Addition of silicon improves oxidation resistance of nickel based superalloys

Specific weight changes of nickel-base superalloy B-1900 and B-1900 + 1% Si specimens were tested at 1273 K. B-1900 was losing weight at an increasing rate due to spalling of oxide scale while B-1900 + 1% Si was still gaining weight at low, nearly constant rate. Similar comparison in weight change was observed for specimens tested at 1373 K

Effects of silicon additions on oxidation and mechanical behavior of the nickel-base superalloy B-1900

Test specimens with nominal additions of Si were tested in oxidation, thermal fatigue, sulfidation, tension, and stress rupture, and were also extensively studied metallographically. Alloy B-1900 modified with 0.6- or 1.2-wt% Si exhibited oxidation resistance equivalent to that of aluminide-coated B-1900 during cyclic, high-gas-velocity oxidation tests. Resistances to thermal fatigue and sulfidation were improved by the Si additions, but were not superior to aluminide-coated B-1900. Stress-rupture tests at 1000 C of specimens given the standard heat treatment to simulate an aluminide coating cycle showed Si to be detrimental. However, application of another heat treatment increased the rupture life of the alloy with 0.6-wt% Si to that of the unmodified B-1900 given the standard heat treatment

Subcutaneous delivery of sumatriptan in the treatment of migraine and primary headache

Subcutaneous sumatriptan is an effective treatment for pain from acute migraine headache, and can be used in patients with known migraine syndrome and in patients with primary headaches when secondary causes have been excluded. In limited comparative trials, subcutaneous sumatriptan performed in a manner comparable with oral eletriptan and intravenous metoclopramide, was superior to intravenous aspirin and intramuscular trimethobenzamide-diphenhydramine, and was inferior to intravenous prochlorperazine for pain relief. The most common side effects seen with subcutaneous sumatriptan are injection site reactions and triptan sensations. As with all triptans, there is a risk of rare cardiovascular events with subcutaneous sumatriptan and its use should be limited to those without known cerebrovascular disease and limited in those with known cardiovascular risk factors and unknown disease status. In studies of patient preference and tolerability, the subcutaneous formulation has a faster time of onset and high rate of efficacy when compared with the oral formulation, but the oral formulation appears to be better tolerated. It is important to consider the needs of the patient, their past medical history, and what aspects of migraine treatment are most important to the patient when considering treatment of acute migraine or primary headache. Subcutaneous sumatriptan is a good first-line agent for the treatment of pain from acute migraine headaches and primary headaches

Effectiveness of Three Foodservice Equipment Training Interventions for Food and Nutrition Students

This study evaluated students’ (N = 65) reported knowledge, competence, and comfort in using foodservice equipment, as well as confidence in training others after completing one of the following interventions: 1) two food/nutrition courses, and foodservice supervised practice rotations, 2) equipment introduction, and competency exam, and 3) equipment training, practice lab, and competency exam. Foodservice operations and dietetics programs should consider implementing Intervention 3 because there was a significant increase in knowledge, competence, comfort, and confidence using equipment from pre- to post-intervention, it yielded the highest post-intervention scores, and most students received \u3e86% for their actual skill

Successful nesting by 2 endangered Hawaiian waterbird species in a restored Indigenous wetland agroecosystem

The Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) and Hawaiian Gallinule (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) are federally endangered waterbirds endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Both species are conservation-reliant; their population persistence is dependent on invasive predator control and removal of invasive plants that degrade habitat. We present observations of successful nesting by one Hawaiian Stilt pair and one Hawaiian Gallinule pair at a site managed within an adaptive Indigenous agroecological framework on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The Hawaiian Stilt nest, found in February 2019, contained 4 eggs and produced 3 hatchlings, 2 of which were banded and monitored after hatching. The Hawaiian Gallinule nest, found in February 2020, contained 6 eggs and produced 5 hatchlings. Although no individuals were banded from this nest, 2 adults and 2 hatchlings were continuously observed in the nesting area after the eggs hatched. Lo‘i kalo Hawaiian wetland agroecosystems centered around the cultivation of kalo (taro; Colocasia esculenta), have the potential to expand Hawaiian waterbird habitat beyond state and federal protected areas. We are aware of unpublished accounts of Hawaiian waterbirds nesting in commercially farmed lo‘i kalo, but until now, there have been no previously published accounts of native waterbirds breeding in lo‘i kalo managed as Indigenous agroecosystems

Scientific questions for the exploration of the terrestrial planets and Jupiter - Advanced planetary missions technology program Progress report

Scientific questions and experimental design for planetary exploration of Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Venu

The value of rapid functional assays of germline p53 status in LFS and LFL families

