Diaphragms made of stainless steel plates are widely used in switching parts in electrical devices, which control on/off of the electric supply of electric devices. However, there are many geometrical parameters for designing diaphragms such as height, diameter, and so on. The aim of the study is to estimate effects of the design parameters on click characteristics of diaphragms based on FEM. I...

The exogenous delivery of growth factors and cytokines is a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate the degenerative effects of primary inherited myopathies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The mdx mouse diaphragm is a model for examining the progressive degeneration of dystrophic muscle. We have delivered leukaemia inhibitory factor to the mdx diaphragm using slow release alginate gels...

Oxidative metabolism of diaphragms from endotoxin- and trauma-tolerant rats was investigated, utilizing the reduction of tetrazolium salt. It was found that diaphragms from normal and stress-tolerant animals did not differ in "oxidative performance" (activity in the absence of the redox dye phenazine methosulfate). However, diaphragms from tolerant animals exhibited a highly significant enhance...

This study is concerned with the development of design specifications for the use of transverse post-tensioning in concrete bridge decks. The ultimate goal behind this proposal is to improve the durability of concrete bridge superstructures. Experimental results from previous studies are used to validate the analytical models implemented in the development of the design specifications. It is fo...

A comparison was made of the sensitivity of lipolysis (glycerol and free fatty acid release) and of cyclic AMP production to the action of isoproterenol in diaphragms from control and dystrophic Bar Harbor mice at 7 weeks of age. An increased lipolytic response was observed in diaphragms from dystrophic mice that was more apparent in the males, and was demonstrable when cyclic AMP was used inst...

Podocytes constitute the outer layer of the glomerular filtration barrier, where they form an intricate network of interdigitating foot processes which are connected by slit diaphragms. A hitherto unanswered puzzle concerns the question of whether slit diaphragms are established between foot processes of the same podocyte or between foot processes of different podocytes. By employing focused io...

During the past decade, piezoelectric actuators as the active element in synthetic jets demonstrated that they could significantly enhance the overall lift on an airfoil. However, durability, system weight, size, and power have limited their use outside a laboratory. These problems are not trivial, since piezoelectric actuators are physically brittle and display limited displacement. The object...

Sensitivity of piezoelectric-diaphragm type ultrasonic microsensors were investigated with sol-gel derived lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) films prepared through various pyrolysis temperatures. The residual stress of the PZT film should be precisely controlled because the sensor diaphragms show static deflection by buckling and highly sensitive sensors have been realized on upward-buckled diaphra...