Technological Leap Research Articles

Economic Evaluation of a Technological Leap in the Sector of Train Control and Signalling: The Case of German Regional Lines

This paper addresses the question of the economic benefits deriving from the application of satellite-based technologies in the rail sector, in particular in regional lines. The introduction of these technologies can generate a re-design of the control systems in the rail sector, reducing investments and operating costs, and increasing the capacity of railway lines, especially in the regional and local market. Therefore, it can be a source of efficiency for involved operators, increasing competitiveness and economic returns.The objective of this paper then is to present and discuss the results of the economic evaluation of the potential benefits deriving from the introduction of technologies based on the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) on the ERTMS/ETCS level 2 systems, adapted for regional lines, focusing on the German case study.The results presented in the paper come from a study of the wide program of researches promoted by ESA for the development of satellite technologies in the rail sector; in particular, it is part of the 3inSat “Train Integrated Safety Satellite System” Demonstration project”. The study has been realized with the close collaboration of Ansaldo STS, ESA, Deutche Bahn Netz and DLR (German Aerospace Agency).

Platform for a Technological Leap in Antibiotics

NTN Swiss Biotech™ brings together the Swiss Biotech Association SBA, which is involved in regulatory, financial and legal issues, and biotechnet Switzerland, which is active in translational R&D, to provide a technology base for joint projects. Biotechnet aims to push promising domains by creating topic-oriented platforms that enable academia and industry to work together to produce R&D results of major importance to society and the economy. The first activity initiated by biotechnet is the Antibiotics Platform that has now been launched.

Architectural and engineering principles and innovations in the construction of glass-facade buildings

Though the technologies are dynamically developing and there are a lot of research projects, there is still no general opinion on a glass-facade building among the European scientific community, architects and construction engineers. The increasing requirements to heat-protective qualities of translucent structures make us think of the necessity of a quantum leap both in technologies and in principal approaches to the development of architectural and constructive solutions of translucent shells. Together with economical features, the dynamics of heat-protective indicators’ increase show the tendencies to reaching the possibilities limits of mass glass units. The European construction practice usually solve this problem by developing sealed insulating glass units and by different conceptual solutions of the systems of translucent double facades. In the given article the basic theoretical principles and innovative engineering ideas are formulated dealing with the modern glass-facade building construction. “Green Building” conception is analyzed as a European new building philosophy.

Professional Liability after Quantum Leaps in Technology: The Advent of Autonomous Vehicles and Technology's Uncertain Fit within Existing Tort Law

The clash between “technocratic regulatory aspirations and the legal culture” that pervades the technology industry has been the locus of political debate, the darling of scholarly intrigue, and the thorn in industry’s side since before the release of Henry Ford’s Model-T. This paper embraces the idea that the 'clash' is not necessarily a problem of rapid innovation, but one of slowly developing law in the United States. The historically-proven reluctance of government to adapt to, and evolve with, progressing technologies is belied by the predictable eventuality that such radical innovations are deemed household items. Jerry Mashaw articulated this point, stating: 'The problem may not be that law misunderstands and misapplies science, but that we have misunderstood law.' This paper proceeds on the assumption that there is a workable adaption of the existing legal framework to usher in this new era of technological advancement. Government needs but choose a complimentary path to facilitate safely these creations which ultimately enhance the quality of human life.

Pharmacy data exchange: The next technological leap for health care

Health data are everywhere, from medical records at a physician'soffice, to prescription information at pharmacies, to test results athospitals. The challenge with all this health data is that they're not in auseful, shareable, quantiable format. Samm Anderegg, PharmD, MS,BCPS, believes pharmacists can change that.

