bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐ApoA‐I IgG antibodies are not associated with carotid artery disease progression and first‐time cardiovascular events in middle‐aged individuals
Authors: Lagerstedt J. O. , Dalla‐Riva J. , Marinkovic G. , Del Giudice R. , Engelbertsen D. , Burlin J. , Petrlova J. , Lindahl M. , Bernfur K. , Melander O. , Nilsson J. , Schiopu A.
Published: July 2018

Objective

IgG antibodies against apolipoprotein A‐I (ApoA‐I) have been found to be elevated in subjects from the general population with clinically manifest cardiovascular disease and in myocardial infarction patients with an adverse prognosis. Here, we investigated whether these antibodies are prospectively associated with carotid artery disease progression and with the risk for first‐time cardiovascular events in individuals with no previous history of cardiovascular disease.

Approach and results

We selected 383 subjects from the cardiovascular cohort of Malmö Diet and Cancer study who suffered a coronary event during a median follow‐up period of 15.4 (10.3–16.4) years and 395 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. None of the study participants had a previous history of coronary artery disease or stroke. Anti‐ApoA‐I IgG were measured by ELISA in serum samples collected at baseline. Intima‐media thickness (IMT) was measured in the common carotid artery and in the carotid bifurcation at baseline and after 15.9 (±1.5) years. We found no associations between anti‐ApoA‐I IgG and carotid artery IMT at baseline or with IMT progression during follow‐up. In Cox proportional hazards analyses adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the hazard ratio (HR 95%CI) for the primary outcome, incident coronary events, was 0.97 (0.75–1.25), P = 0.782, in subjects with anti‐ApoA‐I IgG within the highest tertile compared with the lowest tertile. Similarly, we did not find any associations with the secondary outcome, incident first‐time stroke.

Conclusions

Serum autoantibodies against ApoA‐I do not correlate with disease progression and adverse events in cardiovascular disease‐free individuals from the general population.
Fronto‐Insular Connectivity during Pain Distraction Is Impaired in Patients with Somatoform Pain
Authors: Stankewitz Anne , Sorg Christian , von Kalckreuth Alexander , Schulz Enrico , Valet Michael , Neufang Susanne , Zimmer Claus , Henningsen Peter , Gündel Harald , Wohlschläger Afra M. , Tölle Thomas R.
Published: July 2018

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Somatoform pain disorder is characterized by chronic pain and various psychological symptoms including increased attention to mental and physical processes. Given that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the default mode network (DMN) and the anterior insula of the salience network are critically involved in intrinsic and attentional processes, we investigated the involvement of these networks during the distraction from physical pain in somatoform pain patients.

METHODS

During painful and nonpainful heat stimulation, attentional distraction from physical processes was modulated with a Stroop task. Thirteen patients were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and compared to 13 controls. Main outcomes were spatial maps of coherent fMRI activity based on independent component analysis and functional connectivity (FC) resulting from psychophysiological interaction analysis.

RESULTS

Behavioral pain intensity ratings were reduced during the distraction task in both groups. At brain level, we found deviant network activities in the DMN (particularly in the mPFC) and in the salience network (bilaterally in the anterior insula) in patients. During pain stimulation, Stroop‐induced distraction decreased the FC between the mPFC and anterior insula in controls but not in patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Modulating the FC between the mPFC and the insula may be highly relevant for shifting the attention away from external stimuli, including nociceptive input. The observed alterations in somatoform pain patients may foster new strategies in cognitive behavioral training tools for these patients.
Immunoexpression of calcitonin and glucocorticoid receptors in central giant cell lesions of the jaws
Authors: Batista Severo Mara Luana , Lopes Maria Luiza Diniz de Sousa , Miguel Márcia Cristina da Costa , Germano Adriano Rocha , Nogueira Renato Luiz Maia , Turatti Eveline , Cavalcante Roberta Barroso , da Silveira Éricka Janine Dantas
Published: July 2018

Background

This study analyzed the immunoexpression of calcitonin receptor (CTR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in central giant cell lesions (CGCLs) and verified potential associations with patient's response to clinical treatment with intralesional injection of triamcinolone.

