Spatial Evolution of Resonant Harmonic Mode Triads in a Blasius Boundary Layer

Blasius boundary layer evolution is studies by means of bicoherence calculations. The layer is acoustically excited at the T-S frequency to provide a controlled transition. Measurements are made using a smooth surface as well as various roughness patterns. The bicoherence calculations are used to determine the extent to which frequency resonant velocity fluctuation waves can participate in energy exchange. The emphasis is on downstream variation of the individual interactions among harmonic modes. A limited picture of the role of quadratic wave interactions is revealed

Na busca de um espaço de sustentabilidade: um estudo empirico da aplicaçao da melhoria continua de processos em governos municipais espanhóis

Os governos locais tambem nao tem permanecido isentos das mudanças que tem sofrido o entorno global dos negócios. Inclusive, alguns governos municipais espanhóis, desde principios dos anos noventa, tem aplicado aproximaçoes gerenciais tais como a Melhoria Continua de Processos (MCP), com o objetivo de melhorar seus processos e serviços públicos. Baseado no contexto anterior, a pergunta de pesquisa que rege este estudo é: Como as Administraçoes Locais podem sustentar a Melhoria Continua de Processos?  Emergem desta pesquisa um conjunto de etapas e niveis evolutivos resultado da aplicaçao da MCP assim como, um esquema conceitual em forma de fotografia fixa sintetica -o espaço de sustentabilidade-, que nos mostra os elementos necessarios para sustentar a MCP no decorrer dos anos.Les gouvernements locaux n'ont pas ete exempts des changements de l'environnement global du monde des affaires. De fail, certaines municipalités espagnoles ont applique, á partir des années 90, des approches de gestion telles que I'amelioration continuelle de procedures ("Mejora Continua de Procésos (MCP)"), dans Ie but d'ameliorer les procedures el services publiques. Sur base de ce contexte, la question posee par cette recherche est la suivante: Commenlles Administrations Locales peuvent-elles soutenir l'Amélioration Continuelle de Procedures? Un ensemble d'etapes et de niveaux d'evolulions emergent de cette recherche, en tant que resultat de l'application de l'amelioration continuelle de procedures, airlsi qu'un schema conceptuel sous forme de photographie synlhelique fixe -espace de durabilité-, qui nous montre les elemerlls necessaires pour soutenir l'amelioration continuelle de procedures au cours des années.Los gobiernos locales no han estado exentos de los cambios que ha surtido el entorno global de los negocios. De hecho, algunos ayuntamientos españoles desde principios de los años noventa del siglo pasado han aplicado aproximaciones gerenciales tales como la mejora continua de procesos (Mep), con el fin de mejorar sus procesos y servicios públicos. Con base en el contexto anterior, la pregunta de investigación que rige este estudio es: ¿Cómo pueden las administraciones locales sostener la mejora continua de procesos?Emergen de esta investigación un conjunto de etapas y niveles evolutivos, resultado de la aplicación de la Mep, est como un esquema conceptual en forma de fotografía fija sintética el espacio de sostenibilidad-, que muestra los elementos necesarios para sostener la MCP a 10 largo de los años.Local governments have not been exempt from the changes which the global business setting has suffered. In fact, some Spanish town/city councils have been applying managerial approaches such as ongoing process improvement (OPI) since the start of the 1990s to improve their public processes and services, based on the foregoing context.  The research question governing this study has been. How can local administrations sustain OPI?A set of evolutionary stages and levels emerged from this investigatiorl resulting from applyirlg OPI, such as a conceptual scheme for fixed synthetic photography (the space for sustainability) showing the necessary elemerlts for sustaining OPI throughout the years

Resistance Curves in the Tensile and Compressive Longitudinal Failure of Composites

This paper presents a new methodology to measure the crack resistance curves associated with fiber-dominated failure modes in polymer-matrix composites. These crack resistance curves not only characterize the fracture toughness of the material, but are also the basis for the identification of the parameters of the softening laws used in the analytical and numerical simulation of fracture in composite materials. The method proposed is based on the identification of the crack tip location by the use of Digital Image Correlation and the calculation of the J-integral directly from the test data using a simple expression derived for cross-ply composite laminates. It is shown that the results obtained using the proposed methodology yield crack resistance curves similar to those obtained using FEM-based methods in compact tension carbon-epoxy specimens. However, it is also shown that the Digital Image Correlation based technique can be used to extract crack resistance curves in compact compression tests for which FEM-based techniques are inadequate

A Smartphone-Based Tool for Rapid, Portable, and Automated Wide-Field Retinal Imaging.

