• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.149-150
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• 2013

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2010

Geckos have a unique ability to cling to ceilings and walls utilizing dry adhesion. Their foot pads are covered by a large number of small hairs (setae) that contain many branches per seta with a lower level of spatulae. Their fibrillar structure is the primary source of high adhesion. In this study, we construct the adhesion design database for biomimetic adhesive system. A simple idealized fibrillar structure consisting of single array of beams is modeled. The fibers are assumed as oriented cylindrical cantilever beams with spherical tip. We consider three necessary conditions; buckling, fracture and sticking of fiber structure, which constrain the allowed geometry. The adhesion analysis is performed for the attachment system in contact with rough surfaces with different s values for different main design variables-fiber radius, aspect ratio and material elastic modulus and so on. The developed adhesion design databases are useful for understanding biological systems and for guiding of fabrication of the biomimetic attachment system.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.479-487
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• 2012

Biological attachment device is optimized in insect legs for attachment onto the variety of natural substrate. We have studied the microstructural characteristics of the tarsal appendages in the ladybug Harmonia axyridis using scanning electron microscopy to reveal the attachment system of their legs. The attachment devices are composed of claws and adhesive pads. The claws are connected with pretarsal segment, and their apical diverged hooks are developed to hold rough substrates. In contrast, the adhesive pads have an adhesive function onto smooth surface. The pads are interspersed at the ventral part of each tarsomere, and are composed of two kinds of hairy setae. The discoid tip seta (DtS) has a spoon-shaped endplate usually with a rounded concave structure, whereas the pointed tip seta (PtS) has a pointed tip, usually with a hooked endplate. While the PtS is broadly localized concentrically on the marginal area of both the proximal and distal pads, the DtS can be seen at the central areas of each adhesive pad except for the hind legs. Our findings demonstrate the presence of the direction-dependence pattern of the fibrillar system as well as a functional modification of the tenent setae to achieve proper contact with almost any kind of substrates.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2009

Chinese minnow, Rhynchocypris oxycephalus is a teleost belonging to Leuciscinae, Cyprinidae. The oogenesis and ultrastructure of egg envelope in Chinese minnow were investigated by light and electron microscopes. The ovary was of white yellowish and ellipsoidal shape with the major axis 30 mm and the minor axis 7mm. Cytoplasm of oogonia was basophilic and many nucleoli were located at inside of nuclear membrane. In primary oocytes, yolk vesicles were distributed only in the marginal area and egg envelope was not formed on the outside of an egg. In secondary oocytes, the egg envelope was formed and yolk vesicles in the cytoplasm were increased than the earlier stage. The basophilic substance of cytoplasm was changed to acidic. In case of matured egg, thickness of egg envelope and size of egg were increased. The yolk vesicles were changed to yolk mass in accordance with development. The outer surface of egg envelope was covered by microvilli-structures, and had a micropyle on the area of animal pole. Egg envelope consisted with 2 layers, an adhesive outer layer with microvilli-structures and fibrillar inner layer. In conclusion, the oogenesis of Chinese minnow was characterized by the increase in cell size, the formation and accumulation of yolk, and the decrease of basophilic substance in the cytoplasm. The oogenesis of Chinese minnow seems to share common patterns in Cyprinidae, but these ultrastructural unique characters of egg envelope can be utilized in taxonomy of teleost.