Synthesis and Thermal Behaviour of Lanthanide Complexes of 4′[（Cholesteryloxy）Carbonyl]—Benzo—15—Crown—5

Lanthanide complexes of a steroid-substituted benzocrown ether were synthesised.The metal-to-ligand ratio of the metal complexes is1:1,The ligand4′[(Cholesteryloxy)Carbonyl]-Benzo-15-Crown-5 is a monotropicliquid crystal,displaying a cholesteric mesophase.The lanethanide complexes with nitate counter-ions form a highly viscous mesophase,decomposing at the clearing point ,The transition temperatures change as a function of the lanthanide ion.The corresponding lanthanide complexes with dodecylsulphate(DOS)counter-ions do not form a mesophase,In both cases ,the metal complexes have a much lower melting point than the parent ligand.     

Probabilistic Approach for Budgeting in Portfolio of Projects

This paper presents a mathematical model for calculating the budgetary impact of increasing the required confidence level in a probabilistic risk assessment for a portfolio of projects. The model provides a rational approach for establishing a probabilistic budget for an individual project in such a way that the budget for a portfolio of projects will meet a required confidence level. The use of probabilistic risk assessment in major infrastructure projects is increasing to cope with major cost overruns and schedule delays. The outcome of the probabilistic risk assessment is often a distribution for project costs. The question is at what level of confidence (i.e., the probability that budget would be sufficient given the cost distribution) should be used for establishing the budget. The proposed method looks at a portfolio of such projects being funded by the same owner. The owner can establish a target probability with respect to its annual budget. The model can help the owner establish confidence level for individual projects and also examine the effect of changing the confidence level of the portfolio budget on the budget and the confidence level of individual projects. The paper is relevant to practitioners because it provides a methodology for establishing confidence levels by the owner agencies in the emerging field of cost risk assessment for infrastructure projects. A numerical example is provided using actual transit project data to demonstrate the model application.     

Railgun Space Launcher

A method and facilities for delivering payload and people into outer space are presented. This method uses, in general, engines located on a planetary surface. The installation consists of a space apparatus, power drive stations, which include a fly-wheel accumulator (for storage) of energy, a variable reducer, a powerful homopolar electric generator, and electric rails. The drive stations accelerate the apparatus up to hypersonic speed. The estimations and computations show the possibility of making this project a reality in a short period of time (for payloads that can tolerate high g forces). The launch will be very cheap at a projected cost of $3–$5/lb. The authors developed a theory of this type of the launcher.     

Purification and cloning of a thermostable manganese catalase from a thermophilic bacterium

We have purified a heat-stable catalase from a thermophilic bacterium, Thermus species strain YS 8-13. The enzyme was purified 160-fold from crude cellular extracts and possessed a specific activity of 8000 units/mg at 65 degrees C. The purified enzyme displayed the highest activity at pH 7 to 10 and temperatures around 85 degrees C. The catalase was determined to be a manganese catalase, based on results from atomic absorption spectra and inhibition experiments using sodium azide. The enzyme was composed of six identical subunits of molecular weight 36,000. Amino acid sequences determined from the purified protein were used to design oligonucleotide primers, which were in turn used to clone the coding gene. The nucleotide sequence of a 1.4-kb fragment of Thermus sp. YS 8-13 genomic DNA containing a 909-bp open reading frame was determined. The gene encoded a 302-residue polypeptide of deduced molecular weight 33,303. The deduced amino acid sequence displayed a region-specific homology with the sequences of the manganese catalase from a mesophilic organism, Lactobacillus plantarum.     

Analysis of Load Tests on Piles Driven through Calcareous Desert Sands

The ultimate bearing capacity of short, precast concrete piles driven into calcareous sands was examined by pile-load tests carried out at two sites in Kuwait. The piles had a 0.3 m × 0.3 m square cross section and extended to a maximum depth of 12 m. They were driven through a loose-to-compact calcareous surface sand layer underlain by a competent dense-to-very-dense siliceous cemented sand deposit. The pile tips and part of the pile shafts were embedded in the lower layer. The base resistance and shaft friction were calculated using the Meyerhof method for a layered soil profile. The method employs the standard penetration test N values. The results indicate that a great portion of the pile capacity is due to base resistance. The skin friction mobilized is small and consists of two components corresponding to the two layers penetrated along the pile shafts. The calculated pile capacities were very close to the measured values. The unit skin friction is not constant along the pile shafts.     

