Search

By inducing periodic gaps, conventional automated fiber placement avoids overlap defects, which are generally prohibited in composite component manufacturing. However, bistable laminates are highly sensitive to imperfections, and it is critical to explore the effect of periodic gaps on the performance of bistable laminates. The principal curvatures and load–displacement curves of thermoplastic composite laminates with manually embedded periodic gaps was studied using experimental and numerical methods in this paper. SEM microscopy was used to observe the gap areas of the cross section of laminates to assess the microstructure of gaps with width variations after curing. In addition, a numerical method was proposed based on the experimentally determined evolution of gap widths and thicknesses of laminate. Subsequently, the effects of gap width, single‐layer thickness, and total thickness on the principal curvature were investigated. Gaps embedded in the 0° and 90° layers of bistable laminates demonstrated a substantial decrease in the snap load of the laminates. Interestingly, by embedding different gap widths in the 0° layers of the laminates, the snap load discrepancy between the snap‐through and snap‐back processes increased as the gap width widened, and the same trend was also found in the curvatures in the two stable states. Highlights: Bistable characteristics of laminates with periodic gap defects.Utilizing gaps embedding in 0° layer to tailor the mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism underlying induction of periprosthetic osteolysis by wear particles remains unclear. In this study, cultured MLO‐Y4 osteocytic cells were exposed to different concentrations of titanium (Ti) particles. The results showed that Ti particles increased expression of the osteocytic marker SOST/sclerostin in a dose‐dependent manner, accelerated apoptosis of MLO‐Y4 cells, increased the expression of IL‐6, TNF‐α and connexin 43. SOST silence alleviated the increase of MLO‐Y4 cells apoptosis, decreased the expression of IL‐6, TNF‐α and connexin 43 caused by Ti particles. The different co‐culture systems of MLO‐Y4 cells with MC3T3‐E1 osteoblastic cells were further used to observe the effects of osteocytic cells' changes induced by Ti particles on osteoblastic cells. MLO‐Y4 cells treated with Ti particles inhibited dramatically differentiation of MC3T3‐E1 cells mostly through direct cell‐to‐cell contact. SOST silence attenuated the inhibition effects of Ti‐induced MLO‐Y4 on MC3T3‐E1 osteoblastic differentiation, which ALP level and mineralization of MC3T3‐E1 cells increased and the expression of ALP, OCN and Runx2 increased compared to the Ti‐treated group. Taken together, Ti particles had negative effects on MLO‐Y4 cells and the impact of Ti particles on osteocytic cells was extensive, which may further inhibit osteoblastic differentiation mostly through intercellular contact directly. SOST/sclerostin plays an important role in the process of mutual cell interaction. These findings may help to understand the effect of osteocytes in wear particle‐induced osteolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sophistication, adaptability, and complexity of biological systems have provided enormous inspiration and have been a continuous source of numerous innovations. Soft living organisms like drosera capensis have amazing predatory behavior that can capture prey of ideal size, enabling them to interact with environmental stimuli efficiently. Mimicking such natural intelligence in artificial systems with systematical functions of multiple information perception, neuronal transmission, and adaptive motility remains a grand challenge. Here, a biomimetic drosera capensis is reported that is capable of multifunctional self‐sensing, automatic regulation, and adaptive actuation in response to diverse stimuli with intelligent predation capability in an entirely closed‐loop fashion. The functional system heterogeneously integrates the thermal‐responsive soft actuator as the muscle‐like motor and flexible tactile, strain, and piezoelectric multimodal sensors as somatosensory receptors. With the synergistic effect of multifunctional sensing and fast actuating schemes, the artificial drosera capensis deconvolutes multiple characteristics of the catching process (e.g., strain rate, magnitude, and direction) and thus holds impressive predatory behavior for ideal‐sized prey. This electronically innervated artificial drosera capensis with multimodal sensing and self‐regulated actuating capability through the closed‐loop control of sensing and actuating system paves the way for the development of adaptive soft robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common disease that seriously threatens human health. So far, the pathogenesis of AS has not been fully understood. This project investigates the effects of circARHGAP12 on AS and its regulatory mechanism. ApoE−/− knockout mice (ApoE) were adopted and reared with a high‐fat diet to construct an AS model. Lentivirus was established to knock down the expression of circARHGAP12 in mice. After 12 weeks, the aorta was removed and the expression of circARHGAP12 was detected. Vascular oil red O staining was used to detect the degree of AS. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA. Aortic smooth muscle cells (MASMCs) were cultured to evaluate the effects of circARHGAP12 on the phenotype of MASMCs. RNA pull‐down and luciferase assay were used to verify the downstream target genes of circARHGAP12. In addition, the effects of circARHGAP12 on MASMCs proliferation and migration were detected by MTT and transwell assay. Compared with the normal group, the expression of circARHGAP12 in the MASMCs under ox‐LDL treatment was elevated, and circARHGAP12 silencing could inhibit AS in vitro and in vivo. The results of the mechanism study showed that circARHGAP12 can directly bind with miR‐630. In addition, miR‐630 can also target EZH2 to modulate the transcription of TIMP2 and to influence the migration of MASMCs. circARHGAP12 is upregulated in AS. CircARHGAP12 knockdown can inhibit the progression of AS. This study expands on the role of circRNA in AS and provides potential targets for the treatment of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamical regulation to unidirectional wetting has received considerable attention in recent years due to its important role in flexible electronics, microfluidics, drug transportation, and so forth. It is of great significance to prepare a surface which allows the droplet to spread directionally on it with the length of droplet reversibly fluctuated within a broad range under external stimulation. In this paper, a double‐gradient wrinkled structure is prepared by constructing the structure‐gradient pillar arrays on a mechanics‐adjusted wrinkled surface and subsequently making chemical gradient by oxygen plasma treatment. Under the synergistic effect of the structural gradient, chemical gradient, and wrinkled structure, the droplet can undergo unidirectional spreading and realize dynamic regulation of the spreading length on the flexible structure. This will provide a propagable method for the regulation of surface wetting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in bone resorption and/or the inhibition of bone regeneration caused by wear particles are the main causes of periprosthetic osteolysis. The SOST gene and Sclerostin, a protein synthesized by the SOST gene, are the characteristic marker of osteocytes and regulate bone formation and resorption. We aimed to verify whether the SOST gene was involved in osteolysis induced by titanium (Ti) particles and to investigate the effects of SOST reduction on osteolysis. The results showed osteolysis on the skull surface with an increase of sclerostin levels after treated with Ti particles. Similarly, sclerostin expression in MLO‐Y4 osteocytes increased when treated with Ti particles in vitro. After reduction of SOST, local bone mineral density and bone volume increased, while number of lytic pores on the skull surface decreased and the erodibility of the skull surface was compensated. Histological analyses revealed that SOST reduction increased significantly alkaline phosphatase‐ (ALP) and osterix‐positive expression on the skull surface which promoted bone formation. ALP activity and mineralization of MC3T3‐E1 cells also increased in vitro when SOST was silenced, even if treated with Ti particles. In addition, Ti particles decreased β‐catenin expression with an increase in sclerostin levels, in vivo and in vitro. Inversely, reduction of SOST expression increased β‐catenin expression. In summary, our results suggested that reduction of SOST gene can activate the Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway, promoting bone formation and compensated for bone loss induced by Ti particles. Thus, this study provided new perspectives in understanding the mechanisms of periprosthetic osteolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* Perception of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) triggers distinct plant signalling responses for parallel establishment of symbiosis and induction of lateral root formation. Rice receptor kinase CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE 1 (CERK1) and α/β-fold hydrolase DWARF14-LIKE (D14L) are involved in pre-symbiotic fungal perception. * After 6 wk post-inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis, root developmental responses, fungal colonization and transcriptional responses were monitored in two independent cerk1 null mutants; a deletion mutant lacking D14L, and with D14L complemented as well as their respective wild-type cultivars (cv Nipponbare and Nihonmasari). * Here we show that although essential for symbiosis, D14L is dispensable for AMF-induced root architectural modulation, which conversely relies on CERK1. * Our