Shear Stress Response Research Articles

Advances of Angiopoietin-Tie axis in vascular and lymphatic system-related diseases

Endothelial cells that form the inner layers of both blood and lymphatic vessels are important components of the vascular system and are involved in the pathogenesis of vascular and lymphatic diseases. Angiopoietin (Ang)-Tie axis in endothelial cells is the second endothelium-specific ligand-receptor signaling system necessary for embryonic cardiovascular and lymphatic development in addition to the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor pathway. The Ang-Tie axis also maintains vascular homeostasis by regulating postnatal angiogenesis, vessel remodeling, vascular permeability, and inflammation. Therefore, the dysfunction of this system leads to many vascular and lymphatic diseases. In light of the recent advances on the role of the Ang-Tie axis in vascular and lymphatic system-related diseases, this review summarizes the functions of the Ang-Tie axis in inflammation-induced vascular permeability, vascular remodeling, ocular angiogenesis, shear stress response, atherosclerosis, tumor angiogenesis, and metastasis. Moreover, this review summarizes the relevant therapeutic antibodies, recombinant proteins, and small molecular drugs associated with the Ang-Tie axis.

Fiber-Matrix Interaction and Fiber Orientation in Simple Shearing of Fibrous Soft Tissues

Fiber-reinforcement is a common feature of many soft biological tissues. The response of fibrous biotissues to applied shear is thus of considerable current interest. We consider here the fundamental deformation of simple shear within the framework of transversely isotropic incompressible hyperelastic materials for fiber-reinforced specimens with a single family of parallel fibers oriented at a general angle to the direction of shear. It is well known that the normal stress effect characteristic of nonlinear elasticity plays a crucial role in maintaining an homogeneous deformation state in the bulk of the specimen. Here we investigate the effects of fiber-matrix interaction on the shear and lateral normal stresses. The inclusion of fiber-matrix interaction stiffens the shear stress response. As regards the normal stress, it is shown that the confining normal traction that needs to be applied to the top and bottom faces of a block in order to maintain simple shear can be compressive or tensile depending on the degree of anisotropy, fiber-matrix interaction and on the angle of orientation of the fibers. In the absence of such an applied traction, an unconfined sample tends to bulge outwards or contract inwards perpendicular to the direction of shear so that one has the possibility of both a positive or negative Poynting effect. It is shown that the fiber-matrix interaction enhances both the positive and negative Poynting effects. The results are illustrated using experimental data obtained by other authors for porcine brain white matter. In particular, it is shown that, for sufficiently small angles of orientation, a transition amount of shear exists at which the normal stress changes character from tensile to compressive with increasing amount of shear. An increase in the degree of fiber-matrix interaction enlarges the range of orientation angles for which this transition can occur and decreases the transition amount of shear. These transition amounts of shear are well within the physiological strain regime. The results obtained here are relevant to the development of accurate shear test protocols for the determination of constitutive properties of fibrous biological soft tissues.

Shear induced deformation twinning evolution in thermoelectric InSb

Twin boundary (TB) engineering has been widely applied to enhance the strength and plasticity of metals and alloys, but is rarely adopted in thermoelectric (TE) semiconductors. Our previous first-principles results showed that nanotwins can strengthen TE Indium Antimony (InSb) through In–Sb covalent bond rearrangement at the TBs. Herein, we further show that shear-induced deformation twinning enhances plasticity of InSb. We demonstrate this by employing large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) to follow the shear stress response of flawless single-crystal InSb along various slip systems. We observed that the maximum shear strain for the (111)[11bar 2] slip system can be up to 0.85 due to shear-induced deformation twinning. We attribute this deformation twinning to the “catching bond” involving breaking and re-formation of In–Sb bond in InSb. This finding opens up a strategy to increase the plasticity of TE InSb by deformation twinning, which is expected to be implemented in other isotypic III–V semiconductors with zinc blende structure.