Materials and methods

Fifty‐four cases of CGCLs, including 22 non‐aggressive, and 32 aggressive, were investigated by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Surgery was the therapeutic choice for 53.1% of the aggressive CGCLs, and 46.9% were submitted to the conservative treatment with intralesional triamcinolone injections. Among patients submitted to conservative treatment, 60% (n = 9) showed favorable response. CTR expression was observed in 68.51%, and GR in 94.44% of the total sample. There were no differences in the expression of CTR, neither GR in mononucleated stromal cells (MSCs) or multinucleated giant cells (MGCs), in relation to aggressiveness, treatment performed for and the response to conservative treatment. Both markers showed a positive correlation between their expression in MSCs and MGCs in the total sample (P < 0.0001). CTR expression on MSCs showed a positive correlation with MGCs in the aggressive and non‐aggressive groups (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Calcitonin receptor and GR expression were diffuse and similar in non‐aggressive and aggressive cases, and it did not influence the response to clinical treatment with triamcinolone in the sample studied.
Clinical value of Naa10p and CEA levels in saliva and serum for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Zheng Jun , Sun Lichun , Yuan Wumei , Xu Jiang , Yu Xinle , Wang Fazhan , Sun Lisha , Zeng Yan
Published: July 2018

Background

N‐α‐acetyltransferase 10 protein (Naa10p) is a potential prognostic biomarker that modulates the phenotypes of several cancer types. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is currently the most well‐known biomarker for the detection of epithelial malignancies. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical value of Naa10p, CEA, and their combined detection for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Methods

This study included 202 individuals: 112 patients with OSCC, 30 patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPMLs), and 60 cancer‐free and without OPML patients as control. Naa10p and CEA were determined in serum and saliva samples utilizing enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays.

Results

Salivary and serum levels of Naa10p and CEA in OSCC patients were significantly higher than those detected in OPML and the control groups, although patients with OPMLs also showed increased salivary and serum Naa10p and CEA levels as compared to the control group. Salivary Naa10p level in OSCC patients is correlated with the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis, and serum Naa10p level is specifically correlated with patient age. Additionally, salivary CEA level is correlated with the clinical stage and lymph node metastasis, whereas serum CEA level is correlated with lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of combined detection were greater than any single detection.

Conclusions

Combined use of salivary Naa10p and CEA as tumor markers for OSCC was more sensitive than serum Naa10p and CEA. These results indicated that combined detection of salivary Naa10p and CEA improved diagnostic performance and early detection rate for OSCC.
Suitability of a Mobile Phone Colorimeter Application for Use as an Objective Aid when Matching Skin Color during the Fabrication of a Maxillofacial Prosthesis
Authors: Mulcare Daniel C. , Coward Trevor J.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Color matching a facial prosthesis to human skin is very challenging. Colorimeters aid this process by adding objectivity to what is an otherwise subjective procedure. Mobile phone colorimeter applications offer a less expensive and widely available alternative to dedicated colorimeter devices for color measurement. There is a lack of evidence in the literature regarding the suitability of mobile phone colorimeter applications for the development of silicone shades for facial prosthetics. The purpose of this study is to determine the suitability of a mobile phone colorimeter application for matching natural skin colors during the fabrication of maxillofacial prostheses.

Materials and Methods

Ten pigmented maxillofacial silicone elastomer swatches were fabricated to mimic a range of human skin tones. Color measurements of these swatches were recorded using a test instrument—the mobile phone colorimeter application (RGB Colorimeter) and a reference instrument—the commercially available skin color measurement device e‐skin spectrocolorimeter. Comparisons in trueness and precision of the color measurements were made using previously described methods. Data analysis was performed on the recorded results for each of the parameters at three distances (25, 30, and 35 mm) of the test instrument from the target against both a black and a white background.

Results

The trueness of the mobile phone colorimeter application relative to the colorimeter device varied depending on the distance from the target and the background color. The relative trueness of the color difference measurements fell just within the documented upper threshold of acceptable limits of color difference (∆E 3.0 – 4.4). The calculated precision of the CIE L*a*b* and ∆E measurements of the mobile phone colorimeter application was good, with the latter being well within the documented acceptable limits.

Conclusions

A mobile phone colorimeter application would be a suitable aid in objectifying the process of color matching a silicone maxillofacial prosthesis. Further investigation into image calibration to improve trueness and the control of variables such as background noise, uniformity of illumination, and measuring distance is required.
Rectal administration of metronidazole with and without rectal evacuation prior to use in horses
Authors: Stein Freya , Gilliam Lyndi , Davis Jennifer , Taylor Jared
Published: July 2018

In a randomized crossover design study, 10 adult horses were administered crushed metronidazole tablets rectally at 20 mg/kg. Horses' rectums were either evacuated (E) or not evacuated (NE) of manure prior to the administration of the drug. Serum samples were taken over 24 hr and plasma concentrations were determined via high pressure liquid chromatography. At 15 min post‐administration, group E had a significantly higher plasma concentration (p = 0.027), but there were no concentration differences at any other time points. There was large variability in relative bioavailability in theNEgroup, with a median of 86.7%. Based on our results, there is no advantage to manually evacuating a horse's rectum prior to rectal administration of metronidazole. Further study at higher dosages as well as examination of clinical efficacy is warranted.
Female labor supply, fertility rebounds, and economic development
Authors: Yakita Akira
Published: July 2018

