Dynamic Localizations in Structural Steel at High Strain Rates and Temperatures – COMPLAS XI

The proposed paper presents a numerical study on the formation of shear bands at localized regions in two ferrite steel alloys, HSLA-65 and DH-36, subjected to certain range of velocity impact. Constitutive relations developed by the author [1] for ferritic steels is utilized in simulating the thermal and athermal parts of the flow stress over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. The proposed plasticity model is implemented into the commercially well-known finite element software ABAQUS through VUMAT user subroutine. This implementation enables studying the shear band formation over a wide range of initial temperatures and strain rates in a cylindrical hat-shaped specimen with certain dimensions where the location of shear localization preceding shear band formation is forced to be between the hat and the brim. Sensitivity analysis is performed on different mesh configurations in order to select the optimum mesh. Another sensitivity analysis is also performed on the constitutive plasticity model material parameters to study their effect on the shear bands formation. Several conclusions related to the width of the shear bands considering the velocity load and initial temperatures will be discussed throughout this work

Thiol-Reactive PODS-Bearing Bifunctional Chelators for the Development of EGFR-Targeting [¹⁸F]AlF-Affibody Conjugates.

Site-selective bioconjugation of cysteine-containing peptides and proteins is currently achieved via a maleimide-thiol reaction (Michael addition). When maleimide-functionalized chelators are used and the resulting bioconjugates are subsequently radiolabeled, instability has been observed both during radiosynthesis and post-injection in vivo, reducing radiochemical yield and negatively impacting performance. Recently, a phenyloxadiazolyl methylsulfone derivative (PODS) was proposed as an alternative to maleimide for the site-selective conjugation and radiolabeling of proteins, demonstrating improved in vitro stability and in vivo performance. Therefore, we have synthesized two novel PODS-bearing bifunctional chelators (NOTA-PODS and NODAGA-PODS) and attached them to the EGFR-targeting affibody molecule ZEGFR:03115. After radiolabeling with the aluminum fluoride complex ([18F]AlF), both conjugates showed good stability in murine serum. When injected in high EGFR-expressing tumor-bearing mice, [18F]AlF-NOTA-PODS-ZEGFR:03115 and [18F]AlF-NODAGA-PODS-ZEGFR:03115 showed similar pharmacokinetics and a specific tumor uptake of 14.1 ± 5.3% and 16.7 ± 4.5% ID/g at 1 h post-injection, respectively. The current results are encouraging for using PODS as an alternative to maleimide-based thiol-selective bioconjugation reactions

Prevalence of Substance Abuse/Alcohol Consumption and their Predictors among Patients Admitted in Operating Rooms of a General Educational Hospital, Tehran, Iran

Substance/alcohol abuse is an important public health threat in most countries. Social stigmatization and legal restrictions prevent accurate and direct estimate of prevalence of substance/alcohol abuse in Iran. This study aimed to estimate of the prevalence of alcohol and substance use among Iranian patients who were admitted to operating rooms of a general hospital in Tehran and identified risk factors that may predict alcohol and substance use. This cross-sectional study was conducted among all consecutive patients who were admitted to 16 operating rooms in Vali-e-Asr General Educational Hospital (Tehran, Iran) during March 2014 to September 2015. Data were derived from a medical history form prior to operation by trained nurses who were working in the operating rooms. Among 1136 patients admitted to operating rooms, 105 (28.7%) men and 21 (2.7%) women were substance/alcohol users. The main substance of abuse was opium (57.3%) followed by alcohol consumption (25.6%) and water pipe smoking (14.8%). Cigarette smoking was reported by 110 (30.1%) men and 21 (2.7%) women. Sex, cigarette smoking and family history of alcohol and substance abuse predicted 42.3% of the variance in substance abuse/alcohol consumption. Substance use, especially opium, alcohol, water pipe tobacco and cigarette smoking were found to be significantly high particularly among male patients. Being a man, current cigarette smoking and having a first-degree family member who had abused substances should be considered when planning preventive or therapeutic programs

Sect and House in Syria: History, Architecture, and Bayt Amongst the Druze in Jaramana

This paper explores the connections between the architecture and materiality of houses and the social idiom of bayt (house, family). The ethnographic exploration is located in the Druze village of Jaramana, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. It traces the histories, genealogies, and politics of two families, bayt Abud-Haddad and bayt Ouward, through their houses. By exploring the two families and the architecture of their houses, this paper provides a detailed ethnographic account of historical change in modern Syria, internal diversity, and stratification within the intimate social fabric of the Druze neighbourhood at a time of war, and contributes a relational approach to the anthropological understanding of houses

Substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs crystalline coatings for gravitational-wave detectors: A review of the state of the art

In this Perspective we summarize the status of technological development for large-area and low-noise substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs (AlGaAs) crystalline coatings for interferometric gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. These topics were originally presented in a workshop{\dag} bringing together members of the GW community from the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory (LIGO), Virgo, and KAGRA collaborations, along with scientists from the precision optical metrology community, and industry partners with extensive expertise in the manufacturing of said coatings. AlGaAs-based crystalline coatings present the possibility of GW observatories having significantly greater range than current systems employing ion-beam sputtered mirrors. Given the low thermal noise of AlGaAs at room temperature, GW detectors could realize these significant sensitivity gains, while potentially avoiding cryogenic operation. However, the development of large-area AlGaAs coatings presents unique challenges. Herein, we describe recent research and development efforts relevant to crystalline coatings, covering characterization efforts on novel noise processes, as well as optical metrology on large-area (~10 cm diameter) mirrors. We further explore options to expand the maximum coating diameter to 20 cm and beyond, forging a path to produce low-noise AlGaAs mirrors amenable to future GW detector upgrades, while noting the unique requirements and prospective experimental testbeds for these novel materials.Comment: 13pages, 3 figure

An 8-mm diameter fibre robot positioner for massive spectroscopy surveys

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society © 2015 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reservedMassive spectroscopic survey are becoming trendy in astrophysics and cosmology, as they can address new fundamental knowledge such as understanding the formation of the Milky Way and probing the nature of the mysterious dark energy. To enable massive spectroscopic surveys, new technology has been developed to place thousands of optical fibres at a given position on a focal plane. This technology needs to be: (1) accurate, with micrometer positional accuracy; (2) fast to minimize overhead; (3) robust to minimize failure; and (4) low cost. In this paper, we present the development, properties, and performance of a new single 8-mm in diameter fibre positioner robot, using two 4-mm DC-brushless gearmotors, that allows us to achieve accuracies up to 0.07 arcsec (5 μm). This device has been developed in the context of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic InstrumentWe acknowledge support from the Spanish MICINNs Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program me under grant MultiDark CSD2009-00064, HEPHACOS S2009/ESP-1473, and MINECO Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa Programme under grant SEV-2012-0249. We also thank the support from a CSIC-AVS contract through MICINN grant AYA2010-21231-C02- 01, and CDTI grant IDC-20101033; and support from the Spanish MINECO research grants AYA2012-31101 and FPA2012-34694. JPK, PH and LM acknowledge support from the ERC advanced grant LIDA and from an SNF Interdisciplinary grant

An 8-mm diameter fibre robot positioner for massive spectroscopy surveys

Massive spectroscopic survey are becoming trendy in astrophysics and cosmology, as they can address new fundamental knowledge such as understanding the formation of the Milky Way and probing the nature of the mysterious dark energy. To enable massive spectroscopic surveys, new technology has been developed to place thousands of optical fibres at a given position on a focal plane. This technology needs to be: (1) accurate, with micrometer positional accuracy; (2) fast to minimize overhead; (3) robust to minimize failure; and (4) low cost. In this paper, we present the development, properties, and performance of a new single 8-mm in diameter fibre positioner robot, using two 4-mm DC-brushless gearmotors, that allows us to achieve accuracies up to 0.07arcsec (5 μm). This device has been developed in the context of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.