The importance of gamma-ray spectroscopy – the science of determining the distribution of energy in a gamma field – can rarely be overstated. High performance scintillators for gamma-ray spectroscopy in Nuclear Nonproliferation applications and homeland security require excellent energy resolution to distinguish neighboring element and isotope lines while minimizing the time and exposure to do so. Semiconductor detectors operate by converting incident photons directly into electrical pulses, but often have problems of high costs due to constituent segregation and surface states as is the case for Cadmium Zinc Telluride. The ideal scintillator material for gamma spectrometer will therefore requires high light yield, excellent proportionality between light yield and gamma photon energy, and material uniformity. A scintillator should possess the following properties; it should convert the kinetic energy of the generated charged particles (typically K-shell electrons) into detectable visible light. This conversion should be linear-the light yield should be proportional to deposited energy over as wide a range as possible. For good light collection, the medium should be transparent to the wavelength of its own emission. The decay time of the induced luminescence should be short so that fast signal pulses can be generated. The medium should be of good optical quality and subject to manufacture in sizes large enough to be of interest as a practical detector. Its index of refraction should be near that of glass (~1.5) to permit efficient coupling of scintillation light to a photomultiplier tube or other photo-sensor. In the past decade, inorganic scintillator research has focused less on improving the characteristics of known scintillators, but rather on the search for new hosts capable of fast response and high energy resolution. Extensive searches have been made for hosts doped with lanthanide activators utilizing the allowed 5d-4f transition. These 5d-4f transitions are dipole-allowed and thus are about 106 times stronger than the more frequently observed 4f-4f transition in the trivalent rare earth ions. Ce3+, Nd3+ and Pr3+ have been investigated for fast response applications while Ce3+, Eu2+ and Yb2+ stand out as the most promising activators offering high light yield, and high energy resolution. Using a modified Bridgman growth technique we have grown crystals with a low energy resolution of 2.6% at 662 keV, which is lower than the previous 2.8% reported for SrI2:Eu2+. The modified technique (called so for its vertical crystal growth orientation) is necessary due to the anisotropic thermal expansion coefficient of Strontium Iodide. The problem plaguing the growth of the crystal is spontaneous cracking, which usually appear during cooling in the bulk. With the use of a zone separating shield, one can achieve more control of the temperature gradient between the two zones without compromising the actual temperature of the two zones. Additionally the use of codopants, in particular divalent magnesium improved the crystalline quality by acting as a gathering for iodine ions, which led to reduction of defect density.

QUALITATIVE ASPECTS OF ADHERENCE TO ANTIRESORPTIVE TREATMENT IN WOMEN WITH POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS Author: Aneta Ravingerová Supervisor: Magda Vytřísalová Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy INTRODUCTION: Compliance is using of medication in accordance with a prescription drug regimen. Qualitative aspect of compliance represents use of drugs in correct way. significantly affects treatment outcomes.Suboptimal compliance The study aim was to assess qualitative compliance with bisphosphonates (BIS)AIMS: among Czech women with osteoporosis in common clinical practice. METHODS: Data collection was performed using anonymous questionnaire in five outpatient Compliance with fivecentres in the Czech Republic from November 2012 to March 2013. dosing instructions for safe use and adequate absorption of BIS was evaluated. : A total of 363 patients were involved in the analysisRESULTS (mean age 68.9 years). once a week dosing forms ofPatients were treated with BIS - alendronate, alendronate + once a month dosing formvitamine D in a fixed combination, risedronate (N = 36.6 %) or - Only 46.6 % of respondents from weekly subgroup were compliantibandronate (N = 63.4 %). with all five dosing recommendations in monthly subgroup....

