Computation of the linear elastic properties of random porous materials with a wide variety of microstructure

A finite-element method is used to study the elastic properties of random three-dimensional porous materials with highly interconnected pores. We show that Young's modulus, E, is practically independent of Poisson's ratio of the solid phase, nu(s), over the entire solid fraction range, and Poisson's ratio, nu, becomes independent of nu(s) as the percolation threshold is approached. We represent this behaviour of nu in a flow diagram. This interesting but approximate behaviour is very similar to the exactly known behaviour in two-dimensional porous materials. In addition, the behaviour of nu versus nu(s) appears to imply that information in the dilute porosity limit can affect behaviour in the percolation threshold limit. We summarize the finite-element results in terms of simple structure-property relations, instead of tables of data, to make it easier to apply the computational results. Without using accurate numerical computations, one is limited to various effective medium theories and rigorous approximations like bounds and expansions. The accuracy of these equations is unknown for general porous media. To verify a particular theory it is important to check that it predicts both isotropic elastic moduli, i.e. prediction of Young's modulus alone is necessary but not sufficient. The subtleties of Poisson's ratio behaviour actually provide a very effective method for showing differences between the theories and demonstrating their ranges of validity. We find that for moderate- to high-porosity materials, none of the analytical theories is accurate and, at present, numerical techniques must be relied upon.

High resolution 3-D imaging via multi-pass SAR

Spaceborne/airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems provide high resolution two-dimensional terrain imagery. The paper proposes a technique for combining multiple SAR images, acquired on flight paths slightly separated in the elevation direction, to generate high resolution three-dimensional imagery. The technique could be viewed as an extension to interferometric SAR (InSAR) in that it generates topographic imagery with an additional dimension of resolution. The 3-D multi-pass SAR imaging system is typically characterised by a relatively short ambiguity length in the elevation direction. To minimise the associated ambiguities we exploit the relative phase information within the set of images to track the terrain landscape. The SAR images are then coherently combined, via a nonuniform DFT, over a narrow (in elevation) volume centred on the 'dominant' terrain ground plane. The paper includes a detailed description of the technique, background theory, including achievable resolution, and the results of an experimental study.

An atomistic simulation of solid state sintering using Monte Carlo methods

This paper presents results on the simulation of the solid state sintering of copper wires using Monte Carlo techniques based on elements of lattice theory and cellular automata. The initial structure is superimposed onto a triangular, two-dimensional lattice, where each lattice site corresponds to either an atom or vacancy. The number of vacancies varies with the simulation temperature, while a cluster of vacancies is a pore. To simulate sintering, lattice sites are picked at random and reoriented in terms of an atomistic model governing mass transport. The probability that an atom has sufficient energy to jump to a vacant lattice site is related to the jump frequency, and hence the diffusion coefficient, while the probability that an atomic jump will be accepted is related to the change in energy of the system as a result of the jump, as determined by the change in the number of nearest neighbours. The jump frequency is also used to relate model time, measured in Monte Carlo Steps, to the actual sintering time. The model incorporates bulk, grain boundary and surface diffusion terms and includes vacancy annihilation on the grain boundaries. The predictions of the model were found to be consistent with experimental data, both in terms of the microstructural evolution and in terms of the sintering time. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping the royal road and other hierarchical functions

In this paper we present a technique for visualising hierarchical and symmetric, multimodal fitness functions that have been investigated in the evolutionary computation literature. The focus of this technique is on landscapes in moderate-dimensional, binary spaces (i.e., fitness functions defined over {0, 1}(n), for n less than or equal to 16). The visualisation approach involves an unfolding of the hyperspace into a two-dimensional graph, whose layout represents the topology of the space using a recursive relationship, and whose shading defines the shape of the cost surface defined on the space. Using this technique we present case-study explorations of three fitness functions: royal road, hierarchical-if-and-only-if (H-IFF), and hierarchically decomposable functions (HDF). The visualisation approach provides an insight into the properties of these functions, particularly with respect to the size and shape of the basins of attraction around each of the local optima.

Shear-induced lamellar ionic liquid-crystal foam

n a recent paper we reported an experimental study of two N-alkylimidazolium salts. These ionic compounds exhibit liquid crystalline behaviour with melting points above 50 degrees C in bulk. However, if they are sheared, a (possibly non-equilibrium) lamellar phase forms at room temperature. Upon shearing a thin film of the material between microscope slides, textures were observed that are strikingly similar to liquid (wet) foams. The images obtained from polarising optical microscopy (POM) were found to share many of the known quantitative properties of a two-dimensional foam coarsening process. Here we report an experimental study of this foam using a shearing system coupled with POM. The structure and evolution of the foam are investigated through the image analysis of time sequences of micrographs obtained for well-controlled sets of physical parameters (sample thickness, shear rate and temperature). In particular, we find that there is a threshold shear rate below which no foam can form. Above this threshold, a steady-state foam pattern is obtained where the mean cell area generally decreases with increasing shear rate. Furthermore, the steady-state internal cell angles and distribution of the cell number of sides deviate from their equilibrium (i.e. zero-shear) values.

