Highlights of experience with a flexible walled test section in the NASA Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

The unique combination of adaptive wall technology with a contonuous flow cryogenic wind tunnel is described. This powerful combination allows wind tunnel users to carry out 2-D tests at flight Reynolds numbers with wall interference essentially eliminated. Validation testing was conducted to support this claim using well tested symmetrical and cambered airfoils at transonic speeds and high Reynolds numbers. The test section hardware has four solid walls, with the floor and ceiling flexible. The method of adapting/shaping the floor and ceiling to eliminate top and bottom wall interference at its source is outlined. Data comparisons for different size models tested and others in several sophisticated 2-D wind tunnels are made. In addition, the effects of Reynolds number, testing at high lift with associated large flexible wall movements, the uniqueness of the adapted wall shapes, and the effects of sidewall boundary layer control are examined. The 0.3-m TCT is now the most advanced 2-D research facility anywhere

Shared Features Dominate Semantic Richness Effects for Concrete Concepts

When asked to list semantic features for concrete concepts, participants list many features for some concepts and few for others. Concepts with many semantic features are processed faster in lexical and semantic decision tasks [Pexman, P. M., Lupker, S. J., & Hino, Y. (2002). The impact of feedback semantics in visual word recognition: Number-of-features effects in lexical decision and naming tasks. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,9, 542–549; Pexman, P. M., Holyk, G. G., & MonFils, M.-H. (2003). Number-of-features effects and semantic processing. Memory & Cognition,31,842–855]. Using both lexical and concreteness decision tasks, we provided further insight into these number-of-features (NoF) effects. We began by replicating the effect using a larger and better controlled set of items. We then investigated the relationship between NoF and feature distinctiveness and found that features shared by numerous concrete concepts such as facilitate decisions to a greater extent than do distinctive features such as . Finally, we showed that NoF effects are carried by shared visual form and surface, encyclopedic, tactile, and taste knowledge. We propose a decision-making account of these results, rather than one based on the computation of word meaning

Rate Coefficients for Reactions of Ethynyl Radical (C2H) With HCN and CH3CN: Implications for the Formation of Comples Nitriles on Titan

Rate coefficients for the reactions of C2H + HCN yields products and C2H + CH3CN yields products have been measured over the temperature range 262-360 K. These experiments represent an ongoing effort to accurately measure reaction rate coefficients of the ethynyl radical, C2H, relevant to planetary atmospheres such as those of Jupiter and Saturn and its satellite Titan. Laser photolysis of C2H2 is used to produce C2H, and transient infrared laser absorption is employed to measure the decay of C2H to obtain the subsequent reaction rates in a transverse flow cell. Rate constants for the reaction C2H + HCN yields products are found to increase significantly with increasing temperature and are measured to be (3.9-6.2) x 10(exp 13) cm(exp 3) molecules(exp -1) s(exp -1) over the temperature range of 297-360 K. The rate constants for the reaction C2H + CH3CN yields products are also found to increase substantially with increasing temperature and are measured to be (1.0-2.1) x 10(exp -12) cm(exp 3) molecules(exp -1) s(exp -1) over the temperature range of 262-360 K. For the reaction C2H + HCN yields products, ab initio calculations of transition state structures are used to infer that the major products form via an addition/elimination pathway. The measured rate constants for the reaction of C2H + HCN yields products are significantly smaller than values currently employed in photochemical models of Titan, which will affect the HC3N distribution

Cavity Nest Materials of Northern Flying Squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus, and North American Red Squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, in a Secondary Hardwood Forest of Southern Ontario

Through deployment of artificial nest boxes, we examined the composition of cavity nest materials used by Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and North American Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in a secondary hardwood forest of southern Ontario, Canada. We collected 32 nests of known species association and found that 85.7% of G. sabrinus nests and 77.8% of T. hudsonicus nests were constructed almost entirely of shredded bark from Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Mean nest depth across all samples was 12.2 cm and showed no significant difference between species or between spring and summer nests. We review the antiparasitic properties of T. occidentalis and suggest that the use of shredded cedar bark by G. sabrinus and T. hudsonicus to line nest cavities may be a behavioural adaptation, which reduces ectoparasite loads in the nest environment

A Case of Metastatic Melanoma Presenting as a Small Bowel Obstruction

Small bowel obstructions are most commonly caused by adhesion. Less common causes arise from malignant pathology. Here we present a relatively rare case of a small bowel obstruction due to malignant melanoma. Melanoma involving the gastrointestinal tract is relatively rare with most cases occurring as metastatic spread from a cutaneous primary. The treatment typically requires a surgical resection or palliative bypass. When a patient presents with a small bowel obstruction but without prior abdominal surgeries or hernias a malignant obstruction must be on the differential

Size-dependent reversal of grains in perpendicular magnetic recording media measured by small-angle polarized neutron scattering

