The main objective of this study is to generate anisotropic membranes stretched in their plane able to endure large deformations. In this perspective, different crenellated membranes were designed with a filled silicone rubber. The aim of this work is to build a constitutive equation which describes the mechanical behavior of such architec- tured membranes, by means of a simple decompostion of the strain energy. Since a filled silicone is used to make the architectured membrane, some non linear effects influence also the mechanical behavior of the structure. The main phenomenon is the Mullins effect and must be taken into account in the modeling. An equivalent constitutive equation is built for the architectured membrane by taking into account the mechanical behavior of the silicone and the geomet- rical parameters of the crenellated membrane. Firstly, a constitutive equation is chosen to describe the core of the membrane. Second, this equation is adapted to the behavior of the crenels and thirdly a coupling term describing the interactions between the crenels and the core of the membrane is developed. The implemen- tation of the equivalent constitutive equation into a finite element code is finally validated on experimental


Abstract Though Napoleonic warfare is usually associated with guns and cannons, edged weapons still played an important role on the battlefield. Swords and sabers could dominate battles and this was certainly the case in the hands of experienced cavalrymen. In contrast to gunshot wounds, wounds caused by the saber could be treated quite easily and caused fewer casualties. In 18th and 19th century France, not only manuals about the use of foil and epee were published, but also some important works on the military saber: de Saint Martin, Alexandre Muller… The saber was not only used in individual fights against the enemy, but also as a duelling weapon in the French army.


A study of toroidicity and ellipticity induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs and EAEs) that are excited before and after sawtooth crashes during ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating in JT-60U is presented. From the TAEs that are observed before sawteeth and that reside inside the q = 1 surface an upper limit has been set for q in the plasma centre at the time of the crash. After the sawtooth crash, EAEs that reside at the q = 1 surface are often observed. In a number of discharges the start of the EAE activity is delayed to up to 150 ms after the crash. In some cases TAE activity was observed between the sawtooth crash and the onset of the EAE activity. These TAEs could be modelled successfully only when it was assumed that the central safety factor (q0) rises above unity after the giant sawtooth crash. The appearance of the TAE activity immediately after the giant sawtooth crash is a strong indication that the fast particle drive remains in the plasma centre. This is consistent with theoretical estimates for the confinement of deeply trapped ICRF ions. The delayed appearance of the EAEs is also consistent with the disappearance of the q = 1 surface from the plasma at the giant sawtooth crash. The only way to obtain agreement between the experimentally measured EAE frequencies and the NOVA-K simulations is to assume that the q = 1 surface reappears in the plasma at the start of the EAE activity. The delayed appearance of the EAE activity seems to be correlated with the electron temperature just before the crash.


This general survey of medieval European economy, society, and culture is intended as a first guide to the subject for college students. In writing The Medieval Experience, Jill Claster has been particularly concerned to demonstrate the vitality and diversity that the world of the Middle Ages achieved, despite the fact that "the physical aspects of life were exceedingly difficult." This very usable and accessible textbook is enhanced by illustrations and source quotations which help convey a sense of the period's historical texture. The range of topics explored is extensive. Economic factors such as progress in agriculture and the growth of commerce are thoroughly examined, as are the political and social histories of feudal Europe. Claster looks particularly closely at monasticism, the cultural influence of religion, and the revival of learning. She probes the problems faced by Jews in a predominantly Christian society, and contemplates as well the problems faced by women.


The San Juan thrust system makes up the western elements of the Late Cretaceous Northwest Cascades orogen of Washington, a stack of metamorphic nappes with terranes ranging in age from early Paleozoic to middle Cretaceous. The tectonic development of the nappes is an unresolved issue important to understanding plate- convergent processes operating in the North American Cordillera in the Creta ceous as well as at other times. Two terrane-bounding fault zones were studied in this project, the Lopez and the Rosario fault zones. The fault-zone rocks were affected by two cataclastic-plastic, Late Cretaceous deformational events (D1 and D2) that included accretion and lateral motion during blueschist-facies metamorphic conditions. D1 produced upright folds and a subvertical axial-planar S1 foliation fabric in the Lopez fault zone, and southwest- vergent folds and gently northeast-dipping axial-planar S1 foliation in the Rosario fault zone. In the Lopez fault zone, D2 produced northwest-striking and subvertical strike-slip shear zones (S2) with dominant sinistral displacements, whereas in the Rosario fault zone, D2 generated low-angle S2 shear zones and various slip-crenulation fabrics formed by northwest-directed thrust motion.

The D1 fabrics are inferred to be related to initiation of subduction-related accretion of the nappes by orogen-normal (southwest-northeast) shortening and accretionary tectonics. The subsequent D2 fabrics developed as temporally overlapping, subduction-related low-angle thrusts in the Rosario fault zone and high-angle, sinistral strike-slip faults in the Lopez fault zone in an overall transpressive setting due to oblique convergence. This model suggests that the high-angle Lopez fault zone (D2) was located above a gently northeast-dipping thrust detachment (S2) expressed by the Rosario fault zone that allowed the accreted nappes to move parallel to the orogen.

The kinematic model cannot validate regional-scale, dextral terrane translation of the San Juan thrust system, as inferred by paleomagnetic data elsewhere in the western United States, but addresses important tectonic processes caused by oblique subduction and changing plate conditions.


San Francisco - More and more, researchers are finding how light and acne equate to a good match. Sun exposure is known to be beneficial for acne vulgaris in up to 70 percent of patients. And, not surprisingly, blue light has proven to be an effective phototherapy for the condition.


With the recent proliferation of high-fidelity head-mounted displays (HMDs), there is increasing demand for realistic 3D content that can be integrated into virtual reality environments. However, creating photorealistic models is not only difficult but also time consuming. A simpler alternative involves scanning objects in the real world and rendering their digitized counterpart in the virtual world. Capturing objects can be achieved by performing a 3D scan using widely available consumer-grade RGB-D cameras. This process involves reconstructing the geometric model from depth images generated using a structured light or time-of-flight sensor. The colormap is determined by fusing data from multiple color images captured during the scan. Existing methods compute the color of each vertex by averaging the colors from all these images. Blending colors in this manner creates low-fidelity models that appear blurry. (Figure 1 right). Furthermore, this approach also yields textures with fixed lighting that is baked on the model. This limitation becomes more apparent when viewed in head-tracked virtual reality, as the illumination (e.g. specular reflections) does not change appropriately based on the user's viewpoint.


egg production in laying hens was studied under fixed regression models. The data of 37071 birds from three strains under long term selection were analysed. The covariates from four production curves were included in nested and non-nested form. From linearized functions the model of Ali and Schaeffer most adequately described the egg production. Akaike Information Criterion favoured models with nested covariates. The following genetic parameters were estimated: heritability 0.02-0.2, 0.03-0.06, 0.03-0.20 repeatability 0.11-0.23, 0.21-0.30, 0.34-0.43 for A22, A88 and K66 lines, respectively. In conclusion, regression models could be considered in genetic evaluation of laying hens.


Wireless communication is one of the fastest growing technologies in process automation and now targets main stream applications. One such application is a safety application; it is unique in its own rights, as any problem with safety related equipment, network or system can compromise on-site safety. For the wired networks which serve safety applications, they are designed to ensure QoS. Therefore, controlling delay, jitter, packet loss rate and bandwidth is critical. To achieve the same performance over an envisioned wireless network with shared communication medium, various problems are to be dealt with. In this regard, this paper is an effort towards the design of a SIL compliant solution. Hence, this paper addresses the key constraints of the wireless technology and demonstrates the proof-of-concept through a field trial.


The fatigue crack propagation (FCP) behavior of magnesium alloy AZ61 at room temperature (RT), elevated temperature (60°C, 120°C) , and in ambient and wet air was investimated. The mechanisms of FCP were discussed in detail. It was demonstrated that The FCP rate of AZ61 magnesium alloy increased with increasing temperature and relative humidity (RH). Obvious change in the microstructure occurred during fatigue at elevated temperature, particularly at 120°C, compared to its original microstructure. Grain growth, deformation twin, grain boundary (GB) immigration and precipitates were observed in the microstructure at 120°C after fatigue. A bend occurred in the curves of FCP rate versus stress intensity factor at 120°C, which corresponded to a transition of failure mode from a mixed intergranular and transgranular fracture to a transgranular fracture. At first stage, the FCP rate increased sharply, and then went up slowly due to the growth of grain size. Secondary phase particles facilitated the fatigue crack initiation. The Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) may be primarily responsible for accelerating FCP rate in wet air.


Abstract: We present a frequency domain analysis of the image resolution of optical tomography systems. The result of our analysis is a description of the spatially-variant resolution in optical tomographic image after reconstruction as a function of the properties of the imaging system geometry. We validate our model using optical projection tomography (OPT) measurements of fluorescent beads embedded in agarose gel. Our model correctly describes both the radial and tangential resolution of the measured images. In addition, we present a correction of the tomographic images for the spatially-varying resolution using a deconvolution algorithm. The resulting corrected tomographic reconstruction shows a homogeneous and isotropic pixellimited resolution across the entire image. Our method is applied to OPT measurements of a zebrafish, showing improved resolution. Aside from allowing image correction and providing a resolution measure for OPT systems, our model provides a powerful tool for the design of optical tomographic systems.


