A Decomposition Method for Computing System Reliability by a Matrix Expression

A decomposition method using a matrix representation for computing the reliability of a redundant system is proposed. The system is decomposed into two subsystems according to up- and down- states of a keystone element. This is repeated recursively until all subsystems have known reliability. The criterion for choosing the keystone element and an algorithm for decomposing a system are described.     

Acute exacerbation following bronchoalveolar lavage in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia

We report two cases of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) with acute deterioration after bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Case 1 was a 54-year-old woman, and case 2 was a 75-year-old man. Both were diagnosed as having IIP, and hospitalized with complaints of high fever and dyspnea. After BAL, the degree of dyspnea increased. White blood cell count and lactate dehydrogenase were elevated, and PaO2 was decreased. Chest X-ray revealed consolidation of the upper lung fields and reticulo-granular shadows spreading through both lungs. BAL fluid examination showed an elevated neutrophil fraction (case 1: 6.5%, case 2: 35.2%), suggesting respiratory tract infection although bacteria could not be detected. Case 1 died of respiratory failure despite corticosteroid therapy. Autopsy revealed diffuse alveolar damage with focal pneumonia in the right S6 corresponding to the upper lobe consolidation. Case 2 improved after antibiotic therapy. These findings suggest that aspiration of infected fluid during BAL can cause acute exacerbation of IIP. It is important to recognize that the BAL procedure can induce an acute exacerbation of IIP.     

Delta3,5-delta2,4-dienoyl-CoA isomerase from rat liver. Molecular characterization

rECH1, a recently identified rat cDNA (FitzPatrick, D. R., Germain-Lee, E., and Valle, D. (1995) Genomics 27, 457-466) encodes a polypeptide belonging to the hydratase/isomerase superfamily. We modeled the structure of rECH1 based on rat mitochondrial 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase 1. The model predicts that rECH1p has the hydratase fold in the core domain and two domains for interaction with other subunits. When we incubated 3,5,8,11, 14-eicosapentaenoyl-CoA with purified rECH1p, the spectral data suggested a switching of the double bonds from the Delta3-Delta5 to the Delta2-Delta4 positions. This was confirmed by demonstrating that the product was a valid substrate for 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase. These results indicate that rECH1p is Delta3,5-Delta2,4-dienoyl-CoA isomerase. Subcellular fractionation and immunoelectron microscopy using antibodies to a synthetic polypeptide derived from the C terminus of rECH1p showed that rECH1p is located in the matrix of both mitochondria and peroxisomes in rat liver. Consistent with these observations, the 36,000-Da rECH1p has a potential N-terminal mitochondrial targeting signal as well as a C-terminal peroxisomal targeting signal type 1. Transport of the protein into the mitochondria with cleavage of the targeting signal results in a mature mitochondrial form with a molecular mass of 32,000 Da; transport to peroxisomes yields a protein of 36,000 Da.     

A method for detecting service interactions

A method for detecting interactions among services and service features in communication systems is proposed. The method uses three types of knowledge: knowledge for clarifying and completing the specification of each feature, knowledge for identifying the implicit relationships among the features, and knowledge for detecting the interactions from the extended feature specifications derived from the first two types of knowledge. Six types of nontrivial interaction are outlined     

Dopamine D3 receptor gene polymorphism and the psychiatric symptoms seen in first-break schizophrenic patients

Cycads, the most primitive of the living gymnosperms, have been used and continue to be used for food and medicinal purposes by many cultures, although toxins must be removed before ingestion. In our quest to identify tropical plants that contain inhibitors of the cytochrome P-450 aromatase and thus may be efficacious in treating estrogen-dependent tumors, we have screened extracts from 5 species of cycad folia encompassing 3 genera: Cycas cairnsiana F. Muell., Cycas revoluta Thunb., Cycas rumphii Miq., Dioon spinulosum Dyer and Encephalartos ferox Bertol. All extracts were found to contain inhibitors of the human enzyme.     

ASPEN: An Advanced System for Process Engineering

The paper presents an overview of ASPEN (Advanced System for Process Engineering) which is a next-generation process simulator and economic evaluation system. The system is presently under development for use in engineering of fossil energy conversion processes.     

An application of data base management system (DBMS) to process design

Integration of well maintained application programs for process design is attempted using an in-house Data Base Management System. The main reason for taking the present approach is to keep the reliability of the existing application programs and to minimize revision work. Through the authors' experience described in this paper, it was found that the proposed way of integration by means of DBMS is to be recommended for these purposes when the number of application programs is small.     

DEPOSITION OF DIAMOND FOR CUTTING TOOL APPLICATIONS

The poor adhesion of diamond film to substrates is one of the major problems for practical use in a cutting tool (1-4). in this study, sintered tungsten carbide (WC) body without Co metal, not cemented carbide, was used as the substrate (5), and the effects of surface decarburization of the substrate for improvement in the adhesion of diamond films were investigated. The surface decarburization and diamond coating were carried out in a microwave plasma CVD system. From the results of several adhesion tests, including the cutting tests, it is concluded that the good adhesion is obtained by surface decarburization of the substrate before diamond coating. The reasons for improvement in adhesion are considered by observing the interface structure between the film and the substrate. The damage mechanism of diamond coating on cutting an AI-18%Si alloy with increasing cutting speed is also discussed.