Comparative study of crystallization processes in Sb2Te3 films using laser and thermal annealing techniques

Adherent and pin-hole free amorphous Sb₂Te₃ thin films have been obtained by vacuum evaporation at substrate temperatures ≤25 °C. The films have been crystallized by thermal and laser annealing, and the crystallization processes monitored as a function of annealing temperature and laser scan speed. A comparative study of topography reveals disk-shaped crystallized areas in thermal crystallization and dendrite growth in the laser induced process. The crystallized films in both cases contain a single Sb₂Te₃ phase. Activation energy of 2 eV for crystallization, determined using differential scanning calorimetery indicates good room temperature stability of the amorphous states.     

Graph‐Theory Approach to Eigenvalue Problem of Large Space Structures

The dynamic analysis and control system design of large space structures involve the solution of the large‐dimensional generalized matrix eigenvalue problem. The computational effort involved is proportional to the third power of the dimension of the matrices involved. To minimize the computational time a graph‐theory approach to reduce a matrix to lower‐ordered submatrices is proposed. The matrix‐reduction algorithm uses the Boolean matrices corresponding to the original numerical matrices and, thus, the computational effort to reduce the original matrix is nominal. The computational savings directly depend upon the number of submatrices into which the original matrix is reduced. A free‐free square plate is considered as an example to illustrate the technique. In this example a matrix of 16th order is reduced to three scalars corresponding to three rigid‐body modes, and three matrices of order three and one matrix of order four.     

Selectivity of LG50643 for postjunctional muscarinic-receptor subtype in the guinea-pig trachea

The effects of (+/-)-LG50643, a new N-quaternary tropinic ester of phenylcyclohexene carboxylic acid, endowed with a potent antimuscarinic activity, have been investigated on muscarinic receptor-mediated responses of the guinea-pig trachea to electrical field stimulation. An isolated preparation which allows the simultaneous measurement of tritiated acetylcholine release (prejunctional effect) and smooth muscle contraction (postjunctional effect) was used. The guinea-pig epithelium-deprived trachea was stimulated with 500 pulses (20 Hz, 1 ms, 9 V for 5 s, 30 s apart) in the presence of indomethacin (1 microM). Three successive pre- and postjunctional responses were observed. The potencies (-logEC50) of (+/-)-LG50643 for pre- and postjunctional muscarinic receptors were determined and compared with those of selective muscarinic antagonists. In addition, the affinity values of (+/-)-LG50643 for muscarinic-receptor subtypes were determined in radioligand binding experiments in cerebral cortex, heart and salivary glands of rat as target tissues for M1, M2 and M3 receptors, respectively. The results obtained in both functional and binding assays indicate (+/-)-LG50643 is a potent and selective antagonist for the M3-receptor subtype.     

Rational use of rubella vaccine for prevention of congenital rubella syndrome in the Americas

Seventy-three spinal cord injured patients with central cord syndrome who had undergone inpatient rehabilitation, were studied retrospectively with regard to their demographic, neurologic and functional characteristics. There were 67 males and six females with a mean age of 53.5 years. Falls was the commonest mechanism of injury (54.8%) followed by motor vehicle accidents. Eleven patients sustained cervical fractures and 41 had radiological evidence of cervical spondylosis. Seventeen patients had sensory impairment and significant spasticity was present in 14 patients. Significant improvements in the admission/discharge ASIA motor scores and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scores (P < 0.001) were noted after rehabilitation. Ninety-two percent of patients were continent of bladder on discharge compared to 64.4% on admission. Multiple regression analysis revealed three factors associated with a better functional outcome, namely, higher admission MBI scores, absence of spasticity and younger age (P < 0.05).     

Blood donor centres can effectively publicise cancer screening

We studied 100 healthy children looking for lactose malabsortion. We performed in all of them the lactose breath test. We found a 10% with lactose malabsortion. There was no correlation between lactose breath test and fecal reducing substances.     

Cognitive shifting as a predictor of progress in social understanding in high-functioning adolescents with autism: a prospective study

The pyrolytic behavior of inulin, a (2-->1)-linked fructofuranan, is described. Parallel investigations of the pyrolysis of glucose and of fructose were conducted to supplement the inulin results and to aid comparison with previous results from glucans. Effects of neutral and basic additives are emphasized. As with glucans, the addition of such additives (especially basic) increases the yields of the one-, two-, and three-carbon products (as well as of hexosaccharinolactones), while generally decreasing the yields of anhydro sugar and furan derivatives. The former products include glycolaldehyde, acetol, dihydroxy-acetone, acetic acid, formic acid, and lactic acid. Mechanistic speculations are made regarding the origins of these compounds, as well as of furan derivatives and saccharinic acid lactones. Parallels with alkaline degradation are considered.     

Work-site smoking policies: their population impact in Washington State

This article presents data from a population-based, random-digit dialing telephone survey of 1228 employed adults in Washington State, conducted 1989 through 1990. Eighty-one percent of men and 91% of women reported work-site smoking restrictions. Employees in work sites with no-smoking policies were less likely to be current smokers; men in work sites with policies restricting smoking smoked fewer cigarettes on both workdays and nonworkdays. Forty-eight percent of male and 53% of female smokers reported reduced smoking as a result of work-site policy. Work-site smoking policies, intended to protect against smoke exposure, may also reduce employee smoking.     

Frequency analysis of the contralateral suppression of evoked otoacoustic emissions by narrow-band noise

Yeast cells defective in the GGS1 (FDP1/BYP1) gene are unable to adapt to fermentative metabolism. When glucose is added to derepressed ggs1 cells, growth is arrested due to an overloading of glycolysis with sugar phosphates which eventually leads to a depletion of phosphate in the cytosol. Ggs1 mutants lack all glucose-induced regulatory effects investigated so far. We reduced hexokinase activity in ggs1 strains by deleting the gene HXK2 encoding hexokinase PII. The double mutant ggs1 delta, hxk2 delta grew on glucose. This is in agreement with the idea that an inability of the ggs1 mutants to regulate the initiation of glycolysis causes the growth deficiency. However, the ggs1 delta, hxk2 delta double mutant still displayed a high level of glucose-6-phosphate as well as the rapid appearance of free intracellular glucose. This is consistent with our previous model suggesting an involvement of GGS1 in transport-associated sugar phosphorylation. Glucose induction of pyruvate decarboxylase, glucose-induced cAMP-signalling, glucose-induced inactivation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, and glucose-induced activation of the potassium transport system, all deficient in ggs1 mutants, were restored by the deletion of HXK2. However, both the ggs1 delta and the ggs1 delta, hk2 delta mutant lack detectable trehalose and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase activity. Trehalose is undetectable even in ggs1 delta strains with strongly reduced activity of protein kinase A which normally causes a very high trehalose content. These data fit with the recent cloning of GGS1 as a subunit of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/phosphatase complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)