Lanthanide Chelates as Donors in Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer: Exciting Prospects for Bioaffinity Assay Detection

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a non-radiative energy transfer from a fluorescent donor molecule to an appropriate acceptor molecule and a commonly used technique to develop homogeneous assays. If the emission spectrum of the donor overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor, FRET might occur. As a consequence, the emission of the donor is decreased and the emission of the acceptor (if fluorescent) increased. Furthermore, the distance between the donor and the acceptor needs to be short enough, commonly 10-100 Å. Typically, the close proximity between the donor and the acceptor is achieved via bioaffinity interactions e.g. antibody binding antigen. Large variety of donors and acceptors exist. The selection of the donor/acceptor pair should be done not only based on the requirements of FRET but also the performance expectancies and the objectives of the application should be considered. In this study, the exceptional fluorescence properties of the lanthanide chelates were employed to develop two novel homogeneous immunoassays: a non-competitive hapten (estradiol) assay based on a single binder and a dual-parametric total and free PSA assay. In addition, the quenching efficiencies and energy transfer properties of various donor/acceptor pairs were studied. The applied donors were either europium(III) or terbium(III) chelates; whereas several organic dyes (both fluorescent and quenchers) acted as acceptors. First, it was shown that if the interaction between the donor/acceptor complexes is of high quality (e.g. biotin-streptavidin) the fluorescence of the europium(III) chelate could be quenched rather efficiently. Furthermore, the quenching based homogeneous non-competitive assay for estradiol had significantly better sensitivity (~67 times) than a corresponding homogeneous competitive assay using the same assay components. Second, if the acceptors were chosen to emit at the emission minima of the terbium(III) chelate, several acceptor emissions could be measured simultaneously without significant cross-talk from other acceptors. Based on these results, the appropriate acceptors were chosen for the dual-parameter assay. The developed homogeneous dual-parameter assay was able to measure both total and free PSA simultaneously using a simple mix and measure protocol. Correlation of this assay to a heterogeneous single parameter assay was excellent (above 0.99 for both) when spiked human plasma samples were used. However, due to the interference of the sample material, the obtained concentrations were slightly lower with the homogeneous than the heterogeneous assay, especially for the free PSA. To conclude, in this work two novel immunoassay principles were developed, which both are adaptable to other analytes. However, the hapten assay requires a rather good antibody with low dissociation rate and high affinity; whereas the dual-parameter assay principle is applicable whenever two immunometric complexes can form simultaneously, provided that the requirements of FRET are fulfilled.

Fundamentals of heat transfer

Following over 170+ pages and additional appendixes are formed based on content of Course: Fundamentals of Heat Transfer. Mainly this summarizes relevant parts on Book of Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer (Incropera), but also other references introducing the same concepts are included. Student’s point of view has been consideredwith following highlights: (1) Relevant topics are presented in a nutshell to provide fast digestion of principles of heat transfer. (2) Appendixes include terminology dictionary. (3) Totally 22 illustrating examples are connecting theory to practical applications and quantifying heat transfer to understandable forms as: temperatures, heat transfer rates, heat fluxes, resistances and etc. (4) Most important Learning outcomes are presented for each topic separately. The Book, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer (Incropera), is certainly recommended for those going beyond basic knowledge of heat transfer. Lecture Notes consists of four primary content-wise objectives: (1) Give understanding to physical mechanisms of heat transfer, (2)Present basic concepts and terminology relevant for conduction, convection and radiation (3) Introduce thermal performance analysis methods for steady state and transient conduction systems. (4) Provide fast-to-digest phenomenological understanding required for basic design of thermal models

Education export as a form of knowledge transfer : The potential of Finnish education export in Chile

