Strong Elongation Research Articles

Implications of vertical stability control on the SPARC tokamak

To achieve its performance goals, SPARC plans to operate in equilibrium configurations with a strong elongation of κareal∼1.75 , which in turn will destabilize the n = 0 vertical instability. However, SPARC also features a relatively thick conducting wall that is designed to withstand disruption forces, leading to lower vertical instability growth rates than usually encountered. In this work, we use the TokSyS framework to survey families of accessible shapes near the SPARC baseline configuration, finding maximum growth rates in the range of γ≲100 s−1. The addition of steel vertical stability plates has only a modest ( ∼25% ) effect on reducing the vertical growth rate and almost no effect on the plasma controllability when the full vertical stability system is taken into account, providing flexibility in the plate conductivity in the SPARC design. Analysis of the maximum controllable displacement on SPARC is used to inform the power supply voltage and current limit requirements needed to control an initial vertical displacement of 5% of the minor radius. From the expected spectra of plasma disturbances and diagnostic noise, requirements for filter latency and vertical stability coil heating tolerances are also obtained. Small modifications to the outboard limiter location are suggested to allow for an unmitigated vertical disturbance as large as 5% of the minor radius without allowing the plasma to become limited. Further, investigations with the 3D COMSOL code reveal that strategic inclusion of insulating structures within the VSC supports are needed to maintain sufficient magnetic response. The workflows presented here help to establish a model for the integrated predictive design for future devices by coupling engineering decisions with physics needs.

Confinement effect on the microcapillary flow and shape of red blood cells.

The ability to change shape is essential for the proper functioning of red blood cells (RBCs) within the microvasculature. The shape of RBCs significantly influences blood flow and has been employed in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices, serving as a diagnostic biomarker for specific pathologies and enabling the assessment of RBC deformability. While external flow conditions, such as the vessel size and the flow velocity, are known to impact microscale RBC flow, our comprehensive understanding of how their shape-adapting ability is influenced by channel confinement in biomedical applications remains incomplete. This study explores the impact of various rectangular and square channels, each with different confinement and aspect ratios, on the in vitro RBC flow behavior and characteristic shapes. We demonstrate that rectangular microchannels, with a height similar to the RBC diameter in combination with a confinement ratio exceeding 0.9, are required to generate distinctive well-defined croissant and slipper-like RBC shapes. These shapes are characterized by their equilibrium positions in the channel cross section, and we observe a strong elongation of both stable shapes in response to the shear rate across the different channels. Less confined channel configurations lead to the emergence of unstable other shape types that display rich shape dynamics. Our work establishes an experimental framework to understand the influence of channel size on the single-cell flow behavior of RBCs, providing valuable insights for the design of biomicrofluidic single-cell analysis applications.

Microscopic and transcriptomic characterization of Listeria monocytogenes aggregation and biofilm formation in cantaloupe juice

Plant exudate is likely the major nutrient source supporting the survival and biofilm formation of microorganisms in fresh produce processing environments. This study compared the impact of cantaloupe juice on the physiology and gene expression of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) using microscopic and transcriptomic tools.Lm showed a strong autoaggregation and formed significantly more biofilms on stainless steel (SS) coupons when grown in cantaloupe juice in comparison to in TSB. SEM images revealed a different attachment profile of Lm on SS coupons. In TSB, Lm cells were mainly found in scratches and grooves of the metal surface, whereas, in cantaloupe juice they attached to the smooth surface as well. Lm planktonic and biofilm cells in cantaloupe juice exhibited stress-induced phenotypes, including strong cell elongation and increased proportion of cells with membrane permeability.Lm growth in cantaloupe juice resulted in distinct transcriptional profiles of both biofilm and planktonic cells in comparison to that in TSB. Functional annotation indicated that the significantly differentially expressed genes mainly participated in metabolism, signaling and stress response. Notably, certain pathways downregulated for planktonic cells were significantly upregulated for biofilm cells in cantaloupe juice compared to TSB, including ABC transporters, two-component system, quorum sensing, chemotaxis, and flagellar assembly.

