Structure of the bacterial flagellar hook and implication for the molecular universal joint mechanism.

PubMed

Samatey, Fadel A; Matsunami, Hideyuki; Imada, Katsumi; Nagashima, Shigehiro; Shaikh, Tanvir R; Thomas, Dennis R; Chen, James Z; Derosier, David J; Kitao, Akio; Namba, Keiichi

2004-10-28

The bacterial flagellum is a motile organelle, and the flagellar hook is a short, highly curved tubular structure that connects the flagellar motor to the long filament acting as a helical propeller. The hook is made of about 120 copies of a single protein, FlgE, and its function as a nano-sized universal joint is essential for dynamic and efficient bacterial motility and taxis. It transmits the motor torque to the helical propeller over a wide range of its orientation for swimming and tumbling. Here we report a partial atomic model of the hook obtained by X-ray crystallography of FlgE31, a major proteolytic fragment of FlgE lacking unfolded terminal regions, and by electron cryomicroscopy and three-dimensional helical image reconstruction of the hook. The model reveals the intricate molecular interactions and a plausible switching mechanism for the hook to be flexible in bending but rigid against twisting for its universal joint function.

Linear signaling in the Toll-Dorsal pathway of Drosophila: activated Pelle kinase specifies all threshold outputs of gene expression while the bHLH protein Twist specifies a subset.

PubMed

Stathopoulos, Angelike; Levine, Michael

2002-07-01

Differential activation of the Toll receptor leads to the formation of a broad Dorsal nuclear gradient that specifies at least three patterning thresholds of gene activity along the dorsoventral axis of precellular embryos. We investigate the activities of the Pelle kinase and Twist basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor in transducing Toll signaling. Pelle functions downstream of Toll to release Dorsal from the Cactus inhibitor. Twist is an immediate-early gene that is activated upon entry of Dorsal into nuclei. Transgenes misexpressing Pelle and Twist were introduced into different mutant backgrounds and the patterning activities were visualized using various target genes that respond to different thresholds of Toll-Dorsal signaling. These studies suggest that an anteroposterior gradient of Pelle kinase activity is sufficient to generate all known Toll-Dorsal patterning thresholds and that Twist can function as a gradient morphogen to establish at least two distinct dorsoventral patterning thresholds. We discuss how the Dorsal gradient system can be modified during metazoan evolution and conclude that Dorsal-Twist interactions are distinct from the interplay between Bicoid and Hunchback, which pattern the anteroposterior axis.

Exact special twist method for quantum Monte Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dagrada, Mario; Karakuzu, Seher; Vildosola, Verónica Laura; Casula, Michele; Sorella, Sandro

2016-12-01

We present a systematic investigation of the special twist method introduced by Rajagopal et al. [Phys. Rev. B 51, 10591 (1995), 10.1103/PhysRevB.51.10591] for reducing finite-size effects in correlated calculations of periodic extended systems with Coulomb interactions and Fermi statistics. We propose a procedure for finding special twist values which, at variance with previous applications of this method, reproduce the energy of the mean-field infinite-size limit solution within an adjustable (arbitrarily small) numerical error. This choice of the special twist is shown to be the most accurate single-twist solution for curing one-body finite-size effects in correlated calculations. For these reasons we dubbed our procedure "exact special twist" (EST). EST only needs a fully converged independent-particles or mean-field calculation within the primitive cell and a simple fit to find the special twist along a specific direction in the Brillouin zone. We first assess the performances of EST in a simple correlated model such as the three-dimensional electron gas. Afterwards, we test its efficiency within ab initio quantum Monte Carlo simulations of metallic elements of increasing complexity. We show that EST displays an overall good performance in reducing finite-size errors comparable to the widely used twist average technique but at a much lower computational cost since it involves the evaluation of just one wave function. We also demonstrate that the EST method shows similar performances in the calculation of correlation functions, such as the ionic forces for structural relaxation and the pair radial distribution function in liquid hydrogen. Our conclusions point to the usefulness of EST for correlated supercell calculations; our method will be particularly relevant when the physical problem under consideration requires large periodic cells.

Systematic comparison of jet energy-loss schemes in a realistic hydrodynamic medium

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

Bass, Steffen A.; Majumder, Abhijit; Gale, Charles

2009-02-15

We perform a systematic comparison of three different jet energy-loss approaches. These include the Armesto-Salgado-Wiedemann scheme based on the approach of Baier-Dokshitzer-Mueller-Peigne-Schiff and Zakharov (BDMPS-Z/ASW), the higher twist (HT) approach and a scheme based on the Arnold-Moore-Yaffe (AMY) approach. In this comparison, an identical medium evolution will be utilized for all three approaches: this entails not only the use of the same realistic three-dimensional relativistic fluid dynamics (RFD) simulation, but also the use of identical initial parton-distribution functions and final fragmentation functions. We are, thus, in a unique position to not only isolate fundamental differences between the various approaches butmore » also make rigorous calculations for different experimental measurements using state of the art components. All three approaches are reduced to versions containing only one free tunable parameter, this is then related to the well-known transport parameter q. We find that the parameters of all three calculations can be adjusted to provide a good description of inclusive data on R{sub AA} vs transverse momentum. However, we do observe slight differences in their predictions for the centrality and azimuthal angular dependence of R{sub AA} vs p{sub T}. We also note that the values of the transport coefficient q in the three approaches to describe the data differ significantly.« less

Single-spin asymmetries in the leptoproduction of transversely polarized Λ hyperons

DOE PAGES

Kanazawa, K.; Metz, A.; Pitonyak, D.; ...

2015-04-13

We analyze single-spin asymmetries (SSAs) in the leptoproduction of transversely polarized Λ hyperons within the collinear twist-3 formalism. We calculate both the distribution and fragmentation terms in two different gauges (lightcone and Feynman) and show that the results are identical. This is the first time that the fragmentation piece has been analyzed for transversely polarized hadron production within the collinear twist-3 framework. In lightcone gauge we use the same techniques that were employed in computing the analogous piece in p↑ p → π X, which has become an important part to that reaction. With this in mind, we also verifymore » the gauge invariance of the formulas for the transverse SSA in the leptoproduction of pions. (author)« less

Twisting and Writhing with George Ellery Hale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canfield, Richard C.

2013-06-01

Early in his productive career in astronomy, George Ellery Hale developed innovative solar instrumentation that allowed him to make narrow-band images. Among the solar phenomena he discovered were sunspot vortices, which he attributed to storms akin to cyclones in our own atmosphere. Using the concept of magnetic helicity, physicists and mathematicians describe the topology of magnetic fields, including twisting and writhing. Our contemporary understanding of Hale's vortices as a consequence of large-scale twist in sunspot magnetic fields hinges on a key property of helicity: conservation. I will describe the critical role that this property plays, when applied to twist and writhe, in a fundamental aspect of global solar magnetism: the hemispheric and solar cycle dependences of active region electric currents with respect to magnetic fields. With the advent of unbroken sequences of high-resolution magnetic images, such as those presently available from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on Solar Dynamics Observatory, the flux of magnetic helicity through the photosphere can be observed quantitatively. As magnetic flux tubes buoy up through the convection zone, buffeted and shredded by turbulence, they break up into fragments by repeated random bifurcation. We track these rising flux fragments in the photosphere, and calculate the flux of energy and magnetic helicity there. Using a quantitative model of coronal currents, we also track connections between these fragments to calculate the energy and magnetic helicity stored at topological interfaces that are in some ways analogous to the storage of stress at faults in the Earth's crust. Comparison of these values to solar flares and interplanetary coronal mass ejections implies that this is the primary storage mechanism for energy and magnetic helicity released in those phenomena, and suggests a useful tool for quantitative prediction of geomagnetic storms.

Spin, twist and hadron structure in deep inelastic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaffe, R. L.; Meyer, H.; Piller, G.

These notes provide an introduction to polarization effects in deep inelastic processes in QCD. We emphasize recent work on transverse asymmetries, subdominant effects, and the role of polarization in fragmentation and in purely hadronic processes. After a review of kinematics and some basic tools of short distance analysis, we study the twist, helicity, chirality and transversity dependence of a variety of high energy processes sensitive to the quark and gluon substructure of hadrons.

Deformed D1D5 CFT: A Holographic Probe of Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jardine, Ian Theodore

One of the big unsolved questions in gravity research is the black hole information problem. This problem, which pits the unitarity of quantum field theory against smooth classical spacetime, must have a solution in a complete theory of quantum gravity. This thesis will explore aspects of one approach to this problem in the context of string theory. The approach imagines black hole microstates as string theoretic objects. We look at a prototype system, the D1D5 system, and exploit holography to examine the dual conformal field theory (CFT). Specifically, we examine the CFT deformed from the free orbifold point, dual to a very stringy bulk, using a twisted operator that will take us towards the point with the supergravity description. The effects of twisted operators in the CFT are key to understanding physical processes such as emission and thermalization in black hole microstates. We will propose a component twist method for examining the effects of bare twist operators for higher twists in the continuum limit. Our method builds higher twists from simple 2-cycle twists, whose effects are known. We will find that, in this limit, the coefficients describing general states will follow a conjectured general functional form. We then explore the deformed CFT directly by examining operator mixing for untwisted operators. We will exploit the operator product expansion on the covering space, where twist operators of the orbifold are resolved. We use this to examine the mixing of a general supergravity operator, specifically examine the dilaton, and finish with the mixing of a non-supersymmetric candidate operator. We conjecture that this method could be extended to include twisted operators. We will also examine the mixing of the non-supersymmetric candidate operator by examining three point functions. To automate the lengthy and repetitive computations, we wrote a Mathematica package to compute correlation functions and OPEs in the D1D5 CFT. We will explain some of the main functions of this package and how it can be applied to computations. Finally, we will end with a short discussion on future directions.

Kinetic Theory of quasi-electrostatic waves in non-gyrotropic plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, K.; Poedts, S.; Lazar, M.

2017-12-01

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a trait of helically phased light or helical (twisted) electric field. Lasers carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) revolutionized many scientific and technological paradigms like microscopy, imaging and ionospheric radar facility to analyze three dimensional plasma dynamics in ionosphere, ultra-intense twisted laser pulses, twisted gravitational waves and astrophysics. This trend has also been investigated in plasma physics. Laguerre-Gaussian type solutions are predicted for magnetic tornadoes and Alfvénic tornadoes which exhibit spiral, split and ring-like morphologies. The ring shape morphology is ideal to fit the observed solar corona, solar atmosphere and Earth's ionosphere. The orbital angular momentum indicates the mediation of electrostatic and electromagnetic waves in new phenomena like Raman and Brillouin scattering. A few years ago, some new effects have been included in studies of orbital angular momentum in plasma regimes such as wave-particle interaction in the presence of helical electric field. Therefore, kinetic studies are carried out to investigate the Landau damping of the waves and growth of the instabilities in the presence helical electric field carrying orbital angular momentum for the Maxwellian distributed plasmas. Recently, a well suited approach involving a kappa distribution function has been adopted to model the twisted space plasmas. This leads to the development of new theoretical grounds for the study of Lorentzian or kappa distributed twisted Langmuir, ion acoustic, dust ion acoustic and dust acoustic modes. The quasi-electrostatic twisted waves have been studied now for the non-gyrotropic dusty plasmas in the presence of the orbital angular momentum of the helical electric field using Generalized Lorentzian or kappa distribution function. The Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) mode function is employed to decompose the perturbed distribution function and electric field into planar (longitudinal) and non-planar (azimuthal) components. The modified Vlasov and Poisson equations are solved to obtain the dielectric function for quasi-electrostatic twisted modes the non-gyrotropic dusty plasmas. Some numerical and graphical analysis is also illustrated for the better understanding of the twisted non-gyrotropic plasmas.

The Tensor and the Scalar Charges of the Nucleon from Hadron Phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courtoy, A.

2018-01-01

We discuss the impact of the determination of the nucleon tensor charge on searches for physics Beyond the Standard Model. We also comment on the future extraction of the subleading-twist PDF e(x) from Jefferson Lab soon-to-be-released Beam Spin Asymmetry data as well as from the expected data of CLAS12 and SoLID, as the latter is related to the scalar charge. These analyses are possible through the phenomenology of Dihadron Fragmentation Functions related processes, which we report on here as well.

Twist functions in vertebral column formation in medaka, Oryzias latipes.

PubMed

Yasutake, Junichi; Inohaya, Keiji; Kudo, Akira

2004-07-01

Medaka twist, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, is expressed in the sclerotome during embryogenesis. We previously established a line of twist-EGFP transgenic medaka, whose EGFP expression is regulated by the twist promoter; therefore, we could observe the behavior of sclerotomal cells in vivo. In the transgenic medaka embryos, EGFP-positive sclerotomal cells migrated dorsally around the notochord and the neural tube, where at a later stage the vertebral column would be formed. This finding strongly suggests that twist-expressing sclerotomal cells participate in vertebral column formation in medaka. To clarify the function of twist gene in the sclerotome, we performed knockdown analysis of twist by using two kinds of morpholino antisense oligonucleotides targeted against twist (MO1 and MO2). Both the MO1 and MO2 morphants exhibited absence of neural arches, which are bilaterally paired, dorsomedially oriented bones on the dorsal aspect of the centrum. In addition, MO2, which blocks translation of only endogenous twist mRNA in the twist-EGFP transgenic medaka, did not affect the migration pattern of EGFP-positive cells, revealing that the migration of sclerotome-derived cells were normal in the absence of twist gene function. These results demonstrate that medaka twist functions in vertebral column formation by regulating the sclerotomal cell differentiation.

The use of cross-section warping functions in composite rotor blade analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosmatka, J. B.

1992-01-01

During the contracted period, our research was concentrated into three areas. The first was the development of an accurate and a computationally efficient method for predicting the cross-section warping functions in an arbitrary cross-section composed of isotropic and/or anisotropic materials. The second area of research was the development of a general higher-order one-dimensional theory for anisotropic beams. The third area of research was the development of an analytical model for assessing the extension-bend-twist coupling behavior of nonhomogeneous anisotropic beams with initial twist. In the remaining six chapters of this report, the three different research areas and associated sub-research areas are covered independently including separate introductions, theoretical developments, numerical results, and references.

A possible regulatory link between Twist 1 and PPARγ gene regulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

PubMed

Ren, Rui; Chen, Zhufeng; Zhao, Xia; Sun, Tao; Zhang, Yuchao; Chen, Jie; Lu, Sumei; Ma, Wanshan

2016-11-08

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a critical gene that regulates the function of adipocytes. Therefore, studies on the molecular regulation mechanism of PPARγ are important to understand the function of adipose tissue. Twist 1 is another important functional gene in adipose tissue, and hundreds of genes are regulated by Twist 1. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulation of Twist 1 and PPARγ expression in 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes. We induced differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and examined alterations in Twist 1 and PPARγ expression. We used the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone and the PPARγ antagonist T0070907 to investigate the effect of PPARγ on Twist 1 expression. In addition, we utilized retroviral interference and overexpression of Twist 1 to determine the effects of Twist 1 on PPARγ expression. The expression levels of Twist 1 and PPARγ were induced during differentiation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Application of either a PPARγ agonist (pioglitazone) or antagonist (T0070907) influenced Twist 1 expression, with up-regulation of Twist 1 under pioglitazone (1 μM, 24 h) and down-regulation of Twist 1 under T0070907 (100 μM, 24 h) exposure. Furthermore, the retroviral interference of Twist 1 decreased the protein and mRNA expression of PPARγ, while Twist 1 overexpression had the opposite effect. There was a possible regulatory link between Twist 1 and PPARγ in 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes. This regulatory link enhanced the regulation of PPARγ and may be a functional mechanism of Twist 1 regulation of adipocyte physiology and pathology.

7 CFR 28.522 - Explanatory terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... describe the presence of preparation, spindle twist, and extraneous matter such as bark, grass, seed coat fragments, oil, etc. in the sample, shall be part of the classification record. [65 FR 36601, June 9, 2000...

7 CFR 28.522 - Explanatory terms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... describe the presence of preparation, spindle twist, and extraneous matter such as bark, grass, seed coat fragments, oil, etc. in the sample, shall be part of the classification record. [65 FR 36601, June 9, 2000...

[Extramedullary fixation combined with intramedullary fixation in the surgical reduction of sagittal mandibular condylar fractures].

PubMed

Chuanjun, Chen; Xiaoyang, Chen; Jing, Chen

2016-10-01

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of extramedullary fixation combined with intramedullary fixation during the surgical reduction of sagittal mandibular condylar fractures. Twenty-four sagittal fractures of the mandibular condyle in18 patients were fixed by two appliances: intramedullary with one long-screw osteosynthesis or Kirschner wire and extramedullary with one micro-plate. The radiologically-recorded post-operative stability-associated com-plications included the screw/micro-plate loosening, micro-plate twisting, micro-plate fractures, and fragment rotation. The occluding relations, the maximalinter-incisal distances upon mouth opening, and the mandibular deflection upon mouth opening were evaluated based on follow-up clinical examination. Postoperative panoramic X-ray and CT scans showed good repositioning of the fragment, with no redislocation or rotation, no screw/plate loosening, and no plate-twisting or fracture. Clinical examination showed that all patients regained normal mandibular movements, ideal occlusion, and normal maximal inter-incisal distances upon mouth opening. Extramedullary fixation combined with intramedullary fixation is highly recommended for sagittal condylar fractures because of the anti-rotation effect of the fragment and the reasonable place-ment of the fixation appliances.

Extension-torsion coupling behavior of advanced composite tilt-rotor blades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosmatka, J. B.

1989-01-01

An analytic model was developed to study the extension-bend-twist coupling behavior of an advanced composite helicopter or tilt-rotor blade. The outer surface of the blade is defined by rotating an arbitrary cross section about an initial twist axis. The cross section can be nonhomogeneous and composed of generally anisotropic materials. The model is developed based upon a three dimensional elasticity approach that is recast as a coupled two-dimensional boundary value problem defined in a curvilinear coordinate system. Displacement solutions are written in terms of known functions that represent extension, bending, and twisting and unknown functions for local cross section deformations. The unknown local deformation functions are determined by applying the principle of minimum potential energy to the discretized two-dimensional cross section. This is an application of the Ritz method, where the trial function family is the displacement field associated with a finite element (8-node isoparametric quadrilaterals) representation of the section. A computer program was written where the cross section is discretized into 8-node quadrilateral subregions. Initially the program was verified using previously published results (both three-dimensional elasticity and technical beam theory) for pretwisted isotropic bars with an elliptical cross section. In addition, solid and thin-wall multi-cell NACA-0012 airfoil sections were analyzed to illustrate the pronounced effects that pretwist, initial twist axis location, and spar location has on coupled behavior. Currently, a series of advanced composite airfoils are being modeled in order to assess how the use of laminated composite materials interacts with pretwist to alter the coupling behavior of the blade. These studies will investigate the use of different ply angle orientations and the use of symmetric versus unsymmetric laminates.

Magnetohydrodynamics of atmospheric transients. IV - Nonplane two-dimensional analyses of energy conversion and magnetic field evolution. [during corona following solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.; Nakagawa, Y.; Han, S. M.; Dryer, M.

1982-01-01

The evolution of the magnetic field and the manner of conversion of thermal energy into different forms in the corona following a solar flare are investigated by means of a nonplane magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) analysis. All three components of magnetic field and velocity are treated in a physically self-consistent manner, with all physical variables as functions of time (t) and two spatial coordinates (r, theta). The difference arising from the initial magnetic field, either twisted (force-free) or non-twisted (potential), is demonstrated. Consideration is given to two initial field topologies (open vs. closed). The results demonstrate that the conversion of magnetic energy is faster for the case of the initially twisted (force-free) field than for the initially untwisted (potential) field. In addition, the twisted field is found to produce a complex structure of the density enhancements.

Time-dependent density functional theory with twist-averaged boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuetrumpf, B.; Nazarewicz, W.; Reinhard, P.-G.

2016-05-01

Background: Time-dependent density functional theory is widely used to describe excitations of many-fermion systems. In its many applications, three-dimensional (3D) coordinate-space representation is used, and infinite-domain calculations are limited to a finite volume represented by a spatial box. For finite quantum systems (atoms, molecules, nuclei, hadrons), the commonly used periodic or reflecting boundary conditions introduce spurious quantization of the continuum states and artificial reflections from boundary; hence, an incorrect treatment of evaporated particles. Purpose: The finite-volume artifacts for finite systems can be practically cured by invoking an absorbing potential in a certain boundary region sufficiently far from the described system. However, such absorption cannot be applied in the calculations of infinite matter (crystal electrons, quantum fluids, neutron star crust), which suffer from unphysical effects stemming from a finite computational box used. Here, twist-averaged boundary conditions (TABC) have been used successfully to diminish the finite-volume effects. In this work, we extend TABC to time-dependent modes. Method: We use the 3D time-dependent density functional framework with the Skyrme energy density functional. The practical calculations are carried out for small- and large-amplitude electric dipole and quadrupole oscillations of 16O. We apply and compare three kinds of boundary conditions: periodic, absorbing, and twist-averaged. Results: Calculations employing absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) and TABC are superior to those based on periodic boundary conditions. For low-energy excitations, TABC and ABC variants yield very similar results. With only four twist phases per spatial direction in TABC, one obtains an excellent reduction of spurious fluctuations. In the nonlinear regime, one has to deal with evaporated particles. In TABC, the floating nucleon gas remains in the box; the amount of nucleons in the gas is found to be roughly the same as the number of absorbed particles in ABC. Conclusion: We demonstrate that by using TABC, one can reduce finite-volume effects drastically without adding any additional parameters associated with absorption at large distances. Moreover, TABC are an obvious choice for time-dependent calculations for infinite systems. Since TABC calculations for different twists can be performed independently, the method is trivially adapted to parallel computing.

Gauge invariance and kaon production in deep inelastic scattering at low scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, Juan V.; Accardi, Alberto

2018-06-01

This paper focuses on hadron mass effects in calculations of semi-inclusive kaon production in lepton-Deuteron deeply inelastic scattering at HERMES and COMPASS kinematics. In the collinear factorization framework, the corresponding cross section is shown to factorize, at leading order and leading twist, into products of parton distributions and fragmentation functions evaluated in terms of kaon- and nucleon-mass-dependent scaling variables, and to respect gauge invariance. It is found that hadron mass corrections for integrated kaon multiplicities sizeably reduce the apparent large discrepancy between measurements of K++K- multiplicities performed by the two collaborations, and fully reconcile their K+/K- ratios.

A universal counting of black hole microstates in AdS4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzurli, Francesco; Bobev, Nikolay; Crichigno, P. Marcos; Min, Vincent S.; Zaffaroni, Alberto

2018-02-01

Many three-dimensional N=2 SCFTs admit a universal partial topological twist when placed on hyperbolic Riemann surfaces. We exploit this fact to derive a universal formula which relates the planar limit of the topologically twisted index of these SCFTs and their three-sphere partition function. We then utilize this to account for the entropy of a large class of supersymmetric asymptotically AdS4 magnetically charged black holes in M-theory and massive type IIA string theory. In this context we also discuss novel AdS2 solutions of eleven-dimensional supergravity which describe the near horizon region of large new families of supersymmetric black holes arising from M2-branes wrapping Riemann surfaces.

[Assessment of left ventricular twist in type 2 diabetes mellitus by using two-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking imaging].

PubMed

Zhu, Pei-hua; Huang, Jing-yuan; Ye, Meng; Zheng, Zhe-lan

2014-09-01

To evaluate the left ventricular twist characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes by using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (STI). Ninety-three patients with type 2 diabetes admitted in Zhejiang Hospital from May 2012 to September 2013 were enrolled. According to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), patients were divided into two groups: normal left ventricular systolic function group (group A, LVEF≥0.50, n=46) and abnormal left ventricular systolic function group (group B, LVEF <0.50, n=47). Forty-six healthy subjects were selected as normal controls. STI was applied to quantitatively analyze the left ventricular twist. Correlation of the peak of left ventricular twist angle (Peaktw), aortic valve closure time twist angle (AVCtw), and mitral valve opening time twist angle (MVOtw) with LVEF, Tei index, E/A, and E/e was evaluated. Consistency check for STI was conducted to assess its stability and reliability. The Peaktw, AVCtw, and MVOtw in group A were significantly elevated than those in normal controls (P<0.05). The Peaktw, AVCtw, and MVOtw in group B was lower than those in normal controls and group A (P<0.05). In diabetic patients, the Peaktw, AVCtw, MVOtw were positively correlated with LVEF (r=0.968, 0.966, 0.938;P<0.05) and E/A (r=0.798, 0.790, 0.788; P<0.05), and were negatively correlated with Tei index (r=-0.834, -0.811, -0.797; P<0.05) and E/e (r=-0.823, -0.805, -0.771; P<0.05). The agreement between measurers and within measurers of Peaktw was satisfactory (between measurers: R=0.957, bias=-0.1, 95% consistency limit=-2.8-2.7; within measurer: R=0.964, bias=-0.2, 95% consistency limits=-2.7-2.2). STI can be used for early recognition of abnormal changes of cardiac function in type 2 diabetic mellitus patients, with high stability and reliability.

Measurement of the nucleon structure function F 2 in the nuclear medium and evaluation of its moments

DOE PAGES

Osipenko, M.

2010-06-01

We report on the measurement of inclusive electron scattering off a carbon target performed with CLAS at Jefferson Laboratory. A combination of three different beam energies 1.161, 2.261 and 4.461 GeV allowed us to reach an invariant mass of the final-state hadronic system W ≈ 2.4 GeV with four-momentum transfers Q 2 ranging from 0.2 to 5 GeV 2. These data, together with previous measurements of the inclusive electron scattering off proton and deuteron, which cover a similar continuous two-dimensional region of Q 2 and Bjorken variable x, permit the study of nuclear modifications of the nucleon structure. By usingmore » these, as well as other world data, we evaluated the F 2 structure function and its moments. Using an OPE-based twist expansion, we studied the Q 2-evolution of the moments, obtaining a separation of the leading-twist and the total higher-twist terms. The carbon-to-deuteron ratio of the leading-twist contributions to the F 2 moments exhibits the well known EMC effect, compatible with that discovered previously in x-space. The total higher-twist term in the carbon nucleus appears, although with large systematic uncertainites, to be smaller with respect to the deuteron case for n < 7, suggesting partial parton deconfinement in nuclear matter. Lastly, we speculate that the spatial extension of the nucleon is changed when it is immersed in the nuclear medium.« less

Twisted sigma-model solitons on the quantum projective line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landi, Giovanni

2018-04-01

On the configuration space of projections in a noncommutative algebra, and for an automorphism of the algebra, we use a twisted Hochschild cocycle for an action functional and a twisted cyclic cocycle for a topological term. The latter is Hochschild-cohomologous to the former and positivity in twisted Hochschild cohomology results into a lower bound for the action functional. While the equations for the critical points are rather involved, the use of the positivity and the bound by the topological term lead to self-duality equations (thus yielding twisted noncommutative sigma-model solitons, or instantons). We present explicit nontrivial solutions on the quantum projective line.

Three-Dimensional Simulations of Tearing and Intermittency in Coronal Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wyper, P. F.; DeVore, C. R.; Karpen, J. T.; Lynch, B. J.

2016-01-01

Observations of coronal jets increasingly suggest that local fragmentation and intermittency play an important role in the dynamics of these events. In this work we investigate this fragmentation in high-resolution simulations of jets in the closed-field corona. We study two realizations of the embedded-bipole model, whereby impulsive helical out flows are driven by reconnection between twisted and untwisted field across the domed fan plane of a magnetic null. We find that the reconnection region fragments following the onset of a tearing-like instability, producing multiple magnetic null points and flux-rope structures within the current layer. The flux ropes formed within the weak- field region in the center of the current layer are associated with \\blobs" of density enhancement that become filamentary threads as the flux ropes are ejected from the layer, whereupon new flux ropes form behind them. This repeated formation and ejection of flux ropes provides a natural explanation for the intermittent out flows, bright blobs of emission, and filamentary structure observed in some jets. Additional observational signatures of this process are discussed. Essentially all jet models invoke reconnection between regions of locally closed and locally open field as the jet-generation mechanism. Therefore, we suggest that this repeated tearing process should occur at the separatrix surface between the two flux systems in all jets. A schematic picture of tearing-mediated jet reconnection in three dimensions is outlined.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL SIMULATIONS OF TEARING AND INTERMITTENCY IN CORONAL JETS

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

Wyper, P. F.; DeVore, C. R.; Karpen, J. T.

Observations of coronal jets increasingly suggest that local fragmentation and intermittency play an important role in the dynamics of these events. In this work, we investigate this fragmentation in high-resolution simulations of jets in the closed-field corona. We study two realizations of the embedded-bipole model, whereby impulsive helical outflows are driven by reconnection between twisted and untwisted field across the domed fan plane of a magnetic null. We find that the reconnection region fragments following the onset of a tearing-like instability, producing multiple magnetic null points and flux-rope structures within the current layer. The flux ropes formed within the weak-fieldmore » region in the center of the current layer are associated with “blobs” of density enhancement that become filamentary threads as the flux ropes are ejected from the layer, whereupon new flux ropes form behind them. This repeated formation and ejection of flux ropes provides a natural explanation for the intermittent outflows, bright blobs of emission, and filamentary structure observed in some jets. Additional observational signatures of this process are discussed. Essentially all jet models invoke reconnection between regions of locally closed and locally open field as the jet-generation mechanism. Therefore, we suggest that this repeated tearing process should occur at the separatrix surface between the two flux systems in all jets. A schematic picture of tearing-mediated jet reconnection in three dimensions is outlined.« less

Gauge invariance and kaon production in deep inelastic scattering at low scales

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

Guerrero, Juan V.; Accardi, Alberto

This work focuses on hadron mass effects in calculations of semi-inclusive kaon production in lepton-Deuteron deeply inelastic scattering at HERMES and COMPASS kinematics. In the collinear factorization framework, the corresponding cross section is shown to factorize, at leading order and leading twist, into products of parton distributions and fragmentation functions evaluated in terms of kaon- and nucleon-mass-dependent scaling variables, and to respect gauge invariance. It is found that hadron mass corrections for integrated kaon multiplicities sizeably reduce the apparent large discrepancy between measurements of K + + K - multiplicities performed by the two collaborations, and fully reconcile their Kmore » +/K - ratios.« less

Gauge invariance and kaon production in deep inelastic scattering at low scales

DOE PAGES

Guerrero, Juan V.; Accardi, Alberto

2018-06-08

This work focuses on hadron mass effects in calculations of semi-inclusive kaon production in lepton-Deuteron deeply inelastic scattering at HERMES and COMPASS kinematics. In the collinear factorization framework, the corresponding cross section is shown to factorize, at leading order and leading twist, into products of parton distributions and fragmentation functions evaluated in terms of kaon- and nucleon-mass-dependent scaling variables, and to respect gauge invariance. It is found that hadron mass corrections for integrated kaon multiplicities sizeably reduce the apparent large discrepancy between measurements of K + + K - multiplicities performed by the two collaborations, and fully reconcile their Kmore » +/K - ratios.« less

Quantum Wronskian approach to six-point gluon scattering amplitudes at strong coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatsuda, Yasuyuki; Ito, Katsushi; Satoh, Yuji; Suzuki, Junji

2014-08-01

We study the six-point gluon scattering amplitudes in = 4 super Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling based on the twisted ℤ4-symmetric integrable model. The lattice regularization allows us to derive the associated thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) equations as well as the functional relations among the Q-/T-/Y-functions. The quantum Wronskian relation for the Q-/T-functions plays an important role in determining a series of the expansion coefficients of the T-/Y-functions around the UV limit, including the dependence on the twist parameter. Studying the CFT limit of the TBA equations, we derive the leading analytic expansion of the remainder function for the general kinematics around the limit where the dual Wilson loops become regular-polygonal. We also compare the rescaled remainder functions at strong coupling with those at two, three and four loops, and find that they are close to each other along the trajectories parameterized by the scale parameter of the integrable model.

Characterization of sequences in human TWIST required for nuclear localization

PubMed Central

Singh, Shalini; Gramolini, Anthony O

2009-01-01

Background Twist is a transcription factor that plays an important role in proliferation and tumorigenesis. Twist is a nuclear protein that regulates a variety of cellular functions controlled by protein-protein interactions and gene transcription events. The focus of this study was to characterize putative nuclear localization signals (NLSs) 37RKRR40 and 73KRGKK77 in the human TWIST (H-TWIST) protein. Results Using site-specific mutagenesis and immunofluorescences, we observed that altered TWISTNLS1 K38R, TWISTNLS2 K73R and K77R constructs inhibit nuclear accumulation of H-TWIST in mammalian cells, while TWISTNLS2 K76R expression was un-affected and retained to the nucleus. Subsequently, co-transfection of TWIST mutants K38R, K73R and K77R with E12 formed heterodimers and restored nuclear localization despite the NLSs mutations. Using a yeast-two-hybrid assay, we identified a novel TWIST-interacting candidate TCF-4, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. The interaction of TWIST with TCF-4 confirmed using NLS rescue assays, where nuclear expression of mutant TWISTNLS1 with co-transfixed TCF-4 was observed. The interaction of TWIST with TCF-4 was also seen using standard immunoprecipitation assays. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the presence of two putative NLS motifs in H-TWIST and suggests that these NLS sequences are functional. Furthermore, we identified and confirmed the interaction of TWIST with a novel protein candidate TCF-4. PMID:19534813

Spectral determinants for twist field correlators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belitsky, A. V.

2018-04-01

Twist fields were introduced a few decades ago as a quantum counterpart to classical kink configurations and disorder variables in low dimensional field theories. In recent years they received a new incarnation within the framework of geometric entropy and strong coupling limit of four-dimensional scattering amplitudes. In this paper, we study their two-point correlation functions in a free massless scalar theory, namely, twist-twist and twist-antitwist correlators. In spite of the simplicity of the model in question, the properties of the latter are far from being trivial. The problem is reduced, within the formalism of the path integral, to the study of spectral determinants on surfaces with conical points, which are then computed exactly making use of the zeta function regularization. We also provide an insight into twist correlators for a massive complex scalar by means of the Lifshitz-Krein trace formula.

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2017-11-01

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q -plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into a twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q -plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.

Comparison of split double and triple twists in pair figure skating.

PubMed

King, Deborah L; Smith, Sarah L; Brown, Michele R; McCrory, Jean L; Munkasy, Barry A; Scheirman, Gary I

2008-05-01

In this study, we compared the kinematic variables of the split triple twist with those of the split double twist to help coaches and scientists understand these landmark pair skating skills. High-speed video was taken during the pair short and free programmes at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2003 International Skating Union Grand Prix Finals. Three-dimensional analyses of 14 split double twists and 15 split triple twists from eleven pairs were completed. In spite of considerable variability in the performance variables among the pairs, the main difference between the split double twists and split triple twists was an increase in rotational rate. While eight of the eleven pairs relied primarily on an increased rotational rate to complete the split triple twist, three pairs employed a combined strategy of increased rotational rate and increased flight time due predominantly to delayed or lower catches. These results were similar to observations of jumps in singles skating for which the extra rotation is typically due to an increase in rotational velocity; increases in flight time come primarily from delayed landings as opposed to additional height during flight. Combining an increase in flight time and rotational rate may be a good strategy for completing the split triple twist in pair skating.

Computational estimation of parity violation effects in a metal-organic framework containing DABCO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaeva, Irina V.; Kozlova, Svetlana G.

2017-11-01

It was previously suggested that a metal-organic framework [Zn2(C8H4O4)2·C6H12N2] could be a possible candidate for observation of parity violation effects related to tunneling of C6H12N2 (DABCO) fragment between chiral twisted states. We have performed relativistic four-component and two-component calculations of parity violating energy (PVE) term for twisted isomers of isolated DABCO molecule and [Zn2DABCO]4+ cation. We also discuss the nature of PVE in these systems with the help of analysis of individual atomic contributions to PVE and visualization of electron chirality density.

Two-pseudoscalar-meson decay of {chi}{sub cJ} with twist-3 corrections

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

Zhou Mingzhen; Zhou Haiqing; Department of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189

2009-11-01

The decays of {chi}{sub cJ}{yields}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, K{sup +}K{sup -} (J=0,2) are discussed within the standard and modified hard-scattering approach when including the contributions from twist-3 distribution amplitudes and wave functions of the light pseudoscalar meson. A model for twist-2 and twist-3 distribution amplitudes and wave functions of the pion and kaon with BHL prescription are proposed as the solution to the end-point singularities. The results show that the contributions from twist-3 parts are actually not power suppressed comparing with the leading-twist contribution. After including the effects from the transverse momentum of light meson valence-quark state and Sudakov factors, themore » decay widths of the {chi}{sub cJ} into pions or kaons are comparable with the their experimental data.« less

Landau damping of Langmuir twisted waves with kappa distributed electrons

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

Arshad, Kashif, E-mail: kashif.arshad.butt@gmail.com; Aman-ur-Rehman; Mahmood, Shahzad

2015-11-15

The kinetic theory of Landau damping of Langmuir twisted modes is investigated in the presence of orbital angular momentum of the helical (twisted) electric field in plasmas with kappa distributed electrons. The perturbed distribution function and helical electric field are considered to be decomposed by Laguerre-Gaussian mode function defined in cylindrical geometry. The Vlasov-Poisson equation is obtained and solved analytically to obtain the weak damping rates of the Langmuir twisted waves in a nonthermal plasma. The strong damping effects of the Langmuir twisted waves at wavelengths approaching Debye length are also obtained by using an exact numerical method and aremore » illustrated graphically. The damping rates of the planar Langmuir waves are found to be larger than the twisted Langmuir waves in plasmas which shows opposite behavior as depicted in Fig. 3 by J. T. Mendoça [Phys. Plasmas 19, 112113 (2012)].« less

Twisted supersymmetry: Twisted symmetry versus renormalizability

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

Dimitrijevic, Marija; Nikolic, Biljana; Radovanovic, Voja

We discuss a deformation of superspace based on a Hermitian twist. The twist implies a *-product that is noncommutative, Hermitian and finite when expanded in a power series of the deformation parameter. The Leibniz rule for the twisted supersymmetry transformations is deformed. A minimal deformation of the Wess-Zumino action is proposed and its renormalizability properties are discussed. There is no tadpole contribution, but the two-point function diverges. We speculate that the deformed Leibniz rule, or more generally the twisted symmetry, interferes with renormalizability properties of the model. We discuss different possibilities to render a renormalizable model.

Refusing to Twist: Demonstration of a Line Hexatic Phase in DNA Liquid Crystals

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

Strey, H. H.; NICHD/LPSB, National Institutes of Health, Building 12A/2041, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5626; Wang, J.

2000-04-03

We report conclusive high resolution small angle x-ray scattering evidence that long DNA fragments form an untwisted line hexatic phase between the cholesteric and the crystalline phases. The line hexatic phase is a liquid-crystalline phase with long-range hexagonal bond-orientational order, long-range nematic order, but liquidlike, i.e., short-range, positional order. So far, it has not been seen in any other three dimensional system. By line-shape analysis of x-ray scattering data we found that positional order decreases when the line hexatic phase is compressed. We suggest that such anomalous behavior is a result of the chiral nature of DNA molecules. (c) 2000more » The American Physical Society.« less

Chiral Odd Structure Functions in The Nambu--Jona--Lasinio Soliton Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamberg, Leonard; Reinhardt, Hugo; Weigel, Herbert

1998-10-01

We study unpolarized and polarized nucleon structure functions(H. Weigel, L. Gamberg, and H. Reinhardt, Mod. Phys. Lett. A11) (1996) 3021; Phys. Lett. B399 (1997) 287;Phys. Rev. D55(1997) 6910. within the bosonized Nambu--Jona--Lasinio (NJL) model where the nucleon emerges as a chiral soliton(R. Alkofer, H. Reinhardt and H. Weigel, Phys. Rep. 265) (1996) 139.. These considerations attempt to merge the parton model description of deep inelastic scattering with the phenomenologically successful picture of baryons as chiral solitons. In addition we report on the calculation of the chiral odd quark distributions(L. Gamberg, H. Reinhardt and H. Weigel, "Chiral odd structure functions from a chiral soliton", hep-ph/9801379, Phys. Rev. D. in press.) and the corresponding structure functions h_T(x,Q^2) and h_L(x,Q^2). At the low model scale, Q_0^2, we find that the leading twist effective quark distributions, f_1^(q)(x,Q_0^2), g_1^(q)(x,Q_0^2) and h_T^(q)(x,Q_0^2) satisfy Soffer's inequality for both quark flavors q=u,d. The Q^2 evolution of the twist--2 contributions is performed according to the standard GLAP formalism while the twist--three pieces, \\overlineg_2(x) and \\overlineh_L(x), are evolved according to the large NC scheme.

The association between left ventricular twisting motion and mechanical dyssynchrony: a three-dimensional speckle tracking study.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Shohei; Komamura, Kazuo; Nakabo, Ayumi; Masaki, Mitsuru; Fukui, Miho; Sugahara, Masataka; Itohara, Kanako; Soyama, Yuko; Goda, Akiko; Hirotani, Shinichi; Mano, Toshiaki; Masuyama, Tohru

2016-02-01

Left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony is a causal factor in LV dysfunction and thought to be associated with LV twisting motion. We tested whether three-dimensional speckle tracking (3DT) can be used to evaluate the relationship between LV twisting motion and dyssynchrony. We examined 25 patients with sick sinus syndrome who had received dual chamber pacemakers. The acute effects of ventricular pacing on LV wall motion after the switch from atrial to ventricular pacing were assessed. LV twisting motion and dyssynchrony during each pacing mode were measured using 3DT. LV dyssynchrony was calculated from the time to the minimum peak systolic area strain of 16 LV imaging segments. Ventricular pacing increased LV dyssynchrony and decreased twist and torsion. A significant correlation was observed between changes in LV dyssynchrony and changes in torsion (r = -0.65, p < 0.01). Evaluation of LV twisting motion can potentially be used for diagnosing LV dyssynchrony.

Twist number and order properties of periodic orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrisor, Emilia

2013-11-01

A less studied numerical characteristic of periodic orbits of area preserving twist maps of the annulus is the twist or torsion number, called initially the amount of rotation Mather (1984) [2]. It measures the average rotation of tangent vectors under the action of the derivative of the map along that orbit, and characterizes the degree of complexity of the dynamics. The aim of this paper is to give new insights into the definition and properties of the twist number and to relate its range to the order properties of periodic orbits. We derive an algorithm to deduce the exact value or a demi-unit interval containing the exact value of the twist number. We prove that at a period-doubling bifurcation threshold of a mini-maximizing periodic orbit, the new born doubly periodic orbit has the absolute twist number larger than the absolute twist of the original orbit after bifurcation. We give examples of periodic orbits having large absolute twist number, that are badly ordered, and illustrate how characterization of these orbits only by their residue can lead to incorrect results. In connection to the study of the twist number of periodic orbits of standard-like maps we introduce a new tool, called 1-cone function. We prove that the location of minima of this function with respect to the vertical symmetry lines of a standard-like map encodes a valuable information on the symmetric periodic orbits and their twist number.

Twisted surfaces with vanishing curvature in Galilean 3-space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dede, Mustafa; Ekici, Cumali; Goemans, Wendy; Ünlütürk, Yasin

In this work, we define twisted surfaces in Galilean 3-space. In order to construct these surfaces, a planar curve is subjected to two simultaneous rotations, possibly with different rotation speeds. The existence of Euclidean rotations and isotropic rotations leads to three distinct types of twisted surfaces in Galilean 3-space. Then we classify twisted surfaces in Galilean 3-space with zero Gaussian curvature or zero mean curvature.

Adaptive super-twisting sliding mode control for a three-phase single-stage grid-connected differential boost inverter based photovoltaic system.

PubMed

Pati, Akshaya K; Sahoo, N C

2017-07-01

This paper presents an adaptive super-twisting sliding mode control (STC) along with double-loop control for voltage tracking performance of three-phase differential boost inverter and DC-link capacitor voltage regulation in grid-connected PV system. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategies are demonstrated under realistic scenarios such as variations in solar insolation, load power demand, grid voltage, and transition from grid-connected to standalone mode etc. Additional supplementary power quality control functions such as harmonic compensation, and reactive power management are also investigated with the proposed control strategy. The results are compared with conventional proportional-integral controller, and PWM sliding mode controller. The system performance is evaluated in simulation and in real-time. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinetic study of ion acoustic twisted waves with kappa distributed electrons

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

Arshad, Kashif, E-mail: kashif.arshad.butt@gmail.com; Aman-ur-Rehman, E-mail: amansadiq@gmail.com; Mahmood, Shahzad, E-mail: shahzadm100@gmail.com

2016-05-15

The kinetic theory of Landau damping of ion acoustic twisted modes is developed in the presence of orbital angular momentum of the helical (twisted) electric field in plasmas with kappa distributed electrons and Maxwellian ions. The perturbed distribution function and helical electric field are considered to be decomposed by Laguerre-Gaussian mode function defined in cylindrical geometry. The Vlasov-Poisson equation is obtained and solved analytically to obtain the weak damping rates of the ion acoustic twisted waves in a non-thermal plasma. The strong damping effects of ion acoustic twisted waves at low values of temperature ratio of electrons and ions aremore » also obtained by using exact numerical method and illustrated graphically, where the weak damping wave theory fails to explain the phenomenon properly. The obtained results of Landau damping rates of the twisted ion acoustic wave are discussed at different values of azimuthal wave number and non-thermal parameter kappa for electrons.« less

Contrast-enhanced time-resolved 4D MRA of congenital heart and vessel anomalies: image quality and diagnostic value compared with 3D MRA.

PubMed

Vogt, Florian M; Theysohn, Jens M; Michna, Dariusz; Hunold, Peter; Neudorf, Ulrich; Kinner, Sonja; Barkhausen, Jörg; Quick, Harald H

2013-09-01

To evaluate time-resolved interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST) contrast-enhanced 4D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and compare it with 3D FLASH MRA in patients with congenital heart and vessel anomalies. Twenty-six patients with congenital heart and vessel anomalies underwent contrast-enhanced MRA with both 3D FLASH and 4D TWIST MRA. Images were subjectively evaluated regarding total image quality, artefacts, diagnostic value and added diagnostic value of 4D dynamic imaging. Quantitative comparison included signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and vessel sharpness measurements. Three-dimensional FLASH MRA was judged to be significantly better in terms of image quality (4.0 ± 0.6 vs 3.4 ± 0.6, P < 0.05) and artefacts (3.8 ± 0.4 vs 3.3 ± 0.5, P < 0.05); no difference in diagnostic value was found (4.2 ± 0.4 vs 4.0 ± 0.4); important additional functional information was found in 21/26 patients. SNR and CNR were higher in the pulmonary trunk in 4D TWIST, but slightly higher in the systemic arteries in 3D FLASH. No difference in vessel sharpness delineation was found. Although image quality was inferior compared with 3D FLASH MRA, 4D TWIST MRA yields robust images and added diagnostic value through dynamic acquisition was found. Thus, 4D TWIST MRA is an attractive alternative to 3D FLASH MRA. • New magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques are increasingly introduced for congenital cardiovascular problems. • Time-resolved angiography with interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST) is an example. • Four-dimensional TWIST MRA provided inferior image quality compared to 3D FLASH MRA but without significant difference in vessel sharpness. • Four-dimensional TWIST MRA gave added diagnostic value.

Homologous and cannibalistic coronal mass ejections from twisted magnetic flux rope simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Piyali; Fan, Yuhong

We present results from magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the development of homologous sequence of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and demonstrate their so-called cannibalistic behavior. These CMEs originate from the repeated formations and partial eruptions of kink unstable flux ropes as a result of continued emergence of a twisted flux rope across the lower boundary into a pre-existing coronal potential arcade field. Our simulation shows that a CME erupting into the open magnetic field created by a preceding CME has a higher speed. The second of the three successive CMEs in one of the simulations is cannibalistic, catching up and merging with the first into a single fast CME before exiting the domain. All the CMEs including the leading merged CME, attained speeds of about 1000 km s-1 as they exit the domain. The reformation of a twisted flux rope after each CME eruption during the sustained flux emergence can naturally explain the X-ray observations of repeated reformations of sigmoids and "sigmoid-under-cusp" configurations at a low-coronal source of homologous CMEs. We also investigate the initiation mechanism and ejecta topology of these energetic CMEs as a function of the twist parameter of the flux rope.

Cyclic fatigue resistance of four nickel-titanium rotary instruments: a comparative study.

PubMed

Pedullà, Eugenio; Plotino, Gianluca; Grande, Nicola Maria; Pappalardo, Alfio; Rapisarda, Ernesto

2012-04-01

The aim of this study is to investigate cyclic fatigue resistance of four nickel - titanium rotary (NTR) instruments produced by a new method or traditional grinding processes. FOUR NTR INSTRUMENTS FROM DIFFERENT BRANDS WERE SELECTED: group 1. Twisted File produced by a new thermal treatment of nickel - titanium alloy; group 2. Revo S SU; group 3. Mtwo and group 4. BioRaCe BR3 produced by traditional grinding processes. A total of 80 instruments (20 for each group) were tested for cyclic fatigue resistance inside a curved artificial canal with a 60 degree angle of curvature and 5 mm radius of curvature. Time to fracture (TtF) from the start of the test until the moment of file breakage and the length of the fractured tip was recorded for each instrument. Means and standard deviations (SD) of TtF and fragment length were calculated. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Group 1 (Twisted File) showed the highest value of TtF means. Cyclic fatigue resistance of Twisted File and Mtwo was significantly higher than group 2 (Revo S SU) and 4 (BioRace BR3), while no significant differences were found between group 1 (Twisted File) and 3 (Mtwo) or group 2 (Revo S SU) and 4 (BioRaCe BR3). The cyclic fatigue resistance of Twisted File was significantly frigher than instruments produced with traditional grinding process except of Mtwo files.

Cyclic fatigue resistance of four nickel-titanium rotary instruments: a comparative study

PubMed Central

Pedullà, Eugenio; Plotino, Gianluca; Grande, Nicola Maria; Pappalardo, Alfio; Rapisarda, Ernesto

2012-01-01

Summary Aims The aim of this study is to investigate cyclic fatigue resistance of four nickel – titanium rotary (NTR) instruments produced by a new method or traditional grinding processes. Methods Four NTR instruments from different brands were selected: group 1. Twisted File produced by a new thermal treatment of nickel – titanium alloy; group 2. Revo S SU; group 3. Mtwo and group 4. BioRaCe BR3 produced by traditional grinding processes. A total of 80 instruments (20 for each group) were tested for cyclic fatigue resistance inside a curved artificial canal with a 60 degree angle of curvature and 5 mm radius of curvature. Time to fracture (TtF) from the start of the test until the moment of file breakage and the length of the fractured tip was recorded for each instrument. Means and standard deviations (SD) of TtF and fragment length were calculated. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results Group 1 (Twisted File) showed the highest value of TtF means. Cyclic fatigue resistance of Twisted File and Mtwo was significantly higher than group 2 (Revo S SU) and 4 (BioRace BR3), while no significant differences were found between group 1 (Twisted File) and 3 (Mtwo) or group 2 (Revo S SU) and 4 (BioRaCe BR3). Conclusions The cyclic fatigue resistance of Twisted File was significantly frigher than instruments produced with traditional grinding process except of Mtwo files. PMID:23087787

Highly Conductive and Transparent Large-Area Bilayer Graphene Realized by MoCl5 Intercalation.

PubMed

Kinoshita, Hiroki; Jeon, Il; Maruyama, Mina; Kawahara, Kenji; Terao, Yuri; Ding, Dong; Matsumoto, Rika; Matsuo, Yutaka; Okada, Susumu; Ago, Hiroki

2017-11-01

Bilayer graphene (BLG) comprises a 2D nanospace sandwiched by two parallel graphene sheets that can be used to intercalate molecules or ions for attaining novel functionalities. However, intercalation is mostly demonstrated with small, exfoliated graphene flakes. This study demonstrates intercalation of molybdenum chloride (MoCl 5 ) into a large-area, uniform BLG sheet, which is grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This study reveals that the degree of MoCl 5 intercalation strongly depends on the stacking order of the graphene; twist-stacked graphene shows a much higher degree of intercalation than AB-stacked. Density functional theory calculations suggest that weak interlayer coupling in the twist-stacked graphene contributes to the effective intercalation. By selectively synthesizing twist-rich BLG films through control of the CVD conditions, low sheet resistance (83 Ω ▫ -1 ) is realized after MoCl 5 intercalation, while maintaining high optical transmittance (≈95%). The low sheet resistance state is relatively stable in air for more than three months. Furthermore, the intercalated BLG film is applied to organic solar cells, realizing a high power conversion efficiency. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evidence of quasi-partonic higher-twist effects in deep inelastic scattering at HERA at moderate Q^2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motyka, Leszek; Sadzikowski, Mariusz; Słomiński, Wojciech; Wichmann, Katarzyna

2018-01-01

The combined HERA data for the inclusive deep inelastic scattering (DIS) cross sections for the momentum transfer Q^2 > 1 GeV^2 are fitted within the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi (DGLAP) framework at next-to-leading order (NLO) and next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) accuracy, complemented by a QCD-inspired parameterisation of twist 4 corrections. A modified form of the input parton density functions is also included, motivated by parton saturation mechanism at small Bjorken x and at a low scale. These modifications lead to a significant improvement of the data description in the region of low Q^2. For the whole data sample, the new benchmark NNLO DGLAP fit yields χ ^2/d.o.f. ˜eq 1.19 to be compared to 1.46 resulting from the standard NNLO DGLAP fit. We discuss the results in the context of the parton saturation picture and describe the impact of the higher-twist corrections on the derived parton density functions. The resulting description of the longitudinal proton structure function FL is consistent with the HERA data. Our estimates of higher-twist contributions to the proton structure functions are comparable to the leading-twist contributions at low Q^2 ˜eq 2 GeV^2 and x ˜eq 10^{-5}. The x-dependence of the twist 4 corrections obtained from the best fit is consistent with the leading twist 4 quasi-partonic operators, corresponding to an exchange of four interacting gluons in the t-channel.

Dynamics of Scroll Wave in a Three-Dimensional System with Changing Gradient.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiao-Ping; Chen, Jiang-Xing; Zhao, Ye-Hua; Liu, Gui-Quan; Ying, He-Ping

2016-01-01

The dynamics of a scroll wave in an excitable medium with gradient excitability is studied in detail. Three parameter regimes can be distinguished by the degree of gradient. For a small gradient, the system reaches a simple rotating synchronization. In this regime, the rigid rotating velocity of spiral waves is maximal in the layers with the highest filament twist. As the excitability gradient increases, the scroll wave evolutes into a meandering synchronous state. This transition is accompanied by a variation in twisting rate. Filament twisting may prevent the breakup of spiral waves in the bottom layers with a low excitability with which a spiral breaks in a 2D medium. When the gradient is large enough, the twisted filament breaks up, which results in a semi-turbulent state where the lower part is turbulent while the upper part contains a scroll wave with a low twisting filament.

Phenomenological constraints on A N in p ↑ p → π X from Lorentz invariance relations

DOE PAGES

Gamberg, Leonard; Kang, Zhong-Bo; Pitonyak, Daniel; ...

2017-04-27

Here, we present a new analysis of A N in p ↑ p → πX within the collinear twist-3 factorization formalism. We incorporate recently derived Lorentz invariance relations into our calculation and focus on input from the kinematical twist-3 functions, which are weighted integrals of transverse momentum dependent (TMD) functions. Particularly, we use the latest extractions of the Sivers and Collins functions with TMD evolution to compute certain terms in AN . Consequently, we are able to constrain the remaining contributions from the lesser known dynamical twist-3 correlators.

Design and simulation of the micromixer with chaotic advection in twisted microchannels.

PubMed

Jen, Chun-Ping; Wu, Chung-Yi; Lin, Yu-Cheng; Wu, Ching-Yi

2003-05-01

Chaotic mixers with twisted microchannels were designed and simulated numerically in the present study. The phenomenon whereby a simple Eulerian velocity field may generate a chaotic response in the distribution of a Lagrangian marker is termed chaotic advection. Dynamic system theory indicates that chaotic particle motion can occur when a velocity field is either two-dimensional and time-dependent, or three-dimensional. In the present study, micromixers with three-dimensional structures of the twisted microchannel were designed in order to induce chaotic mixing. In addition to the basic T-mixer, three types of micromixers with inclined, oblique and wavelike microchannels were investigated. In the design of each twisted microchannel, the angle of the channels' bottoms alternates in each subsection. When the fluids enter the twisted microchannels, the flow sways around the varying structures within the microchannels. The designs of the twisted microchannels provide a third degree of freedom to the flow field in the microchannel. Therefore, chaotic regimes that lead to chaotic mixing may arise. The numerical results indicate that mixing occurs in the main channel and progressively larger mixing lengths are required as the Peclet number increased. The swaying of the flow in the twisted microchannel causes chaotic advection. Among the four micromixer designs, the micromixer with the inclined channel most improved mixing. Furthermore, using the inclined mixer with six subsections yielded optimum performance, decreasing the mixing length by up to 31% from that of the basic T-mixer.

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

DOE PAGES

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2017-11-28

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here in this paper, we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q-plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into amore » twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q-plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.« less

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

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

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here in this paper, we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q-plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into amore » twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q-plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.« less

Measurement of the deuteron structure function F2 in the resonance region and evaluation of its moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osipenko, M.; Ricco, G.; Simula, S.; Battaglieri, M.; Ripani, M.; Adams, G.; Ambrozewicz, P.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asavapibhop, B.; Asryan, G.; Audit, G.; Avakian, H.; Bagdasaryan, H.; Baillie, N.; Ball, J. P.; Baltzell, N. A.; Barrow, S.; Batourine, V.; Beard, K.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bektasoglu, M.; Bellis, M.; Benmouna, N.; Biselli, A. S.; Bonner, B. E.; Bouchigny, S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bradford, R.; Branford, D.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Burkert, V. D.; Butuceanu, C.; Calarco, J. R.; Careccia, S. L.; Carman, D. S.; Cazes, A.; Chen, S.; Cole, P. L.; Coleman, A.; Coltharp, P.; Cords, D.; Corvisiero, P.; Crabb, D.; Cummings, J. P.; de Sanctis, E.; Devita, R.; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Denizli, H.; Dennis, L.; Deur, A.; Dharmawardane, K. V.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Donnelly, J.; Doughty, D.; Dragovitsch, P.; Dugger, M.; Dytman, S.; Dzyubak, O. P.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K. S.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Empl, A.; Eugenio, P.; Fatemi, R.; Fedotov, G.; Feuerbach, R. J.; Forest, T. A.; Funsten, H.; Garçon, M.; Gavalian, G.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Golovatch, E.; Gordon, C. I. O.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Guillo, M.; Guler, N.; Guo, L.; Gyurjyan, V.; Hadjidakis, C.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hardie, J.; Heddle, D.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hleiqawi, I.; Holtrop, M.; Hu, J.; Huertas, M.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Ito, M. M.; Jenkins, D.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Juengst, H. G.; Kellie, J. D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, K. Y.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klimenko, A. V.; Klusman, M.; Kossov, M.; Kramer, L. H.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Lachniet, J.; Laget, J. M.; Langheinrich, J.; Lawrence, D.; Lee, T.; Li, Ji; Lima, A. C. S.; Livingston, K.; Lukashin, K.; Manak, J. J.; Marchand, C.; McAleer, S.; McKinnon, B.; McNabb, J. W. C.; Mecking, B. A.; Mehrabyan, S.; Melone, J. J.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mikhailov, K.; Minehart, R.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Mokeev, V.; Morand, L.; Morrow, S. A.; Mueller, J.; Mutchler, G. S.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Napolitano, J.; Nasseripour, R.; Nefedov, G.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Niyazov, R. A.; Nozar, M.; O'Rielly, G. V.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Philips, S. A.; Pierce, J.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Polli, E.; Pozdniakov, S.; Preedom, B. M.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Qin, L. M.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ritchie, B. G.; Ronchetti, F.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Rowntree, D.; Rubin, P. D.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Santoro, J. P.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Shaw, J.; Skabelin, A. V.; Smith, E. S.; Smith, L. C.; Sober, D. I.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Stokes, B. E.; Stoler, P.; Strauch, S.; Suleiman, R.; Taiuti, M.; Taylor, S.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Thoma, U.; Thompson, R.; Tkabladze, A.; Todor, L.; Tur, C.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Weinstein, L. B.; Weygand, D. P.; Williams, M.; Wolin, E.; Wood, M. H.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yun, J.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.

2006-04-01

Inclusive electron scattering off the deuteron has been measured to extract the deuteron structure function F2 with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The measurement covers the entire resonance region from the quasielastic peak up to the invariant mass of the final-state hadronic system W≃2.7 GeV with four-momentum transfers Q2 from 0.4 to 6 (GeV/c)2. These data are complementary to previous measurements of the proton structure function F2 and cover a similar two-dimensional region of Q2 and Bjorken variable x. Determination of the deuteron F2 over a large x interval including the quasielastic peak as a function of Q2, together with the other world data, permit a direct evaluation of the structure function moments for the first time. By fitting the Q2 evolution of these moments with an OPE-based twist expansion we have obtained a separation of the leading twist and higher twist terms. The observed Q2 behavior of the higher twist contribution suggests a partial cancelation of different higher twists entering into the expansion with opposite signs. This cancelation, found also in the proton moments, is a manifestation of the “duality” phenomenon in the F2 structure function.

On exact correlation functions of chiral ring operators in 2 d N=(2, 2) SCFTs via localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jin

2018-03-01

We study the extremal correlation functions of (twisted) chiral ring operators via superlocalization in N=(2, 2) superconformal field theories (SCFTs) with central charge c ≥ 3, especially for SCFTs with Calabi-Yau geometric phases. We extend the method in arXiv: 1602.05971 with mild modifications, so that it is applicable to disentangle operators mixing on S 2 in nilpotent (twisted) chiral rings of 2 d SCFTs. With the extended algorithm and technique of localization, we compute exactly the extremal correlators in 2 d N=(2, 2) (twisted) chiral rings as non-holomorphic functions of marginal parameters of the theories. Especially in the context of Calabi-Yau geometries, we give an explicit geometric interpretation to our algorithm as the Griffiths transversality with projection on the Hodge bundle over Calabi-Yau complex moduli. We also apply the method to compute extremal correlators in Kähler moduli, or say twisted chiral rings, of several interesting Calabi-Yau manifolds. In the case of complete intersections in toric varieties, we provide an alternative formalism for extremal correlators via localization onto Higgs branch. In addition, as a spinoff we find that, from the extremal correlators of the top element in twisted chiral rings, one can extract chiral correlators in A-twisted topological theories.

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

Kuz'mina, L. G., E-mail: kuzmina@igic.ras.ru; Sitin, A. G.; Gulakova, E. N.

The crystal and molecular structures of five styrylheterocycles of the quinoline series are studied. All molecules are planar. The double bond in the ethylene fragment is essentially localized. In the molecule of 2-(4-methylstyryl)quinoline, the ethylene fragment is disordered by the bicycle-pedal pattern. In four of the five compounds, the crystal packings do not contain stacking dimers prearranged for the [2+2] photocycloaddition (PCA) reaction. In the crystal of 2-(3-nitrostyryl)quinoline, pairs of crystallographically independent molecules form stacking dimers. In a dimer, the ethylene fragments have a twist orientation, which is incompatible with the PCA reaction. An attempt to initiate a temperature-dependent processmore » of bicyclepedal isomerization in the crystal and, as a consequence, the PCA reaction by means of simultaneous irradiation and heating of a single crystal is unsuccessful.« less

Role of left ventricular twist mechanics in cardiomyopathies, dance of the helices

PubMed Central

Kauer, Floris; Geleijnse, Marcel Leonard; van Dalen, Bastiaan Martijn

2015-01-01

Left ventricular twist is an essential part of left ventricular function. Nevertheless, knowledge is limited in “the cardiology community” as it comes to twist mechanics. Fortunately the development of speckle tracking echocardiography, allowing accurate, reproducible and rapid bedside assessment of left ventricular twist, has boosted the interest in this important mechanical aspect of left ventricular deformation. Although the fundamental physiological role of left ventricular twist is undisputable, the clinical relevance of assessment of left ventricular twist in cardiomyopathies still needs to be established. The fact remains; analysis of left ventricular twist mechanics has already provided substantial pathophysiological understanding on a comprehensive variety of cardiomyopathies. It has become clear that increased left ventricular twist in for example hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be an early sign of subendocardial (microvascular) dysfunction. Furthermore, decreased left ventricular twist may be caused by left ventricular dilatation or an extensive myocardial scar. Finally, the detection of left ventricular rigid body rotation in noncompaction cardiomyopathy may provide an indispensible method to objectively confirm this difficult diagnosis. All this endorses the value of left ventricular twist in the field of cardiomyopathies and may further encourage the implementation of left ventricular twist parameters in the “diagnostic toolbox” for cardiomyopathies. PMID:26322187

Far-Infrared and Raman Spectra and The Ring-Twisting Potential Energy Function of 1,3-Cyclohexadiene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autrey, Daniel; Choo, Jaebum; Laane, Jaan

2001-10-01

The nu19 (A2) ring-twisting vibration of 1,3-cyclohexadiene has been analyzed from the vapor-phase Raman and infrared spectra. The Raman spectrum shows nine ring-twisting transitions in the 116 - 199 cm-1 region. The far-infrared spectrum confirms five of these transitions, despite the fact that the vibration is infrared forbidden in the C2v (planar) approximation. Other Raman and infrared combination bands verify the assignments and provide information on the vibrational coupling. A coordinate dependent kinetic energy expansion for the ring-twisting motion was calculated, and this was used to determine the ring-twisting potential function, which has a barrier to planarity of 1132 cm-1 and energy minima corresponding to twisting angles of 9.1º and 30.1º. Ab initio calculations were also carried out using Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) with a large number of different basis sets. The various ab initio calculations gave barriers to planarity in the 1197 - 1593 cm-1 range and calculated vibrational frequencies in excellent agreement with the experimental values.

The Twist Box Domain is Required for Twist1-induced Prostate Cancer Metastasis

PubMed Central

Gajula, Rajendra P.; Chettiar, Sivarajan T.; Williams, Russell D.; Thiyagarajan, Saravanan; Kato, Yoshinori; Aziz, Khaled; Wang, Ruoqi; Gandhi, Nishant; Wild, Aaron T.; Vesuna, Farhad; Ma, Jinfang; Salih, Tarek; Cades, Jessica; Fertig, Elana; Biswal, Shyam; Burns, Timothy F.; Chung, Christine H.; Rudin, Charles M.; Herman, Joseph M.; Hales, Russell K.; Raman, Venu; An, Steven S.; Tran, Phuoc T.

2013-01-01

Twist1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, plays a key role during development and is a master regulator of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that promotes cancer metastasis. Structure-function relationships of Twist1 to cancer-related phenotypes are underappreciated, so we studied the requirement of the conserved Twist box domain for metastatic phenotypes in prostate cancer (PCa). Evidence suggests that Twist1 is overexpressed in clinical specimens and correlated with aggressive/metastatic disease. Therefore, we examined a transactivation mutant, Twist1-F191G, in PCa cells using in vitro assays which mimic various stages of metastasis. Twist1 overexpression led to elevated cytoskeletal stiffness and cell traction forces at the migratory edge of cells based on biophysical single-cell measurements. Twist1 conferred additional cellular properties associated with cancer cell metastasis including increased migration, invasion, anoikis resistance, and anchorage-independent growth. The Twist box mutant was defective for these Twist1 phenotypes in vitro. Importantly, we observed a high frequency of Twist1-induced metastatic lung tumors and extra-thoracic metastases in vivo using the experimental lung metastasis assay. The Twist box was required for PCa cells to colonize metastatic lung lesions and extra-thoracic metastases. Comparative genomic profiling revealed transcriptional programs directed by the Twist box that were associated with cancer progression, such as Hoxa9. Mechanistically, Twist1 bound to the Hoxa9 promoter and positively regulated Hoxa9 expression in PCa cells. Finally, Hoxa9 was important for Twist1-induced cellular phenotypes associated with metastasis. These data suggest that the Twist box domain is required for Twist1 transcriptional programs and PCa metastasis. PMID:23982216

Crystal structure of paliperidone palmitate (INVEGA SUSTENNA®), C39H57FN4O4

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

Kaduk, James A.; Dmitrienko, Artem O.; Gindhart, Amy M.

2017-08-29

The crystal structure of paliperidone palmitate has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Paliperidone palmitate crystallizes in space groupP2 1/c(#14) witha= 34.415 40(35),b= 10.093 49(7),c= 10.904 92(9) Å,β= 94.3917(9)°,V= 3776.94(6) Å 3, andZ= 4. The conformation of the paliperidone fragment differs from that of the parent compound. The palmitate chain exhibits a slight twist close to the ester group. Several C–H•••O hydrogen bonds contribute to the crystal packing, which is dominated by van der Waals interactions. The powder pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File™ as entry 00-066-1614.

Correlation functions in the D1-D5 orbifold CFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

i Tormo, Joan Garcia; Taylor, Marika

2018-06-01

The D1-D5 system has an orbifold point in its moduli space, at which it may be described by an N = (4,4) supersymmetric sigma model with target space M N /S( N) where M is T^4 or K3. In this paper we consider correlation functions involving chiral operators constructed from twist fields: we find explicit expressions for processes involving a twist n operator joining n twist operators of arbitrary twist. These expressions are universal, in that they are independent of the choice of M , and the final results can be expressed in a compact form. We explain how these results are relevant to the black hole microstate programme: one point functions of chiral operators can be used to reconstruct AdS3 near horizon regions of D1-D5 microstates and to match microstates constructed in supergravity with the CFT.

Postfragmentation density function for bacterial aggregates in laminar flow

PubMed Central

Byrne, Erin; Dzul, Steve; Solomon, Michael; Younger, John

2014-01-01

The postfragmentation probability density of daughter flocs is one of the least well-understood aspects of modeling flocculation. We use three-dimensional positional data of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterial flocs in suspension and the knowledge of hydrodynamic properties of a laminar flow field to construct a probability density function of floc volumes after a fragmentation event. We provide computational results which predict that the primary fragmentation mechanism for large flocs is erosion. The postfragmentation probability density function has a strong dependence on the size of the original floc and indicates that most fragmentation events result in clumps of one to three bacteria eroding from the original floc. We also provide numerical evidence that exhaustive fragmentation yields a limiting density inconsistent with the log-normal density predicted in the literature, most likely due to the heterogeneous nature of K. pneumoniae flocs. To support our conclusions, artificial flocs were generated and display similar postfragmentation density and exhaustive fragmentation. PMID:21599205

In Silico Measurements of Twist and Bend Moduli for β-Solenoid Protein Self-Assembly Units.

PubMed

Heinz, Leonard P; Ravikumar, Krishnakumar M; Cox, Daniel L

2015-05-13

We compute potentials of mean force for bend and twist deformations via force pulling and umbrella sampling experiments for four β-solenoid proteins (BSPs) that show promise in nanotechnology applications. In all cases, we find quasi-Hooke's law behavior until the point of rupture. Bending moduli show modest anisotropy for two-sided and three-sided BSPs, and little anisotropy for a four-sided BSP. There is a slight clockwise/counterclockwise asymmetry in the twist potential of mean force, showing greater stiffness when the applied twist follows the intrinsic twist. When we extrapolate to beam theory appropriate for amyloid fibrils of the BSPs, we find bend/twist moduli which are somewhat smaller than those in the literature for other amyloid fibrils. Twist persistence lengths are on the order of a micron, and bend persistence lengths are several microns. Provided the intrinsic twist can be reversed, these results support the usage of BSPs in biomaterials applications.

Effect of twist on single-mode fiber-optic 3 × 3 couplers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dandan; Ji, Minning; Peng, Lei

2018-01-01

In the fabricating process of a 3 × 3 fused tapered coupler, the three fibers are usually twisted to be close-contact. The effect of twist on 3 × 3 fused tapered couplers is investigated in this paper. It is found that though a linear 3 × 3 coupler may realize equal power splitting ratio theoretically by twisting a special angle, it is hard to be fabricated actually because the twist angle and the coupler's length must be determined in advance. While an equilateral 3 × 3 coupler can not only realize approximate equal power splitting ratio theoretically but can also be fabricated just by controlling the elongation length. The effect of twist on the equilateral 3 × 3 coupler lies in the relationship between the equal ratio error and the twist angle. The more the twist angle is, the larger the equal ratio error may be. The twist angle usually should be no larger than 90° on one coupling period length in order to keep the equal ratio error small enough. The simulation results agree well with the experimental data.

Conical twist fields and null polygonal Wilson loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro-Alvaredo, Olalla A.; Doyon, Benjamin; Fioravanti, Davide

2018-06-01

Using an extension of the concept of twist field in QFT to space-time (external) symmetries, we study conical twist fields in two-dimensional integrable QFT. These create conical singularities of arbitrary excess angle. We show that, upon appropriate identification between the excess angle and the number of sheets, they have the same conformal dimension as branch-point twist fields commonly used to represent partition functions on Riemann surfaces, and that both fields have closely related form factors. However, we show that conical twist fields are truly different from branch-point twist fields. They generate different operator product expansions (short distance expansions) and form factor expansions (large distance expansions). In fact, we verify in free field theories, by re-summing form factors, that the conical twist fields operator product expansions are correctly reproduced. We propose that conical twist fields are the correct fields in order to understand null polygonal Wilson loops/gluon scattering amplitudes of planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory.

The TWIST/Mi2/NuRD protein complex and its essential role in cancer metastasis.

PubMed

Fu, Junjiang; Qin, Li; He, Tao; Qin, Jun; Hong, Jun; Wong, Jiemin; Liao, Lan; Xu, Jianming

2011-02-01

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) converts epithelial tumor cells into invasive and metastatic cancer cells, leading to mortality in cancer patients. Although TWIST is a master regulator of EMT and metastasis for breast and other cancers, the mechanisms responsible for TWIST-mediated gene transcription remain unknown. In this study, purification and characterization of the TWIST protein complex revealed that TWIST interacts with several components of the Mi2/nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (Mi2/NuRD) complex, MTA2, RbAp46, Mi2 and HDAC2, and recruits them to the proximal regions of the E-cadherin promoter for transcriptional repression. Depletion of these TWIST complex components from cancer cell lines that depend on TWIST for metastasis efficiently suppresses cell migration and invasion in culture and lung metastasis in mice. These findings not only provide novel mechanistic and functional links between TWIST and the Mi2/NuRD complex but also establish new essential roles for the components of Mi2/NuRD complex in cancer metastasis.

Left ventricular strain distribution in healthy dogs and in dogs with tachycardia-induced dilated cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Recently, left ventricular (LV) strain distribution pattern has been assessed in several cardiac disease states. Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) is an animal model of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy well characterized in terms of global LV dysfunction but with poor understanding of regional variability in LV function. We hypothesized that TIC induces specific changes in LV strain distribution pattern. Methods Twenty five adult mongrel conscious dogs were trained to lie down calmly for echocardiography. In seven selected dogs, we implanted pacing system for TIC induction under general anesthesia. We measured LV geometry and function, strains, and torsion before and after the development of TIC in awake non-sedated state. Results In 25 healthy dogs, all three types of normal strain significantly increased from base to apex (p <0.05), while a definite and recognizable twist could be measured due to presence of shear strain. In 7 dogs with TIC, marked changes in LV mechanics occurred throughout the cardiac cycle, resulting in decrease of strain (p <0.001), twist (p <0.05), and negative peak twist rate (p <0.05). Interestingly, the relative decrease of strain due to TIC was more pronounced in the apex (p < 0.001), with the radial strain decreasing the most (p < 0.05). Conclusion TIC is accompanied by decreased systolic LV strain and twist deformation, as well as loss of early diastolic recoil. In addition, the decrease of strain was more profound in the apex. This “reverse” distribution of LV strain may help us understand LV dysfunction in the presence of nonischemic etiology. PMID:24304622

Left ventricular strain distribution in healthy dogs and in dogs with tachycardia-induced dilated cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Kusunose, Kenya; Zhang, Youhua; Mazgalev, Todor N; Thomas, James D; Popović, Zoran B

2013-12-05

Recently, left ventricular (LV) strain distribution pattern has been assessed in several cardiac disease states. Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) is an animal model of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy well characterized in terms of global LV dysfunction but with poor understanding of regional variability in LV function. We hypothesized that TIC induces specific changes in LV strain distribution pattern. Twenty five adult mongrel conscious dogs were trained to lie down calmly for echocardiography. In seven selected dogs, we implanted pacing system for TIC induction under general anesthesia. We measured LV geometry and function, strains, and torsion before and after the development of TIC in awake non-sedated state. In 25 healthy dogs, all three types of normal strain significantly increased from base to apex (p <0.05), while a definite and recognizable twist could be measured due to presence of shear strain. In 7 dogs with TIC, marked changes in LV mechanics occurred throughout the cardiac cycle, resulting in decrease of strain (p <0.001), twist (p <0.05), and negative peak twist rate (p <0.05). Interestingly, the relative decrease of strain due to TIC was more pronounced in the apex (p < 0.001), with the radial strain decreasing the most (p < 0.05). TIC is accompanied by decreased systolic LV strain and twist deformation, as well as loss of early diastolic recoil. In addition, the decrease of strain was more profound in the apex. This "reverse" distribution of LV strain may help us understand LV dysfunction in the presence of nonischemic etiology.

Influence of different manufacturing methods on the cyclic fatigue of rotary nickel-titanium endodontic instruments.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Renata C V; Lopes, Hélio P; Elias, Carlos N; Amaral, Georgiana; Vieira, Victor T L; De Martin, Alexandre S

2011-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate, by static and dynamic cyclic fatigue tests, the number of cycles to fracture (NCF) 2 types of rotary NiTi instruments: Twisted File (SybronEndo, Orange, CA), which is manufactured by a proprietary twisting process, and RaCe files (FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland), which are manufactured by grinding. Twenty Twisted Files (TFs) and 20 RaCe files #25/.006 taper instruments were allowed to rotate freely in an artificial curved canal at 310 rpm in a static or a dynamic model until fracture occurred. Measurements of the fractured fragments showed that fracture occurred at the point of maximum flexure in the midpoint of the curved segment. The NCF was significantly lower for RaCe instruments compared with TFs. The NCF was also lower for instruments subjected to the static test compared with the dynamic model in both groups. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed ductile morphologic characteristics on the fractured surfaces of all instruments and no plastic deformation in their helical shafts. Rotary NiTi endodontic instruments manufactured by twisting present greater resistance to cyclic fatigue compared with instruments manufactured by grinding. The fracture mode observed in all instruments was of the ductile type. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reaction mechanism of the acidic hydrolysis of highly twisted amides: Rate acceleration caused by the twist of the amide bond.

PubMed

Mujika, Jon I; Formoso, Elena; Mercero, Jose M; Lopez, Xabier

2006-08-03

We present an ab initio study of the acid hydrolysis of a highly twisted amide and a planar amide analogue. The aim of these studies is to investigate the effect that the twist of the amide bond has on the reaction barriers and mechanism of acid hydrolysis. Concerted and stepwise mechanisms were investigated using density functional theory and polarizable continuum model calculations. Remarkable differences were observed between the mechanism of twisted and planar amide, due mainly to the preference for N-protonation of the former and O-protonation of the latter. In addition, we were also able to determine that the hydrolytic mechanism of the twisted amide will be pH dependent. Thus, there is a preference for a stepwise mechanism with formation of an intermediate in the acid hydrolysis, whereas the neutral hydrolysis undergoes a concerted-type mechanism. There is a nice agreement between the characterized intermediate and available X-ray data and a good agreement with the kinetically estimated rate acceleration of hydrolysis with respect to analogous undistorted amide compounds. This work, along with previous ab initio calculations, describes a complex and rich chemistry for the hydrolysis of highly twisted amides as a function of pH. The theoretical data provided will allow for a better understanding of the available kinetic data of the rate acceleration of amides upon twisting and the relation of the observed rate acceleration with intrinsic differential reactivity upon loss of amide bond resonance.

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

Eiamsa-ard, Smith; Seemawute, Panida; Wongcharee, Khwanchit

Effects of peripherally-cut twisted tape insert on heat transfer, friction loss and thermal performance factor characteristics in a round tube were investigated. Nine different peripherally-cut twisted tapes with constant twist ratio (y/W = 3.0) and different three tape depth ratios (DR = d/W = 0.11, 0.22 and 0.33), each with three different tape width ratios (WR = w/W = 0.11, 0.22 and 0.33) were tested. Besides, one typical twisted tape was also tested for comparison. The measurement of heat transfer rate was conducted under uniform heat flux condition while that of friction factor was performed under isothermal condition. Tests weremore » performed with Reynolds number in a range from 1000 to 20,000, using water as a working fluid. The experimental results revealed that both heat transfer rate and friction factor in the tube equipped with the peripherally-cut twisted tapes were significantly higher than those in the tube fitted with the typical twisted tape and plain tube, especially in the laminar flow regime. The higher turbulence intensity of fluid in the vicinity of the tube wall generated by the peripherally-cut twisted tape compared to that induced by the typical twisted tape is referred as the main reason for achieved results. The obtained results also demonstrated that as the depth ratio increased and width ratio decreased, the heat transfer enhancement increased. Over the range investigated, the peripherally-cut twisted tape enhanced heat transfer rates in term of Nusselt numbers up to 2.6 times (turbulent regime) and 12.8 times (laminar regime) of that in the plain tube. These corresponded to the maximum performance factors of 1.29 (turbulent regime) and 4.88 (laminar regime). (author)« less

Early Osteoarthritis of the Trapeziometacarpal Joint Is Not Associated With Joint Instability during Typical Isometric Loading

PubMed Central

Halilaj, Eni; Moore, Douglas C.; Patel, Tarpit K.; Ladd, Amy L.; Weiss, Arnold-Peter C.; Crisco, Joseph J.

2015-01-01

The saddle-shaped trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joint contributes importantly to the function of the human thumb. A balance between mobility and stability is essential in this joint, which experiences high loads and is prone to osteoarthritis (OA). Since instability is considered a risk factor for TMC OA, we assessed TMC joint instability during the execution of three isometric functional tasks (key pinch, jar grasp, and jar twist) in 76 patients with early TMC OA and 44 asymptomatic controls. Computed tomography images were acquired while subjects held their hands relaxed and while they applied 80% of their maximum effort for each task. Six degree-of-freedom rigid body kinematics of the metacarpal with respect to the trapezium from the unloaded to the loaded task positions were computed in terms of a TMC joint coordinate system. Joint instability was expressed as a function of the metacarpal translation and the applied force. We found that the TMC joint was more unstable during a key pinch task than during a jar grasp or a jar twist task. Sex, age, and early OA did not have an effect on TMC joint instability, suggesting that instability during these three tasks is not a predisposing factor in TMC OA. PMID:25941135

Universality, twisted fans, and the Ising model. [Renormalization, two-loop calculations, scale

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

Dash, J.W.; Harrington, S.J.

1975-06-24

Critical exponents are evaluated for the Ising model using universality in the form of ''twisted fans'' previously introduced in Reggeon field theory. The universality is with respect to scales induced through renormalization. Exact twists are obtained at ..beta.. = 0 in one loop for D = 2,3 with ..nu.. = 0.75 and 0.60 respectively. In two loops one obtains ..nu.. approximately 1.32 and 0.68. No twists are obtained for eta, however. The results for the standard two loop calculations are also presented as functions of a scale.

Endothelial TWIST1 Promotes Pathological Ocular Angiogenesis

PubMed Central

Li, Jie; Liu, Chi-Hsiu; Sun, Ye; Gong, Yan; Fu, Zhongjie; Evans, Lucy P.; Tian, Katherine T.; Juan, Aimee M.; Hurst, Christian G.; Mammoto, Akiko; Chen, Jing

2014-01-01

Purpose. Pathological neovessel formation impacts many blinding vascular eye diseases. Identification of molecular signatures distinguishing pathological neovascularization from normal quiescent vessels is critical for developing new interventions. Twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1) is a transcription factor important in tumor and pulmonary angiogenesis. This study investigated the potential role of TWIST1 in modulating pathological ocular angiogenesis in mice. Methods. Twist1 expression and localization were analyzed in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Pathological ocular angiogenesis in Tie2-driven conditional Twist1 knockout mice were evaluated in both OIR and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization models. In addition, the effects of TWIST1 on angiogenesis and endothelial cell function were analyzed in sprouting assays of aortic rings and choroidal explants isolated from Twist1 knockout mice, and in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells treated with TWIST1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Results. TWIST1 is highly enriched in pathological neovessels in OIR retinas. Conditional Tie2-driven depletion of Twist1 significantly suppressed pathological neovessels in OIR without impacting developmental retinal angiogenesis. In a laser-induced choroidal neovascularization model, Twist1 deficiency also resulted in significantly smaller lesions with decreased vascular leakage. In addition, loss of Twist1 significantly decreased vascular sprouting in both aortic ring and choroid explants. Knockdown of TWIST1 in endothelial cells led to dampened expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and decreased endothelial cell proliferation. Conclusions. Our study suggests that TWIST1 is a novel regulator of pathologic ocular angiogenesis and may represent a new molecular target for developing potential therapeutic treatments to suppress pathological neovascularization in vascular eye diseases. PMID:25414194

Twist limits for late twisting double somersaults on trampoline.

PubMed

Yeadon, M R; Hiley, M J

2017-06-14

An angle-driven computer simulation model of aerial movement was used to determine the maximum amount of twist that could be produced in the second somersault of a double somersault on trampoline using asymmetrical movements of the arms and hips. Lower bounds were placed on the durations of arm and hip angle changes based on performances of a world trampoline champion whose inertia parameters were used in the simulations. The limiting movements were identified as the largest possible odd number of half twists for forward somersaulting takeoffs and even number of half twists for backward takeoffs. Simulations of these two limiting movements were found using simulated annealing optimisation to produce the required amounts of somersault, tilt and twist at landing after a flight time of 2.0s. Additional optimisations were then run to seek solutions with the arms less adducted during the twisting phase. It was found that 3½ twists could be produced in the second somersault of a forward piked double somersault with arms abducted 8° from full adduction during the twisting phase and that three twists could be produced in the second somersault of a backward straight double somersault with arms fully adducted to the body. These two movements are at the limits of performance for elite trampolinists. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

To investigate the relation between pore size and twist angle in enhanced thermoelectric efficient porous armchair graphene nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Sukhdeep; Randhawa, Deep Kamal Kaur; Bindra Narang, Sukhleen

2018-05-01

Based on Non-Equilibrium Green’s function method, we demonstrate that the twisted deformation is an efficient method to improve the figure of merit ZT of porous armchair graphene nanoribbons AGNRs. The peak value of ZT can be obtained for a certain tunable twist angle. Further analysis shows that the tunable twist angle exhibits an inverse relationship with the pore size laying forth the designers a choice for the larger twists to be replaced by smaller ones simply by increasing the size of the pore. Ballistic transport regime and semi-empirical method using Huckel basis set is used to obtain the electrical properties while the Tersoff potential is employed for the phononic system. These interesting findings indicate that the twisted porous AGNRs can be utilized as designing materials for potential thermoelectric applications.

The Twist Limit for Bipolar Active Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Ron; Falconer, David; Gary, Allen

2008-01-01

We present new evidence that further supports the standard idea that active regions are emerged magnetic-flux-rope omega loops. When the axial magnetic twist of a cylindrical flux rope exceeds a critical amount, the flux rope becomes unstable to kinking, and the excess axial twist is converted into writhe twist by the kinking. This suggests that, if active regions are emerged omega loops, then (1) no active region should have magnetic twist much above the limit set by kinking, (2) active regions having twist near the limit should often arise from kinked omega loops, and (3) since active regions having large delta sunspots are outstandingly twisted, these arise from kinked omega loops and should have twist near the limit for kinking. From each of 36 vector magnetograms of bipolar active regions, we have measured (1) the total flux of the vertical field above 100 G, (2) the area covered by this flux, and (3) the net electric current that arches over the polarity inversion line. These three quantities yield an estimate of the axial magnetic twist in a simple model cylindrical flux rope that corresponds to the top of the active region s hypothetical omega loop prior to emergence. In all 36 cases, the estimated twist is below the critical limit for kinking. The 11 most twisted active regions (1) have estimated twist within a factor of approx.3 of the limit, and (2) include all of our 6 active regions having large delta sunspots. Thus, our observed twist limit for bipolar active regions is in good accord with active regions being emerged omega loops.

Females have greater left ventricular twist mechanics than males during acute reductions to preload.

PubMed

Williams, Alexandra M; Shave, Rob E; Stembridge, Mike; Eves, Neil D

2016-07-01

Compared to males, females have smaller left ventricular (LV) dimensions and volumes, higher ejection fractions (EF), and higher LV longitudinal and circumferential strain. LV twist mechanics determine ventricular function and are preload-dependent. Therefore, the sex differences in LV structure and myocardial function may result in different mechanics when preload is altered. This study investigated sex differences in LV mechanics during acute challenges to preload. With the use of conventional and speckle-tracking echocardiography, LV structure and function were assessed in 20 males (24 ± 6.2 yr) and 20 females (23 ± 3.1 yr) at baseline and during progressive levels of lower body negative pressure (LBNP). Fourteen participants (8 males, 6 females) were also assessed following a rapid infusion of saline. LV end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, stroke volume (SV), and EF were reduced in both groups during LBNP (P < 0.001). While males had greater absolute volumes (P < 0.001), there were no sex differences in allometrically scaled volumes at any stage. Sex differences were not detected at baseline in basal rotation, apical rotation, or twist. Apical rotation and twist increased in both groups (P < 0.001) with LBNP. At -60 mmHg, females had greater apical rotation (P = 0.009), twist (P = 0.008), and torsion (P = 0.002) and faster untwisting velocity (P = 0.02) than males. There were no differences in mechanics following saline infusion. Females have larger LV twist and a faster untwisting velocity than males during large reductions to preload, supporting that females have a greater reliance on LV twist mechanics to maintain SV during severe reductions to preload. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Aeroelastic Analysis of Helicopter Rotor Blades Incorporating Anisotropic Piezoelectric Twist Actuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkie, W. Keats; Belvin, W. Keith; Park, K. C.

1996-01-01

A simple aeroelastic analysis of a helicopter rotor blade incorporating embedded piezoelectric fiber composite, interdigitated electrode blade twist actuators is described. The analysis consists of a linear torsion and flapwise bending model coupled with a nonlinear ONERA based unsteady aerodynamics model. A modified Galerkin procedure is performed upon the rotor blade partial differential equations of motion to develop a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for dynamics simulation using numerical integration. The twist actuation responses for three conceptual fullscale blade designs with realistic constraints on blade mass are numerically evaluated using the analysis. Numerical results indicate that useful amplitudes of nonresonant elastic twist, on the order of one to two degrees, are achievable under one-g hovering flight conditions for interdigitated electrode poling configurations. Twist actuation for the interdigitated electrode blades is also compared with the twist actuation of a conventionally poled piezoelectric fiber composite blade. Elastic twist produced using the interdigitated electrode actuators was found to be four to five times larger than that obtained with the conventionally poled actuators.

An aeroelastic analysis of helicopter rotor blades incorporating piezoelectric fiber composite twist actuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkie, W. Keats; Park, K. C.

1996-01-01

A simple aeroelastic analysis of a helicopter rotor blade incorporating embedded piezoelectric fiber composite, interdigitated electrode blade twist actuators is described. The analysis consist of a linear torsion and flapwise bending model coupled with a nonlinear ONERA based unsteady aerodynamics model. A modified Galerkin procedure is performed upon the rotor blade partial differential equations of motion to develop a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for numerical integration. The twist actuation responses for three conceptual full-scale blade designs with realistic constraints on blade mass are numerically evaluated using the analysis. Numerical results indicate that useful amplitudes of nonresonant elastic twist, on the order of one to two degrees, are achievable under one-g hovering flight conditions for interdigitated electrode poling configurations. Twist actuation for the interdigitated electrode blades is also compared with the twist actuation of a conventionally poled piezoelectric fiber composite blade. Elastic twist produced using the interdigitated electrode actuators was found to be four to five times larger than that obtained with the conventionally poled actuators.

The TWIST/Mi2/NuRD protein complex and its essential role in cancer metastasis

PubMed Central

Fu, Junjiang; Qin, Li; He, Tao; Qin, Jun; Hong, Jun; Wong, Jiemin; Liao, Lan; Xu, Jianming

2011-01-01

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) converts epithelial tumor cells into invasive and metastatic cancer cells, leading to mortality in cancer patients. Although TWIST is a master regulator of EMT and metastasis for breast and other cancers, the mechanisms responsible for TWIST-mediated gene transcription remain unknown. In this study, purification and characterization of the TWIST protein complex revealed that TWIST interacts with several components of the Mi2/nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (Mi2/NuRD) complex, MTA2, RbAp46, Mi2 and HDAC2, and recruits them to the proximal regions of the E-cadherin promoter for transcriptional repression. Depletion of these TWIST complex components from cancer cell lines that depend on TWIST for metastasis efficiently suppresses cell migration and invasion in culture and lung metastasis in mice. These findings not only provide novel mechanistic and functional links between TWIST and the Mi2/NuRD complex but also establish new essential roles for the components of Mi2/NuRD complex in cancer metastasis. PMID:20714342

Precision Measurement of the Neutron Twist-3 Matrix Element dn2: Probing Color Forces

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

Posik, Matthew; Flay, David; Parno, Diana

2014-07-01

Double-spin asymmetries and absolute cross sections were measured at large Bjorken x (0.25 lte x lte 0.90), in both the deep-inelastic and resonance regions, by scattering longitudinally polarized electrons at beam energies of 4.7 and 5.9 GeV from a transversely and longitudinally polarized 3He target. In this dedicated experiment, the spin structure function g2 on 3He was determined with precision at large x, and the neutron twist-three matrix element dn2 was measured at ?Q2? of 3.21 and 4.32 GeV2/c2, with an absolute precision of about 10?5. Our results are found to be in agreement with lattice QCD calculations and resolvemore » the disagreement found with previous data at ?Q2?= 5 GeV2/c2. Combining dn2 and a newly extracted twist-four matrix element, fn2, the average neutron color electric and magnetic forces were extracted and found to be of opposite sign and about 60 MeV/fm in magnitude.« less

Postfragmentation density function for bacterial aggregates in laminar flow.

PubMed

Byrne, Erin; Dzul, Steve; Solomon, Michael; Younger, John; Bortz, David M

2011-04-01

The postfragmentation probability density of daughter flocs is one of the least well-understood aspects of modeling flocculation. We use three-dimensional positional data of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterial flocs in suspension and the knowledge of hydrodynamic properties of a laminar flow field to construct a probability density function of floc volumes after a fragmentation event. We provide computational results which predict that the primary fragmentation mechanism for large flocs is erosion. The postfragmentation probability density function has a strong dependence on the size of the original floc and indicates that most fragmentation events result in clumps of one to three bacteria eroding from the original floc. We also provide numerical evidence that exhaustive fragmentation yields a limiting density inconsistent with the log-normal density predicted in the literature, most likely due to the heterogeneous nature of K. pneumoniae flocs. To support our conclusions, artificial flocs were generated and display similar postfragmentation density and exhaustive fragmentation. ©2011 American Physical Society

Supramolecular ribbons from amphiphilic trisamides self-assembly.

PubMed

García, Fátima; Buendía, Julia; Sánchez, Luis

2011-08-05

Two amphiphilic C(3)-symmetric OPE-based trisamides have been synthesized and their self-assembling features investigated in solution and on surface. Variable-temperature UV-vis experiments demonstrate the cooperative supramolecular polymerization of these trisamides that self-assemble by the operation of triple C═O···H-N H-bonding arrays between the amide functional groups and π-π stacking between the aromatic units. The helical organization of the aggregates has been demonstrated by circular dichroism at a concentration as low as 1 × 10(-4) M in acetonitrile. In the reported trisamides, the large hydrophobic aromatic core acts as a solvophobic module impeding the interaction between the polar TEG chains and the amide H-bonds. This strategy makes unnecessary the separation of the amide functional groups to the polar tri(ethylene glycol) chains by paraffinic fragments. Achiral trisamide 1 self-assembles into flat ribbon-like structures that experience an amplification of chirality by the addition of a small amount of chiral 2 that generates twisted stripes.

Making the most of time in quantum metrology: concurrent state preparation and sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Anthony J.; Dooley, Shane; Munro, William J.; Nemoto, Kae; Dunningham, Jacob

2018-07-01

A quantum metrology protocol for parameter estimation is typically comprised of three stages: probe state preparation, sensing and then readout, where the time required for the first and last stages is usually neglected. In the present work we consider non-negligible state preparation and readout times, and the tradeoffs in sensitivity that come when a limited time resource τ must be divided between the three stages. To investigate this, we focus on the problem of magnetic field sensing with spins in one-axis twisted or two-axis twisted states. We find that (accounting for the time necessary to prepare a twisted state) no advantage is gained unless the time τ is sufficiently long or the twisting sufficiently strong. However, we also find that the limited time resource is used more effectively if we allow the twisting and the magnetic field to be applied concurrently, which possibly represents a more realistic sensing scenario. We extend this result into an optical setting by utilising the exact correspondence between a spin system and a bosonic field mode as given by the Holstein–Primakoff transformation.

Details of insect wing design and deformation enhance aerodynamic function and flight efficiency.

PubMed

Young, John; Walker, Simon M; Bomphrey, Richard J; Taylor, Graham K; Thomas, Adrian L R

2009-09-18

Insect wings are complex structures that deform dramatically in flight. We analyzed the aerodynamic consequences of wing deformation in locusts using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation based on detailed wing kinematics. We validated the simulation against smoke visualizations and digital particle image velocimetry on real locusts. We then used the validated model to explore the effects of wing topography and deformation, first by removing camber while keeping the same time-varying twist distribution, and second by removing camber and spanwise twist. The full-fidelity model achieved greater power economy than the uncambered model, which performed better than the untwisted model, showing that the details of insect wing topography and deformation are important aerodynamically. Such details are likely to be important in engineering applications of flapping flight.

Analysis of Snail1 function and regulation by Twist1 in palatal fusion.

PubMed

Yu, Wenli; Zhang, Yanping; Ruest, L Bruno; Svoboda, Kathy K H

2013-01-01

Palatal fusion is a tightly controlled process which comprises multiple cellular events, including cell movement and differentiation. Midline epithelial seam (MES) degradation is essential to palatal fusion. In this study, we analyzed the function of Snail1 during the degradation of the MES. We also analyzed the mechanism regulating the expression of the Snail1 gene in palatal shelves. Palatal explants treated with Snail1 siRNA did not degrade the MES and E-cadherin was not repressed leading to failure of palatal fusion. Transforming growth factor beta 3 (Tgfβ3) regulated Snail1 mRNA, as Snail1 expression decreased in response to Tgfβ3 neutralizing antibody and a PI-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Twist1, in collaboration with E2A factors, regulated the expression of Snail1. Twist1/E47 dimers bond to the Snail1 promoter to activate expression. Without E47, Twist1 repressed Snail1 expression. These results support the hypothesis that Tgfβ3 may signal through Twist1 and then Snail1 to downregulate E-cadherin expression during palatal fusion.

ADAM12 induction by Twist1 promotes tumor invasion and metastasis via regulation of invadopodia and focal adhesions

PubMed Central

Eckert, Mark A.; Santiago-Medina, Miguel; Lwin, Thinzar M.; Kim, Jihoon; Courtneidge, Sara A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The Twist1 transcription factor promotes tumor invasion and metastasis by inducing epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invadopodia-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. The critical transcription targets of Twist1 for mediating these events remain to be uncovered. Here, we report that Twist1 strongly induces expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12). We observed that the expression levels of Twist1 mRNA and ADAM12 mRNA are tightly correlated in human breast tumors. Knocking down ADAM12 blocked cell invasion in a 3D mammary organoid culture. Suppression of ADAM12 also inhibited Twist1-induced tumor invasion and metastasis in human breast tumor xenografts, without affecting primary tumor formation. Mechanistically, knockdown of ADAM12 in breast cancer cells significantly reduced invadopodia formation and matrix degradation, and simultaneously increased overall cell adhesion to the ECM. Live-imaging analysis showed that knockdown of ADAM12 significantly inhibited focal adhesion turnover. Mechanistically, both the disintegrin and metalloproteinase domains of ADAM12 are required for its function at invadopodia, whereas the metalloproteinase domain is dispensable for its function at focal adhesions. Taken together, these data suggest that ADAM12 plays a crucial role in tumor invasion and metastasis by regulating both invadopodia and focal adhesions. PMID:28468988

Multistage Monte Carlo simulation of jet modification in a static medium

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

Cao, S.; Park, C.; Barbieri, R. A.

In this work, the modification of hard jets in an extended static medium held at a fixed temperature is studied using three different Monte Carlo event generators: linear Boltzmann transport (LBT), modular all twist transverse-scattering elastic-drag and radiation (MATTER), and modular algorithm for relativistic treatment of heavy-ion interactions (MARTINI). Each event generator contains a different set of assumptions regarding the energy and virtuality of the partons within a jet versus the energy scale of the medium and, hence, applies to a different epoch in the space-time history of the jet evolution. Here modeling is developed where a jet may sequentiallymore » transition from one generator to the next, on a parton-by-parton level, providing a detailed simulation of the space-time evolution of medium modified jets over a much broader dynamic range than has been attempted previously in a single calculation. Comparisons are carried out for different observables sensitive to jet quenching, including the parton fragmentation function and the azimuthal distribution of jet energy around the jet axis. The effect of varying the boundary between different generators is studied and a theoretically motivated criterion for the location of this boundary is proposed. Lastly, the importance of such an approach with coupled generators to the modeling of jet quenching is discussed.« less

Multistage Monte Carlo simulation of jet modification in a static medium

DOE PAGES

Cao, S.; Park, C.; Barbieri, R. A.; ...

2017-08-22

In this work, the modification of hard jets in an extended static medium held at a fixed temperature is studied using three different Monte Carlo event generators: linear Boltzmann transport (LBT), modular all twist transverse-scattering elastic-drag and radiation (MATTER), and modular algorithm for relativistic treatment of heavy-ion interactions (MARTINI). Each event generator contains a different set of assumptions regarding the energy and virtuality of the partons within a jet versus the energy scale of the medium and, hence, applies to a different epoch in the space-time history of the jet evolution. Here modeling is developed where a jet may sequentiallymore » transition from one generator to the next, on a parton-by-parton level, providing a detailed simulation of the space-time evolution of medium modified jets over a much broader dynamic range than has been attempted previously in a single calculation. Comparisons are carried out for different observables sensitive to jet quenching, including the parton fragmentation function and the azimuthal distribution of jet energy around the jet axis. The effect of varying the boundary between different generators is studied and a theoretically motivated criterion for the location of this boundary is proposed. Lastly, the importance of such an approach with coupled generators to the modeling of jet quenching is discussed.« less

Twist promotes tumor metastasis in basal-like breast cancer by transcriptionally upregulating ROR1.

PubMed

Cao, Jingying; Wang, Xin; Dai, Tao; Wu, Yuanzhong; Zhang, Meifang; Cao, Renxian; Zhang, Ruhua; Wang, Gang; Jiang, Rou; Zhou, Binhua P; Shi, Jian; Kang, Tiebang

2018-01-01

Rationale: Twist is a key transcription factor for induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which promotes cell migration, invasion, and cancer metastasis, confers cancer cells with stem cell-like characteristics, and provides therapeutic resistance. However, the functional roles and targeted genes of Twist in EMT and cancer progression remain elusive. Methods: The potential targeted genes of Twist were identified from the global transcriptomes of T47D/Twist cells by microarray analysis. EMT phenotype was detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence of marker proteins. The dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to observe the direct transcriptional induction of ROR1 by Twist. A lung metastasis model was used to study the pro-metastatic role of Twist and ROR1 by injecting MDA-MB-231 cells into tail vein of nude mice. Bio-informatics analysis was utilized to measure the metastasis-free survival of breast cancer patients. Results: Twist protein was proved to directly activate the transcription of ROR1 gene, a receptor of Wnt5a in non-canonical WNT signaling pathway. Silencing of ROR1 inhibited EMT process, cell migration, invasion, and cancer metastasis of basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) cells. Knockdown of ROR1 also ameliorated the pro-metastatic effect of Twist. Furthermore, analyses of clinical specimens indicated that high expression of both ROR1 and Twist tightly correlates with poor metastasis-free survival of breast cancer patients. Conclusion: ROR1 is a targeted gene of Twist. Twist/ROR1 signaling is critical for invasion and metastasis of BLBC cells.

ASYMMETRY OF HELICITY INJECTION FLUX IN EMERGING ACTIVE REGIONS

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

Tian Lirong; Alexander, David

Observational and modeling results indicate that typically the leading magnetic field of bipolar active regions (ARs) is often spatially more compact, while more dispersed and fragmented in following polarity. In this paper, we address the origin of this morphological asymmetry, which is not well understood. Although it may be assumed that, in an emerging {omega}-shaped flux tube, those portions of the flux tube in which the magnetic field has a higher twist may maintain its coherence more readily, this has not been tested observationally. To assess this possibility, it is important to characterize the nature of the fragmentation and asymmetrymore » in solar ARs and this provides the motivation for this paper. We separately calculate the distribution of the helicity flux injected in the leading and following polarities of 15 emerging bipolar ARs, using the Michelson Doppler Image 96 minute line-of-sight magnetograms and a local correlation tracking technique. We find from this statistical study that the leading (compact) polarity injects several times more helicity flux than the following (fragmented) one (typically 3-10 times). This result suggests that the leading polarity of the {omega}-shaped flux tube possesses a much larger amount of twist than the following field prior to emergence. We argue that the helicity asymmetry between the leading and following magnetic field for the ARs studied here results in the observed magnetic field asymmetry of the two polarities due to an imbalance in the magnetic tension of the emerging flux tube. We suggest that the observed imbalance in the helicity distribution results from a difference in the speed of emergence between the leading and following legs of an inclined {omega}-shaped flux tube. In addition, there is also the effect of magnetic flux imbalance between the two polarities with the fragmented following polarity displaying spatial fluctuation in both the magnitude and sign of helicity measured.« less

Director Field Analysis (DFA): Exploring Local White Matter Geometric Structure in Diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Cheng, Jian; Basser, Peter J

2018-01-01

In Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) or High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI), a tensor field or a spherical function field (e.g., an orientation distribution function field), can be estimated from measured diffusion weighted images. In this paper, inspired by the microscopic theoretical treatment of phases in liquid crystals, we introduce a novel mathematical framework, called Director Field Analysis (DFA), to study local geometric structural information of white matter based on the reconstructed tensor field or spherical function field: (1) We propose a set of mathematical tools to process general director data, which consists of dyadic tensors that have orientations but no direction. (2) We propose Orientational Order (OO) and Orientational Dispersion (OD) indices to describe the degree of alignment and dispersion of a spherical function in a single voxel or in a region, respectively; (3) We also show how to construct a local orthogonal coordinate frame in each voxel exhibiting anisotropic diffusion; (4) Finally, we define three indices to describe three types of orientational distortion (splay, bend, and twist) in a local spatial neighborhood, and a total distortion index to describe distortions of all three types. To our knowledge, this is the first work to quantitatively describe orientational distortion (splay, bend, and twist) in general spherical function fields from DTI or HARDI data. The proposed DFA and its related mathematical tools can be used to process not only diffusion MRI data but also general director field data, and the proposed scalar indices are useful for detecting local geometric changes of white matter for voxel-based or tract-based analysis in both DTI and HARDI acquisitions. The related codes and a tutorial for DFA will be released in DMRITool. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integral Twist Actuation of Helicopter Rotor Blades for Vibration Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, SangJoon; Cesnik, Carlos E. S.

2001-01-01

Active integral twist control for vibration reduction of helicopter rotors during forward flight is investigated. The twist deformation is obtained using embedded anisotropic piezocomposite actuators. An analytical framework is developed to examine integrally-twisted blades and their aeroelastic response during different flight conditions: frequency domain analysis for hover, and time domain analysis for forward flight. Both stem from the same three-dimensional electroelastic beam formulation with geometrical-exactness, and axe coupled with a finite-state dynamic inflow aerodynamics model. A prototype Active Twist Rotor blade was designed with this framework using Active Fiber Composites as the actuator. The ATR prototype blade was successfully tested under non-rotating conditions. Hover testing was conducted to evaluate structural integrity and dynamic response. In both conditions, a very good correlation was obtained against the analysis. Finally, a four-bladed ATR system is built and tested to demonstrate its concept in forward flight. This experiment was conducted at NASA Langley Tansonic Dynamics Tunnel and represents the first-of-a-kind Mach-scaled fully-active-twist rotor system to undergo forward flight test. In parallel, the impact upon the fixed- and rotating-system loads is estimated by the analysis. While discrepancies are found in the amplitude of the loads under actuation, the predicted trend of load variation with respect to its control phase correlates well. It was also shown, both experimentally and numerically, that the ATR blade design has the potential for hub vibratory load reduction of up to 90% using individual blade control actuation. Using the numerical framework, system identification is performed to estimate the harmonic transfer functions. The linear time-periodic system can be represented by a linear time-invariant system under the three modes of blade actuation: collective, longitudinal cyclic, and lateral cyclic. A vibration minimizing controller is designed based on this result, which implements classical disturbance rejection algorithm with some modifications. The controller is simulated numerically, and more than 90% of the 4P hub vibratory load is eliminated. By accomplishing the experimental and analytical steps described in this thesis, the present concept is found to be a viable candidate for future generation low-vibration helicopters. Also, the analytical framework is shown to be very appropriate for exploring active blade designs, aeroelastic behavior prediction, and as simulation tool for closed-loop controllers.

Combination Therapy with a Second-Generation Androgen Receptor Antagonist and a Metastasis Vaccine Improves Survival in a Spontaneous Prostate Cancer Model

PubMed Central

Ardiani, Andressa; Farsaci, Benedetto; Rogers, Connie J.; Protter, Andy; Guo, Zhimin; King, Thomas H.; Apelian, David; Hodge, James W.

2013-01-01

Purpose Enzalutamide, a second-generation androgen antagonist, was approved by the FDA for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment. Immunotherapy has been shown to be a promising strategy for prostate cancer. This study is performed to provide data to support the combination of enzalutamide and immunotherapy for CRPC treatment. Experimental Design Male C57BL/6 or TRAMP prostate cancer model mice were exposed to enzalutamide and/or a therapeutic vaccine targeting Twist, an antigen involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. The physiological and immunological effects of enzalutamide were characterized. The generation of Twist-specific immunity by Twist-vaccine was evaluated. Finally, the combination of enzalutamide and Twist-vaccine to improve TRAMP mice overall survival was evaluated. Results Enzalutamide mediated immunogenic modulation in TRAMP-C2 cells. In vivo, enzalutamide mediated reduced genitourinary tissue weight, enlargement of the thymus, and increased levels of T-cell excision circles. Because no changes were seen in T-cell function, as determined by CD4+ T-cell proliferation and Treg functional assays, enzalutamide was determined to be immune inert. Enzalutamide did not diminish the Twist-vaccine’s ability to generate Twist-specific immunity. Twist was confirmed as a valid tumor antigen in TRAMP mice by immunohistochemistry. The combination of enzalutamide and Twist-vaccine resulted in significantly increased overall survival of TRAMP mice compared to other treatment groups (27.5 vs. 10.3 weeks). Notably, the effectiveness of the combination therapy increased with disease stage, i.e., the greatest survival benefit was seen in mice with advanced-stage prostate tumors. Conclusions These data support the combination of enzalutamide and immunotherapy as a promising treatment strategy for CRPC. PMID:24048332

Witten index for noncompact dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seung-Joo; Yi, Piljin

2016-06-01

Among gauged dynamics motivated by string theory, we find many with gapless asymptotic directions. Although the natural boundary condition for ground states is L 2, one often turns on chemical potentials or supersymmetric mass terms to regulate the infrared issues, instead, and computes the twisted partition function. We point out how this procedure generically fails to capture physical L 2 Witten index with often misleading results. We also explore how, nevertheless, the Witten index is sometimes intricately embedded in such twisted partition functions. For d = 1 theories with gapless continuum sector from gauge multiplets, such as non-primitive quivers and pure Yang-Mills, a further subtlety exists, leading to fractional expressions. Quite unexpectedly, however, the integral L 2 Witten index can be extracted directly and easily from the twisted partition function of such theories. This phenomenon is tied to the notion of the rational invariant that appears naturally in the wall-crossing formulae, and offers a general mechanism of reading off Witten index directly from the twisted partition function. Along the way, we correct early numerical results for some of mathcal{N} = 4 , 8 , 16 pure Yang-Mills quantum mechanics, and count threshold bound states for general gauge groups beyond SU( N ).

Reproducibility of cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance for measuring left ventricular strains, torsion, and synchrony in mice.

PubMed

Haggerty, Christopher M; Kramer, Sage P; Binkley, Cassi M; Powell, David K; Mattingly, Andrea C; Charnigo, Richard; Epstein, Frederick H; Fornwalt, Brandon K

2013-08-27

Advanced measures of cardiac function are increasingly important to clinical assessment due to their superior diagnostic and predictive capabilities. Cine DENSE cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is ideal for quantifying advanced measures of cardiac function based on its high spatial resolution and streamlined post-processing. While many studies have utilized cine DENSE in both humans and small-animal models, the inter-test and inter-observer reproducibility for quantification of advanced cardiac function in mice has not been evaluated. This represents a critical knowledge gap for both understanding the capabilities of this technique and for the design of future experiments. We hypothesized that cine DENSE CMR would show excellent inter-test and inter-observer reproducibility for advanced measures of left ventricular (LV) function in mice. Five normal mice (C57BL/6) and four mice with depressed cardiac function (diet-induced obesity) were imaged twice, two days apart, on a 7T ClinScan MR system. Images were acquired with 15-20 frames per cardiac cycle in three short-axis (basal, mid, apical) and two long-axis orientations (4-chamber and 2-chamber). LV strain, twist, torsion, and measures of synchrony were quantified. Images from both days were analyzed by one observer to quantify inter-test reproducibility, while inter-observer reproducibility was assessed by a second observer's analysis of day-1 images. The coefficient of variation (CoV) was used to quantify reproducibility. LV strains and torsion were highly reproducible on both inter-observer and inter-test bases with CoVs ≤ 15%, and inter-observer reproducibility was generally better than inter-test reproducibility. However, end-systolic twist angles showed much higher variance, likely due to the sensitivity of slice location within the sharp longitudinal gradient in twist angle. Measures of synchrony including the circumferential (CURE) and radial (RURE) uniformity of strain indices, showed excellent reproducibility with CoVs of 1% and 3%, respectively. Finally, peak measures (e.g., strains) were generally more reproducible than the corresponding rates of change (e.g., strain rate). Cine DENSE CMR is a highly reproducible technique for quantification of advanced measures of left ventricular cardiac function in mice including strains, torsion and measures of synchrony. However, myocardial twist angles are not reproducible and future studies should instead report torsion.

A Comparative SEM Investigation of Smear Layer Remaining on Dentinal Walls by Three Rotary NiTi Files with Different Cross Sectional Designs in Moderately Curved Canals

PubMed Central

Kakkar, Pooja; Vats, Asit

2015-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the smear layer formed on root canal walls during canal preparation of extracted human teeth by Twisted, Mtwo, and ProTaper rotary nickel titanium instruments. Materials and Methods: Sixty single rooted human premolar teeth with root curvature <250 were selected and randomly divided into three Groups (n= 20 teeth per Group). Three types of rotary nickel titanium instruments were used, Twisted (SybronEndo, Orange, CA, USA), Mtwo (VDW, Munich, Germany) and ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) according to manufacturer’s instructions to instrument the root canals. Irrigation for all groups was performed after each instrument change with 3ml of 3% sodium hypochlorite followed by Glyde (File Prep, Dentsply, Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) as chelator paste and lubricant. Three different areas (coronal, middle and apical thirds) of the root canal were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The canal wall of each sample was assessed and compared using a predefined scale for the presence or absence of smear layer. Data were analysed statistically using ANOVA and Tukey HSD test Results: All three groups showed statistically significant more smear layer in the apical thirds of the canal as compared to the coronal and middle thirds (p<0.001). Mtwo rotary file system produced significantly less smear layer (p<0.001) compared to Twisted and ProTaper rotary instruments in the apical portion. Twisted Files resulted in less smear layer formation in the apical thirds of the canal compared to ProTaper rotary instruments but were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Completely clean root canals were not found after instrumentation with any of the three instruments. Under the confines of this study Mtwo instruments produced significantly cleaner dentin wall surfaces throughout the canal length in comparison to Twisted and ProTaper rotary files. Twisted Files proved to be comparable to ProTaper rotary instruments with respect to canal cleanliness in the apical thirds of the root canal. PMID:25954704

Explicit formulae for Chern-Simons invariants of the twist-knot orbifolds and edge polynomials of twist knots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, J.-Y.; Lee, J.

2016-09-01

We calculate the Chern-Simons invariants of twist-knot orbifolds using the Schläfli formula for the generalized Chern-Simons function on the family of twist knot cone-manifold structures. Following the general instruction of Hilden, Lozano, and Montesinos-Amilibia, we here present concrete formulae and calculations. We use the Pythagorean Theorem, which was used by Ham, Mednykh and Petrov, to relate the complex length of the longitude and the complex distance between the two axes fixed by two generators. As an application, we calculate the Chern-Simons invariants of cyclic coverings of the hyperbolic twist-knot orbifolds. We also derive some interesting results. The explicit formulae of the A-polynomials of twist knots are obtained from the complex distance polynomials. Hence the edge polynomials corresponding to the edges of the Newton polygons of the A-polynomials of twist knots can be obtained. In particular, the number of boundary components of every incompressible surface corresponding to slope -4n+2 turns out to be 2. Bibliography: 39 titles.

Quasi-electrostatic twisted waves in Lorentzian dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, Kashif; Lazar, M.; Poedts, S.

2018-07-01

The quasi electrostatic modes are investigated in non thermal dusty plasma using non-gyrotropic Kappa distribution in the presence of helical electric field. The Laguerre Gaussian (LG) mode function is employed to decompose the perturbed distribution function and helical electric field. The modified dielectric function is obtained for the dust ion acoustic (DIA) and dust acoustic (DA) twisted modes from the solution of Vlasov-Poisson equation. The threshold conditions for the growing modes is also illustrated.

Investigating the Role of Twist1 in Diabetes Pathogenesis

DTIC Science & Technology

Several genes associated with diabetes have been identified in genome wide association studies, but their genetic validation as causative factors...of insulin. Loss-of-function genetic experiments demonstrated that Twist1 deletion against fatty pancreas formation driven by obesity, thereby

Genomic pathways modulated by Twist in breast cancer.

PubMed

Vesuna, Farhad; Bergman, Yehudit; Raman, Venu

2017-01-13

The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor TWIST1 (Twist) is involved in embryonic cell lineage determination and mesodermal differentiation. There is evidence to indicate that Twist expression plays a role in breast tumor formation and metastasis, but the role of Twist in dysregulating pathways that drive the metastatic cascade is unclear. Moreover, many of the genes and pathways dysregulated by Twist in cell lines and mouse models have not been validated against data obtained from larger, independant datasets of breast cancer patients. We over-expressed the human Twist gene in non-metastatic MCF-7 breast cancer cells to generate the estrogen-independent metastatic breast cancer cell line MCF-7/Twist. These cells were inoculated in the mammary fat pad of female severe compromised immunodeficient mice, which subsequently formed xenograft tumors that metastasized to the lungs. Microarray data was collected from both in vitro (MCF-7 and MCF-7/Twist cell lines) and in vivo (primary tumors and lung metastases) models of Twist expression. Our data was compared to several gene datasets of various subtypes, classes, and grades of human breast cancers. Our data establishes a Twist over-expressing mouse model of breast cancer, which metastasizes to the lung and replicates some of the ontogeny of human breast cancer progression. Gene profiling data, following Twist expression, exhibited novel metastasis driver genes as well as cellular maintenance genes that were synonymous with the metastatic process. We demonstrated that the genes and pathways altered in the transgenic cell line and metastatic animal models parallel many of the dysregulated gene pathways observed in human breast cancers. Analogous gene expression patterns were observed in both in vitro and in vivo Twist preclinical models of breast cancer metastasis and breast cancer patient datasets supporting the functional role of Twist in promoting breast cancer metastasis. The data suggests that genetic dysregulation of Twist at the cellular level drives alterations in gene pathways in the Twist metastatic mouse model which are comparable to changes seen in human breast cancers. Lastly, we have identified novel genes and pathways that could be further investigated as targets for drugs to treat metastatic breast cancer.

Left ventricular rotation and torsion in patients with perimembranous ventricular septal defect.

PubMed

Zhuang, Yan; Yong, Yong-hong; Yao, Jing; Ji, Ling; Xu, Di

2014-03-01

Assessment of left ventricular (LV) rotation has become an important approach for quantifying LV function. In this study, we sought to analyze LV rotation and twist using speckle tracking imaging (STI) in adult patients with isolated ventricular septal defects. Using STI, the peak rotation and time to peak rotation of 6 segments in basal and apical short-axis were measured, respectively, in 32 patients with ventricular septal defect and 30 healthy subjects as controls. The global rotation of the 6 segments in basal and apical and LV twist versus time profile were drawn, the peak rotation and twist of LV were calculated. All the time to peak rotation/twist were expressed as a percentage of end-systole (end-systole = 100%). Left ventricular ejection fraction was measured by biplane Simpson method. In patients group, the peak rotation of posterior, inferior, and postsept wall in basal was higher(P ≤ 0.05) and LV twist was also higher (P ≤ 0.05) than healthy controls. There were no significant differences between 2 groups in the peak rotation of the other 9 segments and left ventricular ejection fraction. Different from the control group, the time to peak rotation of the 6 segments in basal were delayed and the global rotation of the base was delayed (P ≤ 0.05) in ventricular septal defect group. Left ventricular volume overload due to ventricular septal defect has significant effect on LV rotation and twist, and LV rotation and twist may be a new index predicting LV systolic function. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Functional Role of Extranucleosomal DNA and the Entry Site of the Nucleosome in Chromatin Remodeling by ISW2

PubMed Central

Zofall, Martin; Persinger, Jim; Bartholomew, Blaine

2004-01-01

A minimal amount of extranucleosomal DNA was required for nucleosome mobilization by ISW2 as shown by using a photochemical histone mapping approach to analyze nucleosome movement on a set of nucleosomes with varied lengths of extranucleosomal DNA. ISW2 was ineffective in repositioning or mobilizing nucleosomes with ≤20 bp of extranucleosomal DNA. In addition, ISW2 was able to slide nucleosomes to within only 10 to 13 bp of the edge of DNA fragments. The nucleosome mobilization was promoted by extranucleosomal single-stranded DNA with modest strand preference. Gaps (10 bp) just inside the nucleosome and in the extranucleosomal DNA showed that the transfer of torsional strain (twist) into the nucleosomal DNA region was not required for mobilizing nucleosomes. However, indications are that the extranucleosomal DNA immediately adjacent to the nucleosome has an important role in the initial stage of nucleosome movement by ISW2. PMID:15509805

Experimental and analytical investigation of dynamic characteristics of extension-twist-coupled composite tubular spars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lake, Renee C.; Izadpanah, Amir P.; Baucom, Robert M.

1993-02-01

The results from a study aimed at improving the dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of composite rotor blades through the use of extension-twist coupling are presented. A set of extension-twist-coupled composite spars was manufactured with four plies of graphite-epoxy cloth prepreg. These spars were noncircular in cross-section design and were therefore subject to warping deformations. Three different cross-sectional geometries were developed: D-shape, square, and flattened ellipse. Three spars of each type were fabricated to assess the degree of repeatability in the manufacturing process of extension-twist-coupled structures. Results from free-free vibration tests of the spars were compared with results from normal modes and frequency analyses of companion shell-finite-element models. Five global modes were identified within the frequency range from 0 to 2000 Hz for each spar. The experimental results for only one D-shape spar could be determined, however, and agreed within 13.8 percent of the analytical results. Frequencies corresponding to the five global modes for the three square spars agreed within 9.5, 11.6, and 8.5 percent of the respective analytical results and for the three elliptical spars agreed within 4.9, 7.7, and 9.6 percent of the respective analytical results.

Experimental and analytical investigation of dynamic characteristics of extension-twist-coupled composite tubular spars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lake, Renee C.; Izadpanah, Amir P.; Baucom, Robert M.

1993-01-01

The results from a study aimed at improving the dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of composite rotor blades through the use of extension-twist coupling are presented. A set of extension-twist-coupled composite spars was manufactured with four plies of graphite-epoxy cloth prepreg. These spars were noncircular in cross-section design and were therefore subject to warping deformations. Three different cross-sectional geometries were developed: D-shape, square, and flattened ellipse. Three spars of each type were fabricated to assess the degree of repeatability in the manufacturing process of extension-twist-coupled structures. Results from free-free vibration tests of the spars were compared with results from normal modes and frequency analyses of companion shell-finite-element models. Five global modes were identified within the frequency range from 0 to 2000 Hz for each spar. The experimental results for only one D-shape spar could be determined, however, and agreed within 13.8 percent of the analytical results. Frequencies corresponding to the five global modes for the three square spars agreed within 9.5, 11.6, and 8.5 percent of the respective analytical results and for the three elliptical spars agreed within 4.9, 7.7, and 9.6 percent of the respective analytical results.

Brucellosis: a political disease

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, B.; Roffe, T.J.

1992-01-01

With the challenges confronting North America's elk herds today, a bacteria that causes a nonfatal disease in a few elk herds seems an unlikely addition to the list. Fragmentation of habitat, dwindling bull-cow ratios, grazing competition from livestock on public rangelands, or the crowding of favorite hunting spots all seem like far more urgent matters to elk junkies. But a twist of fate an a national campaign to eradicate this seemingly innocuous bacterium have put brucellosis on the front burner.

Human Tau Isoforms Assemble into Ribbon-like Fibrils That Display Polymorphic Structure and Stability*

PubMed Central

Wegmann, Susanne; Jung, Yu Jin; Chinnathambi, Subashchandrabose; Mandelkow, Eva-Maria; Mandelkow, Eckhard; Muller, Daniel J.

2010-01-01

Fibrous aggregates of Tau protein are characteristic features of Alzheimer disease. We applied high resolution atomic force and EM microscopy to study fibrils assembled from different human Tau isoforms and domains. All fibrils reveal structural polymorphism; the “thin twisted” and “thin smooth” fibrils resemble flat ribbons (cross-section ∼10 × 15 nm) with diverse twist periodicities. “Thick fibrils” show periodicities of ∼65–70 nm and thicknesses of ∼9–18 nm such as routinely reported for “paired helical filaments” but structurally resemble heavily twisted ribbons. Therefore, thin and thick fibrils assembled from different human Tau isoforms challenge current structural models of paired helical filaments. Furthermore, all Tau fibrils reveal axial subperiodicities of ∼17–19 nm and, upon exposure to mechanical stress or hydrophobic surfaces, disassemble into uniform fragments that remain connected by thin thread-like structures (∼2 nm). This hydrophobically induced disassembly is inhibited at enhanced electrolyte concentrations, indicating that the fragments resemble structural building blocks and the fibril integrity depends largely on hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Because full-length Tau and repeat domain constructs assemble into fibrils of similar thickness, the “fuzzy coat” of Tau protein termini surrounding the fibril axis is nearly invisible for atomic force microscopy and EM, presumably because of its high flexibility. PMID:20566652

Optical spectra obtained from amorphous films of rubrene: Evidence for predominance of twisted isomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kytka, M.; Gisslen, L.; Gerlach, A.; Heinemeyer, U.; Kováč, J.; Scholz, R.; Schreiber, F.

2009-06-01

In order to investigate the optical properties of rubrene we study the vibronic progression of the first absorption band (lowest π →π∗ transition). We analyze the dielectric function ɛ2 of rubrene in solution and thin films using the displaced harmonic oscillator model and derive all relevant parameters of the vibronic progression. The findings are supplemented by density functional calculations using B3LYP hybrid functionals. Our theoretical results for the molecule in two different conformations, i.e., with a twisted or planar tetracene backbone, are in very good agreement with the experimental data obtained for rubrene in solution and thin films. Moreover, a simulation based on the monomer spectrum and the calculated transition energies of the two conformations indicates that the thin film spectrum of rubrene is dominated by the twisted isomer.

Optical spectra obtained from amorphous films of rubrene: Evidence for predominance of twisted isomer.

PubMed

Kytka, M; Gisslen, L; Gerlach, A; Heinemeyer, U; Kovác, J; Scholz, R; Schreiber, F

2009-06-07

In order to investigate the optical properties of rubrene we study the vibronic progression of the first absorption band (lowest pi-->pi( *) transition). We analyze the dielectric function epsilon(2) of rubrene in solution and thin films using the displaced harmonic oscillator model and derive all relevant parameters of the vibronic progression. The findings are supplemented by density functional calculations using B3LYP hybrid functionals. Our theoretical results for the molecule in two different conformations, i.e., with a twisted or planar tetracene backbone, are in very good agreement with the experimental data obtained for rubrene in solution and thin films. Moreover, a simulation based on the monomer spectrum and the calculated transition energies of the two conformations indicates that the thin film spectrum of rubrene is dominated by the twisted isomer.

Charge transport properties of poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA in variation of backbone disorder and amplitude of base-pair twisting motion

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

Rahmi, Kinanti Aldilla, E-mail: kinanti.aldilla@ui.ac.id; Yudiarsah, Efta

By using tight binding Hamiltonian model, charge transport properties of poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA in variation of backbone disorder and amplitude of base-pair twisting motion is studied. The DNA chain used is 32 base pairs long poly(dA)-poly(dT) molecule. The molecule is contacted to electrode at both ends. The influence of environment on charge transport in DNA is modeled as variation of backbone disorder. The twisting motion amplitude is taking into account by assuming that the twisting angle distributes following Gaussian distribution function with zero average and standard deviation proportional to square root of temperature and inversely proportional to the twisting motion frequency.more » The base-pair twisting motion influences both the onsite energy of the bases and electron hopping constant between bases. The charge transport properties are studied by calculating current using Landauer-Buttiker formula from transmission probabilities which is calculated by transfer matrix methods. The result shows that as the backbone disorder increases, the maximum current decreases. By decreasing the twisting motion frequency, the current increases rapidly at low voltage, but the current increases slower at higher voltage. The threshold voltage can increase or decrease with increasing backbone disorder and increasing twisting frequency.« less

Optimal flapping wing for maximum vertical aerodynamic force in hover: twisted or flat?

PubMed

Phan, Hoang Vu; Truong, Quang Tri; Au, Thi Kim Loan; Park, Hoon Cheol

2016-07-08

This work presents a parametric study, using the unsteady blade element theory, to investigate the role of twist in a hovering flapping wing. For the investigation, a flapping-wing system was developed to create a wing motion of large flapping amplitude. Three-dimensional kinematics of a passively twisted wing, which is capable of creating a linearly variable geometric angle of attack (AoA) along the wingspan, was measured during the flapping motion and used for the analysis. Several negative twist or wash-out configurations with different values of twist angle, which is defined as the difference in the average geometric AoAs at the wing root and the wing tip, were obtained from the measured wing kinematics through linear interpolation and extrapolation. The aerodynamic force generation and aerodynamic power consumption of these twisted wings were obtained and compared with those of flat wings. For the same aerodynamic power consumption, the vertical aerodynamic forces produced by the negatively twisted wings are approximately 10%-20% less than those produced by the flat wings. However, these twisted wings require approximately 1%-6% more power than flat wings to produce the same vertical force. In addition, the maximum-force-producing twisted wing, which was found to be the positive twist or wash-in configuration, was used for comparison with the maximum-force-producing flat wing. The results revealed that the vertical aerodynamic force and aerodynamic power consumption of the two types of wings are almost identical for the hovering condition. The power loading of the positively twisted wing is only approximately 2% higher than that of the maximum-force-producing flat wing. Thus, the flat wing with proper wing kinematics (or wing rotation) can be regarded as a simple and efficient candidate for the development of hovering flapping-wing micro air vehicle.

Arthropods on plants in a fragmented Neotropical dry forest: a functional analysis of area loss and edge effects.

PubMed

González, Ezequiel; Salvo, Adriana; Valladares, Graciela

2015-02-01

Loss and fragmentation of natural ecosystems are widely recognized as the most important threats to biodiversity conservation, with Neotropical dry forests among the most endangered ecosystems. Area and edge effects are major factors in fragmented landscapes. Here, we examine area and edge effects and their interaction, on ensembles of arthropods associated to native vegetation in a fragmented Chaco Serrano forest. We analyzed family richness and community composition of herbivores, predators, and parasitoids on three native plant species in 12 fragments of varying size and at edge/interior positions. We also looked for indicator families by using Indicator Species Analysis. Loss of family richness with the reduction of forest fragment area was observed for the three functional groups, with similar magnitude. Herbivores were richer at the edges without interaction between edge and area effects, whereas predators were not affected by edge/interior position and parasitoid richness showed an interaction between area and position, with a steeper area slope at the edges. Family composition of herbivore, predator, and parasitoid assemblages was also affected by forest area and/or edge/interior situation. We found three indicator families for large remnants and five for edges. Our results support the key role of forest area for conservation of arthropods taxonomic and functional diversity in a highly threatened region, and emphasize the need to understand the interactions between area and edge effects on such diversity. © 2014 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Wheel Unloading of Rail Vehicles Due to Track Twist

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-02-01

An analysis is presented describing the effect that track twist has on the loads carried by the wheels of a rail car. Wheel unloading is determined as a function of the difference in crosslevel between the truck centers of the car. The different vehi...

Symmetries and band gaps in nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhiwei; Tian, Yiteng; Fernando, Gayanath; Kocharian, Armen

In ideal graphene-like systems, time reversal and sublattice symmetries preserve the degeneracies at the Dirac point(s). We have examined such degeneracies in the band structure as well as the transport properties in various arm-twisted (graphene-related) nanoribbons. A twist angle is defined such that at 0 degrees the ribbon is a rectangular ribbon and at 60 degrees the ribbon is cut from a honeycomb lattice. Using model Hamiltonians and first principles calculations in these nanoribbons with Z2 topology, we have monitored the band structure as a function of the twist angle θ. In twisted ribbons, it turns out that the introduction of an extra hopping term leads to a gap opening. We have also calculated the size and temperature broadening effects in similar ribbons in addition to Rashba-induced transport properties. The authors acknowledge the computing facilities provided by the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No.DE-AC02- 98CH10886.

Epigenetic inactivation of TWIST2 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia modulates proliferation, cell survival and chemosensitivity

PubMed Central

Thathia, Shabnam H.; Ferguson, Stuart; Gautrey, Hannah E.; van Otterdijk, Sanne D.; Hili, Michela; Rand, Vikki; Moorman, Anthony V.; Meyer, Stefan; Brown, Robert; Strathdee, Gordon

2012-01-01

Background Altered regulation of many transcription factors has been shown to be important in the development of leukemia. TWIST2 modulates the activity of a number of important transcription factors and is known to be a regulator of hematopoietic differentiation. Here, we investigated the significance of epigenetic regulation of TWIST2 in the control of cell growth and survival and in response to cytotoxic agents in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Design and Methods TWIST2 promoter methylation status was assessed quantitatively, by combined bisulfite and restriction analysis (COBRA) and pyrosequencing assays, in multiple types of leukemia and TWIST2 expression was determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. The functional role of TWIST2 in cell proliferation, survival and response to chemotherapy was assessed in transient and stable expression systems. Results We found that TWIST2 was inactivated in more than 50% of cases of childhood and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia through promoter hypermethylation and that this epigenetic regulation was especially prevalent in RUNX1-ETV6-driven cases. Re-expression of TWIST2 in cell lines resulted in a dramatic reduction in cell growth and induction of apoptosis in the Reh cell line. Furthermore, re-expression of TWIST2 resulted in increased sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agents etoposide, daunorubicin and dexamethasone and TWIST2 hypermethylation was almost invariably found in relapsed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (91% of samples hypermethylated). Conclusions This study suggests a dual role for epigenetic inactivation of TWIST2 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, initially through altering cell growth and survival properties and subsequently by increasing resistance to chemotherapy. PMID:22058208

Tyrosine kinase receptor c-ros-oncogene 1 inhibition alleviates aberrant bone formation of TWIST-1 haploinsufficient calvarial cells from Saethre-Chotzen syndrome patients.

PubMed

Camp, Esther; Anderson, Peter J; Zannettino, Andrew C W; Glackin, Carlotta A; Gronthos, Stan

2018-09-01

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS), associated with TWIST-1 mutations, is characterized by premature fusion of cranial sutures. TWIST-1 haploinsufficiency, leads to alterations in suture mesenchyme cellular gene expression patterns, resulting in aberrant osteogenesis and craniosynostosis. We analyzed the expression of the TWIST-1 target, Tyrosine kinase receptor c-ros-oncogene 1 (C-ROS-1) in TWIST-1 haploinsufficient calvarial cells derived from SCS patients and calvaria of Twist-1 del/+ mutant mice and found it to be highly expressed when compared to TWIST-1 wild-type controls. Knock-down of C-ROS-1 expression in TWIST-1 haploinsufficient calvarial cells derived from SCS patients was associated with decreased capacity for osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Furthermore, treatment of human SCS calvarial cells with the tyrosine kinase chemical inhibitor, Crizotinib, resulted in reduced C-ROS-1 activity and the osteogenic potential of human SCS calvarial cells with minor effects on cell viability or proliferation. Cultured human SCS calvarial cells treated with Crizotinib exhibited a dose-dependent decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity and mineral deposition, with an associated decrease in expression levels of Runt-related transcription factor 2 and OSTEOPONTIN, with reduced PI3K/Akt signalling in vitro. Furthermore, Crizotinib treatment resulted in reduced BMP-2 mediated bone formation potential of whole Twist-1 del/+ mutant mouse calvaria organotypic cultures. Collectively, these results suggest that C-ROS-1 promotes osteogenic differentiation of TWIST-1 haploinsufficient calvarial osteogenic progenitor cells. Furthermore, the aberrant osteogenic potential of these cells is inhibited by the reduction of C-ROS-1. Therefore, targeting C-ROS-1 with a pharmacological agent, such as Crizotinib, may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to alleviate craniosynostosis associated with aberrant TWIST-1 function. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nucleon Structure Functions from a Chiral Soliton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weigel, Herbert

1998-10-01

In an attempt to merge the parton model description of deep inelastic scattering with the phenomenologically successful picture of baryons as chiral solitons we study nucleon structure functions in the Nambu--Jona--Lasinio (NJL) chiral soliton model(R. Alkofer, H. Reinhardt and H. Weigel, Phys. Rep. 265) (1996) 139.. We compute the unpolarized structure function for electron--nucleon scattering which enters the Gottfried sum rule, S_G. The model calculation not only explains the observed deviation from the historical value S_G=1/3 but also reproduces the gross features of the exerimental data when accounting for projection and Q^2--evolution(H. Weigel, L. Gamberg and H. Reinhardt, Mod. Phys. Lett. A11) (1996) 3021; Phys. Lett. B399 (1997) 287.. The latter operation further serves to determine the low--momentum scale, Q_0^2, of the model. Subsequently we turn to the polarized structure functions g_1(x,Q^2) and g_2(x,Q^2)(H. Weigel, L. Gamberg and H. Reinhardt, Phys. Rev. D55) (1997) 6910.. These are particularly interesting in the present model because chiral soliton models nicely account for the smallness of the first moment of g_1(x,Q^2). In addition we report on the calculation(L. Gamberg, H. Reinhardt and H. Weigel, Phys. Rev. D58) (1998) 054014. of the chiral odd quark distributions and the corresponding structure functions h_T(x,Q^2) and h_L(x,Q^2). At the low model scale, Q_0^2, we find that the leading twist effective quark distributions, f_1^(q)(x,Q_0^2), g_1^(q)(x,Q_0^2) and h_T^(q)(x,Q_0^2) satisfy Soffer's inequality for both quark flavors q=u,d. The Q^2 evolution of the twist--2 contributions is performed according to the standard GLAP formalism while the twist--three pieces, \\overlineg_2(x) and \\overlineh_L(x), are evolved according to the large NC scheme. Finally we explain the generalization of chiral soliton models to three flavors and discuss the strange quark contribution to g1 as an example(box[t]15cm)O. Schröder, H. Reinhardt and H. Weigel, ``Strangeness Contribution to the Polarized Nucleon Structure Function g_1'', hep--ph/9805251, Phys. Lett. B to appear..

Methanol clusters (CH3OH)n: putative global minimum-energy structures from model potentials and dispersion-corrected density functional theory.

PubMed

Kazachenko, Sergey; Bulusu, Satya; Thakkar, Ajit J

2013-06-14

Putative global minima are reported for methanol clusters (CH3OH)n with n ≤ 15. The predictions are based on global optimization of three intermolecular potential energy models followed by local optimization and single-point energy calculations using two variants of dispersion-corrected density functional theory. Recurring structural motifs include folded and/or twisted rings, folded rings with a short branch, and stacked rings. Many of the larger structures are stabilized by weak C-H···O bonds.

Families of vector-like deformations of relativistic quantum phase spaces, twists and symmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meljanac, Daniel; Meljanac, Stjepan; Pikutić, Danijel

2017-12-01

Families of vector-like deformed relativistic quantum phase spaces and corresponding realizations are analyzed. A method for a general construction of the star product is presented. The corresponding twist, expressed in terms of phase space coordinates, in the Hopf algebroid sense is presented. General linear realizations are considered and corresponding twists, in terms of momenta and Poincaré-Weyl generators or gl(n) generators are constructed and R-matrix is discussed. A classification of linear realizations leading to vector-like deformed phase spaces is given. There are three types of spaces: (i) commutative spaces, (ii) κ -Minkowski spaces and (iii) κ -Snyder spaces. The corresponding star products are (i) associative and commutative (but non-local), (ii) associative and non-commutative and (iii) non-associative and non-commutative, respectively. Twisted symmetry algebras are considered. Transposed twists and left-right dual algebras are presented. Finally, some physical applications are discussed.

A plant tendril mimic soft actuator with phototunable bending and chiral twisting motion modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Meng; Lin, Bao-Ping; Yang, Hong

2016-12-01

In nature, plant tendrils can produce two fundamental motion modes, bending and chiral twisting (helical curling) distortions, under the stimuli of sunlight, humidity, wetting or other atmospheric conditions. To date, many artificial plant-like mechanical machines have been developed. Although some previously reported materials could realize bending or chiral twisting through tailoring the samples into various ribbons along different orientations, each single ribbon could execute only one deformation mode. The challenging task is how to endow one individual plant tendril mimic material with two different, fully tunable and reversible motion modes (bending and chiral twisting). Here we show a dual-layer, dual-composition polysiloxane-based liquid crystal soft actuator strategy to synthesize a plant tendril mimic material capable of performing two different three-dimensional reversible transformations (bending versus chiral twisting) through modulation of the wavelength band of light stimuli (ultraviolet versus near-infrared). This material has broad application prospects in biomimetic control devices.

A plant tendril mimic soft actuator with phototunable bending and chiral twisting motion modes.

PubMed

Wang, Meng; Lin, Bao-Ping; Yang, Hong

2016-12-22

In nature, plant tendrils can produce two fundamental motion modes, bending and chiral twisting (helical curling) distortions, under the stimuli of sunlight, humidity, wetting or other atmospheric conditions. To date, many artificial plant-like mechanical machines have been developed. Although some previously reported materials could realize bending or chiral twisting through tailoring the samples into various ribbons along different orientations, each single ribbon could execute only one deformation mode. The challenging task is how to endow one individual plant tendril mimic material with two different, fully tunable and reversible motion modes (bending and chiral twisting). Here we show a dual-layer, dual-composition polysiloxane-based liquid crystal soft actuator strategy to synthesize a plant tendril mimic material capable of performing two different three-dimensional reversible transformations (bending versus chiral twisting) through modulation of the wavelength band of light stimuli (ultraviolet versus near-infrared). This material has broad application prospects in biomimetic control devices.

Calculated spanwise lift distributions, influence functions, and influence coefficients for unswept wings in subsonic flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diederich, Franklin W; Zlotnick, Martin

1955-01-01

Spanwise lift distributions have been calculated for nineteen unswept wings with various aspect ratios and taper ratios and with a variety of angle-of-attack or twist distributions, including flap and aileron deflections, by means of the Weissinger method with eight control points on the semispan. Also calculated were aerodynamic influence coefficients which pertain to a certain definite set of stations along the span, and several methods are presented for calculating aerodynamic influence functions and coefficients for stations other than those stipulated. The information presented in this report can be used in the analysis of untwisted wings or wings with known twist distributions, as well as in aeroelastic calculations involving initially unknown twist distributions.

