The developments of nuclear medicine lead to an increasing demand for the production of radioisotopes with suitable nuclear and chemical properties. Furthermore, from the literature it is evident that the production of radioisotopes using charged-particle accelerators instead of nuclear reactors is gaining increasing popularity. The main advantages of producing medical isotopes with accelerators are carrier free radionuclides of short lived isotopes, improved handling, reduction of the radioactive waste, and lower cost of isotope fabrication. Proton-rich isotopes are the result of nuclear interactions between enriched stable isotopes and energetic protons. An interesting observation is that during the production of proton-rich isotopes, fast and intermediately fast neutrons from nuclear reactions such as (p,xn) are also produced as a by-product in the nuclear reactions. This observation suggests that it is perhaps possible to use these neutrons to activate secondary targets for the production of neutron-rich isotopes. The study of secondary radioisotope production with fast neutrons from (p,xn) reactions using a particle accelerator is the main goal of the research in this thesis.

Background: Current research has demonstrated that aspirin and fish oil (EFA) increase plasma levels of specialized pro-resolution molecules (SPMs). This study investigates their effects on SPM precursor pools in platelet rich fibrin (PRF). Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to take aspirin; EFA or aspirin and EFA. Four hours later, SPM precursor levels were quantified using combined Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The differences between the groups: Aspirin (yes or no), EFA (yes or no), were analyzed by ANCOVA, testing for group differences after covarying out the baseline value. Results: There were 4 significant interactions, 1 with an aspirin effect, 2 with an EFA effect, and 64 with no difference between the groups. The significant interaction effect was found for the following lipidome: LPE(20:4), LPI(16:1), LPI(18:1), and LPI(20:3). Aspirin decreased the LPG(16:4) levels, and EFA decreased the LPE(22:5) and PG(16:0/18:0) lipidomes. Conclusions: Some SPM precursor pools in PRF were increased following supplementation.

Class of 2009 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the project was to identify two technologies from INAOE, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica Optica y Electronica (INAOE) located in Puebla, Mexico, that were close to market and develop a feasibility study for those technologies in a 10 week time frame. METHODS: Open submission from INAOE researchers was allowed for two weeks. Following open submission a weighted criteria matrix was developed to identify the top eight technologies. Interviews were conducted with the top eight primary researchers and their laboratories over a one week period. Voting was conducted to determine the final two technologies. Research was conducted to analyze and identify the market, provide a business and financial model, and provide recommendations. RESULTS: Results are from the feasibility study of the silicon rich oxide UV sensor one of the two technologies selected. Market: Five markets were identified with combined annual production of approximately 3.5 million sensors per year and an annual expected growth rate of 9.1%. Average selling price of a commercially available UV sensor was approximately $35 per unit. Average selling price for the INOAE was estimated to be $18 per unit. Financial: A financial analysis for a start-up venture to sell and manufacture the sensor estimated gross sales in year 1 to be $2.7M, with a net profit $427K, and EBITDA $719K. The target market share of 2%, effective tax rate 40%, market risk premium 10%, discount rate (Wacc) 20.1%, and no debt was used. Start-up costs included a net investment of $279K. A licensing model $150K with 3% royalty fees from revenue was also considered. CONCLUSIONS: Research and information uncovered in the feasibility study supported a move to patent and license the UV sensor technology and move away from creating a new start-up. A thorough market analysis coupled with a conservative financial analysis allowed for the final decision. Five months from the start of the project, a licensing agreement was signed by INOAE and Impulsora Tack for a deal worth $500K, the first licensing agreement ever for the institute. Another first were patents for the technology, never before were any technologies patented by INOAE since its foundation in 1971. This project was made possible by a grant from the Brown Foundation.

