Gamma-Ray-Induced Multi-Effect on Properties of Chalcogenide Glasses

Gamma-ray irradiations induced various alterations in sulfur- and selenium-based chalcogenide glasses. The absorbed dose was in the range of 0.01–3.6 MGy. The glasses exhibit prominent sensitivity to γ-ray irradiation, characterized by changes in some of the physical properties of the glasses, e.g., optical transmission, optical band gap, density, and thermal expansion coefficient. The effects on glass structure and microscopic morphology were also studied by Raman spectra and scanning electron microscopic observations.     

Morphological, mechanical and gas-transport characteristics of crosslinked poly(propylene glycol): homopolymers, nanocomposites and blends

Linear polyethers possess unusually high CO₂ solubility and, hence, selectivity due to the presence of accessible ether linkages that can interact with the quadrupolar moment of CO₂ molecules. In this work, membranes derived from crosslinked poly(propylene glycol) diacrylate (PPGda) oligomers differing in molecular weight (M), as well as PPGda nanocomposites containing either an organically-modified montmorillonite clay or a methacrylate-terminated fumed silica are investigated and compared with highly CO₂-selective poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGda) homopolymer and nanocomposite membranes previously reported. The rheological and permeation properties of PPGda depend sensitively on M, with the elastic modulus decreasing, but CO₂ permeability and CO₂/H₂ selectivity increasing, with increasing M. Incorporation of either nanofiller into PPGda enhances the elastic modulus and reduces the gas permeability in the resultant nanocomposites without strongly affecting CO₂/H₂ selectivity. Blending PPGda and PEGda prior to chemical crosslinking yields binary membranes that exhibit intermediate gas-transport properties accurately described by a linear rule of mixtures.     

Mobile Underwater Sensor Networks for Protection and Security: Field Experience at the UAN11 Experiment

The EU‐funded project UAN (Underwater Acoustic Network) was aimed at conceiving, developing, and testing at sea an innovative and operational concept for integrating underwater and above‐water sensors in a unique communication system to protect offshore and coastline critical infrastructures. This work gives details on the underwater part of the project. It introduces a set of original security features and gives details on the integration of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as mobile nodes of the network and as surveillance assets, acoustically controlled by the command and control center to respond against intrusions. Field results are given of the final UAN project sea trial, UAN11, held in May 2011 in Norway. During the experimental activities, a UAN composed of four fixed nodes, two AUVs, and one mobile node mounted on the supporting research vessel was operated continuously and integrated into a global protection system. In this article, the communication performance of the network is reported in terms of round‐trip time, packet loss, and average delivery ratio. The major results of the experiment can be thus summarized: the implemented network structure was successful in continuously operating over five days with nodes seamlessly entering and exiting the network; the performance of the network varied greatly with fluctuations in the acoustic channel; the addition of security features induced a minor degradation in network performance with respect to channel variation; the AUVs were successfully controlled from a remote station through acoustic signals routed by the network. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Determination of the Secondary Bjerknes Force in Acoustic Resonators on Ground and in Microgravity Conditions

We propose an experimental methodology to determine the secondary Bjerknes force between rigid particles. Measurements done for different particles sizes showed acoustical inter particles interactions. We use and extend the methodology presented in a previous work. The determination of this force will lead us a better understanding of the aggregation process in acoustic resonators. We report in this work, the results of two parabolic flights campaigns performed at the Airbus A300 ZERO-G (Novespace, France).     

A model of cerebral cortex formation during fetal development using reaction-diffusion-convection equations with Turing space parameters

The cerebral cortex is a gray lamina formed by bodies of neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres, varying in thickness from 1.25 mm in the occipital lobe to 4 mm in the anterior lobe. The brain's surface is about 30 times greater that of the skull because of its many folds; such folds form the gyri, sulci and fissures and mark out areas having specific functions, divided into five lobes. Convolution formation may vary between individuals and is an important feature of brain formation; such patterns can be mathematically represented as Turing patterns. This article describes how a phenomenological model was developed by describing the formation pattern for the gyri occurring in the cerebral cortex by reaction diffusion equations with Turing space parameters. Numerical examples for simplified geometries of a brain were solved to study pattern formation. The finite element method was used for the numerical solution, in conjunction with the Newton–Raphson method. The numerical examples showed that the model can represent cerebral cortex fold formation and reproduce pathologies related to gyri formation, such as polymicrogyria and lissencephaly.     