Polymerized albumin restores impaired hemodynamics in endotoxemia and polymicrobial sepsis

Fluid resuscitation following severe inflammation-induced hypoperfusion is critical for the restoration of hemodynamics and the prevention of multiorgan dysfunction syndrome during septic shock. Fluid resuscitation with commercially available crystalloid and colloid solutions only provides transient benefits, followed by fluid extravasation and tissue edema through the inflamed endothelium. The increased molecular weight (M.W.) of polymerized human serum albumin (PolyHSA) can limit fluid extravasation, leading to restoration of hemodynamics. In this prospective study, we evaluated how fluid resuscitation with PolyHSA impacts the hemodynamic and immune response in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced endotoxemia mouse model. Additionally, we evaluated fluid resuscitation with PolyHSA in a model of polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Resuscitation with PolyHSA attenuated the immune response and improved the maintenance of systemic hemodynamics and restoration of microcirculatory hemodynamics. This decrease in inflammatory immune response and maintenance of vascular wall shear stress likely contributes to the maintenance of vascular integrity following fluid resuscitation with PolyHSA. The sustained restoration of perfusion, decrease in pro-inflammatory immune response, and improved vascular integrity that results from the high M.W. of PolyHSA indicates that a PolyHSA based solution is a potential resuscitation fluid for endotoxic and septic shock.

In Vivo Function of Flow-Responsive Cis-DNA Elements of eNOS Gene: A Role for Chromatin-Based Mechanisms.

eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) is an endothelial cell (EC)-specific gene predominantly expressed in medium- to large-sized arteries where ECs experience atheroprotective laminar flow with high shear stress. Disturbed flow with lower average shear stress decreases eNOS transcription, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis, especially at bifurcations and curvatures of arteries. This prototypic arterial EC gene contains 2 distinct flow-responsive cis-DNA elements in the promoter, the shear stress response element (SSRE) and the KLF (Krüppel-like factor) element. Previous in vitro studies suggested their positive regulatory functions on flow-induced transcription of EC genes including eNOS. However, the in vivo function of these cis-DNA elements remains unknown. Insertional transgenic mice with a mutation at each flow-responsive cis-DNA element were generated using a murine eNOS promoter-β-galactosidase reporter by linker-scanning mutagenesis and compared with episomal-based mutations in vitro. DNA methylation at the eNOS proximal promoter in mouse ECs was assessed by bisulfite sequencing or pyrosequencing. Wild type mice with a functional eNOS promoter-reporter transgene exhibited reduced endothelial reporter expression in the atheroprone regions of disturbed flow (n=5). It is surprising that the SSRE mutation abrogated reporter expression in ECs and was associated with aberrant hypermethylation at the eNOS proximal promoter (n=7). Reporter gene silencing was independent of transgene copy number and integration position, indicating that the SSRE is a critical cis-element necessary for eNOS transcription in vivo. The KLF mutation demonstrated an integration site-specific decrease in eNOS transcription, again with marked promoter methylation (n=8), suggesting that the SSRE alone is not sufficient for eNOS transcription in vivo. In wild type mice, the native eNOS promoter was significantly hypermethylated in ECs from the atheroprone regions where eNOS expression was markedly repressed by chronic disturbed flow, demonstrating that eNOS expression is regulated by flow-dependent DNA methylation that is region-specific in the arterial endothelium in vivo. We report, for the first time, that the SSRE and KLF elements are critical flow sensors necessary for a transcriptionally permissive, hypomethylated eNOS promoter in ECs under chronic shear stress in vivo. Moreover, eNOS expression is regulated by flow-dependent epigenetic mechanisms, which offers novel mechanistic insight on eNOS gene regulation in atherogenesis.

