How to obtain maximum underwriters laboratories coverage

Normally one seeks Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approval for one or two specific products. This paper describes how approvals were obtained for a very wide range of filled polypropylenes. Coverage included: talc or calcium carbonate fillers, all filler contents from 10% to 50%, carrier resins from homopolymer to high impact copolymer, minimum thickness down to 1.47 mm (0.058 inch), all colors, and a choice of a single product or a blend of filled and unfilled resin. This gives the customer the widest choice of UL-approved filled polypropylenes.     

Optimal Reliability Allocation by Branch-and-Bound Technique

The paper presents an efficient method for finding the exact optimal solutions of reliability allocation problems that are formulated as an integer nonlinear programming problem generalized to handle nonlinear constraints and nonseparable problems. The method is based on branch-and-bound and developed by considering separation and relaxation techniques.     

Functional CD4+ T cell subsets defined by expression of CD45RC and NTA260 antigens and age-associated polarization in murine lupus

Using two mAb, one specific to the alternative exon 6-dependent epitope of CD45 molecules (JH6.2) and one a natural thymocytotoxic autoantibody (NTA) with an unknown reactive epitope (NTA260), we subdivided splenic CD4+ T cells from 2-month-old BALB/c mice into five phenotypically distinct subsets. CD45RC+NTA260- (S I) cells were phenotypically analogous to CD4+ T cells predominating in newborn mice and produced a significant amount of IL-2, but not so IL-4, IL-10 or IFN-gamma when stimulated with immobilized anti-CD3 mAb in vitro. They appeared to consist mainly of naive ThP cells. The CD45RC+NTA260+ (S II) subset also produced IL-2, but not other cytokines; however, the IL-2 levels produced were much higher than seen with the S I subset, thereby suggesting the predominance of further maturated ThP cells. The CD45RC-NTA260+ (S III) subset mainly produced IL-4, IL-10, IFN-gamma and less IL-2, and contained memory cells that helped the secondary antibody response to a recall antigen, and hence contained Th2 and probably a mixture of Th0 and Th1 cells. The CD45RC-NTA260- (S IV) subset was a poor responder to the immobilized anti-CD3 mAb. The CD45RCbrightNTA260dull (S V) subset consisted of a small number of cells that were phenotypically analogous to activated CD4+ T cells. While an age-associated decrease in the proportion of S I and less markedly in S II and in turn increase in S III subsets of CD4+ T cells occurred in normal BALB/c mice, autoimmune disease-prone (NZB x NZW)F1 mice showed a marked age-associated decrease in the proportion of not only S I, II but also III subsets. As aged (NZB x NZW)F1 mice carry CD4+ T helper cells for IgG anti-DNA antibody production, such age-associated polarization to the S IV subset appears to be critical in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease in these mice.     

Deposition and microhardness of SiC from the Si2Cl6-C3H8-H2-Ar system

We obtained SiC coating layers on a graphite substrate using hexachlorodisilane (Si₂Cl₆, boiling point 144° C) as a silicon source and propane as a carbon source. We examined the deposition conditions, contents of carbon, silicon and chlorine in the deposits, and the microhardness. Mirror-like amorphous silicon layers were deposited in the reaction temperature range 500 to 630° C. well-formed silicon carbide layers with good adherency to the substrate were obtained above 850° C. The lowest deposition temperature of SiC was estimated to be 750 to 800° C. The Vickers microhardness of the SiC layer was about 3800 kg mm^–2 at room temperature and 2150 kg mm^–2 at 1000° C.     

Improving durability of ladle nozzle for continuous casting by use of spherical alumina particles

The physical properties and characteristics of unburned alumina-carbon refractories with added spherical alumina particles were investigated. The strength of the refractories was decreased whereas the packing density, erosion resistance and thermal shock resistance were improved by the addition of the spherical alumina particles. Based on these results, the lower nozzle of the sliding nozzle for continuous casting has been made of alumina-carbon refractories with added spherical alumina particles. The lower nozzle has shown uniform structure and reduced incidence of crack formation caused by thermal stress arising during casting. Accordingly, the durability of the lower nozzle has been considerably increased.     

Effects of box weight, vertical location and symmetry on lifting capacities and ratings on category scale in Japanese female workers

The aim was to clarify the effects of box weight, vertical location and symmetry on the lifting capacities and subjective burden in Japanese female workers with manual material handling tasks. Sixteen healthy females were tested. They performed 12 different lifting tasks (three heights * two weights * two symmetries). It is difficult for Japanese women to exert dynamic force in lifting a 15-kg weight from the elbow to the shoulder level. A remarkable increase was observed in heart rate and category scale with ratio properties (CR-10) on large muscle group in lifting a 15-kg weight as compared with lifting a 10-kg one. Judging from calculation of the Recommended Weight Limit using the application manual by the National Institute for Occupational Safe and Health, it was also suggested that lifting the 15-kg weight from the elbow to the shoulder level was difficult for female workers. Not only peak force, but also the average upward acceleration and peak velocity were lower in asymmetric liftings than those in symmetric liftings. CR-10 for the left back and right thigh were also higher in 90 degrees right lateral plane lifting than in the mid-sagittal plane. Thus, asymmetric lifting was supposed to impose higher stress on the back contralaterally and thigh ipsilaterally to the location of the weight.     

