The machining process remains relevant for manufacturing high-quality and high-precision parts,which can be found in industries such as aerospace and aeronautical,with many produced by turning,drilling,and milling pro...The machining process remains relevant for manufacturing high-quality and high-precision parts,which can be found in industries such as aerospace and aeronautical,with many produced by turning,drilling,and milling processes.Monitoring and analyzing tool wear during these processes is crucial to assess the tool’s life and optimize the tool’s performance under study;as such,standards detail procedures to measure and assess tool wear for various tools.Measuring wear in machining tools can be time-consuming,as the process is usually manual,requiring human interaction and judgment.In the present work,an automated offline flank wear measurement algorithm was developed in Python.The algorithm measures the flank wear of coated end-mills and slot drills from Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)images,according to the ISO 8688 standard,following the same wear measurement procedure.SEM images acquired with different magnifications and tools with varying machining parameters were analyzed using the developed algorithm.The flank wear measurements were then compared to the manually obtained,achieving relative errors for the most common magnifications of around 2.5%.Higher magnifications were also tested,yielding a maximum relative error of 13.4%.The algorithm can measure batches of images quickly on an ordinary personal computer,analyzing and measuring a 10-image batch in around 30 s,a process that would require around 30 min when performed manually by a skilled operator.Therefore,it can be a reliable alternative to measuring flank wear on many tools from SEM images,with the possibility of being adjusted for other wear measurements on different kinds of tools and different image types,for example,on images obtained by optical microscopy.展开更多
BACKGROUND Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma(MEITL)is a rare primary intestinal T-cell lymphoma,previously known as enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma type II.MEITL is an aggressive T-cell lym...BACKGROUND Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma(MEITL)is a rare primary intestinal T-cell lymphoma,previously known as enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma type II.MEITL is an aggressive T-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis and high mortality rate.The known major complications of MEITL are intestinal perforation and obstruction.Here,we present a case of MEITL that was diagnosed following upper gastrointestinal bleeding from an ulcerative duodenal lesion,with recurrence-free survival for 5 years.CASE SUMMARY A 68-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with melena and mild anemia.An urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD)revealed bleeding from an ulcerative lesion in the transverse part of the duodenum,for which hemostatic treatment was performed.MEITL was diagnosed following repeated biopsies of the lesion,and cyclophosphamide,doxorubicin,vincristine,and prednisone(CHOP)chemotherapy was administered.She achieved complete remission after eight full cycles of CHOP therapy.At the last follow-up examination,EGD revealed a scarred ulcer and 18Fluorodeoxyglucose(18FDG)positron emission tomography/computed tomography showed no abnormal FDG accumulation.The patient has been in complete remission for 68 mo after initial diagnosis.CONCLUSION To rule out MEITL,it is important to carefully perform histological examination when bleeding from a duodenal ulcer is observed.展开更多
The dislike food preferences that children registered regarding vegetables and fish compromise the exposure to those iodine sources and may contribute to cause a nutritional deficiency in this micronutrient, causing s...The dislike food preferences that children registered regarding vegetables and fish compromise the exposure to those iodine sources and may contribute to cause a nutritional deficiency in this micronutrient, causing serious damage of the brain and the central nervous system. Functional foods are becoming well-established in the market, focused on by an adult consumer more interested in healthy eating habits but without the motivation to optimize natural food preparation or to promote a wide variety of food in their diet. This article presents evidence of a new functional product concept, 100% vegetable, fermented soya based and salted by a red algae, that was approved by 900 parents who chose the sensorial features: distinctive aroma (57.9%), soft texture (38.4%), sausage shape (21%) and attractive color (77.9%). Three different varieties were developed: carrot (50% w/w), sugar-beet (50% w/w) and tomato (40% w/w) mini sausages, with tofu (20% w/w) and 0.8 % (w/w) of seaweed, reflecting trends that the younger consumer demands. The sensorial tests performed, after quality control assays, received very satisfactory acceptance by the potential buyer.展开更多
AIM:To describe a modified technique for placement of a tracheobronchial self-expanding plastic stent(SEPS) in patients with benign refractory hypopharyngeal strictures in order to improve dysphagia and allow strictur...AIM:To describe a modified technique for placement of a tracheobronchial self-expanding plastic stent(SEPS) in patients with benign refractory hypopharyngeal strictures in order to improve dysphagia and allow stricture remodeling.METHODS:A case series of four consecutive patients with complex hypopharyngeal strictures after combinedtherapy for laryngeal cancer,previously submitted to multiple sessions of dilation without lasting improvement,is presented.All patients underwent placement of a small diameter and unflared tracheobronchial SEPS.Main outcome measurements were improvement of dysphagia and avoiding of repeated dilation.RESULTS:The modified introducer system allowed an easy and technically successful deployment of the tracheobronchial Polyflex stent through the stricture.All four patients developed complications related to stent placement.Two patients had stent migration(one proximal and one distal),two patients developed phanryngocutaneous fistulas and all patients with stents in situ for more than 8 wk had hyperplastic tissue growth at the upper end of the stent.Stricture recurrence was observed at 4 wk follow-up after stent removal in all patients CONCLUSION:Although technically feasible,placement of a tracheobronchial SEPS is associated with a high risk of complications.Small diameter stents must be kept in place for longer than 3 mo to allow adequate time for stricture remodeling.展开更多