A constitutive model for thixotropic cemented tailings backfill pastes

• The reversibility time-dependent property of CTB mixtures was observed. • A novel rate equation of structural parameter was proposed. • A thixotropic model with 8 parameters for CTB mixtures was established. • The proposed model exhibited good correlations with experimental results. The thixotropic properties of fresh cemented tailing backfill (CTB) pastes applied in underground backfilling are investigated. Reversibility of thixotropy, equilibrium rheology, and stress decay curves of CTB pastes are discussed. A constitutive model that contains an evolution equation of structural parameter and a constitutive equation for shear stress is proposed. Modifications are made to incorporate the steady-state rheological model and the evolution equation of structural parameter. The proposed model has 8 parameters that are easily determined by fitting experimental data from a series of constant shear rate tests. The good agreement between the predicted and experimental shear stress responses suggests that such a thixotropic model is validated for CTB pastes. Compared to existing thixotropic models, the proposed constitutive model is simple and distinct, showing the novelty of the evolution equation of structural parameter.

Longitudinal shear stress response in human endothelial cells to atheroprone and atheroprotective conditions

The two main blood flow patterns, namely, pulsatile shear (PS) prevalent in straight segments of arteries and oscillatory shear (OS) observed at branch points, are associated with atheroprotective (healthy) and atheroprone (unhealthy) vascular phenotypes, respectively. The effects of blood flow-induced shear stress on endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular health have generally been studied using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). While there are a few studies comparing the differential roles of PS and OS across different types of ECs at a single time point, there is a paucity of studies comparing the temporal responses between different EC types. In the current study, we measured OS and PS transcriptomic responses in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) over 24 h and compared these temporal responses of HAECs with our previous findings on HUVECs. The measurements were made at 1, 4, and 24 h in order to capture the responses at early, mid, and late time points after shearing. The results indicate that the responses of HAECs and HUVECs are qualitatively similar for endothelial function-relevant genes and several important pathways with a few exceptions, thus demonstrating that HUVECs can be used as a model to investigate the effects of shear on arterial ECs, with consideration of the differences. Our findings show that HAECs exhibit an earlier response or faster kinetics as compared to HUVECs. The comparative analysis of HAECs and HUVECs presented here offers insights into the mechanisms of common and disparate shear stress responses across these two major endothelial cell types.

Acoustic Properties of the Otolith of the Large Yellow Croaker Larimichthys crocea (Perciformes: Sciaenidae).

The inner ears of fish contain three pairs of otoliths-lapilli, asterisci and sagittae-which play important roles in hearing and balance. However, acoustic properties and dynamic responses of fish otoliths are poorly understood. The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), like many species in the family Sciaenidae, is extremely sensitive to sound. The present study used L. crocea sagittae as the research subject and examined the variation in shear stress on sagittae under different acoustic stimuli. For the first time, the sound speed of the sagitta was measured using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques, and the acoustic impedance and natural frequency of the sagitta were calculated. Larimichthys crocea adults (20-22 cm standard length, n = 10) had a sagitta density of 2781.5 ± 28.06 kg/m3, sound speed of 4828-6000 m/s and acoustic impedance range of 13.4-16.7 MPa·s/m, approximately 9-11 times that of seawater (1.48 MPa·s/m). The natural frequency of the sagitta was 76.4-95.5 kHz. The shape and structural details of sagittae were reconstructed by 3D scanner and the shear stress responses of sagittae under different acoustic stimulus were investigated based on a finite element model. The simulation results showed that the shear stress responses tended to increase and then decrease in the range of sciaenid hearing frequency from 200 to 1300 Hz, peaking at 800 Hz. The shear stress responses varied with the direction of acoustic stimulus and peaked when the incident direction was perpendicular to the inner surface of the otolith. These results provide important parameters that may be used to protect L. crocea from possible underwater noise damage, particularly during their spawning aggregations and over-wintering aggregations.

