An Investigative Study Toward the Development of a Crosslinked Porcine Xenograft Meniscus Total Replacement

Meniscus damage is very common and eventually leads to the deterioration of the entire knee joint. The goal of this study was to provide evidence that supports a proof of concept for a decellularized porcine meniscal xenograft to be used as a treatment method for meniscal injury as a partial or full meniscus transplant. This research adapted an antigen removal protocol for articular cartilage to produce decellularized xenografts in 48% of the time and with no significant difference in DNA content as other current methods. DNA and GAG content, and the compression moduli were significantly lower in the xenograft than the control, but collagen content remained the same. Tensile modulus and ultimate tensile stress were significantly higher for the xenograft than the control. Crosslinking analysis was performed and 0.2% genipin was found to have a significantly higher degree of crosslinking than the rest

Not Marching Now in Fields of Thrasymene : Producing Christopher Marlowe\u27s Doctor Faustus for the modern stage

This thesis offers theatre practitioners a method for approaching Christopher Marlowe’s performance texts. Doctor Faustus is offered as a case study. Within it I provide a brief account of Marlowe’s education, identifying the key influencing factors that led to his resultant compositions. A discussion of the variant texts of Doctor Faustus follows, which provides the reader with an understanding of the text and its context. Various approaches to the text are explored and reviewed in their degree of success. My purpose is to identify the most significant aspects of Marlowe’s text and to offer a method of approach to production which successfully communicates with modern audiences

Defoliation of the Invasive Tree Falcataria moluccana on Hawaii Island by the Native Koa Looper Moth (Geometridae: Scotorythra paludicola), and Evaluation of Five Fabaceous Trees as Larval Hostplants

The koa looper (Geometridae: Scotorythra paludicola) is an endemic Hawaiian moth whose caterpillars feed on Acacia koa, and experience occasional outbreaks, producing vast defoliations of forests. During an extensive and ongoing outbreak of this species on the island of Hawaii, patchy defoliation of Falcataria moluccana (“albizia”) was observed in the vicinity of Akaka Falls State Park, relatively distant from the main defoliation of koa, raising questions about the host range of the koa looper. To identify suitable host plants in the laboratory, we of- fered the koa looper foliage from five fabaceous tree species (A. koa, A. confusa, F. moluccana, Prosopis pallida, and Leucaena leucocephala), and recorded feeding and performance on these diets. Among the five tree species, only A. koa and F. moluccana were accepted as food; caterpillars on the other three species all died by the fifth day of the trial. Survival of the koa looper to pupation and adulthood on F. moluccana did not differ significantly from that on A. koa phyllodes, indicating that this tree is a suitable host, though it does not appear to be widely utilized in the field. Both oviposition preference and larval requirements are likely important determinants of the realized diet breadth for the koa looper. Additionally, develop- ment times at 19°C on A. koa and F. moluccana were nearly twice as long as at 23°C, highlighting the importance of temperature for development of this insect

Burning material behaviour in hypoxic environments: An experimental study examining a representative storage arrangement of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyethylene bubble wrap, and cardboard layers as a composite system

Cone calorimeter and controlled atmosphere cone calorimeter experiments were conducted on various samples. The intent of the tests was to examine the behavior of uniform and composite samples in a range of thicknesses, irradiances, and oxygen concentrations. Single, uniform layers of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) were compared to a composite mix, comprising of ABS with a surface layer of cardboard and a secondary layer of polyethylene bubble wrap (intended to represent a potential storage arrangement). The horizontal samples have been tested at irradiances of 25 and 50 kW/m2 and oxygen concentrations of 20.95%, 17%, and 15% to examine a range of significant variables. Results for the uniform arrangement indicated various correlations, previously observed in the works of others, such as the relationships typically described between applied heat flux, ignitability, heat release rate and the effect of the introduction of hypoxic conditions. However, results were shown to change significantly when samples were arranged to feature composite layers. A hypothesized cause of the behavioral change, namely the soot and char residual introduced from the incomplete combustion of the cardboard layer, highlights further important variables that require consideration in material testing under hypoxic conditions. Such variables, namely specific material behaviors and sample orientation, must be sufficiently captured in the design methodologies of systems reliant upon the introduction of hypoxic conditions. It is concluded that sufficiently capturing a wider range of variables in burning materials under hypoxic conditions will introduce further design resilience and help optimize fire protection/prevention methods

