Search results for "Micro"

Spectroscopic studies of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

2010

The unique nature of optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), together with their promising potential applications, have created enormous interest towards the photophysics of SWCNT. Many aspects of carbon nanotubes originate from the electronic structure of carbon honeycomb lattice and one-dimensionality. SWCNTs exist in various chiral structures and diameters, which the optical and electrical properties are dependent on. It has been discovered that SWCNT excited states are excitonic with strong Coulomb interaction between the electron and the hole. However, many features of excitons are not yet well defined, such as absorption cross-sections, fluorescence quantum yield…

Optical Monitoring of Microplastics Filtrated from Wastewater Sludge and Suspended in Ethanol.

2021

The abundance of microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere, on land, and especially in water bodies is well acknowledged. In this study, we establish an optical method based on three different techniques, namely, specular reflection to probe the medium, transmission spectroscopy measurements for the detection and identification, and a speckle pattern for monitoring the sedimentation of MPs filtrated from wastewater sludge and suspended in ethanol. We used first Raman measurements to estimate the presence and types of different MPs in wastewater sludge samples. We also used microscopy to identify the shapes of the main MPs. This allowed us to create a teaching set of samples to be characterized …

Integrating vehicle specific power methodology and microsimulation in estimating emissions on urban roundabouts

2021

In this study pollutant emissions were estimated from VSP modal emission rates and the distribution of time spent in each VSP mode obtained from the speed profiles both gathered in the field and simulated in AIMSUN at a sample of urban roundabouts. The versatility of the micro-simulation model for a calibration aimed at improving accuracy of emissions estimates was tested in order to ensure that second-by-second trajectories experienced in the field by a test vehicle through the sampled roundabouts properly reflected the simulated speed profiles. The first results which the thesis will refer, confirmed the feasibility of the smart approach that integrates the use of field-observed and simul…

A microsimulation calibration methodology based on speed-density relationships for freeways

2014

This paper describes the calibration methodology based on speed-density relationships in the microsimulation calibration process, stated that they represent the traffic flow phenomenon in a wide range of operational conditions and well summarize all the information that may be collected on field (or following a run of the microsimulation model) on two of the three key variables of traffic flow. The matching of speed-density relationships from field and simulation was evaluated using statistical analysis as technique of pattern recognition. A test freeway segment under uncongested traffic conditions was selected as case study; based on traffic data observed at A22 Brenner Freeway, Italy, sta…

Overexpression of SAMDC1 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana increases expression of defense-related genes as well as resistance to Pseudomonas syringae and…

2014

It has been previously described that elevation of endogenous spermine levels in Arabidopsis could be achieved by transgenic overexpression of S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) or Spermine synthase (SPMS). In both cases, spermine accumulation had an impact on the plant transcriptome, with up-regulation of a set of genes enriched in functional categories involved in defense-related processes against both biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work, the response of SAMDC1-overexpressing plants against bacterial and oomycete pathogens has been tested. The expression of several pathogen defense-related genes was induced in these plants as well as in wild type plants exposed to an exogeno…

Genetic manipulation of spiramycin-producing strain Streptomyces ambofaciens ATCC 23877 by φC31 Att/Int system-based vectors results in a significant…

The genus Streptomyces produces about two-thirds of naturally occurring antibiotics and many other biologically active secondary metabolites. The genetic manipulation of Streptomycetes is often labor and time intensive due to their large genome and complex development. Much progress has been made to develop gene transfer methods useful to construct antibiotic-producing strains with improved properties. The φC31 Att/Int system is an integration system that has been widely used to produce stable recombinants in Actinomycetes and its integration site is an attB site located in a pirin-like gene (pirA) of the bacterial chromosome. In this study we demonstrate that the integration of φC31 DNA in…

Analysis of Exosomal Cargo Provides Accurate Clinical, Histologic and Mutational Information in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

2022

Simple Summary Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Clinical decision-making depends on the histological classification; however, tissue biopsy is frequently not technically feasible due to tumor location or limited tissue samples. Therefore, we propose to find clinical, molecular and histological biomarkers using a minimally invasive approach based on the analysis of the cargo of the blood extracellular vesicles. Exosomes are membranous vesicles present in several biological fluids, which carry biological information to distant tissues, regulating several tumor processes. This study aims to …

Behind the scenes of artificial intelligence: a study of micro-work platforms in France

2019

Este artículo es una versión resumida del informe “Le Micro-travail en France. Derrière l’automatisation de nouvelles précarités au travail?» This article is a summarized version of the report "Le Micro-travail en France. Derrière l’automatisation de nouvelles précarités au travail?" .; International audience; Micro-work internet services allocate small, standardized tasks of data generation and annotation to crowds of providers. The outputs are mainly used to produce artificial intelligence solutions. It is an exemplary instance of the “platformization” of the economy, and of the transformations of labour that digital technologies bring about. To uncover the conditions under which micro-wo…

Bacterial biofilms: a challenge in the discovery of new anti-infective agents.

2010

The ability to form a biofilm, bacterial communities able to grow on surfaces and surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance biofilm agents.Our research group focused on discovering of novel chemical agents of potential therapeutic utility in the treatment of staphylococcal biofilm-associatedinfections by screening novel compounds (synthetic or natural). In a recent study, the antistaphylococcalbiofilm activity of pyrrolomycins C,D, F1, F2a, F2b, F3 a family of halogenated pyrroles which are naturally produced byActinosporangium vitaminophylum and of the synthesized related compounds I, II, III were investigated and compared (Schillaci et al, 2010). We also focused on marine inverte…

Statistical analysis of the relation between metallic microstructures and mechanical properties

2020

This thesis aims at the development of physical relations between the intricate 3D features of metallic microstructures and the mechanical properties of the material. For understanding which are the microstructural determinants of the resultingmechanical behaviour of metals, a deep quantitative characterisation of the microstructure is needed. The main steps of quantitative characterisation of the microstructures are: identification of the phases distribution and their chemical composition, study of the microstructure morphology (geometrical arrangement of grains, grain boundaries, grain orientations, grain size and grain shape). An accurate description of the microstructure features enrich…