A lubricant boundary condition for a biological body lined by a thin heterogeneous biofilm

We study the asymptotic behavior of an incompressible viscous fluid flow in a biological body lined by a thin biological film with a cellular microstructure,varying thickness,and a heterogeneous viscosity regulated by a time random process.Let ting the thickness of the film tend to zero,we derive an effective biological slip boundary condition on the boundary of the body.This law relates the tangential fluxes to the tangential velocities via a proportional coefficient corresponding to the energy of some local problem.This law describes the ability of the biological film to function as a lubricant reducing friction at the wall of the body.The tangential velocities are functions of the random trajectories of a finely concentrated biological particle.     

Use of a Digital Image Correlation Technique for Measuring the Material Properties of Beetle Wing

Beetle wings are very specialized flight organs consisting of the veins and membranes.Therefore it is necessary from abionic view to investigate the material properties of a beetle wing experimentally.In the present study,we have used a DigitalImage Correlation (DIC) technique to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing membrane.Specimens were prepared bycarefully cutting a beetle hind wing into 3.0 mm by 7.0 mm segments (the gage length was 5 mm).We used a scanning electronmicroscope for a precise measurement of the thickness of the beetle wing membrane.The specimen was attached to a designedfixture to induce a uniform displacement by means of a micromanipulator.We used an ARAMISTM system based on the digitalimage correlation technique to measure the corresponding displacement of a specimen.The thickness of the beetle wing variedat different points of the membrane.The elastic modulus differed in relation to the membrane arrangement showing a structuralanisotropy;the elastic modulus in the chordwise direction is approximately 2.65 GPa,which is three times larger than the elasticmodulus in the spanwise direction of 0.84 GPa.As a result,the digital image correlation-based ARAMIS system was suc-cessfully used to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing.In addition to membrane’s elastic modulus,we considered thePoisson’s ratio of the membrane and measured the elastic modulus of a vein using an Instron universal tensile machine.Theresult reveals the Poisson’s ratio is nearly zero and the elastic modulus of a vein is about 11 GPa.     

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

The morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of 14 species of Morphidae have been investigated. Most of the scales of the iridescent species of Morphidae （Lepidoptera） present a very particular structure. The ground scales, responsible for the major part of the optical properties, are covered by a very regular set of longitudinal ridges. The ridges themselves are constituted by a superposition of lamellae that act locally as a multilayered structure. This very specific morphology leads to both interferences and diffraction effects. The first one is responsible of the brilliant blue coloration of the males, while the second one diffracts this colored light at a very large angle. These two phenomena give to the butterfly a very effective long-range communication system. The morphological characteristics of the scales of the various species are presented in detail. Two types of optical measurement were performed on the iridescent wings of 14 different species of Morphidae： spectroscopic measurements under various incidences and gonioscopic measurements for a given incidence angle and wavelength. The first allows a determination of the index of refraction of the cuticular material. The second leads to the drawing of spatial diffraction maps. It shows that most of the reflected light is diffracted laterally over a very large angle （90° 〈 0 〈 120°, according to the different species） and that this repartition depends of the polarization of incident light. As predicted by previous calculations, the dissymmetric structure of the ridge is responsible for the separation of the polarization modes in the various diffraction orders.     

Structural analysis of fibroin heavy chain signal peptide of silkworm Bombyx mori

To study the minimal length required for the secretion of recombinant proteins and silkproteins in posterior silk gland,the signal peptide(SP)of the fibroin heavy chain(FibH)of silkwormBombyx mori was systematically shortened from the C-terminal.Its effect on the secretion of protein wasobserved using enhanced green fluorescent protein(EGFP)as a reporter.Secretion of EGFP fusion proteinswas examined under fluorescence microscope.FibH SPs with lengths of 20,18,16 and 12 a.a.can directthe secretion of the reporter,yet those with lengths of 11, 10, 9, 8 and 1 a.a. can not. When the FibH SP wasshortened to 12a.a., the secretion efficiency was decreased slightly and cleavage occurred within EGFP.When 16a.a.of the FibH SP were used,the secretion of fusion protein was normal and the cleavage sitewas between the Gly-Ser linker and Met,the starting amino acid of EGFP. These findings are applicable forthe expression of foreign proteins in silkworm silk gland.The cleavage site of the SP is discussed andcompared with the predictive results of the SignalP 3.0 online prediction program.     

