Liberalized electricity markets,smart grids and high penetration of renewable energy sources(RESs)led to the development of novel markets,whose objective is the harmonization between production and demand,usually note...Liberalized electricity markets,smart grids and high penetration of renewable energy sources(RESs)led to the development of novel markets,whose objective is the harmonization between production and demand,usually noted as real time of flexibility markets.This necessitates the development of novel pricing schemes able to allow energy service providers(ESPs)to maximize their aggregated profits from the traditional markets(trading between wholesale/day-ahead and retail markets)and the innovative flexibility markets.In the same time,ESPs have to offer their end users(consumers)competitive(low cost)energy services.In this context,novel pricing schemes must act,among others,as automated demand side management(DSM)techniques that are able to trigger the desired behavioral changes according to the flexibility market prices in energy consumption curves(ECCs)of the consumers.Energy pricing schemes proposed so far,e.g.realtime pricing,interact in an efficient way with wholesale market.But they do not provide consumers with strong enough financial incentives to modify their energy consumption habits towards energy cost curtailment.Thus,they do not interact efficiently with flexibility markets.Therefore,we develop a flexibility real-time pricing(FRTP)scheme,which offers a dynamically adjustable level of financial incentives to participating users by fairly rewarding the ones that make desirable behavioral changes in their ECCs.Performance evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed FRTP is able to offer a 15%–30%more attractive trade-off between the stacked profits of ESPs,i.e.the sum of the profits from retail and flexibility markets,and the satisfaction of consumers.展开更多
The explosive volume growth of deep-learning(DL)applications has triggered an era in computing,with neuromorphic photonic platforms promising to merge ultra-high speed and energy efficiency credentials with the brain-...The explosive volume growth of deep-learning(DL)applications has triggered an era in computing,with neuromorphic photonic platforms promising to merge ultra-high speed and energy efficiency credentials with the brain-inspired computing primitives.The transfer of deep neural networks(DNNs)onto silicon photonic(SiPho)architectures requires,however,an analog computing engine that can perform tiled matrix multiplication(TMM)at line rate to support DL applications with a large number of trainable parameters,similar to the approach followed by state-of-the-art electronic graphics processing units.Herein,we demonstrate an analog SiPho computing engine that relies on a coherent architecture and can perform optical TMM at the record-high speed of 50 GHz.Its potential to support DL applications,where the number of trainable parameters exceeds the available hardware dimensions,is highlighted through a photonic DNN that can reliably detect distributed denial-of-service attacks within a data center with a Cohen’s kappa score-based accuracy of 0.636.展开更多
Plastic waste management has emerged as a critical environmental issue due to the exponential increase in plastic consumption worldwide.Polyethylene terephthalate(PET)is extensively used in the production of water bot...Plastic waste management has emerged as a critical environmental issue due to the exponential increase in plastic consumption worldwide.Polyethylene terephthalate(PET)is extensively used in the production of water bottles,which constitutes a significant fraction of the plastic waste.PET recycling is a challenging task due to the lack of efficient and cost-effective depolymerization methods.In this study,we developed a microwave(MW)catalytic depolymerization method for PET recycling using modified zinc oxide loaded with manganese oxide as a cocatalyst.The modified Mn_(3)O_(4)/ZnO catalyst presents high efficiency in depolymerizing PET into its monomers with only 0.4 wt% ratio of the catalyst to PET at 175℃ for 5 min,resulting in 100% conversion of PET and 88% selectivity toward bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate monomers.It is believed that Mn_(3)O_(4)provides additional Lewis acid sites,promoting the dissociation of glycol from PET,and the MW irradiation plays a crucial role in rapidly heating the ethylene glycol and the catalyst,thereby accelerating the PET depolymerization process.In addition,the heterogeneous nature of the catalyst facilitates its easy separation from the reaction mixture for reuse,simplifying the catalyst recovery process and enabling costeffective and sustainable PET recycling.Thus,this study provides an innovative and sustainable solution for PET recycling,contributing toward the circular economy and mitigating the environmental impact of plastic waste.展开更多
Past earthquake disasters in Greece, during the last thirty years, demonstrate that the severity of destruction is not only due to the intensity of the seismic event but also to the urbanization of the affected region...Past earthquake disasters in Greece, during the last thirty years, demonstrate that the severity of destruction is not only due to the intensity of the seismic event but also to the urbanization of the affected region and the vulnerability of certain types of buildings. Considerable damage was sustained by both old unreinforced masonry structures as well as by relatively new multistory reinforced concrete structures with ＂soft story＂ at their ground floor level. The most important observations made during six past earthquake disasters are presented in a summary form and discussed. The most remarkable case of extensive structural damage was caused from the resent Athens 1999 earthquake. The consequent discussion focuses on the following issues： （1） Classification of structural damage and their underlying causes. （2） Repair and strengthening of damaged structures. （3） Upgrade the seismic design. （4） Plans for earthquake preparedness. （5） Assessing the vulnerability of certain type of structures （schools, hospitals, public buildings etc）. （6） Education specialized in earthquake engineering. （7） The enrichment of the strong motion data base.展开更多
