440 research outputs found
Physicians, pharmacists, and merchants: Professionalization of medicine in early modern China, 1500-1900
No full textSubmission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2026-05-01The student, Xinge Zhang, accepted the attached license on 2024-04-02 at 14:58.The student, Xinge Zhang, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2024-04-02 at 15:26.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2024-04-09 at 16:37.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #20291 on 2024-09-16 at 00:49:02This study examines the process in which the expansion of various groups of medical experts resulted in further division of labor and the emergence of different professions in the “medical field” in early modern China from the sixteenth through the early twentieth centuries. During the late imperial period, with more failed examinees flocking to medicine, competition, greater specialization, trade, and commercial publishing fueled a process of “professionalization” that restructured the medical field, resulting in the separation of labor between physicians, pharmacists, and merchants. Driven by economic, social, and cultural forces, this process manifested itself in several areas of practices involving medicine. First, by considering medicine as a respectable career choice and developing a sense of professional community through cooperation and associations, various groups of medical practitioners came to establish and defend their own distinct professional identities and expertise. The process of professionalization also witnessed the emergence of a corpus of canonical texts that would define the core curriculum of classical medicine still recognized in the teaching of Traditional Chinese Medicine today. Third, codes of medical ethics and trading practices were developed to regulate the clinical and ethical behaviors of these groups of experts. Last, the formation of local and translocal medical associations facilitated the development of standardized training for students and regulation of practitioners’ professional activities. The restructuring of the medical field resulted in the tripartite division of labor in medicine among service providers: doctors, pharmacy specialists, and traders, each specialized in providing one type of professional services to the public. This study sheds lights on China in a comparative perspective on medical professionalization in the early modern period, challenging the still dominate view that medicine did not emerge as a profession in Ming Qing China because of the absence of the factors such as licensing laws and university-based medical education. It emphasizes the need to move out of the Eurocentric shadow to explore the indigenous evolution of professionalism in medicine and take into consideration the impact of different social and cultural dynamics on the process of professionalization
Influence of architecture, materials, and processing on low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) performance
No full textThe goal of this dissertation is to develop low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) through the understanding of cell material and component fabrication technology. A typical anode supported thin electrolyte cell structure has been adopted, fabricated by wet ceramic processing and co-firing. Sm₀.₂Ce₀.₈O₁.₉ (SDC) electrolyte cells supported by Ni-Y₀.₁₀Zr₀.₈₄O₁₉₂ (YSZ) cermet substrates, with Sm₀.₅Sr₀.₅CoO₃ cathode and Ni-SDC anode, demonstrate a high performance of 0.89 W cm⁻² at 600°C. A designed experiment quantitatively reveals the internal shorting problem due to the mixed ionic and electronic conductivity of the SDC electrolyte. The internal shorting current density of the thin SDC cell reaches 0.85 A cm⁻² at 600°C under open circuit voltage (OCV) conditions, which limits the fuel utilization to less than 65% and electrical efficiency to below 25%. In order to eliminate the internal shorting problem, a unique bi-layered electrolyte structure has been developed by adding a thin zirconia based electrolyte layer as an electronic blocking layer. A YSZ/SDC bi-layered electrolyte cell prepared by wet ceramic processing and co-firing generated 0.34 W cm⁻² peak power density at 650°C, with an open circuit voltage (OCV) of over 1.0V. Further improvement of the cell performance was achieved by using a Sc₀.₂Ce₀.₀₁Zr₀.₇₉O₁.₉ (SSZ)/SDC bi-layered electrolyte. The cell reached 0.50W cm⁻² at 650°C. Electrochemical impedance analysis reveals that the ionic resistance of the bi-layered electrolyte prepared by co-firing is one order of magnitude higher than the theoretical value, indicating that interaction between the two electrolytes during the co-firing is a main limit. In order to eliminate the bi-layered electrolyte interaction, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology is applied for the bi-layered electrolyte cell fabrication. The cell fabricated by PLD reaches power densities of 0.95 W cm⁻² at 600°C, and 1.37 W cm⁻² at 650°C with open circuit voltage (OCV) values larger than 1.02 V, the highest performance ever reported in the literature. Nonetheless, the bi-layered electrolyte cells exhibit relatively high degradation rates. A study on the degradation of bi-layered electrolyte cells indicates that the cathode degradation is the main contributor. Therefore, an optimization of cathode compositions and fabrication conditions is important to improve the cell stability.Applied Science, Faculty ofMechanical Engineering, Department ofGraduat
