Subchronic toxicity of a medium-chain chlorinated paraffin in the rat

Groups of ten male and female weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diet containing 0, 5, 50, 500 or 5000 ppm of a medium-chain chlorinated paraffin (C14-17, 52% chlorination) for a period of 13 weeks. Increased relative liver weight was observed at 500 and 5000 ppm in females and at 5000 ppm in males. Relative kidney weight was increased at 5000 ppm in both sexes. Serum cholesterol was increased in the females in a dose-related manner starting at 50 ppm. At 5000 ppm, animals of both sexes had elevated hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity while only females showed increased aminopyrine N-demethylase activity. Increased urinary N-acetylglucosaminidase activity occurred at 5000 ppm in females. Increased urinary ascorbic acid excretion monitored at week 12 and a decreased hepatic vitamin A level were detected in females receiving the 500 ppm diet and male and female rats at 5000 ppm. Mild, adaptive histopathological changes were detected in the liver of rats of both sexes at 500 and 5000 ppm, and in the thyroid of males and females starting at 500 and 50 ppm respectively. Minimal changes were observed in the kidney proximal tubules of male rats fed the 5000 ppm diet and in the inner medulla tubules of female rats fed the 500 and 5000 ppm diets. These data indicate that the medium-chain chlorinated paraffin produces biochemical and histological changes at dietary levels of greater than or = 50 ppm in females and greater than or = 500 ppm in males.     

钢结构稳定设计——理论与实践

本文提出了实际工程结构的非线性理论设计和分析方法(NIDA),并以澳门回归纪念馆的设计为例,展示了本方法的优越性.在设计过程中,设计者无需假设K系数和有效长度,在结构分析完成后便可迅速完成设计,因此本文提出的方法既经济又便利.尽管对于钢框架在往复荷载及动力荷载作用下的弹塑性大位移分析已经非常成熟,但本文的方法开创了结构的非线性分析及设计的新纪元,能够对现行的设计方法理论起到巨大的推动作用.     

On a relation between information inequalities and group theory

We establish a one-to-one correspondence between information inequalities and group inequalities. The major implication of our result is that we can prove information inequalities by proving the corresponding group inequalities, and vice versa. By giving a group-theoretic proof for all Shannon-type inequalities, we suggest that new inequalities could be discovered by making use of the rich set of tools in group theory. On the other hand, via a non-Shannon-type information inequality discovered by Zhang and Yeung (1997), we obtain a new inequality in group theory whose meaning is yet to be understood     

A hybrid PC/PLC architecture for manufacturing-system control—theory and implementation

This paper presents a novel and generic PC/PLC-based software/hardware architecture for the control of flexible manufacturing workcells. The proposed implementation methodology is based on the utilization of any one of the available formal discrete-event-system control theories in conjunction with state-of-the-art industrial programmable-logic controllers (PLCs). The methodology has been illustrated to be a viable technique through its actual implementation in our laboratory using a robotic-workcell testbed. The specific control theory used is a combination of Extended Moore Automata and Ramadge-Wonham Automata that has been developed by our research group. The modular control software architecture has been developed for MS-Windows environments (running on one PC interfaced to the PLCs) and allows the use of different formal control theories as well as different commercial PLC hardware. The effective graphical user interface provides a transparent programming environment, where users are not expected to have a full knowledge of the formal control theory used.     

Fast detection of venous air embolism in Doppler heart sound usingthe wavelet transform

The introduction of air bubbles into the systemic circulation can result in significant morbidity. Real-time monitoring of continuous heart sound in patients detected by precordial Doppler ultrasound is, thus, vital for early detection of venous air embolism (VAE) during surgery. In this study, the multiscale feature of wavelet transforms (WT's) is exploited to examine the embolic Doppler heart sound (DHS) during intravenous air injections in dogs. As both humans and dogs share similar physiological conditions, the authors' methods and results for dogs are expected to be applicable to humans. The WT of DHS at scale 2 ^j(j=1,2) selectively magnified the power of embolic, but not the normal, heart sound. Statistically, the enhanced embolic power was found to be sensitive (P<0.01 at 0.01 ml of injected air) and correlated significantly (P<0.0005, τ=0.83) with the volume of injected air from 0.01 to 0.10 ml. A fast detection algorithm of O(N) complexity with unit complexity constant for VAE was developed (processing speed=8 ms per heartbeat), which confirmed the feasibility of real-time processing for both humans and dogs     

