The Elastic Limits of Colon Tissues for Different Radii of a Tool Tip End Using a Simple Modeling

Author(s):  
Junghun Choi

Mechanical properties of colon tissues are very important to prevent trauma and perforation during colonoscopy procedure. Most of forces are generated by the shaft of a colonoscope and a distal tip. A shaft of a colonoscope causes mechanical trauma at various locations. A distal tip of a colonoscope can cause not only for mechanical trauma but also serious perforation. In this study, elastic limits of forces were predicted for different sizes of a simplified shape of a tool tip end with a simple characteristic modeling. Published data on the various parts of a colon were used for the reference and a simple way of modeling was applied to estimate the quantity of forces with assumptions. Stress on Descending colon was used and a true stress-strain curve was generated. Descending colon has a wide range of a force limit for two different directions (longitudinal and lateral). A simple characteristic modeling was applied for a spherical shape of tool tip. Even though different parts of a colon and directions will generate diverse results, the model should be insensitive within a limited length and boundary conditions of a colon. The different radii of a tool tip end represent various tool ends from dull to sharp needle-type tool ends in several grades. The results show the elastic limit of force for different radii of tool tip end. The range of tool tip radius is between 0.1 and 10 mm. For the smallest radius of a tool tip, a colon wall will be perforated for a small force (less than 0.05N) and big forces were needed to damage the colon tissue when a tool tip diameter is more than 20 mm with the assumption that the boundary condition of a tool tip test should match up with the simple modeling statement. As the radius of a tool tip end is larger, the contact area between the interface area between a tool tip and a colon wall is wide enough to sustain applied forces. The structure of a human colon was briefly reviewed and determined the elastic limits of forces for different radii of tool ends.

Author(s):  
Ernest L. Hall ◽  
J. B. Vander Sande

The present paper describes research on the mechanical properties and related dislocation structure of CdTe, a II-VI semiconductor compound with a wide range of uses in electrical and optical devices. At room temperature CdTe exhibits little plasticity and at the same time relatively low strength and hardness. The mechanical behavior of CdTe was examined at elevated temperatures with the goal of understanding plastic flow in this material and eventually improving the room temperature properties. Several samples of single crystal CdTe of identical size and crystallographic orientation were deformed in compression at 300°C to various levels of total strain. A resolved shear stress vs. compressive glide strain curve (Figure la) was derived from the results of the tests and the knowledge of the sample orientation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Anunciacao ◽  
janet squires ◽  
J. Landeira-Fernandez

One of the main activities in psychometrics is to analyze the internal structure of a test. Multivariate statistical methods, including Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are frequently used to do this, but the growth of Network Analysis (NA) places this method as a promising candidate. The results obtained by these methods are of valuable interest, as they not only produce evidence to explore if the test is measuring its intended construct, but also to deal with the substantive theory that motivated the test development. However, these different statistical methods come up with different answers, providing the basis for different analytical and theoretical strategies when one needs to choose a solution. In this study, we took advantage of a large volume of published data (n = 22,331) obtained by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE), and formed a subset of 500 children to present and discuss alternative psychometric solutions to its internal structure, and also to its subjacent theory. The analyses were based on a polychoric matrix, the number of factors to retain followed several well-known rules of thumb, and a wide range of exploratory methods was fitted to the data, including EFA, PCA, and NA. The statistical outcomes were divergent, varying from 1 to 6 domains, allowing a flexible interpretation of the results. We argue that the use of statistical methods in the absence of a well-grounded psychological theory has limited applications, despite its appeal. All data and codes are available at https://osf.io/z6gwv/.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1346
Author(s):  
Icksoo Lee

Numerous naturally occurring molecules have been studied for their beneficial health effects. Many compounds have received considerable attention for their potential medical uses. Among them, several substances have been found to improve mitochondrial function. This review focuses on resveratrol, (–)-epicatechin, and betaine and summarizes the published data pertaining to their effects on cytochrome c oxidase (COX) which is the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and is considered to play an important role in the regulation of mitochondrial respiration. In a variety of experimental model systems, these compounds have been shown to improve mitochondrial biogenesis in addition to increased COX amount and/or its enzymatic activity. Given that they are inexpensive, safe in a wide range of concentrations, and effectively improve mitochondrial and COX function, these compounds could be attractive enough for possible therapeutic or health improvement strategies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-229
Author(s):  
V C Cousins

AbstractThe management of lesions of the lateral skull base is a highly sophisticated branch of surgery generally performed by otolaryngology–head and neck surgeons as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Assessment of patients with diseases affecting the lateral skull base can be complex, as can the application of the various treatment modalities and the management of the expected and unexpected side effects of that treatment.A wide range of pathological conditions occur in the lateral skull base. Many operations and procedures have been described for dealing with them. There is not necessarily one correct solution to the management of any particular problem in the skull base, with multiple factors to be considered in planning and intervention.As surgeons, we need to know how our own results and outcomes compare with pooled, published data concerning the implications and complications occurring as a result of intervention, in order to better advise our patients on their management.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 936-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. F. Dong ◽  
M. A. Ebadian

This paper numerically investigates the effects of buoyancy on fully developed laminar flow in a curved duct with an elliptic cross section. The flow of Newtonian fluids is assumed steady in terms of Boussinesq approximation. The curved elliptic duct is subjected to thermal boundary conditions of axially uniform heat flux and peripherally uniform wall temperature. The numerically generated boundary-fitted coordinate system is applied to discretize the solution domain of the elliptic duct, and the Navier-Stokes equations and the energy equation, including the curvature ratio, are solved by use of the control volume-based finite difference method. The solution covers a wide range of curvature ratios, and Dean and Grashof numbers. The results presented are displayed graphically and in tabular form to illustrate the buoyancy effect. It is further shown that buoyancy acts to increase both the Nusselt number and the friction factor and changes the distribution of the velocity and the temperature. The results for the curved circular duct with and without buoyancy are compared with the data available in the open literature for all cases. Also compared with the published data are the results of laminar flow in a curved elliptic duct, and very good agreement is obtained.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinjian Li ◽  
Fei Xie ◽  
Yang Yi ◽  
Pengxiang Zhao ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractSince Ohsawa et al. reported a biological antioxidant function of hydrogen in 2007, researchers have now shown it to exert protective effects in a wide range of human and animal disease models. Clinical observations and scientific arguments suggest that a selective scavenging property of H2 cannot adequately explain the beneficial effects of hydrogen. However, there is no experiment challenging the original published data, which suggested that molecular hydrogen dissolved in solution reacts with hydroxyl radicals in cell-free systems. Here we report that a hydrogen-saturated solution (0.6 mM) did not significantly reduce hydroxyl radicals in the Fenton system using 1 mM H2O2. We replicated the same condition as Ohsawa’s study (i.e. 5 μM H2O2), and observed a decrease in •OH radicals in both the H2-rich and N2-rich solutions, which may be caused by a decreased dissolved oxygen concentration. Finally, we determined the effect of hydrogen on a high-valence iron enzyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and found that hydrogen could directly increase HRP activity in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these results indicate that although H2 and •OH can react, the reaction rate is too low to have physiological function. The target of hydrogen is more complex, and its interaction with enzymes or other macro-molecules deserve more attention and in-depth study.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Chun ◽  
Bradley D. Stewart ◽  
Darin Vaughan ◽  
Adam D. Bachstetter ◽  
Peter M. Kekenes-Huskey

AbstractMicroglia function is orchestrated through highly-coupled signaling pathways that depend on calcium (Ca2+). In response to extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), transient increases in intracellular Ca2+ driven through the activation of purinergic receptors, P2X and P2Y, are sufficient to promote cytokine synthesis and potentially their release. While steps comprising the pathways bridging purinergic receptor activation with transcriptional responses have been probed in great detail, a quantitative model for how these steps collectively control cytokine production has not been established. Here we developed a minimal computational model that quantitatively links extracellular stimulation of two prominent ionotropic puriner-gic receptors, P2X4 and P2X7, with the graded production of a gene product, namely the tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) cytokine. In addition to Ca2+ handling mechanisms common to eukaryotic cells, our model includes microglia-specific processes including ATP-dependent P2X4 and P2X7 activation, activation of NFAT transcription factors, and TNFα production. Parameters for this model were optimized to reproduce published data for these processes, where available. With this model, we determined the propensity for TNFα production in microglia, subject to a wide range of ATP exposure amplitudes, frequencies and durations that the cells could encounter in vivo. Furthermore, we have investigated the extent to which modulation of the signal transduction pathways influence TNFα production. Our key findings are that TNFα production via P2X4 is maximized at low ATP when subject to high frequency ATP stimulation, whereas P2X7 contributes most significantly at millimolar ATPranges. Given that Ca2+ homeostasis in microglia is profoundly important to its function, this computational model provides a quantitative framework to explore hypotheses pertaining to microglial physiology.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma A A Zahidi ◽  
Lee McIlreavy ◽  
Jonathan T Erichsen ◽  
J Margaret Woodhouse