Concept for collision avoidance in machine tools based on geometric simulation and sensor data

Collisions are a major cause of unplanned downtime in small series manufacturing with machine tools. Existing solutions based on geometric simulation do not cover collisions due to setup errors. Therefore a concept is developed to enable a sensor-based matching of the setup with the simulation, thus detecting discrepancies. Image processing in the spatial and frequency domain is used to compensate for harsh conditions in the machine, including swarf, fluids and suboptimal illumination

Evaluating the Use of Tree Shelters for Direct Seeding of \u3cem\u3eCastanea\u3c/em\u3e on a Surface Mine in Appalachia

American chestnut (Castanea dentata), once a primary constituent of the eastern hardwood forest ecosystem, was nearly extirpated from the forest canopy by the accidental introduction of chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). An intensive breeding program has sought to breed blight resistance from Chinese chestnut into American chestnuts, while maintaining as much of the desirable American chestnut phenotypes as possible. Previous studies suggest that these blight resistant American chestnuts, termed “restoration chestnuts”, are capable of thriving on reclaimed surface mines. We direct seeded pure Chinese, pure American, and three backcross lines into brown sandstone minesoil on a mine site in Pike County, KY. To investigate the effects of tree sheltering on survival and growth, we installed tree shelters on half the plots, and left the rest of the plots unsheltered. Results indicated that shelters were highly effective at reducing initial mortality. In addition, while pure Chinese chestnut survival was highest, the three backcross lines have also survived well on this site. Our study demonstrates that American, Chinese, and backcrossed chestnuts can survive through five growing seasons on reclaimed surface mines with the use of tree shelters

Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems

The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion ∙yr−1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr−1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha−1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton" is provided in this record*

Regular Doses of Nature: The Efficacy of Green Exercise Interventions for Mental Wellbeing.

This study investigated the efficacy of medium-term Green Exercise (GE; being physically active within a natural environment) interventions for improving wellbeing, by pooling data collected at the start and end of participants' engagement with a range of GE interventions. Hypotheses were that (i) interventions would show good efficacy for improving wellbeing in the overall sample; (ii) compared to participants reporting 'average to high' wellbeing at the start of their project, participants with 'low' starting wellbeing would report greater improvements post-intervention; and (iii) improvements would significantly differ between age groups. The pooled dataset was categorized in line with UK norms (n = 318) and analyzed using a standardized meta-analysis approach. Effect size was large: g = 0.812 (95% CI [0.599, 1.025]), and differences in wellbeing changes associated with project duration, age or sex were not statistically significant. Compared to those reporting 'average-high' starting wellbeing, participants reporting 'low' starting wellbeing exhibited greater improvements (BCa 95% CI [-31.8, -26.5]), with 60.8% moving into the 'average-high' wellbeing category. GE can play an important role in facilitating wellbeing and can provide alternative pathways for health and social care practice. Public health commissioners should consider integrating such interventions for patients experiencing low wellbeing or associated comorbidities

Image segmentation and robust edge detection for collision avoidance in machine tools

Collisions are a major cause of unplanned downtime in small series manufacturing with machine tools. Existing solutions based on geometric simulation do not cover collisions due to setup errors. Therefore a solution is developed to compare camera images of the setup with the simulation, thus detecting discrepancies. The comparison focuses on the product being manufactured (workpiece) and the fixture holding the workpiece, thus the first step consists in segmenting the corresponding region of interest in the image. Subsequently edge detection is applied to the image to extract the relevant contours. Additional processing steps in the spatial and frequency domain are used to alleviate effects of the harsh conditions in the machine, including swarf, fluids and sub-optimal illumination. The comparison of the processed images with the simulation will be presented in a future publication