Extraction of 3D vortex structures from a turbulent puff in a pipe using two-color illumination and flakes

A novel visualization technique was proposed to extract the three-dimensional vortex structure of a turbulent puff, which is a local turbulence event that is observed in pipe flows at relatively low Reynolds numbers. The technique is based on multi-color illumination of microscopic flakes that are suspended in the flow, which makes structural visualization more informative than conventional monochrome approaches. A special optical arrangement of two laser sheets, colored green and blue, was established for the circular pipe. Based on an image analysis sequence, the internal structure of the puff is reconstructed as a cross-sectional temporal 3D image consisting of voxels with unicolor degrees between green and blue, where an individual single vortex is extracted as a pair of two-color stripes. This allows quantification of the azimuthal wavenumber of the vortical structure that characterizes the puff. The wavenumber results agreed well with the results of previous studies, thus supporting the applicability of the proposed visualization technique.

Bubble fragmentation dynamics in a subsonic Venturi tube for the design of a compact microbubble generator

Microbubble generators are in wide demand in industry following the discovery of a number of new functions of microbubble mixtures. This paper deals with a Venturi tube microbubble generator in which air bubbles at the inlet are fragmented in the diverging part of the tube. In contrast with past studies, we here regulated the flow subsonic so that fragmentation occurred without the help of pressure shock waves. Counting the microbubbles in image processing, we found that a single bubble fragmented into 20–400 microbubbles depending on the Weber number. The power efficiency is found to range from 30 to 50 percent and insensitive to the liquid viscosity. The mechanism of subsonic fragmentation is elucidated adopting particle tracking velocimetry, in association with a theoretical description of the translational motion and the shape oscillation of the bubble. The key event was found to be the bubble’s rapid slipback in the diverging part of the Venturi tube due to a positive pressure gradient. This provides a function that prevents large bubbles from being released from the subsonic Venturi tube

Proposal for Global Standard Maneuvering Orders for Tugboats

The use of “Standard Maneuvering Orders” for tugboats, vocabulary and phrases mutually pre-agreed between ships and tugboats, is essential for the former to provide clear direction for the latter when berthing or un-berthing safely. Tugboats will need time to change their posture before they take actions in response to orders from persons responsible for ships’ maneuvering. Therefore, when giving directions to change tugboats’ posture, persons who handle their ships are required to send out tug orders, with regard to “delay time,” a gap be-tween the orders from ships and the actions taken by tugboats. “Tug Orders” standardized and used in Japan are composed of the following three factors concerning towage work: tugboat’s motion, direction and engine power, but the author’s research shows that there are “Non-standard” special maneuvering orders other than those “standardized,” which causes such problems as a gap in perception between pilots and tugboat’s opera-tors, etc. The purpose of this paper is to research the delay time between orders for and actions by tugboats and consider the appropriate and safe timing of providing instructions to them, and then to propose globally-authorized “Standard Maneuvering Orders for tugboats”, discussing a problem involved in the use of the special orders used in Japan, and the way in which tug orders are used in other countries

Conditional deletion of Bmpr1a in differentiated osteoclasts increases osteoblastic bone formation, increasing volume of remodeling bone in mice

Bone undergoes remodeling consisting of osteoclastic bone resorption followed by osteoblastic bone formation throughout life. Although the effects of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signals on osteoblasts have been studied extensively, the function of BMP signals in osteoclasts has not been fully elucidated. To delineate the function of BMP signals in osteoclasts during bone remodeling, we deleted BMP receptor type IA ( Bmpr1a ) in an osteoclast‐specific manner using a knock‐in Cre mouse line to the cathepsin K locus ( Ctsk Cre/+ ;Bmpr1a flox/flox , designated as Bmpr1a ΔOc/ΔOc ). Cre was specifically expressed in multinucleated osteoclasts in vivo. Cre‐dependent deletion of the Bmpr1a gene occurred at 4 days after cultivation of bone marrow macrophages obtained from Bmpr1a ΔOc/ΔOc with RANKL. These results suggested that Bmpr1a was deleted after formation of osteoclasts in Bmpr1a ΔOc/ΔOc mice. Expression of bone‐resorption markers increased, thus suggesting that BMPRIA signaling negatively regulates osteoclast differentiation. Trabeculae in tibia and femurs were thickened in 3.5‐, 8‐, and 12‐week‐old Bmpr1a ΔOc/ΔOc mice. Bone histomorphometry revealed increased bone volume associated with increased osteoblastic bone‐formation rates (BFR) in the remodeling bone of the secondary spongiosa in Bmpr1a ΔOc/ΔOc tibias at 8 weeks of age. For comparison, we also induced an osteoblast‐specific deletion of Bmpr1a using Col1a1‐Cre. The resulting mice showed increased bone volume with marked decreases in BFR in tibias at 8 weeks of age. These results indicate that deletion of Bmpr1a in differentiated osteoclasts increases osteoblastic bone formation, thus suggesting that BMPR1A signaling in osteoclasts regulates coupling to osteoblasts by reducing bone‐formation activity during bone remodeling. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87086/1/477_ftp.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87086/2/jbmr_477_sm_SupplData.pd

