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At least 1,639 records · Page 91

An Enhanced Virtual Crack Closure Technique for Stress Intensity Factor Calculation along Arbitrary Crack Fronts and the Application in Hydraulic Fracturing Simulation

The virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) is widely used for calculating energy release rates along crack fronts and modeling the propagation of cracks in solid materials. Although the VCCT formulation for smooth crack fronts has been sufficiently addressed in the literature, the application of VCCT to a nonsmoothed crack front with sharp corners warrants further investigation. In this study, we describe an enhanced VCCT to calculate energy release rates and stress intensity factors for cracks with arbitrary shapes in 3D domains discretized on structured grids. The formulations of the enhanced VCCT were developed and implemented into a multiphysics simulation environment capable of simulating crack propagation in the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Comparisons with existing analytical/numerical solutions and other VCCT approaches were performed to verify the enhanced VCCT in terms of SIF calculation along nonsmoothed crack fronts. We then applied the enhanced VCCT to a hydraulically driven penny-shaped fracture problem to further demonstrate its capability to simulate nonsmoothed fracture propagation.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Reception of Sex Steroid Hormones in Thyroid Papillary Cancer Tissue and Relationship with Expression and Content of Transcription Factors Brn-3α and TRIM16

We studied reception of sex steroid hormones in the tissues of thyroid papillary cancer and benign tumor. Enhanced expression of AR and ERβ mRNA reflected malignant tumor growth. Nuclear factors Brn-3α and TRIM16 modulating expression of steroid hormones play an important role in the development of thyroid tumors. It was found that the level of TRIM16 mRNA is associated with the expression of ERβ, which seems to be mediated by its antiestrogen effect.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Zonal-Based Emission Source Term Model for Predicting Particulate Emission Factors in Wildfire Simulations

A physics/chemistry-based numerical model for predicting the emission of fine particles from wildfires is proposed. This model implements the fundamental mechanisms of soot formation in a combustion environment: soot nucleation, surface growth, agglomeration, oxidation, and particle fragmentation. These mechanisms occur on a scale too fine for the discretization of most wildfire models, which need to simulate landscape-scale dynamics. As a result this model implements a zonal approach, where the computed soot particle distribution is partitioned into process zones within a single resolved grid cell. These process zones include: an inception zone (for nucleation), a heating zone (for coagulation, surface growth, and fragmentation), a reaction zone (for oxidation), and a quenched zone (for atmospheric processes). Governing mechanisms are applied to the appropriate zones to predict total particle growth and emission. Additionally, the proposed model is implemented into HIGRAD/FIRETEC, a physics-based wildfire simulation code which couples interactions between fire, fuels, atmosphere, and topography on a landscape scale. Fire simulations among grasslands and conifer forests are performed and compared against experimental data for emission factors.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Identifying crack tip position and stress intensity factors from displacement data

Fracture prognosis and characterization efforts require knowledge of crack tip position and the Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) acting in the vicinity of the crack. Here, in this work, we present an efficient numerical approach to infer both of these characteristics under a consistent theoretical framework from noisy, unstructured displacement data. The novel approach utilizes the separability of the asymptotic linear elastic fracture mechanics fields to expedite the search for crack tip position and is particularly useful for noisy displacement data. The manuscript begins with an assessment of the importance of accurately locating crack tip position when quantifying the SIFs from displacement data. Next, the proposed separability approach for quickly inferring crack tip position is introduced. Comparing to the widely used displacement correlation approach, the performance of the separability approach is assessed. Cases involving both noisy data and systematic deviation from the asymptotic linear elastic fracture mechanics model are considered, e.g. inelastic material behavior and finite geometries. An open source python implementation of the proposed approach is available for use by those doing field and laboratory work involving digital image correlation and simulations, e.g. finite element, discrete element, molecular dynamics and peridynamics, where the crack tip position is not explicitly defined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

New Results for Astrophysical S-Factors of Radiative {sup 3}Не{sup 4}Не, {sup 3}Н{sup 4}Не, and {sup 2}Н{sup 4}Не Capture

Within the framework of the modified potential cluster model with classification of orbital states according to the Young tableaux and revised potential parameters for the {sup 3}He{sup 4}He, {sup 3}H{sup 4}He, and {sup 2}H{sup 4}He cluster channels of the nuclei {sup 7}Be, {sup 7}Li, and {sup 6}Li, astrophysical S-factors of processes of radiative {sup 3}He{sup 4}He capture from 20 keV, {sup 3}H{sup 4}Hе capture from 10 keV, and {sup 2}Н{sup 4}Не capture from 5 keV are considered. On the basis of the obtained results, the rates of all of the considered reactions are calculated in the temperature range from 0.05 to 5 T{sub 9} and a comparison with the results of other authors is carried out.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Astrophysical S-Factor of p{sup 7}Bе Capture at Low Energies