Knowledge transfer is a complex process. Knowledge transfer in the form of exporting education products from one system of education to another is particularly complicated, because each system has been developed in a particular context to meet the requirements seen as relevant at each time. National innovation systems are often seen to form an essential framework within which the development of a country, its economy and level of knowledge are considered and promoted. These systems are orientated towards the future, and as such they also provide a framework for the knowledge transfer related to the development of education. In the best of circumstances they are able to facilitate and boost this transfer both from the viewpoint of the provider and the recipient. The leading thought and the idea of the study is that education export is a form of knowledge transfer, which is illustrated by the existing models included. The purpose of this study is to explore, analyze and describe the factors and phenomena related to education export, and more specifically, those related to the experiences and potential of Finnish education export to Chile. For better understanding, of the multiplicity of the issue involved, the current status of education export between Finland and Chile and he existing efforts within the Finnish innovation network will be outlined as well as new forms of co-operation between Finland and Chile in educational matters explored. Several countries have started to commercialize their education system in order to establish themselves as emerging education exporters. Moreover, the demand for education reform is accurate in many developing countries. This offers a good match between Finland and Chile to be the example countries of the research. The main research findings suggest that there are several business areas in education export. These include degrees in education, training services and education technologies for example The factors that influence education export can be divided into four groups, including academic, cultural, political and economic aspects. Challenges to overcome include the lack of product or services to be sold, lack of market and cultural knowledge of the buyer country, financing and lack of suitable pricing model. National innovation systems could be seen as enabling entities for successful education export. The extensive networks that national innovation systems aim to form, could operate as a basis for joining the forces in selling knowledge as well as receiving knowledge in a constructive way.

Lean management implementation in Horizontal Technology Transfer projects

The importance of Technology Transfer activities of companies is underpinned by the changes in technological and economic environments. However, there is still a significant gap in defining possible ways for Technology Transfer projects effectiveness improvement. The Master’s Thesis overviews common problems faced by the companies in implementation of Technology Transfer projects and examines Lean management principles as possible way to improve its effectiveness. Based on the analysis of the relevant scientific literature and results of the survey, conducted among the firms of different types, the approach to Technology Transfer projects implementation with the use of Lean management principles is proposed. The approach serves to solve some of the important problems faced by the managers of Technology Transfer projects. It is envisaged that this approach can help to increase overall Technology Transfer projects’ effectiveness.

Knowledge transfer intervention theory : a model grounded in the strategies used by intermediate agents in the context of education

La présente thèse se base sur les principes de la théorisation ancrée (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) afin de répondre au manque de documentation concernant les stratégies adoptées par des « agents intermédiaires » pour promouvoir l’utilisation des connaissances issues de la recherche auprès des intervenants en éducation. Le terme « agent intermédiaire » réfère aux personnes qui sont positionnées à l’interface entre les producteurs et les utilisateurs des connaissances scientifiques et qui encouragent et soutiennent les intervenants scolaires dans l’application des connaissances scientifiques dans leur pratique. L’étude s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un projet du ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec visant à améliorer la réussite scolaire des élèves du secondaire provenant de milieux défavorisés. Des agents intermédiaires de différents niveaux du système éducatif ayant obtenu le mandat de transférer des connaissances issues de la recherche auprès des intervenants scolaires dans les écoles visées par le projet ont été sollicités pour participer à l’étude. Une stratégie d’échantillonnage de type « boule-de-neige » (Biernacki & Waldorf, 1981; Patton, 1990) a été employée afin d’identifier les personnes reconnues par leurs pairs pour la qualité du soutien offert aux intervenants scolaires quant à l’utilisation de la recherche dans leur pratique. Seize entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées. L’analyse des données permet de proposer un modèle d’intervention en transfert de connaissances composé de 32 stratégies d’influence, regroupées en 6 composantes d’intervention, soit : relationnelle, cognitive, politique, facilitatrice, évaluative, de même que de soutien et de suivi continu. Les résultats suggèrent que les stratégies d’ordre relationnelle, cognitive et politique sont interdépendantes et permettent d’établir un climat favorable dans lequel les agents peuvent exercer une plus grande influence sur l’appropriation du processus de l’utilisation des connaissances des intervenants scolaire. Ils montrent en outre que la composante de soutien et de suivi continu est importante pour maintenir les changements quant à l’utilisation de la recherche dans la pratique chez les intervenants scolaires. Les implications théoriques qui découlent du modèle, ainsi que les explications des mécanismes impliqués dans les différentes composantes, sont mises en perspective tant avec la documentation scientifique en transfert de connaissances dans les secteurs de la santé et de l’éducation, qu’avec les travaux provenant de disciplines connexes (notamment la psychologie). Enfin, des pistes d’action pour la pratique sont proposées.

Charge transfer in Cr adsorption and reaction at the rutile TiO2(110) surface

The rutile TiO2(110) surface has been doped with sub-monolayer metallic Cr, which oxidises and donates charge to specific surface Ti ions. X-Ray and ultra violet photoemission spectroscopy and first principles density functional theory with Hubbard U are used to assign the oxidation states of Cr and surface Ti and we find that Cr2+ forms on bridging oxygen ions and a 5-fold coordinated surface Ti atom is reduced to Ti3+ and the Cr ions readily react with oxygen (to Cr3+), which leads to depletion of surface Ti3+ 3d electrons.

