Validity and sensitivity of a human cranial finite element model: Implications for comparative studies of biting performance

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a modelling technique increasingly used in anatomical studies investigating skeletal form and function. In the case of the cranium this approach has been applied to both living and fossil taxa to (for example) investigate how form relates to function or infer diet or behaviour. However, FE models of complex musculoskeletal structures always rely on simplified representations because it is impossible completely to image and represent every detail of skeletal morphology, variations in material properties and the complexities of loading at all spatial and temporal scales. The effects of necessary simplifications merit investigation. To this end, this study focuses on one aspect, model geometry, which is particularly pertinent to fossil material where taphonomic processes often destroy the finer details of anatomy or in models built from clinical CTs where the resolution is limited and anatomical details are lost. We manipulated the details of a finite element (FE) model of an adult human male cranium and examined the impact on model performance. First, using digital speckle interferometry, we directly measured strains from the infraorbital region and frontal process of the maxilla of the physical cranium under simplified loading conditions, simulating incisor biting. These measured strains were then compared with predicted values from FE models with simplified geometries that included modifications to model resolution, and how cancellous bone and the thin bones of the circum-nasal and maxillary regions were represented. Distributions of regions of relatively high and low principal strains and principal strain vector magnitudes and directions, predicted by the most detailed FE model, are generally similar to those achieved in vitro. Representing cancellous bone as solid cortical bone lowers strain magnitudes substantially but the mode of deformation of the FE model is relatively constant. In contrast, omitting thin plates of bone in the circum-nasal region affects both mode and magnitude of deformation. Our findings provide a useful frame of reference with regard to the effects of simplifications on the performance of FE models of the cranium and call for caution in the interpretation and comparison of FEA results

AgO investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy : Evidence for mixed valence

We present photoelectron spectroscopy investigations of in-situ prepared AgO. The sample was prepared by room temperature oxidation of Ag in an electron cyclotron resonance O2 plasma. In contrast to other measurements based on ex situ prepared AgO powder samples, our investigations show a distinct double peak structure of the O 1s signal with a remarkable chemical shift of 2.9 eV between the two O 1s components. These two components can not be motivated from a crystallographic point of view as the oxygen sites are all equivalent in the unit cell. We interpret this double peak structure as a characteristic feature of AgO and discuss it in terms of mixed valences

Obituary

On the 22nd of July 2019, professor Per Ole Träskman passed away at age 75. Bornin 1944, Per Ole Träskman’s enitre working life was dedicated to criminal law. TheNordic criminal law environment has lost one of its most essential contributors anddistinct and admirable personalities

The biomechanical function of periodontal ligament fibres in orthodontic tooth movement

Orthodontic tooth movement occurs as a result of resorption and formation of the alveolar bone due to an applied load, but the stimulus responsible for triggering orthodontic tooth movement remains the subject of debate. It has been suggested that the periodontal ligament (PDL) plays a key role. However, the mechanical function of the PDL in orthodontic tooth movement is not well understood as most mechanical models of the PDL to date have ignored the fibrous structure of the PDL. In this study we use finite element (FE) analysis to investigate the strains in the alveolar bone due to occlusal and orthodontic loads when PDL is modelled as a fibrous structure as compared to modelling PDL as a layer of solid material. The results show that the tension-only nature of the fibres essentially suspends the tooth in the tooth socket and their inclusion in FE models makes a significant difference to both the magnitude and distribution of strains produced in the surrounding bone. The results indicate that the PDL fibres have a very important role in load transfer between the teeth and alveolar bone and should be considered in FE studies investigating the biomechanics of orthodontic tooth movement. © 2014 McCormack et al

A well-preserved specimen of the trilobite Macroblepharum africanum from the Wissenbach Shale (Devonian: Emsian–Eifelian transitional beds), Upper Harz Mountains (Lower Saxony, Germany)

