Frontal Layer Research Articles

Analysis of microisolated frontal cortex excitatory layer III and V pyramidal neurons reveals a neurodegenerative phenotype in individuals with Down syndrome.

We elucidated the molecular fingerprint of vulnerable excitatory neurons within select cortical lamina of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) for mechanistic understanding and therapeutic potential that also informs Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. Frontal cortex (BA9) layer III (L3) and layer V (L5) pyramidal neurons were microisolatedfrom postmortem human DS and age- and sex-matched controls (CTR) to interrogate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key biological pathways relevant to neurodegenerative programs. We identified > 2300 DEGs exhibiting convergent dysregulation of gene expression in both L3 and L5 pyramidal neurons in individuals with DS versus CTR subjects. DEGs included over 100 triplicated human chromosome 21 genes in L3 and L5 neurons, demonstrating a trisomic neuronal karyotype in both laminae. In addition, thousands of other DEGs were identified, indicating gene dysregulation is not limited to trisomic genes in the aged DS brain, which we postulate is relevant to AD pathobiology. Convergent L3 and L5 DEGs highlighted pertinent biological pathways and identified key pathway-associated targets likely underlying corticocortical neurodegeneration and related cognitive decline in individuals with DS. Select key DEGs were interrogated as potential hub genes driving dysregulation, namely the triplicated DEGs amyloid precursor protein (APP) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), along with key signaling DEGs including mitogen activated protein kinase 1 and 3 (MAPK1, MAPK3) and calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase II alpha (CAMK2A), among others. Hub DEGs determined from multiple pathway analyses identified potential therapeutic candidates for amelioration of cortical neuron dysfunction and cognitive decline in DS with translational relevance to AD.

A novel method to estimate the dead layer of HPGe detector for Monte Carlo FEPE computation

In this study, a novel method to determine the surface and lateral dead layers of p-type HPGe detector is proposed to compute the full energy peak efficiency (FEPE). The method employed standard radioactive point sources 241Am, 133Ba and FEPE measurement at low energies to estimate the thickness of frontal and lateral dead layers. The method is simple to apply, requires only two standard radioactive sources to estimate the optimum thickness of frontal and lateral dead layers. The proposed method is validated by measuring the efficiency of various point sources and a volume source in the energy range from 59 to 1408 keV. The measured efficiencies agree to simulation with relative deviation less than 4.0% at each energy. The proposed detector model enables to calibrate the detector for environmental radioactivity measurement without standard volume sources.

The effect of two-part dead layer thickness on the efficiency curve of a P-TYPE HPGe detector calculated using the Monte Carlo method

The full energy peak efficiency (FEPE) of a gamma ray obtained from experimental studies using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe) can be easily reproduced by simulating the experiment in any desired geometry and energy range with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation methods. However, the dead layer (DL) thickness, which is one of the geometric information provided by the manufacturer, changes over time and affects the efficiency calculation, so it must be determined and compared with the initial value for the increases during the life-time of the detector. In this study, the general-purpose MC code PHITS and the special-purpose MC code GESPECOR were used to simulate a p-type HPGe detector and to determine the thickness of the frontal and lateral dead layer. As a result, it was observed that the frontal dead layer thickness increased from 0.7 mm to 1.075 mm, and the lateral dead layer thickness increased from 0.7 mm to 1.7 mm after 7 years of operation of the detector. This increase in dead layer thickness causes both a decrease in the detector's active volume and a decrease in efficiency in the problematic low-energy region.

