778 research outputs found
Submicrometric Films of Surface-Attached Polymer Network with Temperature-Responsive Properties
Temperature-responsive properties of surface-attached
poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) network films with well-controlled
chemistry are investigated. The synthesis consists of cross-linking and
grafting preformed ene-reactive polymer chains through thiol--ene click
chemistry. The formation of surface-attached and cross-linked polymer films has
the advantage of being wellcontrolled without any caution of no-oxygen
atmosphere or addition of initiators. PNIPAM hydrogel films with same
cross-link density are synthesized on a wide range of thickness, from
nanometers to micrometers. The swelling-collapse transition with temperature is
studied by using ellipsometry, neutron reflectivity, and atomic force
microscopy as complementary surface-probing techniques. Sharp and high
amplitude temperature-induced phase transition is observed for all
submicrometric PNIPAM hydrogel films. For temperature above LCST,
surface-attached PNIPAM hydrogels collapse similarly but without complete
expulsion of water. For temperature below LCST, the swelling of PNIPAM
hydrogels depends on the film thickness. It is shown that the swelling is
strongly affected by the surface attachment for ultrathin films below 150
nm. For thicker films above 150 nm (to micrometers), surface-attached polymer
networks with the same cross-link density swell equally. The density profile of
the hydrogel films in the direction normal to the substrate is confronted with
in-plane topography of the free surface. It results that the free interface
width is much larger than the roughness of the hydrogel film, suggesting
pendant chains at the free surface.Comment: in Langmuir, American Chemical Society, 2015, LANGMUIR, 31 (42),
pp.11516-1152
When more does not necessarily mean better: Health-related illfare comparisons with non-monotone wellbeing relationships
Most welfare studies assume that wellbeing is monotonically related to the variables used for the analysis. While this assumption is reasonable for many dimensions of wellbeing like income, education, or empowerment, there are some cases where it is definitively not relevant, in particular with respect to health. For instance, health status is often proxied using the Body Mass Index (BMI). Low BMI values can capture undernutrition or the incidence of severe illness, yet a high BMI is neither desirable as it indicates obesity. Usual illfare indices derived from poverty measurement are then not appropriate. This paper proposes illfare indices that are consistent with some situations of non-monotonic wellbeing relationships and examines the partial orderings of different distributions derived from various classes of illfare indices. An illustration is provided for child health as proxied by a weight-for-age indicator using DHS data for Bangladesh, Colombia and Egypt during the last few decades
The Total Filmmaker: thinking of screenwriting, directing and editing as one role
As screenwriting continues to establish itself as a discrete discipline in academia, either in alignment with creative writing departments or film and media practice departments, there is a danger that such developments may entrench a distancing of the craft from the cinematic form itself and that such a distancing may ultimately reinforce the screenplay's propensity for dramaturgy and the dramatic, rather than the sensory and experiential of the cinematic. Closely related creative stages in telling cinematic stories include directing and editing and this article seeks to argue, with reference to personal screen practice, that screenwriting, directing and editing are, in fact, three variations of the same thing. The article proposes the notion of the Total Filmmaker who embraces all three aspects of the cinematic storyteller. If the ultimate aim is to create a narrative that fully utilises the unique properties of the cinematic form in telling a story, rather than being dominated by the theatricality of dramatically driven classical narratives. How might one explore the relationship between screenwriting, directing and editing? Can an integrated approach to creating the cinematic blueprint change the way we think of pedagogy and screenwriting
The secondary eclipses of WASP-19b as seen by the ASTEP 400 telescope from Antarctica
The ASTEP (Antarctica Search for Transiting ExoPlanets) program was
originally aimed at probing the quality of the Dome C, Antarctica for the
discovery and characterization of exoplanets by photometry. In the first year
of operation of the 40 cm ASTEP 400 telescope (austral winter 2010), we
targeted the known transiting planet WASP-19b in order to try to detect its
secondary transits in the visible. This is made possible by the excellent
sub-millimagnitude precision of the binned data. The WASP-19 system was
observed during 24 nights in May 2010. The photometric variability level due to
starspots is about 1.8% (peak-to-peak), in line with the SuperWASP data from
2007 (1.4%) and larger than in 2008 (0.07%). We find a rotation period of
WASP-19 of 10.7 +/- 0.5 days, in agreement with the SuperWASP determination of
10.5 +/- 0.2 days. Theoretical models show that this can only be explained if
tidal dissipation in the star is weak, i.e. the tidal dissipation factor Q'star
> 3.10^7. Separately, we find evidence for a secondary eclipse of depth 390 +/-
190 ppm with a 2.0 sigma significance, a phase consistent with a circular orbit
and a 3% false positive probability. Given the wavelength range of the
observations (420 to 950 nm), the secondary transit depth translates into a day
side brightness temperature of 2690(-220/+150) K, in line with measurements in
the z' and K bands. The day side emission observed in the visible could be due
either to thermal emission of an extremely hot day side with very little
redistribution of heat to the night side, or to direct reflection of stellar
light with a maximum geometrical albedo Ag=0.27 +/- 0.13. We also report a
low-frequency oscillation well in phase at the planet orbital period, but with
a lower-limit amplitude that could not be attributed to the planet phase alone,
and possibly contaminated with residual lightcurve trends.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13 pages, 13
figure
Groupwise Multimodal Image Registration using Joint Total Variation
In medical imaging it is common practice to acquire a wide range of
modalities (MRI, CT, PET, etc.), to highlight different structures or
pathologies. As patient movement between scans or scanning session is
unavoidable, registration is often an essential step before any subsequent
image analysis. In this paper, we introduce a cost function based on joint
total variation for such multimodal image registration. This cost function has
the advantage of enabling principled, groupwise alignment of multiple images,
whilst being insensitive to strong intensity non-uniformities. We evaluate our
algorithm on rigidly aligning both simulated and real 3D brain scans. This
validation shows robustness to strong intensity non-uniformities and low
registration errors for CT/PET to MRI alignment. Our implementation is publicly
available at https://github.com/brudfors/coregistration-njtv
Description of the Main Features of the Series Production of the LHC Main Dipole Magnets
The series production of the LHC main dipole magnets was completed in November 2006. This paper presents the organization implemented at CERN and the milestones fixed to fullfil the technical requirements and to respect the master schedule of the machine installation. The CERN organization for the production follow-up, the quality assurance and the magnet testing, as well as the organization of the three main contractors will be described. A description of the design work and procurement of most of the specific heavy tooling and key components will be given with emphasis on the advantages and drawbacks
A new case of t(1;11)(q21;q23) in a child with M1 ANLL
Case report of a translocation : A new case of t(1;11)(q21;q23) in a child with M1 ANLL
First AMBER/VLTI observations of hot massive stars
AMBER is the first near infrared focal instrument of the VLTI. It combines
three telescopes and produces spectrally resolved interferometric measures.
This paper discusses some preliminary results of the first scientific
observations of AMBER with three Unit Telescopes at medium (1500) and high
(12000) spectral resolution. We derive a first set of constraints on the
structure of the circumstellar material around the Wolf Rayet Gamma2 Velorum
and the LBV Eta Carinae
Human recombinant anti-thyroperoxidase autoantibodies: in vitro cytotoxic activity on papillary thyroid cancer expressing TPO
Assessment of genetically modified maize MIR604 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013)
Following the submission of application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013 under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Syngenta Crop Protection NV/SA, the EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) was asked to deliver a scientific risk assessment on the data submitted in the context of the renewal of authorisation application for the insectâresistant genetically modified maize MIR604, for food and feed uses, excluding cultivation within the EU. The data received in the context of this renewal application contained postâmarket environmental monitoring reports, a systematic search and evaluation of literature, updated bioinformatic analyses, and additional documents or studies performed by or on behalf of the applicant. The GMO Panel assessed these data for possible new hazards, modified exposure or new scientific uncertainties identified during the authorisation period and not previously assessed in the context of the original application. Under the assumption that the DNA sequence of the event in maize MIR604 considered for renewal is identical to the corrected sequence of the originally assessed event, the GMO Panel concludes that there is no evidence in renewal application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013 for new hazards, modified exposure or scientific uncertainties that would change the conclusions of the original risk assessment on maize MIR604
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