In this study,circular dichroism(CD)and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation were used to investigate the thermal unfolding pathway of staphylococcal enterotoxin B(SEB)at temperatures of 298–371 and 298–500 K,and the re...In this study,circular dichroism(CD)and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation were used to investigate the thermal unfolding pathway of staphylococcal enterotoxin B(SEB)at temperatures of 298–371 and 298–500 K,and the relationship between the experimental and simulation results were explored.Our computational findings on the secondary structure of SEB showed that at room temperature,the CD spectroscopic results were highly consistent with the MD results.Moreover,under heating conditions,the changing trends of helix,sheet and random coil obtained by CD spectral fitting were highly consistent with those obtained by MD.In order to gain a deeper understanding of the thermal stability mechanism of SEB,the MD trajectories were analyzed in terms of root mean square deviation(RMSD),secondary structure assignment(SSA),radius of gyration(R_(g)),free energy surfaces(FES),solvent-accessible surface area(SASA),hydrogen bonds and salt bridges.The results showed that at low heating temperature,domain Ⅰ without loops(omitting the mobile loop region)mainly relied on hydrophobic interaction to maintain its thermal stability,whereas the thermal stability of domain Ⅱ was mainly controlled by salt bridges and hydrogen bonds.Under high heating temperature conditions,the hydrophobic interactions in domain Ⅰ without loops were destroyed and the secondary structure was almost completely lost,while domain Ⅱ could still rely on salt bridges as molecular staples to barely maintain the stability of the secondary structure.These results help us to understand the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms that maintain the thermal stability of SEB at the molecular level,and provide a direction for establishing safer and more effective food sterilization processes.展开更多
To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20)co-crystals,shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene(TNT),1,3-dinitro...To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20)co-crystals,shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene(TNT),1,3-dinitrobenzene(DNB),solvents ligands dimethyl carbonate(DMC) and gamma-butyrolactone(GBL)with void were simulated,using molecular dynamics method and reactive force field.It is found that the CL-20 co-crystals with void defects will form hot spots when impacted,significantly affecting the decomposition of molecules around the void.The degree of molecular fragmentation is relatively low under the reflection velocity of 2 km/s,and the main reactions are the formation of dimer and the shedding of nitro groups.The existence of voids reduces the safety of CL-20 co-crystals,which induced the sensitivity of energetic co-crystals CL-20/TNT and CL-20/DNB to increase more significantly.Detonation has occurred under the reflection velocity of 4 km/s,energetic co-crystals are easier to polymerize than solvent co-crystals,and are not obviously affected by voids.The results show that the energy of the wave decreases after sweeping over the void,which reduces the chemical reaction frequency downstream of the void and affects the detonation performance,especially the solvent co-crystals.展开更多
The microstructures and thermodynamic properties of mixed systems comprising pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]and acetonitrile at different mole fractions were studied using molecular dynamics simulation in this wo...The microstructures and thermodynamic properties of mixed systems comprising pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]and acetonitrile at different mole fractions were studied using molecular dynamics simulation in this work.The following properties were determined:density,self-diffusion coefficient,excess molar volume,and radial distribution function.The results show that with an increase in the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the self-diffusion coefficient decreases.Additionally,the excess molar volume initially decreases,reaches a minimum,and then increases.The rules of radial distribution functions(RDFs)of characteristic atoms are different.With increasing the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the first peak of the RDFs of HA1-F decreases,while that of CT6-CT6 rises at first and then decreases.This indicates that the solvent molecules affect the polar and non-polar regions of[HPy][BF_(4)]differently.展开更多
