18,890 research outputs found
McFadden and Gorfinkel\u27s Constructive Spirit: Quakers in Revolutionary Russia - Book Review
Modulating calcium phosphate formation using CO2 laser engineering of a polymeric material
The use of simulated body fluid (SBF) is widely used as a screening technique to assess the ability of materials to promote calcium phosphate formation. This paper details the use of CO2 laser surface treatment of nylon® 6,6 to modulate calcium phosphate formation following immersion in SBF for 14 days. Through white light interferometry (WLI) it was determined that the laser surface processing gave rise to maximum Ra and Sa parameters of 1.3 and 4.4 µm, respectively. The use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) enabled a maximum increase in surface oxygen content of 5.6 %at. to be identified. The laser-induced surface modifications gave rise to a modulation in the wettability characteristics such that the contact angle, θ, decreased for the whole area processed samples, as expected, and increased for the patterned samples. The increase in θ can be attributed to a transition in wetting nature to a mixed-state wetting regime. It was seen for all samples that calcium phosphate formed on each surface following 14 days. The largest increase in mass, Δg, owed to calcium phosphate formation, was brought about by the whole area processed sample irradiated with a fluence of 51 Jcm-2. No correlation between the calcium phosphate formation and the laser patterned surface properties was determined due to the likely affect of the mixed-state wetting regime. Strong correlations between θ, the surface energy parameters and the calcium phosphate formation for the whole area processed samples allow one to realize the potential for this surface treatment technique in predicting the bone forming ability of laser processed materials
A method for estimating the extent of denitrification of Arctic polar vortex air from tracer-tracer scatter plots
A method for estimating the extent of denitrification of Arctic polar vortex air is proposed. Previous estimates of denitrification using tracer-tracer scatter plots have not allowed for mixing-induced changes in tracer-tracer relationships in a sufficiently general way. This difficulty is overcome by constructing an artificial "reference tracer'' from a linear combination of other long-lived tracers. The reference tracer is designed so that, as far as possible, it has a linear canonical relationship with NOy in midlatitudes. A linear relationship is unaffected by mixing, so denitrification is apparent as deviations of vortex measurements from the linear midlatitude relationship. The method is first demonstrated using data from a chemical transport model in which no denitrification processes are present. It is then applied to balloon, aircraft and shuttle-borne measurements made before and during the breakdown of the Arctic vortex in 1992-1993 and 1996-1997. In each case the method indicates that little or no denitrification had occurred in any of the vortex air encountered. When the method is applied to the southern hemisphere vortex in 1994, by contrast, denitrified air is clearly seen to be present around 19-23 km in the vortex
Modulation of osteoblast cell response through laser surface processing of nylon 6,6
With an ageing population demand on medical facilities is growing, especially for bio-implants. Therefore, there is a need for cheaper, more efficient implants. This paper details how CO2 and KrF excimer lasers can be employed to modulate osteoblast cell growth on nylon 6,6 in relation to laser-modified wettability characteristics. Through patterning the contact angle, θ, increased by up to 19°, indicating the presence of a mixed state wetting regime; whereas θ decreased by up to 20° for the whole area irradiative processed samples. After 24 hours and 4 days incubation the cell cover density and cell count was somewhat modulated over the laser-modified samples compared to the as-received sample. A likely increase in surface toxicity gave rise to a hindered cell response for those samples with high energy densities and high incident pulse numbers. No strong correlations were determined for the laser-induced patterned samples which can be attributed to the likely mixed-state wetting regime. Correlative trends were found between the cell response, θ, polar component and surface oxygen content for the whole area irradiative processed samples. Thus, allowing one to identify the potential for this technology in regenerative medicine
A simplified search strategy for identifying randomised controlled trials for systematic reviews of health care interventions : a comparison with more exhaustive strategies
Background
It is generally believed that exhaustive searches of bibliographic databases are needed for systematic reviews of health care interventions. The CENTRAL database of controlled trials (RCTs) has been built up by exhaustive searching. The CONSORT statement aims to encourage better reporting, and hence indexing, of RCTs. Our aim was to assess whether developments in the CENTRAL database, and the CONSORT statement, mean that a simplified RCT search strategy for identifying RCTs now suffices for systematic reviews of health care interventions.
Methods
RCTs used in the Cochrane reviews were identified. A brief RCT search strategy (BRSS), consisting of a search of CENTRAL, and then for variants of the word random across all fields (random.af." was compared to the highly sensitive search strategy (HSSS).
Results
The BRSS had a sensitivity of 94%. It found all journal RCTs in 47 of the 57 reviews. The missing RCTs made some significant differences to a small proportion of the total outcomes in only five reviews, but no important differences in conclusions resulted. In the post-CONSORT years, 1997–2003, the percentage of RCTs with random in the title or abstract was 85%, a mean increase of 17% compared to the seven years pre-CONSORT (95% CI, 8.3% to 25.9%). The search using random$.af. reduced the MEDLINE retrieval by 84%, compared to the HSSS, thereby reducing the workload of checking retrievals.
