A GAUSS program for computing the Foulkes-Davis tracking index for polynomial growth curves

Sixty-five patients initially seropositive for IgM anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) antibodies were tested for antibody levels to PGL-I, lipoarabinomannan (LAM), and the 35-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae at regular intervals for up to 30 months following the commencement of multidrug therapy (MDT). There was a steady decline in IgM anti-PGL-I and anti-35-kDa antibody levels to a mean of 17% and 14%, respectively, of the starting level at 24 months. The development of type 1 and type 2 reactions or the presence of drug-resistant organisms in a small number of patients had no significant influence on the changes in antibody level. The rate of decline was similar in different disease categories, but a higher proportion of lepromatous patients remained seropositive at the end of 2 years of treatment than borderline tuberculoid patients. By contrast, the mean IgG anti-LAM antibody levels remained stable or increased. Again the occurrence of type 1 or type 2 reactions had no significant effect on antibody level over 2 years. Falls in the IgM anti-PGL-I antibody levels mirrored the falls in the bacterial index in individual patients and provide an additional parameter for monitoring the response to chemotherapy.     

Sterilization of heparinized Cuprophan hemodialysis membranes

The effects of sterilization of dry heparinized Cuprophan hemodialysis membranes by means of ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure, gamma irradiation, or steam on the anticoagulant activity and chemical characteristics of immobilized heparin and the permeability of the membrane were investigated. Sterilization did not result in a release of heparin or heparin fragments from heparinized Cuprophan. Sterilization of heparinized Cuprophan by means of EtO exposure and gamma irradiation induced a slight, insignificant decrease of the anticoagulant activity. In contrast, steam-sterilized heparinized Cuprophan showed a higher anticoagulant activity than unsterilized heparinized Cuprophan, which was most likely caused by cleavage of some of the covalent bonds between heparin and Cupropha. The effects of sterilization on the permeability of unmodified Cuprophan and heparinized Cuprophan were compared. The permeability of unmodified Cuprophan for vitamin B₁₂ (Vit B₁₂) and sulfobromophthalein (SBP) was reduced by 20–35% after EtO exposure and gamma irradiation and was reduced by 90–95% after steam sterilization. The water permeability of unmodified Cuprophan remained the same after EtO exposure and gamma irradiation but also dramatically reduced after steam sterilization. These reductions were ascribed to the collapse of pores of the membrane. The permeability of heparinized Cuprophan was not affected by EtO exposure and gamma irradiation but dramatically reduced after steam sterilization, although to a lesser extent than in the case of unmodified Cuprophan. Apparently, the presence of immobilized heparin (partially) prevented the collapse of pores during sterilization. Gamma irradiation was recommended as the preferred method of sterilization for heparinized Cuprophan.     

Assessment of the 1-fluid method for DNS of particulate flows: Sedimentation of a single sphere at moderate to high Reynolds numbers

This paper introduces an original 1-fluid method for direct simulation of the motion of rigid particles in fluids. The model is based on the implicit treatment of a single fictitious fluid over a fixed grid, and uses an augmented Lagrangian optimization algorithm for the velocity-pressure coupling. The paper focuses on the case of a rigid sphere settling in a viscous medium. For validation purposes, simulations of the transient motion of a sedimenting sphere at Reynolds numbers ranging from 1.5 to 31.9 are compared to the PIV data published by Ten Cate et al. [Ten Cate A, Nieuwstad CH, Derksen JJ, Van den Akker HEA. Particle imaging velocimetry experiments and lattice-Boltzmann simulations on a single sphere settling under gravity. Phys Fluids 2002;14(11):4012-25]. Accurate reproduction of the experimental data is obtained. Further simulations are intended to investigate higher Reynolds numbers. Predictions of transient particle sedimentation at Reynolds number 280 are performed and compared with experimental data of the sedimentation trajectory, as well as with simulation results based on the lattice-Boltzmann method.     

A Dual-Fed, Self-Diplexing PIFA and RF Front-End

A dual-fed, self-diplexing planar inverted F antenna and an associated RF front-end are described. It is shown that co-design of the antenna and front-end can be used to double the operational bandwidth, without significant size or performance penalties. Indeed, the use of two feeds allows the antenna to be self-diplexing, which results in improved overall efficiency     

Visualization and quantification of myocardial mass at risk using three-dimensional contrast echocardiography

To investigate possible biochemical mechanisms underlying the "toxic gain of function" associated with polyglutamine expansions, the ability of guinea pig liver tissue transglutaminase to catalyze covalent attachments of various polyamines to polyglutamine peptides was examined. Of the polyamines tested, spermine is the most active substrate, followed by spermidine and putrescine. Formation of covalent cross links between polyglutamine peptides and polyamines yields high-M(r) aggregates--a process that is favored with longer polyglutamines. In the presence of tissue transglutaminase, purified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (a key glycolytic enzyme that binds tightly to the polyglutamine domains of both huntingtin and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy proteins) is covalently attached to polyglutamine peptides in vitro, resulting in the formation of high-M(r) aggregates. In addition, endogenous glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of a Balb-c 3T3 fibroblast cell line overexpressing human tissue transglutaminase forms cross-links with a Q60 polypeptide added to the cell homogenate. Possibly, expansion of polyglutamine domains (thus far known to occur in the gene products associated with at least seven neurodegenerative diseases) leads to increased/aberrant tissue transglutaminase-catalyzed cross-linking reactions with both polyamines and susceptible proteins, such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Formation of cross-linked heteropolymers may lead to deposition of high-M(r) protein aggregates, thereby contributing to cell death.     

Variable-gamma circuit for colour television based on the MOS voltage-translinear principle

In this paper a variable-gamma system is discussed for application in high-quality colour television receivers. A variable-gamma system can significantly improve the quality of the video image by enhancing the contrast in darker parts of the image without degrading the lighter areas of the screen. The adjustment of gamma can replace the traditional contrast and intensity adjustments.The main part of the variable-gamma system is a nonlinear function block, which is implemented by an MOS translinear (MTL) circuit. This circuit was realized in a standard 2.5 m CMOS process. The circuit operates at a single 5V supply voltage. The measured small-signal-3dB bandwidth is 20MHz. The circuit response is insensitive to temperature, which is an important property of translinear circuits.     

矮坝低闸改造讷南灌区渠首拦河坝设计方案

针对讷南渠首拦河坝工程特点及存在问题，通过多种改造方案比较，提出了合理利用原坝体石料，有利于防洪、排冰及防淤的矮坝低闸改造方案，具有工程量小、投资少、施工快等优点。