Nonlinear elastic constitutive relations of residually stressed composites with stiff curved fibres

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - Mechanical models of residually stressed fibre-reinforced solids, which do not resist bending, have been developed in the literature. However, in some residually...     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FIBROBLAST DUROTAXIS MIGRATION INDUCED BY STIFFNESS GRADIENT OF SUBSTRATE1)

建立了一种细胞趋硬性迁移的理论模型和有限元分析框架,为连续变刚度人工基质的试验设计提供理论依据。考虑了细胞体的黏弹性属性,以及细胞与基质间的配受体动态反应过程,并以配受体合成时间为时间步长,将细胞运动方程化为静力学形式进行求解。对有限元过程提出一种动约束,便于消除其结构矩阵的奇异性。结果表明,模型能够模拟黏着斑内部力的快速波动现象,细胞的运动速度与观测数据一致,可有效模拟20,h以上的长时程问题。     

一类压缩型映射的不动点定理

在完备的度量空间中,讨论了一类新型的非线性压缩映射ρ(Tx,Ty)≤a(ρ(x,y))ρ(x,Tx)+b(ρ(x,y))ρ(y,Ty)+c(ρ(x,y))ρ(x,y)通过构造迭代序列,指出该映射的不动点的存在性和唯一性,并给出相应的误差估计式,拓展和改进了有关文献的范围.     

Rate sensitivity and deformation mechanism of semi-crystalline polymers during instrumented indentation

Instrumented indentation tests using both constant loading rate (CLR) and continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) operation modes were performed to investigate the deformation mechanism and their sensitivity to the deformation rate in semi-crystalline polymers through the quantitative analysis of load-depth loading and unloading curves. The strain rate was constant during the CSM tests, while the strain rate decreased with the increasing of loading time in CLR tests. The mechanical response mechanism of the semi-crystalline polymers to these tests was very complicated because of the combined effects of strain-hardening in the crystal phase and strain-softening in the amorphous phase. Results show that the loading index m reflects the strain-hardening or strain-softening response during indentation. When m > 2, the mechanical response was due to the strain-hardening, and when m < 2, the response was due to strain-softening. A method based on the measured contact hardness was proposed to obtain the unloading stiffness, and the other mechanical parameters could then be determined according to the unloading stiffness.     

Enhancing signal-to-noise ratio and resolution in low-field NMR relaxation measurements using post-acquisition digital filters

The traditional way to enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals is to increase the number of scans. However, this procedure increases the measuring time that can be prohibitive for some applications. Therefore, we have tested the use of several post-acquisition digital filters to enhance SNR up to one order of magnitude in time domain NMR (TD-NMR) relaxation measurements. The procedures were studied using continuous wave free precession (CWFP-T₁) signals, acquired with very low flip angles that contain six times more noise than the Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) signal of the same sample and experimental time. Linear (LI) and logarithmic (LO) data compression, low-pass infinity impulse response (LP), Savitzky–Golay (SG), and wavelet transform (WA) post-acquisition filters enhanced the SNR of the CWFP-T₁ signals by at least six times. The best filters were LO, SG, and WA that have high enhancement in SNR without significant distortions in the ILT relaxation distribution data. Therefore, it was demonstrated that these post-acquisition digital filters could be a useful way to denoise CWFP-T₁, as well as CPMG noisy signals, and consequently reducing the experimental time. It was also demonstrated that filtered CWFP-T₁ method has the potential to be a rapid and nondestructive method to measure fat content in beef and certainly in other meat samples.     

