Algorithms for the analysis of 3D finite strain contact problems

From the constraint imposition aspects in 3D to friction regularization, various ideas are exposed in this paper. A variation of the Rockafellar Lagrangian is proposed which results in continuous second‐order derivatives if Lagrange multiplier estimates are greater or equal than one. This fact allows the adoption of a full second‐order (i.e. Lagrange–Newton) method avoiding sequential unconstrained minimization techniques. An algorithm for global and local contact detection is presented which is developed for dealing with large step sizes typical of implicit methods. A modified constraint definition to deal with non‐smooth situations is presented. Aspects of friction implementation, including a regularization scheme which ensures stepwise objectivity, are detailed. Finally, several illustrative examples are carried out with success. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal mixing between subchannels: measurement method and applications

A new thermal tracing technique is presented for the measurement of enthalpy interchange between connected subchannels in one-phase axial flow. The method is simple and versatile, being capable of implementation on compact and non-homogeneous bundles using water as fluid. To present the technique, measurements of turbulent mixing were performed on a triangular array bundle with a relation of pitch to diameter of 1.33, at Reynolds numbers between 10⁴ and 6.8×10⁴. For this simple arrangement the precision of the method is discussed showing that accuracies better than 10% can be readily achieved. Measurements are also performed in presence of a mixing vane showing another field were the method can be advantageously applied.     

A structural experimental technique to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of concrete under restrained deformations

An innovative variable restraint frame is proposed to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of concrete under tensile stresses induced by restraints to shrinkage deformations (mainly due to drying). Two concrete specimens with the same cross section are used, subjected to equal thermal and moisture conditions: one is made of plain concrete, to assess the “free” deformations due to shrinkage and temperature; the other is reinforced with two steel threaded rods, which induce a manually controlled axial restraint to shrinkage. The restrained specimen is installed on a reaction frame, being stretched in force control mode. The concrete and the rods are instrumented with strain gauges and temperature sensors, which allow separation of the different components of concrete strains with the aid of equations based on equilibrium and compatibility conditions. This permits identifying the elastic and tensile creep concrete strains, as well as the concrete tensile stresses induced by the restrained shrinkage. The device also allows assessing the concrete modulus of elasticity during the test and remains operational even upon concrete cracking, features of great interest for the intended material characterization.     

Exposure data and risk indicators for safety performance assessment in Europe

The objective of this paper is the analysis of the state-of-the-art in risk indicators and exposure data for safety performance assessment in Europe, in terms of data availability, collection methodologies and use. More specifically, the concepts of exposure and risk are explored, as well as the theoretical properties of various exposure measures used in road safety research (e.g. vehicle- and person-kilometres of travel, vehicle fleet, road length, driver population, time spent in traffic, etc.). Moreover, the existing methods for collecting disaggregate exposure data for risk estimates at national level are presented and assessed, including survey methods (e.g. travel surveys, traffic counts) and databases (e.g. national registers). A detailed analysis of the availability and quality of existing risk exposure data is also carried out. More specifically, the results of a questionnaire survey in the European countries are presented, with detailed information on exposure measures available, their possible disaggregations (i.e. variables and values), their conformity to standard definitions and the characteristics of their national collection methods. Finally, the potential of international risk comparisons is investigated, mainly through the International Data Files with exposure data (e.g. Eurostat, IRTAD, ECMT, UNECE, IRF, etc.). The results of this review confirm that comparing risk rates at international level may be a complex task, as the availability and quality of exposure estimates in European countries varies significantly. The lack of a common framework for the collection and exploitation of exposure data limits significantly the comparability of the national data. On the other hand, the International Data Files containing exposure data provide useful statistics and estimates in a systematic way and are currently the only sources allowing international comparisons of road safety performance under certain conditions.     

Near-Complete Remission of Glioblastoma in a Patient Treated with an Allogenic Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccine: The Role of Tumor-Specific CD4+T-Cell Cytokine Secretion Pattern in Predicting Response and Recurrence

Immunotherapy has brought hope to the fight against glioblastoma, but its efficacy remains unclear. We present the case of CST, a 25-year-old female patient with a large right-hemisphere glioblastoma treated with a dendritic–tumor cell fusion vaccine. CST showed a near-complete tumor response, with a marked improvement in her functional status and simultaneous increases in tumor-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Two months before recurrence, the frequency of tumor-specific T cells decreased, while that of IL-17 and CD4+ T cells increased. CST passed away 15 months after enrollment. In this illustrative case, the tumor-specific CD4+ T-cell numbers and phenotype behaved as treatment efficacy biomarkers, highlighting the key role of the latter in glioblastoma immunotherapy.     

Differential Expression of Proteins in an Atypical Presentation of Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a rare disease defined as a defect in the lymphocyte apoptotic pathway. Currently, the diagnosis of ALPS is based on clinical aspects, defective lymphocyte apoptosis and mutations in Fas, FasL and Casp 10 genes. Despite this, ALPS has been misdiagnosed. The aim of this work was to go one step further in the knowledge of the disease, through a molecular and proteomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from two children, a 13-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, called patient 1 and patient 2, respectively, with clinical data supporting the diagnosis of ALPS. Fas, FasL and Casp10 genes from both patients were sequenced, and a sample of the total proteins from patient 1 was analyzed by label-free proteomics. Pathway analysis of deregulated proteins from PBMCs was performed on the STRING and PANTHER bioinformatics databases. A mutation resulting in an in-frame premature stop codon and protein truncation was detected in the Fas gene from patient 2. From patient 1, the proteomic analysis showed differences in the level of expression of proteins involved in, among other processes, cell cycle, regulation of cell cycle arrest and immune response. Noticeably, the most down-regulated protein is an important regulator of the cell cycle process. This could be an explanation of the disease in patient 1.     

Schottky barrier height dependence on the silicon interlayer thickness of Au\Si\-GaAs contacts : chemistry of interface formation study

This work reports on the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of the As-rich GaAs(001) surface properties developing due to the different thicknesses of the undoped silicon overlayers. We analyzed the bond nature on the silicon–GaAs interface depending on the silicon thickness which was connected with observed variations in surface Fermi level positions. Further, the Au\Si\-GaAs metal-semiconductor contacts were prepared on the studied structures. Measured changes in the Schottky barrier height for silicon thicknesses till approximately 1 nm are interpreted through the approach of the Schottky barrier height to Schottky limit due to decrease of the interface state densities on the Si\GaAs interface.