Maintaining wakefulness is associated with a progressive increase in the need for sleep. This phenomenon has been linked to changes in synaptic function. The synaptic adhesion molecule Neuroligin-1 (NLG1) controls the activity and synaptic localization of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, which activity is impaired by prolonged wakefulness. We here highlight that this pathway may underlie both the adverse effects of sleep loss on cognition and the subsequent changes in cortical synchrony. We found that the expression of specific Nlg1 transcript variants is changed by sleep deprivation in three mouse strains. These observations were associated with strain-specific changes in synaptic NLG1 protein content. Importantly, we showed that Nlg1 knockout mice are not able to sustain wakefulness and spend more time in nonrapid eye movement sleep than wild-type mice. These changes occurred with modifications in waking quality as exemplified by low theta/alpha activity during wakefulness and poor preference for social novelty, as well as altered delta synchrony during sleep. Finally, we identified a transcriptional pathway that could underlie the sleep/wake-dependent changes in Nlg1 expression and that involves clock transcription factors. We thus suggest that NLG1 is an element that contributes to the coupling of neuronal activity to sleep/wake regulation.

Maintaining wakefulness is associated with a progressive increase in the need for sleep. This phenomenon has been linked to changes in synaptic function. The synaptic adhesion molecule Neuroligin-1 (NLG1) controls the activity and synaptic localization of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, which activity is impaired by prolonged wakefulness. We here highlight that this pathway may underlie both the adverse effects of sleep loss on cognition and the subsequent changes in cortical synchrony. We found that the expression of specific Nlg1 transcript variants is changed by sleep deprivation in three mouse strains. These observations were associated with strain-specific changes in synaptic NLG1 protein content. Importantly, we showed that Nlg1 knockout mice are not able to sustain wakefulness and spend more time in nonrapid eye movement sleep than wild-type mice. These changes occurred with modifications in waking quality as exemplified by low theta/alpha activity during wakefulness and poor preference for social novelty, as well as altered delta synchrony during sleep. Finally, we identified a transcriptional pathway that could underlie the sleep/wake-dependent changes in Nlg1 expression and that involves clock transcription factors. We thus suggest that NLG1 is an element that contributes to the coupling of neuronal activity to sleep/wake regulation.

The effects of food quantity on the morphology and development of the paper wasp Polistes metricus Say are studied, and experimental results are compared with predictions of the parental manipulation hypothesis. Food deprivation led to smaller female offspring. By hand feeding larvae we used a technique that counteracts the queen's hypothesized ability to restrict food provisioning. Hand feeding larvae did not result in larger offspring, but their abdomen was wider and heavier and the hand-fed wasps survived longer in a cold test. We infer that hand-fed colonies produced more gynes and fewer workers than did control colonies. Results of a restricted nourishment treatment do not support the differential feeding hypothesis, because in fasting colonies the emergence of all larvae was delayed by a month, and we did not detect discriminatory feeding of particular larvae for faster emergence. Although fasting colonies produced fewer offspring, the sex ratio did not show significant differences from the other groups. These data suggest that Polistes metricus colonies are partly able to respond to different nutritional conditions by allocating excess food to increase the number of gynes at the expense of workers.

HCP materials are exceedingly being used as alloys and composites in several high strength light weight applications such as aerospace and aeronautical structures, deep sea maritime applications, and as biocompatible materials. To understand the deformation of HCP materials, reliable tools and techniques are required. One such technique is the Elasto-Plastic Self Consistency (EPSC) model. ESPC models use Eshelby’s Inclusion Theory as their basic formulation to model the strain experienced by a grain within a strained material sample. One of the oldest approximations (or models) used to model the grain’s strain within a strained sample is the Taylor’s Assumption (TA). TA assumes that each grain is strained to the same average value. EPSC models are different from the TA model since each grain modelled by the EPSC model would be strained to a different value. This is possible and obtained by solving an infinite domain boundary value problem. This key advantage of the EPSC model can therefore predict localized weak spots within material samples.EPSC models use the concept of eigen strain where the inhomogeneous grain is replaced with an equivalent inclusion. The technique proposed in this research is used to simulate uniaxial tension of rolled textured Magnesium. The number of deformation modes used in this research is seven. Both slipping systems and twinning systems are included in the simulation. The hardening phenomenon is described as a function of self-hardening as well as latent-hardening. As stated in (S. Kweon, 2020), modelling the interactive hardening requires a more robust numerical iterative technique. An improved robust iterative numerical technique is explained in (Daniel Raja, 2021) and (Soondo Kweon D. S., 2021). This research implements the equivalent inclusion theory in combination with the numerical iterative technique developed in the aforementioned papers.The report begins with the need for this research and advocates for the same. Then, the conceptional theories and the imaginary thought experiment performed by John D. Eshelby is presented. The concept of “Eigen Strain” which serves as the base work needed to understand and formulate the Equivalent Inclusion Theory is described in detail. The Equivalent Inclusion is then presented and developed. The concept of Green’s Function is presented and explained. These concepts serve as the building block for the derivation and calculation of the Eshelby Tensor which relates the concepts of eigen strain and constrained strain. The report concludes the theory section with the amalgamation of the ideas of the Green’s Function and Eigen Strain to develop the Eshelby Tensor for an Isotropic material as well as Anisotropic materials. In the following section, the unit cell accompanied with the deformation modes within the unit cell of an HCP material that are used in these simulations are presented. Following unit cell model, the crystal plasticity model which includes plastic deformation, hardening laws, and elastic deformation is elaborated. The results obtained from the simulation are presented and salient features are highlighted that are observed in the results. Lastly, the report concludes by pointing out key “take aways” from this research and identifies possible avenues for future research.Additionally, ten appendices are included towards the end of this report to enhance understanding of complicated derivations and solutions. Lastly, the author’s vita is included at the end of the report.

