Reduced kinematic formulation based on the strong discontinuity method for reinforced concrete components

Damage models, developed in the last decades, insure a continuous description of the fracture process zone in quasi-brittle materials but fail at representing fine information of the cracking features such as openings and spacings. Recently, the concept of displacement discontinuities embedded in to a standard finite element has been proved to be efficient in modeling fracture of quasi-brittle materials. The present paper aims at capturing crack openings in a natural way by using the Strong Discontinuity Approach (SDA). This later is coupled with a continuous anisotropic damage model accounting for different crack orientations and crack closure effects. A regularized version of the Dirac distribution and the hardening parameter provides+ the establishment of anenriched model compatible with the continuous one. Numerical simulations at the integration point level and a three-point bending test carried out on a single edge notched beam show the performances of the model

Méthode d'évaluation de l'action de conseil en irrigation IRRIPARC en régions Nord-Pas-de-Calais et Picardie

Parmi les nombreuses actions de conseil en irrigation développées en France, trop peu d'entre elles sont évaluées pour apprécier leur impact sur les pratiques d'irrigation et les bénéfices pour la ressource. Dans cet article, nous proposons une méthode d'évaluation de l'une d'entre elles, sur l'étude d'un cas concret : l'action IRRIPARC. Dans les régions Nord-Pas-de-Calais et Picardie, des fiches de réglages de canons enrouleurs ont été diffusées aux agriculteurs, pour limiter les effets du vent sur l'uniformité de la répartition de l'eau d'irrigation. La méthode d'évaluation proposée repose sur l'étude de trois critères : l'efficacité, la pertinence et la cohérence de l'action. La collecte des données se fait par enquêtes quantitatives et qualitatives auprès de différents acteurs : les agriculteurs, public cible de l'action, et les partenaires impliqués dans l'action IRRIPARC. L'analyse débouche sur des perspectives d'évolution et fournit des recommandations pour l'action. / Several technical support actions in irrigation have been carried out in France. However, very few have been evaluated to determine their actual impact on irrigation practices and their water saving benefits. In this paper, an assessment method of a technical support action is presented on a concrete case: the IRRIPARC action. The action was carried in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region of France. It aims at providing to farmers technical forms to help them to set their irrigation guns according to the wind speed in order to improve water distribution uniformity. The method depends on three criteria based on the effectiveness, the relevance and the consistency of the action. The data have been collected through quantitative and qualitative enquiries to different stakeholders: farmers to which the action was intended, and other partners which were involved in the action. The analysis results in evolution perspective of IRRIPARC action

The Expectation Monad in Quantum Foundations

The expectation monad is introduced abstractly via two composable adjunctions, but concretely captures measures. It turns out to sit in between known monads: on the one hand the distribution and ultrafilter monad, and on the other hand the continuation monad. This expectation monad is used in two probabilistic analogues of fundamental results of Manes and Gelfand for the ultrafilter monad: algebras of the expectation monad are convex compact Hausdorff spaces, and are dually equivalent to so-called Banach effect algebras. These structures capture states and effects in quantum foundations, and also the duality between them. Moreover, the approach leads to a new re-formulation of Gleason's theorem, expressing that effects on a Hilbert space are free effect modules on projections, obtained via tensoring with the unit interval.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2011, arXiv:1210.029

Quantitative Algebraic Reasoning

We develop a quantitative analogue of equational reasoning which we call quantitative algebra. We define an equality relation indexed by rationals: a = ϵ b which we think of as saying that "a is approximately equal to b up to an error of ϵ ". We have 4 interesting examples where we have a quantitative equational theory whose free algebras correspond to well known structures. In each case we have finitary and continuous versions. The four cases are: Hausdorff metrics from quantitive semilattices; p-Wasserstein metrics (hence also the Kantorovich metric) from barycentric algebras and also from pointed barycentric algebras and the total variation metric from a variant of barycentric algebras

A Formal Proof of PAC Learnability for Decision Stumps

We present a formal proof in Lean of probably approximately correct (PAC) learnability of the concept class of decision stumps. This classic result in machine learning theory derives a bound on error probabilities for a simple type of classifier. Though such a proof appears simple on paper, analytic and measure-theoretic subtleties arise when carrying it out fully formally. Our proof is structured so as to separate reasoning about deterministic properties of a learning function from proofs of measurability and analysis of probabilities.Comment: 13 pages, appeared in Certified Programs and Proofs (CPP) 202

Isolation and Characterization of New Leptospira Genotypes from Patients in Mayotte (Indian Ocean)

Leptospirosis has been recognized as an increasing public health problem affecting poor people from developing countries and tropical regions. However, the epidemiology of leptospirosis remains poorly understood in remote parts of the world. In this study of patients from the island of Mayotte, we isolated 22 strains from the blood of patients during the acute phase of illness. The pathogenic Leptospira strains were characterized by serology and various molecular typing methods. Based on serological data, serogroup Mini appears to be the dominant cause of leptospirosis in Mayotte. Further molecular characterization of these isolates allowed the identification of 10 pathogenic Leptospira genotypes that could correspond to previously unknown serovars. Further progress in our understanding of the epidemiology of Leptospira circulating genotypes in highly endemic regions should contribute to the development of novel strategies for the diagnosis and prevention of this neglected emerging disease

Expression and Function of Osteopontin in Vascular Adventitial Fibroblasts and Pathological Vascular Remodeling

Osteopontin is known to play important roles in various diseases including vascular disorders. However, little is known about its expression and function in vascular adventitial fibroblasts. Adventitial fibroblasts have been shown to play a key role in pathological vascular remodeling associating with various vascular disorders. In this study, we measured activation of Osteopontin and its biological functions in cultured adventitial fibroblasts and injured rat carotid injury arteries induced by balloon angioplasty. Our results showed that angiotensin II and aldosterone increased Osteopontin expression in adventitial fibroblasts in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. MAPKs and AP-1 pathways were involved in Osteopontin upregulation. In addition, Adventitial fibroblast migration stimulated by Angiotensin II and aldosterone required OPN expression. Perivascular delivery of antisense oligonucleotide for Osteopontin suppressed neointimal formation post-injury. We concluded that upregulation of Osteopontin expression in adventitial fibroblasts might be important in the pathogenesis of vascular remodeling after arterial injury

Transient tissue priming via ROCK inhibition uncouples pancreatic cancer progression, sensitivity to chemotherapy, and metastasis

The emerging standard of care for patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer is a combination of cytotoxic drugs gemcitabine and Abraxane, but patient response remains moderate. Pancreatic cancer development and metastasis occur in complex settings, with reciprocal feedback from microenvironmental cues influencing both disease progression and drug response. Little is known about how sequential dual targeting of tumor tissue tension and vasculature before chemotherapy can affect tumor response. We used intravital imaging to assess how transient manipulation of the tumor tissue, or "priming," using the pharmaceutical Rho kinase inhibitor Fasudil affects response to chemotherapy. Intravital Förster resonance energy transfer imaging of a cyclin-dependent kinase 1 biosensor to monitor the efficacy of cytotoxic drugs revealed that priming improves pancreatic cancer response to gemcitabine/Abraxane at both primary and secondary sites. Transient priming also sensitized cells to shear stress and impaired colonization efficiency and fibrotic niche remodeling within the liver, three important features of cancer spread. Last, we demonstrate a graded response to priming in stratified patient-derived tumors, indicating that fine-tuned tissue manipulation before chemotherapy may offer opportunities in both primary and metastatic targeting of pancreatic cancer