We demonstrate that with dynamic force balance achieved by pulse shaping, the peak of the far-field load synchronizes with the specimen fracture time. Furthermore, the evolution of dynamic stress

intensity factor (SIF) obtained from the dynamic finite element analysis agrees with that from PCI-34051 nmr quasi-static analysis. These results prove that with dynamic force balance in SHPB, the inertial effect is minimized even for samples with complex geometries like notched SCB disc. The dynamic force balance thus enables the regression of dynamic fracture toughness using quasi-static analysis. This dynamic SCB method provides an easy and cost-effective way to measure dynamic fracture toughness of rocks and other brittle materials.”
“The present study investigated how Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects temporal coordination among the trunk, arm, and fingers during trunk-assisted reach-to-grasp movements. Seated participants with PD and healthy controls made prehensile movements. During the reach to the object, the involvement of the trunk was altered based on the instruction; the trunk was not involved, moved forward (flexion), or moved backward (extension) in the sagittal plane. Each of the trunk movements was combined with an

extension or flexion motion of the arm during the reach. For the transport component, the individuals with PD substantially delayed Pexidartinib the onset of trunk motion relative SB273005 to that of arm motion in conditions where the trunk was moved in the direction opposite from the arm reaching toward the object. At the same time, variability of intervals between the onsets and intervals between the velocity

peaks of the trunk and wrist movements was increased. The magnitudes of the variability measures were significantly correlated with the severity of PD. Regarding the grasp component, the individuals with PD delayed the onset of finger movements during reaching. These results imply that PD impairs temporal coordination between the axial and distal body segments during goal-directed skilled actions. When there is a directional discrepancy between the trunk and wrist motions, individuals with PD appear to prioritize wrist motion that is tied to the task goal over the trunk motion. An increase in disease severity magnifies the coordination deficits.”
“Chronic inflammation is a molecular element of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are considered to be an important proinflammatory factor. However, it is still incompletely understood how SFAs induce proinflammatory cytokine expression. Hereby we report that activating transcription factor (ATF) 4, a transcription factor that is induced downstream of metabolic stresses including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, plays critical roles in SFA-induced interleukin-6 (Il6) expression. DNA microarray analysis using primary macrophages revealed that the ATF4 pathway is activated by SFAs.