300 research outputs found
Crossover of the weighted mean fragment mass scaling in 2D brittle fragmentation
We performed vertical and horizontal sandwich 2D brittle fragmentation
experiments. The weighted mean fragment mass was scaled using the multiplicity
. The scaling exponent crossed over at . In the
small regime, the binomial multiplicative (BM) model was
suitable and the fragment mass distribution obeyed log-normal form. However, in
the large regime, in which a clear power-law cumulative
fragment mass distribution was observed, it was impossible to describe the
scaling exponent using the BM model. We also found that the scaling exponent of
the cumulative fragment mass distribution depended on the manner of impact
(loading conditions): it was 0.5 in the vertical sandwich experiment, and
approximately 1.0 in the horizontal sandwich experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Diffusion-induced spontaneous pattern formation on gelation surfaces
Although the pattern formation on polymer gels has been considered as a
result of the mechanical instability due to the volume phase transition, we
found a macroscopic surface pattern formation not caused by the mechanical
instability. It develops on gelation surfaces, and we consider the
reaction-diffusion dynamics mainly induces a surface instability during
polymerization. Random and straight stripe patterns were observed, depending on
gelation conditions. We found the scaling relation between the characteristic
wavelength and the gelation time. This scaling is consistent with the
reaction-diffusion dynamics and would be a first step to reveal the gelation
pattern formation dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Avalanche statistics and time-resolved grain dynamics for a driven heap
We probe the dynamics of intermittent avalanches caused by steady addition of
grains to a quasi-two dimensional heap. To characterize the time-dependent
average avalanche flow speed v(t), we image the top free surface. To
characterize the grain fluctuation speed dv(t), we use Speckle-Visibility
Spectroscopy. During an avalanche, we find that the fluctuation speed is
approximately one-tenth the average flow speed, and that these speeds are
largest near the beginning of an event. We also find that the distribution of
event durations is peaked, and that event sizes are correlated with the time
interval since the end of the previous event. At high rates of grain addition,
where successive avalanches merge into smooth continuous flow, the relationship
between average and fluctuation speeds changes to dv Sqrt[v]
Asymptotic function for multi-growth surfaces using power-law noise
Numerical simulations are used to investigate the multiaffine exponent
and multi-growth exponent of ballistic deposition growth
for noise obeying a power-law distribution. The simulated values of
are compared with the asymptotic function that is
approximated from the power-law behavior of the distribution of height
differences over time. They are in good agreement for large . The simulated
is found in the range . This implies that large rare events tend to break the KPZ
universality scaling-law at higher order .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Classification of KPZQ and BDP models by multiaffine analysis
We argue differences between the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang with Quenched disorder
(KPZQ) and the Ballistic Deposition with Power-law noise (BDP) models, using
the multiaffine analysis method. The KPZQ and the BDP models show mono-affinity
and multiaffinity, respectively. This difference results from the different
distribution types of neighbor-height differences in growth paths. Exponential
and power-law distributions are observed in the KPZQ and the BDP, respectively.
In addition, we point out the difference of profiles directly, i.e., although
the surface profiles of both models and the growth path of the BDP model are
rough, the growth path of the KPZQ model is smooth.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Scaling of impact fragmentation near the critical point
We investigated two-dimensional brittle fragmentation with a flat impact
experimentally, focusing on the low impact energy region near the
fragmentation-critical point. We found that the universality class of
fragmentation transition disagreed with that of percolation. However, the
weighted mean mass of the fragments could be scaled using the pseudo-control
parameter multiplicity. The data for highly fragmented samples included a
cumulative fragment mass distribution that clearly obeyed a power-law. The
exponent of this power-law was 0.5 and it was independent of sample size. The
fragment mass distributions in this regime seemed to collapse into a unified
scaling function using weighted mean fragment mass scaling. We also examined
the behavior of higher order moments of the fragment mass distributions, and
obtained multi-scaling exponents that agreed with those of the simple biased
cascade model.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Surface Scaling Analysis of a Frustrated Spring-network Model for Surfactant-templated Hydrogels
We propose and study a simplified model for the surface and bulk structures
of crosslinked polymer gels, into which voids are introduced through templating
by surfactant micelles. Such systems were recently studied by Atomic Force
Microscopy [M. Chakrapani et al., e-print cond-mat/0112255]. The gel is
represented by a frustrated, triangular network of nodes connected by springs
of random equilibrium lengths. The nodes represent crosslinkers, and the
springs correspond to polymer chains. The boundaries are fixed at the bottom,
free at the top, and periodic in the lateral direction. Voids are introduced by
deleting a proportion of the nodes and their associated springs. The model is
numerically relaxed to a representative local energy minimum, resulting in an
inhomogeneous, ``clumpy'' bulk structure. The free top surface is defined at
evenly spaced points in the lateral (x) direction by the height of the topmost
spring, measured from the bottom layer, h(x). Its scaling properties are
studied by calculating the root-mean-square surface width and the generalized
increment correlation functions C_q(x)= . The surface is
found to have a nontrivial scaling behavior on small length scales, with a
crossover to scale-independent behavior on large scales. As the vacancy
concentration approaches the site-percolation limit, both the crossover length
and the saturation value of the surface width diverge in a manner that appears
to be proportional to the bulk connectivity length. This suggests that a
percolation transition in the bulk also drives a similar divergence observed in
surfactant templated polyacrylamide gels at high surfactant concentrations.Comment: 17 pages RevTex4, 10 imbedded eps figures. Expanded discussion of
multi-affinit
Comparative analysis of gene expression between cartilage and menisci in early-phase experimental osteoarthritis
Experimental and numerical investigation of the compression and expansion of a granular bed of repelling magnetic disks
peer reviewe
Reversible Keap1 inhibitors are preferential pharmacological tools to modulate cellular mitophagy
Mitophagy orchestrates the autophagic degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria preventing their pathological accumulation and contributing to cellular homeostasis. We previously identified a novel chemical tool (hereafter referred to as PMI), which drives mitochondria into autophagy without collapsing their membrane potential (ΔΨm). PMI is an inhibitor of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between the transcription factor Nrf2 and its negative regulator, Keap1 and is able to up-regulate the expression of autophagy-associated proteins, including p62/SQSTM1. Here we show that PMI promotes mitochondrial respiration, leading to a superoxide-dependent activation of mitophagy. Structurally distinct Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitors promote mitochondrial turnover, while covalent Keap1 modifiers, including sulforaphane (SFN) and dimethyl fumarate (DMF), are unable to induce a similar response. Additionally, we demonstrate that SFN reverses the effects of PMI in co-treated cells by reducing the accumulation of p62 in mitochondria and subsequently limiting their autophagic degradation. This study highlights the unique features of Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitors as inducers of mitophagy and their potential as pharmacological agents for the treatment of pathological conditions characterized by impaired mitochondrial quality control
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