How Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks Can Support European Refractory Ecosystem in Context of The European Green Deal

The movement of the Iron&Steelmaking(I&S)industry towards Net-Zero emissions and digitalized processes through disruptive,breakthrough technologies will be achieved through the use of Hydrogen.The biggest challenge for the refractory industry is to continue to meet the performance expectations while,at the same time,moving to a more sustainable production direction.The complexity and urgency of these technological changes,highlighted by the European Green Deal,requires ambitious,international,interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects,bringing together institutes from across the global value chain,to carry out cutting edge research.The European Union,through its flagship doctoral training program,MSCA,has,and continues to support research and development as well as the promotion of the refractory industry in Europe.An introduction to two MSCA projects and some of the results achieved are highlighted within this article.

What If the Protection against Oxidation of Chromia-Forming Alloys Was Not Always Due to the Chromia Layer?

Chromia-forming alloys have good resistance to oxidizing agents such as O2, CO2, … It is accepted that the protection of these alloys is always due to the chromia layer formed at the surface of the alloys, which acts as a barrier between the oxidizing gases and the alloy substrates, forming a diffusion zone that limits the overall reaction rate and leads to parabolic kinetics. But this was not verified in the study devoted to Inconel®625 the oxidation in CO2 that was followed by TGA, with characterizations by XRD, EDS and FIB microscopy. Contrary to what was expected and accepted in similar studies on other chromia-forming alloys, it was shown that the diffusion step that governs the overall reaction rate is not located inside the chromia layer but inside the alloy, precisely inside a zone just beneath the interface alloy/chromia, this zone being depleted in chromium. The chromia layer, therefore, plays no kinetic role and does not directly protect the underlying alloy. This result was demonstrated using a simple test that consisted in removing the chromia layer from the surface of samples partially oxidized and then to continue the thermal treatment: insofar as the kinetics continued without any change in rate, this proved that this surface layer of oxide did not protect the substrate. Based on previous work on many chromia-forming alloys, the possibility of a similar reaction mechanism is discussed. If the chromia layer is not the source of protection for a number of chromia-forming alloys, as is suspected, this might have major consequences in terms of industrial applications.

Highly sensitive microfiber ultrasound sensor for photoacoustic imaging

An ultrasound wave is a kind of acoustic signal with a frequency greater than 20 kHz,which is widely used in diverse fields such as medical imaging diagnosis,nondestructive testing and resource exploration.A variety of ultrasound sensors have been developed for ultrasound detection.Particularly for photoacoustic imaging,specialized ultrasound sensors with high sensitivity,small size,and broad bandwidth are needed.However,achieving such sensor perform-ance still poses a great challenge to the current state-of-the-art in ultrasound sensor technology.A recent work pub-lished in Opto-Electronic Advances(DOI:10.29026/oea.2022.200076)proposes a microfiber-based ultrasound sensor that breaks the limitations of existing ultrasound sensors.Benefiting from the large evanescent field characteristic of mi-crofiber,combined with the coherent detection technology,the proposed sensor realized highly sensitive ultrasound de-tection and demonstrated excellent performance in high-resolution photoacoustic imaging.The highly sensitive and mini-aturized microfiber ultrasound sensor provides a competitive alternative for various applications,such as endoscopic photoacoustic imaging of the intestinal tract and blood vessels in animals.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A and sciatic nerve crush rat models:insights from proteomics

