Rupture Point Research Articles

Measuring water repellency of individual particles: The new “micro-Wilhelmy Plate Method” and its applicability to soil

Water repellency (hydrophobicity) of granular materials such as soil is usually assessed on bulk samples or arrays of grains, with their wettability being influenced by the often-variable properties of individual particles. Numerous methods exist to assess the wetting behaviour of granular bulk materials, whereas methods for determining the wettability of individual grains are scarce. Here we introduce a new technique, based on the Wilhelmy plate method and termed “micro-Wilhelmy plate method” (mWPM) that allows quantification of the water repellency of an individual particle.We developed two complementary variants of the methods, which involve the rupture of a water lamella after a particle has been brought into contact with water and then withdrawn from it. They were applied to individual wettable or water repellent spherical glass of diameter 120 and 270 µm and polymer particles (270 µm), as well as those of both wettable and natural water repellent particles (of similar size i.e. 120 to 270 µm) from sandy soils of the UK and the Netherlands. Spherical glass and polymer particles were examined in their native condition and following treatment with a hydrophobic (silicone-based water proofing) agent. In one method the break point of lamella was determined gravimetrically (g-mWPM, using an electronic 5-digit balance) and in the other it was determined optically (o-mWPM) from a video sequence obtained from a contact angle goniometer as the distance between the particle and the water surface at the point of lamella rupture. The latter required the use of image analysis and computation to estimate the potential energy of the water lamella.Both methods provided meaningful assessments of particle wettability. Man-made particles showed limited variability, whereas those drawn from naturally wettable or water repellent soils exhibited substantial variability, indicating that wettable soils contain water repellent particles and vice versa. Both methods introduced here offer a relatively quick examination of the wettability of individual particles. The o-mWPM is a particularly simple method only requiring a video camera, stepper-motor driven sample holder and a low magnification optical system. Additionally, it offers the possibility to investigate particle shape.

ІШКІ ҚЫСЫММЕН ЖҰМЫС ІСТЕЙТІН АЛДЫН-АЛА КЕРНЕУЛЕНГЕН МҰНАЙ ЖӘНЕ ГАЗ ҚҰБЫРЛАРЫНЫҢ ШЕКТІ ҚЫСЫМЫ

The article deals with the issue of applying prestressed stress in steel prestressed gas and oil pipelines, as well as in shell structures in the case of an increase in internal overpressure to the critical point of rupture of the shell or winding itself, where the expression was also taught that it is possible to calculate the maximum operating pressure of a combined structure, that is, a steel shell and a steel winding, which in the future, when designing such structures, will significantly facilitate the selection of the necessary parameters for more efficient construction of such structures. However, this calculation method can be used by industries that operate vertical cylindrical tanks for oil and petroleum products, research and design institutes

Is There a Relationship Between Stress in Walls of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Symptoms?

BackgroundAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a permanent and irreversible dilation of the lower region of the aorta. It is typically an asymptomatic condition that if left untreated can expand to the point of rupture. In simple mechanical terms, rupture of an artery occurs when the local wall stress exceeds the local wall strength. It is therefore understandable that numerous studies have attempted to estimate the AAA wall stress and investigate the relationship between the AAA wall stress and AAA symptoms. Materials and methodsWe conducted computational biomechanics analysis for 19 patients with AAA (a proportion of these patients were classified as symptomatic) to investigate whether the AAA wall stress fields (both the patterns and magnitude) correlate with the clinical definition of symptomatic and asymptomatic AAAs. For computation of AAA wall stress, we used a very efficient method recently presented by the Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory. The Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory's method uses geometry from computed tomography images and mean arterial pressure as the applied load. The method is embedded in the software platform BioPARR—Biomechanics based Prediction of Aneurysm Rupture Risk, freely available from http://bioparr.mech.uwa.edu.au/. The uniqueness of our stress computation approach is three-fold: i) the results are insensitive to unknown patient-specific mechanical properties of arterial wall tissue; ii) the residual stress is accounted for, according to Y.C. Fung's Uniform Stress Hypothesis; and iii) the analysis is automated and quick, making our approach compatible with clinical workflows. ResultsSymptomatic patients could not be identified from the plots (pattern) of AAA wall stress and stress magnitude. Although the largest stress was predicted for a patient who suffered from AAA symptoms, the three patients with the smallest stress were also symptomatic. ConclusionsThe results demonstrate, contrary to the common view, that neither the wall stress magnitude nor the stress distribution appears to be associated with the presence of clinical symptoms.