In the modified potential cluster model, the possibility of describing the astrophysical S-factor of radiative p{sup 7}Ве→{sup 8}Bγ capture to the ground state of the {sup 8}B nucleus at energies from 10 keV to 1 MeV is considered. Potentials of intercluster interactions, matched to the spectra of the {sup 8}B nucleus for scattering processes, and the potential of the bound 3Р2 ground state in the p7Ве cluster channel are constructed. The resonance in the 3P1 scattering wave at the energy 0.722 MeV, which leads to an М1-transition to the ground state, is considered. Total cross sections and the reaction rate of p7Ве capture are calculated in the temperature range from 0.01·Т9 to 5·Т9.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DNA Binding and Phosphorylation Regulate the Core Structure of the NF-κB p50 Transcription Factor

The NF-κB transcription factors are known to be extensively phosphorylated, with dynamic site-specific modification regulating their ability to dimerize and interact with DNA. p50, the proteolytic product of p105 (NF-κB1), forms homodimers that bind DNA but lack intrinsic transactivation function, functioning as repressors of transcription from κB promoters. Here, we examine the roles of specific phosphorylation events catalysed by either protein kinase A (PKA{sub c}) or Chk1, in regulating the functions of p50 homodimers. LC-MS/MS analysis of proteolysed p50 following in vitro phosphorylation allows us to define Ser328 and Ser337 as PKA{sub c}- and Chk1-mediated modifications, and pinpoint an additional four Chk1 phosphosites: Ser65, Thr152, Ser242 and Ser248. Native mass spectrometry (MS) reveals Chk1- and PKA{sub c}-regulated disruption of p50 homodimer formation through Ser337. Additionally, we characterise the Chk1-mediated phosphosite, Ser242, as a regulator of DNA binding, with a S242D p50 phosphomimetic exhibiting a > 10-fold reduction in DNA binding affinity. Conformational dynamics of phosphomimetic p50 variants, including S242D, are further explored using ion-mobility MS (IM-MS). Finally, comparative theoretical modelling with experimentally observed p50 conformers, in the absence and presence of DNA, reveals that the p50 homodimer undergoes conformational contraction during electrospray ionisation that is stabilised by complex formation with κB DNA. .

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Factorizations of hyperpower family of iterative methods via least squares approach

A new method for finding proper factorizations of the hyperpower family of iterative methods for computing generalized inverses is proposed. The method is based on numerical optimization of an appropriate least squares problem. An iterative method in a non-normalized form for finding the generalized outer inverses with prescribed range and null space of any given complex matrix is proposed and considered. Computational complexity and convergence of the method are studied. Several numerical experiments are also presented.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Predicting transport of intra-articularly injected growth factor fusion proteins into human knee joint cartilage

There are no drugs or treatment methods known to prevent the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a type of osteoarthritis (OA) that is triggered by traumatic joint injuries and accounts for ~12% of the nearly 600 million OA cases worldwide. Lack of effective drug delivery techniques remains a major challenge in developing clinically effective treatments, but cationic delivery carriers can help overcome this challenge. Scaling up treatments that are effective in in vitro models to achieve success in preclinical in vivo models and clinical trials is also a challenging problem in the field. Here we use a cationic green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a carrier to deliver Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), a drug considered as a potential therapeutic for PTOA. GFP-IGF-1 conjugates were first synthesized as fusion proteins with different polypeptide linkers, and their transport properties were characterized in human cartilage explants. In vitro experimental data were used to develop a predictive mathematical transport model that was validated using an independent in vitro experimental data set. In this study, the model was used to predict the transport of these fusion proteins upon intra-articular injection into human knee joints. The predictions included results for the rate and extent of fusion protein penetration into cartilage, and the maximum levels of fusion proteins that would escape into systemic circulation through the joint capsule. Together, our transport measurements and model set the stage for translation of such explant culture studies to in vivo preclinical studies and potentially clinical application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hyperfine structures and Landé g{sub J}-factors for n=2 states in beryllium-, boron-, carbon-, and nitrogen-like ions from relativistic configuration interaction calculations