The sensorimotor and histological aspects of peripheral neuropathies were already studied by our team in two rat models:the sciatic nerve crush and the Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A disease.In this study,we sought to highlight and compare the protein signature of these two pathological situations.Indeed,the identification of protein profiles in diseases can play an important role in the development of pharmacological targets.In fact,Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A rats develop motor impairments that are more severe in the hind limbs.Therefore,for the first time,protein expression in sciatic nerve of Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A rats was examined.First,distal sciatic nerves were collected from Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A and uninjured wild-type rats aged 3 months.After protein extraction,sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was employed.445 proteins mapped to Swiss-Prot or trEMBL Uniprot databases were identified and quantified.Of these,153 proteins showed statistically significant differences between Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A and wild-type groups.The majority of these proteins were overexpressed in Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A.Hierarchical clustering and functional enrichment using Gene Ontology were used to group these proteins based on their biological effects concerning Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A pathophysiology.Second,proteomic characterization of wild-type rats subjected to sciatic nerve crush was performed sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.One month after injury,distal sciatic nerves were collected and analyzed as described above.Out of 459 identified proteins,92 showed significant differences between sciatic nerve crush and the uninjured wild-type rats used in the first study.The results suggest that young adult Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A rats(3 months old)develop compensatory mechanisms at the level of redox balance,protein folding,myelination,and axonogenesis.These mechanisms seem insufficient to hurdle the progress of the disease.Notably,response to oxidative stress appears to be a significant feature of Charcot-Marie-Tooth-1A,potentially playing a role in the pathological process.In contrast to the first experiment,the majority of the proteins that differed from wild-type were downregulated in the sciatic nerve crush group.Functional enrichment suggested that neurogenesis,response to axon injury,and oxidative stress were important biological processes.Protein analysis revealed an imperfect repair at this time point after injury and identified several distinguishable proteins.In conclusion,we suggest that peripheral neuropathies,whether of a genetic or traumatic cause,share some common pathological pathways.This study may provide directions for better characterization of these models and/or identifying new specific therapeutic targets.

Use of a Microwave Plasma Process at Atmospheric Pressure for Bacterial Inactivation without Thermal Effects

An atmospheric microwave plasma argon was used for the inactivation of bacteria E. coli. The employed device, called Axial Injection Torch (or TIA for Torche à Injection Axiale), consisted of a microwave power source, a waveguide and a gas supply system. Using this argon plasma source, we studied the effects of the exposure time, the exposure distance, the input power, and the gas flow rate on the reduction rate of Escherichia coli cells. The first part of the study was carried out with a static sample exposed to the plasma and then in the second part the sample was set in motion relative to the plasma jet. A log reduction number of E. coli of 4 (10-4 CFU/mL) was obtained with UV and active species, for UV only a log of 1 (10-1 CFU/mL) was obtained.

Peripheral nerve regeneration and intraneural revascularization

Peripheral nerves are particularly vulnerable to injuries and are involved in numerous pathologies for which specific treatments are lacking. This review summarizes the pathophysiological features of the most common traumatic nerve injury in humans and the different animal models used in nerve regeneration studies. ~Ihe current knowledge concerning Wallerian degeneration and nerve regrowth is then described. Finally, the involvement of intraneural vascularization in these processes is addressed. As intraneural vascularization has been poorly studied, histological experiments were carried out from rat sciatic nerves damaged by a glycerol injection. The results, taken together with the data from literature, suggest that revascularization plays an important role in peripheral nerve regeneration and must therefore be studied more carefully.

Hallmarks in colorectal cancer:Angiogenesis and cancer stem-like cells

Carcinogenesis is a multistep process that requires the accumulation of various genetic and epigenetic aberrations to drive the progressive malignant transformation of normal human cells.Two major hallmarks of carcinogenesis that have been described are angiogenesis and the stem cell characteristic of limitless replicative potential.These properties have been targeted over the past decade in the development of therapeutic treatments for colorectal cancer(CRC),one of the most commonly diagnosed and lethal cancers worldwide.The treatment of solid tumor cancers such as CRC has been challenging due to the heterogeneity of the tumor itself and the chemoresistance of the malignant cells.Furthermore,the same microenvironment that maintains the pool of intestinal stem cells that contribute to the continuous renewal of the intestinal epithelia also provides the necessary conditions for proliferative growth of cancer stem-like cells.These cancer stem-like cells are responsible for the resistance to therapy and cancer recurrence,though they represent less than 2.5%of the tumor mass.The stromal environment surrounding the tumor cells,referred to as the tumor niche,also supports angiogenesis,which supplies the oxygen and nutrients needed for tumor development.Anti-angiogenic therapy,such as with bevacizumab,a monoclonal antibody against vascular-endothelial growth factor,significantly prolongs the survival of metastatic CRC patients.However,such treatments are not completely curative,and a large proportion of patient tumors retain chemoresistance or show recurrence.This article reviews the current knowledge regarding the molecular phenotype of CRC cancer cells,as well as discusses the mechanisms contributing to their maintenance.Future personalized therapeutic approaches that are based on the interaction of the carcinogenic hallmarks,namely angiogenic and proliferative attributes,could improve survival and decrease adverse effects induced by unnecessary chemotherapy.

