Photo-engineered optoelectronic properties of indium tin oxide via reactive laser annealing.

Transparent conductive oxides are appealing materials for optoelectronic and plasmonic applications as, amongst other advantages, their properties can be modulated by engineering their defects. Optimisation of this adjustment is, however, a complex design problem. This work examined the modification of the carrier transport properties of sputtered tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) via laser annealing in reactive environments.

Experiments and numerical simulations on hovering three-dimensional flexible flapping wings.

In this paper, the applicability and accuracy of high-fidelity experimental and numerical approaches in the analysis of three-dimensional flapping (revolving and pitching) wings operating under hovering flight conditions, i.e. where unsteady and three-dimensional rotational effects are strong, are assessed.

International Recommendations to Manage Poststroke Equinovarus Foot Deformity Validated by a Panel of Experts Using Delphi.

Objective: To establish international recommendations for the management of spastic equinovarus foot deformity.

Design: Delphi method.

Setting: International study.

Study of Mechanical Behavior in Epiphyseal Fracture Treated by Reduction and Cement Injection: No Immediate Post-Operative Weight-Bearing but Only Passive and Active Mobilization Should be Advised.

The development of new percutaneous treatment techniques using a balloon for the reduction and cement for the stabilization for tibial plateau fractures (TPF) are promising. The biomechanical changes brought by the cement in the periarticular fracture are unknown. The objective of this study was to provide elements of understanding of the bone behavior in an epiphyseal fracture treated with cementoplasty and to define the modifications brought about by the presence of this cement in the bone from both an architectural and biomechanical point of view.

Detection of Horse Locomotion Modifications Due to Training with Inertial Measurement Units: A Proof-of-Concept.

Detecting fatigue during training sessions would help riders and trainers to optimize their training. It has been shown that fatigue could affect movement patterns. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are wearable sensors that measure linear accelerations and angular velocities, and can also provide orientation estimates.

Easy and computer-time-saving implementation of the van der Pauw method including anisotropy and probe positioning correction factors using approximate closed-form analytical functions.

Measurements in a van der Pauw configuration often require the use of complicated mathematical expressions or implicit relations, which may be computer-time-consuming or tedious to implement in a given software. Thus, a closed-form expression is often desirable. We propose to approximate these relations by closed-form analytical functions using only basic operators that can be easily implemented.

Percutaneous surgery with balloon for tibial plateau fractures, results with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up.

Tibial plateau fracture is a frequent entity for which surgical management is difficult both surgically and postoperatively, with multiple complications and often delayed recovery. The challenge lies in the anatomical reduction of the joint, the limitation of complications and the rapid functional recovery. Tuberoplasty appears to be an innovative technique that meets current expectations.

Varus malalignment of the lower limb increases the risk of femoral neck fracture: A biomechanical study using a finite element method.

Introduction: The understanding of the stresses and strains and their dependence on loading direction caused by an axial deformity is very important for understanding the mechanism of femural neck fractures. The hypothesis of this study is that lower limb malalignment is correlated with a substantial stress variation on the upper end of the femur. The purpose of this biomechanical trial using the finite element method is to determine the effect of the loading direction on the proximal femur regarding the malalignment of the lower limb, and also enlighten the relation between the lower limb alignment and the risk of a femoral neck fracture.

Brominated trihalamines in chlorinated seawaters: Quantification of tribromamine and identification of bromochloramines by Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry.

During chlorination of seawater, the presence of bromide and ammonia alters the speciation of the oxidant and lead to the formation of chlorinated and brominated amines. This can affect the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment and the formation of disinfection by-products released to the environment. In this study, a Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry (MIMS) analytical method was developed to differentiate brominated trihalamines (i.

A numerical study of the coupling between Rayleigh streaming and heat transfer at high acoustic level.

Complex coupling between thermal effects and Rayleigh streaming in a standing wave guide at high acoustic levels is analyzed numerically. The approach is guided by the recent analytical study, showing that reverse streaming cells can form if the nonlinear Reynolds number exceeds a value depending on the wave frequency and thermophysical properties of the fluid and solid wall. A numerical configuration is introduced to investigate the evolution of the streaming flow structure and the average temperature field at high acoustic levels.

Resolvent-based modeling of turbulent jet noise.

Resolvent analysis has demonstrated encouraging results for modeling coherent structures in jets when compared against their data-educed counterparts from high-fidelity large-eddy simulations (LES). We formulate resolvent analysis as an acoustic analogy that relates the near-field resolvent forcing to the near- and far-field pressure. We use an LES database of round, isothermal, Mach 0.

Development of Digital Twins to Optimize Trauma Surgery and Postoperative Management. A Case Study Focusing on Tibial Plateau Fracture.

Surgical procedures are evolving toward less invasive and more tailored approaches to consider the specific pathology, morphology, and life habits of a patient. However, these new surgical methods require thorough preoperative planning and an advanced understanding of biomechanical behaviors. In this sense, patient-specific modeling is developing in the form of digital twins to help personalized clinical decision-making.

Is the Exposome Involved in Brain Disorders through the Serotoninergic System?

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a biogenic monoamine acting as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), local mediator in the gut, and vasoactive agent in the blood. It has been linked to a variety of CNS functions and is implicated in many CNS and psychiatric disorders. The high comorbidity between some neuropathies can be partially understood by the fact that these diseases share a common etiology involving the serotoninergic system.

