Investigation of an axial-excursion transducer for squeeze-film bearings

Resonant frequencies and characteristic bearing cone motion of axial-excursion transducer for squeeze-film gas bearing - drive voltage, preload, bearing mass, and mounting ring effect

Analysis, design, and prototype development of squeeze-film bearings for AB-5 gyro Final report phase 2, design, fabrication and evaluation of prototypes

Squeeze-film bearing transducers with piezoceramic cylinders for AB-5 gyro - design, fabrication, and testing of cylindrical journal and annular bearing prototype

Analysis, design, and prototype development of squeeze-film bearings for AB-5 gyro. Phase IV - Development of a conical-bearing, axial excursion prototype Summary report

Conical bearing transducer suitable for gimbal axis support of gyr

Multipurpose acoustic networks in the integrated arctic ocean observing system

The dramatic reduction of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will increase human activities in the coming years. This activity will be driven by increased demand for energy and the marine resources of an Arctic Ocean accessible to ships. Oil and gas exploration, fisheries, mineral extraction, marine transportation, research and development, tourism, and search and rescue will increase the pressure on the vulnerable Arctic environment. Technologies that allow synoptic in situ observations year-round are needed to monitor and forecast changes in the Arctic atmosphere-ice-ocean system at daily, seasonal, annual, and decadal scales. These data can inform and enable both sustainable development and enforcement of international Arctic agreements and treaties, while protecting this critical environment. In this paper, we discuss multipurpose acoustic networks, including subsea cable components, in the Arctic. These networks provide communication, power, underwater and under-ice navigation, passive monitoring of ambient sound (ice, seismic, biologic, and anthropogenic), and acoustic remote sensing (tomography and thermometry), supporting and complementing data collection from platforms, moorings, and vehicles. We support the development and implementation of regional to basin-wide acoustic networks as an integral component of a multidisciplinary in situ Arctic Ocean observatory

Screening of DUB activity and specificity by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Deubiquitylases (DUBs) are key regulators of the ubiquitin system which cleave ubiquitin moieties from proteins and polyubiquitin chains. Several DUBs have been implicated in various diseases and are attractive drug targets. We have developed a sensitive and fast assay to quantify in vitro DUB enzyme activity using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Unlike other current assays, this method uses unmodified substrates, such as diubiquitin topoisomers. By analyzing 42 human DUBs against all diubiquitin topoisomers we provide an extensive characterization of DUB activity and specificity. Our results confirm the high specificity of many members of the OTU and JAMM DUB families and highlight that all USPs tested display low linkage selectivity. We also demonstrate that this assay can be deployed to assess the potency and specificity of DUB inhibitors by profiling 11 compounds against a panel of 32 DUBs

A Novel Redox Method for Rapid Production of Functional Bi-Specific Antibodies For Use in Early Pilot Studies

We demonstrate here a rapid alternative method for the production of functional bi-specific antibodies using the mild reducing agent 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid sodium salt (MESNA). Following reduction of a mixture of two monoclonal antibodies with MESNA to break inter heavy chain bonds, this solution is dialysed under oxidising conditions and antibodies are allowed to reform. During this reaction a mixture of antibodies is formed, including parental antibodies and bi-specific antibody. Bi-specific antibodies are purified over two sequential affinity columns. Following purification, bi-specificity of antibodies is determined in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and by flow cytometry. Using this redox method we have been successful in producing hybrid and same-species bi-specific antibodies in a time frame of 6–10 working days, making this production method a time saving alternative to the time-consuming traditional heterohybridoma technology for the production of bi-specific antibodies for use in early pilot studies. The use of both rat and mouse IgG antibodies forming a rat/mouse bi-specific antibody as well as producing a pure mouse bi-specific antibody and a pure rat bi-specific antibody demonstrates the flexibility of this production method

Evaluation and optimization of PCR primers for selective and quantitative detection of marine ANME subclusters involved in sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation

Since the discovery that anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) are involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction in marine sediments, different primers and probes specifically targeting the 16S rRNA gene of these archaea have been developed. Microbial investigation of the different ANME subtypes (ANME-1; ANME-2a, b, and c; and ANME-3) was mainly done in sediments where specific subtypes of ANME were highly enriched and methanogenic cell numbers were low. In different sediments with higher archaeal diversity and abundance, it is important that primers and probes targeting different ANME subtypes are very specific and do not detect other ANME subtypes or methanogens that are also present. In this study, primers and probes that were regularly used in AOM studies were tested in silico on coverage and specificity. Most of the previously developed primers and probes were not specific for the ANME subtypes, thereby not reflecting the actual ANME population in complex samples. Selected primers that showed good coverage and high specificity for the subclades ANME-1, ANME-2a/b, and ANME-2c were thoroughly validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). From these qPCR tests, only certain combinations seemed suitable for selective amplification. After optimization of these primer sets, we obtained valid primer combinations for the selective detection and quantification of ANME-1, ANME-2a/b, and ANME-2c in samples where different ANME subtypes and possibly methanogens could be present. As a result of this work, we propose a standard workflow to facilitate selection of suitable primers for qPCR experiments on novel environmental samples.This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW (project 10711), which is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Research of AJMS is supported by ERC grant (project 323009). Research of PHATand AJMS is supported by the SIAM Gravitation grant (project 024.002.002) of the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Netherlands Science Foundation (NWO).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio