Interfacial stress transfer behavior in a specially-shaped fiber/matrix pullout test

Specially designed fibers are widely used in engineering practice because the specially-designed shape can help to improve the bonding strength of the fiber and the interface. Studied in this paper is the interfacial shear stress transfer behavior on both sides of the specially designed fiber when it is being pulled out; in which automatic analysis of three-dimensional photoelasticity is employed and the finite element method is adopted. The results show that the stress transfer occurs mainly in the region near the fiber＇s embedded end where the stress reaches its critical point, leading to debonding of the interface. Before debonding, as the pullout loading increases, the peak value of shear stress transfers along the fiber from the embedded end to the interior of the matrix, and then stops at the hooked part of the fiber because of its impediment. When the interface begins to debond as the load increases, the shear stress can be transferred to the hooked part.

Demineralized Bone Matrix Fibers plus Allograft Bone for Multilevel Posterolateral Spine Fusion: A Game Changer?

Introduction: While autograft bone is the gold standard for multilevel posterolateral lumbar fusion, bone substitutes and graft extenders such as allograft bone, ceramics and demineralized bone matrix (DBM) have been used to avoid the morbidity and insufficient quantity associated with harvesting autologous bone. The primary objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether, in patients with increased risk of operative nonunion related to multilevel fusion, adding DBM fibers to mineralized bone allograft resulted in better fusion than using allograft alone. The secondary objectives were to evaluate how adding DBM fibers affects functional disability, low back pain, intraoperative blood loss and the nonunion rate. Methods: This retrospective study involved a chart review of consecutive patients who underwent multilevel lumbar spinal fusion and were operated on by a single surgeon. The patients were divided into two groups: 14 patients received mineralized bone allograft (control group) and 14 patients received a combination of mineralized bone allograft and DBM (experimental group). Patients were reviewed at a mean of 16.4 ± 2.2 months after surgery at which point CT scans were analyzed to determine whether fusion had occurred;Oswestry disability index (ODI) and pain were also evaluated. Results: A mean of 5 levels [min 2, max 13] were fused in these patients. Posterolateral fusion as defined by the Lenke classification was not significantly different between groups. The experimental DBM group had a significantly better composite fusion score than the control group (P Discussion: Adding DBM fibers to allograft bone during multilevel posterolateral spinal fusion was safe and produced better composite fusion than using allograft only as an autograft extender.

High quality repair of osteochondral defects in rats using the extracellular matrix of antler stem cells

BACKGROUND Cartilage defects are some of the most common causes of arthritis.Cartilage lesions caused by inflammation,trauma or degenerative disease normally result in osteochondral defects.Previous studies have shown that decellularized extracellular matrix(ECM)derived from autologous,allogenic,or xenogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells(MSCs)can effectively restore osteochondral integrity.AIM To determine whether the decellularized ECM of antler reserve mesenchymal cells(RMCs),a xenogeneic material from antler stem cells,is superior to the currently available treatments for osteochondral defects.METHODS We isolated the RMCs from a 60-d-old sika deer antler and cultured them in vitro to 70%confluence;50 mg/mL L-ascorbic acid was then added to the medium to stimulate ECM deposition.Decellularized sheets of adipocyte-derived MSCs(aMSCs)and antlerogenic periosteal cells(another type of antler stem cells)were used as the controls.Three weeks after ascorbic acid stimulation,the ECM sheets were harvested and applied to the osteochondral defects in rat knee joints.RESULTS The defects were successfully repaired by applying the ECM-sheets.The highest quality of repair was achieved in the RMC-ECM group both in vitro(including cell attachment and proliferation),and in vivo(including the simultaneous regeneration of well-vascularized subchondral bone and avascular articular hyaline cartilage integrated with surrounding native tissues).Notably,the antler-stem-cell-derived ECM(xenogeneic)performed better than the aMSC-ECM(allogenic),while the ECM of the active antler stem cells was superior to that of the quiescent antler stem cells.CONCLUSION Decellularized xenogeneic ECM derived from the antler stem cell,particularly the active form(RMC-ECM),can achieve high quality repair/reconstruction of osteochondral defects,suggesting that selection of decellularized ECM for such repair should be focused more on bioactivity rather than kinship.

