is used for solving the non-linear equations set. In this paper a new simple method is brought up. On basis of the monotone relations between thickness and load, the inter-stands thickness is adjusted dynamically. The solution of non-linear equations set can be converged by iterative calculation. This method can avoid the derivative calculation used by traditional method. So, this method is simple and calculation speed is high. It is suitable for on-line control. (author)
Phenytoin (PHT), phenobarbital (PHB), lamotrigine (LTG), and topiramate (TPM) are some of the most widely used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Monitoring of their concentrations in serum is important for the treatment of epilepsy. A reference measurement procedure (RMP) for certification of PHT, PHB, LTG, and TPM in serum has been developed and critically evaluated. Isotopically labeled compounds of PHT, PHB, LTG, and TPM are used as internal standards for the four AEDs. The four drugs and their respective labeled internal standards are simultaneously extracted from serum using solid-phase extraction prior to reversed-phase liquid chromatography?tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was performed using a C18 column. Electrospray ionization (ESI) in the positive ion mo...
Among pharmaceuticals and personal care products released into the aquatic environment, antibiotics are of particular concern, because of their ubiquity and health effects. Although scientists have recently paid more attention to the threat of antibiotics to coastal ecosystems, researchers have often focused on relatively few antibiotics, because of the absence of suitable analytical methods. We have therefore developed a method for the rapid detection of 36 antibiotic residues in coastal waters, including tetracyclines (TCs), sulfanilamides (SAs), and quinolones (QLs). The method consists of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, using electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive mode. The SPE was performed with Oasis HLB and Oasi...
Telomeres protect the chromosome ends from unscheduled DNA repair and degradation. Telomeres are heterochromatic domains composed of repetitive DNA (TTAGGG repeats) bound to an array of specialized...Full Text Available
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease that develops following repeated exposure to inhaled environmental antigens. The disease is characterized by alveolitis, granuloma formation...Full Text Available
screens of fine wire was placed between the gun barrel and the panel to determine whether the gun performance was repeatable. The transducers were placed ...
Plate-boundary earthquakes have occurred repeatedly in the past several thousand years at the Cascadia subduction zone, where they are widely recorded ... ...
The use of repeated expressions to establish coreference allows an investigation of the relationship between basic processes of word recognition and higher-level...Full Text Available
Background: A possible association between the polymorphic CAG repeat in the DNA polymerase gamma (POLG) gene and the risk of testicular germ-cell tumours (TGCT) was investigated in this study. The hypothesis was prompted by an earlier preliminary study proposing an association of the absence of the common 10-CAG-long POLG allele with testicular cancer as well as previously reported in some European populations' association with male subfertility, which is a condition carrying an increased risk of TGCT. Patients and methods: The number of CAG repeats in both POLG alleles was established in 243 patients with TGCT and in 869 controls by the analysis of the genomic DNA fragment. Results: A significantly higher proportion of men homozygous allele of other than the common 10 CAG repeats was fou...
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has implemented a computer control system for operation of an FN tandem accelerator. The control software utilized is the Thaumaturgic Automated Control Logic (TACL) written by the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility and co-developed with LLNL. Details of the design philosophy, hardware configuration, control software, and special control algorithms will be presented. 2 refs., 4 figs.
Peculiar DNA sequences made up by the tandem repetition of a 5 bp unit have been identified within or upstream from three avian protein-coding genes. One sequence is located within an intron of the...Full Text Available
By using a laser and maser in tandem, it is possible to obtain laser action in the hot exhaust gases involved in heat engine operation. Such a "quantum afterburner" involves the internal quantum states of working gas atoms or molecules as well as the techniques of cavity quantum electrodynamics and is therefore in the domain of quantum thermodynamics. As an example, it is shown that Otto cycle engine performance can be improved beyond that of the "ideal" Otto heat engine.
In order to facilitate observations of low energy nuclear reactions, a new type recoil mass-separator together with a new gas-jet target system is being developed at the tandem accelerator facility in Kyushu University. The expected mass-resolving power of the separator is 220 for a solid angle of 10 msr and the practical thickness of the gas-jet target will exceed 0.1 atm#centre dot#cm for the light elements of H and He. (author).
The high-frequency precessional mode of a hot-electron-stabilized magnetic configuration has previously been shown to be stable in a window of core-plasma mass. Under conditions of frequency matching, the resulting stable negative-energy precessional wave can be destabilized by coupling to positive-energy shear-Alfven waves. Coupling is avoided when the hot-electron precession frequency exceeds the core-plasma ion gyrofrequency.
We have cloned and characterized a 77-kDa oestrogen receptor (ER) from an oestrogen-independent subclone of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. This receptor contains an in-frame, tandem duplication...Full Text Available
4.5S RNA is a group of RNAs 90 to 94 nucleotides long (length polymorphism due to a varying number of UMP residues at the 3' end) that form hydrogen bonds with poly(A)-terminated RNAs isolated from...Full Text Available
A working visit was made to the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Tsukuba, Japan, during the time periods May 16, 1988--June 15, 1988 for the purposes of further evaluation of the high intensity plasma sputter negative ion source and to test the response of the University of Tsukuba 13-MV tandem accelerator to mA intensity level pulsed mode heavy negative ion beams. During the visit, the traveler worked in collaboration with Japanese scientists in installing and testing of the source on the University of Tsukuba tandem electrostatic accelerator injector. During the course of preliminary testing of the ion source and prior to actual injection into the accelerator, sparking began in one or more tube sections, which ultimately led to the decision to replace the damaged tube sections. This problem led to postponement of the scheduled tandem accelerator tests. The traveler attended the Seventh International Conference ...
Extensive sequence repeats have been observed in a biologically active fragment of type 24 streptococcal M protein, namely Pep M24 [Beachey, E. H., Sayer, J. M. & Kang, A. H. (1978) Proc....Full Text Available
The shifts induced by equimolar mixture of typical lanthanide shift reagent such as 2,2-dimethyl-6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-3,5-octadionato europium with silver trifluoroacetate in /sup 1/H NMR spectra of aromatic hydrocarbons have been used for analytical purposes; the NMR determination of m- and p-xylenes in mixtures has been chosen as an example. The use has been made of the difference between induced shifts of methyl group signals in the /sup 1/H NMR spectra of m- and p-xylenes. The magnitude of induced shifts of methyl groups signal in m-xylene is always larger than that of p-isomer, irrespective of contents of m- and p-xylenes in mixture.
An hydrazone derivative, 1,2-cyclohexanedione bis-benzoyl-hydrazone (1,2-CHBBH), has been used as a selective reagent for an advanced environmental application consisting of separating the different species of nickel in natural waters by solvent extraction. The effects of pH and reagent concentration on the extraction process were studied, as well as the influence of both organic (humic acids) and inorganic ligands (Cl-). Under natural conditions, organic and inorganic nickel species presented different extraction behaviors, and the variations in extraction yields could be correlated with the concentrations of organic complexes in the samples, allowing the separation of labile and non-labile nickel species in both fresh and marine waters.
Using electrochemical techniques of pH-metry and conductimetry, the choice of a suitable complexing reagent was made amongst ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dextrose and mannitol for cost-effective separation of isotopes of boron by ion exchange chromatography. Quantitative relationships between pH and concentration; pK_a and concentration of each of these complexing reagents were determined by least square polynomial curve fitting and an attempt was made to determine the formation constants of mannitol-borate complex. The results of experiments carried out for selection; regeneration of a resin; separation factor determinations using batch as well as column techniques and monitoring of band movements using these electrochemical techniques are discussed. (author).
A study has been made of the colour reaction involved in the interaction or rare-earth elements with the reagent orthanyl K, the optimum conditions for the reaction being: pH=4.0-4.5 and lambda=660-670 nm. The ratio of components in the complex is Me:R=1:2. Consideration of the relative optical density values of the complex solutions as a function of the serial number of the rare-earth elements made it possible to recommend orthanyl K as a selective reagent for determining La, Ce, Pr and Nb in a mixture of Tu, Yb, Lu and Y oxides. The molar extinction coefficients, the sensitivity of the reaction and the concentration limits where Beer's law applies were calculated. Lanthanum was determined in a binary mixture with thulium and yttrium. (author).
This paper briefly describes an industrial application of the foam decontamination process applied to large volume components. The process is based on the filling of the component with liquid foam containing suitable chemical reagents, and a circulation loop enables its continuous recycling. The process was successfully validated during the decontamination of a graphite gas-cooler representing a developed area of 1000 m{sup 2}. A decontamination factor up to 190 was obtained leading to a residual activity below 1 Bq/cm{sup 2}. The process only produced 6 m{sup 3} of effluent i.e. about ten times less than for a chemical solution technique. (authors) 2 refs.
A spectrophotometric study has been made of the complex formation of vanadium (3) with arsenazo(1), arsenazo(3) and some monosubstituted derivatives of chromotropic acid and sulphanylamides. In acid medium vanadium (3) reacts with each of these reagents to produce a 1:1 complex. Optimum conditions of the complex formation was found. The effect of H"+ on the complex formation of vanadium (3) with chromotropic acid derivatives was established. It was found by the graphical method that the formation of the complex is accompanied by the elimination of one proton. Patterns were found of the influence of the nature of substituents in the organic compound on the ionization constants of acid groups and stability of complexes. Molar extinction coefficients, equilibrium constants of the formation reactions and instability constants for the complexes were calculated. The structure of complexes was suggested. Similar behaviour of all the reagents was ...
The application of kinetic probes that allow one to determine relative reactivities of biologically relevant substrates with oxidizing intermediates in the Fenton reagent (H2O2 plus Fe2+ in acidic aqueous...Full Text Available
This article describes the preparation of 5-nitroisatin and of 5-chloroisatin from isonitrosoacetanilide in a single step, using readily available and inexpensive reagents. These reactions require around 90 minutes and may be carried out as an undergraduate experiment, providing an opportunity to discuss the electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism, as well as spectroscopic techniques for product identification. (author)
The synthesis of (/sup 14/C)-10,11-Epoxy-(2E,6E)-farnesyl diazoacetate in one vessel, starting from (/sup 14/C)-glyoxylic acid, is described. This compound is useful as a potential photoaffinity labeling agent for juvenile hormone binding sites.
N,N-Dialkyl-P-phenylphosphonamidous iodides are formed in the reactions of phenylphosphonus diiodide with silylated secondary amines. N,N-Dialkyl-P-phenylphosphonamidous iodides react with electrophilic reagents (methyl iodide, benzenesulfonyl azide, and phenyl azide) by the usual schemes with the formation of alkylation and oxidative-imination products. Iodine catalyzes the disproportionation of morpholinophenylphosphinous iodide into dimorphomorpholinophenylphosphinous iodide with iodine are iododimorpholinophenylphosphonium triiodide and phenylphosphonous diiodide.
An evaluation was made of the effectiveness of the action of reagents used for cleaning cyan-containing waste water for conditioning of the overflow of copper concentrate thickners of the Belousovskiy enrichment before sorption extraction of gold by activated charcoal. It was established that conditioning of the overflow by iron sulfates (II), copper and zinc diminshes, and by hypochlorite increases the capacitance of the activated charcoal for gold.
The review is devoted to the use of ionic liquids as solvents, immobilized organocatalysts and reagents in reactions involving carbon acids and 1,3-dipoles, which are widely used to prepare practically valuable organic compounds of various classes. The characteristic features of processes in the presence of ionic liquids, the effects of the structure of cations and anions on the regio-, stereo- and enantioselectivities of reactions and methods of recovery of ionic liquids are considered.
The presence of water in export coals increases transport and handling costs. Coarse (+0.5 mm) coal constitutes the majority of the product, and small changes in its final moisture content will have a significant effect on overall product moisture. An on-line moisture monitor was installed on a product belt immediately after a coarse coal centrifuge to continuously measure the moisture content of the coal from a single centrifuge. Basic studies were also conducted with a laboratory centrifuge specifically designed to characterize various coarse coal samples in terms of their water retention capacity. The moisture of the coarse coal (typically 6 to 9%) was found to vary by at least 1% at a particular plant, and by a number of percentage points between plants. An empirical model has been developed which can explain about 80% of the moisture variation from the 25 samples investigated. The rank of the coals ranged from 0.7 to 1.65% mean reflectance. The model identified four principle ...
Interchangeable technology from Flexicon Liquid Filling, a business division of Watson-Marlow Pumps Group, has helped family-run diagnostic reagent manufacturer, Hart Biologicals Ltd, to accommodate business growth with the recent upgrade to a tabletop bottle filling and capping machine. A peristaltic dispensing pump is crucial for succes
Microwaves improve the rate of many chemical reactions either interacting with the solvent, when the reaction is carried out in solution, or with the surface of a solid substrate where a suitable reagent is dispersed (dry chemistry). A few examples of chemical reactions positively affected by microwaves are described: particularly interesting are those concerning polymers and radio-pharmaceuticals.
The isomeric composition of bicyclo(3.3.1)nonadienes was investigated by GLC and PMR spectroscopy with silver-lanthanide shift reagents. The absence of stereospecificity in the hydrogenation of 3,7-dimethylenebicyclo(3.3.1)nonane by hydrogen adsorbed on Raney nickel was demonstrated. This is explained by the sequence of the isomerization and then hydrogenation processes.
The current methods used by the tissue analysis program at LASL for the determination of americium and plutonium in autopsy tissue are described. Problems affecting radiochemical yield are discussed. Included are problems associated with sample preparation, separation of plutonium from large amounts of bone ash, and reagent contamination. The average "2"4"2Pu tracer yield for 1800 Pu determinations is 78 +- 12%. The average "2"4"2Am tracer yield is 85 +- 7% for 40 determinations.
The current methods used by the tissue analysis program at LASL for the determination of americium and plutonium in autopsy tissue are described. Problems affecting radiochemical yield are discussed. Included are problems associated with sample preparation, separation of plutonium from large amounts of bone ash, and reagent contamination. The average /sup 242/Pu tracer yield for 1800 Pu determinations is 78 +- 12%. The average /sup 242/Am tracer yield is 85 +- 7% for 40 determinations.
Carbaryl is one of the insecticides used in large quantities in Indonesia. It is effective against soybean and peanut plant insects. The residues in the plants are determined by Colorimetry at the residues level up to 5 ppm and by thin layer chromatography at level up to 0,1 ppm. Both methods use coupling reaction between hydrolysis product of Carbaryl and diazo reagent to produce colour. (author).
Research is described in the development of organometallic reagents in which the boron was attached to a nonreactive organic or inorganic matrix such as polystyrene, silica, or alumina. We developed the synthesis of oxygen-15 labelled butanol, which has been found to be a valuable blood flow agent in humans. We have also developed a series of polymeric borane derivatives which were used to prepare nitrogen-13 labelled amines.
Summary CAG trinucleotide repeat length in the nuclear polymerase gamma gene (POLg) has been shown to be associated with men with reduced fertility. The present study investigated the frequency of CAG repeat length genotypes and three exonuclease motifs of the POLg in relation to the frequency of mitochondrial nucleotide substitutions. DNA from semen samples of 93 normozoospermic men and 192 non-normozoospermic men was isolated and the specific regions of the genes were amplified by polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and sequenced to identify mutations. The genotypic frequencies of pooled POLg CAG repeat lengths, =10/!=10 heterozygotes and !=10/!=10 homozygotes, were significantly different between normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic men (p p POLg genotype. Of the 17 men with non-synonym...
SummaryBackgroundCandida albicans is one of the most important etiologic agents causing superficial and deep fungal infections. For prevention of candidiasis, it is important to develop a rapid system that discriminates C. albicans at the strain level.ObjectiveTo develop a system that can identify C. albicans at the strain level.MethodsGenomic DNAs were purified from 179 clinical isolates of C. albicans, and were used as templates for PCR amplification of 25S rDNA and ALT repeats in repetitive sequences (RPSs). PCR products generated from ALT repeats were digested with EcoRI and/or ClaI in order to study the relationships between restriction profiles and amplification profiles.ResultsOne hundred and seventy nine clinical isolates were grouped into genotypes A (92 isolates), B (38 isolates)...
This paper describes a technique for implementing the ultrasonic inside diameter (ID) creeping wave technique for detection and sizing ID connected defects using a phased array ultrasonic system. The technique uses multiple focal laws to produce the examination modes. The first focal law is designed to create a shear wave nominally at the critical angle for mode conversion to a longitudinal wave at the ID of a part, thus creating a creeping wave. This focal law is focused at the ID to improve sensitivity. The rest of the laws are designed to create tandem sound paths that progress up a vertical surface directly above the focal point of the creeping wave generation point. When a defect on the inner surface is detected with the creeping wave, the height of the defect can be measured from the response of a set of tandem laws without readjusting the position of the probe. Results from standard one-inch long notches of varying depths are presented.
This paper describes high speed rolling and gauge control in cold tandem mill for ultra-thin gauge strip at the Chiba Works of Kawasaki Steel Corporation. To improve the plate-out property of rolling oil, cationic polymeric coagulant was prepared. Rolling oil with cohesion independent of inorganic inclusions or phosphatide was developed, to improve the lubrication for cold rolling, remarkably. In addition, a low-cost Ti-enhanced work roll having high wear resistance and excellent grindability was developed. Rolling can be conducted at the optimal rolling roughness and operation can be performed at the highest rolling speed independent of the rolling treatment amount. Rolling speed at 2800 m/min was confirmed by developing the rolling oil with excellent lubrication and the work roll having high wear resistance. For the improvement of strip thickness accuracy at the steady state rolling, use of the backup roll as roller bearing was more effective rather than the ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25-MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility; the choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. A high-temperature version of the CERN-ISOLDE positive ion source has been selected and a modified version of the source designed and fabricated for initial use at the HRIBF because of its low emittance, relatively high ionization efficiencies and species versatility, and because it has been ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25-MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility; the choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. A high-temperature version of the CERN-ISOLDE positive ion source has been selected and a modified version of the source designed and fabricated for initial use at the HRIBF because of its low emittance, relatively high ionization efficiencies and species versatility, and because it has been ...
A brief description of a method for producing relatively intense molecular negative ion beams for the difficult Group IIA elements is given which offers considerable improvement in terms of source operation and beam intensity stability over other methods conventionally utilized. It is particularly suited for use in cesium plasma sources such as the Aarhus geometry and axial geometry versions of the source. The method utilizes H/sub 2/ source feed gas for the production of a hydrogen-rich plasma discharge which sputters a negatively biased probe made of elemental or copper alloy material. Negative ion beams of MgH/sub 3//sup -/>=12 ..mu.. A have been realized during routine operation of the 25 MV tandem accelerator. Negative ion beam intensity data, typical source operational parameters, and examples of mass spectra associated with their production are given. Interesting intermetallic molecular negative ion beams consisting of the particular Group IIA element and ...
The determination of the banned anabolic substance zeranol and the metabolites taleranol and zearalanone in bovine urine is complicated by the occurrence of the structurally-related mycotoxin zearalenone and the corresponding {alpha}- and {beta}-zearalenol metabolites which possess similar estrogenic properties. A liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method is presented for the confirmatory analysis of all six resorcylic acid lactones ('zeranols') in urine samples using deuterium-labelled internal standards. The method was validated as a confirmatory method for bovine urine samples according to new draft EU guidelines and showed good precision and linearity, and CC{alpha} and CC{beta} values of 0.02-0.30 and <1.0 ng ml{sup -1}, respectively. The applicability was demonstrated by comparing the results of an incurred sample with previous results on the same sample obtained by gas chromatography high ...
The general usefulness of neutron activation analysis (NAA) for samples containing the platinum group elements (PGE) and Au, either as major or trace constituents, is discussed. Charged particle activation is shown to be a viable or complementary alternative. Proton (6-10 MeV) and alpha particle (9-15 MeV) beams, produced in a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator, have been established to be the most effective choice. By taking advantage of the Coulomb barrier effect and the fact that many charged particle induced reactions have relatively large threshold values, the same instrumental technique can be applied, with minor modifications, to a wide range of materials.
The general usefulness of neutron activation analysis (NAA) for samples containing the platinum group elements and Au, either as major or trace constituents, is discussed. Charged particle activation is shown to be a viable or complementary alternative. Proton (6-10 MeV) and alpha particle (9-15 MeV) beams, produced in a Tandem van de Graaff accelerator, have been established to be the most effective choice. By taking advantage of the Coulomb barrier effect and the fact that many charged particle induced reactions have relatively large threshold values, the same instrumental technique can be applied, with minor modifications, to a wide range of materials.
Two sources of negative ions are described. An rf source produces up to 14 ..mu..A beams of He/sup -/ by charge exchange in Rb vapor. The other Source of Negative Ions by Cesium Sputtering (SNICS) produces a wide variety of negative ion beams in the ..mu..A range. Two important features of SNICS are its simple, compact construction and its very good beam emittance (2 to 4..pi..mm mrad MeV/sup 1/2/). Both sources have lifetimes >200 hours and they are used extensively on the Wisconsin EN tandem.
The two model MP Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators at Brookhaven have been used in a four-stage accel-decel configuration to produce highly stripped low energy heavy ions. The performance in this mode of operation has now been substantially improved by modifications of the second accelerator. The inclined field acceleration tube electrodes at the exit of this accelerator were replaced by straight electrodes, the vacuum was improved and the maximum negative terminal potential was increased. Higher intensity beams of heavier highly stripped ions can now be produced at lower energies than before.
We operate a new NEC 250kV single-stage accelerator mass spectrometer (SSAMS) next to our established 5MV tandem. This permits good comparison of 14C-AMS and challenges SSAMS performance. Initial SSAMS ion-optical deficiencies have been addressed by shimming the injection magnet and 3permil 14C/13C measurement with background limited by sample chemistry is routine. Higher-precision analysis is also achievable. A problematic measurement interference remains, however. The small spectrometer was procured to add measurement capacity, and for experiments with positive ions, but is now the preferred instrument for both convenience and measurement quality.
The #pi#g_9_/_2 band structure in "1"2"1Cs is obtained. The experiment was performed at the HI-13 MV tandem accelerator of China Institute of Atomic Energy. The excited states of "1"2"1Cs were populated via the reaction "1"1"2Sn("1"2C, p2n). The #gamma#-#gamma# coincidence data were taken with five BGO-AC HpGe detectors at beam energy of 60 Mev. The energy-level schemes of "1"2"1Cs is presented.
We report on multijunction GaInP/GaAs photovoltaic cells with total-area efficiencies of 29.5% at one-sun concentration and air mass (AM) 1.5 global and 25.7% one-sun, AM0. These values represent the highest efficiencies achieved by any solar cell under these illumination conditions. Three key areas in this technology are identified and discussed: the grid design, front surface passivation of the top cell, and bottom surface passivation of both cells. Aspects of cell design related to its operation under different solar spectra and under concentration are also discussed.
A fiber optic feedthrough module which comprises a metal sleeve, a fiber optic element extending through the sleeve in spaced relation thereto, and a tandem series of centrally-apertured mating annular sealant bodies of thermoplastic material surrounding the fiber optic element and compressed between it and the sleeve. The module is made by first providing a loose subassembly of a plurality of individual but interfitting sealant bodies on the fiber optic element and then inserting this subassembly into a metal sleeve, following by swaging the whole assembly which eliminates clearances and provides sealed interfaces between the various contacting components. (author).
Purpose Study the radiolysis of solid-state metoclopramide hydrochloride at various absorbed doses. Elucidate the structure of the degradation products to gain information on the radiolysis mechanisms. Methods Solid-state metoclopramide samples were irradiated at several doses with gamma rays and high-energy electrons to evaluate the influence of the dose rate. High-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector was used to measure the chemical potency as a function of the absorbed dose and to quantify the degradation products. The characterization of degradation products was performed by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry. Results The degradation of solid-state metoclopramide after irradiation was negligible. No qualitati...
The formation mechanism of the cold-rolled strip shape with high tension was studied. An advanced method to calculate the allowable variation of strip transverse profiles was established by the strip buckling criterion, which can be more properly used in cold rolling. With this method, the aim allowable variation of the product strip transverse profile and the required transverse profile range of incoming strips can be reached. Besides, this method has been successfully applied in a domestic tandem cold mill, and the transverse profile range of incoming strips suggested with this method is more practicable and complete. Consequently, the good performance is acquired.
Eukaryotic genomes encode a zinc finger protein (ZPR1) with tandem ZPR1 domains. In response to growth stimuli, ZPR1 assembles into complexes with eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) and the survival motor neurons protein. To gain insight into the structural mechanisms underlying the essential function of ZPR1 in diverse organisms, we determined the crystal structure of a ZPR1 domain tandem and characterized the interaction with eEF1A. The ZPR1 domain consists of an elongation initiation factor 2-like zinc finger and a double-stranded {beta} helix with a helical hairpin insertion. ZPR1 binds preferentially to GDP-bound eEF1A but does not directly influence the kinetics of nucleotide exchange or GTP hydrolysis. However, ZPR1 efficiently displaces the exchange factor eEF1B from preformed nucleotide-free complexes, suggesting that it may function as a negative regulator of eEF1A activation. Structure-based mutational and ...
We have established a reliable method to induce invasive and non-invasive carcinomas in the heterotopically transplanted urinary bladder of rats by repeated injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU),...Full Text Available
We demonstrate rapid fabrication of submicrometer-diameter pores in borosilicate glass using femtosecond laser machining and subsequent wet-etch techniques. This approach allows direct and repeatable...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any beneficial or detrimental effects regarding delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), serum creatine kinase (CK), and maximum concentric strength...Full Text Available
Assembly of infectious adenovirus particles requires seven functionally redundant elements at the left end of the genome, termed A repeats, that direct packaging of the DNA. Previous studies revealed...Full Text Available
Background:Children suffering from beta-thalassemia major require repeated blood transfusions which may be associated with dangers like iron overload and contraction of...Full Text Available
Digestion of plant chromatin from Brassica pekinensis and Matthiola incana with staphylococcus nuclease leads to a DNA repeat of 175 plus or minus 8 and a core size of 140 base pairs. DNase I digestion...Full Text Available
Malignant gliomas are aggressive and angiogenic tumors with high VEGF content. Consequently, approaches such as metronomic chemotherapy, which have an antiangiogenic effect, are being investigated....Full Text Available
To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal learning set, 6 children, in...Full Text Available
PurposeAuto-propagation of anatomical region-of-interests (ROIs) from the planning CT to daily CT is an essential step in image-guided adaptive radiotherapy. The...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEThis randomized, four-arm, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging phase 2 trial was conducted to determine whether repeated subcutaneous injections of the altered peptide ligand,...Full Text Available
Seventy-nine Mycobacterium bovis isolates recovered from Mexican and Texas cattle were categorized into 16 and 25 distinct types on the basis of IS6110 and direct-repeat fingerprint patterns, respectively....Full Text Available
1. The LD50 of iodomethane orally administered to rats is 76mg./kg. body wt. but repeated daily doses of 30–50mg./kg. body wt. are without effect. 2. Oral doses of iodomethane to...Full Text Available
Ten subjects balanced their own body or a mechanically equivalent unstable inverted pendulum by hand, through a compliant spring linkage. Their balancing process was always characterized by repeated...Full Text Available
Records of past climates contained in ice cores, ocean sediments, and other archives show that large, abrupt, widespread climate changes have occurred repeatedly in the past. These changes were especially...Full Text Available
BackgroundHelminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on Plasmodium infections...Full Text Available
Synthetic polypeptide antigens of L amino acids, although bearing repeating sequences, are thymus-dependent (L-TD), whereas the same polymers composed of D amino acids are thymus-independent (D-TI),...Full Text Available
Place fields of hippocampal pyramidal cells expand asymmetrically when adult rats repeatedly follow the same route. This behaviorally-induced expression of neuronal plasticity utilizes an NMDAR-dependent,...Full Text Available
BackgroundCucumber, Cucumis sativus L. is an important vegetable crop worldwide. Until very recently, cucumber genetic and genomic resources, especially molecular...Full Text Available
... 16223, 16292, and 16295, which classify them as haplogroup W (Richards et al. 2000). The sample that was ... belonged to haplogroup B, 2 individuals belonged to haplogroup W, and 1 individual belonged to ...
BackgroundDeveloping lepidopteran microsatellite DNA markers can be problematical, as markers often exhibit multiple banding patterns and high frequencies of non-amplifying "null"...Full Text Available
The recombinant product (rK39) of the 39-amino-acid repeats encoded by a kinesin-like protein-encoding gene of Leishmania chagasi was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay...Full Text Available
A number of aberrant morphological phenotypes were noted during propagation of the Arabidopsis thaliana DNA hypomethylation mutant, ddm1, by repeated self-pollination. Onset of a spectrum of morphological...Full Text Available
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a program of repeated assessments, feedback, and training on the quality of coded clinical data in general practice.Design:...Full Text Available
PurposeTo establish normative values for macular light sensitivity and to determine the intrasession fluctuation of perimetric responses using the OPKO/OTI microperimeter.Full Text Available
Recent studies suggest that calcium influx via L-type calcium channels is necessary for psychostimulant-induced behavioral sensitization. In addition, chronic amphetamine upregulates subtype...Full Text Available
BackgroundPhysical performance measures are widely used to assess physical function, providing information about physiological and biomechanical aspects of motor performance. However...Full Text Available
A DNA fragment located on the 3' side of the Coxiella burnetii htpAB operon was determined by Southern blotting to exist in approximately 19 copies in the Nine Mile I genome. The DNA sequences of this...Full Text Available
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an inflammatory lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of aerosolized antigens. With chronic exposure to an inhaled antigen, patients are at risk of...Full Text Available
This paper presents a unique method, currently under evaluation, that can continuously track pipeline operation providing essentially instantaneous responses to leaks or ruptures without causing a pressure drop or energy loss. Using the highly linear characteristics of a very accurate and repeatable meter and then correlating it to a second identical unit, a dynamic leak detection system is planned that can be retrofitted on existing pipelines without a major construction effort nor destroying the integrity of the existing transmission line. Initial tests performed on a crude oil transmission line verified the equipment's performance and established that the repeatability limits are sufficient to continue development of the concept.
The purpose of a FAAT analysis is to estimate the probability of system upset to an electromagnetic threat, for systems on which we have incomplete information. As an example of this process, we will discuss the response of part of a telephone repeater system to wideband transients. We first estimate the currents induced on above-ground and buried cables. After that, we describe the simple circuit we used to build a model of the amplifier and protective devices. Finally, we describe the scaling of the energy deposited in the electronics, including its nonlinear large-signal response, with the amplitude of the wideband waveforms.
A revision of some basic concepts related to the analysis of variance of repeated measures is presented within an ecological context topics such as the types of experiments in which the technique is applicable, the hypotheses of interest, and its preference over other traditional techniques such as regression and conventional analysis of variance, are discussed. As an example, the technique was successfully applied to an experiment carried out at Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia, in which the concentration of cadmium #mu#g/g in leaves of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans was measured in several monitoring stations and throughout several sampling intervals representing seasons.
Several lanthanide shift reagents (LSR) were synthesized from praseodymium, europium, dysprosium, and terbium using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N[prime],N[prime]-tetraacetic acid, and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid for the purpose of separating overlapping [sup 31]P FT-NMR spectral signals of dissolved organic phosphorus compounds present in concentrated lake-water samples. The extent of change in signal position and line width of several known phosphorus compounds dissolved in pure water was examined as a function of solution pH and the molar ratio of LSR to phosphorus. Praseodymium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (PrEDTA) was determined to be the most effective LSR. Concentrated lake-water samples mixed with PrEDTA were examined with [sup 31]P FT-NMR. The use of PrEDTA provided separation of overlapping signals, indicated that phosphorus compounds were becoming isolated from the solution environment during sample ...
Following the successful application of hydrostatic pressure in mechanistic investigations of organic reactions, chemists have launched a vigorous effort to apply this tool to substitution reactions of coordination compounds. The authors began to study pressure effects in the NMR spectra of keton-lanthanide combination with the hope that the increase shifts anticipated might enhance the utility of the method, perhaps even expand its applicability to new classes of compounds. 5-Phenyl- and 5-tert-butyladamantan-2-one, piperidine, tetrahydrofuran, and cyclopentanol exhibited pressure-reduced lanthanide-induced shifts with Eu(fod)/sub 3/; Yb(fob)/sub 3/ and the shielding reagent Pr(fod)/sub 3/ showed the same effect with adamantanone. Solvent variations (CD/sub 2/Cl/sub 2/, CCl/sub 4/) caused minor changes in the magnitude of these shifts but did not reverse any. With the objective of learning whether these effects are due to a suppressed equilibrium population or to ...
This project will determine whether electrolytic dialysis has promise in the separation of charged particles in an aqueous solution. The ability to selectively move ions from one aqueous solution to another through a semipermeable membrane will be studied as a function of emf, amperage, and particle electrical charge. The ions selected for the study are Cl{sup -} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}. These ions are of particular interest because of their electrical conduction properties in aqueous solution resulting with their association with the corrosive action of metals. The studies will be performed with commercial membranes on solutions prepared in the laboratory from reagent salts. pH adjustments will be made with dilute reagent acid and base. Specific objectives of the project include testing a selected membrane currently available for electrolytic dialysis, membrane resistance to extreme pH conditions, the effectiveness of separating a mixture of two ...
This paper deals with an industrial application of the foam decontamination process applied to large volume components. The work presented below was achieved within the context of a CEC contract. The objective of this 4-year programme was to study, develop and demonstrate an effective in-situ decontamination process using foams containing suitable chemical reagents. Laboratory tests were first performed to optimize the chemical formulation of the foams. Pilot tests were then conducted to study the hydrodynamic features of the fluids and to adapt a technique of permanent foam circulation. With these tests completed, it was essential to validate the foam process on an industrial scale and on a representative nuclear component. The objective was successfully achieved. The process was effectively validated during the decontamination of a graphite-gas cooler representing a developed area of 1000 m{sup 2}. Results were quite convincing since the residual activity of the ...
It may result in acute radiation syndrome after body is exposed to ionizing radiation. The one of long-term effects of irradiation injury is leukemia. The bone marrow cells (BMC) transplantation including stem cells is the only effective therapy for acute radiation syndrome patients. Recently, with the advancement of stem cell research that the stem cells have multipotential and can convert each other, it may supply the new stem source for the irradiation injury patients. At the same time with the further research of radioprotective reagents, the hematopoietic stem cells proliferation after irradiation injury is promoted
Transformation of row material to the consumption goods proceeds by the succession of various technologies using energy and chemicals. Relative contribution of both factors is broadly varied. The chemical reagents are not per se consumption goods and their production is auxiliary. Maximal usage of chemicals is observed in conventional technologies. On the contrary radiation technology does not need chemicals. Therefore usage of radiation technology leads to diminution of chemical processing and hence to the attenuation of the technological press on the environment. As examples the radiation technological methods in conversion of coal and biomass are considered. (author).
HgTe rod-shape composed of crystalline particles has been prepared by a hydrothermal method, and characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transition electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of capping agents, reductants, reaction temperatures, and reaction times on crystal structures and shapes of HgTe have been investigated. The results showed that the CTAB as capping agent plays a crucial role in the hydrothermal process. The synthesis procedure is simple and uses less toxic reagents than the previously reported methods.
The report contains highlights of the achievements of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research programme on Evaluation on the Use of Bulk Reagents for the Production of "9"9Tc_m Radiopharmaceutical and Kits, the participants' summary reports (Argentina, Chile, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Russian Federation, Thailand, Uruguay, United States of America), recommended product protocols for five compounds and the participants' recommendations regarding continued support and further directions of co-ordinated research work. Refs, 6 figs, 8 tabs, 6 schemes.
Scientists at JPL have developed chemical and biological techniques using microspheres filled with drugs, electron-opaque metals, or radioactive, fluorescent, magnetic or electrically charged materials to label specific groups of cells. Synthetic polymeric microspheres are coupled with specific antibodies to form reagents called immunomicrospheres, which can seek out and attach themselves to any specific group of cells. These cell-labeling techniques, therefore, open new avenues not only to the basic study of cells but also to the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, including cancer.
The report is divided into three sections. The first section contains a general introduction to ion exchange resins used in various processes, the second section describes characteristic properties of the polymer materials and the inter relation between them. This will, in turn, be useful to interpret the data obtained from the various tests carried out on the resins in the laboratory. In the third section of the report, are given the details of each method used for a particular test to be carried out on a routine basis. Each method describes the principle involved, the reagents and apparatus used in the experiment, the actual procedure and calculations and recording of the data. 3 refs. (author).
Radian Corporation was contracted to investigate duct injection and ESP phenomena in a 1.7 MW pilot plant constructed for this test program. This study was an attempt to resolve problems found in previous studies and answer remaining questions for the technology using an approach which concentrates on the fundamental mechanisms of the process. The goal of the study was to obtain a better understanding of the basic physical and chemical phenomena that control: (1) the desulfurization of flue gas by calcium-based reagent, and (2) the coupling of an existing ESP particulate collection device to the duct injection process. Process economics are being studied by others. (VC)
Radian Corporation was contracted to investigate duct injection and ESP phenomena in a 1.7 MW pilot plant constructed for this test program. This study was an attempt to resolve problems found in previous studies and answer remaining questions for the technology using an approach which concentrates on the fundamental mechanisms of the process. The goal of the study was to obtain a better understanding of the basic physical and chemical phenomena that control: (1) the desulfurization of flue gas by calcium-based reagent, and (2) the coupling of an existing ESP particulate collection device to the duct injection process. Process economics are being studied by others. (VC)
This work is the first active crossflow filter testing of the new strontium-permanganate process for Envelope C at the Savannah River Technology Center. Extreme filtration difficulties with the ferric hydroxide precipitation led to investigations of other chemistries with simulants. The current process includes the isotopic dilution by precipitation from inactive strontium nitrate addition. A permanganate strike to replace ferric reagents was found to provide practical filterability and good lanthanide or transuranic decontamination. That work had been supported with simulant and active beaker testing.
The Purex process and the fluorescence spectrometry are first recalled, then uranyl fluorescence is studied in a pure nitric medium without other elements to establish a theoretical model, allowing the description of uranium fluorescence signal with a general equation. The influence of different parameters (temperature, inhibitors, dynamic quenching of iron and cerium) is investigated to develop the model. A quantitative analysis method without addition of reagents is proposed to validate the model.
Heterochromatin constitutes a significant portion of the genome in higher eukaryotes; approximately 30% in Drosophila and human. Heterochromatin contains a high repeat DNA content and a low density of protein-encoding genes. In contrast, euchromatin is composed mostly of unique sequences and contains the majority of single-copy genes. Genetic and cytological studies demonstrated that heterochromatin exhibits regulatory roles in chromosome organization, centromere function and telomere protection. As an epigenetically regulated structure, heterochromatin formation is not defined by any DNA sequence consensus. Heterochromatin is characterized by its association with nucleosomes containing methylated-lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me), heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) that binds H3K9me, and Su(var)3-9, which methylates H3K9 and binds HP1. Heterochromatin formation and functions are influenced by HP1, Su(var)3-9, and the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. My thesis project ...
Swollen basiodiospores of an adenine auxotroph of Phanerochaete chrysosporium were protoplasted with Novozyme 234 and transformed to prototrophy by using a plasmid containing the gene for an adenine biosynthetic enzyme from Schizophyllum commune. Transformation frequencies of 100 transformants per {mu}g of DNA were obtained. Southern blot analysis of DNA extracted from transformants demonstrated that plasmid DNA was integrated into the chromosomal DNA in multiple tandem copies. Analysis of conidia and basiodiospores from transformants demonstrated that the transforming character was mitotically and meiotically stable on both selective and nonselective media. Genetic crosses between double mutants transformed for adenine prototrophy and other auxotrophic strains yielded Ade{sup {minus}} progeny, which indicated that integration occurred at a site(s) other than the resident adenine biosynthetic gene.
Several different aspects of the influence of the target backing on in-beam electron spectra following compound nuclear reactions induced by accelerated ions at tandem energies irradiating backed targets are discussed in detail. This discussion is illustrated by a few typical examples, such as "1"2C"5"+ and "3"1P"1"0"+ beams at 4 MeV/u bombarding Sn(+Be), Sn(+Au), Pb(+C) backed targets. Moreover, the relative influence of electron backscattering, electron Doppler shift and Doppler broadening as well as #delta#-electron emission on the low energy electron spectra (E_e#<=#100 keV) obtained under such conditions are investigated in the frame of the available experimental data. (orig.).
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder for which the research of new treatments is highly challenging. Since the fibrillogenesis of amyloid-b peptide 1-42 (Ab1-42) peptide is considered as a major cause of neuronal degeneration, specific interest has been focused on aromatic molecules for targeting this peptide. In this paper, the synthesis of selegiline-functionalized and fluorescent poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (NPs) and their evaluation for the targeting of the Ab1-42 peptide are reported. The synthetic strategy relied on the design of amphiphilic copolymers by tandem Knoevenagel-Michael addition of cyanoacetate derivatives, followed by their self-assembly in aqueous solutions to give the corresponding NPs. Different cyanoacetates were used: (i) hexadecyl cy...
A time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer has been constructed at the JAERI 20 MV tandem accelerator facility. A position-sensitive start detector, which consists of a thin carbon foil, microchannel plates and a resistive plate, was developed for the TOF measurements through the spectrometer. The time and position resolutions obtained were 120 ps and 0.3 mm for ..cap alpha.. particles from /sup 241/Am, respectively. A two-dimensional position-sensitive detector was also developed to measure the solid angle of the spectrometer and the maximum solid angle obtained was 9.5 msr. As a particle detector a Bragg curve ionization chamber was developed. From the Bragg curves of heavy ions in the detector, energies, ranges and Bragg curve peaks were measured and used for particle identification. The resolving power Z/..delta..Z of the atomic number was about 50.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It is well established that cytochrome P450 2J (CYP2J) enzymes are expressed preferentially in the heart, and that ebastine is a substrate for CYP2J, but it is not known whether ebastine is metabolized in myocardium. Therefore, we investigated its pharmacokinetics in the rat isolated perfused heart. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rat isolated hearts were perfused in the recirculating mode with ebastine for 130-min. The concentrations of ebastine and its metabolites, hydroxyebastine and carebastine, were measured using liquid chromatography with a tandem mass spectrometry. The data were analysed by a compartmental model. The time course of negative inotropic response was linked to ebastine concentration to determine the concentration-effect relationship. KEY RESULTS Ebastine w...
In the rf-driven free-electron laser (FEL) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, there are two pulsed-power rf modulators as sources for two tandem, side-coupled 20-MeV linear accelerators. The rf power used to control the cavity fields is supplied by two 5.5-MW modulating anode klystrons operating at a center frequency of 1300.2 MHz. The modulation of the 125 kV klystron is achieved by using a triode switch tube that provides a pulse width up to 300 ..mu..s and a pulse repetition rate up to 10 Hz. This paper describes the present configuration of these two duplicate systems and presents plans for meeting the requirements of future rf FEL experiments at Los Alamos. 12 refs., 5 figs.
An energy saving dc-dc converter circuit is disclosed having two energy efficient means which operate in tandem, an energy conserving means and a voltage doubling means. These energy efficient means are applied in combination with elements commonly found in dc-dc converter circuits, namely an ac voltage generator, a transformer for stepping up the generated ac voltage, and means for storing the converted dc voltage. The energy conserving means is connected to the dc voltage storage means. It comprises a resettable inhibit circuit which cuts off the provision of dc voltage for conversion for a predetermined interval when the output of the converter exceeds a predetermined level. The voltage doubling means is reponsive to outputs of the inhibit circuit of the energy conserving means and the ac voltage generator. It provides a phase inverted waveform of the generated ac voltage on one of two leads to the ac voltage step-up transformer.
Abstract In the work, a rapid, simple and high-throughput sample preparation method was developed for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle. The extraction and clean-up were online combined and up to 20 samples can be treated simultaneously in 6-min. The SAs were first extracted with acetonitrile under the action of microwave energy, and then the extract was directly introduced into the SPE column for on-line clean-up and concentration. Subsequently, the SAs eluted from the SPE column were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The precisions of extraction results of 20 samples were in the range of 4.9-7.4%. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the range of 2.4-3.6-ng/g and 8.6-11.3-ng/g for SAs, res...
Synthetic efforts toward the homoerythrina alkaloids 1-3 are described. Two separate model systems guided the pivotal [3 + 2] azomethine ylide cycloaddition cascade to form the A-C rings of these alkaloids. The cycloaddition precursors 63 and 68, prepared in nine and ten steps, respectively, from alkyne 47, each contain an enolizable ketone, a tethered electrophile, and an electron-poor dipolarophile. Heating 63 and 68 with the stannyl amine 17 generated demethoxyschelhammeridine 65 and demethoxyschelhammericine 70, the products of intramolecular azomethine ylide cycloadditions. Subsequent attempts to install the C-3 methoxy group of 1-3 are also described. PMID:17465572
The structure of the O-antigen polysaccharide (PS) from Escherichia coli O177 has been determined. Component analysis together with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy experiments was used to determine the structure. Inter-residue correlations were determined by 1H,13C-heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation and 1H,1H-NOESY experiments. PS is composed of tetrasaccharide repeating units with the following structure: 2)-a-l-Rhap-(13)-a-l-FucpNAc-(13)-a-l-FucpNAc-(13)-b-d-GlcpNAc-(1 An a-l-Rhap residue is suggested to be present at the terminal part of the polysaccharide, which on average is composed of 20 repeating units, since the 1H and 13C chemical shifts of an a-linked rhamnopyranosyl group could be assigned by a combination of 2D NMR spectra. Consequently, the biological repeating unit has a 3-...
We have investigated the structures formed by oligonucleotides composed of two or four repeats of the telomeric sequences from Oxytricha and Tetrahymena. The Oxytricha four-repeat molecule (d(T4G4)4 = Oxy-4) forms structures with increased electrophoretic mobility in nondenaturing gels containing Na+, K+, or Cs+, but not in gels containing Li+ or no added salt. Formation of the folded structure results in protection of a set of dG's from methylation by dimethyl sulfate. Efficient UV-induced cross-links are observed in Oxy-4 and the related sequence from Tetrahymena (d(T2G4)4 = Tet-4), and join thymidine residues in different repeats. Models proposed to account for these data involve G-quartets, hydrogen-bonded structures formed from four guanosine residues in a square-planar array. We propose that the G-quartet structure must be dealt with in vivo by the telomere replication machinery.
The authors report the cloning, sequencing, and mapping of three short sequence repeat polymorphisms due to tetranucleotide (TAAA) repeats from human chromosome 21. These DNA markers (D21S221, D21S225, D21S226) have been cloned from the chromosome 21-specific plasmid library of J. C. Fuscoe, C. C. Collins, D. Pinkel, and J. W. Gray and were shown to be polymorphic by polymerase chain reaction amplification and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Genotypes were determined in informative CEPH pedigrees and used in linkage analysis relative to other mapped markers on human chromosome 21. One of these markers, D21S221, is closely linked to the amyloid precursor protein gene (APP), which has been implicated in the etiology of familial Alzheimer disease in some families. 18 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.
The structure of a demountable vacuum joint designed for operation from -120 to +120 deg C is developed and tested. Requirements of especially low gas release from the materials used have been fulfilled; the same concerns low sealing efforts, repeated action and keeping tightness under loads, indium being used as a sealant. Experimental studies of demountable vacuum joints, dia 100,125,140,160,180 and 200 mm, with an indium sealant permit to make the following conclusions: 1. The joints are sealed at sealing specific efforts of 0.4 kg/mm (without considering atmospheric pressure). 2. The joints retain tightness at opening and closing a cover five times and under +-120 deg C. 3. To ensure repeated operation of the joint with continued stable sealing effort, one should make sure the sealed surfaces coincide at repeated sealing. 4. When operating demountable vaccum joints with indium sealant, one must take into account the ...
Huntington?s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat of more than 35?units in the huntingtin protein. The expanded repeat length is inversely correlated with the age at onset (AAO); however, additional genetic factors apart from the expanded CAG repeat length can modify the course and the AAO in HD. Aberrations in macroautophagy have been observed in Huntington, Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron and prion diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in autophagy-related (Atg) genes might contribute to the variation in the AAO. We initially tested eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in five Atg genes (Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg16L1 and Beclin-1) for their frequency of ?1%. Subsequently, we investigated the polymorphisms Atg7 V471A and Atg16L1 T281A for a di...
Blood kinetics and tissue distribution of 20, 80 and 110 nm silver nanoparticles were investigated in rats up to 16 days after intravenous administration once daily for 5 consecutive days. Following both single and repeated injection, silver nanoparticles disappeared rapidly from the blood and distributed to all organs evaluated (liver, lungs, spleen, brain, heart, kidneys and testes) regardless of size. The 20 nm particles distributed mainly to liver, followed by kidneys and spleen, whereas the larger particles distributed mainly to spleen followed by liver and lung. In the other organs evaluated, no major differences between the sizes were observed. Size-dependent tissue distribution suggests size-dependent toxicity and health risks. Repeated administration resulted in accumulation in li...
Abstract Bioluminescent bacteria have been used for many years for biotoxicological analysis. One of the main concerns with this microorganism is the low experimental repeatability when subjected to external factors. The aim of the present study was to obtain accurate, sensitive, and repeatable measurements with stable signals (during the detection and over days) for application in a water-analysis device for the detection of pollutants. Growth conditions were tested and optimized. An optimal freeze-drying procedure for the constitutive bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri and Photobacterium phosphoreum was developed. The luminescence stability after rehydration was also investigated. Freeze drying was found to be a critical process in survival and signal stability of luminescent bacter...
Greenman J, Thorn RMS, Saad S, Austin AJ. In vitro diffusion bed, 3-day repeat challenge `capacity' test for antimicrobial wound dressings. Int Wound J 2006;3:322-329. Abstract The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro wound infection model that allows the comparison of the bacterial kill rate of antimicrobial wound dressings over the course of 3 days, with renewed microbial challenges each day, under realistic wound-like conditions. A test bed model of a moderately exuding wound was constructed from a hydrogel containing releasable foetal calf serum (FCS), and cellulose discs dosed with test microbes (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) suspended in 50% FCS applied at the interface between the test dressing and the hydrogel test bed. Freshly prep...
Entanglement swapping allows to establish entanglement between independent particles that never have interacted nor share a common past. This feature makes it an integral constituent of quantum repeaters and a promising tool for future tests of the foundations of quantum physics. Here, we demonstrate entanglement swapping with time-synchronized independent sources with a fidelity high enough to violate a Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality by more than four standard deviations. The fact that both entangled photon pairs are created by fully independent laser sources, which are only electronically connected, ensures that this technique is suitable for future long-distance entanglement swapping and quantum-repeater experiments.
A clinical laboratory evaluation was conducted on the Clinitek Auto 2000, the Super Aution Analyzer and the Urotron RL9 for the determination of glucose, protein, pH, blood, ketone-bodies and bilirubin.Precision of the systems was tested using three commercial control urine materials, and reported as the percentage of times the instrument repeats a certain value. Good repeatability was obtained with all the instruments.Accuracy of the systems was evaluated by comparison with quantitative procedures, and to check agreement between methods yielding semi-quantitative and quantitative results, ranges of acceptability were defined, based on the criteria reported in a previous paper [2]. It was then found that 87.5 to 98.9% of results from the Urotron RL9 and the Clinitek Auto 2000 were acceptable. With the Super Aution Analyzer the level of agreement was apparently lower because of the higher number of concentration steps used by this instrument. ...
A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the 10 major components of Da-Cheng-Qi decoction (rhein, emodin, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, rheochrysidin, naringin, naringenin, hesperidin, magnolol and honokiol) in dog plasma. Plasma samples were spiked with internal standard (ibuprofen), acidified with HCl and extracted twice by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. Separation was performed on a YMC-Pack ODS-A C(18) column (5 microm, 150 mm x 4.6 mm) and a C(18) guard column (5 microm, 4.0 mm x 2.0 mm) with methanol-water (92:8, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The LC/MS system was operated under the multiple reaction monitoring mode using electrospray ionization in the negative ion mode. All analytes showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r>0.99). The linear range of the calibration curves was 5000-19.53 ng/mL for rhein; 400-3.13 ng/mL for emodin; 800-3.13 ng/mL ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25 MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility. The choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. Although direct-extraction negative ion sources are clearly desirable, the ion formation efficiencies are often too low for practical consideration; for this situation, positive ion sources, in combination with charge exchange, are the logical choice. The high-temperature version of the CERN-ISOLDE ...
This paper presents a group's efforts to introduce national newborn screening in Lebanon. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS) technology offers the prospect of utilizing filter paper blood specimens to screen newborns for several metabolic disorders. In order to be cost-effective, it is necessary to have a mandatory newborn screening policy. At present such a policy is not available in Lebanon. A national screening survey for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was carried out to assess the incidence of this anomaly in the Lebanese population. Such an initiative is essential as a first step for assessing the feasibility and cost of a national screening programme. Coated beads, blood spot standards for quality control and buffer solutions used for assays were prepared in-house to minimize costs. At first, samples of umbilical cord blood spots were assayed for TSH using IRMA technique. Those samples showing borderline or high values of TSH were then assayed for total T4 (TT4) ...
Radioactive ion beams (RIBs) of short-lived isotopes of fluorine are in demand for investigating astrophysical phenomena related to the hot CNO cycle and rp processes responsible for stellar nucleosynthesis. Since negative ion beams are required for injection into tandem electrostatic accelerators, such as the 25 MV tandem accelerator used for post acceleration of RIBs for the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) research program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), efficient, direct-formation F{sup -} ion sources are highly desirable for RIB applications involving this type of post-accelerator. We have conceived and evaluated a direct extraction F{sup -} source for potential RIB applications which is predicated on the reverse polarity operation of a positive electron-beam-plasma target/ion source (EBPTIS) while simultaneously feeding fluorine rich compounds and Cs vapor into the source. The source is found to operate in two ...
Although hippocampal infusions of glucose enhance memory, we have found repeatedly that septal glucose infusions impair memory when γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors are activated....Full Text Available
The applicability of the electro-slag melting method for treating plutonium contaminated metallic waste was studied. A 100kg test furnace was built and simulated metallic waste was melted and solidified in this furnace. Waste volume was reduced to 1/25 with a decontamination factor of 25 and the slag and the copper mold are repeatedly usable. The process is expected to be employed in the project of PWTF (Plutonium contaminated Waste Treatment Facilities).
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen and surface structures allow it to adhere to, colonize and invade the human host. Proteins containing leucine rich repeats (LRR)...Full Text Available
It is becoming clear that simple sequence repeats (SSRs) play a significant role in fungal genome organization, and they are a large source of genetic markers for population genetics and meiotic maps. We identified SSRs in the Laccaria bicolor genome by in silico survey and analyzed their distribution in the different genomic regions. We also compared the abundance and distribution of SSRs in L. bicolor with those of the following fungal genomes: Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Coprinopsis cinerea, Ustilago maydis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus nidulans, Magnaporthe grisea, Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using the MISA computer program, we detected 277,062 SSRs in the L. bicolor genome representing 8% of the assembled genomic sequence. Among the analyzed basidiomycetes, L. bicolor exhibited the highest SSR density although no correlation between relative abundance and the genome sizes was observed. In most genomes the short motifs (mono- to ...
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-βs are secreted in large latent complexes consisting of TGF-β, its N-terminal latency-associated peptide (LAP) propeptide, and latent TGF-β...Full Text Available
BackgroundLand plant genomes contain multiple members of a eukaryote-specific gene family encoding proteins with pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) motifs. Some PPR proteins were shown...Full Text Available
Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of repeat stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for acoustic neuromas, we assessed tumor control, clinical outcomes, and the risk of adverse radiation effects in patients whose tumors progressed after initial management. Methods and Materials: During a 21-year experience at our center, 1,352 patients underwent SRS as management for their acoustic neuromas. We retrospectively identified 6 patients who underwent SRS twice for the same tumor. The median patient age was 47 years (range, 35-71 years). All patients had imaging evidence of tumor progression despite initial SRS. One patient also had incomplete surgical resection after initial SRS. All patients were deaf at the time of the second SRS. The median radiosurgery target volume at the time of the initial SRS was 0.5 cc and was 2.1 cc at the time of the second SRS. The median margin dose at the time of the initial SRS was 13 Gy and was 11 Gy at the time of the second SRS. The median ...
'Small radioactive source results in big accident' have occurred repeatedly in China and worldwide alike. Radioactive source management is one of the key activities for a nuclear power plant to maintain its good safety record and image to the public. From aspects of establishing the management system, centralized storage, periodic accounting, performing whole process control to the source usage and experience feedback etc., the author reports the practice and experience of radioactive source management in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant
A polarized proton physics run took place during January, 1988, at the Brookhaven AGS. It is the purpose of this paper to review the tune-up period preceding that run. This was the third such run at the AGS; the others occurred in June of 1984 and February of 1986. Some comparisons will be drawn among these. A thorough review of the history and hardware associated with the acceleration of polarized protons at the AGS can be found in the proceedings of the last meeting of this group at Protvino and will not be repeated here. 2 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) is a mobile genetic element characterized by flanking terminal direct and, in most cases, inverted repeat sequences,...Full Text Available
In Streptococcus pneumoniae, CpsB, CpsC, and CpsD are essential for encapsulation, and mutants containing deletions of cpsB, cpsC, or cpsD...Full Text Available
... The larvae's only hope for survival is if the antibiotic tetracycline is present -because it mops up the enzyme. The developers hope male GM mosquitoes will compete with normal males for females so that repeated releases cut numbers of A. aegypti in dengue-prone areas. The mosquitoes will be released in the inland districts of Bentong in the state of Pahang, and Alor Gajah and Melaka in the state of Malacca, according to the National Biosafety Board. Each location will have two release phases: the first at a site ...
Loss of organic matter is one of the main forms of soil degradation in Mediterranean agricultural soils, and external sources of organic matter are required to improve soil properties. the two-phase centrifugation system in the olive-oil extraction industry produces a large amount of olive mill waste sludge (TPOMW) which can be used to add organic C to degraded soils. (Author)
Cyclic strength of #alpha#+#beta#-titanium alloy BT3-1 is studied under load frequencies of 33 and 300 Hz. The increase in the cyclic strength with growing frequency is caused by formation of FCC interphase layers of titanium hydrides. Their formation is one of possible ways of raising the fatigue strength of titanium alloys. Peculiarities of FCC interlayer formation in #alpha#+#beta# phases under loading frequency variation are revealed.
The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. This paper presents a review of methods and techniques existing in this area, and the definition of the state of the art. The results of the literature, regulation and case studies reviews have shown that rigorous, repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist.
An unusual S1-nuclease sensitive microsatellite (STMS) has been found in the single copy, rat polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene (PIGR) terminal exon. In Fisher rats, elements within or beyond the...Full Text Available
The aim is to provide accurate data on elevation change due to mining activity, via the application of interferometry with ERS SAR data. Ultimately, these elevation changes can then be fed into subsidence models. Interferometry results are presented showing initial evidence of subsidence occurring within the 35 day repeat orbit period of the ERS satellites. The result of extending the monitoring period beyond 35 days is also shown.
The authors report the personal techniques and the results of CT-guided percutaneous drainage of postoperative abdominal fluid collections. CT-guided percutaneous drainage offers many advantages over surgery: it is less invasive, can be repeated and requires no anesthesia, there are not surgery-related risks and lower morbidity and mortality rates. Moreover, subsequent hospitalization is shorter and costs are consequently reduced. The authors conclude that CT-guided percutaneous drainage is the method of choice in the treatment of postoperative abdominal fluid collections.
Stress exposure increases the risk of addictive drug use in human and animal models of drug addiction by mechanisms that are not completely understood. Mice subjected to repeated forced swim stress...Full Text Available
Asymptotic giant branch stars are red supergiant stars of low-to-intermediate mass. This class of stars is of particular interest because many of these stars can have nuclear processed material brought up repeatedly from the deep interior to the surface where it can be observed. A review of recent theoretical and observational work on stars undergoing the asymptotic giant branch phase is presented. 41 refs.
Simple hydroxamic acids are shown to be useful reagents for the separation of Np and Pu from U within simplified, single cycle Purex flowsheets. They are compatible with the use of centrifugal contactors and laboratory scale flowsheet trials with aceto-hydroxamic acid have demonstrated high actinide recoveries and decontamination factors on products for active feeds of up to 40 wt.% Pu. They therefore show many ideal characteristics for Pu and Np recovery within flowsheet options for actinide recovery in advanced fuel cycles. Furthermore, in order to optimise the routing of Np with the Pu product in advanced flowsheets, additional studies of Np extraction in the primary co-decontamination contactor, prior to U/Pu partition, have been undertaken, combining experiment, modelling and flowsheet tests. (author)
This experiment is carried out in the series of the investigation on the damage mechanism of carbon steel. In this paper, the damage situation is considered by structure observations. The test were carried out in 600degC-1200degC temperature range, in blowing an argon gas. The reagents are Na{sub 2}O, Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} and NaOH. From structure observations, the holes are observed on the surface of iron-base material in some test conditions. This result is indicated that the selective reaction occurs. The selective reaction is more obvious as the time exposed to the high temperature is longer. It is considered that the selective reaction occurs after the chemical reaction between iron-base material and sodium compound. The areas, in which Mn-concentration is higher, are observed in products on the surface of specimen. (author)
The synthesis and structures of three new compounds are reported. [Mg2{PhP(Se,O)Se-Se(O,Se)PPh}2(thf)7(H2O)3] (1), [Mg{PhP(Se,O)Se-Se(O,Se)PPh}(thf)3(H2O)] (2), and [Mn{PhP(Se,O)Se-Se(O,Se)PPh}(thf)3(H2O)] (3) were prepared by treatment of Woollins reagent [PhP(Se)(m-Se)]2 with the corresponding hydrated metal acetates.
The direct addition of nickel powder to the reaction mixtures of 1,3-dialkyl-4,5-dioxoimidazolidine-2-thione (1) with the thionation Lawesson reagent produces [Ni{sup II}(R{sub 2}timdt{sup -}){sub 2}] (R{sub 2}timdt = 1,3-dialkylmidazolidine-2,4,5-trithione). These complexes belong to a new class of nickel-dithiolenes, showing remarkably high absorption ({epsilon} {approx} 80 000 dm{sup 3} mol{sup -1} cm{sup -1}, {lambda} {approx} 1000 nm) in the near-infrared region (near-IR), accompanied by high photochemical stability that makes these complexes promising near-IR dyes.
Motivated by the discovery of superconductivity in alkali and alkaline earth fullerides, this program was undertaken both to understand the nature of and expand the range of materials demonstrating superconductivity. The first approach involved attempts to modify the fullerene cage by incorporating heteroatoms in the structure and the preparation and photophysical properties of nitrogen and sulfur doped fullerenes were studied in detail. The second approach involved examining the stoichiometry and effect of preparative conditions on the behavior of alkali, alkaline earth, lanthanide and mixed ion fullerides. In particular, the authors have elaborated on a technique for making such salts using liquid ammonia or aliphatic amines as solvents. Thirdly, modeling studies were undertaken to predict the properties of heterohedral fullerines and metal - C60 complexes, and theoretical guidelines were developed for understanding the reactivity of the fullerene cage to common addition ...
Interaction of W(6) with sulphonaphtholazoresorcinol (SNAR) in aqueous solution has been studied. Tungsten is determined in the form of sulphonaphtholazoresorcinate by extraction with higher alcohols. The optimum conditions for the formation of a complex of W with SNAR in aqueous solution are as follows: a 10-fold excess of SNAR, concentration of HCl 1-1.5N, ethanol content 5-10 vol.%, time of formation of the complex 30 min. A component ratio for the complex has been established in the case of aqueous solution and extract; molar extinction coefficients are 0.9x10"4 and 1.7x10"4, respectively. The formation constant for the complex being extracted is 2.2x10"2"3. A method has been developed for determination of microgram quantities of W in a vanadium specimen.
