2,394 research outputs found
Strategy for Integrated Water Supply, Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Systems for Small Communes in Poland Case study - Master and Action Plans (MaAP) for the Bystra River Catchment
This report is the final report of the project: "Strategy for integrated Water Supply, Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System for Small Communes in Poland: Case study - Master and Action Plans (MaAP) for the Bystra river catchment". The project is part of the Programme of Bilateral Co-operation between the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry in Poland. It has been implemented by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and has been funded by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT). The Institute of Environmental Protection (IOS) in Poland has been responsible for the co-ordination in Poland, sponsored by the National Foundation for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The project provides an input to the process of wastewater master planning methodology in Poland, presented as a case study for the Bystra river catchment, and based on Norwegian procedures. on Norwegian procedures. This report presents the main objectives, activities and conclusions of the project, as well as a short presentation of Norwegian experiences relevant to the project. Five report have been elaborated prior to this report, where the entire project development is described
117 THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SYNOVIAL FLUID LEVELS OF AGGRECAN ARGS FRAGMENTS AND RADIOGRAPHIC PROGRESSION OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Aggrecanase cleavage at the 392Glu-393Ala bond in the interglobular domain (IGD) of aggrecan, releasing N-terminal 393ARGS fragments, is an early key event in arthritis and joint injuries. We determined whether synovial fluid (SF) levels of ARGS-aggrecan distinguish subjects with progressive radiographic knee osteoarthritis (ROA) from those with stable or no ROA. METHODS: We studied 141 subjects who, at examination A, had been given meniscectomies an average of 18 years earlier (range, 15 to 22 years). Seventeen individuals without surgery, and without known injury to the menisci or cruciate ligaments, were used as references. At examinations A and B, with a mean follow-up time of 7.5 years, we obtained SF and standing tibiofemoral and skyline patellofemoral radiographs. SF ARGS-aggrecan was measured with an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and we graded radiographs according to the OARSI atlas. The association between SF ARGS levels at examination A and progression of radiographic features of knee OA between examinations A and B was assessed by using logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, and time between examinations, and stratified by ROA status at examination A. RESULTS: We found a weak negative association between SF ARGS concentrations and loss of joint space: the likelihood of progression of radiographic joint space narrowing decreased 0.9 times per picomole per milliliter increase in ARGS (odds ratio (OR) 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79 to 0.996). In subjects with and without preexisting ROA at examination A, the association was OR, 0.96; 0.81 to 1.13; and 0.77; 0.62 to 0.95, respectively. Average levels of SF ARGS 18 years after meniscectomy were no different from those of reference subjects and were not correlated to radiographic status at examination A. CONCLUSIONS: In subjects with previous knee meniscectomy but without ROA, levels of SF ARGS-aggrecan were weakly and inversely associated with increased loss of joint space over a period of 7.5 years
Nanobeam photonic crystal cavity quantum dot laser
The lasing behavior of one dimensional GaAs nanobeam cavities with embedded
InAs quantum dots is studied at room temperature. Lasing is observed throughout
the quantum dot PL spectrum, and the wavelength dependence of the threshold is
calculated. We study the cavity lasers under both 780 nm and 980 nm pump,
finding thresholds as low as 0.3 uW and 19 uW for the two pump wavelengths,
respectively. Finally, the nanobeam cavity laser wavelengths are tuned by up to
7 nm by employing a fiber taper in near proximity to the cavities. The fiber
taper is used both to efficiently pump the cavity and collect the cavity
emission.Comment: 8 pages; 6 figure
A bright nanowire single photon source based on SiV centers in diamond
The practical implementation of many quantum technologies relies on the
development of robust and bright single photon sources that operate at room
temperature. The negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV-) color center in
diamond is a possible candidate for such a single photon source. However, due
to the high refraction index mismatch to air, color centers in diamond
typically exhibit low photon out-coupling. An additional shortcoming is due to
the random localization of native defects in the diamond sample. Here we
