Flagellar apparatus of south-seeking many-celled magnetotactic prokaryotes

Magnetotactic bacteria orient and migrate along geomagnetic field lines. Each cell contains membrane-enclosed, nano-scale, iron-mineral particles called magnetosomes that cause alignment of the cell in the geomagnetic field as the bacteria swim propelled by flagella. In this work we studied the ultrastructure of the flagellar apparatus in many-celled magnetotactic prokaryotes (MMP) that consist of several Gram-negative cells arranged radially around an acellular compartment. Flagella covered the organism surface, and were observed exclusively at the portion of each cell that faced the environment. The flagella were helical tubes never as long as a complete turn of the helix. Flagellar filaments varied in length from 0.9 to 3.8 micro m (average 2.4 +/- 0.5 micro m, n = 150) and in width from 12.0 to 19.5 nm (average 15.9 +/- 1.4 nm, n = 52), which is different from previous reports for similar microorganisms. At the base of the flagella, a curved hook structure slightly thicker than the flagellar filaments was observed. In freeze-fractured samples, macromolecular complexes about 50 nm in diameter, which possibly corresponded to part of the flagella basal body, were observed in both the P-face of the cytoplasmic membrane and the E-face of the outer membrane. Transmission electron microscopy showed that magnetosomes occurred in planar groups in the cytoplasm close and parallel to the organism surface. A striated structure, which could be involved in maintaining magnetosomes fixed in the cell, was usually observed running along magnetosome chains. The coordinated movement of the MMP depends on the interaction between the flagella of each cell with the flagella of adjacent cells of the microorganism.     

Novel micro deep drilling using micro long flat drill with ultrasonic vibration

This paper highlights the development of micro long flat drills with nominal diameter and flute length of 20 μm and 200 μm, respectively, by precision grinding. Furthermore, it also covers the evaluation of the developed micro long flat drill in micro deep drilling. Micro long flat drills were made of ultra-fine grained cemented carbide containing WC particles with an average particle diameter of 90 nm. First, the study focused on establishing the optimal web thickness of micro long flat drill showing the best performance in micro deep drilling. In drilling experiment, observation was conducted with the aim of finding the best conditions and method of micro deep drilling into both duralumin and stainless steel workpieces. This observation included the applications of ultrasonic vibration (USV) and step feeding method. The study proved that there was an optimum web thickness resulting in the best drilling performance. Furthermore, the application of USV during drilling could lead to a longer tool life significantly. However, there was no improvement of drilling performance in drilling with step feeding.     

光纤激光诱导背面干法刻蚀制备二元衍射光学元件

为了降低激光直接辐照透明介电材料的表面加工粗糙度和激光能量密度刻蚀阈值,提高微光学元件的产出率,介绍了一种用固体介质作吸收层,激光直接作用在透明光学材料上进行微纳加工的激光诱导背面干法刻蚀工艺。首先,选用95氧化铝陶瓷作固体材料辅助吸收层,应用中心波长为1 064 nm的掺镱光纤激光器,在3.2 mm厚的熔融石英玻璃表面刻蚀了亚微米尺度的二维周期性光栅结构。然后,对刻蚀参数进行拟合并探讨了激光能量密度对刻蚀参数的影响。最后,观察该二元光学元件的衍射花样图形并讨论其衍射特性。实验制备了槽深为4.2 μm,槽底均方根粗糙度小于40 nm,光栅常数为25 μm的二维微透射光栅,其刻蚀阈值低于7.66 J/cm²。结果表明,应用该工艺制备二维透射光栅,降低了激光刻蚀透明材料的密度阈值及加工结构的表面粗糙度。     

Micro‐CT measurements of tumoral vessels supplied by portal circulation in hepatic colorectal metastasis mouse model

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the micro CT findings of tumoral vessels supplied by portal circulation during establishment of hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer in a mouse model. Hepatic metastases were induced in 15 BALB/c mice through the injection of murine colonic adenocarcinoma tumor cells into the mesenteric vein. Micro‐CT imaging of the tumoral vessels was obtained to clarify the microvascular architecture. We evaluated the sinusoidal structure, diameter of the tumoral vessels (DTV) and blood vessel density (BVD) according to tumor sizes ranging from 201 to 3,000 µm in diameter. A total of 116 tumors were observed on day 15 after cell injection. The mean diameter of a normal hepatic sinusoid was 11.7 ± 2.0 µm on micro CT. The DTV supplied by the portal vein of tumors measuring 1,001–1,500 µm in diameter was greater than that of tumors 200–1,000 µm in diameter. The mean BVD from the portal vein gradually decrease according to size of tumor from 201 to 3,000 µm in diameter (r² = ?0.584, P < 0.01). The characteristics of tumoral vessels supplied by portal circulation during establishment of hepatic colorectal metastases were well visualized with micro‐CT imaging. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:415–421, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

