Development of an integrated approach to reliability management and operation

The research described in this thesis has been developed as a part of the Reliability and Field Data Management for Multi-component Products (REFIDAM) Project. This project was founded under the Applied Research Grants Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland. The project was a partnership between Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and Thermo King Europe. The project aimed to develop a system in order to manage the information required for reliability assessment and improvement of multi-component products, by establishing information flows within the company and information exchange with fleet users.

Development of a life cycle management system for remote products.

The research described in this thesis has been developed as a part of the Reliability and Field Data Management for Multi-Component Products (REFIDAM) Project. This project was funded under the Applied Research Grants Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland. The project was a partnership between Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and an industrial company, Thermo King Europe. The project aimed to develop a system to manage the information required for maintenance costing, cost of ownership, reliability assessment and improvement of multi-component products, by establishing information flows between the customer network and across the Thermo King organisation.

К проблеме термо-геодинамики Кавказа и природе возникновения черноморской и каспийской впадин

მძლავრი ვერტიკალური წანაცვლებები მანტიაში წარმოიქმნა, დანალექ ფენაში კი ის უმნიშვნელოა. იგულისხმება, რომ ოკეანე „ტეტისის“ გამეჩხერება დაკავშირებულია მანტიასა და ქერქში ვერტიკალურ თერმომონაცვლებათა პროცესთან. შესაძლოა, რომ უგრანიტო ფენის წარმოქმნა შავ ზღვაში და კასპიის ზღვის ღრმა ნაწილში ამ პერიოდში ამოზევებას და გადარეცხვას უკავშირდება. რღვევები მოხოს ზედაპირზე წარმოიქმნება, გრძელდება „ბაზალტში“, ინტენსიურად ვითარდება „გრანიტში“ და დღემდე არსებობს დანალექ ფენში, რაც რეგიონში თანამედროვე მიწისძვრებს განაპირობებს.

Constituição da alexina e mechanismo da hemolyse especifica

Os autores observam que após a inactivação de sôro de cobaya a 54° durante 30 minutos permanecem no sôro as fracções thermolabeis em quantidade apreciavel; um tal sôro conservado na temperatura de 6°, por espaço de 18 horas, regenera parte da sua actividade alexica perdida. 2° Confirma-se a existencia de 4 componentes do complemento. 3° O chamado terceiro componente de Ritz e Coca é na verdade constituidos por dois elementos, pelos menos, differentes: um destructivel pelo formol e outro destructivel pelo hydrosulphito de sodio. 4° A ammonia, o formol e o hydrosulpito de sodio são capazes de destruir os constituintes thermoresistentes da alexina do sôro inactivado a 56° 30 minutos, ao passo que as emulsões de levedos, de orgãos ou de gelose não o são. 5° As emulsões de levedo addicionadas a uma mistura em partes eguaes de sôro fresco de cobaya e de sôro aquecido a 56°, 30 m., são capazes de retirar não só o terceiro componente contido no sôro fresco da mistura, mas tambem o terceiro componente contido no sôro inactivado pelo calor. 6° Sem excluir a hypothese de uma floculação em que o sôro aquecido exerça o papel de um colloide protector, os autores admittem que a inactivação do complemento pelas emulsões de levedo ou pela gelose seja devida a substancias thermolabeis, do sôro, depois de adsorpção por essas emulsões, de substancias anti-tripticas. 7° Os diversos elementos que constituem a alexina são adsorvidos pelos globulos sensibilizados na seguinte ordem: Globulos-sensibilizadora-Fracção thermo-resistente sensivel á ammonia-Fracção thermolabil Globulina-Fracção thermolabil albumina-Fracção thermoresistente sensivel ao formol-Fracção thermoresistente sensivel ao hydrosulphito de sodio. 8° Na reacção de Bordet-Wassermann fortemente positiva é fixada sobretudo a fracção globulina thermolabil do complemento e não sómente o terceiro componente como seria licito esperar; a fracção thermolabil albumina permanece de regra livre e activa no liquido. 9° Os autores acham que se deve considerar como demonstrada a origem hepatica da alexina. Segundo experiencias procedidas em cães intoxicados pelo chloroformio não só baixa consideravelmente o titulo alexico global do sôro mas tambem os titulos, de todos os constituintes da alexina separadamente, soffrem, com a excepção da fracção thermolabil globulina, uma reducção muito accentuada.

O grupo pullorum-gallinarum em provas bacteriologicas comparativas

Foram examinadas 38 amostras de germens do grupo pullorumgallinarum, de origem européa, americana ou isoladas no Brasil, acompanhadas bacteriologicamente durante 3 annos, na fixidez de suas propriedades ou na possibilidade de sua transformação dum typo em outro. a) Distinguiram-se no estudo das propriedades cinco typos de germens no grupo pullorumgallinarum - 1) pullorum gazogeno, 2) pullorum não gazogeno, 3) intermedius, 4) gallinarum ou intermedius? gazogeno, 5) gallinarum não gazogeno. Os 2 primeiros e o 5º já bem cinhecidos e acceitos; o 4º admittido por Beck & Eber, em 1929, o 3º evidenciado por nós em 1935. b) O typo gallinarum gazogeno deve ser mais propriamente talvez considerado como typo intermedius gazogeno a vista de sua acção sobre sorbita e a xylose e sobre o meio de Jordan. c) O quadro final resume as caracteristicas mais importantes destes cinco typos, baseando-se a differenciação principalmente na alteração do vermelho neutro, na produção de H²S, na fermentação de glycerina, rhamnose, xylose, dulcita, sorbita e maltose, na acção sobre o tartaro, na producção de gaz e no aspecto das colonias na superficie de certos meios de cultura. d) Outras propriedades biologicas examinadas - acção sobre o leite, sôro de leite, dextrina, etc, admitidos por varios pesquizadores na differenciação, parecem distituidas de valor. e) As amostras mantiveram fixas as suas propriedades durante todo o tempo em que foram acompanhadas. A hypothese de uma possivel transformação de um typo em outro não foi confirmada em nenhuma das amostras estudadas, justificando a entidade dos varios typos admittidos. f) Discrepancias observadas na fermentação da maltose, referidas por varios pesquizadores com germens desse grupo, não foram confirmadas no presente trabalho. g) Encontrou-se no sôro sanguineo um factor capaz de transformar a maltose em glycose, tornando aquelle assucar fermentescivel. Essa substancia é thermo-estavel e resiste á acção de substancias antidiastasicas. h) A analyse sôrologica das amostras estudadas não permittiu differenciar os typos entre si.

Les nanoparticules, une nouvelle arme contre le crime ?

Nanoparticles, a new tool to deter crime? The detection of fingermarks at a crime scene or on evidence related with a criminal affair constitutes one of the main tasks of the investigators. Fingerprints, due to their uniqueness and invariability in time, remain a key element of an identification process (being for suspects or victims). The main difficulty resides in the fact that, most of the time, fingermarks are not visible through naked eye due to their chemical composition and the small amount of material that is left on the scene. There are said to be latent and their detection requires the application of specific techniques (optical or chemical). If numerous efficient techniques currently exist, there is a continuing quest for developing new techniques or reagents with an enhanced sensitivity towards secretions and with an increased efficiency. This article gives an outline about some currently performed researches based on the use of functionalized nanoparticles to detect latent fingermarks.

ESPEN endorsed recommendations: nutritional therapy in major burns.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Nutrition therapy is a cornerstone of burn care from the early resuscitation phase until the end of rehabilitation. While several aspects of nutrition therapy are similar in major burns and other critical care conditions, the patho-physiology of burn injury with its major endocrine, inflammatory, metabolic and immune alterations requires some specific nutritional interventions. The present text developed by the French speaking societies, is updated to provide evidenced-based recommendations for clinical practice. METHODS: A group of burn specialists used the GRADE methodology (Grade of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) to evaluate human burn clinical trials between 1979 and 2011. The resulting recommendations, strong suggestions or suggestions were then rated by the non-burn specialized experts according to their agreement (strong, moderate or weak). RESULTS: Eight major recommendations were made. Strong recommendations were made regarding, 1) early enteral feeding, 2) the elevated protein requirements (1.5-2 g/kg in adults, 3 g/kg in children), 3) the limitation of glucose delivery to a maximum of 55% of energy and 5 mg/kg/h associated with moderate blood glucose (target ≤ 8 mmol/l) control by means of continuous infusion, 4) to associated trace element and vitamin substitution early on, and 5) to use non-nutritional strategies to attenuate hypermetabolism by pharmacological (propranolol, oxandrolone) and physical tools (early surgery and thermo-neutral room) during the first weeks after injury. Suggestion were made in absence of indirect calorimetry, to use of the Toronto equation (Schoffield in children) for energy requirement determination (risk of overfeeding), and to maintain fat administration ≤ 30% of total energy delivery. CONCLUSION: The nutritional therapy in major burns has evidence-based specificities that contribute to improve clinical outcome.

Isolation of fungi from nature in the region of Botucatu, state of São Paulo, Brazil, an endemic area of paracoccidioidomycosis

In an attempt to isolate Paracoccidioides brasiliensis from nature 887 samples of soil from Botucatu, SP, Brazil, were collected cultured in brain heart infusion agar supplemented with dextrose, in potato dextrose agar and in yeast extract starch dextrose agar, all with antibiotics, at 25º and 37ºC. Five thermo-dependent dimorphic fungi morphologically resembling P. brasiliensis were isolated; two from armadillo holes; further studies of the biology, antigenicity and genetic features of the five dimorphic fungi are necessary to clarify their taxonomy and their possible relation to P. brasiliensis. In addition, 98 dematiaceous fungi and 581 different species of Aspergillus spp. were also isolated. Our findings emphasize that armadillos and their environment are associated with thermo-dimorphic fungi and confirm the ubiquity of pathogenic dematiaceous fungi and Aspergillus spp.

Benign pineal cysts in children with bilateral retinoblastoma: a new variant of trilateral retinoblastoma?

PURPOSE: Patients with hereditary retinoblastoma (Rb) develop in 4%-8% a malignant midline tumor called trilateral Rb (TRb). We report in this study on benign pineal cysts observed in patients investigated for TRb. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 1990 and December 2001, 172 patients were screened for TRb. Ninty-five had bilateral, 77 unilateral disease. The median age at diagnosis of Rb was 7 months (range 1-26). Treatment included enucleation, local treatment with cryotherapy or photocoagulation, first-line chemotherapy (CT), thermo-chemotherapy (TCT), Ruthenium plaque, and, rarely, external beam radiation (EBR). RESULTS: TRb was found in 5/95 patients (5.3%) with bilateral disease. Interestingly, five other patients (5.3%) presented a pineal cyst on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). No cysts were recorded in the 77 patients with unilateral disease. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The median age at diagnosis of the pineal cyst was 26 months (range 16-80), much younger than reported in literature for healthy children. Four of five patients with TRb died of the disease, while all the patients with pineal cysts remained stable and asymptomatic during a median follow-up of 41 months (range 37-54). CONCLUSIONS: This report describes benign cystic lesions of the pineal gland in patients with hereditary Rb, suggesting a benign variant of TRb. Underlying possible pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed.

Recrystallisation rims in zircon (Valle d'Arbedo, Switzerland): an integrated cathodoluminescence, LA-ICP-MS, SHRIMP, and TEM study

Recrystallization rims are a common feature of zircon crystals that underwent metamorphism. We present a microstructural and microchemical study of partially recrystallized zircon grains collected in polymetamorphic migmatites (Valle d'Arbedo, Ticino, Switzerland). The rims are bright in cathodo-luminescence (CL), with sharp and convex contacts characterized by inward-penetrating embayments transgressing igneous zircon cores. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging indicate that the rims are chemically and microstructurally different from the cores. The rims are strongly depleted in REE, with concentrations up to two orders of magnitude lower than in the cores, indicating a significant loss of REE during zircon recrystallization. Enrichment in non-formula elements, such as Ca, has not been observed in the rims. The microstructure of zircon cores shows a dappled intensity at and below the 100 nm scale, possibly due to radiation damage. Other defects such as pores and dislocations are absent in the core except at healed cracks. Zircon rims are mostly dapple-free, but contain nanoscale pores and strain centers, interpreted as fluid inclusions and chemical residues, respectively. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages show that the recrystallization of the rims took place >200 Ma ago when the parent igneous zircon was not metamict. The chemical composition and the low-Ti content of the rims indicate that they form at sub-solidus temperatures (550-650 degrees C). Recrystallization rims in Valle d'Arbedo zircon are interpreted as the result of the migration of chemical reaction fronts in which fluid triggered in situ and contemporaneous interface-coupled dissolution-reprecipitation mechanisms. This study indicates that strong lattice strain resulting from the incorporation of a large amount of impurities and structural defects is not a necessary condition for zircon to recrystallize. Our observations suggest that the early formation of recrystallization rims played a major role in preserving zircon from the more recent Alpine metamorphic overprint.

Use of quantum dots in aqueous solution to detect blood fingermarks on non-porous surfaces.

A new and original reagent based on the use of highly fluorescent cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution is proposed to detect weak fingermarks in blood on non-porous surfaces. To assess the efficiency of this approach, comparisons were performed with one of the most efficient blood reagents on non-porous surfaces, Acid Yellow 7 (AY7). To this end, four non-porous surfaces were studied, i.e. glass, transparent polypropylene, black polyethylene, and aluminium foil. To evaluate the sensitivity of both reagents, sets of depleted fingermarks were prepared, using the same finger, initially soaked with blood, which was then successively applied on the same surface without recharging it with blood or latent secretions. The successive marks were then cut in halves and the halves treated separately with each reagent. The results showed that QDs were equally efficient to AY7 on glass, polyethylene and polypropylene surfaces, and were superior to AY7 on aluminium. The use of QDs in new, sensitive and highly efficient latent and blood mark detection techniques appears highly promising. Health and safety issues related to the use of cadmium are also discussed. It is suggested that applying QDs in aqueous solution (and not as a dry dusting powder) considerably lowers the toxicity risks.

Efectos del consumo de aceites termo-oxidados sobre la peroxidación lipídica en animales de laboratorio.

INTRODUCTION The quality of fats and oils used for frying is as important as the quality of the final product since during the frying process oxidization by-products are formed and become part of the diet, being potentially harmful for the consumers' health. OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of thermo-oxidised fats and oils on the oxidization of plasma lipoproteins inexperimental rats. METHODS Determination by means of spectrophotometric techniques of those substances reacting with thiobarbituric acid and total cholesterol (enzymatic method) in the sera of 40 Wistar rats that consumed crude thermooxidised oils and fats with different levels of malonil aldehyde(MDA) for 30 days. RESULTS The group of rats receiving a diet with thermooxidised oils and fats experienced significant increases in MDA plasma levels throughout the study period, lipid peroxidation being higher with increasing MDA content (p < 0.05) regardless the type of fat compound consumed. However, those rats receiving crude oils and fats kept plasma levels of lipidic peroxides without significant changes throughout the experimental period (p > 0.05). By contrast, cholesterol levels increased towards the end of the experimental period in both the rats consuming crude fats and those consuming thermo-oxidised fats (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Consumption of oils and fats submitted to repeat thermal heating has an influence on plasma lipidic peroxidation, which becomes higher with increasing number of heating processes applied, so that it would advisable not to abuse of reheating the oils used for frying foods.

Use of stains to detect fingermarks

Detection of fi ngermarks at a crime scene or on related items is of prime interest for forensicinvestigators, mainly for identifi cation purposes. Most of the fi ngermarks are invisible to thenaked eye, however. The application of detection techniques is required to establish visual contrastbetween the secretion residue and the underlying substrate. We give here a review of thefi eld related to the concept of using stains to detect fi ngermarks. A distinction has been madebetween the physically driven classical detection techniques, the chemically driven ones, andthose based on nanostructured materials, an emerging fi eld in forensic science.

Zebrafish Based Small Molecule Screening For Retinoblastoma Treatment.