The objective of this research was to convert coal into a soluble substance under mild conditions. The strategy involved two steps, first to breakdown the macromolecular network of coal, and second to add hydrogen catalytically. We investigated different basic reagents that could, in priciple, break down coal's structure and alkylation strategies that might enhance its solubility. We examined O- and C-alkylation, the importance of the strength of the base, the character of the added alkyl groups and other reaction parameters. This work provided new information concerning the way in which hydrogen bonding, polarization interactions between aromatic structures and covalent bonding could be disrupted and solubility enhanced. The objective of our research was to explore new organochromium chemistry that might be feasible for the hydrogenation of coal under mild conditions.
A procedure was developed for separating rubidium from irradiated aluminum encapsulated uranium. The separations procedure produces a final ultra-high purity RbCl product for subsequent high performance mass spectrometric analysis. The procedure involves first removing most of the macro-components and fission products by strong base anion exchange using, first, concentrated HCl, then oxalic acid media and second, selectively separating rubidium from alkaline-earth ions and other alkali-metal ions, including cesium, using Bio-Rex-40 cation-exchange resin. The resultant RbCl is then put through a final vacuum sublimation step. Ultra-pure reagents and specially clean glassware are used throughout the procedure to minimize contamination by naturally-occurring rubidium.
A procedure was developed for separating rubidium from irradiated aluminum encapsulated uranium. The separations procedure produces a final ultra-high purity RbCl product for subsequent high performance mass spectrometric analysis. The procedure involves first removing most of the macro-components and fission products by strong base anion exchange using, first, concentrated HCl, then oxalic acid media and second, selectively separating rubidium from alkaline-earth ions and other alkali-metal ions, including cesium, using Bio-Rex-40 cation-exchange resin. The resultant RbCl is then put through a final vacuum sublimation step. Ultra-pure reagents and specially clean glassware are used throughout the procedure to minimize contamination by naturally-occurring rubidium.
Since 1999, several studies on nuclear fuels were realised in C11/C12 Atalante Hot Cell. This paper presents firstly an overview of the apparatus used for fuel dissolution and characterisation like reactor design, gas trapping flask and solid/liquid separation. Then, the general methodology is described as a function of fuel, temperature, reagents, showing for each step, the reachable experimental data: Dissolution rate, chemical and radiochemical fuel composition including volatile LLRN, insoluble mass, composition, morphology, cladding chemical, radiochemical and physical characterisation using SIMS (made in Cadarache/LECA facilities), MEB. To conclude, some of the obtained results on 129I and 14C composition of oxide fuels, rate of dissolution and first results on dissolution studies of RERTR UMo fuel will be detailed. (Author)
We have demonstrated that, with simple pH adjustment, volatile drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and valproic acid could be analyzed rapidly from raw biofluid samples (e.g. urine and serum) without dilution, or extraction, using atmospheric pressure ionization. The ion source was a variant type of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) that used a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to generate the metastable helium gas and reagent ions. The sample solution was loaded in a disposable glass pipette, and the volatile compounds were purged by nitrogen gas to be reacted with the metastable helium gas. The electrodes of the DBD were arranged in such a way that the generated glow discharge was confined within the discharge tub...
This paper studies the analytical application of europium (III)-morin complex which is formed in alkaline medium and has an intense color. The extent of europium extraction was determined by adding to the extract a morin solution in isoamyl alcohol in a 50-100-fold excess with respect to europium. The dependence of the optical density of the extracts on the ph in the system europium (III)-morin-water-organic solvent for different excesses of the reagent is shown: this indicates formation of two extractable complexes, one being dominant in the pH range 4-7, the other at pH greater than or equal to 8.5. The extraction of the europium (III)-morin complex from alkaline solution is used for direct extraction-photometric determination of europium(III) in compounds of elements having amphoteric properties or forming amines (Zns, Mo0/sub 3/).
A new luminescent europium probe is presented for the determination of phosphate (P) in microtiter plate format. The assay is based on the quenching of the luminescence of the europium-tetracycline (EuTc) 1:1 complex by phosphate using a reagent concentration of 20.8 {mu}mol/L. The probe is excited at 400 nm and displays a large Stokes' shift of 210 nm. The emission maximum is located at 616 nm. The system works best at neutral pH 7 and is therefore suitable for phosphate determination in biological and biochemical systems. The linear range of the calibration plot is from 5 x 10{sup -6} mol/L to 7.5 x 10{sup -4} mol/L of phosphate, and the limit of detection is 3 {mu}mol/L.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy)_3"2"+ and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy)_3"2"+-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy)_3"2"+ could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy)32+ and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy)32+-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy)32+ could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
Natural rubber (NR) and its derivatives as renewable and biodegradable materials have attracted considerable attention because of the serious pollution problems caused by synthetic materials and a shortage of resources. A new semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) based on epoxidised natural rubber and polyvinyl alcohol containing maleic acid as a crosslinking reagent was synthesized and characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, swelling ratio in both distilled water and toluene, and mechanical properties. The curing time and dose of maleic acid were varied from 10 to 60min, and from 10 to 60% (w/w), respectively. An IR spectroscopic study indicated the presence of an ester linkage at 1730cm-1 in maleic acid crosslinked with PVA in semi-IPN films. In addition, the crystalline content of P...
Using the method of statistic planning of an experiment, the SrSO_4 desulfurization process has been studied in the case of reductive roasting of celestine with the use blast-furnace coke. The main factors that determine the rate of the SrSO_4 desulfurization are the roasting temperature and charge components dispersity. The desulfurization rate increases proportionally to the increase in the roasting temperature and dispersity of the reaction mixture components. To decrease the SrSO_4 desulfurization and the concentration of sulfur-containing components in gases released at rather a high celestine reduction rate, the roasting is recommended to proceed at the temperature of 1100 to 1150 deg, in this case it is necessary to limit the content of small (less than 3.2 mm) fractions of reagents.
Americium extraction in different oxidation states in two-phase aqueous system based on polyethylene glycol is investigated. Conditions for quantitative extraction of americium (3) and americium (5) from ammonium sulfate solutions within pH=3-5 interval in the presence of arsenazo 3 are found. Composition of the produced americium complexes with reagent is determined; americium (3) interacts with arsenazo 3 in ammonium sulfate solutions with the formation of MeR and Me_2R composition complexes. Absorption spectrum characteristics of americium (3) and- (5) complexes with arsenazo 3 in ammonium sulfate solutions and extracts based polyethylene glycol aqueous solutions are given. Molar extinction coefficients of americium complexes with arsenazo (3) in these solutions are determined.
The nuclear energy cycle requires the recycling of nuclear fuel, water, chemical reagents, and the volume reduction of radioactive liquid wastes. A fundamental technique for continuous recovery of water using a thin-film evaporator was examined. Appropriate recovery measurements were: an evaporator heat temperature of 323 K, a feed rate of 0.23 cm"3 x s"-"1, a vacuum pressure of 15 mmHg (2 kPa), and impeller rotational speeds of 500#approx#600 rpm (min"-"1). The concentration of trace technetium and rhenium in aqueous solutions was also studied. A decontamination factor of 10"5 for rhenium was obtained. (author)
Research was conducted by the Bureau of Mines to determine the feasibility of using electrokinetic densification to dewater Bayer process red mud, magnetic black and prepared by pressure digestion of red mud in the presence of ferrous sulfate, and magnetic black mud formed by simulated Bayer digestion of Jamaican bauxite with added ferrours sulfate. Tests showed that the solids content of presettled muds could be increased from 25 pct to approximately 40 to 48 pct by gravity draining followed by electrodewatering for approximately 48 h. Electrodewatering may not be practical because of increased reagent and processing costs and because the muds must be thoroughly wasted prior to electrodwatering to remove dissolved ions and decrease mud conductivities.
The effect of a series of complexing and reducing agents on the extraction-chemical behavior of technetium as applied to extraction splitting of uranium and plutonium in the Purex process was examined. Kinetic parameters of the catalytic decomposition of N2H5NO3 under the action of Tc in the presence of these agents were evaluated. Variation of the ratio of the oxidized and reduced Tc species in the course of the process and in the hydrazine-free systems was determined. Reagents preventing oxidation of the reduced technetium and decomposition of N2H5NO3 in nitric acid solutions (acetohydroxamic acid, hydroxylamine, ascorbic acid, etc.), inhibiting the reduction of Tc with hydrazine nitrate (H2O2, HN3, etc.), and known as complexing agents toward quadrivalent actinides but indifferent to Tc...
In the past shredder fluff from automobile recycling was discarded in landfills, but shrinking landfill space and the partly hazardous content of the fluff as well as its caloric value, all resulted in efforts to turn this waste problem into an energy resource. In order to produce a fuel, the inorganic compounds have to be removed. Extensive analyses and particle size measurements were made on fluff from various shredder. For optimal separation all particles are reduced to a uniform, relatively small size. In a subsequent combined screening and air classification process, successful separation into organic and inorganic fractions is achieved. The inorganic fraction is treated in a heavy media or an eddy-current separator to recover the valuable metals, while the organic fraction is now suitable for thermal processing, such as fluidized bed gasification and using the resulting carbon as a chemical reagent.
Normal butylamine compounds are studied as salt-free wash reagents for degraded solvent used in PUREX process in spent fuel reprocessing. The solvent wash tests were carried out with two types of butylamine compounds, n-butylamine oxalate and n-butylamine bicarbonate, by counter-current mode using a small size mixer-settler composed of two 4-stage wash steps. Di-n-butyl phosphoric acid (HDBP), the main degradation product from TBP, was removed from real degraded solvent with decontamination factor of 2.5 {approx} 7.9. The study on electrolytic decomposition of butylamine compounds was also conducted for waste treatment.
A new strontium metal-organic framework, [Sr2(BTEC)(H2O)4] 2H2O (1) (H4BTEC=benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid), has been successfully synthesized by mixing the starting reagents. The single-crystal structure analysis showed that compound 1 displayed three-dimensional structures containing inorganic motifs with two-dimensional layers pillar-connected through organic linkers and forming water-coordinated neutral framework. Further studies revealed that compound 1 was insoluble in water and that it emitted strong luminescence at approximately 437nm after dehydration.
In the Advance Coal Liquefaction Concept Proposal (ACLCP) carbon monoxide (CO) and water have been proposed as the primary reagents in the pretreatment process. The main objective of this project is to develop a methodology for pretreating coal under mild conditions based on a combination of existing processes which have shown great promise in liquefaction, extraction and pyrolysis studies. The aim of this pretreatment process is to partially depolymerise the coal, eliminate oxygen and diminish the propensity for retograde reactions during subsequent liquefaction. The desirable outcome of the CO pretreatment step should be: (1) enhanced liquefaction activity and/or selectivity toward products of higher quality due to chemical modification of the coal structure; (2) cleaner downstream products; (3) overall improvement in operability and process economics.
In the Advance Coal Liquefaction Concept Proposal (ACLCP) carbon monoxide (CO) and water have been proposed as the primary reagents in the pretreatment process. The main objective of this project is to develop a methodology for pretreating coal under mild conditions based on a combination of existing processes which have shown great promise in liquefaction, extraction and pyrolysis studies. The aim of this pretreatment process is to partially depolymerise the coal, eliminate oxygen and diminish the propensity for retograde reactions during subsequent liquefaction. The desirable outcome of the CO pretreatment step should be: (1) enhanced liquefaction activity and/or selectivity toward products of higher quality due to chemical modification of the coal structure; (2) cleaner downstream products; (3) overall improvement in operability and process economics.
The effect of method of sulfur addition on the hydrocracking activity of coal liquefaction catalysts was investigated using a high-pressure differential thermal analyser. The three methods of sulfur addition were: 1) physical mixing of 10 wt% elemental sulfur with red mud; 2) pre-sulfidation of red mud with hydrogen sulfide; 3) use of reagent grade pyrite. The pre-sulfided catalyst was slightly less active than the catalyst prepared by physical mixing, and both of these were changed to pyrrhotite in the course of use. Although the pyrite catalyst exhibited activity at markedly lower temperatures than those required for the other two catalysts, conversions were lower than had been expected. This is thought to be due to a different catalytic mechanism being involved. 13 references.
A means of determination of a ctive hydrogen of hydroxyl, carboxyl, sulfhydryl, amino, amido and sulfonamido groups by chemical ionization mass spectrometry using ammonia and trideuterioammonia as reagent gases is described. The method is based on exchange of active hydrogen for deuterium occurring during the chemical ionization process using trideuterioammonia, with comparison of m/z for ammonium adduct [M + NH1]+ and trideuterioammonium adduct [M--nH + nD + ND4]+, or of protonated molecular ion [M + H]+ and deuteronated molecular ion [M--nH + nD + D]+ yielding the number of active hydrogens. Applications have been made to several classes of biologically important compounds. PMID:427257
One chemical reagent, hydrazine hydrate, was discovered to accelerate the growth of semiconductor nanocrystals (cadmium telluride) instead of additional energy, which was applied to the synthesis of high-quality CdTe nanocrystals at room temperature and ambient conditions within several hours. Under this mild condition the mercapto stabilizers were not destroyed, and they guaranteed CdTe nanocrystal particle sizes with narrow and uniform distribution over the largest possible range. The CdTe nanocrystals (photoluminescence emission range of 530-660 nm) synthesized in this way had very good spectral properties; for instance, they showed high photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 60%. Furthermore, we have succeeded in detecting the living Borrelia burgdorferi of Lyme disease by its photoluminescence image using CdTe nanocrystals.
As coal becomes more and more important as a power plant fuel in this time of energy shortage and the combustion of high-sulfur coals that would impair air quality, efforts have been made to devise efficient processes to control sulfur dioxide emission. Besides desulfurization before combustion, flue gas desulfurization is considered the most promising method that could also be applicable to all other fossil fuels. In this article, the flue gas desulfurization processes are briefly reviewed, and processes with highest use and with high potential for future use are compared from technical and economical points of view. In the selection of a desulfurization process, it is very important to consider the capacity of the plant, fuel type and fuel-to-sulfur ratio, availability and price of the reagent to be used, type, price, and market of side products, disposal problems of wastes, and environmental factors.
The evolution of "humanized" (i.e., free of animal sourced reagents) and ultimately chemically defined culture systems for human embryo stem cell (hESC) isolation and culture is of importance to improving their efficacy and safety in research and therapeutic applications. This can be achieved by integration of a multitude of individual approaches to replace or eliminate specific animal sourced reagents into a single comprehensive protocol. In the present study our objective was to integrate strategies obviating reliance on some of the most poorly defined and path-critical factors associated with hESC derivation, namely the use of animal immune compliment to isolate embryo inner cell mass, and animal sourced serum products and feeder cells to sustain hESC growth and attachment. As a result we report the derivation of six new hESC lines isolated by outgrowth from whole blastocysts on an extracellular matrix substrate of purified human laminin ...
Silanization of the silica gel surface in the synthesis of silica gel polyamine composites uses (chloropropyl)-trichlorosilane (CPTCS). It is possible to substitute a molar fraction of reagent CPTCS with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS), creating a mixed silane surface layer. Two types of silica gels were modified with a series of MTCS:CPTCS molar ratios. Solid-state CP/MAS 29Si and 13C NMR spectroscopies were used to evaluate the surface silane composition. Surface silane coverage was markedly improved for the resulting gels. When polyamines were grafted to the resultant MTCS:CPTCS silane layers, it was shown that the decrease in the number of propyl attachments to the polyamine resulted in increased quantities of ''free amines''. Optimum MTCS:CPTCS ratios were determined for three polyamines grafted onto one silica gel. A substantial free amine increase was observed for poly(allylamine) (PAA). Metal uptake studies show increases in ...
Silanization of the silica gel surface in the synthesis of silica gel polyamine composites uses (chloropropyl)-trichlorosilane (CPTCS). It is possible to substitute a molar fraction of reagent CPTCS with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS), creating a mixed silane surface layer. Two types of silica gels were modified with a series of MTCS:CPTCS molar ratios. Solid-state CP/MAS 29Si and 13C NMR spectroscopies were used to evaluate the surface silane composition. Surface silane coverage was markedly improved for the resulting gels. When polyamines were grafted to the resultant MTCS:CPTCS silane layers, it was shown that the decrease in the number of propyl attachments to the polyamine resulted in increased quantities of ''free amines''. Optimum MTCS:CPTCS ratios were determined for three polyamines grafted onto one silica gel. A substantial free amine increase was observed for poly(allylamine) (PAA). Metal uptake studies show increases in ...
Full text.National programs of neonatal screening were introduced in most countries and have proved their effectiveness against different types of retardation in children. Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the most common causes of physical and mental retardation in children. Programs of screening have shown that the incidence of this disorder is ethnic-background: it is low in Africans: 1-32000 whereas it is 1-3500 and 1-5000 in Hispanic and European newborns respectively. No previous mass screening programs were done in Lebanon. For this purpose, this program was introduced in collaboration with the IAEA. Cord blood is spotted into circles on filter paper just after delivery. These samples are air-dried at room temperature and kept at 4 degree C. They are then collected from hospitals to be screened. In the laboratory, all samples are assayed for IRMA TSH first. Those showing high or borderline TSH level (20mU/L) are then assayed for RIA TT4. Only those showing straight forward ...
A simple and rapid laser fluorometric determination of trace and ultra trace level of uranium in a wide variety of low uranium content materials like soil, basic and ultra basic rocks, plant ash, coal fly ash and red mud samples is described. Interference studies of some common major, minor and trace elements likely to be present in different geological materials on uranium fluorescence are studied using different fluorescence enhancing reagents like sodium pyrophosphate, orthophosphoric acid, penta sodium tri-polyphosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate. The accurate determination of very low uranium content samples which are rich in iron, manganese and calcium, is possible only after the selective separation of uranium. Conditions suitable for the quantitative single step extraction of 25 ng to 20 #mu#g uranium with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and single step quantitative stripping with dilute neutral sodium pyrophosphate, which also acts as fluorescence enhancing ...
Cytochrome c, labeled with /sup 125/I, has been used by us for staining glycosaminoglycans (GAG) separated by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate strips. As GAG between 1-10 ng could be quantified by autoradiography and densitometry, the reagent is approximately 100-fold more sensitive than currently used non-radiolabeled stains. The authors extend now the use of radiolabeled cytochrome c to the quantification of PG transblotted to solid supports subsequent to separation on polyacrylamine slab gels. Dot blotting used for exploring optimal conditions for detecting PG indicated that because of low background positively charged Nylon 66 was superior to nitrocellulose. Increasing the positive charge of the staining reagent by cationization decreased background radiation even further so that 1 ng PG could be seen readily after 5 hrs of autoradiography. Use of cationized /sup 125/I-cytochrome c has been made in detecting PG of bovine fetal ...
The affinity label 8-((4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio)adenosine 5{prime}-triphosphate (8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP) reacts covalently with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase, incorporating 2 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit upon complete inactivation. Protection against inactivation is provided by phosphoenolpyruvate, K{sup +}, and Mn{sup 2+} and only 1 mol of reagent/mol of subunit is incorporated. The authors have now identified the resultant modified residues. After reaction with 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP at pH 7.0, modified enzyme was incubated with ({sup 3}H)NaBH{sub 4} to reduce the carbonyl groups of enzyme-bound 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP and to introduce a radioactive tracer into the modified residues. Following carboxymethylation and digestion with trypsin, the radioactive peptides were separated on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid with an acetonitrile gradient. ...
A multicusp magnetic field plasma surface ion source, normally used for H/sup -/ ion beam formation, has been utilized for the generation of high intensity, pulsed, heavy negative ion beams suitable for a variety of uses including tandem electrostatic accelerator/synchrotron injection applications. Sputter probe voltage limited total ion currents of 5.5, 8.2, 5.1 and 4.5 mA (peak intensity) have been produced from Au, Cu, Ni and CuO sputter probes, respectively. The mass distributions of these ion beams are found to be dominated by Au/sup -/, Cu/sup -/, Ni/sup -/ and O/sup -/ atomic species, respectively. The source offers the interesting prospect of providing cw negative ion beams at mA intensity levels of the commonly used semiconducting material dopants (e.g. B/sup -/, P/sup -/, As/sup -/ and Sb/sup -/) as well as O/sup -/ for isolation barrier formation. Illustrative examples of intensity versus time and the mass distribution of ion beams extracted from a Ni ...
In this study, the nearly complete sequence (14,519 bp) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the entomophagous endoparasite Xenos vesparum (Insecta: Strepsiptera) is described. All protein coding genes (PCGs) are in the arrangement known to be ancestral for insects, but three tRNA genes (trnA, trnS(gcu), and trnL(uag)) have transposed to derived positions and there are three tandem copies of trnH, each of which is potentially functional. All of these rearrangements except for that of trnL(uag) is within the short span between nad3 and nad4 and there are numerous blocks of unassignable sequence in this region, perhaps as remnants of larger scale predisposing rearrangements. X. vesparum mtDNA nucleotide composition is strongly biased toward As and Ts, as is typical for insect mtDNAs. There is also significant strand skew in the distribution of these nucleotides, with the J-strand being richer in A than T and in C than G, and the N-strand showing an opposite skew for ...
Contents: expansion of pc mill application to plate mill and tandem cold mill; application of cluster type rolling mill (cr mill) for rolling of special steel (illustration); development of on-line roll grinding system with profile meter; development of new type jet pickling; new technology in continuous annealing furnace (illustration); anti-seismic testing system by 3-dimensional shaking table; development of mitsubishi hybrid desulfurization system; field performance of 500 mw advanced coal fired supercritical pressure operation boiler for unit no. 1 of tsuruga thermal power station, hokuriku electric power co., inc.; development of electronically controlled cylinder liner lubrication system for marine diesel engines; prediction technology on steady-state and transient performance of multi-air conditioners; a knowledge-based system approach to the autonomous piloting and navigation control of ships.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the in vitro effects of low-dose cadmium (Cd) on developing cortical cells. The cortical cells removed from fetuses (embryonic day 15) were treated with 10 nM of Cd for 24 h. The effects of Cd on dendritic and synaptic development were immunocytochemically observed with anti-microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP2) and anti-synapsin I antibodies, respectively. Administration of Cd suppressed dendritic as well as synaptic development at 10 nM. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) analysis, we identified three proteins with different expression after Cd-treatment; dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 2 (DRP-2/CRMP-2), 14-3-3-epsillon and calmodulin (CaM). Though the number of identified proteins was small, these proteins are known to be involved in neuronal development. The present study demonstrated the morphological effects as well as affected proteins in ...
This paper presents a case study of site characterization and hydrocarbon contamination plume mapping/delineation in a gas processing plant in southern Mexico. The paper describes innovative and cost-effective use of passive (non-intrusive) and active (intrusive) techniques, including the use of compound-specific analytical methods for site characterization. The techniques used, on a demonstrative basis, include geophysical, geochemical, and borehole drilling. Geochemical techniques used to delineate the horizontal extent of hydrocarbon contamination at the site include soil gas surveys. The borehole drilling technique used to assess the vertical extent of contamination and confirm geophysical and geochemical data combines conventional hollow-stem auguring with direct push-probe using Geoprobe. Compound-specific analytical methods, such as hydrocarbon fingerprinting and a modified method for gasoline range organics, demonstrate the inherent merit and need for such analyses to properly ...
In experiments designed to detect new mutations affecting hemoglobin, we irradiated the male or female parent in reciprocal crosses of two mouse strains that differ in alleles at the hemoglobin (Hba, Hbb) loci as well as at five other specific loci. Offspring were analyzed for hemoglobin properties (electrophoretic pattern, solubility, crystal pattern), serum albumin differences, erythrocyte lysis, reticulocyte count, and external appearance. Five hemoglobin variants were found among the mutants. In three, the genetic contribution from the irradiated father was not expressed with regard to the #alpha#-chain; one carried a tandem duplication (the first known case in the mouse) involving Hbb; and one probably resulted from double nondisjunction of chromosome 7. The finding that major chromosome aberratios can mimic hemoglobin mutations indicates the need, in similar experiments, to follow F_1 screening with thorough cytogenetic analysis. The variants in which there ...
Various MLM-type (M, medium-chain fatty acids; L, long-chain fatty acids) structured triacylglycerols were produced in pilot- or small-scale packed-bed reactors by lipase-catalyzed acidolysis. The incorporation and acyl migration of octanoic acid were measured by gas chromatography and Grignard degradation, and ranged from 39.0 to 48.7% and 0.6 to 9.3%, respectively. Quantitation of triacylglycerol molecular species was performed by ammonia negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) mass spectrometry (MS). The proportion of ACN (acyl carbon number) 34 species that contained one C-18 fatty acid and two C-8:0, in samples analyzed, varied from 12.5 to 23.2%. The selected regioisomers MLM and MML within the ACN 34 species group were quantified by NICI tandem MS (MS/MS) and were in the range of 97.1 to 98.4% and 1.6 to 2.9%, respectively. There was no correlation between the level of acyl migration during lipase-catalyzed esterification and the level of regioisomers of the ...
The use of excitation system controls, specifically the Power System Stabilizer (PSS), to improve damping of power system oscillations and thus extend steady-state stability limits has been a subject of great interest in recent years. The desire to more fully utilize transmission capacity led to the installation of PSS controls on greater numbers of generating units to maintain stability margins. This paper addresses the tuning and adjustment of PSS controls in a two unit power plant. Both analytical studies and field test confirmations are presented. The practical difficulties of verifying the PSS control loop gain margin by testing are explored. A simplified procedure is outlined. The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Fayette Power Project (FPP) consists of two 683.7 MVA tandem compound steam turbine driven generators. The excitation systems are of the alternator rectifier type and the PSS control utilizes shaft speed as an input signal. The units must ...
The Micro-strip Metal Foil Detectors (MMFD) designed and used for the Beam Profile Monitoring (BPM) are discussed. The results obtained for the MMFDs produced by different technologies are presented. The MMFD deposited onto the 20 {mu}m thick Si-wafer has been used for the BPM of the 32 MeV alpha-particle beam at the MPIfK (Heidelberg) Tandem generator. Another MMFD with totally removed Si-wafer at the working area has been applied for the on-line X-ray BPM at the HASYLAB (DESY). One may conclude that the developed technology of the micro-strip metal detector manufacturing allows to provide non-destructive measurement of X-ray intensity distribution over area of up to 50 mm{sup 2} with an accuracy of 10-20 {mu}m with a possibility of its improvement by a factor 5. A sub-micron position resolution is expected by applying electron lithography for the strip pattern production.
Described herein are the latest trends in rolling mill facilities toward the 21st. century and new techniques developed by Hitachi Ltd. These cover hot rolling facilities, such as two-stage twin, high crown control-roll cross mill, roll shaping machine and continuous hot rolling systems; cold rolling facilities, such as pickling line-tandem cold mill and other continuous systems; and fine steel rolling facilities, such as roll mill for very small diameter pipes and others to improve productivity and product quality. The other new techniques include systems to pursue reliability and maintainability, in which electric appliances, instruments and computers are integrated, or equipped with built-in large-capacity inverters and drivers. For hot rolling, the above techniques lead to development of a new system named Hi-HOT, which produces high-quality hot coils at a sufficient speed, while keeping rolled steel at a desired temperature. 1 ref., 3 figs.
Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources possess several advantages over ion sources conventionally used for injectors of electrostatic accelerators: improved reliability, high efficiency, simplicity, and the capability of generating bright, high-current ion beams. We have adapted a high-current ECR source originally developed as an injector for a CW RFQ proton linac to serve as a source of intense negative-ion beams for the Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (TASCC) facility at Chalk River. The range of ion species of the source has been extended from H{sup 1+} alone up to Bi{sup 1+}, with both gaseous and nonvolatile feeds. Two intense negative-ion beams of He{sup -} and O{sup -} have been generated so far with the source coupled to a standard charge-exchange canal. We foresee no major problems generating a broad range of negative ions with this system. (author)
Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources possess several advantages over ion sources conventionally used for injectors of electrostatic accelerators: improved reliability, high efficiency, simplicity, and the capability of generating bright, high-current ion beams. We have adapted a high-current ECR source originally developed as an injector for a CW RFQ proton linac to serve as a source of intense negative-ion beams for the Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (TASCC) facility at Chalk River. The range of ion species of the source has been extended from H1+ alone up to Bi1+, with both gaseous and nonvolatile feeds. Two intense negative-ion beams of He- and O- have been generated so far with the source coupled to a standard charge-exchange canal. We foresee no major problems generating a broad range of negative ions with this system. (author)
A field study (1993-96) assessed the benefits of applying unusually high rates of coal fly ash from power plants as a soil amendment to enhance water retention of soils without adversely affecting growth and marketability of the turf species, centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.) A Latin Square plot design was employed that included 0 (control, no fly ash applied), 280, 560 and 1120 MgHa {sup -1} application rates of unweathered precipitator fly ash. The fly ash was spread evenly over each plot area, rototilled, and allowed to weather under natural conditions for 8 months before seeding. High levels of soluble salts, indicated by the electrical conductivity of soil extracts, in tandem with an apparent phytotoxic effect from boron, apparently inhibited initial plant establishment as shown by substantially lower germination counts in treated soil. However, plant height and rooting depth were not adversely affected, as were the dry matter yields ...
Thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry was used to measure dose effects on the raw stock material of borosilicate container glass from different geographical locations. Effects were studied at times up to 60 days post-irradiation at doses from 0.15 to 20 Gy. The minimum detectable dose using this technique was estimated to be 0.15 Gy which is roughly equivalent to a 24 hr irradiation 1 cm from a 50 ng source of 60Co. Two peaks were identified in the TL glow curve, a relatively unstable peak around 125 C and a more stable peak around 225 C. Differences in TL glow curve shape and intensity were also observed for the glasses from different geographical origins. We investigate radiation induced defects in glass to further develop the technique of intrinsic dosimetry - the measurement of the total absorbed dose received by the walls of a container holding radioactive material. Intrinsic dosimetry is intended to be used as an interrogation tool to provide enhanced pathway information on ...
At tandem cold rolling mills in Kawasaki Steel, by means of applying newly developed strip longitudinal (rolling) and transverse gauge control systems, high accuracy of thickness of within {+-}0.5 % has been achieved over the full length and full width of cold rolled strip, as gauge accuracy in a coil in longitudinal and transverse directions has become an extremely important quality control item in the manufacturing of cold rolled sheets due to the stricter quality requirements of customers, in recent years. The longitudinal gauge accuracy has been improved by the development of a high-response drive system for a mill mair motor, an all-stands gauge control system and a dynamic set-up control system. The transverse gauge accuracy has been improved by applying a one-side tapered work roll shifting method and the development of an edge drop control system in terms of the optimum use of an edge drop sensor. (author)
Chemical analyses were done on the abnormal hemoglobins of the five (101 x SEC)F_1 offspring of X- irradiated adult SEC mice to determine which hemoglobin genes were expressed in each hemoglobin variant. Three offspring of irradiated SEC males did not express either of the two kinds of #alpha#-chains normally found in all SEC mice. The deficient #alpha#-chain synthesis caused these mice to exhibit an #alpha#-thalassemia similar to human #alpha#-thalassemia. Scanning electron microscopy was used to show that many erythrocytes of mice with #alpha#-thalassemia have bizarre shapes; e.g. many erythrocytes appeared flattened or had thorny projections (acanthocytes). One mutant with a tandem duplication of a segment of chromosome 7 (site of locus determining #beta#-chain structure) produced twice as much SEC as 101 #beta#-chain polypeptides. One mutant that probably arose by non-disjunction of chromosome 7's in its unirradiated 101 mother and loss of chromosome 7 from the ...
