Evidence of different thermoregulatory mechanisms between two sympatric Scarabaeus species using infrared thermography and micro-computer tomography

In endotherms insects, the thermoregulatory mechanisms modulate heat transfer from the thorax to the abdomen to avoid overheating or cooling in order to obtain a prolonged flight performance. Scarabaeus sacer and S. cicatricosus, two sympatric species with the same habitat and food preferences, showed daily temporal segregation with S. cicatricosus being more active during warmer hours of the day in opposition to S. sacer who avoid it. In the case of S. sacer, their endothermy pattern suggested an adaptive capacity for thorax heat retention. In S. cicatricosus, an active ‘heat exchanger’ mechanism was suggested. However, no empirical evidence had been documented until now. Thermographic sequences recorded during flight performance showed evidence of the existence of both thermoregulatory mechanisms. In S. sacer, infrared sequences showed a possible heat insulator (passive thermal window), which prevents heat transfer from meso- and metathorax to the abdomen during flight. In S. cicatricosus, infrared sequences revealed clear and effective heat flow between the thorax and abdomen (abdominal heat transfer) that should be considered the main mechanism of thermoregulation. This was related to a subsequent increase in abdominal pumping (as a cooling mechanism) during flight. Computer microtomography scanning, anatomical dissections and internal air volume measurements showed two possible heat retention mechanisms for S. sacer; the abdominal air sacs and the development of the internal abdominal sternites that could explain the thermoregulation between thorax and abdomen. Our results suggest that interspecific interactions between sympatric species are regulated by very different mechanisms. These mechanisms create unique thermal niches for the different species, thereby preventing competition and modulating spatio-temporal distribution and the composition of dung beetle assemblages.

Effect of granule morphology on breakage behaviour during compression

In the area of dry particle breakage, Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations have been widely used to analyse the sensitivity of various physical parameters to the behaviour of agglomerates during breakage. This paper looks at the effect of agglomerate shape and structure on the mechanisms and extent of breakage of dry agglomerates under compressive load using DEM simulations. In the simulations, a spherical-shaped agglomerate produced within the DEM code is compared with an irregularly shaped agglomerate, whose structure is that of an actual granule that was characterised with X-ray microtomography (muCT). Both agglomerates have identical particle size distribution, coordination number and surface energy values, with only the agglomerate shape and structure differing between the two. The work here details the breakage behaviour with a number of traditional DEM output parameters (i.e., contact/cluster distributions) with showing vastly different behaviour between the two agglomerates. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of a multi-component digital dissolution model for irregular particles

A new mesoscale simulation model for solids dissolution based on an computationally efficient and versatile digital modelling approach (DigiDiss) is considered and validated against analytical solutions and published experimental data for simple geometries. As the digital model is specifically designed to handle irregular shapes and complex multi-component structures, use of the model is explored for single crystals (sugars) and clusters. Single crystals and the cluster were first scanned using X-ray microtomography to obtain a digital version of their structures. The digitised particles and clusters were used as a structural input to digital simulation. The same particles were then dissolved in water and the dissolution process was recorded by a video camera and analysed yielding: the overall dissolution times and images of particle size and shape during the dissolution. The results demonstrate the coherence of simulation method to reproduce experimental behaviour, based on known chemical and diffusion properties of constituent phase. The paper discusses how further sophistications to the modelling approach will need to include other important effects such as complex disintegration effects (particle ejection, uncertainties in chemical properties). The nature of the digital modelling approach is well suited to for future implementation with high speed computation using hybrid conventional (CPU) and graphical processor (GPU) systems.

Avaliação da adaptação marginal de diferentes tipos de restaurações obtidas por CAD/CAM e métodos convencionais