The Copenhagen principles on the handling of detainees: implications for the procedural regulation of internment

The Copenhagen Principles on the Handling of Detainees in International Military Operations were released in October 2012 after a five-year long process involving states and certain organizations. The Principles address a number of issues concerning the handling and transfer of detainees. They apply in military operations conducted by states abroad in the context of non-international armed conflicts and peace operations. This article focuses on those principles that address the procedural regulation of internment (ie preventive, security detention), as it is here that the current law is particularly unclear. On the one hand, the treaty provisions applicable in non-international armed conflicts contain no rules on the procedural regulation of internment, in comparison with the law of international armed conflict. On the other hand, the relevant rules under international human rights law (IHRL) appear derogable in such situations. This article demonstrates that the approach taken to this issue in the Copenhagen Principles is one which essentially draws on the procedural rules applicable to civilian internment in the international armed conflicts. These rules adopt standards that are lower than those under IHRL. Reference is then made to other recent practice, which illustrates that the Copenhagen Principles do not apply in a legal vacuum. In particular, two recent judicial developments highlight the continued relevance of human rights law and domestic law, respectively, in regulating detention operations in the context of international military operations. Compliance with the Copenhagen Principles may not, therefore, be sufficient for detention to be lawful.

Moral hazard and nonlinear pricing in a general equilibrium model

The paper analyzes a two period general equilibrium model with individual risk and moral hazard. Each household faces two individual states of nature in the second period. These states solely differ in the household's vector of initial endowments, which is strictly larger in the first state (good state) than in the second state (bad state). In the first period households choose a non-observable action. Higher leveis of action give higher probability of the good state of nature to occur, but lower leveIs of utility. Households have access to an insurance market that allows transfer of income across states of oature. I consider two models of financiaI markets, the price-taking behavior model and the nonlínear pricing modelo In the price-taking behavior model suppliers of insurance have a belief about each household's actíon and take asset prices as given. A variation of standard arguments shows the existence of a rational expectations equilibrium. For a generic set of economies every equilibrium is constraíned sub-optímal: there are commodity prices and a reallocation of financiaI assets satisfying the first period budget constraint such that, at each household's optimal choice given those prices and asset reallocation, markets clear and every household's welfare improves. In the nonlinear pricing model suppliers of insurance behave strategically offering nonlinear pricing contracts to the households. I provide sufficient conditions for the existence of equilibrium and investigate the optimality properties of the modeI. If there is a single commodity then every equilibrium is constrained optimaI. Ir there is more than one commodity, then for a generic set of economies every equilibrium is constrained sub-optimaI.

Understanding the origin of photoluminescence in disordered Ca0.60Sr0.40WO4: An experimental and first-principles study

Visible photoluminescence (PL) was observed for the first time at room temperature in structurally disordered calcium strontium tungstate powder, Ca0.60Sr0.40WO4 (CSW), obtained by the polymeric precursor method. The PL behavior of CSW powders has been analyzed as a function of the disorder rate, based on experimental and theoretical studies. Quantum mechanical theory based on density functional theory at the B3LYP level has been employed to study the electronic structure of two periodic models representing both crystalline and disordered powders. Their electronic structures have been analyzed in terms of density of states, band dispersion and charge densities. The calculations indicate a break in symmetry when passing from crystalline to disordered models, creating localized electronic levels above the valence band. Moreover, a negative charge transfer process takes place from the [WO3] cluster to the [WO4] cluster. The polarization induced by the break in symmetry and the existence of localized levels favors the creation of trapped holes and electrons, originating the PL phenomenon. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrated water management from the perspective of the Dublin Principles

Includes bibliography

Chile: Port congestion and efficient rationing in cargo transfer operations

Includes bibliography.

