Design of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase inhibitors: a novel virtual screening approach

Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase-2) is a switch between gluconeogenesis and glycolysis in the hepatic cells. The structural features required for inhibitory activity of FBPase-2 were unidentified; no leads are available for inhibiting this important enzyme. In this paper pharmacophore mapping, molecular docking methods were employed in a virtual screening strategy to identify leads for FBPase-2. A receptor based pharmacophore map was modeled which comprised of important interactions as observed in co-crystal of rat liver isozyme with the product inhibitor fructose-6-phosphate. The pharmacophore model was validated against two databases of best docked structural analogues of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate and fructose-6-phosphate. The query generated was submitted for flexible search of ligands in chemical databases, namely LeadQuest, Maybridge and NCI. The hits obtained were further screened by molecular docking using FlexX.     

Effect of impurities (graphite) on the high-temperature creep properties of NiAl

Previous high-temperature compression creep studies of NiAl have shown peculiar behaviour in the temperature range 700 to 900° C, which was perhaps due to precipitation of impurities in the matrix. To isolate the impurity effect, high-purity NiAl samples with 0.15 at% and 0.20 at% carbon (graphite) additions have been creep tested at four temperatures between 700 and 850° C. Addition of graphite has been shown to produce a significant reduction in the creep strength of the alloyS. However, alloys with higher graphite concentrations have shown better creep resistance than those with lower graphite concentrations. Transmission electron microscopy indicates the presence of competing softening and hardening mechanisms in the alloys. Softening is due to the graphite particles acting as a dislocation source. Hardening results from a grain-boundary hardening mechanism due to the graphite particles segregating at grain boundaries and a dislocation-impurity (fine graphite) interaction, developing a Cottrell-like atmosphere.     

Exact fuzzy optimal solution of fully fuzzy linear programming problems with unrestricted fuzzy variables

Kumar et al. (Appl. Math. Model. 35:817?C823, 2011) pointed out that there is no method in literature to find the exact fuzzy optimal solution of fully fuzzy linear programming (FFLP) problems and proposed a new method to find the fuzzy optimal solution of FFLP problems with equality constraints having non-negative fuzzy variables and unrestricted fuzzy coefficients. There may exist several FFLP problems with equality constraints in which no restriction can be applied on all or some of the fuzzy variables but due to the limitation of the existing method these types of problems can not be solved by using the existing method. In this paper a new method is proposed to find the exact fuzzy optimal solution of FFLP problems with equality constraints having non-negative fuzzy coefficients and unrestricted fuzzy variables. The proposed method can also be used to solve the FFLP problems with equality constraints having non-negative fuzzy variables and unrestricted fuzzy coefficients. To show the advantage of the proposed method over existing method the results of some FFLP problems with equality constraints, obtained by using the existing and proposed method, are compared. Also, to show the application of proposed method a real life problem is solved by using the proposed method.     

Giant neurofibroma of the occipital scalp associated with lambda defect-case report (author's transl)

Calvarial bone defect associated with a hugh neurofibroma in the region of the lambdoid suture was reported in a 42-year-old man with v. Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis. An enlarging occipital tumor was first noted at age 4 similar to or approximately 5, and an operation was performed at age 12. Lambda defect was noted at that time, but the operative diagnosis was, apparently, "meningocele". Available literature was reviewed, and the significance of calvarial bone defect in the region of the lambdoid suture as a manifestation of v. Recklinghausen's disease was stressed. Lambda defect witn no sclerosing margin, particularly if associated with hypoplasia of the ipsilateral mastoid cells, has been known to represent the primary nature of the bone defect due to mesodermal dysplasia. In the present case, plain radiographs of the skull revealed abnormal sclerotic change around the bone defect. It is suggested that such an osteoblastic change may well indicate the secondary nature of the bone defect due to the presence of overlying neurogenic tumor.     

崛起的印度钢铁业

一、印度钢铁工业发展历史和现状从远古时代开始,铁在人类的生活中就非常重要。无论是战争还是和平年代,钢铁对现代文明的发展是必不可少的。为了了解印度的钢铁工业,首先有必要简要地回顾一下印度的钢铁制造史。印度是一个古老的国度,文化遗产丰富。印度是一片不同地域间存在惊人差异的土地,而两百多年的殖民统治更造就了多样化的印度。除了几家糖厂和纺     

Al2O3f＋Cr／ZL109混杂复合材料的复合振动钻削加工

用挤压铸造法制备了三氧化二铝短纤维和碳短纤维混杂增强ZL109合金复合材料、并采用永磁复合激振方式进行了轴向与扭转复合振动钻削加工，研究了该材料的钻削加工性及振幅和振动频率对钻削力、钻头磨损和孔精度的影响。结果表明。采用这种复合振动钻削方式．可更明显降低钻削力和提高加工精度。选择合理的振动参数。也可以减轻刀具磨损，因而可改善Al2I3f Cf／ZL109混杂复合材料的钻削加工性。     

