Mechanical properties of neat polymer matrix materials and their unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced composites

The mechanical properties of two neat resin systems for use in carbon fiber epoxy composites were characterized. This included tensile and shear stiffness and strengths, coefficients of thermal and moisture expansion, and fracture toughness. Tests were conducted on specimens in the dry and moisture-saturated states, at temperatures of 23, 82 and 121 C. The neat resins tested were American Cyanamid 1806 and Union Carbide ERX-4901B(MPDA). Results were compared to previously tested neat resins. Four unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced composites were mechanically characterized. Axial and transverse tension and in-plane shear strengths and stiffness were measured, as well as transverse coefficients of thermal and moisture expansion. Tests were conducted on dry specimens only at 23 and 100 C. The materials tested were AS4/3502, AS6/5245-C, T300/BP907, and C6000/1806 unidirectional composites. Scanning electron microscopic examination of fracture surfaces was performed to permit the correlation of observed failure modes with the environmental test conditions

Static tensile and tensile creep testing of five ceramic fibers at elevated temperatures

Static tensile and tensile creep testing of five ceramic fibers at elevated temperature was performed. J.P. Stevens, Co., Astroquartz 9288 glass fiber, Nippon Carbon, Ltd., (Dow Corning) Nicalon NLM-102 silicon carbide fiber, and 3M Company Nextel 312, 380, and 480 alumina/silica/boria fibers were supplied in unsized tows. Single fibers were separated from the tows and tested in static tension and tensile creep. Elevated test temperatures ranged from 400 to 1300 C and varied for each fiber. Room temperature static tension was also performed. Computer software was written to reduce all single fiber test data into engineering constants using ASTM Standard Test Method D3379-75 as a reference. A high temperature furnace was designed and built to perform the single fiber elevated temperature testing up to 1300 C. A computerized single fiber creep apparatus was designed and constructed to perform four fiber creep tests simultaneously at temperatures up to 1300 C. Computer software was written to acquire and reduce all creep data

Collateral damage: anti-communism & U.S. cultural policy

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on July 28, 2014Thesis advisor: Max J. SkidmoreVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 389-406)Thesis (M. A.)--Dept. of Political Science. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2014The United States of America has never formally declared a cultural policy nor established a Cabinet-level department of cultural affairs, as many other nations have in the post-World War II era--depriving the American people a foundation and context for transparent, open deliberation over the nature and priorities of public cultural policy. The values that constitute our de facto policy must be discerned through the aggregate of specialized policymaking and action taken by federal, state, and local governments. Our reluctance to declare formal policy is partly due to the nation's stance in conducting the Cold War--focused around an exaggerated Soviet threat--and its associated domestic anti-communist campaigning. In examining the historic record, "Collateral Damage" tells the story of anti-communism through much of the twentieth century, focusing on its cultural impact. The historical narrative follows from the first mass expression of anti-communist sentiment nationally, in the Red Scare of 1919, through its later expression in the "McCarthy era" of the Fifties, and its legacy since. Various approaches to cultural policy emerge throughout; but I focus especially on the contrasting federal cultural programs of the New Deal and those of domestic cultural agencies established in the 1960's. This story reveals how politicians and policymakers relied upon religious values were for Cold War purposes, rather than crafting secular statements of national cultural values. The study identifies six other significant impacts of anti-communism on U.S. cultural policy since the Sixties: the primacy of the private sector; Euro-centric bias in defining the cultural field; an approach to cultural diversity that marginalizes voices from outside traditional fine-arts contexts; a proscription against engagement with social issues in the arts and humanities; the replacement of democracy with "free enterprise" as the driving spirit in cultural policy; and a U.S. stance in international cultural-policy deliberations that tends to interpret transnational cultural issues in terms of commerce and national security. The study concludes with a suggestion of what a secular statement of national cultural policy might resemble, using First Lady Michelle Obama's address to the Democratic National Convention in 2012 as an exampleAbstract -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Introduction -- Cultural policy: bringing culture in -- The birth of American communism -- The red scare of 1919: "No Compromise!" -- Entr'acte: cultural policy in the roaring twenties -- A New deal in federal cultural policy -- Entr'acte: World War II & the postwar order -- Domestic anti-communism in postwar America -- Globalizing anti-communism -- Domesticating cultural policy -- Conclusion: Healing our collateral damage - Reference lis

Tissue Expansion: Further Attempts to Improve Results in Breast Reconstruction

Tissue expansion, is a simple method of breast reconstruction. Method. A prospective study of 27 patients treated over a 43 month period is described. At the first stage the expander is inserted in the dual plane, and the medial pectoral nerve is divided. The tissue expander is over-expanded. Second stage: a de-epithelialized vertical triangle is used to aid anterior projection, an inframammary fold is created and a silicone gel prosthesis inserted. Z-plasties are added to the transverse scar. The contralateral breast can be treated or left alone. Complications were recorded and the results were assessed by 4 plastic surgeons using a visual analogue scale. Results. 19 patients had expanders inserted at mastectomy (2 bilateral) and 8 underwent delayed reconstruction, with a mean age of 47 years (range 30–65 years). A single prosthesis was inserted in 15 patients (mean size 320 mL) and two prosthesis were stacked in 12 patients (mean volume of 400 mL). The mean delay from full expansion to the second stage was 10 weeks (range 3 weeks–11 months). A contralateral augmentation was performed in 5 patients, pexy in 10, a reduction in 2 and in 8 patients no procedure was performed. One patient required explantation. The mean visual analogue assessment was 7. Conclusion. This technique should be considered enhance the cosmetic results in tissue expansion

Cornea organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

The cornea is the transparent outermost surface of the eye, consisting of a stratified epithelium, a collagenous stroma and an innermost single-cell layered endothelium and providing 2/3 of the refractive power of the eye. Multiple diseases of the cornea arise from genetic defects where the ultimate phenotype can be influenced by cross talk between the cell types and the extracellular matrix. Cell culture modeling of diseases can benefit from cornea organoids that include multiple corneal cell types and extracellular matrices. Here we present human iPS cell-derived organoids through sequential rounds of differentiation programs. These organoids share features of the developing cornea, harboring three distinct cell types with expression of key epithelial, stromal and endothelial cell markers. Cornea organoid cultures provide a powerful 3D model system for investigating corneal developmental processes and their disruptions in diseased conditions