Post firing visualisation of fingerprint on spent cartridge cases

The effects of reduced salivary output in patients suffering from xerostomia on masticatory function has not been previously studied. This study compares masticatory performance and kinematic activity of patients suffering from xerostomia with age-, sex-, and number of occluding pairs-matched healthy controls. Masticatory function was evaluated by assessment of chewing motion and muscle activity during chewing an artificial food (CutterSil), chewing gum and swallowing a bolus of almond. Chewing motion was recorded with the Optotrak computer system. Bilateral muscle activity of both masseter and anterior temporalis was recorded using surface electrodes. Results of this study revealed significant differences between patients and controls in their ability to process food and masticatory muscle activity. The majority of patients could not break down the artificial food, others had a larger median particle size than the controls. A significant difference was also observed in the number of chewing cycles required to swallow almonds, the patients required more than twice as many chews as the controls, P < 0.001. The right masseter muscle displayed significantly less activity for the patient than the controls. These findings suggest that patients with xerostomia exhibit reduced ability to process food. The observed decline in masticatory performance is probably due to reduced activity of the muscles of mastication.     

Coordination between respiration and deglutition in a preterm infant mammal, Sus scrofa

In adult mammals, the path of a swallowed bolus of solid food crosses the laryngeal opening, so that coordination between respiration and deglutition is critical for airway protection. The nature of such coordination in preterm, low-birth-weight infants with immature nervous systems, is not clear. Using preterm pigs as a model, two measures of respiration were recorded and then coordinated with a high-resolution cineradiographic record of swallowing. Swallows, divided into three distinct events, began before inhalation ended, but expiration did not start until after the milk had passed around the laryngeal opening. These results support the idea that a high degree of coordination between swallowing and respiration exists in preterm infant pigs, although other aspects of the nervous system have not fully matured.     

Solid bolus swallowing in the radiologic evaluation of dysphagia

Patients with dysphagia, heartburn and chest pain are regularly referred for radiologic evaluation of swallowing. The liquid barium swallow has been of great value for the biphasic evaluation of the pharynx and esophagus. Though many patients complain of dysphagia specifically for solids, solid bolus swallow is usually not part of the evaluation. For the present study we therefore included the use of a solid bolus with a diameter of 13 mm and interviewed the patients carefully for any symptoms during this tablet swallow. Of 200 patients examined, the tablet passed through the esophagus without delay in 102. In the 98 patients with delayed passage, the solid bolus arrest occurred in the pharynx in 5 and in the esophagus in 93. Arrest in the esophagus was due to esophageal dysmotility in 48 patients. Twenty of these were symptomatic during the tablet swallow. A narrowing was the cause in 45, of whom 9 had symptoms. In 18 patients (9%) the solid bolus added key information to the radiologic evaluation. We therefore recommend that the solid bolus is included in the routine radiologic work-up of patients with dysphagia. Careful attention to symptoms during the tablet swallow is important.     

金纳米颗粒烧结的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟方法研究了不同尺寸Au纳米颗粒在烧结过程中晶型转变及烧结颈长大机制.研究发现纳米颗粒的烧结颈生长主要分为两个阶段：初始烧结颈的快速形成阶段和烧结颈的稳定长大阶段.不同尺寸纳米颗粒烧结过程中烧结颈长大的主要机制不同：当颗粒尺寸为4 nm时,原子迁移主要受晶界（或位错）滑移、表面扩散和黏性流动控制;当尺寸在6nm左右时,原子迁移主要受晶界扩散、表面扩散和黏性流动控制;当颗粒尺寸为9 nm时,原子迁移主要受晶界扩散和表面扩散控制.烧结过程中Au颗粒的fcc结构会向无定形结构转变.此外,小尺寸的纳米颗粒在烧结过程中由于位错或晶界滑移、原子的黏性流动等因素会形成hcp结构.     