A deep understanding of explosive sensitivities and their factors is important for safe and reliable applications.However,quantitative prediction of the sensitivities is difficult.Here,reactive molecular dynamics simu...A deep understanding of explosive sensitivities and their factors is important for safe and reliable applications.However,quantitative prediction of the sensitivities is difficult.Here,reactive molecular dynamics simulation models for high-speed piston impacts on explosive supercells were established.Simulations were also performed to investigate shock-induced reactions of various high-energy explosives.The fraction of reacted explosive molecules in an initial supercell changed linearly with the propagation distance of the shock-wave front.The corresponding slope could be used as a reaction rate for a specific shock-loading velocity.Reaction rates that varied with the shock-loading pressure exhibited two-stage linearities with different slopes.The two inflection points corresponded to the initial and accelerated reactions,which respectively correlated to the thresholds of shock-induced ignition and detonation.Therefore,the ignition and detonation critical pressures could be determined.The sensitivity could then be a quantitative prediction of the critical pressure.The accuracies of the quantitative shock sensitivity predictions were verified by comparing the impact and shock sensitivities of common explosives and the characteristics of anisotropic shock-induced reactions.Molecular dynamics simulations quantitatively predict and rank shock sensitivities by using only crystal structures of the explosives.Overall,this method will enable the design and safe use of explosives.展开更多
The effects of tensile temperatures ranging from 100 K to 900 K on the phase transition of hexagonal close-packed(HCP)zirconium were investigated by molecular dynamics simulations,which were combined with experimental...The effects of tensile temperatures ranging from 100 K to 900 K on the phase transition of hexagonal close-packed(HCP)zirconium were investigated by molecular dynamics simulations,which were combined with experimental observation under high resolution transmission electron microscopy.The results show that externally applied loading first induced the HCP to body-centered cubic(BCC)phase transition in the Pitsch-Schrader(PS)orientation relationship(OR).Then,the face-centered cubic(FCC)structure transformed from the BCC phase in the Bain path.However,the HCP-to-BCC transition was incomplete at 100 K and 300 K,resulting in a prismatic-type OR between the FCC and original HCP phase.Additionally,at the temperature ranging from 100 K to 600 K,the inverse BCC-to-HCP transition occurred locally following other variants of the PS OR,resulting in a basal-type relation between the newly generated HCP and FCC phases.A higher tensile temperature promoted the amount of FCC phase transforming into the BCC phase when the strain exceeded 45%.Besides,the crystal stretched at lower temperatures exhibits relatively higher strength but by the compromise of plasticity.This study reveals the deformation mechanisms in HCP-Zr at different temperatures,which may provide a better understanding of the deformation mechanism of zirconium alloys under different application environments.展开更多
Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to observe the evolutions of 512 and 51262 cage-like water clusters filled with or without a methane molecule immersed in bulk liquid water at 250 K and 230 K. The lifetime...Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to observe the evolutions of 512 and 51262 cage-like water clusters filled with or without a methane molecule immersed in bulk liquid water at 250 K and 230 K. The lifetimes of these clusters are calculated according to their Lindemann index δ (t) using the criteria of δ≥0.07. For both the filled and empty clusters, we find the dynamics of bulk water determines the lifetimes of cage-like water clusters, and that the lifetime of 512 62 cage-like cluster is the same as that of 512 cage-like cluster. Although the methane molecule indeed makes the filled cage-like cluster more stable than the empty one, the empty cage-like cluster still has chance to be long-lived compared with the filled clusters. These observations support the labile cluster hypothesis on the formation mechanisms of gas hydrates.展开更多
