Confocal laser scanning microscopy is experiencing a revolution in speed from the world of seconds to that of milliseconds. The spinning Nipkow disk method with microlenses has made this remarkable innovation possible. In combination with the ultrahigh-sensitivity, high-speed and high-resolution camera system based on avalanche multiplication of photoconduction, we are now able to observe the e...

In order to ensure an acceptable quality even at the highest spinning or weaving speeds, tensile instruments and testing conditions have to be improved. Therefore, a new high-speed dynamometer and a new method to subject yarns at strain rates similar to those found in current textile operations have been developed. This high-speed dynamometer has then been used to investigate the influence of h...

Spinning-disk interferometers are a new class of analytic sensors to detect immobilized biomolecules with high speed and high sensitivity. The disks are composed of a large number of surface-normal self-referencing interferometers, analogous to an optical CD, but operating on the principle of microdiffraction quadrature that achieves sensitive linear detection of bound molecules. The surface-no...

Spider major ampullate silk is a high-performance biomaterial that has received much attention. However, most studies ignore plasticity in silk properties. A better understanding of silk plasticity could clarify the relative importance of chemical composition versus processing of silk dope for silk properties. It could also provide insight into how control of silk properties relates to spider e...

Quasi-steady and unsteady propagations of methane and propane–air premixed flames in a mesoscale divergent channel were investigated experimentally and theoretically. The emphasis was the impact of variable cross-section area and the flame-wall coupling on the flame transition between different regimes and the onset of flame instability. Experimentally, for the first time, spinning flames were ...