激光扫描共聚焦光谱成像系统

在激光扫描共聚焦显微成像技术基础上引入了光谱成像技术以便区分生物组织中的不同荧光成分。采用分光棱镜对荧光进行光谱展开,在光谱谱面处设置两个可移动缝片形成出射狭缝,两个步进电机带动安装其上的两个缝片设置系统在整个工作波长（400~700 nm）内的光谱带宽,其最小光谱带宽优于5 nm。用488 nm激光和低压汞灯实际测量了几条谱线对应的狭缝位置并和理论值做了比较,结果显示实际狭缝位置和理论值的差值均小于0.1 mm。在全光谱和50 μm出射狭缝（对应2.5 nm光谱带宽）对老鼠肾脏组织进行了共聚焦光谱成像实验,获得了老鼠肾脏组织中DAPI标定的细胞核图像和Alexa Fluor^®488标定的肾脏小球曲管图像,实现了对老鼠肾脏组织不同成分的区分。实验结果表明：提出的系统能够进行共聚焦光谱成像,扩大了共聚焦显微镜的适用范围。     

Model reference adaptive control of air-lubricated capstan drive for precision positioning

Because friction-induced nonlinearities in positioning systems are generally range of motion-dependent, dual-model or dual-stage strategies are often adopted to deal with the inconsistencies encountered when a system moves from submicrometer steps (micro mode) to larger scale strokes (macro mode). Although good performance is usually obtained when each model/stage operates in its designed range of motion, a system frequently performs less satisfactorally when operating near the switching point between models or stages. An air-lubricated capstan drive was used in this study to minimize the discrepancy between macro and micro modes, and a single-mode MRAC was developed to control the capstan drive system for precision positioning. Accuracy better than ±15 nm with no overshooting was achieved in all conditions tested (including 50 nm, 500 nm and 10 μm steps). Disturbance resistance of the system also proved to be satisfactory.     

Lubrication of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide by Water: Running in,Wear and Operation of Sliding Bearings

The purpose of this work was to establish the conditions for the operation and break-in of water-lubricated ceramic bearings. The experiments consisted of sliding 1/4 silicon nitride or—carbide balls against pre-polished disks of the same material in water until tribochemical wear generates smooth conformal surfaces that allow hydrodynamic lubrication (<0.002) by very thin water films. This running in was performed at various sliding speeds (0.01-4m/s) and loads (0.5-20N). The minimum sliding speed for low friction were 0.04m/s for silicon nitride and 0.5m/s for silicon carbide, much lower than for conventional bearings. The load carrying pressures were 60-80MPa, which is higher than the usually pressures of thrust bearings. The hydrodynamic fluid film thickness was estimated with a standard integration of Reynolds' equations modified for circular geometry, it was to be 5-15nm for silicon nitride, 25nm for silicon carbide. Operation over long distances (80km) allowed us to measure the wear rate during hydrodynamic lubrication; this was found to be <2×10^–11mm³/nm, a rate acceptable for industrial application. A novel method completed during this work allows the determination of the wear rate during run-in. It varies with sliding velocity for silicon nitride, from 1 to 6×10^–5mm³/nm; it is constant at 4×10^–6mm³/nm for silicon carbide.     

硝基取代位点对质子化硝基苯并咪唑离子紫外光解离的影响

为探究硝基取代位点对硝基苯并咪唑类分子紫外光解离的影响,本研究通过将傅里叶变换离子回旋共振(FT-ICR)质谱仪与可调谐紫外激光器相结合,分别对2-硝基苯并咪唑(2-nitrobenzimidazole,2-NBI)、5-硝基苯并咪唑(5-nitrobenzimidazole,5-NBI)及7-硝基苯并咪唑(7-nit...     

