Cork Core Sandwich Plates for Blast Protection

This article belongs to the Special Issue Armour and Protection SystemsA numerical model is developed and validated to analyse the performance of aluminium skin and agglomerated cork core sandwich plates subjected to blast loads. Two numerical approaches are used and thoroughly compared to generate the blast loading: an Arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian approach and the Load Blast Enhanced method. Both of the models are validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental observations. A detailed analysis of the sandwich behaviour is done for both approaches showing small differences regarding the mechanical response of the sandwich structure. The results obtained from the numerical models uncover the specific energy absorption mechanisms happening within the sandwich plate components. A new core topology is proposed, based on these results, which maximises the energy absorption capacity of the plate, keeping the areal density unchanged. A wavy agglomerated cork core is proposed and the effects of different geometrical parameters on the energy absorption are thoroughly analysed and discussed. The proposed optimised plate configuration shows an increase in the total absorbed energy of close to 40% relative to a reference case with the same areal density. The adopted optimisation methodology can be applied to alternative configurations to increase the performance of sandwich structures under blast events.This research was funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Gobierno de España grant number DPI2017-85073-R, and Universidad Carlos III of Madrid grant numbers 2013/00413/003 and 2014/00006/002. And the travel expenses were funded by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid grant number Programa propio de investigación-Convocatoria 2014 movilidad

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field