The centers of gravity and dynamic types of body shape of terrestrial invertebrates

In the framework of dynamic morphology theory, the centers of gravity and geometric centers of projections have been determined for the bodies of more than 182 forms of invertebrates, and these data have been used to distinguish four types of dynamic body shapes. It has been demonstrated that specific dynamic types of body shape are characteristic of individual taxa. In addition, there are a group of “transformers,” which may assume any dynamic type of shape, and a group of invertebrates with one predominant dynamic type.     

Development of a Computationally Efficient Full Human Body Finite Element Model

Introduction: A simplified and computationally efficient human body finite element model is presented. The model complements the Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) detailed 50th percentile occupant (M50-O) by providing kinematic and kinetic data with a significantly reduced run time using the same body habitus.

Methods: The simplified occupant model (M50-OS) was developed using the same source geometry as the M50-O. Though some meshed components were preserved, the total element count was reduced by remeshing, homogenizing, or in some cases omitting structures that are explicitly contained in the M50-O. Bones are included as rigid bodies, with the exception of the ribs, which are deformable but were remeshed to a coarser element density than the M50-O. Material models for all deformable components were drawn from the biomechanics literature. Kinematic joints were implemented at major articulations (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle) with moment vs. angle relationships from the literature included for the knee and ankle. The brain of the detailed model was inserted within the skull of the simplified model, and kinematics and strain patterns are compared.

Results: The M50-OS model has 11 contacts and 354,000 elements; in contrast, the M50-O model has 447 contacts and 2.2 million elements. The model can be repositioned without requiring simulation. Thirteen validation and robustness simulations were completed. This included denuded rib compression at 7 discrete sites, 5 rigid body impacts, and one sled simulation. Denuded tests showed a good match to the experimental data of force vs. deflection slopes. The frontal rigid chest impact simulation produced a peak force and deflection within the corridor of 4.63 kN and 31.2%, respectively. Similar results vs. experimental data (peak forces of 5.19 and 8.71 kN) were found for an abdominal bar impact and lateral sled test, respectively. A lateral plate impact at 12 m/s exhibited a peak of roughly 20 kN (due to stiff foam used around the shoulder) but a more biofidelic response immediately afterward, plateauing at 9 kN at 12 ms. Results from a frontal sled simulation showed that reaction forces and kinematic trends matched experimental results well. The robustness test demonstrated that peak femur loads were nearly identical to the M50-O model. Use of the detailed model brain within the simplified model demonstrated a paradigm for using the M50-OS to leverage aspects of the M50-O. Strain patterns for the 2 models showed consistent patterns but greater strains in the detailed model, with deviations thought to be the result of slightly different kinematics between models. The M50-OS with the deformable skull and brain exhibited a run time 4.75 faster than the M50-O on the same hardware.

Conclusions: The simplified GHBMC model is intended to complement rather than replace the detailed M50-O model. It exhibited, on average, a 35-fold reduction in run time for a set of rigid impacts. The model can be used in a modular fashion with the M50-O and more broadly can be used as a platform for parametric studies or studies focused on specific body regions.     

Assessment of potential dermal and inhalation exposure of workers to the insecticide imidacloprid using whole-body dosimetry in China

In China, although improvements to the pesticide registration process have beenmade in last thirty years, no occupational exposure data are required to obtain a commercial license for a pesticide product. Consequently, notably little research has been conducted to establish an exposure assessment procedure in China. The present study monitored the potential dermal operator exposure from knapsack electric sprayer wheat field application of imidacloprid in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province and in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, China, using whole-body dosimetry. The potential inhalation exposure was determined using a personal air pump and XAD-2 sample tubes. The analytical method was developed and validated, including such performance parameters as limits of detection and quantification, linear range, recovery and precision. The total potential dermal and inhalation exposures were 14.20, 16.80, 15.39 and 20.78 mL/hr, respectively, for the four operators in Liaocheng and Xinxiang, corresponding to 0.02% to 0.03% of the applied volume of spray solution. In all trials, the lower part (thigh, lower leg) of the body was the most contaminated, accounting for approximately 76% to 88% of the total exposure. The inhalation exposure was less than 1% of the total exposure. Such factors as the application pattern, crop type, spray equipment, operator experience and climatic conditions have been used to explain the exposure distribution over the different parts of the body. As indicated by the calculated Margin of Exposure, the typical wheat treatment scenarios when a backpack sprayer was used are considered to be safe in terms of imidacloprid exposure.     

