Sound generation in zebrafish with Bio-Opto-Acoustics

Hearing is a crucial sense in underwater environments for communication, hunting, attracting mates, and detecting predators. However, the tools currently used to study hearing are limited, as they cannot controllably stimulate specific parts of the auditory system. To date, the contributions of hearing organs have been identified through lesion experiments that inactivate an organ, making it difficult to gauge the specific stimuli to which each organ is sensitive, or the ways in which inputs from multiple organs are combined during perception. Here, we introduce Bio-Opto-Acoustic (BOA) stimulation, using optical forces to generate localized vibrations in vivo, and demonstrate stimulation of the auditory system of zebrafish larvae with precise control. We use a rapidly oscillated optical trap to generate vibrations in individual otolith organs that are perceived as sound, while adjacent otoliths are either left unstimulated or similarly stimulated with a second optical laser trap. The resulting brain-wide neural activity is characterized using fluorescent calcium indicators, thus linking each otolith organ to its individual neuronal network in a way that would be impossible using traditional sound delivery methods. The results reveal integration and cooperation of the utricular and saccular otoliths, which were previously described as having separate biological functions, during hearing.

The physical origin of rate promoting vibrations in enzymes revealed by structural rigidity

Enzymes are the most efficient catalysts known to date. However, decades of research have failed to fully explain the catalytic power of enzymes, and most of the current attempts to uncloak the details of atomic motions at active sites remain incomplete. Here, a straightforward manner for understanding the interplay between the complex or irregular enzyme topology and dynamical effects at catalytic sites is introduced, by revealing how fast localized vibrations form spontaneously in the stiffest parts of the scaffold. While shedding light on a physical mechanism that allowed the selection of the picosecond (ps) timescale to increase the catalytic proficiency, this approach exposes the functional importance of localized motions as a by-product of the stability-function tradeoff in enzyme evolution. From this framework of analysis—directly accessible from available diffraction data—experimental strategies for engineering the catalytic rate in enzymatic proteins are proposed.

SEMI-INFINITE WAVEGUIDE MADE OF PIEZOELASTIC MATERIAL OF CLASS 6MM

The problems of coupled physical fields, such as the interaction of mechanical and electromagnetic fields, piezoelectric effect, electrostriction and others, are the most urgent. The study of the issues of wave propagation in piezoelectric materials is also relevant. In this paper the propagation of a monochromatic electroelastic signal in a semi-infinite piezoelectric layer is considered. Let's consider different cases of the boundary conditions, from which localized vibrations can be obtained in the vicinity of the free edge.

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO LOCALIZED VIBRATIONS USING PORTABLE MECHANICAL BRUSH CUTTER IN COFFEE CROP

The use of portable brush cutter may expose workers to localized vibrations, from the transfer of mechanical vibration of the tool to the operator’s hands and arms. With this in mind, the objective in this study was to quantify the levels of occupational vibration transmitted to the hands and arms of the portable brush cutter operators under routine working conditions in the coffee crop. The vibration levels transmitted to the operator’s hands were measured during activity with portable brush cutters. The experimental design was completely randomized (CRD) in a factorial scheme (2 x 2) combined with two types of grip (Circular cable (CC) and double grip handle (DGH) with two types of tip cutting blades (2TB and 3TB). The data acquisition occurred from the use of the vibration meter SV 103, SVANTEK with triaxial accelerometer, installed on each of the worker’s hand at the contact point with the tool. The results demonstrated that the 2.5 ms-2 action level determined by NR 09 and NHO 10 was exceeded under all conditions of the present study. The highest accelerations were quantified in the operation of the brush cutter equipment with CC, reaching the daily exposure limit of 5 ms-2 allowed for an 8-hour of working day. The resulting acceleration of the DGH equipment was on average 37.45% lower than the operation with the CC equipment. The results bring indicatives of occupational advantages in the selection of these types of accessories for brush cutters, in order to mitigate the effects of exposure to HAV in extended use situations

LOCALIZED BENDING VIBRATIONS OF PIEZOCERAMIC TRANSVERSE POLARIZED PLATE

Problem of the piezoceramic plate polarized along the normal of the middle plane of the plate is solved, based on the assumptions of the hypothesis of Kirchhoff, taking into account the components characterizing the electric field. The equations of planar and bending vibrations are obtained. Localized bending vibrations are considered, and the effect of the electric field on the frequency of localized vibrations is investigated.