This work describes the application of porous metal supported Pd-membranes to the water-gas shift catalytic membrane reactor in the context of its potential application to the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) process. The objective of this work was to develop a better understanding of Pd-membrane fabrication techniques, water-gas shift catalytic membrane reactor operation, and long-term behavior of the Pd-membranes under water-gas shift conditions. Thin (1.5 - 16 um) Pd-membranes were prepared by electroless deposition techniques on porous metal supports by previously developed methods. Pd-membranes were installed into stainless steel modules and utilized for mixed gas separation (H2/inert, H2/H2O, dry syngas, and wet syngas) at 350 - 450C and 14.5 atma to investigate boundary layer mass transfer resistance and surface inhibition. Pd-membranes were also installed into stainless steel modules with iron-chrome oxide catalyst and tested under water-gas shift conditions to investigate membrane reactor operation in the high pressure (5.0 - 14.6 atma) and high temperature (300 - 500C) regime. After the establishment of appropriate operating conditions, long-term testing was conducted to determine the membrane stability through He leak growth analysis and characterization by SEM and XRD. Pd and Pd/Au-alloy membranes were also investigated for their tolerance to 1 - 20 ppmv of H2S in syngas over extended periods at 400C and 14.0 atma. Water-gas shift catalytic membrane reactor operating parameters were investigated with a focus on high pressure conditions such that high H2 recovery was possible without a sweep gas. With regard to the feed composition, it was desirable to operate at a low H2O/CO ratio for higher H2 recovery, but restrained by the potential for coke formation on the membrane surface, which occurred at a H2O/CO ratio lower than 2.6 at 400C. The application of the Pd-membranes resulted in high CO conversion and H2 recovery for the high temperature (400 - 500C) water-gas shift reaction which then enabled high throughput. Operating at high temperature also resulted in higher membrane permeance and less Pd-surface inhibition by CO and H2O. The water-gas shift catalytic membrane reactor was capable of stable CO conversion and H2 recovery (96% and 88% respectively) at 400C over 900 hours of reaction testing, and 2,500 hours of overall testing of the Pd-membrane. When 2 ppmv H2S was introduced into the membrane reactor, a stable CO conversion of 96% and H2 recovery of 78% were observed over 230 hours. Furthermore, a Pd90Au10-membrane was effective for mixed gas separation with up to 20 ppmv H2S present, achieving a stable H2 flux of 7.8 m3/m2-h with a moderate H2 recovery of 44%. The long-term stability under high pressure reaction conditions represents a breakthrough in Pd-membrane utilization.

Wet age related macular degeneration (wet AMD) is a highly debilitating retinal disease, the third leading cause of blindness in the world and one the most expensive ocular conditions to care for. Wet AMD is characterised by the proliferation of neovasculature through the retinal posterior and theorised to be, at least in part, induced and driven by excess vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Many current treatments for wet AMD utilise anti-VEGF macromolecules that bind to VEGF. The retina, however, remains a largely inaccessible, and delicate, anatomical region. Due to difficulties in collecting clinical and experimental data, mathematical modelling is playing an increasingly prominent role in understanding the distribution (Pharmacokinetics, PK) and drug-to-target interactions (Pharmacodynamics, PD) for treatments of wet AMD. This thesis will focus on ordinary/partial differential equation (ODE/PDE) models for the PK/PD of anti-VEGF therapeutics, administered via intravitreal (IVT) injection into the mammalian eye. We start in Chapter 2 with a 2-compartment PK/PD ODE model of drug-VEGF interactions in the eye, analysing a clinical dataset to estimate key binding parameters between VEGF and the typical anti-VEGF molecule, ranibizumab. In Chapter 3, we extend the PK ODE framework of the 2-compartment model to include a mechanistic description of the retina, to estimate retinal permeability to macromolecules used for treating wet AMD. In Chapter 4, using the retinal PK model, we reintroduce VEGF to predict concentrations of free VEGF in the retina post-IVT injection. Chapters 5 and 6 model a hypothetical class of anti-VEGF molecules designed to bind not only VEGF but also existing vitreal superstructures, analysing how dose and binding kinetics impact ocular retention. Alongside these models we present analogous PDE models, addressing whether the assumption that concentrations are homogeneous across anatomical regions, as implicit in ODE models, is appropriate for macromolecular PK/PD in the mammalian eye.

Tato diplomová práce je primárně zaměřena na problematiku projeků vývoje nového výrobku (NPD). Cílem je analyzovat problematiku vývoje nového výrobku, jakožto samostatné disciplíny projektového řízení. Dále představit a podrobněji popsat, u nás méně známý, nástroj pro podporu a koordinaci projektů PD-Trak? a analyzovat podporu jeho funkcí metodikou PMBOK. Nástroj je přímo určen pro projekty NPD. Nakonec se budu věnovat vývoji nového výrobku ve společnosti Opavia-Lu a.s. a srovnání této metodiky vývoje s metodikou PMBOK.

