Shock signals and the development of stress-induced analgesia.

We report five experiments in which we investigated the effects of "feedback signals" on the pattern of hypoalgesia produced by inescapable shocks. A 5-s lights-out stimulus coincident with shock termination had no effect on the naltrexone-insensitive (nonopioid) hypoalgesia, which occurred after 10 inescapable shocks, but completely blocked the naltrexone-sensitive (opioid) hypoalgesia, which followed 100 inescapable shocks. The stimulus prevented the development of the opioid hypoalgesia rather than merely masking its measurement. This effect did not depend on the use of lights-out as the stimulus but did depend on the temporal relation between the stimulus and shock. Stimuli immediately preceding or simultaneous with shock had no effect. Surprisingly, stimuli randomly related to shock also blocked the opioid hypoalgesia. Simultaneous measurement of both hypoalgesia and fear conditioned to contextual cues revealed that the level of fear did not predict the blockade of hypoalgesia. Different backward groups received different temporal gaps between shock termination and the signal. An interval between 2.5 s and 7.5 s eliminated the effect of the signal on fear, but 12.5–27.5 s were required to eliminate the effect of the signal on hypoalgesia. The opioid hypoalgesia blocking power of the random stimulus was entirely attributable to those stimuli occurring within 15 s of the termination of the preceding shock. The implications of these results for the explanation of stimulus feedback effects and for stress-induced analgesia are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation of a tubular solid oxide fuel cell through finite volume analysis: Effects of the radiative heat transfer and exergy analysis

This paper presents a very detailed finite volume axial-symmetric model of a tubular internal reforming solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), in which the effects of heat/mass transfer and chemical/electrochemical reactions are included. The model allows one to predict the performance of a single SOFC tube once a series of design and operative parameters are fixed, but also to investigate the source and localization of inefficiency. To this scope, an exergy analysis was implemented.     

Direct tomography with chemical-bond contrast

Three-dimensional (3D) X-ray imaging methods have advanced tremendously during recent years. Traditional tomography uses absorption as the contrast mechanism, but for many purposes its sensitivity is limited. The introduction of diffraction, small-angle scattering, refraction, and phase contrasts has increased the sensitivity, especially in materials composed of light elements (for example, carbon and oxygen). X-ray spectroscopy, in principle, offers information on element composition and chemical environment. However, its application in 3D imaging over macroscopic length scales has not been possible for light elements. Here we introduce a new hard-X-ray spectroscopic tomography with a unique sensitivity to light elements. In this method, dark-field section images are obtained directly without any reconstruction algorithms. We apply the method to acquire the 3D structure and map the chemical bonding in selected samples relevant to materials science. The novel aspects make this technique a powerful new imaging tool, with an inherent access to the molecular-level chemical environment.     

Three-dimensional printing of flash-setting calcium aluminate cement

Three-dimensional indirect printing of flash-setting calcium aluminate cement (CAC) was investigated. Upon water injection into a biphasic mixture of tricalcium aluminate (3CaO·Al₂O₃) and dodecacalcium heptaaluminate (12CaO·7Al₂O₃) (phase ratio 0.56/0.44) initially a gel formed acting as a bonding phase which stabilizes the printed object geometry. Post-exposure in water finally resulted in the formation of 2CaO·Al₂O₃·8H₂O and 4CaO·Al₂O₃·19H₂O reaction phases as confirmed by SEM, X-ray diffraction, and FTIR analyses. Reduction of porosity by volume expansion upon hydrolysis reaction from 50% after printing to 20% after post-treatment gave rise for an increase of compressive strength from 5 to 20 MPa, respectively. A bone regenerating scaffold for a micro-vascular loop model was fabricated by 3D printing and hydraulic reaction bonding to demonstrate the potential of using flash-setting calcium aluminate cement powder for biomedical ceramic applications.     

Increasing thermoelectric efficiency: dynamical models unveil microscopic mechanisms

Dynamical nonlinear systems provide a new approach to the old problem of increasing the efficiency of thermoelectric machines. In this review, we discuss stylized models of classical dynamics, including non-interacting complex molecules in an ergodic billiard, a disordered hard-point gas and an abstract thermoelectric machine. The main focus will be on the physical mechanisms, unveiled by these dynamical models, which lead to high thermoelectric efficiency approaching the Carnot limit.     