Modeling physiological processes in plankton on enzyme kinetic principles

[EN] Many ecologically important chemical transformations in the ocean are controlled by biochemical enzyme reactions in plankton. Nitrogenase regulates the transformation of N2 to ammonium in some cyanobacteria and serves as the entryway for N2 into the ocean biosphere. Nitrate reductase controls the reduction of NO3 to NO2 and hence new production in phytoplankton. The respiratory electron transfer system in all organisms links the carbon oxidation reactions of intermediary metabolism with the reduction of oxygen in respiration. Rubisco controls the fixation of CO2 into organic matter in phytoplankton and thus is the major entry point of carbon into the oceanic biosphere. In addition to these, there are the enzymes that control CO2 production, NH4 excretion and the fluxes of phosphate. Some of these enzymes have been recognized and researched by marine scientists in the last thirty years. However, until recently the kinetic principles of enzyme control have not been exploited to formulate accurate mathematical equations of the controlling physiological expressions. Were such expressions available they would increase our power to predict the rates of chemical transformations in the extracellular environment of microbial populations whether this extracellular environment is culture media or the ocean. Here we formulate from the principles of bisubstrate enzyme kinetics, mathematical expressions for the processes of NO3 reduction, O2 consumption, N2 fixation, total nitrogen uptake.

Spectroscopic signatures from first principles calculations: from surface adsorbates to liquids and polymers

In dieser Arbeit werden drei wasserstoffverbrückte Systeme in der kondensierten Phase mit Hilfe von first-principles-Elektronenstruktur-Rechnungen untersucht, die auf der Dichtefunktionaltheorie (DFT) unter periodischen Randbedingungen basieren. Ihre lokalen Konformationen und Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen werden mittels ab-initio Molekulardynamiksimulationen berechnet und weiterhin durch die Bestimmung ihrer spektroskopischen Parameter charakterisiert. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf lokalen Strukturen und auf schnellen Fluktuationen der Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen, welche von zentraler Bedeutung für die physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften der betrachteten Systeme sind. Die für die lokalen, instantanen Konformationen berechneten Spektren werden verwendet, um die physikalischen Prozesse, die hinter den untersuchten Phänomenen stehen, zu erklären: die Wasseradsorption auf metallischen Oberflächen, die Ionensolvatisierung in wässrigen Lösungen und der Protonentransport in protonleitenden Polymeren, welche Prototypen von Membranen für Brennstoffzellen sind. Die Möglichkeit der Vorhersage spektroskopischer Parameter eröffnet vielfältige Möglichkeiten des Dialogs zwischen Experimenten und numerischen Simulationen. Die in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Zuverlässigkeit dieser theoretischen Berechnungen inzwischen für viele experimentell relevante Systeme ein quantitatives Niveau erreicht hat.

Computational simulations of latent heat thermal energy storage systems - with innovative and first-principles based simulation for the underlying unsteady melting (and solidification) processes

This thesis develops an effective modeling and simulation procedure for a specific thermal energy storage system commonly used and recommended for various applications (such as an auxiliary energy storage system for solar heating based Rankine cycle power plant). This thermal energy storage system transfers heat from a hot fluid (termed as heat transfer fluid - HTF) flowing in a tube to the surrounding phase change material (PCM). Through unsteady melting or freezing process, the PCM absorbs or releases thermal energy in the form of latent heat. Both scientific and engineering information is obtained by the proposed first-principle based modeling and simulation procedure. On the scientific side, the approach accurately tracks the moving melt-front (modeled as a sharp liquid-solid interface) and provides all necessary information about the time-varying heat-flow rates, temperature profiles, stored thermal energy, etc. On the engineering side, the proposed approach is unique in its ability to accurately solve – both individually and collectively – all the conjugate unsteady heat transfer problems for each of the components of the thermal storage system. This yields critical system level information on the various time-varying effectiveness and efficiency parameters for the thermal storage system.

Evaluation of the Role of Access Providers Discussion of Dutch Pirate Bay Case Law and Introducing Principles on Directness, Effectiveness, Costs, Relevance, and Time

Internet service providers (ISPs) play a pivotal role in contemporary society because they provide access to the Internet. The primary task of ISPs – to blindly transfer information across the network – has recently come under pressure, as has their status as neutral third parties. Both the public and the private sector have started to require ISPs to interfere with the content placed and transferred on the Internet as well as access to it for a variety of purposes, including the fight against cybercrime, digital piracy, child pornography, etc. This expanding list necessitates a critical assessment of the role of ISPs. This paper analyses the role of the access provider. Particular attention is paid to Dutch case law, in which access providers were forced to block The Pirate Bay. After analysing the position of ISPs, we will define principles that can guide the decisions of ISPs whether to take action after a request to block access based on directness, effectiveness, costs, relevance and time.