New approaches to sonomorphometry of the inferior vena cava in children

Objective: to develop a criterion for normality/abnormality of the inferior vena cava diameter in children that is convenient to use in wide clinical practice.Material. In order to achieve the above objective, we performed measurements of the antero-posterior cross-section of the inferior vena cava in children (n = 100) in different age periods.Results. We have determined a criterion allowing of assessing the normality/abnormality of the inferior vena cava diameter in different age periods with sufficiently high accuracy.Conclusion. The work has concluded on the potential of the use of the coefficient reflecting the ratio of height and diameter (range — 0.04–0.1) as a reliable reference point for the assessment of the normality / abnormality of the inferior vena cava diameter in different age periods.

Measurement report: Balloon-borne in-situ profiling of Saharan dust over Cyprus with the UCASS optical particle counter

This paper presents measurements of mineral dust concentration in the diameter range from 0.4 to 14.0 μm with a novel balloon-borne optical particle counter, the Universal Cloud and Aerosol Sounding System (UCASS). The balloon launches were coordinated with ground-based active and passive remote-sensing observations and airborne in-situ measurements with a research aircraft during a Saharan dust outbreak over Cyprus from 20 to 23 April 2017. The aerosol optical depth at 500 nm reached values up to 0.5 during that event over Cyprus and particle number concentrations were as high as 50 cm−3 for the diameter range between 0.8 and 13.9 μm. Comparisons of the total particle number concentration and the particle size distribution from two cases of balloon-borne measurements with aircraft observations show reasonable agreement in magnitude and shape despite slight mismatches in time and space. While column-integrated size distributions from balloon-borne measurements and ground-based remote sensing show similar coarse-mode peak concentrations and diameters, they illustrate the ambiguity related to the missing vertical information in passive sun photometer observations. Extinction coefficient inferred from the balloon-borne measurements agrees with those derived from coinciding Raman lidar observations at height levels with particle number concentrations smaller than 10 cm−3 for the diameter range from 0.8 to 13.9 μm. An overestimation of the extinction coefficient of a factor of two was found for layers with particle number concentrations that exceed 25 cm−3. This is likely the result of a variation in the refractive index, the shape- and size-dependency of the extinction efficiency of dust particles along the UCASS measurements.

Mechanical Behavior and Calculation Method for RC Fifteen-Pile Cap of Mixed Passenger and Freight Railway Bridge

The thickness, reinforcement, and concrete strength grade of railway caps in China are generally determined according to the force, yet the method for calculating the force is unclear. To date, there is no desirable calculation method for analyzing the caps. Based on the fifteen-pile thick cap of mixed passenger and freight railway, the influencing factors on cap bearing capacity were analyzed using finite element method (FEM). The variations of load-bearing capacity and mechanical behavior of thick cap were characterized by introducing rigid angle α. Results indicated that ultimate load-bearing value of the cap increased linearly with the increase of concrete strength grade, and an increasing load-bearing capacity of the reinforcement distributed in the pile diameter range was larger than that of the uniform reinforcement; when the reinforcement ratio was 0.15%, it increased by 9.3%. The cap showed punching failure when α < 45°. The reaction force at each pile top under vertical load was not equal; thereby, the cap was not absolutely rigid. The principal compressive stress trajectories in the concrete were distributed in the range of connecting the pile and the outer edge of the pier, and the effective tensile stresses in the reinforcement were mainly distributed in the diameter range of pile and pile connection, which is in accord with the stress mode of the ordinary spatial truss model. Based on this, a spatial truss model applicable to the design of railway caps is proposed, and a method for calculating reaction force at pile top and formulas for calculating the bearing capacity of strut and tie were presented. The feasibility of the proposed method was also verified by comparison with FEM results.

KARAKTERISTIK FISIOLOGI ISOLAT Pleurotus spp.