Background/Aims: Children with Down's syndrome (DS) are known to have poorer visual acuity that neurotypical children. One report has shown that children with DS and nystagmus also have poor acuity when compared to typical children with nystagmus. What has not been established, is the extent of any acuity deficit due to nystagmus and whether nystagmus impacts on refractive error is within a population with DS. Methods: Clinical records from The Cardiff University Down's Syndrome Vision Research Unit were examined retrospectively. Binocular visual acuity and refraction data were available for 50 children who had DS and nystagmus (DSN) and 176 children who had DS but no nystagmus. Data were compared between the two groups, and with published data for neurotypical children with nystagmus. Results: The study confirms the deficit in acuity in DS, compared to neurotypical children, of approximately 0.2 LogMAR and shows a further deficit attributable to nystagmus of a further 0.2 logMAR beyond the first year of life. Children with DS and no nystagmus appear to have acuity that mirrors that of typical children with nystagmus, while children with both DS and nystagmus have a significant additional impairment. Children with DS have a wide range of refractive errors, but nystagmus increases the likelihood of myopia. Prevalence and axis direction of astigmatism, on the other hand appears unaffected by nystagmus. Conclusion: Nystagmus confers an additional visual impairment on children with Down's syndrome and must be recognised as such by families and educators. Children with both DS and nystagmus clearly need targeted support.


1986 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Andrews

ABSTRACTGettering by the dislocation network caused by P-diffusion into the back surface of Si wafers at 950° C for 1 hr. is often used for VLSI. However, transistors with sub-micron gates are jeopardized at 950°C because of possible source-drain punch through by lateral P-diffusion. The temperature dependence of gettering by P-diffusion has been investigated at 950, 900, and 850°C. Gettering by P-diffusion was found to be marginal at 900°C and totally ineffective at 850°C.Recently published data on the solubility and diffusivity of interstitial oxygen in Czochralski-grown Si has been used to develop a simple out-diffusion model for denuded zone formation during thermal oxidation. Comparison with experimental observations on samples with high interstitial SiO2 concentration [Oi]0, exposed to dry oxidation at 1100° C for various times up to 8 hrs. and followed by 24 hr. anneals in N2 at 700°C and 1050°C, reveal that SiO2 precipitation occurs when the supersaturation ratio exceeds 4.7. The model implies an optimum denuding temperature near 100° C for a dry oxidation time of 4 hrs. The bulk defect density was also observed to decrease more than a factor of 5 as the denuding time was increased from 0 to 8 hrs.Intrinsic gettering by SiO2 precipitates in Czochralski-grown silicon has been evaluated over a wide range of initial interstitial oxygen concentrations 15 < [Oi]0 < 22 ppma with and without a HI-LO-HI pre-process annealing cycle. Among samples of approximately 100 p-n junctions per wafer, reductions of 1–3 orders of magnitude in reverse leakage at 5 volts were achieved in the worst 10% of 500 μm square devices on wafers that were exposed to the HI-LO-HI heat treatment. Intrinsic gettering is most effective when [Oi]0 22 ppma, but leakage reduction among the worst diodes is achieved at the expense of a 2 or 3-fold increase in median leakage.


Author(s):  
Kurt Sartorius ◽  
Benn Sartorius ◽  
Dino Zuccollo

Background: The ability of the Baltic Dry Index to predict economic activity has been evaluated in a number of developed and developing countries. Aim: Firstly, the article determines the primary factors driving the dynamics of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) and, secondly, whether the BDI can predict future share price reactions on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange All Share Index (JSE ALSI), South Africa. Setting: This article investigates the dynamics and predictive properties of the BDI in South Africa between 1985 and 2016. Methods: The article uses a review of a wide range of published data and two time-series data sets to adopt a mixed methods approach. An inductive contents analysis is used to answer the first research question and a combination of a unit root test, correlation analysis and a Granger causality model is employed to test the second research question. Results: The results show that the BDI price is primarily driven by four underlying constructs that include the supply and demand for dry bulk shipping, as well as risk, cost and logistics management factors. Secondly, the results indicate a break in the BDI data set in July 2008 that influences a fundamental change in its relationship with the JSE ALSI index. In the pre-break period (1985 to 2008), the BDI is positively correlated with the ALSI (0.837, α = 0.05) before sharply diverging in the second period from August 2008 to 2016. In the first period, the BDI showed an optimal lag period of 6 months as a predictor of the ALSI index, but this predictive ability ceases after July 2008. The article makes a two-part contribution. Firstly, it demonstrates that the BDI is a useful predictor of future economic activity in an African developing country. Secondly, the BDI can be incorporated in government and industry sector planning models as a variable to assess future gross domestic product trends. Conclusion: The study confirms that the BDI is only a reliable indicator of future economic activity when the supply of shipping capacity is well matched with the demand.


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