Experimental wide-stopband filters utilizing asymmetric ferritejunctions

Filters incorporating asymmetric stripline Y-junction circulators have been fabricated and tested over the frequency range of 0.05 to 18 GHz. The passband frequency was near 2 GHz. The insertion loss was ~2 dB and the stopband extended from 4.5 to 18 GHz with transmission ⩽-30 dB. The filter includes ferrite discs in which high order modes have been eliminated as calculated in an earlier paper     

Observation of X-band SQUID signals in a High-Tc superconducting film device

A microwave superconducting magnetometer is described in which a microstrip resonator is coupled to a two-hole high-T _c thin-film SQUID device. Both the microstrip circuit and the thin-film SQUID were fabricated by photolithography techniques. The YBCO thin film was deposited on single-crystal substrate of yttria-stabilized zirconia [YSZ(100)] by an ion beam sputtering technique producing a superconducting transition measured at a critical temperature ofT _c =92 K to within T 3 K. Non linear oscillatory behavior was observed in the microstrip resonator when inductively coupled to the SQUID. This nonlinear behavior yielded a microwave device in which the reflected microwave power varied with applied DC magnetic flux.     

A vision system for symbolic interpretation of dynamic scenes using arsom

We describe an artificial high-level vision system for the symbolic interpretation of data coming from a video camera that acquires the image sequences of moving scenes. The system is based on ARSOM neural networks that learn to generate the perception-grounded predicates obtained by image sequences. The ARSOM neural networks also provide a three-dimensional estimation of the movements of the relevant objects in the scene. The vision system has been employed in two scenarios: the monitoring of a robotic arm suitable for space operations, and the surveillance of an electronic data processing (EDP) center.     

Person identification through entropy oriented mean shift clustering of human gaze patterns

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The paper describes a system aimed at improving the human machine interaction that is able to identify users according how she looks at the monitor. The proposed...     

Blue-back fish: Fatty acid profile in selected seasons and retention upon baking

The effects of the catching season (either Autumn/Winter or Spring) on lipid content, fatty acid profile and true retention values after oven baking were determined in anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus), sardine (Sardina pilchardus), sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from the North Adriatic sea. In the raw state, the catching season induced significant changes in the flesh lipid contents of sardine and sprat. Anchovy was the species whose fatty acid composition of flesh lipids was most clearly affected by the season of catch. Oven baking had a significant, though rather modest, effect on some fatty acids and indices of sardine and anchovy lipids. When compared to the other species within the same season, spring sardine and winter sprat gave significantly higher true retention values for several individual fatty acids and some sums. Between 1 and 2.5 servings/week (depending on season) of either cooked anchovy, sardine, sprat, or 3 servings of cooked spring horse mackerel would suffice to satisfy human weekly requirements of EPA + DHA.     

Cancer Cell Metabolism in Hypoxia: Role of HIF-1 as Key Regulator and Therapeutic Target

In order to meet the high energy demand, a metabolic reprogramming occurs in cancer cells. Its role is crucial in promoting tumor survival. Among the substrates in demand, oxygen is fundamental for bioenergetics. Nevertheless, tumor microenvironment is frequently characterized by low-oxygen conditions. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a pivotal modulator of the metabolic reprogramming which takes place in hypoxic cancer cells. In the hub of cellular bioenergetics, mitochondria are key players in regulating cellular energy. Therefore, a close crosstalk between mitochondria and HIF-1 underlies the metabolic and functional changes of cancer cells. Noteworthy, HIF-1 represents a promising target for novel cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between HIF-1 and energetic metabolism, with a focus on mitochondria, of hypoxic cancer cells.     

A fast computation method for time scale signal denoising

This paper presents a novel and fast scheme for signal denoising in the wavelet domain. It exploits the time scale structure of the wavelet coefficients by modeling them as superposition of simple atoms, whose spreading in the time scale plane formally is the solution of a couple of differential equations. In this paper, we will show how the numerical solution of such equations can be avoided leading to a speed up of the scale linking computation. This result is achieved through a suitable projection space of the wavelet local extrema, requiring just least squares and filtering operations. Intensive experimental results show the competitive performances of the proposed approach in terms of signal to noise ratio (SNR), visual quality and computing time.     

Appraisal and calibration of the actuator line model for the prediction of turbulent separated wakes

The aim of this study is to further investigate the accuracy and the reliability of the actuator line model (ALM) predictions for turbulent separated wakes. Large eddy simulations (LES) of the flow around a NACA0009 airfoil are performed mimicking the geometry with the immersed boundary method. Results are validated against experiments and used to assess the accuracy of the ALM predictions for the same airfoil, with different values of the spreading parameter and of the reference velocity and for two values of the angle of attack. It is found that the ALM setup recently derived from linearized inviscid analysis leads to accurate results for the lower angle of attack, while at the higher one for which a significant separation of the boundary layer occurs, the ALM requires a different set of model parameters. This calls for a systematic investigation of the sensitivity to the ALM parameters for separated flows, which is carried out herein through a stochastic approach allowing continuous response surfaces to be obtained in the parameter space. The ALM parameters are calibrated against the results obtained with the immersed boundaries. With the calibrated model parameters, the ALM gives good predictions of the velocity and turbulent kinetic energy in the far wake. Finally, the proposed model parameters are used to predict the flow past a different geometry, a flat plate, at high angle of attack. The accuracy of the prediction of the far wake is again good, showing the robustness of the identified setup.     

Erythrocytes as a Model for Heavy Metal-Related Vascular Dysfunction: The Protective Effect of Dietary Components

Heavy metals are toxic environmental pollutants associated with severe ecological and human health risks. Among them is mercury (Hg), widespread in air, soil, and water, due to its peculiar geo-biochemical cycle. The clinical consequences of Hg exposure include neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, increased risk for cardiovascular diseases is also reported due to a direct effect on cardiovascular tissues, including endothelial cells, recently identified as important targets for the harmful action of heavy metals. In this review, we will discuss the rationale for the potential use of erythrocytes as a surrogate model to study Hg-related toxicity on the cardiovascular system. The toxic effects of Hg on erythrocytes have been amply investigated in the last few years. Among the observed alterations, phosphatidylserine exposure has been proposed as an underlying mechanism responsible for Hg-induced increased proatherogenic and prothrombotic activity of these cells. Furthermore, following Hg-exposure, a decrease in NOS activity has also been reported, with consequent lowering of NO bioavailability, thus impairing endothelial function. An additional mechanism that may induce a decrease in NO availability is the generation of an oxidative microenvironment. Finally, considering that chronic Hg exposure mainly occurs through contaminated foods, the protective effect of dietary components is also discussed.