Nonlinear coupling between thermal mass and natural ventilation in buildings

An ideal naturally ventilated building model that allows a theoretical study of the effect of thermal mass associating with the non-linear coupling between the airflow rate and the indoor air temperature is proposed. When the ventilation rate is constant, both the phase shift and fluctuation of the indoor temperature are determined by the time constant of the system and the dimensionless convective heat transfer number. When the ventilation rate is a function of indoor and outdoor air temperature difference, the thermal mass number and the convective heat transfer air change parameter are suggested. The new thermal mass number measures the capacity of heat storage, rather than the amount of thermal mass. The analyses and numerical results show that the non-linearity of the system does neither change the periodic behaviour of the system, nor the behaviour of phase shift of the indoor air temperature when a periodic outdoor air temperature profile is considered. The maximum indoor air temperature phase shift induced by the direct outdoor air supply without control is 6 h.     

Design of short CFRP-reinforced steel tubular columns

This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of externally bonded carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets for strengthening circular steel tubular short columns. In addition to its ease of handling due to its light weight, the high-strength CFRP sheet can provide a degree of restraint to delay buckling of the thin steel wall. Ten short cold-formed steel circular hollow section (CHS) columns, with externally bonded orthogonal (hoop and longitudinal) CFRP sheets, were tested under axial compression. The experimental results indicate that enhancement of the axial section capacity is possible by fibre-reinforcing the steel tube. The design variables investigated to evaluate the strengthening efficiency include the steel yield strength, the modulus of elasticity of the hoop fibre, and the amount and configuration of the fibre reinforcement. Design curves predicting the section capacity of composite steel-CFRP tubular short columns are calculated based on current design guidelines for steel columns. The results highlight the ease of the use of such curves in the FRP strengthening or retrofitting design of tubular columns for section capacity enhancement.     

Regulated endocytosis of G-protein-coupled receptors by a biochemically and functionally distinct subpopulation of clathrin-coated pits

beta-2 Adrenergic receptors (B2ARs) are endocytosed by clathrin-coated pits. This process serves specialized functions in signal transduction and receptor regulation, raising the question of whether B2ARs are associated with biochemically specialized membrane vesicles during their endocytic trafficking. Here we show that B2ARs are endocytosed by a distinct subpopulation of clathrin-coated pits, which represent a limited subset of coated pits present in the plasma membrane, even in cells overexpressing both B2ARs and beta-arrestin. Coated pits mediating agonist-induced endocytosis of B2ARs differ from other coated pits mediating constitutive endocytosis of transferrin receptors in their temperature dependence for fission from the plasma membrane and in the association of their membrane coats with beta-arrestin. Endocytosis of these coated pits generates endocytic vesicles selectively enriched in B2ARs, which fuse within approximately 10 min after their formation with a common population of endosomes containing both B2ARs and transferrin receptors. These observations demonstrate, for the first time, the existence of a functionally and biochemically distinct subpopulation of clathrin-coated pits that mediate the agonist-regulated endocytosis of G-protein-coupled receptors, and they suggest a new model for the formation of compositionally specialized membrane vesicles at the earliest stage of the endocytic pathway.     

A perspective on the nation's antitrust policies: Implications for psychologists.

In response to significant change in the health care market, federal antitrust agencies recently examined their past policies and future directions for antitrust law enforcement in the health care industry. This article reviews how the federal antitrust laws have been used to both aid and restrict the practice of psychology, psychologists' dealings with managed care, and the limits of antitrust law enforcement efforts. Finally, we argue that narrowly crafted antitrust reform would provide practicing psychologists and other health professionals with some degree of countervailing bargaining power in their negotiations with managed care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vascular MADs: two novel MAD-related genes selectively inducible by flow in human vascular endothelium