Energy levels, hyperfine interaction constants, and Landé g{sub J}-factors are reported for n=2 states in beryllium-, boron-, carbon-, and nitrogen-like ions from relativistic configuration interaction calculations. Valence, core–valence, and core–core correlation effects are taken into account through single and double-excitations from multireference expansions to increasing sets of active orbitals. A systematic comparison of the calculated hyperfine interaction constants is made with values from the available literature.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Multiconfiguration Dirac–Hartree–Fock energy levels, weighted oscillator strengths, transitions probabilities, lifetimes, hyperfine constants, Landé g-factors and isotope shifts of Xe LIII

Energy levels, weighted oscillator strengths and transition probabilities, lifetimes, hyperfine interaction constants, Landé g{sub J} factors and isotope shifts are calculated for all levels of 1s{sup 2} and 1snl (n=2−7) configurations of He-like xenon ion (Xe LIII). Multiconfigurational Dirac–Hartree–Fock (MCDHF) method is adopted for calculating these spectroscopic data. Comparisons are made with similar data obtained with FAC (Flexible Atomic Code) to assess the accuracy of the results. Transition probabilities are reported for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions from the ground level. Breit interactions and quantum electrodynamics effects are estimated in extensive Relativistic Configuration Interaction (RCI) calculations. Comparisons were made with the available data in the literature and good agreement was found which confirms the reliability of our results. The accuracy of the present calculations is high enough to facilitate identification of many observed spectral lines. Almost all atomic data of He-like xenon ion presented in this paper are calculated for the first time.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A unified approach to quantum and classical TTW systems based on factorizations

A unifying method based on factorization properties is introduced for finding symmetries of quantum and classical superintegrable systems using the example of the Tremblay–Turbiner–Winternitz (TTW) model. It is shown that the symmetries of the quantum system can be implemented in a natural way to its classical version. Besides, by this procedure we get also other type of constants of motion depending explicitly on time that allow to find directly the motion of the system whose corresponding trajectories coincide with those obtained previously by using its symmetries. -- Highlights: ► A unified method is given to find symmetries of classical and quantum systems. ► Ladder–shift operators and functions have analog expressions and relations. ► This method is applied to the TTW system to obtain its symmetries. ► For the classical cases a set of time dependent constants of motion are obtained. ► They allow us to find directly the motion and trajectories.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Factorization method and new potentials from the inverted oscillator

In this article we will apply the first- and second-order supersymmetric quantum mechanics to obtain new exactly-solvable real potentials departing from the inverted oscillator potential. This system has some special properties; in particular, only very specific second-order transformations produce non-singular real potentials. It will be shown that these transformations turn out to be the so-called complex ones. Moreover, we will study the factorization method applied to the inverted oscillator and the algebraic structure of the new Hamiltonians. -- Highlights: •We apply supersymmetric quantum mechanics to the inverted oscillator potential. •The complex second-order transformations allow us to build new non-singular potentials. •The algebraic structure of the initial and final potentials is analyzed. •The initial potential is described by a complex-deformed Heisenberg–Weyl algebra. •The final potentials are described by polynomial Heisenberg algebras.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Factorized three-body S-matrix restrained by the Yang–Baxter equation and quantum entanglements

This paper investigates the physical effects of the Yang–Baxter equation (YBE) to quantum entanglements through the 3-body S-matrix in entangling parameter space. The explicit form of 3-body S-matrix Ř{sub 123}(θ,φ) based on the 2-body S-matrices is given due to the factorization condition of YBE. The corresponding chain Hamiltonian has been obtained and diagonalized, also the Berry phase for 3-body system is given. It turns out that by choosing different spectral parameters the Ř(θ,φ)-matrix gives GHZ and W states respectively. The extended 1-D Kitaev toy model has been derived. Examples of the role of the model in entanglement transfer are discussed. - Highlights: • We give the relation between 3-body S-matrix and 3-qubit entanglement. • The relation between 3-qubit and 2-qubit entanglements is investigated via YBE. • 1D Kitaev toy model is derived by the Type-II solution of YBE. • The condition of YBE kills the “Zero boundary mode” in our chain model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Pluripotency transcription factor Sox2 is strongly adsorbed by heparin but requires a protein transduction domain for cell internalization