Cell surface receptor kinase FERONIA linked to nutrient sensor TORC signaling controls root hair growth at low temperature linked to low nitrate in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Root hairs (RH) are excellent model systems for studying cell size and polarity since they elongate several hundred-fold their original size. Their tip growth is determined both by intrinsic and environmental signals. Although nutrient availability and temperature are key factors for a sustained plant growth, the molecular mechanisms underlying their sensing and downstream signaling pathways remain unclear. We use genetics to address the roles of the cell surface receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) and the nutrient sensing TOR Complex 1 (TORC) in RH growth. We identified that low temperature (10°C) triggers a strong RH elongation response in Arabidopsis thaliana involving FER and TORC. We found that FER is required to perceive limited nutrient availability caused by low temperature. FERONIA interacts with and activates TORC-downstream components to trigger RH growth. In addition, the small GTPase Rho of plants 2 (ROP2) is also involved in this RH growth response linking FER and TOR. We also found that limited nitrogen nutrient availability can mimic the RH growth response at 10°C in a NRT1.1-dependent manner. These results uncover a molecular mechanism by which a central hub composed by FER-ROP2-TORC is involved in the control of RH elongation under low temperature and nitrogen deficiency.

Redistribution of Energy during Horizontal Stretching of Ocean Vortices by Barotropic Currents

The paper proposes a study of the transformation of the physical properties of mesoscale vortices during their strong elongation by horizontal barotropic currents. It is shown that when the core is pulled out, the kinetic and available potential energies of the vortex individually, as well as their sum (the total mechanical energy of the vortex) decreases, and the vortex itself degrades in all physical parameters. The decrease in the energy of the ensemble of vortices when they are pulled out by the background flow is interpreted as a manifestation of the reverse energy cascade property or, in older terminology, the phenomenon of negative viscosity.

Elongation effect on beta-induced Alfvén eigenmode

Beta induced Alfvén eigenmode (BAE) can be an important candidate for ion loss in burning plasmas. Elongation effect on BAE has been investigated by the gyrokinetic eigenvalue code DAEPS in this work. We construct a shaped equilibrium model by modifying local s − α model with which the capability of the DAEPS code has been extended to study the elongation effect. It is discovered that the BAE growth rate first increases with elongation factor κ, reaches a maximum and then decreases. This trend occurs for many different values of η i. We find that, in the weak or moderate elongation region, the BAE instability is reactive type and mainly determined by the fluid/MHD effects, namely the combination of stabilizing field line bending term and destabilizing interchange drive in the vorticity equation. However, in the strong elongation region, the BAE instability becomes dissipative and is mainly driven by the wave–particle resonance effect embedded in δW k since the fluid driving damps away. It is also discovered that the wave–particle resonance decreases with elongation in this region, which is due to the decrease of the geodesic curvature with elongation and leads to the decrease in the growth rate of BAE.

Springback prediction model of Ti-6Al-4V tube warm bending based on modified JC model considering variable temperature field

The plastic forming of titanium alloy tubes at room temperature exhibits strong anisotropy, low elongation, and large deformation resistance. Numerical control warm bending assisted forming technology can improve the stability of the titanium alloy tube bending process, increase the bending limit and reduce the springback angle. This technology promotes the wide application of high-precision titanium alloy bent tubes in many high-end fields such as aerospace, shipbuilding, chemical industry, and military industry. However, the titanium alloy tube bending at high temperatures involves complex material rheological behavior and microstructure characteristics. The coupling relationship between the stress-strain properties of the material and the temperature field makes it difficult to predict the springback behavior of titanium alloy tubes after warm bending. In this paper, based on the mechanical behavior of titanium alloy tubes at high temperatures, a constitutive model of titanium alloy suitable for local heating is improved. The theoretical model of springback for warm rotary draw bending of titanium alloy tube is established. The influence of warm bending strategies on the springback of bending is studied. The theoretical model is verified by establishing a thermal-mechanical coupling finite element model for the whole process of warm bending under the state of heat balance. The results show that the bending springback theory based on the modified John-Cook model can accurately simulate the temperature change of titanium alloy tube section, adapt to local heating strategies and provide high prediction accuracy of bending springback.

Postembryonic development of the tracheal system of beetles in the context of aptery and adaptations towards an arid environment.

