The ancestral selection graph under strong directional selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Pokalyuk, Cornelia; Pfaffelhuber, Peter

2013-08-01

The ancestral selection graph (ASG) was introduced by  Neuhauser and Krone (1997) in order to study populations of constant size which evolve under selection. Coalescence events, which occur at rate 1 for every pair of lines, lead to joint ancestry. In addition, splitting events in the ASG at rate α, the scaled selection coefficient, produce possible ancestors, such that the real ancestor depends on the ancestral alleles. Here, we use the ASG in the case without mutation in order to study fixation of a beneficial mutant. Using our main tool, a reversibility property of the ASG, we provide a new proof of the fact that a beneficial allele fixes roughly in time (2logα)/α if α is large. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Portfolio Selection with Jumps under Regime Switching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Zhao

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate a continuous-time version of the mean-variance portfolio selection model with jumps under regime switching. The portfolio selection is proposed and analyzed for a market consisting of one bank account and multiple stocks. The random regime switching is assumed to be independent of the underlying Brownian motion and jump processes. A Markov chain modulated diffusion formulation is employed to model the problem.

The spectrotemporal filter mechanism of auditory selective attention

Science.gov (United States)

Lakatos, Peter; Musacchia, Gabriella; O’Connell, Monica N.; Falchier, Arnaud Y.; Javitt, Daniel C.; Schroeder, Charles E.

2013-01-01

SUMMARY While we have convincing evidence that attention to auditory stimuli modulates neuronal responses at or before the level of primary auditory cortex (A1), the underlying physiological mechanisms are unknown. We found that attending to rhythmic auditory streams resulted in the entrainment of ongoing oscillatory activity reflecting rhythmic excitability fluctuations in A1. Strikingly, while the rhythm of the entrained oscillations in A1 neuronal ensembles reflected the temporal structure of the attended stream, the phase depended on the attended frequency content. Counter-phase entrainment across differently tuned A1 regions resulted in both the amplification and sharpening of responses at attended time points, in essence acting as a spectrotemporal filter mechanism. Our data suggest that selective attention generates a dynamically evolving model of attended auditory stimulus streams in the form of modulatory subthreshold oscillations across tonotopically organized neuronal ensembles in A1 that enhances the representation of attended stimuli. PMID:23439126

Dendrites Enable a Robust Mechanism for Neuronal Stimulus Selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cazé, Romain D; Jarvis, Sarah; Foust, Amanda J; Schultz, Simon R

2017-09-01

Hearing, vision, touch: underlying all of these senses is stimulus selectivity, a robust information processing operation in which cortical neurons respond more to some stimuli than to others. Previous models assume that these neurons receive the highest weighted input from an ensemble encoding the preferred stimulus, but dendrites enable other possibilities. Nonlinear dendritic processing can produce stimulus selectivity based on the spatial distribution of synapses, even if the total preferred stimulus weight does not exceed that of nonpreferred stimuli. Using a multi-subunit nonlinear model, we demonstrate that stimulus selectivity can arise from the spatial distribution of synapses. We propose this as a general mechanism for information processing by neurons possessing dendritic trees. Moreover, we show that this implementation of stimulus selectivity increases the neuron's robustness to synaptic and dendritic failure. Importantly, our model can maintain stimulus selectivity for a larger range of loss of synapses or dendrites than an equivalent linear model. We then use a layer 2/3 biophysical neuron model to show that our implementation is consistent with two recent experimental observations: (1) one can observe a mixture of selectivities in dendrites that can differ from the somatic selectivity, and (2) hyperpolarization can broaden somatic tuning without affecting dendritic tuning. Our model predicts that an initially nonselective neuron can become selective when depolarized. In addition to motivating new experiments, the model's increased robustness to synapses and dendrites loss provides a starting point for fault-resistant neuromorphic chip development.

Selective attention on representations in working memory: cognitive and neural mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Yixuan

2018-01-01

Selective attention and working memory are inter-dependent core cognitive functions. It is critical to allocate attention on selected targets during the capacity-limited working memory processes to fulfill the goal-directed behavior. The trends of research on both topics are increasing exponentially in recent years, and it is considered that selective attention and working memory share similar underlying neural mechanisms. Different types of attention orientation in working memory are introduced by distinctive cues, and the means using retrospective cues are strengthened currently as it is manipulating the representation in memory, instead of the perceptual representation. The cognitive and neural mechanisms of the retro-cue effects are further reviewed, as well as the potential molecular mechanism. The frontal-parietal network that is involved in both attention and working memory is also the neural candidate for attention orientation during working memory. Neural oscillations in the gamma and alpha/beta oscillations may respectively be employed for the feedforward and feedback information transfer between the sensory cortices and the association cortices. Dopamine and serotonin systems might interact with each other subserving the communication between memory and attention. In conclusion, representations which attention shifts towards are strengthened, while representations which attention moves away from are degraded. Studies on attention orientation during working memory indicates the flexibility of the processes of working memory, and the beneficial way that overcome the limited capacity of working memory.

Selective social learning in infancy: looking for mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Crivello, Cristina; Phillips, Sara; Poulin-Dubois, Diane

2018-05-01

Although there is mounting evidence that selective social learning begins in infancy, the psychological mechanisms underlying this ability are currently a controversial issue. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether theory of mind abilities and statistical learning skills are related to infants' selective social learning. Seventy-seven 18-month-olds were first exposed to a reliable or an unreliable speaker and then completed a word learning task, two theory of mind tasks, and a statistical learning task. If domain-general abilities are linked to selective social learning, then infants who demonstrate superior performance on the statistical learning task should perform better on the selective learning task, that is, should be less likely to learn words from an unreliable speaker. Alternatively, if domain-specific abilities are involved, then superior performance on theory of mind tasks should be related to selective learning performance. Findings revealed that, as expected, infants were more likely to learn a novel word from a reliable speaker. Importantly, infants who passed a theory of mind task assessing knowledge attribution were significantly less likely to learn a novel word from an unreliable speaker compared to infants who failed this task. No such effect was observed for the other tasks. These results suggest that infants who possess superior social-cognitive abilities are more apt to reject an unreliable speaker as informant. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/zuuCniHYzqo. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genes under positive selection in Escherichia coli

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Lise; Bollback, Jonathan P; Dimmic, Matt

2007-01-01

We used a comparative genomics approach to identify genes that are under positive selection in six strains of Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri, including five strains that are human pathogens. We find that positive selection targets a wide range of different functions in the E. coli genome......, including cell surface proteins such as beta barrel porins, presumably because of the involvement of these genes in evolutionary arms races with other bacteria, phages, and/or the host immune system. Structural mapping of positively selected sites on trans-membrane beta barrel porins reveals...... that the residues under positive selection occur almost exclusively in the extracellular region of the proteins that are enriched with sites known to be targets of phages, colicins, or the host immune system. More surprisingly, we also find a number of other categories of genes that show very strong evidence...

Introgression of a Block of Genome Under Infinitesimal Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachdeva, Himani; Barton, Nicholas H

2018-06-12

Adaptive introgression is common in nature and can be driven by selection acting on multiple, linked genes. We explore the effects of polygenic selection on introgression under the infinitesimal model with linkage. This model assumes that the introgressing block has an effectively infinite number of loci, each with an infinitesimal effect on the trait under selection. The block is assumed to introgress under directional selection within a native population that is genetically homogeneous. We use individual-based simulations and a branching process approximation to compute various statistics of the introgressing block, and explore how these depend on parameters such as the map length and initial trait value associated with the introgressing block, the genetic variability along the block, and the strength of selection. Our results show that the introgression dynamics of a block under infinitesimal selection are qualitatively different from the dynamics of neutral introgression. We also find that in the long run, surviving descendant blocks are likely to have intermediate lengths, and clarify how their length is shaped by the interplay between linkage and infinitesimal selection. Our results suggest that it may be difficult to distinguish the long-term introgression of a block of genome with a single strongly selected locus from the introgression of a block with multiple, tightly linked and weakly selected loci. Copyright © 2018, Genetics.

Selective attention on representations in working memory: cognitive and neural mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yixuan Ku

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Selective attention and working memory are inter-dependent core cognitive functions. It is critical to allocate attention on selected targets during the capacity-limited working memory processes to fulfill the goal-directed behavior. The trends of research on both topics are increasing exponentially in recent years, and it is considered that selective attention and working memory share similar underlying neural mechanisms. Different types of attention orientation in working memory are introduced by distinctive cues, and the means using retrospective cues are strengthened currently as it is manipulating the representation in memory, instead of the perceptual representation. The cognitive and neural mechanisms of the retro-cue effects are further reviewed, as well as the potential molecular mechanism. The frontal-parietal network that is involved in both attention and working memory is also the neural candidate for attention orientation during working memory. Neural oscillations in the gamma and alpha/beta oscillations may respectively be employed for the feedforward and feedback information transfer between the sensory cortices and the association cortices. Dopamine and serotonin systems might interact with each other subserving the communication between memory and attention. In conclusion, representations which attention shifts towards are strengthened, while representations which attention moves away from are degraded. Studies on attention orientation during working memory indicates the flexibility of the processes of working memory, and the beneficial way that overcome the limited capacity of working memory.

Selection mechanisms underlying high impact biomedical research--a qualitative analysis and causal model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilary Zelko

selection mechanism provides insights that can be translated into research coaching programs as well as research policy models to optimize the introduction of high impact research at a broad scale among institutional and governmental agencies.

Evolution of genetic architecture under directional selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Thomas F; Alvarez-Castro, José M; Carter, Ashley J R; Hermisson, Joachim; Wagner, Günter P

2006-08-01

We investigate the multilinear epistatic model under mutation-limited directional selection. We confirm previous results that only directional epistasis, in which genes on average reinforce or diminish each other's effects, contribute to the initial evolution of mutational effects. Thus, either canalization or decanalization can occur under directional selection, depending on whether positive or negative epistasis is prevalent. We then focus on the evolution of the epistatic coefficients themselves. In the absence of higher-order epistasis, positive pairwise epistasis will tend to weaken relative to additive effects, while negative pairwise epistasis will tend to become strengthened. Positive third-order epistasis will counteract these effects, while negative third-order epistasis will reinforce them. More generally, gene interactions of all orders have an inherent tendency for negative changes under directional selection, which can only be modified by higher-order directional epistasis. We identify three types of nonadditive quasi-equilibrium architectures that, although not strictly stable, can be maintained for an extended time: (1) nondirectional epistatic architectures; (2) canalized architectures with strong epistasis; and (3) near-additive architectures in which additive effects keep increasing relative to epistasis.

Thermal stability of nafion membranes under mechanical stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quintilii, M; Struis, R [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1997-06-01

The feasibility of adequately modified fluoro-ionomer membranes (NAFION{sup R}) is demonstrated for the selective separation of methanol synthesis products from the raw reactor gas at temperatures around 200{sup o}C. For an economically relevant application of this concept on a technical scale the Nafion membranes should be thin ({approx_equal}10 {mu}m) and thermally stable over a long period of time (1-2 years). In cooperation with industry (Methanol Casale SA, Lugano (CH)), we test the thermal stability of Nafion hollow fibers and supported Nafion thin sheet membranes at temperatures between 160 and 200{sup o}C under mechanical stress by applying a gas pressure difference over the membrane surface ({Delta}P{<=} 40 bar). Tests with the hollow fibers revealed that Nafion has visco-elastic properties. Tests with 50 {mu}m thin Nafion sheets supported by a porous metal carrier at 200{sup o}C and {Delta}P=39 bar showed no mechanical defects over a period of 92 days. (author) 5 figs., 4 refs.

Effects of the Ordering of Natural Selection and Population Regulation Mechanisms on Wright-Fisher Models.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhangyi; Beaumont, Mark; Yu, Feng

2017-07-05

We explore the effect of different mechanisms of natural selection on the evolution of populations for one- and two-locus systems. We compare the effect of viability and fecundity selection in the context of the Wright-Fisher model with selection under the assumption of multiplicative fitness. We show that these two modes of natural selection correspond to different orderings of the processes of population regulation and natural selection in the Wright-Fisher model. We find that under the Wright-Fisher model these two different orderings can affect the distribution of trajectories of haplotype frequencies evolving with genetic recombination. However, the difference in the distribution of trajectories is only appreciable when the population is in significant linkage disequilibrium. We find that as linkage disequilibrium decays the trajectories for the two different models rapidly become indistinguishable. We discuss the significance of these findings in terms of biological examples of viability and fecundity selection, and speculate that the effect may be significant when factors such as gene migration maintain a degree of linkage disequilibrium. Copyright © 2017 He et al.

Peripheral Receptor Mechanisms Underlying Orofacial Muscle Pain and Hyperalgesia

Science.gov (United States)

Saloman, Jami L.

Musculoskeletal pain conditions, particularly those associated with temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMD) are severely debilitating and affect approximately 12% of the population. Identifying peripheral nociceptive mechanisms underlying mechanical hyperalgesia, a prominent feature of persistent muscle pain, could contribute to the development of new treatment strategies for the management of TMD and other muscle pain conditions. This study provides evidence of functional interactions between ligand-gated channels, P2X3 and TRPV1/TRPA1, in trigeminal sensory neurons, and proposes that these interactions underlie the development of mechanical hyperalgesia. In the masseter muscle, direct P2X3 activation, via the selective agonist αβmeATP, induced a dose- and time-dependent hyperalgesia. Importantly, the αβmeATP-induced hyperalgesia was prevented by pretreatment of the muscle with a TRPV1 antagonist, AMG9810, or the TRPA1 antagonist, AP18. P2X3 was co-expressed with both TRPV1 and TRPA1 in masseter muscle afferents confirming the possibility for intracellular interactions. Moreover, in a subpopulation of P2X3 /TRPV1 positive neurons, capsaicin-induced Ca2+ transients were significantly potentiated following P2X3 activation. Inhibition of Ca2+-dependent kinases, PKC and CaMKII, prevented P2X3-mechanical hyperalgesia whereas blockade of Ca2+-independent PKA did not. Finally, activation of P2X3 induced phosphorylation of serine, but not threonine, residues in TRPV1 in trigeminal sensory neurons. Significant phosphorylation was observed at 15 minutes, the time point at which behavioral hyperalgesia was prominent. Similar data were obtained regarding another nonselective cation channel, the NMDA receptor (NMDAR). Our data propose P2X3 and NMDARs interact with TRPV1 in a facilitatory manner, which could contribute to the peripheral sensitization underlying masseter hyperalgesia. This study offers novel mechanisms by which individual pro-nociceptive ligand

Mechanisms of Winner-Take-All and Group Selection in Neuronal Spiking Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yanqing

2017-01-01

A major function of central nervous systems is to discriminate different categories or types of sensory input. Neuronal networks accomplish such tasks by learning different sensory maps at several stages of neural hierarchy, such that different neurons fire selectively to reflect different internal or external patterns and states. The exact mechanisms of such map formation processes in the brain are not completely understood. Here we study the mechanism by which a simple recurrent/reentrant neuronal network accomplish group selection and discrimination to different inputs in order to generate sensory maps. We describe the conditions and mechanism of transition from a rhythmic epileptic state (in which all neurons fire synchronized and indiscriminately to any input) to a winner-take-all state in which only a subset of neurons fire for a specific input. We prove an analytic condition under which a stable bump solution and a winner-take-all state can emerge from the local recurrent excitation-inhibition interactions in a three-layer spiking network with distinct excitatory and inhibitory populations, and demonstrate the importance of surround inhibitory connection topology on the stability of dynamic patterns in spiking neural network.

Surface Damage Mechanism of Monocrystalline Si Under Mechanical Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qingliang; Zhang, Quanli; To, Suet; Guo, Bing

2017-03-01

Single-point diamond scratching and nanoindentation on monocrystalline silicon wafer were performed to investigate the surface damage mechanism of Si under the contact loading. The results showed that three typical stages of material removal appeared during dynamic scratching, and a chemical reaction of Si with the diamond indenter and oxygen occurred under the high temperature. In addition, the Raman spectra of the various points in the scratching groove indicated that the Si-I to β-Sn structure (Si-II) and the following β-Sn structure (Si-II) to amorphous Si transformation appeared under the rapid loading/unloading condition of the diamond grit, and the volume change induced by the phase transformation resulted in a critical depth (ductile-brittle transition) of cut (˜60 nm ± 15 nm) much lower than the theoretical calculated results (˜387 nm). Moreover, it also led to abnormal load-displacement curves in the nanoindentation tests, resulting in the appearance of elbow and pop-out effects (˜270 nm at 20 s, 50 mN), which were highly dependent on the loading/unloading conditions. In summary, phase transformation of Si promoted surface deformation and fracture under both static and dynamic mechanical loading.

Mechanical properties of cork under contact stresses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parralejo, A. D.; Guiberteau, F.; Fortes, M. A.; Rosa, M. E.

2001-01-01

In this work our interest is focussed on the mechanical behaviour of natural cork under contact stresses. Many of the applications of this curious material are related with its mechanical response under such a stress field, however this topic has not been still sufficiently considered in the scientific literature. For this purpose, we proposed the use of Hertzian indentation tests. By using this mythology we have investigated the cork structure influence on the corresponding mechanical properties. Our results reveal a clear mechanical anisotropy effect. Moreover, the elastic modulus corresponding to specific directions have been estimated. Several are the main advantages of this specific test mythology versus traditional uniaxial compression tests, specially simplicity and local character. (Author) 9 refs

Dominance genetic variance for traits under directional selection in Drosophila serrata.

Science.gov (United States)

Sztepanacz, Jacqueline L; Blows, Mark W

2015-05-01

In contrast to our growing understanding of patterns of additive genetic variance in single- and multi-trait combinations, the relative contribution of nonadditive genetic variance, particularly dominance variance, to multivariate phenotypes is largely unknown. While mechanisms for the evolution of dominance genetic variance have been, and to some degree remain, subject to debate, the pervasiveness of dominance is widely recognized and may play a key role in several evolutionary processes. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that the contribution of dominance variance to phenotypic variance may increase with the correlation between a trait and fitness; however, direct tests of this hypothesis are few. Using a multigenerational breeding design in an unmanipulated population of Drosophila serrata, we estimated additive and dominance genetic covariance matrices for multivariate wing-shape phenotypes, together with a comprehensive measure of fitness, to determine whether there is an association between directional selection and dominance variance. Fitness, a trait unequivocally under directional selection, had no detectable additive genetic variance, but significant dominance genetic variance contributing 32% of the phenotypic variance. For single and multivariate morphological traits, however, no relationship was observed between trait-fitness correlations and dominance variance. A similar proportion of additive and dominance variance was found to contribute to phenotypic variance for single traits, and double the amount of additive compared to dominance variance was found for the multivariate trait combination under directional selection. These data suggest that for many fitness components a positive association between directional selection and dominance genetic variance may not be expected. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Aiptasia sp. larvae as a model to reveal mechanisms of symbiont selection in cnidarians

KAUST Repository

Wolfowicz, Iliona

2016-09-01

Symbiosis, defined as the persistent association between two distinct species, is an evolutionary and ecologically critical phenomenon facilitating survival of both partners in diverse habitats. The biodiversity of coral reef ecosystems depends on a functional symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the highly diverse genus Symbiodinium, which reside in coral host cells and continuously support their nutrition. The mechanisms underlying symbiont selection to establish a stable endosymbiosis in non-symbiotic juvenile corals are unclear. Here we show for the first time that symbiont selection patterns for larvae of two Acropora coral species and the model anemone Aiptasia are similar under controlled conditions. We find that Aiptasia larvae distinguish between compatible and incompatible symbionts during uptake into the gastric cavity and phagocytosis. Using RNA-Seq, we identify a set of candidate genes potentially involved in symbiosis establishment. Together, our data complement existing molecular resources to mechanistically dissect symbiont phagocytosis in cnidarians under controlled conditions, thereby strengthening the role of Aiptasia larvae as a powerful model for cnidarian endosymbiosis establishment.

Aiptasia sp. larvae as a model to reveal mechanisms of symbiont selection in cnidarians

KAUST Repository

Wolfowicz, Iliona; Baumgarten, Sebastian; Voss, Philipp A.; Hambleton, Elizabeth A.; Voolstra, Christian R.; Hatta, Masayuki; Guse, Annika

2016-01-01

Symbiosis, defined as the persistent association between two distinct species, is an evolutionary and ecologically critical phenomenon facilitating survival of both partners in diverse habitats. The biodiversity of coral reef ecosystems depends on a functional symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the highly diverse genus Symbiodinium, which reside in coral host cells and continuously support their nutrition. The mechanisms underlying symbiont selection to establish a stable endosymbiosis in non-symbiotic juvenile corals are unclear. Here we show for the first time that symbiont selection patterns for larvae of two Acropora coral species and the model anemone Aiptasia are similar under controlled conditions. We find that Aiptasia larvae distinguish between compatible and incompatible symbionts during uptake into the gastric cavity and phagocytosis. Using RNA-Seq, we identify a set of candidate genes potentially involved in symbiosis establishment. Together, our data complement existing molecular resources to mechanistically dissect symbiont phagocytosis in cnidarians under controlled conditions, thereby strengthening the role of Aiptasia larvae as a powerful model for cnidarian endosymbiosis establishment.

[Underlying Mechanisms and Management of Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kwang Jae

2015-08-01

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in South Korea has increased over the past 10 years. Patients with erosive reflux disease (ERD) shows better response to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) than those with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). NERD is a heterogeneous condition, showing pathological gastroesophageal reflux or esophageal hypersensitivity to reflux contents. NERD patients with pathological gastroesophageal reflux or hypersensitivity to acid may respond to PPIs. However, many patients with esophageal hypersensitivity to nonacid or functional heartburn do not respond to PPIs. Therefore, careful history and investigations are required when managing patients with refractory GERD who show poor response to conventional dose PPIs. Combined pH-impedance studies and a PPI diagnostic trial are recommended to reveal underlying mechanisms of refractory symptoms. For those with ongoing reflux-related symptoms, split dose administration, change to long-acting PPIs or PPIs less influenced by CYP2C19 genotypes, increasing dose of PPIs, and the addition of alginate preparations, prokinetics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or tricyclic antidepressants can be considered. Pain modulators, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or tricyclic antidepressants are more likely to be effective for those with reflux-unrelated symptoms. Surgery or endoscopic per oral fundoplication may be effective in selected patients.

Giant panda׳s tooth enamel: Structure, mechanical behavior and toughening mechanisms under indentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Z Y; Liu, Z Q; Ritchie, R O; Jiao, D; Li, D S; Wu, H L; Deng, L H; Zhang, Z F

2016-12-01

The giant panda׳s teeth possess remarkable load-bearing capacity and damage resistance for masticating bamboos. In this study, the hierarchical structure and mechanical behavior of the giant panda׳s tooth enamel were investigated under indentation. The effects of loading orientation and location on mechanical properties of the enamel were clarified and the evolution of damage in the enamel under increasing load evaluated. The nature of the damage, both at and beneath the indentation surfaces, and the underlying toughening mechanisms were explored. Indentation cracks invariably were seen to propagate along the internal interfaces, specifically the sheaths between enamel rods, and multiple extrinsic toughening mechanisms, e.g., crack deflection/twisting and uncracked-ligament bridging, were active to shield the tips of cracks from the applied stress. The giant panda׳s tooth enamel is analogous to human enamel in its mechanical properties, yet it has superior hardness and Young׳s modulus but inferior toughness as compared to the bamboo that pandas primarily feed on, highlighting the critical roles of the integration of underlying tissues in the entire tooth and the highly hydrated state of bamboo foods. Our objective is that this study can aid the understanding of the structure-mechanical property relations in the tooth enamel of mammals and further provide some insight on the food habits of the giant pandas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peeling mechanism of tomato under infrared heating

Science.gov (United States)

Critical behaviors of peeling tomatoes using infrared heat are thermally induced peel loosening and subsequent cracking. However, the mechanism of peel loosening and cracking due to infrared heating remains unclear. This study aimed at investigating the mechanism of peeling tomatoes under infrared h...

Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms Underlying ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Auditory Learning. This project seeks to understand the brain mechanisms necessary for people to learn to perceive sounds. Neural circuits and learning. The research team will test people with and without musical training to evaluate their capacity to learn ...

Gas Bubble Dynamics under Mechanical Vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Mohagheghian, Shahrouz; Elbing, Brian

2017-11-01

The scientific community has a limited understanding of the bubble dynamics under mechanical oscillations due to over simplification of Navier-Stockes equation by neglecting the shear stress tensor and not accounting for body forces when calculating the acoustic radiation force. The current work experimental investigates bubble dynamics under mechanical vibration and resulting acoustic field by measuring the bubble size and velocity using high-speed imaging. The experimental setup consists of a custom-designed shaker table, cast acrylic bubble column, compressed air injection manifold and an optical imaging system. The mechanical vibrations resulted in accelerations between 0.25 to 10 times gravitational acceleration corresponding to frequency and amplitude range of 8 - 22Hz and 1 - 10mm respectively. Throughout testing the void fraction was limited to <5%. The bubble size is larger than resonance size and smaller than acoustic wavelength. The amplitude of acoustic pressure wave was estimated using the definition of Bjerknes force in combination with Rayleigh-Plesset equation. Physical behavior of the system was capture and classified. Bubble size, velocity as well as size and spatial distribution will be presented.

Quantum mechanics new approaches to selected topics

CERN Document Server

Lipkin, Harry Jeannot

1973-01-01

Acclaimed as ""excellent"" (Nature) and ""very original and refreshing"" (Physics Today), this collection of self-contained studies is geared toward advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Its broad selection of topics includes the Mössbauer effect, many-body quantum mechanics, scattering theory, Feynman diagrams, and relativistic quantum mechanics.Author Harry J. Lipkin, a well-known teacher at Israel's Weizmann Institute, takes an unusual approach by introducing many interesting physical problems and mathematical techniques at a much earlier point than in conventional texts. This meth

Bayesian Model Selection under Time Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Hoege, M.; Nowak, W.; Illman, W. A.

2017-12-01

Bayesian model selection (BMS) provides a consistent framework for rating and comparing models in multi-model inference. In cases where models of vastly different complexity compete with each other, we also face vastly different computational runtimes of such models. For instance, time series of a quantity of interest can be simulated by an autoregressive process model that takes even less than a second for one run, or by a partial differential equations-based model with runtimes up to several hours or even days. The classical BMS is based on a quantity called Bayesian model evidence (BME). It determines the model weights in the selection process and resembles a trade-off between bias of a model and its complexity. However, in practice, the runtime of models is another weight relevant factor for model selection. Hence, we believe that it should be included, leading to an overall trade-off problem between bias, variance and computing effort. We approach this triple trade-off from the viewpoint of our ability to generate realizations of the models under a given computational budget. One way to obtain BME values is through sampling-based integration techniques. We argue with the fact that more expensive models can be sampled much less under time constraints than faster models (in straight proportion to their runtime). The computed evidence in favor of a more expensive model is statistically less significant than the evidence computed in favor of a faster model, since sampling-based strategies are always subject to statistical sampling error. We present a straightforward way to include this misbalance into the model weights that are the basis for model selection. Our approach follows directly from the idea of insufficient significance. It is based on a computationally cheap bootstrapping error estimate of model evidence and is easy to implement. The approach is illustrated in a small synthetic modeling study.

Neural mechanisms of selective attention in the somatosensory system.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Hysaj, Kristjana; Niebur, Ernst

2016-09-01

Selective attention allows organisms to extract behaviorally relevant information while ignoring distracting stimuli that compete for the limited resources of their central nervous systems. Attention is highly flexible, and it can be harnessed to select information based on sensory modality, within-modality feature(s), spatial location, object identity, and/or temporal properties. In this review, we discuss the body of work devoted to understanding mechanisms of selective attention in the somatosensory system. In particular, we describe the effects of attention on tactile behavior and corresponding neural activity in somatosensory cortex. Our focus is on neural mechanisms that select tactile stimuli based on their location on the body (somatotopic-based attention) or their sensory feature (feature-based attention). We highlight parallels between selection mechanisms in touch and other sensory systems and discuss several putative neural coding schemes employed by cortical populations to signal the behavioral relevance of sensory inputs. Specifically, we contrast the advantages and disadvantages of using a gain vs. spike-spike correlation code for representing attended sensory stimuli. We favor a neural network model of tactile attention that is composed of frontal, parietal, and subcortical areas that controls somatosensory cells encoding the relevant stimulus features to enable preferential processing throughout the somatosensory hierarchy. Our review is based on data from noninvasive electrophysiological and imaging data in humans as well as single-unit recordings in nonhuman primates. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Exploring Selective Exposure and Confirmation Bias as Processes Underlying Employee Work Happiness: An Intervention Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Paige; Kern, Margaret L; Waters, Lea

2016-01-01

Employee psychological capital (PsyCap), perceptions of organizational virtue (OV), and work happiness have been shown to be associated within and over time. This study examines selective exposure and confirmation bias as potential processes underlying PsyCap, OV, and work happiness associations. As part of a quasi-experimental study design, school staff (N = 69) completed surveys at three time points. After the first assessment, some staff (n = 51) completed a positive psychology training intervention. Results of descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses on the intervention group provide some support for selective exposure and confirmation bias as explanatory mechanisms. In focusing on the processes through which employee attitudes may influence work happiness this study advances theoretical understanding, specifically of selective exposure and confirmation bias in a field study context.

Genomic interrogation of mechanism(s) underlying cellular responses to toxicants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amin, Rupesh P.; Hamadeh, Hisham K.; Bushel, Pierre R.; Bennett, Lee; Afshari, Cynthia A.; Paules, Richard S.

2002-01-01

Assessment of the impact of xenobiotic exposure on human health and disease progression is complex. Knowledge of mode(s) of action, including mechanism(s) contributing to toxicity and disease progression, is valuable for evaluating compounds. Toxicogenomics, the subdiscipline which merges genomics with toxicology, holds the promise to contributing significantly toward the goal of elucidating mechanism(s) by studying genome-wide effects of xenobiotics. Global gene expression profiling, revolutionized by microarray technology and a crucial aspect of a toxicogenomic study, allows measuring transcriptional modulation of thousands of genes following exposure to a xenobiotic. We use our results from previous studies on compounds representing two different classes of xenobiotics (barbiturate and peroxisome proliferator) to discuss the application of computational approaches for analyzing microarray data to elucidate mechanism(s) underlying cellular responses to toxicants. In particular, our laboratory demonstrated that chemical-specific patterns of gene expression can be revealed using cDNA microarrays. Transcript profiling provides discrimination between classes of toxicants, as well as, genome-wide insight into mechanism(s) of toxicity and disease progression. Ultimately, the expectation is that novel approaches for predicting xenobiotic toxicity in humans will emerge from such information

Two-phase flow regimes and mechanisms of critical heat flux under subcooled flow boiling conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Corre, Jean-Marie; Yao, Shi-Chune; Amon, Cristina H.

2010-01-01

A literature review of critical heat flux (CHF) experimental visualizations under subcooled flow boiling conditions was performed and systematically analyzed. Three major types of CHF flow regimes were identified (bubbly, vapor clot and slug flow regime) and a CHF flow regime map was developed, based on a dimensional analysis of the phenomena and available experimental information. It was found that for similar geometric characteristics and pressure, a Weber number (We)/thermodynamic quality (x) map can be used to predict the CHF flow regime. Based on the experimental observations and the review of the available CHF mechanistic models under subcooled flow boiling conditions, hypothetical CHF mechanisms were selected for each CHF flow regime, all based on a concept of wall dry spot overheating, rewetting prevention and subsequent dry spot spreading. Even though the selected concept has not received much attention (in term or theoretical developments and applications) as compared to other more popular DNB models, its basis have often been cited by experimental investigators and is considered by the authors as the 'most-likely' mechanism based on the literature review and analysis performed in this work. The selected modeling concept has the potential to span the CHF conditions from highly subcooled bubbly flow to early stage of annular flow and has been numerically implemented and validated in bubbly flow and coupled with one- and three-dimensional (CFD) two-phase flow codes, in a companion paper. [Le Corre, J.M., Yao, S.C., Amon, C.H., in this issue. A mechanistic model of critical heat flux under subcooled flow boiling conditions for application to one and three-dimensional computer codes. Nucl. Eng. Des.].

From Sound to Significance: Exploring the Mechanisms Underlying Emotional Reactions to Music.

Science.gov (United States)

Juslin, Patrik N; Barradas, Gonçalo; Eerola, Tuomas

2015-01-01

A common approach to studying emotional reactions to music is to attempt to obtain direct links between musical surface features such as tempo and a listener's responses. However, such an analysis ultimately fails to explain why emotions are aroused in the listener. In this article we explore an alternative approach, which aims to account for musical emotions in terms of a set of psychological mechanisms that are activated by different types of information in a musical event. This approach was tested in 4 experiments that manipulated 4 mechanisms (brain stem reflex, contagion, episodic memory, musical expectancy) by selecting existing musical pieces that featured information relevant for each mechanism. The excerpts were played to 60 listeners, who were asked to rate their felt emotions on 15 scales. Skin conductance levels and facial expressions were measured, and listeners reported subjective impressions of relevance to specific mechanisms. Results indicated that the target mechanism conditions evoked emotions largely as predicted by a multimechanism framework and that mostly similar effects occurred across the experiments that included different pieces of music. We conclude that a satisfactory account of musical emotions requires consideration of how musical features and responses are mediated by a range of underlying mechanisms.

Mechanism for selective growth in electrical steel

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Eun Jee; Heo, Nam Hoe; Kwon, Se Kyun; Koo, Yang Mo

2018-01-01

Through the competitive selective growth process between {100}, {110}, and {111} grains during final annealing which is governed by the primary grain size and the surface segregation concentration of sulfur, the sharp {110} annealing texture can be developed in a C-and Al-free Fe-3%Si-0.1%Mn electrical steel. Generally, the selective growth of the {110} grains occurs actively under the low surface segregation concentration of sulfur. In spite of the surface energy disadvantage, the selective growth of a {hkl} grain can however occur, if the {hkl} grain size is larger than the critical grain size linearly proportional to the strip thickness.

Annotating long intergenic non-coding RNAs under artificial selection during chicken domestication.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yun-Mei; Xu, Hai-Bo; Wang, Ming-Shan; Otecko, Newton Otieno; Ye, Ling-Qun; Wu, Dong-Dong; Zhang, Ya-Ping

2017-08-15

Numerous biological functions of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been identified. However, the contribution of lincRNAs to the domestication process has remained elusive. Following domestication from their wild ancestors, animals display substantial changes in many phenotypic traits. Therefore, it is possible that diverse molecular drivers play important roles in this process. We analyzed 821 transcriptomes in this study and annotated 4754 lincRNA genes in the chicken genome. Our population genomic analysis indicates that 419 lincRNAs potentially evolved during artificial selection related to the domestication of chicken, while a comparative transcriptomic analysis identified 68 lincRNAs that were differentially expressed under different conditions. We also found 47 lincRNAs linked to special phenotypes. Our study provides a comprehensive view of the genome-wide landscape of lincRNAs in chicken. This will promote a better understanding of the roles of lincRNAs in domestication, and the genetic mechanisms associated with the artificial selection of domestic animals.

Design of compliant mechanisms with selective compliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasse, Alexander; Campanile, Lucio Flavio

2009-01-01

Conventional mechanisms provide a defined mobility, which expresses the number of degrees of freedom of the mechanism. This allows the system to be driven by a low number of control outputs. This property is virtually retained in the case of compliant mechanisms with lumped compliance, which are obtained by replacing the conventional hinges by solid-state ones. Compliant mechanisms with distributed compliance have, in general, an infinite number of degrees of freedom and therefore cannot guarantee defined kinematics. In this paper the concept of compliant mechanisms with selective compliance is introduced. This special class of compliant mechanisms combines the advantages of distributed compliance with the easy controllability of systems with defined kinematics. The task is accomplished by introducing a new design criterion based on a modal formulation. After this design criterion has been implemented in an optimization formulation for a formal optimization procedure, mechanisms are obtained in which a freely chosen deformation pattern is associated with a low deformation energy while other deformation patterns are considerably stiffer. Besides the description of the modal design criterion and the associated objective function, the sensitivity analysis of the objective function is presented and an application example is shown

Surviving a Dry Future: Abscisic Acid (ABA)-Mediated Plant Mechanisms for Conserving Water under Low Humidity

Science.gov (United States)

McAdam, Scott A. M.

2017-01-01

Angiosperms are able to respond rapidly to the first sign of dry conditions, a decrease in air humidity, more accurately described as an increase in the vapor pressure deficit between the leaf and the atmosphere (VPD), by abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated stomatal closure. The genes underlying this response offer valuable candidates for targeted selection of crop varieties with improved drought tolerance, a critical goal for current plant breeding programs, to maximize crop production in drier and increasingly marginalized environments, and meet the demands of a growing population in the face of a changing climate. Here, we review current understanding of the genetic mechanisms underpinning ABA-mediated stomatal closure, a key means for conserving water under dry conditions, examine how these mechanisms evolved, and discuss what remains to be investigated. PMID:29113039

Characterization of selective solar absorber under high vacuum.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Roberto; Monti, Matteo; di Giamberardino, Francesco; Palmieri, Vittorio G

2018-05-14

Total absorption and emission coefficients of selective solar absorbers are measured under high vacuum conditions from room temperature up to stagnation temperature. The sample under investigation is illuminated under vacuum @1000W/m 2 and the sample temperature is recorded during heat up, equilibrium and cool down. During stagnation, the absorber temperature exceeds 300°C without concentration. Data analysis allows evaluating the solar absorptance and thermal emittance at different temperatures. These in turn are useful to predict evacuated solar panel performances at operating conditions.

Some scale-free networks could be robust under selective node attacks

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Bojin; Huang, Dan; Li, Deyi; Chen, Guisheng; Lan, Wenfei

2011-04-01

It is a mainstream idea that scale-free network would be fragile under the selective attacks. Internet is a typical scale-free network in the real world, but it never collapses under the selective attacks of computer viruses and hackers. This phenomenon is different from the deduction of the idea above because this idea assumes the same cost to delete an arbitrary node. Hence this paper discusses the behaviors of the scale-free network under the selective node attack with different cost. Through the experiments on five complex networks, we show that the scale-free network is possibly robust under the selective node attacks; furthermore, the more compact the network is, and the larger the average degree is, then the more robust the network is; with the same average degrees, the more compact the network is, the more robust the network is. This result would enrich the theory of the invulnerability of the network, and can be used to build robust social, technological and biological networks, and also has the potential to find the target of drugs.

Evolution of conditional cooperation under multilevel selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huanren; Perc, Matjaž

2016-03-11

We study the emergence of conditional cooperation in the presence of both intra-group and inter-group selection. Individuals play public goods games within their groups using conditional strategies, which are represented as piecewise linear response functions. Accordingly, groups engage in conflicts with a certain probability. In contrast to previous studies, we consider continuous contribution levels and a rich set of conditional strategies, allowing for a wide range of possible interactions between strategies. We find that the existence of conditional strategies enables the stabilization of cooperation even under strong intra-group selection. The strategy that eventually dominates in the population has two key properties: (i) It is unexploitable with strong intra-group selection; (ii) It can achieve full contribution to outperform other strategies in the inter-group selection. The success of this strategy is robust to initial conditions as well as changes to important parameters. We also investigate the influence of different factors on cooperation levels, including group conflicts, group size, and migration rate. Their effect on cooperation can be attributed to and explained by their influence on the relative strength of intra-group and inter-group selection.

New developments on the neurobiological and pharmaco-genetic mechanisms underlying internet and videogame addiction.

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Weinstein, Aviv; Lejoyeux, Michel

2015-03-01

There is emerging evidence that the psychobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral addictions such as internet and videogame addiction resemble those of addiction for substances of abuse. Review of brain imaging, treatment and genetic studies on videogame and internet addiction. Literature search of published articles between 2009 and 2013 in Pubmed using "internet addiction" and "videogame addiction" as the search word. Twenty-nine studies have been selected and evaluated under the criteria of brain imaging, treatment, and genetics. Brain imaging studies of the resting state have shown that long-term internet game playing affected brain regions responsible for reward, impulse control and sensory-motor coordination. Brain activation studies have shown that videogame playing involved changes in reward and loss of control and that gaming pictures have activated regions similarly to those activated by cue-exposure to drugs. Structural studies have shown alterations in the volume of the ventral striatum possible as result of changes in reward. Furthermore, videogame playing was associated with dopamine release similar in magnitude to those of drugs of abuse and that there were faulty inhibitory control and reward mechanisms videogame addicted individuals. Finally, treatment studies using fMRI have shown reduction in craving for videogames and reduced associated brain activity. Videogame playing may be supported by similar neural mechanisms underlying drug abuse. Similar to drug and alcohol abuse, internet addiction results in sub-sensitivity of dopamine reward mechanisms. Given the fact that this research is in its early stage it is premature to conclude that internet addiction is equivalent to substance addictions. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Semiparametric efficient and robust estimation of an unknown symmetric population under arbitrary sample selection bias

KAUST Repository

Ma, Yanyuan

2013-09-01

We propose semiparametric methods to estimate the center and shape of a symmetric population when a representative sample of the population is unavailable due to selection bias. We allow an arbitrary sample selection mechanism determined by the data collection procedure, and we do not impose any parametric form on the population distribution. Under this general framework, we construct a family of consistent estimators of the center that is robust to population model misspecification, and we identify the efficient member that reaches the minimum possible estimation variance. The asymptotic properties and finite sample performance of the estimation and inference procedures are illustrated through theoretical analysis and simulations. A data example is also provided to illustrate the usefulness of the methods in practice. © 2013 American Statistical Association.

Selection of relatively exact reference genes for gene expression studies in goosegrass (Eleusine indica) under herbicide stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jingchao; Huang, Zhaofeng; Huang, Hongjuan; Wei, Shouhui; Liu, Yan; Jiang, Cuilan; Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Chaoxian

2017-04-21

Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is one of the most serious annual grassy weeds worldwide, and its evolved herbicide-resistant populations are more difficult to control. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a common technique for investigating the resistance mechanism; however, there is as yet no report on the systematic selection of stable reference genes for goosegrass. This study proposed to test the expression stability of 9 candidate reference genes in goosegrass in different tissues and developmental stages and under stress from three types of herbicide. The results show that for different developmental stages and organs (control), eukaryotic initiation factor 4 A (eIF-4) is the most stable reference gene. Chloroplast acetolactate synthase (ALS) is the most stable reference gene under glyphosate stress. Under glufosinate stress, eIF-4 is the best reference gene. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UCE) is the most stable reference gene under quizalofop-p-ethyl stress. The gene eIF-4 is the recommended reference gene for goosegrass under the stress of all three herbicides. Moreover, pairwise analysis showed that seven reference genes were sufficient to normalize the gene expression data under three herbicides treatment. This study provides a list of reliable reference genes for transcript normalization in goosegrass, which will facilitate resistance mechanism studies in this weed species.

Genome-wide characterization of genetic variants and putative regions under selection in meat and egg-type chicken lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Boschiero, Clarissa; Moreira, Gabriel Costa Monteiro; Gheyas, Almas Ara; Godoy, Thaís Fernanda; Gasparin, Gustavo; Mariani, Pilar Drummond Sampaio Corrêa; Paduan, Marcela; Cesar, Aline Silva Mello; Ledur, Mônica Corrêa; Coutinho, Luiz Lehmann

2018-01-25

Meat and egg-type chickens have been selected for several generations for different traits. Artificial and natural selection for different phenotypes can change frequency of genetic variants, leaving particular genomic footprints throghtout the genome. Thus, the aims of this study were to sequence 28 chickens from two Brazilian lines (meat and white egg-type) and use this information to characterize genome-wide genetic variations, identify putative regions under selection using Fst method, and find putative pathways under selection. A total of 13.93 million SNPs and 1.36 million INDELs were identified, with more variants detected from the broiler (meat-type) line. Although most were located in non-coding regions, we identified 7255 intolerant non-synonymous SNPs, 512 stopgain/loss SNPs, 1381 frameshift and 1094 non-frameshift INDELs that may alter protein functions. Genes harboring intolerant non-synonymous SNPs affected metabolic pathways related mainly to reproduction and endocrine systems in the white-egg layer line, and lipid metabolism and metabolic diseases in the broiler line. Fst analysis in sliding windows, using SNPs and INDELs separately, identified over 300 putative regions of selection overlapping with more than 250 genes. For the first time in chicken, INDEL variants were considered for selection signature analysis, showing high level of correlation in results between SNP and INDEL data. The putative regions of selection signatures revealed interesting candidate genes and pathways related to important phenotypic traits in chicken, such as lipid metabolism, growth, reproduction, and cardiac development. In this study, Fst method was applied to identify high confidence putative regions under selection, providing novel insights into selection footprints that can help elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying different phenotypic traits relevant to meat and egg-type chicken lines. In addition, we generated a large catalog of line-specific and common

Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for the selection and maintenance of behavioural activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiore, Vincenzo G; Dolan, Raymond J; Strausfeld, Nicholas J; Hirth, Frank

2015-12-19

Survival and reproduction entail the selection of adaptive behavioural repertoires. This selection manifests as phylogenetically acquired activities that depend on evolved nervous system circuitries. Lorenz and Tinbergen already postulated that heritable behaviours and their reliable performance are specified by genetically determined programs. Here we compare the functional anatomy of the insect central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia to illustrate their role in mediating selection and maintenance of adaptive behaviours. Comparative analyses reveal that central complex and basal ganglia circuitries share comparable lineage relationships within clusters of functionally integrated neurons. These clusters are specified by genetic mechanisms that link birth time and order to their neuronal identities and functions. Their subsequent connections and associated functions are characterized by similar mechanisms that implement dimensionality reduction and transition through attractor states, whereby spatially organized parallel-projecting loops integrate and convey sensorimotor representations that select and maintain behavioural activity. In both taxa, these neural systems are modulated by dopamine signalling that also mediates memory-like processes. The multiplicity of similarities between central complex and basal ganglia suggests evolutionarily conserved computational mechanisms for action selection. We speculate that these may have originated from ancestral ground pattern circuitries present in the brain of the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates. © 2015 The Authors.

Selective impairment of decision making under ambiguity in alexithymia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Wang, Xue; Zhu, Yu; Li, Hongchen; Zhu, Chunyan; Yu, Fengqiong; Wang, Kai

2017-11-28

Alexithymia is characterised by difficulties identifying and describing emotions. Few studies have investigated how alexithymia influences decision-making under different conditions (ambiguity and risk). This study aimed to examine whether alexithymia contributes to impairment in decision-making. This study included 42 participants with high scores in the Chinese version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (alexithymia group), and 44 matched subjects with low scores (control group). Decision-making was measured using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Game of Dice Task (GDT). The main findings of this study revealed selective deficits in IGT performance for the alexithymia group, while GDT performance was unimpaired when compared with the control group. In IGT, total netscores were lower for the alexithymia group compared to the control group, particularly with regard to block 5. Moreover, the alexithymia individuals selected significantly more adverse cards than the controls, indicating significant decision-making impairments. Alexithymia selectively influences decision-making under ambiguity.

Mechanical Behavior of BFRP-Steel Composite Plate under Axial Tension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunyu Li

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Combining the advantages of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP material and steel material, a novel BFRP-steel composite plate (BSP is proposed, where a steel plate is sandwiched between two outer BFRP laminates. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the mechanical behavior of the proposed BSP under uniaxial tension and cyclic tension. Four groups of BSP specimens with four different BFRP layers and one control group of steel plate specimens were prepared. A uniaxial tensile test and a cyclic tensile test were conducted to determine the initial elastic modulus, postyield stiffness, yield strength, ultimate bearing capacity and residual deformation. Test results indicated that the stress-strain curve of the BSP specimen was bilinear prior to the fracture of the outer BFRP, and the BSP specimen had stable postyield stiffness and small residual deformation after the yielding of the inner steel plate. The postyield modulus of BSP specimens increased almost linearly with the increasing number of outer BFRP layers, as well as the ultimate bearing capacity. Moreover, the predicted results from the selected models under both monotonic tension and cyclic tension were in good agreement with the experimental data.

The effect of sexual selection on adaptation and extinction under increasing temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrett, Jonathan M; Knell, Robert J

2018-04-25

Strong sexual selection has been reported to both enhance and hinder the adaptive capacity and persistence of populations when exposed to novel environments. Consequently, how sexual selection influences population adaption and persistence under stress remains widely debated. Here, we present two empirical investigations of the fitness consequences of sexual selection on populations of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, exposed to stable or gradually increasing temperatures. When faced with increasing temperatures, strong sexual selection was associated with both increased fecundity and offspring survival compared with populations experiencing weak sexual selection, suggesting sexual selection acts to drive adaptive evolution by favouring beneficial alleles. Strong sexual selection did not, however, delay extinction when the temperature became excessively high. By manipulating individuals' mating opportunities during fitness assays, we were able to assess the effect of multiple mating independently from the effect of population-level sexual selection, and found that polyandry has a positive effect on both fecundity and offspring survival under increasing temperatures in those populations evolving with weak sexual selection. Within stable temperatures, there were some benefits from strong sexual selection but these were not consistent across the entire experiment, possibly reflecting changing costs and benefits of sexual selection under stabilizing and directional selection. These results indicate that sexual selection can provide a buffer against climate change and increase adaptation rates within a continuously changing environment. These positive effects of sexual selection may, however, be too small to protect populations and delay extinction when environmental changes are relatively rapid. © 2018 The Author(s).

A prototype of behavior selection mechanism based on emotion

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guofeng; Li, Zushu

2007-12-01

In bionic methodology rather than in design methodology more familiar with, summarizing the psychological researches of emotion, we propose the biologic mechanism of emotion, emotion selection role in creature evolution and a anima framework including emotion similar to the classical control structure; and consulting Prospect Theory, build an Emotion Characteristic Functions(ECF) that computer emotion; two more emotion theories are added to them that higher emotion is preferred and middle emotion makes brain run more efficiently, emotional behavior mechanism comes into being. A simulation of proposed mechanism are designed and carried out on Alife Swarm software platform. In this simulation, a virtual grassland ecosystem is achieved where there are two kinds of artificial animals: herbivore and preyer. These artificial animals execute four types of behavior: wandering, escaping, finding food, finding sex partner in their lives. According the theories of animal ethnology, escaping from preyer is prior to other behaviors for its existence, finding food is secondly important behavior, rating is third one and wandering is last behavior. In keeping this behavior order, based on our behavior characteristic function theory, the specific functions of emotion computing are built of artificial autonomous animals. The result of simulation confirms the behavior selection mechanism.

A new perspective on the perceptual selectivity of attention under load

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giesbrecht, Barry; Sy, Jocelyn; Bundesen, Claus

2014-01-01

The human attention system helps us cope with a complex environment by supporting the selective processing of information relevant to our current goals. Understanding the perceptual, cognitive, and neural mechanisms that mediate selective attention is a core issue in cognitive neuroscience. One...... prominent model of selective attention, known as load theory, offers an account of how task demands determine when information is selected and an account of the efficiency of the selection process. However, load theory has several critical weaknesses that suggest that it is time for a new perspective. Here...... is integrated to provide efficient attentional selection and allocation of perceptual processing resources....

Mechanical stress-controlled tunable active frequency-selective surface

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Bo-Cin; Hong, Jian-Wei; Lo, Cheng-Yao

2017-01-01

This study proposes a tunable active frequency-selective surface (AFSS) realized by mechanically expanding or contracting a split-ring resonator (SRR) array. The proposed AFSS transfers mechanical stress from its elastic substrate to the top of the SRR, thereby achieving electromagnetic (EM) modulation without the need for an additional external power supply, meeting the requirements for the target application: the invisibility cloak. The operating mechanism of the proposed AFSS differs from those of other AFSSs, supporting modulations in arbitrary frequencies in the target range. The proposed stress-controlled or strain-induced EM modulation proves the existence of an identical and linear relationship between the strain gradient and the frequency shift, implying its suitability for other EM modulation ranges and applications.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of selective laser melted magnesium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, C.C.; Savalani, M.M.; Lau, M.L.; Man, H.C.

2011-01-01

The effects of laser processing parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of selective laser-melted magnesium were investigated. The results show that the microstructure characteristics of the laser-melted samples are dependent on the grain size of SLM magnesium. The grains in the molten zone coarsen as the laser energy density increases. In addition, the average hardness values of the molten zone decreases significantly with an increase of the laser energy densities and then decreased slowly at a relatively high laser energy density irrespective of mode of irradiation. The hardness value was obtained from 0.59 to 0.95 GPa and corresponding elastic modulus ranging from 27 to 33 GPa. The present selective laser-melted magnesium parts are promising for biomedical applications since the mechanical properties are more closely matched with human bone than other metallic biomaterials.

Intercomparison of chemical mechanisms for air quality policy formulation and assessment under North American conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Derwent, Richard

2017-07-01

The intercomparison of seven chemical mechanisms for their suitability for air quality policy formulation and assessment is described. Box modeling techniques were employed using 44 sets of background environmental conditions covering North America to constrain the chemical development of the longer lived species. The selected mechanisms were modified to enable an unbiased assessment of the adequacy of the parameterizations of photochemical ozone production from volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation in the presence of NO x . Photochemical ozone production rates responded differently to 30% NO x and VOC reductions with the different mechanisms, despite the striking similarities between the base-case ozone production rates. The 30% reductions in NO x and VOCs also produced changes in OH. The responses in OH to 30% reductions in NO x and VOCs appeared to be more sensitive to mechanism choice, compared with the responses in the photochemical ozone production rates. Although 30% NO x reductions generally led to decreases in OH, 30% reductions in VOCs led to increases in OH, irrespective of mechanism choice and background environmental conditions. The different mechanisms therefore gave different OH responses to NO x and VOC reductions and so would give different responses in terms of changes in the fate and behavior of air toxics, acidification and eutrophication, and fine particle formation compared with others, in response to ozone control strategies. Policymakers need to understand that there are likely to be inherent differences in the responses to ozone control strategies between different mechanisms, depending on background environmental conditions and the extents of NO x and VOC reductions under consideration. The purpose of this paper is to compare predicted ozone responses to NO x and VOC reductions with seven chemical mechanisms under North American conditions. The good agreement found between the tested mechanisms should provide some support for their

Evolution of molecular phenotypes under stabilizing selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nourmohammad, Armita; Schiffels, Stephan; Lässig, Michael

2013-01-01

Molecular phenotypes are important links between genomic information and organismic functions, fitness, and evolution. Complex phenotypes, which are also called quantitative traits, often depend on multiple genomic loci. Their evolution builds on genome evolution in a complicated way, which involves selection, genetic drift, mutations and recombination. Here we develop a coarse-grained evolutionary statistics for phenotypes, which decouples from details of the underlying genotypes. We derive approximate evolution equations for the distribution of phenotype values within and across populations. This dynamics covers evolutionary processes at high and low recombination rates, that is, it applies to sexual and asexual populations. In a fitness landscape with a single optimal phenotype value, the phenotypic diversity within populations and the divergence between populations reach evolutionary equilibria, which describe stabilizing selection. We compute the equilibrium distributions of both quantities analytically and we show that the ratio of mean divergence and diversity depends on the strength of selection in a universal way: it is largely independent of the phenotype’s genomic encoding and of the recombination rate. This establishes a new method for the inference of selection on molecular phenotypes beyond the genome level. We discuss the implications of our findings for the predictability of evolutionary processes. (paper)

Population genetics inference for longitudinally-sampled mutants under strong selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacerda, Miguel; Seoighe, Cathal

2014-11-01

Longitudinal allele frequency data are becoming increasingly prevalent. Such samples permit statistical inference of the population genetics parameters that influence the fate of mutant variants. To infer these parameters by maximum likelihood, the mutant frequency is often assumed to evolve according to the Wright-Fisher model. For computational reasons, this discrete model is commonly approximated by a diffusion process that requires the assumption that the forces of natural selection and mutation are weak. This assumption is not always appropriate. For example, mutations that impart drug resistance in pathogens may evolve under strong selective pressure. Here, we present an alternative approximation to the mutant-frequency distribution that does not make any assumptions about the magnitude of selection or mutation and is much more computationally efficient than the standard diffusion approximation. Simulation studies are used to compare the performance of our method to that of the Wright-Fisher and Gaussian diffusion approximations. For large populations, our method is found to provide a much better approximation to the mutant-frequency distribution when selection is strong, while all three methods perform comparably when selection is weak. Importantly, maximum-likelihood estimates of the selection coefficient are severely attenuated when selection is strong under the two diffusion models, but not when our method is used. This is further demonstrated with an application to mutant-frequency data from an experimental study of bacteriophage evolution. We therefore recommend our method for estimating the selection coefficient when the effective population size is too large to utilize the discrete Wright-Fisher model. Copyright © 2014 by the Genetics Society of America.

DNA under Force: Mechanics, Electrostatics, and Hydration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingqiang Li

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Quantifying the basic intra- and inter-molecular forces of DNA has helped us to better understand and further predict the behavior of DNA. Single molecule technique elucidates the mechanics of DNA under applied external forces, sometimes under extreme forces. On the other hand, ensemble studies of DNA molecular force allow us to extend our understanding of DNA molecules under other forces such as electrostatic and hydration forces. Using a variety of techniques, we can have a comprehensive understanding of DNA molecular forces, which is crucial in unraveling the complex DNA functions in living cells as well as in designing a system that utilizes the unique properties of DNA in nanotechnology.

Computationally efficient thermal-mechanical modelling of selective laser melting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yang, Y.; Ayas, C.; Brabazon, Dermot; Naher, Sumsun; Ul Ahad, Inam

2017-01-01

The Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder based additive manufacturing (AM) method to produce high density metal parts with complex topology. However, part distortions and accompanying residual stresses deteriorates the mechanical reliability of SLM products. Modelling of the SLM process is

Selective adsorption of thiophenic compounds from fuel over TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} under UV-irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miao, Guang [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Ye, Feiyan [Key Laboratory of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Education South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Wu, Luoming; Ren, Xiaoling [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Xiao, Jing, E-mail: cejingxiao@scut.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Li, Zhong, E-mail: cezhli@scut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Education South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Wang, Haihui [Key Laboratory of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of Education South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China)

2015-12-30

Highlights: • TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} was developed for selective adsorption of DBTs under UV irradiation. • Remarkable adsorption uptake and selectivity were achieved for deep desulfurization. • Introduction of TiO{sub 2} into SiO{sub 2} enhanced its adsorption for DBTO{sub 2}. • Adsorption mechanism using TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} under UV irradiation was elucidated. - Abstract: This study investigates selective adsorption of thiophenic compounds from fuel over TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} under UV-irradiation. The TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} adsorbents were prepared and then characterized by N{sub 2} adsorption, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Adsorption isotherms, selectivity and kinetics of TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} were measured in a UV built-in batch reactor. It was concluded that (a) with the employment of UV-irradiation, high organosulfur uptake of 5.12 mg/g was achieved on the optimized 0.3TiO{sub 2}/0.7SiO{sub 2} adsorbent at low sulfur concentration of 15 ppmw-S, and its adsorption selectivity over naphthalene was up to 325.5; (b) highly dispersed TiO{sub 2} served as the photocatalytic sites for DBT oxidation, while SiO{sub 2} acted as the selective adsorption sites for the corresponding oxidized DBT using TiO{sub 2} as a promoter, the two types of active sites worked cooperatively to achieve the high adsorption selectivity of TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}; (c) The kinetic rate-determining step for the UV photocatalysis-assisted adsorptive desulfurization (PADS) over TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} was DBT oxidation; (d) consecutive adsorption-regeneration cycles suggested that the 0.3TiO{sub 2}/0.7SiO{sub 2} adsorbent can be regenerated by acetonitrile washing followed with oxidative air treatment. This work demonstrated an effective PADS approach to greatly enhance adsorption capacity and selectivity of thiophenic compounds at low concentrations for deep desulfurization under ambient conditions.

Turing mechanism underlying a branching model for lung morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hui; Sun, Mingzhu; Zhao, Xin

2017-01-01

The mammalian lung develops through branching morphogenesis. Two primary forms of branching, which occur in order, in the lung have been identified: tip bifurcation and side branching. However, the mechanisms of lung branching morphogenesis remain to be explored. In our previous study, a biological mechanism was presented for lung branching pattern formation through a branching model. Here, we provide a mathematical mechanism underlying the branching patterns. By decoupling the branching model, we demonstrated the existence of Turing instability. We performed Turing instability analysis to reveal the mathematical mechanism of the branching patterns. Our simulation results show that the Turing patterns underlying the branching patterns are spot patterns that exhibit high local morphogen concentration. The high local morphogen concentration induces the growth of branching. Furthermore, we found that the sparse spot patterns underlie the tip bifurcation patterns, while the dense spot patterns underlies the side branching patterns. The dispersion relation analysis shows that the Turing wavelength affects the branching structure. As the wavelength decreases, the spot patterns change from sparse to dense, the rate of tip bifurcation decreases and side branching eventually occurs instead. In the process of transformation, there may exists hybrid branching that mixes tip bifurcation and side branching. Since experimental studies have reported that branching mode switching from side branching to tip bifurcation in the lung is under genetic control, our simulation results suggest that genes control the switch of the branching mode by regulating the Turing wavelength. Our results provide a novel insight into and understanding of the formation of branching patterns in the lung and other biological systems.

Amount of fear extinction changes its underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Bobae; Kim, Jihye; Park, Kyungjoon; Lee, Sukwon; Song, Sukwoon; Choi, Sukwoo

2017-07-03

There has been a longstanding debate on whether original fear memory is inhibited or erased after extinction. One possibility that reconciles this uncertainty is that the inhibition and erasure mechanisms are engaged in different phases (early or late) of extinction. In this study, using single-session extinction training and its repetition (multiple-session extinction training), we investigated the inhibition and erasure mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala of rats, where neural circuits underlying extinction reside. The inhibition mechanism was prevalent with single-session extinction training but faded when single-session extinction training was repeated. In contrast, the erasure mechanism became prevalent when single-session extinction training was repeated. Moreover, ablating the intercalated neurons of amygdala, which are responsible for maintaining extinction-induced inhibition, was no longer effective in multiple-session extinction training. We propose that the inhibition mechanism operates primarily in the early phase of extinction training, and the erasure mechanism takes over after that.

Simulated airplane headache: a proxy towards identification of underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, Sebastian Bao Dinh; Petersen, Torben; Poulsen, Jeppe Nørgaard; Gazerani, Parisa

2017-12-01

Airplane Headache (AH) occurs during flights and often appears as an intense, short lasting headache during take-off or landing. Reports are limited on pathological mechanisms underlying the occurrence of this headache. Proper diagnosis and treatments would benefit from identification of potential pathways involved in AH pathogenesis. This study aimed at providing a simulated airplane headache condition as a proxy towards identification of its underlying mechanisms. Fourteen participants including 7 volunteers suffering from AH and 7 healthy matched controls were recruited after meeting the diagnostic and safety criteria based on an approved study protocol. Simulation of AH was achieved by entering a pressure chamber with similar characteristics of an airplane flight. Selected potential biomarkers including salivary prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), cortisol, facial thermo-images, blood pressure, pulse, and saturation pulse oxygen (SPO) were defined and values were collected before, during and after flight simulation in the pressure chamber. Salivary samples were analyzed with ELISA techniques, while data analysis and statistical tests were handled with SPSS version 22.0. All participants in the AH-group experienced a headache attack similar to AH experience during flight. The non-AH-group did not experience any headaches. Our data showed that the values for PGE 2 , cortisol and SPO were significantly different in the AH-group in comparison with the non-AH-group during the flight simulation in the pressure chamber. The pressure chamber proved useful not only to provoke AH-like attack but also to study potential biomarkers for AH in this study. PGE 2 , and cortisol levels together with SPO presented dysregulation during the simulated AH-attack in affected individuals compared with healthy controls. Based on these findings we propose to use pressure chamber as a model to induce AH, and thus assess new potential biomarkers for AH in future studies.

Inconel 939 processed by selective laser melting: Effect of microstructure and temperature on the mechanical properties under static and cyclic loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanagarajah, P., E-mail: p.kanagarajah@uni-paderborn.de [Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffkunde (Materials Science), University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn (Germany); Brenne, F. [Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffkunde (Materials Science), University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn (Germany); Direct Manufacturing Research Center (DMRC), Mersinweg 3, 33098 Paderborn (Germany); Niendorf, T. [Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffkunde (Materials Science), University of Paderborn, Pohlweg 47-49, 33098 Paderborn (Germany); Maier, H.J. [Direct Manufacturing Research Center (DMRC), Mersinweg 3, 33098 Paderborn (Germany); Institut für Werkstoffkunde, Leibniz Universität Hannover, An der Universität 2, 30823 Garbsen (Germany)

2013-12-20

Nickel-based superalloys, such as Inconel 939, are a long-established construction material for high-temperature applications and profound knowledge of the mechanical properties for this alloy produced by conventional techniques exists. However, many applications demand for highly complex geometries, e.g. in order to optimize the cooling capability of thermally loaded parts. Thus, additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have recently attracted substantial interest as they provide for an increased freedom of design. However, the microstructural features after AM processing are different from those after conventional processing. Thus, further research is vital for understanding the microstructure-processing relationship and its impact on the resulting mechanical properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate Inconel 939 processed by selective laser melting (SLM) and to reveal the differences to the conventional cast alloy. Thorough examinations were conducted using electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, optical microscopy and mechanical testing. It is demonstrated that the microstructure of the SLM-material is highly influenced by the heat flux during layer-wise manufacturing and consequently anisotropic microstructural features prevail. An epitaxial grain growth accounts for strong bonding between the single layers resulting in good mechanical properties already in the as-built condition. A heat treatment following SLM leads to microstructural features different to those obtained after the same heat treatment of the cast alloy. Still, the mechanical performance of the latter is met underlining the potential of this technique for producing complex parts for high temperature applications.

Control of a perturbed under-actuated mechanical system

KAUST Repository

Zayane, Chadia; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem; Chemori, Ahmed

2015-01-01

In this work, the trajectory tracking problem for an under-actuated mechanical system in presence of unknown input disturbances is addressed. The studied inertia wheel inverted pendulum falls in the class of non minimum phase systems. The proposed

Exploration of mechanisms underlying the strain-rate-dependent mechanical property of single chondrocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Trung Dung; Gu, YuanTong, E-mail: yuantong.gu@qut.edu.au [School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)

2014-05-05

Based on the characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy, we report that the mechanical property of single chondrocytes has dependency on the strain-rates. By comparing the mechanical deformation responses and the Young's moduli of living and fixed chondrocytes at four different strain-rates, we explore the deformation mechanisms underlying this dependency property. We found that the strain-rate-dependent mechanical property of living cells is governed by both of the cellular cytoskeleton and the intracellular fluid when the fixed chondrocytes are mainly governed by their intracellular fluid, which is called the consolidation-dependent deformation behavior. Finally, we report that the porohyperelastic constitutive material model which can capture the consolidation-dependent behavior of both living and fixed chondrocytes is a potential candidature to study living cell biomechanics.

Dynamic selection mechanism for quality of service aware web services

Science.gov (United States)

D'Mello, Demian Antony; Ananthanarayana, V. S.

2010-02-01

A web service is an interface of the software component that can be accessed by standard Internet protocols. The web service technology enables an application to application communication and interoperability. The increasing number of web service providers throughout the globe have produced numerous web services providing the same or similar functionality. This necessitates the use of tools and techniques to search the suitable services available over the Web. UDDI (universal description, discovery and integration) is the first initiative to find the suitable web services based on the requester's functional demands. However, the requester's requirements may also include non-functional aspects like quality of service (QoS). In this paper, the authors define a QoS model for QoS aware and business driven web service publishing and selection. The authors propose a QoS requirement format for the requesters, to specify their complex demands on QoS for the web service selection. The authors define a tree structure called quality constraint tree (QCT) to represent the requester's variety of requirements on QoS properties having varied preferences. The paper proposes a QoS broker based architecture for web service selection, which facilitates the requesters to specify their QoS requirements to select qualitatively optimal web service. A web service selection algorithm is presented, which ranks the functionally similar web services based on the degree of satisfaction of the requester's QoS requirements and preferences. The paper defines web service provider qualities to distinguish qualitatively competitive web services. The paper also presents the modelling and selection mechanism for the requester's alternative constraints defined on the QoS. The authors implement the QoS broker based system to prove the correctness of the proposed web service selection mechanism.

Deformation Mechanisms of Gum Metals Under Nanoindentation

Science.gov (United States)

Sankaran, Rohini Priya

defect structures to applied loading, we perform ex-situ nanoindentation. Nanoindentation is a convenient method as the plastic deformation is localized and probes a nominally defect free volume of the material. We subsequently characterize the defect structures in these alloys with both conventional TEM and advanced techniques such as HAADF HRSTEM and nanoprobe diffraction. These advanced techniques allow for a more thorough understanding of the observed deformation features. The main findings from this investigation are as follows. As expected we observe that a non-equilibrium phase, o, is present in the leaner beta-stabilized alloy, ST Ref-1. We do not find any direct evidence of secondary phases in STGM, and we find the beta phase in CWGM, along with lath microstructure with subgrain structure consisting of dislocation cell networks. Upon nanoindentation, we find twinning accompanied by beta nucleation on the twin boundary in ST Ref-1 samples. This result is consistent with previous findings and is reasonable considering the alloy is unstable with respect to beta transformation. We find deformation nanotwinning in cold worked gum metals under nanoindentation, which is initially surprising. We argue that when viewed as a nanocrystalline material, such a deformation mechanism is consistent with previous work, and furthermore, a deformation nanotwinned structure does not preclude an ideal shear mechanism from operating in the alloy. Lastly, we observe continuous lattice rotations in STGM under nanoindentation via nanoprobe diffraction. With this technique, for the first time we can demonstrate that the lattice rotations are truly continuous at the nanoscale. We can quantify this lattice rotation, and find that even though the rotation is large, it may be mediated by a reasonable geometrically necessary dislocation density, and note that similar rotations are typically observed in other materials under nanoindentation. HRSTEM and conventional TEM data confirm the

Skewed factor models using selection mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Kim, Hyoung-Moon

2015-12-21

Traditional factor models explicitly or implicitly assume that the factors follow a multivariate normal distribution; that is, only moments up to order two are involved. However, it may happen in real data problems that the first two moments cannot explain the factors. Based on this motivation, here we devise three new skewed factor models, the skew-normal, the skew-tt, and the generalized skew-normal factor models depending on a selection mechanism on the factors. The ECME algorithms are adopted to estimate related parameters for statistical inference. Monte Carlo simulations validate our new models and we demonstrate the need for skewed factor models using the classic open/closed book exam scores dataset.

Skewed factor models using selection mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Kim, Hyoung-Moon; Maadooliat, Mehdi; Arellano-Valle, Reinaldo B.; Genton, Marc G.

2015-01-01

Traditional factor models explicitly or implicitly assume that the factors follow a multivariate normal distribution; that is, only moments up to order two are involved. However, it may happen in real data problems that the first two moments cannot explain the factors. Based on this motivation, here we devise three new skewed factor models, the skew-normal, the skew-tt, and the generalized skew-normal factor models depending on a selection mechanism on the factors. The ECME algorithms are adopted to estimate related parameters for statistical inference. Monte Carlo simulations validate our new models and we demonstrate the need for skewed factor models using the classic open/closed book exam scores dataset.

Mechanisms of attentional selection bias for threatening emotions of anger and disgust in individuals with high-trait anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Luyao; Cui, Lixia; Zhang, Qin; Dong, Xiaofei; Shi, Guangyuan

2018-03-07

There are still some controversies that attentional bias to negative emotions in individuals with high-trait anxiety (HTA), as compare with those with low-trait anxiety (LTA), occurs in the engagement or disengagement facet of attentional selectivity and whether this attentional bias is affected by negative emotional types. In this study, we explored the different attentional selectivity mechanisms for threatening emotions of anger and disgust between individuals with HTA and LTA using the variant attentional-probe paradigm. The results showed that under the engagement condition, the HTA group's attentional bias index of the anger mood was negative and was significantly less than the disgusting mood (positive) and that the P1 was smaller with angry faces as compared with neutral faces, which was separate from the results of the disgusted faces, having a significant difference with neutral faces on P1 component. In the LTA group, under the disengagement condition, the attentional bias index of the disgusting mood was significantly bigger than the attentional bias index of the anger mood. Moreover, the P1 of the disgusted faces was significantly bigger than the P1 of the angry faces. The topographical maps were also made to reveal the different neural underpinnings. The results suggested that there were different mechanisms of selective attentional bias for threatening emotions of anger and disgust in individuals with HTA. HTA individuals were characterized by facilitated attentional engagement with angry faces and impaired attentional engagement with disgusted faces. LTA individuals had different neural underpinnings and had impaired attentional disengagement with disgusted faces.

Cell-Nonautonomous Mechanisms Underlying Cellular and Organismal Aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Medkour, Younes; Svistkova, Veronika; Titorenko, Vladimir I

2016-01-01

Cell-autonomous mechanisms underlying cellular and organismal aging in evolutionarily distant eukaryotes have been established; these mechanisms regulate longevity-defining processes within a single eukaryotic cell. Recent findings have provided valuable insight into cell-nonautonomous mechanisms modulating cellular and organismal aging in eukaryotes across phyla; these mechanisms involve a transmission of various longevity factors between different cells, tissues, and organisms. Herein, we review such cell-nonautonomous mechanisms of aging in eukaryotes. We discuss the following: (1) how low molecular weight transmissible longevity factors modulate aging and define longevity of cells in yeast populations cultured in liquid media or on solid surfaces, (2) how communications between proteostasis stress networks operating in neurons and nonneuronal somatic tissues define longevity of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by modulating the rates of aging in different tissues, and (3) how different bacterial species colonizing the gut lumen of C. elegans define nematode longevity by modulating the rate of organismal aging. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Crack assessment of pipe under combined thermal and mechanical load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Tae Kwang; Kim, Yun Jae

2009-01-01

In this paper, J-integral and transient C(t)-integral, which were key parameters in low temperature and high temperature fracture mechanics, under combined thermal and mechanical load were estimated via 3-dimensional finite element analyses. Various type of thermal and mechanical load, material hardening were considered to decrease conservatism in existing solutions. As a results, V-factor and redistribution time for combined thermal and mechanical load were proposed to calculate J-integral and C(t)-integral, respectively.

A new perspective on the perceptual selectivity of attention under load.

Science.gov (United States)

Giesbrecht, Barry; Sy, Jocelyn; Bundesen, Claus; Kyllingsbaek, Søren

2014-05-01

The human attention system helps us cope with a complex environment by supporting the selective processing of information relevant to our current goals. Understanding the perceptual, cognitive, and neural mechanisms that mediate selective attention is a core issue in cognitive neuroscience. One prominent model of selective attention, known as load theory, offers an account of how task demands determine when information is selected and an account of the efficiency of the selection process. However, load theory has several critical weaknesses that suggest that it is time for a new perspective. Here we review the strengths and weaknesses of load theory and offer an alternative biologically plausible computational account that is based on the neural theory of visual attention. We argue that this new perspective provides a detailed computational account of how bottom-up and top-down information is integrated to provide efficient attentional selection and allocation of perceptual processing resources. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Mechanism of crack initiation and crack growth under thermal and mechanical fatigue loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Utz, S.; Soppa, E.; Silcher, H.; Kohler, C. [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Materials Testing Inst.

2013-07-01

The present contribution is focused on the experimental investigations and numerical simulations of the deformation behaviour and crack development in the austenitic stainless steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under thermal and mechanical cyclic loading in HCF and LCF regimes. The main objective of this research is the understanding of the basic mechanisms of fatigue damage and the development of simulation methods, which can be applied further in safety evaluations of nuclear power plant components. In this context the modelling of crack initiation and crack growth inside the material structure induced by varying thermal or mechanical loads are of particular interest. The mechanisms of crack initiation depend among other things on the type of loading, microstructure, material properties and temperature. The Nb-stabilized austenitic stainless steel in the solution-annealed condition was chosen for the investigations. Experiments with two kinds of cyclic loading - pure thermal and pure mechanical - were carried out and simulated. The fatigue behaviour of the steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under thermal loading was studied within the framework of the joint research project [4]. Interrupted thermal cyclic tests in the temperature range of 150 C to 300 C combined with non-destructive residual stress measurements (XRD) and various microscopic investigations, e.g. in SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), were used to study the effects of thermal cyclic loading on the material. This thermal cyclic loading leads to thermal induced stresses and strains. As a result intrusions and extrusions appear inside the grains (at the surface), at which microcracks arise and evolve to a dominant crack. Finally, these microcracks cause a continuous and significant decrease of residual stresses. The fatigue behaviour of the steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under mechanical loading at room temperature was studied within the framework of the research project [5], [8]. With a combination of interrupted LCF tests and EBSD

Mechanism of crack initiation and crack growth under thermal and mechanical fatigue loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utz, S.; Soppa, E.; Silcher, H.; Kohler, C.

2013-01-01

The present contribution is focused on the experimental investigations and numerical simulations of the deformation behaviour and crack development in the austenitic stainless steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under thermal and mechanical cyclic loading in HCF and LCF regimes. The main objective of this research is the understanding of the basic mechanisms of fatigue damage and the development of simulation methods, which can be applied further in safety evaluations of nuclear power plant components. In this context the modelling of crack initiation and crack growth inside the material structure induced by varying thermal or mechanical loads are of particular interest. The mechanisms of crack initiation depend among other things on the type of loading, microstructure, material properties and temperature. The Nb-stabilized austenitic stainless steel in the solution-annealed condition was chosen for the investigations. Experiments with two kinds of cyclic loading - pure thermal and pure mechanical - were carried out and simulated. The fatigue behaviour of the steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under thermal loading was studied within the framework of the joint research project [4]. Interrupted thermal cyclic tests in the temperature range of 150 C to 300 C combined with non-destructive residual stress measurements (XRD) and various microscopic investigations, e.g. in SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), were used to study the effects of thermal cyclic loading on the material. This thermal cyclic loading leads to thermal induced stresses and strains. As a result intrusions and extrusions appear inside the grains (at the surface), at which microcracks arise and evolve to a dominant crack. Finally, these microcracks cause a continuous and significant decrease of residual stresses. The fatigue behaviour of the steel X6CrNiNb18-10 under mechanical loading at room temperature was studied within the framework of the research project [5], [8]. With a combination of interrupted LCF tests and EBSD

Identifying the receptor subtype selectivity of retinoid X and retinoic acid receptors via quantum mechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuji, Motonori; Shudo, Koichi; Kagechika, Hiroyuki

2017-03-01

Understanding and identifying the receptor subtype selectivity of a ligand is an important issue in the field of drug discovery. Using a combination of classical molecular mechanics and quantum mechanical calculations, this report assesses the receptor subtype selectivity for the human retinoid X receptor (hRXR) and retinoic acid receptor (hRAR) ligand-binding domains (LBDs) complexed with retinoid ligands. The calculated energies show good correlation with the experimentally reported binding affinities. The technique proposed here is a promising method as it reveals the origin of the receptor subtype selectivity of selective ligands.

The Comparison of Neuro Behavioral Activity Mechanisms between Substance Abuse Sufferers under Maintenance Treatment and Non-Sufferers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Kazemi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: The current study aimed at comparing preventive behavioral mechanisms behavioral tendencies, and the clash between drug users under maintenance treatmentandnon-users. Method: It was a causal-comparative study. All addicts of Esfahan city who had referred to one of the drug quitting centers constituted the study population. The selected sample consisted of 50drug users under maintenance treatment and 50non-users who were selected by convenience sampling. Gray- Wilson Personality Questionnaire was used for data collection purposes. Findings: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of BAS and FFS scales while the difference between the two groups in terms of BIS scale was not reported to be significant. As well, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of approach, passive avoidance, fight, and silence. Conclusion: Investigating the neural/behavioral foundations within the range of substance abuse disorders indicates a difference between this group and those without the disorder, and it can further our understanding of the neural foundations of these disorders.

On the mechanism of high product selectivity for HCOOH using Pb in CO2 electroreduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Back, Seoin; Kim, Jun-Hyuk; Kim, Yong-Tae; Jung, Yousung

2016-04-14

While achieving high product selectivity is one of the major challenges of the CO2 electroreduction technology in general, Pb is one of the few examples with high selectivity that produces formic acid almost exclusively (versus H2, CO, or other byproducts). In this work, we study the mechanism of CO2 electroreduction reactions using Pb to understand the origin of high formic acid selectivity. In particular, we first assess the proton-assisted mechanism proposed in the literature using density functional calculations and find that it cannot fully explain the previous selectivity experiments for the Pb electrode. We then suggest an alternative proton-coupled-electron-transfer mechanism consistent with existing observations, and further validate a new mechanism by experimentally measuring and comparing the onset potentials for CO2 reduction vs. H2 production. We find that the origin of a high selectivity of the Pb catalyst for HCOOH production over CO and H2 lies in the strong O-affinitive and weak C-, H-affinitive characteristics of Pb, leading to the involvement of the *OCHO species as a key intermediate to produce HCOOH exclusively and preventing unwanted H2 production at the same time.

Fracture mechanics of hydroxyapatite single crystals under geometric confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Libonati, Flavia; Nair, Arun K; Vergani, Laura; Buehler, Markus J

2013-04-01

Geometric confinement to the nanoscale, a concept that refers to the characteristic dimensions of structural features of materials at this length scale, has been shown to control the mechanical behavior of many biological materials or their building blocks, and such effects have also been suggested to play a crucial role in enhancing the strength and toughness of bone. Here we study the effect of geometric confinement on the fracture mechanism of hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals that form the mineralized phase in bone. We report a series of molecular simulations of HAP crystals with an edge crack on the (001) plane under tensile loading, and we systematically vary the sample height whilst keeping the sample and the crack length constant. We find that by decreasing the sample height the stress concentration at the tip of the crack disappears for samples with a height smaller than 4.15nm, below which the material shows a different failure mode characterized by a more ductile mechanism with much larger failure strains, and the strength approaching that of a flaw-less crystal. This study directly confirms an earlier suggestion of a flaw-tolerant state that appears under geometric confinement and may explain the mechanical stability of the reinforcing HAP platelets in bone. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Believing versus interacting: Behavioural and neural mechanisms underlying interpersonal coordination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Konvalinka, Ivana; Bauer, Markus; Kilner, James

When two people engage in a bidirectional interaction with each other, they use both bottom-up sensorimotor mechanisms such as monitoring and adapting to the behaviour of the other, as well as top-down cognitive processes, modulating their beliefs and allowing them to make decisions. Most research...... in joint action has investigated only one of these mechanisms at a time – low-level processes underlying joint coordination, or high-level cognitive mechanisms that give insight into how people think about another. In real interactions, interplay between these two mechanisms modulates how we interact...

The mechanism of selective corrugation removal by KOH anisotropic wet etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shikida, M; Inagaki, N; Sasaki, H; Amakawa, H; Fukuzawa, K; Sato, K

2010-01-01

The mechanism of selective corrugation removal by anisotropic wet etching—which reduces a periodic corrugation, called 'scalloping', formed on the sidewalls of microstructures by the Bosch process in deep reactive-ion etching (D-RIE)—was investigated. In particular, the corrugation-removal mechanism was analyzed by using the etching rate distribution pattern, and two equations for predicting the corrugation-removal time by the etching were derived. A Si{1 0 0} wafer was first etched by D-RIE at a depth of 29.4 µm (60 cycles) to form the corrugation on the sidewall surface. The height and pitch of the corrugation were 196 and 494 nm, respectively. Selective removal of the corrugation by using 50% KOH (40 °C) was experimentally tried. The corrugation formed on Si{1 0 0} sidewall surfaces was gradually reduced in size as the etching progressed, and it was completely removed after 5 min of etching. Similarly, the corrugation formed on a Si{1 1 0} sidewall surface was also selectively removed by KOH etching (etching time: 3 min). The roughness value of the sidewall surface was reduced from 17.6 nm to a few nanometers by the etching. These results confirm that the corrugation-removal mechanism using anisotropic wet etching can be explained in terms of the distribution pattern of etching rate

Influence of Maximum Inbreeding Avoidance under BLUP EBV Selection on Pinzgau Population Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radovan Kasarda

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Evaluated was effect of mating (random vs. maximum avoidance of inbreeding under BLUP EBV selection strategy. Existing population structure was under Monte Carlo stochastic simulation analyzed from the point to minimize increase of inbreeding. Maximum avoidance of inbreeding under BLUP selection resulted into comparable increase of inbreeding then random mating in average of 10 generation development. After 10 generations of simulation of mating strategy was observed ΔF= 6,51 % (2 sires, 5,20 % (3 sires, 3,22 % (4 sires resp. 2,94 % (5 sires. With increased number of sires selected, decrease of inbreeding was observed. With use of 4, resp. 5 sires increase of inbreeding was comparable to random mating with phenotypic selection. For saving of genetic diversity and prevention of population loss is important to minimize increase of inbreeding in small populations. Classical approach was based on balancing ratio of sires and dams in mating program. Contrariwise in the most of commercial populations small number of sires was used with high mating ratio.

Selection of pipeline steels with an engineering fracture mechanical analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stenbacka, N [Swedish State Power Board, Vaellingby

1985-01-01

Selection of pipeline steels is discussed on the basis of two mutually independent failure mechanisms: elastic fracture and plastic collapse. The presentation is restricted to axial flaws. A formal analysis shows that brittle fracture in modern pipelines has no high priority in design, since steels used today have a high fracture toughness. Instead, a case of practical concern is tha plastic collapse mode, where failure is flow stress controlled. Conditions governing this design case are specified. In conjunction with this, criterions for material selection with regard to fracture toughness is presented.

Mechanical behavior of silicon carbide nanoparticles under uniaxial compression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Qiuxiang; Fei, Jing; Tang, Chao; Zhong, Jianxin; Meng, Lijun, E-mail: ljmeng@xtu.edu.cn [Xiangtan University, Hunan Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Energy Materials and Devices, Faculty of School of Physics and Optoelectronics (China)

2016-03-15

The mechanical behavior of SiC nanoparticles under uniaxial compression was investigated using an atomic-level compression simulation technique. The results revealed that the mechanical deformation of SiC nanocrystals is highly dependent on compression orientation, particle size, and temperature. A structural transformation from the original zinc-blende to a rock-salt phase is identified for SiC nanoparticles compressed along the [001] direction at low temperature. However, the rock-salt phase is not observed for SiC nanoparticles compressed along the [110] and [111] directions irrespective of size and temperature. The high-pressure-generated rock-salt phase strongly affects the mechanical behavior of the nanoparticles, including their hardness and deformation process. The hardness of [001]-compressed nanoparticles decreases monotonically as their size increases, different from that of [110] and [111]-compressed nanoparticles, which reaches a maximal value at a critical size and then decreases. Additionally, a temperature-dependent mechanical response was observed for all simulated SiC nanoparticles regardless of compression orientation and size. Interestingly, the hardness of SiC nanocrystals with a diameter of 8 nm compressed in [001]-orientation undergoes a steep decrease at 0.1–200 K and then a gradual decline from 250 to 1500 K. This trend can be attributed to different deformation mechanisms related to phase transformation and dislocations. Our results will be useful for practical applications of SiC nanoparticles under high pressure.

Selective depression mechanism of ferric chromium lignin sulfonate for chalcopyrite-galena flotation separation

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jin-sheng; Liu, Run-qing; Wang, Li; Sun, Wei; Peng, Hong; Hu, Yue-hua

2018-05-01

Selective recovery of chalcopyrite-galena ore by flotation remains a challenging issue. The development of highly efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly depressants for this flotation is necessary because most of available reagents (e.g., K2Cr2O4) are expensive and adversely affect the environment. In this study, ferric chromium lignin sulfonate (FCLS), which is a waste-product from the paper and pulp industry, was introduced as a selective depressant for galena with butyl xanthate (BX) as a collector. Results show that the residue recovery of Pb in Cu concentrate was substantially reduced to 4.73% using FCLS compared with 10.71% using the common depressant K2Cr2O4. The underlying mechanisms were revealed using zeta-potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Zeta-potential measurements revealed that FCLS was more efficiently absorbed onto galena than onto chalcopyrite. XPS measurements further suggested that FCLS enhanced the surface oxidation of galena but prevented that of chalcopyrite. Thus, FCLS could be a potential candidate as a depressant for chalcopyrite-galena flotation because of its low cost and its lack of detrimental effects on the environment.

Repeated adaptive introgression at a gene under multiallelic balancing selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Castric

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Recently diverged species typically have incomplete reproductive barriers, allowing introgression of genetic material from one species into the genomic background of the other. The role of natural selection in preventing or promoting introgression remains contentious. Because of genomic co-adaptation, some chromosomal fragments are expected to be selected against in the new background and resist introgression. In contrast, natural selection should favor introgression for alleles at genes evolving under multi-allelic balancing selection, such as the MHC in vertebrates, disease resistance, or self-incompatibility genes in plants. Here, we test the prediction that negative, frequency-dependent selection on alleles at the multi-allelic gene controlling pistil self-incompatibility specificity in two closely related species, Arabidopsis halleri and A. lyrata, caused introgression at this locus at a higher rate than the genomic background. Polymorphism at this gene is largely shared, and we have identified 18 pairs of S-alleles that are only slightly divergent between the two species. For these pairs of S-alleles, divergence at four-fold degenerate sites (K = 0.0193 is about four times lower than the genomic background (K = 0.0743. We demonstrate that this difference cannot be explained by differences in effective population size between the two types of loci. Rather, our data are most consistent with a five-fold increase of introgression rates for S-alleles as compared to the genomic background, making this study the first documented example of adaptive introgression facilitated by balancing selection. We suggest that this process plays an important role in the maintenance of high allelic diversity and divergence at the S-locus in flowering plant families. Because genes under balancing selection are expected to be among the last to stop introgressing, their comparison in closely related species provides a lower-bound estimate of the time since the

The Mechanical Behaviors of Various Dental Implant Materials under Fatigue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma Bayata

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The selection of materials has a considerable role on long-term stability of implants. The materials having high resistance to fatigue are required for dental implant applications since these implants are subjected to cyclic loads during chewing. This study evaluates the performance of different types of materials (AISI 316L stainless steel, alumina and its porous state, CoCr alloys, yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ, zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA, and cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface by finite element analysis (FEA under real cyclic biting loads and researches the optimum material for implant applications. For the analysis, the implant design generated by our group was utilized. The mechanical behavior and the life of the implant under biting loads were estimated based on the material and surface properties. According to the condition based on ISO 14801, the FEA results showed that the equivalent von Mises stress values were in the range of 226.95 MPa and 239.05 MPa. The penetration analysis was also performed, and the calculated penetration of the models onto the bone structure ranged between 0.0037389 mm and 0.013626 mm. L-605 CoCr alloy-assigned implant model showed the least penetration, while cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface led to the most one. However, the difference was about 0.01 mm, and it may not be evaluated as a distinct difference. As the final numerical evaluation item, the fatigue life was executed, and the results were achieved in the range of 4 × 105 and 1 × 109 cycles. These results indicated that different materials showed good performance for each evaluation component, but considering the overall mechanical performance and the treatment process (implant adsorption by means of surface properties, cp Ti with the nanotubular TiO2 surface material was evaluated as the suitable one, and it may also be implied that it displayed enough performance in the designed dental implant model.

Neural mechanisms underlying transcranial direct current stimulation in aphasia: A feasibility study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lena eUlm

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Little is known about the neural mechanisms by which transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS impacts on language processing in post-stroke aphasia. This was addressed in a proof-of-principle study that explored the effects of tDCS application in aphasia during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. We employed a single subject, cross-over, sham-tDCS controlled design and the stimulation was administered to an individualized perilesional stimulation site that was identified by a baseline fMRI scan and a picture naming task. Peak activity during the baseline scan was located in the spared left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG and this area was stimulated during a subsequent cross-over phase. tDCS was successfully administered to the target region and anodal- vs. sham-tDCS resulted in selectively increased activity at the stimulation site. Our results thus demonstrate that it is feasible to precisely target an individualized stimulation site in aphasia patients during simultaneous fMRI which allows assessing the neural mechanisms underlying tDCS application. The functional imaging results of this case report highlight one possible mechanism that may have contributed to beneficial behavioural stimulation effects in previous clinical tDCS trials in aphasia. In the future, this approach will allow identifying distinct patterns of stimulation effects on neural processing in larger cohorts of patients. This may ultimately yield information about the variability of tDCS-effects on brain functions in aphasia.

Nonlinear Mechanics of MEMS Rectangular Microplates under Electrostatic Actuation

KAUST Repository

Saghir, Shahid

2016-01-01

The first objective of the dissertation is to develop a suitable reduced order model capable of investigating the nonlinear mechanical behavior of von-Karman plates under electrostatic actuation. The second objective is to investigate the nonlinear

A Three-Phase Multiobjective Mechanism for Selecting Retail Stores to Close

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong-Chang Chen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To operate a successful and growing business, a retail store manager has to make tough decisions about selectively closing underperforming stores. In this paper, we propose using a three-phase multiobjective mechanism to help retail industry practitioners determine which stores to close. In the first phase, a geographic information system (GIS and k-means clustering algorithm are used to divide all the stores into clusters. In the second phase, stores can be strategically selected according to the requirements of the company and the attributes of the stores. In the third phase, a neighborhood-based multiobjective genetic algorithm (NBMOGA is utilized to determine which stores to close. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed three-phase mechanism, a variety of experiments are performed, based partly on a real dataset from a stock-list company in Taiwan. Results from the experiments show that the proposed three-phase mechanism can help efficiently decide which store locations to close. In addition, the neighborhood radius has a considerable influence on the results.

Design features of selected mechanisms developed for use in Spacelab. [mechanical ground support equipment and environmental control

Science.gov (United States)

Inden, W.

1979-01-01

Selected mechanisms developed for the Spacelab program are discussed. These include: (1) the roller rail used to install/remove the Spacelab floor loaded with racks carrying experiments; (2) the foot restraint; and (3) the lithium hydroxide used for decontamination.

Selective sensation based brain-computer interface via mechanical vibrotactile stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects' left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement ([Formula: see text]) from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system.

Selective Sensation Based Brain-Computer Interface via Mechanical Vibrotactile Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects’ left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement () from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system. PMID:23762253

Sex-specific selection under environmental stress in seed beetles.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinossi-Allibert, I; Arnqvist, G; Berger, D

2017-01-01

Sexual selection can increase rates of adaptation by imposing strong selection in males, thereby allowing efficient purging of the mutation load on population fitness at a low demographic cost. Indeed, sexual selection tends to be male-biased throughout the animal kingdom, but little empirical work has explored the ecological sensitivity of this sex difference. In this study, we generated theoretical predictions of sex-specific strengths of selection, environmental sensitivities and genotype-by-environment interactions and tested them in seed beetles by manipulating either larval host plant or rearing temperature. Using fourteen isofemale lines, we measured sex-specific reductions in fitness components, genotype-by-environment interactions and the strength of selection (variance in fitness) in the juvenile and adult stage. As predicted, variance in fitness increased with stress, was consistently greater in males than females for adult reproductive success (implying strong sexual selection), but was similar in the sexes in terms of juvenile survival across all levels of stress. Although genetic variance in fitness increased in magnitude under severe stress, heritability decreased and particularly so in males. Moreover, genotype-by-environment interactions for fitness were common but specific to the type of stress, sex and life stage, suggesting that new environments may change the relative alignment and strength of selection in males and females. Our study thus exemplifies how environmental stress can influence the relative forces of natural and sexual selection, as well as concomitant changes in genetic variance in fitness, which are predicted to have consequences for rates of adaptation in sexual populations. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Underlying mechanisms of improving physical activity behavior after rehabilitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ploeg, H.P.; Streppel, K.R.; van der Beek, A.J.; van der Woude, L.H.V.; van Harten, W.H.; van Mechelen, W.

2008-01-01

Background: Regular physical activity is beneficial for the health and functioning of people with a disability. Effective components of successful physical activity promotion interventions should be identified and disseminated. Purpose: To study the underlying mechanisms of the combined sport

Underlying Mechanisms of Improving Physical Activity Behavior after Rehabilitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ploeg, Hidde P.; Streppel, Kitty R.M.; van der Beek, Allard J.; Woude, Luc H.V.; van Harten, Willem H.; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam Marie Rosé; van Mechelen, Willem

2008-01-01

Background: Regular physical activity is beneficial for the health and functioning of people with a disability. Effective components of successful physical activity promotion interventions should be identified and disseminated. Purpose: To study the underlying mechanisms of the combined sport

Molecular mechanisms underlying the role of microRNAs in the chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Garajová, Ingrid; Le Large, Tessa Y; Frampton, Adam E; Rolfo, Christian; Voortman, Johannes; Giovannetti, Elisa

2014-01-01

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely severe disease where the mortality and incidence rates are almost identical. This is mainly due to late diagnosis and limited response to current treatments. The tumor macroenvironment/microenvironment have been frequently reported as the major contributors to chemoresistance in PDAC, preventing the drugs from reaching their intended site of action (i.e., the malignant duct cells). However, the recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has provided new directions for research on mechanisms underlying response to chemotherapy. Due to their tissue-/disease-specific expression and high stability in tissues and biofluids, miRNAs represent new promising diagnostic and prognostic/predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Furthermore, several studies have documented that selected miRNAs, such as miR-21 and miR-34a, may influence response to chemotherapy in several tumor types, including PDAC. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in PDAC and recent advances in understanding their role in chemoresistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Role of MicroRNAs in the Chemoresistance of Pancreatic Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid Garajová

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC is an extremely severe disease where the mortality and incidence rates are almost identical. This is mainly due to late diagnosis and limited response to current treatments. The tumor macroenvironment/microenvironment have been frequently reported as the major contributors to chemoresistance in PDAC, preventing the drugs from reaching their intended site of action (i.e., the malignant duct cells. However, the recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs has provided new directions for research on mechanisms underlying response to chemotherapy. Due to their tissue-/disease-specific expression and high stability in tissues and biofluids, miRNAs represent new promising diagnostic and prognostic/predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Furthermore, several studies have documented that selected miRNAs, such as miR-21 and miR-34a, may influence response to chemotherapy in several tumor types, including PDAC. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in PDAC and recent advances in understanding their role in chemoresistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.

Animal behavior models of the mechanisms underlying antipsychotic atypicality.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geyer, M.A.; Ellenbroek, B.A.

2003-01-01

This review describes the animal behavior models that provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the critical differences between the actions of typical vs. atypical antipsychotic drugs. Although many of these models are capable of differentiating between antipsychotic and other psychotropic

An integrative view of mechanisms underlying generalized spike-and-wave epileptic seizures and its implication on optimal therapeutic treatments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boyuan Yan

Full Text Available Many types of epileptic seizures are characterized by generalized spike-and-wave discharges. In the past, notable effort has been devoted to understanding seizure dynamics and various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, by taking an integrative view of the underlying mechanisms, we demonstrate that epileptic seizures can be generated by many different combinations of synaptic strengths and intrinsic membrane properties. This integrative view has important medical implications: the specific state of a patient characterized by a set of biophysical characteristics ultimately determines the optimal therapeutic treatment. Through the same view, we further demonstrate the potentiation effect of rational polypharmacy in the treatment of epilepsy and provide a new angle to resolve the debate on polypharmacy. Our results underscore the need for personalized medicine and demonstrate that computer modeling and simulation may play an important role in assisting the clinicians in selecting the optimal treatment on an individual basis.

Molecular mechanisms underlying the emergence of bacterial pathogens: an ecological perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartoli, Claudia; Roux, Fabrice; Lamichhane, Jay Ram

2016-02-01

The rapid emergence of new bacterial diseases negatively affects both human health and agricultural productivity. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying these disease emergences are shared between human- and plant-pathogenic bacteria, not much effort has been made to date to understand disease emergences caused by plant-pathogenic bacteria. In particular, there is a paucity of information in the literature on the role of environmental habitats in which plant-pathogenic bacteria evolve and on the stress factors to which these microbes are unceasingly exposed. In this microreview, we focus on three molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenicity in bacteria, namely mutations, genomic rearrangements and the acquisition of new DNA sequences through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We briefly discuss the role of these mechanisms in bacterial disease emergence and elucidate how the environment can influence the occurrence and regulation of these molecular mechanisms by directly impacting disease emergence. The understanding of such molecular evolutionary mechanisms and their environmental drivers will represent an important step towards predicting bacterial disease emergence and developing sustainable management strategies for crops. © 2015 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

A new and selective cycle for dehydrogenation of linear and cyclic alkanes under mild conditions using a base metal

Science.gov (United States)

Solowey, Douglas P.; Mane, Manoj V.; Kurogi, Takashi; Carroll, Patrick J.; Manor, Brian C.; Baik, Mu-Hyun; Mindiola, Daniel J.

2017-11-01

Selectively converting linear alkanes to α-olefins under mild conditions is a highly desirable transformation given the abundance of alkanes as well as the use of olefins as building blocks in the chemical community. Until now, this reaction has been primarily the remit of noble-metal catalysts, despite extensive work showing that base-metal alkylidenes can mediate the reaction in a stoichiometric fashion. Here, we show how the presence of a hydrogen acceptor, such as the phosphorus ylide, when combined with the alkylidene complex (PNP)Ti=CHtBu(CH3) (PNP=N[2-P(CHMe2)2-4-methylphenyl]2-), catalyses the dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes to cyclic alkenes, and linear alkanes with chain lengths of C4 to C8 to terminal olefins under mild conditions. This Article represents the first example of a homogeneous and selective alkane dehydrogenation reaction using a base-metal titanium catalyst. We also propose a unique mechanism for the transfer dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons to olefins and discuss a complete cycle based on a combined experimental and computational study.

Different cortical mechanisms for spatial vs. feature-based attentional selection in visual working memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Heuer

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The limited capacity of visual working memory necessitates attentional mechanisms that selectively update and maintain only the most task-relevant content. Psychophysical experiments have shown that the retroactive selection of memory content can be based on visual properties such as location or shape, but the neural basis for such differential selection is unknown. For example, it is not known if there are different cortical modules specialized for spatial versus feature-based mnemonic attention, in the same way that has been demonstrated for attention to perceptual input. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS to identify areas in human parietal and occipital cortex involved in the selection of objects from memory based on cues to their location (spatial information or their shape (featural information. We found that TMS over the supramarginal gyrus (SMG selectively facilitated spatial selection, whereas TMS over the lateral occipital cortex selectively enhanced feature-based selection for remembered objects in the contralateral visual field. Thus, different cortical regions are responsible for spatial vs. feature-based selection of working memory representations. Since the same regions are involved in attention to external events, these new findings indicate overlapping mechanisms for attentional control over perceptual input and mnemonic representations.

Lines of Descent Under Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Baake, Ellen; Wakolbinger, Anton

2017-11-01

We review recent progress on ancestral processes related to mutation-selection models, both in the deterministic and the stochastic setting. We mainly rely on two concepts, namely, the killed ancestral selection graph and the pruned lookdown ancestral selection graph. The killed ancestral selection graph gives a representation of the type of a random individual from a stationary population, based upon the individual's potential ancestry back until the mutations that define the individual's type. The pruned lookdown ancestral selection graph allows one to trace the ancestry of individuals from a stationary distribution back into the distant past, thus leading to the stationary distribution of ancestral types. We illustrate the results by applying them to a prototype model for the error threshold phenomenon.

Corporate debts ad credit performance under the new mechanism of reorganization of the Russian banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey A. Andryushin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objective to explore the dynamics and factors of formation of corporate debts the characteristics of low credit activity of the Russian banks and regulation of liquidity deficit of enterprises under the new reorganization mechanism in the Russian banking sector. Methods systematic approach to the cognition of economic phenomena which allows to study them in their dynamic development taking into account the influence of various environmental factors. The systematic approach determined selection of specific research methods empirical logical comparative and statistical. Results the article is devoted to the problems of declining credit activity of commercial banks under the conditions of economic activity revival as well as to assessing the impact of the new reorganization mechanism on this process. It is shown that in the recent years the nonfinancial sector faces the trend of optimizing the corporate debts and the liquidity deficit which reduced the demand for loans and as a consequence decreased the banksrsquo credit activity. To analyze the dynamics of deficitsurplus of liquidity in the corporate sector a new classification of liquidity deficitsurplus levels was introduced. Based on the proposed classification the risk factors were identified that influenced the dynamics of indebtedness in the corporate sector. The article also analyses the modern monetary mechanism of money supply in the economy and its transformation. It was determined that the main limitation of credit issuance by commercial banks is their capital not the reserve multiplier. The new mechanism of credit institutionsrsquo financial recovery and its impact on the banksrsquo credit activity was estimated. The conditions of liquidity deficiency reduction in the Russian companies were analyzed in the medium term. Scientific novelty for the first time on the basis of system analysis methods the growth factors of the corporate debt load were identified the peculiarities of low

Out of Control: Attentional Selection for Orientation Is Thwarted by Properties of the Underlying Neural Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Feng; Abrams, Richard A.

2012-01-01

To avoid sensory overload, people are able to selectively attend to a particular color or direction of motion while ignoring irrelevant stimuli that differ from the desired one. We show here for the first time that it is also possible to selectively attend to a specific line orientation--but with an important caveat: orientations that are…

Lectures on the mathematics of quantum mechanics II selected topics

CERN Document Server

Dell'Antonio, Gianfausto

2016-01-01

The first volume (General Theory) differs from most textbooks as it emphasizes the mathematical structure and mathematical rigor, while being adapted to the teaching the first semester of an advanced course in Quantum Mechanics (the content of the book are the lectures of courses actually delivered.). It differs also from the very few texts in Quantum Mechanics that give emphasis to the mathematical aspects because this book, being written as Lecture Notes, has the structure of lectures delivered in a course, namely introduction of the problem, outline of the relevant points, mathematical tools needed, theorems, proofs. This makes this book particularly useful for self-study and for instructors in the preparation of a second course in Quantum Mechanics (after a first basic course). With some minor additions it can be used also as a basis of a first course in Quantum Mechanics for students in mathematics curricula. The second part (Selected Topics) are lecture notes of a more advanced course aimed at giving th...

The effect of subdivision on variation at multi-allelic loci under balancing selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schierup, M H; Vekemans, X; Charlesworth, D

2000-01-01

Simulations are used to investigate the expected pattern of variation at loci under different forms of multi-allelic balancing selection in a finite island model of a subdivided population. The objective is to evaluate the effect of restricted migration among demes on the distribution of polymorp......Simulations are used to investigate the expected pattern of variation at loci under different forms of multi-allelic balancing selection in a finite island model of a subdivided population. The objective is to evaluate the effect of restricted migration among demes on the distribution...

