Companion Publication Research Articles

Demethylation of a model homogalacturonan with the salt-independent pectin methylesterase from citrus: Part II. Structure–function analysis

Non-calcium sensitive pectin (NCSP), with a 94% degree of methylation (DM) was demethylated at pH 4.5 and 7.5 using monocomponent citrus salt-independent pectin methylesterase (PME). In a companion publication [Cameron, R. G., Luzio, G. A., Goodner, K., & Williams, M. A. K. (2008). Demethylation of a model homogalacturonan with the salt-independent pectin methylesterase from citrus: I. Effect of pH on demethylated block size and distribution. Carbohydrate Polymers], average demethylated blocks size ( BS ¯ ), average number of demethylated blocks per molecule ( BN ¯ ) and enzyme mode of action were characterized for a series of pectins using a limited digest with endo-polygalacturonase (EPG) to release demethylated blocks (DMBs) from each demethylated pectin. Rheology and calcium sensitivity measurements, on the same series of pectins, are presented herein to relate BS ¯ and BN ¯ values to functional properties. For the pH 4.5 – 50% DM sample with an excised BS ¯ = 8.6 and BN ¯ = 3.9 , greater than 95% of the molecules appeared to be crosslinked with calcium ion and a storage modulus ( G′) value of 7.31 Pa was observed. For the pH 4.5 – 70% DM. The data indicated that for the pH 7.5 series, block number could be a limiting factor. The excised block size for the pH 7.5–60% DM sample was comparatively large at 12.2 compared to the pH 4.5 series. In contrast, block number of at least 2.0 appeared to be required before a significant level of calcium sensitivity was observed in the pH 7.5 series. Mixing the pH 4.5 – 70% DM sample with narrow-range size-classes of oligogalacturonic acids (OGalA) showed that small galacturonic acid oligomers with a degree of polymerization (DP) less than 13 could lower yield point (YP) and affect gelation, suggesting that even small excised DMBs need to be considered when relating pectin block size to functional properties.

Stability in Student and Teacher Characteristics in the First Ten Years: A Study of Small High Schools in New York City

Growing concern about the quality of public education in the United States has driven numerous educational reform efforts across the last three decades. These reforms include increased accountability as exemplified by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the introduction of new curriculum and instructional methods in response to the standards movement, and the redesign of American public high schools, including an increased focus on small learning communities. Several national foundations and city school systems have invested considerable resources in reducing school size as a way to improve poorly performing schools and revitalize urban high school systems. But while research has shown that small high schools may facilitate the creation of positive learning environments, urban school systems face a host of challenges — such as the transience of teacher and student populations — that may influence the implementation of this reform. Indeed, changes in student or teacher populations may affect small high school environments more intensely than larger schools, because of the interpersonal and interdependent nature of small schools (Wasley et al, 2000). Because most studies of small high schools are conducted with data from only a few school years, little is known about whether transience is an issue for small high schools, and how changes in student and teacher demographics may impact small high school operations or school development over time. The New York University Institute for Education and Social Policy (IESP) conducted a two-year mixed methods study to explore the process and outcomes of small high school development in New York City over the past decade. We examine how school-level student and teacher populations change over time in small New York City public high schools, the organizational and instructional practices that contribute to positive small school learning environments, and how changes in these populations over time may influence school practices. The results from these analyses are available in the companion publication, The Effectiveness of Small High Schools, 1994-95 to 2003-04. The current report focuses specifically on how student and teacher populations at these new high schools change from year to year as they develop during their first ten years. We anticipate that our findings will have important implications for how new small urban high schools are established and supported, as well as for the development of mechanisms to help new small high schools achieve the necessary stability.

