The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) captures insects with one of the most rapid movements in the plant kingdom. We investigated trap closure by mechanical and electrical stimuli using the novel charge-injection method and high-speed recording. We proposed a new hydroelastic curvature mechanism, which is based on the assumption that the lobes possess curvature elasticity and are composed...

INTRODUCTION Mechanotransductive signals through fluid flow stimulation, e.g., intramedullary pressure (ImP), have been shown effective in bone adaptation. ImP distribution is suggested to influence the mechanotransductory signals within bones. Suggested by the muscle pump theory, muscle compressions may increase vessel pressure gradient that can directly increase ImP. To further elucidate the ...

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) are considered as an attractive stem cell source for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. We compared human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and hASCs under dynamic hydraulic compression to evaluate and compare osteogenic abilities. A novel micro cell chip integrated with microvalves and microscale cell culture chambers separat...

Coal bed methane (CBM) is generated primarily through the microbial degradation of coal. Despite a limited understanding of the microorganisms responsible for this process, there is significant interest in developing methods to stimulate additional methane production from CBM wells. Physical techniques including hydraulic fracture stimulation are commonly applied to CBM wells, however the effec...

SUMMARY We investigated the induced seismicity, source mechanisms and mechanical responses of a decametre-scale hydraulic stimulation pre-existing shear zone in crystalline rock, at Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland. The analysis reveals metre-scale complexity stimulation, which remains hidden reservoir-scale. High earthquake location accuracy allowed separation four distinct clusters, three were ...

A range of continental-scale soil datasets exists in Europe with different spatial representation and based on different principles. We developed comprehensive pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for applications principally on spatial datasets with continental coverage. The PTF development included the prediction of soil water retention at various matric potentials and prediction of parameters to ch...

Hydraulic fracturing has been used widely to stimulate production of oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy in formations with low natural permeability. Numerical optimization of fracture stimulation often requires a large number of evaluations of objective functions and constraints from forward hydraulic fracturing models, which are computationally expensive and even prohibitive in some situa...

Hydraulic stimulation in Enhanced Geothermal Systems is performed by injecting water at high pressure into low permeability, typically crystalline, rock. In most cases, the elevated pore pressure induces slip on preexisting fractures, resulting in an increase in permeability. This process involves interacting hydraulic, thermal, mechanical, and thermoelastic processes. It is complicated by the ...