Plant root system response to nutrient heterogeneity was tested in ten plant species of varying life form and successional status. All plants tested are native to the South Carolina coastal plain. Morphological responses of the root system (scale, precision and discrimination) and overall plant response (sensitivity) to increasing nutrient heterogeneity were tested. Ten individuals of each species were placed into four treatments which had varying nutrient distribution but the same overall nutrient addition. Plants were harvested when roots reached pot edge. I observed high variation in scale (mass and extent of a root system), precision (the ability to proliferate roots in nutrient patches) and sensitivity (growth benefits gained as nutrient heterogeneity increases; measured as total biomass). No significant discrimination responses were observed, although greatest mean root density occurred at intermediate fertility levels for all species. I tested the hypothesis that scale and precision would be negatively correlated, and I did not observe this relationship in these plant species. However, in herbaceous species scale and precision were positively correlated. Sensitivity was not closely related to precision indicating that proliferating roots in fertile patches does not always yield growth benefits in heterogeneous soils. Further, some sensitive species had very low precision suggesting that other characteristics lead to positive growth response in heterogeneous environments. Plasticity of root uptake rates and demography of roots are proposed as two other mechanisms which may play important roles in plant sensitivity responses. Scale was negatively correlated to sensitivity for herbaceous plants suggesting that plants that monopolize the most soil space are not able to gain benefits from nutrient patches within the soil matrix. There was no trend observed to suggest that plant life form was correlated with precision or sensitivity. However, scale was greater in herbs than in woody plants, possibly because the two life forms develop at different times. / Master of Science

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing has gained significant advancement in recent years. However the potential of 3D printed metals still has not been fully explored. A main reason is the lack of accurate knowledge of the load capacity of 3D printed metals, such as fatigue behavior under cyclic load conditions, which is still poorly understood as compared with the conventional wrought counterpart. The goal of the thesis is to advance the knowledge of fatigue behavior of 15-5 PH stainless steel manufactured through laser powder bed fusion process. To achieve the goal, a combined numerical and experimental study is carried out. First, using a rotary fatigue testing experiment, the fatigue life of the 15-5 PH stainless steel is measured. The strain life curve shows that the numbers of the reversals to failure increase from 13,403 to 46,760 as the applied strain magnitudes decrease from 0.214\% from 0.132\%, respectively. The micro-structure analysis shows that predominantly brittle fracture is presented on the fractured surface. Second, a finite element model based on cyclic plasticity including the damage model is developed to predict the fatigue life. The model is calibrated with two cases: one is the fatigue life of 3D printed 17-4 stainless steel under constant amplitude strain load using the direct cyclic method, and the other one is the cyclic behavior of Alloy 617 under multi-amplitude strain loads using the static analysis method. Both validation models show a good correlation with the literature experimental data. Finally, after the validation, the finite element model is applied to the 15-5 PH stainless steel. Using the direct cyclic method, the model predicts the fatigue life of 15-5 PH stainless steel under constant amplitude strain. The extension of the prediction curve matches well with the previously measured experimental results, following the combined Coffin-Manson Basquin Law. Under multi-amplitude strain, the kinematic hardening evolution parameter is incorporated into the model. The model is capable to capture the stresses at varied strain amplitudes. Higher stresses are predicted when strain amplitudes are increased. The model presented in the work can be used to design reliable 3D printed metals under cyclic loading conditions.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Stimulation of N-­methyl-­D-­aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs) and the resulting activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) are critical for fear memory formation. A variety of previously studied NMDAR antagonists and NOS inhibitors can disrupt fear memory, but they also affect many other CNS functions. Following NMDAR stimulation, efficient activation of nNOS requires linking nNOS to a scaffolding protein, the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95). We hypothesized that PSD95-­nNOS interaction in critical limbic regions (such as amygdala and hippocampus) during fear conditioning is important in regulating fear memory formation, and disruption of this protein-­protein binding may cause impairments in conditioned fear memory. Utilizing co-­immunoprecipitation, electrophysiology and behavioral paradigms, we first showed that fear conditioning results in significant increases in PSD95-­nNOS binding within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the ventral hippocampus (vHP) in a time-­dependent manner, but not in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Secondly, by using ZL006, a small molecule disruptor of PSD95-­ nNOS interaction, it was found that systemic and intra-­BLA disruption of PSD95-­ nNOS interaction by ZL006 impaired the consolidation of cue-­induced fear. In contrast, disruption of PSD95-­nNOS interaction within the vHP did not affect the consolidation of cue-­induced fear, but significantly impaired the consolidation of context-­induced fear. At the cellular level, disruption of PSD95-­nNOS interaction with ZL006 was found to impair long-­term potentiation (LTP) in the BLA neurons. Finally, unlike NMDAR antagonist MK-­801, ZL006 is devoid of adverse effects on many other CNS functions, such as motor function, social activity, cognitive functions in tasks of object recognition memory and spatial memory. These findings collectively demonstrated that PSD95-­nNOS interaction within the conditioned fear network appears to be a key molecular step in regulating synaptic plasticity and the consolidation of conditioned fear. Disruption of PSD95-­nNOS interaction holds promise as a novel treatment strategy for fear-­ motivated disorders, such as post-­traumatic stress disorder and phobias.

