Environmental Quality, the Macroeconomy and Intergenerational Distribution

environment;macroeconomics;distribution;environmental tax;national debt

Ultrasonic Characterization of Ibidi μ-Slide I Luer Channel Slides for Studies With Ultrasound Contrast Agents

Understanding and controlling the ultrasound contrast agent&amp;#x2019;s response to an applied ultrasound pressure field is crucial when investigating ultrasound imaging sequences and therapeutic applications. The magnitude and frequency of the applied ultrasonic pressure waves affect the oscillatory response of the ultrasound contrast agent. Therefore, it is important to have an ultrasound compatible and optically transparent chamber in which the acoustic response of the ultrasound contrast agent can be studied. The aim of our study was to determine the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; ultrasound pressure amplitude in the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide I Luer channel, an optically transparent chamber suitable for cell culture including culture under flow, for all microchannel heights (200, 400, 600, 800 &amp;#x03BC;m). First, the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressure field in the 800 &amp;#x03BC;m-high channel, was experimentally characterized using Brandaris 128 ultra-high-speed camera recordings of microbubbles and a subsequent iterative processing method, upon insonification at 2 MHz, 45&amp;#x00B0; incident angle, and 50 kPa peak negative pressure. Control studies in another cell culture chamber, the CLINIcell, were compared to the obtained results. The pressure amplitude was &amp;#x2013;3.7 dB with respect to the pressure field without the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide. Second, using finite element analysis, we determined the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressure amplitude in the ibidi with the 800 &amp;#x03BC;m channel (33.1 kPa) which was comparable to the experimental value (34 kPa). The simulations were extended to the other ibidi channel heights (200, 400, 600 &amp;#x03BC;m) with either 35&amp;#x00B0; or 45&amp;#x00B0; incident angle, and at 1 MHz and 2 MHz. The predicted &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; ultrasound pressure fields were between -8.7 dB to -1.1 dB of the incident pressure field depending on the listed configurations of ibidi slides with different channel heights, applied ultrasound frequencies, and incident angles. In conclusion, the determined ultrasound &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressures demonstrate the acoustic compatibility of the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide I Luer for different channel heights, thereby showing its potential for studying the acoustic behavior of ultrasound contrast agents for imaging and therapy.</p

Ultrasonic Characterization of Ibidi μ-Slide I Luer Channel Slides for Studies With Ultrasound Contrast Agents

Understanding and controlling the ultrasound contrast agent&amp;#x2019;s response to an applied ultrasound pressure field is crucial when investigating ultrasound imaging sequences and therapeutic applications. The magnitude and frequency of the applied ultrasonic pressure waves affect the oscillatory response of the ultrasound contrast agent. Therefore, it is important to have an ultrasound compatible and optically transparent chamber in which the acoustic response of the ultrasound contrast agent can be studied. The aim of our study was to determine the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; ultrasound pressure amplitude in the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide I Luer channel, an optically transparent chamber suitable for cell culture including culture under flow, for all microchannel heights (200, 400, 600, 800 &amp;#x03BC;m). First, the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressure field in the 800 &amp;#x03BC;m-high channel, was experimentally characterized using Brandaris 128 ultra-high-speed camera recordings of microbubbles and a subsequent iterative processing method, upon insonification at 2 MHz, 45&amp;#x00B0; incident angle, and 50 kPa peak negative pressure. Control studies in another cell culture chamber, the CLINIcell, were compared to the obtained results. The pressure amplitude was &amp;#x2013;3.7 dB with respect to the pressure field without the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide. Second, using finite element analysis, we determined the &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressure amplitude in the ibidi with the 800 &amp;#x03BC;m channel (33.1 kPa) which was comparable to the experimental value (34 kPa). The simulations were extended to the other ibidi channel heights (200, 400, 600 &amp;#x03BC;m) with either 35&amp;#x00B0; or 45&amp;#x00B0; incident angle, and at 1 MHz and 2 MHz. The predicted &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; ultrasound pressure fields were between -8.7 dB to -1.1 dB of the incident pressure field depending on the listed configurations of ibidi slides with different channel heights, applied ultrasound frequencies, and incident angles. In conclusion, the determined ultrasound &lt;italic&gt;in-situ&lt;/italic&gt; pressures demonstrate the acoustic compatibility of the ibidi &amp;#x03BC;-slide I Luer for different channel heights, thereby showing its potential for studying the acoustic behavior of ultrasound contrast agents for imaging and therapy.</p

Sonobactericide: An Emerging Treatment Strategy for Bacterial Infections

Ultrasound has been developed as both a diagnostic tool and a potent promoter of beneficial bio-effects for the treatment of chronic bacterial infections. Bacterial infections, especially those involving biofilm on implants, indwelling catheters and heart valves, affect millions of people each year, and many deaths occur as a consequence. Exposure of microbubbles or droplets to ultrasound can directly affect bacteria and enhance the efficacy of antibiotics or other therapeutics

Combined Confocal Microscope and Brandaris 128 Ultra-High-Speed Camera

Controlling microbubble-mediated drug delivery requires the underlying biological and physical mechanisms to be unraveled. To image both microbubble oscillation upon ultrasound insonification and the resulting cellular response, we developed an optical imaging system that can achieve the necessary nanosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolutions. We coupled the Brandaris 128 ultra-high-speed camera (up to 25 million frames per second) to a custom-built Nikon A1R+ confocal microscope. The unique capabilities of this combined system are demonstrated with three experiments showing microbubble oscillation leading to either endothelial drug delivery, bacterial biofilm disruption, or structural changes in the microbubble coating. In conclusion, using this state-of-the-art optical imaging system, microbubble-mediated drug delivery can be studied with high temporal resolution to resolve microbubble oscillation and high spatial resolution and detector sensitivity to discern cellular response. Combining these two imaging technologies will substantially advance our knowledge on microbubble behavior and its role in drug delivery

Tweebaksduwvaart op het Julianakanaal

Het doel van het onderhavige onderzoek is om te bekijken wat er zoal zou moeten gebeuren om het Julianakanaal geschikt te maken voor tweebaks-duwvaart (185x11,4m2) en of deze aanpassing, die uiteraard geld gaat kosten, wel rendabel zou zijn. In het hoofdontwerp beschouwen we alleen de technische aspecten van het geheel, d.w.z. -de kanaal- en sluisaanpassingen, terwijl we in het deelontwerp economie op de financiele zaken ingaan. Een ander deelontwerp is het deelontwerp bedrijfskunde, waar de concrete aanleg en uitvoering van de diverse werkzaamheden bekeken worden.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience