Plastic flow in polycrystal states in a binary mixture

Using molecular dynamics simulation we examine dynamics in sheared polycrystal states in a binary mixture containing 10% larger particles in two dimensions. We find large stress fluctuations arising from sliding motions of the particles at the grain boundaries, which occur cooperatively to release the elastic energy stored. These dynamic processes are visualized with the aid of a sixfold angle $\alpha_j(t)$ representing the local crystal orientation and a disorder variable $D_j(t)$ representing a deviation from the hexagonal order for particle $j$.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Transitions among crystal, glass, and liquid in a binary mixture with changing particle size ratio and temperature

Using molecular dynamics simulation we examine changeovers among crystal, glass, and liquid at high density in a two dimensional binary mixture. We change the ratio between the diameters of the two components and the temperature. The transitions from crystal to glass or liquid occur with proliferation of defects. We visualize the defects in terms of a disorder variable "D_j(t)" representing a deviation from the hexagonal order for particle j. The defect structures are heterogeneous and are particularly extended in polycrystal states. They look similar at the crystal-glass crossover and at the melting. Taking the average of "D_j(t)" over the particles, we define a disorder parameter "D(t)", which conveniently measures the degree of overall disorder. Its relaxation after quenching becomes slow at low temperature in the presence of size dispersity. Its steady state average is small in crystal and large in glass and liquid.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Heat-Conducting Near-Critical Fluids

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study supercritical fluids near the gas-liquid critical point under heat flow in two dimensions. We calculate the steady-state temperature and density profiles. The resultant thermal conductivity exhibits critical singularity in agreement with the mode-coupling theory in two dimensions. We also calculate distributions of the momentum and heat fluxes at fixed density. They indicate that liquid-like (entropy-poor) clusters move toward the warmer boundary and gas-like (entropy-rich) regions move toward the cooler boundary in a temperature gradient. This counterflow results in critical enhancement of the thermal conductivity

11. The effect of size-ratio on the rheology of plastic deformation in two-component supercooled system(poster presentation,Soft Matter as Structured Materials)

この論文は国立情報学研究所の電子図書館事業により電子化されました。2種粒子を混合した過冷却系に対して分子動力学(MD)シミュレーションを行い、粒子サイズ比の増大に伴って結晶化が起こりにくくなる様子を観察した。局所的結晶配向を表すパラメータを定義することで、共通の結晶軸方向を持った領域が、粒子サイズ比の増大とともに縮小する様子を可視化した。同時に、局所的な配向の乱れを示すパラメータも導入され、格子欠陥や系の不規則性が定量化された。さらに、系にshear流動を課すシミュレーションを行い、大きなストレステンソルを伴った粒子が直線上に分布する"stess chain"の出現を観測した。stress chainの長さと結晶性との関係についても報告する

A novel NONO variant that causes developmental delay and cardiac phenotypes

Abstract The Drosophila behavior/human splicing protein family is involved in numerous steps of gene regulation. In humans, this family consists of three proteins: SFPQ, PSPC1, and NONO. Hemizygous loss-of-function (LoF) variants in NONO cause a developmental delay with several complications (e.g., distinctive facial features, cardiac symptoms, and skeletal symptoms) in an X-linked recessive manner. Most of the reported variants have been LoF variants, and two missense variants have been reported as likely deleterious but with no functional validation. We report three individuals from two families harboring an identical missense variant that is located in the nuclear localization signal, NONO: NM_001145408.2:c.1375C > G p.(Pro459Ala). All of them were male and the variant was inherited from their asymptomatic mothers. Individual 1 was diagnosed with developmental delay and cardiac phenotypes (ventricular tachycardia and dilated cardiomyopathy), which overlapped with the features of reported individuals having NONO LoF variants. Individuals 2 and 3 were monozygotic twins. Unlike in Individual 1, developmental delay with autistic features was the only symptom found in them. A fly experiment and cell localization experiment showed that the NONO variant impaired its proper intranuclear localization, leading to mild LoF. Our findings suggest that deleterious NONO missense variants should be taken into consideration when whole-exome sequencing is performed on male individuals with developmental delay with or without cardiac symptoms

Apolipoprotein E Regulates the Integrity of Tight Junctions in an Isoform-dependent Manner in an in Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model*

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a major apolipoprotein in the brain. The ϵ4 allele of apoE is a major risk factor for Alzheimer disease, and apoE deficiency in mice leads to blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage. However, the effect of apoE isoforms on BBB properties are as yet unknown. Here, using an in vitro BBB model consisting of brain endothelial cells and pericytes prepared from wild-type (WT) mice, and primary astrocytes prepared from human apoE3- and apoE4-knock-in mice, we show that the barrier function of tight junctions (TJs) was impaired when the BBB was reconstituted with primary astrocytes from apoE4-knock-in mice (apoE4-BBB model). The phosphorylation of occludin at Thr residues and the activation of protein kinase C (PKC)η in mBECs were attenuated in the apoE4-BBB model compared with those in the apoE3-BBB model. The differential effects of apoE isoforms on the activation of PKCη, the phosphorylation of occludin at Thr residues, and TJ integrity were abolished following the treatment with an anti-low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) antibody or a LRP1 antagonist receptor-associated protein. Consistent with the results of in vitro studies, BBB permeability was higher in apoE4-knock-in mice than in apoE3-knock-in mice. Our studies provide evidence that TJ integrity in BBB is regulated by apoE in an isoform-dependent manner