Normal Stress Differences of Human Blood in Unidirectional Large-Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Flow

Abstract This work analyzes normal stress difference responses in blood tested in unidirectional large-amplitude oscillatory shear flow (udLAOS), a novel rheological test, designed for human blood. udLAOS mimics the pulsatile flow in veins and arteries, in the sense that it never reverses, and yet also nearly stops once per heartbeat. As for our continuum fluid model, we choose the Oldroyd 8-constant framework for its rich diversity of popular constitutive equations, including the corotational Jeffreys fluid. This work arrives at exact solutions for normal stress differences from the corotational Jeffreys fluid in udLAOS. We discover fractional harmonics comprising the transient part of the normal stress difference responses, and both integer and fractional harmonics, the alternant part. By fractional, we mean that these occur at frequencies other than integer multiples of the superposed oscillation frequency. More generally, predictions from the Oldroyd 8-constant framework are explored by means of the finite difference method. Finally, the generalized versions of both the Oldroyd 8-constant framework and the corotational Jeffreys fluid are employed to predict the nonlinear normal stress responses for the model parameters fitted to udLAOS measurements from three very different donors, all healthy. From our predictions, we are led to expect less variation in normal stress differences in udLAOS from healthy donor to donor, than for the corresponding measured shear stress responses.

Tetraethyl Orthosilicate-Based Hydrogels for Drug Delivery-Effects of Their Nanoparticulate Structure on Release Properties.

Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-based hydrogels, with shear stress response and drug releasing properties, can be formulated simply by TEOS hydrolysis followed by volume corrections with aqueous solvents and pH adjustments. Such basic thixotropic hydrogels (thixogels) form via the colloidal aggregation of nanoparticulate silica. Herein, we investigated the effects of the nanoparticulate building blocks on the drug release properties of these materials. Our data indicate that the age of the hydrolyzed TEOS used for the formulation impacts the nanoparticulate structure and stiffness of thixogels. Moreover, the mechanism of formation or the disturbance of the nanoparticulate network significantly affects the release profiles of the incorporated drug. Collectively, our results underline the versatility of these basic, TEOS-only hydrogels for drug delivery applications.

Chemically defined human vascular laminins for biologically relevant culture of hiPSC-derived brain microvascular endothelial cells

BackgroundIn recent years, differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into brain-specific microvascular endothelial cells (iBMECs) has frequently been used to model the blood–brain barrier (BBB). However, there are limitations in the use of iBMECs for in vitro studies, such as transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) instability, weak junctional expression of VE-cadherin, and lack of proper fluid shear stress response. In vivo, the basement membrane (BM) composition of the BBB evolves throughout development, and laminins become the dominant component of the mature vascular BM. However, laminin isoforms of the endothelial BM have not been used for culture of differentiated iBMECs. The main goal of this study is to investigate the effect of different laminin isoforms of the endothelial BM on iBMEC functionality and to determine whether better recapitulation of the physiological BM in vitro can address the aforementioned limitations of iBMECs.MethodsUsing a previously reported method, hiPSCs were differentiated into iBMECs. The influence of main laminins of the endothelial BM, LN 411 and LN 511, on iBMEC functionality was studied and compared to a collagen IV and fibronectin mixture (CN IV-FN). Quantitative RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and TEER measurement were utilized to assess gene and protein expression and barrier properties of iBMECs on different extracellular matrices. Single-channel microfluidic devices were used to study the effect of shear stress on iBMECs.ResultsLN 511, but not LN 411, improved iBMEC barrier properties and resulted in more sustained TEER stability. Immunocytochemistry showed improved junctional protein expression compared to iBMECs cultured on CN IV-FN. iBMECs cultured on LN 511 showed a reduction of stress fibers, indicating resting endothelial phenotype, whereas gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of multiple genes involved in endothelial activation in iBMECs on CN IV-FN. Finally, culturing iBMECs on LN 511 enhanced physiological responses to shear stress, including morphological changes and enhanced junctional protein association.ConclusionLN 511 improves the functionality and long-term barrier stability of iBMECs. Our findings suggest that incorporation of physiologically relevant LN 511 in iBMEC culture would be beneficial for disease modeling applications and BBB-on-a-chip platforms that accommodate fluid flow.