Effects of food texture and sample thickness on mandibular movement and hardness assessment during biting in man

This study was designed to investigate the relationship among jaw movements, physical characteristics of food, and sensory perception of hardness in man. Vertical movements of the mandible were recorded with an infrared tracking device in humans during biting on two test foods, carrot and cheese. Samples of standard length (2 cm) and width (2 cm) were prepared in three different thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm). Nine subjects were asked to perform two types of bite with their incisor teeth. In the first, they cut through the food, then stopped and spat out the pieces (bite alone); in the second, biting was followed by mastication and swallowing (bite+chew). The 12 conditions (thickness x3, food x2, and bite x2) were presented in a random order within each block, and blocks were repeated five times (60 trials per subject). Subjects also estimated the hardness of the samples twice for each condition on visual analogue scales (VAS) 100 mm long. The duration, vertical amplitude, and maximum vertical velocity of the mandible during biting were calculated by computer for the three phases of the movements (opening, and fast and slow closing). Multilevel statistical models were used for data analysis. The estimated hardness scores associated with the first bite of thin carrot (59.0 VAS units) was significantly greater than for cheese (16.8 VAS units). The type of bite had no significant effect on these scores, but the estimate of hardness was significantly greater for the thickest sample (+13.3 VAS units). Food type had its strongest effect on the slow-closing phase. In particular, the peak velocity that followed the fracturing of the food sample was much greater for carrot than for cheese (thin, 34.1 mm.s-1 vs. 26.6 mm.s-1), and the difference between foods increased with thickness. The amplitude of opening was significantly greater for the thickest sample than for the other two. There were no significant relationships between VAS scores and the movement parameters. These results suggest that, when humans bite food: (1) changing the thickness of food has a greater effect on movement parameters than changing from soft to hard food, (2) the parameters of biting change little if biting is followed by mastication, (3) hardness perception is dependent on the thickness of food, (4) hardness perception is not different when food is removed from the mouth than when it is chewed and swallowed, and (5) there is no relationship between any of the parameters of movement that change with food type and the perceived hardness of food.     

Swallow recovery in an oral cancer patient following surgery, radiotherapy, and hyperthermia

BACKGROUND: No study has examined the nature and extent of swallowing impairment in oral cancer patients following treatment with combined hyperthermia and interstitial radiotherapy. Few studies have examined the effects of voluntary swallow maneuvers (supersupraglottic and Mendelsohn) on pharyngeal phase swallowing in the oral cancer patient treated with surgery or radiotherapy. This study examined the effects of combined radiotherapeutic salvage treatments of hyperthermia and interstitial implantation and swallow recovery using swallow maneuvers in a surgically treated and irradiated oral cancer patient. METHODS: The patient under study, a 51-year-old man, underwent radiotherapy, according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) protocol #8419, consisting of a combination of interstitial irradiation and hyperthermia to the base of tongue, for a recurrent squamous cell cancer. He underwent videofluorographic (VFG) examination of his swallowing, a modified barium swallow at three time points: 2 days following radiotherapy treatment (VFG1), 4 weeks later (VFG2), and 8 months later (VFG3). Temporal and biomechanical analyses of swallows were performed at each time point. RESULTS: Swallow maneuvers and time resulted in improved laryngeal elevation and laryngeal vestibule closure during the swallows on VFG2. Maximum upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening width and duration were more normal. Fewer swallows were required for bolus clearance through the pharynx. Base of tongue tissue necrosis occurred as a complication of radiotherapy between VFG2 and VFG3, with resultant severe reduction in posterior movement of the tongue base, incomplete tongue base contact to the posterior pharyngeal wall, reduced laryngeal elevation, and incomplete laryngeal vestibule closure during swallowing at VFG3. UES opening became less normal and a greater number of swallows were required for bolus clearance through the pharynx. CONCLUSIONS: Combined interstitial irradiation and hyperthermia can cause oropharyngeal swallowing problems. Time and swallow therapy can improve these swallow disorders. Tongue base tissue necrosis can cause further swallow impairment, emphasizing the importance of the tongue base in normal deglutition. Further studies are needed to examine the impact of combined hyperthermia and interstitial implantation for treatment of tongue base tumors on swallow functioning in a larger group of patients.     