CFD Simulation of Fish-like Body Moving in Viscous Liquid

The study of fish-like bodies moving in liquid is an interesting and challenging research subject in the fields of biolocomotion and biomimetics. Typically the effect of tail oscillation on fluid flow around such a body is highly unsteady, generating vortices and requiring detailed analysis of fluid-structure interactions. An understanding of the complexities of such flows is of interest not only to biologists but also to engineers interested in developing vehicles capable of emulating the high performance of fish propulsion and manoeuvring. In the present study, a computational fluid dynamic （CFD） simulation of a three-dimensional biomimetic fish-like body has been developed to investigate the fluid flows around this body when moving in a viscous liquid. A parametric analysis of the variables that affect the flow surrounding the body is presented, along with flow visualisations, in an attempt to quantify and qualify the effect that these variables have on the performance of the body. The analysis provided by the unsteady transient simulation of a fish-like body has allowed the flow surrounding a fish-like body undergoing periodic oscillations to be studied. The simulation produces a motion of the tail in the （x, y） plane, with the tail oscillating as a rigid body in the form of a sinusoidal wave.     

High-Lift Effect of Bionic Slat Based on Owl Wing

A slat without a cove is built on the basis of a bionic airfoil （i.e. stowed multi-element airfoil）, which is extracted from a long-eared owl wing. The three-dimensional models with a deployed slat and a stowed slat are measured in a low-turbulence wind tunnel. The results are used to characterize high-lift effect： compared with the stowed slat, the deployed slat works more like a spoiler at low angles of attack, but like a conventional slat or slot at high angles of attack. In addition, it can also increase stall angle and maximum lift coefficient, and postpone the decrease in the gradient of the lift coefficient. At the same time, the flow field visualized around both three-dimensional models suggests the leading-edge separation associated with the decrease in the gradient of the lift coefficient, Furthermore, the related two-dimensional simulation well agrees with the analysis of the lift coefficient, as the complement to the experiment. The bionic slat may be used as reference in the design of leading-edge slats without a cove.     

The Functional Role of the Hollow Region of the Butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） Scale

Questions concerning the functional role of the hollow region of the butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale are experimentally investigated. Attention was initially directed to this problem by observation of the complex microstrucmre of the butterfly scale as well as other studies indicating higher lift on butterfly wings covered with scale. The aerodynamic forces were measured for two oscillating scale models. Results indicated that the air cavity of an oscillating model of the Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale increased the lift by a factor of 1.15 and reduced the damping coefficients by a factor of 1.38. The modification of the aerodynamic effects on the model of butterfly scale was due to an increase of the virtual air mass, which influenced the body. The hollow region of the scale increased the virtual air mass by a factor of 1.2. The virtual mass of the butterfly scale with the hollow region was represented as the sum of air mass of two imaginary geometrical figures： a circular cylinder around the scale and a right-angled parallelepiped within the hollow region. The interaction mechanism of the butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale with a flow was described. This novel interaction mechanism explained most geometrical features of the airpermeable butterfly scale （inverted V-profile of the ridges, nozzle of the tip edge, hollow region, and openings of the upper lamina） and their arrangement.     

Advantages of a Biomimetic Stiffness Profile in Pitching Flexible Fin Propulsion

<正> The use of oscillating flexible fins in propulsion has been the subject of several studies in recent years, but attention israrely paid to the specific role of stiffness profile in thrust production.Stiffness profile is defined as the variation in localchordwise bending stiffness (EI) of a fin, from leading to trailing edge.In this study, flexible fins with a standard NACA0012shape were tested alongside fins with a stiffness profile mimicking that of a Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus).The finswere oscillated with a pitching sinusoidal motion over a range of frequencies and amplitudes, while torque, lateral force andstatic thrust were measured.Over the range of oscillation parameters tested, it was shown that the fin with a biomimetic stiffness profile offered a significantimprovement in static thrust, compared to a fin of similar dimensions with a standard NACA0012 aerofoil profile.Thebiomimetic fin also produced thrust more consistently over each oscillation cycle.A comparison of fin materials of different stiffness showed that the improvement was due to the stiffness profile itself, andwas not simply an effect of altering the overall stiffness of the fin.Fins of the same stiffness profile were observed to follow thesame thrust-power curve, independent of the stiffness of the moulding material.Biomimetic fins were shown to produce up to26% greater thrust per watt of input power, within the experimental range.     

A Preliminary Study of the Noninvasive Remote Control System for Rat Bio-Robot

<正> A system is described here that can noninvasively control the navigation of freely behaving rat via ultrasonic,epidermaland LED photic stimulators on the back.The system receives commands from a remote host computer to deliver specifiedelectrical stimulations to the hearing,pain and visual senses of the rat respectively.The results demonstrate that the three stimuliwork in groups for the rat navigation.We can control the rat to proceed and make right and left turns with great efficiency.Thisexperiment verified that the rat was able to reach a setting destination in the way of cable with the help of a person through theappropriate coordination of the three stimulators.The telemetry video camera mounted on the head of the rat also achieveddistant image acquisition and helped to adjust its navigation path over a distance of 300 m.In a word,the non-invasive motioncontrol navigation system is a good,stable and reliable bio-robot.     

