pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Modified Gutenberg-Richter coefficient for damage evaluation in reinforced concrete structures subjected to seismic simulations on a shaking table

This paper presents analysis and discussion of the b- and ib-values calculated from the acoustic emission (AE) signals recorded during dynamic shake-table tests conducted on a reinforced concrete (RC) frame subjected to several uniaxial seismic simulations of increasing intensity until collapse. The intensity of shaking was controlled by the peak acceleration applied to the shake-table in each seismic simulation, and it ranged from 0.08 to 0.47 times the acceleration of gravity. The numerous spurious signals not related to concrete damage that inevitably contaminate AE measurements obtained from complex dynamic shake-table tests were properly filtered with an RMS filter and the use of guard sensors. Comparing the b- and ib-values calculated through the tests with the actual level of macro-cracking and damage observed during testing, it was concluded that the limit value of 0.05 proposed in previous research to determine the onset of macro-cracks should be revised in the case of earthquake-type dynamic loading. Finally, the b- and ibvalues were compared with the damage endured by the RC frame evaluated both visually and quantitatively in terms of the inter-story drift index
Post-CMOS compatible high-throughput fabrication of AIN-based piezoelectric microcantilevers

A post-complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible microfabrication process of piezoelectric cantilevers has been developed. The fabrication process is suitable for standard silicon technology and provides low-cost and high-throughput manufacturing. This work reports design, fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric cantilevers based on aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films synthesized at room temperature. The proposed microcantilever system is a sandwich structure composed of chromium (Cr) electrodes and a sputtered AlN film. The key issue for cantilever fabrication is the growth at room temperature of the AlN layer by reactive sputtering, making possible the innovative compatibility of piezoelectric MEMS devices with CMOS circuits already processed. AlN and Cr have been etched by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching using a BCl3–Cl2–Ar plasma chemistry. As part of the novelty of the post-CMOS micromachining process presented here, a silicon Si (1 0 0) wafer has been used as substrate as well as the sacrificial layer used to release the microcantilevers. In order to achieve this, the Si surface underneath the structure has been wet etched using an HNA (hydrofluoric acid + nitric acid + acetic acid) based solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization indicated the high crystalline quality of the AlN film. An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to determine the Cr electrode surface roughness. The morphology of the fabricated devices has been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The cantilevers have been piezoelectrically actuated and their out-of-plane vibration modes were detected by vibrometry
Pre-investigation of water electrolysis for flexible energy storage at large scales: the case of the Spanish power system

This report analyzes the basis of hydrogen and power integration strategies, by using water electrolysis processes as a means of flexible energy storage at large scales. It is a prospective study, where the scope is to describe the characteristics of current power systems (like the generation technologies, load curves and grid constraints), and define future scenarios of hydrogen for balancing the electrical grids, considering the efficiency, economy and easiness of operations. We focus in the "Spanish case", which is a good example for planning the transition from a power system holding large reserve capacities, high penetration of renewable energies and limited interconnections, to a more sustainable energy system being capable to optimize the volumes, the regulation modes, the utilization ratios and the impacts of the installations. Thus, we explore a novel aspect of the "hydrogen economy" which is based in the potentials of existing power systems and the properties of hydrogen as energy carrier, by considering the electricity generation and demand globally and determining the optimal size and operation of the hydrogen production processes along the country; e.g. the cost production of hydrogen becomes viable for a base-load scenario with 58 TWh/year of power surplus at 0.025 V/kWh, and large number electrolyzer plants (50 MW) running in variable mode (1-12 kA/m2
Influence of natural ventilation due to buoyancy and heat transfer in the energy efficiency of a double skin facade building

In recent years, the interest in double skin facades has increased because of aesthetic reasons and for its use as passive system to save energy. Some authors have investigated their behavior related to thermal performance and energy efficiency compared to single skin facades but only considering the air cavity. The aim of this work is to identify a more efficient double glazed facade configuration that improves energy efficiency and indoor comfort conditions in buildings studying natural ventilation due to buoyancy-driven flow and heat transfer including solar radiation compared to a single skin facade. A simplified model was simulated using a computational fluid dynamics software to investigate the effects due to different cavity widths in winter and summer conditions with opened and closed vents and considering solar radiation or not. The main results obtained were that in winter closed vents is always efficient and ventilating is never beneficial. In summer closed vents is efficient in the absence of solar radiation and in its presence opened vents is favorable. Results showed the optimum air cavity width, and it was concluded that these double skin facades reduce the heating and cooling demands of a building, being more efficient compared to single skin facades
SPIRAL2 at GANIL: A world leading ISOL facility at the dawn of the next decade

International audienceTo pursue the investigation of a new territory of nuclei with extreme N/Z, called "terra incognita", several projects, all aiming at the increase by several orders of magnitude of RIB intensities are now under discussion worldwide. In Europe, two major new projects have been approved recently: FAIR@GSI, using the so-called "in-flight" method, and SPIRAL2@GANIL, based on the ISOL method. The main goal of SPIRAL2 is clearly to extend our knowledge of the limit of existence and the structure of nuclei deeply in the medium and heavy mass region (A=60-140), which is today an almost unexplored continent. SPIRAL2 is based on a high power, CW, superconducting driver LINAC, delivering 5 mA of deuteron beams at 40 MeV (200 kW) directed on a C converter+ Uranium target and producing therefore more than 1013 fissions/s. The expected radioactive beam intensities for exotic species in the mass range from A=60 to A=140, of the order of 106-1010 pps will surpass by two order of magnitude any existing facility in the world. These unstable atoms will be available at energies between a few keV/n to 15 MeV/n. The same driver will accelerate high intensity (100 μA to 1 mA), heavier ions up to Ar at 14 MeV/n producing also proton rich exotic nuclei. In applied areas SPIRAL2 is considered as a powerful variable energy neutron source, a must for studying the impact of nuclear fission and fusion on materials. The intensities of these unstable species are excellent opportunities for new tracers and diagnostics either for solid state, material or for radiobiological science and medicine. The technical design has reached the point where SPIRAL2 is ready for construction. Project status and foreseen schedules will be presented. Scientific and technical R&D programs in collaboration with EU and International partners for the facility as well as for the associated innovative new instruments will be discussed
Important pickup coupling effect on $^{8}He(p,p)$ elastic scattering

NESTERThe $^{8}He(p,p)$ and (p,d) reactions were measured in inverse kinematics at 15.7 A MeV and analyzed within the coupled reaction channels framework, the (p,d) cross section being particularly large. We find that $^{8}He(p,d)$ coupling to pickup has a profound effect on the $^{8}He(p,p)$ elastic scattering, and that these strong coupling effects should be included in analyses of proton elastic and inelastic scattering. Through its modification of the elastic scattering wave functions this coupling will strongly affect the extraction of spectroscopic information such as the relationship between neutron and proton nuclear deformations, with important consequences for our understanding of the structure of exotic nuclei
Three-dimensional surface scanners compared with standard anthropometric measurements for head shape

Three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging devices designed to capture and quantify craniofacial surface morphology are becoming more common in clinical environments. Such scanners overcome the limitations of two-dimensional photographs while avoiding the ionizing radiation of computed tomography. The purpose of this study was to compare standard anthropometric cranial measurements with measurements taken from images acquired with 3D surface scanners.Two 3D scanners of different cost were used to acquire head shape data from thirteen adult volunteers: M4D scan and Structure Sensor. Head circumference and cephalic index were measured directly on the patients as well as on 3D scans acquired with the two scanners. To compare head volume measurements with a gold standard, magnetic resonance imaging scans were used. Repeatability and accuracy of both devices were evaluated.Intra-rater repeatability for both scanners was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients > 0.99, p < 0.001). Direct and digital measures of head circumference, cephalic index and head volume were strongly correlated (0.85 < . r < 0.91, p < 0.001). Compared to direct measurements, accuracy was highest for M4D scan.Both 3D scanners provide reproducible data of head circumference, cephalic index and head volume and show a strong correlation with traditional measurements. However, care must be taken when using absolute values
Uniform semiglobal exponential stability of integral line-of-sight guidance laws

This paper proves that an integral line-of-sight guidance law for path following control of underactuated marine vessels provides uniform semiglobal exponential stability. The stability result is stronger than what has been proved in previous literature, with stronger convergence properties and more robustness. The analysis is based on the 3-dimensional maneuvering control model of marine vessels, which describes both surface vessels and underwater vehicles moving in a horizontal plane. Both the kinematics and dynamics of the system is taken into account, as well as disturbances from constant and irrotational ocean currents. Simulation results are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.Open Acces
Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs) are a useful tool to investigate the effects of inbreeding in wild populations, but are not informative in distinguishing between direct and indirect effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) in a free-ranging population (which suffered a severe bottleneck at the end of the eighteenth century) and used confirmatory path analysis to disentangle the causal relationships between heterozygosity and fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in 149 male individuals born between 1985 and 2009. We found that standardized multi-locus heterozygosity (MLH), calculated from 37 microsatellite loci, was related to body mass and horn growth, which are known to be important fitness-related traits, and to faecal egg counts (FECs) of nematode eggs, a proxy of parasite resistance. Then, using confirmatory path analysis, we were able to show that the effect of MLH on horn growth was not direct but mediated by body mass and FEC. HFCs do not necessarily imply direct genetic effects on fitness-related traits, which instead can be mediated by other traits in complex and unexpected ways
Differential effects of lobe A and lobe B of the conserved oligomeric golgi complex on the stability of β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 and α2,6-sialyltransferase 1

