A retarding potential analyzer (RPA) is being developed at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics to build expertise in designing plasma particle instruments measuring currents. This thesis presents the results of the project. First, a literature survey of RPAs was conducted to support the IRF’s working group in critical design choices. Subsequently, a 3D CAD model was designed by the mechanical engineering department. This model was used to perform ion optical simulations to investigate the behavior of the instrument. The simulations showed that potentials at the walls drastically affect the trajectories of charged particles in the instrument. Consequently, the instrument’s response diverges from simple analytical models. An effort was made to adapt these models to better describe the observed response. The instrument was also manufactured from the computeraided design (CAD) model by the institute’s own workshop. After fit-checking and thorough cleaning, the parts were assembled in a clean environment. Subsequently, the instrument was tested with an ion beam in the IRF’s vacuum chamber. The instrument exhibited an extremely low noise level and was successfully used to measure the ion beam. The measurements confirmed the instrument was performing as expected and allowed for an energy analysis of the ion beam. Furthermore, the high temporal resolution of the instrument enabled a closer inspection of fluctuations in the beam current. Overall, the project showed the IRF’s capability to rapidly design, manufacture, integrate, and test plasma instruments. It serves as the basis for future iterations of the instrument, optimizations, advanced simulations, and the development of an ion drift meter to complement the measurements by enabling directional observations.

Tesis por compendio / Las frutas y hortalizas presentan compuestos bioactivos beneficiosos para la salud humana. El desarrollo de variedades con un mayor contenido en este tipo de compuestos es de interés, ya que contribuye a satisfacer una demanda creciente por parte de los consumidores por productos con propiedades funcionales. Dentro de las hortalizas, la berenjena (Solanum melongena) presenta una alta actividad antioxidante, fundamentalmente derivada de su alto contenido en polifenoles, y se ha demostrado que presenta efectos beneficiosos para la salud humana. Entre los compuestos fenólicos de la berenjena destaca el ácido clorogénico, ya que se trata del más abundante en este cultivo y presenta múltiples propiedades beneficiosas para la salud. Esta Tesis Doctoral trata de la caracterización y mejora de la berenjena para obtener información relevante y material vegetal para el desarrollo de variedades de berenjena con un mayor contenido en compuestos bioactivos, en particular polifenoles. Para ello utilizamos la variación intraespecífica e interespecífica. Por otra parte, en una mejora integral se debe tener en cuenta no solo el carácter a mejorar, sino también aquellos caracteres de interés para el éxito de una variedad, por lo que también hemos estudiado otros caracteres relacionados con el incremento del contenido en polifenoles, como puede ser el pardeamiento del fruto, y así como otros caracteres de interés general en mejora. En una primera parte de esta Tesis Doctoral nos centramos en el estudio de la diversidad en berenjena común y especies relacionadas para los caracteres objeto de esta tesis y también para caracteres de interés agronómico. El objetivo es evaluar la diversidad, identificar fuentes de variación y estudiar las relaciones entre caracteres. En un primer estudio, evaluamos una colección de variedades tradicionales de berenjena, en la cual hemos encontrado una alta diversidad para caracteres de calidad funcional y pardeamiento. En este estudio encontramos que el contenido en ácido clorogénico está correlacionado positivamente con la actividad antioxidante y que la correlación con el pardeamiento es baja, demostrando que es posible seleccionar variedades de berenjena con alto contenido en ácido clorogénico y pardeamiento moderado. También comprobamos que incluso con baja actividad polifenol oxidasa (PPO) se puede producir pardeamiento significativo, sugiriendo que la actividad PPO no es el factor limitante para el pardeamiento en la colección estudiada. Con objeto de ampliar la diversidad genética de la berenjena para la mejora de compuestos bioactivos y otros caracteres de importancia hemos estudiado la diversidad en una colección de berenjenas escarlata (S. aethiopicum) y gboma (S. macrocarpon). La caracterización morfológica mediante descriptores convencionales y herramientas fenómicas (Tomato Analyzer) nos ha permitido estudiar las relaciones entre los distintos grupos de cultivares y especies silvestres relacionadas y determinar que los complejos berenjena escarlata y gboma son hipervariables. En esta colección hemos estudiado también la actividad reductora y el contenido en ácido clorogénico, encontrado una enorme variabilidad. En general, la berenjena escarlata presenta contenidos relativamente bajos, mientras que la berenjena gboma, en particular su ancestro silvestre S. dasyphyllum, presentan valores muy elevados. También hemos comprobado en cultivos celulares de macrófagos que las variedades con mayor contenido en ácido clorogénico presentan una mayor inhibición de la producción de óxido nítrico (NO) indicando propiedades beneficiosas para la salud. En la segunda parte de la Tesis Doctoral hemos evaluado el interés de la hibridación interespecífica para la mejora de la berenjena, en particular para el contenido en compuestos bioactivos. Hemos obtenido dos familias, incluyendo retrocruzamientos, entre la berenjena común (S. melongena) por una parte y la berenjena escarlata cultivada (S. aethiopicum) y la especie silvestre S. incanum por otra. Los resultados muestran que la fertilidad de los materiales derivados de la hibridación entre S. melongena y S. aethiopicum es baja y que se obtiene una baja eficiencia en los retrocruzamientos hacia S. melongena. Además, el bajo contenido en polifenoles de S. aethiopicum se comporta como dominante. En cambio el retrocruzamiento hacia S. aethiopicum proporciona muchas plantas con mayores niveles de fertilidad. Sugerimos, por tanto, que S. melongena puede ser una fuente de variación para la mejora en contenido en polifenoles de la berenjena escarlata. La familia obtenida por hibridación interespecífica entre S. melongena y S. incanum mostró altos niveles de fertilidad y en el primer retrocruce hacia S. melongena se encuentran individuos morfológicamente similares a la Resumen berenjena cultivada. El estudio de los compuestos fenólicos mostró que S. incanum es una buena fuente de variación para la mejora de la berenjena común, con valores muy superiores a los de la especie cultivada. En el primer retrocruce se encuentran ya individuos con alto contenido en ácido clorogénico y pardeamiento moderado, lo cual sugiere que es posible introgresar exitosamente el alto contenido en ácido clorogénico de S. incanum en el fondo genético de la berenjena cultivada. En definitiva, los trabajos realizados en esta Tesis Doctoral aportan nuevo conocimiento sobre la diversidad y relaciones entre caracteres implicados en la calidad funcional de la berenjena y otros caracteres de interés en la mejora genética de este cultivo. Los materiales seleccionados y obtenidos son de gran interés para el desarrollo de variedades comerciales de berenjena con propiedades bioactivas mejoradas. / Plazas Ávila, MDLO. (2015). Caracterización y mejora genética de la berenjena (Solanum melongena) para compuestos bioactivos [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/48563 / Compendio

