American technology policy: evolving strategic interests after the Cold War

Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. policymakers have faced the challenge of addressing the technological requirements of both economic competitiveness and national security. Promoting the technological objectives of competitiveness and security poses a daunting task, as these objectives can differ significantly in terms of autonomy, the private sector’s role, and the time frame involved. The difficulties inherent in meeting these competing needs for technological investment and resources are exacerbated by growing technological globalization. American Technology Policy analyzes the ongoing efforts of politicians, legislators, policymakers, and industry leaders to balance their often-conflicting technological requirements. J. D. Kenneth Boutin examines recent trends and developments in American technology policy as it strives to support high-technology firms without undermining national security. He then considers issues of autonomy, relations between the federal government and industry, and the time frame involved in formulating and implementing policy initiatives, all in the context of globalization. Though satisfying the ambitious American technological agenda is difficult, it is impossible for authorities to avoid making the effort, given the high stakes involved. Boutin’s analysis is intended to inform those who are charged with prioritizing and balancing the technological needs of national defense and economic growth. Although the post–Cold War technology policy of the United States has been characterized by efforts to achieve a balance between these two competing priorities, the dominant focus remains on national security. Boutin explains the ways in which American authorities seek to limit the extent of compromise necessary by working with local and foreign actors and by encouraging structural changes in the environment for technological development, application, and diffusion.

Review short: Cath Keneally's eaten cold

In The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism, T. S. Eliot famously wrote, ‘Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.’ Cath Kenneally’s eaten cold offers a chain of indelible response-poems to New Zealand poet Janet Charman’s book, cold snack. In Kenneally’s collection, ‘Meanings perpetually eingeschachtelt into meanings’, creating new and original poetry that riffs off Charman’s book without ‘imitating’ or ‘defacing’ it.

Basal metabolic rate of canidae from hot deserts to cold arctic climates

Canids form the most widely distributed family within the order Carnivora, with members present in a multitude of different environments from cold arctic to hot, dry deserts. We reviewed the literature and compared 24 data sets available on the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of 12 canid species, accounting for body mass and climate, to examine inter- and intraspecific variations in mass-adjusted BMR between 2 extreme climates (arctic and hot desert). Using both conventional and phylogenetically independent analysis of covariance, we found that canids from the arctic climate zone had significantly higher mass-adjusted BMR than species from hot deserts. Canids not associated with either arctic or desert climates had an intermediate and more variable mass-adjusted BMR. The climate effect also was significant at the intraspecific level in species for which we had data in 2 different climates. Arctic and desert climates represent contrasting combinations of ambient temperatures and water accessibility that require opposite physiological adaptations in terms of metabolism. The fact that BMR varies within species when individuals are subjected to different climate regimes further suggests that climate is an important determinant of BMR.

Cycling time to failure is better maintained by cold than contrast or thermoneutral lower-body water immersion in normothermia

Purpose
To examine the effects of four commonly used recovery treatments applied between two bouts of intense endurance cycling on the performance of the second bout in normothermia (~21 °C).

Methods
Nine trained men completed two submaximal exhaustive cycling bouts (Ex1 and Ex2: 5 min at ~50 % V˙O2 peak, followed by 5 min at ~60 % V˙O2 peak and then ~80 % V˙O2 peak to failure) separated by 30 min of (a) cold water immersion at 15 °C (C15), (b) contrast water therapy alternating 2.5 min at 8 °C and 2.5 min at 40 °C (CT), (c) thermoneutral water immersion at 34 °C (T34) and (d) cycling at ~40 % V˙O2 peak (AR).

Results
Exercise performance, cardiovascular and metabolic responses during Ex1 were similar among all trials. However, time to failure (~80 % V˙O2 peak bout) during Ex2 was significantly (P < 0.05) longer in C15 (18.0 ± 1.6) than in CT (14.5 ± 1.5), T34 (12.4 ± 1.4) and AR (10.6 ± 1.0); and it was also longer (P < 0.05) in CT than AR. Core temperature and heart rate were significantly (P < 0.05) lower during the initial ~15 min of Ex2 during C15 compared with all other conditions but they reached similar levels at the end of Ex2.

Conclusions
A 30 min period of C15 was more beneficial in maintaining intense submaximal cycling performance than CT, T34 and AR; and CT was also more beneficial than T34 and AR. These effects were not mediated by the effect of water immersion per se, but by the continuous (C15) or intermittent (CT) temperature stimulus (cold) applied throughout the recovery.

Temperature conditions during 'cold' sheet metal stamping

This paper investigates the friction and deformation-induced heating that occurs during the stamping of high strength sheet steels, under room temperature conditions. A thermo-mechanical finite element model of a typical plane strain stamping process was developed to understand the temperature conditions experienced within the die and blank material; and this was validated against experimental measurements. A high level of correlation was achieved between the finite element model and experimental data for a range of operating conditions and parameters. The model showed that the heat generated during realistic production conditions can result in high temperatures of up to 108 °C and 181 °C in the blank and die materials, respectively, for what was traditionally expected to be 'cold' forming conditions. It was identified that frictional heating was primarily responsible for the peak temperatures at the die surface, whilst the peak blank temperatures were caused by a combination of frictional and deformation induced heating. The results provide new insights into the local conditions within the blank and die, and are of direct relevance to sheet formability and tool wear performance during industrial stamping processes. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Supplementing cold plasma with heat enables doping and nano-structuring of metal oxides

Nitrogen doped SnO2 polycrystalline nanostructures were produced from commercial SnO powders in a new system that combines a low-temperature plasma with heating. The method has the potential to improve the initial efficiency and the cycling performance of SnO2 anodes in Li-ion batteries. With this system, the temperature of the SnO to SnO2 conversion was lowered from 430 to 320 °C, up to 5 at% of doped nitrogen was detected and a nano-scale polycrystalline structure was observed in the product. Combining heat and low-pressure plasma is a promising approach for the production and treatment of enhanced energy storage materials.