A monotone multigrid solver for two body contact problems in biomechanics

The purpose of the paper is to apply monotone multigrid methods to static and dynamic biomechanical contact problems. In space, a finite element method involving a mortar discretization of the contact conditions is used. In time, a new contact-stabilized Newmark scheme is presented. Numerical experiments for a two body Hertzian contact problem and a biomechanical application are reported. This work was supported by the DFG Research Center Matheon.     

Inhibitoren der Korrosion (8) Über die Abhängigkeit der Korrosionsinhibierung des Eisens in Salzsäure von der Struktur quartärer Phosphoniumsalze

Inhibition of the corrosion of iron in hydrochlorid acid as a function of the structure of quaternary phosphonium salts In the case of quaternary phospho-nium salts there is no direct relation between their inhibiting power in deaer-ated acid media and the polarographi-cally determined reduction potentials. The inhibiting effect can in a first line be attributed to sterical factors con-nected with the fragments formed after incorporation of two electrons and be-coming fixed to the iron surface. Biphosphonium salts having saturated or unsaturated bridges are excellent in-hibitors under the conditions mentioned. Most efficient are biphosphonium salts having chaines of 4 to 10 methylene groups between the phosphonium cen-tres. The rigid p-phenylene radikal is less suitable as a linking principle. Phe-nyl phosphine and diphenyl phosphine in low concentrations accelerate corro-sion and exhibit a protective effect only in higher concentrations. Polymers having incorporated phos-phonium centres are only moderate inhibitors when compared to biphospho-nium salts. The synthesis is outlined and some physical and chemical properties are given.     

Inhibitoren der Korrosion 10 (1). Nachweis der Sekundärinhibition durch Allyl-triphenyl-phosphonium- bzw. arsoniumbromid und N-Allyl-chinaldiniumbromid

Corrosion inhibitors (10) Demonstration of the secondary inhibition by allyl triphenyl phosphonium and arsonium bromides and N-ally1 quinaldinium bromide Triphenyl allyl phosphonium (1) and arsonium (2) salts as well as allyl quinaldinium bromide (4) are corrosion inhibitors of moderate efficiency. In acid media they are reduced by carfinyl iron powder to yield triphenyl phosphine and triphenyl arsine respectively and quinaldine. The two products mentioned the first form a layer on carbonyl iron and, after extraction, may be identified by gas chromatography. The allyl group is eliminated by iron from 1, 2 and 4, yielding Pro-pene, propane and, probably, cyclopropane. The hydrocarbon quantities determined by gas chromatography are in good agreement with the values found in the gravimetric determination of allyl-onium salts after the reaction. Ally triphenyl phosphonium bromide ( I ) and allyl diphenyl sulfonium tetraborate (3) yield propene and propane in a 1:1 ratio. In the case of (2) and (4) this ratio is shifted to 14:l and 7:l respectively. The hydrocarbon proportion in the gas mix-ture is higher at the beginning of the reaction than toward its end; at the beginning, the Propane:propene ratio is also displaced, the formation of propane having priority.     

Does psi exist? Comments on Milton and Wiseman's (1999) meta-analysis of Ganzfield research.

J. Milton and R. Wiseman (1999) attempted to replicate D. Bern and C. Honorton's (1994) meta-analysis, which yielded evidence that the ganzfeld is a suitable method for demonstrating anomalous communication. Using a database of 30 ganzfeld and autoganzfeld studies, Milton and Wiseman's meta-analysis yielded an effect size (ES) of only 0.013 (Stouffer Z?=?0.70, p?=?.24, one-tailed). Thus they failed to replicate Bem and Honorton's finding (ES?=?0.162, Stouffer Z?=?2.52, p?=?5.90?×?10-3, one-tailed). The authors conducted stepwise performance comparisons between all available databases of ganzfeld research. Larger aggregates of such studies were formed, including a database comprising 79 ganzfeld-autoganzfeld studies (ES?=?0.138, Stouffer Z?=?5.66, p?=?7.78?×?10-9). Thus Bern and Honorton's positive conclusion was confirmed. More accurate population parameters for the ganzfeld and autoganzfeld domains were calculated. Significant bidirectional psi effects were also found in all databases. The ganzfeld appears to be a replicable technique for producing psi effects in the laboratory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generation of two equal power correlated Rayleigh fading envelopes

A procedure for generating two equal power Rayleigh-fading envelopes with any desired cross-correlation coefficient is given. Having this ability will aid researchers in simulating correlated fading envelopes, which can be used to study the impact of correlation on the performance of diversity systems     

Virus potentiation of tumor vaccine T-cell stimulatory capacity requires cell surface binding but not infection