Heat shock protein 60 and cardiovascular diseases: An intricate love-hate story.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the result of complex pathophysiological processes in the tissues comprising the heart and blood vessels. Inflammation is the main culprit for the development of cardiovascular dysfunction, and it may be traced to cellular stress events including apoptosis, oxidative and shear stress, and cellular and humoral immune responses, all of which impair the system's structure and function. An intracellular chaperone, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) is an intriguing example of a protein that may both be an ally and a foe for cardiovascular homeostasis; on one hand providing protection against cellular injury, and on the other triggering damaging responses through innate and adaptive immunity. In this review we will discuss the functions of HSP60 and its effects on cells and the immune system regulation, only to later address its implications in the development and progression of CVD. Lastly, we summarize the outcome of various studies targeting HSP60 as a potential therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular and other diseases.

Size effect on mechanical properties of nanotwinned Mg2Si from molecular dynamics simulation

The excellent thermoelectric and mechanical properties of thermoelectric materials are the important guarantee for their industrial application. The introduction of twin boundary is an effective way to improve the thermoelectric properties of thermoelectric materials. However, our previous work shows the twin boundary weakens the mechanical properties of Mg2Si, and the role of twin size on mechanical properties remains unexplored so far. To determine the size effect of nanotwins on mechanical properties of Mg2Si, we applied molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the shear stress responses of nanotwinned Mg2Si with different sizes under the shear loading along its most plausible slip system (1–1–1)/〈1 1–2〉 . The results show that the shear modulus and model size of nanotwinned Mg2Si increase and approach to the value of single crystal Mg2Si with the increasing twin size. While the ultimate strength does not change significantly with the increasing twin size. Under pure shear loading, the Mg-Si bond at the twin boundary breaks, leading to the failure of nanotwinned Mg2Si. The twin size has little influence on the failure of nanotwinned Mg2Si. Furthermore, the material failure mechanism and the weakening effect of temperature on materials are also discussed.

Evaluation of rheological master curves of asphalt mastics and asphalt-filler interaction indices

Understanding the rheological behavior of the asphalt mastic is an important step towards improving the shear-stress response of the mixture. The objective of this study is to observe the rheological master curves and the asphalt-filler interaction of the asphalt mastics in the linear viscoelastic (LVE) range by using various rheological indices. The frequency sweep (FS) test was utilized to investigate the influence factors of the rheological indexes and the applicability of the asphalt-filler interaction indexes. Simultaneously, the correlation of various asphalt-filler interaction indices was established. The results showed that the influence of filler volume fraction and the aging effect exhibited a stonger significant effect on the rheological indices were significantly stronger than that of the binder type and filler type. The aging effect could reduce the difference in the rheological indices between various mastics. The analysis of the asphalt-filler interaction indices showed that the addition of the modifier had a negtive effect on the critical filler volume fraction (Φm) of the mastic. Moreover, the indices of the complex modulus coefficient (△G*), K.D.Ziegel-B-G* (K-B-G*) and complex viscosity coefficient (△η*) presented the consistency in evaluating the asphalt-filler interaction ability. The value of K-B-G* increased with the aging degree, that is, the filler-asphalt interaction increased with aging degree

Damage to the rat cerebrum under in vitro sinusoidal translational shear deformation

Blast waves, which induce sinusoidal shear waves within brain tissue, may cause mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). To identify damage from a shear deformation wave, sagittal slices of rat cerebra are subjected to 50 cycles of translational shear deformation at six fixed frequencies between 25 Hz and 125 Hz and displacement amplitudes of 10% or 25% of the original length of the specimen. Each deformation frequency produces transient and apparent steady shear stress states that frequency analysis describes by their harmonic wavelet and Fourier frequency components. The dominant frequency components are integer multiples of the applied deformation frequency. The morphology of the shear stress versus time curve, and probably the type of damage, changes with deformation frequency. Damage at the lower frequencies appears to be diffuse bond breaking. Imaging and histology do not clearly detect mild damage due to bond breaking that underlies mTBI, which the analysis of the shear stress response captures. Major transitions in the morphology of the stress response in the two regions occur at about 75 Hz deformation frequency, possibly due to minor damage to cerebral substructures. An increase in deformation frequency increases the drag force between the extracellular fluid and solid matter. The deformation frequency dependence of the shear stress response makes protection against blast mTBI more difficult because the frequency content of a blast wave is not known a priori.

