Ethnic differences in the length of the menstrual cycle during the postmenarcheal period

In 1989, 125 African-American and 123 European-American girls aged 12-14 years were enrolled in a 2-year study in which they maintained a menstrual calendar, recording the date and amount of menstrual bleeding. Weight, exercise, and stress during the previous week were recorded at the start of each menstrual cycle. Although only minor ethnic differences were observed in expected cycle length (29.3 vs. 28.8 days for European-American and African-American girls, respectively), more prominent differences were observed in the between-subjects standard deviation of cycle length (2.9 vs. 2.2 days, respectively) and in the odds of having a cycle longer than 45 days (odds ratio=1.86, 95% confidence interval 1.17-2.97) for European-American compared with African-American girls. Low weight for height and high levels of exercise increased the probability of having a cycle longer than 45 days and decreased expected cycle length of 13- to 45-day cycles. Additional investigation of potential ethnic differences in menstrual cycle characteristics is warranted.     

Peripheral nerve stimulation in a whole-body echo-planar imaging system

Echo-planar techniques in MRI use a rapidly oscillating frequency-encoding gradient with the potential to produce peripheral nerve stimulation. To evaluate the incidence, type, and location of stimulation in a commercial whole-body scanner, we studied two groups: (a) 173 consecutive individuals scanned by echo-planar imaging for other purposes and (b) seven subjects who were scanned with an extensive set of 36 echo-planar sequences (with prompting after each scan to report any peripheral nerve stimulation) to test the effects of various parameters. Although only 5% of group A reported symptoms of peripheral nerve stimulation, all in group B experienced some type of stimulation, dependent primarily on direction of the oscillating gradient and location of the body within the gradient coil. Maximum stimulation typically occurred 30 to 40 cm from isocenter in the region of maximum dB/dt. Generally, y gradients produced truncal stimulation, and x gradients produced stimulation in the head. When hands were clasped over the abdomen, a tingling in the hands occasionally was felt. Patients should be instructed to keep their hands apart.     

氧化铝/锌合金复合材料界面的SEM观察

利用挤压铸造制备氧化铝／锌合金复合材料，在扫描电镜（ＳＥＭ）上观察复合材料的界面。结果表明，在复合材料中纤维与基体间存在致密界面层，合金元素通过适当的化学反应可改善纤维与基体间的结合；在凝固过程中，纤维／基体界面上的硅在共晶体的共生生长过程中起了领先相作用，导致复合材料的共晶转变是由铝硅共晶转变和锌铝共晶转变两者组成。     

ATM网络的可用比特率业务

本文介绍了可用比特率业务的业务特点，速率控制机制以及该业务存在的问题。     

电离层时域探测方法

给出了各向同性分层半空间等离子体对时域电磁脉冲后向散射的有关公式，得出了反抛物层时域响应的解析表达式，并利用时频分析方法演出了电子密度分布。     

Lamp configuration design for rapid thermal processing systems

We have studied lamp configuration design for rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems. We considered a configuration consisting of four concentric circular lamp zones, three of them above the wafer and one circumventing the wafer. We propose a method to determine the geometric parameters, the width, height and radius, of the lamp zones so that the configuration designed has the capacity to achieve a uniform temperature on the wafer. The method is based on a necessary and sufficient condition for uniform temperature tracking and analytic expressions of the view factors. A design example is given in which a least square open-loop control law yields good temperature uniformity     

Identification of the DRB1*1313 allele in a sibling pair

Amines such as dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine were analysed in the brain regions of O.mossambicus exposed to quinalphos, phenthoate and their combination for 96 hr. The three types of treatments significantly (P < 0.05) altered the amines level at various intervals in the brain regions.     

高性能各向异性Sm2Fe17Nx磁粉的制备

本文研究了高性能各向异性Ｓｍ２Ｆｅ１７Ｎｘ磁粉的制备工艺路线与工艺参数。优化了制备与工艺参数。已制备出磁性能达到：Ｂｒ＝１．３９Ｔ，Ｈｃｉ＝８５０ＫＡ／ｍ和（ＢＨ）ｍ＝２３６ＫＪ／ｍ＾３的各向异性Ｓｍ２Ｆｅ１７Ｎ２．８８磁粉，该磁粉的各向异性场ＨＡ达到２０Ｔ。     

Regulation of V(D)J recombination activator protein RAG-2 by phosphorylation

Antigen receptor genes are assembled by site-specific DNA rearrangement. The recombination activator genes RAG-1 and RAG-2 are essential for this process, termed V(D)J rearrangement. The activity and stability of the RAG-2 protein have now been shown to be regulated by phosphorylation. In fibroblasts RAG-2 was phosphorylated predominantly at two serine residues, one of which affected RAG-2 activity in vivo. The threonine at residue 490 was phosphorylated by p34cdc2 kinase in vitro; phosphorylation at this site in vivo was associated with rapid degradation of RAG-2. Instability was transferred to chimeric proteins by a 90-residue portion of RAG-2. Mutation of the p34cdc2 phosphorylation site of the tumor suppressor protein p53 conferred a similar phenotype, suggesting that this association between phosphorylation and degradation is a general mechanism.