Together with an investigation on the deformation behavior of hot and cold rolled strip edge, the edge-drop control was explained in characteristics and result of application to the commercial mill by the tapered-crown work roll (WR) shifting mill. From a cold rolling experiment, three-dimensional material flow was known to be generated in the vicinity of edge also at the time of rolling the strip, and which generation influences that of edge-drop. Almost linearly relative to the flattened deformation of WR, the edge-drop enlarges with enlargement in that deformation. The number of stands to be applied to the tapered-crown WR shifting mill in the tandem cold mill is determined by the location as far as which the strip is to be controlled in edge-drop. In case of improving it to obtain the edge-drop-free strip, all the stands are required to be equipped with tapered-crown WR shifting mill. By applying a tapered-crown WR shifting mill to the latter stands for the hot ...
180 deg magnet chamber is used in Folded Tandem Ion Accelerator for passage and 180 deg bending of ion beam. The chamber is placed between 180 deg terminal magnet (Electro-magnet), which is used for bending, and analysing the beams. Magnet with a particular magnetic field strength bends ions of only specified mass energy product through a precise path. There is also a space limitation in the direction of magnetic field. Both of them require the magnet chamber to be of a close tolerance. Accuracy of center distance between inlet and outlet port of the magnet chamber has to be at par with the concentricity of high energy and low energy beam line. To achieve this we started the fabrication of magnet chamber by following two methods: a) Circular rolling and bending of rectangular tube for 180 deg sector of magnet chamber b) Machining 180 deg sector in two half and welding. By first method we could not achieve the desired result although the method is very promising. ...
A generic reactor model is used to examine the economic viability of electricity generation by magnetic fusion. The simple model uses components which are representative of those used in previous reactor studies of deuterium-tritium burning tokamaks, stellarators, bumpy tori, reverse field pinches and tandem mirrors. Conservative costing assumptions are made. The generic reactor is not a tokamak but rather it is intended to emphasize what is common to all magnetic fusion reactors. The reactor uses a superconducting toroidal coil set to produce the dominant magnetic field. To this extent it is a less good approximation to systems, such as the reversed field pinch in which the main field is produced by a plasma current. The main output of the study is the cost of electricity as a function of the weight and size of the fusion core - blanket, shield, structure and coils. The model shows that a 1200 MW/sub e/ power plant with a fusion core weight of about 10,000 tonnes ...
An analytical method was developed for the determination of eleven agrochemicals [abamectin (as B1a), bifenazate, bifenthrin, carfentrazone-ethyl, cymoxanil, hexythiazox, imidacloprid, mefenoxam, pymetrozine, quinoxyfen, and trifloxystrobin] in dried hops. The method utilized polymeric and NH2 solid phase extraction (SPE) column cleanups and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Method validation and concurrent recoveries from untreated dried hops ranged from 71 to 126% for all compounds over three levels of fortification (0.10, 1.0, and 10.0 ppm). Commercially grown hop samples collected from several field sites had detectable residues of bifenazate, bifenthrin, hexythiazox, and quinoxyfen. The control sample used was free of contamination below the 0.050 ppm level for all agrochemicals of interest. The limit of quantitation and limit of detection for all compounds were 0.10 and 0.050 ppm, respectively. PMID:18593182
A p[sup +]-Al[sub 0.3]Ga[sub 0.7]As/n[sup +]-GaAs heterojunction tunnel diode was fabricated using Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) growth technique. Background carbon doping of [similar to]10[sup 20] cm[sup [minus]3] was achieved in the p-side of the diode by optimizing growth conditions such as V/III ratio, exposure times to reactant gases, and growth temperature. In the n-side of the diode GaAs was doped with silane and doping concentrations as high as 7[times]10[sup 18] cm[sup [minus]3] were also achieved. The dopants are chosen to satisfy the high levels and low diffusion requirements. The diode can be used to interconnect the high and low band-gap cells in the AlGaAs/GaAs cascade solar cell structure. The reactor used in this investigation is a commercial MOCVD system which has been specially modified for dual operation of ALE and MOCVD growth modes.
We describe a method for affinity purification of sequence-specific DNA binding proteins that is fast and effective. Complementary chemically synthesized oligodeoxynucleotides that contain a recognition site for a sequence-specific DNA binding protein are annealed and ligated to give oligomers. This DNA is then covalently coupled to Sepharose CL-2B with cyanogen bromide to yield the affinity resin. A partially purified protein fraction is combined with competitor DNA and subsequently passed through the DNA-Sepharose resin. The desired sequence-specific DNA binding protein is purified because it preferentially binds to the recognition sites in the affinity resin rather than to the nonspecific competitor DNA in solution. For example, a protein fraction that is enriched for transcription factor Sp1 can be further purified 500- to 1000-fold by two sequential affinity chromatography steps to give Sp1 of an estimated 90% homogeneity with 30% yield. In addition, the use of ...
This paper presents a comprehensive study of pesticide levels and bio-accumulation characteristics in human adipose tissues among residents of Southeast China. A large number of adipose samples (n=633) were selected for 58 pesticides and were analyzed by high sensitive Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that POPs pesticides were frequently detected, including 2,4prime-DDD, 2,4prime-DDE, 2,4prime-DDT, 4,4prime-DDD, 4,4prime-DDE, 4,4prime-DDT, a-HCH, b-HCH, g-HCH, d-HCH, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and mirex. Other detected pesticide species were dicofol, methamidophos and chlordimeform, which have rarely been reported. Comparing to different countries, the concentrations of total DDT and HCH in these three Chinese southeastern sites were in the middle ra...
One of the NASA research activities was to identify, characterize, and simulate a series of technologies that could be used for hydrogen production at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) using locally available sources. This project examined the production of hydrogen from solar energy. To produce hydrogen by water splitting, the operating voltage of conventional photovoltaic (PV) cells cannot supply the overvoltage required. Thus, the objective of this project was to research and develop photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells that can supply the required voltage for water splitting by constructing a multiple bandgap tandem PV cell and a photocatalyst that can be activated by infrared (IR) photons transmitted through the PV cell. The proposed concept is different from conventional PEC water splitting by using multiple band gap combinations. The advantages for this PEC cell concept is that the PV cells are not in contact with the electrolyte solution, thus reducing the ...
We obtained the time-lapse cumulative slip before and after the 29 November 1999, Xiuyan, Liaoning, China, Ms = 5.4 earthquake by using "repeating events" defined by waveform cross-correlation. We used the seismic waveform data from the Liaoning Regional Seismograph Network from June 1999 to December 2006. Two "multiplets" located near the seismogenic fault of the 1999 Xiuyan earthquake and the 4 February 1975, Haicheng Ms = 7.3 earthquake, respectively, were investigated. For the "multiplet" that occurred before and after the 1999 Xiuyan earthquake, apparent pre-shock accelerating-like slip behavior, clear immediate-post-seismic change, and relaxation-like post-seismic change can be observed. As a comparison, for the "multiplet" near the 1975 Haicheng earthquake which occurred a quarter century ago, the cumulative slip appears linear with a much smaller slip rate.
Coal bed natural gas (CBNG) development in the Powder River (PR) Basin produces modestly saline, highly sodic wastewater. This study assessed impacts of wetting four textural groups (0-11%, 12-22%, 23 -33%, and > 33% clay (g clay/100 g soil) x 100%))with simulated PR or CBNG water on water retention. Soils received the following treatments with each water quality: a single wetting event, five wetting and drying events, or five wetting and drying events followed by leaching with salt-free water. Treated samples were then resaturated with the final treatment water and equilibrated to -10, -33, -100, -500, or -1,500 kPa. At all potentials, soil water retention increased significantly with increasing clay content. Drought-prone soils lost water-holding capacity between saturation and field capacity with repeated wetting and drying, whereas finer textured soils withstood this treatment better and had increased water-retention capacity at lower matric potentials.
Bone scintigraphy was performed in 16 men with newly diagnosed prostatic carcinoma before orchiectomy as well as 2 weeks and 2 months after operation. The uptake in the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was registered up to 240 min after injection of /sup 99m/Tc-MDP and was then calculated for each patient and vertebra. The relative standard deviation in measured uptake due to measuring technique was estimated to be +-7%. In eight patients, who had normal bone scintigraphies before orchiectomy, there were no changes in the uptake values after operation. The remaining eight patients had widespread metastatic involvement prior to treatment, six of these patients showed a so-called 'flare phenomenon' in the abnormal vertebrae which means an initial increase in uptake after operation followed by a decreased uptake in response to therapy. One patient had a continuously increased uptake in all the abnormal vertebrae which correlated well with the clinical progression of ...
Bone scintigraphy was performed in 16 men with newly diagnosed prostatic carcinoma before orchiectomy as well as 2 weeks and 2 months after operation. The uptake in the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was registered up to 240 min after injection of "9"9"mTc-MDP and was then calculated for each patient and vertebra. The relative standard deviation in measured uptake due to measuring technique was estimated to be #+-#7%. In eight patients, who had normal bone scintigraphies before orchiectomy, there were no changes in the uptake values after operation. The remaining eight patients had widespread metastatic involvement prior to treatment, six of these patients showed a so-called 'flare phenomenon' in the abnormal vertebrae which means an initial increase in uptake after operation followed by a decreased uptake in response to therapy. One patient had a continuously increased uptake in all the abnormal vertebrae which correlated well with the clinical progression of the disease, while ...
When thorium was biosorbed by biomass of Rhizopus arrhizus or Aspergillus niger it could be removed by treatment using carbonate solutions, but not by phosphates or distilled water. Desorption was rapid, reaching completion in 15 and 30 min respectively. Desorption efficiency was independent of the desorbent concentration above 0.05 mol dm[sup -3] but was strongly dependent on the biomass concentration, decreasing as the biomass concentration increased for both species. Biomass from both species could be regenerated by desorption using sodium carbonate solutions and reused for biosorption. In both species, the efficiency of biosorption and desorption fell as the number of exposures increased although there was an initial rise in desorption efficiency for R. arrhizus. Biosorption and desorption efficiencies of A. niger biomass showed the steeper decline but both were severely reduced in R. arrhizus after five treatments. There was also a significant loss of biomass during ...
Smoothness-constrained least-squares technique with ABIC minimization was applied to the inversion of phase velocity of surface waves during geophysical exploration, to confirm its usefulness. Since this study aimed mainly at the applicability of the technique, Love wave was used which is easier to treat theoretically than Rayleigh wave. Stable successive approximation solutions could be obtained by the repeated improvement of velocity model of S-wave, and an objective model with high reliability could be determined. While, for the inversion with simple minimization of the residuals squares sum, stable solutions could be obtained by the repeated improvement, but the judgment of convergence was very hard due to the smoothness-constraint, which might make the obtained model in a state of over-fitting. In this study, Love wave was used to examine the applicability of the smoothness-constrained least-squares technique with ABIC minimization. ...
We investigated the in vitro phenotypic transformation of human embryo (HE) cells that were repeatedly irradiated (7.5 cGy once a week) throughout their life-span. Irradiation was repeated until the cells had accumulated 195 cGy (equivalent to the 26th passage). Samples of cells were assayed for survival by colony formation, as well as for mutation at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus and for transformation by focus formation. The life-span (mean number of population doublings) of multiply irradiated cells with a total dose of 97.5 cGy was slightly but significantly prolonged over that of controls. After HE cells had accumulated 195 cGy, the maximum number of divisions increased to 130-160% of the number in non-irradiated control cells. Transformed foci were not observed until cells had accumulated 97.5 cGy, and then increased with the increasing accumulation of radiation. However, no cells showed immortality or ...
BACKGROUND: : Skills related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use by lay responders decay rapidly after training, and efforts are required to maintain competence among trainees. We examined whether repeated viewing of a reminder video on a mobile phone would be an effective means of maintaining CPR and AED skills in lay responders. METHODS: : In a single-blind case-control study, 75 male students received training in CPR and AED use. They were allocated either to the control or to the video-reminded group, who received a memory card containing a video clip about CPR and AED use for their mobile phone, which they were repeatedly encouraged to watch by SMS text message. CPR and AED skills were assessed in scenario format by examiners immediately and 3 months after initial training. RESULTS: : Three months after initial training, the video-reminded group showed more accurate airway opening (PCPR ...
Fatigue damage occurs in general when a boiler tube is subject to repeat cyclic or fluctuating loading although the stress produced is below the material yield strength. The types of fatigue damage include, e.g., corrosion, thermal, mechanical, vibration, and creep fatigue. It is important to determine which form of fatigue is active, because measures to avoid repeat failures differ as the case arises. In this lesson, the focus is exclusively on corrosion fatigue. Corrosion fatigue occurs by the combined synergistic actions of cyclic loading and a corrosive environment. It is a discontinuous process with crack initiation and growth during transient periods. The excessive stresses may be caused during boiler operation by the restraint at tube attachments and by load changes (in particular during cold starts or forced cools) or during shutdown or restart of circulation boilers by thermal stratification of water along the tube length. Poor water ...
An overall view of the 1982 plant operating performance is presented. All periods of ON-FEED operation, UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS, and SCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS are accounted for and tabulated. Causes of UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS are identified and discussed. Plant solutions aimed at reducing the effect of similar future shutdowns or preventing recurrence of such shutdowns are explained. Details of repeated, major maintenance problems with various pieces of equipment are presented. Discussion of each problem and solutions found during 1982 are given, where applicable.
A summary of the 1983 Critical Solvent Deashing unit performance at the Wilsonville Advanced Coal Liquefaction R and D Facility is presented. All periods of on feed operation, unscheduled shutdowns, and scheduled shutdowns are accounted for and tabulated. Causes of unscheduled shutdowns are identified and discussed. Details of repeated, major maintenance problems with various pieces of equipment are presented. Where applicable, solutions are discussed. Historical operations and maintenance data are presented and used for comparison purposes in order to better indicate areas of improvement in the unit. 4 references, 7 figures, 3 tables.
A report is given of investigations into the possibility of utilizing red mud from the Bayer process for producing Ferrari cements. On repeated burning at 1450deg C suitable mixtures of red mud with silica and lime form a clinker with a low free lime content from which Ferrari cement can be produced. The average 28-day compressive strengths of cements produced from this clinker are so encouraging that further investigations are appropriate. (orig.).
We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of radiation damage in fused silica. In this study, we discuss the role of successive cascade overlap on the saturation and self-healing of oxygen vacancy defects in the amorphous fused silica network. Furthermore, we present findings on the topological changes in fused silica due to repeated energetic recoil atoms. These topological network modifications consistent with experimental Raman spectroscopic observation on neutron and ion irradiated fused silica are indicators of permanent densification that has also been observed experimentally.
We have isolated a genomic clone containing 'Lupinus luteus' 5S ribosomal RNA genes by screening with 5S rDNA probe clones that were hybridized previously with the initiator methionine tRNA preparation (contaminated) with traces of rRNA or its degradation products). The clone isolated contains ten repeat units of 342 bp with 119 bp fragment showing 100% homology to the 5S rRNA from yellow lupine. Sequence analysis indicates only point heterogeneities among the flanking regions of the genes. (author). 6 refs, 3 figs.
On the basis of literary sources and experimental data, the advantages of a monogamous reproductive strategy are analyzed. Monogamous species of Lepidoptera have no postcopulative mechanisms of control over the success of reproductive sperm competition, cryptic female choice, and, probably, the male?s nuptial gift. Selection of the sex partner and of the quality of the future generation is determined by the precopulative and copulative mechanisms of the reproductive behavior, which include chemocommunication and a ?lock-and-key? mechanism. In an experiment with one male and one female, the quota of successful mating can depend on the morphological complication of the genital apparatus of males. Cases are considered of repeated mating for some, usually monogamous, species. In comparison wit...
The excess energy of several III-V and II-VI strained-layer semiconductor superlattices (AC)_p(BC)_p is studied as a function of the repeat period p and orientation G=[001], [110], [111], and [201], using first-principles calculations. We discover a number of universal features, including the predicted instability for nearly all p's and G's with respect to bulk disproportionation, the identification of chalcopyrite as a metastable ordered structure, and the stability of all thin epitaxial [110] and [201] and most common-anion [001] superlattices relative to coherent phase separation.
Production decline-curve analysis is accepted for prediction of future performance of oil and gas wells and fields. One type of decline-curve analysis involves the hyperbolic-decline-curve equation. The challenge with this equation is to determine simultaneously three parameters. The new method creates a computer spreadsheet containing a set of production data. Then, the specific arrangement of cells and columns containing data and/or formulas allows for statistical fits of the data. Finally, setting-up the nonlinear solver allows for optimization of the three parameters by maximization of the square of the regression coefficient. Eight field cases demonstrated the repeatable and rapid curve-fitting of the method.
At the importance increase of UT (ultrasonic testing) with the application of rules on fitness-for-service for nuclear power plants, JAPEIC (Japan power engineering and inspection corporation) started education training for defect detection and sizing technique. Weld joints specimen with EDM (Electro-Discharged Machining) notches, fatigue cracks and intergranular stress corrosion cracks were tested and practiced repeatedly based on a modified ultrasonic method and the defect size measuring accuracy of the trainees was surely improved. Results of the blind test confirmed effectiveness of education training. (T. Tanaka)
The production of polarized negative ion beams by collisional pumping is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
The production of polarized negative ion beams by ''collisional pumping'' is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
Transplantation has emerged as the therapy of choice for many patients with end organ failure. One of the major goals is to tailor immunosuppressive therapy to the individual needs of every patient to balance the risk for rejection and over-immunosuppression. This will require diagnostic tools that can detect harmful processes in the allograft early, and that can be measured repeatedly. This review will consider recent advances in our understanding of the molecular nature of these processes and how this information is being utilized to design novel diagnostic assays to non-invasively monitor allografts. Highlighted is the need for large-scale prospective multi-centre studies to validate assays that show early promise in single centre studies.
The use of finely powdered ion exchange resins improve loading of specific ion exchange materials with better performance but as such these materials are not suitable for column operation. However, by proper selection of ion exchange support medium, it is possible to get better product. The radioactive solution can be treated by suspending this material, stirring and allowing to settle. The present method gives DF in the range of 70 - 80 even after repeated use as compared to DF in the range of 5 to 10 by single conventional chemical treatment process. (author)
The repeated use and limited lifetime of a composite tiring vessel compel a need to survey techniques for monitoring the structural integrity of the vessel in order to determine when it should be retired. Various nondestructive techniques were researched and evaluated based on their applicability to the vessel. The methods were visual inspection, liquid penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing, surface mounted strain gauges, thermal inspection, acoustic emission, ultrasonic testing, radiography, eddy current testing, and embedded fiber optic sensors. It was determined that embedded fiber optic sensor is the most promising technique due to their ability to be embedded within layers of composites and their immunity to electromagnetic interference.
Using the [sup 57]Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy, the microscopic behavior of Fe powders has been investigated during and after the mechanical alloying (MA) process for Al-Fe and Ag-Fe systems. A repeated rolling method as well as a conventional ball-milling method are employed in order to understand the microscopic process of the kneading of Al and Fe powders during their MA and the resultant powders show quite similar Moessbauer spectra suggesting that the kneading by an impact between colliding balls is the same process as that of the thickness reduction by cold rolling. Moessbauer spectra show clearly the occurrence of the mutual atomic dispersion for the thermodynamically immiscible Ag-Fe system. (orig.).
In the Wajima lung cancer screening program conducted under the auspices of Kanazawa University Hospital, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) was utilized in a new chest radiography trial. The results of the screening program are that the necessity of repeat examinations due to poor image quality are less common and the method enables detection of small pulmonary nodular shadows which are possibly candidates for surgery. Oblique chest X-ray with FCR is remarkably effective for the detection and the identification of small lesions. However, the disadvantage of slow processing and high cost must be fully satisfied if FCR is to become a new imaging modality for mass screening.
In the Wajima lung cancer screening program conducted under the auspices of Kanazawa University Hospital, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) was utilized in a new chest radiography trial. The results of the screening program are that the necessity of repeat examinations due to poor image quality are less common and the method enables detection of small pulmonary nodular shadows which are possibly candidates for surgery. Oblique chest X-ray with FCR is remarkably effective for the detection and the identification of small lesions. However, the disadvantage of slow processing and high cost must be fully satisfied if FCR is to become a new imaging modality for mass screening. (author).
Two aspects of the chromatin repeat length (r_l) are discussed: (i) Why is r_l longer for slowly dividing cells than in rapidly dividing cells?, and (ii) Why is the temporal evolution of r_l a decreasing function of time (t) in mammalian cortical neurons whereas it is an increasing function of t for granule cells around the time of birth? These questions are discussed in terms of a hypothesis which assumes a correlation between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) packaging, transcription, and replication. (author). 27 refs.
In this talk, we explore the feasibility of quantum computation using continuous-variable systems by means of local measurements only. In the first part of the talk, we will identify crucial limitations that arise when starting from Gaussian cluster states. This is done by resorting to a Gaussian projected entangled pair picture as well as to notions of continuous-variable quantum repeater networks. In the second part, we look at instances in which these limitations can be overcome, and how suitable encodings of qubits in oscillators and feasible non-Gaussian resource states give rise to universal schemes for quantum computing.
This paper reports area and time dependent dielectric breakdown distributions of ethylene glycol and water solutions cooled to -23/sup 0/C. Electrode areas of 80, 400, 2000, and 10,000 cm/sup 2/ spaced 1 cm apart were repeatedly stressed with voltage pulses exponentially decaying in 5 to 20 ms. Approximately 80,000 measurements concentrated at electric field strengths near the 1% breakdown probability region of the samples were taken in order to obtain statistically accurate data on the dielectric strength of this liquid.
In this work we study the dephasing mechanism of a double quantum-dot system, which includes two electrons and a nearby quantum point contact (QPC) as a measurement device. We obtain that the QPC-induced decoherence is on time scales of microseconds. We also find that the electrons will be delocalized after continuous measurement, irrespectively of the initial conditions, and the frequent repeated measurements will localize the system, which is consistent with the quantum Zeno effect. Further, we consider the situation that the double quantum-dot system is irradiated by a microwave field.
A method for automatic optimal feeder design in steel casting processes is presented. The initial design is the casting part (without feeders) which is placed in a suitable mold box. Design of each feeder contains the following steps: determination of the feeder-neck connection point on the casting surface, initial feeder design, feeder shape optimization and feeder topology optimization. Completing designing the first feeder, the method attends to designing the next one, if it is required, and the same procedure will be repeated. In the presented method, feeders are designed in a descending order of their sizes. The feasibility of the presented method is supported with an illustrative example.
Marketing-led enterprise change management initiated by a major UK contractor is explored in this paper as a contrast to procurement-led changes to projects driven by clients. Procurement-led initiatives try to induce changes to behaviour through market governance. Relationship marketing and management proactively change organizational behaviour, the enterprise taking responsibility for its own destiny. Investment and resource allocation, and organizational behaviour have posed constraints, particularly concerning service continuity in construction. Overcoming these constraints offers opportunities for delivering service improvements and adding value for clients and yielding further increases in repeat business and increasing profitability. Relationship marketing is the conceptual starting...
To determine the accuracy of the intra-articular location of hyaluronic acid injection using a blind approach and to establish the usefulness of fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular injection. A fluoroscopy unit was used for 368 intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid to 93 knees in 65 patients. Initially, blind needle positioning was conducted on the fluoroscopy table. The failure rate of the blind approach among the 368 injections was evaluated, and a relationship between the Kellgren-Lawrence grade (K-L grade) and the incidence of repeated failures using the blind approach was determined for injections to 52 knees in 37 patients who received a complete cycle of injections (five consecutive injections with a one-week interval between injections). Using a blind approach, 298 of 368 trials (81.2%) resulted in a needle tip being placed in an intra-articular location, while 70 of 368 trials resulted in an extra-articular placement of the needle tip. Among 52 ...
Metabolism of benzene is thought to be necessary to produce the toxic effects, including carcinogenicity, associated with benzene exposure. To extrapolate from the results of rodent studies to potential health risks in man, one must know how benzene metabolism is affected by species, dose, dose rate, and repeated versus single exposures. The purpose of our studies was to determine the effect of repeated inhalation exposures on the metabolism of [14C]benzene by rodents. Benzene metabolism was assessed by characterizing and quantitating urinary metabolites, and by quantitating 14C bound to hemoglobin and micronuclei induction. F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed, nose-only, to 600 ppm benzene or to air (control) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks. On the last day, both benzene-pretreated and control animals were exposed to 600 ppm, 14C-labeled benzene for 6 hr. Individual benzene metabolites in urine collected for 24 hr after the exposure ...
The project involved several studies of vesicles and micelles and their constituent surfactants. The primary objective of the project was an elucidation of factors involved in the stabilization and destabilization of vesicles and micelles. Work was performed on seven individual studies. Several different types of novel cleavable surfactants were synthesized, including systems with two chains and two head groups, and their aqueous micelles and vesicles were characterized by methods including dynamic laser light scattering (to give aggregate sizes) and differential scanning calorimetry (to give vesicle bilayer phase transition temperatures). A cleavable surfactant is stable under certain conditions but liable under other conditions with respect to cleavage to give nonsurfactant products and/or other surfactants with different properties. The destruction of several cleavable surfactant-derived aggregates was demonstrated, indicating that they have potential as entrapment and release ...
Fission track analysis (FTA) technique for the determination of "2"3"9Pu excreted through urine has been standardized using blank samples, tracer and "2"3"9Pu spikes. Double stage anion exchange separation protocol has been applied and an average radiochemical recovery of "2"3"9Pu of 18% was obtained. An average track registration efficiency of 11 tracks per #mu#Bq of "2"3"9Pu, irradiated to 0.35x10"1"7 neutron fluence was established. Reagent blank urine samples from 11 controlled subjects were analyzed by FTA and an average of 149#+-#14 tracks was obtained. Minimum detectable activity of 34 #mu#Bq L"-"1 of urine sample was obtained and will be useful for monitoring chronic exposure cases handling MOX fuel.
The dispersion of more than 20 vol pct submicrometer ceramic particles within a metallic matrix and the deposition of such a cermet to form a thick and tough coating presents problems. Most of the coating techniques have failed in attempting to homogeneously disperse very fine and hard particles in large amounts while avoiding their decomposition or reaction with the metal matrix during the deposition process. A simple and efficient method has been developed for producing ceramic-containing composite coatings. It consists in synthesizing cermet-based materials and in depositing them by a rapid solidification process, such as thermal spraying. Boride- and carbide-based materials have been successfully obtained by plasma spraying reactive powders comprising the basic reagents. These materials, with a microstructure of submicrometer ceramic particles dispersed in a metallic matrix, exhibit good wear-resistant properties (abrasion and sliding wear). Finally, reactive ...
A series of tests has been carried out to determine the operating conditions required to remove the corrosion deposit from samples cut from Winfrith Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (WSGHWR) primary circuit pipework by submerged water jetting. Two types of samples were used - one set subjected to the normal annual reactor decontamination using TURCO reagents, the other set having been given a LOMI treatment in addition. Tests showed that useful decontamination factors could be achieved on both types of sample, but significantly less severe operating conditions were required to decontaminate the LOMI treated samples. A decontamination factor of 10 was achieved on TURCO treated samples at 360 Bar; only 200 Bar was required to achieve the same decontamination factor on LOMI treated samples. No metal erosion of the stainless steel substrate was found to occur at these pressures. (author).
The reaction of the retinylidene Schiff base in bacteriorhodopsin (bR) to the water-soluble reagent hydroxylamine is enhanced by greater than 2 orders of magnitude under illumination. We have used this reaction as a probe for changes in Schiff base reactivity during the photocycle of wild-type bR and mutants defective in proton transport. We report here that under illumination at pH 6, the D85N mutant has a 20-fold lower rate and the D212N mutant has a greater than 4-fold higher rate for the light-dependent reaction with hydroxylamine compared with wild-type bR. In contrast, the reactivities of wild-type bR and the D96N and T46V mutants are similar. It has been previously shown that the D96N and T46V replacements have no significant effect on the kinetics of M formation but have dramatic effects on rate of the decay of M. We therefore conclude that the hydroxylamine reaction occurs before formation of the M intermediate. Most likely it occurs at the L stage of the ...
Plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produce a substance that stimulates growth of experimental hosts. We report purification of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) to homogeneity by a process involving isolation and solubilization of plerocercoid membranes, isoelectric point selection by chromatofocusing chromatography or preparative isoelectric focusing, and anion-exchange chromatography. A radioreceptor assay (RRA) for human growth hormone (hGH) was used to detect PGF and purity of the 27.5-kDa protein was judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Proteolytic activity was detected in the 27.5-kDa protein by gelatin substrate PAGE. Characterization of PGF as a neutral cysteine proteinase was based on substrate and inhibitor specificities and dependence on pH and thiol-containing reagents. The association of hGH agonist and proteinase activities was shown by comparing RRA and hydrolytic activities in the presence ...
One of our research objectives is to develop chemistry of transition metal chalcogenides which are relevant to new inorganic materials, environmental catalysts, metalloenzymes. In this context, this research project has been aimed at rational syntheses of chalcogenide complexes of electron-deficient transition metals, construction of hetero metallic clusters with high nuclearity, and elucidation of chemical properties characteristic of these metal chalcogenide compounds. We were successful in synthesizing a series of sulfide (selenide)/thiolate complexes of group 4,5 and 6 transition metal elements by making use of C-S bond cleaving reactions and anhydrous chalcogenide reagents. We also achieved construction of unprecedented large chalcogenide clusters of mixed metal systems such as [Cu{sub 4}(dppm){sub 4}MS{sub 4}] [PF{sub 6}]{sub 2} (M=Mo, W), [(Cp*WS{sub 3}Ag{sub 2}){sub 2}({mu}-Br){sub 2}]{sub {infinity}}, and [Cp*{sub 2}Mo{sub 2}Fe{sub 2}S{sub 4}]{sub ...
Plutonium metal is produced by reducing PuF{sub 4} prepared from PuO{sub 2} by fluorination. Both fluorination and reduction are batch processes at the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility. The conversion of plutonium oxide to fluoride greatly increases the neutron yield, a result of the high cross section for alpha-neutron ({alpha},n) reactions on fluorine targets compared to the (more than 100 times) smaller {alpha},n yield on oxygen targets. Because of the increase, total neutron counting can be used to monitor the conversion process. This monitoring ability can lead to an improved metal product, reduced scrap for recycle, waste reduction, minimized reagent usage, and reduce personnel radiation exposures. A new stirred-bed fluorination process has been developed simultaneously with a recent evaluation of an automated neutron-counting instrument for quantitative process monitoring. Neutrons are counted with polyethylene-moderated {sup 3}He-gas proportional counters. ...
Abstract in english The tegument surface of the adult schistosome, bounded by a normal plasma membrane overlain by a secreted membranocalyx, holds the key to understanding how schistosomes evade host immune responses. Recent advances in mass spectrometry (MS), and the sequencing of the Schistosoma mansoni transcriptome/genome, have facilitated schistosome proteomics. We detached the tegument from the worm body and enriched its surface membranes by differential extraction, before subjecting t (more) he preparation to liquid chromatography-based proteomics to identify its constituents. The most exposed proteins on live worms were labelled with impearmeant biotinylation reagents, and we also developed methods to isolate the membranocalyx for analysis. We identified transporters for sugars, amino acids, inorganic ions and water, which confirm the importance of the tegument plasma membrane in nutrient acquisition and solute balance. Enzymes, including phosphohydrolases, ...
Glass produced during the Purex 4 campaigns of the Integrated Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Melter System (IDMS) and the 774 Research Melter contained a lower fraction of sludge components than targeted by the Product Composition Control System (PCCS). Purex 4 glass was more durable than the benchmark (EA) glass, but less durable than most simulated SRS high-level waste glasses. Also, Purex 4 glass was considerably less durable than predicted by the algorithm which will be used to control production of DWPF glass. A melter run was performed using the 774 Research Melter to determine if the initial PCCS target composition determined for Purex 4 would produce acceptable glass whose durability could be accurately modeled by Hydration Thermodynamics. Reagent grade oxides and carbonates were added to Purex 4 melter feed stock to simulate a higher sludge loading. Each canister of glass produced was sampled and the composition, crystallinity, and durability was ...
Glass produced during the Purex 4 campaigns of the Integrated DWPF Melter System (IDMS) and the 774 Research Melter contained a lower fraction of sludge components than targeted by the Product Composition Control System (PCCS). Purex 4 glass was more durable than the benchmark (EA) glass, but was less durable than most other simulated SRS high-level waste glasses. Further, the measured durability of Purex 4 glass was not as well correlated with the durability predicted from the DWPF process control algorithm, probably because the algorithm was developed to predict the durability of SRS high-level waste glasses with higher sludge content than Purex 4. A melter run, designated Purex 4 Remediation, was performed using the 774 Research Melter to determine if the initial PCCS target composition determined for Purex 4 would produce acceptable glass whose durability could be accurately modeled by the DWPF glass durability algorithm. Reagent grade oxides and carbonates ...
The development and evaluation of a post-column reaction detector sensitive to platinum(II) complexes is presented in which sodium bisulfite is used as the derivatizing agent with potassium dichromate as an activating agent. The influences of mobile phase changes (i.e., pH, organic modifiers, electrolytes), oxygen, metal ions, and order of reagent addition on reaction kinetics and product yield are defined and used in optimization of detector response. Detection at lambda/sub max/ 290 nm results in an on-line post-column sensitivity of 40-60 ng/mL for selected cis-dichloroplatinum complexes and a sensitivity of 300-1200 ng/mL for four (substituted)-malonato-platinum complexes. The reaction detector is used to monitor the kinetics of aquation of cisplatin (CDDP) and to quantitate CDDP degradation in plasma. As the sensitivity for CDDP in plasma is comparable to that achieved from high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) effluent fractionation/off-line flameless ...
The synthesis of (3-{sup 15}N)-labeled adenine has been reported by several groups. Each of these syntheses followed essentially the same route, in which the {sup 15}N is introduced by nitration of 4-bromoimidazole under forcing conditions using ({sup 15}N)-HNO{sub 3}. The authors have devised an alternate route which uses an azo coupling reaction for introduction of the {sup 15}N and proceeds through the intermediacy of (5-{sup 15}N)-labeled 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA). An unrelated route to the (5-{sup 15}N)-labeled 5-amino-imidazole ribonucleoside (AIRs) was recently reported. AICA is a versatile precursor, which is most commonly used for entry into the guanine or isoguanine families, although it is usually used as the AICA-riboside rather than the heterocycle itself. The authors have found that AICA also can be used for the adenine family by cyclization to hypoxanthine using diethoxymethyl acetate in DMF at reflux. Although these conditions are more vigorous than those ...
The interaction of Pu(IV) and Zr(IV) with citric acid in nitric acid solutions (C/sub HNO/sub 3// greater than 0.1 M) of lithium nitrate was studied by the distribution method in the interval of nitrate ion concentrations from 1 to 6 g-eq/liter. A 40 percent solution of TBP in decane was used as the extraction reagent. It was established that within the range of concentrations studied, complex compounds of plutonium and zirconium are formed: PuHCit/sup 2 +/ and ZrH/sub 2/Cit/sup 3 +/. The concentration equilibrium constants of the reactions of formation of these compounds retain a constant value at constant ionic strength and undergo substantial variation when the total concentration of the nitrate ion in solution is varied. The values of the effective equilibrium constants, calculated considering the change in the activity coefficient of the hydrogen ion, retain a constant value within a wide range of nitrate ion concentrations. It was shown that the effectiveness ...
A number of fragment ion onsets from the photoionization of CH/sub 3/SCCSCH/sub 3/ and CH/sub 3/SSSCH/sub 3/ have been measured. In addition, our experiment has been converted to a molecular beam source which will increase the precision of our measurements. Exhaustive oxidation of the divalent sulfur to sulfonic acids serves to quench the effects of quadrupolar broadening and thereby allowing for quantitative evaluation of structurally similar sulfonic acids. W/sub 1/2/ are reduced to < 25 Hz at 19 MHz (57,500 Gauss). Electronegative substituents shield the /sup 33/S nucleus perhaps imploying more efficient 2p-3d..pi.. backbonding between sulfur and oxygen. ..cap alpha..-Hetero substituents of sulfonyl groups do not influence the shift of the /sup 33/S to a dramatic extent. The exception is the dianion of thiosulfate compared to the dianion of sulfate. Lanthanide shift reagents, (Eu(fod)/sub 3/), are potentially useful in distinguishing sulfonyl /sup 17/O shifts ...
Effect of Limestone, iron ore and red mud as a flux for hot coal gasification wastes was examined as they are regarded easily available, pollution-less and less costly. (1) Fusion behavior of ash-iron ore mixture and ash-limestone mixture approximately coincided with that of the reagent; red mud with low iron purity also coincided when the addition was less than 40%. (2) According to a microscopic observation, localized melting of the ash was observed even at 900 - 950/sup 0/C which was lower than the mpt. by almost more than 100/sup 0/C, which was attributed to the formation of iron-based compound. (3) The softening point reduced down to 1000 - 1050/sup 0/C irrespective of type of ash or ion-based flux; they were in the form of slurry; it formed a slurry state by the localized melting of ashes. (4) At above mpt., most of the ash component minerals are liquid and evaporation of CO/sub 2/ or any low boiling point component gets faster. (8 figs, 2 tabs, 7 refs)
The methodology of the drip procedure of the Standard Test Method for Evaluating the Influence of Thermal Insulation on External Stress Corrosion Cracking Tendency of Austenitic Stainless Steel (ASTM C 692-95a) was used to research the effect of halogens and inhibitors on the external stress corrosion cracking (ESCC) of Type 304 stainless steel as it applies to the insulation industry. Simulated insulation extraction solutions were made with pure chemical reagents for the halogens and inhibitors. The results indicated that sodium silicate compounds that were higher in sodium were more effective for preventing chloride-induced ESCC in Type 304 austenitic stainless steel. Potassium silicate was not as effective as sodium silicate. Fluoride, bromide, and iodide may cause ESCC but they were much less active than chloride and could be effectively inhibited by sodium silicate compound. The addition of fluoride ions to the chloride/sodium silicate systems, at the ...
Experience at SRS, ORNL, BNL, and Georgia Institute of Technology involving irradiated aluminum clad fuel and target elements, as well as studies of non-irradiated aluminum indicate that some types of aluminum assemblies can be kept in a continually well-deionized water atmosphere for up to 25 years without problems. SRS experience ranges from 2.75 years for the L-1.1 charge kept in deionized D[sub 2]O[sup 1] to greater than 10 years for assemblies stored in the Receiving Basin for Off-site Fuel (RBOF)[sup 2]. Experience at Georgia Institute of Technology reactor in Atlanta yielded the longest value of 25 years without problems. The common denominators in all of the reports is that the water is continually deionized to approximately 2 M[Omega] (2 [times] 10[sup 6]ohms) resistivity and the containers for the water are stainless steel or other non-porous material. This resistivity value is equivalent to a value of 0.5 micromhos or microSiemens conductivity and is ...
Experience at SRS, ORNL, BNL, and Georgia Institute of Technology involving irradiated aluminum clad fuel and target elements, as well as studies of non-irradiated aluminum indicate that some types of aluminum assemblies can be kept in a continually well-deionized water atmosphere for up to 25 years without problems. SRS experience ranges from 2.75 years for the L-1.1 charge kept in deionized D{sub 2}O{sup 1} to greater than 10 years for assemblies stored in the Receiving Basin for Off-site Fuel (RBOF){sup 2}. Experience at Georgia Institute of Technology reactor in Atlanta yielded the longest value of 25 years without problems. The common denominators in all of the reports is that the water is continually deionized to approximately 2 M{Omega} (2 {times} 10{sup 6}ohms) resistivity and the containers for the water are stainless steel or other non-porous material. This resistivity value is equivalent to a value of 0.5 micromhos or microSiemens conductivity and is ...
A range of additives has been developed for enhancing grafting yields in a variety of systems initiated by ionizing radiation. Cellulose has been adopted as the predominant naturally occurring model backbone polymer in these studies because of its structural relationship to wood which is the reference substrate for the work reported in the related second part of this paper concerning composites. Some experiments have been performed with the other major naturally occurring polymer, wool. For comparison purposes with synthetic materials, some studies have also been performed with polypropylene as trunk polymer. Styrene has been used as a predominant monomer in grafting with some experiments utilizing the acrulates like methyl methacrylate. The role of solvent in grafting has been evaluated. UV has been used as initiator to replace ionizing radiation for certain experiments. The additives used were mineral acids, lithium salts, multifunctional acrylates and their methacrylate analogues, ...
The history of the urinary test papers does not being in the post-war period. As early as the 1880's some practitioners and pharmacists tried to replace the complicated wet-chemical procedures and apparatus by "dry chemistry." The first popular test paper for sugar and albumin originated in England in 1883. Dry reagents for proving hematuria have been available since the beginning of this century. Until the 1930s a wide palette of commercial urine tests with "modern" brand names was established. A methodological breakthrough was created by the spot test chemistry inaugurated by the Austrian, Fritz Feigl, about 1920. Using the capillary properties of filter paper in enhancing color reactions he founded a new area of analytical chemistry. Many of the pioneers were recruited from Jewish scientists. In this lecture is proposed that their emigration and banishment as well as the Second World War have stopped the development of urinary diagnostics on the European ...
Paper describes a new procedure to synthesize a pharmaceutical containing "2"1"1At. "2"1"1At"- anion was found to bind strongly with Rh"3"+ cation complexing with a thio-ether ligand - 1,5,9,13-tetratiacyclohexadecane-3,11-diol (16-S4-diol). One made use of "1"3"1I isotope to seek for the optimal conditions of the reaction. The derived complexes were studied by means of the paper electrophoresis, the ion exchange, the surface chromatography. One studied the kinetics of "1"3"1I"- anion binding with Rh(16-S4-diol), the dependence of the yield of "1"3"1I-Rh(16-S4-diol) forming complex on the temperature. the acidity of the reaction mixture and the concentration of the reagents. On the basis of the determined conditions of the synthesis one prepared "2"1"1At-Rh(16-S4-diol) complex by more astatide ("2"1"1At"-) to the equivalent amounts of RhCl_3 and tetra-thio-ether (16-S4-diol). One studied its behaviour
Single-dose and repeated dose toxicity studies of prulifloxacin, a new antibacterial agent, were conducted in aged beagle dogs. I. A single-dose toxicity study Prulifloxacin was administered orally to aged female dogs at a single dose of 2500 and 5000 mg/kg. No death occurred in any group. Vomiting was observed in one of two animals at 2500 mg/kg and in both animals at 5000 mg/kg 3-4 hr after dosing. At 5000 mg/kg, vomiting was observed in both animals after feeding on the day after dosing. One animal also showed soft stool. Thereafter, no abnormalities were observed in any animal. No test article related changes were noted in food consumption, water consumption, body weight or pathological examination in any group. The results show that the lethal dose of prulifloxacin is judged to be greater than 5000 mg/kg in aged female dogs. II. A repeated dose toxicity study Aged male and female dogs were given the test article orally for 4 weeks at doses ...
It is proved that the mid-point grid, which is composed of samples obtained at ground track locations midway between crossover points (thus a subset of the full sampling), has the same resolving power as the full set; i.e., they resolve the same three-dimensional spectral space. The resolving power of the mid-point grid as derived previously by Tai (1995, 1998) is characterized by the Nyquist frequency ? c=? /T (where T is the repeat period of the exact-repeat satellite), and by (in local Cartesian coordinates) the zonal and meridional Nyquist wavenumber kc=2? /X and lc=2? /Y respectively (where X and Y are the east-west and north-south separation between adjacent parallel ground tracks). Here we re-derive this result in simplified terms. First, it is shown through the sampling theorem as demonstrated previously by Tai (1999) that even though samples of the real mid-point grid are not taken simultaneously, they resolve the same frequency range ...
This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 409 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 409 consists of three Corrective Action Sites (CASs): TA-53-001-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.1; TA-53-002-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.2; and RG-24-001-RGCR, Battery Dump Site. The Septic Sludge Disposal Pits are located near Bunker Two, close to Area 3, on the Tonopah Test Range. The Battery Dump Site is located at the abandoned Cactus Repeater Station on Cactus Peak. The Cactus Repeater Station was a remote, battery-powered, signal repeater station. The two Septic Sludge Disposal Pits were suspected to be used through the late 1980s as disposal sites for sludge from ...
Forty-one patients were treated with epidural neurolysis using 50 % ethyl alcohol 2 ml. Thirty eight patients were suffering from cancer pain and three patients were complaining of chronic benign pain. Alcohol block was repeated 2.3 times (mean) in the same patient. Thirty patients were followed after the treatment. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported 70 % or greater pain relief and 20 % of the patients reported about 50 % pain relief. Duration of pain relief was from 9 days to 203 days with a mean duration of 54 days. Adverse effects were reported 43 % of the patients. There is no miserable adverse effect. Adverse effect reported most was pain with epidural injection of drugs after the alcohol block had been performed. PMID:8544293
Turbulent flow in a 2D channel with repeated rectangular rib roughness was numerically simulated using a low Reynolds number form of the k-epsilon turbulence model. Friction factors and average Stanton numbers were calculated for various pitch to rib height ratios and bulk Reynolds numbers. Comparisons with experiment were generally adequate, with the predictions of friction superior to those for heat transfer. The effect of variable properties for channel flow was investigated, and the results showed a greater effect for friction than for heat transfer. Comparison with experiment yielded no clear conclusions. The turbulence model was also validated for a related problem, that of flow downstream of an abrupt pipe expansion.
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) has been widely used in the diagnosis of primary carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, it has had limited clinical application in diagnosing persistent or recurrent CTS. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of this imaging modality in patients who had previously undergone open carpal tunnel release without relief of symptoms, and assess the correlation of MRI with intra-operative findings upon re-exploration. MRI studies were performed on 17 wrists (16 patients) presenting with recurrent/persistent symptoms and signs of CTS in whom repeat nerve conduction studies were also performed. Surgical re-exploration was undertaken on 16 wrists in which a 100% correlation was noted between MRI and intra-operative findings of an incompletely released or re-grown tran...
We describe calculations of the energy loss, range, stopping power, multiple scattering, and other related properties of a high-energy heavy-ion beam at any one of a set of beam line elements. A beam line element (e.g., any beam modification, detection, or control device) is characterized by its thickness, areal density, aperture, and function. The loss of multiply scattered particles to any finite-aperture detector is calculated in the small-angle approximation, and the position of the Bragg peak, as given by particles stopping in the second of two ionization chambers used for Bragg curve measurements, is estimated. A general purpose computer program, PROPAGATE, has been written to allow addition, deletion, and modification of the beam line elements used in the calculation and to provide a convenient means of repeating such calculations for arbitrary beam lines. Calculations and experimental measurements are compared and found to be in satisfactory agreement. ...
Tert-Butanol is an important intermediate in industrial chemical synthesis, particularly of fuel oxygenates. Human exposure to tert-butanol may occur following fuel oxygenate metabolism or biodegradation. It is poorly absorbed through skin, but is rapidly absorbed upon inhalation or ingestion and distributed to tissues throughout the body. Elimination from blood is slower and the half-life increases with dose. It is largely metabolised by oxidation via 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol to 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, the dominant urinary metabolites. Conjugations also occur and acetone may be found in urine at high doses. The single-dose systemic toxicity of tert-butanol is low, but it is irritant to skin and eyes; high oral doses produce ataxia and hypoactivity and repeated exposure can induce dependence...
The infection of cultured human cells with baboon endogenous virus (BEV) frequently leads to an association of viral DNA with a specific genetic locus (termed BEVI, for baboon endogenous virus infection) on chromosome 6. Restriction endonuclease digestion of DNA from BEV-infected human cells and their derived somatic cell clones frequently revealed a common cellular DNA sequence in the proximity of one of the junctions between cellular DNA and the integrated virus. We propose that a short cellular DNA sequence, repeated on chromosome 6 and separated by unique DNA sequences, presents a high-affinity target for the integration of BEV in human cells. PMID:6401843
Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) antagonist drugs have been associated with increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most frequently used tool for identification of latent TB infection. We herein aimed to analyse the effect of TNF-? antagonists on the TST responses in a prospective study. The study group consisted of 182 patients (99 female, 83 male) who received TNF-? antagonists for various rheumatic disorders. All patients were evaluated with TST along with other parameters on the day of referral and on the 12th month visit. For those patients with a response of <5?mm induration at the initial evaluation, the TST was repeated to observe the booster effect. Out of 182 patients, 87 patients (48%) had a negative (0?4?mm) and 95 (52%) had a positive (?5?mm)...
Sandia National Laboratories has erected a research oriented, 34- meter diameter, Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine near Bushland, Texas. This machine, designated the Sandia 34-m VAWT Test Bed, is equipped with a large array of strain gauges that have been placed at critical positions about the blades. This manuscript details a series of four-point bend experiments that were conducted to validate the output of the blade strain gauge circuits. The output of a particular gauge circuit is validated by comparing its output to equivalent gauge circuits (in this stress state) and to theoretical predictions. With only a few exceptions, the difference between measured and predicted strain values for a gauge circuit was found to be of the order of the estimated repeatability for the measurement system.
The steam generator is a very important component of a nuclear power plant. Historically, vertical steam generators came to be used abroad and horizontal steam generators in our country. Both types of steam generators operate successfully in nuclear power plants and satisfactorily fulfill their functions, enabling the production of electricity. Repeated attempts to re-examine the existing concepts in one or another country have been unsuccessful because there are no convincing arguments for this. Nonetheless, the question of using a different type of steam generator is raised periodically in our country and abroad. This article briefly reviews different concepts of steam generators. Their parameters, characteristics, and thermal efficiency are compared and ways to increase the latter are a...
The excess energy of several III-V and II-VI strained-layer semiconductor superlattices ({ital AC}){sub {ital p}}(BC){sub p} is studied as a function of the repeat period {ital p} and orientation {bold G}=(001), (110), (111), and (201), using first-principles calculations. We discover a number of universal features, including the predicted instability for nearly all {ital p}'s and {bold G}'s with respect to {ital bulk} disproportionation, the identification of chalcopyrite as a metastable ordered structure, and the stability of all thin {ital epitaxial} (110) and (201) and most common-anion (001) superlattices relative to coherent phase separation.
Depending on the soil environment, selenium (Se) can exist as several species differing greatly in bioavailability. Characterization of soil Se reserves is thus necessary in assessing the nutritional supply of this essential element. In low-Se areas, Se fertilization is an option for securing adequate Se nutrition. Fertilization is, however, challenged by the unknown fate of the residual Se. In this study, we aimed to clarify the Se status of selenate-fertilized field soils by fractionating soil Se into five pools: salt-soluble (KCl), adsorbed (KH2PO4/K2HPO4), organically associated (NaOH), elemental (Na2SO3) and recalcitrant Se (NaOCl). Changes induced in these fractions by repeated application of low selenate doses were examined by comparing samples collected from the same locations in 1...
Retroelements constitute a large part of the human genome. These sequences are mostly silenced in normal cells, but genome-wide DNA hypomethylation in cancers might lead to their re-expression. Whether this re-expression really occurs in human cancers is largely unkown. We therefore investigated expression and DNA methylation of several classes of retroelements in human prostate cancer tissues and cell lines by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and pyrosequencing, respectively. The most striking finding was strong and generalized increased expression of the HERV-K_22q11.23 provirus in cancers, including de novo expression of a spliced accessory Np9 transcript in some tumors. In parallel, DNA methylation in the long terminal repeat (LTR) decreased. Conversely, HER...
Atomic ensembles, comprising clouds of atoms addressed by laser fields, provide an attractive system for both the storage of quantum information and the coherent conversion of quantum information between atomic and optical degrees of freedom. We describe a scheme for full-scale quantum computing with atomic ensembles, in which qubits are encoded in symmetric collective excitations of many atoms. We consider the most important sources of error-imperfect exciton-photon coupling and photon losses-and demonstrate that the scheme is extremely robust against these processes: the required photon emission and collection efficiency threshold is #approx#>86%. Our scheme uses similar methods to those already demonstrated experimentally in the context of quantum repeater schemes and yet has information processing capabilities far beyond those proposals.
Manual drilling in titanium structures is a tedious and labor-intensive work. To reduce man-hour requirements while concurrently improving hole quality, we developed a robotic drilling system for this application. The lean system contains the product holding fixture, the industrial robot, the end effector, the control and sensor system, and the offline programming. The system functions include locating workpiece with a calibration stick or the vision system, weld mark inspection, one-sided clamping, drilling and reaming hole in material stack combinations of titanium and aluminum, and real-time thrust force feedback. The positional accuracy and the repeatability of the system have successfully been placed within the specification?s 0.3?mm tolerance and 0.2?mm tolerance, respectively. The d...
The effects of repeated low-level nerve agent exposure on animal performance and lethality are a major concern of USAF Medical Research. This concern has generated interest in the role that pretreatment drugs such as pyridostigmine may play during simultaneous exposure to soman. This role was investigated by recording lethality, weights, symptoms, and cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition in rats chronically exposed to 4 levels of soman (32, 39, 48 or 59 micrograms/kg/day) while simultaneously receiving 10.0 milligrams/kg/day pyridostigmine, 1.0 milligrams/kg/day pyridostigmine, or vehicle via an osmotic pump. No effect (either protective or detractive) was found in the soman-poisoned animals due to the presence or absence of pyridostigmine. However, rat blood biochemistry is different from that of the primate, warranting further study in the primate before extrapolation to man.
HCV infection continues to spread at an alarming rate among IDU populations. The available evidence suggests that HCV is acquired relatively quickly following onset of injection. However, there are few prospective studies of HCV acquisition, particularly among IDU populations in resource-poor settings. A sample of young male heroin injectors with recent onset of injection (<4?years) was recruited in Hanoi, Vietnam for a prospective assessment of the early course of injection (n?=?179). Both behavioral and biological assessments (including detailed retrospective assessment of injection initiation) were conducted at baseline and repeated at 6-month intervals for a period of 16?months. Variables associated with HCV infection (p value?p value?=?0.0005). In multivariate logistic regression anal...
Computed tomography (CT) of the neck and mediastinum was performed in 16 patients with renal osteodystrophy. Thirty out of 34 excised parathyroid glands weighing more than 500mg were diagnosed preoperatively (88.2%). Scintigraphy of the neck with _2_0_1TlCl and sup(99m)TcOsub(4-) was also performed in 15 patients. The introduction of subtraction method with a mini-computor in the scintigraphy has remarkably improved the visualization rate of parathyroid glands. Ultrasonic echography (US) of the neck which is able to obtain not only transverse butalso longitudinal imaging was done in 7 patients. It has about same detection rate of the glands with CT. The visualization of enlarged parathyroid glands is valuable not only for localization but also for undeniable evidence of hyperparathyroidism. Also, repeated follow-up examination can determine the effectiveness of conservative treatment. (author).
Abstract It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have d...
Introduction Postoperative alopecia is a relatively rare event, and therefore both patients and surgeons are puzzled once it develops even though it is said to improve spontaneously with time in most cases. We report a parieto-occipital pressure-induced alopecia firstly developed in a patient who had undergone repeated surgery for 10?years after a traffic accident. Case report A 29-year-old male underwent segmental osteotomy at the upper and lower frontal edentulous areas for distraction osteogenesis. Throughout the operation, he was in the supine position with the hair covered with a paper cap and the head on a plastic vinyl chloride-covered soft foam horseshoe-shaped urethane sponge placed on the horseshoe-shaped headrest. About 2?weeks after the surgery, two patches of parieto-occipital...
The fully depleted pn-junction charge coupled device (pn-CCD) has been developed as a detector for X-ray imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy for the X-ray satellite missions XMM and ABRIXAS. If the detector is exposed to a particle radiation environment, the energy resolution is degraded due to charge transfer losses and a dark current increase. In a first experiment, prototype devices were irradiated with 10 MeV protons. After completion of the detector development, the proton irradiation was repeated for a quantitative study of the radiation damage, relevant for the satellite missions. The irradiation test was extended by a 5.5 MeV {alpha}-particle and a 6 keV X-ray exposure of the pn-CCD, including the CAMEX preamplifier chip.
In this paper we present the results of time series analysis for a coal mining region based on partial unmixing. We test the method also known as mixture tuned matched filtering on an eight image Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ time series covering the period from 1987 to 2003. Common change detection methods often include the comparison of two interactively generated classification results, such as derived from Maximum Likelihood classification. These approaches often yield highly accurate results. However, disadvantages include a strong analyst bias and hardly repeatable results. For a quantitative monitoring of a single surface class' development over time they are often not recommendable. Our goal was to test an unbiased quantitative way to assess the development of coal surfaces, such...
A non-dissipative drift kinetic simulation scheme, which rigorously satisfies the time-reversibility, is applied to the three-mode coupling problem of the ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability. It is found from the simulation that the three-mode ITG system repeats growth and decay with a period which shows a logarithmic divergence for infinitesimal initial perturbations. Accordingly, time average of the mode amplitude vanishes, as the initial amplitude approaches to zero. An exact solution is analytically given for a class of initial conditions. An excellent agreement is confirmed between the analytical solution and numerical results. The results obtained here provide a useful reference for basic benchmarking of theories and simulation of the ITG modes. (author)
Monocelis lineata is a complex of cryptic species (three in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic) widespread in midlittoral habitats. Throughout the range, populations with or without an ocular pigmented shield are found. We investigated the genetic structure of the North-East Atlantic populations with the aim of shedding light on their phylogeography and reconstructing possible patterns of recolonization after the Wrmian glaciation. Fourteen samples were investigated using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 13 by inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). COI did not exhibit a clear pattern of decreased genetic diversity along a latitudinal gradient. Populations from Ferrol (Spain), Doolin (Ireland), and Helsingr (Denmark) showed a higher genetic variability, whereas a reduction in...
Grooving CVD diamond films using a focused ion beam (FIB) to quarry micro parts is described. The substrate-side surface of a polycrystalline diamond film which is prepared by means of microwave plasma CVD, is able to be grooved by a focused Ga ion beam scanned straight repeatedly. The groove has cross section whose shape is like an inverted Gaussian distribution curve. And the surface roughness of the films before grooved influences that of grooves. Under the same irradiation conditions, deeper, narrower, in short, high aspect ratio grooves are obtained on B-doped semiconducting microwave plasma CVD diamond films. Coating electrical conductive material is also effective method to obtain high aspect ratio grooves. It is supposed that these results are due to the degree of electrification on the surface and that FIB irradiation is a suitable method for micromachining semiconducting diamond films.
An investigation was made of the accumulation of laser damage to transparent polymers irradiated with nanosecond pulses from neodymium and ruby lasers. The damage was investigated by the method of scattering and luminescence in the visible and near ultraviolet parts of the spectrum. It was established that there were two stages in laser damage by repeated irradiation with pulses of intensity below the single-shot damage threshold. An absorbing defect evolved during the first stage in such a way as to create a thermal instability in the surrounding matrix. During the second stage this thermal instability caused spatial growth of laser damage because of propagation of an ionization-inducing absorption wave with a front traveling at the rate governed by the electron component of the thermal conductivity.
SR proteins are essential splicing factors whose function is controlled by multi-site phosphorylation of a C-terminal domain rich in arginine-serine repeats (RS domain). The protein kinase SRPK1 has been shown to polyphosphorylate the N-terminal portion of the RS domain (RS1) of the SR protein ASF/SF2, a modification that promotes nuclear entry of this splicing factor and engagement in splicing function. Later, dephosphorylation is required for maturation of the spliceosome and other RNA processing steps. While phosphates are attached to RS1 in a sequential manner by SRPK1, little is known about how they are removed. To investigate factors that control dephosphorylation, we monitored region-specific mapping of phosphorylation sites in ASF/SF2 as a function of the protein phosphatase PP1. W...
Materials and processing designs for advanced magnesium alloys with fine microstructures and superior properties were established by the combination of the repeated plastic working and the Mg{sub 2}Si synthesis in solid-state. The grain size was less than 1 {mu}m via RPW process due to its severe plastic working on raw powder. The hot extruded magnesium alloys produced in industries showed high ultimate tensile strength, e.g. 420{proportional_to}450 MPa, when employing Mg-Zn-Al-Ca-RE (Rare Earth) alloy coarse powder, having 0.5{proportional_to}2 mm diameter, as input materials. (orig.)
This paper focuses upon the workings of the electricity pool of England and Wales. Created as a generators` pool, with the twin objectives of preserving order-of-merit dispatch and setting marginal-cost pricing signals, it is now evident that the system may not provide an efficient market-clearing mechanism from the consumers` perspective. Thus, over the five years since its inception, there have been repeated calls to incorporate more explicitly demand-side pricing signals into the process. A number of official reviews and various consultants have looked at the issue and there have been trial periods of active demand-side bidding. This paper reviews that experience to date.
Carcinogenesis is now generally recognized to be an important detrimental effect in man after low dose irradiation. The carcinogenic action of ionizing radiation is clearly demonstrated after exposure to relatively high doses (in excess of 0.5 Gy) but for lower dose levels reliable direct observations are not available. With the introduction of special protocols for the performance of large scale screening programs by mammography the average absorbed dose in glandular tissue in the average breast can be restricted to a value of 3 mGy per mammogram. The risk for tumor induction after exposure to these low doses can never be established from human epidemiology. In order to investigate the risk of repeated exposure to small dose of ionizing radiation the induction of mammary tumors has been investigated in rats of the WAG/Rij strain after single and fractionated irradiations with gamma-rays. (author). 8 refs., 3 figs.
Vacuum pressure standards of the orifice-flow type require known gas flows of 10/sup -6/ mol/s (10/sup -2/ atm cm/sup 3//s at 0 /sup 0/C) and less. Known gas flows can also be used to calibrate ''standard'' leaks by comparing the pressures generated when flows from the leak and the flowmeter are alternately passed through a constant conductance. Two constant-pressure, piston displacement flowmeters developed at the National Bureau of Standards are described that can generate flows between 10/sup -6/ and 10/sup -10/ mol/s with an estimated uncertainty of 0.8% to 2%. Comparisons of the flowmeters with alternate calibration techniques, and repeated low-range leak and vacuum gauge calibrations, have been used to confirm the estimated uncertainty and random errors of the flowmeter.
Sensory stimuli are encoded differently across cortical layers and it is unknown how response characteristics relate to the morphological identity of responding cells. We therefore juxtasomally recorded action potential (AP) patterns from excitatory cells in layer (L) 2/3, L4, L5 and L6 of rat barrel cortex in response to a standard stimulus (e.g. repeated deflection of single whiskers in the caudal direction). Subsequent single-cell filling with biocytin allowed for post hoc identification of recorded cells. We report three major conclusions. First, sensory-evoked responses were layer- and cell-type-specific but always
Background: Thyroid-stimulating autoantibodies (TSAb) bind to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) extracellular domain, or ectodomain (ECD), comprising a leucine-rich repeat domain (LRD) linked by a hinge region to the transmembrane domain (TMD). The LRD (residues 22???260; signal peptide 1???21) contains two disulfide-bonded loops at its N-terminus. In the crystal structure of the isolated LRD complexed with human TSAb monoclonal antibody (mAb) M22, N-terminal disulfide loop 1 (residues 22???30) could not be determined because of crystal disorder. Nevertheless, present crystal structure data are interpreted to exclude a role for the LRD N-terminal disulfide loops in the TSAb epitope(s), contradicting prior functional evidence of a role for these loops in TSAb function. Materials and Methods: ...
Perceptions of sensation and pain in healthy people are believed to be the net result of sensory input and descending modulation from brainstem and cortical regions depending on emotional and cognitive factors. Here, the influence of attention on neural activity in the spinal cord during thermal sensory stimulation of the hand was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging by systematically varying the participants' attention focus across and within repeated studies. Attention states included (1) attention to the stimulus by rating the sensation and (2) attention away from the stimulus by performing various mental tasks of watching a movie and identifying characters, detecting the direction of coherently moving dots within a randomly moving visual field and answering mentally-...
