305 research outputs found
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William Walker: The Filibuster Who dreamed of a Slave Empire
This project, is an research outline for the class: Thinking like an Historian. The assignment was to develop a foundation for a historical research project. The project researches the true intentions of the filibuster William Walker in the 1850s. Walker saw the rise of abolition in the North as direct threat to the institution of slavery. He believed the only way to preserve the system was extending slavery beyond the borders of the U.S. out of reach from Northern aggression. Walker intended to form a Central American slave empire and hoped to gain support for his dream from Southern political leaders. Project details primary sources used, the methodological problems encountered in the research, the historiography already conducted on topic, extensive outline of an research paper, and a conclusion how this project could be developed into a larger thesis.Hardwick, JulieHistor
Differences in Iron Removal from Carbon Nanoonions and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for Analytical Purpose
The paper describes the differences between wet iron removal from carbon nanoonions and from multiwall carbon nanotubes for analytical purpose. Nowadays, both carbon nanoonions and multiwall carbon nanotubes are one of the most interesting materials with applicability in electronics, medicine and biotechnology. Medical applications of those nanomaterials require not only recognition of their structure but also measurement of metal impurities concentration. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry as a method for Fe-determination requires liquid samples. Hence, we propose various protocols for leaching of iron from studied materials. Our results proved that structure of nanomaterials have an impact on the efficiency of iron removal
Differences in Iron Removal from Carbon Nanoonions and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for Analytical Purpose
The paper describes the differences between wet iron removal from carbon nanoonions and from multiwall carbon nanotubes for analytical purpose. Nowadays, both carbon nanoonions and multiwall carbon nanotubes are one of the most interesting materials with applicability in electronics, medicine and biotechnology. Medical applications of those nanomaterials require not only recognition of their structure but also measurement of metal impurities concentration. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry as a method for Fe-determination requires liquid samples. Hence, we propose various protocols for leaching of iron from studied materials. Our results proved that structure of nanomaterials have an impact on the efficiency of iron removal
Phenotype-specific association of the TGFBR3 locus with nonsyndromic cryptorchidism
PURPOSE:
Based on a genome-wide association study of testicular dysgenesis syndrome showing a possible association with TGFBR3, we analyzed data from a larger, phenotypically restricted cryptorchidism population for potential replication of this signal.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We excluded samples based on strict quality control criteria, leaving 844 cases and 2,718 controls of European ancestry that were analyzed in 2 separate groups based on genotyping platform (ie Illumina® HumanHap550, version 1 or 3, or Human610-Quad, version 1 BeadChip in group 1 and Human OmniExpress 12, version 1 BeadChip platform in group 2). Analyses included genotype imputation at the TGFBR3 locus, association analysis of imputed data with correction for population substructure, subsequent meta-analysis of data for groups 1 and 2, and selective genotyping of independent cases (330) and controls (324) for replication. We also measured Tgfbr3 mRNA levels and performed TGFBR3/betaglycan immunostaining in rat fetal gubernaculum.
RESULTS:
We identified suggestive (p ≤ 1× 10(-4)) association of markers in/near TGFBR3, including rs9661103 (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.20, 1.64; p = 2.71 × 10(-5)) and rs10782968 (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.26, 1.98; p = 9.36 × 10(-5)) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. In subgroup analyses we observed strongest association of rs17576372 (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.24, 1.60; p = 1.67 × 10(-4)) with proximal and rs11165059 (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.15, 1.38; p = 9.42 × 10(-4)) with distal testis position, signals in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs9661103 and rs10782968, respectively. Association of the prior genome-wide association study signal (rs12082710) was marginal (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.99, 1.28; p = 0.09 for group 1), and we were unable to replicate signals in our independent cohort. Tgfbr3/betaglycan was differentially expressed in wild-type and cryptorchid rat fetal gubernaculum.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data suggest complex or phenotype specific association of cryptorchidism with TGFBR3 and the gubernaculum as a potential target of TGFβ signaling
Oxygen functional groups on MWCNT surface as critical factor Boosting T-2 relaxation rate of water protons: towards improved CNT-based contrast agents
Purpose: Salicyl (Sal) – among other oxygen functionalities – multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and their nanohybrids are investigated as promising contrast agents (CA) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or drug delivery platforms, due to their unique properties. The preliminary results and the literature reports were the motivation to endow high r2 relaxivities, excellent dispersibility in water, and biocompatibility to superparamagnetic MWCNTs nanohybrids. It was hypothesized that these goals could be achieved by, not
described in the literature yet, two-stage oxygen functionalization of MWCNTs. Results: Two structurally different MWCNT materials differing in diameters (44 and 12 nm) and the iron content (4.7% and 0.5%) are studied toward the functionalization effect on the T2 relaxometric properties. MWCNT oxidation is typically the first step of functionalization resulting in “first generation” oxygen functional groups (OFGs) on the surface. Until now,
the impact of OFGs on the relaxivity of MWCNT was not truly recognized, but this study sheds light on this issue. By follow-up functionalization of oxidized MWCNT with 4-azidosalicylic acid through [2+1] cycloaddition of the corresponding nitrene, “second generation” of oxygen functional groups is grafted onto the nanohybrid, ie, Sal functionality. Conclusion: The introduced OFGs are responsible for an almost 30% increase in the
relaxivity, which leads to remarkable r2 relaxivity of 951 mM−1s−1 (419 (mg/mL)−1s−1), the unprecedented value reported to date for this class of CAs. Also, the resulting nanohybrids express low cytotoxicity and superb diffusion after subcutaneous injection to a mouse
Inferring Parametric Energy Consumption Functions at Different Software Levels:ISA vs. LLVM IR
The static estimation of the energy consumed by program
executions is an important challenge, which has applications in program
optimization and verification, and is instrumental in energy-aware software
development. Our objective is to estimate such energy consumption
in the form of functions on the input data sizes of programs. We have developed
a tool for experimentation with static analysis which infers such
energy functions at two levels, the instruction set architecture (ISA) and
the intermediate code (LLVM IR) levels, and re
ects it upwards to the
higher source code level. This required the development of a translation
from LLVM IR to an intermediate representation and its integration
with existing components, a translation from ISA to the same representation,
a resource analyzer, an ISA-level energy model, and a mapping
from this model to LLVM IR. The approach has been applied to programs
written in the XC language running on XCore architectures, but
is general enough to be applied to other languages. Experimental results
show that our LLVM IR level analysis is reasonably accurate (less than
6:4% average error vs. hardware measurements) and more powerful than
analysis at the ISA level. This paper provides insights into the trade-off
of precision versus analyzability at these levels
Formation of a Bacteriostatic Surface on ZrNb Alloy via Anodization in a Solution Containing Cu Nanoparticles
High strength, excellent corrosion resistance, high biocompatibility, osseointegration ability,
and low bacteria adhesion are critical properties of metal implants. Additionally, the implant surface
plays a critical role as the cell and bacteria host, and the development of a simultaneously antibacterial
and biocompatible implant is still a crucial challenge. Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) could be a
promising alternative to silver in antibacterial surface engineering due to low cell toxicity. In our study,
we assessed the biocompatibility and antibacterial properties of a PEO (plasma electrolytic oxidation)
coating incorporated with CuNPs (Cu nanoparticles). The structural and chemical parameters of the
CuNP and PEO coating were studied with TEM/SEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy/Scanning
Electron Microscopy), EDX (Energy-Dispersive X-ray Dpectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray Diffraction)
methods. Cell toxicity and bacteria adhesion tests were used to prove the surface safety and
antibacterial properties. We can conclude that PEO on a ZrNb alloy in Ca–P solution with CuNPs
formed a stable ceramic layer incorporated with Cu nanoparticles. The new surface provided better
osteoblast adhesion in all time-points compared with the nontreated metal and showed medium grade
antibacterial activities. PEO at 450 V provided better antibacterial properties that are recommended
for further investigation
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