Synthesis & retention mechanisms of novel mixed mode stationary phase for detection of specific polar low molecular weight biological samples

The thesis primarily reports the synthesis, characterization and application of novel mixed mode stationary phases for Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC). HILIC is a rapidly emerging chromatographic mode that is finding great applicability in the analysis of polar organic molecules. In addition, there is a chapter on the analysis of Bisphenol A and related species using capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with boron-doped diamond electrodes for electrochemical detection. The synthesis and characterization of the novel mixed mode stationary phases prepared in this work is an important contribution to the field as the materials prepared exhibited better performance than similar materials obtained commercially. In addition a more thorough characterization of the materials (e.g.,thermogravimetric analysis, various NMR modes, elemental analysis, etc.) and resulting columns (e.g., H) than is typically encountered. The application of these new materials to the analysis of sugars using evaporative light scattering is also novel. In CE studies, electrochemical detection is sufficiently rare that the work is also novel.

The EU Risk Retention Regulation

This chapter examines the new legal concept of risk retention under EU law for asset-backed securities.

Grain size, morphometry and mineralogy of airborne input in the Canary basin: evidence of iron particle retention in the mixed layer

[EN]Aeolian dust plays an important role in climate and ocean processes. Particularly, Saharan dust deposition is of importance in the Canary Current due to its content of iron minerals, which are fertilizers of the ocean. In this work, dust particles are characterized mainly by granulometry, morphometry and mineralogy, using image processing and scanning northern Mauritania and the Western Sahara. The concentration of terrigenous material was measured in three environments: the atmosphere (300 m above sea level), the mixed layer at 10 m depth, and 150 m depth. Samples were collected before and during the dust events, thus allowing the effect of Saharan dust inputs in the water column to be assessed. The dominant grain size was coarse silt

Grain size, morphometry and mineralogy of airborne input in the Canary basin: evidence of iron particle retention in the mixed layer

[EN] Aeolian dust plays an important role in climate and ocean processes. Particularly, Saharan dust deposition is of importance in the Canary Current due to its content of iron minerals, which are fertilizers of the ocean. In this work, dust particles are characterized mainly by granulometry, morphometry and mineralogy, using image processing and scanning northern Mauritania and the Western Sahara. The concentration of terrigenous material was measured in three environments: the atmosphere (300 m above sea level), the mixed layer at 10 m depth, and 150 m depth. Samples were collected before and during the dust events, thus allowing the effect of Saharan dust inputs in the water column to be assessed.

Implementation science to expand an mHealth intervention for improving retention in care for women living with HIV and their children

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Cost-Efficient Spatial Placement of Water Retention Sites (WRS) to Reduce Sediment in Le Sueur River Watershed,MN

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Flavour symmetries in a renormalizable SO(10) model

In the context of a renormalizable supersymmetric SO(10) Grand Unified Theory, we consider the fermion mass matrices generated by the Yukawa couplings to a 10 circle plus 120 circle plus (126) over bar representation of scalars. We perform a complete investigation of the possibilities of imposing flavour symmetries in this scenario; the purpose is to reduce the number of Yukawa coupling constants in order to identify potentially predictive models. We have found that there are only 14 inequivalent cases of Yukawa coupling matrices, out of which 13 cases are generated by 74 symmetries, with suitable n, and one case is generated by a Z(2) x Z(2) symmetry. A numerical analysis of the 14 cases reveals that only two of them-dubbed A and B in the present paper allow good fits to the experimentally known fermion masses and mixings. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Nonprofit brand heritage its ability to influence volunteer retention, engagement, and satisfaction

Volunteer organizations operate in a challenging environment and their management practices toward volunteers have become increasingly influenced by the private sector. This case study explores the impact of brand heritage on the experience of volunteering in such managed environments. We use data from the U.K. Scouts to show that brand heritage has a positive bearing on the level of engagement volunteers experience and on their reported attitude to the way(s) in which they are managed within the volunteer organization. We then use these findings to establish the salience of brand heritage to both long established and recently formed organizations, extending current volunteer management theory; consequently, we suggest volunteer managers utilize the power of brand heritage through unlocking its ability to retain engaged and satisfied volunteers.

