In an area near an arsenic mine in Hunan Province of south China, soils were often found with elevated arsenic levels. A field survey was conducted to determine arsenic accumulation in 8 Cretan brake ferns (Pteris cretica) and 16 Chinese brake ferns (Pteris vittata) growing on these soils. Three factors were evaluated: arsenic concentration in above ground parts (fronds), arsenic bioaccumulatio...

This study identifies clinical vision measures or retinal structural measures associated with the driving performance of diabetic retinopathy patients. Twenty-five licensed drivers with diabetic retinopathy (median age, 53 years; range, 34-72 years) completed clinical tests (visual acuity, letter contrast sensitivity, and Humphrey 30-2 visual fields) and structural examinations (retinal thickne...

. In this paper we describe the development and verification of software for an automotive Brake-by-Wire System. This is a new brake system without mechanical or hydraulic backup. The system is based on a time-triggered communication architecture. The central control computer in this distributed system, called Brake-by-Wire Manager, is a redundant design in order to tolerate any single failure....

OBJECTIVES A large number of workers in the USA are exposed to chrysotile asbestos through brake repair, yet only a few cases of malignant mesothelioma (MM) have been described in this population. Epidemiologic and industrial hygiene studies have failed to demonstrate an increased risk of MM in brake workers. We present our experience of MM in individuals whose only known asbestos exposure was ...

The main testing parameter of the roller brake tester is the braking force. Actually, there are some differences in results even if the same vehicle is tested on the same tester. So it will bring trouble to evaluate the braking performance accurately. Based on force analysis, the mathematical model of the roller opposite force type automobile brake tester is built in this article. And then the ...

Hydraulic brakes in automobiles play a vital role for the safety on the road; therefore vital components in the brake system should be monitored through condition monitoring techniques. Condition monitoring of brake components can be carried out by using the vibration characteristics. The vibration signals for the different fault conditions of the brake were acquired from the fabricated hydraul...

A Monark cycle ergometer is used in physiological studies to measure work done and power. In this paper, the accuracy of a Monark rope-braked cycle ergometer was examined for a Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT). The traditional method of determining brake torque fails to take into account rope-brake theory and, as the brake torque is used to determine the moment of inertia of the flywheel, a second...

This paper details the study on the changes in riding behaviour, such as changes in speed as well as the brake force and throttle force applied, when motorcyclists ride over a curve section road using an instrumented motorcycle. In this study, an instrumented motorcycle equipped with various types of sensors, on-board cameras, and data loggers, was developed in order to collect the riding data ...

Rapid coordinated eye-head movements, called saccadic gaze shifts, displace the line of sight from one location to another. A critical structure in the gaze control circuitry is the superior colliculus (SC) of the midbrain, which drives gaze saccades by relaying cortical commands to brainstem eye and head motor circuits. We proposed that the SC lies within a gaze feedback loop and generates an ...

Asbestos-containing brake linings were used in heavy-duty construction equipment such as tractors, backhoes, and bulldozers prior to the 1980s. While several published studies have evaluated exposures to mechanics during brake repair work, most have focused on automobiles and light trucks, not on heavy agricultural or construction vehicles. The purpose of this study is to characterize the airbo...