Vector two-point functions in finite volume using partially quenched chiral perturbation theory at two loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bijnens, Johan; Relefors, Johan

2017-12-01

We calculate vector-vector correlation functions at two loops using partially quenched chiral perturbation theory including finite volume effects and twisted boundary conditions. We present expressions for the flavor neutral cases and the flavor charged case with equal masses. Using these expressions we give an estimate for the ratio of disconnected to connected contributions for the strange part of the electromagnetic current. We give numerical examples for the effects of partial quenching, finite volume and twisting and suggest the use of different twists to check the size of finite volume effects. The main use of this work is expected to be for lattice QCD calculations of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment.

Pauli energy spectrum for twist-deformed spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daszkiewicz, Marcin

2018-04-01

In this paper, we define the Pauli Hamiltonian function for the twist-deformed N-enlarged Newton-Hooke spacetime provided by M. Daszkiewicz [Mod. Phys. Lett. A 27, 1250083 (2012)]. Further, we derive its energy spectrum, i.e. we find the corresponding eigenvalues as well as the proper eigenfunctions.

miR-1271 inhibits migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting ZEB1 and TWIST1 in pancreatic cancer cells

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

Liu, Huaize; Wang, Han; Liu, Xiaoxiao

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains one of the most lethal types of cancer in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of miR-1271 in regulation of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. miR-1271 was identified to be significantly down-regulated in PC tissues by miRNA array. Also, an increase of EMT-regulators ZEB1 and TWIST1 expression level is accompanied by a decrease of miR-1271. We showed that expression of miR-1271 was significantly down-regulated in PC tissues as compared with that in normal tissues. In addition, our results showed that miR-1271 expression levels were decreased whilemore » ZEB1 and TWIST1 expression levels were increased in detected PC cell lines. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR-1271 suppressed and antagomiR-1271 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion in SW1990 and PANC-1 cells. Bioinformatics coupled with luciferase and Western blot assays also revealed that miR-1271 inhibited expression of ZEB1 and TWIST1, which are master regulators of tumor metastasis. Our study first indicates that miR-1271 functions as a suppressor in regulating of pancreatic cancer EMT by targeting ZEB1 and TWIST1, and it promise as a therapeutic target and prognostic marker for metastatic pancreatic cancer. - Highlights: • miR-1271 is downregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. • miR-1271 regulates cell metastasis ability and EMT marker expression. . • miR-1271 directly targets ZEB1 and TWIST1. • ZEB1 and TWIST1 are functionally related to the effects of miR-1271.« less

[Effects of slow twisting needle insertion and tubing needle insertion at Neiguan (PC 6) on cardiovascular function: a comparative study].

PubMed

Ning, Shaoli; Zhao, Lihua; Xu, Lingjun; Huang, Yu; Pang, Yong; Huang, Dingjian

2016-01-01

To compare the effects between slow twisting needle insertion and tubing needle insertion. With cross-over design, 100 healthy young subjects (half male and half female) aged from 19 to 23 years were randomly divided into two groups by random digital table, 50 cases in each one. At the first stage, subjects in the group A were treated with slow twisting needle insertion while, subjects in,the group B were treated with tubing needle insertion. One week later, the procedure of second stage was performed alternately. The needle was inserted into Neiguan (PC 6) with two methods by one acupuncturist. The needle was retained for 5 min before removal. Five min before needle insertion as well as needle withdrawal and 30 min after needle withdrawal, ZXG-E automatic cardiovascular diagnostic apparatus was used to test cardiovascular function. At the tim of needle withdrawal, slow twisting needle insertion could improve effect work of kinetics (EWK), effective blood volume (BV) and reduce elastic expansion coefficient of blood vessel (FEK) and left ventricular spray blood impedance (VER), which was significantly different from tubing needle insertion (all P < 0.05). Thirty min after needle withdrawal, the differences of the indices of cardiovascular function between the two groups were not significant (all P > 0.05). The slow twisting needle insertion is significantly superior to tubing needle insertion on lowering vascular tension and VER, improving EWK and BV.

Dissociative double-photoionization of butadiene in the 25-45 eV energy range using 3-D multi-coincidence ion momentum imaging spectrometry

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

Oghbaie, Shabnam; Gisselbrecht, Mathieu; Laksman, Joakim

Dissociative double-photoionization of butadiene in the 25-45 eV energy range has been studied with tunable synchrotron radiation using full three-dimensional ion momentum imaging. Using ab initio calculations, the electronic states of the molecular dication below 33 eV are identified. The results of the measurement and calculation show that double ionization from π orbitals selectively triggers twisting about the terminal or central C–C bonds. We show that this conformational rearrangement depends upon the dication electronic state, which effectively acts as a gateway for the dissociation reaction pathway. For photon energies above 33 eV, three-body dissociation channels where neutral H-atom evaporation precedesmore » C–C charge-separation in the dication species appear in the correlation map. The fragment angular distributions support a model where the dication species is initially aligned with the molecular backbone parallel to the polarization vector of the light, indicating a high probability for double-ionization to the “gateway states” for molecules with this orientation.« less

Surface operators, chiral rings and localization in N =2 gauge theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashok, S. K.; Billò, M.; Dell'Aquila, E.; Frau, M.; Gupta, V.; John, R. R.; Lerda, A.

2017-11-01

We study half-BPS surface operators in supersymmetric gauge theories in four and five dimensions following two different approaches. In the first approach we analyze the chiral ring equations for certain quiver theories in two and three dimensions, coupled respectively to four- and five-dimensional gauge theories. The chiral ring equations, which arise from extremizing a twisted chiral superpotential, are solved as power series in the infrared scales of the quiver theories. In the second approach we use equivariant localization and obtain the twisted chiral superpotential as a function of the Coulomb moduli of the four- and five-dimensional gauge theories, and find a perfect match with the results obtained from the chiral ring equations. In the five-dimensional case this match is achieved after solving a number of subtleties in the localization formulas which amounts to choosing a particular residue prescription in the integrals that yield the Nekrasov-like partition functions for ramified instantons. We also comment on the necessity of including Chern-Simons terms in order to match the superpotentials obtained from dual quiver descriptions of a given surface operator.

Fundamental Design based on Current Distribution in Coaxial Multi-Layer Cable-in-Conduit Conductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamajima, Takataro; Tsuda, Makoto; Yagai, Tsuyoshi; Takahata, Kazuya; Imagawa, Shinsaku

An imbalanced current distribution is often observed in cable-in-conduit (CIC) superconductors which are composed of multi-staged, triplet type sub-cables, and hence deteriorates the performance of the coils. Therefore, since it is very important to obtain a homogeneous current distribution in the superconducting strands, we propose a coaxial multi-layer type CIC conductor. We use a circuit model for all layers in the coaxial multi-layer CIC conductor, and derive a generalized formula governing the current distribution as explicit functions of the superconductor construction parameters, such as twist pitch, twist direction, radius of each layer, and number of superconducting (SC) strands and copper (Cu) strands. We apply the formula to design the coaxial multi-layer CIC which has the same number of SC strands and Cu strands of the CIC for Central Solenoid of ITER. We can design three kinds of the coaxial multi-layer CIC depending on distribution of SC and Cu strands on all layers. It is shown that the SC strand volume should be optimized as a function of SC and Cu strand distribution on the layers.

Designing Thin, Ultrastretchable Electronics with Stacked Circuits and Elastomeric Encapsulation Materials.

PubMed

Xu, Renxiao; Lee, Jung Woo; Pan, Taisong; Ma, Siyi; Wang, Jiayi; Han, June Hyun; Ma, Yinji; Rogers, John A; Huang, Yonggang

2017-01-26

Many recently developed soft, skin-like electronics with high performance circuits and low modulus encapsulation materials can accommodate large bending, stretching, and twisting deformations. Their compliant mechanics also allows for intimate, nonintrusive integration to the curvilinear surfaces of soft biological tissues. By introducing a stacked circuit construct, the functional density of these systems can be greatly improved, yet their desirable mechanics may be compromised due to the increased overall thickness. To address this issue, the results presented here establish design guidelines for optimizing the deformable properties of stretchable electronics with stacked circuit layers. The effects of three contributing factors (i.e., the silicone inter-layer, the composite encapsulation, and the deformable interconnects) on the stretchability of a multilayer system are explored in detail via combined experimental observation, finite element modeling, and theoretical analysis. Finally, an electronic module with optimized design is demonstrated. This highly deformable system can be repetitively folded, twisted, or stretched without observable influences to its electrical functionality. The ultrasoft, thin nature of the module makes it suitable for conformal biointegration.

Designing Thin, Ultrastretchable Electronics with Stacked Circuits and Elastomeric Encapsulation Materials

PubMed Central

Xu, Renxiao; Lee, Jung Woo; Pan, Taisong; Ma, Siyi; Wang, Jiayi; Han, June Hyun; Ma, Yinji

2017-01-01

Many recently developed soft, skin-like electronics with high performance circuits and low modulus encapsulation materials can accommodate large bending, stretching, and twisting deformations. Their compliant mechanics also allows for intimate, nonintrusive integration to the curvilinear surfaces of soft biological tissues. By introducing a stacked circuit construct, the functional density of these systems can be greatly improved, yet their desirable mechanics may be compromised due to the increased overall thickness. To address this issue, the results presented here establish design guidelines for optimizing the deformable properties of stretchable electronics with stacked circuit layers. The effects of three contributing factors (i.e., the silicone inter-layer, the composite encapsulation, and the deformable interconnects) on the stretchability of a multilayer system are explored in detail via combined experimental observation, finite element modeling, and theoretical analysis. Finally, an electronic module with optimized design is demonstrated. This highly deformable system can be repetitively folded, twisted, or stretched without observable influences to its electrical functionality. The ultrasoft, thin nature of the module makes it suitable for conformal biointegration. PMID:29046624

Recurrent Mutations in the Basic Domain of TWIST2 Cause Ablepharon Macrostomia and Barber-Say Syndromes.

PubMed

Marchegiani, Shannon; Davis, Taylor; Tessadori, Federico; van Haaften, Gijs; Brancati, Francesco; Hoischen, Alexander; Huang, Haigen; Valkanas, Elise; Pusey, Barbara; Schanze, Denny; Venselaar, Hanka; Vulto-van Silfhout, Anneke T; Wolfe, Lynne A; Tifft, Cynthia J; Zerfas, Patricia M; Zambruno, Giovanna; Kariminejad, Ariana; Sabbagh-Kermani, Farahnaz; Lee, Janice; Tsokos, Maria G; Lee, Chyi-Chia R; Ferraz, Victor; da Silva, Eduarda Morgana; Stevens, Cathy A; Roche, Nathalie; Bartsch, Oliver; Farndon, Peter; Bermejo-Sanchez, Eva; Brooks, Brian P; Maduro, Valerie; Dallapiccola, Bruno; Ramos, Feliciano J; Chung, Hon-Yin Brian; Le Caignec, Cédric; Martins, Fabiana; Jacyk, Witold K; Mazzanti, Laura; Brunner, Han G; Bakkers, Jeroen; Lin, Shuo; Malicdan, May Christine V; Boerkoel, Cornelius F; Gahl, William A; de Vries, Bert B A; van Haelst, Mieke M; Zenker, Martin; Markello, Thomas C

2015-07-02

Ablepharon macrostomia syndrome (AMS) and Barber-Say syndrome (BSS) are rare congenital ectodermal dysplasias characterized by similar clinical features. To establish the genetic basis of AMS and BSS, we performed extensive clinical phenotyping, whole exome and candidate gene sequencing, and functional validations. We identified a recurrent de novo mutation in TWIST2 in seven independent AMS-affected families, as well as another recurrent de novo mutation affecting the same amino acid in ten independent BSS-affected families. Moreover, a genotype-phenotype correlation was observed, because the two syndromes differed based solely upon the nature of the substituting amino acid: a lysine at TWIST2 residue 75 resulted in AMS, whereas a glutamine or alanine yielded BSS. TWIST2 encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that regulates the development of mesenchymal tissues. All identified mutations fell in the basic domain of TWIST2 and altered the DNA-binding pattern of Flag-TWIST2 in HeLa cells. Comparison of wild-type and mutant TWIST2 expressed in zebrafish identified abnormal developmental phenotypes and widespread transcriptome changes. Our results suggest that autosomal-dominant TWIST2 mutations cause AMS or BSS by inducing protean effects on the transcription factor's DNA binding. Copyright © 2015 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DC conductivity of twisted bilayer graphene: Angle-dependent transport properties and effects of disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andelković, M.; Covaci, L.; Peeters, F. M.

2018-03-01

The in-plane dc conductivity of twisted bilayer graphene is calculated using an expansion of the real-space Kubo-Bastin conductivity in terms of Chebyshev polynomials. We investigate within a tight-binding approach the transport properties as a function of rotation angle, applied perpendicular electric field, and vacancy disorder. We find that for high-angle twists, the two layers are effectively decoupled, and the minimum conductivity at the Dirac point corresponds to double the value observed in monolayer graphene. This remains valid even in the presence of vacancies, hinting that chiral symmetry is still preserved. On the contrary, for low twist angles, the conductivity at the Dirac point depends on the twist angle and is not protected in the presence of disorder. Furthermore, for low angles and in the presence of an applied electric field, we find that the chiral boundary states emerging between AB and BA regions contribute to the dc conductivity, despite the appearance of localized states in the AA regions. The results agree qualitatively with recent transport experiments in low-angle twisted bilayer graphene.

Magnetic field twist driven by remote convective motions: Characteristics and twist rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Zheng-Zhi; Hassam, A. B.

1987-01-01

It is generally believed that convective motions below the solar photosphere induce a twist in the coronal magnetic field as a result of frozen-in physics. A question of interest is how much twist can one expect from a persistent convective motion, given the fact that dissipative effects will eventually figure. This question is examined by considering a model problem: two conducting plates, with finite resistivity, are set in sheared motion and forced at constant relative speed. A resistive plasma is between the plates and an initially vertical magnetic field connects the plates. The time rate of tilt experienced by the field is obtained as a function of Hartmann number and the resistivity ratio. Both analytical and numerical approaches are considered.

Effects of dielectric inhomogeneity on electrostatic twist rigidity of a helical biomolecule in Debye-Hückel regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaie-Dereshgi, Amir; Mohammad-Rafiee, Farshid

2018-04-01

The electrostatic interactions play a crucial role in biological systems. Here we consider an impermeable dielectric molecule in the solvent with a different dielectric constant. The electrostatic free energy in the problem is studied in the Debye-Hückel regime using the analytical Green function that is calculated in the paper. Using this electrostatic free energy, we study the electrostatic contribution to the twist rigidity of a double stranded helical molecule such as a DNA and an actin filament. The dependence of the electrostatic twist rigidity of the molecule to the dielectric inhomogeneity, structural parameters, and the salt concentration is studied. It is shown that, depending on the parameters, the electrostatic twist rigidity could be positive or negative.

Novel QCD Phenomenology

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

Brodsky, Stanley J.; /SLAC /Southern Denmark U., CP3-Origins

2011-08-12

I review a number of topics where conventional wisdom in hadron physics has been challenged. For example, hadrons can be produced at large transverse momentum directly within a hard higher-twist QCD subprocess, rather than from jet fragmentation. Such 'direct' processes can explain the deviations from perturbative QCD predictions in measurements of inclusive hadron cross sections at fixed x{sub T} = 2p{sub T}/{radical}s, as well as the 'baryon anomaly', the anomalously large proton-to-pion ratio seen in high centrality heavy ion collisions. Initial-state and final-state interactions of the struck quark, the soft-gluon rescattering associated with its Wilson line, lead to Bjorken-scaling single-spinmore » asymmetries, diffractive deep inelastic scattering, the breakdown of the Lam-Tung relation in Drell-Yan reactions, as well as nuclear shadowing and antishadowing. The Gribov-Glauber theory predicts that antishadowing of nuclear structure functions is not universal, but instead depends on the flavor quantum numbers of each quark and antiquark, thus explaining the anomalous nuclear dependence measured in deep-inelastic neutrino scattering. Since shadowing and antishadowing arise from the physics of leading-twist diffractive deep inelastic scattering, one cannot attribute such phenomena to the structure of the nucleus itself. It is thus important to distinguish 'static' structure functions, the probability distributions computed from the square of the target light-front wavefunctions, versus 'dynamical' structure functions which include the effects of the final-state rescattering of the struck quark. The importance of the J = 0 photon-quark QCD contact interaction in deeply virtual Compton scattering is also emphasized. The scheme-independent BLM method for setting the renormalization scale is discussed. Eliminating the renormalization scale ambiguity greatly improves the precision of QCD predictions and increases the sensitivity of searches for new physics at the LHC. Other novel features of QCD are discussed, including the consequences of confinement for quark and gluon condensates.« less

Amide I vibrational circular dichroism of dipeptide: Conformation dependence and fragment analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jun-Ho; Cho, Minhaeng

2004-03-01

The amide I vibrational circular dichroic response of alanine dipeptide analog (ADA) was theoretically investigated and the density functional theory calculation and fragment analysis results are presented. A variety of vibrational spectroscopic properties, local and normal mode frequencies, coupling constant, dipole, and rotational strengths, are calculated by varying two dihedral angles determining the three-dimensional ADA conformation. Considering two monopeptide fragments separately, we show that the amide I vibrational circular dichroism of the ADA can be quantitatively predicted. For several representative conformations of the model ADA, vibrational circular dichroism spectra are calculated by using both the density functional theory calculation and fragment analysis methods.

Transverse-momentum-dependent quark distribution functions of spin-one targets: Formalism and covariant calculations

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

Ninomiya, Yu; Bentz, Wolfgang; Cloet, Ian C.

In this paper, we present a covariant formulation and model calculations of the leading-twist time-reversal even transverse-momentum-dependent quark distribution functions (TMDs) for a spin-one target. Emphasis is placed on a description of these three-dimensional distribution functions which is independent of any constraints on the spin quantization axis. We apply our covariant spin description to all nine leading-twist time-reversal even ρ meson TMDs in the framework provided by the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, incorporating important aspects of quark confinement via the infrared cutoff in the proper-time regularization scheme. In particular, the behaviors of the three-dimensional TMDs in a tensor polarized spin-one hadron aremore » illustrated. Sum rules and positivity constraints are discussed in detail. Our results do not exhibit the familiar Gaussian behavior in the transverse momentum, and other results of interest include the finding that the tensor polarized TMDs—associated with spin-one hadrons—are very sensitive to quark orbital angular momentum, and that the TMDs associated with the quark operator γ +γ Tγ 5 would vanish were it not for dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. In addition, we find that 44% of the ρ meson's spin is carried by the orbital angular momentum of the quarks, and that the magnitude of the tensor polarized quark distribution function is about 30% of the unpolarized quark distribution. Finally, a qualitative comparison between our results for the tensor structure of a quark-antiquark bound state is made to existing experimental and theoretical results for the two-nucleon (deuteron) bound state.« less

Transverse-momentum-dependent quark distribution functions of spin-one targets: Formalism and covariant calculations

DOE PAGES

Ninomiya, Yu; Bentz, Wolfgang; Cloet, Ian C.

2017-10-24

In this paper, we present a covariant formulation and model calculations of the leading-twist time-reversal even transverse-momentum-dependent quark distribution functions (TMDs) for a spin-one target. Emphasis is placed on a description of these three-dimensional distribution functions which is independent of any constraints on the spin quantization axis. We apply our covariant spin description to all nine leading-twist time-reversal even ρ meson TMDs in the framework provided by the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, incorporating important aspects of quark confinement via the infrared cutoff in the proper-time regularization scheme. In particular, the behaviors of the three-dimensional TMDs in a tensor polarized spin-one hadron aremore » illustrated. Sum rules and positivity constraints are discussed in detail. Our results do not exhibit the familiar Gaussian behavior in the transverse momentum, and other results of interest include the finding that the tensor polarized TMDs—associated with spin-one hadrons—are very sensitive to quark orbital angular momentum, and that the TMDs associated with the quark operator γ +γ Tγ 5 would vanish were it not for dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. In addition, we find that 44% of the ρ meson's spin is carried by the orbital angular momentum of the quarks, and that the magnitude of the tensor polarized quark distribution function is about 30% of the unpolarized quark distribution. Finally, a qualitative comparison between our results for the tensor structure of a quark-antiquark bound state is made to existing experimental and theoretical results for the two-nucleon (deuteron) bound state.« less

Negative Impacts of Human Land Use on Dung Beetle Functional Diversity

PubMed Central

Barragán, Felipe; Moreno, Claudia E.; Escobar, Federico; Halffter, Gonzalo; Navarrete, Dario

2011-01-01

The loss of biodiversity caused by human activity is assumed to alter ecosystem functioning. However our understanding of the magnitude of the effect of these changes on functional diversity and their impact on the dynamics of ecological processes is still limited. We analyzed the functional diversity of copro-necrophagous beetles under different conditions of land use in three Mexican biosphere reserves. In Montes Azules pastures, forest fragments and continuous rainforest were analyzed, in Los Tuxtlas rainforest fragments of different sizes were analyzed and in Barranca de Metztitlán two types of xerophile scrub with different degrees of disturbance from grazing were analyzed. We assigned dung beetle species to functional groups based on food relocation, beetle size, daily activity period and food preferences, and as measures of functional diversity we used estimates based on multivariate methods. In Montes Azules functional richness was lower in the pastures than in continuous rainforest and rainforest fragments, but fragments and continuous forest include functionally redundant species. In small rainforest fragments (<5 ha) in Los Tuxtlas, dung beetle functional richness was lower than in large rainforest fragments (>20 ha). Functional evenness and functional dispersion did not vary among habitat types or fragment size in these reserves. In contrast, in Metztitlán, functional richness and functional dispersion were different among the vegetation types, but differences were not related to the degree of disturbance by grazing. More redundant species were found in submontane than in crassicaule scrub. For the first time, a decrease in the functional diversity in communities of copro-necrophagous beetles resulting from changes in land use is documented, the potential implications for ecosystem functioning are discussed and a series of variables that could improve the evaluation of functional diversity for this biological group is proposed. PMID:21448292

Negative impacts of human land use on dung beetle functional diversity.

PubMed

Barragán, Felipe; Moreno, Claudia E; Escobar, Federico; Halffter, Gonzalo; Navarrete, Dario

2011-03-23

The loss of biodiversity caused by human activity is assumed to alter ecosystem functioning. However our understanding of the magnitude of the effect of these changes on functional diversity and their impact on the dynamics of ecological processes is still limited. We analyzed the functional diversity of copro-necrophagous beetles under different conditions of land use in three Mexican biosphere reserves. In Montes Azules pastures, forest fragments and continuous rainforest were analyzed, in Los Tuxtlas rainforest fragments of different sizes were analyzed and in Barranca de Metztitlán two types of xerophile scrub with different degrees of disturbance from grazing were analyzed. We assigned dung beetle species to functional groups based on food relocation, beetle size, daily activity period and food preferences, and as measures of functional diversity we used estimates based on multivariate methods. In Montes Azules functional richness was lower in the pastures than in continuous rainforest and rainforest fragments, but fragments and continuous forest include functionally redundant species. In small rainforest fragments (<5 ha) in Los Tuxtlas, dung beetle functional richness was lower than in large rainforest fragments (>20 ha). Functional evenness and functional dispersion did not vary among habitat types or fragment size in these reserves. In contrast, in Metztitlán, functional richness and functional dispersion were different among the vegetation types, but differences were not related to the degree of disturbance by grazing. More redundant species were found in submontane than in crassicaule scrub. For the first time, a decrease in the functional diversity in communities of copro-necrophagous beetles resulting from changes in land use is documented, the potential implications for ecosystem functioning are discussed and a series of variables that could improve the evaluation of functional diversity for this biological group is proposed.

Metallographic autopsies of full-scale ITER prototype cable-in-conduit conductors after full cyclic testing in SULTAN: III. The importance of strand surface roughness in long twist pitch conductors

DOE PAGES

Sanabria, Charlie; Lee, Peter J.; Starch, William; ...

2016-05-31

As part of the ITER conductor qualification process, 3 m long Cable-in-Conduit Conductors (CICCs) were tested at the SULTAN facility under conditions simulating ITER operation so as to establish the current sharing temperature, T cs, as a function of multiple full Lorentz force loading cycles. After a comprehensive evaluation of both the Toroidal Field (TF) and the Central Solenoid (CS) conductors, it was found that T cs degradation was common in long twist pitch TF conductors while short twist pitch CS conductors showed some T cs increase. However, one kind of TF conductors containing superconducting strand fabricated by the Bochvarmore » Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) avoided T cs degradation despite having long twist pitch. In our earlier metallographic autopsies of long and short twist pitch CS conductors, we observed a substantially greater transverse strand movement under Lorentz force loading for long twist pitch conductors, while short twist pitch conductors had negligible transverse movement. With help from the literature, we concluded that the transverse movement was not the source of T cs degradation but rather an increase of the compressive strain in the Nb 3Sn filaments possibly induced by longitudinal movement of the wires. Like all TF conductors this TF VNIINM conductor showed large transverse motions under Lorentz force loading, but Tcs actually increased, as in all short twist pitch CS conductors. We here propose that the high surface roughness of the VNIINM strand may be responsible for the suppression of the compressive strain enhancement (characteristic of long twist pitch conductors). Furthermore, it appears that increasing strand surface roughness could improve the performance of long twist pitch CICCs.« less

Metallographic autopsies of full-scale ITER prototype cable-in-conduit conductors after full cyclic testing in SULTAN: III. The importance of strand surface roughness in long twist pitch conductors

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

Sanabria, Charlie; Lee, Peter J.; Starch, William

As part of the ITER conductor qualification process, 3 m long Cable-in-Conduit Conductors (CICCs) were tested at the SULTAN facility under conditions simulating ITER operation so as to establish the current sharing temperature, T cs, as a function of multiple full Lorentz force loading cycles. After a comprehensive evaluation of both the Toroidal Field (TF) and the Central Solenoid (CS) conductors, it was found that T cs degradation was common in long twist pitch TF conductors while short twist pitch CS conductors showed some T cs increase. However, one kind of TF conductors containing superconducting strand fabricated by the Bochvarmore » Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) avoided T cs degradation despite having long twist pitch. In our earlier metallographic autopsies of long and short twist pitch CS conductors, we observed a substantially greater transverse strand movement under Lorentz force loading for long twist pitch conductors, while short twist pitch conductors had negligible transverse movement. With help from the literature, we concluded that the transverse movement was not the source of T cs degradation but rather an increase of the compressive strain in the Nb 3Sn filaments possibly induced by longitudinal movement of the wires. Like all TF conductors this TF VNIINM conductor showed large transverse motions under Lorentz force loading, but Tcs actually increased, as in all short twist pitch CS conductors. We here propose that the high surface roughness of the VNIINM strand may be responsible for the suppression of the compressive strain enhancement (characteristic of long twist pitch conductors). Furthermore, it appears that increasing strand surface roughness could improve the performance of long twist pitch CICCs.« less

Nanorobotic System iTRo for Controllable 1D Micro/nano Material Twisting Test.

PubMed

Lu, Haojian; Shang, Wanfeng; Wei, Xueyong; Yang, Zhan; Fukuda, Toshio; Shen, Yajing

2017-06-08

In-situ micro/nano characterization is an indispensable methodology for material research. However, the precise in-situ SEM twisting of 1D material with large range is still challenge for current techniques, mainly due to the testing device's large size and the misalignment between specimen and the rotation axis. Herein, we propose an in-situ twist test robot (iTRo) to address the above challenges and realize the precise in-situ SEM twisting test for the first time. Firstly, we developed the iTRo and designed a series of control strategies, including assembly error initialization, triple-image alignment (TIA) method for rotation axis alignment, deformation-based contact detection (DCD) method for sample assembly, and switch control for robots cooperation. After that, we chose three typical 1D material, i.e., magnetic microwire Fe 74 B 13 Si 11 C 2 , glass fiber, and human hair, for twisting test and characterized their properties. The results showed that our approach is able to align the sample to the twisting axis accurately, and it can provide large twisting range, heavy load and high controllability. This work fills the blank of current in-situ mechanical characterization methodologies, which is expected to give significant impact in the fundamental nanomaterial research and practical micro/nano characterization.

Stochastic weighted particle methods for population balance equations with coagulation, fragmentation and spatial inhomogeneity

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

Lee, Kok Foong; Patterson, Robert I.A.; Wagner, Wolfgang

2015-12-15

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Problems concerning multi-compartment population balance equations are studied. •A class of fragmentation weight transfer functions is presented. •Three stochastic weighted algorithms are compared against the direct simulation algorithm. •The numerical errors of the stochastic solutions are assessed as a function of fragmentation rate. •The algorithms are applied to a multi-dimensional granulation model. -- Abstract: This paper introduces stochastic weighted particle algorithms for the solution of multi-compartment population balance equations. In particular, it presents a class of fragmentation weight transfer functions which are constructed such that the number of computational particles stays constant during fragmentation events. Themore » weight transfer functions are constructed based on systems of weighted computational particles and each of it leads to a stochastic particle algorithm for the numerical treatment of population balance equations. Besides fragmentation, the algorithms also consider physical processes such as coagulation and the exchange of mass with the surroundings. The numerical properties of the algorithms are compared to the direct simulation algorithm and an existing method for the fragmentation of weighted particles. It is found that the new algorithms show better numerical performance over the two existing methods especially for systems with significant amount of large particles and high fragmentation rates.« less

Crystal structure, conformation, vibration and optical band gap analysis of bis[ rac-propranolol nitrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franklin, S.; Balasubramanian, T.; Nehru, K.; Kim, Youngmee

2009-06-01

The crystal structure of the title rac-propranolol salt, CHNO2+·NO3-, consists of two protonated propranolol residues and nitrate anions. Three virtually flat fragments, characteristics of most of the β-adrenolytics with oxy-methylene bridge are present in both the cations (A and B). The plane of the propranolol chain is twisted with respect to the plane of the aromatic ring in both the cations. Present study investigates the conformation and hydrogen bonding interactions, which play an important role in biological functions. A gauche conformation is observed for the oxo-methylene bridge of cation A, while a trans conformation prevails in cation B. These conformations are found in majority of β-blockers. Presence of twenty intermolecular hydrogen bonds mediating through the anions stabilizes the crystal packing. Vibration analysis and earlier theoretical predictions complement the structure analysed. From the UV-Vis spectral analysis for the crystal, the optical band gap is found to be Eg = 5.12 eV, where as the chloride salt has Eg = 3.81 eV. The increase in the band gap may be attributed by the increase in the number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Good optical transmittance in the entire visible region and the direct band gap property suggest that it is a suitable candidate for optical applications in UV region.

Teaching with a Technological Twist: Exit Tickets via Twitter in Literacy Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amaro-Jiménez, Carla; Hungerford-Kresser, Holly; Pole, Kathryn

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors describe, reflect, and analyze the implementation of a commonly used teaching strategy with a technological twist: exit tickets via Twitter. Longitudinal data collected over the course of three years demonstrated that using Twitter to reinvent a nondigital teaching practice ultimately demonstrated a better…

Measurement of the structure functions F 2 and xF 3 and comparison with QCD predictions including kinematical and dynamical higher twist effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varvell, K.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Parker, M. A.; Sansum, R. A.; Aderholz, M.; Armenise, N.; Baton, J. P.; Bullock, F. W.; Berggren, M.; Bertrand, D.; Brisson, V.; Burkot, W.; Calcchio, M.; Claytoh, E. F.; Coghen, T.; Erriquez, O.; Fitch, P. J.; Gerbier, G.; Guy, J.; Hulth, P. O.; Iaselli, G.; Jones, G. T.; Kasper, P.; Klein, H.; Kochowski, C.; Marage, P.; Mermikides, M.; Middleton, R. P.; Morrison, D. R. O.; Mobayyen, M. M.; Natali, S.; Neveu, M.; Nuzzo, S.; O'Neale, S. W.; Petiau, P.; Petrides, A.; Ruggieri, F.; Sacton, J.; Simopoulou, E.; Vallee, C.; Vayaki, A.; Venus, W. A.; Wachsmuth, H.; Wells, J.; Wittek, W.

1987-03-01

The isoscalar nucleon structure functions F 2( x, Q 2) and xF 3( x, Q 2) are measured in the range 0< Q 2<64 GeV2, 1.7< W 2<250 GeV2, x<0.7 using ν andbar v interactions on neon in BEBC. The data are used to evaluate possible higher twist contributions and to determine their impact on the evaluation of the QCD parameter Λ. In contrast to previous analyses reaching to such low W 2 values, it is found that a lowΛ _{overline {MS} } value in the neighbourhood of 100 MeV describes the data adequately and that the contribution of dynamical higher twist effects is small and negative.

Thermally induced stresses and deformations in angle-ply composite tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyer, M. W.; Rousseau, Carl Q.

1987-01-01

Cure-induced uniform temperature change effects on the stresses, axial expansion, and thermally-induced twist of four specific angle-ply tube designs are discussed with a view to the tubes' use as major space structure components. The stresses and deformations in the tubes are studied as a function of the four designs, the off-axis angle, and the single-material and hybrid reinforcing-material construction used. It is found that tube design has a minor influence on the stresses, axial stiffness, and axial thermal expansion characteristics, which are more directly a function of off-axis angle and material selection; tube design is, however, the primary influence in the definition of thermally-induced twist and torsional stiffness characteristics. None of the designs is free of thermally induced twist.

Changes in Tree Reproductive Traits Reduce Functional Diversity in a Fragmented Atlantic Forest Landscape

PubMed Central

Girão, Luciana Coe; Lopes, Ariadna Valentina; Tabarelli, Marcelo; Bruna, Emilio M.

2007-01-01

Functional diversity has been postulated to be critical for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning, but the way it can be disrupted by human-related disturbances remains poorly investigated. Here we test the hypothesis that habitat fragmentation changes the relative contribution of tree species within categories of reproductive traits (frequency of traits) and reduces the functional diversity of tree assemblages. The study was carried out in an old and severely fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. We used published information and field observations to obtain the frequency of tree species and individuals within 50 categories of reproductive traits (distributed in four major classes: pollination systems, floral biology, sexual systems, and reproductive systems) in 10 fragments and 10 tracts of forest interior (control plots). As hypothesized, populations in fragments and control plots differed substantially in the representation of the four major classes of reproductive traits (more than 50% of the categories investigated). The most conspicuous differences were the lack of three pollination systems in fragments-pollination by birds, flies and non-flying mammals-and that fragments had a higher frequency of both species and individuals pollinated by generalist vectors. Hermaphroditic species predominate in both habitats, although their relative abundances were higher in fragments. On the contrary, self-incompatible species were underrepresented in fragments. Moreover, fragments showed lower functional diversity (H' scores) for pollination systems (−30.3%), floral types (−23.6%), and floral sizes (−20.8%) in comparison to control plots. In contrast to the overwhelming effect of fragmentation, patch and landscape metrics such as patch size and forest cover played a minor role on the frequency of traits. Our results suggest that habitat fragmentation promotes a marked shift in the relative abundance of tree reproductive traits and greatly reduces the functional diversity of tree assemblages in fragmented landscapes. PMID:17878943

Contribution to the aerodynamics of rotating-wing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sissingh, G

1939-01-01

The chief defect of the investigations up to now was the assumption of a more or less arbitrary "mean" drag coefficient for a section of the blade. This defect is remedied through replacement of the constant coefficient by a function of higher order which corresponds to the polar curve of the employed profile. In that way it is possible to extend the theory to include the entire range from "autogyro" without power input to the driven "helicopter" with forward-tilted rotor axis. The treatment includes the twisted rectangular blade and a non-twisted tapered blade. Proceeding from the air flow and stresses on a section of the blade, the formulas for torque, axial and normal thrust of a linearly twisted rectangular blade, and a non-twisted tapered blade, are derived.

Enhanced intersystem crossing in core-twisted aromatics.

PubMed

Nagarajan, Kalaivanan; Mallia, Ajith R; Muraleedharan, Keerthi; Hariharan, Mahesh

2017-03-01

We describe the design, bottom-up synthesis and X-ray single crystal structure of systematically twisted aromatics 1c and 2d for efficient intersystem crossing. Steric congestion at the cove region creates a nonplanar geometry that induces a significant yield of triplet excited states in the electron-poor core-twisted aromatics 1c and 2d . A systematic increase in the number of twisted regions in 1c and 2d results in a concomitant enhancement in the rate and yield of intersystem crossing, monitored using femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Time-resolved absorption spectroscopic measurements display enhanced triplet quantum yields ( Φ T = 10 ± 1% for 1c and Φ T = 30 ± 2% for 2d ) in the twisted aromatics when compared to a negligible Φ T (<1%) in the planar analog 3c . Twist-induced spin-orbit coupling via activated out-of-plane C-H/C 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 1111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111111111111111111 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 1111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111111111111111111 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 C vibrations can facilitate the formation of triplet excited states in twisted aromatics 1c and 2d , in contrast to the negligible intersystem crossing in the planar analog 3c . The ease of synthesis, high solubility, access to triplet excited states and strong electron affinity make such imide functionalized core-twisted aromatics desirable materials for organic electronics such as solar cells.

Structural and electronic transformation in low-angle twisted bilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gargiulo, Fernando; Yazyev, Oleg V.

2018-01-01

Experiments on bilayer graphene unveiled a fascinating realization of stacking disorder where triangular domains with well-defined Bernal stacking are delimited by a hexagonal network of strain solitons. Here we show by means of numerical simulations that this is a consequence of a structural transformation of the moiré pattern inherent to twisted bilayer graphene taking place at twist angles θ below a crossover angle θ\\star=1.2\\circ . The transformation is governed by the interplay between the interlayer van der Waals interaction and the in-plane strain field, and is revealed by a change in the functional form of the twist energy density. This transformation unveils an electronic regime characteristic of vanishing twist angles in which the charge density converges, though not uniformly, to that of ideal bilayer graphene with Bernal stacking. On the other hand, the stacking domain boundaries form a distinct charge density pattern that provides the STM signature of the hexagonal solitonic network.

Light polarization management via reflection from arrays of sub-wavelength metallic twisted bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawrot, M.; Haberko, J.; Zinkiewicz, Ł.; Wasylczyk, P.

2017-12-01

With constant progress of nano- and microfabrication technologies, photolithography in particular, a number of sub-wavelength metallic structures have been demonstrated that can be used to manipulate light polarization. Numerical simulations of light propagation hint that helical twisted bands can have interesting polarization properties. We use three-dimensional two-photon photolithography (direct laser writing) to fabricate a few-micrometer-thick arrays of twisted bands and coat them uniformly with metal. We demonstrate that circular polarization can be generated from linear polarization upon reflection from such structures over a broad range of frequencies in the mid infrared.

The Twist Tensor Nuclear Norm for Video Completion.

PubMed

Hu, Wenrui; Tao, Dacheng; Zhang, Wensheng; Xie, Yuan; Yang, Yehui

2017-12-01

In this paper, we propose a new low-rank tensor model based on the circulant algebra, namely, twist tensor nuclear norm (t-TNN). The twist tensor denotes a three-way tensor representation to laterally store 2-D data slices in order. On one hand, t-TNN convexly relaxes the tensor multirank of the twist tensor in the Fourier domain, which allows an efficient computation using fast Fourier transform. On the other, t-TNN is equal to the nuclear norm of block circulant matricization of the twist tensor in the original domain, which extends the traditional matrix nuclear norm in a block circulant way. We test the t-TNN model on a video completion application that aims to fill missing values and the experiment results validate its effectiveness, especially when dealing with video recorded by a nonstationary panning camera. The block circulant matricization of the twist tensor can be transformed into a circulant block representation with nuclear norm invariance. This representation, after transformation, exploits the horizontal translation relationship between the frames in a video, and endows the t-TNN model with a more powerful ability to reconstruct panning videos than the existing state-of-the-art low-rank models.

SET8 promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition and confers TWIST dual transcriptional activities

PubMed Central

Yang, Fen; Sun, Luyang; Li, Qian; Han, Xiao; Lei, Liandi; Zhang, Hua; Shang, Yongfeng

2012-01-01

SET8 is implicated in transcriptional regulation, heterochromatin formation, genomic stability, cell-cycle progression, and development. As such, it is predicted that SET8 might be involved in the development and progression of tumour. However, whether and how SET8 might be implicated in tumourigenesis is currently unknown. Here, we report that SET8 is physically associated with TWIST, a master regulator of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). We demonstrated that SET8 and TWIST are functionally interdependent in promoting EMT and enhancing the invasive potential of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We showed that SET8 acts as a dual epigenetic modifier on the promoters of the TWIST target genes E-cadherin and N-cadherin via its H4K20 monomethylation activity. Significantly, in breast carcinoma samples, SET8 expression is positively correlated with metastasis and the expression of TWIST and N-cadherin and negatively correlated with E-cadherin. Together, our experiments revealed a novel role for SET8 in tumour invasion and metastasis and provide a molecular mechanism underlying TWIST-promoted EMT, suggesting SET8 as a potential target for intervention of the metastasis of breast cancer. PMID:21983900

AKT-ions with a TWIST between EMT and MET.

PubMed

Tang, Huifang; Massi, Daniela; Hemmings, Brian A; Mandalà, Mario; Hu, Zhengqiang; Wicki, Andreas; Xue, Gongda

2016-09-20

The transcription factor Twist is an important regulator of cranial suture during embryogenesis. Closure of the neural tube is achieved via Twist-triggered cellular transition from an epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype, a process known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterized by a remarkable increase in cell motility. In the absence of Twist activity, EMT and associated phenotypic changes in cell morphology and motility can also be induced, albeit moderately, by other transcription factor families, including Snail and Zeb. Aberrant EMT triggered by Twist in human mammary tumour cells was first reported to drive metastasis to the lung in a metastatic breast cancer model. Subsequent analysis of many types of carcinoma demonstrated overexpression of these unique EMT transcription factors, which statistically correlated with worse outcome, indicating their potential as biomarkers in the clinic. However, the mechanisms underlying their activation remain unclear. Interestingly, increasing evidence indicates they are selectively activated by distinct intracellular kinases, thereby acting as downstream effectors facilitating transduction of cytoplasmic signals into nucleus and reprogramming EMT and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) transcription to control cell plasticity. Understanding these relationships and emerging data indicating differential phosphorylation of Twist leads to complex and even paradoxical functionalities, will be vital to unlocking their potential in clinical settings.

Reducing Bolt Preload Variation with Angle-of-Twist Bolt Loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Bryce; Nayate, Pramod; Smith, Doug; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Critical high-pressure sealing joints on the Space Shuttle reusable solid rocket motor require precise control of bolt preload to ensure proper joint function. As the reusable solid rocket motor experiences rapid internal pressurization, correct bolt preloads maintain the sealing capability and structural integrity of the hardware. The angle-of-twist process provides the right combination of preload accuracy, reliability, process control, and assembly-friendly design. It improves significantly over previous methods. The sophisticated angle-of-twist process controls have yielded answers to all discrepancies encountered while the simplicity of the root process has assured joint preload reliability.

Investigation of nanoyarn preparation by modified electrospinning setup.

PubMed

Levitt, Ariana S; Knittel, Chelsea E; Vallett, Richard; Koerner, Michael; Dion, Genevieve; Schauer, Caroline L

2017-05-15

Higher ordered structures of nanofibers, including nanofiber-based yarns and cables, have a variety of potential applications, including wearable health monitoring systems, artificial tendons, and medical sutures. In this study, twisted assemblies of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers were fabricated via a modified electrospinning setup, consisting of a rotating cone-shaped copper collector, two syringe pumps, and two high voltage power supplies. The fiber diameters and twist angles varied as a function of the rotary speed of the collector. Mechanical testing of the yarns revealed that PVDF-TrFe and PCL yarns have a higher strain-to-failure than PAN yarns, reaching 307% for PCL nanoyarns. For the first time, the porosity of nanofiber yarns was studied as a function of twist angle, showing that PAN nanoyarns are more porous than PCL yarns.

Analysis of a Caenorhabditis elegans Twist homolog identifies conserved and divergent aspects of mesodermal patterning

PubMed Central

Harfe, Brian D.; Gomes, Ana Vaz; Kenyon, Cynthia; Liu, Jun; Krause, Michael; Fire, Andrew

1998-01-01

Mesodermal development is a multistep process in which cells become increasingly specialized to form specific tissue types. In Drosophila and mammals, proper segregation and patterning of the mesoderm involves the bHLH factor Twist. We investigated the activity of a Twist-related factor, CeTwist, during Caenorhabditis elegans mesoderm development. Embryonic mesoderm in C. elegans derives from a number of distinct founder cells that are specified during the early lineages; in contrast, a single blast cell (M) is responsible for all nongonadal mesoderm formation during postembryonic development. Using immunofluorescence and reporter fusions, we determined the activity pattern of the gene encoding CeTwist. No activity was observed during specification of mesodermal lineages in the early embryo; instead, the gene was active within the M lineage and in a number of mesodermal cells with nonstriated muscle fates. A role for CeTwist in postembryonic mesodermal cell fate specification was indicated by ectopic expression and genetic interference assays. These experiments showed that CeTwist was responsible for activating two target genes normally expressed in specific subsets of nonstriated muscles derived from the M lineage. In vitro and in vivo assays suggested that CeTwist cooperates with the C. elegans E/Daughterless homolog in directly activating these targets. The two target genes that we have studied, ceh-24 and egl-15, encode an NK-2 class homeodomain and an FGF receptor (FGFR) homolog, respectively. Twist activates FGFR and NK-homeodomain target genes during mesodermal patterning of Drosophila and similar target interactions have been proposed to modulate mesenchymal growth during closure of the vertebrate skull. These results suggest the possibility that a conserved pathway may be used for diverse functions in mesodermal specification. PMID:9716413

Monopole-antimonopole interaction potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saurabh, Ayush; Vachaspati, Tanmay

2017-11-01

We numerically study the interactions of twisted monopole-antimonopole pairs in the 't Hooft-Polyakov model for a range of values of the scalar to vector mass ratio. We also recover the sphaleron solution at maximum twist discovered by Taubes [Commun. Math. Phys. 86, 257 (1982), 10.1007/BF01206014] and map out its energy and size as functions of parameters.

Analytic second derivative of the energy for density functional theory based on the three-body fragment molecular orbital method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakata, Hiroya; Fedorov, Dmitri G.; Zahariev, Federico; Schmidt, Michael W.; Kitaura, Kazuo; Gordon, Mark S.; Nakamura, Shinichiro

2015-03-01

Analytic second derivatives of the energy with respect to nuclear coordinates have been developed for spin restricted density functional theory (DFT) based on the fragment molecular orbital method (FMO). The derivations were carried out for the three-body expansion (FMO3), and the two-body expressions can be obtained by neglecting the three-body corrections. Also, the restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) Hessian for FMO3 can be obtained by neglecting the density-functional related terms. In both the FMO-RHF and FMO-DFT Hessians, certain terms with small magnitudes are neglected for computational efficiency. The accuracy of the FMO-DFT Hessian in terms of the Gibbs free energy is evaluated for a set of polypeptides and water clusters and found to be within 1 kcal/mol of the corresponding full (non-fragmented) ab initio calculation. The FMO-DFT method is also applied to transition states in SN2 reactions and for the computation of the IR and Raman spectra of a small Trp-cage protein (PDB: 1L2Y). Some computational timing analysis is also presented.

Time-varying wing-twist improves aerodynamic efficiency of forward flight in butterflies.

PubMed

Zheng, Lingxiao; Hedrick, Tyson L; Mittal, Rajat

2013-01-01

Insect wings can undergo significant chordwise (camber) as well as spanwise (twist) deformation during flapping flight but the effect of these deformations is not well understood. The shape and size of butterfly wings leads to particularly large wing deformations, making them an ideal test case for investigation of these effects. Here we use computational models derived from experiments on free-flying butterflies to understand the effect of time-varying twist and camber on the aerodynamic performance of these insects. High-speed videogrammetry is used to capture the wing kinematics, including deformation, of a Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) in untethered, forward flight. These experimental results are then analyzed computationally using a high-fidelity, three-dimensional, unsteady Navier-Stokes flow solver. For comparison to this case, a set of non-deforming, flat-plate wing (FPW) models of wing motion are synthesized and subjected to the same analysis along with a wing model that matches the time-varying wing-twist observed for the butterfly, but has no deformation in camber. The simulations show that the observed butterfly wing (OBW) outperforms all the flat-plate wings in terms of usable force production as well as the ratio of lift to power by at least 29% and 46%, respectively. This increase in efficiency of lift production is at least three-fold greater than reported for other insects. Interestingly, we also find that the twist-only-wing (TOW) model recovers much of the performance of the OBW, demonstrating that wing-twist, and not camber is key to forward flight in these insects. The implications of this on the design of flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles are discussed.

Time-Varying Wing-Twist Improves Aerodynamic Efficiency of Forward Flight in Butterflies

PubMed Central

Zheng, Lingxiao; Hedrick, Tyson L.; Mittal, Rajat

2013-01-01

Insect wings can undergo significant chordwise (camber) as well as spanwise (twist) deformation during flapping flight but the effect of these deformations is not well understood. The shape and size of butterfly wings leads to particularly large wing deformations, making them an ideal test case for investigation of these effects. Here we use computational models derived from experiments on free-flying butterflies to understand the effect of time-varying twist and camber on the aerodynamic performance of these insects. High-speed videogrammetry is used to capture the wing kinematics, including deformation, of a Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) in untethered, forward flight. These experimental results are then analyzed computationally using a high-fidelity, three-dimensional, unsteady Navier-Stokes flow solver. For comparison to this case, a set of non-deforming, flat-plate wing (FPW) models of wing motion are synthesized and subjected to the same analysis along with a wing model that matches the time-varying wing-twist observed for the butterfly, but has no deformation in camber. The simulations show that the observed butterfly wing (OBW) outperforms all the flat-plate wings in terms of usable force production as well as the ratio of lift to power by at least 29% and 46%, respectively. This increase in efficiency of lift production is at least three-fold greater than reported for other insects. Interestingly, we also find that the twist-only-wing (TOW) model recovers much of the performance of the OBW, demonstrating that wing-twist, and not camber is key to forward flight in these insects. The implications of this on the design of flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles are discussed. PMID:23341923

The Importance of Three-Body Interactions in Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Water with the Fragment Molecular Orbital Method

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

Pruitt, Spencer R.; Nakata, Hiroya; Nagata, Takeshi

2016-04-12

The analytic first derivative with respect to nuclear coordinates is formulated and implemented in the framework of the three-body fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method. The gradient has been derived and implemented for restricted Hartree-Fock, second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation, and density functional theories. The importance of the three-body fully analytic gradient is illustrated through the failure of the two-body FMO method during molecular dynamics simulations of a small water cluster. The parallel implementation of the fragment molecular orbital method, its parallel efficiency, and its scalability on the Blue Gene/Q architecture up to 262,144 CPU cores, are also discussed.

Three-Dimensional Rotation, Twist and Torsion Analyses Using Real-Time 3D Speckle Tracking Imaging: Feasibility, Reproducibility, and Normal Ranges in Pediatric Population.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Zhang, Jing; Han, Wei; Gao, Jun; He, Lin; Yang, Yali; Yin, Ping; Xie, Mingxing; Ge, Shuping

2016-01-01

The specific aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, reproducibility and maturational changes of LV rotation, twist and torsion variables by real-time 3D speckle-tracking echocardiography (RT3DSTE) in children. A prospective study was conducted in 347 consecutive healthy subjects (181 males/156 females, mean age 7.12 ± 5.3 years, and range from birth to 18-years) using RT 3D echocardiography (3DE). The LV rotation, twist and torsion measurements were made off-line using TomTec software. Manual landmark selection and endocardial border editing were performed in 3 planes (apical "2"-, "4"-, and "3"- chamber views) and semi-automated tracking yielded LV rotation, twist and torsion measurements. LV rotation, twist and torsion analysis by RT 3DSTE were feasible in 307 out of 347 subjects (88.5%). There was no correlation between rotation or twist and age, height, weight, BSA or heart rate, respectively. However, there was statistically significant, but very modest correlation between LV torsion and age (R2 = 0.036, P< 0.001). The normal ranges were defined for rotation and twist in this cohort, and for torsion for each age group. The intra-observer and inter-observer variabilities for apical and basal rotation, twist and torsion ranged from 7.3% ± 3.8% to 12.3% ± 8.8% and from 8.8% ± 4.6% to 15.7% ± 10.1%, respectively. We conclude that analysis of LV rotation, twist and torsion by this new RT3D STE is feasible and reproducible in pediatric population. There is no maturational change in rotation and twist, but torsion decreases with age in this cohort. Further refinement is warranted to validate the utility of this new methodology in more sensitive and quantitative evaluation of congenital and acquired heart diseases in children.

Sunspot rotation. II. Effects of varying the field strength and twist of an emerging flux tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturrock, Z.; Hood, A. W.

2016-09-01

Context. Observations of flux emergence indicate that rotational velocities may develop within sunspots. However, the dependence of this rotation on sub-photospheric field strength and twist remains largely unknown. Aims: We investigate the effects of varying the initial field strength and twist of an emerging sub-photospheric magnetic flux tube on the rotation of the sunspots at the photosphere. Methods: We consider a simple model of a stratified domain with a sub-photospheric interior layer and three overlying atmospheric layers. A twisted arched flux tube is inserted in the interior and is allowed to rise into the atmosphere. To achieve this, the magnetohydrodynamic equations are solved using the Lagrangian-remap code, Lare3d. We perform a parameter study by independently varying the sub-photospheric magnetic field strength and twist. Results: Altering the initial magnetic field strength and twist of the flux tube significantly affects the tube's evolution and the rotational motions that develop at the photosphere. The rotation angle, vorticity, and current show a direct dependence on the initial field strength. We find that an increase in field strength increases the angle through which the fieldlines rotate, the length of the fieldlines extending into the atmosphere, and the magnetic energy transported to the atmosphere. This also affects the amount of residual twist in the interior. The length of the fieldlines is crucial as we predict the twist per unit length equilibrates to a lower value on longer fieldlines. No such direct dependence is found when we modify the twist of the magnetic field owing to the complex effect this has on the tension force acting on the tube. However, there is still a clear ordering in quantities such as the rotation angle, helicity, and free energy with higher initial twist cases being related to sunspots that rotate more rapidly, transporting more helicity and magnetic energy to the atmosphere.

Symmetries and Invariants of Twisted Quantum Algebras and Associated Poisson Algebras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molev, A. I.; Ragoucy, E.

We construct an action of the braid group BN on the twisted quantized enveloping algebra U q'( {o}N) where the elements of BN act as automorphisms. In the classical limit q → 1, we recover the action of BN on the polynomial functions on the space of upper triangular matrices with ones on the diagonal. The action preserves the Poisson bracket on the space of polynomials which was introduced by Nelson and Regge in their study of quantum gravity and rediscovered in the mathematical literature. Furthermore, we construct a Poisson bracket on the space of polynomials associated with another twisted quantized enveloping algebra U q'( {sp}2n). We use the Casimir elements of both twisted quantized enveloping algebras to reproduce and construct some well-known and new polynomial invariants of the corresponding Poisson algebras.

Non-Abelian string and particle braiding in topological order: Modular SL (3 ,Z ) representation and (3 +1 ) -dimensional twisted gauge theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Juven C.; Wen, Xiao-Gang

2015-01-01

String and particle braiding statistics are examined in a class of topological orders described by discrete gauge theories with a gauge group G and a 4-cocycle twist ω4 of G 's cohomology group H4(G ,R /Z ) in three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time (3 +1 D ) . We establish the topological spin and the spin-statistics relation for the closed strings and their multistring braiding statistics. The 3 +1 D twisted gauge theory can be characterized by a representation of a modular transformation group, SL (3 ,Z ) . We express the SL (3 ,Z ) generators Sx y z and Tx y in terms of the gauge group G and the 4-cocycle ω4. As we compactify one of the spatial directions z into a compact circle with a gauge flux b inserted, we can use the generators Sx y and Tx y of an SL (2 ,Z ) subgroup to study the dimensional reduction of the 3D topological order C3 D to a direct sum of degenerate states of 2D topological orders Cb2 D in different flux b sectors: C3 D=⊕bCb2 D . The 2D topological orders Cb2 D are described by 2D gauge theories of the group G twisted by the 3-cocycle ω3 (b ), dimensionally reduced from the 4-cocycle ω4. We show that the SL (2 ,Z ) generators, Sx y and Tx y, fully encode a particular type of three-string braiding statistics with a pattern that is the connected sum of two Hopf links. With certain 4-cocycle twists, we discover that, by threading a third string through two-string unlink into a three-string Hopf-link configuration, Abelian two-string braiding statistics is promoted to non-Abelian three-string braiding statistics.

Calculated Hydride Donor Abilities of Five-Coordinate Transition Metal Hydrides [HM(diphosphine)2] (+) (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) as a Function of the Bite Angle and Twist Angle of Diphosphine Ligands

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

Nimlos, Mark R.; Chang, Christopher H.; Curtis, Calvin J.

2008-07-07

Density functional theory (BLYP and B3LYP) and the polarized continuum model (PCM-UA0) for solvation have been used to investigate the effect of bite angle (P-M-P) of diphosphine ligands and the dihedral or twist angle between diphosphine ligands on the hydride donor abilities of Ni, Pd, and Pt [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes. It is found that an increased bite angle for a given transition metal atom results in poorer hydride donor abilities. However, hydride donor abilities for these complexes also decrease as the size of the alkyl side groups on the phosphorus atom increase (Et > Me > H) and with the lengthmore » of the metal phosphorus bond (Ni > Pd = Pt). These trends correlate with an increase in the twist angle between the two diphosphine ligands, which increases from 0° for a square-planar configuration to 90° for a tetrahedral geometry. Shorter M-P bonds, larger substituents on the diphosphine ligands, and larger bite angles all result in increased steric interactions between diphosphine ligands and larger dihedral or twist angles between the diphosphine ligands. The twist angle correlates much more strongly with hydride donor abilities than do bite angles alone. As the twist angle increases, the hydride donor ability decreases in a linear fashion. A frontier orbital analysis has been carried out, and it is shown that the hydride donor ability of [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes is largely determined by the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the corresponding [M(diphosphine)2]2+ complex. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.« less

Calculated Hydride Donor Abilities of Five-Coordinate Transition Metal Hydrides [HM(diphosphine)2]+ (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) as a Function of the Bite Angle and Twist Angle of Diphosphine Ligands

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

Nimlos, Mark; Chang, Christopher H.; Curtis, Calvin J.

2008-06-23

Density functional theory (BLYP and B3LYP) and the polarized continuum model (PCM-UA0) for solvation have been used to investigate the effect of bite angle (P-M-P) of diphosphine ligands and the dihedral or twist angle between diphosphine ligands on the hydride donor abilities of Ni, Pd, and Pt [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes. It is found that an increased bite angle for a given transition metal atom results in poorer hydride donor abilities. However, hydride donor abilities for these complexes also decrease as the size of the alkyl side groups on the phosphorus atom increase (Et > Me > H) and with the lengthmore » of the metal phosphorus bond (Ni > Pd = Pt). These trends correlate with an increase in the twist angle between the two diphosphine ligands, which increases from 0° for a square-planar configuration to 90° for a tetrahedral geometry. Shorter M-P bonds, larger substituents on the diphosphine ligands, and larger bite angles all result in increased steric interactions between diphosphine ligands and larger dihedral or twist angles between the diphosphine ligands. The twist angle correlates much more strongly with hydride donor abilities than do bite angles alone. As the twist angle increases, the hydride donor ability decreases in a linear fashion. A frontier orbital analysis has been carried out, and it is shown that the hydride donor ability of [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes is largely determined by the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the corresponding [M(diphosphine)2]2+ complex. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.« less

Twist1 Transcriptional Targets in the Developing Atrio-Ventricular Canal of the Mouse

PubMed Central

Vrljicak, Pavle; Cullum, Rebecca; Xu, Eric; Chang, Alex C. Y.; Wederell, Elizabeth D.; Bilenky, Mikhail; Jones, Steven J. M.; Marra, Marco A.; Karsan, Aly; Hoodless, Pamela A.

2012-01-01

Malformations of the cardiovascular system are the most common type of birth defect in humans, frequently affecting the formation of valves and septa. During heart valve and septa formation, cells from the atrio-ventricular canal (AVC) and outflow tract (OFT) regions of the heart undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and invade the underlying extracellular matrix to give rise to endocardial cushions. Subsequent maturation of newly formed mesenchyme cells leads to thin stress-resistant leaflets. TWIST1 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor expressed in newly formed mesenchyme cells of the AVC and OFT that has been shown to play roles in cell survival, cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the downstream targets of TWIST1 during heart valve formation remain unclear. To identify genes important for heart valve development downstream of TWIST1, we performed global gene expression profiling of AVC, OFT, atria and ventricles of the embryonic day 10.5 mouse heart by tag-sequencing (Tag-seq). Using this resource we identified a novel set of 939 genes, including 123 regulators of transcription, enriched in the valve forming regions of the heart. We compared these genes to a Tag-seq library from the Twist1 null developing valves revealing significant gene expression changes. These changes were consistent with a role of TWIST1 in controlling differentiation of mesenchymal cells following their transformation from endothelium in the mouse. To study the role of TWIST1 at the DNA level we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation and identified novel direct targets of TWIST1 in the developing heart valves. Our findings support a role for TWIST1 in the differentiation of AVC mesenchyme post-EMT in the mouse, and suggest that TWIST1 can exert its function by direct DNA binding to activate valve specific gene expression. PMID:22815831

Gravity in twisted space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrar, Kelly A.; Melott, Adrian L.

1990-01-01

Numerical simulations with periodic boundary conditions are widely used in cosmology. These have a multiply connected topology known as a three-torus. Such nontrivial topologies for the actual universe may have arisen in the Big Bang. A two-dimensional numerical model with a twisted topology, sometimes a Klein bottle, is shown as well as the fact that local properties of the model are not dependent on topology.

Quantitative Methods Based on Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystals for Mapping Surfaces Patterned with Bio/Chemical Functionality Relevant to Bioanalytical Assays

PubMed Central

Lowe, Aaron M.; Bertics, Paul J.; Abbott, Nicholas L.

2009-01-01

We report methods for the acquisition and analysis of optical images formed by thin films of twisted nematic liquid crystals (LCs) placed into contact with surfaces patterned with bio/chemical functionality relevant to surface-based assays. The methods are simple to implement and are shown to provide easily interpreted maps of chemical transformations on surfaces that are widely exploited in the preparation of analytic devices. The methods involve acquisition of multiple images of the LC as a function of the orientation of a polarizer; data analysis condenses the information present in the stack of images into a spatial map of the twist angle of the LC on the analytic surface. The potential utility of the methods is illustrated by mapping (i) the displacement of a monolayer formed from one alkanethiol on a gold film by a second thiol in solution, (ii) coadsorption of mixtures of amine-terminated and ethyleneglycol-terminated alkanethiols on gold films, which leads to a type of mixed monolayer that is widely exploited for immobilization of proteins on analytic surfaces, and (iii) patterns of antibodies printed onto surfaces. These results show that maps of the twist angle of the LC constructed from families of optical images can be used to reveal surface features that are not apparent in a single image of the LC film. Furthermore, the twist angles of the LC can be used to quantify the energy of interaction of the LC with the surface with a spatial resolution of <10 µm. When combined, the results described in this paper suggest non-destructive methods to monitor and validate chemical transformations on surfaces of the type that are routinely employed in the preparation of surface-based analytic technologies. PMID:18355089

Suppression of high-pT hadrons in Pb+Pb collisions at energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiao-Fang; Hirano, Tetsufumi; Wang, Enke; Wang, Xin-Nian; Zhang, Hanzhong

2011-09-01

The nuclear modification factor RAA(pT) for large transverse momentum pion spectra in Pb+Pb collisions at s=2.76 TeV is predicted within the next-to-leading order perturbative QCD parton model. The effect of jet quenching is incorporated through medium-modified fragmentation functions within the higher-twist approach. The jet transport parameter that controls medium modification is proportional to the initial parton density, and the coefficient is fixed by data on the suppression of large-pT hadron spectra obtained at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Data on charged hadron multiplicity dNch/dη=1584±80 in central Pb+Pb collisions from the ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are used to constrain the initial parton density both for determining the jet transport parameter and the 3 + 1 dimensional (3 + 1D) ideal hydrodynamic evolution of the bulk matter that is employed for the calculation of RPbPb(pT) for neutral pions.

Fine structure of spectrum of twist-three operators in QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belitsky, A. V.

1999-04-01

We unravel the structure of the spectrum of the anomalous dimensions of the quark-gluon twist-3 operators which are responsible for the multiparton correlations in hadrons and enter as a leading contribution to several physical cross sections. The method of analysis is based on the recent finding of a non-trivial integral of motion for the corresponding Hamiltonian problem in multicolour limit which results into exact integrability of the three-particle system. Quasiclassical expansion is used for solving the problem. We address the chiral-odd sector as a case of study.

Work Function Variations in Twisted Graphene Layers

DOE PAGES

Robinson, Jeremy T.; Culbertson, James; Berg, Morgann; ...

2018-01-31

By combining optical imaging, Raman spectroscopy, kelvin probe force microscopy (KFPM), and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), we show that graphene’s layer orientation, as well as layer thickness, measurably changes the surface potential (Φ). Detailed mapping of variable-thickness, rotationally-faulted graphene films allows us to correlate Φ with specific morphological features. Using KPFM and PEEM we measure ΔΦ up to 39 mV for layers with different twist angles, while ΔΦ ranges from 36–129 mV for different layer thicknesses. The surface potential between different twist angles or layer thicknesses is measured at the KPFM instrument resolution of ≤ 200 nm. The PEEM measuredmore » work function of 4.4 eV for graphene is consistent with doping levels on the order of 10 12cm -2. Here, we find that Φ scales linearly with Raman G-peak wavenumber shift (slope = 22.2 mV/cm -1) for all layers and twist angles, which is consistent with doping-dependent changes to graphene’s Fermi energy in the ‘high’ doping limit. Our results here emphasize that layer orientation is equally important as layer thickness when designing multilayer two-dimensional systems where surface potential is considered.« less

Role of Nucleoid Associated Proteins in Stabilizing Supercoils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlke, Katelyn; Sing, Charles

Nucleoid associated proteins (NAPs) play an important role in prokaryotic cells by manipulating the shape and structure of the DNA. These NAPs act by bending or twisting DNA, and there are indications that NAPs bind preferentially to DNA that is already bent or twisted. We hypothesize that these binding behaviors strongly impact the stability and structure of DNA. We use coarse-grained simulation of NAPs and DNA that allow us to achieve the time and length scales where DNA supercoiling occurs. Supercoils are twist-induced structures that are the result of relaxing highly-twisted DNA by inducing higher degrees of bending and writhe. We are able to reproduce experimental observations, such as the extension of a DNA molecule as a function of force, linking number, and NAP concentration. Building upon these test cases, we allow the binding and unbinding energy of the simulated NAPs to be a function of the bending angle of the DNA at the site of binding (ΔEB (θ)). Consequently, NAPs localize along the contour of the supercoil, and this binding preference is capable of stabilizing supercoils that form within the nucleoid. National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32GM070421.

Work Function Variations in Twisted Graphene Layers

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

Robinson, Jeremy T.; Culbertson, James; Berg, Morgann

By combining optical imaging, Raman spectroscopy, kelvin probe force microscopy (KFPM), and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), we show that graphene’s layer orientation, as well as layer thickness, measurably changes the surface potential (Φ). Detailed mapping of variable-thickness, rotationally-faulted graphene films allows us to correlate Φ with specific morphological features. Using KPFM and PEEM we measure ΔΦ up to 39 mV for layers with different twist angles, while ΔΦ ranges from 36–129 mV for different layer thicknesses. The surface potential between different twist angles or layer thicknesses is measured at the KPFM instrument resolution of ≤ 200 nm. The PEEM measuredmore » work function of 4.4 eV for graphene is consistent with doping levels on the order of 10 12cm -2. Here, we find that Φ scales linearly with Raman G-peak wavenumber shift (slope = 22.2 mV/cm -1) for all layers and twist angles, which is consistent with doping-dependent changes to graphene’s Fermi energy in the ‘high’ doping limit. Our results here emphasize that layer orientation is equally important as layer thickness when designing multilayer two-dimensional systems where surface potential is considered.« less

Effects of Structural Deformation and Tube Chirality on Electronic Conductance of Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svizhenko, Alexei; Maiti, Amitesh; Anantram, M. P.; Biegel, Bryan A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A combination of large scale classical force-field (UFF), density functional theory (DFT), and tight-binding Green's function transport calculations is used to study the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes under the twist, bending, and atomic force microscope (AFM)-tip deformation. We found that in agreement with experiment a significant change in electronic conductance can be induced by AFM-tip deformation of metallic zigzag tubes and by twist deformation of armchair tubes. The effect is explained in terms of bandstructure change under deformation.

Analysis of current distribution in a large superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamajima, Takataro; Alamgir, A. K. M.; Harada, Naoyuki; Tsuda, Makoto; Ono, Michitaka; Takano, Hirohisa

An imbalanced current distribution which is often observed in cable-in-conduit (CIC) superconductors composed of multistaged, triplet type sub-cables, can deteriorate the performance of the coils. It is, hence very important to analyze the current distribution in a superconductor and find out methods to realize a homogeneous current distribution in the conductor. We apply magnetic flux conservation in a loop contoured by electric center lines of filaments in two arbitrary strands located on adjacent layers in a coaxial multilayer superconductor, and thereby analyze the current distribution in the conductor. A generalized formula governing the current distribution can be described as explicit functions of the superconductor construction parameters, such as twist pitch, twist direction and radius of individual layer. We numerically analyze a homogeneous current distribution as a function of the twist pitches of layers, using the fundamental formula. Moreover, it is demonstrated that we can control current distribution in the coaxial superconductor.

Atomic spectroscopy with twisted photons: Separation of M 1 -E 2 mixed multipoles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afanasev, Andrei; Carlson, Carl E.; Solyanik, Maria

2018-02-01

We analyze atomic photoexcitation into the discrete states by twisted photons, or photons carrying extra orbital angular momentum along their direction of propagation. From the angular momentum and parity considerations, we are able to relate twisted-photon photoexcitation amplitudes to their plane-wave analogs, independently of the details of the atomic wave functions. We analyze the photoabsorption cross sections of mixed-multipolarity E 2 -M 1 transitions in ionized atoms and found fundamental differences coming from the photon topology. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates that it is possible to extract the relative transition rates of different multipolar contributions by measuring the photoexcitation rate as a function of the atom's position (or impact parameter) with respect to the optical vortex center. The proposed technique for separation of multipoles can be implemented if the target's atom position is resolved with subwavelength accuracy; for example, with Paul traps. Numerical examples are presented for Boron-like highly charged ions.

The effect of twisted-tape width on heat transfer and pressure drop for fully developed laminar flow

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

Chakroun, W.M.; Al-Fahed, S.F.

1996-07-01

A series of experiments was conducted to study the effect of twisted-tape width on the heat transfer and pressure drop with laminar flow in tubes. Data for three twisted-tape wavelengths, each with five different widths, have been collected with constant wall temperature boundary condition. Correlations for the friction factor and Nusselt number are also available. The correlations predict the experimental data to within 10 to 15 percent for the heat transfer and friction factor, respectively. The presence of the twisted tape has caused the friction factor to increase by a factor of 3 to 7 depending on Reynolds number andmore » the twisted-tape geometry. Heat transfer results have shown an increase of 1.5 to 3 times that of plain tubes depending on the flow conditions and the twisted-tape geometry. The width shows no effect on friction factor and heat transfer in the low range of Reynolds number but has a more pronounced effect on heat transfer at the higher range of Reynolds number. It is recommended to use loose-fit tapes for low Reynolds number flows instead of tight-fit in the design of heat exchangers because they are easier to install and remove for cleaning purposes.« less

Twisted MoSe 2 bilayers with variable local stacking and interlayer coupling revealed by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Puretzky, Alexander A.; Liang, Liangbo; Li, Xufan; ...