Ein nahezu vollständig erhaltenes Exemplar von Macroblepharum africanum clausthalense n. ssp. [früher als M. africanum n. ssp. A (G. Alberti, 1969) bezeichnet] wird vorgestellt. Es stammt aus dem Wissenbach- Schiefer aus dem Übergangs-Bereich Emsium/Eifelium an der Hut-Taler Widerwaage SE von Clausthal-Zellerfeld im Ober-Harz (Niedersachsen, Deutschland). Die wichtigsten diagnostischen Merkmale sind die sehr breite, birnenförmige Glabella, die völlige Unterdrückung des Präglabellar-Feldes und die glatte Panzer-Oberfläche.A nearly complete specimen of Macroblepharum africanum clausthalense n. ssp., previously determined as M. africanum n. ssp. A (G. Alberti, 1969), is described. The specimen was collected from the Wissenbach Shale of the Emsian–Eifelian transitional beds at the Hut-Taler Widerwaage SE of Clausthal-Zellerfeld in the Upper Harz Mountains (Lower Saxony, Germany). Diagnostic characters are the very broad, pear-shaped glabella, the totally suppressed preglabellar field, and the smooth surface detail

The biomechanical role of the chondrocranium and sutures in a lizard cranium

The role of soft tissues in skull biomechanics remains poorly understood. Not least, the chondrocranium, the portion of the braincase which persists as cartilage with varying degrees of mineralization. It also remains commonplace to overlook the biomechanical role of sutures despite evidence that they alter strain distribution. Here, we examine the role of both the sutures and the chondrocranium in the South American tegu lizard Salvator merianae. We use multi-body dynamics analysis (MDA) to provide realistic loading conditions for anterior and posterior unilateral biting and a detailed finite element model to examine strain magnitude and distribution. We find that strains within the chondrocraniumare greatest during anterior biting and are primarily tensile; also that strain within the cranium is not greatly reduced by the presence of the chondrocraniumunless it is given the same material properties as bone. This result contradicts previous suggestions that the anterior portion (the nasal septum) acts as a supporting structure. Inclusion of sutures to the cranium model not only increases overall strain magnitudes but also leads to a more complex distribution of tension and compression rather than that of a beam under sagittal bending

Masticatory biomechanics in the rabbit : a multi-body dynamics analysis

Acknowledgement We thank Sue Taft (University of Hull) for the µCT-scanning of the rabbit specimen used in this study. We also thank Raphaël Cornette, Jacques Bonnin, Laurent Dufresne, and l'Amicale des Chasseurs Trappistes (ACT) for providing permission and helping us capture the rabbits used for the in vivo bite force measurements at la Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St Quentin en Yvelines, France.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electronic Band Dispersion of Graphene Nanoribbons via Fourier-Transformed Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

Atomically precise armchair graphene nanoribbons of width $N=7$ (7-AGNRs) are investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) on Au(111). The analysis of energy-dependent standing wave patterns of finite length ribbons allows, by Fourier transformation, the direct extraction of the dispersion relation of frontier electronic states. Aided by density functional theory calculations, we assign the states to the valence band, the conduction band and the next empty band of 7-AGNRs, determine effective masses of $0.42\pm 0.08\,m_e$, $0.40\pm 0.18\,m_e$ and $0.20\pm 0.03\,m_e$, respectively, and a band gap of $2.37\pm 0.06$ eV.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Towards a Theory of the Criminal Justice System

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Reflexive Supervision als theoretischer Ansatz - Entwicklungslinien und praktische Begründung

Der Beitrag erinnert an die Anfänge der Supervision in Deutschland und an eine Generation von Supervisoren, die mit den Zuständen in der Pädagogik und Sozialen Arbeit nicht mehr einverstanden und deutlich am Aufbau einer demokratischen Gesellschaft interessiert waren. Von hier werden theoretische Fragen und Forschungslinien aufgezeigt, die für eine Theorie der Supervision genutzt werden können