Ceramic Composites Fabricated by Selective Laser Sintering

Selective laser sintering (SLS) uses a computer controlled laser beam to create objects directly from the CAD data without part-specific tooling. In this paper, the effect of material and processing parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an alumina/aluminum phosphate composite fabricated by SLS is described. The precursor material is a blend of alumina and ammonium phosphate powder. This paper deals primarily with the effect of alumina particle size and material composition on the strength of the composite. A constitutive equation is also proposed to relate the mechanical properties of the composite to its microstructural characteristics.     

Radiative-conductive heat transfer in a cylindrical monocrystal grown by the vertically oriented crystallization method

The steady-state two-dimensional problem of the radiative-conductive heat transfer in a cylindrical monocrystal is solved. The solution is obtained numerically by the time-independent technique. Convergence of the iteration process is achieved by including the relation between the intensity of the nonlinear source in the energy equation and the desired temperature field at a particular time step. An algorithm for calculating the intensity field and the nonlinear source is given. In calculating the first approximation of the temperature distribution, the method of moments is used. The results obtained are given.Moscow Institute of Railroad Transport Engineers, Moscow, Russia. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 76–82, January, 1994.     

Paget's disease of the breast in a man without underlying breast carcinoma

A case of histologically confirmed Paget's disease of the breast in a 72 year old man, without underlying breast carcinoma, is reported. This report raises questions about the pathogenesis of this condition and suggests that Paget's disease is an independent, intraepidermal carcinoma rather than a direct extension of intraductal carcinoma of the breast to the nipple and areola.     

Laparoscopic identification of preperitoneal nerve anatomy in the inguinal area

The laparoscopic approach has recently been utilized for inguinal hernia repair. Nerve injuries are now being reported. The femoral branch of the genitofemoral nerve and the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh appear most at risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of identifying these nerves laparoscopically on either a routine or selective basis. Twenty patients scheduled for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair were prospectively selected. An attempt was made to identify these nerves so that optimum placement of staples could occur. The femoral branch of the genitofemoral nerve was identified in 19 of 20 patients and the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh in 18 of 20 patients. A review of 125 laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs revealed five nerve injuries (4%). Details are given and recommendations discussed. Knowledge of preperitoneal anatomy and awareness of the location of these nerves should lead to a safer dissection and more accurate application of staples, hopefully decreasing the incidence of nerve injury.     

Mutational analysis of the pea phytochrome A chromophore pocket: chromophore assembly with apophytochrome A and photoreversibility

Ten site-specific mutants of pea apophytochrome A were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and analyzed for chromophore assembly with apoprotein and photoreversible absorbance changes. The mutants constitute two specific changes for each of five conserved amino acid residues located in the microenvironment of the chromophore attachment residue, which is Cys-323 in pea phytochrome A. All mutant apophytochromes were autocatalytically able to covalently attach phycocyanobilin, indicating that there were no major structural perturbations in the apoproteins. However, the rate of chromophore ligation varied significantly among the mutants. Spectrally, the mutant holophytochromes are of three types: mutant phytochromes that are indistinguishable from the wild-type adduct, mutants with blue-shifted Pr and Pfr absorption maxima compared to the wild-type adduct, and mutants that are not photoreversible. From an analysis of the results, we concluded that the residues Asp-309, Arg-318, His-321, and Gln-326 are probably not catalytically involved in the chromophore ligation reaction, but some residues may play significant structural and stereochemical roles. Arg-318 might anchor the chromophore, as has been suggested [Partis, M. D., & Grimm, R. (1990) Z. Naturforsch, 45c, 987-998; Parker, W., et al. (1993) Bioconjugate Chem. (in press)]. The conserved Gln-326, three residues downstream from the chromophore attachment site, is not electrostatically critical for the spectral integrity and photoreversibility of phytochrome, but this residue is sterically important to the lyase activity. It appears that the role of the five amino acid residues in the N- and C-terminal vicinities of the chromophore binding Cys-323 is structural rather than catalytic for the ligation reaction.     

Age-related changes in cognitive ERPs of attenuation

The purpose of this article is to deliberate the moral and legal dilemma entailed in the weapon of the labour strike as a pressure tactic on the Israeli Finance Ministry regarding job slots, budgets and, in effect, violating the collective agreement signed by the nurses and impairing patients' treatment, as opposed to refraining from striking and suffering the heavy burden of work, the lack of trained personnel, low wages, and the inability to give patients proper, high quality treatment.