Estudo da função sistólica do ventrículo direito por ecocardiografia transtorácica: relatório de projecto

Mestrado em Tecnologia de Diagnóstico e Intervenção Cardiovascular. Área de especialização - Ultrassonografia Cardiovascular

Avaliação ecocardiográfica da função sistólica ventricular direita em doentes com disfunção ventricular esquerda: parâmetros convencionais versus strain bidimensional

Mestrado em Tecnologia de Diagnóstico e Intervenção Cardiovascular.

Visualization of clusters in geo-referenced data using three-dimensional self-organizing maps

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Generalization of Wertheim's theory for the assembly of various types of rings

We generalize Wertheim's first order perturbation theory to account for the effect in the thermodynamics of the self-assembly of rings characterized by two energy scales. The theory is applied to a lattice model of patchy particles and tested against Monte Carlo simulations on a fcc lattice. These particles have 2 patches of type A and 10 patches of type B, which may form bonds AA or AB that decrease the energy by epsilon(AA) and by epsilon(AB) = r epsilon(AA), respectively. The angle theta between the 2 A-patches on each particle is fixed at 601, 90 degrees or 120 degrees. For values of r below 1/2 and above a threshold r(th)(theta) the models exhibit a phase diagram with two critical points. Both theory and simulation predict that rth increases when theta decreases. We show that the mechanism that prevents phase separation for models with decreasing values of theta is related to the formation of loops containing AB bonds. Moreover, we show that by including the free energy of B-rings ( loops containing one AB bond), the theory describes the trends observed in the simulation results, but that for the lowest values of theta, the theoretical description deteriorates due to the increasing number of loops containing more than one AB bond.

Utilização de técnicas de análise fotogramétricas em quebra-mares de taludes

Dissertação de Natureza Científica elaborada no Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) para obtenção do grau de mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Hidráulica no âmbito do protocolo de cooperação entre o ISEL e o LNEC

Symbolic dynamics and big bang bifurcation in Weibull-Gompertz-Fréchet's growth models

In this paper, motivated by the interest and relevance of the study of tumor growth models, a central point of our investigation is the study of the chaotic dynamics and the bifurcation structure of Weibull-Gompertz-Fréchet's functions: a class of continuousdefined one-dimensional maps. Using symbolic dynamics techniques and iteration theory, we established that depending on the properties of this class of functions in a neighborhood of a bifurcation point PBB, in a two-dimensional parameter space, there exists an order regarding how the infinite number of periodic orbits are born: the Sharkovsky ordering. Consequently, the corresponding symbolic sequences follow the usual unimodal kneading sequences in the topological ordered tree. We verified that under some sufficient conditions, Weibull-Gompertz-Fréchet's functions have a particular bifurcation structure: a big bang bifurcation point PBB. This fractal bifurcations structure is of the so-called "box-within-a-box" type, associated to a boxe ω1, where an infinite number of bifurcation curves issues from. This analysis is done making use of fold and flip bifurcation curves and symbolic dynamics techniques. The present paper is an original contribution in the framework of the big bang bifurcation analysis for continuous maps.

Ecocardiografia em «Cor Triatriatum Dexter»

"Cor triatriatum dexter" (CTD) is an unusual cyanotic cardiac defect in which the right atrium is subdivided into two distinct chambers due to the persistence of the "sinus venosus" valve. Two patients with CTD ho were evaluated and treatment in 1979 and 1992 are described: the first one, had total anomalous pulmonary venous return to the coronary sinus or "cor triatriatum sinister" as preoperative diagnosis based on M-mode echocardiographic findings. The presence of a membrane inside the right atrium was suspected on cineangiogram. The other one had a preoperative diagnosis of CTD. Anatomic relationships and physiological effects were established by two dimensional and Doppler ultrasonography and confirmed at cardiac catheterization and surgery. High resolution two dimensional echocardiography coupled with Doppler ultrasonography has a definite role in the study of this heart defect.

Analysis of the chemical components of hydatid fluid from Echinococcus granulosus

Introduction The aim of this study was to explore the environment of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) protoscolices and their relationship with their host. Methods Proteins from the hydatid-cyst fluid (HCF) from E. granulosus were identified by proteomics. An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) was used to determine the elements, an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect the types and levels of biochemical indices, and an automatic amino acid analyzer was used to detect the types and levels of amino acids in the E. granulosus HCF. Results I) Approximately 30 protein spots and 21 peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) were acquired in the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) pattern of hydatid fluid; II) We detected 10 chemical elements in the cyst fluid, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc; III) We measured 19 biochemical metabolites in the cyst fluid, and the amount of most of these metabolites was lower than that in normal human serum; IV) We detected 17 free amino acids and measured some of these, including alanine, glycine, and valine. Conclusions We identified and measured many chemical components of the cyst fluid, providing a theoretical basis for developing new drugs to prevent and treat hydatid disease by inhibiting or blocking nutrition, metabolism, and other functions of the pathogen.

Electronic structure and optical signatures of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets

CONSPECTUS: Two-dimensional (2D) crystals derived from transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are intriguing materials that offer a unique platform to study fundamental physical phenomena as well as to explore development of novel devices. Semiconducting group 6 TMDs such as MoS2 and WSe2 are known for their large optical absorption coefficient and their potential for high efficiency photovoltaics and photodetectors. Monolayer sheets of these compounds are flexible, stretchable, and soft semiconductors with a direct band gap in contrast to their well-known bulk crystals that are rigid and hard indirect gap semiconductors. Recent intense research has been motivated by the distinct electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of these TMD crystals in the ultimate thickness regime. As a semiconductor with a band gap in the visible to near-IR frequencies, these 2D MX2 materials (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) exhibit distinct excitonic absorption and emission features. In this Account, we discuss how optical spectroscopy of these materials allows investigation of their electronic properties and the relaxation dynamics of excitons. We first discuss the basic electronic structure of 2D TMDs highlighting the key features of the dispersion relation. With the help of theoretical calculations, we further discuss how photoluminescence energy of direct and indirect excitons provide a guide to understanding the evolution of the electronic structure as a function of the number of layers. We also highlight the behavior of the two competing conduction valleys and their role in the optical processes. Intercalation of group 6 TMDs by alkali metals results in the structural phase transformation with corresponding semiconductor-to-metal transition. Monolayer TMDs obtained by intercalation-assisted exfoliation retains the metastable metallic phase. Mild annealing, however, destabilizes the metastable phase and gradually restores the original semiconducting phase. Interestingly, the semiconducting 2H phase, metallic 1T phase, and a charge-density-wave-like 1T' phase can coexist within a single crystalline monolayer sheet. We further discuss the electronic properties of the restacked films of chemically exfoliated MoS2. Finally, we focus on the strong optical absorption and related exciton relaxation in monolayer and bilayer MX2. Monolayer MX2 absorbs as much as 30% of incident photons in the blue region of the visible light despite being atomically thin. This giant absorption is attributed to nesting of the conduction and valence bands, which leads to diversion of optical conductivity. We describe how the relaxation pathway of excitons depends strongly on the excitation energy. Excitation at the band nesting region is of unique significance because it leads to relaxation of electrons and holes with opposite momentum and spontaneous formation of indirect excitons.

Dynamic three-dimensional reconstruction of the heart by transesophageal echocardiography

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate echocardiography accuracy in performing and obtaining images for dynamical three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction was obtained in 20 consecutive patients who underwent transesophageal echocardiography. A multiplanar 5 MHz transducer was used for 3D reconstruction. RESULTS: Twenty patients were studied consecutively. The following cardiac diseases were present: valvar prostheses-6 (2 mitral, 2 aortic and 2 mitral and aortic); mitral valve prolapse- 3; mitral and aortic disease - 2; aortic valve disease- 5; congenital heart disease- 3 (2 atrial septal defect- ASD - and 1 transposition of the great arteries -TGA); arteriovenous fistula- 1. In 7 patients, color Doppler was also obtained and used for 3D flow reconstruction. Twenty five cardiac structures were acquired and 60 reconstructions generated (28 of mitral valves, 14 of aortic valves, 4 of mitral prostheses, 7 of aortic prostheses and 7 of the ASD). Fifty five of 60 (91.6%) reconstructions were considered of good quality by 2 independent observers. The 11 reconstructed mitral valves/prostheses and the 2 reconstructed ASDs provided more anatomical information than two dimensional echocardiography (2DE) alone. CONCLUSION: 3D echocardiography using a transesophageal transducer is a feasible technique, which improves detection of anatomical details of cardiac structures, particularly of the mitral valve and atrial septum.