Search results for " applications."

Design, Microfabrication and Characterization of a Power Delivery System for new Biomedical Applications

2017

This paper presents the design, microfabrication and characterization of a wireless power delivery system capable of driving a surface acoustic wave sensor (SAW) for biomedical applications. The system consists of two planar, spiral-square microcoils, which have been geometrically optimized in order to maximize the quality factor Q. The integration of the SAW - microcoil system into artificial implant sites will allow a real-time biofilm growth monitoring and treatment, providing countless advantages to the related medical applications.

Xyloglucan self-assembled nanostructures and gels for biomedical applications

The BioS4You European project: An innovative way to effectively engage Z-generation students in STEM disciplines

2021

In this contribution, we present the BioS4You project and analyse the results obtained in the first 18 months of its activity. The “Bio-Inspired STEM topics for engaging young generations” (BioS4You) Erasmus+ KA2 Innovation project aims to bridge the gap between STEM national curricula (which include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the needs of Z-generation students, uninterested to basic themes, but enthusiastic in issues related to environmental, social, and health concerns. The BioS4You project engages young learners in STEM subjects, starting with current issues of interest for them, as the social and environmental impact of new technologies, connecting STEM conce…

A System-based View of Blockchain Governance

2023

Abstract CONTEXT Governance is crucial in achieving the success and sustainability of blockchain systems. However, blockchain governance is multi-faceted, complex, dynamic, and challenging due to its decentralized nature and automatically enforced rules and mechanisms. OBJECTIVES This study aims to advance the theory of blockchain governance and support practitioners to deepen the researchers’ and practitioners’ understanding of blockchain governance. METHODS The study is a systematic literature review of 75 articles that applies systems theory to conceptualize blockchain governance as a system and parsimoniously organize its interrelated elements into a conceptual model. RESULTS The paper …

Nonlinear Feedback Control and Stability Analysis of a Proof-of-Work Blockchain

2017

In this paper a novel feedback controller and stability analysis of a blockchain implementation is developed by using a control engineering perspective. The controller output equals the difficulty adjustment in the mining process while the feedback variable is the average block time over a certain time period. The computational power (hash rate) of the miners is considered a disturbance in the model. The developed controller is tested against a simulation model with constant disturbance, step and ramp responses as well as with a high-frequency sinusoidal disturbance. Stability and a fast response is demonstrated in all these cases with a controller which adjusts it's output at every new blo…

Incentive Mechanism for Edge-Computing-Based Blockchain

2020

Blockchain has been gradually applied to different Internet of Things (IoT) platforms. As the efficiency of the blockchain mainly depends on the network computing capability, how to make sure the acquisition of the computational resources and participation of the devices would be the driving force. In this work, we focus on investigating incentive mechanism for rational miners to purchase the computational resources. A edge computing-based blockchain network is considered, where the edge service provider (ESP) can provide computational resources for the miners. Accordingly, we formulate a two-stage Stackelberg game between the miners and ESP. The aim is to investigate Stackelberg equilibriu…

Regenerative Capacity of Adipose Derived Stem Cells (ADSCs), Comparison with Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs).

2019

Adipose tissue is now on the top one of stem cell sources regarding its accessibility, abundance, and less painful collection procedure when compared to other sources. The adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) that it contains can be maintained and expanded in culture for long periods of time without losing their differentiation capacity, leading to large cell quantities being increasingly used in cell therapy purposes. Many reports showed that ADSCs-based cell therapy products demonstrated optimal efficacy and efficiency in some clinical indications for both autologous and allogeneic purposes, hence becoming considered as potential tools for replacing, repairing, and regenerating dead or dama…

Convergence Analysis of Distributed Set-Valued Information Systems

2016

This paper focuses on the convergence of information in distributed systems of agents communicating over a network. The information on which the convergence is sought is not rep- resented by real numbers, as often in the literature, rather by sets. The dynamics of the evolution of information across the net- work is accordingly described by set-valued iterative maps. While the study of convergence of set-valued iterative maps is highly complex in general, this paper focuses on Boolean maps, which are comprised of arbitrary combinations of unions, intersections, and complements of sets. For these important class of systems, we provide tools to study both global and local convergence. A distr…

A branch-and-cut algorithm for the Team Orienteering Problem

2017

The Team Orienteering Problem aims at maximizing the total amount of profit collected by a fleet of vehicles while not exceeding a predefined travel time limit on each vehicle. In the last years, several exact methods based on different mathematical formulations were proposed. In this paper, we present a new two-index formulation with a polynomial number of variables and constraints. This compact formulation, reinforced by connectivity constraints, was solved by means of a branch-and-cut algorithm. The total number of instances solved to optimality is 327 of 387 benchmark instances, 26 more than any previous method. Moreover, 24 not previously solved instances were closed to optimality.

Breast cancer proteomics: from research to clinical applications.

2008

The exponentially increasing volume of information extracted from genomic and proteomic applications on cancer, while providing new insights into molecular composition of cancer cells and tissues, imposes new challenges on data rationalization as a tool for clinically relevant biomarker discovery. Breast cancer represents the most frequent and potentially aggressive type of cancer and, moreover, it is one of the most enigmatic and poorly predictable in its evolution, likely because it includes several different forms that behave differently among patients. Current clinical parameters for breast cancer diagnosis and cure are: tumour size, axillary lymph node status, histological grading and …