A Molecular Dynamics Study on Selective Cation Depletion from an Ionic Liquid Droplet under an Electric Field

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yudong; Ahn, Myungmo; Im, Dojin; Oh, Jungmin; Kang, Inseok

2017-11-01

General electrohydrodynamic behavior of ionic liquid droplets under an electric field is investigated using MD simulations. Especially, a unique behavior of ion depletion of an ionic liquid droplet under a uniform electric field is studied. Shape deformation due to electric stress and ion distributions inside the droplet are calculated to understand the ionic motion of imidazolium-based ionic liquid droplets with 200 ion pairs of 2 kinds of ionic liquids: EMIM-NTf2 and EMIM-ES. The intermolecular force between cations and anions can be significantly different due to the nature of the structure and charge distribution of the ions. Together with an analytical interpretation of the conducting droplet in an electric field, the MD simulation successfully explains the mechanism of selective ion depletion of an ionic liquid droplet in an electric field. The selective ion depletion phenomenon has been adopted to explain the experimentally observed retreating motion of a droplet in a uniform electric field. The effect of anions on the cation depletion phenomenon can be accounted for from a direct approach to the intermolecular interaction. This research was supproted by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2017R1D1A1B05035211).

Selective Attention Enhances Beta-Band Cortical Oscillation to Speech under "Cocktail-Party" Listening Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yayue; Wang, Qian; Ding, Yu; Wang, Changming; Li, Haifeng; Wu, Xihong; Qu, Tianshu; Li, Liang

2017-01-01

Human listeners are able to selectively attend to target speech in a noisy environment with multiple-people talking. Using recordings of scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), this study investigated how selective attention facilitates the cortical representation of target speech under a simulated "cocktail-party" listening condition with speech-on-speech masking. The result shows that the cortical representation of target-speech signals under the multiple-people talking condition was specifically improved by selective attention relative to the non-selective-attention listening condition, and the beta-band activity was most strongly modulated by selective attention. Moreover, measured with the Granger Causality value, selective attention to the single target speech in the mixed-speech complex enhanced the following four causal connectivities for the beta-band oscillation: the ones (1) from site FT7 to the right motor area, (2) from the left frontal area to the right motor area, (3) from the central frontal area to the right motor area, and (4) from the central frontal area to the right frontal area. However, the selective-attention-induced change in beta-band causal connectivity from the central frontal area to the right motor area, but not other beta-band causal connectivities, was significantly correlated with the selective-attention-induced change in the cortical beta-band representation of target speech. These findings suggest that under the "cocktail-party" listening condition, the beta-band oscillation in EEGs to target speech is specifically facilitated by selective attention to the target speech that is embedded in the mixed-speech complex. The selective attention-induced unmasking of target speech may be associated with the improved beta-band functional connectivity from the central frontal area to the right motor area, suggesting a top-down attentional modulation of the speech-motor process.

The mechanism of selective molecular capture in carbon nanotube networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Yu; Guan, Jun; Yang, Xudong; Zheng, Quanshui; Xu, Zhiping

2014-07-28

Recently, air pollution issues have drawn significant attention to the development of efficient air filters, and one of the most promising materials for this purpose is nanofibers. We explore here the mechanism of selective molecular capture of volatile organic compounds in carbon nanotube networks by performing atomistic simulations. The results are discussed with respect to the two key parameters that define the performance of nanofiltration, i.e. the capture efficiency and flow resistance, which demonstrate the advantages of carbon nanotube networks with high surface-to-volume ratio and atomistically smooth surfaces. We also reveal the important roles of interfacial adhesion and diffusion that govern selective gas transport through the network.

Figure-ground mechanisms provide structure for selective attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Fangtu T; Sugihara, Tadashi; von der Heydt, Rüdiger

2007-11-01

Attention depends on figure-ground organization: figures draw attention, whereas shapes of the ground tend to be ignored. Recent research has revealed mechanisms for figure-ground organization in the visual cortex, but how these mechanisms relate to the attention process remains unclear. Here we show that the influences of figure-ground organization and volitional (top-down) attention converge in single neurons of area V2 in Macaca mulatta. Although we found assignment of border ownership for attended and for ignored figures, attentional modulation was stronger when the attended figure was located on the neuron's preferred side of border ownership. When the border between two overlapping figures was placed in the receptive field, responses depended on the side of attention, and enhancement was generally found on the neuron's preferred side of border ownership. This correlation suggests that the neural network that creates figure-ground organization also provides the interface for the top-down selection process.

Mechanisms underlying UV-induced immune suppression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullrich, Stephen E.

2005-01-01

Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of human neoplasia. Estimates suggest that in excess of one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year alone in the United States (www.cancer.org/statistics). Fortunately, because of their highly visible location, skin cancers are more rapidly diagnosed and more easily treated than other types of cancer. Be that as it may, approximately 10,000 Americans a year die from skin cancer. The cost of treating non-melanoma skin cancer is estimated to be in excess of US$ 650 million a year [J.G. Chen, A.B. Fleischer, E.D. Smith, C. Kancler, N.D. Goldman, P.M. Williford, S.R. Feldman, Cost of non-melanoma skin cancer treatment in the United States, Dermatol. Surg. 27 (2001) 1035-1038], and when melanoma is included, the estimated cost of treating skin cancer in the United States is estimated to rise to US$ 2.9 billion annually (www.cancer.org/statistics). Because the morbidity and mortality associated with skin cancer is a major public health problem, it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying skin cancer development. The primary cause of skin cancer is the ultraviolet (UV) radiation found in sunlight. In addition to its carcinogenic potential, UV radiation is also immune suppressive. In fact, data from studies with both experimental animals and biopsy proven skin cancer patients suggest that there is an association between the immune suppressive effects of UV radiation and its carcinogenic potential. The focus of this manuscript will be to review the mechanisms underlying the induction of immune suppression following UV exposure. Particular attention will be directed to the role of soluble mediators in activating immune suppression

Mechanisms Underlying Stress Fracture and the Influence of Sex and Race/Ethnicity

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-1-0652 TITLE: Mechanisms Underlying Stress Fracture and the Influence of Sex and Race/Ethnicity PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR...5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W81XWH-16-1-0652 Mechanisms Underlying Stress Fracture and the Influence of Sex and Race/Ethnicity 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH...to stress fracture risk. In particular, in Study 1, we will perform advanced skeletal imaging along with gait-assessments in subjects with history of

Temperature dependency of cupular mechanics and hair cell frequency selectivity in the fish canal lateral line organ

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wiersinga-Post, JEC; van Netten, SM

2000-01-01

The mechanical frequency selectivity of the cupula located in the supraorbital lateral line canal and the frequency selectivity of the hair cells driven by the cupula were measured simultaneously in vivo. Laser interferometry was used to measure cupular mechanics and extracellular receptor

5 CFR 335.106 - Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... veterans under merit promotion. 335.106 Section 335.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PROMOTION AND INTERNAL PLACEMENT General Provisions § 335.106 Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion. Preference eligibles or veterans who have...

Failure Mechanisms of Brittle Rocks under Uniaxial Compression

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Taoying; Cao, Ping

2017-09-01

The behaviour of a rock mass is determined not only by the properties of the rock matrix, but mostly by the presence and properties of discontinuities or fractures within the mass. The compression test on rock-like specimens with two prefabricated transfixion fissures, made by pulling out the embedded metal inserts in the pre-cured period was carried out on the servo control uniaxial loading tester. The influence of the geometry of pre-existing cracks on the cracking processes was analysed with reference to the experimental observation of crack initiation and propagation from pre-existing flaws. Based on the rock fracture mechanics and the stress-strain curves, the evolution failure mechanism of the fissure body was also analyzed on the basis of exploring the law of the compression-shear crack initiation, wing crack growth and rock bridge connection. Meanwhile, damage fracture mechanical models of a compression-shear rock mass are established when the rock bridge axial transfixion failure, tension-shear combined failure, or wing crack shear connection failure occurs on the specimen under axial compression. This research was of significance in studying the failure mechanism of fractured rock mass.

Tribochemical interaction between nanoparticles and surfaces of selective layer during chemical mechanical polishing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilie, Filip

2013-01-01

Nanoparticles have been widely used in polish slurries such as those in the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. For understanding the mechanisms of CMP, an atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to characterize polished surfaces of selective layers, after a set of polishing experiments. To optimize the CMP polishing process, one needs to get information on the interaction between the nano-abrasive slurry nanoparticles and the surface of selective layer being polished. The slurry used in CMP process of the solid surfaces is slurry with large nanoparticle size colloidal silica sol nano-abrasives. Silica sol nano-abrasives with large nanoparticle are prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, particles colloidal size, and Zeta potential in this paper. The movement of nanoparticles in liquid and the interaction between nanoparticles and solid surfaces coating with selective layer are very important to obtain an atomic alloy smooth surface in the CMP process. We investigate the nanoparticle adhesion and removal processes during CMP and post-CMP cleaning. The mechanical interaction between nanoparticles and the wafer surface was studied using a microcontact wear model. This model considers the nanoparticle effects between the polishing interfaces during load balancing. Experimental results on polishing and cleaning are compared with numerical analysis. This paper suggests that during post-CMP cleaning, a combined effort in chemical and mechanical interaction (tribochemical interactions) would be effective in removal of small nanoparticles during cleaning. For large nanoparticles, more mechanical forces would be more effective. CMP results show that the removal rate has been improved to 367 nm/min and root mean square (RMS) of roughness has been reduced from 4.4 to 0.80 nm. Also, the results show that the silica sol nano-abrasives about 100 nm are of higher stability (Zeta potential is −65 mV) and narrow distribution of nanoparticle

Short-term selective alleviation of glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity ameliorates the suppressed expression of key β-cell factors under diabetic conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimo, Naoki [Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Matsuoka, Taka-aki, E-mail: matsuoka@endmet.med.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Miyatsuka, Takeshi [Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunky-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421 (Japan); Takebe, Satomi; Tochino, Yoshihiro; Takahara, Mitsuyoshi [Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Kaneto, Hideaki [Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki-city, Okayama, 701-0192 (Japan); Shimomura, Iichiro [Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan)

2015-11-27

Alleviation of hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidemia improves pancreatic β-cell function in type 2 diabetes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not well clarified. In this study, we aimed to elucidate how the expression alterations of key β-cell factors are altered by the short-term selective alleviation of glucotoxicity or lipotoxicity. We treated db/db mice for one week with empagliflozin and/or bezafibrate to alleviate glucotoxicity and/or liptotoxicity, respectively. The gene expression levels of Pdx1 and Mafa, and their potential targets, insulin 1, Slc2a2, and Glp1r, were higher in the islets of empagliflozin-treated mice, and levels of insulin 2 were higher in mice treated with both reagents, than in untreated mice. Moreover, compared to the pretreatment levels, Mafa and insulin 1 expression increased in empagliflozin-treated mice, and Slc2a2 increased in combination-treated mice. In addition, empagliflozin treatment enhanced β-cell proliferation assessed by Ki-67 immunostaining. Our date clearly demonstrated that the one-week selective alleviation of glucotoxicity led to the better expression levels of the key β-cell factors critical for β-cell function over pretreatment levels, and that the alleviation of lipotoxicity along with glucotoxicity augmented the favorable effects under diabetic conditions. - Highlights: • One-week selective reduction of gluco- and lipo-toxicity in db/db mice was performed. • Selective glucotoxicity reduction increases key pancreatic β-cell factors expression. • Selective glucotoxicity reduction improves β-cell factors over pretreatment levels. • Selective glucotoxicity reduction turns β-cell mass toward increase. • Lipotoxicity reduction has additive effects on glucotoxicity reduction.

Fixation times in evolutionary games under weak selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altrock, Philipp M; Traulsen, Arne

2009-01-01

In evolutionary game dynamics, reproductive success increases with the performance in an evolutionary game. If strategy A performs better than strategy B, strategy A will spread in the population. Under stochastic dynamics, a single mutant will sooner or later take over the entire population or go extinct. We analyze the mean exit times (or average fixation times) associated with this process. We show analytically that these times depend on the payoff matrix of the game in an amazingly simple way under weak selection, i.e. strong stochasticity: the payoff difference Δπ is a linear function of the number of A individuals i, Δπ=u i+v. The unconditional mean exit time depends only on the constant term v. Given that a single A mutant takes over the population, the corresponding conditional mean exit time depends only on the density dependent term u. We demonstrate this finding for two commonly applied microscopic evolutionary processes.

The neuronal mechanisms underlying improvement of impulsivity in ADHD by theta/beta neurofeedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Bluschke, Annet; Broschwitz, Felicia; Kohl, Simon; Roessner, Veit; Beste, Christian

2016-08-12

Neurofeedback is increasingly recognized as an intervention to treat core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite the large number of studies having been carried out to evaluate its effectiveness, it is widely elusive what neuronal mechanisms related to the core symptoms of ADHD are modulated by neurofeedback. 19 children with ADHD undergoing 8 weeks of theta/beta neurofeedback and 17 waiting list controls performed a Go/Nogo task in a pre-post design. We used neurophysiological measures combining high-density EEG recording with source localization analyses using sLORETA. Compared to the waiting list ADHD control group, impulsive behaviour measured was reduced after neurofeedback treatment. The effects of neurofeedback were very specific for situations requiring inhibitory control over responses. The neurophysiological data shows that processes of perceptual gating, attentional selection and resource allocation processes were not affected by neurofeedback. Rather, neurofeedback effects seem to be based on the modulation of response inhibition processes in medial frontal cortices. The study shows that specific neuronal mechanisms underlying impulsivity are modulated by theta/beta neurofeedback in ADHD. The applied neurofeedback protocol could be particularly suitable to address inhibitory control. The study validates assumed functional neuroanatomical target regions of an established neurofeedback protocol on a neurophysiological level.

Studies of the underlying mechanisms for optical nonlinearities of blue phase liquid crystals (Presentation Recording)

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chun-Wei; Khoo, Iam Choon; Zhao, Shuo; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Ho, Tsung-Jui

2015-10-01

We have investigated the mechanisms responsible for nonlinear optical processes occurring in azobenzene-doped blue phase liquid crystals (BPLC), which exhibit two thermodynamically stable BPs: BPI and BPII. In coherent two wave-mixing experiments, a slow (minutes) and a fast (few milliseconds) side diffractions are observed. The underlying mechanisms were disclosed by monitoring the dynamics of grating formation and relaxation as well as by some supplementary experiments. We found the photothermal indexing and dye/LC intermolecular torque leading to lattice distortion to be the dominant mechanisms for the observed nonlinear response in BPLC. Moreover, the response time of the nonlinear optical process varied with operating phase. The rise time of the thermal indexing process was in good agreement with our findings on the temperature dependence of BP refractive index: τ(ISO) > τ(BPI) > τ(BPII). The relaxation time of the torque-induced lattice distortion was analogue to its electrostriction counterpart: τ'(BPI) > τ'(BPII). In a separate experiment, lattice swelling with selective reflection of direction changed from green to red was also observed. This was attributable to the isomerization-induced change in cholesteric pitch, which directly affects the lattice spacing. The phenomenon was confirmed by measuring the optical rotatory power of the BPLC.

Change of plans: an evaluation of the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of successful talent transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Rosie; Collins, Dave; MacNamara, Aine; Jones, Martin Ian

2014-01-01

Talent transfer (TT) is a recently formalised process used to identify and develop talented athletes by selecting individuals who have already succeeded in one sport and transferring them to another. Despite the increasing popularity of TT amongst national organisations and sport governing body professionals, however, there is little empirical evidence as to its efficacy or how it may be most efficiently employed. Accordingly, this investigation was designed to gain a deeper understanding of the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of TT, achieved through a two-part study. Stage 1 provided a quantitative analysis of the incidence and distribution or, in this respect, epidemiology of TT, finding the most popular transfer to be sprinting to bobsleigh, with an average transfer age of 19 years. Stage 2 scrutinised the TT process and explored the specific cases revealed in stage 1 by examining the perceptions of four sport science support specialists who had worked in TT settings, finding several emergent themes which, they felt, could explain the TT processes. The most prominent theme was the psychosocial mechanism of TT, an aspect currently missing from TT initiatives, suggesting that current TT systems are poorly structured and should redress their approach to develop a more integrated scheme that encompasses all potential mechanisms of transfer.

Proximity of signallers can maintain sexual signal variation under stabilizing selection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijk, M.; Heath, J.; Lievers, R.; Schal, C.; Groot, A.T.

2017-01-01

How sexual communication systems can evolve under stabilizing selection is still a paradox in evolutionary biology. In moths, females emit a species-specific sex pheromone, consisting of a blend of biochemically related components, to which males are attracted. Although males appear to exert strong

Mechanisms Underlying the Antidepressant Response and Treatment Resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjorie Rose Levinstein

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Depression is a complex and heterogeneous disorder affecting millions of Americans. There are several different medications and other treatments that are available and effective for many patients with depression. However, a substantial percentage of patients fail to achieve remission with these currently available interventions, and relapse rates are high. Therefore, it is necessary to determine both the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant response and the differences between responders and non-responders to treatment. Delineation of these mechanisms largely relies on experiments that utilize animal models. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the various mouse models that are currently used to assess the antidepressant response, such as chronic mild stress, social defeat, and chronic corticosterone. We discuss how these mouse models can be used to advance our understanding of the differences between responders and non-responders to antidepressant treatment. We also provide an overview of experimental treatment modalities that are used for treatment-resistant depression, such as deep brain stimulation and ketamine administration. We will then review the various genetic polymorphisms and transgenic mice that display resistance to antidepressant treatment. Finally, we synthesize the published data to describe a potential neural circuit underlying the antidepressant response and treatment resistance.

Depression and Chronic Liver Diseases: Are There Shared Underlying Mechanisms?

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Xiaoqin Huang

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of depression is higher in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD than that in the general population. The mechanism described in previous studies mainly focused on inflammation and stress, which not only exists in CLD, but also emerges in common chronic diseases, leaving the specific mechanism unknown. This review was to summarize the prevalence and risk factors of depression in CLD including chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and to point out the possible underlying mechanism of this potential link. Clarifying the origins of this common comorbidity (depression and CLD may provide more information to understand both diseases.

Production control and supplier selection under demand disruptions

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Xianzhe Chen

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the effects of demand disruptions on production control and supplier selection in a three-echelon supply chain system. The customer demand is modeled as a jump-diffusion process in a continuous-time setting. A two-number production-inventory policy is implemented in the production control model for the manufacturer. The objective is to minimize the long-term average total cost consisting of backlog cost, holding cost, switching cost, and ordering cost. The simulated annealing method is applied to search the optimal critical switching values. Furthermore, an improved analytical hierarchy process (AHP is proposed to select the best supplier, based on quantitative factors such as the optimal long-term total cost obtained through the simulated annealing method under demand disruptions and qualitative factors such as quality and service. Numerical studies are conducted to demonstrate the effects of demand disruptions in the face of various risk scenarios. Managerial insights from simulation results are provided as well. Our approaches can be implemented as the “stress test” for companies in front of various supply chain disruption scenarios.

Materials selection in mechanical design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashby, M.F.; Cebon, D.

1993-01-01

A novel materials-selection procedure has been developed and implemented in software. The procedure makes use of Materials Selection Charts: a new way of displaying material property data; and performance indices: combinations of material properties which govern performance. Optimisation methods are employed for simultaneous selection of both material and shape. (orig.)

Materials selection in mechanical design

OpenAIRE

Ashby , M.; Cebon , D.

1993-01-01

A novel materials-selection procedure has been developed and implemented in software. The procedure makes use of Materials Selection Charts: a new way of displaying material property data; and performance indices: combinations of material properties which govern performance. Optimisation methods are employed for simultaneous selection of both material and shape.

Mechanical Behavior of Shale Rock under Uniaxial Cyclic Loading and Unloading Condition

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Baoyun Zhao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the mechanical behavior of shale rock under cyclic loading and unloading condition, two kinds of incremental cyclic loading tests were conducted. Based on the result of the short-term uniaxial incremental cyclic loading test, the permanent residual strain, modulus, and damage evolution were analyzed firstly. Results showed that the relationship between the residual strains and the cycle number can be expressed by an exponential function. The deformation modulus E50 and elastic modulus ES first increased and then decreased with the peak stress under the loading condition, and both of them increased approximately linearly with the peak stress under the unloading condition. On the basis of the energy dissipation, the damage variables showed an exponential increasing with the strain at peak stress. The creep behavior of the shale rock was also analyzed. Results showed that there are obvious instantaneous strain, decay creep, and steady creep under each stress level and the specimen appears the accelerated creep stage under the 4th stress of 51.16 MPa. Based on the characteristics of the Burgers creep model, a viscoelastic-plastic creep model was proposed through viscoplastic mechanics, which agrees very well with the experimental results and can better describe the creep behavior of shale rock better than the Burgers creep model. Results can provide some mechanics reference evidence for shale gas development.

Divided versus selective attention: evidence for common processing mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Britta; Wolkenberg, Frank A; Ross, Thomas J; Myers, Carol S; Heishman, Stephen J; Stein, Dan J; Kurup, Pradeep K; Stein, Elliot A

2008-06-18

The current study revisited the question of whether there are brain mechanisms specific to divided attention that differ from those used in selective attention. Increased neuronal activity required to simultaneously process two stimulus dimensions as compared with each separate dimension has often been observed, but rarely has activity induced by a divided attention condition exceeded the sum of activity induced by the component tasks. Healthy participants performed a selective-divided attention paradigm while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The task required participants to make a same-different judgment about either one of two simultaneously presented stimulus dimensions, or about both dimensions. Performance accuracy was equated between tasks by dynamically adjusting the stimulus display time. Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal differences between tasks were identified by whole-brain voxel-wise comparisons and by region-specific analyses of all areas modulated by the divided attention task (DIV). No region displayed greater activation or deactivation by DIV than the sum of signal change by the two selective attention tasks. Instead, regional activity followed the tasks' processing demands as reflected by reaction time. Only a left cerebellar region displayed a correlation between participants' BOLD signal intensity and reaction time that was selective for DIV. The correlation was positive, reflecting slower responding with greater activation. Overall, the findings do not support the existence of functional brain activity specific to DIV. Increased activity appears to reflect additional processing demands by introducing a secondary task, but those demands do not appear to qualitatively differ from processes of selective attention.

Vascular mechanisms underlying the hypotensive effect of Rumex acetosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Qamar, Hafiz Misbah-Ud-Din; Qayyum, Rahila; Salma, Umme; Khan, Shamim; Khan, Taous; Shah, Abdul Jabbar

2018-12-01

Rumex acetosa L. (Polygonaceae) is well known in traditional medicine for its therapeutic efficacy as an antihypertensive. The study investigates antihypertensive potential of crude methanol extract (Ra.Cr) and fractions of Rumex acetosa in normotensive and hypertensive rat models and probes the underlying vascular mechanisms. Ra.Cr and its fractions were tested in vivo on normotensive and hypertensive Sprague-Dawley rats under anaesthesia for blood pressure lowering effect. In vitro experiments on rat and Oryctolagus cuniculus rabbit aortae were employed to probe the underlying vasorelaxant mechanism. In normotensive rats under anaesthesia, Ra.Cr caused fall in MAP (40 mmHg) at 50 mg/kg with % fall of 27.88 ± 4.55. Among the fractions tested, aqueous fraction was more potent at the dose of 50 mg/kg with % fall of 45.63 ± 2.84. In hypertensive rats under similar conditions, extract and fractions showed antihypertensive effect at same doses while aqueous fraction being more potent, exhibited 68.53 ± 4.45% fall in MAP (70 mmHg). In isolated rat aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine (PE), Ra.Cr and fractions induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, which was partially blocked in presence of l-NAME, indomethacin and atropine. In isolated rabbit aortic rings pre-contracted with PE and K + -(80 mM), Ra.Cr induced vasorelaxation and shifted Ca 2+ concentration-response curves to the right and suppressed PE peak formation, similar to verapamil, in Ca 2+ -free medium. The data indicate that l-NAME and atropine-sensitive endothelial-derived NO and COX enzyme inhibitors and Ca 2+ entry blocking-mediated vasodilator effect of the extract explain its antihypertensive potential.

Microstructure, mechanical analysis and optimal selection of 7075 aluminum alloy based composite reinforced with alumina nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezatpour, H.R.; Torabi Parizi, M.; Sajjadi, S.A.; Ebrahimi, G.R.; Chaichi, A.

2016-01-01

Aluminum metal-matrix nanocomposites (AMMNCs) fabricated by conventional stir-casting process usually show high porosity and poor distribution of nanoparticles within the matrix. In the current study, for the improvement of nanoparticles distribution in the aluminum matrix and enhancement of the mechanical properties, a mixture of Al/nano-Al 2 O 3 powders were injected by pure argon gas into the molten 7075 aluminum alloy and this mixture was extruded at high temperature. Mechanical behavior of the final product was investigated by tensile and compression tests, hardness measurements, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and Optical Microscopy. This nanocomposite exhibited some superior properties such as a fine grain microstructure and a reasonable uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the matrix. Mechanical experiments results confirmed that the addition of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles and the extrusion process effectively improved ultimate tensile strength, compression strength and hardness. In next step, we used a Preference Selection Index (PSI) materials selection method to select best combination of strength and workability of Al7075−Al 2 O 3 nanocomposites. By this method, extruded Al7075/0.4 and 0.8 wt % Al 2 O 3 has best combination of strength and workability. - Highlights: • Injection Al/Al 2 O 3 powder is benefit way for improving nanoparticles distribution. • Nanocomposites present superior mechanical properties. • Extrusion process improved significantly mechanical properties of nanocomposites. • Preference Selection Index is a simple and benefit method in material selection.

Microstructure, mechanical analysis and optimal selection of 7075 aluminum alloy based composite reinforced with alumina nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezatpour, H.R., E-mail: H.R.Ezatpour@gmail.com [Faculty of Engineering, Sabzevar University of New Technology, Sabzevar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Torabi Parizi, M. [Dept. of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Semnan University of Semnan, Semnan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sajjadi, S.A. [Dept. of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ebrahimi, G.R. [Department of Materials and Polymer Engineering, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Chaichi, A. [Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-01

Aluminum metal-matrix nanocomposites (AMMNCs) fabricated by conventional stir-casting process usually show high porosity and poor distribution of nanoparticles within the matrix. In the current study, for the improvement of nanoparticles distribution in the aluminum matrix and enhancement of the mechanical properties, a mixture of Al/nano-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powders were injected by pure argon gas into the molten 7075 aluminum alloy and this mixture was extruded at high temperature. Mechanical behavior of the final product was investigated by tensile and compression tests, hardness measurements, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and Optical Microscopy. This nanocomposite exhibited some superior properties such as a fine grain microstructure and a reasonable uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the matrix. Mechanical experiments results confirmed that the addition of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles and the extrusion process effectively improved ultimate tensile strength, compression strength and hardness. In next step, we used a Preference Selection Index (PSI) materials selection method to select best combination of strength and workability of Al7075−Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposites. By this method, extruded Al7075/0.4 and 0.8 wt % Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} has best combination of strength and workability. - Highlights: • Injection Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder is benefit way for improving nanoparticles distribution. • Nanocomposites present superior mechanical properties. • Extrusion process improved significantly mechanical properties of nanocomposites. • Preference Selection Index is a simple and benefit method in material selection.

Mechanisms underlying reduced fertility in anovular dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, J E P; Bisinotto, R S; Ribeiro, E S

2016-07-01

Resumption of ovulation after parturition is a coordinated process that involves recoupling of the GH/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis in the liver, increase in follicular development and steroidogenesis, and removal of negative feedback from estradiol in the hypothalamus. Infectious diseases and metabolic disorders associated with extensive negative energy balance during early lactation disrupt this pathway and delay first ovulation postpartum. Extended periods of anovulation postpartum exert long-lasting effects on fertility in dairy cows including the lack of spontaneous estrus, reduced pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI), and increased risk of pregnancy loss. Concentrations of progesterone in anovular cows subjected to synchronized programs for AI are insufficient to optimize follicular maturation, oocyte competence, and subsequent fertility to AI. Ovulation of first wave follicles, which develop under low concentrations of progesterone, reduces embryo quality in the first week after fertilization and P/AI in dairy cows. Although the specific mechanisms by which anovulation and low concentrations of progesterone impair oocyte quality have not been defined, studies with persistent follicles support the involvement of premature resumption of meiosis and degradation of maternal RNA. Suboptimal concentrations of progesterone before ovulation also increase the synthesis of PGF2α in response to oxytocin during the subsequent estrous cycle, which explains the greater incidence of short luteal phases after the first AI postpartum in anovular cows compared with estrous cyclic herd mates. It is suggested that increased spontaneous luteolysis early in the estrous cycle is one of the mechanisms that contributes to early embryonic losses in anovular cows. Anovulation also leads to major shifts in gene expression in elongated conceptuses during preimplantation stages of pregnancy. Transcripts involved with control of energy metabolism and DNA repair were

Biotechnological Wood Modification with Selective White-Rot Fungi and Its Molecular Mechanisms

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Cornelia Gradinger

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Microbial mechanisms of lignin degradation may be utilised for solid-state fermentations other than biopulping, during which the selective conversion of lignin is required. The current paper reviews current work into selective lignin conversion, with emphasis on the contributions made by our research group, which consists of researchers from five different laboratories. Three of them cooperate within Wood K plus. The recent research of this group has focussed on fermentations utilising the unique metabolism of selective white-rot fungi to modify wood surfaces during relatively short fermentation times of less than one week and on research into the molecular mechanisms causing these modifications. Lignin degradation by selective fungi (e.g. Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and species of the genus Phlebia on the wood surfaces was significant after three days. After seven days the overall lignin content of spruce wood shavings was reduced by more than 3.5 %. Lignin loss was accompanied by an increase of extractable substances. To evaluate small changes and to trace the fungal modification processes, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR techniques and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR spectroscopy were applied and adapted. The spectra recorded in the near infrared region (FT-NIR turned out to be very useful for kinetic studies of the biopulping/biomodification processes and a good method to evaluate the capabilities of fungi to modify wood surfaces within this short period.

Kinetic Studies on the Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohols in Organic Medium under Phase Transfer Catalysis

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K. Bijudas

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Kinetic studies on the oxidation of benzyl alcohol and substituted benzyl alcohols in benzene as the reaction medium have been studied by using potassium dichromate under phase transfer catalysis (PTC. The phase transfer catalysts (PT catalysts used were tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB.  Benzyl alcohols were selectively oxidised to corresponding benzaldehydes in good yield (above 90%.  The order of reactivity among the studied benzyl alcohols is p - OCH3 > p - CH3 > - H > p - Cl.  Plots of log k2 versus Hammett's substituent constant (s has been found to be curve shaped and this suggests that there should be a continuous change in transition state with changes in substituent present in the substrate from electron donating to electron withdrawing. A suitable mechanism has been suggested in which the rate determining step involves both C - H bond cleavage and C - O bond formations in concerted manner. © 2014 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved.Received: 16th March 2014; Revised: 18th May 2014; Accepted: 18th May 2014[How to Cite: Bijudas, K., Bashpa, P., Nair, T.D.R. (2014. Kinetic Studies on the Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol and Substituted Benzyl Alcohols in Organic Medium under Phase Transfer Catalysis. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 9 (2: 142-147. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.9.2.6476.142-147][Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.9.2.6476.142-147] 

A possible realization of Einstein's causal theory underlying quantum mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yussouff, M.

1979-06-01

It is shown that a new microscopic mechanics formulated earlier can be looked upon as a possible causal theory underlying quantum mechanics, which removes Einstein's famous objections against quantum theory. This approach is free from objections raised against Bohm's hidden variable theory and leads to a clear physical picture in terms of familiar concepts, if self interactions are held responsible for deviations from classical behaviour. The new level of physics unfolded by this approach may reveal novel frontiers in high-energy physics. (author)

The Origin of Mutants Under Selection: How Natural Selection Mimics Mutagenesis (Adaptive Mutation)

Science.gov (United States)

Maisnier-Patin, Sophie; Roth, John R.

2015-01-01

Selection detects mutants but does not cause mutations. Contrary to this dictum, Cairns and Foster plated a leaky lac mutant of Escherichia coli on lactose medium and saw revertant (Lac+) colonies accumulate with time above a nongrowing lawn. This result suggested that bacteria might mutagenize their own genome when growth is blocked. However, this conclusion is suspect in the light of recent evidence that revertant colonies are initiated by preexisting cells with multiple copies the conjugative F′lac plasmid, which carries the lac mutation. Some plated cells have multiple copies of the simple F′lac plasmid. This provides sufficient LacZ activity to support plasmid replication but not cell division. In nongrowing cells, repeated plasmid replication increases the likelihood of a reversion event. Reversion to lac+ triggers exponential cell growth leading to a stable Lac+ revertant colony. In 10% of these plated cells, the high-copy plasmid includes an internal tandem lac duplication, which provides even more LacZ activity—sufficient to support slow growth and formation of an unstable Lac+ colony. Cells with multiple copies of the F′lac plasmid have an increased mutation rate, because the plasmid encodes the error-prone (mutagenic) DNA polymerase, DinB. Without DinB, unstable and stable Lac+ revertant types form in equal numbers and both types arise with no mutagenesis. Amplification and selection are central to behavior of the Cairns–Foster system, whereas mutagenesis is a system-specific side effect or artifact caused by coamplification of dinB with lac. Study of this system has revealed several broadly applicable principles. In all populations, gene duplications are frequent stable genetic polymorphisms, common near-neutral mutant alleles can gain a positive phenotype when amplified under selection, and natural selection can operate without cell division when variability is generated by overreplication of local genome subregions. PMID:26134316

Selective LPCVD growth of graphene on patterned copper and its growth mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, M.; Huang, B.-C.; Wang, Y.; Woo, J. C. S.

2016-12-01

Copper-catalyzed graphene low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition (LPCVD) growth has been regarded as a viable solution towards its integration to CMOS technology, and the wafer-bonding method provides a reliable alternative for transferring the selective graphene grown on a patterned metal film for IC manufacturing. In this paper, selective LPCVD graphene growth using patterned copper dots has been studied. The Raman spectra of grown films have demonstrated large dependence on the growth conditions. To explain the results, the growth mechanisms based on surface adsorption and copper-vapor-assisted growth are investigated by the comparison between the blanket copper films with/without the additional copper source. The copper vapor density is found to be critical for high-quality graphene growth. In addition, the copper-vapor-assisted growth is also evidenced by the carbon deposition on the SiO2 substrate of the patterned-copper-dot sample and chamber wall during graphene growth. This growth mechanism explains the correlation between the growth condition and Raman spectrum for films on copper dots. The study on the copper-catalyzed selective graphene growth on the hard substrate paves the way for the synthesis and integration of the 2D material in VLSI.

Selected topics of fluid mechanics

Science.gov (United States)

Kindsvater, Carl E.

1958-01-01

the Euler, Froude, Reynolds, Weber, and Cauchy numbers are defined as essential tools for interpreting and using experimental data. The derivations of the energy and momentum equations are treated in detail. One-dimensional equations for steady nonuniform flow are developed, and the restrictions applicable to the equations are emphasized. Conditions of uniform and gradually varied flow are discussed, and the origin of the Chezy equation is examined in relation to both the energy and the momentum equations. The inadequacy of all uniform-flow equations as a means of describing gradually varied flow is explained. Thus, one of the definitive problems of river hydraulics is analyzed in the light of present knowledge. This report is the outgrowth of a series of short schools conducted during the spring and summer of 1953 for engineers of the Surface Water Branch, Water Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey. The topics considered are essentially the same as the topics selected for inclusion in the schools. However, in order that they might serve better as a guide and outline for informal study, the arrangement of the writer's original lecture notes has been considerably altered. The purpose of the report, like the purpose of the schools which inspired it, is to build a simple but strong framework of the fundamentals of fluid mechanics. It is believed that this framework is capable of supporting a detailed analysis of most of the practical problems met by the engineers of the Geological Survey. It is hoped that the least accomplishment of this work will be to inspire the reader with the confidence and desire to read more of the recent and current technical literature of modern fluid mechanics.

Microstructure, mechanical property and metal release of As-SLM CoCrW alloy under different solution treatment conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yanjin; Wu, Songquan; Gan, Yiliang; Zhang, Shuyuan; Guo, Sai; Lin, Junjie; Lin, Jinxin

2015-03-01

In the study, the microstructure, mechanical property and metal release behavior of selective laser melted CoCrW alloys under different solution treatment conditions were systemically investigated to assess their potential use in orthopedic implants. The effects of the solution treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and metal release were systematically studied by OM, SEM, XRD, tensile test, and ICP-AES, respectively. The XRD indicated that during the solution treatment the alloy underwent the transformation of γ-fcc to ε-hcp phase; the ε-hcp phase nearly dominated in the alloy when treated at 1200°C following the water quenching; the results from OM, SEM showed that the microstructural change was occurred under different solution treatments; solution at 1150°C with furnace cooling contributed to the formation of larger precipitates at the grain boundary regions, while the size and number of the precipitates was decreased as heated above 1100°C with the water quenching; moreover, the diamond-like structure was invisible at higher solution temperature over 1150°C following water quenching; compared with the furnace cooling, the alloy quenched by water showed excellent mechanical properties and low amount of metal release; as the alloy heated at 1200°C, the mechanical properties of the alloy reached their optimum combination at UTS=1113.6MPa, 0.2%YS=639.5MPa, and E%=20.1%, whilst showed the lower total quantity of metal release. It is suggested that a proper solution treatment is an efficient strategy for improving the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of As-SLM CoCrW alloy that show acceptable tensile ductility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive mechanisms underlying disorganization of thought in a genetic syndrome (47,XXY)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Rijn, Sophie; Aleman, Andre; De Sonneville, Leo; Swaab, Hanna

Because of the risk for development of psychopathology such as psychotic symptoms, it has been suggested that studying men with the XXY karyotype may help in the search for underlying cognitive, neural and genetic mechanisms. The aim of this study was to identify cognitive mechanisms that may

First-principles investigation of mechanical and electronic properties of tetragonal NbAl3 under tension

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Zhen; Liu, Qi-Jun; Liu, Fu-Sheng; Tang, Bin

2018-06-01

Using the density functional theory calculations, the mechanical and electronic properties of NbAl3 under different tensile loads were investigated. The calculated lattice parameters, elastic constants and mechanical properties (bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, Pugh's criterion and Cauchy's pressure) indicated that our results were in agreement with the published experimental and theoretical data at zero tension. With respect to NbAl3 under tension in this paper, the crystal structure was changed from tetragonal to orthorhombic under tension along the [100] and [101] directions. The NbAl3 crystal has been classified as brittle material under tension from 0 to 20 GPa. The obtained Young's modulus and Debye temperature monotonically decreased with increasing tension stress. Combining with mechanical and electronic properties in detail, the decreased mechanical properties were mainly due to the weakening of covalency.

Evolution under domestication: ongoing artificial selection and divergence of wild and managed Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) populations in the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Parra, Fabiola; Casas, Alejandro; Peñaloza-Ramírez, Juan Manuel; Cortés-Palomec, Aurea C; Rocha-Ramírez, Víctor; González-Rodríguez, Antonio

2010-09-01

The Tehuacán Valley in Mexico is a principal area of plant domestication in Mesoamerica. There, artificial selection is currently practised on nearly 120 native plant species with coexisting wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, providing an excellent setting for studying ongoing mechanisms of evolution under domestication. One of these species is the columnar cactus Stenocereus pruinosus, in which we studied how artificial selection is operating through traditional management and whether it has determined morphological and genetic divergence between wild and managed populations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 households of three villages to investigate motives and mechanisms of artificial selection. Management effects were studied by comparing variation patterns of 14 morphological characters and population genetics (four microsatellite loci) of 264 plants from nine wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations. Variation in fruit characters was recognized by most people, and was the principal target of artificial selection directed to favour larger and sweeter fruits with thinner or thicker peel, fewer spines and pulp colours other than red. Artificial selection operates in agroforestry systems favouring abundance (through not felling plants and planting branches) of the preferred phenotypes, and acts more intensely in household gardens. Significant morphological divergence between wild and managed populations was observed in fruit characters and plant vigour. On average, genetic diversity in silvicultural populations (H(E) = 0.743) was higher than in wild (H(E) = 0.726) and cultivated (H(E) = 0.700) populations. Most of the genetic variation (90.58 %) occurred within populations. High gene flow (Nm(FST) > 2) was identified among almost all populations studied, but was slightly limited by mountains among wild populations, and by artificial selection among wild and managed populations. Traditional management of S. pruinosus involves

Proposal for selecting an ore sample from mining shaft under Kvanefjeld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund Clausen, F.

1979-02-01

Uranium ore recovered from the tunnel under Kvanefjeld (Greenland) will be processed in a pilot plant. Selection of a fully representative ore sample for both the whole area and single local sites is discussed. A FORTRAN program for ore distribution is presented, in order to enable correct sampling. (EG)

Selective Attention Enhances Beta-Band Cortical Oscillation to Speech under “Cocktail-Party” Listening Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yayue; Wang, Qian; Ding, Yu; Wang, Changming; Li, Haifeng; Wu, Xihong; Qu, Tianshu; Li, Liang

2017-01-01

Human listeners are able to selectively attend to target speech in a noisy environment with multiple-people talking. Using recordings of scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), this study investigated how selective attention facilitates the cortical representation of target speech under a simulated “cocktail-party” listening condition with speech-on-speech masking. The result shows that the cortical representation of target-speech signals under the multiple-people talking condition was specifically improved by selective attention relative to the non-selective-attention listening condition, and the beta-band activity was most strongly modulated by selective attention. Moreover, measured with the Granger Causality value, selective attention to the single target speech in the mixed-speech complex enhanced the following four causal connectivities for the beta-band oscillation: the ones (1) from site FT7 to the right motor area, (2) from the left frontal area to the right motor area, (3) from the central frontal area to the right motor area, and (4) from the central frontal area to the right frontal area. However, the selective-attention-induced change in beta-band causal connectivity from the central frontal area to the right motor area, but not other beta-band causal connectivities, was significantly correlated with the selective-attention-induced change in the cortical beta-band representation of target speech. These findings suggest that under the “cocktail-party” listening condition, the beta-band oscillation in EEGs to target speech is specifically facilitated by selective attention to the target speech that is embedded in the mixed-speech complex. The selective attention-induced unmasking of target speech may be associated with the improved beta-band functional connectivity from the central frontal area to the right motor area, suggesting a top-down attentional modulation of the speech-motor process. PMID:28239344

Kinetic theory approach to modeling of cellular repair mechanisms under genome stress.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinpeng Qi

Full Text Available Under acute perturbations from outer environment, a normal cell can trigger cellular self-defense mechanism in response to genome stress. To investigate the kinetics of cellular self-repair process at single cell level further, a model of DNA damage generating and repair is proposed under acute Ion Radiation (IR by using mathematical framework of kinetic theory of active particles (KTAP. Firstly, we focus on illustrating the profile of Cellular Repair System (CRS instituted by two sub-populations, each of which is made up of the active particles with different discrete states. Then, we implement the mathematical framework of cellular self-repair mechanism, and illustrate the dynamic processes of Double Strand Breaks (DSBs and Repair Protein (RP generating, DSB-protein complexes (DSBCs synthesizing, and toxins accumulating. Finally, we roughly analyze the capability of cellular self-repair mechanism, cellular activity of transferring DNA damage, and genome stability, especially the different fates of a certain cell before and after the time thresholds of IR perturbations that a cell can tolerate maximally under different IR perturbation circumstances.

Kinetic theory approach to modeling of cellular repair mechanisms under genome stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Jinpeng; Ding, Yongsheng; Zhu, Ying; Wu, Yizhi

2011-01-01

Under acute perturbations from outer environment, a normal cell can trigger cellular self-defense mechanism in response to genome stress. To investigate the kinetics of cellular self-repair process at single cell level further, a model of DNA damage generating and repair is proposed under acute Ion Radiation (IR) by using mathematical framework of kinetic theory of active particles (KTAP). Firstly, we focus on illustrating the profile of Cellular Repair System (CRS) instituted by two sub-populations, each of which is made up of the active particles with different discrete states. Then, we implement the mathematical framework of cellular self-repair mechanism, and illustrate the dynamic processes of Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) and Repair Protein (RP) generating, DSB-protein complexes (DSBCs) synthesizing, and toxins accumulating. Finally, we roughly analyze the capability of cellular self-repair mechanism, cellular activity of transferring DNA damage, and genome stability, especially the different fates of a certain cell before and after the time thresholds of IR perturbations that a cell can tolerate maximally under different IR perturbation circumstances.

Control of a perturbed under-actuated mechanical system

KAUST Repository

Zayane, Chadia

2015-11-05

In this work, the trajectory tracking problem for an under-actuated mechanical system in presence of unknown input disturbances is addressed. The studied inertia wheel inverted pendulum falls in the class of non minimum phase systems. The proposed high order sliding mode control architecture including a controller and differentiator allows to track accurately the predefined trajectory and to stabilize the internal dynamics. The robustness of the proposed approach is illustrated through different perturbation and output noise configurations.

Mechanisms underlying astringency: introduction to an oral tribology approach

Science.gov (United States)

Upadhyay, Rutuja; Brossard, Natalia; Chen, Jianshe

2016-03-01

Astringency is one of the predominant factors in the sensory experience of many foods and beverages ranging from wine to nuts. The scientific community is discussing mechanisms that explain this complex phenomenon, since there are no conclusive results which correlate well with sensory astringency. Therefore, the mechanisms and perceptual characteristics of astringency warrant further discussion and investigation. This paper gives a brief introduction of the fundamentals of oral tribology forming a basis of the astringency mechanism. It discusses the current state of the literature on mechanisms underlying astringency describing the existing astringency models. The review discusses the crucial role of saliva and its physiology which contributes significantly in astringency perception in the mouth. It also provides an overview of research concerned with the physiological and psychophysical factors that mediate the perception of this sensation, establishing the ground for future research. Thus, the overall aim of the review is to establish the critical roles of oral friction (thin-film lubrication) in the sensation of astringency and possibly of some other specific sensory features.

Analysis of the selected mechanical parameters of coating of filters protecting against hazardous infrared radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gralewicz, Grzegorz; Owczarek, Grzegorz; Kubrak, Janusz

2017-03-01

This article presents a comparison of the test results of selected mechanical parameters (hardness, Young's modulus, critical force for delamination) for protective filters intended for eye protection against harmful infrared radiation. Filters with reflective metallic films were studied, as well as interference filters developed at the Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB). The test results of the selected mechanical parameters were compared with the test results, conducted in accordance with a standardised method, of simulating filter surface destruction that occurs during use.

Features of mechanical snubbers and the method of selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sunakoda, Katsuaki

1978-01-01

In the oil snubbers used in the high radiation environment of nuclear power stations, gas generation from oil and the deterioration of rubber material for sealing occur due to radiation damage, therefore periodical inspection and replacement are required during operation. The mechanical snubbers developed as aseismatic supporters in place of oil snubbers have entered the stage of practical use, and are made by two companies in USA and a company in Japan. Their features as compared with oil snubbers are as follows. The cost and time required for the maintenance were made as small as possible because the increase of the service life of mechanical components can be expected. The temperature dependence of mechanical snubbers is small. The matters demanding attention in the maintenance are the secular change of lubricating oil and the effect of radiation, and the rust prevention of ball screw bearings. These problems are being studied by Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp. for the fast prototype reactor Monju. The structural feature is to convert the thrust movement of equipments and pipings due to thermal expansion and contraction or earthquakes into rotating motion, using ball screws. The features and the construction of SMS type mechanical snubbers, the test and inspection prior to their shipping, the method of selection, and the method of handling them in actual places are explained. (Kako, I.)

Reverse Transcriptase Mechanism of Somatic Hypermutation: 60 Years of Clonal Selection Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward J. Steele

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The evidence for the reverse transcriptase mechanism of somatic hypermutation is substantial and multifactorial. In this 60th anniversary year of the publication of Sir MacFarlane Burnet’s Clonal Selection Theory, the evidence is briefly reviewed and updated.

Study on Mechanical Properties of Barite Concrete under Impact Load

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Z. F.; Cheng, K.; Wu, D.; Gan, Y. C.; Tao, Q. W.

2018-03-01

In order to research the mechanical properties of Barite concrete under impact load, a group of concrete compression tests was carried out under the impact load by using the drop test machine. A high-speed camera was used to record the failure process of the specimen during the impact process. The test results show that:with the increase of drop height, the loading rate, the peak load, the strain under peak load, the strain rate and the dynamic increase factor (DIF) all increase gradually. The ultimate tensile strain is close to each other, and the time of impact force decreases significantly, showing significant strain rate effect.

Alternative splicing and expression of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) gene in osteoblasts under mechanical stretch

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

XIAN Chengyu; WANG Yuanliang; ZHANG Bingbing; TANG Liling; PAN Jun; LUO Yanfeng; JIANG Peng; LI Dajun

2006-01-01

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) promotes osteoblasts differentiation and bone formation,and its expression is induced by mechanical stretch,thus IGF-1 has been considered an effector molecule that links mechanical stimulation and local tissue responses. In this study, a mechanical stretching device was designed to apply physiological level static or cyclic stretching stimulation to osteoblasts.Different isoforms of IGF-1 mRNA were amplified by RT-PCR from the cells using respective primers and these amplified products were sequenced. An isoform of IGF-1 splicing product was found to be selectively produced by osteoblasts under stretching stimulation. This IGF-1 isoform had identical sequence with the mechano growth factor (MGF) which was originally identified in muscle cells. Regulations of the expression of the liver-type IGF (L.IGF-1) and MGF in osteoblasts under stretch stimulation were further studied using semi-quantitative RT-PCR.Stretch stimulation was found to promot the expression of IGF-1 (L.IGF-1 and MGF), and for both isoforms expression was more effectively stimulated by cyclic stretch than static stretch. MGF was detected only in osteoblasts subjected to mechanical stretch,suggesting MGF was a stretch sensitive growth factor.Expression of MGF peaked earlier than that of L.IGF-1, which was similar to their regulation in muscie and suggested similar roles of MGF and L.IGF-1in bone as in muscle cells. The functions of MGF and L.IGF-1 in osteoblasts shall be established by further experimental studies.

micro-mechanical experimental investigation and modelling of strain and damage of argillaceous rocks under combined hydric and mechanical loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, L.

2012-01-01

The hydro-mechanical behavior of argillaceous rocks, which are possible host rocks for underground radioactive nuclear waste storage, is investigated by means of micro-mechanical experimental investigations and modellings. Strain fields at the micrometric scale of the composite structure of this rock, are measured by the combination of environmental scanning electron microscopy, in situ testing and digital image correlation technique. The evolution of argillaceous rocks under pure hydric loading is first investigated. The strain field is strongly heterogeneous and manifests anisotropy. The observed nonlinear deformation at high relative humidity (RH) is related not only to damage, but also to the nonlinear swelling of the clay mineral itself, controlled by different local mechanisms depending on RH. Irreversible deformations are observed during hydric cycles, as well as a network of microcracks located in the bulk of the clay matrix and/or at the inclusion-matrix interface. Second, the local deformation field of the material under combined hydric and mechanical loadings is quantified. Three types of deformation bands are evidenced under mechanical loading, either normal to stress direction (compaction), parallel (microcracking) or inclined (shear). Moreover, they are strongly controlled by the water content of the material: shear bands are in particular prone to appear at high RH states. In view of understanding the mechanical interactions a local scale, the material is modeled as a composite made of non-swelling elastic inclusions embedded in an elastic swelling clay matrix. The internal stress field induced by swelling strain incompatibilities between inclusions and matrix, as well as the overall deformation, is numerically computed at equilibrium but also during the transient stage associated with a moisture gradient. An analytical micro-mechanical model based on Eshelby's solution is proposed. In addition, 2D finite element computations are performed. Results

Progressive damage analysis of carbon/epoxy laminates under couple laser and mechanical loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wanlei Liu

Full Text Available A multiscale model based bridge theory is proposed for the progressive damage analysis of carbon/epoxy laminates under couple laser and mechanical loading. The ablation model is adopted to calculate ablation temperature changing and ablation surface degradation. The polynomial strengthening model of matrix is used to improve bridging model for reducing parameter input. Stiffness degradation methods of bridging model are also improved in order to analyze the stress redistribution more accurately when the damage occurs. Thermal-mechanical analyses of the composite plate are performed using the ABAQUS/Explicit program with the developed model implemented in the VUMAT. The simulation results show that this model can be used to proclaim the mesoscale damage mechanism of composite laminates under coupled loading. Keywords: Laser irradiation, Multiscale analysis, Bridge model, Thermal-mechanical

Ion Selectivity Mechanism in a Bacterial Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hailong; Cheng, Xiaolin

2011-01-01

The proton-gated ion channel from Gloeobacter violaceus (GLIC) is a prokaryotic homolog of the eukaryotic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) that responds to the binding of neurotransmitter acetylcholine and mediates fast signal transmission. Recent emergence of a high resolution crystal structure of GLIC captured in a potentially open state allowed detailed, atomic-level insight into ion conduction and selectivity mechanisms in these channels. Herein, we have examined the barriers to ion conduction and origins of ion selectivity in the GLIC channel by the construction of potential of mean force (PMF) profiles for sodium and chloride ions inside the transmembrane region. Our calculations reveal that the GLIC channel is open for a sodium ion to transport, but presents a ∼10 kcal/mol free energy barrier for a chloride ion, which arises primarily from the unfavorable interactions with a ring of negatively charged glutamate residues (E-2) at the intracellular end and a ring of hydrophobic residues (I9) in the middle of the transmembrane domain. Our collective findings further suggest that the charge selection mechanism can, to a large extent, be attributed to the narrow intracellular end and a ring of glutamate residues in this position their strong negative electrostatics and ability to bind cations. By contrast, E19 at the extracellular entrance only plays a minor role in ion selectivity of GLIC. In addition to electrostatics, both ion hydration and protein dynamics are found to be crucial for ion conduction as well, which explains why a chloride ion experiences a much greater barrier than a sodium ion in the hydrophobic region of the pore.

Evolution of branched regulatory genetic pathways: directional selection on pleiotropic loci accelerates developmental system drift.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Norman A; Porter, Adam H

2007-01-01

Developmental systems are regulated by a web of interacting loci. One common and useful approach in studying the evolution of development is to focus on classes of interacting elements within these systems. Here, we use individual-based simulations to study the evolution of traits controlled by branched developmental pathways involving three loci, where one locus regulates two different traits. We examined the system under a variety of selective regimes. In the case where one branch was under stabilizing selection and the other under directional selection, we observed "developmental system drift": the trait under stabilizing selection showed little phenotypic change even though the loci underlying that trait showed considerable evolutionary divergence. This occurs because the pleiotropic locus responds to directional selection and compensatory mutants are then favored in the pathway under stabilizing selection. Though developmental system drift may be caused by other mechanisms, it seems likely that it is accelerated by the same underlying genetic mechanism as that producing the Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities that lead to speciation in both linear and branched pathways. We also discuss predictions of our model for developmental system drift and how different selective regimes affect probabilities of speciation in the branched pathway system.

An NMDA Receptor-Dependent Mechanism Underlies Inhibitory Synapse Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinglong Gu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the mammalian brain, GABAergic synaptic transmission provides inhibitory balance to glutamatergic excitatory drive and controls neuronal output. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of GABAergic synapses remain largely unclear. Here, we report that NMDA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (NMDARs in individual immature neurons are the upstream signaling molecules essential for GABAergic synapse development, which requires signaling via Calmodulin binding motif in the C0 domain of the NMDAR GluN1 subunit. Interestingly, in neurons lacking NMDARs, whereas GABAergic synaptic transmission is strongly reduced, the tonic inhibition mediated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors is increased, suggesting a compensatory mechanism for the lack of synaptic inhibition. These results demonstrate a crucial role for NMDARs in specifying the development of inhibitory synapses, and suggest an important mechanism for controlling the establishment of the balance between synaptic excitation and inhibition in the developing brain.

Selective Impairment of Auditory Selective Attention under Concurrent Cognitive Load

Science.gov (United States)

Dittrich, Kerstin; Stahl, Christoph

2012-01-01

Load theory predicts that concurrent cognitive load impairs selective attention. For visual stimuli, it has been shown that this impairment can be selective: Distraction was specifically increased when the stimulus material used in the cognitive load task matches that of the selective attention task. Here, we report four experiments that…

Mechanical Properties of Optimized Diamond Lattice Structure for Bone Scaffolds Fabricated via Selective Laser Melting

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, David Z.; Zhang, Peng; Zhao, Miao; Jafar, Salman

2018-01-01

Developments in selective laser melting (SLM) have enabled the fabrication of periodic cellular lattice structures characterized by suitable properties matching the bone tissue well and by fluid permeability from interconnected structures. These multifunctional performances are significantly affected by cell topology and constitutive properties of applied materials. In this respect, a diamond unit cell was designed in particular volume fractions corresponding to the host bone tissue and optimized with a smooth surface at nodes leading to fewer stress concentrations. There were 33 porous titanium samples with different volume fractions, from 1.28 to 18.6%, manufactured using SLM. All of them were performed under compressive load to determine the deformation and failure mechanisms, accompanied by an in-situ approach using digital image correlation (DIC) to reveal stress–strain evolution. The results showed that lattice structures manufactured by SLM exhibited comparable properties to those of trabecular bone, avoiding the effects of stress-shielding and increasing longevity of implants. The curvature of optimized surface can play a role in regulating the relationship between density and mechanical properties. Owing to the release of stress concentration from optimized surface, the failure mechanism of porous titanium has been changed from the pattern of bottom-up collapse by layer (or cell row) to that of the diagonal (45°) shear band, resulting in the significant enhancement of the structural strength. PMID:29510492

Mechanical Properties of Optimized Diamond Lattice Structure for Bone Scaffolds Fabricated via Selective Laser Melting.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fei; Zhang, David Z; Zhang, Peng; Zhao, Miao; Jafar, Salman

2018-03-03

Developments in selective laser melting (SLM) have enabled the fabrication of periodic cellular lattice structures characterized by suitable properties matching the bone tissue well and by fluid permeability from interconnected structures. These multifunctional performances are significantly affected by cell topology and constitutive properties of applied materials. In this respect, a diamond unit cell was designed in particular volume fractions corresponding to the host bone tissue and optimized with a smooth surface at nodes leading to fewer stress concentrations. There were 33 porous titanium samples with different volume fractions, from 1.28 to 18.6%, manufactured using SLM. All of them were performed under compressive load to determine the deformation and failure mechanisms, accompanied by an in-situ approach using digital image correlation (DIC) to reveal stress-strain evolution. The results showed that lattice structures manufactured by SLM exhibited comparable properties to those of trabecular bone, avoiding the effects of stress-shielding and increasing longevity of implants. The curvature of optimized surface can play a role in regulating the relationship between density and mechanical properties. Owing to the release of stress concentration from optimized surface, the failure mechanism of porous titanium has been changed from the pattern of bottom-up collapse by layer (or cell row) to that of the diagonal (45°) shear band, resulting in the significant enhancement of the structural strength.

Damage evolution of TBC system under in-phase thermo-mechanical tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitazawa, R.; Tanaka, M.; Kagawa, Y.; Liu, Y.F.

2010-01-01

In-phase thermo-mechanical tests (TMF) of EB-PVD Y 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 thermal barrier coating (TBC) system (8 wt% Y 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 /CoNiCrAlY/IN-738 substrate) were done under a through-the-thick-direction thermal gradient from TBC surface temperature at 1150 deg. C to substrate temperature at 1000 deg. C. Deformation and failure behaviors of the TBC system were observed at the macroscopic and microscopic scales and damage evolution of the system under in-phase thermo-mechanical test was discussed. Special attention was paid to TBC layer cracking, thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer formation and void formation in bond coat and substrate. Effect of TMF conditions on the damage evolution behaviors was also discussed.

Mechanical properties of graphene nanoribbons under uniaxial tensile strain

Science.gov (United States)

Yoneyama, Kazufumi; Yamanaka, Ayaka; Okada, Susumu

2018-03-01

Based on the density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation, we investigated the mechanical properties of graphene nanoribbons in terms of their edge shape under a uniaxial tensile strain. The nanoribbons with armchair and zigzag edges retain their structure under a large tensile strain, while the nanoribbons with chiral edges are fragile against the tensile strain compared with those with armchair and zigzag edges. The fracture started at the cove region, which corresponds to the border between the zigzag and armchair edges for the nanoribbons with chiral edges. For the nanoribbons with armchair edges, the fracture started at one of the cove regions at the edges. In contrast, the fracture started at the inner region of the nanoribbons with zigzag edges. The bond elongation under the tensile strain depends on the mutual arrangement of covalent bonds with respect to the strain direction.

Mechanical Design of AM Fabricated Prismatic Rods under Torsion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manzhirov Alexander V.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We study the stress-strain state of viscoelastic prismatic rods fabricated or repaired by additive manufacturing technologies under torsion. An adequate description of the processes involved is given by methods of a new scientific field, mechanics of growing solids. Three main stages of the deformation process (before the beginning of growth, in the course of growth, and after the termination of growth are studied. Two versions of statement of two problems are given: (i given the torque, find the stresses, displacements, and torsion; (ii given the torsion, find the stresses, displacements, and torque. Solution methods using techniques of complex analysis are presented. The results can be used in mechanical and instrument engineering.

Mechanical and tribological behaviour of molten salt processed self-lubricated aluminium composite under different treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, C.; Ramanujam, R.

2018-05-01

The aim of this research work is to evaluate the mechanical and tribological behaviour of Al 7075 based self-lubricated hybrid nanocomposite under different treated conditions viz. as-cast, T6 and deep cryo treated. In order to overcome the drawbacks associated with conventional stir casting, a combinational approach that consists of molten salt processing, ultrasonic assistance and optimized mechanical stirring is adopted in this study to fabricate the nanocomposite. The mechanical characterisation tests carried out on this nanocomposite reveals an improvement of about 39% in hardness and 22% in ultimate tensile strength possible under T6 condition. Under specific conditions, the wear rate can be reduced to the extent of about 63% through the usage of self-lubricated hybrid nanocomposite under T6 condition.

Molecular mechanics of silk nanostructures under varied mechanical loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Bratzel, Graham; Buehler, Markus J

2012-06-01

Spider dragline silk is a self-assembling tunable protein composite fiber that rivals many engineering fibers in tensile strength, extensibility, and toughness, making it one of the most versatile biocompatible materials and most inviting for synthetic mimicry. While experimental studies have shown that the peptide sequence and molecular structure of silk have a direct influence on the stiffness, toughness, and failure strength of silk, few molecular-level analyses of the nanostructure of silk assemblies, in particular, under variations of genetic sequences have been reported. In this study, atomistic-level structures of wildtype as well as modified MaSp1 protein from the Nephila clavipes spider dragline silk sequences, obtained using an in silico approach based on replica exchange molecular dynamics and explicit water molecular dynamics, are subjected to simulated nanomechanical testing using different force-control loading conditions including stretch, pull-out, and peel. The authors have explored the effects of the poly-alanine length of the N. clavipes MaSp1 peptide sequence and identify differences in nanomechanical loading conditions on the behavior of a unit cell of 15 strands with 840-990 total residues used to represent a cross-linking β-sheet crystal node in the network within a fibril of the dragline silk thread. The specific loading condition used, representing concepts derived from the protein network connectivity at larger scales, have a significant effect on the mechanical behavior. Our analysis incorporates stretching, pull-out, and peel testing to connect biochemical features to mechanical behavior. The method used in this study could find broad applications in de novo design of silk-like tunable materials for an array of applications. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mechanism underlying selective regulation of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels by the psychostimulant-sensitive sorting nexin 27

Science.gov (United States)

Balana, Bartosz; Maslennikov, Innokentiy; Kwiatkowski, Witek; Stern, Kalyn M.; Bahima, Laia; Choe, Senyon; Slesinger, Paul A.

2011-01-01

G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels are important gatekeepers of neuronal excitability. The surface expression of neuronal GIRK channels is regulated by the psychostimulant-sensitive sorting nexin 27 (SNX27) protein through a class I (-X-Ser/Thr-X-Φ, where X is any residue and Φ is a hydrophobic amino acid) PDZ-binding interaction. The G protein-insensitive inward rectifier channel (IRK1) contains the same class I PDZ-binding motif but associates with a different synaptic PDZ protein, postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95). The mechanism by which SNX27 and PSD95 discriminate these channels was previously unclear. Using high-resolution structures coupled with biochemical and functional analyses, we identified key amino acids upstream of the channel's canonical PDZ-binding motif that associate electrostatically with a unique structural pocket in the SNX27-PDZ domain. Changing specific charged residues in the channel's carboxyl terminus or in the PDZ domain converts the selective association and functional regulation by SNX27. Elucidation of this unique interaction site between ion channels and PDZ-containing proteins could provide a therapeutic target for treating brain diseases. PMID:21422294

Temporomandibular disorders and painful comorbidities: clinical association and underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Yuri Martins; Conti, Paulo César Rodrigues; de Faria, Flavio Augusto Cardoso; Bonjardim, Leonardo Rigoldi

2017-03-01

The association between temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and headaches, cervical spine dysfunction, and fibromyalgia is not artefactual. The aim of this review is to describe the comorbid relationship between TMD and these three major painful conditions and to discuss the clinical implications and the underlying pain mechanisms involved in these relationships. Common neuronal pathways and central sensitization processes are acknowledged as the main factors for the association between TMD and primary headaches, although the establishment of cause-effect mechanisms requires further clarification and characterization. The biomechanical aspects are not the main factors involved in the comorbid relationship between TMD and cervical spine dysfunction, which can be better explained by the neuronal convergence of the trigeminal and cervical spine sensory pathways as well as by central sensitization processes. The association between TMD and fibromyalgia also has supporting evidence in the literature, and the proposed main mechanism underlying this relationship is the impairment of the descending pain inhibitory system. In this particular scenario, a cause-effect relationship is more likely to occur in one direction, that is, fibromyalgia as a risk factor for TMD. Therefore, clinical awareness of the association between TMD and painful comorbidities and the support of multidisciplinary approaches are required to recognize these related conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Carbon Footprint Management of Road Freight Transport under the Carbon Emission Trading Mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Growing concern over environmental issues has considerably increased the number of regulations and legislation that aim to curb carbon emissions. Carbon emission trading mechanism, which is one of the most effective means, has been broadly adopted by several countries. This paper presents a road truck routing problem under the carbon emission trading mechanism. By introducing a calculation method of carbon emissions that considers the load and speed of the vehicle among other factors, a road truck routing optimizing model under the cap and trade mechanism based on the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP is described. Compared with the classical TSP model that only considers the economic cost, this model suggests that the truck routing decision under the cap and trade mechanism is more effective in reducing carbon emissions. A modified tabu search algorithm is also proposed to obtain solutions within a reasonable amount of computation time. We theoretically and numerically examine the impacts of carbon trading, carbon cap, and carbon price on truck routing decision, carbon emissions, and total cost. From the results of numerical experiments, we derive interesting observations about how to control the total cost and reduce carbon emissions.

Two distinct neural mechanisms underlying indirect reciprocity.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Takamitsu; Takezawa, Masanori; Nakawake, Yo; Kunimatsu, Akira; Yamasue, Hidenori; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Miyashita, Yasushi; Masuda, Naoki

2014-03-18

Cooperation is a hallmark of human society. Humans often cooperate with strangers even if they will not meet each other again. This so-called indirect reciprocity enables large-scale cooperation among nonkin and can occur based on a reputation mechanism or as a succession of pay-it-forward behavior. Here, we provide the functional and anatomical neural evidence for two distinct mechanisms governing the two types of indirect reciprocity. Cooperation occurring as reputation-based reciprocity specifically recruited the precuneus, a region associated with self-centered cognition. During such cooperative behavior, the precuneus was functionally connected with the caudate, a region linking rewards to behavior. Furthermore, the precuneus of a cooperative subject had a strong resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with the caudate and a large gray matter volume. In contrast, pay-it-forward reciprocity recruited the anterior insula (AI), a brain region associated with affective empathy. The AI was functionally connected with the caudate during cooperation occurring as pay-it-forward reciprocity, and its gray matter volume and rsFC with the caudate predicted the tendency of such cooperation. The revealed difference is consistent with the existing results of evolutionary game theory: although reputation-based indirect reciprocity robustly evolves as a self-interested behavior in theory, pay-it-forward indirect reciprocity does not on its own. The present study provides neural mechanisms underlying indirect reciprocity and suggests that pay-it-forward reciprocity may not occur as myopic profit maximization but elicit emotional rewards.

To be selected or not to be selected : a modeling and behavioral study of the mechanisms underlying stimulus-driven and top-down visual attention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voort van der Kleij, van der Gwendid T.

2007-01-01

This thesis investigates the mechanisms of stimulus-driven visual attention (global saliency), the mechanisms of top-down visual attention, and the interaction between these mechanisms, in visual search. Following the outline of an existing model of top-down visual attention, namely the Closed-Loop

The mechanisms of neurotoxicity and the selective vulnerability of nervous system sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurer, Laura L; Philbert, Martin A

2015-01-01

The spatial heterogeneity of the structure, function, and cellular composition of the nervous system confers extraordinary complexity and a multiplicity of mechanisms of chemical neurotoxicity. Because of its relatively high metabolic demands and functional dependence on postmitotic neurons, the nervous system is vulnerable to a variety of xenobiotics that affect essential homeostatic mechanisms that support function. Despite protection from the neuroglia and blood-brain barrier, the central nervous system is prone to attack from lipophilic toxicants and those that hijack endogenous transport, receptor, metabolic, and other biochemical systems. The inherent predilection of chemicals for highly conserved biochemical systems confers selective vulnerability of the nervous system to neurotoxicants. This chapter discusses selective vulnerability of the nervous system in the context of neuron-specific decrements (axonopathy, myelinopathy, disruption of neurotransmission), and the degree to which neuronal damage is facilitated or ameliorated by surrounding nonneural cells in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cavitation behavior observed in three monoleaflet mechanical heart valves under accelerated testing conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Chi-Wen; Liu, Jia-Shing; Li, Chi-Pei; Lu, Po-Chien; Hwang, Ned H

2008-01-01

Accelerated testing provides a substantial amount of data on mechanical heart valve durability in a short period of time, but such conditions may not accurately reflect in vivo performance. Cavitation, which occurs during mechanical heart valve closure when local flow field pressure decreases below vapor pressure, is thought to play a role in valve damage under accelerated conditions. The underlying flow dynamics and mechanisms behind cavitation bubble formation are poorly understood. Under physiologic conditions, random perivalvular cavitation is difficult to capture. We applied accelerated testing at a pulse rate of 600 bpm and transvalvular pressure of 120 mm Hg, with synchronized videographs and high-frequency pressure measurements, to study cavitation of the Medtronic Hall Standard (MHS), Medtronic Hall D-16 (MHD), and Omni Carbon (OC) valves. Results showed cavitation bubbles between 340 and 360 micros after leaflet/housing impact of the MHS, MHD, and OC valves, intensified by significant leaflet rebound. Squeeze flow, Venturi, and water hammer effects each contributed to cavitation, depending on valve design.

Mechanisms underlying KCNQ1channel cell volume sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammami, Sofia

Cells are constantly exposed to changes in cell volume during cell metabolism, nutrient uptake, cell proliferation, cell migration and salt and water transport. In order to cope with these perturbations, potassium channels in line with chloride channels have been shown to be likely contributors...... to the process of cell volume adjustments. A great diversity of potassium channels being members of either the 6TM, 4 TM or 2 TM K+ channel gene family have been shown to be strictly regulated by small, fast changes in cell volume. However, the precise mechanism underlying the K+ channel sensitivity to cell...... volume alterations is not yet fully understood. The KCNQ1 channel belonging to the voltage gated KCNQ family is considered a precise sensor of volume changes. The goal of this thesis was to elucidate the mechanism that induces cell volume sensitivity. Until now, a number of investigators have implicitly...

Crack formation and crack propagation under multiaxial mechanical and thermal stresses. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The 25th meeting of the DV Fracture Group was held on 16/17 February 1993 at Karlsruhe Technical University. The main topic, ''Crack formation and crack propagation under multiaxial mechanical and thermal stresses'', was discussed by five invited papers (by K.J. Miller, D. Loehe, H.A. Richard, W. Brocks, A. Brueckner-Foit) and 23 short papers. The other 21 papers were devoted to various domains of fracture mechanics, with emphasis on elastoplastic fracture mechanics. (orig./MM) [de

A mechanical deformation model of metallic fuel pin under steady state conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, D. W.; Lee, B. W.; Kim, Y. I.; Han, D. H.

2004-01-01

As a mechanical deformation model of the MACSIS code predicts the cladding deformation due to the simple thin shell theory, it is impossible to predict the FCMI(Fuel-Cladding Mechanical Interaction). Therefore, a mechanical deformation model used the generalized plane strain is developed. The DEFORM is a mechanical deformation routine which is used to analyze the stresses and strains in the fuel and cladding of a metallic fuel pin of LMRs. The accuracy of the program is demonstrated by comparison of the DEFORM predictions with the result of another code calculations or experimental results in literature. The stress/strain distributions of elastic part under free thermal expansion condition are completely matched with the results of ANSYS code. The swelling and creep solutions are reasonably well agreed with the simulations of ALFUS and LIFE-M codes, respectively. The predicted cladding strains are under estimated than experimental data at the range of high burnup. Therefore, it is recommended that the fine tuning of the DEFORM based on various range of experimental data

Adaptive scheduling with postexamining user selection under nonidentical fading

KAUST Repository

Gaaloul, Fakhreddine

2012-11-01

This paper investigates an adaptive scheduling algorithm for multiuser environments with statistically independent but nonidentically distributed (i.n.d.) channel conditions. The algorithm aims to reduce feedback load by sequentially and arbitrarily examining the user channels. It also provides improved performance by realizing postexamining best user selection. The first part of the paper presents new formulations for the statistics of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the scheduled user under i.n.d. channel conditions. The second part capitalizes on the findings in the first part and presents various performance and processing complexity measures for adaptive discrete-time transmission. The results are then extended to investigate the effect of outdated channel estimates on the statistics of the scheduled user SNR, as well as some performance measures. Numerical results are provided to clarify the usefulness of the scheduling algorithm under perfect or outdated channel estimates. © 1967-2012 IEEE.

Product-line selection and pricing with remanufacturing under availability constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Aras, Necati; Esenduran, G.÷k.‡e.; Altinel, I. Kuban

2004-12-01

Product line selection and pricing are two crucial decisions for the profitability of a manufacturing firm. Remanufacturing, on the other hand, may be a profitable strategy that captures the remaining value in used products. In this paper we develop a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model form the perspective of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The objective of the OEM is to select products to manufacture and remanufacture among a set of given alternatives and simultaneously determine their prices so as to maximize its profit. It is assumed that the probability a customer selects a product is proportional to its utility and inversely proportional to its price. The utility of a product is an increasing function of its perceived quality. In our base model, products are discriminated by their unit production costs and utilities. We also analyze a case where remanufacturing is limited by the available quantity of collected remanufacturable products. We show that the resulting problem is decomposed into the pricing and product line selection subproblems. Pricing problem is solved by a variant of the simplex search procedure which can also handle constraints, while complete enumeration and a genetic algorithm are used for the solution of the product line selection problem. A number of experiments are carried out to identify conditions under which it is economically viable for the firm to sell remanufactured products. We also determine the optimal utility and unit production cost values of a remanufactured product, which maximizes the total profit of the OEM.

The Establishment of a Green Supplier Selection and Guidance Mechanism with the ANP and IPA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Chao Chung

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This study aims to establish a green supplier selection and guidance mechanism by integrating the features of an ANP (Analytic Network Process and an IPA (Importance–Performance Analysis to achieve sustainable management for green supply chains. Using an expert survey, this study developed green supplier selection criteria. It adopted an ANP, which allows for interdependencies and feedback between the various criteria, to select competitive green suppliers. Then, it used an IPA, which can analyze the criteria’s significance and performance levels, to provide green suppliers with direction for guidance and improvements. The green supplier selection and guidance mechanism featuring an ANP and IPA is thus established and validated through case studies. The research results showed the following: (1 the green supplier selection criteria comprise a total of 11 performance evaluation criteria from the three dimensions of operation, competence, and environmental consciousness; (2 as shown by the APN evaluation results, environmental benefits, environmental regulations, finance, technological competence, and delivery time are the top five among the overall green criteria of the company; the performance of the various suppliers is thus arranged in order, and the most competitive supplier is selected; (3 an IPA is used to analyze the criteria’s significance and supplier performance levels and to provide the suppliers with suggestions on priority improvements, including implementing the requirements in the environmental regulations, establishing comprehensive financial management procedures, improving corporate technological competence, and consolidating customer service; (4 it is suggested that an ANP and IPA should be integrated in the applications, which could simplify the green supplier selection and guidance mechanisms and increase the efficiency of supplier management, thus creating a three-win situation for the clients, the company, and the

Damage evolution of TBC system under in-phase thermo-mechanical tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitazawa, R.; Tanaka, M.; Kagawa, Y. [Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904 (Japan); Liu, Y.F., E-mail: yfliu@hyper.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904 (Japan)

2010-10-15

In-phase thermo-mechanical tests (TMF) of EB-PVD Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-ZrO{sub 2} thermal barrier coating (TBC) system (8 wt% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-ZrO{sub 2}/CoNiCrAlY/IN-738 substrate) were done under a through-the-thick-direction thermal gradient from TBC surface temperature at 1150 deg. C to substrate temperature at 1000 deg. C. Deformation and failure behaviors of the TBC system were observed at the macroscopic and microscopic scales and damage evolution of the system under in-phase thermo-mechanical test was discussed. Special attention was paid to TBC layer cracking, thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer formation and void formation in bond coat and substrate. Effect of TMF conditions on the damage evolution behaviors was also discussed.

Prospective identification of malaria parasite genes under balancing selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin K A Tetteh

Full Text Available Endemic human pathogens are subject to strong immune selection, and interrogation of pathogen genome variation for signatures of balancing selection can identify important target antigens. Several major antigen genes in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum have shown such signatures in polymorphism-versus-divergence indices (comparing with the chimpanzee parasite P. reichenowi, and in allele frequency based indices.To compare methods for prospective identification of genes under balancing selection, 26 additional genes known or predicted to encode surface-exposed proteins of the invasive blood stage merozoite were first sequenced from a panel of 14 independent P. falciparum cultured lines and P. reichenowi. Six genes at the positive extremes of one or both of the Hudson-Kreitman-Aguade (HKA and McDonald-Kreitman (MK indices were identified. Allele frequency based analysis was then performed on a Gambian P. falciparum population sample for these six genes and three others as controls. Tajima's D (TjD index was most highly positive for the msp3/6-like PF10_0348 (TjD = 1.96 as well as the positive control ama1 antigen gene (TjD = 1.22. Across the genes there was a strong correlation between population TjD values and the relative HKA indices (whether derived from the population or the panel of cultured laboratory isolates, but no correlation with the MK indices.Although few individual parasite genes show significant evidence of balancing selection, analysis of population genomic and comparative sequence data with the HKA and TjD indices should discriminate those that do, and thereby identify likely targets of immunity.

Operational decisionmaking and action selection under psychological stress in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertman, D.I.; Haney, L.N.; Jenkins, J.P.; Blackman, H.S.

1985-05-01

An extensive review of literature on individual and group performance and decisionmaking under psychological stress was conducted and summarized. Specific stress-related variables relevant to reactor operation were pinpointed and incorporated in an experiment to assess the performance of reactor operators under psychological stress. The decisionmaking performance of 24 reactor operators under differing levels of workload, conflicting information, and detail of available written procedures was assessed in terms of selecting immediate, subsequent, and nonapplicable actions in response to 12 emergency scenarios resulting from a severe seismic event at a pressurized water reactor. Specific personality characteristics of the operators suggested by the literature to be related to performance under stress were assessed and correlated to decisionmaking under stress. The experimental results were statistically analyzed, and findings indicated that operator decisionmaking under stress was more accurate under lower levels of workload, with the availability of detailed procedures, and in the presence of high conflicting information

Optimal Portfolio Selection Under Concave Price Impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Jin; Song Qingshuo; Xu Jing; Zhang Jianfeng

2013-01-01

In this paper we study an optimal portfolio selection problem under instantaneous price impact. Based on some empirical analysis in the literature, we model such impact as a concave function of the trading size when the trading size is small. The price impact can be thought of as either a liquidity cost or a transaction cost, but the concavity nature of the cost leads to some fundamental difference from those in the existing literature. We show that the problem can be reduced to an impulse control problem, but without fixed cost, and that the value function is a viscosity solution to a special type of Quasi-Variational Inequality (QVI). We also prove directly (without using the solution to the QVI) that the optimal strategy exists and more importantly, despite the absence of a fixed cost, it is still in a “piecewise constant” form, reflecting a more practical perspective.

Optimal Portfolio Selection Under Concave Price Impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma Jin, E-mail: jinma@usc.edu [University of Southern California, Department of Mathematics (United States); Song Qingshuo, E-mail: songe.qingshuo@cityu.edu.hk [City University of Hong Kong, Department of Mathematics (Hong Kong); Xu Jing, E-mail: xujing8023@yahoo.com.cn [Chongqing University, School of Economics and Business Administration (China); Zhang Jianfeng, E-mail: jianfenz@usc.edu [University of Southern California, Department of Mathematics (United States)

2013-06-15

In this paper we study an optimal portfolio selection problem under instantaneous price impact. Based on some empirical analysis in the literature, we model such impact as a concave function of the trading size when the trading size is small. The price impact can be thought of as either a liquidity cost or a transaction cost, but the concavity nature of the cost leads to some fundamental difference from those in the existing literature. We show that the problem can be reduced to an impulse control problem, but without fixed cost, and that the value function is a viscosity solution to a special type of Quasi-Variational Inequality (QVI). We also prove directly (without using the solution to the QVI) that the optimal strategy exists and more importantly, despite the absence of a fixed cost, it is still in a 'piecewise constant' form, reflecting a more practical perspective.

Underlying mechanism in the water chemistry of nuclear systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, G.N.

1978-01-01

The equilibrium between dissolved hydrogen and oxygen in the molecular decomposition of water, and the equilibrium between hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions in the ionic dissociation of water, both constitute important underlying mechanisms in the corrosion behaviour of water. The two equilibria, and the rates of the reactions involved in water and steam, will be compared and contrasted as a function of temperature, pressure and radiation. The effects of the equilibria on the hydrolysis and solubility of ferrous and ferric ions, and the ions of other metals, will be discussed in relation to the control of conditions in the coolant circuits of nuclear reactors. A third mechanism to discussed is the electrochemical exchange reactions that can contribute to the contamination of circuits. (author)

Mechanisms of selective attention and space motion sickness

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, R. L.

1987-01-01

The neural mismatch theory of space motion sickness asserts that the central and peripheral autonomic sequelae of discordant sensory input arise from central integrative processes falling to reconcile patterns of incoming sensory information with existing memory. Stated differently, perceived novelty reaches a stress level as integrative mechanisms fail to return a sense of control to the individual in the new environment. Based on evidence summarized here, the severity of the neural mismatch may be dependent upon the relative amount of attention selectively afforded to each sensory input competing for control of behavior. Components of the limbic system may play important roles in match-mismatch operations, be therapeutically modulated by antimotion sickness drugs, and be optimally positioned to control autonomic output.

Selective spider toxins reveal a role for Nav1.1 channel in mechanical pain

Science.gov (United States)

Osteen, Jeremiah D.; Herzig, Volker; Gilchrist, John; Emrick, Joshua J.; Zhang, Chuchu; Wang, Xidao; Castro, Joel; Garcia-Caraballo, Sonia; Grundy, Luke; Rychkov, Grigori Y.; Weyer, Andy D.; Dekan, Zoltan; Undheim, Eivind A. B.; Alewood, Paul; Stucky, Cheryl L.; Brierley, Stuart M.; Basbaum, Allan I.; Bosmans, Frank; King, Glenn F.; Julius, David

2016-01-01

Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels initiate action potentials in most neurons, including primary afferent nerve fibers of the pain pathway. Local anesthetics block pain through non-specific actions at all Nav channels, but the discovery of selective modulators would facilitate the analysis of individual subtypes and their contributions to chemical, mechanical, or thermal pain. Here, we identify and characterize spider toxins that selectively activate the Nav1.1 subtype, whose role in nociception and pain has not been explored. We exploit these probes to demonstrate that Nav1.1-expressing fibers are modality-specific nociceptors: their activation elicits robust pain behaviors without neurogenic inflammation and produces profound hypersensitivity to mechanical, but not thermal, stimuli. In the gut, high-threshold mechanosensitive fibers also express Nav1.1 and show enhanced toxin sensitivity in a model of irritable bowel syndrome. Altogether, these findings establish an unexpected role for Nav1.1 in regulating the excitability of sensory nerve fibers that underlie mechanical pain. PMID:27281198

In and out of control: brain mechanisms linking fluency of action selection to self-agency in patients with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Voss, Martin; Chambon, Valérian; Wenke, Dorit; Kühn, Simone; Haggard, Patrick

2017-08-01

Sense of agency refers to the feeling of control over one's actions, and their consequences. It involves both predictive processes linked to action control, and retrospective 'sense-making' causal inferences. Schizophrenia has been associated with impaired predictive processing, but the underlying mechanisms that impair patients' sense of agency remain unclear. We introduce a new 'prospective' aspect of agency and show that subliminally priming an action not only influences response times, but also influences reported sense of agency over subsequent action outcomes. This effect of priming was associated with altered connectivity between frontal areas and the angular gyrus. The effects on response times and on frontal action selection mechanisms were similar in patients with schizophrenia and in healthy volunteers. However, patients showed no effects of priming on sense of agency, no priming-related activation of angular gyrus, and no priming-related changes in fronto-parietal connectivity. We suggest angular gyrus activation reflects the experiences of agency, or non-agency, in part by processing action selection signals generated in the frontal lobes. The altered action awareness that characterizes schizophrenia may be due to impaired communication between these areas. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Single molecule insights on conformational selection and induced fit mechanism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hatzakis, Nikos

2014-01-01

. To describe the molecular basis of this behavior, two main mechanisms have been advanced: 'induced fit' and 'conformational selection'. Our understanding of these models relies primarily on NMR, computational studies and kinetic measurements. These techniques report the average behavior of a large ensemble...... of unsynchronized molecules, often masking intrinsic dynamic behavior of proteins and biologically significant transient intermediates. Single molecule measurements are emerging as a powerful tool for characterizing protein function. They offer the direct observation and quantification of the activity, abundance...

Synaptic Mechanisms Generating Orientation Selectivity in the ON Pathway of the Rabbit Retina.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkataramani, Sowmya; Taylor, W Rowland

2016-03-16

Neurons that signal the orientation of edges within the visual field have been widely studied in primary visual cortex. Much less is known about the mechanisms of orientation selectivity that arise earlier in the visual stream. Here we examine the synaptic and morphological properties of a subtype of orientation-selective ganglion cell in the rabbit retina. The receptive field has an excitatory ON center, flanked by excitatory OFF regions, a structure similar to simple cell receptive fields in primary visual cortex. Examination of the light-evoked postsynaptic currents in these ON-type orientation-selective ganglion cells (ON-OSGCs) reveals that synaptic input is mediated almost exclusively through the ON pathway. Orientation selectivity is generated by larger excitation for preferred relative to orthogonal stimuli, and conversely larger inhibition for orthogonal relative to preferred stimuli. Excitatory orientation selectivity arises in part from the morphology of the dendritic arbors. Blocking GABAA receptors reduces orientation selectivity of the inhibitory synaptic inputs and the spiking responses. Negative contrast stimuli in the flanking regions produce orientation-selective excitation in part by disinhibition of a tonic NMDA receptor-mediated input arising from ON bipolar cells. Comparison with earlier studies of OFF-type OSGCs indicates that diverse synaptic circuits have evolved in the retina to detect the orientation of edges in the visual input. A core goal for visual neuroscientists is to understand how neural circuits at each stage of the visual system extract and encode features from the visual scene. This study documents a novel type of orientation-selective ganglion cell in the retina and shows that the receptive field structure is remarkably similar to that of simple cells in primary visual cortex. However, the data indicate that, unlike in the cortex, orientation selectivity in the retina depends on the activity of inhibitory interneurons. The

Characteristics of Criteria for Selecting Investment Projects under Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian ENCIU

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Within financial theory and practice, there are used five main criteria for selecting investment projects: the net present value (NPV criterion, the internal rate of return (IRR criterion, the return term (RT criterion, the profitability ratio (PR criterion and the supplementary return (SR criterion. The assay will emphasize several new properties of said indexes for investment assessment, having as starting point the hypotheses of (approximately normal repartition of cash-flows generated by an investment project. The obtained results point to the fact that the NPV indexes (the analysis of this criterion was carried out in the article “The NPV Criterion for Valuing Investments under Uncertainty”, Daniel Armeanu, Leonard Lache, Economic Computation and Economic Cybernetics Studies and Research no. 4/2009, pp. 133-143, IRR, PR, RT and SR register normal repartitions, therefore simplifying the investment analysis under economic uncertainty, by the capacity of building confidence intervals and assessing probabilities for the inferior limits of said investment assessment indexes.

Selection on crop-derived traits and QTL in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) crop-wild hybrids under water stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Owart, Birkin R; Corbi, Jonathan; Burke, John M; Dechaine, Jennifer M

2014-01-01

Locally relevant conditions, such as water stress in irrigated agricultural regions, should be considered when assessing the risk of crop allele introgression into wild populations following hybridization. Although research in cultivars has suggested that domestication traits may reduce fecundity under water stress as compared to wild-like phenotypes, this has not been investigated in crop-wild hybrids. In this study, we examine phenotypic selection acting on, as well as the genetic architecture of vegetative, reproductive, and physiological characteristics in an experimental population of sunflower crop-wild hybrids grown under wild-like low water conditions. Crop-derived petiole length and head diameter were favored in low and control water environments. The direction of selection differed between environments for leaf size and leaf pressure potential. Interestingly, the additive effect of the crop-derived allele was in the direction favored by selection for approximately half the QTL detected in the low water environment. Selection favoring crop-derived traits and alleles in the low water environment suggests that a subset of these alleles would be likely to spread into wild populations under water stress. Furthermore, differences in selection between environments support the view that risk assessments should be conducted under multiple locally relevant conditions.

Music and Memory in Alzheimer's Disease and The Potential Underlying Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Peck, Katlyn J; Girard, Todd A; Russo, Frank A; Fiocco, Alexandra J

2016-01-01

With population aging and a projected exponential expansion of persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the development of treatment and prevention programs has become a fervent area of research and discovery. A growing body of evidence suggests that music exposure can enhance memory and emotional function in persons with AD. However, there is a paucity of research that aims to identify specific underlying neural mechanisms associated with music's beneficial effects in this particular population. As such, this paper reviews existing anecdotal and empirical evidence related to the enhancing effects of music exposure on cognitive function and further provides a discussion on the potential underlying mechanisms that may explain music's beneficial effect. Specifically, this paper will outline the potential role of the dopaminergic system, the autonomic nervous system, and the default network in explaining how music may enhance memory function in persons with AD.

Plant-insect interactions under bacterial influence: ecological implications and underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugio, Akiko; Dubreuil, Géraldine; Giron, David; Simon, Jean-Christophe

2015-02-01

Plants and insects have been co-existing for more than 400 million years, leading to intimate and complex relationships. Throughout their own evolutionary history, plants and insects have also established intricate and very diverse relationships with microbial associates. Studies in recent years have revealed plant- or insect-associated microbes to be instrumental in plant-insect interactions, with important implications for plant defences and plant utilization by insects. Microbial communities associated with plants are rich in diversity, and their structure greatly differs between below- and above-ground levels. Microbial communities associated with insect herbivores generally present a lower diversity and can reside in different body parts of their hosts including bacteriocytes, haemolymph, gut, and salivary glands. Acquisition of microbial communities by vertical or horizontal transmission and possible genetic exchanges through lateral transfer could strongly impact on the host insect or plant fitness by conferring adaptations to new habitats. Recent developments in sequencing technologies and molecular tools have dramatically enhanced opportunities to characterize the microbial diversity associated with plants and insects and have unveiled some of the mechanisms by which symbionts modulate plant-insect interactions. Here, we focus on the diversity and ecological consequences of bacterial communities associated with plants and herbivorous insects. We also highlight the known mechanisms by which these microbes interfere with plant-insect interactions. Revealing such mechanisms in model systems under controlled environments but also in more natural ecological settings will help us to understand the evolution of complex multitrophic interactions in which plants, herbivorous insects, and micro-organisms are inserted. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions

Investigation on Mechanical Properties’ Anisotropy of Rod Units in Lattice Structures Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Chenchen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Lattice structure with high strength and low mass using selective laser melting (SLM has been a hot topic. However, there are some problems in the fabrication of lattice structure by SLM. Rod unit is the basic component of lattice structure and its performance affects the whole structure. It is necessary to investigate the influence of selective laser melting on rod unit’s mechanical properties. A series of rod units with different inclination angle and diameter were fabricated by SLM in this research. And the mechanical properties of these units were measured by tensile test. The results show that the rod units with different diameters and inclination angles have good mechanical properties and show no difference. It is a good news for lattice structure designing for there is no necessary to consider the mechanical properties’ anisotropy of rod units.

Insights into the Mechanisms Underlying Boron Homeostasis in Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akira Yoshinari

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Boron is an essential element for plants but is toxic in excess. Therefore, plants must adapt to both limiting and excess boron conditions for normal growth. Boron transport in plants is primarily based on three transport mechanisms across the plasma membrane: passive diffusion of boric acid, facilitated diffusion of boric acid via channels, and export of borate anion via transporters. Under boron -limiting conditions, boric acid channels and borate exporters function in the uptake and translocation of boron to support growth of various plant species. In Arabidopsis thaliana, NIP5;1 and BOR1 are located in the plasma membrane and polarized toward soil and stele, respectively, in various root cells, for efficient transport of boron from the soil to the stele. Importantly, sufficient levels of boron induce downregulation of NIP5;1 and BOR1 through mRNA degradation and proteolysis through endocytosis, respectively. In addition, borate exporters, such as Arabidopsis BOR4 and barley Bot1, function in boron exclusion from tissues and cells under conditions of excess boron. Thus, plants actively regulate intracellular localization and abundance of transport proteins to maintain boron homeostasis. In this review, the physiological roles and regulatory mechanisms of intracellular localization and abundance of boron transport proteins are discussed.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs): Mechanisms of anticarcinogenesis and drug resistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Joan S. [Fox Chase Cancer Center, Alfred G. Knudson Chair of Cancer Research, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111 (United States); Jordan, V. Craig [Fox Chase Cancer Center, Alfred G. Knudson Chair of Cancer Research, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111 (United States)]. E-mail: v.craig.jordan@fccc.edu

2005-12-11

Despite the beneficial effects of estrogens in women's health, there is a plethora of evidence that suggest an important role for these hormones, particularly 17{beta}-estradiol (E{sub 2}), in the development and progression of breast cancer. Most estrogenic responses are mediated by estrogen receptors (ERs), either ER{alpha} or ER{beta}, which are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are ER ligands that in some tissues (i.e. bone and cardiovascular system) act like estrogens but block estrogen action in others. Tamoxifen is the first SERM that has been successfully tested for the prevention of breast cancer in high-risk women and is currently approved for the endocrine treatment of all stages of ER-positive breast cancer. Raloxifene, a newer SERM originally developed for osteoporosis, also appears to have preventive effect on breast cancer incidence. Numerous studies have examined the molecular mechanisms for the tissue selective action of SERMs, and collectively they indicate that different ER ligands induce distinct conformational changes in the receptor that influence its ability to interact with coregulatory proteins (i.e. coactivators and corepressors) critical for the regulation of target gene transcription. The relative expression of coactivators and corepressors, and the nature of the ER and its target gene promoter also affect SERM biocharacter. This review summarizes the therapeutic application of SERMs in medicine; particularly breast cancer, and highlights the emerging understanding of the mechanism of action of SERMs in select target tissues, and the inevitable development of resistance.

Mechanical frequency selectivity of an artificial basilar membrane using a beam array with narrow supports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sangwon; Jang, Jongmoon; Choi, Hongsoo; Song, Won Joon; Jang, Jeong Hun

2013-01-01

The study presented in this paper assessed the frequency selectivity of an artificial basilar membrane (ABM) constructed using a piezoelectric beam array with narrow supports. Three ABM samples were constructed. Each ABM contained 16 beams with various lengths in a one-dimensional array. To experimentally assess the frequency selectivity of the ABM, mechanical vibration induced either by an electrical or an acoustic stimulus was measured with a scanning laser-Doppler vibrometer. The electro-mechanical and acousto-mechanical transfer functions were defined for the same purpose. The tonotopy of each beam array was visualized by post-processing the experimental results. Finite element analyses were conducted to numerically compute the resonance frequencies, identify the associated vibrational modes, and evaluate the harmonic responses of the beams. The influence of the residual stresses existing in the beams was reflected in the geometric models by introducing three different levels of arc-shaped lateral deformations in the beams. The harmonic analyses revealed that each beam of the ABM samples presented independent band-pass characteristics. The experiments and simulations commonly showed a frequency selectivity of the fabricated ABMs in the range of 2–20 kHz. Therefore, the device is suitable for development of a totally implantable artificial cochlea, implementing a mechanical frequency analyzer. This work is part of research to develop a prototype of a totally implantable artificial cochlea. (paper)

PHYSIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF SOYBEAN SEEDS UNDER MECHANICAL INJURIES CAUSED BY COMBINES

OpenAIRE

FÁBIO PALCZEWSKI PACHECO; LÚCIA HELENA PEREIRA NÓBREGA; GISLAINE PICOLLO DE LIMA; MÁRCIA SANTORUM; WALTER BOLLER; LORIVAN FORMIGHIERI

2015-01-01

The mechanical harvesting causes injuries on seeds and may affect their quality. Different threshing mechanisms and their adjustments may also affect the intensity of impacts that machines cause on seeds. So, this study aimed at diagnosing and evaluating the effect of two combines: the first one with a threshing system of axial flow and the other one with a threshing system of tangential flow, under adjustments of concave opening (10 mm, 30 mm and 10 mm for a combine with axial ...

Heuristic algorithms for feature selection under Bayesian models with block-diagonal covariance structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Foroughi Pour, Ali; Dalton, Lori A

2018-03-21

Many bioinformatics studies aim to identify markers, or features, that can be used to discriminate between distinct groups. In problems where strong individual markers are not available, or where interactions between gene products are of primary interest, it may be necessary to consider combinations of features as a marker family. To this end, recent work proposes a hierarchical Bayesian framework for feature selection that places a prior on the set of features we wish to select and on the label-conditioned feature distribution. While an analytical posterior under Gaussian models with block covariance structures is available, the optimal feature selection algorithm for this model remains intractable since it requires evaluating the posterior over the space of all possible covariance block structures and feature-block assignments. To address this computational barrier, in prior work we proposed a simple suboptimal algorithm, 2MNC-Robust, with robust performance across the space of block structures. Here, we present three new heuristic feature selection algorithms. The proposed algorithms outperform 2MNC-Robust and many other popular feature selection algorithms on synthetic data. In addition, enrichment analysis on real breast cancer, colon cancer, and Leukemia data indicates they also output many of the genes and pathways linked to the cancers under study. Bayesian feature selection is a promising framework for small-sample high-dimensional data, in particular biomarker discovery applications. When applied to cancer data these algorithms outputted many genes already shown to be involved in cancer as well as potentially new biomarkers. Furthermore, one of the proposed algorithms, SPM, outputs blocks of heavily correlated genes, particularly useful for studying gene interactions and gene networks.

Frictional behaviour of polymer films under mechanical and electrostatic loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginés, R; Christen, R; Motavalli, M; Bergamini, A; Ermanni, P

2013-01-01

Different polymer foils, namely polyimide, FEP, PFA and PVDF were tested on a setup designed to measure the static coefficient of friction between them. The setup was designed according to the requirements of a damping device based on electrostatically tunable friction. The foils were tested under different mechanically applied forces and showed reproducible results for the static coefficient of friction. With the same setup the measurements were performed under an electric field as the source of the normal force. Up to a certain electric field the values were in good agreement. Beyond this field discrepancies were found. (paper)

Failure mechanism of monolayer graphene under hypervelocity impact of spherical projectile

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Kang; Zhan, Haifei; Hu, De'An; Gu, Yuantong

2016-09-01

The excellent mechanical properties of graphene have enabled it as appealing candidate in the field of impact protection or protective shield. By considering a monolayer graphene membrane, in this work, we assessed its deformation mechanisms under hypervelocity impact (from 2 to 6 km/s), based on a serial of in silico studies. It is found that the cracks are formed preferentially in the zigzag directions which are consistent with that observed from tensile deformation. Specifically, the boundary condition is found to exert an obvious influence on the stress distribution and transmission during the impact process, which eventually influences the penetration energy and crack growth. For similar sample size, the circular shape graphene possesses the best impact resistance, followed by hexagonal graphene membrane. Moreover, it is found the failure shape of graphene membrane has a strong relationship with the initial kinetic energy of the projectile. The higher kinetic energy, the more number the cracks. This study provides a fundamental understanding of the deformation mechanisms of monolayer graphene under impact, which is crucial in order to facilitate their emerging future applications for impact protection, such as protective shield from orbital debris for spacecraft.

Behavior of duplex stainless steel casting defects under mechanical loadings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jayet-Gendrot, S [Electricite de France, 77 - Moret-sur-Loing (France). Dept. of Materials Study; Gilles, P; Migne, C [Societe Franco-Americaine de Constructions Atomiques (FRAMATOME), 92 - Paris-La-Defense (France)

1997-04-01

Several components in the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors are made of cast duplex stainless steels. This material contains small casting defects, mainly shrinkage cavities, due to the manufacturing process. In safety analyses, the structural integrity of the components is studied. In order to assess the real severity of the casting defects under mechanical loadings, an experimental program was carried out. It consisted of testing, under both cyclic and monotonic solicitations, three-point bend specimens containing either a natural defect (in the form of a localized cluster of cavities) or a machined notch having the dimensions of the cluster`s envelope. The tests are analyzed in order to develop a method that takes into account the behavior of castings defects in a more realistic fashion than by an envelope crack. Various approaches are investigated, including the search of equivalent defects or of criteria based on continuum mechanics concepts, and compared with literature data. This study shows the conservatism of current safety analyses in modelling casting defects by envelope semi-elliptical cracks and contributes to the development of alternative approaches. (author) 18 refs.

Quantum mechanics selected topics

CERN Document Server

Perelomov, Askold Mikhailovich

1998-01-01

It can serve as a good supplement to any quantum mechanics textbook, filling the gap between standard textbooks and higher-level books on the one hand and journal articles on the other. This book provides a detailed treatment of the scattering theory, multidimensional quasi-classical approximation, non-stationary problems for oscillators and the theory of unstable particles. It will be useful for postgraduate students and researchers who wish to find new, interesting information hidden in the depths of non-relativistic quantum mechanics.

Membrane selectivity and disordering mechanism of antimicrobial peptide protegrin-1

Science.gov (United States)

Ishitsuka, Yuji

Protegrin-1 (PG-1) is a beta-sheet antimicrobial peptide (AMP), a class of peptides innate to various organisms and functions as a defense agent against harmful microorganisms by means of membrane disordering. Characteristic chemical and structural properties of AMPs allow selective interaction against invaders' cell membranes. Despite their enormous biomedical potential, progress towards developing them into therapeutic agents has been hampered by a lack of insight into their mechanism of action. AMP insertion assays using Langmuir monolayers reveal that both electrostatic properties of the lipid head group as well as the packing density of the lipid tail group play important roles in determining the membrane selectivity of AMPs. These results help elucidate how the AMP selectively targets the cell membrane of microorganisms over the cell membrane of the host. In addition, these results also explain the higher hemolytic ability of PG-1 against human red blood cells (RBCs) compared to the hemolytic ability of PG-1 against sheep and pig RBCs. Synchrotron X-ray reflectivity shows that PG-1 penetrates into the lipid layer. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and fluorescence microscopy indicate that the insertion of PG-1 disorders tail group packing. Membrane selectivity and insertion location information of AMPs with different primary sequence and secondary structure have been obtained by using a truncated version of PG-1: PC-17, and an alpha-helical AMP, LL-37, respectively. The similarity of the membrane disordering process across these various peptides motivated us to test the membrane disordering effect of molecules designed to mimic these peptides. Peptide-mimics based on meta-phenylene ethynylenes demonstrate similar membrane disordering effects, showing that the potency of AMPs is derived from their overall chemical and structural properties, rather than exact peptide sequence. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to directly image first, the PG-1

The Effect of Irradiation on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Selected Types of Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Manas

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the influence of electron-beam radiation on the micro-mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and structural properties of selected polymers. In the search for the desired improvement of polymers, it is possible to use, inter alia, one particular possible modification—Namely, crosslinking—Which is a process during which macromolecular chains start to connect to each other and, thus, create the spatial network in the structure. In the course of the treatment of the ionizing radiation, two actions can occur: crosslinking and scission of macromolecules, or degradation. Both these processes run in parallel. Using the crosslinking technology, standard and technical polymers can acquire the more “expensive” high-tech polymeric material properties and, thus, replace these materials in many applications. The polymers that were tested were selected from across the whole spectra of thermoplastics, ranging from commodity polymers, technical polymers, as well as high-performance polymers. These polymers were irradiated by different doses of beta radiation (33, 66, 99, 132, 165, and 198 kGy. The micro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of these polymers were measured. When considering the results, it is obvious that irradiation acts on each polymer differently but, always when the optimal dose was found, the mechanical properties increased by up to 36%. The changes of micro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties were confirmed by structural measurement when the change of the micro-hardness and modulus corresponded to the crystalline phase change as determined by X-ray and gel content.

