The antimicrobial effect of wine on Listeria innocua in a model stomach system

A model stomach, containing a food matrix and a synthetic gastric fluid, was used to study the bactericidal effect of ingested wine on Listeria innocua. Volumes of wine equivalent to the ingestion of one glass and half a bottle, led, over a period of less than 2 h, to a reduction of 3 and 4 logarithmic cycles of the initial population respectively. The influence of ethanol and organic acids, wine constituents with known antimicrobial properties, was investigated. Ethanol exhibited a higher bactericidal effect than the mixture of the main wine organic acids. When testing the organic acids separately, malic and lactic acids were found to have the strongest effect. The combination of ethanol with the organic acids acted synergistically but to a lesser extent than wine itself. The results suggest that the ingestion of wine during a meal may diminish the quantity of Listeria persisting further in the alimentary tract.     

Remote monitoring of the earthquake cycle using satellite radar interferometry

The earthquake cycle is poorly understood. Earthquakes continue to occur on previously unrecognized faults. Earthquake prediction seems impossible. These remain the facts despite nearly 100 years of intensive study since the earthquake cycle was first conceptualized. Using data acquired from satellites in orbit 800 km above the Earth, a new technique, radar interferometry (InSAR), has the potential to solve these problems. For the first time, detailed maps of the warping of the Earth's surface during the earthquake cycle can be obtained with a spatial resolution of a few tens of metres and a precision of a few millimetres. InSAR does not need equipment on the ground or expensive field campaigns, so it can gather crucial data on earthquakes and the seismic cycle from some of the remotest areas of the planet. In this article, I review some of the remarkable observations of the earthquake cycle already made using radar interferometry and speculate on breakthroughs that are tantalizingly close.     

A report on HIPERLAN standardization

HIPERLAN is the new European standard for radio LANs currently being formulated by ETSI RES10 for operation at 5 GHz and 17 GHz. It will be suitable for radio replacement of wired LANs and for ad hoc networking providing a user data rate of 10–20 Mbit/s. This paper is a review of the work of ETSI RES10 on the formulation of the HIPERLAN standard. The origins of ETSI RES10 are documented. The targets set for HIPERLAN and the problems in achieving these targets are discussed. The paper reviews the technical arguments for and against the proposed solutions to these problems, concentrating on the design of the transmission scheme and the channel access mechanism. The discussions leading to significant decisions about the standard are summarized. If the FCC in the United States of America allocate the equivalent 5 GHz band to unlicensed wireless LAN systems, many of these discussions will be revisited for future standards in this band. The paper will be of interest to anyone in academia or industry wishing to be brought quickly up to date with the state of the standard in order to focus their research or development activities. The paper also gives a general insight into the technical side of the standards formulation process in ETSI.     

FPGA架构的功耗——低功耗FPGA设计的现在和将来

减少FPGA的功耗可带来许多好处,如提高可靠性、降低冷却成本、简化电源和供电方式、延长便携系统的电池寿命等.无损于性能的低功耗设计既需要有高功率效率的FPGA架构,也需要有能驾驭架构组件的良好设计规范.     

Controlled Folding of 2D Au–Polymer Brush Composites into 3D Microstructures

Microscale, quasi‐2D Au–polymer brush composite objects are fabricated by a versatile, controllable process based on microcontact printing followed by brush growth and etching of the substrate. These objects fold into 3D microstructures in response to a stimulus: crosslinked poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) brushes fold on immersion in MeOH, and poly(methacryloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride) (PMETAC) brushes fold on addition of salt. Microcages and microcontainers are fabricated. A multistep microcontact printing process is also used to create sheets of Au–PGMA bilayer lines linked by a PGMA film, which fold into cylindrical tubes. The bending of these objects can be predicted, and hence predefined during the synthesis process by controlling the parameters of the gold layer, and of the polymer brush.     

Oxidative capacity and hemolytic activity of settled dust from moisture‐damaged schools

Exposure to moisture‐damaged indoor environments is associated with adverse respiratory health effects, but responsible factors remain unidentified. In order to explore possible mechanisms behind these effects, the oxidative capacity and hemolytic activity of settled dust samples (n = 25) collected from moisture‐damaged and non‐damaged schools in Spain, the Netherlands, and Finland were evaluated and matched against the microbial content of the sample. Oxidative capacity was determined with plasmid scission assay and hemolytic activity by assessing the damage to isolated human red blood cells. The microbial content of the samples was measured with quantitative PCR assays for selected microbial groups and by analyzing the cell wall markers ergosterol, muramic acid, endotoxins, and glucans. The moisture observations in the schools were associated with some of the microbial components in the dust, and microbial determinants grouped together increased the oxidative capacity. Oxidative capacity was also affected by particle concentration and country of origin. Two out of 14 studied dust samples from moisture‐damaged schools demonstrated some hemolytic activity. The results indicate that the microbial component connected with moisture damage is associated with increased oxidative stress and that hemolysis should be studied further as one possible mechanism contributing to the adverse health effects of moisture‐damaged buildings.     

Schraubpfähle: Herstellung,Tragfähigkeit und numerische Modellierung

Screw piles: construction methods, bearing capacity and numerical modeling. In the last years the technology of screw‐piling has been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the non‐displacement piles (e.g. bored or flight auger piles) that are always accompanied by soil disturbance, which affect negatively the pile bearing capacity. On the contrary, the screw piles can be considered more or less as full displacement piles, which are comparable with the conventional displacement driven piles. Due to vibration free installation and minimal noise disturbance of the environment they can be applied in urban areas, where driven piles are not appropriate. The full displacement screw piles offer meaningful advantages in terms of environmental engineering. This relatively new piling technology is used successfully as an efficient foundation system that fulfils both stability and serviceability requirements. The use of standard compact machines with high productivity simplifies site operations and contributes to economical performance of the system at the same time. A general overview of the pile system ‐installation techniques, process and bearing capacity – will be described and discussed. First numerical analyses, calibrated on pile load tests to check the validity of the numerical model were applied.     

Engineering Analysis of Failure: A Determination of Cause Method

The purpose of this article is to present an engineering method for the determination of cause by the identification of defects that lead to failure. Further discussion on this topic is of course warranted and this article is anticipated to catalyze such discussions. In order to facilitate the development and presentation of this cause determination method, the definition of defect as it relates to failure is first presented. While not all failures are the result of defects (and not all defects result in failures), identification of a defect may point to opportunities to prevent recurrence and assist in the determination of cause. Furthermore, use of this method also serves to identify causes of failure that are not attributable just to the actions of responsible parties: such as wear and tear, acts of nature, and the unknown. Once the cause is identified, the resolution, recovery, and recurrence prevention process then has the opportunity to move forward. To further demonstrate application of the cause determination method presented here, case studies of failures are provided.