Orthogonal bone cutting: saw design and operating characteristics

The cutting process of orthopaedic bone saws was considered as orthogonal (two-dimensional) cutting for determination of the horizontal and vertical force components of single edge cutting tools with rake angles of 0 to -30 degrees. The Merchant analysis for orthogonal cutting was used to determine the resultant force and other force and work relationships. The effect of an imposed lateral vibration on the cutting tool was also investigated. The results of the tests indicated a strong interaction between the measured and derived forces with the rake angle and feed velocity. It was concluded that to reduce the cutting forces and work expenditure, a negative rake angle between 0 and -10 degrees, high feed velocity, and an imposed lateral vibration provided the greatest reduction in force and energy expenditure.     

Fast Tablet Tensile Strength Prediction Based on Non-Invasive Analytics

In this paper, linkages between tablet surface roughness, tablet compression forces, material properties, and the tensile strength of tablets were studied. Pure sodium halides (NaF, NaBr, NaCl, and NaI) were chosen as model substances because of their simple and similar structure. Based on the data available in the literature and our own measurements, various models were made to predict the tensile strength of the tablets. It appeared that only three parameters—surface roughness, upper punch force, and the true density of material—were needed to predict the tensile strength of a tablet. Rather surprising was that the surface roughness alone was capable in the prediction. The used new 3D imaging method (Flash sizer) was roughly a thousand times quicker in determining tablet surface roughness than traditionally used laser profilometer. Both methods gave practically analogous results. It is finally suggested that the rapid 3D imaging can be a potential in-line PAT tool to predict mechanical properties of tablets in production.     

A computational approach to investigate optimal cutting speed configurations in rotational needle biopsy cutting soft tissue

The rotational cutting method has been used in needle biopsy technologies to sample tough tissues, such as calcifications in the breast. The rotational motion of the needle introduces shear forces to the cutting surface such that the cutting force in the axial direction is reduced. As a result, tissue samples with large volume and better quality can be obtained. In order to comprehensively understand the effect of the needle rotation to the axial cutting force under a wide range of the needle insertion speed, this paper demonstrates a computational approach that incorporates the surface-based cohesive behavior to simulate a rotating needle cutting soft tissue. The computational model is validated by comparing with a cutting test dataset reported in the literature. The validated model is then used to generate response surfaces of the axial cutting force and torque in a large parameter space of needle rotation and insertion speeds. The results provide guidelines for selecting optimal speed configurations under different design situations.     

An engineering analysis of rotating sieves for hybridoma cell retention ins stirred tank bioreactors

The use of internal rotating sieves for perfused hybridoma culture offers unique advantages but has been up to now largely empirical. Calculations have been performed on a 15 l spinfilter stirred tank in order to have an idea of hydrodynamic conditions inside and outside the rotating sieve. The large peripheral velocity value, resulting from sieve rotation (compared to axial and radial velocities) is expected to affect strongly sieve surface colonization by cells; this is confirmed by lab scale experiments, showing that cell colonization is prevented providing sieve rotation exceeds a defined value (around 0.6 m.s.1 tip speed); the fluid removal force calculated under these conditions appears to be in the range of 10 pN, similar to the adhesion force already reported for mammalian cells attached to inorganic substrata.     

Nanomilling mechanism on Cu surfaces investigated using atomistic simulation

The nanoscale milling and scratching processes of copper workpieces are studied using molecular dynamics simulations based on the tight-binding and Morse potentials. The effects of the rotation velocity of the tool and the workpiece temperature are evaluated in terms of atomic trajectories, slip vectors, flow field of chips, cutting forces and groove characteristics. The simulation shows that a slip system in the ?110? direction on the workpiece surface occurs for milling with a tool rotation velocity of ω = 0°/fs. However, no apparent slip system appears for ω = 0.005°/fs or higher; instead, the number of amorphous areas increases. At ω = 0°/fs (nanoscratching), most of the removed atoms pile up in front of the tool and some gradually backfill when the tool rotates due to the effects of rotational friction and adhesion between the tool and the removed atoms. The largest number of removed atoms that piled up in front of the tool were obtained for milling with ω = 0°/fs; the number of removed atoms that piled up in front of the tool decreased with the increasing ω value. The component forces corresponding to the feed direction of the tool are the largest for the nanodrilling and nanomilling processes. High-precision grooves can be obtained at a low workpiece temperature (e.g. room temperature) with ω = 0°/fs.     

