Scientific Publications

Single cell-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (sc-ICP-MS) was used in this study as a valuable tool to assess the species-dependent uptake of metallopharmaceuticals into algal cells. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algae were incubated for 24 h with four Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) and GdCl3. A species dependency towards the uptake of the tested Gd species was observed. Using single cell-ICP-MS, a Gd signal corresponding to single cell events was detected for GdCl3 and the linear GBCAs Omniscan® (Gadodiamide, Gd-DTPA-BMA) and Magnevist® (Gadodiamide, Gd-DTPA). For the macrocyclic complexes Dotarem® (Gadoteric acid, Gd-DOTA) and Gadovist® (Gadobutrol, Gd-BT-DO3A), no such Gd signal was visible. Total Gd analysis via ICP-MS confirmed the presence of Gd in the cells only after incubation with GdCl3 and the linear GBCAs, while only small amounts of Gd were detected for the incubations with macrocyclic GBCAs. Furthermore, the results showed that more Gd is bound to cel...

In this work, a modular data processing workflow for single-particle (sp) and single-cell (sc) inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is presented. To achieve more reliable detection thresholds, a special focus is placed on the parameter estimation of Gaussian and Poisson distributions that describe the background (BG) signal. For Gaussian models, the widely used iterative outlier test was improved by an algorithm that adjusts the test for different BG levels by incrementing the test factor. Through careful evaluation, the standard deviation of the experimental sc- and sp-ICP-MS data was applied as a robust measure of the convergence quality of the test. In addition, the outlier analysis was separated from the subsequent event detection more strictly than it is often reported. Importantly, a data-dependent decision criterion based on Gaussian and Poisson modeling was developed to effectively address extra-Poisson variance in experimental data. In the second part, a gate ...

The Alps is one of the most well-studied mountain belts on the Earth, but nonetheless there are areas which are still largely unexplored. The southern Dora-Maira Massif has been intensely studied since the discovery of coesite in 1984, whereas only a few studies focused on its northern sector. Recently, a new ultra-high pressure unit (i.e. the Chasteiran Unit) has been discovered in this part of the Massif, emphasizing the necessity to refine the geometry of the northern Dora-Maira Massif. Therefore, this study aims to define the different geological units and their tectonic boundaries in the Germanasca valley in northern Dora-Maira by combining petrological and geochronological data. Specifically, this thesis aims to assess if the area comprised between the Cialancia and Rabbioso bridges belongs to the Pinerolo Unit (a Carboniferous monocyclic unit) or if it is part of the Muret Unit (a Palaezoic polycyclic unit). In order to reach these aims, 32 samples were petrographically investig...

The fields of archaeology and geochemistry have used stable isotope analysis for reconstructions of paleodiets and other prehistoric behaviors since the 1970s. These processes have been used as evidence for topics such as human evolution, migration research, transitions to agriculture, among other topics (Cerling et al., 2015; Eerkens, 2015). In particular, stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel, bone, and ivory has emerged as a powerful tool for migration research of living and fossil animals (Zazzo et al., 2012; Wooller et al., 2021; Lazzerini et al., 2021). As such, isotopic variations of mammalian tooth enamel, particularly in carbon, oxygen, and strontium, can be further studied to analyze variations in these migration patterns, climate and diet as a means of further understanding archaeological questions as well as modern mammals (Reade et al., 2015; Zazzo et al., 2012). An ivory tusk is a modified upper incisor that forms incrementally throughout the lifetime of an elephant bot...

Abstract Unavailable...

Assaig d?una lubricaci? a l?educaci? sexual es proposa analitzar de quina manera els discursos postpornogr?fics poden esdevenir una eina d?intervenci? en les estrat?gies d?educaci? sexual a les aules. Els objectius espec?fics s?enfoquen a l?an?lisi de les propostes d?educaci? sexual desplegades al territori catal? i a l?an?lisi dels l?mits i les potencialitats del postporno com a eina d?intervenci? en aquestes estrat?gies. Des d?una perspectiva metodol?gica feminista i queer, s?usa l?entrevista semiestructurada i la compilaci? documental com a t?cniques d?investigaci?. Es seleccionen com a mostra d?an?lisi tres entitats d?educaci? sexual, tres guies did?ctiques, cinc persones referents del postporno i quatre persones vinculades a la investigaci? sobre l?encreuament entre porno, postporno, educaci? sexual i sexualitat. Es conclou, per una banda, que l?exist?ncia de limitacions legals i sociopol?tiques dificulta la incorporaci? de certs discursos i imaginaris postpornogr?fics a les aules...