Selling the Race: Culture, Community, and Black Chicago, 1940-1955 by Adam Green

174 Michigan Historical Review the local community chose to integrate various pieces of these traditions into aworking whole?a whole that clearly demonstrates the survival of many Ojibwa concepts and practices. Throughout the book Gray has rehed not only on examples from written sources but also on community interviews, excerpts of which appear in the text verbatim, including the questions she posed. While at times this makes for a choppy read, the clear voices that emerge from the text do much to support Gray's thesis of Ojibwa agency, reveahng a rich cultural and rehgious world. By the end of the book, I found myself disappointed that these interviews were not included in their entirety as an appendix, especially since Gray took pains to emphasize that the members of the Berens River community wanted their stories told. Although her distinction between syncretism and integration ultimately comes down to academic hairsphtting, the historical value of her work and the theological self determination she identified among Ojibwa converts are important and lasting contributions to the field, even if the political implications of these rehgious shifts deserve further exploration. Cary Miller University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee Adam Green. Selling the Race: Culture, Community, and Black Chicago, 1940 1955. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. Pp. 306. Bibliography. IUustrations. Index. Notes. Cloth, $35.00. The story of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and the rise of the civil rights movement iswell known, as is the role of the media, especially television news, in burning the image of the struggle for equality into the pubhc consciousness. Adam Green has assembled an effective argument that an overlapping, slighdy earher era also fostered the creation of another distinctively self-conscious version of African American culture on the national level by the mid-1950s. Self-awareness and pride among the black middle class did not grow out of protests and confrontations with police dogs; instead, it had to be created out of elements drawn from the media, from consumer culture, from efforts by the black political establishment, and from many other sources. And, Green argues, Chicago's black community played a special role in that national process. At the heart of Selling theRace is a series of vignettes, each of which reinforces an aspect of the author's argument. There is the American Book Reviews 175 Negro Exposition of 1940, a relatively unsuccessful effort to build upon the "celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the Civil War and blacks' official emancipation from slavery" (p. 20). Although it did evoke a growing interest in history, the exposition's shortcomings as a celebration of contemporary culture actually fostered more successful efforts at self-awareness elsewhere. Green then takes readers on a tour of Chicago's hvely music scene, including gospel, blues, and other African American genres. Music becomes a form of expression that emphasizes the common experience and self-image of its hsteners, paralleling the efforts of the printed word. In what are truly outstanding chapters, Green explores the stories of two media innovators. Founded in 1919, Claude Barnett's Associated Negro Press hnked together dozens of newspapers, providing them with features and news stories that made local events national and vice versa. John Johnson's Ebony magazine first hit the newsstands in 1945. The magazine's embrace of celebrities and consumer goods appealed to a more middle-class audience, while its companion publication, Jet, was more edgy. Selling the Race then moves on to the Emmett Till affair, the 1955 murder case in which an African American youth from Chicago was lynched in Mississippi after he allegedly whistled at a white woman, and the 1955 riots that accompanied the effort to integrate pubhc housing. These stories are linked by a running commentary that delineates the difficulties involved in creating a national black culture within the historic constraints of "clientage," an accommodation based on peacefully institutionahzed subservience. The writing is crisp, the topics were chosen with great thought, the research is thorough, and the arguments are logical. This is amarvelous book, amust-read for everyone interested in the history of Chicago, aswell asmid-century African American history. Perry R. Duis, Professor of History University of Illinois at...

Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America by James Green

Book Reviews 175 Negro Exposition of 1940, a relatively unsuccessful effort to build upon the "celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the Civil War and blacks' official emancipation from slavery" (p. 20). Although it did evoke a growing interest in history, the exposition's shortcomings as a celebration of contemporary culture actually fostered more successful efforts at self-awareness elsewhere. Green then takes readers on a tour of Chicago's hvely music scene, including gospel, blues, and other African American genres. Music becomes a form of expression that emphasizes the common experience and self-image of its hsteners, paralleling the efforts of the printed word. In what are truly outstanding chapters, Green explores the stories of two media innovators. Founded in 1919, Claude Barnett's Associated Negro Press hnked together dozens of newspapers, providing them with features and news stories that made local events national and vice versa. John Johnson's Ebony magazine first hit the newsstands in 1945. The magazine's embrace of celebrities and consumer goods appealed to a more middle-class audience, while its companion publication, Jet, was more edgy. Selling the Race then moves on to the Emmett Till affair, the 1955 murder case in which an African American youth from Chicago was lynched in Mississippi after he allegedly whistled at a white woman, and the 1955 riots that accompanied the effort to integrate pubhc housing. These stories are linked by a running commentary that delineates the difficulties involved in creating a national black culture within the historic constraints of "clientage," an accommodation based on peacefully institutionahzed subservience. The writing is crisp, the topics were chosen with great thought, the research is thorough, and the arguments are logical. This is amarvelous book, amust-read for everyone interested in the history of Chicago, aswell asmid-century African American history. Perry R. Duis, Professor of History University of Illinois at Chicago James Green. Death in theHaymarket: A Story of Chicago, theFirst Labor Movement, and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America. New York: Pantheon Books, 2006. Pp. 383. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Notes. Cloth, $26.95. On the evening of May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a workers' rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square. Dozens of pohce officers were injured and seven died of their wounds. Rally participants also suffered 176 Michigan Historical Review casualties. Among the victims was the labor movement itself. The bombing triggered cries for revenge, as the pohce unleashed a witch hunt against labor organizers and immigrant workers. Convicted by the press and pubhc opinion before their trial began, four anarchist workers went to the gallows. The events in Chicago?the labor conflict known as the "Great Upheaval" in the spring of 1886, the Haymarket bombing, and the ensuing red scare, trial, and hangings? mark one of the most dramatic episodes in America's emergence as a modern industrial society. As the title suggests, James Green's book is first about the city of Chicago, whose enormous industries produced vast wealth and promise, along with dark clouds of gaseous smoke and bitter class divisions. The first half of the book explores the world of the ethnically diverse working class, with its Bohemian militias, German meeting halls, and complex mix of radical and labor organizations. The account of the Great Upheaval, where the pohce met workers' strikes for the eight-hour day with truncheons and revolvers, helps explain why all parties in the contest tended to interpret events in terms of cataclysmic violence. The terror struck on May 4, and Green does a masterful job of capturing the human drama, from the bomb that arched over Haymarket to the trap doors of the gallows that fell beneath the convicted labor leaders. The events at Haymarket had a powerful impact on the national labor movement. It would take more than a generation for the trade union movement in Detroit and other midwestern cities to recover from this tragedy. Haymarket's history also poses large questions about immigrant rights, freedom of speech, and legal protections in a time of terror and mass hysteria. Other sources that discuss these events include: The Haymarket Tragedy by Paul Avrich, which provides an in-depth analysis of...

Development of a high-strength high-conductivity Cu−Ni−P alloy. Part II: Processing by severe deformation

Deformation microstructures during large-strain plastic working were studied in the pure Cu and Cu-1.5%Ni-0.3%P alloy, the original microstructures of which have been detailed in our companion publication. Microstructural changes depended significantly on the initial structural state. Solution-treated and low-temperature (400°C) aged samples were characterized by rapid strain hardening with early deformation followed by steady-state-like behavior at large strains. Such a rapid increase in hardness might be responsible for the development of deformation twinning and microshear banding at relatively small strains. Deformation textures in these samples were associated with a large fraction of brass orientation, i.e., {011} . On the other hand, the samples aged at elevated temperature (600°C) showed gradual continuou strain hardening upon cold working within the studied strain range. Twinning and microshearing were remarkably delayed, and the texture had no unique preferential orientation. After severe deformation, the samples aged at 600°C demonstrated hardness of ∼2500 MPa and electroconductivity >50% IACS.

Refractive surgery for high bilateral myopia in children with neurobehavioral disorders: 1. Clear lens extraction and refractive lens exchange

Introduction: A subpopulation of children with high myopia and neurobehavioral disorders is noncompliant with spectacle wear and ill-suited to correction using contact lenses. We report the results of refractive surgery in a series of these children treated using lensectomy alone (clear lens extraction), or lensectomy with simultaneous implantation of an intraocular lens (refractive lens exchange). Methods: Clinical course and outcome data were collated prospectively in a group of 13 children (mean age 10.4 years, range 1 to 18 years) with neurobehavioral disorders exacerbated by chronic noncompliance with spectacle wear, causing profoundly low functional vision. Myopia in the 26 eyes ranged from −14.25 to −26.00 D (mean −19.1 D). Goal refraction was approximately +1 D. Correction was achieved by lensectomy alone in 10 eyes, and lensectomy with intraocular lens implantation in 16 eyes. Primary posterior capsulectomy/subtotal vitrectomy was performed during the primary procedure in 11 eyes (42%). Mean follow-up was 4.5 years (range 1.3 to 7.5 years). Results: Myopia correction averaged 19.9 D. Eighty-one percent (21 eyes) were corrected to within ±2 D of goal refraction and the remaining 19% (5 eyes) to within ±4 D. Uncorrected acuity improved substantially (ie, an average 2 log units) in all 26 eyes, with commensurate gains in behavior and environmental visual interaction in 88% of children (14/16). Myopic regression averaged −0.16 D/year. Capsular regrowth and/or opacification necessitated vitrector or YAG-laser membranectomy in 12 eyes (46%). Focal retinal detachment (successfully repaired) occurred after eye contusion in one eye (4%) with cicatricial retinopathy of prematurity. Conclusions: Bilateral refractive lensectomy is effective for improving functional vision in neurobehaviorally impaired children who have high myopia (beyond the range of excimer laser correction: see companion publication) and difficulties wearing glasses. Posterior capsule regrowth/opacification is common, necessitating secondary membranectomy. Further study is indicated to determine the long-term safety of this procedure in similar pediatric populations.