Hematology analyzers can be used for screening patients for blood abnor-malities. The techniques used in a hematology analyzer include impedanceanalysis, flow cytometry and spectroscopy, which allow for measuring of forexample absolute count, sizes and concentration of different cells in a patient’sblood sample. Hyperlipidemia, which refers to elevated blood lipid levels, isthe primary cause of heart-related illness and fatalities in today’s developedor developing countries. Currently, blood lipid levels are not measured as aparameter with hematology analyzers. Since hematology analyzers allow for arapid general screening of blood parameters, an area of interest is therefore tobe able to measure blood lipids with a hematology analyzer. Thus, this studyaims to investigate the possibility of detecting and measuring blood lipids witha hematology analyzer, using flow cytometry and/or spectrophotometry. In order to investigate this possibility, two simulating methods were conductedwhere in the first method Intralipid 20% was mixed with saline into sampleswith different lipid concentrations. In the second method, diluent wasused instead of saline. Lastly a Correlation study was performed whereIntralipid 20% was mixed with donor blood to prepare samples with differentlipid concentrations. All samples were then analyzed in a hematologyanalyser and scatter plots from flow cytometry and light absorption datafrom spectrophotometry measurements were obtained. The methods showedthat there is a strong correlation between number of detected pulse countsfrom the scatter plots and lipid concentration. Same applies to lightabsorption compared to the lipid concentration of the samples, measured withspectrophotometry. The results from this study show that it is in fact possible to detect andmeasure blood lipid levels with a hematology analyser using flow cytometryand spectrophotometry. Further development within this area could thereforeenable simple screening of this additional parameter and early detection ofindications of hyperlipidemia. / Hematologianalysatorer möjliggör screening av eventuella avvikelser ipatienters blood. De tekniker som används i en hematologianalysatorinkluderar impedansanalys, flödescytometri och spektroskopi, vilka möj-liggör mätning av till exempel absolutantal, storlekar och koncentrationav olika celler i ett patientblodprov. Hyperlipidemi, vilket hänvisar tillförhöjda blodlipidnivåer, är den främsta orsaken till hjärtrelaterade sjukdomaroch dödsfall i dagens utvecklade eller utvecklingsländer. För närvarandemäts inte blodlipidnivåer som en parameter med hematologianalysatorer.Eftersom hematologianalysatorer möjliggör en snabb allmän screening avblodparametrar, är ett intresseområde därför att kunna mäta blodlipider meden hematologianalysator. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersökamöjligheten att detektera och mäta blodlipider med en hematologianalysator,med hjälp av flödescytometri och/eller spektrofotometri. Två simuleringsmetoder genomfördes, där den första metoden innefattadeblandning av Intralipid 20% med saltlösning till prover med varierandelipidkoncentration. I den andra metoden användes spädningsvätska iställetför saltlösning. Slutligen genomfördes en korrelationsstudie där Intralipid20% blandades med donatorblod och prover med olika lipidkoncentrationerförbereddes. Alla prover analyserades sedan i en hematologianalysator ochspridningsdiagram och ljusabsorptionsdata från spektrofotometrimätningarerhölls. Resultaten visade att det finns en stark korrelation mellan antalet de-tekterade pulsräkningar från spridningsdiagrammen och lipidkoncentrationen.Samma gäller för ljusabsorption jämfört med lipidkoncentrationen i proverna,mätt med spektrofotometri. Resultaten från denna studie visar att det faktiskt är möjligt att detektera ochmäta blodlipidnivåer med en hematologianalysator med hjälp av flödescyto-metri och spektrofotometri. Vidare utveckling inom detta område skulle därförkunna möjliggöra enkel screening av patienters blod lipidkoncentration samtunderlätta en tidig upptäckt av indikationer på hyperlipidemi.

