Experiment study on fracture fixation with low rigidity titanium alloy

In order to investigate bone tissue reaction to the low rigidity titanium alloy of TNTZ in bone plate fixation, animal experiment with rabbit was performed with X-ray follow-up and histological observation. Experimental fractures were made in rabbit tibiae, and fixed by different bone plates of SUS316L, Ti–6Al–4V and TNTZ. Although there was no significant difference in fracture healing, bone atrophy was observed in cortical bone especially under the bone plate, which was different in time course among three materials. The bone atrophy under the bone plate was confirmed as porous or poor bone tissue in histological observation. In addition, the diameter of the tibia bone was increased in TNTZ as the result of bone remodeling with a new cortical bone. It is confirmed that the elastic modulus of the bone plate will naturally influence bone tissue reaction to the bone plate fixation according to the Wolff’s law of functional restoration.     

Direct observation of internal structure in spray-dried yttria-doped zirconia granule

Spray-dried yttria-doped zirconia granules were made transparent by immersion in a liquid and the internal structure was characterized using an optical microscope. This unique technique was found to be applicable for this system by using an immersion liquid with appropriate refractive index, and it enabled observation of the internal structure to be made over the entire volume of granules, in clear contrast to conventional SEM observation. Distinct features, which were considered to be agglomerates, were found in the granules. This was supported by SEM observation.     

Characteristics of heart rate variability entropy and blood pressure during hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease

Entropy (ENT) is a newly developed measure of the complexity of heart rate variability (HRV). The aim of this study was to characterize the complexity of HRV in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and to find a possible clinical utility. Healthy subjects and patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis (HD) were recruited. The HD population consisted of patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). An electrocardiogram was recorded before HD, and blood pressure was measured during HD. The coefficients of variation of R-R intervals, high- and low-frequency components, and ratio of the low- to high-frequency components were measured as variables of HRV. The ENT was used to describe the complexity of HRV. Forty-six healthy subjects and 27 HD patients participated in this study. The ENT negatively correlated with the duration of DM (p = 0.001), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.003), and mean blood pressure (p = 0.004) before a HD session. ENT in HD patients was lower than that in healthy subjects (p < 0.01). ENT in HD patients with DM was lower than that in HD patients without DM (p < 0.01). The change in systolic blood pressure (DeltaSBP) during a HD session showed high correlations to ENT and ultrafiltration rate (UFR) of the dialyzer. The following equation was obtained: DeltaSBP = 2.25 x ENT - 2.28 x UFR - 21.27 (R2 = 0.805; p < 0.0001). ENT decreased with uremic and diabetic status. ENT also represents a possible prediction of hypotension during a HD session.     

Comparisons of the mineral dust optical thickness retrieved from Geostationary Meteorological Satellite with ground-based radiometer measurements

Optical thickness of the Asian dust aerosols over the ocean near Japan was retrieved from the visible data of the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) from April 7 to 22, 2002 using the method by Masuda et al. [Remote Sens. Environ. 82 (2002) 238] in which the nonsphericity of dust particles was taken into account. The retrieved optical thicknesses were then compared with those derived from the sunphotometer and the skyradiometer measurements. The mean and the standard deviation of the optical thickness difference, GMS minus radiometers, were −0.03 and 0.17, respectively, for 85 samples where the optical thickness ranges from 0.25 to 1.07.     

Reliability-based topology optimization under shape uncertainty modeled in Eulerian description

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - This paper presents a reliability-based topology optimization method under geometrical uncertainties. First, we briefly introduce the concept of...     

Simulation of Demolition of Reinforeced Concrete Buildings by Controlled Explosion

Abstract: A system for simulating the behavior of a reinforced concrete building being demolished by controlled explosion is developed. The purpose for developing the system is to examine the effects of blast location, blast size, blast sequence, delay time of blasts and other factors on a planning of blast demolition. It consists of a numerical analysis part to simulate the blast demolition of a space-framed structure and a visualizing system to show the dynamic behavior obtained from the numerical analysis. The numerical analysis is based on the distinct element method, which is improved for consideration of the bending behavior of beams and columns. The elastoplastic behavior of the structural members up to the collapse are modeled in the analysis. The numerical data display system 'AVS' is employed, in addition to the computer code developed by the authors, to make the visualization system for three-dimensional dynamic problems. In this report the method of numerical analysis, the visualizing system, and a comparison between the experiment and analysis are presented.     

Carbon nanowire formation in electron-energy controlled plasma produced by CH4/Ar rf discharges with small coaxial electrodes

Carbon nanowires are formed on a surface of nanoparticles made of diamond-like carbon produced on a nickel plate placed in CH₄–Ar plasma. The dissociation of CH₄ is controlled by changing the mixing position of CH₄ along the Ar plasma produced in a small coaxial tube electrode. When CH₄ is introduced in low electron temperature T_e region, we observed an appearance of nanowires on the surface of microparticles. On the other hand, carbon nanowalls and/or nanoplatelets are formed when the CH₄ is mixed in the high T_e region.     

Adsorption Effects on the Rheological Properties of Aqueous Alumina Suspensions with Polyelectrolyte

The influence of adsorption coverage and free polymer on the rheological properties of aqueous alumina suspensions with polyelectrolyte was studied. The flow curves of the suspensions followed the Casson model very well in the observed range of shear rate. The Casson yield value, τ_c, was used to evaluate the stability. The coverage exerted a profound influence on the rheological properties by affecting the interaction between particles. The zeta potential increased and the value of τ_c decreased as the coverage increased. The free polymer could cause weak flocculation as its concentration was increased to a certain level. The opposite effects of the adsorbed polymer and free polymer on stability resulted in the presence of optimum coverage for stabilization. The concentration of free polymer increased rapidly as the adsorption coverage approached the saturation limit, and then the free polymer started to dominate the stability. Stabilization could be achieved at a condition of unsaturated adsorption and was related to the non-high-affinity adsorption at alkaline pH (9.2). The impact of adsorption affinity on stability was discussed.     

In Situ Time-Resolved XAFS of Transitional States of Pt/C Cathode Electrocatalyst in an MEA During PEFC Loading with Transient Voltages

The transitional states of a Pt/C cathode electrocatalyst in the membrane electrode assembly of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell during loading with transient voltages were systematically analyzed by in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure with time resolution of 100 ms. The results suggest that the local coordination of the Pt cathode electrocatalyst was unaffected by the transient voltages during both rapid and gradual loading over 0–30 s.