Investigation of Causes of Scrap Occurrence in Thread Cutting on Steel Sleeves for Motorcar Industry

This paper studies causes of scrap occurrence, wear and breakage of cutters during thread cutting of steel sleeves poured in Al die castings of motor car engine components. It was concluded that the reason for occurrence of problems with thread cutting of sleeves most probably should be attributed to the fact whether hardness value reaches 200 HB or over 250 HB. The most probable reason for over wear and consequently to breakage of cutters and scrap occurrence, although castings display top quality, lies in the fact that the internal diameter of sleeves frequently falls down under minimally allowed tolerances for threaded sleeves

PLCγ1 promotes phase separation of T cell signaling components.

The T cell receptor (TCR) pathway receives, processes, and amplifies the signal from pathogenic antigens to the activation of T cells. Although major components in this pathway have been identified, the knowledge on how individual components cooperate to effectively transduce signals remains limited. Phase separation emerges as a biophysical principle in organizing signaling molecules into liquid-like condensates. Here, we report that phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) promotes phase separation of LAT, a key adaptor protein in the TCR pathway. PLCγ1 directly cross-links LAT through its two SH2 domains. PLCγ1 also protects LAT from dephosphorylation by the phosphatase CD45 and promotes LAT-dependent ERK activation and SLP76 phosphorylation. Intriguingly, a nonmonotonic effect of PLCγ1 on LAT clustering was discovered. Computer simulations, based on patchy particles, revealed how the cluster size is regulated by protein compositions. Together, these results define a critical function of PLCγ1 in promoting phase separation of the LAT complex and TCR signal transduction

The Development of the Croatian Competency Framework for Pharmacists

OBJECTIVE: To adjust and validate the Global Competency Framework (GbCF) to be relevant for Croatian community and hospital pharmacists. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted in three steps: translation, consensus development, and validation by an expert panel and public consultation. Panel members were representatives from community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, regulatory and professional bodies, academia, and industry. RESULTS: The adapted framework consists of 96 behavioral statements organized in four clusters: Pharmaceutical Public Health, Pharmaceutical Care, Organization and Management, and Personal and Professional Competencies. When mapped against the 100 statements listed in the GbCF, 27 matched, 39 were revised, 30 were introduced, and 24 were excluded from the original framework. CONCLUSIONS: The adaptation and validation proved that GbCF is adaptable to local needs, the Croatian Competency Framework that emerged from it being an example. Key amendments were made within Organization and Management and Pharmaceutical Care clusters, demonstrating that these issues can be country specific

Durotaxis of Passive Nanoparticles on Elastic Membranes

The transport of macromolecules and nanoscopic particles to a target cellular site is a crucial aspect in many physiological processes. This directional motion is generally controlled via active mechanical and chemical processes. Here we show, by means of molecular dynamics simulations and an analytical theory, that completely passive nanoparticles can exhibit directional motion when embedded in nonuniform mechanical environments. Specifically, we study the motion of a passive nanoparticle adhering to a mechanically nonuniform elastic membrane. We observe a nonmonotonic affinity of the particle to the membrane as a function of the membrane’s rigidity, which results in the particle transport. This transport can be both up or down the rigidity gradient, depending on the absolute values of the rigidities that the gradient spans across. We conclude that rigidity gradients can be used to direct average motion of passive macromolecules and nanoparticles on deformable membranes, resulting in the preferential accumulation of the macromolecules in regions of certain mechanical properties

From functional food to medicinal product: Systematic approach in analysis of polyphenolics from propolis and wine

In the last decade we have been working on standardization of propolis extract and determination of active constituents of wine those are rich in polyphenolics and have nutritional as well as therapeutic value. Here we are summarizing our results and providing overview on systematic approach how to analyse natural products rich in flavonoids and phenolic acids

Characterization of extra-hard cheese produced from donkeys’ and caprine milk mixture

International audienceAbstractCheese cannot be produced solely from equine or donkeys’ milk, because of the unique physico-chemical properties of these milks. The purpose of this study was to characterize a novel dairy product, cheese produced from donkeys’ and caprine milk mixture (60:40% v/v), regarding its chemical, microbiological, textural and sensory properties. Fully ripened cheese was classified as a high-fat, extra-hard cheese, with high sodium (29.97 g.kg−1), magnesium (3.07 g.kg−1) and potassium (4.70 g.kg−1) content. The characterization by lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis revealed lysozyme, α-lactalbumin, immunoglobulins and casein fractions. Palmitic (C16:0) and oleic fatty acids (C18:2 n9-cis) with 25.11 and 24.70%, respectively, were found at the highest concentrations. The medium-chain fatty acids account 18.21% of the total fatty acid content in analysed cheese samples. Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Enterobacteriaceae, coagulase-positive staphylococci, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens as well as moulds were under the limit of detection in all analysed samples. After 6 months of cheese ripening (0.94 aw, pH 4.71), total bacterial count, the counts of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were 6.34 ± 0.03, 4.80 ± 0.10 and 5.81 ± 0.11 log CFU.g−1, respectively. The texture of mature cheese was moderately hard and crumbly. The cheese was described as very salty with strong pronounced creamy, fatty and acidic taste. The characterized donkey/caprine cheese could position this type of cheese as a high-quality functional product, thus having a potential impact on the market