Nonlinear Mechanics of MEMS Rectangular Microplates under Electrostatic Actuation

KAUST Repository

Saghir, Shahid

2016-12-01

The first objective of the dissertation is to develop a suitable reduced order model capable of investigating the nonlinear mechanical behavior of von-Karman plates under electrostatic actuation. The second objective is to investigate the nonlinear static and dynamic behavior of rectangular microplates under small and large actuating forces. In the first part, we present and compare various approaches to develop reduced order models for the nonlinear von-Karman rectangular microplates actuated by nonlinear electrostatic forces. The reduced-order models aim to investigate the static and dynamic behavior of the plate under small and large actuation forces. A fully clamped microplate is considered. Different types of basis functions are used in conjunction with the Galerkin method to discretize the governing equations. First we investigate the convergence with the number of modes retained in the model. Then for validation purpose, a comparison of the static results is made with the results calculated by a nonlinear finite element model. The linear eigenvalue problem for the plate under the electrostatic force is solved for a wide range of voltages up to pull-in. In the second part, we present an investigation of the static and dynamic behavior of a fully clamped microplate. We investigate the effect of different non-dimensional design parameters on the static response. The forced-vibration response of the plate is then investigated when the plate is excited by a harmonic AC load superimposed to a DC load. The dynamic behavior is examined near the primary and secondary (superharmonic and subharmonic) resonances. The microplate shows a strong hardening behavior due to the cubic nonlinearity of midplane stretching. However, the behavior switches to softening as the DC load is increased. Next, near-square plates are studied to understand the effect of geometric imperfections of microplates. In the final part of the dissertation, we investigate the mechanical behavior of

Neural mechanisms underlying morphine withdrawal in addicted patients: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nima Babhadiashar

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Morphine is one of the most potent alkaloid in opium, which has substantial medical uses and needs and it is the first active principle purified from herbal source. Morphine has commonly been used for relief of moderate to severe pain as it acts directly on the central nervous system; nonetheless, its chronic abuse increases tolerance and physical dependence, which is commonly known as opiate addiction. Morphine withdrawal syndrome is physiological and behavioral symptoms that stem from prolonged exposure to morphine. A majority of brain regions are hypofunctional over prolonged abstinence and acute morphine withdrawal. Furthermore, several neural mechanisms are likely to contribute to morphine withdrawal. The present review summarizes the literature pertaining to neural mechanisms underlying morphine withdrawal. Despite the fact that morphine withdrawal is a complex process, it is suggested that neural mechanisms play key roles in morphine withdrawal.

Efficient and selective α-bromination of carbonyl compounds with N-bromosuccinimide under microwave

KAUST Repository

Guan, Xiao-Yu

2014-02-07

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of α-halocarbonyl compounds has been achieved via selective monobromination of aromatic and aliphatic carbonyl compounds with N-bromosuccinimide catalyzed by p-toluenesulfonic acid under microwave irradiation within 30 min.

Efficient and selective α-bromination of carbonyl compounds with N-bromosuccinimide under microwave

KAUST Repository

Guan, Xiao-Yu; Al-Misba'a, Zahra; Huang, Kuo-Wei

2014-01-01

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of α-halocarbonyl compounds has been achieved via selective monobromination of aromatic and aliphatic carbonyl compounds with N-bromosuccinimide catalyzed by p-toluenesulfonic acid under microwave irradiation within 30 min.

Mechanisms of selective delivery of xanthophylls to retinal pigment epithelial cells by human lipoproteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Sara E; Harrison, Earl H

2016-10-01

The xanthophylls, lutein and zeaxanthin, are dietary carotenoids that selectively accumulate in the macula of the eye providing protection against age-related macular degeneration. To reach the macula, carotenoids cross the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Xanthophylls and β-carotene mostly associate with HDL and LDL, respectively. HDL binds to cells via a scavenger receptor class B1 (SR-B1)-dependent mechanism, while LDL binds via the LDL receptor. Using an in-vitro, human RPE cell model (ARPE-19), we studied the mechanisms of carotenoid uptake into the RPE by evaluating kinetics of cell uptake when delivered in serum or isolated LDL or HDL. For lutein and β-carotene, LDL delivery resulted in the highest rates and extents of uptake. In contrast, HDL was more effective in delivering zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin leading to the highest rates and extents of uptake of all four carotenoids. Inhibitors of SR-B1 suppressed zeaxanthin delivery via HDL. Results show a selective HDL-mediated uptake of zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin via SR-B1 and a LDL-mediated uptake of lutein. This demonstrates a plausible mechanism for the selective accumulation of zeaxanthin greater than lutein and xanthophylls over β-carotene in the retina. We found no evidence of xanthophyll metabolism to apocarotenoids or lutein conversion to meso-zeaxanthin. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

DMPD: Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokinin-1during B-cell development. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 14962188 Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokin...ng) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokinin...-1during B-cell development. PubmedID 14962188 Title Mechanisms of selection medi

Selective recovery of Pd(II) from extremely acidic solution using ion-imprinted chitosan fiber: Adsorption performance and mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Shuo [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Wei, Wei [School of Chemical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonbuk 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Wu, Xiaohui; Zhou, Tao [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Mao, Juan, E-mail: monicamao45@hust.edu.cn [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Yun, Yeoung-Sang, E-mail: ysyun@jbnu.ac.kr [School of Chemical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonbuk 561-756 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

Highlights: • An acid-resisting chitosan fiber was prepared by ion-imprinting technique. • Pd(II) and ECH were as template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively. • IIF showed a good adsorption and selectivity performance on Pd(II) solutions. • Selectivity was due to the electrostatic attraction between −NH{sub 3}{sup +} and [PdCl{sub 4}]{sup 2−}. • Stable sorption/desorption performance shows a potential in further application. - Abstract: A novel, selective and acid-resisting chitosan fiber adsorbent was prepared by the ion-imprinting technique using Pd(II) and epichlorohydrin as the template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively. The resulting ion-imprinted chitosan fibers (IIF) were used to selectively adsorb Pd(II) under extremely acidic synthetic metal solutions. The adsorption and selectivity performances of IIF including kinetics, isotherms, pH effects, and regeneration were investigated. Pd(II) rapidly adsorbed on the IIF within 100 min, achieving the adsorption equilibrium. The isotherm results showed that the maximum Pd(II) uptake on the IIF was maintained as 324.6–326.4 mg g{sup −1} in solutions containing single and multiple metals, whereas the Pd(II) uptake on non-imprinted fibers (NIF) decreased from 313.7 to 235.3 mg g{sup −1} in solution containing multiple metals. Higher selectivity coefficients values were obtained from the adsorption on the IIF, indicating a better Pd(II) selectivity. The amine group, supposedly the predominant adsorption site for Pd(II), was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pH value played a significant role on the mechanism of the selective adsorption in the extremely acidic conditions. Furthermore, the stabilized performance for three cycles of sorption/desorption shows a potential for further large-scale applications.

Selective recovery of Pd(II) from extremely acidic solution using ion-imprinted chitosan fiber: Adsorption performance and mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shuo; Wei, Wei; Wu, Xiaohui; Zhou, Tao; Mao, Juan; Yun, Yeoung-Sang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An acid-resisting chitosan fiber was prepared by ion-imprinting technique. • Pd(II) and ECH were as template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively. • IIF showed a good adsorption and selectivity performance on Pd(II) solutions. • Selectivity was due to the electrostatic attraction between −NH_3"+ and [PdCl_4]"2"−. • Stable sorption/desorption performance shows a potential in further application. - Abstract: A novel, selective and acid-resisting chitosan fiber adsorbent was prepared by the ion-imprinting technique using Pd(II) and epichlorohydrin as the template and two-step crosslinking agent, respectively. The resulting ion-imprinted chitosan fibers (IIF) were used to selectively adsorb Pd(II) under extremely acidic synthetic metal solutions. The adsorption and selectivity performances of IIF including kinetics, isotherms, pH effects, and regeneration were investigated. Pd(II) rapidly adsorbed on the IIF within 100 min, achieving the adsorption equilibrium. The isotherm results showed that the maximum Pd(II) uptake on the IIF was maintained as 324.6–326.4 mg g"−"1 in solutions containing single and multiple metals, whereas the Pd(II) uptake on non-imprinted fibers (NIF) decreased from 313.7 to 235.3 mg g"−"1 in solution containing multiple metals. Higher selectivity coefficients values were obtained from the adsorption on the IIF, indicating a better Pd(II) selectivity. The amine group, supposedly the predominant adsorption site for Pd(II), was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pH value played a significant role on the mechanism of the selective adsorption in the extremely acidic conditions. Furthermore, the stabilized performance for three cycles of sorption/desorption shows a potential for further large-scale applications.

Moral Hazard, Adverse Selection and the Optimal Consumption-Leisure Choice under Equilibrium Price Dispersion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Malakhov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the optimal consumption-leisure choice under equilibrium price dispersion discovers the methodological difference between problems of moral hazard and adverse selection. While the phenomenon of moral hazard represents the individual behavioral reaction on the marginal rate of substitution of leisure for consumption proposed by the insurance policy, the adverse selection can take place on any imperfect market under equilibrium price dispersion and it looks like a market phenomenon of a natural selection between consumers with different income and different propensity to search. The analysis of health insurance where the propensity to search takes the form of the propensity to seek healthcare demonstrates that moral hazard takes place when the insurance policy proposes a suboptimal consumption-leisure choice and the increase in consumption of medical services with the reduction of leisure time represents not an unlimited demand for “free goods” but the simple process of the consumption-leisure optimization. The path of consumerism with consumer-directed plans can solve partly the problem of moral hazard because in order to eliminate moral hazard this trend should come to the re-sale of medical services under health vouchers like it takes place in the life settlement.

Criteria for selecting children with special needs for dental treatment under general anaesthesia

OpenAIRE

Nova García, M. Joaquín de; Gallardo López, Nuria E.; Martín Sanjuán, Carmen; Mourelle Martínez, M. Rosa; Alonso García, Yolanda; Carracedo Cabaleiro, Esther

2007-01-01

Objective: To study criteria for helping to select children with special needs for dental treatment under general anaesthesia. Materials and methods: Group of 30 children (aged under 18) examined on the Course at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) (Specialisation on holistic dental treatment of children with special needs) and subsequently referred to the Disabled Children’s Oral Health Unit (DCOHU) within Primary Health Care Area 2 of the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS) where dental ...

An analytical model of the mechanical properties of bulk coal under confined stress

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, G.X.; Wang, Z.T.; Rudolph, V.; Massarotto, P.; Finley, R.J.

2007-01-01

This paper presents the development of an analytical model which can be used to relate the structural parameters of coal to its mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio under a confined stress condition. This model is developed primarily to support process modeling of coalbed methane (CBM) or CO2-enhanced CBM (ECBM) recovery from coal seam. It applied an innovative approach by which stresses acting on and strains occurring in coal are successively combined in rectangular coordinates, leading to the aggregated mechanical constants. These mechanical properties represent important information for improving CBM/ECBM simulations and incorporating within these considerations of directional permeability. The model, consisting of constitutive equations which implement a mechanically consistent stress-strains correlation, can be used as a generalized tool to study the mechanical and fluid behaviors of coal composites. An example using the model to predict the stress-strain correlation of coal under triaxial confined stress by accounting for the elastic and brittle (non-elastic) deformations is discussed. The result shows a good agreement between the prediction and the experimental measurement. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fatigue response of a PZT multilayer actuator under high-field electric cycling with mechanical preload

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong; Wereszczak, Andrew A.; Lin, Hua-Tay

2009-01-01

An electric fatigue test system was developed for evaluating the reliability of piezoelectric actuators with a mechanical loading capability. Fatigue responses of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) multilayer actuator with a platethrough electrode configuration were studied under an electric field (1.7 times that of the coercive field of PZT material) and a concurrent mechanical preload (30.0 MPa). A total of 109 cycles was carried out. Variations in charge density and mechanical strain under the high electric field and constant mechanical loads were observed during the fatigue test. The dc and the first harmonic (at 10 Hz) dielectric and piezoelectric coefficients were subsequently characterized using fast Fourier transformation. Both the dielectric and the piezoelectric coefficients exhibited a monotonic decrease prior to 2.86×108 cycles under certain preloading conditions, and then fluctuated. Both the dielectric loss tangent and the piezoelectric loss tangent also fluctuated after a decrease. The results are interpreted and discussed with respect to domain wall activities, microdefects, and other anomalies.

Simulation of fatigue damage in ferroelectric polycrystals under mechanical/electrical loading

Science.gov (United States)

Kozinov, S.; Kuna, M.

2018-07-01

The reliability of smart-structures made of ferroelectric ceramics is essentially reduced by the formation of cracks under the action of external electrical and/or mechanical loading. In the current research a numerical model for low-cycle fatigue in ferroelectric mesostructures is proposed. In the finite element simulations a combination of two user element routines is utilized. The first one is used to model a micromechanical ferroelectric domain switching behavior inside the grains. The second one is used to simulate fatigue damage of grain boundaries by a cohesive zone model (EMCCZM) based on an electromechanical cyclic traction-separation law (TSL). For numerical simulations a scanning electron microscope image of the ceramic's grain structure was digitalized and meshed. The response of this mesostructure to cyclic electrical or mechanical loading is systematically analyzed. As a result of the simulations, the distribution of electric potential, field, displacement and polarization as well as mechanical stresses and deformations inside the grains are obtained. At the grain boundaries, the formation and evolution of damage are analyzed until final failure and induced degradation of electric permittivity. It is found that the proposed model correctly mimics polycrystalline behavior during poling processes and progressive damage under cyclic electromechanical loading. To the authors' knowledge, it is the first model and numerical analysis of ferroelectric polycrystals taking into account both domain reorientation and cohesive modeling of intergranular fracture. It can help to understand failure mechanisms taking place in ferroelectrics during fatigue processes.

Are we under-estimating the association between autism symptoms?: The importance of considering simultaneous selection when using samples of individuals who meet diagnostic criteria for an autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Aja Louise; McKenzie, Karen; Kuenssberg, Renate; O'Donnell, Michael

2014-11-01

The magnitude of symptom inter-correlations in diagnosed individuals has contributed to the evidence that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a fractionable disorder. Such correlations may substantially under-estimate the population correlations among symptoms due to simultaneous selection on the areas of deficit required for diagnosis. Using statistical simulations of this selection mechanism, we provide estimates of the extent of this bias, given different levels of population correlation between symptoms. We then use real data to compare domain inter-correlations in the Autism Spectrum Quotient, in those with ASD versus a combined ASD and non-ASD sample. Results from both studies indicate that samples restricted to individuals with a diagnosis of ASD potentially substantially under-estimate the magnitude of association between features of ASD.

Selective spider toxins reveal a role for Nav1.1 channel in mechanical pain

OpenAIRE

Osteen, Jeremiah D.; Herzig, Volker; Gilchrist, John; Emrick, Joshua J.; Zhang, Chuchu; Wang, Xidao; Castro, Joel; Garcia-Caraballo, Sonia; Grundy, Luke; Rychkov, Grigori Y.; Weyer, Andy D.; Dekan, Zoltan; Undheim, Eivind A. B.; Alewood, Paul; Stucky, Cheryl L.

2016-01-01

Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels initiate action potentials in most neurons, including primary afferent nerve fibers of the pain pathway. Local anesthetics block pain through non-specific actions at all Nav channels, but the discovery of selective modulators would facilitate the analysis of individual subtypes and their contributions to chemical, mechanical, or thermal pain. Here, we identify and characterize spider toxins that selectively activate the Nav1.1 subtype, whose role in nocicep...

An investigation of the mechanism underlying teacher aggression : Testing I3 theory and the General Aggression Model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montuoro, Paul; Mainhard, Tim

2017-01-01

Background: Considerable research has investigated the deleterious effects of teachers responding aggressively to students who misbehave, but the mechanism underlying this dysfunctional behaviour remains unknown. Aims: This study investigated whether the mechanism underlying teacher aggression

Natural selection underlies apparent stress-induced mutagenesis in a bacteriophage infection model.

Science.gov (United States)

Yosef, Ido; Edgar, Rotem; Levy, Asaf; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem; Munitz, Ariel; Qimron, Udi

2016-04-18

The emergence of mutations following growth-limiting conditions underlies bacterial drug resistance, viral escape from the immune system and fundamental evolution-driven events. Intriguingly, whether mutations are induced by growth limitation conditions or are randomly generated during growth and then selected by growth limitation conditions remains an open question(1). Here, we show that bacteriophage T7 undergoes apparent stress-induced mutagenesis when selected for improved recognition of its host's receptor. In our unique experimental set-up, the growth limitation condition is physically and temporally separated from mutagenesis: growth limitation occurs while phage DNA is outside the host, and spontaneous mutations occur during phage DNA replication inside the host. We show that the selected beneficial mutations are not pre-existing and that the initial slow phage growth is enabled by the phage particle's low-efficiency DNA injection into the host. Thus, the phage particle allows phage populations to initially extend their host range without mutagenesis by virtue of residual recognition of the host receptor. Mutations appear during non-selective intracellular replication, and the frequency of mutant phages increases by natural selection acting on free phages, which are not capable of mutagenesis.

Reliability Issues and Solutions in Flexible Electronics Under Mechanical Fatigue

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Seol-Min; Choi, In-Suk; Kim, Byoung-Joon; Joo, Young-Chang

2018-03-01

Flexible devices are of significant interest due to their potential expansion of the application of smart devices into various fields, such as energy harvesting, biological applications and consumer electronics. Due to the mechanically dynamic operations of flexible electronics, their mechanical reliability must be thoroughly investigated to understand their failure mechanisms and lifetimes. Reliability issue caused by bending fatigue, one of the typical operational limitations of flexible electronics, has been studied using various test methodologies; however, electromechanical evaluations which are essential to assess the reliability of electronic devices for flexible applications had not been investigated because the testing method was not established. By employing the in situ bending fatigue test, we has studied the failure mechanism for various conditions and parameters, such as bending strain, fatigue area, film thickness, and lateral dimensions. Moreover, various methods for improving the bending reliability have been developed based on the failure mechanism. Nanostructures such as holes, pores, wires and composites of nanoparticles and nanotubes have been suggested for better reliability. Flexible devices were also investigated to find the potential failures initiated by complex structures under bending fatigue strain. In this review, the recent advances in test methodology, mechanism studies, and practical applications are introduced. Additionally, perspectives including the future advance to stretchable electronics are discussed based on the current achievements in research.

Mechanisms for Selective Single-Cell Reactivation during Offline Sharp-Wave Ripples and Their Distortion by Fast Ripples.

Science.gov (United States)

Valero, Manuel; Averkin, Robert G; Fernandez-Lamo, Ivan; Aguilar, Juan; Lopez-Pigozzi, Diego; Brotons-Mas, Jorge R; Cid, Elena; Tamas, Gabor; Menendez de la Prida, Liset

2017-06-21

Memory traces are reactivated selectively during sharp-wave ripples. The mechanisms of selective reactivation, and how degraded reactivation affects memory, are poorly understood. We evaluated hippocampal single-cell activity during physiological and pathological sharp-wave ripples using juxtacellular and intracellular recordings in normal and epileptic rats with different memory abilities. CA1 pyramidal cells participate selectively during physiological events but fired together during epileptic fast ripples. We found that firing selectivity was dominated by an event- and cell-specific synaptic drive, modulated in single cells by changes in the excitatory/inhibitory ratio measured intracellularly. This mechanism collapses during pathological fast ripples to exacerbate and randomize neuronal firing. Acute administration of a use- and cell-type-dependent sodium channel blocker reduced neuronal collapse and randomness and improved recall in epileptic rats. We propose that cell-specific synaptic inputs govern firing selectivity of CA1 pyramidal cells during sharp-wave ripples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computationally efficient thermal-mechanical modelling of selective laser melting

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yabin; Ayas, Can

2017-10-01

The Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder based additive manufacturing (AM) method to produce high density metal parts with complex topology. However, part distortions and accompanying residual stresses deteriorates the mechanical reliability of SLM products. Modelling of the SLM process is anticipated to be instrumental for understanding and predicting the development of residual stress field during the build process. However, SLM process modelling requires determination of the heat transients within the part being built which is coupled to a mechanical boundary value problem to calculate displacement and residual stress fields. Thermal models associated with SLM are typically complex and computationally demanding. In this paper, we present a simple semi-analytical thermal-mechanical model, developed for SLM that represents the effect of laser scanning vectors with line heat sources. The temperature field within the part being build is attained by superposition of temperature field associated with line heat sources in a semi-infinite medium and a complimentary temperature field which accounts for the actual boundary conditions. An analytical solution of a line heat source in a semi-infinite medium is first described followed by the numerical procedure used for finding the complimentary temperature field. This analytical description of the line heat sources is able to capture the steep temperature gradients in the vicinity of the laser spot which is typically tens of micrometers. In turn, semi-analytical thermal model allows for having a relatively coarse discretisation of the complimentary temperature field. The temperature history determined is used to calculate the thermal strain induced on the SLM part. Finally, a mechanical model governed by elastic-plastic constitutive rule having isotropic hardening is used to predict the residual stresses.

Intrusion recognition for optic fiber vibration sensor based on the selective attention mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Haiyan; Xie, Yingjuan; Li, Min; Zhang, Zhuo; Zhang, Xuewu

2017-11-01

Distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors receive extensive investigation and play a significant role in the sensor panorama. A fiber optic perimeter detection system based on all-fiber interferometric sensor is proposed, through the back-end analysis, processing and intelligent identification, which can distinguish effects of different intrusion activities. In this paper, an intrusion recognition based on the auditory selective attention mechanism is proposed. Firstly, considering the time-frequency of vibration, the spectrogram is calculated. Secondly, imitating the selective attention mechanism, the color, direction and brightness map of the spectrogram is computed. Based on these maps, the feature matrix is formed after normalization. The system could recognize the intrusion activities occurred along the perimeter sensors. Experiment results show that the proposed method for the perimeter is able to differentiate intrusion signals from ambient noises. What's more, the recognition rate of the system is improved while deduced the false alarm rate, the approach is proved by large practical experiment and project.

Biochemical mechanisms of signaling: perspectives in plants under arsenic stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Ejazul; Khan, Muhammad Tahir; Irem, Samra

2015-04-01

Plants are the ultimate food source for humans, either directly or indirectly. Being sessile in nature, they are exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses because of changing climate that adversely effects their growth and development. Contamination of heavy metals is one of the major abiotic stresses because of anthropogenic as well as natural factors which lead to increased toxicity and accumulation in plants. Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid toxin present in the earth crust. Due to its presence in terrestrial and aquatic environments, it effects the growth of plants. Plants can tolerate arsenic using several mechanisms like phytochelation, vacuole sequestration and activation of antioxidant defense systems. Several signaling mechanisms have evolved in plants that involve the use of proteins, calcium ions, hormones, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide as signaling molecules to cope with arsenic toxicity. These mechanisms facilitate plants to survive under metal stress by activating their defense systems. The pathways by which these stress signals are perceived and responded is an unexplored area of research and there are lots of gaps still to be filled. A good understanding of these signaling pathways can help in raising the plants which can perform better in arsenic contaminated soil and water. In order to increase the survival of plants in contaminated areas there is a strong need to identify suitable gene targets that can be modified according to needs of the stakeholders using various biotechnological techniques. This review focuses on the signaling mechanisms of plants grown under arsenic stress and will give an insight of the different sensory systems in plants. Furthermore, it provides the knowledge about several pathways that can be exploited to develop plant cultivars which are resistant to arsenic stress or can reduce its uptake to minimize the risk of arsenic toxicity through food chain thus ensuring food security. Copyright © 2015

Dynamic Response and Failure Mechanism of Brittle Rocks Under Combined Compression-Shear Loading Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yuan; Dai, Feng

2018-03-01

A novel method is developed for characterizing the mechanical response and failure mechanism of brittle rocks under dynamic compression-shear loading: an inclined cylinder specimen using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system. With the specimen axis inclining to the loading direction of SHPB, a shear component can be introduced into the specimen. Both static and dynamic experiments are conducted on sandstone specimens. Given carefully pulse shaping, the dynamic equilibrium of the inclined specimens can be satisfied, and thus the quasi-static data reduction is employed. The normal and shear stress-strain relationships of specimens are subsequently established. The progressive failure process of the specimen illustrated via high-speed photographs manifests a mixed failure mode accommodating both the shear-dominated failure and the localized tensile damage. The elastic and shear moduli exhibit certain loading-path dependence under quasi-static loading but loading-path insensitivity under high loading rates. Loading rate dependence is evidently demonstrated through the failure characteristics involving fragmentation, compression and shear strength and failure surfaces based on Drucker-Prager criterion. Our proposed method is convenient and reliable to study the dynamic response and failure mechanism of rocks under combined compression-shear loading.

Design options for cooperation mechanisms under the new European renewable energy directive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klessmann, Corinna; Lamers, Patrick; Ragwitz, Mario; Resch, Gustav

2010-01-01

In June 2009, a new EU directive on the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) entered into effect. The directive 2009/28/EC, provides for three cooperation mechanisms that will allow member states to achieve their national RES target in cooperation with other member states: statistical transfer, joint projects, and joint support schemes. This article analyses the pros and cons of the three mechanisms and explores design options for their implementation through strategic and economic questions: How to counterbalance the major drawbacks of each mechanism? How to reflect a balance of costs and benefits between the involved member states? The analysis identifies a number of design options that respond to these questions, e.g. long term contracts to ensure sufficient flexibility for statistical transfers, a coordinated, standardised joint project approach to increase transparency in the European market, and a stepwise harmonisation of joint support schemes that is based on a cost-effective accounting approach. One conclusion is that the three cooperation mechanisms are closely interlinked. One can consider their relation to be a gradual transition from member state cooperation under fully closed national support systems in case of statistical transfers, to cooperation under fully open national support systems in a joint support scheme.

Mechanisms underlying the associations of maternal age with adverse perinatal outcomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawlor, Debbie A; Mortensen, Laust; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo

2011-01-01

The mechanisms underlying the association between maternal age (both young and older maternal age) and adverse perinatal outcomes are unclear. Methods We examined the association of maternal age at first birth with preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) and small for gestational age (SGA) in a cohor...

Investigation of sheet steel St 37.2 under mechanical impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, H.P.; Brennecke, P.; Koester, R.; Friehmelt, V.

1990-01-01

Special waste originating, e.g. from chemical industry and radioactive wastes are emplaced in disposal mines. Slinger stowing is an approved technique to fill up residual voids in emplacement rooms. If it should be applied, possible mechanical loads on the integrity of sheet steel containers have to be considered. By theoretical calculations and by experiments under variation of different parameters using test specimen and backfill material from the Konrad mine using the container type V as an example it has been shown that sheet steel St 37.2 with a wall thickness of 3 mm will withstand mechanical impact imposed by backfill particles having a speed of 24 m/s. (orig.) [de

Regulation of Translation Initiation under Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana B. Castro-Sanz

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Plants have developed versatile strategies to deal with the great variety of challenging conditions they are exposed to. Among them, the regulation of translation is a common target to finely modulate gene expression both under biotic and abiotic stress situations. Upon environmental challenges, translation is regulated to reduce the consumption of energy and to selectively synthesize proteins involved in the proper establishment of the tolerance response. In the case of viral infections, the situation is more complex, as viruses have evolved unconventional mechanisms to regulate translation in order to ensure the production of the viral encoded proteins using the plant machinery. Although the final purpose is different, in some cases, both plants and viruses share common mechanisms to modulate translation. In others, the mechanisms leading to the control of translation are viral- or stress-specific. In this paper, we review the different mechanisms involved in the regulation of translation initiation under virus infection and under environmental stress in plants. In addition, we describe the main features within the viral RNAs and the cellular mRNAs that promote their selective translation in plants undergoing biotic and abiotic stress situations.

Investigation on the interaction of catalase with sodium lauryl sulfonate and the underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Jia, Rui; Wang, Jiaxi; Sun, Zhiqiang; Wu, Zitao; Liu, Rutao; Zong, Wansong

2018-02-01

As a classic type of anionic surfactants, sodium lauryl sulfonate (SLS) might change the structure and function of antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) through their direct interactions. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown. This study investigated the direct interaction of SLS with CAT molecule and the underlying mechanisms using multi-spectroscopic methods, isothermal titration calorimetry, and molecular docking studies. No obvious effects were observed on CAT structure and activity under low SLS concentration exposure. The particle size of CAT molecule decreased and CAT activity was slightly inhibited under high SLS concentration exposure. SLS prefers to bind to the interface of CAT mainly via van der Waals' forces and hydrogen bonds. Subsequently, SLS interacts with the amino acid residues around the heme groups of CAT via hydrophobic interactions and might inhibit CAT activity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Detecting method for crude oil price fluctuation mechanism under different periodic time series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Xiangyun; Fang, Wei; An, Feng; Wang, Yue

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We proposed the concept of autoregressive modes to indicate the fluctuation patterns. • We constructed transmission networks for studying the fluctuation mechanism. • There are different fluctuation mechanism under different periodic time series. • Only a few types of autoregressive modes control the fluctuations in crude oil price. • There are cluster effects during the fluctuation mechanism of autoregressive modes. - Abstract: Current existing literatures can characterize the long-term fluctuation of crude oil price time series, however, it is difficult to detect the fluctuation mechanism specifically under short term. Because each fluctuation pattern for one short period contained in a long-term crude oil price time series have dynamic characteristics of diversity; in other words, there exhibit various fluctuation patterns in different short periods and transmit to each other, which reflects the reputedly complicate and chaotic oil market. Thus, we proposed an incorporated method to detect the fluctuation mechanism, which is the evolution of the different fluctuation patterns over time from the complex network perspective. We divided crude oil price time series into segments using sliding time windows, and defined autoregressive modes based on regression models to indicate the fluctuation patterns of each segment. Hence, the transmissions between different types of autoregressive modes over time form a transmission network that contains rich dynamic information. We then capture transmission characteristics of autoregressive modes under different periodic time series through the structure features of the transmission networks. The results indicate that there are various autoregressive modes with significantly different statistical characteristics under different periodic time series. However, only a few types of autoregressive modes and transmission patterns play a major role in the fluctuation mechanism of the crude oil price, and these

FTIR spectra and mechanical strength analysis of some selected rubber derivatives

Science.gov (United States)

Gunasekaran, S.; Natarajan, R. K.; Kala, A.

2007-10-01

Rubber materials have wide range of commercial applications such as, infant diapers, famine hygiene products, drug delivery devices and incontinency products such as rubber tubes, tyres, etc. In the present work, studies on mechanical properties of some selected rubber materials viz., natural rubber (NR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) have been carried out in three states viz., raw, vulcanized and reinforced. To enhance the quality of rubber elastomers, an attempt is made to prepare new elastomers called polyblends. In the present study an attempt is made to blend NR with NBR and with EPDM. We here report, a novel approach for the evaluation of various physico-mechanical properties such as mechanical strength, tensile strength, elongation and hardness. The method is simple, direct and fast and involves infrared spectral measurements for the evaluation of these properties. With the applications of modern infrared spectroscopy, the mechanical strength of these rubber materials have been analyzed by calculating the internal standards among the methyl and methylene group vibrational frequencies obtained from FTIR spectroscopy. Also the tensile strength measurements carried out by universal testing machine. The results pertaining physico-mechanical properties of the rubber derivatives undertaken in the present study obtained by IR-based method are in good agreement with data resulted from the standard methods.

Thermal and mechanical properties of selected 3D printed thermoplastics in the cryogenic temperature regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, K-P; Bagrets, N; Lange, C; Goldacker, W; Wohlgemuth, J

2015-01-01

Insulating materials for use in cryogenic boundary conditions are still limited to a proved selection as Polyamid, Glasfiber reinforced resins, PEEK, Vespel etc. These materials are usually formed to parts by mechanical machining or sometimes by cast methods. Shaping complex geometries in one piece is limited. Innovative 3D printing is now an upcoming revolutionary technology to construct functional parts from a couple of thermoplastic materials as ABS, Nylon and others which possess quite good mechanical stability and allow realizing very complex shapes with very subtle details. Even a wide range of material mixtures is an option and thermal treatments can be used to finish the material structure for higher performance. The use of such materials in cryogenic environment is very attractive but so far poor experience exists. In this paper, first investigations of the thermal conductivity, expansion and mechanical strength are presented for a few selected commercial 3D material samples to evaluate their application prospects in the cryogenic temperature regime. (paper)

Bayes Empirical Bayes Inference of Amino Acid Sites Under Positive Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Ziheng; Wong, Wendy Shuk Wan; Nielsen, Rasmus

2005-01-01

, with > 1 indicating positive selection. Statistical distributions are used to model the variation in among sites, allowing a subset of sites to have > 1 while the rest of the sequence may be under purifying selection with ... probabilities that a site comes from the site class with > 1. Current implementations, however, use the naive EB (NEB) approach and fail to account for sampling errors in maximum likelihood estimates of model parameters, such as the proportions and ratios for the site classes. In small data sets lacking...... information, this approach may lead to unreliable posterior probability calculations. In this paper, we develop a Bayes empirical Bayes (BEB) approach to the problem, which assigns a prior to the model parameters and integrates over their uncertainties. We compare the new and old methods on real and simulated...

Mechanical properties of the human spinal cord under the compressive loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi, Alireza; Shojaei, Ahmad; Tehrani, Pedram

2017-12-01

The spinal cord as the most complex and critical part of the human body is responsible for the transmission of both motor and sensory impulses between the body and the brain. Due to its pivotal role any types of physical injury in that disrupts its function following by shortfalls, including the minor motor and sensory malfunctions as well as complicate quadriplegia and lifelong ventilator dependency. In order to shed light on the injuries to the spinal cord, the application of the computational models to simulate the trauma impact loading to that are deemed required. Nonetheless, it has not been fulfilled since there is a paucity of knowledge about the mechanical properties of the spinal cord, especially the cervical one, under the compressive loading on the grounds of the difficulty in obtaining this tissue from the human body. This study was aimed at experimentally measuring the mechanical properties of the human cervical spinal cord of 24 isolated fresh samples under the unconfined compressive loading at a relatively low strain rate. The stress-strain data revealed the elastic modulus and maximum/failure stress of 40.12±6.90 and 62.26±5.02kPa, respectively. Owing to the nonlinear response of the spinal cord, the Yeoh, Ogden, and Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic material models have also been employed. The results may have implications not only for understanding the linear elastic and nonlinear hyperelastic mechanical properties of the cervical spinal cord under the compressive loading, but also for providing a raw data for investigating the injury as a result of the trauma thru the numerical simulations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reliability-based optimization of maintenance scheduling of mechanical components under fatigue

Science.gov (United States)

Beaurepaire, P.; Valdebenito, M.A.; Schuëller, G.I.; Jensen, H.A.

2012-01-01

This study presents the optimization of the maintenance scheduling of mechanical components under fatigue loading. The cracks of damaged structures may be detected during non-destructive inspection and subsequently repaired. Fatigue crack initiation and growth show inherent variability, and as well the outcome of inspection activities. The problem is addressed under the framework of reliability based optimization. The initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks are efficiently modeled using cohesive zone elements. The applicability of the method is demonstrated by a numerical example, which involves a plate with two holes subject to alternating stress. PMID:23564979

Behavior of duplex stainless steel casting defects under mechanical loadings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayet-Gendrot, S.; Gilles, P.

2000-01-01

Several components in the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors are made of cast duplex stainless steels. This material contains small casting defects, mainly shrinkage cavities, due to the manufacturing process. In safety analyses, the structural integrity of the components is studied under the most severe assumptions: presence of a large defect, accidental loadings and end-of-life material properties accounting for its thermal aging embrittlement at the service temperature. The casting defects are idealized as semi-circular surface cracks or notches that have envelope dimensions. In order to assess the real severity of the casting defects under mechanical loadings, an experimental program was carried out. It consisted of testing, under both cyclic and monotonic solicitations, three-point bend specimens containing either a natural defect (in the form of a localized cluster of cavities) or a machined notch having the dimensions of the cluster's envelope. The results show that shrinkage cavities are far less harmful than envelope notches thanks to the metal bridges between cavities. Under fatigue loadings, the generalized initiation of a cluster of cavities (defined when the cluster becomes a crack of the same global size) is reached for a number of cycles that is much higher than the one leading to the initiation of a notch. In the case of monotonic loadings, specimens with casting defects offer a very high resistance to ductile tearing. The tests are analyzed in order to develop a method that takes into account the behavior of casting defects in a more realistic fashion than by an envelope crack. Various approaches are investigated, including the search of equivalent defects or of criteria based on continuum mechanics concepts, and compared with literature data. This study shows the conservatism of current safety analyses in modeling casting defects by envelope semi-elliptical cracks and contributes to the development of alternative approaches. (orig.)

Nanotribological behavior analysis of graphene/metal nanocomposites via MD simulations: New concepts and underlying mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Montazeri, A.; Mobarghei, A.

2018-04-01

In this article, we report a series of MD-based nanoindentation tests aimed to examine the nanotribological characteristics of metal-based nanocomposites in the presence of graphene sheets. To evaluate the effects of graphene/matrix interactions on the results, nickel and copper are selected as metals having strong and weak interactions with graphene, respectively. Consequently, the influence of graphene layers sliding and their distance from the sample surface on the nanoindentation outputs is thoroughly examined. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the results is deeply investigated with emphasis on the underlying mechanisms. To verify the accuracy of nanoindentation outputs, results of this method are compared with the data obtained via the tensile test. It is concluded that the nanoindentation results are closer to the values obtained by means of experimental setups. Employing these numerical-based experiments enables us to perform parametric studies to find out the dominant factors affecting the nanotribological behavior of these nanocomposites at the atomic-scale.

Contact force and mechanical loss of multistage cable under tension and bending

Science.gov (United States)

Ru, Yanyun; Yong, Huadong; Zhou, Youhe

2016-10-01

A theoretical model for calculating the stress and strain states of cabling structures with different loadings has been developed in this paper. We solve the problem for the first- and second-stage cable with tensile or bending strain. The contact and friction forces between the strands are presented by two-dimensional contact model. Several theoretical models have been proposed to verify the results when the triplet subjected to the tensile strain, including contact force, contact stresses, and mechanical loss. It is found that loadings will affect the friction force and the mechanical loss of the triplet. The results show that the contact force and mechanical loss are dependent on the twist pitch. A shorter twist pitch can lead to higher contact force, while the trend of mechanical loss with twist pitch is complicated. The mechanical loss may be reduced by adjusting the twist pitch reasonably. The present model provides a simple analysis method to investigate the mechanical behaviors in multistage-structures under different loads.

Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

REPORT Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY...properties and of the attendant ballistic-impact failure mechanisms in prototypical friction stir welding (FSW) joints found in armor structures made of high...mechanisms, friction stir welding M. Grujicic, B. Pandurangan, A. Arakere, C-F. Yen, B. A. Cheeseman Clemson University Office of Sponsored Programs 300

Mechanisms underlying prorenin actions on hypothalamic neurons implicated in cardiometabolic control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soledad Pitra

2016-10-01

Conclusions: We identified novel neuronal targets and cellular mechanisms underlying PR/PRR actions in critical hypothalamic neurons involved in cardiometabolic regulation. This fundamental mechanistic information regarding central PR/PRR actions is essential for the development of novel RAS-based therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiometabolic disorders in obesity and hypertension.

Demographically-Based Evaluation of Genomic Regions under Selection in Domestic Dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam H Freedman

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Controlling for background demographic effects is important for accurately identifying loci that have recently undergone positive selection. To date, the effects of demography have not yet been explicitly considered when identifying loci under selection during dog domestication. To investigate positive selection on the dog lineage early in the domestication, we examined patterns of polymorphism in six canid genomes that were previously used to infer a demographic model of dog domestication. Using an inferred demographic model, we computed false discovery rates (FDR and identified 349 outlier regions consistent with positive selection at a low FDR. The signals in the top 100 regions were frequently centered on candidate genes related to brain function and behavior, including LHFPL3, CADM2, GRIK3, SH3GL2, MBP, PDE7B, NTAN1, and GLRA1. These regions contained significant enrichments in behavioral ontology categories. The 3rd top hit, CCRN4L, plays a major role in lipid metabolism, that is supported by additional metabolism related candidates revealed in our scan, including SCP2D1 and PDXC1. Comparing our method to an empirical outlier approach that does not directly account for demography, we found only modest overlaps between the two methods, with 60% of empirical outliers having no overlap with our demography-based outlier detection approach. Demography-aware approaches have lower-rates of false discovery. Our top candidates for selection, in addition to expanding the set of neurobehavioral candidate genes, include genes related to lipid metabolism, suggesting a dietary target of selection that was important during the period when proto-dogs hunted and fed alongside hunter-gatherers.

Model test study of evaporation mechanism of sand under constant atmospheric condition

OpenAIRE

CUI, Yu Jun; DING, Wenqi; SONG, Weikang

2014-01-01

The evaporation mechanism of Fontainebleau sand using a large-scale model chamber is studied. First, the evaporation test on a layer of water above sand surface is performed under various atmospheric conditions, validating the performance of the chamber and the calculation method of actual evaporation rate by comparing the calculated and measured cumulative evaporations. Second,the evaporation test on sand without water layer is conducted under constant atmospheric condition. Both the evoluti...

A Novel Mechanism of Sugar Selection Utilized by a Human X-family DNA Polymerase†

OpenAIRE

Brown, Jessica A.; Fiala, Kevin A.; Fowler, Jason D.; Sherrer, Shanen M.; Newmister, Sean A.; Dyum, Wade W.; Suo, Zucai

2009-01-01

During DNA synthesis, most DNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases select against ribonucleotides via a steric clash between the ribose 2′-hydroxyl group and the bulky side chain of an active site residue. Here, we demonstrated that human DNA polymerase λ used a novel sugar selection mechanism to discriminate against ribonucleotides, whereby the ribose 2′-hydroxyl group was excluded mostly by a backbone segment and slightly by the side chain of Y505. Such a steric clash was further demonst...

Contraction and elongation: Mechanics underlying cell boundary deformations in epithelial tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Yusuke

2017-06-01

The cell-cell boundaries of epithelial cells form cellular frameworks at the apical side of tissues. Deformations in these boundaries, for example, boundary contraction and elongation, and the associated forces form the mechanical basis of epithelial tissue morphogenesis. In this review, using data from recent Drosophila studies on cell boundary contraction and elongation, I provide an overview of the mechanism underlying the bi-directional deformations in the epithelial cell boundary, that are sustained by biased accumulations of junctional and apico-medial non-muscle myosin II. Moreover, how the junctional tensions exist on cell boundaries in different boundary dynamics and morphologies are discussed. Finally, some future perspectives on how recent knowledge about single cell boundary-level mechanics will contribute to our understanding of epithelial tissue morphogenesis are discussed. © 2017 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Variant selection during α precipitation in Ti–6Al–4V under the influence of local stress – A simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, R.; Wang, Y.

2013-01-01

Variant selection of α (hexagonal close-packed, hcp) phase during its precipitation from β (body-centered cubic, bcc) matrix plays a key role in determining the microstructural state and mechanical properties of α/β titanium alloys. In this work, we develop a three-dimensional quantitative phase field model to predict variant selection and microstructural evolution during β → α transformation in Ti–6Al–4V (wt.%) under the influence of both external and internal stresses. The model links its inputs directly to thermodynamic and mobility databases, and incorporates the crystallography of bcc to hcp transformation, elastic anisotropy and defects within semi-coherent α/β interfaces in its total free energy formulation. It is found that, for a given undercooling, the development of a transformation texture (also called microtexture) of the α phase due to variant selection during precipitation is determined by the interplay between externally applied stress or strain and internal stress generated by the precipitation reaction itself. For example, the growth of pre-existing α precipitates is accompanied by selective nucleation and growth of secondary α plates of certain variants that may not be the ones preferred by the initially applied stress. Possible measures to reduce transformation texture are discussed

Fluorescent sensors for selective detection of thiols: expanding the intramolecular displacement based mechanism to new chromophores.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Li-Ya; Zheng, Hai-Rong; Chen, Yu-Zhe; Wu, Li-Zhu; Tung, Chen-Ho; Yang, Qing-Zheng

2014-03-21

Biological thiols, including cysteine (Cys), homocystein (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH), play crucial roles in maintaining the appropriate redox status of biological systems. An abnormal level of biothiols is associated with different diseases, therefore, the discrimination between them is of great importance. Herein, we present two fluorescent sensors for selective detection of biothiols based on our recently reported intramolecular displacement mechanism. We expanded this mechanism to commercially available chromophores, 4-chloro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-Cl) and heptamethine cyanine dye IR-780. The sensors operate by undergoing displacement of chloride by thiolate. The amino groups of Cys/Hcy further replace the thiolate to form amino-substituted products, which exhibit dramatically different photophysical properties compared to sulfur-substituted products from the reaction with GSH. NBD-Cl is highly selective towards Cys/Hcy and exhibits significant fluorescence enhancement. IR-780 showed a variation in its fluorescence ratio towards Cys over other thiols. Both of the sensors can be used for live-cell imaging of Cys. The wide applicability of the mechanism may provide a powerful tool for developing novel fluorescent sensors for selective detection of biothiols.

Visuospatial Orientational Shifts: Evidence for Three Independent Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Noonan, Michael; Axelrod, Seymour

While it is often assumed that a single mechanism underlies varied experimental evidences of selectivity, Berlyne (1969) suggested that attention-like selectivity may take place in a number of quite separate neural systems. This study examined the issue of visuospatial attention by investigating covert orientation or "looking out of the corner of…

Robust portfolio selection under norm uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Wang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract In this paper, we consider the robust portfolio selection problem which has a data uncertainty described by the ( p , w $(p,w$ -norm in the objective function. We show that the robust formulation of this problem is equivalent to a linear optimization problem. Moreover, we present some numerical results concerning our robust portfolio selection problem.

The Mediated MIMIC Model for Understanding the Underlying Mechanism of DIF

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ying; Shao, Can; Lathrop, Quinn N.

2016-01-01

Due to its flexibility, the multiple-indicator, multiple-causes (MIMIC) model has become an increasingly popular method for the detection of differential item functioning (DIF). In this article, we propose the mediated MIMIC model method to uncover the underlying mechanism of DIF. This method extends the usual MIMIC model by including one variable…

Revealing vilazodone's binding mechanism underlying its partial agonism to the 5-HT1A receptor in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Guoxun; Xue, Weiwei; Yang, Fengyuan; Zhang, Yang; Chen, Yuzong; Yao, Xiaojun; Zhu, Feng

2017-11-01

It has been estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) will become the second largest global burden among all diseases by 2030. Various types of drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and serotonin receptor partial agonist/reuptake inhibitors (SPARIs), have been approved and become the primary or first-line medications prescribed for MDD. SPARI was expected to demonstrate more enhanced drug efficacy and a rapid onset of action as compared to SSRI and SNRI. As one of the most famous SPARIs, vilazodone was approved by the FDA for the treatment of MDD. Because of the great clinical importance of vilazodone, its binding mechanism underlying its partial agonism to the 5-HT 1A receptor (5-HT 1A R) could provide valuable information to SPARIs' drug-like properties. However, this mechanism has not been reported to date; consequently, the rational design of new efficacious SPARI-based MDD drugs is severely hampered. To explore the molecular mechanism of vilazodone, an integrated computational strategy was adopted in this study to reveal its binding mechanism and prospective structural feature at the agonist binding site of 5-HT 1A R. As a result, 22 residues of this receptor were identified as hotspots, consistently favoring the binding of vilazodone and its analogues, and a common binding mechanism underlying their partial agonism to 5-HT 1A R was, therefore, discovered. Moreover, three main interaction features between vilazodone and 5-HT 1A R have been revealed and schematically summarized. In summary, this newly identified binding mechanism will provide valuable information for medicinal chemists working in the field of rational design of novel SPARIs for MDD treatment.

Mechanical Behaviour of Bolted Joints Under Impact Rates of Loading

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

M. (1995). Bearing Strength of Autoclave and oven cured kevlar / epoxy laminates under static and dynamic loading. Compostes, 451-456. Kretsis, G...Joints in Glass Fibre/ Epoxy Laminates. Composites, Volume 16. No 2. Kolsky, H. (1949). An Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Materials at...elongating the pulse width. The responses are read by the strain gages bonded on the incident and transmission bar with Vishay AE-10 epoxy . The gages

Neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control of men with lifelong antisocial behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiffer, Boris; Pawliczek, Christina; Mu Ller, Bernhard; Forsting, Michael; Gizewski, Elke; Leygraf, Norbert; Hodgins, Sheilagh

2014-04-30

Results of meta-analyses suggested subtle deficits in cognitive control among antisocial individuals. Because almost all studies focused on children with conduct problems or adult psychopaths, however, little is known about cognitive control mechanisms among the majority of persistent violent offenders who present an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). The present study aimed to determine whether offenders with ASPD, relative to non-offenders, display dysfunction in the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and to assess the extent to which these dysfunctions are associated with psychopathic traits and trait impulsivity. Participants comprised 21 violent offenders and 23 non-offenders who underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a non-verbal Stroop task. The offenders, relative to the non-offenders, exhibited reduced response time interference and a different pattern of conflict- and error-related activity in brain areas involved in cognitive control, attention, language, and emotion processing, that is, the anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal, superior temporal and postcentral cortices, putamen, thalamus, and amygdala. Moreover, between-group differences in behavioural and neural responses revealed associations with core features of psychopathy and attentional impulsivity. Thus, the results of the present study confirmed the hypothesis that offenders with ASPD display alterations in the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and that those alterations relate, at least in part, to personality characteristics. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Social capital and employee well-being : Disentangling intrapersonal and interpersonal selection and influence mechanisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agneessens, F.; Wittek, R.P.M.

2008-01-01

We argue that sociological explanations proposed within the social capital framework to explain individual well-being are incomplete because they do not differentiate between interpersonal influence and selection mechanisms, on the one hand, and cognitive intra-personal processes. on the other. To

Enhanced selective photocatalytic CO{sub 2} reduction into CO over Ag/CdS nanocomposites under visible light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Zezhou; Qin, Jiani; Jiang, Min; Ding, Zhengxin; Hou, Yidong, E-mail: ydhou@fzu.edu.cn

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Ag/CdS nanocomposites were prepared by a facile photodeposition method. • Ag/CdS was more effective as a photocatalyst for CO{sub 2} reduction than CdS. • Ag as cocatalyst served as electron trap as well as active site for CO{sub 2} reduction reaction. - Abstract: Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide can convert chemically inert carbon dioxide into useful chemical fuel in a mild manner. Herein, Ag-CdS nanocomposites were prepared by photodeposition method and examined for photocatalytic CO{sub 2} reduction under visible light. Meanwhile, the nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, DRS and PL in detail. The results show that, the deposition of Ag improves the photocatalytic performance of CdS, especially in the selectivity of CO{sub 2}-to-CO. The highest photocatalytic activity is achieved over 1.0 wt.% Ag/CdS, with an increase by 3 times in comparison to CdS. In this reaction system, Ag can serve as electron trap as well as active site for CO{sub 2} reduction, which is probably responsible for the enhanced activity and selectivity of CO{sub 2} to CO over Ag/CdS. The possible mechanism of CO{sub 2} photoreduction over Ag/CdS was proposed in view of the abovementioned analysis.

Selection of tomato mutants (lycopersicon esculentum mill) under conditions of drought stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Maria Caridad; Mansoor, Ali; Suarez, Lorenzo; Mukandama, Jean P.; Rodriguez, Yanet

2001-01-01

At the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences were evaluated under conditions of drought estres an M5 population obtained starting from the irradiation of seeds of the Amalia and INCA 9-1varieties with dose of 300 and 500 Gy of rays gamma of 60 Co. The number of clusters for plant, mass average of the fruits, number of fruits for plant and yield for plant, the content of total soluble solids and the acidity of the fruits was evaluated observing differ highly significant among the different ones lines and the respective donating studied. Promissory genotipos of high productive potential was selected under this condition

Unraveling the mechanisms underlying postural instability in Parkinson's disease using dynamic posturography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nonnekes, J.H.; Kam, D. de; Geurts, A.C.; Weerdesteijn, V.G.M.; Bloem, B.R.

2013-01-01

Postural instability, one of the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), has devastating consequences for affected patients. Better strategies to prevent falls are needed, but this calls for an improved understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying postural instability. We must also

Bacterial evolution through the selective loss of beneficial Genes. Trade-offs in expression involving two loci.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinser, Erik R; Schneider, Dominique; Blot, Michel; Kolter, Roberto

2003-01-01

The loss of preexisting genes or gene activities during evolution is a major mechanism of ecological specialization. Evolutionary processes that can account for gene loss or inactivation have so far been restricted to one of two mechanisms: direct selection for the loss of gene activities that are disadvantageous under the conditions of selection (i.e., antagonistic pleiotropy) and selection-independent genetic drift of neutral (or nearly neutral) mutations (i.e., mutation accumulation). In this study we demonstrate with an evolved strain of Escherichia coli that a third, distinct mechanism exists by which gene activities can be lost. This selection-dependent mechanism involves the expropriation of one gene's upstream regulatory element by a second gene via a homologous recombination event. Resulting from this genetic exchange is the activation of the second gene and a concomitant inactivation of the first gene. This gene-for-gene expression tradeoff provides a net fitness gain, even if the forfeited activity of the first gene can play a positive role in fitness under the conditions of selection. PMID:12930738

Bacterial evolution through the selective loss of beneficial Genes. Trade-offs in expression involving two loci.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinser, Erik R; Schneider, Dominique; Blot, Michel; Kolter, Roberto

2003-08-01

The loss of preexisting genes or gene activities during evolution is a major mechanism of ecological specialization. Evolutionary processes that can account for gene loss or inactivation have so far been restricted to one of two mechanisms: direct selection for the loss of gene activities that are disadvantageous under the conditions of selection (i.e., antagonistic pleiotropy) and selection-independent genetic drift of neutral (or nearly neutral) mutations (i.e., mutation accumulation). In this study we demonstrate with an evolved strain of Escherichia coli that a third, distinct mechanism exists by which gene activities can be lost. This selection-dependent mechanism involves the expropriation of one gene's upstream regulatory element by a second gene via a homologous recombination event. Resulting from this genetic exchange is the activation of the second gene and a concomitant inactivation of the first gene. This gene-for-gene expression tradeoff provides a net fitness gain, even if the forfeited activity of the first gene can play a positive role in fitness under the conditions of selection.

