© 2012 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1200 Journal Compilation © 2012 Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555 Demodex mites may play a pathogenic role when present in excessive numbers or when penetrating into the dermis. There are two types of mites. Demodex folliculorum is usually found in the follicular infundibulum, and D. brevis in sebaceous ducts and meibomian glands (1, 2). Pityri...

We present evidence that resonance properties of rat vibrissae differentially amplify high-frequency and complex tactile signals. Consistent with a model of vibrissa mechanics, optical measurements of vibrissae revealed that their first mechanical resonance frequencies systematically varied from low (60-100 Hz) in longer, posterior vibrissae to high ( approximately 750 Hz) in shorter, anterior ...

Impurities in the zone-refined aluminum have been determined qualitatively and quantitatively mainly by using nondestructive activation analysis. Remarkable results are summarized as follows: (1) The remaining impurities in the ZR-Al are Li, B, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sb, La, Ce, Sm, Dy, and Au. (2) The principal impurities contributed to the residual resistivity are Si and Sc. (3) ...

Specimens taken from Pinus nigra Arnold were subject to surfacing techniques by being cut with a circular saw, planed with a thickness machine, and sanded with a calibrating sanding machine (with P80 grit sandpaper). First, their surface roughness values were measured; then, the specimens were processed in the machines in a radial and tangential process. Afterwards, the change in shear strength...

Three methods have been used to experimentally determine the roughness function (DU) for several rough surfaces. These include the rotating disk, the towed plate, and the velocity profile methods. The first two are indirect methods in as much as they rely on measurements of overall torque or resistance and boundary layer similarity laws to obtain DU, whereas the velocity profile method provides...

Lizards commonly climb in complex three-dimensional habitats, and gekkotans are particularly adept at doing this by using an intricate adhesive system involving setae on the ventral surface of their digits. However, it is not clear whether geckos always deploy their adhesive system, given that doing so may result in decreased (i.e. reduction in speed) locomotor performance. Here, we investigate...

During tooth bleaching abrasive dentifrices might change the outer superficial enamel. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the roughness of human enamel exposed to a 10% carbamide peroxide bleaching agent at different times and submitted to different superficial cleaning treatments. The study consisted of 60 sound human enamel slabs, randomly assigned to different treatment groups: G...

A protocol was developed to measure the glass transition temperature (Tg) of brown rice kernels using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). In order to accommodate the sample requirements of the dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer and prevent moisture loss during experiments, kernels were first wrapped with a thin layer of parafilm and then a thin layer of aluminum foil. The wrapped kerne...

Plasticity-related gene-1 (PRG-1) is a brain-specific protein that modulates glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Here we investigated the functional role of PRG-1 in adolescent and adult mouse barrel cortex both in vitro and in vivo. Compared with wild-type (WT) animals, PRG-1-deficient (KO) mice showed specific behavioral deficits in tests assessing sensorimotor integration and whisker-based ...

The performance of many consumer products suffers due to weak and inconsistent bonds formed to low surface energy polymer materials, such as polyolefin-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE), with adhesives, such as cyanoacrylate. In this letter, we present an industrially relevant means of increasing bond shear strength and consistency through vacuum metallization of chromium thin films and na...