Ocelot identification through spots

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Ocelots are big felines in danger to be extinct but still found in some areas in Mexico, the spots in the body of ocelots make a pattern that is unique to each...     

Bioresorbable Drug-Eluting Magnesium-Alloy Scaffold for Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease

The introduction of metallic drug-eluting stents has reduced the risk of restenosis and widened the indications of percutaneous coronary intervention in treatment of coronary artery disease. However, this medical device can induce hypersensitive reaction that interferes with the endothelialization and healing process resulting in late persistent or acquired malapposition of the permanent metallic implant. Delayed endotheliaization and malapposition may lead to late and very late stent thrombosis. Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) have been introduced to potentially overcome these limitations, as they provide temporary scaffolding and then disappear, liberating the treated vessel from its cage. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed for a variety of physiological functions in the human body and its bioresorbable alloy has the strength-to-weight ratio comparable with that of strong aluminum alloys and alloy steels. The aim of this review is to present the new developments in Magnesium BRS technology, to describe its clinical application and to discuss the future prospects of this innovative therapy.     

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: energy drinks

Position Statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) bases the following position stand on a critical analysis of the literature on the safety and efficacy of the use of energy drinks (ED) or energy shots (ES). The ISSN has concluded the following. 1. Although ED and ES contain a number of nutrients that are purported to affect mental and/or physical performance, the primary ergogenic nutrients in most ED and ES appear to be carbohydrate and/or caffeine. 2. The ergogenic value of caffeine on mental and physical performance has been well-established but the potential additive benefits of other nutrients contained in ED and ES remains to be determined. 3. Consuming ED 10-60 minutes before exercise can improve mental focus, alertness, anaerobic performance, and/or endurance performance. 4. Many ED and ES contain numerous ingredients; these products in particular merit further study to demonstrate their safety and potential effects on physical and mental performance. 5. There is some limited evidence that consumption of low-calorie ED during training and/or weight loss trials may provide ergogenic benefit and/or promote a small amount of additional fat loss. However, ingestion of higher calorie ED may promote weight gain if the energy intake from consumption of ED is not carefully considered as part of the total daily energy intake. 6. Athletes should consider the impact of ingesting high glycemic load carbohydrates on metabolic health, blood glucose and insulin levels, as well as the effects of caffeine and other stimulants on motor skill performance. 7. Children and adolescents should only consider use of ED or ES with parental approval after consideration of the amount of carbohydrate, caffeine, and other nutrients contained in the ED or ES and a thorough understanding of the potential side effects. 8. Indiscriminant use of ED or ES, especially if more than one serving per day is consumed, may lead to adverse events and harmful side effects. 9. Diabetics and individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatorenal, and neurologic disease who are taking medications that may be affected by high glycemic load foods, caffeine, and/or other stimulants should avoid use of ED and/or ES unless approved by their physician.     

Structural,mechanical, thermal and optical properties of Yb,Pr-doped Y4Zr3O12 ceramics

In the present work, Y₄Zr₃O₁₂ bulk ceramics doped with Yb³⁺ and Pr³⁺ were characterized to assess their structural, mechanical, thermal and optical properties. Specimens were synthesized by the polymerizable complex method and sintered as pellets at 1550?°C for 2?h. Samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers-indentation method, thermodilatometry, laser flash method, diffuse reflectance and luminescence spectroscopies. All compositions exhibit cubic like-fluorite structure, low thermal conductivity, moderate fracture toughness and thermal expansion coefficient values comparable to those of other yttria-stabilized zirconias. Regarding the optical properties, diffuse reflectance spectra support the oxidation of praseodymium from Pr³⁺ to Pr⁴⁺ in the Pr-doped specimens. When irradiated under an IR laser (975?nm), only the pellet containing Yb³⁺ showed white light emission at low and room pressures, but not the undoped, and those pellets doped or codoped with Pr. These results demonstrate that it is possible to produce white light not only in nanostructured systems but also in bulk ceramic oxides, and that the introduction of additional electronic states within the band gap of the host associated with the Pr, inhibits the generation of the white light.     

Coupling of discrete random walks and continuous modeling for three-dimensional tumor-induced angiogenesis

The growth of new vascular networks from pre-existing capillaries (angiogenesis) plays a pivotal role in tumor development. Mathematical modeling of tumor-induced angiogenesis may help understand the underlying biology of the process and provide new hypotheses for experimentation. Here, we couple an existing deterministic continuum theory with a discrete random walk, proposing a new model that accounts for chemotactic and haptotactic cellular migration. We propose an efficient numerical method to approximate the solution of the model. The accuracy, stability and effectiveness of our algorithms permitted us to perform large-scale three-dimensional simulations which, in contrast to two-dimensional calculations, show a topological complexity similar to that found in experiments. Finally, we use our model and simulations to investigate the role of haptotaxis and chemotaxis in the mobility of tip endothelial cells and its influence in the final vascular patterns.     

Fuzzy 3D filter for color video sequences contaminated by impulsive noise

Journal of Real-Time Image Processing - A novel fuzzy 3D filter designed to suppress impulsive noise in color video sequences is proposed. In contrast to other state-of-the-art algorithms, the...     

High-temperature interactions between Yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings and Na-Rich calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate deposits

We have evaluated the effectiveness of optical basicity, a chemical model, to predict and categorize the reaction behavior between calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate (CMAS) deposits and ZrO₂-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), which are used to insulate and protect metallic components in gas-turbine engines. The attack behavior of two CMAS compositions (Na-lean and Na-rich) with 7 wt% Y₂O₃-partially-stabilized ZrO₂ (7YSZ) and 2ZrO₂·Y₂O₃(ss) free-standing TBCs at 1340 °C were evaluated and compared to previous studies. The behavior of Y³⁺ in the reaction is correlated with the optical basicity of the CMAS; more basic Na-rich CMAS melt resulted in lower Y-solubility and higher Y-content in the reprecipitated ZrO₂ grains than observed in the highly acidic CMAS attack for both tested TBCs. This behavior is consistent with previous studies of basic and acidic melts, and suggests that less acidic CMASs pose a unique danger to ZrO₂-based TBCs that rely on Y-rich secondary phases for CMAS mitigation.