Alteration of signal-transducing molecules in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and peripheral blood T lymphocytes from human colorectal carcinoma patients

An analytical method for the rapid isolation and recovery of the homologous series of 2-aminoethanols, a class of organic compounds of importance to wood preservative treatment, is successfully developed. The method is applied to an aqueous solution of copper amine (copper[II] hydroxide complexed monoethanolamine) and to copper-amine-treated sawdust. The method incorporates a gas chromatograph-ion-trap mass spectrometer. A discussion of the secondary equilibrium effects involved when ionizable analytes are extracted from an aqueous phase with respect to organic bases is presented. Using 2-propanol as the extractant coupled to a salt-saturated aqueous phase results in recoveries of 63% for 2-aminoethanol, 51% for N,N-dimethyl-2-aminoethanol, and 56% for N-methyl-2-aminoethanol for a single liquid-liquid extraction. The choice of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol as an internal standard is found to be quite suitable. A comparison of the precision and accuracy for an external versus an internal mode of instrument calibration demonstrates that the internal standard mode is preferable for this manual injection.     

An Efficient Two‐Step Paging Strategy Using Base Station Paging Agents in Mobile Communication Networks

An effective paging strategy is essential for improving the utility of radio channels. This paper proposes a two‐step paging strategy which involves using base station paging agents to page a single cell at each paging. An analytical model is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed strategy. The proposed strategy is compared with the traditional simultaneous paging strategy and a recent proposal using the base station paging agents. The numerical results showed that the proposed strategy proficiently reduces paging cost on radio channels compared with other paging strategies.     

Effect of Tetravalent Dopants on Raman Spectra of Tetragonal Zirconia

Tetragonal zirconia solid solutions were prepared by the additions of ceria, titania, germania, and cassiterite into 2-mol%-Y₂O₃-stabilized t -ZrO₂ (2Y-TZP), and the effect of the dopant size on the changes in the Raman spectra of t -ZrO₂ was investigated. The frequencies of the Raman modes that were associated with Zr-O bond stretching decreased as doping with the oversized cation (Ce⁴⁺) increased and increased linearly as doping with the undersized dopants (Ti⁴⁺, Ge⁴⁺, Sn⁴⁺) increased within the solubility limits of the dopants in 2Y-TZP. The frequency of the 640 cm⁻¹ Raman band decreased as the square root of the unit-cell volume increased, suggesting that the ionic size of dopants governs the Raman mode that is related to the short ZrO bond between two ZrO bonds in t -ZrO₂ solid solutions. Although there was no consistent relationship between the change in the tetragonality of t -ZrO₂ solid solutions and the tetravalent cation size, the intensity ratio of the Raman modes at 609 and 640 cm⁻¹ ( I ₆₀₉/ I ₆₄₀) decreased as the ionic size decreased.     

A study of the interaction of atomic oxygen with various carbonaceous materials

A variety of techniques have been used to examine the manner by which atomic oxygen species interact with various carbonaceous solids. In addition, the effect of such a treatment on the physical and surface chemical properties of the carbons has been determined. In situ electron microscopy studies have enabled us to establish that graphite is probably the most reactive form of carbon for this reaction. This behavior is rationalized according to the notion that atomic oxygen reacts preferentially with the delocalized π electrons in the graphite basal plane to create micro-pits. It is shown that careful control of the reaction of atomic oxygen with a carbonaceous surface can lead to certain beneficial effects when such structures are used in a reinforcement application.     

The thermal environment in an earth-sheltered home in Korea

A number of Korea's climatological, geographical and social features make earth-sheltered construction an attractive option. This paper compares the thermal performance of an earth-sheltered house (specially designed to accommodate the conditions in Korea) with the thermal performance of a conventional residence. The researchers conclude that, except for the high humidity levels in the earth-sheltered house, the thermal environment of the earth-sheltered house is superior to that of the conventional residence. In light of these findings, the authors recommend that research be aimed at improving waterproofing and condensation control measures in earth-sheltered houses.     

Idle-signal casting multiple access with collision resolution(ICMA/CR) protocol for wireless LAN

The authors propose an idle-signal casting multiple access with collision resolution (ICMA/CR) protocol for wireless LAN. This protocol focuses on efficient collision resolution by adopting the binary-tree protocol. By using the collision resolution algorithm, the retransmission process can be controlled so that collisions are resolved more efficiently using nearly immediate feedback information, thereby increasing the throughput-delay performance of the ICMA/CD protocol     

Homogeneous Fabrication of Al2O3–ZrO2–SiC Whisker Composite by Surface-Induced Coating

Al₂O₃–ZrO₂–SiC whisker composites were prepared by surface-induced coating of the precursor for the ZrO₂ phase on the kinetically stable colloid particles of Al₂O₃ and SiC whisker. The fabricated composites were characterized by a uniform spatial distribution of ZrO₂ and SiC whisker phases throughout the Al₂O₃ matrix. The fracture toughness values of the Al₂O₃–15 vol% ZrO₂–20 vol% SiC whisker composites (∼12 MPa.m^1/2) are substantially greater than those of comparable Al₂O₃–SiC whisker composites, indicating that both the toughening resulting from the process zone mechanism and that caused by the reinforced SiC whiskers work simultaneously in hot-pressed composites.