Wavelength-interval switchable Brillouin–Raman random fiber laser through Brillouin pump manipulation

A wavelength-interval switchable Brillouin–Raman random fiber laser(BRRFL) based on Brillouin pump(BP) manipulation is proposed in this paper. The proposed wavelength-interval switchable BRRFL has a full-open cavity configuration, featuring multiwavelength output with wavelength interval of double Brillouin frequency shifts. Through simultaneously injecting the BP light and its first-order stimulated Brillouin-scattered light into the cavity, the laser output exhibits a wavelength interval of single Brillouin frequency shift. The wavelength-interval switching effect can be manipulated by controlling the power of the first-order stimulated Brillouin scattering light. The experimental results show the multiwavelength output can be switched between double Brillouin frequency shift multiwavelength emission with a broad bandwidth of approximately 60 nm and single Brillouin frequency shift multiwavelength emission of 44 nm. The flexible optically controlled random fiber laser with switchable wavelength interval makes it useful for a wide range of applications and holds significant potential in the field of wavelength-division multiplexing optical communication.

Controllable large-scale processing of temperature regulating sheath-core fibers with high-enthalpy for thermal management

Temperature regulating fibers(TRF_(s)) with high enthalpy and high form stability are the key factors for thermal management. However, the enthalpies of most TRFsare not high, and the preparation methods are still at the laboratory scale. It remains a great challenge to use industrial spinning equipment to achieve continuous processing of TRF_(s) with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. Here, polyamide 6(PA6) based TRF_(s) with a sheath-core structure were prepared by bicomponent melt-spinning. The sheath-core TRF(TRF_(sc)) are composed of PA6 as sheath and functional PA6 as core, which are filled with the shape stable phase change materials(ssPCM),dendritic silica@polyethylene glycol(SiO_(2)@PEG). With the aid of the sheath structure, the filling content of SiO_(2)@PEG can reach 30 %, so that the enthalpy of the TRF_(s) can be as high as 21.3 J/g. The ultra-high enthalpy guarantees the temperature regulation ability during the alternating process of cooling and heating. In hot environment, the temperature regulation time is 6.59 min, and the temperature difference is 12.93℃. In addition, the mechanical strength of the prepared TRF_(sc) reaches 2.26 cN/dtex, which can fully meet its application in the field of thermal management textiles and devices to manage the temperature regulation of the human body or precision equipment, etc.

Robust Transfer of Optical Frequency over 500km Fiber Link with Instability of 10^(−21)

Our primary objective is to mitigate the adverse effects of temperature fluctuations on the optical frequency transmission system by reducing the length of the interferometer.Following optimization,the phase-temperature coefficient of the optical system is reduced to approximately 1.35 fs/K.By applying a sophisticated temperature control to the remained“out-of-loop”optics fiber,the noise floor of the system has been effectively lowered to 10−21 level.Based on this performance-enhanced transfer system,we demonstrate coherent transmission of optical frequency through 500-km spooled fiber link.After being actively compensated,the transfer instability of 4.5×10^(−16) at the averaging time of 1 s and 5.6×10^(−21) at 10000 s is demonstrated.The frequency uncertainty of received light at remote site relative to that of the origin light at local site is achieved to be 1.15×10^(−19).This enhanced system configuration is particularly well suited for future long-distance frequency transmission and comparison of the most advanced optical clock signals.

High-Power Raman Soliton Generation at 1.7 μm in All-Fiber Polarization-Maintaining Erbium-Doped Amplifier

An all-fiber polarization maintaining high-power laser system operating at 1.7 μm based on the Ramaninduced soliton self-frequency shifting effect is demonstrated. The entirely fiberized system is built by erbiumdoped oscillator and two-stage amplifiers with polarization maintaining commercial silica fibers and devices, which can provide robust and stable soliton generation. High-power soliton laser with the average power of 0.28 W,the repetition rate of 42.7 MHz, and pulse duration of 515 fs is generated directly from the main amplifier.Our experiment provides a feasible method for high-power all-fiber polarization maintaining femtosecond laser generation working at 1.7 μm.

