10 research outputs found
Fundumental One-Dimensional Analysis of Photo-Diodes
No full textTitle: Fundumental One-Dimensional Analysis of Photo-Diodes, Author: T.B. Remple, Location: Thodethe program developed by A.M. Start, in his paper, Fundamental One-Dimentional Analysis of Transistors, Philips Research Report Supplements, #4, 1976, has been modified to handle high voltage, reversed biased p-i-n photo-diodes. The physical involved in the development of stark;s model is summarized and three different p-i-n diodes are analyzed. A Schottky barrier is also analyzed by assuming the metal contact is a very highly doped semiconductor material. A listing of the program is given in the appendices, as well as a description of the program and a user's guide. Te program is written in Fortran, was run on a CDC 6400 in double precision (giving 29 digits accuracy), requiring 45 k of memory and 300 to 1000 seconds run time.ThesisMaster of Engineering (ME
Development and Utilization of a Signal Averaging System
No full textTitle: Development and Utilization of a Signal Averaging System, Author: T. B. Remple, Location: ThodeA sampling oscilloscope was interfaced to a PDP11/10 minicomputer via one analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and one digital-to-analog converter (DAC), with the minicomputer being interfaced to a real time oscilloscope or plotter via two more DAC's. A software program that employed both assembler and Fortran was developed. This program controlled the signal averaging, did some data analysis, could output the data in normalized form onto a real time scope or a plotter, and also input and output the signal using punched type. The usefulness of the system was then demonstrated by measuring the rise time of a short laser pulse through various lengths of graded index fibre, and the fibre response was extracted as a function of fibre length.ThesisMaster of Engineering (ME
Design and Modeling of Schottky Barrier Photodiodes
No full textThe computer program developed by T.B. Remple for the analysis of PiN photodiodes has been modified to handle Schottky barrier cases. The fundamental physics involved in the original model is summarized and the theories for a metal-semiconductor interface are presented. The boundary values for n, p, and ψ are then defined in such a way that ψ (x) would be in agreement with the thermionic-diffusion theory. An equivalent circuit approach is used to determine the RC response of the photodetector. While the modified version of the computer model provides very detailed analysis of the device, it is also very expensive to run. A simplified model is therefore employed for the design process. The objective is to design an Au-nGe photodiode with a risetime less than 50 psecs. The set of optimum design parameters obtained with the simplified model is then taken as the input to the modified version of Remple's program
for further analysis. The theoretical risetime of the optimum design is found to be about 45 psecs.ThesisMaster of Engineering (ME
Regaining Motor Control in Musician's Dystonia by Restoring Sensorimotor Organization
No full textProfessional musicians are an excellent human model of long term effects of skilled motor training on the structure and function of the motor system. However, such effects are accompanied by an increased risk of developing motor abnormalities, in particular musician's dystonia. Previously we found that there was an expanded spatial integration of proprioceptive input into the hand area of motor cortex (sensorimotor organisation, SMO) in healthy musicians as tested with a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm. In musician's dystonia, this expansion was even larger, resulting in a complete lack of somatotopic organisation. We hypothesised that the disordered motor control in musician's dystonia is a consequence of the disordered SMO.