The lymphatic system plays a pivotal role in the transport of fats, waste, and immune cells, while also serving as a metastatic route for select cancers. Using live imaging and particle tracking, we experimentally characterized the lymph flow field distal from the inguinal lymph node in the vicinity of normal bileaflet and malformed unileaflet intraluminal valves. Particle tracking experiments demonstrated that intraluminal lymphatic valves concentrate higher velocity lymph flow in the center of the vessel, while generating adjacent perivalvular recirculation zones. The recirculation zones are characterized by extended particle residence times and low wall shear stress magnitudes in comparison to the rest of the lymphangion. A malformed unileaflet valve skewed high momentum lymph flow toward the endothelium on the vessel wall, generating a stagnation point and a much larger recirculation zone on the opposite wall. These studies define physical consequences of bileaflet and unileaflet intraluminal lymphatic valves that affect lymph transport and the generation of a heterogeneous flow field that affects the lymphatic endothelium nonuniformly. The characterized flow fields were recreated in vitro connecting different flow environments present in the lymphangion to a lymphatic endothelial cell pro-inflammatory phenotype. Unique and detailed insight into lymphatic flow is provided, with potential applications to a variety of diseases that affect lymph transport and drug delivery.


: Patients with cancer frequently develop anaemia, due either to the malignant disease itself or to its treatment. Various factors, including the type of malignancy and the type and intensity of chemotherapy, influence the prevalence of anaemia and the need for transfusions. Among patients with solid tumours, those with lung cancer and ovarian cancer are reported to have the highest frequency of anaemia (52% and 51%, respectively) and the highest rate of transfusion requirements (28% and 25%, respectively). Patients with a low level of haemoglobin (Hb) (10-12 g/dl) at the start of chemotherapy are particularly at risk of developing anaemia and requiring transfusions. Similarly, patients treated with platinum-based regimens more often develop anaemia and need transfusions. The frequency of transfusion requirements in these patients can amount to 47%-100%, depending on the cumulative dose of platinum and other risk factors, such as advanced age, loss of body weight before treatment, advanced disease stage, and particularly a low primary level of Hb (11 g/dl) and a decrease in Hb level (1-2 g/dl) after the first cycle of treatment. The causative mechanism of platinum-induced anaemia is reported to be, beside myelosuppression, a deficient production of erythropoietin (EPO) resulting from drug-induced renal tubular damage. In a number of randomised and nonrandomised studies, recombinant human (rh) EPO has been shown to be effective in the treatment of cancer-related anaemia (CRA) and in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced anaemia. An appropriate dose of rhEPO for the start of treatment is 150 U/kg given subcutaneously three times per week (t.i.w.). The response rate of anaemia ranges from 40% to 85%. rhEPO is well tolerated, but the cost of treatment requires patient selection and parameters predicting response as early as possible after the start of treatment. Appropriate groups of patients for treatment with rhEPO are those with an Hb level of < 10 g/dl and those with a higher Hb level, but symptomatic anaemia. Other groups are patients who are going to receive chemotherapy and have a low primary level of Hb (10-12 g/dl) and patients who receive platinum-based chemotherapy and have experienced a marked decrease in their Hb level (1-2 g/dl) from baseline to the second cycle of treatment. These patients have a high risk of becoming anaemic and requiring transfusions during chemotherapy. In anaemic cancer patients treated with rhEPO, an early indicator of response is an increase in Hb level of at least 0.5 g/dl in patients not receiving chemotherapy and 1 g/dl in those receiving chemotherapy, combined with an increase in reticulocyte count of at least 40,000 cells/microliter after 2 weeks of treatment in the first group of patients and after 4 weeks in the second.


The Altaian Kazakhs, a Turkic speaking group, now reside in the southern part of the Altai Republic in south-central Russia. According to historical accounts, they are one of several ethnic and geographical subdivisions of the Kazakh nomadic group that migrated from China and Western Mongolia into the Altai region during the 19th Century. However, their population history of the Altaian Kazakhs and the genetic relationships with other Kazakh groups and neighboring Turkic-speaking populations is not well understood. To begin elucidating their genetic history, we analyzed the mtDNAs from 237 Altaian Kazakhs through a combination of SNP analysis and HVS1 sequencing. This analysis revealed that their mtDNA gene pool was comprised of roughly equal proportions of East (A-G, M7, M13, Y and Z) and West (H, HV, pre-HV, R, IK, JT, X, U) Eurasian haplogroups, with the haplotypic diversity within haplogroups C, D, H, and U being particularly high. This pattern of diversity likely reflects the complex interactions of the Kazakhs with other Turkic groups, Mongolians, and indigenous Altaians. Overall, these data have important implications for Kazakh population history, the genetic prehistory of the Altai-Sayan region, and the phylogeography of major mitochondrial lineages in Eurasia.


After the announcement of a worldwide pandemic in June 2009, a single dose of a monovalent pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza A (pH1N1/09) vaccine was advocated for all Australians who were 10 years and older because of excellent immunogenicity trial results for healthy children and adults. Immunocompromised patients have previously been shown to have lower seroconversion rates after routine vaccinations. There is a lack of data concerning the immune response of this patient group after pH1N1/09 vaccination. The aim of this study was to assess the immunogenicity of a pH1N1/09 vaccine in pediatric liver transplant recipients 10 years of age or older. Liver transplant recipients ≥ 10 years were prospectively recruited. All participants were administered a single intramuscular injection of the pH1N1/09 vaccine (15 μg). Serum antibody levels were determined by hemagglutination immediately before and ≥ 6 weeks after vaccination. Clinical and laboratory data (age, time since transplantation, immunosuppression, and lymphocyte counts) were analyzed comparing seroconverters and nonconverters with the Student's t test. A second dose of the vaccine was offered to all those who displayed no seroprotective titers after the first vaccination. Antibody levels were again determined 6 weeks later. Twenty‐one of 28 liver transplant patients completed the study. The seroconversion rate was 62% after the first dose and 89.5% after the second dose. At baseline, 7 of 21 patients (33.4%) were already seropositive. Increasing time since transplantation positively correlated with successful seroconversion. In conclusion, a single dose of a pandemic influenza A vaccine does not elicit a reliable immune response in adolescent pediatric liver transplant patients. A second dose of the vaccine is warranted in this group of patients, at least in a pandemic scenario. There is an urgent need to further assess vaccine strategies in this high‐risk group. Liver Transpl 17:914–920, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.


From the words of James C. Von Hook (2004), no society has ever become more associated with its economic system than post-war West Germany with the possible exception of Japan. However, when one looks into West Germany's post-war economic history, one is able to clearly indentify the crucial role played by the social market economy system because it has always been invested with greater meaning and significance. The introduction of social market system of economy brought an end to economic controls of the highly condemned Nazi era. It was championed by Ludwig Erhard and his supporters in 1948. Erhard later became West Germany's first finance minister appointed by the then Chancellor of the Federal Republic, Konrad Adenaur. Many scholars believed that West Germany's unexpected rapid and prosperous recovery during the 1950s from the devastations caused by World War II was influenced by his social market reforms of 1948 that represented a radical break away from West Germany's authoritarian past. Erhard was quoted as saying that the highly proclaimed economic miracle was in fact not a miracle, but rather, the natural and scientific result of the free market, free international trade, competition and monetary stability that prevailed in post-war West Germany. He argued that the rising productivity caused by the introduction of free market relationships after WWII has resulted in raising real wages which trickled down on the standard of living of the average West German. Erhard´s social market economic model received opposition from the Social Democratic Party who continue to argue that West Germany's post-war economic success came as a result of the reconstruction boom after WWII. Other scholars still argue that the intervention provided by the Marshall Plan of the United States government was the propelling force behind this unprecedented economic and social progress. However, Von Hook (2004) observed that one of the greatest ironies of post-war economic history is how the definition of the social market economic changed over time. Today, he said, it represents the European welfare state which is the opposite of the 1950s. In an effort to present a balanced report on the subject matter, this paper aims to take into consideration the conflicting views expressed by scholars regarding the origins of the so-called the post-war West Germany economic miracle as well as highlight three competing explanations. Also, the economic situation of West Germany before the miracle and the debate between schools of thought shall be looked into. Since Ludwig Erhard´s economic reforms are widely accepted as suitable explanations for the miracle, the paper will endeavor to find out the positive economic changes it brought to West Germany as a whole. The disagreements that continue to occupy center stage in the discussion of the so-called miracle shall also be looked into in order to balance and give a fair view of the ideas presented here in this paper.


Objectives: We assessed the performance of syndromic indicators based on Google Flu Trends (GFT) and emergency department (ED) data for the early detection and monitoring of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic waves in Manitoba. Methods: Time-series curves for the weekly counts of laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases in Manitoba during the 2009 pandemic were plotted against the three syndromic indicators: 1) GFT data, based on flu-related Internet search queries, 2) weekly count of all ED visits triaged as influenza-like illness (ED ILI volume), and 3) percentage of all ED visits that were triaged as an ILI (ED ILI percent). A linear regression model was fitted separately for each indicator and correlations with weekly virologic data were calculated for different lag periods for each pandemic wave. Results: All three indicators peaked 1-2 weeks earlier than the epidemic curve of laboratory-confirmed cases. For GFT data, the best-fitting model had about a 2-week lag period in relation to the epidemic curve. Similarly, the best-fitting models for both ED indicators were observed for a time lag of 1-2 weeks. All three indicators performed better as predictors of the virologic time trends during the second wave as compared to the first. There was strong congruence between the time series of the GFT and both the ED ILI volume and the ED ILI percent indicators. Conclusion: During an influenza season characterized by high levels of disease activity, GFT and ED indicators provided a good indication of weekly counts of laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in Manitoba 1-2 weeks in advance.


Many maturity models have been used to assess or rank e-government portals. In order to assess electronic services provided to the citizens, an appropriate e-government maturity model should be selected. This paper aims at comparing 25 e-government maturity models to find the similarities and differences between them and also to identify their weaknesses and strengths. Although the maturity models present large similarities between them, our findings show that the features included in those models differ from a maturity model to another. Furthermore, while some maturity models are covering some features and introducing new ones, it seems that others are just ignoring them.


The incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) have increased dramatically over the past decade. Its treatment, however, has largely remained the same with the exception of oral vancomycin use as a first-line agent in severe disease. From 1999 to 2004, 20,642 deaths were attributed to CDI in the United States, almost 7 times the rate of all other intestinal infections combined. Worldwide, several major CDI outbreaks have occurred, and many of these were associated with the NAP1 strain. This 'epidemic' strain has contributed to the rising incidence and mortality of CDI. The purpose of this article is to review the current management, treatment, infection control, and prevention strategies that are needed to combat this increasingly morbid disease.


This article studies electoral competition in a model of redistributive politics with deterministic voting and heterogeneous voter loyalties to political parties. We construct a natural measure of `party strength' based on the sizes and intensities of a party's loyal voter segments and demonstrate how party behavior varies with the two parties' strengths. In equilibrium, parties target or `poach' a strict subset of the opposition party's loyal voters: offering those voters a high expected transfer, while `freezing out' the remainder with a zero transfer. The size of the subset of opposition voters frozen out and, consequently, the level of inequality in utilities generated by a party's equilibrium redistribution schedule is increasing in the opposition party's strength. We also construct a measure of `political polarization' that is increasing in the sum and symmetry of the parties' strengths, and find that the expected ex-post inequality in utilities of the implemented policy is increasing in political polarization.


The people of the Misik Kalampangan area, which are located on peatlands, are not yet fully aware of the potential in their area. To turn this area into an agro-tourism, it is necessary to map the potential from the air using an aircraft (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV). This mapping process is also complemented by a direct observation survey in the Misik area with the aim of validating the results of visual interpretation of the resulting map product, so that the information conveyed on the map is in accordance with the conditions in the field. The product of this activity is a detailed scale photo map of the Misik area that can be used as the basis for land management planning in the Misik Kalampangan area. This activity was followed by the submission of photo map products which were attended by village officials and the community. Through this activity, the community is expected to be able to independently observe and update data on land cover changes and other phenomena that occur in the Misik area.


Received: 21 May 2019 Accepted: 12 September 2019 The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of using sinusoidal profile in fins on temperature distribution and heat transfer enhancement. The longitudinal fins of rectangular, triangular, wavy rectangular and wavy triangular profiles are studied using analytical and numerical solution techniques. In addition to known profiles, wavy triangular longitudinal fins are proposed as a new fin configuration. The temperature distribution of wavy triangular fins is obtained using Shooting Method along with Cash-Karp Runge Kutta Method. Besides, CFD analyses in which laminar flow regime is concerned at different air velocities is utilized for the comparison of heat transfer rates and convective heat transfer coefficients. CFD results show that heat transfer convection coefficient values for wavy rectangular fins are the lowest ones among the investigated fins. CFD and analytical results indicate that for lower convective coefficients, the dominancy of triangular fins having wave form on plate type triangular fins is more noticeable than the dominancy of wavy rectangular fins on plate type rectangular fins. Also, further heat transfer augmentation can be provided for wavy triangular fins at higher amplitude lengths. For instance, heat transfer enhancement by 15.3 % can be achieved using wavy triangular fins with thickness of 2 cm, amplitude length of 0.21 cm and three-wave profile in comparison with triangular fins having same dimensions.


This thesis includes three sections: a literature review, an empirical paper, and a critical appraisal of the thesis. Early Intervention Services (EIS) are specialist mental health services for people who are experiencing a 'first episode of psychosis'. EIS are a widely adopted approach in England and internationally. Previous qualitative research exploring people's experiences of accessing EIS was reviewed through a process of meta-ethnography. Eleven qualitative articles were included in this review; the findings of these studies were analysed and synthesised. Four major themes were developed: Understanding through relationships; Recovery and hope; Sense of self; and Medication. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research were made. There is a widespread narrative in most Westernised societies that mental health difficulties 'run in families'. One account of this attributes familial mental health difficulties to environmental or psychosocial factors, the other leading account links mental health difficulties to biogenetic factors. This study was interested in how these two accounts impact on people who have a parent with experiences of mental health difficulties. I interviewed four people who had a biological parent with experiences of 'psychosis' or a diagnosis of 'schizophrenia'. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four super-ordinate themes were developed: The Fear; Signs of (in)sanity - navigating my own mental health; 'Who is my mum?' - multiple and evolving identities, relationships, and (re)connection; (4) 'A caregiver for your caregiver' - multiple family roles and responsibilities. Clinical and research implications were discussed. The critical appraisal explored: my own inspirations for conducting the empirical paper; how the empirical paper influenced my own practice; and controversies and issues surrounding the biomedical model and its impact on families. Methodological challenges associated with this research were also discussed.


Members of Textile Research Institute, Inc., desiring complete copies of arti cles abstracted may obtain photostat copies at cost by addressing the Insti tute's office, 10 East 40 St., New York 16, N. Y. The price of a photostat negative is seldom more than 30 cents per page of original text. Translations of articles appearing in foreign language publications and ab stracted in TEXTILE RESEARCH, will be furnished at cost when the original publication is obtainable. A list of periodicals and the abbrevia tions used appeared on page 32 of the January, 1944 issue of TEXTILE RE SEARCH.


Barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles with different diameters were prepared by the Sol-Gel method. The diameter and lattice constant of nano particles were determined by XRD. We also measured the lattice vibration of BT nano particles by Raman scattering to discuss the size effect, and calculated the intrinsic dielectric constant of BT nano particles through the analysis of lattice vibration. Furthermore we confirmed the shift in Curie temperature by the size effect.


-The first part of this paper presents the comparison between two models of distribution system created in computer simulation software PowerFactory (PF). Model A is an existing simplified equivalent model of the distribution system used by Transmission System Operator (TSO) Eltra for balanced load-flow calculation and stability studies. Model B is accurate model of the distribution system created on the basis of the detailed data of the investigated network and is used as a reference. The harmonic impedance of the two models is compared. In the second part of the paper, the sensitivity of the harmonic impedance to basic system parameters (load active power, motor load fraction and reactive power of PFC capacitors) is analyzed.


Postoperative anastomotic fistula is one of the most frequent and potentially life-threatening complications following gastrointestinal resections in patients with Crohn's disease. The purpose of this study was to report the results of infliximab promoting healing of postoperative anastomotic fistula in patients with Crohn's disease.

 In this randomized controlled trial, 37 patients with postoperative fistula were assigned to combined(n=18) or control(n=19) groups and followed up for 6 months. The combined group received usual management protocol for fistula plus an intravenous infliximab therapy for 6 months. The control group received usual fistula protocol. The primary outcome was fistula closure time. The secondary outcome was any infectious complication such as recurrence of ECF, abdominal abscess, pneumonia, infectious diarrhea and other signs of infection.

 Thirty-seven patients with postoperative anastomotic fistula were evaluated. There were18 patients randomized to the combined group who received fibrin glue combined with infliximab therapy. There were 19 patients randomized to the control group who received fibrin glue sealant therapy alone. No significant differences in demographic or clinical characteristics were found between the two groups( P>0.05). The combined group had a shorter closure time than the control group(50.5±11.1 vs 76.2±26.2 days, P=0.011). The combined group did not show higher infectious complications than the control group(P=0.167).

 Infliximab strategy with combining fibrin glue is a safe and effective treatment alternative in the management of postoperative anastomotic fistula in Crohn's disease, offering the advantage of reduced heal time of fistula.


Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue malignancy of the muscle that primarily affects adolescents. Due to it low incidence, little advancement has been made in the treatment of this cancer. With an overall survival rate of roughly 40%, the need for new treatments for synovial sarcoma is evident. Oncostatin M Receptor (OSMR) is a type I cytokine receptor and is overexpressed in metastatic synovial sarcoma. OSMR does not have high expression in normal tissues, making it an ideal target for cancer therapy. We hypothesize that by using an anti-OSMR monoclonal antibody conjugated to a radioactive Cu67 isotope, synovial sarcoma can be targeted at both primary and metastatic locations through systemic therapy. Copper67 is a beta radiation emitting isotope that is tissue damaging and able to induce cell death in cancer cells. By conjugating the chelating molecule p-SCN-Bn-NOTA to an anti-OSMR antibody, Cu67 was able to be captured to the antibody. Capture efficiency of Cu67 was measured after TLC separation and found to be 80% efficient. This data suggests that targeting OSMR through radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a viable treatment and indicates further testing in animal models. Citation Format: Sarah Luelling, Matthew Kirkham, Jared Barrott. Oncostatin M receptor as a therapeutic target of radioimmune therapy in metastatic synovial sarcoma [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Virtual Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2020 Oct 19-20. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2021;9(2 Suppl):Abstract nr PO042.


The diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requires extensive and often invasive investigations including colonoscopy and histology and places a heavy burden, both on healthcare resources, because of the cost, and on the individual, in times of disease-related disability and poor quality of life. Recently, there has been increasing interest in non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose IBD and to monitor the disease activity. There is growing scientific interest in the investigation of volatile metabolites and numbers of studies have focused on the utilization of non-invasive biomarkers in the diagnosis of GI disease. The development of sophisticated analytical techniques has enabled the study and interpretation of changes in the faecal and breath volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) and its correlation with the pathophysiological mechanisms in IBD. VOMs are the chemicals that are the products and intermediates of metabolism and may be altered during the diseases process. Changes in the signature of VOMs could potentially provide diagnostic information about health and disease. Multiple studies have reported the differences in VOM profiles of healthy controls vs. patients with IBD other GI disorders. VOM profiles have been used to segregate patients by disease activity and the type of disease. The correlation of VOMs with microbiota is interesting and supports the hypothesis of gut microbial dysbiosis in the etiology of IBD. This provides an important platform to explore the role of dysbiosis in IBD and other GI disorders pathogenesis and development of novel therapeutic targets. In future, further understanding of faecal VOMs may lead to the development of a rapid and simple point of care diagnosis and monitoring of IBD.
 Introduction:
Finding of fiery entrail ailment (IBD) requires mind boggling and intrusive examinations. This places an overwhelming weight both on medicinal services assets, as a result of the expense of treatment, and the patients as far as disease?related inability and low quality of life. As of late, there has been expanding enthusiasm for non?invasive fecal biomarkers to analyze and screen sickness action in IBD, especially utilizing fecal calprotectin testing. The examination of metabolites as an analytic apparatus for a scope of infection states has likewise pulled in huge intrigue. The improvement of refined expository procedures has empowered the investigation and translation of changes in the fecal VOMs (unstable natural metabolites) and its relationship with the pathophysiological instruments in the gut during wellbeing and sickness. VOMs are synthetic substances that are the items and intermediates of digestion, huge numbers of which may begin from the eating routine and might be adjusted in various inside illnesses. There is developing proof that changes in fecal VOMs reflect gastroenterological scatters and might give indicative data about these conditions. These adjustments in the fecal VOMs profile can be identified with dietary propensities, stomach related and excretory procedures, and other physiological varieties, however look into around there is restricted. Our gathering examined the progressions in fecal VOMs in the sound populace and found a center arrangement of pervasive mixes, while different mixes changed due to day?to?day varieties in diet and physiology. Further work is required to investigate the impact of diet and physiological parameters on the fluctuation of fecal VOMs. What's more, changes in the fecal VOMs could likewise be connected, straightforwardly or in a roundabout way, to gut microbial dysbiosis. There is persuading proof that dysbiosis in the gut microbiota could be implicated in a few GI issue including IBD, regardless of whether this dysbiosis is the reason or result of these disarranges stays subtle. Numerous examinations have shown unevenness in the gut microbiome, both in Crohn's illness (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). For instance, contemplates have demonstrated a reliably low convergence of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii , an individual from Clostridium IV, in people with CD. Additionally different examinations have exhibited high groupings of disciple/obtrusive Escherichia coli in the ileal mucosa of patients with CD. This is additionally upheld by the way that patients with CD show checked counter acting agent reaction to bacterial and contagious antigens. In contrast to CD, in which dysbiosis has been exceptional portrayed, inquire about depicting the dysbiosis identified with UC is scanty. An investigation by Machiels et al . demonstrated diminished event of butyrate delivering microbes, Roseburia hominis and F. prausnitzii , in UC contrasted and sound controls. Additionally two other little investigations have detailed an expansion in the grouping of sulphate?reducing deltaproteobacteria in UC. The comprehension of the obsessive job of gut microbiota in IBD would not just give a stage to look to non?invasive demonstrative biomarkers yet in addition lead to the improvement of novel helpful targets
In this investigation, we depict the progressions in fecal VOMs of patients with IBD and investigate their relationship with the gut microbiota. Their job as novel, non?invasive indicative fecal biomarkers in the analysis and observing of patients with IBD is likewise examined.
Materials and techniques:
Grown-up patients with known IBD were selected from the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Determination of IBD was shown up with histological affirmation and radiological examinations for patients with confined little entrail CD. Malady movement in CD was resolved utilizing the Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) and Simple Colitis Clinical Activity Index (SCCAI) for UC alongside raised C?reactive protein (CRP). The segment highlights of study members and ailment action records are summed up. Sound family members of the patients who were not taking any customary medication and had not taken any anti-microbial a month and a half before the investigation were selected as controls.
Factual strategies:
Information were standardized by middle centring; missing qualities were credited with the lower furthest reaches of identification for a given metabolite and altogether modified metabolites were characterized by crease change more prominent than 1.2, a P < 0.05, and bogus disclosure rate 10% or less. Head segment investigation (PCA) and fractional least squares discriminant examination (PLS?DA) were performed to observe contrasts between the gatherings and decide the class enrollment. PCA was utilized first to research the general interrelation between gatherings, including grouping and exceptions among the examples, and the information were then investigated utilizing PLS?DA. PLS?DA is a multivariate, administered arrangement strategy, which utilizes different straight relapse methods so as to discover the heading of most extreme covariance between an informational index and a class enrollment, and by utilizing their weighted normal (known as score), it sums up the first factors into less factors. PLS?DA additionally gives a second arrangement of significant metabolites, which considers the measure of clarified class fluctuation of every part.
 Discussion:
The investigation of low?molecular weight metabolites by unstable examination procedures offers a novel way to deal with create non?invasive biomarkers of malady. Examination of metabolites in clinical analysis has become an exceptionally encouraging thought, which has increased significant clinical and logical intrigue. Spearheading research has indicated that modifications in the metabolomic profile in organic liquids can be used in the physiological conditions and malady forms.
Conclusion:
In synopsis, we have announced the VOM profiles of patients with dynamic and latent IBD versus sound controls. There were clear contrasts between gatherings. VOM profiles have been utilized to isolate patients by illness movement and, on account of colitis, the kind of malady. The relationship of the unfair metabolites with parasites and other microscopic organisms is fascinating and underpins the speculation of gut microbial dysbiosis in the etiology of IBD. This gives a significant stage to investigate the job of the gut microbiome, specifically, organisms in IBD pathogenesis and advancement of novel restorative targets. In future, further comprehension of fecal VOMs may prompt the improvement of a quick and straightforward purpose of care determination for a wide assortment of clinical issue including IBD.


This paper takes tools of self-valuation in social media as an empirical focus. By way of a case-study of Klout, an influential measure of influence, we suggest that the forms of reactivity and self-fulfilling prophecy that have been identified as a problem with some forms of measurement are actually an intentional effect of such tools: that is, the measurements that such tools produce are not designed to capture a separate reality, but are deliberately employed to modify the activity that they themselves invite. In other words, they expect and exploit reactivity. We suggest that such media are indicative of the rise in what might be called participative metrics of value. We further suggest that the capacity to evaluate and modify the self that Klout affords is intricately tied up with the agency and (self-)valuation of Klout as a tool itself. An intermediate layer of the argument is that this tying up is achieved through the production of numbers as specific kinds of 'enumerated entities'. We use this term to draw attention to the ways in which numbers are never simply abstractions, but always have specific material-semiotic properties. In this case, we show that these properties are tied to the use of media-specific operations, and that these properties, including those of inclusion and belonging, inform how Klout participates in particular kinds of ordering and valuation. We thus explore the interlinked movement of numbers, media, and value in social media as a kind of dynamic assemblage.


In this study, two mosquito species which are important disease vectors in Kenya were studied. These were Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinqefasciatus which are the principle vectors of malaria and filariasis respectively. Despite the high prevalence of these diseases in Kenya, the available vector control measures are ineffective and expensive. Petroleum oils and pyrethroids are the most commonly used larvicides though they are quite expensive and pollute the environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Mundulea sericia leaf and stem-bark extracts on larval survival of An. gambiae and Cx. quinqefasciatus with the long-term aim of developing cost effective and efficacious larvicides from the extracts. Leaf and stem-bark samples which had been dried under shade to preserve volatile compounds were pulverized in a mortar and pestle. The resulting powder was then mixed with water and stored at a temperature of 4°C overnight for extraction of bioactive compounds. These were used to constitute the stock solution. The stock solution was serially diluted using water or ethanol during use to prepare different extract concentrations. The portions of the stock solution diluted with water formed water extracts while the one diluted with ethanol formed ethanolic extracts. Larvae of both mosquito species reared in vitro were subjected to different treatments of the extracts with varying concentrations. Larval mortality was recorded after every twenty four (24) hours. Each treatment had three replicates and the mortality means were determined from the collected data. The relationship between mortality rates and extract concentration for two mosquito species was analyzed using linear regression analysis. The mean mortality rates in both mosquito larvae due to all the four treatments were compared using Analysis of variance (ANOV A) and the statistical significance in the mean mortality differences were calculated using the Student's Newmann-Keul's multiple range test (SNK test). The mortality rates of An. gambiae in both water and ethanolic extracts were statistically different. In Cx. quinqefasciatus, the mortality rates were also statistically different except in M sericia leaf water extracts (MSL W). When the mortality rates between the two mosquito larvae in all the four M sericia extracts were compared, statistical differences were noted in M sericia leaf water (MSL W), M sericia stem-bark water (MSSW) and M sericia leaf ethanolic (MSLE). However, the mortality rates of the two mosquito species larvae in M sericia stem-bark ethanolic (MSSE) extract were not statistically significant. The results obtained imply that M sericia extracts have bioactive compounds that are toxic to mosquito larvae and that they can be exploited in the development of larvicides.


A novel stationary phase for affinity separations is presented. This material is based on sintered borosilicate glass readily available as semi-finished filter plates with defined porosity and surface area. The material shows fast binding kinetics and excellent long-term stability under real application conditions due to lacking macropores and high mechanical rigidity. The glass surface can be easily modified with standard organosilane chemistry to immobilize selective binders or other molecules used for biointeraction. In this paper, the manufacturing of the columns and their respective column holders by 3D printing is shown in detail. The model system protein A/IgG was chosen as an example to examine the properties of such monolithic columns under realistic application conditions. Several specifications, such as (dynamic) IgG capacity, pressure stability, long-term performance, productivity, non-specific binding, and peak shape, are presented. It could be shown that due to the very high separation speed, 250 mg antibody per hour and column can be collected, which surpasses the productivity of most standard columns of the same size. The total IgG capacity of the shown columns is around 4 mg (5.5 mg/mL), which is sufficient for most tasks in research laboratories. The cycle time of an IgG separation can be less than 1 min. Due to the glass material's excellent pressure resistance, these columns are compatible with standard HPLC systems. This is usually not the case with standard affinity columns, limited to manual use or application in low-pressure systems. The use of a standard HPLC system also improves the ability for automation, which enables the purification of hundreds of cell supernatants in one day. The sharp peak shape of the elution leads to an enrichment effect, which might increase the concentration of IgG by a factor of 3. The final concentration of IgG can be around 7.5 mg/mL without the need for an additional nanofiltration step. The purity of the IgG was > 95% in one step and nearly 99% with a second polishing run.


