Dual energy imaging for determining urinary calculi composition: A theoretical and experimental study with computed tomography

Urinary calculi is a common problem worldwide and is associated with substantial patient morbidity and healthcare costs. The choice of treatment is dependent on the composition of the stone. Currently that can only be determined once it has been removed which is too late to impact treatment decisions. Considerable investigation into the use of dual-energy CT (DECT) for determining stone composition has lead to mixed results. The varied results may be due to inherent sources of error and it is unclear whether the mixed results with DECT are due to CT artifacts or insufficient fundamental difference in the linear attenuation coefficient between stones of various compositions. This work will develop a fundamental model for dual-energy CT to determine the ability to differentiate between stones of uniform and mixed composition. The model will be tested experimentally to optimize the parameters and determine the appropriate clinical measurement to reflect the results

Shoring Analysis, Design and Construction at the Seattle Symphony\u27s Benaroya Hall

Complex loading and geometry conditions controlled the design of the shoring wall system at Benaroya Hall, the new home of the Seattle Symphony. A combined system, including three soldier pile and tieback walls and one soil nail wall, was used to shore an excavation that ranged from 15 to 50 feet deep. A 25-foot-wide block of soil remained between the soil nail wall face and an existing, underground bus station. Prior to designing the soil nail wall, a finite difference analysis was performed to determine potential movements of the station due to the excavation. The deflection estimates from the finite difference analysis closely approximated the actual field measurements obtained from inclinometer readings and optical surveys during construction

Sediment descriptions and geochemical analyses of radiocarbon-dated deposits from the vicinity of Göbekli Tepe—A dataset

This dataset comprises the detailed descriptions and laboratory measurements of sediment profiles from the semi-arid environs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey—one of the oldest monumental structures of humankind dating to c. 11.5–10 ka BP. Focus of the descriptions are the architectural elements of the deposits allowing to conduct facies interpretations and the reconstruction of different depositional environments. This is supported by bulk geochemical sediment analyses (pH, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, and loss on ignition) and the determination of total and inorganic carbon contents and chemical element concentrations. The Late Holocene chronology is based on radiocarbon dating of charcoal pieces and bulk samples containing organic matter from buried organic-rich topsoil horizons and soil sediments. Lithic artifacts from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic provide additional age estimates. Nykamp et al. [1] provide the synthesis that is based on the presented datasets.This dataset comprises the detailed descriptions and laboratory measurements of sediment profiles from the semi-arid environs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey—one of the oldest monumental structures of humankind dating to c. 11.5–10 ka BP. Focus of the descriptions are the architectural elements of the deposits allowing to conduct facies interpretations and the reconstruction of different depositional environments. This is supported by bulk geochemical sediment analyses (pH, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, and loss on ignition) and the determination of total and inorganic carbon contents and chemical element concentrations. The Late Holocene chronology is based on radiocarbon dating of charcoal pieces and bulk samples containing organic matter from buried organic-rich topsoil horizons and soil sediments. Lithic artifacts from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic provide additional age estimates. Nykamp et al. [1] provide the synthesis that is based on the presented datasets

Incumbents’ Capabilities for Sustainability‑Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector—an Integrated Framework

The urgency of sustainability transition requires large incumbents in the food industry to implement sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). However, the high concentration of the food sector and the complexity of the sustainability concept make its understanding and overall transition challenging and slow. Incumbents would need to drive the transition by redesigning business models and practices and acquiring new competencies to integrate sustainability into their innovation strategy. This paper has a twofold aim: (I) analyzing the evolution of sustainability understanding over time and (II) evaluating the extent of dynamic capabilities of food incumbents to foster SOI. We developed an integrated theoretical framework combining the theory of dynamic capabilities with aspects of SOI and applied it to the case of the Norwegian food industry. We interviewed eight food incumbents and one food industry association, and we reviewed their annual and sustainability reports from 2016 till 2020. Key fndings show a high strategic activity in SOI, as well as a notable and industry-wide ambiguity about what sustainability means in the food sector. Most companies reveal both an adaptive and expanding behavior implementing conscious sustainability-integrated product and process innovations. Most innovations are incremental without a radical modifcation of business models. Some exceptions have been detected resembling transformative changes. Clear initiatives of moving away from a linear supply chain to a more systematic approach are currently happening through food system collaborations.Incumbents’ Capabilities for Sustainability‑Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector—an Integrated FrameworkpublishedVersio