MEDINA, MARÍA E HIJJOS [Material gráfico]

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, 201

Neuroimaging at 7 Tesla: a pictorial narrative review

Neuroimaging using the 7-Tesla (7T) human magnetic resonance (MR) system is rapidly gaining popularity after being approved for clinical use in the European Union and the USA. This trend is the same for functional MR imaging (MRI). The primary advantages of 7T over lower magnetic fields are its higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, which provide high-resolution acquisitions and better contrast, making it easier to detect lesions and structural changes in brain disorders. Another advantage is the capability to measure a greater number of neurochemicals by virtue of the increased spectral resolution. Many structural and functional studies using 7T have been conducted to visualize details in the white matter and layers of the cortex and hippocampus, the subnucleus or regions of the putamen, the globus pallidus, thalamus and substantia nigra, and in small structures, such as the subthalamic nucleus, habenula, perforating arteries, and the perivascular space, that are difficult to observe at lower magnetic field strengths. The target disorders for 7T neuroimaging range from tumoral diseases to vascular, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. MR spectroscopy has also been used for research because of its increased chemical shift that separates overlapping peaks and resolves neurochemicals more effectively at 7T than a lower magnetic field. This paper presents a narrative review of these topics and an illustrative presentation of images obtained at 7T. We expect 7T neuroimaging to provide a new imaging biomarker of various brain disorders

Heat Shock-Induced Three-Dimensional-Like Proliferation of Normal Human Fibroblasts Mediated by Pressed Silk

The aim of this study was to determine the optimal heat treatment conditions for enhancement of pressed silk-mediated 3D-like proliferation of normal human dermal fibroblasts, as well as to determine the responses to heat shock of cells and intracellular signaling pathways. The beginning of 3D-like pattern formation of cells was observed in the second week after the start of the experiment. The mean rates of beginning of 3D-like pattern formation by cells heat-treated at 40 ºC and 43 ºC for 10 min were significantly higher (3.2- and 8.6-fold, respectively) than that of untreated cells. We found that apoptosis had occurred in 7.5% and 50.0% of the cells at one week after heat treatment for 10 min at 43 ºC and 45 ºC, respectively. Western blot analysis demonstrated that phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and that of Hsp27 were markedly increased by heat treatment at 43 ºC for 10 min. The results of an experiment using a p38 MAPK inhibitor and Hsp27 inhibitor suggest that activation of p38 MAPK by heat shock is associated with 3D-like cell proliferation and that Hsp27 contributes to the inhibition of apoptosis. The results of this study should be useful for further studies aimed at elucidation of the physiologic mechanisms underlying thermotherapy

Quantitative visualization of vortex ring structure during wall impingement subject to background rotation

A single vortex ring subject to background rotation in the process of wall impingement has been experimentally investigated by particle tracking velocimetry (PTV). Two parameter conditions of Reynolds and Rossby numbers were chosen in addition to stationary environment as much strong and competitive Coriolis force emerges in comparison with inertia induced by vortex rings. From horizontal PTV windows set on the rotating experimental frame above the bottom wall, comprehensive influences of Coriolis force on the wall-impinging reaction are visualized as space-time three-dimensional vorticity distributions. Against natural growth of azimuthal waves due to Widnall instability, wall-impinging suppresses the waves and rather re-organizes original primary vortex because of cyclonic swirl coherently induced during impingement. This resists to turbulent collapse of vortex ring during the impingement and self-boosts own life time. We try to explain the mechanism of such an anti-decaying process in the final part, untangling the phenomenon with best read from the space-time correlations among three vorticity components

Wall shear stress modified by bubbles in a horizontal channel flow of silicone oil in the transition region

We performed laboratory experiments on bubbly channel flows using silicone oil, which has a low surface tension and clean interface to bubbles, as a test fluid to evaluate the wall shear stress modification for different regimes of bubble migration status. The channel Reynolds numbers of the flow ranged from 1000 to 5000, covering laminar, transition and turbulent flow regimes. The bubble deformation and swarms were classified as packing, film, foam, dispersed, and stretched states based on visualization of bubbles as a bulk void fraction changed. In the dispersed and film states, the wall shear stress reduced by 9% from that in the single-phase condition; by contrast, the wall shear stress increased in the stretched, packing, and foam states. We carried out statistical analysis of the time-series of the wall shear stress in the transition and turbulent-flow regimes. Variations of the PDF of the shear stress and the higher order moments in the statistic indicated that the injection of bubbles generated pseudo-turbulence in the transition regime and suppressed drag-inducing events in the turbulent regime. Bubble images and measurements of shear stress revealed a correlated wave with a time lag, for which we discuss associated to the bubble dynamics and effective viscosity of the bubble mixture in wall proximity