This thesis investigates the mechanisms that underlie the interaction of gesture and speech during the production and comprehension of language on a temporal and semantic level. The results from the two gesture-speech production experiments provide unambiguous evidence that gestural content is shaped online by the ways in which speakers package information into planning units in speech rather than being influenced by how events are lexicalised. In terms of gesture-speech synchronisation, a meta-analysis of these experiments showed that lexical items which are semantically related to the gesture's content (i.e., semantic affiliates) compete for synchronisation when these affiliates are separated within a sentence. This competition leads to large proportions of gestures not synchronising with any semantic affiliate. These findings demonstrate that gesture onset can be attracted by lexical items that do not co-occur with the gesture. The thesis then tested how listeners process gestures when synchrony is lost and whether preceding discourse related to a gesture's meaning impacts gesture interpretation and processing. Behavioural and ERP results show that gesture interpretation and processing is discourse dependent. Moreover, the ERP experiment demonstrates that when synchronisation between gesture and semantic affiliate is not present the underlying integration processes are different from synchronous gesture-speech combinations.

No description available.

The purpose was to investigate some aspects of epidemiology, risk factors and treatment with ECT in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). In study I, we performed a descriptive epidemiologic population-based survey in the Central Health Care District in Östergötland in south-east Sweden, with a population of almost 150,000 inhabitants 1989. The case finding was accomplished in three ways: 1. Collection of all prescriptions for Parkinson’s disease. 2. Search in medical files. 3. Checking with all nursing homes in the area. The crude prevalence was found to be 115 per 100,000 inhabitants. When we used the European Standard Population as a tool for easy comparisons of PD prevalence between different areas and time periods 76 PD-cases per 100,000 inhabitants were found. The corresponding incidences were 11.0 (crude) and 7.9 (age standardised) per 100,000 person-years. Mean age at onset was 65.6. A low prevalence and a high age at onset suggested that e.g. environmental factors could influence the occurrence of PD, and the results implies that only few such factors were present in the investigated area. The findings led to study II, a case-control study which investigated the possible impact of nutritional and environmental risk factors for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IP), including 113 cases and 263 control subjects. Dietary, drinking, and smoking habits, as well as previous occupation, were requested in a structured questionnaire. No increased risk was found for any of the nutrients. A reduced risk was found for coffee, wine, and spirits but also for broiled meat, smoked ham or meat, eggs, French loaf or white bread, and tomatoes. These findings could indicate an antioxidant effect. Frequency of preceding and present smoking was reduced in IP patients. Possible mechanisms are discussed. Various occupational groups and exposures were analysed and increased risks of IP in men were found for agricultural work, pesticide exposure, male carpenters, and in female cleaners. In advanced PD there is a need for further therapeutic improvements, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one insufficiently explored and evaluated method. In study III ECT 16 non-depressed, nondemented PD patients with advanced disease were treated with ECT. In all patients an antiparkinsonian effect of ECT was seen, lasting between a few days and 18 months. Five patients, all with signs of blood brain barrier damage, developed transitory mental confusion after ECT. The results indicated that ECT could cause increased dopaminergic activity, which led us to study IV. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the cocaine analogue [123I]-β-CIT was used in order to visualise dopaminergic neurones in the brain. Six patients with PD were examined before and after a series of ECT, and in three cases SPECT was also repeated after one year. The side-to-side difference in the radiotracer uptake was found to be significantly lower in striatum located contralaterally to the part of the body with most pronounced symptomatology. No significant change in uptake of [123I]-β-CIT was seen after ECT, although all patients improved and the most pronounced improvement was seen in patients with less advanced PD. Study V points at two new positive observations with maintenance ECT (MECT). i.e. repeated ECT treatment of PD. One patient had either severe mental side effects on higher L-dopa doses or intolerable parkinsonian symptoms on lower doses. MECT implied marked improvement in parkinsonian symptoms without mental side effects. Another PD patient, who also had a mental depression, showed slight improvement of motor symptoms on a series of ECT. When treated with MECT further antiparkinsonian effects were seen. / On the day of the public defence the status of the article IV was: Submitted; articel V was: Accepted for publication after revision.

Rock grouting is performed to decrease the hydraulic conductivity around underground structures, such as tunnels and caverns. Cement grouts are often used and pumped into joint and fractures of the rock formation. Piston type pumps are mostly used for high pressure rock grouting. A pulsation effect is inevitable when using this type of pump due to the movement of the piston. The effect of this pulsation on rock grouting is yet to be known but believed to be benefi-cial for the penetration of the grout. Current flow meters used in the field are not accu-rate enough to determine the fluctuation of the flow rate when it is less than 1 l/min. In addition, currently available flow meters measure the average of the flow over a cer-tain period of time, hence the true fluctuation of the flow rate due to the pulsation of the piston remains unknown. In this paper, a new methodology, the so called ‘Ultrasound Velocity Profiling – Pressure Difference’ (UVP+PD) method has been introduced to show the pulsation effect when using a piston type pump. The feasibility of this method was successfully investigated for the direct in-line determination of the rheological properties of micro cement based grouts under field conditions (Rahman &amp; Håkansson, 2011). Subse-quently, it was also found that this method can be very efficient to measure the fluctu-ation of the flow rate for different types of pumps. From a grouting point of view the UVP+PD method can be used to synchronize the pressure and flow of a piston type pump by measuring the pulsation effect. Conse-quently it can be used as a tool for the efficiency and quality control of different types of pumps. / <p>QC 20121221</p>

