Role of vagus nerves in resiniferatoxin-induced bronchoconstriction of guinea pigs

To study the role of vagal afferent C-fibers in resiniferatoxin (RTX)-induced bronchoconstriction in vivo, 30 guinea pigs weighing 347 +/- 28 g were evenly and randomly divided into five groups: Group 1, control; 2, chronic vagotomy; 3, local capsaicin (acute); 4, local capsaicin (chronic); and 5, systemic capsaicin. Each animal was anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, cannulated with a tracheal cannula and venous catheter, paralyzed with gallamine triethiodide, and artificially ventilated. All animals were pretreated with atropine and phenoxybenzamine. Immediately after RTX was intravenously injected, each animal in the control group exhibited profound decreases in maximal expiratory flow, dynamic respiratory compliance, and total lung capacity, as well as an increase in functional residual capacity, indicating severe airway constriction. Animals in Groups 2-4 exhibited partial abolishment, while those in Group 5 showed complete abolishment of the RTX-induced bronchoconstriction. In 12 additional animals (6 animals each in control and chronic vagotomy groups), chronic vagotomy caused also suppressive effects on capsaicin-induced airway constriction. At one min, our data demonstrate that 36-51% of noncholinergic bronchoconstriction is due to the vagal component while the remaining constriction is due to the nonvagal component. Thus, the nonvagal component plays a significant role in this type of tachykinin-mediated airway constriction.     

Efficient performance analysis of asynchronous cellular CDMA overRayleigh-fading channels

The bit error rate (BER) analysis of a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) cellular system over a Rayleigh-fading channel often results in complicated expressions even though the Gaussian approximation is applied. A combined probability density function (pdf) approach for the forward link and a mean-method technique for the reverse link are proposed to significantly reduce the computational complexity. The simplified BER expressions are derived and yield accurate results     

纤维体积分数对K3D/MCPA复合材料力学性能的影响

本文研究了纤维体积分数对三维编织芳纶纤维增强铸性尼龙(简称K3D／MCPA)复合材料力学性能的影响。研究表明，K3D／MCPA复合材料有优异的抗冲击性能，冲击强度比三维编织芳纶纤维增强铸性尼龙(简称C3D／MCPA)和纯基体均有大幅度的提高，且随着纤维体积的提高而升高。K3D／MCPA复合材料剪切强度随纤维体积比的增大而增大，其纵向剪切强度低于纯基体和C3D／MCPA复合材料，但其横向剪切强度高于它们。K3D／MCPA复合材料弯曲强度与弯曲模量随纤维体积比的提高而提高，但与相同体积比的C3D／MCPA相比，K3D／MCPA的弯曲强度与弯曲模量均较低。     

Effects of ternary additions on the thermoelastic martensitic transformation of NiAl

Nickel-rich β-NiAl alloys, which are potential materials for high-temperature shape-memory alloys, show a thermoelastic martensitic transformation, which produces their shape memory effect. However, the transformation to Ni₅Al₃ phase during heating of NiAl martensite can interrupt the reversible martensitic transformation; consequently, the shape memory effect in NiAl martensite might not appear after heating. The phase transformation process in binary Ni-(34 to 37)Al martensite was investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA) method, and we found that the condition of reversible martensitic transformation was not the β → Ni₅Al₃ transformation, but rather the M → Ni₅Al₃ transformation occurring at 250 °C to 300 °C. Therefore, the transformation temperature of M → Ni₅Al₃ determined the highest operating temperature for the shape memory effect. For verifying the critical temperature, the phase transformation process was investigated for eight ternary Ni-33Al-X alloys (X=Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ti, Si, and Nb). Only Ti, Si, and Nb additions were found to be effective in dropping the M _s temperature, and they facilitated the shape memory effect in Ni-33Al-X alloys. In particular, the addition of Si and Nb raised the transformation temperature of M → Ni₅Al₃, a potentially beneficial effect for shape memory at higher temperatures. This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled “Fundamentals of Structural Intermetallics,” presented at the 2002 TMS Annual Meeting, February 21–27, 2002, in Seattle, Washington, under the auspices of the ASM and TMS Joint Committee on Mechanical Behavior of Materials.     

