Characterization of Carbon-Nanotube-Reinforced-Polymer-Composite Material based on Multiscale Finite Element Model and Probabilistic Approach

Carbon-Nanotube-Reinforced-Polymer-Composite (CNRPC) materials have generated widespread interest over the last several years in practical engineering applications, such as aeronautical and aerospace engineering structures. However, studies still need to be carried out to characterize their mechanical properties, especially the dynamic properties, and the effects of defects on the mechanical properties. Experimental investigations intended for this purpose have limitations and, in most cases, reliable cost-effective experimental work could not be carried out. Computational modelling and simulation encompassing multiscale material behavior provide an alternate approach in this regard to characterize the material behavior. A probabilistic approach serves as a suitable approach to characterize the effects of material and structural defects. The present thesis reports the development of a computational framework of the Representative Volume Element (RVE) of a CNRPC material model to determine its static and dynamic responses, and also for the evaluation of its static and dynamic reliabilities based on a probabilistic characterization approach. A 3D multiscale finite element model of the RVE of the nanocomposite material consisting of a polymer matrix, a Single-Walled-Carbon-Nanotube (SWCN) and an interface region has been constructed for this purpose. The multiscale modeling is performed in terms of using different theories and corresponding strain energies to model the individual parts of the RVE of the CNRPC material. The macroscale continuum mechanics is used for the polymer matrix, the mesoscale mechanics is used for the interface region, and the nanoscale-level atomistic mechanics is used for the SWCN. The polymer matrix is modeled using the Mooney-Rivlin strain energy function to calculate its non-linear response, while the interface region is modeled via the van der Waals links. The SWCN is first modeled as a space frame structure by using the Morse potential, and then as a thin shell based on a suitable shell theory. For this purpose, the suitability and the accuracy of popular shell theories for use in the multiscale model of the RVE are assessed

Enseñanza y evaluación de la escritura en la universidad: análisis de prácticas declaradas de docentes franceses y colombianos

La presente investigación tenía por objetivo analizar las representaciones de los docentes universitarios sobre sus prácticas de enseñanza y de evaluación de la escritura académica. Fueron realizadas entrevistas semi-estructuradas a diez profesores de la carrera de Psicología en una institución colombiana y otra francesa, en torno a dos temas: los consejos dados a los estudiantes para realizar sus trabajos escritos y los criterios de evaluación para juzgar dichos trabajos. El conjunto de participantes declara asumir diversas maneras de enseñanza de la escritura en sus asignaturas, focalizándose principalmente en una perspectiva discursiva centrada en la instrucción de ciertas normas de los escritos académicos. Igualmente, aparecen ciertas discordancias entre la enseñanza y la evaluación de la escritura en cuanto a la función cognitiva del lenguaje escrito y a su dimensión lingüística, al igual que ciertas diferencias entre las muestras con relación a los métodos para enseñar a escribir. The present study aimed to describe the conceptions of professors concerning teaching and assessment of academic writing. Ten professors of Psychology who working in two universities, one Colombian and one French, were interviewed on two subjects: ¿what are the recommendations that they communicate to their students when they have to write their written tasks?, and ¿what are they criterion used to assess the academic texts produced by their students? It was found that the participants declare to be involved in teaching and assessing of academic writing, mainly through a discursive perspective which aims particularly the teaching some specific norms of academic genres in Psychology. Also, some discrepancies between assessing and teaching practices are revealed, mainly concerning epistemic function of writing and the linguistic dimension; also, a few differences between the samples are found concerning methods to teaching.

Challenges A ecting Access to Health and Social Care Resources and Time Management among Parents of Children with Rett Syndrome: A Qualitative Case Study.

Rare diseases face serious sustainability challenges regarding the distribution of resources geared at health and social needs. Our aim was to describe the barriers experienced by parents of children with Rett Syndrome for accessing care resources. A qualitative case study was conducted among 31 parents of children with Rett syndrome. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus groups, researchers’ field notes and parents’ personal documents. A thematic analysis was performed and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines were followed. Three main themes emerged from the data: (a) essential health resources; (b) bureaucracy and social care; and (c) time management constraints. Parents have difficulties accessing appropriate health services for their children. Administrative obstacles exist for accessing public health services, forcing parents to bear the financial cost of specialized care. Time is an essential factor, which conditions the organization of activities for the entire family. Qualitative research offers insight into how parents of children with Rett syndrome experience access to resources and may help improve understanding of how Rett syndrome impacts the lives of both the children and their parentspost-print353 K

"Living an Obstacle Course": A Qualitative Study Examining the Experiences of Caregivers of Children with Rett Syndrome

Background: Rett syndrome has considerable effects on the quality of life of affected children, impairing everyday activities and potentially impacting the life of both the caregivers and the family. Our aim was to explore the experiences of a group of caregivers of children with Rett syndrome with regards to living and caring for their children. Methods: We conducted a qualitative case study to examine how 31 caregivers of children with Rett syndrome perceived living with their children. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus groups, researchers? field notes and caregivers? personal documents. A thematic analysis was performed following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guideline. Results: The experience of being a caregiver of a child with Rett syndrome was expressed as being akin to an ?obstacle course?, and was described via three main themes: (a) looking for answers, with two subthemes identified, namely ?the first symptoms?, and ?the need for a diagnosis?; (b) managing day to day life, with the subthemes ?applying treatments?, and ?learning to care?; and (c) money matters. Conclusions: Rett syndrome has a considerable impact on the lives of the caregivers involved. The health-care process and the management of economic resources are some of the aspects highlighted by caregivers. These findings have important implications for the planning of support services, health systems and health policies

Implementation of multi-layer techniques using FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab network infrastructures

Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. V. López, J. L. Añamuro, V. Moreno, J. E. L. De Vergara, J. Aracil, C. García, J. P. Fernández-Palacios, and M. Izal, "Implementation of multi-layer techniques using FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab network infrastructures", in 17th IEEE International Conference on Networks, ICON 2011, p. 89-94This paper describes an implementation of multilayer techniques using the network infrastructure provided by FEDERICA, PASITO and OneLab projects. FEDERICA project provides a network infrastructure, based on virtualization capabilities in both network and computing resources, which creates custom-made virtual environments. PASITO is a layer- 2 network that connects universities and research centers in Spain. OneLab measurements tools allow carrying out highaccuracy active network measurements. Thanks to FEDERICA and PASITO, we have a multi-layer architecture where the traffic is routed based on the measurements of OneLab equipment. To carry out this experiment, we have developed a Multi-layer Traffic Engineering manager and an implementation of the Path Computation Element Protocol to solve the lack of a control plane in IP oriented networks. This work shows the feasibility of multilayer techniques as a convenient solution for network operators and it validates our Path Computation Element implementation.This work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science under project ANFORA (TEC2009-13385), by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade under PASITO project, and by the European Union under project OneLab2 (FP7-224263). Authors would like to thank Mauro Campanella (GARR, the project coordinator of FEDERICA) and Miguel Angel Sotos (RedIris) for their support to carry out this work

Evaluador inteligente de daño fenológico en la planta de trigo

El cambio climático en el planeta ha afectado la producción mundial de trigo y los pronósticos aseguran que estos cambios y efectos serán mayores conforme pase el tiempo. Considerando la importancia de este cereal como alimento de la dieta básica de los seres humanos, se propone una nueva forma de evaluación del cultivo que permita pronosticar el daño probable por etapa fenológica por medio de una red neuronal artificial entrenada con datos históricos del comportamiento climático global e impacto fenológico. Un sistema de resultados interpreta la salida y constituye la interfaz de usuario. La propuesta fue validada y mostró su capacidad de generalización alcanzando alta precisión de 84%, por lo que se considera adecuada.Climate Change on the planet has affected the world wheat production and forecasts ensure that these changes and effects will be greater over time. Considering the importance of this cereal as a basic diet of human beings, this work proposes a new form of crop evaluation that allows to forecast probable damage by phenological stage, through an Artificial Neural Network trained with historical data of global climatic behavior and phenological impact. A results system interprets the output and constitutes the user interface. The proposal was validated, showed its generalization capacity and reached high precision of 84%, so it is considered adequate

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia.

El conflicto sociopolítico que vive Colombia ha traído consecuencias psicoemocional, económica, cultural y física a la población civil que le ha tocado vivir directa o indirectamente siendo víctima de este fenómeno social de conflicto armado; esta crisis que viven las comunidades ha fragmentado su tejido social. (Quintero, 2018). Citando a Gantiva C, (2010), los factores que intervienen en la crisis son: “Conflicto armado, pobreza, desempleo, violencia común, delitos sexuales, suicidio, enfermedades de alto impacto, desastres naturales” (p114); factores que atentan contra la integridad y dignidad de los sujetos por falta de una intervención a tiempo y basada en un enfoque diferencial. En este trabajo se logra identificar actores, elementos del contexto, la intencionalidad y la situación de cada problemática vivenciadas, permite articular los procesos individuales y colectivos de acompañamiento psicosocial en el cual se logra evidenciar no solo acciones, hechos puntuales, sino como también que este tiene una consistencia de dinamismo y de complejidad, y en la cual esta se constituye por sensaciones, emociones e interpretaciones de las personas de las que viven esas experiencias traumáticas, logrando ver personas que sienten, viven y que tienen una realidad más allá de sus historias o percepción de sobreviviente del conflicto armado en Colombia. Finalizamos con la reflexión subjetiva de la técnica de la foto voz como herramienta de intervención psicosocial en escenarios de violencia, son todos estos escenarios de riesgo y vulnerabilidad los que hacen memoria individual y colectiva que a la vez fuerza la construcción de una identidad dolorosa y frustrante de una memoria sobre el conflicto armado que ha transcurrido por décadas.The socio-political conflict that Colombia is going through has brought psycho-emotional, economic, cultural and physical consequences to the civilian population that has lived directly or indirectly as a victim of this social phenomenon of armed conflict; This crisis that the communities are living has fragmented their social fabric. (Quintero, 2018). Citing Gantiva C, (2010), the factors that intervene in the crisis are: "Armed conflict, poverty, unemployment, common violence, sexual crimes, suicide, high-impact diseases, natural disasters" (p114); factors that threaten the integrity and dignity of the subjects for lack of timely intervention and based on a differential approach. In this work it is possible to identify actors, elements of the context, the intentionality and the situation of each problem experienced, allows to articulate the individual and collective processes of psychosocial accompaniment in which it is possible to demonstrate not only actions, specific events, but also that this it has a consistency of dynamism and complexity, and in which it is constituted by sensations, emotions and interpretations of the people who live these traumatic experiences, managing to see people who feel, live and have a reality beyond their stories or perception of a survivor of the armed conflict in Colombia. We conclude with the subjective reflection of the technique of the photo voice as a tool of psychosocial intervention in scenarios of violence, these are all scenarios of risk and vulnerability that make individual and collective memory that at the same time forces the construction of a painful and frustrating identity of a report on the armed conflict that has been going on for decades

Home Garden as Socio-Environmental Sustainability Option

El artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la estrategia “huertas caseras” como opción de sostenibilidad socio-ambiental, tomando como referente contextual la expe-riencia de acciones solidarias de seguridad alimentaria con familias del Municipio de Tenza (Boyacá, Colombia). La metodología se aborda desde tres fases: 1) Diagnós-tica, orientada al reconocimiento de la comunidad inter-venida, a través de una ficha de caracterización socio­demográfica, ambiental y de seguridad alimentaria; 2) Diseño de un plan estratégico con acciones solidarias para la atención de las necesidades encontradas en el diagnóstico. 3) Implementación del plan propuesto en las comunidades objeto de estudio. Los resultados evidencian como el modelo de huerta casera y el aprovechamiento de residuos sólidos orgánicos, resultan opciones estratégicas pertinentes para generar en la comunidad una iniciativa de reflexión sobre la seguridad alimentaria y la sosteni-bilidad socioambiental. Se concluye de esta forma como al contar con una mejor oferta alimenticia para la población, se podrá garantizar una óptima ingesta de nutrientes, mejorando los niveles de bienestar y estado de salud en sus habitantesThe objective of this article is to analyze the "home gardens" strategy as an option for socio-environmental sustainability, taking as a contextual reference the ex-perience of food security solidarity actions with fami-lies in the Municipality of Tenza (Boyacá, Colombia). The methodology is approached from three phases: 1) Diagnosis, oriented to the recognition of the intervened community, through a sociodemographic, environmen-tal and food security characterization file; 2) Design of a strategic plan with solidary actions for the attention of the needs found in the diagnosis. 3) Implementation of the proposed plan in the communities under study. The results show how the home-garden model and the use of solid organic waste are relevant strategic op-tions to generate in the community an initiative for reflection on food security and socio­environmental sustainability. It is concluded in this way that by hav-ing a better food supply for the population, it will be possible to guarantee an optimal intake of nutrients, improving the levels of welfare and health status of its inhabitants

A Network Analysis of the Human T-Cell Activation Gene Network Identifies Jagged1 as a Therapeutic Target for Autoimmune Diseases

Understanding complex diseases will benefit the recognition of the properties of the gene networks that control biological functions. Here, we set out to model the gene network that controls T-cell activation in humans, which is critical for the development of autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The network was established on the basis of the quantitative expression from 104 individuals of 20 genes of the immune system, as well as on biological information from the Ingenuity database and Bayesian inference. Of the 31 links (gene interactions) identified in the network, 18 were identified in the Ingenuity database and 13 were new and we validated 7 of 8 interactions experimentally. In the MS patients network, we found an increase in the weight of gene interactions related to Th1 function and a decrease in those related to Treg and Th2 function. Indeed, we found that IFN-ß therapy induces changes in gene interactions related to T cell proliferation and adhesion, although these gene interactions were not restored to levels similar to controls. Finally, we identify JAG1 as a new therapeutic target whose differential behaviour in the MS network was not modified by immunomodulatory therapy. In vitro treatment with a Jagged1 agonist peptide modulated the T-cell activation network in PBMCs from patients with MS. Moreover, treatment of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis with the Jagged1 agonist ameliorated the disease course, and modulated Th2, Th1 and Treg function. This study illustrates how network analysis can predict therapeutic targets for immune intervention and identified the immunomodulatory properties of Jagged1 making it a new therapeutic target for MS and other autoimmune diseases