Optical fiber sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are prone to measurement errors if the cross-sensitivity between temperature and strain is not properly considered. This paper describes a ...self-compensated technique for canceling the undesired influence of temperature in strain measurement. An edge-filter-based interrogator is proposed and the central peaks of two FBGs (sensor and reference) are matched with the positive and negative slopes of a Fabry–Perot interferometer that acts as an optical filter. A tuning process performed by the grey wolf optimizer (GWO) algorithm is required to determine the optimal spectral characteristics of each FBG. The interrogation range is not compromised by the proposed technique, being determined by the spectral characteristics of the optical filter in accordance with the traditional edge-filtering interrogation. Simulations show that, by employing FBGs with optimal characteristics, temperature variations of 30 °C led to an average relative error of 3.4% for strain measurements up to 700μϵ. The proposed technique was experimentally tested under non-ideal conditions: two FBGs with spectral characteristics different from the optimized results were used. The temperature sensibility decreased by 50.8% as compared to a temperature uncompensated interrogation system based on an edge filter. The non-ideal experimental conditions were simulated and the maximum error between theoretical and experimental data was 5.79%, proving that the results from simulation and experimentation are compatible.
Limitations associated with demineralised bone matrix and other grafting materials have motivated the development of alternative strategies to enhance the repair of large bone defects. The growth ...plate (GP) of developing limbs contain a plethora of growth factors and matrix cues which contribute to long bone growth, suggesting that biomaterials derived from its extracellular matrix (ECM) may be uniquely suited to promoting bone regeneration. The goal of this study was to generate porous scaffolds from decellularised GP ECM and to evaluate their ability to enhance host mediated bone regeneration following their implantation into critically-sized rat cranial defects. The scaffolds were first assessed by culturing with primary human macrophages, which demonstrated that decellularisation resulted in reduced IL-1β and IL-8 production. In vitro, GP derived scaffolds were found capable of supporting osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells via either an intramembranous or an endochondral pathway, demonstrating the intrinsic osteoinductivity of the biomaterial. Furthermore, upon implantation into cranial defects, GP derived scaffolds were observed to accelerate vessel in-growth, mineralisation and de novo bone formation. These results support the use of decellularised GP ECM as a scaffold for large bone defect regeneration.
Induced systemic resistance (ISR) is one of the indirect mechanisms of growth promotion exerted by plant growth-promoting bacteria, and can be mediated by ethylene (ET). We assessed ET production and ...the expression of related genes in the Azospirillum-strawberry plant interaction. Ethylene production was evaluated by gas chromatography in plants inoculated or not with A. brasilense REC3. Also, plants were treated with AgNO
, an inhibitor of ET biosynthesis; with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), a precursor of ET biosynthesis; and with indole acetic acid (IAA). Plant dry biomass and the growth index were determined to assess the growth-promoting effect of A. brasilense REC3 in strawberry plants. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to analyse relative expression of the genes Faetr1, Faers1 and Faein4, which encode ET receptors; Factr1 and Faein2, involved in the ET signalling pathway; Faacs1 encoding ACC synthase; Faaco1 encoding ACC oxidase; and Faaux1 and Faami1 for IAA synthesis enzymes. Results showed that ET acts as a rapid and transient signal in the first 12 h post-treatment. A. brasilense REC3-inoculated plants had a significantly higher growth index compared to control plants. Modulation of the genes Faetr1, Faers1, Faein4, Factr1, Faein2 and Faaco1 indicated activation of ET synthesis and signalling pathways. The up-regulation of Faaux1 and Faami1 involved in IAA synthesis suggested that inoculation with A. brasilense REC3 induces production of this auxin, modulating ET signalling. Ethylene production and up-regulation of genes associated with ET signalling in strawberry plants inoculated with A. brasilense REC3 support the priming activation characteristic of ISR. This type of resistance and the activation of systemic acquired resistance previously observed in this interaction indicate that both are present in strawberry plants, could act synergistically and increase protection against pathogens.
Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, are fundamental health concerns all around the world. The development of novel treatments and new techniques to address these ...disorders, are being actively studied by researchers and medical personnel. In the present review we will discuss the application of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) for cell-therapy replacement and disease modelling. The aim of iPSCs is to restore the functionality of the damaged tissue by replacing the impaired cells with competitive ones. To achieve this objective, iPSCs can be properly differentiated into virtually any cell fate and can be strongly translated into human health via in vitro and in vivo disease modeling for the development of new therapies, the discovery of biomarkers for several disorders, the elaboration and testing of new drugs as novel treatments, and as a tool for personalized medicine.
•Novel treatments to address neurodegenerative disorders.•Induced pluripotent stem cell therapy and disease modelling.•Parkinson's & Alzheimer's disease research.
In this study, we describe Nakazawaea atacamensis f. a., sp. nov., a novel species obtained from Neltuma chilensis plant samples in Chile's hyperarid Atacama Desert. In total, three strains of N. ...atacamensis were obtained from independent N. chilensis samples (synonym Prosopis chilensis, Algarrobo). Two strains were obtained from bark samples, while the third strain was obtained from bark-exuded gum from another tree. The novel species was defined using molecular characteristics and subsequently characterized with respect to morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties. A neighbor-joining analysis using the sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene revealed that N. atacamensis clustered with Nakazawaea pomicola. The sequence of N. atacamensis differed from closely related species by 1.3%-5.2% in the D1/D2 domains. A phylogenomic analysis based on single-nucleotide polymorphism's data confirms that the novel species belongs to the genus Nakazawaea, where N. atacamensis clustered with N. peltata. Phenotypic comparisons demonstrated that N. atacamensis exhibited distinct carbon assimilation patterns compared to its related species. Genome sequencing of the strain ATA-11A-B
revealed a genome size of approximately 12.4 Mbp, similar to other Nakazawaea species, with 5116 protein-coding genes annotated using InterProScan. In addition, N. atacamensis exhibited the capacity to ferment synthetic wine must, representing a potential new yeast for mono or co-culture wine fermentations. This comprehensive study expands our understanding of the genus Nakazawaea and highlights the ecological and industrial potential of N. atacamensis in fermentation processes. The holotype of N. atacamensis sp. nov. is CBS 18375
. The Mycobank number is MB 849680.
The Chilean SNASPE is a complex network of 104 protected areas covering 18.5 million hectares of continental and insular Chile in South America. The geographical complexity and high biodiversity of ...the SNASPE make difficult to develop a unified monitoring system for conservation and management. In this contribution, we introduce a novel and remote-sensing web-platform for monitoring SNASPE units based completely in open acces data and software. The platform was designed in close cooperation with the Chilean forest service CONAF in order to make it applicable to the whole SNASPE. Following the framework of the Group on Earth Observation - Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO-BON), we used the Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) Phenology and MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data to detect in near-real-time anomalies from the normal annual phenological cycle of vegetation. The platform is based on a flexible non-parametric probabilistic algorithm (the “npphen” R package) capable to reconstruct any type of leaf phenology and to quantify its inter-annual variation by means of confidence intervals around the most probable annual curve. Phenological anomalies are then calculated as a deviation from the expected annual cycle and judged based on their location within the confidence intervals. Anomalies located above 95% confidence interval trigger a “red alert” which is displayed on the web application as soon as the MODIS data become available. This user-friendly platform was implemented in the La Campana National Park giving early alerts of a severe drought in 2019, warning Conaf to implement actions to protect the park from potential wild fires.
•Performance of a 4-step TSA cycle is further explored by recovery technology.•Unused percentage and metal part have great influence on the real performance.•Heat recovery is conducive to TSA while ...mass recovery is more suitable for VSA.•The up limit of exergy efficiencies using recovery technology could reach 40–45%.
Due to relatively high energy consumption of absorption technology, adsorption carbon dioxide capture is gathering the momentum in recent years. This paper aims to further improve the thermal performance of a 4-step temperature swing adsorption cycle by integrating internal mass recovery and heat recovery. Exergy efficiency is evaluated by using adsorption characteristics of activated carbon and compared in terms of four different situations i.e. basic cycle, heat recovery cycle, mass recovery cycle, heat and mass recovery cycle, which could illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of different recovery technologies. Results demonstrate that heat recovery and mass recovery technologies are quite conducive to improve the up limit of cycle thermal efficiency. Under the conditions of different desorption/adsorption temperatures and pressures, exergy efficiencies using recovery technologies could be improved by up to 2.86 times when compared with that of basic cycle. Besides, in real application unused percentage of adsorption reactor and metal ratio have large influence on the cycle performance while mass recovery rate has a relatively small influence. One potential application of the proposed recovery technologies is direct air capture in building ventilation system since a largest improvement could be achieved at a low carbon dioxide concentration.
We have studied the electronic structure of nanocrystalline NiO thin films, grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering under different experimental conditions, using x-ray absorption spectroscopy. ...The O 1s and Ni 2p spectra showed distinct changes as a function of O2 content in the plasma, which were reproduced with cluster model calculations. These changes are attributed to the incrementing of the surface contribution due to a decrease of the crystallite size as the O2 content in the plasma increases, and to the presence of induced nickel vacancies. Thus, the changes in the electronic structure can be related to the modification of structural and transport properties of these nanocrystalline films.
Paragonimiasis is a food-borne infection caused by several species of the Paragonimus fluke. Clinical manifestations can mimic tuberculosis and contribute to diagnostic delay. We report a cluster of ...paragonimiasis in a community in Ecuador, where active surveillance was set up after detection of the first 2 cases.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The conditions for the formation of 〈100〉 dislocation loops in body-centered cubic (BCC) iron were investigated via molecular dynamics simulations using a simplified model intended to mimic ...conditions in high energy collision cascades, focusing on the possible coherent displacement of atoms at the boundary of a subcascade. We report on the formation of 〈100〉 dislocation loops due to the fast displacement of a few hundred atoms with a coherent acceleration, in agreement with previous results for much larger cascade simulations. We analyze in detail the resulting atomic velocities and pressures, and find that they cannot be described within the usual formalism for a shock regime, since the pressure pulse only lasts less than 1 ps and does not match expected values from a Hugoniot shock. Our simulations include two interatomic potentials: Mendelev, which is extensively used for radiation damage simulations, and Ackland, which has been used for shock simulations because it can reproduce the experimentally observed transition from BCC to hexagonal close-packed structure at around 25 GPa, at high deformation rates. They both show similar evolution of defects, also indicating departure from a shock regime which is extremely different for these potentials.
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