Targeted Sub-Attomole Cancer Biomarker Detection Based on Phase Singularity 2D Nanomaterial-Enhanced Plasmonic Biosensor

Detection of small cancer biomarkers with low molecular weight and a low concentration range has always been challenging yet urgent in many clinical applications such as diagnosing early-stage cancer,monitoring treatment and detecting relapse.Here,a highly enhanced plasmonic biosensor that can overcome this challenge is developed using atomically thin two-dimensional phase change nanomaterial.By precisely engineering the configuration with atomically thin materials,the phase singularity has been successfully achieved with a significantly enhanced lateral position shift effect.Based on our knowledge,it is the first experimental demonstration of a lateral position signal change>340μm at a sensing interface from all optical techniques.With this enhanced plasmonic effect,the detection limit has been experimentally demonstrated to be 10^(-15) mol L^(−1) for TNF-α cancer marker,which has been found in various human diseases including inflammatory diseases and different kinds of cancer.The as-reported novel integration of atomically thin Ge_(2)Sb_(2)Te_(5) with plasmonic substrate, which results in a phase singularity and thus a giant lateral position shift, enables the detection of cancer markers with low molecular weight at femtomolar level. These results will definitely hold promising potential in biomedical application and clinical diagnostics.

Sensing and lasing applications of whispering gallery mode microresonators

Optical whispering gallery mode （WGM） microresonators have attracted great attention due to their remarkable proper- ties such as extremely high quality factor, small mode volume, tight confinement of modes, and strong evanescent field. All these properties of WGM microresonators have ensured their great potentials for applications, such as physical sen- sors, bio/chemical sensors and microlasers. In this mini-review, the key parameters and coupling conditions of WGM microresonators are firstly introduced. The geometries of WGM optical microcavities are presented based on their fabri- cation methods. This is followed by the discussion on the state-of-the-art applications of WGM microresonators in sen- sors and microlasers.

Predicting factors for the need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for suicide attempts by cardiac medication:a single-center cohort study

BACKGROUND:Severe poisoning due to the overdosing of cardiac drugs can lead to cardiovascular failure.In order to decrease the mortality rate,the most severe patients should be transferred as quickly as possible to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)center.However,the predictive factors showing the need for venous-arterial ECMO(VA-ECMO)had never been evaluated.METHODS:A retrospective,descriptive,and single-center cohort study.All consecutive patients admitted in the largest ICU of Reunion Island(Indian Ocean)between January 2013 and September 2018 for beta-blockers(BB),calcium channel blockers(CCB),renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers,digoxin or anti-arrythmic intentional poisonings were included.ECMO implementation was the primary outcome.RESULTS:A total of 49 consecutive admissions were included.Ten patients had ECMO,39 patients did not have ECMO.Three patients in ECMO group died,while no patients in the conventional group died.The most relevant ECMO-associated factors were pulse pressure and heart rate at first medical contact and pulse pressure,heart rate,arterial lactate concentration,liver enzymes and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)at ICU-admission.Only pulse pressure at first medical contact and LVEF were significant after logistic regression.CONCLUSION:A transfer to an ECMO center should be considered for a pulse pressure<35 mmHg at first medical contact or LVEF<20%on admission to ICU.

等离子喷涂复合涂层结构对力学性能影响的有限元分析:网状孔隙结构的影响

本研究的目的是进一步理解等离子喷涂制备的复合涂层在外力作用下内部应力场的规律。目前,相关方面的报道较少。为了达到这个目的,采用扫描电镜获得高分辨率的涂层照片,经过离散化处理,并进行有限元分析。Al2O3-13TiO2等离子喷涂涂层是一个比较理想的研究目标。通过调整喷涂参数获得了不同的多孔结构,例如孔隙率、裂纹密度、裂纹方向等。数值模拟显示网状孔隙结构对涂层内应力场有显著的影响。同样的,通过改变相的本征力学属性,研究了其它成分的涂层。在理想状态下,仿真结果显示第二相对涂层内部应力场的影响较弱。另外,提出了一种通用的涂层性能分析方法,指出了它的优点和局限性,并强调其重要性(REV)。

