From Huckleberry Finn to The Shawshank Redemption: Race and the American Imagination in the Biracial Escape Film

In a Los Angeles Times review of Stephen King’s tetralogy of novellas, Different Seasons (1982), Kenneth Atchity offers what has become almost a cliché of high praise: “To find the secret of his success, you have to compare King to Twain…. King’s stories tap the roots of myth buried in all our minds.”  To approach Mark Twain, it is suggested, is to approach something truly universal or at least something quintessentially American. H. L. Mencken echoes the sentiments of some of the most influe..

Deleterious effect of suboptimal diet on rest-activity cycle in Anastrepha ludens manifests itself with age.

Activity patterns and sleep-wake cycles are among the physiological processes that change most prominently as animals age, and are often good indicators of healthspan. In this study, we used the video-based high-resolution behavioral monitoring system (BMS) to monitor the daily activity cycle of tephritid fruit flies Anastrepha ludens over their lifetime. Surprisingly, there was no dramatic change in activity profile with respect to age if flies were consistently fed with a nutritionally balanced diet. However, if flies were fed with sugar-only diet, their activity profile decreased in amplitude at old age, suggesting that suboptimal diet affected activity patterns, and its detrimental effect may not manifest itself until the animal ages. Moreover, by simulating different modes of behavior monitoring with a range of resolution and comparing the resulting conclusions, we confirmed the superior performance of video-based monitoring using high-resolution BMS in accurately representing activity patterns in an insect model

Development of Lead Free Energy Absorber for Space Shuttle Blast Container

The Space Shuttle is connected to the mobile launch platform (MLP) by four aft skirt hold down studs on each solid rocket booster (SRB). Prior to lift-off, the frangible nuts inside the aft skirt blast containers are severed into two nut halves by two pyrotechnic booster cartridges. This action releases the Space Shuttle and allows the hold down studs to eject through the aft skirt bore and then down into the MLP. USBI has been tasked to upgrade the blast container for two specific reasons: (1) To eliminate lead for environmental concerns, and (2) To reduce the chance of nut recontact with the holddown stud. Nut recontact with the stud has been identified as a likely contributor to stud hang-ups. This upgrade will replace the lead liner with a unique open cell aluminum foam material, that has commercial and military uses. The aluminum foam used as an energy absorber is a proven design in many other aerospace/defense applications. Additional benefits of using the open cell, energy absorbent aluminum foam in place of the solid lead liner are: (A) Lead handling/exposure and possible contamination, along with hazardous waste disposal, will be eliminated; (B) Approximately 200 lbs. weight savings will be contributed to each Space Shuttle flight by using aluminum foam instead of lead; (C) The new aluminum liner is designed to catch all shrapnel from frangible nuts, thus virtually eliminating chance of debris exiting the HDP and causing potential damage to the vehicle; and (D) Using the lighter aluminum liner instead of lead, allows for easier assembly and disassembly of blast container elements, which also improves safety, operator handling, and the efficiency of operations

What Counts in Brain Aging? Design-Based Stereological Analysis of Cell Number

The advent and implementation of new design-based stereological techniques allows the quantification of cell number without the assumptions required when obtaining areal densities. These new techniques are rapidly becoming the standard for quantifying cell number, particularly in aging studies. Recently, studies using stereological techniques have failed to confirm earlier findings regarding age-associated neural loss. This newly emerging view of retained cell number during aging is having a major impact on biogerontology, prompting revaluation of long-standing hypotheses of age-related cell loss as causal for age-related impairments in brain functioning. Rather than focus on neuronal loss as the end-result of a negative cascade of neuronal injury, research has begun to consider that age-related behavioral declines may reflect neuronal dysfunction (e.g., synaptic or receptor loss, signal transduction deficits) instead of neuronal death. Here we discuss design-based stereology in the context of age-related change in brain cell number and its impact on consideration of structural change in brain aging. Emergence of this method of morphometries, however, can have relevance to many areas of gerontological researc

Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor and Method for Continually Sensing Changes in a Structure

A sensor has a plurality of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based conductors operatively positioned on a substrate. The conductors are arranged side-by-side, such as in a substantially parallel relationship to one another. At least one pair of spaced-apart electrodes is coupled to opposing ends of the conductors. A portion of each of the conductors spanning between each pair of electrodes comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged end-to-end and substantially aligned along an axis. Because a direct correlation exists between resistance of a carbon nanotube and carbon nanotube strain, changes experienced by the portion of the structure to which the sensor is coupled induce a change in electrical properties of the conductors

Water-Based Pressure-Sensitive Paints

Water-based pressure-sensitive paints (PSPs) have been invented as alternatives to conventional organic-solvent-based pressure-sensitive paints, which are used primarily for indicating distributions of air pressure on wind-tunnel models. Typically, PSPs are sprayed onto aerodynamic models after they have been mounted in wind tunnels. When conventional organic-solvent-based PSPs are used, this practice creates a problem of removing toxic fumes from inside the wind tunnels. The use of water-based PSPs eliminates this problem. The waterbased PSPs offer high performance as pressure indicators, plus all the advantages of common water-based paints (low toxicity, low concentrations of volatile organic compounds, and easy cleanup by use of water)