In striving to produce high quality cast components from recycled aluminium alloys,imperfections have to be considered, because recycled aluminium usually containsmore of it. However, there are great energy savings to be made by using recycledaluminium; as little as 5% of the energy needed for primary aluminium productionmay be required. High quality castings are dependent on, besides alloy chemistry, bothmelt quality and the casting process; the focus of this work is related to the meltquality.This thesis aims to increase knowledge about imperfections, foremost about Fe-richparticles, oxides/bifilms, and porosity. Experiments were performed at industrialfoundry facilities and in a laboratory environment. Melt quality was evaluated byproducing samples with the reduced pressure test (RPT), from which both densityindex (DI) and bifilm index (BI) could be measured, results that were related to tensiletest properties. Data from tensile test samples were analysed, and fracture surfacesand cross sections were studied in both light microscope and in scanning electronmicroscope (SEM). For the purpose of investigating nucleation of primary Fe-richparticles (sludge) differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used.In the analysis of results, a correlation between the morphology of particles and tensileproperties were found. And elongated Fe-rich β-particles were seen to fracturethrough cleavage towards the centre. However, DI and BI have not been possible torelate to tensile properties.The nucleation temperature of primary Fe-rich particles were found to increase withincreased Fe, Mn, and Cr contents, i.e. the sludge factor (SF), regardless of cooling rate.For a set SF, an increase of cooling rate will decrease the nucleation temperature.

This thesis seeks to expand the self-critical resources of contemporary theological economic ethics by bringing the method of a pre-modern theologian and social commentator, Martin Luther (1483-1546), into interaction with that of a modern contribution to social ethics, the Swiss theologian Arthur Rich (1910-92). This thesis is the first substantial treatment in English of Rich’s magnum opus, Wirtschaftsethik. The demonstration of the thesis is undertaken by a close engagement with a selected publication of Luther (his 1519/20 Großer Sermon von dem Wucher) and of Rich (his masterwork, Wirtschaftsethik, published in two volumes in 1984 and 1990 respectively). The thesis does not simply describe Luther’s and Rich’s economic ethics, but demonstrates the way in which they operate, that is, their method. An introduction sets out the thesis, and defends its method. Chapter 1 introduces Luther’s sermon on usury, and situates it in its context. It then gives a commentary on Luther’s method, discussing its genre, the way in which Luther deploys Scripture and exploits doctrines with respect to ethics, and his concept of the twofold government of God. It analyses how Luther brings these theological motifs to bear on a particular economic question. Chapter 2 sketches Arthur Rich’s life and work, and presents Rich’s method as set out in Wirtschaftsethik. It discusses his understanding of ethics, his approach to Scripture, and his adoption of the thought of Max Weber and John Rawls. Chapter 3 brings our study of Luther to bear on Rich’s approach, noting strengths and weaknesses of Rich’s method. It questions some of Rich’s assumptions, and notes ways in which a more self-critical approach could have made his project more successful. A conclusion then summarises the argument, and makes tentative suggestions as to the wider applicability of the critical questions posed to Rich’s method by the analysis of Luther.

Grazing is widely used as a tool in conservation management. Many plant communities of conservation importance are dependent on grazing for their existence, maintenance of species diversity and other valued characteristics. Plant community response to grazing depends on many factors, including site productivity and dominant plant species; setting appropriate grazing levels can therefore be challenging. The problems are magnified when more than one species or plant community is the target of conservation goals as they may need different levels of grazing. Where multiple plant communities are present in a mosaic, grazing pressure on the higher productivity community (usually the more attractive to herbivores) can affect the utilisation of the lower productivity communities: grazing on the less productive community is elevated in close proximity (a few metres) to the productive community. This increases the possibility of conflict in managing grazing for the conservation of both communities as low productivity communities can sustain only low levels of grazing. Less well studied are the effect of community layout at larger spatial scales (100s – 1000s of metres) and the effect of vegetation pattern on grazing on the productive community. It is also not well known how the spatial pattern of grazing is affected by changes in herbivore density. I investigated the consequences of the spatial pattern of plant communities and changing herbivore density for grazing patterns on a complex multi-community mosaic and assessed the probable consequence for conservation of these plant communities. The plant mosaic comprised a mixture of species-rich grassland and several less productive communities, primarily heaths and bogs; the main grazers were red deer (Cervus elaphus). The grassland needs higher grazing levels than the others to meet management goals. I used small scale experiments to investigate the effects of reducing grazing on grassland and how the effects varied within the grassland community. Elimination of grazing caused a rapid switch from short, herb-rich grassland towards a graminoid dominated, less diverse sward, as expected. The degree of change in diversity and herb cover was dependent on productivity. Experimental reduction in grazing had mixed consequences for grassland in relation to conservation goals due to pre-existing variation in intensity of grazing on the grassland. The condition of areas of initially heavily grazed and short vegetation improved, whilst taller grasslands deteriorated. Analysis of large-scale datasets was used to investigate the influence of spatial pattern of community types and differences in large scale deer density on the distribution of grazing. There was increased grazing pressure on less productive plant communities where grassland was abundant within 1km and this was fairly consistent across communities and across different grazing indicators. There was an effect on grazing levels on grassland, but the explanatory power was generally lower and the effect less consistently present across indicators of grazing. Sward height and litter depth measures from one dataset indicated heavier grazing with more grassland present nearby (250m); however, lower grazing pressure was indicated by sward height and a combined grazing index when there was more grassland in a more distant zone (500-1000m). Deer density had limited power to explain large scale variation in impacts, probably due to the coarse scale of the information available and correlation with other variables. This limited the ability to thoroughly test the consequences of changes in deer density on the spatial pattern of impacts or investigate whether there was an interaction between deer density and spatial pattern. The inherent conflict in conservation management of grazed communities of different productivities is increased by the influence of the spatial distribution of plant communities on the distribution of grazing; conservation management goals need to account for this and identify a suitable trade-off.

