Base Isolation by a Soft First Story with Inclined Columns

An idea of passive base isolation of buildings is explored, using inclined rubber base isolators or inclined “soft” first-story columns. Such a system behaves as a physical pendulum, “pivoted” above center of mass, and is more stable than the standard system. Another advantage of the inclination is that the inertia forces of the structure due to rotation about the pivot point cancel to some degree the inertia forces due to the base translation. This is expected to result in smaller relative deformations of the building and smaller internal forces. In this paper, the consequences of this concept are illustrated on a simple model (base isolated single-degree-of-freedom oscillator), but also considering the soil flexibility and the wave nature of strong earthquake shaking (these are associated with additional rotations of the system and also affect the system period). A frequency domain solution is presented for small deformations, rigid foundations embedded in a homogeneous elastic half-space, and horizontal in-plane and Rayleigh wave foundation driving motion.     

The fate of Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) in integrated membrane systems: Removal through pre-treatment processes and deposition on reverse osmosis membranes

The abundance of Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) in surface waters has been unnoticed for many years until recently as a potential foulant in reverse osmosis systems. Recent studies indicate that TEP may cause organic and biological fouling and may enhance particulate/colloidal fouling in reverse osmosis membranes. The presence of TEP was measured in the raw water, the pre-treatment processes and reverse osmosis (RO) systems of 6 integrated membrane installations. A spectrophotometric method was used to measure TEP in the particulate size range (>0.40 μm) and was extended to measure TEP in the colloidal size range (0.05–0.40 μm). Ultrafiltration pre-treatment applied in 4 plants, totally removed particulate TEP while microfiltration systems (2 plants) and coagulation/sedimentation/rapid sand filtration systems (3 plants) partially removed this fraction. None of the pre-treatment systems investigated totally removed colloidal TEP. Biopolymer analysis using LC–OCD showed consistency between colloidal TEP and polysaccharide removal by UF pre-treatment and further verified the presence of TEP in the RO feedwater. TEP deposition in the RO system was determined after measuring total TEP concentrations in the RO feed and concentrate. The TEP deposition factors and specific deposition rates indicate that TEP accumulation had occurred in all plants investigated. This observation was verified by an autopsy of RO modules from two RO plants. Further improvement and verification of the (modified) TEP method, in particular the calibration, is necessary so that it can be employed to investigate the role of TEP in the fouling of RO systems.     

Assessing regulatory emotional self-efficacy in three countries.

The Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy (RESE) scale was developed to assess perceived self-efficacy in managing negative (NEG) and in expressing positive (POS) affect (G. V. Caprara & M. Gerbino, 2001). In this study of young adults, the factorial structure of the RESE scale was found to be similar in Italy, the United States, and Bolivia. In addition to a factor for POS, NEG was represented by a second-order factor of 2 different negative affects: despondency-distress (DES) and anger-irritation (ANG). Overall, there was partial invariance at both metric and scalar levels across gender and countries. Discriminant and convergent validity of the RESE scale was further examined in the Italian sample. Stronger patterns of association of POS with prosocial behavior, of ANG with low aggressive behavior problems and irritability, and of DES with low anxiety/depressive problems and shyness and high self-esteem were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voces abriendo caminos (voices foraging paths): A qualitative study of the career development of notable Latinas.

This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the career development of 20 notable Latinas. The emergent theory proposed that Latina career development is influenced by sociopolitical, cultural, contextual, and personal variables. Results suggested that (a) career paths tended to be unplanned and nonlinear; (b) background variables, socioeconornic status, and educational experiences influenced the participants' sense of self and career motivation; (c) family, culture, and cultural identity werr influential; (d) relational support systems, particularly those that involved extended family, spouses, and mentors, were important; and (e) the participants' optimism, persistence, passion, and capacity for cognitive reframing helped them cope with challenges and remain true to their values, beliefs, and sense of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motor sequencing deficits in schizophrenia: A comparison with Parkinson's disease.

