The delta 5-3 beta-hydroxy steroid acyl transferase activities in tissues of the male rat and sheep

The present study reports on the results of a follow-up examination of patient material, 5 years after the installation of the fixed supraconstruction. The patient group comprised 11 individuals. Briefly, a split-mouth technique of treatment was used. In the right side of the mandible the traditional 2-step surgical approach for implant installation was used. In the left jaw quadrant a 1-step surgical procedure was used. A clinical and radiographical examination was performed 5 years after the initial connection of the supraconstruction to the implants. At the 5-year follow-up examination all 61 implants examined at the 18-month follow-up were still in service and found to be clinically stable irrespective of the surgical procedure used. Furthermore, the results of the present clinical and radiographical follow-up study demonstrate that the marginal bone level at implants placed anteriorly in the edentulous mandible and supporting fixed supraconstructions is stable between 18 and 60 months irrespective of whether placed according to a 1-step or 2-step surgical procedure.     

The relationship of ambivalent coping to depression symptoms and adjustment.

Objective: To assess the influence of mental distancing and venting emotions on depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Participants: Seventy-six individuals hospitalized with acute burn injuries. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Measures: Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, E. Ward, M. Mendelson, J. Mock, & J. Erbaugh, 1961), COPE (C. S. Carver, M. F. Scheier, & J. K. Weintraub, 1989), and Short Form--36 Health Survey (J. E. Ware, K. K. Snow, M. Kosinski, & B. Gandek, 1993). Results: Ambivalent coping at baseline (i.e., using both mental distancing and venting emotions, relative to using only 1 or neither) led to more symptoms of depression at follow-up, even when baseline symptoms were controlled. Ambivalent coping was related to postburn psychosocial HRQOL, and baseline symptoms of depression only slightly attenuated this relationship. Conclusions: Ambivalent coping appears to result from vacillation between motives. Decreasing inconsistent coping or reducing antithetical motivation may reduce depression and improve adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonlinear Modeling of Flexible Cable Loads on Large Sheaves

Stress analysis of the components of a sheave used to transfer loads between the lift span and counterweight in a movable span bridge is investigated. Stress analysis is a requirement for properly designing such sheaves. Modeling of the mechanism of load transfer from the wire ropes to the sheave is accomplished in three ways: (1) the traditional manner using a uniform pressure distribution; (2) using a varying pressure distribution developed from belt/pulley theory; and (3) using the finite-element method with nonlinear contact elements between the wire rope and the sheave. Internal stresses in the sheave are calculated using uniform distributed pressure and a varying pressure distribution. It is determined that the load distribution on the sheave from the wire ropes is precisely the same for the nonlinear contact analysis and the belt/pulley analysis. The internal stress analysis results show that the traditional, uniformly distributed load representation is less conservative than the more realistic belt/pulley load representation. A methodology is developed that can be utilized to more accurately model the load transfer representation without the complexity of nonlinear analyses.     

Optimizing Arrays of Position-Sensitive TESs

We are developing position-sensitive transition-edge sensors (PoSTs) for future X-ray astronomy missions such as NASAs Constellation-X. The PoST consists of 1 or more transitions-edge sensors (TESs) thermally connected to a large X-ray absorber, which through heat diffusion, gives rise to position dependence. The development of PoSTs is motivated by the desire to achieve the largest focal-plane coverage with the fewest number of readout channels. In this paper, we investigate optimized signal processing algorithms for single channel PoSTs or ‘Hydras’ (consisting of 4-absorbers connected to 1 TES). Using simulated data, we investigate the impact different parameters such as the thermal conductances and the inductance of the bias circuit have on device performance.      

Stress intensity factors for an ARC crack in a rotating disc

Numerical solutions are obtained to the problem of an arc crack in a rotating disc. Two boundary element methods are used, one dependent on the problem symmetry and the other capable of solving rotational problems with quite general boundaries. Good agreement is obtained between the two methods, and the results cast some doubt on the validity of published values.     

A general model for simulating the effect of the intercommunication between various elements of a structure on the extension of a crack

The characteristics of the intercommunication between the various elements of a structure have a major effect on the structure's resistance to failure by the extension of a crack. Two extremes are: (a) where the intercommunication is very strong when the structure is particularly vulnerable to crack extension, and (b) where the elements are almost totally isolated when the structure is highly resistant to crack extension. This paper presents a very simple and general model that quantifies the effect of the intercommunication on a structure's crack extension resistance, and unifies the various types of intercommunication within a single model analysis.     

Creep failure mechanisms in a particulate-filled epoxy resin

The deformation-induced volume damage in a series of creep specimens is examined in this investigation in order to improve the basic understanding of creep failure in particulate-reinforced epoxy resins. The results are correlated with the fracture surface morphology reported elsewhere. Volume damage was found to consist of matrix shear yielding, silica-particle debonding and matrix cracking. Fracture is shown to be initiated by shear yielding and debonding which is followed by sub-critical crack growth, demonstrating the importance of volume damage in fracture. Sub-critical crack growth occurs by debonding or by void coalescence depending on the temperature and loading conditions. The temperature and loading dependence of volume damage and the above crack propagation mechanisms are examined and presented graphically in a damage mechanism map.     

Anisotropic FDFD computed on conformal meshes

An algorithm is presented to compute the scattered field in anisotropic media, using finite differences (FD) applied to grid points on a cylindrical unconstrained triangular mesh, illuminated by obliquely incident plane waves. The material boundaries and electromagnetic characteristics are prescribed in x-y coordinates only, independent of z. The permittivity and permeability are tensors, with non-zero xy and yx elements, and with each element also independent of z. The ability to analyze arbitrarily polarized waves incident from any direction in space gives the proposed method an advantage over previously reported techniques of computing the fields in the presence of anisotropy.<>