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)Initially described by Jaeken et al. in 1980, congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) is a rapidly expanding group of human multisystemic disorders. To date, many CDG patients have been identified with deficiencies in the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex which is a complex involved in the vesicular intra-Golgi retrograde trafficking. Composed of eight subunits that are organized in two lobes, COG subunit deficiencies have been associated with Golgi glycosylation abnormalities. Analysis of the total serum N-glycans of COG-deficient CDG patients demonstrated an overall decrease in terminal sialylation and galactosylation. According to the mutated COG subunits, differences in late Golgi glycosylation were observed and led us to address the question of an independent role and requirement for each of the two lobes of the COG complex in the stability and localization of late terminal Golgi glycosylation enzymes. For this, we used a small-interfering RNAs strategy in HeLa cells stably expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (B4GALT1) and α2,6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6GAL1), two major Golgi glycosyltransferases involved in late Golgi N-glycosylation. Using fluorescent lectins and flow cytometry analysis, we clearly demonstrated that depletion of both lobes was associated with deficiencies in terminal Golgi N-glycosylation. Lobe A depletion resulted in dramatic changes in the Golgi structure, whereas lobe B depletion severely altered the stability of B4GALT1 and ST6GAL1. Only MG132 was able to rescue their steady-state levels, suggesting that B4GALT1- and ST6GAL1-induced degradation are likely the consequence of an accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), followed by a retrotranslocation into the cytosol and proteasomal degradation. All together, our results suggest differential effects of lobe A and lobe B for the localization/stability of B4GALT1 and ST6GAL1. Lobe B would be crucial in preventing these two Golgi glycosyltransferases from inappropriate retrograde trafficking to the ER, whereas lobe A appears to be essential for maintaining the overall Golgi structure
Integration of Timetable Planning and Rolling Stock in Rapid Transit Networks

The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated planning model to adequate the offered capacity and system frequencies to attend the increased passenger demand and traffic congestion around urban and suburban areas. The railway capacity is studied in line planning, however, these planned frequencies were obtained without accounting for rolling stock flows through the rapid transit network.\ud
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In order to provide the problem more freedom to decide rolling stock flows and therefore better adjusting these flows to passenger demand, a new integrated model is proposed, where frequencies are readjusted. Then, the railway timetable and rolling stock assignment are also calculated, where shunting operations are taken into account. These operations may sometimes malfunction, causing localized incidents that could propagate throughout the entire network due to cascading effects. This type of operations will be penalized with the goal of selectively avoiding them and ameliorating their high malfunction probabilities. Swapping operations will also be ensured using homogeneous rolling stock material and ensuring parkings in strategic stations.\ud
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We illustrate our model using computational experiments drawn from RENFE (the main Spanish operator of suburban passenger trains) in Madrid, Spain. The results show that through this integrated approach a greater robustness degree can be obtaine
A substitution effect between price clustering and size clustering in credit default swaps

In a perfectly liquid market, investors’ optimal allocation decisions refer to maximizing all three dimensions of liquidity, namely immediacy, width and depth. To the extent that investors fail to accommodate size (depth) along with price (width) in their optimal allocation decisions, their overall costs may increase. This paper focuses on the substitution of width and depth by investigating the simultaneous determination of price clustering and size clustering in the credit default swap (CDS) market. We report strong evidence that when traders round prices they tend to quote more refined sizes, and vice versa. The findings highlight a clear trade-off between price clustering and notional amount in the CDS market, and contribute to the emerging literature on size clustering
l -Glutamate biosensor for estimation of the taste of tomato specimens

Abstract  An amperometric biosensor has been developed for measurement of Umami, or the taste based on the amount of l-glutamate, in tomato foods. The biosensor is based on an enzyme-mediator system in which l-glutamate oxidase is used for biochemical oxidation of l-glutamate and a tetrafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) paste, prepared from the mixture of TTF-TCNQ salt, graphite powder, and silicone oil, serves as the mediator. The limit of detection, calculated by use of a four-parameter logistic model, was 0.05 mmol L-1, and the limit of quantification was 0.15 mmol L-1. The correlation coefficient (R 2) was 0.990 and the relative standard deviation was no more than 1% (n=5). The response time (t 95) was 20–50 s, depending on concentration. The repeatability of the sensor was better than 5% (n=10). The sensor developed was stable for more than ten days.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-0656-
A Scatter Search Method for the Bi-Criteria Multi-dimensional 0,1-Knapsack Problem using Surrogate Relaxation