原子力显微镜研究多西他赛对人肺腺癌A549细胞的作用机制

利用原子力显微镜(AFM)研究了化疗药物多西他赛对肺腺癌细胞A549的作用机制。选取了不同浓度多西他赛作用下的A549细胞,观察和分析了多西他赛对A549细胞形貌信息和生物力学特性的影响。结果表明细胞的峰谷差和超微结构的平均粗糙度随着药物浓度增加而减小,表面粘附力随着药物浓度增加而增大。该结果对AFM可作为一种利用纳米量级分辨率进行药物药效评估的工具进行了佐证。     

Cultivation of cell-polymer tissue constructs in simulated microgravity

Tissue-engineered cartilage was cultivated under conditions of simulated microgravity using rotating bioreactors. Rotation randomized the effects of gravity on inoculated cells (chondrocytes) and permitted their attachment to three-dimensional (3D) synthetic, biodegradable polymer scaffolds that were freely suspended within the vessel. After 1 week of cultivation, the cells regenerated a cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) consisting of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen types I and II. Tissue constructs grown in simulated microgravity had higher GAG contents and thinner outer capsules than control constructs grown in turbulent spinner flasks. Two fluid dynamic regimes of simulated microgravity were identified, depending on the vessel rotation speed: (i) a settling regime in which the constructs were maintained in a state of continuous free-fall close to a stationary point within the vessel and (ii) an orbiting regime in which the constructs orbited around the vessel spin axis. In the settling regime, the numerically calculated relative fluid-construct velocity was comparable to the experimentally measured construct settling velocity (2-3 cm/s). A simple mathematical model was used in conjunction with measured construct physical properties to determine the hydrodynamic drag force and to estimate the hydrodynamic stress at the construct surface (1.5 dyn/cm(2)). Rotating bioreactors thus provide a powerful research tool for cultivating tissue-engineered cartilage and studying 3D tissue morphogenesis under well-defined fluid dynamic conditions. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The recent development and applications of fluidic channels by 3D printing

The technology of “Lab-on-a-Chip” allows the synthesis and analysis of chemicals and biological substance within a portable or handheld device. The 3D printed structures enable precise control of various geometries. The combination of these two technologies in recent years makes a significant progress. The current approaches of 3D printing, such as stereolithography, polyjet, and fused deposition modeling, are introduced. Their manufacture specifications, such as surface roughness, resolution, replication fidelity, cost, and fabrication time, are compared with each other. Finally, novel application of 3D printed channel in biology are reviewed, including pathogenic bacteria detection using magnetic nanoparticle clusters in a helical microchannel, cell stimulation by 3D chemical gradients, perfused functional vascular channels, 3D tissue construct, organ-on-a-chip, and miniaturized fluidic “reactionware” devices for chemical syntheses. Overall, the 3D printed fluidic chip is becoming a powerful tool in the both medical and chemical industries.     

Optimized Electroless Silver Coating for Optical and Plasmonic Applications

Electroless metal deposition is a simple and convenient technique to fabricate metallic films and to provide isotropic metal functionalization of 3D structures with complex geometries. In this work, we describe the synthesis of silver coatings by means of a modified Tollens reaction and their use as optical coating. The chemical composition of the metallization bath is here addressed to optimize the metal coating deposition. The synthesis parameters have been tailored in order to deposit very smooth films which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical spectroscopy. 2D diffraction gratings and sinusoidal plasmonic gratings were produced with the proposed method. Optical characterization confirmed the plasmonic activities of the resultant structures, proving the efficiency of the described method for optical applications. Thermal annealing was found to improve the surface roughness of the coating and therefore the optical properties of the plasmonic gratings.     