2016-01-14

Unique twisted bilayers of MoSe 2 with multiple stacking orientations and interlayer couplings in the narrow range of twist angles, 60 ± 3°, are revealed by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy and theoretical analysis. The slight deviation from 60 allows the concomitant presence of patches featuring all three high-symmetry stacking configurations (2H or AA', AB', A'B) in one unique bilayer system. In this case, the periodic arrangement of the patches and their size strongly depend on the twist angle. Ab initio modeling predicts significant changes in frequencies and intensities of low-frequency modes versus stacking and twist angle. Experimentally, the variable stacking andmore » coupling across the interface is revealed by the appearance of two breathing modes corresponding to the mixture of the high-symmetry stacking configurations and unaligned regions of monolayers. Only one breathing mode is observed outside the narrow range of twist angles. This indicates a stacking transition to unaligned monolayers with mismatched atom registry without the in-plane restoring force required to generate a shear mode. As a result, the variable interlayer coupling and spacing in transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers revealed in this study may provide a new platform for optoelectronic applications of these materials.« less

Twisted MoSe 2 bilayers with variable local stacking and interlayer coupling revealed by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy

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

Puretzky, Alexander A.; Liang, Liangbo; Li, Xufan

Unique twisted bilayers of MoSe 2 with multiple stacking orientations and interlayer couplings in the narrow range of twist angles, 60 ± 3°, are revealed by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy and theoretical analysis. The slight deviation from 60 allows the concomitant presence of patches featuring all three high-symmetry stacking configurations (2H or AA', AB', A'B) in one unique bilayer system. In this case, the periodic arrangement of the patches and their size strongly depend on the twist angle. Ab initio modeling predicts significant changes in frequencies and intensities of low-frequency modes versus stacking and twist angle. Experimentally, the variable stacking andmore » coupling across the interface is revealed by the appearance of two breathing modes corresponding to the mixture of the high-symmetry stacking configurations and unaligned regions of monolayers. Only one breathing mode is observed outside the narrow range of twist angles. This indicates a stacking transition to unaligned monolayers with mismatched atom registry without the in-plane restoring force required to generate a shear mode. As a result, the variable interlayer coupling and spacing in transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers revealed in this study may provide a new platform for optoelectronic applications of these materials.« less

Rayleigh scattering of twisted light by hydrogenlike ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peshkov, A. A.; Volotka, A. V.; Surzhykov, A.; Fritzsche, S.

2018-02-01

The elastic Rayleigh scattering of twisted light and, in particular, the polarization (transfer) of the scattered photons have been analyzed within the framework of second-order perturbation theory and Dirac's relativistic equation. Special attention was paid hereby to the scattering on three different atomic targets: single atoms, a mesoscopic (small) target, and a macroscopic (large) target, which are all centered with regard to the beam axis. Detailed calculations of the polarization Stokes parameters were performed for C5 + ions and for twisted Bessel beams. It is shown that the polarization of scattered photons is sensitive to the size of an atomic target and to the helicity, the opening angle, and the projection of the total angular momentum of the incident Bessel beam. These computations indicate more that the Stokes parameters of the (Rayleigh) scattered twisted light may significantly differ from their behavior for an incident plane-wave radiation.

Single meson production in photon-photon collisions and infrared renormalons

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

Ahmadov, A. I.; Department of Theoretical Physics, Baku State University, Z. Khalilov Street 23, AZ-1148, Baku; Aydin, Coskun

2010-03-01

In this article, we investigate the contribution of the higher-twist Feynman diagrams to the large-p{sub T} inclusive single meson production cross section in photon-photon collisions and present the general formulas for the higher-twist differential cross sections in case of the running coupling and frozen coupling approaches. The structure of infrared renormalon singularities of the higher-twist subprocess cross section and the resummed expression (the Borel sum) for it are found. We compared the resummed higher-twist cross sections with the ones obtained in the framework of the frozen coupling approach and leading-twist cross section. We obtain, that ratio R=({Sigma}{sub M}{sup +HT}){sup res}/({Sigma}{submore » M}{sup +HT}){sup 0}, for all values of the transverse momentum p{sub T} of the meson identically equivalent to ratio r=({Delta}{sub M}{sup HT}){sup res}/({Delta}{sub M}{sup HT}){sup 0}. It is shown that the resummed result depends on the choice of the meson wave functions used in calculation. Phenomenological effects of the obtained results are discussed.« less

Infrared renormalons and single meson production in proton-proton collisions

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

Ahmadov, A. I.; Aydin, Coskun; Hakan, Yilmaz A.

2009-07-01

In this article, we investigate the contribution of the higher-twist Feynman diagrams to the large-p{sub T} inclusive pion production cross section in proton-proton collisions and present the general formulas for the higher-twist differential cross sections in the case of the running coupling and frozen coupling approaches. The structure of infrared renormalon singularities of the higher-twist subprocess cross section and the resummed expression (the Borel sum) for it are found. We compared the resummed higher-twist cross sections with the ones obtained in the framework of the frozen coupling approach and leading-twist cross section. We obtain, that ratio R=({sigma}{sub {pi}{sup +}}{sup HT}){supmore » res}/({sigma}{sub {pi}{sup +}}{sup HT}){sup 0}, for all values of the transverse momentum p{sub T} of the pion identically equivalent to ratio r=({delta}{sub {pi}}{sup HT}){sup res}/({delta}{sub {pi}}{sup HT}){sup 0}. It is shown that the resummed result depends on the choice of the meson wave functions used in calculation. Phenomenological effects of the obtained results are discussed.« less

Effects of a Single Night of Postpartum Sleep on Childless Women’s Daytime Functioning

PubMed Central

McBean, Amanda L.; Kinsey, Steven G.; Montgomery-Downs, Hawley E.

2017-01-01

Study Objectives The maternal postpartum period is characterized by sleep fragmentation, which is associated with daytime impairment, mental health disturbances, and changes in melatonin patterns. In addition to sleep fragmentation, women undergo a complex set of physiological and environmental changes upon entering the postpartum period, confounding our understanding of effects of postpartum sleep disturbance. The primary study aim was to understand the basic impact of a single night of postpartum-like sleep fragmentation on sleep architecture, nocturnal melatonin levels, mood, daytime sleepiness, and neurobehavioral performance. Measurements and Results For one week prior to entry into the laboratory, eleven healthy nulliparous women kept a stable sleep-wake schedule (verified via actigraphy). Participants contributed three consecutive nights of laboratory overnight polysomnography: (1) a habituation/sleep disorder screening night; (2) a baseline night; and (3) a sleep fragmentation night, when participants were awakened three times for ~30 min each. Self-reported sleep quality and mood (Profile of Mood States Survey) both decreased significantly after sleep fragmentation compared to baseline measurements. Unexpectedly, daytime sleepiness (Multiple Sleep Latency Test) decreased significantly after sleep fragmentation. Experimental fragmentation had no significant effect on time spent in nocturnal sleep stages, urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin concentration, or psychomotor vigilance test performance. Participants continued to provide actigraphy data, and daily PVTs and self-reported sleep quality assessments at home for one week following sleep fragmentation; these assessments did not differ from baseline values. Conclusions While there were no changes in measured physiological components of a single night of postpartum-like experimental sleep fragmentation, there were decreases in self-reported measures of mood and sleep quality. Future research should examine the effects of multiple nights of modeling postpartum-like sleep fragmentation on objective measures of sleep and daytime functioning. PMID:26776447

Experimental study of burnout in channels with twisted fuel rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bol'Shakov, V. V.; Bashkirtsev, S. M.; Kobzar', L. L.; Morozov, A. G.

2007-05-01

The results of experimental studies of pressure drop and critical heat flux in the models of fuel assemblies (FAs) with fuel rod simulators twisted relative to the longitudinal axis and a three-ray cross section are considered. The experimental data are compared to the results obtained with the use of techniques adopted for design calculations with fuel rod bundles of type-VVER reactors.

Enhanced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and upregulated MYC in ectopic lesions contribute independently to endometriosis.

PubMed

Proestling, Katharina; Birner, Peter; Gamperl, Susanne; Nirtl, Nadine; Marton, Erika; Yerlikaya, Gülen; Wenzl, Rene; Streubel, Berthold; Husslein, Heinrich

2015-07-22

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which epithelial cells lose polarity and cell-to-cell contacts and acquire the migratory and invasive abilities of mesenchymal cells. These abilities are thought to be prerequisites for the establishment of endometriotic lesions. A hallmark of EMT is the functional loss of E-cadherin (CDH1) expression in epithelial cells. TWIST1, a transcription factor that represses E-cadherin transcription, is among the EMT inducers. SNAIL, a zinc-finger transcription factor, and its close relative SLUG have similar properties to TWIST1 and are thus also EMT inducers. MYC, which is upregulated by estrogens in the uterus by an estrogen response cis-acting element (ERE) in its promoter, is associated with proliferation in endometriosis. The role of EMT and proliferation in the pathogenesis of endometriosis was evaluated by analyzing TWIST1, CDH1 and MYC expression. CDH1, TWIST1, SNAIL and SLUG mRNA expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR from 47 controls and 74 patients with endometriosis. Approximately 42 ectopic and 62 eutopic endometrial tissues, of which 30 were matched samples, were collected during the same surgical procedure. We evaluated TWIST1 and MYC protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the epithelial and stromal tissue of 69 eutopic and 90 ectopic endometrium samples, of which 49 matched samples were analyzed from the same patient. Concordant expression of TWIST1/SNAIL/SLUG and CDH1 but also of TWIST1 and MYC was analyzed. We found that TWIST1, SNAIL and SLUG are overexpressed (p < 0.001, p = 0.016 and p < 0.001) in endometriosis, while CDH1 expression was concordantly reduced in these samples (p < 0.001). Similar to TWIST1, the epithelial expression of MYC was also significantly enhanced in ectopic endometrium compared to eutopic tissues (p = 0.008). We found exclusive expression of either TWIST1 or MYC in the same samples (p = 0.003). Epithelial TWIST1 is overexpressed in endometriosis and may contribute to the formation of endometriotic lesions by inducing epithelial to mesenchymal transition, as CDH1 was reduced in ectopic lesions. We found exclusive expression of either TWIST1 or MYC in the same samples, indicating that EMT and proliferation contribute independently of each other to the formation of endometriotic lesions.

`Twisted' electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larocque, Hugo; Kaminer, Ido; Grillo, Vincenzo; Leuchs, Gerd; Padgett, Miles J.; Boyd, Robert W.; Segev, Mordechai; Karimi, Ebrahim

2018-04-01

Electrons have played a significant role in the development of many fields of physics during the last century. The interest surrounding them mostly involved their wave-like features prescribed by the quantum theory. In particular, these features correctly predict the behaviour of electrons in various physical systems including atoms, molecules, solid-state materials, and even in free space. Ten years ago, new breakthroughs were made, arising from the new ability to bestow orbital angular momentum (OAM) to the wave function of electrons. This quantity, in conjunction with the electron's charge, results in an additional magnetic property. Owing to these features, OAM-carrying, or twisted, electrons can effectively interact with magnetic fields in unprecedented ways and have motivated materials scientists to find new methods for generating twisted electrons and measuring their OAM content. Here, we provide an overview of such techniques along with an introduction to the exciting dynamics of twisted electrons.

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

Gabuda, S. P.; Kozlova, S. G.; Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Str., Novosibirsk 630090

We report an abnormal difference of low-temperature mobility of left-twisted and right-twisted conformations of roto symmetric molecules C{sub 6}H{sub 12}N{sub 2} (dabco) located in the same positions in crystal Zn{sub 2}(C{sub 8}H{sub 4}O{sub 4}){sub 2}⋅C{sub 6}H{sub 12}N{sub 2}. The difference between {sup 1}H NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spin-relaxation data for left-twisted and right-twisted molecules reaches ∼3 × 10{sup 3} times at 8 K and tends to grow at lower temperatures. We argue that taking into account four-component relativistic Dirac wave functions in the vicinity of the nodal plane of dabco molecules and vacuum fluctuations due to virtual particle-antiparticle pairs canmore » explain the changes which C{sub 6}H{sub 12}N{sub 2} conformations undergo at low temperatures.« less

Reversible Twisting of Primary Amides via Ground State N-C(O) Destabilization: Highly Twisted Rotationally Inverted Acyclic Amides.

PubMed

Meng, Guangrong; Shi, Shicheng; Lalancette, Roger; Szostak, Roman; Szostak, Michal

2018-01-17

Since the seminal studies by Pauling in 1930s, planarity has become the defining characteristic of the amide bond. Planarity of amides has central implications for the reactivity and chemical properties of amides of relevance to a range of chemical disciplines. While the vast majority of amides are planar, nonplanarity has a profound effect on the properties of the amide bond, with the most common method to restrict the amide bond relying on the incorporation of the amide function into a rigid cyclic ring system. In a major departure from this concept, here, we report the first class of acyclic twisted amides that can be prepared, reversibly, from common primary amides in a single, operationally trivial step. Di-tert-butoxycarbonylation of the amide nitrogen atom yields twisted amides in which the amide bond exhibits nearly perpendicular twist. Full structural characterization of a range of electronically diverse compounds from this new class of twisted amides is reported. Through reactivity studies we demonstrate unusual properties of the amide bond, wherein selective cleavage of the amide bond can be achieved by a judicious choice of the reaction conditions. Through computational studies we evaluate structural and energetic details pertaining to the amide bond deformation. The ability to selectively twist common primary amides, in a reversible manner, has important implications for the design and application of the amide bond nonplanarity in structural chemistry, biochemistry and organic synthesis.

Xenoliths in maars and diatremes with inferences for the moon, Mars, and Venus.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgetchin, T. R.; Ullrich, G. W.

1973-01-01

Some field observations of the occurrence of deep-seated rock fragments in three terrestrial volcanic features that may have counterparts on the moon or Mars are reviewed, and results of numerical hydrodynamic calculations of the eruption of these types of volcanoes are presented. In particular, the transport of entrained fragmental debris is investigated for the surface (muzzle) velocity of fragments that it yields as a function of fragment size and various values of surface gravity. The implications of these observations and inferences for possible future space missions are examined.

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes with short peptide fragments from class IIa bacteriocins as recognition elements.

PubMed

Azmi, Sarfuddin; Jiang, Keren; Stiles, Michael; Thundat, Thomas; Kaur, Kamaljit

2015-03-09

We employed a direct peptide-bacteria binding assay to screen peptide fragments for high and specific binding to Listeria monocytogenes. Peptides were screened from a peptide array library synthesized on cellulose membrane. Twenty four peptide fragments (each a 14-mer) were derived from three potent anti-listerial peptides, Leucocin A, Pediocin PA1, and Curvacin A, that belong to class IIa bacteriocins. Fragment Leu10 (GEAFSAGVHRLANG), derived from the C-terminal region of Leucocin A, displayed the highest binding among all of the library fragments toward several pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, including L. monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The specific binding of Leu10 to L. monocytogenes was further validated using microcantilever (MCL) experiments. Microcantilevers coated with gold were functionalized with peptides by chemical conjugation using a cysteamine linker to yield a peptide density of ∼4.8×10(-3) μmol/cm2 for different peptide fragments. Leu10 (14-mer) functionalized MCL was able to detect Listeria with same sensitivity as that of Leucocin A (37-mer) functionalized MCL, validating the use of short peptide fragments in bacterial detection platforms. Fragment Leu10 folded into a helical conformation in solution, like that of native Leucocin A, suggesting that both Leu10 and Leucocin A may employ a similar mechanism for binding target bacteria. The results show that peptide-conjugated microcantilevers can function as highly sensitive platforms for Listeria detection and hold potential to be developed as biosensors for pathogenic bacteria.

Fast antibody fragment motion: flexible linkers act as entropic spring

PubMed Central

Stingaciu, Laura R.; Ivanova, Oxana; Ohl, Michael; Biehl, Ralf; Richter, Dieter

2016-01-01

A flexible linker region between three fragments allows antibodies to adjust their binding sites to an antigen or receptor. Using Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy we observed fragment motion on a timescale of 7 ns with motional amplitudes of about 1 nm relative to each other. The mechanistic complexity of the linker region can be described by a spring model with Brownian motion of the fragments in a harmonic potential. Displacements, timescale, friction and force constant of the underlying dynamics are accessed. The force constant exhibits a similar strength to an entropic spring, with friction of the fragment matching the unbound state. The observed fast motions are fluctuations in pre-existing equilibrium configurations. The Brownian motion of domains in a harmonic potential is the appropriate model to examine functional hinge motions dependent on the structural topology and highlights the role of internal forces and friction to function. PMID:27020739

Fast antibody fragment motion: flexible linkers act as entropic spring

DOE PAGES

Stingaciu, Laura R.; Ivanova, Oxana; Ohl, Michael; ...

2016-03-29

A flexible linker region between three fragments allows antibodies to adjust their binding sites to an antigen or receptor. Using Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy we observed fragment motion on a timescale of 7 ns with motional amplitudes of about 1 nm relative to each other. The mechanistic complexity of the linker region can be described by a spring model with Brownian motion of the fragments in a harmonic potential. Displacements, timescale, friction and force constant of the underlying dynamics are accessed. The force constant exhibits a similar strength to an entropic spring, with friction of the fragment matching the unboundmore » state. The observed fast motions are fluctuations in pre-existing equilibrium configurations. In conclusion, the Brownian motion of domains in a harmonic potential is the appropriate model to examine functional hinge motions dependent on the structural topology and highlights the role of internal forces and friction to function.« less

Fast antibody fragment motion: flexible linkers act as entropic spring.

PubMed

Stingaciu, Laura R; Ivanova, Oxana; Ohl, Michael; Biehl, Ralf; Richter, Dieter

2016-03-29

A flexible linker region between three fragments allows antibodies to adjust their binding sites to an antigen or receptor. Using Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy we observed fragment motion on a timescale of 7 ns with motional amplitudes of about 1 nm relative to each other. The mechanistic complexity of the linker region can be described by a spring model with Brownian motion of the fragments in a harmonic potential. Displacements, timescale, friction and force constant of the underlying dynamics are accessed. The force constant exhibits a similar strength to an entropic spring, with friction of the fragment matching the unbound state. The observed fast motions are fluctuations in pre-existing equilibrium configurations. The Brownian motion of domains in a harmonic potential is the appropriate model to examine functional hinge motions dependent on the structural topology and highlights the role of internal forces and friction to function.

Elastic and viscous properties of the nematic dimer CB7CB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babakhanova, Greta; Parsouzi, Zeinab; Paladugu, Sathyanarayana; Wang, Hao; Nastishin, Yu. A.; Shiyanovskii, Sergij V.; Sprunt, Samuel; Lavrentovich, Oleg D.

2017-12-01

We present a comprehensive set of measurements of optical, dielectric, diamagnetic, elastic, and viscous properties in the nematic (N) phase formed by a liquid crystalline dimer. The studied dimer, 1,7-bis-4-(4'-cyanobiphenyl) heptane (CB7CB), is composed of two rigid rodlike cyanobiphenyl segments connected by a flexible aliphatic link with seven methyl groups. CB7CB and other nematic dimers are of interest due to their tendency to adopt bent configurations and to form two states possessing a modulated nematic director structure, namely, the twist-bend nematic, NTB, and the oblique helicoidal cholesteric, C hOH , which occurs when the achiral dimer is doped with a chiral additive and exposed to an external electric or magnetic field. We characterize the material parameters as functions of temperature in the entire temperature range of the N phase, including the pretransitional regions near the N -NTB and N-to-isotropic (I) transitions. The splay constant K11 is determined by two direct and independent techniques, namely, detection of the Frederiks transition and measurement of director fluctuation amplitudes by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The bend K33 and twist K22 constants are measured by DLS. K33, being the smallest of the three constants, shows a strong nonmonotonous temperature dependence with a negative slope in both N-I and N -NTB pretransitional regions. The measured ratio K11/K22 is larger than 2 in the entire nematic temperature range. The orientational viscosities associated with splay, twist, and bend fluctuations in the N phase are comparable to those of nematics formed by rodlike molecules. All three show strong temperature dependence, increasing sharply near the N -NTB transition.

Recombinant mouse periostin ameliorates coronal sutures fusion in Twist1+/- mice.

PubMed

Bai, Shanshan; Li, Dong; Xu, Liang; Duan, Huichuan; Yuan, Jie; Wei, Min

2018-04-17

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder caused by mutations in the twist family basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 1 (TWIST1) gene. Surgical procedures are frequently required to reduce morphological and functional defects in patients with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. Therefore, the development of noninvasive procedures to treat Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is critical. We identified that periostin, which is an extracellular matrix protein that plays an important role in both bone and connective tissues, is downregulated in craniosynostosis patients. We aimed to verify the effects of different concentrations (0, 50, 100, and 200 μg/l) of recombinant mouse periostin in Twist1 +/- mice (a mouse model of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome) coronal suture cells in vitro and in vivo. Cell proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation were observed and detected. Twist1 +/- mice were also injected with recombinant mouse periostin to verify the treatment effects. Cell Counting Kit-8 results showed that recombinant mouse periostin inhibited the proliferation of suture-derived cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Cell migration was also suppressed when treated with recombinant mouse periostin. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting results suggested that messenger ribonucleic acid and protein expression of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, collagen type I, and osteocalcin were all downregulated after treatment with recombinant mouse periostin. However, the expression of Wnt-3a, Wnt-1, and β-catenin were upregulated. The in vivo results demonstrated that periostin-treated Twist1 +/- mice showed patent coronal sutures in comparison with non-treated Twist1 +/- mice which have coronal craniosynostosis. Our results suggest that recombinant mouse periostin can inhibit coronal suture cell proliferation and migration and suppress osteogenic differentiation of suture-derived cells via Wnt canonical signaling, as well as ameliorate coronal suture fusion in Twist1 +/- mice.

Discrete and continuum modeling of solvent effects in a twisted intramolecular charge transfer system: The 4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) molecule.

PubMed

Modesto-Costa, Lucas; Borges, Itamar

2018-08-05

The 4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) molecule is a prototypical system displaying twisted intramolecular (TICT) charge transfer effects. The ground and the first four electronic excited states (S 1 -S 4 ) in gas phase and upon solvation were studied. Charge transfer values as function of the torsion angle between the donor group (dimethylamine) and the acceptor moiety (benzonitrile) were explicitly computed. Potential energy curves were also obtained. The algebraic diagrammatic construction method at the second-order [ADC(2)] ab initio wave function was employed. Three solvents of increased polarities (benzene, DMSO and water) were investigated using discrete (average solvent electrostatic configuration - ASEC) and continuum (conductor-like screening model - COSMO) models. The results for the S 3 and S 4 excited states and the S 1 -S 4 charge transfer curves were not previously available in the literature. Electronic gas phase and solvent vertical spectra are in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental results. In the twisted (90°) geometry the optical oscillator strengths have negligible values even for the S 2 bright state. Potential energy curves show two distinct pairs of curves intersecting at decreasing angles or not crossing in the more polar solvents. Charge transfer and electric dipole values allowed the rationalization of these results. The former effects are mostly independent of the solvent model and polarity. Although COSMO and ASEC solvent models mostly lead to similar results, there is an important difference: some crossings of the excitation energy curves appear only in the ASEC solvation model, which has important implications to the photochemistry of DMABN. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bend-Twist Coupled Carbon-Fiber Laminate Beams: Fundamental Behavior and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babuska, Pavel

Material-induced bend-twist coupling in laminated composite beams has seen applications in engineered structures for decades, ranging from airplane wings to turbine blades. Symmetric, unbalanced, carbon fiber laminates which exhibit bend-twist coupling can be difficult to characterize and exhibit unintuitive deformation states which may pose challenges to the engineer. In this thesis, bend-twist coupled beams are investigated comprehensively, by experimentation, numerical modeling, and analytical methods. Beams of varying fiber angle and amount of coupling were manufactured and physically tested in both linear and nonlinear static and dynamic settings. Analytical mass and stiffness matrices were derived for the development of a beam element to use in the stiffness matrix analysis method. Additionally, an ABAQUS finite element model was used in conjunction with the analytical methods to predict and further characterize the behavior of the beams. The three regimes, experimental, analytical, and numerical, represent a full-field characterization of bend-twist coupling in composite beams. A notable application of bend-twist coupled composites is for passively adaptive turbine blades whereby the deformation coupling can be built into the blade structure to simultaneously bend and twist, thus pitching the blade into or away from the fluid flow, changing the blade angle of attack. Passive pitch adaptation has been implemented successfully in wind turbine blades, however, for marine turbine blades, the technology is still in the development phase. Bend-twist coupling has been shown numerically to be beneficial to the tidal turbine performance, however little validation has been conducted in the experimental regime. In this thesis, passively adaptive experiment scale tidal turbine blades were designed, analyzed, manufactured, and physically tested, validating the foundational numerical work. It was shown that blade forces and root moments as well as turbine thrust and power coefficients can be manipulated by inclusion of passive pitch adaption by bend-twist coupling.

Analytic second derivative of the energy for density functional theory based on the three-body fragment molecular orbital method

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

Nakata, Hiroya, E-mail: nakata.h.ab@m.titech.ac.jp; RIKEN, Research Cluster for Innovation, Nakamura Lab, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kojimachi Business Center Building, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083

2015-03-28

Analytic second derivatives of the energy with respect to nuclear coordinates have been developed for spin restricted density functional theory (DFT) based on the fragment molecular orbital method (FMO). The derivations were carried out for the three-body expansion (FMO3), and the two-body expressions can be obtained by neglecting the three-body corrections. Also, the restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) Hessian for FMO3 can be obtained by neglecting the density-functional related terms. In both the FMO-RHF and FMO-DFT Hessians, certain terms with small magnitudes are neglected for computational efficiency. The accuracy of the FMO-DFT Hessian in terms of the Gibbs free energy is evaluatedmore » for a set of polypeptides and water clusters and found to be within 1 kcal/mol of the corresponding full (non-fragmented) ab initio calculation. The FMO-DFT method is also applied to transition states in S{sub N}2 reactions and for the computation of the IR and Raman spectra of a small Trp-cage protein (PDB: 1L2Y). Some computational timing analysis is also presented.« less

Is There a Correlation between Languages Spoken and Intricate Movements of Tongue? A Comparative Study of Various Movements of Tongue among the Three Ethnic Races of Malaysia

PubMed Central

Nayak, Satheesha B; Awal, Mahfuzah Binti; Han, Chang Wei; Sivaram, Ganeshram; Vigneswaran, Thimesha; Choon, Tee Lian

2016-01-01

Introduction Tongue is mainly used for taste, chewing and in speech. In the present study, we focused on the secondary function of the tongue as to how it is used in phonetic pronunciation and linguistics and how these factors affect tongue movements. Objective To compare all possible movements of tongue among Malaysians belonging to three ethnic races and to find out if there is any link between languages spoken and ability to perform various tongue movements. Materials and Methods A total of 450 undergraduate medical students participated in the study. The students were chosen from three different races i.e. Malays, Chinese and Indians (Malaysian Indians). Data was collected from the students through a semi-structured interview following which each student was asked to demonstrate various tongue movements like protrusion, retraction, flattening, rolling, twisting, folding or any other special movements. The data obtained was first segregated and analysed according to gender, race and types and dialects of languages spoken. Results We found that most of the Malaysians were able to perform the basic movements of tongue like protrusion, flattening movements and very few were able to perform twisting and folding of the tongue. The ability to perform normal tongue movements and special movements like folding, twisting, rolling and others was higher among Indians when compared to Malay and Chinese. Conclusion Languages spoken by Indians involve detailed tongue rolling and folding in pronouncing certain words and may be the reason as to why Indians are more versatile with tongue movements as compared to the other two races amongst Malaysians. It may be a possibility that languages spoken by a person serves as a variable that increases their ability to perform special tongue movements besides influenced by the genetic makeup of a person. PMID:26894051

A quenched study of the Schrödinger functional with chirally rotated boundary conditions: Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González López, J.; Jansen, K.; Renner, D. B.; Shindler, A.

2013-02-01

In a previous paper (González López, et al., 2013) [1], we have discussed the non-perturbative tuning of the chirally rotated Schrödinger functional (χSF). This tuning is required to eliminate bulk O(a) cutoff effects in physical correlation functions. Using our tuning results obtained in González López et al. (2013) [1] we perform scaling and universality tests analyzing the residual O(a) cutoff effects of several step-scaling functions and we compute renormalization factors at the matching scale. As an example of possible application of the χSF we compute the renormalized strange quark mass using large volume data obtained from Wilson twisted mass fermions at maximal twist.

Markedly Divergent Tree Assemblage Responses to Tropical Forest Loss and Fragmentation across a Strong Seasonality Gradient.

PubMed

Orihuela, Rodrigo L L; Peres, Carlos A; Mendes, Gabriel; Jarenkow, João A; Tabarelli, Marcelo

2015-01-01

We examine the effects of forest fragmentation on the structure and composition of tree assemblages within three seasonal and aseasonal forest types of southern Brazil, including evergreen, Araucaria, and deciduous forests. We sampled three southernmost Atlantic Forest landscapes, including the largest continuous forest protected areas within each forest type. Tree assemblages in each forest type were sampled within 10 plots of 0.1 ha in both continuous forests and 10 adjacent forest fragments. All trees within each plot were assigned to trait categories describing their regeneration strategy, vertical stratification, seed-dispersal mode, seed size, and wood density. We detected differences among both forest types and landscape contexts in terms of overall tree species richness, and the density and species richness of different functional groups in terms of regeneration strategy, seed dispersal mode and woody density. Overall, evergreen forest fragments exhibited the largest deviations from continuous forest plots in assemblage structure. Evergreen, Araucaria and deciduous forests diverge in the functional composition of tree floras, particularly in relation to regeneration strategy and stress tolerance. By supporting a more diversified light-demanding and stress-tolerant flora with reduced richness and abundance of shade-tolerant, old-growth species, both deciduous and Araucaria forest tree assemblages are more intrinsically resilient to contemporary human-disturbances, including fragmentation-induced edge effects, in terms of species erosion and functional shifts. We suggest that these intrinsic differences in the direction and magnitude of responses to changes in landscape structure between forest types should guide a wide range of conservation strategies in restoring fragmented tropical forest landscapes worldwide.

Markedly Divergent Tree Assemblage Responses to Tropical Forest Loss and Fragmentation across a Strong Seasonality Gradient

PubMed Central

Orihuela, Rodrigo L. L.; Peres, Carlos A.; Mendes, Gabriel; Jarenkow, João A.; Tabarelli, Marcelo

2015-01-01

We examine the effects of forest fragmentation on the structure and composition of tree assemblages within three seasonal and aseasonal forest types of southern Brazil, including evergreen, Araucaria, and deciduous forests. We sampled three southernmost Atlantic Forest landscapes, including the largest continuous forest protected areas within each forest type. Tree assemblages in each forest type were sampled within 10 plots of 0.1 ha in both continuous forests and 10 adjacent forest fragments. All trees within each plot were assigned to trait categories describing their regeneration strategy, vertical stratification, seed-dispersal mode, seed size, and wood density. We detected differences among both forest types and landscape contexts in terms of overall tree species richness, and the density and species richness of different functional groups in terms of regeneration strategy, seed dispersal mode and woody density. Overall, evergreen forest fragments exhibited the largest deviations from continuous forest plots in assemblage structure. Evergreen, Araucaria and deciduous forests diverge in the functional composition of tree floras, particularly in relation to regeneration strategy and stress tolerance. By supporting a more diversified light-demanding and stress-tolerant flora with reduced richness and abundance of shade-tolerant, old-growth species, both deciduous and Araucaria forest tree assemblages are more intrinsically resilient to contemporary human-disturbances, including fragmentation-induced edge effects, in terms of species erosion and functional shifts. We suggest that these intrinsic differences in the direction and magnitude of responses to changes in landscape structure between forest types should guide a wide range of conservation strategies in restoring fragmented tropical forest landscapes worldwide. PMID:26309252

A feasible high spatiotemporal resolution breast DCE-MRI protocol for clinical settings.

PubMed

Tudorica, Luminita A; Oh, Karen Y; Roy, Nicole; Kettler, Mark D; Chen, Yiyi; Hemmingson, Stephanie L; Afzal, Aneela; Grinstead, John W; Laub, Gerhard; Li, Xin; Huang, Wei

2012-11-01

Three dimensional bilateral imaging is the standard for most clinical breast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI protocols. Because of high spatial resolution (sRes) requirement, the typical 1-2 min temporal resolution (tRes) afforded by a conventional full-k-space-sampling gradient echo (GRE) sequence precludes meaningful and accurate pharmacokinetic analysis of DCE time-course data. The commercially available, GRE-based, k-space undersampling and data sharing TWIST (time-resolved angiography with stochastic trajectories) sequence was used in this study to perform DCE-MRI exams on thirty one patients (with 36 suspicious breast lesions) before their biopsies. The TWIST DCE-MRI was immediately followed by a single-frame conventional GRE acquisition. Blinded from each other, three radiologist readers assessed agreements in multiple lesion morphology categories between the last set of TWIST DCE images and the conventional GRE images. Fleiss' κ test was used to evaluate inter-reader agreement. The TWIST DCE time-course data were subjected to quantitative pharmacokinetic analyses. With a four-channel phased-array breast coil, the TWIST sequence produced DCE images with 20 s or less tRes and ~ 1.0×1.0×1.4 mm(3) sRes. There were no significant differences in signal-to-noise (P=.45) and contrast-to-noise (P=.51) ratios between the TWIST and conventional GRE images. The agreements in morphology evaluations between the two image sets were excellent with the intra-reader agreement ranging from 79% for mass margin to 100% for mammographic density and the inter-reader κ value ranging from 0.54 (P<.0001) for lesion size to 1.00 (P<.0001) for background parenchymal enhancement. Quantitative analyses of the DCE time-course data provided higher breast cancer diagnostic accuracy (91% specificity at 100% sensitivity) than the current clinical practice of morphology and qualitative kinetics assessments. The TWIST sequence may be used in clinical settings to acquire high spatiotemporal resolution breast DCE-MRI images for both precise lesion morphology characterization and accurate pharmacokinetic analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stromal Clues in Endometrial Carcinoma: Loss of Expression of β-Catenin, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Regulators, and Estrogen-Progesterone Receptor.

PubMed

Senol, Serkan; Sayar, Ilyas; Ceyran, Ayse B; Ibiloglu, Ibrahim; Akalin, Ibrahim; Firat, Ugur; Kosemetin, Duygu; Engin Zerk, Pinar; Aydin, Abdullah

2016-05-01

Epithelial-stroma interactions in the endometrium are known to be responsible for physiological functions and emergence of several pathologic lesions. Periglandular stromal cells act on endometrial cells in a paracrine manner through sex hormones. In this study, we immunohistochemically evaluated the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulators (SNAIL/SLUG, TWIST, ZEB1), adhesion molecules (β-catenin and E-cadhenin), estrogen (ER)-progesterone (PR) receptor and their correlation with each other in 30 benign, 148 hyperplastic (EH), and 101 endometrioid-type endometrial carcinoma (EC) endometria. In the epithelial component, loss of expression in E-cadherin, ER and PR, and overexpression of TWIST and ZEB1 were significantly higher in EC than in EH (P<0.01). In the periglandular stromal component, β-catenin and SNAIL/SLUG expression were significantly higher in normal endometrium and simple without atypical EH compared with complex atypical EH and EC (P<0.01). In addition, periglandular stromal TWIST expression was significantly higher in EH group compared with EC (P<0.05). There was significantly negative correlation between β-catenin and ER, TWIST and ER, and TWIST and PR in hyperplastic and carcinomatous glandular epithelium, whereas there was a significantly positive correlation between β-catenin and SNAIL-SLUG, β-catenin and TWIST, β-catenin and ER, β-catenin and PR, SNAIL-SLUG and ER, SNAIL-SLUG and PR, TWIST and ER, TWIST and PR, in periglandular/cancer-associated stromal cells (P<0.01). In conclusion, the pattern of positive and negative correlations in the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulators (SNAIL-SLUG and TWIST), sex hormone receptors (ER and PR), and β-catenin between ECs and hyperplasia, as well as between epithelium and stroma herein, is suggestive of a significant role for these proteins and their underlying molecular processes in the development of endometrial carcinomas.

Stromal Clues in Endometrial Carcinoma: Loss of Expression of β-Catenin, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Regulators, and Estrogen-Progesterone Receptor

PubMed Central

Sayar, Ilyas; Ceyran, Ayse B.; Ibiloglu, Ibrahim; Akalin, Ibrahim; Firat, Ugur; Kosemetin, Duygu; Engin Zerk, Pinar; Aydin, Abdullah

2016-01-01

Epithelial-stroma interactions in the endometrium are known to be responsible for physiological functions and emergence of several pathologic lesions. Periglandular stromal cells act on endometrial cells in a paracrine manner through sex hormones. In this study, we immunohistochemically evaluated the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulators (SNAIL/SLUG, TWIST, ZEB1), adhesion molecules (β-catenin and E-cadhenin), estrogen (ER)-progesterone (PR) receptor and their correlation with each other in 30 benign, 148 hyperplastic (EH), and 101 endometrioid-type endometrial carcinoma (EC) endometria. In the epithelial component, loss of expression in E-cadherin, ER and PR, and overexpression of TWIST and ZEB1 were significantly higher in EC than in EH (P<0.01). In the periglandular stromal component, β-catenin and SNAIL/SLUG expression were significantly higher in normal endometrium and simple without atypical EH compared with complex atypical EH and EC (P<0.01). In addition, periglandular stromal TWIST expression was significantly higher in EH group compared with EC (P<0.05). There was significantly negative correlation between β-catenin and ER, TWIST and ER, and TWIST and PR in hyperplastic and carcinomatous glandular epithelium, whereas there was a significantly positive correlation between β-catenin and SNAIL-SLUG, β-catenin and TWIST, β-catenin and ER, β-catenin and PR, SNAIL-SLUG and ER, SNAIL-SLUG and PR, TWIST and ER, TWIST and PR, in periglandular/cancer-associated stromal cells (P<0.01). In conclusion, the pattern of positive and negative correlations in the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulators (SNAIL-SLUG and TWIST), sex hormone receptors (ER and PR), and β-catenin between ECs and hyperplasia, as well as between epithelium and stroma herein, is suggestive of a significant role for these proteins and their underlying molecular processes in the development of endometrial carcinomas. PMID:26367784

Application of super-twisting observers to the estimation of state and unknown inputs in an anaerobic digestion system.

PubMed

Sbarciog, M; Moreno, J A; Vande Wouwer, A

2014-01-01

This paper presents the estimation of the unknown states and inputs of an anaerobic digestion system characterized by a two-step reaction model. The estimation is based on the measurement of the two substrate concentrations and of the outflow rate of biogas and relies on the use of an observer, consisting of three parts. The first is a generalized super-twisting observer, which estimates a linear combination of the two input concentrations. The second is an asymptotic observer, which provides one of the two biomass concentrations, whereas the third is a super-twisting observer for one of the input concentrations and the second biomass concentration.

Cross-scale transport processes in the three-dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delamere, P. A.; Burkholder, B. L.; Ma, X.; Nykyri, K.

2017-12-01

The Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability is a crucial aspect of the solar wind interaction with the giant magnetospheres. Rapid internal rotation of the magnetodisc produces conditions favorable for the growth of KH vortices along much of the equatorial magnetopause boundary. Pronounced dawn/dusk asymmetries at Jupiter and Saturn indicate a robust interaction with the solar wind. Using three-dimensional hybrid simulations we investigate the transport processes associated with the flow shear-driven KH instability. Of particular importance is small-scale and intermittent reconnection generated by the twisting of the magnetic field into configurations with antiparallel components. In three-dimensions strong guide field reconnection can occur even for initially parallel magnetic field configurations. Often the twisting motion leads to pairs of reconnection sites that can operate asynchronously, generating intermittent open flux and Maxwell stresses at the magnetopause boundary. We quantify the generation of open flux using field line tracing methods, determine the Reynolds and Maxwell stresses, and evaluate the mass transport as functions of magnetic shear, velocity shear, electron pressure and plasma beta. These results are compared with magnetohydrodynamic simulations (Ma et al., 2017). In addition, we present preliminary results for the role of cross-scale coupling processes, from fluid to ion scales. In particular, we characterize small-scale waves and the their role in mixing, diffusing and heating plasma at the magnetopause boundary.

Anatomically contoured plates for fixation of rib fractures.

PubMed

Bottlang, Michael; Helzel, Inga; Long, William B; Madey, Steven

2010-03-01

: Intraoperative contouring of long bridging plates for stabilization of flail chest injuries is difficult and time consuming. This study implemented for the first time biometric parameters to derive anatomically contoured rib plates. These plates were tested on a range of cadaveric ribs to quantify plate fit and to extract a best-fit plating configuration. : Three left and three right rib plates were designed, which accounted for anatomic parameters required when conforming a plate to the rib surface. The length lP over which each plate could trace the rib surface was evaluated on 109 cadaveric ribs. For each rib level 3-9, the plate design with the highest lP value was extracted to determine a best-fit plating configuration. Furthermore, the characteristic twist of rib surfaces was measured on 49 ribs to determine the surface congruency of anatomic plates with a constant twist. : The tracing length lP of the best-fit plating configuration ranged from 12.5 cm to 14.7 cm for ribs 3-9. The corresponding range for standard plates was 7.1-13.7 cm. The average twist of ribs over 8-cm, 12-cm, and 16-cm segments was 8.3 degrees, 20.6 degrees, and 32.7 degrees, respectively. The constant twist of anatomic rib plates was not significantly different from the average rib twist. : A small set of anatomic rib plates can minimize the need for intraoperative plate contouring for fixation of ribs 3-9. Anatomic rib plates can therefore reduce the time and complexity of flail chest stabilization and facilitate spanning of flail segments with long plates.

Left ventricular mechanics in isolated mild mitral stenosis: a three dimensional speckle tracking study.

PubMed

Poyraz, Esra; Öz, Tuğba Kemaloğlu; Zeren, Gönül; Güvenç, Tolga Sinan; Dönmez, Cevdet; Can, Fatma; Güvenç, Rengin Çetin; Dayı, Şennur Ünal

2017-09-01

In a fraction of patients with mild mitral stenosis, left ventricular systolic function deteriorates despite the lack of hemodynamic load imposed by the dysfunctioning valve. Neither the predisposing factors nor the earlier changes in left ventricular contractility were understood adequately. In the present study we aimed to evaluate left ventricular mechanics using three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography. A total of 31 patients with mild rheumatic mitral stenosis and 27 healthy controls were enrolled to the study. All subjects included to the study underwent echocardiographic examination to collect data for two- and three-dimensional speckle-tracking based stain, twist angle and torsion measurements. Data was analyzed offline with a echocardiographic data analysis software. Patients with rheumatic mild MS had lower global longitudinal (p < 0.001) circumferential (p = 0.02) and radial (p < 0.01) strain compared to controls, despite ejection fraction was similar for both groups [(p = 0.45) for three dimensional and (p = 0.37) for two dimensional measurement]. While the twist angle was not significantly different between groups (p = 0.11), left ventricular torsion was significantly higher in mitral stenosis group (p = 0.03). All strain values had a weak but significant positive correlation with mitral valve area measured with planimetry. Subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction develops at an early stage in rheumatic mitral stenosis. Further work is needed to elucidate patients at risk for developing overt systolic dysfunction.

Large-N solution of the heterotic CP(N-1) model with twisted masses

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

Bolokhov, Pavel A.; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 1A1; Shifman, Mikhail

2010-07-15

We address a number of unanswered questions in the N=(0,2)-deformed CP(N-1) model with twisted masses. In particular, we complete the program of solving the CP(N-1) model with twisted masses in the large-N limit. In A. Gorsky, M. Shifman, and A. Yung, Phys. Rev. D 73, 065011 (2006), a nonsupersymmetric version of the model with the Z{sub N} symmetric twisted masses was analyzed in the framework of Witten's method. In M. Shifman and A. Yung, Phys. Rev. D 77, 125017 (2008), this analysis was extended: the large-N solution of the heterotic N=(0,2) CP(N-1) model with no twisted masses was found. Heremore » we solve this model with the twisted masses switched on. Dynamical scenarios at large and small m are studied (m is the twisted-mass scale). We found three distinct phases and two phase transitions on the m plane. Two phases with the spontaneously broken Z{sub N} symmetry are separated by a phase with unbroken Z{sub N}. This latter phase is characterized by a unique vacuum and confinement of all U(1) charged fields (''quarks''). In the broken phases (one of them is at strong coupling) there are N degenerate vacua and no confinement, similarly to the situation in the N=(2,2) model. Supersymmetry is spontaneously broken everywhere except a circle |m|={Lambda} in the Z{sub N}-unbroken phase. Related issues are considered. In particular, we discuss the mirror representation for the heterotic model in a certain limiting case.« less

Atomic structure of the vimentin central α-helical domain and its implications for intermediate filament assembly.

PubMed

Chernyatina, Anastasia A; Nicolet, Stefan; Aebi, Ueli; Herrmann, Harald; Strelkov, Sergei V

2012-08-21

Together with actin filaments and microtubules, intermediate filaments (IFs) are the basic cytoskeletal components of metazoan cells. Over 80 human diseases have been linked to mutations in various IF proteins to date. However, the filament structure is far from being resolved at the atomic level, which hampers rational understanding of IF pathologies. The elementary building block of all IF proteins is a dimer consisting of an α-helical coiled-coil (CC) "rod" domain flanked by the flexible head and tail domains. Here we present three crystal structures of overlapping human vimentin fragments that comprise the first half of its rod domain. Given the previously solved fragments, a nearly complete atomic structure of the vimentin rod has become available. It consists of three α-helical segments (coils 1A, 1B, and 2) interconnected by linkers (L1 and L12). Most of the CC structure has a left-handed twist with heptad repeats, but both coil 1B and coil 2 also exhibit untwisted, parallel stretches with hendecad repeats. In the crystal structure, linker L1 was found to be α-helical without being involved in the CC formation. The available data allow us to construct an atomic model of the antiparallel tetramer representing the second level of vimentin assembly. Although the presence of the nonhelical head domains is essential for proper tetramer stabilization, the precise alignment of the dimers forming the tetramer appears to depend on the complementarity of their surface charge distribution patterns, while the structural plasticity of linker L1 and coil 1A plays a role in the subsequent IF assembly process.

New Epigenetic Therapeutic Intervention for Metastatic Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

also discovered that constitutively activated NF -kB in TNBC sustains prolonged activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, enabling rapid spread...metastasis) of TNBC tumors. Notably, the functions of both transcription factors Twist and NF -kB in gene activation require lysine acetylation, which signs...proteins including Twist, NF -kB and STAT3. b. Define the molecular basis of the BET BrDs’ selective interactions with effector proteins through structure

Aeroelastic airfoil smart spar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhalgh, Skott; Pastore, Christopher M.; Garfinkle, Moishe

1993-01-01

Aircraft wings and rotor-blades are subject to undesirable bending and twisting excursions that arise from unsteady aerodynamic forces during high speed flight, abrupt maneuvers, or hard landings. These bending excursions can range in amplitude from wing-tip flutter to failure. A continuous-filament construction 'smart' laminated composite box-beam spar is described which corrects itself when subject to undesirable bending excursions or flutter. The load-bearing spar is constructed so that any tendency for the wing or rotor-blade to bend from its normal position is met by opposite twisting of the spar to restore the wing to its normal position. Experimental and theoretical characterization of these spars was made to evaluate the torsion-flexure coupling associated with symmetric lay-ups. The materials used were uniweave AS-4 graphite and a matrix comprised of Shell 8132 resin and U-40 hardener. Experimental tests were conducted on five spars to determine spar twist and bend as a function of load for 0, 17, 30, 45 and 60 deg fiber angle lay-ups. Symmetric fiber lay-ups do exhibit torsion-flexure couplings. Predictions of the twist and bend versus load were made for different fiber orientations in laminated spars using a spline function structural analysis. The analytical results were compared with experimental results for validation. Excellent correlation between experimental and analytical values was found.

Renormalization constants for 2-twist operators in twisted mass QCD

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

Alexandrou, C.; Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, 15 Kypranoros Str., 1645 Nicosia; Constantinou, M.

2011-01-01

Perturbative and nonperturbative results on the renormalization constants of the fermion field and the twist-2 fermion bilinears are presented with emphasis on the nonperturbative evaluation of the one-derivative twist-2 vector and axial-vector operators. Nonperturbative results are obtained using the twisted mass Wilson fermion formulation employing two degenerate dynamical quarks and the tree-level Symanzik improved gluon action. The simulations have been performed for pion masses in the range of about 450-260 MeV and at three values of the lattice spacing a corresponding to {beta}=3.9, 4.05, 4.20. Subtraction of O(a{sup 2}) terms is carried out by performing the perturbative evaluation of thesemore » operators at 1-loop and up to O(a{sup 2}). The renormalization conditions are defined in the RI{sup '}-MOM scheme, for both perturbative and nonperturbative results. The renormalization factors, obtained for different values of the renormalization scale, are evolved perturbatively to a reference scale set by the inverse of the lattice spacing. In addition, they are translated to MS at 2 GeV using 3-loop perturbative results for the conversion factors.« less

Three-dimensional structure and multistable optical switching of triple-twisted particle-like excitations in anisotropic fluids.

PubMed

Smalyukh, Ivan I; Lansac, Yves; Clark, Noel A; Trivedi, Rahul P

2010-02-01

Control of structures in soft materials with long-range order forms the basis for applications such as displays, liquid-crystal biosensors, tunable lenses, distributed feedback lasers, muscle-like actuators and beam-steering devices. Bistable, tristable and multistable switching of well-defined structures of molecular alignment is of special interest for all of these applications. Here we describe the facile optical creation and multistable switching of localized configurations in the molecular orientation field of a chiral nematic anisotropic fluid. These localized chiro-elastic particle-like excitations--dubbed 'triple-twist torons'--are generated by vortex laser beams and embed the localized three-dimensional (3D) twist into a uniform background. Confocal polarizing microscopy and computer simulations reveal their equilibrium internal structures, manifesting both skyrmion-like and Hopf fibration features. Robust generation of torons at predetermined locations combined with both optical and electrical reversible switching can lead to new ways of multistable structuring of complex photonic architectures in soft materials.

A structural variant in the 5’-flanking region of the TWIST2 gene affects melanocyte development in belted cattle

PubMed Central

Drögemüller, Cord; Jagannathan, Vidhya; Keller, Irene; Wüthrich, Daniel; Bruggmann, Rémy; Schütz, Ekkehard; Demmel, Steffi; Moser, Simon; Signer-Hasler, Heidi; Pieńkowska-Schelling, Aldona; Schelling, Claude; Sande, Marcos; Rongen, Ronald

2017-01-01

Belted cattle have a circular belt of unpigmented hair and skin around their midsection. The belt is inherited as a monogenic autosomal dominant trait. We mapped the causative variant to a 37 kb segment on bovine chromosome 3. Whole genome sequence data of 2 belted and 130 control cattle yielded only one private genetic variant in the critical interval in the two belted animals. The belt-associated variant was a copy number variant (CNV) involving the quadruplication of a 6 kb non-coding sequence located approximately 16 kb upstream of the TWIST2 gene. Increased copy numbers at this CNV were strongly associated with the belt phenotype in a cohort of 333 cases and 1322 controls. We hypothesized that the CNV causes aberrant expression of TWIST2 during neural crest development, which might negatively affect melanoblasts. Functional studies showed that ectopic expression of bovine TWIST2 in neural crest in transgenic zebrafish led to a decrease in melanocyte numbers. Our results thus implicate an unsuspected involvement of TWIST2 in regulating pigmentation and reveal a non-coding CNV underlying a captivating Mendelian character. PMID:28658273

To what extent does urbanisation affect fragmented grassland functioning?

PubMed

van der Walt, L; Cilliers, S S; Kellner, K; Du Toit, M J; Tongway, D

2015-03-15

Urbanisation creates altered environments characterised by increased human habitation, impermeable surfaces, artificial structures, landscape fragmentation, habitat loss, resulting in different resource loss pathways. The vulnerable Rand Highveld Grassland vegetation unit in the Tlokwe Municipal area, South Africa, has been extensively affected and transformed by urbanisation, agriculture, and mining. Grassland fragments in urban areas are often considered to be less species rich and less functional than in the more untransformed or "natural" exurban environments, and are therefore seldom a priority for conservation. Furthermore, urban grassland fragments are often being more intensely managed than exurban areas, such as consistent mowing in open urban areas. Four urbanisation measures acting as indicators for patterns and processes associated with urban areas were calculated for matrix areas surrounding each selected grassland fragment to quantify the position of each grassland remnant along an urbanisation gradient. The grassland fragments were objectively classified into two classes of urbanisation, namely "exurban" and "urban" based on the urbanisation measure values. Grazing was recorded in some exurban grasslands and mowing in some urban grassland fragments. Unmanaged grassland fragments were present in both urban and exurban areas. Fine-scale biophysical landscape function was determined by executing the Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) method. LFA assesses fine-scale landscape patchiness (entailing resource conserving potential and erosion resistance) and 11 soil surface indicators to produce three main LFA parameters (stability, infiltration, and nutrient cycling), which indicates how well a system is functioning in terms of fine-scale biophysical soil processes and characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of urbanisation and associated management practices on fine-scale biophysical landscape function of urban and exurban grassland fragments, as well as to determine the potential for the use of LFA in decision-making involving the conservation of grassland fragments. The results indicated that the occurrence, size and characteristics of vegetated patches, and especially the presence of litter abundances, were the main factors determining differences in the LFA indices. Furthermore, mowing resulted in the overall fine-scale biophysical indices being higher for some of the urban grassland fragments. This implied that it is not necessarily the influence of urbanisation entailing high or low resource conserving patchiness and patch quality, but rather the management practices associated with urban and exurban areas. Therefore, from a conservation point of view, the grassland fragments in the City of Potchefstroom are just as conservable (on a biophysical function level involving soil processes) than the more "natural" exurban grassland fragments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Holographic calculation for large interval Rényi entropy at high temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bin; Wu, Jie-qiang

2015-11-01

In this paper, we study the holographic Rényi entropy of a large interval on a circle at high temperature for the two-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) dual to pure AdS3 gravity. In the field theory, the Rényi entropy is encoded in the CFT partition function on n -sheeted torus connected with each other by a large branch cut. As proposed by Chen and Wu [Large interval limit of Rényi entropy at high temperature, arXiv:1412.0763], the effective way to read the entropy in the large interval limit is to insert a complete set of state bases of the twist sector at the branch cut. Then the calculation transforms into an expansion of four-point functions in the twist sector with respect to e-2/π T R n . By using the operator product expansion of the twist operators at the branch points, we read the first few terms of the Rényi entropy, including the leading and next-to-leading contributions in the large central charge limit. Moreover, we show that the leading contribution is actually captured by the twist vacuum module. In this case by the Ward identity the four-point functions can be derived from the correlation function of four twist operators, which is related to double interval entanglement entropy. Holographically, we apply the recipe in [T. Faulkner, The entanglement Rényi entropies of disjoint intervals in AdS/CFT, arXiv:1303.7221] and [T. Barrella et al., Holographic entanglement beyond classical gravity, J. High Energy Phys. 09 (2013) 109] to compute the classical Rényi entropy and its one-loop quantum correction, after imposing a new set of monodromy conditions. The holographic classical result matches exactly with the leading contribution in the field theory up to e-4 π T R and l6, while the holographical one-loop contribution is in exact agreement with next-to-leading results in field theory up to e-6/π T R n and l4 as well.

Denjoy minimal sets and Birkhoff periodic orbits for non-exact monotone twist maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Wen-Xin; Wang, Ya-Nan

2018-06-01

A non-exact monotone twist map φbarF is a composition of an exact monotone twist map φ bar with a generating function H and a vertical translation VF with VF ((x , y)) = (x , y - F). We show in this paper that for each ω ∈ R, there exists a critical value Fd (ω) ≥ 0 depending on H and ω such that for 0 ≤ F ≤Fd (ω), the non-exact twist map φbarF has an invariant Denjoy minimal set with irrational rotation number ω lying on a Lipschitz graph, or Birkhoff (p , q)-periodic orbits for rational ω = p / q. Like the Aubry-Mather theory, we also construct heteroclinic orbits connecting Birkhoff periodic orbits, and show that quasi-periodic orbits in these Denjoy minimal sets can be approximated by periodic orbits. In particular, we demonstrate that at the critical value F =Fd (ω), the Denjoy minimal set is not uniformly hyperbolic and can be approximated by smooth curves.

Interaction between left ventricular twist mechanics and arterial haemodynamics during localised, non-metabolic hyperaemia with and without blood flow restriction.

PubMed

van Mil, Anke C C M; Pearson, James; Drane, Aimee L; Cockcroft, John R; McDonnell, Barry J; Stöhr, Eric J

2016-04-01

What is the central question of this study? Left ventricular (LV) twist is reduced when afterload is increased, but the meaning of this specific heart muscle response and its impact on cardiac output are not well understood. What is the main finding and its importance? This study shows that LV twist responds even when arterial haemodynamics are altered only locally, and without apparent change in metabolic (i.e. heat-induced) demand. The concurrent decline in cardiac output and LV twist during partial arterial occlusion despite the increased peripheral demand caused by heat stress suggests that LV twist may be involved in the protective sensing of heart muscle stress that can override the provision of the required cardiac output. Whether left ventricular (LV) twist and untwisting rate (LV twist mechanics) respond to localised, peripheral, non-metabolic changes in arterial haemodynamics within an individual's normal afterload range is presently unknown. Furthermore, previous studies indicate that LV twist mechanics may override the provision of cardiac output, but this hypothesis has not been examined purposefully. Therefore, we acutely altered local peripheral arterial haemodynamics in 11 healthy humans (women/men n = 3/8; age 26 ± 5 years) by bilateral arm heating (BAH). Ultrasonography was used to examine arterial haemodynamics, LV twist mechanics and the twist-to-shortening ratio (TSR). To determine the arterial function-dependent contribution of LV twist mechanics to cardiac output, partial blood flow restriction to the arms was applied during BAH (BAHBFR ). Bilateral arm heating increased arm skin temperatures [change (Δ) +6.4 ± 0.9°C, P < 0.0001] but not core temperature (Δ -0.0 ± 0.1°C, P > 0.05), concomitant to increases in brachial artery blood flow (Δ 212 ± 77 ml, P < 0.0001), cardiac output (Δ 495 ± 487 l min(-1) , P < 0.05), LV twist (Δ 3.0 ± 3.5 deg, P < 0.05) and TSR (Δ 3.3 ± 1.3, P < 0.05) but maintained carotid artery blood flow (Δ 18 ± 147 ml, P > 0.05). Subsequently, BAHBFR reduced all parameters to preheating levels, except for TSR and heart rate, which remained at BAH levels. In conclusion, LV twist mechanics responded to local peripheral arterial haemodynamics within the normal afterload range, in part independent of TSR and heart rate. The findings suggest that LV twist mechanics may be more closely associated with intrinsic sensing of excessive pressure stress rather than being associated with the delivery of adequate cardiac output. © 2016 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

Energetics and structural properties of twist grain boundaries in Cu

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karimi, Majid

1992-01-01

Structural and energetics properties of atoms near a grain boundary are of great importance from theoretical and experimental standpoints. From various experimental work it is concluded that diffusion at low temperatures at polycrystalline materials take place near grain boundary. Experimental and theoretical results also indicate changes of up to 70 percent in physical properties near a grain boundary. The Embedded Atom Method (EAM) calculations on structural properties of Au twist grain boundaries are in quite good agreement with their experimental counterparts. The EAM is believed to predict reliable values for the single vacancy formation energy as well as migration energy. However, it is not clear whether the EAM functions which are fitted to the bulk properties of a perfect crystalline solid can produce reliable results on grain boundaries. One of the objectives of this work is to construct the EAM functions for Cu and use them in conjunction with the molecular static simulation to study structures and energetics of atoms near twist grain boundaries in Cu. This provides tests of the EAM functions near a grain boundary. In particular, we determine structure, single vacancy formation energy, migration energy, single vacancy activation energy, and interlayer spacing as a function of distance from grain boundary. Our results are compared with the available experimental and theoretical results from grain boundaries and bulk.

A New Secondary Structure Assignment Algorithm Using Cα Backbone Fragments

PubMed Central

Cao, Chen; Wang, Guishen; Liu, An; Xu, Shutan; Wang, Lincong; Zou, Shuxue

2016-01-01

The assignment of secondary structure elements in proteins is a key step in the analysis of their structures and functions. We have developed an algorithm, SACF (secondary structure assignment based on Cα fragments), for secondary structure element (SSE) assignment based on the alignment of Cα backbone fragments with central poses derived by clustering known SSE fragments. The assignment algorithm consists of three steps: First, the outlier fragments on known SSEs are detected. Next, the remaining fragments are clustered to obtain the central fragments for each cluster. Finally, the central fragments are used as a template to make assignments. Following a large-scale comparison of 11 secondary structure assignment methods, SACF, KAKSI and PROSS are found to have similar agreement with DSSP, while PCASSO agrees with DSSP best. SACF and PCASSO show preference to reducing residues in N and C cap regions, whereas KAKSI, P-SEA and SEGNO tend to add residues to the terminals when DSSP assignment is taken as standard. Moreover, our algorithm is able to assign subtle helices (310-helix, π-helix and left-handed helix) and make uniform assignments, as well as to detect rare SSEs in β-sheets or long helices as outlier fragments from other programs. The structural uniformity should be useful for protein structure classification and prediction, while outlier fragments underlie the structure–function relationship. PMID:26978354

Dualities and Topological Field Theories from Twisted Geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markov, Ruza

I will present three studies of string theory on twisted geometries. In the first calculation included in this dissertation we use gauge/gravity duality to study the Coulomb branch of an unusual type of nonlocal field theory, called Puff Field Theory. On the gravity side, this theory is given in terms of D3-branes in type IIB string theory with a geometric twist. While the field theory description, available in the IR limit, is a deformation of Yang-Mills gauge theory by an order seven operator which we here compute. In the rest of this dissertation we explore N = 4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory compactied on a circle with S-duality and R-symmetry twists that preserve N = 6 supersymmetry in 2 + 1D. It was shown that abelian theory on a flat manifold gives Chern-Simons theory in the low-energy limit and here we are interested in the non-abelian counterpart. To that end, we introduce external static supersymmetric quark and anti-quark sources into the theory and calculate the Witten Index of the resulting Hilbert space of ground states on a two-torus. Using these results we compute the action of simple Wilson loops on the Hilbert space of ground states without sources. In some cases we find disagreement between our results for the Wilson loop eigenvalues and previous conjectures about a connection with Chern-Simons theory. The last result discussed in this dissertation demonstrates a connection between gravitational Chern-Simons theory and N = 4 four-dimensional SYM theory compactified on a circle twisted by S-duality where the remaining three-manifold is not flat starting with the explicit geometric realization of S-duality in terms of (2, 0) theory.

THE ROLE OF A FLUX ROPE EJECTION IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATION OF A SOLAR FLARE

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

Nishida, Keisuke; Shibata, Kazunari; Nishizuka, Naoto, E-mail: nishida@kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2013-10-01

We investigated the dynamic evolution of a three-dimensional (3D) flux rope eruption and magnetic reconnection process in a solar flare by simply extending the two-dimensional (2D) resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation model of solar flares with low β plasma to a 3D model. We succeeded in reproducing a current sheet and bi-directional reconnection outflows just below the flux rope during the eruption in our 3D simulations. We calculated four cases of a strongly twisted flux rope and a weakly twisted flux rope in 2D and 3D simulations. The time evolution of a weakly twisted flux rope in the 3D simulation shows behaviorsmore » similar to those of the 2D simulation, while a strongly twisted flux rope in the 3D simulation clearly shows a different time evolution from the 2D simulation except for the initial phase evolution. The ejection speeds of both strongly and weakly twisted flux ropes in 3D simulations are larger than in the 2D simulations, and the reconnection rates in 3D cases are also larger than in the 2D cases. This indicates positive feedback between the ejection speed of a flux rope and the reconnection rate even in the 3D simulation, and we conclude that the plasmoid-induced reconnection model can be applied to 3D. We also found that small-scale plasmoids are formed inside a current sheet and make it turbulent. These small-scale plasmoid ejections have a role in locally increasing the reconnection rate intermittently as observed in solar flares, coupled with a global eruption of a flux rope.« less

Time Course of Atrophic Remodeling: Effects of Exercise on Cardiac Morpology and Function

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, J. M.; Martin, D.; Caine, T.; Matz, T.; Ploutz-Snyder, L. L.

2014-01-01

Early and consistent evaluation of cardiac morphology and function throughout an atrophic stimulus is critically important for the design and optimization of interventions. Exercise training is one intervention that has been shown to confer favorable improvements in LV mass and function during unloading. However, the format and intensity of exercise required to induce optimal cardiac improvements has not been investigated. PURPOSE: This randomized, controlled trial was designed to 1) comprehensively characterize the time course of unloading-induced morpho-functional remodeling, and 2) examine the effects of high intensity exercise training on cardiac structural and functional parameters during unloading. METHODS: Twenty six subjects completed 70 days of head down tilt bed rest (HDBR): 17 were randomized to exercise training (ExBR) and 9 remained sedentary. Exercise consisted of integrated high intensity, continuous, and resistance exercise. We assessed cardiac morphology (left ventricular mass; LVM) and function (speckle-tracking assessment of longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain and twist) before (BR-2), during (BR7,21,31,70), and following (BR+0, +3) HDBR. Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) was evaluated before (BR- 3), during (BR4,25,46,68) and following (BR+0) HDBR. RESULTS: Sedentary HDBR resulted in a progressive decline in LVM, longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain, and an increase in twist. ExBR mitigated decreases in LVM and function. Change in twist was significantly related to change in VO2max (R=0.68, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in cardiac morphology and function begin early during unloading. High-intensity exercise attenuates atrophic morphological and functional remodeling.

Dynamical structure of center-of-pressure trajectories with and without functional taping in children with cerebral palsy level I and II of GMFCS.

PubMed

Pavão, Silvia Leticia; Ledebt, Annick; Savelsbergh, Geert J P; Rocha, Nelci Adriana C F

2017-08-01

Postural control during quiet standing was examined in typical children (TD) and children with cerebral palsy (CP) level I and II of GMFCS. The immediate effect on postural control of functional taping on the thighs was analyzed. We evaluated 43 TD, 17 CP children level I, and 10 CP children level II. Participants were evaluated in two conditions (with and without taping). The trajectories of the center of pressure (COP) were analyzed by means of conventional posturography (sway amplitude, sway-path-length) and dynamic posturography (degree of twisting-and-turning, sway regularity). Both CP groups showed larger sway amplitude than the TD while only the CP level II showed more regular COP trajectories with less twisting-and-turning. Functional taping didn't affect sway amplitude or sway-path-length. TD children exhibited more twisting-and-turning with functional taping, whereas no effects on postural sway dynamics were observed in CP children. Functional taping doesn't result in immediate changes in quiet stance in CP children, whereas in TD it resulted in faster sway corrections. Children level II invest more attention in postural control than level I, and TD. While quiet standing was more automatized in children level I than in level II, both CP groups showed a less stable balance than TD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flavor-singlet meson decay constants from Nf=2 +1 +1 twisted mass lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ottnad, Konstantin; Urbach, Carsten; ETM Collaboration

2018-03-01

We present an improved analysis of our lattice data for the η - η' system, including a correction of the relevant correlation functions for residual topological finite size effects and employing consistent chiral and continuum fits. From this analysis we update our physical results for the masses Mη=557 (11 )stat(03 )χ PT MeV and Mη'=911 (64 )stat(03 )χ PT MeV , as well as the mixing angle in the quark flavor basis ϕ =38.8 (2.2 )stat(2.4 )χPT ∘ in excellent agreement with other results from phenomenology. Similarly, we include an analysis for the decay constant parameters, leading to fl=125 (5 )stat(6 )χ PT MeV and fs=178 (4 )stat(1 )χ PT MeV . The second error reflects the uncertainty related to the chiral extrapolation. The data used for this study has been generated on gauge ensembles provided by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with Nf=2 +1 +1 dynamical flavors of Wilson twisted mass fermions. These ensembles cover a range of pion masses from 220 MeV to 500 MeV and three values of the lattice spacing. Combining our data with a prediction from chiral perturbation theory, we give an estimate for the physical η , η'→γ γ decay widths and the singly-virtual η , η'→γ γ* transition form factors in the limit of large momentum transfer.

Simultaneous measurement for strain and temperature based on the twisted-tapering fiber structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Wenjun; Lu, Ping; Liu, Deming; Zhang, Jiangshan

2017-10-01

A novel special fiber fabrication method based on a common single mode fiber (SMF) for dual-parameters measurement has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The fabrication setup is based on a three dimensional electric displacement platform which can realize the function of twisting and tapering at the same time. The proposed novel structure simultaneously undergoes the aforementioned two processes. Then a twisted-tapering fiber structure is formed. There are two dominant resonant wavelengths in the spectrum. Thus, simultaneous measurement for strain and temperature can be achieved. The following result shows that the strain measurement can be achieved by intensity demodulation, with the sensitivity of -0.01565 dB/μɛ and 0.00705 dB/μɛ corresponding to the dip1 and dip2, respectively. Therefore, the total sensitivity of the strain is 0.0227 dB/μɛ. Moreover, the cross impacts of the wavelength shift are - 0.772 pm/μɛ and 0.895 pm/μɛ. Similarly, the wavelength demodulation is selected to temperature measurement. The temperature sensitivity of 50.53pm/°C and 45.12pm/°C are obtained. The cross sensitivity of the intensity variation are 0.04058dB/°C and 0.02031 dB/°C. As a result, the dual-parameters can be described to a cross matrix of the sensitivity value. The proposed sensor has a great potential for engineering applications due to its compact structure, simple manufacture and low cost.

Enhanced intersystem crossing in core-twisted aromatics† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Includes details of the synthesis, structural information for all of the compounds (NMR, elemental analysis and mass spectra) and experimental details for the photophysical studies. CCDC 1402604 and 1402605. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic formats see DOI: 10.1039/c6sc05126j Click here for additional data file. Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Nagarajan, Kalaivanan; Mallia, Ajith R.; Muraleedharan, Keerthi

2017-01-01

We describe the design, bottom-up synthesis and X-ray single crystal structure of systematically twisted aromatics 1c and 2d for efficient intersystem crossing. Steric congestion at the cove region creates a nonplanar geometry that induces a significant yield of triplet excited states in the electron-poor core-twisted aromatics 1c and 2d. A systematic increase in the number of twisted regions in 1c and 2d results in a concomitant enhancement in the rate and yield of intersystem crossing, monitored using femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Time-resolved absorption spectroscopic measurements display enhanced triplet quantum yields (Φ T = 10 ± 1% for 1c and Φ T = 30 ± 2% for 2d) in the twisted aromatics when compared to a negligible Φ T (<1%) in the planar analog 3c. Twist-induced spin–orbit coupling via activated out-of-plane C–H/C 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 1111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111111111111111111 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 1111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111111111111111111 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000 C vibrations can facilitate the formation of triplet excited states in twisted aromatics 1c and 2d, in contrast to the negligible intersystem crossing in the planar analog 3c. The ease of synthesis, high solubility, access to triplet excited states and strong electron affinity make such imide functionalized core-twisted aromatics desirable materials for organic electronics such as solar cells. PMID:28694952

Mesoscale mechanics of twisting carbon nanotube yarns.

PubMed

Mirzaeifar, Reza; Qin, Zhao; Buehler, Markus J

2015-03-12

Fabricating continuous macroscopic carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns with mechanical properties close to individual CNTs remains a major challenge. Spinning CNT fibers and ribbons for enhancing the weak interactions between the nanotubes is a simple and efficient method for fabricating high-strength and tough continuous yarns. Here we investigate the mesoscale mechanics of twisting CNT yarns using full atomistic and coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations, considering concurrent mechanisms at multiple length-scales. To investigate the mechanical response of such a complex structure without losing insights into the molecular mechanism, we applied a multiscale strategy. The full atomistic results are used for training a coarse grained model for studying larger systems consisting of several CNTs. The mesoscopic model parameters are updated as a function of the twist angle, based on the full atomistic results, in order to incorporate the atomistic scale deformation mechanisms in larger scale simulations. By bridging across two length scales, our model is capable of accurately predicting the mechanical behavior of twisted yarns while the atomistic level deformations in individual nanotubes are integrated into the model by updating the parameters. Our results focused on studying a bundle of close packed nanotubes provide novel mechanistic insights into the spinning of CNTs. Our simulations reveal how twisting a bundle of CNTs improves the shear interaction between the nanotubes up to a certain level due to increasing the interaction surface. Furthermore, twisting the bundle weakens the intertube interactions due to excessive deformation in the cross sections of individual CNTs in the bundle.

