Adenocarcinoma colon

Research areas of immunodiagnosis and vaccination in Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) are reviewed. Particular attention is given to recent progress into improved specificity in immunodiagnosis in human CE, and sensitivity and specificity in ovine CE, by purification of subunit peptides of Ag B. With regard to diagnosis in definitive hosts, the advantages of coproantigen test ELISA are discussed in comparison with the classic arecoline purgation test. Recent data from studies on vaccination in sheep populations are reported, and the enormous potential of an effective vaccine in a Hydatid control programme is underlined.     

Dietary and nutritional abnormalities in alcoholic liver disease: a comparison with chronic alcoholics without liver disease

OBJECTIVE: To document the profile and role of malnutrition in alcoholic hepatitis, compared with chronic alcoholics and nonalcoholic chronic liver disease. METHODS: To this end, we studied 67 patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) (group I), 52 chronic alcoholics without histological evidence of liver disease (group II), 44 nonalcoholic cirrhotics (group III), and 52 healthy controls (group IV). Alcoholic and nonalcoholic calories were calculated and percentage dietary and nutritional deficiencies computed. Anthropometric indices, nitrogen balance, and immune status of the patients were assessed. RESULTS: Alcohol constituted about 48% of daily caloric intake in patients with ALD. The percentage mean intake of carbohydrate, protein, and energy was decreased in all three study groups compared with controls. The deficiencies were more pronounced in patients with severe than with moderate ALD. These deficiencies were more severe in the group III patients. Whereas body fat stores were maintained in groups I and II, reduction in lean body mass and serum transferrin was significant in patients in groups I and III. In group II patients compared to group I patients, the body mass index (19.9 +/- 4.0 vs. 22.3 +/- 3.4) and triceps skinfold thickness (6.1 +/- 4.8 vs. 10.2 +/- 5.6 mm) were significantly lower. CONCLUSIONS: 1) protein energy malnutrition is common in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotics, but is more pronounced in the latter; 2) the degree and profile of malnutrition in chronic alcoholics and in alcoholic cirrhotics are comparable; 3) based on our results, we hypothesize that malnutrition may not play a primary role in the pathogenesis of ALD.     

Prototype models for two-dimensional layout design of robot systems

This paper provides a structure for analysis and design of layouts for robotic systems. Unique features are identified and classified; prototype models are formulated to clarify specific design issues. These models formalize the existing qualitative literature dealing with robot systems, augment other quantitative approaches by demonstrating application of mathematical programming, and suggest topics of research to develop efficient solution algorithms.     

Applications of automatic identification technologies across the I.E. curriculum

The prevailing focus on enterprise-wide integration rather than a narrow focus on the effectiveness of functional areas places more stringent requirements for data integrity as enabler for effective coordination of the activities required to carry out the functions necessary for attaining the organizational mission. Automatic Identification (Auto ID) technologies provide an avenue for attaining a totally integrative enterprise management. For this reason, it is imperative that the I.E. curriculum, under the coverage of systems approach to design and operation, be adequately infused the various Auto. ID technologies and concepts as they apply to the vast areas of interest in the field. These technologies are critical to the success of a number of key areas of particular interest to the industrial engineer, including automated manufacturing systems, distribution, inventory control and other computer facilitated activities related to enterprise integration. This paper focuses on bar-codes, and the approach that has been taken at the I.E. department at North Carolina A&T State University to achieve integration throughout the curriculum.     

Sulphur-phosphous components in gear oils: part 1, oxidation stability studies by P-NMR spectroscopic techniques

In the present investigations, the mechanism of oxidation stability of sulphur and phosphorus-based additives such as S-alkyl O,O-dialkyl phosphorodithioate, alkyl amine salt of dialkyl dithiophosphoric acid, dialkyl hydrogen phosphite and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate used in lubricants has been studied by liquid and solid state ³¹P/^lH-NMR spectroscopic techniques. These techniques have enabled to monitor the complex changes that occur during oxidation at different intervals during long duration oxidation tests and provide qualitative and quantitative information of products formed during degradation of S–P based additives. The nature of both soluble and insoluble products of decomposition has been /determined. The studies have revealed few important aspects regarding thermal stability of these additives. The ashless S-alkyl O,O-dialkyl phosphorodithioate have better thermal oxidative stability and retain their identity for longer period compared to other similar ashless additives and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates. The loss of additives during oxidation is 12% in case of S-alkyl O,O-dialkyl phosphorodithioate compared to other mentioned additives (40–100%) during 64 h of heating at 165 °C in the presence of air and catalyst. The decomposed products are also solublised in case of S-alkyl O,O - dialkyl phosphorodithioate and dialkyl hydrogen phosphite, and small amount of solids are formed compared to other additives. During oxidation the main components are being converted into more complex insoluble polyphosphates. The nature of soluble and insoluble products of decomposition as a result of thermal degradation are similar irrespective of the types of additive used. The mechanism of degradation and subsequent composition and structure of products formed has been discussed in detail. These studies will facilitate correlation of the structure and performance of these additives in lubricants.     

Hybrid channel estimation for MIMO relay systems with Doppler offset influences

The design of the channel estimation method in a multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) relay system plays a highly crucial role in deciding the overall system performance. For the realistic scenarios specifically, with fast time‐varying channel conditions due to highly mobile communicating nodes, the degree of accuracy to which the channel estimates are obtained for MIMO relay systems influences the communication system reliability significantly. However, most of the channel estimation approaches proposed in literature for MIMO relay systems assume that the Doppler offset contributed by highly mobile nodes is already known to the receiver, ignoring the resulting nonlinear system dynamics. Hence, a novel hybrid algorithm is proposed to address the issue of time‐varying channel estimation under fast‐fading channel condition with Doppler offset influences contributed by high‐mobility communicating nodes for a 1‐way 2‐hop MIMO amplify‐and‐forward relaying system. The problem is first formulated as a nonlinear state‐space model, and then an algorithm is developed to estimate the individual source‐to‐relay and relay‐to‐destination channels in the presence of the associated dynamic Doppler offset. In the proposed method, a set of superimposed orthogonal pilots is used for aiding in the updation of the channel gains, since Kalman filter–based updation may lead to accumulation of estimation and prediction error. A detailed computational complexity analysis of the proposed hybrid algorithm is presented, which shows that the algorithm has moderate computational complexity with a good performance in fast time‐varying channel conditions with high node mobility in a dual‐hop MIMO relay system.     

Role of alkyl moieties in the antiwear and antioxidant performance of alkyl phosphorodithioates

Phosphorodithioate derivatives having different alkyl substitu‐ents have been synthesised, while keeping the core phosphorus‐sulphur moiety intact. The change in antiwear, extreme‐pressure, and antioxidant properties with the variation in sub‐stituents at oxygen and at sulphur linkages in the phosphorodithioates has been studied. The role of the heteroatoms with regard to the alkyl substituents has been examined. The experimental data show that the chemical structure of an additive influences its physicochemical and tribological properties.     

Additive‐additive interactions: The search for synergistic antioxidant—antiwear phosphorodithioate compositions

Additive‐additive interactions between zinc dialkylphosphorodithioates and ashless alkylaminophosphorodithioates have been studied with the object of reducing the zinc level in the lubricant formulations. Various combinations of these components were evaluated for their antiwear and antioxidant properties using four‐ball and differential scanning calorimetry techniques.