Static and thermal FE analysis of a Flexible Electronic BOard (FEBO) prototype and the characterization of its innovative materials

An FE model of an experimental flexible electronic board was built to determine its performance in terms of mechanical and thermal distortions, heat and transient thermal flow, thereby detecting critical issues and identifying opportunities for improvement. Commercial sensors were connected to the flexible board (100x40x2mm), which was based on a commercial thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), with a PEDOT-based conductive resin trapped in a PEGDA network, a biocompatible polymer. Three thermal loads (ΔT=175°C, ΔT=100°C, ΔT=50°C) were applied which revealed critical stresses for high ΔTs but at ΔT=50°C only the connectors had a critical σvm, while for ΔT=50°C + 1mm displacement a critical strain value occurred in one area of the substrate. Heat transient analysis and overheating simulations were performed to determine the heat flow behavior for the photodiode and accelerometer. FE analyses allow more studies to be undertaken to improve material properties and suggest redesign activities for similar concept demonstrators. The funds of the European Union and the Piedmont Region, and agreements with the most important players in SBE (Simulation Based Engineering) software sales and services, allowed the authors (ITACAe srl, Proplast, and Politecnico di Torino) to conduct industrial research and experimental development together with manufacturers and users of innovative technologies to identify, study and optimize the design parameters of the board while simultaneously contributing to its technological development

Localized scleroderma unius lateri and Borrelia burgdoferi infection

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Stat3 Expression and Its Correlation with Proliferation and Apoptosis/Autophagy in Gliomas

Signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (Stat3) was studied along with several steps of the PI3/Akt pathway in a series of 64 gliomas that included both malignant and low-grade tumors, using quantitative immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and molecular biology techniques. The goal of the study was to investigate whether activated Stat3 (phospho-Stat3) levels correlated with cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Stat3 and activated Akt (phospho-Akt) expression increased with malignancy grade, but did not correlate with proliferation and survival within the category of glioblastomas. A correlation of Stat3 with Akt was found, indicating a regulation of the former by the PI3/Akt pathway, which, in turn, was in relation with EGFR amplification. Stat3 and Akt did not show any correlation with apoptosis, whereas they showed an inverse correlation with Beclin 1, a stimulator of autophagy, which was rarely positive in glioblastomas. Autophagy seems then to be inactivated in malignant gliomas

Measurement of the thermal expansion coefficient of an Al-Mg alloy at ultra-low temperatures

We describe a result coming from an experiment based on an Al-Mg alloy (~ 5% Mg) suspended bar hit by an electron beam and operated above and below the termperature of transition from superconducting to normal state of the material. The amplitude of the bar first longitudinal mode of oscillation, excited by the beam interacting with the bulk, and the energy deposited by the beam in the bar are the quantities measured by the experiment. These quantities, inserted in the equations describing the mechanism of the mode excitation and complemented by an independent measurement of the specific heat, allow us to determine the linear expansion coefficient of the material.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Lung magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion weighted imaging provides regional structural as well as functional information without radiation exposure in primary antibody deficiencies

PURPOSE: Primary antibody deficiency patients suffer from infectious and non-infectious pulmonary complications leading over time to chronic lung disease. The complexity of this pulmonary involvement poses significant challenge in differential diagnosis in patients with long life disease and increased radio sensitivity. We planned to verify the utility of chest Magnetic Resolution Imaging with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging as a radiation free technique. METHODS: Prospective evaluation of 18 patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency and X-linked Agammaglobulinemia. On the same day, patients underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Diffusion Weighted Imaging sequences, High Resolution Computerized Tomography and Pulmonary Function Tests, including diffusing capacity factor for carbon monoxide. Images were scored using a modified version of the Bhalla scoring system. RESULTS: Magnetic Resonance Imaging was non-inferior to High Resolution Computerized Tomography in the capacity to identify bronchial and parenchymal abnormalities. HRCT had a higher capacity to identify peripheral airways abnormalities, defined as an involvement of bronchial generation up to the fifth and distal (scores 2-3). Bronchial scores negatively related to pulmonary function tests. One third of consolidations and nodules had Diffusion Weighted Imaging restrictions associated with systemic granulomatous disease and systemic lymphadenopathy. Lung Magnetic Resolution Imaging detected an improvement of bronchial and parenchymal abnormalities, in recently diagnosed patients soon after starting Ig replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Diffusion Weighted Imaging was a reliable technique to detect lung alterations in patients with Primary Antibody Deficiencies

Cooperative heterogeneous robots for autonomous insects trap monitoring system in a precision agriculture scenario

