Influence of centrifugation treatment on the lubricating properties of human whole saliva

AbstractAn important function of human saliva is to serve as oral lubricant during mastication process and then effectively reduce tooth wear. Thus, centrifuged human whole saliva has been used as a substitute for human whole saliva for many in vitro studies on dental tribology. However, the difference in lubricating properties between human whole saliva and centrifuged saliva remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of centrifugation on the lubricating properties of human whole saliva. In this paper, the lubrication of both human whole saliva and centrifuged saliva on human tooth enamel were comparatively studied in vitro using a nano-scratch tester. The structure, composition, and mechanical properties of salivary pellicle were characterized. Result showed that food debris and high molecular weight proteins in human whole saliva were removed by centrifugation. However, the low molecular weight proteins were still in saliva. Under the lubrication of human whole saliva, the salivary pellicle formed on the enamel surface was uneven, and its mechanical properties were inhomogeneous. But a smooth and homogeneous salivary pellicle was obtained upon the enamel surface under lubrication of centrifuged saliva. Moreover, there were no significant deference in friction coefficient and wear volume of tooth enamel between human whole saliva and centrifuged saliva lubricating conditions. In summary, centrifuged saliva exhibited similar lubrication to human whole saliva. Centrifugation treatment does not impair the lubricating properties of human saliva. On the contrary centrifugation can help minimize the effect of cell and food debris

Rail vehicle dynamic response to a nonlinear physical ‘in-service’ model of its secondary suspension hydraulic dampers

A full nonlinear physical ‘in-service’ model was built for a rail vehicle secondary suspension hydraulic damper with shim-pack-type valves. In the modelling process, a shim pack deflection theory with an equivalent-pressure correction factor was proposed, and a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) approach was applied. Bench test results validated the damper model over its full velocity range and thus also proved that the proposed shim pack deflection theory and the FEA-based parameter identification approach are effective. The validated full damper model was subsequently incorporated into a detailed vehicle dynamics simulation to study how its key in-service parameter variations influence the secondary-suspension-related vehicle system dynamics. The obtained nonlinear physical in-service damper model and the vehicle dynamic response characteristics in this study could be used in the product design optimization and nonlinear optimal specifications of high-speed rail hydraulic dampers

Controlling anomalous stresses in soft field-responsive systems

We report a new phenomenon occurring in field-responsive suspensions: shear-induced anomalous stresses. Competition between a rotating field and a shear flow originates a multiplicity of anomalous stress behaviors in suspensions of bounded dimers constituted by induced dipoles. The great variety of stress regimes includes non-monotonous behaviors, multi-resonances, negative viscosity effect and blockades. The reversibility of the transitions between the different regimes and the self-similarity of the stresses make this phenomenon controllable and therefore applicable to modify macroscopic properties of soft condensed matter phasesComment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PR

Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation

We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 × 10-11 to 5.0 × 10-21). The sentinel blood pressure SNPs are enriched for association with DNA methylation at multiple nearby CpG sites, suggesting that, at some of the loci identified, DNA methylation may lie on the regulatory pathway linking sequence variation to blood pressure. The sentinel SNPs at the 12 new loci point to genes involved in vascular smooth muscle (IGFBP3, KCNK3, PDE3A and PRDM6) and renal (ARHGAP24, OSR1, SLC22A7 and TBX2) function. The new and known genetic variants predict increased left ventricular mass, circulating levels of NT-proBNP, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04 to 8.6 × 10-6). Our results provide new evidence for the role of DNA methylation in blood pressure regulation

Cosmic-ray positron fraction measurement from 1 to 30 GeV with AMS-01

A measurement of the cosmic ray positron fraction e+/(e+ + e-) in the energy range of 1-30 GeV is presented. The measurement is based on data taken by the AMS-01 experiment during its 10 day Space Shuttle flight in June 1998. A proton background suppression on the order of 10^6 is reached by identifying converted bremsstrahlung photons emitted from positrons

Biotribology: Recent progresses and future perspectives

Biotribology deals with all aspects of tribology concerned with biological systems. It is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas of tribology. It is recognised as one of the most important considerations in many biological systems as to the understanding of how our natural systems work as well as how diseases are developed and how medical interventions should be applied. Tribological studies associated with biological systems are reviewed in this paper. A brief history, classification as well as current focuses on biotribology research are analysed according to typical papers from selected journals and presentations from a number of important conferences in this area. Progress in joint tribology, skin tribology and oral tribology as well as other representative biological systems is presented. Some remarks are drawn and prospects are discussed

Effect of harmonic noise on a Brownian particle in a ratchet periodic potential

A Brownian particle in a ratchet periodic potential driven by harmonic noise, which is produced through a RLC oscillation circuit with Gaussian white noise, is investigated. The mean velocity and stationary probability distribution function (SPDF) of the system are obtained by means of numerical simulations. We also used the power spectrum of the harmonic noise, the peak position and semi-height width of which can be changed by modulating the driving oscillation circuit’s parameters, to analyse contributions of characteristics of the power spectrum to the mean velocity. The results indicate that: (i) appropriate peak position and semi-height width of the harmonic noise’s power spectrum can maximise the particle’s mean velocity; (ii) the SPDF undergoes a state transition from monostability  →  bistability  →  tristability  →  monostability as the Gaussian white noise intensity is increased, and the other parameters of the driving oscillation circuit can also modify the system’s state

Experiment study on puncture force between MIS suture needle and soft tissue

In this paper, the interactive action between minimally invasive surgical suture needle and soft tissue was investigated under different insertion velocities, needle geometries, insertion angles and tissue characteristics to simulate the real surgical suture needle-tissue operation conditions. Experimental results demonstrated that the process of insertion was divided into two phases: no break phase and break phase. The puncture force generated at the mutation point where the tissue surface was breached. The puncture force and time for the first puncture significantly decreased with the increasing insertion velocity. The needle with triangle cross-section tip and larger size showed higher puncture force than that with round cross-section and smaller one. The penetration force reduced evidently with the advancing insertion angle, and it reached the lowest value when the angle is 90°. Moreover, an empirical single-parameter model of third-degree polynomial could predict the stiffness when a suture needle inserted into a complex soft tissue and showed a good fit to the experiment data. The results would provide reliable and significant mechanical database for the design of force feedback system in the surgical suture, either in endoscopic surgery or robotic suturing