Comparative analysis of moisture-dependent physical and mechanical properties of two varieties of African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum) seeds relevant in engineering design

• Physical and mechanical properties of two varieties [big (udara) and small (nwannu)] of African star apple between 3.00% to 18.03% w.b were determined. • Geometric, gravimetric and frictional properties of the two varieties of African star apple increased with moisture, except angle of repose (frictional property). • Galvanized sheet surface showed the maximum coefficient of static. • Angle of repose was maximum for the udara variety • Mechanical properties decreased with increase in moisture content for the transverse, vertical and horizontal loading orientation. This study was conducted to investigate and compare the engineering properties of two varieties [big (Udara) and small (Nwannu)] of African star apple ( Chrysophyllum albidum ) seeds in Nigeria. The objectives were to determine the effect of moisture on some moisture-dependent physical and mechanical properties of the Udara and Nwannu seeds. The parameters considered were geometric (axial dimensions, mean diameters, surface area, sphericity, aspect ratio, and volume), gravimetric (bulk and true densities, 1,000 seed mass and porosity), frictional (angle of repose and static coefficient of friction) and mechanical (rupture force, rupture energy and deformation at rupture point) properties of the seeds in the moisture content range of 3.00–18.03% (w.b.). It was observed that moisture content have a significant effect on all the engineering properties studied at p ≤ 0.05. The result also revealed that the angle of repose of Udara seed was higher than Nwannu seed. The coefficient of static friction of the star apple seeds was greatest on the galvanized sheet surface, 0.526 for Nwannu seed and lowest on the aluminum surface, 0.210 for udara seed. The coefficient of static friction was higher on all surfaces for Nwannu seed than for Udara seed. The force required to rupture the seed, the rupture energy, and the deformation at rupture point of Udara and Nwannu seeds decreased with increase in moisture content for horizontal (x), transversal (y) and vertical (z) loading direction. The transverse position showed the highest values of rupture force for both, Udara and Nwannu seed, but higher in Udara than Nwannu variety. The lowest rupture force was obtained during horizontal loading for the two varieties but lower in Nwannu than Udara seed. Similar results were obtained for rupture energy. The vertical loading position indicated the highest deformation at rupture point for both, Udara and Nwannu seed, but higher in Udara than Nwannu, while, the lowest deformation at rupture point was recorded in transverse loading for the two varieties, but lower in Nwannu than Udara seed. Properties of kernels, grains, and seeds are essential in the development of equipment for transportation, handling, and processing.

ВЕНОК ВОЖДЮ: СКОРБЬ ПО ЛЕНИНУ И ПРАКТИКИ СОВЕТСКИХ САМОРЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЙ

The article deals with the experience of early Soviet identity self-representation related to the situation of funeral and state mourning for Lenin. The 1917 decree disavowed the former estates, ranks and identification markers that determined a person’s status in society. In the fluid conditions of civil war and new economic policy, social status was also unsustainable. The period of mourning for Lenin became a certain point of rupture in the continuum of the short Soviet history, a time of reflection on the past, future and one’s place in it. The “political grief” for the leaders, encouraged in the 1920s, in the specific case of mourning for Lenin, contributed to the formation of a space for expressing more than just grief itself. The space was used by citizens, collectives, communities to develop, to articulate and affirm their own identities. One of the means of self-representation were funerary wreaths brought “on the leader’s coffin”. The article considers both traditional forms of wreaths and the reasons for their prevalence, as well as new, unusual forms and the claims they contained for expressing and asserting identity. The most common method of self-representation was to affirm labor and professional identities. Moreover, individuals and collectives who were not classified as “workers” used verbal and non-verbal markers of funerary wreaths to add themselves to this desired and safe category, thus constructing their own identity and asserting their place in the new Soviet society.

