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Despite its appearance in physics around the 1850th, the second law of thermodynamics is still attracting more efforts to be clarified. More specifically, fifteen years later (1865) after its definition and introduction, entropy has been the subject of various interpretations. Hence, in physical sciences and notably in different education levels, its concept seems to be relatively tough to unambiguous decipher. In this work, we re-introduce the notion of entropy from classical, quantum and information theories viewpoints. The controversial over entropy and a measure of disorder misconception, stated by many scientists, is addressed as well to come up with less confusing physical interpretation of entropy. Hence, over time, an increase of entropy, a quantitative quantity, is most often associated to a rising of disorder, a non-quantitative quantity and no value-returning mathematical equation, rather than a continuously increasing of hidden data. In other words, linking disorder to hidden data is typically raising more confusion than clarification. Here, we shed more light on both concepts to find out an acceptable interpretation of entropy.

Listeriosis is an invasive illness typically caused by the ingestion of foods contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. In 2015, an outbreak of listeriosis was linked to ice cream products produced on a specific production line at Facility X. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) obtained samples representing several lots of three products manufactured on that line from May 2014 through January 2015. Two of these products, A and B, while not linked to any reported illnesses, were analyzed to determine the frequency of contamination and the contamination level for risk assessment and dose-response analyses. These enumerations were performed utilizing a Most Probable Number (MPN) method, with a lower detection limit of 0.03 MPN/g, on 344 samples of Product A and 95 samples of Product B. Ten lots of Product A were analyzed and 77% of the samples tested were found to be positive for L. monocytogenes. Five lots of Product B were analyzed and 46% of the tested samples were found to be positive. Additionally, the level of contamination of positive Product B samples was always less than 1 MPN/g. The contamination levels of both products, overall, were low with median values of 0.1 MPN/g and 0.02 MPN/g for Products A and B, respectively. A majority of Product A samples (52%) were contaminated at levels of less than 1 MPN/g and only one sample was above 100 MPN/g. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of L. monocytogenes isolated from ice cream samples produced in the line suggested minor strain differences related to product type, possibly due to differences in the food matrices and/or differences in the manufacturing equipment. Overall, the data showed a consistent low level of contamination in products produced from a single production line over a nine month period.

Integration of thermal energy storage (TES) systems in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants plays an important role, followingly, the mismatch between energy production and demand can be adjusted. Generally, latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) can ensure important amounts of energy compared to sensible heat thermal energy storage systems (SHTES), which has oriented researchers, engineers, and decision makers toward using this technology because of its high energy density. Otherwise, using phase change materials (PCMs) in LHTES systems can considerably reduce their performance as PCMs have relatively low thermal conductivity values, which makes it very necessary to take measures for enhancing the thermal conductivity or heat transfer inside of these LHTES units. This study simulated, modeled and optimized a proposed system for heat transfer enhancement, which is a shell-and-tube storage units with annular fins, by using the finite element method during the charging and discharging processes. In addition, NaNO3–NaNO2 was used as PCM while the Delco Term Solar E 15 was used as heat transfer fluid (HTF). The main objective of this work is to provide the optimal geometry parameters of the studied system in terms of length, number, step, and fin thickness by comparing many fin geometries. According to the results, an increase around 65.04% in the charging (melting) time and 58.36% in the discharging (solidification) period was achieved by the integration of optimal fins. The recommended fin parameters corresponding to the highest thermal performance were; length = 14 mm, thickness = 1 mm, step = 3.45 mm, and number = 66.

Mango has been implicated as food vehicle in several Salmonella-causing foodborne outbreaks. Here, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Minnesota was isolated from fresh mango fruit imported from Mexico in 2014. The complete genome sequence of S. Minnesota CFSAN017963 was sequenced using single-molecule real-time DNA sequencing. Distinct prophage regions, Salmonella pathogenicity islands, and fimbrial gene clusters were observed in comparative genomic analysis on S. Minnesota CFSAN017963 with other phylogenetically closely related Salmonella serovars. Core genome multilocus sequencing typing analysis of all the S. Minnesota isolates in the Genbank and Enterobase also revealed a high genomic diversity among the genomes analyzed.

