cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
The role of the general stress response in staphylococcal survival during exposure to host immune defences and antibiotics
Creators: name: Ranganathan, Nishanthy
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Persistent staphylococcal bacteraemia remains an important and frequent cause of morbidity and mortality, despite the availability of apparently effective antimicrobial therapy. Antibiotic tolerance is poorly characterised since despite bacteria being able able to survive prolonged antibiotic exposure without the acquisition of resistance mutations, they are found to be sensitive to antibiotics in vitro. SigB is a global regulator involved in the response of staphylococcal bacteria against acid, heat, salt and alcohol stresses. The majority of evidence for SigB in modulating antibiotic tolerance is from work from B. subtilis, MRSA or animal models. Through the construction of strains with controllable SigB activity and effector expression via an inducible promoter, the contribution of this stress response system to survival of S. aureus was investigated in a model that built in its complexity; (a) antibiotic susceptibility using a standard bacterial killing assay, (b) immune system susceptibility using an ex vivo whole blood model and then (c) a combination of the two stresses in one model. Results revealed that the SigB stress response system promoted bacterial survival during exposure to both antibiotics and host immune cells. Subsequent work identified two genes through which SigB exerts at least some of its protective effects in an antibiotic specific manner. The work described in this thesis is the first to demonstrate involvement of SigB in modulating staphylococcal survival during human host infection. The finding that that the loss of SigB sensitises bacteria to killing by both antibiotics and the immune system, makes SigB an attractive therapeutic target to increase the rate of bacterial eradication during chronic infection. Future work will determine the molecular mechanism by which SigB promotes phenotypic drug tolerance and use this information to develop new therapeutic approaches to enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics.
In vivo high content analyses of protein-protein interactions at budding yeast kinetochores using a wide-field time-gated FLIM-based platform openFLIM-HCA
Creators: name: Guo, Wenjun
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: This thesis describes my work to develop and apply an automated fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) microscopy-based method for high-content analysis (HCA) of protein- protein interactions (PPIs) at the budding yeast kinetochore in live cells via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). FLIM provides a robust readout of FRET, since the fluorescence lifetime is independent of the fluorophore concentration, excitation power and the spectral properties of the sample and instrument, but it requires relatively high signal to noise. Here I demonstrated, for the first time, that FLIM HCA could be applied in live cells to study endogenous proteins labelled with fluorescent proteins and developed new protocols and data acquisition and analysis tools to address the challenges associated with the low copy number of kinetochore proteins (KPs) and high (autofluorescence) background. The openFLIM-HCA platform developed at Imperial College London implements automated multiwell plate FLIM using wide-field, optically-sectioned, time-gated imaging with open source software to analyse FLIM data. I adapted the instrumentation and software tools to map (sub-10 nm) co-localisation of KPs using FRET in live yeast cells and validated this methodology by showing that it can detect known KP interactions. I then explored the potential of this FLIM HCA methodology to query the kinetochore localisation of Rdh54p as a means to investigate how this DNA repair protein promotes the adaptation to the DNA damage-induced cell cycle arrest. I also forced the associations of Rdh54p (and mutants) with most of the proteins in the proteome using the high- throughput synthetic physical interaction (SPI) method to identify associations that affect cell growth. Both the FLIM and SPI data converged on the CTF19/COMA complex at the kinetochore, suggesting that Rdh54p constitutively localises adjacent to this complex, which may have functional significance. The SPI screens also identified hits related to the DNA damage checkpoint that are interesting for future investigations.
Thermo-Optic and Refractometric Performance of Long-Range Surface Plasmon Multiple-Output Mach-Zehnder Interferometers
Creators: name: Fan, Hui
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2016
Subjects: Optical Sensing
Long-Range Surface Plasmon-Polariton
Multiple-Output Mach-Zehnder Interferometers