In the present paper we test this idea by giving pianists with musician's dystonia 15 min experience of a modified proprioceptive training task. This restored SMO towards that seen in healthy pianists. Crucially, motor control of the affected task improved significantly and objectively as measured with a MIDI piano, and the amount of behavioural improvement was significantly correlated to the degree of sensorimotor re-organisation. In healthy pianists and non-musicians, the SMO and motor performance remained essentially unchanged. These findings suggest a link between the differentiation of SMO in the hand motor cortex and the degree of motor control of intensively practiced tasks in highly skilled individuals
Coral reef biofilm bacterial diversity and successional trajectories are structured by reef benthic organisms and shift under chronic nutrient enrichment
No full text© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Remple, K. L., Silbiger, N. J., Quinlan, Z. A., Fox, M. D., Kelly, L. W., Donahue, M. J., & Nelson, C. E. Coral reef biofilm bacterial diversity and successional trajectories are structured by reef benthic organisms and shift under chronic nutrient enrichment. Npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 7(1), (2021): 84, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-021-00252-1.Work on marine biofilms has primarily focused on host-associated habitats for their roles in larval recruitment and disease dynamics; little is known about the factors regulating the composition of reef environmental biofilms. To contrast the roles of succession, benthic communities and nutrients in structuring marine biofilms, we surveyed bacteria communities in biofilms through a six-week succession in aquaria containing macroalgae, coral, or reef sand factorially crossed with three levels of continuous nutrient enrichment. Our findings demonstrate how biofilm successional trajectories diverge from temporal dynamics of the bacterioplankton and how biofilms are structured by the surrounding benthic organisms and nutrient enrichment. We identify a suite of biofilm-associated bacteria linked with the orthogonal influences of corals, algae and nutrients and distinct from the overlying water. Our results provide a comprehensive characterization of marine biofilm successional dynamics and contextualize the impact of widespread changes in reef community composition and nutrient pollution on biofilm community structure.This work was supported through grants from the National Science Foundation for Biological Oceanography (1923877 to C.E.N. and M.J.D., 1949033 to C.E.N. and 2118687 to L.W.K., and 1924281 to N.J.S.) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (grant no. 44447 to C.E.N.). This paper is funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Project A/AS-1, which is sponsored by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, SOEST, under Institutional Grant No. NA18OAR4170076 from NOAA Office of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce. This is CSUN marine biology contribution #365, UH Sea Grant contribution UNIHI-SEAGRANT-JC-21-06, and UH SOEST contribution 11435
Impact of the Adalimumab Patient Support Program on Clinical Outcomes in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Results from the COMPANION Study
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From Sinai to Jerusalem : a study of the Hebrew text of Psalm 68.
No full textAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN048986 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo
Experiential marketing – A consumption of fantasies, feelings and fun. An investigation of the relationship between brand experience and loyalty within the context of the luxury cosmetics sector in Thailand
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThe concept of ‘brand experience’ has evolved as an essential area of study within the brand management and marketing discipline. Despite the importance of (and the attention paid to) this concept in recent years, the theory of brand experience has remained unclear and there is a less of theoretical support. In addition to this, several scholars content that there is a connection between brand experience and loyalty. This study aims to address the gap in the literature and provide a better understanding of the concept of ‘brand experience’ together with its consequences, with particular regard to consumer loyalty. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between brand experience and consumer loyalty in the luxury cosmetic brand industry (Thailand). This empirical study proceeds with a systematic review of the existing literature, leading to the development of a theoretical framework.
The research adopts a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach, use of a quantitative survey to collect data, validated and enhanced qualitatively by personal interviews. The questionnaires were completed by Thai customers who frequent the luxury cosmetic brand counters in three particular stores in Bangkok. The data analysis uses descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and linear/multiple regression analysis for hypotheses testing. The personal interviews use a purposive sampling technique.
The results of this study demonstrate that sensory experience, affective experience, behavioural experience, intellectual experience and social experience form the dimensions of luxury cosmetic brand experience. In addition to this, there is a positive direct relationship between luxury cosmetic brand experience and consumer loyalty. In addition, luxury cosmetic brand experience has a positive indirect relationship with consumer loyalty through brand personality, brand trust and consumer satisfaction; albeit, brand trust is the most significant of these.
A key contribution of the present study is the conceptual model the study offers that explains the phenomenon of luxury cosmetic brand experience and its consequences. This study contributes further knowledge to the marketing literature, brand management literature and, also, consumer behaviour literature (particularly in the luxury cosmetic brand sectors in Thailand and other Asian countries) and suggests directions for future research. Finally, the present study will facilitate luxury cosmetic brand managers’ endeavours to identify both the experiential needs of their customers and the marketing strategy necessary to achieve consumer loyalty
Microbiome dynamics of the Coral Madracis auretenra and Coral Probiotic Response to Heat Stress
No full textCorals are threatened by the rapid deterioration of the environmental conditions that affect their health, stability, and maintenance. The variable environment also influences the coral-associated microbial communities, inducing shifts in their structure and leading to the loss of symbiotic, mutualistic, and commensal relationships. However, some corals are resistant and have adapted to the environmental changes. This response is thought to be mediated by the coral-associated microbiome, and studying this interaction and its dynamic could lead to an understanding of how bacteria are involved in the coral host response to environmental stress. In this study, we evaluated the dynamics of the coral Madracis auretenra-associated microbiome under different conditions and manipulated the coral response to heat stress by inoculating probiotic bacteria. First, we assessed the microbiome associated with M. auretenra from Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean in two contrasting locations, one urban and the other non-urban (or protected), in two years (four-time points across dry and rainy seasons), and based on the health status (healthy and stressed), whether the corals were in contact or not with algae, and by compartments (mucus, tissue, and seawater). Second, we explored the status of coral M. auretenra in both locations and evaluated the presence of probiotic traits in culturable bacteria from the urban M. auretenra. Third, we assessed the physiological and microbiome response of two coral species in a heat-stress experiment and when inoculating an assembled potential probiotic consortium composed of bacteria native to the urban M. auretenra, and displaying different beneficial properties. Using a 16S rRNA V4 region amplicon sequencing-based approach, we observed that the microbiome of M. auretenra showed patterns in alpha diversity that differed among sites, seasons, and between the coral compartments and the seawater, but no differences in the compositional structure were observed indicating similar microbiomes over time and space. The composition of the microbiome varied but reshaped seasonally showing the dominance of Endozoicomonas and a core microbiome composed of this genus and members of the Vibrionaceae and Rhodobacteraceae. We observed that Endozoicomonas abundance is negatively affected during the rainy season and was correlated with changes in temperature, sediments, and nutrients. Family Vibrionaceae remained stable across seasons, locations, and health conditions. These results suggested a balanced and beneficial microbiome.
