Loading history and age are factors for disc degeneration and disc biomechanics; however, their relationship is unclear. To evaluate disc biomechanics, we conducted an experimental, anatomical and numerical approach t...Loading history and age are factors for disc degeneration and disc biomechanics; however, their relationship is unclear. To evaluate disc biomechanics, we conducted an experimental, anatomical and numerical approach to distinguish discs with mild and severe degeneration. In the experimental procedure, 10 cadaveric lumbar discs are tested to static and dynamic compression, and the elastic and viscous moduli and the dynamic parameters are reported. The morphology of disc degeneration is gained with MRI （magnetic resonance imaging） and used to generate a nonlinear finite element model of a degenerated disc, and assisted with the experimental results in order to numerically investigate the distribution of stresses and strains within the disc. The results show a promising methodology for the study of intervertebral disc biomechanics and in general other tissues, organs and medical devices.展开更多
Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) symbionts are able to greatly affect soil fertility. However, the relationships between AM symbiosis development levels and citrus mycorrhizosphere soil fertility remain weakly known in fiel...Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) symbionts are able to greatly affect soil fertility. However, the relationships between AM symbiosis development levels and citrus mycorrhizosphere soil fertility remain weakly known in field. In our study, AM colonization, spore density, hyphal length density, and glomalin-related soil protein(GRSP) content in citrus(Robertson naval orange grafted on Citrus reticulata Blanco) orchards along an altitudinal gradient were investigated seasonally in southern China. The results showed that AM colonization and abundances of spore and hyphae fluctuated significantly in different seasons and altitudes. The highest AM colonization(83.03%) was observed in orchards at 200 m above sea level in summer, spore density(16.8 spores g-1soil) in orchards at 400 m in autumn, and hyphal length density(2.36 m g-1soil) in orchards at 600 m orchards in summer; while the lowest values(43.60%, 2.7 spores g-1soil and 0.52 m g-1soil of AM colonization, spore density, and hyphal length density, respectively) were all observed in orchards at 800 m in winter. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the soil properties such as soil organic matter,alkali-hydrolyzable N, available P, and p H were significantly(P < 0.05) positively correlated with either citrus total AM colonization or the abundances of spore and hyphae. GRSP was significantly(P < 0.05) positively correlated with soil organic matter and p H.Redundancy analysis supported that soil environmental factors such as altitude, GRSP, soil organic matter, and alkali-hydrolyzable N severely(Monte Carlo permutation tests, P = 0.002) influenced AM colonization and abundances of spore and hyphae in citrus orchards. Our data demonstrated that soil environmental factors are vital in determining AM symbiosis development in citrus orchards.展开更多
文摘Loading history and age are factors for disc degeneration and disc biomechanics; however, their relationship is unclear. To evaluate disc biomechanics, we conducted an experimental, anatomical and numerical approach to distinguish discs with mild and severe degeneration. In the experimental procedure, 10 cadaveric lumbar discs are tested to static and dynamic compression, and the elastic and viscous moduli and the dynamic parameters are reported. The morphology of disc degeneration is gained with MRI （magnetic resonance imaging） and used to generate a nonlinear finite element model of a degenerated disc, and assisted with the experimental results in order to numerically investigate the distribution of stresses and strains within the disc. The results show a promising methodology for the study of intervertebral disc biomechanics and in general other tissues, organs and medical devices.
基金supported by the China Spark Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology,China(No.2007EA760023)
文摘Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) symbionts are able to greatly affect soil fertility. However, the relationships between AM symbiosis development levels and citrus mycorrhizosphere soil fertility remain weakly known in field. In our study, AM colonization, spore density, hyphal length density, and glomalin-related soil protein(GRSP) content in citrus(Robertson naval orange grafted on Citrus reticulata Blanco) orchards along an altitudinal gradient were investigated seasonally in southern China. The results showed that AM colonization and abundances of spore and hyphae fluctuated significantly in different seasons and altitudes. The highest AM colonization(83.03%) was observed in orchards at 200 m above sea level in summer, spore density(16.8 spores g-1soil) in orchards at 400 m in autumn, and hyphal length density(2.36 m g-1soil) in orchards at 600 m orchards in summer; while the lowest values(43.60%, 2.7 spores g-1soil and 0.52 m g-1soil of AM colonization, spore density, and hyphal length density, respectively) were all observed in orchards at 800 m in winter. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the soil properties such as soil organic matter,alkali-hydrolyzable N, available P, and p H were significantly(P < 0.05) positively correlated with either citrus total AM colonization or the abundances of spore and hyphae. GRSP was significantly(P < 0.05) positively correlated with soil organic matter and p H.Redundancy analysis supported that soil environmental factors such as altitude, GRSP, soil organic matter, and alkali-hydrolyzable N severely(Monte Carlo permutation tests, P = 0.002) influenced AM colonization and abundances of spore and hyphae in citrus orchards. Our data demonstrated that soil environmental factors are vital in determining AM symbiosis development in citrus orchards.
