Factors Affecting Flow-Mediated Vasodilatation in Hemodialysis Patients

Clinical manifestation of overt vascular disease may be preceded for years by endothelial dysfunction. Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate endothelial function in ESRD patients and correlation between endothelial function and clinical and biochemical parameters. Methods: 32 stable ESRD patients (male : female = 16 : 16, average age: 55.2 ± 13.0) on hemodialysis were included. A 10‐MHz ultrasound transducer was used to image the brachial artery. Brachial artery diameter was measured, and reactive hyperemia was induced by inflation to 250 mmHg for 5 min and then deflation of a pneumatic cuff. After release of the cuff, brachial artery diameter was measured. Results: In the entire study population and non‐diabetic group, the %FMD (% flow‐mediated dilatation, % change of brachial artery diameter between before and after cuff inflation) did not show any significant correlation with duration of dialysis, age, hypertension, albumin, CRP, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride. However, the %FMD of diabetic patients was lower than that of non‐diabetics. Among the patients with diabetes, the group of patients with FMD of <5.2% showed significant lower serum albumin and significantly higher ln(CRP) levels compared to the group of patients with FMD ≥5.2%. The %FMD showed significant positive correlation with serum albumin level and significant negative correlation with ln(CRP) in diabetic patients. Conclusion: These findings suggest that endothelial dysfunction, estimated by FMD, was significantly more prominent in diabetic ESRD, especially with low serum albumin and high CRP levels.     

Design of a Drilling Torque Controller for a Machining Center

In the drilling process, cutting torque control through feedrate manipulation has significant benefits in prevention of tool breakage and reduction of machine tool vibration and tool wear. In this paper, a PID torque controller was designed for real time drilling torque control in a machining centre. The drilling torque was estimated from the spindle motor current and regulated by feedrate control. The plant including the feed drive system, cutting process, and spindle system was modelled for controller design. For a certain cutting condition, the Ziegler-Nichols method was used to determine the proportional gain and derivative and integral control action times of the controller. Also, the root locus plot was used to tune the proportional gain of the controller. A simple method was also suggested to obtain the tuned controller gain instead of the Ziegler-Nichols method and the root locus plot for an arbitrary cutting condition. Experimental works have been performed to verify the performance of the proposed controller. It is shown that the gain tuning is essential for enhancement of the controller performance and the designed controller can regulate the drilling torque well at a given reference level.Nomenclature G_fc(s) transfer function of combined system of feed drive and cutting process - G_s(s) transfer function of spindle system - G_p(s) transfer function of plant - G_CL(s) transfer function of closed loop system - G_con(s) transfer function of controller - _fc1, _fc2 time constants of combined system of feed drive and cutting process - _s time constant of spindle system - K controller gain - K_c cutting process gain - K_s spindle motor current gain - K_plant plant gain - K_cr critical gain - K_p proportional gain of controller - K_{p_tune} tuned proportional gain of controller - I_s spindle motor current - I_u,v,w u, v, and w phase current of spindle motor - I_idle idling current of spindle motor - damping ratio - T oscillation period of system response - T_c cutting torque - T_m motor torque - T_idle idling torque of spindle motor - T_i integral control action time - T_d derivative control action time     

Microstructural analysis of multilayered titanium aluminide sheets fabricated by hot rolling and heat treatment

This study is concerned with the microstructural analysis of multilayered or bulk Ti aluminide sheets fabricated by the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) reaction using hot rolling and heat treatment. Multilayered Ti/Al sheets were prepared by stacking thin Ti and Al sheets alternately, and a good Ti/Al interfacial bonding was achieved after rolling at 500 °C. When these sheets were held at 1000 °C, spheroidal TiAl₃ phases were formed by the SHS reaction at Ti/Al interfaces and inside Al layers. Microstructural analysis on the hot-rolled, multilayered Ti/TiAl₃ sheets revealed that intermetallic phases such as TiAl₂, TiAl, and Ti₃Al were formed at Ti/TiAl₃ interfaces due to interaction between Ti and TiAl₃ and that pores formed in the TiAl₃ layer were significantly reduced during hot rolling. When multilayered Ti/Ti aluminide sheets were heat treated at 1000 °C, Ti₃Al, TiAl, and TiAl₂ were grown as Ti and TiAl₃ were consumed. As the heat treatment proceeded, TiAl grew further, eventually leading to the fabrication of multilayered sheets composed of Ti₃Al and TiAl. Bulk Ti aluminide sheets, having a lamellar structure of Ti₃Al and TiAl, instead of multilayered sheets, were also fabricated successfully by heat treatment at 1400 °C. This fabrication method of the bulk sheets had several advantages over the method by hot forging or rolling of conventional cast Ti aluminides. From these findings, an idea to fabricate multilayered or bulk Ti aluminide sheets by hot rolling and heat treatment is suggested as an economical and continuous fabrication method, and the formation and growth mechanisms of interfacial phases are elucidated in this study.     

