Современное состояние и перспективы развития процесса совместного получения фенола и ацетона. II. Cпособы интенсификации процесса окисления изопропилбензола.

The application of ozone as initiator of cumene oxidation is shown to result in feed conversion increased to 28%, with selectivity closed to 100%, instead of accordingly 21% and 88% in method using cumene hydroperoxide as initiator. Optimal conditions for cumene oxidation are determined.Проведен обзор существующих методов интенсификации процесса получения гидропероксида изопропилбензола. Показано, что использование озона в качестве инициатора окисления кумола приводит к повышению конверсии сырья до 28% при селективности процесса, близкой к 100%, против 21 и 88% соответственно в известном способе окисления с использованием в качестве инициатора гидропероксида изопропилбензола. Определены оптимальные условия окисления кумола озоно-воздушной смесью

An Open Comparative Clinical Evaluation on “Sagana Vatham” (Cervical Spondylosis) with siddha herbal formulation drug “Kurunthotti Kashayam”(Internal), “Azhinjil Thylam”(External) and “Varmam Therapy

The aim of the study is to compare and evaluate the safety and efficacy of Kurunthotti Kashayam (Int) and Azhinjil Thylam (Ext), and Varmam therapy intervention for saganavatham. The study consisted of four parts namely, 1. Analytical testing as per AYUSH protocol. 2. Toxicity studies – Acute and Sub-acute toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines.(423&407). 3. Pharmacological studies- Anti inflammatory and analgesic activity 4. Clinical trial into three groups The analytical testing as per AYUSH protocol for evaluating Kurunthotti Kashayam chooranam was done at Indian Institute of Technology exemplified that the polyherbal formulation Kurunthotti Kashayam has no heavy metals as per ICPOES, and FT-IR analysis for functional group present in the drug. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of Flavanoids, proteins, amino acids, alkaloids, tannins, hydroquinone derivatives in methanolic and acetone extract. Terpenes were estimated in chloroform extract. The drug namely Kurunthotti Kashayam was prepared and tested for toxicity studies, pharmacological studies at C L Baid Metha College of pharmacy. Acute and repeat dose oral toxicity study of Kurunthotti Kashayam revealed that the drug was safe. Histopathological studies have shown that the drug has no toxic effects in the vital organs. Analgesic activity of Kurunthotti Kashayam in wistar albino rats in acetic acid induced writhing test indicated that kurunthotti kashayam had shown dose dependent activity against standard diclofenac sodium . In vivo anti inflammatory activity of the test drug in wistar albino rats using carageenan induced paw edema method revealed that the drug has anti inflammatory activity with reference drug indomethacin. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC). The clinical trial is also registered in Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI). The comparative study of Kurunthotti kashayan alone (Group1), Kurunthotti kashayam and azinjil thylam (Group 2) and Kurunthotti kashayam, Azhinjil thailam with Varmam therapy (Group 3) was done in three groups each comprising 20 patients. The inferences were made. All three groups shown statistically significant improvement. Primary outcome was assessed by Visual Analog Scale (Universal Pain Assessment Scale). Secondary outcome i.e reduction in clinical parameters was also assessed. Among the three groups Group 3 shown better improvement than the other two groups. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the significance of the clinical trial

Herramientas para el estudio de la incertidumbre asociada a la estimación del balance hídrico en el sistema de acueducto de la ciudad de Bogotá

Este documento presenta el desarrollo de una metodología para el cálculo de la incertidumbre individual y acumulada de cada uno de los componentes del balance hídrico sugerido por la IWA y para varios indicadores de eficiencia comúnmente utilizados. El principal objetivo de la investigación buscar ofrecer a las empresas de servicio público herramientas que les permita medir la confiabilidad de sus sistemas de medición y evaluación tanto de pérdidas físicas como comerciales, de forma que en base a los resultados de los cálculos derivados de estos pueda tomar mejores decisiones y por tanto enfocar mejor sus programas de optimización de redes y reducción de pérdidas físicas de agua. La evaluación de la incertidumbre se realiza con base en el desarrollo de series de Taylor para el cálculo de incertidumbre de primer orden.Abstract. This paper presents the development of a methodology for the calculation of individual uncertainty and accumulated for each of the components of the water balance suggested by the IWA and several commonly used indicators of efficiency. The main objective of the research seek to provide utilities tools that allow them to measure the reliability of their measurement systems and evaluation of both physical losses as commercial, so that based on the results of the calculations derived from these can make better decisions and therefore better focus their programs network optimization and reduction of physical water losses. The uncertainty assessment is made based on the Taylor series development for calculating first-order uncertainty.Maestrí

Emotional Response to Stories in Interactive Narrative

The audience enjoys stories more if they present suspense. This is true for both non-interactive and interactive narratives. However, in interactive stories, for example in the context of a video game, suspense perception can be influenced by two factors: the audience’s choice and repeated exposition to the same story episode presenting suspense. Currently, there has been little research done on the audience’s emotional response to interactive narrative and the purpose of this thesis is to contribute to this area. The dissertation addresses nine research questions: (1) “How does a level of suspense change with repeated encounters?” (2) “How do choices offered to the audience influence their suspense perception?” (3) “Is the level of suspense reported from a distant observer perspective comparable to the degree of suspense experienced by the audience member immersed in the story and considering himself as a story character?" (4) Does a degree of suspense depend on the perspective from which the story is perceived (story character or external observer)? 5) “Does more suspense necessarily lead to the greater story enjoyment in interactive narratives?” (6) “How can one keep suspense high with repeated encounters in the interactive narratives?” (7) “Does greater uncertainty about the story outcome result in the greater degree of suspense?" (8) “Do male and female members of the audience perceive suspense differently in interactive stories?” (9) “Do the age and gaming experience of audience correlate with the degree of suspense they experience in interactive narratives?” In order to answer these questions, the dissertation employed two approaches – theoretical analysis and empirical study. The theoretical part of the thesis addressed the questions of the role of suspense in interactive narrative, the process of the audience’s involvement in the interactive narrative and its possible impact on suspense perception, as well as how the degree of suspense perceived in the story can be influenced by the interactive mode of the story through manipulating the choice. For the empirical research, quantitative methodology has been employed and one hundred and forty two participants took part in three experiments where they were asked to read and re-read non-interactive and interactive versions of a story created on the base of James Bond novels. The core data was collected from self-reports and surveys that the participants were asked to complete during and after experiments. Additional data came from the participants’ comments on their experience during the experiments. This thesis makes two main contributions to the study of interactive narrative and narrative-based video games. First, it empirically proves that choice does not reduce the level of perceived suspense in the interactive story as it has been argued by some scholars (i.e. Frome & Smuts, 2004). . Second, the results of the research suggest that by manipulating the choice offered to the audience it is possible to keep the level of suspense higher with repeated encounters. In addition, some other findings obtained from the experiments present factors that may influence suspense perception in interactive narrative such as the gender of the audience members, their gaming experience, and level of immersion in the story

Interpretable Binary and Multiclass Prediction Models for Insolvencies and Credit Ratings

Insolvenzprognosen und Ratings sind wichtige Aufgaben der Finanzbranche und dienen der Kreditwürdigkeitsprüfung von Unternehmen. Eine Möglichkeit dieses Aufgabenfeld anzugehen, ist maschinelles Lernen. Dabei werden Vorhersagemodelle aufgrund von Beispieldaten aufgestellt. Methoden aus diesem Bereich sind aufgrund Ihrer Automatisierbarkeit vorteilhaft. Dies macht menschliche Expertise in den meisten Fällen überflüssig und bietet dadurch einen höheren Grad an Objektivität. Allerdings sind auch diese Ansätze nicht perfekt und können deshalb menschliche Expertise nicht gänzlich ersetzen. Sie bieten sich aber als Entscheidungshilfen an und können als solche von Experten genutzt werden, weshalb interpretierbare Modelle wünschenswert sind. Leider bieten nur wenige Lernalgorithmen interpretierbare Modelle. Darüber hinaus sind einige Aufgaben wie z.B. Rating häufig Mehrklassenprobleme. Mehrklassenklassifikationen werden häufig durch Meta-Algorithmen erreicht, welche mehrere binäre Algorithmen trainieren. Die meisten der üblicherweise verwendeten Meta-Algorithmen eliminieren jedoch eine gegebenenfalls vorhandene Interpretierbarkeit. In dieser Dissertation untersuchen wir die Vorhersagegenauigkeit von interpretierbaren Modellen im Vergleich zu nicht interpretierbaren Modellen für Insolvenzprognosen und Ratings. Wir verwenden disjunktive Normalformen und Entscheidungsbäume mit Schwellwerten von Finanzkennzahlen als interpretierbare Modelle. Als nicht interpretierbare Modelle werden Random Forests, künstliche Neuronale Netze und Support Vector Machines verwendet. Darüber hinaus haben wir einen eigenen Lernalgorithmus Thresholder entwickelt, welcher disjunktive Normalformen und interpretierbare Mehrklassenmodelle generiert. Für die Aufgabe der Insolvenzprognose zeigen wir, dass interpretierbare Modelle den nicht interpretierbaren Modellen nicht unterlegen sind. Dazu wird in einer ersten Fallstudie eine in der Praxis verwendete Datenbank mit Jahresabschlüssen von 5152 Unternehmen verwendet, um die Vorhersagegenauigkeit aller oben genannter Modelle zu messen. In einer zweiten Fallstudie zur Vorhersage von Ratings demonstrieren wir, dass interpretierbare Modelle den nicht interpretierbaren Modellen sogar überlegen sind. Die Vorhersagegenauigkeit aller Modelle wird anhand von drei in der Praxis verwendeten Datensätzen bestimmt, welche jeweils drei Ratingklassen aufweisen. In den Fallstudien vergleichen wir verschiedene interpretierbare Ansätze bezüglich deren Modellgrößen und der Form der Interpretierbarkeit. Wir präsentieren exemplarische Modelle, welche auf den entsprechenden Datensätzen basieren und bieten dafür Interpretationsansätze an. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass interpretierbare, schwellwertbasierte Modelle den Klassifikationsproblemen in der Finanzbranche angemessen sind. In diesem Bereich sind sie komplexeren Modellen, wie z.B. den Support Vector Machines, nicht unterlegen. Unser Algorithmus Thresholder erzeugt die kleinsten Modelle während seine Vorhersagegenauigkeit vergleichbar mit den anderen interpretierbaren Modellen bleibt. In unserer Fallstudie zu Rating liefern die interpretierbaren Modelle deutlich bessere Ergebnisse als bei der zur Insolvenzprognose (s. o.). Eine mögliche Erklärung dieser Ergebnisse bietet die Tatsache, dass Ratings im Gegensatz zu Insolvenzen menschengemacht sind. Das bedeutet, dass Ratings auf Entscheidungen von Menschen beruhen, welche in interpretierbaren Regeln, z.B. logischen Verknüpfungen von Schwellwerten, denken. Daher gehen wir davon aus, dass interpretierbare Modelle zu den Problemstellungen passen und diese interpretierbaren Regeln erkennen und abbilden

Integração de processos de separação por membranas na valorização do soro de cabra: Aplicação de métodos de ultrafiltração e nanofiltração em modo de recirculação total, concentração e diafiltração

Atendendo à necessidade crescente de investigação do aproveitamento do soro de cabra, principalmente devido às propriedades nutricionais, biológicas e funcionais das suas proteínas, com uma valiosa utilização em produtos alimentares nutricionais e benéficos, foi-me proposto estudar a eficiência dos processos de ultrafiltração e nanofiltração com membranas RC70PP e NF99 respectivamente, em modo de recirculação total, concentração e diafiltração, na separação das várias frações do soro de cabra. Recolheu-se o soro inteiro bruto directamente na unidade fabril e submeteu-se a um conjunto de pré-tratamentos, para minimizar a colmatação das membranas, contribuindo para melhorar a eficiência dos processos. Previamente determinado o volume morto da instalação de permeação e a permeabilidade hidráulica das membranas, realizaram-se ensaios de ultrafiltração e nanofiltração. Os permeados obtidos por ultrafiltração constituíram a alimentação dos ensaios de nanofiltração. Todas as correntes fraccionadas obtidas em ambos os processos, foram caracterizadas física, química e microbiologicamente e os resultados obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente através do programa SPSS. Nos ensaios de ultrafiltração os fluxos permeados tornavam-se constantes em função do factor de concentração volumétrico, obteve-se um concentrado rico em proteína e a lactose assim como os sólidos eram permeados. A diafiltração permitiu aumentar o fluxo permeado e a permeação de lactose, sólidos totais e sólidos não gordos, e obter rejeições aparentes elevadas e crescentes à proteína. Na nanofiltração o fluxo permeado diminui em função do factor de concentração volumétrico, possibilitando a recuperação total da lactose, cerca de 90 % dos sólidos (totais e não gordos) e cerca de 80 % da proteína. Neste caso, a diafiltração permitiu aumentar o fluxo permeado e obter rejeições aparentes elevadas à lactose, sólidos totais, sólidos não gordos e proteína

Transition-metal-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis and functionalization of 1,2- and 1,4-BIS(boronate)esters

Thesis advisor: James P. MorkenThe first examples of an enantioselective allene diboration and diene diboration are reported. The asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allene diboration afforded 1,2- bis(boronate)esters in up to 98% ee. The reaction development for the allene diboration, as well as the expansion of the substrate scope, and elucidation of the reaction mechanism are reported. Following the development of the enantioselective allene diboration, the first enantioselective diene diboration was disclosed. 1,4-Dihydroxylation products resulting from a tandem diene diboration/oxidation sequence are obtained in up to 92% ee.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Chemistry

A Theoretical Three Dimensional Electromagnetic Eye: Advances Towards the Optimisation of Electroretinographic Signal Recovery

Ocular electrophysiology is the study of electrical signals produced by the retina. In the past many different techniques have been used to provide indirect, non-invasive, objective measurements of retinal function. These measurements are routinely used to predict, and confirm diagnoses of, a wide range of retinal disorders. Electrophysiology has many shortcomings and new developments are currently addressing these. In recent years, advances have been made in the simultaneous stimulation of multiple focal areas of the retina. This has led to the production of three-dimensional topographical maps of visual function from signals of only nanovolt initial amplitude. A numerical three-dimensional computer program designed to calculate the electromagnetic potential distribution within the human eye has been developed from existing two-dimensional numerical models. This has been validated against two- dimensional analytical findings and various experiements to assess its robustness have been conducted. Modifications to the three-dimensional numerical model have enabled a more accurate retinal source photoreceptor distribution to be incorporated. Focal and ring stimulation of the three-dimensional retina has been performed and characteristic corneal distributions have been found. A possible application for investigation using this model has been found. It is known that diseases affecting the photoreceptors of the retina may often be detected using electrophysiology. Predictions of comeal potential changes following simulated retinal scotomas by the three-dimensional model may therefore prove of use. By 'mapping' the potential distribution over the corneal surface optimal recording sites for a number of retinal stimulation parameters may be found. A new type of electrode has been designed and built. Measurements made using this electrode have enabled further validation of theoretical potential distribution predictions. Further adaptation of the three-dimensional model is required including the provision of a mechanism by which the model may take account of the position of a reference electrode. Additional modification of the correction for retinal photoreceptor density is also needed due to the known variation of photoreceptor density changes in all dimensions. This three-dimensional model enables predictions to be made regarding the potential distribution at the electrode measurement site. This work shows in detail the variation in potential over the corneal / scleral surface. This insight should lead to further investigations regarding more accurate measurement techniques to facilitate optimal signal recovery. In future work it may be necessary for correction factors to be applied to various parts of the field if mono electrode recording is taking place when wide field peripheral stimulation is used