A full-scale, two-story, two-by-one bay, steel braced-frame was subjected to a number of unidirectional ground motions using three shake tables at the UNR-NEES site. The test-bed frame was designed to study the seismi...A full-scale, two-story, two-by-one bay, steel braced-frame was subjected to a number of unidirectional ground motions using three shake tables at the UNR-NEES site. The test-bed frame was designed to study the seismic performance of nonstructural systems including steel-framed gypsum partition walls, suspended ceilings and fire sprinkler systems. The frame can be configured to perform as an elastic or inelastic system to generate large floor accelerations or large inter story drift, respectively. In this study, the dynamic performance of the linear and nonlinear test-beds was comprehensively studied. The seismic performance of nonstructural systems installed in the linear and nonlinear test-beds were assessed during extreme excitations. In addition, the dynamic interactions of the test-bed and installed nonstructural systems are investigated.展开更多
With fossil fuel being the major source of energy,CO_(2) emission levels need to be reduced to a minimal amount namely from anthropogenic sources.Energy consumption is expected to rise by 48%in the next 30 years,and g...With fossil fuel being the major source of energy,CO_(2) emission levels need to be reduced to a minimal amount namely from anthropogenic sources.Energy consumption is expected to rise by 48%in the next 30 years,and global warming is becoming an alarming issue which needs to be addressed on a thorough technical basis.Nonetheless,exploring CO_(2) capture using membrane contactor technology has shown great potential to be applied and utilised by industry to deal with post-and pre-combustion of CO_(2).A systematic review of the literature has been conducted to analyse and assess CO_(2) removal using membrane contactors for capturing techniques in industrial processes.The review began with a total of 2650 papers,which were obtained from three major databases,and then were excluded down to a final number of 525 papers following a defined set of criteria.The results showed that the use of hollow fibre membranes have demonstrated popularity,as well as the use of amine solvents for CO_(2) removal.This current systematic review in CO_(2) removal and capture is an important milestone in the synthesis of up to date research with the potential to serve as a benchmark databank for further research in similar areas of work.This study provides the first systematic enquiry in the evidence to research further sustainable methods to capture and separate CO_(2).展开更多
Objective: To determine the incidence of abnormal laboratory test results among isotretinoin users. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Comprehensive managed care health plan in Northern California. Participants: T...Objective: To determine the incidence of abnormal laboratory test results among isotretinoin users. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Comprehensive managed care health plan in Northern California. Participants: The study population comprised 13 772 patients aged 13 to 50 yearswith acne,undergoing oral isotretinoin therapy between March 1995 and September 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Laboratory values for serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and liver transaminase levels; white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count; and frequency of abnormal laboratory results by severity grade as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0. Results: Substantial increases in the cumulative incidence of abnormalities were seen in serum lipid and transaminase levels, but not in hematologic parameters, during isotretinoin treatment compared with the baseline period. The cumulative incidence of new abnormalities in patients with normal values at baseline was 44%for triglyceride level, 31%for total cholesterol level, and 11%for transaminase level. Moderate to severe abnormalities in lipid and transaminase levels were generally transient and reversible. New abnormalities in hematological test results were uncommon. Conclusions: The incidence of abnormally high serum lipid levels during isotretinoin treatment may be greater than previously estimated. Elevations in transaminase level are generally mild. Normal baseline values of serum lipid and transaminase levels do not preclude the development of new abnormalities during isotretinoin treatment. Routine monitoring of white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count during isotretinoin therapy may be of little utility without clinical suspicion of an abnormality. The clinical significance of laboratory abnormalities during isotretinoin therapy remains to be determined.展开更多
Folded patch antennas were investigated for the development of low-cost and wireless smart-skin sensors that monitor the strain in metallic structures.When the patch antenna is under strain/deformation,its resonance f...Folded patch antennas were investigated for the development of low-cost and wireless smart-skin sensors that monitor the strain in metallic structures.When the patch antenna is under strain/deformation,its resonance frequency varies accordingly.The variation can be easily interrogated and recorded by a wireless reader.The patch antenna adopts a specially chosen substrate material with low dielectric attenuation,as well as an inexpensive off-the-shelf radiofrequency identification(RFID)chip for signal modulation.Since the RFID chip harvests electromagnetic power from the interrogation signal emitted by the reader,the patch antenna itself does not require other(internal)power sources and,thus,serves as a battery-less(passive)and wireless strain sensor.In this preliminary investigation,a prototype folded patch antenna has been designed and manufactured.Tensile testing results show strong linearity between the interrogated resonance frequency and the strain experienced by the antenna.Through experiments,the strain sensing resolution is demonstrated to be under 50με,and the wireless interrogation distance is shown to be over a few feet for this preliminary prototype.展开更多