Positive chronotropic actions of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptide are associated with increases in the current, I(f), and the slope of the pacemaker potential

BACKGROUND: The classic calciotropic hormone parathyroid hormone (PTH) and its paracrine factor parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) both increase heart rate. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used standard electrophysiological techniques to study the effects of PTH and PTHrP on isolated rabbit sinus node, isolated canine Purkinje fibers, and disaggregated rabbit sinus node myocytes. Sinus node maximum diastolic potential, activation voltage, and amplitude were unchanged by PTH or PTHrP (P>.05). However, the slope of phase 4 and the automatic rate were increased at PTH and PTHrP > or = 10 nmol/L (P<.05). Comparable results were seen in canine Purkinje fibers. We then used the perforated-patch technique to study the I(f) pacemaker current in sinus node. PTH 12.5 nmol/L and PTHrP 12.5 to 18 nmol/L increased I(f) at -65 mV by 68+/-41% (n=5) and 69+/-50% (n=5), respectively. Actions of both agents were reversible. The increase in I(f) appeared to result from a change in maximal conductance and not a shift in the voltage dependence of activation. CONCLUSIONS: These observations provide, for the first time, direct electrophysiological support for the chronotropic actions of PTH and PTHrP. They suggest that classic hormones and paracrine factors can have multiple functions and that in the case of PTH and PTHrP, a newly recognized action is to alter automaticity directly.     

Behavior of unirradiated Zr based uranium metal fuel under reactivity initiated accident conditions

Reactivity initiated accident (RIA) tests with 4 unirradiated Zr based uranium metal fuel rods were performed to establish a criterion which should be observed under RIA conditions. Of the four tests, fuel failures were observed in the two tests that experienced the maximum energy depositions of 188 and 212 cal/g, respectively. However, the fuel failures were not observed at the place of a maximum energy deposition but at the position where the thermocouples were installed; one failed at the position whose local energy deposition was 150 cal/g, and the other one at the place with energy deposition of 170 cal/g. The fuel failures seem to have occurred because excessive pressure, which was caused by the partial melting of the fuel meat, was applied to the cladding with a reduced thickness. However, other parts of the fuel rods including the place of a maximum energy deposition maintained their integrity and a big change in the temperature and pressure in the internal capsule, which would be an indication of the fragmentation and dispersion of the fuel meat into the internal capsule, was not observed. Visual inspection also showed that, except for the thermocouple positions, there was no trace of clad failure such as the formation of brittle cracks in the cladding or melting of the cladding. Therefore, for the Zr based uranium metal fuel rods, it can be concluded that the threshold energy deposition above which fragmentation and dispersion of fuel meat into the primary coolant system is expected to occur could be higher than 212 cal/g.     

Shape-dependent cytotoxicity of polyaniline nanomaterials in human fibroblast cells

The toxicity of polyaniline (PANI) nanomaterials with four different aspect ratios on human lung fibroblast cells was investigated by cell viability assay, cytotoxicity assay, apoptosis/necrosis measurement, and reactive oxygen species production. The toxicity increased with decreasing aspect ratio of PANI nanomaterials. In contrast, the highest aspect ratio PANI nanomaterials showed similar results with bulk PANI materials. The adverse effect of PANI nanomaterials was also concentration- and time-dependent. Low aspect ratio PANI nanomaterials induced more necrosis and more reactive oxygen species than others. These results provide new understanding of shape-dependent toxicity of nanomaterials.     

Relationship between Brain Metabolic Disorders and Cognitive Impairment: LDL Receptor Defect

The low-density-lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) removes low-density lipoprotein (LDL), an endovascular transporter that carries cholesterol from the bloodstream to peripheral tissues. The maintenance of cholesterol content in the brain, which is important to protect brain function, is affected by LDLr. LDLr co-localizes with the insulin receptor and complements the internalization of LDL. In LDLr deficiency, LDL blood levels and insulin resistance increase, leading to abnormal cholesterol control and cognitive deficits in atherosclerosis. Defects in brain cholesterol metabolism lead to neuroinflammation and blood–brain-barrier (BBB) degradation. Moreover, interactions between endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and mitochondria are induced by ox-LDL accumulation, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) regulates the levels of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain, and hypoxia is induced by apoptosis induced by the LDLr defect. This review summarizes the association between neurodegenerative brain disease and typical cognitive deficits.     

Low-cost broadband millimetre-wave array antenna using waveguide/microstrip feed network and slot pair

A low-cost broadband millimetre-wave planar 30/spl times/30 array antenna is presented. The antenna is fed by a microstrip feed network in the H-plane to decrease fabrication costs, and a waveguide feed network in the E-plane to reduce the feed line loss. The waveguide and microstrip feed network are coupled through the proposed slot pair. The slots are placed one quarter of a guided-wavelength distance apart, so that the reflected waves from the slots cancel each other. A conductive bar is laid above the slots to increase the coupling, which increases the antenna gain by about 1 dBi. The maximum gain is 30.5 dBi at 41.5 GHz. The measured bandwidth is as broad as 7.1%.     

Statistical Characterization of Open Failures in the Fine-Pitch COG Interconnection

Chip-on-glass (COG) interconnection using anisotropic conductive film (ACF) is susceptible to open failures. Open failures can be induced by the absence of conductive particles or an insufficient contact. Experimental results as well as statistical approaches were used to understand the conditions for open failures in COG bonding. The binomial distribution was used to predict the probability of the open failure due to the deficiency of conductive particles. The probability of an open failure decreased with increasing bump area and decreasing particle size. The bump height variation was also an important factor that affected the probability of the open failure together with the bump-to-electrode gap and the particle size. The variation in bump height should be minimized to avoid open failures in fine-pitch applications where a smaller particle size is required.