Mechanical pulps are used in paper products such as magazine or news grade printing papers or paperboard. Mechanical pulping gives a high yield; nearly everything in the tree except the bark is used in the paper. This means that mechanical pulping consumes much less wood than chemical pulping, especially to produce a unit area of printing surface. A drawback of mechanical pulp production is the high amounts of electrical energy needed to separate and refine the fibers to a given fiber quality. Mechanical pulps are often produced from slow growing spruce trees of forests in the northern hemisphere resulting in long, slender fibers that are well suited for mechanical pulp products. These fibers have large varieties in geometry, mainly wall thickness and width, depending on seasonal variations and growth conditions. Earlywood fibers typically have thin walls and latewood fibers thick. The background to this study was that a more detailed fiber characterization involving evaluations of distributions of fiber characteristics, may give improved possibilities to optimize the mechanical pulping process and thereby reduce the total electric energy needed to reach a given quality of the pulp and final product. This would result in improved competitiveness as well as less environmental impact. This study evaluated the relation between fiber characteristics in three types of mechanical pulps made from Norway spruce (Picea abies), thermomechanical pulp(TMP), stone groundwood pulp (SGW) and chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP). In addition, the influence of fibers from these pulp types on sheet characteristics, mainly tensile index, was studied. A comparatively rapid method was presented on how to evaluate the propensity of each fiber to form sheets of high tensile index, by the use of raw data from a commercially available fiber analyzer (FiberLabTM). The developed method gives novel opportunities of evaluating the effect on the fibers of each stage in the mechanical pulping process and has a potential to be applied also on‐line to steer the refining and pulping process by the characteristics of the final pulp and the quality of the final paper. The long fiber fraction is important for the properties of the whole pulp. It was found that fiber wall thickness and external fibrillation were the fibercharacteristics that contributed the most to tensile index of the long fiber fractions in five mechanical pulps (three TMPs, one SGW, one CTMP). The tensile index of handsheets of the long fiber fractions could be predicted by linear regressions using a combination of fiber wall thickness and degree of external fibrillation. The predicted tensile index was denoted BIN, short for Bonding ability INfluence. This resulted in the same linear correlation between BIN and tensile index for 52 samples of the five mechanical pulps studied, each fractionated into five streams(plus feed) in full size hydrocyclones. The Bauer McNett P16/R30 (passed 16 meshwire, retained on a 30 mesh wire) and P30/R50 fractions of each stream were used for the evaluation. The fibers of the SGW had thicker walls and a higher degree of external fibrillation than the TMPs and CTMP, which resulted in a correlation between BIN and tensile index on a different level for the P30/R50 fraction of SGW than the other pulp samples. A BIN model based on averages weighted by each fiber´s wall volume instead of arithmetic averages, took the fiber wall thickness of the SGW into account, and gave one uniform correlation between BIN and tensile index for all pulp samples (12 samples for constructing the model, 46 for validatingit). If the BIN model is used for predicting averages of the tensile index of a sheet, a model based on wall volume weighted data is recommended. To be able to produce BIN distributions where the influence of the length or wall volume of each fiber is taken into account, the BIN model is currently based on arithmetic averages of fiber wall thickness and fibrillation. Fiber width used as a single factor reduced the accuracy of the BIN model. Wall volume weighted averages of fiber width also resulted in a completely changed ranking of the five hydrocyclone streams compared to arithmetic, for two of thefive pulps. This was not seen when fiber width was combined with fiber wallthickness into the factor “collapse resistance index”. In order to avoid too high influence of fiber wall thickness and until the influence of fiber width on BIN and the measurement of fiber width is further evaluated, it is recommended to use length weighted or arithmetic distributions of BIN and other fiber characteristics. A comparably fast method to evaluate the distribution of fiber wall thickness and degree of external fibrillation with high resolution showed that the fiber wallthickness of the latewood fibers was reduced by increasing the refining energy in adouble disc refiner operated at four levels of specific energy input in a commercial TMP production line. This was expected but could not be seen by the use of average values, it was concluded that fiber characteristics in many cases should be evaluated as distributions and not only as averages. BIN distributions of various types of mechanical pulps from Norway spruce showed results that were expected based on knowledge of the particular pulps and processes. Measurements of mixtures of a news‐ and a SC (super calendered) gradeTMP, showed a gradual increase in high‐BIN fibers with higher amounts of SCgrade TMP. The BIN distributions also revealed differences between the pulps that were not seen from average fiber values, for example that the shape of the BINdistributions was similar for two pulps that originated from conical disc refiners, a news grade TMP and the board grade CTMP, although the distributions were on different BIN levels. The SC grade TMP and the SC grade SGW had similar levels of tensile index, but the SGW contained some fibers of very low BIN values which may influence the characteristics of the final paper, for example strength, surface and structure. This shows that the BIN model has the potential of being applied on either the whole or parts of a papermaking process based on mechanical or chemimechanical pulping; the evaluation of distributions of fiber characteristics can contribute to increased knowledge about the process and opportunities to optimize it.

