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The Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel (VDAC) protein is the primary conduit for the regulated passage of ions and metabolites into and out of mitochondria. Calculating its solvation free energy is crucial for understanding its stability, function, and interactions within the cellular environment. In this paper, we introduce a total solvation free energy, $E$, which is the sum of electrostatic, ideal gas, and excess free energies, along with a non-polar energy to yield a zero of $E$ in the absence of charges. We develop numerical schemes for computing $E$ and update the current mesh generation package to accelerate the generation of tetrahedral meshes and improve the quality of meshes for computing $E$. By integrating these schemes and the updated mesh package with our non-uniform size modified Poisson-Boltzmann ion channel (nuSMPBIC), SMPBIC, and PBIC finite element packages, the PDB2PQR package, and the OPM database, we create the VDAC Solvation Free Energy Calculation (VSFEC) package. Using the VSFEC package, we perform comparison tests on the nuSMPBIC, SMPBIC, and PBIC models by using six VDAC proteins and various ionic solutions containing up to four ionic species, including ATP$^{4-}$ and Ca$^{2+}$. We also conduct tests with different neutral voltages and permittivity constants to explore the varying patterns of $E$. Our test results underscore the importance of considering non-uniform ionic size effects and demonstrate the high performance of the VSFEC package in calculating the solvation free energy of VDAC proteins., Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables

This paper presents an efficient finite element iterative method for solving a nonuniform size-modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck ion channel (SMPNPIC) model, along with a SMPNPIC program package that works for an ion channel protein with a three-dimensional crystallographic structure and an ionic solvent with multiple ionic species. In particular, the SMPNPIC model is constructed and then reformulated by novel mathematical techniques so that each iteration of the method only involves linear boundary value problems and nonlinear algebraic systems, circumventing the numerical difficulties caused by the strong nonlinearities, strong asymmetries, and strong differential equation coupling of the SMPNPIC model. To further improve the method's efficiency, an efficient modified Newton iterative method is adapted to the numerical solution of each related nonlinear algebraic system. Numerical results for a voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) and a mixture solution of four ionic species demonstrate the method's convergence, the package's high performance, and the importance of considering nonuniform ion size effects. They also partially validate the SMPNPIC model by the anion selectivity property of VDAC., Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables

Pulmonary artery-vein segmentation is crucial for disease diagnosis and surgical planning and is traditionally achieved by Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA). However, concerns regarding adverse health effects from contrast agents used in CTPA have constrained its clinical utility. In contrast, identifying arteries and veins using non-contrast CT, a conventional and low-cost clinical examination routine, has long been considered impossible. Here we propose a High-abundant Pulmonary Artery-vein Segmentation (HiPaS) framework achieving accurate artery-vein segmentation on both non-contrast CT and CTPA across various spatial resolutions. HiPaS first performs spatial normalization on raw CT volumes via a super-resolution module, and then iteratively achieves segmentation results at different branch levels by utilizing the lower-level vessel segmentation as a prior for higher-level vessel segmentation. We trained and validated HiPaS on our established multi-centric dataset comprising 1,073 CT volumes with meticulous manual annotations. Both quantitative experiments and clinical evaluation demonstrated the superior performance of HiPaS, achieving an average dice score of 91.8% and a sensitivity of 98.0%. Further experiments showed the non-inferiority of HiPaS segmentation on non-contrast CT compared to segmentation on CTPA. Employing HiPaS, we have conducted an anatomical study of pulmonary vasculature on 11,784 participants in China (six sites), discovering a new association of pulmonary vessel anatomy with sex, age, and disease states: vessel abundance suggests a significantly higher association with females than males with slightly decreasing with age, and is also influenced by certain diseases, under the controlling of lung volumes.

In this paper, a deep learning method for solving an improved one-dimensional Poisson-Nernst-Planck ion channel (PNPic) model, called the PNPic deep learning solver, is presented. In particular, it combines a novel local neural network scheme with an effective PNPic finite element solver. Since the input data of the neural network scheme only involves a small local patch of coarse grid solutions, which the finite element solver can quickly produce, the PNPic deep learning solver can be trained much faster than any corresponding conventional global neural network solvers. After properly trained, it can output a predicted PNPic solution in a much higher degree of accuracy than the low cost coarse grid solutions and can reflect different perturbation cases on the parameters, ion channel subregions, and interface and boundary values, etc. Consequently, the PNPic deep learning solver can generate a numerical solution with high accuracy for a family of PNPic models. As an initial study, two types of numerical tests were done by perturbing one and two parameters of the PNPic model, respectively, as well as the tests done by using a few perturbed interface positions of the model as training samples. These tests demonstrate that the PNPic deep learning solver can generate highly accurate PNPic numerical solutions., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables

The Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz (GHK) equations have been widely applied to ion channel studies, simulations, and model developments. However, they are constructed under a constant electric field, causing them to have a low degree of approximation in the prediction of ionic fluxes, electric currents, and membrane potentials. In this paper, the equations are extended from the constant electric field to the nonlinear electric field induced by charges from an ionic solution and an ion channel protein. Furthermore, a novel numerical quadrature scheme is developed to estimate one major parameter, called the extension parameter, of the extended GHK equations in terms of a set of electrostatic potential values. To this end, the extended GHK equations become a bridge between the "macroscopic" ion channel kinetics and the "microscopic" electrostatic potential values across a cell membrane. To generate a set of required electrostatic potential values, a nonlinear finite element iterative scheme for solving a one-dimensional Poisson-Nernst-Planck ion channel model is developed and implemented as a Python software package. This package is then used to do numerical studies on the extended GHK equations, the numerical quadrature scheme, and the nonlinear iterative scheme. Numerical results confirm the importance of considering charge effects in the calculation of ionic fluxes. They also validate the high numerical accuracy of the numerical quadrature scheme, the fast convergence rate of the nonlinear iterative scheme, and the high performance of the software package., Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, two tables