温度和光周期对水稻抽穗期调控的交互作用

光周期和温度是植物开花的2个关键的调控因素,植物成花转变决定于植物对光周期和温度变化的精确测量.作为短日照植物,水稻在长日低温条件下抽穗期推迟,为了阐明温度和光周期对水稻开花时间的调控效应,本文利用1个光周期不敏感的突变体及其野生型,系统地分析了不同温度和光周期处理条件下,调控水稻开花时间几个关键基因（Hd3a,RFT1,Ehd1,Ghd7,RID1/Ehd2/OsId1,Se5）的表达调控模式,结果表明Ehd1-Hd3a/RFT1通路在光周期和温度调控水稻开花途径中保守.Ehd1,Hd3a和RFT1的表达在低温（23℃）条件下急剧下降,表明Ehd1,Hd3a和RFT1表达阻抑是低温条件下水稻开花推迟的主要原因.另外,在长日照条件下,低温（23℃）处理促进了水稻开花抑制子Ghd7的表达,表明低温条件和长日照条件对Ghd7的表达具有协同作用.此外,本文还分析了Hd1与光周期开花调控途径中几个关键基因的调控关系,发现Hd1在长日照条件下负向调控Ehd1的表达而正向调控Ghd7的表达,表明在长日照条件下,Hd1-Ghd7-Ehd1-RFT1通路也是水稻抽穗期调控的一条重要途径.     

miRNA 在胃癌中的作用及其在转化医学中的应用

转化医学是近年来提出的关于基础研究与临床密切结合的新概念,强调实现基础研究成果真正转化为临床实践,为疾病的诊断和治疗提供先进而有效的方法。胃癌是消化系统常见的恶性肿瘤,其早期诊断与治疗是转化医学研究的重点内容之一。microRNA(miRNA)是近年来发现的一类长约21-25个核苷酸的非编码单链小分子RNA,广泛存在于真核生物中。它的发现揭示了一种新的基因表达调控方式,为胃癌早期诊断与治疗的研究开辟了新路径。miRNA能够通过与靶基因特异性的结合使其降解或抑制其翻译,从而对靶基因进行转录后的表达调控。现有越来越多的研究发现,miRNA与了胃癌的发生、发展、治疗及预后都密切相关,此文从转化医学角度综述了miRNA在胃癌中对细胞周期、细胞凋亡、侵袭、转移、放化疗敏感性等的影响的研究进展。     

分子影像技术在转化医学中的应用

基础医学、药物研发和临床医学是三个不同的的领域,因此这些领域的很多生命科学研究成果经常无法及时应用于临床实践。转化医学是以疾病为中心,加速将基础研究的成果用于,临床诊断和治疗中,旨在有效的将三个领域有机结合在一起。分子影像学（molecularimaging,MI）可在活体上、在细胞和分子水平对生物学过程成像并进行定性和定量研究,为转化医学的实现提供了保证。分子影像技术采用无创的医学影像技术使活体状态下组织细胞中的特殊分子生物学特性得以直观揭示,主要用于对疾病早期诊断、疾病分期（分层）、疗效监测、指导疾病的个体化治疗以及新药的研发等领域。本文主要介绍分子影像的技术特点、其在转化医学中发挥的作用以及其在个体化治疗中临床意义进行综述。     

分子影像技术在转化医学中的应用*

摘要：基础医学、药物研发和临床医学是三个不同的的领域,因此这些领域的很多生命科学研究成果经常无法及时应用于临床实 践。转化医学是以疾病为中心,加速将基础研究的成果用于临床诊断和治疗中,旨在有效的将三个领域有机结合在一起。分子影 像学(molecular imaging, MI) 可在活体上、在细胞和分子水平对生物学过程成像并进行定性和定量研究,为转化医学的实现提供 了保证。分子影像技术采用无创的医学影像技术使活体状态下组织细胞中的特殊分子生物学特性得以直观揭示,主要用于对疾 病早期诊断、疾病分期（分层）、疗效监测、指导疾病的个体化治疗以及新药的研发等领域。本文主要介绍分子影像的技术特点、其 在转化医学中发挥的作用以及其在个体化治疗中临床意义进行综述。     

