n/a

Zinc K-shell radiative and radiationless transition rates are calculated using the multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method. Correlation up to the 4p orbital is included in almost all transition rate cal...

The relevance of microalgae biotechnology for producing high-value compounds with biomedical application, such as polysaccharides, has been increasing. Despite this, the knowledge about the composition and structure of microalgae polysaccharides is still scarce. In this work, water-soluble polysaccharides from Nannochloropsis oculata were extracted, fractionated, structurally analysed, and subsequently tested in terms of immunostimulatory activity. A combination of sugar and methylation analysis with interaction data of carbohydrate-binding proteins using carbohydrate microarrays disclosed the complex structural features of the different polysaccharides. These analyses showed that the water-soluble polysaccharides fractions from N. oculata were rich in ($\beta$1→3, $\beta$1→4)-glucans, ($\alpha$1→3)-, ($\alpha$1→4)-mannans, and anionic sulphated heterorhamnans. The immunostimulatory assay highlighted that these fractions could also stimulate murine B-lymphocytes. Thus, the N. oculata water-soluble polysaccharides show potential to be further explored for immune-mediated biomedical applications.

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the gravity loads effect in the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams critical zones subjected to cyclic loads. A numerical study to assess the influence of gravity load on RC beam critical zones subjected to cyclic loading is presented, assuming the level of gravity load as a variable parameter. For this purpose, the non-linear model was previously validated with an experimental campaign carried out on RC beam connection subject to cyclic loading with and without gravity loads. The consideration of the gravity load effects led to an accumulation of negative (hogging) deformation and the formation of an unidirectional plastic hinge. In order to validate this behaviour in an overall structural response, a non-linear numerical analysis of a RC frame system under cyclic loads, subject to different levels of gravity load, is also presented. The numerical results are analysed in terms of global hysterical response, accumulated energy dissipation and equivalent viscous damping ratio. In this numerical study was observed that the hysteretic response depends on the load path. In the presence of higher gravity loads levels, the structure hysteretic behaviour exhibits higher damage levels and the failure mechanism is prone to the formation of four plastic hinges. This phenomenon is analysed and discuss in the present paper. © Federation Internationale du Beton (fib) - International Federation for Structural Concrete, 2019.

An analysis on the effect of the incorporation of coarse recycled concrete aggregates on the bond strength between concrete and embedded steel reinforcement is presented. The model’s uncertainty of the Level I provision of the anchorage length of fib Bulletin 72 on ribbed steel/recycled aggregate concrete bond is quantified. Afterwards, reliability analyses on the bond strength are made and a partial safety factor for the anchorage length of recycled concrete elements is proposed. The model’s uncertainty is evaluated through data from pullout tests, the only type of bond test that has been so far performed extensively on recycled aggregate concrete specimens. The limitations of this test in reproducing the bond of actual structural elements is discussed, and the model’s uncertainty is converted to that of lap splice tests. The bond strength of recycled aggregate concrete design was found to be less reliable than that of natural aggregate concrete, especially in the absence of confining reinforcement. For concrete with full recycled aggregate incorporation, a 25% increase in the anchorage length is proposed. Additional testing on the bond strength of lapped splices or beam-end specimens is recommended.

This paper analyses the studies made so far on the variability and reliability of recycled aggregate concrete. Since recycled aggregate concrete is seen by different agents of the construction industry as a variable material and no structural code has specifically been calibrated to its use, its role as a structural material is limited. Such calibration is hindered since specific research on the statistical and probabilistic data of recycled aggregate concrete properties is lacking.Investigations on the probabilistic knowledge of recycled aggregates and recycled aggregate concrete properties are discussed, and the studies made so far on the reliability of recycled aggregate concrete elements are summarised. Final remarks regarding the future prospects towards the consensual acceptance of recycled aggregate concrete structures are provided.

An investigation on the scatter of code-type constitutive models that relate compressive strength (fc) with tensile strength (fct) and Young’s modulus (Ec) of standard concrete specimens is presented. The influence of the mix design on the accuracy of the fc vs. fct and fc vs. Ecrelationships is discussed, with emphasis on the lithological type and morphology of the coarse aggregates. The uncertainty of the constitutive models is analysed in probabilistic terms and random variables that model the uncertainty of the fc vs. fct and fc vs. Ec relationships are proposed for reliability analyses of serviceability limit states. The suitability of the models proposed is assessed through preliminary conservative estimates of their design values.

The optical properties of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) sustained by self-assembled silver nanoparticles are of great interest for enhancing light trapping in thin film photovoltaics. First, we report on a systematic investigation of the structural and the optical properties of silver nanostructures fabricated by a solid-state dewetting process on various substrates. Our study allows to identify fabrication conditions in which circular, uniformly spaced nanoparticles are obtainable. The optimized NPs are then integrated into plasmonic back reflector (PBR) structures. Second, we demonstrate a novel procedure, involving a combination of opto-electronic spectroscopic techniques, allowing for the quantification of useful and parasitic absorption in thin photovoltaic absorber deposited on top of the PBR. We achieve a significant broadband useful absorption enhancement of 90{%} for 0.9 µm thick $μ$c-Si:H film and demonstrate that optical losses due to plasmonic scattering are insignificant below 730 nm. Finally, we present a successful implementation of a plasmonic light trapping scheme in a thin film a-Si:H solar cell. The quantum efficiency spectra of the devices show a pronounced broadband enhancement resulting in remarkably high short circuit current densities (Jsc).

