Comparison of SPH simulations of high pressure die casting with the experiments and VOF simulations of Schmid and Klein

SPH simulations of die filling for three geometries previously studied by Schmid and Klein are compared to their experimental and numerical results. The agreement with experiment for both numerical methods is very good, but the SPH solutions tend to capture free surface and void shapes modestly better than the VOF and also predict small scale structure better. These result from the Lagrangian nature of SPH and the superior mass conservation properties of this particle method.     

Analysis of Vezin sampler performance

Vezin samplers are used to take a small fraction of a stream of material which is intended to be representative of all the material. Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) is used to investigate the effects of design, operating and material property factors on the extraction ratio and sample properties and to understand the mechanisms that can lead to sample bias when using a Vezin. This modelling suggests that this type of sampler performs very well giving a very good extraction ratio and negligible sample bias over a wide range of conditions.     

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of elastic tissue components in archival tissue samples

Tissue samples that have been stored for many years, in different media and under a variety of conditions, have been examined by modern techniques of immunoelectron microscopy, using antibodies against elastic tissue components. A range of post-embedding restorative procedures has been identified, which will allow reliable immunolocalization of antibodies against the elastic tissue component of such specimens. These methods have been applied successfully to autopsy-derived material, fixed in buffered formaldehyde, to archival material stored frozen at ?70 or ?20·C, to specimens fixed for electron microscopy and stored for many years in buffer, and even to archival material from formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks, reprocessed for electron microscopic examination. The successful restorative methods included pre-treatment of the sections with 6***M guanidine hydrochloride, or 1M Tris/saline, each containing 100 ***mM dithiothreitol (a reducing agent) followed by alkylation with 220 mM iodoacetamide. The application of these techniques allowed reliable study of elastic tissue antibody distributions in archival tissues that could not be obtained again, as well as comparative studies with tissues processed many years previously.     

Effect of ignition conditions on upward flame spread on a composite material in a corner configuration

This paper focuses on the issue of fire growth on composite materials beyond the region immediately subjected to an ignition source. Suppression of this growth is one of the key issues in realizing the safe usage of composite structural materials. A vinyl ester/glass composite was tested in the form of a 90° corner configuration with an inert ceiling segment 2.44 m above the top of the fire source. The igniter was a square propane burner at the base of the corner, either 23 or 38 cm in width, with power output varied from 30 to 150 kW. Upward flame spread rate and heat release rate were measured mainly for a brominated vinyl ester resin but limited results were also obtained for a non-flame retarded vinyl ester and a similar composite coated with an intumescent paint. Rapid fire growth to the top of the sample was seen in replicate tests for the largest igniter power case; the intumescent coating successfully prevented fire growth for this case.     

Educational uses of tests with disadvantaged students.

Presents a report, written in response to a manifesto by the Black Psychological Association asking for a moratorium on the use of psychological tests with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, which attempts to clarify the nature of psychometric tests, their uses, and their abuses, and propose some alternatives for standardized assessments. Possible causes for Blacks' lower performances on verbal and nonverbal intelligence tests are considered in relation to social attitudes. It is noted that test use makes no causal assumptions about the effects of heredity or environment. Other topics in the report include (a) a comprehensive definition of abilities, particularly general intelligence; (b) some common classes of misuse and misinterpretation; (c) an account of the kinds of statistical information needed to use a test effectively; and (d) a discussion of existing alternatives to ability tests. The need for more diagnostic and mastery tests, tests which measure important qualities other than intelligence, more regression comparisons and normative data, and more adequate studies of moderator variables is examined. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Helix-loop-helix proteins LYL1 and E2a form heterodimeric complexes with distinctive DNA-binding properties in hematolymphoid cells

LYL1 is a basic helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein that was originally discovered because of its translocation into the beta T-cell receptor locus in an acute lymphoblastic leukemia. LYL1 is expressed in many hematolymphoid cells, with the notable exceptions of thymocytes and T cells. Using the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a cDNA library constructed from B cells, we identified the E-box-binding proteins E12 and E47 as potential lymphoid dimerization partners for LYL1. The interaction of LYL1 with E2a proteins was further characterized in vitro and shown to require the HLH motifs of both proteins. Immunoprecipitation analyses showed that in T-ALL and other cell lines, endogenous LYL1 exists in a complex with E2a proteins. A preferred DNA-binding sequence, 5'-AACAGATG(T/g)T-3', for the LYL1-E2a heterodimer was determined by PCR-assisted site selection. Endogenous protein complexes containing both LYL1 and E2a bound this sequence in various LYL1-expressing cell lines and could distinguish between the LYL1 consensus and muE2 sites. These data demonstrate that E2a proteins serve as dimerization partners for the basic HLH protein LYL1 to form complexes with distinctive DNA-binding properties and support the hypothesis that the leukemic properties of the LYL1 and TAL subfamily of HLH proteins could be mediated by recognition of a common set of target genes as heterodimeric complexes with class I HLH proteins.     

A Novel Approach for Resolving Reverse Emulsions in SAGD Production Systems

The standard method for water clarification in SAGD operations involved the injection of latex polymers to break produced reverse emulsions. Operationally, this resulted in large quantities of oil in the water downstream of the first oil and water separation vessel. Problems occurred because this generated large amounts of oily solids and emulsion. This slop material represented a significant additional expenditure. Champion developed a novel approach to treat these systems and reduce slop. This program has been very successful in removing oil from the water stream during primary separation, thus reducing costs associated with reprocessing slop oil, and resulting in greater oil recovery.     

Use of consumer ratings for quality improvement in behavioral health insurance plans

BACKGROUND: The Consumer Assessment of Behavioral Healthcare Services (CABHS) survey collects consumers' reports about their health care plans and treatment. The use of the CABHS to identify opportunities for improvement, with specific attention to how organizations have used the survey information for quality improvement, is described. METHODS: In 1998 and 1999, data were collected from five groups of adult patients in commercial health plans and five groups of adult patients in public assistance health plans with services received through four organizations (one of three managed behavioral health care organizations or a health system). Patients who received behavioral health care services during the previous year were mailed the CABHS survey. Non-respondents were contacted by telephone to complete the survey. RESULTS: Response rates ranged from 49% to 65% for commercial patient groups and from 36% to 51% for public assistance patients. Promptly getting treatment from clinicians and aspects of care most influenced by health plan policies and operations, such as access to treatment and plan administrative services, received the least positive responses, whereas questions about communication received the most positive responses. In addition, questions about access- and plan-related aspects of quality showed the most interplan variability. Three of the organizations in this study focused quality improvement efforts on access to treatment. DISCUSSION: Surveys such as the CABHS can identify aspects of the plan and treatment that are improvement priorities. Use of these data is likely to extend beyond the behavioral health plan to consumers, purchasers, regulators, and policymakers, particularly because the National Committee for Quality Assurance is encouraging behavioral health plans to use a similar survey for accreditation purposes.