Purpose:High-quality, wide-field retinal imaging is a valuable method for screening preventable, vision-threatening diseases of the retina. Smartphone-based retinal cameras hold promise for increasing access to retinal imaging, but variable image quality and restricted field of view can limit their utility. We developed and clinically tested a smartphone-based system that addresses these challenges with automation-assisted imaging. Methods:The system was designed to improve smartphone retinal imaging by combining automated fixation guidance, photomontage, and multicolored illumination with optimized optics, user-tested ergonomics, and touch-screen interface. System performance was evaluated from images of ophthalmic patients taken by nonophthalmic personnel. Two masked ophthalmologists evaluated images for abnormalities and disease severity. Results:The system automatically generated 100° retinal photomontages from five overlapping images in under 1 minute at full resolution (52.3 pixels per retinal degree) fully on-phone, revealing numerous retinal abnormalities. Feasibility of the system for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening using the retinal photomontages was performed in 71 diabetics by masked graders. DR grade matched perfectly with dilated clinical examination in 55.1% of eyes and within 1 severity level for 85.2% of eyes. For referral-warranted DR, average sensitivity was 93.3% and specificity 56.8%. Conclusions:Automation-assisted imaging produced high-quality, wide-field retinal images that demonstrate the potential of smartphone-based retinal cameras to be used for retinal disease screening. Translational Relevance:Enhancement of smartphone-based retinal imaging through automation and software intelligence holds great promise for increasing the accessibility of retinal screening

Estudio del fenómeno de adsorción reversa en mezclas binarias considerando tamaño e interacciones laterales

Se ha observado en la adsorción de mezclas sobre superficies homogéneas que en algunos sistemas cuando se aumenta la presión una especie desplaza a otra, quedando en ocasiones sólo una de ellas presente en la superficie, esto es el fenómeno de adsorción reversa (Adsorption Preference Reversal). Este fenómeno se ha estudiado por un lado haciendo hincapié en las interacciones laterales entre moléculas adsorbidas, por medio de matriz transferencia1,2, simulación de Monte Carlo y campo medio3. Por otro lado en un trabajo posterior se estudió el mismo fenómeno considerando una mezcla k-mero/r-mero (partículas que ocupan k (r) sitios de adsorción consecutivos), mediante el cálculo exacto en una dimensión, y se mostró que si se consideraban los distintos tamaños de las moléculas, el mismo ocurría incluso sin energía de interacción lateral4. En dos dimensiones no existe solución exacta a este problema por lo que ha sido necesario proponer diversas aproximaciones5, éstas describen la adsorción de mezclas de k-meros/r-meros teniendo en cuenta el tamaño, pero la influencia de las interacciones laterales fue introducida sólo mediante la aproximación de Bragg-Williams (campo medio). En este trabajo avanzamos sobre este problema mediante la aproximación cuasi-química para mezclas kmero/r-mero con interacciones laterales atractivas y repulsivas. Se analizan las isotermas de adsorción y el cruce de isotermas parciales, dando una descripción tanto de la influencia de las interacciones laterales como del tamaño de las especies.Fil: Buchini Labayen, A. C.. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Davila, Mara Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich"; ArgentinaFil: Pasinetti, Pedro Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich"; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez Pastor, Antonio Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich"; ArgentinaVIII Encuentro de Física y Química de SuperficiesSan LuisArgentinaUniversidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés ZgrablichUniversidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Departamento de MatemáticaUniversidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Químic