Experimental study of heat transfer in process of rolls cooling in rolling mills by water jets

The paper summarizes results obtained by carrying out a large set of experiments that studied cooling of rolls. The experiments are based on the cooling of a steel plate by a set of flat nozzles from a starting temperature of 615 °C. The temperature histories measured in 39 points of the test plate are the inputs to the evaluation procedure. The sensor distribution covers a surface of a size of 450 × 110 mm. Classical Beck's inverse task was extended for the 3-dimensional area. The inverse task computes the surface distribution of heat transfer coefficient history, heat flux history and surface temperature. The results have pointed out a non-homogeneity in cooling by means of flat jets and provide us with a comparison of the flat and the full cone jets. The possibility of the intensification of the cooling by non-rectangular spray angle is discussed. It is shown that a certain point of saturation exists in the experimental pressure range from 0.4 to 1.2 MPa and increasing the pressure has a negligible influence on the cooling intensity.     

Marine Wastewater Discharges from Multiport Diffusers. II: Unstratified Flowing Water

Laboratory experiments on the near-field mixing of buoyant plumes discharged from multiport diffusers into unstratified flowing water are reported. The spatial variation of dilution was measured by a newly developed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system and a microconductivity probe. The near-field hydrodynamics are complex. The plumes discharged upstream dilute and merge more rapidly than those discharged downstream. Even with wide port spacing, the plumes eventually merge to form a laterally uniform surface wastefield. The density profile in this wastefield becomes gravitationally stable and suppresses mixing, marking the end of the near field. The value of the port spacing ratio, s/H, below which the discharge approximates a line plume is greater for discharge into a flowing current than into a stationary environment, so the port spacing plays a lesser role in a flowing current. The mixing and dilution that occurs in the surface layer is less than for a discharge into a stationary environment, and it decreases as the current speed increases. Semiempirical equations to predict the major near field characteristics are presented.     

Changes in the immunoreactivity for inhibin in mouse retina during development of photoreceptor cells

INTRODUCTION: A costovertebral paraganglioma with a long history of recurrences and metastases is reported. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The lesion is documented on histological ground and with immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. RESULTS: The patient is a 42 year old man which presented with a 5 cm axillary mass and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. The former lesion has been interpreted as a metastasis of paraganglioma. The patient underwent surgery because of a costovertebral paraganglioma at the age of 19 and showed locoregional metastases and a recurrence over a period of 23 years. Twenty-seven years from removal of the primitive tumor, the patient is alive and well. All the neoplasms showed identical histological features as they were composed of neoplastic elements arranged in nests surrounded by dendritic cells. Neoplastic cells immunoreacted with anti-chromogranin antiserum whereas sustentacolar cells were positive with S-100 antiserum. DISCUSSION: The differential diagnosis between a multicentric paraganglioma a metastasis has been particularly taken into consideration. In addition, axillary tumor was distinguished from a metastatic renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. The literature regarding costovertebral paraganglioma has been also revised.     

Post-traumatic hemiplegia in a patient with fibromuscular dysplasia of the carotid artery

A 44-year-old patient, without remarkable medical history, was admitted with a head trauma with initial loss of consciousness and a thoracic trauma. The initial treatment included the insertion of a chest drain for evacuation of a pneumothorax and intrapleural analgesia with bupivacaine. The day after admission, the patient experienced a generalized epileptic crisis, without prodomes. Later, a left proportional hemiplegia with aphasia was recognized. The CT scan obtained immediately after the crisis, as well as the carotid Doppler ultrasonography and echocardiography were normal. The bilateral carotid angiography showed an image of fibromuscular dysplasia of the extracranial segment of the right internal carotid artery. The migration of a carotid thrombus initiated by the trauma was hypothetized. A treatment with a platelet aggregation inhibiting drug was started and associated 20 days later with low molecular weight heparin. The patient recovered a normal motility within 10 days; only the aphasia remained. Trauma of the carotid artery is not a frequent cause of cerebrovascular accident. The occurrence of the latter is favoured by a pre-existing lesion of this artery. This case demonstrates that in a trauma patient not all central nervous system manifestations are initiated by a head trauma.     