ITO Etched by Photolithography Used in the Fabrication of Flexible Organic Solar Cells with PET Substrates

In this study, the authors have shown the power conversion efficiency of flexible organic solar cells. The structure of the device is PET/ITO/PEDOT： PSS/P3HT： PCBM/AI. P3HT （poly-3-hexylthiophene）. It was used as an electron donor, PCBM （[6, 6]-phenyl C6 l-butyric acid methyl ester） as an electron acceptor and PEDOT： PSS used as a HIL （hole injection layer）. These materials were deposited by spin coating method on the flexible substrates. Photolithography method is used to etch ITO. The electrical parameters of the fabricated cells were investigated by means of J （V）, FF （fill factor）, the efficiency （r/）, photocurrent and IPCE measurement. It was observed that 45% of the absorbed photons are converted into current. The results obtained using etching technology by photolithography is better than that obtained in the clean room.

表面粗糙度、润湿性及温度对陶瓷熔滴扁平化行为的影响

本文介绍了氧化铝熔化颗粒(即熔滴),在不同预热温度下的光滑或喷砂不锈钢基体上的扁平化行为。与扁平化熔滴作用的喷砂表面粗糙度限于Ra=1.4?m。除了测试熔滴扁平化和熔滴冷却性能外,还测试了在相同基体上微米级氧化铝熔滴的润湿性能。转变温度Tt在光滑和粗糙表面显示出差别。对于光滑表面而言,Tt为170℃,在200℃获得了100%的盘状扁平粒子。而对于粗糙表面,Tt接近于300℃时,扁平粒子为多孔状,而在450℃时变得接近于致密。温度靠近熔点时,氧化铝的润湿性不随基体预氧化而变化,这与在等离子喷涂时温度远高于熔点的情况不同。

Exosomes from adipose tissue-derived stem/stromal cells:A key to future regenerative medicine

Advances in regenerative medicine correlate strongly with progress in the use of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.The range of therapeutic indications has also expanded over recent years.Numerous recent studies have highlighted the primary importance of paracrine secretion by these cells.Though it is interesting to compare the different types of such secretions,we believe that exosomes(extra-cellular vesicles possessing the same properties as their source cells)will likely be the main key in tomorrow’s cell therapy.Exosomes also have many advantages compared to the direct use of cells,making these particles amajor target in fundamental and translational research.

Analysis of Lateritic Soil Reinforced with Palm Kernel Shells for Use as a Sub-Base Layer for Low-Traffic Roads

In tropical areas,palm oil production generates significant amounts of waste,including palm kernel shells.The use of this waste in the civil engineering sector,presents a very challenging task.In the present study,the production of lateritic soil(A-2 in GTR classification and A-7-6(9)in HRB classification)reinforced with palm kernel shells is considered.In order to improve their performances,these materials are mixed using the Fuller’s parabolic law.Moreover,experimental tests are used to characterize the physical and mechanical geotechnical properties of the lateritic soil.After characterizing the matrix(i.e.,lateritic soil)and the inclusions(i.e.,palm kernel shells)in their natural state,it is found that Avrankou’s lateritic soil has a high level of fine particles(56.6%),high plasticity(PI=21%)and low lift(ICBR=17%);which makes it unusable in the pavement layer.Results also prove that the mixture composed of 39%of lateritic soil volume and 61%of PKS with a CBR index equals to 30 and the mixture composed of 45%of lateritic soil,40%PKS and 15%of lagoon sand with a CBR index equals to 41 can be used as sub-base layer for roads for low and medium traffic,respectively.

Two-Dimensional Stochastic Rotation Dynamics for Fluid Simulation

This paper presents a new method for fluid simulation based on Stochastic Rotation Dynamics. The SRD model relies on a particle-based representation, but does not consider incompressibility. We generalize this model by introducing additional computation steps in order to handle this type of behavior, and also two-way coupling between the fluid and immersed objects. As a proof of concept, our method is implemented on the CPU to produce different types of simulations such as dam-break flood, falling droplets and mixing of two fluids.