The isotopic compositions of meteorites provide valuable insights into the earliest history of the Solar System and, in some cases, provide constraints on presolar components that contributed to the solar nebula. In the past decade or so, mass-independent isotope anomalies in titanium have become particularly important geochemical tracers to study the distinct isotopic reservoirs in the early Solar System. In particular, mass-independent anomalies in the most neutron-rich isotope of titanium ( 50Ti) have been used to distinguish between carbonaceous chondritic (CC) and non-carbonaceous chondritic (NC) materials. These two groupings likely represent distinct isotopic reservoirs in the inner (NC) and outer (CC) Solar System. However, while the titanium isotope compositions of CC and NC materials are distinct, each group's full range of compositional variability is poorly characterized. For example, only one CK carbonaceous chondrite group member has been analyzed thus far for its bulk Ti...

Our exponentially growing world will demand approximately 70% more agriculture production by 2050, yet according to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN, ~33% of land worldwide is experiencing soil degradation and by 2050, over 90% of soils could be degraded. Exacerbating problems with soil degradation are droughts that are becoming more common with a warming climate. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ~60% of the USA experienced drought in 2022 and over 90% of the Western US is under drought conditions, including one of the largest agricultural regions in the world, California. Therefore, in order to address these urgent issues of soil degradation and water scarcity, agriculture needs to adapt to more sustainable management practices that emphasize the importance of maintaining soil health, specifically, soil organic matter (SOM), and implement treatment processes to utilize nontraditional water sources (i.e., wastewater from various sectors). T...

We have conducted an extensive towed-magnetic-sled survey during the period 14-28 June, 2023, over the seafloor centered around the calculated path of the bolide CNEOS 2014-01-08 (IM1) about 85 km north of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. We found about 700 spherules of diameter 0.05-1.3 millimeters in our samples, of which 57 were analyzed so far. The spherules were significantly concentrated along the expected meteor path. Mass spectrometry of 47 spherules near the high-yield regions along IM1's path reveals a distinct extra-solar abundance pattern for 5 of them, while background spherules have abundances consistent with a solar system origin. The unique spherules show an excess of Be, La and U, by up to three orders of magnitude relative to the solar system standard of CI chondrites. These "BeLaU"-type spherules, never seen before, also have very low refractory siderophile elements such as Re. Volatile elements, such as Mn, Zn, Pb, are depleted as expected from evaporation losses dur...

Soil is today considered a non-renewable resource on societal time scale, as the rate of soil loss is higher than the one of soil formation. Soil formation is complex, can take several thousands of years and is influenced by a variety of factors, one of them is time. Oftentimes, there is the assumption of constant and progressive conditions for soil and/or profile development (i.e., steady-state). In reality, for most of the soils, their (co-)evolution leads to a complex and irregular soil development in time and space characterised by progressive and regressive phases. Lateral transport of soil material (i.e., soil erosion) is one of the principal processes shaping the land surface and soil profile during regressive phases and one of the major environmental problems the world faces. Anthropogenic activities like agriculture can exacerbate soil erosion. Thus, it is of vital importance to distinguish short-term soil redistribution rates (i.e., within decades) influenced by human activit...

This thesis address with Finnish non scripted television format production and its sales in Finland and international markets and in the audiovisual sector growth agreement. The main purpose of the thesis is to compile new information on the Finnish non scripted television format, its development, challenges, and future prospects, and to understand the good practices that already exist in this field. Such of information has not been collected previously to this extent. The additional objective is to explore the opportunities offered by the growth pact for the audiovisual sector. The result of the work was a data package, which has been used to model non scripted television format production in Finland. My aim is to help the subscriber develop his own operations in both production and domestic and international sales. Client is Rabbit Films Ltd. The theoretical part of the thesis presented the terminology of the field. I reviewed the history and current situation of Finnish television f...

T?m?n opinn?ytety?n tavoitteena oli laatia viestint?suunnitelma yhdistykselle. Viestint?suunnitelmaan on kirjattu my?s lyhyt osio markkinointiviestinn?st?. Viestint?suunnitelmaa laatiessa on otettu huomioon Palloliiton laatiman laatuj?rjestelm?n viidennen tason kriteerit. Opinn?ytety?n toimeksiantaja on Sein?joen Jalkapallokerho-juniorit ry. SJK-juniorit on Sein?joella toimiva jalkapalloseura, jonka toiminta perustuu p??asiassa junioritoimintaan. Opinn?ytety?n teoreettisessa viitekehyksess? perehdyt??n viestint??n, ty?yhteis?viestint??n, viestint?strategiaan, viestinn?n suunnitteluun, missioon, visioon, arvoihin ja markkinointiviestint??n. Lis?ksi sosiaaliseen mediaan ja viestint?kanaviin perehdyt??n opinn?ytety?n kolmannessa luvussa. Opinn?ytety?ss? k?ytettiin sek? laadullista ett? m??r?llist? tutkimusmenetelm??. Laadullinen tutkimus toteutettiin teemahaastatteluna, joka noudatti puolistrukturoidun haastattelun runkoa. Kvantitatiivinen tutkimus perustui puolestaan vuonna 2022 pidettyy...