Genome Editing As an Approach to the Study of in Vivo Transcription Reprogramming.

CDK8-mediated transcriptional reprogramming is essential for an extensive gene expression. Constitutive knockouts of the cdk8 gene are lethal at the morula stage. For modeling transcriptional reprogramming in an adult organism, we investigated the possibility to attenuate the CDK8 kinase activity with a F97G mutation in exon 3 of the cdk8 gene. According to preliminary experimental data, this mutation should lead to a decrease in CDK8 kinase activity. To edit the genome of laboratory mice, the CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used, in which the introduction of a double-stranded gap occurred at a distance of 128 nucleotide pairs from the planned site of the introduced mutation. To introduce the mutation, a matrix for homologous repair was used as part of plasmid DNA, with homologous arms 903 and 484 bp in the 5'-3' region from the point of double-stranded rupture, respectively. As a result, mice with site-specific target mutations in exon 3 of the cdk8 gene were obtained. We for the first time demonstrated a high efficacy of the mutation 128 bp apart from the site of double-strand break. Viable animals with the F97G mutation in the catalytic domain of CDK8 kinase were obtained for the first time. The resulting cdk8 mutant mice will be used in subsequent studies to simulate the processes involving transcription reprogramming.

Contract and Control: Agrarian labour mobilisation and resistance under large-scale land investments for biofuel crop production in Ethiopia

This article explores the “agrarian question of labour” (AQ of labour) that is emerging in Ethiopia as part of a strategy of agricultural commercialisation present since the mid-2000s. We contribute to debates about the uneven character and open-ended trajectory of Ethiopia’s agrarian transformation, which is a state-led, investmentbased attempt at a transition from a largely rural, agrarian society and economy to an increasingly industrial one. The article addresses why and how agricultural commercialisation failed in the case of two overlapping and nearly identical agricultural investment projects in Hararghe and Wolaita that were financed by interlinked multinational financial groups and facilitated by the state for the production and processing of the biofuel crop castor. The state’s contractual incorporation of smallholders into these poorly planned and financially extractive large-scale land investments was met with various forms of resistance which contributed to the failure of the projects. The article points to the centrality of an unresolved agrarian question of labour as a source of tension in Ethiopia’s agrarian transformation. While literature conceptualises agricultural commercialisation in Ethiopia through a dichotomous model – state support to smallholder farming in the country’s highlands, and investment-led, large- scale commercialisation in the lowlands – in this article we emphasise the importance of contract-farming (CF) as a third mode of agricultural commercialisation. CF relies on the incorporation of smallholders, including their landholdings and labour-power, into large-scale land investment projects via out-grower schemes. This article shows that CF gained political momentum over the course of the 2000s as a commercialisation model that facilitates investments in smallholder farming (i. e. through commercialising their productive activities) without necessitating rapid changes in the agrarian social structure (i. e. by inhibiting rapid social differentiation and land dispossession of smallholders). The strategic rationale of CF was to regulate the swelling of a land-detached labour force (i. e. a precarious and politically dangerous stratum), should agro-industrial growth not proceed at a pace sufficient to absorb that force (i. e. provide employment outside smallholder agriculture). Empirically, the article relies on ethnographic fieldwork addressing the trajectories of investor-operated and state-mediated CF for castor over the course of a decade (mid-2000s to mid-2010s) in the East/West Hararghe zones of the Oromia Region and in the Wolaita zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). Through the agency of near identical ad hoc investment companies – Flora EcoPower (FEP) in Hararghe and Global Energy Ethiopia (GEE) in Wolaita operating for about a decade since 2005 – Ethiopia’s development planners hoped that these two peripheries, which were characterised by high labour-to-land ratios, land degradation and labour out-migration, would see the commercialisation and improvement of smallholder production and livelihoods. The two case studies combined reveal that, firstly, top-down planning and implementation of CF, and the processes of subversion and resistance this engendered, played a crucial role in the ultimate failure of the investment projects. It shows that agricultural commercialisation, based on the state’s coercive contractual incorporation of smallholders into large-scale land deals, can lead to a backlash that undermines the state’s development(al) strategies. Secondly, the legacy that the failure of the projects left behind, added fuel to an already politicised fire surrounding the labour question, i. e. the extent to which the attempted agricultural transformation to commercialised agro-industrial production can sufficiently diversify incomes and offer employment opportunities to offset social ills and political grievances. Thirdly, the two cases of CF reveal the same land and labour exploitative logic behind investments that prioritise quick returns over long-term planning and thereby disregard the local socio-economic and ecological conditions in which they intervene. Despite their specificities, we conclude that the two cases cast a shadow on the ostensive capacity of the Ethiopian state to mitigate the adversities and contradictions of investment-based, state-mediated agricultural commercialisation through CF. Beside the economic significance of failed agricultural investment projects, the protests that followed silent subversions in Wolaita and Hararghe marked an additional point of rupture in the relationship between government and farmers. This is particularly significant as, since the EPRDF came to power in the 1990s, the leadership has always capitalised on smallholders’ support as a central social constituency.