This two-volume report is a detailed design and operating documentation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Controlled Air Incinerator (CAI) and is an aid to technology transfer to other Department of Energy contractor sites and the commercial sector. Volume I describes the CAI process, equipment, and performance, and it recommends modifications based on Los Alamos experience. It provides the necessary information for conceptual design and feasibility studies. Volume II provides descriptive engineering information such as drawings, specifications, calculations, and costs. It aids duplication of the process at other facilities.


This research exerts are suitable for the automobile industry in understanding the performance characteristics optioned between flat head and dome head pistons in engine design. This study was carried out to analyze the optimization parameters for effective and efficient flow characteristics of air-fuel mixture at the intake port of the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. A unique and industrial standard CFD software, STAR-CCM V8, was used to model both geometry for flat head and dome head pistons which was developed with precise dimensions of a 1.8L gasoline engine. A planar 3-D model approach was adopted for simplified static CAD modeling and also to reduce the solver processing time. The piston models were meshed using tetrahedral mesh of base size 0.001m. The boundary and physics conditions were applied to simulate the actual intake stroke process for normal operating conditions and initial conditions. The extracted results were validate and comparisons developed to analyze the various optimization parameters for performance characteristics of the two pistons. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i1.1 5


The importance of Robinson Crusoe in the origins of the novel depends not only on its progressive plot and empirical style, but also on its pioneering narrative devices. Defoe's work is characterised, in particular, by a new approach to the creation of suspense, considered by narratologists as one of the universals of narrative. This approach is based on a consistent, highly diversified use of hypothetical thinking. Crusoe's emotionally charged previsions have the function of presenting possible plot developments, staging, and causing, the oscillation between fear and hope that is characteristic of suspense. Defoe's work with suspense shows that epistemological change, in particular the rise of the modern notion of probability, had relevant implications also at the level of narrative discourse. Summary 1 Emotions, Cognition and Narrative. – 2 Desire and Probability. – 3 Crusoe's Hypotheses.


In this paper, a Kinect-based distributed and real-time motion capture system is developed. A trigonometric method is applied to calculate the relative positions of Kinect v2 sensors with a calibration wand and register the sensors' positions automatically. By combining results from multiple sensors with a nonlinear least square method, the accuracy of motion capture is optimized. Moreover, to exclude inaccurate results from sensors, a computational geometry is applied in the occlusion approach to discover occluded joint data. The synchronization approach is based on the NTP protocol, which synchronizes the time between the clocks of a server and of clients dynamically, leading to the proposed system being real time. Experiments to validate the proposed system are conducted from the perspective of calibration, occlusion, and accuracy. More specifically, the mean absolute error of the calibration results is 0.73 cm, the proposed occlusion method is tested on upper and lower limbs, and the synchronization component guarantees the clock synchronization and real-time performance for more than 99% of the measurement process. Furthermore, to demonstrate the practical performance of our system, a comparison with previously developed motion capture systems (the linear trilateration approach [52] and the geometric trilateration approach [51]) with the benchmark OptiTrack system is performed for the tracked joints of the head, shoulder, elbow, and wrist, therein showing that the accuracy of our proposed system is 38.3% and 24.1% better than the aforementioned two trilateration systems. Quantitative analysis is also conducted on our proposed system with the commercial inertial motion capture system Delsys smart sensor system by comparing the measurements of lower limbs (i.e., hips, knees, and ankles), and the standard deviation of our proposed system's measurement results is 4.92 cm.


Despite the observed distribution of variable individual phenotypes, survival and reproductive performance in wild populations, models of population dynamics often focus on mean demographic rates. Populations are constituted by individuals with different phenotypes and thus different performances. However, many models of population dynamics provide no understanding of the influence of this phenotypic variation on population dynamics. In this paper, we investigate how the relationships between demographic rates and phenotype distribution influence the transmission and the upholding of phenotypic variation, and population dynamics. We used integral projection models to measure associations between differences of phenotypic trait (size or mass) among individuals and demographic rates, growth and inheritance, and then quantify the influence of phenotypic variation on population dynamics. We build an analytical and general model resulting from simplifications assuming small phenotypic variance. We illustrate our model with two case studies: a short- and a long-lived life history. Population growth rate r is determined by a Lotka style equation in which survival and fertility are averaged over a phenotypic distribution that changes with age. Here, we further decomposed r to show how much it is affected by shifts in phenotypic average as well as variance. We derived the elasticities of r to the first and second derivative of each demographic rate. In particular, we show that the nonlinearity of change in selective pressure with phenotype matters more to population dynamics than the strength of this selection. In other words, the variance of a given trait will be most important when the strength of selection increases (or decreases) nonlinearly with that trait. Inheritance shapes the distribution of newborn phenotypes. Even if newborns have a fixed average phenotype, the variance among newborns increases with phenotypic variance among mothers, strength of inheritance and developmental variation. We explain how the components of inheritance can influence phenotypic variance and thus the demographic rates and population dynamics. In particular, when mothers of different ages produce offspring of different mean phenotype, the inheritance function can have a large influence on both the mean and variance of the trait at different ages and thus on the population growth rate. We provide new tools to understand how phenotypic variation influences population dynamics and discuss in which life histories we expect this influence to be large. For instance, in our short-lived life history, individual variability has larger effect than in our long-lived life history. We conclude by indicating future directions of analysis.


Dynamic analysis of vehicle occupant posture is a key requirement in designing "smart airbag" systems. Vision-based technology could enable the use of precise information about the occupant's size, posture, and, in particular, position in making airbag-deployment decisions. Novel sensory systems and algorithms need to be developed for capture, analysis, and classification of dynamic video-based information for a new generation of safe airbags. This paper presents a systematic investigation in which stereo and thermal long-wavelength infrared video-based real-time vision systems are developed and systematically evaluated. It also includes the design of several test beds, including instrumented vehicles for systematic experimental studies for the evaluation of independent and comparative evaluation in automobiles. Results of extensive experimental trials suggest basic feasibility of stereo and thermal long-wavelength infrared video-based occupant position and posture-analysis system.


This study examines the long-term correlates of bullying in school with aspects of functioning in adult employment outcomes. Bullying is considered and evaluated as a proxy for unmeasured productivity, and a framework is provided that outlines why bullying might affect employment outcomes through differences in skills and traits. Using Bivariate and Heckit models we employ a variety of specifications and find several interesting patterns. The regression outcomes suggest that labour force participation, employment rate and hourly wages are negatively affected by bullying. In addition, men, homosexuals, immigrants, unmarried people, those having higher negative mental health symptoms, and those having lower human capital are more negatively affected by bullying in terms of labour force participation, employment probability, and hourly wages. Moreover, Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions suggest that labour force participation gaps, employment gaps and hourly wage gaps between minority and majority groups, especially for gay men and the disabled, can be explained by bullying incidents. It seems likely that having been a victim of bullying also has economic implications later in life due to withdrawal from the labour market and lower wages.


For many years, analysis of short chain fatty acids (volatile fatty acids, VFAs) has been routinely used in identification of anaerobic bacteria. In numerous scientific papers, the fatty acids between 9 and 20 carbons in length have also been used to characterize genera and species of bacteria, especially nonfermentative Gram negative organisms. With the advent of fused silica capillary columns (which allows recovery of hydroxy acids and resolution of many isomers), it has become practical to use gas chromatography of whole cell fatty acid methyl esters to identify a wide range of organisms.


