Cell therapy using an array of ultrathin hollow microneedles

Microsystem Technologies - Cell transplantation traditionally employs needles to inject donor cells into tissues to treat certain diseases. However, it is difficult for the current method to...     

Reliability analysis for mine blast performance based on delay type and firing time

Mining blasts may be defined as the use of explosive charges in a controlled manner by following a tightly controlled timing sequence according to an assigned firing order. Changes of timing between charges may result in an altered firing order and failure of the blasting sequence, which can cause high vibration levels, poor fragmentation, and/or an undesirable rock mass movement direction. Despite the importance of timing in determining mine blast results, there exists a lack of methodologies or tools with which to assess performance of a complete blast based on delay type and timing sequence. This document applies reliability engineering principles to evaluate the performance of a mine blast. The analyses are based on test results of the accuracy and precision of electronic and pyrotechnic detonators for typical firing times used in a surface coal mine, but may be applied to a variety of mines and timing scenarios.     

Inhibition of colon adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by flavonols is linked to a G2/M cell cycle block and reduction in cyclin D1 expression

The moderate consumption of red wine has been proposed to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. Its anti-cancer action my in part be mediated by the actions of polyphenols on colon cancer epithelial cells. We show that a red wine phenolic (50 μg/ml) extract devoid of anthocyanins (removed to reflect polyphenol bioavailability to the large intestine) and the major red wine flavonols quercetin, myricetin, laricitrin and syringetin (50 μM) are capable of inhibiting the proliferation of colorectal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells. This anti-proliferative activity was partly mediated by the direct cytotoxic actions of flavonols and also their ability to cause a significant cell cycle blockage in G2/M. The anti-proliferative effects induced by flavonols were preceded, in most cases, by a strong and significant reduction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cyclin D1 expression. These results indicate that the observed inverse correlation between colon cancer and a moderate red wine intake may be partly mediated by the actions of red wine flavonols on the growth of cancer cells.     

On the failure of scientific research: an analysis of SBIR projects funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Scientometrics - The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is the primary source of public funding in the United States for research by small firms on new technologies, and the National...     

MDO: assessment and direction for advancement—an opinion of one international group

This paper is a summary of topics presented and discussed at the 2006 European–U.S. Multidisciplinary Optimization (MDO) Colloquium in Goettingen, Germany, attended by nearly seventy professionals from academia, industry, and government. An attempt is made to accurately reflect the issues discussed by this diverse group, qualified by interest, experience, and accomplishment to present an opinion about the state-of-the-art, trends, and developments in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization. As such, its main purpose is to provide suggestions and stimulus for future research in the field. The predominant content of the colloquium was centered on aerospace, with a few contributions from the automotive industry, and this is reflected in the article. Due to the timeframe that has passed since the conclusion of the workshop, the authors have updated topics where appropriate to reflect observed developments over the past 3 years. Finally, rather than dwelling extensively on past accomplishments and current capabilities in MDO we focus on the needs and identified shortcomings from the colloquium which lead to potential future research directions. A brief MDO background is provided to set the discussion in its proper context.     

Strength Recovery in a High-Strength Steel During Multiple Weld Thermal Simulations

BlastAlloy 160 (BA160) is a low-carbon martensitic steel strengthened by copper and M₂C precipitates. Heat-affected zone (HAZ) microstructure evaluation of BA160 exhibited softening in samples subjected to the coarse-grained HAZ thermal simulations of this steel. This softening is partially attributed to dissolution of copper precipitates and metal carbides. After subjecting these coarse-grained HAZs to a second weld thermal cycle below the A _c1 temperature (at which austenite begins to form on heating), recovery of strength was observed. Atom-probe tomography and microhardness analyses correlated this strength recovery to re-precipitation of copper precipitates and metal carbides. A continuum model is proposed to rationalize strengthening and softening in the HAZ regions of BlastAlloy 160.     

Locking‐free discontinuous finite elements for the upper bound yield design of thick plates

This work investigates the formulation of finite elements dedicated to the upper bound kinematic approach of yield design or limit analysis of Reissner–Mindlin thick plates in shear‐bending interaction. The main novelty of this paper is to take full advantage of the fundamental difference between limit analysis and elasticity problems as regards the class of admissible virtual velocity fields. In particular, it has been demonstrated for 2D plane stress, plane strain or 3D limit analysis problems that the use of discontinuous velocity fields presents a lot of advantages when seeking for accurate upper bound estimates. For this reason, discontinuous interpolations of the transverse velocity and the rotation fields for Reissner–Mindlin plates are proposed. The subsequent discrete minimization problem is formulated as a second‐order cone programming problem and is solved using the industrial software package MOSEK . A comprehensive study of the shear‐locking phenomenon is also conducted, and it is shown that discontinuous elements avoid such a phenomenon quite naturally whereas continuous elements cannot without any specific treatment. This particular aspect is confirmed through numerical examples on classical benchmark problems and the so‐obtained upper bound estimates are confronted to recently developed lower bound equilibrium finite elements for thick plates. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Engineering Gold Nanotubes with Controlled Length and Near‐Infrared Absorption for Theranostic Applications

Important aspects in engineering gold nanoparticles for theranostic applications include the control of size, optical properties, cytotoxicity, biodistribution, and clearance. In this study, gold nanotubes with controlled length and tunable absorption in the near‐infrared (NIR) region have been exploited for applications as photothermal conversion agents and in vivo photoacoustic imaging contrast agents. A length‐controlled synthesis has been developed to fabricate gold nanotubes (NTs) with well‐defined shape (i.e., inner void and open ends), high crystallinity, and tunable NIR surface plasmon resonance. A coating of poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS) endows the nanotubes with colloidal stability and low cytotoxicity. The PSS‐coated Au NTs have the following characteristics: i) cellular uptake by colorectal cancer cells and macrophage cells, ii) photothermal ablation of cancer cells using single wavelength pulse laser irradiation, iii) excellent in vivo photoacoustic signal generation capability and accumulation at the tumor site, iv) hepatobiliary clearance within 72 h postintravenous injection. These results demonstrate that these PSS‐coated Au NTs have the ideal attributes to develop their potential as effective and safe in vivo imaging nanoprobes, photothermal conversion agents, and drug delivery vehicles. To the best of knowledge, this is the first in vitro and in vivo study of gold nanotubes.     

