Clusters are finite ensembles of atoms or molecules with sizes in the nanometer regime (i.e. nanoparticles). This thesis present results on the geometric and electronic structure of homogeneous and heterogeneous combinations of atoms and molecules. The systems have been studied with synchrotron radiation and valence, core and Auger electron spectroscopic techniques. The first theme of the thesis is that of mixed clusters. It is shown that by varying the cluster production technique both structures that are close to that predicted by equilibrium considerations can be attained as well as far from equilibrium structures. Electronic processes following ionization constitute the second theme. The post-collision interaction phenomenon, energy exchange between the photo- and the Auger electrons, is shown to be different in clusters of argon, krypton and xenon. A model is proposed that takes polarization screening in the final state into account. This result is of general character and should be applicable to the analysis of core level photoelectron and Auger electron spectra of insulating and semi-conducting bulk materials as well. Interatomic Coloumbic Decay is a process that can occur in the condensed phases of weakly bonded systems. Results on the time-scale of the process in Ne clusters and mixed Ar/Ne clusters are herein discussed, as well observations of resonant contributions to the process. In analogy to Auger vis-à-vis Resonant Auger it is found that to the ICD process there is a corresponding Resonant ICD process possible. This has later been observed in other systems and by theoretical calculations as well in subsequent works by other groups. Delocalization of dicationic valence final states in the hydrogen bonded ammonia clusters and aqueous ammonia has also been investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy. With those results it was possible to assign a previously observed feature in the Auger electron spectrum of solid ammonia.

La sang és un subproducte amb un alt potencial de valorització que s'obté en quantitats importants en els escorxadors industrials. Actualment, la majoria de sistemes de recollida de la sang no segueixen unes mesures d'higiene estrictes, pel que esdevé un producte de baixa qualitat microbiològica. Conseqüentment, l'aprofitament de la sang és una sortida poc estimulant des del punt de vista econòmic, ja que acostuma a perdre les qualitats que permetrien l'obtenció de productes d'alt valor afegit. El capítol I del present treball s'inclou dins d'un projecte que proposa la inoculació de bacteris de l'àcid làctic (LAB) com un cultiu bioconservador de la sang, un sistema senzill i de baix cost que cerca l'estabilitat de la sang, tant microbiològica com fisicoquímica, durant el període del seu emmagatzematge. El capítol II s'emmarca dins d'un projecte que cerca la millora de l'aprofitament integral de la sang que, en el cas de la fracció plasmàtica, es centra en l'estudi de la funcionalitat dels seus principals constituents. Conèixer la contribució dels components majoritaris ha de permetre la millora de la funcionalitat dels ingredients alimentaris derivats. Els resultats presentats en aquesta tesi poden ajudar a la valorització de la sang porcina d'escorxadors industrials, mitjançant els coneixements adquirits pel que fa a la millora del seu sistema de recollida i del desenvolupament d'ingredients alimentaris amb interessants propietats funcionals. / Blood is a by-product obtained in large amounts in industrial slaughterhouses with a high potential of valorisation. Currently, most of the blood collecting systems are not subjected to strict hygienic measures hence it becomes a product with low microbiological quality. As a result, the use of blood for consumption purposes is not a stimulating prospect from an economic point of view, because the intrinsic worth allowing the development of high value-added products is normally lost.Chapter I of the present dissertation is included within a research project that suggests lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a blood biopreservative culture: a simple, inexpensive system to keep the stability of blood both in terms of microbiological and physicochemical quality, during its storage.Chapter II is framed within a research project that investigates ways to improve the use of blood as a food ingredient, which, in the case of plasma, is focused on the functionality of its main protein constituents. The knowledge of the contribution of each constituent can be used to improve the functional properties of plasma-based ingredients. The results presented in this thesis dissertation may help the valorisation of porcine blood from industrial slaughterhouses, thanks to the acquired knowledge about the improvement of blood preservation and the development of plasma-based food ingredients with interesting functional properties.

