Spatially defined single-cell transcriptional profiling characterizes diverse chondrocyte subtypes and nucleus pulposus progenitors in human intervertebral discs

A comprehensive understanding of the cellular heterogeneity and molecular mechanisms underlying the development,homeostasis,and disease of human intervertebral disks(IVDs)remains challenging.Here,the transcriptomic landscape of 108108 IVD cells was mapped using single-cell RNA sequencing of three main compartments from young and adult healthy IVDs,including the nucleus pulposus(NP),annulus fibrosus,and cartilage endplate(CEP).The chondrocyte subclusters were classified based on their potential regulatory,homeostatic,and effector functions in extracellular matrix(ECM)homeostasis.Notably,in the NP,a PROCR+resident progenitor population showed enriched colony-forming unit-fibroblast(CFU-F)activity and trilineage differentiation capacity.Finally,intercellular crosstalk based on signaling network analysis uncovered that the PDGF and TGF-βcascades are important cues in the NP microenvironment.In conclusion,a single-cell transcriptomic atlas that resolves spatially regulated cellular heterogeneity together with the critical signaling that underlies homeostasis will help to establish new therapeutic strategies for IVD degeneration in the clinic.

Improving surface integrity of micro-holes in ECDM using ultrahigh-speed rotary of tool cathode and non-water-based electrolyte

The surface integrity of metal micro-hole structures produced by electrochemical discharge machining is unsatisfactory owing to the insufficient reaction area and strength of electrolysis action.A novel ultrahigh-speed Rotary Electrochemical Discharge Machining(R-ECDM)using non-water-based electrolyte is proposed to improve surface integrity by changing the breakdown medium of spark discharge and increasing the reaction area and strength of electrolysis.A mathematical model was developed to establish the relationship between rotational speed and forces acting on the bubble.Based on the magnitude of forces,controlling rotational speed changed the behavior and departure radius of bubbles on the cathode surface.High-speed photographs validate that,in the mathematical model,the number and departure radius of bubbles on the cathode surface gradually decrease with the increase of rotational speed.The experimental results show that the roughness(Ra)of the micro-hole sidewall decreases from 2.54μm to 0.20μm when the rotational speed increases from 500 r/min to 40000 r/min.The length loss and wear ratio of the cathode are only 9.75μm and 6.5%,respectively.Finally,the micro-holes array with recast-free and surface roughness of 0.20μm is fabricated,demonstrating that the proposed approach contributes to improving surface integrity of metal micro-holes.

Evaluation of embedded modular branched stent graft in treating aortic arch aneurysm using imaging-based computational flow analysis

Embedded modular branched stent graft(EMBSG)was a new option for aortic arch aneurysm.However,the therapeutic effect of this innovative stenting technique has not been fully assessed.Computational fluid dynamics and three-dimensional structural analyses were performed on three patients(Patient Ⅰ,Patient Ⅱ and Patient Ⅲ)with aortic arch aneurysm,both before and after EMBSG implantation.Patient-specific alterations from preoperative to postoperative were analyzed via morphological and functional metrics.Patient Ⅰ and Patient Ⅱ showed notable curvature changes and area reduction after intervention procedure.Three patients showed an increase in flow velocity after EMBSG implantation,while the pressure drop from ascending aorta to the aortic arch was remarkable in Patient I and Patient Ⅱ with the value of 7.09mmHg,and 10.95mmHg,respectively.Patient I and Patient Ⅱ also showed elevated time-averaged wall shear stress(TAWSS)in the stenting region,while Patient Ⅲ showed a trivial change in TAWSS after intervention procedure.Three patients showed low relative residence time after EMBSG insertion.The short-term results of EMBSG in treating aortic arch aneurysm were promising.Hemodynamic parameters have the potential to assist in the outcome evaluation and might be used to guide the stent graft design and wise selection,thereby improving the long-term therapeutic effect in managing complex vascular disease.

