Synchronized External Pulsation for Improved Tolerance to Acceleration Stress: Model Studies and Preliminary Experiments

Synchronized external pulsation is proposed as a method to improve tolerance to acceleration stress. This technique uses a modified anti-G suit which is pressurized and depressurized synchronously with the heart cycle. The feasibility of the procedure has been studied using a computer model of the cardiovascular system which includes the effects of Gz stress, and contains simulations of baroreceptor control of heart rate and venous tone. Model predictions indicate that for unprotected subjects, carotid pressure at eye level (ophthalmic artery pressure) decreases to 20 mmHg (beginning of central light loss) at approximately +3.6 Gz. Applying standard anti-G suit pressure to the model increases this level to 5.3 Gz. When synchronized external pulsation of 2 psi is superimposed on the standard anti-G suit pressure, the tolerance to acceleration stress is further augmented by at least 0.9 G above the protection afforded by the standard anti-G suit alone. A set of preliminary experiments on human subjects to test the feasibility of using the technique in the high-G environment has also been carried out. The results under various protection modes compare favorably to the model predictions. Our results suggest that the computer model presented here is a useful tool for studying cardiovascular responses under +GZ stress. It also indicates that using synchronized external pulsation pressure superimposed on the standard anti-G suit pressure may offer extra protection to acceleration stress.     

Kinetics of sensory quality changes in soymilk during thermal processing,by parametric and non‐parametric data analyses

Soymilk was subjected to various heat treatments at 90, 120 and 140 °C for various lengths of time. The colour and flavour of the soymilk samples were evaluated by a sensory panel consisting of eight semi‐trained assessors on (1) a 9‐unit hedonic scale, with analysis based on the assumption that the units are equidistant, and (2) a 15‐point hedonic ‘Smiley’ pictorial scale, the results being analysed non‐parametrically. The proportion (%) of ratings higher than or equal to/higher than the overall median of the samples was used as a rigorous estimate of product quality. These values were used to determine the colour and flavour changes in heated soymilk and their temperature dependence. The Z‐values derived from the parametric and non‐parametric analyses were in close agreement, ranging from 31 to 33 °C and from 30 to 32 °C for colour and flavour respectively. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Detonation Pressure of Donors as a Parameter for Assessing Detonation Transfer Probabilities

The commonly used penalty methods(such as Varicomp or varying the thickness of the out-of-line barriers), for determining the detonation transfer probability for an explosive interface, may become less practical or convenient the more insensitive explosive is the acceptor. The method proposed here suggests replacing the design donor by an explosive(substitute donor) of a lower detonation pressure. Both the acceptor and the mechanical hardware of the test system should be identical to those of the design system. It is assumed that the detonation pressures of both the design donor and the substitute donor are normally distributed. The same assumption holds also for the threshold detonation pressure required for initiating the acceptor. Following these assumptions we present a method to determine a minimum number of tests required to demonstrate a given reliability at a given confidence level. The relative standard deviation for each detonation pressure is assumed to be equal for all donors. We show then that the required number of tests to demonstrate a given reliability(at a given confidence level), practically depends on the ratio of the detonation pressures of the design donor and its test substitute. A similar method can be applied to demonstrate low probability of detonation transfer(high safety), by replacing the design donor by one of a higher detonation pressure.     

A striking observation on the fluorescence of a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) molecule used to probe polymer dynamics in the bulk state

An anomalous effect on the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) phenomenon of 4-(N,N-dimethylamino) benzonitrile (DMABN) dissolved in elastomers such as poly(propylene oxide), poly(ethylene oxide) has been observed. Under irradiation, the normal fluorescence of DMABN in these matrices has been found to increase strongly while the emission arising from the TICT state decreases slightly.     

Dynamics near the filler surface in natural rubber-silica nanocomposites

We study the effect of in situ synthesized 10 nm silica nanoparticles on the glass transition and dynamics of natural rubber networks using differential scanning calorimetry, broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and thermally stimulated depolarization currents. Even in the absence of specific polymer-filler interactions, polymer segments within a few nanometers of the filler particles exhibit relaxation times up to 2-3 orders of magnitude slower and reduced heat capacity increment at the glass transition compared to bulk natural rubber. These effects are only observed when the nanoparticles are uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix.     

Orientational effect of mica in fumed silica reinforced composites

Infrared and birefringence measurements are used to characterize the orientational behavior of fumed silica and mica hybrid‐reinforced poly(dimethylsiloxane) composites. Results of equilibrium stress–strain and swelling experiments are also reported and correlated with the orientational data. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 215–222, 2001     

Famos—A new semiconductor charge storage device

A new non-volatile charge storage device is described. The floating gate avalanche injection MOS (FAMOS) structure is a p-channel silicon gate field effect transistor in which no electric contact is made to the silicon gate. It combines the floating gate concept with avalanche injection of electrons from the surface depletion region of a p-n junction to yield reproducible charging characteristics with long term storage retention.     

Sabbatical leave: Who gains and how much?

A rigorous quasi-experiment tested the ameliorative effects of a sabbatical leave, a special case of respite from routine work. We hypothesized that (a) respite increases resource level and well-being and (b) individual differences and respite features moderate respite effects. A sample of 129 faculty members on sabbatical and 129 matched controls completed measures of resource gain, resource loss, and well-being before, during, and after the sabbatical. Among the sabbatees, resource loss declined and resource gain and well-being rose during the sabbatical. The comparison group showed no change. Moderation analysis revealed that those who reported higher respite self-efficacy and greater control, were more detached, had a more positive sabbatical experience, and spent their sabbatical outside their home country enjoyed more enhanced well-being than others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

OPM/Web – Object-Process Methodology for Developing Web Applications

Web applications can be classified as hybrids between hypermedia and information systems. They have a relatively simple distributed architecture from the user viewpoint, but a complex dynamic architecture from the designer viewpoint. They need to respond to operation by an unlimited number of heterogeneously skilled users, address security and privacy concerns, access heterogeneous, up-to-date information sources, and exhibit dynamic behaviors that involve such processes as code transferring. Common system development methods can model some of these aspects, but none of them is sufficient to specify the large spectrum of Web application concepts and requirements. This paper introduces OPM/Web, an extension to the Object-Process Methodology (OPM) that satisfies the functional, structural and behavioral Web-based information system requirements. The main extensions of OPM/Web are adding properties of links to express requirements, such as those related to encryption; extending the zooming and unfolding facilities to increase modularity; cleanly separating declarations and instances of code to model code transferring; and adding global data integrity and control constraints to express dependence or temporal relations among (physically) separate modules. We present a case study that helps evaluate OPM/Web and compare it to an extension of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for the Web application domain.