The aim of this study was to determine the hardness and reduced modulus of elasticity of juvenile wood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) using the nanoindentation method, and then to compare the results obtained with those of mature wood. The hardness of juvenile pine wood determined by means of the nanoindentation method was 0.444 GPa while for mature wood it was 0.474 GPa. Statistically significant differences between the values were found. The reduced modulus of elasticity in juvenile wood was 14.0 GPa and 16.4 GPa in mature wood. Thus, the hardness values obtained were about 7% higher, while the modulus of elasticity was 17% higher in mature wood. All determinations were made in the S2-layer of the secondary cell wall.
To this day, most of the papers related to hybrid joints were focused on single and double lap joints in which shear deformation and degradation was the dominant phenomenon. However, in real constructions, complex state of loads can be created by: a) torsion with shear, b) bending with shear, c) torsion with tensile.
Analytical and numerical computation for simple mechanical joints is known, however, the introduction of an adhesive layer to this joint makes the load transferred both through: (1) the adhesive and (2) mechanical fasteners. There is also an interaction between the amount and stiffness of mechanical fasteners and the strength of the adhesive layer.
The paper presents the results of numerical calculations for the bending with shear type of load for the hybrid structural joint and corresponding simple joints by: (1) pure adhesion and (2) rivets with different quantity maintaining the same cross-sectional area. A total of 9 simulations were performed for: (1) 4 types of pure rivets connections, (2) pure adhesive joint and (3) 4 kinds of hybrid joints. The surface-based cohesive behavior was used for creation of the adhesive layer, whereas the rivets were modelled by connector type fasteners, which simplify complexity of the numerical model. The use of connectors allowed for effort assessment taking into account damage in both types of connections. Application of connector elements can be useful for larger structures modelling, e.g. aircraft fuselage, where the number of mechanical joints is significant and complex load conditions occur.
Results for microcrystalline cellulose pyrolysis are presented, which includes thermogravimetric measurements and kinetic analysis of experimental data. The effect of sample mass size and heating rate on estimated values of activation energy and pre-exponential factor is demonstrated and a simple modification of procedure is proposed that allows for the correct values of kinetic parameters regardless of the experimental conditions. The efficiency of the proposed method is confirmed for two endothermic chemical reactions. A method of nonlinear regression is used for calculation of kinetic parameters for a single or TG curve or several curves simultaneously.
The issue of maximizing penetration depth with concurrent retaining or enhancement of image resolution constitutes one of the time invariant challenges in ultrasound imaging. Concerns about potential and undesirable side effects set limits on the possibility of overcoming the frequency dependent attenuation effects by increasing peak acoustic amplitudes of the waves probing the tissue. To overcome this limitation a pulse compression technique employing 16 bits Complementary Golay Sequences (CGS) Code was implemented at 4 MHz. In comparison with other, earlier proposed, coded excitation schemes, such as chirp, pseudo-random chirp and Barker codes, the CGS allowed virtually side lobe free operation. Experimental data indicate that the quality — resolution, signal penetration and contrast dynamics — of CGS images is better than the one obtain for standard ultrasonography using short burst excitation.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a second prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) treatment during Ovsynch on luteal regression and fertility in dairy cows, compared with standard Ovsynch. The study was conducted on 111 Holstein Friesian multiparous cows on commercial dairy farm. The cows in the experimental group (n=48) received two treatments of PGF2α 24 hours apart during Ovsynch. The cows in the control group (n=63) were synchronized with standard Ovsynch. To assess the progesterone (P4) concentration blood samples were collected at the day of PGF2α treatment and at the 2nd GnRH treatment. Pregnancy was evaluated by ultrasound examination 37-40 days after timed artificial insemination (TAI) by ultrasound. Cows diagnosed pregnant were re-examined between days 70-80 after TAI. The percentage of cows with complete corpus luteum (CL) regression (P4<0.5 ng/ml at the time of the 2nd GnRH treatment) was 89.6 % after two PGF2α treatments and 88.9 % after one PGF2α treatment. There were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) in the pregnancies per artificial insemination (P/AI) between the experimental and control group (P/AI). However, the pregnancy loss rate was lower in cows receiving two PGF2α treatments than in the control animals (0.0 % vs. 6.4 %; p<0.05). In conclusion, the second PGF2α treatment during Ovsynch protocol had no significant effect on CL regression and P/AI in dairy cows. The pregnancy losses until days 75-80 after TAI were significantly lower after two PGF2α treatments than after one PGF2α treatment.