磨粒辅助EDM与ECM复合加工技术

微机电系统(Micro electromechanical systems,MEMS)的快速发展与产品微型化的发展趋势对微细结构表面(包括微孔、微槽和微棱柱/锥等)的加工质量提出了更高的要求,为了提高微细结构表面的加工质量,提出一种磨粒辅助放电加工(Electrodischarge machining,EDM)与电化学加工(Electro chemical machining,ECM)复合加工新方法,通过建立微加工模型分析了该方法的加工机理,搭建了微加工试验平台,并进行了工艺参数优化研究,采用直径500μm和75μm的钨电极在SUS 304不锈钢上分别进行了微盲孔和微通孔加工试验研究,结果表明,在所用的EDM、EDM与ECM复合加工和磨粒辅助EDM与ECM复合加工三种方法中,磨粒辅助EDM与ECM复合加工方法获得的表面粗糙度(Ra15 nm)最高,因此该方法是微细结构表面高效和高质量加工的最佳方法之一。     

三光束激光干涉诱导向后转移制备金纳米结构及其SERS特性

为了提高激光诱导向后转移制备微纳阵列结构的效率,本文提出三光束激光干涉诱导向后转移(LIIBT)技术,为激光干涉技术与激光诱导向后转移的有机结合。本文以ITO玻璃为接收衬底,金薄膜为靶材,LIIBT过程中采用三光束激光干涉进行加工。SEM结果表明,在激光能量密度为25 mJ/cm^2,金膜厚度为50 nm条件下,获得了较好的阵列结构,周期为5μm,金纳米粒子均匀分布在其表面,尺寸小于100 nm的粒子达到80%以上。EDX分析结果表明微米尺度点阵由大量的In元素组成,该结构的形成源于激光与ITO层相互作用。将1.0×10^-5,1.0×10^-7和1.0×10^-9 M的罗丹明6G溶液,旋涂于微结构表面并进行拉曼光谱研究,在612 cm^-1,773 cm^-1,1190 cm^-1,1319 cm^-1和1511 cm^-1处发现了罗丹明6G的特征峰,说明制备的金纳米结构对微量的罗丹明6G有明显的SERS效应。本文提出的LIIBT技术将大大提高激光诱导向后转移制备微纳阵列结构的效率,在超灵敏检测、光电子器件、微流控等领域均具有广泛的应用前景。     

A review of focused ion beam sputtering

This paper reviews the applications of focused ion beam (FIB) sputtering for micro/nano fabrication. Basic principles of FIB were briefly discussed, and then empirical and fundamental models for sputtering yield, material removal rate, and surface roughness were presented and compared. The empirical models were more useful for application compared to fundamental models. Fabrication of various micro and nano structures was discussed. Trimmed atomic force microscope (AFM) tips were tested in measurement and imaging of high aspect ratio nanopillars where higher accuracy and clarity were observed. Micromilling tool fabricated using FIB sputtering was used to machine microchannels. Slicing and dwell time control approaches on FIB sputtering were presented for the fabrication of three dimensional microcavities. The first approach is preferred for practical applications. The maximum aspect ratio of 13:1 of the microstructures was achieved. The minimum size of the nanopore was in the range of 2–10 μm. Cavities of microgear of 70 μm outside diameter were sputtered with submicrometer accuracy and 2–5 nm average surface roughness. The microcavities were then filled with polymer in a subsequent micromodling process. The replicated microcomponents were inspected with scanning electron microscope where faithful duplication of accuracy and surface texture of the cavity was observed.     

Precision grinding of binderless ultrafine tungsten carbide (WC) microstructured surfaces

The primary objective of this study was to produce binderless ultrafine tungsten carbide (WC) microstructured surfaces in the ductile grinding regime and to optimize machining parameters to generate microstructural features and sharp edges without chipping. The micro-deformation, fracture properties, and grinding mechanisms were characterized using micro/nano-indentation and single-grit grinding experiments. The effects of grinding conditions (such as grinding mode, feed rate, and spindle speed) on ground surface quality and the radius and chipping of edges were investigated using microstructural grinding experiments. It was found that in nano-indentation, the binderless WC indentation was accommodated by plastic deformation. An average critical depth of cut of 146 nm could be achieved on single-grit scratching tests using atomic force microscopic procedures. In grinding of microstructured surfaces, the surface roughness of side surfaces was always smaller than that of the bottom surface of the machined feature. The better surface quality and sharper edges were obtained by using the upcut grinding mode. Reducing the tool feed rate did necessarily help to improve the surface roughness and edges of structures. The best ground surface could be obtained at the grinding speed of 2,500 rpm. According to the grinding experimental results, an echelle grating was manufactured using the optimized parameters. The average surface roughness SRa of the bottom surface was 78 nm and that of the side surface was 60 nm. The radius of the edge was less than 1 μm, and the radius of corner was about 3 μm. No visible evidence of grinding-induced cracks and chipping on the ground surfaces was found.     