We show that a fertility rebound can occur as the female wage rate rises concomitantly with economic development. Under plausible conditions, capital accumulation raises the marginal product of labor and hence the female wage rate. Unless the economy is trapped in a lower equilibrium, the fertility rate starts to decline at a certain level of the female wage rate and then turns upward at a higher wage level, presenting a fertility rebound. For such fertility rebounds to appear without policy intervention, the availability of external child care at high female wage rates is crucially important. The external child‐care price must be lower at high female wage rates. Otherwise the fertility rate might continue to decline.
Modesty can promote trust: Evidence from China
Authors: Ma Fengling , Heyman Gail D. , Xiao Li , Xu Fen , Compton Brian J. , Lee Kang
Published: July 2018

When people let others know about their accomplishments, they can improve their social standing, but doing so may also have a cost, especially within social environments in which there is great emphasis on the value of modesty. One particular downside of self‐promotion, the risk of being seen as untrustworthy, was examined among children in China. Across three studies, children ranging in age from 7 to 11 years (total N = 251) judged the trustworthiness of protagonists who exhibited either modesty or immodesty. In Study 1, protagonists who told lies in the service of modesty were judged as more trustworthy than those who told lies to avoid getting into trouble. In Study 2, protagonists who demonstrated modesty were rated as trustworthy, but those who demonstrated immodesty were not. Study 3 showed that the positive implications of modesty for trust are specific to downplaying one’s own accomplishments and do not extend to downplaying the accomplishments of a peer. Taken together, the results suggest that for children in China, the level of modesty serves as a cue about which people can be trusted.
Examination of Some Physical Fitness and Motor Skill Parameters of Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents
Authors: Arslan Fatma
Published: July 2018

The aim of this study was to analyze the importance of some physical fitness and motor skills for children between 11-13 years at elementary school. A total of 114 primary school children participated as volunteers with a means age of 10.80 ± 0,40 for 5th grade and 12.83 ± 0,38 for 7th grade.In this study, some motor tests were used to detect differences between pre-adolescence and adolescence on male and female. These tests were respectively: for dynamic balance “The Star excursion balance test”, for the agility “T-test”, “V sit and reach” for flexibility test and for explosive strength a “20 m run (0.1s)”. Besides, physical fitness features were taken as height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR).The results of the flexibility showed that the female children had better performances in the 5th grade than those in the 7th grade children (p<0,005). In addition, it was determined that the dynamic balance performance values of the 7th grade female and male children were better than the 5th grade(p<0,005). There were significant differences in agility and explosive strength between the 7th grade female and male children(p<0,005). It was observed that there was an increase in agility, speed and dynamic equilibrium performance data especially from the age of 11 in parallel with growth and development. Especially from this period, it was thought that it was possible to develop motor skills and performance parameters with some sports applications and training.
On a purely inseparable analogue of the Abhyankar conjecture for affine curves
Authors: Otabe Shusuke
Published: July 2018

Let$U$be an affine smooth curve defined over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic. The Abhyankar conjecture (proved by Raynaud and Harbater in 1994) describes the set of finite quotients of Grothendieck’s étale fundamental group$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{1}^{\acute{\text{e}}\text{t}}(U)$. In this paper, we consider a purely inseparable analogue of this problem, formulated in terms of Nori’s profinite fundamental group scheme$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}^{N}(U)$, and give a partial answer to it.
Fixing a Boiler with CFD
Authors: Parker Kevin
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on carryover at a paper mill that had been solved using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to visualize flow within the boiler. Technicians had tried adjusting airflow and firing arrangements without success. They turned the problem over to analysts who simulated the airflow within the boiler using CFD. An animated sequence of streamlines showing airflow provided engineers with a clear understanding of exactly what was happening inside the boiler, making it relatively easy to adjust operating conditions and solve the problem. McDermott analysts use FIELDVIEW, a commercial post-processing program from Intelligent Light in Lyndhurst, NJ. With the software, the analyst can create three-dimensional perspective views with hidden-line removal and light shading. She or He can trace the path of a marker traveling along with the fluid through a series of animated views. The analysts made a second FIELDVIEW movie of the airflow conditions with the new arrangement, showing the elimination of the center core. They played the two movies simultaneously on two monitors set side-by-side to demonstrate for the customer’s engineers how the recommended changes would solve the problem.
Flexible Automation on the Line
Authors: Paula Greg
Published: July 2018

