About optimal location of sensors and actuators for the control of flexible structures

This work deals with the problem of efficient location of sensors and actuators encountered in the domain of active control of flexible structure. It appears that the optimal solution depends upon the type ofcontrol scheme that is used as well as the kinds of sensors and actuators that are implemented, and on the criterion that is considered. This paper recalls and discusses some approaches that are presented in the literature and presents some results that are obtained with a mock-up equipped with piezoelectric sensors and actuators

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

Modelling of simple cases in view of active stabilisation for a future linear collider

Final focus magnet stabilisation is an important issue when working with nanometre size beams. The present study focuses on mechanical stabilisation. As a first step, the case of a 1m free-fixed aluminium beam placed on a table with active stabilisation has been studied. This work describes three aspects, namely, sensors and actuators to measure and compensate ground motion, mechanical simulations and a feedback loop. Measurements done with low frequency velocity sensors (down to 0.1Hz) in our Annecy lab during office hours show that the displacement RMS on the active table is 1nm at 4Hz compared to 10nm without active stabilisation. Simulations of the dynamic response of the beam have been compared to measurements done with accelerometers placed on the clamping and on the free end of the aluminium beam. The results are in good agreement. We are therefore able to predict by simulation the response of a structure subjected to an external excitation. A first sketch of a feedback loop to compensate specific vibrations has also been developed and allows the simultaneous elimination of several resonance peaks on a reduced-size mock-up. This algorithm will be applied to stabilise a larger mock-up, leading to more realistic experimental conditions. In future tests, the active table will globally stabilise in a range of frequencies from 0.5Hz to 50Hz whereas the feedback loop will compensate single strong resonances

MSWI bottom ash for thermal energy storage: An innovative and sustainable approach for its reutilization

The management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a very important issue that must be dealt by the perspective of the 3 Rs (Reuse, reduce, recycle. MSW incineration bottom ash (BA) accounts for 85-95% of the total solids that remained after incineration. Finding suitable alternatives for its revalorization is very attractive, especially in terms of environmental sustainability. Thermal energy storage (TES) is a complementary technology of renewable energy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the thermophysical properties of weathered BA (WBA) in order to find suitable alternatives for its valorisation. Several samples of WBA were collected from a waste-to-energy facility located in Tarragona (Spain). This facility sieved to different size fractions. Each size fraction was characterized with respect its physicochemical properties and the energy density (ren) was calculated. The results obtained showed that this residue is a suitable alternative candidate material for TES as it presents an energy density of 1461.2 kJ m 3 K 1 for the 1-2 mm fraction. In addition, the low cost of this type of residue (0.6V per t) and its high production rate per year makes it an attractive and sustainable alternative for TES

Use of the INSPIRE EF data specifications to develop the SEIS-Malta geodatabase for the air quality data management

SEIS-Malta system (Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) and web-based GIS interface) forms part of a global project on environmental monitoring funded under the 2007- 2013 Structural Funds Programme for Malta. • The project “Developing national environmental infrastructure and capacity”, is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which provides 85% of the project’s funding and the Government of Malta, which finances the rest under Malta’s Operational Programme I - Cohesion Policy 2007- 2013 “Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life”.peer-reviewe

Acute effects of active breaks during prolonged sitting on subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression: an ancillary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Active breaks in prolonged sitting has beneficial impacts on cardiometabolic risk biomarkers. The molecular mechanisms include regulation of skeletal muscle gene and protein expression controlling metabolic, inflammatory and cell development pathways. An active communication network exists between adipose and muscle tissue, but the effect of active breaks in prolonged sitting on adipose tissue have not been investigated. This study characterized the acute transcriptional events induced in adipose tissue by regular active breaks during prolonged sitting. We studied 8 overweight/obese adults participating in an acute randomized three-intervention crossover trial. Interventions were performed in the postprandial state and included: (i) prolonged uninterrupted sitting; or prolonged sitting interrupted with 2-minute bouts of (ii) light- or (iii) moderate-intensity treadmill walking every 20 minutes. Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies were obtained after each condition. Microarrays identified 36 differentially expressed genes between the three conditions (fold change ≥0.5 in either direction; p < 0.05). Pathway analysis indicated that breaking up of prolonged sitting led to differential regulation of adipose tissue metabolic networks and inflammatory pathways, increased insulin signaling, modulation of adipocyte cell cycle, and facilitated cross-talk between adipose tissue and other organs. This study provides preliminary insight into the adipose tissue regulatory systems that may contribute to the physiological effects of interrupting prolonged sitting

Mutant Versions of the S. cerevisiae Transcription Elongation Factor Spt16 Define Regions of Spt16 That Functionally Interact with Histone H3

In eukaryotic cells, the highly conserved FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription) complex plays important roles in several chromatin-based processes including transcription initiation and elongation. During transcription elongation, the FACT complex interacts directly with nucleosomes to facilitate histone removal upon RNA polymerase II (Pol II) passage and assists in the reconstitution of nucleosomes following Pol II passage. Although the contribution of the FACT complex to the process of transcription elongation has been well established, the mechanisms that govern interactions between FACT and chromatin still remain to be fully elucidated. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, we provide evidence that the middle domain of the FACT subunit Spt16 – the Spt16-M domain – is involved in functional interactions with histone H3. Our results show that the Spt16-M domain plays a role in the prevention of cryptic intragenic transcription during transcription elongation and also suggest that the Spt16-M domain has a function in regulating dissociation of Spt16 from chromatin at the end of the transcription process. We also provide evidence for a role for the extreme carboxy terminus of Spt16 in functional interactions with histone H3. Taken together, our studies point to previously undescribed roles for the Spt16 M-domain and extreme carboxy terminus in regulating interactions between Spt16 and chromatin during the process of transcription elongation