Force modeling for needle insertion into soft tissue based on mechanical properties and geometric parameters

The force model during needle insertion into soft tissue is important for accurate percutaneous intervention.In this paper,a force model for needle insertion into a tissue-equivalent material is presented and a series of experiments are conducted to acquire data from needle soft-tissue interaction process.In order to build a more accurate insertion force model,the interaction force between a surgical needle and soft tissue is divided into three parts：stiffness force,friction force,and cutting force.The stiffness force is modeled on the basis of contact mechanics model.The friction force model is presented using a modified Winkler＇s foundation model.The cutting force is viewed as a constant depending on a given tissue.The proposed models in the paper are established on the basis of the mechanical properties and geometric parameters of the needle and soft tissue.The experimental results illustrate that the force models are capable of predicting the needle-tissue interaction force.The force models of needle insertion can provide real-time haptic feedback for robot-assisted procedures,thereby improving the accuracy and safety of surgery.     

Evolution of plant reproduction: From fusion and dispersal to interaction and communication

Based on the existing data concerning the evolution of the sexual reproduction, it is argued that the processes of sex differentiation and interactions play a key role in evolution. From the beginning environment and organism are unified. In a changing dynamic environment life originates and the interaction between life and environment develops from simple to more complex organisms. Sexual reproduction is introduced after the origin of meiosis and is a key process in evolution. The asexual reproduction process prepares to dispersal. Sexual reproduction process adds the genome renewal and the gamete-gamete interaction. Reproduction and dispersal are connected and the process of reproduction has similarities between asexual and sexual reproduction. Unicellular algae develop the physiological and morphological sex differentiation. Sex differentiation is connected with the way of dispersal. The step to multicellular plants introduces cell isolation after meiosis and by the stay on the mother plant within a cell or organ, plant-cell apoplastic interaction originates and by prolonged stay the plant-plant interaction. This stay influences the type of dispersal. A life cycle with alternation of generations and two moments of dispersal permits plants to go on land. In ferns a shift in the moment of sex differentiation to meiospore happens and the stay of the macrospore leads to the seed plants. In water all types of sexual reproduction, interactions and the alternation of generations are prepared and these are used to conquest land. On land the biotic dispersal is realized. The phylogeny of sexual reproduction reveals that the sex differentiation and interaction are the main causes in the evolution of sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction shows interactions during gamete fusion, between organism and environment and in multicellular plants between organisms. With respect to other types of interaction as in symbiosis or the nutrient chain, interaction is considered as an important action which is based on a persisting cooperation and points to a push during evolution. The push is expressed as communication： the driving force in the evolution. Based on the interactions between organisms and interactions between organisms and the dynamic environment, communication is considered as a driving force leading to the evolution as explained in the development of plant reproduction. Consequences for reproduction, its regulation and the process of evolution are discussed.     

Computer Simulation of Dynamic Interactions Between Vehicle and Long Span Box Girder Bridges

Moving vehicle loads, associated with roadway traffic can induce significant dynamic effects on the structural behaviours of bridges, especially for long-span bridges. The main objective of current research is to study traffic induced dynamic responses of long-span box-girder bridges. The finite element method has been employed in this study to obtain a three-dimensional mathematical model for the bridge system. For vehicle-bridge dynamic interaction analysis, the vehicle is modeled as a more realistic three-axle, six-wheel system, and the corresponding dynamic interaction equations have been derived. The bridge-vehicle interaction is affected by many factors. The current study has been focused on such factors as: vehicle speed, vehicle damping ratio, multiple traffic lanes, mass ratio of vehicle and bridge, and dynamic characteristics of bridge. Case studies have been conducted to investigate these factors by using several box girder bridge examples including Confederation Bridge, the longest box girder bridge in the world.     

The experimental study of interaction between shock wave and turbulence

The interaction between shock wave and turbulence has been studied in supersonic turbulent mix layer wind tunnel. The interaction between oblique shock wave and turbulent boundary layer and the influence of large vortex in mix layer on oblique shock wave have been observed by NPLS technique. From NPLS image, not only complex flow structure is observed but also time-dependent supersonic flow visualization is realized. The mechanism of interaction between shock wave and turbulence is discussed based on high quality NPLS image.     

Dynamic Mechanisms for Evolution of Mountain Rural Settlements and Soil Conservation in Upper Yangtze River Basin

This paper presents the logic relationship between rural settlement reconstruction and soil conservation in the Upper Yangtze River. Firstly, by introducing the concepts of ＂flow＂ and ＂intercepted flow＂, we probe into the dynamic mechanism on interaction between ecological and environmental system, and then point out that the ＂intercepting sites＂ are physical conditions for establishment of human settlements in mountains. Secondly, by using ecological theories, ＂flow＂, ＂source＂, and ＂sink＂, material cycle and energy flow in mountains have been discussed. Thirdly, according to dissipative structure theory and thermodynamic laws, a hypothesis has been proposed that ＂entropy flow＂ is a dynamic force for settlement evolution. Finally, it is argued that a project for soil conservation is set to control and utilize flows so rural settlements can be supported and farmers＇ life improved.     

Simulation study on optimal currents and winds for the spaceborne SAR mapping of sea bottom topography

A simulation model for the radar backscattering cross section of the sea surface has been developed based on the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging mechanism of the sea bottom topography. The relationship between tidal currents, sea surface winds and the SAR mapping of the sea bottom topography has been analyzed using the results of the simulation. It is shown that the sea bottom topography can be observed by spaceborne SAR more easily at high current speeds. The optimal direction of the currents for mapping the sea bottom topography is the direction perpendicular to the bathymetric features while the direction parallel to the bathymetric features is the worst. The optimal range of wind speeds for mapping the sea bottom topography is between 3 and 9 m/s. The wind directions between 30° and 89° are preferred although the effect of the wind direction on SAR mapping of bottom topography is complicated.     

Wind tunnel study of aerodynamic wind loading on middle pylon of Taizhou Bridge

Segment sectional model tests are carried out to investigate the wind loading on middle pylon of Taizhou Bridge, which has complicated three-dimensional flow due to its feature of double columns. Through the force measuring tests, aerodynamic force coefficients of every segment of the pylon columns have been obtained. It is found that the tested aerodynamic force coefficients are much smaller than those given by codes. The interference effects of aerodynamic force coefficients between columns of pylon are discussed. The results show that the interference effect is the most evident when the yaw angle is about 30 ° from transverse direction. This kind of interference effect can be described as diminutions in transverse aerodynamic force coefficients and magnifications in longitudinal aerodynamic force coefficients of downstream columns.     

Evolution of dark energy–dark matter-coupled expanding universe

The present universe is dominated by repulsive dark energy. It is natural that the coupling between the dark energy and the attractive gravity has to be taken into account in studying the evolution of our universe. Here, we induce an evolution equation for dark energy-dark matter- coupled universe. The solutions of the dynamic equation provide a specific picture of cosmic evolution, which is well compatible with current observed evolution histories of both Hubble parameter and equation of state parameter of dark energy. In this picture, the already observed uni- verse has undergone through three epochs the epoch of equilibrium between gravity and dark energy at cosmo- logical redshifts z 〉 1, the phase transition epoch at z between about 0.5 and 1, and the present acceleration epoch starting from z≌ 0.5. The expected matter-domi- nated deceleration epoch has not been seen yet, which requires future deep observations to look back upon more early universe.     

Tribological Properties of API 10-Round Thread Connection During Make-and-Break Process

Galling is one of the most familiar failure forms for tubing and casing connections. It has been regarded as a key problem by metallurgy and petroleum systems all over the world. The theory of tribology and contact mechanics was used to analyze the contact force, plastic strain, and other parameters of API 10-round tubing connections in the process of makeup and breakout using the nonlinear finite element method. The stress states of the tubing thread connections were also analyzed for combined makeup and axial tensile loads. The results show that the main factors for tubing thread galling failure with thread grease are the normal contact force of the pin and box and the rigidity of the thread surface. The distribution of the contact force can be improved and the high contact force of the local thread can be reduced by optimizing the geometric parameters of the thread or using a small or varied pitch. The thread surface rigidity can be increased by improving the thread surface machining quality and by heat treatment. The chance of tubing thread galling failure can be reduced by designing hydraulic pressure tongs to avoid high speed and high torque makeup and by standardizing the operations of oilfield makeup and breakout.     

Novel protein detection method based on proximity-dependent polymerase reaction and aptamers

In recent years, specific detection of proteins is one of the hot issues about aptamers in proteomics. Here we reported a simple, sensitive and specific proximity-dependent protein assay with dual DNA aptamers. Thrombin was used as the model protein, and two aptamer probes with complementary sequence at 3′-end were designed for the two distinct epitopes of the protein. Association of the two aptamers with thrombin resulted in stable hybrids due to the proximity of 3′-end, then polymerase reaction was induced. The amount of obtained dsDNA was indicated using the fluorescence dye Sybr Green I. The results showed that the initial velocity of polymerase reaction had a positive correlation with concentration of thrombin. The advantages of this dual-aptamer-based approach included simple and flexible design of aptamer probes, high selectivity and high sensitivity. The detection limit was 6.9 pmol/L.     

Measuring radial Young’s modulus of DNA by tapping mode AFM

Based on tapping mode AFM imaging, a method was demonstrated to evaluate compression elasticity of single double-stranded DNA （dsDNA） molecules in the force region. With images under ambient conditions, Young＇s moduli of dsDNA in compression were calculated. Results demonstrated that Young＇s moduli of dsDNA can be simply deduced according to the proposed model. The method can also be used to evaluate the compression elasticity of similar soft nanomaterials.     

Arctic dipole anomaly and summer rainfall in Northeast China

A dipole structure anomaly in summer Arctic atmospheric variability is identified in this study, which is characterized by the second mode of empirical orthogonal function （EOF） analysis of summer monthly mean sea level pressure （SLP） north of 70°N, accounting for 12.94% of the variance. The dipole anomaly shows a quasi-barotropic structure with opposite anomalous centers over the Canadian Arctic and the Beaufort Sea and between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. The dipole anomaly reflects alternating variations in location of the polar vortex between the western and eastern Arctic regions. The positive phase of the dipole anomaly corresponds to the center of the polar vortex over the western Arctic, leading to an increase in summer mean rainfall in Northeast China. The dipole anomaly has a predominant 6-year periodicity, and shows interdecadal variations in recent decades.     

