Quantitative experimental measurements of matrix cracking and delamination using acoustic emission

Quantitative measurements of the amplitude and angular variation of acoustic emission (AE) events due to matrix cracking and delamination in large quasi-isotropic composite plate specimens are reported. A procedure for determining the minimum specimen size necessary to make quantitative measurements is presented. The amplitude of AE events is quoted as the absolute surface displacement of different guided wave modes and can therefore be used as the input to forward models of the AE process. Matrix cracking events are found to be dominated by the S₀ guided wave mode and have a pronounced amplitude variation with angle. Events due to delamination growth are dominated by the A₀ guided wave mode and have no clear angular dependence.     

Kinesin- and myosin-driven steps of vesicle recruitment for Ca2+-regulated exocytosis

Kinesin and myosin have been proposed to transport intracellular organelles and vesicles to the cell periphery in several cell systems. However, there has been little direct observation of the role of these motor proteins in the delivery of vesicles during regulated exocytosis in intact cells. Using a confocal microscope, we triggered local bursts of Ca2+-regulated exocytosis by wounding the cell membrane and visualized the resulting individual exocytotic events in real time. Different temporal phases of the exocytosis burst were distinguished by their sensitivities to reagents targeting different motor proteins. The function blocking antikinesin antibody SUK4 as well as the stalk-tail fragment of kinesin heavy chain specifically inhibited a slow phase, while butanedione monoxime, a myosin ATPase inhibitor, inhibited both the slow and fast phases. The blockage of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II with autoinhibitory peptide also inhibited the slow and fast phases, consistent with disruption of a myosin-actin- dependent step of vesicle recruitment. Membrane resealing after wounding was also inhibited by these reagents. Our direct observations provide evidence that in intact living cells, kinesin and myosin motors may mediate two sequential transport steps that recruit vesicles to the release sites of Ca2+-regulated exocytosis, although the identity of the responsible myosin isoform is not yet known. They also indicate the existence of three semistable vesicular pools along this regulated membrane trafficking pathway. In addition, our results provide in vivo evidence for the cargo-binding function of the kinesin heavy chain tail domain.     

Rechargeable batteries for mobile communications

A critical component of mobile phones and other portable equipment is the battery. This paper reviews the characteristics of the nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride and lithium ion cells, the three types of cells currently available for use in the mobile communications market. The future possibilities within the rechargeable battery market are also discussed     

Association of angiotensinogen gene T235 variant with progression of immunoglobin A nephropathy in Caucasian patients

Genetic variability in the renin-angiotensin system may modify renal responses to injury and disease progression. We examined whether the M235T polymorphism of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene, the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene, and the A1166--> C polymorphism of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene may be associated with disease progression in 168 Caucasian patients with IgA nephropathy. All patients had serial measurements of their creatinine clearance, proteinuria, and blood pressure (mean+/-SD) with a follow-up of 6.1+/-4.7 yr. The genotype frequencies for each gene were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and were similar to those of 100 Caucasian control subjects. We examined two primary outcomes: (a) the rate of deterioration of Ccr, and (b) the maximal level of proteinuria. We found that patients with the AGT MT (n = 79) and TT (n = 29) genotypes had a faster rate of deterioration of Ccr than those with the MM (n = 60) genotype (i.e., median values, -6.6 and -6.2 vs. -3. 0 ml/min/yr, respectively; P = 0.01 by Kruskal-Wallis test). Similarly, patients with AGT MT and TT genotypes had higher maximal values of proteinuria than those with the MM genotype (i.e., median values, 2.5 and 3.5 vs. 2.0 g/d, respectively; P < 0.02 by Kruskal-Wallis test). Neither the ACE insertion/deletion nor angiotensin II type I A1166--> C gene polymorphism was associated with disease progression or proteinuria in univariate analysis. Multivariant analysis, however, detected an interaction between the AGT and ACE gene polymorphisms with the presence of ACE/DD polymorphism adversely affecting disease progression only in patients with the AGT/MM genotype (P = 0.008). Neither of these gene polymorphisms was associated with systemic hypertension. Our results suggest that polymorphisms at the AGT and ACE gene loci are important markers for predicting progression to chronic renal failure in Caucasian patients with IgA nephropathy.     