Integrin activation,the transition from a low to a high affinity state,regulates the numerous cellular responses consequent to integrin engagement by extracellular matrix proteins.Kindlin proteins,play crucial roles i...Integrin activation,the transition from a low to a high affinity state,regulates the numerous cellular responses consequent to integrin engagement by extracellular matrix proteins.Kindlin proteins,play crucial roles in the integrin-signaling pathway by directly interacting with and activating integrins,which mediate the cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and signaling.As a widely distributed PTB domain protein and a major member of the kindlin family,kindlin2 interacts withβ3-tail,bridges talin-activated integrins to promote integrin aggregation,and enhances talin-induced integrin activation.Thus,kindlin2 is identified as a coactivator of integrins.Unlike talins,kindlin2 cannot directly alter the conformation of the integrin transmembrane helix and fail to activate integrin alone.Nevertheless,although it is widely accepted that kindlins and talins synergistically promote integrin activation,the underlying mechanism is unclear.Thus,the study of the force dissociation of the kindlin2/β3-tail complex and the conformation stabilization under different mechanical micro-environments should be of great significance for the further understanding of the structural basis of its synergistically activation of integrin.To reveal the molecular dynamics mechanism of interaction between kindlin2 andβ3-tail,we perform molecular dynamics(MD)simulations for this complex with different computing strategies interaction.In MD simulations,the available crystal structures of Kindlin-2/β3-tail complex(Protein Data Bank code 5XQ1)was downloaded from the PDB database.Two software packages,VMD for visualization and modeling and NAMD 2.13 for energy minimizations and MD simulations,were used here.The steadystate conformation of the complex was obtained from the equilibrium simulation.The dissociation event was observed by the constant velocity simulation,and the mechanical stability of the complex was observed by the constant force simulation.Our results showed that,during the equilibrium of the kindlin2-F3/β34ail complex,the residue MET612,LYS613 and TRP615 on the F3 domain of kindlin2 contributed to hydrogen-bonding with the corresponding residues onβ3 integrin.These bonds exhibit moderate or strong stability through steered molecular dynamics(SMD)simulation.During the constant velocity simulation,the complex exhibits a variety of unfolding pathways against tension applications,which are mainly distinguished by the disruption of hydrogen-bonds between the F3 domain a1/a2 helixes andβ1/β2 sheets.During the constant force simulation,the different phases of the composite force dissociation have different dissociation probabilities,which shows the biphasic force-dependent characteristics.And,the key residues in the pulling were recognized according not only to the number of interacting residue pairs,but also to their bond strength.Using molecular dynamics simulation,we showed the steady state of the kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex under different tensile forces,and observe the dynamic process of molecular interaction.A possible underlying biophysical mechanism is that,the dissociation of Kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex is biphasic force-dependent,and the conformations under different stretching states have different binding affinities.This study not only provides insights into the structural basis and mechanical regulation mechanisms of the kindlin/integrin interaction,in understanding in kindlin/integrin-related signaling in different cellular biological processes,but also provides new ideas for novel drug design and the treatment of related diseases.展开更多
The characteristic of easy sintering of aluminum nanoparticle(ANP)limits its application in solid propellants.Coating ANP with fluoropolymer could effectively improve its combustion performance.To find out how the coa...The characteristic of easy sintering of aluminum nanoparticle(ANP)limits its application in solid propellants.Coating ANP with fluoropolymer could effectively improve its combustion performance.To find out how the coating layer inhibits sintering and promotes complete combustion of particles from an atomic view,a comparative study has been done for bare ANP and PTFE coated ANP by using reactive molecular dynamics simulations.The sintering process is quantified by shrinkage ratio and gyration radius.Our results show that,at the same heating rate and combustion temperatures,bare ANPs are sintered together after the temperature exceeds the melting point of aluminum but the decomposition of PTFE coating layer pushes particles away and increases reaction surface area by producing small Al-F clusters.The