We have tested two rapid assays of p53 function, namely the apoptotic assay and the FASAY as means of detecting germline p53 mutations in members of Li–Fraumeni and Li–Fraumeni-like families. Results of the functional assays have been compared with direct sequencing of all 11 exons of the p53 gene. The results show good agreement between the two functional assays and between them and sequencing. No false-positives or negatives were seen with either functional assay although the apoptotic assay gave one borderline result for an individual without a mutation. As an initial screen the apoptotic assay is not only rapid but inexpensive and very simple to perform. It would be expected to detect any germline defect that leads to loss of p53 function. The apoptotic assay could be ideal as a means of prescreening large numbers of samples and identifying those that require further investigation. The FASAY detects mutations in exons 4–10, is rapid and distinguishes between functionally important and silent mutations. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Gender Differences in Acute and Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: Results of the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Pain Section

Pain is a leading public health problem in the United States, with an annual economic burden of more than $630 billion, and is one of the most common reasons that individuals seek emergency department (ED) care. There is a paucity of data regarding sex differences in the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions in the ED. The Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference convened in Dallas, Texas, in May 2014 to develop a research agenda to address this issue among others related to sex differences in the ED. Prior to the conference, experts and stakeholders from emergency medicine and the pain research field reviewed the current literature and identified eight candidate priority areas. At the conference, these eight areas were reviewed and all eight were ratified using a nominal group technique to build consensus. These priority areas were: 1) gender differences in the pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for pain, including differences in opioid tolerance, side effects, or misuse; 2) gender differences in pain severity perceptions, clinically meaningful differences in acute pain, and pain treatment preferences; 3) gender differences in pain outcomes of ED patients across the life span; 4) gender differences in the relationship between acute pain and acute psychological responses; 5) the influence of physician-patient gender differences and characteristics on the assessment and treatment of pain; 6) gender differences in the influence of acute stress and chronic stress on acute pain responses; 7) gender differences in biological mechanisms and molecular pathways mediating acute pain in ED populations; and 8) gender differences in biological mechanisms and molecular pathways mediating chronic pain development after trauma, stress, or acute illness exposure. These areas represent priority areas for future scientific inquiry, and gaining understanding in these will be essential to improving our understanding of sex and gender differences in the assessment and treatment of pain conditions in emergency care settings

Fitness consequences of different migratory strategies in partially migratory populations: a multi-taxa meta-analysis

1.Partial migration – wherein migratory and non-migratory individuals exist within the same population – represents a behavioural dimorphism; for it to persist over time, both strategies should yield equal individual fitness. This balance may be maintained through trade-offs where migrants gain survival benefits by avoiding unfavourable conditions, while residents gain breeding benefits from early access to resources. 2.There has been little overarching quantitative analysis of the evidence for this fitness balance. As migrants – especially long-distance migrants – may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change, it is possible that recent anthropogenic impacts could drive shifts in fitness balances within these populations. 3.We tested these predictions using a multi-taxa meta-analysis. Of 2939 reviewed studies, 23 contained suitable information for meta-analysis, yielding 129 effect sizes. 4.Of these, 73% (n=94) reported higher resident fitness, 22% (n=28) reported higher migrant fitness, and 5% (n=7) reported equal fitness. Once weighted for precision, we found balanced fitness benefits across the entire dataset, but a consistently higher fitness of residents over migrants in birds and herpetofauna (the best-sampled groups). Residency benefits were generally associated with survival, not breeding success, and increased with the number of years of data over which effect sizes were calculated, suggesting deviations from fitness parity are not due to sampling artefacts. 5.A pervasive survival benefit to residency documented in recent literature could indicate that increased exposure to threats associated with anthropogenic change faced by migrating individuals may be shifting the relative fitness balance between strategies

On religion and cultural policy: notes on the Roman Catholic Church

This paper argues that religious institutions have largely been neglected within the study of cultural policy. This is attributed to the inherently secular tendency of most modern social sciences. Despite the predominance of the ‘secularisation paradigm’, the paper notes that religion continues to promote powerful attachments and denunciations. Arguments between the ‘new atheists’, in particular, Richard Dawkins, and their opponents are discussed, as is Habermas’s conciliatory encounter with Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). The paper then moves to a consideration of the Roman Catholic Church as an agent of cultural policy, whose overriding aim is the promotion of ‘Christian consciousness’. Discussion focuses on the contested meanings of this, with reference to (1) the deliberations of Vatican II and (2) the exercise of theological and cultural authority by the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). It is argued that these doctrinal disputes intersect with secular notions of social and cultural policy and warrant attention outside the specialist realm of theological discourse