Improving profile accuracy and surface quality of blisk by electrochemical machining with a micro inter-electrode gap

Electrochemical machining(ECM)has emerged as an important option for manufacturing the blisk.The inter-electrode gap(IEG)distribution is an essential parameter for the blisk precise shap-ing process in ECM,as it affects the process stability,profile accuracy and surface quality.Larger IEG leads to a poor localization effect and has an adverse influence on the machining accuracy and surface quality of blisk.To achieve micro-IEG(<50 lm)blisk finishing machining,this work puts forward a novel variable-parameters blisk ECM strategy based on the synchronous coupling mode of micro-vibration amplitude and small pulse duration.The modelling and simulation of the blisk micro-IEG machining have been carried out.Exploratory experiments of variable-parameters blisk ECM were car-ried out.The results illustrated that the IEG width reduced with the progress of variable parameter pro-cess.The IEG width of the blade’s concave part and convex part could be successfully controlled to within 30 lm and 21 lm,respectively.The profile deviation for the blade’s concave surface and convex surface are 49 lm and 35 lm,while the surface roughness reaches R_(a)=0.149 lm and R_(a)=0.196 lm,respectively.The profile accuracy of the blisk leading/trailing edges was limited to within 91 lm.Com-pared with the currently-established process,the profile accuracy of the blade’s concave and convex profiles was improved by 50.5%and 53.3%,respectively.The surface quality was improved by 53.2%and 50.9%,respectively.Additionally,the machined surface was covered with small corrosion pits and weak attacks of the grain boundary due to selective dissolution.Some electrolytic products were dispersed on the machined surface,and their components were mainly composed of the carbide and oxide products of Ti and Nb elements.The results indicate that the variable-parameters strategy is effective for achieving a tiny IEG in blisk ECM,which can be used in engineering practice.

Breakthrough detection in electrochemical discharge drilling to enhance machining stability

Film cooling holes are widely used in aero-engine turbine blades.These blades feature large numbers of holes with complex angles and require a high level of surface integrity.Electrochemical discharge drilling(ECDD)combines the high efficiency of electrical discharge drilling(EDD)with high quality of electrochemical drilling(ECD).However,due to the existence of a variety of energy for material removal,accurate and timely detection of breakthroughs is fraught with difficulties.An insufficient preset setting distance results in a tiny exit aperture,influencing the structure's shape.In addition,the electrode is prone to bending at a large overfeeding distance,causing secondary discharge damaging sidewall surface integrity.This paper compares and analyzes the characteristics of processing waveforms using EDD and ECDD.A novel breakthrough detection method is proposed based on the variance signal of average voltage(VSAV)to increase machining stability and achieve fabrication without a recast layer.This method extracts the fluctuation transformation by calculating the variance of the average.Following signal detection,the overfeeding distance is quantified.An experiment is used to validate the breakthrough detection with 100%accuracy in all tests.The optimum overfeeding distances for hole angles of 0°,30°,and 60° are obtained,and the stable removal of the recast layer is realized.Finally,the effectiveness of the method is verified on a typical workpiece with a double-wall structure and a nickel-based single crystal blade.

Multi-channel spectral-domain optical coherence tomography using single spectrometer

Multi-channel detection is an effective way to improve data throughput of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SDOCT).However,current multi-channel OCT requires multiple detectors,which increases the complexity and cost of the system.We propose a novel multi-channel detection design based on a single spectrometer.Each camera pixel receives interferometric spectral signals from all the channels but with a spectral shift between two channels.This design effectively broadens the spectral bandwidth of each pixel,which reduces relative intensity noise(RIN)by√M times with M being the number of channels.We theoretically analyzed the noise of the proposed design under two cases:shot-noise limited and electrical noise or RIN limited.We show both theoretically and experimentally that this design can effectively improve the sensitivity,especially for electrical noise or RIN-dominated systems.

