pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Aqueous tape casting and mechanical properties of La2NiO4 dense membranes

An environmentally friendly aqueous tape casting process for the fabrication of La2NiO4+δ membranes was developed using fine powders synthesized by spray pyrolysis. Green tapes with a thickness of 30–300 μm were obtained and dense and homogeneous membranes were prepared by lamination of green tapes followed by sintering in the temperature range 1300–1420 °C. The bi-axial fracture strength of the sintered materials increased from ∼108 to ∼155 MPa decreasing the average grain size of the membranes from about 9.6 to 4.2 μm. The hardness and fracture toughness, measured by the Vickers indentation technique, also decreased with increasing grain size. The mechanical properties of La2NiO4+δ ceramics are discussed with focus on micro-cracking/residual stresses due to the strong crystallographic anisotropy of La2NiO4+δ
Nanostructured anatase-titanium dioxide based platform for application to microfluidics cholesterol biosensor

We report results of studies relating to the fabrication of a microfluidics cholesterol sensor based on nanocrystalline anatase-titanium dioxide (ant-TiO 2) film deposited onto indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. The results of response studies (optimized under the flow rate of 30 μl/min) conducted on cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilized onto crystalline ant-TiO 2 nanoparticles (∼27 nm)/ITO microfluidics electrode reveal linearity as 1.3 to 10.3 mM and improved sensitivity of 94.65 μA/mM/cm 2. The observed low value of K m (0.14 mM) indicates high affinity of ChOx to cholesterol. No significant changes in current response of this microfluidics sensor are measured in the presence of different interferent
Micromechanical modelling of the arterial wall: influence of mechanical heterogeneities on the wall stress distribution and the peak wall stress

International audiencePrevious tensile tests have shown the high anisotropy and heterogeneity of the arterial wall mechanical properties as a function of age, pathology (e.g. abdominal aortic aneurysm, AAA) and location (Vande Geest et al. 2006). The issues of this anisotropic behaviour and the AAA geometrical shapes have been tackled in many numerical studies. However, the wall mechanical heterogeneity has been very sparsely considered (Tierney et al. 2012). This work aims to study the effects of such heterogeneity on the stress distribution and the peak wall stress during a static pressurisation. Thence, a micromechani- cal-based model was used for the wall, and finite element analyses (FEA) were carried out on idealised AAAs. Unlike many previous phenomenological models, the current constitutive model depends on five material parameters only, which also allow us to control the wall microarchitecture
Pixels detectors and silicon X-rays detectors

Silicon pixel detectors are beginning to be used in large particle physics experiments. The hybrid technique (detector and electronics on two separate wafers) allows large surfaces to be built. For ATLAS at LHC it is proposed to cover areas of more than 1 m2 with 5000 to 10000 pixels/cm2. Each pixel has a full electronic chain directly connected which means very low input capacitance and no integration of dark current. Furthermore, silicon strip detectors and CCD's have been successfully tested for x-ray detection. Recent results indicate that a spatial resolution in the micron range can be obtained. Building on the CCD developments, the pixel detectors are becoming the best candidate for 2-D X-ray detection, with high speed, high spatial resolution and on-chip smart readout
Simultaneous multi-band detection of Low Surface Brightness galaxies with Markovian modelling

International audienceWe present to the astronomical community an algorithm for the detection of Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies in images, called MARSIAA (MARkovian Software for Image Analysis in Astronomy), which is based on multi-scale Markovian modeling. MARSIAA can be applied simultaneously to different bands. It segments an image into a user-defined number of classes, according to their surface brightness and surroundings – typically, one or two classes contain the LSB structures. We have developed an algorithm, called DetectLSB, which allows the efficient identification of LSB galaxies from among the candidate sources selected by MARSIAA. The application of the method to two and three bands simultaneously was tested on simulated images. Based on our tests we are confident that we can detect LSB galaxies down to a central surface brightness level of only 1.5 times the standard deviation from the mean pixel value in the image background. To assess the robustness of our method, the method was applied to a set of 18 B and I band images (covering 1.3 square degrees in total) of the Virgo cluster to which Sabatini et al. (2003, 2005) previously applied a matched-filters dwarf LSB galaxy search algorithm. We have detected all 20 objects from the Sabatini et al. catalog which we could classify by eye as
The redshift evolution of the distribution of star formation          among dark matter halos as seen in the infrared