Thymic carcinoma which developed in a thymic cyst

The first human infection caused by Ascotricha chartarum of the maxillary sinus is described. The patient, a 35-year-old woman, developed a hard bony swelling on the right cheek. Her maxillary X-ray showed complete opacity of the right maxillary antrum with a shadow of erosion. C.T. scan revealed a radio opaque mass having vacuolated appearance in the antrum. The debris removed from the antrum contained phaeoid fungal elements. At places, softening of the bone was observed. The mucoperiosteum exhibited acute inflammatory reaction and invasion by the pathogen. The pale brown to subhyaline fungal elements in biopsy tissue grew Ascotricha chartarum, a phaeoid ascomycetous fungus in culture. The patient had a smooth recovery when treated with betadine lavage and itraconazole after surgical intervention.     

Nature of the Thermal pretransition of synthetic phospholipids: dimyristolyl- and dipalmitoyllecithin

The hydrated synthetic lecithins, dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyllecithins, undergo two thermal transitions, a broad low enthalpy "pretransition" prior to the sharp first-order "chain-melting" transition. Both phospholipids exhibit the same temperature-dependent structural changes associated with the thermal pretransition. At low temperatures, below the pretransition, a one-dimensional lamellar lattice is observed. The hydrocarbon chains are fully extended and tilted with respect to the plane of the lipid bilayer. The hydrocarbon chain packing displays a temperature dependence and the angle of tilt of the hydrocarbon chains decreases with increasing temperature, reaching a minimum value of 30 degrees at the pretransition temperature of both lecithins. The pretransition is associated with a structural transformation from a one-dimensional lamellar to a two-dimensional monoclinic lattice consisting of lipid lamellae distorted by a periodic ripple. The hydrocarbon chains remain tilted in the temperature range intermediate between the pretransition and chain-melting transition. The cell parameters of this two-dimensional lattice exhibit a compositional dependence. The a parameter (proportional to the lamellar repeat distance) increases with increasing water content, while the b parameter (a measure of the ripple periodicity) decreases with increasing water content. At the chain-melting transition, the hydrocarbon chains of the phospholipid melt and assume a liquid-like conformation and the lattice reverts to one-dimensional lamellar. These structural changes observed for dimyristoyl- and dipalmitoyllecithins may be a common feature of all synthetic lecithins exhibiting a thermal pretransition. The appearance of the pretransition and accompanying two-dimensional may arise from specific interactions between the choline moiety of the polar head group and the structured water matrix surrounding it.     

Down syndrome: 1. Medical aspects

Each organ of a patient with the Down's Syndrome (trisomy 21) shows the pathology. One notices the specific features already with an infant. The life expectation of these children has increased considerably and it depends upon the appearance or not of a heart defect. The ventricular septum defect is most frequent but a small number of these patients show a complex cardiopathy. The incidence of pulmonary hypertension is also high. The obstruction of gastroenteric tract can cause problems from the prenatal phase onwards. The main endocrinological difficulties are dysfunction of the thyroid gland and also infertility. Ocular disorders like refraction disorders occur frequently. Due to decreased conduction, there is a hearing loss. The cellular immunity is clearly reduced, hence, the susceptibility to infections like hepatitis B, increases. The major oral problems are apparently oversized tongue and a high sensitivity to gingivitis.     

坚持科技进步是企业发展的永恒主题

本文是宁波粉末冶金厂改革开放15年来坚持科技进步,使企业获得高速发展和壮大的经验总结。该厂通过技术和设备引进,走上依靠技术改造求发展的道路。其技改经历三个阶段,每个阶段目标明确,投资见效快,粉末冶金制品的年生产能力“六五”末期为450t,“七五”末期跃到1200t,“八五”后期达到2500t。“九五”技改规划实施后,目前金鸡集团内四个企业专业生产粉末冶金制品年生产能力达到7000t,固定资产原值已达到1．35亿元,生产经营规模和产品水平又登上了新的台阶。     

A Psi of relief.

The American Psychological Association (APA) introduced a new logo symbol for the association in 1991. The symbol attempted to modernize the representation of the organization, melding the clinical and experimental arms of the discipline through the use of organic arms attached to a central unifying pole. To determine what this symbol represented to a naive audience, the authors undertook a questionnaire-based investigation with a total of 176 undergraduates. The most common images evoked were a sunrise, a disguised version of the AT&T logo, a window, an organizational logo (not APA), a plant, a human face, a bird, or a tool or implement. The authors discuss these interpretations as symbols for the future goals of APA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Isolation and characterization of a novel 5-oxoprolinase (without ATP-hydrolyzing) from Alcaligenes faecalis N-38A

A screening test was undertaken to isolate a microorganism that produced 5-oxoprolinase (without ATP-hydrolyzing). The 5-oxoprolinase (without ATP-hydrolyzing) activity (decyclization activity toward L-pyroglutamate) was found in a cell-free extract of Alcaligenes faecalis N-38A, newly isolated from a soil sample. The enzyme was purified as a homogeneous preparation. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 47,000. The decyclization activity was specific for L-pyroglutamate, and independent of ATP and metal ions. The reaction was a reversible one, i.e., cyclization reaction of L-glutamate to yield pyroglutamate was identified.     

Conjunctival malignant melanoma in children

The first case concerns a 14-year-old girl with a brown conjunctival mass temporally in her right eye which was excised and diagnosed as active conjunctival melanotic lesion. Five years later, a malignant melanoma of the right lacrimal sac and orbit led to general metastatic spread. The second case demonstrates a conjunctival brown mass temporally in the left eye of a 3-year-old boy which enlarged over 4 years. The excision revealed a melanotic lesion which was of uncertain histological dignity. The third case occurred in a 4-year-old boy with a conjunctival glassy tumor temporally in his right eye which after excision led to controversial discussions concerning benign nevus or malignant melanoma.     

Process dissociation and mixture signal detection theory.

The process dissociation procedure was developed in an attempt to separate different processes involved in memory tasks. The procedure naturally lends itself to a formulation within a class of mixture signal detection models. The dual process model is shown to be a special case. The mixture signal detection model is applied to data from a widely analyzed study. The results suggest that a process other than recollection may be involved in the process dissociation procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early diagnosis of pregnancy in general practice

The value of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy and of the pregnancy diagnostic test as predictors of pregnancy was estimated for 1,592 women seen in general practice. The presence of a sign or symptom alone is a poor pointer to a diagnosis of pregnancy. The combination of pairs of features improves the value, the best being breast signs combined with either the presence of signs of pregnancy on vaginal examination or a palpable fundus, both giving predictive values of 0.89. The pregnancy diagnostic test alone, however, had a predictive value of 0.91, a value of 1.00 indicating 100 per cent reliability.     

Developing a Draft Schedule Using Templates and Rules

The effort required for the initial drafting of a plan is often a real barrier to developing a useful and high quality schedule for a construction project. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how an expert system with an editable rule base can be combined with standard templates of modifiable, predefined knowledge within a project management system in order to generate draft schedules based on limited user input. The user can capitalize on past experience by creating a template for each recurring project type. The knowledge contained in the templates is broken down into a physical view (i.e., what is being built), a process view (i.e., how it will be built), and rules for scaling the templates and computing durations based on user input. The physical view is a hierarchical breakdown structure of components that describes (without quantifying) the physical and spatial characteristics of the project type. The process view contains a list of typical activities and the logic relationships that describe their sequencing. The rules serve to link and then expand the two views in order to generate a draft schedule for the project-at-hand once its scale is specified. The feasibility and capabilities of the proposed approach are demonstrated in the context of a full-sized project composed of three buildings.