Sample records for elastic network modeling

  1. Distinct Tensile Response of Model Semi-flexible Elastomer Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aguilera-Mercado, Bernardo M.; Cohen, Claude; Escobedo, Fernando A.

    2011-03-01

    Through coarse-grained molecular modeling, we study how the elastic response strongly depends upon nanostructural heterogeneities in model networks made of semi-flexible chains exhibiting both regular and realistic connectivity. Idealized regular polymer networks have been shown to display a peculiar elastic response similar to that of super-tough natural materials (e.g., organic adhesives inside abalone shells). We investigate the impact of chain stiffness, and the effect of including tri-block copolymer chains, on the network's topology and elastic response. We find in some systems a dual tensile response: a liquid-like behavior at small deformations, and a distinct saw-tooth shaped stress-strain curve at moderate to large deformations. Additionally, stiffer regular networks exhibit a marked hysteresis over loading-unloading cycles that can be deleted by heating-cooling cycles or by performing deformations along different axes. Furthermore, small variations of chain stiffness may entirely change the nature of the network's tensile response from an entropic to an enthalpic elastic regime, and micro-phase separation of different blocks within elastomer networks may significantly enhance their mechanical strength. This work was supported by the American Chemical Society.

  2. The performance of fine-grained and coarse-grained elastic network models and its dependence on various factors.

    PubMed

    Na, Hyuntae; Song, Guang

    2015-07-01

    In a recent work we developed a method for deriving accurate simplified models that capture the essentials of conventional all-atom NMA and identified two best simplified models: ssNMA and eANM, both of which have a significantly higher correlation with NMA in mean square fluctuation calculations than existing elastic network models such as ANM and ANMr2, a variant of ANM that uses the inverse of the squared separation distances as spring constants. Here, we examine closely how the performance of these elastic network models depends on various factors, namely, the presence of hydrogen atoms in the model, the quality of input structures, and the effect of crystal packing. The study reveals the strengths and limitations of these models. Our results indicate that ssNMA and eANM are the best fine-grained elastic network models but their performance is sensitive to the quality of input structures. When the quality of input structures is poor, ANMr2 is a good alternative for computing mean-square fluctuations while ANM model is a good alternative for obtaining normal modes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Experimental Observation of Two Features Unexpected from the Classical Theories of Rubber Elasticity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishi, Kengo; Fujii, Kenta; Chung, Ung-il; Shibayama, Mitsuhiro; Sakai, Takamasa

    2017-12-01

    Although the elastic modulus of a Gaussian chain network is thought to be successfully described by classical theories of rubber elasticity, such as the affine and phantom models, verification experiments are largely lacking owing to difficulties in precisely controlling of the network structure. We prepared well-defined model polymer networks experimentally, and measured the elastic modulus G for a broad range of polymer concentrations and connectivity probabilities, p . In our experiment, we observed two features that were distinct from those predicted by classical theories. First, we observed the critical behavior G ˜|p -pc|1.95 near the sol-gel transition. This scaling law is different from the prediction of classical theories, but can be explained by analogy between the electric conductivity of resistor networks and the elasticity of polymer networks. Here, pc is the sol-gel transition point. Furthermore, we found that the experimental G -p relations in the region above C* did not follow the affine or phantom theories. Instead, all the G /G0-p curves fell onto a single master curve when G was normalized by the elastic modulus at p =1 , G0. We show that the effective medium approximation for Gaussian chain networks explains this master curve.

  4. Recursive regularization for inferring gene networks from time-course gene expression profiles

    PubMed Central

    Shimamura, Teppei; Imoto, Seiya; Yamaguchi, Rui; Fujita, André; Nagasaki, Masao; Miyano, Satoru

    2009-01-01

    Background Inferring gene networks from time-course microarray experiments with vector autoregressive (VAR) model is the process of identifying functional associations between genes through multivariate time series. This problem can be cast as a variable selection problem in Statistics. One of the promising methods for variable selection is the elastic net proposed by Zou and Hastie (2005). However, VAR modeling with the elastic net succeeds in increasing the number of true positives while it also results in increasing the number of false positives. Results By incorporating relative importance of the VAR coefficients into the elastic net, we propose a new class of regularization, called recursive elastic net, to increase the capability of the elastic net and estimate gene networks based on the VAR model. The recursive elastic net can reduce the number of false positives gradually by updating the importance. Numerical simulations and comparisons demonstrate that the proposed method succeeds in reducing the number of false positives drastically while keeping the high number of true positives in the network inference and achieves two or more times higher true discovery rate (the proportion of true positives among the selected edges) than the competing methods even when the number of time points is small. We also compared our method with various reverse-engineering algorithms on experimental data of MCF-7 breast cancer cells stimulated with two ErbB ligands, EGF and HRG. Conclusion The recursive elastic net is a powerful tool for inferring gene networks from time-course gene expression profiles. PMID:19386091

  5. A new paradigm for the molecular basis of rubber elasticity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hanson, David E.; Barber, John L.

    The molecular basis for rubber elasticity is arguably the oldest and one of the most important questions in the field of polymer physics. The theoretical investigation of rubber elasticity began in earnest almost a century ago with the development of analytic thermodynamic models, based on simple, highly-symmetric configurations of so-called Gaussian chains, i.e. polymer chains that obey Markov statistics. Numerous theories have been proposed over the past 90 years based on the ansatz that the elastic force for individual network chains arises from the entropy change associated with the distribution of end-to-end distances of a free polymer chain. There aremore » serious philosophical objections to this assumption and others, such as the assumption that all network nodes undergo affine motion and that all of the network chains have the same length. Recently, a new paradigm for elasticity in rubber networks has been proposed that is based on mechanisms that originate at the molecular level. Using conventional statistical mechanics analyses, quantum chemistry, and molecular dynamics simulations, the fundamental entropic and enthalpic chain extension forces for polyisoprene (natural rubber) have been determined, along with estimates for the basic force constants. Concurrently, the complex morphology of natural rubber networks (the joint probability density distributions that relate the chain end-to-end distance to its contour length) has also been captured in a numerical model. When molecular chain forces are merged with the network structure in this model, it is possible to study the mechanical response to tensile and compressive strains of a representative volume element of a polymer network. As strain is imposed on a network, pathways of connected taut chains, that completely span the network along strain axis, emerge. Although these chains represent only a few percent of the total, they account for nearly all of the elastic stress at high strain. Here we provide a brief review of previous elasticity theories and their deficiencies, and present a new paradigm with an emphasis on experimental comparisons.« less

  6. A new paradigm for the molecular basis of rubber elasticity

    DOE PAGES

    Hanson, David E.; Barber, John L.

    2015-02-19

    The molecular basis for rubber elasticity is arguably the oldest and one of the most important questions in the field of polymer physics. The theoretical investigation of rubber elasticity began in earnest almost a century ago with the development of analytic thermodynamic models, based on simple, highly-symmetric configurations of so-called Gaussian chains, i.e. polymer chains that obey Markov statistics. Numerous theories have been proposed over the past 90 years based on the ansatz that the elastic force for individual network chains arises from the entropy change associated with the distribution of end-to-end distances of a free polymer chain. There aremore » serious philosophical objections to this assumption and others, such as the assumption that all network nodes undergo affine motion and that all of the network chains have the same length. Recently, a new paradigm for elasticity in rubber networks has been proposed that is based on mechanisms that originate at the molecular level. Using conventional statistical mechanics analyses, quantum chemistry, and molecular dynamics simulations, the fundamental entropic and enthalpic chain extension forces for polyisoprene (natural rubber) have been determined, along with estimates for the basic force constants. Concurrently, the complex morphology of natural rubber networks (the joint probability density distributions that relate the chain end-to-end distance to its contour length) has also been captured in a numerical model. When molecular chain forces are merged with the network structure in this model, it is possible to study the mechanical response to tensile and compressive strains of a representative volume element of a polymer network. As strain is imposed on a network, pathways of connected taut chains, that completely span the network along strain axis, emerge. Although these chains represent only a few percent of the total, they account for nearly all of the elastic stress at high strain. Here we provide a brief review of previous elasticity theories and their deficiencies, and present a new paradigm with an emphasis on experimental comparisons.« less

  7. A model for compression-weakening materials and the elastic fields due to contractile cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosakis, Phoebus; Notbohm, Jacob; Ravichandran, Guruswami

    2015-12-01

    We construct a homogeneous, nonlinear elastic constitutive law that models aspects of the mechanical behavior of inhomogeneous fibrin networks. Fibers in such networks buckle when in compression. We model this as a loss of stiffness in compression in the stress-strain relations of the homogeneous constitutive model. Problems that model a contracting biological cell in a finite matrix are solved. It is found that matrix displacements and stresses induced by cell contraction decay slower (with distance from the cell) in a compression weakening material than linear elasticity would predict. This points toward a mechanism for long-range cell mechanosensing. In contrast, an expanding cell would induce displacements that decay faster than in a linear elastic matrix.

  8. Inherently unstable networks collapse to a critical point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheinman, M.; Sharma, A.; Alvarado, J.; Koenderink, G. H.; MacKintosh, F. C.

    2015-07-01

    Nonequilibrium systems that are driven or drive themselves towards a critical point have been studied for almost three decades. Here we present a minimalist example of such a system, motivated by experiments on collapsing active elastic networks. Our model of an unstable elastic network exhibits a collapse towards a critical point from any macroscopically connected initial configuration. Taking into account steric interactions within the network, the model qualitatively and quantitatively reproduces results of the experiments on collapsing active gels.

  9. Elastic and thermal expansion asymmetry in dense molecular materials.

    PubMed

    Burg, Joseph A; Dauskardt, Reinhold H

    2016-09-01

    The elastic modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion are fundamental properties of elastically stiff molecular materials and are assumed to be the same (symmetric) under both tension and compression loading. We show that molecular materials can have a marked asymmetric elastic modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion that are inherently related to terminal chemical groups that limit molecular network connectivity. In compression, terminal groups sterically interact to stiffen the network, whereas in tension they interact less and disconnect the network. The existence of asymmetric elastic and thermal expansion behaviour has fundamental implications for computational approaches to molecular materials modelling and practical implications on the thermomechanical strains and associated elastic stresses. We develop a design space to control the degree of elastic asymmetry in molecular materials, a vital step towards understanding their integration into device technologies.

  10. Elastic Network Models For Biomolecular Dynamics: Theory and Application to Membrane Proteins and Viruses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lezon, Timothy R.; Shrivastava, Indira H.; Yang, Zheng; Bahar, Ivet

    The following sections are included: * Introduction * Theory and Assumptions * Statistical mechanical foundations * Anisotropic network models * Gaussian network model * Rigid block models * Treatment of perturbations * Langevin dynamics * Applications * Membrane proteins * Viruses * Conclusion * References

  11. Deformable complex network for refining low-resolution X-ray structures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Chong; Wang, Qinghua; Ma, Jianpeng, E-mail: jpma@bcm.edu

    2015-10-27

    A new refinement algorithm called the deformable complex network that combines a novel angular network-based restraint with a deformable elastic network model in the target function has been developed to aid in structural refinement in macromolecular X-ray crystallography. In macromolecular X-ray crystallography, building more accurate atomic models based on lower resolution experimental diffraction data remains a great challenge. Previous studies have used a deformable elastic network (DEN) model to aid in low-resolution structural refinement. In this study, the development of a new refinement algorithm called the deformable complex network (DCN) is reported that combines a novel angular network-based restraint withmore » the DEN model in the target function. Testing of DCN on a wide range of low-resolution structures demonstrated that it constantly leads to significantly improved structural models as judged by multiple refinement criteria, thus representing a new effective refinement tool for low-resolution structural determination.« less

  12. Elasticity in Physically Cross-Linked Amyloid Fibril Networks.

    PubMed

    Cao, Yiping; Bolisetty, Sreenath; Adamcik, Jozef; Mezzenga, Raffaele

    2018-04-13

    We provide a constitutive model of semiflexible and rigid amyloid fibril networks by combining the affine thermal model of network elasticity with the Derjaguin-Landau-Vervey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory of electrostatically charged colloids. When compared to rheological experiments on β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme amyloid networks, this approach provides the correct scaling of elasticity versus both concentration (G∼c^{2.2} and G∼c^{2.5} for semiflexible and rigid fibrils, respectively) and ionic strength (G∼I^{4.4} and G∼I^{3.8} for β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme, independent from fibril flexibility). The pivotal role played by the screening salt is to reduce the electrostatic barrier among amyloid fibrils, converting labile physical entanglements into long-lived cross-links. This gives a power-law behavior of G with I having exponents significantly larger than in other semiflexible polymer networks (e.g., actin) and carrying DLVO traits specific to the individual amyloid fibrils.

  13. Elasticity in Physically Cross-Linked Amyloid Fibril Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Yiping; Bolisetty, Sreenath; Adamcik, Jozef; Mezzenga, Raffaele

    2018-04-01

    We provide a constitutive model of semiflexible and rigid amyloid fibril networks by combining the affine thermal model of network elasticity with the Derjaguin-Landau-Vervey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory of electrostatically charged colloids. When compared to rheological experiments on β -lactoglobulin and lysozyme amyloid networks, this approach provides the correct scaling of elasticity versus both concentration (G ˜c2.2 and G ˜c2.5 for semiflexible and rigid fibrils, respectively) and ionic strength (G ˜I4.4 and G ˜I3.8 for β -lactoglobulin and lysozyme, independent from fibril flexibility). The pivotal role played by the screening salt is to reduce the electrostatic barrier among amyloid fibrils, converting labile physical entanglements into long-lived cross-links. This gives a power-law behavior of G with I having exponents significantly larger than in other semiflexible polymer networks (e.g., actin) and carrying DLVO traits specific to the individual amyloid fibrils.

  14. Refined elasticity sampling for Monte Carlo-based identification of stabilizing network patterns.

    PubMed

    Childs, Dorothee; Grimbs, Sergio; Selbig, Joachim

    2015-06-15

    Structural kinetic modelling (SKM) is a framework to analyse whether a metabolic steady state remains stable under perturbation, without requiring detailed knowledge about individual rate equations. It provides a representation of the system's Jacobian matrix that depends solely on the network structure, steady state measurements, and the elasticities at the steady state. For a measured steady state, stability criteria can be derived by generating a large number of SKMs with randomly sampled elasticities and evaluating the resulting Jacobian matrices. The elasticity space can be analysed statistically in order to detect network positions that contribute significantly to the perturbation response. Here, we extend this approach by examining the kinetic feasibility of the elasticity combinations created during Monte Carlo sampling. Using a set of small example systems, we show that the majority of sampled SKMs would yield negative kinetic parameters if they were translated back into kinetic models. To overcome this problem, a simple criterion is formulated that mitigates such infeasible models. After evaluating the small example pathways, the methodology was used to study two steady states of the neuronal TCA cycle and the intrinsic mechanisms responsible for their stability or instability. The findings of the statistical elasticity analysis confirm that several elasticities are jointly coordinated to control stability and that the main source for potential instabilities are mutations in the enzyme alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  15. Hybrid services efficient provisioning over the network coding-enabled elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xin; Gu, Rentao; Ji, Yuefeng; Kavehrad, Mohsen

    2017-03-01

    As a variety of services have emerged, hybrid services have become more common in real optical networks. Although the elastic spectrum resource optimizations over the elastic optical networks (EONs) have been widely investigated, little research has been carried out on the hybrid services of the routing and spectrum allocation (RSA), especially over the network coding-enabled EON. We investigated the RSA for the unicast service and network coding-based multicast service over the network coding-enabled EON with the constraints of time delay and transmission distance. To address this issue, a mathematical model was built to minimize the total spectrum consumption for the hybrid services over the network coding-enabled EON under the constraints of time delay and transmission distance. The model guarantees different routing constraints for different types of services. The immediate nodes over the network coding-enabled EON are assumed to be capable of encoding the flows for different kinds of information. We proposed an efficient heuristic algorithm of the network coding-based adaptive routing and layered graph-based spectrum allocation algorithm (NCAR-LGSA). From the simulation results, NCAR-LGSA shows highly efficient performances in terms of the spectrum resources utilization under different network scenarios compared with the benchmark algorithms.

  16. Anharmonic Normal Mode Analysis of Elastic Network Model Improves the Modeling of Atomic Fluctuations in Protein Crystal Structures

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Wenjun

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Protein conformational dynamics, despite its significant anharmonicity, has been widely explored by normal mode analysis (NMA) based on atomic or coarse-grained potential functions. To account for the anharmonic aspects of protein dynamics, this study proposes, and has performed, an anharmonic NMA (ANMA) based on the Cα-only elastic network models, which assume elastic interactions between pairs of residues whose Cα atoms or heavy atoms are within a cutoff distance. The key step of ANMA is to sample an anharmonic potential function along the directions of eigenvectors of the lowest normal modes to determine the mean-squared fluctuations along these directions. ANMA was evaluated based on the modeling of anisotropic displacement parameters (ADPs) from a list of 83 high-resolution protein crystal structures. Significant improvement was found in the modeling of ADPs by ANMA compared with standard NMA. Further improvement in the modeling of ADPs is attained if the interactions between a protein and its crystalline environment are taken into account. In addition, this study has determined the optimal cutoff distances for ADP modeling based on elastic network models, and these agree well with the peaks of the statistical distributions of distances between Cα atoms or heavy atoms derived from a large set of protein crystal structures. PMID:20550915

  17. Virtual optical network mapping and core allocation in elastic optical networks using multi-core fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xuan, Hejun; Wang, Yuping; Xu, Zhanqi; Hao, Shanshan; Wang, Xiaoli

    2017-11-01

    Virtualization technology can greatly improve the efficiency of the networks by allowing the virtual optical networks to share the resources of the physical networks. However, it will face some challenges, such as finding the efficient strategies for virtual nodes mapping, virtual links mapping and spectrum assignment. It is even more complex and challenging when the physical elastic optical networks using multi-core fibers. To tackle these challenges, we establish a constrained optimization model to determine the optimal schemes of optical network mapping, core allocation and spectrum assignment. To solve the model efficiently, tailor-made encoding scheme, crossover and mutation operators are designed. Based on these, an efficient genetic algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal schemes of the virtual nodes mapping, virtual links mapping, core allocation. The simulation experiments are conducted on three widely used networks, and the experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm.

  18. Simulation of the mechanical behavior of random fiber networks with different microstructure.

    PubMed

    Hatami-Marbini, H

    2018-05-24

    Filamentous protein networks are broadly encountered in biological systems such as cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix. Many numerical studies have been conducted to better understand the fundamental mechanisms behind the striking mechanical properties of these networks. In most of these previous numerical models, the Mikado algorithm has been used to represent the network microstructure. Here, a different algorithm is used to create random fiber networks in order to investigate possible roles of architecture on the elastic behavior of filamentous networks. In particular, random fibrous structures are generated from the growth of individual fibers from random nucleation points. We use computer simulations to determine the mechanical behavior of these networks in terms of their model parameters. The findings are presented and discussed along with the response of Mikado fiber networks. We demonstrate that these alternative networks and Mikado networks show a qualitatively similar response. Nevertheless, the overall elasticity of Mikado networks is stiffer compared to that of the networks created using the alternative algorithm. We describe the effective elasticity of both network types as a function of their line density and of the material properties of the filaments. We also characterize the ratio of bending and axial energy and discuss the behavior of these networks in terms of their fiber density distribution and coordination number.

  19. Drainage fracture networks in elastic solids with internal fluid generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobchenko, Maya; Hafver, Andreas; Jettestuen, Espen; Galland, Olivier; Renard, François; Meakin, Paul; Jamtveit, Bjørn; Dysthe, Dag K.

    2013-06-01

    Experiments in which CO2 gas was generated by the yeast fermentation of sugar in an elastic layer of gelatine gel confined between two glass plates are described and analyzed theoretically. The CO2 gas pressure causes the gel layer to fracture. The gas produced is drained on short length scales by diffusion and on long length scales by flow in a fracture network, which has topological properties that are intermediate between river networks and hierarchical-fracture networks. A simple model for the experimental system with two parameters that characterize the disorder and the intermediate (river-fracture) topology of the network was developed and the results of the model were compared with the experimental results.

  20. Raman microspectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for the non-invasive analysis of fibrillin-1 deficiency in the skin and in the in vitro skin models.

    PubMed

    Brauchle, Eva; Bauer, Hannah; Fernes, Patrick; Zuk, Alexandra; Schenke-Layland, Katja; Sengle, Gerhard

    2017-04-01

    Fibrillin microfibrils and elastic fibers are critical determinants of elastic tissues where they define as tissue-specific architectures vital mechanical properties such as pliability and elastic recoil. Fibrillin microfibrils also facilitate elastic fiber formation and support the association of epithelial cells with the interstitial matrix. Mutations in fibrillin-1 (FBN1) are causative for the Marfan syndrome, a congenital multisystem disorder characterized by progressive deterioration of the fibrillin microfibril/ elastic fiber architecture in the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, ocular, and dermal system. In this study, we utilized Raman microspectroscopy in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) to analyze the molecular consequences of fibrillin-1 deficiency in skin of a mouse model (GT8) of Marfan syndrome. In addition, full-thickness skin models incorporating murine wild-type and Fbn1 GT8/GT8 fibroblasts as well as human HaCaT keratinocytes were generated and analyzed. Skin models containing GT8 fibroblasts showed an altered epidermal morphology when compared to wild-type models indicating a new role for fibrillin-1 in dermal-epidermal crosstalk. Obtained Raman spectra together with PCA allowed to discriminate between healthy and deficient microfibrillar networks in murine dermis and skin models. Interestingly, results obtained from GT8 dermis and skin models showed similar alterations in molecular signatures triggered by fibrillin-1 deficiency such as amide III vibrations and decreased levels of glycan vibrations. Overall, this study indicates that Raman microspectroscopy has the potential to analyze subtle changes in fibrillin-1 microfibrils and elastic fiber networks. Therefore Raman microspectroscopy may be utilized as a non-invasive and sensitive diagnostic tool to identify connective tissue disorders and monitor their disease progression. Mutations in building blocks of the fibrillin microfibril/ elastic fiber network manifest in disease conditions such as aneurysms, emphysema or lax skin. Understanding how structural changes induced by fibrillin-1 mutation impact the architecture of fibrillin microfibrils, which then translates into an altered activation state of targeted growth factors, represents a huge challenge in elucidating the genotype-phenotype correlations in connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome. This study shows that Raman microspectroscopy is able to reveal structural changes in fibrillin-1 microfibrils and elastic fiber networks and to discriminate between normal and diseased networks in vivo and in vitro. Therefore Raman microspectroscopy may be utilized as a non-invasive and sensitive diagnostic tool to identify connective tissue disorders and monitor their disease progression. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Anisotropy of fluctuation dynamics of proteins with an elastic network model.

    PubMed Central

    Atilgan, A R; Durell, S R; Jernigan, R L; Demirel, M C; Keskin, O; Bahar, I

    2001-01-01

    Fluctuations about the native conformation of proteins have proven to be suitably reproduced with a simple elastic network model, which has shown excellent agreement with a number of different properties for a wide variety of proteins. This scalar model simply investigates the magnitudes of motion of individual residues in the structure. To use the elastic model approach further for developing the details of protein mechanisms, it becomes essential to expand this model to include the added details of the directions of individual residue fluctuations. In this paper a new tool is presented for this purpose and applied to the retinol-binding protein, which indicates enhanced flexibility in the region of entry to the ligand binding site and for the portion of the protein binding to its carrier protein. PMID:11159421

  2. Model of a Soft Robotic Actuator with Embedded Fluidic Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gamus, Benny; Or, Yizhar; Gat, Amir

    2017-11-01

    Soft robotics is an emerging bio-inspired concept of actuation, with promising applications for robotic locomotion and manipulation. Focusing on actuation by pressurized embedded fluidic networks, we present analytic formulation and closed-form solutions of an elastic actuator with pressurized fluidic networks. In this work we account for the effects of solid inertia and elasticity, as well as fluid viscosity, which allows modelling the system's step-response and frequency response as well as suggesting mode elimination and isolation techniques. We also present and model the application of viscous-peeling as an actuation mechanism, simplifying the fabrication process by eliminating the need for internal cavities. The theoretical results describing the viscous-elastic-inertial dynamics of the actuator are illustrated by experiments. The approach presented in this work may pave the way for the design and implementation of soft robotic legged locomotion that exploits dynamic effects.

  3. In Silico Reconstitution of Actin-Based Symmetry Breaking and Motility

    PubMed Central

    Dayel, Mark J.; Akin, Orkun; Landeryou, Mark; Risca, Viviana; Mogilner, Alex; Mullins, R. Dyche

    2009-01-01

    Eukaryotic cells assemble viscoelastic networks of crosslinked actin filaments to control their shape, mechanical properties, and motility. One important class of actin network is nucleated by the Arp2/3 complex and drives both membrane protrusion at the leading edge of motile cells and intracellular motility of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. These networks can be reconstituted in vitro from purified components to drive the motility of spherical micron-sized beads. An Elastic Gel model has been successful in explaining how these networks break symmetry, but how they produce directed motile force has been less clear. We have combined numerical simulations with in vitro experiments to reconstitute the behavior of these motile actin networks in silico using an Accumulative Particle-Spring (APS) model that builds on the Elastic Gel model, and demonstrates simple intuitive mechanisms for both symmetry breaking and sustained motility. The APS model explains observed transitions between smooth and pulsatile motion as well as subtle variations in network architecture caused by differences in geometry and conditions. Our findings also explain sideways symmetry breaking and motility of elongated beads, and show that elastic recoil, though important for symmetry breaking and pulsatile motion, is not necessary for smooth directional motility. The APS model demonstrates how a small number of viscoelastic network parameters and construction rules suffice to recapture the complex behavior of motile actin networks. The fact that the model not only mirrors our in vitro observations, but also makes novel predictions that we confirm by experiment, suggests that the model captures much of the essence of actin-based motility in this system. PMID:19771152

  4. Greenland GPS network: Measurements and Models of 3D Elastic deformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, S. A.; van Dam, T. M.; Bevis, M. G.; Sasgen, I.; Bamber, J. L.; Helm, V.; Bjork, A. A.; Liu, L.; Kjaer, K. H.; Knudsen, P.; Kjeldsen, K. K.

    2017-12-01

    The Greenland GPS Network (GNET) uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to measure the displacement of bedrock exposed near the margins of the Greenland ice sheet. The entire network is uplifting in response to past and present-day changes in ice mass. Here, we focus on present-day changes and compare measurements with models. To retrieve 3D elastic displacements from GPS time series, we correct our observations for glacial-isostatic adjustment and tectonic plate motion, and study the effect of the underlying mantle viscosity, ice load history and Euler parameters. To model 3D elastic displacements, we first estimate mass loss using 1995-2014 NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) flights derived altimetry, supplemented with laser altimetry observations from the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) during 2003-2009; the airborne Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) instrument during 2007-2013; radar altimetry from the CryoSat-2 satellite during 2010-2017; and European Remote-Sensing Satellite-1 (ERS-1) and ERS-2 data during 1995-2003. We converted the volume loss rate into a mass loss rate accounting for firn compaction as described by Kuipers Munneke et al. (2015). We predict the elastic displacements by convolving mass loss estimates with Green's functions for vertical and horizontal displacements. We use a variety of elastic Green's functions and mass change grid resolutions, respectively, to study the sensitivity of 3D elastic deformation on Earth model parameters different from the Preliminary Reference Earth Reference Model (PREM; Dziewonski & Anderson 1981) and the forcing ice load.

  5. ChainMail based neural dynamics modeling of soft tissue deformation for surgical simulation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jinao; Zhong, Yongmin; Smith, Julian; Gu, Chengfan

    2017-07-20

    Realistic and real-time modeling and simulation of soft tissue deformation is a fundamental research issue in the field of surgical simulation. In this paper, a novel cellular neural network approach is presented for modeling and simulation of soft tissue deformation by combining neural dynamics of cellular neural network with ChainMail mechanism. The proposed method formulates the problem of elastic deformation into cellular neural network activities to avoid the complex computation of elasticity. The local position adjustments of ChainMail are incorporated into the cellular neural network as the local connectivity of cells, through which the dynamic behaviors of soft tissue deformation are transformed into the neural dynamics of cellular neural network. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed neural network approach is capable of modeling the soft tissues' nonlinear deformation and typical mechanical behaviors. The proposed method not only improves ChainMail's linear deformation with the nonlinear characteristics of neural dynamics but also enables the cellular neural network to follow the principle of continuum mechanics to simulate soft tissue deformation.

  6. Normal Stresses, Contraction, and Stiffening in Sheared Elastic Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baumgarten, Karsten; Tighe, Brian P.

    2018-04-01

    When elastic solids are sheared, a nonlinear effect named after Poynting gives rise to normal stresses or changes in volume. We provide a novel relation between the Poynting effect and the microscopic Grüneisen parameter, which quantifies how stretching shifts vibrational modes. By applying this relation to random spring networks, a minimal model for, e.g., biopolymer gels and solid foams, we find that networks contract or develop tension because they vibrate faster when stretched. The amplitude of the Poynting effect is sensitive to the network's linear elastic moduli, which can be tuned via its preparation protocol and connectivity. Finally, we show that the Poynting effect can be used to predict the finite strain scale where the material stiffens under shear.

  7. The Role of Network Architecture in Collagen Mechanics.

    PubMed

    Jansen, Karin A; Licup, Albert J; Sharma, Abhinav; Rens, Robbie; MacKintosh, Fred C; Koenderink, Gijsje H

    2018-06-05

    Collagen forms fibrous networks that reinforce tissues and provide an extracellular matrix for cells. These networks exhibit remarkable strain-stiffening properties that tailor the mechanical functions of tissues and regulate cell behavior. Recent models explain this nonlinear behavior as an intrinsic feature of disordered networks of stiff fibers. Here, we experimentally validate this theoretical framework by measuring the elastic properties of collagen networks over a wide range of self-assembly conditions. We show that the model allows us to quantitatively relate both the linear and nonlinear elastic behavior of collagen networks to their underlying architecture. Specifically, we identify the local coordination number (or connectivity) 〈z〉 as a key architectural parameter that governs the elastic response of collagen. The network elastic response reveals that 〈z〉 decreases from 3.5 to 3 as the polymerization temperature is raised from 26 to 37°C while being weakly dependent on concentration. We furthermore infer a Young's modulus of 1.1 MPa for the collagen fibrils from the linear modulus. Scanning electron microscopy confirms that 〈z〉 is between three and four but is unable to detect the subtle changes in 〈z〉 with polymerization conditions that rheology is sensitive to. Finally, we show that, consistent with the model, the initial stress-stiffening response of collagen networks is controlled by the negative normal stress that builds up under shear. Our work provides a predictive framework to facilitate future studies of the regulatory effect of extracellular matrix molecules on collagen mechanics. Moreover, our findings can aid mechanobiological studies of wound healing, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis, which require collagen matrices with tunable mechanical properties. Copyright © 2018 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Packing Regularities in Biological Structures Relate to Their Dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Jernigan, Robert L.; Kloczkowski, Andrzej

    2007-01-01

    The high packing density inside proteins leads to certain geometric regularities and also is one of the most important contributors to the high extent of cooperativity manifested by proteins in their cohesive domain motions. The orientations between neighboring non-bonded residues in proteins substantially follow the similar geometric regularities, regardless of whether the residues are on the surface or buried - a direct result of hydrophobicity forces. These orientations are relatively fixed and correspond closely to small deformations from those of the face-centered cubic lattice, which is the way in which identical spheres pack at the highest density. Packing density also is related to the extent of conservation of residues, and we show this relationship for residue packing densities by averaging over a large sample or residue packings. There are three regimes: 1) over a broad range of packing densities the relationship between sequence entropy and inverse packing density is nearly linear, 2) over a limited range of low packing densities the sequence entropy is nearly constant, and 3) at extremely low packing densities the sequence entropy is highly variable. These packing results provide important justification for the simple elastic network models that have been shown for a large number of proteins to represent protein dynamics so successfully, even when the models are extremely coarse-grained. Elastic network models for polymeric chains are simple and could be combined with these protein elastic networks to represent partially denatured parts of proteins. Finally, we show results of applications of the elastic network model to study the functional motions of the ribosome, based on its known structure. These results indicate expected correlations among its components for the step-wise processing steps in protein synthesis, and suggest ways to use these elastic network models to develop more detailed mechanisms - an important possibility, since most experiments yield only static structures. PMID:16957327

  9. Elastic collapse in disordered isostatic networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moukarzel, C. F.

    2012-02-01

    Isostatic networks are minimally rigid and therefore have, generically, nonzero elastic moduli. Regular isostatic networks have finite moduli in the limit of large sizes. However, numerical simulations show that all elastic moduli of geometrically disordered isostatic networks go to zero with system size. This holds true for positional as well as for topological disorder. In most cases, elastic moduli decrease as inverse power laws of system size. On directed isostatic networks, however, of which the square and cubic lattices are particular cases, the decrease of the moduli is exponential with size. For these, the observed elastic weakening can be quantitatively described in terms of the multiplicative growth of stresses with system size, giving rise to bulk and shear moduli of order e-bL. The case of sphere packings, which only accept compressive contact forces, is considered separately. It is argued that these have a finite bulk modulus because of specific correlations in contact disorder, introduced by the constraint of compressivity. We discuss why their shear modulus, nevertheless, is again zero for large sizes. A quantitative model is proposed that describes the numerically measured shear modulus, both as a function of the loading angle and system size. In all cases, if a density p>0 of overconstraints is present, as when a packing is deformed by compression or when a glass is outside its isostatic composition window, all asymptotic moduli become finite. For square networks with periodic boundary conditions, these are of order \\sqrt{p} . For directed networks, elastic moduli are of order e-c/p, indicating the existence of an "isostatic length scale" of order 1/p.

  10. A mass weighted chemical elastic network model elucidates closed form domain motions in proteins

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Min Hyeok; Seo, Sangjae; Jeong, Jay Il; Kim, Bum Joon; Liu, Wing Kam; Lim, Byeong Soo; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Moon Ki

    2013-01-01

    An elastic network model (ENM), usually Cα coarse-grained one, has been widely used to study protein dynamics as an alternative to classical molecular dynamics simulation. This simple approach dramatically saves the computational cost, but sometimes fails to describe a feasible conformational change due to unrealistically excessive spring connections. To overcome this limitation, we propose a mass-weighted chemical elastic network model (MWCENM) in which the total mass of each residue is assumed to be concentrated on the representative alpha carbon atom and various stiffness values are precisely assigned according to the types of chemical interactions. We test MWCENM on several well-known proteins of which both closed and open conformations are available as well as three α-helix rich proteins. Their normal mode analysis reveals that MWCENM not only generates more plausible conformational changes, especially for closed forms of proteins, but also preserves protein secondary structures thus distinguishing MWCENM from traditional ENMs. In addition, MWCENM also reduces computational burden by using a more sparse stiffness matrix. PMID:23456820

  11. A collagen and elastic network in the wing of the bat.

    PubMed

    Holbrook, K A; Odland, G F

    1978-05-01

    Bundles of collagen fibrils, elastic fibres and fibroblasts are organized into a network that lies in the plane of a large portion of the bat wing. By ultrastructural (TEM and SEM) and biochemical analyses it was found that individual bundles of the net are similar to elastic ligaments. Although elastic fibres predominate, they are integrated and aligned in parallel with small bundles of collagen. A reticulum of fibroblasts, joined by focal junctions, forms a cellular framework throughout each bundle. Because of the unique features of the fibre bundles of the bat's wing, in particular their accessibility, and the parallel alignment of the collagen fibrils and elastic fibres in each easily isolatable fibre bundle, they should prove a most valuable model for connective tissue studies, particularly for the study of collagen-elastin interactions.

  12. New optimization model for routing and spectrum assignment with nodes insecurity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xuan, Hejun; Wang, Yuping; Xu, Zhanqi; Hao, Shanshan; Wang, Xiaoli

    2017-04-01

    By adopting the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing technology, elastic optical networks can provide the flexible and variable bandwidth allocation to each connection request and get higher spectrum utilization. The routing and spectrum assignment problem in elastic optical network is a well-known NP-hard problem. In addition, information security has received worldwide attention. We combine these two problems to investigate the routing and spectrum assignment problem with the guaranteed security in elastic optical network, and establish a new optimization model to minimize the maximum index of the used frequency slots, which is used to determine an optimal routing and spectrum assignment schemes. To solve the model effectively, a hybrid genetic algorithm framework integrating a heuristic algorithm into a genetic algorithm is proposed. The heuristic algorithm is first used to sort the connection requests and then the genetic algorithm is designed to look for an optimal routing and spectrum assignment scheme. In the genetic algorithm, tailor-made crossover, mutation and local search operators are designed. Moreover, simulation experiments are conducted with three heuristic strategies, and the experimental results indicate that the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm framework.

  13. Multiscale virtual particle based elastic network model (MVP-ENM) for normal mode analysis of large-sized biomolecules.

    PubMed

    Xia, Kelin

    2017-12-20

    In this paper, a multiscale virtual particle based elastic network model (MVP-ENM) is proposed for the normal mode analysis of large-sized biomolecules. The multiscale virtual particle (MVP) model is proposed for the discretization of biomolecular density data. With this model, large-sized biomolecular structures can be coarse-grained into virtual particles such that a balance between model accuracy and computational cost can be achieved. An elastic network is constructed by assuming "connections" between virtual particles. The connection is described by a special harmonic potential function, which considers the influence from both the mass distributions and distance relations of the virtual particles. Two independent models, i.e., the multiscale virtual particle based Gaussian network model (MVP-GNM) and the multiscale virtual particle based anisotropic network model (MVP-ANM), are proposed. It has been found that in the Debye-Waller factor (B-factor) prediction, the results from our MVP-GNM with a high resolution are as good as the ones from GNM. Even with low resolutions, our MVP-GNM can still capture the global behavior of the B-factor very well with mismatches predominantly from the regions with large B-factor values. Further, it has been demonstrated that the low-frequency eigenmodes from our MVP-ANM are highly consistent with the ones from ANM even with very low resolutions and a coarse grid. Finally, the great advantage of MVP-ANM model for large-sized biomolecules has been demonstrated by using two poliovirus virus structures. The paper ends with a conclusion.

  14. The flow of power law fluids in elastic networks and porous media.

    PubMed

    Sochi, Taha

    2016-02-01

    The flow of power law fluids, which include shear thinning and shear thickening as well as Newtonian as a special case, in networks of interconnected elastic tubes is investigated using a residual-based pore scale network modeling method with the employment of newly derived formulae. Two relations describing the mechanical interaction between the local pressure and local cross-sectional area in distensible tubes of elastic nature are considered in the derivation of these formulae. The model can be used to describe shear dependent flows of mainly viscous nature. The behavior of the proposed model is vindicated by several tests in a number of special and limiting cases where the results can be verified quantitatively or qualitatively. The model, which is the first of its kind, incorporates more than one major nonlinearity corresponding to the fluid rheology and conduit mechanical properties, that is non-Newtonian effects and tube distensibility. The formulation, implementation, and performance indicate that the model enjoys certain advantages over the existing models such as being exact within the restricting assumptions on which the model is based, easy implementation, low computational costs, reliability, and smooth convergence. The proposed model can, therefore, be used as an alternative to the existing Newtonian distensible models; moreover, it stretches the capabilities of the existing modeling approaches to reach non-Newtonian rheologies.

  15. Reduced-Order Modeling for Flutter/LCO Using Recurrent Artificial Neural Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yao, Weigang; Liou, Meng-Sing

    2012-01-01

    The present study demonstrates the efficacy of a recurrent artificial neural network to provide a high fidelity time-dependent nonlinear reduced-order model (ROM) for flutter/limit-cycle oscillation (LCO) modeling. An artificial neural network is a relatively straightforward nonlinear method for modeling an input-output relationship from a set of known data, for which we use the radial basis function (RBF) with its parameters determined through a training process. The resulting RBF neural network, however, is only static and is not yet adequate for an application to problems of dynamic nature. The recurrent neural network method [1] is applied to construct a reduced order model resulting from a series of high-fidelity time-dependent data of aero-elastic simulations. Once the RBF neural network ROM is constructed properly, an accurate approximate solution can be obtained at a fraction of the cost of a full-order computation. The method derived during the study has been validated for predicting nonlinear aerodynamic forces in transonic flow and is capable of accurate flutter/LCO simulations. The obtained results indicate that the present recurrent RBF neural network is accurate and efficient for nonlinear aero-elastic system analysis

  16. Elastic network model of learned maintained contacts to predict protein motion

    PubMed Central

    Putz, Ines

    2017-01-01

    We present a novel elastic network model, lmcENM, to determine protein motion even for localized functional motions that involve substantial changes in the protein’s contact topology. Existing elastic network models assume that the contact topology remains unchanged throughout the motion and are thus most appropriate to simulate highly collective function-related movements. lmcENM uses machine learning to differentiate breaking from maintained contacts. We show that lmcENM accurately captures functional transitions unexplained by the classical ENM and three reference ENM variants, while preserving the simplicity of classical ENM. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on a large set of proteins covering different motion types. Our results suggest that accurately predicting a “deformation-invariant” contact topology offers a promising route to increase the general applicability of ENMs. We also find that to correctly predict this contact topology a combination of several features seems to be relevant which may vary slightly depending on the protein. Additionally, we present case studies of two biologically interesting systems, Ferric Citrate membrane transporter FecA and Arachidonate 15-Lipoxygenase. PMID:28854238

  17. New generation of elastic network models.

    PubMed

    López-Blanco, José Ramón; Chacón, Pablo

    2016-04-01

    The intrinsic flexibility of proteins and nucleic acids can be grasped from remarkably simple mechanical models of particles connected by springs. In recent decades, Elastic Network Models (ENMs) combined with Normal Model Analysis widely confirmed their ability to predict biologically relevant motions of biomolecules and soon became a popular methodology to reveal large-scale dynamics in multiple structural biology scenarios. The simplicity, robustness, low computational cost, and relatively high accuracy are the reasons behind the success of ENMs. This review focuses on recent advances in the development and application of ENMs, paying particular attention to combinations with experimental data. Successful application scenarios include large macromolecular machines, structural refinement, docking, and evolutionary conservation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Simulation of Blast Loading on an Ultrastructurally-based Computational Model of the Ocular Lens

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    organelles. Additionally, the cell membranes demonstrated the classic ball-and-socket loops . For the SEM images, they were placed in two fixatives and mounted...considered (fibrous network and matrix), both components are modelled using a hyper - elastic framework, and the resulting constitutive model is embedded in a...within the framework of hyper - elasticity). Full details on the linearization procedures that were adopted in these previous models or the convergence

  19. Local structure controls the nonaffine shear and bulk moduli of disordered solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schlegel, M.; Brujic, J.; Terentjev, E. M.; Zaccone, A.

    2016-01-01

    Paradigmatic model systems, which are used to study the mechanical response of matter, are random networks of point-atoms, random sphere packings, or simple crystal lattices; all of these models assume central-force interactions between particles/atoms. Each of these models differs in the spatial arrangement and the correlations among particles. In turn, this is reflected in the widely different behaviours of the shear (G) and compression (K) elastic moduli. The relation between the macroscopic elasticity as encoded in G, K and their ratio, and the microscopic lattice structure/order, is not understood. We provide a quantitative analytical connection between the local orientational order and the elasticity in model amorphous solids with different internal microstructure, focusing on the two opposite limits of packings (strong excluded-volume) and networks (no excluded-volume). The theory predicts that, in packings, the local orientational order due to excluded-volume causes less nonaffinity (less softness or larger stiffness) under compression than under shear. This leads to lower values of G/K, a well-documented phenomenon which was lacking a microscopic explanation. The theory also provides an excellent one-parameter description of the elasticity of compressed emulsions in comparison with experimental data over a broad range of packing fractions.

  20. Mechanical and structural model of fractal networks of fat crystals at low deformations.

    PubMed

    Narine, S S; Marangoni, A G

    1999-12-01

    Fat-crystal networks demonstrate viscoelastic behavior at very small deformations. A structural model of these networks is described and supported by polarized light and atomic-force microscopy. A mechanical model is described which allows the shear elastic modulus (G') of the system to be correlated with forces acting within the network. The fractal arrangement of the network at certain length scales is taken into consideration. It is assumed that the forces acting are due to van der Waals forces. The final expression for G' is related to the volume fraction of solid fat (Phi) via the mass fractal dimension (D) of the network, which agrees with the experimental verification of the scaling behavior of fat-crystal networks [S. S. Narine and A. G. Marangoni, Phys. Rev. E 59, 1908 (1999)]. G' was also found to be inversely proportional to the diameter of the primary particles (sigma approximately equal to 6 microm) within the network (microstructural elements) as well as to the diameter of the microstructures (xi approximately equal to 100 microm) and inversely proportional to the cube of the intermicrostructural element distance (d(0)). This formulation of the elastic modulus agrees well with experimental observations.

  1. Solvated dissipative electro-elastic network model of hydrated proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Daniel

    2013-03-01

    Elastic network models coarse grain proteins into a network of residue beads connected by springs. We add dissipative dynamics to this mechanical system by applying overdamped Langevin equations of motion to normal-mode vibrations of the network. In addition, the network is made heterogeneous and softened at the protein surface by accounting for hydration of the ionized residues. Solvation changes the network Hessian in two ways. Diagonal solvation terms soften the spring constants and off-diagonal dipole-dipole terms correlate displacements of the ionized residues. The model is used to formulate the response functions of the electrostatic potential and electric field appearing in theories of redox reactions and spectroscopy. We also formulate the dielectric response of the protein and find that solvation of the surface ionized residues leads to a slow relaxation peak in the dielectric loss spectrum, about two orders of magnitude slower than the main peak of protein relaxation. Finally, the solvated network is used to formulate the allosteric response of the protein to ion binding. The global thermodynamics of ion binding is not strongly affected by the network solvation, but it dramatically enhances conformational changes in response to placing a charge at the a the active site.

  2. Solvated dissipative electro-elastic network model of hydrated proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Daniel R.; Matyushov, Dmitry V.

    2012-10-01

    Elastic network models coarse grain proteins into a network of residue beads connected by springs. We add dissipative dynamics to this mechanical system by applying overdamped Langevin equations of motion to normal-mode vibrations of the network. In addition, the network is made heterogeneous and softened at the protein surface by accounting for hydration of the ionized residues. Solvation changes the network Hessian in two ways. Diagonal solvation terms soften the spring constants and off-diagonal dipole-dipole terms correlate displacements of the ionized residues. The model is used to formulate the response functions of the electrostatic potential and electric field appearing in theories of redox reactions and spectroscopy. We also formulate the dielectric response of the protein and find that solvation of the surface ionized residues leads to a slow relaxation peak in the dielectric loss spectrum, about two orders of magnitude slower than the main peak of protein relaxation. Finally, the solvated network is used to formulate the allosteric response of the protein to ion binding. The global thermodynamics of ion binding is not strongly affected by the network solvation, but it dramatically enhances conformational changes in response to placing a charge at the active site of the protein.

  3. Probing the cross-effect of strains in non-linear elasticity of nearly regular polymer networks by pure shear deformation.

    PubMed

    Katashima, Takuya; Urayama, Kenji; Chung, Ung-il; Sakai, Takamasa

    2015-05-07

    The pure shear deformation of the Tetra-polyethylene glycol gels reveals the presence of an explicit cross-effect of strains in the strain energy density function even for the polymer networks with nearly regular structure including no appreciable amount of structural defect such as trapped entanglement. This result is in contrast to the expectation of the classical Gaussian network model (Neo Hookean model), i.e., the vanishing of the cross effect in regular networks with no trapped entanglement. The results show that (1) the cross effect of strains is not dependent on the network-strand length; (2) the cross effect is not affected by the presence of non-network strands; (3) the cross effect is proportional to the network polymer concentration including both elastically effective and ineffective strands; (4) no cross effect is expected exclusively in zero limit of network concentration in real polymer networks. These features indicate that the real polymer networks with regular network structures have an explicit cross-effect of strains, which originates from some interaction between network strands (other than entanglement effect) such as nematic interaction, topological interaction, and excluded volume interaction.

  4. Pulse wave propagation in a model human arterial network: Assessment of 1-D visco-elastic simulations against in vitro measurements.

    PubMed

    Alastruey, Jordi; Khir, Ashraf W; Matthys, Koen S; Segers, Patrick; Sherwin, Spencer J; Verdonck, Pascal R; Parker, Kim H; Peiró, Joaquim

    2011-08-11

    The accuracy of the nonlinear one-dimensional (1-D) equations of pressure and flow wave propagation in Voigt-type visco-elastic arteries was tested against measurements in a well-defined experimental 1:1 replica of the 37 largest conduit arteries in the human systemic circulation. The parameters required by the numerical algorithm were directly measured in the in vitro setup and no data fitting was involved. The inclusion of wall visco-elasticity in the numerical model reduced the underdamped high-frequency oscillations obtained using a purely elastic tube law, especially in peripheral vessels, which was previously reported in this paper [Matthys et al., 2007. Pulse wave propagation in a model human arterial network: Assessment of 1-D numerical simulations against in vitro measurements. J. Biomech. 40, 3476-3486]. In comparison to the purely elastic model, visco-elasticity significantly reduced the average relative root-mean-square errors between numerical and experimental waveforms over the 70 locations measured in the in vitro model: from 3.0% to 2.5% (p<0.012) for pressure and from 15.7% to 10.8% (p<0.002) for the flow rate. In the frequency domain, average relative errors between numerical and experimental amplitudes from the 5th to the 20th harmonic decreased from 0.7% to 0.5% (p<0.107) for pressure and from 7.0% to 3.3% (p<10(-6)) for the flow rate. These results provide additional support for the use of 1-D reduced modelling to accurately simulate clinically relevant problems at a reasonable computational cost. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Kinetic Theories for Biofilms (Preprint)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    2011 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2011 to 00-00-2011 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Kinetic Theories for Biofilms 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...binary complex fluids to develop a set of hydrodynamic models for the two-phase mixture of biofilms and solvent (water). It is aimed to model...kinetics along with the intrinsic molecular elasticity of the EPS network strand modeled as an elastic dumbbell. This theory is valid in both the biofilm

  6. Multiscale approach including microfibril scale to assess elastic constants of cortical bone based on neural network computation and homogenization method.

    PubMed

    Barkaoui, Abdelwahed; Chamekh, Abdessalem; Merzouki, Tarek; Hambli, Ridha; Mkaddem, Ali

    2014-03-01

    The complexity and heterogeneity of bone tissue require a multiscale modeling to understand its mechanical behavior and its remodeling mechanisms. In this paper, a novel multiscale hierarchical approach including microfibril scale based on hybrid neural network (NN) computation and homogenization equations was developed to link nanoscopic and macroscopic scales to estimate the elastic properties of human cortical bone. The multiscale model is divided into three main phases: (i) in step 0, the elastic constants of collagen-water and mineral-water composites are calculated by averaging the upper and lower Hill bounds; (ii) in step 1, the elastic properties of the collagen microfibril are computed using a trained NN simulation. Finite element calculation is performed at nanoscopic levels to provide a database to train an in-house NN program; and (iii) in steps 2-10 from fibril to continuum cortical bone tissue, homogenization equations are used to perform the computation at the higher scales. The NN outputs (elastic properties of the microfibril) are used as inputs for the homogenization computation to determine the properties of mineralized collagen fibril. The mechanical and geometrical properties of bone constituents (mineral, collagen, and cross-links) as well as the porosity were taken in consideration. This paper aims to predict analytically the effective elastic constants of cortical bone by modeling its elastic response at these different scales, ranging from the nanostructural to mesostructural levels. Our findings of the lowest scale's output were well integrated with the other higher levels and serve as inputs for the next higher scale modeling. Good agreement was obtained between our predicted results and literature data. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Performance evaluation of time-aware enhanced software defined networking (TeSDN) for elastic data center optical interconnection.

    PubMed

    Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Ji, Yuefeng; Li, Hui; Lin, Yi; Li, Gang; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young; Ma, Teng

    2014-07-28

    Data center interconnection with elastic optical networks is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. We previously implemented enhanced software defined networking over elastic optical network for data center application [Opt. Express 21, 26990 (2013)]. On the basis of it, this study extends to consider the time-aware data center service scheduling with elastic service time and service bandwidth according to the various time sensitivity requirements. A novel time-aware enhanced software defined networking (TeSDN) architecture for elastic data center optical interconnection has been proposed in this paper, by introducing a time-aware resources scheduling (TaRS) scheme. The TeSDN can accommodate the data center services with required QoS considering the time dimensionality, and enhance cross stratum optimization of application and elastic optical network stratums resources based on spectrum elasticity, application elasticity and time elasticity. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture is experimentally verified on our OpenFlow-based testbed. The performance of TaRS scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on TeSDN architecture in terms of blocking probability and resource occupation rate.

  8. Coupling Field Theory with Mesoscopic Dynamical Simulations of Multicomponent Lipid Bilayers

    PubMed Central

    McWhirter, J. Liam; Ayton, Gary; Voth, Gregory A.

    2004-01-01

    A method for simulating a two-component lipid bilayer membrane in the mesoscopic regime is presented. The membrane is modeled as an elastic network of bonded points; the spring constants of these bonds are parameterized by the microscopic bulk modulus estimated from earlier atomistic nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations for several bilayer mixtures of DMPC and cholesterol. The modulus depends on the composition of a point in the elastic membrane model. The dynamics of the composition field is governed by the Cahn-Hilliard equation where a free energy functional models the coupling between the composition and curvature fields. The strength of the bonds in the elastic network are then modulated noting local changes in the composition and using a fit to the nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation data. Estimates for the magnitude and sign of the coupling parameter in the free energy model are made treating the bending modulus as a function of composition. A procedure for assigning the remaining parameters in the free energy model is also outlined. It is found that the square of the mean curvature averaged over the entire simulation box is enhanced if the strength of the bonds in the elastic network are modulated in response to local changes in the composition field. We suggest that this simulation method could also be used to determine if phase coexistence affects the stress response of the membrane to uniform dilations in area. This response, measured in the mesoscopic regime, is already known to be conditioned or renormalized by thermal undulations. PMID:15347594

  9. Actin-mediated bacterial propulsion: comet profile, velocity pulsations.

    PubMed

    Benza, V G

    2008-05-23

    The propulsion of bacteria under the action of an actin gel network is examined in terms of gel concentration dynamics. The model includes the elasticity of the network, the gel-bacterium interaction, the bulk and interface polymerization. A formula for the cruise velocity is obtained where the contributions to bacterial motility arising from elasticity and polymerization are made explicit. Higher velocities correspond to lower concentration peaks and longer tails, in agreement with experimental results. The condition for the onset of motion is explicitly given. The behavior of the system is explored by varying the growth rates and the gel elasticity. At steady state two regimes are found, respectively, of constant and pulsating velocity; in the latter case, the velocity undergoes sudden accelerations and subsequent recoveries. The transition to the pulsating regime is obtained by increasing the elastic response of the gel.

  10. Benefit of adaptive FEC in shared backup path protected elastic optical network.

    PubMed

    Guo, Hong; Dai, Hua; Wang, Chao; Li, Yongcheng; Bose, Sanjay K; Shen, Gangxiang

    2015-07-27

    We apply an adaptive forward error correction (FEC) allocation strategy to an Elastic Optical Network (EON) operated with shared backup path protection (SBPP). To maximize the protected network capacity that can be carried, an Integer Linear Programing (ILP) model and a spectrum window plane (SWP)-based heuristic algorithm are developed. Simulation results show that the FEC coding overhead required by the adaptive FEC scheme is significantly lower than that needed by a fixed FEC allocation strategy resulting in higher network capacity for the adaptive strategy. The adaptive FEC allocation strategy can also significantly outperform the fixed FEC allocation strategy both in terms of the spare capacity redundancy and the average FEC coding overhead needed per optical channel. The proposed heuristic algorithm is efficient and not only performs closer to the ILP model but also does much better than the shortest-path algorithm.

  11. Elastic Network Model of a Nuclear Transport Complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryan, Patrick; Liu, Wing K.; Lee, Dockjin; Seo, Sangjae; Kim, Young-Jin; Kim, Moon K.

    2010-05-01

    The structure of Kap95p was obtained from the Protein Data Bank (www.pdb.org) and analyzed RanGTP plays an important role in both nuclear protein import and export cycles. In the nucleus, RanGTP releases macromolecular cargoes from importins and conversely facilitates cargo binding to exportins. Although the crystal structure of the nuclear import complex formed by importin Kap95p and RanGTP was recently identified, its molecular mechanism still remains unclear. To understand the relationship between structure and function of a nuclear transport complex, a structure-based mechanical model of Kap95p:RanGTP complex is introduced. In this model, a protein structure is simply modeled as an elastic network in which a set of coarse-grained point masses are connected by linear springs representing biochemical interactions at atomic level. Harmonic normal mode analysis (NMA) and anharmonic elastic network interpolation (ENI) are performed to predict the modes of vibrations and a feasible pathway between locked and unlocked conformations of Kap95p, respectively. Simulation results imply that the binding of RanGTP to Kap95p induces the release of the cargo in the nucleus as well as prevents any new cargo from attaching to the Kap95p:RanGTP complex.

  12. The integration of elastic wave properties and machine learning for the distribution of petrophysical properties in reservoir modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ratnam, T. C.; Ghosh, D. P.; Negash, B. M.

    2018-05-01

    Conventional reservoir modeling employs variograms to predict the spatial distribution of petrophysical properties. This study aims to improve property distribution by incorporating elastic wave properties. In this study, elastic wave properties obtained from seismic inversion are used as input for an artificial neural network to predict neutron porosity in between well locations. The method employed in this study is supervised learning based on available well logs. This method converts every seismic trace into a pseudo-well log, hence reducing the uncertainty between well locations. By incorporating the seismic response, the reliance on geostatistical methods such as variograms for the distribution of petrophysical properties is reduced drastically. The results of the artificial neural network show good correlation with the neutron porosity log which gives confidence for spatial prediction in areas where well logs are not available.

  13. A neural network for controlling the configuration of frame structure with elastic members

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsutsumi, Kazuyoshi

    1989-01-01

    A neural network for controlling the configuration of frame structure with elastic members is proposed. In the present network, the structure is modeled not by using the relative angles of the members but by using the distances between the joint locations alone. The relationship between the environment and the joints is also defined by their mutual distances. The analog neural network attains the reaching motion of the manipulator as a minimization problem of the energy constructed by the distances between the joints, the target, and the obstacles. The network can generate not only the final but also the transient configurations and the trajectory. This framework with flexibility and parallelism is very suitable for controlling the Space Telerobotic systems with many degrees of freedom.

  14. Stiffening of Red Blood Cells Induced by Cytoskeleton Disorders: A Joint Theory-Experiment Study.

    PubMed

    Lai, Lipeng; Xu, Xiaofeng; Lim, Chwee Teck; Cao, Jianshu

    2015-12-01

    The functions and elasticities of the cell are largely related to the structures of the cytoskeletons underlying the lipid bilayer. Among various cell types, the red blood cell (RBC) possesses a relatively simple cytoskeletal structure. Underneath the membrane, the RBC cytoskeleton takes the form of a two-dimensional triangular network, consisting of nodes of actins (and other proteins) and edges of spectrins. Recent experiments focusing on the malaria-infected RBCs (iRBCs) show that there is a correlation between the elongation of spectrins in the cytoskeletal network and the stiffening of the iRBCs. Here we rationalize the correlation between these two observations by combining the wormlike chain model for single spectrins and the effective medium theory for the network elasticity. We specifically focus on how the disorders in the cytoskeletal network affect its macroscopic elasticity. Analytical and numerical solutions from our model reveal that the stiffness of the membrane increases with increasing end-to-end distances of spectrins, but has a nonmonotonic dependence on the variance of the end-to-end distance distributions. These predictions are verified quantitatively by our atomic force microscopy and micropipette aspiration measurements of iRBCs. The model may, from a molecular level, provide guidelines for future identification of new treatment methods for RBC-related diseases, such as malaria infection. Copyright © 2015 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Poly(Capro-Lactone) Networks as Actively Moving Polymers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Yuan

    Shape-memory polymers (SMPs), as a subset of actively moving polymers, form an exciting class of materials that can store and recover elastic deformation energy upon application of an external stimulus. Although engineering of SMPs nowadays has lead to robust materials that can memorize multiple temporary shapes, and can be triggered by various stimuli such as heat, light, moisture, or applied magnetic fields, further commercialization of SMPs is still constrained by the material's incapability to store large elastic energy, as well as its inherent one-way shape-change nature. This thesis develops a series of model semi-crystalline shape-memory networks that exhibit ultra-high energy storage capacity, with accurately tunable triggering temperature; by introducing a second competing network, or reconfiguring the existing network under strained state, configurational chain bias can be effectively locked-in, and give rise to two-way shape-actuators that, in the absence of an external load, elongates upon cooling and reversibly contracts upon heating. We found that well-defined network architecture plays essential role on strain-induced crystallization and on the performance of cold-drawn shape-memory polymers. Model networks with uniform molecular weight between crosslinks, and specified functionality of each net-point, results in tougher, more elastic materials with a high degree of crystallinity and outstanding shape-memory properties. The thermal behavior of the model networks can be finely modified by introducing non-crystalline small molecule linkers that effectively frustrates the crystallization of the network strands. This resulted in shape-memory networks that are ultra-sensitive to heat, as deformed materials can be efficiently triggered to revert to its permanent state upon only exposure to body temperature. We also coupled the same reaction adopted to create the model network with conventional free-radical polymerization to prepare a dual-cure "double network" that behaves as a real thermal "actuator". This approach places sub-chains under different degrees of configurational bias within the network to utilize the material's propensity to undergo stress-induced crystallization. Reconfiguration of model shape-memory networks containing photo-sensitive linkages can also be employed to program two-way actuator. Chain reshuffling of a partially reconfigurable network is initiated upon exposure to light under specific strains. Interesting photo-induced creep and stress relaxation behaviors were demonstrated and understood based on a novel transient network model we derived. In summary, delicate manipulation of shape-memory network architectures addressed critical issues constraining the application of this type of functional polymer material. Strategies developed in this thesis may provide new opportunity to the field of shape-memory polymers.

  16. Mesoscopic model of actin-based propulsion.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Jie; Mogilner, Alex

    2012-01-01

    Two theoretical models dominate current understanding of actin-based propulsion: microscopic polymerization ratchet model predicts that growing and writhing actin filaments generate forces and movements, while macroscopic elastic propulsion model suggests that deformation and stress of growing actin gel are responsible for the propulsion. We examine both experimentally and computationally the 2D movement of ellipsoidal beads propelled by actin tails and show that neither of the two models can explain the observed bistability of the orientation of the beads. To explain the data, we develop a 2D hybrid mesoscopic model by reconciling these two models such that individual actin filaments undergoing nucleation, elongation, attachment, detachment and capping are embedded into the boundary of a node-spring viscoelastic network representing the macroscopic actin gel. Stochastic simulations of this 'in silico' actin network show that the combined effects of the macroscopic elastic deformation and microscopic ratchets can explain the observed bistable orientation of the actin-propelled ellipsoidal beads. To test the theory further, we analyze observed distribution of the curvatures of the trajectories and show that the hybrid model's predictions fit the data. Finally, we demonstrate that the model can explain both concave-up and concave-down force-velocity relations for growing actin networks depending on the characteristic time scale and network recoil. To summarize, we propose that both microscopic polymerization ratchets and macroscopic stresses of the deformable actin network are responsible for the force and movement generation.

  17. The elastic properties of woven polymeric fabric

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Warren, W.E.

    1989-01-01

    The in-plane linear elastic constants of woven fabric are determined in terms of the specific fabric microstructure. The fabric is assumed to be a spatially periodic interlaced network of orthogonal yarns and the individual yarns are modeled as extensible elastica. These results indicate that a significant coupling of bending and stretching effects occurs during deformation. Results of this theoretical analysis compare favorable with measured in-plane elastic constants for Vincel yarn fabrics. 17 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

  18. Coarse-graining of proteins based on elastic network models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sinitskiy, Anton V.; Voth, Gregory A.

    2013-08-01

    To simulate molecular processes on biologically relevant length- and timescales, coarse-grained (CG) models of biomolecular systems with tens to even hundreds of residues per CG site are required. One possible way to build such models is explored in this article: an elastic network model (ENM) is employed to define the CG variables. Free energy surfaces are approximated by Taylor series, with the coefficients found by force-matching. CG potentials are shown to undergo renormalization due to roughness of the energy landscape and smoothing of it under coarse-graining. In the case study of hen egg-white lysozyme, the entropy factor is shown to be of critical importance for maintaining the native structure, and a relationship between the proposed ENM-mode-based CG models and traditional CG-bead-based models is discussed. The proposed approach uncovers the renormalizable character of CG models and offers new opportunities for automated and computationally efficient studies of complex free energy surfaces.

  19. Application of artificial neural networks in nonlinear analysis of trusses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alam, J.; Berke, L.

    1991-01-01

    A method is developed to incorporate neural network model based upon the Backpropagation algorithm for material response into nonlinear elastic truss analysis using the initial stiffness method. Different network configurations are developed to assess the accuracy of neural network modeling of nonlinear material response. In addition to this, a scheme based upon linear interpolation for material data, is also implemented for comparison purposes. It is found that neural network approach can yield very accurate results if used with care. For the type of problems under consideration, it offers a viable alternative to other material modeling methods.

  20. Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation at the kISMET Site Using a Fully Coupled 3D Network-Flow and Quasi- Static Discrete Element Model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Jing; Huang, Hai; Mattson, Earl

    Aimed at supporting the design of hydraulic fracturing experiments at the kISMET site, ~1500 m below ground in a deep mine, we performed pre-experimental hydraulic fracturing simulations in order to estimate the breakdown pressure, propagation pressure, fracture geometry, and the magnitude of induced seismicity using a newly developed fully coupled three-dimensional (3D) network flow and quasi-static discrete element model (DEM). The quasi-static DEM model, which is constructed by Delaunay tessellation of the rock volume, considers rock fabric heterogeneities by using the “disordered” DEM mesh and adding random perturbations to the stiffness and tensile/shear strengths of individual DEM elements and themore » elastic beams between them. A conjugate 3D flow network based on the DEM lattice is constructed to calculate the fluid flow in both the fracture and porous matrix. One distinctive advantage of the model is that fracturing is naturally described by the breakage of elastic beams between DEM elements. It is also extremely convenient to introduce mechanical anisotropy into the model by simply assigning orientation-dependent tensile/shear strengths to the elastic beams. In this paper, the 3D hydraulic fracturing model was verified against the analytic solution for a penny-shaped crack model. We applied the model to simulate fracture propagation from a vertical open borehole based on initial estimates of rock mechanical properties and in-situ stress conditions. The breakdown pressure and propagation pressure are directly obtained from the simulation. In addition, the released elastic strain energies of individual fracturing events were calculated and used as a conservative estimate for the magnitudes of the potential induced seismic activities associated with fracturing. The comparisons between model predictions and experimental results are still ongoing.« less

  1. A new model linking elastic properties and ionic conductivity of mixed network former glasses.

    PubMed

    Wang, Weimin; Christensen, Randilynn; Curtis, Brittany; Martin, Steve W; Kieffer, John

    2018-01-17

    Glasses are promising candidate materials for all-solid-state electrolytes for rechargeable batteries due to their outstanding mechanical stability, wide electrochemical stability range, and open structure for potentially high conductivity. Mechanical stiffness and ionic conductivity are two key parameters for solid-state electrolytes. In this study, we investigate two mixed-network former glass systems, sodium borosilicate 0.2Na 2 O + 0.8[xBO 1.5 + (1 - x)SiO 2 ] and sodium borogermanate 0.2Na 2 O + 0.8[xBO 1.5 + (1 - x)GeO 2 ] glasses. With mixed-network formers, the structure of the network changes while the network modifier mole fraction is kept constant, i.e., x = 0.2, which allows us to analyze the effect of the network structure on various properties, including ionic conductivity and elastic properties. Besides the non-linear, non-additive mixed glass former effect, we find that the longitudinal, shear and Young's moduli depend on the combined number density of tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated network former elements. These units provide connectivity in three dimensions, which is required for the networks to exhibit restoring forces in response to isotropic and shear deformations. Moreover, the activation energy for modifier cation, Na + , migration is strongly correlated with the bulk modulus, suggesting that the elastic strain energy associated with the passageway dilation for the sodium ions is governed by the bulk modulus of the glass. The detailed analysis provided here gives an estimate for the number of atoms in the vicinity of the migrating cation that are affected by elastic deformation during the activated process. The larger this number and the more compliant the glass network, the lower is the activation energy for the cation jump.

  2. Microrheology of highly crosslinked microtubule networks is dominated by force-induced crosslinker unbinding

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Yali; Bai, Mo; Klug, William S.; Levine, Alex J.

    2012-01-01

    We determine the time- and force-dependent viscoelastic responses of reconstituted networks of microtubules that have been strongly crosslinked by biotin-streptavidin bonds. To measure the microscale viscoelasticity of such networks, we use a magnetic tweezers device to apply localized forces. At short time scales, the networks respond nonlinearly to applied force, with stiffening at small forces, followed by a reduction in the stiffening response at high forces, which we attribute to the force-induced unbinding of crosslinks. At long time scales, force-induced bond unbinding leads to local network rearrangement and significant bead creep. Interestingly, the network retains its elastic modulus even under conditions of significant plastic flow, suggesting that crosslinker breakage is balanced by the formation of new bonds. To better understand this effect, we developed a finite element model of such a stiff filament network with labile crosslinkers obeying force-dependent Bell model unbinding dynamics. The coexistence of dissipation, due to bond breakage, and the elastic recovery of the network is possible because each filament has many crosslinkers. Recovery can occur as long as a sufficient number of the original crosslinkers are preserved under the loading period. When these remaining original crosslinkers are broken, plastic flow results. PMID:23577042

  3. Elastic properties and short-range structural order in mixed network former glasses.

    PubMed

    Wang, Weimin; Christensen, Randilynn; Curtis, Brittany; Hynek, David; Keizer, Sydney; Wang, James; Feller, Steve; Martin, Steve W; Kieffer, John

    2017-06-21

    Elastic properties of alkali containing glasses are of great interest not only because they provide information about overall structural integrity but also they are related to other properties such as thermal conductivity and ion mobility. In this study, we investigate two mixed-network former glass systems, sodium borosilicate 0.2Na 2 O + 0.8[xBO 1.5 + (1 - x)SiO 2 ] and sodium borogermanate 0.2Na 2 O + 0.8[xBO 1.5 + (1 - x)GeO 2 ] glasses. By mixing network formers, the network topology can be changed while keeping the network modifier concentration constant, which allows for the effect of network structure on elastic properties to be analyzed over a wide parametric range. In addition to non-linear, non-additive mixed-glass former effects, maxima are observed in longitudinal, shear and Young's moduli with increasing atomic number density. By combining results from NMR spectroscopy and Brillouin light scattering with a newly developed statistical thermodynamic reaction equilibrium model, it is possible to determine the relative proportions of all network structural units. This new analysis reveals that the structural characteristic predominantly responsible for effective mechanical load transmission in these glasses is a high density of network cations coordinated by four or more bridging oxygens, as it provides for establishing a network of covalent bonds among these cations with connectivity in three dimensions.