Scaling invariance of spherical projectile fragmentation upon high-velocity impact on a thin continuous shield

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

Myagkov, N. N., E-mail: nn-myagkov@mail.ru

The problem of aluminum projectile fragmentation upon high-velocity impact on a thin aluminum shield is considered. A distinctive feature of this description is that the fragmentation has been numerically simulated using the complete system of equations of deformed solid mechanics by a method of smoothed particle hydrodynamics in three-dimensional setting. The transition from damage to fragmentation is analyzed and scaling relations are derived in terms of the impact velocity (V), ratio of shield thickness to projectile diameter (h/D), and ultimate strength (σ{sub p}) in the criterion of projectile and shield fracture. Analysis shows that the critical impact velocity V{sub c}more » (separating the damage and fragmentation regions) is a power function of σ{sub p} and h/D. In the supercritical region (V > V{sub c}), the weight-average fragment mass asymptotically tends to a power function of the impact velocity with exponent independent of h/D and σ{sub p}. Mean cumulative fragment mass distributions at the critical point are scale-invariant with respect to parameters h/D and σ{sub p}. Average masses of the largest fragments are also scale-invariant at V > V{sub c}, but only with respect to variable parameter σ{sub p}.« less

Aptamers, antibody scFv, and antibody Fab' fragments: An overview and comparison of three of the most versatile biosensor biorecognition elements.

PubMed

Crivianu-Gaita, Victor; Thompson, Michael

2016-11-15

The choice of biosensing elements is crucial for the development of the optimal biosensor. Three of the most versatile biosensing elements are antibody single-chain Fv fragments (scFv), antibody fragment-antigen binding (Fab') units, and aptamers. This article provides an overview of these three biorecognition elements with respects to their synthesis/engineering, various immobilization techniques, and examples of their use in biosensors. Furthermore, the final section of the review compares and contrasts their characteristics (time/cost of development, ease and variability of immobilization, affinity, stability) illustrating their advantages and disadvantages. Overall, scFv fragments are found to display the highest customizability (i.e. addition of functional groups, immobilizing peptides, etc.) due to recombinant synthesis techniques. If time and cost are an issue in the development of the biosensor, Fab' fragments should be chosen as they are relatively cheap and can be developed quickly from whole antibodies (several days). However, if there are sufficient funds and time is not a factor, aptamers should be utilized as they display the greatest affinity towards their target analytes and are extremely stable (excellent biosensor regenerability). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cyclic fatigue resistance of ProTaper Next nickel-titanium rotary files.

PubMed

Elnaghy, A M

2014-11-01

To compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of ProTaper Next files (PTN; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) with Twisted Files (TF; SybronEndo, Orange, CA, USA), HyFlex CM (HF; ColténeEndo/Whaledent, Inc, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA) and ProTaper Universal (PT; Dentsply Maillefer). Size 25, .06 taper for PTN X2, TF, HF and PT F1 size 20, .07 taper were rotated in simulated canals until failure, and the number of cycles to failure (NCF) was recorded to evaluate their cyclic fatigue resistance. A scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the topographic features of the fracture surfaces of broken files. The data of the NCF and fragment length values were analysed statistically using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc tests. Statistical significance level was set at P < 0.05. Twisted Files had a significantly higher resistance to cyclic fatigue than the other instruments (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in NCF between PTN and HF (P > 0.05); however, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) of both these systems with PT, which exhibited the lowest mean NCF. The ranking in the NCF values was: TF > PTN > HF > PT. The fracture cross-sections of all brands revealed similar fractographic features, including crack origins, fatigue zone and an overload fast fracture zone. The new ProTaper Next had greater resistance to cyclic fatigue compared with ProTaper and HyFlex CM but not the Twisted Files. © 2014 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Critical Features of Fragment Libraries for Protein Structure Prediction

PubMed Central

dos Santos, Karina Baptista

2017-01-01

The use of fragment libraries is a popular approach among protein structure prediction methods and has proven to substantially improve the quality of predicted structures. However, some vital aspects of a fragment library that influence the accuracy of modeling a native structure remain to be determined. This study investigates some of these features. Particularly, we analyze the effect of using secondary structure prediction guiding fragments selection, different fragments sizes and the effect of structural clustering of fragments within libraries. To have a clearer view of how these factors affect protein structure prediction, we isolated the process of model building by fragment assembly from some common limitations associated with prediction methods, e.g., imprecise energy functions and optimization algorithms, by employing an exact structure-based objective function under a greedy algorithm. Our results indicate that shorter fragments reproduce the native structure more accurately than the longer. Libraries composed of multiple fragment lengths generate even better structures, where longer fragments show to be more useful at the beginning of the simulations. The use of many different fragment sizes shows little improvement when compared to predictions carried out with libraries that comprise only three different fragment sizes. Models obtained from libraries built using only sequence similarity are, on average, better than those built with a secondary structure prediction bias. However, we found that the use of secondary structure prediction allows greater reduction of the search space, which is invaluable for prediction methods. The results of this study can be critical guidelines for the use of fragment libraries in protein structure prediction. PMID:28085928

Critical Features of Fragment Libraries for Protein Structure Prediction.

PubMed

Trevizani, Raphael; Custódio, Fábio Lima; Dos Santos, Karina Baptista; Dardenne, Laurent Emmanuel

2017-01-01

The use of fragment libraries is a popular approach among protein structure prediction methods and has proven to substantially improve the quality of predicted structures. However, some vital aspects of a fragment library that influence the accuracy of modeling a native structure remain to be determined. This study investigates some of these features. Particularly, we analyze the effect of using secondary structure prediction guiding fragments selection, different fragments sizes and the effect of structural clustering of fragments within libraries. To have a clearer view of how these factors affect protein structure prediction, we isolated the process of model building by fragment assembly from some common limitations associated with prediction methods, e.g., imprecise energy functions and optimization algorithms, by employing an exact structure-based objective function under a greedy algorithm. Our results indicate that shorter fragments reproduce the native structure more accurately than the longer. Libraries composed of multiple fragment lengths generate even better structures, where longer fragments show to be more useful at the beginning of the simulations. The use of many different fragment sizes shows little improvement when compared to predictions carried out with libraries that comprise only three different fragment sizes. Models obtained from libraries built using only sequence similarity are, on average, better than those built with a secondary structure prediction bias. However, we found that the use of secondary structure prediction allows greater reduction of the search space, which is invaluable for prediction methods. The results of this study can be critical guidelines for the use of fragment libraries in protein structure prediction.

Deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the binding of the TWIST1/E12 complex to regulatory E-box sequences

PubMed Central

Bouard, Charlotte; Terreux, Raphael; Honorat, Mylène; Manship, Brigitte; Ansieau, Stéphane; Vigneron, Arnaud M.; Puisieux, Alain; Payen, Léa

2016-01-01

Abstract The TWIST1 bHLH transcription factor controls embryonic development and cancer processes. Although molecular and genetic analyses have provided a wealth of data on the role of bHLH transcription factors, very little is known on the molecular mechanisms underlying their binding affinity to the E-box sequence of the promoter. Here, we used an in silico model of the TWIST1/E12 (TE) heterocomplex and performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of its binding to specific (TE-box) and modified E-box sequences. We focused on (i) active E-box and inactive E-box sequences, on (ii) modified active E-box sequences, as well as on (iii) two box sequences with modified adjacent bases the AT- and TA-boxes. Our in silico models were supported by functional in vitro binding assays. This exploration highlighted the predominant role of protein side-chain residues, close to the heart of the complex, at anchoring the dimer to DNA sequences, and unveiled a shift towards adjacent ((-1) and (-1*)) bases and conserved bases of modified E-box sequences. In conclusion, our study provides proof of the predictive value of these MD simulations, which may contribute to the characterization of specific inhibitors by docking approaches, and their use in pharmacological therapies by blocking the tumoral TWIST1/E12 function in cancers. PMID:27151200

From Wood to Textiles: Top-Down Assembly of Aligned Cellulose Nanofibers.

PubMed

Jia, Chao; Chen, Chaoji; Kuang, Yudi; Fu, Kun; Wang, Yilin; Yao, Yonggang; Kronthal, Spencer; Hitz, Emily; Song, Jianwei; Xu, Fujun; Liu, Boyang; Hu, Liangbing

2018-06-07

Advanced textiles made of macroscopic fibers are usually prepared from synthetic fibers, which have changed lives over the past century. The shortage of petrochemical resources, however, greatly limits the development of the textile industry. Here, a facile top-down approach for fabricating macroscopic wood fibers for textile applications (wood-textile fibers) comprising aligned cellulose nanofibers directly from natural wood via delignification and subsequent twisting is demonstrated. Inherently aligned cellulose nanofibers are well retained, while the microchannels in the delignified wood are squeezed and totally removed by twisting, resulting in a dense structure with approximately two times higher mechanical strength (106.5 vs 54.9 MPa) and ≈20 times higher toughness (7.70 vs 0.36 MJ m -3 ) than natural wood. Dramatically different from natural wood, which is brittle in nature, the resultant wood-textile fibers are highly flexible and bendable, likely due to the twisted structures. The wood-textile fibers also exhibit excellent knitting properties and dyeability, which are critical for textile applications. Furthermore, functional wood-textile fibers can be achieved by preinfiltrating functional materials in the delignified wood film before twisting. This top-down approach of fabricating aligned macrofibers is simple, scalable, and cost-effective, representing a promising direction for the development of smart textiles and wearable electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The use of many-body expansions and geometry optimizations in fragment-based methods.

PubMed

Fedorov, Dmitri G; Asada, Naoya; Nakanishi, Isao; Kitaura, Kazuo

2014-09-16

Conspectus Chemists routinely work with complex molecular systems: solutions, biochemical molecules, and amorphous and composite materials provide some typical examples. The questions one often asks are what are the driving forces for a chemical phenomenon? How reasonable are our views of chemical systems in terms of subunits, such as functional groups and individual molecules? How can one quantify the difference in physicochemical properties of functional units found in a different chemical environment? Are various effects on functional units in molecular systems additive? Can they be represented by pairwise potentials? Are there effects that cannot be represented in a simple picture of pairwise interactions? How can we obtain quantitative values for these effects? Many of these questions can be formulated in the language of many-body effects. They quantify the properties of subunits (fragments), referred to as one-body properties, pairwise interactions (two-body properties), couplings of two-body interactions described by three-body properties, and so on. By introducing the notion of fragments in the framework of quantum chemistry, one obtains two immense benefits: (a) chemists can finally relate to quantum chemistry, which now speaks their language, by discussing chemically interesting subunits and their interactions and (b) calculations become much faster due to a reduced computational scaling. For instance, the somewhat academic sounding question of the importance of three-body effects in water clusters is actually another way of asking how two hydrogen bonds affect each other, when they involve three water molecules. One aspect of this is the many-body charge transfer (CT), because the charge transfers in the two hydrogen bonds are coupled to each other (not independent). In this work, we provide a generalized view on the use of many-body expansions in fragment-based methods, focusing on the general aspects of the property expansion and a contraction of a many-body expansion in a formally two-body series, as exemplified in the development of the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method. Fragment-based methods have been very successful in delivering the properties of fragments, as well as the fragment interactions, providing insights into complex chemical processes in large molecular systems. We briefly review geometry optimizations performed with fragment-based methods and present an efficient geometry optimization method based on the combination of FMO with molecular mechanics (MM), applied to the complex of a subunit of protein kinase 2 (CK2) with a ligand. FMO results are discussed in comparison with experimental and MM-optimized structures.

Development of a passive micromixer based on repeated fluid twisting and flattening, and its application to DNA purification.

PubMed

Lee, Nae Yoon; Yamada, Masumi; Seki, Minoru

2005-11-01

We have developed a three-dimensional passive micromixer based on new mixing principles, fluid twisting and flattening. This micromixer is constructed by repeating two microchannel segments, a "main channel" and a "flattened channel", which are very different in size and are arranged perpendicularly. At the intersection of these segments the fluid inside the micromixer is twisted and then, in the flattened channel, the diffusion length is greatly reduced, achieving high mixing efficiency. Several types of micromixer were fabricated and the effect of microchannel geometry on mixing performance was evaluated. We also integrated this micromixer with a miniaturized DNA purification device, in which the concentration of the buffer solution could be rapidly changed, to perform DNA purification based on solid-phase extraction.

Aspects of Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horkel, Derek P.

In this thesis we describe two studies concerting lattice quantum chromodynamics (LQCD): first, an analysis of the phase structure of Wilson and twisted-mass fermions with isospin breaking effects, second a computational study measuring non-perturbative Greens functions. We open with a brief overview of the formalism of QCD and LQCD, focusing on the aspects necessary for understanding how a lattice computation is performed and how discretization effects can be understood. Our work in Wilson and twisted-mass fermions investigates an increasingly relevant regime where lattice simulations are performed with quarks at or near their physical masses and both the mass difference of the up and down quarks and their differing electric charges are included. Our computation of a non-perturbative Greens functions on the lattice serves as a first attempt to validate recent work by Dine et. al. [24] in which they calculate Greens functions which vanish in perturbation theory, yet have a contribution from the one instanton background. In chapter 2, we determine the phase diagram and pion spectrum for Wilson and twisted-mass fermions in the presence of non-degeneracy between the up and down quark and discretization errors, using Wilson and twisted-mass chiral perturbation theory. We find that the CP-violating phase of the continuum theory (which occurs for sufficiently large non-degeneracy) is continuously connected to the Aoki phase of the lattice theory with degenerate quarks. We show that discretization effects can, in some cases, push simulations with physical masses closer to either the CP-violating phase or another phase not present in the continuum, so that at sufficiently large lattice spacings physical-point simulations could lie in one of these phases. In chapter 3, we extend the work in chapter 2 to include the effects of electromagnetism, so that it is applicable to recent simulations incorporating all sources of isospin breaking. For Wilson fermions, we find that the phase diagram is unaffected by the inclusion of electromagnetism--the only effect is to raise the charged pion masses. For maximally twisted fermions, we previously took the twist and isospin-breaking directions to be different, in order that the fermion determinant is real and positive. However, this is incompatible with electromagnetic gauge invariance, and so here we take the twist to be in the isospin-breaking direction, following the RM123 collaboration. We map out the phase diagram in this case, which has not previously been studied. The results differ from those obtained with different twist and isospin directions. One practical issue when including electromagnetism is that the critical masses for up and down quarks differ. We show that one of the criteria suggested to determine these critical masses does not work, and propose an alternative. In chapter 4, we delve deeper into the technical details of the analysis in chapter 3. We determine the phase diagram and chiral condensate for lattice QCD with two flavors of twisted-mass fermions in the presence of nondegenerate up and down quarks, discretization errors and a nonzero value of thetaQCD. We find that, in general, the only phase structure is a first-order transition of finite length. Pion masses are nonvanishing throughout the phase plane except at the endpoints of the first-order line. Only for extremal values of the twist angle and thetaQCD (o = 0 or pi/2 and thetaQCD = 0 or pi) are there second-order transitions. In chapter 5 we move on to a new topic, working to make a first measurement of non-perturbative Greens functions which vanish in perturbation theory but have a non-vanishing one-instanton contribution, as suggested in recent work by Dine et. al. [24] using a semi- classical approach. This measurement was done using 163 x 48 configurations generated by the MILC collaboration, with coupling beta = 6.572, light quark mass m la = 0.0097, strange quark mass msa = 0.0484, lattice spacing a ≈ 0.14 fm and pion mass mpia = 0.2456. The analysis was done by separating the Green function of interest into pseudoscalar and scalar components. These are separately calculated on 440 configurations, using the Chroma software package. To improve statistics, we used the various reduction technique suggested in Ref. [13]. We subtracted out the long distance contributions from the pion, excited pion and a0 from the Green function, in the hope of obtaining the short distance form predicted by Ref. [24]. Unfortunately, after subtraction of the a0 and pion states only noise remained. While the results are not in themselves useful, we believe this approach will be worth repeating in the future with finer lattices with a fermion action with better chiral symmetry.

The Twisted Nose: What to Do When It's Not Straight.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Joseph R; Winkler, Andrew A

2018-06-01

Septorhinoplasty is among the most common facial plastic and reconstructive surgeries and its complexities are reflected in a relatively high revision rate. The patient with a postoperative twisted nose presents an additional challenge and requires that the surgeon display empathy and possess a deep knowledge of the aesthetic and functional intricacies of the nose. Correction of the twisted nose should be approached in a systematic fashion with unique considerations for each "third" of the nose. While there are many options in the overall surgical armamentarium, each surgeon will find specific techniques that are most efficacious and reproducible for their individual practice. This article discusses select surgical "pearls" and techniques that can aid the surgeon in their own surgical decision-making. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

New parton distributions from large-x and low-Q 2 data

DOE PAGES

Alberto Accardi; Christy, M. Eric; Keppel, Cynthia E.; ...

2010-02-11

We report results of a new global next-to-leading order fit of parton distribution functions in which cuts on W and Q are relaxed, thereby including more data at high values of x. Effects of target mass corrections (TMCs), higher twist contributions, and nuclear corrections for deuterium data are significant in the large-x region. The leading twist parton distributions are found to be stable to TMC model variations as long as higher twist contributions are also included. Furthermore, the behavior of the d quark as x → 1 is particularly sensitive to the deuterium corrections, and using realistic nuclear smearing modelsmore » the d-quark distribution at large x is found to be softer than in previous fits performed with more restrictive cuts.« less

Surface operators in 5d gauge theories and duality relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashok, S. K.; Billò, M.; Dell'Aquila, E.; Frau, M.; Gupta, V.; John, R. R.; Lerda, A.

2018-05-01

We study half-BPS surface operators in 5d N = 1 gauge theories compactified on a circle. Using localization methods and the twisted chiral ring relations of coupled 3d/5d quiver gauge theories, we calculate the twisted chiral superpotential that governs the infrared properties of these surface operators. We make a detailed analysis of the localization integrand, and by comparing with the results from the twisted chiral ring equations, we obtain constraints on the 3d and 5d Chern-Simons levels so that the instanton partition function does not depend on the choice of integration contour. For these values of the Chern-Simons couplings, we comment on how the distinct quiver theories that realize the same surface operator are related to each other by Aharony-Seiberg dualities.

Simulation of Homologous and Cannibalistic Coronal Mass Ejections produced by the Emergence of a Twisted Flux Rope into the Solar Corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Piyali; Fan, Yuhong

2013-11-01

We report the first results of a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the development of a homologous sequence of three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and demonstrate their so-called cannibalistic behavior. These CMEs originate from the repeated formations and partial eruptions of kink unstable flux ropes as a result of continued emergence of a twisted flux rope across the lower boundary into a pre-existing coronal potential arcade field. The simulation shows that a CME erupting into the open magnetic field created by a preceding CME has a higher speed. The second of the three successive CMEs is cannibalistic, catching up and merging with the first into a single fast CME before exiting the domain. All the CMEs including the leading merged CME, attained speeds of about 1000 km s-1 as they exit the domain. The reformation of a twisted flux rope after each CME eruption during the sustained flux emergence can naturally explain the X-ray observations of repeated reformations of sigmoids and "sigmoid-under-cusp" configurations at a low-coronal source of homologous CMEs.

Entropy functional and the holographic attractor mechanism

DOE PAGES

Cabo-Bizet, Alejandro; Kol, Uri; Pando Zayas, Leopoldo A.; ...

2018-05-01

We provide a field theory interpretation of the attractor mechanism for asymptotically AdS4 dyonic BPS black holes whose entropy is captured by the supersymmetric index of the twisted ABJM theory at Chern-Simons level one. We holographically compute the renormalized off-shell quantum effective action in the twisted ABJM theory as a function of the supersymmetric fermion masses and the arbitrary vacuum expectation values of the dimension one scalar bilinear operators and show that extremizing the effective action with respect to the vacuum expectation values of the dimension one scalar bilinears is equivalent to the attractor mechanism in the bulk. In fact,more » we show that the holographic quantum effective action coincides with the entropy functional and, therefore, its value at the extremum reproduces the black hole entropy.« less

Controlling photophysics of styrylnaphthalimides through TICT, fluorescence and E,Z-photoisomerization interplay.

PubMed

Panchenko, Pavel A; Arkhipova, Antonina N; Fedorova, Olga A; Fedorov, Yuri V; Zakharko, Marina A; Arkhipov, Dmitry E; Jonusauskas, Gediminas

2017-01-04

The photophysical properties of naphthalimide dyes NI1-3 with electron releasing 4-methoxy- (NI1), 3,4-dimethoxystyryl- (NI2) and dimethylaminostyryl (NI3) groups are examined in a variety of protic and aprotic solvents. All compounds demonstrate positive solvatochromism in the steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectra. The analysis of the dependence of the Stokes shift on the polarity of the solvent using the Lippert-Mataga equation allowed us to determine the change in the dipole moment upon excitation. The obtained data correspond to the formation of highly polar charge transfer states. Based on the transient absorption spectra and time-resolved fluorescence measurements, the presence of two different emissive states was definitely proved. The primarily formed planar Local Excited (LE) state dominates in non-polar solvents like cyclohexane and toluene where it relaxes mostly through fluorescence and E,Z-isomerisation pathways. In polar solvents, an alternative relaxation channel emerges that consists of twisting around single bond between styryl and naphthalimide fragments, which leads to the formation of a Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer (TICT) state. The factors affecting the fluorescence of TICT states are discussed. The observed spectral effects are rationalized using quantum-chemical calculations, X-ray data and NMR spectroscopy.

The Effect of Non-Harmonic Active Twist Actuation on BVI Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fogarty, David E.; Wilbur, Matthew L.; Sekula, Martin K.

2011-01-01

The results of a computational study examining the effects of non-harmonic active-twist control on blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise for the Apache Active Twist Rotor are presented. Rotor aeroelastic behavior was modeled using the Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics code and the rotor noise was predicted using the acoustics code PSU-WOPWOP. The application of non-harmonic active-twist inputs to the main rotor blade system comprised three parameters: azimuthal location to start actuation, azimuthal duration of actuation, and magnitude of actuation. The acoustic analysis was conducted for a single low-speed flight condition of advance ratio mu=0.14 and shaft angle-of-attack, a(sub s)=+6deg. BVI noise levels were predicted on a flat plane of observers located 1.1 rotor diameters beneath the rotor. The results indicate significant reductions of up to 10dB in BVI noise using a starting azimuthal location for actuation of 90?, an azimuthal duration of actuation of 90deg, and an actuation magnitude of +1.5 ft-lb.

Elastic moduli of a smectic membrane: a rod-level scaling analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wensink, H. H.; Morales Anda, L.

2018-02-01

Chiral rodlike colloids exposed to strong depletion attraction may self-assemble into chiral membranes whose twisted director field differs from that of a 3D bulk chiral nematic. We formulate a simple microscopic variational theory to determine the elastic moduli of rods assembled into a bidimensional smectic membrane. The approach is based on a simple Onsager-Straley theory for a non-uniform director field that we apply to describe rod twist within the membrane. A microscopic approach enables a detailed estimate of the individual Frank elastic moduli (splay, twist and bend) as well as the twist penetration depth of the smectic membrane in relation to the rod density and shape. We find that the elastic moduli are distinctly different from those of a bulk nematic fluid, with the splay elasticity being much stronger and the curvature elasticity much weaker than for rods assembled in a three-dimensional nematic fluid. We argue that the use of the simplistic one-constant approximation in which all moduli are assumed to be of equal magnitude is not appropriate for modelling the structure-property relation of smectic membranes.

Study of energy vs misorientation for grain boundaries in gold by crystallite rotation method - I. (001) twist boundaries

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

Chan, S-W; Balluffi, R.W.

1985-06-01

Small gold crystallites ( about50-80 nm dia) were welded to thin film (001) single crystal gol substrates at a series of predetermined (001) twist angles in the range 0.45/sup 0/. A pure (001) twist boundary therefore existed in each welded neck region which could be observed directly by transmission electron microscopy at normal incidence. Upon annealing, the crystallites rotated around (001) when the boundary energy varied with theta. The crystallites rotated into three misorientations corresponding to the special ..sigma..1 and ..sigma..5 misorientations and a symmetry related misorientation at theta = 45/sup 0/. These results indicate the existence of grain boundarymore » dislocation (GBD) related cusps on the boundary energy vs theta curve a ..sigma..1 and ..sigma..5. The rotations occurred conservatively by the motion of screw GBDs which could be observed directly by the transmission microscopy in certain regimes of theta. The results are relevant to recent calculations of the energies of (001) twist boundaries and the applicability of the GBD/structural unit model for grain boundaries.« less

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

Cirilo Antonio, N.; Manojlovic, N.; Departamento de Matematica, FCT, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro

sl{sub 2} Gaudin model with jordanian twist is studied. This system can be obtained as the semiclassical limit of the XXX spin chain deformed by the jordanian twist. The appropriate creation operators that yield the Bethe states of the Gaudin model and consequently its spectrum are defined. Their commutation relations with the generators of the corresponding loop algebra as well as with the generating function of integrals of motion are given. The inner products and norms of Bethe states and the relation to the solutions of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations are discussed.

Effect of grain boundaries on shock-induced phase transformation in iron bicrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xueyang; Wang, Kun; Zhu, Wenjun; Chen, Jun; Cai, Mengqiu; Xiao, Shifang; Deng, Huiqiu; Hu, Wangyu

2018-01-01

Non-equilibrium molecular-dynamic simulations with a modified analytic embedded-atom model potential have been performed to investigate the effect of three kinds of grain boundaries (GBs) on the martensitic transformation in iron bicrystals with three different GBs under shock loadings. Our results show that the phase transition was influenced by the GBs. All three GBs provide a nucleation site for the α → ɛ transformation in samples shock-loaded with up = 0.5 km/s, and in particular, the elastic wave can induce the phase transformation at Σ3 ⟨110⟩ twist GB, which indicates that the phase transformation can occur at Σ3 ⟨110⟩ twist GB with a much lower pressure. The effect of GBs on the stress assisted transformation (SAT) mechanisms is discussed. All variants nucleating at the vicinity of these GBs meet the maximum strain work (MSW) criterion. Moreover, all of the variants with the MSW nucleate at Σ5 ⟨001⟩ twist GB and Σ3 ⟨110⟩ tilt GB, but only part of them nucleate at Σ3 ⟨110⟩ twist GB. This is because the coincident planes between both sides of the GB would affect the slip process, which is the second stage of the martensitic transformation and influences the selection of variant. We also find that the martensitic transformation at the front end of the bicrystals would give rise to stress attenuation in samples shock-loaded with up = 0.6 km/s, which makes the GBs seem to be unfavorable to the martensitic transformation. Our findings have the potential to affect the interface engineering and material design under high pressure conditions.

Roles of dynamical symmetry breaking in driving oblate-prolate transitions of atomic clusters

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

Oka, Yurie, E-mail: ok-yu@fuji.waseda.jp; Yanao, Tomohiro, E-mail: yanao@waseda.jp; Koon, Wang Sang, E-mail: koon@cds.caltech.edu

2015-04-07

This paper explores the driving mechanisms for structural transitions of atomic clusters between oblate and prolate isomers. We employ the hyperspherical coordinates to investigate structural dynamics of a seven-atom cluster at a coarse-grained level in terms of the dynamics of three gyration radii and three principal axes, which characterize overall mass distributions of the cluster. Dynamics of gyration radii is governed by two kinds of forces. One is the potential force originating from the interactions between atoms. The other is the dynamical forces called the internal centrifugal forces, which originate from twisting and shearing motions of the system. The internalmore » centrifugal force arising from twisting motions has an effect of breaking the symmetry between two gyration radii. As a result, in an oblate isomer, activation of the internal centrifugal force that has the effect of breaking the symmetry between the two largest gyration radii is crucial in triggering structural transitions into prolate isomers. In a prolate isomer, on the other hand, activation of the internal centrifugal force that has the effect of breaking the symmetry between the two smallest gyration radii is crucial in triggering structural transitions into oblate isomers. Activation of a twisting motion that switches the movement patterns of three principal axes is also important for the onset of structural transitions between oblate and prolate isomers. Based on these trigger mechanisms, we finally show that selective activations of specific gyration radii and twisting motions, depending on the isomer of the cluster, can effectively induce structural transitions of the cluster. The results presented here could provide further insights into the control of molecular reactions.« less

Roles of dynamical symmetry breaking in driving oblate-prolate transitions of atomic clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oka, Yurie; Yanao, Tomohiro; Koon, Wang Sang

2015-04-01

This paper explores the driving mechanisms for structural transitions of atomic clusters between oblate and prolate isomers. We employ the hyperspherical coordinates to investigate structural dynamics of a seven-atom cluster at a coarse-grained level in terms of the dynamics of three gyration radii and three principal axes, which characterize overall mass distributions of the cluster. Dynamics of gyration radii is governed by two kinds of forces. One is the potential force originating from the interactions between atoms. The other is the dynamical forces called the internal centrifugal forces, which originate from twisting and shearing motions of the system. The internal centrifugal force arising from twisting motions has an effect of breaking the symmetry between two gyration radii. As a result, in an oblate isomer, activation of the internal centrifugal force that has the effect of breaking the symmetry between the two largest gyration radii is crucial in triggering structural transitions into prolate isomers. In a prolate isomer, on the other hand, activation of the internal centrifugal force that has the effect of breaking the symmetry between the two smallest gyration radii is crucial in triggering structural transitions into oblate isomers. Activation of a twisting motion that switches the movement patterns of three principal axes is also important for the onset of structural transitions between oblate and prolate isomers. Based on these trigger mechanisms, we finally show that selective activations of specific gyration radii and twisting motions, depending on the isomer of the cluster, can effectively induce structural transitions of the cluster. The results presented here could provide further insights into the control of molecular reactions.

Design optimization for active twist rotor blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mok, Ji Won

This dissertation introduces the process of optimizing active twist rotor blades in the presence of embedded anisotropic piezo-composite actuators. Optimum design of active twist blades is a complex task, since it involves a rich design space with tightly coupled design variables. The study presents the development of an optimization framework for active helicopter rotor blade cross-sectional design. This optimization framework allows for exploring a rich and highly nonlinear design space in order to optimize the active twist rotor blades. Different analytical components are combined in the framework: cross-sectional analysis (UM/VABS), an automated mesh generator, a beam solver (DYMORE), a three-dimensional local strain recovery module, and a gradient based optimizer within MATLAB. Through the mathematical optimization problem, the static twist actuation performance of a blade is maximized while satisfying a series of blade constraints. These constraints are associated with locations of the center of gravity and elastic axis, blade mass per unit span, fundamental rotating blade frequencies, and the blade strength based on local three-dimensional strain fields under worst loading conditions. Through pre-processing, limitations of the proposed process have been studied. When limitations were detected, resolution strategies were proposed. These include mesh overlapping, element distortion, trailing edge tab modeling, electrode modeling and foam implementation of the mesh generator, and the initial point sensibility of the current optimization scheme. Examples demonstrate the effectiveness of this process. Optimization studies were performed on the NASA/Army/MIT ATR blade case. Even though that design was built and shown significant impact in vibration reduction, the proposed optimization process showed that the design could be improved significantly. The second example, based on a model scale of the AH-64D Apache blade, emphasized the capability of this framework to explore the nonlinear design space of complex planform. Especially for this case, detailed design is carried out to make the actual blade manufacturable. The proposed optimization framework is shown to be an effective tool to design high authority active twist blades to reduce vibration in future helicopter rotor blades.

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features.

PubMed

Cox, Daniel T C; Inger, Richard; Hancock, Steven; Anderson, Karen; Gaston, Kevin J

2016-11-23

Private gardens provide vital opportunities for people to interact with nature. The most popular form of interaction is through garden bird feeding. Understanding how landscape features and seasons determine patterns of movement of feeder-using songbirds is key to maximising the well-being benefits they provide. To determine these patterns we established three networks of automated data loggers along a gradient of greenspace fragmentation. Over a 12-month period we tracked 452 tagged blue tits Cyantistes caeruleus and great tits Parus major moving between feeder pairs 9,848 times, to address two questions: (i) Do urban features within different forms, and season, influence structural (presence-absence of connections between feeders by birds) and functional (frequency of these connections) connectivity? (ii) Are there general patterns of structural and functional connectivity across forms? Vegetation cover increased connectivity in all three networks, whereas the presence of road gaps negatively affected functional but not structural connectivity. Across networks structural connectivity was lowest in the summer when birds maintain breeding territories, however patterns of functional connectivity appeared to vary with habitat fragmentation. Using empirical data this study shows how key urban features and season influence movement of feeder-using songbirds, and we provide evidence that this is related to greenspace fragmentation.

MHD Simulations of the Eruption of Coronal Flux Ropes under Coronal Streamers

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

Fan, Yuhong, E-mail: yfan@ucar.edu

Using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, we investigate the eruption of coronal flux ropes underlying coronal streamers and the development of a prominence eruption. We initialize a quasi-steady solution of a coronal helmet streamer, into which we impose at the lower boundary the slow emergence of a part of a twisted magnetic torus. As a result, a quasi-equilibrium flux rope is built up under the streamer. With varying streamer sizes and different lengths and total twists of the flux rope that emerges, we found different scenarios for the evolution from quasi-equilibrium to eruption. In the cases with a broad streamer, themore » flux rope remains well confined until there is sufficient twist such that it first develops the kink instability and evolves through a sequence of kinked, confined states with increasing height until it eventually develops a “hernia-like” ejective eruption. For significantly twisted flux ropes, prominence condensations form in the dips of the twisted field lines due to runaway radiative cooling. Once formed, the prominence-carrying field becomes significantly non-force-free due to the weight of the prominence, despite having low plasma β . As the flux rope erupts, the prominence erupts, showing substantial draining along the legs of the erupting flux rope. The prominence may not show a kinked morphology even though the flux rope becomes kinked. On the other hand, in the case with a narrow streamer, the flux rope with less than one wind of twist can erupt via the onset of the torus instability.« less

A method to determine the orientation of the upper arm about its longitudinal axis during dynamic motions.

PubMed

Gordon, Brian J; Dapena, Jesús

2013-01-04

Inaccuracy in determining the orientation of the upper arm about its longitudinal axis (twist orientation) has been a pervasive problem in sport biomechanics research. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to improve the calculation of the upper arm twist orientation in dynamic sports activities. The twist orientation of the upper arm is defined by the orientation of its mediolateral axis. The basis for the new method is that at any angle in the flexion/extension range of an individual's elbow, it is possible to define a true mediolateral axis and also a surrogate mediolateral axis perpendicular to the plane containing the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The difference between the twist orientations indicated by these two versions of the mediolateral axis will vary from one elbow angle to another, but if the elbow joint deforms equally in different activities, for any given subject the difference should be constant at any given value of the elbow angle. Application of the new method required individuals to execute sedate elbow extension trials prior to the dynamic trials. Three-dimensional motion analysis of the sedate extension trials allowed quantification of the difference between the true and surrogate mediolateral axes for all angles in the entire flexion/extension range of an individual's elbow. This made it possible to calculate in any dynamic trial the twist orientation defined by the true mediolateral axis from the twist orientation defined by the surrogate mediolateral axis. The method was tested on a wooden model of the arm. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Ali, S.; Bukhari, S.; Department of Physics, The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad 13100, Azad Kashmir

Keeping in view the kinetic treatment for plasma particles, the electrostatic twisted dust-acoustic (DA) and dust-ion-acoustic (DIA) waves are investigated in a collisionless unmagnetized multi-component dusty plasma, whose constituents are the electrons, singly ionized positive ions, and negatively charged massive dust particulates. With this background, the Vlasov–Poisson equations are coupled together to derive a generalized dielectric constant by utilizing the Laguerre-Gaussian perturbed distribution function and electrostatic potential in the paraxial limit. The dispersion and damping rates of twisted DA and DIA waves are analyzed with finite orbital angular momentum states in a multi-component dusty plasma. Significant modifications concerning the realmore » wave frequencies and damping rates appeared with varying twisted dimensionless parameter and dust concentration. In particular, it is shown that dust concentration enhances the phase speed of the DIA waves in contrary to DA waves, whereas the impact of twisted parameter reduces the frequencies of both DA and DIA waves. The results should be useful for the understanding of particle transport and trapping phenomena caused by wave excitation in laboratory dusty plasmas.« less

Cofilin Changes the Twist of F-Actin: Implications for Actin Filament Dynamics and Cellular Function

PubMed Central

McGough, Amy; Pope, Brian; Chiu, Wah; Weeds, Alan

1997-01-01

Cofilin is an actin depolymerizing protein found widely distributed in animals and plants. We have used electron cryomicroscopy and helical reconstruction to identify its binding site on actin filaments. Cofilin binds filamentous (F)-actin cooperatively by bridging two longitudinally associated actin subunits. The binding site is centered axially at subdomain 2 of the lower actin subunit and radially at the cleft between subdomains 1 and 3 of the upper actin subunit. Our work has revealed a totally unexpected (and unique) property of cofilin, namely, its ability to change filament twist. As a consequence of this change in twist, filaments decorated with cofilin have much shorter ‘actin crossovers' (∼75% of those normally observed in F-actin structures). Although their binding sites are distinct, cofilin and phalloidin do not bind simultaneously to F-actin. This is the first demonstration of a protein that excludes another actin-binding molecule by changing filament twist. Alteration of F-actin structure by cofilin/ADF appears to be a novel mechanism through which the actin cytoskeleton may be regulated or remodeled. PMID:9265645

Importance of riparian remnants for frog species diversity in a highly fragmented rainforest.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Mendoza, Clara; Pineda, Eduardo

2010-12-23

Tropical forests undergo continuous transformation to other land uses, resulting in landscapes typified by forest fragments surrounded by anthropogenic habitats. Small forest fragments, specifically strip-shaped remnants flanking streams (referred to as riparian remnants), can be particularly important for the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity within highly fragmented forests. We compared frog species diversity between riparian remnants, other forest fragments and cattle pastures in a tropical landscape in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. We found similar species richness in the three habitats studied and a similar assemblage structure between riparian remnants and forest fragments, although species composition differed by 50 per cent. Frog abundance was halved in riparian remnants compared with forest fragments, but was twice that found in pastures. Our results suggest that riparian remnants play an important role in maintaining a portion of frog species diversity in a highly fragmented forest, particularly during environmentally stressful (hot and dry) periods. In this regard, however, the role of riparian remnants is complementary, rather than substitutive, with respect to the function of other forest fragments within the fragmented forest.

Identification of key regulators for the migration and invasion of rheumatoid synoviocytes through a systems approach

PubMed Central

You, Sungyong; Yoo, Seung-Ah; Choi, Susanna; Kim, Ji-Young; Park, Su-Jung; Ji, Jong Dae; Kim, Tae-Hwan; Kim, Ki-Jo; Cho, Chul-Soo; Hwang, Daehee; Kim, Wan-Uk

2014-01-01

Rheumatoid synoviocytes, which consist of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and synovial macrophages (SMs), are crucial for the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Particularly, FLSs of RA patients (RA-FLSs) exhibit invasive characteristics reminiscent of cancer cells, destroying cartilage and bone. RA-FLSs and SMs originate differently from mesenchymal and myeloid cells, respectively, but share many pathologic functions. However, the molecular signatures and biological networks representing the distinct and shared features of the two cell types are unknown. We performed global transcriptome profiling of FLSs and SMs obtained from RA and osteoarthritis patients. By comparing the transcriptomes, we identified distinct molecular signatures and cellular processes defining invasiveness of RA-FLSs and proinflammatory properties of RA-SMs, respectively. Interestingly, under the interleukin-1β (IL-1β)–stimulated condition, the RA-FLSs newly acquired proinflammatory signature dominant in RA-SMs without losing invasive properties. We next reconstructed a network model that delineates the shared, RA-FLS–dominant (invasive), and RA-SM–dominant (inflammatory) processes. From the network model, we selected 13 genes, including periostin, osteoblast-specific factor (POSTN) and twist basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor 1 (TWIST1), as key regulator candidates responsible for FLS invasiveness. Of note, POSTN and TWIST1 expressions were elevated in independent RA-FLSs and further instigated by IL-1β. Functional assays demonstrated the requirement of POSTN and TWIST1 for migration and invasion of RA-FLSs stimulated with IL-1β. Together, our systems approach to rheumatoid synovitis provides a basis for identifying key regulators responsible for pathological features of RA-FLSs and -SMs, demonstrating how a certain type of cells acquires functional redundancy under chronic inflammatory conditions. PMID:24374632

Study of energy versus misorientation for grain boundaries in gold by crystallite rotation method. I. (001) twist boundaries

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

Chan, S.W.; Balluffi, R.W.

1984-11-01

Small gold crystallites (approx. 50 to 80 nm dia) were welded to thin film (001) single crystal gold substrates at a series of predetermined (001) twist angles in the range 0 to 45/sup 0/. A pure (001) twist boundary therefore existed in each welded neck region which could be observed directly by transmission electron microscopy at normal incidence. Upon annealing, the crystallites rotated around (001) when the boundary energy varied with theta. The crystallites rotated into three misorientations corresponding to the special ..sigma..1 and ..sigma..5 misorientations and a symmetry related misorientation at theta=45/sup 0/. These results indicate the existence ofmore » grain boundary dislocation (GBD) related cusps on the boundary energy versus theta curve at ..sigma..1 and ..sigma..« less

Lowering Interleukin-12 Activity Improves Myocardial and Vascular Function Compared With Tumor Necrosis Factor-a Antagonism or Cyclosporine in Psoriasis.

PubMed

Ikonomidis, Ignatios; Papadavid, Evangelia; Makavos, George; Andreadou, Ioanna; Varoudi, Maria; Gravanis, Kostas; Theodoropoulos, Kostas; Pavlidis, George; Triantafyllidi, Helen; Moutsatsou, Paraskevi; Panagiotou, Christina; Parissis, John; Iliodromitis, Efstathios; Lekakis, John; Rigopoulos, Dimitrios

2017-09-01

Interleukin (IL)-12 activity is involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and acute coronary syndromes. We investigated the effects of IL-12 inhibition on vascular and left ventricular (LV) function in psoriasis. One hundred fifty psoriasis patients were randomized to receive an anti-IL-12/23 (ustekinumab, n=50), anti-tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α; etanercept, n=50), or cyclosporine treatment (n=50). At baseline and 4 months post-treatment, we measured (1) LV global longitudinal strain, twisting, and percent difference between peak twisting and untwisting at mitral valve opening (%untwMVO) using speckle-tracking echocardiography, (2) coronary flow reserve, (3) pulse wave velocity and augmentation index, (4) circulating NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, malondialdehyde, and fetuin-a. Compared with baseline, all patients had improved global longitudinal strain (median values: -17.7% versus -19.5%), LV twisting (12.4° versus 14°), %untwMVO (27.8% versus 35%), and coronary flow reserve (2.8 versus 3.1) and reduced circulating NT-proBNP, IL-17, TNF-α, and IL-6 post-treatment ( P <0.05). Compared with anti-TNF-α and cyclosporine, anti-IL-12/23 treatment resulted in a greater improvement of global longitudinal strain (25% versus 17% versus 6%,), LV twist (27% versus 17% versus 1%), %untwMVO (31% versus 27% versus 17%), and coronary flow reserve (14% versus 11% versus 4%), as well as a greater reduction of IL-12 (-25% versus -4% versus -2%), malondialdehyde (-27% versus +5% versus +26%), and NT-proBNP(-26% versus -13.6% versus 9.1%) and increase of fetuin-a ( P <0.01). Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index were improved only after anti-IL-12/23 treatment and correlated with changes in global longitudinal strain, LV twisting-untwisting ( P <0.05). In psoriasis, IL-12/23 inhibition results in a greater improvement of coronary, arterial, and myocardial function than TNF-α inhibition or cyclosporine treatment. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02144857. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Probing superfast quarks in nuclei through dijet production at the LHC

DOE PAGES

Freese, Adam J.; Sargsian, Misak M.; Strikman, Mark I.

2015-11-12

We investigate dijet production from proton-nucleus collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as a means for observing superfast quarks in nuclei with Bjorken x>1 . Kinematically, superfast quarks can be identified through directly measurable jet kinematics. Dynamically, their description requires understanding several elusive properties of nuclear QCD, such as nuclear forces at very short distances, as well as medium modification of parton distributions in nuclei. In the present work, we develop a model for nuclear parton distributions at large x in which the nuclear dynamics at short distance scales are described by two- and three-nucleon short range correlations (SRCs).more » Nuclear modifications are accounted for using the color screening model, and an improved description of the EMC effect is reached by using a structure function parametrization that includes higher-twist contributions. We apply QCD evolution at the leading order to obtain nuclear parton distributions in the kinematic regime of the LHC, and based on the obtained distributions calculate the cross section for dijet production. We find that the rates of the dijet production in pA collisions at kinematics accessible by ATLAS and CMS are sufficient not only to observe superfast quarks but also to get information about the practically unexplored three-nucleon SRCs in nuclei. Additionally, the LHC can extend our knowledge of the EMC effect to large Q 2 where higher-twist effects are negligible.« less

Probing superfast quarks in nuclei through dijet production at the LHC

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

Freese, Adam J.; Sargsian, Misak M.; Strikman, Mark I.

2015-11-01

We investigate dijet production from proton-nucleus collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as a means for observing superfast quarks in nuclei with Bjorken x>1 . Kinematically, superfast quarks can be identified through directly measurable jet kinematics. Dynamically, their description requires understanding several elusive properties of nuclear QCD, such as nuclear forces at very short distances, as well as medium modification of parton distributions in nuclei. In the present work, we develop a model for nuclear parton distributions at large x in which the nuclear dynamics at short distance scales are described by two- and three-nucleon short range correlations (SRCs).more » Nuclear modifications are accounted for using the color screening model, and an improved description of the EMC effect is reached by using a structure function parametrization that includes higher-twist contributions. We apply QCD evolution at the leading order to obtain nuclear parton distributions in the kinematic regime of the LHC, and based on the obtained distributions calculate the cross section for dijet production. We find that the rates of the dijet production in pA collisions at kinematics accessible by ATLAS and CMS are sufficient not only to observe superfast quarks but also to get information about the practically unexplored three-nucleon SRCs in nuclei. Additionally, the LHC can extend our knowledge of the EMC effect to large Q2 where higher-twist effects are negligible.« less

Light-cone singularities and transverse-momentum-dependent factorization at twist-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, A. P.; Ma, J. P.

2017-05-01

We study transverse-momentum-dependent factorization at twist-3 for Drell-Yan processes. The factorization can be derived straightforwardly at leading order of αs. But at this order we find that light-cone singularities already exist and effects of soft gluons are not correctly factorized. We regularize the singularities with gauge links off the light-cone and introduce a soft factor to factorize the effects of soft gluons. Interestingly, the soft factor must be included in the definition of subtracted TMD parton distributions to correctly factorize the effects of soft gluons. We derive the Collins-Soper equation for one of twist-3 TMD parton distributions. The equation can be useful for resummation of large logarithms terms appearing in the corresponding structure function in collinear factorization. However, the derived equation is nonhomogeneous. This will make the resummation complicated.

Three-dimensional habitat structure and landscape genetics: a step forward in estimating functional connectivity.

PubMed

Milanesi, P; Holderegger, R; Bollmann, K; Gugerli, F; Zellweger, F

2017-02-01

Estimating connectivity among fragmented habitat patches is crucial for evaluating the functionality of ecological networks. However, current estimates of landscape resistance to animal movement and dispersal lack landscape-level data on local habitat structure. Here, we used a landscape genetics approach to show that high-fidelity habitat structure maps derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data critically improve functional connectivity estimates compared to conventional land cover data. We related pairwise genetic distances of 128 Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) genotypes to least-cost path distances at multiple scales derived from land cover data. Resulting β values of linear mixed effects models ranged from 0.372 to 0.495, while those derived from LiDAR ranged from 0.558 to 0.758. The identification and conservation of functional ecological networks suffering from habitat fragmentation and homogenization will thus benefit from the growing availability of detailed and contiguous data on three-dimensional habitat structure and associated habitat quality. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Statistical physics of modulated phases in nematic liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamid, Shaikh M.

Nematic liquid crystals are the state of the matter in which there is no positional order like crystals but it has orientational order of the constituent molecules. In the conventional nematics, the long axes of the rod-like molecules tend to align up or down uniformly along a director n. If the constituent molecules are chiral, they tend to form a modulated structure in one of the space dimensions. They are called the chiral nematics. If the chirality is strong enough we get the modulated structures in all three dimensions called the chiral blue phase. On the other hand, if the molecules are achiral, but an additional polar dipole is attached to the molecules, they also tend to form a modulated structure. In these types of materials we observe an important physical effect called flexoelectric effect, in which the polar order is linearly coupled to the director gradients. This dissertation work presents analytical and simulation studies of that modulated structures using the flexoelectric mechanism. Classic work by R. B. Meyer and further studies by I. Dozov predicted two possible structures, known as twist-bend and splay-bend. One of these predictions, the twist-bend phase, has recently been identified in experiments on bent-shaped liquid crystals. In this recently discovered twist-bend nematic phase the modulation is along one of the space dimensions. If this flexoelectric coupling is strong enough, in addition to twist-bend and splay-bend, here we predict the formation of polar analog of chiral blue phases (in both 2D and 3D) made of achiral polar liquid crystal materials by using Elastic continuum theory-based numerical calculations and computer simulations. This dissertation work also presents the coarse-grained theory of twist-bend phase. This theory predicts normal modes of fluctuation in both sides of nematic to twist-bend transition, which then compared with light scattering experiments. Macroscopic elastic and electric properties of twist-bend nematics can be realized using this coarse-grained description.

Connections between collinear and transverse-momentum-dependent polarized observables within the Collins–Soper–Sterman formalism

DOE PAGES

Gamberg, Leonard; Metz, Andreas; Pitonyak, Daniel; ...

2018-03-15

Here, we extend the improved Collins–Soper–Sterman (iCSS) W+Y construction recently presented in to the case of polarized observables, where we focus in particular on the Sivers effect in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. We further show how one recovers the expected leading-order collinear twist-3 result from a (weighted) q T-integral of the differential cross section. We are also able to demonstrate the validity of the well-known relation between the (TMD) Sivers function and the (collinear twist-3) Qiu–Sterman function within the iCSS framework. This relation allows for their interpretation as functions yielding the average transverse momentum of unpolarized quarks in a transversely polarizedmore » spin-1/2 target. We further outline how this study can be generalized to other polarized quantities.« less

Connections between collinear and transverse-momentum-dependent polarized observables within the Collins–Soper–Sterman formalism

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

Gamberg, Leonard; Metz, Andreas; Pitonyak, Daniel

Here, we extend the improved Collins–Soper–Sterman (iCSS) W+Y construction recently presented in to the case of polarized observables, where we focus in particular on the Sivers effect in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. We further show how one recovers the expected leading-order collinear twist-3 result from a (weighted) q T-integral of the differential cross section. We are also able to demonstrate the validity of the well-known relation between the (TMD) Sivers function and the (collinear twist-3) Qiu–Sterman function within the iCSS framework. This relation allows for their interpretation as functions yielding the average transverse momentum of unpolarized quarks in a transversely polarizedmore » spin-1/2 target. We further outline how this study can be generalized to other polarized quantities.« less

Connections between collinear and transverse-momentum-dependent polarized observables within the Collins-Soper-Sterman formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamberg, Leonard; Metz, Andreas; Pitonyak, Daniel; Prokudin, Alexei

2018-06-01

We extend the improved Collins-Soper-Sterman (iCSS) W + Y construction recently presented in [1] to the case of polarized observables, where we focus in particular on the Sivers effect in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. We further show how one recovers the expected leading-order collinear twist-3 result from a (weighted) qT-integral of the differential cross section. We are also able to demonstrate the validity of the well-known relation between the (TMD) Sivers function and the (collinear twist-3) Qiu-Sterman function within the iCSS framework. This relation allows for their interpretation as functions yielding the average transverse momentum of unpolarized quarks in a transversely polarized spin-1/2 target. We further outline how this study can be generalized to other polarized quantities.

All possible electroweak models from Z orbifold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Hikaru; Kataoka, H.; Munakata, H.; Tanaka, S.

1992-02-01

Considering all possible combinations of two Wilson lines, it is shown that only three independent electroweak models with three generations are obtained from Z orbifold compactification. We obtain this result by analyzing particle spectra of both untwisted and twisted sectors explicitly.

All possible electroweak models from Z orbifold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, H.; Kataoka, H.; Munakata, H.; Tanaka, S.

Considering all possible combinations of two Wilson lines it is shown that only three independent electroweak models with three generations are obtained from Z orbifold compactification. We obtain this result by analyzing particle spectra of both untwisted and twisted sectors explicitly.

Controlled conjugated backbone twisting for an increased open-circuit voltage while having a high short-circuit current in poly(hexylthiophene) derivatives.

PubMed

Ko, Sangwon; Hoke, Eric T; Pandey, Laxman; Hong, Sanghyun; Mondal, Rajib; Risko, Chad; Yi, Yuanping; Noriega, Rodrigo; McGehee, Michael D; Brédas, Jean-Luc; Salleo, Alberto; Bao, Zhenan

2012-03-21

Conjugated polymers with nearly planar backbones have been the most commonly investigated materials for organic-based electronic devices. More twisted polymer backbones have been shown to achieve larger open-circuit voltages in solar cells, though with decreased short-circuit current densities. We systematically impose twists within a family of poly(hexylthiophene)s and examine their influence on the performance of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. A simple chemical modification concerning the number and placement of alkyl side chains along the conjugated backbone is used to control the degree of backbone twisting. Density functional theory calculations were carried out on a series of oligothiophene structures to provide insights on how the sterically induced twisting influences the geometric, electronic, and optical properties. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering measurements were performed to investigate how the thin-film packing structure was affected. The open-circuit voltage and charge-transfer state energy of the polymer:fullerene BHJ solar cells increased substantially with the degree of twist induced within the conjugated backbone--due to an increase in the polymer ionization potential--while the short-circuit current decreased as a result of a larger optical gap and lower hole mobility. A controlled, moderate degree of twist along the poly(3,4-dihexyl-2,2':5',2''-terthiophene) (PDHTT) conjugated backbone led to a 19% enhancement in the open-circuit voltage (0.735 V) vs poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based devices, while similar short-circuit current densities, fill factors, and hole-carrier mobilities were maintained. These factors resulted in a power conversion efficiency of 4.2% for a PDHTT:[6,6]-phenyl-C(71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(71)BM) blend solar cell without thermal annealing. This simple approach reveals a molecular design avenue to increase open-circuit voltage while retaining the short-circuit current.

Using the Sentence Verification Technique to Assess Storage and Retrieval Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-01

to the house, Pete peered through the window of the side door which led to the two-car garage . The garage was empty except for three 10-speed bikes...tour stopped for about 20 minutes as they listened to the new Twisted Sister album on the large, shiny stereo in the living room. The dining room, with...stopped for about 20 minutes as they listened to the new Twisted Sister album on the large, shiny stereo in the living room. 68 MEANING CHANGE 14. The two

Transonic pressure measurements and comparison of theory to experiment for three arrow-wing configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manro, M. E.

1982-01-01

Wind tunnel tests of arrow-wing body configurations consisting of flat, twisted, and cambered twisted wings, as well as a variety of leading and trailing edge control surface deflections, were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.4 to 1.05 to provide an experimental pressure data base for comparison with theoretical methods. Theory to experiment comparisons of detailed pressure distributions were made using state of the art attached flow methods. Conditions under which these theories are valid for these wings are presented.

Biomechanical and biological aspects of defect treatment in fractures using helical plates.

PubMed

Perren, S M; Regazzoni, P; Fernandez, A A D

2014-01-01

The clinical case of figure 1 through figure 11 shows a series of impressive failures of plate fixation. The plates were repeatedly applied bridging a comminuted bone segment in a heavy patient. The biomechanical analysis elaborates why this happened and proposes an unconventional procedure to prevent this failure with a minimally invasive procedure. A plate bridging an open gap or a defect in a long bone diaphysis is exposed to full functional load. According to clinical observations such plate application often fails even without external load such as weight bearing. The plate risks to break through fatigue when exposed during a long time to cyclic loading. This type of failure has been observed even with broad plates as well in femoral as in tibiae. The first option to avoid such failure consists in protecting the plate by installing load sharing between plate and either bone or an additional implant. This reduces the load carried by the plate to a safe level. Load sharing with bone may be installed at surgery by establishing solid mechanical bridge between the two main fragments of the fractured bone. The optimal load sharing relies on a solid compressed contact between the main fragments. It can be established because the bone is able to take a large load which results in optimal protection of the plate. In the case of an extended comminuted bone segment it may be very difficult, traumatizing and inefficient to reconstruct the bone. In the present case it was impossible to establish load sharing through the bone. The second option protecting the plate is provided by callus bridging of the gap or defect. The formation of a solid callus bridge takes time but the fatigue failure of the plate also takes time. Therefore, the callus bridge may prevent a late fatigue failure. The surgeon may select one of several options: - Replacing the lack of bone support using a second plate which immediately alleviates plate loading. The drawback of application of a second conventional plate is the extent of surgical trauma at the critical site of healing. - Shingling and/or applying an autologous cancellous bone graft: This procedure provides initially no relevant load sharing but will do so after a couple of weeks. The mechanical coupling of the comparably soft graft and the main fracture fragments presents little problems. Applying a cortical bone graft: Such a graft does provide initial only small load sharing and does a less good job inducing callus than a cancellous graft. Furthermore, the coupling by callus between a somewhat rigid bone graft and the mobile main fracture fragments requires a solid maintained contact. If the cortical graft is fixed using implants with small contact area to the graft such as screws or cerclage loops, the local stress may be critical and the graft may break. When the cortical graft is fixed with cerclage wires the procedure must take into account the limited strength of the individual cerclage. Therefore multiple and well-spaced cerclages are required and may lead to success especially if an intramedullary component of the implant contributes to protection (6). The degree of unloading depends apparently on the stiffness of the material of the protecting splint. Though, more important is the effect of the dimensions of the splint. While titanium as a material is about 50% less stiff than steel, the thickness of the implant changes the stiffness with the third power. That is doubling the thickness results in eightfold increased stiffness. When considering the unloading by application of a second plate the leverage of the second plate plays an important role. The larger the distance between the axis of bending and the second implant the larger the protecting effect. The helical plate (2, 3, 7) as introduced by A.A.D. Fernandez offers biological and mechanical advantages. It can be applied without touching the fracture site maintaining the critical biology intact and provides mechanically efficient unloading. Its application is fairly simple: The helical plate is modified conventional long and small plate that is twisted between its ends about 90 degrees. The twist is applied using "bending irons" (4, 5, 8) whereby the force required is small and the exact degree of twist is not critical. Therefore the twist is applicable operating bending irons by hand. Assuming a situation where a plate bridging a defect or non-union has failed the broken plate is replaced by a similar implant: At the distal end of the bone fracture and opposite to the surgical approach a small incision allows to slide in the helical plate in such a way that proximally the plate ends on the same side of the limb as the replaced plate. Ideally the two plate ends meet and the application of the helical plate does not ask for an additional surgical exposure at this location. Otherwise a small minimally invasive exposure is required. The helical plate is then fixed to the main bone fragments using a couple of locked screws. The following case demonstrates the use and efficiency of the helical plate saving a situation where multiple attempts using conventional plates had failed. The successful final treatment of this case was performed by A. A. D. Fernandez.

The chromosomal association/dissociation of the chromatin insulator protein Cp190 of Drosophila melanogaster is mediated by the BTB/POZ domain and two acidic regions.

PubMed

Oliver, Daniel; Sheehan, Brian; South, Heather; Akbari, Omar; Pai, Chi-Yun

2010-12-31

Chromatin insulators or boundary elements are a class of functional elements in the eukaryotic genome. They regulate gene transcription by interfering with promoter-enhancer communication. The Cp190 protein of Drosophila melanogaster is essential to the function of at least three-types of chromatin insulator complexes organized by Su(Hw), CTCF and BEAF32. We mapped functional regions of Cp190 in vivo and identified three domains that are essential for the insulator function and for the viability of flies: the BTB/POZ domain, an aspartic acid-rich (D-rich) region and a C-terminal glutamic acid-rich (E-rich) region. Other domains including the centrosomal targeting domain and the zinc fingers are dispensable. The N-terminal CP190BTB-D fragment containing the BTB/POZ domain and the D-rich region is sufficient to mediate association with all three types of insulator complexes. The fragment however is not sufficient for insulator activity or viability. The Cp190 and CP190BTB-D are regulated differently in cells treated with heat-shock. The Cp190 dissociated from chromosomes during heat-shock, indicating that dissociation of Cp190 with chromosomes can be regulated. In contrast, the CP190BTB-D fragment didn't dissociate from chromosomes in the same heat-shocked condition, suggesting that the deleted C-terminal regions have a role in regulating the dissociation of Cp190 with chromosomes. The N-terminal fragment of Cp190 containing the BTB/POZ domain and the D-rich region mediates association of Cp190 with all three types of insulator complexes and that the E-rich region of Cp190 is required for dissociation of Cp190 from chromosomes during heat-shock. The heat-shock-induced dissociation is strong evidence indicating that dissociation of the essential insulator protein Cp190 from chromosomes is regulated. Our results provide a mechanism through which activities of an insulator can be modulated by internal and external cues.

Reproducibility of Echocardiograph-Derived Multilevel Left Ventricular Apical Twist Mechanics.

PubMed

Stewart, Glenn M; Yamada, Akira; Kavanagh, Justin J; Haseler, Luke J; Chan, Jonathan; Sabapathy, Surendran

2016-02-01

Left ventricular (LV) twist mechanics are routinely assessed via echocardiography in clinical and research trials investigating the function of obliquely oriented myocardial fibers. However, echocardiograph-derived measures of LV twist may be compromised by nonstandardized acquisition of the apical image. This study examined the reproducibility of echocardiograph-derived parameters of apical twist mechanics at multiple levels of the apical myocardium. Two sets of 2D LV parasternal short-axis images were obtained in 30 healthy subjects (24 men; 19-57 year) via echocardiography. Images were acquired immediately distal to the papillary muscles (apical image 1), immediately above the point of LV cavity obliteration at end systole (apical image 3), and midway between apical image 1 and apical image 3 (apical image 2). Repeat scans were performed within 1 hour, and twist mechanics (rotation and rotation rate) were calculated via frame-by-frame tracking of natural acoustic echocardiographic markers (speckle tracking). The magnitude of apical rotation increased progressively toward the apex (apical image 1: 4.2 ± 2.1°, apical image 2: 7.2 ± 3.9°, apical image 3: 11.8 ± 4.6°). apical images 1, 2, and 3 each had moderate to good correlations between repeat scans (ICC: 0.531-0.856). When apical images 1, 2, and 3 were averaged, rotation was 7.7 ± 2.7° and between-scan correlation was excellent (ICC: 0.910). Similar results were observed for systolic and diastolic rotation rates. Averaging multiple standardized apical images, tending progressively toward the apex, generated the most reproducible rotation indices and may be optimal for the assessment of LV twist mechanics across therapeutic, interventional, and research studies; however, care should be taken given the influence of acquisition level on the magnitude of apical rotation. © 2015, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Buildup of a highly twisted magnetic flux rope during a solar eruption.

PubMed

Wang, Wensi; Liu, Rui; Wang, Yuming; Hu, Qiang; Shen, Chenglong; Jiang, Chaowei; Zhu, Chunming

2017-11-06

The magnetic flux rope is among the most fundamental magnetic configurations in plasma. Although its presence after solar eruptions has been verified by spacecraft measurements near Earth, its formation on the Sun remains elusive, yet is critical to understanding a broad spectrum of phenomena. Here we study the dynamic formation of a magnetic flux rope during a classic two-ribbon flare. Its feet are identified unambiguously with conjugate coronal dimmings completely enclosed by irregular bright rings, which originate and expand outward from the far ends of flare ribbons. The expansion is associated with the rapid ribbon separation during the flare main phase. Counting magnetic flux through the feet and the ribbon-swept area reveals that the rope's core is more twisted than its average of four turns. It propagates to the Earth as a typical magnetic cloud possessing a similar twist profile obtained by the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction of its three dimensional structure.

Buildup of a highly twisted magnetic flux rope during a solar eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wensi; Liu, Rui; Wang, Yuming; Hu, Qiang; Shen, Chenglong; Jiang, Chaowei; Zhu, Chunming

2017-11-01

The magnetic flux rope is among the most fundamental magnetic configurations in plasma. Although its presence after solar eruptions has been verified by spacecraft measurements near Earth, its formation on the Sun remains elusive, yet is critical to understanding a broad spectrum of phenomena. Here we study the dynamic formation of a magnetic flux rope during a classic two-ribbon flare. Its feet are identified unambiguously with conjugate coronal dimmings completely enclosed by irregular bright rings, which originate and expand outward from the far ends of flare ribbons. The expansion is associated with the rapid ribbon separation during the flare main phase. Counting magnetic flux through the feet and the ribbon-swept area reveals that the rope's core is more twisted than its average of four turns. It propagates to the Earth as a typical magnetic cloud possessing a similar twist profile obtained by the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction of its three dimensional structure.

Visualization of Flows in Packed Beds of Twisted Tapes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braun, M. J.; Peloso, D.; Athavale, M. M.; Mullen, R. L.

2002-01-01

A videotape presentation of the flow field in a packed bed of 48 twisted tapes which can be simulated by very thin virtual cylinders has been assembled. The indices of refraction of the oil and the Lucite twisted tapes were closely matched, and the flow was seeded with magnesium oxide particles. Planar laser light projected the flow field in two dimensions both along and transverse to the flow axis. The flow field was three dimensional and complex to describe, yet the most prominent finding was flow threads. It appeared that axial flow spiraled along either within the confines of a virtual cylindrical boundary or within the exterior region, between the tangency points, of the virtual cylinders. Random packing and bed voids created vortices and disrupted the laminar flow but minimized the entrance effects. The flow-pressure drops in the packed bed fell below the Ergun model for porous-media flows. Single-twisted-tape results of Smithberg and Landis (1964) were used to guide the analysis. In appendix A the results of several investigators are scaled to the Ergun model. Further investigations including different geometric configurations, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) gridding, and analysis are required.

Route to three-dimensional fragments using diversity-oriented synthesis

PubMed Central

Hung, Alvin W.; Ramek, Alex; Wang, Yikai; Kaya, Taner; Wilson, J. Anthony; Clemons, Paul A.; Young, Damian W.

2011-01-01

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has proven to be an effective means of producing high-quality chemical ligands as starting points for drug-discovery pursuits. The increasing number of clinical candidate drugs developed using FBDD approaches is a testament of the efficacy of this approach. The success of fragment-based methods is highly dependent on the identity of the fragment library used for screening. The vast majority of FBDD has centered on the use of sp2-rich aromatic compounds. An expanded set of fragments that possess more 3D character would provide access to a larger chemical space of fragments than those currently used. Diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) aims to efficiently generate a set of molecules diverse in skeletal and stereochemical properties. Molecules derived from DOS have also displayed significant success in the modulation of function of various “difficult” targets. Herein, we describe the application of DOS toward the construction of a unique set of fragments containing highly sp3-rich skeletons for fragment-based screening. Using cheminformatic analysis, we quantified the shapes and physical properties of the new 3D fragments and compared them with a database containing known fragment-like molecules. PMID:21482811

Route to three-dimensional fragments using diversity-oriented synthesis.

PubMed

Hung, Alvin W; Ramek, Alex; Wang, Yikai; Kaya, Taner; Wilson, J Anthony; Clemons, Paul A; Young, Damian W

2011-04-26

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has proven to be an effective means of producing high-quality chemical ligands as starting points for drug-discovery pursuits. The increasing number of clinical candidate drugs developed using FBDD approaches is a testament of the efficacy of this approach. The success of fragment-based methods is highly dependent on the identity of the fragment library used for screening. The vast majority of FBDD has centered on the use of sp(2)-rich aromatic compounds. An expanded set of fragments that possess more 3D character would provide access to a larger chemical space of fragments than those currently used. Diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) aims to efficiently generate a set of molecules diverse in skeletal and stereochemical properties. Molecules derived from DOS have also displayed significant success in the modulation of function of various "difficult" targets. Herein, we describe the application of DOS toward the construction of a unique set of fragments containing highly sp(3)-rich skeletons for fragment-based screening. Using cheminformatic analysis, we quantified the shapes and physical properties of the new 3D fragments and compared them with a database containing known fragment-like molecules.

Emergence of energy dependence in the fragmentation of heterogeneous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pál, Gergő; Varga, Imre; Kun, Ferenc

2014-12-01

The most important characteristics of the fragmentation of heterogeneous solids is that the mass (size) distribution of pieces is described by a power law functional form. The exponent of the distribution displays a high degree of universality depending mainly on the dimensionality and on the brittle-ductile mechanical response of the system. Recently, experiments and computer simulations have reported an energy dependence of the exponent increasing with the imparted energy. These novel findings question the phase transition picture of fragmentation phenomena, and have also practical importance for industrial applications. Based on large scale computer simulations here we uncover a robust mechanism which leads to the emergence of energy dependence in fragmentation processes resolving controversial issues on the problem: studying the impact induced breakup of platelike objects with varying thickness in three dimensions we show that energy dependence occurs when a lower dimensional fragmenting object is embedded into a higher dimensional space. The reason is an underlying transition between two distinct fragmentation mechanisms controlled by the impact velocity at low plate thicknesses, while it is hindered for three-dimensional bulk systems. The mass distributions of the subsets of fragments dominated by the two cracking mechanisms proved to have an astonishing robustness at all plate thicknesses, which implies that the nonuniversality of the complete mass distribution is the consequence of blending the contributions of universal partial processes.

Does the use of Nintendo Wii Sports™ improve arm function and is it acceptable to patients after stroke? Publication of the Protocol of the Trial of Wii™ in Stroke - TWIST.

PubMed

Adie, Katja; Schofield, Christine; Berrow, Margie; Wingham, Jennifer; Freeman, Janet; Humfryes, John; Pritchard, Colin

2014-01-01

Many stroke patients experience loss of arm function requiring rehabilitation, which is expensive, repetitive, and does not always translate into "real life." Nintendo Wii Sports™ (Wii™) may offer task-specific training that is repetitive and motivating. The Trial of Wii™ in Stroke (TWIST) is designed to investigate feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability using Wii™ to improve affected arm function for patients after stroke. This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT), incorporating a qualitative study and health economics analysis that compares playing Wii™ versus arm exercises in patients receiving standard rehabilitation in a home setting within 6 months of stroke with a motor deficit of less than 5 on the MRC (Medical Research Council) scale (arm). In this study, we expect to randomize 240 participants. Primary outcome is change in affected arm function at 6 weeks follow-up in intervention and control group using the Action Research Arm Test. Secondary outcomes include occupational performance using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, quality of life using the Stroke Impact Scale, cost effectiveness analysis, and a qualitative study investigating factors that influence use of Wii™ for patients and carers. TWIST is the first UK RCT assessing the feasibility, cost effectiveness, and acceptability of Wii™ in stroke rehabilitation. The trial has been registered with ISRCTN 06807619 and UK CRN 11030. Results of the study will be published after completion of study in August 2014.

Observational Signatures of a Kink-unstable Coronal Flux Rope Using Hinode /EIS

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

Snow, B.; Botha, G. J. J.; Régnier, S.

The signatures of energy release and energy transport for a kink-unstable coronal flux rope are investigated via forward modeling. Synthetic intensity and Doppler maps are generated from a 3D numerical simulation. The CHIANTI database is used to compute intensities for three Hinode /EIS emission lines that cover the thermal range of the loop. The intensities and Doppler velocities at simulation-resolution are spatially degraded to the Hinode /EIS pixel size (1″), convolved using a Gaussian point-spread function (3″), and exposed for a characteristic time of 50 s. The synthetic images generated for rasters (moving slit) and sit-and-stare (stationary slit) are analyzedmore » to find the signatures of the twisted flux and the associated instability. We find that there are several qualities of a kink-unstable coronal flux rope that can be detected observationally using Hinode /EIS, namely the growth of the loop radius, the increase in intensity toward the radial edge of the loop, and the Doppler velocity following an internal twisted magnetic field line. However, EIS cannot resolve the small, transient features present in the simulation, such as sites of small-scale reconnection (e.g., nanoflares).« less

Twist-averaged boundary conditions for nuclear pasta Hartree-Fock calculations

DOE PAGES

Schuetrumpf, B.; Nazarewicz, W.