Resistência à compressão dos grãos de milho submetidos a secagem com diferentes tempos de repouso

Mechanical properties of agricultural products are essential for a proper project design or processing equipment dimensioning, as well as for establishment of parameters on the supported load. An experiment was set up in a completely randomized design, with five treatments (continuous and intermittent drying under 4, 8, 12, and 16 h of rest period) and four replications, to evaluate the effect of intermittent drying. Corn kernels of the cultivar Cargo TL were harvested with a moisture content of 25.37% wb and submitted to drying in an experimental fixed bed dryer set to a temperature of 100 °C and an airflow of 1.5 m3 min−1 m−2. Drying was performed until the kernels reached a moisture content of 14±0.3% wb. The process was interrupted in the intermittent drying with a moisture content of 18±0.2% wb and continued after rest period until the final moisture content was reached. The analysis consisted of 10 kernels randomly selected per replication and submitted to the uniaxial compression test after determining their dimensions. Rupture force, maximum deformation, energy to rupture point, modulus of toughness, hardness, and drying rate during drying were evaluated. The increase in rest period promoted a linear increase in the rupture force and hardness. Modulus of toughness, energy to rupture point, and maximum deformation were not affected by the rest period. The increase in rest period contributed to increasing the drying rate.

Long Term Outcomes Following Emergency Endovascular Aneurysm Repair - A Single Centre Series

Introduction - Recent randomised trials have shown equivalence between open and endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the short term. Compared to open repair, re-intervention is more common following elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and in the longer-term aneurysm related mortality is higher due to secondary sac rupture. There are, however, relatively few studies in the field describing the durability of emergency EVAR. Methods - We analysed data from all emergency EVARs (eEVAR) for ruptured AAA performed in an East of England tertiary centre (Addenbrooke’s Hospital) between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2016. Progress after the initial eEVAR was recorded up until the end of March 2017 for all patients (n=126). The primary outcome measures included mortality rates, re-intervention rates, rates of secondary sac rupture, rates of endoleaks, and the time interval to these notable events. Results - 126 eEVARs were performed during the assigned 11-year time period from which patient data was analysed. The mean age of patients at the point of eEVAR was 77.4 years and 87% were males. The mean AAA diameter at the point of rupture was 8.1 cm. Mortality at 30 days, 1 year and 5 years was 15%, 25% & 50% respectively. There were 6 secondary sac ruptures, with an average time to rupture of 5 years post-eEVAR. Incidence of secondary sac rupture in our data was 1.2 per 100 person years. Secondary sac ruptures were due to type 1a endoleak (n=2), type 1b endoleak (n=2) and type 3 endoleak. In total, 13 Type I endoleaks and 3 Type III endoleaks were identified. 39 out of 126 patients underwent at least one vascular re-intervention post-eEVAR comprising 30.7% of the patient cohort with an average time interval to 1st re-intervention of 2.03 years. There were 69 re-interventions recorded in total. Conclusion - Early and late outcomes following eEVAR are acceptable. Re-interventions are relatively common and there is an incidence of secondary sac rupture therefore life-long surveillance is required.