sintering of ANPs which are heated in PTFE is alleviated compared with particles heated in oxygen,but particles still sinter together due to the lack of intimate contact between PTFE and alumina surface.The effect of temperature on the combustion of PTFE coated ANPs is also studied from 1000 to3500 K.The number density analysis shows the particles will not be sintered at any temperature.Aluminum fluoride prefers diffusing to the external space and the remained particles are mainly composed of Al,C and O.Fast ignition simulations are performed by adopting micro canonical ensemble.With the expansion of aluminum core and the melting of alumina shell,bare ANPs are sintered into a liquid particle directly.For PTFE coated ANPs,the volatilization of gaseous aluminum fluoride products continually endows particles opposite momentum.展开更多
The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic inter...The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic interaction mechanisms between the commonly used aggregate phase calcite/silica and calcium silicate hydrates(C-S-H),as well as the effect of moisture.The results suggest that the C-S-H/calcite interface is relatively strong and stable under both dry and moist conditions,which is caused by the high-strength interfacial connections formed between calcium ions from calcite and high-polarity non-bridging oxygen atoms from the C-S-H surface.Silica can be also adsorbed on the dry C-S-H surface by the H-bonds;however,the presence of water molecules on the interface may substantially decrease the affinities.Furthermore,the dynamics interface separation tests of C-S-H/aggregates were also implemented by molecular dynamics.The shape of the calculated stress-separation distance curves obeys the quasi-static cohesive law obtained experimentally.The moisture conditions and strain rates were found to affect the separation process of C-S-H/silica.A wetter interface and smaller loading rate may lead to a lower adhesion strength.The mechanisms interpreted here may shed new lights on the understandings of hcp/aggregate interactions at a nano-length scale and creation of high performance cementitious materials.展开更多
The distribution of Al （j） and the structural units distribution of Qi T in calcium aluminosilicate melts were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that provided there exists lower-fie...The distribution of Al （j） and the structural units distribution of Qi T in calcium aluminosilicate melts were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that provided there exists lower-field strength cation relative to Al3+, such as alkaline and alkaline earth metals, Al will be four-coordinated but not six-coordinated. Meanwhile, if there exist a large number of higher-field strength cations such as Si4+ and little lower-field strength cation, six-coordinated aluminum will be formed. The relation of structural units distribution of Qi T with chemical composition shift was also extracted, showing that as Ca2+ exists, the distributions of Qi Si, Qi Al or Qi T have the similar changing trend with the variation of component. Because of high-temperature effect, the Al-tetrahedral units in melts are greatly active and unstable and there exist dynamic transforming equilibria of Al（3）Al（4） and （Al（5））Al（4）. The three-coordinated oxygen and charge-compensated bridging oxygen are proposed to explain phenomena of the negative charge redundancy of AlO4 and location of network modifier with charge-compensated function in aluminosilicate melts.展开更多
Nanograins are characterized by a typical grain size from 1 to 100 nm. Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out for the nanograin sphere with the diameters from 1.45 to 10.12 nm. We study the influence of ...Nanograins are characterized by a typical grain size from 1 to 100 nm. Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out for the nanograin sphere with the diameters from 1.45 to 10.12 nm. We study the influence of grain size on structure and diffusion properties of the nanograins. The results reveal that as the grain size is reduced, the fraction of grain surface increases significantly, and the surface width is approximately constant; the mean atomic energy of the surface increases distinctly, but that of the grain interior varies insignificantly; the diffusion coefficient is increased sharply, and the relation of the diffusion coefficient and the grain size is close to exponential relation below 10 nm.展开更多
随着特高压输电技术的快速发展和大容量电力传输需求的不断增加,绝缘纸在极端环境下的电气性能、机械强度及热稳定性面临着更为严峻的挑战。该文提出纳米SiO_(2)粒子掺杂与等离子体氟化协同改性策略,系统研究协同改性前后绝缘纸的电气...随着特高压输电技术的快速发展和大容量电力传输需求的不断增加,绝缘纸在极端环境下的电气性能、机械强度及热稳定性面临着更为严峻的挑战。该文提出纳米SiO_(2)粒子掺杂与等离子体氟化协同改性策略,系统研究协同改性前后绝缘纸的电气性能、机械性能、疏水性能及热老化性能的演变规律,通过扫描电子显微镜(scanning electron microscope,SEM)和能量色散X射线光谱仪(energy dispersive spectrometer,EDS)表征氟化处理后绝缘纸表面形貌与元素分布变化。基于分子动力学模拟,揭示纳米粒子掺杂和含氟基团介质的协同增强机制。结果表明:纳米SiO_(2)粒子掺杂协同等离子体氟化改性可有效限制载流子的运动,显著提升了绝缘纸的绝缘性能。与未改性相比,绝缘纸的击穿场强和体积电阻率分别提高109.2%和134.9%。协同改性处理后,绝缘纸表面接枝了大量含氟基团,显著提升其表面疏水性;同时,含氟基团与纳米SiO_(2)间形成的氢键强化了纳米SiO_(2)与绝缘纸的桥接作用,进而可有效提升绝缘纸的热老化性能。展开更多
文摘In this study,circular dichroism(CD)and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation were used to investigate the thermal unfolding pathway of staphylococcal enterotoxin B(SEB)at temperatures of 298–371 and 298–500 K,and the relationship between the experimental and simulation results were explored.Our computational findings on the secondary structure of SEB showed that at room temperature,the CD spectroscopic results were highly consistent with the MD results.Moreover,under heating conditions,the changing trends of helix,sheet and random coil obtained by CD spectral fitting were highly consistent with those obtained by MD.In order to gain a deeper understanding of the thermal stability mechanism of SEB,the MD trajectories were analyzed in terms of root mean square deviation(RMSD),secondary structure assignment(SSA),radius of gyration(R_(g)),free energy surfaces(FES),solvent-accessible surface area(SASA),hydrogen bonds and salt bridges.The results showed that at low heating temperature,domain Ⅰ without loops(omitting the mobile loop region)mainly relied on hydrophobic interaction to maintain its thermal stability,whereas the thermal stability of domain Ⅱ was mainly controlled by salt bridges and hydrogen bonds.Under high heating temperature conditions,the hydrophobic interactions in domain Ⅰ without loops were destroyed and the secondary structure was almost completely lost,while domain Ⅱ could still rely on salt bridges as molecular staples to barely maintain the stability of the secondary structure.These results help us to understand the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms that maintain the thermal stability of SEB at the molecular level,and provide a direction for establishing safer and more effective food sterilization processes.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22275018)the Project of State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology (Beijing Institute of Technology)(Grant No.QNKT20-04)。
文摘To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20)co-crystals,shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene(TNT),1,3-dinitrobenzene(DNB),solvents ligands dimethyl carbonate(DMC) and gamma-butyrolactone(GBL)with void were simulated,using molecular dynamics method and reactive force field.It is found that the CL-20 co-crystals with void defects will form hot spots when impacted,significantly affecting the decomposition of molecules around the void.The degree of molecular fragmentation is relatively low under the reflection velocity of 2 km/s,and the main reactions are the formation of dimer and the shedding of nitro groups.The existence of voids reduces the safety of CL-20 co-crystals,which induced the sensitivity of energetic co-crystals CL-20/TNT and CL-20/DNB to increase more significantly.Detonation has occurred under the reflection velocity of 4 km/s,energetic co-crystals are easier to polymerize than solvent co-crystals,and are not obviously affected by voids.The results show that the energy of the wave decreases after sweeping over the void,which reduces the chemical reaction frequency downstream of the void and affects the detonation performance,especially the solvent co-crystals.
文摘The microstructures and thermodynamic properties of mixed systems comprising pyridinium ionic liquid[HPy][BF_(4)]and acetonitrile at different mole fractions were studied using molecular dynamics simulation in this work.The following properties were determined:density,self-diffusion coefficient,excess molar volume,and radial distribution function.The results show that with an increase in the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the self-diffusion coefficient decreases.Additionally,the excess molar volume initially decreases,reaches a minimum,and then increases.The rules of radial distribution functions(RDFs)of characteristic atoms are different.With increasing the mole fraction of[HPy][BF_(4)],the first peak of the RDFs of HA1-F decreases,while that of CT6-CT6 rises at first and then decreases.This indicates that the solvent molecules affect the polar and non-polar regions of[HPy][BF_(4)]differently.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11832006).
