Making assistive reading tools user friendly: a new platform for Greek dyslexic students empowered by automatic speech recognition

This work presents our effort to incorporate a state of the art speech recognition engine into a new platform for assistive reading for improving reading ability of Greek dyslexic students. This platform was developed in the framework of the Agent-DYSL, IST project, and facilitates dyslexic children in learning to read fluently. Unlike previously presented approaches, the aim of the system is not only to enable access to the reading materials within an inclusive learning system but to promote the development of reading skills by adjusting and adapting in the light of feedback to the system. The idea is to improve speech recognition performance so that gradually increase the reading capabilities of the user, gradually diminish the assistance provided, till he is able to read as a non-dyslexic reader. The evaluation results show that both learners’ reading pace and learners’ reading accuracy were increased.     

Controlled Fab installation onto polymeric micelle nanoparticles for tuned bioactivity

Abstract

Antibodies and antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) can be used to modify the surface of nanoparticles for enhanced target binding. In our previous work, site-specific conjugation of Fabs to polymeric micelles using conventional methods was limited to approximately 30% efficiency, possibly due to steric hindrance related to macromolecular reactants. Here, we report a new method that enables conjugation of Fabs onto a micelle surface in a controlled manner with up to quantitative conversion of nanoparticle reactive groups. Variation of (i) PEG spacer length in a heterofunctionalized cross-linker and (ii) Fab/polymer feed ratios resulted in production of nanoparticles with a range of Fab densities on the surface up to the theoretical maximum value. The biological impact of variable Fab density was evaluated in vitro with respect to cell uptake and cytotoxicity of a drug-loaded (SN38) targeted polymeric micelle bearing anti-EphA2 Fabs. Fab conjugation increased cell uptake and potency compared with non-targeted micelles, although a Fab density of 60% resulted in decreased uptake and potency of the targeted micelles. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that conjugation strategies can be optimized to allow control of Fab density on the surface of nanoparticles and also that Fab density may need to be optimized for a given cell-surface target to achieve the highest bioactivity.     

Rate-controlled constrained equilibrium: Formulation and application to nonpremixed laminar flames

Rate-controlled constrained equilibrium provides a sound framework for deriving and testing low-dimensional models of combustion chemistry, yet its application so far has been limited. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to propose a formulation of RCCE as a differential-algebraic problem and show how existing formulations such as the constraint potentials can be derived from it, and to demonstrate how combustion problems involving flow, such as nonpremixed laminar flames, can be solved with RCCE. A 9-constraint set is employed to reduce a 63-species detailed mechanism for CH₄-air combustion and is found to be sufficient for fairly accurate predictions of both ignition in a homogeneous reactor and the structure of nonpremixed laminar flames for a variety of strain rates, while the main features of the latter can also be reproduced with a 7-constraint subset.     

Formation of NOx precursors during the pyrolysis of coal and biomass. Part VIII. Effects of pressure on the formation of NH3 and HCN during the pyrolysis and gasification of Victorian brown coal in steam

Effects of pressure on the formation of HCN and NH₃ during the pyrolysis and gasification of Loy Yang brown coal in steam were investigated using a pressurised drop-tube/fixed-bed reactor. The NH₃ yield increased with increasing pressure during both pyrolysis and gasification. Increasing pressure selectively favours the formation of NH₃ at the expenses of other N-containing species. The changes in the yield of NH₃ with increasing pressure were mainly observed in the feeding periods both during pyrolysis and gasification and were closely related to the formation and subsequent cracking of soot both as a result of intensified thermal cracking of volatile precursors inside the particles and as a result of volatile-char interactions after the release of volatiles. While the corresponding HCN yield during pyrolysis showed little sensitivity to changes in pressure, the HCN yield during gasification in steam showed some increases with increasing pressure. Our data indicate that the direct hydrogenation of char-N by H radicals, favoured by the presence of steam, is the main route of NH₃ formation during pyrolysis and gasification. The direct conversion, either through hydrogenation or hydrolysis, of HCN into NH₃ on char surface during the pyrolysis and gasification of brown coal is not an important route of NH₃ formation.     

