24 research outputs found
Haploinsufficiency of the NOTCH1 Receptor as a Cause of Adams-Oliver Syndrome With Variable Cardiac Anomalies
No full textThis work was supported by the British Heart Foundation [RG/08/006/25302 to R.C.T.], the German Research Foundation [DFG; ZE 524/2-3 to M.Z.] and a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award [102627/Z/13/Z to R.C.T.]. A.S.V.K. is the recipient of a PrimerDesign Gold level student sponsorship. E.J.T. is a Royal Society University Research Fellow. R.C.T. held a Senior Investigator Award from the NIHR
Multiple sets of solutions for harmonic elimination PWM bipolar waveforms: Analysis and experimental verification
No full textMultiple sets of solutions for the selective harmonic elimination pulse-width modulation method for inverter control exist. These sets present an independent solution to the same problem but further investigation reveals that certain sets may offer an improved overall harmonic performance. In this paper, a minimization method is discussed as a way to obtain these multiple sets of switching angles. A simple distortion harmonic factor that takes into account the first two most significant harmonics present in the generated waveform is considered in order to evaluate the performance of each set. The bipolar waveform is thoroughly analyzed and two cases are considered; single-phase patterns which eliminate all odd harmonics and three-phase counterparts which eliminate only the nontriplen odd harmonics from the line-to-neutral pattern but such harmonics are naturally eliminated from the line-to-line waveform. Experimental results support the theoretical considerations reported in the paper
Synthesis characterization and reactivity of binary molybdenum sulfides: Tertiary oxo-disulfido molybdates and zirconium thiolates.
No full text(Mo\sb2S\sb9) \sp{2-} (6), and (Mo\sb2S\sb6) \sp{2-} (3), were prepared from (Ph\sb4P)\sb2 (Mo\sb2S\sb{10}), by Na (BH\sb4) reduction or Ph\sb3P desulfurization respectively. (Mo\sb2S\sb6) \sp{2-} showed sulfur vacancies and yielded (Mo\sb2S\sb7) \sp{2-} (5), via the addition of 1 sulfur. (Mo\sb2(S)\sb6) \sp{2-} features two tetrahedral Mo\sp{\rm v}(S)\sb4\} units sharing an edge with Mo-S\sb{\rm br} = 2.300(1) A. (Mo\sb2S\sb9) \sp{2-} and (Mo\sb2S\sb7) \sp{2-} are formally described as square-pyramidal (Mo\sp{\rm iv}(S)(S\sb{\rm x})(Mo\sp{\rm vi}S\sb4) \sp{2-} or (Mo\sp{\rm v}(S)(S\sb{\rm x})(Mo\sp{\rm v}S\sb4)) \sp{2-} (x = 2 or 4 for 5 and 6a respectively), where S\sp{2-} occupies the apical position. Important bond lengths for the five-coordinate Mo(1) and the four-coordinate Mo(2) are: Mo(2)-S\sb{\rm br}, 2.283(3) for 5 and 2.254(5) for 6a; Mo(1)-S\sb{\rm br}, 2.322(4) for 5 and 2.3555(4) for 6a; Mo(1) = S, 2.105(3) for 6a and 2.103(3) A for 5. Oxidation of (MoO(S\sb4)\sb2) \sp{2-} yielded (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb{10}) \sp{2-} (8), and (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb9) \sp{2-} (9), in (Et\sb4N)\sb2 (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb{9.14}). On warming in MeCN, the latter converted into syn- ((\eta\sp2-S\sb2)(O)Mo(-S)\sb2Mo(O)(S\sb4)) \sp{2-} (14). Reactivity studies on 9 afforded (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb8(SMe)) \sp- (10), (Mo\sb4O\sb4S\sb{18}) \sp{2-} (11), and (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb8Cl) \sp- (12a). 8-12a feature pseudo pentagonal bipyramidal Mo(VI) ions. The axial sites are occupied by a terminal oxide and an intramolecularly, weakly interacting sulfur. The \eta\sp2-S\sb2\sp{2-}, Cl\sp- and the bridging sulfur ligand occupy equatorial positions. Adjacent bipyramids share the bridging ligand: S\sp{2-} in 9; \eta\sp1,\eta\sp1-S\sb2\sp{2-} in 8; SMe\sp- in 10; \eta\sp2,\eta\sp1-S\sb2\sp{2-} in 12a; one \eta\sp1,\eta\sp1-S\sb2\sp{2-} and two \eta\sp2,\eta\sp1-S\sb2\sp{2-} ligands in 11. For 11: Mo-Mo = 3.606(1), 3.561(1); Mo-S = 2.386(4) and S-S = 2.043(5) for Mo-\eta\sp2S; Mo-S = 2.387(7), 2.457(5), 2.538(7) and S-S = 2.055(6) for Mo\sb2-(-\eta\sp2,\eta\sp1S\sb2); Mo-S = 2.374(5), 2.380(4), 2.919(9) and S-S = 2.051(5) for the Mo\sb2-\eta\sp2S\sb2\}; Mo-S = 2.417(3) and S-S = 2.089(5) A for Mo\sb2-(-\eta\sp1,\eta\sp1S\sb2). In 14, the involvement of S\sb4\sp{2-} in d(Mo)-p(S) bonding is associated with the elongation of the trans Mo-S\sb{\rm br} bonds by nearly 0.05 A. Comparative reactivity studies (MeCN, RT, 24h) for 14 and 15 toward DMAD were done. 14 produced ((\eta\sp1S,\eta\sp1S-S\sb2C\sb2(COOMe)\sb2)\sb2\{syn-Mo\sb2(O)\sb2(-S)\sb2\}) \sp{2-} (17), while 15 produced (trans(\eta\sp1S,\eta\sp1C-S\sb2C\sb2(COOMe)\sb2)\sb2\{syn-Mo\sb2(O)\sb2(-S)\sb2\}) \sp{2-} (18a), and the known cis-isomer (18b). 17 formed via ((S\sb4)(\eta\sp1S,\eta\sp1C-S\sb2C\sb2(COOMe)\sb2)syn-Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb2\}) \sp{2-} (19). Prepared from the reaction of 12a with NiCl\sb2, (Ni(DMF)\sb6) (Mo\sb2O\sb2S\sb8Cl) \sb2, (12b), served as precursor of an effective alumina-supported HDS catalyst. At 1.7% Mo loading, 350\sp\circC, TOF was 0.002 mol mol\sp{-1}s\sp{1-}, twice that of the commercial catalco catalyst. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)PhDInorganic chemistryPure SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128259/2/8907044.pd
PESI - a taxonomic backbone for Europe
No full textThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Development of a cost-effectiveness model for optimisation of the screening interval in diabetic retinopathy screening
No full textBACKGROUND:
The English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme was established in 2003. Eligible people are invited annually for digital retinal photography screening. Those found to have potentially sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) are referred to surveillance clinics or to Hospital Eye Services.
OBJECTIVES:
To determine whether personalised screening intervals are cost-effective.
DESIGN:
Risk factors were identified in Gloucestershire, UK using survival modelling. A probabilistic decision hidden (unobserved) Markov model with a misgrading matrix was developed. This informed estimation of lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) in patients without STDR. Two personalised risk stratification models were employed: two screening episodes (SEs) (low, medium or high risk) or one SE with clinical information (low, medium-low, medium-high or high risk). The risk factor models were validated in other populations.
SETTING:
Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, South London and East Anglia (all UK).
PARTICIPANTS:
People with diabetes in Gloucestershire with risk stratification model validation using data from Nottinghamshire, South London and East Anglia.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Personalised risk-based algorithm for screening interval; cost-effectiveness of different screening intervals.
RESULTS:
Data were obtained in Gloucestershire from 12,790 people with diabetes with known risk factors to derive the risk estimation models, from 15,877 people to inform the uptake of screening and from 17,043 people to inform the health-care resource-usage costs. Two stratification models were developed: one using only results from previous screening events and one using previous screening and some commonly available GP data. Both models were capable of differentiating groups at low and high risk of development of STDR. The rate of progression to STDR was 5 per 1000 person-years (PYs) in the lowest decile of risk and 75 per 1000 PYs in the highest decile. In the absence of personalised risk stratification, the most cost-effective screening interval was to screen all patients every 3 years, with a 46% probability of this being cost-effective at a £30,000 per QALY threshold. Using either risk stratification models, screening patients at low risk every 5 years was the most cost-effective option, with a probability of 99-100% at a £30,000 per QALY threshold. For the medium-risk groups screening every 3 years had a probability of 43-48% while screening high-risk groups every 2 years was cost-effective with a probability of 55-59%.