The Temporal Structure of Vertical Arm Movements

The present study investigates how the CNS deals with the omnipresent force of gravity during arm motor planning. Previous studies have reported direction-dependent kinematic differences in the vertical plane; notably, acceleration duration was greater during a downward than an upward arm movement. Although the analysis of acceleration and deceleration phases has permitted to explore the integration of gravity force, further investigation is necessary to conclude whether feedforward or feedback control processes are at the origin of this incorporation. We considered that a more detailed analysis of the temporal features of vertical arm movements could provide additional information about gravity force integration into the motor planning. Eight subjects performed single joint vertical arm movements (45° rotation around the shoulder joint) in two opposite directions (upwards and downwards) and at three different speeds (slow, natural and fast). We calculated different parameters of hand acceleration profiles: movement duration (MD), duration to peak acceleration (D PA), duration from peak acceleration to peak velocity (D PA-PV), duration from peak velocity to peak deceleration (D PV-PD), duration from peak deceleration to the movement end (D PD-End), acceleration duration (AD), deceleration duration (DD), peak acceleration (PA), peak velocity (PV), and peak deceleration (PD). While movement durations and amplitudes were similar for upward and downward movements, the temporal structure of acceleration profiles differed between the two directions. More specifically, subjects performed upward movements faster than downward movements; these direction-dependent asymmetries appeared early in the movement (i.e., before PA) and lasted until the moment of PD. Additionally, PA and PV were greater for upward than downward movements. Movement speed also changed the temporal structure of acceleration profiles. The effect of speed and direction on the form of acceleration profiles is consistent with the premise that the CNS optimises motor commands with respect to both gravitational and inertial constraints.     

Quantitative characterization of the influence of the nanoscale morphology of nanostructured surfaces on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation

Bacterial infection of implants and prosthetic devices is one of the most common causes of implant failure. The nanostructured surface of biocompatible materials strongly influences the adhesion and proliferation of mammalian cells on solid substrates. The observation of this phenomenon has led to an increased effort to develop new strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, primarily through nanoengineering the topology of the materials used in implantable devices. While several studies have demonstrated the influence of nanoscale surface morphology on prokaryotic cell attachment, none have provided a quantitative understanding of this phenomenon. Using supersonic cluster beam deposition, we produced nanostructured titania thin films with controlled and reproducible nanoscale morphology respectively. We characterized the surface morphology; composition and wettability by means of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. We studied how protein adsorption is influenced by the physico-chemical surface parameters. Lastly, we characterized Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion on nanostructured titania surfaces. Our results show that the increase in surface pore aspect ratio and volume, related to the increase of surface roughness, improves protein adsorption, which in turn downplays bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. As roughness increases up to about 20 nm, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are enhanced; the further increase of roughness causes a significant decrease of bacterial adhesion and inhibits biofilm formation. We interpret the observed trend in bacterial adhesion as the combined effect of passivation and flattening effects induced by morphology-dependent protein adsorption. Our findings demonstrate that bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on nanostructured titanium oxide surfaces are significantly influenced by nanoscale morphological features. The quantitative information, provided by this study about the relation between surface nanoscale morphology and bacterial adhesion points towards the rational design of implant surfaces that control or inhibit bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.     

Effect of body roll amplitude and arm rotation speed on propulsion of arm amputee swimmers

Only a limited amount of research has gone into evaluating the contribution made by the upper arm to the propulsion of elite swimmers with an amputation at elbow level. With assistance of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling, the swimming technique of competitive arm amputee swimmers can be assessed through numerical simulations which test the effect of various parameters on the effectiveness of the swimming propulsion.This numerical study investigates the effect of body roll amplitude and of upper arm rotation speed on the propulsion of an arm amputee swimmer, at different mean swimming speeds. Various test cases are simulated resulting in a thorough analysis of the complex body/fluid interaction with a detailed quantitative assessment of the effect of the variation of each parameter on the arm propulsion. It is found that a body roll movement with an amplitude of 45° enhances greatly the propulsive contribution from the upper arm with an increase of about 70% in the propulsive force compared to the no roll condition. An increase in the angular velocity of the upper arm also leads to a concomitant increase in the propulsive forces produced by the arm.Such results have direct implications for competitive arm amputee front crawl swimmers and for those who coach them. One important message that emerges in this present work is that there exists, for any given swimming speed, a minimum angular velocity at which the upper arm must be rotated to generate effective propulsion. Below this velocity, the upper arm will experience a net resistive drag force which adversely affects swimming performance.     

