针刺测力仪及脉象仪在针灸治疗中的应用

目的设计一套在体实时监测针刺针体受力情况和同步观察针刺前后脉象的系统。方法利用设计的针刺测力仪及脉象仪采集针刺时针体受力的力学信号及人体脉象的信号并将这些信号传换成计算机能识别的信号,把脉象的信号与针刺信号相对应运用软件进行分析整理。结果针刺前后脉象有比较明显的变化。结论利用脉象仪和针刺测力仪能够观察针刺前后脉象的变化,将为针刺选穴,配穴及疗效监测提供有效的手段。     

基于血流多普勒原理的血压测量系统设计

血流信号的采集可基于超声多普勒技术。利用多普勒超声探头在肢体主动脉脉搏处采集到血流多普勒频移信号,对信号电压进行放大,一方面直接输入扬声器转变为音频信号,得到多普勒音;同时用频率/电压变换器LM331变换多普勒频移信号,得到脉搏波信号。基于此原理,设计了使用无创、直观的方法获得肢体血流参数,并经PC机处理,最终在显示器上显示脉搏波形和血压数值的方法。     

The development of an ultrasonic apparatus for the noninvasive and repeatable removal of fouling in food processing equipment

A new ultrasonic apparatus operating at a frequency of 40 kHz was developed to dislodge biofilms from food processing equipment in order to assess the effectiveness of cleaning protocols. Sonication conditions to remove biofilms and quantification by ATP-bioluminescence are described. An industrial meat process was developed at the laboratory level to form a biofilm with industrial characteristics. Our results show that the biofilm removal by sonication during 10 s is reproducible and four times greater compared to the swabbing method (83% removal of fouling material against 20%). Unlike the swabbing method, this ultrasonic apparatus permitted the immediately demonstration of the inefficiency (within 1 min) of an industrial meat cleaning protocol. This apparatus is portable, easy to use and can be operated by unskilled users.     

An ultrasonic insect movement detector

ABSTRACT. An ultrasonic insect movement detector is described. Insect movement in an experimental chamber causes changes in an ultrasonic standing wave pattern: these changes are amplified and recorded, either as a continuous signal or as pulses. Results are presented from ground beetles, earwigs and a braconid parasite, showing that behaviour of these insects in the apparatus is similar to that assessed by other methods.     

A digital auto-recorder for measuring the drinking frequency of mice.

An inexpensive, automatic digital recorder to measure the drinking frequency of mice was designed. When an animal licked the spout of the water bottle, it closed the path of the current of the amplifier input circuit and a module converted the closure signal into an electric pulse. A camera preset by a timer automatically photographed the counter which had accepted the pulse. The apparatus was inexpensive and estimated the drinking frequency of many mice individually and simultaneously. This system is applicable as a pulse-recorder to physical phenomena other than water intake.     

大鼠压杆行为的运动皮层局部场电位研究

目的：提取与大鼠右前肢运动相关联的初级运动皮层场电位的信号特征,并探讨依据局部场电位（LFP）识别前肢运动行为的可行性。方法：4只SD大鼠通过训练习得压杆取水操作,然后在左右脑初级运动皮层M1区分别植入多通道束状微电极,术后恢复后进行大鼠压杆行为实验,以2 kHz/s速率记录深部脑电信号及压杆状态信号,同步记录行为过程的视频信号。以通道间的差分信号作为局部场电位信号,分析局部场电位信号的时域特征,进行聚类分析。以压杆状态信号和视频分析为判定依据,对聚类结果进行分析。结果：局部场电位信号在大鼠压杆动作时明显增强,不同通道的局部场电位信号幅值、波形有差异,表明与前肢运动相关联的M1区局部场电位信号有空间分布特征;依据阈值准则从局部场电位信号检测压杆行为的检出率为80%。结论：依据局部场电位信号特征对大鼠前肢运动进行检测具有可行性。     

Aggregation of red blood cells studied by ultrasound backscattering

The erythrocyte aggregation phenomenon is an important factor in capillary circulation. This phenomenon can be evaluated by a number of methods (microscopic observations, viscometry, light measurements) which cannot be applied simply to in vivo measurements. In contrast, ultrasound which propagates through soft tissues allows measurement of the mechanical properties of red blood cell (RBC) suspensions which depend on the aggregation phenomenon. We devised an apparatus in order to measure in vitro the ultrasonic backscattering intensity of RBC suspensions. First, with latex particles of different sizes, the ultrasonic backscattering coefficient has been measured in order to evaluate the apparatus response. Then, the ultrasonic backscattering coefficient of different aggregated erythrocyte suspensions has been measured and correlated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Finally, the size of RBC aggregates of different suspensions has been evaluated.     