Nuts have been identified as a vector for salmonellosis. The objective of this project was to estimate the prevalence and contamination level of Salmonella in raw tree nuts (cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and walnuts) at retail markets in the United States. A total of 3,656 samples of six types of tree nuts were collected from different types of retail stores and markets nationwide between October 2014 and October 2015. These samples were analyzed using a modified version of the Salmonella culture method from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Of the 3,656 samples collected and tested, 32 were culturally confirmed as containing Salmonella. These isolates represented 25 serotypes. Salmonella was not detected in pecans and in-shell hazelnuts. Salmonella prevalence estimates (and 95% confidence intervals) in cashews, shelled hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, and macadamia nuts were 0.55% [0.15, 1.40], 0.35% [0.04, 1.20], 0.48% [0.10, 1.40], 1.20% [0.53, 2.40], and 4.20% [2.40, 6.90], respectively. The rates of Salmonella isolation from major or big chain supermarkets, small chain supermarkets, discount, variety, or drug stores, and online were 0.64% [0.38, 1.00], 1.60% [0.80, 2.90], 0.00% [0.00, 2.40], and 13.64% [2.90, 35.00], respectively (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test: P = 0.02). The rates of Salmonella isolation for conventional and organic nuts were not significantly different. Of the samples containing Salmonella, 60.7% had levels less than 0.003 most probable number (MPN)/g. The highest contamination level observed was 0.092 MPN/g. The prevalence and levels of Salmonella in these tree nut samples were comparable to those previously reported for similar foods.

A precise and accurate method for enumeration of low level of Listeria monocytogenes in foods is critical to a variety of studies. In this study, paired comparison of most probable number (MPN) and direct plating enumeration of L. monocytogenes was conducted on a total of 1730 outbreak-associated ice cream samples that were naturally contaminated with low level of L. monocytogenes. MPN was performed on all 1730 samples. Direct plating was performed on all samples using the RAPID'L.mono (RLM) agar (1600 samples) and agar Listeria Ottaviani and Agosti (ALOA; 130 samples). Probabilistic analysis with Bayesian inference model was used to compare paired direct plating and MPN estimates of L. monocytogenes in ice cream samples because assumptions implicit in ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression analyses were not met for such a comparison. The probabilistic analysis revealed good agreement between the MPN and direct plating estimates, and this agreement showed that the MPN schemes and direct plating schemes using ALOA or RLM evaluated in the present study were suitable for enumerating low levels of L. monocytogenes in these ice cream samples. The statistical analysis further revealed that OLS linear regression analyses of direct plating and MPN data did introduce bias that incorrectly characterized systematic differences between estimates from the two methods.

Background Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) is a medicinal plant called rosemary, largely used in the Mediterranean diet for many decades ago. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the polyphenolic content, the antioxidant activity, and the antiproliferative effect against human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP) of carnosol and carnosic acid as bioactive compounds contained in R. officinalis growing in Morocco. Materials and Methods Polyphenolic content of R. officinalis ethanolic extract was studied using colorimetric assay. Carnosol and carnosic acid contained in R. officinalis extract were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antiproliferative effect of the studied extracts on LNCaP was evaluated by WST-1 bioassay, and the antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH assay. Results The extracts of R. officinalis showed an important polyphenolic content ranging from 74.15 μg·GAE/mg to 146.63 μg·GAE/mg. The percentage of carnosol and carnosic acid in rosemary crops ranges from 11.7 to 17.3% and 1.09% to 3%, respectively. The extracts of R. officinalis exhibited a promoting antioxidant activity with IC50 ranging from 0.236 mg/mL to 0.176 mg/mL. Regarding the antiproliferative effect, the WST-1 assay revealed that all the tested extracts reduced notably the cell viability with IC50 values ranging from 14.15 to 15. 04 μg/mL. Conclusion In the current work, carnosol and carnosic acid exhibit antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in a concentration-dependent manner.

