Thermoelectric refrigeration for temperatures below 100 K: A study of titanium sesquioxide

Previous measurements of the specific heat of V-doped Ti2O3 at low temperatures were explained by a model which also suggested the material would have a high thermoelectric figure-of-merit. The sample preparation, experimental apparatus, and the results of measurements on the thermal conductivity, thermoelectric power, and electrical resistivity of a single crystal Ti2O3 - 4% V sample are described. The results are used to derive the thermoelectric figure-of-merit between 5 and 300 K. The figure-of-merit is much smaller than expected and of little practical value because of the very high phonon thermal conductivity

Implications for Policy Making: A Case Study of Executive Compensation at Nonprofit Organizations in New York State

Nonprofit organizations in today society face distinct challenges to their viability. Currently they are facing a legitimacy crisis which is a result of four main factors: focus of media on scandals, the aftermath of Sept member 11th attacks, congressional attention and a decline in public trust. The last decade witness increased media coverage of scandals and instances of impropriety at nonprofit organizations. The coverage by main stream media outlets has resulted in a literate public attuned to poor behavior at nonprofit organizations. The attacks of September 11th touched all aspects of American life. As a result, the various sectors comprising its society were compelled to respond to the needs in the wake of these attacks. The nonprofit sector was no exception, and they raised nonparallel donations to assist victims of this tragedy( Salamon, 2002). In turn, organizations were faulted for their inefficiencies at disseminating donations.As organizations fell under scrutiny other practices such as governance, and executive compensation came under fire. As is often the case, when substantial attention and public outcry is directed at a societal problem lawmakers are compelled to respond. In the case of executive compensation and other practices of nonprofit organizations, the Senate Finance Committee began to hold hearings to investigate these practices and assess various policy options to help remedy the problem

Strengths and Collision Broadened Widths in the Second Overtone Band of Hydrogen Fluoride

Individual line strengths and self‐broadened half‐widths have been measured in the second overtone band of hydrogen fluoride. The electric dipole matrix element for the band has been determined from the measured strengths. Its value is:〈3∣μ(r)∣0〉exp=+1.628×10−21esu⋅cm.The m dependence of the measured half‐widths agree with the Anderson theory of collision broadening if off resonant collisions are taken into account.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70439/2/JCPSA6-57-12-5119-1.pd

Principles for the design of multicellular engineered living systems

Remarkable progress in bioengineering over the past two decades has enabled the formulation of fundamental design principles for a variety of medical and non-medical applications. These advancements have laid the foundation for building multicellular engineered living systems (M-CELS) from biological parts, forming functional modules integrated into living machines. These cognizant design principles for living systems encompass novel genetic circuit manipulation, self-assembly, cell–cell/matrix communication, and artificial tissues/organs enabled through systems biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, genetic engineering, and microfluidics. Here, we introduce design principles and a blueprint for forward production of robust and standardized M-CELS, which may undergo variable reiterations through the classic design-build-test-debug cycle. This Review provides practical and theoretical frameworks to forward-design, control, and optimize novel M-CELS. Potential applications include biopharmaceuticals, bioreactor factories, biofuels, environmental bioremediation, cellular computing, biohybrid digital technology, and experimental investigations into mechanisms of multicellular organisms normally hidden inside the “black box” of living cells

Overtone Intensity Measurements And The Dipole Moment Function For Carbon-monoxide And Hydrogen-fluoride.

PhDMoleculesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/191002/2/7500819.pd

Investigating the pathogenicity of mutations in two ubiquitously expressed housekeeping genes that cause autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa

The purpose of this dissertation research was to investigate potential mechanisms through which mutations in two ubiquitously expressed genes, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 1 (IMPDH1) and pre-mRNA processing factor 31 (PRPF31), cause autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) but have no other apparent clinical consequences. Basic properties of the gene and gene product, such as expression and protein levels, were examined. The purpose of our research is to understand the genetic basis of inherited retinopathies such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP is a heterogeneous retinal dystrophy that affects approximately one in 3,700 individuals, making it the most common heritable retinal degenerative disease worldwide. Currently, mutations in 35 genes are known to cause RP and additional loci have been mapped but the underlying gene is not yet known. Often the genes associated with RP are integral to the biological processes underlying vision, making their role in retinal disease easy to explain. However, the mechanisms by which other genes cause RP are not apparent, especially widely-expressed genes. For IMPDH1, this research characterized the enzymatic properties of retinal isoforms. Results show that the retinal isoforms have enzymatic functions similar to the previously known canonical IMPDH1 whether or not an adRP pigmentosa mutation is included in the protein. For PRPF31, this research tested the hypothesis that functional haploinsufficiency is the cause of disease and relates to nonpenetrance in some individuals. Studies in patients with known mutations show that haploinsufficiency is the likely cause of disease, however, we did not confirm that non-penetrant individuals are protected from disease via increased expression of the wild type allele. Information gleaned from these functional studies, and the testing methods developed in tandem, will contribute to future research on disease mechanism related to adRP