International audienceRecent studies have revealed a strong correlation between the star formation rate (SFR)          and stellar mass of the majority of star-forming galaxies, the so-called star-forming main          sequence. An empirical modeling approach (the 2-SFM framework) that distinguishes between          the main sequence and rarer starburst galaxies is capable of reproducing most statistical          properties of infrared galaxies, such as number counts, luminosity functions, and redshift          distributions. In this paper, we extend this approach by establishing a connection between          stellar mass and halo mass with the technique of abundance matching. Based on a few simple          assumptions and a physically motivated formalism, our model successfully predicts the          (cross-)power spectra of the cosmic infrared background (CIB), the cross-correlation          between CIB and cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing, and the correlation functions          of bright, resolved infrared galaxies measured by Herschel,            Planck, ACT, and SPT. We use this model to infer the redshift          distribution of CIB-anisotropies and of the CIB × CMB lensing signal, as well as the level          of correlation between CIB-anisotropies at different wavelengths. We study the link          between dark matter halos and star-forming galaxies in the framework of our model. We          predict that more than 90% of cosmic star formation activity occurs in halos with masses          between 1011.5 and 1013.5  M⊙. If taking          subsequent mass growth of halos into account, this implies that the majority of stars were          initially (at z > 3) formed in the progenitors of          clusters            (Mh(z = 0) > 1013.5  M⊙),          then in groups            (1012.5 < Mh(z = 0) < 1013.5  M⊙)          at 0.5 < z < 3, and          finally in Milky-Way-like halos            (1011.5 < Mh(z = 0) < 1012.5  M⊙)          at z < 0.5. At all redshifts, the dominant          contribution to the SFR density stems from halos of mass            ~1012  M⊙, in which the instantaneous star          formation efficiency – defined here as the ratio between SFR and baryonic accretion rate –          is maximal (~70%). The strong redshift-evolution of SFR in the galaxies that dominate the          CIB is thus plausibly driven by increased accretion from the cosmic web onto halos of this          characteristic mass scale. Material (effective spectral energy distributions, differential          emissivities of halos, relations between Mh and SFR)          associated to this model is available at http://irfu.cea.fr/Sap/Phocea/Page/index.php?id=537
The Auroral Planetary Imaging and Spectroscopy (APIS) service

International audienceThe Auroral Planetary Imaging and Spectroscopy (APIS) service, accessible online, provides an open and interactive access to processed auroral observations of the outer planets and their satellites. Such observations are of interest for a wide community at the interface between planetology and magnetospheric and heliospheric physics. APIS consists of (i) a high level database, built from planetary auroral observations acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) since 1997 with its mostly used Far-UltraViolet spectro-imagers, (ii) a dedicated search interface aimed at browsing efficiently this database through relevant conditional search criteria and (iii) the ability to interactively work with the data online through plotting tools developed by the Virtual Observatory (VO) community, such as Aladin and Specview. This service is VO compliant and can therefore also been queried by external search tools of the VO community. The diversity of available data and the capability to sort them out by relevant physical criteria shall in particular facilitate statistical studies, on long-term scales and/or multi-instrumental multi-spectral combined analysis
Comparison of mechanical ventilatory constraints between continuous and intermittent exercises in healthy prepubescent children.

