USE OF TSIM IN DIGITAL SIMULATION.

In this paper we shall discuss the use of the TSIM simulation software for modelling large-scale industrial processes. The discussion draws on our recent experience of modelling a large plant in the food-processing industry. We shall focus on those features of software organization and software engineering which proved to be particularly necessary for the execution of this project, and illustrate the extent to which the use of TISM facilitated the implementation of these features. We shall also make some general remarks about the 'life-cycle' of models resulting from projects of this kind.

Wave digital filter model of the entire auditory periphery

A model of the auditory periphery assembled from analog network submodels of all the relevant anatomical structures is described. There is bidirectional coupling between networks representing the outer ear, middle ear and cochlea. A simple voltage source representation of the outer hair cells provides level-dependent basilar membrane curves. The networks are translated into efficient computational modules by means of wave digital filtering. A feedback unit regulates the average firing rate at the output of an inner hair cell module via a simplified modelling of the dynamics of the descending paths to the peripheral ear. This leads to a digital model of the entire auditory periphery with applications to both speech and hearing research.

A closely integrated digital image capture device for embedded applications

A modular image capture system with close integration to CCD cameras has been developed. The aim is to produce a system capable of integrating CCD sensor, image capture and image processing into a single compact unit. This close integration provides a direct mapping between CCD pixels and digital image pixels. The system has been interfaced to a digital signal processor board for the development and control of image processing tasks. These have included characterization and enhancement of noisy images from an intensified camera and measurement to subpixel resolutions. A highly compact form of the image capture system is in an advanced stage of development. This consists of a single FPGA device and a single VRAM providing a two chip image capturing system capable of being integrated into a CCD camera. A miniature compact PC has been developed using a novel modular interconnection technique, providing a processing unit in a three dimensional format highly suited to integration into a CCD camera unit. Work is under way to interface the compact capture system to the PC using this interconnection technique, combining CCD sensor, image capture and image processing into a single compact unit. ©2005 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.

Controlled adhesion and growth of long term glial and neuronal cultures on Parylene-c

This paper explores the long term development of networks of glia and neurons on patterns of Parylene-C on a SiO 2 substrate. We harvested glia and neurons from the Sprague-Dawley (P1-P7) rat hippocampus and utilized an established cell patterning technique in order to investigate cellular migration, over the course of 3 weeks. This work demonstrates that uncontrolled glial mitosis gradually disrupts cellular patterns that are established early during culture. This effect is not attributed to a loss of protein from the Parylene-C surface, as nitrogen levels on the substrate remain stable over 3 weeks. The inclusion of the anti-mitotic cytarabine (Ara-C) in the culture medium moderates glial division and thus, adequately preserves initial glial and neuronal conformity to underlying patterns. Neuronal apoptosis, often associated with the use of Ara-C, is mitigated by the addition of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We believe that with the right combination of glial inhibitors and neuronal promoters, the Parylene-C based cell patterning method can generate structured, active neural networks that can be sustained and investigated over extended periods of time. To our knowledge this is the first report on the concurrent application of Ara-C and BDNF on patterned cell cultures. © 2011 Delivopoulos, Murray.

Bacteria from seawater used in Penaeus monodon larval cultures

Bacteria in the seawater used in P. monodon hatchery operations were isolated on Bachmann's agar. The total plate counts in 25 isolations ranged from 1.0 - 5.0 x 10² to 5.1 -10.0 x 10⁵ cells per ml. Out of 124 isolates, 98 (79 percent) were Gram-positive and 26 (21 percent) were Gram-negative. Micrococcus and Staphylococcus were dominant in the former group, while Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Flavobacterium and Alcaligenes were most numerous in the latter. Twenty-nine of the Gram-positive isolates closely resembled Peptostreptococcus, Planococcus, and Pediococcus.