Research was performed at a pilot-scale wastewater treatment plant operating an adsorption/bio-oxidation (A/B) process at 20C. The study compared B-Stage performance under DO Control, Ammonia Based Aeration Control (ABAC), and Ammonia vs. NOx (AvN) control. AvN in 1) fully-intermittent and 2) intermittently-aerated MLE configurations was compared to DO Control and ABAC, each with continuous aeration, in an MLE configuration. The study also examined operation of each aeration strategy with two different feed types: A-Stage effluent (ASE) and primary clarifier effluent (PCE). Operating modes were compared on the basis of nitrogen removal performance, COD utilization efficiency for denitrification, and alkalinity consumption. AvN was found to provide comparable nitrogen removal performance to DO Control and ABAC. The highest nitrogen removal performance was seen when operating DO Control (81.4 ± 1.2%) and ABAC (81.1 ± 1.2%) with PCE. High nitrogen removal efficiency (77.5 ± 6.1%) was seen when fully-intermittent AvN operation was fed ASE containing a high particulate COD fraction. A high effluent nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR = NO2-/(NO2-+NO3-)) was seen during this period (46 ± 15%) accompanied by the out-selection of Nitrospira. Feeding effluent from AvN control to an Anammox MBBR improved removal efficiency. Increased soluble COD loading resulted in greater nitrogen removal with strategies operating in an MLE configuration while particulate COD was found to be important for processes where removal was designed to occur in downstream reactors. Efficiency of COD for denitrification was found to vary based on the amount and type of influent COD; however AvN in an MLE configuration was found to use COD more efficiently than fully-intermittent AvN. In either configuration, AvN required less alkalinity addition than DO Control or ABAC. High sCOD concentrations in PCE led to increased nutrient removal as compared to ASE but increased heterotrophic growth and mixed liquor concentrations in the B-Stage making the A-Stage an attractive option for its ability to control the C/N ratio fed to BNR processes. / Master of Science

The intermittent fasting diet has a historical past, but recently, it has regained popularity as a weight loss strategy for the general public. Athletes have also picked up this specialized diet in search of a competitive edge. There are ample studies testing athletes of all levels, but most do not include females or report sex-specific results. This systematic review aimed to identify current research on the effects of intermittent fasting in the understudied population of female athletes. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted in three databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, and SPORTDiscus, and a total of six studies with experimental or observational designs testing the various effects of intermittent fasting on physical, physiological, and psychological parameters were included. This systematic review shows that studies found significant changes in calorie and fluid intake, body composition, nutrient utilization, well-being, and athletic performances with no changes in muscle strength, ratings of perceived exertion, blood lactate levels, and cognitive function. Multiple studies in this review found mixed results on changes in heart rate and athletic performance (vertical jump height), and no studies found negative effects on athletic performance except in the survey of athletes’ perceptions. Due to conflicting results of current research, more studies are needed to determine the effects of intermittent fasting combined with continuous exercise on athletic women.

Introduction: Memory is a complex cognitive process formerly linked to mechanisms of brain plasticity that can be estimated in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). Also, cortical thickness in the DLPFC may be a potential proxy measure of brain plasticity as previous literature reports a link between better memory and thicker cortex. However, the link between brain plasticity and memory performance as well as DLPFC thickness remains to be clarified. Methods: Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) probed plasticity-like mechanisms in the left DLPFC in 17 cognitively healthy participants. TMS-EEG recordings were performed before and after sham and active iTBS to quantify plasticity via transcranial magnetic stimulation-evoked potentials (TEPs). Composite memory scores for each domain (verbal episodic, visual episodic and working memory) were obtained using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Anatomical T1 images were acquired by magnetic resonance imaging and processed by open-source software (CIVET) and the Automated Anatomical Labeling atlas to extract cortical thickness of the DLPFC. All statistical analyses (linear mixed model, Tukey's post hoc test and Pearson's correlations) were completed in R Studio. Results: iTBS resulted in increased TEP amplitude P30 (F= 5.239, p = 0.029), as shown by a significant interaction between condition (iTBS, sham) and time (pre- and post-condition). Specifically, Tukey's post hoc test revealed that the P30 increase was near trending significant post-iTBS compared to pre-iTBS for the active condition (p = 0.166) but not for the sham condition (p = 0.294). A trending significant relationship was observed between the magnitude of P30 change post-iTBS and thicker left DLPFC (r = 0.488; p = 0.108). Lastly, no significant relationships between P30 change and memory performance were observed. Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest there could be a relationship between increased capacity for brain plasticity and a thicker left DLPFC. To further investigate these relationships, we plan to recruit additional cognitively healthy participants. Our preliminary findings support the foundation for future clinical studies in which DLPFC thickness could be explored as a predictive factor for response to plasticity-targeting iTBS treatment.

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[pt] O estudo do escoamento intermitente de gás e líquido é de enorme relevância. Devido a sua vasta ocorrência em diversos problemas industriais, como na indústria do petróleo, em escoamentos de água e vapor em trocadores de calor e em sistemas de refrigeração de usinas nucleares, diversos estudos experimentais e numéricos buscam obter um conhecimento mais profundo deste complexo fenômeno. Devido a esta complexidade, se fazem necessários experimentos detalhados de maneira a dar suporte aos modelos matemáticos desenvolvidos. O presente trabalho descreve um estudo experimental de um escoamento turbulento gás-líquido no regime intermitente para tubo horizontal. As técnicas de velocimetria por imagem de partícula estereoscópica de alta frequência (SPIV ) e fluorescência induzida por laser (LIF) foram usadas para medir todos os três componentes do vetor de velocidade em diferentes seções do tubo, referenciadas pelo nariz da bolha de gás. A seção de testes consistiu de uma tubulação de acrílico com diâmetro interno de 40mm e 17,7m de comprimento. Os fluidos de trabalho utilizados foram água e ar, com velocidades superficiais de jL igual 0,3 0,4 e 0,5m/s e jG igual 0,5m/s que formaram o padrão de escoamento intermitente. Um sistema de sensores fotossensíveis foi utilizado para medir a velocidade de translação da bolha de gás, além de acionar o sistema SPIV. Desta forma, foi possível determinar os campos médios das três componentes de velocidade da fase líquida do escoamento turbulento gás-líquido em regiões de interesse na vizinhança da bolha alongada. Os dados obtidos revelaram a influência das bolhas de gás de maior velocidade, na dinâmica do campo de velocidade do líquido. Tais dados contém informações valiosas que contribuem não apenas para uma melhor compreensão da física que rege o escoamento, mas também como forma de validação e aprimoramento de modelos numéricos. / [en] The analysis of gas-liquid intermittent flow in horizontal pipes is of great relevance importance due its applications in many industrial problems, such as in the petroleum industry, boiler and heat exchanger tubes and cooling systems of nuclear power plants. A considerable number of experimental and analytical studies have been carried out on the pursuit of a deeper knowledge of this complex phenomenon. The present work describes an experimental study of a horizontal, gas-liquid pipe flow in the intermittent regime. Experimental techniques such as high frequency stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV ) and laser induced fluorescence (LIF), were applied in order to obtain all three components of the velocity vector at different pipe sections, referred to the gas bubble nose tip. A 40mm inner diameter, 17.7m long acrylic pipe was used as test section (L/D approximately 450). The working fluids, water and air formed the intermittent flow pattern, with superficial velocities of jL equal 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 m/s and jG equal 0.5 m/s. A set of three photogate sensors, equally-spaced along the pipe, were used to measure the bubble translational velocities, and to trigger the SPIV system, allowing for the determination of ensemble-averaged, threecomponent velocity fields of the turbulent liquid flow in cross-stream planes around the gas bubble. The original data obtained revealed the influence of the faster-moving gas bubbles on the dynamics of the liquid velocity field, providing valuable information that contribute to a better understanding of the physics governing the flow, also serving for the validation of numerical simulations.