Nowadays energy storage seems to be a vital point in any new energy paradigm. It has become an important and strategic issue, to ensure the energetic sufficiency of humanity. Indeed, hydrogen storage in solids has been proved and revealed as clean and efficient energy storage. Moreover, it can be thought as a seriously considered solution to enable renewable energy to be a part of our quotidian life. To achieve storing hydrogen in solid form, the present study aimed to concepts and simulates a solid-state hydrogen storage reactor (tank). An investigation of the parameters influencing the hydrogen storage performance is carried out. Meanwhile, to understand the physical phenomenon taking place during the storage of hydrogen, a 2D numerical modelling for a metal hydrides-based in hydrogen reactor is presented. A strong coupling between energy balance, kinetic law, as well as a mass momentum balance at sorbent bed temperature under a non-uniform pressure was resolved based on finite element method. The temporal evolutions of pressure, the raising temperature in the bed during the hydriding process as well as the impact of the hydrogen supply pressure within the tank are analysed and validated by comparison with the experimental work in literature, a good agreement is obtained. From an industrial point of view, this study can be used to design and manufacture an optimal solid-state hydrogen storage reactor.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance Aristolochia baetica (A. baetica) and Aristolochia paucinervis (A. paucinervis) have been largely used in Moroccan folk medicine. The objective of the study was to investigate the phytochemical composition, the antioxidant activity, the antiproliferative effect, and the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract of A. baetica and A. paucinervis roots. Materials and Methods Phytochemical composition of the methanolic extract of A. baetica and A. paucinervis roots were studied using qualitative and quantitative methods, the antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH assay, the antiproliferative effects against human cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) was assessed using WST1 assay, and the acute toxicity was carried out orally by gavage of single dose 2000 mg/kg to mice for 14 days. Results The two studied plants have different classes of secondary metabolites. The concentrations of the total polyphenolic content of A. baetica and A. paucinervis root extracts were estimated at 360 ± 20 mg GAE/g and 280 ± 27 mg GAE/g, respectively. The total flavonoids content of A. baetica and A. paucinervis extracts were estimated at 35 ± 8 mg QE/g and 235 ± 7 mg QE/g, respectively. A. baetica and A. paucinervis extracts exhibited promising DPPH activity with IC50 values of 150 ± 8 μg/ml and 160 ± 10 μg/ml, respectively. The extracts exerted also antiproliferative effects on all tested cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) with IC50 values ranging from 6 ± 1 μg/ml to 380 ± 7 μg/ml. Regarding the results of acute toxicity study, no signs of toxicities nor mortalities were observed on the oral treated mice with 2000 mg/kg of the two investigated exacts. Conclusion The methanolic extracts of A. baetica and A. paucinervis possess several phytochemicals that exhibited promising free radical scavenging activity and antiproliferative effects.

Hofmannsthal ist seit seiner Kindheit mit der orientalischen Welt vertraut. Erst nach langjähriger Beschäftigung mit dem Orient hat Hofmannsthal eine Reise in den Orient unternommen.Hofmannsthals Reise nach Nordafrika im Jahre 1925 war sein erster und letzter direkter Kontakt mit dem Orient. Er reiste mit der Familie Zifferer nach Marokko, Algerien und Tunesien.Die Städte Fés und Saleh hatten ihn beeindruckt. Er schrieb einen Reisebericht über diese Reise. Der erste Teil seines Reiseberichts Fez berichtet über die Atmosphäre der Stadt und die Einwohner sowie Hofmannsthals Eindrücke und Wahrnehmungen. Er wurde am 12. April 1925 im Berliner Tageblatt publiziert. Im zweiten Teil des Berichts „Das Gespräch in Saleh“ handelt es sich um ein Gespräch über das Vorhandensein der Franzosen in Marokko und Reflexionen über die französische und die deutsche Sprache und Kultur. Er wurde am 31. Mai 1925 in der Wiener Freien Presse veröffentlicht.In diesem Aufsatz wird Hofmannsthals Orientbild anhand seines Reiseberichts analysiert., Hofmannsthal, Doğu dünyasına çocukluğundan bu yana aşinadır. Yazar uzun yıllar Doğu ile ilgilendikten sonra Doğu‟ya bir gezi düzenler.Hofmannsthal‟ın 1925‟te Kuzey Afrika‟ya yapmış olduğu yolculuğu, Doğu ile ilk ve son doğrudan temasını teşkil eder. Yazar bu seyahatinde, Zifferer ailesi ile birlikte Fas‟a, Cezayir‟e ve Tunus‟a gider.Fes ve Saleh şehirleri onu etkiledi. Gezip gördüğü bu yerlerle ilgili bir seyahatname yazdı. Seyahatnamesinin Fez adlı ilk bölümünde bu şehrin atmosferi ve insanlarıyla ilgili kendi izlenimlerini kaleme aldı. Bu bölüm Fez başlığı ile 12 Nisan 1925‟te Berliner Tageblatt adlı gazetede yayınlandı „Das Gespräch in Saleh” olarak 31 Mayıs 1925‟te Wiener Freie Presse‟de yayınlanan ikinci bölümde ise Fransızcanın Fas‟taki varlığı ve Fransız ile Alman dili ve kültürünün yansımaları üzerine bir konuşma yer almaktadır.Bu makalede, Hofmannsthal‟ın ‚Doğu„ imgesi, yazılarına dayanılarak analiz edilecektir.