Campañas altimétricas de calibración del Topex y Jason-1 en el Mediterráneo Occidental

Se describen las campañas de calibracion altimétrica realizadas en el Mediterráneo Occidental por la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña con el soporte del Instituto Cartográfico de Cataluña, el Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada y por Puertos del Estado principalmente. Se realizaron tres experiencias en el Cabo de Begur para calibracion altimétrica y mapeo del geoide marino realizadas en 1999, 2000 y 2002. Calibración absoluta directa estimando el bias del Alt‐B del Topex fue realizada durante el overflight del satelite usando boyas GPS. Una contribución española a las experiencias de calibración ha sido el diseño de las Boyas y Catamarán GPS teniendo en cuenta diseños previos de la Universidad de Boulder en Colorado y las de Senetosa/Capraia. Una campaña mas fue realizada en Junio de 2003 en el area de la Isla de Ibiza. Se utilizaron cinco estaciones GPS de referencia localizadas en Ibiza, San Antonio y Portinax, y por dos mareógrafos georeferenciados situados en los puertos de Ibiza y San Antonio. Una calibración directa adicional fue realizada el 14 de Junio. Otro objetivo importante era obtener el perfil de la Superficie Media Marina a lo largo de las trazas del T/P o Jason‐1 con boyas/catamarán GPS. Mapear la superficie marina para la calibración altimetrica indirecta tiene la ventaja de permitir la calibración de cualquier radar que cruce el area estudiada pero, en cambio, la desventaja es reduce la precision de la estimación del bias. Se tiene prevista una nueva campaña a realizar en la misma zona aproximadamente siguiendo las trazas de los atélites Jason‐2 y Altika con lanzamiento previsto en 2011 que permitirá obtener datos altimétricos en zonas róximas a la costa. Three Begur Cape experiences on radar altimeter calibration and marine geoid mapping made on 1999, 2000 and 2002 are overviewed. One campaign has also been made in June 2003 at the Ibiza island area. Direct absolute calibration estimating the Topex Alt‐B bias was performed during the satellite overflight by using GPS buoys. The advantage of that method is that neither geoid modelling nor tidal error is needed. Other main objective was to map the profile of the Mean Sea Surface (mss) along the closest T/P and Jason‐1 groundtrack. Mapping the marine surface for indirect altimeter calibration has de advantage of allowing the calibration of any radar sensor that crosses the studedarea but, in turn, the disadvantage is that the method requires ocean tide and geoid knowledge, which reduces the accuracy of the bias estimate by a factor of 2. A technical Spanish contribution to the calibration experience has been the design of GPS buoys and GPS catamaran taking in account the University of Colorado at Boulder and Senetosa/Capraia. For the mapping of the extended calibration areas centered on satellite ground tracks, the catamaran was tracked by the Patrol Deva, from the Spanish Navy. An additional absolute altimeter direct calibration was performed on June 14. Complementary data came from five GPS reference stations deployed at Ibiza , San Antonio and Portinatx, and from vertically‐referenced tide gauges located at Ibiza and San Antonio. We present first results on Jason‐1 altimeter calibration using the marine geoid derived from data collected during the campaign. Moreover, the geodetic activities (e.g., GPS, leveling) has permitted to build a very accurate (few mm) local network linked to the european one,s (ITRF2000).Postprint (published version

Randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of fecal microbiota transplant for initial Clostridium difficile infection in intestinal microbiome