The detection of dairying is essential to understand prehistoric economies, particularly in northwest Europe, where a high degree of lactose tolerance implies that fresh milk has long been a significant dietary component. Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) are biologically able to breed year-round, potentially enabling farmers to select a calving strategy to suit their economic focus. Published literature and interviews with farmers suggests that spring calving would have been favoured by economies focussed on meat or storable dairy products, whereas the year-round provision of fresh milk would have required two calving seasons, in spring and autumn, or an extended period through spring, summer and autumn. This thesis uses intra-tooth isotope ratio analysis of cattle tooth enamel to predict birth seasonality as an indicator of dairying. Analysis was performed on first, second and third cattle molars from the archaeological sites of Mine Howe, Pool and Earl’s Bu (Iron Age and Viking period Orkney), Old Scatness (Iron Age Shetland) and Grimes Graves (Bronze Age Norfolk). Modern molars from Chillingham Wild White cattle were also analysed. A new method to determine cattle birth seasonality has been proposed utilising the isotopic patterning (δ13C, δ18O) recorded within first and second molar enamel. Results suggest that birth seasonality estimates are of sufficient accuracy to discriminate between single-and multiple-season calving. Although Pool and Grimes Graves have been interpreted as dairying sites from their age-at-death slaughter patterns, birth seasonality predictions imply an economy focussed on year-round fresh milk at Pool but an emphasis on storable dairy products at Grimes Graves. In addition, it has been demonstrated that intra-tooth enamel data can provide information regarding sub-annual variation in diet and environment. A new method to investigate weaning strategy has also been proposed.

L’ostéoporose liée à l’âge se caractérise par une perte osseuse et une augmentation de l’adiposité médullaire tout en s’accompagnant d’un stress oxydant général. L’ostéoblaste et l’adipocyte ont un précurseur commun, la cellule souche mésenchymateuse (CSM), dont la capacité à se renouveler et à se différencier est influencée par le statut redox cellulaire. Le Strontium (Sr) est un élément possédant un effet antifracturaire significatif in vivo cependant, il n’affecte que peu les marqueurs d’activités des cellules osseuses différenciées. Partant de ce constat, nous avons émis l’hypothèse que les CSMs pouvaient être une cible cellulaire du Sr, et notamment que l’inhibition de leur différenciation adipocytaire pouvait diminuer la lipotoxicité médullaire néfaste à la survie des ostéoblastes au cours du vieillissement. Nous montrons chez des souris traitées 3 semaines au Sr une diminution de l’adiposité médullaire et une augmentation du volume osseux trabéculaire par rapport aux animaux témoins. Nos résultats démontrent que le Sr inhibe rapidement l’adipogenèse des cellules multipotentes mésenchymateuses (CMMs) C3H10T1/2 en réprimant PPARγ2 et l’accumulation des gouttelettes lipidiques de façon partiellement dépendante de la voie ERK. Ce mécanisme serait dépendant de son effet proliférateur puisque que nous observons qu’en présence de Sr plus la Cycline D1 est exprimée, plus PPARγ2 est réprimé. De plus, le Sr prévient la mise en place de processus impliqués dans le statut redox cellulaire et nécessaires à la maturation d’un adipocyte comme la biogenèse mitochondriale, l’accumulation de Rac1 (une sous unité régulatrice de l’activité de la Nadph oxydase) et l’augmentation de l’expression des enzymes antioxydantes. Nous montrons aussi que le Sr diminue la production d’espèces réactives de l’oxygène (ERO) de façon précoce ce qui pourrait expliquer son action anti-adipogénique. En effet, les ERO sont indispensables à l’engagement des CSMs vers l’adipogenèse et elles oxydent des lipides qui sont alors activateurs de PPARγ. L’ensemble de ces données nous montre que le Sr, en modifiant la production d’ERO intracellulaire, maintiendrait un statut redox favorable à la prolifération des CMMs et défavorable à leur différenciation adipocytaire. Ainsi la capacité antioxydante et antiadipogénique de futures molécules pourraient définir de nouvelles approches dans le traitement de l’ostéoporose / Age-related osteoporosis is associated with both an increased marrow adiposity while bone mass decreased and an increased oxidative stress. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into osteoblasts or adipocytes and their capacity of self-renewal and differentiation is influenced by cell redox status. Strontium (Sr) have an anti-fracture effect in vivo however, it doesn’t clearly modulate markers of mature bone cell activities. Starting from this observation, we hypothesized that MSCs could be a cellular target of Sr, and particularly the inhibition of their adipocyte differentiation could reduce the marrow lipotoxicity which is deleterious for the osteoblast survival during aging. Our study showed that Sr-treated mice presented a lower medullary adiposity and a higher trabecular bone volume as compared to control animals. It was demonstrated that Sr rapidly inhibited adipogenesis of multipotent mesenchymal cells (MMCs) C3H10T1/2 by repressing PPARγ2 and droplet lipid formation in a partially ERK-dependant pathway. This mechanism was linked to its proliferative effect since in presence of Sr the higher Cyclin D1 gene expression; the lower was that of PPARγ2. Moreover, Sr prevented the establishment of processes involved in the cell redox status and necessary for the adipocyte maturation such as mitochondrial biogenesis, Rac1 protein accumulation (a NADPH oxidase regulatory subunit) and increase of the antioxidant enzyme expression. Sr also induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) decrease that could explain its anti-adipogenic action. Indeed, ROS are essential for the CSM commitment toward adipogenesis and they oxidize lipids which could in turn activate PPAR. Taken together, these data showed that Sr by modulating the intracellular ROS production maintained a redox status supporting the MMCs proliferation and preventing adipocyte differentiation. Thus, the antioxidant and anti-adipogenic capacities of future molecules could define new therapeutic approaches for osteoporosis treatment

