Failure and impact behavior of facade panels made of glass fiber reinforced cement(GRC)

GRC is a cementitious composite material made up of a cement mortar matrix and chopped glass fibers. Due to its outstanding mechanical properties, GRC has been widely used to produce cladding panels and some civil engineering elements. Impact failure of cladding panels made of GRC may occur during production if some tool falls onto the panel, due to stone or other objects impacting at low velocities or caused by debris projected after a blast. Impact failure of a front panel of a building may have not only an important economic value but also human lives may be at risk if broken pieces of the panel fall from the building to the pavement. Therefore, knowing GRC impact strength is necessary to prevent economic costs and putting human lives at risk. One-stage light gas gun is an impact test machine capable of testing different materials subjected to impact loads. An experimental program was carried out, testing GRC samples of five different formulations, commonly used in building industry. Steel spheres were shot at different velocities on square GRC samples. The residual velocity of the projectiles was obtained both using a high speed camera with multiframe exposure and measuring the projectile’s penetration depth in molding clay blocks. Tests were performed on young and artificially aged GRC samples to compare GRC’s behavior when subjected to high strain rates. Numerical simulations using a hydrocode were made to analyze which parameters are most important during an impact event. GRC impact strength was obtained from test results. Also, GRC’s embrittlement, caused by GRC aging, has no influence on GRC impact behavior due to the small size of the projectile. Also, glass fibers used in GRC production only maintain GRC panels’ integrity but have no influence on GRC’s impact strength. Numerical models have reproduced accurately impact tests

Comportamiento de elementos estructurales de compuestos híbridos base cemento frente a impacto de torre de caída

The performance, under drop-weight impact load, of hybrid cement composite (HCC) elements, consisting of a top layer of plain concrete (PC) and a bottom layer of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC), in comparison with full-depth FRC and PC was studied. Apart from improving the tensile capacity of PC and saving fibre steel reinforcements of FRC, the results showed that HCC can effectively control the deformations and enhance the impact performance of the structural members as its outcomes were similar to that of a full-depth FRC. The analytical studies using Hughes empirical formulae (HEF) and yield line theory (YLT) adopted to investigate the practical use of HCC showed that they are applicable for design such HCC elements against impacts.Se estudió el comportamiento, frente a impacto de torre de caída, de elementos híbridos base cemento (HCC), formados por una capa superior de hormigón en masa (PC) y una capa inferior de hormigón reforzado con fibras (FRC) en comparación con elementos análogos íntegramente fabricados con FRC y PC. Además de proporcionar una mejora en la resistencia frente a flexo-tracción de los PC y un ahorro en refuerzo usando fibras de acero en el caso de los FRC, los resultados mostraron que el HCC puede controlar eficazmente las deformaciones y mejorar el rendimiento frente a impacto de los elementos estructurales ya que sus resultados fueron análogos a la de los FRC. Los estudios analíticos, utilizando HEF e YLT, adoptados para investigar el uso práctico de los HCC mostraron que los mismos son aplicables para el diseño de estos elementos frente a impacto

DNA synthesis in the embryonic chick lens epithelium is arrested after experimental lens rotation

Using autoradiographic technique, we have studicd DNA synthesis in normal embryonic chick lens epitheliuni and after experimental lens rotation. Analysis of the autoradiograms clearly demonstrates that when the lens priniordium was rotated 180". so that lens epithelium was placed facing the interior of the optic cup. the lens epithelial cells completely stop DNA synthesis. This fact suggests that some retinal and vitieal factors are responsible for differentiation and replicative capacity of the lens epithelial cells

Magnetic study on biodistribution and biodegradation of oral magnetic nanostructures in the rat gastrointestinal tract

We have undertaken a magnetic study on the oral biodistribution and biodegradation of nude maghemite nanoparticles of 10 nm average size (MNP) and probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus fermentum, containing thousands of these same nanoparticles (MNP-bacteria). Using AC magnetic susceptibility measurements of the stomach, small intestine, cecum and large intestine obtained after rat sacrifice, and iron content determination by ICP-OES, we have monitored the biodistribution and biodegradation of the maghemite nanoparticles along the gastrointestinal tract, after oral administration of both MNP and MNP-bacteria. The results revealed that the amount of magnetic nanoparticles accumulated in intestines is sensibly higher when MNP-bacteria were administered, in comparison with MNP. This confirms our initial hypothesis that the use of probiotic bacteria is a suitable strategy to assist the magnetic nanoparticles to overcome the stomach medium, and to achieve their accumulation in intestines. This finding opens doors to different applications. Since iron absorption in humans takes place precisely in the intestines, the use of MNP-bacteria as an iron supplement is a definite possibility. We have actually illustrated how the administration of MNP-bacteria to iron-deficient rats corrects the iron levels after two weeks of treatment

First detection of Onchocerca lupi infection in dogs in southern Spain.