Newborn Screening Fact Sheets

Newborn screening fact sheets were last revised in 1996 by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Genetics. This revision was prompted by advances in the field since 1996, including technologic innovations, as well as greater appreciation of ethical issues such as those surrounding informed consent. The following disorders are discussed in this revision of the newborn screening fact sheets: biotinidase deficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, congenital hearing loss, congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, galactosemia, homocystinuria, maple syrup urine disease, medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, phenylketonuria, sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, and tyrosinemia. A series of topics related to newborn screening is discussed in a companion publication to this electronic publication of the fact sheets (available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/118/3/1304). These topics are newborn screening as a public health system; factors contributing to the need for review of the newborn screening system; informed consent; tandem mass spectrometry; DNA analysis in newborn screening; status of newborn screening in the United States; and the effect of sample timing, preterm birth, diet, transfusion, and total parenteral nutrition on newborn screening results.

Nuclear Spectra of Comet 162P/Siding Spring (2004 TU12)

We present visible and near-IR spectra of the nucleus of comet 162P/Siding Spring (also known as 2004 TU12) obtained in 2004 December, while it had no detectable coma. This is the third object observed to have intermittent cometary activity even when relatively close to the Sun. The spectra show no strong features in this wavelength range. This paucity of deep absorptions is common among low-albedo asteroids and the few comet nuclei observed in this spectral region. Marginal spectral structure is observed in the visible spectrum, and beyond 2 μm the flux from the nucleus is dominated by thermal emission. We compare the spectrum of 162P with published spectra of other comet nuclei, primitive asteroids, and meteorites. Comet nuclei display a range of spectral shapes and slopes not unlike those observed among outer main-belt asteroids but closest to Trojan asteroids. No suitable spectral matches to comet 162P were found among primitive (chondritic) meteorites. We modeled our visible and near-IR spectra using the scattering theory described by Shkuratov et al. (1999), and our approach is similar to that used by Emery and Brown for modeling Trojan asteroids. Our best fits to the spectral shape and albedo include mixtures containing amorphous carbons, organics, and silicates. The absence of strong spectral features prevents the identification of specific minerals, and the resulting model compositions are not unique. The observations beyond 2 μm are interpreted in a companion publication by Fernández and coworkers.

Refractive Surgery for High Bilateral Myopia in Children with Neurobehavioral Disorders: 1. Clear Lens Extraction and Refractive Lens Exchange

