Application of Infrared Spectrometric Techniques to the Quantitative Analysis of Hydraulic Fluids

A hydraulic fluid qualified in accordance with Specification MIL-H-6083c was studied by infrared spectrometric techniques. An absorption band suitable for both qualitative and quantitative analyses was found for each of the five additives contained in the hydraulic fluid. The minimum detectable change in concentration for each additive was determined for the concentration ranges studied based upon the reproducibility of the band intensities.     

The adrenal incidentaloma: guidelines for evaluation and recommendations for management

Adrenal masses are identified incidentally on up to 1.5% of all abdominal CT scans. The appropriate evaluation and management of these "incidentalomas" remains controversial and centers on questions of function and potential for malignancy. Functional evaluation includes consideration of the diagnoses of aldosteronoma, pheochromocytoma, and corticosteroid-producing adenoma. Potential for malignancy can be evaluated using a number of imaging modalities, although none is diagnostic. Size remains one of the best criteria for assessing potential for malignancy.     

The role of fine-needle aspiration biopsy and flow cytometry in the evaluation of persistent neck adenopathy

BACKGROUND: The role of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and flow cytometry (FCM) in the evaluation of persistent neck adenopathy has not been completely defined. METHODS: All patients who underwent FNAB of an abnormal lymph node from 1990 to 1997 were identified, and the results of FNAB and FCM were correlated with histology or clinical follow-up. RESULTS: FNAB was performed on 133 patients with an abnormal lymph node in the neck. FNAB was malignant in 82 (62%), atypical in 13 (10%), benign in 27 (20%), and nondiagnostic in 11 (8%) patients. FNAB was compared with histologic results in 114 (86%) or with the results of clinical follow-up (average 17 months) in 12 patients (9%). Seven patients (5%) were lost to follow-up. Lymphoma and metastatic carcinoma were diagnosed in 25 (19%) and 76 (57%) patients, respectively. Sensitivity of FNAB and FCM was 96% and 100%, respectively, and specificity was 58% and 100%, respectively. Patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma accounted for 80% of false negative FCM results. FCM was nondiagnostic in 3 of 34 patients (9%). Definitive subclassification of lymphoma was accomplished in only 3 of 17 (18%) patients in whom FCM was performed. CONCLUSIONS: FNAB is reliable in identifying metastatic disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and reactive lymphadenopathy in the neck. FNAB and FCM still have a limited role in definitive diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma and classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, underscoring the importance of excisional biopsy.     

Network security: it's time to take it seriously

“Network security is the most important thing on the planet”. We have heard these words uttered with great conviction many times. However, the first time it causes any inconvenience to system owners, administrators, or users, the same people hasten to add “except when it impacts performance, system complexity, or cost”. Let's face it. Security is usually discarded when it contends with performance. The reason is simple, and at one time it may have even been valid: performance directly contributes to the bottom line while security provides only indirect benefits. But as the world becomes more tightly interconnected, organizations are feeling a greater need to rediscover network security. A thread that spans most definitions of network security is the intent to consider the security of the network as a whole, rather than as an endpoint issue. A comprehensive network security plan must encompass all the elements that make up the network and provide five important services: access-provides users with the means to transmit and receive data to and from any network resources with which they are authorized to communicate; confidentiality-ensures that the information in the network remains private (usually through encryption); authentication-ensures that the sender of a message is who he claims to be; integrity-ensures that a message has not been modified in transit; nonrepudiation-ensures that the originator of the message cannot deny that he sent the message and this is useful for both commercial and legal reasons     

Orthogonal Expression of an Artificial Metalloenzyme for Abiotic Catalysis

A cytochrome P450 was engineered to selectively incorporate Ir(Me)‐deuteroporphyrin IX (Ir(Me)‐DPIX), in lieu of heme, in bacterial cells. Cofactor selectivity was altered by introducing mutations within the heme‐binding pocket to discriminate the deuteroporphyrin macrocycle, in combination with mutations to the P450 axial cysteine to accommodate a pendant methyl group on the Ir(Me) center. This artificial metalloenzyme was investigated for activity in non‐native metallocarbenoid‐mediated olefin cyclopropanation reactions and showed enhanced activity for aliphatic and electron‐deficient olefins when compared to the native heme enzyme. This work provides a general strategy to augment the chemical functionality of heme enzymes in cells with application towards abiotic catalysis.     