2015-10-21

Nuclear pasta phases, present in the inner crust of neutron stars, are associated with nucleonic matter at subsaturation densities arranged in regular shapes. Those complex phases, residing in a layer which is approximately 100-m thick, impact many features of neutron stars. Theoretical quantum-mechanical simulations of nuclear pasta are usually carried out in finite three-dimensional boxes assuming periodic boundary conditions. The resulting solutions are affected by spurious finite-size effects. To remove spurious finite-size effects, it is convenient to employ twist-averaged boundary conditions (TABC) used in condensed matter, nuclear matter, and lattice quantum chromodynamics applications. In this work, we study the effectivenessmore » of TABC in the context of pasta phase simulations within nuclear density functional theory. We demonstrated that by applying TABC reliable results can be obtained from calculations performed in relatively small volumes. By studying various contributions to the total energy, we gain insights into pasta phases in mid-density range. Future applications will include the TABC extension of the adaptive multiresolution 3D Hartree-Fock solver and Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov TABC applications to superfluid pasta phases and complex nucleonic topologies as in fission.« less

Effect of Viscosity and Polar Properties of Solvent on Dynamics of Photoinduced Charge Transfer in BTA-1 Cation — Derivative of Thioflavin T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoleva, S. D.; Stsiapura, V. I.

2018-05-01

It was found that the spectral and fluorescent properties of BTA-1C cation in protic and aprotic solvents differ. It was shown that for solutions in long-chain alcohols viscosity is the main factor that determines the dynamics of intramolecular charge transfer in the excited state of the BTA-1C molecule. In the case of aprotic solvents a correlation was found between the rate constant of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) during rotation of fragments of the molecule in relation to each other in the excited state and the solvent relaxation rate: k TICT 1/τ S .

7-Chloro-5-cyclo­propyl-9-methyl-5H-4,5,6,10-tetra­aza­dibenzo[a,d]cyclo­hepten-11(10H)-one

PubMed Central

Naveen, S.; Thimmegowda, N. R.; Manjunath, H. R.; Sridhar, M. A.; Prasad, J. Shashidhara; Rangappa, K. S.

2011-01-01

In the title compound, C15H13ClN4O, which is a chloro derivative of the drug Nevirapine, the diazepine ring is in a twisted boat conformation. The pyridine rings fused to the diazepine fragment form a dihedral angle of 58.44 (10)° and the mol­ecule adopts a butterfly shape. The mol­ecules are joined via N—H⋯N hydrogen bonding into polymeric chains down the b axis. All weaker C—H⋯O inter­actions involve the carbonyl O atom as acceptor. PMID:21754822

Patch Size, Functional Isolation, Visibility and Matrix Permeability Influences Neotropical Primate Occurrence within Highly Fragmented Landscapes

PubMed Central

da Silva, Lucas Goulart; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar; Hasui, Érica; da Costa, Carla Aparecida; da Cunha, Rogério Grassetto Teixeira

2015-01-01

Forest fragmentation and habitat loss are among the major current extinction causes. Remaining fragments are mostly small, isolated and showing poor quality. Being primarily arboreal, Neotropical primates are generally sensitive to fragmentation effects. Furthermore, primates are involved in complex ecological process. Thus, landscape changes that negatively interfere with primate population dynamic affect the structure, composition, and ultimately the viability of the whole community. We evaluated if fragment size, isolation and visibility and matrix permeability are important for explaining the occurrence of three Neotropical primate species. Employing playback, we verified the presence of Callicebus nigrifrons, Callithrix aurita and Sapajus nigritus at 45 forest fragments around the municipality of Alfenas, Brazil. We classified the landscape and evaluated the metrics through predictive models of occurrence. We selected the best models through Akaike Selection Criterion. Aiming at validating our results, we applied the plausible models to another region (20 fragments at the neighboring municipality of Poço Fundo, Brazil). Twelve models were plausible, and three were validated, two for Sapajus nigritus (Area and Area+Visibility) and one for Callicebus nigrifrons (Area+Matrix). Our results reinforce the contribution of fragment size to maintain biodiversity within highly degraded habitats. At the same time, they stress the importance of including novel, biologically relevant metrics in landscape studies, such as visibility and matrix permeability, which can provide invaluable help for similar studies in the future and on conservation practices in the long run. PMID:25658108

New twist on artificial muscles.

PubMed

Haines, Carter S; Li, Na; Spinks, Geoffrey M; Aliev, Ali E; Di, Jiangtao; Baughman, Ray H

2016-10-18

Lightweight artificial muscle fibers that can match the large tensile stroke of natural muscles have been elusive. In particular, low stroke, limited cycle life, and inefficient energy conversion have combined with high cost and hysteretic performance to restrict practical use. In recent years, a new class of artificial muscles, based on highly twisted fibers, has emerged that can deliver more than 2,000 J/kg of specific work during muscle contraction, compared with just 40 J/kg for natural muscle. Thermally actuated muscles made from ordinary polymer fibers can deliver long-life, hysteresis-free tensile strokes of more than 30% and torsional actuation capable of spinning a paddle at speeds of more than 100,000 rpm. In this perspective, we explore the mechanisms and potential applications of present twisted fiber muscles and the future opportunities and challenges for developing twisted muscles having improved cycle rates, efficiencies, and functionality. We also demonstrate artificial muscle sewing threads and textiles and coiled structures that exhibit nearly unlimited actuation strokes. In addition to robotics and prosthetics, future applications include smart textiles that change breathability in response to temperature and moisture and window shutters that automatically open and close to conserve energy.

New twist on artificial muscles

PubMed Central

Haines, Carter S.; Li, Na; Spinks, Geoffrey M.; Aliev, Ali E.; Di, Jiangtao; Baughman, Ray H.

2016-01-01

Lightweight artificial muscle fibers that can match the large tensile stroke of natural muscles have been elusive. In particular, low stroke, limited cycle life, and inefficient energy conversion have combined with high cost and hysteretic performance to restrict practical use. In recent years, a new class of artificial muscles, based on highly twisted fibers, has emerged that can deliver more than 2,000 J/kg of specific work during muscle contraction, compared with just 40 J/kg for natural muscle. Thermally actuated muscles made from ordinary polymer fibers can deliver long-life, hysteresis-free tensile strokes of more than 30% and torsional actuation capable of spinning a paddle at speeds of more than 100,000 rpm. In this perspective, we explore the mechanisms and potential applications of present twisted fiber muscles and the future opportunities and challenges for developing twisted muscles having improved cycle rates, efficiencies, and functionality. We also demonstrate artificial muscle sewing threads and textiles and coiled structures that exhibit nearly unlimited actuation strokes. In addition to robotics and prosthetics, future applications include smart textiles that change breathability in response to temperature and moisture and window shutters that automatically open and close to conserve energy. PMID:27671626

Evidence for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer stem-like cells derived from carcinoma cell lines of the cervix uteri.

PubMed

Lin, Jiaying; Liu, Xishi; Ding, Ding

2015-01-01

The cancer stem cell (CSC) paradigm is one possible way to understand the genesis of cancer, and cervical cancer in particular. We quantified and enriched ALDH1(+) cells within cervical cancer cell lines and subsequently characterized their phenotypical and functional properties like invasion capacity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). ALDH1 expression in spheroid-derived cells (SDC) and the parental monolayer-derived cell (MDC) line was compared by flow-cytometry. Invasion capability was evaluated by Matrigel assay and expression of EMT-related genes Twist 1, Twist 2, Snail 1, Snail 2, Vimentin and E-cadherin by real-time PCR. ALDH1 expression was significantly higher in SDC. ALDH1(+) cells showed increased colony-formation. SDC expressed lower levels of E-cadherin and elevated levels of Twist 1, Twist 2, Snail 1, Snail 2 and Vimentin compared to MDC. Cervical cancer cell lines harbor potential CSC, characterized by ALDH1 expression as well as properties like invasiveness, colony-forming ability, and EMT. CSC can be enriched by anchorage-independent culture techniques, which may be important for the investigation of their contribution to therapy resistance, tumor recurrence and metastasis.

The Coronal Tooth Fractures: Preliminary Evaluation of a Three-Year Follow-Up of the Anterior Teeth Direct Fragment Reattachment Technique Without Additional Preparation.

PubMed

Giudice G, Lo; A, Alibrandi; F, Lipari; A, Lizio; F, Lauritano; G, Cervino; M, Cicciù

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to describe and to analyse the long-term results and the clinical steps of direct fragment reattachment technique with no additional tooth preparation, used to treat crown fracture. This technique achieves the clinical success, combining satisfactory aesthetic and functional results with a minimally invasive approach. The 3 years follow-up included 9 patients (5 males, 4 females) with coronal fracture. In all the cases the fragment was available and intact. The authors illustrate the adhesive procedure used. Under local anaesthesia and after positioning the rubber dam, both the tooth and the fragment surface were etched, rinsed and applied by the adhesive system in order to obtain the retention of the fractured part to the tooth without additional tooth preparation or resin cement. The statistical analysis shows the good performances of direct fragment reattachment technique. After 36 months, in 22.2% of the cases, the detachment was observed of the bonded fragment and in 11.1% of patients, complications were recorded. Our clinical experience shows how the ultra-conservative procedure used is fast, easy and offers a long term predictability; it also allows good functional and aesthetic outcomes.

Influence of field penetration ratios and filamentation on end-effect related hysteretic loss reductions for superconducting strips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, K.; Sumption, M.; Collings, E. W.; Majoros, M.; Yu, H.; Hu, M.

2017-12-01

There are a few key conductor-specific factors which influence the power loss of superconductors; these include critical current, geometry, and normal metal resistivity. This paper focuses on the influence of sample geometry on the power loss of superconducting strips and the effect of filamentation and sample length as a function of the field penetration state of the superconductor. We start with the analytical equations for infinite slabs and strips and then consider the influence of end effects for both unstriated and striated conductor. The loss is then calculated and compared as a function of applied field for striated and unstriated conductors. These results are much more general than they might seem at first glance, since they will be important building blocks for analytic loss calculations for twisted geometries for coated conductors, including helical (Conductor on Round Core, CORC), and twisted (e.g., twist stack cables) geometries. We show that for relatively low field penetration, end effects and reduced field penetration both reduce loss. In addition, for filamentary samples the relevant ratio of length scales becomes the filament width to sample length, thus modifying the loss ratios.

BIOMECHANICS. Why the seahorse tail is square.

PubMed

Porter, Michael M; Adriaens, Dominique; Hatton, Ross L; Meyers, Marc A; McKittrick, Joanna

2015-07-03

Whereas the predominant shapes of most animal tails are cylindrical, seahorse tails are square prisms. Seahorses use their tails as flexible grasping appendages, in spite of a rigid bony armor that fully encases their bodies. We explore the mechanics of two three-dimensional-printed models that mimic either the natural (square prism) or hypothetical (cylindrical) architecture of a seahorse tail to uncover whether or not the square geometry provides any functional advantages. Our results show that the square prism is more resilient when crushed and provides a mechanism for preserving articulatory organization upon extensive bending and twisting, as compared with its cylindrical counterpart. Thus, the square architecture is better than the circular one in the context of two integrated functions: grasping ability and crushing resistance. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Conductive sub-layer of twisted-tape-induced swirl-flow heat transfer in vertical circular tubes with various twisted-tape inserts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hata, K.; Fukuda, K.; Masuzaki, S.

2018-04-01

Twisted-tape-induced swirl-flow heat transfer due to exponentially increasing heat inputs with various exponential periods ( Q = Q 0 exp(t/τ), τ = 6.04 to 23.07 s) and twisted-tape-induced pressure drop was systematically measured for various mass velocities ( G = 4115 to 13,656 kg/m2 s), inlet liquid temperatures ( T in = 285.88 to 299.09 K), and inlet pressures ( P in = 847.45 to 943.29 kPa) using an experimental water loop flow. Measurements were made over a 59.2-mm effective length and three sections (upper, middle, and lower positions), within which four potential taps were spot-welded onto the outer surface of a 6-mm-inner-diameter, 69.6-mm-heated length, 0.4-mm-thickness platinum circular test tube. Type SUS304 twisted tapes with a width w = 5.6 mm, a thickness δ T = 0.6 mm, a total length l = 372 mm, and twist ratios y = 2.39 and 4.45 were employed in this study. The RANS equations (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulation) with a k-ɛ turbulence model for a circular tube 6 mm in diameter and 636 mm in length were numerically solved for heating of water with a heated section 6 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length using the CFD code, under the same conditions as the experimental ones and considering the temperature dependence of the thermo-physical properties concerned. The theoretical values of surface heat flux q on the circular tubes with twisted tapes with twist ratios y of 2.39 and 4.45 were found to be almost in agreement with the corresponding experimental values of heat flux q, with deviations of less than 30% for the range of temperature difference between the average heater inner surface temperature and the liquid bulk mean temperature ΔT L [ = T s,av - T L , T L = ( T in + T out )/2] considered in this study. The theoretical values of the local surface temperature T s , local average liquid temperature T f,av , and local liquid pressure drop ΔP x were found to be within almost 15% of the corresponding experimental ones. The thickness of the conductive sub-layer δ CSL and the nondimensional thickness of the conductive sub-layer y + CSL on the circular tubes with various twisted-tape inserts were determined on the basis of numerical solutions for the swirl velocities u sw ranging from 5.23 to 21.18 m/s. Correlations between the conductive sub-layer thickness δ CSL and the nondimensional thickness of the conductive sub-layer y + CSL for twisted-tape-induced swirl-flow heat transfer in a vertical circular tube were derived.

Free Vibration Characteristics of Functionally Graded Pre-twisted Conical Shells under Rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Apurba; Karmakar, Amit

2017-06-01

This article deals with effect of rotation and pretwist angle on free vibration characteristics of functionally graded conical shells. The dynamic equilibrium equation is derived from Lagrange's equation neglecting the Coriolis effect for moderate rotational speeds. The materials properties of conical shell are varied with a power-law distribution of the volume fractions of their constituents through its thickness. Convergence studies are performed in respect of mesh sizes, and comparisons of the present solutions and those reported in open literature are provided to substantiate the accuracy of the proposed method. Computer codes developed to obtain the numerical results for the combined effects of twist angle and rotational speed on the natural frequencies of functionally graded conical shells. The mode shapes for a typical laminate configuration under different conditions are also illustrated. Numerical results are obtained for the non-dimensional fundamental (NDFF) and second frequencies (NDSF).

Resonance coupling and polarization conversion in terahertz metasurfaces with twisted split-ring resonator pairs

DOE PAGES

Li, Chenyu; Chang, Chun-Chieh; Zhou, Qingli; ...

2017-10-10

Here, we investigate edge-coupling of twisted split-ring resonator (SRR) pairs in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. By using a simple coupled-resonator model we show that such a system exhibits resonance splitting and cross-polarization conversion. Numerical simulations and experimental measurements agree well with theoretical calculations, verifying the resonance splitting as a function of the coupling strength given by the SRR separation. We further show that a metal ground plane can be integrated to significantly enhance the resonance coupling, which enables the effective control of resonance splitting and the efficiency and bandwidth of the cross-polarization conversion. Our findings improve the fundamental understandingmore » of metamaterials with a view of accomplishing metamaterial functionalities with enhanced performance, which is of great interest in realizing THz functional devices required in a variety of applications.« less

Designing an artificial neural network using radial basis function to model exergetic efficiency of nanofluids in mini double pipe heat exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghasemi, Nahid; Aghayari, Reza; Maddah, Heydar

2018-06-01

The present study aims at predicting and optimizing exergetic efficiency of TiO2-Al2O3/water nanofluid at different Reynolds numbers, volume fractions and twisted ratios using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and experimental data. Central Composite Design (CCD) and cascade Radial Basis Function (RBF) were used to display the significant levels of the analyzed factors on the exergetic efficiency. The size of TiO2-Al2O3/water nanocomposite was 20-70 nm. The parameters of ANN model were adapted by a training algorithm of radial basis function (RBF) with a wide range of experimental data set. Total mean square error and correlation coefficient were used to evaluate the results which the best result was obtained from double layer perceptron neural network with 30 neurons in which total Mean Square Error(MSE) and correlation coefficient (R2) were equal to 0.002 and 0.999, respectively. This indicated successful prediction of the network. Moreover, the proposed equation for predicting exergetic efficiency was extremely successful. According to the optimal curves, the optimum designing parameters of double pipe heat exchanger with inner twisted tape and nanofluid under the constrains of exergetic efficiency 0.937 are found to be Reynolds number 2500, twisted ratio 2.5 and volume fraction( v/v%) 0.05.

Encapsulation of β-Sitosterol in Polyurethane by Sol-Gel Electrospinning.

PubMed

Amina, Musarat; Amna, Touseef; Al-Musayeib, Nawal; Zabin, Sami A; Hassan, M Shamshi; Khil, Myung-Seob

2017-06-01

Pristine β-sitosterol or in combination with other phytosterols is utilized in an array of enriched commercial foods. Considering the presence of β-sitosterol in different functional foods and its potential role in prevention and cure of neurodegenerative diseases, the aims of our investigation were to encapsulate β-sitosterol in nanofibers and to estimate influence of β-sitosterol on proliferation of fibroblasts. Electrospun nanofibers have widely been used as scaffolds to mimic natural extracellular matrix. Herein, our group for the first time establishes an innovative scaffold based on β-sitosterol and polyurethane using electrospinning. β-Sitosterol promotes epithelialization and possesses anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, whereas polyurethane, besides possessing biomedical uses, also enhances epithelial growth. We optimized the concentration (5%) of β-sitosterol in polyurethane to obtain homogenous solution, which can be spun without difficulty for the synthesis of β-sitosterol amalgamated scaffold. The resulted twisted nanofibers have been characterized via scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The viability of cells on twisted scaffold was examined using NIH 3T3 fibroblasts as model cell line. Incorporation of β-sitosterol in polyurethane changed the structure and size of nanofibers, and the twisted scaffolds were non-cytotoxic. Thus, the twisted nanoribbons, which contain anti-inflammatory β-sitosterol, can be utilized as a promising future material, which will help to ease inflammation and also aid in wound healing. In conclusion, the outcome of the preliminary research evidently points out the potential of twisted scaffold in biomedical applications.

Fragment-Based Electronic Structure Approach for Computing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Chemical Shifts in Molecular Crystals.

PubMed

Hartman, Joshua D; Beran, Gregory J O

2014-11-11

First-principles chemical shielding tensor predictions play a critical role in studying molecular crystal structures using nuclear magnetic resonance. Fragment-based electronic structure methods have dramatically improved the ability to model molecular crystal structures and energetics using high-level electronic structure methods. Here, a many-body expansion fragment approach is applied to the calculation of chemical shielding tensors in molecular crystals. First, the impact of truncating the many-body expansion at different orders and the role of electrostatic embedding are examined on a series of molecular clusters extracted from molecular crystals. Second, the ability of these techniques to assign three polymorphic forms of the drug sulfanilamide to the corresponding experimental (13)C spectra is assessed. This challenging example requires discriminating among spectra whose (13)C chemical shifts differ by only a few parts per million (ppm) across the different polymorphs. Fragment-based PBE0/6-311+G(2d,p) level chemical shielding predictions correctly assign these three polymorphs and reproduce the sulfanilamide experimental (13)C chemical shifts with 1 ppm accuracy. The results demonstrate that fragment approaches are competitive with the widely used gauge-invariant projector augmented wave (GIPAW) periodic density functional theory calculations.

Flare particle acceleration in the interaction of twisted coronal flux ropes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Threlfall, J.; Hood, A. W.; Browning, P. K.

2018-03-01

Aim. The aim of this work is to investigate and characterise non-thermal particle behaviour in a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) model of unstable multi-threaded flaring coronal loops. Methods: We have used a numerical scheme which solves the relativistic guiding centre approximation to study the motion of electrons and protons. The scheme uses snapshots from high resolution numerical MHD simulations of coronal loops containing two threads, where a single thread becomes unstable and (in one case) destabilises and merges with an additional thread. Results: The particle responses to the reconnection and fragmentation in MHD simulations of two loop threads are examined in detail. We illustrate the role played by uniform background resistivity and distinguish this from the role of anomalous resistivity using orbits in an MHD simulation where only one thread becomes unstable without destabilising further loop threads. We examine the (scalable) orbit energy gains and final positions recovered at different stages of a second MHD simulation wherein a secondary loop thread is destabilised by (and merges with) the first thread. We compare these results with other theoretical particle acceleration models in the context of observed energetic particle populations during solar flares.

Blue Light-excited Light-Oxygen-Voltage-sensing Domain 2 (LOV2) Triggers a Rearrangement of the Kinase Domain to Induce Phosphorylation Activity in Arabidopsis Phototropin1.

PubMed

Oide, Mao; Okajima, Koji; Kashojiya, Sachiko; Takayama, Yuki; Oroguchi, Tomotaka; Hikima, Takaaki; Yamamoto, Masaki; Nakasako, Masayoshi

2016-09-16

Phototropin1 is a blue light (BL) receptor in plants and shows BL-dependent kinase activation. The BL-excited light-oxygen-voltage-sensing domain 2 (LOV2) is primarily responsible for the activation of the kinase domain; however, the molecular mechanism by which conformational changes in LOV2 are transmitted to the kinase domain remains unclear. Here, we investigated BL-induced structural changes of a minimum functional fragment of Arabidopsis phototropin1 composed of LOV2, the kinase domain, and a linker connecting the two domains using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The fragment existed as a dimer and displayed photoreversible SAXS changes reflected in the radii of gyration of 42.9 Å in the dark and 48.8 Å under BL irradiation. In the dark, the molecular shape reconstructed from the SAXS profiles appeared as two bean-shaped lobes in a twisted arrangement that was 170 Å long, 80 Å wide, and 50 Å thick. The molecular shape under BL became slightly elongated from that in the dark. By fitting the crystal structure of the LOV2 dimer and a homology model of the kinase domain to their inferred shapes, the BL-dependent change could be interpreted as the positional shift in the kinase domain relative to that of the LOV2 dimer. In addition, we found that lysine 475, a functionally important residue, in the N-terminal region of LOV2 plays a critical role in transmitting the structural changes in LOV2 to the kinase domain. The interface between the domains is critical for signaling, suitably changing the structure to activate the kinase in response to conformational changes in the adjoining LOV2. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Electronic Excitations in Solution: The Interplay between State Specific Approaches and a Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Description.

PubMed

Guido, Ciro A; Jacquemin, Denis; Adamo, Carlo; Mennucci, Benedetta

2015-12-08

We critically analyze the performances of continuum solvation models when coupled to time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) to predict solvent effects on both absorption and emission energies of chromophores in solution. Different polarization schemes of the polarizable continuum model (PCM), such as linear response (LR) and three different state specific (SS) approaches, are considered and compared. We show the necessity of introducing a SS model in cases where large electron density rearrangements are involved in the excitations, such as charge-transfer transitions in both twisted and quadrupolar compounds, and underline the very delicate interplay between the selected polarization method and the chosen exchange-correlation functional. This interplay originates in the different descriptions of the transition and ground/excited state multipolar moments by the different functionals. As a result, the choice of both the DFT functional and the solvent polarization scheme has to be consistent with the nature of the studied electronic excitation.

Matrix quantum mechanics on S1 /Z2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betzios, P.; Gürsoy, U.; Papadoulaki, O.

2018-03-01

We study Matrix Quantum Mechanics on the Euclidean time orbifold S1 /Z2. Upon Wick rotation to Lorentzian time and taking the double-scaling limit this theory provides a toy model for a big-bang/big crunch universe in two dimensional non-critical string theory where the orbifold fixed points become cosmological singularities. We derive the MQM partition function both in the canonical and grand canonical ensemble in two different formulations and demonstrate agreement between them. We pinpoint the contribution of twisted states in both of these formulations either in terms of bi-local operators acting at the end-points of time or branch-cuts on the complex plane. We calculate, in the matrix model, the contribution of the twisted states to the torus level partition function explicitly and show that it precisely matches the world-sheet result, providing a non-trivial test of the proposed duality. Finally we discuss some interesting features of the partition function and the possibility of realising it as a τ-function of an integrable hierarchy.

Phosphorylation of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Twist in development and disease.

PubMed

Xue, Gongda; Hemmings, Brian A

2012-02-01

The transcription factor Twist plays vital roles during embryonic development through regulating/controlling cell migration. However, postnatally, in normal physiological settings, Twist is either not expressed or inactivated. Increasing evidence shows a strong correlation between Twist reactivation and both cancer progression and malignancy, where the transcriptional activities of Twist support cancer cells to disseminate from primary tumours and subsequently establish a secondary tumour growth in distant organs. However, it is largely unclear how this signalling programme is reactivated or what signalling pathways regulate its activity. The present review discusses recent advances in Twist regulation and activity, with a focus on phosphorylation-dependent Twist activity, potential upstream kinases and the contribution of these factors in transducing biological signals from upstream signalling complexes. The recent advances in these areas have shed new light on how phosphorylation-dependent regulation of the Twist proteins promotes or suppresses Twist activity, leading to differential regulation of Twist transcriptional targets and thereby influencing cell fate.

Helicity conservation under quantum reconnection of vortex rings.

PubMed

Zuccher, Simone; Ricca, Renzo L

2015-12-01

Here we show that under quantum reconnection, simulated by using the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation, self-helicity of a system of two interacting vortex rings remains conserved. By resolving the fine structure of the vortex cores, we demonstrate that the total length of the vortex system reaches a maximum at the reconnection time, while both writhe helicity and twist helicity remain separately unchanged throughout the process. Self-helicity is computed by two independent methods, and topological information is based on the extraction and analysis of geometric quantities such as writhe, total torsion, and intrinsic twist of the reconnecting vortex rings.

Intramolecular energy transfer and the driving mechanisms for large-amplitude collective motions of clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanao, Tomohiro; Koon, Wang Sang; Marsden, Jerrold E.

2009-04-01

This paper uncovers novel and specific dynamical mechanisms that initiate large-amplitude collective motions in polyatomic molecules. These mechanisms are understood in terms of intramolecular energy transfer between modes and driving forces. Structural transition dynamics of a six-atom cluster between a symmetric and an elongated isomer is highlighted as an illustrative example of what is a general message. First, we introduce a general method of hyperspherical mode analysis to analyze the energy transfer among internal modes of polyatomic molecules. In this method, the (3n-6) internal modes of an n-atom molecule are classified generally into three coarse level gyration-radius modes, three fine level twisting modes, and (3n-12) fine level shearing modes. We show that a large amount of kinetic energy flows into the gyration-radius modes when the cluster undergoes structural transitions by changing its mass distribution. Based on this fact, we construct a reactive mode as a linear combination of the three gyration-radius modes. It is shown that before the reactive mode acquires a large amount of kinetic energy, activation or inactivation of the twisting modes, depending on the geometry of the isomer, plays crucial roles for the onset of a structural transition. Specifically, in a symmetric isomer with a spherical mass distribution, activation of specific twisting modes drives the structural transition into an elongated isomer by inducing a strong internal centrifugal force, which has the effect of elongating the mass distribution of the system. On the other hand, in an elongated isomer, inactivation of specific twisting modes initiates the structural transition into a symmetric isomer with lower potential energy by suppressing the elongation effect of the internal centrifugal force and making the effects of the potential force dominant. This driving mechanism for reactions as well as the present method of hyperspherical mode analysis should be widely applicable to molecular reactions in which a system changes its overall mass distribution in a significant way.

Atomic structure of an alphabeta T cell receptor (TCR) heterodimer in complex with an anti-TCR fab fragment derived from a mitogenic antibody.

PubMed Central

Wang, J; Lim, K; Smolyar, A; Teng, M; Liu, J; Tse, A G; Liu, J; Hussey, R E; Chishti, Y; Thomson, C T; Sweet, R M; Nathenson, S G; Chang, H C; Sacchettini, J C; Reinherz, E L

1998-01-01

Each T cell receptor (TCR) recognizes a peptide antigen bound to a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule via a clonotypic alphabeta heterodimeric structure (Ti) non-covalently associated with the monomorphic CD3 signaling components. A crystal structure of an alphabeta TCR-anti-TCR Fab complex shows an Fab fragment derived from the H57 monoclonal antibody (mAb), interacting with the elongated FG loop of the Cbeta domain, situated beneath the Vbeta domain. This loop, along with the partially exposed ABED beta sheet of Cbeta, and glycans attached to both Cbeta and Calpha domains, forms a cavity of sufficient size to accommodate a single non-glycosylated Ig domain such as the CD3epsilon ectodomain. That this asymmetrically localized site is embedded within the rigid constant domain module has implications for the mechanism of signal transduction in both TCR and pre-TCR complexes. Furthermore, quaternary structures of TCRs vary significantly even when they bind the same MHC molecule, as manifested by a unique twisting of the V module relative to the C module. PMID:9427737

Visco-capillarity in Sparkling Fireworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Chihiro; Villermaux, Emmanuel; Utokyo Team; Irphe Team

2015-11-01

A unique toy firework called sparkling fireworks is popular in Japan for 400 years, but the physics behind the beauty remains a hidden mystery. Sparkling fireworks are made by a twisted paper simply wrapping 0.1g of black powder at the lower end. Ignited there, the powder melts in a fireball of molten salts, and streaks of light are ejected. The beautiful fragile streaks are visible from the black body radiation of the hot surface of the ejected droplets. The droplets suddenly fragment up to ten times successively and their light streaks traces are like pine needles. We have already clarified why the droplets are ejected through the bursting of a gas bubble on the mother fireball, leading to successive fragmentations by micro explosions. To quantify phenomenon, we measure the diameter and the ejection velocity of the droplets. It is found that not only inertia and capillarity of the liquid matter, but also its viscosity is important (the Ohnesorge number is about 0.1). The droplets ejection velocity is determined by the liquid surface tension and viscosity, and separate from the mother drop on a visco-capillarity time scale.

Semi-inclusive production of two back-to-back hadron pairs in e+e- annihilation revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matevosyan, Hrayr H.; Bacchetta, Alessandro; Boer, Daniël; Courtoy, Aurore; Kotzinian, Aram; Radici, Marco; Thomas, Anthony W.

2018-04-01

The cross section for back-to-back hadron pair production in e+e- annihilation provides access to the dihadron fragmentation functions (DiFF) needed to extract nucleon parton distribution functions from the semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) experiments with two detected final state hadrons. Particular attention is given to the so-called interference DiFF (IFF), which makes it possible to extract the transversity parton distribution of the nucleon in the collinear framework. However, previously unnoticed discrepancies were recently highlighted between the definitions of the IFFs appearing in the collinear kinematics when reconstructed from DiFFs entering the unintegrated fully differential cross sections of SIDIS and e+e- annihilation processes. In this work, to clarify this problem we re-derive the fully differential cross section for e+e- annihilation at the leading-twist approximation. We find a mistake in the definition of the kinematics in the original expression that systematically affects a subset of terms and that leads to two significant consequences. First, the discrepancy between the IFF definitions in the cross sections for SIDIS and e+e- annihilation is resolved. Second, the previously derived azimuthal asymmetry for accessing the helicity dependent DiFF G1⊥ in e+e- annihilation vanishes, which explains the nonobservation of this asymmetry in the recent experimental searches by the BELLE collaboration. We discuss the recently proposed alternative option to extract G1⊥.

Equivariant branes and equivariant homological mirror symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashwinkumar, Meer; Tan, Meng-Chwan

2018-03-01

We describe supersymmetric A-branes and B-branes in open N =(2 ,2 ) dynamically gauged nonlinear sigma models (GNLSM), placing emphasis on toric manifold target spaces. For a subset of toric manifolds, these equivariant branes have a mirror description as branes in gauged Landau-Ginzburg models with neutral matter. We then study correlation functions in the topological A-twisted version of the GNLSM and identify their values with open Hamiltonian Gromov-Witten invariants. Supersymmetry breaking can occur in the A-twisted GNLSM due to nonperturbative open symplectic vortices, and we canonically Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin quantize the mirror theory to analyze this phenomenon.

Measurement of the torque on a single stretched and twisted DNA using magnetic tweezers.

PubMed

Mosconi, Francesco; Allemand, Jean François; Bensimon, David; Croquette, Vincent

2009-02-20

We deduced the torque applied on a single stretched and twisted DNA by integrating the change in the molecule's extension with respect to force as it is coiled. While consistent with previous direct measurements of the torque at high forces (F>1 pN), this method, which is simple and does not require a sophisticated setup, allows for lower force estimates. We used this approach to deduce the effective torsional modulus of DNA, which decreases with force, and to estimate the buckling torque of DNA as a function of force in various salt conditions.

Inferring Resilience to Fragmentation-Induced Changes in Plant Communities in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Ecosystem

PubMed Central

de Frutos, Ángel; Navarro, Teresa; Pueyo, Yolanda; Alados, Concepción L.

2015-01-01

Predicting the capacity of ecosystems to absorb impacts from disturbance events (resilience), including land-use intensification and landscape fragmentation, is challenging in the face of global change. Little is known about the impacts of fragmentation on ecosystem functioning from a multi-dimensional perspective (multiple traits). This study used 58 500-m linear transects to quantify changes in the functional composition and resilience of vascular plant communities in response to an increase in landscape fragmentation in 18 natural scrubland fragments embedded within a matrix of abandoned crop fields in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, Almería, Spain. Changes in functional community composition were measured using functional diversity indices (functional richness and functional dispersion) that were based on 12 plant traits. Resilience was evaluated using the functional redundancy and response diversity from the perspective of plant dispersal, which is important, particularly, in fragmented landscapes. Scrubland fragmentation was measured using the Integral Index of Connectivity (IIC). The functional richness of the plant communities was higher in the most fragmented scrubland. Conversely, the functional dispersion (i.e., spread) of trait values among species in the functional trait space was lower at the most fragmented sites; consequently, the ecological tolerance of the vegetation to scrubland fragmentation decreased. Classifying the plant species into four functional groups indicated that fragmentation favoured an increase in functional redundancy in the ‘short basal annual forbs and perennial forbs’ group, most of which are species adapted to degraded soils. An assessment based on the traits associated with plant dispersal indicated that the resilience of ‘woody plants’, an important component in the Mediterranean scrubland, and habitat fragmentation were negatively correlated; however, the correlation was positive in the ‘short basal annual forbs and perennial forbs’ and the ‘grasses’ groups. PMID:25790432

Development of apple latent spherical virus-based vaccines against three tospoviruses.

PubMed

Taki, Ayano; Yamagishi, Noriko; Yoshikawa, Nobuyuki

2013-09-01

Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) is characterized by its relatively broad host range, latency in most host plants, and ability to induce gene silencing in host plants. Herein, we focus on the above characteristic of ALSV and describe our development of ALSV vector vaccines against three tospoviruses, namely, Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV), and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). DNA fragments of 201 nt of three tospovirus S-RNAs (silencing suppressor (NSS) and nucleocapsid protein (N) coding regions for each tospovirus) were inserted into an ALSV-RNA2 vector to obtain six types of ALSV vector vaccines. Nicotiana benthamiana plants at the five-leaf stage were inoculated with each ALSV vector vaccine and challenged with the corresponding tospovirus species. Tospovirus-induced symptoms and tospovirus replication after challenge were significantly suppressed in plants preinoculated with all ALSV vector vaccines having the N region fragment, indicating that strong resistance was acquired after infection with ALSV vector vaccines. On the other hand, cross protection was not significant in plants preinoculated with ALSV vectors having the NSs region fragment. Similarly, inoculation with an ALSV-RNA1 vector having the N region fragment in the 3'-noncoding region, but not the NSs region fragment, induced cross protection, indicating that cross protection is via RNA silencing, not via the function of the protein derived from the N region fragment. Our approach, wherein ALSV vectors and selected target inserts are used, enables rapid establishment of ALSV vector vaccines against many pathogenic RNA viruses with known sequences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computational modeling of the bHLH domain of the transcription factor TWIST1 and R118C, S144R and K145E mutants

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Human TWIST1 is a highly conserved member of the regulatory basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors. TWIST1 forms homo- or heterodimers with E-box proteins, such as E2A (isoforms E12 and E47), MYOD and HAND2. Haploinsufficiency germ-line mutations of the twist1 gene in humans are the main cause of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS), which is characterized by limb abnormalities and premature fusion of cranial sutures. Because of the importance of TWIST1 in the regulation of embryonic development and its relationship with SCS, along with the lack of an experimentally solved 3D structure, we performed comparative modeling for the TWIST1 bHLH region arranged into wild-type homodimers and heterodimers with E47. In addition, three mutations that promote DNA binding failure (R118C, S144R and K145E) were studied on the TWIST1 monomer. We also explored the behavior of the mutant forms in aqueous solution using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, focusing on the structural changes of the wild-type versus mutant dimers. Results The solvent-accessible surface area of the homodimers was smaller on wild-type dimers, which indicates that the cleft between the monomers remained more open on the mutant homodimers. RMSD and RMSF analyses indicated that mutated dimers presented values that were higher than those for the wild-type dimers. For a more careful investigation, the monomer was subdivided into four regions: basic, helix I, loop and helix II. The basic domain presented a higher flexibility in all of the parameters that were analyzed, and the mutant dimer basic domains presented values that were higher than the wild-type dimers. The essential dynamic analysis also indicated a higher collective motion for the basic domain. Conclusions Our results suggest the mutations studied turned the dimers into more unstable structures with a wider cleft, which may be a reason for the loss of DNA binding capacity observed for in vitro circumstances. PMID:22839202

Mating patterns and pollinator mobility are critical traits in forest fragmentation genetics

PubMed Central

Breed, M F; Ottewell, K M; Gardner, M G; Marklund, M H K; Dormontt, E E; Lowe, A J

2015-01-01

Most woody plants are animal-pollinated, but the global problem of habitat fragmentation is changing the pollination dynamics. Consequently, the genetic diversity and fitness of the progeny of animal-pollinated woody plants sired in fragmented landscapes tend to decline due to shifts in plant-mating patterns (for example, reduced outcrossing rate, pollen diversity). However, the magnitude of this mating-pattern shift should theoretically be a function of pollinator mobility. We first test this hypothesis by exploring the mating patterns of three ecologically divergent eucalypts sampled across a habitat fragmentation gradient in southern Australia. We demonstrate increased selfing and decreased pollen diversity with increased fragmentation for two small-insect-pollinated eucalypts, but no such relationship for the mobile-bird-pollinated eucalypt. In a meta-analysis, we then show that fragmentation generally does increase selfing rates and decrease pollen diversity, and that more mobile pollinators tended to dampen these mating-pattern shifts. Together, our findings support the premise that variation in pollinator form contributes to the diversity of mating-pattern responses to habitat fragmentation. PMID:24002239

Identification of expressed genes in cDNA library of hemocytes from the RLO-challenged oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis Gould with special functional implication of three complement-related fragments (CaC1q1, CaC1q2 and CaC3).

PubMed

Xu, Ting; Xie, Jiasong; Li, Jianming; Luo, Ming; Ye, Shigen; Wu, Xinzhong

2012-06-01

A SMARTer™ cDNA library of hemocyte from Rickettsia-like organism (RLO) challenged oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis Gould was constructed. Random clones (400) were selected and single-pass sequenced, resulted in 200 unique sequences containing 96 known genes and 104 unknown genes. The 96 known genes were categorized into 11 groups based on their biological process. Furthermore, we identified and characterized three complement-related fragments (CaC1q1, CaC1q2 and CaC3). Tissue distribution analysis revealed that all of three fragments were ubiquitously expressed in all tissues studied including hemocyte, gills, mantle, digestive glands, gonads and adductor muscle, while the highest level was seen in the hemocyte. Temporal expression profile in the hemocyte monolayers reveled that the mRNA expression levels of three fragments presented huge increase after the RLO incubation at 3 h and 6 h in post-challenge, respectively. And the maximal expression levels at 3 h in post-challenge are about 256, 104 and 64 times higher than the values detected in the control of CaC1q1, CaC1q2 and CaC3, respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the total kinetic energy of fission fragments with the Langevin equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usang, M. D.; Ivanyuk, F. A.; Ishizuka, C.; Chiba, S.

2017-12-01

We analyzed the total kinetic energy (TKE) of fission fragments with three-dimensional Langevin calculations for a series of actinides and Fm isotopes at various excitation energies. This allowed us to establish systematic trends of TKE with Z2/A1 /3 of the fissioning system and as a function of excitation energy. In the mass-energy distributions of fission fragments we see the contributions from the standard, super-long, and super-short (in the case of 258Fm) fission modes. For the fission fragments mass distribution of 258Fm we obtained a single peak mass distribution. The decomposition of TKE into the prescission kinetic energy and Coulomb repulsion showed that decrease of TKE with growing excitation energy is accompanied by a decrease of prescission kinetic energy. It was also found that transport coefficients (friction and inertia tensors) calculated by a microscopic model and by macroscopic models give drastically different behaviors of TKE as a function of excitation energy. The results obtained with microscopic transport coefficients are much closer to experimental data than those calculated with macroscopic ones.

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, Pro136His TWIST mutation, hearing loss, and external and middle ear structural anomalies: report on a Brazilian family.

PubMed

Lamônica, Dionísia A C; Maximino, Luciana P; Feniman, Mariza Ribeiro; Silva, Greyce K; Zanchetta, Sthella; Abramides, Dagma V M; Passos-Bueno, Maria Rita; Rocha, Kátia; Richieri-Costa, Antonio

2010-09-01

To describe the clinical, speech, hearing, and imaging findings in three members of a Brazilian family with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS) who presented some unusual characteristics within the spectrum of the syndrome. Clinical evaluation was performed by a multidisciplinary team. Direct sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified coding region of the TWIST1 gene, routine and electrophysiological hearing evaluation, speech evaluation, and imaging studies through computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. TWIST1 gene analysis revealed a Pro136His mutation in all patients. Hearing evaluation showed peripherial and mixed hearing loss in two of the patients, one of them with severe unilateral microtia. Computed tomography scan showed structural middle ear anomalies, and MRI showed distortion of the skull contour as well as some of the brain structures. We report a previously undescribed TWIST1 gene mutation in patients with SCS. There is evidence that indicates hearing loss (conductive and mixed) can be related both with middle ear (microtia, high jugular bulb, and enlarged vestibules) as well as with brain stem anomalies. Here we discuss the relationship between the gene mutation and the clinical, imaging, speech, and hearing findings.

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

Toeroek, T.; Aulanier, G.; Schmieder, B.

We address the formation of three-dimensional nullpoint topologies in the solar corona by combining Hinode/X-ray Telescope (XRT) observations of a small dynamic limb event, which occurred beside a non-erupting prominence cavity, with a three-dimensional (3D) zero-beta magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation. To this end, we model the boundary-driven 'kinematic' emergence of a compact, intense, and uniformly twisted flux tube into a potential field arcade that overlies a weakly twisted coronal flux rope. The expansion of the emerging flux in the corona gives rise to the formation of a nullpoint at the interface of the emerging and the pre-existing fields. We unveil amore » two-step reconnection process at the nullpoint that eventually yields the formation of a broad 3D fan-spine configuration above the emerging bipole. The first reconnection involves emerging fields and a set of large-scale arcade field lines. It results in the launch of a torsional MHD wave that propagates along the arcades, and in the formation of a sheared loop system on one side of the emerging flux. The second reconnection occurs between these newly formed loops and remote arcade fields, and yields the formation of a second loop system on the opposite side of the emerging flux. The two loop systems collectively display an anenome pattern that is located below the fan surface. The flux that surrounds the inner spine field line of the nullpoint retains a fraction of the emerged twist, while the remaining twist is evacuated along the reconnected arcades. The nature and timing of the features which occur in the simulation do qualititatively reproduce those observed by XRT in the particular event studied in this paper. Moreover, the two-step reconnection process suggests a new consistent and generic model for the formation of anemone regions in the solar corona.« less

Extension-twist coupling of composite circular tubes with application to tilt rotor blade design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nixon, Mark W.

1987-01-01

This investigation was conducted to determine if twist deformation required for the design of full-scale extension-twist-coupled tilt-rotor blades can be achieved within material design limit loads, and to demonstrate the accuracy of a coupled-beam analysis in predicting twist deformations. Two extension-twist-coupled tilt-rotor blade designs were developed based on theoretically optimum aerodynamic twist distributions. The designs indicated a twist rate requirement of between .216 and .333 deg/in. Agreement between axial tests and analytical predictions was within 10 percent at design limit loads. Agreement between the torsion tests and predictions was within 11 percent.

Initial Aerodynamic and Acoustic Study of an Active Twist Rotor Using a Loosely Coupled CFD/CSD Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, David D. Jr.

2009-01-01

Preliminary aerodynamic and performance predictions for an active twist rotor for a HART-II type of configuration are performed using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, OVERFLOW2, and a computational structural dynamics (CSD) code, CAMRAD -II. These codes are loosely coupled to compute a consistent set of aerodynamics and elastic blade motions. Resultant aerodynamic and blade motion data are then used in the Ffowcs-Williams Hawkins solver, PSU-WOPWOP, to compute noise on an observer plane under the rotor. Active twist of the rotor blade is achieved in CAMRAD-II by application of a periodic torsional moment couple (of equal and opposite sign) at the blade root and tip at a specified frequency and amplitude. To provide confidence in these particular active twist predictions for which no measured data is available, the rotor system geometry and computational set up examined here are identical to that used in a previous successful Higher Harmonic Control (HHC) computational study. For a single frequency equal to three times the blade passage frequency (3P), active twist is applied across a range of control phase angles at two different amplitudes. Predicted results indicate that there are control phase angles where the maximum mid-frequency noise level and the 4P non -rotating hub vibrations can be reduced, potentially, both at the same time. However, these calculated reductions are predicted to come with a performance penalty in the form of a reduction in rotor lift-to-drag ratio due to an increase in rotor profile power.

Quantifying the linear and nonlinear relations between the urban form fragmentation and the carbon emission distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, S.; Dai, S.; Ren, Y.; Yu, Z.

2017-12-01

Scientifically revealing the spatial heterogeneity and the relationship between the fragmentation of urban landscape and the direct carbon emissions are of great significance to land management and urban planning. In fact, the linear and nonlinear effects among the various factors resulted in the carbon emission spatial map. However, there is lack of the studies on the direct and indirect relations between the carbon emission and the city functional spatial form changes, which could not be reflected by the land use change. The linear strength and direction of the single factor could be calculated through the correlation and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) analysis, the nonlinear power of one factor and the interaction power of each two factors could be quantified by the Geodetector analysis. Therefore, we compared the landscape fragmentation metrics of the urban land cover and functional district patches to characterize the landscape form and then revealed the relations between the landscape fragmentation level and the direct the carbon emissions based on the three methods. The results showed that fragmentation decreased and the fragmented patches clustered at the coarser resolution. The direct CO2 emission density and the population density increased when the fragmentation level aggregated. The correlation analysis indicated the weak linear relation between them. The spatial variation of GWR output indicated the fragmentation indicator (MESH) had the positive influence on the carbon emission located in the relatively high emission region, and the negative effects regions accounted for the small part of the area. The Geodetector which explores the nonlinear relation identified the DIVISION and MESH as the most powerful direct factor for the land cover patches, NP and PD for the functional district patches, and the interactions between fragmentation indicator (MESH) and urban sprawl metrics (PUA and DIS) had the greatly increased explanation powers on the urban carbon emission. Overall, this study provides a framework to understand the relation between the urban landscape fragmentation and the carbon emission for the low carbon city construction planning in the other cities.

Studies on Thermal Behaviour of Cotton and Eri/Cotton Blended Fabrics Using Response Surface Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhuri, Prabir Kumar

2018-06-01

Eri silk fibre, the lone domesticated non-mulberry variety of silk is reported to possess excellent thermal insulation property and the fabrics made of eri silk yarn is popularly used as warmth giving apparels by the people of north-eastern states of India in particular. On the other side, cotton fibre which is comparatively cheaper than eri silk has wide application in making apparel fabrics. This paper deals with the manufacturing of plain woven fabrics made of eri/cotton blended yarn as weft over cotton warp yarn and to conduct an in-depth study on the effect of blend composition and yarn parameters like count (Ne) and amount of twist on its thermal behaviour. The Box and Behnken model of Design of Experiment for three variables and three levels, a popular statistical tool, has been used to study the influence of chosen factors. The fitted regression equation has been found to be linear in nature confirming the presence of independent effect of yarn fineness, twist and eri content in the blended yarn over thermal insulation value of the fabric with strong degree of association. The effects of yarn count, twist and proportion of eri in blends have been well explained using response surface methodology.

Studies on Thermal Behaviour of Cotton and Eri/Cotton Blended Fabrics Using Response Surface Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhuri, Prabir Kumar

2018-04-01

Eri silk fibre, the lone domesticated non-mulberry variety of silk is reported to possess excellent thermal insulation property and the fabrics made of eri silk yarn is popularly used as warmth giving apparels by the people of north-eastern states of India in particular. On the other side, cotton fibre which is comparatively cheaper than eri silk has wide application in making apparel fabrics. This paper deals with the manufacturing of plain woven fabrics made of eri/cotton blended yarn as weft over cotton warp yarn and to conduct an in-depth study on the effect of blend composition and yarn parameters like count (Ne) and amount of twist on its thermal behaviour. The Box and Behnken model of Design of Experiment for three variables and three levels, a popular statistical tool, has been used to study the influence of chosen factors. The fitted regression equation has been found to be linear in nature confirming the presence of independent effect of yarn fineness, twist and eri content in the blended yarn over thermal insulation value of the fabric with strong degree of association. The effects of yarn count, twist and proportion of eri in blends have been well explained using response surface methodology.

Experimental Study on Strength Evaluation Applied for Teeth Extraction: An In Vivo Study

PubMed Central

Cicciù, Marco; Bramanti, Ennio; Signorino, Fabrizio; Cicciù, Alessandra; Sortino, Francesco

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this work was to analyse all the applied movements when extracting healthy upper and lower jaw premolars for orthodontic purposes. The authors wanted to demonstrate that the different bone densities of the mandible and maxilla are not a significant parameter when related to the extraction force applied. The buccal and palatal rocking movements, plus the twisting movements were also measured in this in-vivo study during premolar extraction for orthodontic purposes. Methods: The physical strains or forces transferred onto the teeth during extraction are the following three movements: gripping, twisting, and traction. A strain measurement gauge was attached onto an ordinary dentistry plier. The strain measurement gauge was constituted with an extensimetric washer with three 45º grids. The system operation was correlated to the variation of electrical resistance. Results: The variations of resistance (∆R) and all the different forces applied to the teeth (∆V) were recorded by a computerized system. Data results were processed through Microsoft Excel. The results underlined the stress distribution on the extracted teeth during gripping, twisting and flexion. Conclusions: The obtained data showed that the strength required to effect teeth extraction is not influenced by the quality of the bone but is instead influenced by the shape of the tooth’s root. PMID:23539609

Remotely detected vehicle mass from engine torque-induced frame twisting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKay, Troy R.; Salvaggio, Carl; Faulring, Jason W.; Sweeney, Glenn D.

2017-06-01

Determining the mass of a vehicle from ground-based passive sensor data is important for many traffic safety requirements. This work presents a method for calculating the mass of a vehicle using ground-based video and acoustic measurements. By assuming that no energy is lost in the conversion, the mass of a vehicle can be calculated from the rotational energy generated by the vehicle's engine and the linear acceleration of the vehicle over a period of time. The amount of rotational energy being output by the vehicle's engine can be calculated from its torque and angular velocity. This model relates remotely observed, engine torque-induced frame twist to engine torque output using the vehicle's suspension parameters and engine geometry. The angular velocity of the engine is extracted from the acoustic emission of the engine, and the linear acceleration of the vehicle is calculated by remotely observing the position of the vehicle over time. This method combines these three dynamic signals; engine induced-frame twist, engine angular velocity, and the vehicle's linear acceleration, and three vehicle specific scalar parameters, into an expression that describes the mass of the vehicle. This method was tested on a semitrailer truck, and the results demonstrate a correlation of 97.7% between calculated and true vehicle mass.

Keystone Species, Forest and Landscape: A Model to Select Protected Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lins, Daniela Barbosa da Silva; Gardon, Fernando Ravanini; Meyer, João Frederico da Costa Azevedo; Santos, Rozely Ferreira dos

2017-06-01

The selection of forest fragments for conservation is usually based on spatial parameters as forest size and canopy integrity. This strategy assumes that chosen fragments present high conservation status, ensuring biodiversity and ecological functions. We argue that a well-preserved forest fragment that remains connected by the landscape structure, does not necessarily hold attributes that ensure the presence of keystone species. We also discuss that the presence of keystone species does not always mean that it has the best conditions for its occurrence and maintenance. We developed a model to select areas in forest landscapes to be prioritized for protection based on suitability curves that unify and compare spatial indicators of three categories: forest fragment quality, landscape quality, and environmental conditions for the occurrence of a keystone species. We use a case study to compare different suitability degrees for Euterpe edulis presence, considered an important functional element in Atlantic Forest (São Paulo, Brazil) landscapes and a forest resource for local people. The results show that the identification of medium or advanced stage fragments as singular indicator of forest quality does not guarantee the existence or maintenance of this keystone species. Even in some well-preserved forest fragments, connected to others and with palm presence, the reverse J-shaped distribution of the population size structure is not sustained and these forests continue to be threatened due to human disturbances.

Processing mechanics of alternate twist ply (ATP) yarn technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkhamy, Donia Said

Ply yarns are important in many textile manufacturing processes and various applications. The primary process used for producing ply yarns is cabling. The speed of cabling is limited to about 35m/min. With the world's increasing demands of ply yarn supply, cabling is incompatible with today's demand activated manufacturing strategies. The Alternate Twist Ply (ATP) yarn technology is a relatively new process for producing ply yarns with improved productivity and flexibility. This technology involves self plying of twisted singles yarn to produce ply yarn. The ATP process can run more than ten times faster than cabling. To implement the ATP process to produce ply yarns there are major quality issues; uniform Twist Profile and yarn Twist Efficiency. The goal of this thesis is to improve these issues through process modeling based on understanding the physics and processing mechanics of the ATP yarn system. In our study we determine the main parameters that control the yarn twist profile. Process modeling of the yarn twist across different process zones was done. A computational model was designed to predict the process parameters required to achieve a square wave twist profile. Twist efficiency, a measure of yarn torsional stability and bulk, is determined by the ratio of ply yarn twist to singles yarn twist. Response Surface Methodology was used to develop the processing window that can reproduce ATP yarns with high twist efficiency. Equilibrium conditions of tensions and torques acting on the yarns at the self ply point were analyzed and determined the pathway for achieving higher twist efficiency. Mechanistic modeling relating equilibrium conditions to the twist efficiency was developed. A static tester was designed to zoom into the self ply zone of the ATP yarn. A computer controlled, prototypic ATP machine was constructed and confirmed the mechanistic model results. Optimum parameters achieving maximum twist efficiency were determined in this study. The successful results of this work have led to the filing of a US patent disclosing the method for producing ATP yarns with high yarn twist efficiency using a high convergence angle at the self ply point together with applying ply torque.

Report on twisted nematic and supertwisted nematic device characterization program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

In this study we measured the optical characteristics of normally white twisted nematic (NWTN) and super twisted nematic (STN ) cells. Though no dynamic computer model was available, the static observations were compared with computer simulated behavior. The measurements were taken as a function of both viewing angle and applied voltage and included in the static case not only luminance but also contrast ratio and chromaticity . We employed the computer model Twist Cell Optics, developed at Kent State in conjunction with this study, and whose optical modeling foundation, Iike the ViDEOS program, is the 4 x 4 matrix method of Berreman. In order to resolve discrepancies between the experimental and modeled data the optical parameters of the individual cell components, where not known, were determined using refractometry, profilometry, and various forms of ellipsometry. The resulting agreement between experiment and model is quite good due primarily to a better understanding of the structure and optics of dichroic sheet polarizers. A description of the model and test cells employed are given in section 2. Section 3 contains the experimental data gathered and section 4 gives examples of the fit between model and experiment. Also included with this report are a pair of papers which resulted from the research and which detail the polarizer properties and some of the cell characterization methods.

Utilization of Optimization for Design of Morphing Wing Structures for Enhanced Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Detrick, Matthew Scott

Conventional aircraft control surfaces constrain maneuverability. This work is a comprehensive study that looks at both smart material and conventional actuation methods to achieve wing twist to potentially improve flight capability using minimal actuation energy while allowing minimal wing deformation under aerodynamic loading. A continuous wing is used in order to reduce drag while allowing the aircraft to more closely approximate the wing deformation used by birds while loitering. The morphing wing for this work consists of a skin supported by an underlying truss structure whose goal is to achieve a given roll moment using less actuation energy than conventional control surfaces. A structural optimization code has been written in order to achieve minimal wing deformation under aerodynamic loading while allowing wing twist under actuation. The multi-objective cost function for the optimization consists of terms that ensure small deformation under aerodynamic loading, small change in airfoil shape during wing twist, a linear variation of wing twist along the length of the wing, small deviation from the desired wing twist, minimal number of truss members, minimal wing weight, and minimal actuation energy. Hydraulic cylinders and a two member linkage driven by a DC motor are tested separately to provide actuation. Since the goal of the current work is simply to provide a roll moment, only one actuator is implemented along the wing span. Optimization is also used to find the best location within the truss structure for the actuator. The active structure produced by optimization is then compared to simulated and experimental results from other researchers as well as characteristics of conventional aircraft.

Gate induced monolayer behavior in twisted bilayer black phosphorus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sevik, Cem; Wallbank, John R.; Gülseren, Oğuz; Peeters, François M.; Çakır, Deniz

2017-09-01

Optical and electronic properties of black phosphorus strongly depend on the number of layers and type of stacking. Using first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory, we investigate the electronic properties of bilayer black phosphorus with an interlayer twist angle of 90°. These calculations are complemented with a simple k\\centerdot p model which is able to capture most of the low energy features and is valid for arbitrary twist angles. The electronic spectrum of 90° twisted bilayer black phosphorus is found to be x-y isotropic in contrast to the monolayer. However x-y anisotropy, and a partial return to monolayer-like behavior, particularly in the valence band, can be induced by an external out-of-plane electric field. Moreover, the preferred hole effective mass can be rotated by 90° simply by changing the direction of the applied electric field. In particular, a + 0.4 (-0.4) V {{{\\mathringA}}-1} out-of-plane electric field results in a  ˜60% increase in the hole effective mass along the \\mathbf{y} (\\mathbf{x} ) axis and enhances the m\\mathbf{y}\\ast/m\\mathbf{x}\\ast (m\\mathbf{x}\\ast/m\\mathbf{y}\\ast ) ratio as much as by a factor of 40. Our DFT and k\\centerdot p simulations clearly indicate that the twist angle in combination with an appropriate gate voltage is a novel way to tune the electronic and optical properties of bilayer phosphorus and it gives us a new degree of freedom to engineer the properties of black phosphorus based devices.

Adaptive-gain fast super-twisting sliding mode fault tolerant control for a reusable launch vehicle in reentry phase.

PubMed

Zhang, Yao; Tang, Shengjing; Guo, Jie

2017-11-01

In this paper, a novel adaptive-gain fast super-twisting (AGFST) sliding mode attitude control synthesis is carried out for a reusable launch vehicle subject to actuator faults and unknown disturbances. According to the fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode surface (FNTSMS) and adaptive-gain fast super-twisting algorithm, an adaptive fault tolerant control law for the attitude stabilization is derived to protect against the actuator faults and unknown uncertainties. Firstly, a second-order nonlinear control-oriented model for the RLV is established by feedback linearization method. And on the basis a fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode (FNTSM) manifold is designed, which provides fast finite-time global convergence and avoids singularity problem as well as chattering phenomenon. Based on the merits of the standard super-twisting (ST) algorithm and fast reaching law with adaption, a novel adaptive-gain fast super-twisting (AGFST) algorithm is proposed for the finite-time fault tolerant attitude control problem of the RLV without any knowledge of the bounds of uncertainties and actuator faults. The important feature of the AGFST algorithm includes non-overestimating the values of the control gains and faster convergence speed than the standard ST algorithm. A formal proof of the finite-time stability of the closed-loop system is derived using the Lyapunov function technique. An estimation of the convergence time and accurate expression of convergence region are also provided. Finally, simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control scheme. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MicroRNA-219-5p inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of epithelial ovarian cancer cells by targeting the Twist/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

PubMed

Wei, Chunyan; Zhang, Xi; He, Sai; Liu, Bianli; Han, Hongfang; Sun, Xuejun

2017-12-30

MicroRNAs are emerging as critical regulators in various fundamental biological processes, including tumor progression. MicroRNA-219-5p (miR-219-5p) has been suggested as a novel tumor suppressing miRNA for many types of human cancers. However, the expression and functional significance of miR-219-5p in epithelial ovarian cancer remain poorly understood. In this study, we sought to explore the potential functions of miR-219-5p in epithelial ovarian cancer. Herein, we found that miR-219-5p levels were significantly decreased in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Further experiments showed that overexpression of miR-219-5p inhibited epithelial ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and suppressed the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. By contrast, suppression of miR-219-5p exhibited the opposite effects. Twist was identified as a downstream target of miR-219-5p, and its expression was directly regulated by miR-219-5p. Restoration of Twist expression in miR-219-5p-overexpresing cells significantly reversed the antitumor effects of miR-219-5p. Taken together, our results revealed a tumor suppressive role for miR-219-5p in epithelial ovarian cancer that includes suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through downregulation of the Twist/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Our study suggests that miR-219-5p may have potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Horizontal versus vertical orientation of the loop for tension band wiring of transverse patella fractures.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Ki; Hwang, Yoon Sub; Choy, Won Sik

2014-03-01

Conventional operative treatments of patella fractures are frequently associated with implant failure or displacement. Recent biomechanical studies showed that the orientation of the wire loop and the site of the wire twist can affect the fixation strength. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcome of the tension band technique with loops in different orientations and different knot positions. For this retrospective study, 72 patella fractures (71 patients) were fixed with figure-of-eight configurations in combination with 2 K-wires. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the orientation of tension band construct. A total of 40 patella fractures were placed with figure-of-eight configurations in a vertical orientation either with 1 wire twist (group 1; 16 patella fractures) or with 2 wire twists at the adjacent corners (group 2; 24 patella fractures). Thirty-two patella fractures were placed with figure-of-eight configurations in a horizontal orientation with 2 wire twists at the adjacent corners (group 3). Range of motion, complication rates, and knee scoring scales (Hospital for Special Surgery and Lysholm) were assessed during serial follow-up. Satisfactory reductions were achieved in all groups, but functional results in the early stage were different. Group 3 had better Hospital for Special Surgery and Lysholm scores at 3 months postoperatively; however, at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, all groups had similar scores. At the 1-year follow-up, all groups achieved acceptable flexion and range of motion. The overall complication rate was lower in the horizontal group (12.5%). Placing the figure-of-eight tension band construct in a horizontal orientation can provide functional benefits in the early stage after patella fractures. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Combination therapy with an OX40L fusion protein and a vaccine targeting the transcription factor twist inhibits metastasis in a murine model of breast cancer.

PubMed

Malamas, Anthony S; Hammond, Scott A; Schlom, Jeffrey; Hodge, James W

2017-10-31

OX40 is a costimulatory receptor that potentiates proliferation, survival, memory formation, and effector function of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells, while overcoming the suppressive activity of regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Here, we explored the combination of an OX40L fusion protein (OX40L-FP) with a poxvirus-based cancer vaccine (MVA-Twist-TRICOM) to inhibit tumor metastasis in the 4T1 murine breast cancer model. Contrary to the single agent treatments, the combination therapy significantly decreased the number of metastatic colonies per lung and prolonged survival. Depletion studies demonstrated that these effects were mediated by both CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells. The combination therapy a) increased the total number of T-cells in the CD4 + Foxp3 - population and the CD4 + central and effector memory subsets within the lung, spleen, and draining lymph node, b) enhanced infiltration of CD4 + T-cells into metastatic areas of the lung, and (c) increased the number of functional CD8 + T-cells that produced IFNγ and TNFα. The combination therapy also promoted the development of KLRG1 - CD127 + memory precursor CD8 + T-cells, while reducing those with a KLRG1 + terminally differentiated phenotype. Moreover, the combination of OX40L-FP and vaccine induced greater CD4 + and CD8 + Twist-specific responses. In addition, Tregs isolated from mice receiving the combination were also less immunosuppressive in ex-vivo proliferation assays than those from the OX40L-FP and MVA-Twist-TRICOM monotherapy groups. Such results provide the rationale to combine co-stimulatory agonists with cancer vaccines for the treatment of tumor metastasis.

Combination therapy with an OX40L fusion protein and a vaccine targeting the transcription factor twist inhibits metastasis in a murine model of breast cancer

PubMed Central

Malamas, Anthony S.; Hammond, Scott A.; Schlom, Jeffrey; Hodge, James W.

2017-01-01

OX40 is a costimulatory receptor that potentiates proliferation, survival, memory formation, and effector function of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, while overcoming the suppressive activity of regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Here, we explored the combination of an OX40L fusion protein (OX40L-FP) with a poxvirus-based cancer vaccine (MVA-Twist-TRICOM) to inhibit tumor metastasis in the 4T1 murine breast cancer model. Contrary to the single agent treatments, the combination therapy significantly decreased the number of metastatic colonies per lung and prolonged survival. Depletion studies demonstrated that these effects were mediated by both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. The combination therapy a) increased the total number of T-cells in the CD4+Foxp3- population and the CD4+ central and effector memory subsets within the lung, spleen, and draining lymph node, b) enhanced infiltration of CD4+ T-cells into metastatic areas of the lung, and (c) increased the number of functional CD8+ T-cells that produced IFNγ and TNFα. The combination therapy also promoted the development of KLRG1-CD127+ memory precursor CD8+ T-cells, while reducing those with a KLRG1+ terminally differentiated phenotype. Moreover, the combination of OX40L-FP and vaccine induced greater CD4+ and CD8+ Twist-specific responses. In addition, Tregs isolated from mice receiving the combination were also less immunosuppressive in ex-vivo proliferation assays than those from the OX40L-FP and MVA-Twist-TRICOM monotherapy groups. Such results provide the rationale to combine co-stimulatory agonists with cancer vaccines for the treatment of tumor metastasis. PMID:29207606

Mechanical behaviors of multi-filament twist superconducting strand under tensile and cyclic loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xu; Li, Yingxu; Gao, Yuanwen

2016-01-01

The superconducting strand, serving as the basic unit cell of the cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICCs), is a typical multi-filament twist composite which is always subjected to a cyclic loading under the operating condition. Meanwhile, the superconducting material Nb3Sn in the strand is sensitive to strain frequently relating to the performance degradation of the superconductivity. Therefore, a comprehensive study on the mechanical behavior of the strand helps understanding the superconducting performance of the strained Nb3Sn strands. To address this issue, taking the LMI (internal tin) strand as an example, a three-dimensional structural finite element model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand with the real configuration of the LMI strand is built to study the influences of the plasticity of the component materials, the twist of the filament bundle, the initial thermal residual stress and the breakage and its evolution of the filaments on the mechanical behaviors of the strand. The effective properties of superconducting filament bundle with random filament breakage and its evolution versus strain are obtained based on the damage theory of fiber-reinforced composite materials proposed by Curtin and Zhou. From the calculation results of this model, we find that the occurrence of the hysteresis loop in the cyclic loading curve is determined by the reverse yielding of the elastic-plastic materials in the strand. Both the initial thermal residual stress in the strand and the pitch length of the filaments have significant impacts on the axial and hysteretic behaviors of the strand. The damage of the filaments also affects the axial mechanical behavior of the strand remarkably at large axial strain. The critical current of the strand is calculated by the scaling law with the results of the Multi-filament twist model. The predicted results of the Multi-filament twist model show an acceptable agreement with the experiment.

Entropy-driven one-step formation of Phi29 pRNA 3WJ from three RNA fragments.

PubMed

Binzel, Daniel W; Khisamutdinov, Emil F; Guo, Peixuan

2014-04-15

The emerging field of RNA nanotechnology necessitates creation of functional RNA nanoparticles but has been limited by particle instability. It has been shown that the three-way junction of bacteriophage phi29 motor pRNA has unusual stability and can self-assemble from three fragments with high efficiency. It is generally believed that RNA and DNA folding is energy landscape-dependent, and the folding of RNA is driven by enthalpy. Here we examine the thermodynamic characteristics of the 3WJ components as 2'-fluoro RNA, DNA, and RNA. It was seen that the three fragments existed either in 3WJ complex or as monomers, with the intermediate of dimers almost undetectable. It seems that the three fragments can lead to the formation of the 3WJ complex efficiently within a rapid time. A low dissociation constant (apparent KD) of 11.4 nM was determined for RNA, inclusion of 2'-F pyrimidines strengthened the KD to 4.5 nM, and substitution of DNA weakened it to 47.7 nM. The ΔG°37, were -36, -28, and -15 kcal/mol for 3WJ2'-F, 3WJRNA, and 3WJDNA, respectively. It is found that the formation of the three-component complex was governed by entropy, instead of enthalpy, as usually found in RNA complexes. Here entropy-driven is referring to a dominating entropic contribution to the increased stability of the 3WJ(2'-F and 3WJ(RNA) compared to the 3WJ(DNA,) instead of referring to the absolute role or total energy governing 3WJ folding. [corrected].

Comprehensive Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of myocardial mechanics in mice using three-dimensional cine DENSE

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Quantitative noninvasive imaging of myocardial mechanics in mice enables studies of the roles of individual genes in cardiac function. We sought to develop comprehensive three-dimensional methods for imaging myocardial mechanics in mice. Methods A 3D cine DENSE pulse sequence was implemented on a 7T small-bore scanner. The sequence used three-point phase cycling for artifact suppression and a stack-of-spirals k-space trajectory for efficient data acquisition. A semi-automatic 2D method was adapted for 3D image segmentation, and automated 3D methods to calculate strain, twist, and torsion were employed. A scan protocol that covered the majority of the left ventricle in a scan time of less than 25 minutes was developed, and seven healthy C57Bl/6 mice were studied. Results Using these methods, multiphase normal and shear strains were measured, as were myocardial twist and torsion. Peak end-systolic values for the normal strains at the mid-ventricular level were 0.29 ± 0.17, -0.13 ± 0.03, and -0.18 ± 0.14 for Err, Ecc, and Ell, respectively. Peak end-systolic values for the shear strains were 0.00 ± 0.08, 0.04 ± 0.12, and 0.03 ± 0.07 for Erc, Erl, and Ecl, respectively. The peak end-systolic normalized torsion was 5.6 ± 0.9°. Conclusions Using a 3D cine DENSE sequence tailored for cardiac imaging in mice at 7 T, a comprehensive assessment of 3D myocardial mechanics can be achieved with a scan time of less than 25 minutes and an image analysis time of approximately 1 hour. PMID:22208954

Induced cholesteric systems based on some cyano derivatives as host phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnikova, Natalya I.; Kutulya, Lidiya A.; Vashchenko, V. V.; Fedoryako, A. P.; Lapanik, V. I.; Posledovich, N. R.

2002-12-01

Macroscopical properties of some induced cholesteric compositions based on 4-pentyl-4'-cyano derivatives of biphenyl and phenylcyclohexane as host phases have been investigated. The series of N-arylidene derivatives of (S)-1-phenylethylamine with varied both rigid moiety of the N-arylidene fragment and terminal substituent was used as chiral dopants. The influence of the chiral dopant molecular structure as well as of physical properties of the host phases used on the helical twisting power, the temperature dependence of the induced helical pitch and the N* mesophase thermal stability has been characterized. It has been concluded that the distinctions in properties of the LC systems containing the OCH2 and COO linking groups are caused by their different conformational states.

Improvement of the aerodynamic performance by wing flexibility and elytra–hind wing interaction of a beetle during forward flight

PubMed Central

Le, Tuyen Quang; Truong, Tien Van; Park, Soo Hyung; Quang Truong, Tri; Ko, Jin Hwan; Park, Hoon Cheol; Byun, Doyoung

2013-01-01

In this work, the aerodynamic performance of beetle wing in free-forward flight was explored by a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) simulation with measured wing kinematics. It is shown from the CFD results that twist and camber variation, which represent the wing flexibility, are most important when determining the aerodynamic performance. Twisting wing significantly increased the mean lift and camber variation enhanced the mean thrust while the required power was lower than the case when neither was considered. Thus, in a comparison of the power economy among rigid, twisting and flexible models, the flexible model showed the best performance. When the positive effect of wing interaction was added to that of wing flexibility, we found that the elytron created enough lift to support its weight, and the total lift (48.4 mN) generated from the simulation exceeded the gravity force of the beetle (47.5 mN) during forward flight. PMID:23740486

Self-assembly and electrostriction of arrays and chains of hopfion particles in chiral liquid crystals

PubMed Central

Ackerman, Paul J.; van de Lagemaat, Jao; Smalyukh, Ivan I.

