Proton relaxation times in human red bone marrow by volume selective magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In hematological diseases the composition of red bone marrow shows alterations. The relaxation timesT ₁ andT ₂ of water and lipids in human hemopoietic bone marrow of 14 normal volunteers and 10 patients with acute leukemia and bone marrow carcinosis are determined using a double spin echo spectroscopy sequencein vivo. The volumes of interest (VOI) of (13 mm)³ in the center of vertebral bodies are examined using different measurement parameters. ForT ₁ measurements an inversion-recovery method is used.T ₂ is evaluated from spectra with differentTE. T ₁ (water) is found in a range between 1000 and 1700 ms,T ₁ (lipids) in a range between 260 and 320 ms in healthy volunteers.T ₂ (water) is determined between 32 and 65 ms. In some cases phase distortions of the water signals occur in the spectra. Water flow within the VOI may be a possible reason.T ₂ (lipids) is evaluated between 73 and 91 ms. The patients with acute leukemia exhibit clearly reduced lipid signals in their spectra. Lipid relaxation times could not be determined in these cases.T ₂ (water) is prolonged in acute leukemia to 51–98 ms.T ₁ (water) was not significantly different from values of healthy volunteers in our measurements. Results are discussed in comparison to relaxometric data from imaging and STEAM spectroscopic methods of other authors.     

A graph theory approach to subcontracting, machine duplication and intercell moves in cellular manufacturing

We address in this paper the problem of finding an optimal strategy for dealing with bottleneck machines and bottleneck parts in the cell formation process in group technology. Three types of economic decisions are considered: subcontracting, machine duplication and intercell moves. The problem is formulated as a minimum weighted node covering problem in a hypergraph, and we show that it can be solved in polynomial time by finding a maximum weighted stable set in a bipartite graph. We extend this result to cellular manufacturing systems in which the sequence of operations of each part is known in advance.     

Solution of the planar linear filtration problem in layered soils

Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, No. 6, pp. 119–122, November–December, 1991.     

Analysis of barbiturates in human serum and urine by high-performance capillary electrophoresis-micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with on-column multi-wavelength detection

The analysis of barbiturates in human serum (or plasma) and urine by high-performance capillary electrophoresis-electrokinetic capillary chromatography with on-column fast-scanning multi-wavelength detection is discussed. The use of a buffer of ca. pH 8 and containing sodium dodecyl sulphate provides a medium suitable for fast and high-resolution separations of barbiturates. Seven barbiturates are characterized by their retention and absorption spectra between 195 and 320 nm. Comparison of these computer-stored data with those of unknown samples is shown to allow the identification of barbiturates in samples of patients undergoing pharmacotherapy and in toxicological urine and serum specimens. Three-dimensional electropherograms provide reliable information on the requirement and suitability of sample pretreatment procedures. With urine, extraction of barbiturates prior to analysis is necessary. With human serum several barbiturates, including phenobarbital, are shown to elute in an interference-free window in front of uric acid and the proteins, allowing these substances to be determined by direct sample injection. The need for multi-wavelength detection over a relatively wide wavelength range as a means of peak confirmation in electrokinetic capillary analyses is demonstrated and limitations of this technique for compounds with similar retention behaviour and absorption spectra are discussed.     

The inclusion of electrostatic and dispersion interactions into potentials of mean torque for solutes dissolved in uniaxial liquid crystal solvents

A potential of mean torque is derived for a solute at infinite dilution in a uniaxial liquid crystal solvent, which contains terms originating from the dispersion interaction, and the electrostatic interaction between quadrupole moments on both molecules. It is shown that the electrostatic term is non-zero only if the solute-solvent vectors are distributed with lower than spherical symmetry. If this distribution has cylindrical symmetry then both the electrostatic and dispersion terms in the potential of mean torque are shown to depend on order parameters for the orientational distribution of the solute-solvent vectors, as well as on the order parameters of the solvent molecules.     

Plant processing by simultaneous lactic acid fermentation and enzyme hydrolysis

Traditional ensiling of plant material by anaerobic lactic acid fermentation was combined with enzymatic hydrolysis (ENLAC for short) with cell wall degrading enzymes (hemicellulases, cellulases, and pectinases) to increase fiber digestibility or to increase the recovery of cell content from plants. Such findings were made using 0.015% (w/w, wet basis) Phylacell® enzyme preparation by ENLAC of corn and corn-sorghum mixtures, but not of forage grasses. Addition to alfalfa of a mixture of cell wall degrading enzymes, such as NOVO Viscozyme® together with NOVO Celluclast® each at 0.2–1.0% (w/w, wet basis), resulted in more rapid ensiling and improvement of rumen digestibility of silage by 20%. After 20 d of ensiling at 25 °C when the same enzymes were added to alfalfa at the 1.0% level, protein recovery by pressing increased by 35%, β-carotene recovery by 80%, and chlorophyll/xanthophyll recovery by 30%. ENLAC with the same enzymes also increased the recovery of sclareol from muscatel sage by 400%.

     

Electronic phase separation in a low-temperature tetragonal phase of lanthanum-strontium cuprates according to 139La NQR data

A nonuniform electron density distribution is observed in La_{1−x− y} Nd_ySr_xCuO₄ and La_1−x−y Eu_ySr_xCuO₄, and long-lived magnetic fluctuations in these compounds are studied. The dynamics of the magnetic fluctuations depends strongly on the magnetic properties of the rare-earth ions, which stabilize the low-temperature tetragonal phase. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 5, 344–349 (10 March 1998)