1,230 research outputs found
Results of Panel Bending Tests and Screw Pullout Tests for Storage Buildings for Stor Mor, Incorporated
The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) was requested by the Stor-Mor Corporation (SMC) to test a number of building panels that SMC uses to build small storage buildings and small recreational structures. SMC delivered to the KTC laboratories a number of the panels to be tested in bending and other modes as deemed appropriate by KTC. The panels are of sandwich construction consisting of two, thin sheet metal plates and a styrofoam interlayer. Each panel was approximately 64 inches in length and 22 inches in width. The thickness was approximately 1.63 inches.
This report details the testing of the panels and includes the test data along with comments and recommendations. The panels were tested in what was perceived to be the two weakest modes of failure. These were in bending and in pull-out of the screw heads that are used to assemble the panels
Sparking a Movement: A Coordinated, Bottom-up Approach to Increase Voluntary Pro Bono Service and Mend the Justice Gap
For decades, the legal profession has tried and tried again to increase pro
bono representation and reduce the ill effects of the Justice Gap. A common
and increasing theme has been a top-down approach focused on laudable
platitudes, jurisdictional reporting policies, and aspirational guidelines to
inspire attorneys to voluntarily serve low-income Americans. These efforts
have enjoyed very little success, however, and with the Justice Gap only getting
worse, a new solution is needed. This Article shifts the focus away from
these top-down methods and mandates, which lack accountability and incentives,
to a bottom-up approach that offers a more viable solution to the Justice
Gap. In a bottom-up approach, attorneys are not only encouraged, but
empowered, to provide services in coordination with other stakeholders. The
COVID-19 pandemic both aggravated and highlighted the Justice Gap and,
as a result, it has the potential to act as the necessary “social change tipping
point” to spark a movement. Therefore, the time is ripe for all legal professionals
to collectively take steps toward service, however small they may
seem, to effectively and sustainably treat the Justice Gap once and for all
Substituted Pentacenes and Electronic Devices Made with Substituted Pentacenes
Novel substituted pentacenes and electronic devices made with those substituted pentacenes are disclosed
Expression of Human Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Reveals a Functional Role in Aflatoxin B1 Detoxification
The metabolism and genotoxicity of the carcinogenic mycotoxin, aflatoxin B1 (AFB), was studied in the lower eukaryotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recombinant strains of yeast were engineered to express human cDNAs for CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH). Coexpression of mEH with CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 resulted in significant decreases in measurements of AFB genotoxicity. In cells expressing CYP1A2 and mEH, the level of AFB-DNA adducts was decreased by 50% relative to cells expressing CYP1A2 alone. Mitotic recombination, as assayed by gene conversion at thetrp5locus, was diminished by 50% or greater in cells coexpressing mEH and CYP1A2 compared to CYP1A2 alone. The mutagenicity of AFB in the Ames assay was also decreased by approximately 50% when AFB was incubated with microsomes containing CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 and mEH versus CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 alone. The biotransformation of AFB by CYPs is known to involve the generation of a reactive epoxide intermediate, AFB-8,9-epoxide, but previous direct biochemical and kinetic studies have failed to demonstrate any functional role for mEH in AFB detoxification. By reconstructing a metabolic pathway in intact yeast, we have shown, for the first time, that mEH may play a role in mitigating the carcinogenic effects of AF
A combination of amino acids and caffeine enhances sprint running capacity in a hot, hypoxic environment
Heat and hypoxia exacerbate central nervous system (CNS) fatigue. We therefore investigated whether essential amino acid (EAA) and caffeine ingestion attenuates CNS fatigue in a simulated team sport–specific running protocol in a hot, hypoxic environment. Subelite male team sport athletes (n = 8) performed a repeat sprint running protocol on a nonmotorized treadmill in an extreme environment on 4 separate occasions. Participants ingested one of four supplements: a double placebo, 3 mg.kg⁻¹ body mass of caffeine + placebo, 2 × 7 g EAA (Musashi Create)+placebo, or caffeine + EAA before each exercise session using a randomized, double-blind crossover design. Electromyography (EMG) activity and quadriceps evoked responses to magnetic stimulation were assessed from the dominant leg at preexercise, halftime, and postexercise. Central activation ratio (CAR) was used to quantify completeness of quadriceps activation. Oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex was measured via near-infrared spectroscopy. Mean sprint work was higher (M = 174 J, 95% CI [23, 324], p < .05, d = 0.30; effect size, likely beneficial) in the caffeine + EAA condition versus EAAs alone. The decline in EMG activity was less (M = 13%, 95% CI [0, 26]; p < .01, d = 0.58, likely beneficial) in caffeine + EAA versus EAA alone. Similarly, the pre- to postexercise decrement in CAR was significantly less (M = −2.7%, 95% CI [0.4, 5.4]; p < .05, d = 0.50, likely beneficial) when caffeine + EAA were ingested compared with placebo. Cerebral oxygenation was lower (M = −5.6%, 95% CI [1.0, 10.1]; p < .01, d = 0.60, very likely beneficial) in the caffeine + EAA condition compared with LNAA alone. Coingestion of caffeine and EAA appears to maintain muscle activation and central drive, with a small improvement in running performance.13 page(s
Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes.
