Tang Xiao-wei

Effect of the carbon-nanotube length on water permeability

Effect of the carbon nanotube (CNT) channel length on the water flow through the CNT is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The water flow is found to decay with the channel length (similar to 1/N(2.3), N is the number of carbon rings along the nanotube axis), much faster than that predicted by a previous continuous-time random walk (CTRW) model (similar to 1/N). This unexpected decay rate of flow is found to result from the weakening of the correlation of the concerted motion of the water molecules inside the CNT. An improved CTRW model is then proposed by taking into account of this effect. Meanwhile, the diffusion constant of water molecules inside CNTs with various lengths is found to be relatively invariant, which results in a relatively constant hopping rate.

fMRI time series analysis based on stationary wavelet and spectrum analysis

The low signal to noise ratio (SNR) of functional MRI (fMRI) prefers more sensitive data analysis methods. Based on stationary wavelet transform and spectrum analysis, a new method with high detective sensitivity was developed for analyzing fMRI time series, which does not require any prior assumption of the characteristics of noises. In the proposed method, every component of fMRI time series in the different time-frequency scales of stationary wavelet transform was discerned by the spectrum analysis, then the components from noises were removed using the stationary wavelet transform, finally the components of real brain activation were detected by cross-correlation analysis. The results obtained from both simulated and in vivo visual experiments illustrated that the proposed method has much higher sensitivity than the traditional cross-correlation method.

Double-Humped Transverse Density Profile in Two-Dimensional Chute Flow with Rough Sidewalls

We study a two-dimensional granular rapid flow with rough sidewalls stuck with the same size discs by molecular dynamics simulation. A transient state of the double-humped density profile in the flowing process has been found, which appears and moves as travelling wave and is the same as the phenomena in the recent experiments [Acta Phys. Sin. 53 (2004) 3389 (in Chinese)]. Our simulation shows that the rough sidewalls play an important role in the converting momentum of boundary discs from the vertical direction to the horizontal one through particle collisions to form this profile and the good elasticity of discs ensures this effect. The appearance of the double-humped profile may be a precursor, which determines if the whole flow will be far repulsed from the boundary and become dilute eventually.

A template of rat brain based on fMR ∗ 2 imaging∗

The development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology has made it possible to carry out functional brain imaging experiments in small animals. Usually, group data is required to form the assessment of population, which can not only increase the sensitivity of the overall experiment, but also allow the generalization of the conclusion to the whole population. In order to average the signals of functional brain images from different subjects, it is necessary to put all the mapping images into the same standard space (template image). However, up to now, most animal brain templates remain unavailable and it must be done by ourselves. In this study, a template image based on the brains of eight male Wistar rats is obtained, and it is successfully used in our present Alzheimer disease (AD)-like rat model studies as template for spatially normalizing images to the same stereotaxical space. The fMRI results processed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) software are in agreement with the results from immunohistochemical experiment, which proves that this method is universally applicable to the pathologic models of other small animals and to human brain lesion studies.

Three-dimensional recon- struction and analysis of structure characteristics on senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of senile plaques primarily composed of amyloid β in brain. Abnormal secretion and aggregation of amyloid β are the key events in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Reduction of amyloid β production and inhibition of amyloid β aggregation to form senile plaques are hopeful strategies for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, the silver and immunohistochemical staining methods were applied to discover senile plaques in the hippocampus of Alzheimer’s disease patients, and then images were processed and three-dimensionally reconstructed by Matlab and AVS software. The structure characteristics of senile plaques were measured through correlation function calculation and fractal dimension by a computer-aided method. Diffuse plaque had no amyloid center, but classic plaque presented compact central core structure; two types of plaques were both of porous structure, but the sizes of their pores were significantly different. Furthermore, there was difference in fractal dimension value between the diffuse plaque and classic plaque in the two staining methods. The comparison of structure characteristics between two types of plaques indicated that they developed independently. Establishment of the methods for reconstructing the three-dimensional structure of senile plaque and analyzing their structure characteristics is helpful for further study on the aggregation mechanism of senile plaque.