scholarly journals Further Examination of the Performance of Blank Cartridges Used in Captive Bolt Devices for the Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Animals

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Grist ◽  
Randall Bock ◽  
Toby G. Knowles ◽  
Stephen B. Wotton
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Power Source ◽  
Primary Component ◽  
European Legislation ◽  
Full Production ◽  
Blank Cartridges

Blank cartridges produce gas through deflagration and are used as the main power source in captive bolt devices used within abattoirs and on farms in Europe. The European legislation recognises this and requires users to follow manufacturers’ recommendations in terms of which power cartridge to use. Variation in cartridge performance of Eley (E) cartridges was found in previous research, which was published before Accles and Shelvoke (AS) started full production of their own cartridges. This work examined cartridge performance, structural integrity and dimensional tolerances, and found that the new AS cartridges that varied more greatly in performance in terms of velocity, kinetic energy and mechanical stability of casing than the more established E cartridges. In this study, 15% of the cartridges split at the primer flange on firing, resulting in less kinetic energy, which could impact the ability of the captive bolt to produce a successful stun. This, combined with the variation in performance in a primary component of a device that should have a uniform performance, could lead to animal welfare issues as this variation cannot be predetermined by examination of the cartridge pre firing.

scholarly journals Disorders of the erythrocyte membrane

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
Sophia Delicou ◽  
Aikaterini Xydaki ◽  
Chryssanthi Kontaxi ◽  
Konstantinos Maragkos
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Erythrocyte Membrane ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Hereditary Spherocytosis ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Membrane Skeleton ◽  
Inherited Disorders ◽  
Hereditary Elliptocytosis ◽  
Area Loss

Hemolytic anemia due to abnormalities of the erythrocyte membrane comprises an important group of inherited disorders. These include hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary pyropoikilocytosis, and the hereditary stomatocytosis syndromes. The erythrocyte membrane skeleton composed of spectrin, actin, and several other proteins is essential for the maintenance of the erythrocyte shape, reversible deformability, and membrane structural integrity in addition to controlling the lateral mobility of integral membrane proteins. These disorders are characterized by clinical and laboratory heterogeneity and, as evidenced by recent molecular studies, by genetic heterogeneity. Defects in various proteins involved in linking the lipid bilayer to membrane skeleton result in loss in membrane cohesion leading to surface area loss and hereditary spherocytosis while defects in proteins involved in lateral interactions of the spectrin-based skeleton lead to decreased mechanical stability, membrane fragmentation and hereditary elliptocytosis. The disease severity is primarily dependent on the extent of membrane surface area loss. Treatment with splenectomy is curative in most patients.

scholarly journals Directly Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers Incorporated with Mn3O4 Nanoparticles as Bending-Resistant Cathode for Flexible Al-Air Batteries

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yu ◽  
Yuxin Zuo ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Youjun Wu ◽  
Zhonghao Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanofibers ◽  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Specific Capacity ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Power Source ◽  
High Specific Capacity ◽  
Continuous Bending ◽  
Air Battery ◽  
Mn3o4 Nanoparticles

Al-air batteries are regarded as potential power source for flexible and wearable devices. However, the traditional cathodes of Al-air batteries are easy to be broken after continuous bending. This is why few Al-air batteries have been tested under the state of dynamic bending so far. Herein, carbon nanofibers incorporated with Mn3O4 catalyst have been prepared as bending-resistant cathodes through direct electrospinning. The cathode assembled in Al-air battery showed excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability. A high specific capacity of 1021 mAh/cm2 was achieved after bending 1000 times, which is 81.7% of that in platform state. This work will facilitate the progress of using Al-air battery in flexible electronics.