Polarized small-angle neutron scattering has been used to measure the magnetic structure of a CoCrPt–SiOx thin-film data storage layer, contained within a writable perpendicular recording media, at granular (<10 nm) length scales. The magnetic contribution to the scattering is measured as the magnetization is reversed by an external field, providing unique spatial information on the switching process. A simple model of noninteracting nanomagnetic grains provides a good description of the data and an analysis of the grain-size dependent reversal provides strong evidence for an increase in magnetic anisotropy with grain diameter

Uptake of hepatitis C specialist services and treatment following diagnosis by dried blood spot in Scotland

Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing for hepatitis C (HCV) was introduced to Scotland in 2009. This minimally invasive specimen provides an alternative to venipuncture and can overcome barriers to testing in people who inject drugs (PWID). Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine rates and predictors of: exposure to HCV, attendance at specialist clinics and anti-viral treatment initiation among the DBS tested population in Scotland. Study design: DBS testing records were deterministically linked to the Scottish HCV Clinical database prior to logistic regression analysis. Results: In the first two years of usage in Scotland, 1322 individuals were tested by DBS of which 476 were found to have an active HCV infection. Linkage analysis showed that 32% had attended a specialist clinic within 12 months of their specimen collection date and 18% had begun anti-viral therapy within 18 months of their specimen collection date. A significantly reduced likelihood of attendance at a specialist clinic was evident amongst younger individuals (<35 years), those of unknown ethnic origin and those not reporting injecting drug use as a risk factor. Conclusion: We conclude that DBS testing in non-clinical settings has the potential to increase diagnosis and, with sufficient support, treatment of HCV infection among PWID

Molecular Characterization of Two Opecoelid Trematodes From Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, With a Desceiption of a New Species of \u3ci\u3eHelicometra\u3c/i\u3e

The plagioporine opecoelids Helicometra fasciata (Rudolphi, 1819) Odhner, 1902, and Macvicaria crassigula (Linton, 1910) Bartoli, Bray, and Gibson, 1989 have been reported from fishes in expansive geographic regions, disjointed from their type localities. New material of M. crassigula was collected from near its type locality as well as specimens resembling Helicometra fasciata sensu lato from three triglids in the Gulf of Mexico. Comparisons of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences, comprising the partial 18S rDNA, internal transcribed spacer region (= ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2), and partial 28S rDNA gene, from M. crassigula and Helicometra fasciata sensu lato in the Gulf of Mexico were made with sequences deposited in GenBank from those species from the Mediterranean Sea. Results reveal that M. crassigula sensu stricto from the Gulf of Mexico is distinct from the two cryptic species of M. crassigula sensu lato from the Mediterranean Sea and Helicometra fasciata sensu lato in this study differs from H. fasciata sequences from the Mediterranean Sea, thus Helicometra manteri sp. nov. is described

Late Quaternary slip rates across the central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, central Asia

Slip rates across active faults and folds show that late Quaternary faulting is distributed across the central Tien Shan, not concentrated at its margins. Nearly every intermontane basin contains Neogene and Quaternary syntectonic strata deformed by Holocene north‐south shortening on thrust or reverse faults. In a region that spans two thirds of the north‐south width of the central Tien Shan, slip rates on eight faults in five basins range from ∼0.1 to ∼3 mm/yr. Fault slip rates are derived from faulted and folded river terraces and from trenches. Radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence, and thermoluminescence ages limit ages of terraces and aid in their regional correlation. Monte Carlo simulations that sample from normally distributed and discrete probability distributions for each variable in the slip rate calculations generate most likely slip rate values and 95% confidence limits. Faults in basins appear to merge at relatively shallow depths with crustal‐scale ramps that underlie mountain ranges composed of pre‐Cenozoic rocks. The sum and overall pattern of late Quaternary rates of shortening are similar to current rates of north‐south shortening measured using Global Positioning System geodesy. This similarity suggests that deformation is concentrated along major fault zones near range‐basin margins. Such faults, separated by rigid blocks, accommodate most of the shortening in the upper crust

Does listening to the sound of yourself chewing increase your enjoyment of food?

BACKGROUND: Anecdotal evidence suggests that listening to oneself eating results in a more pleasurable eating experience. Maximising the sensory experience of eating can result in increased oral intake and is potentially valuable in improving nutritional status in at-risk patients. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study investigates the association between listening to the sound of oneself eating and the consequences on enjoyment of eating. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled, cross-over trial of 10 fit, adult volunteers. Participants were timed eating a standardised amount of bread, and were randomized to eat in silence or whilst listening to their own amplified chewing and swallowing. Measurements of pulse and blood pressure were recorded throughout the procedure. Subjective pleasure scores were documented and the procedure repeated in the alternate study arm. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship demonstrated between listening to oneself chewing and the enjoyment of eating. CONCLUSION: Although this small pilot study was unable to demonstrate a significant relationship between listening to oneself chewing and enjoyment of eating, other evidence suggests that distraction techniques have a beneficial effect on dietary intake. Such techniques can be applied in a clinical setting and further work in this area has valuable potential