Motor abnormalities occur in schizophrenia (SZ) and may arise from striatal dysfunction. This study examined whether the pattern of performance on simple and complex motor abilities in SZ was similar to that of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Quantitative tests of speeded movement and motor and cognitive sequencing were used to assess 25 SZ, 16 PD, and 84 normal controls (NCs). Sequencing performance was also examined with motor rigidity taken into account. Compared with the NC group, the SZ and PD groups were impaired on measures of motor rigidity and motor sequencing. With rigidity accounted for, the SZ group was significantly more impaired than the PD group on motor sequencing; cognitive and motor processes contributed to the motor deficit. Cognitive sequencing performance predicted motor sequencing performance in PD but not SZ. Although both SZ and PD resulted in significant motor and cognitive sequencing deficits, the pattern and correlates of these deficits differ, suggesting that the affected neural systems underlying motor deficits in SZ are different from those involved in PD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of excitatory amino acid, dopamine, and oxytocin receptor antagonists on noncontact penile erections and paraventricular nitric oxide production in male rats.

In male rats, noncontact erections occur concomitantly with an increase in NO?- and NO?- in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). In the present study, both responses were reduced by the blockade of PVN excitatory amino acid receptors by dizocilpine, (+)-MK-801(1 and 5 μg), but not by 6-cyano-7-nitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione (5 μg) or (±)-2-amino-4-phosphono-butanoic acid (5 μg). Also ineffective when injected into the PVN were the dopamine antagonists SCH 23390 (5 μg), S(+)-raclopride (10 μg), and cis-flupenthixol (10 μg), and the oxytocin antagonist d(CH?)?Tyr(Me)2-Orn?-vasotocin (1 μg). However, when the last was given into the lateral ventricles, it reduced noncontact erections without modifying NO?- and NO?- increases. These results suggest that excitatory amino acid transmission increases in the PVN during noncontact erections. This may contribute to increased NO production in the PVN, and it may activate oxytocin neurons mediating this sexual response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An electronically tunable microstrip bandpass filter using thin-film Barium-Strontium-Titanate (BST) varactors

A tunable third-order combline bandpass filter using thin-film barium-strontium-titanate varactors and fabricated on a sapphire substrate is reported. Application of 0-200-V bias varied the center frequency of the filter from 2.44 to 2.88 GHz (16% tuning) while achieving a 1-dB bandwidth of 400 MHz. The insertion loss varied from 5.1 dB at zero bias to 3.3 dB at full bias, while the return loss exceeded 13 dB over the range. The third-order intercept of the filter was found to be 41 dBm.     

Reliable real-time robot operation employing intelligent forward recovery

Modern computer-controlled robots typically fail at their tasks whenever they encounter an error, no matter how minor. The physical environment of a typical assembly robot is too unstructured to benefit from conventional software approaches to reliability. We present an approach which interfaces the real-time operation of the robot with an intelligent subsystem that performs error analysis and forward recovery if a failure occurs. Our approach involves a special representation of the robot's program that efficiently tracks the robot's operation in real time and is easy to modify to include automatically generated recovery procedures.     

Effects of partial closure and friction on a radial crack emanating from a circular hole

A radial crack emanating from a circular hole in an infinite sheet under tension is considered. Depending on the crack length and location, the crack may be partially or completely open or closed. In case of closure, interfacial friction influences the solution.Stress intensity factors for inclined tension or in-plane shear are computed and compared with those obtained when closure and friction are ignored.

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Résumé On considère une fissure radiale provenant d'un trou circulaire dans une tôle mince infinie sous tension. Selon la longueur et la localisation de la fissure, celle-ci peut être partiellement ou totalement ouverte ou fermeée. Dans ce dernier cas, la résolution du champ de contrainte est influencée par la friction entre faces de la fissure.On calcule les facteurs d'intensité de contrainte correspondant à une tension dont l'axe est incliné par rapport à la fissure, ou à un cisaillement dans le plan, et on compare les valeurs obtenues à celles correspondant aux cas où l'on ignore la fermeture de la fissure et la friction entre ses faces.

     

Polyester polyurethane ionomers

The urethane elastomers based on 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), oligo (ethylene adipate) (OEA) with different chain extenders, and dibromohexane or ammonium salt were synthesized. Their mechanical and thermal properties were studied by stress-strain analysis, thermomechanical methods, and differential thermal analysis. It was demonstrated that the incorporation of ionic groups in the structure of urethane elastomers due to the reaction of dibromohexane with a tertiary amine or urea NH group improves their tensile strength and thermal resistance.