Structural dependences of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">η</Emphasis><Superscript>6</Superscript> complexes of 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole with chromium tricarbonyl fragment on third-order optical nonlinearities

Degenerate four-wave mixing measurements, using the 35 ps pulses at 532 nm, have been employed to investigate the third-order nonlinear optical parameters of two chromium tricarbonyl complexes η6-bonded to 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole at either the NH2-substituted aryl ring （1） or the unsubstituted ring （2） and their precursor 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole （AECz）. The second-order hyperpolarizability y of the compounds 1 and 2 were found to be 42.9×10^-31 and 35.9×10^-31 esu, respectively, approximately one order of magnitude greater than AECz. The relation between the molecular structure and second-order hyperpolarizability of the compounds I and 2 was explored in detail based on the three-level model and the density functional theory （DFT） calculation. The theoretical results indicate that the spatial distribution of electron density has the profound role in the third-order nonlinear optical properties.     

mRNA detection in living cell using phosphorothioate-modified molecular beacon

In this study, GFP mRNA in COS-7 cell and GFP-transfected COS-7 cell was detected in real time using phosphorothioate-modified molecular beacon based on living cell imaging method. Results showed that phosphorothioate-modified molecular beacon still kept the advantages of molecular beacon, such as, excellent selectivity, high sensitivity, and no separation detection. In addition, this modification could significantly increase the nuclease resistance of molecular beacon. Phosphorothioate-modified molecular beacon can efficiently reduce the false positive signal and improve the accuracy of living cell mRNA detection. Supported by the National Key Basic Research Program (Grant No. 2002CB513110), International Technologies Collaboration Program of China (Grant No. 2003DF000039), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90606003 and 20620120107)     

Temperature-sensitive gold-nanotube array membranes modified with poly（N-isopropylacrylamide）

A kind of temperature-sensitive nanotube array membrane was developed by modifying gold-nanotube array membranes with poly（N-isopropylacrylamide） （PNIPAm）. The permeation ability of the mem-branes at different temperatures was investigated using sodium fluorescein and quantum dots as probes. The results showed that the pore diameter of nanotube was changed due to the reversible response of PNIPAm-modified membranes to temperature, and then the permeation ability of the mem-branes was changed. The permeation of fluorescence probes was slow and even almost blocked at 25℃ （below the lower critical solution temperature, LCST）, since PNIPAm formed expanded structures and decreased the pore size. While at 40℃ （above the LCST）, the permeation was increased, since PNIPAm became compact structures and the pore diameter was increased. Furthermore, the permeation ability of the temperature-sensitive nanotube array membranes could be adjusted reversibly and it is possible to use the membranes in nanofluidic devices, nanogates, etc.     

Arbitrarily long distance quantum communication using inspection and power insertion

The biggest obstacle for long distance quantum communication is the channel loss and the channel noise on photons. In this paper, a method to solve this problem was analyzed using inspection and power insertion (IPI). It is proved that quantum communication may be established over arbitrarily long distance using this technology. The amount of resources required is a polynomial function of the distance. IPI is proposed as a general technique to prolong quantum secure direct communication where secret messages are transmitted directly over a quantum channel. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB921106), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10325521) and Key Project of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 306020)     

Application of atomic force microscopy to living samples from cells to fresh tissues

Atomic force microscopy is a novel method for imaging and characterization in biomedicine. However, high-resolution imaging of living samples from cells to tissues still remains a challenge. In this paper, two types of AFM working mode （contact mode and tapping mode） which are utilized for the imaging of living cells and tissues are discussed. A new magnetic tapping mode （MAC mode）, which is more suitable for living samples, and a novel data collecting system named TREC, are also introduced.     

Stability study of saturated red polymer light-emitting diodes

Saturated red polymer light-emitting diodes have been fabricated with a single emitting polymer blend layer of poly[2-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-5-methoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly[9,9-dioc- tylfluorene-co-4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] (PFO-DBT15). Saturated red emission with the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.67, 0.33) was obtained. The device stability was investigated. The results showed that energy transfer occurred from MEH-PPV to PFO-DBT15, and MEH-PPV improved the hole injection and transportation.     

Process modeling of fuel cell vehicle power system

Constructed here is a mathematic model of PEM Fuel Cell Vehicle Power System which is composed of fuel supply model, fuel cell stack model and water-heat management model. The model was developed by Matlab/Simulink to evaluate how the major operating variables affect the output performances. It shows that the constructed model can represent characteristics of the power system closely by comparing modeling results with experimental data, and it can be used in the study and design of fuel cell vehicle power system. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007AA05Z145), State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2007cb209707) and Shanghai Science and Technology Project (Grant Nos. 06SN07115 and 07JC14024)