Optical Nonlinearity of Violet Phosphorus and Applications in Fiber Lasers

A D-shaped fiber is coated with a new two-dimensional nanomaterial,violet phosphorus(VP),to create a saturable absorber(SA)with a modulation depth of 3.68%.Subsequently,the SA is inserted into a fiber laser,enabling successful generation of dark solitons and bright–dark soliton pairs through adjustment of the polarization state within the cavity.Through further study,mode-locked pulses are achieved,proving the existence of polarization-locked vector solitons.The results indicate that VP can be used as a polarization-independent SA.

Time Transfer in a 1839-km Telecommunication Fiber Link Demonstrating a Picosecond-Scale Stability

An implementation of high-precision time transfer over a 1839-km field fiber loop back link between two provincial capitals of China,Xi’an and Taiyuan,is reported.Time transfer stabilities of 6.5 ps at averaging time of 1 s and 4.6 ps at 40000 s were achieved.The uncertainty for the time transfer system was evaluated,showing a budget of 56.2 ps.These results stand for a significant milestone in achieving high-precision time transfer over a field fiber link spanning thousands of kilometers,signifying a record-breaking achievement for the real-field time transfer in both stability and distance,which paves the way for constructing the nationwide high-precision time service via fiber network.

Solitons and Their Biperiodic Pulsation in Ultrafast Fiber Lasers Based on CB/GO

The carbon black(CB)is introduced to manufacture CB/graphene oxide(GO)composite material to mitigate limitations of GO as a saturable absorber with the excellent performance in ultrafast fiber lasers.At a central wavelength of 1555.5 nm,the stable mode-locked pulse with width of 656 fs,repetition rate of 20.16 MHz,and high signal-to-noise ratio of 82.07 dB is experimentally obtained.Additionally,experimental observations for pulsation phenomena of vector biperiodic solitons combining period-1 and period-17,period-2 and period-32,period-3 and period-36 are verified via simulations.

On the generation of high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked fiber lasers

Nyquist pulses have wide applications in many areas,from electronics to optics.Mode-locked lasers are ideal platforms to generate such pulses.However,how to generate high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked lasers remains elusive.We address this problem by managing different physical effects in mode-locked fiber lasers through extensive numerical simulations.We find that net dispersion,linear loss,gain and filter shaping can affect the quality of Nyquist pulses significantly.We also demonstrate that Nyquist pulses experience similariton shaping due to the nonlinear attractor effect in the gain medium.Our work may contribute to the design of Nyquist pulse sources and enrich the understanding of pulse shaping dynamics in mode-locked lasers.

Giving Food a Fiber Boost: Adding High Beta-Glucan Ingredient from Barley to Everyday Foods

Lack of dietary fiber contributes to many health issues, particularly chronic vascular diseases. Mixed linkage β-1.3 - 1.4 beta-glucan (beta-glucan, in this paper) is a confirmed beneficial ingredient for the human diet through reduction of cholesterol and the glycemic index. Barley contains the highest beta-glucan content of all the grains, and in this study, a percentage of flour from two high beta glucan lines was, each, added to an array of wheat-based food products to measure how it impacted total dietary fiber. Results showed that beta-glucan content was higher in all the products containing the added high beta-glucan flour, along with increased total dietary fiber content. Protein content in the food products is also increased with the higher protein in the barley flours added. Beta-glucan content in the barley-added products increased to 1.2% - 4.0% versus 0.2% - 0.5% in the pure wheat products, while the dietary fibers increased to 3.5% - 24.4% versus 2.1% - 9.1% in pure wheat product controls. This research provided experimental evidence that using a high beta-glucan barley ingredient in food can increase dietary fiber to benefit health.

Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a chronic,non-communicable disease with a substantial global impact,affecting a significant number of individuals.Its etiology is closely tied to imbalanced dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles.Conversely,increasing die-tary fiber(DF)intake has consistently demonstrated health benefits in numerous studies,including improvements in glycemic control and weight management.AIM To investigate the efficacy of DF interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the association between DF intake and the management of T2DM.Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria,a total of 26 studies were included in this review.RESULTS The main strategies implied to increased DF intake were:High DF diet plus acarbose(2 studies);DF supplements(14 studies);and high DF diets(10 studies).Overall,most studies indicated that increased DF intake resulted in im-provements in glycemic control and weight management in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION DF represents a valuable strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,improving health outcomes.DF intake offers the potential to improve quality of life and reduce complications and mortality associated with diabetes.Likewise,through supplements or enriched foods,DF contributes significantly to the control of several markers such as HbA1c,blood glucose,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,and body weight.

Estimation of cancer cell migration in biomimetic random/oriented collagen fiber microenvironments

Increasing data indicate that cancer cell migration is regulated by extracellular matrixes and their surrounding biochemical microenvironment,playing a crucial role in pathological processes such as tumor invasion and metastasis.However,conventional two-dimensional cell culture and animal models have limitations in studying the influence of tumor microenvironment on cancer cell migration.Fortunately,the further development of microfluidic technology has provided solutions for the study of such questions.We utilize microfluidic chip to build a random collagen fiber microenvironment(RFM)model and an oriented collagen fiber microenvironment(OFM)model that resemble early stage and late stage breast cancer microenvironments,respectively.By combining cell culture,biochemical concentration gradient construction,and microscopic imaging techniques,we investigate the impact of different collagen fiber biochemical microenvironments on the migration of breast cancer MDA-MB-231-RFP cells.The results show that MDA-MB-231-RFP cells migrate further in the OFM model compared to the RFM model,with significant differences observed.Furthermore,we establish concentration gradients of the anticancer drug paclitaxel in both the RFM and OFM models and find that paclitaxel significantly inhibits the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the RFM model,with stronger inhibition on the high concentration side compared to the low concentration side.However,the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the OFM model is weak.These findings suggest that the oriented collagen fiber microenvironment resembling the late-stage tumor microenvironment is more favorable for cancer cell migration and that the effectiveness of anticancer drugs is diminished.The RFM and OFM models constructed in this study not only provide a platform for studying the mechanism of cancer development,but also serve as a tool for the initial measurement of drug screening.

Matrix Riccati Equations in Optimal Control

In this paper, the matrix Riccati equation is considered. There is no general way for solving the matrix Riccati equation despite the many fields to which it applies. While scalar Riccati equation has been studied thoroughly, matrix Riccati equation of which scalar Riccati equations is a particular case, is much less investigated. This article proposes a change of variable that allows to find explicit solution of the Matrix Riccati equation. We then apply this solution to Optimal Control.

Influence of Mass Ratio of Resin and Stabilizer on Mechanical Properties of Mo Fiber-reinforced Granite Polymer Composite

Because inferior mechanical strength of granite polymer composite(GPC)has become the main drawback limiting its application and popularization,Mo fibers were added into(GPC)to improve its mechanical strength.Mechanical properties of matrix materials with different mass ratio of resin and stabilizer(MRRS)were investigated systematically.The influences of MRRS on interface bonding strength of Mo fiber-matrix,wettability and mechanical strength of GPC were discussed,respectively,and the theoretical calculation result of MRRS k was obtained,with the optimal value of k=4.When k=4,tensile strength,tensile strain and fracture stress of the cured resin achieve the maximum values.But for k=7,the corresponding values reach the minimum.With the increase of MRRS k,surface free energy of the cured resin first increases and then decreases,while contact angles between Mo sample and matrix have displayed the opposite trend.Wettability of resin to Mo fiber is the best at k=4.Pulling load of Mo fiber and interface bonding strength appear the maximum at k=4,followed by k=5,k=3 the third,and k=7 the minimum.When k=4,mechanical properties of Mo fiber-reinforced GPC are optimal,which is consistent with the result of theoretical calculation.This study is of great significance to get better component formulas of Mo fiber reinforced GPC and to improve its application in machine tools.