Effect of Cu2Te Back Surface Interfacial Layer on Cadmium Telluride Thin Film Solar Cell Performance from Numerical Analysis

Even though substantial advances made in the device configuration of the frontal layers of the superstrate cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cell device have contributed to conversion efficiency, unresolved challenges remain in regard to controlling the self-compensation and minority carrier recombination at the back contact that limits the efficiency. In this study, a SCAPS-1D simulator was used to analyze the loss mechanism and performance limitations due to the band-bending effect upon copper chloride treatment and subsequent Cu2Te layer formation as the back contact buffer layer. The optimal energy bandgap range for the proposed back surface layer of Cu2Te is derived to be in the range of 1.1 eV to 1.3 eV for the maximum conversion efficiency, i.e., around 21.3%. Moreover, the impacts of absorber layer’s carrier concentration with respect to CdTe film thickness, bandgap, and operational temperature are analyzed. The optimized design reveals that the acceptor concentration contributes significantly to the performance of the CdTe devices, including spectral response. Consequently, the optimized thickness of the CdTe absorber layer with a Cu-based back contact is found to be 2.5 µm. Moreover, the effect of temperature ranging from 30 °C to 100 °C as the operating condition of the CdTe thin-film solar cells is addressed, which demonstrates an increasing recombination tread once the device temperature exceeds 60 °C, thus affecting the stability of the solar cells.

Projectile impact-induced spalling damage on carbon fiber reinforced polymer strengthened RC plates

As the most widely used material in protective structures, a better understanding of the resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) to high-speed projectile striking is needed. It has been accepted that concrete material possesses limited impact resistance in virtue of its poor energy absorption capacity. To improve the performance of RC structures under impulsive loading, affixing externally-bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sheets on structural elements is a practical method. Due to the emphasis of most existing literature on the penetration behavior of projectiles, the studies of impact-induced spalling damage on normal and FRP strengthened RC plates are not sufficient and in-depth. In this paper, the local response of un-strengthened and FRP strengthened RC plates under projectile impact is systematically investigated with experimental approaches. In consideration of the complexity of transient behavior as well as multiply parameters involved, empirical approaches based on dimensionless analysis are proposed to predict the diameter and depth of spalling craters on normal RC plates and strengthened ones with frontal CFRP layers, which fill current research gap and are potential tools for damage assessment and repair. The validity of the proposed approaches is verified by test results from the present and published studies.

Structural modification of UHMWPE fiber through hybridization and CNT reinforcement for ballistic applications

AbstractIn the construction of an armor for ballistic protection, fibers are used in the form of a laminated composite bonded to the back of the frontal ceramic layer. The composite layer dissipates energy transmitted through the ceramic layer and controls the spall. To absorb energy locally and to spread it out fast, fibers in the composite layer must have high toughness and tensile wave speed as quantified by a primary performance index called normalizing velocity. The goal of this investigation is to increase the normalizing velocity of ultra‐high molecular weight (UHMWPE) fiber that is widely used in ballistic protection. The structure of UHMWPE is modified by hybridizing with nylon and reinforcing with carbon nanotubes. Fibers are extruded by melt‐spinning. The concentration of nylon and nanotubes is 18 and 2 wt%, respectively. After extrusion, fibers are strain‐hardened by cyclic loading to align UHMWPE molecules and nanotubes along the fiber axis. Tensile properties are determined to calculate normalizing velocity. Normalizing velocities up to 1270 m/s were obtained for the modified fiber which outperforms Spectra‐2000 and Dyneema‐SK75 by 44%–57%. Materials chemistry and structure of the fiber are investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Raman Spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was observed that micro‐droplet formation by the nylon phase during hybridization promotes interface sliding of UHMWPE ligaments and elevates the fracture strain. Raman and SEM examination demonstrates that embedded nanotubes get aligned along the fiber axis due to strain hardening and co‐continuously deform with UHMWPE sharing the load.