<p>ABSTRAK</p><p>Studi in vitro tentang karakteristik fungi isolat Pleurotus spp. telahdilaksanakan di Bogor dari bulan Juli sampai Agustus 2004. Penelitianmenggunakan rancangan faktorial dalam rancangan acak lengkap danbertujuan untuk mempelajari pengaruh media, temperatur inkubasi dan pHmedia terhadap 6 isolat Pleurotus sp. Karakter lain yang juga dipelajariadalah kemampuan untuk mengoksidasi asam tanat dan asam galat dalammedia agar. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Pleurotus isolat sp.6dan sp.8 tumbuh baik pada media MPA, isolat Pleurotus sp.1, 3 dan 4pada media MEA dan isolate sp.2 pada media PDA. Kecuali isolat sp.8,isolat lainnya tidak dapat tumbuh pada temperatur 10 dan 35 o C. Pertum-buhan isolat sp.8 terbaik dibandingkan isolat lainnya pada semuatemperatur. Diameter koloni isolat lainnya hanya mencapai 0,2 – 2,33 cm.Pertumbuhan isolat sp.8 juga terbaik pada semua pH media diikuti isolatsp.6 kemudian isolat sp.4. Semua isolat menunjukkan reaksi oksidasipositif pada agar asam tanat dan asam galat yang ditunjukkan oleh warnacoklat pada media yang melingkari koloni.</p><p>Kata kunci : Pleurotus spp, media, temperature, pH, oksidasi, asam tanat,asam galat</p><p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Physiological Characteristics of Pleurotus spp. IsolatesPhysiological characteristics of some Pleurotus sp. isolates werestudied in vitro, from July until August 2004 in Bogor. Experiments tostudy the effect of kind of media, temperature of incubation room, and pHof medium on six isolates of Pleurotus sp. were arranged in factorialrandomized complete design and replicated three times with colony in apetri dish as experimental units. Another physiological character studiedwas the ability to oxidize tannic and gallic acids in agar medium. Resultsshowed that isolates Pleurotus sp.6 and -8 grew better in MPA medium,Pleurotus sp.1, -3, and -4 in MEA, and Pleurotus sp.2 in PDA. ExceptPleurotus sp.8, other isolates could not grow in incubation roomtemperature of 10 and 35 o C. The growth of Pleurotus sp.8 was the bestamong the isolates in all temperature levels. Other isolates grew poorly in20 and 29o C with diameter range was 0.2 – 2.33 cm. The growth ofPleurotus sp.8 was also the best in all pH medium levels, followed byPleurotus sp.6, and then Pleurotus sp.4. All isolates showed positiveoxidative reaction on tannic and gallic acid agar indicated by brown colorof the medium around the colony.</p><p>Key words: Pleurotus spp., medium, temperature, pH, oxidation, tannicacid, gallic acid</p>

177 Collection of mouse immature oocytes using cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase 3A inhibitor treatment

