Oxidation of Np(V) with Xenon Trioxide in an HClO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Solution

Oxidation of Np(V) to Np(VI) with xenon trioxide in a 0.5–1.4 M HClO₄ solution was studied by spectrophotometry. The reaction rate is described by the equation–d[Np(V)]/dt = k[Np(V)][XeO₃], where k = 4.6 × 10^–3 L mol^–1 s^–1 in 1 M HClO₄ at 92°С. The activation energy is close to 92 kJ mol^–1. The activated complex is formed in contact of NpO ₂ ⁺ and ХеО₃ without participation of Н⁺ ions. The activated complex transforms into NpO ₂ ²⁺ and the products: ОН, Хе, and О₂. The ОН radical oxidizes Np(V). Admixtures of Со²⁺ and especially Fe³⁺ accelerate the Np(V) oxidation.     

Prognosis of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy for superficial bladder cancer by immunological urinary measurements: statistically weighted syndrome analysis

PURPOSE: The goal of this research was to discover new biological indicators in urine which could be used for short-term prognosis of local Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy outcome in patients with superficial bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured and statistically evaluated soluble immunological molecules in urine from bladder cancer patients (n = 34) receiving BCG intravesically. Urine was collected following each of 6 weekly treatments, processed and assayed. The data base included measurements of interleukin-1 (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), soluble CD14 (sCD14), interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), GM-CSF, volume of urine and its pH. The clinical response was evaluated by urine histology and random quadrant biopsy 3 months after the start of therapy. Patients were divided into 2 groups, with good and poor therapeutic effect. The initial complete response rate was 62% (21/34). The data base was analyzed using traditional multivariate statistical methods and a pattern recognition method which deals with combinatorial-statistical analysis (statistically weighted syndromes (SWS) method) of the gradated features. The SWS method is capable of identifying robust patterns in small "fuzzy" sets with high dimensional objects and some missing values. RESULTS: Only one parameter gave significant differences at p < 0.05, GM-CSF at instillation 6. Repeated measurement analysis of variance, backward stepwise multiple logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis failed to show any significance. However, significant differences in the structure of correlation between features in the groups with and without therapeutic effect were observed and four highly informative variables (the masses of sICAM-1, TNF alpha, sCD14 and pH) relating to 5th-6th installations were selected by SWS. These features provided accurate individual prediction of therapeutic outcome for all our patients. Cross-validation analysis and computer simulation showed the statistically significant stability of the prediction. CONCLUSION: We have selected a set of urinary variables that could be considered as a perspective combination of indicators (syndromes) of outcome of pre-operation BCG therapy of patients with superficial bladder cancer. A larger patient database will provide testing and evaluation of the biological and clinical significance of selected features. The computational syndrome-disease approach should be applicable for the solution of decision-making problems for management of cancer.     

The role of the forestomachs in the adaptation of the alimentary function in ruminants

Dietary character of ruminants in the north is principally different between "nonselective" (cattle, sheep) and "selective" (reindeer, moose) species. Due to the developed polyfunctioning, forestomach in ruminants, primarily rumen and reticulum, are involved in the homeostasis formation in enteral and interior mediums, nutrients deposition and recirculation. That provides efficiency in utilization of deficient in nutrients forage and body reserves of wild ruminants during the winter. The original functional organization of absorption processes and nutrients recirculation across the multilayer epithelium of forestomach also promotes realization of the two levels metabolism during the year and adaptation of wild ruminants to season dynamics of nutrition.     

Primary structure of gene H of cattle plague virus strain K]

The paper analyzes the standard legal and methodological assurance of the quality and safety of animal food raw materials and foodstuffs (meat, meat products, fish, shellfish, crayfish and their processing products) by the parasitic purity rates according the requirements under the Russian Federation's laws "On Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being of the Population", "On Protection of Consumer's Rights", "On Certification of Products and Services", those of SanPiN, such as 2.3.2.560-96 "Sanitary Requirements for the Quality and Safety of Food Raw Materials and Foodstuffs" and 3.2.569-96 "Prevention of Parasitic Diseases in the Russian Federation".     

Magnito-, electro- and echocardiography in detecting symptoms of the "hypertensive heart"

The study compared diagnostic potential of magnetocardiography (MCG), electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography (echo-CG) in 18 patients with arterial hypertension (AH). 32 healthy males served as control. Elements of MCG from normal subjects have been analyzed morphologically in 36 points of precordial leads. Left ventricular hypertrophy was registered at echo-CG, MCG, ECG in 11 (61%), 16 (84%) and 7 (34%) of the AH patients, respectively. Left atrial hypertrophy was discovered primarily by echo-CG and MCG. Defects in ventricular repolarization were recorded by MCg in 7 (39%) patients basing on MCG, echo-CG and rarely ECG signs of left ventricular hypertrophy. MCG is recommended as an effective tool in diagnosis of "hypertensive heart".     

Reactivity of platinum nanoaggregates on various types of supports in catalytic decomposition of hydrazine in acid solutions

Platinized catalysts on various types of supports were tested in the catalytic decomposition of hydrazine in HClO₄ and HNO₃ solutions, where the process follows different pathways. In HClO₄, the activity of the catalysts supported on a Termoksid ceramic material is higher than that of the catalysts supported on amorphous silica gel. In nitric acid solutions, the trend is reverse. Peptization of the ceramic supports in acid solutions increasing in the order 75% TiO₂-25% SnO₂ < 75% TiO₂-25% ZrO₂ ? TiO₂ < ZrO₂ was observed. In perchloric acid solutions, the catalyst specific activity in the hydrazine adsorption-dissociative decomposition increases with decreasing size of platinum crystallites on the support. In nitric acid solutions, where the hydrazine decomposition proceeds as its catalytic oxidation with nitric acid, the catalyst specific activity decreases with a decrease in the size of the catalyst crystallites, i.e., the catalyst centers located on large crystallites are more active. The results obtained were attributed to the energetic heterogeneity of the surface Pt atoms and various mechanisms of the hydrazine catalytic decomposition in various media.     

New Variational Solutions for the Rolling of Flanged Sections in Universal Roll Passes

Metallurgist - The variational principle of minimum total power and modern computational means are used to describe the deformation of metal in and to determine the power/force conditions for...     

Am(II–VII) species in aqueous solutions and mechanisms of reactions involving them

Published data on the structure of americium ions in aqueous solutions are analyzed. The hydrolysis of americium ions, their complexation with certain inorganic and organic anions, disproportionation, and reactions with oxidants and reductants are considered.     

Program schemata technique for propositional program logics: A 30-year history

A survey is presented of the so-called program schemata technique for proving the decidability of propositional program logics. This method is based on the reduction to versions of the problem of relative totality for nondeterministic Yanov schemata.     

Quartz Optical Fibers with Increased Content of Fluorine for Fluorimeter Probes

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics - A method to fabricate quartz optical fibers for probes employed in fluorescence diagnostics of tumors is proposed. It is shown that the...