Fabrication of SiO2 glass fibres by thermoplastic extrusion

The fabrication of silica glass fibres by thermoplastie extrusion of nanosize and micron SiO2 powders has been investigated. The powders were mixed with a binder system, compounded for 3 h at 150 °C, and finally extruded through a die with a 500 μm-diameter die land. After debinding the green fibres at 500 °C, these were sintered for 1 h at 1100°C under air to yield glassy and crack-free silica fibres with a final diameter of 400 μm. The effect of the two different particle size distributions as well as the influence of varying powder loading (between 38 and 58 vol.%) on the rheological properties of the feedstocks were analysed using capillary rheometry. The debinding and sintering behaviour was also investigated using mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermal gravimetrie analysis and dilatometry

Defective function of leukocytes from cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus, and the influence of recombinant cytokines

Cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus have decreased neutrophil and lymphocyte functions. We reevaluated these functions and further characterized the inhibition of persistent BVD virus infection in neutrophils, using sensitive kinetic assays. In addition, the influence of in vitro incubation of neutrophils with recombinant bovine interferon gamma (~IloIFN gamma) and in vitro incubation of lymphocytes with recombinant bovine interleukin-2 was evaluated

Alteration of Neutrophil Function in BCG-Treated and Non-Treated Swine after Exposure to Salmonella typhimurium

Salmonella typhimurium infection in swine causes an enterocolitis followed by a persistent carrier state, but little is known about the mechanisms that allow this organism to colonize and persist in host tissues. Neutrophils provide a first line of defense against invading pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium. The purpose of this study was to evaluate porcine neutrophil function after in vivo exposure to Salmonella and to determine if the immunomodulator, bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), exerts any effect on neutrophil function or on the colonization and persistence of S. typhimurium in the pig. Compared to negative controls, neutrophils from pigs exposed to S. typhimurium exhibited significantly decreased iodination, cytochrome-C reduction, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, random migration, and chemotaxis (P≤0.05). Neutrophil bactericidal activity against S. typhimurium was significantly enhanced. Most of the significant differences were noted in the first two days after exposure to Salmonella. Often the functional alterations were biphasic, peaking again 7–10 days after exposure. BCG alone significantly depressed random migration and cytochrome-C reduction in unstimulated neutrophils. The clinical course, colonization pattern, and persistence of Salmonella were similar between pigs receiving BCG and untreated pigs. These data suggest that S. typhimurium infection causes a depression in oxidative metabolism and motility, yet an increase in overall bactericidal activity against S. typhimurium in circulating porcine neutrophils. It also appears that BCG treatment, as reported here, does not enhance resistance of pigs to S. typhimurium colonization or reduce the number of persistent organisms in the porcine ileum

Impact of synthesis conditions on the morphology and crystal structure of tungsten nitride nanomaterials

Nanocrystalline tungsten nitride (WN$_{x}$) aggregates and nanosheets are synthesized with a new alkylamine-based synthesis strategy for potential applications in nanoelectronics and catalysis. These applications preferentially require crystalline materials with controlled morphology, which has been rarely demonstrated for WN$_{x}$ nanomaterials in the past. In the synthesis approach presented in this work, the morphology of nanoscale WN$_{x}$ is controlled by long-chained amines that form lyotropic or lamellar phases depending on the surfactant concentration. The structural and chemical properties of the WN$_{x}$ nanomaterials are studied in detail using different electron microscopic techniques in combination with electron spectroscopic analyses. Material synthesis and sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed in an argon atmosphere (Schlenk line and glovebox). The samples were inserted into the electron microscope via an air-tight TEM transfer holder to protect the material from hydrolysis and oxidation. From the lyotropic phase nanocrystalline WN$_{x}$ aggregates were obtained, which consist of 2.4 ± 0.8 nm small crystallites of the cubic WN$_{x}$ phase with a composition of WN$_{0.7}$. The lamellar phase with a higher surfactant concentration yields WNx nanosheets with lateral dimensions up to 500 nm and a mean thickness of 2.1 ± 1.1 nm. The nanosheets are N rich with a composition WN$_{1.7–3.7}$ and occur in the hexagonal crystal structure. The nanosheets are often stacked on top of one another with frequent rotations of 4–6° around the hexagonal c axis, thereby forming commensurate interface structures between nanosheets. High stacking-fault densities and signs of nanotwins can be repeatedly observed in WN$_{x}$ nanosheets

Reproducible computational biology experiments with SED-ML - The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language

Background: The increasing use of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research creates new challenges to annotate, archive, share and reproduce such experiments. The recently published Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) proposes a minimal set of information that should be provided to allow the reproduction of simulation experiments among users and software tools. Results: In this article, we present the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML). SED-ML encodes in a computer-readable exchange format the information required by MIASE to enable reproduction of simulation experiments. It has been developed as a community project and it is defined in a detailed technical specification and additionally provides an XML schema. The version of SED-ML described in this publication is Level 1 Version 1. It covers the description of the most frequent type of simulation experiments in the area, namely time course simulations. SED-ML documents specify which models to use in an experiment, modifications to apply on the models before using them, which simulation procedures to run on each model, what analysis results to output, and how the results should be presented. These descriptions are independent of the underlying model implementation. SED-ML is a software-independent format for encoding the description of simulation experiments; it is not specific to particular simulation tools. Here, we demonstrate that with the growing software support for SED-ML we can effectively exchange executable simulation descriptions. Conclusions: With SED-ML, software can exchange simulation experiment descriptions, enabling the validation and reuse of simulation experiments in different tools. Authors of papers reporting simulation experiments can make their simulation protocols available for other scientists to reproduce the results. Because SED-ML is agnostic about exact modeling language(s) used, experiments covering models from different fields of research can be accurately described and combined

Embodied Digital Technologies: First Insights in the Social and Legal Perception of Robots and Users of Prostheses

New bionic technologies and robots are becoming increasingly common in workspaces and private spheres. It is thus crucial to understand concerns regarding their use in social and legal terms and the qualities they should possess to be accepted as 'co-workers'. Previous research in these areas used the Stereotype Content Model to investigate, for example, attributions of Warmth and Competence towards people who use bionic prostheses, cyborgs, and robots. In the present study, we propose to differentiate the Warmth dimension into the dimensions of Sociability and Morality to gain deeper insight into how people with or without bionic prostheses are perceived. In addition, we extend our research to the perception of robots. Since legal aspects need to be considered if robots are expected to be 'co-workers', for the first time, we also evaluated current perceptions of robots in terms of legal aspects. We conducted two studies: In Study 1, participants rated visual stimuli of individuals with or without disabilities and low- or high-tech prostheses, and robots of different levels of Anthropomorphism in terms of perceived Competence, Sociability, and Morality. In Study 2, participants rated robots of different levels of Anthropomorphism in terms of perceived Competence, Sociability, and Morality, and additionally, Legal Personality, and Decision-Making Authority. We also controlled for participants' personality. Results showed that attributions of Competence and Morality varied as a function of the technical sophistication of the prostheses. For robots, Competence attributions were negatively related to Anthropomorphism. Perception of Sociability, Morality, Legal Personality, and Decision-Making Authority varied as functions of Anthropomorphism. Overall, this study contributes to technological design, which aims to ensure high acceptance and minimal undesirable side effects, both with regard to the application of bionic instruments and robotics. Additionally, first insights into whether more anthropomorphized robots will need to be considered differently in terms of legal practice are given