Analysis of ultrasonic guided waves propagating in long bones and cortical thickness based on time-frequency methods

The ultrasonic signals in long bones contain multiple guided modes which are mutual superposed.The velocities of guided waves in long bones are very sensitive to cortical thickness (CTh).In this paper,Hilbert-Huang transform(HHT) was proposed to analyze multi-mode guided waves,which can decompose superposed waves into many independent modes.Then the group velocity of each mode was obtained at corresponding frequency,which was compared with the results of short time Fourier transform(STFT).The CTh was also obtained by comparing with the theoretical calculation.The results showed that the experimental determined thickness was in agreement with the actual CTh,indicating that measuring the velocity of the guided mode can be used to estimate the CTh.The HHT is an effective method to identify multimode guided waves.     

基于时频分布的盲信号分离方法研究长骨中的多模式导波信号

由于超声导波对长骨皮质骨的材料特性及厚度变化非常敏感,因此用导波评价长骨状况的研究已成为近年来的一个研究热点.在接收到的导波中,往往多种模式混叠在一起,使得进一步求取每种导波模式的群速度等与骨质状况密切相关的参数时遇到困难.本文采用基于时频分布的盲信号分离(TFBSS)方法对长骨中混叠的多模式进行分离,然后对分离后的单...     

Fabrication and characterization of TEOS-based silica aerogels prepared using rapid supercritical extraction

Silica aerogels were prepared using the precursor tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) via a rapid supercritical extraction (RSCE) method. Multiple consistent batches of monolithic TEOS-based aerogels were fabricated via an 8-h RSCE process. Fabricating TEOS-based aerogels with an RSCE method offers some distinct advantages. One advantage is the relative simplicity of the RSCE approach: liquid precursors are mixed and poured into a metal mold in a hydraulic hot-press, where gelation, aging and extraction of liquid from the pores occur. The precursor recipe employs TEOS, ethanol, water, oxalic acid to catalyze hydrolysis, and ammonia to catalyze the subsequent polycondensation reactions. Another advantage is that reaction of TEOS to form sol gels yields ethanol as a byproduct. A process that releases ethanol, rather than methanol (as in tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS)-based aerogels) may be more appealing for commercial applications, involving scale-up of the process. The significantly lower cost of TEOS, compared to TMOS, is a considerable advantage. The TEOS-based RSCE aerogels are mesoporous and optically translucent, have bulk densities of 0.099(±0.003) g/cm³ and surface areas of 460(±10) m²/g. Signals observed in infrared and Raman spectra of the aerogels are consistent with Si–O framework bonds. Using scanning electron microscopy imaging, the surface morphology of the aerogel samples was imaged at magnifications up to 150 kX.     

Mixed‐Metal MIL‐100(Sc,M) (M=Al,Cr, Fe) for Lewis Acid Catalysis and Tandem CC Bond Formation and Alcohol Oxidation

The trivalent metal cations Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, and Fe³⁺ were each introduced, together with Sc³⁺, into MIL‐100(Sc,M) solid solutions (M=Al, Cr, Fe) by direct synthesis. The substitution has been confirmed by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and solid‐state NMR, UV/Vis, and X‐ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy. Mixed Sc/Fe MIL‐100 samples were prepared in which part of the Fe is present as α‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles within the mesoporous cages of the MOF, as shown by XAS, TGA, and PXRD. The catalytic activity of the mixed‐metal catalysts in Lewis acid catalysed Friedel–Crafts additions increases with the amount of Sc present, with the attenuating effect of the second metal decreasing in the order Al>Fe>Cr. Mixed‐metal Sc,Fe materials give acceptable activity: 40 % Fe incorporation only results in a 20 % decrease in activity over the same reaction time and pure product can still be obtained and filtered off after extended reaction times. Supported α‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were also active Lewis acid species, although less active than Sc³⁺ in trimer sites. The incorporation of Fe³⁺ into MIL‐100(Sc) imparts activity for oxidation catalysis and tandem catalytic processes (Lewis acid+oxidation) that make use of both catalytically active framework Sc³⁺ and Fe³⁺. A procedure for using these mixed‐metal heterogeneous catalysts has been developed for making ketones from (hetero)aromatics and a hemiacetal.     

Influence of supporting ligand microenvironment on the aqueous stability and visible light-induced CO-release reactivity of zinc flavonolato species

The visible light-induced CO-release reactivity of the zinc flavonolato complex [(6-Ph₂TPA)Zn(3-Hfl)]ClO₄ (1) has been investigated in 1?:?1 H₂O?:?DMSO. Additionally, the effect of ligand secondary microenvironment on the aqueous stability and visible light-induced CO-release reactivity of zinc flavonolato species has been evaluated through the preparation, characterization, and examination of the photochemistry of compounds supported by chelate ligands with differing secondary appendages, [(TPA)Zn(3-Hfl)]ClO₄ (3; TPA = tris-2-(pyridylmethyl)amine) and [(bnpapa)Zn(3-Hfl)]ClO₄ (4; bnpapa = N,N-bis((6-neopentylamino-2-pyridyl)methyl)-N-((2-pyridyl)methyl)amine)). Compound 3 undergoes reaction in 1?:?1 H₂O?:?DMSO resulting in the release of the free neutral flavonol. Irradiation of acetonitrile solutions of 3 and 4 at 419 nm under aerobic conditions results in quantitative, photoinduced CO-release. However, the reaction quantum yields under these conditions are lower than that exhibited by 1, with 4 exhibiting an especially low quantum yield. Overall, the results of this study indicate that positioning a zinc flavonolato moiety within a hydrophobic microenvironment is an important design strategy toward further developing such compounds as CO-release agents for use in biological systems.     