Conclusion
A brief RCT search strategy is now sufficient to locate RCTs for systematic reviews in most cases. Exhaustive searching is no longer cost-effective, because in effect it has already been done for CENTRAL
Study of the winter 2005 Antarctica polar vortex
During winter and springtime, the flow above Antarctica at high altitude
(upper troposphere and stratosphere) is dominated by the presence of a vortex
centered above the continent. It lasts typically from August to November. This
vortex is characterized by a strong cyclonic jet centered above the polar high.
In a recent study of our group (Hagelin et al., 2008) of four different sites
in the Antarctic internal plateau (South Pole, Dome C, Dome A and Dome F), it
was made the hypothesis that the wind speed strength in the upper atmosphere
should be related to the distance of the site to the center of the Antarctic
polar vortex. This high altitude wind is very important from an astronomical
point of view since it might trigger the onset of the optical turbulence and
strongly affect other optical turbulence parameters. What we are interested in
here is to localize the position of the minimum value of the wind speed at high
altitude in order to confirm the hypothesis of Hagelin et al. (2008).Comment: 3rd ARENA conference, 11-15 May 2009 EAS Publication Serie
Generic parameters governing the biofunctionality of laser surface engineered nylon 6,6
On account of an ever increasing demand on medicine there is a need and a drive by the biomedical industry to develop robust and predictable implant technology. This paper gives an account of the implementation of CO2 and KrF excimer laser systems to modulate the biofunctionality of nylon 6,6 in terms of osteoblast cell response. There were correlative trends between the cell response, contact angle, polar component and surface oxygen content for the whole area irradiative processed samples. Thus, allowing one to identify the potential for this technology in regenerative medicine. However, no strong correlations were determined for the laser-induced patterned samples which can be attributed to the likely mixed-state wetting regime. Through analytical analysis, governing equations are discussed, showing how different parameters can be used to predict the wettability of, and biological cell response to, laser surface engineered nylon 6,6
Wettability and osteoblast cell response modulation through UV laser processing of nylon 6,6
With an ageing population the demand for cheap, efficient implants is ever increasing. Laser surface treatment offers a unique means of varying biomimetic properties to determine generic parameters to predict cell responses. This paper details how a KrF excimer laser can be employed for both laser-induced patterning and whole area irradiative processing to modulate the wettability characteristics and osteoblast cell response following 24 hour and 4 day incubation. Through white light interferometry (WLI) it was found that the surface roughness had considerably increased by up to 1.5 µm for the laser-induced patterned samples and remained somewhat constant at around 0.1 µm for the whole area irradiative processed samples. A sessile drop device determined that the wettability characteristics differed between the surface treatments. For the patterned samples the contact angle, θ, increased by up to 25° which can be attributed to a mixed-state wetting regime. For the whole area irradiative processed samples θ decreased owed to an increase in polar component, γP. For all samples θ was a decreasing function of the surface energy. The laser whole area irradiative processed samples gave rise to a distinct correlative trend between the cell response, θ and γP. However, no strong relationship was determined for the laser-induced patterned samples due to the mixed-state wetting regime. As a result, owed to the relationships and evidence of cell differentiation one can deduce that laser whole area irradiative processing is an attractive technology for employment within regenerative medicine to meet the demands of an ageing population
Item banking with Rasch Measurement: An example for primary mathematics in Thailand
This study was conducted in Thailand to create a Mathematics item bank and a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) for the students to ‗interrogate‘ the bank. First, 290 multiple-choice test items on mathematical equations were created for an item bank. They consisted of nine aspects: (1) identifying an equation; (2) identifying the true equation; (3) identifying equations with an unknown; (4) finding the value of an unknown that satisfies the equation; (5) identifying a method to solve an equation; (6) finding the solutions to equations; (7) finding a solution to an equation related to a given condition; (8) selecting an equation converted from a verbal problem or a verbal problem related to an equation; and (9) solving an equation problem. Seven papers with 50 items each, containing 40 different items and 10 common items, were administered to 3,062 students of Year 6 (Prathom Suksa 6). There were 409, 413, 412, 400, 410, 408, and 610 students taking part in the 1st to the 7th tests respectively. The data were analysed with the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (RUMM 2010) computer program so that all the item difficulties were linked on the same linear scale along with the student measures of mathematical ability. Ninety-eight test items fitted the measurement model and were installed in the item bank. A computer program for CAT was created, tested, and modified after trialling. A controlled experiment involving the use of CAT with 400 Prathom Suksa 6 students from two primary schools in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, was implemented. Thai students were very supportive of the use of CAT with the mathematical item bank. They showed an interest in CAT and in extending the use of CAT to other subject areas with appropriately developed item banks
The Transition Probability of the -TAZRP (-Bosons) with Inhomogeneous Jump Rates
In this paper we consider the -deformed totally asymmetric zero range
process (-TAZRP), also known as the -boson (stochastic) particle system,
on the lattice, such that the jump rate of a particle depends on
the site where it is on the lattice. We derive the transition probability for
an particle process in Bethe ansatz form as a sum of -fold contour
integrals. Our result generalizes the transition probability formula by
Korhonen and Lee for -TAZRP with a homogeneous lattice, and our method
follows the same approach as theirs
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