Two-Dimensional Aerodynamic Models of Insect Flight for Robotic Flapping Wing Mechanisms of Maximum Efficiency

In the ＂modified quasi-steady＂ approach, two-dimensional （2D） aerodynamic models of flapping wing motions are analyzed with focus on different types of wing rotation and different positions of rotation axis to explain the force peak at the end of each half stroke. In this model, an additional velocity of the mid chord position due to rotation is superimposed on the translational relative velocity of air with respect to the wing. This modification produces augmented forces around the end of each stroke. For each case of the flapping wing motions with various combination of controlled translational and rotational velocities of the wing along inclined stroke planes with thin figure-of-eight trajectory, discussions focus on lift-drag evolution during one stroke cycle and efficiency of types of wing rotation. This ＂modified quasi-steady＂ approach provides a systematic analysis of various parameters and their effects on efficiency of flapping wing mechanism. Flapping mechanism with delayed rotation around quarter-chord axis is an efficient one and can be made simple by a passive rotation mechanism so that it can be useful for robotic application.     

Transmission of force and velocity in the feeding mechanisms of labrid fishes (Teleostei,Perciformes)

Summary The feeding mechanisms of four species of the teleostean family Labridae (Cheilinus fasciatus, C. trilobatus, Oxycheilinus bimaculatus, and O. unifasciatus) were modeled using four-bar linkage theory from mechanical engineering. The predictions of four-bar linkage models regarding the kinematics of feeding were compared to the movements observed with high speed cinematography (200 frames/s). A four-bar linkage was an accurate model of the mechanism by which upper jaw protrusion, maxillary rotation, and gape increase occur in each species. A four-bar mechanism of hyoid depression was an accurate predictor of hyoid depression when simultaneous cranial elevation and sternohyoideus contraction were simulated. Morphometrics of the linkage systems of the jaws and hyoid were collected for 12 labrid species. These data were used to calculate the transmission of force and motion through the musculoskeletal linkages. Several measures of mechanical advantage and displacement advantage were compared, including both traditional lever ratios and transmission coefficients of four-bar linkages. Alternative designs of the feeding mechanisms maximize force or velocity for the capture of different prey types. High velocity transmission of both the jaw and hyoid systems is characteristic of those species that feed on evasive prey, whereas species that feed on benthic invertebrates favor increased force transmission in both systems. Quantitative models of biomechanical systems supply criteria for functionally relevant morphometrics, and aid in calculating the capacity for transmission of force and velocity in musculoskeletal systems.     

On the mysterious propulsion of Synechococcus

We propose a model for the self-propulsion of the marine bacterium Synechococcus utilizing a continuous looped helical track analogous to that found in Myxobacteria [1]. In our model cargo-carrying protein motors, driven by proton-motive force, move along a continuous looped helical track. The movement of the cargo creates surface distortions in the form of small amplitude traveling ridges along the S-layer above the helical track. The resulting fluid motion adjacent to the helical ribbon provides the propulsive thrust. A variation on the helical rotor model of [1] allows the motors to be anchored to the peptidoglycan layer, where they drive rotation of the track creating traveling helical waves along the S-layer. We derive expressions relating the swimming speed to the amplitude, wavelength, and velocity of the surface waves induced by the helical rotor, and show that they fall in reasonable ranges to explain the velocity and rotation rate of swimming Synechococcus.     

Influence of detachment,substrate loading and reactor scale on the formation of biofilms in airlift reactors

 For a stable and reliable operation of the biofilm airlift suspension reactor (BAS reactor) means to control biomass concentration, biofilm thickness and biofilm morphology are required. For this reason, the influence of applied detachment forces and surface substrate loading on the formation of heterotrophic biofilms in laboratory-scale BAS reactors was studied. Detachment forces were altered by variation of the initial bare carrier concentration or the superficial air velocity. In addition, the dynamics of biofilm formation during start-up of a full scale BAS reactor (300 m³) was monitored and compared with the laboratory-scale start-up (3 l). This study shows that the biofilm morphology and strength were influenced to a large extent by the surface substrate loading and applied detachment forces. A moderate surface substrate loading and a high detachment force yielded smooth and strong biofilms. The combination of a high surface substrate loading and low detachment forces did lead to rough biofilms, but did not lead to the expected high amount of biomass on the carrier, apparently because of the formation of weaker biofilms. The strength of the bio-films appeared to be related to the detachment forces applied during biofilm formation, in combination with the surface substrate loading. The biofilm morphology and biomass on carrier in the BAS reactor can be controlled using the carrier concentration, substrate loading rate and the superficial air velocity as parameters. The dynamics of biofilm formation during the start-up of a full-scale BAS reactor proved to be similar to heterotrophic biofilm formation in laboratory-scale reactors. This indicates that a model system on the laboratory scale can successfully be applied to predict dynamic phenomena in the full-scale reactor. Received: 31 March 1995/Received revision: 11 August 1995/Accepted: 22 August 1995     

Simultaneous measurement of bacterial flagellar rotation rate and swimming speed.

