Adsorption of Dispersants on Zirconia Powder in Tape-Casting Slip Compositions

This paper reports the extension of the more fundamental work of Tormey et al. on the effectiveness of a common dispersant (menhaden fish oil) and a model system (glycerol trioleate) to tape-casting slip formulation. The adsorption isotherms of the two adsorbates on doped zirconia from methyl ethyl ketone—ethanol solutions were measured by thermogravimetric analysis of solutions equilibrated with the powder surface. Viscosity decreased while sintered density increased in tape-cast samples prepared to dispersant concentrations corresponding to points along the adsorption isotherm in a way which follows the isotherm if binder competition for surface sites is considered.     

On replacement models via a fuzzy set theoretic framework

Uncertainty is present in virtually all replacement decisions due to unknown future events, such as revenue streams, maintenance costs, and inflation. Fuzzy sets provide a mathematical framework for explicitly incorporating imprecision into the decision making model, especially when the system involves human subjectivity. This paper illustrates the use of fuzzy sets and possibility theory to explicitly model uncertainty in replacement decisions via fuzzy variables and numbers. In particular, a fuzzy set approach to economic life of an asset calculation as well as a finite-horizon single asset replacement problem with multiple challengers is discussed. Because the use of triangular fuzzy numbers provides a compromise between computational efficiency and realistic modeling of the uncertainty, this discussion emphasizes fuzzy numbers. The algorithms used to determine the optimal replacement policy incorporate fuzzy arithmetic, dynamic programming (DP) with fuzzy rewards, the vertex method, and various ranking methods for fuzzy numbers. A brief history of replacement analysis, current conventional techniques, the basic concepts of fuzzy sets and possibility theory, and the advantages of the fuzzy generalization are also discussed     

Structure,nucleation, growth and morphology of secondary carbides in high chromium and Cr-Ni white cast irons

Heat-treated high chromium and Cr-Ni white cast irons are widely used by the mining and mineral industries for impact and abrasion resistance. With certain heat treatments, Fe-Cr carbides are precipitated within the chromium- and carbon-rich austenitic matrix, thereby destabilizing the austenite which transforms substantially to martensite on subsequent cooling. The crystal structures of these carbides were determined indirectly by referring electron microprobe analyses of the austenitic matrix to the appropriate isothermal solid-state sections of the Fe-Cr-C phase diagram and directly by microprobe analyses of exposed secondary carbides. The nucleation, growth and morphology of these carbides were studied by a combination of selective removal of the austenitic matrix and subsequent scanning electron microscopy of the exposed carbides.     

Programmable shaping of femtosecond optical pulses by use of128-element liquid crystal phase modulator

Programmable shaping of femtosecond pulses by using a 128-element liquid crystal modulator to manipulate the phases of optical frequency components which are spatially dispersed within a grating-and-lens pulse shaping apparatus is described. This apparatus makes possible gray-level control of the spectral phases and allows modification of the pulse shape on a millisecond time scale under electronic control. Refinements in the design of the multielement modulator result in pulse shaping fidelity comparable to that which can be achieved with microlithographically fabricated masks. Several examples of pulse shaping operation, including pulse position modulation, programmable pulse compression, and adjustable cubic phase distortion, are described     

The use of the hypoglycemic preparation gliquidone in patients with digestive organ diseases combined with diabetes mellitus

A peroral sugar-reducing preparation gliquidone (glurenorm) was tried in treatment of 66 patients with digestive diseases (peptic ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver), presenting with diabetes mellitus. The results of the studies made showed glurenorm to be a highly effective preparation in term of both its sugar-reducing effect and its capability to improve energy processes in gastric and duodenal mucosa, pancreacytes, hepatocytes, besides which, it appear to dispel metabolic disturbances and stimulate reparative processes in body organs, improves protein-synthetic processes in the liver, pancreas, mucosa of the gastroduodenal region.     

131I dose-dependent thyroid autoimmune disorders in children living around Chernobyl

The nucleotide sequence of 35,400 bp at approximately 10 kb from the right telomere of chromosome VII was determined. The segment contains the MAL1 locus, one of the five unlinked loci sufficient for maltose utilization. Until now, each of these loci was considered to contain three genes (for regulator, permease and alpha-glucosidase), but a fourth gene, presumably an extra alpha-glucosidase gene, was found at MAL1 adjacent to the usual cluster of three genes. The two glucosidase genes are present in opposite orientation, forming an inverted repeat structure. In addition to the four genes at MAL1, there are 11 complete, non-overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) longer than 300 bp in the sequence presented here. A new ABC transporter gene (YGR281w), required for oligomycin resistance was found (YOR1; Katzman et al., 1995), and the previously sequenced BGL2 (YGR282c), ZUO1 (YGR285c) and BIO2 (YGR286c) genes were located. The sequence of BIO2, a biotin synthetase gene, required substantial correction and the size of Bio2p is 375, rather than 356, amino acids. Two ORFs show rather weak similarities to animal genes: YGR278w to an unknown ORF of Caenorhabditis elegans and YGR284c to the murine Surf-4, a member of a cluster of at least four housekeeping genes. The remaining five ORFs do not encode known functions, but three of these show weak to high similarities to other ORFs in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and one (YGR280c) codes for a particularly lysine-rich protein.