Preface Part I: Basic Imaging Principles Overview. Chapter 1Introduction. History of Medical Imaging. Physical Signals. Imaging Modalities. Projection Radiography. Computed Tomography. Nuclear Medicine. Ultrasound Imaging. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 2: Signals and Systems.Introduction. Signals. Point Impulse. Line Impulse. Comb and Sampling Functions. Rect and Sinc Functions. Exponential and Sinusoidal Signals. Separable Signals. Periodic Signals. Systems. Linear Systems. Impulse Response. Shift Invariance. Connections of LSI Systems. Separable Systems. Stable Systems. The Fourier Transform. Properties of the Fourier Transform. Linearity. Translation. Conjugation and Conjugate Symmetry. Scaling. Rotation. Convolution. Product. Separable Product. Parseval's Theorem. Separability. Transfer Function. Circular Symmetry and the Hankel Transform. Sampling. Sampling Signal Model. Nyquist Sampling Theorem. Anti-aliasing Filters. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 3: Image Quality.Introduction. Contrast. Modulation. Modulation Transfer Function. Local Contrast. Resolution. Line Spread Function. Full Width at Half Maximum. Resolution and Modulation Transfer Function. Subsystem Cascade. Resolution Tool. Temporal and Spectral Resolution. Noise. Random Variables. Continuous Random Variables. Discrete Random Variables.Independent Random Variables. Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Amplitude SNR. Power SNR. Differential SNR. Nonrandom Effects. Artifacts. Distortion. Accuracy. Quantitative Accuracy. Diagnostic Accuracy. Summary and Key Concepts. Part II: Radiographic Imaging.Overview. Chapter 4: Physics of Radiography.Introduction. Ionization. Atomic Structure. Electron Binding Energy. Ionization and Excitation. Forms of Ionizing Radiation. Particulate Radiation. Electromagnetic Radiation. Nature and Properties of Ionizing Radiation. Primary Energetic Electron Interactions. Primary Electromagnetic Radiation Interactions. Attenuation of Electromagnetic Radiation. Measures of X-ray Beam Strength. Narrow Beam, Monoenergetic Photons. Narrow Beam, Polyenergetic Photons. Broad Beam Case. Radiation Dosimetry. Exposure. Dose and Kerma. Linear Energy Transfer. The f --factor. Dose Equivalent. Effective Dose. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 5: Projection Radiography.Introduction. Instrumentation. X-ray Tubes. Filtration and Restriction. Compensation Filters and Contrast Agents. Grids, Airgaps, and Scanning Slits. Film-Screen Detectors. X-ray Image Intensifiers. Image Formation. Basic Imaging Equation. Geometric Effects. Blurring Effects. Film Characteristics. Noise and Scattering. Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Quantum Efficiency and Detective Quantum Efficiency. Compton Scattering. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 6: Computed Tomography.Introduction. CT Instrumentation. CT Generations. X-ray Source and Collimation. CT Detectors. Gantry, Slip Ring, and Patient Table. Image Formation. Line Integrals. CT Numbers. Parallel-Ray Reconstruction. Fan-Beam Reconstruction. Helical CT Reconstruction. Cone Beam CT. Image Quality in CT. Resolution. Noise. Artifacts. Summary and Key Concepts. Part III: Nuclear Medicine Imaging.Overview. Chapter 7: The Physics of Nuclear Medicine.Introduction. Nomenclature. Radioactive Decay. Mass Defect and Binding Energy. Line of Stability. Radioactivity. Radioactive Decay Law. Modes of Decay. Positron Decay and Electron Capture. Isomeric Transition. Statistics of Decay. Radiotracers. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 8: Planar Scintigraphy.Introduction. Instrumentation. Collimators. Scintillation Crystal. Photomultiplier Tubes. Positioning Logic. Pulse Height Analyzer. Gating Circuit. Image Capture. Image Formation. Event Position Estimation. Acquisition Modes. Anger Camera Imaging Equation. Image Quality. Resolution. Sensitivity. Uniformity. Energy Resolution. Noise. Factors Affecting Count Rate. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 9: Emission Computed Tomography.Instrumentation. SPECT Instrumentation. PET Instrumentation. Image Formation. SPECT Image Formation. PET Image Formation. Iterative Reconstruction. Image Quality in SPECT and PET. Spatial Resolution. Attenuation and Scatter. Random Coincidences. Contrast. Noise and Signal-to-Noise. Summary and Key Concepts. Part IV: Ultrasound Imaging.Overview. Chapter 10: The Physics of Ultrasound. Introduction. The Wave Equation. Three-Dimensional Acoustic Waves. Plane Waves. Spherical Waves. Wave Propagation. Acoustic Energy and Intensity. Reflection and Refraction at Plane Interfaces. Transmission and Reflection Coefficients at Plane Interfaces. Attenuation. Scattering. Doppler Effect. Beam Pattern Formation and Focusing. Simple Field Pattern Model. Diffraction Formulation. Focusing. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 11: Ultrasound Imaging Systems.Introduction. Instrumentation. Ultrasound Transducer. Ultrasound Probes. Pulse-Echo Imaging. The Pulse-Echo Equation. Transducer Motion. Ultrasound Imaging Modes. A-Mode Scan. M-Mode Scan. B-Mode Scan. Steering and Focusing. Transmit Steering and Focusing. Beamforming and Dynamic Focusing. Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging. Summary and Key Concepts. Part V: Magnetic Resonance Imaging.Overview. Chapter 12: Physics of Magnetic Resonance.Introduction. Microscopic Magnetization. Macroscopic Magnetization. Precession and Larmor Frequency. Transverse and Longitudinal Magnetization. NMR Signals. Rotating Frame. RF Excitation. Relaxation. The Bloch Equations. Spin Echoes. Contrast Mechanisms. Summary and Key Concepts. Chapter 13: Magnetic Resonance Imaging.Instrumentation. System Components. Magnet. Gradient Coils. Radio-Frequency Coils. Scanning Console and Computer. MRI Data Acquisition. Encoding Spatial Position. Slice Selection. Frequency Encoding. Polar Scanning. Gradient Echoes. Phase Encoding. Spin Echoes. Pulse Repetition Interval. Realistic Pulse Sequences. Image Reconstruction. Rectilinear Data. Polar Data. Imaging Equations. Image Quality. Sampling. Resolution. Noise. Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Artifacts. Summary and Key Concepts. Index.


The regularly ordered pore arrangement and the narrow pore size distribution of
mesoporous silica offer possibilities for several applications such as drug delivery and
controlled release. A successful implementation requires methods that allow the selective
functionalisation of external and internal surfaces. A convenient and scale-up friendly
procedure for synthesising high quality mesoporous silica MCM-41 at room temperature
was developed. Amino-functionalised samples were analysed using several methods to
understand the grafting behaviour of aminopropylalkoxysilanes. The distribution of amino
groups on mesoporous silica surfaces was evaluated by analysing textural properties and
amino group loadings, as well as by labelling the amino groups with fluorescein
isothiocyanate (FITC) for photoluminescence spectroscopy. A reliable method to determine
the amount of grafted amino groups over a wide range of loadings was developed. The
functionalisation of mesoporous silica by vapour phase deposition was studied as an
alternative to the common solvent based techniques. The accessibility of amino groups
anchored on selected mesoporous silicas was investigated by FITC coupling. Onedimensional
channel systems with small pores (3.1 nm and 3.9 nm) and large pores (7.6 nm)
as well as three-dimensional channel systems were compared to non-porous silica. Several
methods for the selective functionalisation of the external surface of mesoporous silica
were critically evaluated.


Over the past few years, developments in artificial intelligence (AI), especially in radiomics and deep learning, have enabled the extraction of pathophysiology-related information from varied medical imaging and are progressively transforming medical practice. AI applications are extending into domains previously thought to be accessible only to human experts. Recent research has demonstrated that ultrasound-derived radiomics and deep learning represent an enticing opportunity to benefit preoperative evaluation and prognostic monitoring of diffuse and focal liver disease. This review summarizes the application of radiomics and deep learning in ultrasound liver imaging, including identifying focal liver lesions and staging of liver fibrosis, as well as the evaluation of pathobiological properties of malignant tumors and the assessment of recurrence and prognosis. Besides, we identify important hurdles that must be overcome while also discussing the challenges and opportunities of radiomics and deep learning in clinical applications.


Humans live primarily in the upright position; as a result, there is a constant struggle between gravity and needed supply of blood flow to the brain. In certain circumstances brain blood supply may become temporarily insufficient, resulting in syncope. Among the numerous causes of syncope in humans, vasovagal syncope (VVS) is by far the most common. However, despite intensive research, many aspects of the pathophysiology of VVS remain unknown; among these, one of the least well understood is the basis for why VVS is restricted, among vertebrates, to Homo sapiens. In this manuscript we review proposals that have been offered in an attempt to address the issue of the origin of VVS and, although highly speculative, we suggest a new hypothesis (the "brain theory") to try to address the question of why humans, to the exclusion of other species, remain susceptible to VVS. This theory suggests that VVS evolved to offer protection to the brain's functional integrity under certain conditions of severe threat. Although seemingly a disadvantageous evolutionary adaptation, the faint causes the body to take on a gravitationally neutral position, and thereby provides a better chance of restoring brain blood supply and preserving long‐term brain function.


The author reviews 15 cases of ankle arthroscopy in adolescent patients. Most of the patients were female. He discusses the various pathologies identified, with the most common being a medial impingement lesion. Synovitis was present in all cases of persistent discomfort.


This paper presents a PDE-based approach to finding an optimal canonical basis with which to represent a nearly integrable Hamiltonian. The idea behind the method is to continuously deform the initial canonical basis in such a way that the dependence of the Hamiltonian on the canonical position of the final basis is minimized. The final basis incorporates as much of the classical dynamics as possible into an integrable Hamiltonian, leaving a much smaller non-integrable component than in the initial representation. With this approach it is also possible to construct the semiclassical wavefunctions corresponding to the final canonical basis. This optimized basis is potentially useful in quantum calculations, both as a way to minimize the required size of basis sets, and as a way to provide physical insight by isolating those effects resulting from integrable dynamics.


The determination of the hereditary and constitutive predisposition to peritoneal commissures before an abdominal operation and preventive introduction of an anticommissural drug into the abdominal cavity after the operation (in case such a predisposition is revealed) will make it possible to avoid repeated operations caused by commissures. Moreover, economic benefit of the introduction of anticommissural drugs and methods for the determination of the constitutive predisposition to peritoneal commissures before abdominal operations will make up about 20 billion USD for the whole Russia only owing to the reduction of cases of peritoneal commissures.


The Kiss is a resonating lyrical beacon for all art that consciously expresses the subconscious in contrast to art that is primarily sense-data driven. For Klimt "all art is erotic" and his Kiss embraces both the organismic union of male-female forms and the bold synthesis of artistic styles where two may be one in so many ways. Klimt's painting is so richly endowed with symbolic layering that nature is now being used rather than being obeyed or analysed. The perfect sensuality of a woman's face is wrapped in the protective adoration of her male lover's expressive hands. Both are oblivious to all around them. Highly stylised faces, hands and feet are painted to an extreme degree of beauty in figurative form whereas all remaining anatomy is draped in splendid fabric and the craftsmanship of the applied arts. The emotion of colour and the spirituality of composition complete the synthesis. The manrituality of composition complete the synthesis. The man's cloaked form is filled with erect squares and rectangles, while his lover's curvaceous lines are clothed in concentric circles and spirals. Arabesque lines, gold enriched ornament and art nouveau design maximally signify sexuality. The steadfast positioning of the couple on the edge of a flowering bed in the foreground is symbolically offset by the precipice-like fusion of earth and background next to them.