  4. Continuum vs. spring network models of airway-parenchymal interdependence

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Baoshun

    2012-01-01

    The outward tethering forces exerted by the lung parenchyma on the airways embedded within it are potent modulators of the ability of the airway smooth muscle to shorten. Much of our understanding of these tethering forces is based on treating the parenchyma as an elastic continuum; yet, on a small enough scale, the lung parenchyma in two dimensions would seem to be more appropriately described as a discrete spring network. We therefore compared how the forces and displacements in the parenchyma surrounding a contracting airway are predicted to differ depending on whether the parenchyma is modeled as an elastic continuum or as a spring network. When the springs were arranged hexagonally to represent alveolar walls, the predicted parenchymal stresses and displacements propagated substantially farther away from the airway than when the springs were arranged in a triangular pattern or when the parenchyma was modeled as a continuum. Thus, to the extent that the parenchyma in vivo behaves as a hexagonal spring network, our results suggest that the range of interdependence forces due to airway contraction may have a greater influence than was previously thought. PMID:22500006

  5. Game Theoretic Models of Competition and Upgrade Investments in Communication Networks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Shuang

    2010-01-01

    In the first part of this dissertation, we study the competition among network service providers in a parallel-link network with the presence of elastic user demand that diminishes both with higher prices and congestion. First we analyze a game where providers strategically price their service for single class of traffic. Later we analyze a game…

  6. Elasticity and photoelasticity relationships for polyethylene terephthalate fiber networks by molecular simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayak, Kapileswar; Das, Sushanta; Nanavati, Hemant

    2008-01-01

    We present a framework for the development of elasticity and photoelasticity relationships for polyethylene terephthalate fiber networks, incorporating aspects of the primary molecular structure. Semicrystalline polymeric fiber networks are modeled as sequentially arranged crystalline and amorphous regions. Rotational isomeric states-Monte Carlo simulations of amorphous chains of up to 360 bonds (degree of polymerization, DP =60), confined between and bridging infinite impenetrable crystalline walls, have been characterized by Ω, the probability density of the intercrystal separation h, and Δβ, the polarizability anisotropy. lnΩ and Δβ have been modeled as functions of h, yielding the chain deformation relationships. The development has been extended to the fiber network to yield the photoelasticity relationships. We execute our framework by fitting to experimental stress-elongation data and employing the single fitted parameter to directly predict the birefringence-elongation behavior, without any further fitting. Incorporating the effect of strain-induced crystallization into the framework makes it physically more meaningful and yields accurate predictions of the birefringence-elongation behavior.

  7. Robustness Elasticity in Complex Networks

    PubMed Central

    Matisziw, Timothy C.; Grubesic, Tony H.; Guo, Junyu

    2012-01-01

    Network robustness refers to a network’s resilience to stress or damage. Given that most networks are inherently dynamic, with changing topology, loads, and operational states, their robustness is also likely subject to change. However, in most analyses of network structure, it is assumed that interaction among nodes has no effect on robustness. To investigate the hypothesis that network robustness is not sensitive or elastic to the level of interaction (or flow) among network nodes, this paper explores the impacts of network disruption, namely arc deletion, over a temporal sequence of observed nodal interactions for a large Internet backbone system. In particular, a mathematical programming approach is used to identify exact bounds on robustness to arc deletion for each epoch of nodal interaction. Elasticity of the identified bounds relative to the magnitude of arc deletion is assessed. Results indicate that system robustness can be highly elastic to spatial and temporal variations in nodal interactions within complex systems. Further, the presence of this elasticity provides evidence that a failure to account for nodal interaction can confound characterizations of complex networked systems. PMID:22808060

  8. Surrogate Modeling of High-Fidelity Fracture Simulations for Real-Time Residual Strength Predictions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spear, Ashley D.; Priest, Amanda R.; Veilleux, Michael G.; Ingraffea, Anthony R.; Hochhalter, Jacob D.

    2011-01-01

    A surrogate model methodology is described for predicting in real time the residual strength of flight structures with discrete-source damage. Starting with design of experiment, an artificial neural network is developed that takes as input discrete-source damage parameters and outputs a prediction of the structural residual strength. Target residual strength values used to train the artificial neural network are derived from 3D finite element-based fracture simulations. A residual strength test of a metallic, integrally-stiffened panel is simulated to show that crack growth and residual strength are determined more accurately in discrete-source damage cases by using an elastic-plastic fracture framework rather than a linear-elastic fracture mechanics-based method. Improving accuracy of the residual strength training data would, in turn, improve accuracy of the surrogate model. When combined, the surrogate model methodology and high-fidelity fracture simulation framework provide useful tools for adaptive flight technology.

  9. Surrogate Modeling of High-Fidelity Fracture Simulations for Real-Time Residual Strength Predictions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spear, Ashley D.; Priest, Amanda R.; Veilleux, Michael G.; Ingraffea, Anthony R.; Hochhalter, Jacob D.

    2011-01-01

    A surrogate model methodology is described for predicting, during flight, the residual strength of aircraft structures that sustain discrete-source damage. Starting with design of experiment, an artificial neural network is developed that takes as input discrete-source damage parameters and outputs a prediction of the structural residual strength. Target residual strength values used to train the artificial neural network are derived from 3D finite element-based fracture simulations. Two ductile fracture simulations are presented to show that crack growth and residual strength are determined more accurately in discrete-source damage cases by using an elastic-plastic fracture framework rather than a linear-elastic fracture mechanics-based method. Improving accuracy of the residual strength training data does, in turn, improve accuracy of the surrogate model. When combined, the surrogate model methodology and high fidelity fracture simulation framework provide useful tools for adaptive flight technology.

  10. Impact of branching on the elasticity of actin networks

    PubMed Central

    Pujol, Thomas; du Roure, Olivia; Fermigier, Marc; Heuvingh, Julien

    2012-01-01

    Actin filaments play a fundamental role in cell mechanics: assembled into networks by a large number of partners, they ensure cell integrity, deformability, and migration. Here we focus on the mechanics of the dense branched network found at the leading edge of a crawling cell. We develop a new technique based on the dipolar attraction between magnetic colloids to measure mechanical properties of branched actin gels assembled around the colloids. This technique allows us to probe a large number of gels and, through the study of different networks, to access fundamental relationships between their microscopic structure and their mechanical properties. We show that the architecture does regulate the elasticity of the network: increasing both capping and branching concentrations strongly stiffens the networks. These effects occur at protein concentrations that can be regulated by the cell. In addition, the dependence of the elastic modulus on the filaments’ flexibility and on increasing internal stress has been studied. Our overall results point toward an elastic regime dominated by enthalpic rather than entropic deformations. This result strongly differs from the elasticity of diluted cross-linked actin networks and can be explained by the dense dendritic structure of lamellipodium-like networks. PMID:22689953

  11. Dynamic virtual optical network embedding in spectral and spatial domains over elastic optical networks with multicore fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Ruijie; Zhao, Yongli; Yang, Hui; Tan, Yuanlong; Chen, Haoran; Zhang, Jie; Jue, Jason P.

    2016-08-01

    Network virtualization can eradicate the ossification of the infrastructure and stimulate innovation of new network architectures and applications. Elastic optical networks (EONs) are ideal substrate networks for provisioning flexible virtual optical network (VON) services. However, as network traffic continues to increase exponentially, the capacity of EONs will reach the physical limitation soon. To further increase network flexibility and capacity, the concept of EONs is extended into the spatial domain. How to map the VON onto substrate networks by thoroughly using the spectral and spatial resources is extremely important. This process is called VON embedding (VONE).Considering the two kinds of resources at the same time during the embedding process, we propose two VONE algorithms, the adjacent link embedding algorithm (ALEA) and the remote link embedding algorithm (RLEA). First, we introduce a model to solve the VONE problem. Then we design the embedding ability measurement of network elements. Based on the network elements' embedding ability, two VONE algorithms were proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed VONE algorithms could achieve better performance than the baseline algorithm in terms of blocking probability and revenue-to-cost ratio.

  12. Topological and kinetic determinants of the modal matrices of dynamic models of metabolism

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Large-scale kinetic models of metabolism are becoming increasingly comprehensive and accurate. A key challenge is to understand the biochemical basis of the dynamic properties of these models. Linear analysis methods are well-established as useful tools for characterizing the dynamic response of metabolic networks. Central to linear analysis methods are two key matrices: the Jacobian matrix (J) and the modal matrix (M-1) arising from its eigendecomposition. The modal matrix M-1 contains dynamically independent motions of the kinetic model near a reference state, and it is sparse in practice for metabolic networks. However, connecting the structure of M-1 to the kinetic properties of the underlying reactions is non-trivial. In this study, we analyze the relationship between J, M-1, and the kinetic properties of the underlying network for kinetic models of metabolism. Specifically, we describe the origin of mode sparsity structure based on features of the network stoichiometric matrix S and the reaction kinetic gradient matrix G. First, we show that due to the scaling of kinetic parameters in real networks, diagonal dominance occurs in a substantial fraction of the rows of J, resulting in simple modal structures with clear biological interpretations. Then, we show that more complicated modes originate from topologically-connected reactions that have similar reaction elasticities in G. These elasticities represent dynamic equilibrium balances within reactions and are key determinants of modal structure. The work presented should prove useful towards obtaining an understanding of the dynamics of kinetic models of metabolism, which are rooted in the network structure and the kinetic properties of reactions. PMID:29267329

  13. Frustration in protein elastic network models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lezon, Timothy; Bahar, Ivet

    2010-03-01

    Elastic network models (ENMs) are widely used for studying the equilibrium dynamics of proteins. The most common approach in ENM analysis is to adopt a uniform force constant or a non-specific distance dependent function to represent the force constant strength. Here we discuss the influence of sequence and structure in determining the effective force constants between residues in ENMs. Using a novel method based on entropy maximization, we optimize the force constants such that they exactly reporduce a subset of experimentally determined pair covariances for a set of proteins. We analyze the optimized force constants in terms of amino acid types, distances, contact order and secondary structure, and we demonstrate that including frustrated interactions in the ENM is essential for accurately reproducing the global modes in the middle of the frequency spectrum.

  14. Dynamic behavior of acrylic acid clusters as quasi-mobile nodes in a model of hydrogel network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zidek, Jan; Milchev, Andrey; Vilgis, Thomas A.

    2012-12-01

    Using a molecular dynamics simulation, we study the thermo-mechanical behavior of a model hydrogel subject to deformation and change in temperature. The model is found to describe qualitatively poly-lactide-glycolide hydrogels in which acrylic acid (AA)-groups are believed to play the role of quasi-mobile nodes in the formation of a network. From our extensive analysis of the structure, formation, and disintegration of the AA-groups, we are able to elucidate the relationship between structure and viscous-elastic behavior of the model hydrogel. Thus, in qualitative agreement with observations, we find a softening of the mechanical response at large deformations, which is enhanced by growing temperature. Several observables as the non-affinity parameter A and the network rearrangement parameter V indicate the existence of a (temperature-dependent) threshold degree of deformation beyond which the quasi-elastic response of the model system turns over into plastic (ductile) one. The critical stretching when the affinity of the deformation is lost can be clearly located in terms of A and V as well as by analysis of the energy density of the system. The observed stress-strain relationship matches that of known experimental systems.

  15. Generalized rules for the optimization of elastic network models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lezon, Timothy; Eyal, Eran; Bahar, Ivet

    2009-03-01

    Elastic network models (ENMs) are widely employed for approximating the coarse-grained equilibrium dynamics of proteins using only a few parameters. An area of current focus is improving the predictive accuracy of ENMs by fine-tuning their force constants to fit specific systems. Here we introduce a set of general rules for assigning ENM force constants to residue pairs. Using a novel method, we construct ENMs that optimally reproduce experimental residue covariances from NMR models of 68 proteins. We analyze the optimal interactions in terms of amino acid types, pair distances and local protein structures to identify key factors in determining the effective spring constants. When applied to several unrelated globular proteins, our method shows an improved correlation with experiment over a standard ENM. We discuss the physical interpretation of our findings as well as its implications in the fields of protein folding and dynamics.

  16. Wave propagation in a strongly heterogeneous elastic porous medium: Homogenization of Biot medium with double porosities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rohan, Eduard; Naili, Salah; Nguyen, Vu-Hieu

    2016-08-01

    We study wave propagation in an elastic porous medium saturated with a compressible Newtonian fluid. The porous network is interconnected whereby the pores are characterized by two very different characteristic sizes. At the mesoscopic scale, the medium is described using the Biot model, characterized by a high contrast in the hydraulic permeability and anisotropic elasticity, whereas the contrast in the Biot coupling coefficient is only moderate. Fluid motion is governed by the Darcy flow model extended by inertia terms and by the mass conservation equation. The homogenization method based on the asymptotic analysis is used to obtain a macroscopic model. To respect the high contrast in the material properties, they are scaled by the small parameter, which is involved in the asymptotic analysis and characterized by the size of the heterogeneities. Using the estimates of wavelengths in the double-porosity networks, it is shown that the macroscopic descriptions depend on the contrast in the static permeability associated with pores and micropores and on the frequency. Moreover, the microflow in the double porosity is responsible for fading memory effects via the macroscopic poroviscoelastic constitutive law. xml:lang="fr"

  17. Design and performance evaluation of an OpenFlow-based control plane for software-defined elastic optical networks with direct-detection optical OFDM (DDO-OFDM) transmission.

    PubMed

    Liu, Lei; Peng, Wei-Ren; Casellas, Ramon; Tsuritani, Takehiro; Morita, Itsuro; Martínez, Ricardo; Muñoz, Raül; Yoo, S J B

    2014-01-13

    Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (O-OFDM), which transmits high speed optical signals using multiple spectrally overlapped lower-speed subcarriers, is a promising candidate for supporting future elastic optical networks. In contrast to previous works which focus on Coherent Optical OFDM (CO-OFDM), in this paper, we consider the direct-detection optical OFDM (DDO-OFDM) as the transport technique, which leads to simpler hardware and software realizations, potentially offering a low-cost solution for elastic optical networks, especially in metro networks, and short or medium distance core networks. Based on this network scenario, we design and deploy a software-defined networking (SDN) control plane enabled by extending OpenFlow, detailing the network architecture, the routing and spectrum assignment algorithm, OpenFlow protocol extensions and the experimental validation. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an OpenFlow-based control plane is reported and its performance is quantitatively measured in an elastic optical network with DDO-OFDM transmission.

  18. pH induced contrast in viscoelasticity imaging of biopolymers

    PubMed Central

    Yapp, R D; Insana, M F

    2009-01-01

    Understanding contrast mechanisms and identifying discriminating features is at the heart of diagnostic imaging development. This report focuses on how pH influences the viscoelastic properties of biopolymers to better understand the effects of extracellular pH on breast tumour elasticity imaging. Extracellular pH is known to decrease as much as 1 pH unit in breast tumours, thus creating a dangerous environment that increases cellular mutatation rates and therapeutic resistance. We used a gelatin hydrogel phantom to isolate the effects of pH on a polymer network with similarities to the extracellular matrix in breast stroma. Using compressive unconfined creep and stress relaxation measurements, we systematically measured the viscoelastic features sensitive to pH by way of time domain models and complex modulus analysis. These results are used to determine the sensitivity of quasi-static ultrasonic elasticity imaging to pH. We found a strong elastic response of the polymer network to pH, such that the matrix stiffness decreases as pH was reduced, however the viscous response of the medium to pH was negligible. While physiological features of breast stroma such as proteoglycans and vascular networks are not included in our hydrogel model, observations in this study provide insight into viscoelastic features specific to pH changes in the collagenous stromal network. These observations suggest that the large contrast common in breast tumours with desmoplasia may be reduced under acidic conditions, and that viscoelastic features are unlikely to improve discriminability. PMID:19174599

  19. Quantitative modeling of coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior of piezoelectric actuators bonded to an elastic medium for structural health monitoring: a review.

    PubMed

    Huang, Guoliang; Song, Fei; Wang, Xiaodong

    2010-01-01

    Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized.

  20. Reduction of peak energy demand based on smart appliances energy consumption adjustment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powroźnik, P.; Szulim, R.

    2017-08-01

    In the paper the concept of elastic model of energy management for smart grid and micro smart grid is presented. For the proposed model a method for reducing peak demand in micro smart grid has been defined. The idea of peak demand reduction in elastic model of energy management is to introduce a balance between demand and supply of current power for the given Micro Smart Grid in the given moment. The results of the simulations studies were presented. They were carried out on real household data available on UCI Machine Learning Repository. The results may have practical application in the smart grid networks, where there is a need for smart appliances energy consumption adjustment. The article presents a proposal to implement the elastic model of energy management as the cloud computing solution. This approach of peak demand reduction might have application particularly in a large smart grid.

  1. Self-Consistent Field Lattice Model for Polymer Networks.

    PubMed

    Tito, Nicholas B; Storm, Cornelis; Ellenbroek, Wouter G

    2017-12-26

    A lattice model based on polymer self-consistent field theory is developed to predict the equilibrium statistics of arbitrary polymer networks. For a given network topology, our approach uses moment propagators on a lattice to self-consistently construct the ensemble of polymer conformations and cross-link spatial probability distributions. Remarkably, the calculation can be performed "in the dark", without any prior knowledge on preferred chain conformations or cross-link positions. Numerical results from the model for a test network exhibit close agreement with molecular dynamics simulations, including when the network is strongly sheared. Our model captures nonaffine deformation, mean-field monomer interactions, cross-link fluctuations, and finite extensibility of chains, yielding predictions that differ markedly from classical rubber elasticity theory for polymer networks. By examining polymer networks with different degrees of interconnectivity, we gain insight into cross-link entropy, an important quantity in the macroscopic behavior of gels and self-healing materials as they are deformed.

  2. A strategy for prediction of the elastic properties of epoxy-cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced fiber networks

    Treesearch

    Johnathan E. Goodsell; Robert J. Moon; Alionso Huizar; R. Byron Pipes

    2014-01-01

    The reinforcement potential of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) additions on an idealized 2-dirmensional (2-D) fiber network structure consisting of micron sized fiber elements was investigated. The reinforcement mechanism considered in this study was through the stiffening of the micron sized fiber elements via a CNC-epoxy coating. A hierarchical analytical modeling...

  3. A neural-network-based model for the dynamic simulation of the tire/suspension system while traversing road irregularities.

    PubMed

    Guarneri, Paolo; Rocca, Gianpiero; Gobbi, Massimiliano

    2008-09-01

    This paper deals with the simulation of the tire/suspension dynamics by using recurrent neural networks (RNNs). RNNs are derived from the multilayer feedforward neural networks, by adding feedback connections between output and input layers. The optimal network architecture derives from a parametric analysis based on the optimal tradeoff between network accuracy and size. The neural network can be trained with experimental data obtained in the laboratory from simulated road profiles (cleats). The results obtained from the neural network demonstrate good agreement with the experimental results over a wide range of operation conditions. The NN model can be effectively applied as a part of vehicle system model to accurately predict elastic bushings and tire dynamics behavior. Although the neural network model, as a black-box model, does not provide a good insight of the physical behavior of the tire/suspension system, it is a useful tool for assessing vehicle ride and noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) performance due to its good computational efficiency and accuracy.

  4. Dependence of physical and mechanical properties on polymer architecture for model polymer networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Ruilan

    Effect of architecture at nanoscale on the macroscopic properties of polymer materials has long been a field of major interest, as evidenced by inhomogeneities in networks, multimodal network topologies, etc. The primary purpose of this research is to establish the architecture-property relationship of polymer networks by studying the physical and mechanical responses of a series of topologically different PTHF networks. Monodispersed allyl-tenninated PTHF precursors were synthesized through "living" cationic polymerization and functional end-capping. Model networks of various crosslink densities and inhomogeneities levels (unimodal, bimodal and clustered) were prepared by endlinking precursors via thiol-ene reaction. Thermal characteristics, i.e., glass transition, melting point, and heat of fusion, of model PTHF networks were investigated as functions of crosslink density and inhomogeneities, which showed different dependence on these two architectural parameters. Study of freezing point depression (FPD) of solvent confined in swollen networks indicated that the size of solvent microcrystals is comparable to the mesh size formed by intercrosslink chains depending on crosslink density and inhomogeneities. Relationship between crystal size and FPD provided a good reflection of the existing architecture facts in the networks. Mechanical responses of elastic chains to uniaxial strains were studied through SANS. Spatial inhomogeneities in bimodal and clustered networks gave rise to "abnormal butterfly patterns", which became more pronounced as elongation ratio increases. Radii of gyration of chains were analyzed at directions parallel and perpendicular to stretching axis. Dependence of Rg on lambda was compared to three rubber elasticity models and the molecular deformation mechanisms for unimodal, bimodal and clustered networks were explored. The thesis focused its last part on the investigation of evolution of free volume distribution of linear polymer (PE) subjected to uniaxial strain at various temperatures using a combination of MD, hard sphere probe method and Voronoi tessellation. Combined effects of temperature and strain on free volume were studied and mechanism of formation of large and ellipsoidal free volume voids was explored.

  5. An Open-Source Toolbox for Surrogate Modeling of Joint Contact Mechanics

    PubMed Central

    Eskinazi, Ilan

    2016-01-01

    Goal Incorporation of elastic joint contact models into simulations of human movement could facilitate studying the interactions between muscles, ligaments, and bones. Unfortunately, elastic joint contact models are often too expensive computationally to be used within iterative simulation frameworks. This limitation can be overcome by using fast and accurate surrogate contact models that fit or interpolate input-output data sampled from existing elastic contact models. However, construction of surrogate contact models remains an arduous task. The aim of this paper is to introduce an open-source program called Surrogate Contact Modeling Toolbox (SCMT) that facilitates surrogate contact model creation, evaluation, and use. Methods SCMT interacts with the third party software FEBio to perform elastic contact analyses of finite element models and uses Matlab to train neural networks that fit the input-output contact data. SCMT features sample point generation for multiple domains, automated sampling, sample point filtering, and surrogate model training and testing. Results An overview of the software is presented along with two example applications. The first example demonstrates creation of surrogate contact models of artificial tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints and evaluates their computational speed and accuracy, while the second demonstrates the use of surrogate contact models in a forward dynamic simulation of an open-chain leg extension-flexion motion. Conclusion SCMT facilitates the creation of computationally fast and accurate surrogate contact models. Additionally, it serves as a bridge between FEBio and OpenSim musculoskeletal modeling software. Significance Researchers may now create and deploy surrogate models of elastic joint contact with minimal effort. PMID:26186761

  6. Linking actin networks and cell membrane via a reaction-diffusion-elastic description of nonlinear filopodia initiation.

    PubMed

    Ben Isaac, Eyal; Manor, Uri; Kachar, Bechara; Yochelis, Arik; Gov, Nir S

    2013-08-01

    Reaction-diffusion models have been used to describe pattern formation on the cellular scale, and traditionally do not include feedback between cellular shape changes and biochemical reactions. We introduce here a distinct reaction-diffusion-elasticity approach: The reaction-diffusion part describes bistability between two actin orientations, coupled to the elastic energy of the cell membrane deformations. This coupling supports spatially localized patterns, even when such solutions do not exist in the uncoupled self-inhibited reaction-diffusion system. We apply this concept to describe the nonlinear (threshold driven) initiation mechanism of actin-based cellular protrusions and provide support by several experimental observations.

  7. Topology determines force distributions in one-dimensional random spring networks.

    PubMed

    Heidemann, Knut M; Sageman-Furnas, Andrew O; Sharma, Abhinav; Rehfeldt, Florian; Schmidt, Christoph F; Wardetzky, Max

    2018-02-01

    Networks of elastic fibers are ubiquitous in biological systems and often provide mechanical stability to cells and tissues. Fiber-reinforced materials are also common in technology. An important characteristic of such materials is their resistance to failure under load. Rupture occurs when fibers break under excessive force and when that failure propagates. Therefore, it is crucial to understand force distributions. Force distributions within such networks are typically highly inhomogeneous and are not well understood. Here we construct a simple one-dimensional model system with periodic boundary conditions by randomly placing linear springs on a circle. We consider ensembles of such networks that consist of N nodes and have an average degree of connectivity z but vary in topology. Using a graph-theoretical approach that accounts for the full topology of each network in the ensemble, we show that, surprisingly, the force distributions can be fully characterized in terms of the parameters (N,z). Despite the universal properties of such (N,z) ensembles, our analysis further reveals that a classical mean-field approach fails to capture force distributions correctly. We demonstrate that network topology is a crucial determinant of force distributions in elastic spring networks.

  8. Topology determines force distributions in one-dimensional random spring networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heidemann, Knut M.; Sageman-Furnas, Andrew O.; Sharma, Abhinav; Rehfeldt, Florian; Schmidt, Christoph F.; Wardetzky, Max

    2018-02-01

    Networks of elastic fibers are ubiquitous in biological systems and often provide mechanical stability to cells and tissues. Fiber-reinforced materials are also common in technology. An important characteristic of such materials is their resistance to failure under load. Rupture occurs when fibers break under excessive force and when that failure propagates. Therefore, it is crucial to understand force distributions. Force distributions within such networks are typically highly inhomogeneous and are not well understood. Here we construct a simple one-dimensional model system with periodic boundary conditions by randomly placing linear springs on a circle. We consider ensembles of such networks that consist of N nodes and have an average degree of connectivity z but vary in topology. Using a graph-theoretical approach that accounts for the full topology of each network in the ensemble, we show that, surprisingly, the force distributions can be fully characterized in terms of the parameters (N ,z ) . Despite the universal properties of such (N ,z ) ensembles, our analysis further reveals that a classical mean-field approach fails to capture force distributions correctly. We demonstrate that network topology is a crucial determinant of force distributions in elastic spring networks.

  9. Why glass elasticity affects the thermodynamics and fragility of supercooled liquids

    PubMed Central

    Yan, Le; Düring, Gustavo; Wyart, Matthieu

    2013-01-01

    Supercooled liquids are characterized by their fragility: The slowing down of the dynamics under cooling is more sudden and the jump of specific heat at the glass transition is generally larger in fragile liquids than in strong ones. Despite the importance of this quantity in classifying liquids, explaining what aspects of the microscopic structure controls fragility remains a challenge. Surprisingly, experiments indicate that the linear elasticity of the glass—a purely local property of the free energy landscape—is a good predictor of fragility. In particular, materials presenting a large excess of soft elastic modes, the so-called boson peak, are strong. This is also the case for network liquids near the rigidity percolation, known to affect elasticity. Here we introduce a model of the glass transition based on the assumption that particles can organize locally into distinct configurations that are coupled spatially via elasticity. The model captures the mentioned observations connecting elasticity and fragility. We find that materials presenting an abundance of soft elastic modes have little elastic frustration: Energy is insensitive to most directions in phase space, leading to a small jump of specific heat. In this framework strong liquids turn out to lie the closest to a critical point associated with a rigidity or jamming transition, and their thermodynamic properties are related to the problem of number partitioning and to Hopfield nets in the limit of small memory. PMID:23576746

  10. Why glass elasticity affects the thermodynamics and fragility of supercooled liquids.

    PubMed

    Yan, Le; Düring, Gustavo; Wyart, Matthieu

    2013-04-16

    Supercooled liquids are characterized by their fragility: The slowing down of the dynamics under cooling is more sudden and the jump of specific heat at the glass transition is generally larger in fragile liquids than in strong ones. Despite the importance of this quantity in classifying liquids, explaining what aspects of the microscopic structure controls fragility remains a challenge. Surprisingly, experiments indicate that the linear elasticity of the glass--a purely local property of the free energy landscape--is a good predictor of fragility. In particular, materials presenting a large excess of soft elastic modes, the so-called boson peak, are strong. This is also the case for network liquids near the rigidity percolation, known to affect elasticity. Here we introduce a model of the glass transition based on the assumption that particles can organize locally into distinct configurations that are coupled spatially via elasticity. The model captures the mentioned observations connecting elasticity and fragility. We find that materials presenting an abundance of soft elastic modes have little elastic frustration: Energy is insensitive to most directions in phase space, leading to a small jump of specific heat. In this framework strong liquids turn out to lie the closest to a critical point associated with a rigidity or jamming transition, and their thermodynamic properties are related to the problem of number partitioning and to Hopfield nets in the limit of small memory.

  11. Unifying model for random matrix theory in arbitrary space dimensions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cicuta, Giovanni M.; Krausser, Johannes; Milkus, Rico; Zaccone, Alessio

    2018-03-01

    A sparse random block matrix model suggested by the Hessian matrix used in the study of elastic vibrational modes of amorphous solids is presented and analyzed. By evaluating some moments, benchmarked against numerics, differences in the eigenvalue spectrum of this model in different limits of space dimension d , and for arbitrary values of the lattice coordination number Z , are shown and discussed. As a function of these two parameters (and their ratio Z /d ), the most studied models in random matrix theory (Erdos-Renyi graphs, effective medium, and replicas) can be reproduced in the various limits of block dimensionality d . Remarkably, the Marchenko-Pastur spectral density (which is recovered by replica calculations for the Laplacian matrix) is reproduced exactly in the limit of infinite size of the blocks, or d →∞ , which clarifies the physical meaning of space dimension in these models. We feel that the approximate results for d =3 provided by our method may have many potential applications in the future, from the vibrational spectrum of glasses and elastic networks to wave localization, disordered conductors, random resistor networks, and random walks.

  12. Atomistic modeling of the low-frequency mechanical modes and Raman spectra of icosahedral virus capsids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dykeman, Eric C.; Sankey, Otto F.

    2010-02-01

    We describe a technique for calculating the low-frequency mechanical modes and frequencies of a large symmetric biological molecule where the eigenvectors of the Hessian matrix are determined with full atomic detail. The method, which follows order N methods used in electronic structure theory, determines the subset of lowest-frequency modes while using group theory to reduce the complexity of the problem. We apply the method to three icosahedral viruses of various T numbers and sizes; the human viruses polio and hepatitis B, and the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus, a plant virus. From the normal-mode eigenvectors, we use a bond polarizability model to predict a low-frequency Raman scattering profile for the viruses. The full atomic detail in the displacement patterns combined with an empirical potential-energy model allows a comparison of the fully atomic normal modes with elastic network models and normal-mode analysis with only dihedral degrees of freedom. We find that coarse-graining normal-mode analysis (particularly the elastic network model) can predict the displacement patterns for the first few (˜10) low-frequency modes that are global and cooperative.

  13. Glass-like stress relaxation of a permanent gelatin network as a signature of pretransitional helix-coil fluctuations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caroli, Christiane; Ronsin, Olivier; Lemaître, Anaël

    2018-02-01

    The stress response of permanently crosslinked gelatin gels was recently observed to display glass-like features, namely, a stretched-exponential behavior terminated by an exponential decay, the characteristic time scales of which increase dramatically with decreasing temperature. This phenomenon is studied here using a model of flexible polymer gel network where relaxation proceeds via elementary monomer exchanges between helix and coil segments. The relaxation dynamics of a full network simulation is found to be nearly identical to that of a model of independent strands, which shows that for flexible polymer gels in the range of elastic moduli of interest, both strand contour length disorder and elastic couplings are irrelevant. We thus focus on the independent strand model and find it not only to explain the observed functional form of the stress relaxation curves but also to yield predictions that match very satisfactorily the experimental measurements of final relaxation time and total stress drop. The system under study thus constitutes a rare case where the origin of glass-like behavior can be unambiguously identified, namely, as the signature of the enhancement of helix content fluctuations when approaching from above the mean-field helix-coil transition of strands.

  14. Variational Principles for Buckling of Microtubules Modeled as Nonlocal Orthotropic Shells

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    A variational principle for microtubules subject to a buckling load is derived by semi-inverse method. The microtubule is modeled as an orthotropic shell with the constitutive equations based on nonlocal elastic theory and the effect of filament network taken into account as an elastic surrounding. Microtubules can carry large compressive forces by virtue of the mechanical coupling between the microtubules and the surrounding elastic filament network. The equations governing the buckling of the microtubule are given by a system of three partial differential equations. The problem studied in the present work involves the derivation of the variational formulation for microtubule buckling. The Rayleigh quotient for the buckling load as well as the natural and geometric boundary conditions of the problem is obtained from this variational formulation. It is observed that the boundary conditions are coupled as a result of nonlocal formulation. It is noted that the analytic solution of the buckling problem for microtubules is usually a difficult task. The variational formulation of the problem provides the basis for a number of approximate and numerical methods of solutions and furthermore variational principles can provide physical insight into the problem. PMID:25214886

  15. Optimizing Thermal-Elastic Properties of C/C–SiC Composites Using a Hybrid Approach and PSO Algorithm

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Yingjie; Gao, Tian

    2016-01-01

    Carbon fiber-reinforced multi-layered pyrocarbon–silicon carbide matrix (C/C–SiC) composites are widely used in aerospace structures. The complicated spatial architecture and material heterogeneity of C/C–SiC composites constitute the challenge for tailoring their properties. Thus, discovering the intrinsic relations between the properties and the microstructures and sequentially optimizing the microstructures to obtain composites with the best performances becomes the key for practical applications. The objective of this work is to optimize the thermal-elastic properties of unidirectional C/C–SiC composites by controlling the multi-layered matrix thicknesses. A hybrid approach based on micromechanical modeling and back propagation (BP) neural network is proposed to predict the thermal-elastic properties of composites. Then, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is interfaced with this hybrid model to achieve the optimal design for minimizing the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composites with the constraint of elastic modulus. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid model and optimization method. PMID:28773343

  16. The ultra-structural organization of the elastic network in the intra- and inter-lamellar matrix of the intervertebral disc.

    PubMed

    Tavakoli, J; Elliott, D M; Costi, J J

    2017-08-01

    The inter-lamellar matrix (ILM)-located between adjacent lamellae of the annulus fibrosus-consists of a complex structure of elastic fibers, while elastic fibers of the intra-lamellar region are aligned predominantly parallel to the collagen fibers. The organization of elastic fibers under low magnification, in both inter- and intra-lamellar regions, was studied by light microscopic analysis of histologically prepared samples; however, little is known about their ultrastructure. An ultrastructural visualization of elastic fibers in the inter-lamellar matrix is crucial for describing their contribution to structural integrity, as well as mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosus. The aims of this study were twofold: first, to present an ultrastructural analysis of the elastic fiber network in the ILM and intra-lamellar region, including cross section (CS) and in-plane (IP) lamellae, of the AF using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and second, to -compare the elastic fiber orientation between the ILM and intra-lamellar region. Four samples (lumbar sheep discs) from adjacent sections (30μm thickness) of anterior annulus were partially digested by a developed NaOH-sonication method for visualization of elastic fibers by SEM. Elastic fiber orientation and distribution were quantified relative to the tangential to circumferential reference axis. Visualization of the ILM under high magnification revealed a dense network of elastic fibers that has not been previously described. Within the ILM, elastic fibers form a complex network, consisting of different size and shape fibers, which differed to those located in the intra-lamellar region. For both regions, the majority of fibers were oriented near 0° with respect to tangential to circumferential (TCD) direction and two minor symmetrical orientations of approximately±45°. Statistically, the orientation of elastic fibers between the ILM and intra-lamellar region was not different (p=0.171). The present study used extracellular matrix partial digestion to address significant gaps in understanding of disc microstructure and will contribute to multidisciplinary ultrastructure-function studies. Visualization of the intra-lamellar matrix under high magnification revealed a dense network of elastic fibers that has not been previously described. The present study used extracellular matrix partial digestion to address significant gaps in understanding of disc microstructure and will contribute to multidisciplinary ultrastructure-function studies. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Dynamic routing and spectrum assignment based on multilayer virtual topology and ant colony optimization in elastic software-defined optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Fu; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Lijia; Zhang, Qi; Tian, Qinghua; Tian, Feng; Rao, Lan; Xin, Xiangjun

    2017-07-01

    Elastic software-defined optical networks greatly improve the flexibility of the optical switching network while it has brought challenges to the routing and spectrum assignment (RSA). A multilayer virtual topology model is proposed to solve RSA problems. Two RSA algorithms based on the virtual topology are proposed, which are the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm of minimum consecutiveness loss and the ACO algorithm of maximum spectrum consecutiveness. Due to the computing power of the control layer in the software-defined network, the routing algorithm avoids the frequent link-state information between routers. Based on the effect of the spectrum consecutiveness loss on the pheromone in the ACO, the path and spectrum of the minimal impact on the network are selected for the service request. The proposed algorithms have been compared with other algorithms. The results show that the proposed algorithms can reduce the blocking rate by at least 5% and perform better in spectrum efficiency. Moreover, the proposed algorithms can effectively decrease spectrum fragmentation and enhance available spectrum consecutiveness.

  18. Computation of the effective mechanical response of biological networks accounting for large configuration changes.

    PubMed

    El Nady, K; Ganghoffer, J F

    2016-05-01

    The asymptotic homogenization technique is involved to derive the effective elastic response of biological membranes viewed as repetitive beam networks. Thereby, a systematic methodology is established, allowing the prediction of the overall mechanical properties of biological membranes in the nonlinear regime, reflecting the influence of the geometrical and mechanical micro-parameters of the network structure on the overall response of the equivalent continuum. Biomembranes networks are classified based on nodal connectivity, so that we analyze in this work 3, 4 and 6-connectivity networks, which are representative of most biological networks. The individual filaments of the network are described as undulated beams prone to entropic elasticity, with tensile moduli determined from their persistence length. The effective micropolar continuum evaluated as a continuum substitute of the biological network has a kinematics reflecting the discrete network deformation modes, involving a nodal displacement and a microrotation. The statics involves the classical Cauchy stress and internal moments encapsulated into couple stresses, which develop internal work in duality to microcurvatures reflecting local network undulations. The relative ratio of the characteristic bending length of the effective micropolar continuum to the unit cell size determines the relevant choice of the equivalent medium. In most cases, the Cauchy continuum is sufficient to model biomembranes. The peptidoglycan network may exhibit a re-entrant hexagonal configuration due to thermal or pressure fluctuations, for which micropolar effects become important. The homogenized responses are in good agreement with FE simulations performed over the whole network. The predictive nature of the employed homogenization technique allows the identification of a strain energy density of a hyperelastic model, for the purpose of performing structural calculations of the shape evolutions of biomembranes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Shaping through buckling in elastic gridshells: from camping tents to architectural roofs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reis, Pedro

    Elastic gridshells comprise an initially planar network of elastic rods that is actuated into a 3D shell-like structure by loading its extremities. This shaping results from elastic buckling and the subsequent geometrically nonlinear deformation of the grid structure. Architectural elastic gridshells first appeared in the 1970's. However, to date, only a limited number of examples have been constructed around the world, primarily due to the challenges involved in their structural design. Yet, elastic gridshells are highly appealing: they can cover wide spans with low self-weight, they allow for aesthetically pleasing shapes and their construction is typically simple and rapid. We study the mechanics of elastic gridshells by combining precision model experiments that explore their scale invariance, together with computer simulations that employ the Discrete Elastic Rods method. Excellent agreement is found between the two. Upon validation, the numerics are then used to systematically explore parameter space and identify general design principles for specific target final shapes. Our findings are rationalized using the theory of discrete Chebyshev nets, together with the group theory for crystals. Higher buckling modes occur for some configurations due to geometric incompatibility at the boundary and result in symmetry breaking. Along with the systematic classification of the various possible modes of deformation, we provide a reduced model that rationalizes form-finding in elastic gridshells. This work was done in collaboration with Changyeob Baek, Khalid Jawed and Andrew Sageman-Furnas. We are grateful to the NSF for funding (CAREER, CMMI-1351449).

  20. A nonaffine network model for elastomers undergoing finite deformations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davidson, Jacob D.; Goulbourne, N. C.

    2013-08-01

    In this work, we construct a new physics-based model of rubber elasticity to capture the strain softening, strain hardening, and deformation-state dependent response of rubber materials undergoing finite deformations. This model is unique in its ability to capture large-stretch mechanical behavior with parameters that are connected to the polymer chemistry and can also be easily identified with the important characteristics of the macroscopic stress-stretch response. The microscopic picture consists of two components: a crosslinked network of Langevin chains and an entangled network with chains confined to a nonaffine tube. These represent, respectively, changes in entropy due to thermally averaged chain conformations and changes in entropy due to the magnitude of these conformational fluctuations. A simple analytical form for the strain energy density is obtained using Rubinstein and Panyukov's single-chain description of network behavior. The model only depends on three parameters that together define the initial modulus, extent of strain softening, and the onset of strain hardening. Fits to large stretch data for natural rubber, silicone rubber, VHB 4905 (polyacrylate rubber), and b186 rubber (a carbon black-filled rubber) are presented, and a comparison is made with other similar constitutive models of large-stretch rubber elasticity. We demonstrate that the proposed model provides a complete description of elastomers undergoing large deformations for different applied loading configurations. Moreover, since the strain energy is obtained using a clear set of physical assumptions, this model may be tested and used to interpret the results of computer simulation and experiments on polymers of known microscopic structure.

  1. Quantitative Modeling of Coupled Piezo-Elastodynamic Behavior of Piezoelectric Actuators Bonded to an Elastic Medium for Structural Health Monitoring: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Guoliang; Song, Fei; Wang, Xiaodong

    2010-01-01

    Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized. PMID:22319319

  2. Physics of soft hyaluronic acid-collagen type II double network gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morozova, Svetlana; Muthukumar, Murugappan

    2015-03-01

    Many biological hydrogels are made up of multiple interpenetrating, charged components. We study the swelling, elastic diffusion, mechanical, and optical behaviors of 100 mol% ionizable hyaluronic acid (HA) and collagen type II fiber networks. Dilute, 0.05-0.5 wt% hyaluronic acid networks are extremely sensitive to solution salt concentration, but are stable at pH above 2. When swelled in 0.1M NaCl, single-network hyaluronic acid gels follow scaling laws relevant to high salt semidilute solutions; the elastic shear modulus G' and diffusion constant D scale with the volume fraction ϕ as G' ~ϕ 9 / 4 and D ~ϕ 3 / 4 , respectively. With the addition of a collagen fiber network, we find that the hyaluronic acid network swells to suspend the rigid collagen fibers, providing extra strength to the hydrogel. Results on swelling equilibria, elasticity, and collective diffusion on these double network hydrogels will be presented.

  3. Nanomechanics of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte complexes: a manifestation of ionic cross-links and fixed charges.

    PubMed

    Han, Biao; Chery, Daphney R; Yin, Jie; Lu, X Lucas; Lee, Daeyeon; Han, Lin

    2016-01-28

    This study investigates the roles of two distinct features of ionically cross-linked polyelectrolyte networks - ionic cross-links and fixed charges - in determining their nanomechanical properties. The layer-by-layer assembled poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAH/PAA) network is used as the model material. The densities of ionic cross-links and fixed charges are modulated through solution pH and ionic strength (IS), and the swelling ratio, elastic and viscoelastic properties are quantified via an array of atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanomechanical tools. The roles of ionic cross-links are underscored by the distinctive elastic and viscoelastic nanomechanical characters observed here. First, as ionic cross-links are highly sensitive to solution conditions, the instantaneous modulus, E0, exhibits orders-of-magnitude changes upon pH- and IS-governed swelling, distinctive from the rubber elasticity prediction based on permanent covalent cross-links. Second, ionic cross-links can break and self-re-form, and this mechanism dominates force relaxation of PAH/PAA under a constant indentation depth. In most states, the degree of relaxation is >90%, independent of ionic cross-link density. The importance of fixed charges is highlighted by the unexpectedly more elastic nature of the network despite low ionic cross-link density at pH 2.0, IS 0.01 M. Here, the complex is a net charged, loosely cross-linked, where the degree of relaxation is attenuated to ≈50% due to increased elastic contribution arising from fixed charge-induced Donnan osmotic pressure. In addition, this study develops a new method for quantifying the thickness of highly swollen polymer hydrogel films. It also underscores important technical considerations when performing nanomechanical tests on highly rate-dependent polymer hydrogel networks. These results provide new insights into the nanomechanical characters of ionic polyelectrolyte complexes, and lay the ground for further investigation of their unique time-dependent properties.

  4. Experimental and modeling study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flow in pore network micromodels.

    PubMed

    Perrin, Christian L; Tardy, Philippe M J; Sorbie, Ken S; Crawshaw, John C

    2006-03-15

    The in situ rheology of polymeric solutions has been studied experimentally in etched silicon micromodels which are idealizations of porous media. The rectangular channels in these etched networks have dimensions typical of pore sizes in sandstone rocks. Pressure drop/flow rate relations have been measured for water and non-Newtonian hydrolyzed-polyacrylamide (HPAM) solutions in both individual straight rectangular capillaries and in networks of such capillaries. Results from these experiments have been analyzed using pore-scale network modeling incorporating the non-Newtonian fluid mechanics of a Carreau fluid. Quantitative agreement is seen between the experiments and the network calculations in the Newtonian and shear-thinning flow regions demonstrating that the 'shift factor,'alpha, can be calculated a priori. Shear-thickening behavior was observed at higher flow rates in the micromodel experiments as a result of elastic effects becoming important and this remains to be incorporated in the network model.

  5. Modeling and simulation of different and representative engineering problems using Network Simulation Method

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Mathematical models simulating different and representative engineering problem, atomic dry friction, the moving front problems and elastic and solid mechanics are presented in the form of a set of non-linear, coupled or not coupled differential equations. For different parameters values that influence the solution, the problem is numerically solved by the network method, which provides all the variables of the problems. Although the model is extremely sensitive to the above parameters, no assumptions are considered as regards the linearization of the variables. The design of the models, which are run on standard electrical circuit simulation software, is explained in detail. The network model results are compared with common numerical methods or experimental data, published in the scientific literature, to show the reliability of the model. PMID:29518121

  6. Modeling and simulation of different and representative engineering problems using Network Simulation Method.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Pérez, J F; Marín, F; Morales, J L; Cánovas, M; Alhama, F

    2018-01-01

    Mathematical models simulating different and representative engineering problem, atomic dry friction, the moving front problems and elastic and solid mechanics are presented in the form of a set of non-linear, coupled or not coupled differential equations. For different parameters values that influence the solution, the problem is numerically solved by the network method, which provides all the variables of the problems. Although the model is extremely sensitive to the above parameters, no assumptions are considered as regards the linearization of the variables. The design of the models, which are run on standard electrical circuit simulation software, is explained in detail. The network model results are compared with common numerical methods or experimental data, published in the scientific literature, to show the reliability of the model.

  7. Resistance to alveolar shape change limits range of force propagation in lung parenchyma.

    PubMed

    Ma, Baoshun; Smith, Bradford J; Bates, Jason H T

    2015-06-01

    We have recently shown that if the lung parenchyma is modeled in 2 dimensions as a network of springs arranged in a pattern of repeating hexagonal cells, the distortional forces around a contracting airway propagate much further from the airway wall than classic continuum theory predicts. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that this occurs because of the negligible shear modulus of a hexagonal spring network. We simulated the narrowing of an airway embedded in a hexagonal network of elastic alveolar walls when the hexagonal cells of the network offered some resistance to a change in shape. We found that as the forces resisting shape change approach about 10% of the forces resisting length change of an individual spring the range of distortional force propagation in the spring network fell of rapidly as in an elastic continuum. We repeated these investigations in a 3-dimensional spring network composed of space-filling polyhedral cells and found similar results. This suggests that force propagation away from a point of local parenchymal distortion also falls off rapidly in real lung tissue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Transient response of nonlinear polymer networks: A kinetic theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vernerey, Franck J.

    2018-06-01

    Dynamic networks are found in a majority of natural materials, but also in engineering materials, such as entangled polymers and physically cross-linked gels. Owing to their transient bond dynamics, these networks display a rich class of behaviors, from elasticity, rheology, self-healing, or growth. Although classical theories in rheology and mechanics have enabled us to characterize these materials, there is still a gap in our understanding on how individuals (i.e., the mechanics of each building blocks and its connection with others) affect the emerging response of the network. In this work, we introduce an alternative way to think about these networks from a statistical point of view. More specifically, a network is seen as a collection of individual polymer chains connected by weak bonds that can associate and dissociate over time. From the knowledge of these individual chains (elasticity, transient attachment, and detachment events), we construct a statistical description of the population and derive an evolution equation of their distribution based on applied deformation and their local interactions. We specifically concentrate on nonlinear elastic response that follows from the strain stiffening response of individual chains of finite size. Upon appropriate averaging operations and using a mean field approximation, we show that the distribution can be replaced by a so-called chain distribution tensor that is used to determine important macroscopic measures such as stress, energy storage and dissipation in the network. Prediction of the kinetic theory are then explored against known experimental measurement of polymer responses under uniaxial loading. It is found that even under the simplest assumptions of force-independent chain kinetics, the model is able to reproduce complex time-dependent behaviors of rubber and self-healing supramolecular polymers.

  9. Muon-Neutrino Electron Elastic Scattering and a Search for the Muon-Neutrino Magnetic Moment in the NOvA Near Detector

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Biao

    We use the NOvA near detector and the NuMI beam at Fermilab to study the neutrino- electron elastic scattering and the muon neutrino magnetic process beyond the Standard Model physics. The particle identications of neutrino on electron elastic scattering are trained by using the multi-layer neural networks. This thesis provides a general discussion of this technique and shows a good agreement between data and MC for the neutrino-electron elastic weak scattering. So that beneting from the precise cross-section of this channel, we are able to tune the neutrino beam ux simulation in the future. Giving the exposure of 3:62 1020more » POT in the NOvA near detector, we report 1:58 10« less

  10. Energy-efficient routing, modulation and spectrum allocation in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Yanxia; Gu, Rentao; Ji, Yuefeng

    2017-07-01

    With tremendous growth in bandwidth demand, energy consumption problem in elastic optical networks (EONs) becomes a hot topic with wide concern. The sliceable bandwidth-variable transponder in EON, which can transmit/receive multiple optical flows, was recently proposed to improve a transponder's flexibility and save energy. In this paper, energy-efficient routing, modulation and spectrum allocation (EE-RMSA) in EONs with sliceable bandwidth-variable transponder is studied. To decrease the energy consumption, we develop a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model with corresponding EE-RMSA algorithm for EONs. The MILP model jointly considers the modulation format and optical grooming in the process of routing and spectrum allocation with the objective of minimizing the energy consumption. With the help of genetic operators, the EE-RMSA algorithm iteratively optimizes the feasible routing path, modulation format and spectrum resources solutions by explore the whole search space. In order to save energy, the optical-layer grooming strategy is designed to transmit the lightpath requests. Finally, simulation results verify that the proposed scheme is able to reduce the energy consumption of the network while maintaining the blocking probability (BP) performance compare with the existing First-Fit-KSP algorithm, Iterative Flipping algorithm and EAMGSP algorithm especially in large network topology. Our results also demonstrate that the proposed EE-RMSA algorithm achieves almost the same performance as MILP on an 8-node network.

  11. Rubber elasticity for percolation network consisting of Gaussian chains.

    PubMed

    Nishi, Kengo; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Sakai, Takamasa; Shibayama, Mitsuhiro

    2015-11-14

    A theory describing the elastic modulus for percolation networks of Gaussian chains on general lattices such as square and cubic lattices is proposed and its validity is examined with simulation and mechanical experiments on well-defined polymer networks. The theory was developed by generalizing the effective medium approximation (EMA) for Hookian spring network to Gaussian chain networks. From EMA theory, we found that the ratio of the elastic modulus at p, G to that at p = 1, G0, must be equal to G/G0 = (p - 2/f)/(1 - 2/f) if the position of sites can be determined so as to meet the force balance, where p is the degree of cross-linking reaction. However, the EMA prediction cannot be applicable near its percolation threshold because EMA is a mean field theory. Thus, we combine real-space renormalization and EMA and propose a theory called real-space renormalized EMA, i.e., REMA. The elastic modulus predicted by REMA is in excellent agreement with the results of simulations and experiments of near-ideal diamond lattice gels.

  12. Rubber elasticity for percolation network consisting of Gaussian chains

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nishi, Kengo, E-mail: kengo.nishi@phys.uni-goettingen.de, E-mail: sakai@tetrapod.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: sibayama@issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Shibayama, Mitsuhiro, E-mail: kengo.nishi@phys.uni-goettingen.de, E-mail: sakai@tetrapod.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: sibayama@issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp

    2015-11-14

    A theory describing the elastic modulus for percolation networks of Gaussian chains on general lattices such as square and cubic lattices is proposed and its validity is examined with simulation and mechanical experiments on well-defined polymer networks. The theory was developed by generalizing the effective medium approximation (EMA) for Hookian spring network to Gaussian chain networks. From EMA theory, we found that the ratio of the elastic modulus at p, G to that at p = 1, G{sub 0}, must be equal to G/G{sub 0} = (p − 2/f)/(1 − 2/f) if the position of sites can be determined somore » as to meet the force balance, where p is the degree of cross-linking reaction. However, the EMA prediction cannot be applicable near its percolation threshold because EMA is a mean field theory. Thus, we combine real-space renormalization and EMA and propose a theory called real-space renormalized EMA, i.e., REMA. The elastic modulus predicted by REMA is in excellent agreement with the results of simulations and experiments of near-ideal diamond lattice gels.« less

  13. Performance evaluation of multi-stratum resources integration based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect.

    PubMed

    Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tian, Rui; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

    2015-11-30

    Data center interconnect with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented multi-stratum resilience between IP and elastic optical networks that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends to consider the resource integration by breaking the limit of network device, which can enhance the resource utilization. We propose a novel multi-stratum resources integration (MSRI) architecture based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect. A resource integrated mapping (RIM) scheme for MSRI is introduced in the proposed architecture. The MSRI can accommodate the data center services with resources integration when the single function or resource is relatively scarce to provision the services, and enhance globally integrated optimization of optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of OpenFlow-based enhanced software defined networking (eSDN) testbed. The performance of RIM scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on MSRI architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning schemes.

  14. Networks with fourfold connectivity in two dimensions.

    PubMed

    Tessier, Frédéric; Boal, David H; Discher, Dennis E

    2003-01-01

    The elastic properties of planar, C4-symmetric networks under stress and at nonzero temperature are determined by simulation and mean field approximations. Attached at fourfold coordinated junction vertices, the networks are self-avoiding in that their elements (or bonds) may not intersect each other. Two different models are considered for the potential energy of the elements: either Hooke's law springs or flexible tethers (square well potential). For certain ranges of stress and temperature, the properties of the networks are captured by one of several models: at large tensions, the networks behave like a uniform system of square plaquettes, while at large compressions or high temperatures, they display many characteristics of an ideal gas. Under less severe conditions, mean field models with more general shapes (parallelograms) reproduce many essential features of both networks. Lastly, the spring network expands without limit at a two-dimensional tension equal to the force constant of the spring; however, it does not appear to collapse under compression, except at zero temperature.

  15. Bus-based park-and-ride system: a stochastic model on multimodal network with congestion pricing schemes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Zhiyuan; Meng, Qiang

    2014-05-01

    This paper focuses on modelling the network flow equilibrium problem on a multimodal transport network with bus-based park-and-ride (P&R) system and congestion pricing charges. The multimodal network has three travel modes: auto mode, transit mode and P&R mode. A continuously distributed value-of-time is assumed to convert toll charges and transit fares to time unit, and the users' route choice behaviour is assumed to follow the probit-based stochastic user equilibrium principle with elastic demand. These two assumptions have caused randomness to the users' generalised travel times on the multimodal network. A comprehensive network framework is first defined for the flow equilibrium problem with consideration of interactions between auto flows and transit (bus) flows. Then, a fixed-point model with unique solution is proposed for the equilibrium flows, which can be solved by a convergent cost averaging method. Finally, the proposed methodology is tested by a network example.

  16. Crustal motion measurements from the POLENET Antarctic Network: comparisons with glacial isostatic adjustment models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, T. J.; Konfal, S. A.; Bevis, M. G.; Spada, G.; Melini, D.; Barletta, V. R.; Kendrick, E. C.; Saddler, D.; Smalley, R., Jr.; Dalziel, I. W. D.; Willis, M. J.

    2016-12-01

    Crustal motions measured by GPS provide a unique proxy record of ice mass change, due to the elastic and viscoelastic response of the earth to removal of ice loads. The ANET/POLENET array of bedrock GPS sites spans much of the Antarctic interior, encompassing regions where glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models predict large crustal displacements due to LGM ice loss and including coastal West Antarctica where major modern ice mass loss is documented. To isolate the long-term GIA component of measured crustal motions, we computed and removed elastic displacements due to recent ice mass change. We used the annually resolved ice mass balance data from Martín-Español et al. (2016) derived from a statistical inversion of satellite altimetry, gravimetry, and elastic-corrected GPS data for the period 2003-2013. The Regional Elastic Rebound Calculator (REAR) [Melini et al., 2015] was used to compute elastic vertical and horizontal surface displacements. Uplift due to elastic rebound is substantial in West Antarctica, very minimal in East Antarctica, and variable across the Weddell Embayment. The ANET GPS-derived crustal motion patterns ascribed to non-elastic GIA are spatially complex and differ significantly in magnitude from model predictions. We present a systematic comparison of measured and predicted velocities within different sectors of Antarctica, in order to examine spatial patterns relative to modern ice mass changes, ice history model uncertainties, and lateral variations in earth properties. In the Weddell Embayment region most vertical velocities are lower than uplift predicted by GIA models. Several sites in the southernmost Transantarctic Mountains and the Whitmore Mountains, where small ice mass increase occurs, have vertical uplift significantly exceeding GIA model predictions. There is an intriguing spatial correlation of these fast-moving sites with a low-velocity anomaly in the upper mantle documented by analysis of teleseismic Rayleigh waves by Heeszel et al. (2016). Significant non-elastic GIA velocities occur in the Amundsen Sea Embayment sector, with high uplift flanked by subsiding regions. This pattern can be modeled as a viscoelastic response to ice loss on decadal-centennial time scales in a region with weak upper mantle, consistent with seismic results in the region.

  17. Mathematical modelling of flow distribution in the human cardiovascular system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sud, V. K.; Srinivasan, R. S.; Charles, J. B.; Bungo, M. W.

    1992-01-01

    The paper presents a detailed model of the entire human cardiovascular system which aims to study the changes in flow distribution caused by external stimuli, changes in internal parameters, or other factors. The arterial-venous network is represented by 325 interconnected elastic segments. The mathematical description of each segment is based on equations of hydrodynamics and those of stress/strain relationships in elastic materials. Appropriate input functions provide for the pumping of blood by the heart through the system. The analysis employs the finite-element technique which can accommodate any prescribed boundary conditions. Values of model parameters are from available data on physical and rheological properties of blood and blood vessels. As a representative example, simulation results on changes in flow distribution with changes in the elastic properties of blood vessels are discussed. They indicate that the errors in the calculated overall flow rates are not significant even in the extreme case of arteries and veins behaving as rigid tubes.

  18. Non-affine deformations in polymer hydrogels

    PubMed Central

    Wen, Qi; Basu, Anindita; Janmey, Paul A.; Yodh, A. G.

    2012-01-01

    Most theories of soft matter elasticity assume that the local strain in a sample after deformation is identical everywhere and equal to the macroscopic strain, or equivalently that the deformation is affine. We discuss the elasticity of hydrogels of crosslinked polymers with special attention to affine and non-affine theories of elasticity. Experimental procedures to measure non-affine deformations are also described. Entropic theories, which account for gel elasticity based on stretching out individual polymer chains, predict affine deformations. In contrast, simulations of network deformation that result in bending of the stiff constituent filaments generally predict non-affine behavior. Results from experiments show significant non-affine deformation in hydrogels even when they are formed by flexible polymers for which bending would appear to be negligible compared to stretching. However, this finding is not necessarily an experimental proof of the non-affine model for elasticity. We emphasize the insights gained from experiments using confocal rheoscope and show that, in addition to filament bending, sample micro-inhomogeneity can be a significant alternative source of non-affine deformation. PMID:23002395

  19. Stepwise Elastic Behavior in a Model Elastomer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhawe, Dhananjay M.; Cohen, Claude; Escobedo, Fernando A.

    2004-12-01

    MonteCarlo simulations of an entanglement-free cross-linked polymer network of semiflexible chains reveal a peculiar stepwise elastic response. For increasing stress, step jumps in strain are observed that do not correlate with changes in the number of aligned chains. We show that this unusual behavior stems from the ability of the system to form multiple ordered chain domains that exclude the cross-linking species. This novel elastomer shows a toughening behavior similar to that observed in biological structural materials, such as muscle proteins and abalone shell adhesive.

  20. The effects of rigid motions on elastic network model force constants

    PubMed Central

    Lezon, Timothy R.

    2012-01-01

    Elastic network models provide an efficient way to quickly calculate protein global dynamics from experimentally determined structures. The model’s single parameter, its force constant, determines the physical extent of equilibrium fluctuations. The values of force constants can be calculated by fitting to experimental data, but the results depend on the type of experimental data used. Here we investigate the differences between calculated values of force constants _t to data from NMR and X-ray structures. We find that X-ray B factors carry the signature of rigid-body motions, to the extent that B factors can be almost entirely accounted for by rigid motions alone. When fitting to more refined anisotropic temperature factors, the contributions of rigid motions are significantly reduced, indicating that the large contribution of rigid motions to B factors is a result of over-fitting. No correlation is found between force constants fit to NMR data and those fit to X-ray data, possibly due to the inability of NMR data to accurately capture protein dynamics. PMID:22228562

  1. The effects of rigid motions on elastic network model force constants.

    PubMed

    Lezon, Timothy R

    2012-04-01

    Elastic network models provide an efficient way to quickly calculate protein global dynamics from experimentally determined structures. The model's single parameter, its force constant, determines the physical extent of equilibrium fluctuations. The values of force constants can be calculated by fitting to experimental data, but the results depend on the type of experimental data used. Here, we investigate the differences between calculated values of force constants and data from NMR and X-ray structures. We find that X-ray B factors carry the signature of rigid-body motions, to the extent that B factors can be almost entirely accounted for by rigid motions alone. When fitting to more refined anisotropic temperature factors, the contributions of rigid motions are significantly reduced, indicating that the large contribution of rigid motions to B factors is a result of over-fitting. No correlation is found between force constants fit to NMR data and those fit to X-ray data, possibly due to the inability of NMR data to accurately capture protein dynamics. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Constitutive modelling of composite biopolymer networks.

    PubMed

    Fallqvist, B; Kroon, M

    2016-04-21

    The mechanical behaviour of biopolymer networks is to a large extent determined at a microstructural level where the characteristics of individual filaments and the interactions between them determine the response at a macroscopic level. Phenomena such as viscoelasticity and strain-hardening followed by strain-softening are observed experimentally in these networks, often due to microstructural changes (such as filament sliding, rupture and cross-link debonding). Further, composite structures can also be formed with vastly different mechanical properties as compared to the individual networks. In this present paper, we present a constitutive model presented in a continuum framework aimed at capturing these effects. Special care is taken to formulate thermodynamically consistent evolution laws for dissipative effects. This model, incorporating possible anisotropic network properties, is based on a strain energy function, split into an isochoric and a volumetric part. Generalisation to three dimensions is performed by numerical integration over the unit sphere. Model predictions indicate that the constitutive model is well able to predict the elastic and viscoelastic response of biological networks, and to an extent also composite structures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Heterogeneous mechanics of the mouse pulmonary arterial network.

    PubMed

    Lee, Pilhwa; Carlson, Brian E; Chesler, Naomi; Olufsen, Mette S; Qureshi, M Umar; Smith, Nicolas P; Sochi, Taha; Beard, Daniel A

    2016-10-01

    Individualized modeling and simulation of blood flow mechanics find applications in both animal research and patient care. Individual animal or patient models for blood vessel mechanics are based on combining measured vascular geometry with a fluid structure model coupling formulations describing dynamics of the fluid and mechanics of the wall. For example, one-dimensional fluid flow modeling requires a constitutive law relating vessel cross-sectional deformation to pressure in the lumen. To investigate means of identifying appropriate constitutive relationships, an automated segmentation algorithm was applied to micro-computerized tomography images from a mouse lung obtained at four different static pressures to identify the static pressure-radius relationship for four generations of vessels in the pulmonary arterial network. A shape-fitting function was parameterized for each vessel in the network to characterize the nonlinear and heterogeneous nature of vessel distensibility in the pulmonary arteries. These data on morphometric and mechanical properties were used to simulate pressure and flow velocity propagation in the network using one-dimensional representations of fluid and vessel wall mechanics. Moreover, wave intensity analysis was used to study effects of wall mechanics on generation and propagation of pressure wave reflections. Simulations were conducted to investigate the role of linear versus nonlinear formulations of wall elasticity and homogeneous versus heterogeneous treatments of vessel wall properties. Accounting for heterogeneity, by parameterizing the pressure/distention equation of state individually for each vessel segment, was found to have little effect on the predicted pressure profiles and wave propagation compared to a homogeneous parameterization based on average behavior. However, substantially different results were obtained using a linear elastic thin-shell model than were obtained using a nonlinear model that has a more physiologically realistic pressure versus radius relationship.

  4. Morphology and linear-elastic moduli of random network solids.

    PubMed

    Nachtrab, Susan; Kapfer, Sebastian C; Arns, Christoph H; Madadi, Mahyar; Mecke, Klaus; Schröder-Turk, Gerd E

    2011-06-17

    The effective linear-elastic moduli of disordered network solids are analyzed by voxel-based finite element calculations. We analyze network solids given by Poisson-Voronoi processes and by the structure of collagen fiber networks imaged by confocal microscopy. The solid volume fraction ϕ is varied by adjusting the fiber radius, while keeping the structural mesh or pore size of the underlying network fixed. For intermediate ϕ, the bulk and shear modulus are approximated by empirical power-laws K(phi)proptophin and G(phi)proptophim with n≈1.4 and m≈1.7. The exponents for the collagen and the Poisson-Voronoi network solids are similar, and are close to the values n=1.22 and m=2.11 found in a previous voxel-based finite element study of Poisson-Voronoi systems with different boundary conditions. However, the exponents of these empirical power-laws are at odds with the analytic values of n=1 and m=2, valid for low-density cellular structures in the limit of thin beams. We propose a functional form for K(ϕ) that models the cross-over from a power-law at low densities to a porous solid at high densities; a fit of the data to this functional form yields the asymptotic exponent n≈1.00, as expected. Further, both the intensity of the Poisson-Voronoi process and the collagen concentration in the samples, both of which alter the typical pore or mesh size, affect the effective moduli only by the resulting change of the solid volume fraction. These findings suggest that a network solid with the structure of the collagen networks can be modeled in quantitative agreement by a Poisson-Voronoi process. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Design and deployment of an elastic network test-bed in IHEP data center based on SDN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Shan; Qi, Fazhi; Chen, Gang

    2017-10-01

    High energy physics experiments produce huge amounts of raw data, while because of the sharing characteristics of the network resources, there is no guarantee of the available bandwidth for each experiment which may cause link congestion problems. On the other side, with the development of cloud computing technologies, IHEP have established a cloud platform based on OpenStack which can ensure the flexibility of the computing and storage resources, and more and more computing applications have been deployed on virtual machines established by OpenStack. However, under the traditional network architecture, network capability can’t be required elastically, which becomes the bottleneck of restricting the flexible application of cloud computing. In order to solve the above problems, we propose an elastic cloud data center network architecture based on SDN, and we also design a high performance controller cluster based on OpenDaylight. In the end, we present our current test results.

  6. Prestressed F-actin networks cross-linked by hinged filamins replicate mechanical properties of cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardel, M. L.; Nakamura, F.; Hartwig, J. H.; Crocker, J. C.; Stossel, T. P.; Weitz, D. A.

    2006-02-01

    We show that actin filaments, shortened to physiological lengths by gelsolin and cross-linked with recombinant human filamins (FLNs), exhibit dynamic elastic properties similar to those reported for live cells. To achieve elasticity values of comparable magnitude to those of cells, the in vitro network must be subjected to external prestress, which directly controls network elasticity. A molecular requirement for the strain-related behavior at physiological conditionsis a flexible hinge found in FLNa and some FLNb molecules. Basic physical properties of the in vitro filamin-F-actin network replicate the essential mechanical properties of living cells. This physical behavior could accommodate passive deformation and internal organelle trafficking at low strains yet resist externally or internally generated high shear forces. cytoskeleton | cell mechanics | nonlinear rheology

  7. Global Motions of the Nuclear Pore Complex: Insights from Elastic Network Models

    PubMed Central

    Lezon, Timothy R.; Sali, Andrej; Bahar, Ivet

    2009-01-01

    The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the gate to the nucleus. Recent determination of the configuration of proteins in the yeast NPC at ∼5 nm resolution permits us to study the NPC global dynamics using coarse-grained structural models. We investigate these large-scale motions by using an extended elastic network model (ENM) formalism applied to several coarse-grained representations of the NPC. Two types of collective motions (global modes) are predicted by the ENMs to be intrinsically favored by the NPC architecture: global bending and extension/contraction from circular to elliptical shapes. These motions are shown to be robust against tested variations in the representation of the NPC, and are largely captured by a simple model of a toroid with axially varying mass density. We demonstrate that spoke multiplicity significantly affects the accessible number of symmetric low-energy modes of motion; the NPC-like toroidal structures composed of 8 spokes have access to highly cooperative symmetric motions that are inaccessible to toroids composed of 7 or 9 spokes. The analysis reveals modes of motion that may facilitate macromolecular transport through the NPC, consistent with previous experimental observations. PMID:19730674

  8. Global motions of the nuclear pore complex: insights from elastic network models.

    PubMed

    Lezon, Timothy R; Sali, Andrej; Bahar, Ivet

    2009-09-01

    The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the gate to the nucleus. Recent determination of the configuration of proteins in the yeast NPC at approximately 5 nm resolution permits us to study the NPC global dynamics using coarse-grained structural models. We investigate these large-scale motions by using an extended elastic network model (ENM) formalism applied to several coarse-grained representations of the NPC. Two types of collective motions (global modes) are predicted by the ENMs to be intrinsically favored by the NPC architecture: global bending and extension/contraction from circular to elliptical shapes. These motions are shown to be robust against tested variations in the representation of the NPC, and are largely captured by a simple model of a toroid with axially varying mass density. We demonstrate that spoke multiplicity significantly affects the accessible number of symmetric low-energy modes of motion; the NPC-like toroidal structures composed of 8 spokes have access to highly cooperative symmetric motions that are inaccessible to toroids composed of 7 or 9 spokes. The analysis reveals modes of motion that may facilitate macromolecular transport through the NPC, consistent with previous experimental observations.

  9. Measured and modelled absolute gravity in Greenland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nielsen, E.; Forsberg, R.; Strykowski, G.

    2012-12-01

    Present day changes in the ice volume in glaciated areas like Greenland will change the load on the Earth and to this change the lithosphere will respond elastically. The Earth also responds to changes in the ice volume over a millennial time scale. This response is due to the viscous properties of the mantle and is known as Glaical Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Both signals are present in GPS and absolute gravity (AG) measurements and they will give an uncertainty in mass balance estimates calculated from these data types. It is possible to separate the two signals if both gravity and Global Positioning System (GPS) time series are available. DTU Space acquired an A10 absolute gravimeter in 2008. One purpose of this instrument is to establish AG time series in Greenland and the first measurements were conducted in 2009. Since then are 18 different Greenland GPS Network (GNET) stations visited and six of these are visited more then once. The gravity signal consists of three signals; the elastic signal, the viscous signal and the direct attraction from the ice masses. All of these signals can be modelled using various techniques. The viscous signal is modelled by solving the Sea Level Equation with an appropriate ice history and Earth model. The free code SELEN is used for this. The elastic signal is modelled as a convolution of the elastic Greens function for gravity and a model of present day ice mass changes. The direct attraction is the same as the Newtonian attraction and is calculated as this. Here we will present the preliminary results of the AG measurements in Greenland. We will also present modelled estimates of the direct attraction, the elastic and the viscous signals.

  10. Confocal microscopy for automatic texture analysis of elastic fibers in histologic preparations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adam, R. L.; Vieira, G.; Ferro, D. P.; de Thomaz, A. A.; Cesar, C., L.; Metze, K.