A monitoring, feedback, and triggering system for reproducible breath-hold MR imaging

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical usefulness of high-resolution transvaginal duplex Doppler ultrasound in postpartum and post-abortion patients with excessive hemorrhage who are suspected of having residual trophoblast. METHODS: Forty-eight women with excessive hemorrhage referred for possible residual trophoblastic tissue were evaluated by transvaginal duplex Doppler ultrasonography. Based on two-dimensional imaging, the patients were divided prospectively into groups: women who had an empty uterus with a normal uterine cavity, those with a pure endometrial fluid collection and no echogenic foci, those who had a mixed endometrial fluid collection with foci of echogenicity, and those with intracavitary heterogeneous material with mixed echo patterns of fluid and solid components. In each group, Doppler studies were performed and the resistance index (RI) was calculated. The two-dimensional patterns and Doppler results were correlated with clinical and pathologic follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-eight subjects had a normal uterine cavity and seven had a pure endometrial fluid collection; all were treated conservatively and none showed later clinical evidence of residual trophoblastic tissue. In 13 women, residual trophoblast was strongly suggested from the images of two-dimensional ultrasonography: Five showed an endometrial fluid collection with some echogenic foci, and eight exhibited intracavitary mixed echogenic material. All underwent curettage, and residual trophoblastic tissue was found in ten of the 13. The mean (+/- standard deviation) RI to flow in the myometrial arteries was 0.54 +/- 0.15 in women without residual trophoblast and 0.35 +/- 0.1 in those with residual trophoblastic tissue (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that transvaginal duplex Doppler ultrasonography is an effective noninvasive method for evaluating patients with excessive postpartum and post-abortion hemorrhage who are suspected of having residual trophoblastic tissue. Its use enhances the positive preoperative diagnosis of residual trophoblastic tissue and may reduce unnecessary curettage procedures.     

Synthesis of ultrafine LiCoO2 powders by the sol-gel method

Ultrafine high-temperature (HT) LiCoO₂ powders were synthesized by the sol-gel method using polyacrylic acid (PAA) as a chelating agent. The decomposition process of the gel precursor was examined to determine the crystallization temperature and the dependence of the physicochemical properties of HT-LiCoO₂ powders on the PAA quantity was extensively investigated. Polycrystalline HT-LiCoO₂ powders, composed of very uniformly sized ultrafine particulates with an average particle size of 30–50 nm and a specific surface area of 2.3–17 m²g^–1, could be obtained at the lower calcination temperature of 550 °C and the shorter calcination time of 1 h compared to the solid-state reaction.     

共面转换液晶显示器中获得对比度高于1:600的新技术

薄膜晶体管液晶电视(TFT-LCD TV)因为具有薄、轻、紧凑和可随意放置的特点，已经占据了大部分电视机市场。除了这些物理特性以外，最重要的特性是已具有了良好像质的对比度。为了将对比度提高到1：600以上，对偏振片膜、背光源板、滤色片树脂、电极锥角和摩擦条件等都进行了研究。优化的背光板组合，光滑的电极锥角和摩擦方法的控制是提高对比度的主要控制因素。应用新开发的滤色片树脂，对获得高对比度最为有效。     

Effects of potential and heat treatment on phase transition of alumina dielectric layer

The characteristics and growth behaviors of alumina dielectric layer formed by anodic oxidation were investigated. The aluminum oxide layer anodized at 400 V was predominantly amorphous alumina, but at the applied potentials more than 500 V, amorphous and crystalline γ-alumina were existed in anodic oxide layer and the ratio of γ-alumina increased with the increasing applied potential. During the heat treatment at 600^°C or higher temperature, amorphous alumina layer was transformed into the crystalline γ-alumina. The phase transition of anodic amorphous alumina into crystalline depends on anodic applied potentials and heat-treatment temperatures.     

Nanoporous activated carbon cloth for capacitive deionization of aqueous solution

Activated nanostructured-carbon cloths with a high ratio of surface area to volume are used as electrode for capacitive deionization. The electrochemical properties on capacitive deionization for NaCl solution have been investigated to improve efficiency of capacitive deionization properties from aqueous solution, employing chemical surface-modification by etching in alkaline and acidic solution. The removal efficiency of inorganic salts of activated carbon cloths by chemical modification significantly increased. Specially the carbon cloth surface modified in HNO₃ showed an effect of improvement in the CDI efficiency due to not only ion adsorption by an electric double layer, but also electron transfer by Faradaic reaction.