An investigation of the reliability of the Galerkin-Petrov method

It is shown that the Galerkin-Petrov method if applied in a controlled way yields reliable results for excited states of the same symmetry classifications as the ground state. Computations are performed for the 2¹ S and 3¹ S states of He. The problem of optimizing nonlinear parameters of the basis functions by means of the GP method is discussed. A special optimization scheme is suggested and numerically illustrated for someS states of He.     

Evaluation of thermodynamic properties of irreversible protein thermal unfolding measured by DSC

Summary We assessed the applicability of the extrapolation procedure at infinite scanning rate to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data related to irreversible protein unfolding. To this aim, an array of DSC curves have been simulated on the basis of the Lumry-Eyring model N↔U→F. The results obtained confirmed that when the apparent equilibrium constant K_{app (T=T1/2)} is lower than 3, the application of the extrapolation procedure provides accurate thermodynamic parameters. Although this procedure applies only to monomeric proteins for which the Lumry-Eyring model is a reasonable approximation, it will hopefully contribute to increase the potential of DSC in obtaining reliable thermodynamic information regarding the folding/unfolding equilibrium.     

The American (USA) perspective six years after implementation of CLIA'88 (Federal) regulations

 On September 1, 1992 all testing sites in the United States were required to comply with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA'88). These regulations, based on both total quality management (TQM) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles, reshaped the environment for more than 90% of laboratories. CLIA'88 represented a revolutionary change by imposing universal, uniform regulations based on test complexity for all sites examining materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease. CLIA'88 specifies minimum requirements for personnel, quality control, and proficiency testing (PT). In addition, laboratories are required to follow manufacturers' directions and comply with other specified good laboratory practices. PT is mandated for most of the frequently run analyses and quality assurance requirements integrate the principles of CQI as well as TQM into the regulatory process. Biannual inspection is integral to CLIA'88, however, laboratories can choose other federally approved ("deemed") professional organizations, such as the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation, the College of American Pathologists, or the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, having standards that meet or exceed those of CLIA'88. CLIA'88 has still not been finalized. This article discusses the impact and changes since CLIA's implementation in 1992. Received: 5 October 1998 · Accepted: 20 October 1998     

Application of the iterative difference-dedicated configuration interaction method to the determination of excitation energies in some benchmark systems: Be, CH+, BH and CH2

The iterative difference-dedicated CI method (IDDCI) has been applied to determine excitation energies in small systems for which benchmark FCI and other high-level calculations exist. Transitions to excited singlet and triplet states in Be and vertical transitions in CH⁺, BH and CH₂ are reported. The deviations from FCI results are lower than 0.1 eV and compare advantageously with SDCI including size-consistency corrections, (SC)²SDCI, and with coupled cluster calculations including the effect of triples, especially for the states which have a predominant double excitation character. The IDDCI procedure has been speeded up by using smaller subspaces for optimizing the molecular orbitals. Received: 17 January 1997 / Accepted: 31 July 1997     

Glucose utilization by lysine-producing fluoroacetate-sensitive mutants ofCorynebacterium glutamicum

A fluoroacetate-sensitive mutant was isolated fromCorynebacterium glutamicum, ATCC 21513, following mutagenesis with NTG. Batch fermentations show that in terms of growth kinetics, glucose utilization, and lysine formation, there are significant differences between the mutant and the parent. The mutant’s specific growth rate (0.22/h) is lower than that for the parent (0.34/h). Also, the yield expressed as lysine/glucose consumed does not alter as a function of the glucose concentration for the mutant, and is about 0.22, whereas for the parent, this coefficient decreases with increasing glucose concentration. The maximum specific rate of lysine production for the mutant is 1.3 g/L/h that is about two-fold higher than that for the parent.     

Design and Application of a Set of Vitreous Standards for EDS-SEM Microanalysis of Melting Shop Slags

Non-metallic inclusions in steel are formed due to interactions between liquid steel and its environment in the melting shop (refractories and slags). Particles not trapped in the slag remain in the cast steel, impairing steel properties in service. Inclusion composition varies and certified standards covering the whole compositional range are unavailable.The present study describes the preparation of a set of homogeneous, glassy and crystalline standards with a wide compositional range for use in analysing non-metallic steel inclusions. For this, materials were designed based on knowledge of the compositional range of interest in the Al₂O₃–SiO₂–CaO–MgO–CaF₂ system, which is the matrix of the most frequent steel inclusions. The composition and microstructural homogeneity of the reference materials was verified.     

Resolution improvement for enhancing interference fringes of digital holograms with near infrared illuminance

A new resolution improving method of enhancing the interference stripes, which can achieve better reconstruction of the recorded object of infrared digital holography has been proposed in this paper. The experiment is conducted under near infrared illuminance. We create poor quality holograms with very low-resolution interference stripes and enhance it with our new method. The processed holograms have much higher-resolution interference stripes. This method is based on interpolation theory, and we make it works fast, stable and easy to apply. Both the forward and backward interpolation of the oriental and portrait direction of the source pixels have been calculated, and have been used to realize the final aim of resolution improvement. During the experiment, since the responsivity of the CCD is not satisfied with the illuminance laser, which is by design, we also give specific analysis on the experimental setup of our work to make sure the object information can be fully recorded by the optical setup but cannot be reconstructed because of the low-resolution and unobvious of the interference stripes. After the resolution improvement process of the original hologram, the object information can then be fully reconstructed, which is very clear in the paper. Figures and dataflow give evidence and demonstrate the good performance of our method.     

An interview with Sam C. Saunders

Sam C. Saunders, the son of Elizabeth Cundiff and Winston E. Saunders, was born in Richland, OR, on February 24, 1931. The family moved to La Grande, OR, in 1944, where Sam completed high school and two years at Eastern Oregon College. He then received the BSc degree in Mathematics from the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, in 1952, and he attended the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, receiving a PhD degree under Z. W. Birnbaum. After graduating, he accepted employment at the Boeing Company in its Mathematical Services Unit and, in 1972, a position as a Full Professor at Washington State University, Pullman, WA, from which he retired in 1996.     

缆机起重作业驾驶员的操作行为可靠性研究

缆机是大坝浇筑过程中的主要运输设备之一,缆机驾驶员操作水平直接关系缆机起重作业安全.为有效提高缆机起重作业驾驶员操作行为可靠性,预防起重作业安全事故,针对缆机起重作业周期性多维运动的特点,分解驾驶员操作流程;剖析操作行为失误,建立驾驶员行为模式;从时间角度量化操作流程,计算缆机驾驶员操作行为响应失误概率;构建操作行为可靠性分析模型,定量表达操作行为可靠性,分析人因失误对缆机起重作业安全事故的影响.结果表明,吊具与吊罐对接、混凝土卸料等作业过程的缆机驾驶员操作行为可靠性低,需加强安全培训,严格考核制度,从根本上提高缆机驾驶员操作行为的可靠性,以期提升缆机生产效率,实现预防安全事故的目标.