Tip Width Research Articles

Research on the mechanism and performance of free-surface rock breakage by a disc cutter

To reveal the mechanism of free-surface rock cutting by a disc cutter and study the effect of cutting parameters on rock cutting performance, a numerical model of rock breakage by a disc cutter is established with the particle flow code (PFC). The numerical model of rock breakage by a disc cutter has been verified by rock breaking tests and can satisfactorily reproduce the rock cutting process. Hence, a numerical model was used to further study the rock breaking mechanism and effects of cutting parameters. The obtained results show that the penetration force first linearly increases and then instantaneously declines. The crushing zone gradually formed with increasing penetration force, and after that, the main crack within the rock rapidly extended to the free surface, which resulted in a decline in the penetration force. The formation of the crushing zone and main crack propagation were influenced by compression stress and tension stress, respectively, and the dissipation of energy was mainly in the stage of crushing zone formation. The peak penetration force has a linear relationship with breaking depth. The specific energy first increases and then decreases with increasing breaking depth, and the minimum value is in the range of 20–25 mm. With increasing tip width, the peak penetration force linearly increases, and the specific energy first increases and then decreases. The optimal rock breaking performance was obtained when the tip width was approximately 1 mm. Compared with the traditional rock breaking method, the preslotting method can significantly reduce the cutter load. When the breaking depth is 20 mm, the peak penetration force under the condition with a preslotting depth of 5 mm decreases by over 87% compared to that without preslotting. The preslotting method provides a potential approach for efficiently breaking hard and extremely hard rock.

Prediction of the Influence of Runner Tip Clearance on the Performance of Tubular Turbine

Tubular turbine is a type of turbine with low-head. Due to the fact that the runner of a tubular turbine is of axial-flow type, there will be a certain width of blade tip between the blade and the chamber. In order to explore the influence of tip clearance width on the flow inside the turbine, taking the model tubular turbine as the research object, six different tip clearance widths were compared and analyzed. The research shows that the increase in blade tip clearance width affects the performance of the turbine, reduces the minimum pressure at blade tip and causes cavitation in advance. Larger tip clearance width significantly increases pressure pulsation intensity inside the turbine, especially in the vaneless region between the runner and guide vane and the area of the runner tip. However, the increase in tip clearance width can greatly reduce the axial force for about 100 N and radial excitation force for about 50% of rotating parts. Therefore, during the design and processing of tubular turbines, the blade tip clearance width should be carefully selected to ensure safe and stable operation of the unit.

Wear and fracture of curettes due to sharpening and scaling processes.

To examine the wear occurring in a group of new Gracey curettes due to the sharpening and scaling processes and record the number of service cycles before breakage. This study included 592 working ends of Gracey curettes that were subjected to cycles of sharpening and scaling. Three-dimensional measurements of the blades and the status of the working ends were recorded before and after each process. With an increase in the number of usage cycles, the three-dimensional measurements of the blades decreased. During this study, 184 working ends were broken, of which 38.59% were of #11/12 Gracey curettes, and only 8.15% were of #7/8 Gracey curettes. The average number of cycles required for the fracture of Gracey curettes was 14.34. Cox regression analyses showed that the factors influencing the survival cycles were the tip width before usage and the type of Gracey curette. Moreover, the sharpening process was responsible for approximately half of the total instrument wear. Among the four types of Gracey curettes, the #11/12 Gracey curettes showed the greatest amount of sharpening wear, accounting for >50% of the total wear. The service life of Gracey curettes varies according to their types; the #11/12 Gracey curettes are more susceptible to breakage, while #7/8 Gracey curettes tend to have a long service life. Furthermore, the sharpening process was responsible for a considerable amount of curette wear.

Microtubule assembly and disassembly dynamics model: Exploring dynamic instability and identifying features of Microtubules’ Growth, Catastrophe, Shortening, and Rescue