This thesis investigates the potential of Minecraft Education (ME) as a tool for teaching Norwegian lower secondary school pupils about indigenous people, with a particular focus on the Māori people of New Zealand. A five-week intervention was carried out in two eighth-grade English classes in the south of Norway, where three weeks were dedicated to playing ME in the "Ngā Motu" world to learn about the Māori people and their culture. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, and the data collected were used to evaluate the effectiveness of ME in addressing the research questions. The findings indicate that under the right circumstances, ME can be a valuable resource for teaching pupils about indigenous peoples, while also offering additional benefits in areas such as language learning, social and emotional development, and increased motivation, interest, and engagement for learning....

Tämän opinnäytetyön toimeksiantajana toimi LSK Technology Oy ja työn tilaajana toimi Cupori Oy. Cupori Oy on suomalainen metalliteollisuusyritys, joka valmistaa kupariputkia LVIasennus- ja teollisuuskäyttöön. Cupori Oy:n oli liitettävä tyhjiöhaihdutin olemassa olevaan kupariputkien pesulaitteistoon, jonka avulla muuttuneet pitoisuusarvot alittuvat. Laitteiston tarkoituksena on poistaa kuparia kupariputkien pesuvedestä. Pesuvettä on johdettu viemäriin ja osittain Kokemäenjokeen. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli tuottaa sähkösuunnitelman dokumentit tyhjiöhaihduttimen ja tähän rakennetun prosessin liittämisestä pesuveden puhdistusjärjestelmään. Tarvittavat dokumentit olivat piirikaavio, väyläkaavio, keskuksien layout-kuvat, maadoituskaavio ja osaluettelot. Säätökaavion perusteella suunniteltiin logiikka ja logiikkaan tarvittavat lisämoduulit. Moduulien määrään vaikuttivat prosessin mittaukset, säädöt ja tilatiedot. Näiden lisäksi pumppujen taajuusm...

The purpose of the final year project was to design a liquid circulation heat recovery system for an old sports hall, which previously had no heat recovery system for ventilation. An additional objective was to define the payback period of the liquid circulation heat recovery system and its glycol piping. The project aimed to show how much warm air is wasted when it is blown directly out from the building without heat recovery. Liquid circulation heat recovery was chosen as the heat recovery method because the case building had separate supply and exhaust air handling units. The thesis showed that the payback period of the liquid circulation heat recovery system is 3.3 years. The payback period is obtained by dividing the total cost of the system by the ventilation energy saving. This suggests that the payback period is moderate, but the building is old, with a lifetime of about 10 years left, so the building user should think carefully about the investment....

The determination of the isotopic composition of calcium (Ca) in the body has gained increasing recognition as a powerful tool to monitor Ca metabolism, and bone metabolism in biological systems. Calcium is an essential mineral in the body and is critical for building and maintaining strong teeth and bones. Mishandling of this metal is associated with several diseases and disorders within the body. Therefore, understanding calcium metabolism is necessary to address the significance of this mineral, and the role it plays in the health of an individual. This thesis describes the development of an analytical technique to measure calcium isotope amount ratios in biological samples from as little as 670 ng, which is a twofold decrease in the amount of Ca required compared to recent studies using MC TIMS. The technique was used to determine how the distribution of calcium isotopes changes in mice where calcium metabolism has been impacted by an altered composition of gut microbiota in the ga...

The intermittent nature of renewable electricity production as well as electro-mobility requires electrochemical storage of electrical energy. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the dominanttechnology due to their high energy densities and low self-discharge.However, liquid electrolytes, which are used in commercial LIBs, are flammable and extremely sensitive towards humidity. A promising alternative is the perovskite-type solid electrolyte Li(0.29??)La0.57TiO3 (LLTO) that can be applied to all-solid-state LIBs. The exact voltage stability limit and decomposition kinetics of this material are, however, unknown and the mapping of stoichiometric inhomogeneities in field-stressed LLTO is a powerful tool for a better understanding of these mechanisms. In this thesis, the stoichiometry of non-polarized and polarized LLTO electrolytes was investigated by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS). Therefore, qualitative measurements of LLTO were performed and eleme...

