Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Residual Stresses in Seamed Pipe in Dependence on Welding and Metal Forming.

Concerning the increasingly widespread utilization of the finite element method (FEM), the concept of the so-called virtual factory is also gaining ground, and not only in the engineering industry. This approach does not use numerical simulations of individual production technologies separately but treats the entire production process as a chain of interrelated technologies. Thus, the output data from one technology is taken as input data for the following technology.

Effect of the Composition of Hybrid Sands on the Change in Thermal Expansion.

In the foundry industry, silica sands are the most commonly used type of sands for the production of sand foundry moulds using various types of binders. Their greatest disadvantage is their significant volume changes at elevated temperatures, which are associated with the formation of many foundry defects from stress, such as veining, and thus have a direct influence on the final quality of the casting. In the case of non-silica sands and synthetic sands, the volume stability is more pronounced, but this is accompanied by a higher purchase price.

HIV vaccine development: Lessons from the past, informing the future.

In September 2007, a clinical trial (STEP trial) evaluating the candidate HIV vaccine MRK Ad5 HIV-1 gag/pol/nef from Merck & Co Inc was halted at the first interim analysis because the vaccine demonstrated no positive impact on virus acquisition or virus load following infection. Additionally, there was an increased rate of HIV infection in vaccinees who had prior immunity to adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) and/or were circumcised. This failure of the vaccine, as well as the apparent harm caused to some study participants, generated a massive pessimism regarding HIV vaccine development.

Mucosal immunity and HIV/AIDS vaccines. Report of an International Workshop, 28-30 October 2007.

In October 2007, a joint ANRS-NIH workshop was held on "Mucosal immunity and HIV/AIDS vaccines" in Veyrier-du-Lac, France. Goal of the meeting was to discuss recent developments in the understanding of viral entry and dissemination at mucosal surfaces, rationale for designing vaccines to elicit mucosal immune responses by various routes of immunization, and the types of immune responses elicited. Lessons were drawn from existing vaccines against viral mucosal infections, from the recent failure of the Merck Ad5/HIV vaccine and from attempts at mucosal immunization against SIV.

Current advances and challenges in HIV-1 vaccines.

Recent advances in science, which have aided HIV-1 vaccine development, include an improved understanding of HIV-1 envelope structure and function, expansion of the pipeline with innovative vaccine strategies, promising multi-gene and multi-clade vaccines that elicit cellular immunity, conduct of clinical trials in a global network, and development of validated techniques that enable simultaneous measurement of multiple T cell vaccine-induced immune responses in humans. A common feature of several preventive vaccine strategies now in early clinical trials is their ability in nonhuman primates to attenuate clinical disease rather than completely prevent HIV-1 infection. One vaccine concept has been tested in large-scale clinical trials, two are currently in efficacy trials, and one more is poised to enter efficacy trial in the next few years.