Bilateral simultaneous infective keratitis

Aim

To analyze the demographics, risk factors, clinical and microbiological characteristics of cases of bilateral simultaneous infective keratitis.

Effect of shrinkage on isothermal drying behavior of 2-phase olive mill waste

The objective of this study was to determine the drying behavior of 2-phase olive mill waste (2POMW) under isothermal microwave-convection drying conditions. 2POMW samples were dried in a thin layer in a variable-power pilot microwave oven with impinging air, using a feedback controller to maintain sample temperature at one of four levels. Moisture loss and shrinkage of the samples were recorded during drying. The apparent diffusion coefficient of water was determined for the first falling rate period both with and without shrinkage. Apparent diffusivity was 28% lower when shrinkage was considered. Thus, shrinkage plays an important role in the drying behavior of this agricultural residue.     

Evidence for proactive interference in the focus of attention of working memory.

Proactive interference (PI) occurs when an earlier item interferes with memory for a newer item. Whereas some researchers (e.g., Surprenant & Neath, 2009a) argue that PI can be observed in all memory systems, some multiple systems theorists (e.g., Cowan, 1999) propose that items in the focus of attention of working memory are immune to PI. Two experiments tested whether PI occurs when the to-be-remembered items are assumed, by multiple-systems theorists, to be held in the focus of attention. In each experiment, subjects saw four trials in a row with the same type of to-be-remembered items, followed by four trials in a row with a different type of material. On each trial, only 3 stimuli were shown, which is below the capacity limit of the focus of attention, and subjects were asked if a probe item was one of those 3 items seen. In both experiments, response time increased from Trial 1 to Trial 4, suggesting that items from the earlier trials interfered with memory on the later trials. In addition, release from PI was shown in that response times decreased with a change of materials. The results replicate those first reported by Hanley and Scheirer (1975), and pose a problem for theorists who argue that parts of short-term memory are immune to PI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reagents for investigating MAPK signalling in model yeast species

Here we present a set of resources (bacterial expression plasmids and antibodies) for the interrogation of proteins involved in yeast MAPK signalling. We constructed bacterial protein expression plasmids for 25 proteins involved in MAPK signalling in budding yeast. From these constructs we expressed and purified proteins and generated rabbit polyclonal antibodies against 13 proteins in the pheromone MAPK pathway. We verified the specificity of the antibodies and employed them to follow pathway proteins in cells stimulated with pheromone. We show that these reagents can be used to detect pheromone‐induced post‐translational modifications and changes in the oligomeric state of pathway proteins. In addition to recognizing their target proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, these antibodies allow the detection of predicted orthologues in the distant evolutionary relatives Kluyveromyces lactis and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. These antibodies are new tools for investigating MAPK signalling in model yeast species and may be useful for studying MAPK signalling in higher eukaryotes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cysteine-specific, covalent anchoring of transition organometallic complexes to the protein papain from Carica papaya

Site-directed and covalent introduction of various transition metal-organic entities to the active site of the cysteine endoproteinase, papain, was achieved by treatment of this enzyme with a series of organometallic maleimide derivatives specially designed for the purpose. Kinetic studies made it clear that time-dependent irreversible inactivation of papain occurred in the presence of these organometallic maleimides as a result of Michael addition of the sulfhydryl of Cys25. The rate and mechanism of inactivation were highly dependent on the structure of the organometallic entity attached to the maleimide group. Combined ESI-MS and IR analysis indicated that all the resulting papain adducts contained one organometallic moiety per protein molecule. This confirmed that chemospecific introduction of the metal complexes was indeed achieved. Thus, three novel reagents for heavy-atom derivatization of protein crystals, which include ruthenium, rhenium and tungsten, are now available for the introduction of electron-dense scatterers for phasing of X-ray crystallographic data.     

Effects of in situ and ex situ formations of silica nanoparticles on polyethersulfone membranes

This study deals with the observed changes in the structure and performance of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes due to in situ formation and ex situ addition of silica particles (SiO₂). Hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) inside the PES polymer matrix and the reaction of TEOS with ammonium hydroxide were chosen to form in situ and ex situ SiO₂ formations, respectively. The resultant structure confirmed by X-ray diffraction for the composite PES membranes showed the retention of the amorphous nature even after the addition of SiO₂. The FTIR study revealed the functional groups corresponding to silica networks with enhanced OH signatures on the surface of the composite membranes. Field emission scanning electron microscopic images showed the variation in the surface and cross-sectional structures for the pure and composite membranes. Considerable reduction in the thickness of the skin, difference in the pore structure and ‘finger-like’ cross-sectional morphology with the presence of SiO₂ was observed in PES membranes. Both SiO₂/PES composite membranes were showed a minor change in their glass transition temperature (T _g). The ex situ methodically formed composite membrane displayed an increase in the pure water flux and decrease in bovine serum albumin rejection as compared to in situ and pure PES membranes. These kinds of composite membranes can be utilized for water treatment applications demanding higher water flux.     

Experimental Studies of the Effect of Rough Surfaces and Air Speed on Aerosol Deposition in a Test Chamber

Understanding the fate of particles indoors is important for human health assessment because deposited particles, unless resuspended, cannot be inhaled. To complement studies in real buildings, where control of variables is often difficult, an experimental test chamber facility (8 m 3 ) was designed to study particle deposition under well-stirred conditions using monodisperse tracer aerosol particles in the range of 0.7 to 5.4 w m. The use of neutron-activatable tracers facilitated simultaneous surface sampling and aerosol concentration decay measurements. Aerosol deposition on both smooth surfaces and regular arrays of three-dimensional roughness elements under 3 different airflow speeds was investigated in the test chamber.It was expected that the texture of the chamber surface would significantly influence particle deposition, but some counterintuitive results were observed: under the lowest airflow condition and for the smallest particle size, particle deposition onto rough samples was found to be less than on the corresponding smooth surfaces. The ratio of particle deposition on rough surfaces relative to smooth surfaces increased with particle size and magnitude of airflow. For the largest particle size and airflow speed, particle deposition on the rough surfaces exceeded that on the smooth surfaces by a factor of 3.     

运用KRESTM工艺技术提高合成氨厂生产负荷

简要介绍用凯洛格布朗陆特公司(简称KBR公司)的换热器转化工艺系统(简称KRESTM)对辽宁华锦通达化工股份有限公司(简称辽化厂)现有工艺进行改造及成功经验,评述面临天然气供应不足的合成氨厂,如何利用KRES工艺技术,提高工厂生产负荷,从而大大提高工厂效益.辽化厂改造后,天然气供应降低到71%时仍可满负荷生产,提高负荷近29%.     

A Comparison of 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge‐Seeded,YBCO single grains

A variety of multiseeding techniques have been investigated over the past 20 yr in an attempt to enlarge bulk (RE)BCO superconducting samples fabricated by the top‐seeded melt growth (TSMG) process for practical applications. Unfortunately, these studies have failed to establish whether technically useful values of trapped field can be achieved in multiseeded bulk samples. In this work specially designed, 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge seeds of different lengths have been employed to produce improved alignment of the seeds during the TSMG process. The ability of these bridge‐seeded samples to trap magnetic field, which is the key superconducting property for practical applications of bulk (RE)BCO, is compared for the samples seeded using 0°–0° and 45°–45° bridge seeds of different lengths. The grain boundaries produced by these bridge seeds are analyzed in detail, and the similarities and differences between the two bridge‐seeding processes are discussed.