A linear graphical method to predict the effect of compaction on the hydraulic conductivity of clay liners and covers

It is proposed to present compaction relationships by plotting the inverse of the dry density versus the molding water content. In the proposed graph, the curves for equal degree of saturation become straight lines. The proposed new graph is shown to be very convenient to assess the saturated hydraulic conductivity, k _sat, of non-swelling compacted clay, using a dual porosity model. The value of k _sat depends on the secondary porosity between clay clods. The equation developed for equal k _sat value appears also as a straight line in the proposed graph. It facilitates the prediction of k _sat from field compaction data and thus the prediction of field performance of clay liners and covers.     

Percutaneous in situ pin fixation in superior femoral epiphysiolysis]

OBJECTIVES: This study determined the effect of alginate adhesive on various bond strengths of alginate to stainless steel. METHODS: Three test assemblies were designed and machined in stainless steel for tension, shear and cleavage tests. Alginate adhesive (Fix) was applied thinly and dried for 5 min. Alginate (Blueprint) was then loaded and allowed to set for 5 min before testing. The force at failure was measured by an Instron machine with a cross-head speed of 50 mm min(-1). RESULTS: Breaking stresses of alginate without adhesive were found to be 65 kPa (tension), 31 kPa (shear) and 10 kPa (cleavage). The bond strengths of Blueprint with Fix were 100 kPa (tension), 42 kPa (shear) and 37 kPa (cleavage) giving improvements of 53%, 37% and 270% respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Alginate adhesive increases the bond strength of alginate, particularly cleavage, to stainless steel.     

Generalized Thin-Plate Spline Warps

The Thin-Plate Spline warp has been shown to be a very effective parameterized model of the optic flow field between images of various types of deformable surfaces, such as a paper sheet being bent. Recent work has also used such warps for images of a smooth and rigid surface. Standard Thin-Plate Spline warps are however not rigid, in the sense that they do not comply with the epipolar geometry. They are also intrinsically affine, in the sense of the affine camera model, since they are not able to simply model the effect of perspective projection.     

In situ observation of plaster microstructure evolution during thermal loading

Gypsum microstructural evolution at elevated temperatures has been characterized in situ by environmental scanning electron microscopy and high‐temperature X‐ray tomography. As temperature increases, the observed changes in gypsum crystal morphology are related to the consequences of water loss that leads to crystal reorganization in order to minimize the specific surface. The influence of environmental scanning electron microscopy experimental conditions on the mechanisms observed is also discussed. High‐temperature X‐ray tomography gives quantitative information on porosity evolution with thermal loading. The results obtained are successfully correlated with macroscopic shrinkage measurements performed during dilatometry tests. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Localization in strain-rate-dependent solids

The localization of the deformation in strain-rate-dependent solids evolves through three distinct phases. Its onset is signalled by the first deviation from a homogeneous mode of deformation, which we propose to pinpoint by means of a linear perturbation analysis. The second stage, marked by a sharp increase of the effective strain rate in ‘shear bands’ of decreasing thickness, is analysed with a special finite element scheme that uses embedded shear-band modes of deformation. The third phase is entered with the long-term evolution of the localization and the question that arises here is whether or not stationary shear bands of finite thickness are to be expected as theoretically admissible solutions.     

Metastatic endocrine tumors: is there a place for liver transplantation?

Immunotherapy with cytokines may be an additional option in the treatment of primary uveal melanoma or melanoma metastases. A study of the effect of cytokines on cultured uveal melanoma cells may predict the effect that cytokines may have in vivo. Knowledge about the influence of cytokines on HLA expression may be especially beneficial, as HLA expression is essential for immune recognition. However, little is known about the normal expression of the HLA antigens on uveal melanoma cells in tissue culture. We therefore determined the HLA expression on short-term cultures of uveal melanoma cells and compared the results to the expression on tissue sections of the original tumors. In vivo and in vitro expression of the monomorphic HLA class I determinants and of HLA-A (R = 0.77) correlated well. A slightly lower agreement was observed for expression of HLA-B (R = 0.68). In vitro growth was associated with a decrease in expression of the class II determinant HLA-DR. We conclude that expression of HLA class I on cultured melanoma cells corresponds to the expression on the original tumor, allowing the applicability of cultured cells as predictors of responsiveness to cytokines in vivo.