Impact of rod projectiles against multiple- sheet targets

Blunt hypervelocity projectile lift-drag ratio and impact velocity effects on target penetration and impact damag

Gene expression in the deep biosphere

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Nature Publishing Group for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Nature 499 (2013): 205-208, doi:10.1038/nature12230.Scientific ocean drilling has revealed a deep biosphere of widespread microbial life in sub-seafloor sediment. Microbial metabolism in the marine subsurface likely plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles1-3 but deep biosphere activities are not well understood1. Here, we describe and analyze the first subseafloor metatranscriptomes from anaerobic Peru Margin sediment up to 159 meters below seafloor (mbsf) represented by over 1 billion cDNA sequence reads. Anaerobic metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids appear to be dominant metabolic processes, and profiles of dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Dsr) transcripts are consistent with porewater sulfate concentration profiles1. Moreover, transcripts involved in cell division increase as a function of microbial cell concentration, indicating that increases in subseafloor microbial abundance are a function of cell division across all three domains of life. These data support calculations1 and models4 of subseafloor microbial metabolism and represent the first holistic picture of deep biosphere activities.This work was fostered by a Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (CDEBI) grant OCE-0939564 to WO and a NSF IOS grant 1238801 to JFB.2013-12-1

Fibronectin and Cyclic Strain Improve Cardiac Progenitor Cell Regenerative Potential In Vitro.

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have rapidly advanced to clinical trials, yet little is known regarding their interaction with the microenvironment. Signaling cues present in the microenvironment change with development and disease. This work aims to assess the influence of two distinct signaling moieties on CPCs: cyclic biaxial strain and extracellular matrix. We evaluate four endpoints for improving CPC therapy: paracrine signaling, proliferation, connexin43 expression, and alignment. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (about 900 pg/mL) was secreted by CPCs cultured on fibronectin and collagen I. The application of mechanical strain increased vascular endothelial growth factor A secretion 2-4-fold for CPCs cultured on poly-L-lysine, laminin, or a naturally derived cardiac extracellular matrix. CPC proliferation was at least 25% higher on fibronectin than that on other matrices, especially for lower strain magnitudes. At 5% strain, connexin43 expression was highest on fibronectin. With increasing strain magnitude, connexin43 expression decreased by as much as 60% in CPCs cultured on collagen I and a naturally derived cardiac extracellular matrix. Cyclic mechanical strain induced the strongest CPC alignment when cultured on fibronectin or collagen I. This study demonstrates that culturing CPCs on fibronectin with 5% strain magnitude is optimal for their vascular endothelial growth factor A secretion, proliferation, connexin43 expression, and alignment

Sepsis in cirrhosis: report on the 7th meeting of the International Ascites Club.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to the presence of infection, mediated via the production of many cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor ¿ (TNF-¿), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1, which cause changes in the circulation and in the coagulation cascade. There is stagnation of blood flow and poor oxygenation, subclinical coagulopathy with elevated D-dimers, and increased production of superoxide from nitric oxide synthase. All of these changes favour endothelial apoptosis and necrosis as well as increased oxidant stress. Reduced levels of activated protein C, which is normally anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic, can lead to further tissue injury. Cirrhotic patients are particularly susceptible to bacterial infections because of increased bacterial translocation, possibly related to liver dysfunction and reduced reticuloendothelial function. Sepsis ensues when there is overactivation of pathways involved in the development of the sepsis syndrome, associated with complications such as renal failure, encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleed, and shock with decreased survival. Thus the treating physician needs to be vigilant in diagnosing and treating bacterial infections in cirrhosis early, in order to prevent the development and downward spiral of the sepsis syndrome. Recent advances in management strategies of infections in cirrhosis have helped to improve the prognosis of these patients. These include the use of prophylactic antibiotics in patients with gastrointestinal bleed to prevent infection and the use of albumin in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis to reduce the incidence of renal impairment. The use of antibiotics has to be judicious, as their indiscriminate use can lead to antibiotic resistance with potentially disastrous consequences