description: Long-range surface plasmon-polaritons are transverse-magnetic polarized optical surface waves formed through the interaction of photons with free electrons at the surface of metal slabs or stripes. They play important roles in a variety of field such as integrated optics, amplifiers and lasers, optical sensing, modulation, etc. Due to their longer propagation length and deeper penetration depth compared to those of single-interface surface plasmon-polaritons, they have become increasingly promising in optical sensing. In sensing applications, it is necessary to reduce the noise level in order to obtain a lower detection limit. One way to achieve this is to use dual- or triple-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers so that the common perturbations among the outputs can be suppressed. The objective of this thesis is to provide deeper insights on the performances of dual- and triple-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers in thermo-optic and optical bulk sensing applications, theoretically and experimentally, and to demonstrate their ability to suppress common perturbations and lower the detection limit. On the theoretical side, the objective is approached by constructing a model for the transfer characteristic. For dual-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers, the plane-wave model is used to develop a general model for thermo-optic sensing and an unbalanced model for optical bulk sensing. For triple-output ones, local normal mode theory is used with modal analysis for the 3×3 coupler portion of the structure. Quantitative methods to analyze and compare different detection schemes are developed. The minimum detectable phase shift is determined for the case of thermo-optic sensing while the detection limit is determined for optical bulk sensing. On the experimental side, the objective is approached by providing a direct experimental demonstration of the transfer characteristics at an optimized operating wavelength for the coupler portion of the device, then comparing to theory. Time traces are carried out and various detection schemes are applied to suppress common perturbations among the outputs, and to improve the minimum detectable phase shift or the detection limit.
Imaging and quantum-efficiency measurement of chromium emitters in diamond
Creators: name: Castelletto, S.
name: Aharonovich, I.
name: Gibson, B. C.
name: Johnson, B. C.
name: Prawer, S.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: We present direct imaging of the emission pattern of individual chromium-based single photon emitters in diamond and measure their quantum efficiency. By imaging the excited state transition dipole intensity distribution in the back focal plane of high numerical aperture objective, we determined its 3D orientation. Employing ion implantation techniques, the emitters were placed at various distances from the diamond-air interface. By comparing the decay rates from the single chromium emitters at different depths in the diamond crystal, we measured an average quantum efficiency of 28%.
Produktanalyse zur Aufklärung der Elektrodenprozesse an einem SSiC-Werkstoff bei hohen anodischen Potentialen
Creators: name: Simunkova, Lenka
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2024
Subjects: Elektrochemie
Keramische Werkstoffe
Materialwissenschaft
Produktanalyse

description: Siliciumcarbid zeichnet sich durch seine außergewöhnlichen Eigenschaften aus und ist neben Siliciumnitrid die meistgenutzte nichtoxidische Keramik. Allerdings stellt die mechanische Bearbeitung von SiC eine Herausforderung dar. Erste Untersuchungen zum Electrochemical Machining (ECM) an drucklos gesintertem SiC zeigten vielversprechende Ergebnisse, jedoch sind die zugrunde liegenden elektrochemischen Prozesse noch nicht vollständig verstanden. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Durchführung systematischer Untersuchungen zur Aufklärung der Elektrodenprozesse eines SSiC-Werkstoffs (EKasic®D) bei hohen anodischen Potentialen. Die Identifizierung der während der anodischen Polarisation stattfindenden Prozesse erfolgte anhand umfangreicher Analysen der festen, gasförmigen und gelösten Produkte. Mit den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen konnte der Auflösungsmechanismus des SSiC-Werkstoffs bei hohen anodischen Potentialen erfolgreich aufgeklärt werden.
A Framework for Individual-based Simulation of Heterogeneous Cell Populations
Creators: name: Abdennur, Nezar A
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2012
Subjects: simulation
computational biology
individual-based models
systems biology
population dynamics
object-oriented
constant-number monte carlo
stochastic chemical kinetics
cell physiology
simulation channels
scheduling protocols
cell populations
population heterogeneity
differential reproduction
noise
heritability
dynamics
cell lineages

description: An object-oriented framework is presented for developing and simulating individual-based models of cell populations. The framework supplies classes to define objects called simulation channels that encapsulate the algorithms that make up a simulation model. These may govern state-updating events at the individual level, perform global state changes, or trigger cell division. Simulation engines control the scheduling and execution of collections of simulation channels, while a simulation manager coordinates the engines according to one of two scheduling protocols. When the ensemble of cells being simulated reaches a specified maximum size, a procedure is introduced whereby random cells are ejected from the simulation and replaced by newborn cells to keep the sample population size constant but representative in composition. The framework permits recording of population snapshot data and/or cell lineage histories. Use of the framework is demonstrated through validation benchmarks and two case studies based on experiments from the literature.
Investigating the mechanisms of pathogenesis of Shigella sonnei
Creators: name: Watson, Jayne
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Globally, S. flexneri is responsible for most Shigellosis cases and is associated with disease in developing countries. In developed countries, or those with recently improved socioeconomic conditions, S. sonnei is responsible for most Shigellosis cases. As more countries undergo improvements, S. sonnei is emerging as an important pathogen. However, awareness of Shigella pathogenesis has come from studies using S. flexneri. Recent studies have identified important aspects of S. sonnei pathogenesis – a group 4 capsule protecting S. sonnei from serum-mediated killing, a T6SS increasing gut colonisation, and an important cell adhesin. It is unclear why S. sonnei is dominant in higher socioeconomic areas. One theory was that S. sonnei used amoebae as an environmental host, protecting it from water sanitation. However, in this study, while both S. sonnei and S. flexneri survive in long-term co-culture with amoebae, neither survive intracellularly short- or long-term. Interestingly, S. sonnei was able to survive better than S. flexneri in low-nutrient media used for long-term studies, and in environmental water sources, perhaps explaining the dominance of S. sonnei in developed countries. During mammalian infection S. flexneri induces macrophages pyroptosis, allowing subsequent basolateral invasion of epithelial cells. In this study, S. sonnei induced minimal macrophage pyroptosis, explained by less cytosolic S. sonnei as a result of reduced phagocytosis and vacuole escape. Epithelial cell interactions of S. sonnei and S. flexneri were also compared. As previously reported, the S. sonnei group 4 capsule impeded epithelial cell invasion. Following invasion, S. sonnei replicated faster than S. flexneri, and the group 4 capsule was responsible for this. This study identifies differences between S. sonnei and S. flexneri and highlights the need for further research.
Photochemical Synthesis of Mono and Bimetallic Nanoparticles and Their Use in Catalysis
Creators: name: Pardoe, Andrea
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2011
Subjects: nanoparticles
catalysis
photochemistry
copper
silver