This paper presents a scatter search (SS) based method for the bi-criteria multi-dimensional knapsack problem. The method is organized according to the usual structure of SS: (1) diversification, (2) improvement, (3) reference set update, (4) subset generation, and (5) solution combination. Surrogate relaxation is used to convert the multi-constraint problem into a single constraint one, which is used in the diversification method and to evaluate the quality of the solutions. The definition of the appropriate surrogate multiplier vector is also discussed. Tests on several sets of large size instances show that the results are of high quality and an accurate description of the entire set of the non-dominated solutions can be obtained within reasonable computational time. Comparisons with other meta-heuristics are also presented. In the tested instances the obtained set of potentially non-dominated solutions dominates the set found with those meta-heuristics.http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:JMMA.0000038617.09620.0
Dark resonances as a probe for the motional state of a single ion

Single, rf-trapped ions find various applications ranging from metrology to
quantum computation. High-resolution interrogation of an extremely weak
transition under best observation conditions requires an ion almost at rest. To
avoid line-broadening effects such as the second order Doppler effect or rf
heating in the absence of laser cooling, excess micromotion has to be
eliminated as far as possible. In this work the motional state of a confined
three-level ion is probed, taking advantage of the high sensitivity of observed
dark resonances to the trapped ion's velocity. Excess micromotion is controlled
by monitoring the dark resonance contrast with varying laser beam geometry. The
influence of different parameters such as the cooling laser intensity has been
investigated experimentally and numerically
The contribution of grain boundary barriers to the electrical conductivity of titanium oxide thin films

Titanium oxide thin films were prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. The reactive gas pulsing process was implemented to control the oxygen injection in the deposition process and,consequently, to tune the oxygen concentration in the films from pure titanium to stoichiometric TiO2, maintaining a homogeneous in-depth concentration. The electrical conductivity of the films was investigated as a function of the oxygen injection time, the metalloid concentration and temperature, in the range 90–600 K. The curved Arrhenius plots of the conductivity were examined taking into account the grain boundary limited transport model of Werner  J. H. Werner  Solid State Phenom. 37–38, 213  1994   . The grain barrier heights were found to depend significantly on the oxygen supplied into the deposition process and thus, on the oxygen-to-titanium atomic ratio in the films. The analysis as a function of temperature showed that the conduction mechanism in the coatings was not solely limited by the oxygen-to-titanium atomic ratio, but also by the grain boundary scattering
On the complexity of the chip-firing reachability problem

In this paper, we study the complexity of the chip-firing reachability
problem. We show that for Eulerian digraphs, the reachability problem can be
decided in strongly polynomial time, even if the digraph has multiple edges. We
also show a special case when the reachability problem can be decided in
polynomial time for general digraphs: if the target distribution is recurrent
restricted to each strongly connected component. As a further positive result,
we show that the chip-firing reachability problem is in co-NP for general
digraphs. We also show that the chip-firing halting problem is in co-NP for
Eulerian digraphs
Analysis of a rate-adaptive reconciliation protocol and the effect of leakage on the secret key rate

Quantum key distribution performs the trick of growing a secret key in two distant places connected by a quantum channel. The main reason is so that the legitimate users can bound the information gathered by the eavesdropper. In practical systems, whether because of finite resources or external conditions, the quantum channel is subject to fluctuations. A rate-adaptive information reconciliation protocol, which adapts to the changes in the communication channel, is then required to minimize the leakage of information in the classical postprocessing. We consider here the leakage of a rate-adaptive information reconciliation protocol. The length of the exchanged messages is larger than that of an optimal protocol; however, we prove that the min-entropy reduction is limited. The simulation results, both in the asymptotic and in the finite-length regime, show that this protocol allows to increase the amount of a distillable secret key
Quantum reflection of photons off spatio-temporal electromagnetic field inhomogeneities

We reconsider the recently proposed nonlinear quantum electrodynamics effect of quantum reflection of photons off an inhomogeneous strong-field region. We present new results for strong fields varying both in space and time. While such configurations can give rise to new effects such as frequency mixing, estimated reflection rates based on previous one-dimensional studies are corroborated. On a conceptual level, we critically re-examine the validity regime of the conventional locally-constant-field approximation and identify kinematic configurations which can be treated reliably. Our results further underline the discovery potential of quantum reflection as a new signature of the nonlinearity of the quantum vacuum