Topographical and morphological aspects of spray coated organic photovoltaics

Herein we discuss the topographical and nanomorphological aspects of spray deposited organic photovoltaics. We show that the solvent properties have a massive impact on the topography, but less on the nanomorphology formation of composites based on the electron donor poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and the electron acceptor [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). An adapted solvent mixture consisting of ortho-dichlorobenzene (oDCB) and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (mesitylene) allows us to demonstrate spray coated organic photovoltaic devices with 3.1% power conversion efficiency (PCE). Moreover, we show that spray coating is a feasible technology to deposit all solution processable layers of organic solar cells, including the hole transporting layer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulphonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) as well and demonstrate fully spray coated devices with 2.7% PCE.     

Characteristics of set type yoghurt made from caprine or ovine milk and mixtures of the two

Rheological, physico‐chemical and organoleptic studies were made on five types of yoghurt originally from pure caprine milks of an Alpine breed and local breeds, pure ovine milk of the Lacaune breed, and two mixtures containing 50% caprine milk from an Alpine breed + 50% ovine milk of the Lacaune breed and 70% caprine milk of local breeds + 30% ovine milk of the Lacaune breed. Comparison of the yoghurts showed that it was possible to produce yoghurt of good quality from the last four types of milk. In contrast, pure caprine milk from an Alpine breed was not suitable for the production of yoghurt as this milk is low in dry matter and the yoghurt that was produced had the lowest firmness and significantly inferior organoleptic characteristics. Yoghurts prepared from mixtures of 50% caprine milk of an Alpine breed + 50% ovine milk of the Lacaune breed, and 70% caprine milk of local breeds + 30% ovine milk of the Lacaune breed, were of good quality, with similar consistency, rheological and organoleptic characteristics.     

Doxorubicin Nanocarriers Based on Magnetic Colloids with a Bio‐polyelectrolyte Corona and High Non‐linear Optical Response: Synthesis,Characterization, and Properties

Magnetic drug nanocarriers are synthesized following an arrested mineralization of magnetic spinel iron oxides in the presence of the biopolymer of sodium carboxymethylcellulose. Based on the experimental results, the polyelectrolyte corona probably attains a brushlike configuration around the magnetic particles. The inner core of these colloids may be constituted of polymer‐associated nanocrystallites, forming nanogel colloids. The hybrid colloids are endowed with a high loading capacity for the anticancer agent doxorubicin and pronounced pH responsiveness. They also display a dramatic increase in non‐linear optical response as compared to previous studies of similar materials. Furthermore, as cell studies indicate, the blank nanocarriers are cytocompatible and the drug retains its activity after loading in the nanocarriers.     

Olive oil waste treatment: a comparative and critical presentation of methods, advantages & disadvantages

Since olive oil industries were considered responsible for a great amount of pollution there has been a strong need for optimization of olive oil waste treatment systems. The currently employed systems are numerous and fall in the following large categories; bioremediation (ex-situ, in-situ), thermal processes (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification), evaporation, membrance processes, electrolysis, ozonation, digestion, coagulation/flocculation/precipitation, and distillation. Both advantages and disadvantages in conjunction with respective methodology and explicit flow diagrams were presented per waste treatment method. Furthermore, most recent studies were reported and more than twenty-five figures showing mainly the effectiveness of the current waste treatment methods versus time or temperature were displayed. The comparative presentation of the various olive oil waste treatment methodologies showed that though bioremediation stands for the most enviromentally friendly technique, its required longer treatment time in conjuction with its weakness to deal with elemental contaminants makes imperative the employment of a second alternative technique which could either be a membrance process (low energy cost, reliability, reduced capital cost) or a coagulation/flocculation method because of its low cost and high effectiveness. Biogas production appears to be another promising and energy effective waste treatment method. On the other hand, methods like distillation and ozonation (high cost) and electrolysis (experimental level) are unlikely to dominate this field unless their high cost is substantially reduced in the near future.     

How the structural deviations on the backbone of conjugated polymers influence their optoelectronic properties and photovoltaic performance

The design of novel conjugated polymers with appropriate frontier orbital energy levels, low band gap (LBG) and suitable carrier transport properties are needed to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaic devices. In this review, a detailed structure-property relationship study is presented, by identifying those chemical entities in the backbone of conjugated polymers that are responsible for the modification of optoelectronic properties towards high photovoltaic performance.