The past few decades have brought many changes to the dental practice and the technology has become ready available. The result of a satisfactory rehabilitation treatment basically depends on the balance between biological and mechanical factors. The marginal adaptation of crowns and prosthetic structures is vital factor for long-term success. The development of CAD / CAM technology in the manufacture of dental prostheses revolutionized dentistry, this technology is capable of generating a virtual model from the direct digital scanning from the mouth, casts or impressions. It allows the planning and design of the structure in a computered software. The virtual projects are obtained with high precision and a significant reduction in clinical and laboratory time. Thus, the present study (Chapters 1, 2 and 3) computed microtomography was used to evaluate, different materials, different CAD/CAM systems, different ways of obtaining virtual model (with direct or indirect scanning), and in addition, also aims to evaluate the influence of cementing agent in the final adaptation of crowns and copings obtained by CAD / CAM. Furthermore, this study (Chapter 4, 5 and 6) also aims to evaluate significant differences in vertical and horizontal misfits in abutment-free frameworks on external hexagon implants (HE) using full castable UCLAs, castable UCLAs with cobalt-chromium pre-machined bases and obtained by CAD / CAM with CoCr or Zirconia by different scanning and milling systems. For this, the scanning electron microscopy and interferometry were used. It was concluded that the CAD / CAM technology is capable to produce restorations, copings and screw-retained implant-supported frameworks in different materials and systems offering satisfactory results of marginal accuracy, with significative reduction in clinical and laboratory time.

Modélisation du comportement des bétons fibrés à ultra-hautes performances par la micromécanique : Effet de l'orientation des fibres à l'échelle de la structure

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le contexte d’une optimisation industrielle et économique des éléments de structure en BFUP permettant d’en garantir la ductilité au niveau structural, tout en ajustant la quantité de fibres et en optimisant le mode de fabrication. Le modèle développé décrit explicitement la participation du renfort fibré en traction au niveau local, en enchaînant une phase de comportement écrouissante suivie d’une phase adoucissante. La loi de comportement est fonction de la densité, de l’orientation des fibres vis-à-vis des directions principales de traction, de leur élancement et d’autres paramètres matériaux usuels liés aux fibres, à la matrice cimentaire et à leur interaction. L’orientation des fibres est prise en compte à partir d’une loi de probabilité normale à une ou deux variables permettant de reproduire n’importe quelle orientation obtenue à partir d’un calcul représentatif de la mise en oeuvre du BFUP frais ou renseignée par analyse expérimentale sur prototype. Enfin, le modèle reproduit la fissuration des BFUP sur le principe des modèles de fissures diffuses et tournantes. La loi de comportement est intégrée au sein d’un logiciel de calcul de structure par éléments finis, permettant de l’utiliser comme un outil prédictif de la fiabilité et de la ductilité globale d’éléments en BFUP. Deux campagnes expérimentales ont été effectuées, une à l’Université Laval de Québec et l’autre à l’Ifsttar, Marne-la-Vallée. La première permet de valider la capacité du modèle reproduire le comportement global sous des sollicitations typiques de traction et de flexion dans des éléments structurels simples pour lesquels l’orientation préférentielle des fibres a été renseignée par tomographie. La seconde campagne expérimentale démontre les capacités du modèle dans une démarche d’optimisation, pour la fabrication de plaques nervurées relativement complexes et présentant un intérêt industriel potentiel pour lesquels différentes modalités de fabrication et des BFUP plus ou moins fibrés ont été envisagés. Le contrôle de la répartition et de l’orientation des fibres a été réalisé à partir d’essais mécaniques sur prélèvements. Les prévisions du modèle ont été confrontées au comportement structurel global et à la ductilité mis en évidence expérimentalement. Le modèle a ainsi pu être qualifié vis-à-vis des méthodes analytiques usuelles de l’ingénierie, en prenant en compte la variabilité statistique. Des pistes d’amélioration et de complément de développement ont été identifiées.