This article discusses developments in flexible automation in the automobile industry. As industry demands growing emphasis on agility, the need for systems with flexibility at scales is becoming critical. Flexible automation is an operational response to this need. Traditional automation systems were extremely limited in scope. Each would do a single task very well over and over again but had little or no ability to adapt to any other task. Although developments in hardware have made automation more flexible, software tends to be the more critical aspect of the system. Much of the flexibility of today’s system comes from the reprogrammability of devices such as tools and material-handling equipment. The area in which flexible automation is most pervasive is the automotive industry. This industry not only has a great need for automation systems but also has the budget to afford such expensive and elaborate systems.
A Next-Generation Reactor
Authors: Valenti Michael
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that Electricité de France’s (EDF) N4 nuclear technology has increased European standards of power, efficiency, and safety beyond previous limits. EDF, the Paris-based French national utility, has developed and is operating the N4 reactor, capable of generating 1450 megawatts, at its power plant in Chooz. The N4 was designed to put public safety concerns to rest while providing more power than the previous generation of 1,300-megawatt EDF reactors. This installation represents the next step in French, European, and possibly the world’s nuclear power. Chooz A began operations in 1967 as the first pressurized water reactor (PWR) in France, originally based on the 185-megawatt synchronized PWR Yankee Rowe plant in Massachusetts. Typical reactor safety systems analyze a problem after it occurs. Such a procedure involves painstaking historical, reconstruction that is time-consuming, often difficult to interpret, and less reliable as time passes.
The Heart of Microsurgery
Authors: Salisbury J. Kenneth
Published: July 2018

This article highlights an important milestone in medical history that was achieved when surgeons performed a delicate operation to repair a valve in a patient’s heart. During the procedure, the patient’s defective valve was trimmed and reconstructed. The operation was remarkable not because of what it accomplished—many thousands of patients have undergone heart-valve repair—but because of how it was done. During much of the complex procedure, the surgeon’s hands never entered or touched the patient’s body. Master-slave manipulators and telerobots are a special breed of robot-one in which the human is directly in the control loop commanding the robot’s actions. Telerobots are a modern version of master-slave manipulator technology, which has been used successfully in critical applications for more than four decades. The Intuitive system and others like it mark the beginning of a potentially huge wave of surgical applications for telerobots. With the assistance of surgical telerobots, surgeons will extend their healing skills to places within the body that are currently out of reach.
A New Frontier in Engineering
Authors: Goldin Daniel S. , Venneri Samuel L. , Noor Ahmed K.
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that an intelligent synthesis environment will dramatically change the tools and processes used to design future aerospace systems. Recent missions have achieved significant successes, but traditional-mission synthesis approaches, sequential design, and manufacturing processes are clearly inadequate to achieve these goals in the long term. Dramatic changes are needed in how missions are synthesized and in how aerospace systems are designed, produced, operated, maintained, and disposed of. The intelligent-synthesis-environment (ISE) concept being developed by NASA, the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Computational Technology at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, is an attempt to meet the needs and challenges of tomorrow’s aerospace systems. Researchers need to address a number of fundamental issues, including human factors, group and team dynamics, information security, and the costs and benefit of ISE facilities and tools in various categories of applications.
Converting from Steam to Gas
Authors: Valenti Michael
Published: July 2018

This article reviews how some factory managers are reducing energy and maintenance costs by replacing their aging steam systems with natural-gas-fired heating units. The benefits of lower energy bills and greater energy efficiency are obvious, but switching from steam to gas heating can also increase worker comfort, boosting morale and productivity. Such bonuses have been gained recently at a CF&I Steel L.P. works in Pueblo, Colo., and a Chrysler Corp. engine facility in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The process of switching to gas can reduce maintenance costs, because gas systems have an inherently less troublesome design than steam-distributed piping systems. A major advantage of infrared h eating systems is that they can provide the same degree of comfort at lower energy costs than conventional forced-air systems and boiler systems such as CF&I’s. Each group of five heaters in the CF&I machine shop was placed in a single thermostat system with a 24-hour timer as an additional measure to ensure efficiency.
Crush Simulation of Cars with FEA
Authors: Bathe Klaus-Jürgen
Published: July 2018

This article illustrates that while crash analyses have been carried out with success, a crush analysis is much more difficult to achieve. In a crash analysis, the inertia effects smooth out the nonlinearities and deficiencies in the solution algorithms. In a crush test, it takes about 10 to 30 seconds to crush the car to the required maximum displacement of the steel plate. Since the critical time step for explicit time integration in a crash code is on the order of microseconds, millions of time steps must be used to perform the analysis in a physically correct manner. With sufficient numerical experimentation, involving changes to the load application speed and perhaps to other parameters, LSDYNA results can be obtained that would match laboratory test results, but such experimentation requires a lot of time and computational effort. A solution that corresponds to the actual physical conditions and is computationally efficient is much more desirable. Such a computed solution is given above for a Ford Taurus model. The calculated crush results obtained with ADINA using implicit integration compare favorably with the laboratory test results.
Bringing Dashboards Up-to-date
Authors: Deitz Dan
Published: July 2018

