LESSONS FROM THREE IMPLEMENTATIONS Knocking Down Barriers to Client/Server

Implementing client/server technology is a sophisticated venture with many obstacles along the way. In each of these three cases, the company's motivation for adopting a client/server architecture is explained, along with the obstacles. Once a company understands the barriers to implementation, it can knock them down and get the benefits it hopes for.     

Understanding fibroblast activation protein (FAP): Substrates,activities, expression and targeting for cancer therapy

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is best known for its heightened expression in tumour stroma. This atypical serine protease has both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities, cleaving substrates at a post-proline bond. FAP expression is difficult to detect in non-diseased adult organs, but is greatly upregulated in sites of tissue remodelling, which include liver fibrosis, lung fibrosis, atherosclerosis, arthritis, tumours and embryonic tissues. Due to its restricted expression pattern and dual enzymatic activities, FAP is emerging as a unique therapeutic target. However, methods to exploit and target this protease are advancing more rapidly than knowledge of the fundamental biology of FAP. This review highlights this imbalance, emphasising the need to better define the substrate repertoire and expression patterns of FAP to elucidate its role in biological and pathological processes.     

Thin piezoelectric VDF-TrFE copolymer films for data storage

Abstract

We used the Scanning Nearfield Acoustic Microscope-a nontouching profilometer with a conducting tip-both to pole thin ferroelectric VDF-TrFE copolymer films and to subsequently monitor the resulting pie-zoelectrically stimulated surface motion. For thin uncovered polymer films we were able to measure simultaneously the piezoactivity and the surface topography with a lateral resolution of 1 μm.

Furthermore we used a focused electron beam to create a poling pattern of narrow lateral extension and detected the corresponding local piezoactivity by using the Scanning Nearfield Acoustic Microscope.     

Relationship Between Water Mobility and Viscosity of Nanometric Alumina Suspensions

Addition of fructose has been shown to reduce the viscosity of aqueous suspensions of nanometric alumina powders. Highly concentrated and flowable aqueous nanometric alumina suspensions were achieved by fructose addition. Oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to investigate the relaxation time and the molecular mobility of water in the suspensions with and without fructose. It was found that a significant fraction of water is bound to the surface with lower mobility. Average water mobility increases and the viscosity of the suspension decreases with fructose addition, both of which are because of displacement of water from the alumina surface by fructose molecules. The results were related to rheological behavior of the suspensions.     

Technology S-curves in renewable energy alternatives: Analysis and implications for industry and government

Plotting the performance of a technology against the money or effort invested in it most often yields an S-shaped curve: slow initial improvement, then accelerated improvement, then diminishing improvement. These S-curves can be used to gain insight into the relative payoff of investment in competing technologies, as well as providing some insight into when and why some technologies overtake others in the race for dominance. Analyzing renewable energies from such a technology S-curve perspective reveals some surprising and important implications for both government and industry. Using data on government R&D investment and technological improvement (in the form of cost reductions), we show that both wind energy and geothermal energy are poised to become more economical than fossil fuels within a relatively short time frame. The evidence further suggests that R&D for wind and geothermal technologies has been under-funded by national governments relative to funding for solar technologies, and government funding of fossil fuel technologies might be excessive given the diminishing performance of those technologies.     

Measurements of dimensional standards and etalons with feature size from tens of micrometres to millimetres by using sensor strengthened nanomeasuring machine

A laser focus sensor and a contact inductive sensor have been coupled to an ultra high precision positioning stage, referred to as a nanomeasuring machine (NMM), for measurements of dimensional standards with a large measurement volume of 25 mm × 25 mm × 5 mm. Control and measurement software have been designed and complemented. The measurement uncertainty of strengthened NMM has been analyzed and discussed. Groove depth and step height standards with feature heights of tens of micrometres to millimetres as well as aspherical surface etalons are calibrated by nanomeasuring machine. The paper also introduces a method for characterising the measured aspheric surface by least square fitting the measured data to a quadratic paraboloid function. The obtained quadratic coefficients are compared to that measured by a conventional coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and a stylus profiler, showing a good agreement.     

Effect of x-ray irradiation on reducing the risk of listeriosis in ready-to-eat vacuum-packaged smoked mullet

Listeria monocytogenes can pose a serious threat in several areas of the nation's food supply including ready-to-eat seafood products. Use of irradiation processing can potentially reduce the risk of listeriosis caused by consumption of ready-to-eat seafood products. This study measured the effect of X-ray irradiation on reducing the population of L. monocytogenes on ready-to-eat, vacuum-packaged smoked mullet. Smoked mullet were inoculated with a five-strain mixture of L. monocytogenes (10(4) CFU/g), vacuum packaged, and irradiated (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kGy). The packaged fish were then stored at 3 and 10 degrees C for 90 and 17 days, respectively. Radiation doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 kGy reduced the initial population of L. monocytogenes by 1.1, 1.6, and 2.1 log CFU/g, respectively. The 2.0-kGy dose reduced L. monocytogenes to undetectable levels with no recovery growth at either temperature. Compared to the control, irradiation at 1.5 kGy demonstrated 1.0 and 1.7 log CFU/g less growth at 3 degrees C after 60 days and 10 degrees C after 17 days, respectively. Sensory flavor analysis was conducted to determine if a difference existed between irradiated samples. Panelists indicated that there were no differences among treated and untreated samples. An X-ray dose of 2 kGy effectively eliminated 10(4) CFU/g L. monocytogenes on smoked mullet without changing sensory quality.