Super light and high performance Mg{sub 2}Si/Mg composites, which had excellent mechanical properties, were developed via the combination of solid-state synthesis and hot extrusion process. In this study, cold compacting (CP) and repeated plastic working (RPW) were firstly carried out for the mixture of Mg-Si powders, and the refinement of both Mg grains and dispersoids. Each specimen was evaluated by observation of microstructure and tensile test. As a result, it was understood that Mg{sub 2}Si dispersoids were refined and dispersed into Mg matrix, and were flowed along extrusion direction. And their mechanical properties were higher than the conventional die casting alloys. Also the effect of RPW as the improvement of properties and the decrease of synthesis temperature were confirmed. (orig.)
Pd was deposited onto Si (111) 7x7 surface at approximately 700 K inside an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope. Plan-viewed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the islands have two kinds of shapes, round and rectangular (one-dimensional) ones. In a diffraction pattern for the rectangular islands, extra spots along the <110> direction of the Si surface, spacing of which is 1/8 times as long as that of Si (220) spots, were seen. A high resolution TEM image showed the corresponding superstructure in the rectangular islands. In situ observation of the growing process of the rectangular islands showed repeat of introduction and relief of strains during the growth, suggesting that such superstructure would be constructed by stacking compositionally different phases or introducing defects so that the periodically maximized strain is relieved.
Computer vision imposes unique requirements on the representation and manipulation of image data and knowledge. At a vision system's lowest level are sensors that represent an image with purely numeric image arrays, while at the highest level are semantic world models that provide the final interpretation of the scene. In between are thousands of intermediate descriptions, many of which must be repeatedly accessed and processed during interpretation. In this article, the authors describe a representation and management system for use at the intermediate (symbolic) level of vision. Based on database management methodology, the intermediate symbolic representation (ISR) mediates access to intermediate-level vision data and forms an active interface to the higher-level inference processes that construct an image's interpretation. The system supports important types of data and operations and can be adapted to the changing needs of ongoing research. ...
The gene encoding the human type I pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide receptor (ADCYAP1R1) was mapped to chromosome 7 by PCR analysis of genomic DNA from a human/rodent somatic cell hybrid mapping panel. This assignment was confirmed and the gene localized to chromosome band 7p14 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. A yeast artificial chromosome containing ADCYAP1R1 was identified in the CEPH {open_quotes}B{close_quotes} Mega-YAC library. This YAC includes two highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat sequences that will facilitate genetic studies of the contribution of ADCYAP1R1 in disease states of the central nervous and neuroendocrine systems. 13 refs., 1 fig.
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) offers label-free, optical absorption contrast. A high-speed, high-resolution PAM system in an inverted microscope configuration with a laser pulse repetition rate of 100,000 Hz and a stationary ultrasonic transducer was built. Four-dimensional in vivo imaging of microcirculation in mouse skin was achieved at 18 three-dimensional volumes per second with repeated two-dimensional raster scans of 100 by 50 points. The corresponding twodimensional B-scan (50 A-lines) frame rate was 1800 Hz, and the one-dimensional A-scan rate was 90,000 Hz. The lateral resolution is 0.23+/-0.03 ?m for Au nano-wire imaging, which is 2.0 times below the diffraction limit.
Occurrence of genetic variants during micropropagation is occasionally encountered when the cultures are maintained in vitro for long period. Therefore, the micropropagated multiple shoots of Vanilla planifolia Andrews developed from axillary bud explants established 10 years ago were used to determine somaclonal variation using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and intersimple sequence repeats markers (ISSR). One thousand micro-plants were established in soil of which 95 plantlets (consisting of four phenotypes) along with the mother plant were subjected to genetic analyses using RAPD and ISSR markers. Out of the 45 RAPD and 20 ISSR primers screened, 30 RAPD and 7 ISSR primers showed 317 clear, distinct and reproducible band classes resulting in a total of 30 115 bands. However, no ...
Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2c share identical amino acid sequences, except for a 46-amino acid domain in the extracellular region. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to KGFR have not been reported nor are commercially available. In this study, we generated murine MAbs specific to KGFR in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice using a modified Repeated Immunizations at Multiple Sites (RIMMS) technology. Stable cell lines expressing the full-length human KGFR or FGFR2c were produced to facilitate the identification of KGFR-specific MAbs. Following the initial screening of hybridoma clones with a fluorescence-based, confocal cell detection method and ELISA, KGFR-specific MAbs were selected and confirmed by flow cytometry and Western blot ...
We propose and analyze a novel regenerative amplifier free electron laser (FEL) to produce fully coherent x-ray pulses. The method makes use of narrow-bandwidth Bragg crystals to form an x-ray feedback loop around a relatively short undulator. Self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) from the leading electron bunch in a bunch train is spectrally filtered by the Bragg reflectors and is brought back to the beginning of the undulator to interact repeatedly with subsequent bunches in the bunch train. The FEL interaction with these short bunches not only amplifies the radiation intensity but also broadens its spectrum, allowing for effective transmission of the x-rays outside the crystal bandwidth. The spectral brightness of these x-ray pulses is about two to three orders of magnitude higher than that from a single-pass SASE FEL.
The abstract is additional with repect to the paper published in JGCD. Ordinary Earth satellites are usually placed into five categories of special orbits: sun-synchronous orbits, orbits at the critical inclination, frozen orbits, repeating ground track orbits, and geostationary orbits. This paper investigates their counterparts around Mars and examines the basic nature of these orbits, which are of special interest for missions conducted around Mars, including Mars reconnaissance. Mars' gravity field is much more complicated, with relatively smaller J2, compared to Earth's, which makes the behaviors of these Martian orbits different from those of Earth. Analytical formulations and numerical simulations are used to analyze these Martian orbits and compare them with their Earth counterparts. First, mean element theory is employed to describe variations of orbital elements and give the constraint conditions for achieving these special orbits. Then, numerical ...
A 65-yr-old female developed cough, fever and dyspnoea following repeated exposure to a home ultrasonic humidifier. High-resolution computed tomography showed ground-glass opacity in both lung fields. Arterial blood gas analysis gave an oxygen tension of 8.38 kPa (63 Torr). Pulmonary function testing revealed restrictive ventilatory impairment with a reduction in the diffusing capacity. The diagnosis of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) was confirmed by radiographic findings, pathological evidence of alveolitis and reproductive development by a provocation test to the humidifier water. The yeast Debaryomyces Hansenii was the only microorganism cultured from the water of the humidifier. The double diffusion precipitating test and lymphocyte proliferative response was positive for an extract of D. Hansenii, providing evidence to incriminate this fungus. This is the first described case of EAA caused by D. Hansenii. PMID:12449192
A test bench was designed and assembled to carry out impact tests on samples and components. The system allows simple and rapid adjustment of the test parameters, such as the shot size and air pressure, with good repeatability of the results. Tests on steel and light alloys were carried out under both as-produced condition and on thin hard-coated samples. Significant reductions in dimple dimensions were seen after coating. FE models simulating the experiments overestimated the dimple depths, although the parameter trend was satisfactorily captured. The residual stresses from coating and shot peening determined numerically are believed to have been proven effective against fatigue.
To evaluate the usefulness of portable chest radiographs by Fuji computed radiography (FCR) in ICU, FCR radiographs of 56 patients who were admitted to General Intensive Care Unit of Keio University Hospital were compared with the conventional portable images. Because FCR could show two differently processed images in one film and allowed a wide range of image reproduction, visualization of the trachea, bone soft tissues and catheters by FCR was easier than that by the conventional radiography. Repeated radiographs by FCR had similar optical densities and limited exposure errors. Furthermore, radiation was reduced than that of the conventional radiography. In conclusion, FCR is thought to be a useful technique for portable chest radiography in ICU patients. (author).
To evaluate the usefulness of portable chest radiographs by Fuji computed radiography (FCR) in ICU, FCR radiographs of 56 patients who were admitted to General Intensive Care Unit of Keio University Hospital were compared with the conventional portable images. Because FCR could show two differently processed images in one film and allowed a wide range of image reproduction, visualization of the trachea, bone soft tissues and catheters by FCR was easier than that by the conventional radiography. Repeated radiographs by FCR had similar optical densities and limited exposure errors. Furthermore, radiation was reduced than that of the conventional radiography. In conclusion, FCR is thought to be a useful technique for portable chest radiography in ICU patients. (author).
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is employed to study the changes in enthalpy of natural rubber latex samples when heated under a controlled temperature program. It is found that the mass normalized areas of the DSC curves between room temperature and 170??C for different latex samples are inversely proportional to the dry rubber content (DRC) of the samples, measured following the weighing and drying method. The changes in total enthalpy of the samples in this temperature range are interpreted as due to the variations in the quantity of water present in the samples. The measurements have been repeated by diluting selected samples with known quantities of water, and it is found that the normalized areas of the DSC curves are directly proportional to the amount of water added to the ...
Abstract Mammalian teeth exhibit incremental structures representing successive forming fronts of enamel at varying time scales, including a short daily increment called a cross striation and a long period called a stria of Retzius, the latter of which, in humans, occurs on average every 8-9 days. The number of daily increments between striae is called the repeat interval, which is the same period as that required to form one increment of bone, i.e. the lamella, the fundamental - if not archetypal - unit of bone. Lamellae of known formation time nevertheless vary in width, and thus their measures provide time-calibrated growth rate variability. We measured growth rate variability for as many as 6 years of continuously forming primary incremental lamellar bone from midshaft femur histologic...
It is the intention of this paper to point to some of the problems due to molecular motion and to suggest a few solutions to those problems. A few examples will be presented of model systems which demonstrate the effects of motion on the NMR spectroscopy and a very qualitative example of severe spectral distortion in fulvic acids will be shown. In the following discussions we will use concepts derived from the oft repeated thermodynamic picture shown in figure 1. When dealing with a homogeneous, pure compound this picture is sufficient but in a heterogeneous mixture, it is likely that there will be different compounds and different domains all with slightly different versions of figure 1 with poor thermodynamic contact between them. Thus optimal conditions for cross polarization in one domain may be totally inappropriate for another. 59 refs., 10 figs.
The Environmental Management System (EMS) is an instrument to manage the interaction between the organization and the environment. The scope od EMS is to reduce the environmental impact and to achieve improvements in overall performances. In particular, the focus point of EMS implementation is the method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects. The results of the literature and regulation reviews (Perotto 2006) have shown that rigourous repeatable and transparent methodologies do not exist. This paper presents a proposal method for identifying and assessing significant environmental aspects, that has all three of these important characteristics. In particular, the proposal methodology for assessing aspects is based on some criteria that are combined in a specific algorithm. It is important to specify that to make a correct application of the method a preliminary rigorous approach to investigating the environment and the activities of ...
After having discussed the peculiarities of children in X-ray diagnosis the application of the effective as well as the mean equivalent doses as to the determination of the radiation exposure in children is represented. In using computerized tomograms to determine position and extent of an organ the exposure by repeated X-raying was calculated referring to the entrance dose. Entrance dose measurements for all types of X-ray examination in hospitals and ascertainments of the frequency of radiograms in 20 X-ray departments were used to determine per capita and collective doses, resp., in several age groups. Alltogether, the per capita dose of children in the GDR amounts to 30% of that of adults. Conclusions were drawn as to taking measures to further reduction of radiation exposure: (1) Technical measures, such as positioning of patients, shielding of organs, quality assurance; (2) elaboration of regulations concerning the execution of X-raying in children and ...
Background: Superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flap has a great advantage over other flaps of the area, that is, readily non-existent donor-site problems. The main reason why the SIEA flap has never been extensively used in breast reconstruction is the small diameter and variable anatomy of its donor artery. This study presents a possibility of enlarging the SIEA diameter using the delay-phenomenon mechanism. Methods: A prospective clinical study of 26 patients was undertaken. Prior to surgery, ultrasound examinations were performed, measuring the diameter of SIEA and the velocity of blood flow in SIEA. The ipsilateral deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA) was then ligated in all patients who had a measurable SIEA preoperatively. Two weeks later, measurements were repeated. The...
A 33-year-old male of proven fertility suffered six attacks of malaria while resident in an African country. For this he received anti-malarial drugs. Semen analysis performed after the fourth attack, and repeated during the following 2 years after his return to Israel, revealed severe oligozoospermia, necrozoospermia and occasionally even azoospermia. Immunological examination of the patient revealed an inverse ratio of T-cell subsets and mast cell degranulation in response to palludrin. Twenty-five months after the last attack of malaria a significant improvement was found in semen quality and there was an increase in the ratio of T-helper to T-suppressor cytotoxic cells. These observations indicate that although malaria and its treatment may affect spermatogenesis, recovery may be expected eventually. PMID:3500921
FELs require tight control of the amplitudes and phase of the fields in two linear accelerator tanks to obtain stable lasing. The accelerator control loops must establish constant, stable, repeatable amplitudes and phases of the rf fields and must have excellent bandwidth to control high-frequency noise components. A model of the feedback loops has been developed that agrees well with measurements and allows easy substitution of components and circuits, thus reducing breadboarding requirements. The model permits both frequency and time-domain analysis. The accelerator control scheme and model are described and the control of noise in feedback loops is discussed, showing how low-frequency-noise components (errors) can be corrected, but high-frequency-noise components (errors) are actually amplified by the feedback circuit. Measurements of noise in both open- and closed-loop modes is shown and comparison is made with results from the model calculations.
Summary Large body size hinders locomotor performance in ways that may lead to trade-offs in predator foraging ability that limit the net predatory benefit of larger size. For example, size-related improvements in handling prey may come at the expense of pursuing prey and thus negate any enhancement in overall predatory performance due to increasing size. This hypothesis was tested with longitudinal data from repeated observations of 94 individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Wolf size was estimated from an individually based sex-specific growth model derived from body mass measurements of 304 wolves. Larger size granted individual wolves a net predatory advantage despite substantial variation in its effect on the performance ...
A new subcarrier combining technique is proposed for MC -CDMA receiver in mobile Rayleigh fading channel. It exploits the structure formed by repeating spreading sequences of users on different subcarriers to simultaneously suppress multiple access interference (MAI) and provide implicit channel tracking without any knowledge of the channel amplitudes or training sequences. This is achieved by adaptively weighting each subcarrier in each symbol period by employing a simple gradient descent algorithm to meet the constant modulus (CM) criterion with judicious selection of step-size. Improved BER and user capacity performance are shown with similar complexity in order of O(N) compared with conventional maximum ratio combining and equal gain combining techniques even under high channel Doppler rates.
On 10 dialysis patients we performed 12 balloon dilatations, 2 catheter lyses, 6 stent implants (Palmaz stent) and one atherectomy of central venous stenoses or occlusions (v. subclavia, v. brachiocephalica) at the shunt arm of the patient. The primary success rate was, in balloon PTA and lysis, 12/14 interventions, and in stent placement and atherectomy 7/7. The angiographical and clinical primary result after stent implantation was significantly better than after conventional dilatation. After 66% of the balloon dilatations recidivation occurred within the first year; this can be treated by means of repeated PTA. Whether long-term exclusion of recurrence can be achieved by stent implantation, must be established by means of follow-up studies that are at present in progress. (orig.).
Assembly of icosahedral capsids of proper size and symmetry is not understood. Residue F170 in bacteriophage P22 coat protein is critical for conformational switching during assembly. Substitutions at this site cause assembly of tubes of hexamerically arranged coat protein. Intragenic suppressors of the ts phenotype of F170A and F170K coat protein mutants were isolated. Suppressors were repeatedly found in the coat protein telokin-like domain at position 285, which caused coat protein to assemble into petite procapsids and capsids. Petite capsid assembly strongly correlated to the side chain volume of the substituted amino acid. We hypothesize that larger side chains at position 285 torque the telokin-like domain, changing flexibility of the subunit and intercapsomer contacts. Thus, a sing...
The objective of the present work is to study the chemical variation in Calophyllum inophyllum growing along the Western Ghats of India. Contents of dipyranocoumarins (inophyllums) in C.?inophyllum were determined to assess whether they could be used as a taxonomic marker for C.?inophyllum. This study also aims to establish inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers that can be used to study genetic variation within the species and explore correlation between ISSR and chemical markers. The contents of dipyranocoumarins were estimated in seeds collected from 20 locations. Leaves from plants at the same 20 locations were assayed for ISSR variation. A dendrogram based on Nei?s genetic distance as well as principal component analysis based on dipyranocoumarins and ISSR variation clustered pla...
Purpose To evaluate the methods of applicator reconstruction in 3D MR-based planning for brachytherapy of cervical cancer, and to investigate applicator shifts and changes in DVH parameters during PDR treatment. Methods For each application MR scans with applicator in situ were made: three T2-weighted (4.5mm slices) Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) scans and a balanced Steady State Free Precession scan (1.5mm). Three observers tested two applicator reconstruction methods: (A) directly on the bSSFP scan and (B) on a resampled combination of the three T2-weighted scans. For 10 patients MR imaging was repeated on the second day of each PDR fraction to determine applicator shifts and changes in DVH parameters. Results For both applicator reconstruction methods the interobserver variation for the DVH para...
Fifty-nine patients underwent free flap osteocutaneous reconstruction that consisted of flaps of the dorsum of the foot in 26 patients and iliac crest flaps in 33 with a success rate of 92 percent and a mortality rate of 1.6 percent. These flaps, which require the expertise of microvascular surgeons, are time-consuming and complicate operating room and time management, but they represent a remarkable advance in reconstruction that can facilitate cosmetic and functional recovery of the patient. In particular, they promote healing in radiation-recurrent oral cancer and represent a definitive form of management for established radionecrosis of the mandible. The large volume of tissue available with iliac crest osteocutaneous grafts permits the management of patients with extensive cancer involving the skin, mucosa, and bone, but cancer control may still be disappointing and there is a need for improved adjuvant chemotherapy protocols. This technique appears to be a dependable, ...
A 21-year-old woman developed midesophageal stricture two weeks after ingestion of aluminium phosphide (AlP) tablets. Aluminium phosphide is a lethal protoplasmic toxin and is also the most common cause of suicidal poisoning in northern India. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) showed a tight esophageal stricture 29?cm from the incisors with a circumferential ulcer. Dilatation up to 17?mm was done using Savary-Gilliard dilators. She had repeated dilatations three times at nearly two-week intervals. In view of the resistant stricture, a silicone Polyflex stent was placed across the stricture and removed after 3?months; there was no recurrence of stricture even after three months of follow-up. Patients with recurrent esophageal stricture and those with fistula may benefit from silicone ...
Modeling artificial scanning electron microscope (SEM) and scanning ion microscope images has recently become important. This is because of the need to provide repeatable images with a priori determined parameters. Modeled artificial images are highly useful in the evaluation of new imaging and metrological techniques, like image-sharpness calculation, or drift-corrected image composition (DCIC). Originally, the NIST-developed artificial image generator was designed only to produce the SEM images of gold-on-carbon resolution sample for image-sharpness evaluation. Since then, the new improved version of the software was written in C++ programming language and is in the Public Domain. The current version of the software can generate arbitrary samples, any drift function, and many other features. This work describes scanning in charged-particle microscopes, which is applied both in the artificial image generator and the DCIC technique. As an example, the performance ...
Experiments have been reported previously in which lead-212 ions with lead carrier were instilled into the lungs of anaesthetised rabbits. Experiments were also reported in which bismuth-207 chloride was instilled into rabbit lung. To check that the chloride compound was cleared in the same way as ions instilled in isolation, lead-203 chloride has been instilled in three rabbits. Measurements of absorption of ionic lead have been repeated using the radon-222 daughter, lead-214. Rates of clearance from the lung of "2"0"3Pb as the chloride and "2"1"2Pb ions are compared, and retention functions are derived. Clearance from the lung of "2"1"4Pb ions is also shown, and retention functions are derived. (U.K.).
A computational environment, as a set of MapleV R.3 routines for doing symbolic calculations in Quantum Field Theory, is presented. The Q F T package`s routines extend the standard MapleV computational domain by introducing representations for anti commutative and noncommutative objects, tensors, spinors and gauge fields, as well as related objects and procedures (Dirac matrices, differential operators, functional differentiation w.r.t indexed fields, sum rule for repeated indices, etc.). Furthermore, the Q F T routines permit the user-definition of algebra rules for the commutation/ anti commutation of operators, to be taken into account during the calculations. (author) 2 refs.
Magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate is a novel agent of antimyocardial ischaemia. In the present study, the subchronic toxicity of magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate was investigated after 13-week repeated intravenous administration in beagle dogs. The animals received doses of 0, 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg/day (three males and three females for each dose). During the study period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, electrocardiogram, urinalysis, haematology, clinical biochemistry, macroscopic findings, organ weights and histopathology were examined. The administration of magnesium fructose-1,6-diphosphate resulted in increased incidence of clinical signs, including salivation and emesis. These effects were transient and were noted in almost all dogs given 300 mg/kg/day a...
The response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH),a sulphate-reducing bacterium, to nitrate stress was examined usingquantitative proteomic analysis. DvH was stressed with 105 m M sodiumnitrate(NaNO3), a level that caused a 50 percent inhibition in growth.The protein profile of stressed cells was compared with that of cellsgrown in the absence of nitrate using the iTRAQ peptide labellingstrategy and tandem liquid chromatography separation coupled with massspectrometry (quadrupoletime-of-flight) detection. A total of 737 uniqueproteins were identified by two or more peptides, representing 22 percentof the total DvH proteome and spanning every functional category. Theresults indicate that this was a mild stress, as proteins involved incentral metabolism and the sulphate reduction pathway were unperturbed.Proteins involved in the nitrate reduction pathway increased. Increasesseen in transport systems for proline, glycine^ betaineandglutamateindicate that the ...
An update of Toronto Hydro's smart metering program was presented. Electricity demand is expected to keep increasing, and there is presently insufficient generation to match supply needs in Ontario. The smart metering program was introduced to aid in the Ontario government's energy conservation strategy, as well as to address peak supply problems that have led to power outages. It is expected that the smart metering program will reduce provincial peak supply by 5 per cent, as the meters support both time-of-use rates and critical peak pricing. Over 800,000 smart meters will be supplied to customers by 2007, and all 4.3 million homes in Toronto will have a smart meter by 2010. In order to meet targets for 2010, the utility will continue to install more 15,000 meters each month for the next 4 years. While the Ontario government has planned and coordinated the rollout and developed smart metering specifications and standards, Toronto Hydro is responsible for the ...
This short survey focuses on the main radiation-induced base lesions that have been identified within cellular DNA. For this purpose, sensitive assays that are aimed at measuring a few modifications per 10{sup 7} normal bases were set-up. In that respect high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (CLHP-MS/MS) was found to be able to single out the formation of 9 oxidized nucleosides and two modified nucleo-bases out of the 70 oxidative base lesions that have been identified in model systems. As a striking result, it was found that in the DNA of {gamma}-irradiated human monocytes, the formamide-pyrimidine derivative of guanine is produced in a higher yield than the ubiquitous 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-guanine damage, both arising from the same radical precursor. However, relatively high doses of ionizing radiation (> 20 Gy) have to be applied in order to detect an increase in the level of the damage. This is due to the low efficiency for both ...
Three- and four-junction III-V devices are proposed for ultrahigh-efficiency solar cells using a new 1-eV material lattice-matched to GaAs, namely, GaInNAs. We demonstrate working prototypes of a GaInNAs-based solar cell lattice-matched to GaAs with photoresponse down to 1 eV. Under the AM1.5 direct spectrum with all the light higher in energy than the GaAs band gap filtered out, the prototypes grown with base doping of about 10{sup 17}&hthinsp;cm{sup {minus}3} have open-circuit voltages ranging from 0.35 to 0.44 V, short-circuit current densities of 1.8 mA/cm{sup 2}, and fill factors from 61{percent} to 66{percent}. To improve on the current record-efficiency tandem GaInP/GaAs solar cell by adding a GaInNAs junction, the short-circuit current density of this 1-eV cell must be significantly increased. Because these low short-circuit current densities are due to short diffusion lengths, we have demonstrated a depletion-width-enhanced variation of one of the ...
Observations are presented that link extratropical Rossby wave disturbances excited in the Southern Hemisphere subtropical jet to the initiation of convectively coupled Kelvin waves in the Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) during austral winter. A baroclinic, zonal wavenumber 6, eastward-propagating Rossby wave train in the subtropical jet turns northeastward in the vicinity of Australia, inducing upper tropospheric divergence and vertical motion fields that spread equatorward and induce cloudiness anomalies in the Tropics. Lower tropospheric pressure surges excited from the extratropics also induce Kelvin wave-like geopotential height and temperature anomalies at the surface, providing additional lower tropospheric convergence and vertical motion forcing. The tropical outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and circulation fields propagate eastward in tandem with the extratropical Rossby wave train at approximately 17 m s-1. Kelvin wave activity in the ...
In the 14 MeV Neutron Laboratory, we have continued the development of a facility that is now the only one of its kind in operation in the United States. We have refined the klystron bunching system described in last year's report to the point that 1.2 nanosecond pulses have been directly measured. We have tested the pulse shape discrimination capability of our primary NE 213 neutron detector. We have converted the RF sweeper section of the beamline to a frequency of 1 MHz to replace the function of the high voltage pulser described in last year's report which proved to be difficult to maintain and unreliable in its operation. We have also overcome several other significant experimental difficulties, including a major problem with a vacuum leak in the main accelerator column. We have completed additional testing to prove the remainder of the generation and measurement systems, but overcoming some of these experimental difficulties has delayed the start of actual data ...
This report presents and discusses results from Task 5 of the study ''Fate of Mercury in Synthetic Gypsum Used for Wallboard Production,'' performed at a full-scale commercial wallboard plant. Synthetic gypsum produced by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems on coal-fired power plants is commonly used in the manufacture of wallboard. The FGD process is used to control the sulfur dioxide emissions which would result in acid rain if not controlled. This practice has long benefited the environment by recycling the FGD gypsum byproduct, which is becoming available in increasing quantities, decreasing the need to landfill this material, and increasing the sustainable design of the wallboard product. However, new concerns have arisen as recent mercury control strategies developed for power plants involve the capture of mercury in FGD systems. The objective of this study is to determine whether any mercury is released into the atmosphere when the ...
A precise technique for studying coal liquefaction in a 200 cc stirred-batch-autoclave has been developed. Reaction pressures of up to 4000 psig and temperatures of up to 850/sup 0/F can be employed. The slurry temperature in the autoclave is controlled within 2/sup 0/F by raising or lowering the autoclave which is partially submerged in a sandbath; hence the name: Variable Submergence Temperature Control (VaSTeC). Heatup and cooldown are achieved in 5 and 2 minutes, respectively. A mini-scale vacuum distillation procedure was developed for measurement of 1000/sup 0/F-distillate with a repeatability of 0.3%. About 99% material balance is routinely obtained in the autoclave runs. The following yield repeatabilities have been demonstrated (MAF coal basis):H/sub 2/ cons. (0.1%), C/sub 1/ to C/sub 3/ gas (0.3%), C/sub 4/-1000/sup 0/F distillate (2.4%), and unconverted carbon (0.5%). The autoclave can simulate the yield slate of the thermal ...
Wasaga Distribution Inc. is located on Georgian Bay in one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario. It has a customer base of 10,400 residential customers in a service territory of 61 square kilometres. This presentation outlined Wasaga's experience with the Itron fixed network 2.0 RF Centron IDM meter. It outlined the dataflow features and capabilities of the meter in terms electricity endpoints, repeaters, and neighbourhood collectors. The repeater is designed to capture ERT IDM reads and retransmit at a higher power. The meter is also designed to reduce the number of cell control units (CCU) necessary to cover an area. The meter sleeve design allows for simple and cost effective installation, and has a bandwidth capable of over 3000 reads per second. The Itron CCU4 is a listening receiver that captures ERT reads and transmits the data to the utilities. It has a battery back up that lasts 4 hours in case of a power outage. It ...
(3H)Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without any significant ...
[3H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without any significant ...
The present study deals with two subjects. The first one is to determine the thermal properties of lauric acid (LA)-stearic acid (SA), myristic acid (MA)-palmitic acid (PA) and palmitic acid (PA)-stearic acid (SA) eutectic mixtures as latent heat storage material. The properties were measured by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis technique. The second one is to study the thermal reliability of these materials in view of the change in their melting temperatures and latent heats of fusion with respect to repeated thermal cycles. For this aim, the eutectic mixtures were subjected to 360 repeated melt/freeze cycles, and their thermal properties were measured after 0, 90,1 80 and 360 thermal cycles by the technique of DSC analysis. The DSC thermal analysis results show that the binary systems of LA-SA in the ratio of 75.5:24.5 wt.%, MA-PA in the ratio of 58:42 wt.% and PA-SA in the ratio of 64.2:35.8 wt.% form eutectic mixtures ...
The Pequop Mountains (PM), Wood Hills (WH) and East Humboldt Range (EHR), NE Nevada, provide evidence that the hinterland of the Sevier thrust belt experienced large-magnitude Mesozoic shortening ([>=]55 km) and crustal thickening ([>=] 30 km). These ranges expose a structurally continuous crustal cross section of unmetamorphosed to high pressure upper amphibolite facies Triassic to Precambrian miogeoclinal strata. This sequence lies structurally beneath unmetamorphosed extensional klippen that omit metamorphic grade and crustal section, but also repeat stratigraphic units. Because they repeat stratigraphic units, the underlying miogeoclinal section, or footwall, must have once lain beneath a thrust fault (herein named the Windermere thrust). The footwall of the Windermere thrust was exhumed by two generations of top-to-the-W-NW low-angle normal faults that are distinguished by whether they are depositionally overlapped by Eocene volcanic ...
This study was intended to help explain individual differences in susceptibility to irritant effects of ozone (O3), by determining whether prior ambient O3 exposures and/or recent acute respiratory illness modified response to laboratory O3 exposures. Response was measured in terms of lung function changes and irritant symptoms. Initially, 59 adult volunteer Los Angeles area residents underwent screening exposures in spring, before the season of frequent high ambient O3 levels. Unusually responsive and nonresponsive individuals (N = 12 and 13 respectively) underwent followup exposures in autumn (late in the high-O3 season) and in winter (low-O3 season). All exposures were to 0.18 ppm O3 for 2 hr with intermittent heavy exercise at 31 degrees C and 35% relative humidity. Nonresponders tended to remain nonresponsive throughout. In fall, responders had lost much of their reactivity, as if they had adapted to summer ambient O3 exposures. They did not regain reactivity by winter. Clinical ...
Coilguns have demonstrated their capability to launch projectiles to 1 km/s, and there is interest in their application for long-range precision strike weapons. However, the incorporation of cooling systems for repetitive operation will impact the mechanical design and response of the future coils. To assess the impact of such changes, an evaluation of the ruggedness and reliability of the existing 50 mm bore coil designed in 1993 was made by repeatedly testing at stress levels associated with operation in a coilgun. A two-coil testbed has been built with a static projectile where each coil is energized by its own capacitor bank. Simulation models of the applied forces generated in this testbed have been created with the SLINGSHOT circuit code to obtain loads equivalent to the worst-case anticipated in a 50 mm coilgun that could launch a 236 g projectile to 2 km/s. Bench measurements of the seven remaining coils built in 1993 have been used to evaluate which coils ...
Understanding the mechanical properties of biomedical devices is critical in predicting and preventing their failure in the body. Such knowledge is essential, for example, in the design of biomedical stents, which must undergo repeated strain over their ten year lifetimes without breaking. Computational models are used to predict mechanical response of a device, but these models are not complete; there are significant deviations from the predictions, especially when devices are subjected to repeated multi-axial loads. Improving these models requires comparisons with actual measurements of strained nitinol. Local measurements of the full strain tensor can be made using X-ray diffraction techniques, but they are currently limited to materials whose grain size is larger than the X-ray beam size or require several diffraction patterns produced by rotation of the sample. Nitinol stents are nanocrystalline, with grains smaller than any available ...