This study elucidates a basically new mechanism of function of a virus-modified tumor cell vaccine which has been successful in mouse tumor models (metastatic ESb lymphoma and B16-F10 melanoma) in preventing or delaying metastatic spread and improving survival and which is being tested in clinical studies. Modification of tumor cells by a low dose of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which caused this therapy effect, led to an augmentation of the tumor-specific cytotoxic CD8 T-cell (CTL) response and to increased CD4 T-helper activity in the absence of an antiviral T-cell response. When various noninfectious NDV preparations, which, according to newly established quantitative tests, had lost one or several of the viral functions, were tested, noninfectious virus particles with inactive fusion proteins and virus inactivated by UV light, which could fuse but could not replicate, were as active as infectious NDV in the tumor-specific CTL response. In contrast, NDV inactivated by heat treatment (NDV-HI) had no effect on the CTL response. NDV-HI, even when added to the cultures in excess, did not modulate the antitumor CTL response, which argues against a nonspecific adjuvant effect. There was no mitogenic effect of NDV. Because NDV-HI was not able to bind to the tumor cell surface and because hemagglutinin-neuraminidase c-DNA transfectants increased antigen-presenting function as virus-modified cells do, we propose that the NDV effect in the CTL response is caused by the introduction of functional viral hemagglutinin-neuraminidase molecules (1000 per virus particle) into the tumor cell surface, thereby facilitating cell-cell interactions through their cell-binding and neuraminidase activity.     

A new formula for speedup and its characterization

We address the task of measuring the relative speed (speedup) of two systems and for solving the same problem. For example, may be a parallel algorithm, parametrized by the number of processors used, whose running time has to be related to a serial standard algorithm . If and/or are randomized or if we are interested in their performance on a (discrete) probability distribution of problem instances, the running times are described by random variables and . The speedup of over is usually defined as where denotes the expected value. In many cases this definition is not appropriate for the user of or , because the summation in and hides information about the speedup of individual runs. We propose an alternative speedup definition of the form and present a set of intuitive functional equations, which any such function should fulfill. Finally, we prove that the weighted geometric mean is the only solution of these equations. Received: 1 July 1994 / 10 May 1996     

Inhibitory action of mibefradil on calcium signaling and aldosterone synthesis in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells

Mibefradil is a new cardiovascular drug with peculiar Ca++ antagonistic properties. The most remarkable feature of mibefradil is its unique relative selectivity for T type calcium channels, a property that has been proposed to explain in part the beneficial pharmacological and clinical profiles of this drug. In adrenal glomerulosa cells, aldosterone biosynthesis and secretion in response to angiotensin II or extracellular potassium is dependent on a sustained influx of Ca++ through T type Ca++ channels. The effect of mibefradil on the steroidogenic function of glomerulosa cells was therefore investigated. Using the patch clamp technique, we found that mibefradil inhibits selectively and in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 3 microM)++ T type currents in bovine glomerulosa cells. In addition to this tonic (voltage independent) inhibition, the drug also induced a shift of the steady-state inactivation curve of these channels toward hyperpolarized voltages, contributing to its efficacy to prevent Ca++ influx into the cell through T type channels. Concomitantly, mibefradil reduced the cytosolic calcium responses to potassium and angiotensin II (as assessed with fluorescent probes), without affecting the capacitative Ca++ influx, and inhibited pregnenolone and aldosterone formation. This inhibition of steroidogenesis was not exclusively due to mibefradil action on voltage-operated Ca++ channels, because this agent also partially reduced steroid synthesis induced by adrenocorticotropic hormone or forskolin, two activators of the cyclic AMP pathway. In conclusion, mibefradil is highly effective in adrenal glomerulosa cells in reducing T type channel activity and aldosterone biosynthesis, two actions that should contribute to the beneficial effect of the drug in the treatment of hypertension.     

R′w oder DnT,w? Überlegungen zur Kennzeichnung des Schallschutzes und Konsequenzen für eine Neufassung von DIN 4109

R′_w or D_nT,w? Considerations regarding sound protection notation and consequences for the revision of DIN 4109. Since its publication in 1989, DIN 4109 “Sound insulation in buildings” has be come a tried and tested tool for designing sound protection measures in domestic buildings and offices. Since 1992 European standards have been harmonised. For sound protection this meant the abolition of component tests in the laboratory based on “practical flanking transmission”. The German sound protection concept, which was based on the assumption of transferability between R′_w values measured in the laboratory to the expected sound insulation R′_w of the tested construction element on site, has thus become obsolete. Following the replacement of DIN 52210 by DIN EN ISO 140, laboratory measurements no longer involve the sound protection value R′_w, but only the sound insulation value R_w. This article discusses issues relating to this development.