A control and automation system for wave basins

This paper presents the new active absorption wave basin, named Hydrodynamic Calibrator (HC), constructed\ud at the University of São Paulo (USP), in the Laboratory facilities of the Numerical Offshore Tank\ud (TPN). The square (14 m 14 m) tank is able to generate and absorb waves from 0.5 Hz to 2.0 Hz, by\ud means of 148 active hinged flap wave makers. An independent mechanical system drives each flap by\ud means of a 1HP servo-motor and a ball-screw based transmission system. A customized ultrasonic wave\ud probe is installed in each flap, and is responsible for measuring wave elevation in the flap. A complex\ud automation architecture was implemented, with three Programmable Logic Computers (PLCs), and a\ud low-level software is responsible for all the interlocks and maintenance functions of the tank. Furthermore,\ud all the control algorithms for the generation and absorption are implemented using higher level\ud software (MATLAB /Simulink block diagrams). These algorithms calculate the motions of the wave makers\ud both to generate and absorb the required wave field by taking into account the layout of the flaps and\ud the limits of wave generation. The experimental transfer function that relates the flap amplitude to the\ud wave elevation amplitude is used for the calculation of the motion of each flap. This paper describes the\ud main features of the tank, followed by a detailed presentation of the whole automation system. It\ud includes the measuring devices, signal conditioning, PLC and network architecture, real-time and synchronizing\ud software and motor control loop. Finally, a validation of the whole automation system is presented,\ud by means of the experimental analysis of the transfer function of the waves generated and the\ud calculation of all the delays introduced by the automation system.The authors acknowledge Petrobras for the financial support and for the motivation of this work.The authors also acknowledge the Brazilian research funding agencies: São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP). National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and Research and Projects Financing (FINEP) for the research grants and for the constant suppor

Immunohistochemical Coexpression of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule and Alpha-Fetoprotein in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background and Aim. The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) has been proposed as a marker for cancer stem cells in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as in the development of novel target therapies. This study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of EpCAM and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in HCC patients and their association with clinicopathological characteristics. Methods. This study included Child-Pugh A HCC patients undergoing curative surgical resection. Results. A significant difference was observed in the ratio between the different phenotypes (p = 0.002), identifying 12 (29.3%) EPCAM positive tumors and 29 (70.7%) negative tumors. EpCAM+ expression was associated with AFP + (OR = 12.5, 95% CI, 1.9-84.1, p<0.001). In univariate analysis, a significant association was observed between AFP+ and EPCAM+ and the serum AFP level. A diameter of ≤ 5 cm was associated with EPCAM+, while angiolymphatic invasion was associated with APF+. In a multivariate analysis, only tumors of ≤ 5 cm were significantly associated with EpCAM+ (OR = 8.7; 95%CI, 1.27-100.0; p = 0.022). The overall survival rate was 74.9%, 69.4%, 69.4%, and 53.5% at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively. Conclusion. A considerable number of patients with EpCAM+ HCC would benefit from a specific target therapy

Second harmonic generation imaging of the collagen architecture in prostate cancer tissue.

Optical microscopy has been one of the most important tools for visualizing biological samples since the seventeenth century. Recently, with the advances in femtosecond laser technology, all the nonlinear optical processes have now been included as optical microscopy methods, and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has emerged as a powerful new optical imaging tool with applications in medicine and biology. Here we use SHG microscopy to obtain images of 76 prostate biopsies on histological slides. Multiple samples from the excised prostates of patients who underwent a radical prostatectomy were evaluated. The samples were collected from prostate positions as in needle biopsy procedures. The results show the collagen fiber architecture among malignant acini, and analysis of the fiber orientation in the images reveals that the collagen fibers become more aligned at higher malignancy grades. Furthermore, we find that the degree of fiber alignment correlates directly with the Gleason patterns

Prostate cancer tissue classification by multiphoton imaging, automated image analysis and machine learning

Prostate carcinoma, a slow-growing and often indolent tumour, is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men worldwide. The prognosis is mainly based on the Gleason system through prostate biopsy analysis. However, new treatment and monitoring strategies depend on a more precise diagnosis. Here, we present results by multiphoton imaging for prostate tumour samples from 120 patients that allow to obtain quantitative parameters leading to specific tumour aggressiveness signatures. An automated image analysis was developed to recognise and quantify stromal fibre and neoplastic cell regions in each image. The set of metrics was able to distinguish between non-neoplastic tissue and carcinoma areas by linear discriminant analysis and random forest with accuracy of 89% ± 3%, but between Gleason groups of only 46% ± 6%. The reactive stroma analysis improved the accuracy to 65% ± 5%, clearly demonstrating that stromal parameters should be considered as additional criteria for a more accurate diagnosis.</p