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have attracted much interest as the most efficient electrochemical device to directly convert chemical energy to usable electrical energy. The porous Ni-YSZ anode known as the state-of-the-art cermet anode material is found to show serious degradation when using hydrocarbon as fuel due to carbon deposition, sulphur poisoning, and nickel sintering. In order to overcome these problems, doped strontium titanate has been investigated as a potential anode material due to its high electronic conductivity and stability in reducing atmosphere. In this work, A-site deficient strontium titanate co-doped with lanthanum and calcium, La₀.₂Sr₀.₂₅Ca₀.₄₅TiO₃ (LSCT[sub](A-)), was examined. Flat multilayer ceramics have been produced using the aqueous tape casting technique by controlling the sintering behaviour of LSCT[sub](A-), resulting in a 450µm thick porous LSCT[sub](A-) scaffold with a well adhered 40µm dense YSZ electrolyte. Impregnation of CeO₂ and Ni results in a maximum power density of 0.96Wcm⁻² at 800°C, higher than those of without impregnation (0.124Wcm⁻²) and with impregnation of Ni alone (0.37Wcm⁻²). The addition of catalysts into LSCT[sub](A-) anode significantly reduces the polarization resistance of the cells, suggesting an insufficient electrocatalytic activity of the LSCT[sub](A-) backbone for hydrogen oxidation, but LSCT[sub](A-) can provide the electronic conductivity required for anode. Later, the cells with the configuration of LSCT[sub](A-)/YSZ/LSCF-YSZ were prepared by the organic tape casting and impregnation techniques with only 300-m thick anode as support. The effects of metallic catalysts in the anode supports on the initial performance and stability in humidified hydrogen were discussed. The nickel and iron impregnated LSCT[sub](A-) cell exhibits a maximum powder density of 272mW/cm² at 700°C, much larger than 43mW/cm² for the cell without impregnation and 112mW/cm² for the cell with nickel impregnation. Simultaneously, the bimetal Ni-Fe impregnates have significantly reduced the degradation rates in humidified hydrogen (3% H₂O) at 700°C. The enhancement from impregnation of the bi-metal can possibly be the result of the presence of ionic conducting Wustite Fe₁₋ₓO that resides underneath the Ni-Fe metallic particles and better microstructure. Third, in order to improve the ionic conductivity of the anode support and increase the effective TPBs, ionic conducting ceria was impregnated into the LSCT[sub](A-) anode, along with the metallic catalysts. The CeO₂-LSCT[sub](A-) cell shows a poor performance upon operation in hydrogen atmosphere containing 3% H₂O; and with addition of metallic catalysts, the cell performance increases drastically by almost three-fold. However, the infiltrated Ni particles on the top of ceria layer cause the deposition of carbon filament leading to cell cracking when exposure to humidified methane (3% H₂O). No such behaviour was observed on the CeO₂-NiFe impregnated anode. The microstructure images of the impregnated anodes at different times during stability testing demonstrate that the grain growth of catalysts, the interaction between the anode backbone and infiltrates, and the spalling of the agglomerated catalysts are the main reasons for the performance degradation. Fourth, the YSZ-LSCT[sub](A-) composites including the YSZ contents of 5-80wt.% were investigated to determine the percolation threshold concentration of YSZ to achieve electronic and ionic conducting pathways when using the composite as SOFC anode backbone. The microstructure and dilatometric curves show that when the YSZ content is below 30%, the milled sample has a lower shrinkage than the unmilled one due to the blocking effect from the well distributed YSZ grains within LSCT[sub](A-) bulk. However, at the YSZ above 30% where two phases start to form the individual and interconnected bulk, the composites without ball milling process show a lower densification. The impact of YSZ concentration and ball milling process on the electrical properties of the composites reveals that the percolation threshold concentration is not only dependant on the actual concentration, but also related to the local arrangement of two phases. In Napier University, the electroless nickel-ceramic co-depositon process was investigated as a manufacturing technique for the anodes of planar SOFCs, which entails reduced costs and reduced high-temperature induced defects, compared with conventional fabrication techniques. The Ni-YSZ anodes prepared by the electroless co-deposition technique without the addition of surfactant adhere well to the YSZ electrolyte before and after testing at 800°C in humidified hydrogen. Ni-YSZ anodes co-deposited with pore-forming starch showed twice the maximum power density compared with those without the starch. It has therefore been demonstrated that a porous Ni-YSZ cermet structure was successfully manufactured by means of an electroless plating technique incorporating pore formers followed by firing at 450°C in air. Although the use of surfactant (CTAB) increases the plating thickness, it induces the formation of a Ni-rich layer on the electrolyte/anode interface, leading to the delamination of anode most likely due to the mismatched TECs with the adjacent YSZ electrolyte.

