Axial and Torsional Free Vibrations of Elastic Nano-Beams by Stress-Driven Two-Phase Elasticity

Size-dependent longitudinal and torsional vibrations of nano-beams are examined by two-phase mixture integral elasticity. A new and efficient elastodynamic model is conceived by convexly combining the local phase with strain- and stress-driven purely nonlocal phases. The proposed stress-driven nonlocal integral mixture leads to well-posed structural problems for any value of the scale parameter. Effectiveness of stress-driven mixture is illustrated by analyzing axial and torsional free vibrations of cantilever and doubly clamped nano-beams. The local/nonlocal integral mixture is conveniently replaced with an equivalent differential law equipped with higher-order constitutive boundary conditions. Exact solutions of fundamental natural frequencies associated with strain- and stress-driven mixtures are evaluated and compared with counterpart results obtained by strain gradient elasticity theory. The provided new numerical benchmarks can be effectively employed for modelling and design of Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (NEMS)

Impact of Single Hemodialysis Treatment on immune Cell Subpopulations

: Hemodialysis (HD) is known to trigger a chronic inflammatory status, affecting the innate and acquired immune response. This study was aimed at a comparative analysis of immune cell subsets, proliferation, and apoptosis in subjects receiving chronic HD treatment with respect to a healthy control. Regardless of the dialysis filter used, we observed a reshaping of the acquired immune component both with respect to healthy patients and between the various sessions of dialysis treatment, with an impairment of CD3 cells, along with an increase in CD4 and CD8 cell populations producing pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-17 and IFN-gamma. The population of B cells, monocytes and NK cells were not impaired by the dialysis procedure. These results confirmed the high impact of the HD treatment on the patient's immune system, underlying the imbalance of T cell counterparts

Report on SHAFE policies, strategies and funding

The objective of Working Group (WG) 4 of the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly is to examine existing policies, advocacy, and funding opportunities and to build up relations with policy makers and funding organisations. Also, to synthesize and improve existing knowledge and models to develop from effective business and evaluation models, as well as to guarantee quality and education, proper dissemination and ensure the future of the Action. The Working Group further aims to enable capacity building to improve interdisciplinary participation, to promote knowledge exchange and to foster a cross-European interdisciplinary research capacity, to improve cooperation and co-creation with cross-sectors stakeholders and to introduce and educate students SHAFE implementation and sustainability (CB01, CB03, CB04, CB05). To enable the achievement of the objectives of Working Group 4, the Leader of the Working Group, the Chair and Vice-Chair, in close cooperation with the Science Communication Coordinator, developed a template (see annex 1) to map the current state of SHAFE policies, funding opportunities and networking in the COST member countries of the Action. On invitation, the Working Group lead received contributions from 37 countries, in a total of 85 Action members. The contributions provide an overview of the diversity of SHAFE policies and opportunities in Europe and beyond. These were not edited or revised and are a result of the main areas of expertise and knowledge of the contributors; thus, gaps in areas or content are possible and these shall be further explored in the following works and reports of this WG. But this preliminary mapping is of huge importance to proceed with the WG activities. In the following chapters, an introduction on the need of SHAFE policies is presented, followed by a summary of the main approaches to be pursued for the next period of work. The deliverable finishes with the opportunities of capacity building, networking and funding that will be relevant to undertake within the frame of Working Group 4 and the total COST Action. The total of country contributions is presented in the annex of this deliverable