文摘A deep understanding of explosive sensitivities and their factors is important for safe and reliable applications.However,quantitative prediction of the sensitivities is difficult.Here,reactive molecular dynamics simulation models for high-speed piston impacts on explosive supercells were established.Simulations were also performed to investigate shock-induced reactions of various high-energy explosives.The fraction of reacted explosive molecules in an initial supercell changed linearly with the propagation distance of the shock-wave front.The corresponding slope could be used as a reaction rate for a specific shock-loading velocity.Reaction rates that varied with the shock-loading pressure exhibited two-stage linearities with different slopes.The two inflection points corresponded to the initial and accelerated reactions,which respectively correlated to the thresholds of shock-induced ignition and detonation.Therefore,the ignition and detonation critical pressures could be determined.The sensitivity could then be a quantitative prediction of the critical pressure.The accuracies of the quantitative shock sensitivity predictions were verified by comparing the impact and shock sensitivities of common explosives and the characteristics of anisotropic shock-induced reactions.Molecular dynamics simulations quantitatively predict and rank shock sensitivities by using only crystal structures of the explosives.Overall,this method will enable the design and safe use of explosives.
基金Projects(51901248,51828102)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2018JJ3649)supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province,ChinaProject(2019CX026)supported by the Innovation-driven Plan in Central South University,China。
文摘The effects of tensile temperatures ranging from 100 K to 900 K on the phase transition of hexagonal close-packed(HCP)zirconium were investigated by molecular dynamics simulations,which were combined with experimental observation under high resolution transmission electron microscopy.The results show that externally applied loading first induced the HCP to body-centered cubic(BCC)phase transition in the Pitsch-Schrader(PS)orientation relationship(OR).Then,the face-centered cubic(FCC)structure transformed from the BCC phase in the Bain path.However,the HCP-to-BCC transition was incomplete at 100 K and 300 K,resulting in a prismatic-type OR between the FCC and original HCP phase.Additionally,at the temperature ranging from 100 K to 600 K,the inverse BCC-to-HCP transition occurred locally following other variants of the PS OR,resulting in a basal-type relation between the newly generated HCP and FCC phases.A higher tensile temperature promoted the amount of FCC phase transforming into the BCC phase when the strain exceeded 45%.Besides,the crystal stretched at lower temperatures exhibits relatively higher strength but by the compromise of plasticity.This study reveals the deformation mechanisms in HCP-Zr at different temperatures,which may provide a better understanding of the deformation mechanism of zirconium alloys under different application environments.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.40102005 and No.49725205).
文摘Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to observe the evolutions of 512 and 51262 cage-like water clusters filled with or without a methane molecule immersed in bulk liquid water at 250 K and 230 K. The lifetimes of these clusters are calculated according to their Lindemann index δ (t) using the criteria of δ≥0.07. For both the filled and empty clusters, we find the dynamics of bulk water determines the lifetimes of cage-like water clusters, and that the lifetime of 512 62 cage-like cluster is the same as that of 512 cage-like cluster. Although the methane molecule indeed makes the filled cage-like cluster more stable than the empty one, the empty cage-like cluster still has chance to be long-lived compared with the filled clusters. These observations support the labile cluster hypothesis on the formation mechanisms of gas hydrates.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 116272109, 11432006)