The field of tissue engineering aims to develop viable substitutes with the ability to repair and regenerate the functions of damaged tissue. Common practices to supplement bone regeneration in larger defects include bone graft biomaterials such as autografts, allografts, xenografts, and synthetic biomaterials. Autologous bone grafting is the current gold-standard procedure used to replace missing or damaged bone. However, these grafts have disadvantages such as donor site morbidity, limited availability, and the need for a secondary surgery. The focus of this study is to tissue engineer a lyophilized gelatin composite sponge composed of hydroxyapatite (HA), chitin whiskers (CW), and preparations rich in growth factors (PRGF) to provide sufficient structural support to the defect site while enhancing the body’s own reparative capacity, ultimately eliminating the need for autologous tissue harvesting or repeat operations. The present study investigates several in vitro evaluations on multiple compositions of modified gelatin sponge scaffolds for use in bone graft applications. Gelatin sponges were fabricated via freeze-drying, enhanced with PRGF, HA, and/or CW, and cross-linked with 50 mM 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) either during or post gelation. Initial evaluation of all scaffold combinations indicated that scaffolds released contents up to 90 days, EDC cross-linking during gelation allowed for more protein release, and had the ability to swell. Since the incorporation of PRGF, HA, and CW increased cell infiltration, and production of cell-created mineral matrix over 90 days in culture, these scaffolds were further characterized. Freeze-dried gelatin sponges enhanced with PRGF, HA, and CW and cross-linked during gelation with EDC (PHCE) were mineralized (M) in 5x revised simulated body fluid (r-SBF) for 1 hour to create a bone-like mineral surface. Gelatin EDC scaffold controls (GE), GE-M, PHCE, and PHCE-M scaffolds were characterized for their ability to swell, mineralizing potential, surface morphology, growth factor incorporation and release, uniaxial compression properties, and cell attachment, proliferation, infiltration, and protein/cytokine secretion.. After mineralization, scanning electron microscopy showed sparse clusters of mineral deposition for GE-M scaffolds while PHCE-M scaffolds exhibited a more uniform mineral deposition. Both GE and PHCE scaffolds were porous structures that swelled up to 50% of their original volume upon hydration. Over 21 days incubation, PHCE-M scaffolds cumulatively released about 30% of their original protein content, significantly more than all other scaffolds. Multiplex Luminex assays confirmed the successful incorporation of PRGF growth factors within PRGF sponges. For acellular uniaxial compression testing, PHCE-M scaffolds reported lower Young’s modulus values (1.3 - 1.6 MPa) when compared to GE and GE-M scaffolds (1.6 – 3.2 MPa). These low modulus values were comparable to values of tissue found in early stages of bone healing. DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining and imaging showed an increase in initial cell attachment and infiltration of PHCE and PHCE-M scaffolds on day 1. GE-M scaffolds also appeared to attach more cells than the GE control. MTS cell proliferation assay results indicated that on days 4 and 7, PHCE scaffolds increased cell proliferation (compared to GE controls). MTS also illustrated that the addition of a mineral coating increases and decreases cell proliferation on GE-M and PHCE-M scaffolds, respectively. Multiplexer analysis of MG-63 protein/cytokine secretion suggests that cells are responding in a bone regenerative fashion on all scaffolds, as evidence of osteocalcin secretion. Little to no secretion of osteopontin, IL-1β, and TNF-α demonstrates that scaffolds are not influencing cells to secrete factors associated with bone resorption. The compressive mechanical properties of cellularized scaffolds did not differ much from acellular scaffolds. The collective results indicated increased cellular attachment, infiltration, and bone regenerative protein/cytokine secretion by cells on GE-M scaffolds, which support the addition of a bone-like mineral surface on GE scaffolds. Cellularized PHCE and PHCE-M scaffolds report similar advantages as well as Young’s modulus values in the range of native tissues present in the early stages of bone healing. The results of this study propose that the developed PHCE and PHCE-M scaffolds exhibit good cellular responses and mechanical properties for use in early bone healing applications.