The tracheal system comprises one of the major adaptations of insects towards a terrestrial lifestyle. Many aspects such as the modifications towards wing reduction or a life in an arid climate are still poorly understood. To address these issues, we performed the first three-dimensional morphometric analyses of the tracheal system of a wingless insect, the desert beetle Gonopus tibialis and compared it with a flying beetle (Tenebrio molitor). Our results clearly show that the reduction of the flight apparatus has severe consequences for the tracheal system. This includes the reduction of the tracheal density, the relative volume of the trachea, the volume of the respective spiracles and the complete loss of individual tracheae. At the same time, the reduction of wings in the desert beetle allows modifications of the tracheal system that would be impossible in an animal with a functional flight apparatus such as the formation of a subelytral cavity as a part of the tracheal system, the strong elongation of the digestive tract including its tracheal system or the respiration through a single spiracle. Finally, we addressed when these modifications of the tracheal system take place during the development of the studied beetles. We can clearly show that they develop during pupation while the larvae of both species are almost identical in their tracheal system and body shape.

EROSITA spectro-imaging analysis of the Abell 3408 galaxy cluster

Context.The X-ray telescope eROSITA on board the newly launched Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission serendipitously observed the galaxy cluster Abell 3408 (A3408) during the performance verification observation of the active galactic nucleus 1H 0707–495. The field of view of eROSITA is one degree, which allowed us to trace the intriguing elongated morphology of the nearby (z= 0.0420) A3408 cluster. Despite its brightness (F500≈ 7 × 10−12ergs s−1cm−2) and large extent (r200≈ 21'), it has not been observed by any modern X-ray observatory in over 20 yr. A neighboring cluster in the NW direction, A3407 (r200≈ 18',z= 0.0428), appears to be close at least in projection (~1.7 Mpc). This cluster pair might be in a pre- or post-merger state.Aims.We aim to determine the detailed thermodynamical properties of this special cluster system for the first time. Furthermore, we aim to determine which of the previously suggested merger scenarios (pre- or post-merger) is preferred.Methods.We performed a detailed X-ray spectro-imaging analysis of A3408. We constructed particle-background-subtracted and exposure-corrected images and surface brightness profiles in different sectors. The spectral analysis was performed out to 1.4r500and included normalization, temperature, and metallicity profiles determined from elliptical annuli aligned with the elongation of A3408. Additionally, a temperature map is presented that depicts the distribution of the intracluster medium (ICM) temperature. Furthermore, we make use of data from the ROSAT all-sky survey to estimate some bulk properties of A3408 and A3407, using the growth-curve analysis method and scaling relations.Results.The imaging analysis shows the complex morphology of A3408 with a strong elongation in the SE-NW direction. This is quantified by comparing the surface brightness profiles of the NW, SW, SE, and NE directions, where the NW and SE directions show a significantly higher surface brightness than the other directions. We determine a gas temperaturekBr500= (2.23 ± 0.09) keV in the range 0.2r500to 0.5r500from the spectral analysis. The temperature profile reveals a hot core within two arcminutes of the emission peak, ${k_{\rm{B}}}T = 3.04_{- 0.25}^{+ 0.29}$ keV. Employing a mass–temperature relation, we obtainM500= (9.27 ± 0.75) × 1013M⊙iteratively. Ther200of A3407 and A3408 are found to overlap in projection, which makes ongoing interactions plausible. The two-dimensional temperature map reveals higher temperatures in the W than in the E direction.Conclusions.The elliptical morphology together with the temperature distribution suggests that A3408 is an unrelaxed system. The system A3407 and A3408 is likely in a pre-merger state, with some interactions already affecting the ICM thermodynamical properties. In particular, increased temperatures in the direction of A3407 indicate adiabatic compression or shocks due to the starting interaction.

Artificial-intelligence-driven discovery of catalyst genes with application to CO2 activation on semiconductor oxides

Catalytic-materials design requires predictive modeling of the interaction between catalyst and reactants. This is challenging due to the complexity and diversity of structure-property relationships across the chemical space. Here, we report a strategy for a rational design of catalytic materials using the artificial intelligence approach (AI) subgroup discovery. We identify catalyst genes (features) that correlate with mechanisms that trigger, facilitate, or hinder the activation of carbon dioxide (CO2) towards a chemical conversion. The AI model is trained on first-principles data for a broad family of oxides. We demonstrate that surfaces of experimentally identified good catalysts consistently exhibit combinations of genes resulting in a strong elongation of a C-O bond. The same combinations of genes also minimize the OCO-angle, the previously proposed indicator of activation, albeit under the constraint that the Sabatier principle is satisfied. Based on these findings, we propose a set of new promising catalyst materials for CO2 conversion.