<p>Our ability to control unstable objects highlights the sophistication of voluntary motor behaviour. In this thesis, we used an inverted pendulum (i.e., stick) balancing paradigm to investigate the task, learning and context-dependent attributes of unstable object control. We hypothesized that learning would mediate the functional integration of posture and upper limb dynamics and expected changes in the task demand and context to be reflected in the control of posture and the upper limb. We found that training increased the average length of balancing trials and applied this result to further investigate the circumstantial properties of unstable object control.</p> <p>We investigated the temporal structure of posture and upper limb dynamics using statistical and nonlinear time series analysis. We demonstrated that subjects used an intermittent strategy to control the inverted pendulum (Chapters 3 and 5) and found that motor learning modulated the statistical and spatiotemporal attributes of posture (Chapter 5) and upper limb displacements (Chapters 2, 3 and 5). We confirmed the balance control strategy was intermittent by showing that posture and upper limb time series are composed of two independent timescale components: a fast component linked to small stochastic displacements and a slow component related to feedback control (Chapters 3, 4 and 5). The interplay between timescale components was affected by the balancing context (Chapter 3) and task demand (Chapter 4).</p> <p>Chapter 5 investigated the acquisition of individual and coupled posture-upper limb control mechanisms. We found that motor learning involved two independent adaptation processes. The first process modified the timescale composition of posture and upper limb displacements and was followed by incremental changes in the occurrence and duration of correlated posture-upper limb trajectories. In Chapter 6, we investigated learning-mediated changes in multijoint coordination and control. Motor learning led to the flexible, error-compensating recruitment of individual joints and we showed that the preferential constraint of destabilizing joint angle variance was the putative mechanism underlying performance.</p> <p>This thesis performed a detailed examination of unstable object control mechanisms. The undertaken studies have provided knowledge about the acquisition and adaptation of control mechanisms at multiple levels of the motor system. Our data provide convergent evidence that the control mechanisms governing complex human balancing tasks are intermittent and modulated by the task and context.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study aims to investigate variable flow and intermittent flow spray cooling characteristics for efficiency improvement in active two-phase thermal management systems. Variable flow spray cooling scheme requires control of pump input voltage (or speed), while intermittent flow spray cooling scheme requires control of solenoid valve duty cycle and frequency. Several testing scenarios representing dynamic heat load conditions are implemented to characterize the overall performance of variable flow and intermittent flow spray cooling cases in comparison with the reference, steady flow spray cooling case with constant flowrate, continuous spray cooling. Tests are conducted on a small-scale, closed loop spray cooling system featuring a pressure atomized spray nozzle. HFE-7100 dielectric liquid is selected as the working fluid. Two types of test samples are prepared on 10 mm x 10 mm x 2 mm copper substrates with matching size thick film resistors attached onto the opposite side, to generate heat and simulate high heat flux electronic devices. The test samples include: (i) plain, smooth surface, and (ii) microporous surface featuring 100 μm thick copper-based coating prepared by dual stage electroplating technique. Experimental conditions involve HFE-7100 at atmospheric pressure and 30°C and ~10°C subcooling. Steady flow spray cooling tests are conducted at flow rates of 2 - 5 ml/cm².s, by controlling the heat flux in increasing steps, and recording the corresponding steady-state temperatures to obtain cooling curves in the form of surface superheat vs. heat flux. Variable flow and intermittent flow spray cooling tests are done at selected flowrate and subcooling conditions to investigate the effects of dynamic flow conditions on maintaining the target surface temperatures defined based on reference steady flow spray cooling performance.

Le microscope à force atomique (AFM) permet de caractériser avec une excellente résolution spatiale les surfaces d’échantillons de différentes natures et peut être mis en œuvre dans des milieux variés. Cette versatilité a favorisé le développement d’un grand nombre de techniques dérivées, destinées à investiguer diverses propriétés physiques locales. Le LGEP a ainsi réalisé un module, le Résiscope, capable de mesurer la résistance électrique locale à la surface d’un échantillon polarisé en continu, sur une gamme de 11 décades. Mise au point en mode contact, où la pointe exerce en permanence une force sur l’échantillon, cette technique fonctionne très bien sur des matériaux durs, mais trouve ses limites sur des échantillons mous ou fragiles puisque dans certaines conditions, la pointe peut altérer leur surface. Pour de tels échantillons, un mode contact intermittent, dans lequel la pointe vient à intervalles réguliers toucher très brièvement la surface, est plus approprié, mais complique la réalisation des mesures électriques. Le