Trimethylpentanediol dibenzoate: New plasticizer for plastisol screen ink

Trimethylpentane diol (TMPD) dibenzoate use in vinyl as a plasticizer is not well recognized, and little has been published on vinyl performance characteristics. To assess new applications for vinyl, a basic evaluation was conducted. Based on the results of the screen and other considerations an evaluation for utility in plastisol silk screen ink was conducted. The results indicated that the TMPD dibenzoate performed very well in white ink, requiring good fabric dye bleed resistance compared to polymeric and phthalates currently being used for non-bleed ink. Non-bleed characteristics are important for colored tee shirt printing. The benzoate is a good solvator and has excellent extraction resistance.     

Low-Stress Abrasive Wear Behaviour of a 0.2% C Steel: Influence of Microstructure and Test Parameters

A low (0.2%) carbon steel has been subjected to heat treatment to form varying quantities of ferrite plus martensite in its microstructure. This was achieved by holding the samples in the two-phase (ferrite plus austenite) region at three different temperatures (750, 780, and 810°C) for a specific duration followed by quenching in ice water. In another exercise, the steel was also subjected to annealing treatment by austenitizing at 890°C followed by furnace cooling for comparison purposes. The samples were subjected to low-stress (three-body) abrasion tests using an ASTM rubber wheel abrasion test apparatus at different wheel speeds (150, 273 and 400rpm corresponding to linear speeds of 1.79, 3.26 and 4.78m/s respectively) for different sliding distances at a fixed load of 49N. Crushed silica sand particles of size ranging from 212 to 300 m were used as the abrasive medium. The wear rate of samples decreased progressively with sliding distance until a (nearly) steady-state condition was attained. This was considered to be due to abrasion-induced work hardening of subsurface regions as well as the greater tendency of protrusion of the harder martensite/pearlite phase at longer sliding distances, thereby providing greater resistance to wear. Decreasing wear rate with increasing treatment temperature 750–810°C could be attributed to the greater volume fraction of the hard martensite phase in the samples containing ferrite plus martensite. The lower wear rate observed in the case of the samples containing ferrite plus martensite over the annealed ones comprising ferrite and pearlite was attributed to the higher bulk hardness of the former. Increasing linear speed from 1.79 to 3.26m/s led to an increase in wear rate. This could be attributed to greater tendency of the abrasive particles to create deeper scratches and scouping (digging). A reduction in wear rate with a further increase in the linear speed from 3.26 to 4.78m/s could be due to a change in the mechanism of wear from predominantly sliding to rolling of the abrasive particles in view of the increased plastic deformability characteristics of the specimens due to higher frictional heating. The present investigation clearly suggests that it is possible to attain a desired combination of bulk hardness and microstructure (consisting of ferrite plus martensite) leading to optimum abrasion resistance in low-carbon steels. The quantity of the two phases in turn could be varied by suitably controlling the heat-treatment temperature.     

An Automatic Field Optical Meteorological Station Automatic

An optoelectronic measuring complex is used for prompt measurements of the atmospheric transparency to wavelengths of 0.35–1.03 m and the meteorological optical range of 0.1–300 km under various weather conditions with a relative error of no more than 15%.     

Multiple structural states of S100A12: A key to its functional diversity

S100A12 is a member of the S100 family of EF-hand calcium-binding proteins. Together with two other calgranulins, S100A8 and S100A9, it is mostly expressed in human granulocytes, although there is increasing evidence of expression in keratinocytes and psoriatic lesions. It is involved in host-parasite response, and linked to corneal autoimmune diseases connected with filarial parasite infestation. Interaction of S100A12 with a multiligand receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) mediates inflammation. Human recombinant S100A12 was found to induce neuritogenesis of cultured hippocampal cells, similar to two other S100 proteins, S100B and S100A4. X-ray structure of S100A12 has been solved in two crystal forms: R3 and P2(1). In the R3 crystal form S100A12 is a dimer, and in the P2(1) crystal form the dimers are arranged as a hexamer. The hexameric form suggests its role in receptor oligomerisation. S100A12 binds copper at the predicted zinc/copper binding site, which is located close to the surface of the protein. We propose copper-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species by S100A12 as its function in host-parasite response.     