Abstract 3161: Predictive Immunotherapy Models: Overcoming the challenge of T cells gene transfer

Abstract The initiation of an appropriate T cell response is a key event in the establishment of efficient anti-tumoral response. In a context of tumor development, different T cell populations are mobilized and understanding the pathways involved in their functions and in their interactions is a major field of research in cancer immunotherapy. Thus, while the activation of antigen-specific naive CD4+ T cells that can differentiate into appropriate effector T cells and home to the tumor might be highly beneficial, regulatory CD4+ T cells are considered as deleterious. Many efforts are thus made to understand the behavior of both CD4+ T cells subsets and to decipher their functions within the tumor micro-environment. A key step to reach this goal is the development of relevant predictive cancer models including genetic modifications of T cell populations in vitro and in vivo, either for gene target studies, or to create new tools for sensitive readouts. While human and activated mouse T cells are easily transduced with lentiviral vectors, transduction of naive and regulatory murine T cells is a technical challenge since these target cells are poorly permissive to transfection or viral transduction. Here, extensive in vitro transduction data show that the use of highly concentrated (1E9 TU/mL) and pure (1E8 TU/mg of proteins) lentiviral vectors increases significantly the transduction level of naive and regulatory CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, transduced T cells exhibit an original cell phenotype without any changes of T cells specific markers expression (CD44, CD69, CD25, Ly-6C) attesting that the composition of this pure batch of lentiviral vector does not have any impact on T cells phenotype. Transduced T cells were then assessed for their properties once adoptively transferred into recipient mice. Analysis of these mice show that not only the genetically modified T cells/regulatory cells can be easily followed thanks to the fluorescent reporter but also their phenotype is not modified by the transduction, as shown in vitro. Our data bring out that the composition of lentiviral vectors in terms of titer, specific activities and purity are the success keys to ensure transduction of murine T cells. This major technological leap will allow to tightly control expression of various modifiers of these cells and thus paves the way to design original tools and develop cell-based cancer. Citation Format: Pascale Bouillé, Christine Duthoit, Régis Gayon, Vincent Feuillet, Cédric Auffray. Predictive Immunotherapy Models: Overcoming the challenge of T cells gene transfer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3161. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3161

Remote-Controlled Mice

What if expression of a light-sensitive protein could be triggered wirelessly, on demand? What if optogenetics and neuropharmacology could be implemented in an untethered, freely moving animal model? Such technology would allow for a plethora of neurobiological experiments that are currently confounded by repeated animal handling, tissue-damaging cannulas, and tangled optical cables. In the July 30 issue of Cell, Jeong and colleagues introduce such a technology. The ultrathin and flexible devices, termed wireless optofluidic probes, enable remote control of drug infusion and optical manipulation in the deep brain regions of freely moving mice engaged in behavioral tasks [Jeong et al., 2015] (see Figure 1). Figure 1 Wireless optofluidic control of mouse behavior. Jeong et al. leveraged the latest advances in microcontact printing techniques and flexible electronics to produce wireless optofluidic probes comprised of multiple functional components. A transparent flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) ribbon with four drug delivery channels was integrated with a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) filament carrying microscale inorganic light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) previously developed by the same group [Kim et al., 2013]. The resulting probe had an overall thickness of ~ 80 μm, and a low bending stiffness of 13–18 N/m, minimizing the neural tissue damage. The four microfluidic channels were connected to individual reservoirs, allowing each drug to be pumped independently and released on-demand. The optofluidic probe was designed to interface with a battery-powered infrared wireless module that allowed for independent control μLEDs. The individually controlled wireless fluid infusion presents a powerful tool for numerous applications in systems neuroscience and circuit mapping. For example, expression of multiple genes can now be altered wirelessly at different time points using separate viral injection steps. Multiple injections have previously required separate surgeries that compromised animal health, extended recovery time, and produced severe neural tissue damage. The optofluidic probe also allows for multiple behavioral assays to be conducted with a single subject. As a simple proof of principle, authors have demonstrated infusions of a peptide [D-Ala2, N-MePhe4, Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO), μ-opioid receptor (MOPR) agonist, or a control fluid into the ventral tegmental area (VTA). From a meter away, it was possible to trigger stereotyped rotations in mice, characteristic of unilateral DAMGO delivery into the VTA, while the delivery of control fluid did not induce any notable effect. The combinatorial optical and microfluidic operation of the probes was also demonstrated in a reward-related preference task probing the dopaminergic projection from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh). The authors implanted their optofluidic probes in the NAcSh of transgenic mice. In these mice, specific expression of Channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) in dopaminergic neurons and their processes was established by a separate viral injection into the VTA. By switching the μLEDs on from a distance, the authors were able to remotely activate VTA-to-NAcSh dopaminergic projection and drive real-time place preference. The latter was then abolished by simultaneous wirelessly-triggered infusion of SCH23390, a dopamine receptor D1 antagonist. The probes developed by Jeong and colleagues present a technological leap forward. Future extensions of their technology may include integrated micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) components such as microfluidic pumps, which should enable multiple injections over the course of long-term in vivo studies. The overall weight and electronic complexity, however, will have to be carefully considered to accommodate experiments in small subjects. Another direction for future improvement could be the incorporation of electrical recording capabilities. Electrophysiology, when combined with behavioral experiments and pharmacological and optogenetic manipulation, would provide a more systematic understanding of both neural circuitry and the brain. Furthermore, incorporation of neural recording is an essential step on the way towards closed-loop systems for effective treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders [Rosin et al., 2011]. Future directions of wireless integrated neural interface devices will likely take off through multidisciplinary efforts bridging electrical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, and bioengineering. Advanced circuit design and microfabrication will enable more complex feedback and control systems. New materials and mechanical platforms are anticipated to yield a versatility of modalities for recording and modulation of neural networks with ever increasing spatial and temporal resolution. Finally, close collaborations between basic neuroscientists and engineers such as the one that led to the development of the optofluidic probes, will be essential to the conception of biologically-relevant technologies for brain mapping as well as future therapies for the diseases of the nervous system.

Design, Fabrication and Characterization of Flexible Thin Film Rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries

The advent of fully flexible electronics is considered as a major technological leap forward and has attracted much attention during the last decade. Compared with conventional electronics, flexible electronics are lightweight, bendable and may be wearable or implantable. Hence the rapid and continuous growth in this field has stimulated the research and development of corresponding flexible energy storage systems and more particularly rechargeable lithium ion batteries [1-3]. In this work we developed flexible thin film lithium ion batteries based on all-solid-state materials. The flexible batteries were fabricated using sequential physical vapor deposition techniques. A thin film battery (TFB) architecture consisting of Ti/V2O5/LiPON/Li/encapsulation multilayer was deposited on flexible polyimide substrate. The fabricated flexible TFBs presented an overall thickness of 70µm (figure 1). The flexible TFBs delivered discharge capacity as high as 0.15mAh (1.5 cm² of cathode area) upon galvanostatic cyling at C/5 rate within 3.8-1.5V voltage range. The capacity decreased during cycling with an average fading rate of 0.25% over 100 cycles (figure 2). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and modeling analysis revealed a significant and continuous increase of the internal resistance during cycling. Furthermore, it was shown that the internal resistance increase was induced by a progressive decrease of the electrolyte/electrodes contact area. A strong correlation was identified between the variation of electrolyte/electrode contact area and variation of flexible TFB discharge capacity. TFBs having the same architecture and the same design were fabricated on two substrates: a flexible polyimide foil and a rigid silicon wafer. Electrochemical characterization showed a clear influence of substrate type on TFBs discharge capacity and internal resistance variations during cycling (figure 3). The electrochemical results variation with substrate type is discussed in terms of differences of TFB multilayer mechanical behaviour during cycling in both configurations. References 1- Y. Hu and X. Sun, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2, 10712 (2014). 2- L. Li, Z. Wu, S. Yuan, and X. Zhang, Energy Environ. Sci., 7, 2101 (2014) 3- M. Osiak, H. Geaney, E. Armstrong and C. O'Dwyer, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2, 9433 (2014). Figure 1

Make-or-buy strategies for electric vehicle batteries—a simulation-based analysis

