Determination of Contact Resistance of Thermal Interface Materials Used in Thermal Monitoring Systems of Electric Vehicle Charging Inlets.

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market is observed. This is challenging from a materials point of view when it comes to the thermal monitoring systems of charging inlets, for which requirements are very restrictive. Because the thermal conductivity of the thermal interface material is usually measured, there is a significant research gap on the contact thermal resistance of novel materials used in the electric vehicle industry.

Influence of High-Pressure Die Casting Parameters on the Cooling Rate and the Structure of EN-AC 46000 Alloy.

The paper presents the results of the research on the impact of process parameters of high-pressure, cold-chamber die casting of an industrial casting made of aluminium alloy on the casting properties assessed macroscopically by measuring the casting average density and microscopically through the characteristics of the casting microstructure. The analysis covers the influence of three selected velocity settings of the pressing plunger, which determine the filling time, and three values of the compression pressure setting characteristic of the third phase of the casting process. The cooling and solidification simulations of the casting were performed using the ProCAST software.

Corrosion Resistance of MgZn Alloy Covered by Chitosan-Based Coatings.

Chitosan coatings are deposited on the surface of Mg20Zn magnesium alloy by means of the spin coating technique. Their structure was investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface morphology of the magnesium alloy substrate and chitosan coatings was determined using Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) analysis.

Perceiving space and optical cues via a visuo-tactile sensory substitution system: a methodological approach for training of blind subjects for navigation.

A methodological approach to perceptual learning was used to allow both early blind subjects (experimental group) and blindfolded sighted subjects (control group) to experience optical information and spatial phenomena, on the basis of visuo-tactile information transmitted by a 64-taxel pneumatic sensory substitution device. The learning process allowed the subjects to develop abilities in spatial localisation, shape recognition (with generalisation to different points of view), and monocular depth cue interpretation. During the training phase, early blind people initially experienced more difficulties than blindfolded sighted subjects (having previous perceptual experience of perspective) with interpreting and using monocular depth cues.

The Shigella OspC3 effector inhibits caspase-4, antagonizes inflammatory cell death, and promotes epithelial infection.

Caspase-mediated inflammatory cell death acts as an intrinsic defense mechanism against infection. Bacterial pathogens deploy countermeasures against inflammatory cell death, but the mechanisms by which they do this remain largely unclear. In a screen for Shigella flexneri effectors that regulate cell death during infection, we discovered that Shigella infection induced acute inflammatory, caspase-4-dependent epithelial cell death, which is counteracted by the bacterial OspC3 effector.

A Tecpr1-dependent selective autophagy pathway targets bacterial pathogens.

Selective autophagy of bacterial pathogens represents a host innate immune mechanism. Selective autophagy has been characterized on the basis of distinct cargo receptors but the mechanisms by which different cargo receptors are targeted for autophagic degradation remain unclear. In this study we identified a highly conserved Tectonin domain-containing protein, Tecpr1, as an Atg5 binding partner that colocalized with Atg5 at Shigella-containing phagophores.

The effect of an antibiotic policy on the control of vancomycin-resistant enterococci outbreak and on the resistance patterns of bacteria isolated from the blood of patients in a hematology unit.

Introduction: Antibiotic resistance has become one of the main medical problems worldwide. This is mainly due to an overuse and misuse of antibiotics.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of an antibiotic policy and enhanced infection control on the occurrence of epidemic strains of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and resistance patterns of bacteria isolated from the blood of patients hospitalized in two departments of a hematology center in Poland.

Clonal structure of Enterococcus faecalis isolated from Polish hospitals: characterization of epidemic clones.

To study the population structure of Enterococcus faecalis from Polish hospitals, 291 isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and a novel multilocus sequence typing scheme (P. Ruiz-Garbajosa et al., J.

Molecular diversity of a putative virulence factor: purification and characterization of isoforms of an extracellular serine glutamyl endopeptidase of Enterococcus faecalis with different enzymatic activities.

A previously identified gene sprE of Enterococcus faecalis strain OG1 was shown to encode an extracellular serine protease that appears to belong to the glutamyl endopeptidase I staphylococcal group. A single form of SprE with a molecular mass of 25 kDa and a pH optimum between 7.0 and 7.

An Enterococcus faecium secreted antigen, SagA, exhibits broad-spectrum binding to extracellular matrix proteins and appears essential for E. faecium growth.

A gene encoding a major secreted antigen, SagA, was identified in Enterococcus faecium by screening an E. faecium genomic expression library with sera from patients with E. faecium-associated endocarditis.