The computed orientation distribution of fibers immersed in laminar pipe flows showed that the longitudinal distributions are wide for small Reynolds numbers and become narrower with increasing Re. For low Re number, the axial orientation distributions are broad with almost no preferred orientations. For high Re number, the axial distribution becomes narrow, with sharp maxima. The mean values of the longitudinal orientation depend strongly on the Re number. The computed results are in qualitative agreement with relevant experimental results.

The consolidation behavior of mixed in place cement- and lime/cement-mixed column was studied. Consolidation of the composite foundation was modeled as a three-dimensional axi-symmetric problem. The authors used the finite difference method to obtain the pore pressure variation with time at any location below the surface. A computer program developed by the authors was used to draw some interesting conclusions about the consolidation behaviors of cement- and lime/cement-mixed pile foundation. Finally, a combined model including the permeability coefficients of cement-mixed piles and soil, was studied and its feasibility was evaluated.

The variation of effective stress ratio of stratfied soil with semi-pervious boundaries and under cyclic loading was analyzed on the basis of Terzaghi\'s one-dimensional consolidation assumptions. A solution by Laplace Transform was obtained for the case when the soil was under time-varied loading. With numerical inversion of Laplace Transform, some useful results were obtained for several kinds of commonly encountered loadings. The results can be meaningful in engineering practice.

This paper provides a review of recent research advances and trends in the area of stability of unstiffened circular cylindrical shells subjected to general non-uniform axial compressive stresses. Only the more important and interesting aspects of the research, judged from a personal viewpoint, are discussed. They can be crudely classified into four categories: (1) shells subjected to non-uniform loads; (2) shells on discrete supports; (3) shells with intended cutouts/holes; and (4) shells with non-uniform settlements.

The authors discuss the concept of meta-information which is the description of information system or its subsystems, and proposes algorithms for meta-information generation. Meta-information can be generated in parallel mode and network computation can be used to accelerate meta-information generation. Most existing rough set methods assume information system to be centralized and cannot be applied directly in distributed information system. Data integration, which is costly, is necessary for such existing methods. However, meta-information integration will eliminate the need of data integration in many cases, since many rough set operations can be done straightforward based on meta-information, and many existing methods can be modified based on meta-information.

Nowadays, the scale of data normally stored in a database collected by Data Acquisition System (DAS) or Distributed Control System (DCS) in a power plant is becoming larger and larger. However there are abundant valuable knowledge hidden behind them. It will be beyond people\'s capacity to analyze and understand these data stored in such a scale database. Fortunately data-mining techniques are arising at the historic moment. In this paper, we explain the basic concept and general knowledge of data-mining; analyze the characteristics and research method of data-mining; give some typical applications of data-mining system based on power plant real-time database on intranet.

This paper presents a method using a large steady-state engine operation data matrix to provide necessary information for successfully training a predictive network, while at the same time eliminating errors produced by the dispersive effects of the emissions measurement system. The steady-state training conditions of compound fuel allow for the correlation of time-averaged in-cylinder combustion variables to the engine-out NO_x and HC emissions. The error back-propagation neural network (EBP) is then capable of learning the relationships between these variables and the measured gaseous emissions, and then interpolating between steady-state points in the matrix. This method for NO_x and HC has been proved highly successful.

The biomechanical behavior of dog\'s duodenum and jejunum were studied and a formulation of the stress-strain relation is presented in this paper. The results obtained indicated that the exponential coefficient α and the incremental duodenum of the elastic modulus are both larger than those of the jejunum. It means that the duodenum is more deformable than the jejunum. The experimental results of this work provide basal data for kinematics study of a robotic endoscope.

The novel integrated circuit (IC) temperature sensor presented in this paper works similarly as a two-terminal Zener, has breakdown voltage directly proportional to Kelvin temperature at 10 mV/°C, with typical error of less than ±1.0°C over a temperature range from -50°C to +125°C. In addition to all the features that conventional IC temperature sensors have, the new device also has very low static power dissipation (0.5 mW), low output impedance (less than 1Ω), excellent stability, high reproducibility, and high precision. The sensor\'s circuit design and layout are discussed in detail. Applications of the sensor include almost any type of temperature sensing over the range of -50°C - +125°C. The low impedance and linear output of the device make interfacing the readout or control circuitry especially easy. Due to the excellent performance and low cost of this sensor, more applications of the sensor over wide temperature range are expected.

