Foi estudado experimentalmente o desempenho biológico de um tipo de enxerto ósseo homógeno, processado quimicamente, esterilizado em óxido de etileno e embebido em medula óssea autógena. De cães doadores adulto-jovens foram obtidos blocos cilíndricos de 1,0 x 1,0 cm da epífise distal do fêmur, com auxílio de uma trefina. Os ossos assim obtidos foram clareados, desengordurados, esterilizados em óxido de etileno e mantidos em estoque. Trinta cães adultos jovens foram usados como receptores do enxerto e foram alocados em dois grupos. No grupo I (experimental) os animais foram operados e, criado, transversalmente, com trefina de 1,0 cm de diâmetro externo, um espaço cilíndrico de 1,0 cm de diâmetro por 1,0 cm de altura na epífise distal do fêmur direito, onde foi encaixado o enxerto preparado e que foi previamente embebido em medula óssea do próprio animal retirada por punção óssea na crista ilíaca. Três semanas depois, o mesmo animal foi submetido ao mesmo procedimento cirúrgico no fêmur esquerdo. Os cães deste grupo foram sacrificados seis semanas após a primeira cirurgia. O grupo II constituiu o controle e foi formado por vinte cães adulto-jovens em que, primeiro, foi retirado um cilindro de osso da epífise distal do fêmur esquerdo e, em seguida, no mesmo tempo cirúrgico, foi criado o mesmo espaço no fêmur direito, com uma trefina de um centímetro de diâmetro interno e, então, encaixado o bloco de osso retirado do fêmur do outro lado do mesmo animal. Estes animais foram subdivididos em dois subgrupos de dez cães cada, em relação ao tempo de sacrifício. Em um subgrupo os cães foram sacrificados três semanas após, enquanto que, no outro subgrupo, foram sacrificados seis semanas após a cirurgia de implantação do enxerto. O processo de incorporação do enxerto foi avaliado pela histologia convencional e histologia de fluorescência óssea, pela injeção prévia de tetraciclina. A comparação foi entre os grupos I e II, nos períodos de três e seis semanas pós-implante. As áreas dos enxertos homógenos com 21 dias pós-implante, geralmente mostraram-se visíveis, na maioria das vezes, formadas por trabéculas finas irregulares, sem osteócitos, porém com áreas de neoformação óssea. Já os enxertos autógenos, a área do osso implantado era bem visível, com trabéculas de osso antigo, mais adelgaçadas, em menor número que o osso receptor, porém com intensa deposição de osso neoformado. Para os enxertos homógenos com 42 dias pós-implante, a área do enxerto estava bem definida e integrada ao osso adjacente, composta por trabéculas antigas com predomínio de osso neoformado sobre a superfície. Nos enxertos autógenos com 42 dias pós-implante, as trabéculas tinham orientação comum, com espaço intertrabecular preenchido por tecido conjuntivo denso, em algumas áreas, e por medula óssea madura em outras. O enxerto homógeno processado e esterilizado em óxido de etileno e embebido em medula óssea apresentou boa atividade biológica, embora, com integração mais lenta e menor desempenho em relação ao enxerto autógeno, o que o torna um bom substituto para este último. / In the present investigation the biological performance of the homogenous bone graft chemically processed, sterilized with ethylene oxide and soaked in autogenous bone marrow was investigated. Thirty dogs were assigned into two groups. In group I, ten young adult dogs received a cylindrical block of the above mentioned graft. Previously, the bone graft was immersed in autogenous bone marrow and then inserted in a cylindrical hole, with the same dimensions, created at the distal femoral epiphysis of the right femur. After three weeks the same animal was submitted to the same surgical procedure, but on the left femur. The animal was killed six weeks later. The group II was made up of twenty dogs that received an autogenous graft obtained from the left distal femur and implanted into the right distal femur (same shape, dimensions and technique). From this group, 10 dogs were killed three weeks later and 10 dogs were killed six weeks later. The graft incorporation was evaluated by light microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Results showed that for 21 day implant in the homogenous group, there was osteogenesis at the periphery of the bone graft, but most of its trabeculae were still inviable. Conversely, for the autogenous grafts newly-formed bone was found on the trabecular surface, even in the inner parts of the implanted bone. At 42 days there was active osteogenesis in homogenous grafts with new bone deposition on the trabeculae but, in two cases, the graft was not incorporated (reabsorbed in one case and sequestred in the other one). The autogenous graft showed newly formed bone arranged in a well mature fashion with new bone marrow filling the intertrabecular gaps. It was concluded that the homogenous graft as prepared herein is a good alternative for autogenous grafts, although with a slower osteogenesis rate an less biological performance.

Electricity retailers have difficulties to differentiate themselves from each other, dueto increased competition and political regulations. The electric energy tradingmarket is facing a paradigm shift.The purpose of this study has been to investigate how a modern electricity retailercan avoid current and forthcoming difficulties within the market and what directionsthey should choose in order to improve their profitability.The study has been conducted using a quantitative and qualitative approach. Thequantitative approached was used to systematically describe all electricity retailersthat exist today in Sweden and collect data for analyzing how profitable they are.Structured interviews were later conducted in order to gather qualitative data fromthe most interesting companies from the quantitative data collection.From the quantitative approach it was found that selling electricity from guaranteeof origin was approximately two to four times more profitable than selling nuclearand fossil produced electricity. The total profits from electricity trading alone issurprisingly low. From the quantitative data sample, it was shown that 50 per centof the electricity retailers earn less than one million SEK and their averageprofitability is approximately 0.28 million SEK.In the qualitative study it was concluded that those who had succeeded with higherprofits were working with services along with the electricity trading. Examples ofsuch services are charity and loyalty programs. It was stated in the interviews thatthe profits are still low and will remain low if solely rely on electricity trading. Ittakes at least four years for a customer to be profitable. The most promisingsolution to avoid getting stuck in the middle is to expand their business withproducts together with services, servitization. If the electricity retailers shouldexpand their businesses with selling products together with services related toelectricity, servitization, they should also position themselves with a certaincompetitive strategy (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) and target a specificgroup. Groups that have been identified together with these competitive strategiesare those who wants to save money (cost leadership), environmentally friendly /technology enthusiasts (focus) and inbetweeners (differentiation)

An alternative molecular recognition approach was developed for sensing small molecule analytes using the differential binding of an allosteric transcription factor (TF, specifically TetR) to its cognate DNA as the molecular recognition element coupled with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to yield an internally calibrated optical signal transduction mechanism. Sensors were evaluated comprising Cy5-modified DNA (FRET acceptor) with either a tdTomato-TetR fusion protein (FP-TF) or quantum dot-TetR conjugate (QD-TF) as the FRET donor by measuring the ratio of acceptor and donor fluorescence intensities (FA/FD) with titrations of a derivative of the antibiotic tetracycline, anhydrous tetracycline (aTc). A proof-of-concept FRET-based biosensor was successfully demonstrated through the modulation of FA/FD signal intensities based on varying analyte concentrations. Sensor design parameters affecting overall signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity of the sensors are also identified. / 2020-06-03T00:00:00Z

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18562号 / 工博第3923号 / 新制||工||1603(附属図書館) / 31462 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 寶 馨, 教授 中北 英一, 教授 田中 茂信 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Background: Studies of complex and big-ticket tenders such as construction contracts have been the main research focus of public procurement. The efficiency of these low frequency transactionsis inherently hard to study, since the real world offers a wide range of variables that could explain the discrepancies. What is not studied to large extents are high frequency transactions, with low transaction volume, of common goods. These purchases are mostly overlooked due to the lack of documentation that exists, primarily explained by the low degree of digitalization and transparency on smaller contracts/transaction that fall below the EU reporting thresholds.Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the existence of price discrepancies for homogenous goods in public procurement between Swedish municipalities. Furthermore, provide insight and possible explanations to this phenomenon in accordance with economic theory.Method: This study opted to use a quantitative method of research to look at different municipalities and their procurement invoices. The quantitative data has been compiled and adjusted to comparable numbers, so that differences can be identified with clarity.Conclusions: The study concludes that there are significant price discrepancies for homogenous goods in the public procurement sector. With price variations ranging from being negligible to paying twice the price. The selected theoretical framework points towards opportunism and asymmetric information being the main sources of the price discrepancies. Improvement could possibly be made by shifting policies towards further digitalization of the procurement process and horizontally integrating the public sphere. In turn reducing asymmetric information and transaction costs, making less room for opportunistic behavior due to improvements in ex ante and ex post costs. From the results of the empirics, a speculative cost saving potential of 7.90 % is estimated.