CONCLUSIONS:
The study found that annual screening of all patients for STDR was not cost-effective. Screening this entire cohort every 3 years was most likely to be cost-effective. When personalised intervals are applied, screening those in our low-risk groups every 5 years was found to be cost-effective. Screening high-risk groups every 2 years further improved the cost-effectiveness of the programme. There was considerable uncertainty in the estimated incremental costs and in the incremental QALYs, particularly with regard to implications of an increasing proportion of maculopathy cases receiving intravitreal injection rather than laser treatment. Future work should focus on improving the understanding of risk, validating in further populations and investigating quality issues in imaging and assessment including the potential for automated image grading
Public sector pricing policies : a review of Bank policy and practice
No full textNearly a decade has passed since the Bank codified its position on cost recovery policies (OMS 2.25) for public sector projects. In a review of 13 sectors, the authors find that the Bank guidelines are followed fairly closely in seven sectors: coal, irrigation, oil/gas, power, roads, telecommunications, and water/sewerage. In the other six sectors the focus is heavily on either distributional (health, education, housing) or financial (fertilizer, ports, railways) concerns - with little attempt to incorporate economic pricing principles. Efficiency pricing is not irrelevant or impossible in these sectors, and - even if used only as a benchmark - could improve sector management and project selection and design.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform
Dataset for the hybrid non-toughened and toughened epoxy adhesive properties
No full textIn this article, the manufacturing and toughening effects on the material properties of epoxy adhesives used in wind tur-bine rotor blades are presented. Different adhesive materi-als are developed by combining SPABONDTM 820HTA (non-toughened) and SPABONDTM 840HTA (toughened) adhesives with the machine and manual mixing methods. Firstly, the manufacturing quality are compared between the two meth-ods, in terms of void percentage and void volume using micro-computed tomography. Dynamical Mechanical analy-sis, uniaxial tensile testing, V-notch shear testing and single-edge-notch beam testing are carried out to evaluate the man-ufacturing and toughening effects. In these experiments, the digital image correlation technique is exploited to obtain the displacement and strain data. Origin ProR((R)) and MATLAB R2021bR((R)) are utilized for technical data analysis, plotting, smoothing, filtering, and averaging. The obtained data could be used to select the adhesive material based on the strength and stiffness requirements, develop failure criteria, and pre-dict the thick adhesive joint behavior by finite element mod-eling.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )CCLA
3D-printed electrochemical glucose device with integrated Fe(II)-MOF nanozyme
No full textEstimation of glucose (GLU) levels in the human organism is very important in the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes. Scientific advances in nanomaterials have led to the construction of new generations of enzymatic-free GLU sensors. In this work, an innovative 3D-printed device modified with a water-stable and non-toxic metal–organic framework of iron (Fe(II)-MOF), which serves as a nanozyme, has been developed for the voltammetric determination of GLU in artificial sweat. In contrast to existing MOF-based GLU sensors which exhibit electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of GLU in alkaline media, the nanozyme Fe(II)-MOF/3D-printed device can operate in the acidic epidermal sweat environment. The enzymatic-free GLU sensor is composed of a 3-electrode 3D-printed device with the MOF nanozyme immobilized on the surface of the working electrode. GLU sensing is conducted by differential pulse voltammetry without interference from other co-existing metabolites in artificial sweat. The response is based on the oxidation of glucose to gluconolactone, induced by the redox activity of the Fe-centers of the MOF. GLU gives rise to an easily detectable and well-defined voltammetric peak at about − 1.2 V and the limit of detection is 17.6 μmol L-1. The synergy of a nanozyme with 3D printing technology results in an advanced, sensitive, and low-cost sensor, paving the way for on-skin applications. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2023, The Author(s)
The 'Synopsis Chronike' and its place in the Byzantine chronicle tradition: its sources (Creation – 1081 CE)
No full textThe subject of this thesis is the Synopsis Chronike (or Synopsis Sathas), a Byzantine chronicle of the thirteenth century that conveys the history of the world, starting from Adam and concluding with the recapture of Constantinople in 1261. The study focuses on the first part of the text (Adam – Nikephoros Botaneiates), and more specifically on the comprehensive presentation and analysis of the whole corpus of its sources, passage by passage, in order to reconstruct the background of the chronicle and to determine its place in the Byzantine chronicle tradition.
Following the introductory first chapter, which sets out the aims of the thesis and establishes its methodology, chapter two offers an overview of the chronicle itself, and a first discussion of the main issues it presents: the key characteristics of its narrative structure, its manuscript tradition, and – mainly – the problem of its authorship, with special reference to the commonly supposed author, Theodore Skoutariotes, bishop of Kyzikos. Chapter three conveys a detailed presentation of the results of our research; following the discussion of the sources and influences of the proem, it attempts to place each passage of the Synopsis Chronike in the context of any related texts, which are then identified as 'main sources', 'other sources' and 'parallel passages', depending on their link to the Synopsis Chronike. Chapter four discusses individually each text that appears as a source of the Synopsis Chronike, and locates its place amongst the whole corpus of the sources. Furthermore, it examines the passages for which we were not able to identify a main source, and suggests possible sources that have not survived. Finally, the concluding chapter of the thesis summarises the earlier discussion, and attempts to combine the different pieces of information, and to provide an overall picture of the background of the Synopsis Chronike in order to establish – to the degree that it is possible – its position in the Byzantine chronicle tradition
Testing mechanical performance of adhesively bonded composite joints in engineering applications: an overview
No full textThe development of new adhesives has allowed to expand the application of bonding into the most diverse industrial fields. This review article presents the commonly used experimental methods for the investigation of mechanical performance of adhesively bonded joints in the aerospace, wind energy, automotive and civil engineering sectors. In these sectors, due to their excellent intrinsic properties, composite materials are often used along with conventional materials such as steel, concrete and aluminium. In this context, and due to the limitations that the traditional joining techniques present, adhesive joints are an excellent alternative. However, standardized experimental procedures are not always applicable for testing representative adhesive joints in these industries. Lack of relevant regulations across the different fields is often overcome by the academia and companies’ own regulations and standards. Additional costs are thus mitigated to the industrial sectors in relation with the certification process which effectively can deprive even the biggest companies from promoting adhesive bonding. To ensure continuous growth of the adhesive bonding field the new international standards, focusing on actual adhesive joints’ performance rather than on specific application of adhesive joints are necessary.Aerospace Structures & Computational MechanicsStructural Integrity & Composite