Building retrofitting plays a key-role in energy saving and a growing interest is focused on insulating materials that allow a reduction in heat loss from envelopes with low thickness, by a process of reducing heating and cooling demand. In this context, a complete characterization of the physical properties of Moroccan natural gypsum materials was carried out. Basic information on the mineralogical, microstructure, thermal, mechanical, and acoustic characteristics of the rocks sampled from two Moroccan regions is provided. It was found that mineralogy, porosity, and water content are the main factors governing the development of the structure and the strength of the samples. The measured values of the porosity were 8.94%, the water content varied between 2.5&ndash, 3.0% for the two studied typologies, coming from Agadir and Safi, respectively. Gypsum powder was used for fabricating samples, which were investigated in terms of thermal and acoustic performance. Thermal properties were measured by means of a hot disk apparatus and values of conductivity of 0.18 W/mK and 0.13 W/mK were obtained for Agadir and Safi Gypsum, respectively. The acoustic performance was evaluated in terms of absorption coefficient and sound insulation, measured by means of a Kundt&rsquo, s Tube (ISO 10534-2). The absorption coefficients were slightly higher than the ones of conventional plasters with similar thickness. A good sound insulation performance was confirmed, especially for Safi Gypsum, with a transmission loss-value up to about 50 dB at high frequency.

Background. Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) is a medicinal plant called rosemary, largely used in the Mediterranean diet for many decades ago. Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate the polyphenolic content, the antioxidant activity, and the antiproliferative effect against human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP) of carnosol and carnosic acid as bioactive compounds contained in R. officinalis growing in Morocco. Materials and Methods. Polyphenolic content of R. officinalis ethanolic extract was studied using colorimetric assay. Carnosol and carnosic acid contained in R. officinalis extract were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antiproliferative effect of the studied extracts on LNCaP was evaluated by WST-1 bioassay, and the antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH assay. Results. The extracts of R. officinalis showed an important polyphenolic content ranging from 74.15 μg·GAE/mg to 146.63 μg·GAE/mg. The percentage of carnosol and carnosic acid in rosemary crops ranges from 11.7 to 17.3% and 1.09% to 3%, respectively. The extracts of R. officinalis exhibited a promoting antioxidant activity with IC50 ranging from 0.236 mg/mL to 0.176 mg/mL. Regarding the antiproliferative effect, the WST-1 assay revealed that all the tested extracts reduced notably the cell viability with IC50 values ranging from 14.15 to 15. 04 μg/mL. Conclusion. In the current work, carnosol and carnosic acid exhibit antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in a concentration-dependent manner.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance. Aristolochia baetica (A. baetica) and Aristolochia paucinervis (A. paucinervis) have been largely used in Moroccan folk medicine. The objective of the study was to investigate the phytochemical composition, the antioxidant activity, the antiproliferative effect, and the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract of A. baetica and A. paucinervis roots. Materials and Methods. Phytochemical composition of the methanolic extract of A. baetica and A. paucinervis roots were studied using qualitative and quantitative methods, the antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH assay, the antiproliferative effects against human cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) was assessed using WST1 assay, and the acute toxicity was carried out orally by gavage of single dose 2000 mg/kg to mice for 14 days. Results. The two studied plants have different classes of secondary metabolites. The concentrations of the total polyphenolic content of A. baetica and A. paucinervis root extracts were estimated at 360 ± 20 mg GAE/g and 280 ± 27 mg GAE/g, respectively. The total flavonoids content of A. baetica and A. paucinervis extracts were estimated at 35 ± 8 mg QE/g and 235 ± 7 mg QE/g, respectively. A. baetica and A. paucinervis extracts exhibited promising DPPH activity with IC50 values of 150 ± 8 μg/ml and 160 ± 10 μg/ml, respectively. The extracts exerted also antiproliferative effects on all tested cancer cell lines (T-24, HT-29, and Hep G-2) with IC50 values ranging from 6 ± 1 μg/ml to 380 ± 7 μg/ml. Regarding the results of acute toxicity study, no signs of toxicities nor mortalities were observed on the oral treated mice with 2000 mg/kg of the two investigated exacts. Conclusion. The methanolic extracts of A. baetica and A. paucinervis possess several phytochemicals that exhibited promising free radical scavenging activity and antiproliferative effects.

Hydroxyapatite/zirconia powders were produced by soft chemistry and characterized by several techniques. The effects of the sintering temperature on the densification, microstructure and mechanical properties of the bioceramics were studied. The HAP-10%ZrO2 bioceramic was chosen for its specific advantages. Microstructural and textural characterization reveal disappearance of the microporosity in certain areas of the sample to form dense blocks whose size increases progressively as a function of the sintering temperature. Mechanical properties were assessed by the Brazilian and Vickers tests. Young and shear moduli were calculated from the longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic velocities, respectively. Above 1300°C, the mechanical strength, Vickers hardness, Young and shear moduli reach maximum values of 30 MPa, 2336 MPa, 81 GPa and 34 GPa, respectively. Rupture of the studied bioceramic is totally intergranular around 1300°C. We find that microstructure, porosity and the sintering process govern the development of the HAP-10%ZrO2bioceramic.