International audienceBBackground: The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and severity of mechanical ventilatory constraints in healthy prepubescent children during continuous and intermittent exercise. Methods: Twelve prepubescent children (7 - 11 years old) performed 7 exercises on a treadmill: one graded test for the determination of maximal aerobic speed (MAS), three continuous exercises (CE) at 60, 70 and 80% of MAS and three intermittent exercises (IE), alternating 15s of exercise with 15s of passive recovery, at 90, 100 and 110% of MAS. During each CE and IE, tidal flow/volume loops were plotted within a maximal flow/volume loop (MFVL) measured at rest before each exercise. Expiratory flow limitation (expFL expressed in %Vt) was defined as the part of exercise tidal volume (Vt) meeting the boundary of MFVL. Breathing strategy was estimated by measuring inspiratory capacity relative to forced vital capacity and tidal volume relative to inspiratory capacity. Other breathing pattern parameters (ventilation VE, Vt, respiratory frequency f) were continuously recorded during exercise. Results: An "intensity" effect was found for during CE (p<0.001) but not during IE (p=0.08). The increase in was predominantly assumed by an increase in f for both exercise modalities. During each exercise, several children heterogeneously experienced expFL ranging between 10 - 90%Vt. For all exercises, Vt was predominantly regulated by an increase in Vt/IC with no change in IC/FVC from rest to exercise. Finally, no significant "modality" effect was found for mechanical ventilatory constraint parameters (expFL, VT/IC and IV/FVC). Discussion: We could conclude that neither of the modalities studied induced more mechanical ventilatory constraints than the other, but that exercise intensities specific to each modality might be greater sources of exacerbation for mechanical ventilatory constraints
Screening of transverse ac fields and influence of supercurrent on NMR Knight shift in high-Tc crystals

International audienceIn the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) configuration with perpendicular constant (dc) field and radiofrequency (rf) magnetic field, a strong screening supercurrent is generated by the rf field. In order to estimate this current which may influence Knight shift data, we performed a model experiment in the NMR configuration on a YBa2Cu4O8 single crystal. The differential magneto-optical imaging technique is used to determine the ac screening current distribution in the sample. We find that at T > 20 K, NMR experiments can be straightforwardly interpreted. At T < 20 K, the rf field is completely excluded. In this situation, NMR only probes the crystal edges; moreover, the Knight shift may be affected by the supercurrent flow
Indirect reciprocity, image scoring, and moral hazard

Whether one-shot interactions can stably sustain mutual cooperation if they are based on a minimal form of reputation building has been the subject of considerable debate. We show by mathematical modeling that the answer is positive if we assume an individual's social network evolves in time. In this case, a stable mixture of discriminating and undiscriminating altruists can be proof against invasion by defectors. This sheds light on current discussions about the merits of different types of moral assessment, an issue where theoretical arguments and experimental findings seem at odds.Unexpectedly, our approach also relates to the proverbial observation that people tend to become more tightfisted with age
Antimuscarinic Drug Inhibits Detrusor Overactivity Induced by Topical Application of Prostaglandin E2 to the Urethra With a Decrease in Urethral Pressure

Purpose: Antimuscarinic drugs increase bladder capacity without prominent side effects such as urinary retention even when administered to patients with mild to moderate BOO. Some mechanisms might exist in the urethra to compensate for the emptying function of the detrusor after administration of antimuscarinic drugs. We investigated the influences of an antimuscarinic drug, propiverine, on urethral function.
Materials and Methods: Urethral pressure and rhythmic bladder pressure were simultaneously monitored in urethane-anesthetized female Sprague-Dawley rats. PGE2 was continuously administered intravesically or intraurethrally to induce detrusor overactivity. Next, to eliminate the influence of bladder activity and to monitor urethral baseline pressure, isovolumetric pressure of the urethra was recorded after cystectomy and ligation of the external urethral meatus. Furthermore, the in vitro contractile responses of the urethral circular smooth muscle to field stimulation were examined in the presence of propiverine, tamsulosin, verapamil, ω-conotoxin, and atropine.
Results: The intravesical or intraurethral administration of PGE2 significantly decreased bladder contraction interval (BCI) by 10.7% and 36.0%, respectively. The intraarterial administration of 2x102 nM/kg propiverine significantly increased BCI in rats receiving intraurethral PGE2 by 81.8%, but had no marked effect on rats receiving intravesical PGE2. Significant decreases in urethral baseline pressure were found after propiverine administration. Field stimulation-induced contraction was inhibited by propiverine and verapamil, but not by tamsulosin, ω-conotoxin or atropine.
Conclusions: These results suggest that inhibitory effects of propiverine are more prominent in rats with detrusor overactivity induced by intraurethral PGE2 than those by intravesical PGE2. Propiverine may compensate for detrusor function by decreasing urethral resistance in the voiding phase
Laser-induced torques in metallic ferromagnets

We study laser-induced torques in bcc Fe, hcp Co and $L1_0$ FePt based on
first-principles electronic structure calculations and the Keldysh
nonequilibrium formalism. We find that the torques have two contributions, one
from the inverse Faraday effect (IFE) and one from the optical spin-transfer
torque (OSTT). Depending on the ferromagnet at hand and on the quasiparticle
broadening the two contributions may be of similar magnitude or one
contribution may dominate over the other. Additionally, we determine the
nonequilibrium spin polarization in order to investigate its relation to the
torque. We find the torques and the perpendicular component of the
nonequilibrium spin polarization to be odd in the helicity of the laser light,
while the spin polarization that is induced parallel to the magnetization is
helicity-independent. The parallel component of the nonequilibrium spin
polarization is orders of magnitude larger than the perpendicular component. In
the case of hcp Co we find good agreement between the calculated laser-induced
torque and a recent experiment
The long-run determination of the real exchange rate. Evidence from an intertemporal modelling framework using the dollar-pound exchange rate

This paper develops a model of optimal choice over an array of different assets, including domestic and foreign bonds, domestic and foreign equities and domestic and foreign real money balances in order to examine the determination of the real exchange rate in the long-run. The model is tested empirically using data from the UK and the USA. The results show that all the coefficients of the model are right signed and significant and consequently financial assets may play a significant role in the determination of the real exchange rate
Characterization of transient noise in Advanced LIGO relevant to gravitational wave signal GW150914

On 14 September 2015, a gravitational wave signal from a coalescing\ud
black hole binary system was observed by the Advanced LIGO detectors.\ud
This paper describes the transient noise backgrounds used to determine\ud
the significance of the event (designated GW150914) and presents the\ud
results of investigations into potential correlated or uncorrelated\ud
sources of transient noise in the detectors around the time of the\ud
event. The detectors were operating nominally at the time of GW150914.\ud
We have ruled out environmental influences and non-Gaussian instrument\ud
noise at either LIGO detector as the cause of the observed gravitational\ud
wave signal
Twist-stretch profiles of DNA chains

Helical molecules change their twist number under the effect of a mechanical
load. We study the twist-stretch relation for a set of short DNA molecules
modeled by a mesoscopic Hamiltonian. Finite temperature path integral
techniques are applied to generate a large ensemble of possible configurations
for the base pairs of the sequence. The model also accounts for the bending and
twisting fluctuations between adjacent base pairs along the molecules stack.
Simulating a broad range of twisting conformation, we compute the helix
structural parameters by averaging over the ensemble of base pairs
configurations. The method selects, for any applied force, the average twist
angle which minimizes the molecule's free energy. It is found that the chains
generally over-twist under an applied stretching and the over-twisting is
physically associated to the contraction of the average helix diameter, i.e. to
the damping of the base pair fluctuations. Instead, assuming that the maximum
amplitude of the bending fluctuations may decrease against the external load,
the DNA molecule first over-twists for weak applied forces and then untwists
above a characteristic force value. Our results are discussed in relation to
available experimental information albeit for kilo-base long molecules
Validation of a clinical-grade assay to measure donor-derived cell-free DNA in solid organ transplant recipients

