Comparison between two ultrasonic methods in their ability to monitor the setting process of cement pastes

This paper presents the comparison between ultrasonic wave transmission (USWT) method and ultrasonic wave reflection (USWR) method in their ability to monitor the setting process of cement pastes. The velocity of ultrasonic longitudinal waves and shear wave reflection coefficient were measured simultaneously on cement pastes with different hydration kinetics. Even though both methods are able to reliably monitor the hydration process and formation of structure of an arbitrary cement paste, they monitor the setting process in different ways. The relationship between the velocity of longitudinal waves and shear wave reflection coefficient can be simplified into three characteristic phases and the end of the first phase can be used to define the beginning of the setting process of cement paste.     

Structural Model for the Binding Sites of Allosterically Potentiating Ligands on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Current treatments of Alzheimer's disease include the allosteric potentiation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) response. The location of the binding site for allosteric potentiating ligands (APLs) within the receptor is not yet fully understood. Based on homology models for the ligand binding domain of human α7, human α4β2, and chicken α7 receptors, as well as blind docking experiments with galanthamine, physostigmine, codeine, and 5HT, we identified T197 as an essential element of the APL binding site at the outer surface of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of nAChR. We also found the previously known galanthamine binding site in the region of K123 at the inside of the receptor funnel, which, however, was shown to not be part of the APL site. Our results are verified by site‐directed mutagenesis and electrophysiological experiments, and suggest that APL and ACh bind to different sites on nicotinic receptors and that allosteric potentiation may arise from a direct interplay between both these sites.     

New numerical procedure for the prediction of temperature development in early age concrete structures

A new numerical model for the prediction of temperature development in young concrete structures is briefly presented. With the pre-program, adiabatic hydration curves, which are used to determine the internal heat generation, are calculated. An artificial neural networks approach is used for this purpose. Adiabatic hydration curves, which were included in the learning set, were determined by our own experiments, using the adiabatic calorimeter which uses air as the coupling media. The main program is implemented in the finite element code. This program allows concrete structure designers and contractors to quantify and evaluate the effects of some concrete initial parameters on the adiabatic hydration curves and corresponding temperature development at an arbitrary point in the concrete element. Some examples are also presented and discussed.     

On temporal path conditions in dependence graphs

Program dependence graphs are a well-established device to represent possible information flow in a program. Path conditions in dependence graphs have been proposed to express more detailed circumstances of a particular flow; they provide precise necessary conditions for information flow along a path or chop in a dependence graph. Ordinary boolean path conditions, however, cannot express temporal properties, e.g. that for a specific flow it is necessary that some condition holds, and later another specific condition holds. In this contribution, we introduce temporal path conditions, which extend ordinary path conditions by temporal operators in order to express temporal dependencies between conditions for a flow. We present motivating examples, generation and simplification rules, application of model checking to generate witnesses for a specific flow, and a case study. We prove the following soundness property: if a temporal path condition for a path is satisfiable, then the ordinary boolean path condition for the path is satisfiable. The converse does not hold, indicating that temporal path conditions are more precise. An extended abstract of the present article appeared in the 2007 Proceedings of the Seventh IEEE International Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation (SCAM 2007). The research of A. Lochbihler was partially supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, grant Sn11/9-1.     

Tetranuclear Thioureacopper(II) Complexes

By replacement of methanol in the Cu₄OX₆(MeOH)₄ (X  Cl, Br) complexes with thiourea (tu), N,N′-diphenylthiourea (diftu), N,N′-dimethlthiourea (dimtu), tetramethylthiourea (tmtu) and acetylthiourea (actu), the complexes Cu₄OCl₆L₄ where L  tu, tu(0.3 Et₂O), diftu, dimtu, tmtu, actu (0.5Et₂O) and the complexes Cu₄OBr₆L₄, where L  tu, diftu, dimtu, tmtu have been prepared. Their infrared and electronic spectra indicate the presence of Cu₄O grouping and the trigonal bipyramidal coordination of copper(II). These complexes exhibit e.p.r. signals in the temperature range 100–260 K, in contrast to other known complexes of this structural type, which showed the e.p.r. signals at significantly lower temperatures. Thiourea and its derivatives are not able to reduce copper(II) in reaction with the tetranuclear Cu₄OX₆(MeOH)₄ complexes in methanol-ether solution due to the redox stabilizing effect of the tetranuclear structure.