Feeding Problems and Their Underlying Mechanisms in the Esophageal Atresia–Tracheoesophageal Fistula Patient

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Lisa; Rosen, Rachel

2017-01-01

Feeding difficulties such as dysphagia, coughing, choking, or vomiting during meals, slow eating, oral aversion, food refusal, and stressful mealtimes are common in children with repaired esophageal atresia (EA) and the reasons for this are often multifactorial. The aim of this review is to describe the possible underlying mechanisms contributing to feeding difficulties in patients with EA and approaches to management. Underlying mechanisms for these feeding difficulties include esophageal dysphagia, oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration, and aversions related to prolonged gastrostomy tube feeding. The initial diagnostic evaluation for feeding difficulties in a patient with EA may involve an esophagram, videofluoroscopic imaging or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation during swallowing, upper endoscopy with biopsies, pH-impedance testing, and/or esophageal motility studies. The main goal of management is to reduce the factors contributing to feeding difficulties and may include reducing esophageal stasis, maximizing reflux therapies, treating underlying lung disease, dilating strictures, and altering feeding methods, routes, or schedules. PMID:28620597

Optimal processing pathway selection for microalgae-based biorefinery under uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rizwan, Muhammad; Zaman, Muhammad; Lee, Jay H.

2015-01-01

We propose a systematic framework for the selection of optimal processing pathways for a microalgaebased biorefinery under techno-economic uncertainty. The proposed framework promotes robust decision making by taking into account the uncertainties that arise due to inconsistencies among...... and shortage in the available technical information. A stochastic mixed integer nonlinear programming (sMINLP) problem is formulated for determining the optimal biorefinery configurations based on a superstructure model where parameter uncertainties are modeled and included as sampled scenarios. The solution...... the accounting of uncertainty are compared with respect to different objectives. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

Modified random hinge transport mechanics and multiple scattering step-size selection in EGS5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilderman, S.J.; Bielajew, A.F.

2005-01-01

The new transport mechanics in EGS5 allows for significantly longer electron transport step sizes and hence shorter computation times than required for identical problems in EGS4. But as with all Monte Carlo electron transport algorithms, certain classes of problems exhibit step-size dependencies even when operating within recommended ranges, sometimes making selection of step-sizes a daunting task for novice users. Further contributing to this problem, because of the decoupling of multiple scattering and continuous energy loss in the dual random hinge transport mechanics of EGS5, there are two independent step sizes in EGS5, one for multiple scattering and one for continuous energy loss, each of which influences speed and accuracy in a different manner. Further, whereas EGS4 used a single value of fractional energy loss (ESTEPE) to determine step sizes at all energies, to increase performance by decreasing the amount of effort expended simulating lower energy particles, EGS5 permits the fractional energy loss values which are used to determine both the multiple scattering and continuous energy loss step sizes to vary with energy. This results in requiring the user to specify four fractional energy loss values when optimizing computations for speed. Thus, in order to simplify step-size selection and to mitigate step-size dependencies, a method has been devised to automatically optimize step-size selection based on a single material dependent input related to the size of problem tally region. In this paper we discuss the new transport mechanics in EGS5 and describe the automatic step-size optimization algorithm. (author)

[Study on mechanism of SOM stabilization of paddy soils under long-term fertilizations].

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Lu; Zhou, Ping; Tong, Cheng-Li; Shi, Hui; Wu, Jin-Shui; Huang, Tie-Ping

2013-02-01

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to study the structure of soil organic matter (SOM) of paddy soils under long-term different fertilization treatments. The aim was to clarify the different distribution of SOM between different fertilization methods and between topsoil and subsoil, and to explore the stability mechanism of SOM under different fertilization treatments. The results showed that the content of topsoil organic carbon (SOC) was the highest under organic-inorganic fertilizations, with the increment of SOC by 18.5%, 12.9% and 18.4% under high organic manure (HOM), low organic manure (LOM) and straw returning (STW) respectively compared with no fertilization treatment (CK). The long-term fertilizations also changed the chemical structure of SOM. As compared with CK, different fertilization treatments increased the functional group absorbing intensity of chemical resistance compounds (aliphatic, aromaticity), carbohydrate and organo-silicon compounds, which was the most distinctive under treatments of HOM, LOM and STW. For example, the absorbing intensity of alkyl was 0.30, 0.25 and 0.29 under HOM, LOM and STW, respectively. These values were increased by 87% , 56% and 81% as compared with that under CK treatment. The functional group absorbing intensity of SOM in the topsoil was stronger than that in the subsoil, with the most distinctive difference under HOM, LOM and STW treatments. The present research indicated that the enhanced chemical resistance of functional group of SOM may contribute to the high contents of SOC in the paddy soils under long-term organic-inorganic fertilizations, which also suggested a chemical stabilization mechanism of SOM in the paddy soils.

Mechanical properties of cellulose electro-active paper under different environmental conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Heung Soo; Kim, Jaehwan; Jung, Woochul; Ampofo, Joshua; Craft, William; Sankar, Jagannathan

2008-01-01

The mechanical properties of cellulose-based electro-active paper (EAPap) are investigated under various environmental conditions. Cellulose EAPap has been discovered as a smart material that can be used as both sensor and actuator. Its advantages include low voltage operation, light weight, low power consumption, biodegradability and low cost. EAPap is made with cellulose paper coated with thin electrodes. EAPap shows a reversible and reproducible bending movement as well as longitudinal displacement under an electric field. However, EAPap is a complex anisotropic material which has not been fully characterized. This study investigates the mechanical properties of cellulose-based EAPap, including Young's modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength and creep, along with orientation directions, humidity and temperature levels. To test the materials in different humidity and temperature levels, a special material testing system was made that can control the testing environmental conditions. The initial Young's modulus of EAPap is in the range of 4–9 GPa, which was higher than that of other polymer materials. Also, the Young's modulus is orientation dependent, which may be associated with the piezoelectricity of EAPap materials. The elastic strength and stiffness gradually decreased when the humidity and temperature were increased. Creep and relaxation were observed under constant stress and strain, respectively. Through scanning electron microscopy, EAPap is shown to exhibit both layered and oriented cellulose macromolecular structures that impact both the elastic and plastic behavior

Selection of Representative Models for Decision Analysis Under Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Meira, Luis A. A.; Coelho, Guilherme P.; Santos, Antonio Alberto S.; Schiozer, Denis J.

2016-03-01

The decision-making process in oil fields includes a step of risk analysis associated with the uncertainties present in the variables of the problem. Such uncertainties lead to hundreds, even thousands, of possible scenarios that are supposed to be analyzed so an effective production strategy can be selected. Given this high number of scenarios, a technique to reduce this set to a smaller, feasible subset of representative scenarios is imperative. The selected scenarios must be representative of the original set and also free of optimistic and pessimistic bias. This paper is devoted to propose an assisted methodology to identify representative models in oil fields. To do so, first a mathematical function was developed to model the representativeness of a subset of models with respect to the full set that characterizes the problem. Then, an optimization tool was implemented to identify the representative models of any problem, considering not only the cross-plots of the main output variables, but also the risk curves and the probability distribution of the attribute-levels of the problem. The proposed technique was applied to two benchmark cases and the results, evaluated by experts in the field, indicate that the obtained solutions are richer than those identified by previously adopted manual approaches. The program bytecode is available under request.

Selection of efficient salt-tolerant bacteria containing ACC deaminase for promotion of tomato growth under salinity stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kannika Chookietwattana* and Kedsukon Maneewan

2012-05-01

Full Text Available For successful application of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB in salt-affected soil, bioinoculant with salt-tolerant property is required in order to provide better survival and perform well in the field. The present study aimed to select the most efficient salt-tolerant bacterium containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC deaminase from eighty four bacterial strains and to investigate the effects of the selected bacterium on the germination and growth of tomato (Licopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Seeda under saline conditions. The Bacillus licheniformis B2r was selected for its ability to utilize ACC as a sole nitrogen source under salinity stress. It also showed a high ACC deaminase activity at 0.6 M NaCl salinity. Tomato plants inoculated with the selected bacterium under various saline conditions (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM NaCl revealed a significant increase in the germination percentage, germination index, root length, and seedling dry weight especially at salinity levels ranging from 30-90 mM NaCl. The work described in this report is an important step in developing an efficient salt-tolerant bioinoculant to facilitate plant growth in saline soil.

Deterioration of mechanical properties of high strength structural steel S460N under transient state fire condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiang, Xuhong; Bijlaard, Frans S.K.; Kolstein, Henk

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Mechanical properties of S460N under transient state fire condition are obtained. ► Elevated-temperature mechanical properties of steels are dependent on steel grades. ► No design standard is applicable to HSS S460N under transient state fire condition. ► Specific statements on various HSS in fire should be proposed in design standards. ► Research results offer accurate material property for structural design engineers. -- Abstract: 911 World Trade Centre Tragedy put fire safety of constructional steel structures into question. Since then, more and more research attention has been paid to the elevated-temperature mechanical properties of structural steels, which is a critical basis of evaluating the fire performance of steel structures. In the literature the available mechanical properties of structural steels under fire conditions were mainly obtained from steady state test method, as steady state test method is easier to perform than transient state test method and offers stress–strain curves directly. However, the transient state fire condition is considered to be more realistic to represent the real condition when constructions are exposed to fire. In order to reveal the deterioration of mechanical properties of the commonly used high strength structural steel S460N under transient state fire condition, tensile tests were conducted under various constant stress levels up to 800 MPa. The reduction factors of elastic modulus, yield and ultimate strengths of S460N under transient state fire condition were obtained and compared with current leading design standards and available literature. The application of such accurate elevated-temperature mechanical properties reduction factors of S460N can ensure a safe fire-resistance design and evaluation of steel structures with high strength steel S460N under transient state fire condition. This experimental study also supports other relative research on fire performance of steel structures with

Thermal and Mechanical Buckling and Postbuckling Responses of Selected Curved Composite Panels

Science.gov (United States)

Breivik, Nicole L.; Hyer, Michael W.; Starnes, James H., Jr.

1998-01-01

The results of an experimental and numerical study of the buckling and postbuckling responses of selected unstiffened curved composite panels subjected to mechanical end shortening and a uniform temperature increase are presented. The uniform temperature increase induces thermal stresses in the panel when the axial displacement is constrained. An apparatus for testing curved panels at elevated temperature is described, numerical results generated by using a geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis code are presented. Several analytical modeling refinements that provide more accurate representation of the actual experimental conditions, and the relative contribution of each refinement, are discussed. Experimental results and numerical predictions are presented and compared for three loading conditions including mechanical end shortening alone, heating the panels to 250 F followed by mechanical end shortening, and heating the panels to 400 F. Changes in the coefficients of thermal expansion were observed as temperature was increased above 330 F. The effects of these changes on the experimental results are discussed for temperatures up to 400 F.

How diagnostic tests help to disentangle the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain symptoms in painful neuropathies.

Science.gov (United States)

Truini, Andrea; Cruccu, Giorgio

2016-02-01

Neuropathic pain, ie, pain arising directly from a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory afferent pathway, manifests with various symptoms, the commonest being ongoing burning pain, electrical shock-like sensations, and dynamic mechanical allodynia. Reliable insights into the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain symptoms come from diagnostic tests documenting and quantifying somatosensory afferent pathway damage in patients with painful neuropathies. Neurophysiological investigation and skin biopsy studies suggest that ongoing burning pain primarily reflects spontaneous activity in nociceptive-fiber pathways. Electrical shock-like sensations presumably arise from high-frequency ectopic bursts generated in demyelinated, nonnociceptive, Aβ fibers. Although the mechanisms underlying dynamic mechanical allodynia remain debatable, normally innocuous stimuli might cause pain by activating spared and sensitized nociceptive afferents. Extending the mechanistic approach to neuropathic pain symptoms might advance targeted therapy for the individual patient and improve testing for new drugs.

Evolution under domestication: ongoing artificial selection and divergence of wild and managed Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) populations in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Parra, Fabiola; Casas, Alejandro; Peñaloza-Ramírez, Juan Manuel; Cortés-Palomec, Aurea C.; Rocha-Ramírez, Víctor; González-Rodríguez, Antonio

2010-01-01

Background and Aims The Tehuacán Valley in Mexico is a principal area of plant domestication in Mesoamerica. There, artificial selection is currently practised on nearly 120 native plant species with coexisting wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, providing an excellent setting for studying ongoing mechanisms of evolution under domestication. One of these species is the columnar cactus Stenocereus pruinosus, in which we studied how artificial selection is operating through traditional management and whether it has determined morphological and genetic divergence between wild and managed populations. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 households of three villages to investigate motives and mechanisms of artificial selection. Management effects were studied by comparing variation patterns of 14 morphological characters and population genetics (four microsatellite loci) of 264 plants from nine wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations. Key Results Variation in fruit characters was recognized by most people, and was the principal target of artificial selection directed to favour larger and sweeter fruits with thinner or thicker peel, fewer spines and pulp colours others than red. Artificial selection operates in agroforestry systems favouring abundance (through not felling plants and planting branches) of the preferred phenotypes, and acts more intensely in household gardens. Significant morphological divergence between wild and managed populations was observed in fruit characters and plant vigour. On average, genetic diversity in silvicultural populations (HE = 0·743) was higher than in wild (HE = 0·726) and cultivated (HE = 0·700) populations. Most of the genetic variation (90·58 %) occurred within populations. High gene flow (NmFST > 2) was identified among almost all populations studied, but was slightly limited by mountains among wild populations, and by artificial selection among wild and managed populations. Conclusions

Decision framework of photovoltaic module selection under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, Shengping; Geng, Shuai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The evaluation index system is set by the engineering and supply chain perspectives. • The interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS) to express the performances. • The IVIFS entropy weight method is applied to improve the objectivity of weights. - Abstract: The selection of appropriate photovoltaic module is of extremely high importance for the solar power station project; however the comprehensive problem of evaluation index system, the information loss problem and the lack-objectivity problem in the selection process will decrease the reasonability of the selection result. The innovation points of this paper are as follows: first, the comprehensive evaluation index system of photovoltaic module is established from the engineering management and supply chain management perspectives to solve the comprehensive problem; second, the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS) are introduced into the photovoltaic modules selection process to express the alternatives’ performances to solve the information loss problem; third, the IVIFS entropy weight method is applied to improve the objectivity of the criteria’s weights. According to the aforementioned solutions, the decision framework of photovoltaic module selection under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment are established and used in a case study to demonstrate its effectiveness. Therefore, from the theoretical modeling and empirical demonstration, the decision framework proposed in this paper can effectively handle such a complicated problem and lead to an outstanding result.

Mechanisms of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling under high extracellular K(+) concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, Shingo; Kurachi, Yoshihisa

2016-03-01

In response to the elevation of extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)]out), astrocytes clear excessive K(+) to maintain conditions necessary for neural activity. K(+) clearance in astrocytes occurs via two processes: K(+) uptake and K(+) spatial buffering. High [K(+)]out also induces swelling in astrocytes, leading to edema and cell death in the brain. Despite the importance of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report results from a simulation analysis of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling. Astrocyte models were constructed by incorporating various mechanisms such as intra/extracellular ion concentrations of Na(+), K(+), and Cl(-), cell volume, and models of Na,K-ATPase, Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC), K-Cl cotransporter, inwardly-rectifying K(+) (KIR) channel, passive Cl(-) current, and aquaporin channel. The simulated response of astrocyte models under the uniform distribution of high [K(+)]out revealed significant contributions of NKCC and Na,K-ATPase to increases of intracellular K(+) and Cl(-) concentrations, and swelling. Moreover, we found that, under the non-uniform distribution of high [K(+)]out, KIR channels localized at synaptic clefts absorbed excess K(+) by depolarizing the equivalent potential of K(+) (E K) above membrane potential, while K(+) released through perivascular KIR channels was enhanced by hyperpolarizing E K and depolarizing membrane potential. Further analysis of simulated drug effects revealed that astrocyte swelling was modulated by blocking each of the ion channels and transporters. Our simulation analysis revealed controversial mechanisms of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling resulting from complex interactions among ion channels and transporters.

Nutritional links to plausible mechanisms underlying pancreatic cancer: a conference report.

Science.gov (United States)

Hine, R Jean; Srivastava, Sudhir; Milner, John A; Ross, Sharon A

2003-11-01

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is one of most catastrophic and least understood of cancers. Evidence from clinical studies indicates that the development of pancreas cancer progresses over many years before symptoms appear. Most people with pancreatic cancer die within six months of diagnosis. The lack of early disease markers, the paucity of direct subject/patient interview data and limited availability of high quality biological samples have slowed progress toward identifying environmental and genetic disease risk factors. Much remains to be learned about the development of pancreatic cancer and about potential interventions for disease prevention. Epidemiological and mechanistic studies examining risk factors for pancreatic cancer supply little consistent or strong evidence to provide a cohesive prevention strategy for this cancer, but offer clues for future research concerning the prevention and early detection of this devastating disease. This Executive Summary provides background discussion on pancreatic cancer and summaries of each of the topics discussed at the workshop, including 1) Molecular aspects, 2) Dietary and other risk factors for pancreatic cancer, 3) The metabolic hypothesis for pancreatic cancer, 4) Preclinical studies on pancreatic cancer, 5) Methylation, 6) Oxidative stress and 7) Biomarker Profiling. This document also contains a compilation of recommendations for future research, concluding remarks, a list of speakers and participants attending the workshop, and a selection of key references to aid future research into nutritional links to mechanisms underlying pancreas cancer. The recommendations section suggests gaps in current knowledge and articulates future directions for this area of investigation.

Antimicrobial peptides with selective antitumor mechanisms: prospect for anticancer applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Deslouches, Berthony; Di, Y Peter

2017-07-11

In the last several decades, there have been significant advances in anticancer therapy. However, the development of resistance to cancer drugs and the lack of specificity related to actively dividing cells leading to toxic side effects have undermined these achievements. As a result, there is considerable interest in alternative drugs with novel antitumor mechanisms. In addition to the recent approach using immunotherapy, an effective but much cheaper therapeutic option of pharmaceutical drugs would still provide the best choice for cancer patients as the first line treatment. Ribosomally synthesized cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) or host defense peptides (HDP) display broad-spectrum activity against bacteria based on electrostatic interactions with negatively charged lipids on the bacterial surface. Because of increased proportions of phosphatidylserine (negatively charged) on the surface of cancer cells compared to normal cells, cationic amphipathic peptides could be an effective source of anticancer agents that are both selective and refractory to current resistance mechanisms. We reviewed herein the prospect for AMP application to cancer treatment, with a focus on modes of action of cationic AMPs.

Financial protection mechanisms for inpatients at selected Philippine hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Caballes, Alvin B; Söllner, Walter; Nañagas, Juan

2012-11-01

The study was undertaken to determine, from the patient's perspective, the comparative effectiveness of locally established financial protection mechanisms particularly for indigent and severely-ill hospitalized patients. Data was obtained from a survey conducted in 2010 in Philippine provinces which were part of the Health Systems Development Project and involved 449 patients from selected private and public hospitals. Direct medical expenses incurred during the confinement period, whether already paid for prior to or only billed upon discharge, were initially considered. Expenses were found to be generally larger for the more severely ill and lower for the poor. Hospital-provided discounts and social health insurance (PhilHealth) reimbursements were the financial protection mechanisms evaluated in this study. In average terms, only up to 46% of inpatient expenses were potentially covered by the combined financial support. Depending on the hospital type, 28-42% of submitted PhilHealth claims were invalidated. Multiple linear regression analysis was utilized to determine the relationship of the same set of patients' demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, severity of illness, and hospital assignments with selected expense categories and financial protection measures. Pre-discharge expenditures were significantly higher in public hospitals. The very ill also faced significantly larger expenses, including those for final hospital charges. Hospital-derived discounts provided significantly more support for indigent as well as very sick patients. The amounts for verified PhilHealth claims were significantly greater for the moderately-ill and, incongruously, the financially better-off patients. Sponsored Program members, supposed indigents enjoying fully-subsidized PhilHealth enrollment, qualified for higher mean reimbursements. However, there was a weak correlation between such patients and those identified as poor by the hospital social service staff. Thus

Green supplier development program selection using NGT and VIKOR under fuzzy environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Awasthi, Anjali; Govindan, Kannan

2016-01-01

Developing environmental performance of suppliers is critical for green supply chain management. Organizations are nowadays investing in various green supplier development programs to enhance their supplier performances. The decision to select the right program for green supplier development...... is often a challenging decision due to lack of prior experience, limited quantitative information, specific context of the organization, and varying supplier backgrounds. This paper addresses the problem of evaluating green supplier development programs and proposes a fuzzy NGT (Nominal Group Technique......)-VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) based solution approach. NGT is used to identify criteria for evaluating green supplier development programs. Fuzzy theory is used to address qualitative (linguistic) ratings for the alternatives and the selected criteria used under lack...

Single-molecule FRET unveils induced-fit mechanism for substrate selectivity in flap endonuclease 1

KAUST Repository

Rashid, Fahad

2017-02-23

Human flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) and related structure-specific 5\\'nucleases precisely identify and incise aberrant DNA structures during replication, repair and recombination to avoid genomic instability. Yet, it is unclear how the 5\\'nuclease mechanisms of DNA distortion and protein ordering robustly mediate efficient and accurate substrate recognition and catalytic selectivity. Here, single-molecule sub-millisecond and millisecond analyses of FEN1 reveal a protein-DNA induced-fit mechanism that efficiently verifies substrate and suppresses off-target cleavage. FEN1 sculpts DNA with diffusion-limited kinetics to test DNA substrate. This DNA distortion mutually \\'locks\\' protein and DNA conformation and enables substrate verification with extreme precision. Strikingly, FEN1 never misses cleavage of its cognate substrate while blocking probable formation of catalytically competent interactions with noncognate substrates and fostering their pre-incision dissociation. These findings establish FEN1 has practically perfect precision and that separate control of induced-fit substrate recognition sets up the catalytic selectivity of the nuclease active site for genome stability.

A dendrite-autonomous mechanism for direction selectivity in retinal starburst amacrine cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hausselt, Susanne E; Euler, Thomas; Detwiler, Peter B; Denk, Winfried

2007-07-01

Detection of image motion direction begins in the retina, with starburst amacrine cells (SACs) playing a major role. SACs generate larger dendritic Ca(2+) signals when motion is from their somata towards their dendritic tips than for motion in the opposite direction. To study the mechanisms underlying the computation of direction selectivity (DS) in SAC dendrites, electrical responses to expanding and contracting circular wave visual stimuli were measured via somatic whole-cell recordings and quantified using Fourier analysis. Fundamental and, especially, harmonic frequency components were larger for expanding stimuli. This DS persists in the presence of GABA and glycine receptor antagonists, suggesting that inhibitory network interactions are not essential. The presence of harmonics indicates nonlinearity, which, as the relationship between harmonic amplitudes and holding potential indicates, is likely due to the activation of voltage-gated channels. [Ca(2+)] changes in SAC dendrites evoked by voltage steps and monitored by two-photon microscopy suggest that the distal dendrite is tonically depolarized relative to the soma, due in part to resting currents mediated by tonic glutamatergic synaptic input, and that high-voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels are active at rest. Supported by compartmental modeling, we conclude that dendritic DS in SACs can be computed by the dendrites themselves, relying on voltage-gated channels and a dendritic voltage gradient, which provides the spatial asymmetry necessary for direction discrimination.

A dendrite-autonomous mechanism for direction selectivity in retinal starburst amacrine cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanne E Hausselt

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Detection of image motion direction begins in the retina, with starburst amacrine cells (SACs playing a major role. SACs generate larger dendritic Ca(2+ signals when motion is from their somata towards their dendritic tips than for motion in the opposite direction. To study the mechanisms underlying the computation of direction selectivity (DS in SAC dendrites, electrical responses to expanding and contracting circular wave visual stimuli were measured via somatic whole-cell recordings and quantified using Fourier analysis. Fundamental and, especially, harmonic frequency components were larger for expanding stimuli. This DS persists in the presence of GABA and glycine receptor antagonists, suggesting that inhibitory network interactions are not essential. The presence of harmonics indicates nonlinearity, which, as the relationship between harmonic amplitudes and holding potential indicates, is likely due to the activation of voltage-gated channels. [Ca(2+] changes in SAC dendrites evoked by voltage steps and monitored by two-photon microscopy suggest that the distal dendrite is tonically depolarized relative to the soma, due in part to resting currents mediated by tonic glutamatergic synaptic input, and that high-voltage-activated Ca(2+ channels are active at rest. Supported by compartmental modeling, we conclude that dendritic DS in SACs can be computed by the dendrites themselves, relying on voltage-gated channels and a dendritic voltage gradient, which provides the spatial asymmetry necessary for direction discrimination.

Quantum mechanics of time travel through post-selected teleportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, Seth; Garcia-Patron, Raul; Maccone, Lorenzo; Giovannetti, Vittorio; Shikano, Yutaka

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the quantum mechanics of closed-timelike curves (CTCs) and of other potential methods for time travel. We analyze a specific proposal for such quantum time travel, the quantum description of CTCs based on post-selected teleportation (P-CTCs). We compare the theory of P-CTCs to previously proposed quantum theories of time travel: the theory is inequivalent to Deutsch's theory of CTCs, but it is consistent with path-integral approaches (which are the best suited for analyzing quantum-field theory in curved space-time). We derive the dynamical equations that a chronology-respecting system interacting with a CTC will experience. We discuss the possibility of time travel in the absence of general-relativistic closed-timelike curves, and investigate the implications of P-CTCs for enhancing the power of computation.

Microscale failure mechanisms leading to internal short circuit in Li-ion batteries under complex loading scenarios

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sahraei, E.; Bosco, E.; Dixon, B.; Lai, B.

2016-01-01

One of the least understood mechanisms of Li-ion batteries is the development of internal short circuits under mechanical loads. In this study, a micro mechanical model is developed and subjected to various loading scenarios to understand the sequence of failure in the multi-layer, multi-material

Evolution of the bonding mechanism of ZnO under isotropic compression: A first-principles study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, G.C.; Sun, L.Z.; Wang, J.B.; Zhong, X.L.; Zhou, Y.C.

2008-01-01

The electronic structure and the bonding mechanism of ZnO under isotropic pressure have been studied by using the full-potential linear augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within the density-functional theory (DFT) based on LDA+U exchange correlation (EXC) potential. We used the theory of Atoms in Molecules (AIM) method to analyze the change of the charge transfer and the bonding strength under isotropic pressure. The results of the theoretical analysis show that charge transfer between Zn and O atomic basins nearly linearly increases with the increasing pressure. Charge density along the Zn-O bond increases under the high pressure. The bonding strength and the ionicity of Zn-O bond also increase with the increasing pressure. The linear evolution process of the bonding mechanism under isotropic pressure was shown clearly in the present paper

A Bioinspired Organocatalytic Cascade for the Selective Oxidation of Amines under Air.

Science.gov (United States)

Largeron, Martine; Fleury, Maurice-Bernard

2017-05-17

A bioinspired organocatalytic cascade reaction for the selective aerobic oxidative cross-coupling of primary amines to imines is described. This approach takes advantages of commercially available pyrogallol monomeric precursor to deliver low loadings of natural purpurogallin in situ, under air. This is further engaged in a catalytic process with the amine substrate affording, under single turnover, the active biomimetic quinonoid organocatalyst and the homocoupled imine intermediate, which is then converted into cross-coupled imine after dynamic transimination. This organocatalytic cascade inspired by both purpurogallin biosynthesis and copper amine oxidases allows the aerobic oxidation of non-activated primary amines that non-enzymatic organocatalysts were not able to accomplish alone. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The pathologic mechanisms underlying lumbar distraction spinal cord injury in rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Di; Zheng, Chao; Wu, Ji; Xue, Jing; Huang, Rongrong; Wu, Di; Song, Yueming

2017-11-01

A reliable experimental rabbit model of distraction spinal cord injury (SCI) was established to successfully simulate gradable and replicable distraction SCI. However, further research is needed to elucidate the pathologic mechanisms underlying distraction SCI. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathologic mechanisms underlying lumbar distraction SCI in rabbits. This is an animal laboratory study. Using a self-designed spine distractor, the experimental animals were divided into a control group and 10%, 20%, and 30% distraction groups. Pathologic changes to the spinal cord microvessels in the early stage of distraction SCI were identified by perfusion of the spinal cord vasculature with ink, production of transparent specimens, observation by light microscopy, and observation of corrosion casts of the spinal cord microvascular architecture by scanning electron microscopy. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations in the injured spinal cord tissue were measured after 8 hours. With an increasing degree and duration of distraction, the spinal cord microvessels were only partially filled and had the appearance of spasm until rupture and hemorrhage were observed. The MDA concentration increased and the SOD concentration decreased in the spinal cord tissue. Changes to the internal and external spinal cord vessels led to spinal cord ischemia, which is a primary pathologic mechanism of distraction SCI. Lipid peroxidation mediated by free radicals took part in secondary pathologic damage of distraction SCI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two different mechanisms support selective attention at different phases of training.

Science.gov (United States)

Itthipuripat, Sirawaj; Cha, Kexin; Byers, Anna; Serences, John T

2017-06-01

Selective attention supports the prioritized processing of relevant sensory information to facilitate goal-directed behavior. Studies in human subjects demonstrate that attentional gain of cortical responses can sufficiently account for attention-related improvements in behavior. On the other hand, studies using highly trained nonhuman primates suggest that reductions in neural noise can better explain attentional facilitation of behavior. Given the importance of selective information processing in nearly all domains of cognition, we sought to reconcile these competing accounts by testing the hypothesis that extensive behavioral training alters the neural mechanisms that support selective attention. We tested this hypothesis using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure stimulus-evoked visual responses from human subjects while they performed a selective spatial attention task over the course of ~1 month. Early in training, spatial attention led to an increase in the gain of stimulus-evoked visual responses. Gain was apparent within ~100 ms of stimulus onset, and a quantitative model based on signal detection theory (SDT) successfully linked the magnitude of this gain modulation to attention-related improvements in behavior. However, after extensive training, this early attentional gain was eliminated even though there were still substantial attention-related improvements in behavior. Accordingly, the SDT-based model required noise reduction to account for the link between the stimulus-evoked visual responses and attentional modulations of behavior. These findings suggest that training can lead to fundamental changes in the way attention alters the early cortical responses that support selective information processing. Moreover, these data facilitate the translation of results across different species and across experimental procedures that employ different behavioral training regimes.

Two different mechanisms support selective attention at different phases of training

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Kexin; Byers, Anna; Serences, John T.

2017-01-01

Selective attention supports the prioritized processing of relevant sensory information to facilitate goal-directed behavior. Studies in human subjects demonstrate that attentional gain of cortical responses can sufficiently account for attention-related improvements in behavior. On the other hand, studies using highly trained nonhuman primates suggest that reductions in neural noise can better explain attentional facilitation of behavior. Given the importance of selective information processing in nearly all domains of cognition, we sought to reconcile these competing accounts by testing the hypothesis that extensive behavioral training alters the neural mechanisms that support selective attention. We tested this hypothesis using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure stimulus-evoked visual responses from human subjects while they performed a selective spatial attention task over the course of ~1 month. Early in training, spatial attention led to an increase in the gain of stimulus-evoked visual responses. Gain was apparent within ~100 ms of stimulus onset, and a quantitative model based on signal detection theory (SDT) successfully linked the magnitude of this gain modulation to attention-related improvements in behavior. However, after extensive training, this early attentional gain was eliminated even though there were still substantial attention-related improvements in behavior. Accordingly, the SDT-based model required noise reduction to account for the link between the stimulus-evoked visual responses and attentional modulations of behavior. These findings suggest that training can lead to fundamental changes in the way attention alters the early cortical responses that support selective information processing. Moreover, these data facilitate the translation of results across different species and across experimental procedures that employ different behavioral training regimes. PMID:28654635

Mechanisms for closing bores and releasably securing articles within the bores under longitudinal load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klahn, F.C.; Nolan, J.H.; Wills, C.

1979-01-01

This invention relates to mechanisms for closing bores of tubular passages and for releasably securing articles within the bores under longitudinal load. The system includes an axially movable latch, an actuator and locking devices. Embodiments of the invention can be used as closure mechanisms for tubular irradiation surveillance specimen assembly holders used in nuclear reactors. (UK)

Mechanisms for closing bores and releasably securing articles within the bores under longitudinal load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalen, D.D.; Mitchem, J.W.

1979-01-01

This invention relates to mechanisms for closing bores of tubular passages and for releasably securing articles within the bores under longitudinal load. The system includes an axially movable actuator and a latch which engages the tubular opening. Embodiments of the invention can be used as closure mechanisms for tubular irradiation surveillance specimen assembly holders used in nuclear reactors. (UK)

Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Telescopic Mechanism for Truss Structure Bridge Inspection Vehicle Under Pedestrian Excitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenwen Sui

Full Text Available Abstract Nonlinear dynamic analysis of an axially moving telescopic mechanism for truss structure bridge inspection vehicle under pedestrian excitation is carried out. A biomechanically inspired inverted-pendulum model is utilized to simplify the pedestrian. The nonlinear equations of motion for the beam-pedestrian system are derived using the Hamilton's principle. The equations are transformed into two ordinary differential equations by applying the Galerkin's method at the first two orders. The solutions to the equations are acquired by using the Newmark-β method associated with the Newton-Raphson method. The time-dependent feature of the eigenfunctions for the two beams are taken into consideration in the solutions. Accordingly, the equations of motion for a simplified system, in which the pedestrian is regarded as moving cart, are given. In the numerical examples, dynamic responses of the telescopic mechanism in eight conditions of different beam-telescoping and pedestrian-moving directions are simulated. Comparisons between the vibrations of the beams under pedestrian excitation and corresponding moving cart are carried out to investigate the influence of the pedestrian excitation on the telescopic mechanism. The results show that the displacement of the telescopic mechanism under pedestrian excitation is smaller than that under moving cart especially when the pedestrian approaches the beams end. Additionally, compared with moving cart, the pedestrian excitation can effectively strengthen the vibration when the beam extension is small or when the pedestrian is close to the beams end.

Formation of imines by selective gold-catalysed aerobic oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines under ambient conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kegnæs, Søren; Mielby, Jerrik Jørgen; Mentzel, Uffe Vie

2010-01-01

with excellent selectivity (above 98%) at moderate conversion under optimized conditions. The effect of catalytic amounts of different bases was studied, along with reaction temperature and time. Utilisation of a selective catalyst system that uses dioxygen as an oxidant and only produces water as by...

An Investigation of the Mechanism Underlying Teacher Aggression: Testing I[superscript 3] Theory and the General Aggression Model

Science.gov (United States)

Montuoro, Paul; Mainhard, Tim

2017-01-01

Background: Considerable research has investigated the deleterious effects of teachers responding aggressively to students who misbehave, but the mechanism underlying this dysfunctional behaviour remains unknown. Aims: This study investigated whether the mechanism underlying teacher aggression follows I[superscript 3] theory or General Aggression…

No evidence for selective follicle abortion underlying primary sex ratio adjustment in pigeons

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goerlich, Vivian C.; Dijkstra, Cornelis; Groothuis, Antonius

Primary sex ratio adjustment in birds has been extensively studied, yet the underlying physiological mechanisms are far from understood. Avian females are the heterogametic sex (ZW), and the future sex of the offspring is determined at chromosome segregation during meiosis I, shortly before the

Cyclic life of superalloy IN738LC under in-phase and out-of-phase thermo-mechanical fatigue loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Hongjun; Wahi, R.P.; Wever, H.

1995-01-01

The cyclic life of IN738LC, a widely used nickel base superalloy for blades in stationary gas turbines, was investigated under thermo-mechanical fatigue loading using a temperature variation range of 1023 to 1223 K, with temperature variation rate in the range of 6 to 15 K/min. Simple thermo-mechanical cycles with linear sequences corresponding to in-phase (IP) and out-of-phase (OP) tests were performed. Both the IP and OP tests were carried out at different constant mechanical strain ranges varied between 0.8 to 2.0% and at a constant mechanical strain rate of 10 -5 s -1 . Thermo-mechanical fatigue lives under both test conditions were compared with each other and with those of isothermal LCF tests at a temperature of 1223 K. The results show that the life under thermo-mechanical fatigue is strongly dependent on the nature of the test, i.e. stress controlled or strain controlled. (orig.)

Kinetics and mechanism of the selective oxidation of primary aliphatic alcohols under phase transfer catalysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Bijudas

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Kinetics of the oxidation of primary aliphatic alcohols has been carried out using phase transferred monochromate in benzene. Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB are used as phase transfer catalysts (PT catalyst. The reaction shows first order dependence on both [alcohol] and [monochromate ion]. The oxidation leads to the formation of corresponding aldehyde and no traces of carboxylic acid has been detected. The reaction mixture failed to induce the polymerization of added acrylonitrile which rules out the presence radical intermediates in the reaction. Various thermodynamic parameters have been evaluated and a suitable mechanism has been proposed.

Nanomaterials modulate stem cell differentiation: biological interaction and underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Min; Li, Song; Le, Weidong

2017-10-25

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the potential for self-renewal and differentiation into more specialized cell types. The chemical and physical properties of surrounding microenvironment contribute to the growth and differentiation of stem cells and consequently play crucial roles in the regulation of stem cells' fate. Nanomaterials hold great promise in biological and biomedical fields owing to their unique properties, such as controllable particle size, facile synthesis, large surface-to-volume ratio, tunable surface chemistry, and biocompatibility. Over the recent years, accumulating evidence has shown that nanomaterials can facilitate stem cell proliferation and differentiation, and great effort is undertaken to explore their possible modulating manners and mechanisms on stem cell differentiation. In present review, we summarize recent progress in the regulating potential of various nanomaterials on stem cell differentiation and discuss the possible cell uptake, biological interaction and underlying mechanisms.

Effect of strain rate and temperature on mechanical properties of selected building Polish steels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moćko Wojciech

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Currently, the computer programs of CAD type are basic tool for designing of various structures under impact loading. Application of the numerical calculations allows to substantially reduce amount of time required for the design stage of such projects. However, the proper use of computer aided designing technique requires input data for numerical software including elastic-plastic models of structural materials. This work deals with the constitutive model developed by Rusinek and Klepaczko (RK applied for the modelling of mechanical behaviour of selected grades structural St0S, St3SX, 18GS and 34GS steels and presents here results of experimental and empirical analyses to describe dynamic elastic-plastic behaviours of tested materials at wide range of temperature. In order to calibrate the RK constitutive model, series of compression tests at wide range of strain rates, including static, quasi-static and dynamic investigations at lowered, room and elevated temperatures, were carried out using two testing stands: servo-hydraulic machine and split Hopkinson bar. The results were analysed to determine influence of temperature and strain rate on visco-plastic response of tested steels, and show good correlation with experimental data.

A drought resistance-promoting microbiome is selected by root system under desert farming.

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Ramona Marasco

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Traditional agro-systems in arid areas are a bulwark for preserving soil stability and fertility, in the sight of "reverse desertification". Nevertheless, the impact of desert farming practices on the diversity and abundance of the plant associated microbiome is poorly characterized, including its functional role in supporting plant development under drought stress. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed the structure of the microbiome associated to the drought-sensitive pepper plant (Capsicum annuum L. cultivated in a traditional Egyptian farm, focusing on microbe contribution to a crucial ecosystem service, i.e. plant growth under water deficit. The root system was dissected by sampling root/soil with a different degree of association to the plant: the endosphere, the rhizosphere and the root surrounding soil that were compared to the uncultivated soil. Bacterial community structure and diversity, determined by using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, differed according to the microhabitat, indicating a selective pressure determined by the plant activity. Similarly, culturable bacteria genera showed different distribution in the three root system fractions. Bacillus spp. (68% of the isolates were mainly recovered from the endosphere, while rhizosphere and the root surrounding soil fractions were dominated by Klebsiella spp. (61% and 44% respectively. Most of the isolates (95% presented in vitro multiple plant growth promoting (PGP activities and stress resistance capabilities, but their distribution was different among the root system fractions analyzed, with enhanced abilities for Bacillus and the rhizobacteria strains. We show that the C. annuum rhizosphere under desert farming enriched populations of PGP bacteria capable of enhancing plant photosynthetic activity and biomass synthesis (up to 40% under drought stress. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Crop cultivation provides critical ecosystem services in arid lands with the

Mechanisms Underlying HIV-Associated Noninfectious Lung Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Presti, Rachel M; Flores, Sonia C; Palmer, Brent E; Atkinson, Jeffrey J; Lesko, Catherine R; Lau, Bryan; Fontenot, Andrew P; Roman, Jesse; McDyer, John F; Twigg, Homer L

2017-11-01

Pulmonary disease remains a primary source of morbidity and mortality in persons living with HIV (PLWH), although the advent of potent combination antiretroviral therapy has resulted in a shift from predominantly infectious to noninfectious pulmonary complications. PLWH are at high risk for COPD, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer even in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy. The underlying mechanisms of this are incompletely understood, but recent research in both human and animal models suggests that oxidative stress, expression of matrix metalloproteinases, and genetic instability may result in lung damage, which predisposes PLWH to these conditions. Some of the factors that drive these processes include tobacco and other substance use, direct HIV infection and expression of specific HIV proteins, inflammation, and shifts in the microbiome toward pathogenic and opportunistic organisms. Further studies are needed to understand the relative importance of these factors to the development of lung disease in PLWH. Copyright © 2017 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neural mechanisms underlying human consensus decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Shinsuke; Adachi, Ryo; Dunne, Simon; Bossaerts, Peter; O'Doherty, John P

2015-04-22

Consensus building in a group is a hallmark of animal societies, yet little is known about its underlying computational and neural mechanisms. Here, we applied a computational framework to behavioral and fMRI data from human participants performing a consensus decision-making task with up to five other participants. We found that participants reached consensus decisions through integrating their own preferences with information about the majority group members' prior choices, as well as inferences about how much each option was stuck to by the other people. These distinct decision variables were separately encoded in distinct brain areas-the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus/temporoparietal junction, and intraparietal sulcus-and were integrated in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings provide support for a theoretical account in which collective decisions are made through integrating multiple types of inference about oneself, others, and environments, processed in distinct brain modules. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Autophagy as a Possible Underlying Mechanism of Nanomaterial Toxicity

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Vanessa Cohignac

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The rapid development of nanotechnologies is raising safety concerns because of the potential effects of engineered nanomaterials on human health, particularly at the respiratory level. Since the last decades, many in vivo studies have been interested in the pulmonary effects of different classes of nanomaterials. It has been shown that some of them can induce toxic effects, essentially depending on their physico-chemical characteristics, but other studies did not identify such effects. Inflammation and oxidative stress are currently the two main mechanisms described to explain the observed toxicity. However, the exact underlying mechanism(s still remain(s unknown and autophagy could represent an interesting candidate. Autophagy is a physiological process in which cytoplasmic components are digested via a lysosomal pathway. It has been shown that autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis and the progression of human diseases, and is able to modulate the oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses. A growing amount of literature suggests that a link between nanomaterial toxicity and autophagy impairment could exist. In this review, we will first summarize what is known about the respiratory effects of nanomaterials and we will then discuss the possible involvement of autophagy in this toxicity. This review should help understand why autophagy impairment could be taken as a promising candidate to fully understand nanomaterials toxicity.

The Reputation Driven Interplay of Relationships between Clients and Auditors in an Auditor Selection Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kacanski, Slobodan

2017-01-01

This study investigates the reputation-based interplay between auditor selection and interlocking directorships from a multilevel network perspective. The aim of this article is to explore how and under what conditions reputation influences patterns of social selection processes in an assurance...... to the literature on auditor selection. A total of 774 annual reports were collected from 145 - 165 Danish public listed companies, and the relational data of companies was assembled, as comprised of the members of supervisory boards and partners who signed audit reports during the five-year period from 2010...... to 2014. In this study, mechanisms for auditor selection were controlled by mechanisms for interlocking directorships in order to obtain a broader picture of the conditions under which board members have tendencies to select reputable auditors. The findings suggest that reputation has a significant impact...

Molecular nucleation mechanisms and control strategies for crystal polymorph selection

Science.gov (United States)

van Driessche, Alexander E. S.; van Gerven, Nani; Bomans, Paul H. H.; Joosten, Rick R. M.; Friedrich, Heiner; Gil-Carton, David; Sommerdijk, Nico A. J. M.; Sleutel, Mike

2018-04-01

The formation of condensed (compacted) protein phases is associated with a wide range of human disorders, such as eye cataracts, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, sickle cell anaemia and Alzheimer’s disease. However, condensed protein phases have their uses: as crystals, they are harnessed by structural biologists to elucidate protein structures, or are used as delivery vehicles for pharmaceutical applications. The physiochemical properties of crystals can vary substantially between different forms or structures (‘polymorphs’) of the same macromolecule, and dictate their usability in a scientific or industrial context. To gain control over an emerging polymorph, one needs a molecular-level understanding of the pathways that lead to the various macroscopic states and of the mechanisms that govern pathway selection. However, it is still not clear how the embryonic seeds of a macromolecular phase are formed, or how these nuclei affect polymorph selection. Here we use time-resolved cryo-transmission electron microscopy to image the nucleation of crystals of the protein glucose isomerase, and to uncover at molecular resolution the nucleation pathways that lead to two crystalline states and one gelled state. We show that polymorph selection takes place at the earliest stages of structure formation and is based on specific building blocks for each space group. Moreover, we demonstrate control over the system by selectively forming desired polymorphs through site-directed mutagenesis, specifically tuning intermolecular bonding or gel seeding. Our results differ from the present picture of protein nucleation, in that we do not identify a metastable dense liquid as the precursor to the crystalline state. Rather, we observe nucleation events that are driven by oriented attachments between subcritical clusters that already exhibit a degree of crystallinity. These insights suggest ways of controlling macromolecular phase transitions, aiding the development of protein

5-HTTLPR polymorphism is linked to neural mechanisms of selective attention in preschoolers from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds

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Elif Isbell

2016-12-01

Full Text Available While a growing body of research has identified experiential factors associated with differences in selective attention, relatively little is known about the contribution of genetic factors to the skill of sustained selective attention, especially in early childhood. Here, we assessed the association between the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR genotypes and the neural mechanisms of selective attention in young children from lower socioeconomic status (SES backgrounds. Event-related potentials (ERPs were recorded during a dichotic listening task from 121 children (76 females, aged 40–67 months, who were also genotyped for the short and long allele of 5-HTTLPR. The effect of selective attention was measured as the difference in ERP mean amplitudes elicited by identical probe stimuli embedded in stories when they were attended versus unattended. Compared to children homozygous for the long allele, children who carried at least one copy of the short allele showed larger effects of selective attention on neural processing. These findings link the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR to enhanced neural mechanisms of selective attention and lay the groundwork for future studies of gene-by-environment interactions in the context of key cognitive skills.

Understanding and imitating unfamiliar actions: distinct underlying mechanisms.

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Joana C Carmo

Full Text Available The human "mirror neuron system" has been proposed to be the neural substrate that underlies understanding and, possibly, imitating actions. However, since the brain activity with mirror properties seems insufficient to provide a good description for imitation of actions outside one's own repertoire, the existence of supplementary processes has been proposed. Moreover, it is unclear whether action observation requires the same neural mechanisms as the explicit access to their meaning. The aim of this study was two-fold as we investigated whether action observation requires different processes depending on 1 whether the ultimate goal is to imitate or understand the presented actions and 2 whether the to-be-imitated actions are familiar or unfamiliar to the subject. Participants were presented with both meaningful familiar actions and meaningless unfamiliar actions that they had to either imitate or discriminate later. Event-related Potentials were used as differences in brain activity could have been masked by the use of other techniques with lower temporal resolution. In the imitation task, a sustained left frontal negativity was more pronounced for meaningless actions than for meaningful ones, starting from an early time-window. Conversely, observing unfamiliar versus familiar actions with the intention of discriminating them led to marked differences over right centro-posterior scalp regions, in both middle and latest time-windows. These findings suggest that action imitation and action understanding may be sustained by dissociable mechanisms: while imitation of unfamiliar actions activates left frontal processes, that are likely to be related to learning mechanisms, action understanding involves dedicated operations which probably require right posterior regions, consistent with their involvement in social interactions.

Molecular Mechanism of Selectivity among G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 Inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thal, David M.; Yeow, Raymond Y.; Schoenau, Christian; Huber, Jochen; Tesmer, John J.G. (Sanofi); (Michigan)

2012-07-11

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key regulators of cell physiology and control processes ranging from glucose homeostasis to contractility of the heart. A major mechanism for the desensitization of activated GPCRs is their phosphorylation by GPCR kinases (GRKs). Overexpression of GRK2 is strongly linked to heart failure, and GRK2 has long been considered a pharmaceutical target for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Several lead compounds developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals show high selectivity for GRK2 and therapeutic potential for the treatment of heart failure. To understand how these drugs achieve their selectivity, we determined crystal structures of the bovine GRK2-G{beta}{gamma} complex in the presence of two of these inhibitors. Comparison with the apoGRK2-G{beta}{gamma} structure demonstrates that the compounds bind in the kinase active site in a manner similar to that of the AGC kinase inhibitor balanol. Both balanol and the Takeda compounds induce a slight closure of the kinase domain, the degree of which correlates with the potencies of the inhibitors. Based on our crystal structures and homology modeling, we identified five amino acids surrounding the inhibitor binding site that we hypothesized could contribute to inhibitor selectivity. However, our results indicate that these residues are not major determinants of selectivity among GRK subfamilies. Rather, selectivity is achieved by the stabilization of a unique inactive conformation of the GRK2 kinase domain.

Oxidative Heck Reaction as a Tool for Para-selective Olefination of Aniline: A DFT Supported Mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Moghaddam, Firouz Matloubi; Pourkaveh, Raheleh; Karimi, Ashkan

2017-10-06

This study describes the first para-selective palladium-catalyzed alkenylation of tertiary amines. This regioselective C-H activation was conducted without any chelation moieties. A series of olefins were reacted under mild reaction conditions at 60 °C, and the corresponding products were obtained in good yields with high selectivity.

The mechanism underlying fast germination of tomato cultivar LA2711.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Rongchao; Chu, Zhuannan; Zhang, Haijun; Li, Ying; Wang, Jinfang; Li, Dianbo; Weeda, Sarah; Ren, Shuxin; Ouyang, Bo; Guo, Yang-Dong

2015-09-01

Seed germination is important for early plant morphogenesis as well as abiotic stress tolerance, and is mainly controlled by the phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA). Our previous studies identified a salt-tolerant tomato cultivar, LA2711, which is also a fast-germinating genotype, compared to its salt-sensitive counterpart, ZS-5. In an effort to further clarify the mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we compared the dynamic levels of ABA and GA4, the transcript abundance of genes involved in their biosynthesis and catabolism as well as signal transduction between the two cultivars. In addition, we tested seed germination sensitivity to ABA and GAs. Our results revealed that insensitivity of seed germination to exogenous ABA and low ABA content in seeds are the physiological mechanisms conferring faster germination rates of LA2711 seeds. SlCYP707A2, which encodes an ABA catabolic enzyme, may play a decisive role in the fast germination rate of LA2711, as it showed a significantly higher level of expression in LA2711 than ZS-5 at most time points tested during germination. The current results will enable us to gain insight into the mechanism(s) regarding seed germination of tomato and the role of fast germination in stress tolerance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Handedness is related to neural mechanisms underlying hemispheric lateralization of face processing

Science.gov (United States)

Frässle, Stefan; Krach, Sören; Paulus, Frieder Michel; Jansen, Andreas

2016-06-01

While the right-hemispheric lateralization of the face perception network is well established, recent evidence suggests that handedness affects the cerebral lateralization of face processing at the hierarchical level of the fusiform face area (FFA). However, the neural mechanisms underlying differential hemispheric lateralization of face perception in right- and left-handers are largely unknown. Using dynamic causal modeling (DCM) for fMRI, we aimed to unravel the putative processes that mediate handedness-related differences by investigating the effective connectivity in the bilateral core face perception network. Our results reveal an enhanced recruitment of the left FFA in left-handers compared to right-handers, as evidenced by more pronounced face-specific modulatory influences on both intra- and interhemispheric connections. As structural and physiological correlates of handedness-related differences in face processing, right- and left-handers varied with regard to their gray matter volume in the left fusiform gyrus and their pupil responses to face stimuli. Overall, these results describe how handedness is related to the lateralization of the core face perception network, and point to different neural mechanisms underlying face processing in right- and left-handers. In a wider context, this demonstrates the entanglement of structurally and functionally remote brain networks, suggesting a broader underlying process regulating brain lateralization.

Under multilevel selection: "when shall you be neither spiteful nor envious?".

