Tracking River Flows from Space

Satellite observations, combined with algorithms borrowed from river engineering, could fill large gaps in our knowledge of global river flows where field data are lacking

An experiment of a hydropower conversion system based on vortex-induced vibrations in a confined channel

A hydropower conversion system based on vortex-induced vibrations is investigated experimentally. It consists in a cylinder immerged in a low-velocity flow in a channel (under 1 m/s), which is linked to a variable stiffness spring, so that the natural frequency of the system might be controlled. Current studies report investigations on marine applications. Although rivers or channels constitute a strong energy potential, they are not exploited enough. In this paper, we will investigate the feasibility of such a system implantation in a confined flow in a channel, with important edge effects. We propose a study of the effects of a confined flow on the efficiency of the system. We will highlight feasible improvements, particularly through automatic control strategies (generator behaviour, system's natural frequency). Moreover, we show the strong influence of confinement on the flow topology through velocity field measurements using pulse-pair method

Experimental investigation and performance analysis of Archimedes screw generator

The generation of renewable energy with Archimedes screw generators (ASG) transforming potential energy of fluid flow into mechanical energy is a growing technology suitable for low-head hydraulic sites. This paper presents an improved theoretical model linking screw performance to screw geometry and flow conditions. This model takes into account leakages, friction losses and variable fill levels. The modelled values of torques and efficiencies are in a fairly good agreement with experimental results obtained for a laboratory-scale screw. The downstream screw immersion is shown to impact ASG efficiency and an optimal immersion level is proposed. It has been found that fluid friction on the screw is not negligible. The analysis shows that a single value of the friction coefficient is suitable for modelling the screw performance under various flow conditions. The leakage phenomenon at under-filling flow conditions and friction forces in complex turbulent flows need to be further studied

Vaccination with human anti-trastuzumab anti-idiotype scFv reverses HER2 immunological tolerance and induces tumor immunity in MMTV.f.huHER2(Fo5) mice

International audienceINTRODUCTION: Novel adjuvant therapies are needed to prevent metastatic relapses in HER2-expressing breast cancer. Here, we tested whether trastuzumab-selected single-chain Fv (scFv) could be used to develop an anti-idiotype-based vaccine to inhibit growth of HER2-positive tumor cells in vitro and in vivo through induction of long-lasting HER-specific immunity. METHODS: BALB/c mice were immunized with anti-trastuzumab anti-idiotype (anti-Id) scFv (scFv40 and scFv69), which mimic human HER2. Their sera were assessed for the presence of HER2-specific Ab1' antibodies and for their ability to reduce viability of SK-OV-3 cells, a HER2-positive cancer cell line, in nude mice. MMTV.f.huHER2(Fo5) transgenic mice were immunized with scFv40 and scFv69 and, then, growth inhibition of spontaneous HER2-positive mammary tumors, humoral response, antibody isotype as well as splenocyte secretion of IL2 and IFN-γ were evaluated. RESULTS: Adoptively-transferred sera from BALB/c mice immunized with scFv40 and scFv69 contain anti-HER2 Ab1' antibodies that can efficiently inhibit growth of SK-OV-3 cell tumors in nude mice. Similarly, prophylactic vaccination with anti-Id scFv69 fully protects virgin or primiparous FVB-MMTV.f.huHER2(Fo5) females from developing spontaneous mammary tumors. Moreover, such vaccination elicits an anti-HER2 Ab1' immune response together with a scFv69-specific Th1 response with IL2 and IFN-γ cytokine secretion. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-trastuzumab anti-Id scFv69, used as a therapeutic or prophylactic vaccine, protects mice from developing HER2-positive mammary tumors by inducing both anti-HER2 Ab1' antibody production and an anti-HER2 Th2-dependent immune response. These results suggest that scFv69 could be used as an anti-Id-based vaccine for adjuvant therapy of patients with HER2-positive tumors to reverse immunological tolerance to HER2

Sleep is Just a Bad Habit = Dormir es un mal hábito

Modern architecture is dead. The spirit of modern architecture has evaporated. These two ideas, raised by critics such as Charles Jencks were at one point generally believed to be true. This thesis, in part, explores the ambiguity that exists around these issues and its relationship to my own work. The modern spirit refuses to disappear completely and modern architecture survives in many parts of the world. My work as an artist is not intended as a nostalgic review of these alleged losses; through images borrowed from modernity, through fictional stories, texts and cultural hybrids, my work considers the possible meanings of this hybridized, polluted, yet still desirable modernity. Using these topics, I will discuss the specific research carried out during the development of four installations exhibited over the course of the last two years at Stony Brook University galleries and other venues abroad: the project Sleep Is Just A Bad Habit has strong ties to two projects by Buckminster Fuller and his obsession with progress, time and the future; Closer Than We Think connects futuristic architecture and design from the 50s, 60s and 70s with a circular idea of time and with imagery of the future imagined in those years; the death of modern architecture and the iconic housing project Pruit Igoe by Minoru Yamasaki are the basis for the piece Superbloques in its different versions; Circa 1954 allows me to explore the relationship between text and art after Magritte's Ceci n'est pas une pipe and the idea of authorship and the author's signature. Referecia: Jencks, Charles. What is Post – Modernism? Academy Editions, London, 1986. P. 1