Ultrastructural Remodeling of the Blood-Brain Barrier and Neurovascular Unit by Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an interface primarily comprised of brain endothelial cells (BECs), separating the central nervous system (CNS) from the systemic circulation while carefully regulating the transport of molecules and inflammatory cells, and maintaining the required steady-state environment. Inflammation modulates many BBB functions, but the ultrastructural cytoarchitectural changes of the BBB with inflammation are understudied. Inflammation was induced in male 8-10-week-old CD-1 mice with intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS), using a regimen (3 mg/kg at 0, 6, and 24 h) that caused robust BBB disruption but had minimal lethality at the study timepoint of 28 h. Perfusion-fixed brains were collected and the frontal cortical layer III regions were analyzed using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The LPS-treated mice had pronounced ultrastructural remodeling changes in BECs that included plasma membrane ruffling, increased numbers of extracellular microvesicles, small exosome formation, aberrant BEC mitochondria, increased BEC transcytosis, while tight junctions appeared to be unaltered. Aberrant pericytes were contracted with rounded nuclei and a loss of their elongated cytoplasmic processes. Surveilling microglial cells were attracted to the neurovascular unit (NVU) of BECs, and astrocyte detachment and separation were associated with the formation of a perivascular space and pericapillary edema. The LPS treatment resulted in numerous ultrastructural aberrant remodeling changes to the neurovascular unit's BECs, microglia, pericytes, and astrocytes. In summary, a disturbance of the NVU morphology is a consequence of LPS treatment.

ОПТИМАЛЬНОЕ ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЕ РЕСУРСОСБЕРЕГАЮЩИХ АДСОРБЦИОННЫХ УСТАНОВОК ДЛЯ ИЗВЛЕЧЕНИЯ ВОДОРОДА НА БЛОЧНЫХ АДСОРБЕНТАХ

The paper presents a new approach to the design of resource-saving pressure swing adsorption (PSA) installations for hydrogen recovery, which ensures a safe flow rate in the frontal layer of the block adsorbent using optimal programs for multi-stage smooth opening of the valves of the installation. The safe flow rate of 0.3 m/s was determined experimentally, which practically eliminates the abrasion of the adsorbent during the PSA process. An iterative algorithm was proposed to reduce the problem of optimal installation design to the problem of nonlinear programming. A number of optimization problems of design of the installation with a capacity of 100-4000 l/min STP and a hydrogen purity of 99.99%+ were solved using the example of a hydrogen 4-bed 4-step vacuum PSA. The optimal combinations of mode and design parameters of the PSA installation and the trends of their changes depending on capacity were determined. An exhaustive comparative analysis of PSA installations designed according to a new and traditional approach was carried out. It was found that installations designed according to the new approach secure a greater profit from hydrogen production by an average of 28.3% due to lower energy consumption for hydrogen production and weight and size characteristics (the length of the adsorbent layer and the inner diameter of the adsorber) compared to installations that are designed according to the traditional approach

Influence of the thickness of frontal platinum metallic layer on the electro-optical characteristics of GaN-based Schottky ultraviolet photodetectors

In this work, we evaluated the effect of the thickness of frontal metallic layer on the electro-optical characteristics of an n-type gallium nitride (n-GaN)-based Schottky barrier ultraviolet (UV) detector using device modeling and numerical simulations. Comparison of the current density-voltage characteristics J(V) calculated for different metals demonstrated that platinum (Pt) is the most suitable metal to form Schottky contacts. The obtained results show that the thickness of the frontal platinum Schottky contact highly affects the spectral responsivity of the detector in the considered UV range of 0.2…0.4 µm. In particular, the detector responsivity at room temperature can reach the peak value of 0.208 A·W–1 at the wavelength of 0.364 µm and the semi-transparent Pt layer as thin as 1 nm. Afterward, it gradually decreases with the increase of the metal layer thickness down to 0.147 A·W–1 for the thickness of the Pt layer of 100 nm.

