In dieser interdisziplinär geprägten Arbeit wird zunächst eine Übersicht über kugelbasierte Modelle und die algorithmischen Ansätze zur Generierung zufälliger Kugelpackungen gegeben. Ein Algorithmus aus der Gruppe der Kollektiven-Umordnungs-Algorithmen -- der Force-Biased-Algorithmus -- wird ausführlich erläutert und untersucht. Dabei werden die für den Force-Biased-Algorithmus als essenziell geltenden Verschiebungsfunktionen bezüglich ihres Einflusses auf den erreichbaren Volumenanteil der Packungen untersucht. Nicht nur aus der Literatur bekannte, sondern auch neu entwickelte Verschiebungsfunktionen werden hierbei betrachtet. Daran anschließend werden Empfehlungen zur Auswahl geeigneter Verschiebungsfunktionen gegeben. Einige mit dem Force-Biased-Algorithmus generierte Kugelpackungen, zum Beispiel hochdichte monodisperse Packungen, lassen den Schluss zu, dass insbesondere strukturelle Umbildungsvorgänge an solchen Packungen sehr gut zu untersuchen sind. Aus diesem Grund besitzt das Modell der mit dem Force-Biased-Algorithmus dicht gepackten harten Kugeln große Bedeutung in der Materialwissenschaft, insbesondere in der Strukturforschung. In einem weiteren Kapitel werden wichtige Kenngrößen kugelbasierter Modelle erläutert, wie z. B. spezifische Oberfläche, Volumenanteil und die Kontaktverteilungsfunktionen. Für einige besonders anwendungsrelevante Kenngrößen (z. B. die spezifische Oberfläche) werden Näherungsformeln entwickelt, an Modellsystemen untersucht und mit bekannten Näherungen aus der Literatur verglichen. Zur Generierung und Analyse der Kugelpackungen wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit die Simulationssoftware „SpherePack“ entwickelt, deren Aufbau unter dem Aspekt des Softwareengineerings betrachtet wird. Die Anforderungen an dieses Simulationssystem sowie dessen Architektur werden hier beschrieben, einschließlich der Erläuterung einzelner Berechnungsmodule. An ausgewählten praxisnahen Beispielen aus der Materialwissenschaft kann die Vielfalt der Einsatzmöglichkeiten eines Simulationssystems zur Generierung und Analyse von zufälligen dicht gepackten Kugelsystemen gezeigt werden. Vor allem die hohe Aussagekraft der Untersuchungen in Bezug auf Materialeigenschaften unterstreicht die Bedeutung des Modells zufällig dicht gepackter harter Kugeln in der Materialforschung und verwandten Forschungsgebieten.

Cette recherche s'intéresse aux matériaux de construction et aux architectes. Elle explore les circuits le long desquels circulent les matériaux et étudie les dispositifs dont ils sont munis pour rendre cette circulation possible. Elle se penche sur les rôles que jouent et sur ceux que pourraient jouer les concepteurs au sein de ces circuits et en regard de ces dispositifs.<p>Ce travail s'inscrit dans le cadre d'une réflexion sur les pratiques de l'aménagement de l'espace bâti. Au cours de son trajet entre son site de production et celui de sa mise en œuvre (c'est-à-dire le chantier de construction) – et même au-delà, lorsqu'une transformation libère des éléments constructifs – un matériau passe par de nombreuses étapes. Parmi toutes celles-ci, le passage par le moment de la conception est un élément central de cette recherche (même si d'autres étapes seront également explorées au fil de pages de ce travail). Quels rôles les concepteurs jouent-ils au sein de ces vastes assemblages d'acteurs et de dispositifs qui se déploient le long des trajectoires des matériaux de construction ? Comment les concepteurs sont-ils affectés par ces assemblages et comment peuvent-ils les affecter en retour ?<p>Répondre à ces questions engage une exploration des principales trajectoires des matériaux de construction et un examen attentif des dispositifs dont ils sont munis au fil de ce processus. C'est ce à quoi s'attache la première partie de cette recherche, dont la portée est plutôt descriptive. Mais elle ne s'arrête pas à ce stade. Elle comporte également une seconde partie, plus prospective et critique. Cette recherche propose en effet d'explorer certaines pistes de reconfiguration au sein de ces assemblages. Elle examine plusieurs questions touchant aux limites des circuits de l'économie matérielle : par quelles modifications faudrait-il en passer pour que des matériaux actuellement exclus des circuits les plus courants de l'économie matérielle puissent malgré tout y circuler ? D'autres arrière-plans axiologiques pourraient-ils être mis en jeu dans les circuits de l'économie matérielle ?<p>La présente recherche repose sur l'hypothèse que les concepteurs peuvent effectivement contribuer à la transformation progressive des circuits de l'économie matérielle. Ils ont vraisemblablement un rôle à jouer dans la possibilité d'ouvrir ces circuits à de nouveaux matériaux, et de contribuer ainsi à établir des pratiques plus à même de répondre aux enjeux écologiques et politiques auxquels sont confrontés notre planète et ses habitants. Bien sûr, les concepteurs n'ont pas l'exclusivité de tels changements. D'autres acteurs peuvent, et même doivent, participer à de tels efforts. Ce sont pourtant principalement les concepteurs qui retiendront l'attention de cette recherche. Il s'agit dans ce cadre d'explorer les conditions d'un tel changement, et ce tant d'un point de vue méthodologique que d'un point de vue pratique.<p>/<p>This research investigates the relation between construction materials and architects. It examines the circuits along which the materials circulates and it studies the devices that are embedded in the materials in order to render this circulation feasible. It looks into the roles that are played, and those that could be played, by the designers within these circuits and in regard with these devices.<p>This work is part of a reflection on the practices of designing and constructing the built environment. During its journey between its production site and that of its implementation (i.e. the construction site) – and even beyond, when a transformation frees again constructive elements – a construction material travels through many steps. Among all these, the passage through the design process is a key element. What role do the designers perform within these networks of actors and devices? How are they affected by these assemblages and how can they affect them in return?<p>Answering these questions undertakes an exploration of the main trajectories of construction materials and of the devices that are embedded throughout these processes. This is the topic of the first part of the research. At this point, the scope is mainly descriptive. But the research goes further: it also involves a more critical and prospective dimension. It proposes indeed to discuss several possible reconfigurations within these assemblages. What would be necessary in order to include new materials that are currently excluded from the main circuits of material economy? Could other axiological backgrounds be represented within these circuits?<p>This research is based on the assumption that designers can effectively contribute to the gradual transformation of the circuits of material economy. They can probably help alternative materials to circulate in more standard circuits, and thus help to establish new practices that are more likely to respond to environmental and social issues. Of course, the designers do not have a monopoly on such changes. Other actors may, and even must, participate in such efforts. Yet, the main focus of this research is the designer. It explores the conditions of such a change, both from a methodological and practical perspective. / Doctorat en Art de bâtir et urbanisme / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most common nanoparticles (NP) found in workplace air. Therefore, there is a strong chance that these NP will enter the human body. They have similar physical properties to asbestos, a known toxic material, yet there is limited evidence showing that CNTs may be hazardous to human barrier epithelia. In previous studies done in our laboratory, the effects of CNTs on the barrier function in the human airway epithelial cell line (Calu-3) were measured. Measurements were done using electrophysiology, a technique which measures both transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), a measure of monolayer integrity, and short circuit current (SCC) which is a measure of vectorial ion transport across the cell monolayer. The research findings showed that select physiologically relevant concentrations of long single-wall (SW) and multi-wall (MW) CNTs significantly decreased the stimulated SCC of the Calu-3 cells compared to untreated cultures. Calu-3 cells showed decreases in TEER when incubated for 48 hours (h) with concentrations of MWCNT ranging from 4µg/cm2 to 0.4ng/cm2 and SWCNT ranging from 4µg/cm2 to 0.04ng/cm2. The impaired cellular function, despite sustained cell viability, led us to investigate the mechanism by which the CNTs were affecting the cell membrane. We investigated the interaction of short MWCNTs with model lipid membranes using an ion channel amplifier, Planar Bilayer Workstation. Membranes were synthesized using neutral diphytanoylphosphatidylcholine (DPhPC) and negatively charged diphytanoylphosphatidylserine (DPhPS) lipids. Gramicidin A (GA), an ion channel reporter protein, was used to measure changes in ion channel conductance due to CNT exposures. Synthetic membranes exposed to CNTs allowed bursts of currents to cross the membrane when they were added to the membrane buffer system. When added to the membrane in the presence of GA, they distorted channel formation and reduced membrane stability.