Structure and stability of rapidly quenched Al86Cr14−x Fe x alloys

The structural and thermal properties of melt spun Al₈₆Cr_14–x Fe _x , alloys have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and differential thermal analysis. Electron diffraction patterns indicate that all alloys contain quasicrystalline nodules with icosahedral symmetry in a matrix of f cc aluminium. Microscopically the alloys fall into two categories; those with x 6 and those withx > 6. The first class alloys shows large (>1m) icosahedral crystallites with well defined dendritic crystallite growth and sharp quasicrystalline X-ray diffraction peaks. The latter alloys show quasicrystalline crystallites which are predominantly much smaller as well as considerably broadened X-ray diffraction peaks. Thermal analysis measurements indicate that the activation energy for crystallization in these alloys is about 1.5 eV.     

The challenges of biofuels from the perspective of small-scale producers in Ohio

Increased interest in renewable fuels in the United States, such as biodiesel and ethanol, is mainly the result of higher cost for traditional fuels after years of low prices. A growing concern over oil imports from politically unstable parts of the world has also led people to seriously consider alternatives to gasoline. Despite this attention, there are issues that challenge the widespread acceptance of biofuels, including the availability of raw materials and food security concerns. Ohio is one of the most productive agricultural states in the country, able to contribute significant amounts of corn and soybeans, the main feedstock for biofuels. Even though Ohio is rich in the raw materials needed for biofuel production, it is still an endeavor that mainly involves small businesses that face numerous challenges. Some of these challenges are national in scope, while others are localized. Interviews with small-scale biofuels producers in Ohio identify some of the major political, economic, and perceptual hurdles confronting this fledgling industry.     

Bragg–Williams Model of CsCl-Type Ordering of the FeCo System in Strong Magnetic Fields

A modified Bragg–Williams (B–W) model of α and α′ FeCo is extended to estimate the effect of strong magnetic fields on the critical ordering temperature (T _ORDER) taking into account long-range chemical and magnetic ordering. The model discussed here is generalized from our previous work in which only the larger average exchange per atom in the chemically ordered state was taken into account. A positive shift of critical temperatures for the higher order α→α′ order-disorder phase transformation has been predicted in the presence of a strong field. In this work, the experimentally observed dependence of the average magnetic moment of Fe atoms on the degree of chemical order has been accounted for explicitly. The estimated shift in the critical ordering temperature (ΔT _ORDER) is larger when the dependence of the Fe moment on the degree of chemical order is taken into account, particularly in the case of Fe-rich compositions (e.g., ΔT _ORDER ∼ 13 K vs ΔT _ORDER ∼ 10 K for H ∼ 50 T at equiatomic composition). For most compositions, however, the contribution to ΔT _ORDER associated with the larger average exchange per atom in the chemically ordered state accounts for the majority of the shift. The estimated effect remains quite small and is only expected to be experimentally observable in static fields larger than currently available in most laboratories (ΔT _ORDER is only predicted to be larger than ∼2 to 3 K for H > ∼10 T). This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled “Phase Transformations in Magnetic Materials”, which occured during the TMS Annual Meeting, March 12–16, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas, under the auspices of the Joint TMS–MPMD and ASMI–MSCTS Phase Transformations Committee.     

Integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation: Refining theory for a mathematical framework to quantify private and public cost-effectiveness,and C emissions for energy and development projects

This work builds on a bottom-up market greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation approach to determine the mitigation potential of specific activities by introducing two new concepts: the “adaptation potential” (defined as the difference between the sum of costs and benefits of adaptation, over a specified interval), and; “no behest” opportunities (defined as when the benefits of an activity equal or exceed both the costs to the private investor and the society, excluding the benefits of avoided climate change). “No behest” activities are contrasted with “no regrets” opportunities, whose benefits are equal to, or exceed costs to society, excluding the benefits of avoided climate change. The word “behest” conveys the value of requiring little further incentive or regulation to motivate private investors to take advantage of existing economic opportunities. Therefore, “no behest” opportunities are similar to “no regrets” opportunities, but with a greater relevance to private investments that both mitigate and adapt by including the real market benefits and costs of cleaner development options. This work utilises several mathematical methods to remove information asymmetries between market decision-making and what is both economically and environmentally efficient. These methods can be used for both contextually based bottom-up and top-down scenarios in either an adaptation and mitigation framework. The outputs are a quantified change in profitability and parallel GHG emissions of specific activity baselines that are suitable for carbon (C) liability assessment, investment and government emission targets in the current and projected policy environments. These methods can also be used to determine “no behest” activities which have lower private barriers to implementation than “no regrets” activities.     

Developing unit-specific credentialing

A systematic plan can streamline the certification process. A self-directed team identified, developed and implemented the components needed to make the workload manageable. The actual process for developing a unit-based credentialing system in a special care unit is described.