Wavelet analysis on pressure stimulated currents emitted by marble samples

International audienceThis paper presents a wavelet based method of analysis of experimentally recorded weak electric signals from marble specimens which have undergone successive abrupt step loadings. Experimental results verify the existence of "memory effects" in rocks, as far as the current emission is concerned, akin to the "Kaiser effect" in acoustic emissions, which accompany rock fracturing. Macroscopic signal processing shows similarities and differences between the currents emitted during successive loading and wavelet analysis can reveal significant differences between the currents of each loading cycle that contain valuable information for the micro and macro cracks in the specimen as well as information for the remaining strength of the material. Wavelets make possible the time localization of the energy of the electric signal emitted by stressed specimens and can serve as method to differentiate between compressed and uncompressed samples, or to determine the deformation level of specimens

Analysis and processing of mechanically stimulated electrical signals for the identification of deformation in brittle materials

The fracture of brittle materials is of utmost importance for civil engineering and seismology applications. A different approach towards the aim of early identification of fracture and the prediction of failure before it occurs is attempted in this work. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a variety of rock and cement based material specimens of various shapes and sizes. The applied loading schemes were cyclic or increasing and the specimens were tested to compression and bending type loading of various levels. The techniques of Pressure Stimulated Current and Bending Stimulated Current were used for the detection of electric signal emissions during the various deformation stages of the specimens. The detected signals were analysed macroscopically and microscopically so as to find suitable criteria for fracture prediction and correlation between the electrical and mechanical parameters. The macroscopic proportionality of the mechanically stimulated electric signal and the strain was experimentally verified, the macroscopic trends of the PSC and BSC electric signals were modelled and the effects of material memory to the electric signals were examined. The current of a time-varying RLC electric circuit was tested against experimental data with satisfactory results and it was proposed as an electrical equivalent model. Wavelet based analysis of the signal revealed the correlation between the frequency components of the electric signal and the deformation stages of the material samples. Especially the increase of the high frequency component of the electric signal seems to be a good precursor of macrocracking initiation point. The additional electric stimulus of a dc voltage application seems to boost the frequency content of the signal and reveals better the stages of cracking process. The microscopic analysis method is scale-free and thus it can confront with the problems of size effects and material properties effects. The AC conductivity time series of fractured and pristine specimens were also analysed by means of wavelet transform and the spectral analysis was used to differentiate between the specimens. A non-destructive technique may be based on these results. Analysis has shown that the electric signal perturbation is an indicator of the forthcoming fracture, as well as of the fracture that has already occurred in specimens.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceNational Foundation of Scholarships (IKY) GreeceGBUnited Kingdo

Democracy and money : lessons for today from Athens in classical times

The present book presents the Athenian monetary and financial system in relation to current problems of the international financial system. The authors argue, that useful lessons for the present may be drawn from the Athenian example. The authors maintain that to forestall another financial crisis like that of 2007/8, which may prove more unsettling nationally and internationally, the US must reform its central banking. In particular, the book explains how the main political institutions (mainly the Assembly of the citizens and the Council) were functioning regarding monetary matters. It explains the Athenian monetary system as a benchmark for reference and adaptation, which would provide an effective way out of the current dreadful predicament that government managed money holds for the US and the world at large. The Athenian monetary system may be conceived as a benchmark, for under it: i) money would be produced in private markets as every other good and service, e.g., money supply was driven by the private and the state sectors needs in combination ii) the general price level remained stall for almost two centuries iii) following the Athenian example, the US government should return to its main task of minding the common good through prudent fiscal policies, instead of hiding the looming risks of unsustainable national debt behind the Fed’s monopoly over the issuing of fiat money and reducing nominal interest rates close to zero.peer-reviewe

Genomic Underpinnings of Population Persistence in Isle Royale Moose

Island ecosystems provide natural laboratories to assess the impacts of isolation on population persistence. However, most studies of persistence have focused on a single species, without comparisons to other organisms they interact with in the ecosystem. The case study of moose and gray wolves on Isle Royale allows for a direct contrast of genetic variation in isolated populations that have experienced dramatically differing population trajectories over the past decade. Whereas the Isle Royale wolf population recently declined nearly to extinction due to severe inbreeding depression, the moose population has thrived and continues to persist, despite having low genetic diversity and being isolated for ∼120 years. Here, we examine the patterns of genomic variation underlying the continued persistence of the Isle Royale moose population. We document high levels of inbreeding in the population, roughly as high as the wolf population at the time of its decline. However, inbreeding in the moose population manifests in the form of intermediate-length runs of homozygosity suggestive of historical inbreeding and purging, contrasting with the long runs of homozygosity observed in the smaller wolf population. Using simulations, we confirm that substantial purging has likely occurred in the moose population. However, we also document notable increases in genetic load, which could eventually threaten population viability over the long term. Overall, our results demonstrate a complex relationship between inbreeding, genetic diversity, and population viability that highlights the use of genomic datasets and computational simulation tools for understanding the factors enabling persistence in isolated populations

Demography and disorders of German Shepherd Dogs under primary veterinarycare in the UK

The German Shepherd Dog (GSD) has been widely used for a variety of working roles. However, concerns for the health and welfare of the GSD have been widely aired and there is evidence that breed numbers are now in decline in the UK. Accurate demographic and disorder data could assist with breeding and clinical prioritisation. The VetCompassTM Programme collects clinical data on dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. This study included all VetCompassTM dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Demographic, mortality and clinical diagnosis data on GSDs were extracted and reported

Increased expression of transcription factor TFAP2α correlates with chemosensitivity in advanced bladder cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The standard treatment for patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder is platin based chemotherapy. Only approximately 50% of the patients respond to chemotherapy. Therefore, molecular predictive markers for identification of chemotherapy sensitive subgroups of patients are highly needed. We selected the transcription factor <it>TFAP2α </it>from a previously identified gene expression signature for chemotherapy response.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>TFAP2α </it>expression and localization was assessed by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray (TMA) containing 282 bladder cancer tumors from patients with locally advanced (pT2-T4_band N_1-3) or metastatic (M₁) disease. All patients had received cisplatin containing chemotherapy. Furthermore, QPCR analysis of three <it>TFAP2α </it>isoforms was performed on tumor specimens of advanced muscle invasive bladder cancers (T2-4). Using the bladder cell lines T24 and SW780 the relation of <it>TFAP2α </it>and cisplatin and gemcitabine sensitivity as well as cell proliferation was examined using siRNA directed <it>TFAP2α </it>knockdown.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TFAP2α protein expression was analyzed on a TMA with cores from 282 advanced bladder cancer tumors from patients treated with cisplatin based combinational chemotherapy. <it>TFAP2α </it>was identified as a strong independent predictive marker for a good response and survival after cisplatin-containing chemotherapy in patients with advanced bladder cancer. Strong TFAP2α nuclear and cytoplasmic staining predicted good response to chemotherapy in patients with lymph node metastasis, whereas weak TFAP2α nuclear staining predicted good response in patients without lymph node metastasis. In vitro studies showed that siRNA mediated knockdown of TFAP2α increased the proliferation of SW780 cells and rendered the cells less sensitive to cisplatin and gemcitabine. In contrast to that T24 bladder cells with mutated p53 showed to be more drug sensitive upon TFAP2α depletion.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>High levels of nuclear and cytoplasmic TFAP2α protein were a predictor of increased overall survival and progression free survival in patients with advanced bladder cancer treated with cisplatin based chemotherapy. TFAP2α knockdown increased the proliferation of the SW780 bladder cells and reduced cisplatin and gemcitabine induced cell death. The inverse effect was observed in the <it>TP53 </it>mutated T24 cell line where TFAP2α silencing augmented cisplatin and gemcitabine sensitivity and did not stimulate proliferation.</p

Epidermal growth factor mediates detachment from and invasion through collagen I and Matrigel in Capan-1 pancreatic cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly invasive neoplasm. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor are over expressed in pancreatic cancer, and expression correlates with invasion and metastasis. We hypothesized that EGF receptor and integrin signalling pathways interact in mediating cellular adhesion and invasion in pancreatic cancer, and that invasiveness correlates temporally with detachment from extracellular matrix. METHODS: We tested this hypothesis by investigating the role of EGF in mediating adhesion to and invasion through collagen I and Matrigel in the metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line Capan-1. Adhesion and invasion were measured using in vitro assays of fluorescently-labeled cells. Adhesion and invasion assays were also performed in the primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line MIA PaCa-2. RESULTS: EGF inhibited adhesion to collagen I and Matrigel in Capan-1 cells. The loss of adhesion was reversed by AG825, an inhibitor of erbB2 receptor signalling and by wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor, but not by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. EGF stimulated invasion through collagen I and Matrigel at concentrations and time courses similar to those mediating detachment from these extracellular matrix components. Adhesion to collagen I was different in MIA PaCa-2 cells, with no significant change elicited following EGF treatment, whereas treatment with the EGF family member heregulin-alpha elicited a marked increase in adhesion. Invasion through Matrigel in response to EGF, however, was similar to that observed in Capan-1 cells. CONCLUSION: An inverse relationship exists between adhesion and invasion capabilities in Capan-1 cells but not in MIA PaCa-2 cells. EGF receptor signalling involving the erbB2 and PI3K pathways plays a role in mediating these events in Capan-1 cells