The critical transmural pressure of the abirway

The critical transmural pressure (Ptm) is defined as the transmural pressure of the airway at the site where and when flow is limited during a forced expiration. According to the presented theory, the maximal expiratory flow (Vmax) can be calculated from the relation between Ptm and the corresponding cross-sectional area of the airway (A). By means of a pitot-static tube, Ptm-A curves were constructed for several locations in the elastic airway of a mechanical model. From these curves local Vmax was calculated at different values of Ptm and compared with actual flow, i.e. measured Vmax for the entire airway. In the downstream part of the airway, the actual flow equalled calculated Vmax at most Ptm values. The site of flow limitation, being the most upstream point where actual flow equals calculated local Vmax could therefore be located. Theory and experiments showed positive as well as negative Ptm not influenced by change in upstream or downstream resistance. Flow limitation could therefore be initiated at distending as well as compressing pressures across the wall of the airway. V was regarded as a function of Ptm and the elastic recoil pressure of the lung (Pel). Measured and calculated iso-Pel, Ptm-V curves agreed well with one major exception: when Ptm less than Ptm measured curves were distorted due to a concomitant downstrean compression of the collapsible airway.     

Co-hydrotreating of straight-run diesel fraction and vegetable oil on Co(Ni)-PMo/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts

The process of co-hydrotreatment of straight-run diesel fraction (DF) and vegetable oil (VO) on Co(Ni)-PMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared from H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ and cobalt (nickel) citrate has been studied. It has been shown that under conditions close to those in the industry, the complete conversion of fatty acid triglycerides (FATG) is achieved on the catalysts of both types to give an ultraclean hydrotreating product in a 97% yield and a cetane number of 5 points above that of the hydrotreating product of the DF alone. The degree of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is reduced more significantly on the Co-PMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst than in the case of Ni-PMo/Al₂O₃. The catalysts are more susceptible to deactivation in the hydrotreating of the blended feedstock containing VO. The Co-PMo/Al₂O₃ sample is less stable than Ni-PMo/Al₂O₃. Examination of the spent catalysts by transmission electron microscopy has shown that the average particle length of the active phase of Co-PMo/Al₂O₃ increases, whereas this increment for Ni-PMo/Al₂O₃ is insignificant, indicating higher stability of particles of the NiMoS phase. Thus, the co-hydrotreating of petroleum fractions and vegetable oil is more reasonable to carry out on NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts.     

重核离子束成分的加速器质谱分析

为拓展加速器质量技术测量范围及测量放射性核束成分,建立了利用入射离子发射特征Ｘ射线鉴别同量异位素的方法,开展了利用ＡＭＳ测量重核离子束成分的工作。     

用液氨代替烧碱作钛液水解晶种的中和剂

用液氨代替烧碱作钛液水解晶种的中和剂,所得ＴｉＯ２产品的白度、着色力好,且经济效益好。介绍了液氨中和剂用量的计算和ＴｉＯ２晶种的制法。讨论了影响产品质量的因素。     

Si_3N_4陶瓷材料的氧化行为及其氧化机理

采用氧化后再氧化的实验方法,通过对 Ｓｉ３ Ｎ４ 陶瓷材料氧化行为的研究和氧化动力学的分析,讨论了 Ｓｉ３ Ｎ４ 陶瓷材料的氧化机理。结果表明, Ｓｉ３ Ｎ４ 陶瓷材料的氧化行为表现为氧化增量随时间的变化服从抛物线规律：（Δ Ｗ ）２ ＝ Ｋｐ ｔ 。提出了氧在氧化层中的向内扩散是 Ｓｉ３ Ｎ４ 氧化过程中的控制步骤;并认为烧结添加剂或杂质等对 Ｓｉ３ Ｎ４ 陶瓷材料氧化速度的影响,是通过改变氧化层的组成、结构,使氧在氧化层中的扩散速度发生变化而产生的。     