Comparative study of conventional and micro WEDM based on machining of meso/micro Sized Spur Gear

This paper discusses the comparison of micro machining process using conventional and micro wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) for fabrication of miniaturized components. Seventeen toothed miniaturized spur gear of 3.5 and 1.2 mm outside diameter were fabricated by conventional and micro WEDM respectively. The process parameters for both conventional and micro WEDM were optimized by preliminary experiments and analysis. The gears were investigated for the quality of surface finish and dimensional accuracy which were used as the criteria for the process evaluation. An average surface roughness (R_a) of 50 nm and dimensional accuracy of 0.1–1 μm were achieved in micro WEDM. Whenever applied conventional WEDM for meso/micro fabrication, a R_a surface roughness of 1.8 μm and dimensional accuracy of 2–3 μm were achieved. However, this level of surface roughness and dimensional accuracy are acceptable in many applications of micro engineering. A window of conventional WEDM consisting of low energy discharge parameters is identified for micromachining.     

用于飞秒激光制备光纤光栅的相位掩模研制

利用严格耦合波理论分析了用于520 nm波长飞秒激光制备光纤光栅的相位掩模的衍射特性,当相位掩模是矩形槽形时,占宽比在0.32~0.43之间,槽形深度在0.57~0.67μm之间时,能够保证零级衍射效率抑制在2%以内,同时±1级的衍射效率大于35%。在此基础上,利用全息光刻-离子束刻蚀技术,制作了用于520 nm波长飞秒激光的周期为1067 nm、有效面积大于40 mm×30 mm的相位掩模。实际制作的相位掩模是梯形槽形,槽深是0.665μm,分析了梯形槽形中梯形角对衍射效率的影响。实验测量表明,该相位掩模的零级衍射效率小于2%,±1级衍射效率大于40%,满足飞秒激光制作光纤光栅的需要。     

谐衍射/折射太赫兹多波段成像系统的研究

太赫兹波是一种非常有科学价值的电磁波。文中利用谐衍射元件独特的色散性质,将谐衍射透镜应用于14-50µm太赫兹成像系统中,使系统在15.8-16.2µm, 18.5-20µm,23-25µm,30.5-33.5µm和46-50µm五个谐振波段内的轴向像差最大为0.75mm。各谐振波段内的放大率是波长的函数,图像重构时将引起像元的配准误差,利用光学二组元法设计的变焦结构成功地解决了这一问题。设计结果表明：系统像高恒定为6.74mm;变焦结构还具有很好像差补偿作用;在10对线/mm时,光学传递函数在五个谐振波段内均达到衍射极限;实现了轻、小、易加工的设计要求。     

Effect of surface topography on the frictional behavior at the micro/nano-scale

In this paper, the effect of surface topography on the frictional behavior is investigated at micro/nano-scale in order to better understand the influence of asperity contact angle on friction. Experiments were performed to observe the variation in the frictional force as a spherical ball slides across a grooved surface. Specimens with single and multiple grooves of tens of micrometers in width were fabricated on silicon wafers. The frictional behavior between these specimens and steel balls of different diameters were observed with a tribometer built inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Normal load in the range of 20 mN and sliding speed of about 1-6 μm/s were applied in the experiments. It was shown that for relative ball/groove dimension that resulted in low contact angle, the overall frictional force was less than that observed for surface without the groove. Also, in situations where there was a great change in the contact angle stick-slip behavior could be observed. This stick-slip behavior is attributed to mechanical interlocking action.In addition to the above experiments, tests were conducted using lateral force microscopy (LFM). Unlike the previous finding that LFM output is dependent on the slope alone, it was found that the signal was more sensitive to the change in slope, especially when the slope was relatively large. Overall, both micro and nano-scale topographic effect on friction was similar. These results will ultimately aid in design of surface topography for micro-systems for best tribological performance.     