论文Hiding in Plain Sight:A longitudinal Study of Combosquatting Abuse是一篇纯测量文章,主要关注了Combosquatting这种域名注册现象,并对它进行了第一次的系统性研究。Combosquatting的特点是,通过向知名域名添加其他关键词的方式...论文Hiding in Plain Sight:A longitudinal Study of Combosquatting Abuse是一篇纯测量文章,主要关注了Combosquatting这种域名注册现象,并对它进行了第一次的系统性研究。Combosquatting的特点是,通过向知名域名添加其他关键词的方式,构造并注册新的域名(例如alipay-login.com);这种域名可以用于钓鱼、恶意软件传播、APT攻击、品牌滥用等行为。作者通过测量发现,这样的域名规模非常庞大,达到百万量级,并且活跃时间非常长;案例分析表明,已经有一些这样的域名被用于恶意用途或攻击。展开更多
The present study investigates the force transfer mechanisms for open hoop fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) strips attached at reinforced concrete (R/C) beams with or without anchorage. These open hoop FRP strips are ut...The present study investigates the force transfer mechanisms for open hoop fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) strips attached at reinforced concrete (R/C) beams with or without anchorage. These open hoop FRP strips are utilized in R/C beams that are in need of shear capacity upgrade. This type of retrofitting is necessary for R/C structures designed with less stringent seismic loading conditions than those currently required. For this purpose special unit beam concrete specimens were fabricated and were used to attach open hoop carbon (CFRP) or steel (SFRP) FRP strips with or without anchoring. A novel loading arrangement was utilized to apply the necessary forces to these unit beam specimens together with instrumentation capable of capturing the behaviour of these specimens up to failure. Studying in this way the transfer of forces from the open hoop FRP strips, it could be demonstrated that when this type of retrofitting was accompanied with a properly designed anchoring device, a significant increase in the bearing capacity of the tested specimens was observed. Moreover, the observed failure was that of the fracture of the FRP strips for all such specimens. The highest degree of FRP material exploitation was achieved in the specimen that utilizes a patented anchoring device together with two layers of SFRP strips. Debonding of the FRP strips or failure of the anchoring device results, as was to be expected, in relatively unsatisfactory FRP material exploitation.展开更多
The diverse coordination environments on the surfaces of discrete,three-dimensional(3D)nanoclusters contribute significantly to their unique catalytic properties.Identifying the numerous adsorption sites and diffusion...The diverse coordination environments on the surfaces of discrete,three-dimensional(3D)nanoclusters contribute significantly to their unique catalytic properties.Identifying the numerous adsorption sites and diffusion paths on these clusters is however tedious and time-consuming,especially for large,asymmetric nanoclusters.Here,we present a simple,automated method for constructing approximate 2D potential energy surfaces for the adsorption of atomic species on the surfaces of 3D nanoclusters with minimal human intervention.These potential energy surfaces fully characterize the important adsorption sites and diffusion paths on the nanocluster surfaces with accuracies similar to current approaches and at comparable computational cost.Our method can treat complex nanoclusters,such as alloy nanoclusters,and accounts for cluster relaxation and adsorbate-induced reconstruction,important for obtaining accurate energetics.Moreover,its highly parallelizable nature is ideal for modern supercomputer architectures.展开更多
The potential of externally applied FRP （fiber-reinforced plastic） sheets, being employed in retrofitting schemes aimed to repair and strengthen RC （reinforced concrete） structural elements damaged by prototype st...The potential of externally applied FRP （fiber-reinforced plastic） sheets, being employed in retrofitting schemes aimed to repair and strengthen RC （reinforced concrete） structural elements damaged by prototype strong earthquakes, is presented and discussed in this study. The limitation of the debonding mode of failure of these FRP sheets is highlighted and the necessity to develop efficient anchoring devices for these FRP sheets is underlined. The behavior of such a novel HAD （hybrid anchoring device） capable of anchoring CFRP （carbon fiber reinforcing plastic） sheets to RC structural elements, is presented and discussed. The behavior of the device itself was studied through a 3D non-linear numerical simulation at the preliminary design stage in order to establish certain desired features such as the ductile behavior of the device itself as well as the satisfactory performance of the FRP sheets wrapped around this device. This HAD was next applied as part of a strengthening scheme aimed to upgrade the flexural capacity of an RC bridge-type pier specimen subjected to a cyclic seismic-type loading sequence. The obtained results demonstrated an increase in the specimen＇s flexural capacity by 100% as well as a similar increase in its capability of dissipating energy in a ductile manner during the cyclic load sequence. Moreover, the employed 3D non-linear numerical simulation yielded reasonably good agreement between the measured and the predicted cyclic response of this specimen strengthened by CFRP layers, which were anchored by the novel HAD. The successful behavior of this novel HAD, which has been patented with No. WO2011073696, is currently being tried with a number of other retrofitting schemes employing FRP sheets externally attached on RC structural elements.展开更多