2320 composés chimiques ont été screenés à l'aide d'une lignée transgénique de zébrafish. Cette lignée comportait un gène humain fortement exprimé très tôt dans le développement et la croissance de différentes tumeurs, dont celle du rétinoblastome. L'activation de ce gène induisait la mort des embryons de lâ lignée transgénique. Nous avons donc pu identifier des composés agissant sur l'effet létal de ce gène. Cette étude a permis d'isoler plusieurs composés dont 1 très intéressant, l'Amitriptyline. Ce composé induit une inhibition de la prolifération et une induction d'apoptose dans les cellules humaines de rétinoblastome mais également dans d'autres cellules cancéreuses dont les ostéosarcomes connus. L'ostéosarçome est connu pour faire partie des cancers secondaires dû au rétinoblastome dans la forme héréditaire notamment. Ce composé induit la survie des embryons et réduit également le niveau d'expression de la protéine humaine intégrée dans la lignée de poisson zèbre transgénique de 50%. Le niveau d'expression de ce gène est également réduit de 50 à 60% dans des cultures cellulaire de rétinoblastome humain. L'inhibition de la prolifération a été démontrée par la réduction d'ATP dans plusieurs lignées cellulaires lorsque celles-ci sont traitées avec ce composé. L'induction d'apoptose a été démontrée par induction 10 fois plus élevée des éléments pro-apoptotiques caspase-3 et caspase-7 ainsi que par l'augmentation 10 fois plus élevée d'un élément anti-apoptotique bcl-2. Ces résultats permettent de croire que ce composé pourrait être utilisé pour traiter le rétinoblastome humain. -- Background: Retinoblastoma is a rare malignant tumor. This disease is the most prevalent intraocular cancer in childhood with an incidence of 1 in 15,000 live births. Many therapies are available to treat retinoblastoma, but best treatments are individually selected according to cases. Cryotherapy, thermotherapy, laser therapy including brachytherapy, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are some examples. New drug and new treatments discovery is essential for cancer therapy including retinoblastoma. Purpose: A vertebrate model as zebrafish for retinoblastoma would provide many advantages especially to perform drug screening. The high number of fertilized eggs per mating, the rapidity of extra¬utero development, the available genetic manipulation, the easy manipulations under a microscope, the ability to dispense embryos in 96-well plates and the direct incubation of chemical compounds in fish water are some examples of the advantages. Therefore, we design a transgenic zebrafish carrying a human gene implicated in retinoblastoma development and maintenance. Results: With the small compounds screening, several compounds were isolated. One of these compounds, Amitriptyline demonstrated proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in human retinoblastoma cells, U20S osteosarcoma cells and MBA-231 breast cancer cells. Osteosarcoma is known as secondary cancer due to retinoblastoma. Amitriptyline induced survival in our zebrafish transgenic line and 50% reduction of the integrated gene expression. In retinoblastoma cultured cells, the expression of this gene was also reduced in a range of 50-60 %. Proliferation inhibition was demonstrated by ATP luminescence assay. Apoptosis was demonstrated by a 10-fold induction of caspase-3 and caspase-7, two pro-apoptotic elements and by a 10-fold reduction of bcl-2 anti-apoptotic element. Conclusion: The results suggest that Amitriptyline could be used to treat human retinoblastoma in the near future.

Bioconjugated lanthanide luminescent helicates as multilabels for lab-on-a-chip detection of cancer biomarkers.

The lanthanide binuclear helicate [Eu(2)(L(C2(CO(2)H)))(3)] is coupled to avidin to yield a luminescent bioconjugate EuB1 (Q = 9.3%, tau((5)D(0)) = 2.17 ms). MALDI/TOF mass spectrometry confirms the covalent binding of the Eu chelate and UV-visible spectroscopy allows one to determine a luminophore/protein ratio equal to 3.2. Bio-affinity assays involving the recognition of a mucin-like protein expressed on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by a biotinylated monoclonal antibody 5D10 to which EuB1 is attached via avidin-biotin coupling demonstrate that (i) avidin activity is little affected by the coupling reaction and (ii) detection limits obtained by time-resolved (TR) luminescence with EuB1 and a commercial Eu-avidin conjugate are one order of magnitude lower than those of an organic conjugate (FITC-streptavidin). In the second part of the paper, conditions for growing MCF-7 cells in 100-200 microm wide microchannels engraved in PDMS are established; we demonstrate that EuB1 can be applied as effectively on this lab-on-a-chip device for the detection of tumour-associated antigens as on MCF-7 cells grown in normal culture vials. In order to exploit the versatility of the ligand used for self-assembling [Ln(2)(L(C2(CO(2)H)))(3)] helicates, which sensitizes the luminescence of both Eu(III) and Tb(III) ions, a dual on-chip assay is proposed in which estrogen receptors (ERs) and human epidermal growth factor receptors (Her2/neu) can be simultaneously detected on human breast cancer tissue sections. The Ln helicates are coupled to two secondary antibodies: ERs are visualized by red-emitting EuB4 using goat anti-mouse IgG and Her2/neu receptors by green-emitting TbB5 using goat anti-rabbit IgG. The fact that the assay is more than 6 times faster and requires 5 times less reactants than conventional immunohistochemical assays provides essential advantages over conventional immunohistochemistry for future clinical biomarker detection.