Time dispersion in large plastic scintillation neutron detectors

Time dispersion (TD) is computed for large neutron detectors using plastic scintillators. It is shown that TD seen by the photomultiplier (PM) tube does not necessarily increase with incident neutron energy, which is a result not fully in agreement with the usual finding     

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for infantile osteopetrosis

Infantile osteopetrosis is a lethal disorder resulting from a severe defect in the ability of osteoclasts to resorb bone. The only therapy shown to be capable of providing lasting benefit is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). We report the outcome of 10 patients with infantile malignant osteopetrosis treated with HCT from an HLA A, B, DRB1 matched (n=6) or A or B locus mismatched (n=4) family member or unrelated donor at the University of Minnesota between 1978 and 1997. Eight of 10 patients achieved primary engraftment; secondary graft failure was seen in two patients. Five of 10 patients survive; three with full or partial donor chimerism and two with autologous hematological recovery. Transient or partial donor chimerism can be sufficient to correct the hematological manifestations of osteopetrosis. We recommend early referral for consideration of HCT with a related or unrelated donor as neurosensory manifestations of osteopetrosis are generally not reversible. Donor engraftment may be easier to achieve early in the course of the disease.     

Molecular recognition with C-clamp porphyrins: synthesis, structural, and complexation studies

The cholesterolaemic effect of 2 hypercholesterolaemic diets was tested in 12 rat inbred strains. Diet I is a commercial diet supplemented with 2.0% (w/w) cholesterol and 5.0% (w/w) olive oil; diet II is identical to diet I with addition of 0.5% (w/w) sodium cholate. Strains with the highest plasma cholesterol response after diet I (BN and LEW) also had the highest cholesterol response after diet II (hyperresponders, mean response > 3.5 mmol/l). In the strains DA, SHR, BC, WAG, LOU, PVG and BUF the strain mean cholesterol response remained below 1.3 mmol/l after both diets (hyporesponders). Strains F344 and OM had an intermediate cholesterol response after both diets (normoresponders, mean response between 1.3 and 3.5 mmol/l). Only in the strains LOU, PVG and SHR there appeared to be a significant higher cholesterol response after diet II when compared with the cholesterol response after diet I. In the strain WKY this difference was of a borderline significance (P = 0.052) and this strain turned from a normoresponder after diet I into a hyperresponder after diet II. Liver cholesterol levels as measured after feeding diet II for two weeks also appeared to be strain-specific. No correlation was found between the plasma cholesterol response after diet II and the liver cholesterol levels. Changes in plasma phospholipid and triglyceride levels have been measured for both diet I and diet II. For group means a correlation between the cholesterol response and the change in phospholipid levels was found (r = 0.86 for diet I, P < 0.001 and r = 0.76 for diet II, P < 0.01). No such correlation was found for triglyceride levels.     

Salvage chemotherapy with mitomycin, vindesine, and cisplatin (MiViP) in recurrent carcinoma of the cervix

We report two cases of metastatic non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumour with very elevated plasma levels of alpha-fetoprotein. In these two cases, serial plasma levels of alpha-fetoprotein, initially normal, correlated well with hepatic tumour progression and were associated with fatal outcome. These results suggest that elevated plasma concentration of alpha-fetoprotein may be caused by metastatic pancreatic endocrine tumour and than alpha-fetoprotein serial measurement may be useful in prognostic evaluation.     

Diffusion bonding of an aluminium-lithium alloy (AA8090) using aluminium-copper alloy interlayers

Diffusion bonds have been produced between sheets of an Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy using aluminium-4% copper vapour deposited metallic interlayers. Microstructural changes occurred both in the parent alloy and in the bond interface after diffusion bonding cycles and post-bonding heat treatments were analysed. Different metallographic techniques (light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy) have been used. Diffusion bonding trials were carried out using the same alloy (AA8090), both in non-superplastic (T6) and superplastic conditions. Differences in their behaviours in relation to diffusion bonding were observed.     

Preliminary model of the Ribeira Grande geothermal field (Azores Islands)

On the basis of a geological - volcanological - geophysical survey, integrated with petrological and geochronological data, a structural model, including a shallow magmatic body, was defined for the Ribeira Grande area, Sao Miguel island (Azores). Two series of production tests were carried out in the Pico Vermelho 1 and Ribeira Grande 1 wells, which led to a preliminary definition of the deep fluid circulation. The data obtained from these studies were used to reconstruct a preliminary model of the Ribeira Grande geothermal field.     

业务穿越ATM-PON的延时和延时变化研究

ATM-PON是光纤接入网的重要技术。文章研究了业务穿越ATM-PON接入网的延时和延时变化性能，着重分析媒体接入控制协议对业务延时和延时变化性能的影响。研究结论对ATM-PON媒体接入控制协议的合理设计有很大的帮助。     

The geometric nature of plasticity laws

This paper concerns the plasticity constitutive laws in small strain. In the thermodynamic approach developed here, the key concept is that of internal variables. The differential nature of plasticity law has been pointed out for a long time. If we unite the invariance condition of these laws in a state variable transformation, this involves, ultimately, that the natural mathematic frame of plasticity theory is Differential Geometry. The system state is defined as a point of a differentiable manifold. The state variable are the local coordinates of this point in a chart. The internal stresses are the components of a covariant vector of the cotangent bundle to internal state manifold and the elastic domain is a convex part of cotangent vector space. The plastic yield criteria such as von Mises condition define a Riemannian structure over the manifold. The metric element is identified with the internal dissipation element. Constitutive laws link the covariant derivatives of the thermodynamic stress with the state variable. Hardening modulus splits up in two parts, kinematic hardening and metric hardening. This last is defined by Christoffel connection coefficients. Applied to von Mises isotropic yield condition, the metric hardening is identified with isotropic hardening. The Baltov-Sawczuk model is also analysed. The use of appropriate polar coordinates simplifies significantly the computations. Generalization to a significant category of non-differentiable yield criteria, such as Tresca condition, is considered by introducting a metric tensor family. The adaptation of Drucker's postulate to the proposed model requires the introduction of parallel transport of the internal stress covector. Generally, this transport is different over distinctive paths joining two points. This fact expresses internal state manifold curvature. The Riemann-Christoffel tensor is computed for von Mises, Baltov-Sawczuk and Tresca models.