Microtubules (MTs), a cellular structure element, exhibit dynamic instability and can switch stochastically from growth to shortening; but the factors that trigger these processes at the molecular level are not understood. We developed a 3D Microtubule Assembly and Disassembly DYnamics (MADDY) model, based upon a bead-per-monomer representation of the αβ-tubulin dimers forming an MT lattice, stabilized by the lateral and longitudinal interactions between tubulin subunits. The model was parameterized against the experimental rates of MT growth and shortening, and pushing forces on the Dam1 protein complex due to protofilaments splaying out. Using the MADDY model, we carried out GPU-accelerated Langevin simulations to access dynamic instability behavior. By applying Machine Learning techniques, we identified the MT characteristics that distinguish simultaneously all four kinetic states: growth, catastrophe, shortening, and rescue. At the cellular 25 μM tubulin concentration, the most important quantities are the MT length L, average longitudinal curvature κlong, MT tip width w, total energy of longitudinal interactions in MT lattice Ulong, and the energies of longitudinal and lateral interactions required to complete MT to full cylinder Ulongadd and Ulatadd. At high 250 μM tubulin concentration, the most important characteristics are L, κlong, number of hydrolyzed αβ-tubulin dimers nhyd and number of lateral interactions per helical pitch nlat in MT lattice, energy of lateral interactions in MT lattice Ulat, and energy of longitudinal interactions in MT tip ulong. These results allow greater insights into what brings about kinetic state stability and the transitions between states involved in MT dynamic instability behavior.

Deformation Simulation in Tube Expansion Processing of Inner Grooved Heat Transfer Tubes

In this paper, we proposed a simulation method based on finite element method utilizing cyclic symmetry model to evaluate the deformation of inner grooved heat transfer tubes during tube expansion. The validity of the simulation method was confirmed by comparing the simulation results and experimental results for the deformation of inner grooved aluminum heat transfer tube due to tube expansion. Using the simulation method, we carried out a case study based on the orthogonal table for design of experiments and clarified the effects of design parameters such as groove depth, groove tip width, number of grooves, and lead angle on the deformation of inner grooved aluminum heat transfer tubes due to tube expansion. This made it possible to optimize the design of the heat transfer tube considering the depth change and tilt angle of the inner grooves caused by tube expansion.

Classification and morphological parameters of the coracoid process in Chinese population.

The coracoid process is an important anatomical structure of the scapula, which can be used as a landmark in the diagnosis and treatment of scapula related diseases, such as acromioclavicular joint dislocation, anterior shoulder instability, and coracoid fractures. The aim of this study was to classify the coracoid process according to morphology and to measure the morphological parameters of the coracoid process. A total of 377 dry and intact scapulae were collected and classified in terms of the connection between the shape of coracoid process and common things in life. The anatomical morphology and the position related to acromion and glenoid socket of the coracoid process were measured in each type by three independent researchers with a digital caliper. The measurements were averaged and recorded. Based on obvious morphological features, five specific types of the coracoid process were described: Type I, Vertical 8-shape; Type II, Long stick shape; Type III, Short stick shape; Type IV, Water drop shape, and Type V, Wedge shape. Type I (30%) and Type III (29%) were more prevalent in China. The tip width of the coracoid process of Type IV was the shortest and significantly different compared to the other types (p <.05), contrary to the longest in Type V. The tip thickness of the coracoid process of Type I was the shortest and significantly different from the other types (p <.05). The coracoid process was classified into five types based on obvious morphological features. Knowing of morphological classification and anatomical parameters of different types of the coracoid process, to some extent, may be helpful to diagnose and treat the shoulder joint disease, such as acromioclavicular joint dislocation, anterior shoulder instability, and coracoid fractures, and to theoretically reduce postoperative complications.

Preliminary identification of potential failure modes of a disc cutter in soil-rock compound strata: Interaction analysis and case verification

The reliability of a disc cutter is critical to shield tunneling performance in compound strata. In this regard, a series of three-dimensional models were developed to evaluate the interaction between the disc cutter and the soil-rock interface. The influences of the penetration depth and the tip width were also addressed. Then, this study presented a rudimentary identification method of disc cutter's potential failure modes in compound strata. The results convincingly indicated that the cutting coefficient could be separated into two stages at the interface of soil and rock: linear reduction stage and constant value stage. For a disc cutter with a tip width of 20 mm and 22 mm, about 1.5% and 1% increments were added to Cc,r as the disc cutter penetrated every millimeter deeper, respectively. It showed that a cutter ring was apt to fracture at the soil-rock interface. The risk of cutter ring fracture was mounting dramatically as the penetration depth raised. The fracture failure possibility at the soil-rock interface for a narrow cutter ring was higher under a great thrust. And it also revealed that the cutter ring of a disc cutter might be led to non-uniform wear due to the insufficient starting torque to rotate in soft layers. Overall, the conducted research could offer helpful guidance for TBM operation in the compound stratum.