Interstitial fluid–solid interaction within aneurysmal and non-pathological human ascending aortic tissue under translational sinusoidal shear deformation

The interaction shear force between internal interstitial fluid motion and the solid circumferential-longitudinal medial lamellae helps generate the shear stress involved in dissection of human ascending aorta aneurysmal or non-pathologic tissue. Frequency analysis parameters from the total shear stress versus time response to translational 1 Hz sinusoidal shear deformation over 50 cycles measure the interaction with respect to the three factors: tissue type, sinusoidal deformation amplitude and direction of the shear deformation. Significant 1, 3, and 5 Hz components exist in this order of descending magnitude for shear deformation amplitudes of either 25% or 50% of the specimen length. Evaporation tests indicate that the amount of free water in both aneurysmal and non-pathological tissue is nearly the same. The interstitial fluid–solid interaction under shear deformation is visible in the shoulders of the total shear stress versus time response curve that are caused by the 3 Hz component. During a single deformation cycle, the ratio of the amplitudes of the 3 Hz and the 1 Hz components measures the normalized amount of interaction. Under translational sinusoidal shear deformation at 25% amplitude, this interaction ratio is statistically smaller in non-pathologic than in aneurysmal human ascending aortic tissue in the circumferential direction. The frequency analysis parameters provide evidence that the structural changes in aneurysmal tissue induce an increase in the interstitial fluid–medial solid interaction shear force which contributes to the propensity for aneurysmal rupture. Statement of significanceCircumferential shear force between the interstitial fluid and medial lamellae within the human ascending aortic wall is demonstrably greater in aneurysmal than non-pathologic tissue. This force likely increases with medial elastin degeneration and may facilitate the dissection propensity in aneurysmal tissue. The 3 Hz component in frequency analyses of the total shear stress versus time curve produced by 1 Hz sinusoidal translational shear deformation measures the fluid-solid interaction shear force that is otherwise difficult to isolate. This non-standard examination of the interstitial fluid interaction helps clarify clinical mechanical implications of structural differences between aneurysmal and non-pathologic human ascending aortic tissue. The aneurysmal dissection susceptibility does not appear to depend on the amount of interstitial fluid or the wall thickness compared to non-pathologic tissue.

Large-amplitude oscillatory shear flow loops for long-chain branching from general rigid bead-rod theory

General rigid bead-rod theory [O. Hassager, “Kinetic theory and rheology of bead-rod models for macromolecular solutions. II. Linear unsteady flow properties,” J. Chem. Phys. 60, 4001–4008 (1974)] explains polymer viscoelasticity from macromolecular orientation. By means of this theory, we relate the complex viscosity of polymeric liquids to the architecture of axisymmetric branched macromolecules. In this work, we explore how adding long-chain branching to polymers affects the shapes of large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) flow loops. By loops, we mean plots of the alternant part of the shear stress response vs the cosinusoidal shear rate. We choose LAOS for its ability to amplify subtle differences in small-amplitude oscillatory shear flow at a high Weissenberg number. When non-dimensionalized with the product of the zero-shear viscosity and the shear rate amplitude, the loop shapes depend on the sole dimensionless architectural parameter, the macromolecular lopsidedness of the long-chain branched macromolecule. In this work, in this way, we compare and contrast the loop shapes of macromolecular chains that are straight with those branched. Specifically, we explore symmetric branch multiplicity, branch functionality, branch length, branch position, branch distribution, and multiple branch asymmetry. We find that adding branching collapses and distorts the loops. We then find that so long as branch length, branch position, and branch distribution are held constant and so long as the branching is symmetric about the center of mass, the peak shear stress increases with branch multiplicity. We also find that branch functionality hardly affects the loops. The structural details explored in this paper have yet to be explored in the laboratory.

