Case grasraffinage : mogelijkheden voor gebruik Reflexief Interactief Ontwerpen (RIO)

Food & Biobased Research werkt vaak aan het ontwikkelen van nieuwe technologie. Het is de vraag of en zo ja hoe de Reflexief Interactief Ontwerpen (RIO) methode toegepast zou kunnen worden binnen projecten van Food & Biobased Research. Om deze vraag te onderzoeken is gekozen voor het analyseren van de mogelijkheden voor RIO binnen een biobased voorbeeld n.l. de grasraffinagecase. Gras wordt door velen als één van de belangrijke nieuwe grondstoffen voor de biobased economy gezien. De nieuwe grasverwerkingsindustrie zal regionaal (dicht bij het oogstgebied) en kleinschalig (afgestemd op beperkte hoeveelheden) opgezet moeten worden. De verwerking van gras gebeurt in twee fases: primair en secundaire raffinage. De grasraffinagecase ligt veel opener dan een ‘standaard’ ontwerpcase in RIO. Voor het toepassen van RIO in technologie ontwikkeltrajecten is het noodzakelijk om de RIO systematiek uit te breiden met een ‘concept-ontwikkelcirkel’

Transport properties and point contact spectra of Ni_xNb_{1-x} metallic glasses

Bulk resistivity and point contact spectra of Ni_xNb_{1-x} metallic glasses have been investigated as functions of temperature (0.3-300K) and magnetic field (0-12T). Metallic glasses in this family undergo a superconducting phase transition determined by the Nb concentration. When superconductivity was suppressed by a strong magnetic field, both the bulk sample R(T) and the point contact differential resistance curves of Ni_xNb_{1-x} showed logarithmic behavior at low energies, which is explained by a strong electron - "two level system" coupling. We studied the temperature, magnetic field and contact resistance dependence of Ni_{44}Nb_{56} point-contact spectra in the superconducting state and found telegraph-like fluctuations superimposed on superconducting characteristics. These R(V) characteristics are extremely sensitive detectors for slow relaxing "two level system" motion.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Parent–adolescent interaction quality and adolescent affect: An experience sampling study on effect heterogeneity

Person–environment interactions might ultimately drive longer term development. This experience sampling study (Data collection: 2019/20 the Netherlands) assessed short-term linkages between parent–adolescent interaction quality and affect during 2281 interactions of 124 adolescents (Mage = 15.80, SDage= 1.69, 59% girls, 92% Dutch, Education: 25% low, 31% middle, 35% high, 9% other). Adolescents reported on parent–adolescent interaction quality (i.e., warmth and conflict) and momentary positive and negative affect five to six times a day, for 14 days. Preregistered dynamic structural equation models (DSEM) revealed within-family associations between parent–adolescent interaction quality and adolescent affect (concurrently: r = −.22 to.39; lagged effects: ß = −.17 to.15). These effects varied significantly between families. These findings stress the need for more person-specific research on parenting processes

Transition from tunneling to direct contact in tungsten nanojunctions

We apply the mechanically controllable break junctions technique to investigate the transition from tunneling to direct contact in tungsten. This transition is quite different from that of other metals and is determined by the local electronic properties of the tungsten surface and the relief of the electrodes at the point of their closest proximity. The conductance traces show a rich variety of patterns from the avalanche-like jump to a mesoscopic contact to the completely smooth transition between direct contact and tunneling. Due to the occasional absence of an adhesive jump the conductance of the contact can be continuously monitored at ultra-small electrode separations. The conductance histograms of tungsten are either featureless or show two distinct peaks related to the sequential opening of spatially separated groups of conductance channels. The role of surface states of tungsten and their contribution to the junction conductance at sub-Angstrom electrode separations are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Connective neck evolution and conductance steps in hot point contacts

Dynamic evolution of the connective neck in Al and Pb mechanically controllable break junctions was studied during continuous approach of electrodes at bias voltages V_b up to a few hundred mV. A high level of power dissipation (10^-4 - 10^-3 W) and high current density (j > 10^10 A/cm^2) in the constriction lead to overheating of the contact area, electromigration and current-enhanced diffusion of atoms out of the "hot spot". At a low electrode approach rate (10 - 50 pm/s) the transverse dimension of the neck and the conductance of the junction depend on V_b and remain nearly constant over the approach distance of 10 - 30 nm. For V_b > 300 mV the connective neck consists of a few atoms only and the quantum nature of conductance manifests itself in abrupt steps and reversible jumps between two or more levels. These features are related to an ever changing number of individual conductance channels due to the continuous rearrangement in atomic configuration of the neck, the recurring motion of atoms between metastable states, the formation and breaking of isolated one-atom contacts and the switching between energetically preferable neck geometries.Comment: 21 pages 10 figure

Latent Markov Latent Trait Analysis for Exploring Measurement Model Changes in Intensive Longitudinal Data

Drawing inferences about dynamics of psychological constructs from intensive longitudinal data requires the measurement model (MM)—indicating how items relate to constructs—to be invariant across subjects and time-points. When assessing subjects in their daily life, however, there may be multiple MMs, for instance, because subjects differ in their item interpretation or because the response style of (some) subjects changes over time. The recently proposed “latent Markov factor analysis” (LMFA) evaluates (violations of) measurement invariance by classifying observations into latent “states” according to the MM underlying these observations such that MMs differ between states but are invariant within one state. However, LMFA is limited to normally distributed continuous data and estimates may be inaccurate when applying the method to ordinal data (e.g., from Likert items) with skewed responses or few response categories. To enable researchers and health professionals with ordinal data to evaluate measurement invariance, we present “latent Markov latent trait analysis” (LMLTA), which builds upon LMFA but treats responses as ordinal. Our application shows differences in MMs of adolescents’ affective well-being in different social contexts, highlighting the importance of studying measurement invariance for drawing accurate inferences for psychological science and prac

ABC-tool reinvented: development of a disease-specific 'Assessment of Burden of Chronic Conditions (ABCC)-tool' for multiple chronic conditions

BACKGROUND: Numerous instruments have been developed to assess patient reported outcomes; most approaches however focus on a single condition. With the increasing prevalence of multimorbidity, this might no longer be appropriate. Moreover, a more comprehensive approach that facilitates shared decision making and stimulates self-management is most likely more valuable for clinical practice than a questionnaire alone. This study aims to transform the Assessment of Burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (ABC)-tool into the Assessment of Burden of Chronic Conditions (ABCC)-tool for COPD, asthma, and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). The tool consists of a scale, a visualisation of the outcomes, and treatment advice. METHODS: Requirements for the tool were formulated. Questionnaires were developed based on a literature study of existing questionnaires, clinical guidelines, interviews with patients and healthcare providers, and input from an expert group. Cut-off points and treatment advice were determined to display the results and to provide practical recommendations. RESULTS: The ABCC-scale consists of a generic questionnaire and disease-specific questionnaires, which can be combined into a single individualized questionnaire for each patient. Results are displayed in one balloon chart, and each domain includes practical recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: The ABCC-tool is expected to facilitate conversations between a patient and a healthcare provider, and to help formulate treatment plans and care plans with personalised goals. By facilitating an integrated approach, this instrument can be applied in a variety of circumstances and disease combinations

Dislocation Kinks in Copper: Widths, Barriers, Effective Masses, and Quantum Tunneling

We calculate the widths, migration barriers, effective masses, and quantum tunneling rates of kinks and jogs in extended screw dislocations in copper, using an effective medium theory interatomic potential. The energy barriers and effective masses for moving a unit jog one lattice constant are close to typical atomic energies and masses: tunneling will be rare. The energy barriers and effective masses for the motion of kinks are unexpectedly small due to the spreading of the kinks over a large number of atoms. The effective masses of the kinks are so small that quantum fluctuations will be important. We discuss implications for quantum creep, kink--based tunneling centers, and Kondo resonances

[89Zr]-immuno-PET prediction of response to rituximab treatment in patients with therapy refractory interstitial pneumonitis: a phase 2 trial

Introduction: Immune-mediated interstitial pneumonitis may be treated with anti-CD20 therapy after failure of conventional therapies. However, clinical response is variable. It was hypothesized that autoreactive CD20-positive cells may play an important role in this variability. This prospective study aims to elucidate if imaging of CD20-positive cells in the lungs allows prediction of the response to anti-CD20 treatment. Methods: Twenty-one patients with immune-mediated interstitial lung disease (ILD) with deteriorated pulmonary function received a dose of 1000 mg rituximab on day 1 and day 14 spiked with a tracer dose of radiolabeled [89Zr]-rituximab. PET/CT was performed on days 3 and 6. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were calculated as a measure for pulmonary CD20 expression. Based on pulmonary function tests (PFT), forced vital capacity (FVC), and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), prior to and 6 months after treatment, patients were classified as responder (stable disease or improvement) or non-responder. Results: Fifteen patients (71%) were classified as responder. Pulmonary [89Zr]-rituximab PET SUVmean was significantly correlated with the change in FVC and DLCO (K = 0.49 and 0.56, respectively) when using target-to-background ratios, but not when using SUVmean alone. [89Zr]-rituximab SUVmean was significantly higher in responders than in non-responders (0.35 SD 0.09 vs. 0.23 SD 0.06; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Rituximab treatment was effective in the majority of patients. As a higher pulmonary uptake of [89Zr]-rituximab correlated with improvement of PFT and treatment outcome, [89Zr]-rituximab PET imaging may serve as a potential predictive biomarker for anti-CD20 therapy. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.go