Thin gypsum panels

The present study was undertaken with a view to production of thin gypsum panels minus the outer cardboard as in gypsum wallboard, with strength and flexibility provided through reinforcement. Such a product can be handled by small plants, while the necessary materials are available or produced locally. A preliminary stage deal with incorporation of aggregates and reinforcement. The study proper had as its objectives: (1) Possible improvement in workability of the gypsum matrix through incorporation of polymers. (2) Improved bending strength, through high-strength reinforcement (glass fibre). (3) Examination of the effect of cut fibres, with a view to uniform two-way strength. The analysis of the results indicates that bending strength improved on admixture of a polymer (137%) and of glass fibres (175%). When both were used, the resulting strength showed synergistic effect: 29% over the arithmerical sum of the separate contributions.     

Cerebral organization for language in deaf and hearing subjects: biological constraints and effects of experience

Highly enriched methanotrophic communities (> 25 serial transfers) were obtained from acidic ombrotrophic peat bogs from four boreal forest sites. The enrichment strategy involved using media conditions that were associated with the highest rates of methane uptake by the original peat samples, namely, the use of diluted mineral medium of low buffering capacity, moderate incubation temperature (20 degrees C), and pH values of 3 to 6. Enriched communities contained a mixture of rod-shaped bacteria arranged in aggregates with a minor contribution of Hyphomicrobium-like cells. The growth stoichiometry of isolates was characteristic of methanotrophic bacteria (CH4/O2/CO2 = 1:1.1:0.59), with an average apparent yield of 0.41 +/- 0.03 g of biomass C/g of CH4-C. DNA from each enrichment yielded a PCR product of the expected size with primers for both mmoX and mmoY genes of soluble methane monooxygenase. Two types of sequences were obtained for PCR-amplified fragments of mmoX. One of them exhibited high identity to the mmoX protein of the Methylocystis-Methylosinus group, whereas the other showed an equal level of divergence from both the Methylosinus-Methylocystis group and Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) and formed a distinct branch. The pH optimum for growth and for CH4 uptake was 4.5 to 5.5, which is very similar to that for the optimum CH4 uptake observed in the original peat samples. These methanotrophs are moderate acidophiles rather than acidotolerant organisms, since their growth rate and methane uptake were much lower at neutral pH. The growth of the methanotrophic community was enhanced by using media with a very low salt content (20 to 200 mg/liter), more typical of their natural environment. All four enriched communities grew on N-free medium.     

The Lise Meitner-Minerva Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry: 18 Years of Israeli-German Collaboration

We tell the story of the Lise Meitner-Minerva Center, its establishment and activities, its members and their scientific activity, and its instrumental role in weaving intense relationships with the theoretical community in Germany, and in amalgamating the Israeli community of computational quantum chemistry into a national center that enjoys a high international reputation.     

Magnetic Assembly of a Multifunctional Guidance Conduit for Peripheral Nerve Repair

Nerve growth conduits are designed to support and promote axon regeneration following nerve injuries. Multifunctionalized conduits with combined physical and chemical cues, are a promising avenue aimed at overcoming current therapeutic barriers. However, the efficacious assembly of conduits that promote neuronal growth remains a challenge. Here, a biomimetic regenerative gel is developed, that integrates physical and chemical cues in a biocompatible “one pot reaction” strategy. The collagen gel is enriched with magnetic nanoparticles coated with nerve growth factor (NGF). Then, through a remote magnetic actuation, highly aligned fibrillar gel structure embedded with anisotropically distributed coated nanoparticles, combining multiple regenerating strategies, is obtained. The effects of the multifunctional gels are examined in vitro, and in vivo in a 10-mm rat sciatic nerve injury model. The magneto-based therapeutic conduits demonstrate oriented and directed axonal growth, and improve nerve regeneration in vivo. The study of multifunctional guidance scaffolds that can be implemented efficiently and remotely provides the foundation to a novel therapeutic approach to overcome current medical obstacles for nerve injuries.     