Survey on communication architectures for wind energy integration with the smart grid

Communication systems are needed to integrate generated power from wind farms with the electrical grid. This paper provides a comprehensive review of available communication technologies, protocols and objectives related to wind energy and electrical grid integration. This paper summarizes the communication system solutions for wind generation. A major obstacle is an absence of unified communication architectures and standards.     

Designs on the Public: The Private Lives of New York's Public Spaces

America's Housing Needs to the 2lst Century Raymond J. Struyk and Christopher Walker. The Urban Institute and the National Association of Realtors, Washington, D.C. 1988. $7.50.

A Blueprint for National Housing Policy National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C. 1987. Free.

A Decent Place to Live: The Report of the National Housing Task Force. National Housing Task Force. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1988.

Future U.S. Housing Policy: Meeting the Demographic Challenge Raymond J. Struyk, Margery A. Turner, and Makiko Ueno. The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C. $14.95.

Preventing the Disappearance of Low Income Housing National Low Income Housing Preservation Commission, National Corporation for Housing Partnerships, Washington, D.C. 1988. Free.

The Report of the president's Commission on Housing President's Commission on Housing. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1982.

The State of the Nation's Housing William C. Apgar, Jr., and H. James Brown. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. 1988.

Subsidizing Shelter: The Relationship between Welfare and Housing Assistance Sandra J. Newman and Anne B. Schnare. The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C. 1988. $14.95.

Toward a National Housing Policy National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, and Mortgage Bankers Association of America, Washington, D.C. 1987. Free.

Private Supply of Public Services: Evaluating of Real Estate Exactions, Linkage, and Alternative Land Policies, Rachelle Alterman, editor. New York University Press, New York and London, 1988. 273 pp. $40.00.

Homeowners and Neighborhood Reinvestment, George C. Galster. Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 1987. 354 pp. $60.

Small Scale Municipal Solid Waste Recovery Systems Gershman, Brickner &; Bratton, Inc., Van Nostrand Rein-hold, New York, 1986. 272 pp. $42.00.

Economic Valuation Techniques for the Environment: A Case Study Workbook John A. Dixon and Maynard M. Hufschmidt, editors. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1986. 203 pp. $25.00 (cloth), $8.95 (paperback).

The Health of Nations: True Causes of Sickness and Well-Being Leonard A. Sagan. Basic Books, New York, 1987. 240 pp. $19.95.

The Geography of De-Industrialisation Ron Martin and Bob Rowthorn, editors. Macmillan, London, 1986. Distributed by Sheridan House, New York. 365 pp. $45.00.

Spaces for Children: The Built Environment and Child Development Carol Simon Weinstein and Thomas G. David; editors. Plenum Press, New York, 1987. 322 pp. $39.50.

Play for All Guidelines: Planning, Design, and Management of Outdoor Play Settings for All Children Robin C. Moore, Susan M. Goltsman, and Daniel S. lacofano. MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA, 1987. 280 pp. $39.95.

Privatization: The Key to Better Government E. S. Savas. Chatham House Publishers, Chatham, NJ, 1987. 308 pp. $14.95 (paperback).

When Government Goes Private: Successful Alternatives to Public Services Randall Fitzgerald. Universe Books, New York, NY, 1988. 330 pp. $24.95.

The Metropolis Era. Volume 1: A World of Giant Cities; Volume 2: Mega Cities Mattei Dogan and John D. Kasarda, editors. Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California, 1988. Volume 1: 394 pp. $40.00. Volume 2: 322 pp. $40.00.

FDR's Utopian: Arthur Morgan of the TVA Roy Talbert, Jr. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson and London, 1987. 218 pp. $25.00.

Urban Shelter and Services: Public Policies and Management Approaches G. Shabblr Cheema. Praeger, New York, 1987. 221 pp. $39.95.

Spontaneous Shelter: International Perspectives and Prospects Carl V. Patton, editor. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1988. 380 pp. $39.95.

Shelter, Settlement and Development Lloyd Rodwin, editor. Allen &; Unwin, Boston, 1987. 476 pp. $39.95.

Hopeful Openings: A Study of Five Women's Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean Sally Yudelman. Kumarian Press, West Hartford, CT, 1987. 127 pp. $14.95 (paperback).

Women, Human Settlements, and Housing Caroline O. N. Moser and Linda Peake, editors. Tavistock, London and New York, 1987. 222 pp. $49.95 (cloth), $14.95 (paperback).

The Role of Women in Developing Countries: A Study International Center for Public Enterprises in Developing Countries, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. Distributed by Kumarian Press, West Hartford, CT. 1986. 121 pp. $10.00 (paperback).

Architecture of the Private Streets of St. Louis: The Architects and the Homes They Designed Charles C. Savage. University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 1987. 237 pp. $25.00.

Main Street Ready-Made: The New Deal Community of Greendale, Wisconsin Arnold R. Alanen and Joseph A. Eden. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, 1987. 156 pp. $20.00.

Black Philadelphia Street Life: South Philadelphia, 1969–1971 Dan Rose. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1987. 278 pp. $37.50 (cloth), $14.95 (paperback).