文摘Integrin activation,the transition from a low to a high affinity state,regulates the numerous cellular responses consequent to integrin engagement by extracellular matrix proteins.Kindlin proteins,play crucial roles in the integrin-signaling pathway by directly interacting with and activating integrins,which mediate the cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and signaling.As a widely distributed PTB domain protein and a major member of the kindlin family,kindlin2 interacts withβ3-tail,bridges talin-activated integrins to promote integrin aggregation,and enhances talin-induced integrin activation.Thus,kindlin2 is identified as a coactivator of integrins.Unlike talins,kindlin2 cannot directly alter the conformation of the integrin transmembrane helix and fail to activate integrin alone.Nevertheless,although it is widely accepted that kindlins and talins synergistically promote integrin activation,the underlying mechanism is unclear.Thus,the study of the force dissociation of the kindlin2/β3-tail complex and the conformation stabilization under different mechanical micro-environments should be of great significance for the further understanding of the structural basis of its synergistically activation of integrin.To reveal the molecular dynamics mechanism of interaction between kindlin2 andβ3-tail,we perform molecular dynamics(MD)simulations for this complex with different computing strategies interaction.In MD simulations,the available crystal structures of Kindlin-2/β3-tail complex(Protein Data Bank code 5XQ1)was downloaded from the PDB database.Two software packages,VMD for visualization and modeling and NAMD 2.13 for energy minimizations and MD simulations,were used here.The steadystate conformation of the complex was obtained from the equilibrium simulation.The dissociation event was observed by the constant velocity simulation,and the mechanical stability of the complex was observed by the constant force simulation.Our results showed that,during the equilibrium of the kindlin2-F3/β34ail complex,the residue MET612,LYS613 and TRP615 on the F3 domain of kindlin2 contributed to hydrogen-bonding with the corresponding residues onβ3 integrin.These bonds exhibit moderate or strong stability through steered molecular dynamics(SMD)simulation.During the constant velocity simulation,the complex exhibits a variety of unfolding pathways against tension applications,which are mainly distinguished by the disruption of hydrogen-bonds between the F3 domain a1/a2 helixes andβ1/β2 sheets.During the constant force simulation,the different phases of the composite force dissociation have different dissociation probabilities,which shows the biphasic force-dependent characteristics.And,the key residues in the pulling were recognized according not only to the number of interacting residue pairs,but also to their bond strength.Using molecular dynamics simulation,we showed the steady state of the kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex under different tensile forces,and observe the dynamic process of molecular interaction.A possible underlying biophysical mechanism is that,the dissociation of Kindlin2-F3/β3-tail complex is biphasic force-dependent,and the conformations under different stretching states have different binding affinities.This study not only provides insights into the structural basis and mechanical regulation mechanisms of the kindlin/integrin interaction,in understanding in kindlin/integrin-related signaling in different cellular biological processes,but also provides new ideas for novel drug design and the treatment of related diseases.
基金supported by the fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2021TQ0267)。
文摘The characteristic of easy sintering of aluminum nanoparticle(ANP)limits its application in solid propellants.Coating ANP with fluoropolymer could effectively improve its combustion performance.To find out how the coating layer inhibits sintering and promotes complete combustion of particles from an atomic view,a comparative study has been done for bare ANP and PTFE coated ANP by using reactive molecular dynamics simulations.The sintering process is quantified by shrinkage ratio and gyration radius.Our results show that,at the same heating rate and combustion temperatures,bare ANPs are sintered together after the temperature exceeds the melting point of aluminum but the decomposition of PTFE coating layer pushes particles away and increases reaction surface area by producing small Al-F clusters.The sintering of ANPs which are heated in PTFE is alleviated compared with particles heated in oxygen,but particles still sinter together due to the lack of intimate contact between PTFE and alumina surface.The effect of temperature on the combustion of PTFE coated ANPs is also studied from 1000 to3500 K.The number density analysis shows the particles will not be sintered at any temperature.Aluminum fluoride prefers diffusing to the external space and the remained particles are mainly composed of Al,C and O.Fast ignition simulations are performed by adopting micro canonical ensemble.With the expansion of aluminum core and the melting of alumina shell,bare ANPs are sintered into a liquid particle directly.For PTFE coated ANPs,the volatilization of gaseous aluminum fluoride products continually endows particles opposite momentum.