Jet Effusion from a Metal Droplet Irradiated by a Polarized Ultrashort Laser Pulse

Fragmentation of liquid-metal droplets irradiated by linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulses is observed in our experiment. The obtained shadowgraph snapshots demonstrate that a circularly polarized pulse may produce several randomly oriented jets effused from the expanding droplets, while a linearly polarized laser pulse generates strictly the cruciform jets. The latter orientation is tied with polarization plane, rotation of which causes rotation of the cruciform jets by the same angle. To shed light on the experimental data we perform molecular dynamics simulation of droplet expansion induced by angle-dependent heating. Our simulation shows that the jet directions are determined by an oriented angle-dependent energy distribution within a frontal hemisphere layer of droplet after absorption of linearly polarized light. As a result, the produced flow velocity field guided by surface tension forms two high-speed opposite jets oriented across the electric field vector as in our experiment. A shock-wave pulse generated in the frontal layer has angle-dependent amplitude inherited from the oriented energy deposition. The release part of shock pulse produces a cavitation zone nearby the droplet center, and thus an expanding spherical shell is formed from the droplet. The flow velocities within a rearside hemisphere of the shell, produced after reflection of the shock wave from the rear side of droplet, generate two low-speed opposite jets oriented along the electric field vector. Thus we find that the cruciform jets are originated independently from the frontal and rear sides of droplet, and a pair of frontal jets is faster than a pair of rearside jets.

Effects of microplastics from disposable medical masks on terrestrial invertebrates

This study investigated impacts of microplastics from disposable polypropylene medical masks on woodlice Porcellio scaber, mealworm larvae Tenebrio molitor and enchytraeids Enchytraeus crypticus. Effects of microplastics on survival, reproduction, immune parameters and energy-related traits were assessed after 21 days exposure in soil. Microplastics obtained from each medical mask layer separately differed in size and shape (inner frontal layer: 45.1 ± 21.5 µm, fibers; middle filtering layer: 55.6 ± 28.5 µm, fragments; outer layer: 42.0 ± 17.8 µm, fibers) and composition of additives. Overall, the concentrations of metals and organic chemicals were too low to cause effects on soil invertebrates. The microplastics from disposable medical masks at 0.06%, 0.5%, 1.5%, w/w did not induce severe adverse effects on survival or reproduction (for enchytraeids). A transient immune response of woodlice and a change in energy-related traits in mealworms were observed, which was most clearly seen for the microplastics from the outer layer. This was reflected in increased electron transfer system activity of mealworms and different immune response dynamics of woodlice. In conclusion, the tested soil invertebrates respond to microplastics from disposable medical masks, but it remains unclear what these changes mean for their fitness on the long term.

Distribution of excess charge carriers in bilateral macroporous silicon with the same thickness of porous layers

In this work, to calculate the distribution of the excess minority carrier concentration in bilateral macroporous silicon, the solution of the diffusion equation for stationary conditions is used, which is written for a monocrystalline substrate and macroporous layers. The solution to the diffusion equation is supplemented by boundary conditions at the interface between macroporous layers and a monocrystalline substrate and at the boundaries of a bilateral macroporous silicon sample. The dependence of the distribution of the excess minority carrier concentration in bilateral macroporous silicon with the same thickness of porous layers on the depth of macropores, the thickness of the sample of bilateral macroporous silicon, and the bulk lifetime of minority charge carriers is calculated. It is shown that the distribution function of the excess minority carrier concentration in bilateral macroporous silicon exhibits two maxima. The maxima are located in the frontal macroporous layer, near the surface of the sample, and in a monocrystalline substrate, near the interface, the frontal macroporous layer - monocrystalline substrate.

Environmental hazard of polypropylene microplastics from disposable medical masks: acute toxicity towards Daphnia magna and current knowledge on other polypropylene microplastics

