Spazio Europeo della Ricerca, Strategia di Lisbona e il 7° Programma Quadro

Invited Submission

Eigenvalue Placement and Stabilization by Constrained Optimization

A pole placement algorithm is proposed which uses constrained nonlinear optimization techniques on a finite dimensional model of a linear n degree of freedom system. Low order feedback control is assumed where r poles may be assigned; r being the rank of the sensor coefficient matrix. It is shown that by combining feedback control theory methods with optimization techniques, one can ensure the stability characteristics of a system, and can alter its transient response

Pertinencia social y tercera misión en las universidades públicas: una primera comparación entre sus enfoques

El enfoque de la pertinencia social exige a la universidades públicas, el compromiso de coadyuvar al desarrollo de las comunidades locales y situar sus funciones sustantivas en la complejidad y dinamismo del proceso de globalización con el fin de reafirmar su papel científico en la sociedad (Garrocho, 2012). Por su parte, la universidad emprendedora busca la innovación en su trabajo, y a la vez, una transformación sustancial para lograr un mejor posicionamiento futuro (Clark, 1998). El presente estudio lleva a cabo una primera exploración para comparar ambos enfoques. Mediante el estudio del caso del Concurso Emprendedor de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México se describe la relación entre estudiantes, escuela, los sectores sociales y las empresas privadas. Finalmente, se exploran los efectos positivos y negativos de esta clase de interacciones en la actualidad

Analysis of Aeroheating Augmentation due to Reaction Control System Jets on Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

The analysis of effects of the reaction control system jet plumes on aftbody heating of Orion entry capsule is presented. The analysis covered hypersonic continuum part of the entry trajectory. Aerothermal environments at flight conditions were evaluated using Langley Aerothermal Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) code and Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) algorithm code. Results show a marked augmentation of aftbody heating due to roll, yaw and aft pitch thrusters. No significant augmentation is expected due to forward pitch thrusters. Of the conditions surveyed the maximum heat rate on the aftshell is expected when firing a pair of roll thrusters at a maximum deceleration condition

Inter- and intracontinental migrations and local differentiation have shaped the contemporary epidemiological landscape of canine parvovirus in South America

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a fast-evolving single-stranded DNA virus that causes one of the most significant infectious diseasesof dogs. Although the virus dispersed over long distances in the past, current populations are considered to be spatiallyconfined and with only a few instances of migration between specific localities. It is unclear whether these dynamicsoccur in South America where global studies have not been performed. The aim of this study is to analyze the patterns ofgenetic variability in South American CPV populations and explore their evolutionary relationships with global strains.Genomic sequences of sixty-three strains from South America and Europe were generated and analyzed using a phylodynamicapproach. All the obtained strains belong to the CPV-2a lineage and associate with global strains in four monophyleticgroups or clades. European and South American strains from all the countries here analyzed are representative of awidely distributed clade (Eur-I) that emerged in Southern Europe during 1990?98 to later spread to South America in theearly 2000s. The emergence and spread of the Eur-I clade were correlated with a significant rise in the CPV effective populationsize in Europe and South America. The Asia-I clade includes strains from Asia and Uruguay. This clade originated in Asia during the late 1980s and evolved locally before spreading to South America during 2009?10. The third clade (Eur-II)comprises strains from Italy, Brazil, and Ecuador. This clade appears in South America as a consequence of an early introductionfrom Italy to Ecuador in the middle 1980s and has experienced extensive local genetic differentiation. Some strainsfrom Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil constitute an exclusive South American clade (SA-I) that emerged in Argentina in the1990s. These results indicate that the current epidemiological scenario is a consequence of inter- and intracontinentalmigrations of strains with different geographic and temporal origins that set the conditions for competition and local differentiationof CPV populations. The coexistence and interaction of highly divergent strains are the main responsible for thedrastic epidemiological changes observed in South America in the last two decades. This highlights the threat of invasionfrom external sources and the importance of whole-genome resolution to robustly infer the origin and spread of new CPVvariants. From a taxonomic standpoint, the findings herein show that the classification system that uses a single aminoacid to identify variants (2a, 2b, and 2c) within the CPV-2a lineage does not reflect phylogenetic relationships and is not suitableto analyze CPV evolution. In this regard, the identification of clades or sublineages within circulating CPV strains is thefirst step towards a genetic and evolutionary classification of the virus.Fil: Grecco, Sofia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Iraola, Gregorio. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Decaro, Nicola. Università degli Studi di Bari; ItaliaFil: Alfieri, Alice. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Alfieri, Amauri. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Gallo Calderon, Marina Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología "Dr. César Milstein". Fundación Pablo Cassará. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología "Dr. César Milstein"; ArgentinaFil: da Silva, Ana Paula. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Name, Daniela. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Aldaz, Jaime. Universidad Estatal de Bolivar; EcuadorFil: Calleros, Lucia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Marandino, Ana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Gonzalo, Tomas. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; Urugua

Decision analytic model for evaluation of suspected coronary disease with stress testing and coronary CT angiography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to apply a decision analytic model for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) to define the optimal utilization of coronary computed tomographic angiography (cCTA) and stress testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model tested in this study assumes that CAD is evaluated with a stress test and/or cCTA and that a patient with positive evaluation results undergoes cardiac catheterization. On the basis of values of sensitivity, specificity, and radiation dose from the published literature and test costs from the Medicare fee schedule, a decision tree model was constructed as a function of disease prevalence. RESULTS: The false-negative rate is lowest when cCTA is used as an isolated test. The false-positive rate is minimized when cCTA is used in combination with stress echocardiography. Effective radiation is minimized by use of stress electrocardiography or stress echocardiography alone or prior to cCTA. When the pretest probability of CAD is low, a strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA minimizes the false-positive rate and effective radiation exposure, with relatively low imaging costs and with a false-negative rate only slightly higher than a strategy including stress myocardial scintigraphy. As the pretest probability of CAD increases above 20%, the false-negative rate of stress echocardiography followed by cCTA increases by \u3e5% relative to cCTA alone. CONCLUSION: Effective radiation dose and imaging costs for the workup of CAD may be minimized by an appropriate combination of stress testing and cCTA. A strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA is most appropriate for the evaluation of low-risk patients with CAD with a pretest probability \u3c 20%, while cCTA alone may be more appropriate in intermediate-risk patients

Substrate Suppression of Thermal Roughness in Stacked Supported Bilayers

We have fabricated a stack of five 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) bilayers supported on a polished silicon substrate in excess water. The density profile of these stacks normal to the substrate was obtained through analysis of x-ray reflectivity. Near the substrate, we find the layer roughness and repeat spacing are both significantly smaller than values found in bulk multilayer systems. The reduced spacing and roughness result from suppression of lateral fluctuations due to the flat substrate boundary. The layer spacing decrease then occurs due to reduced Helfrich repulsion.This work was partially supported by NSF Grants No. DMR-0706369 and No. DMR-0706665. Use of the Advanced Photon Sourcewas supported by theUSDepartment of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. SKS and ANP wish to acknowledge support from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy, via Grant No. DE-FG02- 04ER46173. We would also like to thank Suresh Narayanan for his support of the experimental work at Sector 8-ID