Toward improvement of the properties of parts manufactured by FFF ( Fused Filament Fabrication) through understanding the influence of temperature and rheological behaviour on the coalescence phenomenon

In this paper, the printing temperature ranges of PLA and PEEK, two semi-crystalline thermoplastics, have been investigated for the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process. The printing range, comprised between the melting temperature and the degradation of each polymer, is 160°C to 190°C for PLA and 350°C to 390°C for PEEK. The complex viscosity has been measured for both polymers within the printing range. The kinetics of coalescence has been registered by measuring the bonding length between two filaments of the same polymer according to the temperature. At 167°C, the filaments of PLA reached the maximum value of bonding length. For PEEK, the filaments reached the maximum value of bonding length at 380°C. For the both materials, the final height of the filament is 80% of the initial diameter. The comparison of the obtained results with experimental study and predictive model shows a good agreement when the polymer is totally in fusion state

A Going-Down principle for ample groupoids and the Baum-Connes conjecture

We study a Going-Down (or restriction) principle for ample groupoids and its applications. The Going-Down principle for locally compact groups was developed by Chabert, Echterhoff and Oyono-Oyono and allows to study certain functors, that arise in the context of the topological K-theory of a locally compact group, in terms of their restrictions to compact subgroups. We extend this principle to the class of ample Hausdorff groupoids using Le Gall's groupoid equivariant version of Kasparov's bivariant KK-theory. Moreover, we provide an application to the Baum-Connes conjecture for ample groupoids which are strongly amenable at infinity. This result in turn is then used to relate the Baum-Connes conjecture for an ample groupoid group bundle which is strongly amenable at infinity to the Baum-Connes conjecture for the fibres.Comment: minor corrections, final version to appear in Adv. Math., 59 page

A Chemical Proteomics Approach to Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Signaling in Macrophages

Prior work using lipid-based affinity matrices has been done to investigate distinct sets of lipid-binding proteins, and one series of experiments has proven successful in mammalian cells for the proteome-wide identification of lipid-binding proteins. However, most lipid-based proteomics screens require scaled up sample preparation, are often composed of multiple cell types, and are not adapted for simultaneous signal transduction studies. Herein we provide a chemical proteomics strategy that uses cleavable lipid "baits" with broad applicability to diverse biological samples. The novel baits were designed to avoid preparative steps to allow functional proteomics studies when the biological source is a limiting factor. Validation of the chemical baits was first confirmed by the selective isolation of several known endogenous phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling proteins using primary bone marrow-derived macrophages. The use of this technique for cellular proteomics and MS/MS analysis was then demonstrated by the identification of known and potential novel lipid-binding proteins that was confirmed in vitro for several proteins by direct lipid-protein interactions. Further to the identification, the method is also compatible with subsequent signal transduction studies, notably for protein kinase profiling of the isolated lipid-bound protein complexes. Taken together, this integration of minimal scale proteomics, lipid chemistry, and activity-based readouts provides a significant advancement in the ability to identify and study the lipid proteome of single, relevant cell types

Laser transmission welding as an assembling process for high temperature electronic packaging.

Higher efficiency, power density, reliability and longer lifetime of power electronic devices would stem from progresses in material science. In this work, we propose to use a high performance thermoplastic polymer PAEK as packaging box to extend the operating temperature above 200°C. More, the laser transmission welding process has been applied to PAEK to join the two-part module. In order to validate this assembling process, the temperature distribution inside the specimens was measured during laser transmission welding. The assembly consists of a quasi-amorphous sample as the upper part and a semi-crystalline sample as the lower part. The temperature fields were measured by infrared thermography with the camera sensor perpendicular to the welded interface. With an energy beam of 28 J.mm-2 and irradiation time of 15 s, we have noticed that the maximum temperature inside the sample is kept far from the PAEK degradation one. Moreover, the temperature at the interface reaches the melting temperature thus assuring enough mobility for polymeric chains to get adhesion at the interface. The location and size of the heat-affected zone has been determined. Finally, some frames were machined and successfully welded

Seismic evidence for shallow gas-escape features associated with a retreating gas hydrate zone offshore west Svalbard

Active gas venting occurs on the uppermost continental slope off west Svalbard, close to and upslope from the present-day intersection of the base of methane hydrate stability (BMHS) with the seabed in about 400 m water depth in the inter-fan region between the Kongsfjorden and Isfjorden cross-shelf troughs. From an integrated analysis of high-resolution, two-dimensional, pre-stack migrated seismic reflection profiles and multibeam bathymetric data, we map out a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) in the inter-fan region and analyze the subsurface gas migration and accumulation. Gas seeps mostly occur in the zone from which the BMHS at the seabed has retreated over the recent past (1975–2008) as a consequence of a bottom water temperature rise of 1°C. The overall margin-parallel alignment of the gas seeps is not related to fault-controlled gas migration, as seismic evidence of faults is absent. There is no evidence for a BSR close to the gas flare region in the upper slope but numerous gas pockets exist directly below the predicted BMHS. While the contour following trend of the gas seeps could be a consequence of retreat of the landward limit of the BMHS and gas hydrate dissociation, the scattered distribution of seeps within the probable hydrate dissociation corridor and the occurrence of a cluster of seeps outside the predicted BMHS limit and near the shelf break indicate the role of lithological heterogeneity in focusing gas migration

Protein quantitative trait locus study in obesity during weight-loss identifies a leptin regulator

Although many genetic variants are known for obesity, their function remains largely unknown. Here, in a weight-loss intervention cohort, the authors identify protein quantitative trait loci associated with BMI at baseline and after weight loss and find FAM46A to be a regulator of leptin in adipocytes

In-situ infrared thermography measurements to master transmission laser welding process parameters of PEKK

The temperature field along the thickness of the specimens has been measured during transmission laser welding. Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) is a very high performance thermoplastic with tunable properties. We have shown that this grade of PEKK can be turned to quasi-amorphous or semi-crystalline material, due to its slow kinetics of crystallization. Its glass transition temperature is 150 °C. The effect of its crystalline rate directly impacts its optical properties: the transmittance of quasi-amorphous PEKK is about 60% in the NIR region (wavelength range from 0.4 to 1.2 μm) whereas it is less than 3% for the semi-crystalline material. The welding tests have been carried out with an 808 nm laser diode apparatus. The heat field is recorded during the welding experiment by infrared thermography with the camera sensor perpendicular to the lasersheet and to the sample’s length to focus on the welded interface. The study is divided in two steps: firstly, a single specimen is irradiated with an energy density of 22 J.mm − 2 : the whole sample thickness is heated up, the maximum temperature reaches 222 ± 7 °C. This temperature corresponds to about T g + 70 °C, but the polymer does not reach its melting temperature. After that, welding tests were performed: a transparent (quasi-amorphous) sample as the upper part and an opaque (semi-crystalline) one as the lower part were assembled in static conditions. The maximum temperature reached at the welded interface is about 295 °C when the upper specimen is irradiated for 16 s with an energy density of 28 J.mm − 2 . The temperature at the welded interface stays above T g during 55 s and reached the melting temperature during 5 s before rapid cooling. These parameters are suitable to assemble both polymeric parts in a strong weld. This work shows that infrared thermography is an appropriate technique to improve the reliability of laser welding process of high performance thermoplastics

Multi-Jet Event Rates in Deep Inelastic Scattering and Determination of the Strong Coupling Constant

Jet event rates in deep inelastic ep scattering at HERA are investigated applying the modified JADE jet algorithm. The analysis uses data taken with the H1 detector in 1994 and 1995. The data are corrected for detector and hadronization effects and then compared with perturbative QCD predictions using next-to-leading order calculations. The strong coupling constant alpha_S(M_Z^2) is determined evaluating the jet event rates. Values of alpha_S(Q^2) are extracted in four different bins of the negative squared momentum transfer~\qq in the range from 40 GeV2 to 4000 GeV2. A combined fit of the renormalization group equation to these several alpha_S(Q^2) values results in alpha_S(M_Z^2) = 0.117+-0.003(stat)+0.009-0.013(syst)+0.006(jet algorithm).Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, this version to appear in Eur. Phys. J.; it replaces first posted hep-ex/9807019 which had incorrect figure 4

Measurement of Leading Proton and Neutron Production in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA

Deep--inelastic scattering events with a leading baryon have been detected by the H1 experiment at HERA using a forward proton spectrometer and a forward neutron calorimeter. Semi--inclusive cross sections have been measured in the kinematic region 2 <= Q^2 <= 50 GeV^2, 6.10^-5 <= x <= 6.10^-3 and baryon p_T <= MeV, for events with a final state proton with energy 580 <= E' <= 740 GeV, or a neutron with energy E' >= 160 GeV. The measurements are used to test production models and factorization hypotheses. A Regge model of leading baryon production which consists of pion, pomeron and secondary reggeon exchanges gives an acceptable description of both semi-inclusive cross sections in the region 0.7 <= E'/E_p <= 0.9, where E_p is the proton beam energy. The leading neutron data are used to estimate for the first time the structure function of the pion at small Bjorken--x.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Eur. Phys.