Wear prevention characteristics of binary oil mixtures

This work presents the results of wear prevention tests carried out with mixtures of a polyalphaolefin (PAO 6) and two esters (TMP-05 and Sunflower oil, SO), on a four-ball machine tester. Results show that esters are excellent wear reducers when they are mixed with a low viscosity polyalphaolefin. The optimum ester percentages in PAO 6 were 5% and 15% for TMP-05 and SO, respectively. Better results than in pure PAO 6 occurred in all mixtures. The addition of esters (less than 15%) to PAO 6 hardly changed volume viscosity

You Have My Word Confronting Critical Questions Involving Journalists’ Promises and Confidential Sources

Journalists’ reliance on confidential sources for their articles is a lynchpin of journalistic practice. If journalists are unable to provide certain sources anonymity, ‘it is likely that critical information benefiting the public will not be passed on’ (Wade, 2014, p. 555). Public debate is thereby damaged as it ‘hides corruption, it undermines accountability and it fundamentally undermines the capacity for society to provide a safer, nurturing environment in which citizens can participate’ (ibid.). This article focuses on three important aspects of journalist source confidentiality: journalists’ authority to give confidentiality undertakings; the entry into such undertakings; and the types of sources, including the related question of who instigates such undertakings. This study draws on the results of an Australian survey conducted in 2014

Some aspects of oil lubricant additivation with ZnO nanoparticles

This is a study on the tribological behaviour of ZnO nanoparticles as an additive in a polyalphaolefin (PAO6) and on the influence of dispersing agents (OL100 and OL300). Antiwear and extreme pressure tests were run on two four-ball machines. Firstly, it was demonstrated that OL300 has better dispersant properties than OL100, and also was found formation of aggregates for 1 and 1.5% of ZnO in PAO6 + 3% OL300 suspension. Ensuing SEM and EDS analysis of the worn surface highlighted a number of conclusions: OL100 and OL300 are potentially useful as wear reducer additives in PAO6, the non-coated ZnO nanoparticles had an abrasive behaviour, and ZnO nanoparticles do not act as anti-wear agent under certain conditions but in EP conditions they can decrease wear

Capacitance measurements. An analysis of the phase detector technique used to study exocytosis and endocytosis

We have studied the admittance of patch-clamped mast cells during exocytosis and found that they are adequately described by a four parameter equivalent circuit. On the basis of these measurements, we show that, contrary to current belief, when using a phase sensitive detector, small capacitance changes due to exocytosis or endocytosis should be studied by measuring current 90 degrees out of phase, relative to the component that corresponds to changes in series resistance. We have extended the theory on phase-detectors to include the errors in the estimation of step changes of membrane capacitance. We show that the measured capacitance of a secretory granule can be up to 80% smaller than its true value, during the course of a typical mast cell degranulation. We also describe a software-based phase-detector that simplifies capacitance measurements

Management of red smudge in durum wheat

Non-Peer Reviewe

Os SIG no planeamento estratégico de infra-estruturas de apoio à prevenção e supressão de incêndios florestais : caso de estudo no concelho da Sertã

A modelação e a padronização dos incêndios com recurso aos sistemas de informação geográfica, constituem uma ferramenta de apoio à decisão no planeamento e localização de acções de prevenção e supressão de incêndios. A metodologia utilizada assenta num estudo do histórico de incêndios, no diagnóstico de condicionantes na definição de soluções e identificação de oportunidades de supressão

A multivariate dispersion ordering based on quantiles more widely separated

AbstractA multivariate dispersion ordering based on quantiles more widely separated is defined. This new multivariate dispersion ordering is a generalization of the classic univariate version. If we vary the ordering of the components in the multivariate random variable then the comparison could not be possible. We provide a characterization using a multivariate expansion function. The relationship among various multivariate orderings is also considered. Finally, several examples illustrate the method of this paper

Simultaneous capacitance and amperometric measurements of exocytosis: a comparison

We measured the exocytotic response induced by flash photolysis of caged compounds in isolated mast cells and chromaffin cells. Vesicle fusion was measured by monitoring the cell membrane capacitance. The release of vesicular contents was followed by amperometry. In response to a GTP gamma S stimulus we found that the time integral of the amperometric current could be superimposed on the capacitance trace. This shows that the integrated amperometric signal provides an alternative method of measuring the extent and kinetics of the secretory response. Very different results were obtained when photolysis of caged Ca2+ (DM-nitrophen) was used to stimulate secretion. In mast cells, there was an immediate, graded increase in membrane capacitance that was followed by step increases (indicative of granule fusion). During the initial phase of the capacitance increases, no release of oxidizable secretory products was detected. In chromaffin cells we also observed a considerable delay between increases in capacitance, triggered by uncaging Ca2+, and the release of oxidizable secretory products. Here we demonstrate that there can be large increases in the membrane capacitance of a secretory cell, triggered by flash photolysis of DM-nitrophen, which indicate events that are not due to the fusion of granules containing oxidizable substances. These results show that increases in capacitance that are not resolved as steps cannot be readily interpreted as secretory events unless they are confirmed independently

Effect of leaf spot severity on yield and quality of durum wheat

Non-Peer ReviewedLeaf spots in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are important in Saskatchewan even under dry conditions (Fernandez et al., 2002). Durum wheat (T. turgidum L. var. durum) cultivars presently grown in western Canada are susceptible to leaf spots. The most common leaf spotting disease in durum wheat is tan spot [Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Died.) Drechs. (anamorph Drechslera triticirepentis (Died.) Shoemaker)] Leaf spots are believed to cause reductions in yield and quality. The most widely used approach to measure the effect of leaf diseases on yield and its components has been the use of fungicides (Duczek and Jones-Flory, 1994; Eyal, 1972; Hosford and Busch, 1974; Rees and Platz, 1983). Inconsistent results with fungicide use in wheat were also reported (Bailey et al., 1992; Stover et al., 1996; Wang et al., 2002). In some cases, fungicide effects were not directly related to the occurrence of disease (Fehrmann et al., 1978; Wang et al., 2002), which makes them an unreliable tool to assess the effect of leaf spots on plant growth. To accurately quantify the negative effects of leaf spots on yield and quality, an approach other than disease control by fungicide application is necessary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of genotypes near-isogenic for leaf spot reaction to quantify the effect of leaf spots on grain yield and quality of durum wheat