Tine tip width and placement depth by row-injection of cattle slurry influence initial leaf N and P concentrations and final yield of silage maize

There is an urgent need to replace mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers placed near the maize seed at sowing with other management strategies to ensure a more environmentally friendly silage maize production and to avoid depletion of the phosphate rock reserve. The main objective of this study was to test and investigate effects of different tine geometry (operation depth and tine width) and use of the nitrification inhibitor (NI) 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on early growth and final yields of maize under field conditions with the purpose of replacing mineral starter P fertilizers with row-injected liquid dairy manure (slurry). A two-year field experiment was carried out on a sandy loam and a loamy sand with moderate soil P status according to the Olsen P soil test. Cattle slurry with a NI was row-injected before sowing using newly developed goosefoot tine tips of three widths (8, 17 or 26 cm) with a roller to control injection depth. For the widest tine (26 cm) slurry was placed at 7 or 10 cm depth directly under the maize seed, and for the other tines slurry was placed at 10 cm depth. One of the placement methods was tested with and without a NI. The placement methods were compared to traditional slurry injection with random lateral positions relative to the maize row (non-placed slurry) and increasing rates of mineral P starter fertilizer with and without NI. The study showed that slurry placement using goosefoot tines of 17 or 26 cm width injected at 10 cm depth combined with a NI resulted in similar final yields (up to 17 Mg DM yield ha−1) as when using mineral P as a starter fertilizer with non-placed slurry on the sandy loam. On the loamy sand, slurry placement increased early P concentration in maize, but final yield benefitted more from the mineral P fertilizer (+ 1.6 Mg DM yield ha−1 compared to the plots receiving non-placed slurry and no mineral P fertilizer). Addition of a NI to placed slurry increased early stage maize leaf P concentration on the sandy loam and early maize leaf N concentration on the loamy sand, but not with non-placed slurry. We conclude that maize yield benefitted from row-injection with medium or broad goosefoot tines placed at 10 cm depth combined with a NI, but only on the sandy loam soil in one of two trial years. The most optimal slurry distribution by placement varied with soil type and year.

1.3 µm InGaAlAs/InP laser integrated with laterally tapered SSC in a reverse mesa shape.

We report 1.3 µm InGaAlAs/InP lasers integrated with laterally tapered spot size converter (SSC) in reverse mesa shape. Because the top width is significantly larger than the bottom width for the reverse mesa ridge, high quality SSCs having narrow tip width can be fabricated through conventional photolithography with a high reproductivity. The Threshold current of the fabricated 1000 µm long SSC integrated device is 25 mA and 44 mW single facet optical power can be obtained at 300 mA current. The lateral and vertical divergence angles are as low as 8 ° and 11°, respectively.

Fire Can Reduce Thorn Damage by the Invasive Callery Pear Tree

Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) is an invasive tree across much of the eastern United States that can form dense thickets, and tree branches and stems are often covered in sharp thorns. Landowners and land managers attempting to manage callery pear infestations are faced with the challenge of killing and/or removing the trees while also avoiding thorn damage to equipment, which can lead to wasted time and increased costs. We evaluated fire as management tool to reduce the likelihood of equipment damage from callery pear thorns. Branches were collected in the field from callery pear trees that were killed by herbicide, and also from untreated trees, and half the branches from each group were then burned with a propane garden torch to simulate a low-intensity prescribed fire. After treatment, all branches were returned either to an old field or forest floor for 1 year, after which thorn puncture strength was evaluated and compared with freshly cut thorns. Herbicide treatment and location did not affect thorn strength, but burning reduced the likelihood that thorns would puncture a tire. Fire increased tip width, which reduced thorn sharpness. Burning also reduced wood strength, and fungi proliferated on burned thorns after 1 year in the field or forest. Both factors likely contributed to decreasing thorn strength and probability of puncture. Our results show that using prescribed fire as a management tool can weaken callery pear thorns and dull their tips, reducing the chance of equipment damage and costs associated with clearing land of this invasive species. Leaving cut callery pear trees on the ground for 1 year increased fungal colonization, which may also reduce thorn damage. Prescribed fire can be part of an effective integrated management plan for this, and possibly other, thorny invasive flora.