The attenuating properties of biological tissue are of great importance in ultrasonic medical imaging. Investigations performed in vitro and in vivo showed the correlation between pathological changes in the tissue and variation of the attenuation coefficient. In order to estimate the attenuation we have used the downshift of mean frequency (fm) of the interrogating ultrasonic pulse propagating in the medium. To determine the fm along the propagation path we have applied the fm estimator (I/Q algorithm adopted from the Doppler mean frequency estimation technique). The mean-frequency shift trend was calculated using Single Spectrum Analysis. Next, the trends were converted into attenuation coefficient distributions and finally the parametric images were computed. The RF data were collected in simulations and experiments applying the synthetic aperture (SA) transmit-receiving scheme. In measurements the ultrasonic scanner enabling a full control of the transmission and reception was used. The resolution and accuracy of the method was verified using tissue mimicking phantom with uniform echogenicity but varying attenuation coefficient.
A trabecular bone consists of trabeculae whose mechanical properties differ significantly from the surrounding marrow, therefore an ultrasonic wave propagating within the bone structure is strongly scattered. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the contribution of the first, second and higher order scattering (multiple scattering) into the total scattering of ultrasound in a trabecular bone. The scattering due to the interconnections between thick trabeculae, usually neglected in trabecular bone models, has been also studied. The basic element in our model of the trabecular bone was an elastic cylinder with a various finite-length and diameter as well as orientation. The applied model was taking into account variation of both, elements size and their spatial configuration. The field scattered on the bone model was evaluated by solving numerically the integral form of the generalized Sturm-Liouville equation describing a scalar wave in inhomogeneous and lossy media. For the scattered fields calculated numerically the effective cross-sections were determined. The influence of absorption on the scattering coefficients was demonstrated. The results allowed to conclude that within the frequency range from 0.5 to 1.5 MHz contribution of the second order scattering to the effective backscattering cross-section is at least 500 times lower than that due to the first order scattering. It was noticed that for a frequency higher than 1.5 MHz fast growth of the backscattering (reflection) coefficients, calculated for the second order scattering, occurs.
Quantitative ultrasound has been widely used for tissue characterization. In this paper we propose a new approach for tissue compression assessment. The proposed method employs the relation between the tissue scatterers’ local spatial distribution and the resulting frequency power spectrum of the backscattered ultrasonic signal. We show that due to spatial distribution of the scatterers, the power spectrum exhibits characteristic variations. These variations can be extracted using the empirical mode decomposition and analyzed. Validation of our approach is performed by simulations and in-vitro experiments using a tissue sample under compression. The scatterers in the compressed tissue sample approach each other and consequently, the power spectrum of the backscattered signal is modified. We present how to assess this phenomenon with our method. The proposed in this paper approach is general and may provide useful information on tissue scattering properties.
The pathological states of biological tissue are often resulted in attenuation changes. Thus, information about attenuating properties of tissue is valuable for the physician and could be useful in ultrasonic diagnosis. We are currently developing a technique for parametric imaging of attenuation and we intend to apply it for in vivo characterization of tissue. The attenuation estimation method based on the echoes mean frequency changes due to tissue attenuation dispersion, is presented. The Doppler IQ technique was adopted to estimate the mean frequency directly from the raw RF data. The Singular Spectrum Analysis technique was used for the extraction of mean frequency trends. These trends were converted into attenuation distribution and finally the parametric images were computed. In order to reduce variation of attenuation estimates the spatial compounding method was applied. Operation and accuracy of attenuation extracting procedure was verified by calculating the attenuation coefficient distribution using the data from the tissue phantom (DFS, Denmark) with uniform echogenicity while attenuation coefficient underwent variation.
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