The Finite Deformation of a Hollow Sphere subjected to Internal or External Pressure

This paper is concerned with the deformation of a hollow sphere, within the theory of finite elastostatics for a particular homogeneous isotropic commpressible material, the so-called Blatz-Ko material. The body is subjected to uniform pressure, either internal or external. In the case of internal pressure, it is found that there is a maximum pressure beyond which there does not exist a solution. Under that pressure there exist two sets of solutions. In the case of external pressure, the location of the maximum value of the compressive hoop stress departs from the inner surface. There exists, howeverc a supremum of the location. If the hollow sphere is thinner than the supremum, the maximum value of the compressive hoop stress occurs at the outer surface

Numerical Simulation on the Opening Delay of a Discharge Reed Valve in Compressors

The opening delay of a discharge reed valve for compressors caused by the stiction force of the oil film between the reed and the valve seat is investigated. The coupling simulation algorithm including models of cavitation in the oil film is developed. In order to check the validity, the numerical simulation is performed under several conditions of a model experiment. The coupling model consists of the reed deformation, the gas flow, and the oil film flow with cavitation. The two-dimensional reed deformation is expressed by expanding natural modes that are obtained by the finite element method using shell elements. The gas flow is expressed by the thermodynamic model under the assumption of the internal reversible process. The two-dimensional oil film pressure distribution is obtained by solving numerically the Reynolds’ equation through the finite volume method. On the model of cavitation in the oil film, in addition to the case in which cavitation is not taken into account, two cavitation models are tested; the static cavitation model (Reynolds’ condition) in which the minimum oil pressure is set to absolute zero, and the dynamic cavitation model in which the oil film pressure can fall to the absolute negative (tensile in the liquid) due to the direct simulation of the bubble expansion. Comparisons on the opening delay time between simulation results and the experimental result show that the static cavitation model gives the earlier delay time than that in the experiment, and the dynamic cavitation model which simulates the absolute negative pressure in the oil film reproduces accurately the experimental delay time. The simulation through the dynamic cavitation model also reproduces well behaviors of cavitation and blow-by flow (oil film rupture) in the oil film captured by the high-speed camera in the experiment. The relation among the pressure, the thickness, and the cavitation area of the oil film that are obtained in the simulation shows the mechanism of the oil film rupture (valve opening), i.e., the cavitation bubbles promote the increase of the oil film thickness during the stiction and the increased oil film thickness causes the recovery of the oil film pressure, and the subsequent blow-by flow (oil film rupture)

Topology optimization for maximizing linear buckling load based on level set method

Stability and buckling have attracted extensive attention in the design of structural elements, especially in the design of thin-walled structures since they may naturally have poor stability and be prone to buckling failure. This paper proposes a level-set based topology optimization (TO) method that can maximize the lowest linear buckling load under a mean compliance constraint. First, we conduct the linearized buckling analysis and formulate the optimum design problem. Second, we derive the design sensitivity and revisit the reaction-diffusion equation-based level-set topology optimization. Finally, we solve several two-dimensional benchmark problems and the design results are presented to validate the proposed method

Treatment of mandibular condyalr osteochondroma

We successfully treated a case of facial asymmetry involved in unilateral mandibular condylar osteochondroma with ipsilateral mandibular condylectomy and contralateral ramus osteotomy. A female, 32-year 11-month of age, had a chief complaint of facial asymmetry which initiated about 10 years ago. A mirror image analysis using a non-contact 3D image scanner revealed that the soft tissue on the deviated side was protruded more than 5.50 mm compared with the non-deviated side. The patinet was diagnosed as facial asymmetry with a skeletal Class III jaw-base relationship caused by unilateral mandibular condylar osteochondroma. After 18 months of preoperative orthodontic treatment, ipsilateral condylectomy and contralateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy were performed. As the results of postoperative orthodontic treatment for 20 months, an ideal occlusion having a Class I molar relationship with an adequate interincisal relationship was achieved. Facial asymmetry and mandibular protrusion were dramatically improved, and the differences between the deviation and non-deviation sides were decreased to less than 1.11 mm. The acceptable occlusion and symmetric face were maintained throughout 1-year retention period. Conclusively, our results indicated the stability after condylectomy without condylar reconstruction in a patient with unilateral condylar osteochondroma

R26-WntVis reporter mice showing graded response to Wnt signal levels

The canonical Wnt signaling pathway plays a major role in the regulation of embryogenesis and organogenesis, where signal strength-dependent cellular responses are of particular importance. To assess Wnt signal levels in individual cells, and to circumvent the integration site-dependent bias shown in previous Wnt reporter lines, we constructed a new Wnt signal reporter mouse line R26-WntVis. Heptameric TCF/LEF1 binding sequences were combined with a viral minimal promoter to confer a graded response to the reporter depending on Wnt signal strengths. The histone H2B-EGFP fusion protein was chosen as the fluorescent reporter to facilitate single-cell resolution analyses. This WntVis reporter gene was then inserted into the ROSA26 locus in an orientation opposite to that of the endogenous gene. The R26-WntVis allele was introduced into Wnt3a−/− and Wnt3avt/− mutant mouse embryos and compared with wild-type embryos to assess its performance. The R26-WntVis reporter was activated in known Wnt-dependent tissues and responded in a graded fashion to signal intensity. This analysis also indicated that the major Wnt activity early in embryogenesis switched from Wnt3 to Wnt3a around E7.5. The R26-WntVis mouse line will be widely useful for the study of Wnt signal-dependent processes

A Genome-wide Linkage Analysis and Mutation Analysis of Hereditary Congenital Blepharoptosis in a Japanese Family

Hereditary congenital ptosis (PTOS) is defined as drooping of the upper eyelid without any other accompanying symptoms and distinguished from syndromic blepharoptosis.Two previous linkage analyses assigned a PTOS locus (PTOS1) to 1p32-p34.1 and another (PTOS2) to Xq24-q27.1. In addition, in a sporadic case with a balanced chromosomal translocation t(1;8)(p34.3;q21.12), the ZFHX4 (zinc finger homeodomain 4) gene was found to be disrupted at the 8q21.12 breakpoint, but there was no gene at the 1p34.3 breakpoint, suggesting the existence of the third PTOS locus (PTOS1) at 8q21.12. We carried out a genome-wide linkage analysis in a Japanese PTOS family and calculated two-point and multipoint LOD scores with reduced penetrance. Haplotype analysis gave three candidate disease-responsible regions, i.e., 8q21.11-q22.1, 12q24.32-q24.33 and 14q21.1-q23.2. Although the family size is too small to define one of them, 8q21.11-q22.1 is a likely candidate region, because it contains the previously reported translocation breakpoint above. We thus performed mutation, Southern-blot and methylation analyses of ZFHX4, but could not find any disease specific change in the family. Nevertheless, our data may support the localization of PTOS1.長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:博（医歯薬）甲第153号 博士（医学）学位授与年月日:平成20年3月19

Damage evaluation of fixed beams at both ends for bridge health monitoring using a combination of a vibration sensor and a surface acoustic wave device

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