Abstract It is well known that silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic a pressure dependent material, where the compressive strength increases as increases. So, it an effective way to improve ballistic performance of SiC by introducing prestress on ceramics surface. In this paper, concept dynamic energetic materials was proposed. Five key factors, including time projectiles contact targets, velocity long...

Long slender structures such as textile yarns and ocean cables show localised buckling behaviour under torsional loading. In a 1D elastic theory these localised solutions are described by homoclinic orbits in a dynamical system in which arclength along the structure is the independent variable. Upon continued loading after localisation a snap into self-contact and looping may occur. We discuss ...

Electro-orientation of rod-like particles in liquids, under the application of an external AC field, is analysed. A rod shape is suitable for particle light valve (PLV) applications. When they are aligned with their long axes parallel to the electric field (and the direction of light is assumed to be parallel to the applied electric field), then it can lead to good transmission of light. Variou...

The X-linked RP3 locus codes for retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR), a protein of unknown function with sequence homology to the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ran GTPase. We created an RPGR-deficient murine model by gene knockout. In the mutant mice, cone photoreceptors exhibit ectopic localization of cone opsins in the cell body and synapses and rod photoreceptors have a red...

We have resolved a central and long-standing paradox in understanding the amplification of rod phototransduction by making direct measurements of the gains of the underlying enzymatic amplifiers. We find that under optimized conditions a single photoisomerized rhodopsin activates transducin molecules and phosphodiesterase (PDE) catalytic subunits at rates of 120-150/s, much lower than indirect ...

Two outstanding unknowns in the biology of photoreceptors are the molecular determinants of cell size, which is remarkably uniform among mammalian species, and the mechanisms of rod cell death associated with inherited neurodegenerative blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. We have addressed both questions by performing an in vivo titration with rhodopsin gene copies in genetically en...

In mammals, the pupillary light reflex is mediated by intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells that also receive input from rod-cone photoreceptors. To assess the relative contribution of melanopsin and rod-cone photoreceptors to the pupillary light reflex in humans, we compared pupillary light responses in normally sighted individuals (n = 24) with a blind indi...

Are silencing, ectopic shifts, and receptive field (RF) scaling in cortical scotoma projection zones (SPZs) the result of long-term reorganization (plasticity) or short-term adaptation? Electrophysiological studies of SPZs after retinal lesions in animal models remain controversial, because they are unable to conclusively answer this question because of limitations of the methodology. Here, we ...

Rod monochromacy is a rare condition in vertebrates characterized by the absence of cone photoreceptor cells. The resulting phenotype is colourblindness and low acuity vision in dim-light and blindness in bright-light conditions. Early reports of xenarthrans (armadillos, sloths and anteaters) suggest that they are rod monochromats, but this has not been tested with genomic data. We searched the...