Mechanical Behavior of Apricot and Cherry Pits under Compression Loading

This study was conducted to investigate the mechanical behavior of apricot and cherry pits under compression loading along the three axial dimensions of the pits. The mechanical behavior was expressed in terms of force required to rupture of the pit, deformation at rupture point, deformation ratio (strain), energy absorbed and toughness. Also; masses and geometrical properties (axial dimensions, geometric mean diameter, sphericity and volume) of these pits were determined. These properties are necessary to design of cracking machines and knowledge amount of force and energy requirements for cracking operation. All experiments were carried out at moisture content of 9.81 and 12.92 %, (d.b.) for apricot and cherry pits, resp. The results showed that; the highest values of rupture force, deformation and energy required to crack the apricot pit were at loading position through the length axis, while; the lowest values were through the width axis, whereas; the highest values of rupture force, deformation and energy required to crack the cherry pit were at loading position through the thickness axis, while; the lowest values were through the width axis. In conclusion; the results obtained of the mechanical behavior of apricot and cherry pits indicated that; the compression through the width axis can be recommended for cracking process with minimum force and energy requirements.

Mission-driven arts organisations and initiatives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how mission-driven arts organisations respond to the complex set of economic and social conditions that the authors here term as a significant point of rupture. Drawing on the papers that form a part of the special section of this issue, the authors critically examine how the intersection of globalisation and neoliberalism creates multidimensional uncertainty that shapes the opportunities, responsibilities, work arrangements, and lived experiences of artists and artist-led initiatives and organisations.Design/methodology/approachIn this introduction to the symposium on mission-driven arts organisations and initiatives, the authors explore how the included articles question and introduce key concerns that govern, limit and support mission-driven arts organisations.FindingsDrawing on the papers in this set, the authors note that mission-driven arts organisations are diverse and employ numerous organising forms. However, at their core is the pursuit of social objectives, which also requires the management of often conflicting artistic, economic, cultural and social demands. The authors explicate how mission-driven arts organisations respond to local agendas and work best at the community level. As such, they may not play a key role in tourism or large-scale cultural regeneration of spaces, but rather seek to make creative use of sunken and redundant, often inner city spaces to address local needs. Yet, the uncertainty that these organisations face shapes temporary solutions that may enhance the precariaty and pressures for artists and creative producers with likely impact on wellbeing.Originality/valueThis paper brings together original insights into how mission-drive organisations seek to overcome and indeed flourish in a time of rupture. It moves beyond the notion of cultural regeneration as an instrument of tourism, and tourism as a focus of regeneration, to consider the value such organisations bring to localities evidenced in both creative practices and as local cultural engagement beyond economic impact. In doing so, mission-driven arts organisations play a vital role in a time of rapid change.

Multiple linear regression model of Golden apple's failure characteristics under repeated compressive load

In this paper, the multiple linear regression model of mechanical properties related to the failure mechanism of apple tissue under repeated compressive load was investigated. More refined failure characteristics may lead to improved processing and logistics aspects of the given fruits. For our study, the following failure-related factors are considered during the cyclic measurements of Golden Delicious apples: the viscoelastic parameters, the dissipated energy, and the rupture point of the cell-structure, which is described with the time to failure parameter (TTF). For the determination of viscoelastic components, the three element Poynting-Thomson body was applied, and a closed-loop control system is identified with the measured creep data. From the hysteresis loop - in each cycle of the force-deformation parametric curve - the dissipated energy can be calculated with a numeric integration method. The rupture point of the fruit tissue - where the measuring pin is breaking through the peel and the cortex - is observed with a high-framerate video analysis, so that the time index of the failure point can be evaluated. The focus is to define the influence of the mentioned factors to the TTF parameter of the examined fruit material. During the statistical evaluation of the resulted data, the failure of time can be successfully determined with a multiple lienar regression model of the determined viscoelastic and dissipated energy variables. With the resulted equation, the failure time of Golden Delicious apples can be predicted based on the measured failure-related parameters obtained during the compressive load tests.

Designing Cellular Structures for Additive Manufacturing Using Voronoi-Monte Carlo Approach.

