IN-SERVICE INSPECTION OF AERONAUTICS PARTS PRODUCED BY ADDITIVE LAYER MANUFACTURING (ALM) - in the framework of Bionic Aircraft project (GA nº 690689)

Bionic Aircraft is a project founded under the H2020 Framework Program and it is a result of a need to reduce emissions due to the impact of the growth of the aviation industry. The introduction of Additive Laser Manufacturing (ALM) to produce some metal aircraft parts is considered as an opportunity to address this issue. This technology allows to produce ultra-lightweight and highly complex parts (so-called “bionic parts”). One of the actions to consider in the project is the development of new NDT strategies to inspect, in-service, parts produced by ALM made of Al-based alloys. This need arises because, ALM processes for these alloys are at low maturity level (TRL2) and hence, no proven and certified NDT methods are yet developed. Moreover, in-service inspection of aeronautic bionic parts involves challenges like the uncertainty of the inner inspection of a layered material, the lack of accessibility (the part is attached to the aircraft fuselage), and the expected defects under in-service conditions, something still under study. The objective of this work is to assess the inspection, in-service, of this kind of parts, by selecting and customizing the most suitable NDT methods, according to the type and maximum tolerable damage sizes estimated by a fatigue life prediction evaluation.H2020, 690689, Bionic Aircraf

Low temperature magneto-morphological characterisation of coronene and the resolution of previously observed unexplained phenomena

The polyaromatic hydrocarbon coronene has been the molecule of choice for understanding the physical properties of graphene for over a decade. The modelling of the latter by the former was considered to be valid, as since it was first synthesised in 1932, the physical behaviour of coronene has been determined extremely accurately. We recently discovered however, an unforeseen polymorph of coronene, which exists as an enantiotrope with the previously observed crystal structure. Using low-temperature magnetisation and crystallographic measurements, we show here for the first time that the electronic and magnetic properties of coronene depend directly on the temperature at which it is observed, with hysteretic behaviour exhibited between 300 K and 100 K. Furthermore we determine that this behaviour is a direct result of the appearance and disappearance of the newly-discovered polymorph during thermal cycling. Our results not only highlight the need for theoretical models of graphene to take into account this anomalous behaviour at low temperatures, but also explain puzzling experimental observations of coronene dating back over 40 years

Diets containing sea cucumber (Isostichopus badionotus) meals are hypocholesterolemic in young rats

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Dynamic Activation and Repression of the Plasmodium falciparum rif Gene Family and Their Relation to Chromatin Modification

The regulation of variant gene expression in Plasmodium falciparum is still only partially understood. Regulation of var genes, the most studied gene family involved in antigenic variation, is orchestrated by a dynamic pattern of inherited chromatin states. Although recent evidence pointed to epigenetic regulation of transcribed and repressed rif loci, little is known about specific on/off associated histone modifications of individual rif genes. To investigate the chromatin marks for transcribed and repressed rif loci, we cultivated parasites and evaluated the transcriptional status of chosen rif targets by qRT-PCR and performed ChIP assays using H3K9ac and H3K9me3 antibodies. We then monitored changes in the epigenetic patterns in parasites after several reinvasions and also evaluated the “poised” mark in trophozoites and schizonts of the same erythrocytic cycle by ChIP using H3K4me2 specific antibodies. Our results show that H3K9 is acetylated in transcribed rif loci and trimethylated or even unmodified in repressed rif loci. These transcriptional and epigenetic states are inherited after several reinvasions. The poised modification H3K4me2 showed a tendency to be more present in loci in trophozoites that upon progression to schizonts strongly transcribe the respective locus. However, this effect was not consistently observed for all monitored loci. While our data show important similarities to var transcription-associated chromatin modifications, the observed swiftly occurring modifications at rif loci and the absence of H3K9 modification point to a different dynamic of recruitment of chromatin modifying enzymes

Maternal and perinatal outcomes after bariatric surgery: a spanish multicenter study

The final publication is avaliable at Springer Link[Abstract] Background. Bariatric surgery (BS) has become more frequent among women of child-bearing age. Data regarding the underlying maternal and perinatal risks are scarce. The objective of this nationwide study is to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes after BS. Methods. We performed a retrospective observational study of 168 pregnancies in 112 women who underwent BS in 10 tertiary hospitals in Spain over a 15-year period. Maternal and perinatal outcomes, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy-associated hypertensive disorders (PAHD), pre-term birth cesarean deliveries, small and large for gestational age births (SGA, LGA), still births, and neonatal deaths, were evaluated. Results were further compared according to the type of BS performed: restrictive techniques (vertical-banded gastroplasty, sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric banding), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD). Results. GDM occurred in five (3 %) pregnancies and there were no cases of PAHD. Women whose pregnancies occurred before 1 year after BS had a higher pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) than those who got pregnant 1 year after BS (34.6 ± 7.7 vs 30.4 ± 5.3 kg/m2, p = 0.007). In pregnancies occurring during the first year after BS, a higher rate of stillbirths was observed compared to pregnancies occurring after this period of time (35.5 vs 16.8 %, p = 0.03). Women who underwent BPD delivered a higher rate of SGA babies than women with RYGB or restrictive procedures (34.8, 12.7, and 8.3 %, respectively). Conclusions. Pregnancy should be scheduled at least 1 year after BS. Malabsorptive procedures are associated to a higher rate of SGA births

Planck intermediate results. XXIX. All-sky dust modelling with Planck, IRAS, and WISE observations

We present all-sky modelling of the high resolution Planck, IRAS, and WISE infrared (IR) observations using the physical dust model presented by Draine and Li in 2007 (DL). We study the performance and results of this model, and discuss implications for future dust modelling. The present work extends the DL dust modelling carried out on nearby galaxies using Herschel and Spitzer data to Galactic dust emission. We employ the DL dust model to generate maps of the dust mass surface density, the optical extinction Av, and the starlight intensity parametrized by Umin. The DL model reproduces the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) satisfactorily over most of the sky, with small deviations in the inner Galactic disk and in low ecliptic latitude areas. We compare the DL optical extinction Av for the diffuse interstellar medium with optical estimates for 2 10^5 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) observed in the Sloan digital sky survey. The DL Av estimates are larger than those determined towards QSOs by a factor of about 2, which depends on Umin. The DL fitting parameter Umin, effectively determined by the wavelength where the SED peaks, appears to trace variations in the far-IR opacity of the dust grains per unit Av, and not only in the starlight intensity. To circumvent the model deficiency, we propose an empirical renormalization of the DL Av estimate, dependent of Umin, which compensates for the systematic differences found with QSO observations. This renormalization also brings into agreement the DL Av estimates with those derived for molecular clouds from the near-IR colours of stars in the 2 micron all sky survey. The DL model and the QSOs data are used to compress the spectral information in the Planck and IRAS observations for the diffuse ISM to a family of 20 SEDs normalized per Av, parameterized by Umin, which may be used to test and empirically calibrate dust models.Comment: Final version that has appeared in A&

Tool wear monitoring using neuro-fuzzy techniques: a comparative study in a turning process

Tool wear detection is a key issue for tool condition monitoring. The maximization of useful tool life is frequently related with the optimization of machining processes. This paper presents two model-based approaches for tool wear monitoring on the basis of neuro-fuzzy techniques. The use of a neuro-fuzzy hybridization to design a tool wear monitoring system is aiming at exploiting the synergy of neural networks and fuzzy logic, by combining human reasoning with learning and connectionist structure. The turning process that is a well-known machining process is selected for this case study. A four-input (i.e., time, cutting forces, vibrations and acoustic emissions signals) single-output (tool wear rate) model is designed and implemented on the basis of three neuro-fuzzy approaches (inductive, transductive and evolving neuro-fuzzy systems). The tool wear model is then used for monitoring the turning process. The comparative study demonstrates that the transductive neuro-fuzzy model provides better error-based performance indices for detecting tool wear than the inductive neuro-fuzzy model and than the evolving neuro-fuzzy model

Plasmodium falciparum heterochromatin protein 1 binds to tri-methylated histone 3 lysine 9 and is linked to mutually exclusive expression of var genes

Increasing experimental evidence shows a prominent role of histone modifications in the coordinated control of gene expression in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The search for the histone-mark-reading machinery that translates histone modifications into biological processes, such as formation of heterochromatin and antigenic variation is of foremost importance. In this work, we identified the first member of a histone modification specific recognition protein, an orthologue of heterochromatin protein 1 (PfHP1). Analysis of the PfHP1 amino-acid sequence revealed the presence of the two characteristic HP1 domains: a chromodomain (CD) and a chromo shadow domain (CSD). Recombinant CD binds to di- and tri-methylated lysine 9 from histone H3, but not to unmodified or methylated histone H3 in lysine 4. PfHP1 is able to interact with itself to form dimers, underlying its potential role in aggregating nucleosomes to form heterochromatin. Antibodies raised against PfHP1 detect this molecule in foci at the perinuclear region. ChIP analysis using anti-PfHP1 shows that this protein is linked to heterochromatin of subtelomeric non-coding repeat regions and monoallelic expression of the major virulence var gene family. This is the first report implicating an HP1 protein in the control of antigenic variation of a protozoan parasite

Charge separation relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}= 2.76 TeV

Measurements of charge dependent azimuthal correlations with the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV. Two- and three-particle charge-dependent azimuthal correlations in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta| < 0.8$ are presented as a function of the collision centrality, particle separation in pseudo-rapidity, and transverse momentum. A clear signal compatible with a charge-dependent separation relative to the reaction plane is observed, which shows little or no collision energy dependence when compared to measurements at RHIC energies. This provides a new insight for understanding the nature of the charge dependent azimuthal correlations observed at RHIC and LHC energies.Comment: 12 pages, 3 captioned figures, authors from page 2 to 6, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/286