632 research outputs found
Study of cardiovascular function using a coupled left ventricle and systemic circulation model
To gain insight into cardio-arterial interactions, a coupled left ventricle-systemic artery (LV–SA) model is developed that incorporates a three-dimensional finite-strain left ventricle (LV), and a physiologically-based one-dimensional model for the systemic arteries (SA). The coupling of the LV model and the SA model is achieved by matching the pressure and the flow rate at the aortic root, i.e. the SA model feeds back the pressure as a boundary condition to the LV model, and the aortic flow rate from the LV model is used as the input for the SA model. The governing equations of the coupled system are solved using a combined immersed-boundary finite-element (IB/FE) method and a Lax–Wendroff scheme. A baseline case using physiological measurements of healthy subjects, and four exemplar cases based on different physiological and pathological scenarios are studied using the LV–SA model. The results of the baseline case agree well with published experimental data. The four exemplar cases predict varied pathological responses of the cardiovascular system, which are also supported by clinical observations. The new model can be used to gain insight into cardio-arterial interactions across a range of clinical applications
Constricted channel flow with different cross-section shapes
Pressure driven steady flow through a uniform circular channel containing a constricted portion is a common problem considering physiological flows such as underlying human speech sound production. The influence of the constriction’s cross-section shape (circle, ellipse, circular sector) on the flow within and downstream from the constriction is experimentally quantified. An analytical boundary layer flow model is proposed which takes into account the hydraulic diameter of the cross-section shape. Comparison of the model outcome with experimental and three-dimensional numerically simulated flow data shows that the pressure distribution within the constriction can be modeled accurately so that the model is of interest for analytical models of fluid–structure interaction without the assumption of two-dimensional flow
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
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
Search for Invisible Decays of and in and
Using a data sample of decays collected with the BES
II detector at the BEPC, searches for invisible decays of and
in to and are performed.
The signals, which are reconstructed in final states, are used
to tag the and decays. No signals are found for the
invisible decays of either or , and upper limits at the 90%
confidence level are determined to be for the ratio
and for . These are the first
searches for and decays into invisible final states.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; Added references, Corrected typo
The upstream magnetic field of collisionless GRB shocks: constraint by Fermi-LAT observations
Long-lived >100 MeV emission has been a common feature of most Fermi-LAT
detected gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), e.g., detected up to ~10^3s in long GRBs
080916C and 090902B and ~10^2s in short GRB 090510. This emission is consistent
with being produced by synchrotron emission of electrons accelerated to high
energy by the relativistic collisionless shock propagating into the weakly
magnetized medium. Here we show that this high-energy afterglow emission
constrains the preshock magnetic field to satisfy 1(n/1cc)^{9/8}
mG<B<10^2(n/1cc)^{3/8}mG, where n is the preshock density, more stringent than
the previous constraint by X-ray afterglow observations on day scale. This
suggests that the preshock magnetic field is strongly amplified, most likely by
the streaming of high energy shock accelerated particles.Comment: 9 pages, JCAP accepte
FAM46B is a prokaryotic-like cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase essential in human embryonic stem cells
Family with sequence similarity (FAM46) proteins are newly identified metazoan-specific poly(A) polymerases (PAPs). Although predicted as Gld-2-like eukaryotic non-canonical PAPs, the detailed architecture of FAM46 proteins is still unclear. Exact biological functions for most of FAM46 proteins also remain largely unknown. Here, we report the first crystal structure of a FAM46 protein, FAM46B. FAM46B is composed of a prominently larger N-terminal catalytic domain as compared to known eukaryotic PAPs, and a C-terminal helical domain. FAM46B resembles prokaryotic PAP/CCA-adding enzymes in overall folding as well as certain inter-domain connections, which distinguishes FAM46B from other eukaryotic non-canonical PAPs. Biochemical analysis reveals that FAM46B is an active PAP, and prefers adenosine-rich substrate RNAs. FAM46B is uniquely and highly expressed in human pre-implantation embryos and pluripotent stem cells, but sharply down-regulated following differentiation. FAM46B is localized to both cell nucleus and cytosol, and is indispensable for the viability of human embryonic stem cells. Knock-out of FAM46B is lethal. Knock-down of FAM46B induces apoptosis and restricts protein synthesis. The identification of the bacterial-like FAM46B, as a pluripotent stem cell-specific PAP involved in the maintenance of translational efficiency, provides important clues for further functional studies of this PAP in the early embryonic development of high eukaryotes
The energy spectrum of all-particle cosmic rays around the knee region observed with the Tibet-III air-shower array
We have already reported the first result on the all-particle spectrum around
the knee region based on data from 2000 November to 2001 October observed by
the Tibet-III air-shower array. In this paper, we present an updated result
using data set collected in the period from 2000 November through 2004 October
in a wide range over 3 decades between eV and eV, in which
the position of the knee is clearly seen at around 4 PeV. The spectral index is
-2.68 0.02(stat.) below 1PeV, while it is -3.12 0.01(stat.) above 4
PeV in the case of QGSJET+HD model, and various systematic errors are under
study now.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Advances in space researc
Steamed panax notoginseng and its saponins inhibit the migration and induce the apoptosis of neutrophils in a zebrafish tail-fin amputation model
Panax notoginseng (PN) is a Chinese medicinal herb that is traditionally used to treat inflammation and immune-related diseases. Its major active constituents are saponins, the types and levels of which can be changed in the process of steaming. These differences in saponins are causally relevant to the differences in the therapeutic efficacies of raw and steamed PN. In this study, we have prepared the extracts of steamed PN (SPNE) with 70% ethanol and investigated their immunomodulatory effect using a zebrafish tail-fin amputation model. A fingerprint-effect relationship analysis was performed to uncover active constituents of SPNE samples related to the inhibitory effect on neutrophil number. The results showed that SPNE significantly inhibited the neutrophil number at the amputation site of zebrafish larvae. And SPNE extracts steamed at higher temperatures and for longer time periods showed a stronger inhibitory effect. Ginsenosides Rh-1, Rk(3), Rh-4, 20(S)-Rg(3), and 20(R)-Rg(3), of which the levels were increased along with the duration of steaming, were found to be the major active constituents contributing to the neutrophil-inhibiting effect of SPNE. By additionally investigating the number of neutrophils in the entire tail of zebrafish larvae and performing TUNEL assays, we found that the decreased number of neutrophils at the amputation site was due to both the inhibition of their migration and apoptosis-inducing effects of the ginsenosides in SPNE on neutrophils. Among them, Rh-1 and 20(R)-Rg(3) did not affect the number of neutrophils at the entire tail, suggesting that they only inhibit the migration of neutrophils. In contrast, ginsenosides Rk(3), Rh-4, 20(S)-Rg(3), and SPNE did not only inhibit the migration of neutrophils but also promoted neutrophilic cell death. In conclusion, this study sheds light on how SPNE, in particular the ginsenosides it contains, plays a role in immune modulation.Animal science
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