Importance of initial aortic properties on the evolving regional anisotropy, stiffness and wall thickness of human abdominal aortic aneurysms

Complementary advances in medical imaging, vascular biology and biomechanics promise to enable computational modelling of abdominal aortic aneurysms to play increasingly important roles in clinical decision processes. Using a finite-element-based growth and remodelling model of evolving aneurysm geometry and material properties, we show that regional variations in material anisotropy, stiffness and wall thickness should be expected to arise naturally and thus should be included in analyses of aneurysmal enlargement or wall stress. In addition, by initiating the model from best-fit material parameters estimated for non-aneurysmal aortas from different subjects, we show that the initial state of the aorta may influence strongly the subsequent rate of enlargement, wall thickness, mechanical behaviour and thus stress in the lesion. We submit, therefore, that clinically reliable modelling of the enlargement and overall rupture-potential of aneurysms may require both a better understanding of the mechanobiological processes that govern the evolution of these lesions and new methods of determining the patient-specific state of the pre-aneurysmal aorta (or correlation to currently unaffected portions thereof) through knowledge of demographics, comorbidities, lifestyle, genetics and future non-invasive or minimally invasive tests.     

Molecular structure and storage hardening of natural rubber: Insight into the reactions between hydroxylamine and phospholipids linked to natural rubber molecule

The effect of hydroxylamine on the molecular structure and storage hardening of natural rubber (NR) was investigated by the treatment of deproteinized NR (DPNR) latex with hydroxylamine. The hydroxylamine treatment decreased the content of long‐chain fatty acid ester groups in DPNR from about 2–0.7 mol per rubber molecule. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution changed apparently after treatment with hydroxylamine. The relative intensity of the ¹H NMR signals corresponding to phospholipids at the α‐terminal group decreased after the hydroxylamine treatment. The Huggins ‘k’ constant of hydroxylamine‐treated DPNR showed the liberation of linear rubber molecules caused by decomposition of branch points derived from phospholipids. The absence of storage hardening in hydroxylamine‐treated DPNR was observed to be caused by not only the reaction of hydroxylamine and aldehyde groups but also the removal of phospholipids as well as the breakdown of phospholipid aggregations as a result of hydroxylamime, contributing to the establishment of a newly proposed mechanism of hydroxylamine on the inhibition of storage hardening in NR. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43753.     

High-current-gain submicrometer InGaAs/InP heterostructure bipolartransistors

Common-emitter current gains of 115 and 170 are achieved in transistors with emitter dimensions as small as 0.3×3 and 0.8×3 μm², respectively. These results are comparable with scaling experiments reported for Si bipolar devices and represent a significant improvement over AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure bipolar transistors. Both the low surface recombination velocity and nonequilibrium carrier transport in the thin (800-Å) InGaAs base enhance the DC performance of these transistors     

Economic growth and energy consumption in the UK, 1700–1975

This paper attempts to trace the development of energy consumption in the UK during the process of industrialization. First a quantitative overview of the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth for the period 1700–1975 is presented. An examination of the factors affecting relations between economic growth and energy consumption is then presented. This is divided into two main periods: pre-1800 and 1800–1975. The discussion of pre-1800 energy consumption is mainly concerned with coal use, while a more detailed account is given of developments in the later period.     

Improving recovery of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium DT104 cells injured by heating at different water activity values

This study describes the evaluation of potentially more sensitive methods for the recovery of Salmonella cells injured by heating (54 to 60 degrees C) at different water activity values (0.65 to 0.90, reduced using equal portions of glucose and fructose). These methods included gradual rehydration, the use of diluting media with added solutes or blood, the addition of blood to plating agar, and the use of different incubation temperatures and times. Gradual rehydration of cells that had been challenged at low water activity (0.65 and 0.70) and high temperature markedly improved recovery, measured as a >50% increase in the time to obtain a 3-log10 reduction in cell numbers, compared to dilution into media with a high water activity. Adding sucrose, glycerol, or blood to the diluting media (maximal recovery diluent) did not improve recovery, but a plating agar containing blood recovered approximately 38% more cells than nutrient agar. Prolonged incubation of agar plates allowed recovery of injured Salmonella cells that presumably had extended lag periods, with significantly higher recovery rates after 48 h incubation at 37 degrees C than after 24 h (P = 0.05). This work highlights that by recovering Salmonella using a method specific to the nature of the injury, a better prediction of food safety and the success of food processing can be made.     

Relating Cost Growth from the Initial Estimate to Design Fee for Transportation Projects

Intuitively, there should be a relationship between the size of the design fee for a transportation project and the quality of the resulting design. This study sought that relationship by looking at the fee expressed as a percentage of the construction cost and the final construction cost growth from the engineer’s initial estimate of the construction cost at the time the design contract was awarded. The research team analyzed 31 projects from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority with a total construction value of $90 million. The projects were divided into road and bridge projects. Based on the results of the analysis, it seems that as the design fee decreases, the absolute percentage of construction cost growth from the engineer’s early estimate increases. The relationship is strongest for bridge projects, which tend to be more technically complex to design than roadway projects. This confirms for U.S. projects the result of an earlier study in Saudi Arabia. This paper concludes that the design fee should be viewed as an investment at a point in time where the ability to impact the project is the highest and can accrue the benefit of reduced cost growth.     

Testing two methods for mapping water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in the Greater Letaba river system,South Africa: discrimination and mapping potential of the polar-orbiting Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat 8 OLI sensors

ABSTRACT

Early detection and mapping of the spatio-temporal distribution of invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in inland hydrological systems are vital for a number of water resource management-related reasons. Field surveys and current climate change projections (associated with longer dry spells, and shortened rain seasons) have shown that climate change and the rapid spread of aquatic invasive species are increasingly affecting inland surface water availability in semi-arid regions of Southern Africa. It is upon this premise that accurate, reliable, and timely information on the spatio-temporal distribution and configuration of water hyacinth is required in tracing their evolution and propagation in affected areas as well as in potential vulnerable areas. This work, therefore, attempts to test two robust push-broom multispectral sensors: Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) in identifying, detecting, and mapping the spatial distribution and configuration of invasive water hyacinth in a river system. The results of the study show that water hyacinth in small reservoirs can be mapped with an overall accuracy of 68.44% and 77.56% using Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 data, respectively. The results further demonstrated the blue, red, red edge (RE) 1, short-wavelength infrared (SWIR)-1, and SWIR-2 of both satellite data sets as the critical and outstanding spectral regions in detecting and mapping water hyacinth from other land-cover types. Overall, the study highlights the unexploited prospects of the new noncommercial multispectral sensors in monitoring invasive species infestation from inland surface waterbodies in semi-arid regions (i.e. smaller reservoirs).