Theoretical Calculations and Hydrothermal Processing of BaWO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Materials Under Environmentally Friendly Conditions

The hydrothermal processing conditions of BaWO₄ was studied by using a thermodynamic model of electrolytic solutions in order to avoid the empirical trial-and-error mode for optimizing synthesis of this material. The approach used makes it possible to predict the optimum conditions through stability and yield diagrams, which relate the equilibrium concentration of all species present as a function of temperature, solution pH, and input reagent concentrations. The theoretical predictions were verified by experiments at the predicted optimum conditions. The results showed that the thermodynamic model is adequate to predict the hydrothermal synthesis conditions under which BaWO₄ is stable and can be obtained as a phase-pure form.     

Chaetopterus variopedatus Bioluminescence: A Review of Light Emission within a Species Complex

Chaetopterus variopedatus has been studied for over a century in terms of its physiology, ecology and life history. One focus of research is on its intrinsic bioluminescent emissions, which can be observed as a blue light emitted from the extremities of individual body segments, or as a secreted mucus. Even though research shows that C. variopedatus is a species complex miscategorized as a single species, all of the variants of this polychaete produce light, which has been investigated in terms of both physiology and biochemistry. Despite decades of study, there are still many questions about the luminescence reaction, and, as of yet, no clear function for light emission exists. This review summarizes the current knowledge on C. variopedatus luminescence in addition to briefly describing its morphology, life cycle and ecology. Possible functions for luminescence were discussed using observations of specimens found in Brazil, along with a comparison of previous studies of other luminescent organisms. Further study will provide a better understanding of how and why C. variopedatus produces luminescence, and purifying the protein and luciferin involved could lead to new bioanalytical applications, as this reaction is unique among all known luminescent systems.     

On the applicability of soil water finite difference models to operational trafficability models

Certain current operational trafficability models (e.g. SMSP) use soil moisture models which are empirically based and have a relatively coarse time increment. It is proposed that the inclusion of a soil water finite difference model may more realistically represent the detailed soil water flux changes that occur near the surface, and thus provide an improved forecasting capability. Results are present which show the important role evaporation can play in its effect upon rating cone index values, emphasizing the need need to have a dynamic soil water model in trafficability modelling.     

Experimental study of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability induced by a Mach 3 shock wave

An experimental investigation of a shock-induced interfacial instability (Richtmyer-Meshkov instability) is undertaken in an effort to study temporal evolution of interfacial perturbations in the late stages of development. The experiments are performed in a vertical shock tube with a square cross-section. A membraneless interface is prepared by retracting a sinusoidally shaped metal plate initially separating carbon dioxide from air, with both gases initially at atmospheric pressure. With carbon dioxide above the plate, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability commences as the plate is retracted and the amplitude of the initial sinusoidal perturbation imposed on the interface begins to grow. The interface is accelerated by a strong shock wave (M = 3.08) while its shape is still sinusoidal and before the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability distorts it into the well known mushroom-like structures; its initial amplitude to wavelength ratio is large enough that the interface evolution enters its nonlinear stage very shortly after shock acceleration. The pre-shock evolution of the interface due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and the post-shock evolution of the interface due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability are visualized using planar Mie scattering. The pre-shock evolution of the interface is carried out in an independent set of experiments. The initial conditions for the Richtmyer-Meshkov experiment are determined from the pre-shock Rayleigh-Taylor growth. One image of the post-shock interface is obtained per experiment and image sequences, showing the post-shock evolution of the interface, are constructed from several experiments. The growth rate of the perturbation amplitude is measured and compared with two recent analytical models of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability.PACS: 52.35.Py, 52.35.Tc     

Coupling between high-frequency modes and a low-frequency mode: Theory and experiment

An analytical and experimental investigation into the response of a nonlinear continuous system with widely separated natural frequencies is presented. The system investigated is a thin, slightly curved, isotropic, flexible cantilever beam mounted vertically. In the experiments, for certain vertical harmonic base excitations, we observed that the response consisted of the first, third, and fourth modes. In these cases, the modulation frequency of the amplitudes and phases of the third and fourth modes was equal to the response frequency of the first mode. Subsequently, we developed an analytical model to explain the interactions between the widely separated modes observed in the experiments. We used a three-mode Galerkin projection of the partial-differential equation governing a thin, isotropic, inextensional beam and obtained a sixth-order nonautonomous system of equations by using an unconventional coordinate transformation. In the analytical model, we used experimentally determined damping coefficients. From this nonautonomous system, we obtained a first approximation of the response by using the method of averaging. The analytically predicted responses and bifurcation diagrams show good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. The current study brings to light a new type of nonlinear motion not reported before in the literature and should be of relevance to many structural and mechanical systems. In this motion, a static response of a low-frequency mode interacts with the dynamic response of two high-frequency modes. This motion loses stability, resulting in oscillations of the low-frequency mode accompanied by a modulation of the amplitudes and phases of the high-frequency modes.