Experimental study on the influence of cutter shape on cutter wear for hard rocks

Cutter shape is an important factor on cutter wear for hard rock TBMs. In this paper, the influence of cutter shape on the cutter wear was investigated by the wear tests on small-size cutters with the scale of 1/10 of the actual size, and the related rock fragmentation characteristics induced by different cutters was studied as well. In the tests, 6 types of small-size cutters, considering the design parameters of cutter diameter, cutter tip width and cutter tip shape, were selected. The granite samples were collected from the Beishan site, Gansu province of China. For each test, the cutting distance of the single cutter was 100m, and then the cutter wear could be obtained by weighing method. The tests shown that, 1) the cutter wear was basically proportional to the cutter tip width when the same penetration was reached, while the cutter force was not reduced remarkably for the narrow cutter when compared with that of wide-tip cutter; 2) the wear of 17-inch cutter was much higher when compared with that of 19-in and 20-in cutters; 3) the wear of round-edged cutter was obviously lower than that of flat-edged cutter, due to the former hardly presented curling behaviour after cutting while the latter had obviously curled. The test results facilitated better understanding of wear mechanism of TBM cutters and provided the references for cutter selection for TBM tunnelling in hard rock.

Terrestrial laser scanning to reconstruct branch architecture from harvested branches

Abstract Quantifying whole branch architecture is critical to understanding tree function, for example, branch surface area controls woody gas exchange. Yet, due to measurement difficulty, branch architecture of small diameter branches (e.g. &lt;10 cm ) is modelled, subsampled or ignored. Methods that use terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) are now being widely applied to analyse tree and plot‐level tree architecture; however, resolving small diameter branches in‐situ remains a challenge. Currently, it is suggested that accurate reconstruction of small diameter branches can only be achieved by harvest and measurement in controlled conditions. Here we present a new TLS workflow for rapid and accurate reconstruction of complete branch architecture from harvested branches. The workflow sets out scan configuration, post‐processing (including a novel reflectance filter) and fitting of quantitative structure models (QSM) to reconstruct topologically coherent branch models. This is demonstrated on 595 branches (scanned indoors to negate the impact of wind) and compared with 65 branches that were manually measured (i.e. with measuring tape and callipers). Comparison of a suite of morphological and topological traits reveals a good agreement between TLS‐derived metrics and manual measurements where RMSE (%RMSE) for total branch length = 0.7 m (10%), volume = 0.09 L (43%), surface area = 0.04 m2 (26%) and N tips = 6.4 (35%). Scanning was faster and invariant to branch size compared with manual measurements which required significantly more personnel time. We recommend measuring a subsample of tip widths to constrain the QSM taper function as the TLS workflow tends to overestimate tip width. The workflow presented here allows for a rapid characterisation of branch architecture from harvested branches. Increasing the number of branches analysed (e.g. many branches from a single tree or branches from many species globally) could allow for a comprehensive analysis of the ‘missing link’ between the leaves and larger diameter branches.

Delineation of cutter force and cutter wear in different edge configurations of disc cutters – An analysis using discrete element method

Disc cutters are used to cut the rocks in variable load conditions which results in cutter wear and failure. The wear of the cutter plays a vital role in the overall time cycle, efficiency and economics of tunneling projects. It changes the shape of the cutter, influences the cutting efficiency and has a detrimental effect on the annual cost of maintenance, availability, and utilization. In tunneling using TBMs, assessment of wear behavior of the cutters is the most crucial problem to investigate. In this study, interactions between cutter and rock were presented. Cutters with various configurations such as 0, 10, and 20-degree tip angles with different tip widths 7.3 mm and 4.5 mm were used. Cutter penetration varied from 2 to 8 mm in steps of 2 mm. The diameter of cutters are fixed at 6.5 in. and simulation runs against the rock were done for 1.2 m in length. In this simulation, normal force, tangential force, and wear were computed with the help of EDEM software for each configuration. Simulation results show that the tip angle of the cutter and depth of penetration directly affected the cutter wear. A tip angle of 100 with 7.3 mm tip width and 6 mm depth of penetration in the rock is the best configuration for obtaining the minimum wear of the cutter. The simulation results are also verified with the previous mathematical models suggested by different researchers. The suggested approach for simulation can help analyze the cutter wear behavior close to real life with given input parameters.

Photometric Evaluation of Adult Patients With Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Treated With Nasoalveolar Molding and Primary Columella Lengthening.

