Decision support for AIDS control programmes in Eastern Africa

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) constitutes the worst hazard to health care systems in Eastern Africa. Misallocation of scarce resources of AIDS Control Programmes will unavoidably lead to additional infections and casualties. The following paper discusses a system dynamics model which allows to assess the impact of different interventions on a pattern population in Eastern Africa. It becomes obvious that short- and long-term consequences of these programmes differ significantly. The optimal allocation of resources, therefore, is highly complex and calls for decision support systems to sustain AIDS control programmes.     

Perceptual primitives from an extended 4D Hough transform

Directional features extracted from Gabor wavelets responses were used to train a structure of self-organising maps, thus classifying each pixel in the image within a neuron-map. Resulting directional primitives were grouped into perceptual primitives introducing an extended 4D Hough transform to group pixels with similar directional features. These can then be used as perceptual primitives to detect salient structures. The proposed method has independently fixed parameters that do not need to be tuned for different kind or quality of images. We present results in application to noisy FLIR images and show that line primitives for complex structures, such as bridges, or simple structures, such as runways, can be found by this approach. We compare and demonstrate the quality of our results with those obtained through a parameter-dependent traditional Canny edge detector and Hough line finding process.     

Deep oxidation of VOC mixtures with platinum supported on Al2O3/Al monoliths

Pt impregnated metallic monoliths prepared from anodised aluminium foils were tested to study their catalytic activity in complete oxidation of volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures. The VOCs oxidised were 2-propanol, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), acetone and their mixtures. Complete oxidation was obtained in all cases except for the case of 2-propanol, where acetone was found as an oxidation intermediate. Even if the adsorption of the VOC on the Al₂O₃ is governed by its polarity, the reactivity is mainly affected by the competition of the oxygen atoms chemisorbed on the Pt particles.     

Transport of chromium(VI) through a Cyanex 921‐supported liquid membrane from HCl solutions

The transport of chromium(VI) through a flat‐sheet supported liquid membrane containing Cyanex 921 as a carrier has been investigated. The permeation of the metal is investigated as a function of various experimental variables: hydrodynamic conditions, concentration of chromium(VI) and HCl in the feed phase, carrier concentration and diluent in the membrane and strippant concentration in the stripping phase. The mass transfer coefficient and the thickness of the aqueous boundary layer were calculated from the experimental data. Furthermore, the selectivity of Cyanex 921‐based flat‐sheet supported liquid membrane towards different metal ions and the behaviour of the system against other carriers are presented. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

The effects of behavioral tasks on the in vitro phosphorylation of intermediate filament subunits of rat hippocampus are mediated by CaMKII and PKA

In the homodimeric hemoglobin from Scapharca, HbI, functional communication between the two heme groups is based on their direct structural linkage across the subunit interface through the heme propionates. The heme-protein interactions have been altered in deutero- and meso-HbI by substituting the vinyl groups at positions 2 and 4 of protoheme with hydrogen and ethyl groups, respectively. In meso-HbI the introduction of the ethyl groups in the heme pocket induces significant alterations in the conformation of the heme peripheral substituents, including the propionates, and in the structure of bound CO, as revealed by the resonance Raman spectra. The functional counterpart of these structural changes is the loss of cooperativity in carbon monoxide binding and in the rate of oxygen dissociation. Oxygen pulse and flash photolysis experiments indicate that meso-HbI is locked in the liganded conformation. It is postulated that the ethyl groups, which occupy a larger volume than vinyl ones, impair the ligand-linked movement of the heme relative to its pocket and in turn the expression of cooperativity. In deutero-HbI structural alterations have not been monitored. Functionally, cooperativity in the CO binding kinetics is increased as if hydrogen atoms at positions 2 and 4 permitted more marked movements of the heme than in the native protein.     

Coupling GIS with Hydrologic and Hydraulic Flood Modelling

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. As part of this comprehensive approach to floodplain management, it is very important to be able to predict the consequences of different scenarios in terms of flooded areas and associated risk. Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling plays a crucial role and there is much to gain in incorporating these modelling capabilities in GIS. This is still a rather complex task and research is being done on the full integration of these models. Interfacing between these models and GIS may be a very efficient way of overcoming the difficulties and getting very good results in terms of engineering practice. This paper presents results based on the use of Intergraph GIS coupled with Idrisi GIS. Using these two systems substantially increased the flexibility of using GIS as a tool for flood studies. A lumped (XSRAIN) and a distributed (OMEGA) hydrologic models were used to simulate flood hydrographs. The well known HEC-2 Hydraulic model was used to compute flooded areas. These models were applied in the Livramento catchment with very good results. The computation of flooded areas for different flood scenarios, and its representation in GIS, can be used in the assessment of affected property and associated damages. This is a very useful GIS-based approach to floodplain management.     

