Skeletal muscle extra-aortic counterpulsation in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy

Skeletal muscle extra-aortic counterpulsation was performed in seven dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy. A left latissimus dorsi dynamic descending thoracic aortomyoplasty was used as the autologous counterpulsator. Pulse train stimulation in diastole was used to initiate contraction and fibre type transformation. Two of the dogs died within 48 hours of surgery. The device was successfully activated in the five remaining dogs, but in one individual it failed within 48 hours of activation. Serial echocardiographic examinations of dogs in which the device functioned successfully (n = 4) showed trends towards the decrease in the left ventricular systolic internal dimension, left ventricular diastolic internal dimension, E-point to septal separation and left atrial diameter in systole seven to 14 days following the procedure, although these changes failed to persist in the long-term. The results suggest that skeletal muscle for cardiac assistances such as extra-aortic muscle counterpulsation, might be a therapeutic option for dogs with cardiac failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Modeling Chirp and Phase Inversion in Wavelength Converters based on Symmetrical MZI-SOAs for use in All-Optical Networks

All-optical wavelength conversion based on multi-section semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in a symmetrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SMZI) is modeled for use in optical networks. It incorporates an enhanced SOA model that is implemented using the time domain transfer matrix approach and hence the overall numerical model determines simultaneously the wavelength and gain parameters for the wavelength converter. The overall model accurately predicts the optimal conditions for the SMZI arrangement in order to achieve the best results for the chirp, the phase inversion and the converted probe signal power. It is also demonstrated that large chirp and mismatch of the phase inversion reduces the eye opening ratio (EOR) which can seriously affect the performance of the wavelength converter to be used as a sub-system component in all-optical networks.     

Discriminatory experiments in high-resolution13C NMR of solid polymers

Summary Cross-polarization spectra of solid polymers can be misleading when the material exhibits proton spinlattice relaxation in the rotating frame which cannot be represented by a single exponential. Quantitative and qualitative demonstrations of the problem are given. The use of two experimental procedures for alleviating the difficulties is suggested, and examples for polyalkenes and for polyethylene terephthalate are illustrated.     

Defining a Requirements Process Improvement Model

Both software organisations and the academic community are aware that the requirements phase of software development is in need of further support. We address this problem by creating a specialised Requirements Capability Maturity Model (R-CMM¹). The model focuses on the requirements engineering process as defined within the established Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI’s) software process improvement framework. Our empirical work with software practitioners is a primary motivation for creating this requirements engineering process improvement model. Although all organisations in our study were involved in software process improvement (SPI), they all showed a lack of control over many requirement engineering activities.This paper describes how the requirements engineering (RE) process is decomposed and prioritised in accordance with maturity goals set by the SEI’s Software Capability Maturity Model (SW CMM). Our R-CMM builds on the SEI’s framework by identifying and defining recommended RE sub-processes that meet maturity goals. This new focus will help practitioners to define their RE process with a view to setting realistic goals for improvement.Sarah Beecham is a research fellow in the Department of Maths and Computing in The Open University in the UK. She is currently working on the EPSRC funded CRESTES project () looking into modelling resource estimation for long-lived software. She has recently completed her PhD for a program of work entitled “A Requirements-based Software Process Maturity Model”. Current research interests are in estimation for software evolution and maintenance and in the general areas of software process improvement. Her particular research interests are in empirical methods in software engineering and requirements engineering.Tracy Hall leads the Systems & Software Research Group in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire. She specialises in the empirical investigation of technical and non-technical issues within software engineering. During the past ten years Tracy has successfully collaborated with many companies on a variety of research projects. She is very active in the Empirical Software Engineering community and is regularly invited to talk about empirical methods both in the UK and abroad. Tracy is an accomplished researcher having published over twenty high quality journal papers.Austen Rainer Austen Rainer is a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. He studied for his PhD at Bournemouth University, in conjunction with IBM Hursley Park. His current research interests include open source software development, longitudinal case study research, and the credibility of empirical evidence for researchers and software practitioners.     