Zur Entfernung von anthropogenen organischen Spurenstoffen werden bei der Wasseraufbereitung sehr oft Aktivkohle-Festbettadsorber eingesetzt. Dabei konkurrieren die organischen Einzelstoffe während des Adsorptionsprozesses mit dem adsorbierbaren Anteil der natürlichen Wasserinhaltsstoffe um die aktiven Zentren der Aktivkohle. Durch dieses Konkurrenzverhalten ist es sehr schwierig, für einen zu untersuchenden organischen Einzelstoff seine Entfernbarkeit mittels Aktivkohle abzuschätzen. Gleichzeitig werden der Liste der aus dem Wasser zu entfernenden Substanzen ständig neue Stoffe hinzugefügt. Deshalb wäre es wünschenswert, eine schnelle, einfache und kostengünstige Methode zu haben, mit der unter wasserwerksnahen Bedingungen die Entfernbarkeit eines organischen Einzelstoffs bei der Aktivkohlefiltration in einem Großfilter bestimmt werden kann. Da die bisher entwickelten Methoden nicht in der Lage sind, all diese Vorgaben zu erfüllen, sollte im Rahmen dieser Arbeit eine neue Methode zur Beurteilung der Entfernbarkeit organischer Einzelstoffe mittels Aktivkohlefiltration entwickelt werden. Es wurde ein Aktivkohle-Kleinfiltertest konzipiert und aufgebaut, der eine Einstufung von organischen Substanzen, die auf den Rückhaltepotenzialen von Aktivkohlefiltern basiert, ermöglichen soll. Um die Einstufung nach Sontheimer in trinkwasserrelevante und nicht-trinkwasserrelevante Substanzen vornehmen zu können, wurde ein spezielles Bewertungskonzept entwickelt, das auf die Aktivkohle-Kleinfiltertest-Durchbruchskurven der verschiedenen organischen Einzelstoffe angewendet werden kann. Da der Kleinfiltertest einfach und kostengünstig durchzuführen sein sollte, wurde bei der Auslegung des gesamten Versuchaufbaus darauf geachtet, dass nur Zukaufteile oder Teile verwendet wurden, die sich aus Glas fertigen ließen. Die Versuchsparameter wurden so gewählt, dass die Versuchsvorbereitung und -durchführung nicht zu zeit- und arbeitsintensiv ist. Als Standard für die Versuchsdurchführung wurde eine handelsübliche und in der Wasseraufbereitung weitverbreitete Kohlesorte (F 300) und als Matrix Leitungswasser verwendet. Die Filterzulaufkonzentration des organischen Einzelstoffs wurde auf 500 µg/l festgelegt. Durch verschiedene Vorversuche konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Aktivkohle-Kleinfilter die kinetischen Vorgaben erfüllt und es zu keinen unerwünschten Effekten wie Kanalbildung oder Randeinflüssen kommt. Die Validierung der neu entwickelten Versuchsmethode ergab, dass die Kleinfilter-Durchbruchskurven von Substanzen, deren Entfernbarkeit in Aktivkohlefiltern von Wasserwerken bekannt ist (1,1,1-Trichlorethan, EDTA, Trichlorethen, Atrazin, Isoproturon), plausibel sind. Die Durchbruchsreihenfolge und der Durchbruchsbeginn der einzelnen Substanzen im Kleinfilter waren identisch mit denen in einem Großfilter. Zudem war die Trennschärfe des Kleinfilters für die schlecht (1,1,1-Trichlorethan und EDTA), mäßig (Trichlorethen) und gut (Atrazin und Isoproturon) zu entfernenden Substanzen ausreichend, so dass eine Einstufung in Entfernbarkeitsklassen ohne Probleme vorgenommen werden konnte. Um die organischen Einzelstoffe aufgrund der mit dem Kleinfiltertest aufgenommenen Durchbruchskurven einstufen zu können, musste ein Kriterium für die Trinkwasserrelevanz nach Sontheimer gefunden werden, das sich direkt aus den Durchbruchskurven ableiten lässt. Es bot sich an, eine bestimmte Ablaufkonzentration, die nach einer bestimmten Versuchslaufzeit erreicht wird, als Kriterium festzulegen. Durch die Durchbruchskurven der Stoffe, die bei der Validierung des Kleinfiltertests zum Einsatz kamen, wurde das Kriterium bei einem 10%igen Durchbruch nach 15000 BVT festgelegt. Mit Hilfe des Bewertungskonzepts wurden verschiedene organische Einzelstoffe, deren Entfernbarkeit in einem Wasserwerks-Aktivkohleadsorber nicht oder nur unzureichend bekannt war, anhand der jeweiligen Kleinfilter-Durchbruchskurven eingestuft (MTBE, ETBE, Amidotrizoesäure, Iopamidol).