In 2014, the identification of stone fruits contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes led to the subsequent identification of a multistate outbreak. Simultaneous detection and enumeration of L. monocytogenes were performed on 105 fruits, each weighing 127 to 145 g, collected from 7 contaminated lots. The results showed that 53.3% of the fruits yielded L. monocytogenes (lower limit of detection, 5 CFU/fruit), and the levels ranged from 5 to 2,850 CFU/fruit, with a geometric mean of 11.3 CFU/fruit (0.1 CFU/g of fruit). Two serotypes, IVb-v1 and 1/2b, were identified by a combination of PCR- and antiserum-based serotyping among isolates from fruits and their packing environment; certain fruits contained a mixture of both serotypes. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis clustered isolates from two case-patients with the serotype IVb-v1 isolates and distinguished outbreak-associated isolates from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)-matched, but epidemiologically unrelated, clinical isolates. The outbreak-associated isolates differed by up to 42 SNPs. All but one serotype 1/2b isolate formed another WGS cluster and differed by up to 17 SNPs. Fully closed genomes of isolates from the stone fruits were used as references to maximize the resolution and to increase our confidence in prophage analysis. Putative prophages were conserved among isolates of each WGS cluster. All serotype IVb-v1 isolates belonged to singleton sequence type 382 (ST382); all but one serotype 1/2b isolate belonged to clonal complex 5. IMPORTANCE WGS proved to be an excellent tool to assist in the epidemiologic investigation of listeriosis outbreaks. The comparison at the genome level contributed to our understanding of the genetic diversity and variations among isolates involved in an outbreak or isolates associated with food and environmental samples from one facility. Fully closed genomes increased our confidence in the identification and comparison of accessory genomes. The diversity among the outbreak-associated isolates and the inclusion of PFGE-matched, but epidemiologically unrelated, isolates demonstrate the high resolution of WGS. The prevalence and enumeration data could contribute to our further understanding of the risk associated with Listeria monocytogenes contamination, especially among high-risk populations.

We consider a linear non-autonomous evolutionary Cauchy problem \begin{equation} \dot{u} (t)+A(t)u(t)=f(t) \hbox{ for }\ \hbox{a.e. t}\in [0,T],\quad u(0)=u_0, \end{equation} where the operator $A(t)$ arises from a time depending sesquilinear form $a(t,.,.)$ on a Hilbert space $H$ with constant domain $V.$ Recently a result on $L^2$-maximal regularity in $H,$ i.e., for each given $f\in L^2(0,T,H)$ and $u_0 \in V$ the problem above has a unique solution $u\in L^2(0,T,V)\cap H^1(0,T,H),$ is proved in [10] under the assumption that $a$ is symmetric and of bounded variation. The aim of this paper is to prove that the solutions of an approximate non-autonomous Cauchy problem in which $a$ is symmetric and piecewise affine are closed to the solutions of that governed by symmetric and of bounded variation form. In particular, this provide an alternative proof of the result in [10] on $L^2$-maximal regularity in $H.$, 12 pages

It is reported in this paper on the thermally assisted flux flow in epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-δ deposited by Laser ablation method on the SrTiO3 substrate. The resistivity measurements ρ (T, B) of the sample under various values of the magnetic field up to 14T in directions B∥ab-plane and B∥c-axis with a dc weak transport current density were investigated in order to determine the activation energy and then understand the vortex dynamic phenomena and therefore deduce the vortex phase diagram of this material. The apparent activation energy U0 (B) calculated using an Arrhenius relation. The measured results of the resistivity were then adjusted to the modified thermally assisted flux flow model in order to account for the temperature-field dependence of the activation energy U (T, B). The obtained values from the thermally assisted activation energy, exhibit a behavior similar to the one showed with the Arrhenius model, albeit larger than the apparent activation energy with ∼1.5 order on magnitude for both cases of the magnetic field directions. The vortex glass model was also used to obtain the vortex-glass transition temperature from the linear fitting of [d ln ρ/dT ] −1 plots. In the course of this work thanks to the resistivity measurements the upper critical magnetic field Hc2 (T), the irreversibility line Hirr (T) and the crossover field HCrossOver (T) were located. These three parameters allowed us to establish a phase diagram of the studied material where limits of each vortex phase are sketched in order to optimize its applicability as a practical high temperature superconductor used for diverse purposes.