The electrification of the powertrain leads to fundamental changes in the automotive value chain. Thereby, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have to decide which manufacturing steps to perform in-house and which parts to source from joint ventures or suppliers. This decision on the make-or-buy strategy is influenced by manifold uncertain parameters like technology evolution and market development. Moreover, it has considerable financial implications. We present a novel approach for the financial evaluation of strategic make-or-buy decisions for newly introduced components using the example of electric vehicle batteries. The approach is based on a Monte Carlo simulation with which the net present value of different make-or-buy strategies can be evaluated. In the model, we explicitly take into account (1) the impact of volume uncertainty on the economies of scale, (2) the financial consequences of a technology leap, (3) joint ventures as a form of quasi-integration, and (4) the option to change the position in the value chain over time. The application of the model for sample OEMs shows that make-or-buy strategies for electric vehicle batteries differ fundamentally from a financial point of view, depending not only on the degree of vertical integration but also on the size of the OEM.

The Effectiveness of Using Concept Mapping via PowerPoint Presentations on Developing Cognitive Achievement and Skill Performance of Crawl Swimming on the Belly

Contemporary democratic societies evolve significantly in order to keep up with the rapidly growing rhythm of the time. This is due to the flow of knowledge and enormous technological leap that has facilitated the opening up to the world; so that it would be possible to follow the latest developments, particularly after the fall of barriers and borders among countries. This has been reflected in these societies’ education systems; as they have changed their methods and techniques of presenting as well as acquiring knowledge, to ensure access to the learner proficiency and high efficiency in performance in various educational fields.

Treatment of hemophilia in the near future.

Advancements and debacles have characterized hemophilia treatment over the past 50 years. The 1970s saw the availability of plasma-derived concentrates making prophylaxis and home therapy possible. This optimistic perception changed extremely in the early 1980s, when most people with hemophilia were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses. Then, also in the 1980s, the rapid progress in molecular biology led to the development of recombinant therapeutic products. This important advancement was a huge technological leap fresh off from the earlier 1980s disaster. Now in the 21st century, the newer bioengineering drugs open a new hopeful phase for the management of hemophilia. The current efforts are concentrated on producing novel coagulation factors with prolonged bioavailability, increased potency, and resistance to inactivation and potentially reduced immunogenicity; this phase of evolution is improving very quickly. 2014 is the year of marketing approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the first bioengineered FVIII and FIX long-acting drugs, using Fc-fusion strategy. This represents the first significant advance in the hemophilia therapy that dramatically transforms patient management by substantially reducing the frequency of injections, improving compliance, and simplifying prophylaxis and, in turn, refining the quality of life of hemophilia patients, offering them a nearly normal life expectancy, particularly to newborns with hemophilia B.

Ferroelectrically driven spatial carrier density modulation in graphene.

The next technological leap forward will be enabled by new materials and inventive means of manipulating them. Among the array of candidate materials, graphene has garnered much attention; however, due to the absence of a semiconducting gap, the realization of graphene-based devices often requires complex processing and design. Spatially controlled local potentials, for example, achieved through lithographically defined split-gate configurations, present a possible route to take advantage of this exciting two-dimensional material. Here we demonstrate carrier density modulation in graphene through coupling to an adjacent ferroelectric polarization to create spatially defined potential steps at 180°-domain walls rather than fabrication of local gate electrodes. Periodic arrays of p-i junctions are demonstrated in air (gate tunable to p-n junctions) and density functional theory reveals that the origin of the potential steps is a complex interplay between polarization, chemistry, and defect structures in the graphene/ferroelectric couple.

