Metrological support to data-acquisition systems for oil-product accounting

A test method and least- squares fitting have been used in algorithms for calibrating differential pressure gauges during use. The two methods provide good metrological characteristics in quantitative metering systems for oil products working over wide pressure difference ranges.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 9, pp. 16–18, September, 1993.     

Effect of seismic forces on design of joint seals for hydraulic structures

Conclusion The design of seals for contraction joints must withstand the anticipated displacements of a unit of the structure during an earthquake, as determined by dynamic computations or model tests and allowing for the hydrodynamic pressure of the water. For the determination of rational types and widths of joint, and also their spacing in the structure, special investigations (analytical and model) should be carried out. Constructive measures for improving the reliability of the performance of sealing arrangements in structures located in seismic regions include strengthening of their details by duplicate seals of rubber and polymer materials, asphaltic keys, corrugated metal sheets or membranes with expansion segments, etc. Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. 1, pp. 21–25, January, 1975.     

Mutational analysis of the genes encoding the photosystem II proteins in Cyanobacterium synechocystis sp. 6803

Chlorophyll--binding protein CP43 and cytochrome b559, encoded by psbC and psbE/F genes, are the components of photosystem II (PS II). Three psbC- and four psbE/F- mutants were isolated from the collection of PS II-deficient mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. 6803. Restoration of photosynthetic activity was achieved by transformation of psbE/F- mutants with cloned psbE/F gene cluster from wild type cells and each of psbC- mutants--with specific part of wild type psbC gene. DNA fragments carrying the mutations were isolated from mutant cells and sequenced. The mutations which affect PS II activity were identified in psbC gene as "frameshift" mutation, stop-codon formation, or as deletion of three nucleotides resulting in loss of one of three Phe residues in position 422-424 of CP43. Sequence of mutant psbE/F genes revealed single mutations resulting in deletion of Phe-36 or substitution of Pro-63 for Leu in alpha-subunit and Val-29 for Phe in beta-subunit of cytochrome b559.     

Selective low-pass block edges filtering to standard JPEG quality improvement

There is proposed a very simple and computationally effective method for filtering the block artefacts that appear usually under sufficient magnification on the images restored from the normal JPEG. It differs from many others by the property not to reduce (as a rule), but, in contrary, to improve the quality of already sufficiently high-quality JPEG images both by the objective criterions and visually. The method is to be applied only to the images already restored from the JPEG and thus does not affect the JPEG format itself. Visual quality of the images after processing becomes comparable with a quality of the wavelet processed images which, naturally, have no any blocking artefacts. A trial utility for realising this method for OS Windows (XP and higher) is freely available at the reference http://spritesoft.narod.ru/utilities/jpi/jpi.zip.     

Dynamic diagnosis of two-dimensional systems

Statistical analysis of the Kalman filter updating sequence is used to detect failures in two-dimensional dynamic systems. A method of testing the covariance matrix of the two-dimensional updating sequence by using certain scalar measures of this matrix is investigated.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 4, pp. 11–12, April, 1994.     

Discretization of measurements in tolerance control of single-parameter objects

Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 17–19, March, 1992.