The aim of this study was to assess the nasal shape of young adults with BCLP treated with primary surgical columella lengthening and nasoalveolar molding (NAM). A group of 28 young adult patients with BCLP (mean age: 19.1±1.4 years) was compared through normalized photogrammetry to a control of 28 age- and sex-matched noncleft young adults. Nasal protrusion and length of the columella were not different from noncleft young adults. On the other hand, nasolabial angle, columellar width, interalar, and nasal tip width were significantly wider than the noncleft controls. Thus, 27% of the patients have requested at this time secondary correction of the excessive nasal width. Both NAM and primary rhinoplasty in patients with BCLP resulted in a near normal length of the columella and nasal projection until young adulthood. Nevertheless, width of all nasal features was significantly wider than the noncleft population and required secondary nasal correction in one-third of the sample.

Bilateral Tip Add-On Grafts: Concept, Applications and Complications in East Asian Rhinoplasty.

A solid tip support plays the fundamental role in augmentation rhinoplasty for East Asians. However, the soft tissue envelope is sometimes limited; the bilateral alae and mucosae cannot be transposed to consolidate the full course of the strut. A graft thatserves for the ultimate purpose of elongating the valid length of the strutis therefore necessary. Forty-one female patients, ranging in age from 19 to 35 years (average 26.5 years), received augmentation rhinoplasty surgery that was supplemented by the applications of the bilateral accessory add-on tip grafts. The tip projection was established by columellar strut or septal extension grafts. These crescent-shaped grafts acted like a bridge between the alae and the strut, which aim to provide supplementary volume and surface area to help reduce tension and further define the width and shape of the nasal tip. Patients' own evaluations on the overall improvements of the nose rendered high satisfaction rate. During the follow-up, six cases presented deviated columella and asymmetrical nostrils; three cases had deformed dorsal profile due to graft warping or resorption at 12 to 18-month period postoperatively, and were corrected during revision surgeries. No other major complications were encountered. These accessory tip add-on grafts are intrinsically applicable for East Asians rhinoplasty surgeries. Instead of being utilized as a routine graft for normal circumstances, this pair of accessory tips is an expedient measure to solve a difficult situation. This graft will be particularly necessary in managing a severely short nose with interior soft tissue insufficiency. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Perception of femininity and attractiveness in Facial Feminization Surgery.

Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) alters bone and soft tissue to feminize facial features of transgender females. This study aims to evaluate perceptions of femininity, attractiveness, and ideal surgical outcomes in transgender females, non-transgender females and plastic surgeons. The data was extracted from a survey of transgender females (n=104), non-transgender females (n=192) (completion rate of 48.4%) and plastic surgeons who performed FFS (n=23) (survey response rate of 31.5%). Five virtually-modified forms of three facial features, the nasal tip width, supratip break, mandibular gonial angles, and the composite images of the above features of an individual, assigned male at birth, were used. Respondents were requested to select and rank images based on personal perceptions of femininity and attractiveness. Transgender females chose a narrower nasal tip width as more attractive (P≤0.001), and evaluated a more acute supratip angle, and more obtuse mandibular gonial angle as both more feminine and attractive (all P≤0.023) compared to non-transgender females. Plastic surgeons chose a more obtuse mandibular gonial angle as more feminine (P=0.007) and a more ideal surgical outcome (P=0.046), compared to transgender female respondents. In the assessment of composite images, non-transgender female ranked the options with more obtuse mandibular gonial angle as more feminine (all P≤0.036) than transgender females. Acknowledging the difference in transgender females' perceptions of facial femininity and attractiveness from non-transgender females and plastic surgeons could assist plastic surgeons in managing expectations of surgical outcomes.

Closed-Structure Compliant Gripper With Morphologically Optimized Multi-Material Fingertips for Aerial Grasping

Aerial grasping empowers unmanned aerial vehicles to find applications beyond structured logistics. However, it brings a number of challenges including inaccurate positioning of the end effector and limited energy sources. Moreover, solutions so far have difficulty in handling a variety of objects. A novel closed structure compliant gripper was developed to address the challenges above. The gripper has a large self-centering work envelope and is normally-closed for passive grasping. Introduction of compliance as a form of morphological computation was also considered to enhance grasping capabilities, where multi-material 3D printing would facilitate rapid design changes based on target application. To grasp different objects, the gripper has hot-swappable 3D printed fingertips which are optimized with a multi-objective Bayesian Optimization process using physical bench experiments mimicking drone grasping and ascent on a common object set. The morphology of the fingertip including tip width, curvature and distribution of soft and hard material on contact surface, are optimized with a bench test that mimics quadcopter takeoff and landing. The best design from optimization shows an improvement of more than 10% from the initial design in successful grasp operations, demonstrated by field tests with a quadcopter.