Modeling shear stress response of bituminous materials under small and large strains

The paper at hand focuses on modeling the stress response of different mastics and asphalt binders exposed to small and large shear strains using Bergström-Boyce (BB) constitutive model as well as Finite Element (FE) approach. In this paper, a set of experiments based on Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear (LAOS) test were designed and conducted to capture the state of strain dependence of bituminous mastics and binders over a broad spectrum of strain domain (0.5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) pertaining linear and nonlinear regimes of such materials. Using the experimental data, the BB constitutive model was utilized to describe the attained behavior at two temperatures (30 °C and 40 °C) and varied strain amplitudes. The material properties derived from the BB model were further implemented into a Finite Element Model (FEM) using the ABAQUS platform to simulate the stress response of bituminous materials for a wide range of strain amplitudes. It has been shown that the bituminous mastics and binders have strong nonlinearity at high strain amplitudes, depicted graphically based on the progressive distortion from the elliptical form of Lissajous-Bowditch (LB) plot. Based on the observed goodness of fitting, the BB model well-described the experimental results for linear and nonlinear behaviors. Using the optimized parameters, it was confirmed that the BB model is well suited to build a numerical model that could reproduce stress responses derived from the LAOS results for a wide range of strain levels. The advantage of the methodology presented herein allows adaptable model constants of the BB model depending on the imposed level of strain and temperature and hence, the FEM can describe both linear and nonlinear behaviors of bituminous mastics and binders. From this paper, researchers can take advantage of capturing the stress response of binders and mastics under small and large strain amplitudes to stimulate the research on better representation of the complex behavior of asphalt mixes based on the role of mastic and asphalt binder.

Vane-in-a-Filter and Vane-under-Compressional-Loading: novel methods for the characterisation of combined shear and compression

Solid-liquid separation aims to increase the solids concentration. The dewatering extent can be parameterized through the compressive yield stress, py(ϕ) whereby to further consolidate a suspension, higher stress has to be applied to the material. In a variety of dewatering devices, shear (in addition to unilateral compression) is applied to the material and is demonstrated to be of benefit to the process, albeit without a basis for optimisation. To address this fundamental issue, two novel measurement techniques, namely the Vane-in-a-Filter (ViaF) and the Vane-under-Compressional-Loading (VuCL), are presented, allowing measurement of the shear stress response with different normal loads under fixed solids concentrations. Furthermore, high solid concentration shear yield stress measurements are possible. The results demonstrate that the shear stress response increases with normal load (at a fixed state of compression) and the peak shear stress has a minimum at shear rates of 0.01–0.1 s−1.

Quantitative Detect of Fatigue of Membrane of Erythrocyte in Uniform Shear Field

An erythrocyte has high deformability. In the shear field, it deforms from biconcave disc to ellipsoid, and make tank-treading motion at the membrane. When the membrane is ruptured by fatigue, contents get out from the inside of the cell (hemolysis). At the fatigue test of the membrane in the shear field, “the shear stress” as “the amplitude” and “the shear rate” × “the exposure time” as “repeat count” are critical parameters. For the quantitative fatigue test, the uniform shear field has been realized between the rotating concave cone and the stationary convex cone. With the rheoscope, deformability is evaluated with shear stress responsiveness and with critical deformation calculated from an exponential curve between the deformation ratio (the ratio between the major axis and the minor axis of the ellipsoidal shape) and the shear stress. Deformability decreases at erythrocytes of high density after shearing. The erythrocytes deformation ratio varies periodically at the double frequency of tank-treading motion of the membrane, when the erythrocyte has the sublethal damage point on the membrane.