Evaluation of four steering wheels to determine driver hand placement in a static environment

While much research exists on occupant packaging both proprietary and in the literature, more detailed research regarding user preferences for subjective ratings of steering wheel designs is sparse in published literature. This study aimed to explore the driver interactions with production steering wheels in four vehicles by using anthropometric data, driver hand placement, and driver grip design preferences for Generation-Y and Baby Boomers. In this study, participants selected their preferred grip diameter, responded to a series of questions about the steering wheel grip as they sat in four vehicles, and rank ordered their preferred grip design. Thirty-two male participants (16 Baby Boomers between ages 47 and 65 and 16 Generation-Y between ages 18 and 29) participated in the study. Drivers demonstrated different gripping behavior between vehicles and between groups. Recommendations for future work in steering wheel grip design and naturalistic driver hand positioning are discussed.     

Preparation and properties of ABA block polymers of styrene and butadiene or isoprene made with sec-C4H9Li·2(C2H5)2O

ABA-type “tapered” block polymers were prepared from styrene (monomer A) and butadiene or isoprene, using an initiator of sec-butyllithium complexed with two molecules of ethyl ether. The stress–strain curves of polymers containing about 20–50% styrene show the usual resemblance to curves of crosslinked elastomers. The SBS polymers had higher tensile strengths than the SIS polymers. They also had slightly higher tensile strengths than comparable SBS polymers made with sec-butyllithium. The SIS polymers, however, had generally lower tensile strengths than those made with sec-butyllithium. This is probably caused by higher styrene content of the isoprene block, brought about by increased randomization of the styrene–isoprene copolymerization due to the presence of the ether. The A and B blocks become more compatible, producing loss of strength in the polymer. Infrared analyses of polydienes made with the sec-C₄H₉Li·2(C₂H₅)₂O initiator showed a 6% to 8% increase in 1,2-content (for polybutadiene) or 3,4-content (for polyisoprene), compared to polymers made with sec-butyllithium. The polymer microstructures still have high (>80%) total 1,4-content, however. Thus, this amount of ether can be tolerated in the polymerization system without great loss of rubbery properties or block structure in the resultant polymers.     

The reaction of activated vinyl compounds with cotton cellulose via internal catalysis

The reactions of a variety of activated vinyl compounds with cotton cellulose fabric containing quaternary ammonium hydroxide substituents were explored. Each reaction, catalyzed by the basic groups in the cellulose, was followed to or near the point of leveling off. The results are analyzed and discussed in terms of accessibility of the cellulosic compositions and in terms of the efficiency of the quaternary ammonium substituents as catalysts for the addition reactions. Estimates of relative forward rate constants (k_f) and equilibrium constants (K) for the reactions were made. The values of k_f for reactions of the vinyl compounds with the quaternary ammonium celluloses show a relative order which is similar to that for the reactions of the vinyl compounds with simple alcohols. Evidence is presented to indicate that, in some cases, the addition of vinyl compounds is accompanied by anionic-catalyzed graft polymerization.     

Simulation of carbon nanotube based p-n junction diodes

Taking advantage of the unique characteristics of an ambipolar carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNTFET), a ‘p-n junction’ is simulated along the single-walled carbon nanotube channel using two separate gates close to the source and drain of the CNTFET, respectively. The current-voltage characteristics of the double-gated CNTFET are calculated using a semiclassical method based on the Schottky barrier field effect transistor mechanism. The calculation results show a good rectification performance of the p-n junction.     

Residual encoder-decoder up-sampling for structural preservation in noise removal

Multimedia Tools and Applications - While denoising 3D MRI, structural preservation is a very critical process in the medical region. However, Rician noise in MRI has affected the image quality...     

Glycated proteome: From reaction to intervention

Glycation, a nonenzymatic reaction between reducing sugars and proteins, is a proteome wide phenomenon, predominantly observed in diabetes due to hyperglycemia. Glycated proteome of plasma, kidney, lens, and brain are implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including diabetic complications, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and aging. This review discusses the strategies to characterize protein glycation, its functional implications in different diseases, and intervention strategies to protect the deleterious effects of protein glycation.     

Gestural systems for the voice: performance approaches and repertoire

ABSTRACT

Singing, like dance, emerges directly from the body. The voice, in combination with whole body movement, constitutes a potent form of self-expression. Gestural systems offer a specialized context in which to explore the intersection between voice and movement. The practice-based investigation presented in this article charts the development of an original musical work, Intangible Spaces, which gives form to the invisible aspects of voice and movement through gestural control, physical modelling synthesis and visual feedback. I draw on embodied and performative autoethnographic methods to capture the felt sensations and sound-movement associations that arise during the composition process. I also explore the performance approaches of key practitioners in the area to gain a broader understanding of the ways in which musicians leverage existing performance skills to uncover novel connections between movement and voice in gestural performance.     

Aberrant protein expression in plasma and kidney tissue during experimental obstructive nephropathy

Kidney failure is a major health problem worldwide. Patients with end-stage renal disease require intensive medical support by dialysis or kidney transplantation. Current methods for diagnosis of kidney disease are either invasive or insensitive, and renal function may decline by as much as 50% before it can be detected using current techniques. The goal of this study was, therefore, to identify biomarkers of kidney disease (associated with renal fibrosis) that can be used for the development of a non-invasive clinical test for early disease detection. We utilized two protein-profiling technologies (SELDI-TOF MS and 2-D) to screen the plasma and kidney proteome for aberrantly expressed proteins in an experimental mouse model of unilateral uretric obstruction, which mimics the pathology of human renal disease. Several differentially regulated proteins were detected at the plasma level of day-3-obstructed animals, which included serum amyloid A1, fibrinogen α, haptoglobin precursor protein, haptoglobin and major urinary proteins 11 and 8. Differentially expressed proteins detected at the tissue level included ras-like activator protein 2, haptoglobin precursor protein, malate dehydrogenase, α enolase and murine urinary protein (all p<0.05 versus controls). Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the up-regulation of fibrinogen. Interestingly, these proteins are largely separated into four major classes: (i) acute-phase reactants (ii) cell-signaling molecules (iii) molecules involved in cell growth and metabolism and (iv) urinary proteins. These results provide new insights into the pathology of obstructive nephropathy and may facilitate the development of specific assay(s) to detect and monitor renal fibrosis.