pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Calcium-dependent mitochondrial permeability transition is augmented in the kidney of Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat

Renal disease associated with diabetes mellitus is a major problem among diabetic patients. The role of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of diabetes has received a large amount of attention in the last years, but many aspects of this subject are still poorly understood. In the present study, we studied the susceptibility of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) on kidney mitochondria from the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, an animal model featuring physiological and pathological alterations characteristic of type 2 diabetes.Kidney mitochondria were isolated by differential centrifugations; mitochondrial electric transmembrane potential and calcium loading capacity were evaluated with a TPP+-selective electrode and with a calcium-sensitive fluorescent probe. Coenzyme Q9, Q10 and vitamin E were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Kidney mitochondria from the diabetic animals had an increased susceptibility to the induction of the MPT by calcium. We observed a loss of calcium-loading capacity and a higher calcium-induced mitochondrial depolarization. Vitamin E and coenzyme Q9 were also increased in kidney mitochondria from GK rats.The results show an enhanced MPT activation in kidney mitochondria from GK rats, which lead us to suggest that this condition may be one major alteration triggered by chronic diabetes in kidney cells, ultimately leading to cell dysfunction. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.42
Wave propagation in the presence of empty cracks in an elastic medium

Abstract  This paper proposes the use of a traction boundary element method (TBEM) to evaluate 3D wave propagation in unbounded elastic media containing cracks whose geometry does not change along one direction. The proposed formulation is developed in the frequency domain and handles the thin-body difficulty presented by the classical boundary element method (BEM). The empty crack may have any geometry and orientation and may even exhibit null thickness. Implementing this model yields hypersingular integrals, which are evaluated here analytically, thereby surmounting one of the drawbacks of this formulation. The TBEM formulation enables the crack to be modelled as a single line, allowing the computation of displacement jumps in the opposing sides of the crack. Furthermore, if this formulation is combined with the classical BEM formulation the displacements in the opposing sides of the crack can be computed by modelling the crack as a closed empty thin body.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00466-005-0737-
Assessment of Informativeness of Groundwater Monitoring in Developing Regions (Gaza Strip Case Study)

Groundwater resource management and planning requires appropriate and accurate data. These data, which can be collected by monitoring networks, may contain too little, enough or redundant information. This study aims to evaluate the monitoring cycle in the Gaza Strip (a developing region) using the entropy theory. The approach employed in this study involves gathering data needs for groundwater resource management and planning in the Gaza Strip) through a questionnaire (survey). The questionnaire outlined the groundwater management and planning objectives, tasks and the data which had to be collected through monitoring activities in the Gaza Strip (monitoring cycle). This article also proposes a flowchart, which is used to evaluate the relation between the objectives, the tasks, the data and the monitoring activities using the entropy theory. The evaluation affirms the informativeness of the collected data when they contain enough, too little or redundant information. From this study it can be concluded that in the Gaza Strip the institutional set-up of the water sector needs to be strengthened, and more data should be collected and the existing monitoring networks should be redesigned for the informativeness of the data.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11269-005-6107-
From Ti–Al- to Ti–Al–N-sputtered 2D materials

Abstract  This paper reviews thin films constituted by elements based on the Ti–Al–N system, bearing in mind the role of the condensed phases in the development of structural components and functional devices. In recent decades, the Ti–Al, Ti–N and Al–N nanocrystalline binary systems have rapidly attracted research and industry interest. These systems have revealed a great performance via atomic-level structural control, making it possible to tailor new atomic structures and morphologies suitable in different applications as protective and hard coatings and as thermal/diffusion barriers. The binary phases based on nitrogen were the first to exhibit a wealth of interesting mechanical and electrochemical behaviours. However, more recently the Ti-Al and, particularly, the Ti1 - x Al x N thin films have been applied with success in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to compile the master results concerning the production and characterisation of binary and ternary thin films of the Ti–Al–N system using similar deposition strategies. These materials form a good base to analyse the correlation between the chemical composition and the atomic structure, the preferred orientations and the morphology of 2D monolithic materials. The deposition strategies adopted and the thin films’ chemical compositions determine the as-deposited structures and, consequently, the mechanical behaviour of the thin films produced, particularly the hardness. In general, an intermediary amorphous stage is observed, i.e., the thin films exhibit a loss of crystallinity in the transition from a saturated solid solution to a new compound.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-007-1933-
Extensional rheology, cellular structure, mechanical behavior relationships in HMS PP/montmorillonite foams with similar densities