Heavy oil production depends on the understanding of mechanical and flow properties of unconsolidated or weakly consolidated sands under different loading paths and boundary conditions. Reconstituted bitumen-free Athabasca oil-sands samples were used to investigate the geomechanics of a steam injection process such as the Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). Four stress paths have been studied in this work: triaxial compression, radial extension, pore pressure increase and isotropic compression. Absolute permeability, end-point relative permeability to oil & water (kro and krw), initial water saturation and residual oil saturation were measured while the samples deformed. Triaxial compression is a stress path of increasing mean stress while radial extension and pore pressure increase lead to decreasing mean stress. Pore pressure increase experiments were carried out for three initial states: equal axial and confining stresses, axial stress greater than confining stress and confining stress greater than axial stress. Pore pressure was increased under four boundary conditions: 1) constant axial and confining stress; 2) constant axial stress and zero radial strain; 3) zero axial strain and constant confining stress; and 4) zero axial and radial strain. These experiments were designed to mimic geologic conditions where vertical stress was either S1 or S3, the lateral boundary conditions were either zero strain or constant stress, and the vertical boundary conditions were either zero strain or constant stress. Triaxial compression caused a decrease in permeability as the sample compacted, followed by appreciable permeability enhancement during sample dilation. Radial extension led to sample dilation, shear failure and permeability increase from the beginning. The krw and kro increased by 40% and 15% post-compaction respectively for the samples corresponding to lower depths during triaxial compression. For these samples, residual oil saturation decreased by as much as 40%. For radial extension, the permeability enhancement decreased with depth and ranged from 20% to 50% while the residual oil saturation decreased by up to 55%. For both stress paths, more shear-enhanced permeability was observed for samples tested at lower pressures, implying that permeability enhancement is higher for shallower sands. The pore pressure increase experiments showed an increase of only 0-10% in absolute permeability except when the effective stress became close to zero. This could possibly have occurred due to steady state flow not being reached during absolute permeability measurement. The krw curves generally increased as the pore pressure was increased from 0 psi. The increase ranged from 5% to 44% for the different boundary conditions and differential stresses. The kro curves also showed an increasing trend for most of the cases. The residual oil saturation decreased by 40-60% for samples corresponding to shallow depths while it increased by 0-10% for samples corresponding to greater depths. The reservoirs with high differential stress are more conducive to favorable changes in permeability and residual oil saturation. These results suggested that a decreasing mean stress path is more beneficial for production increase than an increasing mean stress path. The unconsolidated sands are over-consolidated because of previous ice loading which makes the sand matrix stiffer. In this work, it was found that over-consolidation, as expected, decreased the porosity and permeability (40-50%) and increased the Young’s and bulk moduli of the sand. The result is sand which failed at higher than expected stress during triaxial compression. Overall, results show that lab experiments support increased permeability due to steam injection operations in heavy oil, and more importantly, the observed reduction in residual oil saturation implies SAGD induced deformation should improve recovery factors. / text

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.