School districts continue to integrate emerging technologies and expectations for 21st century teaching and learning. This movement began with release of Goals 2000 (1994) and has continued through National Education Technology Plan (2010) that noted the “challenge for our education system is to leverage technology to create relevant learning experiences that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures.” In order to meet that challenge, schools must enlist teachers who are prepared to teach 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom. Teacher education programs also need to align their preparation models to prepare teachers for that challenge. There are a variety of models – stand-alone instructional technology courses, online courses, content methods courses, practicum and student teaching experiences – used to achieve this. Several grant programs provided financial support in the early 21st century to help institutions implement new models of instruction for preservice teachers. Also, several frameworks emerged to guide classroom instruction as teachers implemented 21st century skills into technology-rich classrooms. The purpose of the current study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness to teach 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom. The study was driven by research questions which sought to understand (a) teacher preparation models in the areas of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, (b) teachers’ perceptions of their teacher education programs effectiveness for teaching 21st century skills in the technology-rich classroom, (c) teachers’ feelings of efficacy and self-confidence for first-year implementation, and (d) if relationships exist between particular teacher preparation models and teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness and adequacy. A mixed method design was used to explore the research questions. Twenty-nine first-year high school teachers in a technology-rich school district with a framework for 21st century skills integration participated in a survey. Six teachers participated in follow-up focus groups at the end of their first-year of teaching. The researcher used quantitative analysis for the survey and qualitative coding for the focus group interviews. The two analyses were reported together to develop findings in response to the research questions.

Grazing management is very popular nowadays and number of sites with grazing animals with the aim of restoring the sites is steadily growing. All the effects of grazing on grazed grasslands are not elucidated yet. This thesis focused mainly on the contribution of zoochory to restoration of species rich grasslands on stands cleared from Robinia pseudoacacia and stands cleared from Prunus spinosa brushwood. For the purpose of monitoring changes in vegetation, permanent plots have been established. In order to identify sources of new species occurring in permanent plots, inventory of species growing in neighbourhood of the permanent plots has been done, samples of soil seed bank, sheep buttons and seeds from sheep wool have been germinated in a greenhouse. Monitoring of permanent plots showed reduced regrowth of R. pseudoacacia and P. spinosa. We have also found that greater changes in species composition occurred in more degraded stands than in stands better-preserved. Germinating experiments proved soil seed bank being mainly the image of aboveground vegetation with minor importance to restoration of species rich grasslands. On the other hand sheep seem to be of great use for dispersal of seeds both by epizoochory and endozoochory when walking between different stands. This finding is of great importance for...

Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are periods in Earth's history when oceans were depleted in dissolved oxygen and characterized by deposition of organic-rich sediments. The Oceanic Drilling Program (ODP) has drilled through OAEs in a number of areas worldwide, collecting core and borehole log data. This project attempts to identify a characteristic signature from known ODP OAE sections using these data and to apply the signature to identify OAE intervals in Gulf of Mexico wells where cores are lacking. Additionally, pseudo density curves were generated from ODP logs and compared to bulk density logs to determine if the deviation between the two would aid identification of OAE intervals. A general, though not fool proof, signature of high gamma ray, uranium, neutron porosity and low density was seen in nearly all of the ODP holes. Using this signature 20 potential OAE intervals were identified in the Gulf of Mexico.