This research on the solvent effects of 2-methyl-4,5-dimethoxy-3-oxo-2H-pyridizine (MDOP) in binary solvent systems on the infrared spectra for MDOP in n-hexane/CHCl₃ mixture solvents showed that there were three forms of carbonyl stretching vibration band [υ(C=O)] of MPOP as the mole fraction of CHCl₃ in the binary solvents changes. In pure n-hexane solvent, the υ(C=O) of MDOP appeared at a relatively high wavenumber. With CHCl₃ added, the υ(C=O) shifted to lower wavenumbers. Two new bands were observed over a certain range of mixture solvent compositions. The origin of the bands was discussed in the terms of two kinds of hydrogen bond together with their individual dependence on mixture composition. Comparisons were drawn for the solvent sensitivities of υ(C=O) for propanone.

Luciferase from firefly lantern extract was immobilized on CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B. The kinetic properties of immobilized luciferase were extensively studied. The K_m′ for D-luciferin is 11.9 μmol/L, the optimum pH and temperature for Sepharose-bound enzyme were 7.8 and 25°C respectively. A luminescence fiber optic biosensor, making use of immobilized crude luciferase, was developed for assay of ATP. The peak light intensity was linear with respect to ATP concentration in range of 10^-9–10^-5 mol/L. A biological application was also demonstrated with the determination of serum ATP from rats bred in low versus normal oxygen environments.

Pepsin was assembled on the surface of prepared poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET-NH₃⁺) substrates. The composition and structure of the pepsin / PET-NH₃⁺ assembling films in different condition were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

This paper presents a practical three-dimensional mathematical model of circulation and heat transfer in generator of glass melting furnaces. The model was based on the heat transfer between the smoke flow and the lattice units, and between the air flow and the lattice units. This model not only bypassed the difficulty of complicated computation of the heat transfer process in the regenerator of glass furnaces, but also avoided the irrationality of fixing the temperature distribution on the surfaces. Use of the model yielded very important data and also the method for the design of the regenerator of glass furnaces in practical production.

Feynman variational path-integral theory was used to obtain the ground-state energy of a polaron in a quantum well in the presence of a Coulomb potential for arbitrary values of the electron-phonon coupling constant α. Numerical and analytical results showed that the energy shift was more sensitive to α than to the Coulomb binding parameter (β) and increased with the decrease of effective quantum well width l_Z. It was interesting that due to the electronic confinement in the quasi-2D (quantum well) structures, the lower bound of the strong coupling regime was shifted to smaller values of α. Comparison of the polaron in the quantum well with that in the quantum wire or dot showed that the polaronic effect strengthened with decrease of the confinement dimension.

In this paper, we prove some limsup results for increments and lag increments of G(t), which is a stable processe in random scenery. The proofs rely on the tail probability estimation of G(t).

An exploratory spatial data analysis method (ESDA) was designed Apr. 28, 2002 for kriging monthly rainfall. Samples were monthly rainfall observed at 61 weather stations in eastern China over the period 1961-1998. Comparison of five semivariogram models (Spherical, Exponential, Linear, Gaussian and Rational Quadratic) indicated that kriging fulfills the objective of finding better ways to estimate interpolation weights and can provide error information for monthly rainfall interpolation. ESDA yielded the three most common forms of experimental semivariogram for monthly rainfall in the area. All five models were appropriate for monthly rainfall interpolation but under different circumstances. Spherical, Exponential and Linear models perform as smoothing interpolator of the data, whereas Gaussian and Rational Quadratic models serve as an exact interpolator. Spherical, Exponential and Linear models tend to underestimate the values. On the contrary, Gaussian and Rational Quadratic models tend to overestimate the values. Since the suitable model for a specific month usually is not unique and each model does not show any bias toward one or more specific months, an ESDA is recommended for a better interpolation result.

