Generative Art with Swarm Landscapes

We present a generative swarm art project that creates 3D animations by running a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm over synthetic landscapes produced by an objective function. Different kinds of functions are explored, including mathematical expressions, Perlin noise-based terrain, and several image-based procedures. A method for displaying the particle swarm exploring the search space in aesthetically pleasing ways is described. Several experiments are detailed and analyzed and a number of interesting visual artifacts are highlighted.     

Accurate Design of Finline Tapers for Millimeter Wave Applications

The design of nonuniform bilateral finlines on anisotropic substrates for millimeter wave applications is presented. The taper consists of a planar circuit with smooth variation of the slot width profile along the structure. The spectral domain method and Galerkin procedure are combined with the transmission line theory for studying the behavior of tapered bilateral finlines and evaluation of their design parameters. The influence of the substrate anisotropy on the propagation characteristics of these structures is also examined. This technique is general and can be applied to investigate a broad class of planar transmission line tapers.     

Radiative and non radiative spectroscopic properties of Er ion in tellurite glass

We have investigated in detail the mechanism of infrared emission and upconversion emission of Er³⁺ in tellurite glass as a function of the dopant concentration. Both the infrared and upconversion emissions are competing processes and the efficiency of infrared emission at 1534 nm is 100% at the lowest Er content (0.5 mol%) and reduces to 50% at higher dopant concentration (>2 mol%). The green upconversion emission at 548 nm is mainly due to the excited state absorption (ESA) from ⁴I_11/2, which populate the ⁴F_7/2 level. In addition to this, the possible energy transfer (ET) through Er³⁺(⁴I_11/2) + Er³⁺(⁴I_11/2) → Er³⁺(⁴F_7/2) + Er³⁺(⁴I_15/2) can also results in the green emission as is noticed from the concentration dependent efficiency change of the green emission. The fluorescence quenching of green emission with Er concentration may be related with the cross relaxation (CR) process ²H_11/2 + ⁴I_15/2 → ⁴I_9/2 + ⁴I_13/2. The red emission is due to the combined effect of the ESA from level ⁴I_13/2 to ⁴F_9/2, the energy transfer process described by Er³⁺(⁴I_13/2) + Er³⁺(⁴I_11/2) → Er³⁺(⁴F_9/2) + Er³⁺(⁴I_15/2) and the cross relaxation process.     

Polarization splitter based on a square-lattice photonic-crystal fiber

A three-core polarization splitter based on a square-lattice photonic-crystal fiber is presented. The component separates the input field into two orthogonally polarized beams that are coupled to the horizontal and vertical output ports. The splitter has been designed through modal and beam propagation analysis by employing high-performance codes based on the finite-element method. Results obtained for a device length of 20 mm show extinction ratios as low as -23 dB with bandwidths as great as 90 nm.     

Modulation of humoral immune response to oral BCG vaccination by Mycobacterium bovis BCG Moreau Rio de Janeiro (RDJ) in healthy adults

We hypothesize that the energy strategy of a cell is a key factor for determining how, or if, the immune system interacts with that cell. Cells have a limited number of metabolic states, in part, depending on the type of fuels the cell consumes. Cellular fuels include glucose (carbohydrates), lipids (fats), and proteins. We propose that the cell's ability to switch to, and efficiently use, fat for fuel confers immune privilege. Additionally, because uncoupling proteins are involved in the fat burning process and reportedly in protection from free radicals, we hypothesize that uncoupling proteins play an important role in immune privilege. Thus, changes in metabolism (caused by oxidative stresses, fuel availability, age, hormones, radiation, or drugs) will dictate and initiate changes in immune recognition and in the nature of the immune response. This has profound implications for controlling the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, for preventing graft rejection, and for targeting tumor cells for destruction.     

Reduction of Vaisman structures in complex and quaternionic geometry

We consider locally conformal Kähler geometry as an equivariant (homothetic) Kähler geometry: a locally conformal Kähler manifold is, up to equivalence, a pair $(K,\Gamma )$, where $K$ is a Kähler manifold and $\Gamma$ is a discrete Lie group of biholomorphic homotheties acting freely and properly discontinuously. We define a new invariant of a locally conformal Kähler manifold $(K,\Gamma )$ as the rank of a natural quotient of $\Gamma$, and prove its invariance under reduction. This equivariant point of view leads to a proof that locally conformal Kähler reduction of compact Vaisman manifolds produces Vaisman manifolds and is equivalent to a Sasakian reduction. Moreover, we define locally conformal hyperKähler reduction as an equivariant version of hyperKähler reduction and in the compact case we show its equivalence with 3-Sasakian reduction. Finally, we show that locally conformal hyperKähler reduction induces hyperKähler with torsion (HKT) reduction of the associated HKT structure and the two reductions are compatible, even though not every HKT reduction comes from a locally conformal hyperKähler reduction.     

Inhomogeneity-free heteronuclear iMQC

Intermolecular dipolar interactions between proton and carbon spins can be used to indirectly detect carbon spectra with high sensitivity. In this communication, we present a modified sequence that, in addition to the high sensitivity of heteronuclear intermolecular multiple quantum coherence (iMQC) experiments, retains the line narrowing capability characteristic of homonuclear zero-quantum coherences. We demonstrate that this sequence can be used to obtain high resolution (13)C spectra in the presence of magnetic field inhomogeneities, both for thermal and hyperpolarized samples, and discuss applications to water-hyperpolarized carbon imaging.     

Structural changes induced by interactions between thyroid hormones and phospholipid membranes: a Raman Spectroscopy study

Previous reports from our laboratory have shown that thyroid hormones induce changes in the fluidity and permeability of phospholipid bilayers and modify the transmembrane dipolar organization according to their iodine content. The interactions of T2, T3, and T4 with a model membrane of dilauroylphosphatidylcholine in the liquid‐crystalline phase were analyzed by confocal Raman spectroscopy. Insights into the nature of the hormone effects on the membrane properties, as well as the structural adaptations of the hormones in response to the lipid environment were derived from the spectral changes. The series of progressive iodine substituents on the ring‐β allowed us to correlate the hormone effects according to the number and the orientation of the iodine atoms. T4 was responsible for producing the highest alteration in the hydrophobic region of the membrane. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Growth of tertiary dendritic arms during the transient directional solidification of hypoeutectic Pb–Sb alloys

Despite the importance of a complete characterization of dendritic patterns in castings, the availability of studies on the development of tertiary dendrite arms is scarce in the literature. In the present study, the tip cooling rate, local solidification time, primary and tertiary dendrite arm spacings have been determined in Pb–Sb alloys castings directionally solidified under unsteady-state heat flow conditions. The alloys compositions experimentally examined are widely used in the as-cast condition for the manufacture of positive and negative grids of lead-acid batteries. The initial growth of tertiary dendritic arms from the secondary branches was found to occur only for a Pb–3.5 wt% Sb alloy at cooling rates in the range 0.4–0.2?K/s, with no evidence of this spacing pattern for Pb–Sb alloys having lower solute content. Tertiary dendritic branches have been observed along the entire casting lengths for alloys of the Pb–Sb hypoeutectic range having compositions higher than 4.0 wt% Sb. It is shown that a power function experimental law with a characteristic ?0.55 exponent is able to characterize the tertiary spacing evolution with the solidification cooling rate for alloys compositions ≥4.0 wt% Sb. The only exception was the Pb–3.5 wt% Sb alloy for which λ ₃ exhibited significant lower values when compared with the experimental values obtained for the other Pb–Sb alloys for a same solidification cooling rate.