浅谈碾压混凝土的施工技术

介绍碾压混凝土坝发展的历程，简述了碾压混凝土筑坝技术以及施工工艺、特点、程序、质量控制等相关方面的施工经验。     

Effect of grain boundary phase on the thermal conductivity of aluminium nitride ceramics

AIN with high thermal conductivity was fabricated by pressureless sintering with Y₂O₃ as the sintering aid. The thermal conductivity was observed to increase with sintering time (up to 8 h) at 1810 °C. The distribution of the sintering aid was identified as one of the major factors influencing the thermal conductivity in AIN. Non-uniform distribution of the grain boundary phase was found to be associated with a significant amount of porosity, resulting in the enhancement of phonon scattering and thereby lowering the thermal conductivity.     

Modification of hypoxia-induced injury in cultured rat astrocytes by high levels of glucose

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preexisting hyperglycemia exacerbates central nervous system injury after transient global and focal cerebral ischemia. Increased anaerobic metabolism with resultant lactic acidosis has been shown to cause the hyperglycemic, neuronal injury. The contribution of astrocytes in producing lactic acidosis under hyperglycemic/ischemic conditions is unclear, whereas the protective role of astrocytes in ischemic-induced neuronal injury has been documented. The ability of astrocytes to maintain energy status and ion homeostasis under hyperglycemic conditions could ultimately reduce neuronal injury. Therefore, we determined the effects of increased glucose concentrations on glucose utilization, lactate production, extracellular pH, and adenosine triphosphate concentrations in hypoxia-treated astrocyte cultures. METHODS: Primary astrocytes were prepared from neonatal rat cerebral cortices. After 35 days in vitro, cultures were incubated with 0-60 mmol/L glucose and subjected to hypoxic conditions at 95% N2/5% CO2 for 24 hours. In addition, under high-glucose conditions (30 mmol/L), astrocytes were exposed to up to 72 hours of hypoxia. Determination of lactate dehydrogenase efflux, adenosine triphosphate concentrations, and extracellular lactate concentrations defined astrocyte status. Equiosmolar levels of mannitol were added in place of high glucose concentrations to distinguish hyperosmotic effect. RESULTS: When physiological concentrations of glucose (7.5 mmol/L) or lower concentrations were used, significant cell damage occurred with 24 hours of hypoxia, as determined by increased efflux of lactate dehydrogenase and loss of cell protein. When higher glucose concentrations (15-60 mmol/L) were used, efflux of lactate dehydrogenase was similar to that observed in normoxic cultures, despite an increased utilization of glucose. Lactate concentrations in the media at low or normal glucose concentrations exceeded normoxic levels, but higher glucose concentrations (15-30 mmol/L) failed to increase lactate levels further. Values of adenosine triphosphate for hypoxic astrocytes treated with high glucose concentrations were significantly higher than those of astrocytes with zero or low glucose levels. In cultures exposed to hypoxia and high glucose levels (30 mmol/L), no cellular injury was observed before 48 hours of hypoxia. Lactate concentrations in the media increased during the first 24 hours of hypoxia and reached steady state. The pH of the media decreased to 6.4 after 24 hours and 5.5 at 48 hours. The latter pH was concomitant with a marked increase in extracellular lactate dehydrogenase activity. Hyperosmotic mannitol failed to protect cultured astrocytes against hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxic injury to mature astrocytes was reduced by the presence of 15-60 mmol/L glucose in the medium during 24-30 hours of hypoxia. Injury occurred when the pH of the medium was < 5.5. This protection was not afforded by the hyperosmotic effect of high glucose concentrations, nor was the hypoxic injury at later time periods with 30 mmol/L glucose mediated solely by lactate accumulation.     

Comparisons of PWM and one-cycle control for power amplifier with multilevel converter

Based on the concepts of cascade multilevel converters and one-cycle technique, comparisons are conducted to characterize the distortion of the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) and one-cycle control methods that were applied to converters. Simulation results for the different control schemes are obtained in PSIM software initially to see the effect of one-cycle control different from that of PWM control. Through the comparisons, the advantages and disadvantages are identified for each method. The one-cycle scheme is better than PWM control in reducing undesirable harmonics and tracing dynamic waveforms. Simulation and experimental results are also provided to verify the conclusions.