BACKGROUND: Onchocerca lupi causes ocular pathology of varying severity in dogs from south-western United States, western Europe and northern Asia. This filarioid has also been recognized as a zoonotic agent in Tunisia, Turkey, Iran and the USA, though the information about the biology and epidemiology of this infection is largely unknown. In Europe, O. lupi has been reported in dogs from Germany, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Romania and in a cat from Portugal. The present study was designed to establish the occurrence of O. lupi in dogs in southwestern Spain. In the present study a total of 104 dogs of different breed, sex, and age living in a shelter in Huelva (SW Spain) were examined. Skin snip samples were collected using a disposable scalpel in the forehead and inter-scapular regions and stored as aliquots in saline solution (0.5 ml) before light microscopy observation of individual sediments (20 μl) and molecular examination. RESULTS: Of the 104 dogs examined, 5 (4.8 %) were skin snip-positive for O. lupi: two by microscopy and three by PCR. One of the O. lupi infected dogs showed neurological signs but ocular ultrasonography and/or MRI detected no abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: This first report of O. lupi infection in dogs in southern Spain expands the range of geographical distribution of this parasite and sounds an alarm bell for practitioners and physicians working in that area

Probing M subdwarf metallicity with an esdK5+esdM5.5 binary

We present a spectral analysis of the binary G 224-58 AB that consists of the coolest M extreme subdwarf (esdM5.5) and a brighter primary (esdK5). This binary may serve as a benchmark for metallicity measurement calibrations and as a test-bed for atmospheric and evolutionary models for esdM objects. We determine abundances primarily using high resolution optical spectra of the primary. Other parameters were determined from the fits of synthetic spectra computed with these abundances to the observed spectra from 0.4 to 2.5 microns for both components. We determine \Tef =4625 $\pm$ 100 K, \logg = 4.5 $\pm$ 0.5 for the A component and \Tef = 3200 $\pm$ 100 K, \logg = 5.0 $\pm$ 0.5, for the B component. We obtained abundances of [Mg/H]=$-$1.51$\pm$0.08, [Ca/H]=$-$1.39$\pm$0.03, [Ti/H]=$-$1.37$\pm$0.03 for alpha group elements and [CrH]=$-$1.88$\pm$0.07, [Mn/H]=$-$1.96$\pm$0.06, [Fe/H]=$-$1.92$\pm$0.02, [Ni/H]=$-$1.81$\pm$0.05 and [Ba/H]W=$-$1.87$\pm$0.11 for iron group elements from fits to the spectral lines observed in the optical and infrared spectral regions of the primary. We find consistent abundances with fits to the secondary albeit at lower signal-to-noise. Abundances of elements in \ga and \gb atmospheres cannot be described by one metallicity parameter. The offset of $\sim$ 0.4 dex between the abundances derived from alpha element and iron group elements corresponds with our expectation for metal-deficient stars. We thus clarify that some indices used to date to measure metallicities for establishing esdM stars based on CaH, MgH and TiO band system strength ratios in the optical and H$_2$O in the infrared relate to abundances of alpha-element group rather than to iron peak elements. For metal deficient M dwarfs with [Fe/H]Peer reviewe

Search for free-floating planetary-mass objects in the Pleiades

(Abridged) We aim at identifying the least massive population of the solar metallicity, young (120 Myr), nearby (133.5 pc) Pleiades star cluster with the ultimate goal of understanding the physical properties of intermediate-age, free-floating, low-mass brown dwarfs and giant planetary-mass objects, and deriving the cluster substellar mass function across the deuterium-burning mass limit at ~0.012 Msol. We performed a deep photometric and astrometric J- and H-band survey covering an area of ~0.8 deg^2. The images with completeness and limiting magnitudes of J,H ~ 20.2 and ~ 21.5 mag were acquired ~9 yr apart (proper motion precision of +/-6 mas/yr). J- and H-band data were complemented with Z, K, and mid-infrared magnitudes up to 4.6 micron coming from UKIDSS, WISE, and follow-up observations of our own. Pleiades member candidates were selected to have proper motions compatible with that of the cluster, and colors following the known Pleiades sequence in the interval J = 15.5-8.8 mag, and Z_UKIDSS - J > 2.3 mag or Z nondetections for J > 18.8 mag. We found a neat sequence of astrometric and photometric Pleiades substellar member candidates in the intervals J = 15.5-21.2 mag and ~0.072-0.008 Msol. The faintest objects show very red near- and mid-infrared colors exceeding those of field high-gravity dwarfs by >0.5 mag. The Pleiades photometric sequence does not show any color turn-over because of the presence of photospheric methane absorption down to J = 20.3 mag, which is about 1 mag fainter than predicted by the color-computed models. Pleiades brown dwarfs have a proper motion dispersion of 6.4-7.5 mas/yr and are dynamically relaxed at the age of the cluster. The Pleiades mass function extends down to the deuterium burning-mass threshold, with a slope fairly similar to that of other young star clusters and stellar associations.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 16 page

Memetic electromagnetism algorithm for surface reconstruction with rational bivariate Bernstein basis functions

Surface reconstruction is a very important issue with outstanding applications in fields such as medical imaging (computer tomography, magnetic resonance), biomedical engineering (customized prosthesis and medical implants), computer-aided design and manufacturing (reverse engineering for the automotive, aerospace and shipbuilding industries), rapid prototyping (scale models of physical parts from CAD data), computer animation and film industry (motion capture, character modeling), archaeology (digital representation and storage of archaeological sites and assets), virtual/augmented reality, and many others. In this paper we address the surface reconstruction problem by using rational Bézier surfaces. This problem is by far more complex than the case for curves we solved in a previous paper. In addition, we deal with data points subjected to measurement noise and irregular sampling, replicating the usual conditions of real-world applications. Our method is based on a memetic approach combining a powerful metaheuristic method for global optimization (the electromagnetism algorithm) with a local search method. This method is applied to a benchmark of five illustrative examples exhibiting challenging features. Our experimental results show that the method performs very well, and it can recover the underlying shape of surfaces with very good accuracy.This research is kindly supported by the Computer Science National Program of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Project #TIN2012-30768, Toho University, and the University of Cantabria. The authors are particularly grateful to the Department of Information Science of Toho University for all the facilities given to carry out this work. We also thank the Editor and the two anonymous reviewers who helped us to improve our paper with several constructive comments and suggestions