60,147 research outputs found
Study on the performance enhancement of biomedical implants: in vitro test under UV irradiation of titanium anodised in mixed electrolyte
Titanium (Ti) recently has widely been used in the biomedical applications due to its
high performance. Therefore, surface modifications of titanium have attracted a lot of
interest to provide better osseointegration. Ti was subjected to anodic oxidation
process and in vitro testing to assess the bioactivity of titanium oxide (TiO2) coating.
TiO2 coating has been anodised at room temperature in different electrolyte; in
sulphuric acid (H2SO4); phosphoric acid (H3PO4); and a mixture of H2SO4 and H3PO4
acids. The parameters used in anodization were: concentration of the electrolytes,
applied voltage and current density. The coated surface is then evaluated using
different testing techniques; the microstructure using scanning electron microscope
(SEM); the elemental analysis using Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX);
mineralogical and crystal structure using x-ray diffraction (XRD); absorption analysis
using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR); and the hydrophilicity using
water contact angle (WCA). TiO2 was then subjected in vitro testing to assess the
bioactivity of TiO2 surface; that is the apatite formation ability. The apatite formation
of the TiO2 coating was precipitated by using simulated body fluid (SBF) in the dark
and under the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to mimic the reactions that may occur with
the human bone-like cells layer. The testing was done to evaluate the apatiteâs
microstructure, mineralogy, elements and absorption. From the results it was found
that higher apatite was obtained with the increased of the immersion time; higher
apatite formation and crystallization was found at earlier time of immersion for the
TiO2 that was immersed in SBF under the UV; higher apatite was obtained on the TiO2
coatings that were anodised in H2SO4, H3PO4 and mixture electrolyte at lower
electrolyte concentration. The increased apatite on these coatings can be related to the
strong Ti-O- functional groups on the coating surface. The highest apatite was obtained
on the TiO2 coating that was anodised in a mixture electrolyte that has obtained Ti-OH
functional group. The UV has resulted in the increased Ti-O- and Ti-OH groups, thus
higher apatite precipitation ability
Launch of the Ethiopian Digital AgroClimate Advisory Platform (EDACaP) Progress Report on EDACaP Development and Hosting
This brief outlines progress achieved with the establishment of the Ethiopian Digital AgroClimate Advisory Platform (EDACaP) under the CCAFS project P263 (Regional and national engagement, synthesis and strategic research) with support from P1605 (Capacitating African Stakeholders with Climate Advisories and Insurance Development). EDACaP aims to build farmers' resilience through agro-climate advisories that digitally integrate climate, soil, crop and agronomic data and are delivered through SMS, IVRS and radio to development agents and farmers in local languages. It builds on a partnership between the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the National Meteorological Agency, CIAT, ILRI, CIMMYT with additional support from ICRISAT, IRI, and University of Florida
The Digital Anatomist Information System and Its Use in the Generation and Delivery of Web-Based Anatomy Atlases
Advances in network and imaging technology, coupled with the availability of 3-D datasets
such as the Visible Human, provide a unique opportunity for developing information systems
in anatomy that can deliver relevant knowledge directly to the clinician, researcher or educator. A software framework is described for developing such a system within a distributed architecture that includes spatial and symbolic anatomy information resources, Web and custom servers, and authoring and end-user client programs. The authoring tools have been used to create 3-D atlases of the brain, knee and thorax that are used both locally and throughout the world. For the one and a half year period from June 1995âJanuary 1997, the on-line atlases were accessed by over 33,000 sites from 94 countries, with an average of over 4000 ââhitsââ per day, and 25,000 hits per day during peak exam periods. The atlases have been linked to by over 500 sites, and have received at least six unsolicited awards by outside rating institutions. The flexibility of the software framework has allowed the information system to evolve with advances in technology and representation methods. Possible new features include knowledge-based image retrieval and tutoring, dynamic generation of 3-D scenes, and eventually, real-time virtual reality navigation through the body. Such features, when coupled with other on-line biomedical information resources, should lead to interesting new ways for
managing and accessing structural information in medicine
A Schematic Framework to Assess Mini Hydro Potentials in the Italian Regional Energy and Environmental Plans
In compliance with EU legislation (Directive 2009/28/EC, that establishes for each Member State a target calculated according to the share of energy from renewable sources in its gross final consumption to 2020) and Italian regulatory framework (DM 15/03/12- Burden Sharing, that defines the regional objectives regarding renewable sources), each Italian Region must develop its own Regional Energy and Environmental Plan (PEAR). In order to promote the renewable energy sources (RES) production and to achieve a better energy efficiency use, the PEARS should propose to adopt a distributed multi generation (DMG) strategy.