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In recent years, magnesium alloys, due to their high strength and biocompatibility, have attracted significant interest in medical applications, such as cardiovascular stents, orthopedic implants, and devices. To overcome the high corrosion rate of magnesium alloys, coatings have been developed on the alloy surface. Most coating methods, such as anodic oxidation, polymer coating and chemical conversion coating, cannot produce satisfactory coating to be used in human body environment. Recent studies demonstrate that micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique can produce hard, dense, wear-resistant and well-adherent oxide coatings for light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. Though there are many previous studies, the understanding of processing conditions on coating performance remains elusive. Moreover, previous tests were done in simulated body fluid. No test has been done in a cell culture medium, which is much closer to human body environment than simulated body fluid. In this study, the effect of MAO processing time (1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes) on the electrochemical behaviors of the coating in both conventional simulated body fluid and a cell culture medium has been investigated. Additionally a new electrolyte (12 g/L Na2SiO3, 4 g/L NaF and 4 ml/L C3H8O3) has been used in the MAO coating process. Electrochemical behaviors were measured by performing potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. In addition to the tests in simulated body fluid, the MAO-coated and uncoated samples were immersed in a cell culture medium to investigate the corrosion behaviors and compare the difference in these two kinds of media. The results show that in the immersion tests in conventional simulated body fluid, the 20-minute MAO coated sample has the best resistance to corrosion due to the largest coating thickness. In contrast, in the cell culture medium, all MAO coated samples demonstrate a similar high corrosion resistance behavior, independent of MAO processing time. This is probably due to the organic passive layers formed on the coating surfaces. Additionally, a preliminary finite element model has been developed to simulate the immersion test of magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid. Comparison between the predicted corrosion current density and experimental data is discussed.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) cements have been used for bone repair due to its excellent biocompatibility and resorbability. However, DCPD cements are typically weak and brittle. To overcome these limitations, the sodium citrate used as a setting regulator and the coating of poly-L-lactide acid (PLLA) technique have been proposed in this study. The first purpose of this thesis is to develop composite PLLA/DCPD scaffolds with enhanced toughness by PLLA coating. The second purpose is to examine the biocompatibility of the scaffolds. The final purpose is to investigate the degradation behaviors of DCPD and PLLA/DCPD scaffolds. In this experiment, DCPD cements were synthesized from monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (MCPM) and 𝛽-tricalcium phosphate (𝛽 –TCP) by using deionized water and sodium citrate as liquid components. The samples were prepared with powder to liquid ratio (P/L) at 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50. To fabricate the PLLA/DCPD composite samples, DCPD samples were coated with 5 % PLLA. The samples were characterized mechanical properties, such as porosity, diametral tensile strength, and fracture energy. The mechanical properties of DCPD scaffolds with and without PLLA coating after the in vitro static degradation (day 1, week1, 4, and 6) and in vitro dynamic degradation (day 1, week 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8) were investigated by measuring their weight loss, fracture energy, and pH of phosphate buffer solution. In addition, the dog bone marrow stromal stem cells (dBMSCs) adhesion on DCPD and PLLA/DCPD composite samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The cell proliferation and differentiation in the medium conditioned with DCPD and PLLA/DCPD composite samples were studied by XTT (2,3-Bis(2-methoxy-4- nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide inner salt), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay, respectively. The addition of sodium citrate and PLLA coating played a crucial role in improving the mechanical properties of the samples by increasing the diametral tensile strength from 0.50 ± 0.15 MPa to 2.70 ± 0.54 MPa and increasing the fracture energy from 0.76 ± 0.18 N-mm to 12.67 ± 4.97 N-mm. The DCPD and PLLA/DCPD composite samples were compatible with dBMSCs and the cells were able to proliferate and differentiate in the conditioned medium. The degradation rate of DCPD and PLLA/DCPD samples were not significant different (p > 0.05). However, the DCPD and PLLA/DCPD composite samples those used sodium citrate as a liquid component was found to degrade faster than the groups that use deionized water as liquid component

