The Bi-Rb (bismuth-rubidium) system

This work was supported by ASM International. Literature searched through 1988. Dr. Pelton is the Alloy Phase Diagram Program Co-Category Editor for binary alkali alloys.     

The influence of the alloying elements upon the transformation kinetics and morphologies of ferrite plates in alloy steels

A series of Fe-C-X and Fe-C-X₁-X₂ alloys in which X, X₁ and X₂ either raise or depress the activity of C iny were investigated by autodilatometer, optical microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to reveal the relations among the chemical composition, transformation kinetics, and morphology of ferrite plates. The incubation time of austenite decomposition at the nose temperature in the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams, the concentration of C in y in contact with theα/gg boundary, and the growth rate of ferrite were evaluated to estimate the magnitude of the solute drag-like effect (SDLE) for the different alloying elements used. All the results are consistent qualitatively with the SDLE hypothesis. This article is based on a presentation made at the Pacific Rim Conference on the “Roles of Shear and Diffusion in the Formation of Plate-Shaped Transformation Products,” held December 18-22, 1992, in Kona, Hawaii, under the auspices of ASM INTERNATIONAL’S Phase Transformations Committee.     

A conserved sequence in tRNA and rRNA promoters of Lactococcus lactis

A tRNA operon (trnA) from Lactococcus lactis consisting of seven tRNA genes and a 5S rRNA gene was cloned and sequenced. Promoter-fusion of the trnA promoter to a promoter-less beta-galactosidase gene of Leuconostoc mesenteroides resulted in high levels of beta-galactosidase activity in L. lactis. Searching for sequences with similarity to the sequence of the promoter region revealed a consensus sequence of promoters preceeding rRNA operons and tRNA operons from Lactococcus species including a not previously described conserved sequence (AGTT).     

Do chart reviews and interviews provide the same information about breast and cervical cancer screening?

Magnetic resonance imaging allows a noninvasive assessment of myelination during normal brain maturation as well as the detection of genetically determined and acquired diseases that affect the synthesis and maintenance of myelin. If this high sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging for white matter changes is completed by adequate clinical and biochemical information, a unique diagnostic tool is available to gain new insights in the formation of myelin and pathogenesis of myelin disorders.     

In vitro attachment of Pneumocystis carinii from mouse and rat origin

Cigarette smoking has been shown to increase consequent to the acute administration of methadone. This suggests the possibility that differences in maintenance dose levels might be associated with differential smoking rates. It is of special concern that higher maintenance levels of methadone may lead to more cigarette smoking because of the putative beneficial effects of higher doses on illicit drug use, treatment retention, and the like. Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that higher maintenance doses of methadone are related to more cigarette smoking. Smoking was measured by self-report and expired carbon monoxide, and the amounts were correlated with subjects' methadone dose levels. The results showed smoking rates of 85% and that self-reported smoking significantly correlated (r = -.52) with CO. Maintenance doses, however, were not correlated with smoking levels. This suggests that the acute effects of methadone on smoking are nullified as clients habituate to dose level, and that decisions regarding appropriate methadone dosage can be made on other grounds.     

Numerical and experimental studies of high-velocity impact fragmentation

Developments are reported in both numerical and experimental capabilities for characterizing the debris spray produced in penetration events. We have performed a series of high-velocity experiments specifically designed to examine the fragmentation of the projectile during impact. High-strength, well-characterized steel spheres (6.35 mm diameter) were launched with a two-stage light-gas gun to velocities in the range of 3 to 5 km/s. Normal impact with PMMA plates, thicknesses of 0.6 to 11 mm, applied impulsive loads of various amplitudes and durations to the steel sphere. The extent of fragmentation, loss in momentum, and divergence of the debris are shown to correspond to the impact conditions. Multiple flash radiography was used to monitor material motion and fragmentation of the steel sphere during the impact event. Dynamic fragmentation theories, based on energy-balance principles, were used to evaluate local material deformation and fracture state information from CTH, a three-dimensional Eulerian solid dynamics shock wave propagation code. The local fragment characterization of the material defines a weighted fragment size distribution, and the sum of these distributions provides a composite particle size distribution for the steel sphere. The calculated axial and radial velocity changes agree well with experimental data, and the calculated fragment sizes for a specific experiment are in qualitative agreement with the radiographic data.