S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla (Lamiaceae) is an endemic aromatic plant of Greece and is used as a culinary herb. In the present study we explored its possible anticancer activity through the induction of apoptosis on c...S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla (Lamiaceae) is an endemic aromatic plant of Greece and is used as a culinary herb. In the present study we explored its possible anticancer activity through the induction of apoptosis on cancer cells using A549 cell line as a model. The cytotoxic effects and the type of cell death (apoptosis/necrosis) were evaluated with biochemical and morphological criteria. The total methanol extract of S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla revealed forty two components, of which carvacrol was the major constituent (43.2%). Only a minor portion of them (3.41%) was contained in the active working plant extract solution which was used for cell treatment. This study indicates that extract of S. horvatii spp. macrophylla, which belongs to carvacrol chemotype, can induce both apoptosis and necrosis to A549 cancer cell line.展开更多
Objective:To present clinical and pathologic features of pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma through analyzing three cases found in our institution and reviewing cases reported in the English language literature.Methods an...Objective:To present clinical and pathologic features of pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma through analyzing three cases found in our institution and reviewing cases reported in the English language literature.Methods and Results:Three cases of pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma identified at our institution during the past ten years were reviewed. In the first case,the patient presented with concurrent pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma and histoplasmosis. In the second case,the patient presented with a 5.5 cm lung mass and a separate smaller lesion radiologically resembling bronchogenic carcinoma. There was very prominent polyclonal lymphocytic proliferation at the periphery especially of the smaller lesion likely representing an early stage of the disease process. In the third case,the patient presented with multiple subpleural plaque-like lesions in addition to nodular lesions of the lung. All cases also demonstrated various degrees of lymphocytic infiltration within the lesions. The English literature has been reviewed through searching the PubMed.Conclusion:Since patients with pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma demonstrated a spectrum of clinical presentations,radiologic changes and histologic features with a variety of associated clinical disorders,pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma is more in keeping with a clinicopathologic entity rather than a specific pathologic disease.展开更多
In this work, we describe a new electrode-less radio-frequency（RF） excitation technique for generating excimers in the vacuum ultraviolet（VUV） and ultraviolet（UV） spectral regions for potential biological/chemic...In this work, we describe a new electrode-less radio-frequency（RF） excitation technique for generating excimers in the vacuum ultraviolet（VUV） and ultraviolet（UV） spectral regions for potential biological/chemical applications. Spectra data of Xe~＊_2, XeI~＊, and KrI~＊ generated by this new technique are presented. Optical efficiency of the lamp system ranges from 3% to 6% for KrI~＊, 7% to 13% for XeI~＊, and 15% to 20% for Xe~＊_2. Also, results of irradiating E-coli with XeI~＊discharge from this lamp system is presented to show one of the promising applications of such electrode-less apparatus.This new RF lamp system offers an interesting addition to the already existing technologies for generating VUV and UV light for various biological, physical, and chemical processes especially those requiring large area for high productivity.展开更多
Is Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for the persistence of symptoms after the standard successful course of antibiotics in Lyme disease patients?This highly controversial issue,concerning the underlying mechanism of p...Is Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for the persistence of symptoms after the standard successful course of antibiotics in Lyme disease patients?This highly controversial issue,concerning the underlying mechanism of posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome(PTLDS),still seems to be a matter of intense conflict of opinion.PTLDS is the manifestation of nonspecific symptoms including fatigue,musculoskeletal pain,dysesthesias,and neurocognitive deterioration after the standard antimicrobial therapy administered to patients suffering from Lyme disease.In this article,we review the conflicting views and published highlights of recent human studies regarding PTLDS.展开更多
The dynamic and earthquake response of bell towers,located at the Island of Kefalonia,Greece,is examined here.These structures were subjected during the winter of 2014 with an intensive earthquake sequence.The dynamic...The dynamic and earthquake response of bell towers,located at the Island of Kefalonia,Greece,is examined here.These structures were subjected during the winter of 2014 with an intensive earthquake sequence.The dynamic characteristics of two bell towers were measured in situ.Subsequently the dynamic and earthquake response of each bell tower was numerically simulated employing 3-D dynamic elastic numerical simulations taking into account the soil-foundation deformability.It is demonstrated that the soil-foundation-structure interaction influences the dynamic and earthquake response predictions for this structure quite significantly.It also demonstrates the usefulness of such in-situ testing towards formulating realistic numerical models in order to yield realistic predictions of the dynamic and earthquake response of the examined structures.The obtained numerical analyses utilize the earthquake ground motion which was recorded at close distance from both bell towers.The numerical predictions of the earthquake response of both bell towers are utilized to draw conclusions of their actual earthquake performance.It is concluded that the soil-foundation interaction was a critical response mechanism.The newly built RC(reinforced concrete)bell towers performed satisfactorily.展开更多
基金funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme(No.731767)in the context of the SOCIALENERGY project.
文摘Liberalized electricity markets,smart grids and high penetration of renewable energy sources(RESs)led to the development of novel markets,whose objective is the harmonization between production and demand,usually noted as real time of flexibility markets.This necessitates the development of novel pricing schemes able to allow energy service providers(ESPs)to maximize their aggregated profits from the traditional markets(trading between wholesale/day-ahead and retail markets)and the innovative flexibility markets.In the same time,ESPs have to offer their end users(consumers)competitive(low cost)energy services.In this context,novel pricing schemes must act,among others,as automated demand side management(DSM)techniques that are able to trigger the desired behavioral changes according to the flexibility market prices in energy consumption curves(ECCs)of the consumers.Energy pricing schemes proposed so far,e.g.realtime pricing,interact in an efficient way with wholesale market.But they do not provide consumers with strong enough financial incentives to modify their energy consumption habits towards energy cost curtailment.Thus,they do not interact efficiently with flexibility markets.Therefore,we develop a flexibility real-time pricing(FRTP)scheme,which offers a dynamically adjustable level of financial incentives to participating users by fairly rewarding the ones that make desirable behavioral changes in their ECCs.Performance evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed FRTP is able to offer a 15%–30%more attractive trade-off between the stacked profits of ESPs,i.e.the sum of the profits from retail and flexibility markets,and the satisfaction of consumers.
基金the EU-projects PlasmoniAC(Grant No.871391)SIPHO-G(Grant No.101017194)Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation(H.F.R.I.)under the“First Call for H.F.R.I.Research Projects to Support Faculty Members and Researchers and the Procurement of High-cost Research Equipment Grant”(Grant No.4233,DeepLight).
文摘The explosive volume growth of deep-learning(DL)applications has triggered an era in computing,with neuromorphic photonic platforms promising to merge ultra-high speed and energy efficiency credentials with the brain-inspired computing primitives.The transfer of deep neural networks(DNNs)onto silicon photonic(SiPho)architectures requires,however,an analog computing engine that can perform tiled matrix multiplication(TMM)at line rate to support DL applications with a large number of trainable parameters,similar to the approach followed by state-of-the-art electronic graphics processing units.Herein,we demonstrate an analog SiPho computing engine that relies on a coherent architecture and can perform optical TMM at the record-high speed of 50 GHz.Its potential to support DL applications,where the number of trainable parameters exceeds the available hardware dimensions,is highlighted through a photonic DNN that can reliably detect distributed denial-of-service attacks within a data center with a Cohen’s kappa score-based accuracy of 0.636.
基金UK EPSRC project(EP/S018204/2)Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship(SRF\R1\21000153).
文摘Plastic waste management has emerged as a critical environmental issue due to the exponential increase in plastic consumption worldwide.Polyethylene terephthalate(PET)is extensively used in the production of water bottles,which constitutes a significant fraction of the plastic waste.PET recycling is a challenging task due to the lack of efficient and cost-effective depolymerization methods.In this study,we developed a microwave(MW)catalytic depolymerization method for PET recycling using modified zinc oxide loaded with manganese oxide as a cocatalyst.The modified Mn_(3)O_(4)/ZnO catalyst presents high efficiency in depolymerizing PET into its monomers with only 0.4 wt% ratio of the catalyst to PET at 175℃ for 5 min,resulting in 100% conversion of PET and 88% selectivity toward bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate monomers.It is believed that Mn_(3)O_(4)provides additional Lewis acid sites,promoting the dissociation of glycol from PET,and the MW irradiation plays a crucial role in rapidly heating the ethylene glycol and the catalyst,thereby accelerating the PET depolymerization process.In addition,the heterogeneous nature of the catalyst facilitates its easy separation from the reaction mixture for reuse,simplifying the catalyst recovery process and enabling costeffective and sustainable PET recycling.Thus,this study provides an innovative and sustainable solution for PET recycling,contributing toward the circular economy and mitigating the environmental impact of plastic waste.
