Discovering functional and inclusion dependencies in relational databases

We consider the problem of discovering the functional and inclusion dependencies that a given database instance satisfies. This technique is used in a database design tool that uses example databases to give feedback to the designer. If the examples show deficiencies in the design, the designer can directly modify the examples. the tool then infers new dependencies and the database schema can be modified, if necessary. the discovery of the functional and inclusion dependencies can also be used in analyzing an existing database. the problem of inferring functional dependencies has several connections to other topics in knowledge discovery and machine learning. In this article we discuss the use of examples in the design of databases, and give an overview of the complexity results and algorithms that have been developed for this problem. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Endotoxins associated with cyanobacteria and their removal during drinking water treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate endotoxin concentrations in cyanobacterial water blooms and strains, and to assess the removal of endotoxins during drinking water treatment. Endotoxin concentrations were measured from 151 hepatotoxic, neurotoxic and non-toxic cyanobacterial water blooms by using Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, and the results were compared to bacterial data. Endotoxin activities ranged from 20 to 3.8 x 10(4) endotoxin units (EU) per ml. Endotoxicity of the samples correlated with phycobiliprotein concentration that was used to assess cyanobacterial abundance, heterotrophic plate count, and Aeromonas spp. but it did not correlate with the number of coliforms or streptococci. The high endotoxin concentrations occasionally detected in the water bloom samples were probably due to Gram negative bacteria that existed together with cyanobacteria since the 26 axenic cyanobacterial strains from different genera that were studied showed very low endotoxin activity. No differences in endotoxin activity were detected between hepatotoxic, neurotoxic and non-toxic strains. Removal of endotoxins during drinking water treatment was studied at nine waterworks that previously had been associated with high numbers of cyanobacteria and that used different processes for water purification. Endotoxin concentration in raw waters ranged from 18 to 356 EU ml(-1). The treatment processes reduced 59-97% of the endotoxin activity; in the treated water the concentration ranged from 3 to 15 EU ml(-1). The most significant reduction occurred at the early stages of water treatment, during coagulation, settling and sand filtration. Activated carbon filtration either increased or had no effect on endotoxin concentration. Ozonation and chlorination had little effect on the endotoxin concentrations.     

Effective new chemicals to prevent corrosion due to chlorine in power plant superheaters

Firing or co-firing of biomass in efficient power plants can lead to high-temperature corrosion of superheaters due to condensation of alkali chlorides into superheater deposits. Corrosion can be prevented if a significant portion of the alkali chlorides present in the flue gases is destroyed before reaching the superheaters. The alkali capturing power of aluminium and ferric sulphates was determined in a pilot-scale fluidised bed (FB) reactor. The reagents were added in solution, through a spraying nozzle, to the upper part of the freeboard. Both reagents, at economical dosages, fast and effectively destroyed the alkali chlorides by producing sufficient SO₃ for the sulphation. Both the mass flow rate and type of sulphate affected the sulphation ability. Thus, the cation, too, plays a role in the reaction. The required chemical dosage is not directly proportional to the S_reagent/Cl_2fuel ratio because alkali chlorides must compete with calcium and magnesium oxides and probably also with alkali oxides for the available SO₃.     

Small-signal harmonic analysis of non-linear circuits

An approximate harmonic analysis method for non-linear circuits is introduced. the method solves the steady state, time domain representation as well as the frequency response of non-linear circuits. It allows simulation of non-ideal switched capacitor circuits composed of any kinds of linear components and non-linear transistors as switches. All switches must have the same period, but they can be opened and closed at any time. the method proposed may also be applied to mixer analysis for the case of strong LO and weak RF signals. Examples are given to demonstrate that the method is efficient and sufficiently fast to be used in circuit design. the simulation results show good agreement with those obtained by harmonic balance and transient analysis.     

Using Chemical Probes to Assess the Feasibility of Targeting SecA for Developing Antimicrobial Agents against Gram‐Negative Bacteria

