Quantification of Dendritic Spines Remodeling under Physiological Stimuli and in Pathological Conditions

Numerous brain diseases are associated with abnormalities in morphology and density of dendritic spines, small membranous protrusions whose structural geometry correlates with the strength of synaptic connections. Thus, the quantitative analysis of dendritic spines remodeling in microscopic images is one of the key elements towards understanding mechanisms of structural neuronal plasticity and bases of brain pathology. In the following article, we review experimental approaches designed to assess quantitative features of dendritic spines under physiological stimuli and in pathological conditions. We compare various methodological pipelines of biological models, sample preparation, data analysis, image acquisition, sample size, and statistical analysis. The methodology and results of relevant experiments are systematically summarized in a tabular form. In particular, we focus on quantitative data regarding the number of animals, cells, dendritic spines, types of studied parameters, size of observed changes, and their statistical significance.     

裂缝性油气藏区块的岩石可压性分析

油田地层的可压性评价是油田水力压裂施工中重点关注的问题，它直接关系到最终的增产效果。对某油田区块的深层岩石开展可压性评价，通过定义裂缝描述指数，结合岩石力学参数和残余应力2种方法计算的脆性指数，共同定量表征脆性指标；利用塑性应变能和岩石力学参数2种方法计算的塑性指数，来共同定量表征塑性指标；在脆性指标和塑性指标相互验证的前提下，基于这2种影响因素，给出了可压性指数的计算公式，利用7组试验岩心的计算结果，给出了油田目标区块的水力压裂施工指导性建议。     

Solvent-Free Plasticity and Programmable Mechanical Behaviors of Engineered Proteins

Biopolymeric networks with plasticity show great competences in diverse fields owing to the combined biocompatible and mechanical characteristics. However, to realize such plasticity external complicated treatments, e.g., UV or organic solvent have to be applied, which in turn impair the biological nature and even mechanical properties of those systems. To address this challenge, one new type of anhydrous protein liquid crystalline (LC) gels, which exhibit flexible morphological plasticity and mechanical programmability is demonstrated. Supramolecular interactions in the smectic biogels play an important role for their high plasticity. Remarkably, the samples exhibit outstanding mechanical behaviors. The tensile strength and Young's modulus at MPa levels are comparable or even higher than chemically cross-linked hydrogels and LC elastomers. More importantly, mechanical programmability of the LC gels is achieved by genetically tuning the charge density of protein backbones. Consequently, the mechanical performance is manipulated in the range of one order of magnitude. Thus, this type of anhydrous protein LC gels offers great opportunities for load-bearing high-tech applications.     

Environmental Enrichment Enhances Cav 2.1 Channel-Mediated Presynaptic Plasticity in Hypoxic–Ischemic Encephalopathy

Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a devastating neonatal brain condition caused by lack of oxygen and limited blood flow. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a classic paradigm with a complex stimulation of physical, cognitive, and social components. EE can exert neuroplasticity and neuroprotective effects in immature brains. However, the exact mechanism of EE on the chronic condition of HIE remains unclear. HIE was induced by a permanent ligation of the right carotid artery, followed by an 8% O₂ hypoxic condition for 1 h. At 6 weeks of age, HIE mice were randomly assigned to either standard cages or EE cages. In the behavioral assessments, EE mice showed significantly improved motor performances in rotarod tests, ladder walking tests, and hanging wire tests, compared with HIE control mice. EE mice also significantly enhanced cognitive performances in Y-maze tests. Particularly, EE mice showed a significant increase in Ca_v 2.1 (P/Q type) and presynaptic proteins by molecular assessments, and a significant increase of Ca_v 2.1 in histological assessments of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. These results indicate that EE can upregulate the expression of the Ca_v 2.1 channel and presynaptic proteins related to the synaptic vesicle cycle and neurotransmitter release, which may be responsible for motor and cognitive improvements in HIE.     

Strain rate and orientation-dependent strain hardening of Mg–9Li–Al using crystal plasticity

A crystal plasticity finite element model was proposed considering slip and twinning interactions. The grain morphology and crystallographic orientations were introduced into the model to describe the microstructure of duplex polycrystalline Mg–9Li–Al. The activation of the slip systems and the strain localisation with respect to initial grain orientations were investigated. In addition, the effects of phase distributions and volume fractions on the macroscopic responses and on strain hardening rates were analysed. The results show that the strain hardening is rate-dependent but the texture is less sensitive to strain rate. The distribution of a phase and its volume fraction play primary roles in governing the mechanical response.     

Hydrogen-assisted failure in a bimodal twinning-induced plasticity steel: Delamination events and damage evolution

The effect of the bimodal grain size distribution on the hydrogen susceptibility of a high-Mn fully austenitic twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel was investigated by tensile testing under ongoing electrochemical hydrogen charging. Observation of the surface microstructure of the hydrogen-charged specimen yielded a correlation between the microstructure, crack initiation sites, and crack propagation path. The observed embrittlement arose from crack initiation/propagation along the grain and twin boundaries and delamination governed crack growth. In the present bimodal TWIP steel, the fine grained regions mostly showed intergranular cracking along the grain boundaries between the fine and coarse grains. By contrast, the coarse grained region exhibited transgranular cracking along the twin boundaries. The delamination cracking phenomena is rationalized by the evident nucleation, growth, and coalescence of microvoids in the tensile direction. The results reveal that the bimodal grain size distribution of TWIP steel plays a major role in hydrogen-assisted cracking and the evolution of delamination-related damage.     

Phenomenological model for describing the formation of peeling defects of duplex stainless steel 2205

At present question on quality of duplex stainless steel 2205 increasingly focuses on the surface defects. The morphology, chemical composition and microstructure of the peeling defects on the surface of hot rolled plate of duplex stainless steel 2205 were investigated using stereo microscope, OM and SEM. The results show that the peeling defects on the surface of hot rolled plate are of wavy structure?? one end of it connects to the steel matrix and the other one cracks on the surface of hot rolled plate. There are inclusions of Al2O3 and CaO- SiO2- Al2O3- MgO distributed in shapes of point and chain and the volume fraction of the austenite is very high (58. 5%) at the defects. This causes low plasticity at the defects, which is the main reason for the peeling defects to appear in the region. Based on the results of the analysis, a phenomenological model for describing the formation of peeling defects was established.