[Abstract] The use of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a biomarker in transplant recipients offers advantages over invasive tissue biopsy as a quantitative measure for detection of transplant rejection and immunosuppression optimization. However, the fraction of donor-derived cfDNA (dd-cfDNA) in transplant recipient plasma is low and challenging to quantify. Previously reported methods to measure dd-cfDNA require donor and recipient genotyping, which is impractical in clinical settings and adds cost. We developed a targeted next-generation sequencing assay that uses 266 single-nucleotide polymorphisms to accurately quantify dd-cfDNA in transplant recipients without separate genotyping. Analytical performance of the assay was characterized and validated using 1117 samples comprising the National Institute for Standards and Technology Genome in a Bottle human reference genome, independently validated reference materials, and clinical samples. The assay quantifies the fraction of dd-cfDNA in both unrelated and related donor-recipient pairs. The dd-cfDNA assay can reliably measure dd-cfDNA (limit of blank, 0.10%; limit of detection, 0.16%; limit of quantification, 0.20%) across the linear quantifiable range (0.2% to 16%) with across-run CVs of 6.8%. Precision was also evaluated for independently processed clinical sample replicates and is similar to across-run precision. Application of the assay to clinical samples from heart transplant recipients demonstrated increased levels of dd-cfDNA in patients with biopsy-confirmed rejection and decreased levels of dd-cfDNA after successful rejection treatment. This noninvasive clinical-grade sequencing assay can be completed within 3 days, providing the practical turnaround time preferred for transplanted organ surveillance
A Preliminary Approach to the Automatic Extraction of Business Rules from Unrestricted Text in the Banking Industry

This paper addresses the problem of extracting formal statements, in the form of business rules, from free text descriptions of financial products or services. This automatic process is integrated in the banking software factory, permitting business analysts the formal specification, direct implementation and fast deployment of new products. This system is fully integrated with the typical software methodologies and architectures used in the banking industry for conventional development of back office or online applications
Self-consistent stability analysis of spherical shocks.

In this paper, we study self-similar solutions, and their linear stability as well, describing the flow within a spherical shell with finite thickness, expanding according to a power law of time, t q , where q>0. The shell propagates in a medium with initially uniform density and it is bounded by a strong shock wave at its outer border while the inner face is submitted to a time-dependent uniform pressure. For q=2/5, the well-known Sedov–Taylor solution is recovered. In addition, although both accelerated and decelerated shells can be unstable against dynamic perturbations, they exhibit highly different behaviors. Finally, the dispersion relation derived earlier by Vishniac (Vishniac, E.T. in Astrophys. J. 274:152, 1983) for an infinitely thin shell is obtained in the limit of an isothermal shock wave
Importance Sampling for Objetive Funtion Estimations in Neural Detector Traing Driven by Genetic Algorithms

To train Neural Networks (NNs) in a supervised way, estimations of an objective function must be carried out. The value of this function decreases as the training progresses and so, the number of test observations necessary for an accurate estimation has to be increased. Consequently, the training computational cost is unaffordable for very low objective function value estimations, and the use of Importance Sampling (IS) techniques becomes convenient. The study of three different objective functions is considered, which implies the proposal of estimators of the objective function using IS techniques: the Mean-Square error, the Cross Entropy error and the Misclassification error criteria. The values of these functions are estimated by IS techniques, and the results are used to train NNs by the application of Genetic Algorithms. Results for a binary detection in Gaussian noise are provided. These results show the evolution of the parameters during the training and the performances of the proposed detectors in terms of error probability and Receiver Operating Characteristics curves. At the end of the study, the obtained results justify the convenience of using IS in the training
The Zero-Removing Property and Lagrange-Type Interpolation Series

The classical Kramer sampling theorem, which provides a method for obtaining orthogonal sampling formulas, can be formulated in a more general nonorthogonal setting. In this setting, a challenging problem is to characterize the situations when the obtained nonorthogonal sampling formulas can be expressed as Lagrange-type interpolation series. In this article a necessary and sufficient condition is given in terms of the zero removing property. Roughly speaking, this property concerns the stability of the sampled functions on removing a finite number of their zeros