Reinforced Concrete Building with IED Detonation: Test and Simulation

There is growing concern about the possibility of a suicide bomber being immolated when the army forces or the law enforcement agencies discover the place where they prepare their material or simply find themselves inside a building. To study the possible effects that these improvised explosive devices (IEDs) would have on the structures, eight tests were carried out with various configurations of IEDs with vest bombs inside a reinforced concrete (including walls and roof) building constructed ad hoc for these tests. These vests were made with different explosives (black powder, ANFO, AN/AL, PG2). For the characterization of these tests, a high-speed camera and pressure and acceleration sensors were used. The structure behaved surprisingly well, as it withstood all the first seven detonations without apparent structural damage. In the last detonation, located on the ground and with a significant explosive charge, the structural integrity of the roof and some of the walls was compromised. The simulation of the building was carried out with the LS-DYNA software with a Lagrangian formulation for the walls, using the LBE (based on CONWEP) module for the application of the charge. Despite the difficulty of this simulation, the results obtained, in terms of applied pressures and measured accelerations, are acceptable with differences of about 20%

Magnetoresistance in Sn-Doped In2O3Nanowires

In this work, we present transport measurements of individual Sn-doped In2O3nanowires as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The results showed a localized character of the resistivity at low temperatures as evidenced by the presence of a negative temperature coefficient resistance in temperatures lower than 77 K. The weak localization was pointed as the mechanism responsible by the negative temperature coefficient of the resistance at low temperatures

Weak localization and electron-electron interactions in Indium-doped ZnO nanowires

Single crystal ZnO nanowires doped with indium are synthesized via the laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition method. The conductivity of the nanowires is measured at low temperatures in magnetic fields both perpendicular and parallel to the wire axes. A quantitative fit of our data is obtained, consistent with the theory of a quasi-one-dimensional metallic system with quantum corrections due to weak localization and electron-electron interactions. The anisotropy of the magneto-conductivity agrees with theory. The two quantum corrections are of approximately equal magnitude with respective temperature dependences of T^-1/3 and T^-1/2. The alternative model of quasi-two-dimensional surface conductivity is excluded by the absence of oscillations in the magneto-conductivity in parallel magnetic fields.Comment: 13 pages, Corrected forma

Direct preparation of standard functional interfaces in oxide heterostructures for 2DEG analysis through beam-induced platinum contacts

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in SrTiO3/LaAlO3 heterostructures has been extensively studied in the last few years; however, little attention has been given to a practical way to contact electrically the low dimensional gas at the interface. This work demonstrates a method to contact the 2DEG formed at the oxide interfaces connected by platinum electrodes which were made by the decomposition of organometallic gas using focused ion beams. On the surface, the electrodes were defined through photolithography, and at the interface, the electrodes were deposited through the focused ion beams and electrons, which were then evaluated. The quality of the interface electrodes was evaluated at two different partial oxygen pressures (pO2) used for the film deposition: low (10−4 mbar) and high (10−1 mbar). The electrode deposition conditions using electrons or ions have resulted in different rates of metal deposition and interaction with the interface leading to either metallic (2DEG) or insulating behavior

Ge/Si Quantum Dots Superlattices Grown at Different Temperatures and Characterized by Raman Spectroscopy and Capacitance Measurements

Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge self-assembled quantum dots (SAQDs) grown at various temperatures by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated using resonant Raman spectroscopy and capacitance measurements. The occurrence of quantum confinement effects was confirmed by both techniques. For the structures grown at low temperatures (300 − 400 • C), the SAQDs optical phonon wavenumbers decrease as the Raman excitation energy is increased; this is an evidence of the scattering sensitivity to the size of the SAQDs and to the inhomogeneity in their sizes. However, the opposite behavior is observed for the SAQDs grown at higher temperatures, as a consequence of the competition between the phonon localization and internal mechanical stress effects. The E 1 electronic transition of the Ge in the SAQDs was found to be shifted towards higher energies as compared to bulk Ge, due to biaxial compressive stress and to the electronic confinement effect present in the structures. The intermixing of Si atoms in the quantum dots was found to be much more significant for the sample grown at higher temperatures. The capacitance measurements, besides confirming the existence of the dots in these structures, showed that the deepest Ge layers lose their 0D signature as the growth temperature increases

Investigation in SrTi'O IND.3'-CaTi'O IND.3'-PbTi'O IND.3' ternary thin films by dielectric proprieties and Raman spectroscopy

Dielectric and Raman scattering experiments were performed on polycrystalline Pb1−x−yCaxSryTiO3 thin films as a function of temperature. Temperature-dependent dielectric measurements revealed a decreasing ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature and peak dielectric permittivity showed a broad phase transition near room temperature with increasing levels of CaO12 and SrO12 clusters. Therefore, for higher levels of substitution, the possible random position of the CaO12 and SrO12 clusters leads to a diffuse state. At 100 kHz, the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperatures were 633, 495 and 206 K for PCST90 (Pb0.90Ca0.05Sr0.05TiO3), PCST70 (Pb0.70Ca0.15Sr0.15TiO3) and PCST30 (Pb0.30Ca0.35Sr0.35TiO3) thin films, respectively. The evolution of the Raman spectra was also studied as a function of temperature. The temperature dependence of the E(1TO) soft mode frequencies was used to characterize the phase transition. Raman peaks were observed above the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature, although all optical modes should be inactive in Raman scattering. The origin of these modes was interpreted as a breakdown of the local cubic symmetry by the random distribution of CaO12 and SrO12 clusters.CNPqCAPESFAPESP/CEPID (06/53926-4)FAPESP/CEPID (08/53515-7)FAPESP/CEPID (06/51640-6

Integrated olfactory receptor and microarray gene expression databases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gene expression patterns of olfactory receptors (ORs) are an important component of the signal encoding mechanism in the olfactory system since they determine the interactions between odorant ligands and sensory neurons. We have developed the Olfactory Receptor Microarray Database (ORMD) to house OR gene expression data. ORMD is integrated with the Olfactory Receptor Database (ORDB), which is a key repository of OR gene information. Both databases aim to aid experimental research related to olfaction.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>ORMD is a Web-accessible database that provides a secure data repository for OR microarray experiments. It contains both publicly available and private data; accessing the latter requires authenticated login. The ORMD is designed to allow users to not only deposit gene expression data but also manage their projects/experiments. For example, contributors can choose whether to make their datasets public. For each experiment, users can download the raw data files and view and export the gene expression data. For each OR gene being probed in a microarray experiment, a hyperlink to that gene in ORDB provides access to genomic and proteomic information related to the corresponding olfactory receptor. Individual ORs archived in ORDB are also linked to ORMD, allowing users access to the related microarray gene expression data.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ORMD serves as a data repository and project management system. It facilitates the study of microarray experiments of gene expression in the olfactory system. In conjunction with ORDB, ORMD integrates gene expression data with the genomic and functional data of ORs, and is thus a useful resource for both olfactory researchers and the public.</p

Caracterização molecular do Cão Barbado da Terceira

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Zootécnica.Neste trabalho analisaram-se 257 animais da raça Cão Barbado da Terceira sendo caracterizados geneticamente, por doze microssatélites identificando-se um total de 79 alelos. A variabilidade genética foi estimada através das frequências alélicas, diversidade genética, heterozigocidade esperada e observada, probabilidade de identidade e verificação do equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg. Analisou-se as distâncias genéticas entre grupos pré-definidos consoante o ano de nascimento. Realizaram-se testes de paternidade comparando com os dados cedidos pelos criadores dos animais em questão, com bons resultados confirmando-se a compatibilidade com os progenitores na maioria dos casos. A população continua a manter variabilidade genética suficiente para não sofrer um processo de inbreeding, contudo deve ser dada atenção aos reprodutores a serem utilizados no futuro de forma a se conseguir uma maior heterozigocidade na raça para que haja uma evolução positiva da mesma. Desta forma os objectivos deste trabalho foram conseguidos, sendo este tipo de marcadores moleculares suficientemente informativos para esta caracterização.ABSTRACT: In this study 257 animals from the Cão Barbado da Terceira breed were analyzed, which were genetically characterized with twelve microsatellites, with a total of 79 alleles identified. The genetic variability was estimated through the allelic frequencies, genetic diversity, expected and observed heterozygosity, identity probability and verification of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There was also the analysis of the genetic distances between groups predefined according to the year of birth, as well as paternity tests by the comparison with the data provided by the breeders. Good results were obtained and the compatibility with the parents was confirmed in most cases. The population still maintains enough genetic variability in order not to undergo inbreeding however one should pay attention to the breeders to be used in the future, in a way to obtain a higher heterozygosity so there is a positive evolution of the breed. Therefore the aims of this study were achieved, and this type of molecular markers was sufficiently informative for this characterization