Producción CientíficaThe main goal of this work is to analyze the relationships
between the extensional rheological behavior of solid
nanocomposites based on high melt strength polypropylene
(HMS PP) and montmorillonites (MMT) and the cellular structure
and mechanical properties of foams produced from these
materials. For this purpose two systems have been analyzed.
The first one incorporates organomodified MMT and a
compatibilizer and the second system contains natural clays
and is produced without the compatibilizer. Results indicate
that the extensional rheological behavior of both materials is
completely different. The strain hardening of the polymer containing
organomodified clays decreases as the clay content
increases. As a consequence, the open cell content of this material
increaseswith the clay content and hence, themechanical
properties get worse. However, in the materials produced with
natural clays this relationship is not so clear. While no changes
are detected in the extensional rheological behavior by adding
these particles, the nano-filled materials show an open cell
structure, opposite to the closed cell structure of the pure polymer,
which is caused by the fact of having particle agglomerates
with a size larger than the thickness of the cell walls and a
poor compatibility between the clays and the polymer.Financial support from PIRTU contract of E. Laguna-Gutierrez by Junta of Castile and Leon (EDU/289/2011) and cofinanced by the European Social Fund is gratefully acknowledged. Cristina Saiz-Arroyo would like to acknowledge Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) via Torres Quevedo Program (PTQ-12-05504). Finally, financial assistance from MINECO and FEDER program (MAT 2012 – 34901) MINECO, FEDER, UE (MAT2015-69234-R) and the Junta de Castile and Leon (VA035U13) are gratefully acknowledged
A fast and robust patient specific Finite Element mesh registration
  technique: application to 60 clinical cases

Finite Element mesh generation remains an important issue for patient
specific biomechanical modeling. While some techniques make automatic mesh
generation possible, in most cases, manual mesh generation is preferred for
better control over the sub-domain representation, element type, layout and
refinement that it provides. Yet, this option is time consuming and not suited
for intraoperative situations where model generation and computation time is
critical. To overcome this problem we propose a fast and automatic mesh
generation technique based on the elastic registration of a generic mesh to the
specific target organ in conjunction with element regularity and quality
correction. This Mesh-Match-and-Repair (MMRep) approach combines control over
the mesh structure along with fast and robust meshing capabilities, even in
situations where only partial organ geometry is available. The technique was
successfully tested on a database of 5 pre-operatively acquired complete femora
CT scans, 5 femoral heads partially digitized at intraoperative stage, and 50
CT volumes of patients' heads. The MMRep algorithm succeeded in all 60 cases,
yielding for each patient a hex-dominant, Atlas based, Finite Element mesh with
submillimetric surface representation accuracy, directly exploitable within a
commercial FE software
Effect of microscopic disorder on magnetic properties of metamaterials

We analyze the effect of microscopic disorder on the macroscopic properties
of composite metamaterials and study how weak statistically independent
fluctuations of the parameters of structure elements can modify their
collective magnetic response and left-handed properties. We demonstrate that
even a weak microscopic disorder may lead to a substantial modification of the
metamaterial magnetic properties, and 10% deviation in the parameters of the
microscopic resonant elements may lead to a substantial suppression of wave
propagation in a wide frequency range. A noticeable suppression occurs also if
more than 10% of resonant magnetic elements possess strongly different
properties, but in this latter case the defects can create an additional weak
resonant line. These results are of the key importance for characterizing and
optimizing the novel composite metamaterials with left-handed properties at
terahertz and optical frequencies
Study of Counting Characteristics of Porous Radiation Detectors

This paper presents the development of a new technology of registration of ionizing radiation and a new type of detectors - single-cathode multiwire porous detector with neither a gaseous nor semiconductor, but a porous dielectric substance, e.g., CsI, being used as working medium. It is shown that the performance of the multiwire porous detector is stable, ensuring highly efficient detection of both heavily ionizing particles and soft X-rays with a spatial resolution better than $\pm 60\mu m$. The continuous stable performance opens up new perspectives for using porous detectors in research as well as medicine. The obtained data are basic for the development of the theory of the phenomenon of electrons' drift and multiplication in porous dielectrics under the action of a strong external electric field
Effect of the matrix behavior on the damage of ethylene–propylene glass fiber reinforced composite subjected to high strain rate tension

This study investigates the origin of the strain rate effect on the mechanical behavior of a discontinuous glass fiber reinforced ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPC) matrix composite. This kind of composite materials are commonly used for automotive functional and structural applications. To this aim, a multi-scale experimental approach is developed. The deformation processes and the damage mechanisms observed at the microscopic scale are related to the material mechanical properties at the macroscopic scale. Tensile tests up to failure and specific interrupted tensile tests have been optimized and performed for high strain rates up to 200 s 1 to quantify the strain rate effect at different scales. High speed tensile tests have also been performed on the pure copolymer matrix. The threshold and the kinetic of damage have been quantified at both microscopic and macroscopic scales. Experimental results show that the  composite behavior is strongly strain-rate dependent. The multi-scale analysis leads to the conclusion that the strain rate effect on the damage behavior of the EPC matrix composite is mainly due to the viscous behavior of the EPC matrix. SEM observations and analysis show that a localized deformation in the interface zone around fibers occurs at high strain rates and directly affects the visco-damage behavior. It is established that when the strain rate increases, the local deformation zone around the fibers behaves like a dissipation zone. Consequently, the damage initiation is delayed and the related kinetic is reduced with respect to the quasi-static loading case
Epitaxial undoped indium oxide thin films: Structural and physical properties.

Indium oxide thin ﬁlms were grown by the pulsed electron beam deposition method on c-cut sapphire substrates at 10−2 mbar oxygen pressure and temperature up to 500 1C. Such conditions lead to the formation of dense, smooth and stoichiometric In2O3 ﬁlms, with the cubic bixbyite structure. Epitaxial thin ﬁlms were obtained at substrate temperatures as low as 200 1C. Pole ﬁgure measurements indicate the existence of (111) oriented In2O3 crystallites with different in-plane symmetry, i.e. three-fold and six-fold symmetry. The origin of this effect may be related to the speciﬁcities of the growth method which can induce a large disorder in the oxygen network of In2O3, leading then to a six-fold symmetry in the (111) plane of the bixbyite structure. This temperature resistivity behaviour shows metallic conductivity at room temperature and a metal– semiconductor transition at low temperature for In2O3 ﬁlms grown at 200 1C, while the classical semiconductor behaviour was observed for the ﬁlms grown at 400 and 500 1C. A maximum mobility of 24.7 cm2/V s was measured at 200 1C, and then it falls off with improving the crystalline quality of ﬁlms. The optical transparency is high (480%) in a spectral range from 500 nm to 900 nm
3D reconstruction of ribcage geometry from biplanar radiographs using a statistical parametric model approach

Rib cage 3D reconstruction is an important prerequisite for thoracic spine modelling, particularly for studies of the deformed thorax in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This study proposes a new method for rib cage 3D reconstruction from biplanar radiographs, using a statistical parametric model approach.
Simplified parametric models were defined at the hierarchical levels of rib cage surface, rib midline and rib surface, and applied on a database of 86 trunks. The resulting parameter database served to statistical models learning which were used to quickly provide a first estimate of the reconstruction from identifications on both radiographs. This solution was then refined by manual adjustments in order to improve the matching between model and image. Accuracy was assessed by comparison with 29 rib cages from CT scans in terms of geometrical parameter differences and in terms of line-to-line error distance between the rib midlines. Intra and inter-observer reproducibility were determined regarding 20 scoliotic patients.
The first estimate (mean reconstruction time of 2’30) was sufficient to extract the main rib cage global parameters with a 95% confidence interval lower than 7%, 8%, 2% and 4° for rib cage volume, antero-posterior and lateral maximal diameters and maximal rib hump, respectively. The mean error distance was 5.4 mm (max 35mm) down to 3.6 mm (max 24 mm) after the manual adjustment step (+3’30).
The proposed method will improve developments of rib cage finite element modeling and evaluation of clinical outcomes.This work was funded by Paris Tech BiomecAM chair on subject specific muscular skeletal modeling, and we express our acknowledgments to the chair founders: Cotrel foundation, Société générale, Protéor Company and COVEA consortium. We extend your acknowledgements to Alina Badina for medical imaging data, Alexandre Journé for his advices, and Thomas Joubert for his technical support
Stable  superhydrophobic coatings Using PVDF/MWCNT nanocomposite

Thermally stable superhydrophobic coatings have been prepared using Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by spray coating method. The effects of MWCNT (0 – 66 wt%) and temperature (300 to 623 K) on wettability have been studied. A transformation from hydrophobic to superhydrophoic state was achieved with increase of CNT content. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies reveal that with increase in CNT content, -phase of PVDF decreases suggesting that MWCNT has strong effect on the phase separation of PVDF. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) studies show that the coatings have rough surface with porous structure. With increase in CNT content the protrusion like structures decreased reaching micro/nano scales. The coatings were thermally stable upto 573 K exhibiting superhydrophobicity and thereafter  transformed to superhydrophilic state at 623 K. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) analysis show   the absence of fluorine after annealing at 623 K suggesting decomposition of PVDF. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of C1s and F1s core levels in as-deposited PVDFMWCNT coating show the presence of CF2 related species. Concentration of fluorine drastically decreases after heat treatment of the coating at 350 C. The main advantage of the present method is feasibility for application over large area and the coatings are stable upto 573 K
A comparison of the strength of biodiversity effects across multiple functions

In order to predict which ecosystem functions are most at risk from biodiversity loss, meta-analyses have generalised results from biodiversity experiments over different sites and ecosystem types. In contrast, comparing the strength of biodiversity effects across a large number of ecosystem processes measured in a single experiment permits more direct comparisons. Here, we present an analysis of 418 separate measures of 38 ecosystem processes. Overall, 45 % of processes were significantly affected by plant species richness, suggesting that, while diversity affects a large number of processes not all respond to biodiversity. We therefore compared the strength of plant diversity effects between different categories of ecosystem processes, grouping processes according to the year of measurement, their biogeochemical cycle, trophic level and compartment (above- or belowground) and according to whether they were measures of biodiversity or other ecosystem processes, biotic or abiotic and static or dynamic. Overall, and for several individual processes, we found that biodiversity effects became stronger over time. Measures of the carbon cycle were also affected more strongly by plant species richness than were the measures associated with the nitrogen cycle. Further, we found greater plant species richness effects on measures of biodiversity than on other processes. The differential effects of plant diversity on the various types of ecosystem processes indicate that future research and political effort should shift from a general debate about whether biodiversity loss impairs ecosystem functions to focussing on the specific functions of interest and ways to preserve them individually or in combination
Facade typologies as a tool for selecting refurbishment measures for the Spanish residential building stock

Today, the building sector alone accounts for 40% of the total energy consumption in the European Union (EU). In most EU member states, about 70–90% of the buildings were constructed at least 20 years ago. Due to this, these buildings have a worse energy efficiency behavior than the new ones that comply with current regulations. As a consequence, acting on the existing building stock is needed, developing special methods on assessment and advice in order to reduce the total energy consumption. This article addresses a procedure allowing the classification and characterization of existing buildings facades. It can help researchers to achieve in-depth knowledge of the facades construction and therefore knowing their thermal behavior. Once knowing that, the most appropriate upgrading strategies can be established with the purpose of reducing the energy demand. Furthermore, the classified facade typologies have been verified, complying with current and future Spanish regulations and according to the results obtained, a series of upgrading strategies based on the opaque part and those in the translucent part, have been proposed. As a conclusion, this procedure helps us to select the most appropriate improvement measures for each type of facade in order to comply with current and future Spanish regulations. This proposed method has been tested in a specific neighborhood of Madrid, in a selected period of time, between 1950 and 1980, but it could be applicable to any other city
Reduced carbon and energy footprint in highway operations: the Highway Energy Assessment (HERA) methodology

Global demand for mobility is increasing and the environmental impact of transport has become an important issue in transportation network planning and decision-making, as well as in the operational management phase. Suitable methods are required to assess emissions and fuel consumption reduction strategies that seek to improve energy efficiency and furthering decarbonization. This study describes the development and application of an improved modeling framework – the HERA (Highway EneRgy Assessment) methodology – that enables to assess the energy and carbon footprint of different highways and traffic flow scenarios and their comparison. HERA incorporates an average speed consumption model adjusted with a correction factor which takes into account the road gradient. It provides a more comprehensive method for estimating the footprint of particular highway segments under specific traffic conditions. It includes the application of the methodology to the Spanish highway network to validate it. Finally, a case study shows the benefits from using this methodology and how to integrate the objective of carbon footprint reductions into highway design, operation and scenario comparison
PV power forecast using a nonparametric PV model

Forecasting the AC power output of a PV plant accurately is important both for plant owners and electric system operators. Two main categories of PV modeling are available: the parametric and the nonparametric. In this paper, a methodology using a nonparametric PV model is proposed, using as inputs several forecasts of meteorological variables from a Numerical Weather Forecast model, and actual AC power measurements of PV plants. The methodology was built upon the R environment and uses Quantile Regression Forests as machine learning tool to forecast AC power with a confidence interval. Real data from five PV plants was used to validate the methodology, and results show that daily production is predicted with an absolute cvMBE lower than 1.3%
Disjoining pressure and the film-height-dependent surface tension of thin liquid films: New insight from capillary wave fluctuations

In this paper we review simulation and experimental studies of thermal capillary wave fluctuations as an ideal means for probing the underlying disjoining pressure and surface tensions, and more generally, fine details of the Interfacial Hamiltonian Model. We discuss recent simulation results that reveal a film-height-dependent surface tension not accounted for in the classical Interfacial Hamiltonian Model. We show how this observation may be explained bottom-up from sound principles of statistical thermodynamics and discuss some of its implication