The recent advances in precision agriculture are due to the emergence of modern robotics systems. For instance, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) give new possibilities that advance the solution of existing problems in this area in many different aspects. The reason is due to these platforms’ ability to perform activities at varying levels of complexity. Therefore, this research presents a multiple-cooperative robot solution for UAS and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) systems for their joint inspection of olive grove inspect traps. This work evaluated the UAS and UGV vision-based navigation based on a yellow fly trap fixed in the trees to provide visual position data using the You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithms. The experimental setup evaluated the fuzzy control algorithm applied to the UAS to make it reach the trap efficiently. Experimental tests were conducted in a realistic simulation environment using a robot operating system (ROS) and CoppeliaSim platforms to verify the methodology’s performance, and all tests considered specific real-world environmental conditions. A search and landing algorithm based on augmented reality tag (AR-Tag) visual processing was evaluated to allow for the return and landing of the UAS to the UGV base. The outcomes obtained in this work demonstrate the robustness and feasibility of the multiple-cooperative robot architecture for UGVs and UASs applied in the olive inspection scenario.The authors would like to thank the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CeDRI (UIDB/05757/2020 and UIDP/05757/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). In addition, the authors would like to thank the following Brazilian Agencies CEFET-RJ, CAPES, CNPq, and FAPERJ. In addition, the authors also want to thank the Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Instituto Politécnico de Braganca (IPB) - Campus de Santa Apolonia, Portugal, Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Portugal, INESC Technology and Science - Porto, Portugal and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro - Vila Real, Portugal. This work was carried out under the Project “OleaChain: Competências para a sustentabilidade e inovação da cadeia de valor do olival tradicional no Norte Interior de Portugal” (NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000188), an operation used to hire highly qualified human resources, funded by NORTE 2020 through the European Social Fund (ESF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dosimetry optimization system and integrated software (DOSIS) : a comparison against Fluka code results over a standard phantom

Trabajo presentado en el X Latin American Symposium on Nuclear Physics and Applications (X LASNPA), 1-6 diciembre 2013. Montevideo, Uruguay.Actually, dual-imaging facilities allow obtainance of both mass and activity patient-specific distributions perfectly correlated, which are important to improve dose distributions estimations and radioimmunotherapy treatment planifications accuracy. Calculus methods at voxel level require both quantitative and qualitative validation to obtain improvements in patient-specific dosimetry. The present work presents advances on the development of a novel computational tool dedicated to 3D patient-specific dosimetry at voxel level; and its results analysis and visualization. With the aim of providing a dosimetric tool for planar and tridimensional methods at voxel level, as well as the development of a platform based on fullstochastic methods for α-, β- and γ-emitters used in radiopharmaceutical applications. DOSIS is based on the Boltzmann radiation transport equation to realize energy delivering calculations. Procedures for 2D and 3D dosimetry have been designed tacking into accont established formalism and standards on MIRD Pamphlets. Anatomic and metabolic images, and dose maps resulting of this calculus are analysed and procesed by a special developed and designed software. DOSIS has been preliminary validated on some standard clinic cases in comparison whith other standard procedures used commonly in radionuclide treatments, showing great accordance on its results and a friendly user usability. Finally, a dose calculation over a standard phantom is performed using DOSIS calculation code and FLUKA, validating the radiation transport code of DOSIS.publishedVersionFil: Pérez, Pedro Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Pérez, Pedro Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Pérez, Pedro Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Laboratorio de Investigación e Instrumentación en Física Aplicada a la Medicina e Imágenes por Rayos X; Argentina.Fil: Pérez, Pedro Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina.Fil: Botta, Francesca. European Institute of Oncology; Italia.Fil: Cremonesi, Marta. European Institute of Oncology; Italia.Fil: Ferrari, Mahila. European Institute of Oncology; Italia.Fil: Guerriero, Francesco. European Institute of Oncology; Italia.Fil: Malano, Francisco Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Malano, Francisco Mauricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Malano, Francisco Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Laboratorio de Investigación e Instrumentación en Física Aplicada a la Medicina e Imágenes por Rayos X; Argentina.Fil: Pedroli, Guido. European Institute of Oncology; Italia.Fil: Scarinci, Ignacio Emanuel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Laboratorio de Investigación e Instrumentación en Física Aplicada a la Medicina e Imágenes por Rayos X; Argentina.Fil: Valente, Mauro Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Valente, Mauro Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Valente, Mauro Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Laboratorio de Investigación e Instrumentación en Física Aplicada a la Medicina e Imágenes por Rayos X; Argentina.Física Atómica, Molecular y Química (física de átomos y moléculas incluyendo colisión, interacción con radiación, resonancia magnética, Moessbauer Efecto.

Mitochondrial Cell Death Control in Familial Parkinson Disease

Many sporadic cases of Parkinsons disease have mutations in the PINK protein kinase, whose substrate is now revealed to be a protein that protects mitochondria from oxidative stress