Chirp Control of an Electroabsorption Modulator to be used for Regeneration and Wavelength Conversion at 40 Gbit/s in All-Optical Networking

Chirp control to produce low or negative values of chirp at the output of an electroabsorption modulator (EAM) is an important mechanism for reducing the signal degradation due to chromatic dispersion in high-speed transmission over standard single-mode fibre. An analytical model for the chirp performance of an EAM capable of optical regeneration and simultaneous wavelength conversion operating at 40 Gbit/s is derived. A chirp control approach is identified using this model by exploring the tradeoff between the α-parameter describing the chirp factor (based on the nonlinear absorption coefficients) and bias voltage requirements of an EAM. In particular, an optimum range of bias voltage is determined to ensure reduced chirp operation when a two-tone signal (i.e., comprised of bias and modulating voltages) is applied to the EAM. It is also demonstrated for large signal operation at 40 Gbit/s that the optimum range of reverse bias voltage is between 0 and 2 V to obtain low values for the chirp factor (between +1 and −2) in order to facilitate the necessary chirp control in all-optical networking. In addition, it is identified that at 40 Gbit/s higher positive values of the second- and third- order nonlinear coefficients of chirp must be avoided when operating at reverse bias voltages less than 1 V.     

Vicia faba–Lygus rugulipennis Interactions: Induced Plant Volatiles and Sex Pheromone Enhancement

The profiles of volatile chemicals emitted by Vicia faba plants damaged by Lygus rugulipennis feeding, and by feeding plus oviposition, were shown to be quantitatively different from those released by undamaged plants. Samples of volatile chemicals collected from healthy plants, plants damaged by males as a consequence of feeding, plants damaged by females as a consequence of feeding and oviposition, plants damaged by feeding with mated males still present, and plants damaged by feeding and oviposition with gravid females still present, showed significant differences in the emission of hexyl acetate, (Z)-β-ocimene, (E)-β-ocimene, (E)-β-caryophyllene, and methyl salicylate. In particular, treatments with mated females present on plants had a significant increase in emission levels of the above compounds, possibly due to eggs laid within plant tissues or active feeding, compared with undamaged plants and plants damaged by males feeding, with or without insects still present. Furthermore, the pheromonal blend released by mated L. rugulipennis females, mainly comprising hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal, was enhanced when females were active on broad bean plants, whereas such an increase was not observed in males. Both sexes gave electroantennogram responses to green leaf volatiles from undamaged plants and to methyl salicylate and (E)-β-caryophyllene emitted by Lygus-damaged plants, suggesting that these compounds may be involved in colonization of host plants by L. rugulipennis. In addition, mated males and females were responsive to hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal released by mated females on V. faba, indicating that these substances could have a dual function as a possible aggregation pheromone in female–female communication, and as a sex pheromone in female–male communication. An erratum to this article can be found at     

An experimental and computational study of the aerodynamic and passive ventilation characteristics of small livestock trailers

This paper presents a combined experimental and computational study of the aerodynamics and passive ventilation characteristics of small livestock trailers within which the majority of animals in the United Kingdom are transported to market. Data obtained from a series of wind tunnel experiments using a 1/7th scale model of a simplified towing vehicle and trailer are compared with complementary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses, based on steady-state RANS turbulence modelling, of the coupled external/internal flow field. Good agreement between the two is obtained everywhere except at the rear of the trailer. Since the internal flow field and overall ventilation rates contribute to animal welfare, CFD is used to generate detailed internal flow fields and air residence times for use within an overall welfare assessment. The results demonstrate that the flow fields in the upper and lower decks differ significantly and that ventilation rates are much larger and air residence times much smaller on the upper deck.     

Glass fiber reinforced sealants for solid oxide fuel cells

Novel sealants for solid oxide fuel cells are developed by addition of glass fiber into glass-ceramic as a reinforcement material. Various sealants including three different fiberglass types and four different structural designs are fabricated. The mechanical and sealing performances of the sealants are investigated via tensile and short stack leakage tests, respectively. The tensile tests reveal that the fracture strength of the sealants varies depending on the type and number of the glass fiber used. In general, the sealants having relatively high number of glass fiber layers exhibit relatively low joining strength. The best bonding strength values are obtained from the sealants having a structure where a single glass fiber layer is sandwiched between two glass-ceramic layers. The sealing performance tests are performed for the sealants showing the highest and lowest fracture strengths in the tensile tests as well as for the sealant without glass fiber addition as a base case for a comparison. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain a gas-tight sealing at high temperatures under all pressures studied, whereas leakage occurs at room temperature for all cases considered. However, the sealing performance is found to be related with the mechanical strength of the sealants.