In vitro antioxidant/prooxidant effects of combined use of flavonoids

The present study was undertaken to investigate the individual and combined antioxidant or prooxidant effects of genistein, daidzein and quercetin in human erythrocytes and rat microsomes in vitro. Their reducing potential against oxidation of a redox sensitive fluorescent probe, their protective effect against H₂O₂-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and their inhibitory effect on AAPH-induced hemolysis were evaluated. Genistein and daidzein were prooxidant in erythrocytes but antioxidant in microsomes where their metabolites might have been formed which suggests the importance of metabolic capacity in in vitro models to predict the physiological situation. Quercetin showed antioxidant effects in all models and conditions. Prooxidant effect of ‘genistein–daidzein mixture’, at their concentrations reflecting the real life, was suppressed by addition of quercetin to the mixture. Our study shows that flavonoids can exert prooxidant effects depending on the conditions, but the mixture effect should be considered while assessing their effects and safety in humans.     

组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱偏压力学性能试验研究

设计了一种由槽钢和方形钢管拼焊形成的组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱,将其灵活地布置在框架结构的中节点,可使柱肢与填充墙等厚,有效地提高建筑使用面积。共制作了6根组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱试件,考虑了偏心距和长细比两种变化参数。通过对其进行偏心受压试验研究,考察了试件的破坏形态和荷载-挠度曲线,并分析了其在不同偏心距和长细比下的荷载-应变曲线发展规律。结果表明:组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱中钢管和槽钢对混凝土的约束作用强,表现为较高的延性系数;偏心距或长细比越大,试件的极限承载力及弹性刚度越小,且偏心距越大延性越好,长细比对延性影响不显著;在受拉侧纵向应变基本上符合平截面假定,在受压侧纵向应变不符合平截面假定。     

Synthesis and characterization of double hydrophilic block copolymers containing semi-rigid and flexible segments

3-Methyl-(E)-stilbene (3MSti) and 4-(diethylamino)-(E)-stilbene (DEASti) monomers are synthesized and polymerized separately with maleic anhydride (MAn) in a strictly alternating fashion using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization techniques. The optimal RAFT chain transfer agents (CTAs) for each copolymerization affect the reaction kinetics and CTA compatibilities. Psuedo-first order polymerization kinetics are demonstrated for the synthesis of poly((3-methyl-(E)-stilbene)-alt-maleic anhydride) (3MSti-alt-MAn) with a thiocarbonylthio CTA (methyl 2-(dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio)−2-methylpropionate, TTCMe). In contrast, a dithioester CTA (cumyl dithiobenzoate, CDB) controls the synthesis of poly((4-(diethylamino)-(E)-stilbene)-alt-maleic anhydride) (DEASti-alt-MAn) with pseudo-first order polymerization kinetics. DEASti-alt-MAn is chain extended with 4-acryloylmorpholine (ACMO) to synthesize diblock copolymers and subsequently converted to a double hydrophilic polyampholyte block copolymers (poly((4-(diethylamino)-(E)-stilbene)-alt-maleic acid))-b-acryloylmorpholine) (DEASti-alt-MA)-b-ACMO) via acid hydrolysis. The isoelectric point and dissociation behavior of these maleic acid-containing copolymers are determined using ζ-potential and acid–base titrations, respectively. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 219–227     

Stress memory polymers

Like shape memory polymers, a novel phenomenon of stress memory was shown in which the stress of a material can respond to an external stimulus. This concept was further enlightened by a switch‐spring‐frame model that would eliminate the limitation of existing models which overlooked the stimulus responsive nature of such polymers. The discovery being reported in this article was stemmed from a real case study into shape memory polymer fibers in compression stocking for varicose veins. The breakthrough of stress memory enabled researchers to develop applications needing stimuli‐responsive forces, which can broaden the horizon of such smart polymers in emerging smart products in many multidisciplinary fields such as sensors, stress garments, and massage devices, electronic skins, and artificial muscles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 893–898     

Highly Axial Magnetic Anisotropy in a N3O5 Dysprosium(III) Coordination Environment Generated by a Merocyanine Ligand

A spiropyran‐based switchable ligand isomerizes upon reaction with lanthanide(III) precursors to generate complexes with an unusual N₃O₅ coordination sphere. The air‐stable dysprosium(III) complex shows a hysteresis loop at 2 K and a very strong axial magnetic anisotropy generated by the merocyanine phenolate donor.