Administration of cilostazol in mice and swine has resulted in the ovulation of immature oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) or metaphase I (MI) stages. The present study aimed to define oocyte synchronised maturation, yield, health, and ease of collection from mice treated with cilostazol. The conventional method included mice primed with pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and GV oocytes isolated from preovulatory follicles 48h post-PMSG. Recovery of MI oocytes included the invitro maturation of the isolated GV oocytes into the MI stage for 6h or the superovulation of mice with PMSG and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), 48h apart, and the isolation of MI oocytes from preovulatory follicles 6h post-hCG. The cilostazol method included the superovulation of mice, as described above, and oral treatment with 7.5mg of cilostazol once (at the same time as hCG) or twice (at the same time as hCG plus 6h post-hCG) to result in the ovulation of MI or GV oocytes, respectively. The cilostazol method resulted in immature oocytes that are uniform in size. For instance, the cilostazol method resulted in 98.0% (n=110) of GV oocytes with a diameter range of 60-90μm compared with only 49.5% (n=118) of GV oocytes resulting from the conventional method (P&lt;0.0001). Similarly, 95.0% (n=93) of MI oocytes obtained from the cilostazol method were synchronised within the diameter range of 50.1-70μm compared with 60.0% (n=89) of MI oocytes obtained from the conventional method (P&lt;0.0001). Cilostazol also resulted in immature oocytes with synchronised nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. In this regard, the cilostazol method resulted in GV oocytes having higher levels of co-occurrence of peripheral cortical granules and surrounded nucleolus chromatin configuration compared with the conventional method (80.6% (n=124) vs. 36.6% (n=131), respectively; P&lt;0.0001). Similarly, the co-occurrence of normally organised spindles and chromosomes and peripheral cortical granules with free domains was observed more frequently in MI oocytes obtained from the cilostazol method than in those obtained from the conventional method (82.8% (n=151) vs. 65.0% (n=100), respectively; P=0.001). The cilostazol method was more time and labour efficient (0.8±0.2 vs. 3.2±0.2 min; P&lt;0.001) and resulted in higher oocyte yields (22.7±1.8 vs. 7.9±0.7 oocytes; P&lt;0.0001) and normal morphology (94±1.5% vs. 80.1±3.3%; P=0.02) than did the conventional method (P&lt;0.001). Finally, compared with the conventional method, the cilostazol method improved the blastocyst production rate of GV and MI oocytes from 39.6% (n=188) to 65.0% (n=169) and from 44.2% to 75.3%, respectively (P&lt;0.001). The presented method provides not only oocytes with uniform size and synchronised developmental maturation but also a technique of oocyte collection that is efficient and resourceful. It is possible that not all of the immature oocytes resulting from the conventional method are from preovulatory follicles, and they do not necessarily represent the cohort of oocytes that would develop adequately and consequently ovulate as opposed to the presented method.

CLAMPING DEVICES WITH SPLIT SLEEVES. ACCURACY OF BLANKS INSTALLATION AND MACHINING

A special place in the known technological system “MDTP” (machine, device, tool, part) is taken by clamping devices since they are intended for positioning of the blank (part) subject to machining in space to prevent its displacement under the action of cutting forces. The devices significantly influence the accuracy of the clamped blank machining. The ratio of inaccuracies caused by the devices may prevail in the total balance of inaccuracies. This may take place during machining of such types of blanks as rings, bushings and cups, especially those with thin walls. The mentioned blanks have a great number of structural configurations, they vary in installation bases, rigidity, accuracy requirements and batch quantity, etc. All this has led to a great number of devices used to install such blanks as rings, bushings and cups. These devices were selected as objects of study. The review thereof has shown two contradictory tendencies: increase in accuracy of machining of blanks clamped in the devices; expansion o the devices’ processing possibilities, in the first instance expansion of the diameter range of blanks which can be installed in a single device. On the basis of the study performed it was determined that mandrels with split sleeves are most promising since they are highly accurate and have a wide range, but there is some room for improvement of these characteristics. The article describes accuracy of blanks’ installation and machining in mandrels with split sleeves and contains recommendations on rational use of such mandrels.

Pineapple Leaf Fibers (PALF)/ Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Electrospun Nanofibers: Effect of Ratio on Chemical & Morphological Properties

Nanofibers capabilities in produced small materials up to nanoscale dimension, making them the perfect fundamental materials that can help improving the effectiveness of many applications. In this study, the properties of PALF/PET electrospun mats were studied. Different ratio of PALF/PET were electrospin to determine the optimum parameters for fabricating electrospun PALF/PET with minimum defect. The sample obtained were then characterized for its morphology and chemical properties. FTIR studies were done to understand the interaction occurred between PALF and PET with increasing PALF ratio. From the FTIR result, increasing PALF showed similarities spectra with raw PALF peak at 1100cm-1 indicating the influence of PALF in the fibers. This peak did not appear at low PALF content. The obtaining electrospun mats were observed under FESEM to characterize their morphological properties. Increasing in PALF ratio also attributes to the decreasing of size diameter and diameter range. From the result, PALFPET4 shows the smoother morphology with linear properties and smaller average size diameter.