The aim of this paper is to study rate-dependent switching in ferroelastic materials. More specifically, a micro-mechanically motivated model is embedded into an iterative three-dimensional and electromechanically coupled finite element framework. An established energy-based criterion serves for the initiation of domain switching processes as based on reduction in (local) Gibbs free energy. Subseq

Using survey data from a large public research organization, this study examines entrepreneurship propensities of academic researchers, focusing on gender differences. Although sample means of female and male propensities toward entrepreneurship are fairly similar, regression estimates show significant gender differences in the association of several factors with propensities to start businesses.

Evacuation models generally include the use of distributions or probabilistic variables to simulate the variability of possible human behaviours. A single model setup of the same evacuation scenario may therefore produce a distribution of different occupant-evacuation time curves in the case of the use of a random sampling method. This creates an additional component of uncertainty caused by the i

Industrial fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates to ethanol requires microorganisms able to utilise a broad range of carbon sources and generate ethanol at high yield and productivity. D. bruxellensis has recently been reported to contaminate commercial ethanol processes, where it competes with Saccharomyces cerevisiae [4, 26]. In this work Brettanomyces/Dekkera yeasts were studied to explo

A Monte Carlo method is employed to calculate the dynamical conductivity in the terahertz range of free charge carriers localized in semiconductor nanoparticles. The shape of the conductivity spectrum is essentially determined by the probability of carrier transition through interparticle boundaries and by the ratio of the nanoparticle size and carrier mean free path in the bulk. It is shown that

This paper concerns the development of innovative composite floor systems, comprising timber beams and prefabricated concrete slabs. For the development of this new system, two properties were regarded as vital, as follows: (1) good stiffness, and (2) a high degree of prefabrication. Shear connection systems installed using completely dry processes were used. Innovative and very efficient material

Streamlining new product development forces companies to make decisions on preliminary information. This article considers this challenge within the context of project management in the aerospace sector and, in particular, for the development of product-service systems. The concept of knowledge maturity is explored as a means to provide practical decision support, which increases decision makers’

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine hydrochloride (DOI) are hallucinogenic amphetamines with addictive properties. The hippocampus is involved in learning and memory and seems particularly vulnerable to amphetamine's neurotoxicity. We evaluated the neurotoxicity of DOI and MDMA in primary neuronal cultures of hippocampus obtained from Wistar ra

The principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has been a policy paradigm behind the development of waste policies in the European Union including the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC). This study compares and explains the environmental effectiveness of the ELV programmes in the United Kingdom and in Sweden between 1990 and 2005, using a framework that integrates the Dutch

A measurement of the integrated luminosity at the ep collider HERA is presented, exploiting the elastic QED Compton process ep -> e gamma p. The electron and the photon are detected in the backward calorimeter of the H1 experiment. The integrated luminosity of the data recorded in 2003 to 2007 is determined with a precision of 2.3%. The measurement is found to be compatible with the corresponding

Endothelial cells are among the main physiological targets of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In endothelial cells TNF-alpha elicits a broad spectrum of biological effects including differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT), an endogenous inhibitor of serine proteases plays a vital role in protecting host tissue from proteolytic

The size distribution of asteroids and Kuiper belt objects in the solar system is difficult to reconcile with a bottom-up formation scenario due to the observed scarcity of objects smaller than similar to 100 km in size. Instead, planetesimals appear to form top-down, with large 100 1000 km bodies forming from the rapid gravitational collapse of dense clumps of small solid particles. In this paper

The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 has spurred a lively popular and academic debate about the conflict's role in shaping the twentieth century and the European present. This article examines the war from a slightly different perspective, taking as its point of departure the impact of the war on neutral Scandinavia and its place in contemporary Scandinavian historical cons

There is currently a strongly growing interest in obtaining optimal control solutions for vehicle maneuvers, both in order to understand optimal vehicle behavior and to devise improved safety systems, either by direct deployment of the solutions or by including mimicked driving techniques of professional drivers. However, it is nontrivial to find the right mix of models, formulations, and optimiza