Evaluation of Laminated Circular Elastomeric Bearings

This paper evaluates the behavior and performance of laminated circular elastomeric bearings and compares them to those of square and rectangular bearings. The study included an experimental evaluation and a nationwide survey of state Department of Transportations on the use and performance of circular bearings and bearings in general in their states. The experimental investigation studied the bearings' behavior in compression, compression and rotation, and compression and shear. Results from this limited study showed that the three bearings have similar stress-strain behavior in compression and they are in agreement with the AASHTO LRFD guide stress–strain curves. In compression and rotation, the AASHTO LRFD substructure moments are slightly less than the measured values for circular bearings and rectangular bearings rotated about their strong axis for a compressive stress of 10.3?MPa (1.5?ksi) and slightly higher than those of rectangular bearings rotated about their weak axis. In compression and shear, the shear stiffness of circular and square bearings is in agreement with theoretical values within the range of design displacements. Results from the survey showed that many states are using circular bearings and more states would consider using them, however no maintenance or monitoring data were available on their short-term and long-term performance.     

Instron texture profile of buffalo milk cheddar cheese as influenced by composition and ripening changes

Buffalo milk Cheddar cheese samples of different ages were analysed for compositional attributes (CA), ripening indices (RI) and Instron Textural Profile (ITP). All samples were compositionally alike, except for pH and salt-in-moisture (SM) contents. RI showed significant variations. CA and RI showed highly significant correlations within themselves and with each other, except for moisture with pH, SM with moisture, MNFS, Fat and FDM and Fat with MNFS. The ITPs of cheeses showed significant variations and had highly significant intercorrelations indicating their interdependence. CA (except moisture and MNFS) and RI showed a highly significant correlationship with ITPs. Moisture content showed a highly significant correlationship with all ITPs, except cohesiveness and springiness, where it was significant. MNFS content showed significant correlations only with hardness and brittleness. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that MI was the most predominant factor influencing cheese texture, followed by pH, SM, FDM and TVFA. Knowing Ca and RI, the textural properties of cheeses can be forecast through mathematical equations. Similarly the age of cheese can also be predicted if RI and/or textural properties are known.     

Durability of hygrothermally aged graphite/epoxy woven composite under combined hygrothermal conditions

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of hygrothermal aging on the durability of a graphite/epoxy woven composite material system. The study was part of a larger project in which the objective was to evaluate and model the effects of moisture, temperature, and combined hygrothermal conditions on the strength and life of a graphite/epoxy woven composite material system. The results presented here represent an extension of the work by Patel and Case (Int. J. Fatigue 22 (2000) 809).

The hygrothermal aging consisted of cyclical temperature and moisture variations which were meant to simulate mission conditions for an advanced subsonic aircraft. Durability studies were carried out on the aged material system in the form of fatigue and residual strength testing under humid and elevated temperature environments. Damage mechanisms and failure modes were determined through fatigue testing, residual strength testing, and nondestructive evaluation.

Changes in physical appearance, thermal analysis results, fracture surfaces, and moisture diffusion behavior all supported the idea that the material was affected by the aging process. However, experimental testing also showed that the initial and residual tensile properties of the aged material were virtually unaffected by the imposed environmental aging (as compared to unaged material testing results), except when tested at elevated temperature. At elevated temperature, both the dynamic stiffness and residual strength were noticeably reduced from that at room temperature.     

Health insurance status and the use of emergency and other outpatient services by adults with sickle cell disease

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate insurance status and frequency of use of emergency services in adults with sickle cell disease. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of visits. SETTING: Emergency department and outpatient clinics of an urban university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy-two subjects, who made 771 visits to the ED during 1990. RESULTS: Of the 172 subjects, 31 were covered by commercial insurance, 32 were covered by Medicare, and 109 were covered by Medicaid or were uninsured. Insurance status and frequency of use of emergency services were independent (P > .05). On discriminant analysis, Medicaid-covered and uninsured subjects were correctly classified, but commercially insured and Medicare subjects were not. Medicaid and uninsured subjects were more likely to be younger and to live closer to the hospital (P < .00005). High-frequency users of emergency services were discriminated from low-frequency users. High-frequency users were more likely to be younger, to be users of primary-care services, and to live closer to the hospital (P = .0004). CONCLUSION: Provision of primary-care services or stable insurance in the form of commercial insurance or Medicare did not decrease use of emergency services in subjects with sickle cell disease in a group of patients selected from one urban academic ED.     

Mechanisms of resistance in a human cell line exposed to sequential topoisomerase poisoning

Camptothecins are a new class of anticancer drugs that target DNA topoisomerase I; current efforts are directed toward elucidating optimal combinations of these drugs with other antineoplastic agents. A rationale for the use of sequential therapy involving the combination of camptothecins with topoisomerase II-targeting drugs, such as etoposide, has arisen from observations of increased topoisomerase II protein levels in cell lines resistant to camptothecin. In an effort to understand potential mechanisms of resistance to this strategy, we developed a U-937 cell subline, denoted RERC, that is capable of surviving exposure to sequential topoisomerase poisoning. The RERC cells are 200-fold resistant to camptothecin, 8-fold resistant to etoposide, and 10-fold hypersensitive to cisplatin compared to the parental U-937 cells. Biochemical analyses indicate that the resistant phenotype involves alterations in both topoisomerase I and topoisomerase IIalpha. Topoisomerase I catalytic activity in the resistant cells is similar to that of the parental line but is resistant to camptothecin. Moreover, the resistant cells express a single mRNA species of topoisomerase I that codes for a mutation in codon 533. In addition, topoisomerase IIalpha protein levels are decreased 10-fold in the resistant line, coincident with a two-fold decrease in the expression of topoisomerase IIalpha mRNA. Collectively, these results indicate that resistance to sequential topoisomerase poisoning may involve a reduction in total cellular topoisomerase activity.     

The Michigan benchmark: towards XML query performance diagnostics

We propose a micro-benchmark for XML data management to aid engineers in designing improved XML processing engines. This benchmark is inherently different from application-level benchmarks, which are designed to help users choose between alternative products. We primarily attempt to capture the rich variety of data structures and distributions possible in XML, and to isolate their effects, without imitating any particular application. The benchmark specifies a single data set against which carefully specified queries can be used to evaluate system performance for XML data with various characteristics.     

Effects of GABA compounds injected into the subpallidal regions of rat brain on nucleus accumbens evoked hyperactivity.

The effects of administration of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) compounds into the ventral pallidum and substantia innominata on the locomotor hyperactivity induced by the dopamine agonist 2-amino-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (ADTN) in the nucleus accumbens were investigated in rats. Hyperactivity induced by ADTN was antagonized by the GABA receptor agonists muscimol, isoguvacine, and baclofen. The compounds were equally effective in both subpallidal regions. In contrast, the GABA antagonists picrotoxin and bicuculline injected into subpallidal sites had no effects on accumbens—evoked hyperactivity, although by themselves both antagonists caused a mild and transient locomotor stimulation. It is suggested that GABA receptors in the subpallidal areas are involved in locomotor stimulation elicited from the nucleus accumbens. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of stochastic approaches to the transportation problem:a case study

The objective of this case study is to provide insight to practitioners about the methodology of using the space-time autoregressive integrated moving average (STARIMA) class of models to formulate stochastic demand of the transportation problem. While providing insight, two other methods-expected value (EV) and stochastic approximation (SA)-are also employed to formulate demand. A comparative evaluation of the methods using brewery data for the distribution of four products from five production plants to 64 distribution centers is presented. It is shown that the demand characterized by the STARIMA approach results in a lower total cost of transportation. This occurs because the STARIMA approach results in better forecasts. Based upon the case study, the cost analysis indicated that the STARIMA method when used without (with) updating resulted in a 9.49% (10.5%) increase in the Company's net profit as compared with the SA method. Similarly, the STARIMA approach when used without (with) updating resulted in an 11.36% (12.37%) increase in the net profit as compared with the EV method. For the STARIMA approach, computations for a large size problem are shown to be identical to those of the deterministic transportation problem given the demand forecasts. Extra computation effort for producing STARIMA forecasts are easily justified in terms of the increased profit margin