Ceramics arising from Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)1‑x TixO3 with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were prepared by the modified solid-state reaction method. The synthesized ceramics were characterized, and then the operating principles of pyroelectric and piezoelectric harvesters are reviewed. In addition, the dielectric behavior is measured to determine the dielectric constant and losses at different temperatures and frequencies. The typical behavior of a ferroelectric relaxer was observed by adding the PbTiO3 phase. The thermal properties are also analyzed by PPE calorimetry, presaging a one-dimensional heat-flow process. As a result, the dielectric and thermal behaviors of the as-prepared ceramics as well as their thermal stability are intimately linked to the PbTiO3 addition to PbMgl/3Nb2/3O3 phase. These materials exhibit good physical performances, which makes them promising candidates for pyroelectric micro-generators (PEG), cooling systems and infrared applications.

We study the non-autonomous version of an infinite-dimensional linear port-Hamiltonian system on an interval [ a , b ] . Employing abstract results on evolution families, we show C 1 -well-posedness of the corresponding Cauchy problem, and thereby existence and uniqueness of classical solutions for sufficiently regular initial data. Further, we demonstrate that a dissipation condition in the style of the dissipation condition sufficient for uniform exponential stability in the autonomous case also leads to a uniform exponential decay rate of the energy in this non-autonomous setting.

Ferroelectric materials with a high dielectric permittivity and low dielectric losses are very attractive for the realization of capacitors and for electrical energy storage. To improve the electrical energy density Wd, the structural and dielectric properties influence the ferroelectric parameters such as the maximum polarization Pm and the remanent polarization Pr under an applied electric field Em. This manuscript proposes to study the structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of ceramics derived from BaTiO₃ (BT) and SrTiO₃ (ST) as well as pure PVDF thick films and composites such as PVDF/BT and PVDF/BZT. The ceramics were synthesized by the solid state reaction reaction route and the sol-gel process. The subsitution in the A-sites or B-sites of the BaTiO₃ material with cations such Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ reduces the electrical energy density Wd and increases the energy storage efficiency η. The ceramic BaZr₀.₅Ti₀.₅O₃ (BZT0.5) has the highest energy storage efficiency (η=75%). The substitution in the A-sites of SrTiO₃ material with 40% of Ca²⁺ cations reduces the dielectric permittivity (ε'∽200), but is more stable over a wide frequency range [100 Hz -1 GHZ]. The Sr₀.₆Ca₀.₄TiO₃ ceramic prepared by sol-gel process has the highest electrical energy density (Wd = 0.149 J/cm³) under an electrical field Em = 105 kV/cm. The PVDF thick films were synthesized by Spin-Coating. The dielectric permittivity of pure PVDF thick films increases when increasing the thickness. The addition of BT and BTZ0.15 particles in the PVDF polymer matrix increases the dielectric permittivity of the composite PVDF/BT thick films (ε'=32 for 30% of BT particles) and PVDF/BZT0.15 ones (ε'=32 for 15% of BZT particles)., Les matériaux ferroélectriques présentant une permittivité diélectrique élevée et de faibles pertes diélectriques présentent un grand intérêt pour la réalisation de condensateurs et le stockage de l'énergie électrique. Les propriétés structurales et diélectriques influencent les paramètres ferroélectriques tels que la polarisation maximale du matériau Pm et la polarisation rémanente Pr sous l'effet d'un champ électrique appliqué Em. Ce mémoire propose d'étudier les propriétés structurales, diélectriques et ferroélectriques des céramiques dérivées de BaTiO₃ (BT) et SrTiO₃ (ST) ainsi que des films épais PVDF pur et composites tels que PVDF/BT et PVDF/BZT. Les céramiques ont été synthétisées par la méthode de la réaction solide et le procédé sol-gel. La substitution dans les sites-A ou les sites-B du matériau BaTiO₃ avec des cations tels que Ca ²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ réduit la densité d'énergie électrique stockée Wd et augmente l'efficacité de stockage énergétique η. La céramique BaZr₀.₅Ti₀.₅O₃ (BZT0.5) présente l'efficacité de stockage énergétique la plus élevée (η=75%). La substitution dans les sites-A du matériau SrTiO₃ avec 40% de cations Ca²⁺ diminue la permittivité diélectrique (ε'∽200), mais cette permittivité est cependant plus stable sur une large gamme de fréquence [100 Hz-1 GHz]. La céramique Sr₀.₆Ca₀.₄TiO₃ préparée par voie sol-gel présente la densité d'énergie électrique stockée la plus élevée (Wd=0.149 J/cm³) sous l'action d'un champ électrique maximal élevé (Em=105 kV/cm). Les films épais à base de polymère PVDF ont été synthétisés par Spin-Coating. La permittivité diélectrique des films épais PVDF pur augmente avec l'apaisseur du film. L'incorporation de particules BT et BZT0.15 dans la matrice polymère PVDF augmente la permittivité diélectrique des films composites PVDF/BT (ε'=32 pour 30% de particules BT) et PVDF/BZT0.15 (ε'=32 pour15% de particules BZT).

Ferroelectric materials with a high dielectric permittivity and low dielectric losses are very attractive for the realization of capacitors and for electrical energy storage. To improve the electrical energy density Wd, the structural and dielectric properties influence the ferroelectric parameters such as the maximum polarization Pm and the remanent polarization Pr under an applied electric field Em. This manuscript proposes to study the structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of ceramics derived from BaTiO₃ (BT) and SrTiO₃ (ST) as well as pure PVDF thick films and composites such as PVDF/BT and PVDF/BZT. The ceramics were synthesized by the solid state reaction reaction route and the sol-gel process. The subsitution in the A-sites or B-sites of the BaTiO₃ material with cations such Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ reduces the electrical energy density Wd and increases the energy storage efficiency η. The ceramic BaZr₀.₅Ti₀.₅O₃ (BZT0.5) has the highest energy storage efficiency (η=75%). The substitution in the A-sites of SrTiO₃ material with 40% of Ca²⁺ cations reduces the dielectric permittivity (ε'∽200), but is more stable over a wide frequency range [100 Hz -1 GHZ]. The Sr₀.₆Ca₀.₄TiO₃ ceramic prepared by sol-gel process has the highest electrical energy density (Wd = 0.149 J/cm³) under an electrical field Em = 105 kV/cm. The PVDF thick films were synthesized by Spin-Coating. The dielectric permittivity of pure PVDF thick films increases when increasing the thickness. The addition of BT and BTZ0.15 particles in the PVDF polymer matrix increases the dielectric permittivity of the composite PVDF/BT thick films (ε'=32 for 30% of BT particles) and PVDF/BZT0.15 ones (ε'=32 for 15% of BZT particles).; Les matériaux ferroélectriques présentant une permittivité diélectrique élevée et de faibles pertes diélectriques présentent un grand intérêt pour la réalisation de condensateurs et le stockage de l'énergie électrique. Les propriétés structurales et diélectriques influencent les paramètres ferroélectriques tels que la polarisation maximale du matériau Pm et la polarisation rémanente Pr sous l'effet d'un champ électrique appliqué Em. Ce mémoire propose d'étudier les propriétés structurales, diélectriques et ferroélectriques des céramiques dérivées de BaTiO₃ (BT) et SrTiO₃ (ST) ainsi que des films épais PVDF pur et composites tels que PVDF/BT et PVDF/BZT. Les céramiques ont été synthétisées par la méthode de la réaction solide et le procédé sol-gel. La substitution dans les sites-A ou les sites-B du matériau BaTiO₃ avec des cations tels que Ca ²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ réduit la densité d'énergie électrique stockée Wd et augmente l'efficacité de stockage énergétique η. La céramique BaZr₀.₅Ti₀.₅O₃ (BZT0.5) présente l'efficacité de stockage énergétique la plus élevée (η=75%). La substitution dans les sites-A du matériau SrTiO₃ avec 40% de cations Ca²⁺ diminue la permittivité diélectrique (ε'∽200), mais cette permittivité est cependant plus stable sur une large gamme de fréquence [100 Hz-1 GHz]. La céramique Sr₀.₆Ca₀.₄TiO₃ préparée par voie sol-gel présente la densité d'énergie électrique stockée la plus élevée (Wd=0.149 J/cm³) sous l'action d'un champ électrique maximal élevé (Em=105 kV/cm). Les films épais à base de polymère PVDF ont été synthétisés par Spin-Coating. La permittivité diélectrique des films épais PVDF pur augmente avec l'apaisseur du film. L'incorporation de particules BT et BZT0.15 dans la matrice polymère PVDF augmente la permittivité diélectrique des films composites PVDF/BT (ε'=32 pour 30% de particules BT) et PVDF/BZT0.15 (ε'=32 pour15% de particules BZT).

