Endogenous and copper-induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity of serum in hypercholesterolemic subjects

In order to observe the transport ability of peritoneum to small molecular substances, peritoneal equilibration test (PET) was performed in 52 CAPD patients. By analysing the relationship between peritoneal transport function and dialysis adequacy, we found the average urea KT/V and Cr were significantly lower in high and low transport groups (n = 6 and n = 2) than in high average and low average groups (n = 35 and n = 9). According to the results of PET, we adjusted the dialysis program of 11 patients and the dialysis adequacy was markedly improved. We concluded that PET was helpful for selecting and adjusting CAPD program, and discussed some questions which should be payed more attention in PET operation.     

Sediment Concentration and Its Prediction by Perceptron Kalman Filtering Procedure

Predictions of the discharge and the associated sediment concentration are very useful ingredients in any water resources reservoir design, planning, maintenance, and operation. Although there are many empirical relationships between the discharge and sediment concentration amounts, they need estimation of model parameters. Generally, parameter estimations are achieved through the regression method (RM), which has several restrictive assumptions. Such models are locally valid and their structures and parameter values are questionable from region to others. This paper proposes a new approach for sediment concentration prediction provided that there are measurements of discharge and sediment concentration. The basis of the methodology is a dynamic transitional model between successive time instances based on two variables, namely, discharge and sediment concentration measurements. The transition matrix elements are estimated from the measurements through a special form of the artificial neural networks as perceptrons. The sediment concentration predictions from discharge measurements are achieved through a perceptron Kalman filtering (PKF) technique. In the meantime, this technique also provides temporal predictions. A certain portion of the measurement sequence is employed for the model parameter estimations through training and the remaining part is used for the model verification. Detailed comparisons between RM and PKF approaches are presented and, finally, it is shown that the latter model works dynamically by simulating the observation scatter diagram in the best possible manner with smaller prediction errors. The application of the methodology is performed for the discharge and sediment concentration measurements obtained from the Mississippi River basin at St. Louis, Missouri. It is found that the PKF methodology has smaller average relative, root-mean-square, and absolute errors than RM. Furthermore, graphical representation, such as the scatter and frequency diagrams, indicated that the PKF approach has superiority over the RM.     

Achieving real-time object detection and tracking under extreme conditions

In this survey, we present a brief analysis of single camera object detection and tracking methods. We also give a comparison of their computational complexities. These methods are designed to accurately perform under difficult conditions such as erratic motion, drastic illumination change, and noise contamination.     

High‐pressure processing effects on the mechanical,barrier and mass transfer properties of food packaging flexible structures: a critical review

Food products can be high‐pressure processed (HPP) either in bulk or prepackaged in flexible or semi‐rigid packaging materials. In the latter case the packaging material is subjected, together with the food, to high‐pressure treatment. A number of studies have been performed to quantify the effects of high‐pressure processing on the physical and barrier properties of the packaging material, since the integrity of the package during and after processing is of paramount importance to the safety and quality of the food product. This article reviews the results of published research concerning the effect of HPP on packaging materials. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of Warranties on Highway Projects: A Real Option Perspective

Since the introduction of warranty provisions in federal highway jobs, more and more state departments of transportation (DOTs) have considered the use of such provisions to protect their initial investment. This paper describes the pros and cons of warranty contracting in highway construction based on a survey of warranty practices in the United States. In particular, the need for state DOTs to buy a warranty for a well-built project is questioned. As an alternative, this paper introduces the warranty option, which gives the DOT the right to buy a warranty only if it becomes necessary at the end of construction. This option is exercised if the performance on site warrants it. This paper describes the mechanics of the warranty option and its advantages over the conventional warranty. A bid evaluation model is also developed for the warranty option approach.     

Methacrylic acid–acrylamide-g-poly(ethyleneterephthalate) fibres for urea hydrolysis

This paper presents the results of urease immobilization onto methacrylic acid–acrylamide grafted poly(ethyleneterephthalate) fibres. The graft yield strongly affected the maximum activity of the immobilized enzyme up to a value of 70·2%. Higher grafting caused a decline in urease activity and led to the degradation of the fibres. The minor changes observed in K_m and V_max demonstrated that the conformational changes existed during immobilization were not extensive. However, 70·2% methacrylic acid–acrylamide-g-fibres containing urease were more stable towards acidic and alkaline pH, high temperature and storage conditions compared with free enzyme. Apart from the increase in stability to heat inactivation, the initial enzymatic activity of the urease–fibre system remained almost unchanged even after 40 repeated assays corresponding to 10 h of operation in 4 months, indicating the excellent durability of the system.     

Heat evolution of high-volume fly ash concrete

In this paper, the results of a laboratory investigation conducted with heat evolution of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete are presented. Heat evolution of concrete was studied by measuring the temperature increase in concrete under adiabatic curing condition. Characteristic of heat evolution of fly ash concrete was found to be strongly dependent on the replacement level of fly ash and dosage of superplasticizer used to maintain workability. It was also found that using fly ash as cement replacement resulted in a reduction on the maximum temperature rise. Increasing the replacement level of fly ash caused lower temperature rise in concrete. Superplasticizer caused a delay in peak temperature rise time; this is taken as an indicator that high-dosage superplasticizer used in concrete caused retardation in hydration of cement. Concretes having similar ingredients showed similar peak temperature rise whether they are superplasticized or not.     

Synthesis Routes and Characterization of High-Purity, Single-Phase Gallium Nitride Powders

Synthesis of high-purity, single-phase gallium nitride powder has been achieved in a hot-wall tube furnace via (i) the reaction of gallium with ammonia (NH₃) and (ii) the conversion of gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃). For complete reaction, the optimum temperatures, NH₃ flow rates, and boat positions relative to the NH₃ inlet were 975°C, 400 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm), and 50 cm, respectively, for the gallium-NH₃ reaction, and 1050°C, 500 sccm, and 50 cm, respectively, for the Ga₂O₃ conversion. Polyhedra of various shapes were obtained from both processes; some rod-shaped crystals also were observed in the material derived from Ga₂O₃.