The specific heat is frequency dependent in highly viscous liquids. By solving the full one-dimensional thermoviscoelastic problem analytically it is shown that, because of thermal expansion and the fact that mechanical stresses relax on the same time scale as the enthalpy relaxes, the plane thermal-wave method does not measure the isobaric frequency-dependent specific heat cp . This method rat...

A double-tweezer setup is used to induce mechanical stress in systems of molecular biology. A double strand of DNA is first stretched and the data is compared to precedent experiments to check the experimental setup. Then a short foldable fragment of RNA is probed; the typical unfolding/refolding hysteresis behaviour of this kind of construction is shown and followed by a study of its elasticit...

Under mechanical stress, the hexaarylbiimidazole (HABI) motif can cleave to triphenylimidazolyl radicals when incorporated into a polymer matrix. The mechanically produced coloured radicals can initiate secondary radical reactions yielding polymer networks. Thus, the HABI mechanophore combines optical reporting of bond scission and reinforcement of polymers in a single molecular moiety.

Abstract. Modern interconnect structures are exposed to high mechanical stresses during their operation. These stresses have their sources in interconnect process technology and electromigration. The mechanical properties of passivating films and the choice of process technology influence electromigration reliability. In this paper we analyze the interplay between electromigration and mechanica...

Using molecular dynamics simulations with an embedded-atom interatomic potential, we study the effect of chemical composition and uniaxial mechanical stresses on the martensitic phase transformation in Ni-rich NiAl alloys. The martensitic phase has a tetragonal crystal structure and can contain multiple twins arranged in domains and plates. The transformation is reversible and is characterized ...

Many eukaryotic cells are able to perform directional mechanosensing by directly measuring minute spatial differences in the mechanical stress on their membranes. Here, we explore the limits of a single mechanosensitive channel activation using a two-state double-well model for the gating mechanism. We then focus on the physical limits of directional mechanosensing by a single cell having multi...

Several methods for the preparation of "white ghosts" or "resealed ghosts" were described in the recent literature. This article compares three methods to prepare white, resealed ghosts from bovine erythrocytes based on the principle of hypotonic lysis. The methods described differ by the removal of hemoglobin from the empty cells. The main difference between the standard centrifugation, the ge...

In the last years, computer simulation has reached a significant position in the investigation and development of technical products. Simulation programmes and computer utilization have found application also in the area of electrical devices. At our workplace we have used simulation programmes for many years to investigate transient phenomena mainly at short-circuit current breaking in miniatu...

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the responses of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells following application of mechanical stress, co-cultured with dental pulp (DP) cells on the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNAs in vitro. Materials and Methods: PDL cells were subjected to 4800 rpm / 20 min of centrifugal ...

The mitogenic effects of periodic mechanical stress on chondrocytes have been studied extensively but the mechanisms whereby chondrocytes sense and respond to periodic mechanical stress remain a matter of debate. We explored the signal transduction pathways of chondrocyte proliferation and matrix synthesis under periodic mechanical stress. In particular, we sought to identify the role of the ME...