Gunpowder-powered captive bolts for the euthanasia of kangaroo pouch young

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan O. Hampton
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Reliable Method ◽  
Vehicle Collisions

Euthanasia of macropod pouch young becomes necessary in situations when the mother has died as a result of situations such as: culling programs, vehicle collisions, bushfires, dog attacks, and entrapment in fences. Euthanasia methods currently recommended for older (furred) pouch young are contentious, hence the need to develop a more reliable method of euthanasia. To investigate animal welfare outcomes resulting from the use of a gunpowder-powered captive bolt, an independent veterinarian observed euthanasia of 28 furred kangaroo pouch young. Pouch removal duration was zero for all animals as the captive bolt was applied in situ in the pouch. Immediate insensibility was observed for 27 (96%) of the pouch young, exceeding the commonly used animal welfare standard of 95%. Results indicate that a gunpowder-powered captive bolt can produce favourable animal welfare outcomes for euthanasing kangaroo pouch young by delivering more than 40 times the kinetic energy delivered by previously studied captive bolt units applied to pouch young. When compared with other euthanasia methods for kangaroo pouch young, the use of a gunpowder-powered captive bolt delivers favourable animal welfare outcomes.

scholarly journals Development of a novel hybrid bioactive hydrogel for future clinical applications

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Francis ◽  
Karin V Greco ◽  
Aldo R Boccaccini ◽  
Judith J Roether ◽  
Nicholas R English ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Application ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Cartilage Tissue ◽  
Compression Tests ◽  
Control Tissue ◽  
Acellular Tissue

Three-dimensional hydrogels are ideal for tissue engineering applications due to their structural integrity and similarity to native soft tissues; however, they can lack mechanical stability. Our objective was to develop a bioactive and mechanically stable hydrogel for clinical application. Auricular cartilage was decellularised using a combination of hypertonic and hypotonic solutions with and without enzymes to produce acellular tissue. Methacryloyl groups were crosslinked with alginate and PVA main chains via 2-aminoethylmathacrylate and the entire macromonomer further crosslinked with the acellular tissue. The resultant hydrogels were characterised for its physicochemical properties (using NMR), in vitro degradation (via GPC analysis), mechanical stability (compression tests) and in vitro biocompatibility (co-culture with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells). Following decellularisation, the cartilage tissue showed to be acellular at a significant level (DNA content 25.33 ng/mg vs. 351.46 ng/mg control tissue), with good structural and molecular integrity of the retained extra cellular matrix (s-GAG= 0.19 μg/mg vs. 0.65 μg/mg ±0.001 control tissue). Proteomic analysis showed that collagen subtypes and proteoglycans were retained, and SEM and TEM showed preserved matrix ultra-structure. The hybrid hydrogel was successfully cross-linked with biological and polymer components, and it was stable for 30 days in simulated body fluid (poly dispersal index for alginate with tissue was stable at 1.08 and for PVA with tissue was stable at 1.16). It was also mechanically stable (Young’s modulus of 0.46 ± 0.31 KPa) and biocompatible, as it was able to support the development of a multi-cellular feature with active cellular proliferation in vitro. We have shown that it is possible to successfully combine biological tissue with both a synthetic and natural polymer and create a hybrid bioactive hydrogel for clinical application.

scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms underlying the extreme mechanical anisotropy of the flaviviral exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Niu ◽  
Qiuhan Liu ◽  
Zhonghe Xu ◽  
Zhifeng Chen ◽  
Linghui Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
Mechanical Anisotropy ◽  
Essential Property ◽  
Ring Structures ◽  
Tertiary Interactions ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Mechanical anisotropy is an essential property for many biomolecules to assume their structures, functions and applications, however, the mechanisms for their direction-dependent mechanical responses remain elusive. Herein, by using single-molecule nanopore sensing technique, we explore the mechanisms of directional mechanical stability of the xrRNA1 RNA from ZIKA virus (ZIKV), which forms a complex ring-like architecture. We reveal extreme mechanical anisotropy in ZIKV xrRNA1 which highly depends on Mg2+ and the key tertiary interactions. The absence of Mg2+ and disruption of the key tertiary interactions strongly affect the structural integrity and attenuate mechanical anisotropy. The significance of ring structure in RNA mechanical anisotropy is further supported by steered molecular dynamics simulations on ZIKV xrRNA1 and another two RNAs with ring structures, the HCV IRES and THF riboswitch. We anticipate the ring structures can be used as key elements to build RNA-based nanostructures with controllable mechanical anisotropy for biomaterial and biomedical applications.