This paper analyses robotic signals in the perspective of fractional dynamics and the pseudo phase plane （PPP）.It is shown that the spectra of several experimental signals can be approximated by trend lines whose sl...This paper analyses robotic signals in the perspective of fractional dynamics and the pseudo phase plane （PPP）.It is shown that the spectra of several experimental signals can be approximated by trend lines whose slope characterizes their fractional behavior.For the PPP reconstruction of each signal,the time lags are calculated through the fractal dimension.Moreover,to obtain a smooth PPP,the noisy signals are filtered through wavelets.The behavior of the spectra reveals a relationship with the fractal dimension of the PPP and the corresponding time delay.展开更多
The mechanism of the hydrophobized poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)/K^(+) system inhibiting shale hydration was studied by laboratory experiment. The inhibition performance was evaluated through cuttings hot-rolling dispers...The mechanism of the hydrophobized poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)/K^(+) system inhibiting shale hydration was studied by laboratory experiment. The inhibition performance was evaluated through cuttings hot-rolling dispersion, bentonite inhibition and contact angle tests. The inhibition became stronger as contact angle and PEG concentration increased. A modified cuttings hot-rolling dispersion experiment suggested that these molecular systems did not act through the thermally activated mud emulsion(TAME) mechanism. The interaction of the PEG/K^(+) with clay samples was investigated through adsorption studies and by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). The adsorption isotherms showed that the presence of K^(+) increased the PEG affinity for the clay surface. This inhibition effect was accompanied by a reduction of the bentonite hydration with PEG adsorption, evidenced by FT-IR, TGA and differential thermogravimetric(DTG) curves. XRD patterns were conclusive in showing that the presence of K^(+) ions limited the expansion of the clay interlamellar region to only one PEG layer, and the terminal hydrophobic segments of the PEG chains turned out to be determinant in enhancement of the inhibitory efficiency. The cuttings hot-rolling dispersion was carried out on water-base drilling fluid with PEG/K^(+), which proved the inhibition performance of PEG/K^(+) in oil field drilling.展开更多
Optical immersion clearing is a technique that has been widely studied for more than two decades and that is used to originate a temporary transparency effect in biological tissues.If applied in cooperation with clini...Optical immersion clearing is a technique that has been widely studied for more than two decades and that is used to originate a temporary transparency effect in biological tissues.If applied in cooperation with clinical methods it provides optimization of diagnosis and treatment procedures.This technique turns biological tissues more transparent through two main mechanisms-tissue dehydration and refractive index(RI)matching between tissue compo-nents.Such matching is obtained by partial replacement of interstit ial water by a biocompat ible agent that presents higher RI and it can be completely rever sible by natural rehydration in vrivo or by assisted rehydration in ex vivo tissues.Experimental data to characterize and discriminate between the two mechanisms and to find new ones are necessary.Using a simple method,based on collimated transmittance and thickness measurements made from muscle samples under treatment,we have estimated the diffusion properties of glucose,ethylene glycol(EG)and water that were used to perform such char acterization and discrimination.Comparing these properties with data from literature that characterize their diffusion in water we have observed that musde cell membrane permeability limits agent and water diffusion in the muscle.The same experi-mental data has allowed to calculate the optical dearing(OC)eficiency and make an inter-pretation of the internal changes that occurred in muscle during the treatments.The same methodology can now be used to perform similar studies with other agents and in other tissues in order to solve engineering problems at design of inexpensive and robust technologies for a consider.able improvement of optical tomogr aphic techmiques with better contrast and in depth imaging.展开更多
In the last decades,vanadium alloyed coatings have been introduced as potential candidates for self-lubrication due to their perfect tribological properties.In this work,the influence of V incorporation on the wear pe...In the last decades,vanadium alloyed coatings have been introduced as potential candidates for self-lubrication due to their perfect tribological properties.In this work,the influence of V incorporation on the wear performance and oxidation resistance of TiSiN/CrN film coatings deposited by direct current(DC)reactive magnetron sputtering is investigated.The results show that vanadium incorporation significantly decreases the oxidation resistance of the coatings.In general,two layers are formed during the oxidation process:i)Ti(V)O_(2) on top,followed by a protective layer,which is subdivided into two layers,Cr_(2)O_(3) and Si-O.ii)The diffusion of V controls the oxidation of V-containing coatings.The addition of vanadium improves the wear resistance of coatings,and the wear rate decreases with increasing V content in the coatings;however,the friction coefficient is independent of the chemical composition of the coatings.The wear of the V-containing coatings is driven by polishing wear.展开更多
1.Introduction Layered van der Waals materials have emerged as a new class of materials with fascinating properties for versatile potential ap-plications owing to their unique atomic structures and ultrathin thickness...1.Introduction Layered van der Waals materials have emerged as a new class of materials with fascinating properties for versatile potential ap-plications owing to their unique atomic structures and ultrathin thickness[1-7].As a subcategory of layered van der Waals mate-rials,group IV monochalcogenides,including Ge(S,Se,Te)and Sn(S,Se,Te),possess similar atomic structures and comparable elec-tronic structures,rendering them becoming promising alternatives for applications in thermoelectric[8],ferroelectric[9-11],photo-catalytic[12],optoelectronic[13-16],and memory devices[17-19].展开更多
The popularity of mobile service robotics is steadily growing,and over the last two decades,there has been a significant increase in the application of these machines in distinct fields,indoors,and outdoors.To become ...The popularity of mobile service robotics is steadily growing,and over the last two decades,there has been a significant increase in the application of these machines in distinct fields,indoors,and outdoors.To become truly effective in performing their assigned tasks,these machines involve several associated technologies,namely sensors,actuators,and control systems.With these considerations in mind,this special issue of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Technology presents six state-of-the-art peer-reviewed contributions,ranging from theory to prototyping,and down to the final product development.展开更多
This paper aims at presenting the guidelines for an urban regeneration strategy in Lisbon, having in account the principles of urbanity, density, livability and social and territorial cohesion. The case study will be ...This paper aims at presenting the guidelines for an urban regeneration strategy in Lisbon, having in account the principles of urbanity, density, livability and social and territorial cohesion. The case study will be Avenidas Novas district, in Lisbon, Portugal, as it is a paradigmatic example of a central area which coexists with dynamism and decadence. The development model for Avenidas Novas was inspired on French boulevards and was planned to be the modem face of a medium to high social class population, as it was until 1940s. Today, as a consequence of further developments which corrupted the first principles and concept, its urban fabric is becoming less coherent and adequate to the needs of the population who works and lives there. From an analysis to the various components of the urban fabric, the paper will identify the major problems that are happening on the site, related to accessibility, mobility and functional diversity. Once understanding the impacts of an unsustainable territory management and urban design, the goal is to develop the principles for a creative urban regeneration strategy for Avenidas Novas district. The study will be based on the theoretical issues of the compact city and walkable distances in order to develop quantifying parameters of urban quality and to promote human scale public spaces and territorial cohesion on an urban environment.展开更多
Water scarcity is pushing the government,industries and researchers to the development of new strategies for water and wastewater management.An approach aimed at the optimization of the water use and minimization of e...Water scarcity is pushing the government,industries and researchers to the development of new strategies for water and wastewater management.An approach aimed at the optimization of the water use and minimization of effluent generation was developed at the Centro Experimental ARAMAR(CEA),a nuclear research facility,located in the State of Sao Paulo,Brazil.Bench scale tests followed by a pilot plant treating effluents from some nuclear research facilities have shown the results leading to the conclusion that the effluent zero release concept is feasible.Based on the gathered data,a project of an integrated effluent treatment system focusing on water recovery and environmental effluent release reduction has been developed.展开更多
As changes in hard or soft oral tissues normally have a microbiological component,it is important to develop diagnostic techniques that support clinical evaluation,without destroying microbio-logical formation.The opt...As changes in hard or soft oral tissues normally have a microbiological component,it is important to develop diagnostic techniques that support clinical evaluation,without destroying microbio-logical formation.The optical coherence tomography(OCT)represents an alternative to analyze tissues and microorganisms without the need for processing.This imaging technique could be defined as a fast,real-time,in situ,and non-destructive method.Thus,this study proposed the use of the OCT to visualize biofilm by Candida albicans in reline resins for removable prostheses.Three reline resins(Silagum-Comfort,Coe Comfort,and Soft-Confort),with distinct char-acteristics related to wa ter sorption and fungal inhibition were used.A total of 30 samples(10 for each resin group)were subjected to OCT scanning before and 96 h after inoculation with Candida albicans(URM 6547).The biofilm analysis was carried out through a 2D optical Callisto SD-OCT(930 nm)operated in the spectral domain.Then,the images were preprocessed using a3×3 Gaussian filter to remove the noise,and then Otsu binarization,allowing segmentation and pixel counting.The layer's biofilm formed was clearly defined and,indeed,its visualization is modified by water sorption of each material.Silagum-Comfort and Soft.Confort showed some similarities in the scattering of light between the clean and inoculated samples,in which,the latter samples presented higher values of light signal intensity.Coe-Comfort samples were the only ones that showed no di®erences between the clean or inoculated images.Therefore,the results of this study suggest that OCT is a viable technique to visualize the biolm in reline materials.Becausendings in the literature are still scarcely using the OCT technique to visualize biolm in reline resins,further studies are encouraged.It should not contain any references or displayed equations.展开更多
The special issue presents new mathematical and computational approaches,to investigate some core problems of the computational biological sciences.This topic presents a huge interest from both theoretical and applied...The special issue presents new mathematical and computational approaches,to investigate some core problems of the computational biological sciences.This topic presents a huge interest from both theoretical and applied viewpoints.The content of this special issue was focused mainly to debate a wide range of the theory and applications of integer-order and fractional-order derivatives and fractional-order integrals in different directions of mathematical biology.Several interdisciplinary groups reported their related results.展开更多
