Structural Responses of Quasi-2D Colloid Fluids to Excitations Elicited by Nonequilibrium Perturbations

We investigate the response of a dense monodisperse quasi-two-dimensional (q2D) colloid suspension when a particle is dragged by a constant velocity optical trap. Consistent with microrheological studies of other geometries, the perturbation induces a leading density wave and trailing wake, and we use Stokesian Dynamics (SD) simulations to parse direct colloid-colloid and hydrodynamic interactions. We go on to analyze the underlying individual particle-particle collisions in the experimental images. The displacements of particles form chains reminiscent of stress propagation in sheared granular materials. From these data, we can reconstruct steady-state dipolar flow patterns that were predicted for dilute suspensions and previously observed in granular analogs to our system. The decay of this field differs, however, from point Stokeslet calculations, indicating that the finite size of the colloids is important. Moreover, there is a pronounced angular dependence that corresponds to the surrounding colloid structure, which evolves in response to the perturbation. Put together, our results show that the response of the complex fluid is highly anisotropic owing to the fact that the effects of the perturbation propagate through the structured medium via chains of colloid-colloid collisions

X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging with Nanoradian Angular Resolution

We present a new quantitative x-ray phase-contrast imaging method based on the edge illumination principle, which allows achieving unprecedented nanoradian sensitivity. The extremely high angular resolution is demonstrated theoretically and through experimental images obtained at two different synchrotron radiation facilities. The results, achieved at both very high and very low x-ray energies, show that this highly sensitive technique can be efficiently exploited over a very broad range of experimental conditions. This method can open the way to new, previously inaccessible scientific applications in various fields including biology, medicine and materials science

Predictive Monitoring of Business Processes

Modern information systems that support complex business processes generally maintain significant amounts of process execution data, particularly records of events corresponding to the execution of activities (event logs). In this paper, we present an approach to analyze such event logs in order to predictively monitor business goals during business process execution. At any point during an execution of a process, the user can define business goals in the form of linear temporal logic rules. When an activity is being executed, the framework identifies input data values that are more (or less) likely to lead to the achievement of each business goal. Unlike reactive compliance monitoring approaches that detect violations only after they have occurred, our predictive monitoring approach provides early advice so that users can steer ongoing process executions towards the achievement of business goals. In other words, violations are predicted (and potentially prevented) rather than merely detected. The approach has been implemented in the ProM process mining toolset and validated on a real-life log pertaining to the treatment of cancer patients in a large hospital

Techno-functional, textural and sensorial properties of frankfurters as affected by the addition of bee pollen powder

The objective of this study was to determine whether the addition of different pollen powder concentrations (0.5; 1.0 and 1.5 g/100 g) had an influence on techno-functional, textural and sensorial traits of frankfurters. Examining the techno-functional characteristics of pollen, a conclusion was reached that the higher the concentration, the higher the emulsification and better techno-functional properties. Also, FTIR-ATR analysis has shown that specific pollen molecules provided good emulsifying properties of sausages. On the other hand, sensory analysis showed that sausages with the addition of 1.0% and 1.5% of pollen powder have a more pronounced floral odor. Warner-Bratzler shear force test has shown that the incorporation of pollen caused a more stable product throughout sixty days of storage than the control sample. It could be explained by the formation of more protein-protein interactions due to the addition of non-meat proteins in the formulation of frankfurters and obtaining a more stable product than the control one. All things considered, it can be concluded that pollen exhibits good techno-functional properties and could be utilized in the formulation of frankfurters with improved and steady techno-functional properties during two months of refrigerated storage

The trade-off between taxi time and fuel consumption in airport ground movement

Environmental impact is a very important agenda item in many sectors nowadays, which the air transportation sector is also trying to reduce as much as possible. One area which has remained relatively unexplored in this context is the ground movement problem for aircraft on the airport’s surface. Aircraft have to be routed from a gate to a runway and vice versa and it is still unknown whether fuel burn and environmental impact reductions will best result from purely minimising the taxi times or whether it is also important to avoid multiple acceleration phases. This paper presents a newly developed multi-objective approach for analysing the trade-off between taxi time and fuel consumption during taxiing. The approach consists of a combination of a graph-based routing algorithm and a population adaptive immune algorithm to discover different speed profiles of aircraft. Analysis with data from a European hub airport has highlighted the impressive performance of the new approach. Furthermore, it is shown that the trade-off between taxi time and fuel consumption is very sensitive to the fuel-related objective function which is used

Chronic kidney disease and neurological disorders: are uraemic toxins the missing piece of the puzzle?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) perturbs the crosstalk with others organs, with the interaction between the kidneys and the heart having been studied most intensively. However, a growing body of data indicates that there is an association between kidney dysfunction and disorders of the central nervous system. In epidemiological studies, CKD is associated with a high prevalence of neurological complications, such as cerebrovascular disorders, movement disorders, cognitive impairment and depression. Along with traditional cardiovascular risk factors (such as diabetes, inflammation, hypertension and dyslipidaemia), non-traditional risk factors related to kidney damage (such as uraemic toxins) may predispose patients with CKD to neurological disorders. There is increasing evidence to show that uraemic toxins, for example indoxyl sulphate, have a neurotoxic effect. A better understanding of factors responsible for the elevated prevalence of neurological disorders among patients with CKD might facilitate the development of novel treatments. Here, we review (i) the potential clinical impact of CKD on cerebrovascular and neurological complications, (ii) the mechanisms underlying the uraemic toxins' putative action (based on pre-clinical and clinical research) and (iii) the potential impact of these findings on patient care

Impact of the Diamond Light Source on research in Earth and environmental sciences: current work and future perspectives.

Diamond Light Source Ltd celebrated its 10th anniversary as a company in December 2012 and has now accepted user experiments for over 5 years. This paper describes the current facilities available at Diamond and future developments that enhance its capacities with respect to the Earth and environmental sciences. A review of relevant research conducted at Diamond thus far is provided. This highlights how synchrotron-based studies have brought about important advances in our understanding of the fundamental parameters controlling highly complex mineral–fluid–microbe interface reactions in the natural environment. This new knowledge not only enhances our understanding of global biogeochemical processes, but also provides the opportunity for interventions to be designed for environmental remediation and beneficial use