Ubiquitin expression in inclusion body myositis. An immunohistochemical study

Ubiquitin has been shown by immunohistochemical studies to be a component of many of the filamentous inclusion bodies that are known in neuropathology. In the current study, we examined the expression of ubiquitin in 14 cases of typical inclusion body myositis, in skeletal muscle specimens from four cases of typical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and in muscle specimens from three normal controls. In the cases of inclusion body myositis, rimmed vacuoles were ubiquitin immunoreactive in all cases. Intrasarcoplasmic inclusions were positive in the nine cases that had them. In four cases, there were positive intranuclear inclusions, and in seven, there was homogeneous staining of nuclei. Atrophic fibers and necrotic fibers were positive in 11 and nine cases, respectively. In the cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, atrophic fibers were positive in three cases, and focal nuclear staining was seen in two. In one of the three control cases, a few atrophic fibers had faint sarcoplasmic positivity; no other staining was seen. We conclude that ubiquitin is a component of the inclusions that characterize inclusion body myositis. However, ubiquitin expression in skeletal muscle disease is not pathognomonic of inclusion body myositis.     

In-beam tests of proximity mesh dynode tubes for the STAR TOF subsystem

The performance of Bicron BC404, BC408 and BC420 scintillators coupled to a Hamamatsu R3432 proximity mesh dynode photomultiplier tube was studied using pion beams from the TRIUMF cyclotron and the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS accelerator. A system resolution of better than 100 ps seems feasible. This will satisfy the requirement for charged particle identification in the STAR detector at RHIC.     

An anomalous acoustic effect during martensite transformations in NiTi-based alloys

Martensite transformations proceeding in mechanically loaded TiNi-based alloys account for an “anomalous” character of the acoustic emission from the material, whereby cyclic transformations during the growth of mechanical stress in the course of the direct transition is accompanied by an increase, rather than by a decrease, in the acoustic emission energy. This behavior of the acoustic emission is evidence of a significant influence of the external stresses on the martensite transformations and the related energy dissipation process.     

Photoelectric properties of planar structures with double Schottky barrier treated in a high-vacuum microwave discharge

The state of the surface of n-GaAs crystals upon high-vacuum microwave plasmachemical (HVMWPC) etching in various gas mixtures and the influence of the semiconductor surface condition on the photoelectric characteristics of related metal-semiconductor-metal structures with double Schottky barrier (MSMDSB structures) are investigated. Dependence of the HVMWPC etching rate of the GaAs surface on the gas mixture composition and substrate temperature is determined. It is shown that the HVMWPC etching regime strongly influences the photoelectric properties of MSMDSB structures: the treatment can lead to either growth or drop in photosensitivity of the samples. Optimum etching regimes are established for which good semiconductor surface quality and high photosensitivity of the MSMDSB structures are retained at a high etching rate.     

A Linear Cross-Coupled Control System for High-Speed Machining

We present a linear cross-coupled controller to improve highspeed contouring accuracy independently of tracking accuracy in a biaxial machine tool feed drive servomechanism. Unlike conventional cross-coupled controllers, the cross-coupled controller presented here is a linear system, so it is very easy to perform the stability and steady-state error analysis, and to optimise the controller parameters. The proposed controller is evaluated experimentally on a CNC LOM machine and compared to an uncoupled controller and a conventional cross-coupled controller. Controller performance is evaluated for a circular contour at a feedrate of 30 m min _1 . The experimental results show that the proposed controller can greatly reduce the contour error at large feedrates. The linear cross-coupled controller is simple to implement and is practical.     

Parametric inference for step-stress models

Applications of the additive accumulation of damages (AAD) or the accelerated failure time (AFT) and the proportional hazards (PH) models in accelerated life testing with step-stresses are discussed. A new model including AAD and PH models is proposed. It is more reasonable than the PH model and wider then the AAD model. Constructing the maximum likelihood function is discussed     

Effect of Thermohydrogen Treatment on the Structure and Properties of Titanium Alloy Castings

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -     

Experience in High-Temperature Thermomechanical Treatment with Helical Reduction in the Production of Axisymmetric Parts

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -