Computer simulation of the microstructure and rheology of semi-solid alloys under shear

The rheological behavior of metallic alloys containing both solid and liquid phases is investigated in the low solid fraction range (<50%). This behavior depends on both the solid fraction and the shear rate. The concept of Effective Volume Fraction (EVF) is used to decorrelate the influence of these two parameters. At high shear rate the slurry behaves like a suspension of hard spheres, whereas at lower shear rate, particles tend to aggregate in clusters, entrapping liquid and thus, increasing the EVF and the viscosity. A lattice model is introduced to simulate the aggregation / break-up processes within a slurry under shear. When the steady state is reached, the entrapped liquid fraction is calculated, leading to a viscosity estimation. Simulation results for the viscosity and 3D cluster structure are in good agreement with experimental results.Comment: 30 pages, 17 figures, to be published in Acta Mate

Essais d'épuration des eaux usées de Marrakech par la jacinthe d'eau (Charges organique, bactérienne et parasitologique)

Cette étude est destinée à tester expérimentalement les capacités d'épuration des eaux usées par lagunage à macrophytes (jacinthe d'eau : Eichhornia crassipes), sous les conditions climatiques de Marrakech.L'installation fonctionne en continu avec un débit constant à l'entrée de 10 l/min. La charge admise est de 40 g DCO/M2/j.Sous l'aspect de la production de biomasse végétale, les effluents domestiques constituent un bon substrat nutritionnel. Les taux de croissance et les productions obtenues montrent dans l'ensemble une excellent adaptation d'Eichhornia crassipesà ce milieu. Le maximum de biomasse et de productivité ont été obtenu en période estivale et sont respectivement de: 40 kg MF/m2 et 38,6 MS/m2/j. Il s'est avéré également que la jacinthe d'eau est persistante toute l'année sous le climat méditerranéen aride de Marrakech.L'épuration des eaux usées domestiques par lagunage à macrophyles aboutit à des rendements satisfaisants surtout en période estivale où on obtient un abattement de 87 % de la DCO et une réduction de 95 % des MEST.Sur te plan sanitaire, l'abattement de la charge bactérienne exprimée par les bactéries témoins de contamination fécale peut atteindre jusqu'à 2ULog pour un temps de séjour théorique très court (7 jours).Ce système e par ailleurs fourni des abattement de 100 % des oeufs d'helminthes parasites au niveau de l'eau épurée.The aim of the present study is to experimentaly test the capacities of the mater hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in order to purify wastewater under Manakesh climatic conditions.The experiment was carried al wastewater spreading zone of Marrakesh pretraitement.The experimant's installation is made of two lined water yacinth ponds that receive domestic wastewater.The proposed process is a continuous system with a constant flow rate of 10 l/mn. The theoritical retention time was estimated to 7 days. The allowed load is 40 g COD/m2/day. Macrophytic biomass was observed for both ponds during the experimental period (Match, 1986 - February, 1987). Parameters of organic, bacterial and parasitological loads are studied in order to determine the system efficiency under arid climate.Obtained results show the water hyacinth ability to adapt to Marrakesh climatic conditions. The number of plants doubled at 12 days, this is coherent with results obtained by PENFOUND (1956), BOCK (1969), WESTLAKE (1963, 1975) and SCULTHORPE (1967). Maximum biomass level and productivity were achieved during the summer period : 40 kg WW/m2/day and 38,6 g DW/m2/day respectively. Biomass and productivity obtained under arid climate are similar to results obtained by WOOTEN and DODD (1976), and by DINGES (1976) under subtropical conditions, and higher than chose obtained by JOHN (1985) under temperate climate. The growth period of water hyacinth is estimated to 9 months at Marrakesh, 10 months at subtropical climate (WOLVERTON and MC DONALD, 1976) and limited to 6 months under cold climate (COPELLI et al., 1982; DUBOIS, 1983; SAUZE, 1983; DE CASABIANCA, 1985). Temperature is considered as a limited growth factor of water yacinth. According to FRANCOIS et al. (1977), the water hyacinth growth was stopped when the temperature is lower than 10 °C. Linder Marrakesh arid climate, the temperature is always higher than 10 °C. It was also found that the water hyacinth survive all a year around in the arid climate of Marrakesh.Domestic sewage purification by water hyacinth leads to satisfactory efficiency during the summer concerning reduction of COD: 87 % and TSS : 95 %. This phenomenon may be jointed to the retention time wich was lengthed (9,4 days) in the summer, and the higher biomass density of water hyacinths in this one. The purifying action of floating macrophytes (Eichharnia crassipes) is physical and biological. The root system stabilizes the medium thus favoring sedimentation of TSS and particulate COD both on the bottom of the tank and by trapping in the root hairs. Elimination of COD is realized by means of the action of bacteria which are present, by sedimentation of particulate COD and root filtration.The biological action of the plants is not an important mechanism for COD elimination. The system efficiency is low at the winter and the reduction of COD and TSS have not exceed 60 % and 82 % respectively because the degenering of the water hyacinths.From sanitary point of view, bacterial load reduction expressed by control faecal contamination bacteria achieved 2 log Units for a short theoritical retention time (7 days). This is higher than the result obtained by DUBOIS (1985). Two hypothesis are given to explain reduction of bacterial load by water hyacinths :1) the bacteria are sedimented or trapped in the root hairs of the water hyacinths whith TSS. 2) Water hyacinths may have a capacity to secrete a chemical substance wich could have bactericid or bacteriostatic effect. The improvement of retention time and the addition of one or two supplementary ponds will probably lead to better results. Moreover, this process had also reduced parasitical helminth eggs to undetectable levels (100 %). The parasitical helminth eggs distinguisched at domestic sewage received by the experimental installation, are Taenia, Hymenolepis, Trichuris and Ascaris geints. Their total number vary tram 0 to 120 eggs/l with a mean of 32. Other types of eggs could be encountred generally in waste water as : Toxocara, Oxyure, Capillaria and Taxoascaris (FOX and FITZGERALD,1976) but was not detected by our technique. No helminth eggs were found in purified wastewater descended through water hyacinth ponds. This phenomenon is explained by supposing that the helminth eggs are present in the effluent but it was the detection limit of the employed technique (Bailenger method), or there is no eggs really at the effluent because of their higher specific weight. Ascaris, Taenia and Trichuris eggs have a sedimentation rate of 0,65 m/h, 0,26 m/h and 1,5 m/h respectively (FEACHEM et al.,1983). The eggs sedimented rapidly in the water hyacinths ponds involving a transfer of the effluent pollution to the sediment. Several authors affirmed that the stabilization ponds are an effective means to reduce parasitical helminth eggs of the wastewaters (GLOYNA, 1972; KOWAL, 1985). Hence, if the parasitical risk could be controled in the purified water (effluent), particular attention should be given to sediments. It is also important to point out, that no parasitical nematode is found at the influent. Nematofauna associated to wastewater and roots of water hyacinth, was represented by bacteria consumer nematode. The abundance of nematode is definite by the existence of bacterial food in the wastewaters (CALAWAY, 1963; SHIEMER, 1976). The principal genus determined are Rhabditis sp, Plectus sp. and Mononchoïdes sp. It appears that Rhabditis genus, is dominant in the first pond (94,7 %) of the nematode population. However, the two genus Rhabditis sp. and Plectus sp. are dominant in the second one and represent 50 % and 49 % respectively. The presence of Plectidae in the second basin indicates that is less loaded (ZULINI, 1976). However, under the arid climate conditions of Marrakesh, the process based on water hyacinth for wastewater purification, is faced with two major problems : first, the water loss by evapotranspiration reachs 60 % during the summer time under arid climate of Marrakesh. The development of Mousquito particularly in the summer, constitutes the second problem of our proposed process. Moreover, front economical point of view, the water hyacinths show a good productivity in the summer under arid climate and could be exploited in several field

Ancestral genome estimation reveals the history of ecological diversification in Agrobacterium

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is considered as a major source of innovation in bacteria, and as such is expected to drive adaptation to new ecological niches. However, among the many genes acquired through HGT along the diversification history of genomes, only a fraction may have actively contributed to sustained ecological adaptation. We used a phylogenetic approach accounting for the transfer of genes (or groups of genes) to estimate the history of genomes in Agrobacterium biovar 1, a diverse group of soil and plant-dwelling bacterial species. We identified clade-specific blocks of cotransferred genes encoding coherent biochemical pathways that may have contributed to the evolutionary success of key Agrobacterium clades. This pattern of gene coevolution rejects a neutral model of transfer, in which neighboring genes would be transferred independently of their function and rather suggests purifying selection on collectively coded acquired pathways. The acquisition of these synapomorphic blocks of cofunctioning genes probably drove the ecological diversification of Agrobacterium and defined features of ancestral ecological niches, which consistently hint at a strong selective role of host plant rhizospheres

Comparative analysis of viral shedding in pediatric and adult subjects with central nervous system-associated enterovirus infections from 2013 to 2015 in Switzerland.

Several enterovirus (EV) genotypes can result in aseptic meningitis, but their routes of access to the central nervous system remain to be elucidated and may differ between the pediatric and adult populations. To assess the pattern of viral shedding in pediatric and adult subjects with acute EV meningitis and to generate EV surveillance data for Switzerland. All pediatric and adult subjects admitted to the University Hospitals of Geneva with a diagnosis of EV meningitis between 2013 and 2015 were enrolled. A quantitative EV real-time reverse transcriptase (rRT)-PCR was performed on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, stool, urine and respiratory specimens to assess viral shedding and provide a comparative analysis of pediatric and adult populations. EV genotyping was systematically performed. EV positivity rates differed significantly between pediatric and adult subjects; 62.5% of pediatric cases (no adult case) were EV-positive in stool and blood for subjects for whom these samples were all collected. Similarly, the EV viral load in blood was significantly higher in pediatric subjects. Blood C-reactive protein levels were lower and the number of leucocytes/mm3 in the CSF were higher in non-viremic than in viremic pediatric subjects, respectively. A greater diversity of EV genotypes was observed in pediatric cases, with a predominance of echovirus 30 in children ≥3 years old and adults. In contrast to adults, EV-disseminated infections are predominant in pediatric subjects and show different patterns of EV viral shedding. This observation may be useful for clinicians and contribute to modify current practices of patient care

The "Ram Effect": A "Non-Classical" Mechanism for Inducing LH Surges in Sheep

During spring sheep do not normally ovulate but exposure to a ram can induce ovulation. In some ewes an LH surge is induced immediately after exposure to a ram thus raising questions about the control of this precocious LH surge. Our first aim was to determine the plasma concentrations of oestradiol (E2) E2 in anoestrous ewes before and after the "ram effect" in ewes that had a "precocious" LH surge (starting within 6 hours), a "normal" surge (between 6 and 28h) and "late» surge (not detected by 56h). In another experiment we tested if a small increase in circulating E2 could induce an LH surge in anoestrus ewes. The concentration of E2 significantly was not different at the time of ram introduction among ewes with the three types of LH surge. "Precocious" LH surges were not preceded by a large increase in E2 unlike "normal" surges and small elevations of circulating E2 alone were unable to induce LH surges. These results show that the "precocious" LH surge was not the result of E2 positive feedback. Our second aim was to test if noradrenaline (NA) is involved in the LH response to the "ram effect". Using double labelling for Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) we showed that exposure of anoestrous ewes to a ram induced a higher density of cells positive for both in the A1 nucleus and the Locus Coeruleus complex compared to unstimulated controls. Finally, the administration by retrodialysis into the preoptic area, of NA increased the proportion of ewes with an LH response to ram odor whereas treatment with the α1 antagonist Prazosin decreased the LH pulse frequency and amplitude induced by a sexually active ram. Collectively these results suggest that in anoestrous ewes NA is involved in ram-induced LH secretion as observed in other induced ovulators

Manual Therapy Research Methods in Animal Models, Focusing on Soft Tissues.

Manual therapies have been practiced for centuries, yet little research has been performed to understand their efficacy and almost no animal research has been performed to inform mechanisms of action. The methods of manual therapy practice are quite varied and present a challenge for scientists to model the treatments and perform research using rodents. In this perspective we present a descriptive analysis of the complexity of the treatments, highlighting the role of tissue mechanics and physics. With these complexities in mind, we compare using manual therapy as clinically practiced, to attempts to develop machinery to model or mimic manual therapy. We propose that because of the complexities of manual therapy as practiced, having therapists perform the treatments on research animals just as they would on humans is the most scientific approach. Our results using this approach have supported its practicality.Lewis Katz School of MedicineCardiovascular SciencesBiomedical Education and Data ScienceNeural Science

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Approche numérique de la plasticité induite par transformation diffusionnelle : investigations dans le cas de l’interaction plasticité classique TRIP

Le phénomène mécanique appelé TRIP (Transformation Induced Plasticity), correspondant à une déformation permanente induite par une transformation de phase, peut apparaître lors d’une transformation sous chargement extérieur comme lorsque la phase parente a été pré-écrouie. Le TRIP peut apparaître en particulier pendant des opérations de soudage d’aciers, lors de la ou des étapes de refroidissement. Le modèle le plus courant qui permet de tenir compte d'un pré-écrouissage de l'austénite pour prédire le développement de TRIP (modèle de Leblond) s'est montré imparfait pour reproduire les résultats expérimentaux dans le cas d’une phase parente pré-écrouie, d’après ce qu’ont montré Taleb et Petit-Grostabussiat. Ceci a donc motivé le développement de méthodes alternatives, à savoir par éléments finis, pour tenter de mieux rendre compte par modélisation de ces effets de pré-écrouissage. Cet article présente les investigations numériques concernant la transformation bainitique d’un macrovolume cubique dans le cas idéalisé où un seul germe est présent au centre du volume d’étude (ceci constitue un cas test), ainsi que dans le cas où des germes apparaissent aléatoirement dans l’espace et dans le temps selon une loi de distribution donnée.Mots clés: Plasticité induite par transformation; modélisation micromécanique; transformation diffusionnelle; éléments finis. The mechanical phenomenon called TRIP (Transformation Induced Plasticity), corresponding to a permanent strain induced by a phase transformation, can be due to an externally applied load or to a pre-hardening of the parent phase. TRIP can appear particularly during a welding operation on steels, during the cooling step(s). The most currently used model which allows to take into account the pre-hardening of austenite for the prediction of TRIP (Leblond model) has shown to be incorrect to reproduce the experimental results in the case of a pre-hardened austenite, according to the work of Taleb and Petit-Grostabussiat. This has motivated the development of alternative methods, with finite elements analysis, to try to improve the prediction of this effect of pre-hardening. This article presents the numerical investigations concerning the bainitic transformation of a cubic macro-volume. Two cases are treated: the ideal case where a single nucleus is present at the center of the volume (test case); the case where nuclei appear randomly in space and in time, according to a given distribution law.Keywords: Transformation induced plasticity; micromechanical modelling; diffusive transformation; finite elements

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

The HITRAN 2008 Molecular Spectroscopic Database

This paper describes the status of the 2008 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database. The new edition is the first official public release since the 2004 edition, although a number of crucial updates had been made available online since 2004. The HITRAN compilation consists of several components that serve as input for radiative-transfer calculation codes: individual line parameters for the microwave through visible spectra of molecules in the gas phase; absorption cross-sections for molecules having dense spectral features, i.e., spectra in which the individual lines are not resolved; individual line parameters and absorption cross sections for bands in the ultra-violet; refractive indices of aerosols, tables and files of general properties associated with the database; and database management software. The line-by-line portion of the database contains spectroscopic parameters for forty-two molecules including many of their isotopologues