Hand-held instrument should relieve hematoma pressure

Portable instrument relieves hematomas beneath fingernails and toenails without surgery. This device simplifies the operative procedure with an instant variable heating tip, adjustable depth settings and interchangeable tip sizes for cauterizing small areas and relieving pressurized clots

Space shuttle contamination due to backflow from control motor exhaust

Spacecraft contamination of the space shuttle orbiter and accompanying Spacelab payloads is studied. The scattering of molecules from the vernier engines and flash evaporator nozzle after impingement on the orbiter wing surfaces, and the backflow of molecules out of the flash evaporator nozzle plume flow field due to intermolecular collisions in the plume are the problems discussed. A method was formulated for dealing with these problems, and detailed results are given

A study of beryllium and beryllium-lithium complexes in single crystal silicon

When beryllium is thermally diffused into silicon, it gives rise to acceptor levels 191 MeV and 145 meV above the valence band. Quenching and annealing studies indicate that the 145-MeV level is due to a more complex beryllium configuration than the 191-MeV level. When lithium is thermally diffused into a beryllium-doped silicon sample, it produces two acceptor levels at 106 MeV and 81 MeV. Quenching and annealing studies indicate that these levels are due to lithium forming a complex with the defects responsible for the 191-MeV and 145-MeV beryllium levels, respectively. Electrical measurements imply that the lithium impurity ions are physically close to the beryllium impurity atoms. The ground state of the 106-MeV beryllium level is split into two levels, presumably by internal strains. Tentative models are proposed

Living lab methodology as an assessment tool for mass customization

Mass customization has been regularly used as a growth strategy during the last decades. The strength of this approach stems from offering products adjusted to customers' individual needs, resulting in added value. The latter resides in the word 'custom,' implying unique and utilitarian products allowing for self-expression of the consumer. Researchers and practitioners however predominantly focused on the company's internal processes to optimize mass customization, often resulting in market failure. As a response, a framework with five factors determining the success of mass customization was developed. Additionally, Living Lab methodologies have been used to improve innovation contexts that were too closed. This paper will fill a gap in the literature by demonstrating that the integration of the five-factor framework in the Living Lab methodology is well suited to determine the possible success or failure of a mass-customized product in the market by means of a single case study

Mutual learning as a resource for research design

Copyright 2014 ACM. Mutual learning processes provide the context for this paper. We reflect on the early research design process of an ongoing project that is investigating the potential contributions of the Internet of Things (IoT) to ageing well. While mutual learning is assumed and embedded in Participatory Design tools and methods, it was only when we explicitly used mutual learning processes, as a resource in the research design of the project, that we could make clear and accountable decisions about how to proceed. The paper ends with a reaffirmation of the importance of mutual learning processes in Participatory Design, noting the opportunities, even imperatives, for foregrounding mutual learning processes in the design of IoT applications

Effect of Neuroactive Compounds on the Settlement of Mussel (Perna Canaliculus) Larvae

Herein, we present the first laboratory study on the effects of pharmacologically active compounds on larval settlement of the green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus. Competent hatchery-reared larvae were exposed to seawater containing excess K+ in the form of KCl and K2SO4 and the neurotransmitters -aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine. Both KCl and K2SO4 were identified as active inducers of larval settlement with maximum inductions occurring after exposures to 10 and 7.5 mM, respectively. Peak settlement response to KCl was higher (>64%) than that achieved with K2SO4 (>41%). GABA did not induce larval settlement and displayed toxic and settlement inhibitive effects at 10-4 and 10-3 M. Acetylcholine induced larval settlement (>49%) at 10-4 M with minimal acute toxic effects (LC < 10%). To gain insight into the class of acetylcholine receptors involved, atropine was used to block the muscarinic-type receptors. Atropine treatment alone did not inhibit settlement compared to control assays, indicating that muscarinic-type receptors are not involved in settlement behavior. Furthermore, results showed that atropine did not significantly decrease acetylcholine induced settlement responses, which suggests an active role of the nicotinic-type receptors in the biochemical pathways of mussel settlement. Results of this study provide new insights on the mechanism of settlement behavior in P. canaliculus, which may have direct application to the growing New Zealand aquaculture industry

Structure and formation energy of carbon nanotube caps

We present a detailed study of the geometry, structure and energetics of carbon nanotube caps. We show that the structure of a cap uniquely determines the chirality of the nanotube that can be attached to it. The structure of the cap is specified in a geometrical way by defining the position of six pentagons on a hexagonal lattice. Moving one (or more) pentagons systematically creates caps for other nanotube chiralities. For the example of the (10,0) tube we study the formation energy of different nanotube caps using ab-initio calculations. The caps with isolated pentagons have an average formation energy 0.29+/-0.01eV/atom. A pair of adjacent pentagons requires a much larger formation energy of 1.5eV. We show that the formation energy of adjacent pentagon pairs explains the diameter distribution in small-diameter nanotube samples grown by chemical vapor deposition.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures (gray scale only due to space); submitted to Phys. Rev.

Multidisciplinary medical team meetings: A field study of collaboration in health care

We present an observational study that was conducted to guide the design of an enhanced collaboration platform to support distributed multidisciplinary team meetings between two hospitals. Our goal was to find out how the breast cancer multidisciplinary team collaborates in their face-to-face meetings and in their discussions using an existing videoconferencing system and to identify obstacles and issues to their primary tasks. We identified a set of concerns around the way visibility and audibility affect the social cohesion of the group and impede communication and situation awareness between the distributed team. We also identified a parallel set of concerns around the difficulty of preparing and interacting around the medical images used in the meetings. These issues exposed a complex matrix of technical, social, procedural and organisational factors that affect the collaboration. We suggest potential directions for technical interventions in this setting