Investigation and Development of Epoxy Foams

The development of low toxicity rigid epoxy foams as an alternative to polyurethane foams for electronics encapsulation is described. The basic foam components - epoxy resin, hardener, accelerator, blowing agent and surfactant - are blended to form a two part system which is mixed and foamed when required. Each foam component is selected for its contribution to the foaming reaction and the final foam properties. The balance of component miscibility, viscosity, reaction rate and exotherm determine foam quality. Foam properties are affected by (1) density (2) cell structure and (3) the molecular structure of the reactants. Initial foam development utilised epoxy/amine chemistry and produced two foams, Feldex F3 and F4. Subsequently, use of a more reactive polymercaptan hardener improved foam strength and process times, resulting in Feldex F5 and F6 which have been used successfully to prepare quality mouldings and encapsulated electronics. Recently, development has been extended to new areas of application, e.g. high temperature foams. The mechanical, electrical, thermal and chemical properties of the best epoxy foams have been evaluated; selected results are reported. The epoxy foams developed offer low density, high strength, low dielectric constant and loss tangent, high volume resistivity, good thermal insulation, low corrosivity and low toxicity. In addition, epoxy foams soften in acetone, an advantage over their polyurethane counterparts since encapsulated electronics may be retrieved without employing corrosive solvents. (Feldex is a registered trade mark of THORN EMI Electronics.)     

Serial order in spatial immediate memory

Serial order effects in spatial memory are investigated in three experiments. In the first an analysis of errors in recall data suggested that immediate transpositions were the most common error and that order errors over 2 or 3 adjacent items accounted for the majority of errors in recall. The first and last serial positions are less error-prone than is the middle position in sets of six and seven items. A second experiment investigated recognition of transpositions and found that immediate transpositions were hardest to recognize but that a traditional serial position effect was not found. This may be due to the difficulty of maintaining one set of spatial items when another set is presented for comparison. A probe experiment, in which subjects were asked to recognize whether a single item came from a memory set and then to assign it to its position in the set indicated that the first and last positions were remembered more accurately than were central positions. The combination of serial order data in recall and position data suggests that there are similarities between serial order and position effects in the verbal and spatial domains and that serial order in spatial sequences is position-based.     

Heterotrimeric kinesin-II is required for the assembly of motile 9+2 ciliary axonemes on sea urchin embryos

Heterotrimeric kinesin-II is a plus end- directed microtubule (MT) motor protein consisting of distinct heterodimerized motor subunits associated with an accessory subunit. To probe the intracellular transport functions of kinesin-II, we microinjected fertilized sea urchin eggs with an anti-kinesin-II monoclonal antibody, and we observed a dramatic inhibition of ciliogenesis at the blastula stage characterized by the assembly of short, paralyzed, 9+0 ciliary axonemes that lack central pair MTs. Control embryos show no such defect and form swimming blastulae with normal, motile, 9+2 cilia that contain kinesin-II as detected by Western blotting. Injection of anti-kinesin-II into one blastomere of a two-cell embryo leads to the development of chimeric blastulae covered on one side with short, paralyzed cilia, and on the other with normal, beating cilia. We observed a unimodal length distribution of short cilia on anti-kinesin-II-injected embryos corresponding to the first mode of the trimodal distribution of ciliary lengths observed for control embryos. This short mode may represent a default ciliary assembly intermediate. We hypothesize that kinesin-II functions during ciliogenesis to deliver ciliary components that are required for elongation of the assembly intermediate and for formation of stable central pair MTs. Thus, kinesin-II plays a critical role in embryonic development by supporting the maturation of nascent cilia to generate long motile organelles capable of producing the propulsive forces required for swimming and feeding.     

Back pain in physiotherapists involved in back care education

The pattern of back pain in physiotherapists was compared to that in a control group, matched for age and sex, using a self-administered questionnaire. The annual incidence and prevalence, point and life-time prevalence as well as anatomical distribution were similar in both groups to that found previously in nurses and the general population despite the fact that almost all the physiotherapists had been involved with back care education. The recurrence rate was also similar despite the physiotherapists taking earlier steps to avoid further back pain. Physiotherapy was seen to be a stressful occupation in terms of the presence of occupational factors associated with back pain. Physiotherapists were more likely to attribute their back pain to work and the initial onset to a work-related incident. Newly qualified physiotherapists were particularly vulnerable, although they were more satisfied with their training in lifting skills than their older colleagues. Although further research is required, an ergonomics approach to the clinical working environment and a critical appraisal of the value of training in lifting skills and back education programmes are recommended.     

Induction Motors for Variable Frequency Power Supplies

Characteristics of variable frequency power supplies are compared, including sine wave, six-step square wave, and pulse width modulated (PWM) types. The effects of the complex voltage waveforms and variable frequency supplies on motor efficiency, heating, torque, winding stresses, and low speed pulsating torques are described. Possibilities for customizing induction motors for use with variable speed drives are considered.