ANNIS: a linguistic database for exploring information structure

In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of our first version of the database "ANNIS" (ANNotation of Information Structure). For research based on empirical data, ANNIS provides a uniform environment for storing this data together with its linguistic annotations. A central database promotes standardized annotation, which facilitates interpretation and comparison of the data. ANNIS is used through a standard web browser and offers tier-based visualization of data and annotations, as well as search facilities that allow for cross-level and cross-sentential queries. The paper motivates the design of the system, characterizes its user interface, and provides an initial technical evaluation of ANNIS with respect to data size and query processing

3D Phase-Field Simulations Explain Experimental Observations of Structure Formation in Ice-Templated Materials

Freeze casting is a promising processing technique that provides a means to mimic natural materials with hierarchical designs over several length-scales with biomedical applications. Directional solidification of ceramic-based suspensions in water. 3D quantitative phase-field simulation with massive parallel computing at the experimentally relevant time and length scales. Objective and Approach: Qualitative comparisons between phase-field simulations and freeze casting experiments to understand top hierarchical levels in the freeze-cast material

Assessing antibiotic sorption in soil: a literature review and new case studies on sulfonamides and macrolides

The increased use of veterinary antibiotics in modern agriculture for therapeutic uses and growth promotion has raised concern regarding the environmental impacts of antibiotic residues in soil and water. The mobility and transport of antibiotics in the environment depends on their sorption behavior, which is typically predicted by extrapolating from an experimentally determined soil-water distribution coefficient (K(d)). Accurate determination of K(d) values is important in order to better predict the environmental fate of antibiotics. In this paper, we examine different analytical approaches in assessing K(d) of two major classes of veterinary antibiotics (sulfonamides and macrolides) and compare the existing literature data with experimental data obtained in our laboratory. While environmental parameters such as soil pH and organic matter content are the most significant factors that affect the sorption of antibiotics in soil, it is important to consider the concentrations used, the analytical method employed, and the transformations that can occur when determining K(d) values. Application of solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry can facilitate accurate determination of K(d) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Because the bioavailability of antibiotics in soil depends on their sorption behavior, it is important to examine current practices in assessing their mobility in soil

Biomineral Amorphous Lasers through Light-Scattering Surfaces Assembled by Electrospun Fiber Templates

New materials aim at exploiting the great control of living organisms over molecular architectures and minerals. Optical biomimetics has been widely developed by microengineering, leading to photonic components with order resembling those found in plants and animals. These systems, however, are realized by complicated and adverse processes. Here we show how biomineralization might enable the one-step generation of components for amorphous photonics, in which light is made to travel through disordered scattering systems, and particularly of active devices such as random lasers, by using electrospun fiber templates. The amount of bio-enzymatically produced silica is related to light-scattering capacity and the resulting organosilica surfaces exhibit a transport mean free path for light as low as 3 micron, and lasing with linewidth below 0.2 nm. The resulting, complex optical material is characterized and modelled to elucidate scattered fields and lasing performance. Tightly-controlled nanofabrication of direct biological inspiration establishes a new concept for the additive manufacturing of engineered light-diffusing materials and photonic components, not addressed by existing technologies.Comment: 37 pages, 11 figure

Atmospheric Dilution of Gaseous Effluents from the Phoenix Laboratory Stacks

The first five reports in this series were submitted to the US AEC with the application (dated July 12, 1962; December 20, 1962, and March 6, 1963) for Amendment No. 11 to the FNR license for operation at 2 MW, which was approved August 5, 1963.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86111/1/MMPP PML Memo Report No. 3 May 1962.PDF-

Shear Lag Sutures: Improved Suture Repair through the use of Adhesives

Conventional surgical suture is mechanically limited by the ability of the suture to transfer load to tissue at suture anchor points. Sutures coated with adhesives can improve mechanical load transfer beyond the range of performance of existing suture methods, thereby strengthening orthopaedic repairs and decreasing the risk of failure. The mechanical properties of suitable adhesives were identified using a shear lag model. Examination of the design space for an optimal adhesive demonstrated requirements for strong adhesion and low stiffness to maximize strength. As a proof of concept, cyanoacrylate-coated sutures were used to perform a clinically relevant flexor digitorum profundus tendon repair in cadaver tissue. Even with this non-ideal adhesive, the maximum load resisted by repaired cadaveric canine flexor tendon increased by ∼ 17.0% compared to standard repairs without adhesive. To rapidly assess adhesive binding to tendon, we additionally developed a lap shear test method using bovine deep digital flexor tendons as the adherends. Further study is needed to develop a strongly adherent, compliant adhesive within the optimal design space described by the model

Mechanisms of Structure Formation in Ice-Templated Materials Experimental Observations

No abstract availabl

The cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Sepiidae, Cephalopoda) constructs cuttlebone from a liquid-crystal precursor

Cuttlebone, the sophisticated buoyancy device of cuttlefish, is made of extensive superposed chambers that have a complex internal arrangement of calcified pillars and organic membranes. It has not been clear how this structure is assembled. We find that the membranes result from a myriad of minor membranes initially filling the whole chamber, made of nanofibres evenly oriented within each membrane and slightly rotated with respect to those of adjacent membranes, producing a helical arrangement. We propose that the organism secretes a chitin-protein complex, which self-organizes layer-by-layer as a cholesteric liquid crystal, whereas the pillars are made by viscous fingering. The liquid crystallization mechanism permits us to homologize the elements of the cuttlebone with those of other coleoids and with the nacreous septa and the shells of nautiloids. These results challenge our view of this ultra-light natural material possessing desirable mechanical, structural and biological properties, suggesting that two self-organizing physical principles suffice to understand its formation.Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [CGL2010-20748-CO2-01, CGL2013-48247-P, FIS2013-48444-C2-2-P]; Andalusian Consejeria de Innovacion Ciencia y Tecnologia [RNM6433]; (Sepiatech, PROMAR program) of the Portuguese Ministerio da Agricultura e do Mar, Portugal [31.03.05.FEP.002]; Junta de Andalucia [RNM363]; FP7 COST Action of the European Community. [TD0903]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanical properties and tuning of three-dimensional polymeric photonic crystals

Applied Physics LettersMechanical properties of photopolymerized photonic crystal PhC structures having woodpile and spiral three-dimensional architectures were examined using flat-punch indentation. The structures were found to exhibit a foamlike response with a bend-dominated elastic deformation regime observed at strain levels up to 10%. Numerical simulations of optical properties of these PhC structures demonstrate the possibility of achieving a substantial and reversible spectral tuning of the photonic stop gap wavelength by applying a mechanical load to the PhC