Measurement of the coolant flow rate using correlation of temperature fluctuations

The transit time of the coolant, and thus its velocity, has been measured using the temperature fluctuation at the outlet of a reactor core. An impulse response function estimation is introduced, which substitutes the widely used cross-correlation measurement technique. It is shown in theory and practice that the time delay estimation is improved when using the impulse response function instead of the cross-correlation function in parameter estimation. Extremely low velocities (down to 2 cm/sec) have been measured in a natural circulation regime in a research reactor.     

Transmission Fiber Chromatic Dispersion Dependence on Temperature: Implications on 40 Gb/s Performance

In this letter, we will evaluate the performance degradation of a 40 km high‐speed (40 Gb/s) optical system, induced by optical fiber variations of the chromatic dispersion induced by temperature changes. The chromatic dispersion temperature sensitivity will be estimated based on the signal quality parameters.     

Microstructure of Silicon Carbide Whiskers Synthesized by Carbothermal Reduction of Silicon Nitride

The microstructure of silicon carbide whiskers synthesized by carbothermal reduction of silicon nitride has been studied using transmission electron microscopy. All of the whiskers examined are single crystals, and grow in the (111) crystallographic direction. Two different forms of stacking faults and microtwins were observed; in one the planar defects are normal to the whisker growth direction, and the other has the defect planes at an angle of about 70° to the growth axis, while both forms of the defects are on the [111] closed-packed planes. Without the addition of catalyst, droplets containing metallic impurities were not found at the tips of the whiskers synthesized by the present process. A core and outer regions were observed in the single-crystal whiskers, which may be evidence that the whiskers were formed by a two-stage mechanism.     

VeGamen exploring art and history in Venice

To make exploring a locale's heritage a challenging and compelling experience, the Venice Game uses a handheld platform and educational software that leverages video game techniques.     

Synthesis and material and electronic properties of conjugated polymers

Conjugated polymers such as polyacetylene are semiconductors, and can be chemically doped to give very high values of conductivity (up to 150 000 S cm^–1). The semiconducting properties are due to delocalization of the electron system formed along the polymer chain, and this general class of materials shows many desirable semiconductor properties for electrical and optical applications. There are considerable challenges to find synthetic routes to allow processing of the polymer to the forms required for applications, and many of the recent important advances in the field are due to improvements in this area.     

Investigation of long term drift of an intraocular pressure sensor

Microsystem Technologies - “Zero drift” behavior of an optical intraocular pressure sensor is studied using an analytical model based on the deflection of a circular membrane. Results...     

MMP1 and MMP11 Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells upon Their Interaction with Breast Cancer Cells and Fibroblasts

Tumor-infiltrating immune cells phenotype is associated with tumor progression. However, little is known about the phenotype of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from breast cancer patients. We investigated MMP1 and MMP11 expression in PBMC from breast cancer patients and we analyzed gene expression changes upon their interaction with cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). We measured the impact of PBMC on proinflammatory gene expression in breast cancer cells, normal fibroblast (NF), and CAF and the impact on proliferation and invasiveness capacity of breast cancer cells. Gene expression of MMP1 and MMP11 in PBMC from breast cancer patients (n = 54) and control (n = 28); expression of IL1A, IL6, IL17, IFNβ, and NFĸB in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231); and, additionally, IL10 and MMP11 in CAF and NF were analyzed by qRT-PCR before and after co-culture. Our results show the existence of a subpopulation of breast cancer patients (25.9%) with very high levels of MMP11 gene expression in PBMC. Also, gene expression of MMP1 and MMP11 increases in PBMC after co-culture with breast cancer cell lines, NF or CAF. PBMC from healthy or breast cancer patients induce an increased proliferation rate on MCF-7 and an increased invasiveness capacity of MDA-MB-231. Finally, we show a differential expression profile of inflammatory genes in NF and CAF when co-cultured with control or breast cancer PBMC. We have observed that MMPs’ expression in PBMC is regulated by the microenvironment, while the expression of inflammatory genes in NF or CAF is differentially regulated by PBMC. These findings confirm the importance of the crosstalk between stromal cells and suggest that PBMC would play a role in promoting aggressive tumor behavior.     

oDect: an RFID‐based object detection API to support applications development on mobile devices

The RFID technology is becoming ever more popular in the development of ubiquitous computing applications. A full exploitation of the RFID potential requires the study and implementation of human–computer interaction (HCI) modalities to be able to support wide usability by the target audience. This implies the need for programming methodologies specifically dedicated to support the easy and efficient prototyping of applications to have feedback from early tests with users. On the basis of our field‐working experience, we have designed oDect, a high‐level language and platform‐independent application programming interface (API), ad hoc designed to meet the needs of typical applications for mobile devices (smart phones and PDAs). oDect aims at allowing application developers to create their prototypes focusing on the needs of the final users, without having to care about the low‐level software that interacts with the RFID hardware. Further, in an end‐user developing (EUD) approach, oDect provides specific support for the application end‐user herself to cope with typical problems of RFID applications in detecting objects. We describe in detail the features of the API and discuss the findings of a test with four programmers, where we analyse and evaluate the use of the API in four sample applications. We also present results of an end‐user test, which investigated strengths and weaknesses of the territorial agenda (TA) concept. The TA is an RFID‐based citizen guide that aids—through time‐ and location‐based reminders—users in their daily activities in a city. The TA directly exploits EUD features of oDect, in particular concerning the possibility of linking detected objects with custom actions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of matrix liquid phase on interphase formation in SiC fibre-reinforced Si2N2O-Al2O3-CaO composites

Matrix compositions based on Si₂N₂O, with Al₂O₃ and CaO additions, were used to hot press Nicalon SiC fibre-reinforced composites at 1600 °C. With both CaO and Al₂O₃ additions, eutectic melting formed an appreciable volume of liquid phase during hot pressing, which remained as a stable glassy phase in the cooled composites. This liquid phase fostered formation of 240 nm thick carbon-rich interphases between the fibres and the matrix. These interphases showed relatively low interfacial shear strength and resulted in composites which showed non-catastrophic, notch-independent fracture. Matrices using either Al₂O₃ or CaO did not form adequate liquid phase to form coarse interphases, and fracture was catastrophic in nature. Post-heat treatment of the composites at 1000 °C showed peripheral oxidation (removal of the carbon content of the interphase) indicating limited protection afforded when glassy phase was present in the matrix. Controlled cooling in the hot press did not cause the liquid regions to devitrify.