Concurrent Engineering Design Using Interval Methods

Modern design practice has displaced serial approaches in favour of concurrent engineering design (CED), which takes several fields simultaneously into consideration, using interaction and iteration to proceed towards generally acceptable solutions. Concurrent design is very often based upon a mathematical model, which not only defines the properties and capabilities of a product, but also economic and production aspects, such as costs, tooling, machine loading and scheduling, and leads to some 'optimum' solution satisfying all requirements as closely as possible. This scenario does not reflect actual design activity. Each team member usually has a set of approximate requirements, which can be expressed as a range of admissible values of the design parameters. The aim is to resolve these demands, and determine a set of consistent parameter ranges which then define the design space. Iteration on the implied design alternatives leads to a final solution which is both 'optimal' and acceptable. A methodology which is suitable for this purpose is a mathematical model based on interval arithmetic or interval analysis. The intervals for a set of design parameters form a vector which physically defines a multi-dimensional hypercube; the design problem is then studied by a procedures termed hypercube analysis.     

A knowledge based system for the integrated design and manufacture of round broach tools

A complete knowledge based procedure for the design and manufacture of a round hole broach tool is described. The knowledge based design system (KBDS) produces a tool specification from user inputs describing the task to be performed. These design results are then used by the knowledge base to generate a geometric CAD/CAM representation, which can be utilized directly to display a drawing of the tool or to generate a CNC program for producing it. The process of formulating a knowledge-based design system demonstrates: the integration of expertise from experts, handbooks and theory; the awareness of restrictions on the scope of design that can be handled by a given system: the use of failure handling mechanisms to detect design failures and either adjust the emerging design or indicate infeasibility.     

Development and Production of Array Barrier Detectors at SCD

XBn or XBp barrier detectors exhibit diffusion-limited dark currents comparable with mercury cadmium telluride Rule-07 and high quantum efficiencies. In 2011, SemiConductor Devices (SCD) introduced “HOT Pelican D”, a 640 × 512/15-μm pitch InAsSb/AlSbAs XBn mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector with a 4.2-μm cut-off and an operating temperature of ～150 K. Its low power (～3 W), high pixel operability (>99.5%) and long mean time to failure make HOT Pelican D a highly reliable integrated detector-cooler product with a low size, weight and power. More recently, “HOT Hercules” was launched with a 1280 × 1024/15-μm format and similar advantages. A 3-megapixel, 10-μm pitch version (“HOT Blackbird”) is currently completing development. For long-wave infrared applications, SCD’s 640 × 512/15-μm pitch “Pelican-D LW” XBp type II superlattice (T2SL) detector has a ～9.3-μm cut-off wavelength. The detector contains InAs/GaSb and InAs/AlSb T2SLs, and is fabricated into focal plane array (FPA) detectors using standard production processes including hybridization to a digital silicon read-out integrated circuit (ROIC), glue underfill and substrate thinning. The ROIC has been designed so that the complete detector closely follows the interfaces of SCD’s MWIR Pelican-D detector family. The Pelican-D LW FPA has a quantum efficiency of ～50%, and operates at 77 K with a pixel operability of >99% and noise equivalent temperature difference of 13 mK at 30 Hz and F/2.7.     

A Hybrid Algorithm for the Baer-Nunziato Model Using the Riemann Invariants

The paper considers the Baer-Nunziato model for two-phase flow in porous media, with discontinuous porosity. Computing solutions of the Riemann problem rests on capturing the jump in the solution across the porosity jump. A recent study (Lowe in J. Comput. Phys. 204:598–632, 2005) showed that numerical discretizations may fail to correctly capture the jump conditions across the so-called compaction wave, and yield incorrect solutions. We have formulated the Baer-Nunziato system using the Riemann invariants across the porosity jump, and propose a hybrid algorithm that uses the Riemann invariants formulation across the compaction wave, and the conservative formulation away from the compaction wave. The paper motivates and describes the hybrid scheme and present numerical results.