Stiffness of sphere-plate contacts at MHz frequencies: dependence on normal load, oscillation amplitude, and ambient medium.

The stiffness of micron-sized sphere-plate contacts was studied by employing high frequency, tangential excitation of variable amplitude (0-20 nm). The contacts were established between glass spheres and the surface of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), where the resonator surface had been coated with either sputtered SiO2 or a spin-cast layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The results from experiments undertaken in the dry state and in water are compared. Building on the shifts in the resonance frequency and resonance bandwidth, the instrument determines the real and the imaginary part of the contact stiffness, where the imaginary part quantifies dissipative processes. The method is closely analogous to related procedures in AFM-based metrology. The real part of the contact stiffness as a function of normal load can be fitted with the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) model. The contact stiffness was found to increase in the presence of liquid water. This finding is tentatively explained by the rocking motion of the spheres, which couples to a squeeze flow of the water close to the contact. The loss tangent of the contact stiffness is on the order of 0.1, where the energy losses are associated with interfacial processes. At high amplitudes partial slip was found to occur. The apparent contact stiffness at large amplitude depends linearly on the amplitude, as predicted by the Cattaneo-Mindlin model. This finding is remarkable insofar, as the Cattaneo-Mindlin model assumes Coulomb friction inside the sliding region. Coulomb friction is typically viewed as a macroscopic concept, related to surface roughness. An alternative model (formulated by Savkoor), which assumes a constant frictional stress in the sliding zone independent of the normal pressure, is inconsistent with the experimental data. The apparent friction coefficients slightly increase with normal force, which can be explained by nanoroughness. In other words, contact splitting (i.e., a transport of shear stress across many small contacts, rather than a few large ones) can be exploited to reduce partial slip.

Nodding syndrome in Tanzania may not be associated with circulating anti-NMDA-and anti-VGKC receptor antibodies or decreased pyridoxal phosphate serum levels-a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Nodding syndrome (NS) is a seemingly progressive epilepsy disorder of unknown underlying cause. We investigated association of pyridoxal-phosphate serum levels and occurrence of anti-neuronal antibodies against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and voltage gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex in NS patients. METHODS: Sera of a Tanzanian cohort of epilepsy and NS patients and community controls were tested for the presence of anti-NMDA-receptor and anti-VGKC complex antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore pyridoxal-phosphate levels were measured. RESULTS: Auto-antibodies against NMDA receptor or VGKC (LG1 or Caspr2) complex were not detected in sera of patients suffering from NS (n=6), NS plus other seizure types (n=16), primary generalized epilepsy (n=1) and community controls without epilepsy (n=7). Median Pyridoxal-phosphate levels in patients with NS compared to patients with primary generalized seizures and community controls were not significantly different. However, these median pyridoxal-phosphate levels are significantly lower compared to the range considered normal in Europeans. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study NS was not associated with serum anti-NMDA receptor or anti-VGKC complex antibodies and no association to pyridoxal-phosphate serum levels was found.

Coarsening of the pore network in drying latex films upon interparticle aggregation.

The lateral drying front observed during film formation from latex dispersions with a Tg of the polymer around room temperature is composed of three three distinct lines. The lines are characterized by a decrease in turbidity, a renewed sharp increase in turbidity, and a more gradual decrease in turbidity at the end of what can be called a "halo". Microcracks with herringbone morphology develop at the first line, where the turbidity decreases. If macrocracks are present, these nucleate close to the end of the halo. At the line, where the turbidity sharply increases, one also observes an increase in stress birefringence. The substructure of the drying front is characteristically different from the structures described previously for films drying from hard particles. In particular, the renewed increase in turbidity cannot be explained as pore-opening, but rather is the consequence of a coarsening of the pore network after the particles jump into contact. A capillary instability sets in, by which the small pores collapse under the polymer/water interfacial energy, while the larger pores expand correspondingly. The instability (related to the Rayleigh instability of liquid jets) makes the films appear turbid. Also, the induced mechanical heterogeneity prevents straight macrocracks from penetrating into the halo because crack deflection and crack branching would result, which is energetically unfavorable.

