REYNOLDS STRESS CORRECTION BY MACHINE LEARNING METHODS WITH PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS

For the past three decade, Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes models have been widely used in the industry to simulate complex flows. However, these models suffer from limitations. Indeed there are still large discrepancies in the Reynolds stresses between the RANS model and high-fidelity data provided by DNS or experiments. This paper presents a strategy to correct the Menter SST model using an explicit algebraic model and two different neural networks: An multilayer perceptron (MLP) and a generative adversarial network (GAN). Moreover, in order to preserve the physical properties of the Reynolds stress tensor, we introduce a penalisation term in the loss of the GAN

An ANFIS Control Approach of a Bi-Directional Buck-Boost used for a Battery Charger

In this work, a neuro-fuzzy regulator based on ANFIS is designed for the current control of a Bidirectional Buck-Boost chopper battery charger. First, a PI regulator is used in the control loop. Data from the PI regulator is extracted and then used to train ANFIS. The performances of the two PI and neuro-fuzzy commands were evaluated under the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. According to the simulation results, it was found that the neuro-fuzzy regulator ANFIS is more effective in improving the current response by reducing the response time. In conclusion, the neuro-fuzzy control gives a better performance compared to the PI control

Endocrine and molecular investigations in a cohort of 25 adolescent males with prominent/persistent pubertal gynecomastia

Pubertal gynecomastia is a common condition observed in up to 65% of adolescent males. It is usually idiopathic and tends to regress within 1–2 years. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we investigated 25 adolescent males with prominent (>B3) and/or persistent (>2 years) pubertal gynecomastia (P/PPG) to determine whether a hormonal/genetic defect might underline this condition. Endocrine investigation revealed the absence of hormonal disturbance for 18 boys (72%). Three patients presented Klinefelter syndrome and three a partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) as a result of p.Ala646Asp and p.Ala45Gly mutations of the androgen receptor gene. The last patient showed a 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency as a result of a compound heterozygous mutation of the CYP17A1 gene leading to p.Pro35Thr(P35T) and p.Arg239Stop(R239X) in the P450c17 protein. Enzymatic activity was analyzed: the mutant protein bearing the premature stop codon R239X showed a complete loss of 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activity. The mutant P35T seemed to retain 15–20% of 17α-hydroxylase and about 8–10% of 17,20-lyase activity. This work demonstrates that P/PPG had an endocrine/genetic cause in 28% of our cases. PAIS may be expressed only by isolated gynecomastia as well as by 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency. Isolated P/PPG is not always a ‘physiological’ condition and should thus be investigated through adequate endocrine and genetic investigations, even though larger studies are needed to better determine the real prevalence of genetic defects in such patients

Characterization of B-doped polycrystalline diamond films using thermally stimulated luminescence

International audienceThe effect of different rates of boron incorporation during the growth in diamond on the thermoluminescence (TL) features of this material is investigated. TL studies performed between liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT) and 320 K show some phosphorescence and two other peaks at 226 and 266 K. For the first time, boron level in polycrystalline diamond films was identified by TL by an intense glow peak at 226 K and activation energy of about 0.35 eV. For this main peak, spectral analysis shows a prominent broad band luminescence peaking at 2.56 eV. At 77 K, another emission band was observed at 2.22 eV. This is in agreement with the fact that the recombination mechanisms involve two different recombination centers and, therefore, phosphorescence at 77 K and the main peak at 226 K are of different nature, i.e. the TL peak at 226 K is due to boron while phosphorescence is hence, probably due to a shallow donor level. The behavior of TL intensity relative to the main component at 226 K observed on all the films and linked to boron level decreases with increasing boron concentration

Irradiation damages in Ti3SiC2: formation and characterisation of the oxide layer

International audienceThe concept of the fuel for the IVth generation reactors should consist of fuel pellets surrounded with a matrix that must contain fission products. Thanks to their interesting thermo-mechanical properties, carbides are sensed to become this matrix. Among the studied carbides, Ti3SiC2 can be distinguished; actually, its nano-laminated structure confers to it some softness as well as a better toughness than classical carbides like SiC or TiC. However, before to use this remarkable carbide, a study of its behaviour under irradiation must be led. Thus, some characterisations were performed on 75 MeV Kr irradiated specimens. They allowed to underline that TiO2 (formed on the surface of Ti3SiC2 during the surface preparation) seems to be sputtered by irradiation, and that the unit cell of Ti3SiC2 is dilated along c axis

Dommages d'irradiation dans Ti3SiC2

Les carbures, de par leurs propriétés remarquables, sont pressentis comme matériau de structure autour du combustible du réacteur de génération IV. Parmi ceux étudiés, Ti3SiC2 se distingue car il associe les propriétés des céramiques à celles des métaux. Cependant, son comportement sous irradiation n'est pas connu. Des caractérisations ont été réalisées sur des échantillons irradiés aux ions Kr à 75 MeV. Elles ont permis de mettre en exergue que TiO2 (formé en surface de Ti3SiC2) est pulvérisé par l'irradiation et que la maille cristalline de Ti3SiC2 se dilate suivant c

Calibration of thickness-dependent k-factors for germanium X-ray lines to improve energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of SiGe layers in analytical transmission electron microscopy

We show that the accuracy of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy can be improved by analysing and comparing multiple lines from the same element. For each line, an effective k-factor can be defined that varies as a function of the intensity ratio of multiple lines (e.g. K/L) from the same element. This basically performs an internal self-consistency check in the quantification using differently absorbed X-ray lines, which is in principle equivalent to an absorption correction as a function of specimen thickness but has the practical advantage that the specimen thickness itself does not actually need to be measured

Education and older adults at the University of the Third Age

This article reports a critical analysis of older adult education in Malta. In educational gerontology, a critical perspective demands the exposure of how relations of power and inequality, in their myriad forms, combinations, and complexities, are manifest in late-life learning initiatives. Fieldwork conducted at the University of the Third Age (UTA) in Malta uncovered the political nature of elder-learning, especially with respect to three intersecting lines of inequality - namely, positive aging, elitism, and gender. A cautionary note is, therefore, warranted at the dominant positive interpretations of UTAs since late-life learning, as any other education activity, is not politically neutral.peer-reviewe

Establishing a generalized polyepigenetic biomarker for tobacco smoking

Large-scale epigenome-wide association meta-analyses have identified multiple 'signatures'' of smoking. Drawing on these findings, we describe the construction of a polyepigenetic DNA methylation score that indexes smoking behavior and that can be utilized for multiple purposes in population health research. To validate the score, we use data from two birth cohort studies: The Dunedin Longitudinal Study, followed to age-38 years, and the Environmental Risk Study, followed to age-18 years. Longitudinal data show that changes in DNA methylation accumulate with increased exposure to tobacco smoking and attenuate with quitting. Data from twins discordant for smoking behavior show that smoking influences DNA methylation independently of genetic and environmental risk factors. Physiological data show that changes in DNA methylation track smoking-related changes in lung function and gum health over time. Moreover, DNA methylation changes predict corresponding changes in gene expression in pathways related to inflammation, immune response, and cellular trafficking. Finally, we present prospective data about the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and epigenetic modifications; these findings document the importance of controlling for smoking-related DNA methylation changes when studying biological embedding of stress in life-course research. We introduce the polyepigenetic DNA methylation score as a tool both for discovery and theory-guided research in epigenetic epidemiology.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.The Dunedin Longitudinal Study is funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council, the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, the National Institute on Aging (AG032282), and the Medical Research Council (MR/P005918/1). The E-Risk Study is funded by the Medical Research Council (G1002190) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD077482). Additional support was provided by a Distinguished Investigator Award from the American Asthma Foundation to Dr. Mill, and by the Jacobs Foundation and the Avielle Foundation. Dr. Arseneault is the Mental Health Leadership Fellow for the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council. Dr. Belsky is a Jacobs Foundation Fellow. This work used a high-performance computing facility partially supported by grant 2016-IDG-1013 (“HARDAC + : Reproducible HPC for Next-generation Genomics”) from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Illumina DNA methylation data are accessible from the Gene Expression Omnibus (accession code: GSE105018).pre-print, post-print, publisher's PD