Comparison of the pharmacological properties of rat Na(V)1.8 with rat Na(V)1.2a and human Na(V)1.5 voltage-gated sodium channel subtypes using a membrane potential sensitive dye and FLIPR

A novel, membrane potential sensitive dye and a fluorescence imaging plate reader (FLIPR) have been used to characterize the pharmacological properties of rat Na(v)1.8 voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) in parallel with rat Na(v)1.2a and human Na(v)1.5 VGSC subtypes, respectively. The sensitivity of recombinant Na(v)1.2a-CHO, Na(v)1.5-293-EBNA, and Na(v)1.8-F-11 cells to VGSC activators was subtype dependent. Veratridine evoked depolarization of Na(v)1.2a-CHO and Na(v)1.5-293-EBNA cells with pEC(50) values of 4.78 +/- 0.13 and 4.84 +/- 0.12, respectively (n = 3), but had negligible effect on Na(v)1.8-F-11 cells (pEC(50) < 4.5). Type I pyrethroids were without significant effect at all subtypes. In contrast, the type II pyrethroids deltamethrin and fenvalerate evoked direct depolarization of Na(v)1.8-F-11 and Na(v)1.5-293-EBNA cells. Deltamethrin potentiated the veratridine-evoked response in Na(v)1.8-F-11 cells by > or =20-fold, in contrast to a 相似文献   

Design for a manufacturing data base for management use

The current state of the art in the field of data base management systems (DBMS) ranges from simple microprocessor-based information lists to complex international concerns costing millions of dollars. This paper describes an example of the use of this technology to create a manufacturing data base that contains information on eight plants located throughout the United States which manufacture plastic molded products. This work was performed on an IBM 3033 mainframe using a commercial data base software package. A presentation of the system design is given in the form of flowcharts and examples of system output reports are shown. Applications which are discussed are bill of materials processing, standards maintenance, performance measurement and pricing and job costing applications. Consideration is given to the various costs involved in the creation of the data base as compared to the benefits received by management. Finally, areas for planned expansion and improvement are given, including a proposed interface with an existing mini-computer based plant information system.     

The fatty acid composition of seed oils from ten plant families with particular reference to cyclopropene and dihydrosterculic acids

Oil contents and fatty acid compositions of 40 seed oils of the plant families Elaecarpaceae, Thymelaeceae, Malvaceae, Sterculiaceae (order Malvales); Anacardiaceae, Celestraceae, Sapindaceae (Sapindales); Ebenaceae, Sapotaceae (Ebenales) and Rhamnaceae (Rhamnales) are presented. Cyclopropene fatty acids (CPFA) occur in two families in the order malvales not hitherto assayed. CPFA contents of seed oils of 12 Australian and Pacific species of Malvaceae and Sterculiaceae are given. CPFA occur randomly in small amounts in at least six families not in the order Malvales. Dehydrosterculic acid (DHS) occurs in small amounts in many species of Anacardiaceae, Celestraceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Malvaceae, Sapindaceae, Sapotaceae and Sterculiaceae. Linoleic acid was predominant in 28 of 40 seed oils, being as high as 63.9% in two species. The sum of 18:1 and 18:2 esters exceeded 70% in 20 oils.     

Relationship building,lean strategy and firm performance: an exploratory study in the automotive supplier industry

In contrast to previous literature, we propose that commitment to lean strategy should be preceded by building close relationships with key supply chain partners (suppliers and customers). Two aspects of lean strategy, lean manufacturing and lean design are studied in this paper. We hypothesize that relationship building positively affects both aspects of lean strategy, which in turn positively influences firm performance. To test these relationships, we use data from the top 150 auto suppliers to the ‘Big Three’ original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The results show positive relationships between (1) relationship building and lean design, (2) relationship building and lean manufacturing, and (3) lean design and firm performance. This suggests that relationship building is more valuable for enhancing the ‘product’ aspects of lean strategy as opposed to the ‘process’ aspects of lean strategy. Process aspects of lean strategy appear to be largely a function of internal efforts.     

Nonlinear seismic response of reinforced‐concrete free‐standing towers with application to TV towers on flexible foundations

Reinforced‐concrete (R/C) free‐standing towers such as TV towers are often analysed using elastic analyses as fixed‐base cantilever beams, ignoring the effect of soil–structure interaction. To take the capacity of structures after yielding into account, most designers usually prefer to decrease the peak values of the elastic response spectrum for the maximum credible earthquake (MCE) anticipated at the site by a factor called the ductility capacity factor, which varies with the design earthquake level and the structural characteristics of the structure neglecting the effect of supporting soil. To investigate the effect of foundation flexibility on the response of R/C free‐standing towers deforming into their inelastic range during intense ground shaking, a linear sway‐rocking model is applied in numerical modelling of the soil–structure system. The effect of concrete cracking and reinforcement yielding on the elements used in the structure modelling is taken into account by introducing a nonlinear model for R/C frame elements using the moment–curvature (M–?) relation. A method called pseudo‐dynamic analysis is presented to quantify the inelastic seismic response spectrum of a soil–R/C free‐standing system using response spectrum analysis method and push‐over analysis technique. The earthquake responses of cracked and uncracked systems for a practical TV tower and a practical range of soil shear wave velocity are calculated and compared with the objective of understanding how soil–structure interaction influences structural responses. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind tunnel study of the across-wind response of a slender tower with a nonlinear tuned mass damper

The effectiveness of a class of nonlinear tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in suppressing across-wind structure oscillations was examined through a wind tunnel test. The nonlinear TMD employed a wire rope spring to replace both the spring and the damper required in a typical system. First, a single degree of freedom aeroelastic stick model of a slender structure with a square cross-section was tested under different levels of damping. The measurements obtained from the tests were used to determine the root-mean-square (RMS) of the lift coefficient and other aerodynamic parameters. In the second phase of testing, the nonlinear TMD system was attached near the tip of the aeroelastic model. The response reduction achieved by adding the TMD was considerable and was quantitatively expressed in terms of an equivalent viscous damping. A comparison between the nonlinear TMD and an equivalent optimized linear TMD was made. Probability-based procedures were developed to estimate the equivalent damping provided by the nonlinear TMD. The estimated damping was compared with that obtained experimentally to evaluate the accuracy of the prediction method.