Optimal operation of a multibasin reservoir system

A simulation-optimization procedure is presented for evaluating the extent of interbasin transfer of water in the Peninsular Indian river system consisting of 15 reservoirs on four river basins. A system-dependent simulation model is developed incorporating the concept of reservoir zoning to facilitate releases and transfers. The simulation model generates a larger number of solutions which are then screened by the optimization model. The Box complex nonlinear programming algorithm is used for the optimization. The performance of the system is evaluated through simulation with the optimal reservoir zones with respect to four indices, reliability, resiliency, vulnerability and deficit ratio. The results indicate that by operating the system of 15 reservoirs as a single unit the existing utilization of water may be increased significantly.     

Purification, kinetic characterization and involvement of tryptophan residue at the NADPH binding site of xylose reductase from Neurospora crassa

Xylose reductase (XR) from Neurospora crassa was purified to homogeneity and was found to be specific to NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). The purified enzyme showed M(r) of 60 and 29 kDa by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicating the presence of two subunits. The kinetic mechanism of xylose reductase is 'iso-ordered bi bi'. Inactivation of XR by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) was found to be biphasic with second-order rate constants of 2.5 x 10(2) and 80 M-1S-1 for the fast (kf) and slow phase (ks), respectively. NADPH protected 90% of XR activity against inhibition by NBS. The fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) studies revealed that inactivation was not due to gross conformational change in the enzyme. Analysis of the modified Stern-Volmer plot indicated that 49% of the tryptophanyl fluorescence was available for quenching which was completely abolished in the presence of NADPH confirming the involvement of tryptophan at the coenzyme binding site. Experimental evidence presented here serves to implicate the involvement of a tryptophan residue at the low-affinity NADPH binding site and the nature of this site has been assessed by using the hydrophobic probe ANS.     

Recent investigations on some cubic Laves phase compounds of rare earth and transition metals

Pseudobinary alloy, Tb_0·27Dy_0·73Fe_2−δ , belonging to C-15 cubic Laves phase having MgCu₂-type structure, possesses large magnetostriction and high magnetomechanical coupling coefficient. The advantages of this material over existing piezoelectric materials, particularly for SONAR applications, are highlighted. Recent results on the influence of cobalt (Co) on magnetic and magnetomechanical properties of Tb_0·27Dy_0·73Fe₂ are discussed.     

Protein adsorption onto poly(ether urethane ureas) containing Methacrol 2138F: a surface-active amphiphilic additive

Surface characterization and protein adsorption studies were carried out on a series of additive dispersed and additive coated poly(ether urethane ureas), PEUUs, to characterize early events in the blood compatibility of these materials. A hypothesis that is based on surface hydrophilicity, surface flexibility, and adsorption media has been developed to understand the modulated adsorption of plasma proteins by PEUU additives. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and contact angle analysis were performed on two PEUU formulation as well as on PEUU formulations modified with Methacrol 2138F (co[diisopropylaminoethyl methacrylate (DIPAM)/decyl methacrylate (DM)][3/1]) or acrylate or methacrylate polymer or copolymer analogs of Methacrol 2138F. Methacrol 2138F is a commercially used amphiphilic copolymethacrylate. ESCA showed that the PEUUs loaded with Methacrol 2138F or with its hydrophilic component, homopoly (DIPAM) (h-(DIPAM)), had a higher percentage of nitrogen at their surfaces than did the base PEUUs. Contact angle analysis also showed that the air side of PEUU formulations loaded with Methacrol 2138F were more hydrophobic than was the air side of base PEUUs when films were cast from dimethylacetamide. However, during contact angle testing, the air side of PEUU films loaded with Methacrol 2138F rapidly became more hydrophilic than did the air side of the base PEUU films. A radioimmunoassay and whole or diluted human plasma were also used to characterize the presence of the proteins fibrinogen, immunoglobulin G, factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, Hageman factor (factor XII), and albumin, on the surface of the same PEUUs as analyzed by ESCA and contact angle. The protein adsorption assay showed that PEUU films loaded or coated with Methacrol 2138F, with a copolyacrylate analog of Methacrol 2138F (co(diisopropylaminoethyl acrylate [DIPAA]/decyl acrylate [DA]) [3/1]), or with the hydrophilic polyacrylate or polymethacrylate component analogs of Methacrol 2138F (h-DIPAM or h-DIPAA) adsorbed significantly lower amounts of the proteins than did either the base PEUU formulations or the homopoly(decyl methacrylate) (h-DM) or homopoly(decyl acrylate) (h-DA) coated or loaded PEUUs.     

Premature separation of centromere and aneuploidy: an indicator of high risk in unaffected individuals from familial breast cancer families?

OBJECTIVES: Injury is the leading cause of death in the male working population of Brazil. An important fraction of these deaths are work related. Very few cohort studies of steel workers, and none from developing countries, have reported on mortality from injuries. This paper analyses mortality from work and non-work related injuries among Brazilian steel workers. METHODS: Deaths during employment from 1 January 1977 to 30 November 1992 were analysed in a cohort of 21,816 male steel workers. Mortality rates specific for age and calendar year among the workers were compared with those of the male population of the state where the plant is located. Work related injuries were analysed by comparing the mortality rates for different subgroups of the cohort. RESULTS: The number of deaths (391) was less than half that expected based on death rates of the general population. Over 60% (242) of deaths were due to injuries. Mortality from most causes was substantially below that in the general population, but that from unintentional injury, was 50% above that of the general population. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were highest for the youngest and the oldest employees and for labourers and clerical workers. Mortality from motor vehicle injury was twice that expected from population rates (SMR = 209, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 176-244). There was a 67% fall in the age adjusted mortality from occupational injuries in the study period. CONCLUSION: The healthy worker effect in this cohort was greater than that commonly found in studies of occupational groups in developed countries, probably because of a greater socioeconomic gap between employed and unemployed populations in Brazil, and unequal distribution of health care resources. Mortality was especially high for motor vehicle injuries. The fall in mortality from occupational injuries during the study period was probably due to improvement in safety standards, increased automation, and better medical care. There is a need to investigate risk factors for unintentional injuries among steel workers, especially those due to motor vehicle injuries. Prevention of occupational and nonoccupational injuries should be a main priority in Brazil.     

PMR1, a Ca2+-ATPase in yeast Golgi, has properties distinct from sarco/endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane calcium pumps

PMR1, a P-type ATPase cloned from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was previously localized to the Golgi, and shown to be required for normal secretory processes (Antebi, A., and Fink, G.R. (1992) Mol. Biol. Cell 3, 633-654). We provide biochemical evidence that PMR1 is a Ca2+-transporting ATPase in the Golgi, a hitherto unusual location for a Ca2+ pump. As a starting point for structure-function analysis using a mutagenic approach, we used the strong and inducible heat shock promoter to direct high level expression of PMR1 from a multicopy plasmid. Yeast lysates were separated on sucrose density gradients, and fractions assayed for organellar markers. PMR1 is found in fractions containing the Golgi marker guanosine diphosphatase, and is associated with an ATP-dependent, protonophore-insensitive 45Ca2+ uptake activity. This activity is virtually abolished in the absence of the expression plasmid. Furthermore, replacement of the active site aspartate within the phosphorylation domain had the expected effect of abolishing Ca2+ transport activity entirely. Interestingly, the mutant enzymes (Asp-371 --> Glu and Asp-371 --> Asn) demonstrated proper targeting to the Golgi, unlike analogous mutations in the related yeast H+-ATPase. Detailed characterization of calcium transport by PMR1 showed that sensitivity to inhibitors (vanadate, thapsigargin, and cyclopiazonic acid) and affinity for substrates (MgATP and Ca2+) were different from the previously characterized sarco/endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases. PMR1 therefore represents a new and distinct P-type Ca2+-ATPase. Because close homologs of PMR1 have been cloned from rat and other organisms, we suggest that Ca2+-ATPases in the Golgi will form a discrete subgroup that are important for functioning of the secretory pathway.     

Computational study of unsteady viscous flow around a transversely and longitudinally oscillating circular cylinder in a uniform flow at high reynolls numbers

A finite difference simulation method for the time dependent viscous incompressible flow around a transversely and longitudinally oscillating circular cylinder at Reynolds numbers of Re=4×10³ and 4×10⁴ is presented. The Navier-Stokes equations in finite difference form are solved on a moving grid system, based on a time dependent coordinate transformation. Solution of the vortex street development behind the cylinder is obtained when the cylinder remains stationary and also when it is oscillating. Time eholution of the flow configuration is studied by means of stream lines, pressure contours and vorticity contours. The computer results predict the lock-in phenomenon which occurs when the oscillation frequency is close to the vortex shedding frequency in the transverse mode or around double the vortex shedding frequency in the longitudinal mode. The time dependent lift and drag coefficients are obtained by the integration of the pressure and shear forces around the body. The drag, lift and the displacement relations are also discussed.