Käsinhitsauksen mekanisointiratkaisujen kehittäminen

Työn tavoitteena on kehittää asiakkaiden käsinhitsausta kartoittamalla heidän hitsaavaa tuotantoa, sekä sen mahdollisia ongelmia. Järjestettävän hitsauskokeen avulla mitataan mekanisoidun hitsauksen tuottavuutta, laatua ja työergonomiaa. Työ sisältää teoreettisen ja käytännöllisen osuuden. Teoreettinen osuus pohjautuu kirjallisuuteen ja käytännöllinen osuus eri yrityksien kyselyihin ja haastatteluihin sekä hitsauskokeeseen. Teoreettinen osuus käsittelee käsinhitsausta ja siihen liittyviä mekanisointiratkaisuja. Käsinhitsauksessa käsitellään yleisimmät käsinhitsausprosessit, käsinhitsattava tuote ja tuotanto sekä sen tuottavuutta. Mekanisointiratkaisuissa käsitellään yleisimmät mekanisointiratkaisut ja laitteet sekä käytännön toteutusta. Käytännöllisessä osuudessa yritykset pitivät nykyisin hitsauksessa tärkeimpänä hitsaajien ammattitaitoa, tuottavuutta, työn mielekkyyttä, laatua sekä työturvallisuutta. Yrityksien tulisi tarkastella tuotannossaan hitsaussolujen sisältöä, sisäistä logistiikkaa ja kappaleiden kiinnitystä. Kappaleenkäsittelijään yrityksiltä tuli paljon kehitysideoita, kuten kiinnitykseen valmiita ratkaisuja sekä pöytälevyyn erilaisia vaihtoehtoja. Hitsauskokeen perusteella kappaleenkäsittelijällä työaika oli 29,4 % pienempi kuin työpöydällä. Laadullisesti koe antoi myös positiivisia tuloksia, käsittelypöydässä hitsattuja rakenteita ei tarvinnut korjata, mutta normaalissa työpöydässä piti, jotta C –luokan vaatimukset täyttyivät. Työturvallisuuden ja ergonomian kannalta suurimmat hyödyt olivat hyvä työasento, huurujen ja kurkottelun vähentyminen, mahdollisten palovammojen vähentyminen sekä vähemmän vaaraa osien putoamisesta.

Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries and plant proteomics: a winning strategy at a price

The mechanism of action and properties of a solid-phase ligand library made of hexapeptides (combinatorial peptide ligand libraries or CPLL), for capturing the "hidden proteome", i.e. the low- and very low-abundance proteins constituting the vast majority of species in any proteome, as applied to plant tissues, are reviewed here. Plant tissues are notoriously recalcitrant to protein extraction and to proteome analysis. Firstly, rigid plant cell walls need to be mechanically disrupted to release the cell content and, in addition to their poor protein yield, plant tissues are rich in proteases and oxidative enzymes, contain phenolic compounds, starches, oils, pigments and secondary metabolites that massively contaminate protein extracts. In addition, complex matrices of polysaccharides, including large amount of anionic pectins, are present. All these species compete with the binding of proteins to the CPLL beads, impeding proper capture and identification / detection of low-abundance species. When properly pre-treated, plant tissue extracts are amenable to capture by the CPLL beads revealing thus many new species among them low-abundance proteins. Examples are given on the treatment of leaf proteins, of corn seed extracts and of exudate proteins (latex from Hevea brasiliensis). In all cases, the detection of unique gene products via CPLL capture is at least twice that of control, untreated sample.

Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries and plant proteomics: a winning strategy at a price

The mechanism of action and properties of a solid-phase ligand library made of hexapeptides (combinatorial peptide ligand libraries or CPLL, for capturing the "hidden proteome", i.e. the low- and very low-abundance proteins Constituting the vast majority of species in any proteome. as applied to plant tissues, are reviewed here. Plant tissues are notoriously recalcitrant to protein extraction and to proteome analysis, Firstly, rigid plant cell walls need to be mechanically disrupted to release the cell content and, in addition to their poor protein yield, plant tissues are rich in proteases and oxidative enzymes, contain phenolic Compounds, starches, oils, pigments and secondary metabolites that massively contaminate protein extracts. In addition, complex matrices of polysaccharides, including large amount of anionic pectins, are present. All these species compete with the binding of proteins to the CPLL beads, impeding proper capture and identification I detection of low-abundance species. When properly pre-treated, plant tissue extracts are amenable to capture by the CPLL beads revealing thus many new species among them low-abundance proteins. Examples are given on the treatment of leaf proteins, of corn seed extracts and of exudate proteins (latex from Hevea brasiliensis). In all cases, the detection of unique gene products via CPLL Capture is at least twice that of control, untreated sample. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Composição química, fracionamento de carboidratos e proteínas e digestibilidade in vitro de forrageiras tropicais em diferentes idades de corte

Objetivou-se avaliar o valor nutritivo de três espécies forrageiras tropicais: capim-tanzânia (Panicum maximum Jacq.), capim-marandu (Brachiaria brizantha) e capim-tifton 85 (Cynodon spp), em duas épocas do ano (janeiro-março e abril-junho) e em três idades de rebrota (28, 35 e 42 dias), por meio da composição química, do fracionamento de proteínas e carboidratos e da digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS) e da matéria orgânica (DIVMO). O capim-marandu destacou-se no período de janeiro-março, com menores conteúdos de parede celular e fração B2 dos carboidratos e maiores valores de proteína bruta, fração A + B1, DIVMS e DIVMO, em comparação aos capins tanzânia e tifton 85, independentemente da idade de corte. O aumento da concentração de parede celular em detrimento ao conteúdo celular com o avanço da maturidade das plantas foi evidente no capim-marandu no período de janeiro-março, quando foram observados maior valor da fração B2, maior conteúdo de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e menor concentração da fração carboidratos não-fibrosos. No período de abril-junho, a composição em parede celular não apresentou diferenças evidentes com aumento da idade, devido às condições ambientais observadas. O capim-tanzânia apresenta, de modo geral, baixos valores de parede celular e altos valores de carboidratos não-fibrosos, DIVMS e DIVMO nesse período, seguido pelos capins marandu e tifton 85, respectivamente.

Predição da digestibilidade da matéria seca de rações em coelhos em crescimento

O experimento foi realizado com o objetivo de predizer a digestibilidade da matéria seca (MS) de rações para coelhos em crescimento mediante equações baseadas no conceito de entidade nutritiva ideal. Foram usados 100 coelhos do Grupo Genético Botucatu, com 42 dias de idade. Testaram-se 16 rações contendo alimentos volumosos (papel, sabugo de milho, bagaço de cana ou maravalha de pínus), mais milho, farelo de soja, óleo de soja, caulim e sal comum. Os volumosos foram incluídos em quatro níveis, para se obter 22, 28, 34 ou 40% de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e 16% de proteína bruta (PB). O experimento foi realizado em duas fases, em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso. Observou-se efeito linear positivo da FDN sobre o consumo de MS. As médias de digestibilidade da MS variaram entre 60,10 e 80,78%. Houve efeito linear negativo da FDN, bem como interação do teor de FDN × volumoso, sobre a digestibilidade aparente da MS. Ao contrário dos componentes fibrosos, a proteína bruta PB e o conteúdo celular comportaram-se como entidade nutritiva ideal. Para predizer a digestibilidade da MS, testaram-se três modelos e o melhor baseou-se no teor de conteúdo celular, com digestibilidade verdadeira fixada em 1; outro no teor de FDN, cuja digestibilidade foi predita mediante uma equação empírica; e o terceiro, na perda endógena de conteúdo celular, considerada proporcional ao consumo de MS. A principal dificuldade na formulação de modelos para predizer a digestibilidade aparente da MS em coelhos é estimar com precisão a digestibilidade da FDN e a perda endógena de conteúdo celular. É necessário avaliar em estudos futuros o uso de maiores níveis de fibra nas rações. Para rações com níveis de fibra situados na amplitude deste estudo, recomenda-se usar o modelo 3, que inclui, além da fibra em detergente neutro, a fibra em detergente ácido e a lignina.

Anatomia e aspectos ultra-estruturais de pulvinos de leguminosas de cerrado

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica) - IBB

Expansão ex vivo de células uroteliais em scaffolds 3D

Malformations and possible damages to the urogenital system can be originated in the embryonic period. Moreover, fire guns, knives and accidents, where there is the disruption of the urethra, also cause these lesions. The objective was to analyze the contribution of tissue engineering in the construction of neo-urethra, developed by bioengineering. We performed an urothelial ex vivo expansion of cells in 3D scaffolds (platelet gel matrix and acellular porcine aorta) to assess the contribution of this technique in the construction of a neo-urethra. Mechanical dissociation was made of the inner wall of 10 North Folk rabbit’s bladder, weighing 2.5 to 3.0 kg. After dissociation the cell content was centrifuged and obtained a pellet of urothelial cells. The pellet was ressuspended in culture medium DMEM F12 and cells were maintained in culture for 15 days. Immunohistochemical analysis characterized the urothelial culture. The cells were then implanted in the scaffold - platelet gel. In a second experiment using aortic porcine acellular matrix were implanted urothelial cells alone and urothelial cells on platelet gel, on the inner wall of the scaffold - aorta, with space for setting bordered by a urethral probe. The complex probe - cells - aorta and probe - cells in platelet gel - aorta, were sealed with suture material and culture were maintained in a humidified 37ºC incubator with 5% CO2 in air for 12 days to subsequent histological analysis of urothelium cell adhesion to the scaffolds. By observation under an optical microscope, we could see the growth of cells in the scaffold platelet gel, from a monolayer in to a three-dimensional structure. In the acellular porcine aortic matrix containing the platelet gel, we could observe a few quantity of urothelial cells adhered. However with the acellular porcine aortic matrix in which was implanted only the urothelial cells, we have obtained adhesion to the wall

Non-centrosymmetric crystals of new N-benzylideneaniline derivatives as potential materials for non-linear optics

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Atividade cambial em ramos de Kielmeyera grandiflora (WAWRA) saddi (Callophylaceae) ocorrentes no cerrado paulista

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Dynamic distance analysis : new geometric data structures and algorithms for the real-time calculation of tolerance violating regions in the digital mockup process

In vielen Industriezweigen, zum Beispiel in der Automobilindustrie, werden Digitale Versuchsmodelle (Digital MockUps) eingesetzt, um die Konstruktion und die Funktion eines Produkts am virtuellen Prototypen zu überprüfen. Ein Anwendungsfall ist dabei die Überprüfung von Sicherheitsabständen einzelner Bauteile, die sogenannte Abstandsanalyse. Ingenieure ermitteln dabei für bestimmte Bauteile, ob diese in ihrer Ruhelage sowie während einer Bewegung einen vorgegeben Sicherheitsabstand zu den umgebenden Bauteilen einhalten. Unterschreiten Bauteile den Sicherheitsabstand, so muss deren Form oder Lage verändert werden. Dazu ist es wichtig, die Bereiche der Bauteile, welche den Sicherhabstand verletzen, genau zu kennen. rnrnIn dieser Arbeit präsentieren wir eine Lösung zur Echtzeitberechnung aller den Sicherheitsabstand unterschreitenden Bereiche zwischen zwei geometrischen Objekten. Die Objekte sind dabei jeweils als Menge von Primitiven (z.B. Dreiecken) gegeben. Für jeden Zeitpunkt, in dem eine Transformation auf eines der Objekte angewendet wird, berechnen wir die Menge aller den Sicherheitsabstand unterschreitenden Primitive und bezeichnen diese als die Menge aller toleranzverletzenden Primitive. Wir präsentieren in dieser Arbeit eine ganzheitliche Lösung, welche sich in die folgenden drei großen Themengebiete unterteilen lässt.rnrnIm ersten Teil dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir Algorithmen, die für zwei Dreiecke überprüfen, ob diese toleranzverletzend sind. Hierfür präsentieren wir verschiedene Ansätze für Dreiecks-Dreiecks Toleranztests und zeigen, dass spezielle Toleranztests deutlich performanter sind als bisher verwendete Abstandsberechnungen. Im Fokus unserer Arbeit steht dabei die Entwicklung eines neuartigen Toleranztests, welcher im Dualraum arbeitet. In all unseren Benchmarks zur Berechnung aller toleranzverletzenden Primitive beweist sich unser Ansatz im dualen Raum immer als der Performanteste.rnrnDer zweite Teil dieser Arbeit befasst sich mit Datenstrukturen und Algorithmen zur Echtzeitberechnung aller toleranzverletzenden Primitive zwischen zwei geometrischen Objekten. Wir entwickeln eine kombinierte Datenstruktur, die sich aus einer flachen hierarchischen Datenstruktur und mehreren Uniform Grids zusammensetzt. Um effiziente Laufzeiten zu gewährleisten ist es vor allem wichtig, den geforderten Sicherheitsabstand sinnvoll im Design der Datenstrukturen und der Anfragealgorithmen zu beachten. Wir präsentieren hierzu Lösungen, die die Menge der zu testenden Paare von Primitiven schnell bestimmen. Darüber hinaus entwickeln wir Strategien, wie Primitive als toleranzverletzend erkannt werden können, ohne einen aufwändigen Primitiv-Primitiv Toleranztest zu berechnen. In unseren Benchmarks zeigen wir, dass wir mit unseren Lösungen in der Lage sind, in Echtzeit alle toleranzverletzenden Primitive zwischen zwei komplexen geometrischen Objekten, bestehend aus jeweils vielen hunderttausend Primitiven, zu berechnen. rnrnIm dritten Teil präsentieren wir eine neuartige, speicheroptimierte Datenstruktur zur Verwaltung der Zellinhalte der zuvor verwendeten Uniform Grids. Wir bezeichnen diese Datenstruktur als Shrubs. Bisherige Ansätze zur Speicheroptimierung von Uniform Grids beziehen sich vor allem auf Hashing Methoden. Diese reduzieren aber nicht den Speicherverbrauch der Zellinhalte. In unserem Anwendungsfall haben benachbarte Zellen oft ähnliche Inhalte. Unser Ansatz ist in der Lage, den Speicherbedarf der Zellinhalte eines Uniform Grids, basierend auf den redundanten Zellinhalten, verlustlos auf ein fünftel der bisherigen Größe zu komprimieren und zur Laufzeit zu dekomprimieren.rnrnAbschießend zeigen wir, wie unsere Lösung zur Berechnung aller toleranzverletzenden Primitive Anwendung in der Praxis finden kann. Neben der reinen Abstandsanalyse zeigen wir Anwendungen für verschiedene Problemstellungen der Pfadplanung.

Nonlinear behaviour of conduction and block in cardiac tissue with heterogeneous expression of connexin 43

Altered gap junctional coupling potentiates slow conduction and arrhythmias. To better understand how heterogeneous connexin expression affects conduction at the cellular scale, we investigated conduction in tissue consisting of two cardiomyocyte populations expressing different connexin levels. Conduction was mapped using microelectrode arrays in cultured strands of foetal murine ventricular myocytes with prede fi ned contents of connexin 43 knockout (Cx43KO) cells. Corresponding computer simulations were run in randomly generated two-dimensional tissues mimicking the cellular architecture of the strands. In the cultures, the relationship between conduction velocity (CV) and Cx43KO cell content was nonlinear. CV fi rst decreased signi fi cantly when Cx43KO content was increased from 0 to 50%. When the Cx43KO content was ≥ 60%, CV became comparabletothatin100%Cx43KOstrands.Co-culturingCx43KOandwild-typecellsalsoresultedinsigni fi cantly more heterogeneous conduction patterns and in frequent conduction blocks. The simulations replicated this behaviour of conduction. For Cx43KO contents of 10 – 50%, conduction was slowed due to wavefront meandering between Cx43KO cells. For Cx43KO contents ≥ 60%, clusters of remaining wild-type cells acted as electrical loads thatimpairedconduction.ForCx43KOcontentsof40 – 60%,conductionexhibitedfractal characteristics,wasprone to block, and was more sensitive to changes in ion currents compared to homogeneous tissue. In conclusion, conduction velocity and stability behave in a nonline ar manner when cardiomyocytes expressing different connexin amounts are combined. This behaviour results from heterogeneous current-to-load relationships at the cellular level. Such behaviour is likely to be arrhythmogenic in various clinical contexts in which gap junctional coupling is heterogeneous.

Classification of platelet concentrates (Platelet-Rich Plasma-PRP, Platelet-Rich Fibrin-PRF) for topical and infiltrative use in orthopedic and sports medicine: current consensus, clinical implications and perspectives.

Platelet concentrates for topical and infiltrative use - commonly termed Platetet-Rich Plasma (PRP) or Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) - are used or tested as surgical adjuvants or regenerative medicine preparations in most medical fields, particularly in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery. Even if these products offer interesting therapeutic perspectives, their clinical relevance is largely debated, as the literature on the topic is often confused and contradictory. The long history of these products was always associated with confusions, mostly related to the lack of consensual terminology, characterization and classification of the many products that were tested in the last 40 years. The current consensus is based on a simple classification system dividing the many products in 4 main families, based on their fibrin architecture and cell content: Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma (P-PRP), such as the PRGF-Endoret technique; Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma (LPRP), such as Biomet GPS system; Pure Platelet-Rich Fibrin (P-PRF), such as Fibrinet; Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (L-PRF), such as Intra-Spin L-PRF. The 4 main families of products present different biological signatures and mechanisms, and obvious differences for clinical applications. This classification serves as a basis for further investigations of the effects of these products. Perspectives of evolutions of this classification and terminology are also discussed, particularly concerning the impact of the cell content, preservation and activation on these products in sports medicine and orthopaedics.

Seawater samples along several inshore-offshore transects off NW Africa and SE Africa

For the optimal use in palaeoceanographic studies of the stable oxygen isotopic signal and elemental composition of the calcareous photosynthetic dinoflagellate Thoracosphaera heimii, it is essential to gain detailed information about its calcification depth and spatial distribution. We therefore studied the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of T. heimii in the upper water column (0-200 m) along three transects: an inshore-offshore gradient off Cape Blanc (CB), a south-north transect from CB to the Portuguese coast and a north-south transect off Tanzania. We compared concentrations of living cysts (cells with cell content) with chlorophyll-a, salinity and temperature measurements at the sampling depth. In order to explore the seasonal variability in cyst production, three transect off CB were sampled at three different times of the year. Living T. heimii cysts were found in the upper 160 m of the water column with highest concentrations in the photic zone indicating that the calcification of T. heimii occurs in the upper part of the water column. Maximal abundances of living cysts were found relatively often in or just above the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), the depth of which varies regionally from about 20-40 m off CB to about 80 m off Tanzania and along the transect from CB to the Portuguese Coast. However, there was no significant correlation at the 95% confidence level between the cyst concentrations and temperature, salinity and chlorophyll-a concentrations at the sampling depths observed. In both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the highest abundances of T. heimii were observed in regions where the upper water masses contained relatively low nutrient concentrations that are influenced only sporadically, or not at all, by enhanced photic zone mixing related to the presence of upwelling cells or river outflow plumes at or close to the sampling sites. The seasonal production of cysts by T. heimii appears to be negatively related to the presence of upwelling filaments across the sampling sites. Our study suggests that turbulence of the upper water masses is a major environmental factor influencing T. heimii production.

Lineage commitment in the progeny of murine hematopoietic preprogenitor cells: Influence of thrombopoietin and interleukin 5

Normal mouse marrow cells were stimulated by stem cell factor (SCF) to form dispersed or multicentric blast colonies containing progenitor cells committed to various hematopoietic lineages. Combination of the eosinophil-specific regulator interleukin 5 with SCF increased the frequency of colonies containing eosinophil-committed progenitor cells with multicentric but not dispersed blast colonies. Combination of thrombopoietin with SCF increased the frequency of colonies containing megakaryocyte-committed progenitor cells with both types of blast colony. Neither interleukin 5 nor thrombopoietin significantly altered the number or total cell content of blast colonies or progenitor cell numbers in blast colonies from those stimulated by SCF alone. No correlation was observed between total progenitor cell content and the presence or absence of either eosinophil or megakaryocyte progenitors in either type of blast colony. The data argue against a random process as being responsible for the formation of particular committed progenitor cells or the possibility that lineage-specific regulators merely enhance survival of such committed progenitor cells formed in developing blast colonies.

Structure and physical properties of [µ-Tris(1,4-bis(tetrazol-1-yl)butane-N4,N4‘')iron(II)] Bis(hexafluorophosphate), a new Fe(II) spin-crossover compound with a three-dimensional threefold interlocked crystal lattice

[μ-Tris(1,4-bis(tetrazol-1-yl)butane-N4,N4‘)iron(II)] bis(hexafluorophosphate), [Fe(btzb)3](PF6)2, crystallizes in a three-dimensional 3-fold interlocked structure featuring a sharp two-step spin-crossover behavior. The spin conversion takes place between 164 and 182 K showing a discontinuity at about T1/2 = 174 K and a hysteresis of about 4 K between T1/2 and the low-spin state. The spin transition has been independently followed by magnetic susceptibility measurements, 57Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy, and variable temperature far and midrange FTIR spectroscopy. The title compound crystallizes in the trigonal space group P30¯(No. 147) with a unit cell content of one formula unit plus a small amount of disordered solvent. The lattice parameters were determined by X-ray diffraction at several temperatures between 100 and 300 K. Complete crystal structures were resolved for 9 of these temperatures between 100 (only low spin, LS) and 300 K (only high spin, HS), Z = 1 [Fe(btzb)3](PF  6)2:  300 K (HS), a = 11.258(6) Å, c = 8.948(6) Å, V = 982.2(10) Å3; 100 K (LS), a = 10.989(3) Å, c = 8.702(2) Å, V = 910.1(4) Å3. The molecular structure consists of octahedral coordinated iron(II) centers bridged by six N4,N4‘ coordinating bis(tetrazole) ligands to form three 3-dimensional networks. Each of these three networks is symmetry related and interpenetrates each other within a unit cell to form the interlocked structure. The Fe−N bond lengths change between 1.993(1) Å at 100 K in the LS state and 2.193(2) Å at 300 K in the HS state. The nearest Fe separation is along the c-axis and identical with the lattice parameter c.