This article illustrates tests in a digital laboratory that helped engineers ensure that a critical bracket would support the plastic-molded models increasingly favored by consumers. A case in point is Coachmen Recreational Vehicle Co. of Middlebury, IN. Coachmen engineers have used finite element analysis software from Pittsburgh-based Algor Inc. to test an innovative new dashboard under loading conditions experienced by a recreational vehicle (RV) while on the road. Coachmen Recreational Vehicle Co. designs and manufactures RVs, including motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and truck campers for sale primarily in the United States and Canada. Coachmen recently introduced its Sportscoach model motorhome, a contemporary, affordable vehicle with an aerodynamic design and more features and ergonomic considerations than any other Coachmen product. The Industrial Designers Society of America awarded its 1998 bronze Industrial Design Excellence Award in the transportation category to the Coachmen Sportscoach, which was judged on its design innovation, user benefits, ecological responsibility, aesthetics, and appeal.
Taking Earth’s Temperature
Authors: Carrabine Laura
Published: July 2018

This article discusses that starting in 2001, scientists will be able to use the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) to obtain data on the effects of global warming at the north and south poles. GLAS includes a laser system to measure distance, a device to receive signals from Global Positioning System satellites, and a star-tracker altitude-determination system. The laser will transmit four-nanosecond pulses of infrared light at a wavelength of 1064 nanometers and visible (green) light at 532 nm. FEMAP's graphic capabilities allow scientists to provide general views of our finite-element models, animated mode shapes, and 3D assembly views of projects we are working on, such as GLAS.
Using Shearography to Find the Flaws
Authors: Toh Siew-Lok , Chau Fook-Siong
Published: July 2018

This article highlights warning signs that a composite panel may be delaminating or thinning, but engineers have a powerful nondestructive testing tool in shearography. This is a laser interferometric method developed originally for full-field observation of surface strains of components. Flaws usually induce strain concentrations around them, and shearography can be employed to detect those flaws. A relatively new variation, digital speckle-shearing interferometry (DSSI), uses a charged-coupled device (CCD) camera and computer image processing to capture and process the interferometric fringe patterns. The digital version is faster than conventional shearography, and does not require any film or Fourier filtering. The main advantages of digital speckle shearing interferometer are the ease and speed with which fringe patterns can be obtained.
Fluid Modeling vs. Pollution
Authors: Liever Peter A. , Smith Clifford E. , Meyers Geoffrey D.
Published: July 2018

This article reviews how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis provides an enhanced understanding of a low-emission combustion system. When AlliedSignal Engines in Phoenix wanted its ASE40 industrial gas turbine to meet tough new standards for nitrogen oxide emissions, the company decided to try a design that injected water into the combustion zone so the system would burn cooler. AlliedSignal combined full-scale engine tests and computer models to study the effect of water injection on the ASE40. CFD provided detailed flow field information not available from engine tests. This information allowed engineers to verify the effectiveness of the numerous design changes made in axial air swirlers, mixing jets, and cooling flows. Work is also in progress on a dual-fuel system with water injection, using the same gas/water manifold and combustor. Oil fuel will be introduced through the original water circuit, with water being introduced into the gas side. This system will be distributed for the European market by AlliedSignal’s partner, Motoren-und Turbinen-Union (MTU) of Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The Blacksmith's Motor
Authors: Wicks Frank
Published: July 2018

This article illustrates engineering developments by a self-educated but impoverished blacksmith in Forestdale, Vermont, named Thomas Davenport. Thomas Davenport, inventor of the electric motor, was a self-educated blacksmith with a passion for reading. Davenport's model of an electric train is described in this article. The circular track is 4 feet in diameter. Power was supplied from a stationary battery to the moving electric locomotive, using the rails as conductors for the electricity. Soon after he learned of the Henry magnet, Davenport travelled the 25 miles to Crown Point on a horse to witness the wonders of magnetic lifting power. In one of the incidence, Davenport mounted one magnet on a wheel; the other magnet was fixed to a stationary frame. The interaction between the two magnets caused the rotor to turn half a revolution. He learned that by reversing the wires to one of the magnets he could get the rotor to complete another half-turn. Davenport then devised what is now known as a brush and commutator. Fixed wires from the frame supplied current to a segmented conductor that supplied current to the rotor-mounted electromagnet. This provided an automatic reversal of the polarity of the rotor-mounted magnet twice per rotation, resulting in continuous rotation.
Seeking the Finer Light
Authors: Valenti Michael
Published: July 2018