Report on Shafe Policies, Strategies and Funding

The objective of Working Group 4 of the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly is to examine existing policies, advocacy, and funding opportunities and to build up relations with policy makers and funding organisations. Also, to synthesize and improve existing knowledge and models to develop from effective business and evaluation models, as well as to guarantee quality and education, proper dissemination and ensure the future of the Action. The Working Group further aims to enable capacity building to improve interdisciplinary participation, to promote knowledge exchange and to foster a cross-European interdisciplinary research capacity, to improve cooperation and co-creation with cross-sectors stakeholders and to introduce and educate students SHAFE implementation and sustainability. To enable the achievement of the objectives of Working Group 4, the Leader of the Working Group, the Chair and Vice-Chair, in close cooperation with the Science Communication Coordinator, developed a template to map the current state of SHAFE policies, funding opportunities and networking in the COST member countries of the Action. On invitation, the Working Group lead received contributions from 37 countries, in a total of 85 Action members. The contributions provide an overview of the diversity of SHAFE policies and opportunities in Europe and beyond. These were not edited or revised and are a result of the main areas of expertise and knowledge of the contributors; thus, gaps in areas or content are possible and these shall be further explored in the following works and reports of this WG. But this preliminary mapping is of huge importance to proceed with the WG activities. In the following chapters, an introduction on the need of SHAFE policies is presented, followed by a summary of the main approaches to be pursued for the next period of work. The deliverable finishes with the opportunities of capacity building, networking and funding that will be relevant to undertake within the frame of Working Group 4 and the total COST Action. The total of country contributions is presented in the annex of this deliverable

The high-resolution map of Oxia Planum, Mars; the landing site of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission

This 1:30,000 scale geological map describes Oxia Planum, Mars, the landing site for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. The map represents our current understanding of bedrock units and their relationships prior to Rosalind Franklin’s exploration of this location. The map details 15 bedrock units organised into 6 groups and 7 textural and surficial units. The bedrock units were identified using visible and near-infrared remote sensing datasets. The objectives of this map are (i) to identify where the most astrobiologically relevant rocks are likely to be found, (ii) to show where hypotheses about their geological context (within Oxia Planum and in the wider geological history of Mars) can be tested, (iii) to inform both the long-term (hundreds of metres to ∼1 km) and the short-term (tens of metres) activity planning for rover exploration, and (iv) to allow the samples analysed by the rover to be interpreted within their regional geological context

Economic consequences of investing in anti-HCV antiviral treatment from the Italian NHS perspective : a real-world-based analysis of PITER data

OBJECTIVE: We estimated the cost consequence of Italian National Health System (NHS) investment in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment access policies in Italy. METHODS: A multistate, 20-year time horizon Markov model of HCV liver disease progression was developed. Fibrosis stage, age and genotype distributions were derived from the Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. The treatment efficacy, disease progression probabilities and direct costs in each health state were obtained from the literature. The break-even point in time (BPT) was defined as the period of time required for the cumulative costs saved to recover the Italian NHS investment in DAA treatment. Three different PITER enrolment periods, which covered the full DAA access evolution in Italy, were considered. RESULTS: The disease stages of 2657 patients who consecutively underwent DAA therapy from January 2015 to December 2017 at 30 PITER clinical centres were standardized for 1000 patients. The investment in DAAs was considered to equal €25 million, €15 million, and €9 million in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. For patients treated in 2015, the BPT was not achieved, because of the disease severity of the treated patients and high DAA prices. For 2016 and 2017, the estimated BPTs were 6.6 and 6.2 years, respectively. The total cost savings after 20 years were €50.13 and €55.50 million for 1000 patients treated in 2016 and 2017, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study may be a useful tool for public decision makers to understand how HCV clinical and epidemiological profiles influence the economic burden of HCV

Free vibrations of Bernoulli-Euler nano-beams by the stress-driven nonlocal integral model

Nonlocal theories of Continuum Mechanics are widely used in order to assess size effects in nano-structures. In this paper, free vibrations of nano-beams are investigated by making recourse to the novel stress-driven nonlocal integral model (SDM). Equations of motion governing the dynamics of a Bernoulli-Euler nano-beam are consistently formulated and numerically integrated by Matlab. Selected case studies involving structures of nanotechnological interest are examined. Natural frequencies, evaluated according to the SDM, are compared with those obtained by the Eringen differential law (EDM) and by the gradient elasticity theory (GradEla). SDM provides an effective methodology to describe nonlocal phenomena in NEMS

A closed-form model for torsion of nanobeams with an enhanced nonlocal formulation

An enhanced model of nonlocal torsion based on the Eringen theory is provided in this paper. The variational formulation is given and then the governing differential equation and boundary conditions of nonlocal nanobeams subjected to torsional loading are consistently derived. No higher-order boundary conditions are required for the enhanced model. It is assumed that the ends of nanobeams are not perfectly restrained thus focusing the attention also on the influence of elastically compliant boundary conditions on the behaviour of nonlocal models. Closed-form solutions are then provided for nanocantilevers and fully clamped nanobeams subject to distributed torsional loads. It is shown that the dimensionless small-scale parameter must fulfil a suitable inequality in order to avoid that a positive distributed torsional load provides a negative torsional rotation. The size-dependent static torsional behaviour of the proposed model in terms of torsional rotations and moments is tested. Contrary to the nonlocal Eringen model, the proposed enhanced model provides the small-scale effect also for nanobeams subjected to uniformly distributed torsional loads. Comparisons with Eringen model, gradient elasticity theory and classical (local) model are provided

Spectral Analysis of Clay-bearing Outcrops in Northern Xanthe Terra, Mars: Comparison with Oxia Planum, the Landing Site for the ExoMars Rover Mission

Clay minerals detected on Mars are valuable targets to seek traces of life on the planet, where biosignatures might be preserved. Here, we report an in-depth spectral analysis of clay-rich outcrops identified in northern Xanthe Terra (300°–320° E, 10°–20° N). We focused particularly on the absorptions centered in the 1.0–2.6 μ m spectral range to (1) constrain the mineralogy of the clay outcrops, (2) map their strength and distribution throughout the region, and thus (3) develop a better understanding of the geologic environment at circum–Chryse Planitia. We then compared the infrared signatures in Xanthe Terra and Oxia Planum. Like in Oxia Planum, Xanthe’s clays are consistent with either Fe-bearing saponites or vermiculites. However, the spectral signatures in Xanthe are weaker relative to Oxia Planum, perhaps due to significant dust cover in the region. Besides the spectral signatures, northern Xanthe Terra displays several morphological features similar to Oxia Planum, indicating long-lasting aqueous activity (fluvial channels and fan deltas). Clays found at the fan deltas could be detrital (fluvial transport) or authigenic (lacustrine or deltaic sedimentation), while the origin of clays seen elsewhere on the surrounding plateaus remains undetermined. Oxia Planum has been selected as the landing site for ESA’s ExoMars “Rosalind Franklin” rover, where its instruments will search for signs of life and constrain the nature and origin of the clays. This exploration will indubitably provide new clues on the clays found in the circum-Chryse basin

Geological modeling at ESA's ExoMars 2022 landing site Oxia Planum

International audienceThe current generation of rovers exploring Mars for traces of life feature tools for subsurface sampling capabilities. This addition to the sampling capabilities of the martian rovers is crucial for the search for life. In fact, in the subsurface life is more likely to be protected from the harsh radiation environment present on the surface. The sampling of subsurface materials started with the analysis of the first millimeters of unweathered rocks being pulverized or abraded (NASA/MSL), evolved with the extraction of small cores from the first 10 centimeters (NASA/Mars2020), and will continue with the exploratory drilling of ESA's ExoMars 2022 which is capable of reaching 2 meters of depth. The proper planning and interpretation of measurements below the topographic surface require a model of the subsurface. Geological models are digital representations of subsurface structures generated by the sequence in time of processes putting in place different rocks and terrains. Geologic cross-sections are an example of bi-dimensional modeling that extends observations taken at the surface. Modern geologic models are commonly developed in three dimensions and used for terrestrial resource exploration, seismic analyses, and hydrologic simulations. The key to a good geologic model is the integration of measurements taken by different instruments. For ExoMars 2022, observations at the surface will be extended at depth by the spectrometer Ma_MISS which will read the mineralogical composition down to two meters, and the radar WISDOM which will collect geophysical images of the terrain down to ten meters or more. In this work, we explore different methods to generate geological models of the subsurface of areas at Oxia Planum and a selection of analog outcrops at different scales