When Elasticity Affects Drop Coalescence.

The breakup and coalescence of drops are elementary topological transitions in interfacial flows. The breakup of a drop changes dramatically when polymers are added to the fluid. With the strong elongation of the polymers during the process, long threads connecting the two droplets appear prior to their eventual pinch-off. Here, we demonstrate how elasticity affects drop coalescence, the complement of the much studied drop pinch-off. We reveal the emergence of an elastic singularity, characterized by a diverging interface curvature at the point of coalescence. Intriguingly, while the polymers dictate the spatial features of coalescence, they hardly affect the temporal evolution of the bridge. These results are explained using a novel viscoelastic similarity analysis and are relevant for drops created in biofluids, coating sprays, and inkjet printing.

Damage analysis of POZD coated square reinforced concrete slab under contact blast

High efficiency, environmental protection and sustainability have become the main theme of the development of the protection engineering, requiring that the components not only meet the basic functions, but also have chemical properties such as acid and alkali corrosion resistance and aging resistance. Polyisocyanate-oxazodone (POZD) polymer has the above characteristics, it also has the advantages of strong toughness, high strength and high elongation. The concrete slab sprayed with POZD material has excellent anti-blast performance. In order to explore the damage characteristics of POZD sprayed concrete slabs under the action of contact explosion thoroughly, the contact explosion test of POZD concrete slabs with different charges were carried out. On the basis of experimental verification, numerical simulation were used to study the influence of the thickness of the POZD on the blast resistance of the concrete slab. According to the test and numerical simulation results that as the thickness of the coating increases, the anti-blast performance of the concrete slab gradually increases, and the TNT equivalent required for critical failure is larger. Based on the above analysis, empirical expressions on normalized crater diameter, the normalized spall diameter and normalized spall diameter are obtained.

Identification of a novel promoter for driving antibiotic-resistant genes to reduce the metabolic burden during protein expression and effectively select multiple integrations in Pichia Pastoris

Routine approaches for the efficient expression of heterogenous proteins in Pichia pastoris include using the strong methanol-regulated alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoter and multiple inserts of expression cassettes. To screen the transformants harboring multiple integrations, antibiotic-resistant genes such as the Streptoalloteichus hindustanus bleomycin gene are constructed into expression vectors, given that higher numbers of insertions of antibiotic-resistant genes on the expression vector confer resistance to higher concentrations of the antibiotic for transformants. The antibiotic-resistant genes are normally driven by the strong constitutive translational elongation factor 1a promoter (PTEF1). However, antibiotic-resistant proteins are necessary only for the selection process. Their production during the heterogenous protein expression process may increase the burden in cells, especially for the high-copy strains which harbor multiple copies of the expression cassette of antibiotic-resistant genes. Besides, a high concentration of the expensive antibiotic is required for the selection of multiple inserts because of the effective expression of the antibiotic-resistant gene by the TEF1 promoter. To address these limitations, we replaced the TEF1 promoter with a weaker promoter (PDog2p300) derived from the potential promoter region of 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate phosphatase gene for driving the antibiotic-resistant gene expression. Importantly, the PDog2p300 has even lower activity under carbon sources (glycerol and methanol) used for the AOX1 promoter-based production of recombinant proteins compared with glucose that is usually used for the selection process. This strategy has proven to be successful in screening of transformants harboring more than 3 copies of the gene of interest by using plates containing 100 μg/ml of Zeocin. Meanwhile, levels of Zeocin resistance protein were undetectable by immunoblotting in these multiple-copy strains during expression of heterogenous proteins.Key points• PDog2p300 was identified as a novel glucose-regulated promoter.• The expression of antibiotic-resistant gene driven by PDog2p300 was suppressed during the recombinant protein expression, resulting in reducing the metabolic burden.• The transformants harboring multiple integrations were cost-effectively selected by using the PDog2p300 for driving antibiotic-resistant genes.

Beating the blues: engineering cryptochrome expression improves soybean yield

Phytochrome A overexpression can increase harvest index, as was shown 25 years ago in a breakthrough paper on tobacco (Robson et al., 1996). The impact of this important discovery has, however, not been fully developed. Plants at high densities often respond strongly to nearby competitors by strong elongation of their internodes and upward bending of their leaves, i.e., shade avoidance. This is crucial for plants to ascertain access to sunlight, and this navigation through vegetation occurs through light cues that are sensed with various photoreceptors.