Prospects for translational regenerative medicine

Translational medicine is an evolutional concept that encompasses the rapid translation of basic research for use in clinical disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. It follows the idea "from bench to bedside and back", and hence relies on cooperation between laboratory research and clinical care. In the past decade, translational medicine has received unprecedented attention from scientists and clinicians and its fundamental principles have penetrated throughout biomedicine, offering a sign post that guides modern medical research toward a patient-centered focus. Translational regenerative medicine is still in its infancy, and significant basic research investment has not yet achieved satisfactory clinical outcomes for patients. In particular, there are many challenges associated with the use of cell- and tissue-based products for clinical therapies. This review summarizes the transformation and global progress in translational medicine over the past decade. The current obstacles and opportunities in translational regenerative medicine are outlined in the context of stem cell therapy and tissue engineering for the safe and effective regeneration of functional tissue. This review highlights the requirement for multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary cooperation to ensure the development of the best possible regenerative therapies within the shortest timeframe possible for the greatest patient benefit.     

An international basic science and clinical research summer program for medical students

An important part of training the next generation of physicians is ensuring that they are exposed to the integral role that research plays in improving medical treatment. However, medical students often do not have sufficient time to be trained to carry out any projects in biomedical and clinical research. Many medical students also fail to understand and grasp translational research as an important concept today. In addition, since medical training is often an international affair whereby a medical student/resident/fellow will likely train in many different countries during his/her early training years, it is important to provide a learning environment whereby a young medical student experiences the unique challenges and value of an international educational experience. This article describes a program that bridges the gap between the basic and clinical research concepts in a unique international educational experience. After completing two semester curricula at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, six medical students undertook a summer program at St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. The program lasted for 2 mo and addressed advanced training in basic science research topics in medicine such as cell isolation, functional assessment, and molecular techniques of analysis and manipulation as well as sessions on the conduct of clinical research trials, ethics, and intellectual property management. Programs such as these are essential to provide a base from which medical students can decide if research is an attractive career choice for them during their clinical practice in subsequent years. An innovative international summer research course for medical students is necessary to cater to the needs of the medical students in the 21st century.     

医学生实习中外科基本操作常犯错误及对策分析

目的：探讨医学生临床实习中在基本操作上常犯的错误,并对此提出建议和纠正措施,旨在进一步提高临床带教水平及临床教学质量。方法i总结我院临床医学专业实习生进行常见的外科临床基本操作考核成绩的情况,对错误类型等进行统计并提出合理的解决措施。结果：共考察学生90名,其中外科换药方法欠佳者22人（24．4％）,消毒铺巾存在问题24人（26．6％）,缝合存在问题32人（35．5％）,打结存在问题38（42．2％）人,拆线存在问题19（21．1％）人。结论：加强医学生外科实习期间的无菌观念培养及强化手术基本操作是临床教学的重要环节。     

Regeneration in medicine: A plastic surgeons “tail” of disease,stem cells,and a possible future

Regeneration in medicine is a concept that has roots dating back to the earliest known records of medical interventions. Unfortunately, its elusive promise has still yet to become a reality. In the field of plastic surgery, we use the common tools of the surgeon grounded in basic operative principles to achieve the present day equivalent of regenerative medicine. These reconstructive efforts involve a broad range of clinical deformities, both congenital and acquired. Outlined in this review are comments on clinical conditions and the current limitations to reconstruct these clinical entities in the effort to practice regenerative medicine. Cleft lip, microtia, breast reconstruction, and burn reconstruction have been selected as examples to demonstrate the incredible spectrum and diverse challenges that plastic surgeons attempt to reconstruct. However, on a molecular level, these vastly different clinical scenarios can be unified with basic understanding of development, alloplastic integration, wound healing, cell–cell, and cell‐matrix interactions. The themes of current and future molecular efforts involve coalescing approaches to recapitulate normal development in clinical scenarios when reconstruction is needed. It will be a better understanding of stem cells, scaffolding, and signaling with extracellular matrix interactions that will make this future possible. Eventually, reconstructive challenge will utilize more than the current instruments of surgical steel but engage complex interventions at the molecular level to sculpt true regeneration. Immense amounts of research are still needed but there is promise in the exploding fields of tissue engineering and stem cell biology that hint at great opportunities to improve the lives of our patients. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 84:322–334, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Translational Research and Youth Development

Borrowing the term “translational research” (TR) from medicine, along with some of the ideas and practices that define it, holds promise as a way of linking research more closely to the practice of youth development. However, doing so entails substantial adaptation. TR is more than a new name for applied research. It comprehends the sequence of very different kinds of research that connect new knowledge with practice and ultimately with enhanced youth development. Research syntheses and evidence-based programs and practices are central to TR, which draws on a variety of research methods and traditions, including epidemiology, “basic” research, evaluation, and implementation science. Syntheses are needed in all these areas along with communication among researchers representing them as well as with practitioners. The flow of information is bi-directional; research is informed by practice and practitioners conduct research.