Control of temperature dependent viscosity for manufacturing of Bi-doped active fiber

Bi-activated photonic materials are promising for various applications in high-capacity telecommunication,tunable laser,and advanced bioimaging and sensing.Although various Bi-doped material candidates have been explored,manufacturing of Bi heavily doped fiber with excellent optical activity remains a long-standing challenge.Herein,a novel viscosity evolutional behavior mediated strategy for manufacturing of Bi-doped active fiber with high dopant solubility is proposed.The intrinsic relation among the evolution of Bi,reaction temperature and viscosity of the glass system is established.Importantly,the effective avenue to prevent the undesired deactivation of Bi during fiber drawing by tuning the temperature dependent viscosity evolution is built.By applying the strategy,for the first time we demonstrate the success in fabrication of heavily doped Bi active fiber.Furthermore,the principal fiber amplifier device is constructed and broadband optical signal amplification is realized.Our findings indicate the effectiveness of the proposed temperature dependent viscosity mediated strategy for developing novel photonic active fiber,and they also demonstrate the great potential for application in the next-generation high-capacity telecommunication system.

A continuous and long-term in-situ stress measuring method based on fiber optic. Part I: Theory of inverse differential strain analysis

A method for in-situ stress measurement via fiber optics was proposed. The method utilizes the relationship between rock mass elastic parameters and in-situ stress. The approach offers the advantage of long-term stress measurements with high spatial resolution and frequency, significantly enhancing the ability to measure in-situ stress. The sensing casing, spirally wrapped with fiber optic, is cemented into the formation to establish a formation sensing nerve. Injecting fluid into the casing generates strain disturbance, establishing the relationship between rock mass properties and treatment pressure.Moreover, an optimization algorithm is established to invert the elastic parameters of formation via fiber optic strains. In the first part of this paper series, we established the theoretical basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method for in-situ stress measurement, which was subsequently verified using an analytical model. This paper is the fundamental basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method.

Factors influencing Frey syndrome after parotidectomy with acellular dermal matrix

BACKGROUND Frey syndrome,also known as ototemporal nerve syndrome or gustatory sweating syndrome,is one of the most common complications of parotid gland surgery.This condition is characterized by abnormal sensations in the facial skin accompanied by episodes of flushing and sweating triggered by cognitive processes,visual stimuli,or eating.AIM To investigate the preventive effect of acellular dermal matrix(ADM)on Frey syndrome after parotid tumor resection and analyzed the effects of Frey syndrome across various surgical methods and other factors involved in parotid tumor resection.METHODS Retrospective data from 82 patients were analyzed to assess the correlation between sex,age,resection sample size,operation time,operation mode,ADM usage,and occurrence of postoperative Frey syndrome.RESULTS Among the 82 patients,the incidence of Frey syndrome was 56.1%.There were no significant differences in sex,age,or operation time between the two groups(P>0.05).However,there was a significant difference between ADM implantation and occurrence of Frey syndrome(P<0.05).ADM application could reduce the variation in the incidence of Frey syndrome across different operation modes.CONCLUSION ADM can effectively prevent Frey syndrome and delay its onset.

Polyetherketoneketone/carbon fiber composites with an amorphous interface prepared by solution impregnation

Interfacial adhesion between carbon fibers(CF)and polyetherketoneketone(PEKK)is a key factor that affects the mechanical performances of their composites.It is therefore of great importance to impregnate the CF bundles with PEKK as effi-ciently as possible.We report that PEKK with a good dispersion in a mixed solution of 4-chlorophenol and 1,2-dichloroethane can be introduced onto CF surfaces by solution impregnation and curing at 280,320,340 and 360℃.The excellent wettability or infiltra-tion of the PEKK solution guarantees a full covering and its tight binding to CFs,making it possible to evaluate the interfacial shear strength(IFSS)with the microdroplet method.The interior of the CF bundles is completely and uniformly filled with PEKK by solu-tion impregnation,leading to a high interlaminar shear strength(ILSS).The maximum IFSS and ILSS reached 107.8 and 99.3 MPa,respectively.Such superior shear properties are ascribed to the formation of amorphous PEKK in the small spaces between CFs.