Hydroxyapatite-collagen composites. Part I: can the decrease of the interactions between the two components be a physicochemical component of osteoporosis in aged bone?

The interactions of Type I acid soluble collagen (Col) with both carbonate-free hydroxyapatite (HA₁₁₀₀) and carbonate-rich one (CHA) were investigated. The aim was to ascertain whether the increase of bone CO₃ ²⁻ with ageing could relate to the disease known as osteoporosis. HA₁₁₀₀-Col and CHA-Col composites with various ratios were prepared and examined. Scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry showed a stronger adhesion of the Col matrix to the granules of HA₁₁₀₀ than to those of CHA. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that with HA₁₁₀₀ both multiple hydrogen bonds of Col peptide –NH groups with HA PO₄ ³⁻, and electrochemical interactions between Col peptide –C=O groups and HA Ca²⁺ were present. In the presence of CO₃ ²⁻, the interactions between –NH and phosphate were diminished, and Ca²⁺ interacted more strongly with CO₃ ²⁻ than with peptide –C=O, so causing a separation between the two components of the bone extra-cellular matrix. The results obtained strengthen the hypothesis that the substitution of PO₄ ³⁻ ions by CO₃ ²⁻ ions in the HA lattice might be a significant component of osteoporosis, although further investigation is needed.     

Effect of commercial purity levels on the mechanical properties of ultrafine-grained titanium

Two grades of commercial purity (CP) titanium (grades 2 and 4) were processed using equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) at 300 °C and 450 °C, respectively. The processing temperatures were the minimum temperatures at which eight pass ECAE could be performed without any shear-localization. The coarse-grained (CG) microstructures of as-received grade-2 and grade-4 CP-Ti, with average grain sizes of 110 μm and 70 μm, respectively, were refined down to sub-micron levels with a mean grain size of about 300 nm for both grades after 8 ECAE passes. The ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructures led to substantial enhancement in strength for both grades. The grade-2 sample showed a more than two fold increase in yield strength (σ_y), from 307 MPa for the as-received one to about 620 MPa for the processed samples. The grade-4 CP-Ti exhibited a relatively smaller increase in strength due to the higher processing temperature, and it showed about 50% increase in σ_y after eight pass ECAE, from 531 to 758 MPa. These strength levels were obtained with high ductility levels of 21% and 25% for UFG grade-2 and grade-4 Ti, respectively. These improvements in mechanical properties are attributed to the substantially refined grain size and increased dislocation density. Grade-4 Ti is stronger than grade-2 because of the higher oxygen content. The higher ductility and significantly higher strain hardening capability of UFG grade-4 Ti, in spite of the similar grain size and microstructure with UFG grade-2 Ti, is also due to the higher impurity content, probably resulting in a higher dislocation storage capability during room temperature deformation, and thus, higher strain hardening capacity. Such properties make UFG grade-4 Ti comparable to the commercial Ti-6Al-4V alloy for biomedical applications without negative effects of the alloying elements on biocompatibility.     

ViP MRI: virtual phantom magnetic resonance imaging

Object

The ability to generate reference signals is of great benefit for quantitation of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal. The aim of the present study was to implement a dedicated experimental set-up to generate MR images of virtual phantoms.

Materials and methods

Virtual phantoms of a given shape and signal intensity were designed and the k-space representation was generated. A waveform generator converted the k-space lines into a radiofrequency (RF) signal that was transmitted to the MR scanner bore by a dedicated RF coil. The k-space lines of the virtual phantom were played line-by-line in synchronization with the magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition.

Results

Virtual phantoms of complex patterns were reproduced well in MR images without the presence of artifacts. Time-series measurements showed a coefficient of variation below 1 % for the signal intensity of the virtual phantoms. An excellent linearity (coefficient of determination r ² = 0.997 as assessed by linear regression) was observed in the signal intensity of virtual phantoms.

Conclusion

Virtual phantoms represent an attractive alternative to physical phantoms for providing a reference signal. MR images of virtual phantoms were here generated using a stand-alone, independent unit that can be employed with MR scanners from different vendors.