Four-dimensional imaging and computer-assisted track analysis of nuclear migration in root hairs of Arabidopsis thaliana

Nuclear migration is a fundamental mechanism necessary for the proper growth and development of many eukaryotic organisms. In this study root hairs of Arabidopsis thaliana were used as a research model to gain insight into the dynamics of nuclear migration. Root hairs are long tubular outgrowths of epidermal cells and are responsible for the uptake of water and nutrients. During the development of root hairs, the nucleus migrates into the hair after the bulge is formed. The position of the nucleus relative to the tip plays an essential role in the growth process. However, what is happening to the nucleus in full‐grown root hairs is still unclear. To study nuclear dynamics in living root hair cells, stably transformed plants with the fusion proteins Histone2B‐YFP and NLS‐GFP‐GUS were used. Four‐dimensional confocal laser scanning microscopy made it possible to monitor the exact position of the nucleus in different root hairs. To analyse the sequential positions of the nuclei in the root hairs, a new computer‐assisted method was developed. After track analysis a number of parameters could be extracted from the movies, such as the average speed, the amplitude, direction factor and the range of movement in the root hairs. Our results show that nuclei do not reach a final position in full‐grown root hairs and this sustained movement seems to be more similar in root hairs lying close to each other. Moreover, with this methodology it could be quantitatively demonstrated that the integrity of actin is necessary for nuclear movement.     

Encapsulated yeast cells inside Paramecium primaurelia: a model system for protection capability of polyelectrolyte shells

One of the most promising applications of encapsulated living cells is their use as protected transplanted tissue into the human body. A suitable system for the protection of living cells is the use of nano‐ or microcapsules of polyelectrolytes. These shells can be deposited easily on top of the cells by means of a layer‐by‐layer technique. An interesting feature of the capsules is the possibility to control their properties on a nanometre level, tuning their wall texture via the preparation conditions. Here we introduce a model system to test the protection ability of polyelectrolyte capsules. Common bakery yeast cells were encapsulated. They were coated with a fluorescently labelled shell at conditions known to guarantee cell survival, and the cell interior was stained with DAPI. The protozoan Paramecium primaurelia was incubated with this double‐stained living yeast and visualized by means of two‐photon excitation fluorescence microscopy. Cross‐sections of the dye‐stained material as well as autofluorescence of the fixed protozoan allowed us to follow the digestion of the coated yeast with time. Our investigation reveals that capsules prepared under these deposition conditions are permeable to lysosomal enzymes, leading to degradation of the yeast inside the intact capsules. Our preliminary results indicate the suitability of the introduced model as a test system of this permeability.     

Fabrication of Thick Molybdenum Disulphide Coatings by Thermal-Diffusion Synthesis

Molybdenum disulphide coatings were deposited on high-speed steel and WC/Co hard alloy substrates by thermal-diffusion synthesis. Ball-on-flat reciprocating tests demonstrated the coating friction coefficient 0.03–0.06 (200°C, air) and 0.1–0.2 (20°C, air). The coatings ensured ~50 longer lifetime of hard alloy cutting tools.     

Testing the relative deformation of the lattice parameter of semiinsulating GaAs using reflected radiation

A noncontact method for the express-testing of the relative deformation of lattice parameter (a/a ) of semiinsulating GaAs has been developed. This method is based on measuring the reflected radiation in band-to-band regions L ₃ ^v - L ₁ ^c and X ₅ ^v - X ₃ ^c . The suggested method ensures a resolution of 4 × 10^-5 in determining (a/a ) and has a measurement accuracy of about 0.5%.Translated from Defektoskopiya, Vol. 40, No. 8, 2004, pp. 84–89. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Bilenko, Belobrovaya, Lyubivyi, Terin.