Investigation of the In-Bore Structural Integrity of a Kinetic Energy Projectile

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. PATIL ◽  
KAMLESH KUMAR ◽  
S. HARIKRISHNAN ◽  
BORA MURALIDHAR ◽  
R. D. MISAL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Structural Integrity

scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms underlying the extreme mechanical anisotropy of the flaviviral exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs)

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Niu ◽  
Qiuhan Liu ◽  
Zhonghe Xu ◽  
Zhifeng Chen ◽  
Linghui Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Mechanical Anisotropy ◽  
Essential Property ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Ring Structures ◽  
Tertiary Interactions ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Abstract Mechanical anisotropy is an essential property for many biomolecules to assume their structures, functions and applications, however, the mechanisms for their direction-dependent mechanical responses remain elusive. Herein, by using a single-molecule nanopore sensing technique, we explore the mechanisms of directional mechanical stability of the xrRNA1 RNA from ZIKA virus (ZIKV), which forms a complex ring-like architecture. We reveal extreme mechanical anisotropy in ZIKV xrRNA1 which highly depends on Mg2+ and the key tertiary interactions. The absence of Mg2+ and disruption of the key tertiary interactions strongly affect the structural integrity and attenuate mechanical anisotropy. The significance of ring structures in RNA mechanical anisotropy is further supported by steered molecular dynamics simulations in combination with force distribution analysis. We anticipate the ring structures can be used as key elements to build RNA-based nanostructures with controllable mechanical anisotropy for biomaterial and biomedical applications.

The Energy-Absorbing Characteristics of Tubular Structures With Geometric and Material Modifications: An Overview

2008 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chung Kim Yuen ◽  
G. N. Nurick
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Impact Loads ◽  
Tubular Structures ◽  
Axial Impact ◽  
Specific Location ◽  
Crushing Force ◽  
Axial Response ◽  
Tubular Sections ◽  
Energy Absorbing

For better crashworthiness performance, vehicles must protect its occupants by maintaining structural integrity and converting the large amount of kinetic energy into other forms of energy in a controllable and predictable manner in a crash situation. In doing so, lower crushing force would provide better safety for the vehicle occupants. This paper reviews the axial response of “modified” tubular sections with imperfections and fillers subjected to axial impact loads relevant to the field of structural crashworthiness. The use of imperfections sets the mode and initiation of collapse of a tube at a specific location and reduces the maximum crush force, hence improving the energy-absorbing characteristics of tubular structures. The types of imperfections discussed include prebuckle, parallel and dished indentations, cutouts, stiffeners, fillers, and wrapping.

scholarly journals The ALP-Enigma Protein ALP-1 Functions in Actin Filament Organization to Promote Muscle Structural Integrity in Caenorhabditis elegans

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2361-2370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Fen Han ◽  
Mary C. Beckerle
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Actin Filament ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Body Wall ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Cardiac Diseases ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Dense Bodies

Mutations that affect the Z-disk–associated ALP-Enigma proteins have been linked to human muscular and cardiac diseases. Despite their clear physiological significance for human health, the mechanism of action of ALP-Enigma proteins is largely unknown. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the ALP-Enigma protein family is encoded by a single gene, alp-1; thus C. elegans provides an excellent model to study ALP-Enigma function. Here we present a molecular and genetic analysis of ALP-Enigma function in C. elegans. We show that ALP-1 and α-actinin colocalize at dense bodies where actin filaments are anchored and that the proper localization of ALP-1 at dense bodies is dependent on α-actinin. Our analysis of alp-1 mutants demonstrates that ALP-1 functions to maintain actin filament organization and participates in muscle stabilization during contraction. Reducing α-actinin activity enhances the actin filament phenotype of the alp-1 mutants, suggesting that ALP-1 and α-actinin function in the same cellular process. Like α-actinin, alp-1 also interacts genetically with a connectin/titin family member, ketn-1, to provide mechanical stability for supporting body wall muscle contraction. Taken together, our data demonstrate that ALP-1 and α-actinin function together to stabilize actin filaments and promote muscle structural integrity.

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