2015-01-01

Some of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains that exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields. PMID:25607778

Surface electromyography of myopotential oversensing provoked by simultaneous straining and leftward twisting in a patient with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

PubMed

Ajiro, Yoichi; Shiga, Tsuyoshi; Shoda, Morio; Hagiwara, Nobuhisa

2017-03-01

An important step in diagnosing myopotential oversensing is to confirm its reproducibility using specific provocation maneuvers. Although most maneuvers involve the co-contraction of many muscles, no attempt has been made to assess relevant muscle activities by electromyography. We describe a case with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) whose myopotential oversensing was provoked by simultaneous straining and leftward twisting. Simultaneous recordings from real-time ICD telemetry and myopotentials of the rectus abdominis, oblique abdominis, and diaphragm on electromyography during the provocation maneuvers were conducted. It was shown that all three muscles contracted simultaneously during the provocation maneuvers; the diaphragm activity was the main source of noise oversensing, and the twist itself caused oversensing possibly due to the change in the position of the lead. In conclusion, the electromyographic assessment of relevant muscle activities may be useful in assessing each muscle's role and its contribution to myopotential oversensing, especially in a patient whose myopotential oversensing requires complex maneuvers to be provoked.

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

Ackerman, P. J.; van de Lagemaat, J.; Smalyukh, I. I.

Some of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains thatmore » exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields.« less

Active twist control methodology for vibration reduction of a helicopter with dissimilar rotor system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, Prashant M.; Jung, Sung Nam

2009-03-01

In this work, an active vibration reduction of hingeless composite rotor blades with dissimilarity is investigated using the active twist concept and the optimal control theory. The induced shear strain on the actuation mechanism by the piezoelectric constant d15 from the PZN-8% PT-based single-crystal material is used to achieve more active twisting to suppress the extra vibrations. The optimal control algorithm is based on the minimization of an objective function comprised of quadratic functions of vibratory hub loads and voltage control harmonics. The blade-to-blade dissimilarity is modeled using the stiffness degradation of composite blades. The optimal controller is applied to various possible dissimilarities arising from different damage patterns of composite blades. The governing equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's principle. The effects of composite materials and smart actuators are incorporated into the comprehensive aeroelastic analysis system. Numerical results showing the impact of addressing the blade dissimilarities on hub vibrations and voltage inputs required to suppress the vibrations are demonstrated. It is observed that all vibratory shear forces are reduced considerably and the major harmonics of moments are reduced significantly. However, the controller needs further improvement to suppress 1/rev moment loads. A mechanism to achieve vibration reduction for the dissimilar rotor system has also been identified.

Gene duplication and fragment recombination drive functional diversification of a superfamily of cytoplasmic effectors in Phytophthora sojae.

PubMed

Shen, Danyu; Liu, Tingli; Ye, Wenwu; Liu, Li; Liu, Peihan; Wu, Yuren; Wang, Yuanchao; Dou, Daolong

2013-01-01

Phytophthora and other oomycetes secrete a large number of putative host cytoplasmic effectors with conserved FLAK motifs following signal peptides, termed crinkling and necrosis inducing proteins (CRN), or Crinkler. Here, we first investigated the evolutionary patterns and mechanisms of CRN effectors in Phytophthora sojae and compared them to two other Phytophthora species. The genes encoding CRN effectors could be divided into 45 orthologous gene groups (OGG), and most OGGs unequally distributed in the three species, in which each underwent large number of gene gains or losses, indicating that the CRN genes expanded after species evolution in Phytophthora and evolved through pathoadaptation. The 134 expanded genes in P. sojae encoded family proteins including 82 functional genes and expressed at higher levels while the other 68 genes encoding orphan proteins were less expressed and contained 50 pseudogenes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that most expanded genes underwent gene duplication or/and fragment recombination. Three different mechanisms that drove gene duplication or recombination were identified. Finally, the expanded CRN effectors exhibited varying pathogenic functions, including induction of programmed cell death (PCD) and suppression of PCD through PAMP-triggered immunity or/and effector-triggered immunity. Overall, these results suggest that gene duplication and fragment recombination may be two mechanisms that drive the expansion and neofunctionalization of the CRN family in P. sojae, which aids in understanding the roles of CRN effectors within each oomycete pathogen.

The caspase-generated cleavage product of Ets-1 p51 and Ets-1 p27, Cp17, induces apoptosis.

PubMed

Choul-Li, Souhaila; Tulasne, David; Aumercier, Marc

2016-11-04

The transcription factor Ets-1 is involved in various physiological processes and invasive pathologies. Human Ets-1 exists under three isoforms: p51, the predominant full-length isoform, p42 and p27, shorter alternatively spliced isoforms. We have previously demonstrated that Ets-1 p51, but not the spliced variant Ets-1 p42, is processed by caspases in vitro and during apoptosis. However, the caspase cleavage of the second spliced variant Ets-1 p27 remains to investigate. In the present study, we demonstrate that Ets-1 p27 is a cleavage substrate of caspases. We show that Ets-1 p27 is processed in vitro by caspase-3, resulting in three C-terminal fragments Cp20, Cp17 and Cp14. Similarly, Ets-1 p27 was cleaved during apoptotic cell death induced by anisomycin, producing fragments consistent with those observed in in vitro cleavage assay. These fragments are generated by cleavage at three sites located in the exon VII-encoded region of Ets-1 p27. As a functional consequences, Cp17 fragment, the major cleavage product generated during apoptosis, induced itself apoptosis when transfected into cells. Our results show that Ets-1 p27 is cleaved in the same manner as Ets-1 p51 within the exon VII-encoded region, thus generating a stable C-terminal fragment that induces cell death by initiating apoptosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gluonic transversity from lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Detmold, W.; Shanahan, P. E.

2016-07-01

We present an exploratory study of the gluonic structure of the ϕ meson using lattice QCD (LQCD). This includes the first investigation of gluonic transversity via the leading moment of the twist-2 double-helicity-flip gluonic structure function Δ (x ,Q2). This structure function only exists for targets of spin J ≥1 and does not mix with quark distributions at leading twist, thereby providing a particularly clean probe of gluonic degrees of freedom. We also explore the gluonic analogue of the Soffer bound which relates the helicity flip and nonflip gluonic distributions, finding it to be saturated at the level of 80%. This work sets the stage for more complex LQCD studies of gluonic structure in the nucleon and in light nuclei where Δ (x ,Q2) is an "exotic glue" observable probing gluons in a nucleus not associated with individual nucleons.

Boer-Mulders effect in unpolarized SIDIS: An analysis of the COMPASS and HERMES data on the $$\\cos 2 \\phi$$ asymmetry

DOE PAGES

Vincenzo Barone; Melis, Stefano; Prokudin, Alexei

2010-06-17

We present a phenomenological analysis of themore » $$\\cos 2 \\phi$$ asymmetry recently measured by the COMPASS and HERMES collaborations in unpolarized semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In the kinematical regimes explored by these experiments the asymmetry arises from transverse-spin and intrinsic transverse-momentum effects. We consider the leading-twist contribution, related to the so-called Boer-Mulders transverse-polarization distribution $$h_1^{\\perp}(x, k_T^2)$$, and the twist-4 Cahn contribution, involving unpolarized transverse-momentum distribution functions. We show that a reasonably good fit of the data is achieved with a Boer-Mulders function consistent with the main theoretical expectations. Lastly, our conclusion is that the COMPASS and HERMES measurements represent the first experimental evidence of the Boer-Mulders effect in SIDIS.« less

Teaching Spatial Awareness for Better Twisting Somersaults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessy, Jeff T.

1985-01-01

The barani (front somersault with one-half twist) and the back somersault with one twist are basic foundation skills necessary for more advanced twisting maneuvers. Descriptions of these movements on a trampoline surface are offered. (DF)

Angular momentum transport with twisted exciton wave packets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Xiaoning; Lusk, Mark T.

2017-10-01

A chain of cofacial molecules with CN or CN h symmetry supports excitonic states with a screwlike structure. These can be quantified with the combination of an axial wave number and an azimuthal winding number. Combinations of these states can be used to construct excitonic wave packets that spiral down the chain with well-determined linear and angular momenta. These twisted exciton wave packets can be created and annihilated using laser pulses, and their angular momentum can be optically modified during transit. This allows for the creation of optoexcitonic circuits in which information, encoded in the angular momentum of light, is converted into excitonic wave packets that can be manipulated, transported, and then reemitted. A tight-binding paradigm is used to demonstrate the key ideas. The approach is then extended to quantify the evolution of twisted exciton wave packets in a many-body, multilevel time-domain density functional theory setting. In both settings, numerical methods are developed that allow the site-to-site transfer of angular momentum to be quantified.

Effective Fragment Potential Method for H-Bonding: How To Obtain Parameters for Nonrigid Fragments.

PubMed

Dubinets, Nikita; Slipchenko, Lyudmila V

2017-07-20

Accuracy of the effective fragment potential (EFP) method was explored for describing intermolecular interaction energies in three dimers with strong H-bonded interactions, formic acid, formamide, and formamidine dimers, which are a part of HBC6 database of noncovalent interactions. Monomer geometries in these dimers change significantly as a function of intermonomer separation. Several EFP schemes were considered, in which fragment parameters were prepared for a fragment in its gas-phase geometry or recomputed for each unique fragment geometry. Additionally, a scheme in which gas-phase fragment parameters are shifted according to relaxed fragment geometries is introduced and tested. EFP data are compared against the coupled cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)) method in a complete basis set (CBS) and the symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). All considered EFP schemes provide a good agreement with CCSD(T)/CBS for binding energies at equilibrium separations, with discrepancies not exceeding 2 kcal/mol. However, only the schemes that utilize relaxed fragment geometries remain qualitatively correct at shorter than equilibrium intermolecular distances. The EFP scheme with shifted parameters behaves quantitatively similar to the scheme in which parameters are recomputed for each monomer geometry and thus is recommended as a computationally efficient approach for large-scale EFP simulations of flexible systems.

Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 promotes vasculogenic mimicry in gastric cancer by upregulating TWIST1/2

PubMed Central

Wang, Lin; Lin, Li; Chen, Xi; Sun, Li; Liao, Yulin; Huang, Na; Liao, Wangjun

2015-01-01

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a blood supply modality that is strongly associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), TWIST1 activation and tumor progression. We previously reported that metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) induced the EMT and was associated with a poor prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC), but it remains unknown whether MACC1 promotes VM and regulates the TWIST signaling pathway in GC. In this study, we investigated MACC1 expression and VM by immunohistochemistry in 88 patients with stage IV GC, and also investigated the role of TWIST1 and TWIST2 in MACC1-induced VM by using nude mice with GC xenografts and GC cell lines. We found that the VM density was significantly increased in the tumors of patients who died of GC and was positively correlated with MACC1 immunoreactivity (p < 0.05). The 3-year survival rate was only 8.6% in patients whose tumors showed double positive staining for MACC1 and VM, whereas it was 41.7% in patients whose tumors were negative for both MACC1 and VM. Moreover, nuclear expression of MACC1, TWIST1, and TWIST2 was upregulated in GC tissues compared with matched adjacent non-tumorous tissues (p < 0.05). Overexpression of MACC1 increased TWIST1/2 expression and induced typical VM in the GC xenografts of nude mice and in GC cell lines. MACC1 enhanced TWIST1/2 promoter activity and facilitated VM, while silencing of TWIST1 or TWIST2 inhibited VM. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) increased the nuclear translocation of MACC1, TWIST1, and TWIST2, while a c-Met inhibitor reduced these effects. These findings indicate that MACC1 promotes VM in GC by regulating the HGF/c-Met-TWIST1/2 signaling pathway, which means that MACC1 and this pathway are potential new therapeutic targets for GC. PMID:25895023

Numerical investigation of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics in a circular tube fitted with V-cut twisted tape inserts.

PubMed

Salman, Sami D; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H; Takriff, Mohd S; Mohamad, Abu Bakar

2013-01-01

Numerical investigation of the heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of a circular fitted with V-cut twisted tape (VCT) insert with twist ratio (y = 2.93) and different cut depths (w = 0.5, 1, and 1.5 cm) were studied for laminar flow using CFD package (FLUENT-6.3.26). The data obtained from plain tube were verified with the literature correlation to ensure the validation of simulation results. Classical twisted tape (CTT) with different twist ratios (y = 2.93, 3.91, 4.89) were also studied for comparison. The results show that the enhancement of heat transfer rate induced by the classical and V-cut twisted tape inserts increases with the Reynolds number and decreases with twist ratio. The results also revealed that the V-cut twisted tape with twist ratio y = 2.93 and cut depth w = 0.5 cm offered higher heat transfer rate with significant increases in friction factor than other tapes. In addition the results of V-cut twist tape compared with experimental and simulated data of right-left helical tape inserts (RLT), it is found that the V-cut twist tape offered better thermal contact between the surface and the fluid which ultimately leads to a high heat transfer coefficient. Consequently, 107% of maximum heat transfer was obtained by using this configuration.

Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer and Friction Factor Characteristics in a Circular Tube Fitted with V-Cut Twisted Tape Inserts

PubMed Central

Salman, Sami D.; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Takriff, Mohd S.; Mohamad, Abu Bakar

2013-01-01

Numerical investigation of the heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of a circular fitted with V-cut twisted tape (VCT) insert with twist ratio (y = 2.93) and different cut depths (w = 0.5, 1, and 1.5 cm) were studied for laminar flow using CFD package (FLUENT-6.3.26). The data obtained from plain tube were verified with the literature correlation to ensure the validation of simulation results. Classical twisted tape (CTT) with different twist ratios (y = 2.93, 3.91, 4.89) were also studied for comparison. The results show that the enhancement of heat transfer rate induced by the classical and V-cut twisted tape inserts increases with the Reynolds number and decreases with twist ratio. The results also revealed that the V-cut twisted tape with twist ratio y = 2.93 and cut depth w = 0.5 cm offered higher heat transfer rate with significant increases in friction factor than other tapes. In addition the results of V-cut twist tape compared with experimental and simulated data of right-left helical tape inserts (RLT), it is found that the V-cut twist tape offered better thermal contact between the surface and the fluid which ultimately leads to a high heat transfer coefficient. Consequently, 107% of maximum heat transfer was obtained by using this configuration. PMID:24078795

Torsional Carbon Nanotube Artificial Muscles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foroughi, Javad; Spinks, Geoffrey M.; Wallace, Gordon G.; Oh, Jiyoung; Kozlov, Mikhail E.; Fang, Shaoli; Mirfakhrai, Tissaphern; Madden, John D. W.; Shin, Min Kyoon; Kim, Seon Jeong; Baughman, Ray H.

2011-10-01

Rotary motors of conventional design can be rather complex and are therefore difficult to miniaturize; previous carbon nanotube artificial muscles provide contraction and bending, but not rotation. We show that an electrolyte-filled twist-spun carbon nanotube yarn, much thinner than a human hair, functions as a torsional artificial muscle in a simple three-electrode electrochemical system, providing a reversible 15,000° rotation and 590 revolutions per minute. A hydrostatic actuation mechanism, as seen in muscular hydrostats in nature, explains the simultaneous occurrence of lengthwise contraction and torsional rotation during the yarn volume increase caused by electrochemical double-layer charge injection. The use of a torsional yarn muscle as a mixer for a fluidic chip is demonstrated.

Real-Space Imaging of the Tailored Plasmons in Twisted Bilayer Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, F.; Das, Suprem R.; Luan, Y.; Chung, T.-F.; Chen, Y. P.; Fei, Z.

2017-12-01

We report a systematic plasmonic study of twisted bilayer graphene (TBLG)—two graphene layers stacked with a twist angle. Through real-space nanoimaging of TBLG single crystals with a wide distribution of twist angles, we find that TBLG supports confined infrared plasmons that are sensitively dependent on the twist angle. At small twist angles, TBLG has a plasmon wavelength comparable to that of single-layer graphene. At larger twist angles, the plasmon wavelength of TBLG increases significantly with apparently lower damping. Further analysis and modeling indicate that the observed twist-angle dependence of TBLG plasmons in the Dirac linear regime is mainly due to the Fermi-velocity renormalization, a direct consequence of interlayer electronic coupling. Our work unveils the tailored plasmonic characteristics of TBLG and deepens our understanding of the intriguing nano-optical physics in novel van der Waals coupled two-dimensional materials.

Real-Space Imaging of the Tailored Plasmons in Twisted Bilayer Graphene

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

Hu, F.; Das, Suprem R.; Luan, Y.

Here, we report a systematic plasmonic study of twisted bilayer graphene (TBLG)—two graphene layers stacked with a twist angle. Through real-space nanoimaging of TBLG single crystals with a wide distribution of twist angles, we find that TBLG supports confined infrared plasmons that are sensitively dependent on the twist angle. At small twist angles, TBLG has a plasmon wavelength comparable to that of single-layer graphene. At larger twist angles, the plasmon wavelength of TBLG increases significantly with apparently lower damping. Further analysis and modeling indicate that the observed twist-angle dependence of TBLG plasmons in the Dirac linear regime is mainly duemore » to the Fermi-velocity renormalization, a direct consequence of interlayer electronic coupling. Our work unveils the tailored plasmonic characteristics of TBLG and deepens our understanding of the intriguing nano-optical physics in novel van der Waals coupled two-dimensional materials.« less

Hydrogen bonds and twist in cellulose microfibrils.

PubMed

Kannam, Sridhar Kumar; Oehme, Daniel P; Doblin, Monika S; Gidley, Michael J; Bacic, Antony; Downton, Matthew T

2017-11-01

There is increasing experimental and computational evidence that cellulose microfibrils can exist in a stable twisted form. In this study, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate the importance of intrachain hydrogen bonds on the twist in cellulose microfibrils. We systematically enforce or block the formation of these intrachain hydrogen bonds by either constraining dihedral angles or manipulating charges. For the majority of simulations a consistent right handed twist is observed. The exceptions are two sets of simulations that block the O2-O6' intrachain hydrogen bond, where no consistent twist is observed in multiple independent simulations suggesting that the O2-O6' hydrogen bond can drive twist. However, in a further simulation where exocyclic group rotation is also blocked, right-handed twist still develops suggesting that intrachain hydrogen bonds are not necessary to drive twist in cellulose microfibrils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-Space Imaging of the Tailored Plasmons in Twisted Bilayer Graphene

DOE PAGES

Hu, F.; Das, Suprem R.; Luan, Y.; ...

2017-12-13

Here, we report a systematic plasmonic study of twisted bilayer graphene (TBLG)—two graphene layers stacked with a twist angle. Through real-space nanoimaging of TBLG single crystals with a wide distribution of twist angles, we find that TBLG supports confined infrared plasmons that are sensitively dependent on the twist angle. At small twist angles, TBLG has a plasmon wavelength comparable to that of single-layer graphene. At larger twist angles, the plasmon wavelength of TBLG increases significantly with apparently lower damping. Further analysis and modeling indicate that the observed twist-angle dependence of TBLG plasmons in the Dirac linear regime is mainly duemore » to the Fermi-velocity renormalization, a direct consequence of interlayer electronic coupling. Our work unveils the tailored plasmonic characteristics of TBLG and deepens our understanding of the intriguing nano-optical physics in novel van der Waals coupled two-dimensional materials.« less

Gauge transformations for twisted spectral triples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landi, Giovanni; Martinetti, Pierre

2018-05-01

It is extended to twisted spectral triples the fluctuations of the metric as bounded perturbations of the Dirac operator that arises when a spectral triple is exported between Morita equivalent algebras, as well as gauge transformations which are obtained by the action of the unitary endomorphisms of the module implementing the Morita equivalence. It is firstly shown that the twisted-gauged Dirac operators, previously introduced to generate an extra scalar field in the spectral description of the standard model of elementary particles, in fact follow from Morita equivalence between twisted spectral triples. The law of transformation of the gauge potentials turns out to be twisted in a natural way. In contrast with the non-twisted case, twisted fluctuations do not necessarily preserve the self-adjointness of the Dirac operator. For a self-Morita equivalence, conditions are obtained in order to maintain self-adjointness that are solved explicitly for the minimal twist of a Riemannian manifold.

Isolation of the endosperm-specific LPAAT gene promoter from coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) and its functional analysis in transgenic rice plants.

PubMed

Xu, Li; Ye, Rongjian; Zheng, Yusheng; Wang, Zhekui; Zhou, Peng; Lin, Yongjun; Li, Dongdong

2010-09-01

As one of the key tropical crops, coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a member of the monocotyledonous family Aracaceae (Palmaceae). In this study, we amplified the upstream region of an endosperm-specific expression gene, Lysophosphatidyl acyltransferase (LPAAT), from the coconut genomic DNA by chromosome walking. In this sequence, we found several types of promoter-related elements including TATA-box, CAAT-box and Skn1-motif. In order to further examine its function, three different 5'-deletion fragments were inserted into pBI101.3, a plant expression vector harboring the LPAAT upstream sequence, leading to pBI101.3-L1, pBI101.3-L2 and pBI101.3-L3, respectively. We obtained transgenic plants of rice by Agrobacterium-mediated callus transformation and plant regeneration and detected the expression of gus gene by histochemical staining and fluorometric determination. We found that gus gene driven by the three deletion fragments was specifically expressed in the endosperm of rice seeds, but not in the empty vector of pBI101.3 and other tissues. The highest expression level of GUS was at 15 DAF in pBI101.3-L3 and pBI101.3-L2 transgenic lines, while the same level was detected at 10 DAF in pBI101.3-L1. The expression driven by the whole fragment was up to 1.76- and 2.8-fold higher than those driven by the -817 bp and -453 bp upstream fragments, and 10.7-fold higher than that driven by the vector without the promoter. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that these promoter fragments from coconut have a significant potential in genetically improving endosperm in main crops.

Kinetic theory of twisted waves: Application to space plasmas having superthermal population of species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, Kashif; Poedts, Stefaan; Lazar, Marian

2017-04-01

Nowadays electromagnetic (EM) fields have various applications in fundamental research, communication, and home appliances. Even though, there are still some subtle features of electromagnetic field known to us a century ago, yet to be utilized. It is because of the technical complexities to sense three dimensional electromagnetic field. An important characteristic of electromagnetic field is its orbital angular momentum (OAM). The angular momentum consists of two distinct parts; intrinsic part associated with the wave polarization or spin, and the extrinsic part associated with the orbital angular momentum (OAM). The orbital angular momentum (OAM) is inherited by helically phased light or helical (twisted) electric field. The investigations of Allen on lasers carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), has initiated a new scientific and technological advancement in various growing fields, such as microscopy and imaging, atomic and nano-particle manipulation, ultra-fast optical communications, quantum computing, ionospheric radar facility to observe 3D plasma dynamics in ionosphere, photonic crystal fibre, OAM entanglement of two photons, twisted gravitational waves, ultra-intense twisted laser pulses and astrophysics. Recently, the plasma modes are also investigated with orbital angular momentum. The production of electron vortex beams and its applications are indicated by Verbeeck et al. The magnetic tornadoes (rotating magnetic field structures) exhibit three types of morphology i.e., spiral, ring and split. Leyser pumped helical radio beam carrying OAM into the Ionospheric plasma under High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) and characteristic ring shaped morphology is obtained by the optical emission spectrum of pumped plasma turbulence. The scattering phenomenon like (stimulated Raman and Brillouin backscattering) is observed to be responsible for the interaction between electrostatic and electromagnetic waves through orbital angular momentum. The ring shape morphology of a beam with orbital angular momentum (OAM) is ideal for the observation of solar corona around the sun where the intensity of the beam is minimum at the center, in solar experiments, and Earth's ionosphere. The twisted plasma modes carrying OAM are mostly studied either by the fluid theory or Maxwellian distributed Kinetic Theory. But most of the space plasmas and some laboratory plasmas have non-thermal distributions due to super-thermal population of the plasma particles. Therefore the Kinetic Theory of twisted plasma modes carrying OAM are recently studied using non-thermal (kappa) distribution of the super-thermal particles in the presence of the helical electric field and significant change in the damping rates are observed by tuning appropriate parameters.

Study of nonlinear MHD equations governing the wave propagation in twisted coronal loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parhi, S.; DeBruyne, P.; Goossens, M.; Zhelyazkov, I.

1995-01-01

The solar corona, modelled by a low beta, resistive plasma slab, sustains MHD wave propagations due to shearing footpoint motions in the photosphere. By using a numerical algorithm the excitation and nonlinear development of MHD waves in twisted coronal loops are studied. The plasma responds to the footpoint motion by sausage waves if there is no twist. The twist in the magnetic field of the loop destroys initially developed sausage-like wave modes and they become kinks. The transition from sausage to kink modes is analyzed. The twist brings about mode degradation producing high harmonics and this generates more complex fine structures. This can be attributed to several local extrema in the perturbed velocity profiles. The Alfven wave produces remnants of the ideal 1/x singularity both for zero and non-zero twist and this pseudo-singularity becomes less pronounced for larger twist. The effect of nonlinearity is clearly observed by changing the amplitude of the driver by one order of magnitude. The magnetosonic waves also exhibit smoothed remnants of ideal logarithmic singularities when the frequency of the driver is correctly chosen. This pseudo-singularity for fast waves is absent when the coronal loop does not undergo any twist but becomes pronounced when twist is included. On the contrary, it is observed for slow waves even if there is no twist. Increasing the twist leads to a higher heating rate of the loop. The larger twist shifts somewhat uniformly distributed heating to layers inside the slab corresponding to peaks in the magnetic field strength.

Intramolecular charge transfer and trans-cis isomerization of the DCM styrene dye in polar solvents. A CS INDO MRCI study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marguet, S.; Mialocq, J. C.; Millie, P.; Berthier, G.; Momicchioli, F.

1992-03-01

The solvent-induced changes of trans-cis isomerization efficiency and electronic structure of the excited state of the DCM dye have been considered by means of CS INDO MRCI calculations. The potential energy curves, dipole moments and atomic charge densities as a function of two internal coordinates, namely the rotation angle about the central "double" bond and the twisting of the dimethylamino group, have been obtained for the ground state and the lowest excited states. The structural requirements for the existence of ICT (intramolecular charge transfer) excited states have been investigated by considering internal rotations about three single bonds. The reliability of the potential surfaces and of the solvation models has been discussed with reference to test-calculations on the DMABN molecule. In the first excited singlet state of DCM, the low-energy barrier for the trans-cis isomerization has been found unaffected by the solvent polarity. The only singlet excited state presenting a large ICT character has been found to be the S 2 state for a perpendicularly twisted conformation of the dimethylamino group (TICT state). The assumption of a deactivation of the trans-isomer in the locally excited state through the TICT funnel has been largely discussed with reference to the simplifications of the present theoretical approach.

Design of a 3D printed lightweight orthotic device based on twisted and coiled polymer muscle: iGrab hand orthosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharan, Lokesh; Sharma, Ashvath; Jung de Andrade, Monica; Baughman, Ray H.; Tadesse, Yonas

2017-04-01

Partial or total upper extremity impairment affects the quality of life of a vast number of people due to stroke, neuromuscular disease, or trauma. Many researchers have presented hand orthosis to address the needs of rehabilitation or assistance on upper extremity function. Most of the devices available commercially and in literature are powered by conventional actuators such as DC motors, servomotors or pneumatic actuators. Some prototypes are developed based on shape memory alloy (SMA) and dielectric elastomers (DE). This study presents a customizable, 3D printed, a lightweight exoskeleton (iGrab) based on recently reported Twisted and Coiled Polymer (TCP) muscles, which are lightweight, provide high power to weight ratio and large stroke. We used silver coated nylon 6, 6 threads to make the TCP muscles, which can be easily actuated electrothermally. We reviewed briefly hand orthosis created with various actuation technologies and present our design of tendon-driven exoskeleton with the muscles confined in the forearm area. A single muscle is used to facilitate the motion of all three joints namely DIP (Distal interphalangeal), PIP (Proximal Interphalangeal) and MCP (Metacarpophalangeal) using passive tendons though circular rings. The grasping capabilities, along with TCP muscle properties utilized in the design such as life cycle, actuation under load and power inputs are discussed.

Self-duality of the compactified Ruijsenaars-Schneider system from quasi-Hamiltonian reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fehér, L.; Klimčík, C.

2012-07-01

The Delzant theorem of symplectic topology is used to derive the completely integrable compactified Ruijsenaars-Schneider IIIb system from a quasi-Hamiltonian reduction of the internally fused double SU(n)×SU(n). In particular, the reduced spectral functions depending respectively on the first and second SU(n) factor of the double engender two toric moment maps on the IIIb phase space CP(n-1) that play the roles of action-variables and particle-positions. A suitable central extension of the SL(2,Z) mapping class group of the torus with one boundary component is shown to act on the quasi-Hamiltonian double by automorphisms and, upon reduction, the standard generator S of the mapping class group is proved to descend to the Ruijsenaars self-duality symplectomorphism that exchanges the toric moment maps. We give also two new presentations of this duality map: one as the composition of two Delzant symplectomorphisms and the other as the composition of three Dehn twist symplectomorphisms realized by Goldman twist flows. Through the well-known relation between quasi-Hamiltonian manifolds and moduli spaces, our results rigorously establish the validity of the interpretation [going back to Gorsky and Nekrasov] of the IIIb system in terms of flat SU(n) connections on the one-holed torus.

Twist for Snyder space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meljanac, Daniel; Meljanac, Stjepan; Mignemi, Salvatore; Pikutić, Danijel; Štrajn, Rina

2018-03-01

We construct the twist operator for the Snyder space. Our starting point is a non-associative star product related to a Hermitian realisation of the noncommutative coordinates originally introduced by Snyder. The corresponding coproduct of momenta is non-coassociative. The twist is constructed using a general definition of the star product in terms of a bi-differential operator in the Hopf algebroid approach. The result is given by a closed analytical expression. We prove that this twist reproduces the correct coproducts of the momenta and the Lorentz generators. The twisted Poincaré symmetry is described by a non-associative Hopf algebra, while the twisted Lorentz symmetry is described by the undeformed Hopf algebra. This new twist might be important in the construction of different types of field theories on Snyder space.

Hair curvature: a natural dialectic and review.

PubMed

Nissimov, Joseph N; Das Chaudhuri, Asit Baran

2014-08-01

Although hair forms (straight, curly, wavy, etc.) are present in apparently infinite variations, each fibre can be reduced to a finite sequence of tandem segments of just three types: straight, bent/curly, or twisted. Hair forms can thus be regarded as resulting from genetic pathways that induce, reverse or modulate these basic curvature modes. However, physical interconversions between twists and curls demonstrate that strict one-to-one correspondences between them and their genetic causes do not exist. Current hair-curvature theories do not distinguish between bending and twisting mechanisms. We here introduce a multiple papillary centres (MPC) model which is particularly suitable to explain twisting. The model combines previously known features of hair cross-sectional morphology with partially/completely separated dermal papillae within single follicles, and requires such papillae to induce differential growth rates of hair cortical material in their immediate neighbourhoods. The MPC model can further help to explain other, poorly understood, aspects of hair growth and morphology. Separate bending and twisting mechanisms would be preferentially affected at the major or minor ellipsoidal sides of fibres, respectively, and together they exhaust the possibilities for influencing hair-form phenotypes. As such they suggest dialectic for hair-curvature development. We define a natural-dialectic (ND) which could take advantage of speculative aspects of dialectic, but would verify its input data and results by experimental methods. We use this as a top-down approach to first define routes by which hair bending or twisting may be brought about and then review evidence in support of such routes. In particular we consider the wingless (Wnt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways as paradigm pathways for molecular hair bending and twisting mechanisms, respectively. In addition to the Wnt canonical pathway, the Wnt/Ca(2+) and planar cell polarity (PCP) pathways, and others, can explain many alternatives and specific variations of hair bending phenotypes. Mechanisms for hair papilla budding or its division by bisection or fission can explain MPC formation. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) and mesenchymal-to-epithelial (MET) transitions, acting in collaboration with epithelial-mesenchymal communications are also considered as mechanisms affecting hair growth and its bending and twisting. These may be treated as sub-mechanisms of an overall development from neural-crest stem cell (NCSC) lineages to differentiated hair follicle (HF) cell types, thus providing a unified framework for hair growth and development. © 2014 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2014 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

On twisting type [N] ⊗ [N] Ricci flat complex spacetimes with two homothetic symmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chudecki, Adam; Przanowski, Maciej

2018-04-01

In this article, H H spaces of type [N] ⊗ [N] with twisting congruence of null geodesics defined by the 4-fold undotted and dotted Penrose spinors are investigated. It is assumed that these spaces admit two homothetic symmetries. The general form of the homothetic vector fields is found. New coordinates are introduced, which enable us to reduce the H H system of partial differential equations to one ordinary differential equation (ODE) on one holomorphic function. In a special case, this is a second-order ODE and its general solution is explicitly given. In the generic case, one gets rather involved fifth-order ODE.

Quantitative study of the violation of kperpendicular factorization in hadroproduction of quarks at collider energies.

PubMed

Fujii, Hirotsugu; Gelis, François; Venugopalan, Raju

2005-10-14

We demonstrate the violation of kperpendicular factorization for quark production in high energy hadronic collisions. This violation is quantified in the color glass condensate framework and studied as a function of the quark mass, the quark transverse momentum, and the saturation scale Q(s), which is a measure of large parton densities. At x values where parton densities are large but leading twist shadowing effects are still small, violations of kperpendicularkfactorization can be significant--especially for lighter quarks. At very small x, where leading twist shadowing is large, we show that violations of kperpendicular factorization are relatively weaker.

Age-associated reduction of cellular spreading/mechanical force up-regulates matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression and collagen fibril fragmentation via c-Jun/AP-1 in human dermal fibroblasts.

PubMed

Qin, Zhaoping; Voorhees, John J; Fisher, Gary J; Quan, Taihao

2014-12-01

The dermal compartment of human skin is largely composed of dense collagen-rich fibrils, which provide structural and mechanical support. Skin dermal fibroblasts, the major collagen-producing cells, are interact with collagen fibrils to maintain cell spreading and mechanical force for function. A characteristic feature of aged human skin is fragmentation of collagen fibrils, which is initiated by matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1). Fragmentation impairs fibroblast attachment and thereby reduces spreading. Here, we investigated the relationship among fibroblast spreading, mechanical force, MMP-1 expression, and collagen fibril fragmentation. Reduced fibroblast spreading due to cytoskeletal disruption was associated with reduced cellular mechanical force, as determined by atomic force microscopy. These reductions substantially induced MMP-1 expression, which led to collagen fibril fragmentation and disorganization in three-dimensional collagen lattices. Constraining fibroblast size by culturing on slides coated with collagen micropatterns also significantly induced MMP-1 expression. Reduced spreading/mechanical force induced transcription factor c-Jun and its binding to a canonical AP-1 binding site in the MMP-1 proximal promoter. Blocking c-Jun function with dominant negative mutant c-Jun significantly reduced induction of MMP-1 expression in response to reduced spreading/mechanical force. Furthermore, restoration of fibroblast spreading/mechanical force led to decline of c-Jun and MMP-1 levels and eliminated collagen fibril fragmentation and disorganization. These data reveal a novel mechanism by which alteration of fibroblast shape/mechanical force regulates c-Jun/AP-1-dependent expression of MMP-1 and consequent collagen fibril fragmentation. This mechanism provides a foundation for understanding the cellular and molecular basis of age-related collagen fragmentation in human skin. © 2014 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Many-body expansion of the Fock matrix in the fragment molecular orbital method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, Dmitri G.; Kitaura, Kazuo

2017-09-01

A many-body expansion of the Fock matrix in the fragment molecular orbital method is derived up to three-body terms for restricted Hartree-Fock and density functional theory in the atomic orbital basis and compared to the expansion in the basis of fragment molecular orbitals (MOs). The physical nature of many-body corrections is revealed in terms of charge transfer terms. An improvement of the fragment MO expansion is proposed by adding exchange to the embedding. The accuracy of all developed methods is demonstrated in comparison to unfragmented results for polyalanines, a water cluster, Trp-cage (PDB: 1L2Y) and crambin (PDB: 1CRN) proteins, a zeolite cluster, a Si nano-wire, and a boron nitride ribbon. The physical nature of metallicity is discussed, and it is shown what kinds of metallic systems can be treated by fragment-based methods. The density of states is calculated for a fully closed and a partially open nano-ring of boron nitride with a diameter of 105 nm.

A modified variational method for nonlinear vibration analysis of rotating beams including Coriolis effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Jiajin; Su, Jinpeng; Zhou, Kai; Hua, Hongxing

2018-07-01

This paper presents a general formulation for nonlinear vibration analysis of rotating beams. A modified variational method combined with a multi-segment partitioning technique is employed to derive the free and transient vibration behaviors of the rotating beams. The strain energy and kinetic energy functional are formulated based on the order truncation principle of the fully geometrically nonlinear beam theory. The Coriolis effects as well as nonlinear effects due to the coupling of bending-stretching, bending-twist and twist-stretching are taken into account. The present method relaxes the need to explicitly meet the requirements of the boundary conditions for the admissible functions, and allows the use of any linearly independent, complete basis functions as admissible functions for rotating beams. Moreover, the method is readily used to deal with the nonlinear transient vibration problems for rotating beams subjected to dynamic loads. The accuracy, convergence and efficiency of the proposed method are examined by numerical examples. The influences of Coriolis and centrifugal forces on the vibration behaviors of the beams with various hub radiuses and slenderness ratios and rotating at different angular velocities are also investigated.

Robustness of plant-insect herbivore interaction networks to climate change in a fragmented temperate forest landscape.

PubMed

Bähner, K W; Zweig, K A; Leal, I R; Wirth, R

2017-10-01

Forest fragmentation and climate change are among the most severe and pervasive forms of human impact. Yet, their combined effects on plant-insect herbivore interaction networks, essential components of forest ecosystems with respect to biodiversity and functioning, are still poorly investigated, particularly in temperate forests. We addressed this issue by analysing plant-insect herbivore networks (PIHNs) from understories of three managed beech forest habitats: small forest fragments (2.2-145 ha), forest edges and forest interior areas within three continuous control forests (1050-5600 ha) in an old hyper-fragmented forest landscape in SW Germany. We assessed the impact of forest fragmentation, particularly edge effects, on PIHNs and the resulting differences in robustness against climate change by habitat-wise comparison of network topology and biologically realistic extinction cascades of networks following scores of vulnerability to climate change for the food plant species involved. Both the topological network metrics (complexity, nestedness, trophic niche redundancy) and robustness to climate change strongly increased in forest edges and fragments as opposed to the managed forest interior. The nature of the changes indicates that human impacts modify network structure mainly via host plant availability to insect herbivores. Improved robustness of PIHNs in forest edges/small fragments to climate-driven extinction cascades was attributable to an overall higher thermotolerance across plant communities, along with positive effects of network structure. The impoverishment of PIHNs in managed forest interiors and the suggested loss of insect diversity from climate-induced co-extinction highlight the need for further research efforts focusing on adequate silvicultural and conservation approaches.

Quark fragmentation functions in NJL-jet model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentz, Wolfgang; Matevosyan, Hrayr; Thomas, Anthony

2014-09-01

We report on our studies of quark fragmentation functions in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) - jet model. The results of Monte-Carlo simulations for the fragmentation functions to mesons and nucleons, as well as to pion and kaon pairs (dihadron fragmentation functions) are presented. The important role of intermediate vector meson resonances for those semi-inclusive deep inelastic production processes is emphasized. Our studies are very relevant for the extraction of transverse momentum dependent quark distribution functions from measured scattering cross sections. We report on our studies of quark fragmentation functions in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) - jet model. The results of Monte-Carlo simulations for the fragmentation functions to mesons and nucleons, as well as to pion and kaon pairs (dihadron fragmentation functions) are presented. The important role of intermediate vector meson resonances for those semi-inclusive deep inelastic production processes is emphasized. Our studies are very relevant for the extraction of transverse momentum dependent quark distribution functions from measured scattering cross sections. Supported by Grant in Aid for Scientific Research, Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Project No. 20168769.

Urbanization-induced habitat fragmentation erodes multiple components of temporal diversity in a Southern California native bee assemblage

PubMed Central

Ascher, John S.; Holway, David A.

2017-01-01

Despite a large number of ecological studies that document diversity loss resulting from anthropogenic disturbance, surprisingly few consider how disturbance affects temporal patterns of diversity that result from seasonal turnover of species. Temporal dynamics can play an important role in the structure and function of biological assemblages. Here, we investigate the temporal diversity patterns of bee faunas in Southern California coastal sage scrub ecosystems that have been extensively fragmented by urbanization. Using a two-year dataset of 235 bee species (n = 12,036 specimens), we compared 1-ha plots in scrub fragments and scrub reserves with respect to three components of temporal diversity: overall plot-level diversity pooled over time (temporal gamma diversity), diversity at discrete points in time (temporal alpha diversity), and seasonal turnover in assemblage composition (temporal beta diversity). Compared to reserves, fragments harbored bee assemblages with lower species richness and assemblage evenness both when summed across temporal samples (i.e., lower temporal gamma diversity) and at single points in time (i.e., lower temporal alpha diversity). Bee assemblages in fragments also exhibited reduced seasonal turnover (i.e., lower temporal beta diversity). While fragments and reserves did not differ in overall bee abundance, bee abundance in fragments peaked later in the season compared to that in reserves. Our results argue for an increased awareness of temporal diversity patterns, as information about the distinct components of temporal diversity is essential both for characterizing the assemblage dynamics of seasonal organisms and for identifying potential impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on ecosystem function through its effects on assemblage dynamics. PMID:28854229

TWIST1-WDR5-Hottip regulates Hoxa9 chromatin to facilitate prostate cancer metastasis

PubMed Central

Malek, Reem; Gajula, Rajendra P.; Williams, Russell D.; Nghiem, Belinda; Simons, Brian W.; Nugent, Katriana; Wang, Hailun; Taparra, Kekoa; Lemtiri-Chlieh, Ghali; Yoon, Arum R.; True, Lawrence; An, Steven S.; DeWeese, Theodore L.; Ross, Ashley E.; Schaeffer, Edward M.; Pienta, Kenneth J.; Hurley, Paula J.; Morrissey, Colm; Tran, Phuoc T.

2017-01-01

TWIST1 is a transcription factor critical for development which can promote prostate cancer metastasis. During embryonic development, TWIST1 and HOXA9 are co-expressed in mouse prostate and then silenced post-natally. Here we report that TWIST1 and HOXA9 co-expression are re-activated in mouse and human primary prostate tumors and are further enriched in human metastases, correlating with survival. TWIST1 formed a complex with WDR5 and the lncRNA Hottip/HOTTIP, members of the MLL/COMPASS-like H3K4 methylases, which regulate chromatin in the Hox/HOX cluster during development. TWIST1 overexpression led to co-enrichment of TWIST1 and WDR5 as well increased H3K4me3 chromatin at the Hoxa9/HOXA9 promoter which was dependent on WDR5. Expression of WDR5 and Hottip/HOTTIP was also required for TWIST1-induced upregulation of HOXA9 and aggressive cellular phenotypes such as invasion and migration. Pharmacological inhibition of HOXA9 prevented TWIST1-induced aggressive prostate cancer cellular phenotypes in vitro and metastasis in vivo. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism by which TWIST1 regulates chromatin and gene expression by cooperating with the COMPASS-like complex to increase H3K4 trimethylation at target gene promoters. Our findings highlight a TWIST1-HOXA9 embryonic prostate developmental program that is reactivated during prostate cancer metastasis and is therapeutically targetable. PMID:28484075

Twist1 Suppresses Senescence Programs and Thereby Accelerates and Maintains Mutant Kras-Induced Lung Tumorigenesis

PubMed Central

Thiyagarajan, Saravanan; Das, Sandhya T.; Zabuawala, Tahera; Chen, Joy; Cho, Yoon-Jae; Luong, Richard; Tamayo, Pablo; Salih, Tarek; Aziz, Khaled; Adam, Stacey J.; Vicent, Silvestre; Nielsen, Carsten H.; Withofs, Nadia; Sweet-Cordero, Alejandro; Gambhir, Sanjiv S.; Rudin, Charles M.; Felsher, Dean W.

2012-01-01

KRAS mutant lung cancers are generally refractory to chemotherapy as well targeted agents. To date, the identification of drugs to therapeutically inhibit K-RAS have been unsuccessful, suggesting that other approaches are required. We demonstrate in both a novel transgenic mutant Kras lung cancer mouse model and in human lung tumors that the inhibition of Twist1 restores a senescence program inducing the loss of a neoplastic phenotype. The Twist1 gene encodes for a transcription factor that is essential during embryogenesis. Twist1 has been suggested to play an important role during tumor progression. However, there is no in vivo evidence that Twist1 plays a role in autochthonous tumorigenesis. Through two novel transgenic mouse models, we show that Twist1 cooperates with KrasG12D to markedly accelerate lung tumorigenesis by abrogating cellular senescence programs and promoting the progression from benign adenomas to adenocarcinomas. Moreover, the suppression of Twist1 to physiological levels is sufficient to cause Kras mutant lung tumors to undergo senescence and lose their neoplastic features. Finally, we analyzed more than 500 human tumors to demonstrate that TWIST1 is frequently overexpressed in primary human lung tumors. The suppression of TWIST1 in human lung cancer cells also induced cellular senescence. Hence, TWIST1 is a critical regulator of cellular senescence programs, and the suppression of TWIST1 in human tumors may be an effective example of pro-senescence therapy. PMID:22654667

Transverse kink oscillations in the presence of twist

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terradas, J.; Goossens, M.

2012-12-01

Context. Magnetic twist is thought to play an important role in coronal loops. The effects of magnetic twist on stable magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves is poorly understood because they are seldom studied for relevant cases. Aims: The goal of this work is to study the fingerprints of magnetic twist on stable transverse kink oscillations. Methods: We numerically calculated the eigenmodes of propagating and standing MHD waves for a model of a loop with magnetic twist. The azimuthal component of the magnetic field was assumed to be small in comparison to the longitudinal component. We did not consider resonantly damped modes or kink instabilities in our analysis. Results: For a nonconstant twist the frequencies of the MHD wave modes are split, which has important consequences for standing waves. This is different from the degenerated situation for equilibrium models with constant twist, which are characterised by an azimuthal component of the magnetic field that linearly increases with the radial coordinate. Conclusions: In the presence of twist standing kink solutions are characterised by a change in polarisation of the transverse displacement along the tube. For weak twist, and in the thin tube approximation, the frequency of standing modes is unaltered and the tube oscillates at the kink speed of the corresponding straight tube. The change in polarisation is linearly proportional to the degree of twist. This has implications with regard to observations of kink modes, since the detection of this variation in polarisation can be used as an indirect method to estimate the twist in oscillating loops.

Homological Order in Three and Four dimensions: Wilson Algebra, Entanglement Entropy and Twist Defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Abhishek; Chen, Xiao; Teo, Jeffrey

2013-03-01

We investigate homological orders in two, three and four dimensions by studying Zk toric code models on simplicial, cellular or in general differential complexes. The ground state degeneracy is obtained from Wilson loop and surface operators, and the homological intersection form. We compute these for a series of closed 3 and 4 dimensional manifolds and study the projective representations of mapping class groups (modular transformations). Braiding statistics between point and string excitations in (3+1)-dimensions or between dual string excitations in (4+1)-dimensions are topologically determined by the higher dimensional linking number, and can be understood by an effective topological field theory. An algorithm for calculating entanglemnent entropy of any bipartition of closed manifolds is presented, and its topological signature is completely characterized homologically. Extrinsic twist defects (or disclinations) are studied in 2,3 and 4 dimensions and are shown to carry exotic fusion and braiding properties. Simons Fellowship

Wind-tunnel acoustic results of two rotor models with several tip designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, R. M.; Connor, A. B.

1986-01-01

A three-phase research program has been undertaken to study the acoustic signals due to the aerodynamic interaction of rotorcraft main rotors and tail rotors. During the first phase, two different rotor models with several interchangeable tips were tested in the Langley 4- by 7-Meter Tunnel on the U.S. Army rotor model system. An extensive acoustic data base was acquired, with special emphasis on blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise. The details of the experimental procedure, acoustic data acquisition, and reduction are documented. The overall sound pressure level (OASPL) of the high-twist rotor systems is relatively insensitive to flight speed but generally increases with rotor tip-path-plane angle. The OASPL of the high-twist rotors is dominated by acoustic energy in the low-frequency harmonics. The OASPL of the low-twist rotor systems shows more dependence on flight speed than the high-twist rotors, in addition to being quite sensitive to tip-path-plane angle. An integrated band-limited sound pressure level, limited by 500 to 3000 Hz, is a useful metric to quantify the occurrence of BVI noise. The OASPL of the low-twist rotors is strongly influenced by the band-limited sound levels, indicating that the blade-vortex impulsive noise is a dominant noise source for this rotor design. The midfrequency acoustic levels for both rotors show a very strong dependence on rotor tip-path-plane angle. The tip-path-plane angle at which the maximum midfrequency sound level occurs consistently decreases with increasing flight speed. The maximum midfrequency sound level measured at a given location is constant regardless of the flight speed.

Modeling and control of active twist aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cramer, Nicholas Bryan

The Wright Brothers marked the beginning of powered flight in 1903 using an active twist mechanism as their means of controlling roll. As time passed due to advances in other technologies that transformed aviation the active twist mechanism was no longer used. With the recent advances in material science and manufacturability, the possibility of the practical use of active twist technologies has emerged. In this dissertation, the advantages and disadvantages of active twist techniques are investigated through the development of an aeroelastic modeling method intended for informing the designs of such technologies and wind tunnel testing to confirm the capabilities of the active twist technologies and validate the model. Control principles for the enabling structural technologies are also proposed while the potential gains of dynamic, active twist are analyzed.

Anderson transition in a multiply-twisted helix.

PubMed

Ugajin, R

2001-06-01

We investigated the Anderson transition in a multiply-twisted helix in which a helical chain of components, i.e., atoms or nanoclusters, is twisted to produce a doubly-twisted helix, which itself can be twisted to produce a triply-twisted helix, and so on, in which there are couplings between adjacent rounds of helices. As the strength of the on-site random potentials increases, an Anderson transition occurs, suggesting that the number of dimensions is 3 for electrons running along the multiply-twisted helix when the couplings between adjacent rounds are strong enough. If the couplings are weakened, the dimensionality becomes less, resulting in localization of electrons. The effect of random connections between adjacent rounds of helices and random magnetic fields that thread the structure is analyzed using the spectral statistics of a quantum particle.

Association between Twist and multidrug resistance gene-associated proteins in Taxol®-resistant MCF-7 cells and a 293 cell model of Twist overexpression.

PubMed

Wang, Li; Tan, Rui-Zhi; Zhang, Zhi-Xia; Yin, Rui; Zhang, Yong-Liang; Cui, Wei-Jia; He, Tao

2018-01-01

Multidrug resistance (MDR) severely limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Previous studies have identified Twist as a key factor of acquired MDR in breast, gastric and prostate cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of action of Twist in MDR remain unclear. In the present study, the expression levels of MDR-associated proteins, including lung resistance-related protein (LRP), topoisomerase IIα (TOPO IIα), MDR-associated protein (MRP) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and the expression of Twist in cancerous tissues and pericancerous tissues of human breast cancer, were examined. In order to simulate Taxol ® resistance in cells, a Taxol ® -resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma cell subline (MCF-7/Taxol ® ) was established by repeatedly exposing MCF-7 cells to high concentrations of Taxol ® (up to 15 µg/ml). Twist was also overexpressed in 293 cells by transfecting this cell line with pcDNA5/FRT/TO vector containing full-length hTwist cDNA to explore the dynamic association between Twist and MDR gene-associated proteins. It was identified that the expression levels of Twist, TOPO IIα, MRP and P-gp were upregulated and LRP was downregulated in human breast cancer tissues, which was consistent with the expression of these proteins in the Taxol ® -resistant MCF-7 cell model. Notably, the overexpression of Twist in 293 cells increased the resistance to Taxol ® , Trichostatin A and 5-fluorouracil, and also upregulated the expression of MRP and P-gp. Taken together, these data demonstrated that Twist may promote drug resistance in cells and cancer tissues through regulating the expression of MDR gene-associated proteins, which may assist in understanding the mechanisms of action of Twist in drug resistance.

Cerclage handling for improved fracture treatment. A biomechanical study on the twisting procedure.

PubMed

Wähnert, D; Lenz, M; Schlegel, U; Perren, S; Windolf, M

2011-01-01

Twisting is clinically the most frequently applied method for tightening and maintaining cerclage fixation. The twisting procedure is controversially discussed. Several factors during twisting affect the mechanical behaviour of the cerclage. This in vitro study investigated the influence of different parameters of the twisting procedure on the fixation strength of the cerclage in an experimental setup with centripetal force application. Cortical half shells of the femoral shaft were mounted on a testing fixture. 1.0 mm, 1.25 mm and 1.5 mm stainless ste- el wire cerclages as well as a 1.0mm cable cerclage were applied to the bone. Pretension of the cerclage during the installation was measured during the locking procedure. Subsequently, cyclic testing was performed up to failure. Higher pretension could be achieved with increasing wire diameter. However, with larger wire diameter the drop of pre- tension due to the bending and cutting the twist also increased. The cable cerclage showed the highest pretension after locking. Cerclages twisted under traction revealed significantly higher initial cerclage tension. Plastically deformed twists offered higher cerclage pretension compared to twists which were deformed in the elastic region of the material. Cutting the wire within the twist caused the highest loss of cerclage tension (44% initial tension) whereas only 11 % was lost when cutting the wire ends separately. The bending direction of the twist significantly influenced the cerclage pretension. 45% pretension was lost in forward bending of the twist, 53% in perpendicular bending and 90% in backward bending. Several parameters affect the quality of a cerclage fixation. Adequate installation of cerclage wires could markedly improve the clinical outcome of cerclage.

Theoretical studies of structure-property relations in graphene-based carbon nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maroudas, Dimitrios

2014-03-01

This presentation focuses on establishing relations between atomic structure, electronic structure, and properties in graphene-based carbon nanostructures through first-principles density functional theory calculations and molecular-dynamics simulations. We have analyzed carbon nanostructure formation from twisted bilayer graphene, upon creation of interlayer covalent C-C bonds due to patterned hydrogenation or fluorination. For small twist angles and twist angles near 30 degrees, interlayer covalent bonding generates superlattices of diamond-like nanocrystals and of fullerene-like configurations, respectively, embedded within the graphene layers. The electronic band gaps of these superlattices can be tuned through selective chemical functionalization and creation of interlayer bonds, and range from a few meV to over 1.2 eV. The mechanical properties of these superstructures also can be precisely tuned by controlling the extent of chemical functionalization. Importantly, the shear modulus is shown to increase monotonically with the fraction of sp3-hybridized C-C bonds. We have also studied collective interactions of multiple defects such as random distributions of vacancies in single-layer graphene (SLG). We find that a crystalline-to-amorphous structural transition occurs at vacancy concentrations of 5-10% over a broad temperature range. The structure of our defect-induced amorphized graphene is in excellent agreement with experimental observations of SLG exposed to a high electron irradiation dose. Simulations of tensile tests on these irradiated graphene sheets identify trends for the ultimate tensile strength, failure strain, and toughness as a function of vacancy concentration. The vacancy-induced amorphization transition is accompanied by a brittle-to-ductile transition in the failure response of irradiated graphene sheets and even heavily damaged samples exhibit tensile strengths near 30 GPa, in significant excess of those typical of engineering materials.

Scleraxis is a transcriptional activator that regulates the expression of Tenomodulin, a marker of mature tenocytes and ligamentocytes.

PubMed

Shukunami, Chisa; Takimoto, Aki; Nishizaki, Yuriko; Yoshimoto, Yuki; Tanaka, Seima; Miura, Shigenori; Watanabe, Hitomi; Sakuma, Tetsushi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Kondoh, Gen; Hiraki, Yuji

2018-02-16

Tenomodulin (Tnmd) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein predominantly expressed in tendons and ligaments. We found that scleraxis (Scx), a member of the Twist-family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, is a transcriptional activator of Tnmd expression in tenocytes. During embryonic development, Scx expression preceded that of Tnmd. Tnmd expression was nearly absent in tendons and ligaments of Scx-deficient mice generated by transcription activator-like effector nucleases-mediated gene disruption. Tnmd mRNA levels were dramatically decreased during serial passages of rat tenocytes. Scx silencing by small interfering RNA significantly suppressed endogenous Tnmd mRNA levels in tenocytes. Mouse Tnmd contains five E-box sites in the ~1-kb 5'-flanking region. A 174-base pair genomic fragment containing a TATA box drives transcription in tenocytes. Enhancer activity was increased in the upstream region (-1030 to -295) of Tnmd in tenocytes, but not in NIH3T3 and C3H10T1/2 cells. Preferential binding of both Scx and Twist1 as a heterodimer with E12 or E47 to CAGATG or CATCTG and transactivation of the 5'-flanking region were confirmed by electrophoresis mobility shift and dual luciferase assays, respectively. Scx directly transactivates Tnmd via these E-boxes to positively regulate tenocyte differentiation and maturation.

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

Chang, Shyy Woei; Yang, Tsun Lirng; Liou, Jin Shuen

An experimental study measuring the axial heat transfer distributions and the pressure drop coefficients of the tube fitted with a broken twisted tape of twist ratio 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 or {infinity} is performed in the Re range of 1000-40,000. This type of broken twisted tape is newly invented without previous investigations available. Local Nusselt numbers and mean Fanning friction factors in the tube fitted with the broken twisted tape increase as the twist ratio decreases. Heat transfer coefficients, mean Fanning friction factors and thermal performance factors in the tube fitted with the broken twisted tape are, respectively, augmented tomore » 1.28-2.4, 2-4.7 and 0.99-1.8 times of those in the tube fitted with the smooth twisted tape. Empirical heat transfer and pressure drop correlations which evaluate the local Nusselt number and the mean Fanning friction factor for the tube with the broken twisted tape insert are generated to assist the industrial applications. (author)« less

Allometry of wing twist and camber in a flower chafer during free flight: How do wing deformations scale with body size?

PubMed Central

Ribak, Gal

2017-01-01

Intraspecific variation in adult body mass can be particularly high in some insect species, mandating adjustment of the wing's structural properties to support the weight of the larger body mass in air. Insect wings elastically deform during flapping, dynamically changing the twist and camber of the relatively thin and flat aerofoil. We examined how wing deformations during free flight scale with body mass within a species of rose chafers (Coleoptera: Protaetia cuprea) in which individuals varied more than threefold in body mass (0.38–1.29 g). Beetles taking off voluntarily were filmed using three high-speed cameras and the instantaneous deformation of their wings during the flapping cycle was analysed. Flapping frequency decreased in larger beetles but, otherwise, flapping kinematics remained similar in both small and large beetles. Deflection of the wing chord-wise varied along the span, with average deflections at the proximal trailing edge higher by 0.2 and 0.197 wing lengths compared to the distal trailing edge in the downstroke and the upstroke, respectively. These deflections scaled with wing chord to the power of 1.0, implying a constant twist and camber despite the variations in wing and body size. This suggests that the allometric growth in wing size includes adjustment of the flexural stiffness of the wing structure to preserve wing twist and camber during flapping. PMID:29134103

Allometry of wing twist and camber in a flower chafer during free flight: How do wing deformations scale with body size?

PubMed

Meresman, Yonatan; Ribak, Gal

2017-10-01

Intraspecific variation in adult body mass can be particularly high in some insect species, mandating adjustment of the wing's structural properties to support the weight of the larger body mass in air. Insect wings elastically deform during flapping, dynamically changing the twist and camber of the relatively thin and flat aerofoil. We examined how wing deformations during free flight scale with body mass within a species of rose chafers (Coleoptera: Protaetia cuprea ) in which individuals varied more than threefold in body mass (0.38-1.29 g). Beetles taking off voluntarily were filmed using three high-speed cameras and the instantaneous deformation of their wings during the flapping cycle was analysed. Flapping frequency decreased in larger beetles but, otherwise, flapping kinematics remained similar in both small and large beetles. Deflection of the wing chord-wise varied along the span, with average deflections at the proximal trailing edge higher by 0.2 and 0.197 wing lengths compared to the distal trailing edge in the downstroke and the upstroke, respectively. These deflections scaled with wing chord to the power of 1.0, implying a constant twist and camber despite the variations in wing and body size. This suggests that the allometric growth in wing size includes adjustment of the flexural stiffness of the wing structure to preserve wing twist and camber during flapping.

Photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction in trans-methyl p-(dimethylamino) cinnamate: A combined fluorescence measurement and quantum chemical calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Amrita; Kar, Samiran; Guchhait, Nikhil

2006-01-01

The photophysical behaviour of trans-methyl p-(dimethylamino) cinnamate ( t-MDMAC) donor-acceptor system has been investigated by steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The molecule t-MDMAC shows an emission from the locally excited state in non-polar solvents. In addition to weak local emission, a strong solvent dependent red shifted fluorescence in polar aprotic solvents is attributed to highly polar intramolecular charge transfer state. However, the formation of hydrogen-bonded clusters with polar protic solvents has been suggested from a linear correlation between the observed red shifted fluorescence band maxima with hydrogen bonding parameters ( α). Calculations by ab initio and density functional theory show that the lone pair electron at nitrogen center is out of plane of the benzene ring in the global minimum ground state structure. In the gas phase, a potential energy surface along the twist coordinate at the donor (-NMe 2) and acceptor (-CH = CHCOOMe) sites shows stabilization of S 1 state and destabilization S 2 and S 0 states. A similar potential energy calculation along the twist coordinate in acetonitrile solvent using non-equilibrium polarized continuum model also shows more stabilization of S 1 state relative to other states and supports solvent dependent red shifted emission properties. In all types of calculations it is found that the nitrogen lone pair is delocalized over the benzene ring in the global minimum ground state and is localized on the nitrogen centre at the 90° twisted configuration. The S 1 energy state stabilization along the twist coordinate at the donor site and localized nitrogen lone pair at the perpendicular configuration support well the observed dual fluorescence in terms of proposed twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) model.

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a twisting solar polar coronal hole jet observed by SDO/AIA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhelyazkov, I.; Zaqarashvili, T. V.; Ofman, L.; Chandra, R.

2018-01-01

We investigate the conditions under which the fluting (m = 2), m = 3 , and m = 12 magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes in a uniformly twisted flux tube moving along its axis become unstable in order to model the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability in a twisting solar coronal hole jet near the northern pole of the Sun. We employed the dispersion relations of MHD modes derived from the linearized MHD equations. We assumed real wavenumbers and complex angular wave frequencies, namely complex wave phse velocities. The dispersion relations were solved numerically at fixed input parameters (taken from observational data) and varying degrees of torsion of the internal magnetic field. It is shown that the stability of the modes depends upon five parameters: the density contrast between the flux tube and its environment, the ratio of the external and internal axial magnetic fields, the twist of the magnetic field lines inside the tube, the ratio of transverse and axial jet's velocities, and the value of the Alfvén Mach number (the ratio of the tube axial velocity to Alfvén speed inside the flux tube). Using a twisting jet of 2010 August 21 by SDO/AIA and other observations of coronal jets we set the parameters of our theoretical model and have obtained that in a twisted magnetic flux tube of radius of 9.8 Mm, at a density contrast of 0.474 and fixed Alfvén Mach number of ≅ 0.76 , for the three MHD modes there exist instability windows whose width crucially depends upon the internal magnetic field twist. It is found that for the considered modes an azimuthal magnetic field of 1.3 - 1.4 G (computed at the tube boundary) makes the width of the instability windows equal to zero, that is, it suppress the KH instability onset. On the other hand, the times for developing KH instability of the m = 12 MHD mode at instability wavelengths between 15 and 12 Mm turn out to be in the range of 1.9 - 4.7 min that is in agreement with the growth rates estimated from the temporal evolution of the observed unstable jet's blobs in their initial stage.

Nanofibrous Smart Fabrics from Twisted Yarns of Electrospun Piezopolymer.

PubMed

Yang, Enlong; Xu, Zhe; Chur, Lucas K; Behroozfar, Ali; Baniasadi, Mahmoud; Moreno, Salvador; Huang, Jiacheng; Gilligan, Jules; Minary-Jolandan, Majid

2017-07-19

Smart textiles are envisioned to make a paradigm shift in wearable technologies to directly impart functionality into the fibers rather than integrating sensors and electronics onto conformal substrates or skin in wearable devices. Among smart materials, piezoelectric fabrics have not been widely reported, yet. Piezoelectric smart fabrics can be used for mechanical energy harvesting, for thermal energy harvesting through the pyroelectric effect, for ferroelectric applications, as pressure and force sensors, for motion detection, and for ultrasonic sensing. We report on mechanical and material properties of the plied nanofibrous piezoelectric yarns as a function of postprocessing conditions including thermal annealing and drawing (stretching). In addition, we used a continuous electrospinning setup to directly produce P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers and convert them into twisted plied yarns, and demonstrated application of these plied yarns in woven piezoelectric fabrics. The results of this work can be an early step toward realization of piezoelectric smart fabrics.

Myocardial deformation in pediatric patients with mucopolysaccharidoses: A two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography study.

PubMed

Borgia, Francesco; Pezzullo, Enrica; Schiano Lomoriello, Vincenzo; Sorrentino, Regina; Lo Iudice, Francesco; Cocozza, Sara; Della Casa, Roberto; Parenti, Giancarlo; Strisciuglio, Pietro; Trimarco, Bruno; Galderisi, Maurizio

2017-02-01

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are inherited lysosomal storage disorders caused by deficiency of required glycosaminoglycans breakdown enzymes, inducing cardiac involvement. Little is known about myocardial deformation involvement in MPS. Our aim was to assess biventricular structure and function in asymptomatic children with MPS using standard echo Doppler and 2D speckle tracking (STE). Fifteen MPS children (one type I, six type II, three type III A, one III B, three IV A, one VI), asymptomatic for cardiac symptoms, and 15 age and sex-matched healthy controls underwent echo Doppler and STE. Left ventricular (LV) wall thicknesses, diameters, and mass were normalized by z-score. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), global radial strain (GRS) at papillary muscles, LV twisting, and right ventricular (RV) GLS were measured. The two groups were comparable for body mass index, heart rate, and blood pressure. LV mass index and relative wall thickness were higher in MPS. Ejection fraction (EF), and s' velocity did not differ between the two groups. E/A ratio was lower and E/e' higher in MPS. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, RV s' and e' were lower in MPS. LV GLS did not differ between the two groups, but GCS (P=.014), GRS (P=.023), twisting (P=.012), and RV GLS (P<.001) were lower in the MPS group. LV strain abnormalities are detectable in MPS pediatric patients, independently of MPS type, when EF is still normal. RV GLS is also involved consensually with TAPSE reduction. STE can be useful for detection of subclinical myocardial damage in MPS. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of lead twist in modern high-performance grinding methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundrák, J.; Gyáni, K.; Felhő, C.; Markopoulos, AP; Deszpoth, I.

2016-11-01

According to quality requirements of road vehicles shafts, which bear dynamic seals, twisted-pattern micro-geometrical topography is not allowed. It is a question whether newer modern grinding methods - such as quick-point grinding and peel grinding - could provide twist- free topography. According to industrial experience, twist-free surfaces can be made, however with certain settings, same twist occurs. In this paper it is proved by detailed chip-geometrical analysis that the topography generated by the new procedures is theoretically twist-patterned because of the feeding motion of the CBN tool. The presented investigation was carried out by a single-grain wheel model and computer simulation.

Highly sensitive torsion sensor based on long period fiber grating fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xinran; Xie, Zheng; Song, Yuxin; Yin, Kai; Luo, Zhi; Duan, Ji'an; Wang, Cong

2017-12-01

A highly sensitive torsion sensor based on long period fiber grating (LPFG) fabricated by 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses is proposed and demonstrated. LPFG with an attenuation depth of ∼14 dB is achieved within the wavelength range of 1425-1575 nm. The experiment results show that the LP02 and LP03 resonant wavelengths experience red-shift when the twist direction is clockwise while they occur blue-shift in the twist counterclockwise direction as the twist rate increases. However, the LP04 resonant wavelength is always shifted toward shorter wavelength independently of the twist directions and higher twist sensitivity is observed. In addition, the loss peak amplitude of LPFG shows a tendency to decrease with the twist rate increases whether the LPFG is twisted clockwise or counterclockwise. Meanwhile, the resonant wavelength occurs splitting phenomenon in the case of higher twist rate as well as the high order resonant wavelength performs more significantly. Additionally, the sensor shows a twist sensitivity as high as 118.7 pm/(rad/m) in the range of -105 to -52.5 rad/m and that of 181.7 pm/(rad/m) in the range of 52.5-105 rad/m.

Experimental Analysis of the Thermo-Hydraulic Performance on a Cylindrical Parabolic Concentrating Solar Water Heater with Twisted Tape Inserts in an Absorber Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Birendra; Nayak, Rajen Kumar; Singh, S. N.

2018-05-01

A twisted tape inserted in an absorber tube may be an excellent option to enhance the performance of a cylindrical parabolic concentrating solar collector (CPC). The present work is an experimental study of the flow and heat transfer with and without twisted tape inserts in the absorber tube of a CPC. Results are presented for mass flow rates of water, ṁ=0.0198-0.0525 kg/s, twist ratio, y=5-10 and Reynolds number, Re=2577.46-6785.55. In the present study, we found that the outlet water temperature, collector efficiency and Nusselt number (Nu) are higher in the twisted tapes as compared to those without the twisted tape inserts in the absorber tube of the CPC. For fixed mass flow rate of water ṁ, the To and η increased with the decrease in twist ratio, y, and is higher in lower twist ratio, y=5, of the twisted tapes. The whole experiment was performed at the Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) in Dhanbad, India during the months of March-April 2017. Based on the experimental data, the correlations for the Nu and friction factor were also developed.

Electronic and Optical Properties of Twisted Bilayer Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shengqiang

The ability to isolate single atomic layers of van der Waals materials has led to renewed interest in the electronic and optical properties of these materials as they can be fundamentally different at the monolayer limit. Moreover, these 2D crystals can be assembled together layer by layer, with controllable sequence and orientation, to form artificial materials that exhibit new features that are not found in monolayers nor bulk. Twisted bilayer graphene is one such prototype system formed by two monolayer graphene layers placed on top of each other with a twist angle between their lattices, whose electronic band structure depends on the twist angle. This thesis presents the efforts to explore the electronic and optical properties of twisted bilayer graphene by Raman spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We first synthesize twisted bilayer graphene with various twist angles via chemical vapor deposition. Using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, the twist angles are determined. The strength of the Raman G peak is sensitive to the electronic band structure of twisted bilayer graphene and therefore we use this peak to monitor changes upon doping. Our results demonstrate the ability to modify the electronic and optical properties of twisted bilayer graphene with doping. We also fabricate twisted bilayer graphene by controllable stacking of two graphene monolayers with a dry transfer technique. For twist angles smaller than one degree, many body interactions play an important role. It requires eight electrons per moire unit cell to fill up each band instead of four electrons in the case of a larger twist angle. For twist angles smaller than 0.4 degree, a network of domain walls separating AB and BA stacking regions forms, which are predicted to host topologically protected helical states. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, these states are confirmed to appear on the domain walls when inversion symmetry is broken with an external electric field. We observe a double-line profile of these states on the domain walls, only occurring when the AB and BA regions are gaped. These states give rise to channels that could transport charge in a dissipationless manner making twisted bilayer graphene a promising platform to realize controllable topological networks for future applications.

The ETD-like fragmentation for small molecules

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Introduction (137) Flavonoids are a class of plant and fungus secondary metabolites (three-ring structure C6-C3-C6 with various substitutions) involved in many functions such as pigmentation, UV filtration, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, cell cycle inhibitors, and defense mechanisms. These polyphenoli...