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of disposable plastics, including medical masks, which have become a necessity in our daily lives. As these are often improperly disposed of, they represent an important potential source of microplastics in the environment. We prepared microplastics from polypropylene medical masks and characterised their size, shape, organic chemical leaching, and acute toxicity to the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna. The three layers of the masks were separately milled and characterised. Each of the inner frontal, middle filtering, and outer layers yielded different types of microplastics: fibres were obtained from the inner and outer layer, but irregular fragments from the middle layer. The shape of the obtained microplastics differed from the initial fibrous structure of the intact medical mask layers, which indicates that the material is deformed during cryo-milling. The chemical compositions of plastics-associated chemicals also varied between the different layers. Typically, the inner layer contained more chemicals related to antimicrobial function and flavouring. The other two layers also contained antioxidants and their degradation products, plasticisers, cross-linking agents, antistatic agents, lubricants, and non-ionic surfactants. An acute study with D. magna showed that these microplastics do not cause immobility but do physically interact with the daphnids. Further long-term studies with these microplastics are needed using a suite of test organisms. Indeed, studies with other polypropylene microplastics have shown numerous adverse effects on other organisms at concentrations that have already been reported in the environment. Further efforts should be made to investigate the environmental hazards of polypropylene microplastics from medical masks and how to handle this new source of environmental burden.

Endoscopic transorbital approach to the insular region: cadaveric feasibility study and clinical application (SevEN-005).

The insula is a complex anatomical structure. Accessing tumors in the insula remains a challenge due to its anatomical complexity and the high chance of morbidity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of an endoscopic transorbital approach (ETOA) to the insular region based on a cadaveric study. One cadaveric head was used to study the anatomy of the insula and surrounding vessels. Then, anatomical dissection was performed in 4 human cadaveric heads using a dedicated endoscopic system with the aid of neuronavigation guidance. To assess the extent of resection, CT scanning was performed before and after dissection. The insular region was directly exposed by a classic transcranial approach to check the extent of resection from the side with a classic transcranial approach. The entire procedure consisted of two phases: an extradural orbital phase and an intradural sylvian phase. After eyelid incision, the sphenoid bone and orbital roof were extensively drilled out with exposure of the frontal and temporal dural layers. After making a dural window, the anterior ramus of the sylvian fissure was opened and dissected. The M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was identified and traced posterolaterally. A small corticectomy was performed on the posterior orbital gyrus. Through the window between the lateral lenticulostriate arteries and M2, the cortex and medulla of the insula were resected in an anteroposterior direction without violation of the M2 segment of the MCA or its major branches. When confirmed by pterional craniotomy, the sylvian fissure and the MCA were found to be anatomically preserved. After validation of the feasibility and safety based on a cadaveric study, the ETOA was successfully performed in a patient with a high-grade glioma (WHO grade III) in the right insula. The transorbital route can be considered a potential option to access tumors located in the insula. Using an ETOA, the MCA and its major branches were identified and preserved while removal was performed along the long axis of the insula. In particular, lesions in the anterior part of the insula are most benefited by this approach. Because this approach was implemented in only one patient, additional discussion and further verification is required.

Optical Losses of Frontal Layers in Superstrate CdS/CdTe Solar Cells Using OPAL2

In this paper, optical losses in CdS/CdTe solar cells are calculated on the basis of the designated reflective index of various frontal layers using an OPAL2 calculator for the first time. Two types of glass (0.1 mm ultra-thin Schott and 1.1 mm standard borosilicate glass) were assumed to be coated by different Transparent-Conducting-Oxides (TCOs) such as SnO2:F, ZnO:Al, and ITO forming frontal layers for CdS/CdTe solar cells in superstrate configuration. Absorption, reflectance, transmittance, and consequently optical bandgap energies are calculated as a function of common thicknesses, used in the literature. The results show that an increase in TCO thickness led to a decrease in optical band gap as well as an enhancement in contact potential difference, which can deteriorate device performance. The optimum thickness of 100 nm for SnO2:F was calculated, while 200 nm for ZnO:Al and ITO show reasonable optical losses caused by reflections at the interfaces’ and the layer’s absorption. It is seen that 80 to 150 nm CdS on ITO might be an effective range to satisfy a high short circuit current and low defect densities at the CdS/CdTe interface. Finally, a minimum 2 μm thickness for the CdTe on the ultra-thin Schott glass coated by optimum layers can result in the highest short circuit current of 28.69 mA/cm2. This work offers a practical equivalent strategy to be applied for any superstrate solar cells containing TCO and CdS frontal layers.