Ultrasonic methodology coupled to ATP bioluminescence for the non-invasive detection of fouling in food processing equipment--validation and application to a dairy factory

The use of an ultrasonic apparatus (40 kHz) for the non-destructive, rapid and reproducible removal of biofilm from standard materials (stainless steel and polypropylene) in a dairy factory was investigated. The application of ultrasound with the tested conditions (10 s and 40 kHz) was found not to be detrimental for standard ATP (concentration ranging between 5 x 10(-9) and 10(-5) mol 1(-1)) and for prokaryotic cells, including both rods and coccoid-shaped bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). It allowed the use of the ATP bioluminescence measurement for quantifying the biofilm removal. The repeatability of industrial milk removal was determined on fouled stainless steel and polypropylene sheets. The variability of the results with the sonication method was constant, +/-24% (coefficient of variation) for both surfaces, and was variable with the swabbing method, +/-42% for the stainless steel sheet and +/-74% for the polypropylene sheet. The ultrasonic apparatus removed twice the amount of industrial milk biofilm compared with the swabbing method in the case of the polypropylene sheets. The apparatus was used to validate the industrial cleaning protocols of a milk factory.     

Fast photoacoustic transients from dark-adapted intact leaves: oxygen evolution and uptake pulses during photosynthetic induction — a phenomenology record

Using a photoacoustic technique it has been possible to observe fast oxygen evolution and uptake transients at a high time resolution (approx. 0.2 s), when a dark-adapted leaf is reilluminated. There is initially a rapid pulse of oxygen evolution, correlated with the initial fluorescence rise (total duration under the experimental conditions used about 1–2 s), corresponding presumably to the photoreduction of the plastoquinone pool. This phenomenon may be utilized to calibrate the oxygen-evolution photoacoustic signal. The first pulse is followed by a series of slower bursts of oxygen uptake and evolution, reflecting various pools which are expressed following sequential activation of various parts of the photosynthetic apparatus, until achievement of a steady state.Abbreviations and symbols RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - PSI, PSII photosystems I, II - F_o, F_m, F(t) initial, maximum and instantaneous chlorophyll fluorescence emission     

Laser flow cytometric light scatter and fluorescence pulse width and pulse rise-time sizing of mammalian cells.

In laser flow cytometry, an increasingly popular technique of analytical cytology, quantitative measurements of interest include cell and nuclear diameters. Electronic circuitry for a new cell sizing technique has been developed which measured the time that signal pulses from either fluorescence or light scatter sensors exceed a preset constant fraction of the peak signal amplitude (pulse width) or the time that it takes a signal to rise between constant fractions of the peak signal amplitude on the rising side of the pulse (pulse rise-time). These pulse width or pulse rise-time measurements were related to cell or nuclear diameters and were used in combination to determine nuclear size to cell size ratios. This method of sizing was found to be independent of fluorescent or light-absorbing stain intensity, linearly related to cell or nuclear diameter, and capable of resolving small diameter differences.     

生物组织超声散射系数与温度相关性的研究

在随机起伏介质超声散射理论基础上,根据生物非均匀介质中声波动方程,推导出散射系数与温度的关系,然后分别采用了回波直接截取、经验模态分层（EDM）两种方法进行实验验证分析.结果表明超声散射系数与温度有依次递增的对应关系,可以运用它从超声回波信号中有效地提取组织温度信息.经验模态分层法的数据处理结果一致性要好些,总体趋势更接近理论分析.     

On-line two-dimensional evaluation of ultrasonic integrated backscatter

We describe an apparatus for the on-line evaluation of integrated backscatter from areas of tissue. The equipment is fully integrated into a B-mode ultrasonic system: there are therefore no new operating procedures to be learned. It provides a simultaneous display of conventional information, together with parameters of tissue characterization. The apparatus is fast and, over a broad diagnostic frequency range, may be used in conjunction with conventional equipment employing transducers.     