Herstellung und Charakterisierung neuer Blockcopolymere auf Polylaktid- und Polyglykolid-Basis und ihr Einsatz zur Herstellung von Mikropartikeln

The first objective of the present thesis was the modification of the physicochemical properties of commercially available polymers of the Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) type with statistical monomer distribution focusing on the glass-transition temperature. This target was reached by blocking the homopolymers Poly-D,L-lactide or Poly-L,L-lactide with Polyglycolide. The polymer syntheses were carried out by continuous reactive compounding processes using a twin-screw extruder. The synthesized blocked copolymers showed higher glass-transition temperatures and, therefore, improved storage performance compared to the commercially available copolymers at similar or even lower molecular weights and identical monomer composition. The degradation properties were not affected significantly. It was shown that, beside the monomeric composition and the molecular weight of the copolymers, the length of the Poly-D,L-lactide blocks affects the glass transition temperature strongly. The degradation patterns of the copolymers were investigated by combining several methods. It was shown that the blocklengths behave as expected. This means that first the glycolide part and then the lactide part was decomposed. The second aim of this study was the optimization of the microparticle preparation by using the melt-grinding technique. The investigations were carried out by statistical design plans. It could be observed that there are clear differences in the behaviour of crystalline and amorphous substances during the jet-milling step of the production process. Crystalline substances are comminuted to their final particle size during the first milling step whereas the particle size of amorphous substances is reduced stepwise within several grinding steps. Furthermore, it was observed that a sole size reduction of the polymeric poarticles is obtainable at much lower pressures than needed for particle surface smoothening. In this latter case, a higher milling intensity has to be applied by increasing the milling pressure and the number of milling cycles. Investigations of the release behaviour of estrioltriacetate loaded Poly-D,L(lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles revealed a square root release pattern without showing a burst-effect at all. To clarify the lack of burst effect, investigations of the physicochemical properties of the microparticles were carried out. The examination of the enthalpic relaxation behaviour revealed that the energy consumption by the polymer which was used during this process decreased in dependence of the milling cycles carried out. As the enthalpic relaxation process is an action in which the material gains a higher stability this means that the energy insertion during the milling process enables the polymeric chains to arrange themselves in a more stable conformation. Entrapped drug amounts can be kept isolated. Drug at the particle surface can be further stabilized by smoothened polymeric material which is caused by the forces during the milling process. This softened polymer acts as a coating on the pores of the microparticles as well as drug particles at the particle surface, and thus prevents an immediate drug release here

Meta-Analysis of Geomorphodynamics in the Western Lower Bakırçay Plain (Aegean Region, Turkey)

The relation between human activities, climate variability, and geomorphodynamics in the Mediterranean region is widely discussed. For the western lower Bakırçay plain in the ancient Pergamon Micro-Region, geoarchaeological studies have shown changes in geomorphodynamics primarily on a site-basis. We reconstruct past geomorphodynamics in the area based on a meta-analysis of 108 (14)C-ages obtained from 25 sediment sequences mainly from colluvial and alluvial deposits by analyzing cumulative probability functions of the (14)C-ages. Accounting for biases in the database, we applied different approaches and compared the empirical probability functions with simulated functions. Reconstructed geomorphodynamics in the western lower Bakırçay plain during the Holocene principally coincide with a trend of climate-driven sensitivity to erosion and population dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean, but are also related to the local settlement history. Our data analysis shows that transformations of the Pergamon Micro-Region between the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial times is contemporary to increasing geomorphodynamics that peak in Roman Imperial times. However, a cause–effect relationship between geomorphodynamics and settlement dynamics should be further evaluated. A comparison with data from other settlement centers in Anatolia shows that a coincidence between the peak in geomorphodynamics and a peak in settlement activity are not obvious and may be influenced by soil conservation measures, preferred settlement location, and inherited soil exhaustio