The status of M. auretenra revealed the presence of a resistant or adapted phenotype in the urban location. After assessing ecological attributes, we observed a similar coverage when comparing patches of M. auretenra from both locations. The urban M. auretenra exhibited a high abundance of vibrios in coral tissues and despite observing more frequency of signs of stress compared to the protected M. auretenra, a “good” health index condition was obtained, so we hypothesized the beneficial microbiome is responsible. To test this, we isolated 132 bacterial strains from the healthy urban M. auretenra and screened for probiotic traits such as antioxidant, antagonistic, and nutrient-scavenging activities. Culturable bacteria were affiliated with 11 genera, including Vibrio, Shewanella, Bacillus, Exiguobacterium, Priestia, and Niallia, among others. Vibrio was the most dominant genus in the culturable fraction of this coral. We uncovered the predominant presence of catalase, anti-quorum sensing, and the production of siderophore activities among the bacterial isolates. We proposed a list of 24 bacterial isolates as probiotic precandidates selected for exhibiting three or more of these traits. Most of the precandidates were Vibrio and Bacilli strains.
The precandidates were then evaluated for additional traits and seven strains were selected due to rapid growth, non-pathogenicity, and morphological differences. These strains were assembled in a consortium that was tested in a heat-stress experiment. The assembled consortium was composed of two strains of Vibrio, two strains of Bacillus, and one strain of Priestia, Exiguobacterium, and Fictibacillus. All members displayed catalase and anti-quorum sensing activities, among other traits accomplishing functional redundancy. Acclimatized coral fragments of M. auretenra and Porites sp. were subjected to a heat stress regime (30–31°C) for 11 days. Then, the temperature was re-established (24 °C) and fragments were allowed to recover for 20 days. Corals were simultaneously treated with the consortium and a placebo (sterile saline solution), in independent triplicated treatments. We assessed the physiological and microbiome responses by collecting data from symbiont density, chlorophyll a, tissue thickness and color loss (paling and bleaching), and microbiome data for Porites sp. fragments. We additionally sequenced the genome of each member of the consortium and identified putative probiotic functional genes. The inoculation of the consortium generated a delayed appearance of signs of deterioration and attenuated the color loss in both species. Moreover, the consortium treatment significantly reduced symbiont and chlorophyll loss during the heat stress and post-stress time points, although no effect was observed on the tissue thickness parameter. The application of the consortium maintained the microbiome of Porites sp. relatively stable during the stress timepoint and prevented the increase of opportunistic bacteria such as Fusibacter and Rhodobacteraceae which were significantly more abundant in the placebo treatment. The genome-based functional analysis detected the presence of genes involved in the antioxidant defense (sodA, cat, ahpC), osmotic balance (gbs, betA, mtlD), and nutrition through siderophore production (ddc, iucC), vitamin B12 synthesis (btuR, cobP), and sulfur metabolism (gshA), all of them considered as probiotic properties.
These findings provided key evidence of a stable microbiome in M. auretenra that reshapes under seasonal rather than local conditions and which dynamics are linked to the dominance of Endozoicomonas, the stability of Vibrionaceae, and the complex interactions that enhance a balanced and beneficial microbiome even under a variable environment. This beneficial microbiome served as a source of probiotic bacteria and here we provide a first insight into inoculating a functionally redundant bacterial consortium composed of non-obligate and unconventional strains with positive effects on manipulating the coral microbiome and the coral physiological response under experimental heat stress which is promising for coral reefs conservation
