Measurement and analysis of low-acceleration and long-duration longitudinal events using delivery van

This study investigates longitudinal acceleration events during freight transportation characterized as low-acceleration and long-duration using delivery van type vehicles. In the past several decades, there has been an increase in shipments requiring only single or small pallet load quantities and mixed palletized unit loads comprised of different goods. These loads are often transported in delivery vans without load securing devices, increasing the risk of product loss and damage due to load failures resulting from unit loads shifting. A field data acquisition system was used to observe and record the random acceleration events from five vehicles for 5 days, explicitly targeting the vehicles' braking and acceleration manoeuvres. The study aimed to understand the physical phenomenon and provide new information that can be used during preshipment tests to prevent damage to goods and ensure unit load integrity is maintained throughout the supply chain. The events were statistically analysed to understand their probability of occurrence, severity level, and quantify critical parameters such as event rise and hold times. For the braking manoeuvre, the statistical mean of average deceleration was 0.25 g with a corresponding rise and hold duration of 0.83 and 1.27 s, respectively. During the vehicle's acceleration manoeuvre, the statistical mean of average acceleration was 0.29 g with a rise and hold time of 1.29 and 1.39 s, respectively. Utilizing the field data, composite profiles were developed, and these profiles were compared to the currently available test procedures and previous results of other studies.     

A case of split notochord syndrome: presence of dorsal enteric diverticulum adjacent to the dorsal enteric fistula

Like umblical enteric remnants (eg, umblical sinus and omphalomesenteric fistula), enteric remnants can be seen on the dorsal aspect of the body (dorsal enteric sinus, dorsal enteric fistula IDEF], dorsal enteric diverticulum) in conjunction with complete cleft of the vertebral column. Complete cleft of the vertebral column associated with gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system anomalies is known as "split notochord syndrome" (SNS). The authors present an unreported variant of SNS having dorsal enteric diverticulum adjacent to the DEF. The patient died 17 days after surgical repair.     

Prefrontal cortical projections to the hypothalamus in macaque monkeys

The organization of projections from the macaque orbital and medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC) to the hypothalamus and related regions of the diencephalon and midbrain was studied with retrograde and anterograde tracing techniques. Almost all of the prefrontal cortical projections to the hypothalamus arise from areas within the "medial prefrontal network," as defined previously by Carmichael and Price ([1996] J. Comp. Neurol. 371:179-207). Outside of the OMPFC, only a few neurons in the temporal pole, anterior cingulate and insular cortex project to the hypothalamus. Axons from the OMPFC also innervate the basal forebrain, zona incerta, and ventral midbrain. Within the medial prefrontal network, different regions project to distinct parts of the hypothalamus. The medial wall areas 25 and 32 send the heaviest projections to the hypothalamus; axons from these areas are especially concentrated in the anterior hypothalamic area and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Orbital areas 13a, 12o, and Iai, which are related to the medial prefrontal network, selectively innervate the lateral hypothalamic area, especially its posterior part. The cellular regions of the paraventricular, supraoptic, suprachiasmatic, arcuate, and mammillary nuclei are conspicuously devoid of cortical axons, but many axons abut the borders of these nuclei and may contact dendrites that extend from them. Areas within the orbital prefrontal network on the posterior orbital surface and agranular insula send only weak projections to the posterior lateral hypothalamic area. The rostral orbital surface does not contribute to the cortico-hypothalamic projection.     

Simultaneous machining of parallel grooves in SnO(2) thin films using a Nd:YAG laser and a kinoform

A kinoform is used to split the beam of a Nd:YAG laser into six beams. The laser beams are, by means of optical fibers and collimating-focusing optics, transferred to the surface to be machined. Thus multiple grooves can be machined simultaneously. For demonstration, 100-μm-wide grooves are simultaneously machined into a SnO(2) thin film deposited on a glass substrate. The resulting grooves are well isolated. This result shows that the technique could be used, for example, in solar cell manufacturing to increase the efficiency of laser scribing.     

Preparation of anchored ceramic coatings on metal substrates: a modified sol-gel technique using colloidal silica sol

A single-step dip-coating technique was developed to produce stable films or washcoats of controlled thickness, surface area and pore-size distribution on alumina whisker-covered metal substrates (both flat plates and monoliths). Dip-coating slurries were prepared by dispersing fine porous powder in a colloidal silica sol. The method provided control over coating thickness and coating properties, such as pore-size distribution and surface area. The coating thickness could be varied between approximately 2 and 40 m by selecting slurry composition and withdrawal speed in the dipping procedure. The pore-size distribution and surface area could be varied by changing type and amount of porous filler material in the dipping slurry. Uniform and bimodal pore-size distributions were obtained using silica and ZSM-5 molecular sieves, respectively, yielding coatings with surface areas between 60 and 400 m²g^–1.