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of perfluoroalkyl substances in the human body

Currently, there are limited data on the levels of perfluoroalkyl substances other than perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid in the human body. Most of this information has been extracted from biological monitoring of plasma while the occurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances in other human tissues is rarely studied. The objective of the present study was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to assess the concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances in human tissues, based on an existing model previously validated for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid. Experimental data on concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances in human tissues from individuals in Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain) were used to estimate the values of some distribution and elimination parameters needed for the simulation. No significant correlations were found between these parameters and the chain lengths. The model was finally validated for five perfluoroalkyl substances.     

The Upper and Lower Ecological Limits of Specific Metabolic Power of Different Organisms

It has been demonstrated that bioenergetic properties of plants (independence of productivity from size, proportionality between radial growth of woody plants and plant mass, etc.) and animals are not related to the presumed universal linear relationship between metabolic power and body mass to the power of 3/4. This relationship is not true for plants and endothermic animals. The observed bioenergetic characteristics of these organisms are explained by simple biological and physical laws, including the existence of the lower and upper limits of the specific metabolic power of living matter.     

王家坡滑坡形变变化的模糊分析

本文对陕西省蓝田县王家坡滑坡近三年来的形变资料经过预处理后,进行了模糊分析,指出了王家坡坡体各部位蠕动变形水平及特征,并对整个坡体的蠕动变形趋势和降水量进行了比较分析,初步得出了坡体变形与降雨量的关系。     

基于虚拟碰撞试验分析燃料电池轿车车身结构的安全性

在燃料电池轿车的车身结构配合动力驱动系统的改进而不断改进的过程中,需要从碰撞安全性角度去分析结构方案的优劣.本文采用虚拟正面碰撞试验方法,研究经过改进后的燃料电池轿车的半承载式车身是否满足国家被动安全法规,并通过与第1代燃料电池轿车的整车碰撞模拟结果的对比,分析车身结构改进对正面碰撞安全性的影响,从而为进一步的结构改进提供有价值的建议.     

多泥沙河流水质模型研究

针对黄河泥沙含量大、泥沙对河流CODMn浓度影响大的突出特点,运用模拟实验方法,探讨了泥沙对CODMn浓度的影响,揭示了浑水、清水中CODMn浓度与含沙量间的关系.研究表明,黄河浑水中CODMn浓度随含沙量增大呈显著上升趋势,而去除泥沙后清水CODMn浓度测定值随其原含沙量增大呈微上升趋势.依据质量平衡原理,建立了充分考虑泥沙影响的CODMn衰减经验模型.清水中CODMn浓度的变化采用完全混合反应器概念来模拟,浑水中CODMn浓度通过清水中CODMn浓度与泥沙中CODMn浓度之和来量化.模型基本方程的求解采用稳态解析解.模型中的参数通过利用实际监测数据及室内实验结果与优化结合的方法确定.同时,利用实际监测数据对参数和模型进行检验.结果表明,模型结构合理,参数取值可靠,模型精度较好.模型既能揭示汇流区间人为污染对河段水质的影响,又可以反映作为面污染源的黄河泥沙对污染的影响,可作为水质预测的实用工具及规划管理的依据.     

滇池水体除藻材料的除藻作用试验研究

利用昆明地区的粘土矿制作新型轻质除藻材料,试验研究该材料对滇池湖水中藻类的除藻及净化作用.实验室小试(20 L)结果表明,该除藻材料放入滇池水样实验70 d后,水质明显好转,藻类去除率可达95.8%,CODMn、TN及TP的去除率分别为34.4%、81.5%、28.2%.在滇池湖边300 m2水面围栏扩大试验结果显示,除藻材料放入试验区水体10 d后,水体中藻类含量明显减少,水体透光率从55%增加到80%,水质状况也有很大改善.研究结果表明,该材料具有良好的湖泊水体除藻及净化作用,有必要对其开展进一步的深入研究.