An insulin-heparin complex was obtained in vitro. The hypoglycemic effect of insulin, included into this complex as compared with free insulin, was increased more than 2-fold when it was tested in animals with stable alloxane diabetes. Contrary to insulin, administration of the insulin-heparin complex increased the anticoagulation properties of blood and exhibited the non-enzymatic fibrinolytic activity towards the unstabilized fibrin both in presence or in absence of inhibitors of fibrinolysis, caused by plasmin.


This paper details application of a 2-parameter Weibull maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method to optical fiber breaking stress data. Optical fiber is used in a broad range of telecommunications applications and its associated performance in fabricated component assemblies is of critical importance to the proper functioning of telecom networks. Fiber optic components incorporating stripped optical fiber include optical couplers, optical splitters, WDM devices, connectors, and mechanical and fusion splices. The strength of optical fiber in component assemblies is dependent upon numerous aspects of the fabrication process. These include the fiber coating stripping process, fiber cleaning after stripping, any manual handling of the fiber after stripping, and the time period after fiber stripping until the fiber is inserted and potted into a component or subjected to mechanical or fusion splice processes. The ambient moisture content of the air is a critical parameter affecting the resultant strength of stripped fiber. The fabrication and assembly processes utilized to produce component assemblies can cause damage to the fiber and the resultant creation of macro defects. From a reliability and analysis perspective being able to separate the effects of fabrication-induced macro defects from those due to intrinsic micro flaws present in the unstripped optical fiber is critical. The Weibull statistical analysis method permits identification of distinct fiber breaking stress regions associated with intrinsic fiber strength vs. macro-defects created by stripping and fabrication processes. The Weibull analysis is most effectively applied to fiber breaking stress data in the lower 25% quartile since this stress region will be of most interest from a reliability perspective. Another significant benefit derived from the Weibull analysis is the ability to predict cumulative failure rates for any selected values of fiber breaking stress. The predictive capability of the Weibull model provides more useful information regarding the lower breaking stress region than conventional statistical analysis methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA). The Weibull MLE data analysis method provides more conservative and robust results relative to other Weibull analysis methods such as Median Rank Regression (MRR) [1]. The Weibull MLE analysis method was applied to individual and cumulative fiber breaking stress data sets generated from 10 new fiber strippers of a selected specific type. The objective of these analyses was to provide trustworthy predictions of Weibull unreliability for the selected stripper type in the lower modal breaking stress region of interest for component end-use performance. This paper details the following: • methodology for producing the initial Weibull data plots, • identification of modal regions associated with fiber macro and intrinsic defects, • selection of a representative breaking stress region for application of the Weibull analysis, • generation and interpretation of the two Weibull parameters (β and η), and • prediction of cumulative failure rate or unreliability confidence intervals (C.I.'s) for selected fiber breaking stress values. This study showed that combining the data from all 10 fiber strippers into a cumulative data set and then performing the Weibull MLE analysis is the preferred approach. This method provides the best and most comprehensive definition of the lower fiber breaking stress modal region and more trustworthy predictions of Weibull unreliability at critical selected independent variable values of 50 and 100 kpsi.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Three distinctive faunas are distinguished among larger foraminifera from Tertiary localities of the Solomon islands--the San Jorge fauna, Aquitanian (uppermost Oligocene-lowermost Miocene), the Anubia fauna (Burdigalian), and a third fauna comprising Pliocene to Recent species. The various species, two of which are new, are systematically described. A review of the structure and stratigraphy of the islands is included.


1. We investigated the conservation status of the eucalypt taxa and communities of northern Australia including identification of regions of high species richness and biogeographic note. We did so using records from Australia's Virtual Herbarium (almost 52,000 records) covering the entire range of taxa recorded in our study area, shapefiles of Map Units from The Vegetation of the Australian Tropical Savannas and of the National Vegetation Information System, shapefiles of land clearing and of crown and private conservation reserves, the literature and a miscellany of other sources. We defined northern Australia as the tropical savanna region plus the embedded Wet Tropics and Central Queensland Coast bioregions.

2. The eucalypt flora of northern Australia comprises 188 species and 38 subspecies (includes one variety) (Chapter 3). All three eucalypt genera are represented, with Eucalyptus being most speciose and Angophora of marginal occurrence in the study area. Eucalyptus is predominant in eastern Queensland and Corymbia in the northern Top End of the Northern Territory. Of these, 105 species and 22 subspecies are strictly endemic to the study area and a further 24 species and 3 subspecies nearly so. Seven species are shared with New Guinea or the Islands of Wallacea to Australia's north. Species richness is greatest in the central and northern Kimberley, the northern Top End and eastern Queensland, with a peak richness of 46 species in the one degree cell covering the Atherton Tableland and adjacent western slopes of north Queensland. Species richness is markedly lower in inland areas but interpretation of the magnitude of this effect is somewhat confounded by reduced collection effort.

3. Biogeographic analysis showed strong regional patterning with a strong shift in species composition between Queensland east of the Gulf of Carpentaria and areas to the west that is consistent with biogeographic patterns identified among plants and animals in general (Chapter 4). We identified 12 regional groups of taxa with many groups exhibiting high levels of regional endemicity, an analysis that adds substantially to previous biogeographic interpretations of northern Australia.

4. We developed hierarchically-ranked metrics of restrictedness based on a combination of Extent of Occurrence, the number of degree cells, and the number of records of each taxon, with thresholds derived from IUCN criteria for Extent of Occurrence (Chapter 5). Sixteen species and seven subspecies were rated as extremely restricted (rank 1), while 125 species and 21 subspecies were rated as not at all restricted(rank 5). The greatest concentrations of extremely restricted taxa are in the central and north Kimberley and in the White Mountains area south-west of Charters Towers in Queensland. Restricted taxa (i.e. all except rank 5) are widespread in the central and north Kimberley, the Top End centred on the Arnhem Plateau, and in and around the Einasleigh Uplands of north Queensland.

5. Applying IUCN criteria, we assessed 19 north Australian eucalypt taxa as Threatened (three as Endangered, 16 as Vulnerable), and an additional nine as Near Threatened and two as Data Deficient (Chapter 5). Seventeen of these assessments were based solely on decline due to clearing (criterion A2b), four were rated on the basis of a combination of rarity and decline due to clearing (criteria B1a,b(ii,v) and B2a,b (ii,v)), and nine taxa were rated on the basis of extreme rarity alone (criteria D1 and/or D2). Taxa we rated as Threatened are strongly concentrated in eastern Queensland. Our ratings differ markedly from official listings of Threatened taxa, with the latter seriously under-representing the level of threat but also rating a number of taxa as Threatened which clearly are not.

6. Seventy-two of 125 Map Units (communities) in northern Australia are characterised as primarily dominated by eucalypts and a further 12 feature eucalypts as secondary dominants (Chapter 6). Combined, these units cover 69% of the tropical savanna portion of the study area (i.e. Wet Tropics and Central Queensland Coast bioregions excluded).

7. In the study area, reserves are strongly concentrated in the higher rainfall regions of the north-west and along sections of the Queensland coast especially on Cape York Peninsula and in the Wet Tropics (Chapter 5). There is considerable complementarity between crown and private reserves in their coverage of taxa 3 and communities (Chapters 5 & 6). Eleven species and three subspecies endemic to the study area do not occur in either a crown or private nature reserve, and a further 52 endemic species and ten endemic subspecies have reservation indices of less than 30%. Twelve of 84 eucalypt Map Units are not represented in any crown or private conservation reserve, while a further 40 of these Map Units are poorly represented with less than 10% of their area (and often less than 1%) in conservation reserves.

8. Land-clearing is strongly concentrated in the south-east of the study area and also along the Queensland coast north to the Wet Tropics (Chapter 5). Targeted assessment of taxa demonstrated indices of clearing of >30% –sufficient to qualify as threatened under IUCN criteria independent of rarity –for eight taxa. A further nine taxa have indices of between 20 and 30%, sufficient to qualify as Near Threatened under IUCN criteria. Five eucalypt Map Units (communities) have been more than 50% cleared and a further three have been 30–50% cleared (Chapter 6). Map Units subjected to extensive clearing have not been adequately reserved by way of compensation.

9. Land clearing releases large volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide sequestered in trees (Chapter 6). The relationship between fire and greenhouse gases is complex; however reductions in the areal extent of fires and a shift to those with lower combustion efficiency (because the grass is still green) offers great potential to reduce emissions of the trace but very potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide.

10. The major threat to the persistence of eucalypts in northern Australia is land clearing (Chapter 7). Climate change may pose a substantial threat to some populations in the future. Local reduction in populations may occur because of rainforest expansion, over-harvest for didgeridu production, and frequent intense fires driven by invasive Gamba Grass.


Transplantation of resected hepatic fragments, with the attendant vascular and biliary tract reconstruction, presents difficulties. We have studied the intraparenchymal vascular division in the pig with a view to performing partial hepatectomies with the greastest possible anatomical support. Forty-six molds of the various vascular territories were obtained from the 31 porcine livers. Each segment of the median lobe is dependent on the adjacent lateral lobe. Its intersegmental fissure is the obligatory site for parenchymal section to be continued through horizontal portion of portal vein, hepatic artery, and left hepatic duct. A right hemihepatectomy unfailingly results in the devitalization of the left side of the liver. If the goal of a hepatectomy is the transplantation of the resected fragment, it is recommended that the right side of the liver be utilized, as its more convenient extrahepatic vascular and biliary calibre will permit pedicular conservation and anastomosis.