文摘Past earthquake disasters in Greece, during the last thirty years, demonstrate that the severity of destruction is not only due to the intensity of the seismic event but also to the urbanization of the affected region and the vulnerability of certain types of buildings. Considerable damage was sustained by both old unreinforced masonry structures as well as by relatively new multistory reinforced concrete structures with ＂soft story＂ at their ground floor level. The most important observations made during six past earthquake disasters are presented in a summary form and discussed. The most remarkable case of extensive structural damage was caused from the resent Athens 1999 earthquake. The consequent discussion focuses on the following issues： （1） Classification of structural damage and their underlying causes. （2） Repair and strengthening of damaged structures. （3） Upgrade the seismic design. （4） Plans for earthquake preparedness. （5） Assessing the vulnerability of certain type of structures （schools, hospitals, public buildings etc）. （6） Education specialized in earthquake engineering. （7） The enrichment of the strong motion data base.
基金National Science Foundation under Grant No.0721399
文摘A full-scale, two-story, two-by-one bay, steel braced-frame was subjected to a number of unidirectional ground motions using three shake tables at the UNR-NEES site. The test-bed frame was designed to study the seismic performance of nonstructural systems including steel-framed gypsum partition walls, suspended ceilings and fire sprinkler systems. The frame can be configured to perform as an elastic or inelastic system to generate large floor accelerations or large inter story drift, respectively. In this study, the dynamic performance of the linear and nonlinear test-beds was comprehensively studied. The seismic performance of nonstructural systems installed in the linear and nonlinear test-beds were assessed during extreme excitations. In addition, the dynamic interactions of the test-bed and installed nonstructural systems are investigated.
文摘With fossil fuel being the major source of energy,CO_(2) emission levels need to be reduced to a minimal amount namely from anthropogenic sources.Energy consumption is expected to rise by 48%in the next 30 years,and global warming is becoming an alarming issue which needs to be addressed on a thorough technical basis.Nonetheless,exploring CO_(2) capture using membrane contactor technology has shown great potential to be applied and utilised by industry to deal with post-and pre-combustion of CO_(2).A systematic review of the literature has been conducted to analyse and assess CO_(2) removal using membrane contactors for capturing techniques in industrial processes.The review began with a total of 2650 papers,which were obtained from three major databases,and then were excluded down to a final number of 525 papers following a defined set of criteria.The results showed that the use of hollow fibre membranes have demonstrated popularity,as well as the use of amine solvents for CO_(2) removal.This current systematic review in CO_(2) removal and capture is an important milestone in the synthesis of up to date research with the potential to serve as a benchmark databank for further research in similar areas of work.This study provides the first systematic enquiry in the evidence to research further sustainable methods to capture and separate CO_(2).
文摘Objective: To determine the incidence of abnormal laboratory test results among isotretinoin users. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Comprehensive managed care health plan in Northern California. Participants: The study population comprised 13 772 patients aged 13 to 50 yearswith acne,undergoing oral isotretinoin therapy between March 1995 and September 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Laboratory values for serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and liver transaminase levels; white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count; and frequency of abnormal laboratory results by severity grade as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0. Results: Substantial increases in the cumulative incidence of abnormalities were seen in serum lipid and transaminase levels, but not in hematologic parameters, during isotretinoin treatment compared with the baseline period. The cumulative incidence of new abnormalities in patients with normal values at baseline was 44%for triglyceride level, 31%for total cholesterol level, and 11%for transaminase level. Moderate to severe abnormalities in lipid and transaminase levels were generally transient and reversible. New abnormalities in hematological test results were uncommon. Conclusions: The incidence of abnormally high serum lipid levels during isotretinoin treatment may be greater than previously estimated. Elevations in transaminase level are generally mild. Normal baseline values of serum lipid and transaminase levels do not preclude the development of new abnormalities during isotretinoin treatment. Routine monitoring of white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count during isotretinoin therapy may be of little utility without clinical suspicion of an abnormality. The clinical significance of laboratory abnormalities during isotretinoin therapy remains to be determined.
基金supported by the Federal Highway Administration under agreement No.DTFH61-10-H-00004.