Science.gov (United States)

Garay, József; Csiszár, Villő; Móri, Tamás F

2014-01-07

In this paper, we study the egalitarianism-game in multilevel selection situation. The individuals form reproductive groups. In each group, an egalitarianism-game determines the number of juveniles of different phenotypes (spiteful, envious, neutral and donator). Before the juveniles form the next reproductive group, they have to survive either predators' attacks or a fight between two groups. We adopt the ESS definition of Maynard Smith to multilevel selection. Based on the "group size advantage" assumption (which claims that each juvenile's survival rate depends on the size of his own group, supposing that either the survival rate under predators' attacks is higher in larger groups, or in inter-group aggression usually the larger group wins) we found that when the survival probability has a massive effect on the average fitness, then "group fitness maximizing behavior" (in our case, either neutral or donator) has evolutionary advantage over "competitive behavior" (in our case, either spiteful or envious). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Common resting brain dynamics indicate a possible mechanism underlying zolpidem response in severe brain injury

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Shawniqua T; Conte, Mary M; Goldfine, Andrew M; Noirhomme, Quentin; Gosseries, Olivia; Thonnard, Marie; Beattie, Bradley; Hersh, Jennifer; Katz, Douglas I; Victor, Jonathan D; Laureys, Steven; Schiff, Nicholas D

2013-01-01

Zolpidem produces paradoxical recovery of speech, cognitive and motor functions in select subjects with severe brain injury but underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In three diverse patients with known zolpidem responses we identify a distinctive pattern of EEG dynamics that suggests a mechanistic model. In the absence of zolpidem, all subjects show a strong low frequency oscillatory peak ∼6–10 Hz in the EEG power spectrum most prominent over frontocentral regions and with high coherence (∼0.7–0.8) within and between hemispheres. Zolpidem administration sharply reduces EEG power and coherence at these low frequencies. The ∼6–10 Hz activity is proposed to arise from intrinsic membrane properties of pyramidal neurons that are passively entrained across the cortex by locally-generated spontaneous activity. Activation by zolpidem is proposed to arise from a combination of initial direct drug effects on cortical, striatal, and thalamic populations and further activation of underactive brain regions induced by restoration of cognitively-mediated behaviors. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01157.001 PMID:24252875

Mechanisms underlying the attachment and spreading of human osteoblasts: from transient interactions to focal adhesions on vitronectin-grafted bioactive surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Brun, Paola; Scorzeto, Michele; Vassanelli, Stefano; Castagliuolo, Ignazio; Palù, Giorgio; Ghezzo, Francesca; Messina, Grazia M L; Iucci, Giovanna; Battaglia, Valentina; Sivolella, Stefano; Bagno, Andrea; Polzonetti, Giovanni; Marletta, Giovanni; Dettin, Monica

2013-04-01

The features of implant devices and the reactions of bone-derived cells to foreign surfaces determine implant success during osseointegration. In an attempt to better understand the mechanisms underlying osteoblasts attachment and spreading, in this study adhesive peptides containing the fibronectin sequence motif for integrin binding (Arg-Gly-Asp, RGD) or mapping the human vitronectin protein (HVP) were grafted on glass and titanium surfaces with or without chemically induced controlled immobilization. As shown by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, human osteoblasts develop adhesion patches only on specifically immobilized peptides. Indeed, cells quickly develop focal adhesions on RGD-grafted surfaces, while HVP peptide promotes filopodia, structures involved in cellular spreading. As indicated by immunocytochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, focal adhesions kinase activation is delayed on HVP peptides with respect to RGD while an osteogenic phenotypic response appears within 24h on osteoblasts cultured on both peptides. Cellular pathways underlying osteoblasts attachment are, however, different. As demonstrated by adhesion blocking assays, integrins are mainly involved in osteoblast adhesion to RGD peptide, while HVP selects osteoblasts for attachment through proteoglycan-mediated interactions. Thus an interfacial layer of an endosseous device grafted with specifically immobilized HVP peptide not only selects the attachment and supports differentiation of osteoblasts but also promotes cellular migration. Copyright © 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Novel Mechanism of Sugar Selection Utilized by a Human X-family DNA Polymerase†

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Jessica A.; Fiala, Kevin A.; Fowler, Jason D.; Sherrer, Shanen M.; Newmister, Sean A.; Dyum, Wade W.; Suo, Zucai

2009-01-01

During DNA synthesis, most DNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases select against ribonucleotides via a steric clash between the ribose 2′-hydroxyl group and the bulky side chain of an active site residue. Here, we demonstrated that human DNA polymerase λ used a novel sugar selection mechanism to discriminate against ribonucleotides, whereby the ribose 2′-hydroxyl group was excluded mostly by a backbone segment and slightly by the side chain of Y505. Such a steric clash was further demonstrated to be dependent on the size and orientation of the substituent covalently attached at the ribonucleotide C2′ position. PMID:19900463

Asymmetric migration of human keratinocytes under mechanical stretch and cocultured fibroblasts in a wound repair model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongyuan Lü

Full Text Available Keratinocyte migration during re-epithelization is crucial in wound healing under biochemical and biomechanical microenvironment. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms whereby mechanical tension and cocultured fibroblasts or keratinocytes modulate the migration of keratinocytes or fibroblasts. Here we applied a tensile device together with a modified transwell assay to determine the lateral and transmembrane migration dynamics of human HaCaT keratinocytes or HF fibroblasts. A novel pattern of asymmetric migration was observed for keratinocytes when they were cocultured with non-contact fibroblasts, i.e., the accumulative distance of HaCaT cells was significantly higher when moving away from HF cells or migrating from down to up cross the membrane than that when moving close to HF cells or when migrating from up to down, whereas HF migration was symmetric. This asymmetric migration was mainly regulated by EGF derived from fibroblasts, but not transforming growth factor α or β1 production. Mechanical stretch subjected to fibroblasts fostered keratinocyte asymmetric migration by increasing EGF secretion, while no role of mechanical stretch was found for EGF secretion by keratinocytes. These results provided a new insight into understanding the regulating mechanisms of two- or three-dimensional migration of keratinocytes or fibroblasts along or across dermis and epidermis under biomechanical microenvironment.

Inspection Mechanism and Experimental Study of Prestressed Reverse Tension Method under PC Beam Bridge Anchorage

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Zhang

2018-03-01

the prestress under anchorage is directly related to the structural security and performance of PC beam bridge. The reverse tension method is a kind of inspection which confirms the prestress by exerting reversed tension load on the exposed prestressing tendon of beam bridge anchoring system. The thesis elaborately expounds the inspection mechanism and mechanical effect of reverse tension method, theoretically analyzes the influential elements of inspection like tool anchorage deformation, compression of conjuncture, device glide, friction of anchorage loop mouth and elastic compression of concrete, and then presents the following formula to calculate prestress under anchorage. On the basis of model experiment, the thesis systematically studies some key issues during the reverse tension process of PC beam bridge anchorage system like the formation of stress-elongation curve, influential factors, judgment method of prestress under anchorage, variation trend and compensation scale, verifies the accuracy of mechanism analysis and demonstrates: the prestress under anchorage is less than or equal to 75% of the ultimate strength of prestressing tendon, the error of inspect result is less than 1%, which can meet with the demands of construction. The research result has provided theoretical basis and technical foundation for the promotion and application of reverse tension in bridge construction.

Selective autophagy of non-ubiquitylated targets in plants: looking for cognate receptor/adaptor proteins

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Vasko eVeljanovski

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Cellular homeostasis is essential for the physiology of eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells, including plant cells, utilize two main pathways to adjust the level of cytoplasmic components, namely the proteasomal and the lysosomal/vacuolar pathways. Macroautophagy is a lysosomal/vacuolar pathway which, until recently, was thought to be non-specific and a bulk degradation process. However, selective autophagy which can be activated in the cell under various physiological conditions, involves the specific degradation of defined macromolecules or organelles by a conserved molecular mechanism. For this process to be efficient, the mechanisms underlying the recognition and selection of the cargo to be engulfed by the double-membrane autophagosome are critical, and not yet well understood. Ubiquitin (poly-ubiquitin conjugation to the target appears to be a conserved ligand mechanism in many types of selective autophagy, and defined receptors/adaptors recognizing and regulating the autophagosomal capture of the ubiquitylated target have been characterized. However, non-proteinaceous and non-ubiquitylated cargoes are also selectively degraded by this pathway. This ubiquitin-independent selective autophagic pathway also involves receptor and/or adaptor proteins linking the cargo to the autophagic machinery. Some of these receptor/adaptor proteins including accessory autophagy-related (Atg and non-Atg proteins have been described in yeast and animal cells but not yet in plants. In this review we discuss the ubiquitin-independent cargo selection mechanisms in selective autophagy degradation of organelles and macromolecules and speculate on potential plant receptor/adaptor proteins.

Behavioral Effects of Upper Respiratory Tract Illnesses: A Consideration of Possible Underlying Cognitive Mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew P. Smith

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Previous research has shown that both experimentally induced upper respiratory tract illnesses (URTIs and naturally occurring URTIs influence mood and performance. The present study investigated possible cognitive mechanisms underlying the URTI-performance changes. Those who developed a cold (N = 47 had significantly faster, but less accurate, performance than those who remained healthy (N = 54. Illness had no effect on manipulations designed to influence encoding, response organisation (stimulus-response compatilibility or response preparation. Similarly, there was no evidence that different components of working memory were impaired. Overall, the present research confirms that URTIs can have an effect on performance efficiency. Further research is required to identify the physiological and behavioral mechanisms underlying these effects.

Exact solution for stresses/displacements in a multilayered hollow cylinder under thermo-mechanical loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeo, W.H.; Purbolaksono, J.; Aliabadi, M.H.; Ramesh, S.; Liew, H.L.

2017-01-01

In this study, a new analytical solution by the recursive method for evaluating stresses/displacements in multilayered hollow cylinder under thermo-mechanical loading was developed. The results for temperature distribution, displacements and stresses obtained by using the proposed solution were shown to be in good agreement with the FEM results. The proposed analytical solution was also found to produce more accurate results than those by the analytical solution reported in literature. - Highlights: • A new analytical solution for evaluating stresses in multilayered hollow cylinder under thermo-mechanical loading. • A simple computational procedure using a recursive method. • A promising technique for evaluating the operating axial and hoop stresses in pressurized composite vessels.

A multicriteria decision making approach based on fuzzy theory and credibility mechanism for logistics center location selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bowen; Xiong, Haitao; Jiang, Chengrui

2014-01-01

As a hot topic in supply chain management, fuzzy method has been widely used in logistics center location selection to improve the reliability and suitability of the logistics center location selection with respect to the impacts of both qualitative and quantitative factors. However, it does not consider the consistency and the historical assessments accuracy of experts in predecisions. So this paper proposes a multicriteria decision making model based on credibility of decision makers by introducing priority of consistency and historical assessments accuracy mechanism into fuzzy multicriteria decision making approach. In this way, only decision makers who pass the credibility check are qualified to perform the further assessment. Finally, a practical example is analyzed to illustrate how to use the model. The result shows that the fuzzy multicriteria decision making model based on credibility mechanism can improve the reliability and suitability of site selection for the logistics center.

A strategic approach to selecting policy mechanisms for addressing coal mine methane emissions: A case study on Kazakhstan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roshchanka, Volha; Evans, Meredydd; Ruiz, Felicia; Kholod, Nazar

2017-12-01

Coal production globally is projected to grow in the foreseeable future. Countries with heavy reliance on coal could reduce methane and other emissions through the capture and utilization of coal mine methane (CMM) in the short and medium term, while they pursue structural and long-term economic changes. Several countries have successfully implemented policies to promote CMM capture and utilization; however, some countries still struggle to implement projects. This paper outlines key factors to consider in adapting policies for CMM mitigation. The authors propose an approach for selecting adequate mechanisms for stimulating CMM mitigation that involves reviewing global best practices and categorizing them functionally either as mechanisms needed to improve the underlying conditions or as CMM-specific policies. It is important to understand local policy frameworks and to consider whether it is more feasible to improve underlying policy conditions or to provide targeted incentives as an interim measure. Using Kazakhstan as a case study, the authors demonstrate how policymakers could assess the overall policy framework to find the most promising options to facilitate CMM projects. Kazakhstan’s emissions from underground coal mines have been increasing both in total and per tonne of coal production, while overall production has been declining. CMM mitigation presents an opportunity for the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the near and medium term, while the government pursues sustainable development goals. Analysis shows that policymakers in Kazakhstan can leverage existing policies to stimulate utilization by extending feed-in tariffs to cover CMM and by developing working methodologies for companies to obtain emission reduction credits from CMM projects.

Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to study the underlying neural mechanisms of human motor learning and memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Censor, Nitzan; Cohen, Leonardo G

2011-01-01

In the last two decades, there has been a rapid development in the research of the physiological brain mechanisms underlying human motor learning and memory. While conventional memory research performed on animal models uses intracellular recordings, microfusion of protein inhibitors to specific brain areas and direct induction of focal brain lesions, human research has so far utilized predominantly behavioural approaches and indirect measurements of neural activity. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a safe non-invasive brain stimulation technique, enables the study of the functional role of specific cortical areas by evaluating the behavioural consequences of selective modulation of activity (excitation or inhibition) on memory generation and consolidation, contributing to the understanding of the neural substrates of motor learning. Depending on the parameters of stimulation, rTMS can also facilitate learning processes, presumably through purposeful modulation of excitability in specific brain regions. rTMS has also been used to gain valuable knowledge regarding the timeline of motor memory formation, from initial encoding to stabilization and long-term retention. In this review, we summarize insights gained using rTMS on the physiological and neural mechanisms of human motor learning and memory. We conclude by suggesting possible future research directions, some with direct clinical implications.

Selecting rice mutants with good agronomic performance under conditions of low water supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González Cepero, María C.; Martínez Romero, Anirebis

2016-01-01

The present work is part of the researches that are carried out in the Regional Project of the International Organization of Atomic Energy (IAEA) Mutation Breeding of Alimentary Cultivations in Latin America where Cuba participates. The aim of this project is to obtain new rice varieties tolerant to drought using nuclear techniques, for that which is necessary to determine indicators for early selection of tolerant genotypes and to identify somaclones and/or mutants of good behavior under low water supply. For this study were used, 13 mutants obtained in the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (INCA) as well as the rice varieties Amistad-82 and J-104. The response to the hydric stress under field conditions was determined, using irrigation during the first 45 days, interrupting later for the plant cycle, were determined: I) the height of the plant, II) weigh of 1000 grains, III) length of panicle, IV) number of full grains, V) vain grains, VI) number of panicle for lineal meter and VII) yield for square meter. Likewise in vitro the answers to the drought with a concentration of 5 g L-1 of PEG-6000 to simulate the hydric stress and the Relative Tolerance Index of root and of height were evaluated. Some indicators for early selection of tolerant genotypes starting from the existent correlation among the characters evaluated in the field in vivo and in vitro were also determined. The INCA genotypes LP-10 and 8552 showed a better behavior under conditions of low supplies of water and INCA LP 16 genotypes and mutant 8553 were the most susceptible because they could not panicular under the same conditions. (author)

Stock selection of high-dose-irradiation-resistant materials for filter press under high-dose irradiation operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiyama, Shintaro; Minami, Mamoru; Hara, Kouji; Yamashita, Manabu

2015-01-01

In a volume reduction process for the decontamination of contained soil, the performance degradation of a filter press is expected owing to material deterioration under high-dose irradiation. Eleven-stock selection of candidate materials including polymers, fibers and rubbers for the filter press was conducted to achieve a high performance of volume reduction of contaminated soil and the following results were derived. Crude rubber and nylon were selected as prime candidates for packing, diaphragm and filter plate materials. Polyethylene was also selected as a prime candidate for the filter cloth material. (author)

Mechanical failure of zigzag graphene nanoribbons under tensile strain induced by edge reconstruction

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Yingchun

2012-10-01

The structural and mechanical properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) under uniaxial tensile strain are studied by density functional theory. The ideal strength of a zigzag GNR (120 GPa) is close to that of pristine graphene. However, for a GNR with both edges reconstructed to pentagon–heptagon pairs (from hexagon–hexagon pairs) it decreases to 94 GPa and the maximum tensile strain is reduced to 15%. Our results constitute a comprehensive picture of the edge structure effect on the mechanical properties of GNRs.

Mechanical failure of zigzag graphene nanoribbons under tensile strain induced by edge reconstruction

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Zhu, Zhiyong

2012-01-01

The structural and mechanical properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) under uniaxial tensile strain are studied by density functional theory. The ideal strength of a zigzag GNR (120 GPa) is close to that of pristine graphene. However, for a GNR with both edges reconstructed to pentagon–heptagon pairs (from hexagon–hexagon pairs) it decreases to 94 GPa and the maximum tensile strain is reduced to 15%. Our results constitute a comprehensive picture of the edge structure effect on the mechanical properties of GNRs.

A new mechanism for selective adsorption of rubber on carbon black surface caused by nano-confinement in SBR/NBR solution

Science.gov (United States)

Kawazoe, Masayuki

A novel mechanism of selective adsorption of rubber molecules onto carbon black surface in a binary immiscible rubber blend solution has been proposed in this dissertation. The phenomenon leads to uneven distribution of carbon black to the specific polymer in the blend and the obtained electrically conductive composite showed drastic reduction of percolation threshold concentration (PTC). The mechanism and the feature of conductive network formation have much potential concerning both fundamental understanding and industrial application to improve conductive polymer composites. In chapter I, carbon black filled conductive polymer composites are briefly reviewed. Then, in chapter II, a mechanism of rubber molecular confinement into carbon black aggregate structure is introduced to explain the selective adsorption of a specific rubber onto carbon black surface in an immiscible rubber solution blend (styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) with toluene or chloroform). Next, in chapters III and IV, polymers with various radius of gyration (Rg) and carbon blacks with various aggregate structure are examined to verify the selective adsorption mechanism. Finally, in chapter V, the novel mechanism was applied to create unique meso-/micro-unit conductive network in carbon black dispersed SBR/NBR composites.

Selection pressure transforms the nature of social dilemmas in adaptive networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Segbroeck, Sven; Lenaerts, Tom [MLG, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe-CP 212, 1050 Brussels (Belgium); Santos, Francisco C [CENTRIA, Departamento de Informatica, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Pacheco, Jorge M, E-mail: svsegbro@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: fcsantos@fct.unl.pt, E-mail: tlenaert@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: jmpacheco@math.uminho.pt [ATP-Group, CMAF, Complexo Interdisciplinar, P-1649-003 Lisboa Codex (Portugal)

2011-01-15

We have studied the evolution of cooperation in structured populations whose topology coevolves with the game strategies of the individuals. Strategy evolution proceeds according to an update rule with a free parameter, which measures the selection pressure. We explore how this parameter affects the interplay between network dynamics and strategy dynamics. A dynamical network topology can influence the strategy dynamics in two ways: (i) by modifying the expected payoff associated with each strategy and (ii) by reshaping the imitation network that underlies the evolutionary process. We show here that the selection pressure tunes the relative contribution of each of these two forces to the final outcome of strategy evolution. The dynamics of the imitation network plays only a minor role under strong selection, but becomes the dominant force under weak selection. We demonstrate how these findings constitute a mechanism supporting cooperative behavior.

Selection pressure transforms the nature of social dilemmas in adaptive networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Segbroeck, Sven; Lenaerts, Tom; Santos, Francisco C; Pacheco, Jorge M

2011-01-01

We have studied the evolution of cooperation in structured populations whose topology coevolves with the game strategies of the individuals. Strategy evolution proceeds according to an update rule with a free parameter, which measures the selection pressure. We explore how this parameter affects the interplay between network dynamics and strategy dynamics. A dynamical network topology can influence the strategy dynamics in two ways: (i) by modifying the expected payoff associated with each strategy and (ii) by reshaping the imitation network that underlies the evolutionary process. We show here that the selection pressure tunes the relative contribution of each of these two forces to the final outcome of strategy evolution. The dynamics of the imitation network plays only a minor role under strong selection, but becomes the dominant force under weak selection. We demonstrate how these findings constitute a mechanism supporting cooperative behavior.

Substitution rate and natural selection in parvovirus B19

Science.gov (United States)

Stamenković, Gorana G.; Ćirković, Valentina S.; Šiljić, Marina M.; Blagojević, Jelena V.; Knežević, Aleksandra M.; Joksić, Ivana D.; Stanojević, Maja P.

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate substitution rate and imprints of natural selection on parvovirus B19 genotype 1. Studied datasets included 137 near complete coding B19 genomes (positions 665 to 4851) for phylogenetic and substitution rate analysis and 146 and 214 partial genomes for selection analyses in open reading frames ORF1 and ORF2, respectively, collected 1973–2012 and including 9 newly sequenced isolates from Serbia. Phylogenetic clustering assigned majority of studied isolates to G1A. Nucleotide substitution rate for total coding DNA was 1.03 (0.6–1.27) x 10−4 substitutions/site/year, with higher values for analyzed genome partitions. In spite of the highest evolutionary rate, VP2 codons were found to be under purifying selection with rare episodic positive selection, whereas codons under diversifying selection were found in the unique part of VP1, known to contain B19 immune epitopes important in persistent infection. Analyses of overlapping gene regions identified nucleotide positions under opposite selective pressure in different ORFs, suggesting complex evolutionary mechanisms of nucleotide changes in B19 viral genomes. PMID:27775080

Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Behavioral State-Dependent Bidirectional Modulation of Motor Cortex Output

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Schiemann

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Neuronal activity in primary motor cortex (M1 correlates with behavioral state, but the cellular mechanisms underpinning behavioral state-dependent modulation of M1 output remain largely unresolved. Here, we performed in vivo patch-clamp recordings from layer 5B (L5B pyramidal neurons in awake mice during quiet wakefulness and self-paced, voluntary movement. We show that L5B output neurons display bidirectional (i.e., enhanced or suppressed firing rate changes during movement, mediated via two opposing subthreshold mechanisms: (1 a global decrease in membrane potential variability that reduced L5B firing rates (L5Bsuppressed neurons, and (2 a coincident noradrenaline-mediated increase in excitatory drive to a subpopulation of L5B neurons (L5Benhanced neurons that elevated firing rates. Blocking noradrenergic receptors in forelimb M1 abolished the bidirectional modulation of M1 output during movement and selectively impaired contralateral forelimb motor coordination. Together, our results provide a mechanism for how noradrenergic neuromodulation and network-driven input changes bidirectionally modulate M1 output during motor behavior.

Selection of software for mechanical engineering undergraduates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheah, C. T.; Yin, C. S.; Halim, T.; Naser, J.; Blicblau, A. S.

2016-01-01

A major problem with the undergraduate mechanical course is the limited exposure of students to software packages coupled with the long learning curve on the existing software packages. This work proposes the use of appropriate software packages for the entire mechanical engineering curriculum to ensure students get sufficient exposure real life design problems. A variety of software packages are highlighted as being suitable for undergraduate work in mechanical engineering, e.g. simultaneous non-linear equations; uncertainty analysis; 3-D modeling software with the FEA; analysis tools for the solution of problems in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mechanical system design, and solid mechanics.

Selection of software for mechanical engineering undergraduates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheah, C. T.; Yin, C. S.; Halim, T.; Naser, J.; Blicblau, A. S., E-mail: ablicblau@swin.edu.au [Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Science Engineering and Technology, PO Box 218 Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, 3122 (Australia)

2016-07-12

A major problem with the undergraduate mechanical course is the limited exposure of students to software packages coupled with the long learning curve on the existing software packages. This work proposes the use of appropriate software packages for the entire mechanical engineering curriculum to ensure students get sufficient exposure real life design problems. A variety of software packages are highlighted as being suitable for undergraduate work in mechanical engineering, e.g. simultaneous non-linear equations; uncertainty analysis; 3-D modeling software with the FEA; analysis tools for the solution of problems in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mechanical system design, and solid mechanics.

Ablation characteristics and reaction mechanism of insulation materials under slag deposition condition

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Yiwen; Li, Jiang; Liu, Yang

2017-07-01

Current understanding of the physical and chemical processes involved in the ablation of insulation materials by highly aluminized solid propellants is limited. The study on the heat transfer and ablation principle of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) materials under slag deposition condition is essential for future design or modification of large solid rocket motors (SRMs) for launch application. In this paper, the alumina liquid flow pattern and the deposition principle in full-scale SRM engines are discussed. The interaction mechanism between the alumina droplets and the wall are analyzed. Then, an experimental method was developed to simulate the insulation material ablation under slag deposition condition. Experimental study was conducted based on a laboratory-scale device. Meanwhile, from the analysis of the cross-sectional morphology and chemical composition of the charring layer after ablation, the reaction mechanism of the charring layer under deposition condition was discussed, and the main reaction equation was derived. The numerical simulation and experimental results show the following. (i) The alumina droplet flow in the deposition section of the laboratory-scale device is similar to that of a full-scale SRM. (ii) The charring layer of the EPDM insulator displays a porous tight/loose structure under high-temperature slag deposition condition. (iii) A seven-step carbothermal reduction in the alumina is derived and established under high-pressure and high-temperature environment in the SRM combustion chamber. (iv) The analysis using thermodynamic software indicates that the reaction of the alumina and charring layer initially forms Al4C3 during the operation. Then, Al element and Al2OC compound are subsequently produced with the reduction in the release of gas CO as well with continuous environmental heating.

Theoretical analysis of selectivity mechanisms in molecular transport through channels and nanopores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agah, Shaghayegh; Pasquali, Matteo; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.

2015-01-01

Selectivity is one of the most fundamental concepts in natural sciences, and it is also critically important in various technological, industrial, and medical applications. Although there are many experimental methods that allow to separate molecules, frequently they are expensive and not efficient. Recently, a new method of separation of chemical mixtures based on utilization of channels and nanopores has been proposed and successfully tested in several systems. However, mechanisms of selectivity in the molecular transport during the translocation are still not well understood. Here, we develop a simple theoretical approach to explain the origin of selectivity in molecular fluxes through channels. Our method utilizes discrete-state stochastic models that take into account all relevant chemical transitions and can be solved analytically. More specifically, we analyze channels with one and two binding sites employed for separating mixtures of two types of molecules. The effects of the symmetry and the strength of the molecular-pore interactions are examined. It is found that for one-site binding channels, the differences in the strength of interactions for two species drive the separation. At the same time, in more realistic two-site systems, the symmetry of interaction potential becomes also important. The most efficient separation is predicted when the specific binding site is located near the entrance to the nanopore. In addition, the selectivity is higher for large entrance rates into the channel. It is also found that the molecular transport is more selective for repulsive interactions than for attractive interactions. The physical-chemical origin of the observed phenomena is discussed

Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Analysis of Interfacial Water at Selected Sulfide Mineral Surfaces under Anaerobic Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Jiaqi; Miller, Jan D.; Dang, Liem X.

2014-04-10

In this paper, we report on a molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) study of the behavior of interfacial water at selected sulfide mineral surfaces under anaerobic conditions. The study revealed the interfacial water structure and wetting characteristics of the pyrite (100) surface, galena (100) surface, chalcopyrite (012) surface, sphalerite (110) surface, and molybdenite surfaces (i.e., the face, armchair-edge, and zigzag-edge surfaces), including simulated contact angles, relative number density profiles, water dipole orientations, hydrogen-bonding, and residence times. For force fields of the metal and sulfur atoms in selected sulfide minerals used in the MDS, we used the universal force field (UFF) and another set of force fields optimized by quantum chemical calculations for interactions with interfacial water molecules at selected sulfide mineral surfaces. Simulation results for the structural and dynamic properties of interfacial water molecules indicate the natural hydrophobic character for the selected sulfide mineral surfaces under anaerobic conditions as well as the relatively weak hydrophobicity for the sphalerite (110) surface and two molybdenite edge surfaces. Part of the financial support for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Basic Science Grant No. DE-FG-03-93ER14315. The Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), of the DOE, funded work performed by Liem X. Dang. Battelle operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for DOE. The calculations were carried out using computer resources provided by BES. The authors are grateful to Professor Tsun-Mei Chang for valuable discussions.

5-HTTLPR polymorphism is linked to neural mechanisms of selective attention in preschoolers from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Isbell, Elif; Stevens, Courtney; Hampton Wray, Amanda; Bell, Theodore; Neville, Helen J

2016-12-01

While a growing body of research has identified experiential factors associated with differences in selective attention, relatively little is known about the contribution of genetic factors to the skill of sustained selective attention, especially in early childhood. Here, we assessed the association between the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotypes and the neural mechanisms of selective attention in young children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a dichotic listening task from 121 children (76 females, aged 40-67 months), who were also genotyped for the short and long allele of 5-HTTLPR. The effect of selective attention was measured as the difference in ERP mean amplitudes elicited by identical probe stimuli embedded in stories when they were attended versus unattended. Compared to children homozygous for the long allele, children who carried at least one copy of the short allele showed larger effects of selective attention on neural processing. These findings link the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR to enhanced neural mechanisms of selective attention and lay the groundwork for future studies of gene-by-environment interactions in the context of key cognitive skills. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Epileptogenesis and Seizure Progression in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 Deficient Mouse Models

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

dysregulation in epileptogenesis in the developing brain? 2) What are the molecular mechanisms downstream of mTOR hyperactivation that trigger epileptogenesis...underlying epilepsy. Hopefully, a knowledge of these mechanisms will aid in a rational development of therapies. KEYWORDS Tuberous Sclerosis, Epilepsy

Statistical mechanics principles and selected applications

CERN Document Server

Hill, Terrell L

1956-01-01

""Excellent … a welcome addition to the literature on the subject."" - ScienceBefore the publication of this standard, oft-cited book, there were few if any statistical-mechanics texts that incorporated reviews of both fundamental principles and recent developments in the field.In this volume, Professor Hill offers just such a dual presentation - a useful account of basic theory and of its applications, made accessible in a comprehensive format. The book opens with concise, unusually clear introductory chapters on classical statistical mechanics, quantum statistical mechanics and the relatio

Mechanical property evaluation of apricot fruits under quasi-static and dynamic loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E Ahmadi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Some forces and impacts that occur during transporting and handling can reduce the apricot quality. Bruise damage is a major cause of fruit quality loss. Bruises occur under dynamic and static loading when stress induced in the fruit exceeds the failure stress of the fruit tissue. Needless to say that physical and mechanical properties of fruits in the design and optimization of systems related to production, processing and packaging of the products are important. Harvesting, transport, packaging and transportation of fruits and vegetables, result in their bruising which can cause loss of marketability of the fruit by consumers. The term of ‘absorbed energy’ could be used to express the quantity of damage done on the fruit and the high the absorbed energy, the higher the damage on the fruit. The object of this research was due to the importance of apricot fruit and lack of information about the mechanical behavior. Materials and Methods: In this study, apricot fruit variety “Ziaolmolki” was examined to determine some physical and mechanical properties. In order avoid any damage, the fruits were carefully harvested from trees and gathered in plastic boxes in a row, to prevent damage to the apricots. For determination of mechanical properties and levels of impact energy used test axial machine and pendulum device, respectively. Dependent variables (acoustics stiffness, radius of curvature, color characteristic a* and b*, Brix percentage, penetration force, penetration work and penetration deformation and independent variables (impact energy in three levels, temperature and color in 2 levels each were selected and analyzed by block designs with factorial structure. In the experimental design, the fruits were stored in two temperature levels, 3oC and 25oC. Two areas of any fruit (red and yellow areas were subjected to 3 impact energy levels. For each of the 8 levels, 8 fruit samples were selected. Overall, 96 fruits {8 (number

Private selective sweeps identified from next-generation pool-sequencing reveal convergent pathways under selection in two inbred Schistosoma mansoni strains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie A J Clément

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The trematode flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, the causative agents of schistosomiasis, are among the most prevalent parasites in humans, affecting more than 200 million people worldwide. In this study, we focused on two well-characterized strains of S. mansoni, to explore signatures of selection. Both strains are highly inbred and exhibit differences in life history traits, in particular in their compatibility with the intermediate host Biomphalaria glabrata. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed high throughput sequencing of DNA from pools of individuals of each strain using Illumina technology and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP and copy number variations (CNV. In total, 708,898 SNPs were identified and roughly 2,000 CNVs. The SNPs revealed low nucleotide diversity (π = 2 × 10(-4 within each strain and a high differentiation level (Fst = 0.73 between them. Based on a recently developed in-silico approach, we further detected 12 and 19 private (i.e. specific non-overlapping selective sweeps among the 121 and 151 sweeps found in total for each strain. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Functional annotation of transcripts lying in the private selective sweeps revealed specific selection for functions related to parasitic interaction (e.g. cell-cell adhesion or redox reactions. Despite high differentiation between strains, we identified evolutionary convergence of genes related to proteolysis, known as a key virulence factor and a potential target of drug and vaccine development. Our data show that pool-sequencing can be used for the detection of selective sweeps in parasite populations and enables one to identify biological functions under selection.

Mechanical stress analysis for a fuel rod under normal operating conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pino, Eddy S.; Giovedi, Claudia; Serra, Andre da Silva; Abe, Alfredo Y.

2013-01-01

Nuclear reactor fuel elements consist mainly in a system of a nuclear fuel encapsulated by a cladding material subject to high fluxes of energetic neutrons, high operating temperatures, pressure systems, thermal gradients, heat fluxes and with chemical compatibility with the reactor coolant. The design of a nuclear reactor requires, among a set of activities, the evaluation of the structural integrity of the fuel rod submitted to different loads acting on the fuel rod and the specific properties (dimensions and mechanical and thermal properties) of the cladding material and coolant, including thermal and pressure gradients produced inside the rod due to the fuel burnup. In this work were evaluated the structural mechanical stresses of a fuel rod using stainless steel as cladding material and UO 2 with a low degree of enrichment as fuel pellet on a PWR (pressurized water reactor) under normal operating conditions. In this sense, tangential, radial and axial stress on internal and external cladding surfaces considering the orientations of 0 deg, 90 deg and 180 deg were considered. The obtained values were compared with the limit values for stress to the studied material. From the obtained results, it was possible to conclude that, under the expected normal reactor operation conditions, the integrity of the fuel rod can be maintained. (author)

Uncovering the underlying physical mechanisms of biological systems via quantification of landscape and flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Li; Chu Xiakun; Yan Zhiqiang; Zheng Xiliang; Zhang Kun; Zhang Feng; Yan Han; Wu Wei; Wang Jin

2016-01-01

In this review, we explore the physical mechanisms of biological processes such as protein folding and recognition, ligand binding, and systems biology, including cell cycle, stem cell, cancer, evolution, ecology, and neural networks. Our approach is based on the landscape and flux theory for nonequilibrium dynamical systems. This theory provides a unifying principle and foundation for investigating the underlying mechanisms and physical quantification of biological systems. (topical review)

Age differences in the underlying mechanisms of stereotype threat effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Popham, Lauren E; Hess, Thomas M

2015-03-01

The goals of the present study were to (a) examine whether age differences exist in the mechanisms underlying stereotype threat effects on cognitive performance and (b) examine whether emotion regulation abilities may buffer against threat effects on performance. Older and younger adults were exposed to positive or negative age-relevant stereotypes, allowing us to examine the impact of threat on regulatory focus and working memory. Self-reported emotion regulation measures were completed prior to the session. Older adults' performance under threat suggested a prevention-focused approach to the task, indexed by increased accuracy and reduced speed. The same pattern was observed in younger adults, but the effects were not as strong. Age differences emerged when examining the availability of working memory resources under threat, with young adults showing decrements, whereas older adults did not. Emotion regulation abilities moderated threat effects in young adults but not in older adults. The results provide support for the notion that stereotype threat may lead to underperformance through somewhat different pathways in older and younger adults. Future research should further examine whether the underlying reason for this age difference is rooted in age-related improvements in emotion regulation. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Transformational Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Test of Underlying Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Nohe, Christoph; Hertel, Guido

2017-01-01

Based on social exchange theory, we examined and contrasted attitudinal mediators (affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction) and relational mediators (trust in leader, leader-member exchange; LMX) of the positive relationship between transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Hypotheses were tested using meta-analytic path models with correlations from published meta-analyses (761 samples with 227,419 individuals overall). When testing single-mediator models, results supported our expectations that each of the mediators explained the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. When testing a multi-mediator model, LMX was the strongest mediator. When testing a model with a latent attitudinal mechanism and a latent relational mechanism, the relational mechanism was the stronger mediator of the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. Our findings help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB.

Selective N-alkylation of amines using nitriles under hydrogenation conditions: facile synthesis of secondary and tertiary amines.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikawa, Takashi; Fujita, Yuki; Mizusaki, Tomoteru; Betsuin, Sae; Takamatsu, Haruki; Maegawa, Tomohiro; Monguchi, Yasunari; Sajiki, Hironao

2012-01-14

Nitriles were found to be highly effective alkylating reagents for the selective N-alkylation of amines under catalytic hydrogenation conditions. For the aromatic primary amines, the corresponding secondary amines were selectively obtained under Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation conditions. Although the use of electron poor aromatic amines or bulky nitriles showed a lower reactivity toward the reductive alkylation, the addition of NH(4)OAc enhanced the reactivity to give secondary aromatic amines in good to excellent yields. Under the same reaction conditions, aromatic nitro compounds instead of the aromatic primary amines could be directly transformed into secondary amines via a domino reaction involving the one-pot hydrogenation of the nitro group and the reductive alkylation of the amines. While aliphatic amines were effectively converted to the corresponding tertiary amines under Pd/C-catalyzed conditions, Rh/C was a highly effective catalyst for the N-monoalkylation of aliphatic primary amines without over-alkylation to the tertiary amines. Furthermore, the combination of the Rh/C-catalyzed N-monoalkylation of the aliphatic primary amines and additional Pd/C-catalyzed alkylation of the resulting secondary aliphatic amines could selectively prepare aliphatic tertiary amines possessing three different alkyl groups. According to the mechanistic studies, it seems reasonable to conclude that nitriles were reduced to aldimines before the nucleophilic attack of the amine during the first step of the reaction.

Genomic regions under selection in crop-wild hybrids of lettuce: implications for crop breeding and environmental risk assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartman, Y.

2012-01-01

The results of this thesis show that the probability of introgression of a putative transgene to wild relatives indeed depends strongly on the insertion location of the transgene. The study of genomic selection patterns can identify crop genomic regions under negative selection in multiple

Mechanisms underlying epithelium-dependent relaxation in rat bronchioles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kroigaard, Christel; Dalsgaard, Thomas; Simonsen, Ulf

2010-01-01

This study investigated the mechanisms underlying epithelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EpDHF)-type relaxation in rat bronchioles. Immunohistochemistry was performed, and rat bronchioles and pulmonary arteries were mounted in microvascular myographs for functional studies. An opener of small...... (SK(Ca)) and intermediate (IK(Ca))-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels, NS309 (6,7-dichloro-1H-indole-2,3-dione 3-oxime) was used to induce EpDHF-type relaxation. IK(Ca) and SK(Ca)3 positive immunoreactions were observed mainly in the epithelium and endothelium of bronchioles and arteries......, respectively. In 5-hydroxytryptamine (1 microM)-contracted bronchioles (828 +/- 20 microm, n = 84) and U46619 (0.03 microM)-contracted arteries (720 +/- 24 microm, n = 68), NS309 (0.001-10 microM) induced concentration-dependent relaxations that were reduced by epithelium/endothelium removal and by blocking IK...

Thymic function in the regulation of T cells, and molecular mechanisms underlying the modulation of cytokines and stress signaling (Review).

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Fenggen; Mo, Xiumei; Liu, Junfeng; Ye, Siqi; Zeng, Xing; Chen, Dacan

2017-11-01

The thymus is critical in establishing and maintaining the appropriate microenvironment for promoting the development and selection of T cells. The function and structure of the thymus gland has been extensively studied, particularly as the thymus serves an important physiological role in the lymphatic system. Numerous studies have investigated the morphological features of thymic involution. Recently, research attention has increasingly been focused on thymic proteins as targets for drug intervention. Omics approaches have yielded novel insights into the thymus and possible drug targets. The present review addresses the signaling and transcriptional functions of the thymus, including the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulatory functions of T cells and their role in the immune system. In addition, the levels of cytokines secreted in the thymus have a significant effect on thymic functions, including thymocyte migration and development, thymic atrophy and thymic recovery. Furthermore, the regulation and molecular mechanisms of stress‑mediated thymic atrophy and involution were investigated, with particular emphasis on thymic function as a potential target for drug development and discovery using proteomics.

Imitation in Newborn Infants: Exploring the Range of Gestures Imitated and the Underlying Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Moore, M. Keith

1989-01-01

Evaluated psychological mechanisms underlying imitation of facial actions in 40 newborn infants. Results showed imitation of head movement and a tongue-protrusion gesture. Subjects imitated from memory after displays had stopped. (RJC)

Deformation mechanisms in Ti/TiN multilayer under compressive loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Wei; Ayoub, Georges; Salehinia, Iman; Mansoor, Bilal; Zbib, Hussein

2017-01-01

The promising mechanical, physical and chemical properties of nano-scale metal/ceramic multilayers (MCMs) are of high interest for extreme environment applications. Understanding the plastic deformation mechanisms and the variables affecting those properties is therefore essential. The interface characteristics and the plastic deformation mechanisms under compressive loading in a Ti/TiN multilayer with a semi-coherent interface are numerically investigated. The interface structure of the Ti/TiN interface and the interface misfit dislocation were characterized using molecular dynamic simulations combined with atomically informed Frank-Bilby method. Three possible atomic stacking interface structures are identified according to the crystallographic analysis of the interface. Upon relaxation, large interface areas are occupied with the energetically stable configuration. Furthermore, the higher energy stacking are transformed into misfit dislocations or dislocation nodes. The molecular dynamic compressive stress strain response of the Ti/TiN multilayers exhibited three distinctive peaks. The first peak was generated by the dislocation dissociation of perfect dislocation into pairs of partials dislocation around extended nodes region at the interface. Upon further compression the second peak, identified as the first yielding, resulted from the activation of pyramidal slip planes in the Ti layer. Finally, a third peak identified as the second yielding, occurred when dislocation nucleated/transmitted in/into the TiN layer.

76 FR 73521 - Statutory Bar to Appointment of Persons Who Fail To Register Under Selective Service Law

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-29

... 3206-AM06 Statutory Bar to Appointment of Persons Who Fail To Register Under Selective Service Law... statutory bar on employment in an Executive agency of an individual who was required to register with the... as follows: Subpart G--Statutory Bar to Appointment of Persons Who Fail To Register Under the...

A service brokering and recommendation mechanism for better selecting cloud services.

Science.gov (United States)

Gui, Zhipeng; Yang, Chaowei; Xia, Jizhe; Huang, Qunying; Liu, Kai; Li, Zhenlong; Yu, Manzhu; Sun, Min; Zhou, Nanyin; Jin, Baoxuan

2014-01-01

Cloud computing is becoming the new generation computing infrastructure, and many cloud vendors provide different types of cloud services. How to choose the best cloud services for specific applications is very challenging. Addressing this challenge requires balancing multiple factors, such as business demands, technologies, policies and preferences in addition to the computing requirements. This paper recommends a mechanism for selecting the best public cloud service at the levels of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). A systematic framework and associated workflow include cloud service filtration, solution generation, evaluation, and selection of public cloud services. Specifically, we propose the following: a hierarchical information model for integrating heterogeneous cloud information from different providers and a corresponding cloud information collecting mechanism; a cloud service classification model for categorizing and filtering cloud services and an application requirement schema for providing rules for creating application-specific configuration solutions; and a preference-aware solution evaluation mode for evaluating and recommending solutions according to the preferences of application providers. To test the proposed framework and methodologies, a cloud service advisory tool prototype was developed after which relevant experiments were conducted. The results show that the proposed system collects/updates/records the cloud information from multiple mainstream public cloud services in real-time, generates feasible cloud configuration solutions according to user specifications and acceptable cost predication, assesses solutions from multiple aspects (e.g., computing capability, potential cost and Service Level Agreement, SLA) and offers rational recommendations based on user preferences and practical cloud provisioning; and visually presents and compares solutions through an interactive web Graphical User Interface (GUI).

A Service Brokering and Recommendation Mechanism for Better Selecting Cloud Services

Science.gov (United States)

Gui, Zhipeng; Yang, Chaowei; Xia, Jizhe; Huang, Qunying; Liu, Kai; Li, Zhenlong; Yu, Manzhu; Sun, Min; Zhou, Nanyin; Jin, Baoxuan

2014-01-01

Cloud computing is becoming the new generation computing infrastructure, and many cloud vendors provide different types of cloud services. How to choose the best cloud services for specific applications is very challenging. Addressing this challenge requires balancing multiple factors, such as business demands, technologies, policies and preferences in addition to the computing requirements. This paper recommends a mechanism for selecting the best public cloud service at the levels of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). A systematic framework and associated workflow include cloud service filtration, solution generation, evaluation, and selection of public cloud services. Specifically, we propose the following: a hierarchical information model for integrating heterogeneous cloud information from different providers and a corresponding cloud information collecting mechanism; a cloud service classification model for categorizing and filtering cloud services and an application requirement schema for providing rules for creating application-specific configuration solutions; and a preference-aware solution evaluation mode for evaluating and recommending solutions according to the preferences of application providers. To test the proposed framework and methodologies, a cloud service advisory tool prototype was developed after which relevant experiments were conducted. The results show that the proposed system collects/updates/records the cloud information from multiple mainstream public cloud services in real-time, generates feasible cloud configuration solutions according to user specifications and acceptable cost predication, assesses solutions from multiple aspects (e.g., computing capability, potential cost and Service Level Agreement, SLA) and offers rational recommendations based on user preferences and practical cloud provisioning; and visually presents and compares solutions through an interactive web Graphical User Interface (GUI

Selection of tRNA charging quality control mechanisms that increase mistranslation of the genetic code

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yadavalli, Srujana S; Ibba, Michael

2013-01-01

Mistranslation can follow two events during protein synthesis: production of non-cognate amino acid:transfer RNA (tRNA) pairs by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) and inaccurate selection of aminoacyl-tRNAs by the ribosome. Many aaRSs actively edit non-cognate amino acids, but editing mechanisms...

Beyond the Memory Mechanism: Person-Selective and Nonselective Processes in Recognition of Personally Familiar Faces

Science.gov (United States)

Sugiura, Motoaki; Mano, Yoko; Sasaki, Akihiro; Sadato, Norihiro

2011-01-01

Special processes recruited during the recognition of personally familiar people have been assumed to reflect the rich episodic and semantic information that selectively represents each person. However, the processes may also include person nonselective ones, which may require interpretation in terms beyond the memory mechanism. To examine this…

Microcracking in composite laminates under thermal and mechanical loading. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Maddocks, Jason R.

1995-01-01

Composites used in space structures are exposed to both extremes in temperature and applied mechanical loads. Cracks in the matrix form, changing the laminate thermoelastic properties. The goal of the present investigation is to develop a predictive methodology to quantify microcracking in general composite laminates under both thermal and mechanical loading. This objective is successfully met through a combination of analytical modeling and experimental investigation. In the analysis, the stress and displacement distributions in the vicinity of a crack are determined using a shear lag model. These are incorporated into an energy based cracking criterion to determine the favorability of crack formation. A progressive damage algorithm allows the inclusion of material softening effects and temperature-dependent material properties. The analysis is implemented by a computer code which gives predicted crack density and degraded laminate properties as functions of any thermomechanical load history. Extensive experimentation provides verification of the analysis. AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy laminates are manufactured with three different layups to investigate ply thickness and orientation effects. Thermal specimens are cooled to progressively lower temperatures down to -184 C. After conditioning the specimens to each temperature, cracks are counted on their edges using optical microscopy and in their interiors by sanding to incremental depths. Tensile coupons are loaded monotonically to progressively higher loads until failure. Cracks are counted on the coupon edges after each loading. A data fit to all available results provides input parameters for the analysis and shows them to be material properties, independent of geometry and loading. Correlation between experiment and analysis is generally very good under both thermal and mechanical loading, showing the methodology to be a powerful, unified tool. Delayed crack initiation observed in a few cases is attributed to a

An agent-based simulation of power generation company behavior in electricity markets under different market-clearing mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aliabadi, Danial Esmaeili; Kaya, Murat; Şahin, Güvenç

2017-01-01

Deregulated electricity markets are expected to provide affordable electricity for consumers through promoting competition. Yet, the results do not always fulfill the expectations. The regulator's market-clearing mechanism is a strategic choice that may affect the level of competition in the market. We conceive of the market-clearing mechanism as composed of two components: pricing rules and rationing policies. We investigate the strategic behavior of power generation companies under different market-clearing mechanisms using an agent-based simulation model which integrates a game-theoretical understanding of the auction mechanism in the electricity market and generation companies' learning mechanism. Results of our simulation experiments are presented using various case studies representing different market settings. The market in simulations is observed to converge to a Nash equilibrium of the stage game or to a similar state under most parameter combinations. Compared to pay-as-bid pricing, bid prices are closer to marginal costs on average under uniform pricing while GenCos' total profit is also higher. The random rationing policy of the ISO turns out to be more successful in achieving lower bid prices and lower GenCo profits. In minimizing GenCos' total profit, a combination of pay-as-bid pricing rule and random rationing policy is observed to be the most promising. - Highlights: • An agent-based simulation of generation company behavior in electricity markets is developed. • Learning dynamics of companies is modeled with an extended Q-learning algorithm. • Different market clearing mechanisms of the regulator are compared. • Convergence to Nash equilibria is analyzed under different cases. • The level of competition in the market is studied.

Investigating category- and shape-selective neural processing in ventral and dorsal visual stream under interocular suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludwig, Karin; Kathmann, Norbert; Sterzer, Philipp; Hesselmann, Guido

2015-01-01

Recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies using continuous flash suppression (CFS) have suggested that action-related processing in the dorsal visual stream might be independent of perceptual awareness, in line with the "vision-for-perception" versus "vision-for-action" distinction of the influential dual-stream theory. It remains controversial if evidence suggesting exclusive dorsal stream processing of tool stimuli under CFS can be explained by their elongated shape alone or by action-relevant category representations in dorsal visual cortex. To approach this question, we investigated category- and shape-selective functional magnetic resonance imaging-blood-oxygen level-dependent responses in both visual streams using images of faces and tools. Multivariate pattern analysis showed enhanced decoding of elongated relative to non-elongated tools, both in the ventral and dorsal visual stream. The second aim of our study was to investigate whether the depth of interocular suppression might differentially affect processing in dorsal and ventral areas. However, parametric modulation of suppression depth by varying the CFS mask contrast did not yield any evidence for differential modulation of category-selective activity. Together, our data provide evidence for shape-selective processing under CFS in both dorsal and ventral stream areas and, therefore, do not support the notion that dorsal "vision-for-action" processing is exclusively preserved under interocular suppression. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tribological coatings: contact mechanisms and selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, A; Franklin, S; Holmberg, K

2007-01-01

This paper, which forms part of a special issue of this journal marking a 25th year anniversary in tribology, aims to provide an appraisal of key issues in coating tribology over that period. Two main inter-related strands are emphasized. One is the continuing move down the length scale in terms of the fundamental understanding of tribological contacts. This has been particularly useful in aiding the development of new coatings by identifying their property requirements at different scale levels. A second strand relates to the ongoing imperative to be able to design and select coatings to meet practical friction and wear requirements. This selection problem requires a robust methodology, and one such is elaborated in the paper, which takes account of the requirements of different types of tribological contacts and uses a combination of theoretical and empirical information. Challenges still remain in this regard, and the paper seeks to provide a basis for further developments to improve coatings and to ensure their effective selection

Failure mechanisms of aluminium foams under compressive loads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sáenz, E.

2000-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is the investigation of the major failure mechanisms of aluminium foams, which were obtained by powder metallurgy route, under compressive loads. The study was focused on two commonly aluminium alloys AlMg1Si or A 6061 and AlSi12. Due to the fact that the failure mechanisms strongly depend on the density and the macrostructural properties of the material, the mechanical properties always have to be correlated to the structural properties. Therefore, macrostructural investigations were used as a basis to establish the correlation between structural and mechanical properties. This was done with a commercially available image analysis system. The average cell size, the cell size distribution and the cell density (number of cells/area were obtained. In order to evaluate the influence of foaming direction on the cell morphology, some cross sections parallel to the foaming direction were prepared. For the characterization of the mechanical compression properties the compressive or upper yield strength (UYS, the densification strain (eD, the energy absorption (Ea and the efficiency (Eff were obtained. Furthermore, the failure behavior of the samples was in-situ observed with a digital video camera and continuously recorded during the test.

El objetivo de este estudio es investigar los principales mecanismos de fallo de espumas de aluminio sometidas a cargas de compresión. Las espumas metálicas fueron obtenidas mediante el proceso pulvimetalúrgico, utilizándose como materia prima dos aleaciones comerciales AlMg1Si o A 6061 y AlSi12. Debido a que los mecanismos de fallo en este tipo de materiales depende fuertemente de la densidad y las características macroestructurales del material, en este estudio se busca correlacionar las propiedades mecánicas con estas características. La macroestructura se caracterizó mediante análisis de imagen. El tamaño de celda promedio, la distribución de tamaño y la densidad de

The Immunomodulatory Effects of Macrolides—A Systematic Review of the Underlying Mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Zimmermann

2018-03-01

Full Text Available BackgroundThe mechanisms underlying the non-antimicrobial immunomodulatory properties of macrolides are not well understood.ObjectivesTo systematically review the evidence for the immunomodulatory properties of macrolides in humans and to describe the underlying mechanism and extent of their influence on the innate and adaptive immune system.MethodsA systematic literature search was done in MEDLINE using the OVID interface from 1946 to December 2016 according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA. Original articles investigating the influence of four macrolides (azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, and roxithromycin on immunological markers in humans were included.ResultsWe identified 22 randomized, controlled trials, 16 prospective cohort studies, and 8 case–control studies investigating 47 different immunological markers (186 measurements in 1,834 participants. The most frequently reported outcomes were a decrease in the number of neutrophils, and the concentrations of neutrophil elastase, interleukin (IL-8, IL-6, IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha, eosinophilic cationic protein, and matrix metalloproteinase 9. Inhibition of neutrophil function was reported more frequently than eosinophil function. A decrease in T helper (Th 2 cells cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 was reported more frequently than a decrease in Th1 cytokines (IL-2, INF-gamma.ConclusionMacrolides influence a broad range of immunological mechanisms resulting in immunomodulatory effects. To optimize the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases by macrolides, further studies are necessary, particularly comparing different macrolides and dose effect relationships.