Research on the cultivation of digital teaching skills of high school English teachers
No full textWith the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the in- depth advancement of educational informatization and digital literacy has become an important component of teachers’ comprehensive qualities. According to research findings, senior high school English teachers still have many deficiencies in their mastery and application of digital teaching skills such as a lack of awareness of digital teaching, initiative in learning, and systematic training in digital teaching skills. This research focuses on the cultivation of digital teaching skills among senior high school English teachers. By analyzing the current situation, exploring paths, and providing methods, it aims to promote the in-depth integration of information technology and English teaching techniques, offering theoretical support and practical guidance for enhancing teachers’ digital teaching capabilities and contributing to the overall improvement of senior high school English teaching quality. The findings have significant implications for enhancing the digital literacy skills of senior high school English teachers
Feature-aligned Surface Parameterization Using Secondary Laplace Operator and Loop Subdivision
No full textAbstractSurface parameterization is of great importance for many applications such as quadrangulation, texture mapping and surface fitting. An important issue for surface parameterization is how to align parametric lines with feature directions. To address this issue, in this paper we first utilize Loop subdivision basis functions and isogeometric analysis (IGA) to calculate eigenfunctions of the secondary Laplace operator (SLO) on triangle meshes. Eigenfunctions are then used for centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) based surface segmentation, and boundaries of the segmented regions are extracted as feature lines which contain concave creases and convex ridges. Along each feature line, adjacent triangles are defined as guidance triangles to parameterize the surface using a constrained cross field method, where feature lines are preserved and aligned to parametric lines. Several examples are presented in the end to verify the robustness of our algorithm
A Bioresorbable Magnetically Coupled System for Low‐Frequency Wireless Power Transfer
No full textBioresorbable electronic technologies form the basis for classes of biomedical devices that undergo complete physical and chemical dissolution after a predefined operational period, thereby eliminating the costs and risks associated with secondary surgical extraction. A continuing area of opportunity is in the development of strategies for power supply for these systems, where previous studies demonstrate some utility for biodegradable batteries, radio frequency harvesters, solar cells, and others. This paper introduces a type of bioresorbable system for wireless power transfer, in which a rotating magnet serves as the transmitter and a bioresorbable antenna as the remote receiver, with capabilities for operation at low frequencies (<200 Hz). Systematic experimental and numerical studies demonstrate several unique advantages of this system, most significantly the elimination of impedance matching and electromagnetic radiation exposure presented with the types of radio frequency energy harvesters explored previously. These results add to the portfolio of power supply options in bioresorbable electronic implants
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Techniques for High-Throughput Directed Enzyme Evolution
No full textEnzymes are versatile biological catalysts that play crucial roles in numerous industrial processes, including the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and fine chemicals. However, natural enzymes often face limitations in stability and efficiency under industrial conditions, necessitating their evolution for enhanced performance. High-throughput directed evolution schemes typically involve four key steps: mutagenesis library construction, library screening or selection, variant sequencing, and variant characterization. In this thesis, we present a series of techniques relevant to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of high-throughput directed evolution.
In Chapter 2, we introduce a platform that utilizes nCas9 and mutagenic polymerase to achieve autonomous gene diversification. This platform, combined with a customized lab-on-chip device, enables continuous screening and thus facilitates controlled continuous evolution.
Chapter 3 discusses the development of Random Saturation Mutagenesis (RSM) libraries. This method allows for the generation of chemically diverse libraries with minimal bias, broadening the exploration of the enzyme fitness landscape. We demonstrate the design, construction, and superiority of these libraries over traditional error-prone PCR techniques in terms of diversity and efficiency.
In Chapter 4, we address the challenge of maintaining functional conditions in complex droplet environments by developing a hydrogel-bead based method for high-throughput screening of IVTT-expressed enzymes in each droplet.