Jujuboside A (JuA) is a main component of Jujubogenin extracted from the seeds of Ziziphus. The authors have not seen any report on JuA\'s direct effect on the neurons of the central nervous system. This study aimed to assess the effect of JuA on paired-pulse responses of dentate gyrus granule cells in urethane-anaesthetized rats, used intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) JuA to mimic in vitro bath conditions in vivo. Paired-pulse stimuli with 80 ms interpulse interval were used to stimulate the perforant pathway. Evoked responses were recorded in the dentate gyrus cell layer after i.c.v. administration of 0.9% normal saline or JuA. In the first responses, the slopes of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP1) and the amplitudes of population spike (PS1) decreased significantly after administration of JuA while the PS1 latencies increased significantly. In the second responses, the EPSP2 slopes and PS2 latencies were changed similarly to those of the first ones, but PS2 amplitudes increased. The results showed that JuA may have some inhibitory effect on the granule cell excitability mediated by presynaptic mechanism but may have little effect on the excitability mediated by postsynaptic mechanism since the second evoked N-methyl-D-aspartic mediating paired-pulse facilitation is a postsynaptic mechanism.

A fiberless seed mutant (fl) was identified in a commercial cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) variety Xu-Zhou 142 (FL). This phenotype is associated with lack of fiber cell initiation in the outer integument of the ovule, as was characterized by analysis of genes related to fiber differentiation and development. Two genes, fl-E6 and FL-E6, were cloned from fl-integument cells and FL-fiber or integument cells, respectively. Compared with FL-E6, fl-E6 showed a dramatic change in nucleotide sequence: (1) FL-E6 contained a tandem repetitive sequence in which GGCTCA (Gly-Ser) is repeated five times between the 82nd and the 93rd codon from the first ATG codon, while in fl-E6 the same sequence is repeated four times; (2) The fl-E6 gene encodes a polypeptide of 241 amino acids but lacks two codons between the 90th and 93rd codon and three between the 171st and 174th relative to FL-E6; (3) There are also 12 nucleotide substitutions which would result in 7 amino acid differences between fl-E6 and FL-E6. Analysis of RT-PCR and Northern Blot showed that expression of the fl-E6 gene is suppressed in the fl-integument cells, but highly expressed in FL-fiber cells. The difference between fl-E6 and FL-E6 may be associated with lower expression of fl-E6 in the fl-integument cells. Searches of protein databases with the FL-E6 gene sequence showed similarity to the protein backbones of two arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs), one from the filtrate of suspension-cultured cells of Pyrus communis (AGPPc2) and the other from Nicotiana alata (AGPNa2). Although the function of the FL-E6 protein in differentiation and development of cotton fiber cells is not known, the data indicate that the mutation of fl-E6 gene from FL-E6 gene may inhibit the fiber cell initiation from epidermal cells of the outer integument of the ovule.

A genetic linkage map comprised of 131 loci was constructed with an F₂ population derived from an inter-subspecific cross between Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis cv. \'aijiaohuang\' and ssp. rapifera cv. \'qisihai\'. The genetic map included 93 RAPD loci, 36 AFLP loci and 2 morphological loci organized into 10 main linkage groups (LGs) and 2 small groups, covering 1810.9cM with average distance between adjacent markers being approximately 13.8cM. The map is suitable for identification of molecular markers linked to important agronomic traits, QTL analysis, and even for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs of Chinese cabbage and turnip.

Since preparation and solubilization of protein samples are crucial factors in proteome research, the authors established a sequential extraction technique to prepare protein samples from the body wall of the 5th instar larvae of silkworm, Bombyx mori. Two kinds of protein samples were obtained from the body wall using the method. Between the two types of samples only about 15% proteins were identical; the majority were different, indicating that more species of proteins could be obtained with the sequential extraction method; which will be useful for preparation of protein samples for proteome study.

The effects of photoperiod and light intensity on flowering in Mat Rush cv. Gangshan 3 were studied. The results showed that treatments with longer day length stimulated flowering significantly and increased stem flowering percentage (SFP). Plants treated with low light intensity at early stage had substantially reduced florets per cyme, SFP, tillers per plant and stem length. At middle and late stage, low light intensity significantly reduced SFP. The principal climatic factors affecting SFP were as follows: mean temperatures (MT) of the third ten-day period (TDP) in December and of the second TDP in February, actual sunlight hours (SH) of the third TDP in February and precipitation of the third TDP in March. A nonlinear simulation model for SFP was established with experimental results and corresponding climatic data (see Eq.(2)). Simulation by the above equation yielded values the same as those observed from 1992 to 2000, indicating its accuracy in describing the relationship between flowering and light and temperature conditions. The interaction between vernalization and SH is also discussed in this paper.