A subpopulation of children with high myopia and neurobehavioral disorders is noncompliant with spectacle wear and ill-suited to correction using contact lenses. We report the results of refractive surgery in a series of these children treated using lensectomy alone (clear lens extraction), or lensectomy with simultaneous implantation of an intraocular lens (refractive lens exchange). Clinical course and outcome data were collated prospectively in a group of 13 children (mean age 10.4 years, range 1 to 18 years) with neurobehavioral disorders exacerbated by chronic noncompliance with spectacle wear, causing profoundly low functional vision. Myopia in the 26 eyes ranged from -14.25 to -26.00 D (mean -19.1 D). Goal refraction was approximately +1 D. Correction was achieved by lensectomy alone in 10 eyes, and lensectomy with intraocular lens implantation in 16 eyes. Primary posterior capsulectomy/subtotal vitrectomy was performed during the primary procedure in 11 eyes (42%). Mean follow-up was 4.5 years (range 1.3 to 7.5 years). Myopia correction averaged 19.9 D. Eighty-one percent (21 eyes) were corrected to within +/-2 D of goal refraction and the remaining 19% (5 eyes) to within +/-4 D. Uncorrected acuity improved substantially (ie, an average 2 log units) in all 26 eyes, with commensurate gains in behavior and environmental visual interaction in 85% [corrected] of children (11/13) [corrected] Myopic regression averaged -0.16 D/year. Capsular regrowth and/or opacification necessitated vitrector or YAG-laser membranectomy in 13 [corrected] eyes (50%) [corrected] Focal retinal detachment (successfully repaired) occurred after eye contusion in one eye (4%) with cicatricial retinopathy of prematurity. Bilateral refractive lensectomy is effective for improving functional vision in neurobehaviorally impaired children who have high myopia (beyond the range of excimer laser correction: see companion publication) and difficulties wearing glasses. Posterior capsule regrowth/opacification is common, necessitating secondary membranectomy. Further study is indicated to determine the long-term safety of this procedure in similar pediatric populations.

EVALUATION OF THE SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING RC BUILDINGS: II. A CASE STUDY FOR REGULAR AND IRREGULAR BUILDINGS

The results of a parametric study are presented, concerned with the evaluation of the structural overstrength, the global ductility and the available behaviour factor of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings designed and constructed according to past generations of earthquake resistant design codes in Greece. For the estimation of these parameters, various failure criteria are incorporated in a methodology established to predict the failure mode of such buildings under planar response, as described in detail in a companion publication. A collection of 85 typical building forms is considered. The influence of various parameters is examined, such as the geometry of the structure (number of storeys, bay width etc.), the vertical irregularity, the contribution of the perimeter frame masonry infill walls, the period of construction, the design code and the seismic zone coefficient. The results from inelastic pushover analyses indicate that existing RC buildings exhibit higher overstrength than their contemporary counterparts, but with much reduced ductility capacity. The presence of perimeter infill walls increases considerably their stiffness and lateral resistance, while further reducing their ductility. Fully infilled frames exhibit generally good behaviour, while structures with an open floor exhibit the worst performance by creating a soft storey. Shear failure becomes critical in the buildings with partial height infills. It is also critical for buildings with isolated shear wall cores at the elevator shaft. Out of five different forms of irregularity considered in this study, buildings with column discontinuities in the ground storey exhibit the worst performance. Furthermore, buildings located in the higher seismicity zone are more vulnerable, since the increase of their lateral resistance and ductility capacity is disproportional to the increase in seismic demand.

EVALUATION OF THE SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING RC BUILDINGS: I. SUGGESTED METHODOLOGY

A reliable estimate of the actual capacity and deformability of existing reinforced concrete buildings in earthquake prone areas is essential in pre- or post-earthquake interventions. This study is concerned with the evaluation of the structural overstrength, the global ductility and available behaviour factor of existing reinforced concrete buildings, designed and constructed according to past generations of earthquake resistant design codes. For the estimation of these global performance characteristics different failure criteria are incorporated in a methodology established to predict the failure mode of the buildings. As an application, a typical five-storey building of the 1960s, designed according to the prevailing design codes, is selected and analysed in the inelastic range. Both bare and infilled structural forms of this building are studied. For this structure, the plastic hinge rotation capacity is the critical failure criterion. The same structure, designed according to current design codes, is re-evaluated using the same methodology, in order to calibrate the procedure and to compare the static and dynamic inelastic performances of the two frames. The results indicate that existing buildings exhibit higher overstrength than their contemporary counterparts, but with much reduced ductility capacity. Perimeter infill walls correct for their lack of ductility by augmenting their stiffness and their overall lateral resistance. The methodology is subsequently applied to a larger inventory of typical existing buildings, as described in a companion publication.