Repeated exposure to cold air reduces the metabolic response to cold air exposure in man. The purpose of this investigation was to measure the change in resting metabolic rate (RMR) with exposure to 22C air and 4C air during a 12 day period. Four women sat in 22C air for 45 min followed by 45 min in 4C air each day for ten days. The authors measured RMR during a 45 min period in 22C air followed by 45 min in 4C air on four days. All subjects began their morning exposures on a Monday within 2 days of the onset of menses completing the study on a Friday, 12 days later. Subjects dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and cotton socks. During 45 min of exposure to warm air, RMR remained steady at 10% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 1 and 10% on Day 5. RMR during exposure to warm air significantly increased to 13% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 8 and remained elevated at 13% on Day 12. During exposure to cold air RMR peaked at 31% of CO{sub 2peak} by the 5th min on Day 1. Peak RMR on Day 5 was ...
A fermentation waste, Corynebacterium glutamicum, was successfully employed as a biosorbent for Reactive Black 5 (RB5) from aqueous solution. This paper initially studied the effect of pretreatment on the biosorption capacity of C. glutamicum toward RB5, using several chemical agents, such as HCl, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}, HNO{sub 3}, NaOH, Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, CaCl{sub 2} and NaCl. Among these reagents, 0.1 M HNO{sub 3} gave the maximum enhancement of the RB5 uptake, exhibiting 195 mg/g at pH 1 with an initial RB5 concentration of 500 mg/l. The solution pH and temperature were found to affect the biosorption capacity, and the biosorption isotherms derived at different pHs and temperatures revealed that a low pH (pH 1) and high temperature (35 deg. C) favored biosorption. The biosorption isotherm was well represented using three-parameter models (Redlich-Peterson and Sips) compared to two-parameter models (Langmuir and Freundlich models). As a result, high correlation ...
The Procedure determining the concentrations of total rare earth and their determination with a new reagent, tribromochlorophosphonazo (CPA-tB), that is 7-[1-(2, 4, 6-tribromo-phenyl) azo]-2-[1-(2-phosphono-4-chloro-phenyl) azo]-chromotropic acid, in high-level liquid waste and some characters of CPA-tB are studied. CPA-tB and its complexes of rare earth elements are stable in the glycol-H_2O system. Adding glycol shifts the absorption spectrum to left and increases the molar extinction coefficient. The molar extinction coefficients are respectively 7.16 x 10"4 (Y), 11.9 x 10"4 (La), 11.7 x 10"4 (Ce, Pr), 11.9 x 10"4 (Nd), 11.6 x 10"4 (Sm, Eu), 11.4 x 10"4 (Gd) and 11.4 x 10"4 (RE) in the glycol-H_2C_2O_4-H_3PO_4-H_2O system at 643 nm. Th interferes severely the determination of total rare earth, and other elements, U(<100 #mu#g), Al(<20 #mu#g), Fe(<400 #mu#g), Ni,Zr(<100 #mu#g respectively) and some anions, MoO_4"2"- (<2800 #mu#g), EDTA(<20 mg), ...
Different technological procedures used for the chemical mining of uranium differ for one thing with a level of the deposit exploitation and for another with the expenditures. It is necessary to find out the highest acceptable value of the costs per unit of production - limit unit costs. This criterion serves both for selection of the minable parts of deposit, and for determination of the exploitation level of the deposit parts. The paper describes a calculation of the costs and their decomposition into the fixed and variable costs. An evaluation of the different variants of the deposit exploitation is based on the variable costs, expressed in the dependence on the parameters of technological procedure. These parameters are either primary, e.g. density of the wells or dosage of reagents, or secondary, e.g. the uranium production. A relation between primary and secondary variables is defined by the technological models. The first economic optimization calculations ...
As a result of the large limestone deposits available in Poland, the low cost of reagent acquisition for the largescale technological use and relatively well-documented processes of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies based on limestone sorbent slurry, wet scrubbing desulfurization is a method of choice in Poland for flue gas treatment in energy production facilities, including power plants and industrial systems. The efficiency of FGD using the above method depends on several technological and kinetic parameters, particularly on the pH value of the sorbent (i.e., ground limestone suspended in water). Consequently, many studies in Poland and abroad address the impact of various parameters on the pH value of the sorbent suspension, such as the average diameter of sorbent particles (related to the limestone pulverization degree), sorbent quality (in terms of pure calcium carbonate [CaCO3] content of the sorbent material), stoichiometric surfeit of CaCO3 in ...
Coal liquefaction investigations required the availability of model compounds for mechanistic investigations. Towards this end, IITRI was funded to develop an approach for the synthesis of one of the target compound. This study was carried out in several phases as outlined here. Initial synthetic investigations on obtaining 2-tetrolol was carried out using high pressure and temperature reduction with Raney nickel catalyst. The next step consisted in incorporation of a hydroxymethyelene group at the C-3 position. This was successfully carried out utilizing 2-tetrolol, formaldehyde, and calcium oxide. An alternate improved method was developed using 3-carboxyl-2-naphthol. This required less time, gave a cheer product in higher yield. Efforts at the introduction of a chloromethylene group only yielded polymeric material or starting material in spite of protection the phenolic group by various groups. They synthesis of 3, 5-dimethyl-6- bromobenzyl chloride was successfully carried out by ...
Coal liquefaction investigations required the availability of model compounds for mechanistic investigations. Towards this end, IITRI was funded to develop an approach for the synthesis of one of the target compound. This study was carried out in several phases as outlined here. Initial synthetic investigations on obtaining 2-tetrolol was carried out using high pressure and temperature reduction with Raney nickel catalyst. The next step consisted in incorporation of a hydroxymethyelene group at the C-3 position. This was successfully carried out utilizing 2-tetrolol, formaldehyde, and calcium oxide. An alternate improved method was developed using 3-carboxyl-2-naphthol. This required less time, gave a cheer product in higher yield. Efforts at the introduction of a chloromethylene group only yielded polymeric material or starting material in spite of protection the phenolic group by various groups. They synthesis of 3, 5-dimethyl-6- bromobenzyl chloride was successfully carried out by ...
One approach in the design of neutral oxotechnetium complexes is based on the simultaneous substitution of a tridentate dianionic ligand and a monodentate monoanionic coligand on a [Tc(V)O]"+"3 precursor. Following this ''mixed ligand'' concept, a novel "9"9"mTc complex with N,N-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-N'N'-diethylethylenediamine as ligand and 1-octanethiol as coligand is prepared and evaluated as potential brain radiopharmaceutical. Preparation of the complex at tracer level was accomplished by using "9"9"mTc-glucoheptonate as precursor. The substitution was optimized and a coligand/ligand ratio of 5 was selected. Under this conditions the labeling yield was over 80% and a major product (with radiochemical purity > 80%) was isolated by HPLC methods and used for biological evaluation. Chemical characterization at carrier level was developed using the corresponding rhenium complex as structural model. The Re complex was also prepared by substitution method and isolated as a crystalline ...
Full text: HMPAO, a butane monoxime derivative of propylene amine and ECD, ethyl cysteinate dimer, are currently being used as brain imaging agents. In an effort to develop new radiopharmaceuticals for imaging brain, we have synthesized amine and imine derivatives of ethyl cysteinate with butane monoxime, optimized labelling procedure with "9"9"mTc and studied the in vivo behaviour of their "9"9"mTc complexes. Imine derivative of ethyl cysteinate with butane monoxime was synthesized by refluxing equimolar amounts of butane monoxime and ethyl cystinate in dry benzene for 3 hours. The product was purified over silica with 10% ethyl acetate in chloroform as eluent. Amine derivative was prepared by reducing the imine derivative with sodium borohydride. The ligands were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and were found to be pure. The ligands were labelled with "9"9"mTc using stannous chloride as reducing agent. The complexes were characterized by paper chromatography, paper electrophoresis ...
The sequence segment 181-200 of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) #alpha#subunit forms a binding site for #alpha#-bungarotoxin (#alpha#-BTX). Synthetic peptides corresponding to the homologous sequences of human, calf, mouse, chicken, frog, and cobra muscle nAChR #alpha#1 subunits were tested for their ability to bind "1"2"5I-#alpha#-BTX, and differences in #alpha#-BTX affinity were determined by using solution (IC_5_0s) and solid-phase (K_ds) assays. Panels of overlapping peptides corresponding to the complete #alpha#1 subunit of mouse and human were also tested for #alpha#-BTX binding, but other sequence segments forming the #alpha#-BTX site were not consistently detectable. The role of a putative vicinal disulfide bound between Cys-192 and -193, relative to the Torpedo sequence, was determined by modifying the peptides with sulfhydryl reagents. Reduction and alkylation of the peptides decreased #alpha#-BTX binding, whereas oxidation of the ...
Tumor-targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAb) might be useful as diagnostic or therapeutic agents when linked to cytotoxic or imaging reagents. Our group is working to test this hypothesis by linking cytocidal and image-producing isotopes to mAb and testing the utility of the radioimmunoconjugates formed in animal model systems. Radioiodines were first employed for these purposes,but unfavorable nuclear properties (half-lives, #gamma#-ray and #beta#-particle energies) and chemical reactivity (deiodination in vivo) limit their utility. Labeling immunoproteins with metallic radionuclides offers more versatility in that the selection of potentially useful radiometals spans the periodic table.Of the metallic radionuclides with physical properties most suited for use with mAb in nuclear medicine, few are more available or desirable than those of bismuth ("2"1"2Bi) and lead ("2"0"3Pb, "2"1"2Pb), as listed in Table 1. "2"1"2Bi or "2"1"2Pb could serve as sources for highly ...
With an objective to clarify the interactions between micropore structure of coal and solvent reagents, a sorption experiment was carried out under solvent saturated vapor pressure. Low-volatile bituminous coal, Pocahontas No. 3 coal, has the aromatic ring structure developed, and makes solvent more difficult to diffuse into coal, hence sorption amount is small. Methanol has permeated since its polarity is high. High-volatile bituminous coal, Illinois No. 6 coal, makes solvent penetrate easily, and the sorption amount was large with both of aromatic and polar solvents. Since brown coal, Beulah Zap coal, contains a large amount of oxygen, and hydrogen bonding is predominant, sorption amount of cyclohexane and benzene having no polarity is small. Methanol diffuses while releasing hydrogen bond due to its polarity, and its sorption amount is large. A double sorption model is available, which expresses the whole sorption amount as a sum of physical sorption amount and ...
The sol-gel-immobilized Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy)_3 "2"+] electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was applied to the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of phenothiazine derivatives (promazine, chlorpromazine, triflupromazine, thioridazine, and trifluoperazine) and erythromycin in human urine samples. In this method, Ru(bpy)_3 "2"+ was immobilized in sol-gel-derived titania (TiO_2)-Nafion nanocomposite films coated on a dual platinum electrode. This method eliminates an extra pump needed for the delivery of Ru(bpy)_3 "2"+ reagent into a reaction/observation zone in front of photomultiplier tube because the immobilized-Ru(bpy)_3 "2"+ is recycled on the electrode surface by an applied potential at +1.3 V versus Ag/AgCl (3 M NaCl) reference electrode. The resulting analytical performances such as detection limit, working range, sensitivity, and measurement precision were slightly worse than those obtained ...
The sol-gel-immobilized Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy){sub 3} {sup 2+}] electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was applied to the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of phenothiazine derivatives (promazine, chlorpromazine, triflupromazine, thioridazine, and trifluoperazine) and erythromycin in human urine samples. In this method, Ru(bpy){sub 3} {sup 2+} was immobilized in sol-gel-derived titania (TiO{sub 2})-Nafion nanocomposite films coated on a dual platinum electrode. This method eliminates an extra pump needed for the delivery of Ru(bpy){sub 3} {sup 2+} reagent into a reaction/observation zone in front of photomultiplier tube because the immobilized-Ru(bpy){sub 3} {sup 2+} is recycled on the electrode surface by an applied potential at +1.3 V versus Ag/AgCl (3 M NaCl) reference electrode. The resulting analytical performances such as detection limit, working range, sensitivity, and measurement ...
We labelled Lipiodol with yttrium-90 and analysed the biodistribution in rats after intrahepatic arterial injection. An RP-18 column was used to separate {sup 90}Y from strontium-90. {sup 90}Y was retained on the column, which had been pretreated with yttrium-selective extraction reagent, di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, while {sup 90}Sr was washed out. A hexadentate nitrogen-donor chelating ligand N,N,N`,N`-tetrakis(2-benzymidazolylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (EDTB) was synthesized by condensation of 1,2-benzenediamine and ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). Lipiodol was covalently conjugated with EDTB. The final product was obtained by eluting the retained {sup 90}Y from the RP-18 column with EDTB-Lipiodol. Sixteen male rats (Sprague-Dawley) were sacrificed at 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (four rats at each time) after injection of approximately 0.1 mCi {sup 90}Y-Lipiodol via the hepatic artery. Samples of liver, spleen, muscle, lung, kidney, bone, whole blood and ...
The novel optical, electronic, and/or magnetic properties of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles have resulted in extensive research on new methods for their preparation. An ideal preparation method would allow the particle size, size distribution, crystallinity, and particle shape to be easily controlled, and would be applicable to a wide variety of material systems. Numerous preparation methods have been reported, each with its inherent advantages and disadvantages; however, an ideal method has yet to emerge. The most widely applied methods for nanoparticle preparation include the sonochemical reduction of organometallic reagents,(1&2) the solvothermal method of Alivisatos,(3) reactions in microemulsions,(4-6) the polyol method (reduction by alcohols),(7-9) and the use of polymer and solgel materials as hosts.(10-13) In addition to these methods, there are a variety of methods that take advantage of the unique properties of a supercritical fluid.(14&15) ...
Tumor imaging using radioiodinated monoclonal antibodies (Mab) suffered from rapid in vivo deiodination. This problem can be circumvented by covalent attachment of a bifunctional chelating group to the Mab followed by chelation with a suitable cationic radionuclide such as In-111. Competition of trace metal contaminants with In-111 for chelating sites, however, is known to lower the labeling yield. Since commercially available reagents may be contaminated with other trace metal ions, the effect of trace metals on Mab-DTPA chelation and the possibility of masking the trace metal effect on the In-111 labeling of Mab-DTPA were, therefore, investigated. Labeling yield of 93% was obtained when 1 mg (20mg/ml) of Mab F(ab')/sub 2/-DTPA (protein to DTPA ratio of --1) was allowed to incubate with 3 mCi In-111 in 2 ml acetate buffer (0.5M, pH 5.5) for 30 min. The yield was drastically decreased to 13-76% when the reactions were carried out with the addition of 1-2 #mu#g of ...
Rabbit antisera raised to human and chicken MHC molecules were used to immunoprecipitate cross-reactive molecules from biosynthetically and cell surface-labeled spleen and/or blood cells of representative vertebrate species. Five major points emerged: 1) There were many nonspecific cross-reactions using these techniques, so various criteria were developed to distinguish these from true MHC-like molecules. 2) Only very small subpopulations of immunogen-specific antibodies cross-reacted with MHC-like molecules in other nonmammalian species. These subpopulations were different for each species and even within a species, sometimes being so limited as to behave like alloantisera. This led to a very scattered pattern of true cross-reactions that sometimes failed to reflect the properties of the bulk antibody population. 3) Antisera containing antibodies to class II beta- and class I alpha-chains cross-reacted better and more widely than those to B-G, class II alpha and, in general, beta ...
Thin, elastic foils of good resistance to the air exposure, patented as wound healing aids, were prepared by evaporation of a blend of lecithin (L) and sodium hyaluronan (H) taken under varying proportions. The contact angle for water, glycerol, formamide, ethylene glycol and diiodomethane, was determined for these foils. The contact angle was correlated against the H:L foil composition. For all liquids but formamide the highest contact angle was noted for the H:L = 2:1 (g g{sup -1}) ratio. The contact angles provided estimation of the work of adhesion. At the same L:H ratio the work of adhesion was the lowest. It was suggested that lecithin cross-linked hyaluronan. Since the work of adhesion of the studied liquids was similar to that of diiodomethane, it could be concluded that almost all functional groups on the foil surface were completely blocked. Perhaps, at H:L = 2:1 (g g{sup -1}) a stoichiometric complex of hyaluronic acid with lecithin was formed, and polar functional groups ...
Technology is being developed for preparing functional materials by synthesizing new functional peptides in which non-natural amino acid needed for the functional manifestation is introduced, and by modifying the surface of a base plate such as silica glass by using such peptides. Activities were conducted in the three areas of (1) creation of functional molecules, (2) materialization technology, and (3) comprehensive investigation and research; the activities were carried out independently and parallelly in the first two areas. In (1), design technique for the structures and functions of peptides was developed, as were conformational control technique, synthesis of peptides having optical/electronic functions, peptide synthesis by an enzyme method, and R and D on introduction of non-natural amino acid into peptides; in (2), element technologies were developed such as substrate forming technique (pattern forming and thin film forming technology), substrate modification technique, ...
Three reactive materials were evaluated at laboratory scale to identify the optimum treatment reagent for use in a Permeable Reactive Barrier Treatment System at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). The contaminants of concern (COCS) are uranium, TCE, PCE, carbon tetrachloride, americium, and vinyl chloride. The three reactive media evaluated included high carbon steel iron filings, an iron-silica alloy in the form of a foam aggregate, and a peculiar humic acid based sorbent (Humasorb from Arctech) mixed with sand. Each material was tested in the laboratory at column scale using simulated site water. All three materials showed promise for the 903 Mound Site however, the iron filings were determined to be the least expensive media. In order to validate the laboratory results, the iron filings were further tested at a pilot scale (field columns) using actual site water. Pilot test results were similar to laboratory results; consequently, the iron ...
An improved labeling procedure for peptides attached to organometallic 99mTc(III) '4+1' mixed-ligand complexes in which the radiometal is coordinated by a tripodal tetradentate chelator 2,2',2''-nitrilotriethanethiol (NS3) and a monodentate isocyanide ligand is presented. The labeling procedure was evaluated by the synthesis of [99mTc(NS3)(L2-RGD)]. The containing radiopharmaceutically interesting RGD-peptide cyclo[Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Tyr-Lys] was modified with 4-isocyanobutanoic acid (L2) as linker conjugated to N6-Lys to get the monodentate ligand L2-RGD. The structural identity of the 99mTc-conjugate was confirmed by comparison to a Re reference compound. The Tc- and Re-conjugates had matching retention times under identical HPLC conditions. The 99mTc-labeling was performed in a novel one-step procedure using the eluate of a 99Mo/99mTc generator, NS3, the isocyanide modified peptide, SnCl2, Na2EDTA, mannitol and ascorbic acid in the reaction mixture. Using optimized ...
The purpose was to develop a simplified and reliable method of separating free from antibody-bound ligand using a precipitating antibody linked to a cellulose derivative. Dose-response curves and control sera were set up in parallel for various pituitary and placental polypeptides, steroid hormones, insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, angiotensin I, calcitonin, gastrin, cyclic AMP, and digoxin. After first-antibody reactions had reached equilibrium, free and bound ligand were separated using a double-antibody solid-phase system in parallel with conventional methods, including dextran-coated charcoal, double-antibody precipitation, single-antibody solid phase, organic solvents, salt precipitation, and anion-exchange resins. The effect of variations in temperature, incubation time, protein content, pH, and amount of separating material added were studied. The results showed that separation was complete within 1 hr for small ligand molecules and within 2 hr for larger ones. ...
The purpose was to develop a simplified and reliable method of separating free from antibody-bound ligand using a precipitating antibody linked to a cellulose derivative. Dose-response curves and control sera were set up in parallel for various pituitary and placental polypeptides, steroid hormones, insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, angiotensin I, calcitonin, gastrin, cyclic AMP, and digoxin. After first-antibody reactions had reached equilibrium, free and bound ligand were separated using a double-antibody solid-phase system in parallel with conventional methods, including dextran-coated charcoal, double-antibody precipitation, single-antibody solid phase, organic solvents, salt precipitation, and anion-exchange resins. The effect of variations in temperature, incubation time, protein content, pH, and amount of separating material added were studied. The results showed that separation was complete within 1 hr for small ligand molecules and within 2 hr for larger ones. ...
To reduce the radiation dose that accumulated on the reactor coolant pump, decontamination work was carried out at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant. A four-step alkaline permanganate (AP)-CanDecon process was applied to remove the activity on the turning vane diffuser and pump impeller. The first step consisted of 8 h of AP treatment and 7 h of decontamination. It was followed by 2.5 h of AP treatment and 5 h of decontamination. An average decontamination factor of 2.9 was obtained. To understand the corrosion of the decontaminating reagents on the materials, coupons were installed in the decontamination tank. These were as-received and sensitized 304SS, alloy 600, casting stainless steel (CF-8), stellite-6, and carbon steels (A508 and A533). The exposure rates (mR h"-"1) of the carbon steels were approximately five times higher in magnitude than those of the other materials. The decontamination levels (dpm per 100 cm"2) of the A508 and A533 carbon steels were 5432 ...
beta-Bungarotoxin (beta-Bgt), a presynaptic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) neurotoxin isolated from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus, consists of A chain and B chain. The goal of the present study is to explore the functional contribution of the two subunits to the toxicity of beta-Bgt. beta-Bgt was found to induce apoptotic death of SK-N-SH cells via elevating intracellular Ca(2+) and intracellular ROS production. Moreover, an activation of p38 MAPK was associated with the cytotoxicity of beta-Bgt. SB202190 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), N-acetylcysteine (antioxidant reagent), 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) (Ca(2+) chelator) and the inhibitors of Ca(2+) release from intracellular depots (ruthenium red and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate) effectively attenuated the cytotoxicity of beta-Bgt. In sharp contrast to the inability of A chain, B chain was able to induce cytotoxic effects on SK-N-SH cells as beta-Bgt did. Abolishment of PLA(2) activity ...
Acidic constituents in crude oil are associated with the formation of stable emulsions during production and present a challenge for efficient oil recovery and processing. Acid molecules, including naphthenic acids and acidic sulfur in crude oil cause corrosion in refineries and pipelines. Naphthenic acids are also significant because of their surface activity and marginal water solubility, so that they may leach to wastewaters and cause adverse environmental effects. Acidic components of oil are not limited to carboxylic acids but also molecules that contain sulfur and nitrogen. As such, an improved understanding of the chemistry and physics of petroleum at the molecular level is needed in order to understand the range of problems associated with acidic oil components and to design better solutions. The applications of negative-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) for speciation of acidic oil compound classes was ...
Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a model environmental organism that possesses diverse respiratory capacities, including the ability to reduce soluble Cr(VI) to sparingly soluble, less toxic Cr(III). Effective bioremediation of Cr-contaminated sites requires knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and regulation of heavy metal resistance and biotransformation by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria. Towards this goal, our ERSP-funded work is focused on the identification and functional analysis of genes/proteins comprising the response pathways for chromate detoxification and/or reduction. Previous transcriptomic profiling and whole-cell proteomic analyses implicated the involvement of a functionally undefined DNA-binding response regulator (SO2426) and a putative azoreductase (SO3585) in the chromate stress response of MR-1. Here we describe a detailed functional analysis of SO2426 and SO3585 in order to begin to understand the role of these proteins in the cellular response to chromate. ...
Full text of publication follows: Understanding the dynamic irradiation effects on silica glasses is important for developing the diagnostic systems used in fusion and fission environments. While fundamental defects having an un-pared electron such as the E' center have been extensively studied, the neutral oxygen deficiency defects have been insufficiently clarified for lack of the detection methods. The ion induced luminescence is one of the probes that can be used to detect non-paramagnetic defects, and to observe creation and annihilation behavior dynamically. In the present study, we examined the characteristics of the ion induced luminescence such as energy, fluence flux and temperature dependence of the luminescence efficiency to analyze damage process quantitatively. Samples of SiO2 glasses were commercially available fused and synthesized silica glasses, produced by Toshiba Ceramics, Co. Ltd.. A thin films of SiO2 deposited on a Si wafer was used to determine the luminescence ...
The {sup 252}Cf-source-driven noise analysis method has been used in measurements for subcritical configurations of fissile systems for a variety of applications including a dynamic measurement that was the first step in applying this method to monitor fuel in a future reprocessing plant These measurements showed that this method has potential to monitor many dynamic situations in processing plants such as in a continuous dissolver or batch dissolvers either to obtain the neutron multiplication factor k or to be used as a signature to verify that various processes are occurring in a repeatable or bounded way. This verification of normal operation would be by comparing noise analysis signatures for the process with reference signatures. Abnormal operation could be ascertained if the signature deviates by some specified amount from the reference signatures from normal operation. The deviations from normal could be specified by measurement or by Monte Carlo neutron ...
We present a method for optimising experimental cuts in order to place the strongest constraints (upper limits) on theoretical signal models. The method relies only on signal and background expectations derived from Monte-Carlo simulations, so no bias is introduced by looking at actual data, for instance by setting a limit based on expected signal above the ``last remaining data event.'' After discussing the concept of the ``average upper limit,'' based on the expectation from an ensemble of repeated experiments with no true signal, we show how the best model rejection potential is achieved by optimising the cuts to minimise the ratio of this ``average upper limit'' to the expected signal from the model. As an example, we use this technique to determine the limit sensitivity of kilometre scale neutrino detectors to extra-terrestrial neutrino fluxes from a variety of models, e.g. active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. We suggest that these model rejection potential ...
Today, as a result of increase in oil prices, limited fossil fuel resources, environmental consideration and global warming, the methyl ester fuels have been focused on alternative fuels. Methyl ester fuels can be used more efficiently in low heat rejection engines (LHR), in which the temperature of combustion chamber is increased by creating a thermal barrier. In this study, the piston, cylinder head, exhaust and inlet valves of a diesel engine were coated with the ceramic material Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} by the plasma spray method. Thus, a thermal barrier was provided for the parts of the combustion chamber with these coatings. The effects of corn oil methyl ester that produced by the transesterification method, and No. D2 fuels' performance and exhaust emissions' rate were studied by using equal in every respect coated and uncoated engines. Tests were performed on the uncoated engine, and then repeated on the coated engine and the results ...
We present a study of 66 barred, early-type (S0-Sb) disk galaxies, focused on the disk surface brightness profile outside the bar region and the nature of Freeman Type I and II profiles, their origins, and their possible relation to disk truncations. This paper discusses the data and their reduction, outlines our classification system, and presents $R$-band profiles and classifications for all galaxies in the sample. The profiles are derived from a variety of different sources, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Data Release 5). For about half of the galaxies, we have profiles derived from more than one telescope; this allows us to check the stability and repeatability of our profile extraction and classification. The vast majority of the profiles are reliable down to levels of mu_R ~ 27 mag arcsec^-2; in exceptional cases, we can trace profiles down to mu_R > 28. We can typically follow disk profiles out to at least 1.5 times the traditional optical radius ...
We investigate the influence of lunar-like satellites on the infrared orbital light curves of Earth-analog extra-solar planets. Such light curves will be obtained by NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and ESA's Darwin missions as a consequence of repeat observations to confirm the companion status of a putative planet. We use an energy balance model to calculate disk-averaged infrared (bolometric) fluxes from planet-satellite systems over a full orbital period (one year). The satellites are assumed to lack an atmosphere, have a low thermal inertia like that of the Moon and span a range of plausible radii. The planets are assumed to have thermal and orbital properties that mimic those of the Earth while their obliquities and orbital longitudes of inferior conjunction remain free parameters. Even if the gross thermal properties of the planet can be independently constrained (e.g. via spectroscopy or visible-wavelength detection of specular glint from a surface ...
Security of supply is defined as the availability and reliability of energy supply at acceptable prices. By security of energy supply we mean a globally large supply of reliable, affordable, clean energy. By virtue of its nature security of supply in the energy sector primarily requires making provisions for the future through exploration, innovation, research, diversification and investments in technology. Energy politics takes place in a tension field defined by the goals of economic efficiency, sustainability and security of supply. In the past there have been repeated shifts within this triad of goals. The task for a rational energy policy is to reconciliate these goals in a meaningful way. European energy policy is understood to comprise all sovereign measures taken by the European Union in the energy sector, in particular measures that impact on the supply and demand for energy resources. Energy law serves, or should serve, to bring energy policy to ...
The operation of industrial facilities has generally resulted in contamination of the surrounding soils and ground water. A variety of methods have been proposed for the remediation of contaminated sites. This paper presents new process technology that is capable of performing treatment on ground water or soil washing leachates. The process is targeted to treat low levels of radioactivity, organics and heavy metals present in the aqueous solutions, to be easily transported and provide simple operation on-site and provide an effluent that meets the specified discharge quality. The purification process involves sequential chemical treatment and filtration. The paper will describe the development of the technology and review the current progress in its use to remediate contaminated sites at Chalk River. The application of the process technology has demonstrated that the ambitious goal of setting the effluent targets to meet the drinking water standards was realized. A comparison of the ...
The operation of industrial facilities has generally resulted in contamination of the surrounding soils and ground water. A variety of methods have been proposed for the remediation of contaminated sites. This paper presents new process technology that is capable of performing treatment on ground water or soil washing leachates. The process is targeted to treat low levels of radioactivity, organics and heavy metals present in the aqueous solutions, to be easily transported and provide simple operation on-site and provide an effluent that meets the specified discharge quality. The purification process involves sequential chemical treatment and filtration. The paper will describe the development of the technology and review the current progress in its use to remediate contaminated sites at Chalk River. The application of the process technology has demonstrated that the ambitious goal of setting the effluent targets to meet the drinking water standards was realized. A comparison of the ...
The "6"2Zn-"6"2Cu generator system is one of the few which yield a pure positron emitting daughter. The authors have developed a method for the preparation of this generator system following 32 MeV #alpha# particle bombardment of nickel targets. The chemical processing involves two stages: first a hydrous zirconium oxide column is used at pH 4-5 to separate the zinc and copper activities produced in the target nickel, and secondly, a conventional anion exchange column is used to retain the "6"2Zn and remove all copper activities in 2M HCl. This column serves as the "6"2Cu generator which will yield pure "6"2Cu repeatedly, free from "6"2Zn and other impurities, in a mixture of HCl and NaCl. A method is outlined also to obtain a solution of "6"2Zn using the hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) column. "6"1Cu can be prepared as a by-product in the above procedure, but a method for the preparation of "6"1Cu alone using an 18 MeV #alpha# particle beam on a nickel target and ...
Diagnostic x-ray spectrometry, a method based on x-ray fluorescence analysis, was used for noninvasive determination of iron and zinc in two distinct skin areas, representing predominantly dermal and epidermal tissues, in 56 patients with beta-thalassemia major and intermedia. The mean iron levels in the skin of patients with beta-thalassemia major and intermedia were elevated by greater than 200% and greater than 50%, respectively, compared with control values. The zinc levels of both skin areas examined were within the normal range. The data indicate that the rate and number of blood transfusions, which correlated well with serum ferritin levels (r . 0.8), are not the only factors that determine the amount of iron deposition in the skin (r less than 0.6). Other sources of iron intake contribute to the total iron load in the tissues, particularly in patients who are not given multiple transfusions. The noninvasive quantitation of skin levels may reflect the extent of iron deposition ...
The E and P industry has high levels of uncertainty and risk, which oil companies attempt to quantify before embarking on each individual E and P project. However, the actual return on investment often falls well short of the hurdle rate. This discrepancy has been attributed to systemic limitations in decision analysis processes and workflow, which result in repeated underestimation of risk and overestimation of the predicted production of the project. Well designed decision analysis processes in association with clearly defined, multi-scenario analyses of significant technical uncertainties are required. However, simulation of these uncertainties is not realistic given the performance and infrastructure limitations of conventional technology (Begg et al., 2001; Floris and Peersmann, 2000). During the past five years, more than 20 companies have attempted to map the requirements of new technology that is needed to improve uncertainty assessment and decision ...
