Structure and electrical conductivity of TCNQ-2,3,7,8-tetramethoxychalcogenanthrene complexes

Charge-transfer complexes formed by reaction of 2,3,7,8-tetramethoxychalcogenanthrenes(5,10-dichalcogenacyclo-diveratrylenes, ‘Vn₂E₂’) with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) are prepared and their structures determined. Spin concentration, mobilities and gap energies of the polycrystalline samples are evaluated from e.s.r. intensities and electrical conductivity measurements. The influence of the different chalcogen atoms on physical properties is discussed.     

A Microfluidic 3D Endothelium-on-a-Chip Model to Study Transendothelial Migration of T Cells in Health and Disease

The recruitment of T cells is a crucial component in the inflammatory cascade of the body. The process involves the transport of T cells through the vascular system and their stable arrest to vessel walls at the site of inflammation, followed by extravasation and subsequent infiltration into tissue. Here, we describe an assay to study 3D T cell dynamics under flow in real time using a high-throughput, artificial membrane-free microfluidic platform that allows unimpeded extravasation of T cells. We show that primary human T cells adhere to endothelial vessel walls upon perfusion of microvessels and can be stimulated to undergo transendothelial migration (TEM) by TNFα-mediated vascular inflammation and the presence of CXCL12 gradients or ECM-embedded melanoma cells. Notably, migratory behavior was found to differ depending on T cell activation states. The assay is unique in its comprehensiveness for modelling T cell trafficking, arrest, extravasation and migration, all in one system, combined with its throughput, quality of imaging and ease of use. We envision routine use of this assay to study immunological processes and expect it to spur research in the fields of immunological disorders, immuno-oncology and the development of novel immunotherapeutics.     

Towards a satisfactory conversion of messages among agent-based information systems

Over the last years, there has been a change of perspective concerning the management of information systems, since they are no longer isolated and need to communicate with others. However, from a semantic point of view, real communication is difficult to achieve due to the heterogeneity of the systems. We present a proposal which, considering information systems are represented by software agents, provides a framework that favors a semantic communication among them, overcoming the heterogeneity of their agent communication languages. The main components of the framework are a suite of ontologies – conceptualizing communication acts – that will be used for generating the communication conversion, and an Event Calculus interpretation of the communications, which will be used for formalizing the notion of a satisfactory conversion. Moreover, we present a motivating example in order to complete the explanation of the whole picture.     

Hidrocolonic ultrasonography in the detection of tumoral processes in the inferior gastrointestinal tract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the value of hidrocolonic ultrasound in the detection of proliferative lesions in the colon and to compare it with other techniques of already proven value. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a prospective blinded trial including 155 patients (82 males and 73 females) with ages ranging from 33 to 94 years (average of 58) and clinical and analytical criteria suggesting the existence of colonic proliferative lesions. Patients with rectal mass or those with deficient bowel preparation were excluded. Ultrasound findings were compared to those obtained by colonoscopy (133 cases) and by Barium RX studies (22 cases) and all diagnoses were always confirmed by histologic exams. RESULTS: 155 patients were studied. 50 of them had cancer and 46 of these 50 were diagnosed by Hidrocolonic Ultrasound (92%); 19 had polyps > 7 mm. and 15 of these (78.9%) were diagnosed by Hidrocolonic Ultrasound. Hidrocolonic Ultrasound failed to detect all the polyps < 7 mm. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for identifying colon carcinoma were 92%, 98%, 95.8% and 96.2% respectively and for polyps > 7 mm were 78.9%, 100%, 100% and 97.1%, respectively. The mean time for examination was 14 minutes. Tolerance was good in 114 patients (73.5%), 29 showed a slight discomfort (18.7%) and 12 (7.7%) showed a great discomfort. There were no complications. CONCLUSIONS: Hidrocolonic ultrasound is an innocuous, fast, well tolerated technique for detecting colonic proliferative lesions > 7 mm H.U. can be considered as a useful complementary technique to other more expensive and invasive ones, such as barium RX studies and Colonoscopy.     

Functional check test for high-speed milling centres of up to five axes

This paper offers a system for checking three or five axes high-speed machining centres by milling a sample sphere pattern. Using the right choice of toolpath, it is possible to check and compare the performance which the centre is capable of following. The main features under study here are ease of use and the great amount of information that can be drawn regarding high-speed machine performances, including the geometrical precision of the machine and tool setup for the chosen machining conditions.     