Fe(CO)5 Thin Films Adsorbed on Au(111) and on Self-Assembled Organic Monolayers: II. Thermal Transformations

The thermal transformations of as-deposited Fe(CO)(5) films adsorbed on Au(111)/mica and C(4), C(8), C(12), and C(16) self-assembled methyl-terminated monolayer organic surfaces have been studied using infrared spectroscopy to probe how the physical restructuring influences the sensitivity of these systems to low-energy electron beams. A companion publication shows that the as-deposited monolayers are composed of molecules physisorbed with one axial and two equatorial carbonyl groups directed toward the substrate; subsequent layers are preferentially oriented with the C(3) molecular axis aligned perpendicular to the substrate (i.e., one axial carbonyl group directed toward the substrate). In this work, we show that the as-deposited films are structurally unstable above 125 K on Au(111)/mica surfaces and above 100 K on the organic self-assembled monolayers. Above these thresholds, the layered structures transform into three-dimensional aggregates, implying strongly nonwetting behavior for Fe(CO)(5) on each of these substrates; molecular desorption from this aggregate structure takes place between 140 and 160 K. The irreversibility of this temperature-induced transformation demonstrates that the as-deposited layered films do not represent a thermodynamically well-defined phase; this key feature of the as-deposited films is believed to be the cause of the discrepancies in previous attempts to understand Fe(CO)(5)/surface structures based on infrared results. Moreover, the thermally induced transformation to 3D aggregate structures is shown to decrease the apparent sensitivity of the adsorbed Fe(CO)(5) to low-energy electron-induced decarbonylation (0-10 eV) by over 3 orders of magnitude.

Time-domain scanning optical mammography: II. Optical properties and tissue parameters of 87 carcinomas

Within a clinical trial on scanning time-domain optical mammography reported on in a companion publication (part I), craniocaudal and mediolateral projection optical mammograms were recorded from 154 patients, suspected of having breast cancer. Here we report on in vivo optical properties of the subset of 87 histologically validated carcinomas which were visible in optical mammograms recorded at two or three near-infrared wavelengths. Tumour absorption and reduced scattering coefficients were derived from distributions of times of flight of photons recorded at the tumour site employing the model of diffraction of photon density waves by a spherical inhomogeneity, located in an otherwise homogeneous tissue slab. Effective tumour radii, taken from pathology, and tumour location along the compression direction, deduced from off-axis optical scans of the tumour region, were included in the analysis as prior knowledge, if available. On average, tumour absorption coefficients exceeded those of surrounding healthy breast tissue by a factor of about 2.5 (670 nm), whereas tumour reduced scattering coefficients were larger by about 20% (670 nm). From absorption coefficients at 670 nm and 785 nm total haemoglobin concentration and blood oxygen saturation were deduced for tumours and surrounding healthy breast tissue. Apart from a few outliers total haemoglobin concentration was observed to be systematically larger in tumours compared to healthy breast tissue. In contrast, blood oxygen saturation was found to be a poor discriminator for tumours and healthy breast tissue; both median values of blood oxygen saturation are the same within their statistical uncertainties. However, the ratio of total haemoglobin concentration over blood oxygen saturation further improves discrimination between tumours and healthy breast tissue. For 29 tumours detected in optical mammograms recorded at three wavelengths (670 nm, 785 nm, 843 nm or 884 nm), scatter power was derived from transport scattering coefficients. Scatter power of tumours tends to be larger than that of surrounding healthy breast tissue, yet the 95% confidence intervals of both medians overlap.

Editorial

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute’s annual gas turbine conference, TURBO EXPO ’05, this April 2005 issue of the Journal is devoted to papers from the conference’s most recent meetings. About 65–75 percent of Journal papers come from TURBO EXPO. Since the first IGTI gas turbine conference in 1956, a remarkable total of 12,453 refereed papers have been published in conference proceedings and presented at this one annual meeting. Usually, between 25 and 35 percent of conference papers are judged by reviewers to be archival. Thus, for the last half century, I estimate that about 4000 or so have been published in the Journal, in our companion publication Journal of Turbomachinery, or in the predecessor of both, the Journal of Engineering for Power. The IGTI First Annual Gas Turbine Conference and Exhibit was held April 16–18, 1956 at the Hotel Statler in Washington, DC. This very first ASME all-gas turbine meeting had 25 exhibitors, six technical sessions, a total of 17 papers and an attendance of about 750. The conference fee was $5 (with papers) and $2 (without papers). By way of contrast, IGTI’s 49th gas turbine conference, TURBO EXPO ’04 in Vienna, June 14–17, 2004 had 155 exhibitors, 187 technical paper sessions, a total of 732 papers and an attendance of 2443. (It goes without saying that the Vienna conference fees were substantially higher than those of 1956.) The IGTI gas turbine conference has been ASME’s leading international technical meeting from its very beginning. The annual meeting is held in North America and in Europe on alternate years. Currently, more that half of the papers presented are from non-North American parts of the gas turbine community, most coming from Europe and Asia. The gas turbine is the “youngest” of energy converters. The first jet engine-powered flight took place in Germany and the first operation of a gas turbine to generate electrical power occurred in Switzerland, both in 1939. Within five years of this “birth,” the organization of IGTI—and of the gas turbine conference—commenced. Here are a few milestones, facts and dates that led to TURBO EXPO: This Journal started 125 years ago as a collection of papers on energy conversion technology in the 1880 first volume of the Transactions of the ASME. For the last 50 years, IGTI’s annual gas turbine conference has been a major contributor to the Journal. We salute the authors, reviewers, and organizers of TURBO EXPO, as they prepare to present papers and celebrate the 50th gas turbine conference in Reno, Nevada on June 6–9, 2005.