results demonstrate uncoupling of symbiosis and the symbiotic root developmental signalling during pre-symbiosis with CERK1 required for AMF-induced root architectural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The allylnickel-catalyzed living coordination polymerization of allenylferrocene was compounded, two allenylferrocene derivatives (L-1 and D-1) bearing chiral amide pendants were designed and synthesized. The living coordination polymerization of L-1 and D-1 were afforded by the allynickel(II) complexes, which gave the polymer with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distribution in high yields. Three polyallenylferrocenes exhibited electrochemical properties. The helical structure was stable in the aprotic solvents observed through the circular dichroism spectra. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 2663-2669 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel, flexible, lead-free X-ray-shielding composites were prepared with a high-functional methyl vinyl silicone rubber (VMQ) matrix with W and Bi2O3 as filler materials. To verify the advanced properties of the lead-free material, composites with the same mass fraction of PbO were compared. With the X-ray energy ranging from 48 to 185 keV, the W/Bi2O3/VMQ composites exhibited higher X-ray-shielding properties. As the filler volume fraction decreased, the tensile strength, elongation, tear strength, and flexibility of the W/Bi2O3/VMQ composites increased. The Shore hardness of the W/Bi2O3/VMQ composites had a maximum value of 46.6 HA and was still very flexible. With decreasing filler volume fraction, the water-vapor transmission performances of the W/ Bi2O3/VMQ composites increased, and the W/Bi2O3/VMQ composites also showed better water-vapor permeability. The heat-transfer properties of the W/Bi2O3/VMQ composites increased with increasing W content, and when the W content exceeded 70 wt %, the thermal conductivity of the W/Bi2O3/VMQ material was about 70.45% higher than that of the PbO/VMQ composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Early parental bonding experiences play a role in emotion recognition and expression in later adulthood, and patients with personality disorder frequently experience inappropriate parental bonding styles, therefore the aim of the present study was to explore whether parental bonding style is correlated with recognition of facial emotion in personality disorder patients. Methods: The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Matsumoto and Ekman Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE) photo set tests were carried out in 289 participants. Results: Patients scored lower on parental Care but higher on parental Freedom Control and Autonomy Denial subscales, and they displayed less accuracy when recognizing contempt, disgust and happiness than the healthy volunteers. In healthy volunteers, maternal Autonomy Denial significantly predicted accuracy when recognizing fear, and maternal Care predicted the accuracy of recognizing sadness. In patients, paternal Care negatively predicted the accuracy of recognizing anger, paternal Freedom Control predicted the perceived intensity of contempt, maternal Care predicted the accuracy of recognizing sadness, and the intensity of disgust. Conclusions: Parenting bonding styles have an impact on the decoding process and sensitivity when recognizing facial emotions, especially in personality disorder patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Processing parameters during the laser‐radiated in‐situ manufacturing process change the thermal history of the thermoplastic composite, which affects porosity and fiber‐resin interfacial bonding quality, and hence the wedge peel strength of the laminate. The effect of different laser powers and consolidation forces on the wedge peel strength of the specimens was investigated. Due to the fiber‐rich area on the tape surface during the laser heating phase as well as the insufficient consolidation force and consolidation length during the consolidation phase, the wedge peel strength decreased due to increased porosity and weak fiber‐resin bonding at the interlayer bonding interface. A conformable consolidation roller of lower hardness was used to improve the wedge peel strength of the laminates, which reduced the initial temperature of the cooling phase, thus inhibiting the void rebound and increasing the bonding strength at the fiber‐resin interface. The cross‐section and peeling surface were characterized by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The wedge peel strength of the laminates, with reduced voids and increased interfacial bonding strength between the fibers and the resin, is improved. Mechanism of void formation and evolution in different phases of laser‐radiated in‐situ consolidated laminate. Effect of consolidation roller hardness and deformation on wedge peel strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]