This study aims at reporting a strategy of designing cellular materials based on Voronoi–Monte Carlo approach for additive manufacturing. The approach is implemented to produce a fully connected cellular structure in the design space without producing material discontinuity. The main characteristics of the cellular structure, such as the density and the cell size, are controlled by means of two generation parameters, namely the number of seed points and the relaxation time. The generated cellular structures representing various designs of generated cellular wrenches are converted into surface tessellations and manufactured using stereolithography. Bending experiments are performed up to the rupture point and main attributes representing the performance of the SL-based cellular wrenches are studied with respect to the generation parameters. The results show only slight difference between CAD (Computer-Aided Design) models of the design and the real printed parts. The number of seed points is found to control the main feature of the wrench performance whereas the relaxation time is found to have a secondary effect.

Decolonizing cultural memory in Andrea Levy’s Small Island

ABSTRACTThis article examines Andrea Levy’s 2004 novel Small Island as a postcolonial trauma novel that revisions cultural memory of World War II and its aftermath. Utilising the insights of Stef Craps’s Postcolonial Witnessing, it explores the ways in which Levy’s text redresses the marginalization of non-western and minority trauma and addresses the under-explored relationship between First and Third World traumas. Eschewing classic western definitions of trauma as a point of rupture and fragmentation, the novel provides an alternative trauma aesthetic based on the power of storytelling and the use of humour to mitigate the traumatic losses of the past. Drawing on Michael Rothberg’s notion of “multidirectional memory”, it argues that Small Island employs a notion of cultural memory as heterogenous to suggest strong continuities in the experience of Black and white men and women before and after the war in terms of the long history of colonialism.

Appropriate Flow Reduction for Unilateral Ruptured Vertebral Artery Dissection by Proximal Clipping to Prevent Rebleeding and Medullary Infarction

Medullary infarction (MI) occasionally occurs after treatment of ruptured vertebral artery dissection (VAD). The aim of this study was to validate whether flow reduction for ruptured unilateral VAD by proximal clipping prevents rebleeding and MI in comparison with trapping. Thirty-one patients who underwent direct surgery or endovascular procedures for unilateral ruptured VAD and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including 9 patients treated with trapping and 22 patients treated with proximal clipping, were enrolled. For posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)-involved type VAD, occipital artery to PICA anastomosis was added as needed to isolate the rupture point. The rate of rebleeding and the occurrence of MI on MRI were compared between the 2 groups. There was no rebleeding after treatment in all 31 patients. However, 5 patients had MI on postoperative MRI (16.1%, κ= 0.903). In 5 of the 9 patients treated with trapping, MI was seen on MRI after treatment (55.6%). On the other hand, 0 of the 22 patients treated with proximal clipping developed MI (P < 0.01). Appropriate flow reduction for ruptured unilateral VAD by proximal clipping is thought to be effective for preventing rebleeding and avoiding MI.

EFFECT OF STORAGE DURATION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BELLO EGGPLANT FRUIT UNDER QUASI COMPRESSION LOADING

The mechanical properties of eggplant fruit (cv. Bello) harvested at physiological maturity stage were evaluated in three storage periods (3d, 6d and 9d). These mechanical parameters (rupture force, rupture energy and deformation at rupture point) were measured under quasi compression loading, using the Universal Testing Machine (Testometric model). The fruit’s toughness and rupture power were calculated from the data obtained from the rupture energy and deformation at rupture point. Results obtained showed that mechanical properties of the Bello eggplant fruit exhibited strong dependence on the storage period. The results showed that as the Bello fruit stored longer, its rupture force and rupture energy decreased from 812 N to 411 N, and 5.58 Nm to 3.11 Nm respectively. While the rupture power decreased from 1.095 W to 0.353 W. On the contrary, the toughness and deformation at rupture increased from 0.270 mJ/mm3 to 0.403 mJ/mm3, and 16.99 mm to 25.22mm respectively during the 9 days storage period. The knowledge of the mechanical properties of fruits is important for their harvest and post-harvest operations, therefore, information obtained from this study will be useful in the design and development of machines for the mechanization of eggplant production.

SUBRETINAL ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY TO TREAT LARGE SUBRETINAL HEMORRHAGES SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

To evaluate the potential of subretinal endoscopic surgery as a novel treatment for large subretinal hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Five patients with large subretinal hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration underwent subretinal endoscopic surgery, with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. The large subretinal hemorrhage was completely removed by subretinal endoscopic surgery without a large retinotomy in all cases. The fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachment including choroidal neovascularization was completely removed in four cases. In three of these cases, the bleeding was confirmed to be originating from one point of rupture in the Bruch membrane, which was treated by coagulation using intraocular diathermy. Although visual acuity improved in three cases, it deteriorated and remained stable in one case each. Fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachment persisted in one patient after surgery; he needed anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, whereas the other four did not because their fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachment was removed. At the final follow-up, no severe postoperative complications, such as retinal detachment or proliferative vitreoretinopathy, were noted. Subretinal endoscopic surgery can completely remove subretinal hemorrhage and fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachment including choroidal neovascularization without a large retinotomy. It also aids in the direct and detailed confirmation of subretinal lesions by ophthalmic endoscope.

On Ternary Fission Induced by Neutrons

Experiments on measuring the rotational effect of the 234U fissile nucleus at the scission point showed that the fissile nucleus rotates as a right screw with respect to the longitudinally polarized neutron beam direction in the ternary fission of the 233U target nucleus induced by polarized s-neutrons; in the binary fission of the same nuclei it rotates in the opposite direction. Moreover, it was found that ternary fission “prefers” the spin state of J = I +1/2. This phenomenon cannot be explained within the existing concepts of ternary fission as one of the two “final” states after neck rupture. The same “parent” 234U nucleus cannot rotate in opposite directions in the two different final states. It should be assumed that ternary fission is a special branch of descent from the saddle point to the point of neck rupture. It can also be assumed that this branch is formed at the saddle point in a configuration favorable for cluster formation. Why does it prefer the spin state of J = I + 1/2? This is an interesting question for further studies.

Physical Properties of Jatropha curcas L. Fruits and Seeds with Respect to Their Maturity Stage

Jatropha curcas L. is a multipurpose bioenergy crop. Physical properties of J. curcas fruits and seeds are a fundamental knowledge required for the design of processing machinery. Therefore, this research investigates the physical properties at different maturity stages as indicated by pericarp color of the fruits (green, yellow, and black). Rupture force, hardness, deformation at rupture point, deformation ratio at rupture, and energy used for rupture were measured in the length and width direction of the fruits and in the length, width, and thickness of the seeds. During the course of maturing, a decrease in the unit mass and the surface area of the fruits was observed with a simultaneous increase for the seeds. Moisture content decreased during maturing. Bulk density and solid density were considerably different among maturity stages. The lowest porosity was observed in black fruits as well as “black” seeds. The highest dynamic and static angle of repose was detected for black fruits, while no substantial difference was observed between “yellow” and “black” seeds. The highest and lowest coefficient of static friction for all fruits and seeds was found on rubber and plastic surfaces.

Imaging of Seismogenic Asperities of the 2016 ML 6.0 Amatrice, Central Italy, Earthquake Through Dynamic Rupture Simulations

Numerical simulations are carried out for the dynamic rupture and wave propagation process of the 24th August 2016 ML 6.0 Amatrice, Italy, earthquake, using a boundary domain method (BDM), a hybrid method of boundary integral equation and finite difference methods. Dynamic rupture parameters of two seismogenic asperities are searched by iterative search through the comparison of the near-field ground motions. The preferred models indicate two asperities, aligned at around 4–5 km depth and separated from each other as well as from the initial rupture point. This requires a few supplementary patches connecting them, and that are less energetic than the asperities. The asperities are characterized by a radius of 2–3 km in the south (first to rupture) and of 2–4 km in the north (second to rupture), and the corresponding fracture energies of the asperities are (25.35 ± 0.63) × 1012 J and (38.05 ± 7.91) × 1012 J, respectively. These values are consistent with the scaling relation extrapolated from various analyses of large earthquakes. Although the parameter space of the search is limited due to the numerical performance of the dynamic rupture simulation, the proposed simple characterization of the earthquakes source confirms the scaling relation in fracture energy of the seismogenic asperities, which is essential for constructing mechanical earthquake source models.