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Ribeiro, Máyra. "Efeito de diferentes intervenções domiciliares no desenvolvimento de crianças contaminadas por chumbo : um estudo longitudinal." Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2007. https://repositorio.ufscar.br/handle/ufscar/3116.
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Lead is a toxic metal that affects all the organs and systems of the human body, being its absorption bigger in children and pregnant women. Although the harmful effect of lead in infantile development (e.g., hyperactivity, cognitive deficit, low efficiency at school, etc) there are no studies on the effect of intervention programs for this population. The objectives of this work were: 1. to compare, the acquisition of abilities (foreseen in the Portage Guide) for children of 3 to 5 years old, with average level of lead equal to 21 g/dl at four moments and 2. to verify the effect of two domiciliary interventions (A: individual training of the mother according to procedures of the Portage Guide, and the other, B: toys and models of tricks available to the child - environmental enrichment) in its performance. Two groups of 4 children were analyzed, being two groups of intervention and one of waiting control. The delineation counts on: evaluation retrospect (2002/03), a pre-test evaluation of all children in Portage Guide and HOME; implementation of the intervention programs with groups A and B (23 sessions); sounding the trained and emergent behaviors (application of the Portage Guide); retaken of the intervention program (9 weeks); post-test 1 (Portage Guide and HOME); post-test 2 (Portage Guide); post-test 3 with only one child of each group; besides the weekly evaluation of the children s performance through observation and record and posterior intervention with the controlled group. The results pointed to a decay of performance in the Portage Guide of evaluation 2002/03 for the pre-test, in the three groups, being the greater deficits in the cognition and language areas. After the period of intervention, children from group A got greater addition of behaviors, followed by group B and finally group C. The environment quality and care of these children came to be insufficient, but with improvements to the intervention for the submitted groups. It can be concluded that the two interventions speed up the development, but with better results for the intervention with parents guiding. The results indicate, also, that deficits of behavior tend to extend themselves throughout the time when it comes to this population.
O chumbo é um metal tóxico que afeta todos os órgãos e sistemas do corpo humano, sendo sua absorção maior em crianças e gestante. Apesar dos efeitos nocivos do chumbo no desenvolvimento infantil (ex., hiperatividade, déficit cognitivo, baixo rendimento escolar, etc) não existem estudos sobre o efeito de programas de intervenção para esta população. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: 1.comparar, a aquisição de habilidades (previstas no Inventário Portage Operacionalizado - IPO) por crianças de 3 a 5 anos com nível médio de chumbo igual a 21 g/dl em quatro momentos e 2. verificar o efeito de duas intervenções domiciliares (A: treino individual da mãe segundo os procedimentos do IPO, e a outra B: disponibilização de brinquedos e modelos de brincadeiras à criança enriquecimento ambiental) no seu desempenho. Foram analisados três grupos de 4 crianças sendo dois grupos de intervenção e um de controle de espera. O delineamento conta com: avaliação retrospectiva (2002/03), uma avaliação pré-teste de todas as crianças no IPO e HOME; implementação dos programas de intervenção com os grupos A e B (23 sessões); sonda dos comportamentos treinados e emergentes (aplicação do IPO); retomada do programa de intervenção (9 semanas); pós-teste 1 (IPO e HOME); pós-teste 2 (IPO); pós-teste 3 com apenas 1 criança de cada grupo; além da avaliação semanal do desempenho das crianças via observação e registro e intervenção posterior com grupo controle. Os resultados apontam para queda de desempenho no IPO da avaliação 2002/03 para o pré-teste, nos 3 grupos, sendo os maiores deficits nas áreas de cognição e linguagem. Após o período de intervenção as crianças do grupo A obtiveram maior acréscimo de comportamentos, seguidas do grupo B e por último o grupo C. A qualidade do ambiente e cuidado destas crianças mostrou-se insuficiente, mas com melhoras para os grupos submetidos a intervenção. Pode-se concluir que as duas intervenções aceleram o desenvolvimento, mas com melhor resultado para a intervenção com orientação de pais. Os resultados indicam, também, que os deficits comportamentais tendem a se ampliar ao longo do tempo quando se trata desta população.
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Chen, Yu-Horng. "Navigation Using Portable Digital Architectural Guides." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.526955.
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Sears, Eric W. "Portable signals analysis solutions using Signalworks : a process guide for analysts and students." Thesis, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4618.
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Approved for public release, distribution unlimitedSignalworks® is a signals analysis software suite designed to be installed on Windows and Linux portable computing platforms. The demodulation applications within the program offer considerable processing capability for a variety of signals coupled with a graphical interface that is both easy to use and configure. This thesis examines the process of building test signals within Signalworks® and then processing them with the available demodulation applications to define important parameters used to identify and analyze signals. Although Signalworks® version 4.0 is unable to demodulate Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) signals often used in wireless communications, it can process Binary Phase-Shift Keyed (BPSK) and Quadrature Phase-Shift Keyed (QPSK) signals used in the 802.11b standard. While future versions may include OFDM demodulation capability, this analysis includes the feasibility of using Signalworks® in a lab environment to demonstrate and educate students on signal characteristics including wireless communication signals.
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Charževskytė, Egidija. "Creation and documentation analysis of Mobile shopper guide system: administrative and user portal." Master's thesis, Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT), 2008. http://vddb.library.lt/obj/LT-eLABa-0001:E.02~2008~D_20080627_140110-03324.