but de la thèse consistait à lever cette difficulté en modifiant le Résiscope pour pouvoir l’associer au « Pulsed Force Mode », mode intermittent où la pointe oscille à une fréquence de 100Hz à 2000Hz.Différentes évolutions matérielles et logicielles ont été apportées pour permettre le suivi temporel détaillé du signal de résistance électrique à chaque établissement/rupture de contact (indispensable pour passer en revue les phénomènes liés à l’intermittence), de même que pour pouvoir travailler à des vitesses de balayage acceptables. Pour l’imagerie, les meilleurs contrastes ont été obtenus grâce à une électronique de synchronisation et de traitement prenant en compte les valeurs de résistance électrique à des moments bien précis. Pour tester ce nouveau système, nous avons dans un premier temps comparé les courbes de résistance et de déflexion que nous obtenons par ce mode avec celles considérées classiquement dans le mode approche-retrait. Nous avons ensuite étudié l’influence des principaux paramètres (fréquence et amplitude d’oscillation, force d’appui, type de pointe, etc.) sur les mesures topographiques et électriques, en utilisant le HOPG comme matériau de référence. Ces essais ont notamment permis de mettre en évidence un retard quasi systématique du signal électrique par rapport au signal de déflexion (autre que le temps de mesure propre au Résiscope), dont nous n’avons pu élucider l’origine. Une fois ces connaissances acquises, nous avons étudié deux types d’échantillons organiques, l’un à caractère académique – des monocouches auto-assemblées d’alcanethiols (SAMs), l’autre à finalité plus applicative – des couches minces formées d’un réseau interpénétré de deux constituants (P3HT:PCBM) destinées aux cellules photovoltaïques. Dans les deux cas nous avons montré la pertinence de l’outil Résiscope en mode intermittent pour obtenir des informations qualitatives et quantitatives. Parallèlement à ces travaux sur matériaux fragiles, nous avons mené une étude annexe sur un phénomène de croissance de matière à caractère isolant constaté dans des conditions particulières sur différents matériaux durs, qui a été interprété comme la formation de polymère de friction sous l’effet des nano-glissements répétés associés à la déflexion du levier.Ces travaux ont été réalisés dans le cadre d’une convention CIFRE avec la société Concept Scientifique Instruments, adossée au projet ANR « MELAMIN » (P2N 2011). / The atomic force microscope (AFM) allows to characterize with excellent spatial resolution samples of different types of surfaces and can be implemented in various environments. This versatility has encouraged the development of a large number of derivative technics, intended to investigate various local physical properties. The LGEP thus achieved a module, the Résiscope, capable of measuring the local electrical resistance on the surface of a sample polarized continuously, on a range of 11 decades. Developed in contact mode, where the tip continuously exerts a force on the sample, this technic works well on hard materials, but finds its limits on soft or fragile samples since under certain conditions, the tip can alter the surface. For such samples, an intermittent contact mode, in which the tip comes at regular intervals touch very briefly the surface, is more appropriate, but complicates the achievement of electrical measurements. The aim of this thesis was to overcome this difficulty by changing the Résiscope to be able to join the "Pulsed Force Mode", intermittent mode where the tip oscillates at a frequency of 100Hz to 2000Hz. Different hardware and software changes have been made to permit the detailed temporal monitoring of the electrical resistance signal to each make / break contact (necessary to review the phenomena related to intermittency), as well as to be able to work in acceptable scan speeds. For imaging, the best contrasts were obtained through an electronic timing and treatment taking into account the electrical resistance values at specific times.To test this new system, we have initially compared resistance and deflection curves we get by this mode with those considered classically in the force-distance curves mode. We then investigated the influence of main parameters (frequency and amplitude of oscillation, setpoint, coating of the tips, etc.) on the topographical and electrical measurements, using the HOPG as reference material. These tests resulted to highlight a nearly systematic delay of the electrical signal relative to the deflection signal (other than the Resiscope measure time), which we were not able to elucidate the origin. Once these knowledge acquired, we studied two types of organic samples, one in academic nature - Self-Assembled Monolayers of alkanethiols (SAMs), the other more applicative purpose – formed of thin layers of an interpenetrating network of two components (P3HT:PCBM) for photovoltaic cells. In both cases we have shown the relevance of the Resiscope tool in intermittent mode to obtain qualitative and quantitative information. In addition to these work on fragile materials, we conducted an annex study on a phenomenon of growth material of insulating nature found in special conditions on various hard materials, which has been interpreted as the friction polymer formation as a result of repeatedly nano-sliding associated with the deflection of the cantilever. These investigations were conducted under a CIFRE agreement with the Concept Scientific Instruments company, backed by the ANR MELAMIN» (P2N 2011) project.

