Fatigue testing a plurality of test specimens and method

Described is a fatigue testing apparatus for simultaneously subjecting a plurality of material test specimens to cyclical tension loading to determine the fatigue strength of the material. The fatigue testing apparatus includes a pulling head having cylinders defined therein which carry reciprocating pistons. The reciprocation of the pistons is determined by cyclical supplies of pressurized fluid to the cylinders. Piston rods extend from the pistons through the pulling head and are attachable to one end of the test specimens, the other end of the test specimens being attachable to a fixed base, causing test specimens attached between the piston rods and the base to be subjected to cyclical tension loading. Because all the cylinders share a common pressurized fluid supply, the breaking of a test specimen does not substantially affect the pressure of the fluid supplied to the other cylinders nor the tension applied to the other test specimens

Permanent Draft Genome Sequence for Frankia sp. Strain EI5c, a Single-Spore Isolate of a Nitrogen-Fixing Actinobacterium, Isolated from the Root Nodules of Elaeagnus angustifolia

Frankia sp. strain EI5c is a member of Frankia lineage III, which is able to reinfect plants of the Eleagnaceae, Rhamnaceae, Myricaceae, and Gymnostoma, as well as the genus Alnus. Here, we report the 6.6-Mbp draft genome sequence of Frankia sp. strain EI5c with a G+C content of 72.14 % and 5,458 candidate protein-encoding genes

Permanent draft genome sequence of Frankia sp. strain AvcI1, a nitrogen-fixing actinobacterium isolated from the root nodules of Alnus viridis subsp. crispa grown in Canada

Frankia strain AvcI1, isolated from root nodules of Alnus viridis subsp. crispa, is a member of Frankia lineage Ia, which is able to reinfect plants of the Betulaceae and Myricaceae families. Here, we report a 7.7-Mbp draft genome sequence with a G+C content of 72.41% and 6,470 candidate protein-encoding genes

Permanent Draft Genome Sequence of Frankia sp. Strain BR, a Nitrogen-Fixing Actinobacterium Isolated from the Root Nodules of Casuarina equisetifolia

Frankia sp. strain BR is a member of Frankia lineage Ic and is able to reinfect plants of the Casuarinaceae family. Here, we report a 5.2-Mbp draft genome sequence with a G+C content of 70.0% and 4,777 candidate protein-encoding genes

Permanent draft genome sequence of Frankia sp. strain ACN1ag, a nitrogen-fixing actinobacterium isolated from the root nodules of Alnus glutinosa

Frankia strain ACN1ag is a member of Frankia lineage Ia, which are able to re-infect plants of the Betulaceae and Myricaceae families. Here, we report a 7.5-Mbp draft genome sequence with a G+C content of 72.35% and 5,687 candidate protein-encoding genes

Permanent draft genome sequences for two variants of Frankia sp. strain CpI1, the first Frankia strain isolated from root nodules of Comptonia peregrina

Frankia stains CpI1-S and CpI1-P are members of Frankia lineage Ia that are able to reinfect plants of the Betulaceae and Myricaceae families. Here, we report two 7.6-Mbp draft genome sequences with 6,396 and 6,373 candidate protein-coding genes for CpI1-S and CpI1-P, respectively

A longitudinal evaluation of a project-based learning initiative in an engineering undergraduate programme

Project-based learning (PBL) is a well-known student-centred methodology for engineering design education. The methodology claims to offer a number of educational benefits. This paper evaluates the student perceptions of the initial and second offering of a first-year design unit at Griffith University in Australia. It builds on an earlier evaluation conducted after the initial offering of the unit. It considers the implementation of the recommended changes. Evaluations of the two offerings reveal that students (in both the initial and second offering) generally enjoyed the experience, but that the second offering was found to be a significantly more enjoyable learning experience. Students in the second offering also reported a significantly better understanding of what they needed to do for the design projects and where to find the requisite information. The oral presentation aspect of the initial and second offerings received the lowest satisfaction rating. The inclusion (and delivery) of the computer-aided drawing component of the unit is seen as a positive aspect by some students, but many others comment on it negatively. The best aspects of the PBL unit and those aspects needing further improvement were similar to the findings of other investigations documented in the literature

Wormhole Cosmology and the Horizon Problem

We construct an explicit class of dynamic lorentzian wormholes connecting Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) spacetimes. These wormholes can allow two-way transmission of signals between spatially separated regions of spacetime and could permit such regions to come into thermal contact. The cosmology of a network of early Universe wormholes is discussed.Comment: 13 pages, in RevTe