Seismic Microzonation of Great Toronto Area and Influence of Building Resonances on Measured Soil Responses

A pilot seismic microzonation of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is used to establish the conditions and limitations of geophysical methods for site response investigations in city conditions. Maps of fundamental soil resonant frequencies, amplifications at these frequencies and interpolated average shear wave velocity of top 30 m of soil profile (VS- 30) used in soil classification were compared to the maps of drift thickness and surficial geology for the GTA. The non-applicability of the interpolated VS-30 map for site classification between measured test points is indicated. It is also shown that the soil response cannot be estimated properly using VS-30 values only. In order to enhance the capability of the horizontal-to-vertical-spectral-ratio (HVSR) method to resolve the fundamental soil resonances, a procedure and a computer program were developed for separation of ambient vibrations from nearby traffic as well as distant sources using the recorded waveforms before calculating the HVSR. A portable seismic station was developed for field HVSR waveforms recordings. It was also used for identification of building vibration modes. The influence of building vibrations on the HVSR result was investigated considering a benchmark building before construction started and after its completion. This influence is expressed as suppression or split-up of HVSR resonance if the building and soil resonances are close. This effect spreads out to distances comparable to the maximum dimension of the building. The experimentally obtained building resonant frequency at first vibration mode was found to be significantly higher than that calculated using empirical equations proposed by building codes, while the damping factor was less than the prescribed value. Additionally, the concept of using the HVSR inside a building to identify its resonances was examined using recorded waveforms, but the results did not confirm applicability of the HVSR for this purpose. The limitations and initial conditions that are necessary for successful implementation of refracted shear wave seismic profiling (SH-profiling) and multi-channel-analysis-ofsurface- waves (MASW) methods for application in urban areas are discussed. The problems with interlaying low velocity soil layer are pointed out. The soil response functions obtained from the microzonation studies using low intensity seismic sources differ from the response during an earthquake. An approach to estimate the changes of soil response in relation with expected Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) and Intensity of Modified Mercalli Scale (IMM) is proposed. The results were found to be in agreement with strong motion data from the epicentral area of a strong earthquake. It was concluded that the results from seismic microzonation studies should be considered in conjunction with models that simulate the change in dynamic characteristics of soil and buildings during expected earthquake events

Laparoscopic vs. open surgical access radical cystectomy with subsequent orthotopic reconstruction in the treatment of invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Introduction: Radical cystectomy combined with extended lymph node dissection is the treatment of choice for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and can be performed using open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted surgical access. Aim: To compare the outcomes of laparoscopic (LRC) and open-access (ORC) radical cystectomy in terms of surgery, oncology, functional outcomes, and complications. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 200 patients who had all undergone cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer within the last 4 years. All patients were divided into groups according to the surgical access: LRC in 30 patients and ORC in 170 patients. Oncologic outcomes, expressed as perioperative complications and postoperative results, were analyzed. Results: Overall survival rates were most significantly associated with the histological type, as well as the ‘positive’ lymph nodes and positive resection margin. The average duration of the procedure was shorter in ORC than in LRC (245.5 min and 345.3 min, respectively). Hospital stay was on average 9.18 days in LRC and 12.63 days in ORC, and this duration could vary depending on the type of diversion. The average blood loss in LRC (250-320 ml) was lower than that in ORC (200-720 ml). The complications rate was lower with LRC than with ORC; however, with subsequent orthotopic reconstruction, the functional results were better in ORC. Conclusions: LRC is an alternative option to ORC, considering the fewer complications, less amount of blood loss, and greater surgical precision, as well as shorter hospital stay. Orthotopic diversion has better functional outcomes in ORC

Ice Lithography for Nano-Devices

We report the successful application of a new approach, ice lithography (IL), to fabricate nanoscale devices. The entire IL process takes place inside a modified scanning electron microscope (SEM), where a vapor-deposited film of water ice serves as a resist for e-beam lithography, greatly simplifying and streamlining device fabrication. We show that labile nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes can be safely imaged in an SEM when coated in ice. The ice film is patterned at high e-beam intensity and serves as a mask for lift-off without the device degradation and contamination associated with e-beam imaging and polymer resist residues. We demonstrate the IL preparation of carbon nanotubes field effect transistors (FETs) with high quality trans-conductance properties.Engineering and Applied SciencesMolecular and Cellular BiologyPhysic

Embedding a Carbon Nanotube across the Diameter of a Solid State Nanopore

A fabrication method for positioning and embedding a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) across the diameter of a solid state nanopore is presented. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to grow SWNTs over arrays of focused ion beam (FIB) milled pores in a thin silicon nitride membrane. This typically yields at least one pore whose diameter is centrally crossed by a SWNT. The final diameter of the FIB pore is adjusted to create a nanopore of any desired diameter by atomic layer deposition, simultaneously embedding and insulating the SWNT everywhere but in the region that crosses the diameter of the final nanopore, where it remains pristine and bare. This nanotube-articulated nanopore is an important step towards the realization of a new type of detector for biomolecule sensing and electronic characterization, including DNA sequencing.Engineering and Applied SciencesMolecular and Cellular BiologyPhysic

Implementation of an Ontology-Based Decision Support System for Dietary Recommendations for Diabetes Mellitus

Along with the massive influence of computing technologies in medical research and practice, the wide generation of patient, clinical and lab test data makes the assistance of intelligent information systems a very important factor for correct therapy, surveillance and advising of the patients. In this context decision support systems play an increasingly important role in medical practice. The implementation of a decision support system (DSS) in diabetes treatment and in particular in organizing an improved regime of food balance and patient diets is the target area of the presented study. Based on the recently created Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Ontology (DMTO), our DSS for dietary recommendations generates broader and more precise advices to patients with a known clinical history and lab test profiles. These recommendations are rule-based decisions derived using the DMTO subontologies for patient’s lifestyle improvement and the data from the patient records.National Scientific Program “eHealth” in Bulgaria. Methodological support was received from Project BG05M2P001-1.001-0004 “Universities for Science, Informatics and Technologies in the e-Society (UNITe)” funded by Operational Program “Science and Education for Smart Growth” co-funded by European Regional Development Fund

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

First experimental test of HAL QCD lattice calculations for the multi strange hyperon - nucleon interaction with ALICE

The use of non-traditional femtoscopy in small collision systems is a promising technique to improve our knowledge on nucleon-hyperon and hyperon-hyperon interactions. This article gives an overview on the experimental status and prospects for the measurement of the p–Ξ − and p–Ω − correlation functions, using the ALICE data collected in pp collisions at 13 TeV, triggered for high-multiplicity. Such studies are relevant for the understanding of the nuclear Equation of State and its relation to dense objects like neutron stars. Recently the HAL-QCD collaboration conducted calculations without relying on constraints by data and with quarks and gluons as degrees of freedom. Their results converge for the interactions between heavier Ξ − and Ω − hyperons and nucleons and in the p–Ω − system they predict a bound state. This work highlights the feasibility of exploiting the ALICE data to study the existence of a di-baryon bound state and provides the most precise test of the lattice results for the p–Ξ − interaction

Analysis techniques for femtoscopy and correlation studies in small collision systems and their applications to the investigation of p–Λ and Λ–Λ interactions with ALICE

Femtoscopy is a technique relating the correlations between pairs of particles to their emission source and interaction potential. Traditionally femtoscopy is used to study the properties of the emission source, mostly by using charged pion correlations, for which the correlation function is determined only by the Bose-Einstein statistics and Coulomb interaction. The topic of this work is the non-traditional baryon–baryon femtoscopy, the goal of which is to study the interaction potential between different baryon pairs, assuming the emission source is fixed. Such an approach is quite challenging as it requires an exact treatment of the strong potential in order to compute the correlation function, as well as knowledge on the profile and size of the emission source. In the work presented here, a new “Correlation Analysis Tool using the Schrödinger equation” (CATS) has been developed to tackle the issue related to the modeling of the correla- tion function. In previous works it was proposed that in small collision systems the source is approximately the same for all baryon–baryon pairs and this feature leads to the opportunity of using the p–p correlations to fix the source, allowing to study the interaction of other pairs. However, the limits of validity of this method were never quantitatively studied. In particular, the decays of short-lived resonances are expected to influence the emission source differently based on the particle species involved. In this work a new model was developed to handle this effect, making possible to perform non-traditional femtoscopy with much higher precision. This new analysis techniques and method developed were used by the ALICE col- laboration to study a multitude of different baryon–baryon systems, including p–Λ, p–Σ^0 , p–Ξ − , Λ–Λ, p–Ω^− and has even been applied to the meson sector to study the p–K^− interaction. Aside the development of CATS and the new source model, the author was the main analyzer of the p–Λ and Λ–Λ systems, therefore these results will be discussed in detail. In particular, the study of p–Λ has an important link to the equation of state of nuclear matter and the existence of massive neutron stars. In this work the chiral effective field theory computations are verified against the p–Λ data collected by the ALICE collaboration. The Λ–Λ system is of great theo- retical interest, as some models predict the existence of a bound state, the so called H-dibaryon, which could be composed of two Λs. The current work provides fur- ther experimental constraints on the Λ–Λ scattering parameters and binding energy of the hypothetical bound state