Ultrastructural studies of the mitochondriae in the striated muscles of birds with regard to experimental hypokinesis

Electron microscopic studies were carried out on the mitochrondria of the transversely striated muscles with regard to experimental hypokinesia. As compared to the central group the mitochondria of m. pectoralis thoracicus and the m. iliotibialis posterior in hypokinetic birds reveal marked changes. In filamentous and ovoid mitochondria, vacuoles can be observed which in some cases produced larger light formations with following disappearance of the cristae and destruction of mitochondria. Fat particles located at the poles of the altered mitochondria, sporadically occurring also laterally, presented another finding. The Z-lines of the sarcomere did not form a continuous line, but were somewhat shifted

Electron microscopical and histochemical studies on the transverse striated muscles of birds after prolonged hypokinesis

Studies of the gastrocnemius muscle were carried out in 4 month old cockerels of the laying hybrid after hypokinesis lasting 15 and 30 days. It was found that restricted movement resulted in dystrophic changes of myotibrils, enlargement of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and oedem of interfibrillar spaces. Histochemical studies revealed focuses of increased activity of non-specific esterase, decreased activity of dehydrogenase of lactic acid and a positive reaction of acid phosphatase

Three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of void coalescence during dynamic fracture of ductile metals

Void coalescence and interaction in dynamic fracture of ductile metals have been investigated using three-dimensional strain-controlled multi-million atom molecular dynamics simulations of copper. The correlated growth of two voids during the coalescence process leading to fracture is investigated, both in terms of its onset and the ensuing dynamical interactions. Void interactions are quantified through the rate of reduction of the distance between the voids, through the correlated directional growth of the voids, and through correlated shape evolution of the voids. The critical inter-void ligament distance marking the onset of coalescence is shown to be approximately one void radius based on the quantification measurements used, independent of the initial separation distance between the voids and the strain-rate of the expansion of the system. The interaction of the voids is not reflected in the volumetric asymptotic growth rate of the voids, as demonstrated here. Finally, the practice of using a single void and periodic boundary conditions to study coalescence is examined critically and shown to produce results markedly different than the coalescence of a pair of isolated voids.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Molecular dynamics simulation of high strain-rate void nucleation and growth in copper

Isotropic tension is simulated in nanoscale polycrystalline copper with 10 nm grain size using large-scale molecular dynamics. The nanocrystalline copper is fabricated on the computer by growing randomly oriented grains from seed sites in simulations cell. Constant volume strain rates of 10-8 to 10-10 are considered for systems ranging from 10-5 to 10-6 atoms using EAM interatomic potential for copper. The spacing between voids for room temperature single crystal simulations is found to scale approximately as l{approximately}0. 005 Cs/gamma, where Cs is the sound speed and gamma is the strain rate. Below strain rates of about 10-9, only one void is observed to nucleate and grow in the 10 nm polycrystalline simulation cell. The growth of small voids is simulated by cutting a void out of the simulation cell and repeating the isotropic expansion

Molecular dynamics modeling of ultrathin amorphous carbon films

Amorphous carbon films about 20 mn thick are used by the computer industry as protective coatings on magnetic disks. The structure and function of this family of materials at the atomic level is poorly understood. The growth and properties of a:C and a:CH films 1 to 5 nm thick has been simulated using classical molecular dynamics and a bond-order potential with torsional terms. Studies of quenched melts that verify the ability of this potential to reproduce known features of extended structures of carbon in two and three dimensions are briefly described. In molecular dynamics calculations the incident species were neutral atoms C, or C and H with energies up to 100 eV. The stoichiometry, chemical bonding and distribution functions within the films were analyzed using IBM`s Power Visualization System for different incident gas energies. Microscopic features such as multiple ring structures, including planar graphitic structures, were easily identified. Some preliminary studies of the nanotribology of the a:C films are described, including nano-indentation and sliding in contact with a rigid probe

Effect of stress-triaxiality on void growth in dynamic fracture of metals: a molecular dynamics study

The effect of stress-triaxiality on growth of a void in a three dimensional single-crystal face-centered-cubic (FCC) lattice has been studied. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using an embedded-atom (EAM) potential for copper have been performed at room temperature and using strain controlling with high strain rates ranging from 10^7/sec to 10^10/sec. Strain-rates of these magnitudes can be studied experimentally, e.g. using shock waves induced by laser ablation. Void growth has been simulated in three different conditions, namely uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial expansion. The response of the system in the three cases have been compared in terms of the void growth rate, the detailed void shape evolution, and the stress-strain behavior including the development of plastic strain. Also macroscopic observables as plastic work and porosity have been computed from the atomistic level. The stress thresholds for void growth are found to be comparable with spall strength values determined by dynamic fracture experiments. The conventional macroscopic assumption that the mean plastic strain results from the growth of the void is validated. The evolution of the system in the uniaxial case is found to exhibit four different regimes: elastic expansion; plastic yielding, when the mean stress is nearly constant, but the stress-triaxiality increases rapidly together with exponential growth of the void; saturation of the stress-triaxiality; and finally the failure.Comment: 35 figures, which are small (and blurry) due to the space limitations; submitted (with original figures) to Physical Review B. Final versio

Simulation of Mechanical Deformation and Tribology of Nano-Thin Amorphous Hydrogenated Carbon (a:Ch) Films Using Molecular Dynamics

Molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to study the effect of substrate temperature on microstructure of deposited amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a:CH) films. A transition from dense diamond- like films to porous graphite-like films is observed between substrate temperatures of 400 and 600 K for a deposition energy of 20 eV. The dense a:CH film grown at 300 K and 20 eV has a hardness ({similar_to}50 GPa) about half that of a pure carbon (a:C) film grown under the same conditions

The Sedimentological Significance and Stratigraphic Position of Coarse-Grained Red Beds (?Oligocene) of the Northwestern Margin of Mt. Pozeska Gora (North Croatia)

Coarse-grained clastic sediments of rhyolitic-granitic composition which are associated with the magmatic complex of Mt. Pozeska Gora were previously designated as granites. They are deposited in a continental environment or, more precisely, in an alluvial fan or proximal parts of a braided river system, or in rapid mountain streams during a strong rainfalls. According to their spatial relationship with respect to surrounding Upper Cretaceous granites and rhyolites and Ottnangian sediments; and considering the facies characteristics, we assume that these sediments belong to the Oligocene

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Mechanical Deformation of Ultra-Thin Amorphous Carbon Films

Amorphous carbon films approximately 20nm thick are used throughout the computer industry as protective coatings on magnetic storage disks. The structure and function of this family of materials at the atomic level is poorly understood. Recently. we simulated the growth of a:C and a:CH films 1 to 5 nm thick using Brenner`s bond-order potential model with added torsional energy terms. The microstructure shows a propensity towards graphitic structures at low deposition energy (20eV). In this paper we present simulations of the evolution of this microstructure for the dense 20eV films during a simulated indentation by a hard diamond tip. We also simulate sliding, the tip across the surface to study dynamical processes like friction, energy transport and microstructure evolution during sliding