With the objective to study the variation of optical properties of rat muscle during optical clearing,we have performed a set of optical measurements from that kind of tissue.The.measurements performed were total tr a...With the objective to study the variation of optical properties of rat muscle during optical clearing,we have performed a set of optical measurements from that kind of tissue.The.measurements performed were total tr ansmittance,ollimated transmit tance,specular reflec-tance and total reflectance.This set of measurements is suficient to determine diffuse reflectance and absorbance of the sample,also necessary to est imate the optical properties.All the per formed measurements and calculated quantities will be used later in inverse Monte Carlo(IMC)simu-lations to determine the evolution of the optical properties of muscle during treatments with ethylene glycol and glucose.The results obt ained with the measurements already provide some information about the optical c learing treatments applied to the muscle and translate the mechanisms of turning the tissue more transparent and sequence of regimes of optical clearing.展开更多
Waste production in the industrial sector generates environmental impacts.Thus,it is necessary to search for means to reduce and reuse these residues.Brazil is the largest coffee producer and exporter worldwide,with t...Waste production in the industrial sector generates environmental impacts.Thus,it is necessary to search for means to reduce and reuse these residues.Brazil is the largest coffee producer and exporter worldwide,with this being one of the main products in the consumer market,at a production of 30 million sacks per year.Coffee production generates large amounts of by-products,such as husks.Therefore,the reuse of this residue is a good alternative for its disposal.In view of this fact,partial sand substitution by coffee husks in concrete production was evaluated,in order to reduce sand use in concrete manufacturing.For specimen production,traits were formulated by replacing sand by coffee husks at 5%.A 0.5:0.5:1:0.5(gravel:sand:cement:water)ratio was considered for specimen preparation.To evaluate mechanical compressive strength,assays were performed after 7,14,21 and 28 days,using a hydraulic press with 80 MPa capacity.Partial sand substitution by the coffee residue was considered satisfactory,obtaining a compressive strength of±20 MPa,higher than the resistance obtained for the concrete produced without sand replacement.Coffee husk use did not compromise material resistance.展开更多
Context： Anesthetic tubes are always on the surgical table, for this reason, it＇s necessary to perform its disinfection, generally by chemicals. Aim： Was to analyze the effectiveness of tubes decontamination made b...Context： Anesthetic tubes are always on the surgical table, for this reason, it＇s necessary to perform its disinfection, generally by chemicals. Aim： Was to analyze the effectiveness of tubes decontamination made by disinfectant substances used in a clinical setting and to identify the microorganisms found on their surface. Materials and Methods： 14 anesthetic tubes were collected from dental clinic, on 5 groups. 01 plastic and 01 glass tubes that were not submitted to any disinfection process composed the control group and they had been sown in Agar Blood. Experimental groups underwent immersion and fixation with the proposed chemicals for 1 minute, laminar flow hood was used to seed it in Agar Blood and then it was transferred to incubator for 24 hours at 37℃. Tests were used to identify the main Gram positive pathogenic genera. Gram-negative pathogenic colonies isolated were seeded in biochemical means of identification. Results： It was possible to identify the presence of Staphylococcus coagulase negative, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp, as well as the effectiveness of chemical solutions proposed in this study. Conclusions： All chemical solutions proposed in this study were effective for the surface disinfection process of anesthetic tubes.展开更多
ZnO films doped with different vanadium concentrations are deposited onto glass substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target doped with vanadium. The vanadium concentrations are examined by energ...ZnO films doped with different vanadium concentrations are deposited onto glass substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target doped with vanadium. The vanadium concentrations are examined by energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） and the charge state of vanadium in ZnO thin films is characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results of x-ray diffraction （XRD） show that all the films have a wurtzite structure and grow mainly in the c-axis orientation. The grain size and residual stress in the deposited films are estimated by fitting the XRD results. The optical properties of the films are studied by measuring the transmittance. The optical constants （refractive index and extinction coefficient） and the film thickness are obtained by fitting the transmittance. All the results are discussed in relation with the doping of the vanadium.展开更多
This study aimed to evaluate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Coffea canephora aqueous extract (Cc), trigonelline (Tg) and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) agains...This study aimed to evaluate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Coffea canephora aqueous extract (Cc), trigonelline (Tg) and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) against cariogenic microorganisms: Streptococcus parasanguinis ATCC 903 (SP), Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 9595 (LR);and pathogens related to periodontal disease: Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 (PG), Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586 (FN), Prevotella intermedia ATCC 49046 (PI) and Prevotella nigrescens ATCC 33563 (PN). Different concentrations of Cc (0.15625 to 10 mg/mL), Tg and 5-CQA (0.005 to 10.24 mg/mL) were tested. Chlorhexidine (0.05%) was used as positive control and the substances without the inoculum comprised the blank control. The Cc showed bacteriostatic action against SP (MIC = 5 mg/mL) and LR (MIC = 10 mg/mL). Tg showed bacteriostatic action against SP (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL), LR (MIC = 2.56 mg/mL), PG (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL), FN (MIC = 5.12 mg/mL), PN (MIC = 2.56 mg/mL), and PI (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL). Also, Tg showed bactericide properties against SP (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL), PG (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL), FN (MBC = 10.24 mg/mL), PN (MBC = 5.12 mg/mL), and PI (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL). Although 5-CQA has previously shown activity against Streptococcus mutans, in the present study, it showed no activity against all tested microorganisms. C. canephora extract only showed antibacterial activity against cariogenic microorganisms, not presenting action against periodontal pathogens. It was concluded that trigonelline presented the best effect against all pathogens tested, therefore coffee extracts with higher trigonelline content should be tested against these specific pathogens.展开更多
文摘The machining process remains relevant for manufacturing high-quality and high-precision parts,which can be found in industries such as aerospace and aeronautical,with many produced by turning,drilling,and milling processes.Monitoring and analyzing tool wear during these processes is crucial to assess the tool’s life and optimize the tool’s performance under study;as such,standards detail procedures to measure and assess tool wear for various tools.Measuring wear in machining tools can be time-consuming,as the process is usually manual,requiring human interaction and judgment.In the present work,an automated offline flank wear measurement algorithm was developed in Python.The algorithm measures the flank wear of coated end-mills and slot drills from Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)images,according to the ISO 8688 standard,following the same wear measurement procedure.SEM images acquired with different magnifications and tools with varying machining parameters were analyzed using the developed algorithm.The flank wear measurements were then compared to the manually obtained,achieving relative errors for the most common magnifications of around 2.5%.Higher magnifications were also tested,yielding a maximum relative error of 13.4%.The algorithm can measure batches of images quickly on an ordinary personal computer,analyzing and measuring a 10-image batch in around 30 s,a process that would require around 30 min when performed manually by a skilled operator.Therefore,it can be a reliable alternative to measuring flank wear on many tools from SEM images,with the possibility of being adjusted for other wear measurements on different kinds of tools and different image types,for example,on images obtained by optical microscopy.
文摘BACKGROUND Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma(MEITL)is a rare primary intestinal T-cell lymphoma,previously known as enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma type II.MEITL is an aggressive T-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis and high mortality rate.The known major complications of MEITL are intestinal perforation and obstruction.Here,we present a case of MEITL that was diagnosed following upper gastrointestinal bleeding from an ulcerative duodenal lesion,with recurrence-free survival for 5 years.CASE SUMMARY A 68-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with melena and mild anemia.An urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD)revealed bleeding from an ulcerative lesion in the transverse part of the duodenum,for which hemostatic treatment was performed.MEITL was diagnosed following repeated biopsies of the lesion,and cyclophosphamide,doxorubicin,vincristine,and prednisone(CHOP)chemotherapy was administered.She achieved complete remission after eight full cycles of CHOP therapy.At the last follow-up examination,EGD revealed a scarred ulcer and 18Fluorodeoxyglucose(18FDG)positron emission tomography/computed tomography showed no abnormal FDG accumulation.The patient has been in complete remission for 68 mo after initial diagnosis.CONCLUSION To rule out MEITL,it is important to carefully perform histological examination when bleeding from a duodenal ulcer is observed.
文摘The dislike food preferences that children registered regarding vegetables and fish compromise the exposure to those iodine sources and may contribute to cause a nutritional deficiency in this micronutrient, causing serious damage of the brain and the central nervous system. Functional foods are becoming well-established in the market, focused on by an adult consumer more interested in healthy eating habits but without the motivation to optimize natural food preparation or to promote a wide variety of food in their diet. This article presents evidence of a new functional product concept, 100% vegetable, fermented soya based and salted by a red algae, that was approved by 900 parents who chose the sensorial features: distinctive aroma (57.9%), soft texture (38.4%), sausage shape (21%) and attractive color (77.9%). Three different varieties were developed: carrot (50% w/w), sugar-beet (50% w/w) and tomato (40% w/w) mini sausages, with tofu (20% w/w) and 0.8 % (w/w) of seaweed, reflecting trends that the younger consumer demands. The sensorial tests performed, after quality control assays, received very satisfactory acceptance by the potential buyer.
文摘AIM:To describe a modified technique for placement of a tracheobronchial self-expanding plastic stent(SEPS) in patients with benign refractory hypopharyngeal strictures in order to improve dysphagia and allow stricture remodeling.METHODS:A case series of four consecutive patients with complex hypopharyngeal strictures after combinedtherapy for laryngeal cancer,previously submitted to multiple sessions of dilation without lasting improvement,is presented.All patients underwent placement of a small diameter and unflared tracheobronchial SEPS.Main outcome measurements were improvement of dysphagia and avoiding of repeated dilation.RESULTS:The modified introducer system allowed an easy and technically successful deployment of the tracheobronchial Polyflex stent through the stricture.All four patients developed complications related to stent placement.Two patients had stent migration(one proximal and one distal),two patients developed phanryngocutaneous fistulas and all patients with stents in situ for more than 8 wk had hyperplastic tissue growth at the upper end of the stent.Stricture recurrence was observed at 4 wk follow-up after stent removal in all patients CONCLUSION:Although technically feasible,placement of a tracheobronchial SEPS is associated with a high risk of complications.Small diameter stents must be kept in place for longer than 3 mo to allow adequate time for stricture remodeling.
