Characterization of type I 5 alpha-reductase activity in DU145 human prostatic adenocarcinoma cells

Each amino acid is represented by a vector of numerical measurements for the attributes of volume, area, hydrophilicity, polarity, hydrogen bonding, shape, and charge. Inter-residue distances are then calculated according to common metrics, and we introduce a new clustering objective function derived from information-theoretic considerations. The arguments of the function are the inter-object distances of the things to be clustered: in this case the amino acids. By means of approximating the solution of an integer programming problem, then, the residues are partitioned into clusters. The clusters obtained are compared with groups obtained in substitution/mutation studies and found to be similar. Thus, probably the strongest and most objective evidence to date is supplied for believing that physico-chemical properties account for the viability of substitutions and that the important similarities/differences are explained by a relatively small and simple set of properties.     

Multivariate statistical analysis of a high rate biofilm process treating kraft mill bleach plant effluent.

This study reports on a multivariate analysis of the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) wastewater treatment system at a Canadian pulp mill. The modelling approach involved a data overview by principal component analysis (PCA) followed by partial least squares (PLS) modelling with the objective of explaining and predicting changes in the BOD output of the reactor. Over two years of data with 87 process measurements were used to build the models. Variables were collected from the MBBR control scheme as well as upstream in the bleach plant and in digestion. To account for process dynamics, a variable lagging approach was used for variables with significant temporal correlations. It was found that wood type pulped at the mill was a significant variable governing reactor performance. Other important variables included flow parameters, faults in the temperature or pH control of the reactor, and some potential indirect indicators of biomass activity (residual nitrogen and pH out). The most predictive model was found to have an RMSEP value of 606 kgBOD/d, representing a 14.5% average error. This was a good fit, given the measurement error of the BOD test. Overall, the statistical approach was effective in describing and predicting MBBR treatment performance.     

Transport processes in the oxidation of Ni studied using tracers in growing NiO scales

Experimental techniques have been developed for determining Ni⁶³ and O¹⁸ tracer distributions in NiO scales ranging in thickness from 0.1 to 100 . These have been used to investigate Ni and O transport in scales on {100} Ni crystals and polycrystalline Ni in the temperature range 500–1300° C. NiO grown on {100} Ni crystals at 1000°C was uniform and compact and grew by the bulk diffusion of Ni in NiO by a vacancy mechanism. At temperatures below 800°C the principal transport mechanism was short-circuit diffusion of Ni in NiO. At all temperatures short-circuit diffusion of oxygen contributed to scale growth on polycrystalline Ni and was responsible for growth of the inner layer of duplex scales. The oxygen diffusion paths are believed to be micro-cracks induced by growth stresses.     

Uniqueness in remote sensing of the inherent optical properties of ocean water

We examine the problem of uniqueness in the relationship between the remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) and the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of ocean water. The results point to the fact that diffuse reflectance of plane irradiance from ocean water is inherently ambiguous. Furthermore, in the 400 < lambda < 750 nm region of the spectrum, Rrs(lambda) also suffers from ambiguity caused by the similarity in wavelength dependence of the coefficients of absorption by particulate matter and of absorption by colored dissolved organic matter. The absorption coefficients have overlapping exponential responses, which lead to the fact that more than one combination of IOPs can produce nearly the same Rrs spectrum. This ambiguity in absorption parameters demands that we identify the regions of the Rrs spectrum where we can isolate the effects that are due only to scattering by particulates and to absorption by pure water. The results indicate that the spectral shape of the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton, a(ph)(lambda), cannot be derived from a multiparameter fit to Rrs(lambda). However, the magnitude and the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient can be estimated from the difference between the measured Rrs(lambda) and the best fit to Rrs(lambda) in terms of IOPs that exclude a(ph)(lambda).     

Characterising the cleaning mechanisms of yeast and the implications for Cleaning In Place (CIP)

Deposition of yeast inside brewery process plant is a serious industrial problem. Investigation of the cleaning of beer fermenter deposits revealed two types of fouling; yeast foam (type A) and yeast film (type B). Rheological characterisation indicated both deposits could be mimicked in lab scale fouling experiments using yeast slurry aged for different times. Water and chemical rinsing of these deposits on a lab scale flow cell revealed three distinct cleaning phases: (i) hydration and swelling, (ii) removal in the flow by dissolution and in patches and (iii) no further removal. At 30 and 50 °C water rinsing at the flow velocities investigated could remove up to 85% of the deposit. At a water rinsing temperature of 70 °C, less deposit could be removed overall. Rheological studies indicated that increasing the temperature of the deposit generated a more elastic deposit which may decrease cleanability. Chemical cleaning using 2 wt% Advantis 210 (a NaOH base cleaning agent) eventually gave a visually clean surface at all flow velocities and temperatures. Chemical cleaning at 70 °C gave the shortest cleaning times for all flow velocities, but comparable cleaning times were observed when rinsing at 30 and 50 °C, suggesting that an increase in temperature from 30 to 50 °C might not decrease the cleaning time.     

Systems thinking applied to safety during manual handling tasks in the transport and storage industry

Injuries resulting from manual handling tasks represent an on-going problem for the transport and storage industry. This article describes an application of a systems theory-based approach, Rasmussen's (1997. Safety Science 27, 183), risk management framework, to the analysis of the factors influencing safety during manual handling activities in a freight handling organisation. Observations of manual handling activities, cognitive decision method interviews with workers (n = 27) and interviews with managers (n = 35) were used to gather information about three manual handling activities. Hierarchical task analysis and thematic analysis were used to identify potential risk factors and performance shaping factors across the levels of Rasmussen's framework. These different data sources were then integrated using Rasmussen's Accimap technique to provide an overall analysis of the factors influencing safety during manual handling activities in this context. The findings demonstrate how a systems theory-based approach can be applied to this domain, and suggest that policy-orientated, rather than worker-orientated, changes are required to prevent future manual handling injuries.