The resistance, capacity and metabolic functions of the small intestine vessels were studied in i.a. infusion of 0.1 and 5.0 micrograms/min.kg histamine in cats. A dose-dependent dilatation of arterial vessels, a reduction of pre- and postcapillary resistance and various changes of venous outflow (either increase or decrease) were observed. The shifts of capillary hydrostatic pressure depended on the perfusion regimen. The capillary filtration coefficient increased in proportion with the dose of injected histamine and did not depend on conditions of the blood supply in the organ.


Integrated systems are those where components must behave together in order to fulfill overall requirements. In such systems, modularization of integration relationships is important for enabling separate component compilation, testing, and debugging, and for enhanced reuse. Existing languages and approaches for modularizing integration relationships work, but do not solve all problems. In particular, they either do not completely decouple components or require workarounds, which at a minimum incurs design and performance overheads. In this work, we discuss instance-level quantified, typed events, which solve all of these problems. The technical contributions include: the design, semantics, and type system of instance-level quantified, typed events and a proof of its soundness. A formalized semantics is new to this paper, as there have been no previous formalizations of language features that aim to modularize separation of integration relationships. To demonstrate the feasibility of our language design, we have implemented this design in an interpreter. To provide an initial assessment of the language's benefits, we have implemented canonical examples in the literature. Our initial assessments show that instance-level quantified, typed events improve the separation of integration concerns over previous language design proposals.


Encouraging pupils to develop a sense of European identity is one of the implicit aims of the 'European Schools'. This paper reports on a small case study that was carried out in 2004 that investigated how the European School at Culham attempts to develop in its pupils a sense of European identity. In particular, the study looked at the secondary school's organizational features, its curriculum, extra‐curricular activities and teachers' conceptions of European identity. The research findings reveal that above all else, pupils' sense of European identity is encouraged indirectly through the many opportunities the school provides for these children from diverse European backgrounds to integrate and interact with one another. Teachers at the school believe that it is through such interactions, which take place both in the classroom and through extra‐curricular activities, that pupils learn about each others' cultures and languages and develop a feeling of being European.


Abstract With cumulative reserves exceeding 23 gigabarrels oil recoverable (GBOR), the East Sirte Basin is a prolific oil province hosting supergiants such as the Amal, Augila-Nafoora and Sarir fields. Production from Precambrian-Oligocene reservoirs yields low sulphur and often highly waxy oils. The Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Agedabia and older Hameimat, Maragh and Sarir troughs provide the main structural features of the habitat and control hydrocarbon prospectivity. Paleogene subsidence has facilitated the generative process with Mesozoic basin-fill sediments hosting source rocks for productive petroleum system(s). Traditionally the marine Upper Cretaceous Sirte Shale Formation source was thought to provide the dominant charge. Application of geochemical inversion procedures to oil data, however, indicates a greater diversity in oil provenance. Delineation of eight end-member generic oil families indicates a number of complex contributory petroleum systems, mixed-system hybrid oils also being evident. Non-marine (lacustrine) source inputs are also in evidence, enhanced waxiness differentiating petroleums of such provenance. Systematic screening of the stratigraphic section has additionally identified source potential in Nubian (Triassic and Lower Cretaceous), Rachmat-Tagrifet (Upper Cretaceous), Harash (Paleocene) and Eocene formations. Assignment of oil provenance has been achieved via multivariate oil data analysis and application of a carbon isotope-based source kerogen-oil correlation procedure. End-member petroleum systems have been definitively identified involving the Sirte Shale Formation, Rachmat-Tagrifet Formations and Nubian (Triassic) as the contributory sources. The remaining major systems rely upon Pre-Upper Cretaceous lacustrine sediments specific to the Hameimat and Sarir troughs. Whereas numerous archetypal Sirte Shale Formation oils were recognized (e.g. Messla, Hamid, Sarir-L etc.), reserves for many of the giant fields, including Amal, Augila-Nafoora and Sarir-C, rely on hybrid system charging. These results confirm that the prospectivity of the Sirte Basin is not exclusively dependent upon the Sirte Shale Formation, with other petroleum systems in operation, often involving hybrid-sourcing.


OBJECTIVE
To identify nurses who are subject to workplace bullying and its associated factors.

METHOD
Descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 199 nurses working in public and private sectors (N=388). For data collection, a graphic socio-professional questionnaire and the Leymann Inventory Psychological Terrorization were used, both in print or electronic format (May/September 2010).

RESULTS
According to the data collected, 11.56% of the participants had been subject to bullying. Multivariate analysis showed that having children, working at Public Healthcare Units, working at an institution for a period between one and three years, currently dealing with acts of bullying and to feel bullied are risk factors for bullying.

CONCLUSION
This study permitted a better understanding of the factors associated with bullying; however, a research based on samples of Brazilian nurses is only the first step to evaluate other factors of influence related to the organizational context.


IN RECENT years, the interest shown by behavioral scientists in creativity has reflected what has for a long time been a popular preoccupation. 1-6 Willing authors have come forward, informing us how to acquire it, whether we must be neurotic to use it, and how to discover if we have that "divine fire." Attempts have been made to define the process involved, enumerate the steps essential to its functioning, and devise methods of testing an individual's creative potentiality. Dynamic psychiatry has played a major role in the investigation of creative personality. Early psychoanalytic writers stressed the role of instinctual demands and neurotic conflicts in providing the motivation for creative sublimation. Having searched the lives of geniuses throughout history, investigators presented evidence to demonstrate how certain basic needs and fantasies had become interwoven in the content and structure of their work. 7-10


The biopharmaceutical market has been on the rise for the past two decades and is expected to continue to excel, currently presenting a growing rate of more than double than conventional pharma. Traditionally this growth has been hindered by multiple formulation issues such as poor bioavailability and poor stability. Consequently, the drive to optimise the stability of protein drug candidates via formulation impels the need for development of novel excipients. Novel glycopolymer excipients were reported to confer improved protein stability in selected cases. Nonetheless,their structure-function relationship and wider applicability remain largely unknown. Here we report the synthesis of glycopolymers with different molecular architectures based on mannose, galactose, arabinose, N-acetyl glucosamine, lactose and trehalose, and nvestigate their utility as excipients for the solution formulation of a monoclonal antibody (mAb).
In this thesis work the physical stability of selected antibodies was measured as the unfolding transition temperature (Tm) and aggregation onset temperature (Tagg), as a function of glycopolymer properties, such as the nature of sugar repeating unit, macromolecular architecture and concentration. Results show that, in contrast to the stabilising effect of the corresponding mono- and di-saccharide constituents, both linear and 4-arm star glycopolymers generally destabilised the antibody, decreasing both Tm and Tagg.
Accelerated stability studies of a concentrated mAb solution followed the same trend, where an increasing glycopolymer:mAb molar ratio generally decreased the percentage monomer(i.e. increased soluble aggregates). Importantly, trehalose-based glycopolymers further generated visible aggregates that could not be predicted from Tm or Tagg data.
The data demonstrate a complex interplay of sugar chemistry and solution concentration of synthetic glycopolymers on their modulation of protein conformational stability and aggregation propensity. The mechanisms involved in protein:glycopolymer interaction, both in solution and dry state were further investigated, thus unravelling the behaviour reported in terms of protein stabilisation.
Finally, the glycopolymers were studied as drug delivery systems, acting as solubility enhancers for hydrophobic species in aqueous solutions, through the use of extrinsic fluorescent dyes.


In this work, a novel anti-smudge coating system was developed by using hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyester as a coating precursor, mono-hydroxyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as an anti-smudge agent, and hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer as a curing agent. The resultant coatings with 0.5 wt % PDMS content incorporated are highly transparent and liquid repellent. They exhibit striking repellency against various liquids and display remarkable self-cleaning performance. Water, hexadecane, salt solution, strong alkali solution, strong acid solution, pump oil, and crude oil could slide off the coated surface without leaving any traces, and the dirt on the coated surface could be readily removed by water or oil. Besides, these coatings show potential application for anti-fingerprint and anti-graffiti due to the exceptional repellency of coated surface against artificial fingerprint liquid, oil-based ink, paint, and water-based smudge. Furthermore, they also possess superb chemical shielding ability and thus endow substrates with remarkable protection against exposure to harsh chemical conditions. Moreover, these coatings are mechanically robust against extensive abrasion, impact, and bending without compromising anti-smudge properties, and they also exhibit excellent adhesion to various substrates. Therefore, these newly developed coatings have tremendous potential for widespread applications.


We illustrate the generative power of the lifting property (orthogonality of morphisms in a category) as means of defining natural elementary mathematical concepts by giving a number of examples in various categories, in particular showing that many standard elementary notions of abstract topology can be defined by applying the lifting property to simple morphisms of finite topological spaces. Examples in topology include the notions of: compact, discrete, connected, and totally disconnected spaces, dense image, induced topology, and separation axioms. Examples in algebra include: finite groups being nilpotent, solvable, torsion-free, p-groups, and prime-to-p groups; injective and projective modules; injective, surjective, and split homomorphisms.
We include some speculations on the wider significance of this.


Permanent geophysical crosshole methods offer opportunities to provide spatiotemporal information on CO2 migration, since the physical properties change in regions affected by fluid substitution. The direct and quantitative integration of geophysical methods in a reservoir modeling context is not straightforward and requires multi-physical process models coupled through petrophysical parameter transformations. Based on an example from the Ketzin CO2 storage site, Germany, we present a hydrogeophysical modeling workflow, in which simulated CO2 distributions are transfered to changes in electrical properties used for geoelectrical forward modeling. Simultaneous inversion of the electrical time-lapse response, reservoir pressure and CO2 arrival times has not been reported before and enables estimation of the permeability distribution. The calibrated model captures the known migration direction of the CO2 and is able to explain the multi-physical calibration dataset. The presented framework allows to integrate various types of observations into a single hydrogeophysical model leading to increased confidence in permeability parameterization and, in perspective, to improved predictive assessments of the storage reservoir.