文摘This paper analyses robotic signals in the perspective of fractional dynamics and the pseudo phase plane （PPP）.It is shown that the spectra of several experimental signals can be approximated by trend lines whose slope characterizes their fractional behavior.For the PPP reconstruction of each signal,the time lags are calculated through the fractal dimension.Moreover,to obtain a smooth PPP,the noisy signals are filtered through wavelets.The behavior of the spectra reveals a relationship with the fractal dimension of the PPP and the corresponding time delay.
基金The authors gratefully acknowledge to ANP(Brazilian Petroleum National Agency)COLFUTURO(Foundation for the future of Colombia)for the financial support.
文摘The mechanism of the hydrophobized poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)/K^(+) system inhibiting shale hydration was studied by laboratory experiment. The inhibition performance was evaluated through cuttings hot-rolling dispersion, bentonite inhibition and contact angle tests. The inhibition became stronger as contact angle and PEG concentration increased. A modified cuttings hot-rolling dispersion experiment suggested that these molecular systems did not act through the thermally activated mud emulsion(TAME) mechanism. The interaction of the PEG/K^(+) with clay samples was investigated through adsorption studies and by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). The adsorption isotherms showed that the presence of K^(+) increased the PEG affinity for the clay surface. This inhibition effect was accompanied by a reduction of the bentonite hydration with PEG adsorption, evidenced by FT-IR, TGA and differential thermogravimetric(DTG) curves. XRD patterns were conclusive in showing that the presence of K^(+) ions limited the expansion of the clay interlamellar region to only one PEG layer, and the terminal hydrophobic segments of the PEG chains turned out to be determinant in enhancement of the inhibitory efficiency. The cuttings hot-rolling dispersion was carried out on water-base drilling fluid with PEG/K^(+), which proved the inhibition performance of PEG/K^(+) in oil field drilling.
基金support from the Government of Russian Federation(Grant No.14.Z50.31.0004)The Tomsk State University Academic D.I.Mendeleev Fund Program.
文摘Optical immersion clearing is a technique that has been widely studied for more than two decades and that is used to originate a temporary transparency effect in biological tissues.If applied in cooperation with clinical methods it provides optimization of diagnosis and treatment procedures.This technique turns biological tissues more transparent through two main mechanisms-tissue dehydration and refractive index(RI)matching between tissue compo-nents.Such matching is obtained by partial replacement of interstit ial water by a biocompat ible agent that presents higher RI and it can be completely rever sible by natural rehydration in vrivo or by assisted rehydration in ex vivo tissues.Experimental data to characterize and discriminate between the two mechanisms and to find new ones are necessary.Using a simple method,based on collimated transmittance and thickness measurements made from muscle samples under treatment,we have estimated the diffusion properties of glucose,ethylene glycol(EG)and water that were used to perform such char acterization and discrimination.Comparing these properties with data from literature that characterize their diffusion in water we have observed that musde cell membrane permeability limits agent and water diffusion in the muscle.The same experi-mental data has allowed to calculate the optical dearing(OC)eficiency and make an inter-pretation of the internal changes that occurred in muscle during the treatments.The same methodology can now be used to perform similar studies with other agents and in other tissues in order to solve engineering problems at design of inexpensive and robust technologies for a consider.able improvement of optical tomogr aphic techmiques with better contrast and in depth imaging.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51801081 and 52171071)national funds through FCT of Portugal-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia,under a scientific contract of 2021.04115,CEMMPRE-ref.“UIDB/00285/2020”and LA/P/0112/2020 projects+2 种基金FEDER funds through the COMPETE program-Operational Program on Competitiveness Factorsnational funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology,Outstanding University Young Teachers of“Qing Lan Project”of Jiangsu Province of China,Excellent Talents of“Shenlan Project”of Jiangsu University of Science and Technology of ChinaA part of this study was supported by the Directorate-General of Scientific Research and Technological Development(Algeria)。
文摘In the last decades,vanadium alloyed coatings have been introduced as potential candidates for self-lubrication due to their perfect tribological properties.In this work,the influence of V incorporation on the wear performance and oxidation resistance of TiSiN/CrN film coatings deposited by direct current(DC)reactive magnetron sputtering is investigated.The results show that vanadium incorporation significantly decreases the oxidation resistance of the coatings.In general,two layers are formed during the oxidation process:i)Ti(V)O_(2) on top,followed by a protective layer,which is subdivided into two layers,Cr_(2)O_(3) and Si-O.ii)The diffusion of V controls the oxidation of V-containing coatings.The addition of vanadium improves the wear resistance of coatings,and the wear rate decreases with increasing V content in the coatings;however,the friction coefficient is independent of the chemical composition of the coatings.The wear of the V-containing coatings is driven by polishing wear.
基金This work was financially supported by the China Postdoc-toral Science Foundation(Nos.2020M673174 and2019M663688)The authors acknowledge the European Research Executive Agency(Project No.101079184-FUNLAYERS).
文摘1.Introduction Layered van der Waals materials have emerged as a new class of materials with fascinating properties for versatile potential ap-plications owing to their unique atomic structures and ultrathin thickness[1-7].As a subcategory of layered van der Waals mate-rials,group IV monochalcogenides,including Ge(S,Se,Te)and Sn(S,Se,Te),possess similar atomic structures and comparable elec-tronic structures,rendering them becoming promising alternatives for applications in thermoelectric[8],ferroelectric[9-11],photo-catalytic[12],optoelectronic[13-16],and memory devices[17-19].
文摘The popularity of mobile service robotics is steadily growing,and over the last two decades,there has been a significant increase in the application of these machines in distinct fields,indoors,and outdoors.To become truly effective in performing their assigned tasks,these machines involve several associated technologies,namely sensors,actuators,and control systems.With these considerations in mind,this special issue of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Technology presents six state-of-the-art peer-reviewed contributions,ranging from theory to prototyping,and down to the final product development.
文摘This paper aims at presenting the guidelines for an urban regeneration strategy in Lisbon, having in account the principles of urbanity, density, livability and social and territorial cohesion. The case study will be Avenidas Novas district, in Lisbon, Portugal, as it is a paradigmatic example of a central area which coexists with dynamism and decadence. The development model for Avenidas Novas was inspired on French boulevards and was planned to be the modem face of a medium to high social class population, as it was until 1940s. Today, as a consequence of further developments which corrupted the first principles and concept, its urban fabric is becoming less coherent and adequate to the needs of the population who works and lives there. From an analysis to the various components of the urban fabric, the paper will identify the major problems that are happening on the site, related to accessibility, mobility and functional diversity. Once understanding the impacts of an unsustainable territory management and urban design, the goal is to develop the principles for a creative urban regeneration strategy for Avenidas Novas district. The study will be based on the theoretical issues of the compact city and walkable distances in order to develop quantifying parameters of urban quality and to promote human scale public spaces and territorial cohesion on an urban environment.
文摘Water scarcity is pushing the government,industries and researchers to the development of new strategies for water and wastewater management.An approach aimed at the optimization of the water use and minimization of effluent generation was developed at the Centro Experimental ARAMAR(CEA),a nuclear research facility,located in the State of Sao Paulo,Brazil.Bench scale tests followed by a pilot plant treating effluents from some nuclear research facilities have shown the results leading to the conclusion that the effluent zero release concept is feasible.Based on the gathered data,a project of an integrated effluent treatment system focusing on water recovery and environmental effluent release reduction has been developed.
基金This study is a palrt of the INCT/INFO(National Institutes of Science and Technology,Photonics National Institute-465.763/2014-6)is sup-ported by the CNPq/MCTI(National Council of Technological and Scientific Development and Ministry of Science Technology and Innov ation)+1 种基金the PRONEX program(Center of Excellence on Biophotonics and Nanophotonics-APQ-0504-1.05/14)sponsored by FACEPE/CNPq(Founda-tion for Science and Technology of Pernambuco State and National Council of Technological and Scientific Development).
文摘As changes in hard or soft oral tissues normally have a microbiological component,it is important to develop diagnostic techniques that support clinical evaluation,without destroying microbio-logical formation.The optical coherence tomography(OCT)represents an alternative to analyze tissues and microorganisms without the need for processing.This imaging technique could be defined as a fast,real-time,in situ,and non-destructive method.Thus,this study proposed the use of the OCT to visualize biofilm by Candida albicans in reline resins for removable prostheses.Three reline resins(Silagum-Comfort,Coe Comfort,and Soft-Confort),with distinct char-acteristics related to wa ter sorption and fungal inhibition were used.A total of 30 samples(10 for each resin group)were subjected to OCT scanning before and 96 h after inoculation with Candida albicans(URM 6547).The biofilm analysis was carried out through a 2D optical Callisto SD-OCT(930 nm)operated in the spectral domain.Then,the images were preprocessed using a3×3 Gaussian filter to remove the noise,and then Otsu binarization,allowing segmentation and pixel counting.The layer's biofilm formed was clearly defined and,indeed,its visualization is modified by water sorption of each material.Silagum-Comfort and Soft.Confort showed some similarities in the scattering of light between the clean and inoculated samples,in which,the latter samples presented higher values of light signal intensity.Coe-Comfort samples were the only ones that showed no di®erences between the clean or inoculated images.Therefore,the results of this study suggest that OCT is a viable technique to visualize the biolm in reline materials.Becausendings in the literature are still scarcely using the OCT technique to visualize biolm in reline resins,further studies are encouraged.It should not contain any references or displayed equations.
文摘The special issue presents new mathematical and computational approaches,to investigate some core problems of the computational biological sciences.This topic presents a huge interest from both theoretical and applied viewpoints.The content of this special issue was focused mainly to debate a wide range of the theory and applications of integer-order and fractional-order derivatives and fractional-order integrals in different directions of mathematical biology.Several interdisciplinary groups reported their related results.
基金supported in part by grants:RF Governmental contracts 11.519.11.2035,14.B37.21.0728,and 14.B37.11.0563FiDiPro,TEKES Program(40111/11),Finland+1 种基金SCOPES EC,Uzb/Switz/RF,Swiss NSF,IZ74ZO 137423/1RF President's grant"Scientific Schools",1177.2012.2.