Static Strength of T-Joints Reinforced with Doubler or Collar Plates. I: Experimental Investigations

One of the alternatives to enhance the strength of a tubular joint involves the application of doubler or collar plates as reinforcement. In order to gain understanding of the effect of plate reinforcement on the ultimate capacity, an experimental study has been conducted into the static behavior of axially loaded T-joints reinforced with a doubler plate or collar plate. The parameters investigated involve the type of loading (i.e., tension or compression), the configuration (unreinforced, collar plate reinforced, or doubler plate reinforced), the brace-to-chord diameter ratio β, and the chord diameter-to-chord wall thickness ratio 2γ. The general test arrangement, specimen details, and most relevant results (failure mechanism and load-deformation relationships) are presented. The experiments reveal a significant strength enhancement for both types of reinforced T-joints in comparison with the ultimate capacity of the corresponding unreinforced joints. The results of follow-up finite element simulations on plate reinforced joints are reported in a companion publication.

The Canadian Experience: Why Canada Decided Against an Upper Limit for Cholesterol

Canada, like the United States, held a “consensus conference on cholesterol” in 1988. Although the final report of the consensus panel recommended that total dietary fat not exceed 30 percent and saturated fat not exceed 10 percent of total energy intake, it did not specify an upper limit for dietary cholesterol. Similarly, the 1990, Health Canada publication “Nutrition Recommendations: The Report of the Scientific Review Committee” specified upper limits for total and saturated fat in the diet but did not specify an upper limit for cholesterol. Canada’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating, a companion publication from Health Canada, suggested that Canadians “choose low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and foods prepared with little or no fat” while enjoying “a variety of foods.” Many factors contributed to this position but a primary element was the belief that total dietary fat and saturated fat were primary dietary determinants of serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, not dietary cholesterol. Hence, Canadian health authorities focused on reducing saturated fat and trans fats in the Canadian diet to help lower blood cholesterol levels rather than focusing on limiting dietary cholesterol. In an effort to allay consumer concern with the premise that blood cholesterol level is linked to dietary cholesterol, organizations such as the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA) reminded health professionals, including registered dietitians, family physicians and nutrition educators, of the extensive data showing that there is little relationship between dietary cholesterol intake and cardiovascular mortality. In addition, it was pointed out that for most healthy individuals, endogenous synthesis of cholesterol by the liver adjusts to the level of dietary cholesterol intake. Educating health professionals about the relatively weak association between dietary cholesterol and the relatively strong association between serum cholesterol and saturated fat and trans fats helped keep consumers informed about healthy diets and ways to control blood cholesterol.

