Days, Old and New

Personal thoughts and reflections from William T. Sanger, Chancellor Emeritus, Medical College of Virginia, presented at the Biological Seminar, May 8, 1968

A study of senescence

A complete study of senescence would involve, not only a consideration of man, but of lower organisms, animal and plant, as well as institutions, races, nations, even the cosmos itself; for assuredly the phenomena of decay are as universal and intricate as those of genesis. In the present study, however, it will be attempted merely to indicate, first, the best that has already been done upon human senescence; second, to add further findings; and third, to set more definitely a number of new problems for future investigation

As I remember

William T. Sanger (1885-1975) narrates his rise as president, then chancellor, of the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). This autobiography details Sanger’s early childhood, admission to college, early career, and presidency of MCV. Through Sanger’s recollections, As I Remember serves both as a personal memoir and a history of MCV and medical education in Virginia.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/vcu_books/1009/thumbnail.jp

Medical College of Virginia before 1925, and University College of Medicine 1893-1913

The first North American hospitals were built in Virginia in 1611. Virginia continued to set hospital and health education trends with the establishment of the Department of Medicine in Richmond, later known as the School of Medicine, in 1837. Through data largely compiled by former secretary-treasurer of the College, J.R. McCauley, this book covers the early history of the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) and the history of health services education in Virginia from 1893 to 1913. Major events covered in this book include the effects of World War I on the College and the unsuccessful proposals to consolidate MCV with the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/vcu_books/1008/thumbnail.jp

Motilin receptor in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Motilin receptors (provisional nomenclature) are activated by motilin, a 22 amino-acid peptide derived from a precursor (MLN, P12872), which may also generate a motilin-associated peptide. There are significant species differences in the structure of motilin and its receptor, and in the functions of motilin. In humans and large mammals such as dog, activation of these receptors by motilin released from endocrine cells in the duodenal mucosa during fasting, induces propulsive phase III movements. This activity is associated with promoting hunger in humans. In humans and other mammals drugs and other non-peptide compounds which activate the motilin receptor may generate a more long-lasting ability to increase cholinergic activity within the upper gut, to promote upper gastrointestinal motility; this activity is suggested to be responsible for the gastrointestinal prokinetic effects of certain macrolide antibacterials (often called motilides; e.g. erythromycin, azithromycin), although for many of these molecules the evidence is sparse. Relatively high doses may induce vomiting and in humans, nausea

Design and performance of a fixed, nonaccelerating, guide vane cascade that operates over an inlet flow angle range of 60 deg

A unique set of wind tunnel guide vanes are designed with an inverse design code and analyzed with a panel method and an integral boundary layer code developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The fixed guide vanes, 80 feet long with 6-foot chord length, were designed for the NASA Ames 40 x 80/80 x 120 ft Wind Tunnel. Low subsonic flow is accepted over a 60 deg range of inlet angle from either the 40 x 80 leg or the 80 x 120 leg of the wind tunnel, and directed axially into the main leg of the tunnel where drive fans are located. Experimental tests of 1/10-scale models were conducted to verify design calculations

An Observational Study of Tropical Cyclone Spinup in Supertyphoon Jangmi (2008) from 24 to 27 September

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00306.1An observational study of tropical cyclone intensification is performed using dropsondes, in situ flight-level data, satellite imagery, and Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA) during the spinup of Tropical Storm Jangmi (2008) in the western North Pacific. This event was observed with research aircraft during the Tropical Cyclone Structure 2008 (TCS08) field experiment over the course of 3 days as Jangmi intensified rapidly from a tropical storm to a supertyphoon. The dropsonde analysis indicates that the peak azimuthally averaged storm-relative tangential wind speed occurs persistently within the boundary layer throughout the spinup period and suggests that significant supergradient winds are present near and just within the radius of maximum tangential winds. An examination of the ELDORA data in Tropical Storm Jangmi reveals multiple rotating updrafts near the developing eye beneath cold cloud top temperatures ≤ -65°C. In particular, there is a 12-km-wide, upright updraft with a peak velocity of 9m s¯¹ with collocated strong low-level (z < 2 km) convergence of 2 x 10¯³ s¯¹ and intense relative vorticity of 4 x 10¯³ s¯¹. The analysis of the corresponding infrared satellite imagery suggests that vortical updrafts are common before and during rapid intensification. The findings of this study support a recent paradigm of tropical cyclone intensification in which rotating convective clouds are important elements in the spinup process. In a system-scale view of this process, the maximum tangential wind is found within the boundary layer, where the tangential wind becomes supergradient before the air ascends into the eyewall updraft.Naval Postgraduate SchoolOffice of Naval Research (Grant N001408WR20129),National Science FoundationOffice of Naval Research (Grant N001408WR20129

Optimisation of on-line principal component analysis

Different techniques, used to optimise on-line principal component analysis, are investigated by methods of statistical mechanics. These include local and global optimisation of node-dependent learning-rates which are shown to be very efficient in speeding up the learning process. They are investigated further for gaining insight into the learning rates' time-dependence, which is then employed for devising simple practical methods to improve training performance. Simulations demonstrate the benefit gained from using the new methods.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Ames 40 X 80/80 X 120 Foot Wind Tunnel: Turning Vanes Design

A number of different turning vanes are designed for the NASA Ames wind tunnel. Computer codes are used to design and analyze the turning vanes to insure that they comply with their individual constraints. The presentation is given in viewgraph format and displays pressure coefficients for the different turning vanes as well as loss coefficients versus inlet flow angles