Aqueous solutions were studied using photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy, based on synchrotron radiation and a liquid micro-jet setup. By varying the photon energy in photoelectron spectra, we depth profiled an aqueous tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) solution. Assuming uniform angular emission from the core levels, we found that the TBA+ ions were oriented at the surface with the hydrophobic butyl arms sticking into the liquid. We investigated the association between ions and their neighbors in aqueous solutions by studying the electronic decay after core ionization. The (2p)−1 decay of solvated K+ and Ca2+ ions was studied. The main features in the investigated decay spectra corresponded to two-hole final states localized on the ions. The spectra also showed additional features, related to delocalized two-hole final states with vacancies on a cation and a neighboring water molecule. These two processes compete, and by comparing relative intensities and using the known rate for the localized decay, we determined the time-scale for the delocalized process for the two ions. We compared to delocalized electronic decay processes in Na+, Mg2+, and Al3+, and found that they were slower in K+ and Ca2+, due to different internal decay mechanisms of the ions, as well as external differences in the ion-solute distances and interactions. In the O 1s Auger spectra of aqueous metal halide solutions, we observed features related to delocalized two-hole final states with vacancies on a water molecule and a neighboring solvated anion. The relative intensity of these feature indicated that the strength of the interaction between the halide ions and water correlated with ionic size. The delocalized decay was also used to investigate contact ion pair formation in high concentrated potassium halide solutions, but no concrete evidence of contact ion pairs was observed. / Felaktigt tryckt som Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 726

Today, the growing and aging population, and the rise of new global threats on human health puts an increasing demand on the healthcare system and calls for preventive actions. To make existing medical treatments more efficient and widely accessible and to prevent the emergence of new threats such as drug-resistant bacteria, improved diagnostic technologies are needed. Potential solutions to address these medical challenges could come from the development of novel lab-on-chip (LoC) for point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics. At the same time, the increasing demand for sustainable energy calls for the development of novel approaches for energy conversion and storage systems (ECS), to which micro- and nanotechnologies could also contribute. This thesis has for objective to contribute to these developments and presents the results of interdisciplinary research at the crossing of three disciplines of physics and engineering: electrokinetic transport in fluids, manufacturing of micro- and nanofluidic systems, and surface control and modification. By combining knowledge from each of these disciplines, novel solutions and functionalities were developed at the macro-, micro- and nanoscale, towards applications in PoC diagnostics and ECS systems. At the macroscale, electrokinetic transport was applied to the development of a novel PoC sampler for the efficient capture of exhaled breath aerosol onto a microfluidic platform. At the microscale, several methods for polymer micromanufacturing and surface modification were developed. Using direct photolithography in off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) polymers, a novel manufacturing method for mold-free rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices was developed. An investigation of the photolithography of OSTE polymers revealed that a novel photopatterning mechanism arises from the off-stoichiometric polymer formulation. Using photografting on OSTE surfaces, a novel surface modification method was developed for the photopatterning of the surface energy. Finally, a novel method was developed for single-step microstructuring and micropatterning of surface energy, using a molecular self-alignment process resulting in spontaneous mimicking, in the replica, of the surface energy of the mold. At the nanoscale, several solutions for the study of electrokinetic transport toward selective biofiltration and energy conversion were developed. A novel, comprehensive model was developed for electrostatic gating of the electrokinetic transport in nanofluidics. A novel method for the manufacturing of electrostatically-gated nanofluidic membranes was developed, using atomic layer deposition (ALD) in deep anodic alumina oxide (AAO) nanopores. Finally, a preliminary investigation of the nanopatterning of OSTE polymers was performed for the manufacturing of polymer nanofluidic devices. / <p>QC 20140509</p> / Rappid / NanoGate / Norosensor