Natural history of early primary biliary cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: In 1986, we reported a group of 29 patients who were positive in serum for antimitochondrial antibody (AMA), the disease-specific marker for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but who had normal liver function test results and no symptoms of liver disease. However, liver histology was diagnostic or compatible with PBC in 24 patients and normal in only two. The aims of this 10-year follow-up study were to establish whether patients with AMA have very early PBC, to assess the outlook for such patients, and to follow the progression of the disease. METHODS: All patients were assessed every year at our PBC clinic: records were reviewed, cause of death verified when applicable, and current clinical and biochemical data collected, including repeat liver histology as indicated. Serum samples from the original study were located. Original and follow-up serum samples were tested by ELISA for E2 components of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. FINDINGS: Five patients died during follow-up; no deaths were attributable to liver disease. Median follow-up of patients who survived was 17.8 years (range 11.0-23.9) from first-detected AMA to the last follow-up review. Overall, 22 (76%) developed symptoms of PBC and 24 (83%) had liver function tests persistently showing cholestasis. Repeat liver biopsy samples were obtained from ten patients; among these patients PBC progressed from Scheuer grade 1 to grade 2 in two and from grade 1 to grade 3 in two. No patient developed clinically apparent cirrhosis. ELISA of baseline serum samples from 27 patients was positive in 21, all of whom had original liver histology compatible with or diagnostic of PBC. Of the six patients who tested negative, only one had an original liver biopsy sample that was compatible with PBC. INTERPRETATION: This study confirms that before the advent of any clinical or biomedical indications, individuals positive for AMA do have PBC. This finding extends the natural history of PBC back in some cases for many years. What determines the eventual progression to biochemically and clinically apparent disease is not yet understood. During our study no patient developed clinically apparent portal hypertension or cirrhosis. Thus, although the finding of a solitary persistently raised AMA is confirmation of a diagnosis of PBC, patients with AMA but no other signs or symptoms of PBC seem to have slow progression of the disease.     

An improved electronic colon cleansing method for detection of colonic polyps by virtual colonoscopy

Electronic colon cleansing (ECC) aims to segment the colon lumen from a patient abdominal image acquired using an oral contrast agent for colonic material tagging, so that a virtual colon model can be constructed. Virtual colonoscopy (VC) provides fly-through navigation within the colon model, looking for polyps on the inner surface in a manner analogous to that of fiber optic colonoscopy. We have built an ECC pipeline for a commercial VC navigation system. In this paper, we present an improved ECC method. It is based on a partial-volume (PV) image-segmentation framework, which is derived using the well-established statistical expectation-maximization algorithm. The presented ECC method was evaluated by both visual inspection and computer-aided detection of polyps (CADpolyp) within the cleansed colon lumens obtained using 20 patient datasets. Compared to our previous ECC pipeline, which does not sufficiently consider the PV effect, the method presented in this paper demonstrates improved polyp detection by both visual judgment and CADpolyp measure.     

Structural and phase transformations during heat treatment of the Fe(71.4)Si(14.3)C(14.3) amorphous alloy prepared by mechanical alloying

Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy of ⁵⁷Fe nuclei, magnetic measurements, and different heat treatments have been used to study the sequence and mechanisms of solid-state reactions in the Fe-Si-C amorphous alloy in the course of the structure transition to equilibrium. Three stages of structural and phase transformations have been found; these are the structural relaxation, formation of an Fe₅SiC silicocarbide, and its decomposition. It has been shown that the second and third stages occur during isochronous annealing within sufficiently narrow temperature ranges of 380–405 and 530–555°C, respectively. The kinetics of the decomposition of the metastable Fe₅SiC silicocarbide and the formation of the ordered Fe-Si alloy during isothermal annealing has been studied.     

烟用香精中烟碱的气相色谱分析

以喹啉为内标,采用HP INNOWAX(30m×0 25mmi d ×0 25μmd f )色谱柱和NPD检测器建立了烟用香精中烟碱的气相色谱分析方法。线性范围为0 608～0 0135mg/mL,相关系数为0 99995;平均回收率为98 05%,RSD为1 79%。并用该法测定了8种烟用香精样品中的烟碱含量。