Model for illuminance produced by LEDs as a function of distance

CIE 2015, Manchester/UK, June 28 - July 4, 2015; http://session2015.cie.co.at/The lighting industry has experienced a revolution with the arrival of novel lighting technologies in particular Light Emitting Diodes. LEDs have clear advantages in energy efficiency over conventional lighting technologies, and since 19 % of electricity worldwide is used for lighting, this can contribute significantly to saving energy problems worldwide and contributing to Europe¿s 2020 strategy. In order to validate performance claims and stimulate user confidence, as well as facilitate efficient development of this kind of products, dedicated metrology is needed. The objective of this work was to study goniometrical aspects of LEDs, and their dependence with distance to find a model to predict the illuminance at any distance. A modified inverse-square law model, considering only the offset of the LED virtual source with respect to their front tip is proposed. The applicability of the method was tested for 18 LED¿s types, with different angular and spectral distributions.This work was accomplished within the EMRP ENG05 Project “Metrology for Solid State Lighting”. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union. The authors are also grateful to Comunidad de Madrid for funding the project SINFOTON-CM: S2013/MIT-2790Peer Reviewe

Parámetros relevantes en el estudio de la no-linealidad de fotodiodos

OPTOEL 2015, Salamanca 13 a 15 de julio de 2015; http://optoel2015.usal.es/El comportamiento lineal en la respuesta de un fotodiodo es una condición fundamental en medidas radiométricas, espectrofotométricas y de radiación pulsada o continua. Por tanto, se requiere que la respuesta eléctrica del fotodiodo sea proporcional al flujo radiante incidente y que se mantenga estable en el tiempo y en un rango de irradiancia. Sin embargo, diversas medidas publicadas evidencian una falta de linealidad dependiente de la estructura interna del fotodiodo, de la potencia y del tamaño del haz incidente. Este trabajo, para caracterizar la no-linealidad en la respuesta de fotodiodos como función de estos mismos factores, adopta el modelo de eficiencia cuántica interna desarrollado por Ferrero et al. en el Instituto de Óptica (CSIC). Además, mediante simulaciones para distintos supuestos, evalúa la influencia de cada parámetro en la no-linealidad de respuesta comparando resultados de las simulaciones con datos experimentales seleccionados en una recopilación bibliográfica.Los autores agradecen al EMRP la subvención del proyecto NEWSTAR. El programa EMRP está financiado conjuntamente por los países de EURAMET participantes y la Unión Europea.Peer Reviewe

Intravenous delivery of adeno-associated virus 9-encoded IGF-1Ea propeptide improves post-infarct cardiac remodelling

The insulin-like growth factor Ea propeptide (IGF-1Ea) is a powerful enhancer of cardiac muscle growth and regeneration, also blocking age-related atrophy and beneficial in multiple skeletal muscle diseases. The therapeutic potential of IGF-1Ea compared with mature IGF-1 derives from its local action in the area of synthesis. We have developed an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector for IGF-1Ea delivery to the heart to treat mice after myocardial infarction and examine the reparative effects of local IGF-1Ea production on left ventricular remodelling. A cardiotropic AAV9 vector carrying a cardiomyocyte-specific IGF-1Ea-luciferase bi-cistronic gene expression cassette (AAV9.IGF-1Ea) was administered intravenously to infarcted mice, 5 h after ischemia followed by reperfusion (I/R), as a model of myocardial infarction. Virally encoded IGF-1Ea in the heart improved global left ventricular function and remodelling, as measured by wall motion and thickness, 28 days after delivery, with higher viral titers yielding better improvement. The present study demonstrates that single intravenous AAV9-mediated IGF-1Ea Gene Therapy represents a tissue-targeted therapeutic approach to prevent the adverse remodelling after myocardial infarct

Medida de goniofluorescencia en materiales fotoluminiscentes

1 pág.; 1 fig.; XI Reunión Nacional de Óptica, Salamanca, 1-4 Septiembre de 2015; http://rno11.usal.es/Se ha medido la función de distribución de la luminiscencia bidireccional (BLDF) para seis patrones de fluorescencia bajo diferentes geometrías de observación y detección. Estas medidas se realizaron con el gonioespectrofotómetro GEFE, usando iluminación monocromática y un espectrorradiómetro como detector. Se encontró que, en general, que la forma en que variaba la fluorescencia era la misma para todo patrón y dirección de irradiación: variación simétrica con el ángulo de detección (¿d) respecto a ¿d=0º.Peer Reviewe

Discrete molecular dynamics simulations of peptide aggregation

We study the aggregation of peptides using the discrete molecular dynamics simulations. At temperatures above the alpha-helix melting temperature of a single peptide, the model peptides aggregate into a multi-layer parallel beta-sheet structure. This structure has an inter-strand distance of 0.48 nm and an inter-sheet distance of 1.0 nm, which agree with experimental observations. In this model, the hydrogen bond interactions give rise to the inter-strand spacing in beta-sheets, while the Go interactions among side chains make beta-strands parallel to each other and allow beta-sheets to pack into layers. The aggregates also contain free edges which may allow for further aggregation of model peptides to form elongated fibrils.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Portable magnetic resonance imaging of patients indoors, outdoors and at home

Mobile medical imaging devices are invaluable for clinical diagnostic purposes both in and outside healthcare institutions. Among the various imaging modalities, only a few are readily portable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the gold standard for numerous healthcare conditions, does not traditionally belong to this group. Recently, low-field MRI start-up companies have demonstrated the first decisive steps towards portability within medical facilities, but these are so far incompatible with more demanding use cases such as in remote and developing regions, sports facilities and events, medical and military camps, or home healthcare. Here we present in vivo images taken with a light, home-made, low-field extremity MRI scanner outside the controlled environment provided by medical facilities. To demonstrate the true portability of the system and benchmark its performance in various relevant scenarios, we have acquired images of a volunteer's knee in: i) an MRI physics laboratory; ii) an office room; iii) outside a campus building, connected to a nearby power outlet; iv) in open air, powered from a small fuel-based generator; and v) at the volunteer's home. All images have been acquired within clinically viable times, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and tissue contrast suffice for 2D and 3D reconstructions with diagnostic value, with comparable overall image quality across all five situations. Furthermore, the volunteer carries a fixation metallic implant screwed to the femur, which leads to strong artifacts in standard clinical systems but appears sharp in our low-field acquisitions. Altogether, this work opens a path towards highly accessible MRI under circumstances previously unrealistic.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, comments welcom

Association between serum soluble CD40 ligand levels and mortality in patients with severe sepsis

INTRODUCTION: CD40 Ligand (CD40L) and its soluble counterpart (sCD40L) are proteins that exhibit prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties on binding to their cell surface receptor CD40. The results of small clinical studies suggest that sCD40L levels could play a role in sepsis; however, there are no data on the association between sCD40L levels and mortality of septic patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether circulating sCD40L levels could be a marker of adverse outcome in a large cohort of patients with severe sepsis. METHODS: This was a multicenter, observational and prospective study carried out in six Spanish intensive care units. Serum levels of sCD40L, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10, and plasma levels of tissue factor were measured in 186 patients with severe sepsis at the time of diagnosis. Serum sCD40L was also measured in 50 age- and sex-matched controls. Survival at 30 days was used as the endpoint. RESULTS: Circulating sCD40L levels were significantly higher in septic patients than in controls (P = 0.01), and in non-survivors (n = 62) compared to survivors (n = 124) (P = 0.04). However, the levels of CD40L were not different regarding sepsis severity. Logistic regression analysis showed that sCD40L levels >3.5 ng/mL were associated with higher mortality at 30 days (odds ratio = 2.89; 95% confidence interval = 1.37 to 6.07; P = 0.005). The area under the curve of sCD40L levels >3.5 ng/mL as predictor of mortality at 30 days was 0.58 (95% CI = 0.51 to 0.65; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, circulating sCD40L levels are increased in septic patients and are independently associated with mortality in these patients; thus, its modulation could represent an attractive therapeutic target