No description available.

Particulate matter in the ambient air of down-town New Orleans, LA, is not currently recorded by any government, state, or private organization. This research quantified particulate matter (PM) and its metal concentration in ambient air of the New Orleans Historic District. Both, PM10 (PM less than 10 micron in size) and PM2.5 (PM less than 2.5 micron in size) were quantified by gravimetric analysis using an Andersen Dichotomous Sampler (Series 240). Posterior to gravimetric analysis, the filters were analyzed with a fluorescent test method using an Innov-X Portable XRF Analyzer (Model A-6500). This study demonstrated that the ambient air of the New Orleans Historic District is in compliance with the National Ambient Ai Quality Standards regarding contamination of particulate matter and Lead.

Drywall, a popular building material made of gypsum based plaster sandwiched between two thick sheets of paper is used for building interior walls, is speedier alternative to traditional plaster, decreasing time and labor for construction. Importance of drywall increased with the demand for drywall after nine hurricanes hit Florida in 2004-05 and widespread damage caused in the Gulf Coast after Katrina in 2005. This study has two parts. First part presents an analysis of metals like strontium for the identification of Chinese drywall, and a comparison of strontium concentrations of American drywall and Chinese drywall using XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) analysis with the Innov-X XRF analyzer. The second part presents an analysis of metal exposure during cutting and installation of drywall using 8stage Cascade impactor. The work space concentration of, different metals is analyzed using XRF analysis and particulate matter within various size ranges, were calculated and their effects are studied.

Orientador: João Antônio Pereira / Resumo: O presente trabalho trata do estudo de uma fonte acústica com direcionamento sonoro controlado. A proposta envolve o desenvolvimento do projeto de um equipamento de teste para uso biomédico na aplicação e análises fonoaudiológicas, em que é proposto o dimensionamento de uma fonte acústica direcional, com adequada isolação e direcionamento do som emitido em relação ao posicionamento do ouvido do paciente, para ser usada dentro de um ambiente acusticamente isolado, dimensionado para permitir os testes, treinamentos e análise dos exames fonoaudiológicos relativos às percepções espaciais binaurais. / Abstract: The present work deals with the study of an acoustic source with controlled sound direction. The proposal involves the development of design a test equipment for biomedical use in the application and phonoaudiological analyzes, in which it is proposed dimensioning of a directional acoustic source, with adequate isolation and directness of the of the emitted sound in relation to the positioning of patient's ear, To be used within an acoustically isolated environment, sized to allow the testing, training and analysis of speech-language pathology examinations related to binaural spatial perceptions. / Mestre