En esta tesis se han sintetizado pirazoles 1,3,5-sustituidos con grupos fenilo, piridilo y metilo en las posiciones 3,5 y grupos alquilalcohol y alquilpoliéter en la posición N1 (CH2CH2OH, (CH2CH2O)nCH3; n=3,4).Se ha estudiado la complejación de algunos de los ligandos 1,3,5-sustituidos, previamente sintetizados, con &#61531;MCl2(CH3CN)2&#61533;, (M= Pd(II), Pt(II)) y &#61531;Pd(CH3COO)2&#61533;3. Se ha estudiado la reactividad de algunos de los complejos de Pd(II) y Pt(II) sintetizados, con distintas sales de Ag(I), a fin de obtener diferentes entornos para estos metales. El conjunto de ligandos y complejos sintetizados se han caracterizado por análisis elemental, conductividad, espectroscopia de IR y RMN de 1H, 13C&#61563;1H&#61565;, MC, COSY, NOESY, espectrometría de masas, espectroscopia UV-Vis y difracción de Rayos X en monocristal siempre que sea posible.Aplicaciones:Se han realizado estudios con algunos de los ligandos pirazólicos 1,3,5-sustituidos con el fin de evaluarlos como ionóforos, formando parte de Electrodos Selectivos a Iones (Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+).Además, se han estudiado algunos complejos de Pd(II) y Pt(II) como nuevos anticancerígenos, a fin de evaluar la influencia del metal así como de los diferentes entornos del metal. / In this thesis, several ligands have been synthesized, including pyrazole derived ligands with phenyl, pyridyl, and methyl moieties in 3 and 5 positions of the pyrazole ring and alkyl-alcohol and alkyl-polyether moieties in position N1 (CH2CH2OH, (CH2CH2O)nCH3; n = 3, 4).Complexation of some of these ligands has been studied towards Pd(II) and Pt(II). Initial complexes used were &#61531;MCl2(CH3CN)2&#61533;, (M = Pd(II), Pt(II)) and &#61531;Pd(CH3COO)2&#61533;3.Reactivity on some of these Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes has been performed, forcing the precipitation of the chloride ligands with several Ag(I) complexes.All the ligands and complexes obtained in this thesis were characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, spectroscopy of UV-vis, IR and NMR (1H, 13C, HMQC, COSY, NOESY...), mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystal diffraction (when possible).Some of the ligands have been used as ionopheres in Ion Selective Electrodes (Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+).Furthermore, some of the Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes were studied as potential anti-carcinogenic, with special attention to the influence of the metal complex.

Modern motion controllers of robot manipulators require knowledge of the system's dynamics in order to intelligently predict the torque command. The main objective for this thesis is to apply various motion controllers on a parallel direct drive robot in simulations and verify if one can take advantage of the model knowledge to improve performance of controllers. The controllers used in this thesis varied from simple PD control with position and velocity reference only applied independently at each joint to more advanced PD control with full dynamic feedforward term and computed torque control, which incorporate full dynamic knowledge of the manipulator. In the first part, a thorough study of deriving dynamic equation using Lagrange formulation has been presented as well as the actual derivation of dynamic equations for MINGUS2000. Next, in order to prepare proper sets of inputs for the simulations, detailed discussions of end effector trajectory path planning and inverse kinematics determination have been presented. Finally, background theories of various controllers used in this thesis have been presented and their simulation results on the closed-chain direct drive robot have been compared for verification purposes.

This work investigates the influence of gate-induced floating body effect (GIFBE) on negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) in partial depleted silicon-on-insulator p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (PD-SOI p-MOSFETs). The results indicate GIFBE causes a reduction in the electrical oxide field, leading to an underestimate of NBTI degradation. This can be attributed to the electrons tunneling from the process-induced partial n+ poly gate, and at higher voltages is dominated by the proposed anode electron injection (AEI) model. Moreover, when introducing the mechanical strain to PD-SOI p-MOSFETs result in decreasing the NBTI degradation for BC and FB devices, because increase of effective mass of hole and barrier height to decrease the probability of reaction of NBTI. The degradation of NBTI on FB device less than BC device because of strain-induced band gap narrowing to substrate and p+ poly gate, resulting in the rising of rate of impact ionization in AEI model to increase the accumulation of electrons on body. After that, giving the drain voltage in NBTI stress, the threshold voltage, Vth, shift decreases as drain voltage (VD) rising within the stress condition of VD= -1V. This phenomenon can be attributed to the shorter effective reaction time of hole and Si-H bonds after applying drain voltage during NBTI stress. However, beyond the condition at VD= -1V, the Vth shift rises as the drain voltage increasing. This behavior is resulted from the self-heating effect induced by the higher stress VD to increase the degradation of NBTI.