A Thermo-Mechanical Study of Some Epoxy Adhesives Subjected to Combined Dynamic and Static Stresses

The object of the present study was to investigate the effect of superimposed dynamic and static stresses on mechanical and thermal properties of some epoxy adhesives. It was found that combinations of shear creep and torsional oscillations, applied simultaneously to adhesive joints at temperatures within the glassy range of the adhesive, led to strengthening of the joints in shear and to an increase in the glass transition temperature of the adhesive. Similar loading stresses applied at temperatures close to the T_g of the adhesive, led to opposite effects on the above mentioned properties of the joints. The width of the glassy-rubbery transition of the adhesives increased, in the whole range of temperatures used in this study and for all epoxy compositions, as a result of subjecting the joints to superimposed dynamic and static stresses. The broadening of the glass transition was interpreted as a result of the stiffening of polymer network during the combined stressing experiments. A linear relationship was found between the area of endothermal peaks in the first DSC scan of specimens subjected prior to test to superimposed dynamic and static stresses at temperatures below T_g, and the shear strength of the joints. In agreement with this observation and with literature data, a linear relationship was revealed also between the glass transition temperature of the resins (measured in the first DSC scan) and the shear strength of the joints. Based on experimental observations and on some literature information, it was suggested that the strengthening of the joint, as well as the changes in thermal properties of the adhesives, are mainly due to physical processes, such as short-range orientation of network chains and an increase in intermolecular interaction between highly polar sites of the network. The possibility that superimposed stressing led to changes in chemical crosslinking was discussed but it seems that no such reactions occurred.     

四氢萘催化裂化研究进展

加氢处理油中含有一定量的环烷基单环芳烃,研究四氢萘催化裂化有利于加强对更多环数环烷基单环芳烃催化裂化的认识。综述了四氢萘催化裂化过程的反应机理,认为四氢萘主要遵循单分子裂化机理;从反应活化能、扩散、吸附等动力学角度对四氢萘裂解行为进行了解释;催化剂适宜的孔径和BrØnsted酸强度有利于四氢萘开环;随着反应温度升高、剂/油质量比增大、质量空速减小,四氢萘反应活性增强,同时氢转移反应愈发明显。适宜的催化剂孔径和Brnsted酸强度、反应温度、剂/油质量比以及质量空速有利于四氢萘裂化生成低碳烯烃。     

Optimally Adaptive Integration of Univariate Lipschitz Functions

We consider the problem of approximately integrating a Lipschitz function f (with a known Lipschitz constant) over an interval. The goal is to achieve an additive error of at most ε using as few samples of f as possible. We use the adaptive framework: on all problem instances an adaptive algorithm should perform almost as well as the best possible algorithm tuned for the particular problem instance. We distinguish between and , the performances of the best possible deterministic and randomized algorithms, respectively. We give a deterministic algorithm that uses samples and show that an asymptotically better algorithm is impossible. However, any deterministic algorithm requires samples on some problem instance. By combining a deterministic adaptive algorithm and Monte Carlo sampling with variance reduction, we give an algorithm that uses at most samples. We also show that any algorithm requires samples in expectation on some problem instance (f,ε), which proves that our algorithm is optimal.     

Multisensory VR interaction for protein-docking in the CoRSAIRe project

Proteins take on their function in the cell by interacting with other proteins or biomolecular complexes. To study this process, computational methods, collectively named protein docking, are used to predict the position and orientation of a protein ligand when it is bound to a protein receptor or enzyme, taking into account chemical or physical criteria. This process is intensively studied to discover new biological functions for proteins and to better understand how these macromolecules take on these functions at the molecular scale. Pharmaceutical research also employs docking techniques for a variety of purposes, most notably in the virtual screening of large databases of available chemicals to select likely molecular candidates for drug design. The basic hypothesis of our work is that Virtual Reality (VR) and multimodal interaction can increase efficiency in reaching and analysing docking solutions, in addition to fully a computational docking approach. To this end, we conducted an ergonomic analysis of the protein–protein current docking task as it is carried out today. Using these results, we designed an immersive and multimodal application where VR devices, such as the three-dimensional mouse and haptic devices, are used to interactively manipulate two proteins to explore possible docking solutions. During this exploration, visual, audio, and haptic feedbacks are combined to render and evaluate chemical or physical properties of the current docking configuration.     

基于EZW的水下作战环境应用产品压缩研究

如何有效利用海军数据链系统传输战术水声环境产品是海军作战环境保障的关键问题之一.然而,战术水声环境数据具有较强的时空变化性,其数据量相对来说较为庞大,且在实际作战环境中,传输信道存在着各种干扰,特别是在海洋战场环境中,通信传输条件较差,传输时间紧迫,致使图像信息的传输容易受到外部因素的非正常干扰甚至中断,从而影响用户端对图像信息的接收.因此.寻求一种不依赖于通信时间和其它外部情况限制町随时结束编码实现数据压缩与渐进传输的编码方法是作战环境信息处理的一项必不可少的工作.运用目前较为先进的嵌入式小波零树编码算法对战术水声环境数据进行压缩,取得了较好的压缩效果,并在此基础上实现了图像的渐进传输,能够较好的适应复杂海洋战场的需求.     

