58,362 research outputs found
Multiscale approaches to protein-mediated interactions between membranes - Relating microscopic and macroscopic dynamics in radially growing adhesions
Macromolecular complexation leading to coupling of two or more cellular
membranes is a crucial step in a number of biological functions of the cell.
While other mechanisms may also play a role, adhesion always involves the
fluctuations of deformable membranes, the diffusion of proteins and the
molecular binding and unbinding. Because these stochastic processes couple over
a multitude of time and length scales, theoretical modeling of membrane
adhesion has been a major challenge. Here we present an effective Monte Carlo
scheme within which the effects of the membrane are integrated into local rates
for molecular recognition. The latter step in the Monte Carlo approach enables
us to simulate the nucleation and growth of adhesion domains within a system of
the size of a cell for tens of seconds without loss of accuracy, as shown by
comparison to times more expensive Langevin simulations. To perform this
validation, the Langevin approach was augmented to simulate diffusion of
proteins explicitly, together with reaction kinetics and membrane dynamics. We
use the Monte Carlo scheme to gain deeper insight to the experimentally
observed radial growth of micron sized adhesion domains, and connect the
effective rate with which the domain is growing to the underlying microscopic
events. We thus demonstrate that our technique yields detailed information
about protein transport and complexation in membranes, which is a fundamental
step toward understanding even more complex membrane interactions in the
cellular context
An Integrated Design and Simulation Environment for Rapid Prototyping of Laminate Robotic Mechanisms
Laminate mechanisms are a reliable concept in producing lowcost robots for
educational and commercial purposes. These mechanisms are produced using
low-cost manufacturing techniques which have improved significantly during
recent years and are more accessible to novices and hobbyists. However,
iterating through the design space to come up with the best design for a robot
is still a time consuming and rather expensive task and therefore, there is
still a need for model-based analysis before manufacturing. Until now, there
has been no integrated design and analysis software for laminate robots. This
paper addresses some of the issues surrounding laminate analysis by introducing
a companion to an existing laminate design tool that automates the generation
of dynamic equations and produces simulation results via rendered plots and
videos. We have validated the accuracy of the software by comparing the
position, velocity and acceleration of the simulated mechanisms with the
measurements taken from physical laminate prototypes using a motion capture
system
Experimental validation of docking and capture using space robotics testbeds
This presentation describes the application of robotic and computer vision systems to validate docking and capture operations for space cargo transfer vehicles. Three applications are discussed: (1) air bearing systems in two dimensions that yield high quality free-flying, flexible, and contact dynamics; (2) validation of docking mechanisms with misalignment and target dynamics; and (3) computer vision technology for target location and real-time tracking. All the testbeds are supported by a network of engineering workstations for dynamic and controls analyses. Dynamic simulation of multibody rigid and elastic systems are performed with the TREETOPS code. MATRIXx/System-Build and PRO-MATLAB/Simulab are the tools for control design and analysis using classical and modern techniques such as H-infinity and LQG/LTR. SANDY is a general design tool to optimize numerically a multivariable robust compensator with a user-defined structure. Mathematica and Macsyma are used to derive symbolically dynamic and kinematic equations
Designing experiments using digital fabrication in structural dynamics
In engineering, traditional approaches aimed at teaching concepts of dynamics to engineering students include the study of a dense yet sequential theoretical development of proofs and exercises. Structural dynamics are seldom taught experimentally in laboratories since these facilities should be provided with expensive equipment such as wave generators, data-acquisition systems, and heavily wired deployments with sensors. In this paper, the design of an experimental experience in the classroom based upon digital fabrication and modeling tools related to structural dynamics is presented. In particular, all experimental deployments are conceived with low-cost, open-source equipment. The hardware includes Arduino-based open-source electronics whereas the software is based upon object-oriented open-source codes for the development of physical simulations. The set of experiments and the physical simulations are reproducible and scalable in classroom-based environments.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Hysteretic behavior of a belt tensioner: modeling and experimental investigation
In this paper we describe the modeling of the hysteretic behavior of belt tensioners. An initial experimental device is composed only of the tensioner by using forcing frequencies, preloads and deflection amplitudes. It permits the identification of the parameters of the restoring force model used. Comparison of the measured and predicted force deflection loops of the tensioner subjected to large deflections permits preliminary validation of the model.The second experimental device consists of a belt-tensioner system. Its non-linear modeling includes the above hysteretic model and the belt’s longitudinal characteristics. Validation of the belt-tensioner model is completed by comparing the measured and predicted belt tension. Finally, it is shown by using a parametric investigation and phase-plane portrait that the response of the belt-tensioner system increases with the frequency and the amplitude of the excitation
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