With the widespread emergence of drug resistance, there is an urgent need to search for new antimicrobials, especially those against Gram‐negative bacteria. Along this line, the identification of viable targets is a critical first step. The protein translocase SecA is commonly believed to be an excellent target for the development of broad‐spectrum antimicrobials. In recent years, we developed three structural classes of SecA inhibitors that have proven to be very effective against Gram‐positive bacteria. However, we have not achieved the same level of success against Gram‐negative bacteria, despite the potent inhibition of SecA in enzyme assays by the same inhibitors. In this study, we use representative inhibitors as chemical probes to gain an understanding as to why these inhibitors were not effective against Gram‐negative bacteria. The results validate our initial postulation that the major difference in effectiveness against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria is in the additional permeability barrier posed by the outer membrane of Gram‐negative bacteria. We also found that the expression of efflux pumps, which are responsible for multidrug resistance (MDR), have no effect on the effectiveness of these SecA inhibitors. Identification of an inhibitor‐resistant mutant and complementation tests of the plasmids containing secA in a secAts mutant showed that a single secA‐azi‐9 mutation increased the resistance, providing genetic evidence that SecA is indeed the target of these inhibitors in bacteria. Such results strongly suggest SecA as an excellent target for developing effective antimicrobials against Gram‐negative bacteria with the intrinsic ability to overcome MDR. A key future research direction should be the optimization of membrane permeability.     

Burnout of pulverized biomass particles in large scale boiler – Single particle model approach

Burning of coal and biomass particles are studied and compared by measurements in an entrained flow reactor and by modelling. The results are applied to study the burning of pulverized biomass in a large scale utility boiler originally planned for coal. A simplified single particle approach, where the particle combustion model is coupled with one-dimensional equation of motion of the particle, is applied for the calculation of the burnout in the boiler. The particle size of biomass can be much larger than that of coal to reach complete burnout due to lower density and greater reactivity. The burner location and the trajectories of the particles might be optimised to maximise the residence time and burnout.     

Use of stainless steels in bus coach structures

This study focuses on weld integrity of stainless steels in bus coach applications. Safety aspects have been studied based on fracture mechanics and impact toughness testing. Fatigue resistance of welded rectangular hollow section (RHS) profiles was evaluated according to the Eurocode 3 (1992) fatigue standard. Corrosion resistance was studied by salt-spray chamber tests in a deicing salt atmosphere and by field testing for 3 years under an urban bus. The mechanical tests show that austenitic stainless steel EN 1.4310 (AISI 301) is a superior material, and a low-C 12% Cr alloyed stainless steel EN 1.4003 is also a competitive material in bus coach applications. According to the life cycle cost (LCC) calculations, stainless steels are competitive compared with carbon steels or aluminum.     

Local field asymmetry drives second-harmonic generation in non-centrosymmetric nanodimers

We demonstrate that second-harmonic generation (SHG) from arrays of non-centrosymmetric T-shaped gold nanodimers with a nanogap arises from asymmetry in the local fundamental field distribution and is not related strictly to nanogap size. Calculations show that the local field contains orthogonal polarization components not present in the exciting field, which yield the dominant SHG response. The strongest SHG responses occur through the local surface susceptibility of the particles for a fundamental field distributed asymmetrically at the particle perimeters. Weak responses result from more symmetric distributions despite high field enhancement in the nanogap. Nearly constant field enhancement persists for relatively large nanogap sizes.     

Nanostructured Porous Silicon‐Solid Lipid Nanocomposite: Towards Enhanced Cytocompatibility and Stability,Reduced Cellular Association,and Prolonged Drug Release

A major bottleneck in nanometer‐scale drug delivery systems is the fabrication of nanocarriers with excellent stability under physiological conditions that can both efficiently encapsulate therapeutic agents and controllably release their payloads. Herein, the formation of a novel nanocomposite based on the encapsulation of thermally hydrocarbonized porous silicon (THCPSi) nanoparticles with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) on a 1:1 ratio is described. The THCPSi‐SL nanocomposites (THCPSi‐SLNCs) are formed using a solid‐in‐oil‐in‐water emulsion solvent evaporation method. TEM and FTIR analyses prove that THCPSi nanoparticles are successfully encapsulated in the SLN matrix. The formation of the THCPSi‐SLNCs alters the surface smoothness and hydrophobicity of the THCPSi nanoparticles, and also remarkably enhances their stability in human plasma. After encapsulation, the cytocompatibility of the THCPSi nanoparticles with intestinal, liver, and macrophage cancer cells is also greatly improved. A prolonged release of the model drug, furosemide, from THCPSi‐SLNC is achieved, indicating that the SLN matrix successfully seals the pores of the THCPSi nanoparticles. Flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy studies demonstrates the significantly reduced cellular association of THCPSi‐SLNCs with the cells comparing to bare THCPSi nanoparticles. Overall, the THCPSi‐SLNCs exhibits superior suspensibility and better stability against aggregation in aqueous buffer solutions, increases the particle surface smoothness and cytocompatibility, reduces the cellular association, increases the in vitro stability in human plasma, and prolonges the drug release. These results suggest that the nanocomposite is a promising nanovector system for drug delivery applications.