Em Engenharia de Produção, os processos de decisão constituem um dos temas centrais e envolvem fatores de naturezas diversas, que os cercam de dificuldades. Nesses processos, não raramente, estão presentes fatores de natureza subjetiva, informações imprecisas, quando não vagas e mesmo conflitantes, que podem levar a decisões distorcidas, comprometendo a clareza e a objetividade de uma análise. Para manipular logicamente um conjunto de informações vagas, subjetivas, inconsistentes ou paracompletas, são necessárias lógicas alternativas da clássica, pois esta não pode, ao menos diretamente, ser empregada para tal fim. Assim, a lógica paraconsistente pode, em princípio, ser uma ferramenta adequada para a tarefa. No presente trabalho será apresentado um processo de auxílio às tomadas de decisão, denominado de Método de Análise pelo Baricentro (MAB), que se baseia na lógica paraconsistente anotada evidencial Et e no algoritmo para-analisador, introduzidos em (DA COSTA et al., 1999) e (DA SILVA FILHO; ABE, 2001). Esse método permite, de modo não trivial, o tratamento de informações com aquelas características e evidencia a possibilidade de aplicações da lógica Et em Administração, Marketing, Engenharia de Produção, previsão de diagnósticos, aplicações financeiras, entre outros temas. Um estudo de caso real, com resultados plenamente satisfatórios, mostra sua aplicabilidade na prática. Além disso, o MAB abre, entre outras, a perspectiva de se transformarem análises qualitativas em quantitativas. / In Production Engineering, decision making processes represent one of the most important topics and involve factors of various natures, which are, in turn, surrounded by difficulties. Quite often in these processes, there are factors of subjective nature, inaccurate data, sometimes even vague or conflicting information, which may lead to distorted decisions that eventually compromise the clarity and objectiveness of the analysis. In order to logically handle a set of vague, subjective, inconsistent or paracomplete information, logic other than classic is required, once the latter cannot, at least directly, be applied for such purpose. Hence, paraconsistent logic can, in principle, be an adequate tool for the task. In this paper, we will present an auxiliary process in decision making called Baricenter Analysis Method (BAM), which is based in Paraconsistent Annotated Evidential Logic Et and in a para-analyzer algorithm, introduced in (DA COSTA et al., 1999) and (DA SILVA FILHO; ABE, 2001). This methodology allows, in quite an unusual way, the treatment of information containing those characteristics and points out the possibility of applications of logic Et in Business Administration, Marketing, Production Engineering, anticipation of diagnosis, financial applications, among other subjects. Furthermore, BAM opens the possibility of transforming qualitative into quantitative analysis.

The thesis investigates methods of examining corneal biomechanics using non-contact tonometry and introduces novel techniques to investigate corneal material properties in vivo. A comprehensive systems analysis of the CorvisST (CST) and Ocular Response Analyser (ORA) was performed. Pressure sensors were used to characterisation the airflow produced by the CST and the ORA. Distinct differences were observed between the central airflow pressures between the two devices: the CST pressure was higher and of shorter duration. Scheimpflug high-speed imaging via the CST allowed components of the corneal deformation to be investigated and the development of a 3D deformation matrix (time, depth and spatial resolution) through tracing of the anterior and posterior corneal surface. Measures of whole eye movement (WEM) with CST were found to be robust. WEM demonstrated an asymmetric profile and a correction method was developed to address the corneal deformation matrix for this asymmetry. Novel methods for characterisation of intrinsic material characteristics of the cornea were developed using numerical and graphical analytical procedures. Application of these parameters was tested on enucleated porcine eyes across a wide range of manometry internal ocular pressure (MIOP). The dynamic E-Modulus was found to be most affected by MIOP change. To investigate the in vivo distribution and heterogeneity of the corneal biomechanics, a novel set-up allowed the mapping of corneal biomechanics across the cornea using the CST (central, paracentral, peripheral) and ORA (central, peripheral). Biometric and demographic grouping of subjects allowed detection of discriminating factors between individuals. The results suggest that the in vivo cornea of healthy human adults can be characterised as a viscoelastic, damped system for longitudinal strain and a highly oscillating system for lateral strain. The cornea is approximately homogenous for measures of rigidity and dynamic E-Modulus but other corneal material characteristics (longitudinal and lateral strain, hysteresis, damping and compressibility) demonstrated regional differences. The experimental design employed allowed for strict control of biometric and biomechanical intersubject variables, based on gold-standard techniques as well as newly-developed methods, thereby creating a normative database for future use.