Manufacturers, engineers, architects, and researchers are using the precision, speed, and noncontact processes and achieve more control. Riegl Laser Systems of Horn, Austria, designed its 3-D LMS-Z210 imaging scanner to generate 240,000 laser measurement points within 30 seconds to create highly accurate images of complex structures without the need for conventional surveying. The National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is designing a laser-based system to track the myriad of tools, materials, and equipment on construction sites. Riegl Laser Measurement designed its LMS-Z210 3-D Imaging Scanner to serve in three-dimensional measurement applications that are too complex for traditional theodolites to survey, including shipyards, quarries, vineyards, and crime scenes. Riegl USA expects to begin several projects using the 3-D scanner to continuously monitor bulk material piles in the wood and corn processing industries to improve process management and control.
Stirling Renewal
Authors: Morrison Gale
Published: July 2018

This article presents an analysis that shows refrigerators and generators that use an alternative thermodynamic cycle are a green engineering hotbed. Developers say that designs based on the Stirling cycle offer significant efficiencies, and Stirling-based refrigeration systems need no fluorocarbons. Stirling engines are being investigated for distributed electric power generation. That's because many see more efficient generation right where the user wants it, as an alternative to building more fossil fuel-burning plants and then constructing miles and miles of grid lines for transmission. According to experts, free-piston Stirling refrigeration has advantages over conventional Rankine refrigeration systems. Free-piston Stirling coolers operate efficiently at all levels of demand because they can modulate their capacity to match any requirement. Compared to actual average home refrigerators, the Global Cooling Stirling system can be expected to improve energy efficiency by more than 70 percent. One of the significant benefits that Stirling cycle engines hold over an internal combustion counterpart is their quieter operation.
Taking a Powder
Authors: Irving Robert
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on the use of laser in conjunction with metal powder. The use of the laser in conjunction with metal powder could be regarded as an extension of rapid prototyping, which has involved plastic parts almost exclusively. However, terms such as ‘direct metal fabrication’ and ‘rapid manufacturing’ suggest that developers have much more ambitious goals in mind for powder metals. Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in Fort Worth, Texas, is operating a research facility based on the laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process on the same factory floor where the F-16 fighter is assembled for the US Air Force. Optomec Design Co. in Albuquerque builds machines for use with the LENS process. Tests of Sandia National Laboratories' laser engineered net shaping process take place in a tank at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems. Much can be done in direct metal fabrication to improve the thermal conductivity of tooling for injection molding and die casting. The result can be increases in cycle times of as much as 80 percent.
The Hunt for Compact Power
Authors: Sharke Paul
Published: July 2018

This article explains features of a ship propulsion motor with superconducting coils that hushes machinery noise and hollows out confined engine rooms. American Superconductor Corp. of Westborough, MA, announced plans to build a high-capacity manufacturing plant for its superconducting wire. This will move the company’s high temperature superconductor (HTS), wire from a developmental phase into large-scale production. IPS is exploring more than just propulsion motor technology. Engineers are evaluating the entire shipboard electrical system, from ship’s service power, to dc distribution, to power electronics—as well as the propulsion motor itself. The Navy, having decided upon electric drive for its next warship, has left the door open for superconducting motors. Superconducting motors can develop the same torque and horsepower within a motor frame that is nearly a third the size of a comparably rated conventional motor. The main factor leading to an HTS motor’s smaller size for a given horsepower output is the magnetic field strength that superconducting magnets create. Iron teeth, used to enhance magnetic flux in conventional rotors and stators, are not needed by superconducting motors.
Infrared Recycler
Authors: DeGaspari John
Published: July 2018

Salyp N.V., an automotive recycling company in Eiper, Belgium, has developed a mechanical sorting system whose purpose is to recover the mixed thermoplastic portion of automotive shredder residue. Salyp is marketing franchises of its recycling technology to automotive shredders worldwide. The company also envisions an End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Foundation, in which auto shredder customers and other interested groups, including government agencies, will help to establish standards for thermoplastics that are reclaimed from auto-shredder residue. Yet the company must overcome a tough hurdle if it’s going to sell its idea to the estimated 200 auto shredders that do business in the United States. A specific section within the law prohibits the manufacture, processing, use or reuse, or distribution in commerce of printed circuit boards (PCB). Salyp plans to combine its thermoplastic sorting system with a system developed by Argonne Lab for the recycling of polyurethane foam. Foam is the third material stream, after metal oxides and thermoplastics, in the initial sorting of shredder waste.
Renaissance Technologist
Authors: Wolcott Barbara
Published: July 2018

This article observes that in the present competitive world, it is important for an engineer to be adaptable, entrepreneurial, and versatile. According to a private marketing consultant in Cambria, CA, Vicki Clift, ‘Engineers must consider themselves self-employed no matter where they work, or for whom.’ Clift strongly urges engineers to develop cross-industry interests, suggesting that a space engineer can move to medical instruments. Clift recommends that people ‘cross pollinate,’ for instance, by taking ideas from the medical industry that could apply to aerospace. He suggests compiling a list of five or so people and meeting with them on a regular basis. One large contributing factor for the change in employment is the result of an even greater change in the way large contracts are bid today. The state of Oregon recognized the importance of teaming when it established a grant program called Flexible Networks to help businesses form alliances for new markets and opportunities for growth.
Fact Fest
Authors: Thilman Jean
Published: July 2018

