Numerical modeling of pile penetration in silica sands considering the effect of grain breakage

International audienceCurrent numerical platforms rarely consider the effect of grain breakage in the design of sandy soil foundations. This paper presents an enhanced platform for large deformation analyses which considers the effect of grain breakage during pile penetration in silica sand. For this purpose, a model based on critical state theory has been developed within the framework of multisurface plasticity to account in the same constitutive platform the effect of stress dilatancy and particle fragmentation. Furthermore, to implement the underlying constitutive equations into a finite element code, a stress integration scheme has been adopted by extending a cutting plane algorithm to the model with multiple yielding mechanisms. A laboratory model test and a series of centrifuge tests of pile penetration are simulated to verify the performance of the selected constitutive approach in terms of pile resistance and grain breakage distribution, with the parameters of sand calibrated through a set of drained triaxial compression tests from low to very high confining pressure. Some extra features of the enhanced platform are also discussed, such as: i) the effect of sand crushability on pile resistance and ii) the nonlinear relation of pile resistance to sand density. The proposed findings demonstrate the capability of this numerical platform to proper design of pile foundation in sandy soils and highlight the interplay between stress dilatancy and grain breakage mechanisms during pile penetration processes

Observation of reentrant metal-insulator transition in a random-dimer disordered SSH lattice

The interrelationship between localization, quantum transport, and disorder has remained a fascinating focus in scientific research. Traditionally, it has been widely accepted in the physics community that in one-dimensional systems, as disorder increases, localization intensifies, triggering a metal-insulator transition. However, a recent theoretical investigation [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 106803] has revealed that the interplay between dimerization and disorder leads to a reentrant localization transition, constituting a remarkable theoretical advancement in the field. Here, we present the experimental observation of reentrant localization using an experimentally friendly model, a photonic SSH lattice with random-dimer disorder, achieved by incrementally adjusting synthetic potentials. In the presence of correlated on-site potentials, certain eigenstates exhibit extended behavior following the localization transition as the disorder continues to increase. We directly probe the wave function in disordered lattices by exciting specific lattice sites and recording the light distribution. This reentrant phenomenon is further verified by observing an anomalous peak in the normalized participation ratio. Our study enriches the understanding of transport in disordered mediums and accentuates the substantial potential of integrated photonics for the simulation of intricate condensed matter physics phenomena

Influence of Water Stress in Association with Aplication of Brassinolide and Minerals on Growth, Physiological and Biochemical Changes of Banana (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan)

Water stress or synonymy referring to the drought season is the major abiotic stress which affect growth, physiology and biochemical activity in plant and cause major losses to agriculture production sector. This study was aimed to determine the effects of exogenous application of brassinolide (BR) and combination of minerals on growth performance, physiological and biochemical changes of banana plantlets (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan) under water stress condition. The leaves of the whole plantlets were foliar sprayed for every two weeks interval with three treatments; (i) BR as control, (ii) magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) + calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and (iii) combination of BR + MgCO3 + CaCO3. The plants were also subjected to water stress treatments: 50%, 75% and 100% of the field capacity. The treatments were assigned as split-plot design in randomized complete block design (RCBD) arrangement. Water stress had significantly reduced major growth parameters (plant height, pseudo-stem diameter and total leaf area) but enhanced accumulation of proline and malondialdehyde content in leaves tissue. These findings also provided profound new insights and water stress by regulating the changes on stomata conductance and vapour pressure deficit under severe water stress condition

Influence of Water Stress in Association with Aplication of Brassinolide and Minerals on Growth, Physiological and Biochemical Changes of Banana (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan)

Water stress or synonymy referring to the drought season is the major abiotic stress which affect growth, physiology and biochemical activity in plant and cause major losses to agriculture production sector. This study was aimed to determine the effects of exogenous application of brassinolide (BR) and combination of minerals on growth performance, physiological and biochemical changes of banana plantlets (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan) under water stress condition. The leaves of the whole plantlets were foliar sprayed for every two weeks interval with three treatments; (i) BR as control, (ii) magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) + calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and (iii) combination of BR + MgCO3 + CaCO3. The plants were also subjected to water stress treatments: 50%, 75% and 100% of the field capacity. The treatments were assigned as split-plot design in randomized complete block design (RCBD) arrangement. Water stress had significantly reduced major growth parameters (plant height, pseudo-stem diameter and total leaf area) but enhanced accumulation of proline and malondialdehyde content in leaves tissue. These findings also provided profound new insights and water stress by regulating the changes on stomata conductance and vapour pressure deficit under severe water stress condition

ERLIN2 promotes breast cancer cell survival by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways

Abstract Background Amplification of the 8p11-12 region has been found in approximately 15% of human breast cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Previous genomic analysis has led us to identify the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lipid raft-associated 2 (ERLIN2) gene as one of the candidate oncogenes within the 8p11-12 amplicon in human breast cancer, particularly in the luminal subtype. ERLIN2, an ER membrane protein, has recently been identified as a novel mediator of ER-associated degradation. Yet, the biological roles of ERLIN2 and molecular mechanisms by which ERLIN2 coordinates ER pathways in breast carcinogenesis remain unclear. Methods We established the MCF10A-ERLIN2 cell line, which stably over expresses ERLIN2 in human nontransformed mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) using the pLenti6/V5-ERLIN2 construct. ERLIN2 over expressing cells and their respective parental cell lines were assayed for in vitro transforming phenotypes. Next, we knocked down the ERLIN2 as well as the ER stress sensor IRE1α activity in the breast cancer cell lines to characterize the biological roles and molecular basis of the ERLIN2 in carcinogenesis. Finally, immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect ERLIN2 expression in normal and cancerous human breast tissues Results We found that amplification of the ERLIN2 gene and over expression of the ERLIN2 protein occurs in both luminal and Her2 subtypes of breast cancer. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches demonstrated that ERLIN2 is a novel oncogenic factor associated with the ER stress response pathway. The IRE1α/XBP1 axis in the ER stress pathway modulated expression of ERLIN2 protein levels in breast cancer cells. We also showed that over expression of ERLIN2 facilitated the adaptation of breast epithelial cells to ER stress by supporting cell growth and protecting the cells from ER stress-induced cell death. Conclusions ERLIN2 may confer a selective growth advantage for breast cancer cells by facilitating a cytoprotective response to various cellular stresses associated with oncogenesis. The information provided here sheds new light on the mechanism of breast cancer malignanc

AI Nushu: An Exploration of Language Emergence in Sisterhood -Through the Lens of Computational Linguistics

This paper presents "AI Nushu," an emerging language system inspired by Nushu (women's scripts), the unique language created and used exclusively by ancient Chinese women who were thought to be illiterate under a patriarchal society. In this interactive installation, two artificial intelligence (AI) agents are trained in the Chinese dictionary and the Nushu corpus. By continually observing their environment and communicating, these agents collaborate towards creating a standard writing system to encode Chinese. It offers an artistic interpretation of the creation of a non-western script from a computational linguistics perspective, integrating AI technology with Chinese cultural heritage and a feminist viewpoint.Comment: Accepted for publication at SIGGRAPH Asia 202

Room temperature multiplexed gas sensing using chemical-sensitive 3.5-nm-thin silicon transistors

There is great interest in developing a low-power gas sensing technology that can sensitively and selectively quantify the chemical composition of a target atmosphere. Nanomaterials have emerged as extremely promising candidates for this technology due to their inherent low-dimensional nature and high surface-to-volume ratio. Among these, nanoscale silicon is of great interest because pristine silicon is largely inert on its own in the context of gas sensing, unless functionalized with an appropriate gas-sensitive material. We report a chemical-sensitive field-effect transistor (CS-FET) platform based on 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel transistors. Using industry compatible processing techniques, the conventional electrically active gate stack is replaced by an ultrathin chemical-sensitive layer that is electrically conconducting and coupled to the 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel. We demonstrate a low-power, sensitive, and selective multiplexed gas sensing technology using this platform by detecting H_2S, H_2, and NO_2 at room temperature for environment, health, and safety in the oil and gas industry, offering significant advantages over existing technology. Moreover, the system described here can be readily integrated with mobile electronics for distributed sensor networks in environmental pollution mapping and personal air-quality monitors

Preliminary Study on the Effect of Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilization on Phytochemical Content Quality of Gynura procumbens

Gynura procumbens is an herbaceous plant. Despite the progressive reports on the pharmacological properties, many are overlooking at the importance of agronomic requirements, such as fertilization, to produce high phytochemical content which have not been conclusively concluded. The study was carried out to examine the effects of N and K interaction on physiological and phytochemical quality; to identify compositions of phytochemicals, and to determine marker compounds. Physiological and phytochemical attributes were recorded in three harvests of triplicate samples to exhibit the trend for plant quality, and statistically analyzed. Generally, N and K interaction have affected phytochemical content significantly (p<0.05) with stronger effect on physiological and biochemical attributes (p<0.01). The results have demonstrated that the following combination of fertilizer, 0 kg/ha N and 30 kg/ha K; and 90 kg/ha N and 0 kg/ha K are high and low, respectively affecting metabolite content in the plant. Lowest rate of N, moderate of K had produced significant phytochemical contents. Meanwhile, caffeic acid and kaempferol were demonstrated as marker compounds in this study. Thus, phytochemical content can be further established through the selection of appropriate N and K rates and proper abiotic stress interaction

Quantum Size Effects on the Chemical Sensing Performance of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors

We investigate the role of quantum confinement on the performance of gas sensors based on two-dimensional InAs membranes. Pd-decorated InAs membranes configured as H2 sensors are shown to exhibit strong thickness dependence, with ~100x enhancement in the sensor response as the thickness is reduced from 48 to 8 nm. Through detailed experiments and modeling, the thickness scaling trend is attributed to the quantization of electrons which favorably alters both the position and the transport properties of charge carriers; thus making them more susceptible to surface phenomena