文摘With the objective to study the variation of optical properties of rat muscle during optical clearing,we have performed a set of optical measurements from that kind of tissue.The.measurements performed were total tr ansmittance,ollimated transmit tance,specular reflec-tance and total reflectance.This set of measurements is suficient to determine diffuse reflectance and absorbance of the sample,also necessary to est imate the optical properties.All the per formed measurements and calculated quantities will be used later in inverse Monte Carlo(IMC)simu-lations to determine the evolution of the optical properties of muscle during treatments with ethylene glycol and glucose.The results obt ained with the measurements already provide some information about the optical c learing treatments applied to the muscle and translate the mechanisms of turning the tissue more transparent and sequence of regimes of optical clearing.
文摘Waste production in the industrial sector generates environmental impacts.Thus,it is necessary to search for means to reduce and reuse these residues.Brazil is the largest coffee producer and exporter worldwide,with this being one of the main products in the consumer market,at a production of 30 million sacks per year.Coffee production generates large amounts of by-products,such as husks.Therefore,the reuse of this residue is a good alternative for its disposal.In view of this fact,partial sand substitution by coffee husks in concrete production was evaluated,in order to reduce sand use in concrete manufacturing.For specimen production,traits were formulated by replacing sand by coffee husks at 5%.A 0.5:0.5:1:0.5(gravel:sand:cement:water)ratio was considered for specimen preparation.To evaluate mechanical compressive strength,assays were performed after 7,14,21 and 28 days,using a hydraulic press with 80 MPa capacity.Partial sand substitution by the coffee residue was considered satisfactory,obtaining a compressive strength of±20 MPa,higher than the resistance obtained for the concrete produced without sand replacement.Coffee husk use did not compromise material resistance.
文摘Context： Anesthetic tubes are always on the surgical table, for this reason, it＇s necessary to perform its disinfection, generally by chemicals. Aim： Was to analyze the effectiveness of tubes decontamination made by disinfectant substances used in a clinical setting and to identify the microorganisms found on their surface. Materials and Methods： 14 anesthetic tubes were collected from dental clinic, on 5 groups. 01 plastic and 01 glass tubes that were not submitted to any disinfection process composed the control group and they had been sown in Agar Blood. Experimental groups underwent immersion and fixation with the proposed chemicals for 1 minute, laminar flow hood was used to seed it in Agar Blood and then it was transferred to incubator for 24 hours at 37℃. Tests were used to identify the main Gram positive pathogenic genera. Gram-negative pathogenic colonies isolated were seeded in biochemical means of identification. Results： It was possible to identify the presence of Staphylococcus coagulase negative, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp, as well as the effectiveness of chemical solutions proposed in this study. Conclusions： All chemical solutions proposed in this study were effective for the surface disinfection process of anesthetic tubes.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 60576016, 10774013, 10804006 and 10434030 （key project）, the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China under Grant No 2006AA03Z0412, the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing under Grant No 2073030, the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No 2003CB314707, and Beijing Jiao Tong University under Grants Nos 2005SM057, 2006XM043 and 141028522.
文摘ZnO films doped with different vanadium concentrations are deposited onto glass substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target doped with vanadium. The vanadium concentrations are examined by energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） and the charge state of vanadium in ZnO thin films is characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results of x-ray diffraction （XRD） show that all the films have a wurtzite structure and grow mainly in the c-axis orientation. The grain size and residual stress in the deposited films are estimated by fitting the XRD results. The optical properties of the films are studied by measuring the transmittance. The optical constants （refractive index and extinction coefficient） and the film thickness are obtained by fitting the transmittance. All the results are discussed in relation with the doping of the vanadium.
文摘This study aimed to evaluate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Coffea canephora aqueous extract (Cc), trigonelline (Tg) and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) against cariogenic microorganisms: Streptococcus parasanguinis ATCC 903 (SP), Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 9595 (LR);and pathogens related to periodontal disease: Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 (PG), Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586 (FN), Prevotella intermedia ATCC 49046 (PI) and Prevotella nigrescens ATCC 33563 (PN). Different concentrations of Cc (0.15625 to 10 mg/mL), Tg and 5-CQA (0.005 to 10.24 mg/mL) were tested. Chlorhexidine (0.05%) was used as positive control and the substances without the inoculum comprised the blank control. The Cc showed bacteriostatic action against SP (MIC = 5 mg/mL) and LR (MIC = 10 mg/mL). Tg showed bacteriostatic action against SP (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL), LR (MIC = 2.56 mg/mL), PG (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL), FN (MIC = 5.12 mg/mL), PN (MIC = 2.56 mg/mL), and PI (MIC = 2.56 to 1.28 mg/mL). Also, Tg showed bactericide properties against SP (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL), PG (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL), FN (MBC = 10.24 mg/mL), PN (MBC = 5.12 mg/mL), and PI (MBC = 2.56 mg/mL). Although 5-CQA has previously shown activity against Streptococcus mutans, in the present study, it showed no activity against all tested microorganisms. C. canephora extract only showed antibacterial activity against cariogenic microorganisms, not presenting action against periodontal pathogens. It was concluded that trigonelline presented the best effect against all pathogens tested, therefore coffee extracts with higher trigonelline content should be tested against these specific pathogens.
