Polymer tensiometers with ceramic cones: direct observations of matric pressures in drying soils

Measuring soil water potentials is crucial to characterize vadose zone processes. Conventional tensiometers only measure until approximately −0.09 MPa, and indirect methods may suffer from the non-uniqueness in the relationship between matric potential and measured properties. Recently developed polymer tensiometers (POTs) are able to directly measure soil matric potentials until the theoretical wilting point (−1.6 MPa). By minimizing the volume of polymer solution inside the POT while maximizing the ceramic area in contact with that polymer solution, response times drop to acceptable ranges for laboratory and field conditions. Contact with the soil is drastically improved with the use of cone-shaped solid ceramics instead of flat ceramics. The comparison between measured potentials by polymer tensiometers and indirectly obtained potentials with time domain reflectometry highlights the risk of using the latter method at low water contents. By combining POT and time domain reflectometry readings in situ moisture retention curves can be measured over the range permitted by the measurement range of both POT and time domain reflectometry

Nitrogen transfer between herbivores and their forage species

Herbivores may increase the productivity of forage plants; however, this depends on the return of nutrients from faeces to the forage plants. The aim of this study was to test if nitrogen (N) from faeces is available to forage plants and whether the return of nutrients differs between plant species using (15)N natural abundance in faeces and plant tissue. To investigate the effect of grazing on N transfer, we carried out a grazing experiment in wet and mesic tundra on high Arctic Spitsbergen using barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) as the model herbivore. N inputs (from faeces) increased with grazing pressure at both the wet and mesic sites, with the greatest N input from faeces at the wet site. The delta(15)N ratio in plant tissue from grazed plots was enriched in mosses and the dwarf shrub species, reflecting the delta(15)N signature of faeces-derived N, but no such pattern was observed in the dominant grasses. This study demonstrates that the delta(15)N signature of faeces and forage species is a useful tool to explore how grazing impacts on N acquisition. Our findings suggest that plant species which acquire their N close to the soil surface (e.g. mosses) access more of the N from faeces than species with deeper root systems (e.g. grasses) suggesting a transfer of N from the preferred forage species to the mosses and dwarf shrubs, which are less preferred by the geese. In conclusion, the moss layer appears to disrupt the nitrogen return from herbivores to their forage species

Onderzoek naar de ecologische achteruitgang en het herstel van Zuid-Limburgse hellingschraallandcomplexen

De Zuid-Limburgse hellingschraallanden behoren tot de meest soortenrijke graslandtypen in ons land. Ze liggen op een gradiënt van zure heischrale graslanden bovenaan de helling en basische kalkgraslanden in het middendeel van de helling. Onderaan de helling komen voedselrijkere en dus meer ruige graslandtypen voor. Het oppervlak aan goed ontwikkelde hellingschraallanden is in de 20e eeuw sterk achteruit gegaan en ook de kwaliteit ervan. Om na te gaan wat de oorzaken zijn voor de achteruitgang van flora als fauna en hoe verder herstelbeheer moet plaatsvinden, is in 2005 in het kader van OBN een vierjarig onderzoek gestart. Hieruit blijkt dat er zeker nog perspectief is voor herstel van soortenrijke hellingsschraallanden. Het beheer binnen de hellingschraallanden kan verder geoptimaliseerd worden, zodat meer afvoer van nutriënten plaatsvindt en een meer heterogene vegetatiestructuur ontstaat. Ook moet de sterke mate van versnippering en isolatie van de hellingschraallanden worden aangepakt door het vergroten en onderling verbinden van de huidige reservaten

The Relationship Between Knee Motion and Articular Surface Geometry

No abstract

Mechanical adaptation of trabecular bone morphology in the mammalian mandible

Alveolar bone, together with the underlying trabecular bone, fulfils an important role in providing structural support against masticatory forces. Diseases such as osteoporosis or periodontitis cause alveolar bone resorption which weakens this structural support and is a major cause of tooth loss. However, the functional relationship between alveolar bone remodelling within the molar region and masticatory forces is not well understood. This study investigated this relationship by comparing mammalian species with different diets and functional loading (Felis catus, Cercocebus atys, Homo sapiens, Sus scrofa, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Ovis aries). We performed histomorphometric analyses of trabecular bone morphology (bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness and trabecular spacing) and quantified the variation of bone and tooth root volumes along the tooth row. A principal component analysis and non-parametric MANOVA showed statistically significant differences in trabecular bone morphology between species with contrasting functional loading, but these differences were not seen in sub-adult specimens. Our results support a strong, but complex link between masticatory function and trabecular bone morphology. Further understanding of a potential functional relationship could aid the diagnosis and treatment of mandibular diseases causing alveolar bone resorption, and guide the design and evaluation of dental implants

Does facial soft tissue protect against zygomatic fractures?: results of a finite element analysis

Introduction: Zygomatic fractures form a major entity in craniomaxillofacial traumatology. Few studies have dealt with biomechanical basics and none with the role of the facial soft tissues. Therefore this study should investigate, whether facial soft tissue plays a protecting role in lateral midfacial trauma

Finite Element Analysis of Bone and Experimental Validation

This chapter describes the application of the finite element (FE) method to bone tissues. The aspects that differ the most between bone and other materials’ FE analysis are the type of elements used, constitutive models, and experimental validation. These aspects are looked at from a historical evolution stand point. Several types of elements can be used to simulate similar bone structures and within the same analysis many types of elements may be needed to realistically simulate an anatomical part. Special attention is made to constitutive models, including the use of density-elasticity relationships made possible through CT-scanned images. Other more complex models are also described that include viscoelasticity and anisotropy. The importance of experimental validation is discussed, describing several methods used by different authors in this challenging field. The use of cadaveric human bones is not always possible or desirable and other options are described, as the use of animal or artificial bones. Strain and strain rate measuring methods are also discussed, such as rosette strain gauges and optical devices.publishe