Design and Analysis of Internet-Based Tele-Coordinated Multi-Robot Systems

The coordination of multi-robots is required in many scenarios for efficiency and task completion. Combined with teleoperation capabilities, coordinating robots provide a powerful tool. Add to this the Internet and now it is possible for multi-experts at multi-remote sites to control multi-robots in a coordinated fashion. For this to be feasible there are several hurdles to be crossed including Internet type delays, uncertainties in the environment and uncertainties in the object manipulated. In addition, there is a need to measure and control the quality of tele-coordination. To this end, the measure of force sensed by each robot is suggested and justified as a coordination index. It was proven that if n robots are event-transparent and event-synchronous then they can be teleoperated under random delay conditions to coordinate to any index value, which is feasible under no delay conditions. The design procedure that ensures a system can satisfy a small coordination index was presented and analyzed.In addition, the design and analysis of event-synchronous systems using Petri Nets is detailed. The Petri Net design methodology is presented for both event-synchronous single operator single robot teleoperation systems and event-synchronous multi-operator multi-robot teleoperation systems.The theory developed was tested by bilaterally tele-coordinating two mobile manipulators via the Internet. The experimental results confirmed the theoretical results presented.     

Processing of alumina and zirconia nano-powders and compacts

Magnesia–doped alumina and yttria–doped zirconia nano-powders were synthesized using sucrose as a chelating agent and template material from the aqueous solutions of aluminium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, ytrrium nitrate and zirconyl nitrate, respectively. Synthesis parameters were optimized with varying sucrose to metal ion ratio, calcinations time, and temperature to produce these nano-powders. As-synthesized powders were characterized by room temperature X-ray diffraction, BET surface area analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ nano-powders had particle size in the range of 80–200 nm with specific average surface area of 119 m²/g and for MgO–Al₂O₃ powders, particle sizes were 30–200 nm with the specific average surface area of 250 m²/g. Our results indicate that this synthesis method is a versatile one and can be applied to a variety of oxide-based materials to form nano-powders. Nano-powders were compacted uniaxially and densified in a muffle furnace. Sintered discs were used for hardness testing and density measurements, as well as for microstructural characterization.     

Failure Investigation of Boiler Water Wall Tubes of a Thermal Power Station

Failure investigation was carried out on boiler water wall tubes of a thermal power plant through visual inspection, chemical analysis, and metallurgical analysis. Failure was in the form of thin/micro cracks along the length of the tubes which were located at the girth welding joint of tubes. Experimental results revealed that the cracking was from inward to outward of the tube thickness. Discontinuities/cavities were observed in the welded region which might have occurred due to lack of fusion of base metal and the weld metal. Cracks were initiated from the sharp corner/crack tip of the cavities/discontinuities present at the welded region under the action of hoop/thermal stress existed during the operation. Nature of the crack propagation indicates the case of typical hydrogen-induced cracking. Moreover, the presence of the cavities/discontinuities reduced the cross-sectional area of tubes resulting increased stress intensity. Increased stress beyond the flow stress of the material assisted by hydrogen-induced effect resulted the cracking of the tubes. In order to mitigate the problem, proper welding of tubes joints should be carried out followed by proper inspection after weld. Secondly, hydrogen dissolution during welding should be prevented and treatment for its removal after welding should be carried out.     

Morphology,Mineralogy and Mixing of Individual Atmospheric Particles Over Kanpur (IGP): Relevance of Homogeneous Equivalent Sphere Approximation in Radiative Models

Estimation of the direct radiative forcing (DRF) by atmospheric particles is uncertain to a large extent owing to uncertainties in their morphology (shape and size), mixing states, and chemical composition. A region-specific database of the aforementioned physico-chemical properties (at individual particle level) is necessary to improve numerically-estimated optical and radiative properties. Till date, there is no detailed observation of the above mentioned properties over Kanpur in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). To fill this gap, an experiment was carried out at Kanpur (IITK; 26.52°N, 80.23°E, 142 m msl), India from April to July, 2011. Particle types broadly classified as (a) Cu-rich particles mixed with carbon and sulphur (b) dust and clays mixed with carbonaceous species (c) Fe-rich particles mixed with carbon and sulfur and (d) calcite (CaCO₃) particles aged with nitrate, were observed. The frequency distributions of aspect ratio (AR; indicator of extent of particle non-sphericity) of total 708 particles from April to June reveal that particles with aspect ratio range >1.2 to ≤1.4 were abundant throughout the experiment except during June when it was found to shift to high AR range, >1.4 to ≤1.6 (followed with another peak of AR i.e. >2 to ≤2.4) due to dust storm conditions enhancing the occurrence of more non-spherical particles over the sampling site. The spherical particles (and close to spherical shape; AR range, 1.0 to ≤1.2) were found to be <20% throughout the experiment with a minimum (11.5%) during June. Consideration of Homogeneous Equivalent Sphere Approximation (HESA) in the optical/radiative model over the study region is found to be irrelevant during the campaign.