Aneurysms of the intracranial segment of the ophthalmic artery trunk. case report and systematic literature review

Aneurysms arising from the ophthalmic artery trunk (OAT) are very rare, particularly in the artery's intracranial course. The onset of a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a ruptured OAT aneurysm in this segment is extremely rare. We present a case and discuss the anatomy, clinical significance, and therapeutic options for an aneurysm at this site. We also retrospectively analyzed the record of a patient with a ruptured aneurysm of the intracranial segment of the OAT and conducted a comprehensive and systematic review of the PubMed and Scopus databases for literature on this pathology. Only one case report of SAH from an aneurysm of the intracranial segment of the OAT was published in the literature. Only in our case was the intracranial OAT segment aneurysm discovered in the acute phase of SAH. Conventional angiography with three-dimensional acquisition may help detect aneurysms at this level. Detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the OAT is of paramount importance for both surgical and endovascular approaches. Surgical treatment is complex because of difficulties in accessing the orbital region and the risk of optic nerve and vascular injuries. Endovascular treatment, when feasible, could be a good alternative to reduce the risk of loss of vision related to surgical manipulation

Energy diffusion in hard-point systems

We investigate the diffusive properties of energy fluctuations in a one-dimensional diatomic chain of hard-point particles interacting through a square--well potential. The evolution of initially localized infinitesimal and finite perturbations is numerically investigated for different density values. All cases belong to the same universality class which can be also interpreted as a Levy walk of the energy with scaling exponent 3/5. The zero-pressure limit is nevertheless exceptional in that normal diffusion is found in tangent space and yet anomalous diffusion with a different rate for perturbations of finite amplitude. The different behaviour of the two classes of perturbations is traced back to the "stable chaos" type of dynamics exhibited by this model. Finally, the effect of an additional internal degree of freedom is investigated, finding that it does not modify the overall scenarioComment: 16 pages, 15 figure

Anomalous kinetics and transport from 1D self--consistent mode--coupling theory

We study the dynamics of long-wavelength fluctuations in one-dimensional (1D) many-particle systems as described by self-consistent mode-coupling theory. The corresponding nonlinear integro-differential equations for the relevant correlators are solved analytically and checked numerically. In particular, we find that the memory functions exhibit a power-law decay accompanied by relatively fast oscillations. Furthermore, the scaling behaviour and, correspondingly, the universality class depends on the order of the leading nonlinear term. In the cubic case, both viscosity and thermal conductivity diverge in the thermodynamic limit. In the quartic case, a faster decay of the memory functions leads to a finite viscosity, while thermal conductivity exhibits an even faster divergence. Finally, our analysis puts on a more firm basis the previously conjectured connection between anomalous heat conductivity and anomalous diffusion

Advanced radar absorbing ceramic-based materials for multifunctional applications in space environment

In this review, some results of the experimental activity carried out by the authors on advanced composite materials for space applications are reported. Composites are widely employed in the aerospace industry thanks to their lightweight and advanced thermo-mechanical and electrical properties. A critical issue to tackle using engineered materials for space activities is providing two or more specific functionalities by means of single items/components. In this scenario, carbon-based composites are believed to be ideal candidates for the forthcoming development of aerospace research and space missions, since a widespread variety of multi-functional structures are allowed by employing these materials. The research results described here suggest that hybrid ceramic/polymeric structures could be employed as spacecraft-specific subsystems in order to ensure extreme temperature withstanding and electromagnetic shielding behavior simultaneously. The morphological and thermo-mechanical analysis of carbon/carbon (C/C) three-dimensional (3D) shell prototypes is reported; then, the microwave characterization of multilayered carbon-filled micro-/nano-composite panels is described. Finally, the possibility of combining the C/C bulk with a carbon-reinforced skin in a synergic arrangement is discussed, with the aid of numerical and experimental analyses

CVD nano-coating of carbon composites for space materials atomic oxygen shielding