The conserved tryptophan-arginine-tyrosine motif of a proteinaceous alpha-amylase inhibitor T-76 from Streptomyces nitrosporeus is important for inhibition of animal alpha-amylases but not for an alpha-amylase from Bacillus sp. no. 195

Site-directed mutagenesis of Trp-16, Arg-17, and Tyr-18, which were thought to form a putative active site in proteinaceous alpha-amylase inhibitor T-76 from Streptomyces nitrosporeus for inhibition, was performed. The mutation at the site (W16A, R17A, and Y18A) resulted in a marked decrease in inhibitory activity against all animal alpha-amylases tested. Only the alpha-amylase from Bacillus sp. no. 195 (BAA) remained sensitive to all the constructed mutant inhibitors. A competition between T-76 mutants and the wild-type for porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PPA) suggest that the loss of inhibitory activity against PPA in mutant inhibitors was due to the decrease in their binding ability for PPA. T-76 formed a complex with BAA as well as PPA at the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1. A competition between BAA and the PPA/T-76 complex suggests that PPA and BAA might bind to the same region or regions close to each other on the T-76 molecule. These results indicate that the conserved Trp-Arg-Tyr motif of T-76 is involved in the interaction between T-76 and PPA while other amino acid residues seem to be important for the T-76/BAA interaction. Since the BAA-type alpha-amylase is the actual target of the inhibitors from microbes in comparison with animal alpha-amylases, BAA might be a better material than PPA to elucidate the "true" function of proteinaceous alpha-amylase inhibitors.     

Simulation study on refractometry by the rainbow method

To realize a high-precision refractive-index measurement by the rainbow method by use of multifringes, the characteristics of several orders of supernumerary bow fringes are made clear by a simulation based on the Huygens-Fresnel principle. The fringe intervals computed are precisely coincident with those obtained in experiments. As a result a suitable combination of the diameter of the cylinder containing the sample and the beam size of the laser has been determined. By use of the characteristic curve of the deviation angle versus the refractive index for each fringe and by the statistical treatment, measurement with high precision was demonstrated.     

Ultralow Impedance Graphene Microelectrodes with High Optical Transparency for Simultaneous Deep Two‐Photon Imaging in Transgenic Mice

The last decades have witnessed substantial progress in optical technologies revolutionizing our ability to record and manipulate neural activity in genetically modified animal models. Meanwhile, human studies mostly rely on electrophysiological recordings of cortical potentials, which cannot be inferred from optical recordings, leading to a gap between our understanding of dynamics of microscale populations and brain‐scale neural activity. By enabling concurrent integration of electrical and optical modalities, transparent graphene microelectrodes can close this gap. However, the high impedance of graphene constitutes a big challenge toward the widespread use of this technology. Here, it is experimentally demonstrated that this high impedance of graphene microelectrodes is fundamentally limited by quantum capacitance. This quantum capacitance limit is overcome by creating a parallel conduction path using platinum nanoparticles. A 100 times reduction in graphene electrode impedance is achieved, while maintaining the high optical transparency crucial for deep two‐photon microscopy. Using a transgenic mouse model, simultaneous electrical recording of cortical activity with high fidelity is demonstrated while imaging calcium signals at various cortical depths right beneath the transparent microelectrodes. Multimodal analysis of Ca²⁺ spikes and cortical surface potentials offers unique opportunities to bridge our understanding of cellular dynamics and brain‐scale neural activity.     

Zn protoporphyrin IX is formed not from heme but from protoporphyrin IX

We examined the effects of exogenous myoglobin, a bivalent chelator, and nitrite on Zn protoporphyrin IX (ZPP) formation by using model systems. ZPP was formed in a model solution without addition of exogenous myoglobin. After incubation, the amount of ZPP in a model solution was increased but that of heme was not decreased compared with the amounts before incubation. Protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) instead of ZPP also accumulated in a model solution with addition of EDTA, but the amount of heme was not reduced. These results suggested that ZPP was not formed by the Fe–Zn substitution in heme but was formed by the insertion of Zn into PPIX, which was formed independently. The fact that the effects of various factors in model systems with/without addition of a bivalent chelator were similar suggested that ZPP formation was strongly affected by PPIX formation. Inhibition of PPIX formation by nitrite might be the reason for the low levels of ZPP in cured meats.