A Simulation Study on Spread of Disease and Control Measures in Closed Population Using ABM

An infectious disease can cause a detrimental effect on national security. A group such as the military called a “closed population”, which is a subset of the general population but has many distinct characteristics, must survive even in the event of a pandemic. Hence, it requires its own distinct solution during a pandemic. In this study, we investigate a simulation analysis for implementing an agent-based model that reflects the characteristics of agents and the environment in a closed population and finds effective control measures for making the closed population functional in the course of disease spreading.

Novel sweeps technology in endodontics — A review

A novel SWEEPS® Er:YAG laser modality was recently introduced with the purpose of improving the disinfecting and activating efficacy of SSP laser assisted endodontic procedures by permitting the generation of primary and secondary shock waves throughout the complicated root canal system. The SWEEPS method greatly improves the efficacy of removing debris and medications from the root canal system. In the most current Er:YAG dental laser devices, the complimentary combination of SSP and SWEEPS® technology constitutes a distinct solution for modern endodontics. The aim of this review is to: (i) Offer the most relevant data on a novel SWEEPS (shock wave enhanced emission photoacoustic streaming) technology, its relative advantages, with an emphasis on single-pulse SSP laser-assisted irrigation and dual pulse SWEEPS technology; (ii) Provide recommendations for the use of SWEEPS technology in Endodontics based on current evidence; (iii) Highlight the areas in which more research is required.

The TPLATE complex mediates membrane bending during plant clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants is an essential process but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood, not least because of the extreme intracellular turgor pressure acting against the formation of endocytic vesicles. In contrast to other models, plant endocytosis is independent of actin, indicating a mechanistically distinct solution. Here, by using biochemical and advanced microscopy approaches, we show that the plant-specific TPLATE complex acts outside of endocytic vesicles as a mediator of membrane bending. Cells with disrupted TPLATE fail to generate spherical vesicles, and in vitro biophysical assays identified protein domains with membrane bending capability. These results redefine the role of the TPLATE complex as a key component of the evolutionarily distinct mechanism mediating membrane bending against high turgor pressure to drive endocytosis in plant cells.One Sentence SummaryWhile plant CME is actin independent, we identify that the evolutionarily ancient octameric TPLATE complex mediates membrane bending against high turgor pressure in plant clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Determining the Number of Distinct Solutions in Planar Mechanism Design

This work investigates two novel approaches to sorting solutions to planar-mechanism-synthesis problems. The examples contained herein are specific to planar morphing mechanisms, but the procedure is general and can easily be extended to any planar-mechanism-synthesis problem. The results indicate that the two approaches, namely self-organizing map (SOM) neural network and modal assurance criterion (MAC), can be used to sort a set of solution mechanisms into a reduced set of distinct solution groups. Additionally two sorting approaches (inclusive and exclusive) were investigated. This process can be used to take the initial set of solution mechanisms, often numbering in the hundreds, and pare it down to a significantly smaller set of substantially different designs. For the two case studies presented herein, one set was reduced by a factor of ten and the other by a factor of five. This means that a designer has fewer mechanisms to look through and that the differences in these mechanisms are clearer so that considerations such as size and joint locations may more easily be considered. It was found that the MAC method with inclusive sorting is generally a better starting point because it runs quickly and gives a more compact set of distinct solution mechanisms. The paper concludes with some recommendations for best practices for sorting solutions for a general mechanism-design problem.

A Detailed Look at the SLIP Model Dynamics: Bifurcations, Chaotic Behavior, and Fractal Basins of Attraction

This paper provides a comprehensive numerical analysis of a simple 2D model of running, the spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP). The model consists of a point-mass attached to a massless spring leg; the leg angle at touch-down is fixed during the motion. We employ numerical continuation methods combined with extensive simulations to find all periodic motions of this model, determine their stability, and compute the basins of attraction of the stable solutions. The result is a detailed and complete analysis of all possible SLIP model behavior, which expands upon and unifies a range of prior studies. In particular, we demonstrate and explain the following effects: (i) saddle-node bifurcations, which lead to two distinct solution families for a range of energies and touch-down angles; (ii) period-doubling (PD) bifurcations which lead to chaotic behavior of the model; and (iii) fractal structures within the basins of attraction. In contrast to prior work, these effects are found in a single model with a single set of parameters while taking into account the full nonlinear dynamics of the SLIP model.

Mathematics of a Sudo-Kurve

We investigate a type of a Sudoku variant called Sudo-Kurve, which allows bent rows and columns, and develop a new, yet equivalent, variant we call a Sudo-Cube. We examine the total number of distinct solution grids for this type with or without symmetry. We study other mathematical aspects of this puzzle along with the minimum number of clues needed and the number of ways to place individual symbols.

Switching between porphyrin, porphodimethene and porphyrinogen using cyanide and fluoride ions mimicking volatile molecular memory and the ‘NOR’ logic gate

β-Substituted porphyrins were developed as a quantitatively operating “lab-on-a-molecule” for the detection of F−and CN−ions, by switching between porphyrin, porphodimethene and porphyrinogen along with distinct solution colour changes and reversibility.

Differential Effect of Solution Conditions on the Conformation of the Actinoporins Sticholysin II and Equinatoxin II

Actinoporins are a family of pore-forming proteins with hemolytic activity. The structural basis for such activity appears to depend on their correct folding. Such folding encompasses a phosphocholine binding site, a tryptophan-rich region and the activity-related N-terminus segment. Additionally, different solution conditions are known to be able to influence the pore formation by actinoporins, as for Sticholysin II (StnII) and Equinatoxin II (EqtxII). In this context, the current work intends to characterize the influence of distinct solution conditions in the conformational behavior of these proteins through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The obtained data offer structural insights into actinoporins dynamics in solution, characterizing its conformational behavior at the atomic level, in accordance with previous experimental data on StnII and EqtxII hemolytic activities.