Prevalence and Characteristics of Game Transfer Phenomena: A Descriptive Survey Study

Previous qualitative studies suggest that gamers experience Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), a variety of non-volitional phenomena related to playing videogames including thoughts, urges, images, and sounds when not playing. To investigate (i) which types of GTP were more common and (ii) their general characteristics, the present study surveyed a total of 2362 gamers via an online survey. The majority of the participants were male, students, aged between 18 and 27 years, and “hard-core” gamers. Most participants reported having experienced at least one type of GTP at some point (96.6%), the majority having experienced GTP more than once, with many reporting 6 to 10 different types of GTP. Results demonstrated that videogame players experienced (i) altered visual perceptions, (ii) altered auditory perceptions, (iii) altered body perceptions, (iv) automated mental processes, and (v) behaviors. In most cases, GTP could not be explained by being under the influence of a psychoactive substance. The GTP experiences were usually short-lived, tended to occur after videogame playing rather than during play, occurred recurrently, and usually occurred while doing day-to-day activities. One in five gamers had experienced some type of distress or dysfunction due to GTP. Many experienced GTP as pleasant and some wanted GTP to happen again.     

Diet supplementation with donkey milk upregulates liver mitochondrial uncoupling,reduces energy efficiency and improves antioxidant and antiinflammatory defences in rats

Dietary PUFA, mainly those of the n‐3 family, are known to play essential roles in the maintenance of energy balance and in the reduction of body fat deposition through the upregulation of mitochondrial uncoupling that is the main source of reactive oxygen species. We hypothesized that rat supplementation with raw donkey's milk (DM), characterized by low‐fat content and higher n3:n6 ratio, may affect energy balance, lipid metabolism, and prooxidant status as compared to animals treated with cow's milk. In the present study, the effects of drinking raw DM (for 4 weeks) on energy balance, lipid metabolism, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant/detoxifying defences was compared to that produced by rat intake of an iso‐energetic amount of raw cow's milk. The hypolipidemic effect produced by DM paralleled with the enhanced mitochondrial activity/proton leakage and with the increased activity or expression of mitochondrial markers namely, carnitine palmitoyl transferase and uncoupling protein 2. The association of decreased energy efficiency with reduced proinflammatory signs (TNF‐α and LPS levels) with the significant increase antioxidant (total thiols) and detoxifying enzyme activities (glutathione‐S‐transferase NADH quinone oxidoreductase) in DM‐treated animals, indicated that beneficial effects were attributable, at least in part, to the activation of nuclear factor 2 erythroid‐related factor 2 pathway.     

Indoor levels of volatile organic compounds at Florentine museum environments in Italy

Indoor Air Quality monitoring in cultural institutions is of particular concern to protect these places and the cultural heritage content. An indoor monitoring campaign was performed in three museums in Florence (Italy) to determine the occurrence and levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs of interest included BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes), terpenes, aldehydes, organic acids, and cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS). The most abundant VOCs in all samples analyzed were BTEX, which were strictly related to the traffic source, followed by siloxanes and terpenes. Among BTEX, toluene was always the most abundant followed by xylenes, ethylbenzene, and benzene. cVMS in exhibition rooms with the presence of visitors showed higher values compared to samples collected when the museums were closed. Terpenes showed not only the influence of vegetation-biogenic sources surrounding a museum but could also be related to the wood used for the construction of showcases and furniture and the use of cleaning products. Data obtained also showed the presence of organic acids and aldehydes whose source can be traced back to exhibits themselves and wood-based furniture. Assessing the levels of organic acids in museums is important because, over time, it can cause deterioration of the artifacts.     

Empirical study on Game Transfer Phenomena in a location-based augmented reality game

Research on Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) has demonstrated that playing video games can lead to re-experiencing images, sounds, tactile sensations, spontaneous thoughts and actions, sometimes triggered by physical objects/events associated with the game. Location-based augmented reality games posit interesting questions regarding GTP, particularly because they use physical locations, they overlay digital images in physical contexts and the gameplay shifts between the virtual and the physical world. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of GTP and the role of immersion, augmented reality and sound in a sample of English- (EnS) and Spanish- (SpS) speaking gamers of the game Pokémon Go (PoGo). A total of 1313 gamers (M_age?=?31.47) were recruited online. GTP was less common than in previous studies; however, 82.4% had experienced GTP at least once. The SpS showed higher prevalence of GTP and played more intensively. Automatic mental processes predominated in the EnS, while behaviours and actions were more common in the SpS. The absence or presence of video game features seems important for the way GTP manifests. For instance, tactile hallucinations were more prevalent, while sensations of self-motion were less reported. Playing with augmented reality (AR) and sounds showed significant correlations with various GTP types, but not with re-experiencing images from the game. More gamers who reported the sensation that Pokémon were physically present or looked for Pokémon outside the screen while playing, as connotations of immersion, had experienced GTP. Experiencing GTP while playing may be more common in location-based augmented reality games, compared to other games.