On variable hydrostatic transmission for road vehicles, powered by supply of fluid at constant pressure

Various hydrostatic power transmission systems for automotive applications with power supply at constant pressure and unrestricted flow and with a Volvo Flygmotor variable displacement motor as the principal unit were investigated. Two most promising concepts were analyzed in detail and their main components optimized for minimum power loss at the EPA Urban Driving Cycle. The best fuel consumption is less than 10 lit. per 100 kM for a 1542 kG vehicle with a hydrostatic motor and a two speed gear box in series (braking power not recovered). Realistic system pressure affects the fuel consumption just slightly, but the package volume/weight drastically. Back pressure increases losses significantly. Special attention was paid to description of the behavior and modeling of the losses of variable displacement hydrostatic machines

T cell studies in a peptide-induced model of systemic lupus erythematosus

We have previously reported that immunization with a peptide mimetope of dsDNA on a branched polylysine backbone (DWEYSVWLSN-MAP) induces a systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome in the nonautoimmune BALB/c mouse strain. To understand the mechanism underlying this breakdown in self tolerance, we examined the role of T cells in the response. Our results show that the anti-foreign and anti-self response induced by immunization is T cell dependent and is mediated by I-Ed-restricted CD4+ T cells of the Th1 subset. In addition, generation of the critical T cell epitope requires processing by APCs and depends on the presence of both DWEYSVWLSN and the MAP backbone. The breakdown in self tolerance does not occur through cross-reactivity between the T cell epitope of DWEYSVWLSN-MAP and epitopes derived from nuclear Ags. In this induced-model of SLE, therefore, autoreactivity results from the activation of T cells specific for foreign Ag and of cross-reactive anti-foreign, anti-self B cells. Despite the fact that tissue injury is mediated by Ab, the critical initiating T cell response is Th1

Faktor - Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Keputusan Konsumen dalam Pembelian Properti Syariah

Setiap manusia memiliki kebutuhan yang harus dipenuhi. Salah satunya yaitu kebutuhan fisik yang perlu dipenuhi, terkhusus pada tempat tinggal. Memiliki rumah sendiri kini bukan lagi sesuatu yang sulit, karena ada fasilitas Kredit Kepemilikan Rumah (KPR). KPR adalah suatu fasilitas kredit yang diberikan oleh perbankan kepada nasabah perorangan yang akan membeli atau memperbaiki rumah. Di jaman ini. pemilihan transaksi syariah lebih di inginkan oleh beberapa orang disebabkan oleh pengaruh religiusitas yang dipercayai. Namun pada akhir tahun 2019 ada beberapa kasus developer properti syariah yang tidak amanah, dari sisi pelayanan, religiusitas, tidak sebanding harga dengan kualitas produknya, lokasi yang terkesan mudah terjangkau, dimana kesemuanya tertuang dalam promosi yang dilakukan, kemudian mendorong konsumen untuk terpancing mengambil keputusan membeli serta banyak properti syariah menjual dengan akad bermasala. Sehingga membuat mayarakat muslim ragu untuk membeli properti yang menggunakan sistem jual beli secara syariah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui persepsi konsumen mengenai kualitas produk, kualitas pelayanan dan religiusitas terhadap keputusan pembelian properti, faktor-faktor apa saja yang mempengaruhi keputusan konsumen dalam pemebelian properti, dan strategi meningkatkan keputusan pembelian konsumen terhadap properti di Rumah Halal Indonesia. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah konsumen Rumah Halal Indonesia selama periode Agustus 2022 sebanyak 249 responden, namun sampel yang digunakan sebanyak 71 responden. Sedangkan teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan purposive sampling. Teknik pengumpulan data yaitu dengan metode kuesioner, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Adapun variabel yang diteliti meliputi kualitas produk, kualitas pelayanan dan religiusitas sebagai variabel bebas dan keputusan pembelian sebagai variabel terikat. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini dengan menggunakan teknik analisis  deskriptif kuantitaif  serta  analisis partial  least  square  structural  equation  modeling (PLS-SEM).  PLS-SEM yaitu  model  persamaan  struktural untuk mengembangkan atau memprediksi suatu teori yang sudah ada. Model persamaan yang dianalisis adalah model bagian luar (outer model), model bagian dalam (inner model) dan pengujian hipotesis. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan  menggunakan  perangkat  lunak  PLS-SEM  versi  3.0  diperoleh  hasil  bahwa  persepsi baik sebanyak 48.1% dan persepsi baik sekali sebanyak 51.9%. Dapat di ketahui pengaruh positif namun tidak signifikan  antara kualitas produk dengan keputusan pembelian, pengaruh positif antaran kualitas pelayanan secara signifikan terhadap keputusan pembelian dan pengaruh positif antara religiusitas secara signifikan terhadap keputusan pembelian properti di Rumah Halal Indonesia. Dan untuk meningkatkan pembelian peroperti di Rumah Halal Indonesia menggunakan strategi dengan cara Indikator yang sudah baik bisa ditingakatkan lagi dan indikator yang baik sekali dipertahankan

Cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in north-west Italy

The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal and cardio-respiratory parasites in dogs in Liguria (northwest Italy) which is a region that has scarcely been studied. A total of 450 dogs (260 males and 190 females) were enrolled in the study from 2009 and 2013. All dogs lived in a rural or semi-rural environment in the provinces of Imperia (n = 352) or Savona (n = 98), Liguria. Coprological examinations showed that 197 dogs (43.8 %, CI 38.7-48.9 %) were infected by parasites. Specifi cally, 3.3 % of the dogs presented only cardio-respiratory species, 32.4 % only intestinal species, and 8.0 % presented a mixed infection. The most frequent intestinal parasites were Toxocara canis (20 %), Trichuris vulpis (17.8 %), Ancylostomatidae (12 %), Coccidia (2.7 %), Aonchotheca putorii (1.8 %) and Toxascaris leonina (1.8 %). The cardio-respiratory species found were Eucoleus aerophilus (9.6 %), Eucoleus boehmi (1.6 %), Angiostrongylus vasorum (0.7 %), and Crenosoma vulpis (0.2 %). A total of 116 dogs (25.8 %) were parasitized by a single species, multiple infections were observed in 81 dogs (18.0 %) up to a six-order infection. This preliminary study highlighted that the prevalence of intestinal parasites in investigated area is high. Cardio respiratory parasites were detected in an area that has not been investigated before. The creation of a more extensive sampling programme of the area, on a provincial basis in order to build a more detailed map of prevalences for different species of dog parasites throughout Liguria, a more extensive sampling programme of the area needs to be created - ideally for each province

Seasonal egg output of gastro-intestinal parasites in wild ungulates in a mediterranean area (central Italy)

Emissione stagionale di uova di parassiti gastrointestinali in cinghiali (Sus scrofa) e in mufloni (Ovis ammon) di un’area mediterranea (Italia centrale). E' stata studiata l'emissione stagionale di uova (o oocisti) di parassiti nelle feci di ungulati selvatici in una zona mediterranea protetta, il Parco dei Monti Livornesi (Livorno, Toscana, Italia Centrale). Per un anno sono stati raccolti mensilmente campioni di feci di Cinghiale (Sus scrofa) e di Muflone (Ovis ammon). Gli andamenti osservati di emissione di uova sono stati analizzati tenendo conto delle variazioni di temperatura e piovosità stagionali, del ciclo biologico e della strategia di sopravvivenza dei parassiti, e delle condizioni sanitarie dell'ospite. E’ risultato che in una zona mediterranea come quella considerata i picchi di emissione di uova appaiono in mesi differenti in relazione alla biologia e alle strategie di sopravvivenza dei diversi parassiti.Seasonal egg (or oocyst) output of gastro-intestinal parasites of wild ungulates was studied in a Mediterranean protected area, the Monti Livornesi Park (Livorno, Tuscany region, Central Italy). Samples of faeces of wild boars (Sus scrofa) and mouflons (Ovis ammon) were collected monthly for one year. The observed trends of egg output were analysed taking into account seasonal variations of temperature and rainfall, life-cycle and survival strategy of parasites, and health condition of hosts. In our Mediterranean study area, the peaks of egg output appear in different months according to different biology and survival strategies of parasites

Intestinal helminths of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in north-west Italy

SummaryA total of 180 foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from an area scarcely investigated of north-west Italy, were examined for intestinal helminths using sedimentation and counting technique (SCT). Faecal samples were submitted to centrifugation with 50 % zinc sulphate used as flotation solution.No fox was found completely negative for intestinal helminths. The most frequently identified nematodes were Uncinaria stenocephala (70.0 %), Molineus legerae (27.2 %), Toxocara canis (26.7 %), Toxascaris leonina (25.6 %), Trichuris vulpis (21.1 %), Aonchotheca putorii (8.9 %), Pterygodermatites affinis (5.6 %). Genus Mesocestoides (81.7 %), family Dilepididae (29.4 %) and Taenia spp. (8.3 %) were the most prevalent cestodes. All foxes were negative for E. multilocularis and E. granulosus. In two foxes trematodes belonging to the family Plagiorchidae were found.The study highlighted that foxes are hosts of intestinal helminths of veterinary and medical importance which may be transmitted to dogs and humans

Ready to Use Detector Modules for the NEAT Spectrometer Concept, Design, First Results