The uncertainty of truth

We live in a world where uncertainty has been eliminated. The publication of the Doctrine of Certitude meant that uncertainty was officially forbidden for the first time in history. The passage of this law rendered the phrases ‘I don’t know’, ‘I’m not sure’ and even ‘Huh . . .’ illegal and punishable by life imprisonment. Neoastrophysicists, using chaos theory, have modelled intergalactic maps that predict even the smallest particle of space dust’s coordinates within a half millimeter of its actual location. Cosmometeorologists have derived atmospheric models that predict a planet’s weather patterns with a five-sigma level of confidence. Even in the field of medicine, the uncertainty we once operated under has all but vanished. The latest validation from the Framingham group can predict your death within a month of your passing. And yet the human race cannot help but spit in the face of this certainty. Let us use Mr Wigan as a case in point. He was given a certified Framingham score of 689.27. Simply put, Mr Wigan’s death had been verified with 99.99999% accuracy to occur at the age of 68 years from the restrictive lung disease known as astropneumoconiosis (or as the miners on Gamma colony jovially call it ‘kettle lung’). His predicted lifespan was actually 5 years beyond the average life expectancy of a standard Gamma Colonist (whose main occupation is the mining of the colony’s one natural resource Detroleum). Mr Wigan was aware of this certified, validated destiny and wanted nothing to do with it. As he lay in front of me on our trauma bay’s hover stretcher, Mr Wigan was trying incredibly hard to die 41 years before his scheduled date. My name is REDACTED. Before the occurrence of the following events, I worked as an emergency physician on the 12th Spoke’s most distant medical hub. We are the only Trauma Center for 100 clicks, which means we see all major space trauma that occurs beyond the reach of the Mallemat Foundation. It was not long ago that the vast majority of space trauma victims perished before reaching medical attention as the unforgiving cold hand of space finished off whatever the initial insult had not taken care of. Since the development of self-insulating body armor and self-expanding short-term ecosystems known as body pods (or bodpods for short), we have experienced an influx in the amount of critically ill space trauma patients reaching our medical port in desperate need of care. Mr Wigan was such a patient, arriving at our facility following a deep space collision involving his Space Duster and a rare uncharted piece of space junk. He was thrown from his makeshift spacecraft and if not for his recently purchased self-deploying bodpod, which on sensing the decompression of his standard suit inflated to protect his body from further injury, we would not be discussing this matter today. The bodpods distress signal was picked up within 5 min of the initial event, and a medijet was deployed. Mr Wigan arrived at my spaceport 20 min later. Though much has changed in medicine over the centuries, initial trauma resuscitation has remained surprisingly consistent. Most of us follow the Damage Control Doctrine that supplanted the antiquated ATLS system of the early 21st century. The original principles can be accessed in the early FOAM archives. Following the primary survey, our ability to identify critically ill patients has changed drastically since the institution of the Doctrine of Certitude. Not surprising, the Framingham Formula holds little predictive value in acute insults, such as intergalactic space trauma and thus we are forced to turn to other modalities to fully stratify these patients. One could argue that no device has changed the management of lifethreatening emergencies more than Schrodinger’s Box, the only piece of time travel technology ever to be Correspondence: Dr Christopher P Nickson, Intensive Care Unit, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia. Email: precordial.thump@ gmail.com

Technical Note: 3D Printing and Developing Patient Optimized Rehabilitation Tools (Port) - A Technological Leap

There has been a gradual shift in the approach towards managing the occupational and physical health of patients in last few decades. While the earlier approach was standardized and involves using time tested solutions for all patients, the new era is moving towards customized medicine in which the focus is on an individual and how the solutions can be tailor made for his maximal benefit. Clinicians and therapists worldwide are looking for technological advancements that help them realize their goal to ensure optimal outcomes that are patient specific. 3D patient optimized rehabilitation tools also known as 3D PORT is based on additive manufacturing of customized devices using 3D printers. This review describes the basics of the use of technology and also on the future trends and possible clinical applications of the same.

Smart IT Technologies of the Current Century

As we know that the emerging IT technologies are essential for our day to day live. During the last few decades we have seen a great leaps in IT technologies which are all innovations that revolution the way we live and work. In this paper we cover those emerging, smart and revolutionary technologies. The paper also cover a broad range of IT areas, from software development to network management.

Measuring Glutathione Redox Potential of HIV-1-infected Macrophages

Redox signaling plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). The majority of HIV redox research relies on measuring redox stress using invasive technologies, which are unreliable and do not provide information about the contributions of subcellular compartments. A major technological leap emerges from the development of genetically encoded redox-sensitive green fluorescent proteins (roGFPs), which provide sensitive and compartment-specific insights into redox homeostasis. Here, we exploited a roGFP-based specific bioprobe of glutathione redox potential (E(GSH); Grx1-roGFP2) and measured subcellular changes in E(GSH) during various phases of HIV-1 infection using U1 monocytic cells (latently infected U937 cells with HIV-1). We show that although U937 and U1 cells demonstrate significantly reduced cytosolic and mitochondrial E(GSH) (approximately -310 mV), active viral replication induces substantial oxidative stress (E(GSH) more than -240 mV). Furthermore, exposure to a physiologically relevant oxidant, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), induces significant deviations in subcellular E(GSH) between U937 and U1, which distinctly modulates susceptibility to apoptosis. Using Grx1-roGFP2, we demonstrate that a marginal increase of about ∼25 mV in E(GSH) is sufficient to switch HIV-1 from latency to reactivation, raising the possibility of purging HIV-1 by redox modulators without triggering detrimental changes in cellular physiology. Importantly, we show that bioactive lipids synthesized by clinical drug-resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reactivate HIV-1 through modulation of intracellular E(GSH). Finally, the expression analysis of U1 and patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells demonstrated a major recalibration of cellular redox homeostatic pathways during persistence and active replication of HIV.

Value co-creation in emerging economies: planting and harvesting innovation perspectives

This paper examines how firms in emerging economies implement value co-creation from the perspectives of harvesting innovation and planting innovation. Due to these firms' relative financial and managerial disadvantages, they must focus on the balance between innovation efforts and cash flows to ensure survival and growth. Employing the harvesting and planting categorisations enables examination of value co-creation practices for both the short and long term. Harvesting innovation seeks commercial products using recent discoveries (i.e., reaping the bounty of previous efforts); planting innovation pursues technological leap with the objective to produce the sources of future products (i.e., sowing the seeds of tomorrow's innovations). A theoretical framework of value co-creation for the two types of innovation for firms in emerging economies is proposed with a focus on the reasons and mechanisms for these firms to actively co-create value with various participants, including end consumers, customers, and government.

Morphology engineering of high performance binary oxide electrodes.

Advances in materials have preceded almost every major technological leap since the beginning of civilization. On the nanoscale and microscale, mastery over the morphology, size, and structure of a material enables control of its properties and enhancement of its usefulness for a given application, such as energy storage. In this review paper, our aim is to present a review of morphology engineering of high performance oxide electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. We begin with the chemical bonding theory of single crystal growth to direct the growth of morphology-controllable materials. We then focus on the growth of various morphologies of binary oxides and their electrochemical performances for lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors. The morphology-performance relationships are elaborated by selecting examples in which there is already reasonable understanding for this relationship. Based on these comprehensive analyses, we proposed colloidal supercapacitor systems beyond morphology control on the basis of system- and ion-level design. We conclude this article with personal perspectives on the directions toward which future research in this field might take.

ChemInform Abstract: High‐Performance Polymers from Nature: Catalytic Routes and Processes for Industry

AbstractReview: [34 refs.]

Promoting healthy dietary behaviour through personalised nutrition: technology push or technology pull?

The notion of educating the public through generic healthy eating messages has pervaded dietary health promotion efforts over the years and continues to do so through various media, despite little evidence for any enduring impact upon eating behaviour. There is growing evidence, however, that tailored interventions such as those that could be delivered online can be effective in bringing about healthy dietary behaviour change. The present paper brings together evidence from qualitative and quantitative studies that have considered the public perspective of genomics, nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition, including those conducted as part of the EU-funded Food4Me project. Such studies have consistently indicated that although the public hold positive views about nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition, they have reservations about the service providers' ability to ensure the secure handling of health data. Technological innovation has driven the concept of personalised nutrition forward and now a further technological leap is required to ensure the privacy of online service delivery systems and to protect data gathered in the process of designing personalised nutrition therapies.