文摘Folded patch antennas were investigated for the development of low-cost and wireless smart-skin sensors that monitor the strain in metallic structures.When the patch antenna is under strain/deformation,its resonance frequency varies accordingly.The variation can be easily interrogated and recorded by a wireless reader.The patch antenna adopts a specially chosen substrate material with low dielectric attenuation,as well as an inexpensive off-the-shelf radiofrequency identification(RFID)chip for signal modulation.Since the RFID chip harvests electromagnetic power from the interrogation signal emitted by the reader,the patch antenna itself does not require other(internal)power sources and,thus,serves as a battery-less(passive)and wireless strain sensor.In this preliminary investigation,a prototype folded patch antenna has been designed and manufactured.Tensile testing results show strong linearity between the interrogated resonance frequency and the strain experienced by the antenna.Through experiments,the strain sensing resolution is demonstrated to be under 50με,and the wireless interrogation distance is shown to be over a few feet for this preliminary prototype.
文摘论文Hiding in Plain Sight:A longitudinal Study of Combosquatting Abuse是一篇纯测量文章,主要关注了Combosquatting这种域名注册现象,并对它进行了第一次的系统性研究。Combosquatting的特点是,通过向知名域名添加其他关键词的方式,构造并注册新的域名(例如alipay-login.com);这种域名可以用于钓鱼、恶意软件传播、APT攻击、品牌滥用等行为。作者通过测量发现,这样的域名规模非常庞大,达到百万量级,并且活跃时间非常长;案例分析表明,已经有一些这样的域名被用于恶意用途或攻击。
文摘The present study investigates the force transfer mechanisms for open hoop fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) strips attached at reinforced concrete (R/C) beams with or without anchorage. These open hoop FRP strips are utilized in R/C beams that are in need of shear capacity upgrade. This type of retrofitting is necessary for R/C structures designed with less stringent seismic loading conditions than those currently required. For this purpose special unit beam concrete specimens were fabricated and were used to attach open hoop carbon (CFRP) or steel (SFRP) FRP strips with or without anchoring. A novel loading arrangement was utilized to apply the necessary forces to these unit beam specimens together with instrumentation capable of capturing the behaviour of these specimens up to failure. Studying in this way the transfer of forces from the open hoop FRP strips, it could be demonstrated that when this type of retrofitting was accompanied with a properly designed anchoring device, a significant increase in the bearing capacity of the tested specimens was observed. Moreover, the observed failure was that of the fracture of the FRP strips for all such specimens. The highest degree of FRP material exploitation was achieved in the specimen that utilizes a patented anchoring device together with two layers of SFRP strips. Debonding of the FRP strips or failure of the anchoring device results, as was to be expected, in relatively unsatisfactory FRP material exploitation.
基金NERSC is supported by the U.S.Department of Energy,Office of Science,under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231Work at UW-Madison was supported by Department of Energy-Basic Energy Sciences,Division of Chemical Sciences(grant DE-FG02-05ER15731)B.W.J.C.was partially supported by an Agency for Science,Technology,and Research(A*STAR)Singapore fellowship.
文摘The diverse coordination environments on the surfaces of discrete,three-dimensional(3D)nanoclusters contribute significantly to their unique catalytic properties.Identifying the numerous adsorption sites and diffusion paths on these clusters is however tedious and time-consuming,especially for large,asymmetric nanoclusters.Here,we present a simple,automated method for constructing approximate 2D potential energy surfaces for the adsorption of atomic species on the surfaces of 3D nanoclusters with minimal human intervention.These potential energy surfaces fully characterize the important adsorption sites and diffusion paths on the nanocluster surfaces with accuracies similar to current approaches and at comparable computational cost.Our method can treat complex nanoclusters,such as alloy nanoclusters,and accounts for cluster relaxation and adsorbate-induced reconstruction,important for obtaining accurate energetics.Moreover,its highly parallelizable nature is ideal for modern supercomputer architectures.
文摘The potential of externally applied FRP （fiber-reinforced plastic） sheets, being employed in retrofitting schemes aimed to repair and strengthen RC （reinforced concrete） structural elements damaged by prototype strong earthquakes, is presented and discussed in this study. The limitation of the debonding mode of failure of these FRP sheets is highlighted and the necessity to develop efficient anchoring devices for these FRP sheets is underlined. The behavior of such a novel HAD （hybrid anchoring device） capable of anchoring CFRP （carbon fiber reinforcing plastic） sheets to RC structural elements, is presented and discussed. The behavior of the device itself was studied through a 3D non-linear numerical simulation at the preliminary design stage in order to establish certain desired features such as the ductile behavior of the device itself as well as the satisfactory performance of the FRP sheets wrapped around this device. This HAD was next applied as part of a strengthening scheme aimed to upgrade the flexural capacity of an RC bridge-type pier specimen subjected to a cyclic seismic-type loading sequence. The obtained results demonstrated an increase in the specimen＇s flexural capacity by 100% as well as a similar increase in its capability of dissipating energy in a ductile manner during the cyclic load sequence. Moreover, the employed 3D non-linear numerical simulation yielded reasonably good agreement between the measured and the predicted cyclic response of this specimen strengthened by CFRP layers, which were anchored by the novel HAD. The successful behavior of this novel HAD, which has been patented with No. WO2011073696, is currently being tried with a number of other retrofitting schemes employing FRP sheets externally attached on RC structural elements.