Highlights: ► Both R9Sox2 and Sox2 bind heparin with comparable affinity. ► Both R9Sox2 and Sox2 bind to fibroblasts, but only R9Sox2 is internalized. ► Internalization efficiency of R9Sox2 is 0.3% of the administered protein. ► Heparan sulfate adsorption may be part of a mechanism for managing cell death. -- Abstract: The binding of protein transduction domain (PTD)-conjugated proteins to heparan sulfate is an important step in cellular internalization of macromolecules. Here, we studied the pluripotency transcription factor Sox2, with or without the nonaarginine (R9) PTD. Unexpectedly, we observed that Sox2 is strongly adsorbed by heparin and by the fibroblasts without the R9 PTD. However, only the R9Sox2 fusion protein is internalized by the cells. These results collectively show that binding to heparan sulfate is not sufficient for cellular uptake, thereby supporting a recent hypothesis that other proteins play a role in cell internalization of PTD-conjugated proteins.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

UAP56 is an important mediator of Angiotensin II/platelet derived growth factor induced vascular smooth muscle cell DNA synthesis and proliferation

Highlights: ► Knockdown of UAP56 inhibits Angiotensin II/PDGF induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. ► UAP56 is a positive regulator of E2F transcriptional activation. ► UAP56 is present in the vessel wall of low flow carotid arteries. -- Abstract: Angiotensin (Ang) II and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are important mediators of pathologic vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Identifying downstream mediators of Ang II and PDGF signaling may provide insights for therapies to improve vascular proliferative diseases. We have previously demonstrated that breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) is an important mediator of Ang II/PDGF signaling in VSMC. We have recently reported that the DExD/H box protein UAP56 is an interacting partner of Bcr in regulating VSMC DNA synthesis. We hypothesized that UAP56 itself is an important regulator of VSMC proliferation. In this report we demonstrate that knockdown of UAP56 inhibits Ang II/PDGF induced VSMC DNA synthesis and proliferation, and inhibits E2F transcriptional activity. In addition, we demonstrate that UAP56 is present in the vessel wall of low-flow carotid arteries. These findings suggest that UAP56 is a regulator of VSMC proliferation and identify UAP56 as a target for preventing vascular proliferative disease.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Vascular endothelial growth factor signaling regulates the segregation of artery and vein via ERK activity during vascular development

Highlights: ► VEGF-A signaling regulates the segregation of axial vessels. ► VEGF-A signaling is mediated by PKC and ERK in this process. ► Ectopic activation of ERK is sufficient to rescue defects in vessel segregation. -- Abstract: Segregation of two axial vessels, the dorsal aorta and caudal vein, is one of the earliest patterning events occur during development of vasculature. Despite the importance of this process and recent advances in our understanding on vascular patterning during development, molecular mechanisms that coordinate the segregation of axial vessels remain largely elusive. In this report, we find that vascular endothelial growth factor-A (Vegf-A) signaling regulates the segregation of dorsal aorta and axial vein during development. Inhibition of Vegf-A pathway components including ligand Vegf-A and its cognate receptor Kdrl, caused failure in segregation of axial vessels in zebrafish embryos. Similarly, chemical inhibition of Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (Map2k1)/Extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (Erk) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3 K), which are downstream effectors of Vegf-A signaling pathway, led to the fusion of two axial vessels. Moreover, we find that restoring Erk activity by over-expression of constitutively active MEK in embryos with a reduced level of Vegf-A signaling can rescue the defects in axial vessel segregation. Taken together, our data show that segregation of axial vessels requires the function of Vegf-A signaling, and Erk may function as the major downstream effector in this process.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Direct interaction between surface β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibits EGFR activation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Highlights: •β1,4GT1 interacts with EGFR both in vitro and in vivo. •β1,4GT1 co-localizes with EGFR on the cell surface. •β1,4GT1 inhibits {sup 125}I-EGF binding to EGFR. •β1,4GT1 inhibits EGF induced EGFR dimerization and phosphorylation. -- Abstract: Our previous studies showed that cell surface β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (β1,4GT1) negatively regulated cell survival through inhibition and modulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SMMC-7721 cells. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we demonstrated that β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (β1,4GT1) interacted with EGFR in vitro by GST pull-down analysis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that β1,4GT1 bound to EGFR in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation and determined the co-localization of β1,4GT1 and EGFR on the cell surface via confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis. Finally, using {sup 125}I-EGF binding experiments and Western blot analysis, we found that overexpression of β1,4GT1 inhibited {sup 125}I-EGF binding to EGFR, and consequently reduced the levels of EGFR dimerization and phosphorylation. In contrast, RNAi-mediated knockdown of β1,4GT1 increased the levels of EGFR dimerization and phosphorylation. These data suggest that cell surface β1,4GT1 interacts with EGFR and inhibits EGFR activation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