Ultramicroscopic studies on the human corpus luteum menstruationis and graviditatis

In high active steroid producing cells of the human corpus luteum we can find in the cytoplasm a well developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum in form of smooth tubules and homogenously spread vesicles resulting from an active metabolic process. We also find specific concertinalike folded membrane complexes which too belong to the endoplasmic reticulum. Numerous mainly tubular mitochondria contain dense lipoid inclusions. Their close conection with the endoplasmic vesicles is expression of a direct interaction of both cell organelles in progesterone production. The transport of the intracellular formed steroid hormones to the capillary takes place via locally enlarged intercellular spaces which communicate with the pericapillary space. On the other hand there are pericellular canaliculi which are coated with a membrane. They have no direct connection to the pericapillar space.     

Use of MS2 Coliphage as a Surrogate for Enteric Viruses in Surface Waters Disinfected with Ozone

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative inactivation of MS2 coliphage (American Type Culture Collection strain 15597-B1) and heterotrophic plate count bacteria using raw surface water under a variety of naturally occurring conditions. It was found that the applied ozone dose and dissolved organic carbon had the most impact on ozone disinfection of MS2 coliphage and HPC bacteria. The dissolved organic carbon was found to compete for the ozone and significantly reduce the inactivation of both the coliphage and the bacteria. Furthermore, it was observed that the presence of any ozone residual inactivated greater than 4 logs MS2 coliphage and 2 logs heterotrophic plate count bacteria within a 30 second contact time. Ozone residuals greater than 0.20 mg/L inactivated greater than 5 logs MS2 coliphage and 3 logs heterotrophic plate count bacteria also within 30 second contact time. Comparison of inactivation studies indicate that MS2 coliphage is probably more sensitive to ozone than enteric viruses. It was concluded that the regulatory agencies should reevaluate their recommendations for using MS2 coliphage as an ozone disinfection indicator of enteric viruses.     

A spoken dialog system for the Dutch public transport information service

In the Netherlands there is a nationwide premium rate telephone number that can be dialed to obtain information about various forms of public transport. In 1996 this number was called more than twelve million times. Human operators managed to handle only about nine million of these calls. In order to answer more of these calls, a spoken dialog system was developed to automate part of this service. The automation component concerns information about journeys between two train stations.The starting point of our research was an existing German information system. This system was ported to Dutch. A bootstrapping method was used to collect the data, which in turn were used to improve the system itself.     

Glassomer—Processing Fused Silica Glass Like a Polymer

Fused silica glass is one of the most important high‐performance materials for scientific research, industry, and society. However due to its high chemical and thermal resistance as well as high hardness, fused silica glass is notoriously difficult to structure. This work introduces Glassomer, a solid nanocomposite, which can be structured using polymer molding and subtractive technologies at submicrometer resolution. After polymer processing Glassomer is turned into optical grade fused silica glass during a final heat treatment. The resulting glass has the same optical transparency as commercial fused silica and a smooth surface with a roughness of a few nanometers. This work makes high‐performance fused silica glass components accessible to high‐throughput fabrication technologies and will enable numerous optical, photonic and medical applications in science and industry.