Aggravated Sentencing: Blakely v. Washington

Few decisions in recent memory have engendered as much uncertainty in the state and federal courts as Blakely v. Washington. In the weeks since the Supreme Court ruled, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges have been struggling with Blakely’s implications for cases at every stage of litigation. Federal and state trial and appellate courts have issued sometimes contradictory decisions about the holding’s reach. Congress and some state legislatures are gathering opinions and organizing their responses. And the Court has agreed to decide, when it returns for its fall term, the foundational question of whether Blakely applies to the federal sentencing guidelines. It is uncertain whether the Court will at the same time resolve other Blakely issues facing the states. There is no doubt that Blakely—the Court’s recent decision extending the Constitution’s jury trial right to fact-findings that increase criminal sentences beyond an established threshold—is disturbing the legal landscape for states with structured sentencing systems. There is little to suggest, however, that this disturbance will derail the sentencing reform efforts that led to such structured systems. Indeed, it is possible that state policymakers will use the immediate challenge of complying with Blakely as impetus to advance yet unrealized or incomplete reforms. To achieve either the modest goal of minimizing Blakely’s disruption or the more ambitious aim of broader policy improvement requires state legislators and others involved in statutory reform to pay close attention to the rationale underlying the Court’s decision. The recent Vera companion publication Practical Implications for State Sentencing Systems discussed the impact of Blakely on different forms of structured sentencing in the states. It offered possible ways for states to amend affected systems to comply with the Court’s decision while preserving the initial purposes of such systems. This report discusses the legal considerations raised by Blakely and presents further implications of the ruling within and beyond state structured sentencing systems. It is intended as a primer—identifying and discussing, without attempting to resolve, the range of legal issues raised—for those charged with responding to Blakely and the Court’s related decisions. After reviewing the Court’s holding, this paper addresses the following themes: The Court’s focus on the effects of sentencing rules, rather than their labels

Enterprising women: 250 years of American business

Meet Katherine Goddard, owner of a print shop and publisher of the first signed copy of the Declaration of Independence; meet Madam C. J. Walker, whose hair care products brought her from her slave parents' dilapidated cabin to her own Hudson River estate; and meet Katharine Graham, publisher of the Pentagon Papers and owner of the Washington Post Company. These are just three of the diverse women whose lives unfold in this engaging history of women entrepreneurs in America from the colonial era to the end of the twentieth century. Some ran businesses in industries dominated by men, such as iron and aircraft production, while others built businesses that marketed specifically to women, in industries such as beauty, fashion, and food. Despite facing gender discrimination and the burdens of work and family, these women entrepreneurs understood the value of a good idea, were willing to take a risk, and believed in the possibility of the American dream of success. Enterprising Women was the companion publication to the national traveling exhibition organized by the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, and the National Heritage Museum, Lexington, Massachusetts.

The treatment of the "untreatable" patient-revisited.

The limits of medicine have not yet been reached. Numerous human illnesses initially thought to be incurable are reversible under unique and unpredictable individual circumstances. This paper, and the preceding companion publication, describes instances of the successful treatment of patients previously labeled as untreatable, including instances of severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

A model of p, p′-DDE and total PCB bioaccumulation in birds from the Southern California Bight

Pathways of p, p′-DDE and PCB transfer to three species of birds were characterized as part of the Southern California Bight Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Based upon analysis of the results of extensive field studies conducted by other investigators to characterize the dietary composition, foraging behavior, and contaminant levels in the predators and in their prey, 70–80 percent of the contaminant dose received by the peregrine falcon and 90–95 percent of the dose to the bald eagle originated within the Bight. Dynamic, mechanistic, bioenergetics-based bioaccumulation models for p, p′-DDE and PCBs were developed for both species. Measured contaminant levels in predator eggs were found to be quantitatively consistent with measured levels in their prey, providing support for the estimates of dietary composition and foraging behavior, and therefore for the characterization of contaminant sources. Based on the model, most of the contaminant dose to the bald eagles on Santa Catalina Island is accumulated from sea lion carrion, and, based on a model of female sea lion bioaccumulation described in a companion publication, much of the dose to the sea lion originates in the more highly contaminated regions of the Bight which include the Palos Verdes Shelf and Santa Monica Bay. The importance of non-local contaminant sources to the eagle was surprising, since the eagles are non-migratory and forage locally on Santa Catalina, and consume 90 percent fish, most of which are nearshore species. A third model constructed for the double-crested cormorant indicated that cormorants from Anacapa Island are likely to feed to some degree in the more highly contaminated regions of the Bight near the Palos Verdes Shelf. In contrast, the cormorants from Santa Barbara Island probably feed less intensively in the more contaminated regions of the Bight than previously thought. The model framework developed here is generally applicable. It can aid in predicting the course of natural recovery and the impacts of remediation activities, and can provide quantitative exposure estimates for use in risk assessment.