Effects of delaying transplanting on agronomic traits and grain yield of rice under mechanical transplantation pattern.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qihua Liu

Full Text Available A delay in the mechanical transplantation (MT of rice seedlings frequently occurs in Huanghuai wheat-rice rotation cropping districts of China, due to the late harvest of wheat, the poor weather conditions and the insufficiency of transplanters, missing the optimum transplanting time and causing seedlings to age. To identify how delaying transplanting rice affects the agronomic characteristics including the growth duration, photosynthetic productivity and dry matter remobilization efficiency and the grain yield under mechanical transplanting pattern, an experiment with a split-plot design was conducted over two consecutive years. The main plot includes two types of cultivation: mechanical transplanting and artificial transplanting (AT. The subplot comprises four japonica rice cultivars. The results indicate that the rice jointing, booting, heading and maturity stages were postponed under MT when using AT as a control. The tiller occurrence number, dry matter weight per tiller, accumulative dry matter for the population, leaf area index, crop growth rate, photosynthetic potential, and dry matter remobilization efficiency of the leaf under MT significantly decreased compared to those under AT. In contrast, the reduction rate of the leaf area during the heading-maturity stage was markedly enhanced under MT. The numbers of effective panicles and filled grains per panicle and the grain yield significantly decreased under MT. A significant correlation was observed between the dry matter production, remobilization and distribution characteristics and the grain yield. We infer that, as with rice from old seedlings, the decrease in the tiller occurrence, the photosynthetic productivity and the assimilate remobilization efficiency may be important agronomic traits that are responsible for the reduced grain yield under MT.

Research on energy conversion mechanism of a screw centrifugal pump under the water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quan, H; Li, R N; Han, W; Cheng, X R; Shen, Z J; Su, Q M

2013-01-01

In order to research screw centrifugal pump impeller power capability and energy conversion mechanism, we used Navier-Stokes equation and standard k-ε equation turbulence model on the basis of the Euler equations to carry out screw centrifugal pump internal flow numerical simulation. This was explored by simulating specific design conditions; the medium is water, variation of speed and pressure of flow filed under the action of the impeller, and the screw centrifugal impeller shroud line and wheel line segment take monitoring sites. The monitoring points are between dynamic head and static head change to analyze the energy conversion capability along the impeller corners of screw centrifugal pump. The results show that the energy of fluid of the screw centrifugal pump is provided by spiral segment, the spiral segment in front of the impeller has played a multi-level role, it has significant reference value to research the energy conversion mechanism of screw centrifugal pump under solid-liquid two phase

CISM course on mechanical behaviour of soils under environmentally induced cyclic loads

CERN Document Server

Wood, David; Mechanical Behaviour of Soils Under Environmentally Induced Cyclic Loads

2012-01-01

The book gives a comprehensive description of the mechanical response of soils (granular and cohesive materials) under cyclic loading. It provides the geotechnical engineer with the theoretical and analytical tools necessary for the evaluation of settlements developng with time under cyclic, einvironmentally idncued loads (such as wave motion, wind actions, water table level variation) and their consequences for the serviceability and durability of structures such as the shallow or deep foundations used in offshore engineering, caisson beakwaters, ballast and airport pavements and also to interpret monitoring data, obtained from both natural and artificial slopes and earth embankments, for the purposes of risk assessment and mitigation.

Biological mechanisms underlying the role of physical fitness in health and resilience

OpenAIRE

Silverman, Marni N.; Deuster, Patricia A.

2014-01-01

Physical fitness, achieved through regular exercise and/or spontaneous physical activity, confers resilience by inducing positive psychological and physiological benefits, blunting stress reactivity, protecting against potentially adverse behavioural and metabolic consequences of stressful events and preventing many chronic diseases. In this review, we discuss the biological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical fitness on mental and physical health. Physical fitness appear...

Genome Sequencing Reveals Loci under Artificial Selection that Underlie Disease Phenotypes in the Laboratory Rat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Atanur, Santosh S.; Diaz, Ana Garcia; Maratou, Klio; Sarkis, Allison; Rotival, Maxime; Game, Laurence; Tschannen, Michael R.; Kaisaki, Pamela J.; Otto, Georg W.; Ma, Man Chun John; Keane, Thomas M.; Hummel, Oliver; Saar, Kathrin; Chen, Wei; Guryev, Victor; Gopalakrishnan, Kathirvel; Garrett, Michael R.; Joe, Bina; Citterio, Lorena; Bianchi, Giuseppe; McBride, Martin; Dominiczak, Anna; Adams, David J.; Serikawa, Tadao; Flicek, Paul; Cuppen, Edwin; Hubner, Norbert; Petretto, Enrico; Gauguier, Dominique; Kwitek, Anne; Jacob, Howard; Aitman, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

Large numbers of inbred laboratory rat strains have been developed for a range of complex disease phenotypes. To gain insights into the evolutionary pressures underlying selection for these phenotypes, we sequenced the genomes of 27 rat strains, including 11 models of hypertension, diabetes, and

Computational Analysis of Molecular Interaction Networks Underlying Change of HIV-1 Resistance to Selected Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kierczak, Marcin; Dramiński, Michał; Koronacki, Jacek; Komorowski, Jan

2010-12-12

Despite more than two decades of research, HIV resistance to drugs remains a serious obstacle in developing efficient AIDS treatments. Several computational methods have been developed to predict resistance level from the sequence of viral proteins such as reverse transcriptase (RT) or protease. These methods, while powerful and accurate, give very little insight into the molecular interactions that underly acquisition of drug resistance/hypersusceptibility. Here, we attempt at filling this gap by using our Monte Carlo feature selection and interdependency discovery method (MCFS-ID) to elucidate molecular interaction networks that characterize viral strains with altered drug resistance levels. We analyzed a number of HIV-1 RT sequences annotated with drug resistance level using the MCFS-ID method. This let us expound interdependency networks that characterize change of drug resistance to six selected RT inhibitors: Abacavir, Lamivudine, Stavudine, Zidovudine, Tenofovir and Nevirapine. The networks consider interdependencies at the level of physicochemical properties of mutating amino acids, eg,: polarity. We mapped each network on the 3D structure of RT in attempt to understand the molecular meaning of interacting pairs. The discovered interactions describe several known drug resistance mechanisms and, importantly, some previously unidentified ones. Our approach can be easily applied to a whole range of problems from the domain of protein engineering. A portable Java implementation of our MCFS-ID method is freely available for academic users and can be obtained at: http://www.ipipan.eu/staff/m.draminski/software.htm.

Estimated Mortality of Selected Migratory Bird Species from Mowing and Other Mechanical Operations in Canadian Agriculture

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Joerg Tews

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Mechanical operations such as mowing, tilling, seeding, and harvesting are well-known sources of direct avian mortality in agricultural fields. However, there are currently no mortality rate estimates available for any species group or larger jurisdiction. Even reviews of sources of mortality in birds have failed to address mechanical disturbance in farm fields. To overcome this information gap we provide estimates of total mortality rates by mechanical operations for five selected species across Canada. In our step-by-step modeling approach we (i quantified the amount of various types of agricultural land in each Bird Conservation Region (BCR in Canada, (ii estimated population densities by region and agricultural habitat type for each selected species, (iii estimated the average timing of mechanical agricultural activities, egg laying, and fledging, (iv and used these values and additional demographical parameters to derive estimates of total mortality by species within each BCR. Based on our calculations the total annual estimated incidental take of young ranged from ~138,000 for Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris to as much as ~941,000 for Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis. Net losses to the fall flight of birds, i.e., those birds that would have fledged successfully in the absence of mechanical disturbance, were, for example ~321,000 for Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus and ~483,000 for Savannah Sparrow. Although our estimates are subject to an unknown degree of uncertainty, this assessment is a very important first step because it provides a broad estimate of incidental take for a set of species that may be particularly vulnerable to mechanical operations and a starting point for future refinements of model parameters if and when they become available.

Possible Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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Chervyakov, Alexander V.; Chernyavsky, Andrey Yu.; Sinitsyn, Dmitry O.; Piradov, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective method used to diagnose and treat many neurological disorders. Although repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been used to treat a variety of serious pathological conditions including stroke, depression, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, pain, and migraines, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of long-term TMS remain unclear. In the present review, the effects of rTMS on neurotransmitters and synaptic plasticity are described, including the classic interpretations of TMS effects on synaptic plasticity via long-term potentiation and long-term depression. We also discuss the effects of rTMS on the genetic apparatus of neurons, glial cells, and the prevention of neuronal death. The neurotrophic effects of rTMS on dendritic growth and sprouting and neurotrophic factors are described, including change in brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration under the influence of rTMS. Also, non-classical effects of TMS related to biophysical effects of magnetic fields are described, including the quantum effects, the magnetic spin effects, genetic magnetoreception, the macromolecular effects of TMS, and the electromagnetic theory of consciousness. Finally, we discuss possible interpretations of TMS effects according to dynamical systems theory. Evidence suggests that a rTMS-induced magnetic field should be considered a separate physical factor that can be impactful at the subatomic level and that rTMS is capable of significantly altering the reactivity of molecules (radicals). It is thought that these factors underlie the therapeutic benefits of therapy with TMS. Future research on these mechanisms will be instrumental to the development of more powerful and reliable TMS treatment protocols. PMID:26136672

The curvature calculation mechanism based on simple cell model.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haiyang; Fan, Xingyu; Song, Aiqi

2017-07-20

A conclusion has not yet been reached on how exactly the human visual system detects curvature. This paper demonstrates how orientation-selective simple cells can be used to construct curvature-detecting neural units. Through fixed arrangements, multiple plurality cells were constructed to simulate curvature cells with a proportional output to their curvature. In addition, this paper offers a solution to the problem of narrow detection range under fixed resolution by selecting an output value under multiple resolution. Curvature cells can be treated as concrete models of an end-stopped mechanism, and they can be used to further understand "curvature-selective" characteristics and to explain basic psychophysical findings and perceptual phenomena in current studies.

Mechanical measurement of hydrogen bonded host-guest systems under non-equilibrium, near-physiological conditions.

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Naranjo, Teresa; Cerrón, Fernando; Nieto-Ortega, Belén; Latorre, Alfonso; Somoza, Álvaro; Ibarra, Borja; Pérez, Emilio M

2017-09-01

Decades after the birth of supramolecular chemistry, there are many techniques to measure noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, under equilibrium conditions. As ensembles of molecules rapidly lose coherence, we cannot extrapolate bulk data to single-molecule events under non-equilibrium conditions, more relevant to the dynamics of biological systems. We present a new method that exploits the high force resolution of optical tweezers to measure at the single molecule level the mechanical strength of a hydrogen bonded host-guest pair out of equilibrium and under near-physiological conditions. We utilize a DNA reporter to unambiguously isolate single binding events. The Hamilton receptor-cyanuric acid host-guest system is used as a test bed. The force required to dissociate the host-guest system is ∼17 pN and increases with the pulling rate as expected for a system under non-equilibrium conditions. Blocking one of the hydrogen bonding sites results in a significant decrease of the force-to-break by 1-2 pN, pointing out the ability of the method to resolve subtle changes in the mechanical strength of the binding due to the individual H-bonding components. We believe the method will prove to be a versatile tool to address important questions in supramolecular chemistry.

Context-Aware HCI Service Selection

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Yao Shen

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context-awareness has become a key issue in Human-Computer Interaction(HCI to provide better user experience under multi-device and multi-modal environment. With this intuition, we have proposed a web service based framework, which associates interactions with services, and provided service selection mechanism using context knowledge to achieve smart interaction migration [1]. A fundamental problem of such a service-oriented framework for interaction migration is to design an effective while scalable algorithm for service selection. In this paper, we propose a service selection algorithm considering not only context information and user preferences but also inter-service relations such as relative location. Our algorithm detects interaction hot spots within user active scope and presents the best service combination based on evaluation of interaction effectiveness. We also conduct simulation and the results illustrate that our algorithm is effective and scalable for interaction service selection.

Mechanism of selective corrosion in electrical resistance seam welded carbon steel pipe

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Lopez Fajardo, Pedro; Godinez Salcedo, Jesus; Gonzalez Velasquez, Jorge L. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico D.F., (Mexico). Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Quimica e Industrias Extractivas. Dept. de Ingenieria Metalurgica

2009-07-01

In this investigation the studies of the mechanism of selective corrosion in electrical resistance welded (ERW) carbon steel pipe was started. Metallographic characterizations and evaluations for inclusions were performed. The susceptibility of ERW pipe to selective corrosion in sea water (NACE 1D182, with O{sub 2} or CO{sub 2} + H{sub 2}S) was studied by the stepped potential Potentiostatic electrochemical test method in samples of 1 cm{sup 3} (ASTM G5) internal surface of the pipe (metal base-weld). The tests were looking for means for predicting the susceptibility of ERW pipe to selective corrosion, prior to placing the pipeline in service. Manganese sulfide inclusions are observed deformed by the welding process and they are close to the weld centerline. A slight decarburization at the weld line is observed, and a distinct out bent fiber pattern remains despite the post-weld seam annealing. The microstructure of the weld region consists of primarily polygonal ferrite grains mixed with small islands of pearlite. It is possible to observe the differences of sizes of grain of the present phases in the different zones. Finally, scanning electron microscopic observation revealed that the corrosion initiates with the dissolution of MnS inclusions and with small crack between the base metal and ZAC. (author)

A mechanism for social selection and successful altruism.

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Simon, H A

1990-12-21

Within the framework of neo-Darwinism, with its focus on fitness, it has been hard to account for altruism behavior that reduces the fitness of the altruist but increases average fitness in society. Many population biologists argue that, except for altruism to close relatives, human behavior that appears to be altruistic amounts to reciprocal altruism, behavior undertaken with an expectation of reciprocation, hence incurring no net cost to fitness. Herein is proposed a simple and robust mechanism, based on human docility and bounded rationality that can account for the evolutionary success of genuinely altruistic behavior. Because docility-receptivity to social influence-contributes greatly to fitness in the human species, it will be positively selected. As a consequence, society can impose a "tax" on the gross benefits gained by individuals from docility by inducing docile individuals to engage in altruistic behaviors. Limits on rationality in the face of environmental complexity prevent the individual from avoiding this "tax." An upper bound is imposed on altruism by the condition that there must remain a net fitness advantage for docile behavior after the cost to the individual of altruism has been deducted.

Neuro-cognitive mechanisms underlying the emotional modulation of word reading

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

A novel neural model for emotional modulation of word reading is proposed. This model has four principal hypotheses: the dominant activation region hypothesis, the emotional modulation hypothesis, the attentional level hypothesis, and the interaction hypothesis. Four lines of research were reviewed to provide evidence for these hypotheses: (1) neuro-cognitive studies on the mechanisms of word reading (i.e., neural networks for reading); (2) studies on the influence of words' emotional valence on word reading; (3) studies of the effect of attention on word reading; and (4) studies on emotional modulation of word reading under different attentional levels.

A Scientific Decision Framework for Supplier Selection under Interval Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Environment

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R. Krishankumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a new scientific decision framework (SDF under interval valued intuitionistic fuzzy (IVIF environment for supplier selection (SS. The framework consists of two phases, where, in the first phase, criteria weights are estimated in a sensible manner using newly proposed IVIF based statistical variance (SV method and, in the second phase, the suitable supplier is selected using ELECTRE (ELimination and Choice Expressing REality ranking method under IVIF environment. This method involves three categories of outranking, namely, strong, moderate, and weak. Previous studies on ELECTRE ranking reveal that scholars have only used two categories of outranking, namely, strong and weak, in the formulation of IVIF based ELECTRE, which eventually aggravates fuzziness and vagueness in decision making process due to the potential loss of information. Motivated by this challenge, third outranking category, called moderate, is proposed, which considerably reduces the loss of information by improving checks to the concordance and discordance matrices. Thus, in this paper, IVIF-ELECTRE (IVIFE method is presented and popular TOPSIS method is integrated with IVIFE for obtaining a linear ranking. Finally, the practicality of the proposed framework is demonstrated using SS example and the strength of proposed SDF is realized by comparing the framework with other similar methods.

Proposal of New Rewritable Printing Media Using Electrophoresis and Confirmation of Its Mechanism

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Hoshino, Yasushi; Ogura, Masahiro; Sano, Takayuki

2004-10-01

A new rewritable printing media using electrophoresis and selective heating is proposed to contribute to the reduction in paper consumption by printers. The mechanism is that when a heated part of the rewritable media is melted, white particles in that part of the media are able to move by electrophoresis. The media is initialized by heating its entire surface under the condition of voltage application and imaging is carried out by selective heating under the condition of an applied reversed-polarity voltage. Using a mixture system of carnauba wax and particles coated with titanium oxide (TiO2), the feasibility of the mechanism is confirmed.

Estimation of the ancestral effective population sizes of African great apes under different selection regimes.

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Schrago, Carlos G

2014-08-01

Reliable estimates of ancestral effective population sizes are necessary to unveil the population-level phenomena that shaped the phylogeny and molecular evolution of the African great apes. Although several methods have previously been applied to infer ancestral effective population sizes, an analysis of the influence of the selective regime on the estimates of ancestral demography has not been thoroughly conducted. In this study, three independent data sets under different selective regimes were used were composed to tackle this issue. The results showed that selection had a significant impact on the estimates of ancestral effective population sizes of the African great apes. The inference of the ancestral demography of African great apes was affected by the selection regime. The effects, however, were not homogeneous along the ancestral populations of great apes. The effective population size of the ancestor of humans and chimpanzees was more impacted by the selection regime when compared to the same parameter in the ancestor of humans, chimpanzees and gorillas. Because the selection regime influenced the estimates of ancestral effective population size, it is reasonable to assume that a portion of the discrepancy found in previous studies that inferred the ancestral effective population size may be attributable to the differential action of selection on the genes sampled.

Examining Mechanical Strength Characteristics of Selective Inhibition Sintered HDPE Specimens Using RSM and Desirability Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Rajamani, D.; Esakki, Balasubramanian

2017-09-01

Selective inhibition sintering (SIS) is a powder based additive manufacturing (AM) technique to produce functional parts with an inexpensive system compared with other AM processes. Mechanical properties of SIS fabricated parts are of high dependence on various process parameters importantly layer thickness, heat energy, heater feedrate, and printer feedrate. In this paper, examining the influence of these process parameters on evaluating mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural strength using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is carried out. The test specimens are fabricated using high density polyethylene (HDPE) and mathematical models are developed to correlate the control factors to the respective experimental design response. Further, optimal SIS process parameters are determined using desirability approach to enhance the mechanical properties of HDPE specimens. Optimization studies reveal that, combination of high heat energy, low layer thickness, medium heater feedrate and printer feedrate yielded superior mechanical strength characteristics.

Project selection problem under uncertainty: An application of utility theory and chance constrained programming to a real case

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Reza Hosnavi Atashgah

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Selecting from a pool of interdependent projects under certainty, when faced with resource constraints, has been studied well in the literature of project selection problem. After briefly reviewing and discussing popular modeling approaches for dealing with uncertainty, this paper proposes an approach based on chance constrained programming and utility theory for a certain range of problems and under some practical assumptions. Expected Utility Programming, as the proposed modeling approach, will be compared with other well-known methods and its meaningfulness and usefulness will be illustrated via two numerical examples and one real case.

Investigation of deterioration mechanism of electrical ceramic insulating materials under high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizutani, Yoshinobu; Ito, Tetsuo; Okamoto, Tatsuki; Kumazawa, Ryoji; Aizawa, Rie; Moriyama, Hideshige

2000-01-01

It is thought that ceramic insulator can be applied to electric power equipments that are under high temperature not to be able use organic materials. Our research has suggested components of mica-alumina combined insulation. As the results of and carried out temperature accelerating test, combined insulation life is expected long term over 40 years at over 500-Celsius degrees. However to construct high reliable insulating system, it is clarified deterioration mechanism on combined insulation and evaluates life of that. Therefore we carried out metal behavior test and voltage aging test using mica-sheet and alumina-cloth that are components of combined insulation under high temperature in nitrogen gas atmosphere. It is cleared two metal behavior mechanisms: One is that the opening of insulator are filled up with copper that is oxidized, the other is the metal diffuses in alumina-cloth through surface. And distance of metal behavior is able to be estimated at modulate temperature and in modulate time. It is also cleared that alumina-cloth is deteriorated by metal behavior into alumina-cloth. These results indicate that combined insulation is deteriorated from electrode side by metal behavior and is finally broken down through alumina-cloth. (author)

Mechanical behavior of glass/epoxy composite laminate with varying amount of MWCNTs under different loadings

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, K. K.; Rawat, Prashant

2018-05-01

This paper investigates the mechanical response of three phased (glass/MWCNTs/epoxy) composite laminate under three different loadings. Flexural strength, short beam strength and low-velocity impact (LVI) testing are performed to find an optimum doping percentage value for maximum enhancement in mechanical properties. In this work, MWCNTs were used as secondary reinforcement for three-phased composite plate. MWCNT doping was done in a range of 0–4 wt% of the thermosetting matrix system. Symmetrical design eight layered glass/epoxy laminate with zero bending extension coupling laminate was fabricated using a hybrid method i.e. hand lay-up technique followed by vacuum bagging method. Ranging analysis of MWCNT mixing highlighted the enhancement in flexural, short beam strength and improvement in damage tolerance under LVI loading. While at higher doping wt%, agglomeration of MWCNTs are observed. Results of mechanical testing proposed an optimized doping value for maximum strength and damage resistance of the laminate.

Mechanical characteristics under monotonic and cyclic simple shear of spark plasma sintered ultrafine-grained nickel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirras, G.; Bouvier, S.; Gubicza, J.; Hasni, B.; Szilagyi, T.

2009-01-01

The present work focuses on understanding the mechanical behavior of bulk ultrafine-grained nickel specimens processed by spark plasma sintering of high purity nickel nanopowder and subsequently deformed under large amplitude monotonic simple shear tests and strain-controlled cyclic simple shear tests at room temperature. During cyclic tests, the samples were deformed up to an accumulated von Mises strain of about ε VM = 0.75 (the flow stress was in the 650-700 MPa range), which is extremely high in comparison with the low tensile/compression ductility of this class of materials at quasi-static conditions. The underlying physical mechanisms were investigated by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction profile analysis. Lattice dislocation-based plasticity leading to cell formation and dislocation interactions with twin boundaries contributed to the work-hardening of these materials. The large amount of plastic strain that has been reached during the shear tests highlights intrinsic mechanical characteristics of the ultrafine-grained nickel studied here.

Mechanical characteristics under monotonic and cyclic simple shear of spark plasma sintered ultrafine-grained nickel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dirras, G., E-mail: dirras@univ-paris13.fr [LPMTM - CNRS, Institut Galilee, Universite Paris 13, 99 Avenue J.B. Clement, 93430 Villetaneuse (France); Bouvier, S. [LPMTM - CNRS, Institut Galilee, Universite Paris 13, 99 Avenue J.B. Clement, 93430 Villetaneuse (France); Gubicza, J. [Department of Materials Physics, Eoetvoes Lorand University, P.O.B. 32, Budapest H-1518 (Hungary); Hasni, B. [LPMTM - CNRS, Institut Galilee, Universite Paris 13, 99 Avenue J.B. Clement, 93430 Villetaneuse (France); Szilagyi, T. [Department of Materials Physics, Eoetvoes Lorand University, P.O.B. 32, Budapest H-1518 (Hungary)

2009-11-25

The present work focuses on understanding the mechanical behavior of bulk ultrafine-grained nickel specimens processed by spark plasma sintering of high purity nickel nanopowder and subsequently deformed under large amplitude monotonic simple shear tests and strain-controlled cyclic simple shear tests at room temperature. During cyclic tests, the samples were deformed up to an accumulated von Mises strain of about {epsilon}{sub VM} = 0.75 (the flow stress was in the 650-700 MPa range), which is extremely high in comparison with the low tensile/compression ductility of this class of materials at quasi-static conditions. The underlying physical mechanisms were investigated by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction profile analysis. Lattice dislocation-based plasticity leading to cell formation and dislocation interactions with twin boundaries contributed to the work-hardening of these materials. The large amount of plastic strain that has been reached during the shear tests highlights intrinsic mechanical characteristics of the ultrafine-grained nickel studied here.

Relation between motility, accelerated aging and gene expression in selected Drosophila strains under hypergravity conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Serrano, P.; van Loon, J.J.W.A.; Javier Medina, F.; Herranz, R.

2013-01-01

Motility and aging in Drosophila have proven to be highly modified under altered gravity conditions (both in space and ground simulation facilities). In order to find out how closely connected they are, five strains with altered geotactic response or survival rates were selected and exposed to an

Experimental Investigation on Shock Mechanical Properties of Red Sandstone under Preloaded 3D Static Stresses

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Niu Yong

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Triaxial impact mechanical performance experiment was performed to study the mechanical properties of red sandstone subjected to three-dimensional (3D coupled static and dynamic loads, i.e., three confining pressures (0, 5, and 10 MPa and three axial pressures (11, 27, and 43 MPa. A modified 3D split Hopkinson pressure bar testing system was used. The change trend in the deformation of red sandstone and the strength and failure modes under axial pressures and confining pressures were analyzed. Results show that, when the confining pressure is constant, the compressive strength, secant modulus, and energy absorbed per unit volume of red sandstone initially increases and subsequently decreases, whereas the average strain rate exhibits an opposite trend. When the axial pressure is constant, both the compressive strength and secant modulus of red sandstone are enhanced, but the average strain rate is decreased with increasing confining pressure. The energy absorbed per unit volume is initially increased and subsequently decreased as the confining pressure increases. Red sandstone exhibits a cone-shaped compression–shear failure mode under the 3D coupled static and dynamic loads. The conclusions serve as theoretical basis on the mechanical properties of deep medium-strength rock under a high ground stress and external load disturbance condition

The cochaperone BAG3 coordinates protein synthesis and autophagy under mechanical strain through spatial regulation of mTORC1.

Science.gov (United States)

Kathage, Barbara; Gehlert, Sebastian; Ulbricht, Anna; Lüdecke, Laura; Tapia, Victor E; Orfanos, Zacharias; Wenzel, Daniela; Bloch, Wilhelm; Volkmer, Rudolf; Fleischmann, Bernd K; Fürst, Dieter O; Höhfeld, Jörg

2017-01-01

The cochaperone BAG3 is a central protein homeostasis factor in mechanically strained mammalian cells. It mediates the degradation of unfolded and damaged forms of the actin-crosslinker filamin through chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA). In addition, BAG3 stimulates filamin transcription in order to compensate autophagic disposal and to maintain the actin cytoskeleton under strain. Here we demonstrate that BAG3 coordinates protein synthesis and autophagy through spatial regulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The cochaperone utilizes its WW domain to contact a proline-rich motif in the tuberous sclerosis protein TSC1 that functions as an mTORC1 inhibitor in association with TSC2. Interaction with BAG3 results in a recruitment of TSC complexes to actin stress fibers, where the complexes act on a subpopulation of mTOR-positive vesicles associated with the cytoskeleton. Local inhibition of mTORC1 is essential to initiate autophagy at sites of filamin unfolding and damage. At the same time, BAG3-mediated sequestration of TSC1/TSC2 relieves mTORC1 inhibition in the remaining cytoplasm, which stimulates protein translation. In human muscle, an exercise-induced association of TSC1 with the cytoskeleton coincides with mTORC1 activation in the cytoplasm. The spatial regulation of mTORC1 exerted by BAG3 apparently provides the basis for a simultaneous induction of autophagy and protein synthesis to maintain the proteome under mechanical strain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selection of the important performance influencing factors for the assessment of human error under accident management situations in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. H.; Jung, W. J.

1999-01-01

This paper introduces the process and final results of selection of the important Performance Influencing Factors (PIFs) under emergency operation and accident management situations in nuclear power plants for use in the assessment of human errors. We collected two types of PIF taxonomies, one is the full set PIF list mainly developed for human error analysis, and the other is the PIFs for human reliability analysis (HRA) in probabilistic safety assessment (PSA). 5 PIF taxonomies among the full set PIF list and 10 PIF taxonomies among HRA methodologies (CREAM, SLIM, INTENT, were collected in this research. By reviewing and analyzing PIFs selected for HRA methodologies, the criterion could be established for the selection of appropriate PIFs under emergency operation and accident management situations. Based on this selection criteria, a new PIF taxonomy was proposed for the assessment of human error under emergency operation and accident management situations in nuclear power plants

Interactivity effects in social media marketing on brand engagement: an investigation of underlying mechanisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Antheunis, M.L.; van Noort, G.; Eisend, M.; Langner, T.

2011-01-01

Although, SNS advertising spending increases, research on SNS campaigning is still underexposed. First, this study aims to investigate the effect of SNS campaign interactivity on the receivers brand engagement, taking four underlying mechanisms into account (brand identification, campaign

Hardening and softening mechanisms of pearlitic steel wire under torsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Tian-Zhang; Zhang, Shi-Hong; Zhang, Guang-Liang; Song, Hong-Wu; Cheng, Ming

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Mechanical behavior of pearlitic steel wire is studied using torsion. • Work hardening results from refinement lamellar pearlitic structure. • Softening results from recovery, shear bands and lamellar fragmentations. • A microstructure based analytical flow stress model is established. - Abstract: The mechanical behaviors and microstructure evolution of pearlitic steel wires under monotonic shear deformation have been investigated by a torsion test and a number of electron microscopy techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with an aim to reveal the softening and hardening mechanisms of a randomly oriented pearlitic structure during a monotonic stain path. Significantly different from the remarkable strain hardening in cold wire drawing, the strain hardening rate during torsion drops to zero quickly after a short hardening stage. The microstructure observations indicate that the inter-lamellar spacing (ILS) decreases and the dislocations accumulate with strain, which leads to hardening of the material. Meanwhile, when the strain is larger than 0.154, the enhancement of dynamic recovery, shear bands (SBs) and cementite fragmentations results in the softening and balances the strain hardening. A microstructure based analytical flow stress model with considering the influence of ILS on the mean free path of dislocations and the softening caused by SBs and cementite fragmentations, has been established and the predicted flow shear curve meets well with the measured curve in the torsion test

Mechanical behaviour of selected bulk oilseeds under compression loading

Science.gov (United States)

Mizera, Č.; Herák, D.; Hrabě, P.; Aleš, Z.; Pavlů, J.

2017-09-01

Pressing of vegetable oils plays an important role in modern agriculture. This study was focused on the linear pressing of soybean seeds (Glycine max L.), Jatropha seeds (Jatropha curcas L.) and palm kernel (Elaeisguineensis). For pressing test the compressive device (ZDM, model 50, Germany) was used. The maximum pressing force of 100 kN with a compression speed of 1 mm s-1 was used to record the force-deformation characteristics. The pressing vessel with diameter 60 mm and initial height of seeds 80 mm were used. The specific energy per gram of oil of soybean, palm kernel and Jatropha was 158.92 ± 7.21, 128.78 ± 8.36 and 68.26 ± 5.94 J.goil-1, respectively. The oil content of soybean, palm kernel and Jatropha was 20.4 ± 1.23, 44.7 ± 2.27 and 34.2 ± 1.75 %, respectively. Water concentration, dynamic and kinematic viscosity of obtained oils was also determined.

Exploring the Metabolic and Perceptual Correlates of Self-Selected Walking Speed under Constrained and Un-Constrained Conditions

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David T Godsiff, Shelly Coe, Charlotte Elsworth-Edelsten, Johnny Collett, Ken Howells, Martyn Morris, Helen Dawes

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Mechanisms underpinning self-selected walking speed (SSWS are poorly understood. The present study investigated the extent to which SSWS is related to metabolism, energy cost, and/or perceptual parameters during both normal and artificially constrained walking. Fourteen participants with no pathology affecting gait were tested under standard conditions. Subjects walked on a motorized treadmill at speeds derived from their SSWS as a continuous protocol. RPE scores (CR10 and expired air to calculate energy cost (J.kg-1.m-1 and carbohydrate (CHO oxidation rate (J.kg-1.min-1 were collected during minutes 3-4 at each speed. Eight individuals were re-tested under the same conditions within one week with a hip and knee-brace to immobilize their right leg. Deflection in RPE scores (CR10 and CHO oxidation rate (J.kg-1.min-1 were not related to SSWS (five and three people had deflections in the defined range of SSWS in constrained and unconstrained conditions, respectively (p > 0.05. Constrained walking elicited a higher energy cost (J.kg-1.m-1 and slower SSWS (p 0.05. SSWS did not occur at a minimum energy cost (J.kg-1.m-1 in either condition, however, the size of the minimum energy cost to SSWS disparity was the same (Froude {Fr} = 0.09 in both conditions (p = 0.36. Perceptions of exertion can modify walking patterns and therefore SSWS and metabolism/ energy cost are not directly related. Strategies which minimize perceived exertion may enable faster walking in people with altered gait as our findings indicate they should self-optimize to the same extent under different conditions.

Effects of selected casting methods on mechanical behaviour of Al-Mg-Si alloy

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Henry Kayode TALABI

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the effects of selected casting methods on mechanical behaviour of Al-Mg-Si alloy. The casting methods used was spin, sand and die casting, these were done with a view to determine which of the casting methods will produce the best properties. The pure aluminium scrap, magnesium and silicon were subjected to chemical analysis using spectrometric analyzer, thereafter the charge calculation to determine the amount needed to be charged into the furnace was properly worked out and charged into the crucible furnace from which as-cast aluminium was obtained. The mechanical properties of the casting produced were assessed by hardness and impact toughness test. The optical microscopy and experimental density and porosity were also investigated. From the results it was observed that magnesium and silicon were well dispersed in aluminium matrix of the spin casting. It was observed from visual examination after machining that there were minimal defects. It was also observed that out of the three casting methods, spin casting possesses the best mechanical properties (hardness and impact toughness.

Molecular mechanisms underlying formation of long-term reward memories and extinction memories in the honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

The honeybee (Apis mellifera) has long served as an invertebrate model organism for reward learning and memory research. Its capacity for learning and memory formation is rooted in the ecological need to efficiently collect nectar and pollen during summer to ensure survival of the hive during winter. Foraging bees learn to associate a flower's characteristic features with a reward in a way that resembles olfactory appetitive classical conditioning, a learning paradigm that is used to study mechanisms underlying learning and memory formation in the honeybee. Due to a plethora of studies on appetitive classical conditioning and phenomena related to it, the honeybee is one of the best characterized invertebrate model organisms from a learning psychological point of view. Moreover, classical conditioning and associated behavioral phenomena are surprisingly similar in honeybees and vertebrates, suggesting a convergence of underlying neuronal processes, including the molecular mechanisms that contribute to them. Here I review current thinking on the molecular mechanisms underlying long-term memory (LTM) formation in honeybees following classical conditioning and extinction, demonstrating that an in-depth analysis of the molecular mechanisms of classical conditioning in honeybees might add to our understanding of associative learning in honeybees and vertebrates. PMID:25225299

Using Drosophila to discover mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes

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Ronald W. Alfa

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Mechanisms of glucose homeostasis are remarkably well conserved between the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and mammals. From the initial characterization of insulin signaling in the fly came the identification of downstream metabolic pathways for nutrient storage and utilization. Defects in these pathways lead to phenotypes that are analogous to diabetic states in mammals. These discoveries have stimulated interest in leveraging the fly to better understand the genetics of type 2 diabetes mellitus in humans. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin insufficiency in the context of ongoing insulin resistance. Although genetic susceptibility is thought to govern the propensity of individuals to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus under appropriate environmental conditions, many of the human genes associated with the disease in genome-wide association studies have not been functionally studied. Recent advances in the phenotyping of metabolic defects have positioned Drosophila as an excellent model for the functional characterization of large numbers of genes associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here, we examine results from studies modeling metabolic disease in the fruit fly and compare findings to proposed mechanisms for diabetic phenotypes in mammals. We provide a systematic framework for assessing the contribution of gene candidates to insulin-secretion or insulin-resistance pathways relevant to diabetes pathogenesis.

The underlying mechanism of action for various medicinal properties of Piper betle (betel).

Science.gov (United States)

Haslan, H; Suhaimi, F H; Thent, Zar Chi; Das, S

2015-01-01

Piper betle (betel) plant belongs to the Piperaceae family. Piper. betle is widely known for its potent medicinal properties. Various active compounds are present in Piper. betle such as allylpyrocatechol, hydroxychavicol, piperbetol, ethylpiperbetol, piperol A, piperol B, chavibetol, and alkaloids which account for these beneficial medicinal properties. In the present narrative review, we looked into the various active compounds present in the Piper betle and attempted to understand their underlying mechanism of action. Proper understanding of the molecular biology involving the mechanism of action may help in better drug formulation and provide better therapeutic actions in the field of alternative and complementary medicine.

Mechanical Modeling of a WIPP Drum Under Pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Jeffrey A. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-11-25

Mechanical modeling was undertaken to support the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) technical assessment team (TAT) investigating the February 14th 2014 event where there was a radiological release at the WIPP. The initial goal of the modeling was to examine if a mechanical model could inform the team about the event. The intention was to have a model that could test scenarios with respect to the rate of pressurization. It was expected that the deformation and failure (inability of the drum to contain any pressure) would vary according to the pressurization rate. As the work progressed there was also interest in using the mechanical analysis of the drum to investigate what would happen if a drum pressurized when it was located under a standard waste package. Specifically, would the deformation be detectable from camera views within the room. A finite element model of a WIPP 55-gallon drum was developed that used all hex elements. Analyses were conducted using the explicit transient dynamics module of Sierra/SM to explore potential pressurization scenarios of the drum. Theses analysis show similar deformation patterns to documented pressurization tests of drums in the literature. The calculated failure pressures from previous tests documented in the literature vary from as little as 16 psi to 320 psi. In addition, previous testing documented in the literature shows drums bulging but not failing at pressures ranging from 69 to 138 psi. The analyses performed for this study found the drums failing at pressures ranging from 35 psi to 75 psi. When the drums are pressurized quickly (in 0.01 seconds) there is significant deformation to the lid. At lower pressurization rates the deformation of the lid is considerably less, yet the lids will still open from the pressure. The analyses demonstrate the influence of pressurization rate on deformation and opening pressure of the drums. Analyses conducted with a substantial mass on top of the closed drum demonstrate that the

Partial QoS-Aware Opportunistic Relay Selection Over Two-Hop Channels: End-to-End Performance Under Spectrum-Sharing Requirements

KAUST Repository

Yuli Yang,

2014-10-01

In this paper, we propose a partial quality-of-service (QoS)-oriented relay selection scheme with a decode-and-forward (DF) relaying protocol, to reduce the feedback amount required for relay selection. In the proposed scheme, the activated relay is the one with the maximum signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR) in the second hop among those whose packet loss rates (PLRs) in the first hop achieve a predetermined QoS level. For the purpose of evaluating the performance of the proposed scheme, we exploit it with transmission constraints imposed on the transmit power budget and interference to other users. By analyzing the statistics of received SNRs in the first and second hops, we obtain the end-to-end PLR of this scheme in closed form under the considered scenario. Moreover, to compare the proposed scheme with popular relay selection schemes, we also derive the closed-form PLR expressions for partial relay selection (PRS) and opportunistic relay selection (ORS) criteria in the same scenario under study. Illustrative numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of our derivations and substantiate that the proposed relay selection scheme is a promising alternative with respect to the tradeoff between performance and complexity.

An efficient, selective collisional ejection mechanism for inner-shell population inversion in laser-driven plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SCHROEDER,W. ANDREAS; NELSON,THOMAS R.; BORISOV,A.B.; LONGWORTH,J.W.; BOYER,K.; RHODES,C.K.

2000-06-07

A theoretical analysis of laser-driven collisional ejection of inner-shell electrons is presented to explain the previously observed anomalous kilovolt L-shell x-ray emission spectra from atomic Xe cluster targets excited by intense sub-picosecond 248nrn ultraviolet radiation. For incident ponderomotively-driven electrons photoionized by strong above threshold ionization, the collisional ejection mechanism is shown to be highly l-state and significantly n-state (i.e. radially) selective for time periods shorter than the collisional dephasing time of the photoionized electronic wavefunction. The resulting preference for the collisional ejection of 2p electrons by an ionized 4p state produces the measured anomalous Xe(L) emission which contains direct evidence for (i) the generation of Xe{sup 27+}(2p{sup 5}3d{sup 10}) and Xe{sup 28+}(2p{sup 5}3d{sup 9}) ions exhibiting inner-shell population inversion and (ii) a coherent correlated electron state collision responsible for the production of double 2p vacancies. For longer time periods, the selectivity of this coherent impact ionization mechanism is rapidly reduced by the combined effects of intrinsic quantum mechanical spreading and dephasing--in agreement with the experimentally observed and extremely strong {minus}{lambda}{sup {minus}6} pump-laser wavelength dependence of the efficiency of inner-shell (2p) vacancy production in Xe clusters excited in underdense plasmas.

Peripheral afferent mechanisms underlying acupuncture inhibition of cocaine behavioral effects in rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seol Ah Kim

Full Text Available Administration of cocaine increases locomotor activity by enhancing dopamine transmission. To explore the peripheral mechanisms underlying acupuncture treatment for drug addiction, we developed a novel mechanical acupuncture instrument (MAI for objective mechanical stimulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether acupuncture inhibition of cocaine-induced locomotor activity is mediated through specific peripheral nerves, the afferents from superficial or deep tissues, or specific groups of nerve fibers. Mechanical stimulation of acupuncture point HT7 with MAI suppressed cocaine-induced locomotor activity in a stimulus time-dependent manner, which was blocked by severing the ulnar nerve or by local anesthesia. Suppression of cocaine-induced locomotor activity was elicited after HT7 stimulation at frequencies of either 50 (for Meissner corpuscles or 200 (for Pacinian corpuscles Hz and was not affected by block of C/Aδ-fibers in the ulnar nerve with resiniferatoxin, nor generated by direct stimulation of C/Aδ-fiber afferents with capsaicin. These findings suggest that HT7 inhibition of cocaine-induced locomotor activity is mediated by A-fiber activation of ulnar nerve that originates in superficial and deep tissue.

Estimation of a multivariate mean under model selection uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georges Nguefack-Tsague

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Model selection uncertainty would occur if we selected a model based on one data set and subsequently applied it for statistical inferences, because the "correct" model would not be selected with certainty.  When the selection and inference are based on the same dataset, some additional problems arise due to the correlation of the two stages (selection and inference. In this paper model selection uncertainty is considered and model averaging is proposed. The proposal is related to the theory of James and Stein of estimating more than three parameters from independent normal observations. We suggest that a model averaging scheme taking into account the selection procedure could be more appropriate than model selection alone. Some properties of this model averaging estimator are investigated; in particular we show using Stein's results that it is a minimax estimator and can outperform Stein-type estimators.

Mechanical characterisation of porcine rectus sheath under uniaxial and biaxial tension.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Lyons, Mathew

2014-06-03

Incisional hernia development is a significant complication after laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is known to initiate the extrusion of intestines through the abdominal wall, but there is limited data on the mechanics of IAP generation and the structural properties of rectus sheath. This paper presents an explanation of the mechanics of IAP development, a study of the uniaxial and biaxial tensile properties of porcine rectus sheath, and a simple computational investigation of the tissue. Analysis using Laplace׳s law showed a circumferential stress in the abdominal wall of approx. 1.1MPa due to an IAP of 11kPa, commonly seen during coughing. Uniaxial and biaxial tensile tests were conducted on samples of porcine rectus sheath to characterise the stress-stretch responses of the tissue. Under uniaxial tension, fibre direction samples failed on average at a stress of 4.5MPa at a stretch of 1.07 while cross-fibre samples failed at a stress of 1.6MPa under a stretch of 1.29. Under equi-biaxial tension, failure occurred at 1.6MPa with the fibre direction stretching to only 1.02 while the cross-fibre direction stretched to 1.13. Uniaxial and biaxial stress-stretch plots are presented allowing detailed modelling of the tissue either in silico or in a surrogate material. An FeBio computational model of the tissue is presented using a combination of an Ogden and an exponential power law model to represent the matrix and fibres respectively. The structural properties of porcine rectus sheath have been characterised and add to the small set of human data in the literature with which it may be possible to develop methods to reduce the incidence of incisional hernia development.

Optimal Contracting under Adverse Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenells, Jonatan; Stea, Diego; Foss, Nicolai Juul

2015-01-01

We study a model of adverse selection, hard and soft information, and mentalizing ability--the human capacity to represent others' intentions, knowledge, and beliefs. By allowing for a continuous range of different information types, as well as for different means of acquiring information, we dev...... of that information. This strategy affects the properties of the optimal contract, which grows closer to the first best. This research provides insights into the implications of mentalizing for agency theory....

Fracture Mechanisms of Zirconium Diboride Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics under Pulse Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Skripnyak, Vladimir V.; Bragov, Anatolii M.; Skripnyak, Vladimir A.; Lomunov, Andrei K.; Skripnyak, Evgeniya G.; Vaganova, Irina K.

2015-06-01

Mechanisms of failure in ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTC) based on zirconium diboride under pulse loading were studied experimentally by the method of SHPB and theoretically using the multiscale simulation method. The obtained experimental and numerical data are evidence of the quasi-brittle fracture character of nanostructured zirconium diboride ceramics under compression and tension at high strain rates and the room temperatures. Damage of nanostructured porous zirconium diboride -based UHTC can be formed under stress pulse amplitude below the Hugoniot elastic limit. Fracture of nanostructured ultra-high temperature ceramics under pulse and shock-wave loadings is provided by fast processes of intercrystalline brittle fracture and relatively slow processes of quasi-brittle failure via growth and coalescence of microcracks. A decrease of the shear strength can be caused by nano-voids clusters in vicinity of triple junctions between ceramic matrix grains and ultrafine-grained ceramics. This research was supported by grants from ``The Tomsk State University Academic D.I. Mendeleev Fund Program'' and also N. I. Lobachevski State University of Nizhny Novgorod (Grant of post graduate mobility).

Music training relates to the development of neural mechanisms of selective auditory attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Strait, Dana L; Slater, Jessica; O'Connell, Samantha; Kraus, Nina

2015-04-01

Selective attention decreases trial-to-trial variability in cortical auditory-evoked activity. This effect increases over the course of maturation, potentially reflecting the gradual development of selective attention and inhibitory control. Work in adults indicates that music training may alter the development of this neural response characteristic, especially over brain regions associated with executive control: in adult musicians, attention decreases variability in auditory-evoked responses recorded over prefrontal cortex to a greater extent than in nonmusicians. We aimed to determine whether this musician-associated effect emerges during childhood, when selective attention and inhibitory control are under development. We compared cortical auditory-evoked variability to attended and ignored speech streams in musicians and nonmusicians across three age groups: preschoolers, school-aged children and young adults. Results reveal that childhood music training is associated with reduced auditory-evoked response variability recorded over prefrontal cortex during selective auditory attention in school-aged child and adult musicians. Preschoolers, on the other hand, demonstrate no impact of selective attention on cortical response variability and no musician distinctions. This finding is consistent with the gradual emergence of attention during this period and may suggest no pre-existing differences in this attention-related cortical metric between children who undergo music training and those who do not. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride under oxygen-deficient conditions over V-P-O mixed oxides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, H.; Bruggink, A.A.; Ross, J.R.H.

1987-01-01

The selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride over V-P-O mixed oxides was studied under oxygen deficient conditions. The mixed oxides were prepared with P/V atomic ratios ranging from 0.7 to 1.0. Catalysts with P/V <1.0 did not show any selectivity to maleic anhydride formation, regardless

Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Property Development of Selective Laser Melted Copper Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Ventura, Anthony Patrick

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing technology that utilizes a high-power laser to melt metal powder and form a part layer-by-layer. Over the last 25 years, the technology has progressed from prototyping polymer parts to full scale production of metal component. SLM offers several advantages over traditional manufacturing techniques; however, the current alloy systems that are researched and utilized for SLM do not address applications requiring high electrical and thermal conductivity. This work presents a characterization of the microstructural evolution and mechanical property development of two copper alloys fabricated via SLM and post-process heat treated to address this gap in knowledge. Tensile testing, conductivity measurement, and detailed microstructural characterization was carried out on samples in the as-printed and heat treated conditions. A single phase solid solution strengthened binary alloy, Cu-4.3Sn, was the first alloy studied. Components were selectively laser melted from pre-alloyed Cu-4.3Sn powder and heat treated at 873 K (600 °C) and 1173 K (900 °C) for 1 hour. As-printed samples were around 97 percent dense with a yield strength of 274 MPa, an electrical conductivity of 24.1 %IACS, and an elongation of 5.6%. Heat treatment resulted in lower yield strength with significant increases in ductility due to recrystallization and a decrease in dislocation density. Tensile sample geometry and surface finish also showed a significant effect on measured yield strength but a negligible change in measured ductility. Microstructural characterization indicated that grains primarily grow epitaxially with a sub-micron cellular solidification sub-structure. Nanometer scale tin dioxide particles identified via XRD were found throughout the structure in the tin-rich intercellular regions. The second alloy studied was a high-performance precipitation hardening Cu-Ni-Si alloy, C70250. Pre-alloyed powder was selectively laser melted to

Parametric study of control mechanism of cortical bone remodeling under mechanical stimulus

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanan; Qin, Qing-Hua

2010-03-01

The control mechanism of mechanical bone remodeling at cellular level was investigated by means of an extensive parametric study on a theoretical model described in this paper. From a perspective of control mechanism, it was found that there are several control mechanisms working simultaneously in bone remodeling which is a complex process. Typically, an extensive parametric study was carried out for investigating model parameter space related to cell differentiation and apoptosis which can describe the fundamental cell lineage behaviors. After analyzing all the combinations of 728 permutations in six model parameters, we have identified a small number of parameter combinations that can lead to physiologically realistic responses which are similar to theoretically idealized physiological responses. The results presented in the work enhanced our understanding on mechanical bone remodeling and the identified control mechanisms can help researchers to develop combined pharmacological-mechanical therapies to treat bone loss diseases such as osteoporosis.

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular response to biophysical cues using synthetic biology approaches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Denning, Denise; Roos, Wouter H

2016-01-01

The use of synthetic surfaces and materials to influence and study cell behavior has vastly progressed our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in cellular response to physicochemical and biophysical cues. Reconstituting cytoskeletal proteins and interfacing them with a

Modulations of the processing of line discontinuities under selective attention conditions?

Science.gov (United States)

Giersch, Anne; Fahle, Manfred

2002-01-01

We examined whether the processing of discontinuities involved in figure-ground segmentation, like line ends, can be modulated under selective attention conditions. Subjects decided whether a gap in collinear or parallel lines was located to the right or left. Two stimuli were displayed in immediate succession. When the gaps were on the same side, reaction times (RTs) for the second stimulus increased when collinear lines followed parallel lines, or the reverse, but only when the two stimuli shared the same orientation and location. The effect did not depend on the global form of the stimuli or on the relative orientation of the gaps. A frame drawn around collinear elements affected the results, suggesting a crucial role of the "amodal" orthogonal lines produced when line ends are aligned. Including several gaps in the first stimulus also eliminated RT variations. By contrast, RT variations remained stable across several experimental blocks and were significant for interstimulus intervals from 50 to 600 msec between the two stimuli. These results are interpreted in terms of a modulation of the processing of line ends or the production of amodal lines, arising when attention is selectively drawn to a gap.

Low-temperature synthesis of allyl dimethylamine by selective heating under microwave irradiation used for water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Binghui; Luan Zhaokun; Li Mingming

2005-01-01

Low-temperature synthesis of allyl dimethylamine (ADA) by selective heating under microwave irradiation (MI) used for water treatment is investigated. The effect of MI, ultrasound irradiation (UI) and conventional heating on yield of ADA, reaction time and the flocculation efficiency of polydiallyl dimethylammunion chloride (PDADMAC) prepared form ADA were studied. The results show that by selective heating at low temperature, MI not only increases yield of ADA and reduces reaction time, but also greatly enhances the flocculation efficiency of PDADMAC

First-principles predictions of structural, mechanical and electronic properties of βTiNb under high pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Z. P.; Fang, Q. H.; Li, J.; Liu, B.

2018-04-01

Structural, mechanical and electronic properties of βTiNb alloy under high pressure have been investigated based on the density functional theory (DFT). The dependences of dimensionless volume ratio, elastic constants, bulk modulus, Young's modulus, shear modulus, ductile/brittle, anisotropy and Poisson's ratio on applied pressure are all calculated successfully. The results reveal that βTiNb alloy is mechanically stable under pressure below 23.45 GPa, and the pressure-induced phase transformation could occur beyond this critical value. Meanwhile, the applied pressure can effectively promote the mechanical properties of βTiNb alloy, including the resistances to volume change, elastic deformation and shear deformation, as well as the material ductility and metallicity. Furthermore, the calculated electronic structures testify that βTiNb alloy performs the metallicity and the higher pressure reduces the structural stability of unit cell.

Underlying mechanisms and the evolving influence of diet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Lesli Hingstrup

2012-01-01

Obesity is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. Since 2007, 52 genes have been associated with obesity and obesity-related measurements in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), among these the fat and obesity-associated gene (FTO). Despite the success in identifying genes predi...... and the microbiome that can be modified by diet, and by genotype, adding to the complexity of determining the contributors to obesity....... has been shown to attenuate the effect of FTO on obesity. Several studies have examined gene-diet interactions in relation to obesity, but only a few suggestive interactions have been identified. This is most probably due to small effect sizes of the interactions and thereby a demand for large samples...... to increased risk of developing obesity. Recently, the intestinal microbiome, the collected genome of the bacteria, also has been associated with obesity and with specific dietary profiles. The underlying mechanisms determining the susceptibility to obesity do not only include the genome but also the epigenome...

The mechanisms of determiner selection and its relation to lexical selection : An ERP study

NARCIS (Netherlands)