<p> Solar cells were made by diffusing impurities into the rough or backside of commercially available silicon wafers to form a junction. The properties of these solar cells were compared to solar cells made by diffusing impurities into the polished surface of similar silicon wafers. The processing steps involved in preparing each type of solar cell were identical. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

Pulmonary diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO) is a relatively new pulmonary function test to assess gas transfer in the lung. To date, there are no prediction equations made for healthy adult African-American (black) subjects. Thus, the purpose of this study was to create prediction equations for DLNO in this ethnic/racial group. A total of 59 healthy subjects (27 males and 32 females) were recruited to perform pulmonary function testing at Georgia State University. They were diverse in age (18-67 yr), height (140-189 cm), and body mass index (17.2-32.3 kg/m2). All subjects completed single-breath maneuvers at rest inhaling 43 ± 4 ppm NO with a standard diffusion mixture. The breath-hold duration was 5.6 ± 0.6 s. Multiple linear regression predicted DLNO based on the subject’s age, height, and sex. The prediction equation for DLNO (mL/min/mmHg) = 0.92·(height in cm) +38.8·(sex) – 0.012·(age2) – 25, where 1 = male, 0 = female for sex. About 77% of the variance in DLNO was accounted for by sex (67%), age2 (7%), and height (4%). The standard error of the estimate in predicting DLNO was 16.3 mL/min/mmHg. Those with higher resting heart rates had a lower DLNO (r =-0.28, p = 0.03) but it was not included in the regression model as it did not enhance the fit. Black males had a 7-10% lower DLNO and black females had a 12-15% lower DLNO compared to matched white subjects. Black males of the same age and height had a 10% smaller alveolar volume, while black females had a 15% lower alveolar volume compared to matched white subjects. In conclusion, DLNO values and alveolar volumes are reduced in blacks compared to matched whites. The regression model presented best predicts DLNO in African-Americans below 40 years of age.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Some pages are blank, but are kept to satisfy the page count of the thesis. / <p> Indoor optical wireless links can potentially achieve high bitrates because there is a wide and unregulated bandwidth in the optical spectrum. Moreover, optical wireless links can be implemented using simple and inexpensive devices. However, indoor optical wireless links have their own drawbacks such as limited power due to safety issues and incapability of passing thorough opaque objects, which limit their mobility, range and bandwidth and have prevented them from being used widely in commercial systems. Therefore, there has been much effort to find new configurations for indoor optical wireless links which are able to overcome these limitations. In this thesis, a novel configuration for indoor optical wireless communication, termed the dynamic spot diffusing (DSD) channel, is proposed. In the DSD system, the transmitter sends optical signals to a small moving area on the ceiling termed a spot. The receiver receives reflections of optical signal from the spot when spot is in field of view of the receiver. This configuration is shown to achieve high bitrates and provide a good deal of mobility for users inside the room. In this work, a theoretical model for the DSD channel is proposed and the DSD channel capacity is discussed and computed. Furthermore, the DSD system design is explained and design issues are discussed in order to approach capacity. Finally, using computer simulations, achievable rates inside a room are computed and shown to be close to calculated channel capacity.</p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第25178号 / 医博第5064号 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 羽賀 博典, 教授 伊達 洋至, 教授 森田 智視 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

is a major polysaccharide of the plant cell wall which is known to play a role in many mechanical functionalities, especially when a gel is formed in the presence of calcium. Understanding the gelling abilities of pectin is of great interest to the food industry also, since pectin is a widely used as a gelling agent and thickener. The aim of this study was to apply two complementary microrheological techniques to these systems, multiple particle tracking (MPT) and a light scattering technique called diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS). While the first one provides fundamental information about the homogeneity of the studied gel, the second gives access to the high frequency behaviour, related to the nature of the basic strands of the network. Firstly, after verifying the validity of the experimental apparati and analysis approaches in a series of careful control experiments on archetypal systems, a regime where pectin gels exhibit the signatures of semi-flexible networks was identified in experiments carried out on gels made of pectin chains pre-engineered by enzymatic deesterification and subsequently assembled with the release of Ca2+. These results were the first showing that polysaccharides networks could be accommodated within the framework of semi-flexible networks, which have become a paradigm for biological gels, such as the well-known F-actin solutions present in the cell cytoskeleton. However, in the plant cell wall, where calcium is already present, the assembly mechanism could be controlled in a different manner, and a more biologically relevant system was studied where the action of the plant enzyme pectinmethylesterase was used to liberate ion-binding groups in the presence of Ca2+. Gels formed according to this alternative methodology were found to behave as punctually cross-linked flexible networks, strikingly different from the first results. This would be explained by the presence of short blocks of charged residues. Finally, experiments on pectins carried out with controlled blocky structures showed that a pectin made of short blocks can exhibit both sorts of network, depending on the polymer and Ca2+ concentrations. This lead naturally to the construction of a state diagram for the regimes of assembly, with proposed control parameters being the polymer concentration and the ratio of the amount of Ca2+ to the quantity of pectic residues which can effectively bind the calcium into cross-links, christened Reff.

In this thesis, the macroscopic phase separation of milk proteins and high molecular weight oat beta-glucan was investigated. A better knowledge of this model system will improve our ability to control structure in dairy gels containing nutritionally significant concentrations of dietary fiber. A phase behaviour diagram was obtained experimentally, and the results were then modelled using theoretical models based on thermodynamic incompatibility between casein micelles and beta-glucan and demonstrated that casein micelles are the main contributors to the instability of these mixtures. Water in water emulsion systems formed at high concentrations of protein and beta-glucan upon mixing, and were visualized using confocal scanning laser microscopy. For the first time, the dynamics of phase separation of these mixtures were followed using diffusing wave and ultrasonic spectroscopy, as well as with rheological methods. The work explored the formation of different bi-continuous networks by controlling the gelation of the protein phase using chymosin. This enzymatic reaction specifically destabilizes the casein micelles, allowing for a kinetic control of protein gelation within or between phase separated domains. The addition of -carrageenan and the effect of shear on the mixtures were evaluated as possible strategies for controlling the growth of the phase separated domains in dairy gels containing concentrations of beta-glucan high enough to be nutritionally significant. Results indicated that different structures could be obtained depending on the processing conditions, for example, the mode of addition of the polysaccharides or the pre-shearing conditions. This work represents a novel approach for incorporating nutritionally significant concentrations of beta-glucan in dairy foods, and serves as proof of concept for further development of an important application area linked to the development of reduced fat dairy products with additional health benefits. / Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Gaining knowledge about what factors determine benthic algal biomass and productivity is vital for understanding food webs in aquatic systems, especially in woodland streams with naturally low rates of primary productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate what factors determine algal growth in Swedish headwater streams. Nutrients, in terms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and light are factors known to affect algal growth. By using nutrient diffusing substrate (NDS) and different gradients of light, it was possible to test the importance of these factors. To determine the effect of the experiment, the study was carried out in a forested reference stream, which is largely shaded with extreme low nutrient levels, and in a stream running through a clear-cutting plantation with high nutrient levels and incident light. In the forested reference stream it became clear that algal growth increased by experimentally adding N (P&lt;0.005), although light did not affect the productivity. In the stream running through the clear-cut, algal productivity increased significantly with higher levels of light (P&lt;0.005), regardless of nutrient addition. The results from this study suggest that light only becomes the depending factor when sufficient amounts of nutrients are available. However, it is still unclear at what nutrient levels this shift occur, and therefore future research is recommended.

This investigation evaluates the influences of optical property assumptions on nearinfrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) flow index measurements. Independent variation is induced in optical properties, absorption coefficient (μa) and reduced scattering coefficient (μs’), of liquid phantoms with concurrent measurements of flow indices. A hybrid instrument is incorporated consisting of a dual-wavelength (785 and 830 nm) DCS flow device to obtain flow indices and a frequency-domain tissue-oximeter for optical properties. Flow indices are calculated with measured μa and μs’ or assumed constant μa and μs’. Inaccurate μs’ assumptions produced much larger flow index errors than inaccurate μa. Underestimated/overestimated μs’ from -35%/+175% lead to flow index errors of +110%/-80% and underestimated/overestimated μa from -40%/+150% lead to -20%/+40%, regardless of wavelength. Analysis of a clinical study involving human head and neck tumors indicates flow index errors due to inter-patient optical property variations up to +280%. Collectively, these findings suggest that studies involving significant μa and μs’ changes should measure flow index and optical properties simultaneously to accurately extract blood flow information. This study provides unique insight through the use of liquid phantoms, hybrid instrumentation, incorporation of measurement errors and a generalization into DCS flow index errors due to the influences of optical properties.

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