Isolation of acidophilic methane-oxidizing bacteria from northern peat wetlands

Acidic northern wetlands are an important source of methane, one of the gases that contributes to global warming. Methane oxidation in the surface of these acidic wetlands can reduce the methane flux to the atmosphere up to 90 percent. Here the isolation of three methanotrophic microorganisms from three boreal forest sites is reported. They are moderately acidophilic organisms and have a soluble methane monooxygenase. In contrast to the known groups of methanotrophs, 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis shows that they are affiliated with the acidophilic heterotrophic bacterium Beijerinckia indica subsp. indica.     

Effect of neutron radiation on the structure and properties of uranium monosilicide

A. A. Bochvar All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Standardization in Machine Engineering. Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 77, No. 2, pp. 123–129, August, 1994.     

p values, hypothesis tests, and likelihood: implications for epidemiology of a neglected historical debate

It is not generally appreciated that the p value, as conceived by R. A. Fisher, is not compatible with the Neyman-Pearson hypothesis test in which it has become embedded. The p value was meant to be a flexible inferential measure, whereas the hypothesis test was a rule for behavior, not inference. The combination of the two methods has led to a reinterpretation of the p value simultaneously as an "observed error rate" and as a measure of evidence. Both of these interpretations are problematic, and their combination has obscured the important differences between Neyman and Fisher on the nature of the scientific method and inhibited our understanding of the philosophic implications of the basic methods in use today. An analysis using another method promoted by Fisher, mathematical likelihood, shows that the p value substantially overstates the evidence against the null hypothesis. Likelihood makes clearer the distinction between error rates and inferential evidence and is a quantitative tool for expressing evidential strength that is more appropriate for the purposes of epidemiology than the p value.     

Determination of fibrin and fibrinogen split products by their anticoagulant activity

A new diagnostic method to determine fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products is based on the fact that high-molecular fragments acting as specific inhibitors of fibrin self-assembly compose these products. Fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products are detected and determined quantitatively by prolongation of coagulation time in the test with the standard monomeric fibrin. The number of units of anticoagulating activity in the studied urine are the results of the determinations. Sensitivity of the method if necessary may be increased by adding of a certain amount of the fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products to the test that makes a favourable background for the action of the products. The method is rather sensitive, reliable and simple. It may be used in ordinary clinical laboratories. The method proved to be quite satisfactory when testing renal diseases at the clinic. It is of great significance for early detection of the transplanted kidney rejection. The new method is compared with the known immunological method which consist in determination of the inhibitory effect of the fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products on agglutination of erythrocytes of specific antibodies; the erythrocytes being subjected to "tanning" and "loading" with fibrinogen. A satisfactory correlation is found between the results of two methods.     

Heat Transfer at Mixed Convection in Vertical and Inclined Flat Channels of the Vacuum Chamber of the ITER International Thermonuclear Reactor

The results are given of the experimental investigation of the intensity of heat transfer from flat surfaces of a model of the vacuum chamber channel of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), inclined to the horizontal at an angle of (5–90)@deg, with different heights (12–50) mm, heated length (1.02 and 2.48) m of the model and low velocities of water flow (0.0067–0.17) m/s that are characterized by the values of Re = 560-17 900. The specific heat flux on the heat-transfer surfaces is q = (1.3–24.4) kW/m². The treated range of parameters is characterized by the interaction of forced and natural convection with a significant temperature stratification of the flow in inclined channels. Closing relations are suggested on the basis of the experimental results.     

Instrumentation for chemical cytometry

Capillary electrophoresis is ideally suited to chemical analysis of individual cells. Small mammalian somatic cells (approximately 15 microns in diameter) can be analyzed by injecting the intact cell into a capillary, lysing the cell, separating and detecting the cellular components, and reconditioning the capillary prior to the next injection. In this paper, we report on technical improvements to single-cell analysis. We designed an inexpensive multipurpose single-cell injector that facilitates the following: (i) monitoring of injection, (ii) reproducible pressure- or electrokinetic-driven injection of the cell, (iii) complete cell lysis by SDS within 30 s of injection, and (iv) pressure-driven capillary reconditioning. Furthermore, we report on the analysis of glycosylation and glycolysis in single human carcinoma cells (HT29 cell line). The reliability and quality of the analysis is confirmed by comparing electropherograms from single cells and those from purified cell extracts.     

Influence of carbonitriding defects on fatigue strength of 25KhGT gear teeth

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -     

The influence of thermal annealing on the optical properties of nanocrystalline zinc sulfide films

The influence of thermal annealing on the photoluminescence, electroluminescence, and the transmission and reflection spectra in nanocrystalline zinc sulfide films has been studied. All the samples exhibit a broad emission band, the intensity of which depends on the annealing temperature. It is shown that luminophors, the crystal lattice of which includes imperfections that appeared in the transition from wurtzite to sphalerite, feature the highest emission intensity.