2022年经济学人 焊接伤口(2)

Existing attempts at wound-soldering² rely on thermal³ imaging to measure temperature.

现有的伤口焊接尝试依赖于热成像来测量温度。

But that only measures the temperature at the surface of the solder¹, rather than throughout the material.

但这只测量了焊料表面的温度，而不是整个材料的温度。

Mr Cipolato and Inge Herrmann, a chemical engineer at eth, hope their improved paste can get around such problems.

Cipolato先生和ETH的化学工程师Inge Herrmann希望他们改进后的糊状物可以避免这样的问题。

It is made up of two kinds of nanoparticles, specks⁴ of material of only about 20-billionths of a metre across.

它由两种纳米颗粒组成，它们是直径仅为20亿分之一米的小颗粒。

Between them, these help direct the energy of the laser to the places it should be, and help doctors gauge⁵ the conditions in the paste.

它们帮助引导激光的能量到它应该在的地方，并帮助医生衡量糊状物中的条件。

The first set of particles are made of titanium nitrate.

第一组颗粒是由硝酸钛制成的。

They eagerly absorb photons of red or near infrared⁶ light, precisely⁷ the colours that most easily penetrate⁸ living tissue, and release the energy as heat to their surroundings.

它们快速地吸收红光或近红外线的光子，正是最容易穿透活组织的颜色，并将能量以热的形式释放到周围。

That efficient absorption means the paste can be heated by a relatively⁹ weak laser beam, which helps protect the surrounding tissues.

这种高效的吸收意味着这种糊状物可以被相对较弱的激光加热，这有助于保护周围的组织。

Using such tiny particles is in itself not new.

使用如此微小的颗粒本身并不是什么新鲜事。

But until recently most researchers used tiny rods of gold, which are expensive.

但直到最近，大多数研究人员使用的都是价格昂贵的微小金条。

Nanoparticles of titanium nitrate, on the other hand, are easily and cheaply produced by spraying the right mix of precursor¹⁰ chemicals into a flame.

另一方面，通过向火焰中喷洒合适的前体化学物质混合物，可以轻松生产出硝酸钛纳米颗粒，成本也很低。

The second set of particles are a new development in the soldering world.

第二组颗粒是焊接界的新发展。

They are specks of a material which fluoresces.

它们是一种会发出荧光的物质的斑点。

In other words, it absorbs the laser light, but immediately re-emits the energy as light again, at a few very specific wavelengths¹¹.

换句话说，它吸收了激光，但立即将能量以光的形式重新发射出来，只是波长非常特定。

Two of these wavelengths are also in the infrared and red colour range.

其中两种波长也在红外和红色范围内。

That allows some of the re-emitted light to emerge from the paste to where it can be analysed by an external instrument called a spectrometer.

这使得一些重新发射的光可以从糊状物中显现出来，并被一种叫做分光仪的外部仪器分析。

By precisely measuring the difference between the two wavelengths, the temperature of particles that are emitting it -- and thus of the paste as a whole -- can be worked out.

通过精确地测量这两种波长之间的差值，可以计算出发射它的粒子的温度--从而计算出整个糊状物的温度。

Thus far, the researchers have tested the technique only on pieces of pig intestine¹² that they obtained from a slaughterhouse.

到目前为止，研究人员只在他们从屠宰场获得的猪肠道片段上测试了这项技术。

Soldering a cut is done in a matter of minutes.

焊接切口只需要几分钟。

Similar “ex vivo” tests of the strength and permeability of the bond will also be needed for human tissue, followed by clinical tests on actual pigs and, eventually, humans.

人体组织也需要进行类似的结合强度和渗透性的“体外”测试，然后在猪身上进行临床测试，最终在人类身上进行测试。

But the researchers are optimistic.

但研究人员对此持乐观态度。

At the conference, they were cagey about exactly what the fluorescing particles are made of.

在会议上，他们对荧光粒子的确切成分守口如瓶。

They are applying for a patent, which could be quite valuable if the tools at the ready in a doctor’s office one day include a laser soldering gun.

他们正在申请一项专利，如果有一天医生办公室里准备好的工具包括一把激光焊接枪，这项专利将会非常有价值。

1 solder   

v.焊接，焊在一起；n.焊料，焊锡

参考例句：

• Fewer workers are needed to solder circuit boards.焊接电路板需要的工人更少了。
• He cuts the pieces and solders them together.他把那些断片切碎，然后把它们焊在一起。

2 soldering   

n.软焊；锡焊；低温焊接；热焊接v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Care must be exercised in attaching the lead wires to the soldering tabs. 在往接线片上焊导线时必须非常小心。 来自辞典例句
• I suggest posing me with a soldering wand over my head like a sword. 我想让自己这样像把剑一样把电焊杆举过头顶。 来自电影对白

3 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

4 specks   

n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Minutes later Brown spotted two specks in the ocean. 几分钟后布朗发现海洋中有两个小点。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• Do you ever seem to see specks in front of your eyes? 你眼睛前面曾似乎看见过小点吗？ 来自辞典例句

5 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

6 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

7 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

8 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

11 wavelengths   

n.波长( wavelength的名词复数 )；具有相同的/不同的思路；合拍；不合拍

参考例句：

• I find him difficult to talk to—we're on completely different wavelengths. 我没法和他谈话，因为我们俩完全不对路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sunlight consists of different wavelengths of radiation. 阳光由几种不同波长的射线组成。 来自辞典例句

12 intestine   

adj.内部的；国内的；n.肠

参考例句：

• This vitamin is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.这种维生素通过小肠壁被吸收。
• The service productivity is the function,including external efficiency,intestine efficiency and capacity efficiency.服务业的生产率是一个包含有外部效率、内部效率和能力效率的函数。