Comparison of the fluctuation influence on the resistive properties of the mixed state of BiSrCaCuO and of thin films of conventional superconductor

The resistive properties of layered HTSC BiSrCaCuO in the mixed state are compared with those of thin films of conventional superconductors with weak disorders (amorphous Nb_{1-x}0_{x} films) and with strong disorders (Nb_{1-x}O_{x} films with small grain structure). The excess conductivity is considered as a function of superconducting electron density and phase coherence length. It is shown that the transition to the Abrikosov state differs from the ideal case both in BiSrCaCuO and Nb_{1-x}O_{x} films, i.e. the appearance of long-range phase coherence is continuous transition in both cases. The quantitative difference between thin films with weak and strong disorders is greater than the one between layered HTSC and conventional superconductors, showing that the dimensionality of the system, rather than the critical temperature, is the key factor ruling fluctuation effectsComment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Nanoscale roughness and morphology affect the IsoElectric Point of titania surfaces

We report on the systematic investigation of the role of surface nanoscale roughness and morphology on the charging behaviour of nanostructured titania (TiO2) surfaces in aqueous solutions. IsoElectric Points (IEPs) of surfaces have been characterized by direct measurement of the electrostatic double layer interactions between titania surfaces and the micrometer-sized spherical silica probe of an atomic force microscope in NaCl aqueous electrolyte. The use of a colloidal probe provides well-defined interaction geometry and allows effectively probing the overall effect of nanoscale morphology. By using supersonic cluster beam deposition to fabricate nanostructured titania films, we achieved a quantitative control over the surface morphological parameters. We performed a systematical exploration of the electrical double layer properties in different interaction regimes characterized by different ratios of characteristic nanometric lengths of the system: the surface rms roughness Rq, the correlation length {\xi} and the Debye length {\lambda}D. We observed a remarkable reduction by several pH units of IEP on rough nanostructured surfaces, with respect to flat crystalline rutile TiO2. In order to explain the observed behavior of IEP, we consider the roughness-induced self-overlap of the electrical double layers as a potential source of deviation from the trend expected for flat surfaces.Comment: 63 pages, including 7 figures and Supporting Informatio

Implementing Geographical Information System to Provide Evident Support for Crime Analysis

AbstractGeographical Information System (GIS) is one of the aiding domains of technology where a number of applications are being deployed to assist people in understanding and visualizing data rather than having it in other complex forms. Implementing one of such kinds of technology for crime analysis will help people in knowing the crime rate of their place in comparison to other places and will also provide hand-in-hand support to the police for providing additional focus on those regions. Crimes are the concerning factors of every country for its political, economical and social development. Yet, the number of technologies available in detecting and reporting crimes are limited. A Geographical Information System(GIS) based application can be implemented that can be used and accessed by everyone to file the crimes happening in their locality and to know about other crimes. This paper deals about the GIS based tools and their functions in developing such an application. This application will provide evident support for the officials to monitor and to concentrate more on those localities reported as crime

The role of technology in healthy living medicine

Health care consumers are taking control of their health information and desire a greater role in managing their health. Approximately 77% of Americans now own a smartphone and the use of health apps have doubled over the past two years. These effects are particularly notable in patients with chronic disease, now representing half the adult population and responsible for 86% of United States health care (HC) costs and 70% of deaths. New opportunities exist as a result of recent advances in home-based wireless devices, apps, wearables, and interactive systems enabling health delivery systems to monitor, advise and treat disease near real time and engage patients in healthy living medicine. These technologies will provide a new framework for patient engagement and care delivery that will enhance clinical outcomes and generate precision interventions that ultimately reduce HC costs

Selection of Sustainable Short-Span Bridge Design in Brazil

[EN] Owing to the elevated cost of bridges, especially when compared to the cost of roads, their rational design and material selection are fundamental properties to consider when aiming to reduce the environmental impacts and lengthen the lifespan of the bridge. Especially in developing countries, the construction of new bridges (mainly short spanned) is still a necessity, and it is important that these new structures are designed according to all the sustainability parameters, instead of being based only on the construction cost. Thus, the present work aims to study short-span bridges by integrating environmental assessments into the decision-making process. To achieve this goal, three short-span bridge designs, proposed by public organizations in Brazil, are evaluated: Precast concrete bridge, mixed concrete/steel bridge, and timber bridge. In order to allow comparison, the same location and span are considered. The structures are evaluated considering the following quantitative aspects: Cost of construction, assembly and material transportation, lifespan, and environmental impact (measured by the global warming potential, GWP). In addition, some more subjective factors are considered, such as the architecture (layout and appearance) and the user¿s sensation of security. The selection is made by the adoption of two multi-criteria decision-making methods (analytic hierarchy process or AHP and Vikor). The results obtained with both methods indicate the mixed concrete/steel bridge as the most adequate alternative. Some additional analysis is performed in order to evaluate the influence of the qualitative aspects, as well as to study the importance of the variations in the costs on the results.The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) to the first author, the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, along with FEDER funding (Project: BIA2017-85098-R) to the second author, and the support of the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) to the third author.Kripka, M.; Yepes, V.; Milani, CJ. (2019). Selection of Sustainable Short-Span Bridge Design in Brazil. Sustainability. 11(5):1307-01-1307-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051307S1307-011307-12115Fonte, T. F. da, & Calil Júnior, C. (2007). Pontes protendidas de madeira: alternativa técnico-econômica para vias rurais. 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Journal of Cleaner Production, 147, 217-230. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.092Manual de projeto e construção de pontes de madeira http://www.usp.br/agen/wp-content/uploads/Manual-de-Pontes-de-Madeira.pdfSantoro, J. F., & Kripka, M. (2017). Studies on Environmental Impact Assessment of Reinforced Concrete in Different Life Cycle Phases. International Journal of Structural Glass and Advanced Materials Research, 1(2), 32-40. doi:10.3844/sgamrsp.2017.32.40Zuo, J., Pullen, S., Rameezdeen, R., Bennetts, H., Wang, Y., Mao, G., … Duan, H. (2017). Green building evaluation from a life-cycle perspective in Australia: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 70, 358-368. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.251Mahnert, K.-C., & Hundhausen, U. (2017). A review on the protection of timber bridges. Wood Material Science & Engineering, 13(3), 152-158. doi:10.1080/17480272.2017.1403955Concrete CO2 Fact Sheet www.nrmca.org/greenconcrete/concrete%20co2%20fact%20sheet%20june%202008.pd