Impact of adhesive ingredients on adhesion between rubber and brass-plated steel wire in tire

Proficiency on underlying mechanism of rubber-metal adhesion has been increased significantly in the last few decades. Researchers have investigated the effect of various ingredients, such as hexamethoxymethyl melamine, resorcinol, cobalt stearate, and silica, on rubber-metal interface. The role of each ingredient on rubber-metal interfacial adhesion is still a subject of scrutiny. In this article, a typical belt skim compound of truck radial tire is selected and the effect of each adhesive ingredient on adhesion strength is explored. Out of these ingredients, the effect of cobalt stearate is found noteworthy. It has improved adhesion strength by 12% (without aging) and by 11% (humid-aged), respectively, over control compound. For detailed understanding of the effect of cobalt stearate on adhesion, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy are utilized to ascertain the rubber coverage and distribution of elements. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results helped us to understand the impact of Cu_XS layer depth on rubber-metal adhesion. The depth profile of the Cu_XS layer was found to be one of the dominant factors of rubber-metal adhesion retention. Thus, this study has made an attempt to find the impact of different adhesive ingredients on the formation of Cu_XS layer depth at rubber-metal interface and establish a correlation with adhesion strength simultaneously.     

Re-entrant activity and its control in a model of mammalian ventricular tissue

We characterize the meander of re-entrant excitation in a model of a sheet of mammalian ventricular tissue, and its control by resonant drift under feedback driven stimulation. The Oxsoft equations for excitability in a guinea pig single ventricular cell were incorporated in a two dimensional reaction-diffusion system to model homogeneous, isotropic tissue with a plane wave conduction velocity of 0.35 m s-1. Re-entrant spiral wave solutions have a spatially extended transient motion (linear core) that settles down into rotation with an irregular period of 100-110 ms around an irregular, multi-lobed spiky core. In anisotropic tissue this would appear as a linear conduction block. The typical velocity of drift of the spiral wave induced by low amplitude resonant forcing is 0.4 cm s-1.     

The use of laser and phototherapy in the comprehensive treatment of malignant tumors and leukemia in children

The report deals with the development of procedures, evaluation of laser application and prevention of complications involved in intensive chemoradiation therapy of neoplasms of hemopoietic and lymphoid tissue in childhood. The clinical data on 548 patients, aged 2 months-15 years, with leukemia and solid tumor were evaluated. Laser application for treatment of different complications of chemoradiation therapy of pediatric leukemia proved a valuable innovation. It had a pronounced antiinflammatory and analgetic effect, promoted tissue regeneration processes and cut down the duration of complication treatment drastically.     

Lean philosophy: implementation in a forging company

This research addresses the implementation of lean philosophy in a forging company with a focus on radial forging production flow lines. Here, the prime motive is to evolve and test several strategies to eliminate waste on the shop floor. In this research, a systematic approach is suggested for the implementation of lean principles. This paper describes an application of value stream mapping (VSM). Consequently, the present and future states of value stream maps are constructed to improve the production process by identifying waste and its sources. Furthermore, Taguchi’s method of design of experiments is pursued here to minimize the forging defects produced due to imperfect operating conditions. A noticeable reduction in set-up time and work-in-process (WIP) inventory level is substantiated. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of managerial implications and the future scope of research.     

The Design of Discrimination Experiments

Experimentation plays a fundamental role in scientific discovery. Scientists experiment to gather data, investigate phenomena, measure quantities, and test theories. In this article, we address the problem of designing experiments to discriminate between two completing theories. Given an initial situation for which the two theories make the same prediction, the experiment design problem is to determine how to modify the situation such that the two theories make different predictions for the modified situation. The modified situation is called a discrimination experiment. We present a knowledge-intensive method called DEED for designing discrimination experiments. The method analyzes the differences in the two theories' explanations of the prediction for the initial situation. Based on this analysis, it determines modifications to the initial situation that will result in a discrimination experiment. We illustrate the method with the design of experiments to discriminate between several pairs of qualitative theories in the fluids domain.     

GnRH molecular variants in the brain and pituitary gland of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis (Atheriniformes). Immunological and chromatographic evidence for the presence of a novel molecular variant

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) molecular variants in the brain and pituitary gland of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis (Atheriniformes), were characterized by gradient reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Eluted fractions were tested in radioimmunoassays with different antisera. The results show that the brain extract contains three forms of GnRH: one is immunologically and chromatographically similar to cIIGnRH (chicken II), and another is similar to sGnRH (salmon). A third GnRH appears to be chromatographic and immunologically different from the nine other known forms of the vertebrate hormone. This is the only variant present in the pituitary gland.