The effects of refractive index heterogeneity within kidney tissue on multiphoton fluorescence excitation microscopy

Although multiphoton fluorescence excitation microscopy has improved the depth at which useful fluorescence images can be collected in biological tissues, the reach of multiphoton fluorescence excitation microscopy is nonetheless limited by tissue scattering and spherical aberration. Scattering can be reduced in fixed samples by mounting in a medium whose refractive index closely matches that of the fixed material. Using optical 'clearing', the effects of refractive index heterogeneity on signal attenuation with depth are investigated. Quantitative measurements show that by mounting kidney tissue in a high refractive index medium, less than 50% of signal attenuates in 100 μm of depth.     

基于球面铣削的数控编程方法

针对球面的数控铣削问题,对比地分析了自动编程与手工编程的优劣。在手工编程过程中,突出了宏指令编程的技巧,为快速编写数控程序提供了参考。     

Elastic–plastic spherical contact under combined normal and tangential loading in full stick

The behavior of an elastic–plastic contact between a deformable sphere and a rigid flat under combined normal and tangential loading with full stick contact condition is investigated theoretically. Sliding inception is treated as a plastic yield failure mechanism, which allows static friction modeling under highly adhesive conditions. Several contact parameters such as: junction tangential stiffness, static friction force and static friction coefficient are extensively investigated. The phenomenon of junction growth and the evolution of the plastic zone in the contact region are briefly described. It is found that at low normal dimensionless loads the static friction coefficient decreases sharply with increasing normal load, in breach with the classical laws of friction. As the normal load further increases the static friction coefficient approaches a constant value that is about 0.3 for many material properties combinations.     

On the position analysis of a new spherical parallel robot with orientation applications

In this paper, we propose a new spherical parallel robot for celestial orientation, and rehabilitation applications (TV satellite dish, tracking systems, solar panels, cameras, telescopes, table of the machine tools, ankle, shoulder, wrist and etc.). The proposed robot can completely rotate about an axis. After describing the robot and its inverse position analysis, using the genetic algorithm, the dimensional optimization to maximize the workspace of the robot is performed. The workspace analysis shows that the proposed robot has a relatively large workspace. Also, singularity analysis represents that the manipulator is a singularity-free workspace. It is a great advantage of the proposed robot. Next, an optimal approach is proposed for solving the direct position problem of the robot. According to the geometry of the robot, two coupled trigonometric equations are obtained through using a special form of Rodrigues' rotation formula. Next, the two coupled equations are transformed to a 8-degrees polynomial using the Sylvester's Dialytic elimination method. Finally, a numerical example for the robot with an asymmetric structure is given with eight real solutions. Therefore, the polynomial being minimal and the proposed approach is optimal. This greatly decreases computational time, which is necessary for dynamics, control and simulation.     

Small-Scale Testing of In-Core Fast Reactor Materials

Part of the Fuel Cycle R&D (FCRD) initiative in the USA is to investigate materials for high dose application. While mechanical testing on large samples delivers direct engineering data, these types of tests are only possible if enough sample material and required hot cell capabilities are available. Smallscale materials testing methods in addition to large-scale materials testing allows insight on the same specimen and direct probing into areas of interest which are not accessible otherwise. In order to establish an empirical and research-based relationship between small-scale and large-scale materials testing, several different mechanical testing techniques were conducted on the same specimen irradiated in the Swiss spallation source irradiation program (STIP) at the Swiss spallation source (SINQ) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) up to a dose of 19 dpa. It is shown that the yield strength measured by tensile testing, microcompression testing and microhardness testing all show the same trend. In addition, focused ion beam (FIB)-based techniques also are used to produce local electrode atom probe (LEAP) samples. This procedure allows cutting samples of such a small size that no radioactivity on the prepared sample can be measured.     

Spherical harmonic-generalized Laguerre pseudospectral method for three-dimensional exterior problems

In this paper, we develop the mixed pseudospectral method for three-dimensional exterior problems. Some basic results on the mixed spherical harmonic-generalized Laguerre interpolation are established, which play important roles in the related pseudospectral methods. As examples, we provide the mixed pseudospectral schemes for two exterior problems with convergence analysis. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of this approach.     

The influence of lateral forces on the cell stiffness measurement by optical tweezers vertical indentation

We studied the lateral forces arising during the vertical indentation of the cell membrane by an optically trapped microbead, using back focal plane interferometry to determine force components in all directions. We analyzed the cell-microbead interaction and showed that indeed the force had also lateral components. Using the Hertz model, we calculated and compared the elastic moduli resulting from the total and vertical forces, showing that the differences are important and the total force should be considered. To confirm our results we analyzed cells from two breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-231 and HBL-100, known to have different cancer aggressiveness and hence stiffness.     

Modeling GPS multipath effect based on spherical cap harmonic analysis

Most GPS positioning errors can be eliminated or removed by the differential technique or the modeling method, but the multipath effect is a special kind of system or gross error, so it is difficult to be simulated or eliminated. In order to improve the accuracy of GPS positioning, the single-epoch pseudorange multipath effects at GPS station were calculated, and firstly modeled based on the spherical cap harmonic (SCH), which is the function of satellite longitude and latitude with the robust method. The accuracy of the kinematic point positioning technique was improved by correcting pseudorange observations with the multipath effect calculated by the SCH model, especially in the elevation direction. The spherical cap harmonic can be used to model the pseudorange multipath effect.     

Strength of brittle materials in moderately corrosive environments

The strengths of four brittle materials―cordierite glass ceramic, fused silica, silicon, and polycrystalline alumina were measured after exposure to weakly corrosive water and moderately corrosive buffered HF (BHF) solution. Exposure to water did not alter the strengths in subsequent inert strength tests and decreased the strengths in reactive strength tests. Exposure to BHF increased the strengths in both tests, but only after an incubation exposure time. Prior to the incubation time, the BHF had the same effect as water, suggesting that the bond rupture kinetics were unaffected. Examination of strength‐controlling indentation flaws after the incubation time showed clear corrosive effects on the flaw geometry indicative of reductions in the indentation residual stress fields. The implication is that moderately corrosive environments increase the strength or lifetime of a brittle component by reducing the crack driving force via flaw alteration and do not, as perhaps expected, decrease the strength or lifetime through enhanced chemical reactivity.