Combined perovskite/crystalline-silicon four-terminal tandem solar cells promise {\textgreater}30{%} efficiencies. Here we propose all-thin-film double-junction architectures where high-bandgap perovskite top cells are coupled to ultrathin c-Si bottom cells enhanced with light trapping. A complete optoelectronic model of the devices was developed and applied to determine the optimal intermediate layers, which are paramount to maximize the cells' photocurrent. It was ascertained that by replacing the transparent conductive oxides by grid-based metallic contacts in the intermediate positions, the parasitic absorption is lowered by 30{%}. Overall, a 29.2{%} efficiency is determined for ∼2 um thick tandems composed of the optimized interlayers and improved with Lambertian light trapping.

ZnSnO3 semiconductor nanostructures have several applications as photocatalysis, gas sensors, and energy harvesting. However, due to its multicomponent nature, the synthesis is far more complex than its binary counter parts. The complexity increases even more when aiming for low-cost and low-temperature processes as in hydrothermal methods. Knowing in detail the influence of all the parameters involved in these processes is imperative, in order to properly control the synthesis to achieve the desired final product. Thus, this paper presents a study of the influence of the physical parameters involved in the hydrothermal synthesis of ZnSnO3 nanowires, namely volume, reaction time, and process temperature. Based on this study a growth mechanism for the complex Zn:Sn:O system is proposed. Two zinc precursors, zinc chloride and zinc acetate, were studied, showing that although the growth mechanism is inherent to the material itself, the chemical reactions for different conditions need to be considered.

Green and lean are manufacturing management paradigms that identify new opportunities to improve the business to be more competitive. The purpose of this research is to contribute for the understanding of how to address green–lean approaches in a supply chain. The objective is to provide basic mechanisms to implement an organization’s supplychain based on an integrated green and lean approach. To attain this objective, some relevant initiatives for a green and lean transformation were considered first. Second, a multiple case study was conducted in the automotive industry to test qualitatively the several integrated green and lean initiatives and see how they are being implemented in the real world. Based on the literature review and the case study, an oriented-tool is suggested, which involves a roadmap to achieve a green–lean supply-chain transformation. The proposed roadmap can serve as the basis for further research in green and lean supply chain management, providing insights into the implementation of a green–lean approach.

The human natural killer-1 (HNK-1) epitope is a unique sulfated trisaccharide sequence presented on O- and N-glycans of various glycoproteins and on glycolipids. It is overexpressed in the nervous system and plays crucial roles in nerve regeneration, synaptic plasticity, and neuronal diseases. However, the investigation of functional roles of HNK-1 in a more complex glycan context at the molecular level remains a big challenge due to lack of access to related structurally well-defined complex glycans. Herein, we describe a highly efficient chemoenzymatic approach for the first collective synthesis of HNK-1-bearing O-mannose glycans with different branching patterns, and for their nonsulfated counterparts. The successful strategy relies on both chemical glycosylation of a trisaccharide lactone donor for the introduction of sulfated HNK-1 branch and substrate promiscuities of bacterial glycosyltransferases that can tolerate sulfated substrates for enzymatic diversification. Glycan microarray analysis with the resulting complex synthetic glycans demonstrated their recognition by two HNK-1-specific antibodies including anti-HNK-1/N-CAM (CD57) and Cat-315, which provided further evidence for the recognition epitopes of these antibodies and the essential roles of the sulfate group for HNK-1 glycan-antibody recognition.

CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) technologies are being immensely researched as means to close the anthropogenic carbon cycle. One approach known as artificial photosynthesis uses solar energy from photovoltaics (PV), carbon dioxide and water to generate hydrocarbon fuels, being methane (CH4) a preferential target due to the already in place infrastructures for its storage, distribution and consumption. Here, a model is developed to simulate a direct (1-step) solar methane production approach, which is studied in two scenarios: first, we compare it against a more conventional 2-step methane production route, and second, we apply it to address the energetic needs of concept buildings with usual space and domestic hot water heating requirements. The analysed 2-step process consists in the PV-powered synthesis of an intermediate fuel – syngas – followed by its conversion to CH4 via a Fischer–Tropsch (methanation) process. It was found that the 1-step route could be adequate to a domestic, small scale use, potentially providing energy for a single-family house, whilst the 2-step can be used in both small and large scale applications, from domestic to industrial uses. In terms of overall solar-to-CH4 energy efficiency, the 2-step method reaches 13.26{%} against the 9.18{%} reached by the 1-step method. Next, the application of the direct solar methane technology is analysed for domestic buildings, in different European locations, equipped with a combination of solar thermal collectors (STCs) and PV panels, in which the heating needs that cannot be fulfilled by the STCs are satisfied by the combustion of methane synthesized by the PV-powered electrolyzers. Various combinations of situations for a whole year were studied and it was found that this auxiliary system can produce, per m2 of PV area, in the worst case scenario 23.6 g/day (0.328 kWh/day) of methane in Stockholm, and in the best case scenario 47.4 g/day (0.658 kWh/day) in Lisbon.