Methods for Rapid Estimation of Motor Input Power in HVAC Assessments

In preliminary building energy assessments, it is often desired to estimate a motor's input power. Motor power estimates in this context should be rapid, safe, and noninvasive. Existing methods for motor input power estimation, such as direct measurement (wattmeter), Current Method, and Slip Method were evaluated. If installed equipment displays input power or average current, then using such readings are preferred. If installed equipment does not display input power or current, the application of wattmeters or current clamps is too time-consuming and invasive for the preliminary energy audit. In that case, if a shaft speed measurement is readily available, then the Slip Method is a satisfactory method for estimating motor input power. An analysis of performance data for 459 motors suggests comparable performance for predicting normalized (to the nominal motor input power) motor input power with the Current and Slip Methods: 10.0% and 9.9% RMSE, respectively. Both of these methods may be improved by applying regression on the predicted variable and/or nameplate parameters. For example, the Slip Method could be improved by applying a second-order regression, thereby reducing the predicted load factor residual RMSE of the data set from 9.0% to 8.2%. The Current and Slip Methods were also evaluated on two real motors. The normalized (to the nominal motor input power) predicted input power RMSE for the Current Method was on average 15% for the two motors; for the Slip Method the corresponding average was 17.5%. In some cases, shaft speed measurements may not be available. A temperature-based approach for estimating motor input power was investigated. Other required parameters include ambient temperature, motor efficiency, and a motor thermal constant. The temperature approach offers quick, safe, and non-invasive motor power estimation. However, thermal coefficients may vary significantly across motors and a model to predict the thermal coefficients has yet to be developed. Furthermore, the temperature approach has a very strong dependence on motor efficiency uncertainty. Experiments were performed on two motors to determine their motor thermal constants. If a motor's thermal constants and running efficiency are known, then this method gave motor input power estimates with a RMSE (normalized to the nominal input power) on the order of 4% for the studied motors

(Un)Structuring for the Next Generation: New Possibilities for Library Data with NoSQL

For many years, libraries have relied upon relational databases (RDBMS) to store, manipulate, and query various types of data, and this database model works extremely well when data are highly structured. As the data become more complex, however, the relational database model strains under the burden of maintaining complex joins, which can decrease a database\u27s performance and limit its functionality. Furthermore, data are not always best represented in the RDBMS\u27s flat, tabular format. Library data often require flexibility and extensibility to accommodate the increasing volume and variety of library resources and metadata. To address these issues, transforming the underlying structure of data will be as important as transforming the data itself. NoSQL offers an alternative model for efficiently managing dynamic data

Superior Episodic Memory Is Associated With Interhemispheric Processing

The dependence of episodic memories on interhemispheric processing was tested. In Experiment 1, positive familial sinistrality (FS+; e.g., the presence of left-handed relatives) was associated with superior episodic memory and inferior implicit memory in comparison with negative familial sinistrality (i.e., FS-). This reflected a greater degree of interhemispheric interaction in FS+ participants, which was hypothesized as facilitating episodic memory. In Experiment 2, the authors directly manipulated inter- versus intrahemispheric processing using tests of episodic (recognition) and semantic (lexical decision) memory in which letter strings were presented twice within trial blocks. Semantic memory was superior when the 2nd presentation went to the same hemisphere as the 1st. Episodic memory, however, was superior when the 2nd presentation of a stimulus went to the opposite hemisphere. Results support an interhemispheric processing basis for episodic memories

Assessment Of An Engineering Technology Outreach Program For 4th-7th Grade Girls

This paper describes a workshop led by female Engineering Technology students, with support from female faculty, to provide an introduction to Engineering Technology to 4th – 7th grade girls through a series of interactive laboratory experiments. This outreach program was developed to improve attitudes towards science and engineering in middle school-aged girls by making science tangible and fun. The workshop takes place on a college campus and makes use of four different Engineering Technology laboratories. Each lab activity includes a hands-on experiment, beginning with an overview of the engineering technology discipline and a brief description of the theories related to the experiment. The day culminates with a panel session between the participants and the college students. An ancillary outcome of the program is that it serves as a community building event for female Engineering Technology college students. Connections are developed between the students and between students and faculty in the college. The college students gain the satisfaction of influencing the attitudes of participants and develop critical communication skills. An attitude survey given to participants before and after the workshop shows that participation in these workshops results in a more positive attitude towards science and technology. College student volunteers were also surveyed after the workshop to determine the impact of their participation. A full workshop description is given in this paper as well as analysis of the assessment results for the participants and the college students.