demonstrate deterministic implantation of Si ions with high conversion
efficiency to single SiV- centers, targeted to fabricated nanowires. The
co-localization of single SiV- centers with the nanostructures yields a ten
times higher light coupling efficiency than for single SiV- centers in bulk
diamond. This enhanced photon out-coupling, together with the intrinsic
scalability of the SiV- creation method, enables a new class of devices for
integrated photonics and quantum science.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
The Effects of Pregnenolone 16α-Carbonitrile Dosing on Digoxin Pharmacokinetics and Intestinal Absorption in the Rat
The effect of Pgp induction in rats by pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile (PCN) (3 days, 35 mg/kg/d, p.o.) on digoxin pharmacokinetics and intestinal transport has been assessed. After intravenous or oral digoxin dosing the arterial and hepatic portal vein (oral) AUC(0-24h) were significantly reduced by PCN pre-treatment. Biliary digoxin clearance increased 2-fold following PCN treatment. PCN significantly increased net digoxin secretion (2.05- and 4.5-fold respectively) in ileum and colon but not in duodenum or jejunum. This increased secretion correlated with increased Pgp protein expression in ileum and colon. Both intestinal and biliary excretion therefore contribute to altered digoxin disposition following PCN
Transient chirp in high speed photonic crystal quantum dots lasers with controlled spontaneous emission
We report on a series of experiments on the dynamics of spontaneous emission
controlled nanolasers. The laser cavity is a photonic crystal slab cavity,
embedding self-assembled quantum dots as gain material. The implementation of
cavity electrodynamics effects increases significantly the large signal
modulation bandwidth, with measured modulation speeds of the order of 10 GHz
while keeping an extinction ratio of 19 dB. A linear transient wavelength shift
is reported, corresponding to a chirp of less than 100 pm for a 35-ps laser
pulse. We observe that the chirp characteristics are independent of the
repetition rate of the laser up to 10 GHz
Operationalizing the Roles of Experiential Learning: Bringing the Partnership to Life
This article focuses on the partnership between Discovery Charter School of Rochester, New York, founded in 2011, and Nazareth College Partners for Learning. The Partners for Learning program engages Nazareth College students in partnerships with the children, teachers, and staff of eight urban sites. The authors examine the four critical roles that work to foster program success: (1) Associate Director for the Center for Civic Engagement, (2) Student Site Coordinator, (3) Site Representative, and (4) Classroom Teacher. We describe each of the four roles, how the roles support experiential learning, and, most importantly, how we consistently collaborate to ensure success for all parties. We have gathered multiple forms of reflection, and we share data focusing on the impact of student learning for both personal and professional growth. Finally, Discovery Charter School students describe what having a Partner in their classroom means to them, how the Partners have improved their learning, and how the relationships that have formed over the semester/ year(s) have had an impact on them
Theory of Pump Depletion and Spike Formation in Stimulated Raman Scattering
By using the inverse spectral transform, the SRS equations are solved and the
explicit output data is given for arbitrary laser pump and Stokes seed profiles
injected on a vacuum of optical phonons. For long duration laser pulses, this
solution is modified such as to take into account the damping rate of the
optical phonon wave. This model is used to interprete the experiments of Druhl,
Wenzel and Carlsten (Phys. Rev. Lett., (1983) vol. 51, p. 1171), in particular
the creation of a spike of (anomalous) pump radiation. The related nonlinear
Fourier spectrum does not contain discrete eigenvalue, hence this Raman spike
is not a soliton.Comment: LaTex file, includes two figures in LaTex format, 9 page
Limitations of two-level emitters as nonlinearities in two-photon controlled-phase gates
We investigate the origin of imperfections in the fidelity of a two-photon
controlled-phase gate based on two-level-emitter non-linearities. We focus on a
passive system that operates without external modulations to enhance its
performance. We demonstrate that the fidelity of the gate is limited by
opposing requirements on the input pulse width for one- and two-photon
scattering events. For one-photon scattering, the spectral pulse width must be
narrow compared to the emitter linewidth, while two-photon scattering processes
require the pulse width and emitter linewidth to be comparable. We find that
these opposing requirements limit the maximum fidelity of the two-photon
controlled-phase gate for Gaussian photon pulses to 84%.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
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