And finally in Chapter 5, we present an economical method for sequencing mutagenesis libraries at full gene length using Illumina sequencers, significantly reducing costs for validating mutations in large libraries.Engineering and Applied Sciences - Engineering Science
Polymer–Silver Nanocomposites: Preparation, Characterisation and Antibacterial Mechanism
No full textDisruptive Technologies: Legal and Insurance Implications in Shipping
No full textDisruptive technologies could, potentially, have an immense impact on shipping in the near future, especially when Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) are introduced into commercial shipping. However, such technologies are also changing the way conventional ships and ports operate. These changes in shipping are a concern for insurers and there is a debate as to how insurance law and practice need to change to ensure that risks are appropriately assessed, and insurance policies are adjusted. This thesis intends to elaborate on i) the impact of such technologies on traditional marine insurance policies; and ii) new solutions that need to be implemented (how traditional legal doctrines and practices need to be amended). The author is of the opinion that such risks are still insurable but some fundamental changes in insurance law and practice will be needed in the years to come. The primary purpose of this thesis is to analyse parts of standard insurance clauses that need to be amended in particular to be able to offer effective insurance for ships that utilize disruptive technologies. The thesis will also consider the changes in risk allocation that might follow and how such risks could be reallocated in light of traditional insurance principles and doctrines. The thesis will also consider how the use of disruptive technologies will affect port operations and the liabilities that might emerge as a result with specific reference to the insurance position
Robust and Holistic Perception for Autonomous Vehicles in the Urban Scene
No full textAutonomous vehicle is one of the most promising direction and key application areas of artificial intelligence. The success of autonomous vehicles in urban scene heavily relies on the ability to handle the complex environments, where the accurate and robust perception is the foundation.To achieve the holistic and accurate perception, autonomous vehicles are equipped with various sensors, including camera, radar and LiDAR, in which LiDAR is considered as the most critical one as it can provide the accurate depth information. How to effectively and efficiently cope with LiDAR point cloud remains an open problem. On the other hand, to maintain the robustness of perception when facing various weather and environment, large-scale labeled data with appropriate variance is required, where Computer Graphics offer an alternative solution to address the data issue. However, how to handle the domain gap between real-world data and synthetic data is also challenging. In this thesis, we aim to establish the holistic and robust perception for autonomous vehicles from two perspectives, \ie, effective and efficient 3D perception from LiDAR point cloud and robust scene understanding based on the domain adaptation.Specifically, we first investigate the natural properties of current LiDAR sensors on the autonomous vehicle, \ie, sparsity and varying density, where regions that are far away from the origin have much sparse points. Based on this finding, we propose a new framework, which maintain the 3D geometric information and handle these issues from partition and networks, respectively. We then propose a LiDAR-based 3D detection method, where it is first time to introduce the shape information into the multi-class LiDAR detection and a well-designed shape signature is proposed to extract the shape embedding. Since the sequential point cloud is a real-world data form, we further extend these single-scan perception methods to multi-scan perception, where a novel method is introduced to explore the motion information. For the robust perception against domain shift, including different locations and weathers, we first give a deep analysis for the domain adaptation for object detection and reveal a crucial aspect to the success of object detector adaptation, namely, the focus to local regions when bridging domain gaps. For the domain adaptation for semantic segmentation, we propose a Conservative Loss to learn the domain invariant features.隨著人工智能技術的發展，越來越多的產業都在走向智能化，其中自動駕駛汽車是人工智能技術應用中最重要也是最有前景的部分之一。自動駕駛汽車的成功離不開汽車對於周圍複雜環境的準確高效且魯棒的感知。為了實現全面且準確的感知，自動駕駛汽車往往準備了多種不同的傳感器，包括攝像頭，毫米波雷達和激光雷達，其中激光雷達因為能夠提供準確的深度信息，被認為是最重要的傳感器。但是如何更高效的利用激光雷達的點雲數據依然是一個沒有被解決的問題。另一方面，自動駕駛汽車需要面臨各種各樣不同的場景和天氣條件，這就對於數據有著更高的要求，需要數據能夠盡可能的滿足不同場景和天氣要求，才能訓練出魯棒通用的感知模型。計算機圖形學中的渲染技術提供了這方面的技術可行性，但是本身渲染技術產生的數據與真實環境下的數據存在的域差異，如何克服這種域差異就成了實現魯棒模型的一個關鍵點。在本文中，我們從兩個方向來探索實現高效全面且魯棒的感知算法，一是通過使用精準的激光雷達來實現三維感知，二是運用域遷移技術來實現渲染數據到真實數據的轉換，進而實現魯棒通用的感知。首先，我們仔細觀察了室外激光雷達的分佈屬性，存在稀疏性和近密遠疏的特性，基於這一發現，我們提出了一個基於圓柱體坐標系的劃分方法，在保持了三維結構的前提下，運用不同大小的扇面來劃分整個空間，進而滿足近密遠疏的特性。我們將上述方法進一步的擴展到了點雲全景分割，點雲檢測等任務上。然後，我們提出了一種基於激光雷達點雲的三維檢測算法，第一次將物體的形狀信息引入到三維物體檢測模型中，提出了一個形狀描述子來提取不同物體的形狀信息。因為在真實場景下，我們的數據都是以連續幀的形式存在的，所以我們進一步提出了一個建模連續幀的方法，通過連續幀之間的位置關係來建模運動信息。另一方面，對於在不同天氣，不同環境的情況下的魯棒通用感知算法，我們分別針對物體檢測和場景分割兩個任務，提出了兩種解決方案，對於物體檢測，我們利用感興趣區域對齊的方式來實現檢測的域遷移，而針對場景分割，則是提出了一個居中損失函數來學習具有域不變性的特征表示。ZHU, Xinge.Ph.D. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2021.Includes bibliographical references (leaves )Abstracts in English and Chinese.Title from PDF title page (viewed on ...
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