MR Imaging‒Guided Intervention: Evaluation of MR Conditional Biopsy and Ablation Needle Tip Artifacts at 3T Using a Balanced Fast Field Echo Sequence

PurposeTo systematically investigate artifacts produced by biopsy and ablation needles imaged at various trajectories with respect to the static magnetic field (B0). Materials and MethodsAn acrylic phantom was scanned using a rapid balanced fast field echo sequence with 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging. A 15-gauge microwave needle, a 17-gauge cryoneedle, and an 18-gauge coaxial biopsy needle were imaged in sagittal and axial planes, in 7 different orientations to B0 (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°). For 4 angles (15°, 30°, 60°, and 75°), images were acquired with the slice orientation aligned to the needle angulation, resulting in the frequency encoding direction being parallel to the needle’s long axis for the sagittal slice and perpendicular to the needle angulation for the axial acquisition. The artifact length at the needle tip and maximum artifact width were recorded. ResultsNo significant difference was noted in mean artifact length for the cryoneedle (13 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7–19) and coaxial biopsy needle (8 mm; 95% CI, 5–10; P = .08). The mean artifact length was significantly smaller for the microwave ablation needle (1 mm; 95% CI, 0–2; P < .05). The mean artifact width was highest for the coaxial needle (17 mm; 95% CI, 14–19) and significantly higher than the cryoneedle (12 mm; 95% CI, 10–15; P = .024) and microwave ablation needle (8 mm; 95% CI, 6–10; P < .01). The needle tip artifact was significantly smaller when the slice orientation was aligned to the needle angulation for the coaxial and cryoablation needles (P < .01). ConclusionsNeedle tip artifact length and width increase with increasing angulation to the static field. At large angles (>15°), the needle tip position can be predicted better from images acquired when the slice orientation is aligned to the needle’s angulation.

Effects of tip clearance, number of teeth, and tooth front angle on the sealing performance of straight and stepped labyrinth seals

In the gas turbine, gaps inevitably exist between the stationary and rotating parts. To improve the performance of gas turbines, tip leakage flow through the gaps must be minimized. The labyrinth seal increases the flow resistance by placing a number of teeth to minimize leakage flow. The labyrinth seal is still adopted in many fields because of its relatively high thermal resistance, simple structure, and wide pressure range. In this paper, the effects of geometric parameters (straight and stepped with solid land, tip clearance, number of teeth, and tooth front angle) on leakage flow were experimentally studied and the seal performance was described using the flow function. Also, flow visualization within the labyrinth seal was conducted using the Schlieren method. The dimensionless tip clearance (C/a) was adjusted from 0.8 to 3.3 (where a is tooth tip width) and the pressure ratio was adjusted from 1.1 to 3.0. The tooth front angle of the stepped seal was 90° and 60°. Results show that the flow function increased as the pressure ratio increased, however it tended to remain constant if the pressure ratio was higher than 2.0. At the same test condition, the flow function of the stepped labyrinth seal was smaller than that of the straight seal for all tested pressure ratios. Also, the seal performance was better for larger number of teeth, smaller tip clearance, and smaller tooth front angle cases. Based on the measured results, a new correlation for the labyrinth seals was suggested.

M-Shaped Auricular Cartilage as Modified Septal Extension Graft: A Study by Three-Dimensional Anthropometric Analysis in Asian Rhinoplasty.

The septal extension graft is one of the most commonly used grafts in Asian tip plasty techniques. However, the septal extension graft usually induces a hard and immobile nasal tip. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the esthetic outcomes of the modified septal extension graft with M-shaped auricular cartilage by three-dimensional anthropometric analysis. A total of 36 patients received augmentation rhinoplasty with M-shaped auricular cartilage as septal extension graft combined with silicone implant. Thirteen measurement items were evaluated using three-dimensional anthropometric techniques, and the preoperative and postoperative results were compared. The majority of patients (91.7%) were satisfied with the postoperative nasal shape. No infection, gross absorption, graft exposure, implant exposure, or implant migration was observed. Compared with the preoperative value, the nasal length, nasal height, nasal depth, nasion height, columella width, nasolabial angle, nasofrontal angle, and nasal depth-nasal width index significantly increased. The nasal width, nasal tip width, and nasal index significantly decreased. We performed tip plasty with the M-shaped auricular cartilage as modified septal extension graft, achieving a soft and mobile tip with satisfying tip projection in most patients. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .