Influence of PLLA/PCL/HA scaffold fiber orientation on mechanical properties and osteoblast behavior

Scaffolds based on aligned and non-aligned poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers obtained by electrospinning, associated to electrosprayed hydroxyapatite (HA) for tissue engineering applications were developed and their performance was compared in terms of their morphology and biological and mechanical behaviors. The morphological results assessed by scanning electron microscopy showed a mesh of PLLA/PCL fibers (random and perfectly aligned) associated with aggregates of nanophased HA. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry confirmed the homogeneity in the blends and the presence of nanoHA in the scaffold. As a result of fiber alignment a 15-fold increase in Young’s Modulus and an 8-fold increase in tensile strength were observed when compared to non-aligned fibers. In PLLA/PCL/HA scaffolds, the introduction of nanoHA caused a remarkable improvement of the mechanical strength of this material acting as a reinforcement, enhancing the response of these constructs to tensile stress. In vitro testing was evaluated using osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cells. The results showed that both fibrous scaffolds were able to support osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation and that fiber alignment induced increased cellular metabolic activity. In addition, the adhesion and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated and a lower number of colony forming units (CFUs) was obtained in the scaffolds with aligned fibers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Planejamento de redes telefonicas : alocação de concentradores, Indicação de centro de fios e localização de estagio de linha remotos

Orientadores : Jurandir Fernando Ribeiro Fernandes; Hermano Medeiros Ferreira TavaresDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de CampinasResumo: Dentre as etapas do planejamento telefônico de longo prazo, aqui não abordadas três delas: A primeira etapa consiste em sugerir pontos para a implantação de novos centros de fios no horizonte de planejamento. Isto ê feito através do programa NUVEM. A segunda etapa é responsável pela localização dos estágios de linha remotos. Tal tarefa é realizada pelo programa ERAH. A terceira etapa verifica a conveniência da instala¬ção de concentradores na rede. Este processo ê feito pelo programa PALCO DINÂMICO em interação com o Programa de Evolução de Cortes de Área (PEOR). Experiências computacionais e resultados obtidos para as três etapas também são relatadasAbstract: The abstract is available with the full electronic documentMestradoMestre em Engenharia Elétric

A Beam Search Method to Solve the Problem of Assignment Cells to Switches in a Cellular Mobile Network

Assigning cells to switches in a cellular mobile network is known as an NP-hard optimization problem. This means that the alternative for the solution of this type of problem is the use of heuristic methods, because they allow the discovery of a good solution in a very satisfactory computational time. This paper proposes a Beam Search method to solve the problem of assignment cell in cellular mobile networks. Some modifications in this algorithm are also presented, which allows its parallel application. Computational results obtained from several tests confirm the effectiveness of this approach and provide good solutions for large scale problems

Scheduling with disjunctive constraints

The job shop scheduling problem consists of determining a sequence of jobs to be processed on each of the available machines such that the schedule time is minimized. The parts are processed in accordance with a prespecified technological ordering and the required processing times of the operations pertaining to each job are known. In this paper we study the job shop scheduling problem in two ways, namely, integer programming and graph theory. A computational program based on graph theory was developed and tested. This program allows us to solve efficiently several examples, despite the non-polynomial nature of the problem studied.O problema de programação de operações em um sistema de produção consiste em determinar a seqüência e o calendário de operações a processar em cada uma das máquinas disponíveis na fábrica, de modo que a duração total de execução da programação seja mínima. As peças são processadas de acordo com roteiros de fabricação fixos e as durações operatórias são conhecidas. Neste artigo, o problema da programação de operações com restrições disjuntivas é estudado mediante duas abordagens: programação inteira e teoria dos grafos. Um programa computacional baseado na teoria dos grafos foi desenvolvido e testado. Esse programa permitiu a resolução eficiente de vários exemplos, apesar do caráter não-polinomial do problema estudado.20422

Problem of assignment cells to switches in a cellular mobile network via beam search method

The problem of assigning cells to switches in a cellular mobile network is an NP-hard optimization problem. So, real size mobile networks could not be solved by using exact methods. The alternative is the use of the heuristic methods, because they allow us to find a good quality solution in a quite satisfactory computational time. This paper proposes a Beam Search method to solve the problem of assignment cell in cellular mobile networks. Some modifications in this algorithm are also presented, which allows its parallel application. Computational results obtained from several tests confirm the effectiveness of this approach to provide good solutions for medium- and large-sized cellular mobile network

Une methode parallele pour le routage dans les reseaux a commutation de paquets

SIGLEAvailable from INIST (FR), Document Supply Service, under shelf-number : T 81662 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Bending characteristics of resin concretes

In this research work the influence of composition and curing conditions in bending strength of polyester and epoxy concrete is analyzed. Various mixtures of resin and aggregates were considered in view of an optimal combination. The Taguchi methodology was applied in order to reduce the number of tests, and in order to evaluate the influence of various parameters in concrete properties. This methodology is very useful for the planning of experiments. Test results, analyzed by this methodology, shown that the most significant factors affecting bending strength properties of resin concretes are the type of resin, resin content and charge content. An optimal formulation leading to a maximum bending strength was achieved in terms of material parameters