Determination of the Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction in the ImQMD Model by Nuclear Reactions at Fermi Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cheng; Tian, Jun-Long; Wang, Ning

2013-11-01

The nucleon-nucleon interaction is investigated by using the ImQMD model with the three sets of parameters IQ1, IQ2 and IQ3 in which the corresponding incompressibility coefficients of nuclear matter are different. Fusion excitation function and the charge distribution of fragments are calculated for reaction systems 40Ca+40Ca at different incident energies. It is found that obvious differences in the charge distribution were observed at the energy region 10-25A MeV by adopting the three sets of parameters, while the results were close to each other at energy region of 30-45A MeV for the reaction system. It indicates that the Fermi energy region is a sensitive energy region to explore the N-N interaction. The fragment multiplicity spectrum for 238U+197Au at 15A MeV are reproduced by the ImQMD model with the set of parameter IQ3. It is concluded that charge distribution of the fragments and the fragment multiplicity spectrum are good observables for studying N-N interaction, and IQ3 is a suitable set of parameters for the ImQMD model.

Loss of Twist1 in the Mesenchymal Compartment Promotes Increased Fibrosis in Experimental Lung Injury by Enhanced Expression of CXCL12

PubMed Central

Tan, Jiangning; Tedrow, John R.; Nouraie, Mehdi; Dutta, Justin A.; Miller, David T.; Li, Xiaoyun; Yu, Shibing; Chu, Yanxia; Juan-Guardela, Brenda; Kaminski, Naftali; Ramani, Kritika; Biswas, Partha S.; Zhang, Yingze

2017-01-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease characterized by the accumulation of apoptosis-resistant fibroblasts in the lung. We have previously shown that high expression of the transcription factor Twist1 may explain this prosurvival phenotype in vitro. However, this observation has never been tested in vivo. We found that loss of Twist1 in COL1A2+ cells led to increased fibrosis characterized by very significant accumulation of T cells and bone marrow–derived matrix-producing cells. We found that Twist1-null cells expressed high levels of the T cell chemoattractant CXCL12. In vitro, we found that the loss of Twist1 in IPF lung fibroblasts increased expression of CXCL12 downstream of increased expression of the noncanonical NF-κB transcription factor RelB. Finally, blockade of CXCL12 with AMD3100 attenuated the exaggerated fibrosis observed in Twist1-null mice. Transcriptomic analysis of 134 IPF patients revealed that low expression of Twist1 was characterized by enrichment of T cell pathways. In conclusion, loss of Twist1 in collagen-producing cells led to increased bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, which is mediated by increased expression of CXCL12. Twist1 expression is associated with dysregulation of T cells in IPF patients. Twist1 may shape the IPF phenotype and regulate inflammation in fibrotic lung injury. PMID:28179498

[Polymorphism among RFL-PPR homologs in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) lines with varying ability for the suppression of the cytoplasmic male sterility phenotype].

PubMed

Anisimova, I N; Alpatieva, N V; Rozhkova, V T; Kuznetsova, E B; Pinaev, A G; Gavrilova, V A

2014-07-01

A complex comparative genetic approach was used for the investigation of the structural and functional diversity of genes for the restoration of sunflower pollen fertility. It includes (i) hybridological analysis; (ii) analysis of polymorphism among EST fragments.homologous to the known Rf genes that contain repeated motives of 35 amino acids (RFL-PPR); (iii) the development of molecular markers. Monogenic segregation in three interline cross combinations and the results of molecular marker analysis confirmed the allelic differences of parental lines in the Mendelian locus for CMS PET1 pollen fertility restoration. Introns were found in two RFL-PPR fragments. Two allelic variants of the QHL12D20 fragment were detected among the sixty lines of the sunflower genetic collection. An intron of QHL12D20 fragment was homologous to an intron of the AHBP-1B gene; the product of this gene-has a similarity with the transcription factor of the bZIP-family of Arabidopsis. A relationship between the QHL12D20 polymorphism and the functional state of the Rfl locus was revealed.

Remotely detected vehicle mass from engine torque-induced frame twisting

DOE PAGES

McKay, Troy R.; Salvaggio, Carl; Faulring, Jason W.; ...

2017-06-08

Determining the mass of a vehicle from ground-based passive sensor data is important for many traffic safety requirements. This paper presents a method for calculating the mass of a vehicle using ground-based video and acoustic measurements. By assuming that no energy is lost in the conversion, the mass of a vehicle can be calculated from the rotational energy generated by the vehicle’s engine and the linear acceleration of the vehicle over a period of time. The amount of rotational energy being output by the vehicle’s engine can be calculated from its torque and angular velocity. This model relates remotely observed,more » engine torque-induced frame twist to engine torque output using the vehicle’s suspension parameters and engine geometry. The angular velocity of the engine is extracted from the acoustic emission of the engine, and the linear acceleration of the vehicle is calculated by remotely observing the position of the vehicle over time. This method combines these three dynamic signals; engine induced-frame twist, engine angular velocity, and the vehicle’s linear acceleration, and three vehicle specific scalar parameters, into an expression that describes the mass of the vehicle. Finally, this method was tested on a semitrailer truck, and the results demonstrate a correlation of 97.7% between calculated and true vehicle mass.« less

Remotely detected vehicle mass from engine torque-induced frame twisting

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

McKay, Troy R.; Salvaggio, Carl; Faulring, Jason W.

Determining the mass of a vehicle from ground-based passive sensor data is important for many traffic safety requirements. This paper presents a method for calculating the mass of a vehicle using ground-based video and acoustic measurements. By assuming that no energy is lost in the conversion, the mass of a vehicle can be calculated from the rotational energy generated by the vehicle’s engine and the linear acceleration of the vehicle over a period of time. The amount of rotational energy being output by the vehicle’s engine can be calculated from its torque and angular velocity. This model relates remotely observed,more » engine torque-induced frame twist to engine torque output using the vehicle’s suspension parameters and engine geometry. The angular velocity of the engine is extracted from the acoustic emission of the engine, and the linear acceleration of the vehicle is calculated by remotely observing the position of the vehicle over time. This method combines these three dynamic signals; engine induced-frame twist, engine angular velocity, and the vehicle’s linear acceleration, and three vehicle specific scalar parameters, into an expression that describes the mass of the vehicle. Finally, this method was tested on a semitrailer truck, and the results demonstrate a correlation of 97.7% between calculated and true vehicle mass.« less

Tight Placement of Erich Arch Bar While Avoiding Wire Fatigue Failure.

PubMed

Kirk, Daniel; Whitney, Joseph; Shafer, David; Song, Liansheng

2016-03-01

To determine the number of wire twists needed to acquire ideal Erich arch bar tightness before wire fatigue failure (fracture) in relation to different distances and angles at which different gauge wires are grasped to provide information to improve the efficiency of arch bar application. This study mimicked surgical placement of arch bars with 24- and 26-gauge wires. The number of twists to tightness and failure was evaluated when the wire distance between the arch bar and wire holder tip changed (5 vs 10 mm) and when the degree at which the wire was held relative to the tooth axis was changed (45° vs 90°). A wire shearing test also was used to investigate the fatigability of wires tightened under these same conditions. Wires twisted to tightness, past tightness, and after shearing test movements were visualized with electron microscopy. For 24-gauge wire held at 5 mm, 2.6 to 2.8 twists were needed for wire tightness, with failure after 1.7 to 1.9 twists past tightness; for 24-gauge wire held at 10 mm, 4.4 to 4.9 twists produced tightness, with failure after 2.3 to 2.9 twists past tightness. For 26-gauge wire held at 5 mm, 3.3 to 3.5 twists provided tightness, with 1.6 to 1.8 twists past tightness causing failure; for 26-gauge wire held at 10 mm, 5.1 to 5.5 twists produced tightness, with 3.1 to 3.7 twists past tightness causing failure. At a 45° angle, the wire tightened with fewer twists and showed more resistance to failure with twists past tightness compared with 90° using 24- and 26-gauge wires. In contrast, 24-gauge wire held at a 5-mm distance showed the opposite result, with decreased resistance to failure at the 45° angle. However, the differences were not statistically meaningful. Scanning election microscopy showed no wire fatigue for either angle for 26-gauge wire held at a 5-mm distance and twisted to tightness. After overtightening and oscillation, the 90° angle trials showed fatigue, whereas the 45° angle trials did not. Holding a 24-gauge wire at 45° to the tooth axis is recommended owing to fewer twists to tightness and more resistance to failure. A 5-mm grasping distance is recommended for experienced surgeons owing to fewer twists to tightness, whereas a 10-mm grasping distance is recommended for novice surgeons owing to a greater tolerance for over-twisting before failure. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TWIST1-WDR5-Hottip Regulates Hoxa9 Chromatin to Facilitate Prostate Cancer Metastasis.

PubMed

Malek, Reem; Gajula, Rajendra P; Williams, Russell D; Nghiem, Belinda; Simons, Brian W; Nugent, Katriana; Wang, Hailun; Taparra, Kekoa; Lemtiri-Chlieh, Ghali; Yoon, Arum R; True, Lawrence; An, Steven S; DeWeese, Theodore L; Ross, Ashley E; Schaeffer, Edward M; Pienta, Kenneth J; Hurley, Paula J; Morrissey, Colm; Tran, Phuoc T

2017-06-15

TWIST1 is a transcription factor critical for development that can promote prostate cancer metastasis. During embryonic development, TWIST1 and HOXA9 are coexpressed in mouse prostate and then silenced postnatally. Here we report that TWIST1 and HOXA9 coexpression are reactivated in mouse and human primary prostate tumors and are further enriched in human metastases, correlating with survival. TWIST1 formed a complex with WDR5 and the lncRNA Hottip/HOTTIP, members of the MLL/COMPASS-like H3K4 methylases, which regulate chromatin in the Hox/HOX cluster during development. TWIST1 overexpression led to coenrichment of TWIST1 and WDR5 as well as increased H3K4me3 chromatin at the Hoxa9/HOXA9 promoter, which was dependent on WDR5. Expression of WDR5 and Hottip/HOTTIP was also required for TWIST1-induced upregulation of HOXA9 and aggressive cellular phenotypes such as invasion and migration. Pharmacologic inhibition of HOXA9 prevented TWIST1-induced aggressive prostate cancer cellular phenotypes in vitro and metastasis in vivo This study demonstrates a novel mechanism by which TWIST1 regulates chromatin and gene expression by cooperating with the COMPASS-like complex to increase H3K4 trimethylation at target gene promoters. Our findings highlight a TWIST1-HOXA9 embryonic prostate developmental program that is reactivated during prostate cancer metastasis and is therapeutically targetable. Cancer Res; 77(12); 3181-93. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Active materials by four-dimension printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Qi; Qi, H. Jerry; Dunn, Martin L.

2013-09-01

We advance a paradigm of printed active composite materials realized by directly printing glassy shape memory polymer fibers in an elastomeric matrix. We imbue the active composites with intelligence via a programmed lamina and laminate architecture and a subsequent thermomechanical training process. The initial configuration is created by three-dimension (3D) printing, and then the programmed action of the shape memory fibers creates time dependence of the configuration—the four-dimension (4D) aspect. We design and print laminates in thin plate form that can be thermomechanically programmed to assume complex three-dimensional configurations including bent, coiled, and twisted strips, folded shapes, and complex contoured shapes with nonuniform, spatially varying curvature. The original flat plate shape can be recovered by heating the material again. We also show how the printed active composites can be directly integrated with other printed functionalities to create devices; here we demonstrate this by creating a structure that can assemble itself.

Intersegmental Eye-Head-Body Interactions during Complex Whole Body Movements

PubMed Central

von Laßberg, Christoph; Beykirch, Karl A.; Mohler, Betty J.; Bülthoff, Heinrich H.

2014-01-01

Using state-of-the-art technology, interactions of eye, head and intersegmental body movements were analyzed for the first time during multiple twisting somersaults of high-level gymnasts. With this aim, we used a unique combination of a 16-channel infrared kinemetric system; a three-dimensional video kinemetric system; wireless electromyography; and a specialized wireless sport-video-oculography system, which was able to capture and calculate precise oculomotor data under conditions of rapid multiaxial acceleration. All data were synchronized and integrated in a multimodal software tool for three-dimensional analysis. During specific phases of the recorded movements, a previously unknown eye-head-body interaction was observed. The phenomenon was marked by a prolonged and complete suppression of gaze-stabilizing eye movements, in favor of a tight coupling with the head, spine and joint movements of the gymnasts. Potential reasons for these observations are discussed with regard to earlier findings and integrated within a functional model. PMID:24763143

Aeroelastic Response from Indicial Functions with a Finite Element Model of a Suspension Bridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikkelsen, O.; Jakobsen, J. B.

2017-12-01

The present paper describes a comprehensive analysis of the aeroelastic bridge response in time-domain, with a finite element model of the structure. The main focus is on the analysis of flutter instability, accounting for the wind forces generated by the bridge motion, including twisting as well as vertical and horizontal translation, i.e. all three global degrees of freedom. The solution is obtained by direct integration of the equations of motion for the bridge-wind system, with motion-dependent forces approximated from flutter derivatives in terms of rational functions. For the streamlined bridge box-girder investigated, the motion dependent wind forces related to the along-wind response are found to have a limited influence on the flutter velocity. The flutter mode shapes in the time-domain and the frequency domain are consistent, and composed of the three lowest symmetrical vertical modes coupled with the first torsional symmetric mode. The method applied in this study provides detailed response estimates and contributes to an increased understanding of the complex aeroelastic behaviour of long-span bridges.

Mueller matrix characterization of flexible plastic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Nina; Synowicki, Ron A.; Hilfiker, James N.

2017-11-01

This work reports on Mueller matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization of various flexible plastic substrates that are optically anisotropic with varying degrees of birefringence. The samples are divided into three groups according to the suggested characterization strategy: low birefringence, high birefringence, and twisted birefringence. The first group includes poly(methyl methacrylate) and cyclic olefin copolymer substrates. These are modeled with biaxial anisotropy for the real part of the refractive index while the imaginary part is approximated as isotropic due to small light absorption. The second group includes polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate substrates, which are modeled with biaxial anisotropy for both real and imaginary refractive indices. Lastly, a polyimide substrate is described as two birefringent layers with twisted in-plane orientation.

Catamaran Nets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

West Coast Netting, Inc.'s net of Hyperester twine, is made of three strands of fiber twisted together by a company-invented sophisticated twisting machine and process that maintain precisely the same tension on each strand. The resulting twine offers higher strength and improved abrasion resistance. The technology that created the Hyperester supertwine has found spinoff applications, first as an extra-efficient seine for tuna fishing, then as a capture net for law enforcement agencies. The newest one is as a deck for racing catamarans. Hyperester twine net has been used on most of the high performance racing catamarans of recent years, including the America's Cup Challenge boats. They are tough and hold up well in the continual exposure to sunlight and saltwater.

Mass-deformed ABJM and black holes in AdS4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobev, Nikolay; Min, Vincent S.; Pilch, Krzysztof

2018-03-01

We find a class of new supersymmetric dyonic black holes in four-dimensional maximal gauged supergravity which are asymptotic to the SU(3) × U(1) invariant AdS4 Warner vacuum. These black holes can be embedded in eleven-dimensional supergravity where they describe the backreaction of M2-branes wrapped on a Riemann surface. The holographic dual description of these supergravity backgrounds is given by a partial topological twist on a Riemann surface of a three-dimensional N=2 SCFT that is obtained by a mass-deformation of the ABJM theory. We compute explicitly the topologically twisted index of this SCFT and show that it accounts for the entropy of the black holes.

Define the Twist ATX LPAR1 Signaling Axis in Promoting Obesity Associated Triple Negative Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

developed CRISPR technology to examine if Twist enhances ATX and LPAR1 expression. Specifically, we performed lentiviral transduction of Twist...targeting gRNA into breast cancer cells MDA-MB-578 and SUM-1315, and selected single cell colony with Twist knockout. We chose CRISPR -gRNA over the...shRNA system which was originally proposed, as CRISPR provides higher specificity and fewer off-target effects. To verify knockout of Twist, we first

A New Twist on the Marcum Q-Function and its Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Marvin K.

1997-01-01

A new form of the Marcum Q-Function is presented that has both computational and analytical advantages. The new form is particularly useful in simplifying and rendering more accurate the analysis of the error probability performance of uncoded and coded partially coherent, differentially coherent, and noncoherent communication systems in the presence of fading.

Highly sensitive twist sensor based on tilted fiber Bragg grating of polarization-dependent properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yanfang; Shen, Changyu; Chen, Debao; Chu, Jinlei; Wang, Qiang; Dong, Xinyong

2014-10-01

The transmission intensity of the tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) is strongly dependent on the polarization properties of the TFBG. The polarization characteristic of the cladding modes can be used for twist measuring. In this paper, a highly sensitive fiber twist sensor is proposed. The transmission intensity on the strong loss wavelength showed a quasi-sin θ changing with the twist angle ranging from 0° to 180° for S- or P-polarized input. A high sensitivity of 0.299 dB/° is achieved, which is almost 17.9 times higher than that of the current similar existing twist sensor. The twist angle can be measured precisely with the matrix.

Au-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating twist sensor based on surface plasmon resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Changyu; Zhang, Yang; Zhou, Wenjun; Albert, Jacques

2014-02-01

A fiber twist sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of an Au-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) is proposed. The SPR response to the twist effect on an Au-coated TFBG (immersing in distilled water) is studied theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the transmission power around the wavelength of SPR changes with the twist angle. For the twist ranging from 0° to 180° in clockwise or anti-clockwise directions, the proposed sensor shows sensitivities of 0.037 dBm/° (S-polarized) and 0.039 dBm/° (P-polarized), which are almost 7.5 times higher than that of the current similar existing twist sensor.

The chopstick-noodle twist: an easy technique of percutaneous patellar fixation in minimally displaced patellar fractures.

PubMed

Muzaffar, Nasir; Ahmad, Nawaz; Ahmad, Aejaz; Ahmad, Nissar

2012-01-01

We report six cases of minimally displaced two-part patellar fractures with skin injury over the patella that were treated with percutaneous K wire fixation and compression applied using stainless steel (SS) wire. This technique makes it possible to perform early operative treatment in cases where unhealthy skin is not amenable to conventional tension band wiring. The technique employs two K wires inserted through the two fracture fragments under local or regional anaesthesia. They are then compressed using simple SS wire knots at the two ends - making it look like noodles at the end of two chopsticks. The fixation is subsequently augmented with a cylindrical plaster-of-Paris cast. The technique is simple, cheap and does not cause soft tissue injury.

Single Piezo-Actuator Rotary-Hammering Drill

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2011-01-01

This innovation comprises a compact drill that uses low-axial preload, via vibrations, that fractures the rock under the bit kerf, and rotates the bit to remove the powdered cuttings while augmenting the rock fracture via shear forces. The vibrations fluidize the powered cuttings inside the flutes around the bit, reducing the friction with the auger surface. These combined actions reduce the consumed power and the heating of the drilled medium, helping to preserve the pristine content of the produced samples. The drill consists of an actuator that simultaneously impacts and rotates the bit by applying force and torque via a single piezoelectric stack actuator without the need for a gearbox or lever mechanism. This reduces the development/fabrication cost and complexity. The piezoelectric actuator impacts the surface and generates shear forces, fragmenting the drilled medium directly under the bit kerf by exceeding the tensile and/or shear strength of the struck surface. The percussive impact action of the actuator leads to penetration of the medium by producing a zone of finely crushed rock directly underneath the struck location. This fracturing process is highly enhanced by the shear forces from the rotation and twisting action. To remove the formed cuttings, the bit is constructed with an auger on its internal or external surface. One of the problems with pure hammering is that, as the teeth become embedded in the sample, the drilling efficiency drops unless the teeth are moved away from the specific footprint location. By rotating the teeth, they are moved to areas that were not fragmented, and thus the rock fracturing is enhanced via shear forces. The shear motion creates ripping or chiseling action to produce larger fragments to increase the drilling efficiency, and to reduce the required power. The actuator of the drill consists of a piezoelectric stack that vibrates the horn. The stack is compressed by a bolt between the backing and the horn in order to prevent it from being subjected to tensile stress that will cause it to fail. The backing is intended to transfer the generated mechanical vibrations towards the horn. In order to cause rotation, the horn is configured asymmetrically with helical segments and, upon impacting the bit, it introduces longitudinal along the axis of the actuator and tangential force causing twisting action that rotates the bit. The longitudinal component of the vibrations of the stack introduces percussion impulses between the bit and the rock to fracture it when the ultimate strain is exceeded under the bit.

Energy absorber uses expanded coiled tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, E. F.

1972-01-01

Mechanical shock mitigating device, based on working material to its failure point, absorbs mechanical energy by bending or twisting tubing. It functions under axial or tangential loading, has no rebound, is area independent, and is easy and inexpensive to build.

Twisted complex superfluids in optical lattices

PubMed Central

Jürgensen, Ole; Sengstock, Klaus; Lühmann, Dirk-Sören

2015-01-01

We show that correlated pair tunneling drives a phase transition to a twisted superfluid with a complex order parameter. This unconventional superfluid phase spontaneously breaks the time-reversal symmetry and is characterized by a twisting of the complex phase angle between adjacent lattice sites. We discuss the entire phase diagram of the extended Bose—Hubbard model for a honeycomb optical lattice showing a multitude of quantum phases including twisted superfluids, pair superfluids, supersolids and twisted supersolids. Furthermore, we show that the nearest-neighbor interactions lead to a spontaneous breaking of the inversion symmetry of the lattice and give rise to dimerized density-wave insulators, where particles are delocalized on dimers. For two components, we find twisted superfluid phases with strong correlations between the species already for surprisingly small pair-tunneling amplitudes. Interestingly, this ground state shows an infinite degeneracy ranging continuously from a supersolid to a twisted superfluid. PMID:26345721

NNLO splitting and coefficient functions with time-like kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitov, A.; Moch, S.; Vogt, A.

2006-10-01

We discuss recent results on the three-loop (next-to-next-to-leading order, NNLO) time-like splitting functions of QCD and the two-loop (NNLO) coefficient functions in one-particle inclusive e+e--annihilation. These results form the basis for extracting fragmentation functions for light and heavy flavors with NNLO accuracy that will be needed at the LHC and ILC. The two-loop calculations have been performed in Mellin space based on a new method, the main features of which we also describe briefly.

The Effect of a Twisted Magnetic Field on the Phase Mixing of the Kink Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in Coronal Loops

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

Ebrahimi, Zanyar; Karami, Kayoomars; Soler, Roberto, E-mail: z.ebrahimi@uok.ac.ir

There is observational evidence for the existence of a twisted magnetic field in the solar corona. This inspires us to investigate the effect of a twisted magnetic field on the evolution of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) kink waves in coronal loops. With this aim, we solve the incompressible linearized MHD equations in a magnetically twisted nonuniform coronal flux tube in the limit of long wavelengths. Our results show that a twisted magnetic field can enhance or diminish the rate of phase mixing of the Alfvén continuum modes and the decay rate of the global kink oscillation depending on the twist model andmore » the sign of the longitudinal ( k{sub z} ) and azimuthal ( m ) wavenumbers. Also, our results confirm that in the presence of a twisted magnetic field, when the sign of one of the two wavenumbers m and k {sub z} is changed, the symmetry with respect to the propagation direction is broken. Even a small amount of twist can have an important impact on the process of energy cascading to small scales.« less

Theoretical stability and control characteristics of wings with various amounts of taper and twist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearson, Henry A; Jones, Robert T

1938-01-01

Stability derivatives have been computed for twisted wings of different plan forms that include variations in both the wing taper and the aspect ratio. Taper ratios of 1.0, 0,50, and 0.25 are considered for each of three aspect ratios: 6, 10, and 16. The specific derivatives for which results are given are the rolling-moment and the yawing-moment derivatives with respect to (a) rolling velocity, (b) yawing velocity, and (c) angle of sideslip. These results are given in such a form that the effect of any initial symmetrical wing twist (such as may be produced by flaps) on the derivatives may easily be taken into account. In addition to the stability derivatives, results are included for determining the theoretical rolling moment due to aileron deflection and a series of influence lines is given by which the loading across the span may be determined for any angle-of-attack distribution that may occur on the wing plan forms considered. The report also includes incidental references to the application of the results.

Self-Assembly and Electrostriction of Arrays and Chains of Hopfion Particles in Chiral Liquid Crystals

DOE PAGES

Ackerman, P. J.; van de Lagemaat, J.; Smalyukh, I. I.

2015-01-21

Some of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains thatmore » exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields.« less

Twisted ribbon structure of paired helical filaments revealed by atomic force microscopy.

PubMed Central

Pollanen, M. S.; Markiewicz, P.; Bergeron, C.; Goh, M. C.

1994-01-01

Progressive deposition of phosphorylated tau into the paired helical filaments (PHF) that compose neurofibrillary tangles, dystrophic neurites, and neuropil threads is an obligate feature of Alzheimer's disease. The standard model of PHF structure, derived from electron microscopic studies, suggests that two 8- to 10-nm filaments each composed of three to four protofilaments are wound into a helix with a maximal diameter of -20 nm and a half period of 65 to 80 nm. However, recent vertical platinum-carbon replicas of PHF more closely resemble a thin helical ribbon without constitutive protofilaments. Here we report that native PHF imaged with an atomic force microscope appear as twisted ribbons rather than the generally accepted structure derived from electron microscopic studies. These data imply that the assembly of PHF is not due to the twisting of pair-wise filaments but rather the helical winding of self-associated tau molecules arranged into a flattened structure. Future structural models of PHF should be based on quantitative data obtained from imaging techniques, such as scanning probe microscopy, which do not require harsh specimen preparation procedures. Images Figure 1 PMID:8178938

Twisted ribbon structure of paired helical filaments revealed by atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Pollanen, M S; Markiewicz, P; Bergeron, C; Goh, M C

1994-05-01

Progressive deposition of phosphorylated tau into the paired helical filaments (PHF) that compose neurofibrillary tangles, dystrophic neurites, and neuropil threads is an obligate feature of Alzheimer's disease. The standard model of PHF structure, derived from electron microscopic studies, suggests that two 8- to 10-nm filaments each composed of three to four protofilaments are wound into a helix with a maximal diameter of -20 nm and a half period of 65 to 80 nm. However, recent vertical platinum-carbon replicas of PHF more closely resemble a thin helical ribbon without constitutive protofilaments. Here we report that native PHF imaged with an atomic force microscope appear as twisted ribbons rather than the generally accepted structure derived from electron microscopic studies. These data imply that the assembly of PHF is not due to the twisting of pair-wise filaments but rather the helical winding of self-associated tau molecules arranged into a flattened structure. Future structural models of PHF should be based on quantitative data obtained from imaging techniques, such as scanning probe microscopy, which do not require harsh specimen preparation procedures.

Evolution of a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun to Mercury, Venus, Earth and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Shen, C.; Liu, J.; Mengjiao, X.; Guo, J.

2017-12-01

A clear magnetic cloud was observed by Messenger at Mercury. By using coronagraph images from SOHO/LASCO and STEREO/COR and the in-situ data from Wind near the Earth, we estimated its propgation velocity and identified the possible CME candidate in the corona and its counterpart recorded by Venus Express near Venus. By applying the CME's DIPS (Deflection in InterPlanetary Space) model, we show that the CME's arrivals at the three different heliocentric distance can be well reproduced. By extending the trajectory of the CME to the orbitor of Mars, we predict the arrival of the CME at Mars, which is in agreement with a significant Forbush decrease observed by MSL. We use uniformly-twisted force-free flux rope model to fit the in-situ measurements at Mercury, Venus and the Earth to study the evolution of the magnetic flux rope, and find that both axial magnetic flux and twist significantly decreased, suggesting that a significant erosion process was on-going and might change the averaged twist of the magnetic flux rope.

Persistence and Lifelong Fidelity of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Waves.

PubMed

De Angelis, L; Alpeggiani, F; Di Falco, A; Kuipers, L

2017-11-17

Phase singularities are locations where light is twisted like a corkscrew, with positive or negative topological charge depending on the twisting direction. Among the multitude of singularities arising in random wave fields, some can be found at the same location, but only when they exhibit opposite topological charge, which results in their mutual annihilation. New pairs can be created as well. With near-field experiments supported by theory and numerical simulations, we study the persistence and pairing statistics of phase singularities in random optical fields as a function of the excitation wavelength. We demonstrate how such entities can encrypt fundamental properties of the random fields in which they arise.

The Wrinkling of a Twisted Ribbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohn, Robert V.; O'Brien, Ethan

2018-02-01

Recent experiments by Chopin and Kudrolli (Phys Rev Lett 111:174302, 2013) showed that a thin elastic ribbon, when twisted into a helicoid, may wrinkle in the center. We study this from the perspective of elastic energy minimization, building on recent work by Chopin et al. (J Elast 119(1-2):137-189, 2015) in which they derive a modified von Kármán functional and solve the relaxed problem. Our main contribution is to show matching upper and lower bounds for the minimum energy in the small-thickness limit. Along the way, we show that the displacements must be small where we expect that the ribbon is helicoidal, and we estimate the wavelength of the wrinkles.

Persistence and Lifelong Fidelity of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Angelis, L.; Alpeggiani, F.; Di Falco, A.; Kuipers, L.

2017-11-01

Phase singularities are locations where light is twisted like a corkscrew, with positive or negative topological charge depending on the twisting direction. Among the multitude of singularities arising in random wave fields, some can be found at the same location, but only when they exhibit opposite topological charge, which results in their mutual annihilation. New pairs can be created as well. With near-field experiments supported by theory and numerical simulations, we study the persistence and pairing statistics of phase singularities in random optical fields as a function of the excitation wavelength. We demonstrate how such entities can encrypt fundamental properties of the random fields in which they arise.

Heat Transfer Enhancement of Laminar Nanofluids Flow in a Circular Tube Fitted with Parabolic-Cut Twisted Tape Inserts

PubMed Central

Salman, Sami D.; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Takriff, Mohd S.; Mohamad, Abu Bakar

2014-01-01

Numerical investigation has been carried out on heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of copper-water nanofluid flow in a constant heat-fluxed tube with the existence of new configuration of vortex generator using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. Two types of swirl flow generator: Classical twisted tape (CTT) and Parabolic-cut twisted tape (PCT) with a different twist ratio (y = 2.93, 3.91 and 4.89) and different cut depth (w = 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cm) with 2% and 4% volume concentration of CuO nanofluid were used for simulation. The effect of different parameters such as flow Reynolds number, twist ratio, cut depth and nanofluid were considered. The results show that the enhancement of heat transfer rate and the friction factor induced by the Classical (CTT) and Parabolic-cut (PCT) inserts increases with twist ratio and cut depth decreases. The results also revealed that the heat transfer enhancement increases with an increase in the volume fraction of the CuO nanoparticle. Furthermore, the twisted tape with twist ratio (y = 2.93) and cut depth w = 0.5 cm offered 10% enhancement of the average Nusselt number with significant increases in friction factor than those of Classical twisted tape. PMID:24605055

Fine-structural analysis of black band disease-infected coral reveals boring cyanobacteria and novel bacteria.

PubMed

Miller, Aaron W; Blackwelder, Patricia; Al-Sayegh, Husain; Richardson, Laurie L

2011-02-22

Examination of coral fragments infected with black band disease (BBD) at the fine- and ultrastructural levels using scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed novel features of the disease. SEM images of the skeleton from the host coral investigated (Montastraea annularis species complex) revealed extensive boring underneath the BBD mat, with cyanobacterial filaments present within some of the bore holes. Cyanobacteria were observed to penetrate into the overlying coral tissue from within the skeleton and were present throughout the mesoglea between tissue layers (coral epidermis and gastrodermis). A population of novel, as yet unidentified, small filamentous bacteria was found at the leading edge of the migrating band. This population increased in number within the band and was present within degrading coral epithelium, suggesting a role in disease etiology. In coral tissue in front of the leading edge of the band, cyanobacterial filaments were observed to be emerging from bundles of sloughed-off epidermal tissue. Degraded gastrodermis that contained actively dividing zooxanthellae was observed using both TEM and SEM. The BBD mat contained cyanobacterial filaments that were twisted, characteristic of negative-tactic responses. Some evidence of boring was found in apparently healthy control coral fragments; however, unlike in BBD-infected fragments, there were no associated cyanobacteria. These results suggest the coral skeleton as a possible source of pathogenic BBD cyanobacteria. Additionally, SEM revealed the presence of a potentially important group of small, filamentous BBD-associated bacteria yet to be identified.

Dependence of Excited State Potential Energy Surfaces on the Spatial Overlap of the Kohn-Sham Orbitals and the Amount of Nonlocal Hartree-Fock Exchange in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory.

PubMed

Plötner, Jürgen; Tozer, David J; Dreuw, Andreas

2010-08-10

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with standard GGA or hybrid exchange-correlation functionals is not capable of describing the potential energy surface of the S1 state of Pigment Yellow 101 correctly; an additional local minimum is observed at a twisted geometry with substantial charge transfer (CT) character. To investigate the influence of nonlocal exact orbital (Hartree-Fock) exchange on the shape of the potential energy surface of the S1 state in detail, it has been computed along the twisting coordinate employing the standard BP86, B3LYP, and BHLYP xc-functionals as well as the long-range separated (LRS) exchange-correlation (xc)-functionals LC-BOP, ωB97X, ωPBE, and CAM-B3LYP and compared to RI-CC2 benchmark results. Additionally, a recently suggested Λ-parameter has been employed that measures the amount of CT in an excited state by calculating the spatial overlap of the occupied and virtual molecular orbitals involved in the transition. Here, the error in the calculated S1 potential energy curves at BP86, B3LYP, and BHLYP can be clearly related to the Λ-parameter, i.e., to the extent of charge transfer. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the CT problem is largely alleviated when the BHLYP xc-functional is employed, although it still exhibits a weak tendency to underestimate the energy of CT states. The situation improves drastically when LRS-functionals are employed within TDDFT excited state calculations. All tested LRS-functionals give qualitatively the correct potential energy curves of the energetically lowest excited states of P. Y. 101 along the twisting coordinate. While LC-BOP and ωB97X overcorrect the CT problem and now tend to give too large excitation energies compared to other non-CT states, ωPBE and CAM-B3LYP are in excellent agreement with the RI-CC2 results, with respect to both the correct shape of the potential energy curve as well as the absolute values of the calculated excitation energies.

Insulin-like growth factor-I induces CLU expression through Twist1 to promote prostate cancer growth.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Ario; Shiota, Masaki; Beraldi, Eliana; Thaper, Daksh; Takahara, Kiyoshi; Ibuki, Naokazu; Pollak, Michael; Cox, Michael E; Naito, Seiji; Gleave, Martin E; Zoubeidi, Amina

2014-03-25

Clusterin (CLU) is cytoprotective molecular chaperone that is highly expressed in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). CRPC is also characterized by increased insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I responsiveness which induces prostate cancer survival and CLU expression. However, how IGF-I induces CLU expression and whether CLU is required for IGF-mediated growth signaling remain unknown. Here we show that IGF-I induced CLU via STAT3-Twist1 signaling pathway. In response to IGF-I, STAT3 was phosphorylated, translocated to the nucleus and bound to the Twist1 promoter to activate Twist1 transcription. In turn, Twist1 bound to E-boxes on the CLU promoter and activated CLU transcription. Inversely, we demonstrated that knocking down Twist1 abrogated IGF-I induced CLU expression, indicating that Twist1 mediated IGF-I-induced CLU expression. When PTEN knockout mice were crossed with lit/lit mice, the resultant IGF-I deficiency suppressed Twist1 as well as CLU gene expression in mouse prostate glands. Moreover, both Twist1 and CLU knockdown suppressed prostate cancer growth accelerated by IGF-I, suggesting the relevance of this signaling not only in an in vitro, but also in an in vivo. Collectively, this study indicates that IGF-I induces CLU expression through sequential activation of STAT3 and Twist1, and suggests that this signaling cascade plays a critical role in prostate cancer pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

How is the relationship between TWIST-1 and BCR-ABL1 gene expressions in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients?

PubMed

Heidari, Nazanin; Vosoughi, Tina; Mohammadi Asl, Javad; Saki Malehi, Amal; Saki, Najmaldin

2018-01-12

The activation and increased expression of BCR-ABL1 lead to malignant chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) cells, as well as the resistance to antitumour agents and apoptosis inducers. Moreover, TWIST-1 protein is a prognostic factor of leukemogenesis, and its level is raised in CML patients with cytogenetic resistance to imatinib. So, there is a likely relationship between BCR-ABL1 and TWIST-1 genes. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between TWIST-1 and BCR-ABL1 expressions. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 44 CML patients under treatment and also from ten healthy subjects as normal controls. The expression of TWIST-1 and BCR-ABL1 genes was measured using real-time PCR, and ABL1 was used as the reference gene. The gene expression was evaluated by REST software. The expression levels of TWIST-1 and BCR-ABL1 genes in CML patients was changed 40.23 ± 177.75-fold and 6 ± 18-fold, respectively. No significant relationship was observed between the expressions of TWIST-1 and BCR-ABL1 genes. All patients with TWIST-1 expression levels ≥100-fold had failure of response to treatment. The probability of the relationship between BCR-ABL1 and TWIST-1 is still debatable, and the average of TWIST-1 expression has been higher in patients without response to treatment. Definitive conclusion needs further investigations.

The Effects of Exercise Intensity vs. Metabolic State on the Variability and Magnitude of Left Ventricular Twist Mechanics during Exercise

PubMed Central

Armstrong, Craig; Samuel, Jake; Yarlett, Andrew; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Stembridge, Mike; Stöhr, Eric J.

2016-01-01

Increased left ventricular (LV) twist and untwisting rate (LV twist mechanics) are essential responses of the heart to exercise. However, previously a large variability in LV twist mechanics during exercise has been observed, which complicates the interpretation of results. This study aimed to determine some of the physiological sources of variability in LV twist mechanics during exercise. Sixteen healthy males (age: 22 ± 4 years, V˙O2peak: 45.5 ± 6.9 ml∙kg-1∙min-1, range of individual anaerobic threshold (IAT): 32–69% of V˙O2peak) were assessed at rest and during exercise at: i) the same relative exercise intensity, 40%peak, ii) at 2% above IAT, and, iii) at 40%peak with hypoxia (40%peak+HYP). LV volumes were not significantly different between exercise conditions (P > 0.05). However, the mean margin of error of LV twist was significantly lower (F2,47 = 2.08, P < 0.05) during 40%peak compared with IAT (3.0 vs. 4.1 degrees). Despite the same workload and similar LV volumes, hypoxia increased LV twist and untwisting rate (P < 0.05), but the mean margin of error remained similar to that during 40%peak (3.2 degrees, P > 0.05). Overall, LV twist mechanics were linearly related to rate pressure product. During exercise, the intra-individual variability of LV twist mechanics is smaller at the same relative exercise intensity compared with IAT. However, the absolute magnitude (degrees) of LV twist mechanics appears to be associated with the prevailing rate pressure product. Exercise tests that evaluate LV twist mechanics should be standardised by relative exercise intensity and rate pressure product be taken into account when interpreting results. PMID:27100099

The Effects of Exercise Intensity vs. Metabolic State on the Variability and Magnitude of Left Ventricular Twist Mechanics during Exercise.

PubMed

Armstrong, Craig; Samuel, Jake; Yarlett, Andrew; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Stembridge, Mike; Stöhr, Eric J

2016-01-01

Increased left ventricular (LV) twist and untwisting rate (LV twist mechanics) are essential responses of the heart to exercise. However, previously a large variability in LV twist mechanics during exercise has been observed, which complicates the interpretation of results. This study aimed to determine some of the physiological sources of variability in LV twist mechanics during exercise. Sixteen healthy males (age: 22 ± 4 years, [Formula: see text]O2peak: 45.5 ± 6.9 ml∙kg-1∙min-1, range of individual anaerobic threshold (IAT): 32-69% of [Formula: see text]O2peak) were assessed at rest and during exercise at: i) the same relative exercise intensity, 40%peak, ii) at 2% above IAT, and, iii) at 40%peak with hypoxia (40%peak+HYP). LV volumes were not significantly different between exercise conditions (P > 0.05). However, the mean margin of error of LV twist was significantly lower (F2,47 = 2.08, P < 0.05) during 40%peak compared with IAT (3.0 vs. 4.1 degrees). Despite the same workload and similar LV volumes, hypoxia increased LV twist and untwisting rate (P < 0.05), but the mean margin of error remained similar to that during 40%peak (3.2 degrees, P > 0.05). Overall, LV twist mechanics were linearly related to rate pressure product. During exercise, the intra-individual variability of LV twist mechanics is smaller at the same relative exercise intensity compared with IAT. However, the absolute magnitude (degrees) of LV twist mechanics appears to be associated with the prevailing rate pressure product. Exercise tests that evaluate LV twist mechanics should be standardised by relative exercise intensity and rate pressure product be taken into account when interpreting results.

Low functional richness and redundancy of a predator assemblage in native forest fragments of Chiloe island, Chile.

PubMed

Farias, Ariel A; Jaksic, Fabian M

2011-07-01

1. Changes in land use and habitat fragmentation are major drivers of global change, and studying their effects on biodiversity constitutes a major research programme. However, biodiversity is a multifaceted concept, with a functional component linking species richness to ecosystem function. Currently, the interaction between functional and taxonomic components of biodiversity under realistic scenarios of habitat degradation is poorly understood. 2. The expected functional richness (FR)-species richness relationship (FRSR) is positive, and attenuated for functional redundancy in species-rich assemblages. Further, environmental filters are expected to flatten that association by sorting species with similar traits. Thus, analysing FRSR can inform about the response of biodiversity to environmental gradients and habitat fragmentation, and its expected functional consequences. 3. Top predators affect ecosystem functioning through prey consumption and are particularly vulnerable to changes in land use and habitat fragmentation, being good indicators of ecosystem health and suitable models for assessing the effects of habitat fragmentation on their FR. 4. Thus, this study analyses the functional redundancy of a vertebrate predator assemblage at temperate forest fragments in a rural landscape of Chiloe island (Chile), testing the existence of environmental filters by contrasting an empirically derived FRSR against those predicted from null models, and testing the association between biodiversity components and the structure of forest fragments. 5. Overall, contrasts against null models indicate that regional factors determine low levels of FR and redundancy for the vertebrate predator assemblage studied, while recorded linear FRSR indicates proportional responses of the two biodiversity components to the structure of forest fragments. Further, most species were positively associated with either fragment size or shape complexity, which are highly correlated. This, and the absence of ecological filters at the single-fragment scale, rendered taxonomically and functionally richer predator assemblages at large complex-shaped fragments. 6. These results predict strong effects of deforestation on both components of biodiversity, potentially affecting the functioning of remnants of native temperate forest ecosystems. Thus, the present study assesses general responses of functional and taxonomic components of biodiversity to a specific human-driven process. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.

Surgical treatment on displaced and dislocated sagittal fractures of the mandibular condyle.

PubMed

Jing, Jie; Han, Yu; Song, Yu; Wan, Yingbiao

2011-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of surgical treatment on displaced and dislocated sagittal fractures of the mandibular condyle (SFMC). Twenty-four patients with 28 displaced and dislocated SFMCs were distinguished into type M, type C, and type L fractures according the location of the fracture line. The fractured fragment was reduced and fixated with two 0.6-mm 4-hole micro-plates via a preauricular temporal incision. The fragment was extirpated when it was too small to be fixated. The postoperative position and profile of the fragment was examined by orthopantomogram radiograph or computed tomography (CT). The function of the temporal and zygomatic branches of the facial nerve was inspected. The occluding relation was surveyed, the interincisal distance at maximum mouth opening was measured, and the deviation from the midline during mouth opening was recorded. Twenty-three condyles (82%) suffered dislocated fractures with the condylar fragment out of the glenoid fossa. Five condyles (18%) were displaced, but not dislocated. There were 2 (7%) type M, 19 (68%) type C (3 comminuted), and 7 (25%) type L fractures (1 comminuted), respectively. Twenty-one (75%) fractured fragments received free-graft procedures with 2 micro-plates. Four (14%) fragments were reduced and fixated without being dissected free of their attachments. Three (11%) fragments were extirpated. There were no permanent facial never branch injuries. Micro-plate removal was necessary because of postoperative infection and necrosis of the fractured fragment in 1 condylar process. No other patients could be found with obvious postoperative bone resorption. The average postoperative maximum mouth opening and deviation at 6 months were improved significantly. The postoperative occlusion was good in 22 cases. Access with the preauricular incision, and the dislocated and displaced fragment can be reduced and fixated to its normal position easily. Free-graft procedure is a suitable surgical treatment if the fractured fragment cannot be reduced without dissection free of the pterygoid muscle attachment. Although most fractured fragments in SFMCs have to be dissected free, there are no obvious complications in dislocated and displaced SFMCs after surgical treatment. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Twisting phonons in complex crystals with quasi-one-dimensional substructures [Twisting Phonons in Higher Manganese Silicides with a Complex Nowotny Chimney Ladder Structure

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

Abernathy, Douglas L.; Ma, Jie; Yan, Jiaqiang

A variety of crystals contain quasi-one-dimensional substructures, which yield distinctive electronic, spintronic, optical and thermoelectric properties. There is a lack of understanding of the lattice dynamics that influences the properties of such complex crystals. Here we employ inelastic neutron scatting measurements and density functional theory calculations to show that numerous low-energy optical vibrational modes exist in higher manganese silicides, an example of such crystals. These optical modes, including unusually low-frequency twisting motions of the Si ladders inside the Mn chimneys, provide a large phase space for scattering acoustic phonons. A hybrid phonon and diffuson model is proposed to explain themore » low and anisotropic thermal conductivity of higher manganese silicides and to evaluate nanostructuring as an approach to further suppress the thermal conductivity and enhance the thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency. This discovery offers new insights into the structure-property relationships of a broad class of materials with quasi-one-dimensional substructures for various applications.« less

Electronic properties of moire superlattice bands in layered two dimensional materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jeil

2014-03-01

When atomically thin two-dimensional materials are layered they often form incommensurate non-crystalline structures that exhibit long period moiré patterns when examined by scanning probes. In this talk, I will present a theoretical method which can be used to derive an effective Hamiltonian for these twisted van der Waals heterostructures using input from ab initio calculations performed on short-period crystalline structures. I will argue that the effective Hamiltonian can quantitatively describe the electronic properties of these layered systems for arbitrary twist angle and lattice constants. Applying this method to the important cases of graphene on graphene and graphene on hexagonal-boron nitride, I will present a series of experimentally observable quantities that can be extracted from their electronic structure, including their density of states and local density of states as a function of twist angle, and compare with available experiments. Work done in collaboration with Allan MacDonald, Shaffique Adam, Arnaud Raoux, Zhenhua Qiao, and Ashley DaSilva; and supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship NRF-NRFF2012-01.

TDDFT study of twisted intramolecular charge transfer and intermolecular double proton transfer in the excited state of 4‧-dimethylaminoflavonol in ethanol solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ye; Shi, Ying; Cong, Lin; Li, Hui

2015-02-01

Time-dependent density functional theory method at the def-TZVP/B3LYP level was employed to investigate the intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding dynamics in the first excited (S1) state of 4‧-dimethylaminoflavonol (DMAF) monomer and in ethanol solution. In the DMAF monomer, we demonstrated that the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) takes place in the S1 state. This excited state ICT process was followed by intramolecular proton transfer. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the mechanism proposed in experimental work. For the hydrogen-bonded DMAF-EtOH complex, it was demonstrated that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can induce the formation of the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state and the conformational twisting is along the C3-C4 bond. Moreover, the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can also facilitate the intermolecular double proton transfer in the TICT state. A stepwise intermolecular double proton transfer process was revealed. Therefore, the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can alter the mechanism of intramolecular charge transfer and proton transfer in the excited state for the DMAF molecule.

Effect of waist diameter and twist on tapered asymmetrical dual-core fiber MZI filter.

PubMed

Liu, Yan; Li, Yang; Yan, Xiaojun; Li, Weidong

2015-10-01

A compact in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter fabricated from custom-designed asymmetrical dual-core fiber is numerically analyzed in detail and experimentally verified. The asymmetrical dual-core fiber has core diameters and a core pitch of 6.9, 6, and 19.9 μm, respectively. The fiber tapering technique is introduced to fuse the originally uncoupled cores into strong coupling tapered regions. The length and diameter of the waist region have a close impact on the splitting ratio, which further affects the spectral properties of the MZI filter. The field evolution with varied waist parameters is characterized by the finite element method and beam propagation method. Repeatable comb filters with ∼15  dB extinction ratio are successfully achieved under the guidance of simulated optimum conditions. The twist-induced circular birefringence gives rise to a retardance that causes the spectral shifts of the MZI filter. The theoretical and experimental results confirm that the relative wavelength shift is proportional to the retardance, which follows a sinc function in the limit of a large twist rate.

Twisting phonons in complex crystals with quasi-one-dimensional substructures [Twisting Phonons in Higher Manganese Silicides with a Complex Nowotny Chimney Ladder Structure

DOE PAGES

Abernathy, Douglas L.; Ma, Jie; Yan, Jiaqiang; ...

2015-04-15

A variety of crystals contain quasi-one-dimensional substructures, which yield distinctive electronic, spintronic, optical and thermoelectric properties. There is a lack of understanding of the lattice dynamics that influences the properties of such complex crystals. Here we employ inelastic neutron scatting measurements and density functional theory calculations to show that numerous low-energy optical vibrational modes exist in higher manganese silicides, an example of such crystals. These optical modes, including unusually low-frequency twisting motions of the Si ladders inside the Mn chimneys, provide a large phase space for scattering acoustic phonons. A hybrid phonon and diffuson model is proposed to explain themore » low and anisotropic thermal conductivity of higher manganese silicides and to evaluate nanostructuring as an approach to further suppress the thermal conductivity and enhance the thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency. This discovery offers new insights into the structure-property relationships of a broad class of materials with quasi-one-dimensional substructures for various applications.« less

Direct connection between the different QCD orders for parton distribution and fragmentation functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevchenko, O. Yu.

2013-06-01

The formulas directly connecting parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions at the next-to-leading-order QCD with the same quantities at the leading order are derived. These formulas are universal, i.e., have the same form for all kinds of parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions, differing only in the respective splitting functions entering there.

Cells with dysfunctional telomeres are susceptible to reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide via generation of multichromosomal fusions and chromosomal fragments bearing telomeres

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

Woo, Seon Rang; Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705; Park, Jeong-Eun

2012-01-06

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Under conditions of telomere erosion, cells become extremely sensitive to H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Chromosomal regions adjacent to telomeres are cleaved by H{sub 2}O{sub 2} under such conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer H{sub 2}O{sub 2} thus causes multichromosomal fusions and generation of small chromosomal fragments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer N-acetylcysteine prevents H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced chromosomal aberrations. -- Abstract: During genotoxic stress, reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) is a prime mediator of the DNA damage response. Telomeres function both to assist in DNA damage repair and to inhibit chromosomal end-to-end fusion. Here, we show that telomere dysfunction renders cells susceptible to H{submore » 2}O{sub 2}, via generation of multichromosomal fusion and chromosomal fragments. H{sub 2}O{sub 2} caused formation of multichromosomal end-to-end fusions involving more than three chromosomes, preferentially when telomeres were erosive. Interestingly, extensive chromosomal fragmentation (yielding small-sized fragments) occurred only in cells exhibiting such multichromosomal fusions. Telomeres were absent from fusion points, being rather present in the small fragments, indicating that H{sub 2}O{sub 2} cleaves chromosomal regions adjacent to telomeres. Restoration of telomere function or addition of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevented development of chromosomal aberrations and rescued the observed hypersensitivity to H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Thus, chromosomal regions adjacent to telomeres become sensitive to reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide when telomeres are dysfunctional, and are cleaved to produce multichromosomal fusions and small chromosomal fragments bearing the telomeres.« less

Superconducting flat tape cable magnet

DOEpatents

Takayasu, Makoto

2015-08-11

A method for winding a coil magnet with the stacked tape cables, and a coil so wound. The winding process is controlled and various shape coils can be wound by twisting about the longitudinal axis of the cable and bending following the easy bend direction during winding, so that sharp local bending can be obtained by adjusting the twist pitch. Stack-tape cable is twisted while being wound, instead of being twisted in a straight configuration and then wound. In certain embodiments, the straight length should be half of the cable twist-pitch or a multiple of it.

Twist-induced tuning in tapered fiber couplers.

PubMed

Birks, T A

1989-10-01

The power-splitting ratio of fused tapered single-mode fiber couplers can be reversibly tuned by axial twisting without affecting loss. The twist-tuning behavior of a range of different tapered couplers is described. A simple expression for twist-tuning can be derived by representing the effects of twist by a change in the refractive index profile. Good agreement between this expression and experimental results is demonstrated. Repeated tuning over tens of thousands of cycles is found not to degrade coupler performance, and a number of practical applications, including a freely tunable tapered coupler, are described.

Twirling and Whirling: Viscous Dynamics of Rotating Elastica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolgemuth, Charles; Powers, Thomas; Goldstein, Raymond

1999-10-01

The stability of forced elastic filaments arise in several important biological settings involving bend and twist elasticity at low Reynolds number. Examples include DNA transcription and replication and bacterial flagellar motion. In order to elucidate fundamental processes common to these systems, we consider the model problem of a rotationally forced filament with twist and bend elasticity. Competition between twist injection, twist diffusion, and writhing instabilities is described by a novel pair of PDEs for twist and bend evolution. Analytical and numerical methods elucidate the twist/bend coupling and reveal two dynamical regimes seperated by a Hopf bifurcation: (i) diffusion-dominated axial rotation, or twirling, and (ii) steady-state crankshafting motion, or whirling. Experiments are proposed to examine these phenomena and the consequences for swimming investigated.

Investigation of a free-tip rotor configuration for research on spanwise life distributions and wake velocity surveys of a semi-span wing with a discontinuous twist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortin, Paul; Kumagai, Hiroyuki

1989-01-01

A wind tunnel test was conducted in the NASA Ames 7 x 10 Foot Wind Tunnel to investigate the lift distribution on a semi-span wing with a discontinuous change in spanwise twist. The semi-span wing had a tip with an adjustable pitch angle independent on the inboard section pitch angle simulating the free-tip rotor blade when its free-tip is at a deflected position. The spanwise lift distribution over the wing and the tip were measured and three component velocity surveys behind the wing were obtained with a three dimensional laser Doppler velocimeter (LV) with the wing at one angle of attack and the tip deflected at different pitch angles. A six component internal strain gage balance was also used to measure total forces and moments on the tip. The three dimensional lift was computed from the two dimensional life distributions obtained from the LV and from the strain gage balance. The results from both experimental methods are shown to be in agreement with predictions made by a steady, three dimensional panel code, VSAERO.

Lower sperm DNA fragmentation after r-FSH administration in functional hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

PubMed

Ruvolo, Giovanni; Roccheri, Maria Carmela; Brucculeri, Anna Maria; Longobardi, Salvatore; Cittadini, Ettore; Bosco, Liana

2013-04-01

An observational clinical and molecular study was designed to evaluate the effects of the administration of recombinant human FSH on sperm DNA fragmentation in men with a non-classical form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. In the study were included 53 men with a non-classical form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. In all patients, sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) in situ DNA nick end-labelling (TUNEL) assay, was evaluated before starting the treatment with 150 IU of recombinant human FSH, given three times a week for at least 3 months. Patients' semen analysis and DNA fragmentation index were re-evaluated after the 3-month treatment period. After recombinant human FSH therapy, we did not find any differences in terms of sperm count, motility and morphology. The average DNA fragmentation index was significantly reduced (21.15 vs 15.2, p<0.05), but we found a significant reduction in patients with high basal DFI values (>15 %), while no significant variation occurred in the patients with DFI values ≤ 15 %. Recombinant human FSH administration improves sperm DNA integrity in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia men with DNA fragmentation index value >15 % .

The impact of edge effect on termite community (Blattodea: Isoptera) in fragments of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest.

PubMed

Almeida, C S; Cristaldo, P F; Florencio, D F; Ribeiro, E J M; Cruz, N G; Silva, E A; Costa, D A; Araújo, A P A

2017-01-01

Habitat fragmentation is considered to be one of the biggest threats to tropical ecosystem functioning. In this region, termites perform an important ecological role as decomposers and ecosystem engineers. In the present study, we tested whether termite community is negatively affected by edge effects on three fragments of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Termite abundance and vegetation structure were sampled in 10 transects (15 × 2 m), while termite richness, activity, and soil litter biomass were measured in 16 quadrants (5 × 2 m) at forest edge and interior of each fragment. Habitat structure (i.e. number of tree, diameter at breast height and soil litter biomass) did not differ between forest edge and interior of fragments. Termite richness, abundance and activity were not affected by edge effect. However, differences were observed in the β diversity between forest edge and interior as well as in the fragments sampled. The β diversity partitioning indicates that species turnover is the determinant process of termite community composition under edge effect. Our results suggest that conservation strategies should be based on the selection of several distinct sites instead of few rich sites (e.g. nesting).

Fast generation of three-dimensional computational boundary-conforming periodic grids of C-type. [for turbine blades and propellers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dulikravich, D. S.

1982-01-01

A fast computer program, GRID3C, was developed to generate multilevel three dimensional, C type, periodic, boundary conforming grids for the calculation of realistic turbomachinery and propeller flow fields. The technique is based on two analytic functions that conformally map a cascade of semi-infinite slits to a cascade of doubly infinite strips on different Riemann sheets. Up to four consecutively refined three dimensional grids are automatically generated and permanently stored on four different computer tapes. Grid nonorthogonality is introduced by a separate coordinate shearing and stretching performed in each of three coordinate directions. The grids are easily clustered closer to the blade surface, the trailing and leading edges and the hub or shroud regions by changing appropriate input parameters. Hub and duct (or outer free boundary) have different axisymmetric shapes. A vortex sheet of arbitrary thickness emanating smoothly from the blade trailing edge is generated automatically by GRID3C. Blade cross sectional shape, chord length, twist angle, sweep angle, and dihedral angle can vary in an arbitrary smooth fashion in the spanwise direction.

Acceleration techniques and their impact on arterial input function sampling: Non-accelerated versus view-sharing and compressed sensing sequences.

PubMed

Benz, Matthias R; Bongartz, Georg; Froehlich, Johannes M; Winkel, David; Boll, Daniel T; Heye, Tobias

2018-07-01

The aim was to investigate the variation of the arterial input function (AIF) within and between various DCE MRI sequences. A dynamic flow-phantom and steady signal reference were scanned on a 3T MRI using fast low angle shot (FLASH) 2d, FLASH3d (parallel imaging factor (P) = P0, P2, P4), volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) (P = P0, P3, P2 × 2, P2 × 3, P3 × 2), golden-angle radial sparse parallel imaging (GRASP), and time-resolved imaging with stochastic trajectories (TWIST). Signal over time curves were normalized and quantitatively analyzed by full width half maximum (FWHM) measurements to assess variation within and between sequences. The coefficient of variation (CV) for the steady signal reference ranged from 0.07-0.8%. The non-accelerated gradient echo FLASH2d, FLASH3d, and VIBE sequences showed low within sequence variation with 2.1%, 1.0%, and 1.6%. The maximum FWHM CV was 3.2% for parallel imaging acceleration (VIBE P2 × 3), 2.7% for GRASP and 9.1% for TWIST. The FWHM CV between sequences ranged from 8.5-14.4% for most non-accelerated/accelerated gradient echo sequences except 6.2% for FLASH3d P0 and 0.3% for FLASH3d P2; GRASP FWHM CV was 9.9% versus 28% for TWIST. MRI acceleration techniques vary in reproducibility and quantification of the AIF. Incomplete coverage of the k-space with TWIST as a representative of view-sharing techniques showed the highest variation within sequences and might be less suited for reproducible quantification of the AIF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Magnetic Twist on Nonlinear Transverse Kink Oscillations of Line-tied Magnetic Flux Tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terradas, J.; Magyar, N.; Van Doorsselaere, T.

2018-01-01

Magnetic twist is thought to play an important role in many structures of the solar atmosphere. One of the effects of twist is to modify the properties of the eigenmodes of magnetic tubes. In the linear regime standing kink solutions are characterized by a change in polarization of the transverse displacement along the twisted tube. In the nonlinear regime, magnetic twist affects the development of shear instabilities that appear at the tube boundary when it is oscillating laterally. These Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) are produced either by the jump in the azimuthal component of the velocity at the edge of the sharp boundary between the internal and external part of the tube or by the continuous small length scales produced by phase mixing when there is a smooth inhomogeneous layer. In this work the effect of twist is consistently investigated by solving the time-dependent problem including the process of energy transfer to the inhomogeneous layer. It is found that twist always delays the appearance of the shear instability, but for tubes with thin inhomogeneous layers the effect is relatively small for moderate values of twist. On the contrary, for tubes with thick layers, the effect of twist is much stronger. This can have some important implications regarding observations of transverse kink modes and the KHI itself.

Sox5 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition by transactivation of Twist1

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

Pei, Xin-Hong; Department of Pathology, The Basic Medical College of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan; Lv, Xin-Quan

2014-03-28

Highlights: • Depletion of Sox5 inhibits breast cancer proliferation, migration, and invasion. • Sox5 transactivates Twist1 expression. • Sox5 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition through transactivation of Twist1 expression. - Abstract: The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a highly conserved cellular program, plays an important role in normal embryogenesis and cancer metastasis. Twist1, a master regulator of embryonic morphogenesis, is overexpressed in breast cancer and contributes to metastasis by promoting EMT. In exploring the mechanism underlying the increased Twist1 in breast cancer cells, we found that the transcription factor SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 5(Sox5) is up-regulation in breast cancer cellsmore » and depletion of Sox5 inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, depletion of Sox5 in breast cancer cells caused a dramatic decrease in Twist1 and chromosome immunoprecipitation assay showed that Sox5 can bind directly to the Twist1 promoter, suggesting that Sox5 transactivates Twist1 expression. We further demonstrated that knockdown of Sox5 up-regulated epithelial phenotype cell biomarker (E-cadherin) and down-regulated mesenchymal phenotype cell biomarkers (N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Fibronectin 1), resulting in suppression of EMT. Our study suggests that Sox5 transactivates Twist1 expression and plays an important role in the regulation of breast cancer progression.« less

Fitness Fun with a Nutritional Twist!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Kristie

2018-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe how to integrate nutrition concepts into physical education activities that include aspects of health- and/or skill-related fitness and relevant nutritional information. Three activities, which are applicable to K-12 physical education classes, are showcased.

A new "twist" on right heart failure with left ventricular assist systems.

PubMed

Houston, Brian A; Shah, Keyur B; Mehra, Mandeep R; Tedford, Ryan J

2017-07-01

Despite significant efforts to predict and prevent right heart failure, it remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after implantation of left ventricular assist systems (LVAS). In this Perspective, we review the underappreciated anatomic and physiologic principles that govern the relationship between left and right heart function and contribute to this phenomenon. This includes the importance of considering the right ventricle (RV) and pulmonary arterial circuit as a coupled system; the contribution of the left ventricle (LV) to RV contractile function and the potential negative impact of acutely unloading the LV; the influence of the pericardium and ventricular twist on septal function; the role of RV deformation in reduced mechanical efficiency after device placement; and the potential of ongoing stressors of an elevated right-sided preload. We believe an appreciation of these complex issues is required to fully understand the expression of the unique phenotypes of right heart failure after LVAS implantation and for developing better prognostic and therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2017 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Wire harness twisting aid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Casey, E. J.; Commadore, C. C.; Ingles, M. E.

1980-01-01

Long wire bundles twist into uniform spiral harnesses with help of simple apparatus. Wires pass through spacers and through hand-held tool with hole for each wire. Ends are attached to low speed bench motor. As motor turns, operator moves hand tool away forming smooth twists in wires between motor and tool. Technique produces harnesses that generate less radio-frequency interference than do irregularly twisted cables.

Twist Model Development and Results from the Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lizotte, Andrew M.; Allen, Michael J.

2007-01-01

Understanding the wing twist of the active aeroelastic wing (AAW) F/A-18 aircraft is a fundamental research objective for the program and offers numerous benefits. In order to clearly understand the wing flexibility characteristics, a model was created to predict real-time wing twist. A reliable twist model allows the prediction of twist for flight simulation, provides insight into aircraft performance uncertainties, and assists with computational fluid dynamic and aeroelastic issues. The left wing of the aircraft was heavily instrumented during the first phase of the active aeroelastic wing program allowing deflection data collection. Traditional data processing steps were taken to reduce flight data, and twist predictions were made using linear regression techniques. The model predictions determined a consistent linear relationship between the measured twist and aircraft parameters, such as surface positions and aircraft state variables. Error in the original model was reduced in some cases by using a dynamic pressure-based assumption. This technique produced excellent predictions for flight between the standard test points and accounted for nonlinearities in the data. This report discusses data processing techniques and twist prediction validation, and provides illustrative and quantitative results.

Twist Model Development and Results From the Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lizotte, Andrew; Allen, Michael J.

2005-01-01

Understanding the wing twist of the active aeroelastic wing F/A-18 aircraft is a fundamental research objective for the program and offers numerous benefits. In order to clearly understand the wing flexibility characteristics, a model was created to predict real-time wing twist. A reliable twist model allows the prediction of twist for flight simulation, provides insight into aircraft performance uncertainties, and assists with computational fluid dynamic and aeroelastic issues. The left wing of the aircraft was heavily instrumented during the first phase of the active aeroelastic wing program allowing deflection data collection. Traditional data processing steps were taken to reduce flight data, and twist predictions were made using linear regression techniques. The model predictions determined a consistent linear relationship between the measured twist and aircraft parameters, such as surface positions and aircraft state variables. Error in the original model was reduced in some cases by using a dynamic pressure-based assumption and by using neural networks. These techniques produced excellent predictions for flight between the standard test points and accounted for nonlinearities in the data. This report discusses data processing techniques and twist prediction validation, and provides illustrative and quantitative results.

Coexistence of twisted and untwisted crystals: An impurity/structural order model with implications for agate patterns

USGS Publications Warehouse

Comer, J.; Ortoleva, P.

2007-01-01

Coexistence of twisted and untwisted crystals is explained via a model that accounts for the coupling of the entropic and energetic effects of impurities and a supra-lattice-scale structural order parameter. It is shown that twisted impure crystals can be in equilibrium with untwisted purer ones. The model explains how coexistence can occur in agates and other systems under hydrostatic stress. The model implies that untwisted crystals grown under one set of conditions could undergo a phase separation that, when accompanied by an imposed compositional gradient, leads to commonly observed, alternating bands of twisted and untwisted crystals and, when occurring in the absence of an external gradient, mossy patterns of crystal texture can emerge. This phenomenon is not related to anisotropic applied stress. Rather coexistence is a consequence of a compositional segregation/twist phase transition. Since twist coexistence is a compositional equilibrium, it arises from the exchange between bulk phases; hence, the detailed nature of the atomic structure within an interface between twisted and untwisted zones is not relevant. The approach places crystal-twist phenomena within the theory of order/disorder phase transitions.

Experimental Investigation of the Electronic Properties of Twisted Bilayer Graphene by STM and STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Longjing; Qiao, Jiabin; Wang, Wenxiao; Zuo, Weijie; He, Lin

The electronic properties of graphene multilayers depend sensitively on their stacking order. A twisted angle is treated as a unique degree of freedom to tune the electronic properties of graphene system. Here we study electronic structures of the twisted bilayers by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). We demonstrate that the interlayer coupling strength affects both the Van Hove singularities and the Fermi velocity of twisted bilayers dramatically. This removes the discrepancy about the Fermi velocity renormalization in the twisted bilayers and provides a consistent interpretation of all current data. Moreover, we report the experimental evidence for non-Abelian gauge potentials in twisted graphene bilayers by STM and STS. At a magic twisted angle, about 1.11°, a pronounced sharp peak is observed in the tunnelling spectra due to the action of the non-Abelian gauge fields. Because of the effective non-Abelian gauge fields, the rotation angle could transfer the charge carriers in the twisted bilayers from massless Dirac fermions into well localized electrons, or vice versa, efficiently. This provides a new route to tune the electronic properties of graphene systems, which will be essential in future graphene nanoelectronics.

Effect of vane twist on the performance of dome swirlers for gas turbine airblast atomizers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Micklow, Gerald J.; Dogra, Anju S.; Nguyen, H. Lee

1990-01-01

For advanced gas turbine engines, two combustor systems, the lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) and the rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL) offer great potential for reducing NO(x) emissions. An important consideration for either concept is the development of an advanced fuel injection system that will provide a stable, efficient, and very uniform combustion system over a wide operating range. High-shear airblast fuel injectors for gas turbine combustors have exhibited superior atomization and mixing compared with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors. This improved mixing has lowered NO(x) emissions and the pattern factor, and has enabled combustors to alternate fuels while maintaining a stable, efficient combustion system. The performance of high-shear airblast fuel injectors is highly dependent on the design of the dome swirl vanes. The type of swirl vanes most widely used in gas turbine combustors are usually flat for ease of manufacture, but vanes with curvature will, in general, give superior aerodynamic performance. The design and performance of high-turning, low-loss curved dome swirl vanes with twist along the span are investigated. The twist induces a secondary vortex flow pattern which will improve the atomization of the fuel, thereby producing a more uniform fuel-air distribution. This uniform distribution will increase combustion efficiency while lowering NO(x) emissions. A systematic swirl vane design system is presented based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional flowfield calculations, with variations in vane-turning angle, rate of turning, vane solidity, and vane twist as design parameters.

Management Options for Twisted Gastric Tube after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

PubMed

Abd Ellatif, Mohamed E; Abbas, Ashraf; El Nakeeb, Ayman; Magdy, Alaa; Salama, Asaad F; Bashah, Moataz M; Dawoud, Ibrahim; Gamal, Maged Ali; Sargsyan, Davit

2017-09-01

This study aims to determine the incidence, etiology, and management options for symptomatic gastric obstruction caused by axially twisted sleeve gastrectomy. In this retrospective study, we reviewed medical charts of all morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Patients who developed gastric obstruction symptoms and were diagnosed with twisted sleeve gastrectomy were identified and included in this study. From October 2005 to December 2015, there are 3634 morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Eighty-six (2.3%) patients developed symptoms of gastric obstruction. Forty-five (1.23%) patients were included in this study. The mean time of presentation was 59.8 days after surgery. Upper GI contrast study was done routinely, and it was positive for axial twist in 37 (82%) patients. Abdominal CT with oral and IV contrast was done in eight (18%) when swallow study was equivocal. Endoscopic treatment was successful in 43 patients (95.5%). Sixteen patients were successfully managed by endoscopic stenting, and 29 patients had balloon dilation. The average numbers of dilation sessions were 1.7. Out of these 29 patients, 18 responded well to a single session of dilatation and did not require any further dilatation sessions. Two patients who failed to respond to three subsequent sessions of balloon dilation underwent laparoscopic adhesiolysis and gastropexy. Endoscopic stenting is an effective tool in management of axial rotation of sleeved stomach. Balloon dilation can also be effective in selected cases. Few cases might require laparoscopic adhesiolysis and gastropexy.

Study of Three-dimensional Magnetic Structure and the Successive Eruptive Nature of Active Region 12371

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vemareddy, P.; Demóulin, P.

2018-04-01

We study the magnetic structure of a successively erupting sigmoid in active region 12371 by modeling the quasi-static coronal field evolution with nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) equilibria. Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager/Solar Dynamic Observatory vector magnetograms are used as input to the NLFFF model. In all eruption events, the modeled structure resembles the observed pre-eruptive coronal sigmoid and the NLFFF core field is a combination of double inverse-J-shaped and inverse-S field lines with dips touching the photosphere. Such field lines are formed by the flux cancellation reconnection of opposite-J field lines at bald-patch locations, which in turn implies the formation of a weakly twisted flux-rope (FR) from large-scale sheared arcade field lines. Later on, this FR undergoes coronal tether-cutting reconnection until a coronal mass ejection is triggered. The modeled structure captured these major features of sigmoid-to-arcade-to-sigmoid transformation, which is reoccuring under continuous photospheric flux motions. Calculations of the field line twist reveal a fractional increase followed by a decrease of the number of pixels having a range of twist. This traces the buildup process of a twisted core field by slow photospheric motions and the relaxation after eruption, respectively. Our study infers that the large eruptivity of this AR is due to a steep decrease of the background coronal field meeting the torus instability criteria at a low height (≈40 Mm) in contrast to noneruptive ARs.