The latest methods in data acquisition provide engineers with stronger support than ever to make more informed decisions. Data acquisition is the process of making repetitive, timed measurements of multiple signal sources. The robotics team at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories builds a computerized model of robotic parts, such as robotic arm, and then runs a series of data acquisition tests on a prototype to determine how the arm will move. The robotic arm was constructed after engineers ran data acquisition tests on a prototype to learn how it would react to forces from the arm and from the human controlling the robot. Those results were considered when programming the robotic arm. Some companies use data acquisition methods to determine if it makes economic sense to implement a project. Data acquisition boards measure signals like friction, as measured here, and provide feedback that appears as numbers and wave measurements on the computer screen. Results can be downloaded to another software package, which displays the hard data as waves or graphs for analysis.
Trimming in a Snap
Authors: DeGaspari John
Published: July 2018

This article emphasizes on the use of thermoplastics in engines. One case in point is a reinforced nylon multifunctional module involving three components—air intake manifold, cam cover, and design cover-on the Alfa Romeo 156 engine. The project was a collaboration of Rhodia Engineering Plastics of France, Robert Bosch GmbH of Germany, and Magneti Marelli S.p.A. of Italy, system supplier for Fiat, which manufactures the Alfa Romeo. The article also shows an example where an under-the-hood reinforced nylon module on the Alfa Romeo 156 engine saved weight, allowed part integration, and incorporated a snap-fit assembly technique. According to an expert, the nylon also made possible more efficient assembly techniques. The air intake manifold, for example, is assembled using snap-fits, eliminating the need for welding or screw. The part provides high dimensional stability, good heat distortion temperature, and resistance to oils.
Hotfoot for the Iron Horse
Authors: Baumgartner Henry
Published: July 2018

Attempts are under way to bring US rail service into the 21st century. A range of initiatives that may spark further advances in the US rail system are under way in the United States and abroad. Amtrak’s new Acela Express is scheduled to go into service this summer in the Northeast Corridor. It is expected to achieve a speed of 150 mph. Freshly arrived at Philadelphia’s Penn Coach Yards, the Acela Express power car is unwrapped and inspected. The covering of the nose has been pushed up, revealing the engine underneath. Amtrak, which hopes its new high-speed service will finally nudge it into the black, has ambitious plans to start high-speed services in other areas of the country. The US Department of Transportation has designated several corridors where economic factors and local political support seem to indicate a chance of success.
Envisioning the Outcome
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on the importance of virtual reality in computer-created environment. The ability that CAD software grants us to see how an end product will look long before it is machined is a form of virtual reality. The moving forward toward more and more advanced computer capabilities means that engineers can expect to use their computers to be able to visualize the final outcome of a design or project much earlier in the process. Obviously, the ability to see an object three-dimensionally as an engineer designs it is a boon over two-dimensional rendering. Soon technology may add another sensation to the design process—the ability of an engineer to feel the object as he or she creates it, although the object exists only on a computer screen. This is called haptic technology. The ability to translate hard numbers and complex mathematical formulas into something that looks like a human version of reality is upon us. The ability to touch that computerized version is quickly approaching.
Otto or Not, Here it Comes
Authors: Sharke Paul
Published: July 2018