(Cf. corpus p. 25-26) Ce travail de thèse s'est articulé autour de deux problématiques : les réponses cardiovasculaires consécutives à l/ différents protocoles d'exercice et 2/ différents protocoles de récupération. Concernant la première, 3 protocoles de recherches ont été menés. L'un avait pour objectif de déterminer les effets aigus d'exercices de même durée proposant une quantité de travail totale équivalente distribuée de façon constante (CC) ou intermittente (IT), sur la rigidité artérielle multi-segmentaire et ses déterminants. Les deux autres se proposaient d'explorer les dysfonctions cardiaques induites par des exercices de durées plus longues (2 à 4 heures) et leurs mécanismes sous-jacents. La seconde problématique de ce travail de doctorat a conduit à la réalisation de 5 protocoles de recherche. L'immersion contrastée (alternance d'immersions d'une à deux minutes jusqu'à l'aine à ~ 12°C et à ~ 36°C), l'immersion en eau froide (~ 12°C) et la compression élastique ont été tout particulièrement étudiées. Les points suivants ont été abordés : la comparaison des effets de la compression élastique et de l'immersion contrastée sur la performance subséquente ; la connaissance des facteurs concourant aux bénéfices de ces dernières entre des efforts intenses et brefs (c.-à-d. étude du débit sanguin musculaire, de la saturation tissulaire en oxygène, de la clairance des métabolites, etc.) ; l'étude des effets de la pression hydrostatique seule (immersion à neutralité thermique ), et ceux de celle-ci associée au froid (immersion en eau froide ) ou à l'alternance de température (immersion contrastée) sur le débit sanguin musculaire; et enfin l'étude des effets sur certains paramètres de la récupération du port d'une compression élastique au cours et au décours d'un trail. Dans ce contexte, les résultats de nos études mettent en évidence qu'un exercice de type IT diminue davantage la rigidité artérielle multi-segmentaire qu'un exercice de type CC. Cette diminution plus prononcée est associée à un relargage plus important de substances vasodilatatrices (NO,ANP, lactates, etc.). Nous avons également montré qu'un exercice prolongé de durée modérée engendre des dysfonctions cardiaques transitoires. Plus particulièrement, certains indices de contractilité évalués par une technique échocardiographique de dernière génération (c.-à-d. le « Speckle Tracking Echocardiography ») nous ont permis de mettre en évidence que la baisse de la fonction systolique du ventricule gauche (VG) était associée à une atteinte contractile du myocarde dans des conditions standardisées de fréquence et de charge cardiaques. Nos résultats soulignent également le rôle clé de la torsion ventriculaire dans la diminution du remplissage du VG et par conséquent de la fonction diastolique à l'arrêt de l'effort. Les études expérimentales s'intéressant aux techniques de récupération post-exercice indiquent que l'immersion contrastée et la compression élastique par rapport à une récupération passive, lorsqu'elles sont appliquées immédiatement après un premier exercice fatiguant, améliorent la performance subséquente (exercice de pédalage de 5 min) lorsque celle-ci est répétée dans un laps de temps court (15 min). De plus, l'immersion contrastée est plus efficace que la compression élastique pour améliorer la performance subséquente. Ces techniques de récupération accélèrent la clairance du lactate, cette dernière étant accélérée davantage après l'immersion contractée. La compression élastique augmente le débit sanguin musculaire mais également la saturation tissulaire en oxygène, que ce soit avant et après l'effort. Par rapport à une récupération passive, l'immersion contrastée augmente également le débit sanguin musculaire après l'effort, et davantage que la compression élastique. (...) / (Cf. corpus p. 27-28) This thesis work focuses on the cardiovascular responses consecutive to l/ various exercice modalities and 2/ various post-exercise recovery interventions. With regard to the exercise modalities, 3 experimental protocols were led. The first one aimed to compare the acute effects of constant and interval exercises on regional arterial stiffness and these determinants. Two others studies focused on the cardiac dysfunctions induced by exercises of longer durations (2-3h) and the underlying mechanisms. The second problematic of this thesis work led to 5 studies. The following questions were approached: the comparison of the effects of contrast water therapy and compression stockings on the subsequent performance; the knowledge of the factors at the origin of the benefits of these recovery interventions between repeated brief and exhaustive bouts of physical exercise (i.e. muscle blood flow, muscle oxygenation, removal of metabolic waste, etc.) ; the changes in leg muscle blood flow, caused by hydrostatic pressure alone [thermoneutral water immersion), and in addition to cooling (cold water immersion) or alternating of temperature (contrast water therapy); and finally the effects of elastic compression worn during and after a trail running race on the participants' recovery. Our results show that interval exercise decreases more regional arterial stiffness [central and peripheral) than constant exercise. This more pronounced decrease is associated with a higher concentration of vasodilator factors (NO, ANP, lactates, etc.). We also show that a prolonged exercise (2-3h) induce transient cardiac dysfunctions. Specifically, parameters of systolic function evaluated using 2D-speckle tracking echocardiography not only at rest, but also during incremental tests to adjust heart rate demonstrate that the 3h-period of prolonged and strenuous exercise induces left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Our results also demonstrate that depressed diastolic function is associated with delayed untwisting velocity. The studies focusing on post-exercise recovery interventions indicate that compared with passive recovery, contrast water therapy and compression stockings improve the subsequent 5-min maximal performance in cycling when this one is repeated during a brief elapsed time (i.e. 15 min). Moreover, contrast water therapy is more efficient than compression stockings to improve the subsequent performance. Theses recovery interventions accelerate the removal of lactates, and contrast water therapy more than compression stockings. The elastic compression increases muscle blood flow but also tissue oxygen saturation, before and after a physical exercise. Contrast water therapy also increases muscle blood flow after an exercise compared with a passive recovery, and more than elastic compression. (...)