Investigation of Causes of Scrap Occurrence in Thread Cutting on Steel Sleeves for Motorcar Industry

This paper studies causes of scrap occurrence, wear and breakage of cutters during thread cutting of steel sleeves poured in Al die castings of motor car engine components. It was concluded that the reason for occurrence of problems with thread cutting of sleeves most probably should be attributed to the fact whether hardness value reaches 200 HB or over 250 HB. The most probable reason for over wear and consequently to breakage of cutters and scrap occurrence, although castings display top quality, lies in the fact that the internal diameter of sleeves frequently falls down under minimally allowed tolerances for threaded sleeves

Changes in the blood components of workers exposed to solutions containing benzene

Ispitane su vrijednosti krvnih elemenata u 51 radnika u procesu bojenja šivaćih strojeva, od kojih 17 muškaraca i 34 žene, prosječne starosti 35 godina, duljine izloženosti otapalima sa sadržajem benzena 11,8 godina. Radnici su do godine 1981. bili izloženi vrijednostima benzena ispod MDK, a otada nadalje benzena i homologa nema u sastavu otapala. Pri duljoj izloženosti benzenu utvrđen je značajan pad broja leukocita na račun neutrofila. U istih radnika uspoređene su vrijednosti krvnih loza izmjerene 1981. i 1986. godine te je ustanovljeno da je nakon prestanka izloženosti benzenskom otapalu, iako su vrijednosti bile ispod MDK, porastao broj elemenata svih krvnih loza, od čega su vrijednosti eritrocita i trombocita porasle značajno (P<0,05, odnosno P<0,01).Testing of blood elements was carried out on a sample of 51 semiskilled workers employed in a sewing machine dye-works and exposed to the effect of solutions containing benzene for a period of 11.8 years. The sample consisted of 17 men and 34 women, the average age being 35 years. Up to 1981 values of benzene in the solution were under the maximal allowable concentration (MAC). From 1981 the injurious agents and their homologues were no longer present in the solution. The results of testing show a significant drop in the number of leukocytes in workers exposed to the effect of benzene for a long period of time. Comparison of blood components was carried out in the same workers during 1981 and 1986. It was found that after exposure to the solution containing benzene ceased (although under MAC), the number of elements of all blood components increased, particularly the values of erythrocytes and thrombocytes (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively)

Investigation of Hip Joint Prosthesis Damage

Following total hip arthroplasty the durability of a prosthetic implant depends on many factors but is generally limited by two types of damage: wearing of frictional surfaces of the acetabular and femoral component as well as the loosening and migration of the »prosthesis-cement-bone« system. Since it is possible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between these two damage types, the aim of this research is to investigate the phenomena related to the contact surface and their influence on the prosthesis-bone relationship in general for various sizes and conditions of loading of the hip joint. The experimental study was conducted using a Timken testing device1 modified in such a way that simulation of relative movements of the joint elements was achieved using a mechanism that produces conditions similar to those in the human hip joint. The analysis of obtained measurements showed that actual radii of friction of the hip prosthesis did not correspond to the theoretical ones and that only a small portion of the total friction surface is realized. Variations of the radius of friction for the examined prosthesis type were very large, which changes the hypotheses on the ability of the prosthetic head and the »prosthesis-cement-bone« system to bear a certain amount of load2. The construction and design of prosthetic implant components has a significant influence on both the amount of wear at the site of contact and the loosening of prosthesis

Elisa and HPLC analyses of deoxynivalenol in maize and wheat

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a part of the family of mycotoxins called trichothecenes which are produced by a number of different Fusarium mold species. The presence of DON in 25 wheat and 25 maize samples was examined by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods. The presence of DON was detected and determined in 5 (20%) maize and 6 (25%) wheat samples by both of the methods. Correlation between ELISA and HPLC results was established, with the correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9691 and 0.9735 for wheat and maize samples, respectively. The results obtained by ELISA method were significantly higher than those obtained by HPLC method. This fact can be explained by the presence of conjugated or masked mycotoxins in the samples, especially DON-3-glucoside (DON-3-Glc), which could not be determined by HPLC method due to the lack of external standards. Contrary to this, being insufficiently selective towards masked DON, ELISA method measures total DON content of a sample. According to the obtained results, ELISA can be used as a reliable screening method, but the confirmation of positive results must be done by HPLC method