Thin films of Strontium Ruthenate have been grown on Strontium Titanate and Lanthanum Aluminate (100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction results show that the films grown on the Strontium Titanate are amorphous and polycrystalline on the Lanthanum Aluminate. Resistances versus temperature measurements show that the films exhibit semiconducting characteristics. In addition to the growth of Strontium Ruthenate thin films, multilayer heterostructures of Terfenol-D thin films on polycrystalline Lead Titanate thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition. By using a novel experimental technique called magnetic field assisted piezoelectric force microscopy it is possible to investigate the magnetoelectric coupling between the electrostrictive Lead Titanate and magnetostrictive Terfenol-D thin film. Upon examination of the produced thin films the phase and amplitude components of the piezoelectric signal experience changes in response to an applied in-plane magnetic field. These changes provide experimental evidence of a magnetoelectric coupling between the Terfenol-D and Lead Titanate layers.

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) 87/Sr86 in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water sources from Lower Miocene or Paleogene formation fluids from dissolved recrystallized halite. Deep formation fluids have interacted with Louann Salt diapirs underlying the BRAS area, dissolving halite, and are shown to have moved up fault planes and entered shallow aquifers to mix with the in situ groundwaters.

Stream chemistry changes in response to snowmelt, but does not typically reflect thechemistry of the snowpack. This suggests that flow processes between snowmelt and streamsystem, such as interactions with the soil and bedrock, have an important control on waterchemistry and highlight the complex flow pathways from the snowpack to stream. To investigateflow processes in the upper Provo River watershed, northern Utah, we sampled three sites on theriver ~20 times per year during 2016 and 2017. The sites, from highest elevations to lowest wereSoapstone, Woodland, and Hailstone, corresponding to locations of active stream gauges. Toidentify possible water sources to the stream during snowmelt, water samples were taken forsnow, ephemeral streams, soil water, lake, and spring water. To investigate potential impacts ofmineralogy, samples were taken for dust, soil and bedrock. The upper Provo River showeddistinct temporal variation in filtered (<0.45 microns) stream water for 87Sr/86Sr, dissolvedorganic carbon (DOC), silica (Si), and Lead (Pb) during the snowmelt season. The watershed hasdistinct 87Sr/86Sr ratios for bedrock (0.7449)

Este trabalho descreve os métodos usados para obtenção de uma amostra ultra-fria de átomos de estrôncio. Os métodos usados para preparar a amostra são: um desacelerador Zeeman e duas armadilhas magneto-ópticas (MOT). O primeiro MOT operando na transição 1S0&minus;1 P1 (azul) e o segundo na transição 1S0&minus;3P1 (vermelha). Com relação ao primeiro estágio, se faz necessário o uso de um laser de comprimento de onda de 497nm, que através da transição 3P2&minus;3D2 recuperam os átomos que sofrem transição para os chamados estados escuros. O último estágio é uma armadilha de dipolo para átomos de estrôncio usando apenas um feixe laser com comprimento de onda de 1064nm. O carregamento dessa armadilha é feito transferindo uma amostra atômica já pré-resfriadas. Explicamos de que maneira é feita a análise e aquisição dos resultados apresentados. Ressaltamos ainda a importância dos resultados obtidos para o projeto atual e para projetos futuros. / The present work describes the methods used to obtain a sample of ultra cold atoms of strontium. The methods necessary for obtaining the sample are: a Zeeman decelerator and a two step magneto-optical trap (MOTs). The first MOT works on the blue transition 1S0&minus;1P1 while the second is operating on the red transition 1S0&minus;3P1 transition. In the first stage a laser operating at 497nm is used to drive the 3P2&minus;3D2 transition in order to prevent atoms accumulating in the 3P1 dark state. The last stage, after cooling, consists in a dipole trap for strontium atoms using only one laser beam with 1064nm wavelength. This trap is loaded by the transfer of a pre cooled atomic sample. We explain how the analysis and acquisition of the presented data are made. We also emphasize the importance of the obtained results for the current project as well as for future ones.

Este trabalho, realizado junto ao Grupo de Novos Materiais e Dispositivos (GNMD) pertencente ao Laboratório de Microeletrônica (LME) da Universidade de São Paulo, teve como objetivo correlacionar algumas propriedades físico-químicas de filmes finos de Ba1-XSrxTiO3 (BST), obtidos pela técnica de pulverização catódica reativa (sputtering), com os parâmetros de deposição, visando a fabricação de defasadores inteligentes operando em 60 GHz. Propriedades como cristalinidade e composição química foram estudadas e relacionadas com o tipo de substrato sobre o qual os filmes finos de BST foram depositados, e com os diversos parâmetros de deposição variados. Foi observada uma forte influência dos parâmetros de deposição, principalmente da temperatura e do tipo de substrato, na cristalinidade dos filmes. Os filmes depositados sobre cobre são mais cristalinos do que aqueles depositados sobre Si. Já a composição química dos filmes não variou significativamente, mantendo-se próxima à do alvo de sputtering utilizado, independentemente do substrato ou das condições de deposição. As propriedades elétricas dos filmes fabricados foram extraídas de capacitores de placas paralelas construídos utilizando o BST como dielétrico linear. As curvas de capacitância vs tensão a 1 MHz destes capacitores permitiram determinar uma variação de tunabilidade de até 44 %, para uma permissividade elétrica relativa de 310, valores estes compatíveis com aqueles encontrados na literatura. As propriedades elétricas dos filmes produzidos permitiram projetar um defasador de 1,3 mm2, com uma figura de mérito de 30º/dB para uma defasagem de 360º. / This work, performed at the New Materials and Devices Group (GNMD) of the Microelectronics Laboratory of the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, has the objective to correlate reactive sputtered-BST thin films to its deposition parameters, aiming to produce a 60 GHz tunable phase shifter. Thin film crystallinity and stoichiometry were correlated with sputtering deposition parameters and the type of substrate. A strong influence of the sputtering parameters was observed on BST crystallinity, mainly the temperature and the type of substrate. Thin films on copper are more crystalline than on Si (100). The stoichiometry, on the other hand, did not change as function of the deposition parameters or the substrate in both cases. The thin films electrical properties were obtained by capacitance vs voltage measurements, with the BST as linear dielectric of a parallel plate capacitor. The capacitors 1 MHz C-V characterization showed tunabilities as high as 44%, for an electrical permittivity of 310. These properties allowed a phase shifter project, resulting a 1,3 mm2 device with a figure of merit of 30 º/dB for 360 º phase shift.