基金Projects(6512009004A,51908119,U1706222)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(BK20190367)supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China。
文摘The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic interaction mechanisms between the commonly used aggregate phase calcite/silica and calcium silicate hydrates(C-S-H),as well as the effect of moisture.The results suggest that the C-S-H/calcite interface is relatively strong and stable under both dry and moist conditions,which is caused by the high-strength interfacial connections formed between calcium ions from calcite and high-polarity non-bridging oxygen atoms from the C-S-H surface.Silica can be also adsorbed on the dry C-S-H surface by the H-bonds;however,the presence of water molecules on the interface may substantially decrease the affinities.Furthermore,the dynamics interface separation tests of C-S-H/aggregates were also implemented by molecular dynamics.The shape of the calculated stress-separation distance curves obeys the quasi-static cohesive law obtained experimentally.The moisture conditions and strain rates were found to affect the separation process of C-S-H/silica.A wetter interface and smaller loading rate may lead to a lower adhesion strength.The mechanisms interpreted here may shed new lights on the understandings of hcp/aggregate interactions at a nano-length scale and creation of high performance cementitious materials.
文摘The distribution of Al （j） and the structural units distribution of Qi T in calcium aluminosilicate melts were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that provided there exists lower-field strength cation relative to Al3+, such as alkaline and alkaline earth metals, Al will be four-coordinated but not six-coordinated. Meanwhile, if there exist a large number of higher-field strength cations such as Si4+ and little lower-field strength cation, six-coordinated aluminum will be formed. The relation of structural units distribution of Qi T with chemical composition shift was also extracted, showing that as Ca2+ exists, the distributions of Qi Si, Qi Al or Qi T have the similar changing trend with the variation of component. Because of high-temperature effect, the Al-tetrahedral units in melts are greatly active and unstable and there exist dynamic transforming equilibria of Al（3）Al（4） and （Al（5））Al（4）. The three-coordinated oxygen and charge-compensated bridging oxygen are proposed to explain phenomena of the negative charge redundancy of AlO4 and location of network modifier with charge-compensated function in aluminosilicate melts.
基金supported by the National Naturl Science Foundation of China(No.10172088)the Potdoctoral Saience Foundation of China
文摘Nanograins are characterized by a typical grain size from 1 to 100 nm. Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out for the nanograin sphere with the diameters from 1.45 to 10.12 nm. We study the influence of grain size on structure and diffusion properties of the nanograins. The results reveal that as the grain size is reduced, the fraction of grain surface increases significantly, and the surface width is approximately constant; the mean atomic energy of the surface increases distinctly, but that of the grain interior varies insignificantly; the diffusion coefficient is increased sharply, and the relation of the diffusion coefficient and the grain size is close to exponential relation below 10 nm.
文摘随着特高压输电技术的快速发展和大容量电力传输需求的不断增加,绝缘纸在极端环境下的电气性能、机械强度及热稳定性面临着更为严峻的挑战。该文提出纳米SiO_(2)粒子掺杂与等离子体氟化协同改性策略,系统研究协同改性前后绝缘纸的电气性能、机械性能、疏水性能及热老化性能的演变规律,通过扫描电子显微镜(scanning electron microscope,SEM)和能量色散X射线光谱仪(energy dispersive spectrometer,EDS)表征氟化处理后绝缘纸表面形貌与元素分布变化。基于分子动力学模拟,揭示纳米粒子掺杂和含氟基团介质的协同增强机制。结果表明:纳米SiO_(2)粒子掺杂协同等离子体氟化改性可有效限制载流子的运动,显著提升了绝缘纸的绝缘性能。与未改性相比,绝缘纸的击穿场强和体积电阻率分别提高109.2%和134.9%。协同改性处理后,绝缘纸表面接枝了大量含氟基团,显著提升其表面疏水性;同时,含氟基团与纳米SiO_(2)间形成的氢键强化了纳米SiO_(2)与绝缘纸的桥接作用,进而可有效提升绝缘纸的热老化性能。
