Mechano-transduction via the pectin-FERONIA complex regulates ROP6 GTPase signaling in Arabidopsis

During growth and morphogenesis, plant cells respond to mechanical stresses resulting from spatiotemporal changes in the cell wall that bear high internal turgor pressure. Microtubule (MT) arrays are re-organized to align in the direction of maximal tensile stress to guide the synthesis of cellulose, reinforcing the local cell wall. However, how mechanical forces regulate MT re-organization remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mechanical signaling that is based on the CrRLK1L subfamily receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) regulates the reorganization of cortical MT in cotyledon epidermal pavement cells (PC) in Arabidopsis. Recessive mutations in FER compromised MT response to mechanical perturbations such as single cell ablation, compression and Isoxaben treatment in these pavement cells. These perturbations promoted the activation of ROP6 GTPase that acts directly downstream of FER. Furthermore, defects in the ROP6 signaling pathway negated the reorganization of cortical MTs induced by these stresses. Finally, reduction in highly demethylesterified pectin, which binds the extracellular malectin domain of FER and is required for FER-mediated ROP6 activation, also impacted mechanical induction of cortical MT reorganization. Taken together our results suggest that the FER-pectin complex senses and/or transduce mechanical forces to regulate MT organization through activating the ROP6 signaling pathway in Arabidopsis.

An integrated DEM–FEM approach to study breakage in packing of glass cartridges on a conveyor belt

The use of glass for pharmaceutical new applications such as high-technology drugs, requires the strictest container inertness. A common theme of paramount importance in glass container integrity preservation is the detailed mechanism driving the sudden failure due the crack propagation. Using a combination of discrete element method (DEM) and finite element method (FEM), a stress map for glass cartridges packed into an accumulation table and transported by a conveyor belt at a fixed velocity is obtained under realistic conditions. The DEM calculation provides a full description of the dynamics of the cartridges, as approximated by an equivalent sphere, as well as the statistics of the multiple collisions. The FEM calculation exploits this input to provide the maximum principal stress of different pairs as a function of time. Our analysis shows that, during their transportation on the conveyor belt, the cartridges are subject to several shocks of varying intensities. Under these conditions, a crack may originate inside the cartridge in the area of maximal tensile stress, and propagate outward. Estimated stresses are found in good agreement with real systems. Graphic abstract

A Coupled Elastoplastic Damage Model for Clayey Rock and Its Numerical Implementation and Validation

This paper presents a new constitutive model for describing the strain-hardening and strain-softening behaviors of clayey rock. As the conventional Mohr-Coulomb (CMC) criterion has its limitation in the tensile shear region, a modified Mohr-Coulomb (MMC) criterion is proposed for clayey rock by considering the maximal tensile stress criterion. Based on the results of triaxial tests, a coupled elastoplastic damage (EPD) model, in which the elastic and plastic damage laws are introduced to describe the nonlinear hardening and softening behaviors, respectively, is developed so as to fully describe the mechanical behavior of clayey rock. Starting from the implicit Euler integration algorithm, the stress-strain constitutive relationships and their numerical formulations are deduced for finite element implementation in the commercial package ABAQUS where a user-defined material subroutine (UMAT) is provided for clayey rock. Finally, the proposed model is used to simulate the triaxial tests and the results validate the proposed model and numerical implementation.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Tensile Properties of Textile Reinforced Concrete with Steel Fibres

The topic of this article is the experimental and numerical testing of tensile strength of glass textile reinforced cement-based composites with steel fibres. Cement-based composite is similar to high-performance concrete, with its maximal compressive strength higher than 100 MPa. We used thirty six dogbone-shaped specimens for uniaxial tensile loading with three different kinds of textile reinforcement. The difference between reinforcement was in its weight of 1 m2 of textile. We focused on maximal tensile stress in specimens and the ductile behaviour after first cracking occurred. We will compare results from experimental testing made on different types of reinforcement and results from numerical computer model. Tensile stress was generated by loading with constant increase of displacement.

Mechanical Analysis of Glass Plates for Wall Construction Materials

Different thickness, length and shape ratios of point fixed glass in glass building were considered. Different numbers, position and radius of holes in glass were also considered. Point fixed glass was studied by the finite element method and ANSYS software. Results show the thickness has remarkable influences on the strength and stiffness. The maximal tensile stress and deflection increase quickly with larger size of square plates or ratio of width to length of rectangle plates. Plates with six holes have smaller maximal tensile stress and deflection than plates with four holes under the same other conditions. The maximal tensile stress and deflection decrease quickly with larger hole centre distance, and deceleration becomes slow. The largest tensile stress decrease quickly with larger hole radius, but the deflection and the stress on edges of plates decrease slowly.

Subcellular and supracellular mechanical stress prescribes cytoskeleton behavior in Arabidopsis cotyledon pavement cells

Although it is a central question in biology, how cell shape controls intracellular dynamics largely remains an open question. Here, we show that the shape of Arabidopsis pavement cells creates a stress pattern that controls microtubule orientation, which then guides cell wall reinforcement. Live-imaging, combined with modeling of cell mechanics, shows that microtubules align along the maximal tensile stress direction within the cells, and atomic force microscopy demonstrates that this leads to reinforcement of the cell wall parallel to the microtubules. This feedback loop is regulated: cell-shape derived stresses could be overridden by imposed tissue level stresses, showing how competition between subcellular and supracellular cues control microtubule behavior. Furthermore, at the microtubule level, we identified an amplification mechanism in which mechanical stress promotes the microtubule response to stress by increasing severing activity. These multiscale feedbacks likely contribute to the robustness of microtubule behavior in plant epidermis.

Analysis of Waterproof Bonding Layer in Permeable Asphalt Pavement

Waterproof bonding layer is an important component for permeable asphalt pavement. BISAR was used to analysis the interfacial stress under different conditions, and the rules of the tensile zone, the maximal tensile stress, the maximal interfacial shear stress and the corresponding point were obtained, which should be considered in selecting the WBL materials.