An innovative collaborative high-performance platform for simulation

This paper presents an innovative collaborative visualization platform for the simulation-based design applications. Following the scope and the main objectives, the general architecture based on the internet standard technologies is explained. Based on a multi-domain approach, several demonstrators are involved crossing interests of industrial and academic communities. Related to the field of process engineering, we adapt and deploy a web-based architecture research application on the targeted platform

Fissuration des nouveaux composites multiaxiaux multiplis cousus sous chargements thermiques cycliques

International audienceLes nouveaux renforts composites constitués de nappes unidirectionnelles non-tissées cousues du type NCF (Non Crimp Fabrics) sont adaptés au procédé RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) et conduisent à des structures composites plus complexes ou de grande taille. Cependant, la présence du fil de couture entraine, après la mise en oeuvre, l'existence de zones riches en résine à l'intérieur du matériau. Ces dernières, sous chargements thermiques cycliques, sont à l'origine d'un état spécifique de fissuration. Un nouveau cycle de chargement thermique ainsi qu'un critère d'endommagement en prenant en compte la particularité morphologique de ce type de matériau ont été mis sur pied pour caractériser la fissuration en se basant sur une méthode d'observation classique 2D et évaluer l'effet des coutures

Collaborative simulation and scientific big data analysis: Illustration for sustainability in natural hazards management and chemical process engineering

Classical approaches for remote visualization and collaboration used in Computer-Aided Design and Engineering (CAD/E) applications are no longer appropriate due to the increasing amount of data generated, especially using standard networks. We introduce a lightweight and computing platform for scientific simulation, collaboration in engineering, 3D visualization and big data management. This ICT based platform provides scientists an “easy-to-integrate” generic tool, thus enabling worldwide collaboration and remote processing for any kind of data. The service-oriented architecture is based on the cloud computing paradigm and relies on standard internet technologies to be efficient on a large panel of networks and clients. In this paper, we discuss the need of innovations in (i) pre and post processing visualization services, (ii) 3D large scientific data set scalable compression and transmission methods, (iii) collaborative virtual environments, and (iv) collaboration in multi-domains of CAD/E. We propose our open platform for collaborative simulation and scientific big data analysis. This platform is now available as an open project with all core components licensed under LGPL V2.1. We provide two examples of usage of the platform in CAD/E for sustainability engineering from one academic application and one industrial case study. Firstly, we consider chemical process engineering showing the development of a domain specific service. With the rise of global warming issues and with growing importance granted to sustainable development, chemical process engineering has turned to think more and more environmentally. Indeed, the chemical engineer has now taken into account not only the engineering and economic criteria of the process, but also its environmental and social performances. Secondly, an example of natural hazards management illustrates the efficiency of our approach for remote collaboration that involves big data exchange and analysis between distant locations. Finally we underline the platform benefits and we open our platform through next activities in innovation techniques and inventive design

Self-assembly of liquid crystal block copolymer PEG-b-smectic polymer in pure state and in dilute aqueous solution

A series of amphiphilic LC block copolymers, in which the hydrophobic block is a smectic polymer poly(4-methoxyphenyl 4-(6-acryloyloxy-hexyloxy)-benzoate) (PA6ester1) and the hydrophilic block is polyethyleneglycol (PEG), were synthesized and characterized. The self-assembly of one of them in both the pure state and the dilute aqueous solution was investigated in detail. Nano-structures in the pure state were studied by SAXS and WAXS on samples aligned by a magnetic field. A hexagonal cylindrical micro-segregation phase was observed with a lattice distance of 11.2 nm. The PEG blocks are in the cylinder, while the smectic polymer blocks form a matrix with layer spacing 2.4 nm and layer normal parallel to the long axis of the cylinders. Faceted unilamellar polymer vesicles, polymersomes, were formed in water, as revealed by cryo-TEM. In the lyotropic bilayer membrane of these polymersomes, the thermotropic smectic order in the hydrophobic block is clearly visible with layer normal parallel to the membrane surface

Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

Introduction: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated crop on Earth, contributing about a fifth of the total calories consumed by humans. Consequently, wheat yields and production affect the global economy, and failed harvests can lead to social unrest. Breeders continuously strive to develop improved varieties by fine-tuning genetically complex yield and end-use quality parameters while maintaining stable yields and adapting the crop to regionally specific biotic and abiotic stresses. Rationale: Breeding efforts are limited by insufficient knowledge and understanding of wheat biology and the molecular basis of central agronomic traits. To meet the demands of human population growth, there is an urgent need for wheat research and breeding to accelerate genetic gain as well as to increase and protect wheat yield and quality traits. In other plant and animal species, access to a fully annotated and ordered genome sequence, including regulatory sequences and genome-diversity information, has promoted the development of systematic and more time-efficient approaches for the selection and understanding of important traits. Wheat has lagged behind, primarily owing to the challenges of assembling a genome that is more than five times as large as the human genome, polyploid, and complex, containing more than 85% repetitive DNA. To provide a foundation for improvement through molecular breeding, in 2005, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium set out to deliver a high-quality annotated reference genome sequence of bread wheat. Results: An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in the form of 21 chromosome-like sequence assemblies has now been delivered, giving access to 107,891 high-confidence genes, including their genomic context of regulatory sequences. This assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage–related gene coexpression networks using a transcriptome atlas representing all stages of wheat development. The dynamics of change in complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. Aspects of the future value of the annotated assembly for molecular breeding and research were exemplarily illustrated by resolving the genetic basis of a quantitative trait locus conferring resistance to abiotic stress and insect damage as well as by serving as the basis for genome editing of the flowering-time trait. Conclusion: This annotated reference sequence of wheat is a resource that can now drive disruptive innovation in wheat improvement, as this community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding. Importantly, the bioinformatics capacity developed for model-organism genomes will facilitate a better understanding of the wheat genome as a result of the high-quality chromosome-based genome assembly. By necessity, breeders work with the genome at the whole chromosome level, as each new cross involves the modification of genome-wide gene networks that control the expression of complex traits such as yield. With the annotated and ordered reference genome sequence in place, researchers and breeders can now easily access sequence-level information to precisely define the necessary changes in the genomes for breeding programs. This will be realized through the implementation of new DNA marker platforms and targeted breeding technologies, including genome editing