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of fecal donor-unrelated donor mix (FMT-FURM) transplantation as first-line therapy for C. difficile infection (CDI) in intestinal microbiome. Methods We designed an open, two-arm pilot study with oral vancomycin (250mg every 6 h for 10–14 days) or FMT-FURM as treatments for the first CDI episode in hospitalized adult patients in Hospital Universitario “Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez”. Patients were randomized by a closed envelope method in a 1: 1 ratio to either oral vancomycin or FMT-FURM. CDI resolution was considered when there was a reduction on the Bristol scale of at least 2 points, a reduction of at least 50% in the number of bowel movements, absence of fever, and resolution of abdominal pain (at least two criteria). From each patient, a fecal sample was obtained at days 0, 3, and 7 after treatment. Specimens were cultured to isolate C. difficile, and isolates were characterized by PCR. Susceptibility testing of isolates was performed using the agar dilution method. Fecal samples and FMT-FURM were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results We included 19 patients; 10 in the vancomycin arm and 9 in the FMT-FURM arm. However, one of the patients in the vancomycin arm and two patients in the FMT-FURM arm were eliminated. Symptoms resolved in 8/9 patients (88.9%) in the vancomycin group, while symptoms resolved in 4/7 patients (57.1%) after the first FMT-FURM dose (P = 0.26) and in 5/7 patients (71.4%) after the second dose (P = 0.55). During the study, no adverse effects attributable to FMT-FURM were observed in patients. Twelve isolates were recovered, most isolates carried tcdB, tcdA, cdtA, and cdtB, with an 18-bp deletion in tcdC. All isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin but susceptible to metronidazole, linezolid, fidaxomicin, and tetracycline. In the FMT-FURM group, the bacterial composition was dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria at all-time points and the microbiota were remarkably stable over time. The vancomycin group showed a very different pattern of the microbial composition when comparing to the FMT-FURM group over time. Conclusion The results of this preliminary study showed that FMT-FURM for initial CDI is associated with specific bacterial communities that do not resemble the donors’ sample.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use.

Tobacco and alcohol use are leading causes of mortality that influence risk for many complex diseases and disorders1. They are heritable2,3 and etiologically related4,5 behaviors that have been resistant to gene discovery efforts6-11. In sample sizes up to 1.2 million individuals, we discovered 566 genetic variants in 406 loci associated with multiple stages of tobacco use (initiation, cessation, and heaviness) as well as alcohol use, with 150 loci evidencing pleiotropic association. Smoking phenotypes were positively genetically correlated with many health conditions, whereas alcohol use was negatively correlated with these conditions, such that increased genetic risk for alcohol use is associated with lower disease risk. We report evidence for the involvement of many systems in tobacco and alcohol use, including genes involved in nicotinic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The results provide a solid starting point to evaluate the effects of these loci in model organisms and more precise substance use measures

Non-productive angiogenesis disassembles Aß plaque-associated blood vessels

The human Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain accumulates angiogenic markers but paradoxically, the cerebral microvasculature is reduced around Aß plaques. Here we demonstrate that angiogenesis is started near Aß plaques in both AD mouse models and human AD samples. However, endothelial cells express the molecular signature of non-productive angiogenesis (NPA) and accumulate, around Aß plaques, a tip cell marker and IB4 reactive vascular anomalies with reduced NOTCH activity. Notably, NPA induction by endothelial loss of presenilin, whose mutations cause familial AD and which activity has been shown to decrease with age, produced a similar vascular phenotype in the absence of Aß pathology. We also show that Aß plaque-associated NPA locally disassembles blood vessels, leaving behind vascular scars, and that microglial phagocytosis contributes to the local loss of endothelial cells. These results define the role of NPA and microglia in local blood vessel disassembly and highlight the vascular component of presenilin loss of function in AD

Developing capacity in health informatics in a resource poor setting: lessons from Peru

The public sectors of developing countries require strengthened capacity in health informatics. In Peru, where formal university graduate degrees in biomedical and health informatics were lacking until recently, the AMAUTA Global Informatics Research and Training Program has provided research and training for health professionals in the region since 1999. The Fogarty International Center supports the program as a collaborative partnership between Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru and the University of Washington in the United States of America. The program aims to train core professionals in health informatics and to strengthen the health information resource capabilities and accessibility in Peru. The program has achieved considerable success in the development and institutionalization of informatics research and training programs in Peru. Projects supported by this program are leading to the development of sustainable training opportunities for informatics and eight of ten Peruvian fellows trained at the University of Washington are now developing informatics programs and an information infrastructure in Peru. In 2007, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia started offering the first graduate diploma program in biomedical informatics in Peru