Steady flows above a quartz crystal resonator driven at elevated amplitude.

A steady flow of liquid was observed above the surface of a quartz crystal microbalance under conditions where the oscillation amplitude exceeded 10 nm. The streaming flow occurs parallel to the displacement vector and is directed towards the center of the plate. It is expected to have applications in acoustic sensing, in microfluidics, and in micromechanics in a wider sense. The flow is caused by the nonlinear term in the Navier-Stokes equation, which can produce a nonzero time-averaged force from a periodic velocity field. Central to the explanation are the flexural admixtures to the resonator's mode of vibration. Unlike pressure-driven flows, the acoustically driven steady flow attains its maximum velocity at a distance of a few hundred nanometers from the surface. It is therefore efficient in breaking bonds between adsorbed particles and the resonator surface. As a side aspect, the flow pattern amounts to a diagnostic tool, which gives access to the pattern of vibration. In particular, it leads to an estimate of the magnitude of the flexural admixtures to the thickness-shear vibration.

The role of Onchocerca volvulus in the development of epilepsy in a rural area of Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION: Several reports indicate high prevalences of both onchocerciasis and epilepsy in some regions of Africa. This raises the question of whether these diseases are associated. We therefore investigated people with epilepsy and/or onchocerciasis living in an area in Tanzania endemic for Onchocerca volvulus (O. volvulus). METHODS: We collected clinical information, skin snips, and blood from 300 individuals, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 197. Participants were allocated to 4 groups consisting of people with epilepsy and onchocerciasis (n=135), those with either epilepsy (n=61) or onchocerciasis only (n=35), and healthy individuals (n=69). Samples were evaluated for microfilaria, IgG4 antibodies against O. volvulus, O. volvulus antibody index (CSF/serum), and CSF routine parameters. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on skin snips and CSF. RESULTS: No difference was found in microfilarial density between participants with and without epilepsy (P=0.498). The antibody index was raised in 2 participants. CSF PCR was negative in all samples tested. DISCUSSION: Our results do not give evidence of a relationship between O. volvulus and epilepsy. Despite the fact that 2 participants had raised antibody index, the existence of cerebral onchocerciasis caused by migration of microfilariae into the CSF appears unlikely. However, to date unexplored reactions to the infestation with O. volvulus causing epilepsy cannot be excluded.

The head nodding syndrome--clinical classification and possible causes.

PURPOSE: In the 1960s in Tanzania, L. Jilek-Aall observed a seizure disorder characterized by head nodding (HN). Decades later, "nodding disease," reminiscent of what was seen in Tanzania, was reported from Sudan. To date this seizure disorder has not been classified and possible causes still remain obscure. METHODS: In a prospective study in southern Tanzania, we evaluated 62 patients with HN. Selected patients underwent blood (n = 51) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (n = 48) analyses. Others were chosen for MRI (n = 12) and EEG (n = 10). RESULTS: Seizure type was classified as "head nodding only" and "head nodding plus," the latter being combined with other types of seizure (n =34). During HN, consciousness was impaired in 11 patients (17.7%) and supportive signs of epileptic seizures were described by 15 (24.2%) patients. Precipitating factors were confirmed by 11 (17.7%) patients. Fifty-six (90.3%) patients had at least one relative with epilepsy. EEG confirmed interictal epileptic activity in two patients and unspecific changes in four patients. MRI showed hippocampus pathologies (n = 5) and gliotic changes (n = 5). Skin polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity for Onchocerca volvulus was significantly associated with lesions on MRI. However, PCR of the CSF was negative in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: We present a comprehensive clinical description of the "HN syndrome," possibly a new epilepsy disorder in sub-Saharan Africa. MRI lesions and their association with positive skin PCR for O. volvulus despite negative PCR of the CSF is intriguing and deserves attention. Furthermore, the high prevalence of hippocampus sclerosis and familial clustering of epilepsy may point toward other potential pathogenetic mechanisms.