Narrativity and Memory Analysis in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative illness with frequency of occurrence increasing with old age. If memory impairment setting progressively is here an element associated upfront, other neurocognitive troubles are also associated, for example, language impairment which can degenerate into aphasia. Aim of the study. To evaluate semantic and textual impairment in AD. Methods. Populations studied concerned 151 AD patients in consultation at Brest University Hospital. Certain sociodemographic data (sex, age, cultural levels) were collected as well as results from neuropsychological tests: (Folstein-MMSE;Dubois’s 5-word test;fluencies, Dubois’ s frontal test battery;Cornell’s scale for depression;Barbizet’s test, “The Lion’s tale”, for textual analysis. Demented patients were composed of 102 females and 49 males of average age 80.3 ± 6.91. All the tests, including the number of items memorized latterly in the Barbizet’s test are impaired all the more by Folstein’s test being altered. The formal fluency on demented patients is less impaired than the semantic lexical fluency test (scored respectively 5.74 ± 1. 09 versus 4.41 ± 2. 19;t = 5.60, p < 0.01). The studied demented cohort shows more intrusions (n = 36) than inversions in the delayed Lion’s tale, whether for items or for episodes in which they occur (n = 19). The regressive PLS analysis shows that for the explanation of the overall scores to do with “The lion’s tale”, calculated later, only attainment of formal fluency has any notable influence (Regression coefficient CR = 0.224) or, more accessorily, the cultural level (CR = 0.12). Conclusions: Attainment of category fluency and patient culture levels has effects on narrativity.

Evolution to 200G Passive Optical Network

New generation passive optical network aims at providing more than 100 Gb/s capacity. Thanks to recent progress enabling a variety of optical transceivers up to 40 Gb/s, many evolution possibilities to 200G PONs （passive optical network） could be investigated. This work proposes two directly deployable cases of evolution to 200G PON based on the combination of these improved optical transceivers and WDM （wavelength division multiplexing）. The physical layer of the optical network has been simulated with OptiSystem software to show the communication links performances behavior when considering key components parameters in order to achieve good network design for a given area. The complexity of the proposed architectures and financial cost comparisons are also discussed.

Estimation of Fatigue Strength of Reinforced Complete Upper Denture Using a Newly Designed Testing Machine: A Laboratory Research Project

In the present study, an aero pneumatic fatigue testing machine for complete dentures was designed, fabricated, and tested for the evaluation of the fatigue life of reinforced complete upper denture (CUD). On completion and testing, it was observed that the machine has the potential of generating reliable number of cyclic data. The machine’s performance was evaluated using test specimens of identical CUDs that were machined in conformity with standard procedures. The fatigue machine compressed the lower dental arch over the upper denture-specimen in centric occlusion, in the same way that the two masticatory muscles pull the lower jaw over the upper jaw during chewing. The incorporation of glass fibres into the CUD using a sandwich technique quadruples the lifespan of the denture (P = 0.004). The low standard deviation, along with the low coefficient of variation (CV) of the group of unreinforced dentures shows the repeatability of the results and the reliability of the machine. The high standard deviation and coefficient of variation of reinforced dentures was expected, since a high variation of results is usually recorded in fibre reinforcement cases. This research confirmed the view that the crack during denture fracture initiates in the anterior palatal area and propagates to the posterior.

Emulation of Realistic Multi-Path Propagation Channels inside an Anechoic Chamber for Antenna Diversity Measurements

As antennas are inherently included recommended in Over-The-Air (OTA) testing, it is important to also consider realistic channel models for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) device performance evaluation. This paper aims to emulate realistic multi-Path propagation channels in terms of angles of arrivals (AoA) and cross-polarization ratio (XPR) with Rayleigh fading, inside an anechoic chamber, for antenna diversity measurements. In this purpose, a practical multi-probe anechoic chamber measurement system (MPAC) with 24 probe antennas (SATIMO SG24) has been used. However, the actual configuration of this system is not able to reproduce realistic channels. Therefore, a new method based on the control of the SG24 probes has been developed. At first time, this method has been validated numerically through the comparison of simulated and analytical AoA probability density distributions. At the second time, the performance of an antenna diversity system inside the SG24 has been performed in terms of the correlation coefficient and diversity gain (DG) using an antenna reference system. Simulated and measurements results have shown a good agreement.