Electrochemical machining of complex components of aero-engines: Developments, trends, and technological advances

Because of several advantages, such as no tool wear, independence on the mechanical properties of the material, and high machining efficiency, electrochemical machining(ECM) has become a viable method for machining components in numerous industrial applications, particularly in the manufacture of typical aero-engine components with complex structures fabricated from materials that are difficult to cut. This paper highlights the current developments, new trends, and technological advances of key factors of ECM, such as electrochemical dissolution characteristics of novel difficult to cut materials which are often used in aero-engine, numerical simulation of electrochemical process, design for the complex profile and structure of cathode tool, flow field simulation and design for uniform electrolyte flow, and innovation of electrochemical machining or hybrid methods which reflect the state of the art in academic and industrial research on electrochemical machining in aero-engine manufacturing.

Electrochemical machining on blisk channels with a variable feed rate mode

Electrochemical machining(ECM)is an economical and effective method for blisk manufacturing and includes two steps:channel machining and profile machining.The allowance distribution after the channel machining will directly affect the profile machining.Therefore,to improve the uniformity of allowance distribution in the machining of channels,a method that incorporates a variable feed rate mode is developed.During the machining process,the feed rates are dynamically changed according to the needs of the side gap at the different feed depths.As a result,the side gaps at the different feed depths vary,contributing to a decrease in the allowance difference.In this study,the dissolution processes of a blisk channel are simulated using different feed rates,and prediction profiles are obtained.Based on the prediction profiles,the relationship among the feed rate,feed depth,and side gap is established.Then,the feed rates at different feed depths are adjusted according to the relationship.In addition,contrast experiments are conducted.Compared with blisk channel ECM using a constant feed rate of 1 mm/min,using the variable feed rate decreases the allowance differences in the convex and concave parts by 62.2%and 67.4%,respectively.This indicates that using the variable feed rate in the ECM process for a blisk channel is feasible and efficient.

Surface-improvement mechanism of hybrid electrochemical discharge process using variable-amplitude pulses

Superalloys are commonly used in aircraft manufacturing;however,the requirements for high surface quality and machining accuracy make them difficult to machine.In this study,a hybrid electrochemical discharge process using variable-amplitude pulses is proposed to achieve this target.In this method,electrochemical machining(ECM)and electrical discharge machining(EDM)are unified into a single process using a sequence of variable-amplitude pulses such that the machining process realizes both good surface finish and high machining accuracy.Furthermore,the machining mechanism of the hybrid electrochemical discharge process using variable-amplitude pulses is studied.The mechanism is investigated by observations of machining waveforms and machined surface.It is found that,with a high-frequency transformation between high-and low-voltage waveforms within a voltage cycle,the machining mechanism is frequently transformed from EDM to pure ECM.The critical discharge voltage is 40 V.When pulse voltages greater than 40 V are applied,the machining accuracy is good;however,the surface has defects such as numerous discharge craters.High machining accuracy is maintained when high-voltage pulses are replaced by low-voltage pulses to enhance electrochemical dissolution.The results indicate that the proposed hybrid electrochemical discharge process using variable-amplitude pulses can yield high-quality surfaces with high machining accuracy.

Electrochemical cutting of mortise-tenon joint structure by rotary tube electrode with helically distributed jet-flow holes

In aero-engines,mortise-tenon joint structures are often used to connect the blades to the turbine disk.The disadvantages associated with conventional manufacturing techniques mean that a low-cost,high-efficiency,and high-quality nickel-based mortise–tenon joint structure is an urgent requirement in the field of aviation engineering.Electrochemical cutting is a potential machining method for manufacturing these parts,as there is no tool degradation in the cutting process and high-quality surfaces can be obtained.To realize the electrochemical cutting of a mortise-tenon joint structure,a method using a tube electrode with helically distributed jet-flow holes on the side-wall is proposed.During feeding,the tube electrode rotates along its central axis.Flow field simulations show that the rotational speed of the tube electrode determines the direct spraying time of the high-speed electrolyte ejected from the jet-flow holes to the machining area,while the electrolyte pressure determines the flow rate of the electrolyte and the velocity of the electrolyte ejected from the jet-flow holes.The machining results using the proposed method are verified experimentally,and the machining parameters are optimized.Finally,mortise and tenon samples are successfully machined using 20 mm thick Inconel 718 alloy with a feeding rate of 5μm/s.