Numerical Analysis of Penetration Resistance Effects of Metal Matrix Composite Reinforcing in Spaced and Direct Configurations

Towards the pursuit of furthering the understanding of lightweight penetration resistant systems a study regarding metal matrix composite materials in penetration resistant configurations is considered. The metal matrix composite, MMC, studied is Al 6061/SiC and has a density very similar to homogeneous aluminum which is of interest when considering lightweight resistant systems. This effort seeks to by numerical analysis of experimentally validated models determine the effect of MMC inclusion in a system and additionally the effect of different configurations on the performance of the total system. This study focused on common reinforcement applications on aluminum base material targets. While the MMC reinforcement consistently displayed an improvement to the resistance of the system, there was not a significant difference in the resistance of the different configurations.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/fea/1002/thumbnail.jp

FRET Based Quantification and Screening Technology Platform for the Interactions of Leukocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 (LFA-1) with InterCellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1)

<div><p>The interaction between leukocyte function-associated antigen-1(LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) plays a pivotal role in cellular adhesion including the extravasation and inflammatory response of leukocytes, and also in the formation of immunological synapse. However, irregular expressions of LFA-1 or ICAM-1 or both may lead to autoimmune diseases, metastasis cancer, etc. Thus, the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of these diseases. Here, we developed one simple ‘in solution’ steady state fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique to obtain the dissociation constant (K_d) of the interaction between LFA-1 and ICAM-1. Moreover, we developed the assay into a screening platform to identify peptides and small molecules that inhibit the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction. For the FRET pair, we used Alexa Fluor 488-LFA-1 conjugate as donor and Alexa Fluor 555-human recombinant ICAM-1 (D1-D2-Fc) as acceptor. From our quantitative FRET analysis, the K_d between LFA-1 and D1-D2-Fc was determined to be 17.93±1.34 nM. Both the K_d determination and screening assay were performed in a 96-well plate platform, providing the opportunity to develop it into a high-throughput assay. This is the first reported work which applies FRET based technique to determine K_d as well as classifying inhibitors of the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction.</p></div