全国环境天然贯穿辐射水平调查研究（1983—1990年）

本文主要报道1983—1990年间国家环保局组织的、以摸清环境天然陆地γ辐射现状水平和分布为主要目的的中国环境天然贯穿辐射水平调查的方法及其结果。在全国基本以25×25km网格均匀布点,并在核企业、伴生矿和可能存在人工污染源等地的周围加密布点;共布设网格点14762个(其中25×25 km 和50×50 km 的网格点共8805个),各类加密点计14112个,总计测点数为28874个。由8805个网格点的调查结果统计而得的主要结果为:(1)原野γ辐射剂量率(均指离地面1 m 高处空气吸收剂量率,下同)范围为(2.4—340.8)nGy/h,按面积和人口加权的均值(±单次测量标准差)分别为62.8(±31.2)和62.1(±27.4)nGy/h。(2)道路γ辐射剂量率范围为(3.0—399.1)nGy/h,按点平均值和标准差分别为61.8和21.5nGy/h;道路与原野γ辐射剂量率比值的平均值为0.98。(3)室内γ辐射剂量率范围为(11.0—418.5)nGy/h,按人口加权均值和标准差分别为99.1和36.4nGy/h;室内与原野的γ辐射剂量率比值的平均值为1.64。(4)宇宙射线剂量率(不包括中子贡献),室外范围为(26.7—189.3)nGy/h,按点和按人口加权均值(±单次测量标准差)分别为39.9(±6.5)和32.5(±3.6)nGy/h;室内的范围为(10.0—165.8)nGy/h,按点和按人口加权均值(±单次测量标准差)分别为35.4(±5.3)和28     

^60Coγ射线对刚地弓形虫缓殖子感染性的影响

应用不同剂量的~(60)Coγ射线照射含NT株弓形虫包囊的鼠脑匀浆后,以0.4％胰蛋白酶液消化,使弓形虫缓殖子从包囊中释放出来,并用生理盐水作连续10倍稀释,使成为含不同数量缓殖子的悬液,将此悬液接种小鼠,用生物检测方法确定其感染性。另设未经照射处理的缓殖子悬液感染小鼠的对照组。结果表明,γ射线0.55kGy剂量为控制鼠脑中NT株弓形虫感染性的最小有效剂量。γ射线0.1kGy剂量对弓形虫缓殖子感染性无明显影响,而0.45kGy照射后,其感染性较前者下降了10~4倍。     

Synthesis and release of ATP by soluble mitochondrial F1 in complex with its inhibitor protein during dimethylsulfoxide-water transitions

Soluble mitochondrial F1 and F1 in complex with the natural ATPase inhibitor protein (F1-IP) catalyze the spontaneous synthesis of [gamma-32P]ATP from medium [32P]phosphate and enzyme-bound ADP when incubated in media with dimethylsulfoxide (Me2SO); under these conditions, the synthesized [gamma-32P]ATP is not released into the media, it remains tightly bound to the enzymes [Gómez-Puyou, A., Tuena de Gómez-Puyou, M. & de Meis, L. (1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 159, 133-140]. Some of the characteristics of the synthesized [gamma-32P]ATP were studied in F1 and F1-IP (ATPase activities of 70 and 1-3 micromol x min(-1) x mg(-1), respectively). In Me2SO media, gamma-phosphate of synthesized ATP in F1 or F1-IP exchanges with medium phosphate. From the rates of the exchange reaction, the half-times for hydrolysis of the synthesized ATP in F1 and F1-IP were calculated: 45 min and 58 min for F1 and F1-IP, respectively. The course that synthesized [gamma-32P]ATP follows after dilution of the Me2SO synthetic mixture with aqueous buffer was determined. After dilution, the half-life of synthesized ATP in F1 was less than 1 min. In F1-IP, ATP was also hydrolyzed, but at significantly lower rates. In F1-IP, dilution also produced release of the synthesized [gamma-32P]ATP. This was assayed by the accessibility of [gamma-32P]ATP to hexokinase. About 25% of [gamma-32P]ATP synthesized in F1-IP, but not in F1, was released into the media after dilution with aqueous buffer that contained 20 mM phosphate. Release of tightly bound ATP required the binding energy of phosphate and solvation of F1-IP, however, the particular kinetics of F1-IP were also central for medium ATP synthesis in the absence of electrochemical H+ gradients.