Optimization of the thermal regime of the insulating breathing apparatus on chemically bound oxygen

It is proved that the main prospects for improving the insulating means of respiratory protection are related to the chemical method of oxygen reservation. To increase the efficiency of its use, it is necessary to use the resource of the dead layer of the chemosorbent and prevent the sintering of the granules of the oxygen-containing product under the action of exothermic heat. This is achieved by faster pulsed passage of exhaled air through the frontal layers of the chemosorbent and its slow filtration through the rest of the regenerative cartridge. To evaluate the effectiveness of such a technical solution, a mathematical model of air regeneration in an insulating breathing apparatus with an uneven rate of exhalation filtration through a regenerative cartridge is constructed. The dependencies on the time and coordinate of the concentration of CO2 molecules in the air stream and the share of the use of the protective resource of the regenerative cartridge are obtained. Using numerical experiments, the optimal coordinate of the air flow filtration rate jump was determined to prevent sintering of the granules. Depending on the amount of pressure damping on exhalation and inspiration for the RHS respirator, an increase in the protective effect of the device was determined and a decrease in the power of exothermic heat sources in the frontal layers of the oxygen-containing product was calculated. The results obtained confirm the effectiveness of the considered improvements of the design, which make it possible to increase the reliability of insulating breathing apparatus on chemically bound oxygen and to increase the efficiency of using their protective resource.

Impact of polyurea-coated metallic targets: Computational framework

Polyurea elastomer is known to exhibit advantageous impact-mitigation characteristics and thus can improve the dynamic performance of various components and structures. This study identifies the mechanisms of dynamic response of thin metallic plates, covered by a frontal polyurea layer, using a physically verified, custom material model for two-part polyurea implemented within a finite-element-method framework. A linear increase in the ballistic performance of a target with polymer coating is consistent with experimental work captured for the first time in a numerical study. A reported ballistic-limit improvement of 7.4 m s−1 per millimetre increase of polyurea thickness for frontal-layer thicknesses higher than 4 mm on the thin monolithic plate was established. In contrast, the application of polyurea coating thinner than 4 mm resulted in a diminished ballistic performance of the target. These outcomes are attributed to significant alterations in the energy-absorbing capacity of thin plates with the introduction of the polyurea layer that strongly depend on the impact velocity, polymer thickness, and interfacial interactions.

Optimization of Cyclic Adsorption Processes and Gas Mixture Separation Plants

The analysis of the cyclic adsorption process and the installation of separation of gas mixtures by the method of pressure swing adsorption as an object of optimization have been carried out. The study found operating (control) variables (the duration of the adsorption stage, the pressure at the compressor outlet, the coefficient of reverse flow for the regeneration of the adsorbent, the program of changes in the opening time of the inlet and outlet valves of the installation); undefined parameters (composition, temperature and pressure of the initial gas-air mixture); output variables of the installation (concentration of oxygen, nitrogen in the product gas flow, the productivity of the installation, the degree of extraction and reduced costs for the production of oxygen with a given purity of 40 - 90 and higher vol.%). A one-stage problem of optimization of the regimes of a stationary periodic process of adsorption separation of atmospheric air and oxygen concentration was formulated and solved by the method of short-cycle adsorption under conditions of partial uncertainty of the initial information in the presence of restrictions on the purity of the product gas, the productivity of the installation and the rate of gas flow in the “frontal layer” of the adsorbent. An iterative algorithm for its solution is proposed.

Huntingtin Levels are Elevated in Hippocampal Post-Mortem Samples of Alzheimer's Disease Brain.

