The dynamics of the melt pool and keyhole was investigated during CO2 laser welding using high-speed video photography and the laser reflectometer technique. A low-power argon laser beam, focused on the weld pool, provided illumination to obtain a direct image of the weld pool surface. The near-surface plasma emission background was decreased by using a narrow-bandwidth interference filter centred at the argon laser wavelength (514 nm). A variation in the shape of the keyhole opening with a characteristic frequency higher than 1 kHz was observed both during spot welding and during welding with a moving beam. For the case of spot welding with a 20 ms laser pulse, long-wavelength (about 1 mm) oscillations of the weld pool were observed with a frequency during the laser pulse and the first 5 ms after the laser pulse in the range 200-500 Hz. In the time interval starting at 25 ms and ending at approximately 40 ms from the beginning of the laser pulse, the long-wave oscillation frequency increased up to 1.3 kHz. The solidification time was determined to be approximately equal to the pulse duration for the spot welding. Surface deformation during cooling was also observed. This information is used to develop a model illustrating the dynamics of the post-pulse weld pool.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) follows a variable clinical course with patient survival ranging from only a few years despite treatment, to several decades in patients who may never require clinical intervention. Determination of the mutational status of a patient's immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (Ig V(H)) gene has been used to provide prognostic information, but this assay is not available in most laboratories. The discovery of the expression of the protein tyrosine kinase zeta-associated protein (ZAP)-70 in V(H)-unmutated CLL cases led to its proposal as a surrogate marker for V(H) status. This study investigated the measurement of ZAP-70 expression in CLL using different flow cytometric protocols. Two different antibodies and two different staining methods were compared. The Caltag ZAP-70 antibody and Fix & Perm kit were the easiest to use and were the most sensitive and specific combination, with 91% concordance between ZAP-70 expression and V(H) status. Three patients (9%) were discordant (two V(H) mutated/ZAP-70 positive, and one V(H) unmutated/ZAP-70 negative). No correlation existed between CD38 and either ZAP-70 expression or V(H) status. Measurement of ZAP-70 expression using the Caltag antibody/kit combination provides a standardized flow cytometric method that could be introduced into a routine CLL immunophenotyping panel in a clinical diagnostic laboratory.

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An experimental study was conducted to determine the influence of high-pressure waterjet (WJ) peening and abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining on the surface integrity and texture of metals. A combination of microstructure analysis, microhardness measurements, and profilometry were used in determining the depth of plastic deformation and surface texture that result from the material removal process. The measurement and evaluation of residual stress was conducted with X-ray diffraction. The residual stress fields resulting from treatment were analyzed to further distinguish the influence of material properties on the surface integrity. It was found that waterjet peening induces plastic deformation at the surface layer of metals as good as shot peening. The degree of plastic deformation and the state of material surface were found to be strongly dependent on the peening conditions applied. [S0094-9930(00)00801-5]

An experimental study of high-pressure waterjet peening on 7075-T6 aluminum alloy was conducted to investigate the effects of waterjet on high-cycle fatigue life and fatigue crack growth. Unnotched hourglass-shaped circular cross section test specimens were fatigue tested in completely reversed rotating bending R=Smin/Smax=−1 to determine fatigue life behavior (S-N curves). Single-edge-notched flat tensile test specimens were tested in the tension-tension fatigue crack growth tests R=Smin/Smax=0.1 to determine fatigue crack propagation behavior (da/dN versus ΔK). Surface characteristics and fracture surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results show that waterjet peening can increase high-cycle fatigue life, delay fatigue crack initiation, and decrease the rate of fatigue crack propagation.