description: Nanomaterials have become a popular topic of research over the years because of their many important applications. It can be a challenge to stabilize the particles at a nanometer size, while having control over their surface features. Copper nanoparticles were synthesized photochemically using a photogenerated radical allowing spatial and temporal control over their formation. The synthesis was affected by the stabilizers used, which changed the size, dispersity, rate of formation, and oxidation rate. Copper nanoparticles suffer from their fast oxidation in air, so copper-silver bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized in attempts to overcome the oxidation of copper nanoparticles. Bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized, but preventing the oxidation of the copper nanoparticles proved difficult. One important application of nanoparticles that was explored here is in catalyzing organic reactions. Because of the fast oxidation of copper nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles were synthesized photochemically on different supports including TiO2 and hydrotalcite (HTC). Their catalytic efficiency was tested using alcohol oxidations. Different silver nanoparticle shapes (decahedra and plates) were compared with the spheres to see the different catalytic efficiencies.
New finite element concepts for structural modelling and design with composites
Creators: name: Kocaman, Esat Selim
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: This thesis presents new finite elements concepts to facilitate design and modelling of composite structures by exploring the Floating Node Method (FNM). It presents new element types which can be readily integrated into commercial Finite element (FE) software packages. To this end, three novel finite elements have been developed; these are polymorphic, floating connector, and hydraulic fracture elements. The polymorphic element enables a new adaptive multi-scale methodology towards more efficient and versatile damage modelling in composite structures. The element can readily morph into various element states inside one numerical analysis without resorting to remeshing. The floating connector element provides a numerical platform where combined mechanical analysis and optimization can be performed to optimize the position of a generic component without remeshing using one additional element in a FE model. The hydraulic fracture element is developed to model fluid-driven fracture problems which involve coupled multi-physics. All new element types developed are verified using relevant examples from literature and applied to relevant engineering problems.
Hemiscorpiinae Pocock 1893
Creators: name: Soleglad, Michael E.
name: Fet, Victor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2003
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Hemiscorpiidae

description: Subfamily Hemiscorpiinae Pocock, 1893   Type Genus. Hemiscorpius Peters, 1861.
 Composition. This taxon is downgraded here from family to subfamily rank under Liochelidae. The family includes two genera (Habibiella and Hemiscorpius).
 Distribution. Asia (Middle East), Africa (Eritrea, Somalia).
 Taxonomic history. This subfamily was traditionally listed under Scorpionidae (Fet, 2000c). Its transfer to Ischnuridae (now Liochelidae) was first suggested in the unpublished classification of Stockwell (1989). It was elevated to the family level simultaneously by Lourenço (2000a) who did not provide any justification,
and by Prendini (2000) who provided a detailed phylogenetic analysis; both papers were published in March 2000. Prendini (2000) demonstrated that Hemiscorpiidae is a sister group of Ischnuridae.
 Diagnosis. See Prendini (2000) for details on the diagnosis of this subfamily (as family Hemiscorpiidae).
 Discussion. Highly derived features of this subfamily include unusually toxic hemolytic venom of Hemiscorpius.
description: Published as part of Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2003, High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), pp. 1-175 in Euscorpius 2003 (11) on page 113, DOI: 10.18590/euscorpius.2003.vol2003.iss11.1, http://zenodo.org/record/13237351
Auswirkungen dezentraler Erzeuger auf Schutzfunktionen - Szenarienhorizont 2030+
Creators: name: Schmid, Elisabeth
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2024
Subjects: Netzbildende Umrichter
Distanzschutz
Anlagenschutz
Simulation