During explosive eruptions, airborne particles collide and stick together, accelerating the fallout of volcanic ash and climate-forcing aerosols. This aggregation process remains a major source of uncertainty both in ash dispersal forecasting and interpretation of eruptions from the geological record. Here we illuminate the mechanisms and timescales of particle aggregation from a well-characterized 'wet' eruption. The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, incorporated water from the surface (in this case, a glacier), which is a common occurrence during explosive volcanism worldwide. Observations from C-band weather radar, fall deposits and numerical modelling demonstrate that hail-forming processes in the eruption plume triggered aggregation of ∼95% of the fine ash and stripped much of the erupted mass out of the atmosphere within 30 min. Based on these findings, we propose a mechanism of hail-like ash aggregation that contributes to the anomalously rapid fallout of fine ash and occurrence of concentrically layered aggregates in volcanic deposits.AVE acknowledges NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship EAR1250029 and a seed grant from NASA Ames Supercomputing Center. Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) software from UCAR/Unidata was used in the analysis and visualization of the large-eddy simulation. ASTER GDEM is a product of NASA and METI. NCAR Reanalysis data provided by the NOAA/OAR/ESRL Physical Sciences Division, Boulder, Colorado, USA. We acknowledge Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, for access to the laser particle size analyzer, and Matt Rogers at University of Alaska, Anchorage for use of the freeze dryer. Rick Hoblitt is thanked for discussions and comments on the manuscript.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms886
A high-content imaging assay for the quantification of the Burkholderia pseudomallei induced multinucleated giant cell (MNGC) phenotype in murine macrophages
BACKGROUND: Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), a Gram-negative, motile, facultative intracellular bacterium is the causative agent of melioidosis in humans and animals. The Bp genome encodes a repertoire of virulence factors, including the cluster 3 type III secretion system (T3SS-3), the cluster 1 type VI secretion system (T6SS-1), and the intracellular motility protein BimA, that enable the pathogen to invade both phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells. A unique hallmark of Bp infection both in vitro and in vivo is its ability to induce cell-to-cell fusion of macrophages to form multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs), which to date are semi-quantitatively reported following visual inspection. RESULTS: In this study we report the development of an automated high-content image acquisition and analysis assay to quantitate the Bp induced MNGC phenotype. Validation of the assay was performed using T6SS-1 (∆hcp1) and T3SS-3 (∆bsaZ) mutants of Bp that have been previously reported to exhibit defects in their ability to induce MNGCs. Finally, screening of a focused small molecule library identified several Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors that inhibited Bp-induced MNGC formation of macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully developed an automated HCI assay to quantitate MNGCs induced by Bp in macrophages. This assay was then used to characterize the phenotype of the Bp mutants for their ability to induce MNGC formation and identify small molecules that interfere with this process. Successful application of chemical genetics and functional reverse genetics siRNA approaches in the MNGC assay will help gain a better understanding of the molecular targets and cellular mechanisms responsible for the MNGC phenotype induced by Bp, by other bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or by exogenously added cytokines
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