We have recently identified Huntingtin (Htt), the pathogenic protein in Huntington's disease, as a mediator of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in an amyloid precursor protein (APP) knock-in mouse model of AD. That finding prompted us to examine if Htt is accumulated in the brains of AD patients and in which cell type Htt is present in the AD brain. To investigate whether location and levels of Htt are affected in hippocampus and frontal cortex in AD. Brains from AD patients (n=11) and controls (n=11) were stained for Htt using immunohistochemistry and signal intensity of Htt was quantified and localized in subregions and neurons. Confocal microscopy was used to characterize neuronal Htt localisation and its relationship with tau tangles and astrocytes. Htt levels were increased in neuronal cells in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus, in CA1 and CA3 in hippocampus and in layer III of the frontal cortex. Htt was found in the soma, perinuclear space, thin neurites and nucleus of pyramidal neurons. Htt was present in neurons containing tau tangles but did not colocalize with astrocytes. Htt accumulates in pyramidal neuron-rich areas including hippocampal subregions associated with memory and frontal cortex layer III. The accumulation of Htt in AD shows distinct cellular and morphological patterns and is not present in astrocytes. Clearly, further research is warranted to elucidate the role of Htt as a mediator of AD pathology and the potential use of Htt as a target in future therapeutic strategies.

Experiment and numerical investigation of the aero-thermal demise of pristine and pre-damaged GLARE™ fiber-metal laminates

Since many decades researchers have been interrogating the re-entry physics of lunar objects in the Earth’s atmosphere. A request like ‘demise + re-entry’ in a web search engine gives hundreds if not thousands of studies concerned with the breakup and the disappearance of space flotsam in the Earth’s atmosphere. However, it is hard to comprehend a rational reason why the engineering physics involved in the thermal degradation of spacecraft structures still can be explained with inherent uncertainties. Many derelict satellites and spacecraft are orbiting the Earth. They will gradually enter the Earth’s atmosphere attributed to the gravitational force and may will not survive the aero-thermal load induced by the dense Earth’s atmosphere. This study, therefore, investigated the propensity to aero-thermal demise of a pristine and a pre-damaged spacecraft shielding structure during atmospheric re-entry. The shield was made of a GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum panel, which accommodated five quasi-isotropic S2-glass fiber reinforced FM94-epoxy laminates alternately stacked between six aluminum 2024-T3 alloy sheets. The pre-damage of the shielding system was akin to a damage can be generated by an impact of a micrometeoroid. To impart the pre-damage, a GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum plate was first impacted with a 2 mm diameter stainless steel spherical projectile at 5.49 km/s. The projectile perforated through the plate. Next, the perforated GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum plate was exposed to an air plasma-jet (oxygen dissociated) of a specific enthalpy of 5.4 × 103 kJ/kg at standard air pressure conditions. The high enthalpy plasma thermally degraded the pre-damaged plate, while debris was discharged uprange and downrange out of the plate. The dynamic pressure of the plasma flow exacerbated the debris discharge. The endothermic destruction of a pristine GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum specimen followed several steps: first, layer-after-layer oxidation and melting of the aluminum sheets; next, decomposition and sublimation of epoxy accompanied by thermal and viscous diffusion of molten aluminum and molten glass fibers; finally, the onset of a hole in the pristine specimen. By contrast, the plasma-jet that streamed through the punched hole of the pre-damaged GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum specimen, had thermally decomposed the frontal material layers of the specimen to a large extent in the initial few seconds. The punched hole, however, did not succumb to enlarge after the surface temperature of the GLAss fiber REinforced aluminum specimen reached an asymptote. To reproduce the experimental findings, a new Moving Mesh Front procedure had been developed and implemented in a Lagrangian finite element framework. The numerical analysis considered the temperature-dependent thermal properties of orthotropic S2-glass/FM94-epoxy composites and isotropic aluminum alloys. For a comparable heating condition, the agreement between the predicted and the measured temperatures of the specimen front surface was within 4.4%, while the corresponding agreement was within 6.7% for the rear surface temperature of the test specimen.