The present work analyzes the possibility to employ carbon nanostructures as a basic material to prevent the erosion effects of atomic oxygen suffered by the carbon fiber reinforced polymeric material used in low earth orbit space environment. The application of thin protecting coatings to base materials is a widely used method for preventing the atomic oxygen induced erosion, and thus degradation. The generic purpose is to integrate carbon nanostructures onto carbon composites surface in order to develop the basic substrate of advanced nanocomposite for atomic oxygen protection. The final goal is the characterization of carbon nanostructures-reinforced carbon composites by means of on-ground atomic oxygen simulation facility, with the future objective to assess and optimize the process of carbon-multiscale advanced composites production. With such an aim, a wide investigation on the methane chemical vapor deposition (CVD) over catalyzed carbon fiber-based substrates has been carried out. The as grown nanostructures have been analyzed in terms of morphology, as well as regarding the main features of the resulting growth (yield, purity, homogeneity, coating uniformity, etc.) and the influence of the deposition route operating parameters (catalyst typology, gas flowing rate, growth time/temperature, etc.). A high degree of reproducibility in terms of the relationship between the carbon deposit type/yield and the main process variables (catalyst and protocol) has been thus obtained. Finally, atomic oxygen ground tests have been conducted in order to evaluate the coating process effectiveness. The on-ground test in atomic oxygen environment, with respect to the performances of the reference carbon composites (in terms of total mass loss and atomic oxygen rate of erosion), showed a worsening for the disordered carbon deposit, while an intriguing improvement was achieved by the high-yield carbon nano-filaments deposition

Nonequilibrium dynamics of a stochastic model of anomalous heat transport: numerical analysis

We study heat transport in a chain of harmonic oscillators with random elastic collisions between nearest-neighbours. The equations of motion of the covariance matrix are numerically solved for free and fixed boundary conditions. In the thermodynamic limit, the shape of the temperature profile and the value of the stationary heat flux depend on the choice of boundary conditions. For free boundary conditions, they also depend on the coupling strength with the heat baths. Moreover, we find a strong violation of local equilibrium at the chain edges that determine two boundary layers of size $\sqrt{N}$ (where $N$ is the chain length), that are characterized by a different scaling behaviour from the bulk. Finally, we investigate the relaxation towards the stationary state, finding two long time scales: the first corresponds to the relaxation of the hydrodynamic modes; the second is a manifestation of the finiteness of the system.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Physics A, Mathematical and Theoretica

Effects of atomic oxygen and UV rays ageing on the reflection coefficient of carbon/carbon plates in the 12-18 GHz frequency range

Advanced carbon-based ceramic materials, such as Carbon/Carbon (C/C) are commonly employed in aerospace industry to face the thermo-mechanical stress suffered by the spacecraft external structures during re-entry in earth atmosphere. Thanks to very low thermal expansion and outstanding chemical stability at extreme temperatures, in fact, such materials represent the ideal candidates for re-usable space integrated systems, such as TPS, nozzles and ablation thermal-proof structures. In long-time missions, on the other hand, issues related to continuous and extended exposure of the spacecraft surfaces to the detrimental space environment must be carefully considered. In this frame, also the tracking of satellites by mean of radar systems is a vital aspect for a safe stay in space. In LEO working conditions, the combined effects induced by severe thermal cycles, ultra-high vacuum and UV/Atomic Oxygen(AO) irradiation can be of impediment for the use of C/C as re-entry protection material, since a significant surface oxidation leads to so high TPS damaging as to compromise its main functionality. This surface oxidation can also affect the radar visibility of satellites. Aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the AO/UV ageing on C/C plates reflection coefficient, in order to avoid misfunctioning in the radar visibility

Fluctuations of the heat flux of a one-dimensional hard particle gas

Momentum-conserving one-dimensional models are known to exhibit anomalous Fourier's law, with a thermal conductivity varying as a power law of the system size. Here we measure, by numerical simulations, several cumulants of the heat flux of a one-dimensional hard particle gas. We find that the cumulants, like the conductivity, vary as power laws of the system size. Our results also indicate that cumulants higher than the second follow different power laws when one compares the ring geometry at equilibrium and the linear case in contact with two heat baths (at equal or unequal temperatures). keywords: current fluctuations, anomalous Fourier law, hard particle gasComment: 5 figure

Nonequilibrium dynamics of a stochastic model of anomalous heat transport

We study the dynamics of covariances in a chain of harmonic oscillators with conservative noise in contact with two stochastic Langevin heat baths. The noise amounts to random collisions between nearest-neighbour oscillators that exchange their momenta. In a recent paper, [S Lepri et al. J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42 (2009) 025001], we have studied the stationary state of this system with fixed boundary conditions, finding analytical exact expressions for the temperature profile and the heat current in the thermodynamic (continuum) limit. In this paper we extend the analysis to the evolution of the covariance matrix and to generic boundary conditions. Our main purpose is to construct a hydrodynamic description of the relaxation to the stationary state, starting from the exact equations governing the evolution of the correlation matrix. We identify and adiabatically eliminate the fast variables, arriving at a continuity equation for the temperature profile T(y,t), complemented by an ordinary equation that accounts for the evolution in the bulk. Altogether, we find that the evolution of T(y,t) is the result of fractional diffusion.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Physics A, Mathematical and Theoretica