Fabrication, characterization and application of micro-/nano-rods/wires are among the hottest topics in materials science and applied physics. Micro-/nano-rod-based structures and devices are developed for a wide-ranging use in various fields of micro-/nanoscience (e.g. biology, electronics, medicine, optics, optoelectronics, photonics and sensors). It is well known that the structure and prope...

Structural vibration testing might be a promising method to study the mechanical properties of spinal motion segments as an alternative to imaging and spinal manipulation techniques. Structural vibration testing is a non-destructive measurement technique that measures the response of a system to an applied vibration as a function of frequency, and allows determination of modal parameters such a...

Periodic scanning trajectories are designed with minimal harmonic content and fixed linear regions. While minimum harmonic content reduces vibration in mechanical scanners, fixed linear regions eliminate curvature in the scan area. Simulated and experimental results demonstrate less induced vibration than presently used techniques.

APPLICATION OF MECHANICAL VIBRATION TO MODULATE ORTHODONTIC TOOTH MOVEMENT (OTM) IN MICE -A PILOT MICRO CT STUDY

At work or in leisure activities, many people are exposed to vibration or mechanical shocks associated with risks of injury or disease. This paper identifies information that can be used to decide whether there may be a risk from exposure to hand-transmitted vibration or whole-body vibration and shock, and suggests actions that can control the risks. The complex and time-varying nature of human...

1. The effect of mechanical vibration on active tension in an echinoderm somatic smooth muscle was studied using the longitudinal retractor muscle (LRM) of a sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus. 2. The steady contracture tension in LRM fibres maximally activated with 10(-3) mol l-1 acetylcholine (ACh) was reduced by vibrations (peak-to-peak amplitude, 0.5­2.5 % of l0, where l0 is the slack len...

The vibration-mediated Kondo effect attracted considerable theoretical interest during the last decade. However, due to lack of extensive experimental demonstrations, the fine details of the phenomenon were not addressed. Here, we analyze the evolution of vibration-mediated Kondo effect in molecular junctions during mechanical stretching. The described analysis reveals the different contributio...

This paper reports the design, optimization, and test results of a mechanical amplifier coupled to an electromagnetic energy harvester to generate power from lowamplitude (±1 mm) and low-frequency (<5 Hz) vibrations in the presence of large static displacements. When coupled to a translational kinetic energy harvester, the amplifier boosts small vibration amplitudes by as much as 4x while accom...

We successfully synthesized a family of alginate/polyacrylamide hydrogels using various multivalent cations. These hydrogels exhibit exceptional mechanical properties. In particular, we discovered that the hydrogels cross-linked by trivalent cations are much stronger than those cross-linked by divalent cations. We demonstrate stretchability and toughness of the hydrogels by inflating a hydrogel...

Although the incidence of floor vibration problems appears to be on the rise, the use of mechanical damping devices to control vibrations is limited. In a recent survey of vibration control methods, Murray reports that passive-mechanical damping methods, including viscous damping, visco-elastic damping, and tuned-mass dampers, have often gone untried outside the laboratory or have had marginal ...