    2009-07-01

    Elastic fibers are an important component of many organs and tissues, such as skin, lungs, arteries, ligaments, intervertebral discs and cartilage Their function is to endow tissues with elastic recoil and resilience, to act as an important adhesion template for cells, and to regulate growth factor availability (1,2). Loss or remodeling of the elastic fiber texture occurs in many diseases. Degeneration and fragmentation of elastic fibers and aging are intimately related (3). Recently, the importance of elastin for the study of malignant tumor progression has been emphasized (4,5). Elastic tissue may be a significant reservoir of angiostatic molecules and soluble elastin as well as elastin peptides, that are inhibitors of the metastatic process in experimental tumor models (4). Elastic fibers are involved in the anatomic remodeling of chronic pulmonary diseases (6) and, especially, of diseases of the arterial wall (7, 8). The study of these phenomena is important for the understanding of the pathophysiologic basis of the diseases. Recently the role of elastic fibers in small diameter vascular graft design has been emphasized (2). The possibility to regenerate or engineer elastic fibres and tissues creates an important challenge, not only to understand the molecular basis of elastic-fibre biology (1,2), but also of its spatial arrangement and remodeling in the diseased tissues. Subtle changes of the complex elastic fiber network may be involved in the pathogenesis of diseases. Therefore a precise and objective histopathologic description is necessary.

  11. The Ribosome Shape Directs mRNA Translocation through Entrance and Exit Dynamics

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The protein-synthesizing ribosome undergoes large motions to effect the translocation of tRNAs (transfer ribonucleic acids) and mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid); here the domain motions of this system are explored with a coarse-grained elastic network model using normal mode analysis. Crystal struc...

  12. Effect of pH on chitosan hydrogel polymer network structure.

    PubMed

    Xu, Hongcheng; Matysiak, Silvina

    2017-06-29

    Chitosan is a molecule that can form water-filled 3D polymer networks with a wide range of applications. A new coarse-grained model for chitosan hydrogel was developed to explore its pH-dependent self-assembly behavior and mechanical properties. Our results indicate that the underlying polymer physical crosslinking pattern induced by solution pH has a significant effect on hydrogel elastic moduli. With this model, we obtain pH-dependent structural and mechanical property changes in agreement with experimental observations, and provide a molecular mechanism behind the changes in polymer crosslinking patterns.

  13. Displacement back analysis for a high slope of the Dagangshan Hydroelectric Power Station based on BP neural network and particle swarm optimization.

    PubMed

    Liang, Zhengzhao; Gong, Bin; Tang, Chunan; Zhang, Yongbin; Ma, Tianhui

    2014-01-01

    The right bank high slope of the Dagangshan Hydroelectric Power Station is located in complicated geological conditions with deep fractures and unloading cracks. How to obtain the mechanical parameters and then evaluate the safety of the slope are the key problems. This paper presented a displacement back analysis for the slope using an artificial neural network model (ANN) and particle swarm optimization model (PSO). A numerical model was established to simulate the displacement increment results, acquiring training data for the artificial neural network model. The backpropagation ANN model was used to establish a mapping function between the mechanical parameters and the monitoring displacements. The PSO model was applied to initialize the weights and thresholds of the backpropagation (BP) network model and determine suitable values of the mechanical parameters. Then the elastic moduli of the rock masses were obtained according to the monitoring displacement data at different excavation stages, and the BP neural network model was proved to be valid by comparing the measured displacements, the displacements predicted by the BP neural network model, and the numerical simulation using the back-analyzed parameters. The proposed model is useful for rock mechanical parameters determination and instability investigation of rock slopes.

  14. Displacement Back Analysis for a High Slope of the Dagangshan Hydroelectric Power Station Based on BP Neural Network and Particle Swarm Optimization

    PubMed Central

    Liang, Zhengzhao; Gong, Bin; Tang, Chunan; Zhang, Yongbin; Ma, Tianhui

    2014-01-01

    The right bank high slope of the Dagangshan Hydroelectric Power Station is located in complicated geological conditions with deep fractures and unloading cracks. How to obtain the mechanical parameters and then evaluate the safety of the slope are the key problems. This paper presented a displacement back analysis for the slope using an artificial neural network model (ANN) and particle swarm optimization model (PSO). A numerical model was established to simulate the displacement increment results, acquiring training data for the artificial neural network model. The backpropagation ANN model was used to establish a mapping function between the mechanical parameters and the monitoring displacements. The PSO model was applied to initialize the weights and thresholds of the backpropagation (BP) network model and determine suitable values of the mechanical parameters. Then the elastic moduli of the rock masses were obtained according to the monitoring displacement data at different excavation stages, and the BP neural network model was proved to be valid by comparing the measured displacements, the displacements predicted by the BP neural network model, and the numerical simulation using the back-analyzed parameters. The proposed model is useful for rock mechanical parameters determination and instability investigation of rock slopes. PMID:25140345

  15. Interfacial crowding of nanoplatelets in co-continuous polymer blends: assembly, elasticity and structure of the interfacial nanoparticle network.

    PubMed

    Altobelli, R; Salzano de Luna, M; Filippone, G

    2017-09-27

    The sequence of events which leads to the interfacial crowding of plate-like nanoparticles in co-continuous polymer blends is investigated through a combination of morphological and rheological analyses. Very low amounts (∼0.2 vol%) of organo-modified clay are sufficient to suppress phase coarsening in a co-continuous polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) blend, while lower particle loading allows for a tuning of the characteristic size of the polymer phases at the μm-scale. In any case, an interfacial network of nanoparticles eventually forms, which is driven by the preferred polymer-polymer interface. The elastic features and stress-bearing ability of this peculiar nanoparticle assembly are studied in detail by means of a descriptive two-phase viscoelastic model, which allows isolation of the contribution of the filler network. The role of the co-continuous matrix in driving the space arrangement of the nanoparticles is emphasized by means of comparative analysis with systems based on the same polymers and nanoparticles, but in which the matrix is either a pure polymer or a blend with drop-in-matrix morphology. The relaxation dynamics of the interfacial network was found not to depend on the matrix microstructure, which instead substantially affects the assembly of the nanoplatelets. When the host medium is co-continuous, the particles align along the preferred polymer-polymer interface, percolating at a very low amount (∼0.17 vol%) and prevalently interacting edge-to-edge. The stress bearing ability of such a network is much higher than that in the case of matrix based on a homogeneous polymer or a drop-in-matrix blend, but its elasticity shows low sensitivity to the filler content.

  16. Construction of a pulse-coupled dipole network capable of fear-like and relief-like responses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lungsi Sharma, B.

    2016-07-01

    The challenge for neuroscience as an interdisciplinary programme is the integration of ideas among the disciplines to achieve a common goal. This paper deals with the problem of deriving a pulse-coupled neural network that is capable of demonstrating behavioural responses (fear-like and relief-like). Current pulse-coupled neural networks are designed mostly for engineering applications, particularly image processing. The discovered neural network was constructed using the method of minimal anatomies approach. The behavioural response of a level-coded activity-based model was used as a reference. Although the spiking-based model and the activity-based model are of different scales, the use of model-reference principle means that the characteristics that is referenced is its functional properties. It is demonstrated that this strategy of dissection and systematic construction is effective in the functional design of pulse-coupled neural network system with nonlinear signalling. The differential equations for the elastic weights in the reference model are replicated in the pulse-coupled network geometrically. The network reflects a possible solution to the problem of punishment and avoidance. The network developed in this work is a new network topology for pulse-coupled neural networks. Therefore, the model-reference principle is a powerful tool in connecting neuroscience disciplines. The continuity of concepts and phenomena is further maintained by systematic construction using methods like the method of minimal anatomies.

  17. An Information-Based Machine Learning Approach to Elasticity Imaging

    PubMed Central

    Hoerig, Cameron; Ghaboussi, Jamshid; Insana, Michael. F.

    2016-01-01

    An information-based technique is described for applications in mechanical-property imaging of soft biological media under quasi-static loads. We adapted the Autoprogressive method that was originally developed for civil engineering applications for this purpose. The Autoprogressive method is a computational technique that combines knowledge of object shape and a sparse distribution of force and displacement measurements with finite-element analyses and artificial neural networks to estimate a complete set of stress and strain vectors. Elasticity imaging parameters are then computed from estimated stresses and strains. We introduce the technique using ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements in simple gelatin imaging phantoms having linear-elastic properties so that conventional finite-element modeling can be used to validate results. The Autoprogressive algorithm does not require any assumptions about the material properties and can, in principle, be used to image media with arbitrary properties. We show that by selecting a few well-chosen force-displacement measurements that are appropriately applied during training and establish convergence, we can estimate all nontrivial stress and strain vectors throughout an object and accurately estimate an elastic modulus at high spatial resolution. This new method of modeling the mechanical properties of tissue-like materials introduces a unique method of solving the inverse problem and is the first technique for imaging stress without assuming the underlying constitutive model. PMID:27858175

  18. Mechanism for longitudinal growth of rod-shaped bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taneja, Swadhin; Levitan, Ben; Rutenberg, Andrew

    2013-03-01

    The peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall along with MreB proteins are major determinants of shape in rod-shaped bacteria. However the mechanism guiding the growth of this elastic network of cross-linked PG (sacculus) that maintains the integrity and shape of the rod-shaped cell remains elusive. We propose that the known anisotropic elasticity and anisotropic loading, due to the shape and turgor pressure, of the sacculus is sufficient to direct small gaps in the sacculus to elongate around the cell, and that subsequent repair leads to longitudinal growth without radial growth. We computationally show in our anisotropically stressed anisotropic elasticity model small gaps can extend stably in the circumferential direction for the known elasticity of the sacculus. We suggest that MreB patches that normally propagate circumferentially, are associated with these gaps and are steered with this common mechanism. This basic picture is unchanged in Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. We also show that small changes of elastic properties can in fact lead to bi-stable propagation of gaps, both longitudinal and circumferential, that can explain the bi-stability in patch movement observed in ΔmblΔmreb mutants.

  19. Assessment of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in Greenland using GPS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, S. A.; Bevis, M. G.; Sasgen, I.; van Dam, T. M.; Wahr, J. M.; Wouters, B.; Bamber, J. L.; Willis, M. J.; Knudsen, P.; Helm, V.; Kuipers Munneke, P.; Muresan, I. S.

    2015-12-01

    The Greenland GPS network (GNET) was constructed to provide a new means to assess viscoelastic and elastic adjustments driven by past and present-day changes in ice mass. Here we assess existing glacial isostatic adjustments (GIA) predictions by analysing 1995-2015 data from 61 continuous GPS receivers located along the margin of the Greenland ice sheet. Since GPS receivers measure both the GIA and elastic signals, we isolate GIA, by removing the elastic adjustments of the lithosphere due to present-day mass changes using high-resolution fields of ice surface elevation change derived from satellite and airborne altimetry measurements (ERS1/2, ICESat, ATM, ENVISAT, and CryoSat-2). For most GPS stations, our observed GIA rates contradict GIA predictions; particularly, we find huge uplift rates in southeast Greenland of up to 14 mm/yr while models predict rates of 0-2 mm/yr. Our results suggest possible improvements of GIA predictions, and hence of the poorly constrained ice load history and Earth structure models for Greenland.

  20. A study of self-propelled elastic cylindrical micro-swimmers using modeling and computation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Lingling; Čanić, Sunčica; Quaini, Annalisa; Pan, Tsorng-Whay

    2016-06-01

    We study propulsion of micro-swimmers in 3D creeping flow. The swimmers are assumed to be made of elastic cylindrical hollow tubes. The swimming is generated by the contractions of the tube's elastic membrane walls producing a traveling wave in the form of a ;step-function; traversing the swimmer from right to left, propelling the swimmer from left to right. The problem is motivated by medical applications such as drug delivery. The influence of several non-dimensional design parameters on the velocity of the swimmer is investigated, including the swimmer aspect ratio, and the amplitude of the traveling wave relative to the swimmer radius. An immersed boundary method based on a finite element method approach is successfully combined with an elastic spring network model to simulate the two-way fluid-structure interaction coupling between the elastic cylindrical tube and the flow of a 3D viscous, incompressible fluid. To gain a deeper insight into the influence of various parameters on the swimmer speed, a reduced 1D fluid-structure interaction model was derived and validated. It was found that fast swimmers are those with large tube aspect ratios, and with the amplitude of the traveling wave which is roughly 50% of the reference swimmer radius. It was shown that the speed of our ;optimal swimmer; is around 1.5 swimmer lengths per second, which is at the top of the class of all currently manufactured micro-swimmers swimming in low Reynolds number flows (Re =10-6), reported in [11].

  1. A Three-Dimensional Computational Model of Collagen Network Mechanics

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Byoungkoo; Zhou, Xin; Riching, Kristin; Eliceiri, Kevin W.; Keely, Patricia J.; Guelcher, Scott A.; Weaver, Alissa M.; Jiang, Yi

    2014-01-01

    Extracellular matrix (ECM) strongly influences cellular behaviors, including cell proliferation, adhesion, and particularly migration. In cancer, the rigidity of the stromal collagen environment is thought to control tumor aggressiveness, and collagen alignment has been linked to tumor cell invasion. While the mechanical properties of collagen at both the single fiber scale and the bulk gel scale are quite well studied, how the fiber network responds to local stress or deformation, both structurally and mechanically, is poorly understood. This intermediate scale knowledge is important to understanding cell-ECM interactions and is the focus of this study. We have developed a three-dimensional elastic collagen fiber network model (bead-and-spring model) and studied fiber network behaviors for various biophysical conditions: collagen density, crosslinker strength, crosslinker density, and fiber orientation (random vs. prealigned). We found the best-fit crosslinker parameter values using shear simulation tests in a small strain region. Using this calibrated collagen model, we simulated both shear and tensile tests in a large linear strain region for different network geometry conditions. The results suggest that network geometry is a key determinant of the mechanical properties of the fiber network. We further demonstrated how the fiber network structure and mechanics evolves with a local formation, mimicking the effect of pulling by a pseudopod during cell migration. Our computational fiber network model is a step toward a full biomechanical model of cellular behaviors in various ECM conditions. PMID:25386649

  2. Efficiency gain from elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morea, Annalisa; Rival, Olivier

    2011-12-01

    We compare the cost-efficiency of optical networks based on mixed datarates (10, 40, 100Gb/s) and datarateelastic technologies. A European backbone network is examined under various traffic assumptions (volume of transported data per demand and total number of demands) to better understand the impact of traffic characteristics on cost-efficiency. Network dimensioning is performed for static and restorable networks (resilient to one-link failure). In this paper we will investigate the trade-offs between price of interfaces, reach and reconfigurability, showing that elastic solutions can be more cost-efficient than mixed-rate solutions because of the better compatibility between different datarates, increased reach of channels and simplified wavelength allocation.

  3. In-plane modal frequencies and mode shapes of two stay cables interconnected by uniformly distributed cross-ties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jing, Haiquan; He, Xuhui; Zou, Yunfeng; Wang, Hanfeng

    2018-03-01

    Stay cables are important load-bearing structural elements of cable-stayed bridges. Suppressing the large vibrations of the stay cables under the external excitations is of worldwide concern for the bridge engineers and researchers. Over the past decade, the use of crosstie has become one of the most practical and effective methods. Extensive research has led to a better understanding of the mechanics of cable networks, and the effects of different parameters, such as length ratio, mass-tension ratio, and segment ratio on the effectiveness of the crosstie have been investigated. In this study, uniformly distributed elastic crossties serve to replace the traditional single, or several cross-ties, aiming to delay "mode localization." A numerical method is developed by replacing the uniformly distributed, discrete elastic cross-tie model with an equivalent, continuously distributed, elastic cross-tie model in order to calculate the modal frequencies and mode shapes of the cable-crosstie system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparing the elicited results with those obtained using the previous method. The uniformly distributed elastic cross-ties are shown to significantly delay "mode localization."

  4. Service models and realization of differentiated services networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elizondo, Antonio J.; Garcia Osma, Maria L.; Einsiedler, Hans J.; Roth, Rudolf; Smirnov, Michael I.; Bartoli, Maurizio; Castelli, Paolo; Varga, Balazs; Krampell, Magnus

    2001-07-01

    Internet Service Providers need to offer Quality of Service (QoS) to fulfil the requirements of applications of their customers. Moreover, in a competitive market environment costs must be low. The selected service model must be effective and low in complexity, but it should still provide high quality and service differentiation, that the current Internet is not yet capable to support. The Differentiated Services (DiffServ) Architecture has been proposed for enabling a range of different Classes of Service (CoS). In the EURESCOM project P1006 several European service providers co-operated to examine various aspects involved in the introduction of service differentiation using the DiffServ approach. The project explored a set of service models for Expedited Forwarding (EF) and Assured Forwarding (AF) and identified requirements for network nodes. Besides, we addressed also measurement issues, charging and accounting issues. Special attention has been devoted to requirements of elastic traffic that adapts its sending rate to congestion state and available bandwidth. QoS mechanisms must prove Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) friendliness. TCP performance degrades under multiple losses. Since RED based queue management may still cause multiple discards, a modified marking scheme called Capped Leaky Bucket is proposed to improve the performance of elastic applications.

  5. Decentralized supply chain network design: monopoly, duopoly and oligopoly competitions under uncertainty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seyedhosseini, Seyed Mohammad; Fahimi, Kaveh; Makui, Ahmad

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents the competitive supply chain network design problem in which n decentralized supply chains simultaneously enter the market with no existing rival chain, shape their networks and set wholesale and retail prices in competitive mode. The customer demand is elastic and price dependent, customer utility function is based on the Hoteling model and the chains produce identical or highly substitutable products. We construct a solution algorithm based on bi-level programming and possibility theory. In the proposed bi-level model, the inner part sets the prices based on simultaneous extra- and Stackleberg intra- chains competitions, and the outer part shapes the networks in cooperative competitions. Finally, we use a real-word study to discuss the effect of the different structures of the competitors on the equilibrium solution. Moreover, sensitivity analyses are conducted and managerial insights are offered.

  6. Dynamics Behaviors of Scale-Free Networks with Elastic Demand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yan-Lai; Sun, Hui-Jun; Wu, Jian-Jun

    Many real-world networks, such as transportation networks and Internet, have the scale-free properties. It is important to study the bearing capacity of such networks. Considering the elastic demand condition, we analyze load distributions and bearing capacities with different parameters through artificially created scale-free networks. The simulation results show that the load distribution follows a power-law form, which means some ordered pairs, playing the dominant role in the transportation network, have higher demand than other pairs. We found that, with the decrease of perceptual error, the total and average ordered pair demand will decrease and then stay in a steady state. However, with the increase of the network size, the average demand of each ordered pair will decrease, which is particularly interesting for the network design problem.

  7. A deep learning approach to estimate chemically-treated collagenous tissue nonlinear anisotropic stress-strain responses from microscopy images.

    PubMed

    Liang, Liang; Liu, Minliang; Sun, Wei

    2017-11-01

    Biological collagenous tissues comprised of networks of collagen fibers are suitable for a broad spectrum of medical applications owing to their attractive mechanical properties. In this study, we developed a noninvasive approach to estimate collagenous tissue elastic properties directly from microscopy images using Machine Learning (ML) techniques. Glutaraldehyde-treated bovine pericardium (GLBP) tissue, widely used in the fabrication of bioprosthetic heart valves and vascular patches, was chosen to develop a representative application. A Deep Learning model was designed and trained to process second harmonic generation (SHG) images of collagen networks in GLBP tissue samples, and directly predict the tissue elastic mechanical properties. The trained model is capable of identifying the overall tissue stiffness with a classification accuracy of 84%, and predicting the nonlinear anisotropic stress-strain curves with average regression errors of 0.021 and 0.031. Thus, this study demonstrates the feasibility and great potential of using the Deep Learning approach for fast and noninvasive assessment of collagenous tissue elastic properties from microstructural images. In this study, we developed, to our best knowledge, the first Deep Learning-based approach to estimate the elastic properties of collagenous tissues directly from noninvasive second harmonic generation images. The success of this study holds promise for the use of Machine Learning techniques to noninvasively and efficiently estimate the mechanical properties of many structure-based biological materials, and it also enables many potential applications such as serving as a quality control tool to select tissue for the manufacturing of medical devices (e.g. bioprosthetic heart valves). Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Link importance incorporated failure probability measuring solution for multicast light-trees in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xin; Zhang, Lu; Tang, Ying; Huang, Shanguo

    2018-03-01

    The light-tree-based optical multicasting (LT-OM) scheme provides a spectrum- and energy-efficient method to accommodate emerging multicast services. Some studies focus on the survivability technologies for LTs against a fixed number of link failures, such as single-link failure. However, a few studies involve failure probability constraints when building LTs. It is worth noting that each link of an LT plays different important roles under failure scenarios. When calculating the failure probability of an LT, the importance of its every link should be considered. We design a link importance incorporated failure probability measuring solution (LIFPMS) for multicast LTs under independent failure model and shared risk link group failure model. Based on the LIFPMS, we put forward the minimum failure probability (MFP) problem for the LT-OM scheme. Heuristic approaches are developed to address the MFP problem in elastic optical networks. Numerical results show that the LIFPMS provides an accurate metric for calculating the failure probability of multicast LTs and enhances the reliability of the LT-OM scheme while accommodating multicast services.

  9. Piezoresistive Sensor with High Elasticity Based on 3D Hybrid Network of Sponge@CNTs@Ag NPs.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Liu, Nishuang; Shi, Yuling; Liu, Weijie; Yue, Yang; Wang, Siliang; Ma, Yanan; Wen, Li; Li, Luying; Long, Fei; Zou, Zhengguang; Gao, Yihua

    2016-08-31

    Pressure sensors with high elasticity are in great demand for the realization of intelligent sensing, but there is a need to develope a simple, inexpensive, and scalable method for the manufacture of the sensors. Here, we reported an efficient, simple, facile, and repeatable "dipping and coating" process to manufacture a piezoresistive sensor with high elasticity, based on homogeneous 3D hybrid network of carbon nanotubes@silver nanoparticles (CNTs@Ag NPs) anchored on a skeleton sponge. Highly elastic, sensitive, and wearable sensors are obtained using the porous structure of sponge and the synergy effect of CNTs/Ag NPs. Our sensor was also tested for over 2000 compression-release cycles, exhibiting excellent elasticity and cycling stability. Sensors with high performance and a simple fabrication process are promising devices for commercial production in various electronic devices, for example, sport performance monitoring and man-machine interfaces.

  10. Inferring Spatial Variations of Microstructural Properties from Macroscopic Mechanical Response

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Tengxiao; Hall, Timothy J.; Barbone, Paul E.; Oberai, Assad A.

    2016-01-01

    Disease alters tissue microstructure, which in turn affects the macroscopic mechanical properties of tissue. In elasticity imaging, the macroscopic response is measured and is used to infer the spatial distribution of the elastic constitutive parameters. When an empirical constitutive model is used these parameters cannot be linked to the microstructure. However, when the constitutive model is derived from a microstructural representation of the material, it allows for the possibility of inferring the local averages of the spatial distribution of the microstructural parameters. This idea forms the basis of this study. In particular, we first derive a constitutive model by homogenizing the mechanical response of a network of elastic, tortuous fibers. Thereafter, we use this model in an inverse problem to determine the spatial distribution of the microstructural parameters. We solve the inverse problem as a constrained minimization problem, and develop efficient methods for solving it. We apply these methods to displacement fields obtained by deforming gelatin-agar co-gels, and determine the spatial distribution of agar concentration and fiber tortuosity, thereby demonstrating that it is possible to image local averages of microstructural parameters from macroscopic measurements of deformation. PMID:27655420

  11. Correlation between elastic and plastic deformations of partially cured epoxy networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Müller, Michael; Böhm, Robert; Geller, Sirko; Kupfer, Robert; Jäger, Hubert; Gude, Maik

    2018-05-01

    The thermo-mechanical behavior of polymer matrix materials is strongly dependent on the curing reaction as well as temperature and time. To date, investigations of epoxy resins and their composites mainly focused on the elastic domain because plastic deformation of cross-linked polymer networks was considered as irrelevant or not feasible. This paper presents a novel approach which combines both elastic and plastic domain. Based on an analytical framework describing the storage modulus, analogous parameter combinations are defined in order to reduce complexity when variations in temperature, strain rate and degree of cure are encountered.

  12. A Coarse-Grained Elastic Network Atom Contact Model and Its Use in the Simulation of Protein Dynamics and the Prediction of the Effect of Mutations

    PubMed Central

    Frappier, Vincent; Najmanovich, Rafael J.

    2014-01-01

    Normal mode analysis (NMA) methods are widely used to study dynamic aspects of protein structures. Two critical components of NMA methods are coarse-graining in the level of simplification used to represent protein structures and the choice of potential energy functional form. There is a trade-off between speed and accuracy in different choices. In one extreme one finds accurate but slow molecular-dynamics based methods with all-atom representations and detailed atom potentials. On the other extreme, fast elastic network model (ENM) methods with Cα−only representations and simplified potentials that based on geometry alone, thus oblivious to protein sequence. Here we present ENCoM, an Elastic Network Contact Model that employs a potential energy function that includes a pairwise atom-type non-bonded interaction term and thus makes it possible to consider the effect of the specific nature of amino-acids on dynamics within the context of NMA. ENCoM is as fast as existing ENM methods and outperforms such methods in the generation of conformational ensembles. Here we introduce a new application for NMA methods with the use of ENCoM in the prediction of the effect of mutations on protein stability. While existing methods are based on machine learning or enthalpic considerations, the use of ENCoM, based on vibrational normal modes, is based on entropic considerations. This represents a novel area of application for NMA methods and a novel approach for the prediction of the effect of mutations. We compare ENCoM to a large number of methods in terms of accuracy and self-consistency. We show that the accuracy of ENCoM is comparable to that of the best existing methods. We show that existing methods are biased towards the prediction of destabilizing mutations and that ENCoM is less biased at predicting stabilizing mutations. PMID:24762569

  13. Analysis of blocking probability for OFDM-based variable bandwidth optical network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Lei; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Lin, Xuefeng; Wu, Yuyao; Gu, Wanyi

    2011-12-01

    Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has recently been proposed as a modulation technique. For optical networks, because of its good spectral efficiency, flexibility, and tolerance to impairments, optical OFDM is much more flexible compared to traditional WDM systems, enabling elastic bandwidth transmissions, and optical networking is the future trend of development. In OFDM-based optical network the research of blocking rate has very important significance for network assessment. Current research for WDM network is basically based on a fixed bandwidth, in order to accommodate the future business and the fast-changing development of optical network, our study is based on variable bandwidth OFDM-based optical networks. We apply the mathematical analysis and theoretical derivation, based on the existing theory and algorithms, research blocking probability of the variable bandwidth of optical network, and then we will build a model for blocking probability.

  14. Modeling the Pre-Industrial Roots of Modern Super-Exponential Population Growth

    PubMed Central

    Stutz, Aaron Jonas

    2014-01-01

    To Malthus, rapid human population growth—so evident in 18th Century Europe—was obviously unsustainable. In his Essay on the Principle of Population, Malthus cogently argued that environmental and socioeconomic constraints on population rise were inevitable. Yet, he penned his essay on the eve of the global census size reaching one billion, as nearly two centuries of super-exponential increase were taking off. Introducing a novel extension of J. E. Cohen's hallmark coupled difference equation model of human population dynamics and carrying capacity, this article examines just how elastic population growth limits may be in response to demographic change. The revised model involves a simple formalization of how consumption costs influence carrying capacity elasticity over time. Recognizing that complex social resource-extraction networks support ongoing consumption-based investment in family formation and intergenerational resource transfers, it is important to consider how consumption has impacted the human environment and demography—especially as global population has become very large. Sensitivity analysis of the consumption-cost model's fit to historical population estimates, modern census data, and 21st Century demographic projections supports a critical conclusion. The recent population explosion was systemically determined by long-term, distinctly pre-industrial cultural evolution. It is suggested that modern globalizing transitions in technology, susceptibility to infectious disease, information flows and accumulation, and economic complexity were endogenous products of much earlier biocultural evolution of family formation's embeddedness in larger, hierarchically self-organizing cultural systems, which could potentially support high population elasticity of carrying capacity. Modern super-exponential population growth cannot be considered separately from long-term change in the multi-scalar political economy that connects family formation and intergenerational resource transfers to wider institutions and social networks. PMID:25141019

  15. Manycast routing, modulation level and spectrum assignment over elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Xiao; Zhao, Yang; Chen, Xue; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Wang, Huitao; Wang, Taili

    2017-07-01

    Manycast is a point to multi-point transmission framework that requires a subset of destination nodes successfully reached. It is particularly applicable for dealing with large amounts of data simultaneously in bandwidth-hungry, dynamic and cloud-based applications. As rapid increasing of traffics in these applications, the elastic optical networks (EONs) may be relied on to achieve high throughput manycast. In terms of finer spectrum granularity, the EONs could reach flexible accessing to network spectrum and efficient providing exact spectrum resource to demands. In this paper, we focus on the manycast routing, modulation level and spectrum assignment (MA-RMLSA) problem in EONs. Both EONs planning with static manycast traffic and EONs provisioning with dynamic manycast traffic are investigated. An integer linear programming (ILP) model is formulated to derive MA-RMLSA problem in static manycast scenario. Then corresponding heuristic algorithm called manycast routing, modulation level and spectrum assignment genetic algorithm (MA-RMLSA-GA) is proposed to adapt for both static and dynamic manycast scenarios. The MA-RMLSA-GA optimizes MA-RMLSA problem in destination nodes selection, routing light-tree constitution, modulation level allocation and spectrum resource assignment jointly, to achieve an effective improvement in network performance. Simulation results reveal that MA-RMLSA strategies offered by MA-RMLSA-GA have slightly disparity from the optimal solutions provided by ILP model in static scenario. Moreover, the results demonstrate that MA-RMLSA-GA realizes a highly efficient MA-RMLSA strategy with the lowest blocking probability in dynamic scenario compared with benchmark algorithms.

  16. Spatially localized structure-function relations in the elastic properties of sheared articular cartilage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Silverberg, Jesse; Bonassar, Lawrence; Cohen, Itai

    2013-03-01

    Contemporary developments in therapeutic tissue engineering have been enabled by basic research efforts in the field of biomechanics. Further integration of technology in medicine requires a deeper understanding of the mechanical properties of soft biological materials and the structural origins of their response under extreme stresses and strains. Drawing on the science generated by the ``Extreme Mechanics'' community, we present experimental results on the mechanical properties of articular cartilage, a hierarchically structured soft biomaterial found in the joints of mammalian long bones. Measurements of the spatially localized structure and mechanical properties will be compared with theoretical descriptions based on networks of deformed rods, poro-visco-elasticity, and standard continuum models. Discrepancies between experiment and theory will be highlighted, and suggestions for how models can be improved will be given.

  17. Residential water usage: A case study of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abu Rizaiza, Omar S.

    1991-05-01

    Socioeconomic and climatological data of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia have been used to develop several models to estimate the residential water usage for different kinds of houses. The developed models correlate the residential water usages with temperature, income, family size, price of water, and availability of a garden within the house. The study shows that the residential water uses in houses supplied by a public pipe network are 1.4-2 times greater than the residential water uses in houses supplied by tankers. It also shows that the price elasticities are very similar to those estimated in the United States. Income elasticities, on the other hand, are lower than those typically found in more industrialized countries.

  18. The molecular kink paradigm for rubber elasticity: Numerical simulations of explicit polyisoprene networks at low to moderate tensile strains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanson, David E.

    2011-08-01

    Based on recent molecular dynamics and ab initio simulations of small isoprene molecules, we propose a new ansatz for rubber elasticity. We envision a network chain as a series of independent molecular kinks, each comprised of a small number of backbone units, and the strain as being imposed along the contour of the chain. We treat chain extension in three distinct force regimes: (Ia) near zero strain, where we assume that the chain is extended within a well defined tube, with all of the kinks participating simultaneously as entropic elastic springs, (II) when the chain becomes sensibly straight, giving rise to a purely enthalpic stretching force (until bond rupture occurs) and, (Ib) a linear entropic regime, between regimes Ia and II, in which a force limit is imposed by tube deformation. In this intermediate regime, the molecular kinks are assumed to be gradually straightened until the chain becomes a series of straight segments between entanglements. We assume that there exists a tube deformation tension limit that is inversely proportional to the chain path tortuosity. Here we report the results of numerical simulations of explicit three-dimensional, periodic, polyisoprene networks, using these extension-only force models. At low strain, crosslink nodes are moved affinely, up to an arbitrary node force limit. Above this limit, non-affine motion of the nodes is allowed to relax unbalanced chain forces. Our simulation results are in good agreement with tensile stress vs. strain experiments.

  19. The molecular kink paradigm for rubber elasticity: numerical simulations of explicit polyisoprene networks at low to moderate tensile strains.

    PubMed

    Hanson, David E

    2011-08-07

    Based on recent molecular dynamics and ab initio simulations of small isoprene molecules, we propose a new ansatz for rubber elasticity. We envision a network chain as a series of independent molecular kinks, each comprised of a small number of backbone units, and the strain as being imposed along the contour of the chain. We treat chain extension in three distinct force regimes: (Ia) near zero strain, where we assume that the chain is extended within a well defined tube, with all of the kinks participating simultaneously as entropic elastic springs, (II) when the chain becomes sensibly straight, giving rise to a purely enthalpic stretching force (until bond rupture occurs) and, (Ib) a linear entropic regime, between regimes Ia and II, in which a force limit is imposed by tube deformation. In this intermediate regime, the molecular kinks are assumed to be gradually straightened until the chain becomes a series of straight segments between entanglements. We assume that there exists a tube deformation tension limit that is inversely proportional to the chain path tortuosity. Here we report the results of numerical simulations of explicit three-dimensional, periodic, polyisoprene networks, using these extension-only force models. At low strain, crosslink nodes are moved affinely, up to an arbitrary node force limit. Above this limit, non-affine motion of the nodes is allowed to relax unbalanced chain forces. Our simulation results are in good agreement with tensile stress vs. strain experiments.

  20. Evaluating scaling models in biology using hierarchical Bayesian approaches

    PubMed Central

    Price, Charles A; Ogle, Kiona; White, Ethan P; Weitz, Joshua S

    2009-01-01

    Theoretical models for allometric relationships between organismal form and function are typically tested by comparing a single predicted relationship with empirical data. Several prominent models, however, predict more than one allometric relationship, and comparisons among alternative models have not taken this into account. Here we evaluate several different scaling models of plant morphology within a hierarchical Bayesian framework that simultaneously fits multiple scaling relationships to three large allometric datasets. The scaling models include: inflexible universal models derived from biophysical assumptions (e.g. elastic similarity or fractal networks), a flexible variation of a fractal network model, and a highly flexible model constrained only by basic algebraic relationships. We demonstrate that variation in intraspecific allometric scaling exponents is inconsistent with the universal models, and that more flexible approaches that allow for biological variability at the species level outperform universal models, even when accounting for relative increases in model complexity. PMID:19453621

  1. A cloud-based data network approach for translational cancer research.

    PubMed

    Xing, Wei; Tsoumakos, Dimitrios; Ghanem, Moustafa

    2015-01-01

    We develop a new model and associated technology for constructing and managing self-organizing data to support translational cancer research studies. We employ a semantic content network approach to address the challenges of managing cancer research data. Such data is heterogeneous, large, decentralized, growing and continually being updated. Moreover, the data originates from different information sources that may be partially overlapping, creating redundancies as well as contradictions and inconsistencies. Building on the advantages of elasticity of cloud computing, we deploy the cancer data networks on top of the CELAR Cloud platform to enable more effective processing and analysis of Big cancer data.

  2. The impact of model prediction error in designing geodetic networks for crustal deformation applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murray, J. R.

    2017-12-01

    Earth surface displacements measured at Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sites record crustal deformation due, for example, to slip on faults underground. A primary objective in designing geodetic networks to study crustal deformation is to maximize the ability to recover parameters of interest like fault slip. Given Green's functions (GFs) relating observed displacement to motion on buried dislocations representing a fault, one can use various methods to estimate spatially variable slip. However, assumptions embodied in the GFs, e.g., use of a simplified elastic structure, introduce spatially correlated model prediction errors (MPE) not reflected in measurement uncertainties (Duputel et al., 2014). In theory, selection algorithms should incorporate inter-site correlations to identify measurement locations that give unique information. I assess the impact of MPE on site selection by expanding existing methods (Klein et al., 2017; Reeves and Zhe, 1999) to incorporate this effect. Reeves and Zhe's algorithm sequentially adds or removes a predetermined number of data according to a criterion that minimizes the sum of squared errors (SSE) on parameter estimates. Adapting this method to GNSS network design, Klein et al. select new sites that maximize model resolution, using trade-off curves to determine when additional resolution gain is small. Their analysis uses uncorrelated data errors and GFs for a uniform elastic half space. I compare results using GFs for spatially variable strike slip on a discretized dislocation in a uniform elastic half space, a layered elastic half space, and a layered half space with inclusion of MPE. I define an objective criterion to terminate the algorithm once the next site removal would increase SSE more than the expected incremental SSE increase if all sites had equal impact. Using a grid of candidate sites with 8 km spacing, I find the relative value of the selected sites (defined by the percent increase in SSE that further removal of each site would cause) is more uniform when MPE is included. However, the number and distribution of selected sites depends primarily on site location relative to the fault. For this test case, inclusion of MPE has minimal practical impact; I will investigate whether these findings hold for more densely spaced candidate grids and dipping faults.

  3. Hybrid continuum-coarse-grained modeling of erythrocytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyu, Jinming; Chen, Paul G.; Boedec, Gwenn; Leonetti, Marc; Jaeger, Marc

    2018-06-01

    The red blood cell (RBC) membrane is a composite structure, consisting of a phospholipid bilayer and an underlying membrane-associated cytoskeleton. Both continuum and particle-based coarse-grained RBC models make use of a set of vertices connected by edges to represent the RBC membrane, which can be seen as a triangular surface mesh for the former and a spring network for the latter. Here, we present a modeling approach combining an existing continuum vesicle model with a coarse-grained model for the cytoskeleton. Compared to other two-component approaches, our method relies on only one mesh, representing the cytoskeleton, whose velocity in the tangential direction of the membrane may be different from that of the lipid bilayer. The finitely extensible nonlinear elastic (FENE) spring force law in combination with a repulsive force defined as a power function (POW), called FENE-POW, is used to describe the elastic properties of the RBC membrane. The mechanical interaction between the lipid bilayer and the cytoskeleton is explicitly computed and incorporated into the vesicle model. Our model includes the fundamental mechanical properties of the RBC membrane, namely fluidity and bending rigidity of the lipid bilayer, and shear elasticity of the cytoskeleton while maintaining surface-area and volume conservation constraint. We present three simulation examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of this hybrid continuum-coarse-grained model for the study of RBCs in fluid flows.

  4. Stress-enhanced gelation: a dynamic nonlinearity of elasticity.

    PubMed

    Yao, Norman Y; Broedersz, Chase P; Depken, Martin; Becker, Daniel J; Pollak, Martin R; Mackintosh, Frederick C; Weitz, David A

    2013-01-04

    A hallmark of biopolymer networks is their sensitivity to stress, reflected by pronounced nonlinear elastic stiffening. Here, we demonstrate a distinct dynamical nonlinearity in biopolymer networks consisting of filamentous actin cross-linked by α-actinin-4. Applied stress delays the onset of relaxation and flow, markedly enhancing gelation and extending the regime of solidlike behavior to much lower frequencies. We show that this macroscopic network response can be accounted for at the single molecule level by the increased binding affinity of the cross-linker under load, characteristic of catch-bond-like behavior.

  5. Mechanical metamaterials at the theoretical limit of isotropic elastic stiffness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berger, J. B.; Wadley, H. N. G.; McMeeking, R. M.

    2017-02-01

    A wide variety of high-performance applications require materials for which shape control is maintained under substantial stress, and that have minimal density. Bio-inspired hexagonal and square honeycomb structures and lattice materials based on repeating unit cells composed of webs or trusses, when made from materials of high elastic stiffness and low density, represent some of the lightest, stiffest and strongest materials available today. Recent advances in 3D printing and automated assembly have enabled such complicated material geometries to be fabricated at low (and declining) cost. These mechanical metamaterials have properties that are a function of their mesoscale geometry as well as their constituents, leading to combinations of properties that are unobtainable in solid materials; however, a material geometry that achieves the theoretical upper bounds for isotropic elasticity and strain energy storage (the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bounds) has yet to be identified. Here we evaluate the manner in which strain energy distributes under load in a representative selection of material geometries, to identify the morphological features associated with high elastic performance. Using finite-element models, supported by analytical methods, and a heuristic optimization scheme, we identify a material geometry that achieves the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bounds on isotropic elastic stiffness. Previous work has focused on truss networks and anisotropic honeycombs, neither of which can achieve this theoretical limit. We find that stiff but well distributed networks of plates are required to transfer loads efficiently between neighbouring members. The resulting low-density mechanical metamaterials have many advantageous properties: their mesoscale geometry can facilitate large crushing strains with high energy absorption, optical bandgaps and mechanically tunable acoustic bandgaps, high thermal insulation, buoyancy, and fluid storage and transport. Our relatively simple design can be manufactured using origami-like sheet folding and bonding methods.

  6. Mechanical metamaterials at the theoretical limit of isotropic elastic stiffness.

    PubMed

    Berger, J B; Wadley, H N G; McMeeking, R M

    2017-03-23

    A wide variety of high-performance applications require materials for which shape control is maintained under substantial stress, and that have minimal density. Bio-inspired hexagonal and square honeycomb structures and lattice materials based on repeating unit cells composed of webs or trusses, when made from materials of high elastic stiffness and low density, represent some of the lightest, stiffest and strongest materials available today. Recent advances in 3D printing and automated assembly have enabled such complicated material geometries to be fabricated at low (and declining) cost. These mechanical metamaterials have properties that are a function of their mesoscale geometry as well as their constituents, leading to combinations of properties that are unobtainable in solid materials; however, a material geometry that achieves the theoretical upper bounds for isotropic elasticity and strain energy storage (the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bounds) has yet to be identified. Here we evaluate the manner in which strain energy distributes under load in a representative selection of material geometries, to identify the morphological features associated with high elastic performance. Using finite-element models, supported by analytical methods, and a heuristic optimization scheme, we identify a material geometry that achieves the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bounds on isotropic elastic stiffness. Previous work has focused on truss networks and anisotropic honeycombs, neither of which can achieve this theoretical limit. We find that stiff but well distributed networks of plates are required to transfer loads efficiently between neighbouring members. The resulting low-density mechanical metamaterials have many advantageous properties: their mesoscale geometry can facilitate large crushing strains with high energy absorption, optical bandgaps and mechanically tunable acoustic bandgaps, high thermal insulation, buoyancy, and fluid storage and transport. Our relatively simple design can be manufactured using origami-like sheet folding and bonding methods.

  7. Statistical-learning strategies generate only modestly performing predictive models for urinary symptoms following external beam radiotherapy of the prostate: A comparison of conventional and machine-learning methods

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yahya, Noorazrul, E-mail: noorazrul.yahya@research.uwa.edu.au; Ebert, Martin A.; Bulsara, Max

    Purpose: Given the paucity of available data concerning radiotherapy-induced urinary toxicity, it is important to ensure derivation of the most robust models with superior predictive performance. This work explores multiple statistical-learning strategies for prediction of urinary symptoms following external beam radiotherapy of the prostate. Methods: The performance of logistic regression, elastic-net, support-vector machine, random forest, neural network, and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) to predict urinary symptoms was analyzed using data from 754 participants accrued by TROG03.04-RADAR. Predictive features included dose-surface data, comorbidities, and medication-intake. Four symptoms were analyzed: dysuria, haematuria, incontinence, and frequency, each with three definitions (grade ≥more » 1, grade ≥ 2 and longitudinal) with event rate between 2.3% and 76.1%. Repeated cross-validations producing matched models were implemented. A synthetic minority oversampling technique was utilized in endpoints with rare events. Parameter optimization was performed on the training data. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to compare performance using sample size to detect differences of ≥0.05 at the 95% confidence level. Results: Logistic regression, elastic-net, random forest, MARS, and support-vector machine were the highest-performing statistical-learning strategies in 3, 3, 3, 2, and 1 endpoints, respectively. Logistic regression, MARS, elastic-net, random forest, neural network, and support-vector machine were the best, or were not significantly worse than the best, in 7, 7, 5, 5, 3, and 1 endpoints. The best-performing statistical model was for dysuria grade ≥ 1 with AUROC ± standard deviation of 0.649 ± 0.074 using MARS. For longitudinal frequency and dysuria grade ≥ 1, all strategies produced AUROC>0.6 while all haematuria endpoints and longitudinal incontinence models produced AUROC<0.6. Conclusions: Logistic regression and MARS were most likely to be the best-performing strategy for the prediction of urinary symptoms with elastic-net and random forest producing competitive results. The predictive power of the models was modest and endpoint-dependent. New features, including spatial dose maps, may be necessary to achieve better models.« less

  8. Experimental demonstration of spectrum-sliced elastic optical path network (SLICE).

    PubMed

    Kozicki, Bartłomiej; Takara, Hidehiko; Tsukishima, Yukio; Yoshimatsu, Toshihide; Yonenaga, Kazushige; Jinno, Masahiko

    2010-10-11

    We describe experimental demonstration of spectrum-sliced elastic optical path network (SLICE) architecture. We employ optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation format and bandwidth-variable optical cross-connects (OXC) to generate, transmit and receive optical paths with bandwidths of up to 1 Tb/s. We experimentally demonstrate elastic optical path setup and spectrally-efficient transmission of multiple channels with bit rates ranging from 40 to 140 Gb/s between six nodes of a mesh network. We show dynamic bandwidth scalability for optical paths with bit rates of 40 to 440 Gb/s. Moreover, we demonstrate multihop transmission of a 1 Tb/s optical path over 400 km of standard single-mode fiber (SMF). Finally, we investigate the filtering properties and the required guard band width for spectrally-efficient allocation of optical paths in SLICE.

  9. Self-organization in neural networks - Applications in structural optimization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hajela, Prabhat; Fu, B.; Berke, Laszlo

    1993-01-01

    The present paper discusses the applicability of ART (Adaptive Resonance Theory) networks, and the Hopfield and Elastic networks, in problems of structural analysis and design. A characteristic of these network architectures is the ability to classify patterns presented as inputs into specific categories. The categories may themselves represent distinct procedural solution strategies. The paper shows how this property can be adapted in the structural analysis and design problem. A second application is the use of Hopfield and Elastic networks in optimization problems. Of particular interest are problems characterized by the presence of discrete and integer design variables. The parallel computing architecture that is typical of neural networks is shown to be effective in such problems. Results of preliminary implementations in structural design problems are also included in the paper.

  10. Experimental demonstration of software defined data center optical networks with Tbps end-to-end tunability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yongli; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Li, Hui; Wang, Huitao; Ge, Chao

    2015-10-01

    The end-to-end tunability is important to provision elastic channel for the burst traffic of data center optical networks. Then, how to complete the end-to-end tunability based on elastic optical networks? Software defined networking (SDN) based end-to-end tunability solution is proposed for software defined data center optical networks, and the protocol extension and implementation procedure are designed accordingly. For the first time, the flexible grid all optical networks with Tbps end-to-end tunable transport and switch system have been online demonstrated for data center interconnection, which are controlled by OpenDayLight (ODL) based controller. The performance of the end-to-end tunable transport and switch system has been evaluated with wavelength number tuning, bit rate tuning, and transmit power tuning procedure.

  11. Modeling the Inhomogeneous Response of Steady and Transient Flows of Entangled Micellar Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKinley, Gareth

    2008-03-01

    Surfactant molecules can self-assemble in solution into long flexible structures known as wormlike micelles. These structures entangle, forming a viscoelastic network similar to those in entangled polymer melts and solutions. However, in contrast to `inert' polymeric networks, wormlike micelles continuously break and reform leading to an additional relaxation mechanism and the name `living polymers'. Observations in both classes of entangled fluids have shown that steady and transient shearing flows of these solutions exhibit spatial inhomogeneities such as `shear-bands' at sufficiently large applied strains. In the present work, we investigate the dynamical response of a class of two-species elastic network models which can capture, in a self-consistent manner, the creation and destruction of elastically-active network segments, as well as diffusive coupling between the microstructural conformations and the local state of stress in regions with large spatial gradients of local deformation. These models incorporate a discrete version of the micellar breakage and reforming dynamics originally proposed by Cates and capture, at least qualitatively, non-affine tube deformation and chain disentanglement. The `flow curves' of stress and apparent shear rate resulting from an assumption of homogeneous deformation is non-monotonic and linear stability analysis shows that the region of non-monotonic response is unstable. Calculation of the full inhomogeneous flow field results in localized shear bands that grow linearly in extent across the gap as the apparent shear rate increases. Time-dependent calculations in step strain, large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) and in start up of steady shear flow show that the velocity profile in the gap and the total stress measured at the bounding surfaces are coupled and evolve in a complex non-monotonic manner as the shear bands develop and propagate.

  12. Normal stresses in semiflexible polymer hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vahabi, M.; Vos, Bart E.; de Cagny, Henri C. G.; Bonn, Daniel; Koenderink, Gijsje H.; MacKintosh, F. C.

    2018-03-01

    Biopolymer gels such as fibrin and collagen networks are known to develop tensile axial stress when subject to torsion. This negative normal stress is opposite to the classical Poynting effect observed for most elastic solids including synthetic polymer gels, where torsion provokes a positive normal stress. As shown recently, this anomalous behavior in fibrin gels depends on the open, porous network structure of biopolymer gels, which facilitates interstitial fluid flow during shear and can be described by a phenomenological two-fluid model with viscous coupling between network and solvent. Here we extend this model and develop a microscopic model for the individual diagonal components of the stress tensor that determine the axial response of semiflexible polymer hydrogels. This microscopic model predicts that the magnitude of these stress components depends inversely on the characteristic strain for the onset of nonlinear shear stress, which we confirm experimentally by shear rheometry on fibrin gels. Moreover, our model predicts a transient behavior of the normal stress, which is in excellent agreement with the full time-dependent normal stress we measure.

  13. Cell wall elasticity: I. A critique of the bulk elastic modulus approach and an analysis using polymer elastic principles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, H. I.; Spence, R. D.; Sharpe, P. J.; Goeschl, J. D.

    1985-01-01

    The traditional bulk elastic modulus approach to plant cell pressure-volume relations is inconsistent with its definition. The relationship between the bulk modulus and Young's modulus that forms the basis of their usual application to cell pressure-volume properties is demonstrated to be physically meaningless. The bulk modulus describes stress/strain relations of solid, homogeneous bodies undergoing small deformations, whereas the plant cell is best described as a thin-shelled, fluid-filled structure with a polymer base. Because cell walls possess a polymer structure, an alternative method of mechanical analysis is presented using polymer elasticity principles. This initial study presents the groundwork of polymer mechanics as would be applied to cell walls and discusses how the matrix and microfibrillar network induce nonlinear stress/strain relationships in the cell wall in response to turgor pressure. In subsequent studies, these concepts will be expanded to include anisotropic expansion as regulated by the microfibrillar network.

  14. Mechanical response of biopolymer double networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carroll, Joshua; Das, Moumita

    We investigate a double network model of articular cartilage (AC) and characterize its equilibrium mechanical response. AC has very few cells and the extracellular matrix mainly determines its mechanical response. This matrix can be thought of as a double polymer network made of collagen and aggrecan. The collagen fibers are stiff and resist tension and compression forces, while aggrecans are flexible and control swelling and hydration. We construct a microscopic model made of two interconnected disordered polymer networks, with fiber elasticity chosen to qualitatively mimic the experimental system. We study the collective mechanical response of this double network as a function of the concentration and stiffness of the individual components as well as the strength of the connection between them using rigidity percolation theory. Our results may provide a better understanding of mechanisms underlying the mechanical resilience of AC, and more broadly may also lead to new perspectives on the mechanical response of multicomponent soft materials. This work was partially supported by a Cottrell College Science Award.

  15. Topology Counts: Force Distributions in Circular Spring Networks.

    PubMed

    Heidemann, Knut M; Sageman-Furnas, Andrew O; Sharma, Abhinav; Rehfeldt, Florian; Schmidt, Christoph F; Wardetzky, Max

    2018-02-09

    Filamentous polymer networks govern the mechanical properties of many biological materials. Force distributions within these networks are typically highly inhomogeneous, and, although the importance of force distributions for structural properties is well recognized, they are far from being understood quantitatively. Using a combination of probabilistic and graph-theoretical techniques, we derive force distributions in a model system consisting of ensembles of random linear spring networks on a circle. We show that characteristic quantities, such as the mean and variance of the force supported by individual springs, can be derived explicitly in terms of only two parameters: (i) average connectivity and (ii) number of nodes. Our analysis shows that a classical mean-field approach fails to capture these characteristic quantities correctly. In contrast, we demonstrate that network topology is a crucial determinant of force distributions in an elastic spring network. Our results for 1D linear spring networks readily generalize to arbitrary dimensions.

  16. KOSMOS: a universal morph server for nucleic acids, proteins and their complexes.

    PubMed

    Seo, Sangjae; Kim, Moon Ki

    2012-07-01

    KOSMOS is the first online morph server to be able to address the structural dynamics of DNA/RNA, proteins and even their complexes, such as ribosomes. The key functions of KOSMOS are the harmonic and anharmonic analyses of macromolecules. In the harmonic analysis, normal mode analysis (NMA) based on an elastic network model (ENM) is performed, yielding vibrational modes and B-factor calculations, which provide insight into the potential biological functions of macromolecules based on their structural features. Anharmonic analysis involving elastic network interpolation (ENI) is used to generate plausible transition pathways between two given conformations by optimizing a topology-oriented cost function that guarantees a smooth transition without steric clashes. The quality of the computed pathways is evaluated based on their various facets, including topology, energy cost and compatibility with the NMA results. There are also two unique features of KOSMOS that distinguish it from other morph servers: (i) the versatility in the coarse-graining methods and (ii) the various connection rules in the ENM. The models enable us to analyze macromolecular dynamics with the maximum degrees of freedom by combining a variety of ENMs from full-atom to coarse-grained, backbone and hybrid models with one connection rule, such as distance-cutoff, number-cutoff or chemical-cutoff. KOSMOS is available at http://bioengineering.skku.ac.kr/kosmos.

  17. The Elastic Behaviour of Sintered Metallic Fibre Networks: A Finite Element Study by Beam Theory

    PubMed Central

    Bosbach, Wolfram A.

    2015-01-01

    Background The finite element method has complimented research in the field of network mechanics in the past years in numerous studies about various materials. Numerical predictions and the planning efficiency of experimental procedures are two of the motivational aspects for these numerical studies. The widespread availability of high performance computing facilities has been the enabler for the simulation of sufficiently large systems. Objectives and Motivation In the present study, finite element models were built for sintered, metallic fibre networks and validated by previously published experimental stiffness measurements. The validated models were the basis for predictions about so far unknown properties. Materials and Methods The finite element models were built by transferring previously published skeletons of fibre networks into finite element models. Beam theory was applied as simplification method. Results and Conclusions The obtained material stiffness isn’t a constant but rather a function of variables such as sample size and boundary conditions. Beam theory offers an efficient finite element method for the simulated fibre networks. The experimental results can be approximated by the simulated systems. Two worthwhile aspects for future work will be the influence of size and shape and the mechanical interaction with matrix materials. PMID:26569603

  18. Modular rate laws for enzymatic reactions: thermodynamics, elasticities and implementation.

    PubMed

    Liebermeister, Wolfram; Uhlendorf, Jannis; Klipp, Edda

    2010-06-15

    Standard rate laws are a key requisite for systematically turning metabolic networks into kinetic models. They should provide simple, general and biochemically plausible formulae for reaction velocities and reaction elasticities. At the same time, they need to respect thermodynamic relations between the kinetic constants and the metabolic fluxes and concentrations. We present a family of reversible rate laws for reactions with arbitrary stoichiometries and various types of regulation, including mass-action, Michaelis-Menten and uni-uni reversible Hill kinetics as special cases. With a thermodynamically safe parameterization of these rate laws, parameter sets obtained by model fitting, sampling or optimization are guaranteed to lead to consistent chemical equilibrium states. A reformulation using saturation values yields simple formulae for rates and elasticities, which can be easily adjusted to the given stationary flux distributions. Furthermore, this formulation highlights the role of chemical potential differences as thermodynamic driving forces. We compare the modular rate laws to the thermodynamic-kinetic modelling formalism and discuss a simplified rate law in which the reaction rate directly depends on the reaction affinity. For automatic handling of modular rate laws, we propose a standard syntax and semantic annotations for the Systems Biology Markup Language. An online tool for inserting the rate laws into SBML models is freely available at www.semanticsbml.org. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  19. Prediction and validation of protein intermediate states from structurally rich ensembles and coarse-grained simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orellana, Laura; Yoluk, Ozge; Carrillo, Oliver; Orozco, Modesto; Lindahl, Erik

    2016-08-01

    Protein conformational changes are at the heart of cell functions, from signalling to ion transport. However, the transient nature of the intermediates along transition pathways hampers their experimental detection, making the underlying mechanisms elusive. Here we retrieve dynamic information on the actual transition routes from principal component analysis (PCA) of structurally-rich ensembles and, in combination with coarse-grained simulations, explore the conformational landscapes of five well-studied proteins. Modelling them as elastic networks in a hybrid elastic-network Brownian dynamics simulation (eBDIMS), we generate trajectories connecting stable end-states that spontaneously sample the crystallographic motions, predicting the structures of known intermediates along the paths. We also show that the explored non-linear routes can delimit the lowest energy passages between end-states sampled by atomistic molecular dynamics. The integrative methodology presented here provides a powerful framework to extract and expand dynamic pathway information from the Protein Data Bank, as well as to validate sampling methods in general.

  20. The effect of gum tragacanth on the rheological properties of salep based ice cream mix.

    PubMed

    Kurt, Abdullah; Cengiz, Alime; Kahyaoglu, Talip

    2016-06-05

    The influence of concentration (0-0.5%, w/w) of gum tragacanth (GT) on thixotropy, dynamic, and creep-recovery rheological properties of ice cream mixes prepared with milk or water based were investigated. These properties were used to evaluate the viscoelastic behavior and internal structure of ice cream network. The textural properties of ice cream were also evaluated. Thixotropy values of samples were reduced by increasing GT concentration. The dynamic and creep-recovery analyses exhibited that GT addition increased both ice cream elastic and viscous behaviors. The increasing of Burger's model parameters with GT concentration indicated higher resistance network to the stress and more elastic behavior of samples. The applying of Cox-Merz rule is possible by using shift factor (α). GT also led to an increase in Young's modulus and the stickiness of ice creams. The obtained results highlighted the possible application of GT as a valuable member to promote structural properties of ice cream. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Mechanics of Fluctuating Elastic Plates and Fiber Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Xiaojun

    Lipid membranes and fiber networks in biological systems perform important mechanical functions at the cellular and tissue levels. In this thesis I delve into two detailed problems--thermal fluctuation of membranes and non-linear compression response of fiber networks. Typically, membrane fluctuations are analysed by decomposing into normal modes or by molecular simulations. In the first part of my thesis, I propose a new semi-analytic method to calculate the partition function of a membrane. The membrane is viewed as a fluctuating von Karman plate and discretized into triangular elements. Its energy is expressed as a function of nodal displacements, and then the partition function and co-variance matrix are computed using Gaussian integrals. I recover well-known results for the dependence of the projected area of a lipid bilayer membrane on the applied tension, and recent simulation results on the ependence of membrane free energy on geometry, spontaneous curvature and tension. As new applications I use this technique to study a membrane with heterogeneity and different boundary conditions. I also use this technique to study solid membranes by taking account of the non-linear coupling of in-plane strains with out-of-plane deflections using a penalty energy, and apply it to graphene, an ultra-thin two-dimensional solid. The scaling of graphene fluctuations with membrane size is recovered. I am able to capture the dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient of graphene on temperature. Next, I study curvature mediated interactions between inclusions in membranes. I assume the inclusions to be rigid, and show that the elastic and entropic forces between them can compete to yield a local maximum in the free energy if the membrane bending modulus is small. If the spacing between the inclusions is less than this local maximum then the attractive entropic forces dominate and the separation between the inclusions will be determined by short range interactions; if the spacing is more than the local maximum then the elastic repulsive forces dominate and the inclusions will move further apart. This technique can be extended to account for entropic effects in other methods which rely on quadratic energies to study the interactions of inclusions in membranes. In the second part of this thesis I study the compression response of two fiber network materials--blood clots and carbon nanotube forests. The stress-strain curve of both materials reveals four characteristic regions, for compression-decompression: 1) linear elastic region; 2) upper plateau or softening region; 3) non-linear elastic region or re-stretching of the network; 4) lower plateau in which dissociation of some newly made connections occurs. This response is described by a phase transition based continuum model. The model is inspired by the observation of one or more moving interfaces across which densified and rarefied phases of fibers co-exist. I use a quasi-static version of the Abeyaratne-Knowles theory of phase transitions for continua with a stick-slip type kinetic law and a nucleation criterion based on the critical stress for buckling to describe the formation and motion of these interfaces in uniaxial compression experiments. Our models could aid the design of biomaterials and carbon nanotube forests to have desired mechanical properties and guide further understanding of their behavior under large deformations.

  2. Data-Driven Modeling and Rendering of Force Responses from Elastic Tool Deformation

    PubMed Central

    Rakhmatov, Ruslan; Ogay, Tatyana; Jeon, Seokhee

    2018-01-01

    This article presents a new data-driven model design for rendering force responses from elastic tool deformation. The new design incorporates a six-dimensional input describing the initial position of the contact, as well as the state of the tool deformation. The input-output relationship of the model was represented by a radial basis functions network, which was optimized based on training data collected from real tool-surface contact. Since the input space of the model is represented in the local coordinate system of a tool, the model is independent of recording and rendering devices and can be easily deployed to an existing simulator. The model also supports complex interactions, such as self and multi-contact collisions. In order to assess the proposed data-driven model, we built a custom data acquisition setup and developed a proof-of-concept rendering simulator. The simulator was evaluated through numerical and psychophysical experiments with four different real tools. The numerical evaluation demonstrated the perceptual soundness of the proposed model, meanwhile the user study revealed the force feedback of the proposed simulator to be realistic. PMID:29342964

  3. Fully-elastic multi-granular network with space/frequency/time switching using multi-core fibres and programmable optical nodes.

    PubMed

    Amaya, N; Irfan, M; Zervas, G; Nejabati, R; Simeonidou, D; Sakaguchi, J; Klaus, W; Puttnam, B J; Miyazawa, T; Awaji, Y; Wada, N; Henning, I

    2013-04-08

    We present the first elastic, space division multiplexing, and multi-granular network based on two 7-core MCF links and four programmable optical nodes able to switch traffic utilising the space, frequency and time dimensions with over 6000-fold bandwidth granularity. Results show good end-to-end performance on all channels with power penalties between 0.75 dB and 3.7 dB.

  4. Solvent-free, supersoft and superelastic bottlebrush melts and networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daniel, William F. M.; Burdyńska, Joanna; Vatankhah-Varnoosfaderani, Mohammad; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Paturej, Jarosław; Rubinstein, Michael; Dobrynin, Andrey V.; Sheiko, Sergei S.

    2016-02-01

    Polymer gels are the only viable class of synthetic materials with a Young's modulus below 100 kPa conforming to biological applications, yet those gel properties require a solvent fraction. The presence of a solvent can lead to phase separation, evaporation and leakage on deformation, diminishing gel elasticity and eliciting inflammatory responses in any surrounding tissues. Here, we report solvent-free, supersoft and superelastic polymer melts and networks prepared from bottlebrush macromolecules. The brush-like architecture expands the diameter of the polymer chains, diluting their entanglements without markedly increasing stiffness. This adjustable interplay between chain diameter and stiffness makes it possible to tailor the network's elastic modulus and extensibility without the complications associated with a swollen gel. The bottlebrush melts and elastomers exhibit an unprecedented combination of low modulus (~100 Pa), high strain at break (~1,000%), and extraordinary elasticity, properties that are on par with those of designer gels.

  5. Wrinkling instability in graphene supported on nanoparticle-patterned SiO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cullen, William; Yamamoto, Mahito; Pierre-Louis, Olivier; Einstein, Theodore; Fuhrer, Michael

    2012-02-01

    Atomically-thin graphene is arguably the thinnest possible mechanical membrane: graphene's effective thickness (the thickness of an isotropic continuum slab which would have the same elastic and bending stiffness) is significantly less than 1 å, indicating that graphene can distort out-of-plane to conform to sub-nanometer features. Here we study the elastic response of graphene supported on a SiO2 substrate covered with SiO2 nanoparticles. At a low density of nanoparticles, graphene is largely pinned to the substrate due to adhesive interaction. However, with increasing nanoparticle density, graphene's elasticity dominates adhesion and strain is relieved by the formation of wrinkles which connect peaks introduced by the supporting nanoparticles. At a critical density, the wrinkles percolate, resulting in a wrinkle network. We develop a simple elastic model allowing for adhesion which accurately predicts the critical spacing between nanoparticles for wrinkle formation. This work has been supported by the University of Maryland NSF-MRSEC under Grant No. DMR 05-20471 with supplemental funding from NRI, and NSF-DMR 08-04976.

  6. Study on key technologies of vehicle networking system platform for electric automobiles based on micro-service

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Fei

    2018-04-01

    With the rapid increase of electric automobiles and charging piles, the elastic expansion and online rapid upgrade were required for the vehicle networking system platform (system platform for short). At present, it is difficult to meet the operation needs due to the traditional huge rock architecture used by the system platform. This paper studied the system platform technology architecture based on "cloud platform +micro-service" to obtain a new generation of vehicle networking system platform with the combination of elastic expansion and application, thus significantly improving the service operation ability of system.

  7. Wavelet-based multiscale adjoint waveform-difference tomography using body and surface waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Y. O.; Simons, F. J.; Bozdag, E.

    2014-12-01

    We present a multi-scale scheme for full elastic waveform-difference inversion. Using a wavelet transform proves to be a key factor to mitigate cycle-skipping effects. We start with coarse representations of the seismogram to correct a large-scale background model, and subsequently explain the residuals in the fine scales of the seismogram to map the heterogeneities with great complexity. We have previously applied the multi-scale approach successfully to body waves generated in a standard model from the exploration industry: a modified two-dimensional elastic Marmousi model. With this model we explored the optimal choice of wavelet family, number of vanishing moments and decomposition depth. For this presentation we explore the sensitivity of surface waves in waveform-difference tomography. The incorporation of surface waves is rife with cycle-skipping problems compared to the inversions considering body waves only. We implemented an envelope-based objective function probed via a multi-scale wavelet analysis to measure the distance between predicted and target surface-wave waveforms in a synthetic model of heterogeneous near-surface structure. Our proposed method successfully purges the local minima present in the waveform-difference misfit surface. An elastic shallow model with 100~m in depth is used to test the surface-wave inversion scheme. We also analyzed the sensitivities of surface waves and body waves in full waveform inversions, as well as the effects of incorrect density information on elastic parameter inversions. Based on those numerical experiments, we ultimately formalized a flexible scheme to consider both body and surface waves in adjoint tomography. While our early examples are constructed from exploration-style settings, our procedure will be very valuable for the study of global network data.

  8. Shape memory polymer network with thermally distinct elasticity and plasticity.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Qian; Zou, Weike; Luo, Yingwu; Xie, Tao

    2016-01-01

    Stimuli-responsive materials with sophisticated yet controllable shape-changing behaviors are highly desirable for real-world device applications. Among various shape-changing materials, the elastic nature of shape memory polymers allows fixation of temporary shapes that can recover on demand, whereas polymers with exchangeable bonds can undergo permanent shape change via plasticity. We integrate the elasticity and plasticity into a single polymer network. Rational molecular design allows these two opposite behaviors to be realized at different temperature ranges without any overlap. By exploring the cumulative nature of the plasticity, we demonstrate easy manipulation of highly complex shapes that is otherwise extremely challenging. The dynamic shape-changing behavior paves a new way for fabricating geometrically complex multifunctional devices.

  9. The correlation between nano-hardness and elasticity and fullerene-like clusters in hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yongfu; Gao, Kaixiong; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Junyan

    2018-01-01

    Fullerene-like hydrogenated carbon films have outstanding mechanical and frictional properties, but their structures have never enjoyed elaboration. In this study, we investigate the relation between nano-hardness and elasticity and fullerene-like clusters by changing energy supply form (direct current and pulse) and H2 concentration in the feedstock. It is found that the films have a network of H-rich amorphous carbon and H-poor or -deficient fullerene-like carbon, and the network change can affect hardness and elastic recovery. This is due to the energy minimization process of the film growing system in a very short pulse period at low temperature.

  10. Engineering the Mechanical Properties of Polymer Networks with Precise Doping of Primary Defects.

    PubMed

    Chan, Doreen; Ding, Yichuan; Dauskardt, Reinhold H; Appel, Eric A

    2017-12-06

    Polymer networks are extensively utilized across numerous applications ranging from commodity superabsorbent polymers and coatings to high-performance microelectronics and biomaterials. For many applications, desirable properties are known; however, achieving them has been challenging. Additionally, the accurate prediction of elastic modulus has been a long-standing difficulty owing to the presence of loops. By tuning the prepolymer formulation through precise doping of monomers, specific primary network defects can be programmed into an elastomeric scaffold, without alteration of their resulting chemistry. The addition of these monomers that respond mechanically as primary defects is used both to understand their impact on the resulting mechanical properties of the materials and as a method to engineer the mechanical properties. Indeed, these materials exhibit identical bulk and surface chemistry, yet vastly different mechanical properties. Further, we have adapted the real elastic network theory (RENT) to the case of primary defects in the absence of loops, thus providing new insights into the mechanism for material strength and failure in polymer networks arising from primary network defects, and to accurately predict the elastic modulus of the polymer system. The versatility of the approach we describe and the fundamental knowledge gained from this study can lead to new advancements in the development of novel materials with precisely defined and predictable chemical, physical, and mechanical properties.

  11. Performance evaluation of data center service localization based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic optical network.

    PubMed

    Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tan, Yuanlong; Lin, Yi; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

    2015-09-07

    Data center interconnection with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented cross stratum optimization of optical network and application stratums resources that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends the data center resources to user side to enhance the end-to-end quality of service. We propose a novel data center service localization (DCSL) architecture based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic data center optical network. A migration evaluation scheme (MES) is introduced for DCSL based on the proposed architecture. The DCSL can enhance the responsiveness to the dynamic end-to-end data center demands, and effectively reduce the blocking probability to globally optimize optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of our OpenFlow-based enhanced SDN testbed. The performance of MES scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on DCSL architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning scheme.

  12. Dynamics in steady state in vitro acto-myosin networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sonn-Segev, Adar; Bernheim-Groswasser, Anne; Roichman, Yael

    2017-04-01

    It is well known that many biochemical processes in the cell such as gene regulation, growth signals and activation of ion channels, rely on mechanical stimuli. However, the mechanism by which mechanical signals propagate through cells is not as well understood. In this review we focus on stress propagation in a minimal model for cell elasticity, actomyosin networks, which are comprised of a sub-family of cytoskeleton proteins. After giving an overview of th actomyosin network components, structure and evolution we review stress propagation in these materials as measured through the correlated motion of tracer beads. We also discuss the possibility to extract structural features of these networks from the same experiments. We show that stress transmission through these networks has two pathways, a quickly dissipative one through the bulk, and a long ranged weakly dissipative one through the pre-stressed actin network.

  13. Printable elastic conductors by in situ formation of silver nanoparticles from silver flakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsuhisa, Naoji; Inoue, Daishi; Zalar, Peter; Jin, Hanbit; Matsuba, Yorishige; Itoh, Akira; Yokota, Tomoyuki; Hashizume, Daisuke; Someya, Takao

    2017-08-01

    Printable elastic conductors promise large-area stretchable sensor/actuator networks for healthcare, wearables and robotics. Elastomers with metal nanoparticles are one of the best approaches to achieve high performance, but large-area utilization is limited by difficulties in their processability. Here we report a printable elastic conductor containing Ag nanoparticles that are formed in situ, solely by mixing micrometre-sized Ag flakes, fluorine rubbers, and surfactant. Our printable elastic composites exhibit conductivity higher than 4,000 S cm-1 (highest value: 6,168 S cm-1) at 0% strain, and 935 S cm-1 when stretched up to 400%. Ag nanoparticle formation is influenced by the surfactant, heating processes, and elastomer molecular weight, resulting in a drastic improvement of conductivity. Fully printed sensor networks for stretchable robots are demonstrated, sensing pressure and temperature accurately, even when stretched over 250%.

  14. Intelligent neural network and fuzzy logic control of industrial and power systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuljaca, Ognjen

    The main role played by neural network and fuzzy logic intelligent control algorithms today is to identify and compensate unknown nonlinear system dynamics. There are a number of methods developed, but often the stability analysis of neural network and fuzzy control systems was not provided. This work will meet those problems for the several algorithms. Some more complicated control algorithms included backstepping and adaptive critics will be designed. Nonlinear fuzzy control with nonadaptive fuzzy controllers is also analyzed. An experimental method for determining describing function of SISO fuzzy controller is given. The adaptive neural network tracking controller for an autonomous underwater vehicle is analyzed. A novel stability proof is provided. The implementation of the backstepping neural network controller for the coupled motor drives is described. Analysis and synthesis of adaptive critic neural network control is also provided in the work. Novel tuning laws for the system with action generating neural network and adaptive fuzzy critic are given. Stability proofs are derived for all those control methods. It is shown how these control algorithms and approaches can be used in practical engineering control. Stability proofs are given. Adaptive fuzzy logic control is analyzed. Simulation study is conducted to analyze the behavior of the adaptive fuzzy system on the different environment changes. A novel stability proof for adaptive fuzzy logic systems is given. Also, adaptive elastic fuzzy logic control architecture is described and analyzed. A novel membership function is used for elastic fuzzy logic system. The stability proof is proffered. Adaptive elastic fuzzy logic control is compared with the adaptive nonelastic fuzzy logic control. The work described in this dissertation serves as foundation on which analysis of particular representative industrial systems will be conducted. Also, it gives a good starting point for analysis of learning abilities of adaptive and neural network control systems, as well as for the analysis of the different algorithms such as elastic fuzzy systems.

  15. Examining platelet-fibrin interactions during traumatic shock in a swine model using platelet contractile force and clot elastic modulus.

    PubMed

    White, Nathan J; Martin, Erika J; Brophy, Donald F; Ward, Kevin R

    2011-07-01

    A significant proportion of severely injured patients develop early coagulopathy, characterized by abnormal clot formation, which impairs resuscitation and increases mortality. We have previously demonstrated an isolated decrease in clot strength by thrombelastography in a swine model of nonresuscitated traumatic shock. In order to more closely examine platelet-fibrin interactions in this setting, we define the observed decrease in clot strength in terms of platelet-induced clot contraction and clot elastic modulus using the Hemostasis Analysis System (HAS) (Hemodyne Inc., Richmond, Virginia, USA). Whole blood was sampled for HAS measurements, metabolic measurements, cell counts, and fibrinogen concentration at baseline prior to injury and again at a predetermined level of traumatic shock defined by oxygen debt. Male swine (N=17) received femur fracture and controlled arterial hemorrhage to achieve an oxygen debt of 80 ml/kg. Platelet counts were unchanged, but fibrinogen concentration was reduced significantly during shock (167.6 vs. 66.7 mg/dl, P=0.0007). Platelet contractile force generated during clot formation did not change during shock (11.7 vs. 10.4 kdynes, P=0.41), but clot elastic modulus was dynamically altered, resulting in a lower final value (22.9 vs. 17.3 kdynes/cm, P<0.0001). In this model of traumatic shock, platelet function was preserved, whereas terminal clot elastic modulus was reduced during shock in a manner most consistent with early changes in the mechanical properties of the developing fibrin fiber network.

  16. Using Entropy Maximization to Understand the Determinants of Structural Dynamics beyond Native Contact Topology

    PubMed Central

    Lezon, Timothy R.; Bahar, Ivet

    2010-01-01

    Comparison of elastic network model predictions with experimental data has provided important insights on the dominant role of the network of inter-residue contacts in defining the global dynamics of proteins. Most of these studies have focused on interpreting the mean-square fluctuations of residues, or deriving the most collective, or softest, modes of motions that are known to be insensitive to structural and energetic details. However, with increasing structural data, we are in a position to perform a more critical assessment of the structure-dynamics relations in proteins, and gain a deeper understanding of the major determinants of not only the mean-square fluctuations and lowest frequency modes, but the covariance or the cross-correlations between residue fluctuations and the shapes of higher modes. A systematic study of a large set of NMR-determined proteins is analyzed using a novel method based on entropy maximization to demonstrate that the next level of refinement in the elastic network model description of proteins ought to take into consideration properties such as contact order (or sequential separation between contacting residues) and the secondary structure types of the interacting residues, whereas the types of amino acids do not play a critical role. Most importantly, an optimal description of observed cross-correlations requires the inclusion of destabilizing, as opposed to exclusively stabilizing, interactions, stipulating the functional significance of local frustration in imparting native-like dynamics. This study provides us with a deeper understanding of the structural basis of experimentally observed behavior, and opens the way to the development of more accurate models for exploring protein dynamics. PMID:20585542

  17. Using entropy maximization to understand the determinants of structural dynamics beyond native contact topology.

    PubMed

    Lezon, Timothy R; Bahar, Ivet

    2010-06-17

    Comparison of elastic network model predictions with experimental data has provided important insights on the dominant role of the network of inter-residue contacts in defining the global dynamics of proteins. Most of these studies have focused on interpreting the mean-square fluctuations of residues, or deriving the most collective, or softest, modes of motions that are known to be insensitive to structural and energetic details. However, with increasing structural data, we are in a position to perform a more critical assessment of the structure-dynamics relations in proteins, and gain a deeper understanding of the major determinants of not only the mean-square fluctuations and lowest frequency modes, but the covariance or the cross-correlations between residue fluctuations and the shapes of higher modes. A systematic study of a large set of NMR-determined proteins is analyzed using a novel method based on entropy maximization to demonstrate that the next level of refinement in the elastic network model description of proteins ought to take into consideration properties such as contact order (or sequential separation between contacting residues) and the secondary structure types of the interacting residues, whereas the types of amino acids do not play a critical role. Most importantly, an optimal description of observed cross-correlations requires the inclusion of destabilizing, as opposed to exclusively stabilizing, interactions, stipulating the functional significance of local frustration in imparting native-like dynamics. This study provides us with a deeper understanding of the structural basis of experimentally observed behavior, and opens the way to the development of more accurate models for exploring protein dynamics.

  18. Coupled Multi-physics analysis of Caprock Integrity and Fault Reactivation during CO2 Sequestration*

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newell, P.; Martinez, M. J.; Bishop, J.

    2012-12-01

    Structural/stratigraphic trapping beneath a low-permeable caprock layer is the primary trapping mechanism for long-term subsurface sequestration of CO2. Pre-existing fracture networks, injection induced fractures, and faults are of concern for possible CO2 leakage both during and after injection. In this work we model the effects of both caprock jointing and a fault on the caprock sealing integrity during various injection scenarios. The modeling effort uses a three-dimensional finite-element based coupled multiphase flow and geomechanics simulator. The joints within the caprock are idealized as equally spaced and parallel. Both the mechanical and flow behavior of the joint network are treated within an effective continuum formulation. The mechanical behavior of the joint network is linear elastic in shear and nonlinear elastic in the normal direction. The flow behavior of the joint network is treated using the classical cubic-law relating flow rate and aperture. The flow behavior is then upscaled to obtain an effective permeability. The fault is modeled as a finite-thickness layer with multiple joint sets. The joint sets within the fault region are modeled following the same mechanical and flow formulation as the joints within the caprock. Various injection schedules as well as fault and caprock jointing configurations within a proto-typical sequestration site have been investigated. The resulting leakage rates through the caprock and fault are compared to those assuming intact material. The predicted leakage rates are a strong nonlinear function of the injection rate. *This material is based upon work supported as part of the Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001114. Sandia is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  19. Cell-ECM Interactions During Cancer Invasion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Yi

    The extracellular matrix (ECM), a fibrous material that forms a network in a tissue, significantly affects many aspects of cellular behavior, including cell movement and proliferation. Transgenic mouse tumor studies indicate that excess collagen, a major component of ECM, enhances tumor formation and invasiveness. Clinically, tumor associated collagen signatures are strong markers for breast cancer survival. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear since the properties of ECM are complex, with diverse structural and mechanical properties depending on various biophysical parameters. We have developed a three-dimensional elastic fiber network model, and parameterized it with in vitro collagen mechanics. Using this model, we study ECM remodeling as a result of local deformation and cell migration through the ECM as a network percolation problem. We have also developed a three-dimensional, multiscale model of cell migration and interaction with ECM. Our model reproduces quantitative single cell migration experiments. This model is a first step toward a fully biomechanical cell-matrix interaction model and may shed light on tumor associated collagen signatures in breast cancer. This work was partially supported by NIH-U01CA143069.

  20. Elastic properties, reaction kinetics, and structural relaxation of an epoxy resin polymer during cure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heili, Manon; Bielawski, Andrew; Kieffer, John

    The cure kinetics of a DGEBA/DETA epoxy is investigated using concurrent Raman and Brillouin light scattering. Raman scattering allows us to monitor the in-situ reaction and quantitatively assess the degree of cure. Brillouin scattering yields the elastic properties of the system, providing a measure of network connectivity. We show that the adiabatic modulus evolves non-uniquely as a function of cure degree, depending on the cure temperature and the molar ratio of the epoxy. Two mechanisms contribute to the increase in the elastic modulus of the material during curing. First, there is the formation of covalent bonds in the network during the curing process. Second, following bond formation, the epoxy undergoes structural relaxation toward an optimally packed network configuration, enhancing non-bonded interactions. We investigate to what extent the non-bonded interaction contribution to structural rigidity in cross-linked polymers is reversible, and to what extent it corresponds to the difference between adiabatic and isothermal moduli obtained from static tensile, i.e. the so-called relaxational modulus. To this end, we simultaneously measure the adiabatic and isothermal elastic moduli as a function of applied strain and deformation rate.

  1. Modeling the growth and interaction of stylolite networks, using the discrete element method for pressure solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makedonska, N.; Sparks, D. W.; Aharonov, E.

    2012-12-01

    Pressure solution (also termed chemical compaction) is considered the most important ductile deformation mechanism operating in the Earth's upper crust. This mechanism is a major player in a variety of geological processes, including evolution of sedimentary basins, hydrocarbon reservoirs, aquifers, earthquake recurrence cycles, and fault healing. Pressure solution in massive rocks often localizes into solution seams or stylolites. Field observations of stylolites often show elastic/brittle interactions in regions between pressure solution features, including and shear fractures, veins and pull-apart features. To understand these interactions, we use a grain-scale model based on the Discrete Element Method that allows granular dissolution at stressed contacts between grains. The new model captures both the slow chemical compaction process and the more abrupt brittle fracturing and sliding between grains. We simulate a sample of rock as a collection of particles, each representing either a grain or a unit of rock, bonded to each other with breakable cement. We apply external stresses to this sample, and calculate elastic and frictional interactions between the grains. Dissolution is modeled by an irreversible penetration of contacting grains into each other at a rate that depends on the contact stress and an adjustable rate constant. Experiments have shown that dissolution rates at grain contacts are greatly enhanced when there is a mineralogical contrast. Therefore, we dissolution rate constant can be increased to account for an amount of impurities (e.g. clay in a quartz or calcite sandstone) that can accumulate on dissolving contacts. This approach allows large compaction and shear strains within the rock, while allowing examination of local grain-scale heterogeneity. For example, we will describe the effect of pressure solution on the distribution of contact forces magnitudes and orientations. Contact forces in elastic granular packings are inherently heteregeneous, but stress-dependent dissolution tends to equalize them. We apply our model to the simulation of stylolite networks, particularly the interaction of stylolite tips. The stress concentrations from these tips are transmitted through the intervening rock, which can cause elastic strain, brittle damage and frictional sliding. Our model shows that grain rearrangement and compaction rate depend on the surface friction coefficient of grains. Simulation results show the development of shear zones between stylolites, and a high porosity process zone at the tips of stylolites. These features, which have been observed in field studies, are modeled and predicted for the first time. This modeling tool holds a promise to provide many new insights regarding the coupling between pressure solution and brittle deformation, i.e. between mechanical and chemical compaction.

  2. Surface pressure affects B-hordein network formation at the air-water interface in relation to gastric digestibility.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jingqi; Huang, Jun; Zeng, Hongbo; Chen, Lingyun

    2015-11-01

    Protein interfacial network formation under mechanical pressure and its influence on degradation was investigated at molecular level using Langmuir-Blodgett B-hordein monolayer as a 2D model. Surface properties, such as surface pressure, dilatational and shear rheology and the surface pressure--area (π-A) isotherm, of B-hordein at air-water interface were analyzed by tensiometer, rheometer and a Langmuir-Blodgett trough respectively. B-Hordein conformation and orientation under different surface pressures were determined by polarization modulation-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The interfacial network morphology was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). B-Hordein could reduce the air-water surface tension rapidly to ∼ 45 mN/m and form a solid-like network with high rheological elasticity and compressibility at interface, which could be a result of interactions developed by intermolecular β-sheets. The results also revealed that B-hordein interfacial network switched from an expanded liquid phase to a solid-like film with increasing compression pressure. The orientation of B-hordein was parallel to the surface when in expended liquid phase, whereas upon compression, the hydrophobic repetitive region tilted away from water phase. When compressed to 30 mN/m, a strong elastic network was formed at the interface, and it was resistant to a harsh gastric-like environment of low pH and pepsin. This work generated fundamental knowledge, which suggested the potential to design B-hordein stabilized emulsions and encapsulations with controllable digestibility for small intestine targeted delivery of bioactive compounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Chains are more flexible under tension

    PubMed Central

    Carrillo, Jan-Michael Y.; Rubinstein, Michael

    2010-01-01

    The mechanical response of networks, gels, and brush layers is a manifestation of the elastic properties of the individual macromolecules. Furthermore, the elastic response of macromolecules to an applied force is the foundation of the single-molecule force spectroscopy techniques. The two main classes of models describing chain elasticity include the worm-like and freely-jointed chain models. The selection between these two classes of models is based on the assumptions about chain flexibility. In many experimental situations the choice is not clear and a model describing the crossover between these two limiting classes is therefore in high demand. We are proposing a unified chain deformation model which describes the force-deformation curve in terms of the chain bending constant K and bond length b. This model demonstrates that the worm-like and freely-jointed chain models correspond to two different regimes of polymer deformation and the crossover between these two regimes depends on the chain bending rigidity and the magnitude of the applied force. Polymer chains with bending constant K>1 behave as a worm-like chain under tension in the interval of the applied forces f ≤ KkBT/b and as a freely-jointed chain for f ≥ KkBT/b (kB is the Boltzmann constant and T is the absolute temperature). The proposed crossover expression for chain deformation is in excellent agreement with the results of the molecular dynamics simulations of chain deformation and single-molecule deformation experiments of biological and synthetic macromolecules. PMID:21415940

  4. Mobile Number Portability in Europe

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-08-01

    Anmerkungen zum Balassa - Samuelson -Effekt, Nr. 3/2002, erschienen in: Stefan Reitz (Hg.): Theoretische und wirtschaftspolitische Aspekte der internatio- nalen...However, the argument is slightly more complex. Using a simple model with differentiated networks, Buehler and Haucap (2004) show that the incumbent’s...Elasticities The above arguments suggest that it is more difficult to gain market share in the presence of switching costs, as undercutting needs to be

  5. Generation, Analysis and Characterization of Anisotropic Engineered Meta Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trifale, Ninad T.

    A methodology for a systematic generation of highly anisotropic micro-lattice structures was investigated. Multiple algorithms for generation and validation of engineered structures are developed and evaluated. Set of all possible permutations of structures for an 8-node cubic unit cell were considered and the degree of anisotropy of meta-properties in heat transport and mechanical elasticity were evaluated. Feasibility checks were performed to ensure that the generated unit cell network was repeatable and a continuous lattice structure. Four different strategies for generating permutations of the structures are discussed. Analytical models were developed to predict effective thermal, mechanical and permeability characteristics of these cellular structures.Experimentation and numerical modeling techniques were used to validate the models that are developed. A self-consistent mechanical elasticity model was developed which connects the meso-scale properties to stiffness of individual struts. A three dimensional thermal resistance network analogy was used to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity of the structures. The struts were modeled as a network of one dimensional thermal resistive elements and effective conductivity evaluated. Models were validated against numerical simulations and experimental measurements on 3D printed samples. Model was developed to predict effective permeability of these engineered structures based on Darcy's law. Drag coefficients were evaluated for individual connections in transverse and longitudinal directions and an interaction term was calibrated from the experimental data in literature in order to predict permeability. Generic optimization framework coupled to finite element solver is developed for analyzing any application involving use of porous structures. An objective functions were generated structure to address frequently observed trade-off between the stiffness, thermal conductivity, permeability and porosity. Three application were analyzed for potential use of engineered materials. Heat spreader application involving thermal and mechanical constraints, artificial bone grafts application involving mechanical and permeability constraints and structural materials applications involving mechanical, thermal and porosity constraints is analyzed. Recommendations for optimum topologies for specific operating conditions are provided.

  6. Nonlinear force propagation, anisotropic stiffening and non-affine relaxation in a model cytoskeleton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mizuno, Daisuke; Head, David; Ikebe, Emi; Nakamasu, Akiko; Kinoshita, Suguru; Peijuan, Zhang; Ando, Shoji

    2013-03-01

    Forces are generated heterogeneously in living cells and transmitted through cytoskeletal networks that respond highly non-linearly. Here, we carry out high-bandwidth passive microrheology on vimentin networks reconstituted in vitro, and observe the nonlinear mechanical response due to forces propagating from a local source applied by an optical tweezer. Since the applied force is constant, the gel becomes equilibrated and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem can be employed to deduce the viscoelasticity of the local environment from the thermal fluctuations of colloidal probes. Our experiments unequivocally demonstrate the anisotropic stiffening of the cytoskeletal network behind the applied force, with greater stiffening in the parallel direction. Quantitative agreement with an affine continuum model is obtained, but only for the response at certain frequency ~ 10-1000 Hz which separates the high-frequency power law and low-frequency elastic behavior of the network. We argue that the failure of the model at lower frequencies is due to the presence of non-affinity, and observe that zero-frequency changes in particle separation can be fitted when an independently-measured, empirical nonaffinity factor is applied.

  7. Super-channel oriented routing, spectrum and core assignment under crosstalk limit in spatial division multiplexing elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yongli; Zhu, Ye; Wang, Chunhui; Yu, Xiaosong; Liu, Chuan; Liu, Binglin; Zhang, Jie

    2017-07-01

    With the capacity increasing in optical networks enabled by spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology, spatial division multiplexing elastic optical networks (SDM-EONs) attract much attention from both academic and industry. Super-channel is an important type of service provisioning in SDM-EONs. This paper focuses on the issue of super-channel construction in SDM-EONs. Mixed super-channel oriented routing, spectrum and core assignment (MS-RSCA) algorithm is proposed in SDM-EONs considering inter-core crosstalk. Simulation results show that MS-RSCA can improve spectrum resource utilization and reduce blocking probability significantly compared with the baseline RSCA algorithms.

  8. Effect of pendent chains on the interfacial properties of thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks.

    PubMed

    Landherr, Lucas J T; Cohen, Claude; Archer, Lynden A

    2011-05-17

    The interfacial properties of end-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films on silicon are examined. Thin cross-linked PDMS films (∼10 μm thick) were synthesized over a self-assembled monolayer supported on a silicon wafer. By systematically varying the concentration of monofunctional PDMS in a mixture with telechelic precursor molecules, structures ranging from near-ideal elastic networks to poorly cross-linked networks composed of a preponderance of dangling/pendent chains were synthesized. Lateral force microscopy (LFM) employing bead probes was used to quantify the effect of network structure on the interfacial friction coefficient and residual force. Indentation measurements employing an AFM in force mode were used to characterize the elastic modulus and the pull-off force for the films as a function of pendent chain content. These measurements were complemented with conventional mechanical rheometry measurements on similar thick network films to determine their bulk rheological properties. All networks studied manifested interfacial friction coefficients substantially lower than that of bare silicon. PDMS networks with the lowest pendent chain content displayed friction coefficients close to 1 order of magnitude lower than that of bare silicon, whereas networks with the highest pendent chain content manifested friction coefficients about 3 times lower than that of bare silicon. At intermediate sliding velocities, a crossover in the interfacial friction coefficient was observed, wherein cross-linked PDMS films with the least amount of pendent chains exhibit the highest friction coefficient. These observations are discussed in terms of the structure of the films and relaxation dynamics of elastic strands and dangling chains in tethered network films.

  9. Effective-medium theory of elastic waves in random networks of rods.

    PubMed

    Katz, J I; Hoffman, J J; Conradi, M S; Miller, J G

    2012-06-01

    We formulate an effective medium (mean field) theory of a material consisting of randomly distributed nodes connected by straight slender rods, hinged at the nodes. Defining wavelength-dependent effective elastic moduli, we calculate both the static moduli and the dispersion relations of ultrasonic longitudinal and transverse elastic waves. At finite wave vector k the waves are dispersive, with phase and group velocities decreasing with increasing wave vector. These results are directly applicable to networks with empty pore space. They also describe the solid matrix in two-component (Biot) theories of fluid-filled porous media. We suggest the possibility of low density materials with higher ratios of stiffness and strength to density than those of foams, aerogels, or trabecular bone.

  10. Shape memory polymer network with thermally distinct elasticity and plasticity

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Qian; Zou, Weike; Luo, Yingwu; Xie, Tao

    2016-01-01

    Stimuli-responsive materials with sophisticated yet controllable shape-changing behaviors are highly desirable for real-world device applications. Among various shape-changing materials, the elastic nature of shape memory polymers allows fixation of temporary shapes that can recover on demand, whereas polymers with exchangeable bonds can undergo permanent shape change via plasticity. We integrate the elasticity and plasticity into a single polymer network. Rational molecular design allows these two opposite behaviors to be realized at different temperature ranges without any overlap. By exploring the cumulative nature of the plasticity, we demonstrate easy manipulation of highly complex shapes that is otherwise extremely challenging. The dynamic shape-changing behavior paves a new way for fabricating geometrically complex multifunctional devices. PMID:26824077

  11. Analysis of two-color geodimeter measurements of deformation within the Long Valley caldera: June 1983 to October 1985.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Langbein, J.; Linker, M.; Tupper, D.

    1987-01-01

    Line length changes from several baselines in a trilateration network within the Long Valley caldera clearly define a decrease in strain rate from June 1983 through October 1985. The data consist of more than 1600 length measurements on 23 baselines using a two- color geodimeter, which has a precision of 0.2 ppm of the line length. A model is constructed using these observations as well as yearly observations of a trilateration network within and near the caldera. The model contains two points of inflation located at 5 and 10 km beneath the resurgent dome of the caldera plus dextral slip on a fault plane within the south moat within an elastic half-space. -from Authors

  12. Micromechanics-based magneto-elastic constitutive modeling of particulate composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Huiming

    Modified Green's functions are derived for three situations: a magnetic field caused by a local magnetization, a displacement field caused by a local body force and a displacement field caused by a local prescribed eigenstrain. Based on these functions, an explicit solution is derived for two magnetic particles embedded in the infinite medium under external magnetic and mechanical loading. A general solution for numerable magnetic particles embedded in an infinite domain is then provided in integral form. Two-phase composites containing spherical magnetic particles of the same size are considered for three kinds of microstructures. With chain-structured composites, particle interactions in the same chain are considered and a transversely isotropic effective elasticity is obtained. For periodic composites, an eight-particle interaction model is developed and provides a cubic symmetric effective elasticity. In the random composite, pair-wise particle interactions are integrated from all possible positions and an isotropic effective property is reached. This method is further extended to functionally graded composites. Magneto-mechanical behavior is studied for the chain-structured composite and the random composite. Effective magnetic permeability, effective magnetostriction and field-dependent effective elasticity are investigated. It is seen that the chain-structured composite is more sensitive to the magnetic field than the random composite; a composite consisting of only 5% of chain-structured particles can provide a larger magnetostriction and a larger change of effective elasticity than an equivalent composite consisting of 30% of random dispersed particles. Moreover, the effective shear modulus of the chain-structured composite rapidly increases with the magnetic field, while that for the random composite decreases. An effective hyperelastic constitutive model is further developed for a magnetostrictive particle-filled elastomer, which is sampled by using a network of body-centered cubic lattices of particles connected by macromolecular chains. The proposed hyperelastic model is able to characterize overall nonlinear elastic stress-stretch relations of the composites under general three-dimensional loading. It is seen that the effective strain energy density is proportional to the length of stretched chains in unit volume and volume fraction of particles.

  13. Energy distribution in disordered elastic networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plaza, Gustavo R.

    2010-09-01

    Disordered networks are found in many natural and artificial materials, from gels or cytoskeletal structures to metallic foams or bones. Here, the energy distribution in this type of networks is modeled, taking into account the orientation of the struts. A correlation between the orientation and the energy per unit volume is found and described as a function of the connectivity in the network and the relative bending stiffness of the struts. If one or both parameters have relatively large values, the struts aligned in the loading direction present the highest values of energy. On the contrary, if these have relatively small values, the highest values of energy can be reached in the struts oriented transversally. This result allows explaining in a simple way remodeling processes in biological materials, for example, the remodeling of trabecular bone and the reorganization in the cytoskeleton. Additionally, the correlation between the orientation, the affinity, and the bending-stretching ratio in the network is discussed.

  14. Dynamic rheology of food protein networks

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Small amplitude oscillatory shear analyses of samples containing protein are useful for determining the nature of the protein matrix without damaging it. Elastic modulus, viscous modulus, and loss tangent (the ratio of viscous modulus to elastic modulus) give information on the strength of the netw...

  15. Interfacial welding of dynamic covalent network polymers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Kai; Shi, Qian; Li, Hao; Jabour, John; Yang, Hua; Dunn, Martin L.; Wang, Tiejun; Qi, H. Jerry

    2016-09-01

    Dynamic covalent network (or covalent adaptable network) polymers can rearrange their macromolecular chain network by bond exchange reactions (BERs) where an active unit replaces a unit in an existing bond to form a new bond. Such macromolecular events, when they occur in large amounts, can attribute to unusual properties that are not seen in conventional covalent network polymers, such as shape reforming and surface welding; the latter further enables the important attributes of material malleability and powder-based reprocessing. In this paper, a multiscale modeling framework is developed to study the surface welding of thermally induced dynamic covalent network polymers. At the macromolecular network level, a lattice model is developed to describe the chain density evolution across the interface and its connection to bulk stress relaxation due to BERs. The chain density evolution rule is then fed into a continuum level interfacial model that takes into account surface roughness and applied pressure to predict the effective elastic modulus and interfacial fracture energy of welded polymers. The model yields particularly accessible results where the moduli and interfacial strength of the welded samples as a function of temperature and pressure can be predicted with four parameters, three of which can be measured directly. The model identifies the dependency of surface welding efficiency on the applied thermal and mechanical fields: the pressure will affect the real contact area under the consideration of surface roughness of dynamic covalent network polymers; the chain density increment on the real contact area of interface is only dependent on the welding time and temperature. The modeling approach shows good agreement with experiments and can be extended to other types of dynamic covalent network polymers using different stimuli for BERs, such as light and moisture etc.

  16. Elastic deformation and failure in protein filament bundles: Atomistic simulations and coarse-grained modeling.

    PubMed

    Hammond, Nathan A; Kamm, Roger D

    2008-07-01

    The synthetic peptide RAD16-II has shown promise in tissue engineering and drug delivery. It has been studied as a vehicle for cell delivery and controlled release of IGF-1 to repair infarcted cardiac tissue, and as a scaffold to promote capillary formation for an in vitro model of angiogenesis. The structure of RAD16-II is hierarchical, with monomers forming long beta-sheets that pair together to form filaments; filaments form bundles approximately 30-60 nm in diameter; branching networks of filament bundles form macroscopic gels. We investigate the mechanics of shearing between the two beta-sheets constituting one filament, and between cohered filaments of RAD16-II. This shear loading is found in filament bundle bending or in tensile loading of fibers composed of partial-length filaments. Molecular dynamics simulations show that time to failure is a stochastic function of applied shear stress, and that for a given loading time behavior is elastic for sufficiently small shear loads. We propose a coarse-grained model based on Langevin dynamics that matches molecular dynamics results and facilities extending simulations in space and time. The model treats a filament as an elastic string of particles, each having potential energy that is a periodic function of its position relative to the neighboring filament. With insight from these simulations, we discuss strategies for strengthening RAD16-II and similar materials.

  17. KOSMOS: a universal morph server for nucleic acids, proteins and their complexes

    PubMed Central

    Seo, Sangjae; Kim, Moon Ki

    2012-01-01

    KOSMOS is the first online morph server to be able to address the structural dynamics of DNA/RNA, proteins and even their complexes, such as ribosomes. The key functions of KOSMOS are the harmonic and anharmonic analyses of macromolecules. In the harmonic analysis, normal mode analysis (NMA) based on an elastic network model (ENM) is performed, yielding vibrational modes and B-factor calculations, which provide insight into the potential biological functions of macromolecules based on their structural features. Anharmonic analysis involving elastic network interpolation (ENI) is used to generate plausible transition pathways between two given conformations by optimizing a topology-oriented cost function that guarantees a smooth transition without steric clashes. The quality of the computed pathways is evaluated based on their various facets, including topology, energy cost and compatibility with the NMA results. There are also two unique features of KOSMOS that distinguish it from other morph servers: (i) the versatility in the coarse-graining methods and (ii) the various connection rules in the ENM. The models enable us to analyze macromolecular dynamics with the maximum degrees of freedom by combining a variety of ENMs from full-atom to coarse-grained, backbone and hybrid models with one connection rule, such as distance-cutoff, number-cutoff or chemical-cutoff. KOSMOS is available at http://bioengineering.skku.ac.kr/kosmos. PMID:22669912

  18. The TensorMol-0.1 model chemistry: a neural network augmented with long-range physics.

    PubMed

    Yao, Kun; Herr, John E; Toth, David W; Mckintyre, Ryker; Parkhill, John

    2018-02-28

    Traditional force fields cannot model chemical reactivity, and suffer from low generality without re-fitting. Neural network potentials promise to address these problems, offering energies and forces with near ab initio accuracy at low cost. However a data-driven approach is naturally inefficient for long-range interatomic forces that have simple physical formulas. In this manuscript we construct a hybrid model chemistry consisting of a nearsighted neural network potential with screened long-range electrostatic and van der Waals physics. This trained potential, simply dubbed "TensorMol-0.1", is offered in an open-source Python package capable of many of the simulation types commonly used to study chemistry: geometry optimizations, harmonic spectra, open or periodic molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, and nudged elastic band calculations. We describe the robustness and speed of the package, demonstrating its millihartree accuracy and scalability to tens-of-thousands of atoms on ordinary laptops. We demonstrate the performance of the model by reproducing vibrational spectra, and simulating the molecular dynamics of a protein. Our comparisons with electronic structure theory and experimental data demonstrate that neural network molecular dynamics is poised to become an important tool for molecular simulation, lowering the resource barrier to simulating chemistry.

  19. Thermal fluctuations and elastic relaxation in the compressed exponential dynamics of colloidal gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouzid, Mehdi; Colombo, Jader; Del Gado, Emanuela

    Colloidal gels belong to the class of amorphous systems, they are disordered elastic solids that can form at very low volume fraction, via aggregation into a rich variety of networks. They exhibit a slow relaxation process in the aging regime similar to the glassy dynamics. A wide range of experiments on colloidal gels show unusual compressed exponential of the relaxation dynamical properties. We use molecular dynamics simulation to investigate how the dynamic change with the age of the system. Upon breaking and reorganization of the network structure, the system may display stretched or compressed exponential relaxation. We show that the transition between these two regimes is associated to the interplay between thermally activated rearrangements and the elastic relaxation of internal stresses. In particular, ballistic-like displacements emerge from the non local relaxation of internal stresses mediated by a series of ''micro-collapses''. When thermal fluctuations dominate, the gel restructuring involves instead more homogeneous displacements across the heterogeneous gel network, leading to a stretched exponential type of relaxation.

  20. Anomalous density and elastic properties of basalt at high pressure: Reevaluating of the effect of melt fraction on seismic velocity in the Earth's crust and upper mantle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Alisha N.; Lesher, Charles E.; Jacobsen, Steven D.; Wang, Yanbin

    2016-06-01

    Independent measurements of the volumetric and elastic properties of Columbia River basalt glass were made up to 5.5 GPa by high-pressure X-ray microtomography and GHz-ultrasonic interferometry, respectively. The Columbia River basalt displays P and S wave velocity minima at 4.5 and 5 GPa, respectively, violating Birch's law. These data constrain the pressure dependence of the density and elastic moduli at high pressure, which cannot be modeled through usual equations of state nor determined by stepwise integrating the bulk sound velocity as is common practice. We propose a systematic variation in compression behavior of silicate glasses that is dependent on the degree of polymerization and arises from the flexibility of the aluminosilicate network. This behavior likely persists into the liquid state for basaltic melts resulting in weak pressure dependence for P wave velocities perhaps to depths of the transition zone. Modeling the effect of partial melt on P wave velocity reductions suggests that melt fraction determined by seismic velocity variations may be significantly overestimated in the crust and upper mantle.

  1. Anomalous density and elastic properties of basalt at high pressure: Reevaluating of the effect of melt fraction on seismic velocity in the Earth's crust and upper mantle

    DOE PAGES

    Clark, Alisha N.; Lesher, Charles E.; Jacobsen, Steven D.; ...

    2016-06-27

    Independent measurements of the volumetric and elastic properties of Columbia River basalt glass were made up to 5.5 GPa by high-pressure X-ray microtomography and GHz-ultrasonic interferometry, respectively. The Columbia River basalt displays P and S wave velocity minima at 4.5 and 5 GPa, respectively, violating Birch’s law. These data constrain the pressure dependence of the density and elastic moduli at high pressure, which cannot be modeled through usual equations of state nor determined by stepwise integrating the bulk sound velocity as is common practice. We propose a systematic variation in compression behavior of silicate glasses that is dependent on themore » degree of polymerization and arises from the flexibility of the aluminosilicate network. Likewise, this behavior likely persists into the liquid state for basaltic melts resulting in weak pressure dependence for P wave velocities perhaps to depths of the transition zone. By modeling the effect of partial melt on P wave velocity reductions it is suggested that melt fraction determined by seismic velocity variations may be significantly overestimated in the crust and upper mantle.« less

  2. Mechanical Cell-Cell Communication in Fibrous Networks: The Importance of Network Geometry.

    PubMed

    Humphries, D L; Grogan, J A; Gaffney, E A

    2017-03-01

    Cells contracting in extracellular matrix (ECM) can transmit stress over long distances, communicating their position and orientation to cells many tens of micrometres away. Such phenomena are not observed when cells are seeded on substrates with linear elastic properties, such as polyacrylamide (PA) gel. The ability for fibrous substrates to support far reaching stress and strain fields has implications for many physiological processes, while the mechanical properties of ECM are central to several pathological processes, including tumour invasion and fibrosis. Theoretical models have investigated the properties of ECM in a variety of network geometries. However, the effects of network architecture on mechanical cell-cell communication have received little attention. This work investigates the effects of geometry on network mechanics, and thus the ability for cells to communicate mechanically through different networks. Cell-derived displacement fields are quantified for various network geometries while controlling for network topology, cross-link density and micromechanical properties. We find that the heterogeneity of response, fibre alignment, and substrate displacement fields are sensitive to network choice. Further, we show that certain geometries support mechanical communication over longer distances than others. As such, we predict that the choice of network geometry is important in fundamental modelling of cell-cell interactions in fibrous substrates, as well as in experimental settings, where mechanical signalling at the cellular scale plays an important role. This work thus informs the construction of theoretical models for substrate mechanics and experimental explorations of mechanical cell-cell communication.

  3. Time-dependent inversions of slow slip at the Hikurangi subduction zone, New Zealand, using numerical Green's functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, C. A.; Wallace, L. M.; Bartlow, N. M.

    2017-12-01

    Slow slip events (SSEs) have been observed throughout the world, and the existence of these events has fundamentally altered our understanding of the possible ranges of slip behavior at subduction plate boundaries. In New Zealand, SSEs occur along the Hikurangi Margin, with shallower events in the north and deeper events to the south. In a recent study, Williams and Wallace (2015) found that static SSE inversions that consider elastic property variations provided significantly different results than those based on an elastic half-space. For deeper events, the heterogeneous models predicted smaller amounts of slip, while for shallower events the heterogeneous model predicted larger amounts of slip. In this study, we extend our initial work to examine the temporal variations in slip. We generate Green's functions using the PyLith finite element code (Aagaard et al., 2013) to allow consideration of elastic property variations provided by the New Zealand-wide seismic velocity model (Eberhart-Phillips et al., 2010). These Green's functions are then integrated to provide Green's functions compatible with the Network Inversion Filter (NIF, Segall and Matthews,1997; McGuire and Segall, 2003; Miyazaki et al.,2006). We examine 12 SSEs occurring along the Hikurangi Margin during 2010 and 2011, and compare the results using heterogeneous Green's functions with those of Bartlow et al. (2014), who examined the same set of SSEs with the NIF using a uniform elastic half-space model. The use of heterogeneous Green's functions should provide a more accurate picture of the slip distribution and evolution of the SSEs. This will aid in understanding the correlations between SSEs and seismicity and/or tremor and the role of SSEs in the accommodation of plate motion budgets in New Zealand.

  4. Ionic supramolecular networks fully based on chemicals coming from renewable sources.

    PubMed

    Aboudzadeh, Ali; Fernandez, Mercedes; Muñoz, Maria Eugenia; Santamaría, Antxon; Mecerreyes, David

    2014-02-01

    New supramolecular ionic networks are synthesized by proton transfer reaction between a bio-based fatty diamine molecule (Priamine 1074) and a series of naturally occurring carboxylic acids such as malonic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. The resulting solid soft material exhibits a thermoreversible transition becoming a viscoelastic liquid at high temperatures. All the networks show an elastic behavior at low temperatures/high frequencies, with elastic modulus values ranging from 4.5 × 10(6) to 4.5 × 10(7) Pa and soft network to liquid transitions T(nl) between -10 and 60 °C. The supramolecular ionic network based on cationic Priamine 1074 and anionic citrate shows promising self-healing properties at room temperature as well as relatively high ionic conductivity values close to 10(-6) S cm(-1). © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Identification of key residues for protein conformational transition using elastic network model.

    PubMed

    Su, Ji Guo; Xu, Xian Jin; Li, Chun Hua; Chen, Wei Zu; Wang, Cun Xin

    2011-11-07

    Proteins usually undergo conformational transitions between structurally disparate states to fulfill their functions. The large-scale allosteric conformational transitions are believed to involve some key residues that mediate the conformational movements between different regions of the protein. In the present work, a thermodynamic method based on the elastic network model is proposed to predict the key residues involved in protein conformational transitions. In our method, the key functional sites are identified as the residues whose perturbations largely influence the free energy difference between the protein states before and after transition. Two proteins, nucleotide binding domain of the heat shock protein 70 and human/rat DNA polymerase β, are used as case studies to identify the critical residues responsible for their open-closed conformational transitions. The results show that the functionally important residues mainly locate at the following regions for these two proteins: (1) the bridging point at the interface between the subdomains that control the opening and closure of the binding cleft; (2) the hinge region between different subdomains, which mediates the cooperative motions between the corresponding subdomains; and (3) the substrate binding sites. The similarity in the positions of the key residues for these two proteins may indicate a common mechanism in their conformational transitions.

  6. Prediction of allosteric sites on protein surfaces with an elastic-network-model-based thermodynamic method.

    PubMed

    Su, Ji Guo; Qi, Li Sheng; Li, Chun Hua; Zhu, Yan Ying; Du, Hui Jing; Hou, Yan Xue; Hao, Rui; Wang, Ji Hua

    2014-08-01

    Allostery is a rapid and efficient way in many biological processes to regulate protein functions, where binding of an effector at the allosteric site alters the activity and function at a distant active site. Allosteric regulation of protein biological functions provides a promising strategy for novel drug design. However, how to effectively identify the allosteric sites remains one of the major challenges for allosteric drug design. In the present work, a thermodynamic method based on the elastic network model was proposed to predict the allosteric sites on the protein surface. In our method, the thermodynamic coupling between the allosteric and active sites was considered, and then the allosteric sites were identified as those where the binding of an effector molecule induces a large change in the binding free energy of the protein with its ligand. Using the proposed method, two proteins, i.e., the 70 kD heat shock protein (Hsp70) and GluA2 alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor, were studied and the allosteric sites on the protein surface were successfully identified. The predicted results are consistent with the available experimental data, which indicates that our method is a simple yet effective approach for the identification of allosteric sites on proteins.

  7. Prediction of allosteric sites on protein surfaces with an elastic-network-model-based thermodynamic method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, Ji Guo; Qi, Li Sheng; Li, Chun Hua; Zhu, Yan Ying; Du, Hui Jing; Hou, Yan Xue; Hao, Rui; Wang, Ji Hua

    2014-08-01

    Allostery is a rapid and efficient way in many biological processes to regulate protein functions, where binding of an effector at the allosteric site alters the activity and function at a distant active site. Allosteric regulation of protein biological functions provides a promising strategy for novel drug design. However, how to effectively identify the allosteric sites remains one of the major challenges for allosteric drug design. In the present work, a thermodynamic method based on the elastic network model was proposed to predict the allosteric sites on the protein surface. In our method, the thermodynamic coupling between the allosteric and active sites was considered, and then the allosteric sites were identified as those where the binding of an effector molecule induces a large change in the binding free energy of the protein with its ligand. Using the proposed method, two proteins, i.e., the 70 kD heat shock protein (Hsp70) and GluA2 alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor, were studied and the allosteric sites on the protein surface were successfully identified. The predicted results are consistent with the available experimental data, which indicates that our method is a simple yet effective approach for the identification of allosteric sites on proteins.

  8. Elastin: a representative ideal protein elastomer.

    PubMed Central

    Urry, D W; Hugel, T; Seitz, M; Gaub, H E; Sheiba, L; Dea, J; Xu, J; Parker, T

    2002-01-01

    During the last half century, identification of an ideal (predominantly entropic) protein elastomer was generally thought to require that the ideal protein elastomer be a random chain network. Here, we report two new sets of data and review previous data. The first set of new data utilizes atomic force microscopy to report single-chain force-extension curves for (GVGVP)(251) and (GVGIP)(260), and provides evidence for single-chain ideal elasticity. The second class of new data provides a direct contrast between low-frequency sound absorption (0.1-10 kHz) exhibited by random-chain network elastomers and by elastin protein-based polymers. Earlier composition, dielectric relaxation (1-1000 MHz), thermoelasticity, molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations and thermodynamic and statistical mechanical analyses are presented, that combine with the new data to contrast with random-chain network rubbers and to detail the presence of regular non-random structural elements of the elastin-based systems that lose entropic elastomeric force upon thermal denaturation. The data and analyses affirm an earlier contrary argument that components of elastin, the elastic protein of the mammalian elastic fibre, and purified elastin fibre itself contain dynamic, non-random, regularly repeating structures that exhibit dominantly entropic elasticity by means of a damping of internal chain dynamics on extension. PMID:11911774

  9. Designing heavy metal oxide glasses with threshold properties from network rigidity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chakraborty, Shibalik; Boolchand, P.; Malki, M.; Micoulaut, M.

    2014-01-01

    Here, we show that a new class of glasses composed of heavy metal oxides involving transition metals (V2O5-TeO2) can surprisingly be designed from very basic tools using topology and rigidity of their underlying molecular networks. When investigated as a function of composition, such glasses display abrupt changes in network packing and enthalpy of relaxation at Tg, underscoring presence of flexible to rigid elastic phase transitions. We find that these elastic phases are fully consistent with polaronic nature of electronic conductivity at high V2O5 content. Such observations have new implications for designing electronic glasses which differ from the traditional amorphous electrolytes having only mobile ions as charge carriers.

  10. Designing heavy metal oxide glasses with threshold properties from network rigidity.

    PubMed

    Chakraborty, Shibalik; Boolchand, P; Malki, M; Micoulaut, M

    2014-01-07

    Here, we show that a new class of glasses composed of heavy metal oxides involving transition metals (V2O5-TeO2) can surprisingly be designed from very basic tools using topology and rigidity of their underlying molecular networks. When investigated as a function of composition, such glasses display abrupt changes in network packing and enthalpy of relaxation at Tg, underscoring presence of flexible to rigid elastic phase transitions. We find that these elastic phases are fully consistent with polaronic nature of electronic conductivity at high V2O5 content. Such observations have new implications for designing electronic glasses which differ from the traditional amorphous electrolytes having only mobile ions as charge carriers.

  11. Technologies for Elastic Optical Networking Systems in Spatial, Temporal and Spectral Domains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Chuan

    As the demand for more data capacity keeps increasing, the need for the more efficient use of the data channel becomes more imperative. The fixed wavelength grid which has been in use for more than ten years in conventional wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is a bottleneck that prevents the capacity from upgrading towards 400 Gb/s and above. A new elastic optical networking scheme where both transceivers and interconnects become flexible break the boundary of wavelength grids and allow a more efficient use of the limited optical bands for communication. This dissertation focuses on a few enabling technologies for elastic optical networking systems. Optical arbitrary waveform generation (OAWG) uses Fourier synthesis and generates user-defined broad-band scalable optical waveforms with high-fidelity through line-by-line full field control of a coherent optical frequency comb. OAWG finds its niche in elastic optical networking since it provides no grids, and scales to user-defined bandwidth. When elastic optical networking builds various connections to use an arbitrary number of subcarriers depending on the users' bandwidth needs, the flexibility also creates non-contiguous spectral fragmentation, much like a computer hard disk generating fragments. Spectral defragmentation aims to re-optimize and re-assign the optical spectrum to achieve more efficient use of the spectrum. One of the technologies is "hop tuning" defragmentation method with a fast auto-tracking local oscillator (LO). In the demonstrated defragmentation experiment, I used a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to monitor the wavelength change in the signal laser and tune the front and rear current that controls the wavelength of the local oscillator laser. However, the control of the front and rear current needs a complete and accurate calibration of the LO laser and may not apply to a larger number of coherent communication links. A single-tone optical frequency shifter can shift the LO laser wavelength to track the signal wavelength, thus providing a technique for authentically automatic wavelength tracking. I also explored different materials and crystal orientations to reduce the radio-frequency (RF) power consumption required to shift the wavelengths. Based on the elastic optical networking in the temporal, spectral and spatial domains, an additional degree of freedom has been investigated recently to increase the data capacity. The exploration to use the spatial domain to carry more data is termed as spatial division multiplexing (SDM). One such SDM method is orbital angular momentum(OAM), which is a group of orthogonal light beams carrying orbital angular momentum exhibiting an azimuthal phase variation. The utilization of OAM states has the potential to significantly increase the spectral efficiency and channel capacity. The thesis also includes the demonstration to establish a connection by exploiting the elasticity steering in spatial, temporal and spectral domains. Beam steering based on optical phased array (OPA) is also a potential candidate of SDM to carry information when a different linear phase will distribute light to different spatial locations. The states are intrinsically orthogonal to one another. Using 4x4 3-D waveguides written by ultrafast laser inscription (ULI), we demonstrated 2-D optical phased array (OPA) beam steering that shows steering in both vertical and horizontal directions. Enabling technologies provide future pathways for elastic optical networking and will fundamentally impact optical communication systems in many ways.

  12. Estimating network effect in geocenter motion: Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zannat, Umma Jamila; Tregoning, Paul

    2017-10-01

    The network effect is the error associated with the subsampling of the Earth surface by space geodetic networks. It is an obstacle toward the precise measurement of geocenter motion, that is, the relative motion between the center of mass of the Earth system and the center of figure of the Earth surface. In a complementary paper, we proposed a theoretical approach to estimate the magnitude of this effect from the displacement fields predicted by geophysical models. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of our estimate for two illustrative physical processes: coseismic displacements inducing instantaneous changes in the Helmert parameters and elastic deformation due to surface water movements causing secular drifts in those parameters. For the first, we consider simplified models of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman and the 2011 Tōhoku-Oki earthquakes, and for the second, we use the observations of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, complemented by an ocean model. In both case studies, it is found that the magnitude of the network effect, even for a large global network, is often as large as the magnitude of the changes in the Helmert parameters themselves. However, we also show that our proposed modification to the definition of the center of network frame to include weights proportional to the area of the Earth surface that the stations represent can significantly reduce the network effect in most cases.

  13. Highly Conductive Ionic-Liquid Gels Prepared with Orthogonal Double Networks of a Low-Molecular-Weight Gelator and Cross-Linked Polymer.

    PubMed

    Kataoka, Toshikazu; Ishioka, Yumi; Mizuhata, Minoru; Minami, Hideto; Maruyama, Tatsuo

    2015-10-21

    We prepared a heterogeneous double-network (DN) ionogel containing a low-molecular-weight gelator network and a polymer network that can exhibit high ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength. An imidazolium-based ionic liquid was first gelated by the molecular self-assembly of a low-molecular-weight gelator (benzenetricarboxamide derivative), and methyl methacrylate was polymerized with a cross-linker to form a cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) network within the ionogel. Microscopic observation and calorimetric measurement revealed that the fibrous network of the low-molecular-weight gelator was maintained in the DN ionogel. The PMMA network strengthened the ionogel of the low-molecular-weight gelator and allowed us to handle the ionogel using tweezers. The orthogonal DNs produced ionogels with a broad range of storage elastic moduli. DN ionogels with low PMMA concentrations exhibited high ionic conductivity that was comparable to that of a neat ionic liquid. The present study demonstrates that the ionic conductivities of the DN and single-network, low-molecular-weight gelator or polymer ionogels strongly depended on their storage elastic moduli.

  14. A poroelastic model coupled to a fluid network with applications in lung modelling.

    PubMed

    Berger, Lorenz; Bordas, Rafel; Burrowes, Kelly; Grau, Vicente; Tavener, Simon; Kay, David

    2016-01-01

    We develop a lung ventilation model based on a continuum poroelastic representation of lung parenchyma that is strongly coupled to a pipe network representation of the airway tree. The continuous system of equations is discretized using a low-order stabilised finite element method. The framework is applied to a realistic lung anatomical model derived from computed tomography data and an artificially generated airway tree to model the conducting airway region. Numerical simulations produce physiologically realistic solutions and demonstrate the effect of airway constriction and reduced tissue elasticity on ventilation, tissue stress and alveolar pressure distribution. The key advantage of the model is the ability to provide insight into the mutual dependence between ventilation and deformation. This is essential when studying lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Thus the model can be used to form a better understanding of integrated lung mechanics in both the healthy and diseased states. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Fragility, network adaptation, rigidity- and stress- transitions in homogenized binary GexS100-x glasses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chakraborty, Shibalik; Boolchand, Punit

    2014-03-01

    Binary GexS100-x glasses reveal elastic and chemical phase transitions driven by network topology. With increasing Ge content x, well defined rigidity (xc(1) =19.3%) and stress(xc(2) =24.85%) transitions and associated optical elasticity power-laws are observed in Raman scattering. Calorimetric measurements reveal a square-well like minimum with window walls that coincide with the two elastic phase transitions. Molar volumes show a trapezoidal-like minimum with edges that nearly coincide with the reversibility window. These results are signatures of the isostatically rigid nature of the elastic phase formed between the rigidity and stress transitions. Complex Cp measurements show melt fragility index, m(x) to also show a global minimum in the reversibility window, underscoring that melt dynamics encode the elastic behavior of the glass formed at Tg. The strong nature of melts formed in the IP has an important practical consequence; they lead to slow homogenization of non-stoichiometric batch compositions reacted at high temperatures. Homogenization of chalcogenides melts/glasses over a scale of a few microns is a pre-requisite to observe the intrinsic physical properties of these materials. Supported by NSF Grant DMR 0853957.

  16. A new approach to ultrasonic elasticity imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoerig, Cameron; Ghaboussi, Jamshid; Fatemi, Mostafa; Insana, Michael F.

    2016-04-01

    Biomechanical properties of soft tissues can provide information regarding the local health status. Often the cells in pathological tissues can be found to form a stiff extracellular environment, which is a sensitive, early diagnostic indicator of disease. Quasi-static ultrasonic elasticity imaging provides a way to image the mechanical properties of tissues. Strain images provide a map of the relative tissue stiffness, but ambiguities and artifacts limit its diagnostic value. Accurately mapping intrinsic mechanical parameters of a region may increase diagnostic specificity. However, the inverse problem, whereby force and displacement estimates are used to estimate a constitutive matrix, is ill conditioned. Our method avoids many of the issues involved with solving the inverse problem, such as unknown boundary conditions and incomplete information about the stress field, by building an empirical model directly from measured data. Surface force and volumetric displacement data gathered during imaging are used in conjunction with the AutoProgressive method to teach artificial neural networks the stress-strain relationship of tissues. The Autoprogressive algorithm has been successfully used in many civil engineering applications and to estimate ocular pressure and corneal stiffness; here, we are expanding its use to any tissues imaged ultrasonically. We show that force-displacement data recorded with an ultrasound probe and displacements estimated at a few points in the imaged region can be used to estimate the full stress and strain vectors throughout an entire model while only assuming conservation laws. We will also demonstrate methods to parameterize the mechanical properties based on the stress-strain response of trained neural networks. This method is a fundamentally new approach to medical elasticity imaging that for the first time provides full stress and strain vectors from one set of observation data.

  17. Geometric Bioinspired Networks for Recognition of 2-D and 3-D Low-Level Structures and Transformations.

    PubMed

    Bayro-Corrochano, Eduardo; Vazquez-Santacruz, Eduardo; Moya-Sanchez, Eduardo; Castillo-Munis, Efrain

    2016-10-01

    This paper presents the design of radial basis function geometric bioinspired networks and their applications. Until now, the design of neural networks has been inspired by the biological models of neural networks but mostly using vector calculus and linear algebra. However, these designs have never shown the role of geometric computing. The question is how biological neural networks handle complex geometric representations involving Lie group operations like rotations. Even though the actual artificial neural networks are biologically inspired, they are just models which cannot reproduce a plausible biological process. Until now researchers have not shown how, using these models, one can incorporate them into the processing of geometric computing. Here, for the first time in the artificial neural networks domain, we address this issue by designing a kind of geometric RBF using the geometric algebra framework. As a result, using our artificial networks, we show how geometric computing can be carried out by the artificial neural networks. Such geometric neural networks have a great potential in robot vision. This is the most important aspect of this contribution to propose artificial geometric neural networks for challenging tasks in perception and action. In our experimental analysis, we show the applicability of our geometric designs, and present interesting experiments using 2-D data of real images and 3-D screw axis data. In general, our models should be used to process different types of inputs, such as visual cues, touch (texture, elasticity, temperature), taste, and sound. One important task of a perception-action system is to fuse a variety of cues coming from the environment and relate them via a sensor-motor manifold with motor modules to carry out diverse reasoned actions.

  18. Analysis of oil consumption in cylinder of diesel engine for optimization of piston rings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Junhong; Zhang, Guichang; He, Zhenpeng; Lin, Jiewei; Liu, Hai

    2013-01-01

    The performance and particulate emission of a diesel engine are affected by the consumption of lubricating oil. Most studies on oil consumption mechanism of the cylinder have been done by using the experimental method, however they are very costly. Therefore, it is very necessary to study oil consumption mechanism of the cylinder and obtain the accurate results by the calculation method. Firstly, four main modes of lubricating oil consumption in cylinder are analyzed and then the oil consumption rate under common working conditions are calculated for the four modes based on an engine. Then, the factors that affect the lubricating oil consumption such as working conditions, the second ring closed gap, the elastic force of the piston rings are also investigated for the four modes. The calculation results show that most of the lubricating oil is consumed by evaporation on the liner surface. Besides, there are three other findings: (1) The oil evaporation from the liner is determined by the working condition of an engine; (2) The increase of the ring closed gap reduces the oil blow through the top ring end gap but increases blow-by; (3) With the increase of the elastic force of the ring, both the left oil film thickness and the oil throw-off at the top ring decrease. The oil scraping of the piston top edge is consequently reduced while the friction loss between the rings and the liner increases. A neural network prediction model of the lubricating oil consumption in cylinder is established based on the BP neural network theory, and then the model is trained and validated. The main piston rings parameters which affect the oil consumption are optimized by using the BP neural network prediction model and the prediction accuracy of this BP neural network is within 8%, which is acceptable for normal engineering applications. The oil consumption is also measured experimentally. The relative errors of the calculated and experimental values are less than 10%, verifying the validity of the simulation results. Applying the established simulation model and the validated BP network model is able to generate numerical results with sufficient accuracy, which significantly reduces experimental work and provides guidance for the optimal design of the piston rings diesel engines.

  19. The impact of baking time and bread storage temperature on bread crumb properties.

    PubMed

    Bosmans, Geertrui M; Lagrain, Bert; Fierens, Ellen; Delcour, Jan A

    2013-12-15

    Two baking times (9 and 24 min) and storage temperatures (4 and 25 °C) were used to explore the impact of heat exposure during bread baking and subsequent storage on amylopectin retrogradation, water mobility, and bread crumb firming. Shorter baking resulted in less retrogradation, a less extended starch network and smaller changes in crumb firmness and elasticity. A lower storage temperature resulted in faster retrogradation, a more rigid starch network with more water inclusion and larger changes in crumb firmness and elasticity. Crumb to crust moisture migration was lower for breads baked shorter and stored at lower temperature, resulting in better plasticized biopolymer networks in crumb. Network stiffening, therefore, contributed less to crumb firmness. A negative relation was found between proton mobilities of water and biopolymers in the crumb gel network and crumb firmness. The slope of this linear function was indicative for the strength of the starch network. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Eavesdropping-aware routing and spectrum allocation based on multi-flow virtual concatenation for confidential information service in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Wei; Yang, Hui; Yu, Ao; Xiao, Hongyun; He, Linkuan; Feng, Lei; Zhang, Jie

    2018-01-01

    The leakage of confidential information is one of important issues in the network security area. Elastic Optical Networks (EON) as a promising technology in the optical transport network is under threat from eavesdropping attacks. It is a great demand to support confidential information service (CIS) and design efficient security strategy against the eavesdropping attacks. In this paper, we propose a solution to cope with the eavesdropping attacks in routing and spectrum allocation. Firstly, we introduce probability theory to describe eavesdropping issue and achieve awareness of eavesdropping attacks. Then we propose an eavesdropping-aware routing and spectrum allocation (ES-RSA) algorithm to guarantee information security. For further improving security and network performance, we employ multi-flow virtual concatenation (MFVC) and propose an eavesdropping-aware MFVC-based secure routing and spectrum allocation (MES-RSA) algorithm. The presented simulation results show that the proposed two RSA algorithms can both achieve greater security against the eavesdropping attacks and MES-RSA can also improve the network performance efficiently.

  1. Design and implementation of priority and time-window based traffic scheduling and routing-spectrum allocation mechanism in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Honghuan; Xing, Fangyuan; Yin, Hongxi; Zhao, Nan; Lian, Bizhan

    2016-02-01

    With the explosive growth of network services, the reasonable traffic scheduling and efficient configuration of network resources have an important significance to increase the efficiency of the network. In this paper, an adaptive traffic scheduling policy based on the priority and time window is proposed and the performance of this algorithm is evaluated in terms of scheduling ratio. The routing and spectrum allocation are achieved by using the Floyd shortest path algorithm and establishing a node spectrum resource allocation model based on greedy algorithm, which is proposed by us. The fairness index is introduced to improve the capability of spectrum configuration. The results show that the designed traffic scheduling strategy can be applied to networks with multicast and broadcast functionalities, and makes them get real-time and efficient response. The scheme of node spectrum configuration improves the frequency resource utilization and gives play to the efficiency of the network.

  2. A Bayesian approach to estimating hidden variables as well as missing and wrong molecular interactions in ordinary differential equation-based mathematical models.

    PubMed

    Engelhardt, Benjamin; Kschischo, Maik; Fröhlich, Holger

    2017-06-01

    Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are a popular approach to quantitatively model molecular networks based on biological knowledge. However, such knowledge is typically restricted. Wrongly modelled biological mechanisms as well as relevant external influence factors that are not included into the model are likely to manifest in major discrepancies between model predictions and experimental data. Finding the exact reasons for such observed discrepancies can be quite challenging in practice. In order to address this issue, we suggest a Bayesian approach to estimate hidden influences in ODE-based models. The method can distinguish between exogenous and endogenous hidden influences. Thus, we can detect wrongly specified as well as missed molecular interactions in the model. We demonstrate the performance of our Bayesian dynamic elastic-net with several ordinary differential equation models from the literature, such as human JAK-STAT signalling, information processing at the erythropoietin receptor, isomerization of liquid α -Pinene, G protein cycling in yeast and UV-B triggered signalling in plants. Moreover, we investigate a set of commonly known network motifs and a gene-regulatory network. Altogether our method supports the modeller in an algorithmic manner to identify possible sources of errors in ODE-based models on the basis of experimental data. © 2017 The Author(s).

  3. Linear and Nonlinear Elasticity of Networks Made of Comb-like Polymers and Bottle-Brushes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, H.; Dobrynin, A.; Everhart, M.; Daniel, W.; Vatankhah-Varnoosfaderani, M.; Sheiko, S.

    We study mechanical properties of networks made of combs and bottle-brushes by computer simulations, theoretical calculations and experimental techniques. The networks are prepared by cross-linking backbones of combs or bottle-brushes with linear chains. This results in ``hybrid'' networks consisting of linear chains and strands of combs or bottle-brushes. In the framework of the phantom network model, the network modulus at small deformations G0 can be represented as a sum of contributions from linear chains, G0 , l, and strands of comb or bottle-brush, G0 , bb. If the length of extended backbone between crosslinks, Rmax, is much longer than the Kuhn length, bk, the modulus scales with the degree of polymerization of the side chains, nsc, and number of monomers between side chains, ng, as G0 , bb (nsc/ng + 1)-1. In the limit when bk becomes of the order of Rmax, the combs and bottle-brushes can be considered as semiflexible chains, resulting in a network modulus to be G0 , bb (nsc/ng + 1)-1(nsc2/2/ng) . In the nonlinear deformation regime, the strain-hardening behavior is described by the nonlinear network deformation model, which predicts that the true stress is a universal function of the structural modulus, G, first strain invariant, I1, and deformation ratio, β. The results of the computer simulations and predictions of the theoretical model are in a good agreement with experimental results. NSF DMR-1409710, DMR-1407645, DMR-1624569, DMR-1436201.

  4. Quasi-one-dimensional modes in strip plates: Theory and experiment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arreola, A.; Báez, G.; Méndez-Sánchez, R. A.

    2014-01-14

    Using acoustic resonance spectroscopy we measure the elastic resonances of a strip rectangular plate with all its ends free. The experimental setup consist of a vector network analyzer, a high-fidelity audio amplifier, and electromagnetic-acoustic transducers. The one-dimensional modes are identified from the measured spectra by comparing them with theoretical predictions of compressional and bending modes of the plate modeled as a beam. The agreement between theory and experiment is excellent.

  5. Fiber optic voice/data network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bergman, Larry A. (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    An asynchronous, high-speed, fiber optic local area network originally developed for tactical environments with additional benefits for other environments such as spacecraft, and the like. The network supports ordinary data packet traffic simultaneously with synchronous T1 voice traffic over a common token ring channel; however, the techniques and apparatus of this invention can be applied to any deterministic class of packet data networks, including multitier backbones, that must transport stream data (e.g., video, SAR, sensors) as well as data. A voice interface module parses, buffers, and resynchronizes the voice data to the packet network employing elastic buffers on both the sending and receiving ends. Voice call setup and switching functions are performed external to the network with ordinary PABX equipment. Clock information is passed across network boundaries in a token passing ring by preceeding the token with an idle period of non-transmission which allows the token to be used to re-establish a clock synchronized to the data. Provision is made to monitor and compensate the elastic receiving buffers so as to prevent them from overflowing or going empty.

  6. Explicit Context Matching in Content-Based Publish/Subscribe Systems

    PubMed Central

    Vavassori, Sergio; Soriano, Javier; Lizcano, David; Jiménez, Miguel

    2013-01-01

    Although context could be exploited to improve performance, elasticity and adaptation in most distributed systems that adopt the publish/subscribe (P/S) communication model, only a few researchers have focused on the area of context-aware matching in P/S systems and have explored its implications in domains with highly dynamic context like wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and IoT-enabled applications. Most adopted P/S models are context agnostic or do not differentiate context from the other application data. In this article, we present a novel context-aware P/S model. SilboPS manages context explicitly, focusing on the minimization of network overhead in domains with recurrent context changes related, for example, to mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Our approach represents a solution that helps to efficiently share and use sensor data coming from ubiquitous WSNs across a plethora of applications intent on using these data to build context awareness. Specifically, we empirically demonstrate that decoupling a subscription from the changing context in which it is produced and leveraging contextual scoping in the filtering process notably reduces (un)subscription cost per node, while improving the global performance/throughput of the network of brokers without altering the cost of SIENA-like topology changes. PMID:23529118

  7. An optimization method of VON mapping for energy efficiency and routing in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Huanlin; Xiong, Cuilian; Chen, Yong; Li, Changping; Chen, Derun

    2018-03-01

    To improve resources utilization efficiency, network virtualization in elastic optical networks has been developed by sharing the same physical network for difference users and applications. In the process of virtual nodes mapping, longer paths between physical nodes will consume more spectrum resources and energy. To address the problem, we propose a virtual optical network mapping algorithm called genetic multi-objective optimize virtual optical network mapping algorithm (GM-OVONM-AL), which jointly optimizes the energy consumption and spectrum resources consumption in the process of virtual optical network mapping. Firstly, a vector function is proposed to balance the energy consumption and spectrum resources by optimizing population classification and crowding distance sorting. Then, an adaptive crossover operator based on hierarchical comparison is proposed to improve search ability and convergence speed. In addition, the principle of the survival of the fittest is introduced to select better individual according to the relationship of domination rank. Compared with the spectrum consecutiveness-opaque virtual optical network mapping-algorithm and baseline-opaque virtual optical network mapping algorithm, simulation results show the proposed GM-OVONM-AL can achieve the lowest bandwidth blocking probability and save the energy consumption.

  8. Formation of metallic cation-oxygen network for anomalous thermal expansion coefficients in binary phosphate glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Onodera, Yohei; Kohara, Shinji; Masai, Hirokazu; Koreeda, Akitoshi; Okamura, Shun; Ohkubo, Takahiro

    2017-05-01

    Understanding glass structure is still challenging due to the result of disorder, although novel materials design on the basis of atomistic structure has been strongly demanded. Here we report on the atomic structures of the zinc phosphate glass determined by reverse Monte Carlo modelling based on diffraction and spectroscopic data. The zinc-rich glass exhibits the network formed by ZnOx (averaged x<4) polyhedra. Although the elastic modulus, refractive index and glass transition temperature of the zinc phosphate glass monotonically increase with the amount of ZnO, we find for the first time that the thermal expansion coefficient is very sensitive to the substitution of the phosphate chain network by a network consisting of Zn-O units in zinc-rich glass. Our results imply that the control of the structure of intermediate groups may enable new functionalities in the design of oxide glass materials.

  9. Formation of metallic cation-oxygen network for anomalous thermal expansion coefficients in binary phosphate glass.

    PubMed

    Onodera, Yohei; Kohara, Shinji; Masai, Hirokazu; Koreeda, Akitoshi; Okamura, Shun; Ohkubo, Takahiro

    2017-05-31

    Understanding glass structure is still challenging due to the result of disorder, although novel materials design on the basis of atomistic structure has been strongly demanded. Here we report on the atomic structures of the zinc phosphate glass determined by reverse Monte Carlo modelling based on diffraction and spectroscopic data. The zinc-rich glass exhibits the network formed by ZnO x (averaged x<4) polyhedra. Although the elastic modulus, refractive index and glass transition temperature of the zinc phosphate glass monotonically increase with the amount of ZnO, we find for the first time that the thermal expansion coefficient is very sensitive to the substitution of the phosphate chain network by a network consisting of Zn-O units in zinc-rich glass. Our results imply that the control of the structure of intermediate groups may enable new functionalities in the design of oxide glass materials.

  10. Rheology of heterotypic collagen networks.

    PubMed

    Piechocka, Izabela K; van Oosten, Anne S G; Breuls, Roel G M; Koenderink, Gijsje H

    2011-07-11

    Collagen fibrils are the main structural element of connective tissues. In many tissues, these fibrils contain two fibrillar collagens (types I and V) in a ratio that changes during tissue development, regeneration, and various diseases. Here we investigate the influence of collagen composition on the structure and rheology of networks of purified collagen I and V, combining fluorescence and atomic force microscopy, turbidimetry, and rheometry. We demonstrate that the network stiffness strongly decreases with increasing collagen V content, even though the network structure does not substantially change. We compare the rheological data with theoretical models for rigid polymers and find that the elasticity is dominated by nonaffine deformations. There is no analytical theory describing this regime, hampering a quantitative interpretation of the influence of collagen V. Our findings are relevant for understanding molecular origins of tissue biomechanics and for guiding rational design of collagenous biomaterials for biomedical applications.

  11. An Integrated Tensorial Approach for Quantifying Porous, Fractured Rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Healy, David; Rizzo, Roberto; Harland, Sophie; Farrell, Natalie; Browning, John; Meredith, Phil; Mitchell, Tom; Bubeck, Alodie; Walker, Richard

    2017-04-01

    The patterns of fractures in deformed rocks are rarely uniform or random. Fracture orientations, sizes, shapes and spatial distributions often exhibit some kind of order. In detail, there may be relationships among the different fracture attributes e.g. small fractures dominated by one orientation, and larger fractures by another. These relationships are important because the mechanical (e.g. strength, anisotropy) and transport (e.g. fluids, heat) properties of rock depend on these fracture patterns and fracture attributes. Based on previously published work (Oda, Cowin, Sayers & Kachanov) this presentation describes an integrated tensorial approach to quantifying fracture networks and predicting the key properties of fractured rock: permeability and elasticity (and in turn, seismic velocities). Each of these properties can be represented as tensors, and these entities capture the essential 'directionality', or anisotropy of the property. In structural geology, we are familiar with using tensors for stress and strain, where these concepts incorporate volume averaging of many forces (in the case of the stress tensor), or many displacements (for the strain tensor), to produce more tractable and more computationally efficient quantities. It is conceptually attractive to formulate both the structure (the fracture network) and the structure-dependent properties (permeability, elasticity) in a consistent way with tensors of 2nd and 4th rank, as appropriate. Examples are provided to highlight the interdependence of the property tensors with the geometry of the fracture network. The fabric tensor (or orientation tensor of Scheidegger, Woodcock) describes the orientation distribution of fractures in the network. The crack tensor combines the fabric tensor (orientation distribution) with information about the fracture density and fracture size distribution. Changes to the fracture network, manifested in the values of the fabric and crack tensors, translate into changes in predicted permeability and elasticity (seismic velocity). Conversely, this implies that measured changes in any of the in situ properties or responses in the subsurface (e.g. permeability, seismic velocity) could be used to predict, or at least constrain, the fracture network. Explicitly linking the fracture network geometry to the permeability and elasticity (seismic velocity) through a tensorial formulation provides an exciting and efficient alternative to existing approaches.

  12. Modeling of Propagation of Interacting Cracks Under Hydraulic Pressure Gradient

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Huang, Hai; Mattson, Earl Douglas; Podgorney, Robert Karl

    A robust and reliable numerical model for fracture initiation and propagation, which includes the interactions among propagating fractures and the coupling between deformation, fracturing and fluid flow in fracture apertures and in the permeable rock matrix, would be an important tool for developing a better understanding of fracturing behaviors of crystalline brittle rocks driven by thermal and (or) hydraulic pressure gradients. In this paper, we present a physics-based hydraulic fracturing simulator based on coupling a quasi-static discrete element model (DEM) for deformation and fracturing with conjugate lattice network flow model for fluid flow in both fractures and porous matrix. Fracturingmore » is represented explicitly by removing broken bonds from the network to represent microcracks. Initiation of new microfractures and growth and coalescence of the microcracks leads to the formation of macroscopic fractures when external and/or internal loads are applied. The coupled DEM-network flow model reproduces realistic growth pattern of hydraulic fractures. In particular, simulation results of perforated horizontal wellbore clearly demonstrate that elastic interactions among multiple propagating fractures, fluid viscosity, strong coupling between fluid pressure fluctuations within fractures and fracturing, and lower length scale heterogeneities, collectively lead to complicated fracturing patterns.« less

  13. Building alternate protein structures using the elastic network model.

    PubMed

    Yang, Qingyi; Sharp, Kim A

    2009-02-15

    We describe a method for efficiently generating ensembles of alternate, all-atom protein structures that (a) differ significantly from the starting structure, (b) have good stereochemistry (bonded geometry), and (c) have good steric properties (absence of atomic overlap). The method uses reconstruction from a series of backbone framework structures that are obtained from a modified elastic network model (ENM) by perturbation along low-frequency normal modes. To ensure good quality backbone frameworks, the single force parameter ENM is modified by introducing two more force parameters to characterize the interaction between the consecutive carbon alphas and those within the same secondary structure domain. The relative stiffness of the three parameters is parameterized to reproduce B-factors, while maintaining good bonded geometry. After parameterization, violations of experimental Calpha-Calpha distances and Calpha-Calpha-Calpha pseudo angles along the backbone are reduced to less than 1%. Simultaneously, the average B-factor correlation coefficient improves to R = 0.77. Two applications illustrate the potential of the approach. (1) 102,051 protein backbones spanning a conformational space of 15 A root mean square deviation were generated from 148 nonredundant proteins in the PDB database, and all-atom models with minimal bonded and nonbonded violations were produced from this ensemble of backbone structures using the SCWRL side chain building program. (2) Improved backbone templates for homology modeling. Fifteen query sequences were each modeled on two targets. For each of the 30 target frameworks, dozens of improved templates could be produced In all cases, improved full atom homology models resulted, of which 50% could be identified blind using the D-Fire statistical potential. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  14. Surface-induced polymerization of actin.

    PubMed Central

    Renault, A; Lenne, P F; Zakri, C; Aradian, A; Vénien-Bryan, C; Amblard, F

    1999-01-01

    Living cells contain a very large amount of membrane surface area, which potentially influences the direction, the kinetics, and the localization of biochemical reactions. This paper quantitatively evaluates the possibility that a lipid monolayer can adsorb actin from a nonpolymerizing solution, induce its polymerization, and form a 2D network of individual actin filaments, in conditions that forbid bulk polymerization. G- and F-actin solutions were studied beneath saturated Langmuir monolayers containing phosphatidylcholine (PC, neutral) and stearylamine (SA, a positively charged surfactant) at PC:SA = 3:1 molar ratio. Ellipsometry, tensiometry, shear elastic measurements, electron microscopy, and dark-field light microscopy were used to characterize the adsorption kinetics and the interfacial polymerization of actin. In all cases studied, actin follows a monoexponential reaction-limited adsorption with similar time constants (approximately 10(3) s). At a longer time scale the shear elasticity of the monomeric actin adsorbate increases only in the presence of lipids, to a 2D shear elastic modulus of mu approximately 30 mN/m, indicating the formation of a structure coupled to the monolayer. Electron microscopy shows the formation of a 2D network of actin filaments at the PC:SA surface, and several arguments strongly suggest that this network is indeed causing the observed elasticity. Adsorption of F-actin to PC:SA leads more quickly to a slightly more rigid interface with a modulus of mu approximately 50 mN/m. PMID:10049338

  15. Exciton transport in the PE545 complex: insight from atomistic QM/MM-based quantum master equations and elastic network models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pouyandeh, Sima; Iubini, Stefano; Jurinovich, Sandro; Omar, Yasser; Mennucci, Benedetta; Piazza, Francesco

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, we work out a parameterization of environmental noise within the Haken-Strobl-Reinenker (HSR) model for the PE545 light-harvesting complex, based on atomic-level quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. We use this approach to investigate the role of various auto- and cross-correlations in the HSR noise tensor, confirming that site-energy autocorrelations (pure dephasing) terms dominate the noise-induced exciton mobility enhancement, followed by site energy-coupling cross-correlations for specific triplets of pigments. Interestingly, several cross-correlations of the latter kind, together with coupling-coupling cross-correlations, display clear low-frequency signatures in their spectral densities in the 30-70 cm-1 region. These slow components lie at the limits of validity of the HSR approach, which requires that environmental fluctuations be faster than typical exciton transfer time scales. We show that a simple coarse-grained elastic-network-model (ENM) analysis of the PE545 protein naturally spotlights collective normal modes in this frequency range that represent specific concerted motions of the subnetwork of cysteines covalenty linked to the pigments. This analysis strongly suggests that protein scaffolds in light-harvesting complexes are able to express specific collective, low-frequency normal modes providing a fold-rooted blueprint of exciton transport pathways. We speculate that ENM-based mixed quantum classical methods, such as Ehrenfest dynamics, might be promising tools to disentangle the fundamental designing principles of these dynamical processes in natural and artificial light-harvesting structures.

  16. The Renormalization Group and Its Applications to Generating Coarse-Grained Models of Large Biological Molecular Systems.

    PubMed

    Koehl, Patrice; Poitevin, Frédéric; Navaza, Rafael; Delarue, Marc

    2017-03-14

    Understanding the dynamics of biomolecules is the key to understanding their biological activities. Computational methods ranging from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to coarse-grained normal-mode analyses based on simplified elastic networks provide a general framework to studying these dynamics. Despite recent successes in studying very large systems with up to a 100,000,000 atoms, those methods are currently limited to studying small- to medium-sized molecular systems due to computational limitations. One solution to circumvent these limitations is to reduce the size of the system under study. In this paper, we argue that coarse-graining, the standard approach to such size reduction, must define a hierarchy of models of decreasing sizes that are consistent with each other, i.e., that each model contains the information of the dynamics of its predecessor. We propose a new method, Decimate, for generating such a hierarchy within the context of elastic networks for normal-mode analysis. This method is based on the concept of the renormalization group developed in statistical physics. We highlight the details of its implementation, with a special focus on its scalability to large systems of up to millions of atoms. We illustrate its application on two large systems, the capsid of a virus and the ribosome translation complex. We show that highly decimated representations of those systems, containing down to 1% of their original number of atoms, still capture qualitatively and quantitatively their dynamics. Decimate is available as an OpenSource resource.

  17. Form finding in elastic gridshells.

    PubMed

    Baek, Changyeob; Sageman-Furnas, Andrew O; Jawed, Mohammad K; Reis, Pedro M

    2018-01-02

    Elastic gridshells comprise an initially planar network of elastic rods that are actuated into a shell-like structure by loading their extremities. The resulting actuated form derives from the elastic buckling of the rods subjected to inextensibility. We study elastic gridshells with a focus on the rational design of the final shapes. Our precision desktop experiments exhibit complex geometries, even from seemingly simple initial configurations and actuation processes. The numerical simulations capture this nonintuitive behavior with excellent quantitative agreement, allowing for an exploration of parameter space that reveals multistable states. We then turn to the theory of smooth Chebyshev nets to address the inverse design of hemispherical elastic gridshells. The results suggest that rod inextensibility, not elastic response, dictates the zeroth-order shape of an actuated elastic gridshell. As it turns out, this is the shape of a common household strainer. Therefore, the geometry of Chebyshev nets can be further used to understand elastic gridshells. In particular, we introduce a way to quantify the intrinsic shape of the empty, but enclosed regions, which we then use to rationalize the nonlocal deformation of elastic gridshells to point loading. This justifies the observed difficulty in form finding. Nevertheless, we close with an exploration of concatenating multiple elastic gridshell building blocks.

  18. Form finding in elastic gridshells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baek, Changyeob; Sageman-Furnas, Andrew O.; Jawed, Mohammad K.; Reis, Pedro M.

    2018-01-01

    Elastic gridshells comprise an initially planar network of elastic rods that are actuated into a shell-like structure by loading their extremities. The resulting actuated form derives from the elastic buckling of the rods subjected to inextensibility. We study elastic gridshells with a focus on the rational design of the final shapes. Our precision desktop experiments exhibit complex geometries, even from seemingly simple initial configurations and actuation processes. The numerical simulations capture this nonintuitive behavior with excellent quantitative agreement, allowing for an exploration of parameter space that reveals multistable states. We then turn to the theory of smooth Chebyshev nets to address the inverse design of hemispherical elastic gridshells. The results suggest that rod inextensibility, not elastic response, dictates the zeroth-order shape of an actuated elastic gridshell. As it turns out, this is the shape of a common household strainer. Therefore, the geometry of Chebyshev nets can be further used to understand elastic gridshells. In particular, we introduce a way to quantify the intrinsic shape of the empty, but enclosed regions, which we then use to rationalize the nonlocal deformation of elastic gridshells to point loading. This justifies the observed difficulty in form finding. Nevertheless, we close with an exploration of concatenating multiple elastic gridshell building blocks.

  19. Theory of liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks : Connection between neoclassical theory and differential geometry.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Thanh-Son; Selinger, Jonathan V

    2017-09-01

    In liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks, the orientational order of liquid crystals is coupled with elastic distortions of crosslinked polymers. Previous theoretical research has described these materials through two different approaches: a neoclassical theory based on the liquid crystal director and the deformation gradient tensor, and a geometric elasticity theory based on the difference between the actual metric tensor and a reference metric. Here, we connect those two approaches using a formalism based on differential geometry. Through this connection, we determine how both the director and the geometry respond to a change of temperature.

  20. Generalized networking engineering: optimal pricing and routing in multiservice networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitra, Debasis; Wang, Qiong

    2002-07-01

    One of the functions of network engineering is to allocate resources optimally to forecasted demand. We generalize the mechanism by incorporating price-demand relationships into the problem formulation, and optimizing pricing and routing jointly to maximize total revenue. We consider a network, with fixed topology and link bandwidths, that offers multiple services, such as voice and data, each having characteristic price elasticity of demand, and quality of service and policy requirements on routing. Prices, which depend on service type and origin-destination, determine demands, that are routed, subject to their constraints, so as to maximize revenue. We study the basic properties of the optimal solution and prove that link shadow costs provide the basis for both optimal prices and optimal routing policies. We investigate the impact of input parameters, such as link capacities and price elasticities, on prices, demand growth, and routing policies. Asymptotic analyses, in which network bandwidth is scaled to grow, give results that are noteworthy for their qualitative insights. Several numerical examples illustrate the analyses.

  1. Shocks in fragile matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vitelli, Vincenzo

    2012-02-01

    Non-linear sound is an extreme phenomenon typically observed in solids after violent explosions. But granular media are different. Right when they unjam, these fragile and disordered solids exhibit vanishing elastic moduli and sound speed, so that even tiny mechanical perturbations form supersonic shocks. Here, we perform simulations in which two-dimensional jammed granular packings are continuously compressed, and demonstrate that the resulting excitations are strongly nonlinear shocks, rather than linear waves. We capture the full dependence of the shock speed on pressure and compression speed by a surprisingly simple analytical model. We also treat shear shocks within a simplified viscoelastic model of nearly-isostatic random networks comprised of harmonic springs. In this case, anharmonicity does not originate locally from nonlinear interactions between particles, as in granular media; instead, it emerges from the global architecture of the network. As a result, the diverging width of the shear shocks bears a nonlinear signature of the diverging isostatic length associated with the loss of rigidity in these floppy networks.

  2. Deformation behaviors of three-dimensional graphene honeycombs under out-of-plane compression: Atomistic simulations and predictive modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Fanchao; Chen, Cheng; Hu, Dianyin; Song, Jun

    2017-12-01

    Combining atomistic simulations and continuum modeling, a comprehensive study of the out-of-plane compressive deformation behaviors of equilateral three-dimensional (3D) graphene honeycombs was performed. It was demonstrated that under out-of-plane compression, the honeycomb exhibits two critical deformation events, i.e., elastic mechanical instability (including elastic buckling and structural transformation) and inelastic structural collapse. The above events were shown to be strongly dependent on the honeycomb cell size and affected by the local atomic bonding at the cell junction. By treating the 3D graphene honeycomb as a continuum cellular solid, and accounting for the structural heterogeneity and constraint at the junction, a set of analytical models were developed to accurately predict the threshold stresses corresponding to the onset of those deformation events. The present study elucidates key structure-property relationships of 3D graphene honeycombs under out-of-plane compression, and provides a comprehensive theoretical framework to predictively analyze their deformation responses, and more generally, offers critical new knowledge for the rational bottom-up design of 3D networks of two-dimensional nanomaterials.

  3. A discrete mesoscopic particle model of the mechanics of a multi-constituent arterial wall.

    PubMed

    Witthoft, Alexandra; Yazdani, Alireza; Peng, Zhangli; Bellini, Chiara; Humphrey, Jay D; Karniadakis, George Em

    2016-01-01

    Blood vessels have unique properties that allow them to function together within a complex, self-regulating network. The contractile capacity of the wall combined with complex mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix enables vessels to adapt to changes in haemodynamic loading. Homogenized phenomenological and multi-constituent, structurally motivated continuum models have successfully captured these mechanical properties, but truly describing intricate microstructural details of the arterial wall may require a discrete framework. Such an approach would facilitate modelling interactions between or the separation of layers of the wall and would offer the advantage of seamless integration with discrete models of complex blood flow. We present a discrete particle model of a multi-constituent, nonlinearly elastic, anisotropic arterial wall, which we develop using the dissipative particle dynamics method. Mimicking basic features of the microstructure of the arterial wall, the model comprises an elastin matrix having isotropic nonlinear elastic properties plus anisotropic fibre reinforcement that represents the stiffer collagen fibres of the wall. These collagen fibres are distributed evenly and are oriented in four directions, symmetric to the vessel axis. Experimental results from biaxial mechanical tests of an artery are used for model validation, and a delamination test is simulated to demonstrate the new capabilities of the model. © 2016 The Author(s).

  4. Elastic contact mechanics: percolation of the contact area and fluid squeeze-out.

    PubMed

    Persson, B N J; Prodanov, N; Krick, B A; Rodriguez, N; Mulakaluri, N; Sawyer, W G; Mangiagalli, P

    2012-01-01

    The dynamics of fluid flow at the interface between elastic solids with rough surfaces depends sensitively on the area of real contact, in particular close to the percolation threshold, where an irregular network of narrow flow channels prevails. In this paper, numerical simulation and experimental results for the contact between elastic solids with isotropic and anisotropic surface roughness are compared with the predictions of a theory based on the Persson contact mechanics theory and the Bruggeman effective medium theory. The theory predictions are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical simulation results and the (small) deviation can be understood as a finite-size effect. The fluid squeeze-out at the interface between elastic solids with randomly rough surfaces is studied. We present results for such high contact pressures that the area of real contact percolates, giving rise to sealed-off domains with pressurized fluid at the interface. The theoretical predictions are compared to experimental data for a simple model system (a rubber block squeezed against a flat glass plate), and for prefilled syringes, where the rubber plunger stopper is lubricated by a high-viscosity silicon oil to ensure functionality of the delivery device. For the latter system we compare the breakloose (or static) friction, as a function of the time of stationary contact, to the theory prediction.

  5. Mean Green operators of deformable fiber networks embedded in a compliant matrix and property estimates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Franciosi, Patrick; Spagnuolo, Mario; Salman, Oguz Umut

    2018-04-01

    Composites comprising included phases in a continuous matrix constitute a huge class of meta-materials, whose effective properties, whether they be mechanical, physical or coupled, can be selectively optimized by using appropriate phase arrangements and architectures. An important subclass is represented by "network-reinforced matrices," say those materials in which one or more of the embedded phases are co-continuous with the matrix in one or more directions. In this article, we present a method to study effective properties of simple such structures from which more complex ones can be accessible. Effective properties are shown, in the framework of linear elasticity, estimable by using the global mean Green operator for the entire embedded fiber network which is by definition through sample spanning. This network operator is obtained from one of infinite planar alignments of infinite fibers, which the network can be seen as an interpenetrated set of, with the fiber interactions being fully accounted for in the alignments. The mean operator of such alignments is given in exact closed form for isotropic elastic-like or dielectric-like matrices. We first exemplify how these operators relevantly provide, from classic homogenization frameworks, effective properties in the case of 1D fiber bundles embedded in an isotropic elastic-like medium. It is also shown that using infinite patterns with fully interacting elements over their whole influence range at any element concentration suppresses the dilute approximation limit of these frameworks. We finally present a construction method for a global operator of fiber networks described as interpenetrated such bundles.

  6. Energy transport pathway in proteins: Insights from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics with elastic network model.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wei Bu; Liang, Yu; Zhang, Jing; Wu, Yi Dong; Du, Jian Jun; Li, Qi Ming; Zhu, Jian Zhuo; Su, Ji Guo

    2018-06-22

    Intra-molecular energy transport between distant functional sites plays important roles in allosterically regulating the biochemical activity of proteins. How to identify the specific intra-molecular signaling pathway from protein tertiary structure remains a challenging problem. In the present work, a non-equilibrium dynamics method based on the elastic network model (ENM) was proposed to simulate the energy propagation process and identify the specific signaling pathways within proteins. In this method, a given residue was perturbed and the propagation of energy was simulated by non-equilibrium dynamics in the normal modes space of ENM. After that, the simulation results were transformed from the normal modes space to the Cartesian coordinate space to identify the intra-protein energy transduction pathways. The proposed method was applied to myosin and the third PDZ domain (PDZ3) of PSD-95 as case studies. For myosin, two signaling pathways were identified, which mediate the energy transductions form the nucleotide binding site to the 50 kDa cleft and the converter subdomain, respectively. For PDZ3, one specific signaling pathway was identified, through which the intra-protein energy was transduced from ligand binding site to the distant opposite side of the protein. It is also found that comparing with the commonly used cross-correlation analysis method, the proposed method can identify the anisotropic energy transduction pathways more effectively.

  7. How Nucleus Mechanics and ECM Microstructure Influence the Invasion of Single Cells and Multicellular Aggregates.

    PubMed

    Giverso, Chiara; Arduino, Alessandro; Preziosi, Luigi

    2018-05-01

    In order to move in a three-dimensional extracellular matrix, the nucleus of a cell must squeeze through the narrow spacing among the fibers and, by adhering to them, the cell needs to exert sufficiently strong traction forces. If the nucleus is too stiff, the spacing too narrow, or traction forces too weak, the cell is not able to penetrate the network. In this article, we formulate a mathematical model based on an energetic approach, for cells entering cylindrical channels composed of extracellular matrix fibers. Treating the nucleus as an elastic body covered by an elastic membrane, the energetic balance leads to the definition of a necessary criterion for cells to pass through the regular network of fibers, depending on the traction forces exerted by the cells (or possibly passive stresses), the stretchability of the nuclear membrane, the stiffness of the nucleus, and the ratio of the pore size within the extracellular matrix with respect to the nucleus diameter. The results obtained highlight the importance of the interplay between mechanical properties of the cell and microscopic geometric characteristics of the extracellular matrix and give an estimate for a critical value of the pore size that represents the physical limit of migration and can be used in tumor growth models to predict their invasive potential in thick regions of ECM.

  8. Feed-Forward Neural Network Prediction of the Mechanical Properties of Sandcrete Materials

    PubMed Central

    Asteris, Panagiotis G.; Roussis, Panayiotis C.; Douvika, Maria G.

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a soft-sensor approach for estimating critical mechanical properties of sandcrete materials. Feed-forward (FF) artificial neural network (ANN) models are employed for building soft-sensors able to predict the 28-day compressive strength and the modulus of elasticity of sandcrete materials. To this end, a new normalization technique for the pre-processing of data is proposed. The comparison of the derived results with the available experimental data demonstrates the capability of FF ANNs to predict with pinpoint accuracy the mechanical properties of sandcrete materials. Furthermore, the proposed normalization technique has been proven effective and robust compared to other normalization techniques available in the literature. PMID:28598400

  9. All-optical OXC transition strategy from WDM optical network to elastic optical network.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xin; Li, Juhao; Guo, Bingli; Zhu, Paikun; Tang, Ruizhi; Chen, Zhangyuan; He, Yongqi

    2016-02-22

    Elastic optical network (EON) has been proposed recently as a spectrum-efficient optical layer to adapt to rapidly-increasing traffic demands instead of current deployed wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical network. In contrast with conventional WDM optical cross-connect (OXCs) based on wavelength selective switches (WSSs), the EON OXCs are based on spectrum selective switches (SSSs) which are much more expensive than WSSs, especially for large-scale switching architectures. So the transition cost from WDM OXCs to EON OXCs is a major obstacle to realizing EON. In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a transition OXC (TOXC) structure based on 2-stage cascading switching architectures, which make full use of available WSSs in current deployed WDM OXCs to reduce number and port count of required SSSs. Moreover, we propose a contention-aware spectrum allocation (CASA) scheme for EON built with the proposed TOXCs. We show by simulation that the TOXCs reduce the network capital expenditure transiting from WDM optical network to EON about 50%, with a minor traffic blocking performance degradation and about 10% accommodated traffic number detriment compared with all-SSS EON OXC architectures.

  10. Carbon nanotubes and carbon onions for modification of styrene-acrylate copolymer based nanocomposites

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Merijs-Meri, Remo; Zicans, Janis; Ivanova, Tatjana

    2014-05-15

    Styrene acrylate polymer (SAC) nanocomposites with various carbon nanofillers (multiwalled carbon nanotubes MWCNTs and onion like carbon OLC) are manufactured by means of latex based routes. Concentration of the carbon nanofillers is changed in a broad interval starting from 0.01 up to 10 wt. %. Elastic, dielectric and electromagnetic properties of SAC nanocomposites are investigated. Elastic modulus, electrical conductivity and electromagnetic radiation absorption of the investigated SAC nanocomposites increase along with rising nanofiller content. The effect of the addition of anisometric MWCNTs on the elastic properties of the composite is higher than in the case of the addition of OLC.more » Higher electrical conductivity of the OLC containing nanocomposites is explained with the fact that reasonable agglomeration of the nanofiller can promote the development of electrically conductive network. Efficiency of the absorption of electromagnetic radiation depends on the development of conductive network within the SAC matrix.« less

  11. Compressed glassy carbon: An ultrastrong and elastic interpenetrating graphene network

    PubMed Central

    Hu, Meng; He, Julong; Zhao, Zhisheng; Strobel, Timothy A.; Hu, Wentao; Yu, Dongli; Sun, Hao; Liu, Lingyu; Li, Zihe; Ma, Mengdong; Kono, Yoshio; Shu, Jinfu; Mao, Ho-kwang; Fei, Yingwei; Shen, Guoyin; Wang, Yanbin; Juhl, Stephen J.; Huang, Jian Yu; Liu, Zhongyuan; Xu, Bo; Tian, Yongjun

    2017-01-01

    Carbon’s unique ability to have both sp2 and sp3 bonding states gives rise to a range of physical attributes, including excellent mechanical and electrical properties. We show that a series of lightweight, ultrastrong, hard, elastic, and conductive carbons are recovered after compressing sp2-hybridized glassy carbon at various temperatures. Compression induces the local buckling of graphene sheets through sp3 nodes to form interpenetrating graphene networks with long-range disorder and short-range order on the nanometer scale. The compressed glassy carbons have extraordinary specific compressive strengths—more than two times that of commonly used ceramics—and simultaneously exhibit robust elastic recovery in response to local deformations. This type of carbon is an optimal ultralight, ultrastrong material for a wide range of multifunctional applications, and the synthesis methodology demonstrates potential to access entirely new metastable materials with exceptional properties. PMID:28630918

  12. Morphology, Growth, and Size Limit of Bacterial Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Hongyuan; Sun, Sean X.

    2010-07-01

    Bacterial cells utilize a living peptidoglycan network (PG) to separate the cell interior from the surroundings. The shape of the cell is controlled by PG synthesis and cytoskeletal proteins that form bundles and filaments underneath the cell wall. The PG layer also resists turgor pressure and protects the cell from osmotic shock. We argue that mechanical influences alter the chemical equilibrium of the reversible PG assembly and determine the cell shape and cell size. Using a mechanochemical approach, we show that the cell shape can be regarded as a steady state of a growing network under the influence of turgor pressure and mechanical stress. Using simple elastic models, we predict the size of common spherical and rodlike bacteria. The influence of cytoskeletal bundles such as crescentin and MreB are discussed within the context of our model.

  13. MMM: A toolbox for integrative structure modeling.

    PubMed

    Jeschke, Gunnar

    2018-01-01

    Structural characterization of proteins and their complexes may require integration of restraints from various experimental techniques. MMM (Multiscale Modeling of Macromolecules) is a Matlab-based open-source modeling toolbox for this purpose with a particular emphasis on distance distribution restraints obtained from electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on spin-labelled proteins and nucleic acids and their combination with atomistic structures of domains or whole protomers, small-angle scattering data, secondary structure information, homology information, and elastic network models. MMM does not only integrate various types of restraints, but also various existing modeling tools by providing a common graphical user interface to them. The types of restraints that can support such modeling and the available model types are illustrated by recent application examples. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  14. Effects of unidirectional flow shear stresses on the formation, fractal microstructure and rigidity of incipient whole blood clots and fibrin gels.

    PubMed

    Badiei, N; Sowedan, A M; Curtis, D J; Brown, M R; Lawrence, M J; Campbell, A I; Sabra, A; Evans, P A; Weisel, J W; Chernysh, I N; Nagaswami, C; Williams, P R; Hawkins, K

    2015-01-01

    Incipient clot formation in whole blood and fibrin gels was studied by the rheometric techniques of controlled stress parallel superposition (CSPS) and small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS). The effects of unidirectional shear stress on incipient clot microstructure, formation kinetics and elasticity are reported in terms of the fractal dimension (df) of the fibrin network, the gel network formation time (TGP) and the shear elastic modulus, respectively. The results of this first haemorheological application of CSPS reveal the marked sensitivity of incipient clot microstructure to physiologically relevant levels of shear stress, these being an order of magnitude lower than have previously been studied by SAOS. CSPS tests revealed that exposure of forming clots to increasing levels of shear stress produces a corresponding elevation in df, consistent with the formation of tighter, more compact clot microstructures under unidirectional flow. A corresponding increase in shear elasticity was recorded. The scaling relationship established between shear elasticity and df for fibrin clots and whole blood confirms the fibrin network as the dominant microstructural component of the incipient clot in terms of its response to imposed stress. Supplementary studies of fibrin clot formation by rheometry and microscopy revealed the substantial additional network mass required to increase df and provide evidence to support the hypothesis that microstructural changes in blood clotted under unidirectional shear may be attributed to flow enhanced thrombin generation and activation. CSPS also identified a threshold value of unidirectional shear stress above which no incipient clot formation could be detected. CSPS was shown to be a valuable haemorheological tool for the study of the effects of physiological and pathological levels of shear on clot properties.

  15. Towards ultrahydrophobic surfaces: a biomimetic approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mock, Ulrike; Förster, Ralf; Menz, Wolfgang; Rühe, Jürgen

    2005-03-01

    We report on efforts to mimic the wetting behaviour of surfaces or leaves of certain plants, which are rendered ultrahydrophobic through a dense layer of hairs grown on top of the leaf. We use a simple moulding approach to obtain elastic hydrophilic hydrogel networks with pillar structures that may serve as model systems for such hairy surfaces. In order to generate such structures, we first generate either a steel master or directly use a lady's mantle leaf. Second, the master is moulded against a silicone to yield an elastomer, which is a negative of the hairy surface. A subsequent radical polymerization in the negative leads to the formation of an elastic hydrogel even for the very high aspect ratios characteristic of the natural system. The results of some preliminary contact angle measurements on the obtained structures are discussed.

  16. Temperature dependence of water-water and ion-water correlations in bulk water and electrolyte solutions probed by femtosecond elastic second harmonic scattering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yixing; Dupertuis, Nathan; Okur, Halil I.; Roke, Sylvie

    2018-06-01

    The temperature dependence of the femtosecond elastic second harmonic scattering (fs-ESHS) response of bulk light and heavy water and their electrolyte solutions is presented. We observe clear temperature dependent changes in the hydrogen (H)-bond network of water that show a decrease in the orientational order of water with increasing temperature. Although D2O has a more structured H-bond network (giving rise to more fs-ESHS intensity), the relative temperature dependence is larger in H2O. The changes are interpreted in terms of the symmetry of H-bonds and are indicators of nuclear quantum effects. Increasing the temperature in electrolyte solutions decreases the influence of the total electrostatic field from ions on the water-water correlations, as expected from Debye-Hückel theory, since the Debye length becomes longer. The effects are, however, 1.9 times (6.3 times) larger than those predicted for H2O (D2O). Since fs-ESHS responses can be computed from known molecular coordinates, our observations provide a unique opportunity to refine quantum mechanical models of water.

  17. Hamiltonian replica exchange combined with elastic network analysis to enhance global domain motions in atomistic molecular dynamics simulations.

    PubMed

    Ostermeir, Katja; Zacharias, Martin

    2014-12-01

    Coarse-grained elastic network models (ENM) of proteins offer a low-resolution representation of protein dynamics and directions of global mobility. A Hamiltonian-replica exchange molecular dynamics (H-REMD) approach has been developed that combines information extracted from an ENM analysis with atomistic explicit solvent MD simulations. Based on a set of centers representing rigid segments (centroids) of a protein, a distance-dependent biasing potential is constructed by means of an ENM analysis to promote and guide centroid/domain rearrangements. The biasing potentials are added with different magnitude to the force field description of the MD simulation along the replicas with one reference replica under the control of the original force field. The magnitude and the form of the biasing potentials are adapted during the simulation based on the average sampled conformation to reach a near constant biasing in each replica after equilibration. This allows for canonical sampling of conformational states in each replica. The application of the methodology to a two-domain segment of the glycoprotein 130 and to the protein cyanovirin-N indicates significantly enhanced global domain motions and improved conformational sampling compared with conventional MD simulations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Effect of crosslink torsional stiffness on elastic behavior of semiflexible polymer networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hatami-Marbini, H.

    2018-02-01

    Networks of semiflexible filaments are building blocks of different biological and structural materials such as cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix. The mechanical response of these systems when subjected to an applied strain at zero temperature is often investigated numerically using networks composed of filaments, which are either rigidly welded or pinned together at their crosslinks. In the latter, filaments during deformation are free to rotate about their crosslinks while the relative angles between filaments remain constant in the former. The behavior of crosslinks in actual semiflexible networks is different than these idealized models and there exists only partial constraint on torques at crosslinks. The present work develops a numerical model in which two intersecting filaments are connected to each other by torsional springs with arbitrary stiffness. We show that fiber networks composed of rigid and freely rotating crosslinks are the limiting case of the present model. Furthermore, we characterize the effects of stiffness of crosslinks on effective Young's modulus of semiflexible networks as a function of filament flexibility and crosslink density. The effective Young's modulus is determined as a function of the mechanical properties of crosslinks and is found to vanish for networks composed of very weak torsional springs. Independent of the stiffness of crosslinks, it is found that the effective Young's modulus is a function of fiber flexibility and crosslink density. In low density networks, filaments primarily bend and the effective Young's modulus is much lower than the affine estimate. With increasing filament bending stiffness and/or crosslink density, the mechanical behavior of the networks becomes more affine and the stretching of filaments depicts itself as the dominant mode of deformation. The torsional stiffness of the crosslinks significantly affects the effective Young's modulus of the semiflexible random fiber networks.

  19. Predicting dynamics and rheology of blood flow: A comparative study of multiscale and low-dimensional models of red blood cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pan, Wenxiao; Fedosov, Dmitry A.; Caswell, Bruce

    In this work we compare the predictive capability of two mathematical models for red blood cells (RBCs) focusing on blood flow in capillaries and arterioles. Both RBC models as well as their corresponding blood flows are based on the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics approach. The first model employs a multiscale description of the RBC (MS-RBC), with its membrane represented by hundreds or even thousands of DPD-particles connected by springs into a triangular network in combination with out-of-plane elastic bending resistance. Extra dissipation within the network accounts for membrane viscosity, while the characteristic biconcave RBC shapemore » is achieved by imposition of constraints for constant membrane area and constant cell volume. The second model is based on a low-dimensional description (LD-RBC) constructed as a closed torus-like ring of only 10 large DPD colloidal particles. They are connected into a ring by worm-like chain (WLC) springs combined with bending resistance. The LD-RBC model can be fitted to represent the entire range of nonlinear elastic deformations as measured by optical-tweezers for healthy and for infected RBCs in malaria. MS-RBCs suspensions model the dynamics and rheology of blood flow accurately for any size vessel but this approach is computationally expensive above 100 microns. Surprisingly, the much more economical suspensions of LD-RBCs also capture the blood flow dynamics and rheology accurately except for vessels with sizes comparable to RBC diameter. In particular, the LD-RBC suspensions are shown to properly capture the experimental data for the apparent viscosity of blood and its cell-free layer (CFL) in tube flow. Taken together, these findings suggest a hierarchical approach in modeling blood flow in the arterial tree, whereby the MS-RBC model should be employed for capillaries and arterioles below 100 microns, the LD-RBC model for arterioles, and the continuum description for arteries.« less

  20. Hierarchical coarse-graining strategy for protein-membrane systems to access mesoscopic scales

    PubMed Central

    Ayton, Gary S.; Lyman, Edward

    2014-01-01

    An overall multiscale simulation strategy for large scale coarse-grain simulations of membrane protein systems is presented. The protein is modeled as a heterogeneous elastic network, while the lipids are modeled using the hybrid analytic-systematic (HAS) methodology, where in both cases atomistic level information obtained from molecular dynamics simulation is used to parameterize the model. A feature of this approach is that from the outset liposome length scales are employed in the simulation (i.e., on the order of ½ a million lipids plus protein). A route to develop highly coarse-grained models from molecular-scale information is proposed and results for N-BAR domain protein remodeling of a liposome are presented. PMID:20158037

  1. Evolution of a fracture network in an elastic medium with internal fluid generation and expulsion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobchenko, Maya; Hafver, Andreas; Jettestuen, Espen; Renard, François; Galland, Olivier; Jamtveit, Bjørn; Meakin, Paul; Dysthe, Dag Kristian

    2014-11-01

    A simple and reproducible analog experiment was used to simulate fracture formation in a low-permeability elastic solid during internal fluid/gas production, with the objective of developing a better understanding of the mechanisms that control the dynamics of fracturing, fracture opening and closing, and fluid transport. In the experiment, nucleation, propagation, and coalescence of fractures within an elastic gelatin matrix, confined in a Hele-Shaw cell, occurred due to CO2 production via fermentation of sugar, and it was monitored by optical means. We first quantified how a fracture network develops, and then how intermittent fluid transport is controlled by the dynamics of opening and closing of fractures. The gas escape dynamics exhibited three characteristic behaviors: (1) Quasiperiodic release of gas with a characteristic frequency that depends on the gas production rate but not on the system size. (2) A 1 /f power spectrum for the fluctuations in the total open fracture area over an intermediate range of frequencies (f ), which we attribute to collective effects caused by interaction between fractures in the drainage network. (3) A 1 /f2 power spectrum was observed at high frequencies, which can be explained by the characteristic behavior of single fractures.

  2. Application of system dynamics for developing financially self-sustaining management policies for water and wastewater systems.

    PubMed

    Rehan, R; Knight, M A; Haas, C T; Unger, A J A

    2011-10-15

    Recently enacted regulations in Canada and elsewhere require water utilities to be financially self-sustaining over the long-term. This implies full cost recovery for providing water and wastewater services to users. This study proposes a new approach to help water utilities plan to meet the requirements of the new regulations. A causal loop diagram is developed for a financially self-sustaining water utility which frames water and wastewater network management as a complex system with multiple interconnections and feedback loops. The novel System Dynamics approach is used to develop a demonstration model for water and wastewater network management. This is the first known application of System Dynamics to water and wastewater network management. The network simulated is that of a typical Canadian water utility that has under invested in maintenance. Model results show that with no proactive rehabilitation strategy the utility will need to substantially increase its user fees to achieve financial sustainability. This increase is further exacerbated when price elasticity of water demand is considered. When the utility pursues proactive rehabilitation, financial sustainability is achieved with lower user fees. Having demonstrated the significance of feedback loops for financial management of water and wastewater networks, the paper makes the case for a more complete utility model that considers the complexity of the system by incorporating all feedback loops. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. The relationship between the instantaneous velocity field and the rate of moment release in the lithosphere

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pollitz, F.F.

    2003-01-01

    Instantaneous velocity gradients within the continental lithosphere are often related to the tectonic driving forces. This relationship is direct if the forces are secular, as for the case of loading of a locked section of a subduction interface by the downgoing plate. If the forces are static, as for the case of lateral variations in gravitational potential energy, then velocity gradients can be produced only if the lithosphere has, on average, zero strength. The static force model may be related to the long-term velocity field but not the instantaneous velocity field (typically measured geodetically over a period of several years) because over short time intervals the upper lithosphere behaves elastically. In order to describe both the short- and long-term behaviour of an (elastic) lithosphere-(viscoelastic) asthenosphere system in a self-consistent manner, I construct a deformation model termed the expected interseismic velocity (EIV) model. Assuming that the lithosphere is populated with faults that rupture continually, each with a definite mean recurrence time, and that the Earth is well approximated as a linear elastic-viscoelastic coupled system, I derive a simple relationship between the instantaneous velocity field and the average rate of moment release in the lithosphere. Examples with synthetic fault networks demonstrate that velocity gradients in actively deforming regions may to a large extent be the product of compounded viscoelastic relaxation from past earthquakes on hundreds of faults distributed over large ( ≥106 km2) areas.

  4. Ion Beam Analysis of Diffusion in Diamondlike Carbon Films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaffee, Kevin Paul

    The van de Graaf accelerator facility at Case Western Reserve University was developed into an analytical research center capable of performing Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis for hydrogen profiling, Proton Enhanced Scattering, and ^4 He resonant scattering for ^{16 }O profiling. These techniques were applied to the study of Au, Na^+, Cs ^+, and H_2O water diffusion in a-C:H films. The results are consistent with the fully constrained network model of the microstructure as described by Angus and Jansen.

  5. On the intrinsic flexibility of the opioid receptor through multiscale modeling approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vercauteren, Daniel; FosséPré, Mathieu; Leherte, Laurence; Laaksonen, Aatto

    Numerous releases of G protein-coupled receptors crystalline structures created the opportunity for computational methods to widely explore their dynamics. Here, we study the biological implication of the intrinsic flexibility properties of opioid receptor OR. First, one performed classical all-atom (AA) Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of OR in its apo-form. We highlighted that the various degrees of bendability of the α-helices present important consequences on the plasticity of the binding site. Hence, this latter adopts a wide diversity of shape and volume, explaining why OR interacts with very diverse ligands. Then, one introduces a new strategy for parameterizing purely mechanical but precise coarse-grained (CG) elastic network models (ENMs). The CG ENMs reproduced in a high accurate way the flexibility properties of OR versus the AA simulations. At last, one uses network modularization to design multi-grained (MG) models. They represent a novel type of low resolution models, different in nature versus CG models as being true multi-resolution models, i . e ., each MG grouping a different number of residues. The three parts constitute hierarchical and multiscale approach for tackling the flexibility of OR.

  6. On the degelation of networks – Case of the radiochemical degradation of methyl methacrylate – ethylene glycol dimethacrylate copolymers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Richaud, Emmanuel; Gilormini, Pierre; Verdu, Jacques

    2016-05-18

    Methyl methacrylate networks were synthetized and submitted to radiochemical degradation. Ageing was monitored by means of sol-gel analysis and glass transition temperature measurements. Networks were shown to undergo exclusively chain scission process leading to the degelation of network. The critical conversion degree corresponding to degelation (loss of all elastically active chains) is discussed regarding a statistical theory.

  7. Joys of Community Ensemble Playing: The Case of the Happy Roll Elastic Ensemble in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsieh, Yuan-Mei; Kao, Kai-Chi

    2012-01-01

    The Happy Roll Elastic Ensemble (HREE) is a community music ensemble supported by Tainan Culture Centre in Taiwan. With enjoyment and friendship as its primary goals, it aims to facilitate the joys of ensemble playing and the spirit of social networking. This article highlights the key aspects of HREE's development in its first two years…

  8. Anisotropy of the elastic properties of crystalline cellulose Iß from first principles density functional theory with Van der Waals interactions

    Treesearch

    Fernando L. Dri; Louis G. Jr. Hector; Robert J. Moon; Pablo D. Zavattieri

    2013-01-01

    In spite of the significant potential of cellulose nanocrystals as functional nanoparticles for numerous applications, a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties of defect-free, crystalline cellulose is still lacking. In this paper, the elasticity matrix for cellulose Iß with hydrogen bonding network A was calculated using ab initio...

  9. Development of New Elastomers and Elastic Nanocomposites from Plant Oils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Lin; Wool, Richard

    2006-03-01

    Economic and environmental concerns lead to the development of new polymers from renewable resources. In this research, new elastomers were synthesized from plant oil based resins. Acrylated oleic methyl ester (AOME), synthesized from high oleic triglycerides, can readily undergo free radical polymerization and form a linear polymer. To achieve the elastic properties, different strategies have been developed to generate an elastic network and control the crosslink density. The elastomers are reinforced by nanoclays. The intercalated state has a network structure similar to thermoplastic elastomers in which the hard segments aggregate to give ordered crystalline domains. The selected organically modified clay and AOME matrix have similar solubility parameters, therefore intercalation of the monomer/polymer into the clay layers occurs and the nano-scale multilayered structure is stable. In situ intercalation and solution intercalation were used to prepare the elastic nanocomposites. Dramatic improvement in mechanical properties was observed. Changes of tensile strength, strain, Young's modulus and fracture energy were related to the clay concentration. The fracture surface was studied to further understand clay effects on the mechanical properties. Self-Healing of the intercalated nanobeams, thermal stability, biocompatibility and biodegradability of this new elastomer were also explored.

  10. Flow Interpretation Implications for Poro-Elastic Modeling

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    interpretation of acoustical inversions based on poro-elastic models . I. INTRODUCTION Poro-elastic models for acoustic propagation in sediments arose out of the...porous solid. ii. higher freqency range, J. Acoust . Soc. America, 28, 179– 191, 1956. [11] Bear, J., and Y. Bachmat (Eds.), Introduction to Modeling of...Flow interpretation implications for Poro-Elastic Modeling James K. Fulford Naval Research Laboratory Stennis Space Center Stennis Space Center

  11. An auxiliary graph based dynamic traffic grooming algorithm in spatial division multiplexing enabled elastic optical networks with multi-core fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yongli; Tian, Rui; Yu, Xiaosong; Zhang, Jiawei; Zhang, Jie

    2017-03-01

    A proper traffic grooming strategy in dynamic optical networks can improve the utilization of bandwidth resources. An auxiliary graph (AG) is designed to solve the traffic grooming problem under a dynamic traffic scenario in spatial division multiplexing enabled elastic optical networks (SDM-EON) with multi-core fibers. Five traffic grooming policies achieved by adjusting the edge weights of an AG are proposed and evaluated through simulation: maximal electrical grooming (MEG), maximal optical grooming (MOG), maximal SDM grooming (MSG), minimize virtual hops (MVH), and minimize physical hops (MPH). Numeric results show that each traffic grooming policy has its own features. Among different traffic grooming policies, an MPH policy can achieve the lowest bandwidth blocking ratio, MEG can save the most transponders, and MSG can obtain the fewest cores for each request.

  12. Computational Simulation of the Activation Cycle of Gα Subunit in the G Protein Cycle Using an Elastic Network Model

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Min Hyeok; Kim, Young Jin; Kim, Hee Ryung; Jeon, Tae-Joon; Choi, Jae Boong; Chung, Ka Young; Kim, Moon Ki

    2016-01-01

    Agonist-activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) interact with GDP-bound G protein heterotrimers (Gαβγ) promoting GDP/GTP exchange, which results in dissociation of Gα from the receptor and Gβγ. The GTPase activity of Gα hydrolyzes GTP to GDP, and the GDP-bound Gα interacts with Gβγ, forming a GDP-bound G protein heterotrimer. The G protein cycle is allosterically modulated by conformational changes of the Gα subunit. Although biochemical and biophysical methods have elucidated the structure and dynamics of Gα, the precise conformational mechanisms underlying the G protein cycle are not fully understood yet. Simulation methods could help to provide additional details to gain further insight into G protein signal transduction mechanisms. In this study, using the available X-ray crystal structures of Gα, we simulated the entire G protein cycle and described not only the steric features of the Gα structure, but also conformational changes at each step. Each reference structure in the G protein cycle was modeled as an elastic network model and subjected to normal mode analysis. Our simulation data suggests that activated receptors trigger conformational changes of the Gα subunit that are thermodynamically favorable for opening of the nucleotide-binding pocket and GDP release. Furthermore, the effects of GTP binding and hydrolysis on mobility changes of the C and N termini and switch regions are elucidated. In summary, our simulation results enabled us to provide detailed descriptions of the structural and dynamic features of the G protein cycle. PMID:27483005

  13. Multi-scale Multi-mechanism Toughening of Hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Xuanhe

    Hydrogels are widely used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, vehicles for drug delivery, actuators for optics and fluidics, and model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The scope of hydrogel applications, however, is often severely limited by their mechanical properties. Inspired by the mechanics and hierarchical structures of tough biological tissues, we propose that a general principle for the design of tough hydrogels is to implement two mechanisms for dissipating mechanical energy and maintaining high elasticity in hydrogels. A particularly promising strategy for the design is to integrate multiple pairs of mechanisms across multiple length scales into a hydrogel. We develop a multiscale theoretical framework to quantitatively guide the design of tough hydrogels. On the network level, we have developed micro-physical models to characterize the evolution of polymer networks under deformation. On the continuum level, we have implemented constitutive laws formulated from the network-level models into a coupled cohesive-zone and Mullins-effect model to quantitatively predict crack propagation and fracture toughness of hydrogels. Guided by the design principle and quantitative model, we will demonstrate a set of new hydrogels, based on diverse types of polymers, yet can achieve extremely high toughness superior to their natural counterparts such as cartilages. The work was supported by NSF(No. CMMI- 1253495) and ONR (No. N00014-14-1-0528).

  14. Molecular dynamics study on the evolution of interfacial dislocation network and mechanical properties of Ni-based single crystal superalloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Nan-Lin; Wu, Wen-Ping; Nie, Kai

    2018-05-01

    The evolution of misfit dislocation network at γ /γ‧ phase interface and tensile mechanical properties of Ni-based single crystal superalloys at various temperatures and strain rates are studied by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. From the simulations, it is found that with the increase of loading, the dislocation network effectively inhibits dislocations emitted in the γ matrix cutting into the γ‧ phase and absorbs the matrix dislocations to strengthen itself which increases the stability of structure. Under the influence of the temperature, the initial mosaic structure of dislocation network gradually becomes irregular, and the initial misfit stress and the elastic modulus slowly decline as temperature increasing. On the other hand, with the increase of the strain rate, it almost has no effect on the elastic modulus and the way of evolution of dislocation network, but contributes to the increases of the yield stress and tensile strength. Moreover, tension-compression asymmetry of Ni-based single crystal superalloys is also presented based on MD simulations.

  15. Buckling of paramagnetic chains in soft gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Shilin; Pessot, Giorgio; Cremer, Peet; Weeber, Rudolf; Holm, Christian; Nowak, Johannes; Odenbach, Stefan; Menzel, Andreas M.; Auernhammer, Günter K.

    We study the magneto-elastic coupling behavior of paramagnetic chains in soft polymer gels exposed to external magnetic fields. To this end, a laser scanning confocal microscope is used to observe the morphology of the paramagnetic chains together with the deformation field of the surrounding gel network. The paramagnetic chains in soft polymer gels show rich morphological shape changes under oblique magnetic fields, in particular a pronounced buckling deformation. The details of the resulting morphological shapes depend on the length of the chain, the strength of the external magnetic field, and the modulus of the gel. Based on the observation that the magnetic chains are strongly coupled to the surrounding polymer network, a simplified model is developed to describe their buckling behavior. A coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation model featuring an increased matrix stiffness on the surfaces of the particles leads to morphologies in agreement with the experimentally observed buckling effects.

  16. Well-balanced high-order solver for blood flow in networks of vessels with variable properties.

    PubMed

    Müller, Lucas O; Toro, Eleuterio F

    2013-12-01

    We present a well-balanced, high-order non-linear numerical scheme for solving a hyperbolic system that models one-dimensional flow in blood vessels with variable mechanical and geometrical properties along their length. Using a suitable set of test problems with exact solution, we rigorously assess the performance of the scheme. In particular, we assess the well-balanced property and the effective order of accuracy through an empirical convergence rate study. Schemes of up to fifth order of accuracy in both space and time are implemented and assessed. The numerical methodology is then extended to realistic networks of elastic vessels and is validated against published state-of-the-art numerical solutions and experimental measurements. It is envisaged that the present scheme will constitute the building block for a closed, global model for the human circulation system involving arteries, veins, capillaries and cerebrospinal fluid. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Modeling the elastic energy of alloys: Potential pitfalls of continuum treatments.

    PubMed

    Baskaran, Arvind; Ratsch, Christian; Smereka, Peter

    2015-12-01

    Some issues that arise when modeling elastic energy for binary alloys are discussed within the context of a Keating model and density-functional calculations. The Keating model is a simplified atomistic formulation based on modeling elastic interactions of a binary alloy with harmonic springs whose equilibrium length is species dependent. It is demonstrated that the continuum limit for the strain field are the usual equations of linear elasticity for alloys and that they correctly capture the coarse-grained behavior of the displacement field. In addition, it is established that Euler-Lagrange equation of the continuum limit of the elastic energy will yield the same strain field equation. This is the same energy functional that is often used to model elastic effects in binary alloys. However, a direct calculation of the elastic energy atomistic model reveals that the continuum expression for the elastic energy is both qualitatively and quantitatively incorrect. This is because it does not take atomistic scale compositional nonuniformity into account. Importantly, this result also shows that finely mixed alloys tend to have more elastic energy than segregated systems, which is the exact opposite of predictions made by some continuum theories. It is also shown that for strained thin films the traditionally used effective misfit for alloys systematically underestimate the strain energy. In some models, this drawback is handled by including an elastic contribution to the enthalpy of mixing, which is characterized in terms of the continuum concentration. The direct calculation of the atomistic model reveals that this approach suffers serious difficulties. It is demonstrated that elastic contribution to the enthalpy of mixing is nonisotropic and scale dependent. It is also shown that such effects are present in density-functional theory calculations for the Si-Ge system. This work demonstrates that it is critical to include the microscopic arrangements in any elastic model to achieve even qualitatively correct behavior.

  18. Coevolution of Epidemics, Social Networks, and Individual Behavior: A Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Jiangzhuo; Marathe, Achla; Marathe, Madhav

    This research shows how a limited supply of antivirals can be distributed optimally between the hospitals and the market so that the attack rate is minimized and enough revenue is generated to recover the cost of the antivirals. Results using an individual based model find that prevalence elastic demand behavior delays the epidemic and change in the social contact network induced by isolation reduces the peak of the epidemic significantly. A microeconomic analysis methodology combining behavioral economics and agent-based simulation is a major contribution of this work. In this paper we apply this methodology to analyze the fairness of the stockpile distribution, and the response of human behavior to disease prevalence level and its interaction with the market.

  19. First field demonstration of cloud datacenter workflow automation employing dynamic optical transport network resources under OpenStack and OpenFlow orchestration.

    PubMed

    Szyrkowiec, Thomas; Autenrieth, Achim; Gunning, Paul; Wright, Paul; Lord, Andrew; Elbers, Jörg-Peter; Lumb, Alan

    2014-02-10

    For the first time, we demonstrate the orchestration of elastic datacenter and inter-datacenter transport network resources using a combination of OpenStack and OpenFlow. Programmatic control allows a datacenter operator to dynamically request optical lightpaths from a transport network operator to accommodate rapid changes of inter-datacenter workflows.

  20. Elastic-wave velocity in marine sediments with gas hydrates: Effective medium modeling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Helgerud, M.B.; Dvorkin, J.; Nur, A.; Sakai, A.; Collett, T.

    1999-01-01

    We offer a first-principle-based effective medium model for elastic-wave velocity in unconsolidated, high porosity, ocean bottom sediments containing gas hydrate. The dry sediment frame elastic constants depend on porosity, elastic moduli of the solid phase, and effective pressure. Elastic moduli of saturated sediment are calculated from those of the dry frame using Gassmann's equation. To model the effect of gas hydrate on sediment elastic moduli we use two separate assumptions: (a) hydrate modifies the pore fluid elastic properties without affecting the frame; (b) hydrate becomes a component of the solid phase, modifying the elasticity of the frame. The goal of the modeling is to predict the amount of hydrate in sediments from sonic or seismic velocity data. We apply the model to sonic and VSP data from ODP Hole 995 and obtain hydrate concentration estimates from assumption (b) consistent with estimates obtained from resistivity, chlorinity and evolved gas data. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

  1. Normal mode analysis and applications in biological physics.

    PubMed

    Dykeman, Eric C; Sankey, Otto F

    2010-10-27

    Normal mode analysis has become a popular and often used theoretical tool in the study of functional motions in enzymes, viruses, and large protein assemblies. The use of normal modes in the study of these motions is often extremely fruitful since many of the functional motions of large proteins can be described using just a few normal modes which are intimately related to the overall structure of the protein. In this review, we present a broad overview of several popular methods used in the study of normal modes in biological physics including continuum elastic theory, the elastic network model, and a new all-atom method, recently developed, which is capable of computing a subset of the low frequency vibrational modes exactly. After a review of the various methods, we present several examples of applications of normal modes in the study of functional motions, with an emphasis on viral capsids.

  2. Are rapid changes in brain elasticity possible?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parker, K. J.

    2017-09-01

    Elastography of the brain is a topic of clinical and preclinical research, motivated by the potential for viscoelastic measures of the brain to provide sensitive indicators of pathological processes, and to assist in early diagnosis. To date, studies of the normal brain and of those with confirmed neurological disorders have reported a wide range of shear stiffness and shear wave speeds, even within similar categories. A range of factors including the shear wave frequency, and the age of the individual are thought to have a possible influence. However, it may be that short term dynamics within the brain may have an influence on the measured stiffness. This hypothesis is addressed quantitatively using the framework of the microchannel flow model, which derives the tissue stiffness, complex modulus, and shear wave speed as a function of the vascular and fluid network in combination with the elastic matrix that comprise the brain. Transformation rules are applied so that any changes in the fluid channels or the elastic matrix can be mapped to changes in observed elastic properties on a macroscopic scale. The results are preliminary but demonstrate that measureable, time varying changes in brain stiffness are possible simply by accounting for vasodynamic or electrochemical changes in the state of any region of the brain. The value of this preliminary exploration is to identify possible mechanisms and order-of-magnitude changes that may be testable in vivo by specialized protocols.

  3. Translational systems pharmacology‐based predictive assessment of drug‐induced cardiomyopathy

    PubMed Central

    Messinis, Dimitris E.; Melas, Ioannis N.; Hur, Junguk; Varshney, Navya; Alexopoulos, Leonidas G.

    2018-01-01

    Drug‐induced cardiomyopathy contributes to drug attrition. We compared two pipelines of predictive modeling: (1) applying elastic net (EN) to differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of drugs; (2) applying integer linear programming (ILP) to construct each drug's signaling pathway starting from its targets to downstream proteins, to transcription factors, and to its DEGs in human cardiomyocytes, and then subjecting the genes/proteins in the drugs' signaling networks to EN regression. We classified 31 drugs with availability of DEGs into 13 toxic and 18 nontoxic drugs based on a clinical cardiomyopathy incidence cutoff of 0.1%. The ILP‐augmented modeling increased prediction accuracy from 79% to 88% (sensitivity: 88%; specificity: 89%) under leave‐one‐out cross validation. The ILP‐constructed signaling networks of drugs were better predictors than DEGs. Per literature, the microRNAs that reportedly regulate expression of our six top predictors are of diagnostic value for natural heart failure or doxorubicin‐induced cardiomyopathy. This translational predictive modeling might uncover potential biomarkers. PMID:29341478

  4. Modelling of piezoelectric actuator dynamics for active structural control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hagood, Nesbitt W.; Chung, Walter H.; Von Flotow, Andreas

    1990-01-01

    The paper models the effects of dynamic coupling between a structure and an electrical network through the piezoelectric effect. The coupled equations of motion of an arbitrary elastic structure with piezoelectric elements and passive electronics are derived. State space models are developed for three important cases: direct voltage driven electrodes, direct charge driven electrodes, and an indirect drive case where the piezoelectric electrodes are connected to an arbitrary electrical circuit with embedded voltage and current sources. The equations are applied to the case of a cantilevered beam with surface mounted piezoceramics and indirect voltage and current drive. The theoretical derivations are validated experimentally on an actively controlled cantilevered beam test article with indirect voltage drive.

  5. An Optimal Hierarchical Decision Model for a Regional Logistics Network with Environmental Impact Consideration

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Dezhi; Li, Shuangyan

    2014-01-01

    This paper proposes a new model of simultaneous optimization of three-level logistics decisions, for logistics authorities, logistics operators, and logistics users, for regional logistics network with environmental impact consideration. The proposed model addresses the interaction among the three logistics players in a complete competitive logistics service market with CO2 emission charges. We also explicitly incorporate the impacts of the scale economics of the logistics park and the logistics users' demand elasticity into the model. The logistics authorities aim to maximize the total social welfare of the system, considering the demand of green logistics development by two different methods: optimal location of logistics nodes and charging a CO2 emission tax. Logistics operators are assumed to compete with logistics service fare and frequency, while logistics users minimize their own perceived logistics disutility given logistics operators' service fare and frequency. A heuristic algorithm based on the multinomial logit model is presented for the three-level decision model, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the above optimal model and its algorithm. The proposed model provides a useful tool for modeling competitive logistics services and evaluating logistics policies at the strategic level. PMID:24977209

  6. An optimal hierarchical decision model for a regional logistics network with environmental impact consideration.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Dezhi; Li, Shuangyan; Qin, Jin

    2014-01-01

    This paper proposes a new model of simultaneous optimization of three-level logistics decisions, for logistics authorities, logistics operators, and logistics users, for regional logistics network with environmental impact consideration. The proposed model addresses the interaction among the three logistics players in a complete competitive logistics service market with CO2 emission charges. We also explicitly incorporate the impacts of the scale economics of the logistics park and the logistics users' demand elasticity into the model. The logistics authorities aim to maximize the total social welfare of the system, considering the demand of green logistics development by two different methods: optimal location of logistics nodes and charging a CO2 emission tax. Logistics operators are assumed to compete with logistics service fare and frequency, while logistics users minimize their own perceived logistics disutility given logistics operators' service fare and frequency. A heuristic algorithm based on the multinomial logit model is presented for the three-level decision model, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the above optimal model and its algorithm. The proposed model provides a useful tool for modeling competitive logistics services and evaluating logistics policies at the strategic level.

  7. High Birefringence Liquid Crystals for Laser Hardening and IR Countermeasure

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-09-24

    A fast-switching and scattering-free phase modulator using polymer network liquid crystal ( PNLC ) is demonstrated at **=l.55 um for laser beam...steering application. The strong polymer network anchoring greatly reduces the visco-elastic coefficient of the liquid crystal. As a result, the PNLC

  8. Quality of Recovery Evaluation of the Protection Schemes for Fiber-Wireless Access Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Minglei; Chai, Zhicheng; Le, Zichun

    2016-03-01

    With the rapid development of fiber-wireless (FiWi) access network, the protection schemes have got more and more attention due to the risk of huge data loss when failures occur. However, there are few studies on the performance evaluation of the FiWi protection schemes by the unified evaluation criterion. In this paper, quality of recovery (QoR) method was adopted to evaluate the performance of three typical protection schemes (MPMC scheme, OBOF scheme and RPMF scheme) against the segment-level failure in FiWi access network. The QoR models of the three schemes were derived in terms of availability, quality of backup path, recovery time and redundancy. To compare the performance of the three protection schemes comprehensively, five different classes of network services such as emergency service, prioritized elastic service, conversational service, etc. were utilized by means of assigning different QoR weights. Simulation results showed that, for the most service cases, RPMF scheme was proved to be the best solution to enhance the survivability when planning the FiWi access network.

  9. Hard tissue as a composite material. I - Bounds on the elastic behavior.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Katz, J. L.

    1971-01-01

    Recent determination of the elastic moduli of hydroxyapatite by ultrasonic methods permits a re-examination of the Voigt or parallel model of the elastic behavior of bone, as a two phase composite material. It is shown that such a model alone cannot be used to describe the behavior of bone. Correlative data on the elastic moduli of dentin, enamel and various bone samples indicate the existence of a nonlinear dependence of elastic moduli on composition of hard tissue. Several composite models are used to calculate the bounds on the elastic behavior of these tissues. The limitations of these models are described, and experiments to obtain additional critical data are discussed.

  10. Filamentary structures that self-organize due to adhesion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sengab, A.; Picu, R. C.

    2018-03-01

    We study the self-organization of random collections of elastic filaments that interact adhesively. The evolution from an initial fully random quasi-two-dimensional state is controlled by filament elasticity, adhesion and interfilament friction, and excluded volume. Three outcomes are possible: the system may remain locked in the initial state, may organize into isolated fiber bundles, or may form a stable, connected network of bundles. The range of system parameters leading to each of these states is identified. The network of bundles is subisostatic and is stabilized by prestressed triangular features forming at bundle-to-bundle nodes, similar to the situation in foams. Interfiber friction promotes locking and expands the parametric range of nonevolving systems.

  11. Signal Propagation in Proteins and Relation to Equilibrium Fluctuations

    PubMed Central

    Chennubhotla, Chakra; Bahar, Ivet

    2007-01-01

    Elastic network (EN) models have been widely used in recent years for describing protein dynamics, based on the premise that the motions naturally accessible to native structures are relevant to biological function. We posit that equilibrium motions also determine communication mechanisms inherent to the network architecture. To this end, we explore the stochastics of a discrete-time, discrete-state Markov process of information transfer across the network of residues. We measure the communication abilities of residue pairs in terms of hit and commute times, i.e., the number of steps it takes on an average to send and receive signals. Functionally active residues are found to possess enhanced communication propensities, evidenced by their short hit times. Furthermore, secondary structural elements emerge as efficient mediators of communication. The present findings provide us with insights on the topological basis of communication in proteins and design principles for efficient signal transduction. While hit/commute times are information-theoretic concepts, a central contribution of this work is to rigorously show that they have physical origins directly relevant to the equilibrium fluctuations of residues predicted by EN models. PMID:17892319

  12. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ruvinsky, Anatoly M., E-mail: anatoly.ruvinsky@astrazeneca.com; Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047; Vakser, Ilya A.

    Ferritin-like molecules show a remarkable combination of the evolutionary conserved activity of iron uptake and release that engage different pores in the conserved ferritin shell. It was hypothesized that pore selection and iron traffic depend on dynamic allostery with no conformational changes in the backbone. In this study, we detect the allosteric networks in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterioferritin (BfrB), bacterial ferritin (FtnA), and bullfrog M and L ferritins (Ftns) by a network-weaving algorithm (NWA) that passes threads of an allosteric network through highly correlated residues using hierarchical clustering. The residue-residue correlations are calculated in the packing-on elastic network model that introducesmore » atom packing into the common packing-off model. Applying NWA revealed that each of the molecules has an extended allosteric network mostly buried inside the ferritin shell. The structure of the networks is consistent with experimental observations of iron transport: The allosteric networks in BfrB and FtnA connect the ferroxidase center with the 4-fold pores and B-pores, leaving the 3-fold pores unengaged. In contrast, the allosteric network directly links the 3-fold pores with the 4-fold pores in M and L Ftns. The majority of the network residues are either on the inner surface or buried inside the subunit fold or at the subunit interfaces. We hypothesize that the ferritin structures evolved in a way to limit the influence of functionally unrelated events in the cytoplasm on the allosteric network to maintain stability of the translocation mechanisms. We showed that the residue-residue correlations and the resultant long-range cooperativity depend on the ferritin shell packing, which, in turn, depends on protein sequence composition. Switching from the packing-on to the packing-off model reduces correlations by 35%–38% so that no allosteric network can be found. The influence of the side-chain packing on the allosteric networks explains the diversity in mechanisms of iron traffic suggested by experimental approaches.« less

  13. Application of 1 D Finite Element Method in Combination with Laminar Solution Method for Pipe Network Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dudar, O. I.; Dudar, E. S.

    2017-11-01

    The features of application of the 1D dimensional finite element method (FEM) in combination with the laminar solutions method (LSM) for the calculation of underground ventilating networks are considered. In this case the processes of heat and mass transfer change the properties of a fluid (binary vapour-air mix). Under the action of gravitational forces it leads to such phenomena as natural draft, local circulation, etc. The FEM relations considering the action of gravity, the mass conservation law, the dependence of vapour-air mix properties on the thermodynamic parameters are derived so that it allows one to model the mentioned phenomena. The analogy of the elastic and plastic rod deformation processes to the processes of laminar and turbulent flow in a pipe is described. Owing to this analogy, the guaranteed convergence of the elastic solutions method for the materials of plastic type means the guaranteed convergence of the LSM for any regime of a turbulent flow in a rough pipe. By means of numerical experiments the convergence rate of the FEM - LSM is investigated. This convergence rate appeared much higher than the convergence rate of the Cross - Andriyashev method. Data of other authors on the convergence rate comparison for the finite element method, the Newton method and the method of gradient are provided. These data allow one to conclude that the FEM in combination with the LSM is one of the most effective methods of calculation of hydraulic and ventilating networks. The FEM - LSM has been used for creation of the research application programme package “MineClimate” allowing to calculate the microclimate parameters in the underground ventilating networks.

  14. Stochastic Investigation of Natural Frequency for Functionally Graded Plates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karsh, P. K.; Mukhopadhyay, T.; Dey, S.

    2018-03-01

    This paper presents the stochastic natural frequency analysis of functionally graded plates by applying artificial neural network (ANN) approach. Latin hypercube sampling is utilised to train the ANN model. The proposed algorithm for stochastic natural frequency analysis of FGM plates is validated and verified with original finite element method and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The combined stochastic variation of input parameters such as, elastic modulus, shear modulus, Poisson ratio, and mass density are considered. Power law is applied to distribute the material properties across the thickness. The present ANN model reduces the sample size and computationally found efficient as compared to conventional Monte Carlo simulation.

  15. Multiscale simulations of PS-SiO2 nanocomposites: from melt to glassy state.

    PubMed

    Mathioudakis, I G; Vogiatzis, G G; Tzoumanekas, C; Theodorou, D N

    2016-09-28

    The interaction energetics, molecular packing, entanglement network properties, segmental dynamics, and elastic constants of atactic polystyrene-amorphous silica nanocomposites in the molten and the glassy state are studied via molecular simulations using two interconnected levels of representation: (a) a coarse-grained one, wherein each polystyrene repeat unit is mapped onto a single "superatom" and the silica nanoparticle is viewed as a solid sphere. Equilibration at all length scales at this level is achieved via connectivity-altering Monte Carlo simulations. (b) A united-atom (UA) level, wherein the polymer chains are represented in terms of a united-atom forcefield and the silica nanoparticle is represented in terms of a simplified, fully atomistic model. Initial configurations for UA molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are obtained by reverse mapping well-equilibrated coarse-grained configurations. By analysing microcanonical UA MD trajectories, the polymer density profile is studied and the polymer is found to exhibit layering in the vicinity of the nanoparticle surface. An estimate of the enthalpy of mixing between polymer and nanoparticles, derived from the UA simulations, compares favourably against available experimental values. The dynamical behaviour of polystyrene (in neat and filled melt systems) is characterized in terms of bond orientation and dihedral angle time autocorrelation functions. At low concentration in the molten polymer matrix, silica nanoparticles are found to cause a slight deceleration of the segmental dynamics close to their surface compared to the bulk polymer. Well-equilibrated coarse-grained long-chain configurations are reduced to entanglement networks via topological analysis with the CReTA algorithm, yielding a slightly lower density of entanglements in the filled than in the neat systems. UA melt configurations are glassified by MD cooling. The elastic moduli of the resulting glassy nanocomposites are computed through an analysis of strain fluctuations in the undeformed state and through explicit mechanical deformation by MD, showing a stiffening of the polymer in the presence of nanoparticles. UA simulation results for the elastic constants are compared to continuum micromechanical calculations invoked in homogenization models of the overall mechanical behaviour of heterogeneous materials. They can be interpreted in terms of the presence of an "interphase" of approximate thickness 2 nm around the nanoparticles, with elastic constants intermediate between those of the filler and the matrix.

  16. Towards a carrier SDN: an example for elastic inter-datacenter connectivity.

    PubMed

    Velasco, L; Asensio, A; Berral, J L; Castro, A; López, V

    2014-01-13

    We propose a network-driven transfer mode for cloud operations in a step towards a carrier SDN. Inter-datacenter connectivity is requested in terms of volume of data and completion time. The SDN controller translates and forwards requests to an ABNO controller in charge of a flexgrid network.

  17. Finite Element Analysis of a Dynamically Loaded Flat Laminated Plate

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-07-01

    and the elements are stacked in the thickness direction to represent various material layers. This analysis allows for orthotropic, elastic- plastic or...INCREMENTS 27 V. PLASTICITY 34 Orthotropic Elastic- Plastic Yielding 34 Orthotropic Elastic-Viscoplastic Yielding 37 VI. ELEMENT EQUILIBRIUM...with time, consequently the materials are assumed to be represented by elastic- plastic and elastic-viscoplastic models. The finite element model

  18. Measurements of Young's and shear moduli of rail steel at elevated temperatures.

    PubMed

    Bao, Yuanye; Zhang, Haifeng; Ahmadi, Mehdi; Karim, Md Afzalul; Felix Wu, H

    2014-03-01

    The design and modelling of the buckling effect of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) requires accurate material constants, especially at elevated temperatures. However, such material constants have rarely been found in literature. In this article, the Young's moduli and shear moduli of rail steel at elevated temperatures are determined by a new sonic resonance method developed in our group. A network analyser is used to excite a sample hanged inside a furnace through a simple tweeter type speaker. The vibration signal is picked up by a Polytec OFV-5000 Laser Vibrometer and then transferred back to the network analyser. Resonance frequencies in both the flexural and torsional modes are measured, and the Young's moduli and shear moduli are determined through the measured resonant frequencies. To validate the measured elastic constants, the measurements have been repeated by using the classic sonic resonance method. The comparisons of obtained moduli from the two methods show an excellent consistency of the results. In addition, the material elastic constants measured are validated by an ultrasound test based on a pulse-echo method and compared with previous published results at room temperature. The measured material data provides an invaluable reference for the design of CWR to avoid detrimental buckling failure. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Development of three-dimensional hollow elastic model for cerebral aneurysm clipping simulation enabling rapid and low cost prototyping.

    PubMed

    Mashiko, Toshihiro; Otani, Keisuke; Kawano, Ryutaro; Konno, Takehiko; Kaneko, Naoki; Ito, Yumiko; Watanabe, Eiju

    2015-03-01

    We developed a method for fabricating a three-dimensional hollow and elastic aneurysm model useful for surgical simulation and surgical training. In this article, we explain the hollow elastic model prototyping method and report on the effects of applying it to presurgical simulation and surgical training. A three-dimensional printer using acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene as a modeling material was used to produce a vessel model. The prototype was then coated with liquid silicone. After the silicone had hardened, the acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene was melted with xylene and removed, leaving an outer layer as a hollow elastic model. Simulations using the hollow elastic model were performed in 12 patients. In all patients, the clipping proceeded as scheduled. The surgeon's postoperative assessment was favorable in all cases. This method enables easy fabrication at low cost. Simulation using the hollow elastic model is thought to be useful for understanding of three-dimensional aneurysm structure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Transient pressure analysis of a volume fracturing well in fractured tight oil reservoirs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Cheng; Wang, Jiahang; Zhang, Cong; Cheng, Minhua; Wang, Xiaodong; Dong, Wenxiu; Zhou, Yingfang

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents a semi-analytical model to simulate transient pressure curves for a vertical well with a reconstructed fracture network in fractured tight oil reservoirs. In the proposed model, the reservoir is a composite system and contains two regions. The inner region is described as a formation with a finite conductivity hydraulic fracture network and the flow in the fracture is assumed to be linear, while the outer region is modeled using the classical Warren-Root model where radial flow is applied. The transient pressure curves of a vertical well in the proposed reservoir model are calculated semi-analytically using the Laplace transform and Stehfest numerical inversion. As shown in the type curves, the flow is divided into several regimes: (a) linear flow in artificial main fractures; (b) coupled boundary flow; (c) early linear flow in a fractured formation; (d) mid radial flow in the semi-fractures of the formation; (e) mid radial flow or pseudo steady flow; (f) mid cross-flow; (g) closed boundary flow. Based on our newly proposed model, the effects of some sensitive parameters, such as elastic storativity ratio, cross-flow coefficient, fracture conductivity and skin factor, on the type curves were also analyzed extensively. The simulated type curves show that for a vertical fractured well in a tight reservoir, the elastic storativity ratios and crossflow coefficients affect the time and the degree of crossflow respectively. The pressure loss increases with an increase in the fracture conductivity. To a certain extent, the effect of the fracture conductivity is more obvious than that of the half length of the fracture on improving the production effect. With an increase in the wellbore storage coefficient, the fluid compressibility is so large that it might cover the early stage fracturing characteristics. Linear or bilinear flow may not be recognized, and the pressure and pressure derivative gradually shift to the right. With an increase in the skin effect, the pressure loss increases gradually.

  1. Rigid-Cluster Models of Conformational Transitions in Macromolecular Machines and Assemblies

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Moon K.; Jernigan, Robert L.; Chirikjian, Gregory S.

    2005-01-01

    We present a rigid-body-based technique (called rigid-cluster elastic network interpolation) to generate feasible transition pathways between two distinct conformations of a macromolecular assembly. Many biological molecules and assemblies consist of domains which act more or less as rigid bodies during large conformational changes. These collective motions are thought to be strongly related with the functions of a system. This fact encourages us to simply model a macromolecule or assembly as a set of rigid bodies which are interconnected with distance constraints. In previous articles, we developed coarse-grained elastic network interpolation (ENI) in which, for example, only Cα atoms are selected as representatives in each residue of a protein. We interpolate distance differences of two conformations in ENI by using a simple quadratic cost function, and the feasible conformations are generated without steric conflicts. Rigid-cluster interpolation is an extension of the ENI method with rigid-clusters replacing point masses. Now the intermediate conformations in an anharmonic pathway can be determined by the translational and rotational displacements of large clusters in such a way that distance constraints are observed. We present the derivation of the rigid-cluster model and apply it to a variety of macromolecular assemblies. Rigid-cluster ENI is then modified for a hybrid model represented by a mixture of rigid clusters and point masses. Simulation results show that both rigid-cluster and hybrid ENI methods generate sterically feasible pathways of large systems in a very short time. For example, the HK97 virus capsid is an icosahedral symmetric assembly composed of 60 identical asymmetric units. Its original Hessian matrix size for a Cα coarse-grained model is >(300,000)2. However, it reduces to (84)2 when we apply the rigid-cluster model with icosahedral symmetry constraints. The computational cost of the interpolation no longer scales heavily with the size of structures; instead, it depends strongly on the minimal number of rigid clusters into which the system can be decomposed. PMID:15833998

  2. Effect of emulsifier type and concentration, aqueous phase volume and wax ratio on physical, material and mechanical properties of water in oil lipsticks.

    PubMed

    Beri, A; Norton, J E; Norton, I T

    2013-12-01

    Water-in-oil emulsions in lipsticks could have the potential to improve moisturizing properties and deliver hydrophilic molecules to the lips. The aims of this work were (i) to investigate the effect of emulsifier type (polymer vs. monomer, and saturated vs. unsaturated chain) and concentration on droplet size and (ii) to investigate the effect of wax ratio (carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax, paraffin wax and performalene) and aqueous phase volume on material properties (Young's modulus, point of fracture, elastic modulus and viscous modulus). Emulsion formation was achieved using a high shear mixer. Results showed that the saturated nature of the emulsifier had very little effect on droplet size, neither did the use of an emulsifier with a larger head group (droplet size ~18-25 μm). Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) resulted in emulsions with the smallest droplets (~3-5 μm), as expected from previous studies that show that it produces a thick elastic interface. The results also showed that both Young's modulus and point of fracture increase with increasing percentage of carnauba wax (following a power law dependency of 3), but decrease with increasing percentage of microcrystalline wax, suggesting that the carnauba wax is included in the overall wax network formed by the saturated components, whereas the microcrystalline wax forms irregular crystals that disrupt the overall wax crystal network. Young's modulus, elastic modulus and viscous modulus all decrease with increasing aqueous phase volume in the emulsions, although the slope of the decrease in elastic and viscous moduli is dependent on the addition of solid wax, as a result of strengthening the network. This work suggests the potential use for emulsions in lipstick applications, particularly when PGPR is used as an emulsifier, and with the addition of solid wax, as it increases network strength. © 2013 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  3. Modeling protein conformational changes by iterative fitting of distance constraints using reoriented normal modes.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Wenjun; Brooks, Bernard R

    2006-06-15

    Recently we have developed a normal-modes-based algorithm that predicts the direction of protein conformational changes given the initial state crystal structure together with a small number of pairwise distance constraints for the end state. Here we significantly extend this method to accurately model both the direction and amplitude of protein conformational changes. The new protocol implements a multisteps search in the conformational space that is driven by iteratively minimizing the error of fitting the given distance constraints and simultaneously enforcing the restraint of low elastic energy. At each step, an incremental structural displacement is computed as a linear combination of the lowest 10 normal modes derived from an elastic network model, whose eigenvectors are reorientated to correct for the distortions caused by the structural displacements in the previous steps. We test this method on a list of 16 pairs of protein structures for which relatively large conformational changes are observed (root mean square deviation >3 angstroms), using up to 10 pairwise distance constraints selected by a fluctuation analysis of the initial state structures. This method has achieved a near-optimal performance in almost all cases, and in many cases the final structural models lie within root mean square deviation of 1 approximately 2 angstroms from the native end state structures.

  4. Measuring the mechanical properties of plant cells by combining micro-indentation with osmotic treatments.

    PubMed

    Weber, Alain; Braybrook, Siobhan; Huflejt, Michal; Mosca, Gabriella; Routier-Kierzkowska, Anne-Lise; Smith, Richard S

    2015-06-01

    Growth in plants results from the interaction between genetic and signalling networks and the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. There has been a recent resurgence in research directed at understanding the mechanical aspects of growth, and their feedback on genetic regulation. This has been driven in part by the development of new micro-indentation techniques to measure the mechanical properties of plant cells in vivo. However, the interpretation of indentation experiments remains a challenge, since the force measures results from a combination of turgor pressure, cell wall stiffness, and cell and indenter geometry. In order to interpret the measurements, an accurate mechanical model of the experiment is required. Here, we used a plant cell system with a simple geometry, Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells, to examine the sensitivity of micro-indentation to a variety of mechanical and experimental parameters. Using a finite-element mechanical model, we found that, for indentations of a few microns on turgid cells, the measurements were mostly sensitive to turgor pressure and the radius of the cell, and not to the exact indenter shape or elastic properties of the cell wall. By complementing indentation experiments with osmotic experiments to measure the elastic strain in turgid cells, we could fit the model to both turgor pressure and cell wall elasticity. This allowed us to interpret apparent stiffness values in terms of meaningful physical parameters that are relevant for morphogenesis. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  5. Microstructural dependence on relevant physical-mechanical properties on SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 biological glasses.

    PubMed

    Rajendran, V; Begum, A Nishara; Azooz, M A; el Batal, F H

    2002-11-01

    Bioactive glasses of the system SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 have been prepared by the normal melting and annealing technique. The elastic moduli, attenuation, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness and fracture surface energy have been obtained using the known method at room temperature. The temperature dependence of elastic moduli and attenuation measurements have been extended over a wide range of temperature from 150 to 500 K. The SiO2 content dependence of velocities, attenuation, elastic moduli, and other parameters show an interesting observation at 45 wt% of SiO2 by exhibiting an anomalous behaviour. A linear relation is developed for Tg, which explores the influence of Na2O on SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 bioactive glasses. The measured hardness, fracture toughness and fracture surface energy show a linear relation with Young's modulus. It is also interesting to note that the observed results are functions of polymerisation and the number of non-bridging oxygens (NBO) prevailing in the network with change in SiO2 content. The temperature dependence of velocities, attenuation and elastic moduli show the existence of softening in the glass network structure as temperature increases.

  6. [Results of Simulation Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    Lattice Monte Carlo and off-lattice molecular dynamics simulations of h(sub 1)t(sub 4) and h(sub 4)t(sub l) (head/tail) amphiphile solutions have been performed as a function of surfactant concentration and temperature. The lattice and off-lattice systems exhibit quite different self-assembly behavior at equivalent thermodynamic conditions. We found that in the weakly aggregating regime (no preferred-size micelles), all models yield similar micelle size distributions at the same average aggregation number, albeit at different thermodynamic conditions (temperatures). In the strongly aggregating regime, this mapping between models (through temperature adjustment) fails, and the models exhibit qualitatively different micellization behavior. Incipient micellization in a model self-associating telechelic polymer solution results in a network with a transient elastic response that decays by a two-step relaxation: the first is due to a heterogeneous jump-diffusion process involving entrapment of end-groups within well-defined clusters and this is followed by rapid diffusion to neighboring clusters and a decay (terminal relaxation) due to cluster disintegration. The viscoelastic response of the solution manifests characteristics of a glass transition and entangled polymer network.

  7. Wave propagation of carbon nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Natsuki, Toshiaki; Hayashi, Takuya; Endo, Morinobu

    2005-02-01

    This paper presents analytical models of wave propagation in single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes, as well as nanotubes embedded in an elastic matrix. The nanotube structures are treated within the multilayer thin shell approximation with the elastic properties taken to be those of the graphene sheet. The double-walled nanotubes are coupled together through the van der Waals force between the inner and outer nanotubes. For carbon nanotubes embedded in an elastic matrix, the surrounding elastic medium can be described by a Winkler model. Tube wave propagation of both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes can be analyzed based on the present elastic continuum model. It is found that the asymmetrical wave behavior of single- and double-walled nanotubes is significantly different. The behavior is also different from that in the surrounding elastic medium.

  8. An Elastic Plastic Contact Model with Strain Hardening for the LAMMPS Granular Package

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuhr, Bryan; Brake, Matthew Robert; Lechman, Jeremy B.

    2015-03-01

    The following details the implementation of an analytical elastic plastic contact model with strain hardening for normal im pacts into the LAMMPS granular package. The model assumes that, upon impact, the co llision has a period of elastic loading followed by a period of mixed elastic plas tic loading, with contributions to each mechanism estimated by a hyperbolic seca nt weight function. This function is implemented in the LAMMPS source code as the pair style gran/ep/history. Preliminary tests, simulating the pouring of pure nickel spheres, showed the elastic/plastic model took 1.66x as long as similar runs using gran/hertz/history.

  9. Finite-time scaling at the Anderson transition for vibrations in solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beltukov, Y. M.; Skipetrov, S. E.

    2017-11-01

    A model in which a three-dimensional elastic medium is represented by a network of identical masses connected by springs of random strengths and allowed to vibrate only along a selected axis of the reference frame exhibits an Anderson localization transition. To study this transition, we assume that the dynamical matrix of the network is given by a product of a sparse random matrix with real, independent, Gaussian-distributed nonzero entries and its transpose. A finite-time scaling analysis of the system's response to an initial excitation allows us to estimate the critical parameters of the localization transition. The critical exponent is found to be ν =1.57 ±0.02 , in agreement with previous studies of the Anderson transition belonging to the three-dimensional orthogonal universality class.

  10. Modeling of Soft Poroelastic Tissue in Time-Harmonic MR Elastography

    PubMed Central

    Perriñez, Phillip R.; Kennedy, Francis E.; Van Houten, Elijah E. W.; Weaver, John B.; Paulsen, Keith D.

    2010-01-01

    Elastography is an emerging imaging technique that focuses on assessing the resistance to deformation of soft biological tissues in vivo. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) uses measured displacement fields resulting from low-amplitude, low-frequency (10 Hz–1 kHz) time-harmonic vibration to recover images of the elastic property distribution of tissues including breast, liver, muscle, prostate, and brain. While many soft tissues display complex time-dependent behavior not described by linear elasticity, the models most commonly employed in MRE parameter reconstructions are based on elastic assumptions. Further, elasticity models fail to include the interstitial fluid phase present in vivo. Alternative continuum models, such as consolidation theory, are able to represent tissue and other materials comprising two distinct phases, generally consisting of a porous elastic solid and penetrating fluid. MRE reconstructions of simulated elastic and poroelastic phantoms were performed to investigate the limitations of current-elasticity-based methods in producing accurate elastic parameter estimates in poroelastic media. The results indicate that linearly elastic reconstructions of fluid-saturated porous media at amplitudes and frequencies relevant to steady-state MRE can yield misleading effective property distributions resulting from the complex interaction between their solid and fluid phases. PMID:19272864

  11. LOXL1 deficiency in the lamina cribrosa as candidate susceptibility factor for a pseudoexfoliation-specific risk of glaucoma.

    PubMed

    Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Hammer, Christian M; Krysta, Anita W; Hofmann-Rummelt, Carmen; Pasutto, Francesca; Sasaki, Takako; Kruse, Friedrich E; Zenkel, Matthias

    2012-09-01

    To test the hypothesis that a primary disturbance in lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) and elastin metabolism in the lamina cribrosa of eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome constitutes an independent risk factor for glaucoma development and progression. Observational, consecutive case series. Posterior segment tissues obtained from 37 donors with early and late stages of pseudoexfoliation syndrome without glaucoma, 37 normal age-matched control subjects, 5 eyes with pseudoexfoliation-associated open-angle glaucoma, and 5 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Protein and mRNA expression of major elastic fiber components (elastin, fibrillin-1, fibulin-4), collagens (types I, III, and IV), and lysyl oxidase crosslinking enzymes (LOX, LOXL1, LOXL2) were assessed in situ by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, (immuno)histochemistry, and light and electron microscopy. Lysyl oxidase-dependent elastin fiber assembly was assessed by primary optic nerve head astrocytes in vitro. Expression levels of elastic proteins, collagens, and lysyl oxidases in the lamina cribrosa. Lysyl oxidase-like 1 proved to be the major lysyl oxidase isoform in the normal lamina cribrosa in association with a complex elastic fiber network. Compared with normal and POAG specimens, lamina cribrosa tissues obtained from early and late stages of pseudoexfoliation syndrome without and with glaucoma consistently revealed a significant coordinated downregulation of LOXL1 and elastic fiber constituents on mRNA and protein level. In contrast, expression levels of collagens and other lysyl oxidase isoforms were not affected. Dysregulated expression of LOXL1 and elastic proteins was associated with pronounced (ultra)structural alterations of the elastic fiber network in the laminar beams of pseudoexfoliation syndrome eyes. Inhibition of LOXL1 interfered with elastic fiber assembly by optic nerve head astrocytes in vitro. The findings provide evidence for a pseudoexfoliation-specific elastinopathy of the lamina cribrosa resulting from a primary disturbance in LOXL1 regulation and elastic fiber homeostasis, possibly rendering pseudoexfoliation syndrome eyes more vulnerable to pressure-induced optic nerve damage and glaucoma development and progression. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Source-Type Inversion of the September 03, 2017 DPRK Nuclear Test

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dreger, D. S.; Ichinose, G.; Wang, T.

    2017-12-01

    On September 3, 2017, the DPRK announced a nuclear test at their Punggye-ri site. This explosion registered a mb 6.3, and was well recorded by global and regional seismic networks. We apply the source-type inversion method (e.g. Ford et al., 2012; Nayak and Dreger, 2015), and the MDJ2 seismic velocity model (Ford et al., 2009) to invert low frequency (0.02 to 0.05 Hz) complete three-component waveforms, and first-motion polarities to map the goodness of fit in source-type space. We have used waveform data from the New China Digital Seismic Network (BJT, HIA, MDJ), Korean Seismic Network (TJN), and the Global Seismograph Network (INCN, MAJO). From this analysis, the event discriminates as an explosion. For a pure explosion model, we find a scalar seismic moment of 5.77e+16 Nm (Mw 5.1), however this model fails to fit the large Love waves registered on the transverse components. The best fitting complete solution finds a total moment of 8.90e+16 Nm (Mw 5.2) that is decomposed as 53% isotropic, 40% double-couple, and 7% CLVD, although the range of isotropic moment from the source-type analysis indicates that it could be as high as 60-80%. The isotropic moment in the source-type inversion is 4.75e16 Nm (Mw 5.05). Assuming elastic moduli from model MDJ2 the explosion cavity radius is approximately 51m, and the yield estimated using Denny and Johnson (1991) is 246kt. Approximately 8.5 minutes after the blast a second seismic event was registered, which is best characterized as a vertically closing horizontal crack, perhaps representing the partial collapse of the blast cavity, and/or a service tunnel. The total moment of the collapse is 3.34e+16 Nm (Mw 4.95). The volumetric moment of the collapse is 1.91e+16 Nm, approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the explosive moment. German TerraSAR-X observations of deformation (Wang et al., 2017) reveal large radial outward motions consistent with expected deformation for an explosive source, but lack significant vertical motions above the shot point. Forward elastic half-space modeling of the static deformation field indicates that the combination of the explosion and collapse explains the observed deformation to first order. We will present these results as well as a two-step inversion of the explosion in an attempt to better resolve the nature of the non-isotropic radiation of the event.

  13. Single-cell mechanics--An experimental-computational method for quantifying the membrane-cytoskeleton elasticity of cells.

    PubMed

    Tartibi, M; Liu, Y X; Liu, G-Y; Komvopoulos, K

    2015-11-01

    The membrane-cytoskeleton system plays a major role in cell adhesion, growth, migration, and differentiation. F-actin filaments, cross-linkers, binding proteins that bundle F-actin filaments to form the actin cytoskeleton, and integrins that connect the actin cytoskeleton network to the cell plasma membrane and extracellular matrix are major cytoskeleton constituents. Thus, the cell cytoskeleton is a complex composite that can assume different shapes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based techniques have been used to measure cytoskeleton material properties without much attention to cell shape. A recently developed surface chemical patterning method for long-term single-cell culture was used to seed individual cells on circular patterns. A continuum-based cell model, which uses as input the force-displacement response obtained with a modified AFM setup and relates the membrane-cytoskeleton elastic behavior to the cell geometry, while treating all other subcellular components suspended in the cytoplasmic liquid (gel) as an incompressible fluid, is presented and validated by experimental results. The developed analytical-experimental methodology establishes a framework for quantifying the membrane-cytoskeleton elasticity of live cells. This capability may have immense implications in cell biology, particularly in studies seeking to establish correlations between membrane-cytoskeleton elasticity and cell disease, mortality, differentiation, and migration, and provide insight into cell infiltration through nonwoven fibrous scaffolds. The present method can be further extended to analyze membrane-cytoskeleton viscoelasticity, examine the role of other subcellular components (e.g., nucleus envelope) in cell elasticity, and elucidate the effects of mechanical stimuli on cell differentiation and motility. This is the first study to decouple the membrane-cytoskeleton elasticity from cell stiffness and introduce an effective approach for measuring the elastic modulus. The novelty of this study is the development of new technology for quantifying the elastic stiffness of the membrane-cytoskeleton system of cells. This capability could have immense implications in cell biology, particularly in establishing correlations between various cell diseases, mortality, and differentiation with membrane-cytoskeleton elasticity, examining through-tissue cell migration, and understanding cell infiltration in porous scaffolds. The present method can be further extended to analyze membrane-cytoskeleton viscous behavior, identify the contribution of other subcellular components (e.g., nucleus envelope) to load sharing, and elucidate mechanotransduction effects due to repetitive compressive loading and unloading on cell differentiation and motility. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Contribution of human skin topography to the characterization of dynamic skin tension during senescence: morpho-mechanical approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zahouani, H.; Djaghloul, M.; Vargiolu, R.; Mezghani, S.; Mansori, M. E. L.

    2014-03-01

    The structuring of the dermis with a network of collagen and elastic fibres gives a three-dimensional structure to the skin network with directions perpendicular and parallel to the skin surface. This three-dimensional morphology prints on the surface of the stratum corneum a three dimensional network of lines which express the mechanical tension of the skin at rest. To evaluate the changes of skin morphology, we used a three-dimensional confocal microscopy and characterization of skin imaging of volar forearm microrelief. We have accurately characterize the role of skin line network during chronological aging with the identification of depth scales on the network of lines (z <= 60μm) and the network of lines covering Langer's lines (z > 60 microns). During aging has been highlighted lower rows for elastic fibres, the decrease weakened the tension and results in enlargement of the plates of the microrelief, which gives us a geometric pertinent indicator to quantify the loss of skin tension and assess the stage of aging. The study of 120 Caucasian women shows that ageing in the volar forearm zone results in changes in the morphology of the line network organisation. The decrease in secondary lines (z <= 60 μm) is counterbalanced by an increase in the depth of the primary lines (z > 60 μm) and an accentuation of the anisotropy index.

  15. Biologically Derived Soft Conducting Hydrogels Using Heparin-Doped Polymer Networks

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    The emergence of flexible and stretchable electronic components expands the range of applications of electronic devices. Flexible devices are ideally suited for electronic biointerfaces because of mechanically permissive structures that conform to curvilinear structures found in native tissue. Most electronic materials used in these applications exhibit elastic moduli on the order of 0.1–1 MPa. However, many electronically excitable tissues exhibit elasticities in the range of 1–10 kPa, several orders of magnitude smaller than existing components used in flexible devices. This work describes the use of biologically derived heparins as scaffold materials for fabricating networks with hybrid electronic/ionic conductivity and ultracompliant mechanical properties. Photo-cross-linkable heparin–methacrylate hydrogels serve as templates to control the microstructure and doping of in situ polymerized polyaniline structures. Macroscopic heparin-doped polyaniline hydrogel dual networks exhibit impedances as low as Z = 4.17 Ω at 1 kHz and storage moduli of G′ = 900 ± 100 Pa. The conductivity of heparin/polyaniline networks depends on the oxidation state and microstructure of secondary polyaniline networks. Furthermore, heparin/polyaniline networks support the attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of murine myoblasts without any surface treatments. Taken together, these results suggest that heparin/polyaniline hydrogel networks exhibit suitable physical properties as an electronically active biointerface material that can match the mechanical properties of soft tissues composed of excitable cells. PMID:24738911

  16. Elasticity of fractal materials using the continuum model with non-integer dimensional space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tarasov, Vasily E.

    2015-01-01

    Using a generalization of vector calculus for space with non-integer dimension, we consider elastic properties of fractal materials. Fractal materials are described by continuum models with non-integer dimensional space. A generalization of elasticity equations for non-integer dimensional space, and its solutions for the equilibrium case of fractal materials are suggested. Elasticity problems for fractal hollow ball and cylindrical fractal elastic pipe with inside and outside pressures, for rotating cylindrical fractal pipe, for gradient elasticity and thermoelasticity of fractal materials are solved.

  17. Rapid bedrock uplift in the Antarctic Peninsula explained by viscoelastic response to recent ice unloading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nield, G. A.; Barletta, V. R.; Bordoni, A.; King, M. A.; Whitehouse, P. L.; Clarke, P. J.; Domack, E. W.

    2013-12-01

    Since 1995 several ice shelves in the northern Antarctic Peninsula have collapsed and triggered ice-mass unloading, invoking a solid Earth response that has been recorded at GPS stations. The previous attempt to model the observation of rapid uplift following the 2002 breakup of Larsen B Ice Shelf failed, being limited by incomplete knowledge of the pattern of ice unloading and possibly the assumption of an elastic-only mechanism. We make use of a new high resolution dataset of ice elevation change that captures ice-mass loss north of 66°S to show that non-linear uplift of the Palmer GPS station since 2002 cannot be explained by an elastic-only signal. We apply a viscoelastic model with linear Maxwell rheology to predict uplift since 1995. We vary the thickness of the elastic lithosphere and upper mantle viscosity, and test the fit to the Palmer GPS time series. We find a best fitting Earth model with an upper mantle viscosity of less than 2 x 1018 Pa s, much lower than previously modelled, and limited sensitivity to lithospheric thickness. Comparison to vertical velocities from six GPS stations deployed after 2009 (the LARISSA network) verifies the results from the model with reduction of signal from up to 14 mm/yr to up to 3 mm/yr. These sites have a unique spatial arrangement and are ideally placed to record uplift close to the region of largest mass loss. Including the time series of the newer sites in the model tuning produces a narrower range of lithospheric thickness estimates but with the drawback of needing to assume the pre-2009 background uplift rate. The Palmer GPS time series offers a rare opportunity to study the time-evolution of low-viscosity solid earth response to a well-captured ice unloading event.

  18. 3D printing of an interpenetrating network hydrogel material with tunable viscoelastic properties.

    PubMed

    Bootsma, Katherine; Fitzgerald, Martha M; Free, Brandon; Dimbath, Elizabeth; Conjerti, Joe; Reese, Greg; Konkolewicz, Dominik; Berberich, Jason A; Sparks, Jessica L

    2017-06-01

    Interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel materials are recognized for their unique mechanical properties. While IPN elasticity and toughness properties have been explored in previous studies, the factors that impact the time-dependent stress relaxation behavior of IPN materials are not well understood. Time-dependent (i.e. viscoelastic) mechanical behavior is a critical design parameter in the development of materials for a variety of applications, such as medical simulation devices, flexible substrate materials, cellular mechanobiology substrates, or regenerative medicine applications. This study reports a novel technique for 3D printing alginate-polyacrylamide IPN gels with tunable elastic and viscoelastic properties. The viscoelastic stress relaxation behavior of the 3D printed alginate-polyacrylamide IPN hydrogels was influenced most strongly by varying the concentration of the acrylamide cross-linker (MBAA), while the elastic modulus was affected most by varying the concentration of total monomer material. The material properties of our 3D printed IPN constructs were consistent with those reported in the biomechanics literature for soft tissues such as skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, skin and subcutaneous tissue. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Combined distributed and concentrated transducer network for failure indication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ostachowicz, Wieslaw; Wandowski, Tomasz; Malinowski, Pawel

    2010-03-01

    In this paper algorithm for discontinuities localisation in thin panels made of aluminium alloy is presented. Mentioned algorithm uses Lamb wave propagation methods for discontinuities localisation. Elastic waves were generated and received using piezoelectric transducers. They were arranged in concentrated arrays distributed on the specimen surface. In this way almost whole specimen could be monitored using this combined distributed-concentrated transducer network. Excited elastic waves propagate and reflect from panel boundaries and discontinuities existing in the panel. Wave reflection were registered through the piezoelectric transducers and used in signal processing algorithm. Proposed processing algorithm consists of two parts: signal filtering and extraction of obstacles location. The first part was used in order to enhance signals by removing noise from them. Second part allowed to extract features connected with wave reflections from discontinuities. Extracted features damage influence maps were a basis to create damage influence maps. Damage maps indicated intensity of elastic wave reflections which corresponds to obstacles coordinates. Described signal processing algorithms were implemented in the MATLAB environment. It should be underlined that in this work results based only on experimental signals were presented.

  20. Magneto-elastic modeling of composites containing chain-structured magnetostrictive particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, H. M.; Sun, L. Z.; Chen, J. S.

    2006-05-01

    Magneto-elastic behavior is investigated for two-phase composites containing chain-structured magnetostrictive particles under both magnetic and mechanical loading. To derive the local magnetic and elastic fields, three modified Green's functions are derived and explicitly integrated for the infinite domain containing a spherical inclusion with a prescribed magnetization, body force, and eigenstrain. A representative volume element containing a chain of infinite particles is introduced to solve averaged magnetic and elastic fields in the particles and the matrix. Effective magnetostriction of composites is derived by considering the particle's magnetostriction and the magnetic interaction force. It is shown that there exists an optimal choice of the Young's modulus of the matrix and the volume fraction of the particles to achieve the maximum effective magnetostriction. A transversely isotropic effective elasticity is derived at the infinitesimal deformation. Disregarding the interaction term, this model provides the same effective elasticity as Mori-Tanaka's model. Comparisons of model results with the experimental data and other models show the efficacy of the model and suggest that the particle interactions have a considerable effect on the effective magneto-elastic properties of composites even for a low particle volume fraction.

  1. Theoretical estimates of mechanical properties of the endothelial cell cytoskeleton.

    PubMed Central

    Satcher, R L; Dewey, C F

    1996-01-01

    Current modeling of endothelial cell mechanics does not account for the network of F-actin that permeates the cytoplasm. This network, the distributed cytoplasmic structural actin (DCSA), extends from apical to basal membranes, with frequent attachments. Stress fibers are intercalated within the network, with similar frequent attachments. The microscopic structure of the DCSA resembles a foam, so that the mechanical properties can be estimated with analogy to these well-studied systems. The moduli of shear and elastic deformations are estimated to be on the order of 10(5) dynes/cm2. This prediction agrees with experimental measurements of the properties of cytoplasm and endothelial cells reported elsewhere. Stress fibers can potentially increase the modulus by a factor of 2-10, depending on whether they act in series or parallel to the network in transmitting surface forces. The deformations produced by physiological flow fields are of insufficient magnitude to disrupt cell-to-cell or DCSA cross-linkages. The questions raised by this paradox, and the ramifications of implicating the previously unreported DCSA as the primary force transmission element are discussed. Images FIGURE 2 PMID:8804594

  2. Multiscale Modelling for investigating single molecule effects on the mechanics of actin filaments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    A, Deriu Marco; C, Bidone Tamara; Laura, Carbone; Cristina, Bignardi; M, Montevecchi Franco; Umberto, Morbiducci

    2011-12-01

    This work presents a preliminary multiscale computational investigation of the effects of nucleotides and cations on the mechanics of actin filaments (F-actin). At the molecular level, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are employed to characterize the rearrangements of the actin monomers (G-actin) in terms of secondary structures evolution in physiological conditions. At the mesoscale level, a coarse grain (CG) procedure is adopted where each monomer is represented by means of Elastic Network Modeling (ENM) technique. At the macroscale level, actin filaments up to hundreds of nanometers are assumed as isotropic and elastic beams and characterized via Rotation Translation Block (RTB) analysis. F-actin bound to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) shows a persistence length around 5 μm, while actin filaments bound to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) have a persistence length of about 3 μm. With magnesium bound to the high affinity binding site of G-actin, the persistence length of F-actin decreases to about 2 μm only in the ADP-bound form of the filament, while the same ion has no effects, in terms of stiffness variation, on the ATP-bound form of F-actin. The molecular mechanisms behind these changes in flexibility are herein elucidated. Thus, this study allows to analyze how the local binding of cations and nucleotides on G-actin induce molecular rearrangements that transmit to the overall F-actin, characterizing shifts of mechanical properties, that can be related with physiological and pathological cellular phenomena, as cell migration and spreading. Further, this study provides the basis for upcoming investigating of network and cellular remodelling at higher length scales.

  3. Molecular Modeling of Aerospace Polymer Matrices Including Carbon Nanotube-Enhanced Epoxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Radue, Matthew S.

    Carbon fiber (CF) composites are increasingly replacing metals used in major structural parts of aircraft, spacecraft, and automobiles. The current limitations of carbon fiber composites are addressed through computational material design by modeling the salient aerospace matrix materials. Molecular Dynamics (MD) models of epoxies with and without carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement and models of pure bismaleimides (BMIs) were developed to elucidate structure-property relationships for improved selection and tailoring of matrices. The influence of monomer functionality on the mechanical properties of epoxies is studied using the Reax Force Field (ReaxFF). From deformation simulations, the Young's modulus, yield point, and Poisson's ratio are calculated and analyzed. The results demonstrate an increase in stiffness and yield strength with increasing resin functionality. Comparison between the network structures of distinct epoxies is further advanced by the Monomeric Degree Index (MDI). Experimental validation demonstrates the MD results correctly predict the relationship in Young's moduli for all epoxies modeled. Therefore, the ReaxFF is confirmed to be a useful tool for studying the mechanical behavior of epoxies. While epoxies have been well-studied using MD, there has been no concerted effort to model cured BMI polymers due to the complexity of the network-forming reactions. A novel, adaptable crosslinking framework is developed for implementing 5 distinct cure reactions of Matrimid-5292 (a BMI resin) and investigating the network structure using MD simulations. The influence of different cure reactions and extent of curing are analyzed on the several thermo-mechanical properties such as mass density, glass transition temperature, coefficient of thermal expansion, elastic moduli, and thermal conductivity. The developed crosslinked models correctly predict experimentally observed trends for various properties. Finally, the epoxies modeled (di-, tri-, and tetra-functionalresins) are simulated with embedded CNT to understand how the affinity to nanoparticles affects the mechanical response. Multiscale modeling techniques are then employed to translate the molecular phenomena observed to predict the behavior of realistic composites. The effective stiffness of hybrid composites are predicted for CNT/epoxy composites with randomly oriented CNTs, for CF/CNT/epoxy systems with aligned CFs and randomly oriented CNTs, and for woven CF/CNT/epoxy fabric with randomly oriented CNTs. The results indicate that in the CNT/epoxy systems the epoxy type has a significant influence on the elastic properties. For the CF/CNT/epoxy hybrid composites, the axial modulus is highly influenced by CF concentration, while the transverse modulus is primarily affected by the CNT weight fraction.

  4. Enhanced dewaterability of sludge during anaerobic digestion with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment: New insights through structure evolution.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jingsi; Li, Ning; Dai, Xiaohu; Tao, Wenquan; Jenkinson, Ian R; Li, Zhuo

    2017-12-19

    Comprehensive insights into the sludge digestate dewaterability were gained through porous network structure of sludge. We measured the evolution of digestate dewaterability, represented by the solid content of centrifugally dewatered cake, in high-solids sequencing batch digesters with and without thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP). The results show that the dewaterability of the sludge after digestion was improved by 3.5% (±0.5%) for unpretreated sludge and 5.1% (±0.4%) for thermally hydrolyzed sludge. Compared to the unpretreated sludge digestate, thermal hydrolysis pretreatment eventually resulted in an improvement of dewaterability by 4.6% (±0.5%). Smaller particle size and larger surface area of sludge were induced by thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion treatments. The structure strength and compactness of sludge, represented by elastic modulus and fractal dimension respectively, decreased with increase of digestion time. The porous network structure was broken up by thermal hydrolysis pretreatment and was further weakened during anaerobic digestion, which correspondingly improved the dewaterability of digestates. The logarithm of elastic modulus increased linearly with fractal dimension regardless of the pretreatment. Both fractal dimension and elastic modulus showed linear relationship with dewaterability. The rheological characterization combined with the analysis of fractal dimension of sewage sludge porous network structure was found applicable in quantitative evaluation of sludge dewaterability, which depended positively on both thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Hydro-mechanical model for wetting/drying and fracture development in geomaterials

    DOE PAGES

    Asahina, D.; Houseworth, J. E.; Birkholzer, J. T.; ...

    2013-12-28

    This study presents a modeling approach for studying hydro-mechanical coupled processes, including fracture development, within geological formations. This is accomplished through the novel linking of two codes: TOUGH2, which is a widely used simulator of subsurface multiphase flow based on the finite volume method; and an implementation of the Rigid-Body-Spring Network (RBSN) method, which provides a discrete (lattice) representation of material elasticity and fracture development. The modeling approach is facilitated by a Voronoi-based discretization technique, capable of representing discrete fracture networks. The TOUGH–RBSN simulator is intended to predict fracture evolution, as well as mass transport through permeable media, under dynamicallymore » changing hydrologic and mechanical conditions. Numerical results are compared with those of two independent studies involving hydro-mechanical coupling: (1) numerical modeling of swelling stress development in bentonite; and (2) experimental study of desiccation cracking in a mining waste. The comparisons show good agreement with respect to moisture content, stress development with changes in pore pressure, and time to crack initiation. Finally, the observed relationship between material thickness and crack patterns (e.g., mean spacing of cracks) is captured by the proposed modeling approach.« less

  6. Effect of matrix elasticity on the continuous foaming of food models.

    PubMed

    Narchi, I; Vial, Ch; Djelveh, G

    2008-12-01

    The aim is to understand the effect of matrix elasticity on continuous foaming using food models based on glucose syrup. This was modified by adding polyacrylamide (PAA) with 2% whey protein isolate (WPI) or Tween 80 as foaming agents. Foaming was conducted in a stirred column. Rotation speed N and gas-to-liquid flow ratio (G/L) were varied. Overrun, average bubble size d (32), texture and stability were measured using densimetry, image analysis, and rheometry, respectively. Experimental results showed that 0.01% PAA did not modify the viscosity of 2% WPI models, but conferred low elastic behavior. PAA (0.05%) doubled matrix viscosity and drastically increased elasticity. The increase of elasticity became slower for further PAA addition. Foaming experiments demonstrated that theoretical overrun could not be achieved for inelastic WPI models in two cases: for high viscosity and low N, as dispersion effectiveness was reduced; for high G/L and N because of enhanced coalescence. Matrix elasticity was shown to increase overrun at constant viscosity for high G/L by enhancing interface stabilization. However, in elastic models, gas dispersion was more difficult and d (32) was higher than in inelastic fluids of similar viscosity. Finally, when the limiting step was dispersion, foaming was shown to be negatively affected by matrix elasticity.

  7. Classical Challenges in the Physical Chemistry of Polymer Networks and the Design of New Materials.

    PubMed

    Wang, Rui; Sing, Michelle K; Avery, Reginald K; Souza, Bruno S; Kim, Minkyu; Olsen, Bradley D

    2016-12-20

    Polymer networks are widely used from commodity to biomedical materials. The space-spanning, net-like structure gives polymer networks their advantageous mechanical and dynamic properties, the most essential factor that governs their responses to external electrical, thermal, and chemical stimuli. Despite the ubiquity of applications and a century of active research on these materials, the way that chemistry and processing interact to yield the final structure and the material properties of polymer networks is not fully understood, which leads to a number of classical challenges in the physical chemistry of gels. Fundamentally, it is not yet possible to quantitatively predict the mechanical response of a polymer network based on its chemical design, limiting our ability to understand and characterize the nanostructure of gels and rationally design new materials. In this Account, we summarize our recent theoretical and experimental approaches to study the physical chemistry of polymer networks. First, our understanding of the impact of molecular defects on topology and elasticity of polymer networks is discussed. By systematically incorporating the effects of different orders of loop structure, we develop a kinetic graph theory and real elastic network theory that bridge the chemical design, the network topology, and the mechanical properties of the gel. These theories show good agreement with the recent experimental data without any fitting parameters. Next, associative polymer gel dynamics is discussed, focusing on our evolving understanding of the effect of transient bonds on the mechanical response. Using forced Rayleigh scattering (FRS), we are able to probe diffusivity across a wide range of length and time scales in gels. A superdiffusive region is observed in different associative network systems, which can be captured by a two-state kinetic model. Further, the effects of the architecture and chemistry of polymer chains on gel nanostructure are studied. By incorporating shear-thinning coiled-coil protein motifs into the midblock of a micelle-forming block copolymer, we are able to responsively adjust the gel toughness through controlling the nanostructure. Finally, we review the development of novel application-oriented materials that emerge from our enhanced understanding of gel physical chemistry, including injectable gel hemostats designed to treat internal wounds and engineered nucleoporin-like polypeptide (NLP) hydrogels that act as biologically selective filters. We believe that the fundamental physical chemistry questions articulated in this Account will provide inspiration to fully understand the design of polymer networks, a group of mysterious yet critically important materials.

  8. Exascale Virtualized and Programmable Distributed Cyber Resource Control: Final Scientific Technical Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yoo, S.J.Ben; Lauer, Gregory S.

    Extreme-science drives the need for distributed exascale processing and communications that are carefully, yet flexibly, managed. Exponential growth of data for scientific simulations, experimental data, collaborative data analyses, remote visualization and GRID computing requirements of scientists in fields as diverse as high energy physics, climate change, genomics, fusion, synchrotron radiation, material science, medicine, and other scientific disciplines cannot be accommodated by simply applying existing transport protocols to faster pipes. Further, scientific challenges today demand diverse research teams, heightening the need for and increasing the complexity of collaboration. To address these issues within the network layer and physical layer, we havemore » performed a number of research activities surrounding effective allocation and management of elastic optical network (EON) resources, particularly focusing on FlexGrid transponders. FlexGrid transponders support the opportunity to build Layer-1 connections at a wide range of bandwidths and to reconfigure them rapidly. The new flexibility supports complex new ways of using the physical layer that must be carefully managed and hidden from the scientist end-users. FlexGrid networks utilize flexible (or elastic) spectral bandwidths for each data link without using fixed wavelength grids. The flexibility in spectrum allocation brings many appealing features to network operations. Current networks are designed for the worst case impairments in transmission performance and the assigned spectrum is over-provisioned. In contrast, the FlexGrid networks can operate with the highest spectral efficiency and minimum bandwidth for the given traffic demand while meeting the minimum quality of transmission (QoT) requirement. Two primary focuses of our research are: (1) resource and spectrum allocation (RSA) for IP traffic over EONs, and (2) RSA for cross-domain optical networks. Previous work concentrates primarily on large file transfers within a single domain. Adding support for IP traffic changes the nature of the RSA problem: instead of choosing to accept or deny each request for network support, IP traffic is inherently elastic and thus lends itself to a bandwidth maximization formulation. We developed a number of algorithms that could be easily deployed within existing and new FlexGrid networks, leading to networks that better support scientific collaboration. Cross-domain RSA research is essential to support large-scale FlexGrid networks, since configuration information is generally not shared or coordinated across domains. The results presented here are in their early stages. They are technically feasible and practical, but still require coordination among organizations and equipment owners and a higher-layer framework for managing network requests.« less

  9. Predicting Structure-Function Relations and Survival following Surgical and Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Treatment of Emphysema.

    PubMed

    Mondoñedo, Jarred R; Suki, Béla

    2017-02-01

    Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (bLVR) are palliative treatments aimed at reducing hyperinflation in advanced emphysema. Previous work has evaluated functional improvements and survival advantage for these techniques, although their effects on the micromechanical environment in the lung have yet to be determined. Here, we introduce a computational model to simulate a force-based destruction of elastic networks representing emphysema progression, which we use to track the response to lung volume reduction via LVRS and bLVR. We find that (1) LVRS efficacy can be predicted based on pre-surgical network structure; (2) macroscopic functional improvements following bLVR are related to microscopic changes in mechanical force heterogeneity; and (3) both techniques improve aspects of survival and quality of life influenced by lung compliance, albeit while accelerating disease progression. Our model predictions yield unique insights into the microscopic origins underlying emphysema progression before and after lung volume reduction.

  10. Predicting Structure-Function Relations and Survival following Surgical and Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Treatment of Emphysema

    PubMed Central

    Mondoñedo, Jarred R.

    2017-01-01

    Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (bLVR) are palliative treatments aimed at reducing hyperinflation in advanced emphysema. Previous work has evaluated functional improvements and survival advantage for these techniques, although their effects on the micromechanical environment in the lung have yet to be determined. Here, we introduce a computational model to simulate a force-based destruction of elastic networks representing emphysema progression, which we use to track the response to lung volume reduction via LVRS and bLVR. We find that (1) LVRS efficacy can be predicted based on pre-surgical network structure; (2) macroscopic functional improvements following bLVR are related to microscopic changes in mechanical force heterogeneity; and (3) both techniques improve aspects of survival and quality of life influenced by lung compliance, albeit while accelerating disease progression. Our model predictions yield unique insights into the microscopic origins underlying emphysema progression before and after lung volume reduction. PMID:28182686

  11. Cytoskeletal Mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mofrad, Mohammad R. K.; Kamm, Roger D.

    2011-08-01

    1. Introduction and the biological basis for cell mechanics Mohammad R. K. Mofrad and Roger Kamm; 2. Experimental measurements of intracellular mechanics Paul Janmey and Christoph Schmidt; 3. The cytoskeleton as a soft glassy material Jeffrey Fredberg and Ben Fabry; 4. Continuum elastic or viscoelastic models for the cell Mohammad R. K. Mofrad, Helene Karcher and Roger Kamm; 5. Multiphasic models of cell mechanics Farshid Guuilak, Mansoor A. Haider, Lori A. Setton, Tod A. Laursen and Frank P. T. Baaijens; 6. Models of cytoskeletal mechanics based on tensegrity Dimitrije Stamenovic; 7. Cells, gels and mechanics Gerald H. Pollack; 8. Polymer-based models of cytoskeletal networks F. C. MacKintosh; 9. Cell dynamics and the actin cytoskeleton James L. McGrath and C. Forbes Dewey, Jr; 10. Active cellular motion: continuum theories and models Marc Herant and Micah Dembo; 11. Summary Mohammad R. K. Mofrad and Roger Kamm.

  12. Three-Dimensional Computer-Assisted Two-Layer Elastic Models of the Face.

    PubMed

    Ueda, Koichi; Shigemura, Yuka; Otsuki, Yuki; Fuse, Asuka; Mitsuno, Daisuke

    2017-11-01

    To make three-dimensional computer-assisted elastic models for the face, we decided on five requirements: (1) an elastic texture like skin and subcutaneous tissue; (2) the ability to take pen marking for incisions; (3) the ability to be cut with a surgical knife; (4) the ability to keep stitches in place for a long time; and (5) a layered structure. After testing many elastic solvents, we have made realistic three-dimensional computer-assisted two-layer elastic models of the face and cleft lip from the computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging stereolithographic data. The surface layer is made of polyurethane and the inner layer is silicone. Using this elastic model, we taught residents and young doctors how to make several typical local flaps and to perform cheiloplasty. They could experience realistic simulated surgery and understand three-dimensional movement of the flaps.

  13. A mathematical model to describe the nonlinear elastic properties of the gastrocnemius tendon of chickens.

    PubMed

    Foutz, T L

    1991-03-01

    A phenomenological model was developed to describe the nonlinear elastic behavior of the avian gastrocnemius tendon. Quasistatic uniaxial tensile tests were used to apply a deformation and resulting load on the tendon at a deformation rate of 5 mm/min. Plots of deformation versus load indicated a nonlinear loading response. By calculating engineering stress and engineering strain, the experimental data were normalized for tendon shape. The elastic response was determined from stress-strain curves and was found to vary with engineering strain. The response to the applied engineering strain could best be described by a mathematical model that combined a linear function and a nonlinear function. Three parameters in the model were developed to represent the nonlinear elastic behavior of the tendon, thereby allowing analysis of elasticity without prior knowledge of engineering strain. This procedure reduced the amount of data needed for the statistical analysis of nonlinear elasticity.

  14. Irrigation water demand: A meta-analysis of price elasticities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scheierling, Susanne M.; Loomis, John B.; Young, Robert A.

    2006-01-01

    Metaregression models are estimated to investigate sources of variation in empirical estimates of the price elasticity of irrigation water demand. Elasticity estimates are drawn from 24 studies reported in the United States since 1963, including mathematical programming, field experiments, and econometric studies. The mean price elasticity is 0.48. Long-run elasticities, those that are most useful for policy purposes, are likely larger than the mean estimate. Empirical results suggest that estimates may be more elastic if they are derived from mathematical programming or econometric studies and calculated at a higher irrigation water price. Less elastic estimates are found to be derived from models based on field experiments and in the presence of high-valued crops.

  15. Tailoring chain length and cross-link density in dielectric elastomer toward enhanced actuation strain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Quan-Ping; Liu, Jun-Hua; Liu, Hai-Dong; Jia, Fei; Zhou, Yuan-Lin; Zheng, Jian

    2017-10-01

    Adding ceramic or conductive fillers into polymers for increasing permittivity is a direct and effective approach to enhance the actuation strain of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). Unfortunately, the major dielectric loss caused by weak interfaces potentially harms the electro-mechanical stability and lifetime of DEAs. Here, we construct a desired macromolecular network with a long chain length and low cross-link density to reduce the elastic modulus of silicone elastomers. Selecting a high molecular weight of polymethylvinylsiloxane and a low dose of the cross-linker leads the soft but tough networks with rich entanglements, poor cross-links, and a low amount of defects. Then, a ductile material with low elastic modulus but high elongation at break is obtained. It accounts for much more excellent actuation strain of Hl in comparison to that of the other silicone elastomers. Importantly, without other fillers, the ultralow dielectric loss, conductivity, and firm networks possibly promote the electro-mechanical stability and lifetime for the DEA application.

  16. Elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials in the phase-field crystal model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zi-Le; Huang, Zhi-Feng; Liu, Zhirong

    2018-04-01

    A general procedure is developed to investigate the elastic response and calculate the elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials through continuum field modeling, particularly the phase-field crystal (PFC) models. It is found that for a complete description of system response to elastic deformation, the variations of all the quantities of lattice wave vectors, their density amplitudes (including the corresponding anisotropic variation and degeneracy breaking), the average atomic density, and system volume should be incorporated. The quantitative and qualitative results of elastic constant calculations highly depend on the physical interpretation of the density field used in the model, and also importantly, on the intrinsic pressure that usually pre-exists in the model system. A formulation based on thermodynamics is constructed to account for the effects caused by constant pre-existing stress during the homogeneous elastic deformation, through the introducing of a generalized Gibbs free energy and an effective finite strain tensor used for determining the elastic constants. The elastic properties of both solid and liquid states can be well produced by this unified approach, as demonstrated by an analysis for the liquid state and numerical evaluations for the bcc solid phase. The numerical calculations of bcc elastic constants and Poisson's ratio through this method generate results that are consistent with experimental conditions, and better match the data of bcc Fe given by molecular dynamics simulations as compared to previous work. The general theory developed here is applicable to the study of different types of stressed or unstressed material systems under elastic deformation.

  17. A Nonlinear Elasticity Model of Macromolecular Conformational Change Induced by Electrostatic Forces

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Y. C.; Holst, Michael; McCammon, J. Andrew

    2008-01-01

    In this paper we propose a nonlinear elasticity model of macromolecular conformational change (deformation) induced by electrostatic forces generated by an implicit solvation model. The Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the electrostatic potential is analyzed in a domain varying with the elastic deformation of molecules, and a new continuous model of the electrostatic forces is developed to ensure solvability of the nonlinear elasticity equations. We derive the estimates of electrostatic forces corresponding to four types of perturbations to an electrostatic potential field, and establish the existance of an equilibrium configuration using a fixed-point argument, under the assumption that the change in the ionic strength and charges due to the additional molecules causing the deformation are sufficiently small. The results are valid for elastic models with arbitrarily complex dielectric interfaces and cavities, and can be generalized to large elastic deformation caused by high ionic strength, large charges, and strong external fields by using continuation methods. PMID:19461946

  18. Chemically defined, ultrasoft PDMS elastomers with selectable elasticity for mechanobiology

    PubMed Central

    Heinrichs, Viktor; Dieluweit, Sabine; Stellbrink, Jörg; Pyckhout-Hintzen, Wim; Hersch, Nils; Richter, Dieter

    2018-01-01

    Living animal cells are strongly influenced by the mechanical properties of their environment. To model physiological conditions ultrasoft cell culture substrates, in some instances with elasticity (Young's modulus) of only 1 kPa, are mandatory. Due to their long shelf life PDMS-based elastomers are a popular choice. However, uncertainty about additives in commercial formulations and difficulties to reach very soft materials limit their use. Here, we produced silicone elastomers from few, chemically defined and commercially available substances. Elastomers exhibited elasticities in the range from 1 kPa to 55 kPa. In detail, a high molecular weight (155 kg/mol), vinyl-terminated linear silicone was crosslinked with a multifunctional (f = 51) crosslinker (a copolymer of dimethyl siloxane and hydrosilane) by a platinum catalyst. The following different strategies towards ultrasoft materials were explored: sparse crosslinking, swelling with inert silicone polymers, and, finally, deliberate introduction of dangling ends into the network (inhibition). Rheological experiments with very low frequencies led to precise viscoelastic characterizations. All strategies enabled tuning of stiffness with the lowest stiffness of ~1 kPa reached by inhibition. This system was also most practical to use. Biocompatibility of materials was tested using primary cortical neurons from rats. Even after several days of cultivation no adverse effects were found. PMID:29624610

  19. A Reformulation of Nonlinear Anisotropic Elasticity for Impact Physics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-02-01

    aluminum, copper, and magnesium . 15. SUBJECT TERMS impact physics, shock compression, elasticity, plasticity 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17... deformation wave propagation code accounting for dissipative inelastic mechanisms. • Accuracy of the new nonlinear elastic- plastic model(s) will be...gradient and its transpose. A new general thermomechanical theory accounting for both elastic and plastic deformations has been briefly outlined in

  20. A kirigami approach to engineering elasticity in nanocomposites through patterned defects.

    PubMed

    Shyu, Terry C; Damasceno, Pablo F; Dodd, Paul M; Lamoureux, Aaron; Xu, Lizhi; Shlian, Matthew; Shtein, Max; Glotzer, Sharon C; Kotov, Nicholas A

    2015-08-01

    Efforts to impart elasticity and multifunctionality in nanocomposites focus mainly on integrating polymeric and nanoscale components. Yet owing to the stochastic emergence and distribution of strain-concentrating defects and to the stiffening of nanoscale components at high strains, such composites often possess unpredictable strain-property relationships. Here, by taking inspiration from kirigami—the Japanese art of paper cutting—we show that a network of notches made in rigid nanocomposite and other composite sheets by top-down patterning techniques prevents unpredictable local failure and increases the ultimate strain of the sheets from 4 to 370%. We also show that the sheets' tensile behaviour can be accurately predicted through finite-element modelling. Moreover, in marked contrast to other stretchable conductors, the electrical conductance of the stretchable kirigami sheets is maintained over the entire strain regime, and we demonstrate their use to tune plasma-discharge phenomena. The unique properties of kirigami nanocomposites as plasma electrodes open up a wide range of novel technological solutions for stretchable electronics and optoelectronic devices, among other application possibilities.

  1. Experimental Investigation of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Silica Nanoparticle-Reinforced Poly(acrylamide) Nanocomposite Hydrogels

    PubMed Central

    O’Brien, Victor; Chang, Andrew; Blanco, Matthew; Zabalegui, Aitor; Lee, Hohyun; Asuri, Prashanth

    2015-01-01

    Current studies investigating properties of nanoparticle-reinforced polymers have shown that nanocomposites often exhibit improved properties compared to neat polymers. However, over two decades of research, using both experimental studies and modeling analyses, has not fully elucidated the mechanistic underpinnings behind these enhancements. Moreover, few studies have focused on developing an understanding among two or more polymer properties affected by incorporation of nanomaterials. In our study, we investigated the elastic and thermal properties of poly(acrylamide) hydrogels containing silica nanoparticles. Both nanoparticle concentration and size affected hydrogel properties, with similar trends in enhancements observed for elastic modulus and thermal diffusivity. We also observed significantly lower swellability for hydrogel nanocomposites relative to neat hydrogels, consistent with previous work suggesting that nanoparticles can mediate pseudo crosslinking within polymer networks. Collectively, these results indicate the ability to develop next-generation composite materials with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties by increasing the average crosslinking density using nanoparticles. PMID:26301505

  2. Hardness, elastic, and electronic properties of chromium monoboride

    DOE PAGES

    Han, Lei; Wang, Shanmin; Zhu, Jinlong; ...

    2015-06-03

    Here, we report high-pressure synthesis of chromium monoboride (CrB) at 6 GPa and 1400 K. The elastic and plastic behaviors have been investigated by hydrostatic compression experiment and micro-indentation measurement. CrB is elastically incompressible with a high bulk modulus of 269.0 (5.9) GPa and exhibits a high Vickers hardness of 19.6 (0.7) GPa under the load of 1 kg force. Based on first principles calculations, the observed mechanical properties are attributed to the polar covalent Cr-B bonds interconnected with strong zigzag B-B covalent bonding network. The presence of metallic Cr bilayers is presumably responsible for the weakest paths in shearmore » deformation.« less

  3. A theoretical and computational framework for mechanics of the cortex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres-SáNchez, Alejandro; Arroyo, Marino

    The cell cortex is a thin network of actin filaments lying beneath the cell surface of animal cells. Myosin motors exert contractile forces in this network leading to active stresses, which play a key role in processes such as cytokinesis or cell migration. Thus, understanding the mechanics of the cortex is fundamental to understand the mechanics of animal cells. Due to the dynamic remodeling of the actin network, the cortex behaves as a viscoelastic fluid. Furthermore, due to the difference between its thickness (tens of nanometers) and its dimensions (tens of microns), the cortex can be regarded a surface. Thus, we can model the cortex as a viscoelastic fluid, confined to a surface, that generates active stresses. Interestingly, geometric confinement results in the coupling between shape generation and material flows. In this work we present a theoretical framework to model the mechanics of the cortex that couples elasticity, hydrodynamics and force generation. We complement our theoretical description with a computational setting to simulate the resulting non-linear equations. We use this methodology to understand different processes such as asymmetric cell division or experimental probing of the rheology of the cortex We acknowledge the support of the Europen Research Council through Grant ERC CoG-681434.

  4. Neural Plasticity and Memory: Is Memory Encoded in Hydrogen Bonding Patterns?

    PubMed

    Amtul, Zareen; Rahman, Atta-Ur

    2016-02-01

    Current models of memory storage recognize posttranslational modification vital for short-term and mRNA translation for long-lasting information storage. However, at the molecular level things are quite vague. A comprehensive review of the molecular basis of short and long-lasting synaptic plasticity literature leads us to propose that the hydrogen bonding pattern at the molecular level may be a permissive, vital step of memory storage. Therefore, we propose that the pattern of hydrogen bonding network of biomolecules (glycoproteins and/or DNA template, for instance) at the synapse is the critical edifying mechanism essential for short- and long-term memories. A novel aspect of this model is that nonrandom impulsive (or unplanned) synaptic activity functions as a synchronized positive-feedback rehearsal mechanism by revising the configurations of the hydrogen bonding network by tweaking the earlier tailored hydrogen bonds. This process may also maintain the elasticity of the related synapses involved in memory storage, a characteristic needed for such networks to alter intricacy and revise endlessly. The primary purpose of this review is to stimulate the efforts to elaborate the mechanism of neuronal connectivity both at molecular and chemical levels. © The Author(s) 2014.

  5. A Viscoelastic earthquake simulator with application to the San Francisco Bay region

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pollitz, Fred F.

    2009-01-01

    Earthquake simulation on synthetic fault networks carries great potential for characterizing the statistical patterns of earthquake occurrence. I present an earthquake simulator based on elastic dislocation theory. It accounts for the effects of interseismic tectonic loading, static stress steps at the time of earthquakes, and postearthquake stress readjustment through viscoelastic relaxation of the lower crust and mantle. Earthquake rupture initiation and termination are determined with a Coulomb failure stress criterion and the static cascade model. The simulator is applied to interacting multifault systems: one, a synthetic two-fault network, and the other, a fault network representative of the San Francisco Bay region. The faults are discretized both along strike and along dip and can accommodate both strike slip and dip slip. Stress and seismicity functions are evaluated over 30,000 yr trial time periods, resulting in a detailed statistical characterization of the fault systems. Seismicity functions such as the coefficient of variation and a- and b-values exhibit systematic patterns with respect to simple model parameters. This suggests that reliable estimation of the controlling parameters of an earthquake simulator is a prerequisite to the interpretation of its output in terms of seismic hazard.

  6. Tensegrity and motor-driven effective interactions in a model cytoskeleton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Shenshen; Wolynes, Peter G.

    2012-04-01

    Actomyosin networks are major structural components of the cell. They provide mechanical integrity and allow dynamic remodeling of eukaryotic cells, self-organizing into the diverse patterns essential for development. We provide a theoretical framework to investigate the intricate interplay between local force generation, network connectivity, and collective action of molecular motors. This framework is capable of accommodating both regular and heterogeneous pattern formation, arrested coarsening and macroscopic contraction in a unified manner. We model the actomyosin system as a motorized cat's cradle consisting of a crosslinked network of nonlinear elastic filaments subjected to spatially anti-correlated motor kicks acting on motorized (fibril) crosslinks. The phase diagram suggests there can be arrested phase separation which provides a natural explanation for the aggregation and coalescence of actomyosin condensates. Simulation studies confirm the theoretical picture that a nonequilibrium many-body system driven by correlated motor kicks can behave as if it were at an effective equilibrium, but with modified interactions that account for the correlation of the motor driven motions of the actively bonded nodes. Regular aster patterns are observed both in Brownian dynamics simulations at effective equilibrium and in the complete stochastic simulations. The results show that large-scale contraction requires correlated kicking.

  7. Torsional vibration measurements on rotating shaft system using laser doppler vibrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiang, Ling; Yang, Shixi; Gan, Chunbiao

    2012-11-01

    In this work, a laser torsional vibrameter was used to measure the torsion vibration of a rotating shaft system under electrical network impact. Based on the principles of laser Doppler velocimetry, the laser torsional vibrometer (LTV) are non-contact measurement of torsional oscillation of rotating shafts, offering significant advantages over conventional techniques. Furthermore, a highly complex shafting system is analyzed by a modified Riccati torsional transfer matrix. The system is modeled as a chain consisting of an elastic spring with concentrated mass points, and the multi-segments lumped mass model is established for this shafting system. By the modified Riccati torsional transfer matrix method, an accumulated calculation is effectively eliminated to obtain the natural frequencies. The electrical network impacts can activize the torsional vibration of shaft system, and the activized torsion vibration frequencies contained the natural frequencies of shaft system. The torsional vibrations of the shaft system were measured under electrical network impacts in laser Doppler torsional vibrometer. By comparisons, the natural frequencies by measurement were consistent with the values by calculation. The results verify the instrument is robust, user friendly and can be calibrated in situ. The laser torsional vibrometer represents a significant step forward in rotating machinery diagnostics.

  8. Multicasting based optical inverse multiplexing in elastic optical network.

    PubMed

    Guo, Bingli; Xu, Yingying; Zhu, Paikun; Zhong, Yucheng; Chen, Yuanxiang; Li, Juhao; Chen, Zhangyuan; He, Yongqi

    2014-06-16

    Optical multicasting based inverse multiplexing (IM) is introduced in spectrum allocation of elastic optical network to resolve the spectrum fragmentation problem, where superchannels could be split and fit into several discrete spectrum blocks in the intermediate node. We experimentally demonstrate it with a 1-to-7 optical superchannel multicasting module and selecting/coupling components. Also, simulation results show that, comparing with several emerging spectrum defragmentation solutions (e.g., spectrum conversion, split spectrum), IM could reduce blocking performance significantly but without adding too much system complexity as split spectrum. On the other hand, service fairness for traffic with different granularity of these schemes is investigated for the first time and it shows that IM performs better than spectrum conversion and almost as well as split spectrum, especially for smaller size traffic under light traffic intensity.

  9. Ab initio elastic tensor of cubic Ti0.5Al0.5N alloys: Dependence of elastic constants on size and shape of the supercell model and their convergence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tasnádi, Ferenc; Odén, M.; Abrikosov, Igor A.

    2012-04-01

    In this study we discuss the performance of the special quasirandom structure (SQS) method in predicting the elastic properties of B1 (rocksalt) Ti0.5Al0.5N alloy. We use a symmetry-based projection technique, which gives the closest cubic approximate of the elastic tensor and allows us to align the SQSs of different shapes and sizes for a comparison in modeling elastic tensors. We show that the derived closest cubic approximate of the elastic tensor converges faster with respect to SQS size than the elastic tensor itself. That establishes a less demanding computational strategy to achieve convergence for the elastic constants. We determine the cubic elastic constants (Cij) and Zener's type elastic anisotropy (A) of Ti0.5Al0.5N. Optimal supercells, which capture accurately both the configurational disorder and cubic symmetry of elastic tensor, result in C11=447 GPa, C12=158 GPa, and C44=203 GPa with 3% of error and A=1.40 with 6% of error. In addition, we establish the general importance of selecting proper SQS with symmetry arguments to reliably model elasticity of alloys. We suggest the calculation of nine elastic tensor elements: C11, C22, C33, C12, C13, C23, C44, C55, and C66, to analyze the performance of SQSs and predict elastic constants of cubic alloys. The described methodology is general enough to be extended for alloys with other symmetry at arbitrary composition.

  10. Approach to the unfolding and folding dynamics of add A-riboswitch upon adenine dissociation using a coarse-grained elastic network model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Chunhua; Lv, Dashuai; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Feng; Wang, Cunxin; Su, Jiguo; Zhang, Yang

    2016-07-01

    Riboswitches are noncoding mRNA segments that can regulate the gene expression via altering their structures in response to specific metabolite binding. We proposed a coarse-grained Gaussian network model (GNM) to examine the unfolding and folding dynamics of adenosine deaminase (add) A-riboswitch upon the adenine dissociation, in which the RNA is modeled by a nucleotide chain with interaction networks formed by connecting adjoining atomic contacts. It was shown that the adenine binding is critical to the folding of the add A-riboswitch while the removal of the ligand can result in drastic increase of the thermodynamic fluctuations especially in the junction regions between helix domains. Under the assumption that the native contacts with the highest thermodynamic fluctuations break first, the iterative GNM simulations showed that the unfolding process of the adenine-free add A-riboswitch starts with the denature of the terminal helix stem, followed by the loops and junctions involving ligand binding pocket, and then the central helix domains. Despite the simplified coarse-grained modeling, the unfolding dynamics and pathways are shown in close agreement with the results from atomic-level MD simulations and the NMR and single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments. Overall, the study demonstrates a new avenue to investigate the binding and folding dynamics of add A-riboswitch molecule which can be readily extended for other RNA molecules.

  11. Nonlinear Acoustic Landmine Detection: Profiling Soil Surface Vibrations and Modeling Mesoscopic Elastic Behavior

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-05-04

    TITLE AND SUBTITLE Nonlinear Acoustic Landmine Detection: Profiling Soil Surface Vibrations and Modeling Mesoscopic Elastic Behavior 6. AUTHOR(S...project report; no. 352 (2007) NONLINEAR ACOUSTIC LANDMINE DETECTION: PROFILING SOIL SURFACE VIBRATIONS AND MODELING MESOSCOPIC ELASTIC... model (Caughey 1966). Nonlinear acoustic landmine detection experiments are performed in the anechoic chamber facility using both a buried acrylic

  12. Enhancing Electrophoretic Display Lifetime: Thiol-Polybutadiene Evaporation Barrier Property Response to Network Microstructure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cook, Caitlyn Christian

    An evaporation barrier is required to enhance the lifetime of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) displays. As EPD functions on the basis of reversible deposition and resuspension of colloids suspended in a solvent, evaporation of the solvent ultimately leads to device failure. Incorporation of a thiol-polybutadiene elastomer into EPD displays enabled display lifetime surpassing six months in counting and catalyzed rigid display transition into a flexible package. Final flexible display transition to mass production compels an electronic-ink approach to encapsulate display suspension within an elastomer shell. Final thiol-polybutadiene photosensitive resin network microstructure was idealized to be dense, homogeneous, and expose an elasticmore » response to deformation. Research at hand details an approach to understanding microstructural change within display elastomers. Polybutadiene-based resin properties are modified via polymer chain structure, with and without added aromatic urethane methacrylate difunctionality, and in measuring network response to variation in thiol and initiator concentration. Dynamic mechanical analysis results signify that cross-linked segments within a difunctionalized polybutadiene network were on average eight times more elastically active than that of linked segments within a non-functionalized polybutadiene network. Difunctionalized polybutadiene samples also showed a 2.5 times greater maximum elastic modulus than non-functionalized samples. Hybrid polymer composed of both polybutadiene chains encompassed TE-2000 stiffness and B-1000 elasticity for use in encapsulating display suspension. Later experiments measured kinetic and rheological response due to alteration in dithiol cross-linker chain length via real time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and real-time dynamic rheology. Distinct differences were discovered between dithiol resin systems, as maximum thiol conversion achieved in short and long chain length dithiols was 86% and 11%, respectively. Oscillatory real-time rheological experiments confirmed a more uniform network to better dissipate applied shear in short chain length dithiol systems, as long chain length dithiols relayed a steep internal stress build-up due to less cross-links and chain entanglements. Thorough understanding of network formation aids the production of a stronger and impermeable elastomeric barrier for preservation of EPD displays.« less

  13. Modeling the controllable pH-responsive swelling and pore size of networked alginate based biomaterials.

    PubMed

    Chan, Ariel W; Neufeld, Ronald J

    2009-10-01

    Semisynthetic network alginate polymer (SNAP), synthesized by acetalization of linear alginate with di-aldehyde, is a pH-responsive tetrafunctionally linked 3D gel network, and has potential application in oral delivery of protein therapeutics and active biologicals, and as tissue bioscaffold for regenerative medicine. A constitutive polyelectrolyte gel model based on non-Gaussian polymer elasticity, Flory-Huggins liquid lattice theory, and non-ideal Donnan membrane equilibria was derived, to describe SNAP gel swelling in dilute and ionic solutions containing uni-univalent, uni-bivalent, bi-univalent or bi-bi-valent electrolyte solutions. Flory-Huggins interaction parameters as a function of ionic strength and characteristic ratio of alginates of various molecular weights were determined experimentally to numerically predict SNAP hydrogel swelling. SNAP hydrogel swells pronouncedly to 1000 times in dilute solution, compared to its compact polymer volume, while behaving as a neutral polymer with limited swelling in high ionic strength or low pH solutions. The derived model accurately describes the pH-responsive swelling of SNAP hydrogel in acid and alkaline solutions of wide range of ionic strength. The pore sizes of the synthesized SNAP hydrogels of various crosslink densities were estimated from the derived model to be in the range of 30-450 nm which were comparable to that measured by thermoporometry, and diffusion of bovine serum albumin. The derived equilibrium swelling model can characterize hydrogel structure such as molecular weight between crosslinks and crosslinking density, or can be used as predictive model for swelling, pore size and mechanical properties if gel structural information is known, and can potentially be applied to other point-link network polyelectrolytes such as hyaluronic acid gel.

  14. Surface adsorption and hopping cause probe-size-dependent microrheology of actin networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Jun; Tang, Jay X.

    2011-04-01

    A network of filaments formed primarily by the abundant cytoskeletal protein actin gives animal cells their shape and elasticity. The rheological properties of reconstituted actin networks have been studied by tracking micron-sized probe beads embedded within the networks. We investigate how microrheology depends on surface properties of probe particles by varying the stickiness of their surface. For this purpose, we chose carboxylate polystyrene (PS) beads, silica beads, bovine serum albumin (BSA) -coated PS beads, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) -grafted PS beads, which show descending stickiness to actin filaments, characterized by confocal imaging and microrheology. Probe size dependence of microrheology is observed for all four types of beads. For the slippery PEG beads, particle-tracking microrheology detects weaker networks using smaller beads, which tend to diffuse through the network by hopping from one confinement “cage” to another. This trend is reversed for the other three types of beads, for which microrheology measures stiffer networks for smaller beads due to physisorption of nearby filaments to the bead surface. We explain the probe size dependence with two simple models. We also evaluate depletion effect near nonadsorption bead surface using quantitative image analysis and discuss the possible impact of depletion on microrheology. Analysis of these effects is necessary in order to accurately define the actin network rheology both in vitro and in vivo.

  15. Networks 90: Polymer Networks Group Meeting (10th) and IUPAC international Symposium on Polymer Networks (10th) Held in Jerusalem on 20-25 May 1990. Programme and Abstracts

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-05-25

    INCLUDING ORIENTATIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHAIN SEGMENTS B. Deloche, E.T. Samulski (France, USA) CHAIN SEGMENT ORDERING IN STRAINED BIMODAL P-2 PDMS...theory of elastomers is difficult because it requires a detailed study of many body interactions . A theory of elasticity must address the following: (1...a Kirchhoff matrix which describes the connectivity of the network (Kc) or the linear chains (Ku). The nonbonded interactions are handled with the

  16. Cross-Linker Unbinding and Self-Similarity in Bundled Cytoskeletal Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lieleg, O.; Bausch, A. R.

    2007-10-01

    The macromechanical properties of purely bundled in vitro actin networks are not only determined by the micromechanical properties of individual bundles but also by molecular unbinding events of the actin-binding protein (ABP) fascin. Under high mechanical load the network elasticity depends on the forced unbinding of individual ABPs in a rate dependent manner. Cross-linker unbinding in combination with the structural self-similarity of the network enables the introduction of a concentration-time superposition principle—broadening the mechanically accessible frequency range over 8 orders of magnitude.

  17. Silk Electrogel Rheology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tabatabai, A. P.; Urbach, J. S.; Blair, D. L.; Kaplan, D. L.

    2014-03-01

    We present experimental results on the rheology on electrogels derived from aqueous solutions of reconstituted Bombyx Mori silk fibroin protein. Through electrochemistry, the silk protein solution develops local pH changes resulting in the assembly of protein into a weak gel. We determine the physical properties of the electrogels by performing rheology and observe that they exhibit the characteristics of a crosslinked biopolymer network. Interestingly, we find that these silk gels exhibit linear elasticity over a range of up to two orders of magnitude larger than most crosslinked biopolymer networks. Moreover, the nonlinear rheology exhibits a strain-stiffening behavior that is fundamentally different than the strain-stiffening observed in crosslinked biopolymers. Through rheological techniques we aim to understand this distinctive material that cannot be explained by current polymeric models. This work is supported by a grant from the AFOSR FA9550-07-1-0130.

  18. Experimental observations of root growth in a controlled photoelastic granular material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barés, Jonathan; Mora, Serge; Delenne, Jean-Yves; Fourcaud, Thierry

    2017-06-01

    We present a novel root observation apparatus capable of measuring the mechanical evolution of both the root network and the surrounding granular medium. The apparatus consists of 11 parallel growth frames, two of them being shearable, where the roots grow inside a photo-elastic or glass granular medium sandwiched between two pieces of glass. An automated system waters the plant and image each frame periodically in white light and between crossed polarisers. This makes it possible to follow (i) the root tips and (ii) the grain displacements as well as (iii) their inner pressure. We show how a root networks evolve in a granular medium and how it can mechanically stabilize it. This constitutes a model experiment to move forward in the understanding of the complex interaction between root growth and surrounding soil mechanical evolution.

  19. Routing and spectrum assignment based on ant colony optimization of minimum consecutiveness loss in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Fu; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Lijia; Xin, Xiangjun; Tian, Qinghua; Zhang, Qi; Rao, Lan; Tian, Feng; Luo, Biao; Liu, Yingjun; Tang, Bao

    2016-10-01

    Elastic Optical Networks are considered to be a promising technology for future high-speed network. In this paper, we propose a RSA algorithm based on the ant colony optimization of minimum consecutiveness loss (ACO-MCL). Based on the effect of the spectrum consecutiveness loss on the pheromone in the ant colony optimization, the path and spectrum of the minimal impact on the network are selected for the service request. When an ant arrives at the destination node from the source node along a path, we assume that this path is selected for the request. We calculate the consecutiveness loss of candidate-neighbor link pairs along this path after the routing and spectrum assignment. Then, the networks update the pheromone according to the value of the consecutiveness loss. We save the path with the smallest value. After multiple iterations of the ant colony optimization, the final selection of the path is assigned for the request. The algorithms are simulated in different networks. The results show that ACO-MCL algorithm performs better in blocking probability and spectrum efficiency than other algorithms. Moreover, the ACO-MCL algorithm can effectively decrease spectrum fragmentation and enhance available spectrum consecutiveness. Compared with other algorithms, the ACO-MCL algorithm can reduce the blocking rate by at least 5.9% in heavy load.

  20. Near field effect on elasticity measurement for cartilage-bone structure using Lamb wave method.

    PubMed

    Xu, Hao; Chen, Shigao; An, Kai-Nan; Luo, Zong-Ping

    2017-10-30

    Cartilage elasticity changes with cartilage degeneration. Hence, cartilage elasticity detection might be an alternative to traditional imaging methods for the early diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Based on the wave propagation measurement, Shear wave elastography (SWE) become an emerging non-invasive elasticity detection method. The wave propagation model, which is affected by tissue shapes, is crucial for elasticity estimating in SWE. However, wave propagation model for cartilage was unclear. This study aimed to establish a wave propagation model for the cartilage-bone structure. We fabricated a cartilage-bone structure, and studied the elasticity measurement and wave propagation by experimental and numerical Lamb wave method (LWM). Results indicated the wave propagation model satisfied the lamb wave theory for two-layered structure. Moreover, a near field region, which affects wave speed measurements and whose occurrence can be prevented if the wave frequency is larger than one critical frequency, was observed. Our findings would provide a theoretical foundation for further application of LWM in elasticity measurement of cartilage in vivo. It can help the application of LWM to the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

  1. Stress fluctuations in fracture networks from theoretical and numerical models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davy, P.; Darcel, C.; Mas Ivars, D.; Le Goc, R.

    2017-12-01

    We analyze the spatial fluctuations of stress in a simple tridimensional model constituted by a population of disc-shaped fractures embedded in an elastic matrix with uniform and isotropic properties. The fluctuations arise from the classical stress enhancement at fracture tips and stress shadowing around fracture centers that are amplified or decreased by the interactions between close-by fractures. The distribution of local stresses is calculated at the elementary mesh scale with the 3DEC numerical program based on the distinct element method. As expected, the stress distributions vary with fracture density, the larger is the density, the wider is the distribution. For freely slipping fractures, it is mainly controlled by the percolation parameter p (i.e., the total volume of spheres surrounding fractures). For stresses smaller than the remote deviatoric stress, the distribution depends only on for the range of density that has been studied. For large stresses, the distribution decreases exponentially when increasing stress, with a characteristic stress that increases with entailing a widening of the stress distribution. We extend the analysis to fractures with plane resistance defined by an elastic shear stiffness ks and a slip Coulomb threshold. A consequence of the fracture plane resistance is to lower the stress perturbation in the surrounding matrix by a factor that depends on the ratio between ks and a fracture-matrix stiffness km mainly dependent on the ratio between Young modulus and fracture size. km is also the ratio between the remote shear stress and the displacement across the fracture plane in the case of freely slipping fractures. A complete analytical derivation of the expressions of the stress perturbations and of the fracture displacements is obtained and checked with numerical simulations. In the limit ks >> km, the stress perturbation tends to 0 and the stress state is spatially uniform. The analysis allows us to quantify the intensity of the stress fluctuations in fractured rocks as a function of both the fracture network characteristics (density and size distribution), and the mechanical properties (fracture shear stiffness vs matrix elastic properties).

  2. Coarse grained models, bond orientational order, and the structural characterization of residue networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortiz, Carlos Pompeyo

    Rigidity emerges in a broad class of soft matter systems, relevant to many industrial and biological processes. In our experiments, we study a model soft matter system, hard-sphere Brownian suspensions of submicron particles. Brownian suspensions lack rigidity in the absence of external driving, but form flow-stabilized solid-like microsphere heaps under the influence of hydrodynamic forces. The overarching question driving my dissertation is "What is the nature of the rigidity of these microsphere heaps?" Does the rigidity of the heaps follow from mechanical stability driven by a sufficiently interconnected network of particle contacts? Or, does the rigidity of the heaps follow from a kinetic glass transition characterized by a diverging resistance to flow such that the time necessary to observe rearrangements grows prohibitively large? We expect that insights into the mechanism of rigidity of Brownian microsphere heaps are applicable to a wide class of soft matter systems. In this thesis,we have overcome the limitations of previous experimental approaches. Namely, we show that the rigidity of our heaps does not emerge from the effects of gravity, inertia, static friction, or van der Waals sticking. In Chapter 1 of thesis, we review the background literature. In Chapter 2, we present the experimental, analytical, and computational methods used in the remainder of the thesis. In Chapter 3, we investigate the onset of rigidity by characterizing the steady-state size of the heap versus the imposed flow conditions. We show that thermal fluctuations and repulsive interparticle interactions, the dominant forces at the single-particle scale, suppress the development of a rigid phase. These conditions imply that the onset of rigidity in involves many-body collective interactions. In Chapter 4, we measure the response of the heap to external perturbations, which allows us to measure their elastic modulus and compare our results to hard sphere theoretical expectations. We find bulk nonlinear elastic behavior. In Chapter 5, we study the particle displacements in response to external perturbations and quantify the local nonlinear elastic behavior.

  3. Image-based model of the spectrin cytoskeleton for red blood cell simulation.

    PubMed

    Fai, Thomas G; Leo-Macias, Alejandra; Stokes, David L; Peskin, Charles S

    2017-10-01

    We simulate deformable red blood cells in the microcirculation using the immersed boundary method with a cytoskeletal model that incorporates structural details revealed by tomographic images. The elasticity of red blood cells is known to be supplied by both their lipid bilayer membranes, which resist bending and local changes in area, and their cytoskeletons, which resist in-plane shear. The cytoskeleton consists of spectrin tetramers that are tethered to the lipid bilayer by ankyrin and by actin-based junctional complexes. We model the cytoskeleton as a random geometric graph, with nodes corresponding to junctional complexes and with edges corresponding to spectrin tetramers such that the edge lengths are given by the end-to-end distances between nodes. The statistical properties of this graph are based on distributions gathered from three-dimensional tomographic images of the cytoskeleton by a segmentation algorithm. We show that the elastic response of our model cytoskeleton, in which the spectrin polymers are treated as entropic springs, is in good agreement with the experimentally measured shear modulus. By simulating red blood cells in flow with the immersed boundary method, we compare this discrete cytoskeletal model to an existing continuum model and predict the extent to which dynamic spectrin network connectivity can protect against failure in the case of a red cell subjected to an applied strain. The methods presented here could form the basis of disease- and patient-specific computational studies of hereditary diseases affecting the red cell cytoskeleton.

  4. Image-based model of the spectrin cytoskeleton for red blood cell simulation

    PubMed Central

    Stokes, David L.; Peskin, Charles S.

    2017-01-01

    We simulate deformable red blood cells in the microcirculation using the immersed boundary method with a cytoskeletal model that incorporates structural details revealed by tomographic images. The elasticity of red blood cells is known to be supplied by both their lipid bilayer membranes, which resist bending and local changes in area, and their cytoskeletons, which resist in-plane shear. The cytoskeleton consists of spectrin tetramers that are tethered to the lipid bilayer by ankyrin and by actin-based junctional complexes. We model the cytoskeleton as a random geometric graph, with nodes corresponding to junctional complexes and with edges corresponding to spectrin tetramers such that the edge lengths are given by the end-to-end distances between nodes. The statistical properties of this graph are based on distributions gathered from three-dimensional tomographic images of the cytoskeleton by a segmentation algorithm. We show that the elastic response of our model cytoskeleton, in which the spectrin polymers are treated as entropic springs, is in good agreement with the experimentally measured shear modulus. By simulating red blood cells in flow with the immersed boundary method, we compare this discrete cytoskeletal model to an existing continuum model and predict the extent to which dynamic spectrin network connectivity can protect against failure in the case of a red cell subjected to an applied strain. The methods presented here could form the basis of disease- and patient-specific computational studies of hereditary diseases affecting the red cell cytoskeleton. PMID:28991926

  5. Gating Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Channels of Large Conductance, I: A Continuum Mechanics-Based Hierarchical Framework

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xi; Cui, Qiang; Tang, Yuye; Yoo, Jejoong; Yethiraj, Arun

    2008-01-01

    A hierarchical simulation framework that integrates information from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations into a continuum model is established to study the mechanical response of mechanosensitive channel of large-conductance (MscL) using the finite element method (FEM). The proposed MD-decorated FEM (MDeFEM) approach is used to explore the detailed gating mechanisms of the MscL in Escherichia coli embedded in a palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylethanolamine lipid bilayer. In Part I of this study, the framework of MDeFEM is established. The transmembrane and cytoplasmic helices are taken to be elastic rods, the loops are modeled as springs, and the lipid bilayer is approximated by a three-layer sheet. The mechanical properties of the continuum components, as well as their interactions, are derived from molecular simulations based on atomic force fields. In addition, analytical closed-form continuum model and elastic network model are established to complement the MDeFEM approach and to capture the most essential features of gating. In Part II of this study, the detailed gating mechanisms of E. coli-MscL under various types of loading are presented and compared with experiments, structural model, and all-atom simulations, as well as the analytical models established in Part I. It is envisioned that such a hierarchical multiscale framework will find great value in the study of a variety of biological processes involving complex mechanical deformations such as muscle contraction and mechanotransduction. PMID:18390626

  6. Quantifying Risks and Uncertainties Associated with Induced Seismicity due to CO2 Injection into Geologic Formations with Faults

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Z.; Nguyen, B. N.; Bacon, D. H.; White, M. D.; Murray, C. J.

    2016-12-01

    A multiphase flow and reactive transport simulator named STOMP-CO2-R has been developed and coupled to the ABAQUS® finite element package for geomechanical analysis enabling comprehensive thermo-hydro-geochemical-mechanical (THMC) analyses. The coupled THMC simulator has been applied to analyze faulted CO2 reservoir responses (e.g., stress and strain distributions, pressure buildup, slip tendency factor, pressure margin to fracture) with various complexities in fault and reservoir structures and mineralogy. Depending on the geological and reaction network settings, long-term injection of CO2 can have a significant effect on the elastic stiffness and permeability of formation rocks. In parallel, an uncertainty quantification framework (UQ-CO2), which consists of entropy-based prior uncertainty representation, efficient sampling, geostatistical reservoir modeling, and effective response surface analysis, has been developed for quantifying risks and uncertainties associated with CO2 sequestration. It has been demonstrated for evaluating risks in CO2 leakage through natural pathways and wellbores, and for developing predictive reduced order models. Recently, a parallel STOMP-CO2-R has been developed and the updated STOMP/ABAQUS model has been proven to have a great scalability, which makes it possible to integrate the model with the UQ framework to effectively and efficiently explore multidimensional parameter space (e.g., permeability, elastic modulus, crack orientation, fault friction coefficient) for a more systematic analysis of induced seismicity risks.

  7. Printable elastic conductors with a high conductivity for electronic textile applications

    PubMed Central

    Matsuhisa, Naoji; Kaltenbrunner, Martin; Yokota, Tomoyuki; Jinno, Hiroaki; Kuribara, Kazunori; Sekitani, Tsuyoshi; Someya, Takao

    2015-01-01

    The development of advanced flexible large-area electronics such as flexible displays and sensors will thrive on engineered functional ink formulations for printed electronics where the spontaneous arrangement of molecules aids the printing processes. Here we report a printable elastic conductor with a high initial conductivity of 738 S cm−1 and a record high conductivity of 182 S cm−1 when stretched to 215% strain. The elastic conductor ink is comprised of Ag flakes, a fluorine rubber and a fluorine surfactant. The fluorine surfactant constitutes a key component which directs the formation of surface-localized conductive networks in the printed elastic conductor, leading to a high conductivity and stretchability. We demonstrate the feasibility of our inks by fabricating a stretchable organic transistor active matrix on a rubbery stretchability-gradient substrate with unimpaired functionality when stretched to 110%, and a wearable electromyogram sensor printed onto a textile garment. PMID:26109453

  8. Configuration interaction of hydropathic waves enables ubiquitin functionality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allan, Douglas C.; Phillips, J. C.

    2018-02-01

    Ubiquitin, discovered less than 50 years ago, tags thousands of diseased proteins for destruction. It is small (only 76 amino acids), and is found unchanged in mammals, birds, fish and even worms. Key features of its functionality are identified here using critical point thermodynamic scaling theory. These include Fano interference between first- and second-order elements of correlated long-range globular surface shape transitions. Comparison with its closest relative, 76 amino acid Nedd8, shows that the latter lacks these features. A cracked elastic network model is proposed for the common target shared by many diseased proteins.

  9. A Model Comparison for Characterizing Protein Motions from Structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    David, Charles; Jacobs, Donald

    2011-10-01

    A comparative study is made using three computational models that characterize native state dynamics starting from known protein structures taken from four distinct SCOP classifications. A geometrical simulation is performed, and the results are compared to the elastic network model and molecular dynamics. The essential dynamics is quantified by a direct analysis of a mode subspace constructed from ANM and a principal component analysis on both the FRODA and MD trajectories using root mean square inner product and principal angles. Relative subspace sizes and overlaps are visualized using the projection of displacement vectors on the model modes. Additionally, a mode subspace is constructed from PCA on an exemplar set of X-ray crystal structures in order to determine similarly with respect to the generated ensembles. Quantitative analysis reveals there is significant overlap across the three model subspaces and the model independent subspace. These results indicate that structure is the key determinant for native state dynamics.

  10. Stability and mobility of Cu-vacancy clusters in Fe-Cu alloys: A computational study based on the use of artificial neural networks for energy barrier calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pascuet, M. I.; Castin, N.; Becquart, C. S.; Malerba, L.

    2011-05-01

    An atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (AKMC) method has been applied to study the stability and mobility of copper-vacancy clusters in Fe. This information, which cannot be obtained directly from experimental measurements, is needed to parameterise models describing the nanostructure evolution under irradiation of Fe alloys (e.g. model alloys for reactor pressure vessel steels). The physical reliability of the AKMC method has been improved by employing artificial intelligence techniques for the regression of the activation energies required by the model as input. These energies are calculated allowing for the effects of local chemistry and relaxation, using an interatomic potential fitted to reproduce them as accurately as possible and the nudged-elastic-band method. The model validation was based on comparison with available ab initio calculations for verification of the used cohesive model, as well as with other models and theories.

  11. Postbuckling of magneto-electro-elastic CNT-MT composite nanotubes resting on a nonlinear elastic medium in a non-uniform thermal environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamali, M.; Shamsi, M.; Saidi, A. R.

    2018-03-01

    As a first endeavor, the effect of nonlinear elastic foundation on the postbuckling behavior of smart magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) composite nanotubes is investigated. The composite nanotube is affected by a non-uniform thermal environment. A typical MEE composite nanotube consists of microtubules (MTs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a MEE cylindrical nanoshell for smart control. It is assumed that the nanoscale layers of the system are coupled by a polymer matrix or filament network depending on the application. In addition to thermal loads, magneto-electro-mechanical loads are applied to the composite nanostructure. Length scale effects are taken into account using the nonlocal elasticity theory. The principle of virtual work and von Karman's relations are used to derive the nonlinear governing differential equations of MEE CNT-MT nanotubes. Using Galerkin's method, nonlinear critical buckling loads are determined. Various types of non-uniform temperature distribution in the radial direction are considered. Finally, the effects of various parameters such as the nonlinear constant of elastic medium, thermal loading factor and small scale coefficient on the postbuckling of MEE CNT-MT nanotubes are studied.

  12. Nematic elastomers: from a microscopic model to macroscopic elasticity theory.

    PubMed

    Xing, Xiangjun; Pfahl, Stephan; Mukhopadhyay, Swagatam; Goldbart, Paul M; Zippelius, Annette

    2008-05-01

    A Landau theory is constructed for the gelation transition in cross-linked polymer systems possessing spontaneous nematic ordering, based on symmetry principles and the concept of an order parameter for the amorphous solid state. This theory is substantiated with help of a simple microscopic model of cross-linked dimers. Minimization of the Landau free energy in the presence of nematic order yields the neoclassical theory of the elasticity of nematic elastomers and, in the isotropic limit, the classical theory of isotropic elasticity. These phenomenological theories of elasticity are thereby derived from a microscopic model, and it is furthermore demonstrated that they are universal mean-field descriptions of the elasticity for all chemical gels and vulcanized media.

  13. Explicit 2-D Hydrodynamic FEM Program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lin, Jerry

    1996-08-07

    DYNA2D* is a vectorized, explicit, two-dimensional, axisymmetric and plane strain finite element program for analyzing the large deformation dynamic and hydrodynamic response of inelastic solids. DYNA2D* contains 13 material models and 9 equations of state (EOS) to cover a wide range of material behavior. The material models implemented in all machine versions are: elastic, orthotropic elastic, kinematic/isotropic elastic plasticity, thermoelastoplastic, soil and crushable foam, linear viscoelastic, rubber, high explosive burn, isotropic elastic-plastic, temperature-dependent elastic-plastic. The isotropic and temperature-dependent elastic-plastic models determine only the deviatoric stresses. Pressure is determined by one of 9 equations of state including linear polynomial, JWL highmore » explosive, Sack Tuesday high explosive, Gruneisen, ratio of polynomials, linear polynomial with energy deposition, ignition and growth of reaction in HE, tabulated compaction, and tabulated.« less

  14. Elastic Behavior and Platelet Retraction in Low- and High-Density Fibrin Gels

    PubMed Central

    Wufsus, Adam R.; Rana, Kuldeepsinh; Brown, Andrea; Dorgan, John R.; Liberatore, Matthew W.; Neeves, Keith B.

    2015-01-01

    Fibrin is a biopolymer that gives thrombi the mechanical strength to withstand the forces imparted on them by blood flow. Importantly, fibrin is highly extensible, but strain hardens at low deformation rates. The density of fibrin in clots, especially arterial clots, is higher than that in gels made at plasma concentrations of fibrinogen (3–10 mg/mL), where most rheology studies have been conducted. Our objective in this study was to measure and characterize the elastic regimes of low (3–10 mg/mL) and high (30–100 mg/mL) density fibrin gels using shear and extensional rheology. Confocal microscopy of the gels shows that fiber density increases with fibrinogen concentration. At low strains, fibrin gels act as thermal networks independent of fibrinogen concentration. Within the low-strain regime, one can predict the mesh size of fibrin gels by the elastic modulus using semiflexible polymer theory. Significantly, this provides a link between gel mechanics and interstitial fluid flow. At moderate strains, we find that low-density fibrin gels act as nonaffine mechanical networks and transition to affine mechanical networks with increasing strains within the moderate regime, whereas high-density fibrin gels only act as affine mechanical networks. At high strains, the backbone of individual fibrin fibers stretches for all fibrin gels. Platelets can retract low-density gels by >80% of their initial volumes, but retraction is attenuated in high-density fibrin gels and with decreasing platelet density. Taken together, these results show that the nature of fibrin deformation is a strong function of fibrin fiber density, which has ramifications for the growth, embolization, and lysis of thrombi. PMID:25564864

  15. Pulsatile blood flow in elastic artery with model aneurysm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nikolov, N.; Radev, St.; Tabakova, S.

    2017-11-01

    The mathematical modeling and numerical simulations are expected to play an important role to predict the genesis of different cardiovascular diseases, such as the formation and rupture of aneurysms. In the present work, the numerical solutions of the oscillatory blood flow are constructed for an elastic artery with a model aneurysm by use of the software ANSYS. It is observed that the artery elastic strain behaves in a different way: stably or unstably depending on the different combinations between the flow parameter (outlet pressure) and the elastic modulus of the artery wall.

  16. An elastic failure model of indentation damage. [of brittle structural ceramics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liaw, B. M.; Kobayashi, A. S.; Emery, A. F.

    1984-01-01

    A mechanistically consistent model for indentation damage based on elastic failure at tensile or shear overloads, is proposed. The model accommodates arbitrary crack orientation, stress relaxation, reduction and recovery of stiffness due to crack opening and closure, and interfacial friction due to backward sliding of closed cracks. This elastic failure model was implemented by an axisymmetric finite element program which was used to simulate progressive damage in a silicon nitride plate indented by a tungsten carbide sphere. The predicted damage patterns and the permanent impression matched those observed experimentally. The validation of this elastic failure model shows that the plastic deformation postulated by others is not necessary to replicate the indentation damage of brittle structural ceramics.

  17. Temperature dependent elasticity and damping in dehydrated sandstone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darling, T. W.; Struble, W.

    2013-12-01

    Work reported previously at this conference, outlining our observation of anomalously large elastic softening and damping in dehydrated Berea sandstone at elevated temperatures, has been analysed to study shear and compressional effects separately. Modeling of the sample using COMSOL software was necessary to identify modes, as the vibration spectrum of the sample is poorly approximated by a uniform isotropic solid. The first torsional mode of our evacuated, dry, core softens at nearly twice the rate of Young's modulus modes (bending and compressional) and is also damped nearly twice as strongly as temperature increases. We consider two possible models for explaining this behavior, based on the assumption that the mechanical properties of the sandstone are dominated by the framework of quartz grains and polycrystalline cementation, neglecting initially the effects of clay and feldspar inclusions. The 20cm x 2.54cm diameter core is dry such that the pressure of water vapor in the experiment chamber is below 1e-6 Torr at 70C, suggesting that surface water beyond a small number of monolayers is negligible. Our models consider (1) enhanced sliding of grain boundaries in the cementation at elevated temperature and reduced internal water content, and (2) strain microcracking of the cementatioin at low water content due to anisotropic expansion in the quartz grains. In model (1) interfaces parallel to polyhedral grain surfaces were placed in the cement bonds and assigned frictional properties. Model (2) has not yet been implemented. The overall elasticity of a 3-D several-grain model network was determined by modeling quasistatic loading and measuring displacements. Initial results with a small number of grains/bonds suggests that only the first model provides softening and damping for all the modes, however the details of the effects of defect motioin at individual interfaces as the source for the frictional properties is still being evaluated. Nonlinear effects are experimentally observed at lower temperatures but damping at higher temperatures reduces the strain amplitude so that nonlinearity is not apparent, but may still be present. This work is supported by grant #DE-FG02-11ER16218 from the Geosciences Division of the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

  18. A three-dimensional collagen-fiber network model of the extracellular matrix for the simulation of the mechanical behaviors and micro structures.

    PubMed

    Dong, Shoubin; Huang, Zetao; Tang, Liqun; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Yongrou; Jiang, Yi

    2017-07-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural and biochemical support to cells and tissues, which is a critical factor for modulating cell dynamic behavior and intercellular communication. In order to further understand the mechanisms of the interactive relationship between cell and the ECM, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) collagen-fiber network model to simulate the micro structure and mechanical behaviors of the ECM and studied the stress-strain relationship as well as the deformation of the ECM under tension. In the model, the collagen-fiber network consists of abundant random distributed collagen fibers and some crosslinks, in which each fiber is modeled as an elastic beam and a crosslink is modeled as a linear spring with tensile limit, it means crosslinks will fail while the tensile forces exceed the limit of spring. With the given parameters of the beam and the spring, the simulated tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM highly matches the experimental results including damaged and failed behaviors. Moreover, by applying the maximal inscribed sphere method, we measured the size distribution of pores in the fiber network and learned the variation of the distribution with deformation. We also defined the alignment of the collagen-fibers to depict the orientation of fibers in the ECM quantitatively. By the study of changes of the alignment and the damaged crosslinks against the tensile strain, this paper reveals the comprehensive mechanisms of four stages of 'toe', 'linear', 'damage' and 'failure' in the tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM which can provide further insight in the study of cell-ECM interaction.

  19. Locating S-wave sources for the SPE-5 explosion using time reversal methods and a close-in, 1000 sensor network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Myers, S. C.; Pitarka, A.; Mellors, R. J.

    2016-12-01

    The Source Physics Experiment (SPE) is producing new data to study the generation of seismic waves from explosive sources. Preliminary results show that far-field S-waves are generated both within the non-elastic volume surrounding explosive sources and by P- to S-wave scattering. The relative contribution of non-elastic phenomenology and elastic-wave scattering to far-field S-waves has been debated for decades, and numerical simulations based on the SPE experiments are addressing this question. The match between observed and simulated data degrades with event-station distance and with increasing time in each seismogram. This suggests that a more accurate model of subsurface elastic properties could result in better agreement between observed and simulated seismograms. A detailed model of subsurface structure has been developed using geologic maps and the extensive database of borehole logs, but uncertainty in structural details remains high. The large N instrument deployment during the SPE-5 experiment offers an opportunity to use time-reversal techniques to back project the wave field into the subsurface to locate significant sources of scattered energy. The large N deployment was nominally 1000, 5 Hz sensors (500 Z and 500 3C geophones) deployed in a roughly rectangular array to the south and east of the SPE-5 shot. Sensor spacing was nominally 50 meters in the interior portion of the array and 100 meters in the outer region, with two dense lines at 25 m spacing. The array covers the major geologic boundary between the Yucca Flat basin and the granitic Climax Stock in which the SPE experiments have been conducted. Improved mapping of subsurface scatterers is expected to result in better agreement between simulated and observed seismograms and aid in our understanding of S-wave generation from explosions. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  20. Low Activation Joining of SiC/SiC Composites for Fusion Applications: Modeling Miniature Torsion Tests with Elastic and Elastic-Plastic Models

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Henager, Charles H.; Nguyen, Ba Nghiep; Kurtz, Richard J.

    2015-06-30

    The international fusion community designed miniature torsion specimens for joint testing and irradiation in test reactors with limited irradiation volumes since SiC and SiC-composites used in fission or fusion environments require joining methods for assembling systems. Torsion specimens fail out-of-plane when joints are strong and when elastic moduli are comparable to SiC, which causes difficulties in determining shear strengths for many joints or for comparing unirradiated and irradiated joints. A finite element damage model was developed to treat elastic joints such as SiC/Ti3SiC2+SiC and elastic-plastic joints such as SiC/epoxy and steel/epoxy. The model uses constitutive shear data and is validatedmore » using epoxy joint data. The elastic model indicates fracture is likely to occur within the joined pieces to cause out-of-plane failures for miniature torsion specimens when a certain modulus and strength ratio between the joint material and the joined material exists. Lower modulus epoxy joints always fail in plane and provide good model validation.« less

  1. Effects of Host-rock Fracturing on Elastic-deformation Source Models of Volcano Deflation.

    PubMed

    Holohan, Eoghan P; Sudhaus, Henriette; Walter, Thomas R; Schöpfer, Martin P J; Walsh, John J

    2017-09-08

    Volcanoes commonly inflate or deflate during episodes of unrest or eruption. Continuum mechanics models that assume linear elastic deformation of the Earth's crust are routinely used to invert the observed ground motions. The source(s) of deformation in such models are generally interpreted in terms of magma bodies or pathways, and thus form a basis for hazard assessment and mitigation. Using discontinuum mechanics models, we show how host-rock fracturing (i.e. non-elastic deformation) during drainage of a magma body can progressively change the shape and depth of an elastic-deformation source. We argue that this effect explains the marked spatio-temporal changes in source model attributes inferred for the March-April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Reunion. We find that pronounced deflation-related host-rock fracturing can: (1) yield inclined source model geometries for a horizontal magma body; (2) cause significant upward migration of an elastic-deformation source, leading to underestimation of the true magma body depth and potentially to a misinterpretation of ascending magma; and (3) at least partly explain underestimation by elastic-deformation sources of changes in sub-surface magma volume.

  2. The phenotype of cancer cell invasion controlled by fibril diameter and pore size of 3D collagen networks.

    PubMed

    Sapudom, Jiranuwat; Rubner, Stefan; Martin, Steve; Kurth, Tony; Riedel, Stefanie; Mierke, Claudia T; Pompe, Tilo

    2015-06-01

    The behavior of cancer cells is strongly influenced by the properties of extracellular microenvironments, including topology, mechanics and composition. As topological and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix are hard to access and control for in-depth studies of underlying mechanisms in vivo, defined biomimetic in vitro models are needed. Herein we show, how pore size and fibril diameter of collagen I networks distinctively regulate cancer cell morphology and invasion. Three-dimensional collagen I matrices with a tight control of pore size, fibril diameter and stiffness were reconstituted by adjustment of concentration and pH value during matrix reconstitution. At first, a detailed analysis of topology and mechanics of matrices using confocal laser scanning microscopy, image analysis tools and force spectroscopy indicate pore size and not fibril diameter as the major determinant of matrix elasticity. Secondly, by using two different breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), we demonstrate collagen fibril diameter--and not pore size--to primarily regulate cell morphology, cluster formation and invasion. Invasiveness increased and clustering decreased with increasing fibril diameter for both, the highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells with mesenchymal migratory phenotype and the MCF-7 cells with amoeboid migratory phenotype. As this behavior was independent of overall pore size, matrix elasticity is shown to be not the major determinant of the cell characteristics. Our work emphasizes the complex relationship between structural-mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix and invasive behavior of cancer cells. It suggests a correlation of migratory and invasive phenotype of cancer cells in dependence on topological and mechanical features of the length scale of single fibrils and not on coarse-grained network properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Flexible wavelength de-multiplexer for elastic optical networking.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Rui; Gutierrez Pascual, M Deseada; Anandarajah, Prince M; Shao, Tong; Smyth, Frank; Barry, Liam P

    2016-05-15

    We report an injection locked flexible wavelength de-multiplexer (de-mux) that shows 24-h frequency stability of 1 kHz for optical comb-based elastic optical networking applications. We demonstrate 50 GHz, 87.5 GHz equal spacing and 6.25G-25G-50 GHz, 75G-50G-100 GHz unequal spacing for the de-multiplexer outputs. We also implement an unequally spaced (75G-50G-100 GHz), mixed symbol rate (12.5 GBaud and 40 GBaud) and modulation format (polarization division multiplexed quadrature phase shift keying and on-off keying) wavelength division multiplexed transmission system using the de-multiplexer outputs. The results show 0.6 dB receiver sensitivity penalty, at 7% hard decision forward error correction coding limit, of the 100 km transmitted de-mux outputs when compared to comb source seeding laser back-to-back.

  4. Contraction star-shaped cracks: From 90 degrees to 120 degrees crack intersections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazarus, Veronique; Gauthier, Georges

    2010-05-01

    Giant's Causeway, Port Arthur tessellated pavement, Bimini Road, Mars polygons, fracture networks in permafrost, septarias are some more or less known examples of self-organized crack patterns that have intrigued people through out history. These pavements are formed by constrained shrinking of the media due, for instance, to cooling or drying leading to fracture. The crack networks form in some conditions star-shaped cracks with mostly 90 or 120 degrees angles. Here, we report experiments allowing to control the transition between 90 and 120 degrees. We show that the transition is governed by the linear elastic fracture mechanics energy minimization principle, hence by two parameters: the cell size and the Griffith's length (balance between the energy needed to create cracks and to deform the material elastically). The results are used to infer new informations on tessellated pavements formation.

  5. Water Holding as Determinant for the Elastically Stored Energy in Protein-Based Gels.

    PubMed

    Pouvreau, Laurice; van Wijlen, Emke; Klok, Jan; Urbonaite, Vaida; Munialo, Claire D; de Jongh, Harmen H J

    2016-04-01

    To evaluate the importance of the water holding capacity for the elastically stored energy of protein gels, a range of gels were created from proteins from different origin (plant: pea and soy proteins, and animal: whey, blood plasma, egg white proteins, and ovalbumin) varying in network morphology set by the protein concentration, pH, ionic strength, or the presence of specific ions. The results showed that the observed positive and linear relation between water holding (WH) and elastically stored energy (RE) is generic for globular protein gels studied. The slopes of this relation are comparable for all globular protein gels (except for soy protein gels) whereas the intercept is close to 0 for most of the systems except for ovalbumin and egg white gels. The slope and intercept obtained allows one to predict the impact of tuning WH, by gel morphology or network stiffness, on the mechanical deformation of the protein-based gel. Addition of charged polysaccharides to a protein system leads to a deviation from the linear relation between WH and RE and this deviation coincides with a change in phase behavior. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

  6. Seasonal changes in peatland surface elevation recorded at GPS stations in the Red Lake Peatlands, northern Minnesota, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reeve, A.S.; Glaser, P.H.; Rosenberry, Donald O.

    2013-01-01

    Northern peatlands appear to hold large volumes of free-phase gas (e.g., CH4 and CO2), which has been detected by surface deformations, pore pressure profiles, and electromagnetic surveys. Determining the gas content and its impact in peat is challenging because gas storage depends on both the elastic properties of the peat matrix and the buoyant forces exerted by pore fluids. We therefore used a viscoelastic deformation model to estimate these variables by adjusting model runs to reproduce observed changes in peat surface elevation within a 1300 km2 peatland. A local GPS network documented significant changes in surface elevations throughout the year with the greatest vertical displacements associated with rapid changes in peat water content and unloadings due to melting of the winter snowpack. These changes were coherent with changes in water table elevation and also abnormal pore pressure changes measured by nests of instrumented piezometers. The deformation model reproduced these changes when the gas content was adjusted to 10% of peat volume, and Young's modulus was varied between 5 and 100 kPa as the peat profile shifted from tension to compression. In contrast, the model predicted little peat deformation when the gas content was 3% or lower. These model simulations are consistent with previous estimates of gas volume in northern peatlands and suggest an upper limit of gas storage controlled by the elastic moduli of the peat fabric.

  7. Relating microstructure to rheology of a bundled and cross-linked F-actin network in vitro

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, J. H.; Gardel, M. L.; Mahadevan, L.; Matsudaira, P.; Weitz, D. A.

    2004-06-01

    The organization of individual actin filaments into higher-order structures is controlled by actin-binding proteins (ABPs). Although the biological significance of the ABPs is well documented, little is known about how bundling and cross-linking quantitatively affect the microstructure and mechanical properties of actin networks. Here we quantify the effect of the ABP scruin on actin networks by using imaging techniques, cosedimentation assays, multiparticle tracking, and bulk rheology. We show how the structure of the actin network is modified as the scruin concentration is varied, and we correlate these structural changes to variations in the resultant network elasticity.

  8. Mixed integer nonlinear programming model of wireless pricing scheme with QoS attribute of bandwidth and end-to-end delay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irmeilyana, Puspita, Fitri Maya; Indrawati

    2016-02-01

    The pricing for wireless networks is developed by considering linearity factors, elasticity price and price factors. Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming of wireless pricing model is proposed as the nonlinear programming problem that can be solved optimally using LINGO 13.0. The solutions are expected to give some information about the connections between the acceptance factor and the price. Previous model worked on the model that focuses on bandwidth as the QoS attribute. The models attempt to maximize the total price for a connection based on QoS parameter. The QoS attributes used will be the bandwidth and the end to end delay that affect the traffic. The maximum goal to maximum price is achieved when the provider determine the requirement for the increment or decrement of price change due to QoS change and amount of QoS value.

  9. Elastic Model Transitions: a Hybrid Approach Utilizing Quadratic Inequality Constrained Least Squares (LSQI) and Direct Shape Mapping (DSM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jurenko, Robert J.; Bush, T. Jason; Ottander, John A.

    2014-01-01

    A method for transitioning linear time invariant (LTI) models in time varying simulation is proposed that utilizes both quadratically constrained least squares (LSQI) and Direct Shape Mapping (DSM) algorithms to determine physical displacements. This approach is applicable to the simulation of the elastic behavior of launch vehicles and other structures that utilize multiple LTI finite element model (FEM) derived mode sets that are propagated throughout time. The time invariant nature of the elastic data for discrete segments of the launch vehicle trajectory presents a problem of how to properly transition between models while preserving motion across the transition. In addition, energy may vary between flex models when using a truncated mode set. The LSQI-DSM algorithm can accommodate significant changes in energy between FEM models and carries elastic motion across FEM model transitions. Compared with previous approaches, the LSQI-DSM algorithm shows improvements ranging from a significant reduction to a complete removal of transients across FEM model transitions as well as maintaining elastic motion from the prior state.

  10. Interrelationship between flexoelectricity and strain gradient elasticity in ferroelectric nanofilms: A phase field study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Limei; Xu, Xiaofei; Zhou, Yichun

    2016-12-01

    With the development of the integrated circuit technology and decreasing of the device size, ferroelectric films used in nano ferroelectric devices become thinner and thinner. Along with the downscaling of the ferroelectric film, there is an increasing influence of two strain gradient related terms. One is the strain gradient elasticity and the other one is flexoelectricity. To investigate the interrelationship between flexoelectricity and strain gradient elasticity and their combined effect on the domain structure in ferroelectric nanofilms, a phase field model of flexoelectricity and strain gradient elasticity on the ferroelectric domain evolution is developed based on Mindlin's theory of strain-gradient elasticity. Weak form is derived and implemented in finite element formulations for numerically solving the model equations. The simulation results show that upper bounds for flexoelectric coefficients can be enhanced by increasing strain gradient elasticity coefficients. While a large flexoelectricity that exceeds the upper bound can induce a transition from a ferroelectric state to a modulated/incommensurate state, a large enough strain gradient elasticity may lead to a conversion from an incommensurate state to a ferroelectric state. Strain gradient elasticity and the flexoelectricity have entirely opposite effects on polarization. The observed interrelationship between the strain gradient elasticity and flexoelectricity is rationalized by an analytical solution of the proposed theoretical model. The model proposed in this paper could help us understand the mechanism of phenomena observed in ferroelectric nanofilms under complex electromechanical loads and provide some guides on the practical application of ferroelectric nanofilms.

  11. Evaluation of massless-spring modeling of suspension-line elasticity during the parachute unfurling process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poole, L. R.; Huckins, E. K., III

    1972-01-01

    A general theory on mathematical modeling of elastic parachute suspension lines during the unfurling process was developed. Massless-spring modeling of suspension-line elasticity was evaluated in detail. For this simple model, equations which govern the motion were developed and numerically integrated. The results were compared with flight test data. In most regions, agreement was satisfactory. However, poor agreement was obtained during periods of rapid fluctuations in line tension.

  12. Compression-triggered instabilities of multi-layer systems: From thin elastic membranes to lipid bilayers on flexible substrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stone, Howard A.

    2013-03-01

    Instabilities are triggered when elastic materials are subjected to compression. We explore new features of two distinct systems of this type. First, we describe a two-layer polymeric system under biaxial compressive stress, which exhibits a repetitive wrinkle-to-fold transition that subsequently generates a hierarchical network of folds during reorganization of the stress field. The folds delineate individual domains, and each domain subdivides into smaller ones over multiple generations. By modifying the boundary conditions and geometry, we demonstrate control over the final network morphology. Some analogies to the venation pattern of leaves are indicated. Second, motivated by the confined configurations common to cells, which are wrapped in lipid bilayer membranes, we study a lipid bilayer, coupled to an elastic sheet, and demonstrate that, upon straining, the confined lipid membrane is able to passively regulate its area. In particular, by stretching the elastic support, the bilayer laterally expands without rupture by fusing adhered lipid vesicles; upon compression, lipid tubes grow out of the membrane plane, thus reducing its area. These transformations are reversible, as we show using cycles of expansion and compression, and closely reproduce membrane processes found in cells during area regulation. The two distinct systems illustrate the influence of the substrate on finite amplitude shape changes, for which we describe the time-dependent shape evolution as the stress relaxes. This talk describes joint research with Manouk Abkarian, Marino Arroyo, Pilnam Kim, Mohammad Rahimi and Margarita Staykova.

  13. Small-angle X-ray scattering and rheological characterization of alginate gels. 2. Time-resolved studies on ionotropic gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuguchi, Y.; Urakawa, H.; Kajiwara, K.; Draget, K. I.; Stokke, B. T.

    2000-10-01

    Gelation was observed by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering and rheology on 10 mg/ml Ca-alginate gels prepared by in situ release of Ca 2+ from CaEGTA or CaCO 3 with total Ca 2+ concentration in the range 10-20 mM. This was carried out for alginates having a fraction of α- L-GulA (G) of FG=0.39 and 0.68, respectively, obtained by the selection of alginates isolated from two different brown algae, Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria hyperborea stipe. Correlation between the rheological data and SAXS data shows that a large fraction of the lateral association precedes the formation of a continuous network through the sample cell. Following the initial association of chain segments in junction zones, the analysis using two-component broken rod model indicates the formation of larger bundles, and that the relative weight of these bundles increases with increasing time. The molecular model for the bundles is proposed by associating 2-16 units (G-blocks) composed of 14 (1→4) linked residues of α- L-GulA in parallel according to the available crystallographic data. The storage modulus increases as the bundles composed of associated alginate chains grow during the gel formation. The gel elasticity is mainly sustained by single chains in the alginate sample with a low fraction of α- L-GulA. The alginates with a high fraction of α- L-GulA associate into thicker bundles which join to form a network. Here the gel elasticity seems to be due to the flexible joints between bundles, since the fraction of single chains is extremely low.

  14. Synthesis and Characterization of Conducting Elastomers Based on Interpenetrated C60-Derived Polymer Networks

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-02-24

    conducting polyaniline layer . A processing technique was demonstrated for the fabrication of interpenetrating conductive polyaniline networks at the...and sihibits appreciable conductivity in the incorporated, doped polyaniline layer without deteriorating the elasticity and tensile strength of the... Layer Lee Y. Wang and Long Y. Chiang* Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan i Abstract: A synthetic

  15. Gradient effects in a new class of electro-elastic bodies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arvanitakis, Antonios

    2018-06-01

    Continuum theories for electro-elastic solids suggest the development of electric field or polarization-based models. Advanced versions of these models are the so-called gradient models, i.e., polarization gradient and electric field gradient models, which prove to be more than capable of explaining the behavior of a continuum in a wider range of length scales. In this work, implicit constitutive relations for electro-elastic bodies are considered with the introduction of polarization and electric field gradient effects. In this sense, the new class of electro-elastic bodies extends even further to account for nonlocality in constitutive equations, besides strain-limiting behavior and polarization saturation for large values of stresses and electric field, respectively. Nonlocality in constitutive equations is essential in modeling various phenomena.

  16. A Finite Element Model to Predict the Effect of Porosity on Elastic Modulus in Low-Porosity Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morrissey, Liam S.; Nakhla, Sam

    2018-07-01

    The effect of porosity on elastic modulus in low-porosity materials is investigated. First, several models used to predict the reduction in elastic modulus due to porosity are compared with a compilation of experimental data to determine their ranges of validity and accuracy. The overlapping solid spheres model is found to be most accurate with the experimental data and valid between 3 and 10 pct porosity. Next, a FEM is developed with the objective of demonstrating that a macroscale plate with a center hole can be used to model the effect of microscale porosity on elastic modulus. The FEM agrees best with the overlapping solid spheres model and shows higher accuracy with experimental data than the overlapping solid spheres model.

  17. Equilibrium & Nonequilibrium Fluctuation Effects in Biopolymer Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kachan, Devin Michael

    Fluctuation-induced interactions are an important organizing principle in a variety of soft matter systems. In this dissertation, I explore the role of both thermal and active fluctuations within cross-linked polymer networks. The systems I study are in large part inspired by the amazing physics found within the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells. I first predict and verify the existence of a thermal Casimir force between cross-linkers bound to a semi-flexible polymer. The calculation is complicated by the appearance of second order derivatives in the bending Hamiltonian for such polymers, which requires a careful evaluation of the the path integral formulation of the partition function in order to arrive at the physically correct continuum limit and properly address ultraviolet divergences. I find that cross linkers interact along a filament with an attractive logarithmic potential proportional to thermal energy. The proportionality constant depends on whether and how the cross linkers constrain the relative angle between the two filaments to which they are bound. The interaction has important implications for the synthesis of biopolymer bundles within cells. I model the cross-linkers as existing in two phases: bound to the bundle and free in solution. When the cross-linkers are bound, they behave as a one-dimensional gas of particles interacting with the Casimir force, while the free phase is a simple ideal gas. Demanding equilibrium between the two phases, I find a discontinuous transition between a sparsely and a densely bound bundle. This discontinuous condensation transition induced by the long-ranged nature of the Casimir interaction allows for a similarly abrupt structural transition in semiflexible filament networks between a low cross linker density isotropic phase and a higher cross link density bundle network. This work is supported by the results of finite element Brownian dynamics simulations of semiflexible filaments and transient cross-linkers. I speculate that cells take advantage of this equilibrium effect by tuning near the transition point, where small changes in free cross-linker density will affect large structural rearrangements between free filament networks and networks of bundles. Cells are naturally found far from equilibrium, where the active influx of energy from ATP consumption controls the dynamics. Motor proteins actively generate forces within biopolymer networks, and one may ask how these differ from the random stresses characteristic of equilibrium fluctuations. Besides the trivial observation that the magnitude is independent of temperature, I find that the processive nature of the motors creates a temporally correlated, or colored, noise spectrum. I model the network with a nonlinear scalar elastic theory in the presence of active driving, and study the long distance and large scale properties of the system with renormalization group techniques. I find that there is a new critical point associated with diverging correlation time, and that the colored noise produces novel frequency dependence in the renormalized transport coefficients. Finally, I study marginally elastic solids which have vanishing shear modulus due to the presence of soft modes, modes with zero deformation cost. Although network coordination is a useful metric for determining the mechanical response of random spring networks in mechanical equilibrium, it is insufficient for describing networks under external stress. In particular, under-constrained networks which are fluid-like at zero load will dynamically stiffen at a critical strain, as observed in numerical simulations and experimentally in many biopolymer networks. Drawing upon analogies to the stress induced unjamming of emulsions, I develop a kinetic theory to explain the rigidity transition in spring and filament networks. Describing the dynamic evolution of non-affine deformation via a simple mechanistic picture, I recover the emergent nonlinear strain-stiffening behavior and compare this behavior to the yield stress flow seen in soft glassy fluids. I extend this theory to account for coordination number inhomogeneities and predict a breakdown of universal scaling near the critical point at sufficiently high disorder, and discuss the utility for this type of model in describing biopolymer networks.

  18. Structural and stereological analysis of elastic fibers in the glans penis of young men.

    PubMed

    Andrade, F; Cardoso, G P; Bastos, Ana Luiza; Costa, W; Chagas, M; Babinski, M

    2012-01-01

    The extracellular matrix is an important element in penile function and pathology, although little is known about its components in human glans. This study evaluates the morphological organization and volumetric density of elastic fibers in the glans penis of young men without any evidence of urogenital disease at autopsy or medical history. Penile glans were obtained from five young men who died of causes not related to the urogenital tract, ranging in age from 18 to 30 years (mean 24 years). Samples were fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin, and histologically processed. Tissue was analyzed by light microscopy using Weigert's resorcin-fuchsin, after previous oxidation with oxone. The point-counting method was used for morphometrical evaluation. Quantities were expressed as volumetric densities (Vv) and were determined on 25 random fields for each individual. Elastic system fibers were easily identified. These fibers had tortuous profile and surrounded sinusoids in the glans penis. An irregular elastic fibers network was identified in the mucosa, while in the corpus spongiosum the elastic fibers were longitudinally distributed. Volumetric density of elastic fibers in the glans penis is 29.4% ± 3.1. These data could provide valuable information in order to draw parallels regarding patients with erectile dysfunction. Further studies regarding extracellular matrix of the penis are necessary to better elucidate the relation between elastic fibers and erectile dysfunction.

  19. A thermomechanical anisotropic model for shock loading of elastic-plastic and elastic-viscoplastic materials with application to jointed rock

    DOE PAGES

    Rubin, M. B.; Vorobiev, O.; Vitali, E.

    2016-04-21

    Here, a large deformation thermomechanical model is developed for shock loading of a material that can exhibit elastic and inelastic anisotropy. Use is made of evolution equations for a triad of microstructural vectors m i(i=1,2,3) which model elastic deformations and directions of anisotropy. Specific constitutive equations are presented for a material with orthotropic elastic response. The rate of inelasticity depends on an orthotropic yield function that can be used to model weak fault planes with failure in shear and which exhibits a smooth transition to isotropic response at high compression. Moreover, a robust, strongly objective numerical algorithm is proposed formore » both rate-independent and rate-dependent response. The predictions of the continuum model are examined by comparison with exact steady-state solutions. Also, the constitutive equations are used to obtain a simplified continuum model of jointed rock which is compared with high fidelity numerical solutions that model a persistent system of joints explicitly in the rock medium.« less

  20. Fast response liquid crystal devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yung-Hsun

    Liquid crystal (LC) has been widely used for displays, spatial light modulators, variable optical attenuators (VOAs) and other tunable photonic devices. The response time of these devices is mainly determined by the employed liquid crystal material. The response time of a LC device depends on the visco-elastic coefficient (gamma1/K11), LC cell gap (d), and applied voltage. Hence, low visco-elastic coefficient LC materials and thinner cell gap are favorable for reducing the response time. However, low visco-elastic coefficient LCs are usually associated with a low birefringence because of shorter molecular conjugation. For display applications, such as LCD TVs, low birefringence (Deltan<0.1) LCs are commonly used. However, for optical communications at 1550 nm, low birefringence requires to a thick cell gap which, in turn, increases the response time. How to obtain fast response for the LC devices is a fundamentally important and technically challenging task. In this dissertation, we investigate several methods to improve liquid crystal response time, for examples, using dual-frequency liquid crystals, polymer stabilized liquid crystals, and sheared polymer network liquid crystals. We discover a new class of material, denoted as sheared polymer network liquid crystal (SPNLC) which exhibits a submillisecond response time. Moreover, this response time is insensitive to the LC cell gap. This is the first LC device exhibiting such an interesting property. Chapters 1 and 2 describe the motivation and background of this dissertation. From chapter 3 to chapter 6, dual-frequency liquid crystals and polymer network methods are demonstrated as examples for the variable optical attenuators. Variable optical attenuator (VOA) is a key component in optical communications. Especially, the sheared PNLC VOA shows the best result; its dynamic range reaches 43 dB while the response time is in the submillisecond range at 1550 nm wavelength, which is 50 times faster than the commercial LC-based VOA. In Chapter 7, we report a new device called axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystals (AS-SPNLC) and use it as LC devices. Through analyzing the structure of this axially-symmetric SPNLC, we construct a 3-D model to explain the observed phenomena. An axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal has several attractive features: (1) it is polarization independent, (2) it has gradient phase change, and (3) its response time is fast. It can be used for polarization converter and divergent LC lens. In addition, a new method for simultaneously measuring the phase retardation and optic axis of a compensation film is demonstrated using an axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal. By overlaying a tested compensation film with a calibrated SPNLC cell between crossed polarizers, the optic axis and phase retardation value of the compensation film can be determined. This simple technique can be used for simultaneously measuring the optic axis and phase retardations of both A- and C-plates. These compensation films have been used extensively in wide-view LCD industry. Therefore, this method will make an important impact to the LCD industry.

  1. Mathematical modeling of aeroelastic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Velmisov, Petr A.; Ankilov, Andrey V.; Semenova, Elizaveta P.

    2017-12-01

    In the paper, the stability of elastic elements of a class of designs that are in interaction with a gas or liquid flow is investigated. The definition of the stability of an elastic body corresponds to the concept of stability of dynamical systems by Lyapunov. As examples the mathematical models of flowing channels (models of vibration devices) at a subsonic flow and the mathematical models of protective surface at a supersonic flow are considered. Models are described by the related systems of the partial differential equations. An analytic investigation of stability is carried out on the basis of the construction of Lyapunov-type functionals, a numerical investigation is carried out on the basis of the Galerkin method. The various models of the gas-liquid environment (compressed, incompressible) and the various models of a deformable body (elastic linear and elastic nonlinear) are considered.

  2. Based on records of Three Gorge Telemetric Seismic Network to analyze Vibration process of micro fracture of rock landslide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    WANG, Q.

    2017-12-01

    Used the finite element analysis software GeoStudio to establish vibration analysis model of Qianjiangping landslide, which locates at the Three Gorges Reservoir area. In QUAKE/W module, we chosen proper Dynamic elasticity modulus and Poisson's ratio of soil layer and rock stratum. When loading, we selected the waveform data record of Three Gorge Telemetric Seismic Network as input ground motion, which includes five rupture events recorded of Lujiashan seismic station. In dynamic simulating, we mainly focused on sliding process when the earthquake date record was applied. The simulation result shows that Qianjiangping landslide wasn't not only affected by its own static force, but also experienced the dynamic process of micro fracture-creep-slip rupture-creep-slip.it provides a new approach for the early warning feasibility of rock landslide in future research.

  3. Least loaded and route fragmentation aware RSA strategies for elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Batham, Deepak; Yadav, Dharmendra Singh; Prakash, Shashi

    2017-12-01

    Elastic optical networks (EONs) provide flexibility to assign wide range of spectral resources to the connection requests. In this manuscript, we address two issues related to spectrum assignment in EONs: the non uniform spectrum assignment along different links of the route and the spectrum fragmentation in the network. To address these issues, two routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) strategies have been proposed: Least Loaded RSA (LLRSA) and Route Fragmentation Aware RSA (RFARSA). The LLRSA allocates spectrum homogeneously along different links in the network, where as RFARSA accords priority to the routes which are less fragmented. To highlight the salient features of the two strategies, two new metrics, route fragmentation index (RFI) and standard deviation (SD) are introduced. RFI is defined as the ratio of non-contiguous FSs to the total available free FSs on the route, and SD relates to the measure of non-uniformity in the allocation of resources on the links in the network. A simulation program has been developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed (LLRSA and RFARSA) strategies, and the existing strategies of shortest path RSA (SPRSA) and spectrum compactness based defragmentation (SCD) strategies, on the metric of RFI, bandwidth blocking probability (BBP), network capacity utilized, and SD. The variation in the metrics on the basis of number of requests and the bandwidth (number of FSs) requested has been studied. It has been conclusively established that the proposed strategies (LLRSA and RFARSA) outperform the existing strategies in terms of all the metrics.

  4. Conductive network formation of carbon nanotubes in elastic polymer microfibers and its effect on the electrical conductance: Experiment and simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cho, Hyun Woo; Kim, Jeongmin; Sung, Bong June, E-mail: jjpark@chonnam.ac.kr, E-mail: bjsung@sogang.ac.kr

    We investigate how the electrical conductance of microfibers (made of polymers and conductive nanofillers) decreases upon uniaxial deformation by performing both experiments and simulations. Even though various elastic conductors have been developed due to promising applications for deformable electronic devices, the mechanism at a molecular level for electrical conductance change has remained elusive. Previous studies proposed that the decrease in electrical conductance would result from changes in either distances or contact numbers between conductive fillers. In this work, we prepare microfibers of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/polyvinyl alcohol composites and investigate the electrical conductance and the orientation of SWCNTs uponmore » uniaxial deformation. We also perform extensive Monte Carlo simulations, which reproduce experimental results for the relative decrease in conductance and the SWCNTs orientation. We investigate the electrical networks of SWCNTs in microfibers and find that the decrease in the electrical conductance upon uniaxial deformation should be attributed to a subtle change in the topological structure of the electrical network.« less

  5. The small length scale effect for a non-local cantilever beam: a paradox solved.

    PubMed

    Challamel, N; Wang, C M

    2008-08-27

    Non-local continuum mechanics allows one to account for the small length scale effect that becomes significant when dealing with microstructures or nanostructures. This paper presents some simplified non-local elastic beam models, for the bending analyses of small scale rods. Integral-type or gradient non-local models abandon the classical assumption of locality, and admit that stress depends not only on the strain value at that point but also on the strain values of all points on the body. There is a paradox still unresolved at this stage: some bending solutions of integral-based non-local elastic beams have been found to be identical to the classical (local) solution, i.e. the small scale effect is not present at all. One example is the Euler-Bernoulli cantilever nanobeam model with a point load which has application in microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems as an actuator. In this paper, it will be shown that this paradox may be overcome with a gradient elastic model as well as an integral non-local elastic model that is based on combining the local and the non-local curvatures in the constitutive elastic relation. The latter model comprises the classical gradient model and Eringen's integral model, and its application produces small length scale terms in the non-local elastic cantilever beam solution.

  6. Building a Catalog of Time-Dependent Inversions for Cascadia ETS Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartlow, N. M.; Williams, C. A.; Wallace, L. M.

    2017-12-01

    Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS), composed of periodically occurring slow slip events accompanied by tectonic tremor, have been recognized in Cascadia since 1999. While the tremor has been continuously and automatically monitored for a few years (Wech et al., SRL, 2010; pnsn.org/tremor), the geodetically-derived slip has not been systematically monitored in the same way. Instead, numerous time-dependent and static inversions of the geodetic data have been performed for individual ETS events, with many events going unstudied. Careful study of, and monitoring of, ETS is important both to advance the scientific understanding of fault mechanics and to improve earthquake hazard forecasting in Cascadia. Here we present the results of initial efforts to standardize geodetic inversions of slow slip during Cascadia ETS. We use the Network Inversion Filter (NIF, Segall and Matthews,1997; McGuire and Segall, 2003; Miyazaki et al.,2006), applied evenly to an extended time period, to detect and catalog slow slip transients. Bartlow et al., 2014, conducted a similar study for the Hikurangi subduction zone, covering a 2.5 year period. Additionally, we generate Green's functions using the PyLith finite element code (Aagaard et al., 2013) to allow consideration of elastic property variations derived from a Cascadia-wide seismic velocity model (Stephenson, USGS pub., 2007). These Green's functions are then integrated to provide Green's functions compatible with the Network Inversion Filter. The use of heterogeneous elastic Green's functions allows for a more accurate estimation of slip amplitudes, both during individual ETS events and averaged over multiple events. This is useful for constraining the total slip budget in Cascadia, including whether ETS takes up the entire plate motion on the deeper extent of the plate interface where it occurs. The recent study of Williams and Wallace, GRL, 2015 demonstrated that the use heterogeneous elastic Green's Functions in inversions can make a significant difference in resulting slip distributions.

  7. A micro-macro constitutive model for finite-deformation viscoelasticity of elastomers with nonlinear viscosity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Jianyou; Jiang, Liying; Khayat, Roger E.

    2018-01-01

    Elastomers are known to exhibit viscoelastic behavior under deformation, which is linked to the diffusion processes of the highly mobile and flexible polymer chains. Inspired by the theories of polymer dynamics, a micro-macro constitutive model is developed to study the viscoelastic behaviors and the relaxation process of elastomeric materials under large deformation, in which the material parameters all have a microscopic foundation or a microstructural justification. The proposed model incorporates the nonlinear material viscosity into the continuum finite-deformation viscoelasticity theories which represent the polymer networks of elastomers with an elastic ground network and a few viscous subnetworks. The developed modeling framework is capable of adopting most of strain energy density functions for hyperelastic materials and thermodynamics evolution laws of viscoelastic solids. The modeling capacity of the framework is outlined by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data of three commonly used elastomeric materials, namely, VHB4910, HNBR50 and carbon black (CB) filled elastomers. The comparison shows that the stress responses and some typical behaviors of filled and unfilled elastomers can be quantitatively predicted by the model with suitable strain energy density functions. Particularly, the strain-softening effect of elastomers could be explained by the deformation-dependent (nonlinear) viscosity of the polymer chains. The presented modeling framework is expected to be useful as a modeling platform for further study on the performance of different type of elastomeric materials.

  8. Passive and active ventricular elastances of the left ventricle

    PubMed Central

    Zhong, Liang; Ghista, Dhanjoo N; Ng, Eddie YK; Lim, Soo T

    2005-01-01

    Background Description of the heart as a pump has been dominated by models based on elastance and compliance. Here, we are presenting a somewhat new concept of time-varying passive and active elastance. The mathematical basis of time-varying elastance of the ventricle is presented. We have defined elastance in terms of the relationship between ventricular pressure and volume, as: dP = EdV + VdE, where E includes passive (Ep) and active (Ea) elastance. By incorporating this concept in left ventricular (LV) models to simulate filling and systolic phases, we have obtained the time-varying expression for Ea and the LV-volume dependent expression for Ep. Methods and Results Using the patient's catheterization-ventriculogram data, the values of passive and active elastance are computed. Ea is expressed as: ; Epis represented as: . Ea is deemed to represent a measure of LV contractility. Hence, Peak dP/dt and ejection fraction (EF) are computed from the monitored data and used as the traditional measures of LV contractility. When our computed peak active elastance (Ea,max) is compared against these traditional indices by linear regression, a high degree of correlation is obtained. As regards Ep, it constitutes a volume-dependent stiffness property of the LV, and is deemed to represent resistance-to-filling. Conclusions Passive and active ventricular elastance formulae can be evaluated from a single-beat P-V data by means of a simple-to-apply LV model. The active elastance (Ea) can be used to characterize the ventricle's contractile state, while passive elastance (Ep) can represent a measure of resistance-to-filling. PMID:15707494

  9. Implementation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and advanced signal processing for elastic optical networking in accordance with networking and transmission constraints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Stanley

    An increasing adoption of digital signal processing (DSP) in optical fiber telecommunication has brought to the fore several interesting DSP enabled modulation formats. One such format is orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which has seen great success in wireless and wired RF applications, and is being actively investigated by several research groups for use in optical fiber telecom. In this dissertation, I present three implementations of OFDM for elastic optical networking and distributed network control. The first is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based real-time implementation of a version of OFDM conventionally known as intensity modulation and direct detection (IMDD) OFDM. I experimentally demonstrate the ability of this transmission system to dynamically adjust bandwidth and modulation format to meet networking constraints in an automated manner. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first real-time software defined networking (SDN) based control of an OFDM system. In the second OFDM implementation, I experimentally demonstrate a novel OFDM transmission scheme that supports both direct detection and coherent detection receivers simultaneously using the same OFDM transmitter. This interchangeable receiver solution enables a trade-off between bit rate and equipment cost in network deployment and upgrades. I show that the proposed transmission scheme can provide a receiver sensitivity improvement of up to 1.73 dB as compared to IMDD OFDM. I also present two novel polarization analyzer based detection schemes, and study their performance using experiment and simulation. In the third implementation, I present an OFDM pilot-tone based scheme for distributed network control. The first instance of an SDN-based OFDM elastic optical network with pilot-tone assisted distributed control is demonstrated. An improvement in spectral efficiency and a fast reconfiguration time of 30 ms have been achieved in this experiment. Finally, I experimentally demonstrate optical re-timing of a 10.7 Gb/s data stream utilizing the property of bound soliton pairs (or "soliton molecules") to relax to an equilibrium temporal separation after propagation through a nonlinear dispersion alternating fiber span. Pulses offset up to 16 ps from bit center are successfully re-timed. The optical re-timing scheme studied here is a good example of signal processing in the optical domain and such a technique can overcome the bandwidth bottleneck present in DSP. An enhanced version of this re-timing scheme is analyzed using numerical simulations.

  10. Micro-CT based modelling for characterising injection-moulded porous titanium implants.

    PubMed

    Chen, Junning; Chen, Liangjian; Chang, Che-Cheng; Zhang, Zhongpu; Li, Wei; Swain, Michael V; Li, Qing

    2017-01-01

    Design of prosthetic implants to ensure rapid and stable osseointegration remains a significant challenge, and continuous efforts have been directed to new implant materials, structures and morphology. This paper aims to develop and characterise a porous titanium dental implant fabricated by metallic powder injection-moulding. The surface morphology of the specimens was first examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), followed by microscopic computerised tomography (μ-CT) scanning to capture its 3D microscopic features non-destructively. The nature of porosity and pore sizes were determined statistically. A homogenisation technique based on the Hills-energy theorem was adopted to evaluate its directional elastic moduli, and the conservation of mass theorem was employed to quantify the oxygen diffusivity for bio-transportation feature. This porous medium was found to have pore sizes varying from 50 to 400 µm and the average porosity of 46.90 ± 1.83%. The anisotropic principal elastic moduli were found fairly close to the upper range of cortical bone, and the directional diffusivities could potentially enable radial osseous tissue ingrowth and vascularisation. This porous titanium successfully reduces the elastic modulus mismatch between implant and bone for dental and orthopaedic applications, and provides improved capacity for transporting oxygen, nutrient and waste for pre-vascular network formation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. TensorCalculator: exploring the evolution of mechanical stress in the CCMV capsid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kononova, Olga; Maksudov, Farkhad; Marx, Kenneth A.; Barsegov, Valeri

    2018-01-01

    A new computational methodology for the accurate numerical calculation of the Cauchy stress tensor, stress invariants, principal stress components, von Mises and Tresca tensors is developed. The methodology is based on the atomic stress approach which permits the calculation of stress tensors, widely used in continuum mechanics modeling of materials properties, using the output from the MD simulations of discrete atomic and C_α -based coarse-grained structural models of biological particles. The methodology mapped into the software package TensorCalculator was successfully applied to the empty cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) shell to explore the evolution of mechanical stress in this mechanically-tested specific example of a soft virus capsid. We found an inhomogeneous stress distribution in various portions of the CCMV structure and stress transfer from one portion of the virus structure to another, which also points to the importance of entropic effects, often ignored in finite element analysis and elastic network modeling. We formulate a criterion for elastic deformation using the first principal stress components. Furthermore, we show that von Mises and Tresca stress tensors can be used to predict the onset of a viral capsid’s mechanical failure, which leads to total structural collapse. TensorCalculator can be used to study stress evolution and dynamics of defects in viral capsids and other large-size protein assemblies.

  12. Counterion-induced swelling of ionic microgels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denton, Alan R.; Tang, Qiyun

    2016-10-01

    Ionic microgel particles, when dispersed in a solvent, swell to equilibrium sizes that are governed by a balance between electrostatic and elastic forces. Tuning of particle size by varying external stimuli, such as pH, salt concentration, and temperature, has relevance for drug delivery, microfluidics, and filtration. To model swelling of ionic microgels, we derive a statistical mechanical theorem, which proves exact within the cell model, for the electrostatic contribution to the osmotic pressure inside a permeable colloidal macroion. Applying the theorem, we demonstrate how the distribution of counterions within an ionic microgel determines the internal osmotic pressure. By combining the electrostatic pressure, which we compute via both Poisson-Boltzmann theory and molecular dynamics simulation, with the elastic pressure, modeled via the Flory-Rehner theory of swollen polymer networks, we show how deswelling of ionic microgels with increasing concentration of particles can result from a redistribution of counterions that reduces electrostatic pressure. A linearized approximation for the electrostatic pressure, which proves remarkably accurate, provides physical insight and greatly eases numerical calculations for practical applications. Comparing with experiments, we explain why soft particles in deionized suspensions deswell upon increasing concentration and why this effect may be suppressed at higher ionic strength. The failure of the uniform ideal-gas approximation to adequately account for counterion-induced deswelling below close packing of microgels is attributed to neglect of spatial variation of the counterion density profile and the electrostatic pressure of incompletely neutralized macroions.

  13. A Global Upper-Mantle Tomographic Model of Shear Attenuation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karaoglu, H.; Romanowicz, B. A.

    2016-12-01

    Mapping anelastic 3D structure within the earth's mantle is key to understanding present day mantle dynamics, as it provides complementary constraints to those obtained from elastic structure, with the potential to distinguish between thermal and compositional heterogeneity. For this, we need to measure seismic wave amplitudes, which are sensitive to both elastic (through focusing and scattering) and anelastic structure. The elastic effects are less pronounced at long periods, so previous global upper-mantle attenuation models are based on teleseismic surface wave data, sometimes including overtones. In these studies, elastic effects are considered either indirectly, by eliminating data strongly contaminated by them (e.g. Romanowicz, 1995; Gung and Romanowicz, 2004), or by correcting for elastic focusing effects using an approximate linear approach (Dalton et al., 2008). Additionally, in these studies, the elastic structure is held fixed when inverting for intrinsic attenuation . The importance of (1) having a good starting elastic model, (2) accurate modeling of the seismic wavefield and (3) joint inversion for elastic and anelastic structure, becomes more evident as the targeted resolution level increases. Also, velocity dispersion effects due to anelasticity need to be taken into account. Here, we employ a hybrid full waveform inversion method, inverting jointly for global elastic and anelastic upper mantle structure, starting from the latest global 3D shear velocity model built by our group (French and Romanowicz, 2014), using the spectral element method for the forward waveform modeling (Capdeville et al., 2003), and normal-mode perturbation theory (NACT - Li and Romanowicz, 1995) for kernel computations. We present a 3D upper-mantle anelastic model built by using three component fundamental and overtone surface waveforms down to 60 s as well as long period body waveforms down to 30 s. We also include source and site effects to first order as frequency independent scalar factors. The robustness of the inversion method is assessed through synthetic and resolution tests. We discuss salient features of the resulting anelastic model and in particular the well-resolved strong correlation with tectonics observed in the first 200 km of the mantle.

  14. Actin filaments growing against an elastic membrane: Effect of membrane tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadhu, Raj Kumar; Chatterjee, Sakuntala

    2018-03-01

    We study the force generation by a set of parallel actin filaments growing against an elastic membrane. The elastic membrane tries to stay flat and any deformation from this flat state, either caused by thermal fluctuations or due to protrusive polymerization force exerted by the filaments, costs energy. We study two lattice models to describe the membrane dynamics. In one case, the energy cost is assumed to be proportional to the absolute magnitude of the height gradient (gradient model) and in the other case it is proportional to the square of the height gradient (Gaussian model). For the gradient model we find that the membrane velocity is a nonmonotonic function of the elastic constant μ and reaches a peak at μ =μ* . For μ <μ* the system fails to reach a steady state and the membrane energy keeps increasing with time. For the Gaussian model, the system always reaches a steady state and the membrane velocity decreases monotonically with the elastic constant ν for all nonzero values of ν . Multiple filaments give rise to protrusions at different regions of the membrane and the elasticity of the membrane induces an effective attraction between the two protrusions in the Gaussian model which causes the protrusions to merge and a single wide protrusion is present in the system. In both the models, the relative time scale between the membrane and filament dynamics plays an important role in deciding whether the shape of elasticity-velocity curve is concave or convex. Our numerical simulations agree reasonably well with our analytical calculations.

  15. Systematic feasibility analysis of a quantitative elasticity estimation for breast anatomy using supine/prone patient postures.

    PubMed

    Hasse, Katelyn; Neylon, John; Sheng, Ke; Santhanam, Anand P

    2016-03-01

    Breast elastography is a critical tool for improving the targeted radiotherapy treatment of breast tumors. Current breast radiotherapy imaging protocols only involve prone and supine CT scans. There is a lack of knowledge on the quantitative accuracy with which breast elasticity can be systematically measured using only prone and supine CT datasets. The purpose of this paper is to describe a quantitative elasticity estimation technique for breast anatomy using only these supine/prone patient postures. Using biomechanical, high-resolution breast geometry obtained from CT scans, a systematic assessment was performed in order to determine the feasibility of this methodology for clinically relevant elasticity distributions. A model-guided inverse analysis approach is presented in this paper. A graphics processing unit (GPU)-based linear elastic biomechanical model was employed as a forward model for the inverse analysis with the breast geometry in a prone position. The elasticity estimation was performed using a gradient-based iterative optimization scheme and a fast-simulated annealing (FSA) algorithm. Numerical studies were conducted to systematically analyze the feasibility of elasticity estimation. For simulating gravity-induced breast deformation, the breast geometry was anchored at its base, resembling the chest-wall/breast tissue interface. Ground-truth elasticity distributions were assigned to the model, representing tumor presence within breast tissue. Model geometry resolution was varied to estimate its influence on convergence of the system. A priori information was approximated and utilized to record the effect on time and accuracy of convergence. The role of the FSA process was also recorded. A novel error metric that combined elasticity and displacement error was used to quantify the systematic feasibility study. For the authors' purposes, convergence was set to be obtained when each voxel of tissue was within 1 mm of ground-truth deformation. The authors' analyses showed that a ∼97% model convergence was systematically observed with no-a priori information. Varying the model geometry resolution showed no significant accuracy improvements. The GPU-based forward model enabled the inverse analysis to be completed within 10-70 min. Using a priori information about the underlying anatomy, the computation time decreased by as much as 50%, while accuracy improved from 96.81% to 98.26%. The use of FSA was observed to allow the iterative estimation methodology to converge more precisely. By utilizing a forward iterative approach to solve the inverse elasticity problem, this work indicates the feasibility and potential of the fast reconstruction of breast tissue elasticity using supine/prone patient postures.

  16. A modular (almost) automatic set-up for elastic multi-tenants cloud (micro)infrastructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amoroso, A.; Astorino, F.; Bagnasco, S.; Balashov, N. A.; Bianchi, F.; Destefanis, M.; Lusso, S.; Maggiora, M.; Pellegrino, J.; Yan, L.; Yan, T.; Zhang, X.; Zhao, X.

    2017-10-01

    An auto-installing tool on an usb drive can allow for a quick and easy automatic deployment of OpenNebula-based cloud infrastructures remotely managed by a central VMDIRAC instance. A single team, in the main site of an HEP Collaboration or elsewhere, can manage and run a relatively large network of federated (micro-)cloud infrastructures, making an highly dynamic and elastic use of computing resources. Exploiting such an approach can lead to modular systems of cloud-bursting infrastructures addressing complex real-life scenarios.

  17. Modeling fast and slow earthquakes at various scales

    PubMed Central

    IDE, Satoshi

    2014-01-01

    Earthquake sources represent dynamic rupture within rocky materials at depth and often can be modeled as propagating shear slip controlled by friction laws. These laws provide boundary conditions on fault planes embedded in elastic media. Recent developments in observation networks, laboratory experiments, and methods of data analysis have expanded our knowledge of the physics of earthquakes. Newly discovered slow earthquakes are qualitatively different phenomena from ordinary fast earthquakes and provide independent information on slow deformation at depth. Many numerical simulations have been carried out to model both fast and slow earthquakes, but problems remain, especially with scaling laws. Some mechanisms are required to explain the power-law nature of earthquake rupture and the lack of characteristic length. Conceptual models that include a hierarchical structure over a wide range of scales would be helpful for characterizing diverse behavior in different seismic regions and for improving probabilistic forecasts of earthquakes. PMID:25311138

  18. Modeling fast and slow earthquakes at various scales.

    PubMed

    Ide, Satoshi

    2014-01-01

    Earthquake sources represent dynamic rupture within rocky materials at depth and often can be modeled as propagating shear slip controlled by friction laws. These laws provide boundary conditions on fault planes embedded in elastic media. Recent developments in observation networks, laboratory experiments, and methods of data analysis have expanded our knowledge of the physics of earthquakes. Newly discovered slow earthquakes are qualitatively different phenomena from ordinary fast earthquakes and provide independent information on slow deformation at depth. Many numerical simulations have been carried out to model both fast and slow earthquakes, but problems remain, especially with scaling laws. Some mechanisms are required to explain the power-law nature of earthquake rupture and the lack of characteristic length. Conceptual models that include a hierarchical structure over a wide range of scales would be helpful for characterizing diverse behavior in different seismic regions and for improving probabilistic forecasts of earthquakes.

  19. Coseismic source model of the 2003 Mw 6.8 Chengkung earthquake, Taiwan, determined from GPS measurements

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ching, K.-E.; Rau, R.-J.; Zeng, Y.

    2007-01-01

    A coseismic source model of the 2003 Mw 6.8 Chengkung, Taiwan, earthquake was well determined with 213 GPS stations, providing a unique opportunity to study the characteristics of coseismic displacements of a high-angle buried reverse fault. Horizontal coseismic displacements show fault-normal shortening across the fault trace. Displacements on the hanging wall reveal fault-parallel and fault-normal lengthening. The largest horizontal and vertical GPS displacements reached 153 and 302 mm, respectively, in the middle part of the network. Fault geometry and slip distribution were determined by inverting GPS data using a three-dimensional (3-D) layered-elastic dislocation model. The slip is mainly concentrated within a 44 ?? 14 km slip patch centered at 15 km depth with peak amplitude of 126.6 cm. Results from 3-D forward-elastic model tests indicate that the dome-shaped folding on the hanging wall is reproduced with fault dips greater than 40??. Compared with the rupture area and average slip from slow slip earthquakes and a compilation of finite source models of 18 earthquakes, the Chengkung earthquake generated a larger rupture area and a lower stress drop, suggesting lower than average friction. Hence the Chengkung earthquake seems to be a transitional example between regular and slow slip earthquakes. The coseismic source model of this event indicates that the Chihshang fault is divided into a creeping segment in the north and the locked segment in the south. An average recurrence interval of 50 years for a magnitude 6.8 earthquake was estimated for the southern fault segment. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

  20. Independent and cooperative motions of the Kv1.2 channel: voltage sensing and gating.

    PubMed

    Yeheskel, Adva; Haliloglu, Turkan; Ben-Tal, Nir

    2010-05-19

    Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, such as Kv1.2, are involved in the generation and propagation of action potentials. The Kv channel is a homotetramer, and each monomer is composed of a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and a pore domain (PD). We analyzed the fluctuations of a model structure of Kv1.2 using elastic network models. The analysis suggested a network of coupled fluctuations of eight rigid structural units and seven hinges that may control the transition between the active and inactive states of the channel. For the most part, the network is composed of amino acids that are known to affect channel activity. The results suggested allosteric interactions and cooperativity between the subunits in the coupling between the motion of the VSD and the selectivity filter of the PD, in accordance with recent empirical data. There are no direct contacts between the VSDs of the four subunits, and the contacts between these and the PDs are loose, suggesting that the VSDs are capable of functioning independently. Indeed, they manifest many inherent fluctuations that are decoupled from the rest of the structure. In general, the analysis suggests that the two domains contribute to the channel function both individually and cooperatively. Copyright 2010 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The design, analysis and experimental evaluation of an elastic model wing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cavin, R. K., III; Thisayakorn, C.

    1974-01-01

    An elastic orbiter model was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of aeroelasticity computer programs. The elasticity properties were introduced by constructing beam-like straight wings for the wind tunnel model. A standard influence coefficient mathematical model was used to estimate aeroelastic effects analytically. In general good agreement was obtained between the empirical and analytical estimates of the deformed shape. However, in the static aeroelasticity case, it was found that the physical wing exhibited less bending and more twist than was predicted by theory.

  2. Epoxidized Natural Rubber/Chitosan Network Binder for Silicon Anode in Lithium-Ion Battery.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sang Ha; Lee, Jeong Hun; Nam, Dong Ho; Cho, Misuk; Kim, Jaehoon; Chanthad, Chalathorn; Lee, Youngkwan

    2018-05-16

    Polymeric binder is extremely important for Si-based anode in lithium-ion batteries due to large volume variation during charging/discharging process. Here, natural rubber-incorporated chitosan networks were designed as a binder material to obtain both adhesion and elasticity. Chitosan could strongly anchor Si particles through hydrogen bonding, while the natural rubber could stretch reversibly during the volume variation of Si particles, resulting in high cyclic performance. The prepared electrode exhibited the specific capacities of 1350 mAh/g after 1600 cycles at the current density of 8 A/g and 2310 mAh/g after 500 cycles at the current density of 1 A/g. Furthermore, the cycle test with limiting lithiation capacity was conducted to study the optimal binder properties at varying degree of the volume expansion of silicon, and it was found that the elastic property of binder material was strongly required when the large volume expansion of Si occurred.

  3. Optimizing Double-Network Hydrogel for Biomedical Soft Robots.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Hritwick; Ren, Hongliang

    2017-09-01

    Double-network hydrogel with standardized chemical parameters demonstrates a reasonable and viable alternative to silicone in soft robotic fabrication due to its biocompatibility, comparable mechanical properties, and customizability through the alterations of key variables. The most viable hydrogel sample in our article shows tensile strain of 851% and maximum tensile strength of 0.273 MPa. The elasticity and strength range of this hydrogel can be customized according to application requirements by simple alterations in the recipe. Furthermore, we incorporated Agar/PAM hydrogel into our highly constrained soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) design and eventually produced SPAs with escalated capabilities, such as larger range of motion, higher force output, and power efficiency. Incorporating SPAs made of Agar/PAM hydrogel resulted in low viscosity, thermos-reversibility, and ultralow elasticity, which we believe can help to combine with the other functions of hydrogel, tailoring a better solution for fabricating biocompatible soft robots.

  4. Multi-scale Multi-mechanism Design of Tough Hydrogels: Building Dissipation into Stretchy Networks

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Xuanhe

    2014-01-01

    As swollen polymer networks in water, hydrogels are usually brittle. However, hydrogels with high toughness play critical roles in many plant and animal tissues as well as in diverse engineering applications. Here we review the intrinsic mechanisms of a wide variety of tough hydrogels developed over past few decades. We show that tough hydrogels generally possess mechanisms to dissipate substantial mechanical energy but still maintain high elasticity under deformation. The integrations and interactions of different mechanisms for dissipating energy and maintaining elasticity are essential to the design of tough hydrogels. A matrix that combines various mechanisms is constructed for the first time to guide the design of next-generation tough hydrogels. We further highlight that a particularly promising strategy for the design is to implement multiple mechanisms across multiple length scales into nano-, micro-, meso-, and macro-structures of hydrogels. PMID:24834901

  5. Force Exertion and Transmission in Cross-Linked Actin Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stam, Samantha

    Cells are responsive to external cues in their environment telling them to proliferate or migrate within their surrounding tissue. Sensing of cues that are mechanical in nature, such stiffness of a tissue or forces transmitted from other cells, is believed to involve the cytoskeleton of a cell. The cytoskeleton is a complex network of proteins consisting of polymers that provide structural support, motor proteins that remodel these structures, and many others. We do not yet have a complete understanding of how cytoskeletal components respond to either internal or external mechanical force and stiffness. Such an understanding should involve mechanisms by which constituent molecules, such as motor proteins, are responsive to mechanics. Additionally, physical models of how forces are transmitted through biopolymer networks are necessary. My research has focused on networks formed by the cytoskeletal filament actin and the molecular motor protein myosin II. Actin filaments form networks and bundles that form a structural framework of the cell, and myosin II slides actin filaments. In this thesis, we show that stiffness of an elastic load that opposes myosin-generated actin sliding has a very sharp effect on the myosin force output in simulations. Secondly, we show that the stiffness and connectivity of cytoskeletal filaments regulates the contractility and anisotropy of network deformations that transmit force on material length scales. Together, these results have implications for predicting and interpreting the deformations and forces in biopolymeric active materials.

  6. Elastic modulus of tree frog adhesive toe pads.

    PubMed

    Barnes, W Jon P; Goodwyn, Pablo J Perez; Nokhbatolfoghahai, Mohsen; Gorb, Stanislav N

    2011-10-01

    Previous work using an atomic force microscope in nanoindenter mode indicated that the outer, 10- to 15-μm thick, keratinised layer of tree frog toe pads has a modulus of elasticity equivalent to silicone rubber (5-15 MPa) (Scholz et al. 2009), but gave no information on the physical properties of deeper structures. In this study, micro-indentation is used to measure the stiffness of whole toe pads of the tree frog, Litoria caerulea. We show here that tree frog toe pads are amongst the softest of biological structures (effective elastic modulus 4-25 kPa), and that they exhibit a gradient of stiffness, being stiffest on the outside. This stiffness gradient results from the presence of a dense network of capillaries lying beneath the pad epidermis, which probably has a shock absorbing function. Additionally, we compare the physical properties (elastic modulus, work of adhesion, pull-off force) of the toe pads of immature and adult frogs.

  7. Are There Long-Run Effects of the Minimum Wage?

    PubMed Central

    Sorkin, Isaac

    2014-01-01

    An empirical consensus suggests that there are small employment effects of minimum wage increases. This paper argues that these are short-run elasticities. Long-run elasticities, which may differ from short-run elasticities, are policy relevant. This paper develops a dynamic industry equilibrium model of labor demand. The model makes two points. First, long-run regressions have been misinterpreted because even if the short- and long-run employment elasticities differ, standard methods would not detect a difference using US variation. Second, the model offers a reconciliation of the small estimated short-run employment effects with the commonly found pass-through of minimum wage increases to product prices. PMID:25937790

  8. Are There Long-Run Effects of the Minimum Wage?

    PubMed

    Sorkin, Isaac

    2015-04-01

    An empirical consensus suggests that there are small employment effects of minimum wage increases. This paper argues that these are short-run elasticities. Long-run elasticities, which may differ from short-run elasticities, are policy relevant. This paper develops a dynamic industry equilibrium model of labor demand. The model makes two points. First, long-run regressions have been misinterpreted because even if the short- and long-run employment elasticities differ, standard methods would not detect a difference using US variation. Second, the model offers a reconciliation of the small estimated short-run employment effects with the commonly found pass-through of minimum wage increases to product prices.

  9. Towards an Aero-Propulso-Servo-Elasticity Analysis of a Commercial Supersonic Transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connolly, Joseph W.; Kopasakis, George; Chwalowski, Pawel; Sanetrik, Mark D.; Carlson, Jan-Renee; Silva, Walt A.; McNamara, Jack

    2016-01-01

    This paper covers the development of an aero-propulso-servo-elastic (APSE) model using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and linear structural deformations. The APSE model provides the integration of the following two previously developed nonlinear dynamic simulations: a variable cycle turbofan engine and an elastic supersonic commercial transport vehicle. The primary focus of this study is to provide a means to include relevant dynamics of a turbomachinery propulsion system into the aeroelastic studies conducted during a vehicle design, which have historically neglected propulsion effects. A high fidelity CFD tool is used here for the integration platform. The elastic vehicle neglecting the propulsion system serves as a comparison of traditional approaches to the APSE results. An overview of the methodology is presented for integrating the propulsion system and elastic vehicle. Static aeroelastic analysis comparisons between the traditional and developed APSE models for a wing tip detection indicate that the propulsion system impact on the vehicle elastic response could increase the detection by approximately ten percent.

  10. Hydrologic applications of GPS site-position observations in the Western U.S

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ouellette, Karli J.

    Permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) networks have been established around the globe for a variety of uses, most notably to monitor the activity of fault lines and tectonic plate motion. A model for utilizing GPS as a tool for hydrologic monitoring is also developed. First, observations of the recent movement of the land surface throughout California by the Scripps Orbit and Permanent Array Center (SOPAC) GPS network are explored. Significant seasonal cycles and long term trends are related to historical observations of land subsidence. The pattern of deformation throughout the state appears to be caused by the occurrence of poroelastic deformation of the aquifer in the Central Valley, and elastic crustal loading by surface water and the winter snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The result is a sort of teeter-totter motion between the Valley and the mountains where the Valley sinks in the dry season while the mountains lift, and the mountains sink in the wet season while the Valley lifts. Next, the elastic crustal deformation caused by the winter snowpack is explored more thoroughly at 6 high elevations throughout the Western United States. Expected annual deformation as a result of thermoelastic and snow water equivalent are calculated using SNOTEL observations and an elastic half-space model. The results demonstrate the dominance of snow loading on the seasonal vertical land surface deformation at all 6 GPS stations. The model is then reversed and applied to the GPS vertical site-position observations in order to predict snow water equivalent. The results are compared to SNOTEL observations of snow water equivalent and soil moisture. The study concludes that GPS site-position observations are able to predict variations in snow water equivalent and soil moisture with good accuracy. Then a model which incorporates both elastic crustal loading and poroelastic deformation was used to predict groundwater storage variations at 54 GPS stations throughout the Central Valley, CA. The results are compared to USGS water table observations from 43 wells. The predictions and observations show a similar magnitude and spatial pattern of groundwater depletion on both a seasonal and long term timescales. Depletion is focused on the southernmost part of the Valley where GPS reveals seasonal fluctuation of the water table around 2 m and 8 m/yr of water table decline during the study period. GPS also appears to respond to deformation from peat soils and changing reservoir storage in the northern parts of the Valley. Finally, preliminary work exploring the potential for using GPS as a tool for monitoring snowmelt runoff and infiltration is explored at one station in Eastern Idaho. Taking the difference between the change in GPS water storage estimates with time and the change in SNOTEL observed snow water equivalent with time produces a time series of infiltration, or the amount of water added to storage in the geologic profile. Then subtracting the estimated infiltration and snow water equivalent from the total precipitation observed by SNOTEL produces a time series of runoff. The estimated runoff at the GPS site was compared to observations from a nearby stream gauge and the foundation for a more extensive comparison is laid out. The overall impact of this work is to introduce the unique hydrologic information and monitoring capabilities which can be accessed through monitoring of the land surface position using GPS. As GPS networks grow and expand worldwide, the available data should be harnessed by the hydrologic community for the benefit of local water management as well as improvements to data assimilated models. The work presented here represents only a small fraction of the wealth of knowledge that could result from a budding field of GPS hydrologic remote sensing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

  11. Modeling the Interaction Between Hydraulic and Natural Fractures Using Dual-Lattice Discrete Element Method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Jing; Huang, Hai; Deo, Milind

    The interaction between hydraulic fractures (HF) and natural fractures (NF) will lead to complex fracture networks due to the branching and merging of natural and hydraulic fractures in unconventional reservoirs. In this paper, a newly developed hydraulic fracturing simulator based on discrete element method is used to predict the generation of complex fracture network in the presence of pre-existing natural fractures. By coupling geomechanics and reservoir flow within a dual lattice system, this simulator can effectively capture the poro-elastic effects and fluid leakoff into the formation. When HFs are intercepting single or multiple NFs, complex mechanisms such as direct crossing,more » arresting, dilating and branching can be simulated. Based on the model, the effects of injected fluid rate and viscosity, the orientation and permeability of NFs and stress anisotropy on the HF-NF interaction process are investigated. Combined impacts from multiple parameters are also examined in the paper. The numerical results show that large values of stress anisotropy, intercepting angle, injection rate and viscosity will impede the opening of NFs.« less

  12. Relationship between disease-specific structures of amyloid fibrils and their mechanical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoon, Gwonchan; Kab Kim, Young; Eom, Kilho; Na, Sungsoo

    2013-01-01

    It has recently been reported that the mechanical behavior of prion nanofibrils may play a critical role in expression of neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, we have studied the mechanical behavior of HET-s prion nanofibrils using an elastic network model. We have shown that the mechanical properties of prion nanofibrils formed as left-handed β-helices are different from those of non-prion nanofibrils formed as right-handed β-helices. In particular, the bending behavior of prion nanofibrils depends on the length of the nanofibril and that the bending rigidity of the prion nanofibril is larger than that of the non-prion nanofibril.

  13. Tracer particles in two-dimensional elastic networks diffuse logarithmically slow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lizana, Ludvig; Ambjörnsson, Tobias; Lomholt, Michael A.

    2017-01-01

    Several experiments on tagged molecules or particles in living systems suggest that they move anomalously slow—their mean squared displacement (MSD) increase slower than linearly with time. Leading models aimed at understanding these experiments predict that the MSD grows as a power law with a growth exponent that is smaller than unity. However, in some experiments the growth is so slow (fitted exponent  ˜0.1-0.2) that they hint towards other mechanisms at play. In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate how in-plane collective modes excited by thermal fluctuations in a two dimensional membrane lead to logarithmic time dependence for the the tracer particle’s MSD.

  14. Symmetric vibrations of a liquid in a vessel with a separator and an elastic bottom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goncharov, D. A.; Pozhalostin, A. A.

    2018-04-01

    The paper considers the problem of small axisymmetric vibrations of an ideal fluid filling a vessel with rigid walls and an elastic bottom. The liquid is divided into two layers by an elastic septum. The elastic baffle and the vessel elastic bottom are modeled by elastic membranes. The Neumann boundary-value problem is posed for the fluid. The equations of motion of the membranes are integrated with boundary conditions.

  15. Water transport, free volume, and polymer dynamics in crosslinked polymer networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frieberg, Bradley; Soles, Christopher

    Many technologies rely on amorphous polymer membranes that selectively transport small molecules or ions, which has led to a significant scientific interest in elucidating the mechanisms of transport. A recurring theme among several different materials systems is that free volume and polymer chain dynamics facilitate transport. In order to understand the interplay between free volume, transport and polymer dynamics we quantify these properties for a model epoxy network. The epoxy chemistry allows for systematically varying both the structural rigidity of the network as well as the cross-link density. We performed positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy measurements to characterize the unoccupied volume and correlated the unoccupied volume to the equilibrium moisture uptake and effective diffusion coefficient. We have recently extended this work to include polymer dynamics measured by quasi-elastic neutron scattering on the NIST High Flux Backscatter Spectrometer. These measurements reveal a strong correlation between the MSD and the transport kinetics, which was even stronger than the correlation previously observed between free volume and water diffusion. These observations challenge previous theories that suggest free volume governs transport.

  16. Scaling of F-actin network rheology to probe single filament elasticity and dynamics.

    PubMed

    Gardel, M L; Shin, J H; MacKintosh, F C; Mahadevan, L; Matsudaira, P A; Weitz, D A

    2004-10-29

    The linear and nonlinear viscoelastic response of networks of cross-linked and bundled cytoskeletal filaments demonstrates remarkable scaling with both frequency and applied prestress, which helps elucidate the origins of the viscoelasticity. The frequency dependence of the shear modulus reflects the underlying single-filament relaxation dynamics for 0.1-10 rad/sec. Moreover, the nonlinear strain stiffening of such networks exhibits a universal form as a function of prestress; this is quantitatively explained by the full force-extension relation of single semiflexible filaments.

  17. Three-dimensional modeling of flexible pavements : research implementation plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-02-14

    Many of the asphalt pavement analysis programs are based on linear elastic models. A linear viscoelastic models : would be superior to linear elastic models for analyzing the response of asphalt concrete pavements to loads. There : is a need to devel...

  18. Price responsiveness of demand for cigarettes: does rationality matter?

    PubMed

    Laporte, Audrey

    2006-01-01

    Meta-analysis is applied to aggregate-level studies that model the demand for cigarettes using static, myopic, or rational addiction frameworks in an attempt to synthesize key findings in the literature and to identify determinants of the variation in reported price elasticity estimates across studies. The results suggest that the rational addiction framework produces statistically similar estimates to the static framework but that studies that use the myopic framework tend to report more elastic price effects. Studies that applied panel data techniques or controlled for cross-border smuggling reported more elastic price elasticity estimates, whereas the use of instrumental variable techniques and time trends or time dummy variables produced less elastic estimates. The finding that myopic models produce different estimates than either of the other two model frameworks underscores that careful attention must be given to time series properties of the data.

  19. AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, 34th and AIAA/ASME Adaptive Structures Forum, La Jolla, CA, Apr. 19-22, 1993, Technical Papers. Pts. 1-6

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Topics addressed include the prediction of helicopter component loads using neural networks, spacecraft on-orbit coupled loads analysis, hypersonic flutter of a curved shallow panel with aerodynamic heating, thermal-acoustic fatigue of ceramic matrix composite materials, transition elements based on transfinite interpolation, damage progression in stiffened composite panels, a direct treatment of min-max dynamic response optimization problems, and sources of helicopter rotor hub inplane shears. Also discussed are dynamics of a layered elastic system, confidence bounds on structural reliability, mixed triangular space-time finite elements, advanced transparency development for USAF aircraft, a low-velocity impact on a graphite/PEEK, an automated mode-tracking strategy, transonic flutter suppression by a passive flap, a nonlinear response of composite panels to random excitation, an optimal placement of elastic supports on a simply supported plate, a probabilistic assessment of composite structures, a model for mode I failure of laminated composites, a residual flexibility approach to multibody dynamics,and multilayer piezoelectric actuators.

  20. A Novel Approach to Constrain Near-Surface Seismic Wave Speed Based on Polarization Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, S.; Ishii, M.

    2016-12-01

    Understanding the seismic responses of cities around the world is essential for the risk assessment of earthquake hazards. One of the important parameters is the elastic structure of the sites, in particular, near-surface seismic wave speed, that influences the level of ground shaking. Many methods have been developed to constrain the elastic structure of the populated sites or urban basins, and here, we introduce a new technique based on analyzing the polarization content or the three-dimensional particle motion of seismic phases arriving at the sites. Polarization analysis of three-component seismic data was widely used up to about two decades ago, to detect signals and identify different types of seismic arrivals. Today, we have good understanding of the expected polarization direction and ray parameter for seismic wave arrivals that are calculated based on a reference seismic model. The polarization of a given phase is also strongly sensitive to the elastic wave speed immediately beneath the station. This allows us to compare the observed and predicted polarization directions of incoming body waves and infer the near-surface wave speed. This approach is applied to High-Sensitivity Seismograph Network in Japan, where we benchmark the results against the well-log data that are available at most stations. There is a good agreement between our estimates of seismic wave speeds and those from well logs, confirming the efficacy of the new method. In most urban environments, where well logging is not a practical option for measuring the seismic wave speeds, this method can provide a reliable, non-invasive, and computationally inexpensive estimate of near-surface elastic properties.

  1. Permeability and elastic properties of cracked glass under pressure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ougier-Simonin, A.; GuéGuen, Y.; Fortin, J.; Schubnel, A.; Bouyer, F.

    2011-07-01

    Fluid flow in rocks is allowed through networks of cracks and fractures at all scales. In fact, cracks are of high importance in various applications ranging from rock elastic and transport properties to nuclear waste disposal. The present work aims at investigating thermomechanical cracking effects on elastic wave velocities, mechanical strength, and permeability of cracked glass under pressure. We performed the experiments on a triaxial cell at room temperature which allows for independent controls of the confining pressure, the axial stress, and pore pressure. We produced cracks in original borosilicate glass samples with a reproducible method (thermal treatment with a thermal shock of 300°C). The evolution of the elastic and transport properties have been monitored using elastic wave velocity sensors, strain gage, and flow measurements. The results obtained evidence for (1) a crack family with identified average aspect ratio and crack aperture, (2) a very small permeability which decreases as a power (exponential) function of pressure, and depends on (3) the crack aperture cube. We also show that permeability behavior of a cracked elastic brittle solid is reversible and independent of the fluid nature. Two independent methods (permeability and elastic wave velocity measurements) give these consistent results. This study provides data on the mechanical and transport properties of an almost ideal elastic brittle solid in which a crack population has been introduced. Comparisons with similar data on rocks allow for drawing interesting conclusions. Over the timescale of our experiments, our results do not provide any data on stress corrosion, which should be considered in further study.

  2. A design concept of parallel elasticity extracted from biological muscles for engineered actuators.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jie; Jin, Hongzhe; Iida, Fumiya; Zhao, Jie

    2016-08-23

    Series elastic actuation that takes inspiration from biological muscle-tendon units has been extensively studied and used to address the challenges (e.g. energy efficiency, robustness) existing in purely stiff robots. However, there also exists another form of passive property in biological actuation, parallel elasticity within muscles themselves, and our knowledge of it is limited: for example, there is still no general design strategy for the elasticity profile. When we look at nature, on the other hand, there seems a universal agreement in biological systems: experimental evidence has suggested that a concave-upward elasticity behaviour is exhibited within the muscles of animals. Seeking to draw possible design clues for elasticity in parallel with actuators, we use a simplified joint model to investigate the mechanisms behind this biologically universal preference of muscles. Actuation of the model is identified from general biological joints and further reduced with a specific focus on muscle elasticity aspects, for the sake of easy implementation. By examining various elasticity scenarios, one without elasticity and three with elasticity of different profiles, we find that parallel elasticity generally exerts contradictory influences on energy efficiency and disturbance rejection, due to the mechanical impedance shift thus caused. The trade-off analysis between them also reveals that concave parallel elasticity is able to achieve a more advantageous balance than linear and convex ones. It is expected that the results could contribute to our further understanding of muscle elasticity and provide a theoretical guideline on how to properly design parallel elasticity behaviours for engineering systems such as artificial actuators and robotic joints.

  3. Experimental determination of third-order elastic constants of diamond.

    PubMed

    Lang, J M; Gupta, Y M

    2011-03-25

    To determine the nonlinear elastic response of diamond, single crystals were shock compressed along the [100], [110], and [111] orientations to 120 GPa peak elastic stresses. Particle velocity histories and elastic wave velocities were measured by using laser interferometry. The measured elastic wave profiles were used, in combination with published acoustic measurements, to determine the complete set of third-order elastic constants. These constants represent the first experimental determination, and several differ significantly from those calculated by using theoretical models.

  4. The role of series ankle elasticity in bipedal walking

    PubMed Central

    Zelik, Karl E.; Huang, Tzu-Wei P.; Adamczyk, Peter G.; Kuo, Arthur D.

    2014-01-01

    The elastic stretch-shortening cycle of the Achilles tendon during walking can reduce the active work demands on the plantarflexor muscles in series. However, this does not explain why or when this ankle work, whether by muscle or tendon, needs to be performed during gait. We therefore employ a simple bipedal walking model to investigate how ankle work and series elasticity impact economical locomotion. Our model shows that ankle elasticity can use passive dynamics to aid push-off late in single support, redirecting the body's center-of-mass (COM) motion upward. An appropriately timed, elastic push-off helps to reduce dissipative collision losses at contralateral heelstrike, and therefore the positive work needed to offset those losses and power steady walking. Thus, the model demonstrates how elastic ankle work can reduce the total energetic demands of walking, including work required from more proximal knee and hip muscles. We found that the key requirement for using ankle elasticity to achieve economical gait is the proper ratio of ankle stiffness to foot length. Optimal combination of these parameters ensures proper timing of elastic energy release prior to contralateral heelstrike, and sufficient energy storage to redirect the COM velocity. In fact, there exist parameter combinations that theoretically yield collision-free walking, thus requiring zero active work, albeit with relatively high ankle torques. Ankle elasticity also allows the hip to power economical walking by contributing indirectly to push-off. Whether walking is powered by the ankle or hip, ankle elasticity may aid walking economy by reducing collision losses. PMID:24365635

  5. The role of series ankle elasticity in bipedal walking.

    PubMed

    Zelik, Karl E; Huang, Tzu-Wei P; Adamczyk, Peter G; Kuo, Arthur D

    2014-04-07

    The elastic stretch-shortening cycle of the Achilles tendon during walking can reduce the active work demands on the plantarflexor muscles in series. However, this does not explain why or when this ankle work, whether by muscle or tendon, needs to be performed during gait. We therefore employ a simple bipedal walking model to investigate how ankle work and series elasticity impact economical locomotion. Our model shows that ankle elasticity can use passive dynamics to aid push-off late in single support, redirecting the body's center-of-mass (COM) motion upward. An appropriately timed, elastic push-off helps to reduce dissipative collision losses at contralateral heelstrike, and therefore the positive work needed to offset those losses and power steady walking. Thus, the model demonstrates how elastic ankle work can reduce the total energetic demands of walking, including work required from more proximal knee and hip muscles. We found that the key requirement for using ankle elasticity to achieve economical gait is the proper ratio of ankle stiffness to foot length. Optimal combination of these parameters ensures proper timing of elastic energy release prior to contralateral heelstrike, and sufficient energy storage to redirect the COM velocity. In fact, there exist parameter combinations that theoretically yield collision-free walking, thus requiring zero active work, albeit with relatively high ankle torques. Ankle elasticity also allows the hip to power economical walking by contributing indirectly to push-off. Whether walking is powered by the ankle or hip, ankle elasticity may aid walking economy by reducing collision losses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Fluid Mechanics of Capillary-Elastic Instabilities in Microgravity Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grotberg, James B.

    2002-01-01

    The aim of this project is to investigate the closure and reopening of lung airways due to surface tension forces, coupled with airway elasticity. Airways are liquid-lined, flexible tubes and closure of airways can occur by a Rayleigh instability of the liquid lining, or an instability of the elastic support for the airway as the surface tension of the air-liquid interface pulls the tube shut, or both. Regardless of the mechanism, the airway is closed because the liquid lining has created a plug that prevents axial gas exchange. In the microgravity environment, surface tension forces dominate lung mechanics and would lead to more prevalent, and more uniformly distributed air-way closure, thereby creating a potential for respiratory problems for astronauts. Once closed the primary option for reopening an airway is by deep inspiration. This maneuver will pull the flexible airways open and force the liquid plug to flow distally by the incoming air stream. Airway reopening depends to a large extent on this plug flow and how it may lead to plug rupture to regain the continuity of gas between the environment and the alveoli. In addition to mathematical modeling of plug flows in liquid-lined, flexible tubes, this work has involved benchtop studies of propagating liquid plugs down tube networks that mimic the human airway tree. We have extended the work to involve animal models of liquid plug propagation in rat lungs. The liquid is radio-opaque and x-ray video imaging is used to ascertain the movement and distribution of the liquid plugs so that comparisons to theory may be made. This research has other uses, such as the delivery of liquids or drugs into the lung that may be used for surfactant replacement therapy or for liquid ventilation.

  7. Longitudinal waves in carbon nanotubes in the presence of transverse magnetic field and elastic medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Hu; Liu, Hua; Yang, Jialing

    2017-09-01

    In the present paper, the coupling effect of transverse magnetic field and elastic medium on the longitudinal wave propagation along a carbon nanotube (CNT) is studied. Based on the nonlocal elasticity theory and Hamilton's principle, a unified nonlocal rod theory which takes into account the effects of small size scale, lateral inertia and radial deformation is proposed. The existing rod theories including the classic rod theory, the Rayleigh-Love theory and Rayleigh-Bishop theory for macro solids can be treated as the special cases of the present model. A two-parameter foundation model (Pasternak-type model) is used to represent the elastic medium. The influence of transverse magnetic field, Pasternak-type elastic medium and small size scale on the longitudinal wave propagation behavior of the CNT is investigated in detail. It is shown that the influences of lateral inertia and radial deformation cannot be neglected in analyzing the longitudinal wave propagation characteristics of the CNT. The results also show that the elastic medium and the transverse magnetic field will also affect the longitudinal wave dispersion behavior of the CNT significantly. The results obtained in this paper are helpful for understanding the mechanical behaviors of nanostructures embedded in an elastic medium.

  8. A K-BKZ Formulation for Soft-Tissue Viscoelasticity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freed, Alan D.; Diethelm, Kai

    2005-01-01

    A viscoelastic model of the K-BKZ (Kaye 1962; Bernstein et al. 1963) type is developed for isotropic biological tissues, and applied to the fat pad of the human heel. To facilitate this pursuit, a class of elastic solids is introduced through a novel strain-energy function whose elements possess strong ellipticity, and therefore lead to stable material models. The standard fractional-order viscoelastic (FOV) solid is used to arrive at the overall elastic/viscoelastic structure of the model, while the elastic potential via the K-BKZ hypothesis is used to arrive at the tensorial structure of the model. Candidate sets of functions are proposed for the elastic and viscoelastic material functions present in the model, including a regularized fractional derivative that was determined to be the best. The Akaike information criterion (AIC) is advocated for performing multi-model inference, enabling an objective selection of the best material function from within a candidate set.

  9. Understanding the Effect of Plastic Deformation on Elastic Modulus of Metals Based on a Percolation Model with Electron Work Function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Qingda; Hua, Guomin; Lu, Hao; Yu, Bin; Li, D. Y.

    2018-05-01

    The elastic modulus of materials is usually treated as a constant in engineering applications. However, plastic deformation may result in changes in the elastic modulus of metallic materials. Using brass, aluminum, and low-carbon steel as sample materials, it is demonstrated that plastic deformation decreased the elastic modulus of the materials by 10% to 20%. A percolation model incorporating the electron work function is proposed to correlate such plastic-strain-induced variations in the elastic modulus to corresponding changes in the electron work function. Efforts are made to understand the observed phenomenon on an electronic basis. The obtained experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis.

  10. A coatable, light-weight, fast-response nanocomposite sensor for the in situ acquisition of dynamic elastic disturbance: from structural vibration to ultrasonic waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Zhihui; Liu, Menglong; Xu, Hao; Liu, Weijian; Liao, Yaozhong; Jin, Hao; Zhou, Limin; Zhang, Zhong; Su, Zhongqing

    2016-06-01

    Inspired by an innovative sensing philosophy, a light-weight nanocomposite sensor made of a hybrid of carbon black (CB)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been developed. The nanoscalar architecture and percolation characteristics of the hybrid were optimized in order to fulfil the in situ acquisition of dynamic elastic disturbance from low-frequency vibration to high-frequency ultrasonic waves. Dynamic particulate motion induced by elastic disturbance modulates the infrastructure of the CB conductive network in the sensor, with the introduction of the tunneling effect, leading to dynamic alteration in the piezoresistivity measured by the sensor. Electrical analysis, morphological characterization, and static/dynamic electromechanical response interrogation were implemented to advance our insight into the sensing mechanism of the sensor, and meanwhile facilitate understanding of the optimal percolation threshold. At the optimal threshold (˜6.5 wt%), the sensor exhibits high fidelity, a fast response, and high sensitivity to ultrafast elastic disturbance (in an ultrasonic regime up to 400 kHz), yet with an ultralow magnitude (on the order of micrometers). The performance of the sensor was evaluated against a conventional strain gauge and piezoelectric transducer, showing excellent coincidence, yet a much greater gauge factor and frequency-independent piezoresistive behavior. Coatable on a structure and deployable in a large quantity to form a dense sensor network, this nanocomposite sensor has blazed a trail for implementing in situ sensing for vibration- or ultrasonic-wave-based structural health monitoring, by striking a compromise between ‘sensing cost’ and ‘sensing effectiveness’.

  11. Effect of modifications in mineralized collagen fibril and extra-fibrillar matrix material properties on submicroscale mechanical behavior of cortical bone.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yaohui; Ural, Ani

    2018-06-01

    A key length scale of interest in assessing the fracture resistance of bone is the submicroscale which is composed of mineralized collagen fibrils (MCF) and extra-fibrillar matrix (EFM). Although the processes through which the submicroscale constituents of bone contribute to the fracture resistance in bone have been identified, the extent of the modifications in submicroscale mechanical response due to the changes in individual properties of MCFs and EFM has not been determined. As a result, this study aims to quantify the influence of individual MCF and EFM material property modifications on the mechanical behavior (elastic modulus, ultimate strength, and resistance to failure) of bone at the submicroscale using a novel finite element modeling approach that incorporate 3D networks of MCFs with three different orientations as well as explicit representation of EFM. The models were evaluated under tensile loading in transverse (representing MCF separation) and longitudinal (representing MCF rupture) directions. The results showed that the apparent elastic modulus at the submicroscale under both loading directions for all orientations was only affected by the change in the elastic modulus of MCFs. MCF separation and rupture strengths were mainly dependent on the ultimate strength of EFM and MCFs, respectively, with minimal influence of other material properties. The extent of damage during MCF separation increased with increasing ultimate strength of EFM and decreased with increasing fracture energy of EFM with minimal contribution from elastic modulus of MCFs. For MCF rupture, there was an almost one-to-one linear relationship between the percent change in fracture energy of MCFs and the percent change in the apparent submicroscale fracture energy. The ultimate strength and elastic modulus of MCFs had moderate to limited influence on the MCF rupture fracture energy. The results of this study quantified the extent of changes that may be seen in the energy dissipation processes during MCF rupture and separation relative to the changes in the individual constituents of the tissue. This new knowledge significantly contributes to improving the understanding of how the material property alterations at the submicroscale that can occur due to diseases, age-related changes, and treatments affect the fracture processes at larger length scales. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. POLICY VARIATION, LABOR SUPPLY ELASTICITIES, AND A STRUCTURAL MODEL OF RETIREMENT

    PubMed Central

    MANOLI, DAY; MULLEN, KATHLEEN J.; WAGNER, MATHIS

    2015-01-01

    This paper exploits a combination of policy variation from multiple pension reforms in Austria and administrative data from the Austrian Social Security Database. Using the policy changes for identification, we estimate social security wealth and accrual elasticities in individuals’ retirement decisions. Next, we use these elasticities to estimate a dynamic programming model of retirement decisions. Finally, we use the estimated model to examine the labor supply and welfare consequences of potential social security reforms. PMID:26472916

  13. Three dimensional microstructural network of elastin, collagen, and cells in Achilles tendons.

    PubMed

    Pang, Xin; Wu, Jian-Ping; Allison, Garry T; Xu, Jiake; Rubenson, Jonas; Zheng, Ming-Hao; Lloyd, David G; Gardiner, Bruce; Wang, Allan; Kirk, Thomas Brett

    2017-06-01

    Similar to most biological tissues, the biomechanical, and functional characteristics of the Achilles tendon are closely related to its composition and microstructure. It is commonly reported that type I collagen is the predominant component of tendons and is mainly responsible for the tissue's function. Although elastin has been found in varying proportions in other connective tissues, previous studies report that tendons contain very small quantities of elastin. However, the morphology and the microstructural relationship among the elastic fibres, collagen, and cells in tendon tissue have not been well examined. We hypothesize the elastic fibres, as another fibrillar component in the extracellular matrix, have a unique role in mechanical function and microstructural arrangement in Achilles tendons. It has been shown that elastic fibres present a close connection with the tenocytes. The close relationship of the three components has been revealed as a distinct, integrated and complex microstructural network. Notably, a "spiral" structure within fibril bundles in Achilles tendons was observed in some samples in specialized regions. This study substantiates the hierarchical system of the spatial microstructure of tendon, including the mapping of collagen, elastin and tenocytes, with 3-dimensional confocal images. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1203-1214, 2017. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

    PubMed Central

    Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; Mehner, A.; Lucca, D. A.

    2017-01-01

    Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. In this study, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. The results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. It was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. A combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films. PMID:28071696

  15. Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

    DOE PAGES

    Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; ...

    2017-01-10

    Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. Here, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. Our results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. Itmore » was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp 2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. Finally, a combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films.« less

  16. Blocky inversion of multichannel elastic impedance for elastic parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mozayan, Davoud Karami; Gholami, Ali; Siahkoohi, Hamid Reza

    2018-04-01

    Petrophysical description of reservoirs requires proper knowledge of elastic parameters like P- and S-wave velocities (Vp and Vs) and density (ρ), which can be retrieved from pre-stack seismic data using the concept of elastic impedance (EI). We propose an inversion algorithm which recovers elastic parameters from pre-stack seismic data in two sequential steps. In the first step, using the multichannel blind seismic inversion method (exploited recently for recovering acoustic impedance from post-stack seismic data), high-resolution blocky EI models are obtained directly from partial angle-stacks. Using an efficient total-variation (TV) regularization, each angle-stack is inverted independently in a multichannel form without prior knowledge of the corresponding wavelet. The second step involves inversion of the resulting EI models for elastic parameters. Mathematically, under some assumptions, the EI's are linearly described by the elastic parameters in the logarithm domain. Thus a linear weighted least squares inversion is employed to perform this step. Accuracy of the concept of elastic impedance in predicting reflection coefficients at low and high angles of incidence is compared with that of exact Zoeppritz elastic impedance and the role of low frequency content in the problem is discussed. The performance of the proposed inversion method is tested using synthetic 2D data sets obtained from the Marmousi model and also 2D field data sets. The results confirm the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method for inversion of pre-stack seismic data.

  17. Elastic-plastic analysis of AS4/PEEK composite laminate using a one-parameter plasticity model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sun, C. T.; Yoon, K. J.

    1992-01-01

    A one-parameter plasticity model was shown to adequately describe the plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK (APC-2) unidirectional thermoplastic composite. This model was verified further for unidirectional and laminated composite panels with and without a hole. The elastic-plastic stress-strain relations of coupon specimens were measured and compared with those predicted by the finite element analysis using the one-parameter plasticity model. The results show that the one-parameter plasticity model is suitable for the analysis of elastic-plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK composite laminates.

  18. Contact interaction of thin-walled elements with an elastic layer and an infinite circular cylinder under torsion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanetsyan, E. G.; Mkrtchyan, M. S.; Mkhitaryan, S. M.

    2018-04-01

    We consider a class of contact torsion problems on interaction of thin-walled elements shaped as an elastic thin washer – a flat circular plate of small height – with an elastic layer, in particular, with a half-space, and on interaction of thin cylindrical shells with a solid elastic cylinder, infinite in both directions. The governing equations of the physical models of elastic thin washers and thin circular cylindrical shells under torsion are derived from the exact equations of mathematical theory of elasticity using the Hankel and Fourier transforms. Within the framework of the accepted physical models, the solution of the contact problem between an elastic washer and an elastic layer is reduced to solving the Fredholm integral equation of the first kind with a kernel representable as a sum of the Weber–Sonin integral and some integral regular kernel, while solving the contact problem between a cylindrical shell and solid cylinder is reduced to a singular integral equation (SIE). An effective method for solving the governing integral equations of these problems are specified.

  19. Comparison of Models for Ball Bearing Dynamic Capacity and Life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupta, Pradeep K.; Oswald, Fred B.; Zaretsky, Erwin V.

    2015-01-01

    Generalized formulations for dynamic capacity and life of ball bearings, based on the models introduced by Lundberg and Palmgren and Zaretsky, have been developed and implemented in the bearing dynamics computer code, ADORE. Unlike the original Lundberg-Palmgren dynamic capacity equation, where the elastic properties are part of the life constant, the generalized formulations permit variation of elastic properties of the interacting materials. The newly updated Lundberg-Palmgren model allows prediction of life as a function of elastic properties. For elastic properties similar to those of AISI 52100 bearing steel, both the original and updated Lundberg-Palmgren models provide identical results. A comparison between the Lundberg-Palmgren and the Zaretsky models shows that at relatively light loads the Zaretsky model predicts a much higher life than the Lundberg-Palmgren model. As the load increases, the Zaretsky model provides a much faster drop off in life. This is because the Zaretsky model is much more sensitive to load than the Lundberg-Palmgren model. The generalized implementation where all model parameters can be varied provides an effective tool for future model validation and enhancement in bearing life prediction capabilities.

  20. Analyzing a suitable elastic geomechanical model for Vaca Muerta Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sosa Massaro, Agustin; Espinoza, D. Nicolas; Frydman, Marcelo; Barredo, Silvia; Cuervo, Sergio

    2017-11-01

    Accurate geomechanical evaluation of oil and gas reservoir rocks is important to provide design parameters for drilling, completion and predict production rates. In particular, shale reservoir rocks are geologically complex and heterogeneous. Wells need to be hydraulically fractured for stimulation and, in complex tectonic environments, it is to consider that rock fabric and in situ stress, strongly influence fracture propagation geometry. This article presents a combined wellbore-laboratory characterization of the geomechanical properties of a well in El Trapial/Curamched Field, over the Vaca Muerta Formation, located in the Neuquén Basin in Argentina. The study shows the results of triaxial tests with acoustic measurements in rock plugs from outcrops and field cores, and corresponding dynamic to static correlations considering various elastic models. The models, with increasing complexity, include the Isotropic Elastic Model (IEM), the Anisotropic Elastic Model (AEM) and the Detailed Anisotropic Elastic Model (DAEM). Each model shows advantages over the others. An IEM offers a quick overview, being easy to run without much detailed data for heterogeneous and anisotropic rocks. The DAEM requires significant amounts of data, time and a multidisciplinary team to arrive to a detailed model. Finally, an AEM suits well to an anisotropic and realistic rock without the need of massive amounts of data.

  1. Extrapolation of bulk rock elastic moduli of different rock types to high pressure conditions and comparison with texture-derived elastic moduli

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ullemeyer, Klaus; Lokajíček, Tomás; Vasin, Roman N.; Keppler, Ruth; Behrmann, Jan H.

    2018-02-01

    In this study elastic moduli of three different rock types of simple (calcite marble) and more complex (amphibolite, micaschist) mineralogical compositions were determined by modeling of elastic moduli using texture (crystallographic preferred orientation; CPO) data, experimental investigation and extrapolation. 3D models were calculated using single crystal elastic moduli, and CPO measured using time-of-flight neutron diffraction at the SKAT diffractometer in Dubna (Russia) and subsequently analyzed using Rietveld Texture Analysis. To define extrinsic factors influencing elastic behaviour, P-wave and S-wave velocity anisotropies were experimentally determined at 200, 400 and 600 MPa confining pressure. Functions describing variations of the elastic moduli with confining pressure were then used to predict elastic properties at 1000 MPa, revealing anisotropies in a supposedly crack-free medium. In the calcite marble elastic anisotropy is dominated by the CPO. Velocities continuously increase, while anisotropies decrease from measured, over extrapolated to CPO derived data. Differences in velocity patterns with sample orientation suggest that the foliation forms an important mechanical anisotropy. The amphibolite sample shows similar magnitudes of extrapolated and CPO derived velocities, however the pattern of CPO derived velocity is closer to that measured at 200 MPa. Anisotropy decreases from the extrapolated to the CPO derived data. In the micaschist, velocities are higher and anisotropies are lower in the extrapolated data, in comparison to the data from measurements at lower pressures. Generally our results show that predictions for the elastic behavior of rocks at great depths are possible based on experimental data and those computed from CPO. The elastic properties of the lower crust can, thus, be characterized with an improved degree of confidence using extrapolations. Anisotropically distributed spherical micro-pores are likely to be preserved, affecting seismic velocity distributions. Compositional variations in the polyphase rock samples do not significantly change the velocity patterns, allowing the use of RTA-derived volume percentages for the modeling of elastic moduli.

  2. Elastic constants and pressure derivative of elastic constants of Si1-xGex solid solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jivani, A. R.; Baria, J. K.; Vyas, P. S.; Jani, A. R.

    2013-02-01

    Elastic properties of Si1-xGex solid solution with arbitrary (atomic) concentration (x) are studied using the pseudo-alloy atom model based on the pseudopotential theory and on the higher-order perturbation scheme with the application of our own proposed model potential. We have used local-field correction function proposed by Sarkar et al to study Si-Ge system. The Elastic constants and pressure derivatives of elastic constants of the solid solution is investigated with different concentration x of Ge. It is found in the present study that the calculated numerical values of the aforesaid physical properties of Si-Ge system are function of x. The elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) decrease linearly with increase in concentration x and pressure derivative of elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) increase with the concentration x of Ge. This study provides better set of theoretical results for such solid solution for further comparison either with theoretical or experimental results.

  3. Biomechanically based simulation of brain deformations for intraoperative image correction: coupling of elastic and fluid models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagemann, Alexander; Rohr, Karl; Stiehl, H. Siegfried

    2000-06-01

    In order to improve the accuracy of image-guided neurosurgery, different biomechanical models have been developed to correct preoperative images w.r.t. intraoperative changes like brain shift or tumor resection. All existing biomechanical models simulate different anatomical structures by using either appropriate boundary conditions or by spatially varying material parameter values, while assuming the same physical model for all anatomical structures. In general, this leads to physically implausible results, especially in the case of adjacent elastic and fluid structures. Therefore, we propose a new approach which allows to couple different physical models. In our case, we simulate rigid, elastic, and fluid regions by using the appropriate physical description for each material, namely either the Navier equation or the Stokes equation. To solve the resulting differential equations, we derive a linear matrix system for each region by applying the finite element method (FEM). Thereafter, the linear matrix systems are linked together, ending up with one overall linear matrix system. Our approach has been tested using synthetic as well as tomographic images. It turns out from experiments, that the integrated treatment of rigid, elastic, and fluid regions significantly improves the prediction results in comparison to a pure linear elastic model.

  4. Periodic buckling of constrained cylindrical elastic shells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marthelot, Joel; Brun, Pierre-Thomas; Lopez Jimenez, Francisco; Reis, Pedro M.

    We revisit the classic problem of buckling of a thin cylindrical elastic shell loaded either by pneumatic depressurization or axial compression. The control of the resulting dimpled pattern is achieved by using a concentric inner rigid mandrel that constrains and stabilizes the post-buckling response. Under axial compression, a regular lattice of diamond-like dimples appears sequentially on the surface of the shell to form a robust spatially extended periodic pattern. Under pressure loading, a periodic array of ridges facets the surface of the elastic cylindrical shell. The sharpness of these ridges can be readily varied and controlled through a single scalar parameter, the applied pressure. A combination of experiments, simulations and scaling analyses is used to rationalize the combined role of geometry and mechanics in the nucleation and evolution of the diamond-like dimples and ridges networks.

  5. Brownian motion studies of viscoelastic colloidal gels by rotational single particle tracking

    DOE PAGES

    Liang, Mengning; Harder, Ross; Robinson, Ian K.

    2014-04-14

    Colloidal gels have unique properties due to a complex microstructure which forms into an extended network. Although the bulk properties of colloidal gels have been studied, there has been difficulty correlating those properties with individual colloidal dynamics on the microscale due to the very high viscosity and elasticity of the material. We utilize rotational X-ray tracking (RXT) to investigate the rotational motion of component crystalline colloidal particles in a colloidal gel of alumina and decanoic acid. Our investigation has determined that the high elasticity of the bulk is echoed by a high elasticity experienced by individual colloidal particles themselves butmore » also finds an unexpected high degree of rotational diffusion, indicating a large degree of freedom in the rotational motion of individual colloids even within a tightly bound system.« less

  6. Submillisecond elastic recoil reveals molecular origins of fibrin fiber mechanics.

    PubMed

    Hudson, Nathan E; Ding, Feng; Bucay, Igal; O'Brien, E Timothy; Gorkun, Oleg V; Superfine, Richard; Lord, Susan T; Dokholyan, Nikolay V; Falvo, Michael R

    2013-06-18

    Fibrin fibers form the structural scaffold of blood clots. Thus, their mechanical properties are of central importance to understanding hemostasis and thrombotic disease. Recent studies have revealed that fibrin fibers are elastomeric despite their high degree of molecular ordering. These results have inspired a variety of molecular models for fibrin's elasticity, ranging from reversible protein unfolding to rubber-like elasticity. An important property that has not been explored is the timescale of elastic recoil, a parameter that is critical for fibrin's mechanical function and places a temporal constraint on molecular models of fiber elasticity. Using high-frame-rate imaging and atomic force microscopy-based nanomanipulation, we measured the recoil dynamics of individual fibrin fibers and found that the recoil was orders of magnitude faster than anticipated from models involving protein refolding. We also performed steered discrete molecular-dynamics simulations to investigate the molecular origins of the observed recoil. Our results point to the unstructured αC regions of the otherwise structured fibrin molecule as being responsible for the elastic recoil of the fibers. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Submillisecond Elastic Recoil Reveals Molecular Origins of Fibrin Fiber Mechanics

    PubMed Central

    Hudson, Nathan E.; Ding, Feng; Bucay, Igal; O’Brien, E. Timothy; Gorkun, Oleg V.; Superfine, Richard; Lord, Susan T.; Dokholyan, Nikolay V.; Falvo, Michael R.

    2013-01-01

    Fibrin fibers form the structural scaffold of blood clots. Thus, their mechanical properties are of central importance to understanding hemostasis and thrombotic disease. Recent studies have revealed that fibrin fibers are elastomeric despite their high degree of molecular ordering. These results have inspired a variety of molecular models for fibrin’s elasticity, ranging from reversible protein unfolding to rubber-like elasticity. An important property that has not been explored is the timescale of elastic recoil, a parameter that is critical for fibrin’s mechanical function and places a temporal constraint on molecular models of fiber elasticity. Using high-frame-rate imaging and atomic force microscopy-based nanomanipulation, we measured the recoil dynamics of individual fibrin fibers and found that the recoil was orders of magnitude faster than anticipated from models involving protein refolding. We also performed steered discrete molecular-dynamics simulations to investigate the molecular origins of the observed recoil. Our results point to the unstructured αC regions of the otherwise structured fibrin molecule as being responsible for the elastic recoil of the fibers. PMID:23790375

  8. Mathematical modeling of spinning elastic bodies for modal analysis.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Likins, P. W.; Barbera, F. J.; Baddeley, V.

    1973-01-01

    The problem of modal analysis of an elastic appendage on a rotating base is examined to establish the relative advantages of various mathematical models of elastic structures and to extract general inferences concerning the magnitude and character of the influence of spin on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of rotating structures. In realization of the first objective, it is concluded that except for a small class of very special cases the elastic continuum model is devoid of useful results, while for constant nominal spin rate the distributed-mass finite-element model is quite generally tractable, since in the latter case the governing equations are always linear, constant-coefficient, ordinary differential equations. Although with both of these alternatives the details of the formulation generally obscure the essence of the problem and permit very little engineering insight to be gained without extensive computation, this difficulty is not encountered when dealing with simple concentrated mass models.

  9. Least-squares reverse time migration in elastic media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Zhiming; Liu, Yang; Sen, Mrinal K.

    2017-02-01

    Elastic reverse time migration (RTM) can yield accurate subsurface information (e.g. PP and PS reflectivity) by imaging the multicomponent seismic data. However, the existing RTM methods are still insufficient to provide satisfactory results because of the finite recording aperture, limited bandwidth and imperfect illumination. Besides, the P- and S-wave separation and the polarity reversal correction are indispensable in conventional elastic RTM. Here, we propose an iterative elastic least-squares RTM (LSRTM) method, in which the imaging accuracy is improved gradually with iteration. We first use the Born approximation to formulate the elastic de-migration operator, and employ the Lagrange multiplier method to derive the adjoint equations and gradients with respect to reflectivity. Then, an efficient inversion workflow (only four forward computations needed in each iteration) is introduced to update the reflectivity. Synthetic and field data examples reveal that the proposed LSRTM method can obtain higher-quality images than the conventional elastic RTM. We also analyse the influence of model parametrizations and misfit functions in elastic LSRTM. We observe that Lamé parameters, velocity and impedance parametrizations have similar and plausible migration results when the structures of different models are correlated. For an uncorrelated subsurface model, velocity and impedance parametrizations produce fewer artefacts caused by parameter crosstalk than the Lamé coefficient parametrization. Correlation- and convolution-type misfit functions are effective when amplitude errors are involved and the source wavelet is unknown, respectively. Finally, we discuss the dependence of elastic LSRTM on migration velocities and its antinoise ability. Imaging results determine that the new elastic LSRTM method performs well as long as the low-frequency components of migration velocities are correct. The quality of images of elastic LSRTM degrades with increasing noise.

  10. Elastic And Plastic Deformations In Butt Welds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Verderaime, V.

    1992-01-01

    Report presents study of mathematical modeling of stresses and strains, reaching beyond limits of elasticity, in bars and plates. Study oriented toward development of capability to predict stresses and resulting elastic and plastic strains in butt welds.

  11. Contact problem for an elastic reinforcement bonded to an elastic plate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Civelek, M. B.

    1974-01-01

    The contact problem for a thin elastic reinforcement bonded to an elastic plate is considered. The stiffening layer is treated as an elastic membrane and the base plate is assumed to be an elastic continuum. The bonding between the two materials is assumed to be either one of direct adhesion or through a thin adhesive layer which is treated as a shear spring. The solution for the simple case in which both the stiffener and the base plate are treated as membranes is also given. The contact stress is obtained for a series of numerical examples. In the direct adhesion case the contact stress becomes infinite at the stiffener ends with a typical square root singularity for the continuum model and behaving as a delta function for the membrane model. In the case of bonding through an adhesive layer the contact stress becomes finite and continuous along the entire contact area.

  12. Rolling motion of an elastic cylinder induced by elastic strain gradients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Lei; Chen, Shaohua

    2014-10-01

    Recent experiment shows that an elastic strain gradient field can be utilized to transport spherical particles on a stretchable substrate by rolling, inspired by which a generalized plane-strain Johnson-Kendall-Roberts model is developed in this paper in order to verify possible rolling of an elastic cylinder adhering on an elastic substrate subject to a strain gradient. With the help of contact mechanics, closed form solutions of interface tractions, stress intensity factors, and corresponding energy release rates in the plane-strain contact model are obtained, based on which a possible rolling motion of an elastic cylinder induced by strain gradients is found and the criterion for the initiation of rolling is established. The theoretical prediction is consistent well with the existing experimental observation. The result should be helpful for understanding biological transport mechanisms through muscle contractions and the design of transport systems with strain gradient.

  13. Elastic Coupling of Nascent apCAM Adhesions to Flowing Actin Networks

    PubMed Central

    Mejean, Cecile O.; Schaefer, Andrew W.; Buck, Kenneth B.; Kress, Holger; Shundrovsky, Alla; Merrill, Jason W.; Dufresne, Eric R.; Forscher, Paul

    2013-01-01

    Adhesions are multi-molecular complexes that transmit forces generated by a cell’s acto-myosin networks to external substrates. While the physical properties of some of the individual components of adhesions have been carefully characterized, the mechanics of the coupling between the cytoskeleton and the adhesion site as a whole are just beginning to be revealed. We characterized the mechanics of nascent adhesions mediated by the immunoglobulin-family cell adhesion molecule apCAM, which is known to interact with actin filaments. Using simultaneous visualization of actin flow and quantification of forces transmitted to apCAM-coated beads restrained with an optical trap, we found that adhesions are dynamic structures capable of transmitting a wide range of forces. For forces in the picoNewton scale, the nascent adhesions’ mechanical properties are dominated by an elastic structure which can be reversibly deformed by up to 1 µm. Large reversible deformations rule out an interface between substrate and cytoskeleton that is dominated by a number of stiff molecular springs in parallel, and favor a compliant cross-linked network. Such a compliant structure may increase the lifetime of a nascent adhesion, facilitating signaling and reinforcement. PMID:24039928

  14. Cyclic deformation-induced solute transport in tissue scaffolds with computer designed, interconnected, pore networks: experiments and simulations.

    PubMed

    Den Buijs, Jorn Op; Dragomir-Daescu, Dan; Ritman, Erik L

    2009-08-01

    Nutrient supply and waste removal in porous tissue engineering scaffolds decrease from the periphery to the center, leading to limited depth of ingrowth of new tissue into the scaffold. However, as many tissues experience cyclic physiological strains, this may provide a mechanism to enhance solute transport in vivo before vascularization of the scaffold. The hypothesis of this study was that pore cross-sectional geometry and interconnectivity are of major importance for the effectiveness of cyclic deformation-induced solute transport. Transparent elastic polyurethane scaffolds, with computer-programmed design of pore networks in the form of interconnected channels, were fabricated using a 3D printing and injection molding technique. The scaffold pores were loaded with a colored tracer for optical contrast, cyclically compressed with deformations of 10 and 15% of the original undeformed height at 1.0 Hz. Digital imaging was used to quantify the spatial distribution of the tracer concentration within the pores. Numerical simulations of a fluid-structure interaction model of deformation-induced solute transport were compared to the experimental data. The results of experiments and modeling agreed well and showed that pore interconnectivity heavily influences deformation-induced solute transport. Pore cross-sectional geometry appears to be of less relative importance in interconnected pore networks. Validated computer models of solute transport can be used to design optimal scaffold pore geometries that will enhance the convective transport of nutrients inside the scaffold and the removal of waste, thus improving the cell survivability deep inside the scaffold.

  15. In Silico Synthesis of Microgel Particles

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Microgels are colloidal-scale particles individually made of cross-linked polymer networks that can swell and deswell in response to external stimuli, such as changes to temperature or pH. Despite a large amount of experimental activities on microgels, a proper theoretical description based on individual particle properties is still missing due to the complexity of the particles. To go one step further, here we propose a novel methodology to assemble realistic microgel particles in silico. We exploit the self-assembly of a binary mixture composed of tetravalent (cross-linkers) and bivalent (monomer beads) patchy particles under spherical confinement in order to produce fully bonded networks. The resulting structure is then used to generate the initial microgel configuration, which is subsequently simulated with a bead–spring model complemented by a temperature-induced hydrophobic attraction. To validate our assembly protocol, we focus on a small microgel test case and show that we can reproduce the experimental swelling curve by appropriately tuning the confining sphere radius, something that would not be possible with less sophisticated assembly methodologies, e.g., in the case of networks generated from an underlying crystal structure. We further investigate the structure (in reciprocal and real space) and the swelling curves of microgels as a function of temperature, finding that our results are well described by the widely used fuzzy sphere model. This is a first step toward a realistic modeling of microgel particles, which will pave the way for a careful assessment of their elastic properties and effective interactions. PMID:29151620

  16. The Application of Simulation Method in Isothermal Elastic Natural Gas Pipeline

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xing, Chunlei; Guan, Shiming; Zhao, Yue; Cao, Jinggang; Chu, Yanji

    2018-02-01

    This Elastic pipeline mathematic model is of crucial importance in natural gas pipeline simulation because of its compliance with the practical industrial cases. The numerical model of elastic pipeline will bring non-linear complexity to the discretized equations. Hence the Newton-Raphson method cannot achieve fast convergence in this kind of problems. Therefore A new Newton Based method with Powell-Wolfe Condition to simulate the Isothermal elastic pipeline flow is presented. The results obtained by the new method aregiven based on the defined boundary conditions. It is shown that the method converges in all cases and reduces significant computational cost.

  17. University of Maryland MRSEC - Research

    Science.gov Websites

    -2012 Seed 3: Modeling Elastic Effects on Crystal Surfaces (Leader: Dionisios Margetis) 2009-2012 Seed 4 Rubloff & Sang Bok Lee) 2007-2009 Seed 3: Modeling Elastic Effects on Crystal Surfaces (Leader

  18. Free energy perturbation method for measuring elastic constants of liquid crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joshi, Abhijeet

    There is considerable interest in designing liquid crystals capable of yielding specific morphological responses in confined environments, including capillaries and droplets. The morphology of a liquid crystal is largely dictated by the elastic constants, which are difficult to measure and are only available for a handful of substances. In this work, a first-principles based method is proposed to calculate the Frank elastic constants of nematic liquid crystals directly from atomistic models. These include the standard splay, twist and bend deformations, and the often-ignored but important saddle-splay constant. The proposed method is validated using a well-studied Gay-Berne(3,5,2,1) model; we examine the effects of temperature and system size on the elastic constants in the nematic and smectic phases. We find that our measurements of splay, twist, and bend elastic constants are consistent with previous estimates for the nematic phase. We further outline the implementation of our approach for the saddle-splay elastic constant, and find it to have a value at the limits of the Ericksen inequalities. We then proceed to report results for the elastic constants commonly known liquid crystals namely 4-pentyl-4'-cynobiphenyl (5CB) using atomistic model, and show that the values predicted by our approach are consistent with a subset of the available but limited experimental literature.

  19. Coupled Finite Element ? Potts Model Simulations of Grain Growth in Copper Interconnects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Radhakrishnan, Balasubramaniam; Gorti, Sarma B

    The paper addresses grain growth in copper interconnects in the presence of thermal expansion mismatch stresses. The evolution of grain structure and texture in copper in the simultaneous presence of two driving forces, curvature and elastic stored energy difference, is modeled by using a hybrid Potts model simulation approach. The elastic stored energy is calculated by using the commercial finite element code ABAQUS, where the effect of elastic anisotropy on the thermal mismatch stress and strain distribution within a polycrystalline grain structure is modeled through a user material (UMAT) interface. Parametric studies on the effect of trench width and themore » height of the overburden were carried out. The results show that the grain structure and texture evolution are significantly altered by the presence of elastic strain energy.« less

  20. Observations and models of Co- and Post-Seismic Deformation Due to the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) Earthquake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, K.; Fialko, Y. A.

    2016-12-01

    The 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) earthquake occurred along the central Himalayan arc, a convergent boundary between India and Eurasian plates. We use space geodetic data to investigate co- and post-seismic deformation due to the Gorkha earthquake. Because the epicentral area of the earthquake is characterized by strong variations in surface relief and material properties, we developed finite element models that explicitly account for topography and 3-D elastic structure. Compared with slip models obtained using homogenous elastic half-space models, the model including elastic heterogeneity and topography exhibits greater (up to 10%) slip amplitude. GPS observations spanning more than 1 year following the earthquake show overall southward movement and uplift after the Gorkha earthquake, qualitatively similar to the coseismic deformation pattern. Kinematic inversions of GPS data, and forward modeling of stress-driven creep indicate that the observed post-seismic transient is consistent with afterslip on a down-dip extention of the seismic rupture. The Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) has negligible creep updip of the 2015 rupture, reiterating a future seismic hazard. A poro-elastic rebound may contribute to the observed uplift southward motion, but the predicted surface displacements are small (on the order of 1 cm or less). We also tested a wide range of visco-elastic relaxation models, including 1-D and 3-D variations in the viscosity structure. All tested visco-elastic models predict the opposite signs of horizontal and vertical displacements compared to those observed. Available surface deformation data allow one to rule out a model of a low viscosity channel beneath Tibetan Plateau invoked to explain variations in surface relief at the plateau margins.

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