It is needless to point out the necessity and the importance of the study of Pfaffian differential expressions and equations. While it is interesting to consider from the pure mathematical point of view, their applications in many branches of applied mathematics are well known. To mention a few, one may observe that they arise in connection with line integrals (example, determination of work). They provide a more rational formulation of the foundations of thermodynamics as 'developed by the Greek mathematician Caratheodory. They also arise in the problem of determining the orthogonal trajectories. In many branches of engineering and other physical sciences they appear with problems concerning partial differential equations.

Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization (LAMP) is a technology being developed to fabricate integrally-cored ceramic molds for the investment casting of turbine airfoils. In LAMP, ultraviolet (UV) light in the form of bitmap images is projected from a spatial light modulator (SLM) onto a photocurable ceramic material system (PCMS). Exposed and unexposed regions are determined through black and white portions of the bitmaps, respectively. UV light induces photopolymerization and the formation of an insoluble solidified network. Three-dimensional structures are built layer-by-layer through sequential application and curing of PCMS layers of 100 micron thickness. To date, ceramic molds fabricated using LAMP have been successfully implemented in investment casting of single-crystal turbine airfoils without internal cooling schemes. Two particularly important challenges for the fabrication of airfoil molds with internal cooling passages are: (a) fabrication of unsupported structures in the mold geometry and; (b) mitigation of internal stresses that arise during layer-by-layer build-up due to volumetric shrinkage during photopolymerization. Unsupported geometries arise in nearly every cored airfoil mold and often in a location where support structures cannot be easily removed after fabrication. Internal stresses generated by volumetric shrinkage can lead to cracking during binder burnout (BBO), sintering and casting. This thesis aims to simultaneously address these challenges through the investigation of grayscale exposure to control the degree of monomer conversion during photopolymerization of single and multiple layers. The effective intensity of the UV light incident on the monomer system can be reduced by selectively turning off pixels within the nominally "white" or "on" regions of the projected bitmaps, effectively producing an exposure with a lower light intensity. In an effort to reduce internal stresses in the mold, the grayscale exposure can be tuned to create regions of uncured or partially cured monomer within the mold geometry to reduce the connectivity between cured regions and thus reduce the net effect of volumetric shrinkage. Grayscale exposure can also be used to generate support structures with a low degree of polymerization to create a gel state beneath and surrounding the unsupported segments of the mold, which can be washed away after completion of mold fabrication. In order to successfully utilize grayscale techniques in LAMP, the cure depth must be predicted. This is accomplished through cure depth measurements at different exposure times to develop a "working curve." In addition, the degree of monomer conversion and its relation to cure depths resulting from grayscale exposure must be understood. Measurements of the degree of conversion are obtained through Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Empirical models are developed and compared to theoretical predictions. Also, the scattering length pixelation model is introduced as a technique to predict the light intensity distribution within the PCMS for exposure patterns at multiple length scales. Results from these grayscale investigations are then applied to LAMP and the effectiveness of grayscale to fabricate unsupported geometries and internal stresses from volumetric shrinkage is discussed.

This dissertation is concerned with invertibility and one-sided invertibility of Toeplitz operators over the half plane whose generating functions admit homogenous discontinuities, and with stability of their pseudo finite sections. The invertibility criterium is given in terms of invertibility of a family of one dimensional Toeplitz operators with piecewise continuous generating functions. The one-sided invertibility criterium is given it terms of constraints on the partial indices of certain Toeplitz operator valued function.