description: Durch den zunehmenden Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien gewinnt der Einsatz von netzbildenden Wechselrichtern an Bedeutung. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war daher die Entwicklung von Simulationsmodellen, die die Auswirkungen von netzbildenden Wechselrichtern auf Schutzfunktionen im Mittelspannungsnetz untersuchen. Hierfür wurde ein für Deutschland typisches Benchmark-Netz um Distanzschutzgeräte und Wechselrichter verschiedener Regelungsarchitekturen mit Anlagenschutz erweitert. Angestrebt wurde unter Berücksichtigung der aktuellen Ziele der Bundesregierung eine 80% regenerative Stromversorgung. Die Untersuchung ergab, dass der Distanzschutz eine Unterimpedanzanregung benötigt, um auch bei Kurzschlussströmen von Wechselrichtern durch Impedanzmessung auszulösen. Die durch die Wechselrichter verursachten Messabweichungen des Distanzschutzes lassen sich durch eine Regelung verringern, die Blindströme im Fehlerfall priorisiert. Es wird die Entwicklung einer allgemeingültigen Definition von netzbildenden Eigenschaften gefordert. Die bestehenden Modelle für netzbildende Wechselrichter erwiesen sich im Laufe der Simulationen als ungeeignet, da diese zu lange Einschwingvorgänge zeigten, die die Impedanzmessung der Distanzschutzgeräte erschweren. Es wurden Maximalströme im Fehlerfall überschritten, denen die Leistungselektronik nicht standhalten würde. Wechselwirkungen zwischen mehreren Wechselrichtern wurden festgestellt. Der Betrieb nahe der Belastungsgrenze der Wechselrichter erwies sich als kritisch. Eine Verbesserung der Modelle wurde daher empfohlen.
Extra-Thyroidal Action of TSH on Adipocyte Insulin Signaling
Creators: name: Felske, David
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2015
Subjects: TSH
Insulin Signaling
Adipocyte
Subclinical Hypothyroidism
Akt
Lipogenesis
Lipolysis
Glucose Uptake

description: In subclinical hypothyroidism (SH), high levels of circulating thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) maintain normal thyroid hormone levels, despite mild thyroid failure. SH is associated with cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance, although the underlying pathophysiology is not fully understood. We hypothesized that TSH may inhibit insulin action in adipocytes. To investigate this relationship, we studied primary human differentiated adipocytes. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were obtained (approved by OHSN-REB) from 16 weight-stable patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery. We stimulated adipocytes differentiated from stromal preadipocytes with 5 mU/ml TSH and/or 100 nM insulin, and assessed acute insulin signaling, lipogenesis and glucose uptake. Immunoblot analysis revealed that TSH suppressed insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation by 45% (n=5; p = 0.01). When adipocytes were pre-incubated with conventional protein kinase C (cPKC) inhibitor Gö6976, TSH inhibition was blocked. Our data indicate that TSH inhibits insulin-stimulated lipogenesis (up to 37%), but depends on BMI. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was enhanced by 36% and also correlated with BMI. This data suggests that TSH can modulate adipocyte insulin signaling.
The development of the respiratory microbiota in infants and children
Creators: name: Powell, Elizabeth Anne
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Background Pre-school wheeze is a common condition which causes considerable morbidity and burden to the child, their family and healthcare. The developing upper respiratory tract microbiota has been identified as a factor associated with respiratory health. The longitudinal development of the oropharyngeal (OP) microbiota in infants has not been described in detail. The aim of this thesis is to describe this development and a secondary aim is to examine its relation to preschool wheeze. Methods A cohort of healthy infants was established and followed from birth to 2 years of age. OP swabs and contemporaneous metadata were collected during home visits at 6 weeks, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. General practitioner notes were reviewed at 2 years for diagnosis of wheeze. The microbiota was determined using sequencing of the V3 to V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Respiratory viruses were detected using multiplex PCR. Results The OP microbiota increased in complexity over the first 2 years of life with a change in composition, density and diversity. Much of the change occurred within the first 9 months of life, when there was also increasing rates of respiratory virus infection. The OP microbiota was highly individual but was affected by clinical factors such as feeding choice. The early (6 weeks) microbiota was not associated with doctor-diagnosed wheeze in terms of diversity or composition. However, there was a longitudinal differential abundance (reduction in a Granulicatella Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) and an increase in a Neisseria OTU) in those diagnosed with wheeze compared to those who did not wheeze. Conclusions There was a temporal development of the OP microbiota and respiratory virus infection. Whilst there was no association with the early microbiota and doctor-diagnosed wheeze, there was an association with the longitudinal abundance of particular OTUs.
On Modeling and Simulation of Crystallization in Fiber Melt Spinning
Creators: name: Ettmüller, Manuel
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2025
Subjects: Mathematical modeling
Boundary value problems
Perturbed ordinary differential equations
Fiber melt spinning
Model Hierarchy

