Adhesion of plaster coatings to RC walls subjected to bending

For more than a decade Israeli civilian shelters are constructed as part of the dwelling apartments and houses and therefore their inner coating should comply with the requirements of their peace time usage. Yet, interior plaster coating of a protective wall seems to contradict the requirements of scabbing prevention. An experimental study of the problem under impact conditions was described in a previous paper. This paper focuses on another possible mode of damage, associated with shearing of the plaster layer. This type of failure can be caused especially when the plaster-coated wall is loaded by distributed over-pressure and so the current study, described here, was carried out through static bending tests of plaster-coated specimens with an aim to examine the influence of internal shear stresses associated with the curvature induced by its bending under external overpressure.     

Analysis of Residential Irrigation Distribution Uniformity

Irrigation has become commonplace for residential homeowners desiring high quality landscapes in Florida. The goal of this project was to document irrigation system uniformity in Central Florida and to quantify distribution uniformity of residential sprinkler equipment under controlled conditions. The catch-can testing procedure used was a modified version of both the American Society of Agricultural Engineers standard and Florida Mobile Irrigation Laboratory (MIL) procedures. The modified version included a larger sample size to ensure complete sample collection over the entire irrigated area. The standard MIL procedure may overestimate the uniformity for residential systems. From the tests on residential irrigation systems, the average low quarter distribution uniformity (DUlq) value was calculated as 0.45. Rotary sprinklers resulted in significantly higher DUlq compared to fixed pattern spray heads with 0.49 compared to 0.41, respectively. From uniformity tests performed on rotor and spray heads under ideal conditions, rotor heads had more uniform distributions than the spray heads of 0.55 compared to 0.49, respectively. Spray heads had better uniformity when fixed quarter circle nozzles were used as opposed to adjustable nozzles. Both residential irrigation system and controlled tests resulted in (DUlq) at the low end of industry guidelines. Residential irrigation system uniformity can be improved by minimizing the occurrence of low pressure in the irrigation system and by ensuring proper spacing is used in design and installation.     

Alternate finger tapping test in patients with migraine

Out of 2494 subjects screened in a Nigerian community, 28 patients with dementia were identified. Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed in 18 patients (64.3%), 16 of whom had probable Alzheimer's disease. Eight patients (28.6%) had vascular dementia while one patient each had parkinsonism with dementia and depression with dementia. Patients with Alzheimer's disease were significantly older, predominantly females and illiterates. Cognitive deficit commonly took the form of memory and judgment impairment while financial mismanagement was the most frequent impaired activity of daily living. More than half of the cases had mild disease on severity rating and were comprised mainly of Alzheimer's disease subjects. These results confirm the higher frequency of Alzheimer's disease over the other types as reported in other communities.     

Produktivitätssteigerung durch integrierte Produktionstechnik und Verfahrens-Know-how

Increasing Productivity through Integrated Production Engineering and Processing Expertise The future of production engineering is interdisciplinary. Between product innovation and product marketing there lies a design process which has to be optimised and which is interdisciplinary in character. The design process has to satisfy the demands of global markets on chemical products, which lead, for example, to shorter and shorter product life cycles, and to demands for low production costs, high and consistent product quality, and faster market launches.     

Risks and therapy options in dural arteriovenous fistulas between branches of the external carotid artery and the cavernous sinus. A case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION: Dural arteriovenous fistula of the Arteria carotis externa and the sinus cavernosus are rare vascular malformations. In the literature the prognosis and necessity of treatment is described very variable. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 90 year old female presents in our outpatient clinic with acute exophthalmus, dilated episcleral veins, cerebral bruits and beginning orbital apex syndrome. After normal computerized axial tomography (CAT) without and with contrast medium, we were able to diagnose a dural AV-fistula by angiography. Shortly after dismission the patient had a spontaneous subarachnoidal haemorrhage with severe neurological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The suspect of an intracranial AV-malformation implies a detailed diagnostic search with precise localisation of the process. In any patient with intracerebral and intracranial fistula there has to be an individual check of possible and necessary treatment. It is impossible to classify dural AV-fistula as a benign disease with harmless clinical course.     

From the electromagnetic pulse to high-power electromagnetics

Since the 1960s significant effort has gone into developing requisite technology for the nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP). In the late 1970s several important summary documents were published. The author updates this information to the present. It is noted that EMP has affected a set of related areas which can be collectively referred to as high-power electromagnetics (HPE). This includes direct-strike lightning, high-power microwaves (HPM), and some aspects of transient radar     

Coping self-efficacy buffers psychological and physiological disturbances in HIV-infected men following a natural disaster.

The importance of coping self-efficacy (CSE) appraisals on psychological and physiological functioning for HIV seropositive patients facing a severe environmental stressor was tested comparing 37 HIV-infected gay men and 42 healthy male control participants following Hurricane Andrew. Results suggested that greater levels of CSE were related to lower emotional distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in both groups. In addition, greater CSE was associated with lower norepinephrine to cortisol ratios in the HIV group but not in the healthy control group. Results are discussed in relation to the coping process for HIV-infected individuals specifically and chronically ill populations in general who face severe environmental stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, reactivity, and immune function in healthy men.

Examined the effects of acute psychological stress on lymphocyte proliferation and circulating levels of interleukin-1 and -2. 20 healthy men were exposed to 2 viewings of a gruesome surgery film and were asked to recall details of the film twice during a 20-min period. These Ss were compared to a nonstress control group of 9 Ss. Lymphocyte proliferation to the mitogen concanavalin-A was decreased during and after exposure to the stressor when compared to the control group. This decrease was more pronounced in Ss exhibiting greater blood pressure reactivity while viewing the film than in Ss showing smaller blood pressure responses. None of the other immunological measures was significantly affected by the stressor. Cortisol was not correlated with lymphocyte responsiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Localised visualisation of O2 consumption and H2O2 formation by means of SECM for the characterisation of fuel cell catalyst activity

Catalytic reduction of O₂ at metal catalysts either follows a 2-electron transfer pathway to the formation of H₂O₂ or a 4-electron transfer pathway to the formation of H₂O. The branching ratio of this reaction has a significant impact on the applicability of catalyst materials. The previously introduced oxygen competition mode of SECM, which allows high-resolution imaging of local O₂ consumption, has been extended to a potential-pulse sequence enabling the sequential detection of O₂ reduction followed by the detection of local H₂O₂ formation. Thus, not only the local catalytic activity of a catalyst can be visualised but, additionally, the degree of the branching can be estimated. The selectivity of a catalyst candidate can thereby be visualised sequentially to the elucidation of its activity. First results on the properties of electrodeposited Pt and Au test structures are shown demonstrating the feasibility to clearly distinguish catalyst activity and selectivity under variation of the polarisation potential.