Platonic crystal with low-frequency locally resonant snail structures. Wave trapping, transmission amplification and shielding

We propose a new type of platonic crystal. The proposed microstructured plate includes snail resonators with low-frequency resonant vibrations. The particular dynamic effect of the resonators are highlighted by a comparative analysis of dispersion properties of homo- geneous and perforated plates. Analytical and numerical estimates of classes of standing waves are given and the analysis on a macrocell shows the possibility to obtain localization, wave trapping and edge waves. Applications include transmission amplification within two plates separated by a small ligament. Finally we proposed a design procedure to suppress low frequency flexural vibration in an elongated plate implementing a by-pass system re- routing waves within the mechanical system.Comment: 11 figures (20 files

Hierarchical auxetic and isotropic porous medium with extremely negative Poisson's ratio

We propose a novel two-dimensional hierarchical auxetic structure consisting of a porous medium in which a homogeneous matrix includes a rank-two set of cuts characterised by different scales. The six-fold symmetry of the perforations makes the medium isotropic in the plane. Remarkably, the mesoscale interaction between the first- and second-level cuts enables the attainment of a value of the Poisson’s ratio close to the minimum reachable limit of -1. The effective properties of the hierarchical auxetic structure are determined numerically, considering both a unit cell with periodic boundary conditions and a finite structure containing a large number of repeating cells. Further, results of the numerical study are validated experimentally on a polymeric specimen with appropriately arranged rank-two cuts, tested under uniaxial tension. We envisage that the proposed hierarchical design can be useful in numerous engineering applications exploiting an extreme auxetic effect

Hierarchical auxetic and isotropic porous medium with extremely negative Poisson's ratio

We propose a novel two-dimensional hierarchical auxetic structure consisting of a porous medium in which a homogeneous matrix includes a rank-two set of cuts characterised by different scales. The six-fold symmetry of the perforations makes the medium isotropic in the plane. Remarkably, the mesoscale interaction between the first- and second-level cuts enables the attainment of a value of the Poisson's ratio close to the minimum reachable limit of -1. The effective properties of the hierarchical auxetic structure are determined numerically, considering both a unit cell with periodic boundary conditions and a finite structure containing a large number of repeating cells. Further, results of the numerical study are validated experimentally on a polymeric specimen with appropriately arranged rank-two cuts, tested under uniaxial tension. We envisage that the proposed hierarchical design can be useful in numerous engineering applications exploiting an extreme auxetic effect

The Relationship between Serum Zinc Level and Liver Elastrography Using Fibroscan in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Zinc is one of the essential elements for many vital functions of the body, including regulation of gene expression, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, protein and nucleic acids metabolism. Since, many people develop advanced liver disease, including liver cirrhosis, they have zinc deficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between liver stiffness and serum zinc levels in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Patients referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz in 1395. Serum zinc levels and liver Stiffness (based on METAVIR scale) were measured by fibroscan, and Age, sex, serum zinc level and liver fibroscan were recorded. Serum zinc level at different ages and scores of Liver stiffness was compared and analyzed. FINDINGS: This study was conducted on 40 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The number of men was 26 patients (65%). Mean age of patients was 45.077±9.4 years, mean serum zinc level was 81.4±8.1 and mean liver stiffness was 6.5±2.1 kPa. Serum zinc level had a reverse and strong correlation with liver stiffness (p=0.0001, r=0.9). Also, with age increasing, liver stiffness increased (p=0.01, r=0.5) and serum zinc level decreased (p=0.01, r=0.5). CONCLUSION: According to findings of the present study, the serum zinc level significantly decreased with fibrosis progression in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver

Hierarchical large-scale elastic metamaterials for passive seismic wave mitigation

Large scale elastic metamaterials have recently attracted increasing interest in the scientific community for their potential as passive isolation structures for seismic waves. In particular, so-called "seismic shields"have been proposed for the protection of large areas where other isolation strategies (e.g. dampers) are not workable solutions. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of an innovative design based on hierarchical design of the unit cell, i.e. a structure with a self-similar geometry repeated at different scales. Results show how the introduction of hierarchy allows the conception of unit cells exhibiting reduced size with respect to the wavelength while maintaining the same or improved isolation efficiency at frequencies of interest for earthquake engineering. This allows to move closer to the practical realization of such seismic shields, where low-frequency operation and acceptable size are both essential characteristics for feasibility

