Evaluation of Bioelectromethanogenesis Part I: Energy Calculations

Bioelectromethanogenesis, a technology to convert electrical energy into CH₄, is on the transition from lab-scale to industrial application. But the question arises if it is really a sustainable technology or just another scientific artifact. Especially the energy efficiency is a crucial aspect to allow conclusions about the applicability. In this paper, the basics of energy calculations are applied to literature data to model the energy efficiency. Different scenarios were calculated, showing that further research has to be conducted to turn bioelectromethanogenesis into a feasible technology.     

Infrared fluorescence imaging of infarcted hearts with Ag2S nanodots

Ag₂S nanodots have already been demonstrated as promising near-infrared (NIR-II, 1.0–1.45 μm) emitting nanoprobes with low toxicity, high penetration and high resolution for in vivo imaging of, for example, tumors and vasculature. In this work, we have systematically investigated the potential application of functionalized Ag₂S nanodots for accurate imaging of damaged myocardium tissues after a myocardial infarction induced by either partial or global ischemia. Ag₂S nanodots surface-functionalized with the angiotensin II peptide (ATII) have shown over 10-fold enhanced binding efficiency to damaged tissues than non-specifically (PEG) functionalized Ag₂S nanodots due to their interaction with the upregulated angiotensin II receptor type I (AT1R). It is demonstrated how the NIR-II images generated by ATII-functionalized Ag₂S nanodots contain valuable information about the location and extension of damaged tissue in the myocardium allowing for a proper identification of the occluded artery as well as an indirect evaluation of the damage level. The potential application of Ag₂S nanodots in the near future for in vivo imaging of myocardial infarction was also corroborated by performing proof of concept whole body imaging experiments.

     

Cities and plans – the past defines the future

Urban planning is often considered unnecessary from a neo-liberal viewpoint, particularly as the market would guarantee an optimal spatial allocation of facilities and uses without it. Planning costs and bureaucracy would be saved and the implementation of projects accelerated. However, it is argued here that urban planning has achieved many successes since the beginning of urbanization, which have led to an improvement in the living conditions of broad sections of the population. Urban planning history needs to evaluate these experiences, advancements (and failures), and to apply them for future projects and developments. In the meantime, the professional identity of planning history has been increasingly strengthened by new approaches and cross-border networking.     

Evaluating data-centric process approaches: Does the human factor factor in?

The Business Process Management field addresses design, improvement, management, support, and execution of business processes. In doing so, we argue that it focuses more on developing modeling notations and process design approaches than on the needs and preferences of the individual who is modeling (i.e., the user). New data-centric process modeling approaches are taken as a relevant and timely stream of process design approaches to test our argument. First, we provide a review of existing data-centric process approaches, culminating in a theoretical classification framework. Next, we empirically evaluate three specific approaches with regard to the claims they make. We had participants representative of actual users try out these approaches on realistic scenarios via a series of workshops. Participants assessed to what extent quality claims from the literature could be recognized within the workshop sessions. The results of this evaluation substantiate a number of claims behind the approaches, but also identify opportunities to further improve them. Most prominently, we found that the usability aspects of all considered approaches are a source of concern. This leads us to the insight that usability aspects of process design approaches are crucial and, in the perception of groups representative of actual users, leave much to be desired. In that sense, our research can be seen as a wake-up call for process modeling notation designers to consider the usability side—and as such, the interest of the human modeler—more than is currently the case.     

Poly‐2‐oxazolidones with tailored physical properties synthesized by catalyzed polyaddition of 2,4‐toluene diisocyanate and different bisphenol‐based diepoxides

In the current study, we investigated poly‐2‐oxazolidones containing one of four different diglycidyl ethers carrying different bulky bisphenol centers. With increasing steric hindrance of the bisphenol‐based diepoxide from bisphenol F to bisphenol A, Z and TMC, the glass transition temperature (T_g) increased markedly from 156 to 211 °C, whereas the plateau modulus of the polymer, i.e. the chain flexibility as determined from rheological characterization, remained almost unchanged. This study demonstrates the general feasibility of the chemical design of poly‐2‐oxazolidones as an amorphous high‐performance thermoplastic. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Evaluation of stress–strain curve estimates in dynamic experiments

Accurate measurements of the forces and velocities at the boundaries of a dynamically loaded specimen may be obtained using split Hopkinson pressure bars (SHPB) or other experimental devices. However, the determination of a representative stress–strain curve based on these measurements can be challenging. Due to transient effects, the stress and strain fields are not uniform within the specimen. Several formulas have been proposed in the past to estimate the stress–strain curve from dynamic experiments. Here, we make use of the theoretical solution for the waves in an elastic specimen to evaluate the accuracy of these estimates. It is found that it is important to avoid an artificial time shift in the processing of the experimental data. Moreover, it is concluded that the combination of the output force based stress estimate and the average strain provides the best of the commonly used stress–strain curve estimates in standard SHPB experiments.     

Multi-scale simulations of apatite–collagen composites: from molecules to materials

We review scale-bridging simulation studies for the exploration of atomicto-meso scale processes that account for the unique structure and mechanic properties of apatite-protein composites. As the atomic structure and composition of such complex biocomposites only partially is known, the first part (i) of our modelling studies is dedicated to realistic crystal nucleation scenarios of inorganic-organic composites. Starting from the association of single ions, recent insights range from the mechanisms of motif formation, ripening reactions and the self-organization of nanocrystals, including their interplay with growth-controlling molecular moieties. On this basis, (ii) reliable building rules for unprejudiced scale-up models can be derived to model bulk materials. This is exemplified for (enamel-like) apatite-protein composites, encompassing up to 10⁶ atom models to provide a realistic account of the 10 nm length scale, whilst model coarsening is used to reach μm length scales. On this basis, a series of deformation and fracture simulation studies were performed and helped to rationalize biocomposite hardness, plasticity, toughness, self-healing and fracture mechanisms. Complementing experimental work, these modelling studies provide particularly detailed insights into the relation of hierarchical composite structure and favorable mechanical properties.     

The psychology of voice and performance capabilities in masculine and feminine cultures and contexts.

In this article, we examine the hypothesis that in masculine cultures or in other contexts that emphasize competitive achievement, those with higher performance capabilities will feel empowered to have input in decisions and, hence, will desire opportunities to voice their opinions about decisions to be made. In contrast, in more feminine cultures or in other contexts that value the importance of nurturing people with lower capability, those with lower capabilities will feel valued as important group members, will feel worthy of receiving voice and, hence, will appreciate voice opportunities. We provide evidence for these predictions in 2 studies, 1 conducted in the United States (a more masculine culture) and 1 in the Netherlands (a more feminine culture). Evidence also comes from experimental conditions in both studies, in which we made salient to participants countercultural norms and values, that is, nurturing the less capable in the United States and competitive achievement in the Netherlands. Implications for the psychology of voice and cross-cultural research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)