The paper presents the detector system developed by Datalist Systems, Ltd. previously ANTE Innovative Technologies for the NEAT II spectrometer at HZB. We present initial concept, design and implementation highlights as well as the first results of measurements such as position resolution. The initial concept called for modular architecture with 416 3He detector tubes organized into thirteen 32 tube modules that can be independently installed and removed to and from the detector vacuum chamber for ease of maintenance. The unalloyed aluminum mechanical support modules for four 8 tube units each also house the air boxes that contain the front end electronics preamplifiers that need to be on atmospheric pressure. The modules have been manufactured and partly assembled in Hungary and then fully assembled and installed on site by Datalist Systems crew. The signal processing and data acquisition solution is based on low time constant 60 ns preamplifier electronics and sampling ADC s running at 50 MS s i.e. a sample every 20 ns for all 832 data channels. The preamplifiers are proprietary, developed specifically for the NEAT spectrometer, while the ADC s and the FPGA s that further process the data are based on National Instruments products. The data acquisition system comprises 26 FPGA modules each serving 16 tubes providing for up to 50 kHz count rate per individual tube and it is organized into two PXI chassis and two data acquisition computers that perform post processing, event classification and provide appropriate preview of the collected data. The data acquisition software based on Event Recording principles provides a single point of contact for the scientific software with an Event Record List with absolute timestamps of 100ns resolution, timing data of 100 ns resolution for the seven discs chopper system as well as classification data that can be used for flexible data filtering in off line analysis of the gathered data. A unique 3 tier system of filtering criteria of events is in operation a hard threshold in the FPGA s to reduce the effect of noise, a pulse shape based classification to eliminate gamma sensitivity and an additional flexible feature based classification to filter out pileup and other unwanted phenomena. This ensures high count rates 50kHz per tube, 1MHz overall while maintaining good quality of measurements e.g. position resolution .The first measurement results show that the delivered detector system meets the initial requirements of 20 mm position resolution along the 2000mm long detector tubes. This is partly due to the innovative event classification system that provides vital pulse shape data that can be used for sophisticated position resolution algorithms implemented on the DAQ computer

Severe Idiopathic Eosinophilic Pneumonia and Vasculitis in 11 Horses

Introduction: Various eosinophilic lesions have been described in horses. Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) characterized by eosinophilic granulomas in various organs represents the most diffuse manifestation. In the present study we describe the gross and microscopical lesions of idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia and vasculitis in 11 horses without systemic involvement. Materials and Methods: During a 2-year period (2010–2011), lungs from 88 horses with gross signs of pulmonary disease were collected at a slaughterhouse. Lung sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Giemsa and periodic acid–Schiff. Results: In 11 horses, lungs were enlarged, pale pink and collapsed, with multifocal to coalescing, white–red, 0.4–4.0 cm diameter nodules distributed throughout the parenchyma. Histologically, the lesions ranged from severe eosinophilic bronchointerstitial pneumonia to severe eosinophilic lobular bronchopneumonia associated with eosinophilic necrotizing vasculitis affecting small to medium sized vessels. Mild interstitial fibrosis was also present. The other part of the parenchyma appeared emphysematous. There was no histological evidence of parasites within these lesions. Conclusions: Eosinophilic pneumonia and vasculitis without intralesional parasites are rarely described in horses. Histological findings do not resemble the typical eosinophilic granulomas observed in lungs of horses with MEED, but are similar to the findings in idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia of man and of Churg–Strauss syndrome of man

Building a large-scale micro-simulation transport scenario using big data

A large-scale agent-based microsimulation scenario including the transport modes car, bus, bicycle, scooter, and pedestrian, is built and validated for the city of Bologna (Italy) during the morning peak hour. Large-scale microsimulations enable the evaluation of city-wide effects of novel and complex transport technologies and services, such as intelligent traffic lights or shared autonomous vehicles. Large-scale microsimulations can be seen as an interdisciplinary project where transport planners and technology developers can work together on the same scenario; big data from OpenStreetMap, traffic surveys, GPS traces, traffic counts and transit details are merged into a unique transport scenario. The employed activity-based demand model is able to simulate and evaluate door-to-door trip times while testing different mobility strategies. Indeed, a utility-based mode choice model is calibrated that matches the official modal split. The scenario is implemented and analyzed with the software SUMOPy/SUMO which is an open source software, available on GitHub. The simulated traffic flows are compared with flows from traffic counters using different indicators. The determination coefficient has been 0.7 for larger roads (width greater than seven meters). The present work shows that it is possible to build realistic microsimulation scenarios for larger urban areas. A higher precision of the results could be achieved by using more coherent data and by merging different data sources

Molecular Profiling of Lymphatic Endothelial Cell Activation In Vitro

The lymphatic vascular system plays a key role in cancer progression. Indeed, the activation of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) through the lymphangiogenic process allows for the formation of new lymphatic vessels (LVs) that represent the major route for the dissemination of solid tumors. This process is governed by a plethora of cancer-derived and microevironmental mediators that strictly activate and control specific molecular pathways in LECs. In this work we used an in vitro model of LEC activation to trigger lymphangiogenesis using a mix of recombinant pro-lymphangiogenic factors (VFS) and a co-culture system with human melanoma cells. Both systems efficiently activated LECs, and under these experimental conditions, RNA sequencing was exploited to unveil the transcriptional profile of activated LECs. Our data demonstrate that both recombinant and tumor cell-mediated activation trigger significant molecular pathways associated with endothelial activation, morphogenesis, and cytokine-mediated signaling. In addition, this system provides information on new genes to be further investigated in the lymphangiogenesis process and open the possibility for further exploitation in other tumor contexts where lymphatic dissemination plays a relevant role