Repeatable method of thermal stress fracture test of brittle materials

Method heats specimens slowly and with sufficient control so that the critical temperature gradient in the specimens cannot occur before temperature equilibrium is reached

Evaluation Roots: An International Perspective

Background: The second edition of Evaluation Roots has expanded to more global coverage, but no chapter emerged on development theory in low and middle income countries (LMICs).   Purpose: The purpose of this article is initiate a conversation on filling this gap.   Setting: Not applicable.   Intervention: Not applicable.   Research Design: Not applicable.   Data Collection and Analysis: Desk review.   Findings: Two important distinctions emerged in evaluation roots in LMICs. The first is that much evaluation fits effectively on the Theory Tree as it is presented, with perhaps some nuance, but we see a collective rather than individual origin of the evaluation theory writings we have uncovered. The second is the nature of the formal evaluation work in LMICs; its practical origins are not yet formalized into full prescriptive theory.  The paper notes the prominence of external actors (such as the donor community) in formalizing evaluation practice, while at the same time observes important threads are developing in different regions of the world.  This paper proposes a way to thinking about evaluation in LMICs that is based on practice. The paper suggests a need for evaluation analysts, especially those in LMICs, to build a more comprehensive knowledge and documentation on development evaluation and, more broadly on building the field of evaluation in LMICs.    Keywords: development evaluation; Evaluation Roots; Evaluation Theory Tree; evaluation field buildin

Damage and repair classification in reinforced concrete beams using frequency domain data

This research aims at developing a new vibration-based damage classification technique that can efficiently be applied to a real-time large data. Statistical pattern recognition paradigm is relevant to perform a reliable site-location damage diagnosis system. By adopting such paradigm, the finite element and other inverse models with their intensive computations, corrections and inherent inaccuracies can be avoided. In this research, a two-stage combination between principal component analysis and Karhunen-Loéve transformation (also known as canonical correlation analysis) was proposed as a statistical-based damage classification technique. Vibration measurements from frequency domain were tested as possible damage-sensitive features. The performance of the proposed system was tested and verified on real vibration measurements collected from five laboratory-scale reinforced concrete beams modelled with various ranges of defects. The results of the system helped in distinguishing between normal and damaged patterns in structural vibration data. Most importantly, the system further dissected reasonably each main damage group into subgroups according to their severity of damage. Its efficiency was conclusively proved on data from both frequency response functions and response-only functions. The outcomes of this two-stage system showed a realistic detection and classification and outperform results from the principal component analysis-only. The success of this classification model is substantially tenable because the observed clusters come from well-controlled and known state conditions

The non-linear transient behavior of second, third and fourth order phase-locked loops

Non-linear transient behavior of second, third, and fourth order phase-locked loop

Australian anemones final report accompanied by attribution database of Australian anemones (on CD rom): prepared for the Department of Environment and Heritage, Heritage Division

This Final Report accompanies the "Attribution Database of Australian Anemones" on CD rom. The two works complete the project "Literature Review and Attribution of Australian Anemones" contracted to the Museum of Tropical Queensland. An Interim Report was submitted in February 2004. The report summarises findings from an investigation of specimen holdings of Australian anemones at seven major state museums in Australia. The findings are presented fully as line data in the accompanying attribution database for the Heritage section of the Department of Environment and Heritage. Sea anemones are marine animals related to corals and jellyfish. They occur in most habitats from intertidal to deep sea and have the potential to be used for recognition of Australian marine bio-regions. Their economic value includes biomedical potential, toxic properties, symbiotic relationships and the iconography of tropical coral reefs. A Checklist and Bibliography of Australian Anthozoa, developed by Museum of Tropical Queensland for the Australian Biological Information Facility (ABIF), documented the published occurrence of 84 valid species of anemones from 19 families in Australian waters. Our Interim Report singled out 23 of those 84 species for priority documentation as part of the present contract. Dr J. Wolstenholme targeted these and all other identified specimens from Australian waters in visits to the seven museums. This report includes descriptive profiles of the 23 prioritised species, in a format adaptable to web-page presentation, including brief description and picture, notes on behaviour and ecology and published references. This report notes that specimens and accompanying data for the 23 prioritised Australian anemone species and 38 of the 84 known species are held within the museums visited. The report records that specimens and data for 26 additional species not formally recorded from Australian waters were located within the museums, bringing the tally of known Australian anemone species to 110. The list of Australian anemones is expanded to include this information. This report records that the Attribution Database includes 730 specimens with 427 specimens confidently identified to species and 4 tentatively identified to species, with the remainder identified only to genus, family or class. This report also updates the following components of the Interim Report: background, species descriptions in web-page format, species list, classification and bibliography

Stylobates birtlesi sp. n., a new species of carcinoecium-forming sea anemone (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Actiniidae) from eastern Australia

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.pensoft.net.We describe a new species of carcinoecium-forming sea anemone, Stylobates birtlesi sp. n., from sites 680-960 m deep in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. An anemone of this genus settles on a gastropod shell inhabited by a hermit crab, then covers and extends the shell to produce a chitinous structure termed a carcinoecium. Stylobates birtlesi sp. n. is symbiotic with the hermit crab Sympagurus trispinosus (Balss, 1911). The nature of marginal sphincter muscle and nematocyst size and distribution distinguish Stylobates birtlesi sp. n. from other species in the genus. The four known species are allopatric, each inhabiting a separate ocean basin of the Indo-west Pacific. We also extend the known range of Stylobates loisetteae in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia

Modulation of Phosducin-Like Protein 3 (PhLP3) Levels Promotes Cytoskeletal Remodelling in a MAPK and RhoA-Dependent Manner

Background Phosducin-like protein 3 (PhLP3) forms a ternary complex with the ATP-dependent molecular chaperone CCT and its folding client tubulin. In vitro studies suggest PhLP3 plays an inhibitory role in ?-tubulin folding while conversely in vivo genetic studies suggest PhLP3 is required for the correct folding of ?-tubulin. We have a particular interest in the cytoskeleton, its chaperones and their role in determining cellular phenotypes associated with high level recombinant protein expression from mammalian cell expression systems. Methodology/Principal Findings As studies into PhLP3 function have been largely carried out in non mammalian systems, we examined the effect of human PhLP3 over-expression and siRNA silencing using a single murine siRNA on both tubulin and actin systems in mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. We show that over-expression of PhLP3 promotes an imbalance of ? and ? tubulin subunits, microtubule disassembly and cell death. In contrast, ?-actin levels are not obviously perturbed. On-the-other-hand, RNA silencing of PhLP3 increases RhoA-dependent actin filament formation and focal adhesion formation and promotes a dramatic elongated fibroblast-like change in morphology. This was accompanied by an increase in phosphorylated MAPK which has been associated with promoting focal adhesion assembly and maturation. Transient overexpression of PhLP3 in knockdown experiments rescues cells from the morphological change observed during PhLP3 silencing but mitosis is perturbed, probably reflecting a tipping back of the balance of PhLP3 levels towards the overexpression state. Conclusions Our results support the hypothesis that PhLP3 is important for the maintenance of ?-tubulin levels in mammalian cells but also that its modulation can promote actin-based cytoskeletal remodelling by a mechanism linked with MAPK phosphorylation and RhoA-dependent changes. PhLP3 levels in mammalian cells are thus finely poised and represents a novel target for engineering industrially relevant cell lines to evolve lines more suited to suspension or adherent cell growth

Synthesis and reactivity of fluorinated triaryl aluminum complexes

The addition of the Grignard 3,4,5-ArFMgBr to aluminum(III) chloride in ether generates the novel triarylalane Al(3,4,5-ArF)3·OEt2. Attempts to synthesize this alane via transmetalation from the parent borane with trimethylaluminum gave a dimeric structure with bridging methyl groups, a product of partial transmetalation. On the other hand, the novel alane Al(2,3,4-ArF)3 was synthesized from the parent borane and trimethylaluminum. Interestingly, the solid-state structure of Al(2,3,4-ArF)3 shows an extended chain structure resulting from neighboring Al···F contacts. Al(3,4,5-ArF)3·OEt2 was then found to be an effective catalyst for the hydroboration of carbonyls, imines, and alkynes with pinacolborane

A systematic review of the discriminating biomechanical parameters during the single leg squat

Objective: To determine whether there are common biomechanical parameters when analysing the single leg squat movement to compare pathological and non-pathological groups and whether these parameters are able to effectively distinguish between groups. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched using MESH terms, keywords and phrases across four constructs: squat, biomechanical measures, region of interest, study design. Studies were selected based on inclusion of a quantitative biomechanical measure, compared between a pathological and a non-pathological group, and participants performed a single leg squat movement. Results: Fifteen studies were included and reviewed, where the majority of studies investigated patellofemoral pain. There was considerable variation in the biomechanical outcome measure used to compare between groups. The frontal plane projection angle was the most commonly reported measure. There was considerable variation in the manner in which the single leg squat was performed. Conclusion: Due to variation in how the single leg squat was performed, it was not possible to determine specific biomechanical parameters that distinguish between pathological and non-pathological groups. Frontal plane projection angle appeared to be a parameter that could be effectively utilised. Standardisation of the single leg squat movement is needed to allow comparison between studies of pathological and non-pathological groups

Reproductive isolation among Acropora Species (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) in a marginal coral assemblage

Hybridization was proposed as being an important source of evolutionary novelty in broadcast-spawning reef-building corals. In addition, hybridization was hypothesized to be more frequent at the periphery of species' ranges and in marginal habitats. We tested the potential for hybridization in 2 ways: observations of the time of spawning and non-choice interspecific fertilization experiments of 4 sympatric Acropora species in a non-reefal coral assemblage at Chinwan Inner Bay (CIB), Penghu Is., Taiwan. We found that colonies of more than 1 species rarely released gametes at the same time, thus limiting the opportunities for cross-fertilization in the wild. On the few occasions when different species released gametes in synchrony, interspecific fertilization in experimental crosses was uniformly low (the proportion of eggs fertilized ranged 0%-4.58% with a mode of 0%), and interspecific-crossed embryos ceased development and died within 12 h after initially being fertilized. Ecological and experimental analyses indicated that reproductive isolation exists in these 4 Acropora species even though they have the opportunities to spawn synchronously, suggesting that hybridization is not very frequent in this marginal coral habitat at CIB