Ecological stoichiometry controls the transformation and retention of plant-derived organic matter to humus in response to nitrogen fertilisation

Carbon (C) sequestration in soils is a means for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and is a potential tool for climate change mitigation. One recommended management practice to increase SOC stocks is nitrogen (N) fertilisation, however examples of positive, negative or null SOC effects in response to N addition exist. We evaluated the relative importance of plant molecular structure, soil physical properties and soil ecological stoichiometry in explaining the retention of SOC with and without N addition. We tracked the transformation of 13C pulse-labelled buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) material to the <53 μm silt + clay soil organic C fraction, hereafter named “humus”, over 365-days of incubation in four contrasting agricultural soils, with and without urea-N addition. We hypothesised that: a) humus retention would be soil and litter dependent; b) humus retention would be litter independent once litter C:N ratios were standardised with urea-N addition; and c) humus retention would be improved by urea-N addition. Two and three-way factorial analysis of variance indicated that 13C humus was consistently soil and litter dependent, even when litter C:N ratios were standardised, and that the effect of urea-N addition on 13C humus was also soil and litter dependent. A boosted regression analysis of the effect of 44 plant and soil explanatory variables demonstrated that soil biological and chemical properties had the greatest relative influence on 13C humus. Regression tree analyses demonstrated that the greatest gains in 13C humus occurred in soils of relatively low total organic C, dissolved organic C and microbial biomass C (MBC), or with a combination of relatively high MBC and low C:N ratio. The greatest losses in 13C humus occurred in soils with a combination of relatively high MBC and low total N or increasing C:N ratio. We conclude that soil variables involved in soil ecological stoichiometry exert a greater relative influence on incorporating organic matter as humus compared to plant molecular structure and soil physical properties. Furthermore, we conclude that the effect of N fertilisation on humus retention is dependent upon soil ecological stoichiometry.

Oil Retention and Pressure Drop in Horizontal and Vertical Suction Lines with R410A / POE ISO 32

In refrigeration systems a small amount of compressor lubricant is entrained in the refrigerant and circulated through the system, where some is retained in each component. The suction line to the compressor has the largest potential for oil retention. This paper presents results from an experimental apparatus that has been constructed to circulate POE (polyolester) oil and R410A at a controlled mass flux, OCR (oil in circulation ratio), and apparent superheat, and to directly measure the pressure drop and mass of oil retained in horizontal and vertical suction lines. The bulk vapor velocity and overall void fraction are determined from direct mass and temperature measurements. The oil retention, pressure drop, and flow regimes near the minimum ASHRAE recommended mass flux condition are explored. It was found that oil retention begins to increase sharply even above the minimum recommended flux, so conditions near the minimum should be avoided. Two relationships were developed to predict the oil retention in the vertical and horizontal suction lines. The average error from the predictions method was 10.9% for the vertical tube, and 7.9% for the horizontal tube.

Technology strategies in the process of student retention and efficiency of academic management

This article discusses the application of Information and Communication Technologies and strategies for best practices in order to capture and maintain faculty students' attention. It is based on a case study of ten years, using a complete information system. This system, in addition to be considered an ERP, to support the activities of academic management, also has a strong component of SRM that provides support to academic and administrative activities. It describes the extent to which the presented system facilitates the interaction and communication between members of the academic community, using the Internet, with services available on the Web complementing them with email, SMS and CTI. Through a perception, backed by empirical analysis and results of investigations, it demonstrates how this type of practice may raise the level of satisfaction of the community. In particular, it is possible to combat failure at school, avoid that students leave their course before its completion and also that they recommend them to potential students. In addition, such a strategy also allows strong economies in the management of the institution, increasing its value. As future work, we present the new phase of the project towards implementation of Business Intelligence to optimize the management process, making it proactive. The technological vision that guides new developments to a construction based on Web services and procedural languages is also presented.

A geometric study of liquid retention in open-cell metal foams

Open-cell metal foams show promise as an emerging novel material for heat exchanger applications. The high surface-area-to-volume ratio suggests increased compactness and decrease in weight of heat exchanger designs. However, the metal foam structure appears conducive to condensate retention, which would degenerate heat transfer performance. This research investigates the condensate retention behavior of aluminum open-cell metal foams through the use of static dip tests and geometrical classification via X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography. Aluminum open-cell metal foam samples of 5, 10, 20, and 40 pores per inch (PPI), all having a void fraction greater than 90%, were included in this investigation. In order to model the condensate retention behavior of metal foams, a clearer understanding of the geometry was required. After exploring the ideal geometries presented in the open literature, X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography was employed to classify the actual geometry of the metal foam samples. The images obtained were analyzed using specialized software from which geometric information including strut length and pore shapes were extracted. The results discerned a high variability in ligament length, as well as features supporting the ideal geometry known as the Weaire-Phelan unit cell. The static dip tests consisted of submerging the metal foam samples in a liquid, then allowing gravity-induced drainage until steady-state was reached and the liquid remaining in the metal foam sample was measured. Three different liquids, water, ethylene glycol, and 91% isopropyl alcohol, were employed. The behaviors of untreated samples were compared to samples subjected to a Beomite surface treatment process, and no significant differences in retention behavior were discovered. The dip test results revealed two distinct regions of condensate retention, each holding approximately half of the total liquid retained by the sample. As expected, condensate retention increased as the pores sizes decreased. A model based on surface tension was developed to predict the condensate retention in the metal foam samples and verified using a regular mesh. Applying the model to both the ideal and actual metal foam geometries showed good agreement with the dip test results in this study.