A Viral Toolbox of Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Synaptic Tags.

SummaryFibronectin intrabodies generated with mRNA display (FingRs) are a recently developed tool for labeling excitatory or inhibitory synapses, with the benefit of not altering endogenous synaptic protein expression levels or synaptic transmission. Here, we generated a viral vector FingR toolbox that allows for multi-color, neuron-type-specific labeling of excitatory or inhibitory synapses in multiple brain regions. We screened various fluorophores, FingR fusion configurations, and transcriptional control regulations in adeno-associated virus (AAV) and retrovirus vector designs. We report the development of a red FingR variant and demonstrated dual labeling of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the same cells. Furthermore, we developed cre-inducible FingR AAV variants and demonstrated their utility, finding that the density of inhibitory synapses in aspiny striatal cholinergic interneurons remained unchanged in response to dopamine depletion. Finally, we generated FingR retroviral vectors, which enabled us to track the development of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in hippocampal adult-born granule cells.

Annual parallax measurement of the Mira variable star BX Camelopardalis with VERA

Abstract We report the results of astrometric VLBI observations toward the Mira variable star BX Cam using the VERA VLBI array. The observation was performed from 2012 February to 2014 November. The parallax obtained is 1.73 ± 0.03 mas corresponding to a distance of 0.58 ± 0.01 kpc. The parallax of this source was reported in Gaia DR2 as 4.13 ± 0.25 mas, and there is a 240% difference between these two measurements. Astrometric results from our VLBI observations show that we exactly traced the angular motions of the seven maser spots in BX Cam. We calculated the stellar luminosities using both parallaxes, and obtained luminosities of $L_{\ast }^{\mathrm{VERA}} = 4950\pm 170\, L_{\odot }$ and $L_{\ast }^{\mathrm{Gaia}} = 870\pm 110\, L_{\odot }$. These deduced luminosities also support the validity of the parallax that we determined with VERA. Evaluating the two parallaxes, we conclude that the parallax of 1.73 ± 0.03 mas from the VERA observations is correct for BX Cam. We obtained the systemic motion of BX Cam as (μαcos δsys, ${\mu }_{\delta }^{\mathrm{sys}}$) = (13.48 ± 0.14, −34.30 ± 0.18) mas yr−1. The total of 73 H2O maser spots detected from our VLBI observations shows a spatial distribution of 30 au × 80 au, with a strong elongation along the north–south direction. They show outflows with a three-dimensional velocity of 14.79 ± 1.40 km s−1. From a comparison between the time variations of the V-band magnitudes and the H2O masers, we found that the variation of the H2O masers is relevant to that seen in the V band even though the H2O masers do not recover their maximum flux in each cycle.

Pin-to-plane self-pulsing discharge in transversal airflow: interaction with a substrate of plasma filaments blown out from the discharge zone

The pin-to-plane electrode system for the multi-sectioned discharge in the transversal airflow at atmospheric pressure has been developed. The airflow is directed perpendicularly to the electric current. As it was revealed, all sections of the multi-sectioned discharge operate identically and independently to each other. For this reason, the spatial-temporal behavior of the discharge excited only in a single section was investigated. The pin-to-plane discharge (PPD) was powered by a positive polarity DC voltage that induces the spontaneously repeating streamer-spark breakdowns in a discharge gap. Each breakdown forms the plasma filament (PF) which is being further blown out of the discharge zone and stretched by the airflow. The PF impacts a dielectric plate located in the path of the airflow at different distances away from the discharge zone. Two modes in the behavior of the blown-out PF have been revealed. When the plate is close to the discharge zone, the blown-out PF is tightly pressed by the flow to the plate. In this case, both the brightness and electric current of the PF are periodically pulsing with a high frequency up to the plasma filament breaking up due to its strong elongation by the flow. If the plate is far away, the quasistationary regime happens. During the PF elongation in this regime, plasma filament keeps both the brightness and current approximately changeless till the filament breaking up. At In this regime, the blown-out PF is being stretched in parallel to the surface without contacting it. The release of energy into the PF continues also in the course of its blowing out until its impinging the object located in the path of airflow. Due to that, the PPD pulsing mode generates a lot of reactive species inside the PF up to its impinging the object to be treated. This is a reason why the self-pulsing PPD can be highly effective for surface processing by non-thermal plasma.