Prospective preschool teachers (PPTs) need to have learning experiences with the practice of scientific modelling to be able to design appropriate lessons as teachers. In the literature on research in science education, scarce experiences of PPTs in scientific modelling can be found. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap about PPTs? representations of water and its states by means of models. To this end, an analysis is made of the models designed by PPTs and the difficulties they found in such a design process. The participants were 47 PPTs, working in groups of 2 or 3, forming 19 groups in total. The data source for analysis was the report written by each group. The oral presentation of these reports in class also served to clarify any doubts about the models elaborated by the PPTs. The models were analysed and categorized using qualitative content analysis methods, by combining inter- and intra-rater evaluation strategies. The results reveal that PPTs in general used a variety of...

As a major sample introduction method, electrospray ionization has been widely used as the frontend interface for mass spectrometry due to its unique advantages, including high ionization efficiency, no sample breakage, ionization capability for polar and macromolecular samples, and ease of modification. Lowing the flow rate to the nanoelectrospray regime (...

Following the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F), contaminated water was treated to remove radionuclides. The water treatment processes generated ∼4500 m3 of secondary wastes including sludges and spent media. Vitrification using GeoMelt® In-Container Vitrification (ICV)™ is a technology being considered for treatment of these wastes. ICV is well suited due to its ability to process a broad range of wastes at high temperatures without the need to pour glass which results in high waste loading and high chemical durability. The objective of this study was to formulate glasses suitable for ICV processing of 1F secondary wastes with high chemical durability. Thirty-six glasses were formulated for different 1F secondary waste blends with loadings ranging from 60 to 92 wt%. Materials Characterization Center durability test number 1 (MCC-1 – ASTM C1220) responses were measured for the glasses in deionized water at 90 °C for 7 to 365 days. Their MCC-1 respo...

An ashless dialysis-based method for the convenient and timely removal of strontium from milk for radioanalysis has been described for samples ranging from 100 to 500 mL following a brief (30 min) treatment with formaldehyde solution. Overall strontium recovery is suitably high and remarkably consistent across all sample sizes (81-84%), with the final isolation of strontium from milk comfortably achieved within 32 h. For strontium carrier quantification and quality assurance purposes, two chromatographic high-pressure ion chromatography methods were developed to fully resolve strontium from the cationic mineral constituents of milk, as well as yttrium, while method validation was performed with a certified reference material (IAEA-152 milk powder) containing strontium-90. This methodology is highly amenable to concurrent multisample processing which, considering its scalability, makes it well-suited to environmental surveillance of radiostrontium in milk for both routine and emergency ...

Biofunctionalized surfaces with an antimicrobial multidomain protein both in soluble form or nanostructured as nanoparticles to avoid biofilm formation....

This article presents the results of oxygen stable isotope analysis on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) samples (n?=?25) from a Mission-Era (ca. AD 1565-1680) site, Pueblo Santa Catalina de Guale, on St. Catherines Island, GA. Stable isotope analysis was used to assess the seasonality of oyster harvesting on St. Catherines Island during the Mission Era to better understand how Spanish colonization and the Catholic mission system may have impacted Guale foodways. Five eastern oyster left valves were sampled from each known neighborhood of Pueblo Santa Catalina de Guale. Existing data regarding the seasonality of pre-colonial mollusk collection on St. Catherines Island and elsewhere in the coastal Southeast are discussed in conversation with the results of this analysis. This work indicates that Guale residents of St. Catherines Island during the Mission Era were harvesting oysters most intensely during cooler months. This pattern is consistent with estimates of pre-colonial shellf...

In 2020, the Brazilian Digital Television System (SBTVD) Forum released a Call for Proposals for the new "TV 3.0" project, which aims on the development of the next generation of Digital Terrestrial Television system. As a result of the testing phase, the Forum decided to adopt the Real-time Object delivery over Unidirectional Transport / MPEG Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (ROUTE/DASH) standard for the Transport Layer, with some adaptations and extensions. This paper proposes the implementation of a ROUTE/DASH standard flow analyzer using Open Source tools such as Wireshark, Lua, and python programming languages....

Massive dolostones preserving a stratigraphic architecture formed in Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic are thrusted at the top of the Gran Sasso Massif. Multiple dolomitization events characterized by similar dolomitizing fluids were identified by integrating field observations, petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses. Replacive host rock dolomites show temperatures around 50?C, Sr isotope ratios between 0.70735 and 0.707730, typical of Jurassic seawater, and low trace element contents indicating oxidizing fluids. This replacive dolomitization event, which is the most volumetrically significant, is interpreted as caused by seawater circulation along the Mesozoic margin of the Lazio-Abruzzi platform, enhanced by extensional faulting induced by Neotethyan rifting. Zebra and saddle dolomite vein cements are characterized by fluids with similar Sr isotope ratios, trace element concentrations and precipitation temperatures up to 62 ?C. Zebra dolomites likely formed during Lat...

To meet the dehumidification, cooling, and heating requirements in hot summer and cold winter areas of China, a solar-driven cascade system combined liquid dehumidification with absorption refrigeration (SLDAR) is proposed. A method integrating life cycle assessment and emergy analysis (LCA-EmA) is developed to evaluate the environmental and economic sustainability of the system. The potential environmental impacts and ecological service requirement are evaluated by life cycle assessment. Comparative analysis is carried out between the integrated LCA-EmA method and the emergy analysis method. Parameter sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the effects of solar radiation intensity, air temperature and relative humidity on the emergy performance of the system. The results reveal that the total potential environmental impact of the system is 7.29E+03, of which the construction stage accounted for the most part of 65.36%. The total emergy input of the system is 1.57E+17 sej/yr, th...

The presence of phosphorous in borosilicate glass (at 0.1 - 1.3 mol % P2O5) and in iron-phosphate glass (at 53 mol % P2O5) stimulated the growth and metabolic activity of anaerobic bacteria in model systems. Dissolution of these phosphorous containing glasses was either inhibited or accelerated by microbial metabolic activity, depending on the solution chemistry and the glass composition. The breakdown of organic carbon to volatile fatty acids increased glass dissolution. The interaction of microbially reduced Fe(II) with phosphorus-containing glass under anoxic conditions decreased dissolution rates, whereas the interaction of Fe(III) with phosphorous-containing glass under oxic conditions increased glass dissolution. Phosphorous addition to borosilicate glasses did not significantly affect the microbial species present, however, the diversity of the microbial community was enhanced on the surface of the iron phosphate glass. Results demonstrate the potential for microbes to influence...

This report describes the analysis of twenty-six human scalp hairs, and one facial hair, found attached to bristles of a hairbrush recovered during underwater archaeological investigation of the wreck of HMS Erebus of the British Royal Navy?s Franklin Expedition which sank in the Arctic after its desertion in April 1848. Hair colour and diameter range were typical of Western Europeans, consistent with the Caucasian origins of the crew. Microscopic examination showed often severe degradation caused by biological agents and mechanical damage, and penetrative contamination by iron oxide encrustation from the wreck environment during some 170 years of marine immersion. No viable DNA was recovered to allow identification from a database of crew descendants. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) determined heavy and trace metals within the hair that might reflect uptake or depletion of those metals during life to allow insight to conditions on board, or cont...

U-Pb geochronology of zircon grains retrieved from magmatic rocks intruding the Jadar block terrane in the central Balkans is used here to add new constraints on the terrane accretion processes and the provenance of crustal sources of this potentially exotic crustal block. Using an unorthodox approach, we analyzed zircons extracted from the products of Cenozoic (Cer and Boranja granitoid massifs) and Triassic magmatism (Bobija andesitic tuff - Pietra Verde). In fourteen samples of granites and epiclastites, we analyzed about 600 grains, and of these, about 30-40% were derived from the basement and were used further for the geological interpretation. Most samples show a similar Precambrian and Paleozoic age spectrum, including ubiquitous Neoproterozoic and well-defined Silurian-Ordovician populations. Only a few older zircons are present, composing minor populations at c. 1.2 Ga and 3.2 Ga. The younger zircons represent a ubiquitous Triassic population that is the strongest in all sampl...

The metallome has been involved in the pathological investigation into ocular tissue for decades; however, as technologies advance, more information can be ascertained from individual tissue sections that were not previously possible. Herein, a demonstration of complementary techniques has been utilized to describe the distribution and concentrations of essential metals in both wildtype (WT) and rhodopsin (Rho−/−) ocular tissues. The multimodal approach described is an example of complementary datasets that can be produced when employing a multifaceted analytical approach. Heterogenous distributions of copper and zinc were observable within both WT and Rho−/− tissue by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and the distributions of further trace elements notoriously problematic for ICP-MS analysis (phosphorous, Sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum) were analysed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE)....