Acoustic monitoring of compaction in cohesive granular materials.

We study the transition from cohesive to noncohesive states of cemented granular materials (synthetic rocks) under oedometric loading, combining simultaneous measurements of ultrasound velocity and acoustic emission (AE: microseosmicity). Our samples are agglomerates made of glass beads bonded with a few percent of cement, either ductile or brittle. These cemented granular samples exhibit an inelastic compaction beyond certain axial stresses likely due to the formation of compaction bands, which is accompanied by a significant decrease of compressional wave velocity.

An algorithmic approach to convex fair partitions of convex polygons.

A convex fair partition of a convex polygonal region is defined as a partition on which all regions are convex and have equal area and equal perimeter. In this article we describe an algorithm that finds such fair partition. •The Fair Partitions method finds a fair partition for any given convex polygon and any given number of regions.

Photocatalytic fixation of NO in soils.

Nitrogen oxides (NO = NO + NO) are important atmospheric pollutants that are directly harmful to human health. Recently in urban and industrial areas, synthetic materials have been developed and deployed to photocatalytically oxidize NO to nitrate (NO) in order to improve air quality. We show that the natural presence of small amounts (≤5%) of titanium oxides, such as anatase and rutile, can also drive NO oxidation to nitrate in soils under UV-visible irradiation.

A Phytoprostane from Increases Platelet Activation, Platelet Adhesion to Leukocytes and Endothelial Cell Migration by Potential Binding to EP3 Prostaglandin Receptor.

Plant phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) are lipid oxidative stress mediators that share structural similarities with mammal prostaglandins (PGs). They have been demonstrated to modulate inflammatory processes mediated by prostaglandins. The present study aims to test the effects of the most abundant oxylipin from , ent-9-D1t-Phytoprostane (9-D1t-PhytoP), on platelet activation and vascular cells as well as clarify possible interactions with platelets and the endothelial EP3 receptor Platelet and monocyte activation was assessed by flow cytometry in the presence of purified 9-D1t-PhytoP.