The main aim of this paper is a preliminary assessment of mini hydro potential and perspectives (P <1 MW) in Italian PEARS. Mini hydro is a mature and developed technology in Italy, and it represents a valiant opportunity for both local territories and the whole national system. Furthermore, thanks to its small size (low economic investment and environmental impact) and its versatility, it has the characteristics for a long-term development with direct industrial implications (i.e. energy cooperative and short supply chain). Specifically, the PEARS of four Regions were analysed, identifying the different information about mini hydro and comparing characteristics and potential.
The results obtained are summarized in a schematic framework useful to draw a preliminary PEARS guideline that indicates strategies and policies, harmonizing public and private initiatives and structuring a local-scale economy through a mini hydro based DMG
From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet
This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communitiesâ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)
An investigation of TNAV equipped aircraft in a simulated en route metering environment
This document presents the results of an effort to estimate how often a TNAV (Time Navigation) equipped aircraft could be given a TNAV clearance in the En Route Metering (ERM) system as a function of the percentage of arriving traffic which is TNAV equipped. A fast-time simulation of Denver Stapleton international arrival traffic in the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center route structure, including en route metering operations, was used to develop data on estimated conflicts, clearance communications and fuel usage for traffic mixes of 25, 50, 75 and 100% TNAV equipped. This study supports an overall effort by NASA to assess the benefits and required technology for using TNAV-equipped aircraft in the ERM environment
AAA architectures applied in multi-domain IMS (IP multimedia subsystem)
There is a group of communication services that use\ud
resources from multiple domains in order to deliver their service.\ud
Authorization of the end-user is important for such services,\ud
because several domains are involved. There are no current\ud
solutions for delivering authentication, authorization and\ud
accounting (AAA) to multi-domain services. In our study we\ud
present two architectures for the delivery of AAA to such\ud
services. The architectures are analyzed on their qualitative\ud
aspects. A result of this analysis is that direct interconnection of\ud
AAA servers is an effective architectural solution. In current\ud
multi-domain IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architectures,\ud
direct interconnection of AAA servers, such as the Home\ud
Subscriber Servers (HSS), is not yet possible. In this paper we\ud
argue and recommend to extend the IMS specification by adding\ud
a new interface to HSS in order to support the direct\ud
interconnection of HSS/AAA servers located in different IMS\ud
administrative domains
Financial Development in Emerging Markets: The Indian Experience
Financial markets that function well are crucial for the long-run economic growth of a country. This paper, in the first instance, looks at how the financial development of an economy can be measured. It then traces the financial development of India through the 1990s to the present, assessing the development of each segment of financial markets. In doing so, it highlights the dualistic development of the financial sector. Finally, the paper makes an attempt to offer an explanation of this dualistic development and proposes a road map for the future development of financial markets in India.financial development; india financial development; india financial sector; india financial markets; emerging market economies; india economic growth
Development of Integrative Bioinformatics Applications using Cloud Computing resources and Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS).
Use of semantic web abstractions, in particular of domain neural Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS), to manage distributed, cloud based, integrative bioinformatics infrastructure. This presentation derives from recent publication:

Almeida JS, Deus HF, Maass W. (2010) S3DB core: a framework for RDF generation and management in bioinformatics infrastructures. BMC Bioinformatics. 2010 Jul 20;11(1):387. [PMID 20646315].

These PowerPoint slides were presented at Semantic Web Applications and Tools for Life Sciences December 10th, 2010, Berlin, Germany (http://www.swat4ls.org/2010/progr.php), keynote 9-10 am
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