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Carbon nanomaterials are widely produced and used in industry, medicine and scientific research. To examine the impact of exposure to nanoparticles on human health, the human airway epithelial cell line, Calu-3, was used to evaluate changes in the cellular proteome that could account for alterations in cellular function of airway epithelia after 24 h exposure to 10 μg/mL and 100 ng/mL of two common carbon nanoparticles, singleand multi-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT, MWCNT). After exposure to the nanoparticles, label-free quantitative mass spectrometry (LFQMS) was used to study differential protein expression. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was used to conduct a bioinformatics analysis of proteins identified by LFQMS. Interestingly, after exposure to a high concentration (10 μg/mL; 0.4 μg/cm2) of MWCNT or SWCNT, only 8 and 13 proteins, respectively, exhibited changes in abundance. In contrast, the abundance of hundreds of proteins was altered in response to a low concentration (100 ng/mL; 4 ng/cm2) of either CNT. Of the 281 and 282 proteins that were significantly altered in response to MWCNT or SWCNT, respectively, 231 proteins were the same. Bioinformatic analyses found that the proteins common to both kinds of nanotubes are associated with the cellular functions of cell death and survival, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, cellular assembly and organization, cellular growth and proliferation, infectious disease, molecular transport and protein synthesis. The decrease in expression of the majority proteins suggests a general stress response to protect cells. The STRING database was used to analyze the various functional protein networks. Interestingly, some proteins like cadherin 1 (CDH1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), junction plakoglobin (JUP), and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (PYCARD), appear in several functional categories and tend to be in the center of the networks. This central positioning suggests they may play important roles in multiple cellular functions and activities that are altered in response to carbon nanotube exposure. To examine the effect of nanotubes on the plasma membrane, we investigated the interaction of short purified MWCNT with model lipid membranes using a planar bilayer workstation. Bilayer lipid membranes were synthesized using neutral 1, 2-diphytanoylsn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) in 1 M KCl. The ion channel model protein, Gramicidin A (gA), was incorporated into the bilayers and used to measure the effect of MWCNT on ion transport. The opening and closing of ion channels, amplitude of current, and open probability and lifetime of ion channels were measured and analyzed by Clampfit. The presence of an intermediate concentration of MWCNT (2 μg/ml) could be related to a statistically significant decrease of the open probability and lifetime of gA channels. The proteomic studies revealed changes in response to CNT exposure. An analysis of the changes using multiple databases revealed alterations in pathways, which were consistent with the physiological changes that were observed in cultured cells exposed to very low concentrations of CNT. The physiological changes included the break down of the barrier function and the inhibition of the mucocillary clearance, both of which could increase the risk of CNT’s toxicity to human health. The biophysical studies indicate MWCNTs have an effect on single channel kinetics of Gramicidin A model cation channel. These changes are consistent with the inhibitory effect of nanoparticles on hormone stimulated transepithelial ion flux, but additional experiments will be necessary to substantiate this correlation.

Fires following earthquake (FFE) have historically produced enormous post-earthquake damage and losses in terms of lives, buildings and economic costs, like the San Francisco earthquake (1906), the Kobe earthquake (1995), the Turkey earthquake (2011), the Tohoku earthquake (2011) and the Christchurch earthquakes (2011). The structural fire performance can worsen significantly because the fire acts on a structure damaged by the seismic event. On these premises, the purpose of this work is the investigation of the experimental and numerical response of structural and non-structural components of steel structures subjected to fire following earthquake (FFE) to increase the knowledge and provide a robust framework for hybrid fire testing and hybrid fire following earthquake testing. A partitioned algorithm to test a real case study with substructuring techniques was developed. The framework is developed in MATLAB and it is also based on the implementation of nonlinear finite elements to model the effects of earthquake forces and post-earthquake effects such as fire and thermal loads on structures. These elements should be able to capture geometrical and mechanical non-linearities to deal with large displacements. Two numerical validation procedures of the partitioned algorithm simulating two virtual hybrid fire testing and one virtual hybrid seismic testing were carried out. Two sets of experimental tests in two different laboratories were performed to provide valuable data for the calibration and comparison of numerical finite element case studies reproducing the conditions used in the tests. Another goal of this thesis is to develop a fire following earthquake numerical framework based on a modified version of the OpenSees software and several scripts developed in MATLAB to perform probabilistic analyses of structures subjected to FFE. A new material class, namely SteelFFEThermal, was implemented to simulate the steel behaviour subjected to FFE events.