This paper presents a feasible method for rapid detection of the interphase nuclei of uncultured amniocytes for chromosomes 18 by using our modified primed in situ labeling (PRINS) technique. A total of 262 independent, uncultured amniotic fluid samples were analysed in a blind fashion before the karyotype was available. In addition, 62 samples were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for comparison. In more than 95% of the samples PRINS reactions with primer 18cen were successfully induced. Two samples were properly identified and correctly scored as trisomic 18. PRINS reaction could be performed automatically in less than one hour with a programmable thermocycler. Our studies showed that the PRINS technique is simple, rapid and cost-effective. It is as sensitive and specific as FISH; can enhance the accuracy of standard cytogenetic analysis; and allows identification of chromosomes 18 aneuploidies in uncultured amniocytes in significantly less time.

Objective: To investigate the cytokine response pattern (IL-4/IFN-γ) in infants with RSV infections and bronchiolitis during the acute phase. Methods: Four-color flow cytometry was used to measure intracellular IL-4 and IFN-γ expressions in peripheral blood CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes from RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants. Serum IL-4 and IFN-γ levels were also determined. Results: RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants showed no statistical differences from not-RSV-infected or pneumonia infants and control in the frequency of IL-4 and IFN-γ expressions in CD3+CD8- lymphocytes, showed no obvious Th1/Th2 imbalance, while IFN-γ was expressed much more frequently in CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes. Systematically, RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants showed much lower levels of serum IL-4 and IL-4/IFN-γ ratios and much higher serum IFN-γ levels than control. However, there were no statistical differences in the above three indices between RSV-infected and not-RSV infected infants or between bronchiolitis and pneumonia infants, except that bronchiolitis infants had a higher level of serum IFN-γ than pneumonia infants statistically. Conclusions: There is no type-2 cytokine response predominance in the acute phase of RSV infection and bronchiolitis. IL-4 production is suppressed and IFN-γ production upregulated, the latter being most prominent in bronchiolitis infants.

Objective: To evaluate the interaction between serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer. Methods: The serum levels of sICAM-1 in 205 patients with chronic gastric diseases were detected by ELISA method and the status of H. pylori was determined by histologic examination, RUT, ¹⁴C - UBT, and serology. The sera obtained from 18 healthy volunteers served as controls. Results: The serum levels of sICAM-1 were significantly higher in patients with H. pylori positive than those of H. pylori negative (889.43±32.52 ng/ml vs. 747.07±30.45 ng/ml, P<0.05). The serum levels of sICAM-1 in patients with mild, moderate and severe infection of H. pylori were 841.68±72.36 ng/ml, 905.43±37.59 ng/ml and 1012.54±49.34 ng/ml, respectively (P<0.05). The serum levels of sICAM-1 proved to be significantly correlated with the density of H. pylori colonization in gastric mucosa (r_s=0.316, P<0.001). The serum levels of sICAM-1 in patients with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). Conclusions: These results indicated that H. pylori infection up-regulates the expression of sICAM-1.

Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the value of the adenosine test for noninvasive diagnosis of dual AV nodal physiology (DAVNP) in patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). Methods: 53 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) were given incremental doses of adenosine intravenously during sinus rhythm before electrophysiological study. The adenosine test was repeated on a subset of 18 patients with AVNRT after radiofrequency catheter ablation. Results: Sudden increments of PR interval of more than 60 msec between two consecutive beats were observed in 26 (83.9%) of 31 patients with typical AVNRT and 2 (9.1%) of 22 patients with AVRT and AT (P<0.01). The maximal PR increment between 2 consecutive beats in the AVNRT group(105±45ms) was significantly greater than that in the AVRT and AT group (20±13ms) (P<0.01).In postablation adenosine test, DAVNP was eliminated in all 8 patients who underwent slow pathway abolition that EPS showed the slow pathway disappeared and 4 of 10 patients who underwent slow pathway modification that EPS showed the slow pathway persisted. Six of 10 patients who exhibited persistent duality showed a marked reduction in the number of beats conducted in the slow pathway after adenosine injection (P<0.01). Conclusions: Administration of adenosine during sinus rhythm may be a useful bedside test for diagnosis of DAVNP in high percentage of patients with typical AVNRT and additionally for evaluating the effects of radiofrequency ablation.