三相磨粒流抛光及其气泡溃灭分布特性

针对软性磨粒流在加工硬脆性材料时效率低下的问题,本文提出一种气-液-固三相磨粒流加工方法。该方法通过在加工流场内注入微尺度气泡群,利用气泡溃灭释放的能量提升磨粒流加工能力。基于计算流体力学和群体平衡模型耦合计算方法,建立气-液-固三相磨粒流流体力学模型,数值模拟结果揭示了工件表面三相磨粒流形成高速湍流涡旋流场加工特性,得到了工件表面气泡溃灭的分布规律,并探明流体黏度与气泡溃灭之间的关系。图像粒子测速实验表明,通入微尺度气泡群后,平均速度从12.50~13.50m/s提升至15.00~17.00m/s,最高平均速度可达20.00m/s以上。对比加工实验显示,经8h加工后,粗糙度从0.50μm降低到0.05μm。理论和实验研究结果说明借助微尺度气泡群的溃灭效应可有效提升软性磨粒流的加工效率和加工精度。     

Ultrastructural changes of the olfactory bulb in manganesetreated mice

The effect of manganese toxicity on the ultrastructure of the olfactory bulb was evaluated. Male albino mice were injected intraperitoneally with MnCl₂ (5 mg/Kg/day) five days per week during nine weeks. The control group received NaCl (0.9%). The olfactory bulbs of five mice from each group were processed for transmission electron microscopy after 2, 4, 6 and 9 weeks of manganese treatment. On week 2, some disorganization of the myelin sheaths was observed. After 4 weeks, degenerated neurons with dilated cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum and swollen mitochondria appeared. A certain degree of gliosis with a predominance of astrocytes with swollen mitochondria, disorganization of the endomembrane system, dilation of the perinuclear cisternae and irregularly shaped nuclei with abnormal chromatin distribution were observed after 6 weeks. Some glial cells showed disorganization of the Golgi apparatus. On week 9, an increase in the number of astrocytes, whose mitochondrial cristae were partially or totally erased, and a dilation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum were found. Neurons appear degenerated, with swollen mitochondria and a vacuolated, electron dense cytoplasm. These changes seem to indicate that the olfactory bulb is sensitive to the toxic effects of manganese.     

Combining optical tweezers and scanning probe microscopy to study DNA-protein interactions

We present the first results obtained with a new instrument designed and built to study DNA-protein interactions at the single molecule level. This microscope combines optical tweezers with scanning probe microscopy and allows us to locate DNA-binding proteins on a single suspended DNA molecule. A single DNA molecule is stretched taut using the optical tweezers, while a probe is scanned along the molecule. Interaction forces between the probe and the sample are measured with the optical tweezers. The instrument thus enables us to correlate mechanical and functional properties of bound proteins with the tension within the DNA molecule. The typical friction force between a micropipette used as probe and a naked DNA molecule was found to be <1 pN. A 16 micro m DNA molecule with approximately 10-15 digoxygenin (DIG) molecules located over a 90 nm range in the middle of the DNA was used as a model system. By scanning with an antidigoxygenin (alpha-DIG) antibody-coated pipette we were able to localize these sites by exploiting the high binding affinity between this antibody-antigen pair. The estimated experimental resolution assuming an infinitesimally thin and rigid probe and a single alpha-DIG/DIG bond was 15 nm.     

Ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding of hard and brittle linear micro-structured surfaces

In this paper, a novel ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding (UVAG) technique was presented for machining hard and brittle linear micro-structured surfaces. The kinematics of the UVAG for micro-structures was first analyzed by considering both the vibration trace and the topological features on the machined surface. Then, the influences of the ultrasonic vibration parameters and the tilt angle on the ground quality of micro-structured surfaces were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the introduction of ultrasonic vibration is able to improve the surface quality (The roughness SR_a was reduced to 78 nm from 136 nm), especially in guaranteeing the edge sharpness of micro-structures. By increasing the tilt angle, the surface roughness can be further reduced to 56 nm for a 59% improvement in total. By using the preferred UVAG parameters realized by orthogonal experiments, a micro cylinder array with surface roughness of less than 50 nm and edge radius of less than 1 μm was fabricated. The primary and secondary sequence of the grinding parameters obtained by the orthogonal experiments are as follows: feed rate, tilt angle of workpiece, depth of grinding, vibration frequency and amplitude. The spindle speed in the range of 1000 rpm–3000 rpm does not significantly affect the machined micro-structured surface roughness. Finally, more micro-structures including a micro V-groove array and a micro pyramid array were machined on binderless WC as well as SiC ceramic by means of the UVAG technique. The edge radius on the V-grooves and pyramids are both less than 1 μm, indicating the feasibility of UVAG in machining hard and brittle micro-structured surfaces for an improved surface quality.