Modelação do risco de perda dentária por doença periodontal

O prognóstico da perda dentária é um dos principais problemas na prática clínica de medicina dentária. Um dos principais fatores prognósticos é a quantidade de suporte ósseo do dente, definido pela área da superfície radicular dentária intraóssea. A estimação desta grandeza tem sido realizada por diferentes metodologias de investigação com resultados heterogéneos. Neste trabalho utilizamos o método da planimetria com microtomografia para calcular a área da superfície radicular (ASR) de uma amostra de cinco dentes segundos pré-molares inferiores obtida da população portuguesa, com o objetivo final de criar um modelo estatístico para estimar a área de superfície radicular intraóssea a partir de indicadores clínicos da perda óssea. Por fim propomos um método para aplicar os resultados na prática. Os dados referentes à área da superfície radicular, comprimento total do dente (CT) e dimensão mésio-distal máxima da coroa (MDeq) serviram para estabelecer as relações estatísticas entre variáveis e definir uma distribuição normal multivariada. Por fim foi criada uma amostra de 37 observações simuladas a partir da distribuição normal multivariada definida e estatisticamente idênticas aos dados da amostra de cinco dentes. Foram ajustados cinco modelos lineares generalizados aos dados simulados. O modelo estatístico foi selecionado segundo os critérios de ajustamento, preditibilidade, potência estatística, acurácia dos parâmetros e da perda de informação, e validado pela análise gráfica de resíduos. Apoiados nos resultados propomos um método em três fases para estimação área de superfície radicular perdida/remanescente. Na primeira fase usamos o modelo estatístico para estimar a área de superfície radicular, na segunda estimamos a proporção (decis) de raiz intraóssea usando uma régua de Schei adaptada e na terceira multiplicamos o valor obtido na primeira fase por um coeficiente que representa a proporção de raiz perdida (ASRp) ou da raiz remanescente (ASRr) para o decil estimado na segunda fase. O ponto forte deste estudo foi a aplicação de metodologia estatística validada para operacionalizar dados clínicos na estimação de suporte ósseo perdido. Como pontos fracos consideramos a aplicação destes resultados apenas aos segundos pré-molares mandibulares e a falta de validação clínica.

Spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies engaging muscle synergies improve motor control after spinal cord injury.

Electrical neuromodulation of lumbar segments improves motor control after spinal cord injury in animal models and humans. However, the physiological principles underlying the effect of this intervention remain poorly understood, which has limited the therapeutic approach to continuous stimulation applied to restricted spinal cord locations. Here we developed stimulation protocols that reproduce the natural dynamics of motoneuron activation during locomotion. For this, we computed the spatiotemporal activation pattern of muscle synergies during locomotion in healthy rats. Computer simulations identified optimal electrode locations to target each synergy through the recruitment of proprioceptive feedback circuits. This framework steered the design of spatially selective spinal implants and real-time control software that modulate extensor and flexor synergies with precise temporal resolution. Spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies improved gait quality, weight-bearing capacity, endurance and skilled locomotion in several rodent models of spinal cord injury. These new concepts are directly translatable to strategies to improve motor control in humans.

Finite difference calculations of permeability in large domains in a wide porosity range.

Determining effective hydraulic, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of porous materials by means of classical physical experiments is often time-consuming and expensive. Thus, accurate numerical calculations of material properties are of increasing interest in geophysical, manufacturing, bio-mechanical and environmental applications, among other fields. Characteristic material properties (e.g. intrinsic permeability, thermal conductivity and elastic moduli) depend on morphological details on the porescale such as shape and size of pores and pore throats or cracks. To obtain reliable predictions of these properties it is necessary to perform numerical analyses of sufficiently large unit cells. Such representative volume elements require optimized numerical simulation techniques. Current state-of-the-art simulation tools to calculate effective permeabilities of porous materials are based on various methods, e.g. lattice Boltzmann, finite volumes or explicit jump Stokes methods. All approaches still have limitations in the maximum size of the simulation domain. In response to these deficits of the well-established methods we propose an efficient and reliable numerical method which allows to calculate intrinsic permeabilities directly from voxel-based data obtained from 3D imaging techniques like X-ray microtomography. We present a modelling framework based on a parallel finite differences solver, allowing the calculation of large domains with relative low computing requirements (i.e. desktop computers). The presented method is validated in a diverse selection of materials, obtaining accurate results for a large range of porosities, wider than the ranges previously reported. Ongoing work includes the estimation of other effective properties of porous media.

Cork structural characteristics and their influence on the oxygen ingress through wine stoppers

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia - UL

Crack damage in polymers and composites: a review

Polymer-based materials are extensively used in various applications such as aircrafts, civilian structures, oil and gas platforms and electronics. They are, however, inherently damage prone and over time, the formation of cracks and microscopic damages influences the thermo-mechanical and electrical properties, which eventually results in the total failure of the materials. This paper provides an overview of the principal causes of cracking in polymer and composites and summarizes the recent progress in the development of non-destructive techniques in crack detection. Furthermore, recent progress in the development of bio-inspired self-healing methods in autonomic repair is discussed.