Sensing and Field Data Capture for Construction and Facility Operations

Collection of accurate, complete, and reliable field data is not only essential for active management of construction projects involving various tasks, such as material tracking, progress monitoring, and quality assurance, but also for facility and infrastructure management during the service lives of facilities and infrastructure systems. Limitations of current manual data collection approaches in terms of speed, completeness, and accuracy render these approaches ineffective for decision support in highly dynamic environments, such as construction and facility operations. Hence, a need exists to leverage the advancements in automated field data capture technologies to support decisions during construction and facility operations. These technologies can be used not only for acquiring data about the various operations being carried out at construction and facility sites but also for gathering information about the context surrounding these operations and monitoring the workflow of activities during these operations. With this, it is possible for project and facility managers to better understand the effect of environmental conditions on construction and facility operations and also to identify inefficient processes in these operations. This paper presents an overview of the various applications of automated field data capture technologies in construction and facility fieldwork. These technologies include image capture technologies, such as laser scanners and video cameras; automated identification technologies, such as barcodes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags; tracking technologies, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and wireless local area network (LAN); and process monitoring technologies, such as on-board instruments (OBI). The authors observe that although applications exist for capturing construction and facility fieldwork data, these technologies have been underutilized for capturing the context at the fieldwork sites as well as for monitoring the workflow of construction and facility operations.     

Fused filament fabrication for anode supported SOFC development: Towards advanced,scalable and cost-competitive energetic systems

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) are electrochemical devices that efficiently convert hydrogen or other fuels into energy and heat and are considered a promising and environmentally friendly alternative to mitigate the effects of climate change. The difficulties found for the SOFC devices implementation into the market have triggered an enhanced need of research on the manufacturing strategy, since the cells and stack fabrication remain a complicated procedure. In this work, the capabilities of an additive manufacturing (AM) process, as it is Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), applied to anode supported SOFC were explored for the first time, due to the strengths this technology offers in terms of materials versatility and cost-competitive process. Moreover, the ability of tuning the support porosity during the printing process was demonstrated, minimizing the pore former concentration required and avoiding reformulation of the feedstock to achieve higher porosity in the anode. In the cell fabrication, low-cost techniques for thin film deposition were employed. The preliminary geometry investigated represents a novel SOFC device that shows an electrochemical performance comparable to that found in the conventional SOFC fabrication and it opens the possibility of potential single-cell and stack designs in which the use of ceramic sealing could be avoided and the system durability increased.     

Positive affect and pain ratings in persons with stroke.

Objective: To examine the association between positive affect at discharge from inpatient medical rehabilitation and pain ratings 3 months postdischarge in persons with stroke aged 50 or older. Design: A longitudinal study using information from the Stroke Recovery in Underserved Population (SRUP) data base. A 4-item positive affect scale and an 11-point visual analog pain scale were collected at discharge and at 3 months postdischarge. Participants: The study included 917 adults aged 50 and older with first-time stroke admitted to one of eleven inpatient medical rehabilitation facilities across the United States. Results: The mean age of the sample was 71 years, 51.0% were women, and 51.6% were married. One third of the sample reported pain and the mean positive affect score was 9.2 (range 0–12). Cumulative logit models showed higher positive affect scores at discharge were significantly associated with lower pain ratings (OR: 0.87, 95% CI 0.81, 0.92) at 3-month follow-up after adjusting for discharge pain ratings, negative affect, and demographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusion: High positive affect at discharge from inpatient medical rehabilitation was associated with lower pain ratings 3 months post discharge after controlling for pain and negative affect at discharge and clinical and demographic characteristics. The identification of links between positive affect and pain may contribute to a better understanding of functional recovery processes poststroke and the planning of therapeutic programs directed at the positive psychological strengths in elderly persons with stroke. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Data-Fusion Approaches and Applications for Construction Engineering

Data fusion can be defined as the process of combining data or information for estimating the state of an entity. Data fusion is a multidisciplinary field that has several benefits, such as enhancing the confidence, improving reliability, and reducing ambiguity of measurements for estimating the state of entities in engineering systems. It can also enhance completeness of fused data that may be required for estimating the state of engineering systems. Data fusion has been applied to different fields, such as robotics, automation, and intelligent systems. This paper reviews some examples of recent applications of data fusion in civil engineering and presents some of the potential benefits of using data fusion in civil engineering.