本論文目的在於調查大學生修習「商用英語聽力訓練」之動機及需求，並對教師的教學活動及學習者之策略習得進行深入探討。該課程係以專業英語（English for Specific Purposes）之理論為依據，設計為應用於商業場合之課程。本研究以國立政治大學商學院學生為受試者進行個案研究，藉以探討「商用英語聽力訓練」課程現況及可供改進之方向。 受試者修習「商用英語聽力訓練」之動機與需求係由期初、期末兩次問卷填答得知，並經由英語程度不同之學習者反映出其不同之學習需求，可提供授課教師作為規畫課程及選擇教材時之參考重點，藉以提高學習者之學習興趣，達到有效學習的目標。 本論文的另一重點在於「商用英語聽力訓練」中聽力策略之訓練與習得，聽力策略的分類乃依Oxford（1990）提出之理論為根據，探討有助於該課程之聽力策略及技巧為何。本研究藉由二十八小時之課堂觀察，進而分析授課教師如何進行策略訓練；另外，經由問卷、測驗兩方法測知受試者對於該課程中策略訓練的反應及策略習得之實際情況。由此結果歸納出可提高學生學習效果的聽力策略。 由以上的研究結果，本論文針對於學習需求及策略訓練方法歸納出改進「商用英語聽力訓練」課程之具體建議，以期日後對相關課程之學習者及授課教師都能有所助益。 / This thesis aims to explore the current situation of an “English Lab Course for Occupational Purposes” in college and to provide suggestions for further improvement. This study focuses on two aspects：one is the motivations and needs analysis of the students who take this course; the other is the training and acquiring of listening strategies in this course. This course is based on the theory of “English for Specific Purposes” and is designed for Business majors. All the subjects of this research are sophomores and seniors of the College of Commerce at NCCU. The subjects’motivations and needs are investigated through a questionnaire survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. This research reveals the different motivations and needs for efficient and less-efficient learners. The results may provide some helpful perspectives to assist teachers in selecting effective teaching materials and designing appropriate courses. The other emphasis of this study is on the training and acquiring of listening strategies in this course. The definitions and categories of listening strategies are based on Oxford’s theory (1990). The author sits in on the classes for 28 hours to observe and record the actual teaching and learning situations. In addition, both questionnaires and tests (pre-test & post-test) are utilized to examine the actual strategies the subjects employ. With reference to the results of the observation, questionnaires and tests, the author presents the most effective listening strategies of this course. Based on the conclusions of this thesis, some possible applications are proposed for an “English Lab Course for Occupational Purposes”. The author hopes these suggestions can enhance the development of relevant courses in the future.

Les métamatériaux sont définis comme étant des matériaux artificiels présentant des propriétés exotiques qui modifient la propagation des ondes électromagnétiques. À la fin des années 90, Pendry et al. démontrèrent théoriquement qu'il est possible de générer de tels métamatériaux, grâce à des structures particulières au sein du matériau (le fameux "splitring resonator"). Les métamatériaux sont donc structurés à une échelle inférieure à la longueur d'onde incidente, et décrits par une permittivité et une perméabilité effective. En 2000, Smith et al. fabriquèrent le premier métamatériau mais dans la gamme micro-onde. Les perspectives dans le domaine de l'optique (300800 nm) sont très prometteuses, mais le transfert des technologies utilisées en micro-ondes rencontre des obstacles. Un des défis dans le domaine émergent des métamatériaux est d'assembler à grande échelle des nanoparticules NPs (10-50 nm) en des super-réseaux présentant des propriétés collectives. Des nanostructures tridimensionnelles de matériaux nobles, ayant de fortes réponses plasmoniques, peuvent en effet générer des matériaux aux nouvelles propriétés optiques. Cette thèse fait partie du projet européen METACHEM, dont le but est de fabriquer des métamatériaux dans le domaine de l'infrarouge et du visible, en se basant sur l'utilisation de la nanochimie et de l'assemblage de matériaux. Plus précisément, ce travail de thèse se situe à l'interface entre les groupes de chimie qui synthétisent des nanoparticules en dispersion, et les groupes de caractérisation optique des matériaux. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous utilisons une technique originale la microévaporation basée sur les outils microfluidiques, afin de générer de façon contrôlée des assemblées 3D de nanoparticules (dimensions typiques 1 mm10 m 50 m). / 1-Microevaporation - Microfluidics is the branch of fluid mechanics dedicated to the study of flows in the channel withdimensions between 1 micron and 100 micron. The object of this chapter is to illustrate the basicprinciples and possible applications of microfluidic chip, called microevaporator. In the first part ofthe chapter, we present a detailed description of the physics of microevaporators using analyticalarguments, and describe some applications. In the second part of the chapter, we present theexperimental protocol of engineering of micro evaporator and different type of microfluidics device.2- On-chip microspectroscopy - The object of this chapter is to illustrate a method to measure absorption spectra during theprocess of growth of our materials in our microfluidic tools. The aim is to make an opticalcharacterization of our micro materials and to carry-out a spatio-temporal study of kineticproperties of our dispersion under study. This instrumental chapter presents the theoretical basis !of the method we used.3-Role of colloidal stability in the growth of micromaterials - We used combined microspectroscopy and videomicroscopy to follow the nucleation and growth ofmaterials made of core-shell Ag@SiO2 NPs in micro evaporators.!We evidence that the growth is actually not always possible, and instead precipitation may occurduring the concentration process. This event is governed by the concentration of dispersion in thereservoir and we assume that its origin come from ionic species that are concentrated all togetherwith the NPs and may alter the colloidal stability en route towards high concentration. 4-Microfluidic-induced growth and shape-up of three-dimensional extended arrays of denselypacked nano particles - In this chapter I present in details microfluidic evaporation experiments to engineer various denselypacked 3D arrays of NPs.5-Bulk metamaterials assembled by microfluidic evaporation - In this chapter I introduced the technique we used (microspot ellipsometry) in close collaborationswith V.Kravets and A.Grigorenko(University of Manchester) and with A.Aradian, P.Barois, A.Baron,K.Ehrhardt(CRPP, Pessac) to characterized the solids made of densely packed NPs. I describe theconstraints that emerge from the coupling between the small size of our materials and the opticalrequirements, the analysis and interpretation of the ellipsometry experiments show that for thematerial with high volume fraction of metal exists the strong electrical coupling between the NPsand the materials display an extremely high refraction index in the near infra-red regime.

Les avancées technologiques, principalement au niveau des télécommunications, interrogent les formes de relation et les transferts d’informations dans le monde actuel. La danse contemporaine, affectée par l’usage des technologies sur la scène (image vidéo, internet, logiciel), voit se modifier les manières de chorégraphier. Si les éléments de base de la création chorégraphique, à savoir le corps dansant, l’espace scénique et le temps de la danse, sont transgressés par l’usage des technologies de la télécommunication (téléprésence), comment les chorégraphes pensent-ils et écrivent-ils la danse en incluant ces nouveaux paramètres ? Que peut perdre ou gagner la danse ? Assistons-nous à l’éveil d’une nouvelle danse, ou à l’émergence d’un autre art ? La redéfinition du corps dansant, en interaction avec son espace et son temps, se trouve au centre de cette recherche. Un projet pratique sous forme d’un laboratoire de création chorégraphique multidisciplinaire, Seuil-Lab, est proposé comme méthodologie de travail pour l’analyse théorique de cette recherche. / Technological advances, especially in telecommunications, call into question relationship modes and information transfers in today’s world. Contemporary dance has been affected by the use of technologies on stage (image, video, internet, software), which has modified choreographic practices. If the basic elements of choreographic creation - namely the dancing body, scenic space and dance time – are infringed upon by the use of technology and telecommunication (telepresence), how can choreographers think and write including these new parameters ? What can dance gain or lose ? Are we witnessing the dawn of a new dance, or the surfacing of a new art ? The redefinition of the dancing body, which interacts with its space and time, is at the core of this research. As a working methodology for the theoretical analysis of this research, we propose Seuil-Lab, a hands-on project in the form of a multidisciplinary choreographic creation lab.