温压过程致密化机制探讨

从温压的压制压力、压制温度、压坯中铁粉颗粒的显微硬度和润滑剂在压坯中的分布等方面对温压过程致密化机制作了分析.结果表明,温压过程中铁粉的固结规律基本上与传统压制过程的相同.温压压坯密度比传统压制提高的值相当于相同压制压力下有效压制压力的增大.温压温度的作用在于延缓铁粉压制过程的加工硬化程度和提高铁粉的塑性变形能力.润滑剂在最佳的温压温度下具有粘流性,部分被挤出压坯,有效地减小铁粉颗粒之间及颗粒与模壁之间的摩擦,降低了脱模压力.     

Influence of Cohesive Zone Shape on Solid Flow in COREX Melter Gasifier by Discrete Element Method

Based on the principle of discrete element method(DEM),a 2Dslot model of a COREX melter gasifier was established to analyze the influence of cohesive zone shape on solid flow,including mass distribution,velocity distribution,normal force distribution and porosity distribution at a microscopic level.The results show that the cohesive zone shape almost does not affect the particle movement in the upper shaft and deadman shape.The particles in the lower central bottom experience large normal force to support the particles above them,while particles around the raceway and in the fast flow zone exhibit weak force network.The porosity distribution was also examined under three kinds of cohesive zones.Like the velocity distribution,the whole packed bed can be divided into four main regions.With the increase of cohesive zone position,the low porosity region located in the root of cohesive zone increases.And the porosity distribution becomes asymmetric in the case of biased cohesive zone.     

Streamlined charting for patient education

The swallowing movements of 22 ambulant patients with Parkinson's disease were examined by videofluoroscopy, 15 spouses serving as controls. The relation between bolus volume and movement of the hyoid bone was studied in the lateral view to assess the adaptation of the pharynx musculature. Although movement characteristics of the hyoid varied considerably both intra- and interindividually, mean values followed typical patterns. In controls, the position of the hyoid before the start of the swallow tended to be lower as the bolus volume increased, apparently to create space in the oral cavity by lowering the floor of the mouth. This trend was not seen in the group of Parkinson patients. We suppose that this specific lack of adaptation represents hypokinesia. The amplitude of the hyoid movement did not change with increasing bolus volumes, either in patients or in controls. Moreover, Parkinson patients had many more aborted swallowing movements ("hesitations") than controls, probably representing defective switching from the voluntary phase of swallowing to the involuntary, automatic phase.     

钢液中球状夹杂物颗粒受力情况的数值模拟

通过理论分析和数值模拟的方法,研究了1873 K钢液中球状夹杂物颗粒运动过程中的受力情况.静止钢液和湍流场中,夹杂物颗粒所受的压力梯度力、虚拟质量力、Saffman力及Magnus力较小,可以忽略不计.静止钢液和均匀湍流场中,随着夹杂物颗粒尺寸的变大,颗粒所受Brown力逐渐衰减,当夹杂物颗粒直径大于20μm时颗粒所受Brown力基本不会对其运动造成影响,可以忽略不计.小于10μm的夹杂物颗粒布朗运动较为剧烈,单位质量夹杂物颗粒所受Basset力和Brown力较大,成为主导夹杂物颗粒运动的主要作用力;尺寸较大的夹杂物颗粒(直径D>50μm),Basset力、质量力和Stokes力共同作用影响夹杂物颗粒的运动、碰撞和去除.     

Food properties that influence neuromuscular activity during human mastication

The rate of breakdown of food in mastication depends on the ratio of two mechanical properties of the food--the toughness and modulus of elasticity (Agrawal et al., 1997)--a result which can be predicted by an analysis of the energetics of fracture. The work input to produce food fragmentation is provided by the masticatory muscles, the activity levels of which depend on sensory feedback from the mouth. Here, we test the hypothesis that the activity of a representative of this musculature is modulated by the above combination of food properties. The surface electrical activity (EMG) of the anterior temporalis muscles of ten human subjects was recorded while subjects chewed standardized volumes of 15 food types. The integrated EMG in these muscles was highly significantly related to the square root of the ratio of the above two food properties. Significant correlations were found between this food property index and integrated EMG, both when data for all chews and all subjects were lumped together (r = -0.86; p < 0.0001) and when correlation coefficients between the index and EMG were plotted for each chew made by each subject. Except for two subjects in the first chew, these coefficients reached and maintained highly significant levels throughout the masticatory sequence. Thus, a clear relationship between the electrical activity of a jaw-closing muscle and the mechanical properties of food has been found for the first time.     

Staurosporine stimulates phospholipase D activation in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Oropharyngeal pressure during swallowing was studied in a total of 40 healthy adult males and females in two age groups (21-27 yr and 62-75 yr). Effects of bolus volume, bolus viscosity, age, and gender were analyzed, and dry and bolus swallows were compared. The duration of the intrabolus pressure, reflecting the pressure exerted by the tongue on the bolus and preceding the generation of the pharyngeal pressure, was significantly affected by bolus volume. The duration of oropharyngeal pressure was affected by age, gender, and bolus type (bolus vs. dry swallow). Peak oropharyngeal pressure was not affected by any of the test factors, although there was a tendency for older subjects to have higher pressures than young subjects.     

The drag force on a particle approaching a solidifying interface

Lubrication theory is applied to derive an expression for the drag force on a particle approaching a directionally solidified interface. To the leading order in the Peclet number, the thermal and hydrodynamic problems are uncoupled. The former yields an equation for the front’s curvature, the solution of which gives the interface profile. The drag force is obtained by solving the lubrication equations in the gap between the particle and the interface. In the absence of shrinkage flow, the force is due solely to the particle’s movement. The dependence of the drag on the parameters, such as the thermal gradient, the latent heat of fusion, and the ratio of the particle’s thermal conductance to that of the melt. α, is explicitly depicted. We find that the drag increases with α, so that perfectly insulated particles experience less drag than highly conducting particles. The variation of the drag force with the thermal gradient also depends on the thermal conductance ratio α. Furthermore, it is noted that the fluid drag force derived here resembles the Taylor’s lubrication force that resists the approach between two rigid surfaces.     

碳热还原法制备SiC的热力学分析

对碳热还原法制备SiC进行了热力学分析。通过热力学计算,分析了CO分压、SiO_2和C颗粒的粒度及其混合的均匀性对制备SiC反应的影响。结果表明:一定温度下降低CO的分压能有效增大反应生成SiC的热力学趋势;对碳热还原反应而言,SiO_2颗粒和C颗粒的混合均匀性及其各自的粒度非常重要;通过控制温度和调整CO气体的分压,可以控制生成SiC的微观形貌。     

Suppression of third ventricular NPY-elicited feeding following medullary reticular formation infusions of muscimol.

The appetitive component of feeding is controlled by forebrain substrates, but the consummatory behaviors of licking, mastication, and swallowing are organized in the brainstem. The target of forebrain appetitive signals is unclear but likely includes regions of the medullary reticular formation (RF). This study was undertaken to determine the necessity of different RF regions for mastication induced by a descending appetitive signal. We measured solid food intake in response to third ventricular (3V) infusions of the orexigenic peptide neuropeptide Y 3–36 in awake, freely moving rats and determined whether focal RF infusions of the GABAA agonist muscimol suppressed eating. RF infusions were centered in either the lateral tegmental field, comprising the intermediate (IRt) and parvocellular (PCRt) RF, or in the nucleus gigantocellularis (Gi). Infusions of NPY 3–36 (5 μg/5 μl) into 3V significantly increased feeding of solid food over a 90-min period compared with the noninfused condition (4.3 g ± 0.56 vs. 0.57 g ± 0.57, p     

Fluid-Particle Interactions and Resuspension in Simple Shear Flow

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate the particle resuspension process in a two-dimensional simple shear flow. At first, the lift force on a single disk-shaped particle attached at the channel wall is computed. It is found that when the particle is allowed to freely move in the viscous fluid, the resulting lift force is smaller than that when the particle is constrained to be stationary. The bulk properties of fluids with particles suspended under various concentrations are numerically calculated. The results agree reasonably well with analytical results by Batchelor when the volume fraction is lower than 50%. The resuspension process of a group of particles (up to 500) is simulated at different particle-to-fluid density ratios. It is found that the height and shape of particle bed depend on the particle density ratio and flow conditions. Interactions of groups of particles as well as the final shape of the bedform of the particles were studied during this resuspension process. Finally, the pressure distribution and flow above the bedform of particles was examined. The results obtained agree well with those observed in naturally occurring bedforms of sediments.     