Hofmannsthal ist vom Orient fasziniert. In seinem lyrischen Drama “Hochzeit der Sobeide” wie in vielenseiner Werke und Erzählungen sind Einflüsse der orientalischen Kultur auffällig. Der Handlungsort desDramas “Die Hochzeit der Sobeide” ist eine alte Stadt im Königreich Persien. Dass der orientalischeSchauplatz hier eine dekorative Bedeutung hat, bestätigt eine spätere Version, in der die Geschichte vonPersien nach Ragusa verlegt wird. Aus der Stadt in Persien wird dann eine italienischeKaufmannsrepublik. Dennoch stellt sich die Frage: Warum die Geschichte zunächst im Orient spielt.Mein Beitrag wird die Deutung orientalischer Spuren in dem Theaterstück thematisieren.&nbsp, Hofmannsthal Doğu’ya hayrandır. Diğer tüm eserleri ve öykülerinde olduğu gibi “Hochzeit der Sobeide”[Zübeyde’nin Düğünü] adlı lirik tiyatro yapıtında da şark kültürünün etkileri dikkati çeker. “Hochzeit derSobeide” dramında olayın geçtiği yer Pers Krallığı’nın eski bir şehridir. Olay yerinin Doğu’danseçilmesinin yalnızca dekoratif bir önemi olduğunu, yapıtın, İranda geçen olayın Ragusa‘ya kaydırıldığısonraki bir sürümü desteklemektedir. Eski bir İran şehri, artık İtalyan ticaret cumhuriyeti olmuştur. Bunarağmen rahatlıkla, yapıtın hikayesinin neden önce Doğu’da geçtiğini sorabiliriz! Bu çalışmam, adı geçentiyatro eserindeki Doğu’ya özgü motiflerin yorumlanmasını konu edinecektir.&nbsp

The recent developments in measurement technology have led to the installation of efficient monitoring systems on many bridges and other structures all over the world. Nowadays, more and more structures have been built and instrumented with sensors. However, calibration and installation of sensors remain challenging tasks. In this paper, we use a case study, Adige Bridge, in order to present a low-cost method for the calibration and installation of elasto-magnetic sensors on cable-stayed bridges. Elasto-magnetic sensors enable monitoring of cable stress. The sensor installation took place two years after the bridge construction. The calibration was conducted in two phases: one in the laboratory and the other one on site. In the laboratory, a sensor was built around a segment of cable that was identical to those of the cable-stayed bridge. Then, the sample was subjected to a defined tension force. The sensor response was compared with the applied load. Experimental results showed that the relationship between load and magnetic permeability does not depend on the sensor fabrication process except for an offset. The determination of this offset required in situ calibration after installation. In order to perform the in situ calibration without removing the cables from the bridge, vibration tests were carried out for the estimation of the cables’ tensions. At the end of the paper, we show and discuss one year of data from the elasto-magnetic sensors. Calibration results demonstrate the simplicity of the installation of these sensors on existing bridges and new structures.

We study the non-autonomous version of an infinite-dimensional port-Hamiltonian system on an interval $[a, b]$. Employing abstract results on evolution families, we show $C^1$-well-posedness of the corresponding Cauchy problem, and thereby existence and uniqueness of classical solutions for sufficiently regular initial data. Further, we demonstrate that a dissipation condition in the style of the dissipation condition sufficient for uniform exponential stability in the autonomous case also leads to a uniform exponential decay of the energy in this non-autonomous setting.

We develop a variational approach in order to study the qualitative properties of non-autonomous parabolic equations. Based on the method of product integrals, we discuss long-time behavior, invariance properties, and ultracontractivity of evolution families in Hilbert space. Our main results give sufficient conditions for the heat kernel of the evolution family to satisfy Gaussian-type bounds. Along the way, we study examples of non-autonomous equations on graphs, metric graphs, and domains.

We consider evolution equations of the form \begin{equation*}\label{Abstract equation} \dot u(t)+ A(t)u(t)=0,\ \ t\in[0,T],\ \ u(0)=u_0, \end{equation*} where $A(t),\ t\in [0,T],$ are associated with a non-autonomous sesquilinear form $\mathfrak a(t,\cdot,\cdot)$ on a Hilbert space $H$ with constant domain $V\subset H.$ In this note we continue the study of fundamental operator theoretical properties of the solutions. We give a sufficient condition for norm-continuity of evolution families on each spaces $V, H$ and on the dual space $V'$ of $V.$ The abstract results are applied to a class of equations governed by time dependent Robin boundary conditions on exterior domains and by Schr\"odinger operator with time dependent potentials.