Vascular endothelium is an important transducer and integrator of both humoral and biomechanical stimuli within the cardiovascular system. Utilizing a differential display approach, we have identified two genes, Smad6 and Smad7, encoding members of the MAD-related family of molecules, selectively induced in cultured human vascular endothelial cells by steady laminar shear stress, a physiologic fluid mechanical stimulus. MAD-related proteins are a recently identified family of intracellular proteins that are thought to be essential components in the signaling pathways of the serine/threonine kinase receptors of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily. Smad6 and Smad7 possess unique structural features (compared with previously described MADs), and they can physically interact with each other, and, in the case of Smad6, with other known human MAD species, in endothelial cells. Transient expression of Smad6 or Smad7 in vascular endothelial cells inhibits the activation of a transfected reporter gene in response to both TGF-beta and fluid mechanical stimulation. Both Smad6 and Smad7 exhibit a selective pattern of expression in human vascular endothelium in vivo as detected by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Thus, Smad6 and Smad7 constitute a novel class of MAD-related proteins, termed vascular MADs, that are induced by fluid mechanical forces and can modulate gene expression in response to both humoral and biomechanical stimulation in vascular endothelium.     

超重力反应结晶法制备纳米硫化锌实验研究

本文以硝酸锌和硫化氢气体为原料，用超重力反应结晶法制备纳米硫化锌粒子。探讨了陈化时间、反应物浓度、反应温度、旋转床转速等工艺参数对产品粒径与转化率的影响规律，确定了最佳工艺条件为：陈化时间48h，反应物浓度0．1mol/L，反应温度45℃，旋转床转速1500-1800r／min。TEM分析表明，所制备的硫化锌干粉平均粒径为42nm，分散性好，颗粒之间没有明显的团聚现象。     

241Am removal by DTPA vs. occurrence of skeletal malignancy

PURPOSE: The distribution of hyaluronan (HA) and the cellular response after photokeratitis induced by different ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths in the rabbit cornea was examined to help understand the mechanism of corneal injury and repair after UV damage. HA is a high molecular weight disaccharide polymer capable of binding considerable amounts of water. It is not normally found in the rabbit corneal stroma. The production of HA represents a generalized corneal response to injury. METHODS: Twenty-four albino rabbit corneas were exposed to 270, 290, and 310 nm of UV radiant energy in 8-nm full wavebands in doses producing biomicroscopically significant keratitis (three corneal thresholds for keratitis (Hc): 0.016 J/cm2 for 270 nm, 0.04 J/cm2 for 290 nm, and 0.14 J/cm2 for 310 nm) and in subkeratitis doses (0.7 Hc: 0.004 J/cm2 for 270 nm, 0.008 J/cm2 for 290 nm, and 0.03 J/cm2 for 310 nm). The rabbits exposed to 270 and 290 nm of UV radiation were sacrificed 3 days after exposure. The rabbits exposed to 310 nm of UV radiation were sacrificed 3, 7, and 14 days after exposure, respectively. The corneal tissue specimens were double stained and examined morphologically and histochemically for HA by light microscopy. RESULTS: Evaluation of corneas exposed to 270 and 290 nm of UV radiant energy in both subkeratitis and keratitis doses and those corneas exposed to 310 nm of radiant energy in subkeratitis dose showed neither stromal changes nor production of HA by corneal cells. Corneas exposed to 310 nm of UV radiant energy in keratitis dose at 3 days after exposure showed disappearance of keratocytes in entire thickness of central cornea. Cells bordering this damaged area were staining for HA. By 7 days after exposure almost the whole damaged area, except one fourth of anterior stroma, was repopulated by new keratocytes staining positive for HA. The corneal structures became normal and HA almost completely disappeared 14 days after exposure. CONCLUSIONS: A keratitis dose of 310 nm of UV light irradiation is needed to cause keratocyte damage. A keratitis dose of the shorter wavelengths does not cause keratocyte cell damage at the light microscopic level. The keratocyte production of HA appears to be a sign of cell readiness to repopulate the damaged stroma devoid of keratocytes.     

Ethnic conflict: Global challenges and psychological perspectives.

Introduces a special section on ethnic conflict in 5 different parts of the world. This section analyzes psychological dimensions of particular conflicts and promotes thinking about the possible contributions psychology can make in the research, practice, and policy domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)