Swimming speeds and flagellar rotation rates of individual free-swimming Vibrio alginolyticus cells were measured simultaneously by laser dark-field microscopy at 25, 30, and 35 degrees C. A roughly linear relation between swimming speed and flagellar rotation rate was observed. The ratio of swimming speed to flagellar rotation rate was 0.113 microns, which indicated that a cell progressed by 7% of pitch of flagellar helix during one flagellar rotation. At each temperature, however, swimming speed had a tendency to saturate at high flagellar rotation rate. That is, the cell with a faster-rotating flagellum did not always swim faster. To analyze the bacterial motion, we proposed a model in which the torque characteristics of the flagellar motor were considered. The model could be analytically solved, and it qualitatively explained the experimental results. The discrepancy between the experimental and the calculated ratios of swimming speed to flagellar rotation rate was about 20%. The apparent saturation in swimming speed was considered to be caused by shorter flagella that rotated faster but produced less propelling force.     

Wetting Behaviours of a Single Droplet on Biomimetic Micro Structured Surfaces

<正> Natural surfaces with super hydrophobic properties often have micro or hierarchical structures.In this paper, the wettingbehaviours of a single droplet on biomimetic micro structured surfaces with different roughness parameters are investigated.Atheoretical model is proposed to study wetting transitions.The results of theoretical analysis are compared with those of experimentindicating that the proposed model can effectively predict the wetting transition.Furthermore, a numerical simulationbased on the meso scale Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is performed to study dynamic contact angles, contact lines, andlocal velocity fields for the case that a droplet displays on the micro structured surface.A spherical water droplet with r_s= 15 μmfalls down to a biomimetic square-post patterned surface under the force of gravity with an initial velocity of 0.01 m·s~(-1) and aninitial vertical distance of 20 μm from droplet centre to the top of pots.In spite of a higher initial velocity, the droplet can stillstay in a Cassie state; moreover, it reaches an equilibrium state at t≈17.5 ms, when contact angle is 153.16° which is slightlylower than the prediction of Cassie-Baxter's equation which gives θ_(CB)=154.40°.     

Influence of gait speed on free vertical moment during walking

Free vertical moment (FVM) of ground reaction is recognized to be a meaningful indicator of torsional stress on the lower limbs when walking. The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how gait speed influences the FVM when walking. Fourteen young healthy adults performed a series of overground walking trials at three different speeds: low, preferred and fast. FVM was measured during the stance phase of the dominant leg using a force platform embedded in a 10 m-long walkway. Transverse plane kinematic parameters of the foot and pelvis were measured using a motion capture system. Results showed a significant decrease in peak abduction FVM (i.e., resisting internal foot rotation) and an increase in peak adduction FVM (i.e., resisting external foot rotation), together with an increase in gait speed. Concomitantly, we observed a decrease in the foot progression angle and an increase in the peak pelvis rotation velocity in the transverse plane with an increase in gait speed. A significant positive correlation was found between the pelvis rotation velocity and the peak adduction moment, suggesting that pelvis rotation influences the magnitude of adduction FVM. Furthermore, we also found significant correlations between the peak adduction FVM and both the step length and frequency, indicating that the alterations in FVM may be ascribed to changes in these two key variables of gait speed. These speed-related changes in FVM should be considered when this parameter is used in gait assessment, particularly when used as an index for rehabilitation and injury prevention.     

Surface roughness parameters as predictors of anchorage strength in bone: a critical analysis

The surface roughness of a bone implant was defined parametrically. The values of the parameters defining the surface were varied. Some traditionally used surface roughness parameters were calculated. By means of a theoretical model the bone-implant interfacial shear strength was estimated. No simple correlation between the values of the surface roughness parameters and the estimated interfacial shear strength was found. It was concluded that the value of the traditional surface roughness parameters as predictors of interfacial shear strength is limited. If however a change of the surface topography of an implant is restricted to scale a positive correlation was found between the theoretical interfacial shear strength and some surface roughness parameters. It is suggested that the bone-implant interfacial shear strength in the general case be estimated by means of strength analyses based upon a study of the size, shape and density of the individual elements constituting the rough surface.