description: This thesis addresses the modeling and simulation of physical processes in the context of the production of technical textiles. The process of fiber melt spinning presents a significant challenge from a mathematical and modeling perspective, given its inherent complexity. The thesis focuses on semi-crystalline polymers, where the degree of crystallization is a critical factor. Considering a viscoelastic two-phase fiber model class, asymptotically justified boundary conditions are derived, preventing the occurrence of artificial boundary layers. In the context of a viscoelastic model hierarchy, several dimensionally reduced fiber models are analyzed and compared with respect to their performance and application regime, with a particular focus on a novel stress-averaged one-two-dimensional model. For the efficient numerical solution of the boundary value problems of ordinary and partial differential equations resulting from the fiber models, suitable problem-specific solution algorithms are developed. The capabilities of the model-simulation framework are demonstrated by investigating an industrial spinning scenario with hundreds of fibers, incorporating two-way coupled fiber-air interaction.
Investigating the values: entrepreneurial attitude: opportunity recognition relationship in nascent entrepreneurs
Creators: name: Lindsay, Wendy
name: Lindsay, Noel
name: Jordaan, Anton
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The purpose of this research was to examine to what extent a relationship exists between personal values, entrepreneurial attitude, and opportunity recognition. Although these constructs have been examined individually, their inter-relationships have not previously been examined. Thus, this research contributes toward our understanding of opportunity recognition. There were 166 necessity based nascent entrepreneurs who participated in the research. The results suggest that a relationship exists between (internal and external) values and entrepreneurial attitude. In addition, opportunity recognition was a function of entrepreneurial attitude and, to a lesser extent, of personal values.
Supplementary document for Low-loss off-axis curved waveguide grating demultiplexer - 5394863.pdf
Creators: name: Hadij-ElHouati, Abdelfettah
name: Ortega-Moñux, Alejandro
name: Wangüemert-Pérez, J. Gonzalo
name: Halir, Robert
name: wang, shurui
name: Schmid, Jens
name: Cheben, Pavel
name: Molina-Fernández, I.
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2025
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Detailed geometry description and simplified schematic of the CWG demultiplexer.
Assessing the impacts of the Agenda Gap intervention for youth mental health promotion through policy engagement: a study protocol
Creators: name: Jenkins, Emily (Emily K.), 1981-
name: Haines-Saah, Rebecca
name: McGuinness, Liza
name: Hirani, Saima
name: Boakye-Yiadom, Noah
name: Halsall, Tanya
name: Rivers, Robert
name: Morris, Jonathan
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2020

description: Background Mental health challenges are a leading health concern for youth globally, requiring a comprehensive approach incorporating promotion, prevention and treatment within a healthy public policy framework. However, the broad enactment of this vision has yet to be realized. Further, mental health promotion evidence specific to youth is still emerging and has not yet focused at a policy level. This is a critical gap, as policy is a key mental health promotion lever that can alter the social and structural conditions that contribute to shaping youth mental health outcomes for all youth, across the full spectrum of need. Responsive to this research and intervention priority, our prototype study intervention—the Agenda Gap—is comprised of an innovative, multi-media engagement intervention, developed in collaboration with youth. This intervention aims to equip youth and build capacity for them to lead meaningful policy change reflective of the mental health needs of diverse communities of youth, including those who experience structural vulnerability and who would not typically have had their voice represented in policymaking processes. Methods This study will use a multiple case study design and mixed methods grounded in a realist approach and will be conducted in three sites across two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Alberta). In an earlier phase of this research, we collaboratively designed the prototype intervention with youth, community and policy partners. In this phase of the study, the intervention will be implemented and further tested with new groups of youth collaborators (n = 10–15/site). Outcome data will be collected through realist qualitative interviews, validated questionnaires [i.e., Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-12), General Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale, and the Critical Consiousness Scale (CCS)] and additional survey items developed by our study team. Analysis will focus on identification of key context-mechanism-outcome configurations to provide comprehensive insights into how this intervention works, for whom, and in what context. Discussion This study is unique in its “upstream” focus on youth-engaged policymaking as a tool for improving the social and structural conditions that influence youth mental health across socioecological levels. Through the implementation and testing of the Agenda Gap intervention with diverse youth, this study will contribute to the evidence base on youth-engaged policymaking as a novel and innovative, mental health promotion strategy.
EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2023
Creators: name: Hutchings, Nick
name: Mikkelsen, Mette Hjorth
name: Dore, Chris
name: Juhrich, Kristina
name: Böttcher, Christian
Publisher: name: European Environment Agency
Year: 2023

