240 research outputs found
Biofuel sustainability standards and public policy: A case study of Swedish ethanol imports from Brazil:Report for the OECD
Molecularly controlled epoxy network nanostructures
AbstractEpoxy thermosets continue to be used in a variety of coatings, adhesives, and structural composites. Nanostructural heterogeneities have been proposed to determine the physical properties of these materials, but the presence and origin of these features is disputed. Here, we combine nano-chemical imaging and nano-thermal analysis to establish a connection between internal crosslinking and the appearance of nanoscale chemical heterogeneities in epoxy resins. Deflection of an AFM probe is used as a local sensor to detect photothermal expansion in response to infrared excitation, and nanoscale lateral variations are detected in response to illumination at wavenumbers associated with crosslinking. Furthermore, these heterogeneous chemical features correspond to an increased range of local thermal transitions, and only arise within highly cross-linked resins; lightly cross-linked specimens are found to be homogeneous
A HACCP-based approach to mastitis control in dairy herds. Part 1: Development
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems are a risk based preventive approach developed to increase levels of food safety assurance. This is part 1 of a pilot study on the development, implementation and evaluation of a HACCP-based approach for the control of good udder health in dairy cows. The paper describes the use of a novel approach based on a deconstruction of the infectious process in mastitis to identify Critical Control Points (CCPs) and develop a HACCP-based system to prevent and control mastitis in dairy herds. The approach involved the creation of an Infectious Process Flow Diagram, which was then cross-referenced to two production process flow diagrams of the milking process and cow management cycle. The HACCP plan developed, may be suitable for customisation and implementation on dairy farms. This is a logical, systematic approach to the development of a mastitis control programme that could be used as a template for the development of control programmes for other infectious diseases in the dairy herd
An organic coating pigmented with strontium aluminium polyphosphate for corrosion protection of zinc alloy coated steel
Protective Film Formation on AA2024-T3 Aluminum Alloy by Leaching of Lithium Carbonate from an Organic Coating
The cultural capitalists: notes on the ongoing reconfiguration of trafficking culture in Asia
Most analysis of the international flows of the illicit art market has described a global situation in which a postcolonial legacy of acquisition and collection exploits cultural heritage by pulling it westwards towards major international trade nodes in the USA and Europe. As the locus of consumptive global economic power shifts, however, these traditional flows are pulled in other directions: notably for the present commentary, towards and within Asia
A method for quantifying sectoral optic disc pallor in fundus photographs and its association with peripapillary RNFL thickness
Purpose: To develop an automatic method of quantifying optic disc pallor in
fundus photographs and determine associations with peripapillary retinal nerve
fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness.
Methods: We used deep learning to segment the optic disc, fovea, and vessels
in fundus photographs, and measured pallor. We assessed the relationship
between pallor and pRNFL thickness derived from optical coherence tomography
scans in 118 participants. Separately, we used images diagnosed by clinical
inspection as pale (N=45) and assessed how measurements compared to healthy
controls (N=46). We also developed automatic rejection thresholds, and tested
the software for robustness to camera type, image format, and resolution.
Results: We developed software that automatically quantified disc pallor
across several zones in fundus photographs. Pallor was associated with pRNFL
thickness globally (\b{eta} = -9.81 (SE = 3.16), p < 0.05), in the temporal
inferior zone (\b{eta} = -29.78 (SE = 8.32), p < 0.01), with the nasal/temporal
ratio (\b{eta} = 0.88 (SE = 0.34), p < 0.05), and in the whole disc (\b{eta} =
-8.22 (SE = 2.92), p < 0.05). Furthermore, pallor was significantly higher in
the patient group. Lastly, we demonstrate the analysis to be robust to camera
type, image format, and resolution.
Conclusions: We developed software that automatically locates and quantifies
disc pallor in fundus photographs and found associations between pallor
measurements and pRNFL thickness.
Translational relevance: We think our method will be useful for the
identification, monitoring and progression of diseases characterized by disc
pallor/optic atrophy, including glaucoma, compression, and potentially in
neurodegenerative disorders.Comment: 44 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables, submitte
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