Sensitivity to ethanol-induced motor incoordination in 5-HT1B receptor null mutant mice is task-dependent: Implications for behavioral assessment of genetically altered mice.

Neuromuscular impairment by ethanol likely involves complex effects on balance, gait, muscle strength, and other features of motor coordination. The present experiments showed that relative sensitivity to ethanol-induced motor impairment in serotonin 1B (5-HT1B) null mutant and control mice was task dependent. We found that ethanol-treated null mutant mice made fewer missteps on a balance beam than did ethanol-treated wild-type mice, and confirmed a previous finding of their lesser ethanol sensitivity in the grid test. The genotypes did not differ in ethanol sensitivity as measured by the screen test, static dowel, fixed-speed rotarod, accelerating rotarod, grip strength, or loss of righting reflex tests. These experiments suggest that within a behavioral domain, alternative tests of function are not equivalent, so multiple assessment tools should be used to avoid misinterpretation of gene function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fractal basis functions and the CVBEM

The Complex Variable Boundary Element Method or CVBEM has recently been applied to the use of new fractal basis functions for defining a global trial function on the problem domain. In that recent advance, a topic for future research was the need for development of an algorithm to construct a global trial function that converges to the true problem boundary conditions, assumed to be continuous on the boundary. In this paper, such an algorithm for constructing a sequence of fractal basis functions is presented.     

Preparation of aqueous polyaniline dispersions by micellar‐aided polymerization

Polyaniline (PAn) dispersed in water was prepared with sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDS) as a surfactant with varying concentrations of aniline and HCl and molar ratios of SDS/aniline. The PAn dispersion was homogeneous and stable, and its pH value could be adjusted. The conductivity of PAn powder, precipitated from this dispersion, was as high as 20 S/cm. The transmission electron microscopy morphology of PAn assembled in the dispersion was particle‐like, fiber‐like, or coil‐like, depending on the initial concentration of SDS and aniline. The polymerization of aniline was accelerated by SDS, which was confirmed by open‐circuit potential measurement during the polymerization process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1550–1555, 2003     

Adsorption of Dispersants on Zirconia Powder in Tape-Casting Slip Compositions

This paper reports the extension of the more fundamental work of Tormey et al. on the effectiveness of a common dispersant (menhaden fish oil) and a model system (glycerol trioleate) to tape-casting slip formulation. The adsorption isotherms of the two adsorbates on doped zirconia from methyl ethyl ketone—ethanol solutions were measured by thermogravimetric analysis of solutions equilibrated with the powder surface. Viscosity decreased while sintered density increased in tape-cast samples prepared to dispersant concentrations corresponding to points along the adsorption isotherm in a way which follows the isotherm if binder competition for surface sites is considered.     

On replacement models via a fuzzy set theoretic framework

Uncertainty is present in virtually all replacement decisions due to unknown future events, such as revenue streams, maintenance costs, and inflation. Fuzzy sets provide a mathematical framework for explicitly incorporating imprecision into the decision making model, especially when the system involves human subjectivity. This paper illustrates the use of fuzzy sets and possibility theory to explicitly model uncertainty in replacement decisions via fuzzy variables and numbers. In particular, a fuzzy set approach to economic life of an asset calculation as well as a finite-horizon single asset replacement problem with multiple challengers is discussed. Because the use of triangular fuzzy numbers provides a compromise between computational efficiency and realistic modeling of the uncertainty, this discussion emphasizes fuzzy numbers. The algorithms used to determine the optimal replacement policy incorporate fuzzy arithmetic, dynamic programming (DP) with fuzzy rewards, the vertex method, and various ranking methods for fuzzy numbers. A brief history of replacement analysis, current conventional techniques, the basic concepts of fuzzy sets and possibility theory, and the advantages of the fuzzy generalization are also discussed     

Structure,nucleation, growth and morphology of secondary carbides in high chromium and Cr-Ni white cast irons

Heat-treated high chromium and Cr-Ni white cast irons are widely used by the mining and mineral industries for impact and abrasion resistance. With certain heat treatments, Fe-Cr carbides are precipitated within the chromium- and carbon-rich austenitic matrix, thereby destabilizing the austenite which transforms substantially to martensite on subsequent cooling. The crystal structures of these carbides were determined indirectly by referring electron microprobe analyses of the austenitic matrix to the appropriate isothermal solid-state sections of the Fe-Cr-C phase diagram and directly by microprobe analyses of exposed secondary carbides. The nucleation, growth and morphology of these carbides were studied by a combination of selective removal of the austenitic matrix and subsequent scanning electron microscopy of the exposed carbides.     

Programmable shaping of femtosecond optical pulses by use of128-element liquid crystal phase modulator

Programmable shaping of femtosecond pulses by using a 128-element liquid crystal modulator to manipulate the phases of optical frequency components which are spatially dispersed within a grating-and-lens pulse shaping apparatus is described. This apparatus makes possible gray-level control of the spectral phases and allows modification of the pulse shape on a millisecond time scale under electronic control. Refinements in the design of the multielement modulator result in pulse shaping fidelity comparable to that which can be achieved with microlithographically fabricated masks. Several examples of pulse shaping operation, including pulse position modulation, programmable pulse compression, and adjustable cubic phase distortion, are described