description: This version of the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook was made available to the Parties to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution during the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programmeâ€Ìs Steering Body meeting held in September 2023. Subsequently, a proofreading process was carried out, which did not result in any substantive changes to the content. © European Environment Agency, 2023
Psychological factors affecting the intention to use e-commerce: a theoretical approach
Creators: name: Al-Dalahmeh, Mahmoud
name: Saleh, Ali Salman
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: There is a need in the literature for an application of the well known social cognitive theory in the area of e-commerce. Hence, this paper develops and models a theoretical framework to study the impact of psychological factors based on the social cognitive theory on the intention to use e-commerce. More specifically, the paper examines the role of individuals' beliefs about their abilities towards the intention to use e-commerce technology (e-commerce self-efficacy). A conceptual model, based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, was developed to test the personnel innovation in information systems, e-commerce self-efficacy, outcome expectations, trait anxiety, e-commerce anxiety, and consumer trust on the customers' intentions to shop online. Thus, the model developed can be applied to enhance the research in the area of e-commerce and can be used in different areas of e-commerce. Future studies can be employed in testing the model via using exploratory survey analysis to provide further support for the social cognitive theory and its application in the area of e-commerce.
Hoarding symptoms correlate with the endowment effect
Creators: name: Pushkarskaya, Helen
name: Lenkic, Peter
name: Stewart, Brent
name: Tolin, David
name: Woody, Sheila R.
Publisher: name: Elsevier
Year: 2023

description: Distorted judgments of the value of possessions are believed to drive excessive acquisition and difficulty discarding in hoarding. Aberrant valuation in hoarding disorder may manifest in an exaggerated endowment effect. We tested this supposition in two studies, using between- (Study 1) and within- (Study 2) subjects designs. We used nonparametric 2x2 ANOVA to contrast the strength of the endowment effect between healthy individuals and those with hoarding disorder. We also used quantile regression analysis to examine the relation between severity of hoarding symptoms and the endowment effect. The data did not reveal an elevated endowment effect among participants with hoarding disorder in either study. However, in both studies self-reported difficulty discarding, the hallmark feature of hoarding, as well as severity of overall hoarding symptoms, positively correlated with between-subject variations in the endowment effect. Symptom improvement following cognitive-behavioral therapy for hoarding did not correspond to a decrease in the endowment effect, potentially indicating a dissociation between hoarding severity and the endowment effect over the course of treatment. Overall, our results suggest the potential value in further study of the endowment effect in hoarding, particularly its trait versus state features and modifiability.
Performance of selected noisy covert channels and their countermeasures in IP networks
Creators: name: Zander, Sebastian
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: Encryption alone secures communication by preventing adversaries from easily decoding one’s transmissions. Covert channels go one step further by attempting to hide the very existence of communication. They hide inside legitimate overt network traffic. Huge amounts of traffic make the Internet an ideal vehicle for covert communications. Most existing covert channels are simple and in principle easy to detect or eliminate. The more complex channels are usually harder to detect and eliminate, but typically suffer from channel noise. Previous work has only partly analysed the performance of noisy channels and their countermeasures and has not compared different types of channels. We characterise the trade-offs between channel simplicity, capacity and ease of detection and elimination by investigating the performance of selected noisy covert channels and their countermeasures. Not all chosen channels are entirely new, but we propose novel improved encoding schemes. We also develop techniques for reliable data transmission. We analyse the theoretical channel capacities as well as empirically measure achievable throughputs. We show that the Internet’s potential to support more sophisticated covert channels is considerably greater than suggested by most existing simple channels. First, we analyse a channel in the IP Time-to-live (TTL) header field. We develop new stealthier encoding schemes that also provide a slightly increased capacity. The channel has a comparatively high capacity of up to a few hundred bits per second depending on the overt traffic, but is easy to detect and eliminate. Next, we analyse an inter-packet gap timing channel. We develop novel stealthy encoding schemes because previous schemes are easy to detect. The channel only has up to 70-80% of the TTL channel’s capacity, but is harder to detect. However, it can still be eliminated. Then we propose and analyse a novel indirect channel in multiplayer game traffic. The channel is impractical to eliminate, but is still detectable. The capacity is up to 10-20 bits per second - lower than that of direct channels. Next, we analyse an indirect timing channel that transmits bits via temperature changes. We develop an improved version of the channel that has increased capacity. Still the capacity is only 10-20 bits per hour, but the channel is potentially hard to detect and eliminate. Finally, we develop techniques to detect and eliminate the covert channels and evaluate their effectiveness. While the proposed elimination methods are effective but channelspecific, we demonstrate that machine-learning techniques detect different covert channels with over 95% accuracy.
Untersuchung verschiedener fernerkundungsgestützter Verfahren zur Segmentierung von Photovoltaik-Anlagen
Creators: name: Mitze, Fabian
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2021
Subjects: Machine Learning
Deep Learning
Fernerkundung
UNet
PV-Anlagen

description: In order to accompany the expansion dynamics of renewable energies in Germany and to estimate expansion potentials, precise modeling is necessary. In this work, therefore, different machine learning methods for segmenting PV plants are compared using different metrics. The methods are intended to segment PV plants as accurately as possible both in the field and on buildings. The methods to be compared are a Random Forest based model and a modified UNet. These will be trained using a large dataset covering different resolutions and plant types and then compared using an independent test dataset. With an IoU of about 84 %, the UNet shows significantly better results than the Random Forest based model with an IoU of about 30 %. The UNet was then trained again with a data set from Germany and also tested. This includes various PV installations in North Rhine-Westphalia, mainly on house roofs, but also in the open countryside. The re-trained UNet subsequently shows a IoU of about 86 % and can be used for segmentation of PV installations in Germany.
Modular Safety Analysis with Dependency-aware Fault Trees
Creators: name: Prohaska, Alexander
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2022
Subjects: dependability modeling
modular safety analysis
fault tree analysis
impact analysis
reliability analysis

description: This thesis introduces a modular variant of dependency-aware fault trees (DaFTs) and shows how dependent events can be handled by tracing their impact throughout all intermediate gates, up to the top-level event. Depending on the set of traced events at a gate, different additional probabilities are calculated to measure the influence of included active events. Logical modeling errors, like the presence of mutually exclusive event pairs, are recognized and the occurrences of dependent and negated events are taken into account during probability calculation. The safety engineer can additionally select any basic event of interest for tracing, making it possible to analyze and visualize the impact of any given event throughout the DaFT. Used in early design stages, the comparison of different modeling variants can be used as design decision base in the presence of specific requirements, like the maximal system impact of single events or a combination of events. For demonstrating the application of DaFTs, several examples of different size and complexity are presented in the evaluation chapter and appendix.
Temperature-dependent mulch film degradation behavior on compost and isolation of bioplastic degrading compost microorganisms
Creators: name: Cyron-Cho, Yeonah
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2022
Subjects: Abbau
Mulchfolie
Mikroorganismus

description: The petrochemical plastics have been mentioned as a major cause of the environmental pollution. To alter the fossil fuel-based plastics, bioplastics has been arising as an alternative, promising a sustainable recycle of natural resources. Focusing on the importance of bioplastic in agriculture, this study investigated the degradation behavior of biodegradable mulch film (BDM) on the compost at five different temperatures, ranging from psychrophilic to thermophilic. Separately, the biotic effect of the compost on the BDM degradation was examined by isolating BDM degrading compost microorganisms. A rapid decomposition emerged at 30 °C and 45 °C, supporting the hypothesis that the high temperature enhances BDM degradation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) inspection could not deliver details of film morphology due to the biofilm and compost rest remaining on the BDM surface. The changes of material’s physical property also supported the positive relation between BDM degradation rate and temperature. A rapid loss of BDM tensile strength and flexibility was observed proportional to the incubation temperature. The chemical and thermodynamical property during the material degradation could not be adequately interpretated due to the interference of compost on BDM. A constant proliferation of biofilm was perceived over time in the form of compost and microbial accumulation on the BDM surface. The positive effect of mechanical stress on the biotic degradation was estimated. Through the enrichment culture and 16S/18S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) sequencing, 7 compost microorganisms were isolated and identified as potential BDM degraders. The ability to degrade BDM by the isolates was assessed based on the known hydrolases from other studies. A strong demand for the sample wash method development was discussed in the end of the study. A requirement to development of an adequate method to collect biofilm from the BDM is mentioned. The application of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and microbial community sequencing was suggested to examine the compost’s biotic effect to the BDM degradation. This study emphasizes the multidisciplinary investigation on bioplastics. A profound understanding of both bioplastic material and microbial bioplastic utilization could synergistically improve the development of novel bioplastic concerning its’ life cycle in the natural resource management.
Control of Upconversion Luminescence for Photovoltaics using Photonic Structures
Creators: name: Hofmann, Clarissa
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2022
Subjects: Optische Physik
Hochkonversion
Photonische Strukturen

description: Upconversion (UC) constitutes an approach to increase the efficiency of solar cells by making use of the otherwise non-utilized sub-bandgap photons. Photonic structures can influence the properties of luminescence phenomena. This is of particular interest when tuning the properties of non-linear luminescence processes, such as photon UC, thus increasing the UC efficiency. Tuning the photonic structure design to maximize UC enhancement requires a careful design optimization, for which an adequate modeling framework has been missing throughout literature. The analysis of this work covers the development of a comprehensive modeling framework to understand the photonic effects on the UC dynamics, the experimental realization of optimized photonic upconverters in high precision and the validation of the model’s predictions in large scale parameter scans. The validated modeling framework now enables a precise optimization of photonic structure designs for various upconverting materials and target applications.
Kundenperspektive vs. Geschäftsmodellperspektive in der Circular Economy
Creators: name: Schnetzer, Katharina
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2022
Subjects: climate change
economics
Nachhaltige Wirtschaft
global sustainability
Geschäftsmodell
Ressourcenmanagement
Ressourcenökonomie