A finite element solution of an ion channel dielectric continuum model such as Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE) and a system of Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations (PNP) requires tetrahedral meshes for an ion channel protein region, a membrane region, and an ionic solvent region as well as an interface fitted irregular tetrahedral mesh of a simulation box domain. However, generating these meshes is very difficult and highly technical due to the related three regions having very complex geometrical shapes. Currently, an ion channel mesh generation software package developed in Lu's research group is one available in the public domain. To significantly improve its mesh quality and computer performance, in this paper, new numerical schemes for generating membrane and solvent meshes are presented and implemented in Python, resulting in a new ion channel mesh generation software package. Numerical results are then reported to demonstrate the efficiency of the new numerical schemes and the quality of meshes generated by the new package for ion channel proteins with ion channel pores having different geometric complexities., Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures

In this paper, a nonuniform size modified Poisson-Boltzmann ion channel (nuSMPBIC) model is presented as a nonlinear system of an electrostatic potential and multiple ionic concentrations. It mixes nonlinear algebraic equations with a Poisson boundary value problem involving Dirichlet-Neumann mixed boundary value conditions and a membrane surface charge density to reflect the effects of ion sizes and membrane charges on electrostatics and ionic concentrations. To overcome the difficulties of strong singularities and exponential nonlinearities, it is split into three submodels with a solution of Model 1 collecting all the singular points and Models 2 and 3 much easier to solve numerically than the original nuSMPBIC model. A damped two-block iterative method is then presented to solve Model 3, along with a novel modified Newton iterative scheme for solving each related nonlinear algebraic system. To this end, an effective nuSMPBIC finite element solver is derived and then implemented as a program package that works for an ion channel protein with a three-dimensional molecular structure and a mixture solution of multiple ionic species. Numerical results for a voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) in a mixture of four ionic species demonstrate a fast convergence rate of the damped two-block iterative method, the high performance of the software package, and the importance of considering nonuniform ion sizes. Moreover, the nuSMPBIC model is validated by the anion selectivity property of VDAC., Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures

We present a nonlocal electrostatic formulation of nonuniform ions and water molecules with interstitial voids that uses a Fermi-like distribution to account for steric and correlation effects in electrolyte solutions. The formulation is based on the volume exclusion of hard spheres leading to a steric potential and Maxwell's displacement field with Yukawa-type interactions resulting in a nonlocal electric potential. The classical Poisson-Boltzmann model fails to describe steric and correlation effects important in a variety of chemical and biological systems, especially in high field or large concentration conditions found in and near binding sites, ion channels, and electrodes. Steric effects and correlations are apparent when we compare nonlocal Poisson-Fermi results to Poisson-Boltzmann calculations in electric double layer and to experimental measurements on the selectivity of potassium channels for K+ over Na+. The present theory links atomic scale descriptions of the crystallized KcsA channel with macroscopic bulk conditions. Atomic structures and macroscopic conditions determine complex functions of great importance in biology, nanotechnology, and electrochemistry., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures

The size-modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation (SMPBE) is one important variant of the popular dielectric model, the Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE), to reflect ionic size effects in the prediction of electrostatics for a biomolecule in an ionic solvent. In this paper, a new SMPBE hybrid solver is developed using a solution decomposition, the Schwartz's overlapped domain decomposition, finite element, and finite difference. It is then programmed as a software package in C, Fortran, and Python based on the state-of-the-art finite element library DOLFIN from the FEniCS project. This software package is well validated on a Born ball model with analytical solution and a dipole model with a known physical properties. Numerical results on six proteins with different net charges demonstrate its high performance. Finally, this new SMPBE hybrid solver is shown to be numerically stable and convergent in the calculation of electrostatic solvation free energy for 216 biomolecules and binding free energy for a DNA-drug complex., Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures

We propose a nonlocal Poisson-Fermi model for ionic solvent that includes ion size effects and polarization correlations among water molecules in the calculation of electrostatic potential. It includes the previous Poisson-Fermi models as special cases, and its solution is the convolution of a solution of the corresponding nonlocal Poisson dielectric model with a Yukawa-type kernel function. Moreover, the Fermi distribution is shown to be a set of optimal ionic concentration functions in the sense of minimizing an electrostatic potential free energy. Finally, numerical results are reported to show the difference between a Poisson-Fermi solution and a corresponding Poisson solution., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

The nonlinear multigrid is an efficient algorithm for solving the system of nonlinear equations arising from the numerical discretization of nonlinear elliptic boundary problems. In this paper, we present a new nonlinear multigrid analysis as an extension of the linear multigrid theory presented by Bramble. In particular, we prove the convergence of the nonlinear V-cycle method for a class of mildly nonlinear second order elliptic boundary value problems which do not have full elliptic regularity.