Self-Reiki, Consideration of a Potential Option for Managing Chronic Pain during Pandemic COVID-19 Period.

While the world faces an unprecedented situation with the pandemic, other chronic diseases such as chronic pain continue to run their course. The social distancing and restrictive displacement imposed by the pandemic situation represents a new barrier to access to pain management and tends to reinforce chronification process. Given this context, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) might offer new opportunities to manage CP, notably with a hand-touch method, such as self-Reiki therapy.

Quantitative MRI to Characterize the Nucleus Pulposus Morphological and Biomechanical Variation According to Sagittal Bending Load and Radial Fissure, an Ovine Specimen Proof-of-Concept Study.

Low back pain is a dramatic burden worldwide. Discography studies have shown that 39% of chronic low back pain patients suffer from discogenic pain due to a radial fissure of intervertebral disc. This can have major implications in clinical therapeutic choices.

Biomechanical demands of percussive techniques in the context of early stone toolmaking.

Recent discoveries in archaeology and palaeoanthropology highlight that stone tool knapping could have emerged first within the genera or rather than . To explore the implications of this hypothesis determining the physical demands and motor control needed for performing the percussive movements during the oldest stone toolmaking technology (i.e.

Experimental investigation of oscillating flow characteristics at the exit of a stacked mesh grid regenerator.

The aim of this study is to investigate the oscillating flow velocity field at the exit of different stacked mesh grid regenerators using Particle Image Velocimetry measurements. Twelve different experimental cases are discussed, yielding oscillating flow fields at the exit of four kinds of regenerators for different acoustic levels. The regenerators are classified according to the mesh wire size to viscous penetration depth ratio and according to the method of stacking the mesh grids.

Protecting the downstream migration of salmon smolts from hydroelectric power plants with inclined racks and optimized bypass water discharge.

The sustained development of hydropower energy in the last century has caused important ecological impacts, promoting recent advances in efficient mitigation measures to be implemented in existing and future hydropower plants. Although upstream fish migration has been largely addressed with the development of fish-pass infrastructures, downstream passage solutions are often missing or inefficient, strengthening the need for their improvement and efficiency assessment. The efficiency of horizontally inclined (26°) low bar spacing racks associated to a bypass was assessed using salmon smolts radiotelemetry along three successive hydropower plants (HPP) in the Ariège River (southern France).

Organic composition of epilithic biofilms from agricultural and urban watershed in South Brazil.

Active functional groups in biofilms determine the adsorption and desorption of contaminants and nutrients. Epilithic biofilms were characterized in order to understand the association between the chemistry alteration patterns and the surrounding anthropic activities of the Guaporé River watershed. The instrumental analyses included pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, spectroscopy in the IR region with attenuated total reflectance, and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance.

Brain Disorders and Chemical Pollutants: A Gap Junction Link?

The incidence of brain pathologies has increased during last decades. Better diagnosis (autism spectrum disorders) and longer life expectancy (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease) partly explain this increase, while emerging data suggest pollutant exposures as a possible but still underestimated cause of major brain disorders. Taking into account that the brain parenchyma is rich in gap junctions and that most pollutants inhibit their function; brain disorders might be the consequence of gap-junctional alterations due to long-term exposures to pollutants.

ILIOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME IN CYCLING: A COMBINED EXPERIMENTAL-SIMULATION APPROACH FOR ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF SADDLE SETBACK.

Background: Despite abundant literature, the treatment of iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) in cyclists remains complicated as it lacks evidence-based recommendations.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a musculoskeletal modelling approach that investigates three potential biomechanical determinants of ITBS (strain, strain rate and compression force) and to use this approach to investigate the effect of saddle setback.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Evolutive Models for the Geometry and Heat Conductivity of an Intumescent EVA-ATH Composite during Its Thermal Degradation.

Reliable predictions from numerical simulations in fire safety applications require knowledge of the combustible materials' properties in their initial and thermally degraded states. The thermal conductivity of the sheath material of electrical cables, present in massive amounts in industrial plants, is addressed here. An evolutive conceptual model is proposed for the morphology of this intumescent polymer composite during its thermal degradation.

In Situ and Real-Time Nanoscale Monitoring of Ultra-Thin Metal Film Growth Using Optical and Electrical Diagnostic Tools.

Continued downscaling of functional layers for key enabling devices has prompted the development of characterization tools to probe and dynamically control thin film formation stages and ensure the desired film morphology and functionalities in terms of, e.g., layer surface smoothness or electrical properties.

Azimuthal decomposition of the radiated noise from supersonic shock-containing jets.

Acoustic measurements of unheated supersonic underexpanded jets with ideally expanded Mach numbers of 1.14, 1.38, and 1.

Should we recommend occipital plate fixation using bicortical screws or inverted occipital hooks to optimize occipito-cervical junction fusion? A biomechanical study combining an experimental and analytical approach.

Background: Occipito-cervical fusion can be necessary in case of cranio-cervical junction instability. Proximal stabilisation is usually ensured by bi-cortical occipital screws implanted through one median or two lateral occipital plate(s). Bone thickness variability as well as the proximity of vasculo-nervous elements can induce substantial morbidity.