Tunable topologically protected waveguiding in auxetic nonlinear metamaterials

In this paper, we discuss the possibility of achieving tunable topologically protected edge modes through the application of uniaxial prestrain in an auxetic metamaterial. The proposed structure consists of a thin slab with oriented cuts in a hexagonal lattice, where topologically protected band gaps are opened by introducing a controlled variation in selected cut lengths. Numerical simulations demonstrate the existence of topologically protected and scatter-free wave propagation in the structure at the interface between two subdomains with modified cells, in distinct frequency ranges. For the metamaterial considered in this study, this happens only in the presence of auxeticity. In addition, exploiting geometrical nonlinearity, the application of a uniaxial prestrain can be used to close the band gaps or to modify their frequency range, i.e., to weaken the localization effects or to shift the frequency at which they occur. The spatial and temporal variation of the applied strain field can thus be used for the dynamic tuning of metamaterial topological waveguiding properties, with applications in mechanical devices for logic operations and computation

Tunable topologically protected waveguiding in auxetic nonlinear metamaterials

In this paper, we discuss the possibility of achieving tunable topologically protected edge modes through the application of uniaxial prestrain in an auxetic metamaterial. The proposed structure consists of a thin slab with oriented cuts in a hexagonal lattice, where topologically protected band gaps are opened by introducing a controlled variation in selected cut lengths. Numerical simulations demonstrate the existence of topologically protected and scatter-free wave propagation in the structure at the interface between two subdomains with modified cells, in distinct frequency ranges. For the metamaterial considered in this study, this happens only in the presence of auxeticity. In addition, exploiting geometrical nonlinearity, the application of a uniaxial prestrain can be used to close the band gaps or to modify their frequency range, i.e., to weaken the localization effects or to shift the frequency at which they occur. The spatial and temporal variation of the applied strain field can thus be used for the dynamic tuning of metamaterial topological waveguiding properties, with applications in mechanical devices for logic operations and computation

Electron Transfer from Cyt b559 and Tyrosine-D to the S2 and S3 states of the water oxidizing complex in Photosystem II at Cryogenic Temperatures

The Mn4CaO5 cluster of photosystem II (PSII) catalyzes the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen through the light-driven redox S-cycle. The water oxidizing complex (WOC) forms a triad with Tyrosine(Z) and P-680, which mediates electrons from water towards the acceptor side of PSII. Under certain conditions two other redox-active components, Tyrosine(D) (Y-D) and Cytochrome b (559) (Cyt b (559)) can also interact with the S-states. In the present work we investigate the electron transfer from Cyt b (559) and Y-D to the S-2 and S-3 states at 195 K. First, Y-D (aEuro cent) and Cyt b (559) were chemically reduced. The S-2 and S-3 states were then achieved by application of one or two laser flashes, respectively, on samples stabilized in the S-1 state. EPR signals of the WOC (the S-2-state multiline signal, ML-S-2), Y-D (aEuro cent) and oxidized Cyt b (559) were simultaneously detected during a prolonged dark incubation at 195 K. During 163 days of incubation a large fraction of the S-2 population decayed to S-1 in the S-2 samples by following a single exponential decay. Differently, S-3 samples showed an initial increase in the ML-S-2 intensity (due to S-3 to S-2 conversion) and a subsequent slow decay due to S-2 to S-1 conversion. In both cases, only a minor oxidation of Y-D was observed. In contrast, the signal intensity of the oxidized Cyt b (559) showed a two-fold increase in both the S-2 and S-3 samples. The electron donation from Cyt b (559) was much more efficient to the S-2 state than to the S-3 state

Invariance of eigenfrequencies under geometric transformation in plate structures

Geometric transformation is applied here to the problem of flexural waves in thin plates. Differently from problems governed by the Helmholtz equation, the equation of motion does not retain its form. A physical interpretation is given which involves a non homogenous anisotropic plate with axial stresses. Boundary conditions are not satisfied anymore after transformation, but some possible constraints can be applied on the transformation law in order to cancel differences at the boundary of the transformed domain. As a comparison tool, we propose the eigenfrequency analysis of rectangular plates and we show the correctness of the proposed approach for different transformations and boundary conditions