文摘S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla (Lamiaceae) is an endemic aromatic plant of Greece and is used as a culinary herb. In the present study we explored its possible anticancer activity through the induction of apoptosis on cancer cells using A549 cell line as a model. The cytotoxic effects and the type of cell death (apoptosis/necrosis) were evaluated with biochemical and morphological criteria. The total methanol extract of S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla revealed forty two components, of which carvacrol was the major constituent (43.2%). Only a minor portion of them (3.41%) was contained in the active working plant extract solution which was used for cell treatment. This study indicates that extract of S. horvatii spp. macrophylla, which belongs to carvacrol chemotype, can induce both apoptosis and necrosis to A549 cancer cell line.
文摘Objective:To present clinical and pathologic features of pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma through analyzing three cases found in our institution and reviewing cases reported in the English language literature.Methods and Results:Three cases of pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma identified at our institution during the past ten years were reviewed. In the first case,the patient presented with concurrent pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma and histoplasmosis. In the second case,the patient presented with a 5.5 cm lung mass and a separate smaller lesion radiologically resembling bronchogenic carcinoma. There was very prominent polyclonal lymphocytic proliferation at the periphery especially of the smaller lesion likely representing an early stage of the disease process. In the third case,the patient presented with multiple subpleural plaque-like lesions in addition to nodular lesions of the lung. All cases also demonstrated various degrees of lymphocytic infiltration within the lesions. The English literature has been reviewed through searching the PubMed.Conclusion:Since patients with pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma demonstrated a spectrum of clinical presentations,radiologic changes and histologic features with a variety of associated clinical disorders,pulmonary hyalnizing granuloma is more in keeping with a clinicopathologic entity rather than a specific pathologic disease.
基金the Jeffress Memorial Trust Fund(Grant No.J-756)the Virginia Federation of Independent Colleges(VFIC)
文摘In this work, we describe a new electrode-less radio-frequency（RF） excitation technique for generating excimers in the vacuum ultraviolet（VUV） and ultraviolet（UV） spectral regions for potential biological/chemical applications. Spectra data of Xe~＊_2, XeI~＊, and KrI~＊ generated by this new technique are presented. Optical efficiency of the lamp system ranges from 3% to 6% for KrI~＊, 7% to 13% for XeI~＊, and 15% to 20% for Xe~＊_2. Also, results of irradiating E-coli with XeI~＊discharge from this lamp system is presented to show one of the promising applications of such electrode-less apparatus.This new RF lamp system offers an interesting addition to the already existing technologies for generating VUV and UV light for various biological, physical, and chemical processes especially those requiring large area for high productivity.
文摘Is Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for the persistence of symptoms after the standard successful course of antibiotics in Lyme disease patients?This highly controversial issue,concerning the underlying mechanism of posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome(PTLDS),still seems to be a matter of intense conflict of opinion.PTLDS is the manifestation of nonspecific symptoms including fatigue,musculoskeletal pain,dysesthesias,and neurocognitive deterioration after the standard antimicrobial therapy administered to patients suffering from Lyme disease.In this article,we review the conflicting views and published highlights of recent human studies regarding PTLDS.
文摘The dynamic and earthquake response of bell towers,located at the Island of Kefalonia,Greece,is examined here.These structures were subjected during the winter of 2014 with an intensive earthquake sequence.The dynamic characteristics of two bell towers were measured in situ.Subsequently the dynamic and earthquake response of each bell tower was numerically simulated employing 3-D dynamic elastic numerical simulations taking into account the soil-foundation deformability.It is demonstrated that the soil-foundation-structure interaction influences the dynamic and earthquake response predictions for this structure quite significantly.It also demonstrates the usefulness of such in-situ testing towards formulating realistic numerical models in order to yield realistic predictions of the dynamic and earthquake response of the examined structures.The obtained numerical analyses utilize the earthquake ground motion which was recorded at close distance from both bell towers.The numerical predictions of the earthquake response of both bell towers are utilized to draw conclusions of their actual earthquake performance.It is concluded that the soil-foundation interaction was a critical response mechanism.The newly built RC(reinforced concrete)bell towers performed satisfactorily.