Fishing Vessel Characteristics with Multipurpose Gear to Support Fishing Operations in the Northern Sea of Java, Indonesia (Case Study in Indramayu)

This study aims to analyze the ratio of the main dimensions of the vessel to see the performance of vessels with multipurpose gear. The research was conducted in February-March 2018 at the Karangsong Fish Landing Base (Ind: PPI), Indramayu. The object of research is the vessel used for fishing operations with multipurpose gear. The research method uses survey methods through the measurement of the main dimensions of fishing vessels, interviews and literature studies. The data obtained were then analyzed by comparative descriptive to compare the value of the ratio of the main dimensions of the vessel between Length and Breadth (L/B), the ratio between Length and Depth (L/D) and the ratio between Breadth and Depth (B/D). The calculation results of the ratio of the main dimensions of the vessel are then compared with the standard ratio values in Indonesia. Fishing vessels with multipurpose gear in Indramayu have good vessel motion characteristics but have an impact on slow speed, strong elongation strength of the vessel, and stability and ability to drive a good vessel. The dimension ratio of multipurpose gear vessels generally meets the criteria of the ratio of the main dimensions of vessels based on the method of operation in Indonesia. It should be noted that the L / B ratio tends to exceed the minimum standard criteria for the Indonesian dimension ratio, this results in slow speeds and will interfere with the setting and hauling fishing gear on seine boat and mini trawl fishing gear.

An accurate strong lensing model of the Abell 2163 core

Abell 2163 at z ≃ 0.201 is one of the most massive galaxy clusters known, very likely in a post-merging phase. Data from several observational windows suggest a complex mass structure with interacting subsystems, which makes the reconstruction of a realistic merging scenario very difficult. A missing key element in this sense is unveiling the cluster mass distribution at high resolution. We perform such a reconstruction of the cluster inner total mass through a strong lensing model based on new spectroscopic redshift measurements. We use data from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope to confirm 12 multiple images of four sources with redshift values from 1.16 to 2.72. We also discover four new multiple images and identify 29 cluster members and 35 foreground and background sources. The resulting galaxy member and image catalogs are used to build five cluster total mass models. The fiducial model consists of 111 small-scale subhalos, plus a diffuse component, which is centered ∼2″ away from the BCG belonging to the east Abell 2163 subcluster. We confirm that the latter is well represented by a single, large-scale mass component. Its strong elongation towards a second (west) subcluster confirms the existence of a preferential axis, corresponding to the merging direction. From the fiducial model, we extrapolate the cumulative projected total mass profile and measure a value of M(<300 kpc) = 1.43−0.06+0.07 × 1014 M⊙, which has a significantly reduced statistical error compared with previous estimates, thanks to the inclusion of the spectroscopic redshifts. Our strong lensing results are very accurate: the model-predicted positions of the multiple images are, on average, only 0″​​.15 away from the observed ones.

Influence of Finite Mobilities of Triple Junctions on the Grain Morphology and Kinetics of Grain Growth

Grain boundary networks composed of equal microstructural elements were investigated in a recent paper. In this work a more complicated artificial grain topology consisting of one four-sided, two six-sided and one eight-sided grain is designed to further investigate the influence of grain boundary and triple junction mobilities on the kinetics of the system in more detail. Depending on the value of the equal mobility of all triple junctions, the initially square-shaped four-sided grain changes its shape to become more or less rectangular. This indicates that the grain morphology is influenced by the value of the mobility of the triple junctions. It is also demonstrated that a grain arrangement with low mobility triple junctions controlling the kinetics of grain growth enhances growth of the large eight-sided grains. In addition, grain growth is investigated for different values of mobilities of triple junctions and grain boundaries. A strong elongation of several grains is predicted by the modeling results for reduced mobilities of the microstructural grain boundary elements. The two-dimensional modeling results are compared to micrographs of a heat-treated titanium niobium microalloyed steel. This feature, namely the evolution of elongated grains, is observed in the micrograph due to the pinning effect of (Ti, Nb)C precipitates at elevated soaking temperatures of around 1100 °C. Furthermore, the experiments show that a broader distribution of the grain sizes occur at 1100 °C compared to soaking temperatures, where pinning due to precipitates plays a less prominent role. A widening of the distribution of the grain sizes for small triple junction mobilities is also predicted by the unit cell model.