Influence of end reflectivity on the excess-noise factor indistributed feedback lasers

The influence of end reflectivity on the excess noise factor in distributed feedback lasers is analyzed. It is shown that the end reflectivity affects the excess-noise factor markedly in the weak and moderate coupling region. In particular, in this coupling region the noise level in the laser structure strongly depends on the end reflectivity phase. Moreover, in the weak and moderate coupling region, the excess-noise factor decreases with an increasing end reflectivity amplitude; in the strong coupling region the opposite behavior is observed     

New substrates of papain, based on the conserved sequence of natural inhibitors of the cystatin family

A discontinuous borate/formate buffer system is presented for horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of DNA fragments. The resolution potential of the system could be altered by changing the total monomer concentration (5-9%T), the concentration of the crosslinker piperazine diacrylamide (2-5%CPDA), as well as the concentration of formate in the gel (40-120 mM), the leading ion of the buffer system. The separation of DNA fragments would be improved by increasing the migration distance from 22 to 28 cm. This discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system proved highly reproducible.     

Movement stability analysis of a pipe string in a thixotropic fluid

Features of movement of a drill pipe string in a well filled with a thixotropic fluid are analyzed taking into account inertial and elastic forces of the rope system. It is shown that processes of fluid structure degradation can lead to nonstationary movement of the pipes. In this case periodic and chaotic auto-oscillations are excited in the system.Bashkir State University, Ufa, Russia. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 66, No. 4, pp. 405–411, April, 1994.     

Local staging with CT of tumors of the upper urothelium

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of computerized tomography (CT) to stage transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. METHODS: 29 transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract submitted to nephroureterectomy were retrospectively evaluated. All 29 tumors had preoperative CT scans performed to stage the lesion. The pathological staging was compared to that of CT. RESULTS: 10 of the 29 tumors had CT evidence of tumor extension and 19 had localized noninvasive tumor on CT. Of the 10 patients with CT findings of tumor extension, 2 (20%) had superficial tumors and 8 (80%) had tumors that invaded into the adventitial fat, renal parenchyma or perirenal fat (pT3, pT4). Of the 19 patients with localized noninvasive tumor on CT, 13 (68%) had superficial tumors and 6 (32%) had pT3 or pT4 tumors. CT sensitivity for tumor invasion was 57% with a specificity of 87.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows that CT is of limited value in staging these tumors. When CT demonstrates direct tumor extension through the renal pelvic or ureteral wall, it is a sensitive indicator of high-stage tumor. However, the results obtained in low stage tumors must be viewed with caution.     

Pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors

Organic thin-film transistors using the fused-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pentacene as the active electronic material have shown mobility as large as 0.7 cm²/V-s and on/off current ratio larger than 10⁸; both values are comparable to hydrogenated amorphous silicon devices. On the other hand, these and most other organic TFT's have an undesirably large subthreshold slope. We show here that the large subthreshold slope typically observed is not an intrinsic property of the organic semiconducting material and that devices with subthreshold slope similar to amorphous silicon devices are possible     

First evaluation of a year of ambulatory surgery in urology

Day surgery in urology is in full growth actually. The present report is based on our first 120 patients. Low post-operative complication rate, patients' satisfaction and economical savings are the main factors for the important increase in this type of surgery.     

DRAG ON MULTIPLE SPHERE ASSEMBLIES SUSPENDED IN NON-NEWTONIAN TUBE FLOW

The drag forces experienced by single and multiple sphere assemblies suspended in non-Newtonian tube-flow were investigated under different levels of fluid viscosity of aqueous CMC solutions (m=2.0 to 21.1 Pa-sⁿ and n=0.73 to 0.82), flow rate (0.02 to 0.86 kg/s) and particle concentrations (1.53 to 11.01% on a volume basis). It was found that an increase in particle concentration resulted in an increase in drag force experienced by each sphere in an assembly. It was also observed that the presence of identical assemblies upstream and downstream of the single test assembly (multiple assembly case), resulted in drag force increases per sphere from 14% for low concentration to 25% for high concentration. an equation was developed to predict a drag correction factor for Stokes' equation for the multiple assembly configuration based on particle concentration.     

EMULSION COATING TO EXTEND POSTHARVEST LIFE OF MANGO (MANGIFERA INDICA CV. MANILA)

A coating emulsion was prepared using maltodextrins, carboxymethylcellulose, propileneglycol and a mixture of s orbit an fatty acid esters with an HLB of 6. The emulsion was sprayed on fully mature, unripened manila mangoes, which were the stored at 15 and 25C and 80–85% R.H. At 25C it was observed that rate CO² production increased and lost in control fruits after 12 days of storage. Coated mangoes kept their rate CO² production and suffered only 8% weight loss after 21 days of storage. After storage, the coating was washed out and fruits were allowed to ripen naturally, which occurred in 3–4 days. The results obtained from this study indicate that application of the hydrophobic coating extended the postharvest storage of mangoes for at least 20 days more than uncoated fruits.