Effect of time after castration on secretion of LHRH and LH in the ram

Hypophysial portal blood and peripheral blood were obtained from conscious, unrestrained rams to measure simultaneously the secretion of LHRH and LH in entire rams and rams which had been castrated for 2-15 days (short-term castration) and for 1-6 months (long-term castration). The apparatus for portal blood collection was surgically implanted using a transnasal trans-sphenoidal approach and, 4-5 days later, portal blood and peripheral blood were collected simultaneously at 10-min intervals for 8-9 h from 15 sheep. LHRH was clearly secreted in pulses in all three physiological conditions, but there were marked differences in pulse frequencies, which averaged 1 pulse/2-4 h in entire rams, 1 pulse/70 min in short-term castrated rams and 1 pulse/36 min in long-term castrated rams. In entire and short-term castrated animals, LH profiles were also clearly pulsatile and each LHRH pulse in hypophysial portal blood was associated with an LH pulse in the peripheral blood. In long-term castrated animals, LH pulses were not as well defined, because of the high basal levels and small pulse amplitudes, and the temporal relationship between LHRH and LH pulses was not always clear. These results demonstrate the pulsatile nature of LHRH secretion under the three physiological conditions and suggest that the irregular LH profiles characteristic of long-term castrates are due to an inability of the pituitary gland to transduce accurately the hypothalamic signal. The very high frequency of the LHRH pulses may be one of the major reasons for this, and is probably also responsible for the high rate of LH secretion in the long-term castrated animal.     

Ultrasonification of biological materials. I. Apparatus

A self-aligning apparatus for use with a sonifier is described that permits reproducible ultrasonic treatment of solutions. The apparatus also reduces exposure of personnel to high-intensity sound.     

体外冲击波碎石焦点附近声压分布的时域有限差分法数值解析

泌尿系统结石症是一种多发病。体外冲击波碎石(Extracorporealshockwavelithotropisy,ESWL)法是应用人体外发射的高强度脉冲超声波在人体内的焦点附近形成的冲击波破碎结石,被破碎的结石碎片随尿液排出体外的治疗泌尿系统结石症方法。由于这种治疗方法具有非创伤等优点而被广泛地应用于泌尿系统结石症的治疗。但是,ESWL治疗过程中有时会引发尿血、肾血肿等并发症,影响其治疗效果的主要因素之一为ESWL焦点附近形成的声压分布。在这里,利用作者等以前提出的时域有限差分(finitedifferencetimedomain,FDTD)超声波非线性传播的仿真方法,数值仿真ESWL超声波非线性传播过程,研究ESWL焦点附近声压的分布、焦点区域(焦区)的大小形状、高强度超声波形成的实际焦点位置。     

Diaphragm‐based optical fiber sensor for pulse wave monitoring and cardiovascular diseases diagnosis

Arterial pulse wave has been considered as a vital sign in assessment of cardiovascular diseases. Noninvasive pulse sensor with compact structure, immunity to electro‐magnetic interference and high sensitivity is the research focus in recent years. While, optical fiber biosensor is a competitive option to meet these needs. Here, a diaphragm‐based optical fiber pulse sensor was proposed to achieve high‐precision radial pulse wave monitoring. A wearable device was developed, composed of a sports wristband and an aluminum diaphragm‐based optical fiber sensor tip of only 1 cm in diameter, which was highly sensitive to the weak acoustic signal. In particular, coherent phase detection was adopted to improve detection signal‐to‐noise ratio, so as to recover the high‐fidelity pulse waveforms. A clinical experiment was carried out to detect and morphological analyze the pulse waveforms of four subjects, the results of which preliminarily demonstrated the feasibility of pulse diagnosis method. The proposed pulse fiber sensor provides a comfortable way for pulse diagnosis, which is promising in early cardiovascular diseases indicating.     

Toward an MRI-based method to measure non-uniform cartilage deformation: an MRI-cyclic loading apparatus system and steady-state cyclic displacement of articular cartilage under compressive loading

Recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have shown potential for measuring non-uniform deformations throughout the volume (i.e. three-dimensional (3D) deformations) in small orthopedic tissues such as articular cartilage. However, to analyze cartilage deformation using MRI techniques, a system is required which can construct images from multiple acquisitions of MRI signals from the cartilage in both the underformed and deformed states. The objectives of the work reported in this article were to 1) design an apparatus that could apply highly repeatable cyclic compressive loads of 400 N and operate in the bore of an MRI scanner, 2) demonstrate that the apparatus and MRI scanner can be successfully integrated to observe 3D deformations in a phantom material, 3) use the apparatus to determine the load cycle necessary to achieve a steady-state deformation response in normal bovine articular cartilage samples using a flat-surfaced and nonporous indentor in unconfined compression. Composed of electronic and pneumatic components, the apparatus regulated pressure to a double-acting pneumatic cylinder so that (1) load-controlled compression cycles were applied to cartilage samples immersed in a saline bath, (2) loading and recovery periods within a cycle varied in time duration, and (3) load magnitude varied so that the stress applied to cartilage samples was within typical physiological ranges. In addition the apparatus allowed gating for MR image acquisition, and operation within the bore of an MRI scanner without creating image artifacts. The apparatus demonstrated high repeatability in load application with a standard deviation of 1.8% of the mean 400 N load applied. When the apparatus was integrated with an MRI scanner programmed with appropriate pulse sequences, images of a phantom material in both the underformed and deformed states were constructed by assembling data acquired through multiple signal acquisitions. Additionally, the number of cycles to reach a steady-state response in normal bovine articular cartilage was 49 for a total cycle duration of 5 seconds, but decreased to 33 and 27 for increasing total cycle durations of 10 and 15 seconds, respectively. Once the steady-state response was achieved, 95% of all displacements were within +/- 7.42 microns of the mean displacement, indicating that the displacement response to the cyclic loads was highly repeatable. With this performance, the MRI-loading apparatus system meets the requirements to create images of articular cartilage from which 3D deformation can be determined.     

Combined rheological and ultrasonic study of alginate and pectin gels near the sol-gel transition

The sol-gel transition of biopolymer mixtures has been investigated by rheological and ultrasonic measurements. A scaling analysis of the data was performed for both types of measurements. A gel time was determined from rheology for the pure pectin samples, and the data could be fitted to a universal scaling form near the transition point. Its critical exponents are in good agreement with the predictions of scalar percolation theory. In addition, the ultrasonic signal of the pectin samples close to the transition was analyzed in terms of a high-frequency scaling approach for the attenuation and the velocity. For the alginate samples and the mixtures, for which the gel point cannot be determined reliably from rheology, the ultrasonic measurements were analyzed using the same scaling form as for the pectin sample, thus providing a method for estimating the gel point, even in the absence of rheological data.     

The signal anchor and stem regions of the beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase may each act to localize the enzyme to the Golgi apparatus.

The beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase has been localized to the trans cisternae of the Golgi apparatus and the trans Golgi network where it transfers sialic acid residues to terminal positions on N-linked oligosaccharides. It is a type II transmembrane protein possessing a 9-amino acid amino-terminal cytoplasmic tail, a 17-amino acid signal anchor domain, and a 35-amino acid stem region which tethers the large luminal catalytic domain to the membrane anchor. Previous work has demonstrated that the soluble sialytransferase catalytic domain is rapidly secreted from Chinese hamster ovary cells. These results suggest that the signals for Golgi apparatus localization do not reside in the catalytic domain of the enzyme but must reside in the cytoplasmic tail, signal anchor domain, and/or stem region. To determine which amino-terminal regions are required for Golgi apparatus localization, mutant sialyltransferase proteins were constructed by in vitro oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, expressed in Cos-1 cells, and localized by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Signal cleavage-sialyltransferase mutants which consist of only the stem and catalytic domain of the enzyme are not rapidly secreted but are retained intracellularly and predominantly localized to the Golgi apparatus. However, deletion of either the stem region or the cytoplasmic tail of the membrane-bound sialyltransferase does not alter its Golgi apparatus localization. In addition, sequential replacement of the amino acids of the sialyltransferase signal anchor domain with amino acids from the signal anchor domain of a plasma membrane protein, the influenza virus neuraminidase does not alter the Golgi apparatus localization of the sialyltransferase. These observations suggest that sequences in the signal anchor region and stem region allow the Golgi apparatus localization of the membrane-bound and soluble forms of the sialytransferase, respectively, and that both regions may contain Golgi apparatus localization signals.     

Evaluation of a new tail-cuff method for blood pressure measurements in rats with special reference to the effects of ambient temperature

We evaluated a recently developed tail-cuff apparatus for the indirect blood pressure measurement in rats with special reference to the effects of ambient temperature. For this purpose, we designed two preparations 1) an intact preparation to determine the effect of ambient temperature on blood pressure measurements and 2) an anesthetized and catheterized preparation for comparison of the values of blood pressure obtained by the indirect and by the direct method. This apparatus also required enough pulse volume oscillations to measure the accurate value of blood pressure. Sufficient pulse volume oscillations were obtained within 20 min at 30 and 40 degrees C. At 40 degrees C, the values of blood pressure, pulse rate and rectal temperature were significantly higher than those at 30 degrees C. Correlation between blood pressure and rectal temperature was significant, and blood pressure increased with rectal temperature dependently. The values of the indirect measurement were close to the values measured directly, and these correlations were highly significant. Thus, we showed the effects of temperature for indirect blood pressure measurement. This tail-cuff apparatus could measure the accurate value of indirect blood pressure without thermal stress at 30 degrees C.