Bithalamic hyperintensity on T2-weighted MR: vascular causes and evaluation with MR angiography

PURPOSE: To determine whether MR angiography can be used to differentiate between the two vascular causes of bithalamic hyperintensity on T2-weighted MR images: "top of the basilar" artery occlusion and deep cerebral vein thrombosis. METHODS: A retrospective review identified six patients with bithalamic T2 hyperintensity of vascular causes. MR angiography was performed in four patients, MR angiography and conventional angiography in one patient, and conventional angiography in one patient. Data pertaining to clinical presentation and hospital course were collected. MR angiographic techniques were multislab overlapping three-dimensional time-of-flight, 2-D time-of-flight, and 2-D phase-contrast. RESULTS: Three cases of top of the basilar artery occlusion and three cases of deep cerebral vein thrombosis were recognized. In all cases, T2 hyperintensity in a vascular distribution suggested cerebral occlusive disease. Infarction involving the thalami and basal ganglia was present in two cases of deep cerebral vein thrombosis. Infarction of the thalami, mesodiencephalic region, and cerebellar hemispheres was present in two cases of basilar artery occlusion. Bithalamic infarction alone was seen in one case of deep cerebral vein thrombosis and one case of basilar artery occlusion. In the five cases in which MR angiography was used, this technique accurately distinguished the vessels involved (arterial or venous). CONCLUSION: MR angiography is a useful adjunct to MR imaging in the evaluation of bithalamic T2 hyperintensity. It does help distinguish between the two vascular causes: top of basilar artery occlusion and deep cerebral vein thrombosis.     

Striate cortex extracts higher-order spatial correlations from visual textures

Spatial correlations define the statistical structure of any visual image. Two-point correlations inform the visual system about the spatial frequency content of an image. Higher-order correlations can capture salient features such as object contours. We studied "isodipole" texture discrimination in V1 to determine if higher-order spatial correlations can be extracted by early stages of cortical processing. We made epicortical, local field potential, and single-cell recordings of responses elicited by isodipole texture interchange in anesthetized monkeys. Our studies demonstrate that single neurons in V1 can signal the presence of higher-order spatial correlations in visual textures. This places a computational mechanism, which may be essential for form vision at the earliest stage of cortical processing.     

Medical specialists prefer to withdraw familiar technologies when discontinuing life support

OBJECTIVE: To assess how members of different specialties vary in their decisions about which form of life support to withdraw. The hypothesis was that each specialty would be more comfortable withdrawing its "own" form of life support relative to other forms and other specialties. DESIGN: Mail survey. SETTING: 24 medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: 225 specialists in six specialties and 225 comparison physicians randomly matched according to percentage of time devoted to clinical practice. MEASUREMENTS: The six specialties were linked with six life-sustaining technologies related to their special expertise: 1) pulmonologists with mechanical ventilation, 2) nephrologists with hemodialysis, 3) gastroenterologists with tube feedings, 4) hematologists with blood products, 5) cardiologists with intravenous vasopressors, and 6) infectious disease specialists with antibiotics. The subjects ranked different forms of life support in the order in which they would prefer to withdraw them. They also expressed their preferences in response to hypothetical clinical vignettes. RESULTS: In five of the six specialties, the specialists had a relative preference for withdrawing their "own" form of life support, compared with the preferences of the comparison physicians. Overall, the physicians tended to prefer withdrawing a form of life support closely linked with their own specialty. CONCLUSIONS: Just as some specialist physicians tend to reach for different technologies first in treating patients, they also tend to reach for different technologies first when ceasing treatment. Specialists' preferences for different ways to withdraw life support not only may reflect a special understanding of the limits of certain technologies, but also may reveal how ingrained are physicians' patterns of practice.     

Effect of contrast concentration on abdominal enhancement in the rabbit: spiral computed tomography evaluation

BACKGROUND: Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an uncommon, poorly understood granulomatous disease, characterized by the idiopathic proliferation of Langerhan's cells or their marrow precursors. In 1985, the Philadelphia Work-shop adopted the term "Langerhans' cell histiocytosis" (LCH) to differentiate it from reactive and neoplastic causes of histiocytosis. METHODS: This study includes 73 pediatric patients diagnosed with this condition in Dublin, Ireland, and Nottingham, England, during a 34-year period (1959 to 1993). These patients are reviewed with respect to clinical presentation, difficulty with making a histological diagnosis, their management, and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients (67%) had head and neck involvement. Bony involvement was the most frequent sign, most frequently located in the skull. There were 11 deaths (15%) in this series, all associated with multisystem disease, and nine of these deaths were in children younger than 2 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: The role of otolaryngologists is important in the early and accurate evaluation, staging, and diagnosis of LCH. It may mimic more common diseases, such as otitis externa, acute mastoiditis, skin rash, gingivitis, or cervical lymphadenopathy. Patients with multisystem disease may be so ill at presentation that the head and neck lesions may be overlooked. The current management of LCH has become increasingly conservative, and in the 1990s, fewer cases are given chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The prognosis is very good for single-system disease and poor for multisystem disseminated disease with early onset.