The multielement determination of major-to-ultratrace elements in salmon egg was carried out by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. First, salmon eggs (30 eggs used) were digested with conc. nitric acid and 60% perchloric acid by heating almost to dryness repeatedly. Finally, the residues of salmon eggs were dissolved in 1 M nitric acid and the sample solutions were analyzed by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. About 40 elements could be determined over the concentration range in 9 orders of magnitude. The concentrations of bio-essential elements, such as Zn, Fe, and Cu, in salmon egg were 10-100 times higher than those in human blood serum. In addition, the major-to-ultratrace elements in cell cytoplasm and cell membrane were separately determined in a similar manner to those in whole egg cell. The concentrations of most bio-essential elements were higher in cell cytoplasm than in cell membrane, while those of Fe and Cu were higher in cell membrane than in cell cytoplasm of salmon egg. ...
A metallization scheme has been developed which allows selective plating of silicon solar cell surfaces. The system is comprised of three layers. Palladium, through the formation of palladium silicide at 300/sup 0/C in nitrogen, makes ohmic contact to the silicon surface. Nickel, plated on top of the palladium silicide layer, forms a solderable interface. Lead-tin solder on the nickel provides conductivity and allows a convenient means for interconnection of cells. To apply this metallization, three chemical plating baths are employed. Palladium is deposited with an immersion palladium solution and an electroless palladium solution, and nickel is deposited with an electroless nickel solution. Solder is applied with a molten solder dip. Extensive development work has been performed to achieve an effective immersion palladium solution formulation, leading to reproducible formation of the palladium silicide contact layer. This metallization system has been repeatedly ...
The mechanism of trypsin inactivation by intact Hymenolepis diminuta has been investigated by biochemical and autoradiographic methods. Although worms inactivate trypsin and chymotrypsin in vitro, no inactivation of other endoproteases (subtilisin, pepsin and papain) could be demonstrated. Trypsin inactivation, as demonstrated by macromolecular substrates (azoalbumin, hemoglobin and casein), could not be detected using low molecular weight synthetic substrates such as N-p-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA) or N-p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME). In addition, the kinetic parameters (K/sub m/ and k_3) for H. diminuta-inactivated trypsin, using BAPA as the substrate, were not different from those of the native enzyme. The number of active sites for both native and inactivated trypsin were determined by titration with p-nitro-phenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate. Absorbance values for both titrations were found to be identical. Dialysis, heating to 50 C, or repeated ...
We report a patient who developed occlusion of the intracranial major arteries induced by radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma. The patient, a 9-year-old boy, presented with deterioration of vision, nausea and vomiting. He underwent a right ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation, and the tumor was partially removed. Postoperatively, he received focal radiation therapy with total of 60 Gy. Preoperative cerebral angiography, cerebral vessels had no sigh of occlusive lesion or stenosis. One year after irradiation, he started to have repeated cerebral ischemic attacks. But no regrowth of the tumor was detected on CT scans. Two years and 8 months after irradiation, he suddenly had right hemiparesis. Cerebral angiography revealed severe stenosis of the right anterior cerebral artery (precommunicating segment), middle cerebral artery (horizontal portion) and terminal portion of the right carotid artery. Left carotid angiography showed complete occlusion of the terminal ...
We report a patient who developed occlusion of the intracranial major arteries induced by radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma. The patient, a 9-year-old boy, presented with deterioration of vision, nausea and vomiting. He underwent a right ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation, and the tumor was partially removed. Postoperatively, he received focal radiation therapy with total of 60 Gy. Preoperative cerebral angiography, cerebral vessels had no sigh of occlusive lesion or stenosis. One year after irradiation, he started to have repeated cerebral ischemic attacks. But no regrowth of the tumor was detected on CT scans. Two years and 8 months after irradiation, he suddenly had right hemiparesis. Cerebral angiography revealed severe stenosis of the right anterior cerebral artery (precommunicating segment), middle cerebral artery (horizontal portion) and terminal portion of the right carotid artery. Left carotid angiography showed complete occlusion of the terminal ...
The U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Environmental Management Office of Science and Technology (EM-50) authorized studies on alternative systems for treating contact-handled DOE mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW). The on-going Integrated Thermal Treatment Systems` (ITTS) and the Integrated Nonthermal Treatment Systems` (INTS) studies satisfy this request. EM-50 further authorized supporting studies including this technology and subsystem cost sensitivity analysis. This analysis identifies areas where technology development could have the greatest impact on total life cycle system costs. These areas are determined by evaluating the sensitivity of system life cycle costs relative to changes in life cycle component or phase costs, subsystem costs, contingency allowance, facility capacity, operating life, and disposal costs. For all treatment systems, the most cost sensitive life cycle phase is the operations and maintenance phase and the most cost sensitive subsystem is the ...
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that promotes microtubule assembly and stability. In Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, tau fibrillizes and aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, oleocanthal isolated from extra virgin olive oil was found to display non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activity similar to ibuprofen. Since our unpublished data indicates an inhibitory effect of oleocanthal on A? fibrillization, we reasoned that it might inhibit tau fibrillization as well. Herein we demonstrate that oleocanthal abrogates fibrillization of tau by locking tau into the naturally unfolded state. Using PHF6 consisting of the amino acid residues VQIVYK, a hexapeptide within the third repeat of tau that is essential for fibrillization, we show that oleocanthal forms an adduct with the lysine via initial Schiff base formation. Structure and function studies demonstrate that the two aldehyde groups of oleocanthal are required for the inhibitory ...
Individual monitoring of personal exposure to inhalation of uranium oxides throughout the manufacture of fuel for pressurized water reactor (PWR) includes lung gamma-spectrometry, fecal analysis and urine analysis. Examination of the results shows the following: internal exposure is the consequence of repeated intake incidents as revealed by early peaks of urinary and particularly fecal elimination; a shift is often observed with the results of aerosol concentration measured through air collectors; the measured variations of uranium lung incorporations are relatively fast (apparent mean period 165 d). Correct evaluation of the effective dose equivalent from inhalation requires further information concerning the aerosol size distribution at work stations, the physico-chemical characteristics of the product leading to an estimate of its actual biological solubility, and the measurement of the fraction of aerosol liable to intake with an individual portable collector.
The expression of three c-onc genes (c-erb, c-myc, c-myb) was investigated in five cell lines established from fibrosarcomas induced with 20-methylcholanthrene (MCA) of Japanese quails. These cell lines showed low levels of the three c-onc genes, with the exception of two cell lines that accumulated moderate (MCAQ 1-4) and large amounts (MCAQ 3-5) of c-myc RNA. Molecular cloning and restriction endonuclease analyses indicated that expression of c-myc in these two cell lines were not associated with detectable rearrangements in the c-myc locus, that the size of the c-myc transcript (2.7 kb) in MCAQ 3-5 was similar to that of the normal c-myc messenger RNAs (mRNA) and that the transcriptional activatin observed in MCAQ 3-5 was not mediated by the LTR (long terminal repeat) of a proximate ALV (avian leukosis virus) provirus. Finally, when analyzed with the restriction enzymes Msp I and Hpa II, the c-myc locus of MCAQ 3-5 and MCAQ 1-4 was found hypomethylated as ...
Pd was deposited onto Si (111) 7x7 surface at approximately 700 K inside an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope. Plan-viewed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the islands have two kinds of shapes, round and rectangular (one-dimensional) ones. In a diffraction pattern for the rectangular islands, extra spots along the <110> direction of the Si surface, spacing of which is 1/8 times as long as that of Si (220) spots, were seen. A high resolution TEM image showed the corresponding superstructure in the rectangular islands. In situ observation of the growing process of the rectangular islands showed repeat of introduction and relief of strains during the growth, suggesting that such superstructure would be constructed by stacking compositionally different phases or introducing defects so that the periodically maximized strain is relieved.
The product of the human GRO gene is a cytokine with inflammatory and growth-regulatory properties; GRO is also called MGSA for melanoma growth-stimulatory activity. The authors have identified two additional genes, GRO#beta# and GRO#gamma#, that share 90% and 86% identity at the deduced amino acid level with the original GRO#alpha# isolate. One amino acid substitution of proline in GRO#alpha# by leucine in GRO#beta# and GRO#gamma# leads to a large predicted change in protein conformation. Significant differences also exist in the 3' untranslated region, including different numbers of ATTTA repeats associated with mRNA instability. A 122-base-pair region in the 3' region is conserved among the three GRO genes, and a part of it is also conserved in the Chinese hamster genome, suggesting a role in regulation. DNA hybridization with oligonucleotide probes and partial sequence analysis of the genomic clones confirm that the three forms are derived from related but ...
RNA interference has become a powerful biological tool over the last decade. In this study, a tetracycline-inducible shRNA vector system was designed for silencing CFP expression and delivered alongside the yfp marker gene into Chinese hamster ovary cells using impalefection on spatially indexed vertically aligned carbon nanofiber arrays (VACNFs). The VACNF architecture provided simultaneous delivery of multiple genes, subsequent adherence and proliferation of interfaced cells, and repeated monitoring of single cells over time. Following impalefection and tetracycline induction, 53.1% 10.4% of impalefected cells were fully silenced by the inducible CFP-silencing shRNA vector. Additionally, efficient CFP-silencing was observed in single cells among a population of cells that remained CFP-expressing. This effective transient expression system enables rapid analysis of gene silencing effects using RNAi in single cells and cell populations.
To understand the molecular mechanisms of how 5^oC-incubation activates mRNA expression of Hsp70a and Samui genes in Bombyx mori diapause eggs, we first searched the 5'-upstream regions of the Hsp70a and Samui genes for heat shock elements (HSEs) and found two regions [Hsp70aHSE-1 (-95 to -58) and -2 (-145 to -121), and SamuiHSE-1 (-84 to -55) and -2 (-304 to -290)] corresponding to HSEs (repeats of nGAAn and/or nTTCn). We cloned four cDNAs encoding heat shock factor (HSF)-a2 (627 amino acids), -b (685 aa), -c (682 aa) and -d (705 aa), which were produced by alternative splicing. When we exposed diapause eggs to 5^oC beginning at 2 day post-oviposition to break diapause, HSFd mRNA only increased after chilling for 6-8 days, a pattern very similar to those of Hsp70a and Samui mRNAs. To exam...
Free electron laser (FEL) facilities as the FELI FEL Facility are proposed, for which a 150-MeV linac type injector for a Saga synchrotron light source (SLS) is employed in FEL mode. The linac has two operating modes; short macropulse mode a 1 #mu#s at 150 MeV for injection to a 1 - 1.3-GeV third generation type storage ring and long macropulse mode of 12 #mu#s at 100 MeV for four FEL Facilities. The macropulse beam consists of a train of several ps, 0.6 nC microbunches (peak current 100 A) repeating at 89.25 MHz. We are aiming to supply high power level photon beams covering an attractive wavelength range from 0.05 nm (25 keV) to 200 #mu#m (0.006 eV) for scientific researches, bio-medical and industrial applications, using the Saga third generation type SLS with a superconducting wiggler and the proposed four FEL Facilities. (author)
The author studied the conditions needed to routinely estimate the radiation dose in chicken bone by repeated re-irradiation and measuring ESR signals. Chicken meat containing bone was {gamma}-irradiated at doses of up to 3kGy, accepted as the commercially used dose. The results show that points in sample preparation and ESR measurement are as follows: Both ends of bone are cut off and central part of compact bone is used for experiment. To obtain accurate ESR spectrum, marrow should be scraped out completely. Sample bone fragments of 1-2mm particle size and ca.100mg are recommended to obtain stable and maximum signal. In practice, by re-irradiating up to 5kGy and extrapolating data of the signal intensity to zero using linear regression analysis, radiation dose is estimated. For example, in one experiment, estimated doses of chicken bones initially irradiated at 3.0kGy, 1.0kGy, 0.50kGy and 0.25kGy were 3.4kGy, 1.3kGy, 0.81kGy and 0.57kGy. (author)
These summary descriptive data of ethnically similar cohorts of indigenous and migrant Japanese males have shown similarities or slight differences in characteristics wholly or largely genetically determined, such as blood groups, stature, and skeletal size. Differences have been noted in characteristics largely environmental or behavioral, such as diet and cigarette smoking habit, as well as in characteristics determined by a varying mixture of genetic and environmental influences, such as weight, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipid and uric acid levels. Detailed analyses of the distributions of laboratory variables, of dietary data obtained by different methods, and of correlations among laboratory, dietary, physical, and demographic variables are currently in progress. Also part of the study plan are determinations of disease prevalence from evaluation of examination, laboratory, and electrocardiographic findings, of disease incidence from repeat ...
III--V based devices such as field effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and lasers often have surface leakage and thermal degradation problems due to surface states which pin the Fermi level to the midgap. Sulfur based passivation processes are known to improve device performance by altering surface-state densities. We have developed a voltage-controlled anodic sulfur passivation scheme using Na[sub 2]S dissolved in ethylene glycol. Our process has repeatedly produced a [similar to]25% improvement in peak output power near the catastrophic damage limit in visible ([lambda]=670 nm) AlGaInP edge-emitting lasers. The threshold current density before and after passivation, and the [ital I]--[ital V] characteristics before and after catastrophic failure, were essentially unchanged indicating that passivation raises the threshold for facet damage.
III--V based devices such as field effect transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and lasers often have surface leakage and thermal degradation problems due to surface states which pin the Fermi level to the midgap. Sulfur based passivation processes are known to improve device performance by altering surface-state densities. We have developed a voltage-controlled anodic sulfur passivation scheme using Na_2S dissolved in ethylene glycol. Our process has repeatedly produced a #approx#25% improvement in peak output power near the catastrophic damage limit in visible (#lambda#=670 nm) AlGaInP edge-emitting lasers. The threshold current density before and after passivation, and the I--V characteristics before and after catastrophic failure, were essentially unchanged indicating that passivation raises the threshold for facet damage.
BWRs are so designed that the exhaust steam from main steam safety relief valves is led to pressure suppression pools, and the steam is condensed in pool water, but at this time, dynamic load seems to arise in the pool water. In Tokai No. 2 Power Station, a Mark-2 containment vessel was adopted to improve the reliability as much as possible and to obtain the design with margin. In this report, the result of actual machine test in Tokai No. 2 Power Station and the method of reducing the load are described. When a relief valve works, the discharge of water in exhaust pipes into a suppression pool, the exhaust of air in exhaust pipes and repeated expansion and contraction of bubbles in pool water, and the exhaust of steam and condensation occur. As for the construction of the suppression pool in Tokai No. 2 Power Station, cross-shaped quencher and the structure with jet deflector were installed. The test plan and the test result with an actual machine are reported. ...
By both increasing the optical iris of the video camera and removing the grid in fluoroscopic procedures involved in placement of a Dubbhoff feeding tube, the radiation dose to patients and staff was reduced by five to seven times. An average expected dose to a patient of about 300 mGy per procedure was reduced by two to three times when the grid was removed and by an additional three times when an iris of increased diameter was used. Because Dobbhoff procedures do not involve obtaining a diagnosis, the image degradation was acceptable and did not affect the total exposure times or ability to conduct the procedure. With the grid out, the difference between the mean exposure times of 5.1 minutes in 96 patient studies done with a normal iris opening and 4.0 minutes in 52 studies done with an enlarged iris was not statistically significant. The importance of reducing patient dose is reinforced by the finding that one-third of the patients underwent repeated ...
The image quality of digital luminescent radiography (DLR) is sufficient for routine biplane chest radiography and for follow-up studies of heart size, pulmonary congestion, coin lesions, infiltrations, atelectasis, pleural effusions, and mediastinal and hilar lymph node enlargement. Chest radiography in the intensive care unit may in most cases be performed using the DLR technique. there is no need for repeat shots because of incorrect exposure, and the position of catheters, tubes, pacemakers, drains and artificial heart valves, the mediastinum, and the retrocardiac areas of the left lung are more confidently assessed on the edge-enhanced DLR films than on conventional films. Nevertheless, DLR is somewhat inferior to conventional film-screen radiography of the chest as it can demonstrate or rule out subtle pulmonary interstitial disease less confidently. There is no reduction of radiation exposure of the chest in DLR compared with modern film-screen systems. As a ...
INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a prominent symptom in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and it has distinctive features; however, there is a need for a robust scale to measure fatigue in COPD. METHODS: At baseline, 122 patients with COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 52%, women 38%, mean age 66 years) completed a pilot fatigue scale covering a pool of 57 items and underwent a range of tests, including indicators of mood and a short general fatigue questionnaire. All patients responded to the 57-item scale and it was readministered to a subset of 30 patients. The pilot scale was first subjected to constructive validated shortening steps and then to a principal components analysis. RESULTS: The Manchester COPD fatigue scale (MCFS) consists of 27 items, loading into three dimensions: physical, cognitive and psychosocial fatigue. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97) and test-retest repeatability (r = 0.97, por=16 scores in the Center for ...
The objectives of this study are to make a biosensor on a trial basis which can instantaneously measure the nitrogen in wastewater, and to develop a wastewater treatment system which is capable of on-line measurement and controlling. The system provides easier operational control relating to such a high efficient treatment as the removal of nitrogen content in wastewater, serving as a solution to the eutrophication problem. It can be applied also to the analysis of fertilizer components for agriculture. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria were immobilized with cellulose acetate film, which is mounted on a diaphragm type oxygen electrode to make a sensor, and its responsibility was studied. The gradient is slow in high concentration but sharp in low concentration, and it seems possible to use it for the measurement for less than 20 ppm nitrogen concentration. The dependence of the sensor including electrodes and activity of bacteria on temperature is large, and the measurement should be made at ...
The Cryocycling of Energetic Materials Project is sponsored by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on advanced munition technologies. This MOU is an agreement between the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense (Office of Munitions) that facilitates the development of technologies of mutual interest to the two Departments. The cryocycling project is one of several that focus on demilitarization aspects of conventional weapons and weapon systems. During FY94 the project pursued the development of analytical and numerical models that can be used to describe and optimize the cryocycling process for preparing energetic materials for recycle and reuse. In addition, the demilitarization stockpile of the Department of Defense was analyzed to identify candidate munitions for the process, and pilot scale cryocycling operations were begun at an industrial contractor. When a material is cryocycled, it is repeatedly subjected to cycles of rapid cooling in a liquid ...
The development of a silicon carbide (SiC) heat exchanger is a critical step in the development of the Externally-Fired Combined Cycle (EFCC) power system. SiC is the only material that provides the necessary combination of resistance to creep, thermal shock, and oxidation. While the SiC structure materials provide the thermomechanical and thermophysical properties needed for an efficient system, the mechanical properties of the SiC tubes are severely degraded through corrosion by the coal combustion products. To obtain the necessary service life of thousands of hours at temperature, a protective coating is needed that is stable with both the SiC tube and the coal combustion products, resists erosion from the particle laden gas stream, is thermal shock resistant, adheres to SiC during repeated thermal shocks (start-up, process upsets, shut-down), and allows the EFCC system to be cost competitive. This demanding set of technical performance and cost drivers was used ...
The Los Alamos FEL requires tight control of the amplitudes and phases of the fields in two linear accelerator tanks to obtain stable lasing. The accelerator control loops must establish constant, stable, repeatable amplitudes and phases of the rf fields and must have excellent bandwidth to control high-frequency noise components. A model of the feedback loops has been developed that agrees well with measurements and allows easy substitution of components and circuits, thus reducing breadboarding requirements. The model permits both frequency and time-domain analysis. This paper describes the accelerator control scheme and our model and discusses the control of noise in feedback loops, showing how low-frequency-noise components (errors) can be corrected, but high-frequency-noise components (errors) are actually amplified by the feedback circuit. Measurements of noise in both open- and closed-loop modes are shown and comparison is made with results from the model ...
Experimental and theoretical research has been conducted jointly at the Livermore and Los Alamos National laboratories on dc electromagnetic railgun Lorentz accelerators. Pellets weighing a few grams to tens of grams have been launched at velocities up to better than 11 km/s. The research is addressed to attaining repeated launches of samples at hypervelocity in target impact experiments. In these experiments, shock-induced pressures in the tens of megabars range are obtained for high pressure equation-of-state research. Primary energy sources of the order of several hundred kJ to a MJ and induction currents of the order of 1 or more MA are necessary for these launches. Erosion and deformation of the conductor rails and the accelerated sample material are continuing problems. The heating, stress, and erosion resulting from simultaneous imposition of rail induction current, dense plasma (armature) interaction, current distribution, magnetic field stresses and ...
Genetic analysis of resistance of plant introduction (PI) 438489B to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) have shown that this PI is highly resistant to many SCN HG types. However, validation of the previously detected quantitative trait loci (QTL) has not been done. In this study, 250 F2:3 progeny of a Magellan (susceptible)??PI 438489B (resistant) cross were used for primary genetic mapping to detect putative QTL for resistance to five SCN HG types. QTL confirmation study was subsequently conducted using F6:7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the same cross. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were employed for molecular genotyping. Interval mapping (IM), permutation tests, cofactor selection, and composite interval mapping (CIM) were performe...
The circulation in microvascularized rib grafts has been compared with that in conventional rib grafts and in those augmented by a direct vascular bundle implantation into the bone grafts. A new experimental model has been designed to correlate vascular perfusion, bone scan patterns, tetracycline labeling, and histological findings in these bone grafts. Posterior microvascularized rib grafts were found to have a circulatory pattern identical to that of the normal rib. Failed microvascularized rib grafts were revascularized more slowly than conventional rib grafts. Vascular bundles implanted into rib grafts remained patent and increased the rate of revascularization. The stripping or preservation of periosteum had no observable effects on the rate or pattern of conventional rib graft revascularization. The circulation in rib grafts was accurately reflected in technetium 99 bone scans, as was the patency of the anastomoses of microvascularized rib grafts and of implanted vascular ...
An extremely sensitive stripping voltammetric procedure for ultra-trace determination of iridium(III) is reported. The method is based on the interfacial accumulation of the iridium(III)-CTAB complex onto the glassy carbon electrode, followed by the catalytic reduction of the adsorbed complex in the presence of bromate. 0.3molL^-^1 acetate buffer pH 4.7+6.9x10^-^2molL^-^1 NaBrO3+2.7x10^-^5molL^-^1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)+0.2molL^-^1 KCl was employed as the supporting electrolyte. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials: Sea Water BCR-CRM 403 and Fresh Water NIST-SRM 1643d. The accuracy, expressed as relative error e%, was satisfactory, being lower than 6%, while precision as repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviat...
A CRC cooperative program was conducted to determine the difference in octane requirements between technical raters and 'customers' (the general driving public). The tests were conducted in two phases, with the second being a repeat of the first to verify the results obtained. The trained raters used the CRC E-15 procedure to determine the octane requirement of the vehicles while the customers' perception and objection to knock were determined through the use of a questionnaire. The customers' responses (perception and objection level) were based upon audible knock, acceleration performance, and after-run on a series of full-boiling-range customer/rater unleaded (FBRCU) reference-fuels. Data were analyzed from 168 1988-1991 model-year vehicles, with 126 of these tested in Phase II. The results showed that the customers, objections and perceptions were overwhelmingly based on knock, rather than acceleration performance or ...
Quantitative bone scintigraphy was performed on 23 white females with post-menopausal osteoporosis and vertebral compression fractures. These patients were then entered into a randomized, double-blind clinical trial or sodium fluoride therapy (NaF=14, placebo=9) which included repeat bone scintigraphy every six months. Scintigraphic images were acquired for 500K counts per image over the total body with computer acquisition over the posterior thoracic and lumbar spine. Images were obtained on a wide field-of-view gamma camera two hours after injecting 15 mCi of Tc-99m MDP. Data analysis showed a significant reduction in the activity ratio of abnormal vertebral body to normal vertebral body in those patients treated with sodium fluoride (paired t-test p=0.0095). No significant change was observed in the control group of (p=0.142). These results suggest that sodium fluoride therapy promotes more rapid healing of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. They also demonstrate ...
Safety standards for exposure to radiofrequency radiation must be based upon biologic consequences of exposure to such environments. Behavioral-based measures are considered to be the most-sensitive indices of biological effects. Current safety guidelines are based upon average power density and may not be relevant to the high-peak-power, short pulse width microwave radiation produced by newly developed high peak power microwave sources. The effects of exposure to high-peak-power radiation on reflexive responding and motor function in Fischer 344/N rats were assessed by measuring startle and general activity, and disruption of on-going performance of a rotarod task, respectively. The emitter used was the TEMPO repeat pulse axially extracted vircator. Exposure to single pulses resulted in significant startle responses. Exposure to 1 pps for 10 s produced significant alterations in baseline activity and marked disruption of performance of the rotarod task. The ...
Heavy-duty trucks and buses are substantial contributors to the atmospheric oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) inventory, but prediction of their emissions in real use remains inchoate. Continuous emissions of NO_x were recorded from Chassis dynamometer testing of eight vehicles using a variety of transient cycles, including the Central Business District schedule. NO_x data were treated to account for sampling time lag and presented against instantaneous vehicle axle power. Data were repeatable from run to run and test schedule, but vehicle type and test cycle both influenced the instantaneous emissions rates. However, the resulting correlations may be used for mobile source NO_x contribution estimation when combined with vehicle activity data. The emissions data were also presented as NO_x/CO_2, which are valuable for comparison with remote sensing emissions data. The overall average ratio for all of the data considered was 0.0141, which corresponds to an emissions ...
Farmers' lung disease (FLD) is a pulmonary disease that results from repeated inhalation of antigens from mouldy hay or straw. The objective of this prospective study was to assess the reliability of four serological techniques in FLD diagnosis. Sera from 15 consecutive patients with FLD, 15 healthy control farmers and 30 urban controls were analysed using four serological techniques [electrosyneresis (ES), Ouchterlony double diffusion (DD), ELISA and Western blot (WB)] with four antigens (Absidia corymbifera, Eurotium amstelodami, Wallemia sebi and Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula). In the authors' region, ES on cellulose acetate with A. corymbifera antigen was the most relevant diagnostic tool for discriminating FLD patients from healthy exposed farmers (sensitivity 87 %, specificity 100 %). DD tests were in accordance with ES, but their discriminatory power was lower. No threshold indicating both good sensitivity and specificity could be established with ELISA. WB ...
The thermal-hydraulic performance in periodic frosting conditions is experimentally studied for the parallel-flow parallel-fin heat exchanger, henceforth referred to as a PF{sup 2} heat exchanger, a new style of heat exchanger that uses louvered bent fins on flat tubes to enhance water drainage when the flat tubes are horizontal. Typically, it takes a few frosting/defrosting cycles to come to repeatable conditions. The criterion for the initiation of defrost and a sufficiently long defrost period are determined for the test PF{sup 2} heat exchanger and test condition. The effects of blower operation on the pressure drop, frost accumulation, water retention, and capacity in time are compared under the conditions of 15 sequential frosting cycles. Pressure drop across the heat exchanger and overall heat transfer coefficient are quantified under frost conditions as functions of the air humidity and air face velocity. The performances of two types of flat-tube heat ...
In recent years, there has been increased interest in using early life stages of freshwater bivalves to test the toxicity of dissolved constituents in water. The authors have developed laboratory and in situ assays with artificially cultured Utterbackia imbecillis to examine effects of contaminants and existing conditions in embayments and rivers on mortality and reproductive success of unionid mussels. Age sensitivity of U. imbecillis to Cd and Cu was examined using both static acute and 8-day static renewal bioassays. Both aqueous and sediment exposures demonstrated greater sensitivity to Cd than Cu. LC{sub 50}`s for two-day old (2d) and 9d mussels were approximately half the LC{sub 50} calculated for 16d mussels in 48-hr bioassays with Cd. Additionally, acute assays were repeated twice to examine variability in response between different mussel cultures to the two metals. The results of this work reinforce the potential of juvenile U. imbecillis as a standard ...
The aim of this study was to search for a sorbent that could act as an extraction phase and as a support for solid-matrix time-resolved luminescence (SMTRL). Four potential sorbents were investigated for this purpose using tetracycline (TC) as a model analyte. Sorbents prepared from C18 silica gel or calcium cross-linked pectin gel were able to extract TC from dilute solutions. Europium(III)-TC complex adsorbed on the surface of C18 generated the most intense TRL signal when measured at {lambda}{sub ex} = 388 nm and {lambda}{sub em} = 615 nm. This method achieved a 1 ng/ml limit of detection (LOD) with a 100 {mu}l sample solution in a repeated spotting mode. Hyphenation of sorbent extraction and SMTRL was demonstrated using C18. This method is suitable for screening of TC in foods or aqueous solutions and can be extended to other luminescent lanthanide-chelating analytes in physiological or environmental samples.
Preliminary psychometric properties of a new instrument, Angie/Andy Cartoon Trauma Scales (ACTS), are presented. Angie/Andy features a cartoon-based methodology, measuring trauma-related sequelae of prolonged, repeated abuse. A sample of 208 children comprised intrafamilial trauma, extrafamilial trauma, combined trauma, and nontrauma groups. Angie/Andy demonstrated high internal consistency, with coefficient alphas from 0.70 to 0.95. The three trauma groups scored significantly higher than the nontrauma group on all scales (p's < 0.0001). Generally, the most severely traumatized group scored significantly higher than the less severely traumatized groups. The number of types of violence exposures correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.55 to 0.74. The frequency and severity of trauma exposure correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.44 to 0.56. The Angie/Andy parent version correlated with a standardized parent scale from 0.71 to 0.81. Parent/child agreement was ...
To propose a new design concept of a nuclear reactor used in the space, research has been conducted on the conceptual design of a new nuclear reactor on the basis of the following three main concepts: (1) Thermionic generation by thermionic fuel elements (TFE), (2) reactivity control by rotary reflector, and (3) reactor cooling by liquid metal. The outcomes of the research are: (1) A calculation algorithm was derived for obtaining convergent conditions by repeating nuclear characteristic calculation and thermal flow characteristic calculation for the space nuclear reactor. (2) Use of this algorithm and the parametric study established that a space nuclear reactor using 97% enriched uranium nitride as the fuel and lithium as the coolant and having a core with a radius of about 25 cm, a height of about 50 cm and a generation efficiency of about 7% can probably be operated continuously for at least more than ten years at 100 kW only by reactivity control by rotary ...
Background When assessing the function of the cardiovascular system, cardiac output (CO) is a substantial parameter. For its determination, numerous non-invasive techniques have been proposed in the recent years including inert gas rebreathing (IGR) and impedance cardiography (ICG). The aim of our study was to evaluate whether a novel ICG algorithm (electrical velocimetry) and IGR can be used interchangeably in the clinical setting. Methods A total of 120 consecutive stable patients were included resulting in two pairs of repeated non-invasive cardiac output measurements. Results The mean CO was 5.0???1.2?l/min (range 2.6?8.6?l/min) using IGR and 4.4???1.1?l/min (1.7?7.4?l/min) using ICG, respectively. Bland?Altman analysis revealed an acceptable agreement with a mean bias of 0.6???1.2?l/m...
A sequential problem in decentralized detection is considered. Two observers can make repeated noisy observations of a binary hypothesis on the state of the environment. At any time, observer 1 can stop and send a final binary message to observer 2 or it may continue to take more measurements. Every time observer 1 postpones its final message to observer 2, it incurs a penalty. Observer 2's operation under two different scenarios is explored. In the first scenario, observer 2 waits to receive the final message from observer 1 and then starts taking measurements of its own. It is then faced with a stopping problem on whether to stop and declare a decision on the hypothesis or to continue taking measurements. In the second scenario, observer 2 starts taking measurements from the beginning. It is then faced with a different stopping problem. At any time, observer 2 can decide whether to stop and declare a decision on the hypothesis or to continue to take more ...
The Girassol field is located in Angolan deep water of Block 17 and consists of large vertically stacked turbidities complexes. The reservoir extends over approximately 200 km{sup 2} and water depth ranges between 1300 and 1400 meters. In that context High Resolution 3D seismic became the most valuable tool to describe and monitor the reservoir. The field development plan took into account, through re-injection of the gas into the reservoir, Total environmental policy imposing the recycling of production gas. Monitoring of this injection was the main reason to shoot the first High Resolution 4D extremely early in the life of field. Despite the complexity of interpretation due to complex fluid situation and pressure effect, the results went way beyond expectations as the 4D images are of very high quality. Data has also been used to update and refine the reservoir flow model as well as to help deciding on the location of latest development wells. Other repeat ...