Capillary Force and Water Retention between Two Uneven-Sized Particles

Capillary force and water retention between two uneven-sized spherical particles are investigated. Previous studies have been limited to systems with even-sized particles. The appropriate definition of the boundary value problem for a water lens between two uneven-sized particles is presented under the consideration of thermodynamic free energy at the microscopic level. Capillary force and water retention under the consideration of toroidal approximation are also derived for a system with two uneven-sized particles. Comparison of normalized capillary force and water retention calculated by the free energy approach and toroidal approximation are conducted. The quantitative analysis shows that for a system with two identical particles, the behavior of water retention and normalized capillary force is very similar to some recent studies by others, confirming that the toroidal approximation provides reasonably good estimations for both capillary force and water retention. For a system with uneven-sized particles, it is shown that error in normalized capillary force could be significant as the matric suction approaches zero and the particle sizes become very different. The errors for the mean curvature of the meniscus for the toroidal approximation are significant where the matric suction is near zero. Thus for soils with varying particle sizes, it may be necessary to employ the exact solution to meniscus shape in order to accurately quantify normalized capillary force and water retention. The induced normalized capillary force increases inversely with the particle size, and is generally insensitive to the water content. For soil assembly with particle size of 0.01?mm, the normalized capillary force could reach 10?kPa, whereas for soil assembly with particle size of 1?mm, the normalized capillary force is on the order of 100?Pa.     

A computer-controlled experimental set-up enabling the quantification of motor performance in man, applied to mastication

This paper describes a computer-controlled experimental set-up, which enables the simulation and manipulation of the resistance of food, the bolus size and reflex evoking events during chewing in man. Food resistance was simulated by an external downward directed force on the mandible during the closing phase. The force was supplied by a magnet-coil system. A coil, rigidly attached to the subject's mandible, was located in a permanent magnetic field. By varying the current through the coil, the force on the coil and thus on the mandible could be adjusted. The current was on line computed as a function of the jaw gape. Food resistance and bolus size could be simulated and manipulated by varying the amplitude of the force and the jaw gape at which the force started, respectively. The possibility of varying these parameters could be used simultaneously and independently. Reflex evoking events were simulated by an additional loading or unloading force pulse, superimposed on the food-simulating force. The set-up has been tested during experiments in which food resistance, bolus size and reflex evoking events were simulated. Examples of these experiments are presented in this paper.     

Routine use of ultrasound 24 hours before laparoscopic cholecystectomy can predict the need for intraoperative cholangiogram: results of a 12-month prospective audit

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a progressive degenerative extrapyramidal disease that often masquerades as Parkinson's disease (PD). Similar to PD, dysphagia frequently complicates the course of PSP. Because there is only one published report characterizing dysphagia in PSP, we reviewed the neurologic features and dynamic videofluoroscopic swallowing function study results in 10 dysphagic PSP patients. Abnormalities during multiple stages of ingestion were recorded in each patient. Uncoordinated lingual movements, absent velar retraction or elevation, impaired posterior lingual displacement, and copious pharyngeal secretions were noted in all patients. Tongue-assisted mastication, noncohesive lingual transfer, excessive oral bolus lingual leakage to the pharynx prior to active transfer, vallecular bolus retention, abnormal epiglottic positioning, and hiatal hernias were noted in at least half of the cohort. Although ingestion abnormalities in PSP are similar to those previously reported in PD, the number of studied patients and observed differences were too few to clearly differentiate the two diseases.