Search results for "PRESSURES"
showing 10 items of 33 documents
Mediterranean bioconstructions along the Italian coast
2018
Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea are represented by coralligenous formations, vermetid reefs, deep-sea cold-water corals, Lithophyllum byssoides trottoirs, coral banks formed by the shallow-water corals Cladocora caespitosa or Astroides calycularis, and sabellariid or serpulid worm reefs. Bioconstructions change the morphological and chemicophysical features of prima…
Artificial neural networks for predicting dorsal pressures on the foot surface while walking
2012
In this work, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are proposed to predict the dorsal pressure over the foot surface exerted by the shoe upper while walking. A model that is based on the multilayer perceptron (MLP) is used since it can provide a single equation to model the exerted pressure for all the materials used as shoe uppers. Five different models are produced, one model for each one of the four subjects under study and an overall model for the four subjects. The inputs to the neural model include the characteristics of the material and the positions during a whole step of 14 pressure sensors placed on the foot surface. The goal is to find models with good generalization capabilities, (…
High-pressure theoretical and experimental study of HgWO4
2011
HgWO 4 at ambient pressure is characterized using a combination of ab initio calculations, X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements. The effect of low pressure and temperature on the structural stability is analysed. Extending our ab initio study to the range of higher pressures, a sequence of stable phases up to 30GPa is proposed. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Pre-clinical assessment of a water-in-fluorocarbon emulsion for the treatment of pulmonary vascular diseases
2019
Abstract Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is a well-characterized vascular response to low oxygen pressures and is involved in life-threatening conditions such as high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). While the efficacy of oral therapies can be affected by drug metabolism, or dose-limiting systemic toxicity, inhaled treatment via pressured metered dose inhalers (pMDI) may be an effective, nontoxic, practical alternative. We hypothesized that a stable water-in-perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB) emulsion that provides solubility in common pMDI propellants, engineered for intrapulmonary delivery of pulmonary vasodilators, reverses HPV during acute h…
Perylenetetracarboxylic anhydride as a precursor of fluorescent carbon nanoonion rings
2015
[EN] Thermal annealing at 400 degrees C of perylenetetracarboxylic anhydride in low molecular mass PEG gives rise to the formation of well defined nanoobjects of 2.5 nm height and size distribution from 10 to 65 nm (average 40 nm) after purification of the raw mixture with silicagel chromatography. TEM reveals that the flat nanoobjects are constituted of concentric graphenic rings (0.34 nm interlayer distance). The morphology of the nanoparticles resembles onion rings of nanometric dimensions (nanoonion rings C-NOR). C-NOR particles have an excitation dependent emission with lambda(em) from 430 to 570 nm and a maximum emission quantum yield of 0.49. C-NOR particles can be internalized into …
Compression of Silver Sulfide: X-ray Diffraction Measurements and Total-Energy Calculations
2012
[EN] Angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements have been performed in acanthite, Ag2S, up to 18 GPa in order to investigate its high-pressure structural behavior. They have been complemented by ab initio electronic structure calculations. From our experimental data, we have determined that two different high-pressure phase transitions take place at 5 and 10.5 GPa. The first pressure-induced transition is from the initial anti-PbCl2-like monoclinic structure (space group P2(1)/n) to an orthorhombic Ag2Se-type structure (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1)). The compressibility of the lattice parameters and the equation of state of both phases have been determined. A second phase transition to a …
Assessing anthropogenic pressures on coastal marine ecosystems using stable CNS isotopes: State of the art, knowledge gaps, and community-scale persp…
2015
Abstract In recent decades, the analysis of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur stable isotopes (SIA) has emerged as a powerful, viable methodology for examining food web structure and dynamics, as well as addressing a number of applied issues. Here, we provide a state-of-the-art review of the use of SIA for assessing anthropogenic pressures on natural ecosystems, in order to establish current knowledge gaps and identify promising applications for evaluating the ecological status of marine coastal waters. Specifically, the potential of SIA to provide food web-scale indicators for estimating cumulative anthropogenic pressures is addressed. The review indicates that the methodology has been used for …
International student mobility in Southern-Latin Europe: beyond the EU logics, towards a new space
2018
This paper discusses international student mobility (ISM) in Southern-Latin Europe, specifically Italy, Portugal, and Spain, analysing the inflow of international students as reflected in the UNESCO, OECD and European Commission databases. Only recently Italy, Portugal and Spain, as latecomers, have become more actively involved in ISM dynamics. This trend has been a response to EU pressures to internationalization, instrumented through the consolidation of the Bologna process and the need to build a common space of higher education. The analysis shows that at the intra-European level Italy, Portugal and Spain share similar ISM patterns; however, in the global context other logics shape ISM…
Phase behaviour of Ag2CrO4 under compression: Structural, vibrational, and optical properties
2013
We have performed an experimental study of the crystal structure, lattice dynamics, and optical properties of silver chromate (Ag2CrO4) at ambient temperature and high pressures. In particular, the crystal structure, Raman-active phonons, and electronic band gap have been accurately determined. When the initial orthorhombic Pnma Ag2CrO4 structure (phase I) is compressed up to 4.5 GPa, a previously undetected phase (phase II) has been observed with a 0.95% volume collapse. The structure of phase II can be indexed to a similar orthorhombic cell as phase I, and the transition can be considered to be an isostructural transition. This collapse is mainly due to the drastic contraction of the a ax…
Institutional dimension and finalities of corporate social performance in Tunisia
2012
The purpose of this research is to contribute to the study of Corporate Social Performance (CSP) concept, which provided theorizations remain highly controversial. Indeed, examination of the body of knowledge reveals theoretical, conceptual and empirical anomalies. These shortcomings relate on the operationalization of the CSP, the manner in which the concept has been linked to the notion of performance, and the lack of contextualization of PSE in relation to its institutional environment. It is therefore important to reorganize the concept within a framework that recognizes the dynamic and contingent character of CSP. Thus, this research aims to explore the concept of CSP and analyze its i…