This article highlights the new ignition schemes for Otto cycle engines that seem to be bound for extinction. Ever since Nicolaus Otto demonstrated the first working four-stroke engine in 1876, engineers have been struggling to come up with ways to sidestep a fundamental limitation of an otherwise stellar design. The reciprocating engine is capable of generating high pressure with reliable sealing, but the volume swept out by the piston has had to remain fixed. Small engines use less internal reciprocating mass than large ones, so the energy to overcome friction decreases as size drops. Small engines are lighter than big ones, too. By recirculating exhaust gases back into the combustion chamber, however, Mitsubishi uses the exhaust to reduce NOx. Because the air-to-fuel ratio is so high, the exhaust gases, which normally hinder combustion, can be as much as 70 percent of the cylinder volume. At the same time, Mitsubishi uses a lean NOx catalytic converter.
Kicking the OPEC Habit
Authors: Valenti Michael
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that major offshore oil and gas projects may help North America reduce its dependence on the oil cartel. When members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut their production by 4 million barrels per day from March 1999 to March 2000, they tripled oil prices, from $11 to $33 per barrel. The combination of higher gasoline, diesel, and heating oil prices led President Clinton and Congress to pressure the OPEC countries to increase their production. Spar technology has been used for 25 years for loading buoys and storage vessels. The spar is a floating system, basically a cylinder on end that maintains its position with mooring lines sunk into the seabed. Many offshore oilfields are beyond the reach of underwater pipelines. This is an opportunity seized by SOFEC Inc. in Houston. Since 1972, the company, a subsidiary of the FMC Corp., has designed equipment to support floating production storage and offloading systems. These systems consist of a floating platform, basically a moored ship-shaped vessel, equipped to accept oil and gas from a drilling system on the sea bed.
Walkabout in Another World
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article discusses that virtual reality can be expected to be the next big thing in product design and prototype, especially for products too small to be seen with the naked eye. Virtual reality will be new technology for engineering, according to many companies. Virtual reality applications could become commonplace as soon as five years down the road. By using virtual reality systems, designers touch a stylus or pen to manipulate a three-dimensional image. They get their hands on tiny sensing devices, the way you would tinker under the hood of a car. They can still determine, through the system’s visualization and animation capabilities, how the MEMS devices will function in their tiny world. Intersense of Burlington, MA, provides the motion-tracking sensors that literally track a user’s eyes and hand motions, to ensure the object they feel and manipulate in three dimensions matches the movements of their hands and eyes. It is this key piece of technology that allows users to interact in a three-dimensional environment the same way they move in their real environments.
Small-Scale Power
Authors: Hutchinson Harry
Published: July 2018

This article discusses that world-class manufacturers have been examining alternatives to the traditional energy market. Companies such as ABB in Zurich and Capstone Turbine Corp. in Chatsworth, CA, have been taking orders for installations of distributed generation plants running on natural gas. Capstone, which made its initial public offering this past summer, specializes in marketing microturbines for generating electricity. According to ABB, demand for alternative energy sources and distributed power generation—including wind farms, fuel cells, and small combined heat and power plants—is a rapidly growing market. This market has been sparked in large part by deregulation, which has forced power suppliers to put a higher priority on profitability. ABB has been working to build a reputation for concern over a number of sensitive issues, particularly protection of the environment and conservation of resources. ABB planned to build a power plant near the rural village of Broadclyst, which was also home to a number of articulate opponents who had a talent for organizing themselves.
Analyzing up Front
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that up-front computer-aided engineering (CAE) dramatically decreases product lead time. Up-front CAE entails vesting responsibility for performing finite element analysis tests and other analysis tests with the design engineers. The designers use specific software packages to analyze their first-stage designs. This way, they can easily change designs that do not pass analysis tests-such as vibration or stress tests-before passing them on to an analyst for in-depth study. Not every engineering company, however, is turning to up-front CAE even as it faces the need to get products to market faster. Some engineers, like Zlatko Penzar, find that their present analysis hierarchy works just fine. He is a senior engineer for the fuel systems division of Mannesmann in Dusseldorf, Germany, another auto components supplier. Engineering departments have to find their own answer to the relationship between designer and analyst. The important thing is that once an answer is agreed upon, it happens the same way every day. A working atmosphere that functions reliably and smoothly is really the key to successful product design.
Lost & Foundry
Authors: Sharke Paul
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on an ancient art form exhumed by modern engineering tools that makes hyperefficient gas turbines. IGT makers, such as GE, Siemens Westinghouse, and Alstom Power, use Howmet’s blades and vanes in the “hot sections” of their gas engines. Extreme inlet temperatures and the promise of greater efficiencies keep Howmet engineers seeking ways to implement advanced cooling designs, higher- temperature alloys, and stronger airfoils. Developing directionally solidified crystals was an important step in the improvement of turbine blade strength—one taken over 30 years ago. For directionally solidified casting, both the mold and the metal are kept at similar temperatures, around 2700 or 2800°F. Aside from the technological leaps that have been made in lost wax casting to produce ever larger, stronger, hotter, and more complex IGT components, it is still very much an elemental process.
The Quiet Rebellion
Authors: Rocchetti Michael J.
Published: July 2018

This article discusses Linux which is an emerging technology that will affect many mechanical engineers. Linux is a freely distributed, open-source Unix-like operating system, originally for PCs, but now available on other platforms. The Internet facilitated the collaborative effort that produced Linux—and so it is not surprising that the explosive growth of the Internet was also made possible by Linux. Linux would be a fantastic operating system for building automation systems and direct digital controls. One area where Linux really shines is Local Area Networking, using a program called Samba (which is included in almost all Linux distributions). The technical support for Linux is very good. Chances are very good that no matter where you are, there is a local Linux users group nearby where you can turn for help. These groups often have mailing lists that you can subscribe to, and post queries. Linux resources on the Internet are outstanding. Local users groups will occasionally have “install fests,” where you can get help installing Linux on your PC.