description: Angesichts der sich rasant verschlimmernden Klimakrise und des prognostizierten Ressourcenmangels wächst das Interesse und der Druck, nachhaltige Lösungen für das Wirtschaftssystem zu erschließen. Die Circular Economy bietet ein aussichtsreiches Konzept, um nachhaltige Strategien in Geschäftsmodelle zu integrieren. In der vorliegenden Abschlussarbeit wird daher untersucht, welche zirkulären Ansätze in Unternehmen kommuniziert und umgesetzt werden. Die Forschungsfrage beschäftigt sich damit, inwiefern Diskrepanzen zwischen den Strategien aus Kundenperspektive und Geschäftsmodell-perspektive auftreten. Darüber hinaus werden Wechselmotivatoren von linearen zu zirkulären Produkten aus Kunden- und Unternehmensperspektive untersucht. Hierzu wurden mithilfe von Experten des Fraunhofer Instituts UMSICHT Produkte bzw. Dienstleistungen ermittelt, die in das Spektrum der Circular Economy fallen. Diese wurden dann anhand einer Kommunikations-analyse bezüglich der beworbenen und angewendeten R-Strategien, sowie der adressierten Wechselmotivation für Kunden untersucht. In einer Onlineumfrage wurden die Beweggründe eines Unternehmens, nachhaltige Ansätze in die Geschäftstätigkeiten zu integrieren, ermittelt.
description: In view of the rapidly worsening climate crisis and the predicted shortage of resources, there is a growing interest and pressure to develop sustainable solutions for the economic system. The circular economy offers a promising concept for integrating sustainable strategies into business models. This thesis therefore investigates which circular approaches are communicated and implemented in companies. The research question deals with the extent to which discrepancies occur between strategies from the customer perspective and the business model perspective. Furthermore, change motivators from linear to circular products are investigated from the customer and also from the company perspective. For this purpose, products and services that fall within the spectrum of the Circular Economy were identified with the help of experts at the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. These products and services were then examined on the basis of a communication analysis with regard to the advertised and applied R-strategies, as well as the addressed change motivation for customers. An online survey was used to determine the motivation of a company to integrate sustainable approaches into its business activities.
Validierung und Optimierung eines Schwenkantriebs einer Schwerlastdrohne
Creators: name: Templin, Lorenz
name: :Unav
Publisher: name: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Year: 2023
Subjects: ALBACOPTER®

description: Im Rahmen des Fraunhofer Leitprojekts ALBACOPTER® konzipiert der Bereich Konstruktion des Fraunhofer ICT, Bereich neue Antriebssysteme (NAS) eine Antriebseinheit für ein eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) Fluggerät. Dabei wird zunächst ein 0,5-fach skalierter Prototyp entwickelt. Wie der finale ALBACOPTER®, soll auch dieser dazu in der Lage sein, senkrecht starten und landen zu können, sowie hohe Effizienzwerte im Flug durch horizontales Gleiten zu erlangen. Die schwenkbaren Motorgondeln des Prototypen sind Gegenstand dieser Bachelorarbeit. Nach allgemeiner Vorstellung der bislang erforschten Kenntnisse sowie Einordnung in Stand der Technik sollen Methoden zur Validierung des Antriebsstrang erarbeitet werden, die anschließend im Rahmen von Messkampagnen eingesetzt werden, und so eine schon existierende Version des Antriebsstrangs validieren. Auf Basis der Messergebnisse sollen Verbesserungspotentiale identifiziert und umgesetzt werden. Fokus der Überarbeitung liegt auf der Funktionserfüllung und der Massenoptimierung. In diesem Rahmen sollen die einzelnen Bauteile mittels generativem Design erzeugt werden und die endgültige Geometrie aus diesen abgeleitet werden. Zur Validierung soll die erprobte Antriebsgondel simulativ untersucht werden und als Benchmark für die überarbeitete Version dienen. Neben konstruktiver Umsetzung der Bauteile soll ein Fertigungskonzept erarbeitet werden, das sowohl die Herstellung einiger weniger Gondeln für den Prüfstand wie auch einiger Dutzend Gondeln für die Fertigung des Fluggerätes ermöglicht.
Too Much of a Good Thing? Freedom of Expression in the Aftermath of Intractable Conflict
Creators: name: Hayward, Dana
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2012
Subjects: Freedom of Expression
Rwanda
Post-Conflict
Liberal Theory
Trauma Theory
Interdisciplinary Research

description: A major weakness of the literature on the regulation of freedom of expression within the field of political science is the assumption of peaceful, liberal democratic conditions. My project seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the legitimate regulation of speech by analyzing disciplinary approaches to freedom of expression through the lens of countries recovering from intractable conflict. I ask: How appropriate are current understandings of freedom of expression to the regulation of speech in post-conflict environments? Relying on insights from the field of social psychology and the case of post-genocide Rwanda, I argue that greater restrictions on freedom of expression could be legitimate in countries recovering from intractable conflict. However, rights derogations must take place within limits so as not to become a tool of authoritarian rule.