A modified Holzapfel-Ogden law for a residually stressed finite strain model of the human left ventricle in diastole

In this work, we introduce a modified Holzapfel-Ogden hyperelastic constitutive model for ventricular myocardium that accounts for residual stresses, and we investigate the effects of residual stresses in diastole using a magnetic resonance imaging–derived model of the human left ventricle (LV). We adopt an invariant-based constitutive modelling approach and treat the left ventricular myocardium as a non-homogeneous, fibre-reinforced, incompressible material. Because in vivo images provide the configuration of the LV in a loaded state even in diastole, an inverse analysis is used to determine the corresponding unloaded reference configuration. The residual stress in this unloaded state is estimated by two different methods. One is based on three-dimensional strain measurements in a local region of the canine LV, and the other uses the opening angle method for a cylindrical tube. We find that including residual stress in the model changes the stress distributions across the myocardium and that whereas both methods yield qualitatively similar changes, there are quantitative differences between the two approaches. Although the effects of residual stresses are relatively small in diastole, the model can be extended to explore the full impact of residual stress on LV mechanical behaviour for the whole cardiac cycle as more experimental data become available. In addition, although not considered here, residual stresses may also play a larger role in models that account for tissue growth and remodelling

Immersed boundary-finite element model of fluid-structure interaction in the aortic root

It has long been recognized that aortic root elasticity helps to ensure efficient aortic valve closure, but our understanding of the functional importance of the elasticity and geometry of the aortic root continues to evolve as increasingly detailed in vivo imaging data become available. Herein, we describe fluid-structure interaction models of the aortic root, including the aortic valve leaflets, the sinuses of Valsalva, the aortic annulus, and the sinotubular junction, that employ a version of Peskin's immersed boundary (IB) method with a finite element (FE) description of the structural elasticity. We develop both an idealized model of the root with three-fold symmetry of the aortic sinuses and valve leaflets, and a more realistic model that accounts for the differences in the sizes of the left, right, and noncoronary sinuses and corresponding valve cusps. As in earlier work, we use fiber-based models of the valve leaflets, but this study extends earlier IB models of the aortic root by employing incompressible hyperelastic models of the mechanics of the sinuses and ascending aorta using a constitutive law fit to experimental data from human aortic root tissue. In vivo pressure loading is accounted for by a backwards displacement method that determines the unloaded configurations of the root models. Our models yield realistic cardiac output at physiological pressures, with low transvalvular pressure differences during forward flow, minimal regurgitation during valve closure, and realistic pressure loads when the valve is closed during diastole. Further, results from high-resolution computations demonstrate that IB models of the aortic valve are able to produce essentially grid-converged dynamics at practical grid spacings for the high-Reynolds number flows of the aortic root

On the chordae structure and dynamic behaviour of the mitral valve

We develop a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model of the mitral valve (MV) that uses an anatomically and physiologically realistic description of the MV leaflets and chordae tendineae. Three different chordae models — complex, “pseudo-fibre”, and simplified chordae — are compared to determine how different chordae representations affect the dynamics of the MV. The leaflets and chordae are modelled as fibre-reinforced hyperelastic materials, and FSI is modelled using an immersed boundary-finite element (IB/FE) method. The MV model is first verified under static boundary conditions against the commercial FE software ABAQUS, and then used to simulate MV dynamics under physiological pressure conditions. Interesting flow patterns and vortex formulation are observed in all three cases. To quantify the highly complex system behaviour resulting from FSI, an energy budget analysis of the coupled MV FSI model is performed. Results show that the complex and pseudo-fibre chordae models yield good valve closure during systole, but that the simplified chordae model leads to poorer leaflet coaptation and an unrealistic bulge in the anterior leaflet belly. An energy budget analysis shows that the MV models with complex and pseudo-fibre chordae have similar energy distribution patterns, but the MV model with the simplified chordae consumes more energy, especially during valve closing and opening. We find that the complex chordae and pseudo-fibre chordae have similar impact on the overall MV function, but that the simplified chordae representation is less accurate. Because a pseudo-fibre chordal structure is easier to construct and less computationally intensive, it may be a good candidate for modelling MV dynamics or interaction between the MV and heart in patient-specific applications

Fracture Toughness of Composite and Unfilled Restorative Resins

Fracture toughness, critical strain energy release rate, and critical stress intensity factor were determined for experimental and commercial restorative resins. A composite resin had lower resistance to arack initiation than an unfilled acrylic resin. The data were consistent with surface failure observed in single-pass wear studies of these resins.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66920/2/10.1177_00220345770560070801.pd

Improved Understanding of Atomic Ordering in Y4SixAl2- xO9- xNxMaterials Using a Combined Solid-State NMR and Computational Approach

Ceramics based around silicon aluminum oxynitrides are of both fundamental structural chemistry and technological interest. Certain oxynitride crystal structures allow very significant compositional variation through extensive Si/N exchange for Al/O, which implies a degree of atomic ordering. In this study, solid-state 29Si MAS NMR and variable field 1D and 2D 27Al MAS NMR measurements are combined with density functional theory calculations of both the structural and NMR interaction parameters for various points across the Y4Si2O7N2-Y4Al2O9 compositional range. This series provides numerous possibilities for significant variation of atomic ordering in the local ditetrahedral (Si,Al)2O7-xNx units. The two slightly structurally inequivalent aluminum sites in Y4Al2O9 are unambiguously assigned to the observed resonances. Computational findings on Y4Si2O7N2 demonstrate that the single observed 29Si NMR resonance covers a range of local inequivalent silicon environments. For the first time, the MAS NMR and neutron diffraction data from the Y4SiAlO8N structure have been directly reconciled, thus establishing aspects of atomic order and disorder that characterize this system. This comparison suggests that, although the diffraction data indicates long-range structural order supporting a highly crystalline character, the short-range information afforded by the solid-state NMR measurements indicates significant atomic disorder throughout the (Si,Al)2O7-xNx units

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC-2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: A generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society

Narrowband Searches for Continuous and Long-duration Transient Gravitational Waves from Known Pulsars in the LIGO-Virgo Third Observing Run

Isolated neutron stars that are asymmetric with respect to their spin axis are possible sources of detectable continuous gravitational waves. This paper presents a fully coherent search for such signals from eighteen pulsars in data from LIGO and Virgo's third observing run (O3). For known pulsars, efficient and sensitive matched-filter searches can be carried out if one assumes the gravitational radiation is phase-locked to the electromagnetic emission. In the search presented here, we relax this assumption and allow both the frequency and the time derivative of the frequency of the gravitational waves to vary in a small range around those inferred from electromagnetic observations. We find no evidence for continuous gravitational waves, and set upper limits on the strain amplitude for each target. These limits are more constraining for seven of the targets than the spin-down limit defined by ascribing all rotational energy loss to gravitational radiation. In an additional search, we look in O3 data for long-duration (hours-months) transient gravitational waves in the aftermath of pulsar glitches for six targets with a total of nine glitches. We report two marginal outliers from this search, but find no clear evidence for such emission either. The resulting duration-dependent strain upper limits do not surpass indirect energy constraints for any of these targets. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead