Search results for "LESS"
showing 10 items of 2452 documents
A FE-Meshless Multiscale Approach for Masonry Materials
2015
Abstract A FE-Meshless multiscale computational strategy for the analysis of running bond masonry is presented. The Meshless Method (MM) is adopted to solve the boundary value problem (BVP) at the mesoscopic level. The representative unit cell is composed by the aggregate and the surrounding joints, the former assumed to behave elastically while the latter are simulated as non-associated elastic-plastic zero-thickness interfaces with a softening response. Macroscopic localization of plastic bands is obtained performing a spectral analysis of the tangent stiffness matrix. Localized plastic bands are embedded into the quadrature points area of the macroscopic finite elements.
Polyelectrolyte Electrophoresis in Nanochannels: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation
2010
We present mesoscopic DPD-simulations of polyelectrolyte electrophoresis in confined nanogeometries, for varying salt concentration and surface slip conditions. Special attention is given to the influence of electroosmotic flow (EOF) on the migration of the polyelectrolyte. The effective polyelectrolyte mobility is found to depend strongly on the boundary properties, i.e., the slip length and the width of the electric double layer. Analytic expressions for the electroosmotic mobility and the total mobility are derived which are in good agreement with the numerical results. The relevant quantity characterizing the effect of slippage is found to be the dimensionless quantity $\kappa \: \delta…
Invisible Ends Justify Secret Means: Homeland, Machiavelli, and the Least of All Possible Evils
2021
In the rhetoric informing Niccolò Machiavelli’s thought and the contemporary War on Terror, the dialectic between ethics and necessity within the framework of the process of secularization represents a cohesive thread. This very dialectic constitutes also the narrative principle presiding Homeland, one of most insightful TV shows having developed a critical reflection about the present time so far. Dealing with terrorist practices and counterterrorism tactics, the series provides an accurate depiction of the fears featuring nowadays Western societies and the means through which American institutions attempt to answer them . This essay proposes a survey of the conceptual core belonging to th…
BIO-ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS FOR ENERGY GATHERING FROM WASTEWATER
2017
It has been calculated that annually 1.5 × 108 MWh are wasted as municipal, industrial, and animal wastewater. The recovery of at least part of this energy it is of primary importance in order to approach circular economy. As AD, MFC is a biotechnology that uses microorganism into an anaerobic environment for energy conversion and recovery. Differently from AD, MFC belongs to the sub-division of Bio-Electrochemical Systems (BESs), having the advantage to achieve a direct electrical output. Exoelectrogens bacteria are employed, capable to close their respiratory electron chain on the surface of an electrode. Up to know, BESs were used to extract energy from a multitude of wastes, such as dis…
A single-chamber membraneless microbial fuel cell exposed to air using Shewanella putrefaciens
2016
Abstract Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices which convert the chemical energy content of organic fuels into electricity, thanks to the ability of anode respiring bacteria to give electrons to the anode. This result is usually achieved under anaerobic conditions, obtained with a sealed anode chamber. Despite this, Shewanella oneidensis has been recognized by many authors to obtain the same results in presence of air. Furthermore, another member of the Pseudomonaceae family, Shewanella putrefaciens, has also shown the capability to catalyze the cathodic oxygen reduction. In this work the capability of S. putrefaciens to work under both anaerobic and micro-aerobic cond…
Interactions in dual species biofilms between Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e and several strains of Staphylococcus aureus.
2008
International audience; Six environmental isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and one collection strain were investigated for their ability to form monospecies biofilms and dual species biofilms with Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e on stainless steel coupons. All isolates were able to grow as biofilms but their ability to form monospecies biofilms differed. The population of L. monocytogenes EGD-e in dual species biofilms was not affected by the presence of S. aureus isolates except for strain CIP 53.156. The effect of L. monocytogenes EGD-e on the population of S. aureus was strain dependent: S. aureus population either increased or decreased or was not affected in the presence of L. monocytoge…
Embedding Monitoring Systems for Cured-In-Place Pipes
2017
This paper proposes a non-intrusive electrical measurement system for monitoring some relevant parameters in pipeline systems. Temperature and flow-rate are monitored, using MEMS sensors. The flow-rate is evaluated by measuring pipe vibration, with a 3 axis accelerometer, induced by turbulence when fluid flows within the tube. The sensors are embedded, during the curing process of the cured-in-place pipes, in the pipes wall making the system suitable to be installed in renewed or new pipeline. The first experimental results show that it may be possible to obtain, at low-cost, a fully monitored distribution network.
Recess photomask contact lithography and the fabrication of coupled silicon photonic and plasmonic waveguide switches
2015
Display Omitted A lithography technique capable of printing submicron-sized features inside deep cavities is presented.A so-called recess photomask adapted to the wafer's topography is employed.Based on a standard mask aligner, Recess Photomask Contact Lithography has moderate cost.Its efficiency for a photonic/plasmonic switch application was demonstrated experimentally.The technique is extensible to any design and to wafers with multiple level recesses. A novel lithographic method is presented, based on the use of a mask aligner in the contact mode with a modified photomask, the so-called recess photomask; its goal is the printing of submicron-sized patterns into deep cavities of a chip, …
Design, Calibration, and Application of a Robust, Cost-Effective, and High-Resolution Lensless Holographic Microscope
2022
Lensless holographic microscope (LHM) is an emerging very promising technology that provides high-quality imaging and analysis of biological samples without utilizing any lens for imaging. Due to its small size and reduced price, LHM can be a very useful tool for the point-of-care diagnosis of diseases, sperm assessment, or microfluidics, among others, not only employed in advanced laboratories but also in poor and/or remote areas. Recently, several LHMs have been reported in the literature. However, complete characterization of their optical parameters remains not much presented yet. Hence, we present a complete analysis of the performance of a compact, reduced cost, and high-resolution LH…
A Lightweight Middleware Platform for Distributed Computing on Wireless Sensor Networks
2014
Abstract The peculiar features of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) suggest to exploit the distributed computing paradigm to perform complex tasks in a collaborative manner, in order to overcome the constraints related to sensor nodes limited capabilities. In this context, we describe a lightweight middleware platform to support the development of distributed applications on WSNs. The platform provides just a minimal general-purpose software layer, while the application components, including communication and processing algorithms, as well as the exchanged data, are described symbolically, with neither preformed syntax nor strict distinction between data and code. Our approach allows for inte…