Solutions of composite beams encounter some specific problems, such as shrinkage and creep of concrete, cracking of concrete and plasticity of steel, partial interaction of elements or history of erection and loading process. These factors and others affect the distribution of internal forces along the beam, the distribution of stresses along the cross-section and also stiffness and deflection of beams. The goal is to describe and compare methods for analysis of composite steel and concrete beams by more simplified approaches allowed by Eurocode with more advanced techniques. The studies will be carried out on the simply supported and continuous beams designed with respect to Eurocode 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Heat treatment for the purpose of material strengthening is accompanied by residual stresses and distortion. During these processing steps, steel alloys experience a phase change that in turn modify their overall mechanical response. To properly account for the cumulative composite behavior, the mechanical response, transformation kinetics and subsequent interaction of each phase have to be properly accounted for. Of interest to material designers and fabricators is modeling and simulating the evolutionary process a part undergoes for the sake of capturing the observable residual stress states and geometric distortion accumulated after processing. In an attempt to capture the aforementioned physical phenomena, this investigation is premised upon a consistent thermodynamic framework. Following this, the single phase Evolving Microstructural Model of Inelasticity state variable model is extended to accommodate the occurrence of multiphases, affirming that the interaction between coexisting phases is through an interfacial stress. Since the efficacy of a multiphase model is dependent on its ability to capture the behavior of constituents phases and their subsequent interaction, we introduce a physically based self-consistent strain partitioning algorithm. With synthesis of the aforementioned ideas, the additional transformation induced plasticity is numerically accounted for by modifying each phase’s flowrule to accommodate an interfacial stress. In addition, for simulating the cohabitation of two phases, the mechanical multiphase model equations is coupled with a previously developed non-diffusional phase transformation kinetics model. A qualitative assessment of the material response based on a Taylor, Sachs and self-consistent polycrystalline approximation is carried out. Further analysis of the multiphase model and its interaction with transformation kinetics is evaluated.

A titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V STOA) plate material was provided by the University of Dayton Research Institute from a previous U.S. Air Force high-cycle fatigue study. Fatigue-crack-growth tests on compact, C(T), specimens have been previously performed at Mississippi State University on the same material over a wide range in rates from threshold to near fracture for several load ratios (R = Pmin/Pmax). These tests used the compression pre-cracking method to generate fatigue-crack-growth-rate data in the near-threshold regime. Current load-reduction procedures were found to give elevated thresholds compared to compression pre-cracking methods. A crack-closure model was then used to determine crackront constraint and a plasticity-corrected effective stress-intensityactor-range relation over a wide range in rates and load ratios. Some engineering estimates were made for extremely slow rates (small-crack behavior), below the commonly defined threshold rate. Single-edge-notch-bend, SEN(B), fatigue specimens were machined from titanium alloy plates and were fatigue tested at two constant-amplitude load ratios (R = 0.1 and 0.5) and a modified Cold-Turbistan engine spectrum. Calculated fatigue lives from FASTRAN, a fatigue-life-prediction code, using small-crack theory with an equivalent-initiallaw-size (semi-circular surface flaw) of 9 µm in radius at the center of the semi-circular edge notch fit the constant-amplitude test data fairly well, but underpredicted the spectrum loading results by about a factor of 2 to 3. Life predictions made with linear-cumulative damage (LCD) calculations agreed fairly well with the spectrum tests.