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Mobile shopper guide system consists of two parts mainly: mobile map, administrative and user portal. Mobile map consists of Vilnius city map and the points, which shows the location of the shops. Administrative and user portal supports mobile map. In the paper the analysis of documentation templates was done.During this work administrative and user portal was created and analyzed.Mobiliojo pirkėjo gido sistema susideda iš dviejų dalių: mobilaus žemėlapio, administracinės ir kliento dalies. Mobilus žemėlapis – tai Vilniaus miesto žemėlapis su tam tikrais taškais, reiškiančiai parduotuves.Administracinė ir kliento dalis skirta mobiliam žemėlapiui palaikyti. Darbe buvo analizuojami sistemos dokumentavimo šablonai. Darbe buvo sukurta administracinė ir kliento dalis, kuri turi būti dedama į internetą. Sukurtosios sistemos dalis buvo analizuojama.
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Mortimore, Jeffrey M. "We've Got A Guide for That: Building a Comprehensive Marketing and Support Framework for IR Services." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/dcseug/2018/schedule/3.
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Institutional Repository services require continuous, multi-channel promotion and support to attract and retain conferences, journals, and other campus collections. However, given the relative complexity of the services offered, balancing promotional messaging with a clear representation of repository offerings, policies, and procedures can be a challenge. Providing a flexible but robust marketing and support framework is especially important for institutions that rely on non-repository public services personnel to provide front-line promotion of repository services to faculty and administrators.
During this session, we will look at Georgia Southern University's recently-developed Institutional Repository Services LibGuide as a model for providing such a framework (http://georgiasouthern.libguides.com/irservices/overview). This portal simultaneously provides 1) a front-line promotional tool, 2) a client-management tool for setup and support consultations, and 3) a storehouse for repository-related documents, forms, MOUs, and licenses. This portal further integrates with the library's other scholarly communications-related guides, providing seamless representation of these services to patrons.
Participants will use this guide as a jumping-off point to discuss strategies and best practices for mediating institutional repository services, and for integrating repository promotion and support into libraries' broader scholarly communications initiatives.
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Sharma, Vishist. "Sparse-Matrix support for the SkePU library for portable CPU/GPU programming." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för datavetenskap, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-129687.
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In this thesis work we have extended the SkePU framework by designing a new container data structure for the representation of generic two dimensional sparse matrices. Computation on matrices is an integral part of many scientific and engineering problems. Sometimes it is unnecessary to perform costly operations on zero entries of the matrix. If the number of zeroes is relatively large then a requirement for more efficient data structure arises. Beyond the sparse matrix representation, we propose an algorithm to judge the condition where computation on sparse matrices is more beneficial in terms of execution time for an ongoing computation and to adapt a matrix's state accordingly, which is the main concern of this thesis work. We present and implement an approach to switch automatically between two data container types dynamically inside the SkePU framework for a multi-core GPU-based heterogeneous system. The new sparse matrix data container supports all SkePU skeletons and nearly all SkePU operations. We provide compression and decompression algorithms from dense matrix to sparse matrix and vice versa on CPU and GPUs using SkePU data parallel skeletons. We have also implemented a context aware switching mechanism in order to switch between two data container types on the CPU or the GPU. A multi-state matrix representation, and selection on demand is also made possible. In order to evaluate and test effectiveness and efficiency of our extension to the SkePU framework, we have considered Matrix-Vector Multiplication as our benchmark program because iterative solvers like Conjugate Gradient and Generalized Minimum Residual use Sparse Matrix-Vector Multiplication as their basic operation. Through our benchmark program we have demonstrated adaptive switching between two data container types, implementation selection between CUDA and OpenMP, and converting the data structure depending on the density of non-zeroes in a matrix. Our experiments on GPU-based architectures show that our automatic switching mechanism adapts with the fastest SkePU implementation variant, and has a limited training cost.
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Morton, Geraint. "Cardiovascular magnetic resonance guided revascularisation." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2012. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/cardiovascular-magnetic-resonance-guided-revascularisation(3dd5c5fe-c3a9-4287-a2e5-d2c9da4e8e27).html.
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Introduction: Coronary revascularisation is a key component of the management of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The importance of combining functional with anatomic information to select appropriate patients is increasingly recognised. Established Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) techniques already provide much of the relevant functional information and the absence of ionising radiation makes CMR ideal for serial examinations. However, new CMR techniques continue to emerge, and require appropriate clinical evaluation. Methods: This thesis comprises a series of clinical studies developing and evaluating techniques for guiding revascularisation: i. Comparison of a high-resolution k-t accelerated perfusion sequence with a standard sequence. ii. Validation of CMR quantification of absolute myocardial perfusion using the high-resolution sequence against PET. iii. Investigation of the relationship between an angiographic score (BCIS-1 Jeopardy score) and CMR estimations of CAD burden. iv. Determination of the inter-study reproducibility of perfusion imaging and strain analysis with CMR feature tracking (CMR-FT). v. Evaluation of a novel scar imaging technique using a dual-inversion recovery (dual-IR) pre-pulse for the first-time in patients. vi. The feasibility of combined CMR and coronary intervention in a hybrid laboratory. Results: The main findings for each compnent were: i. Perfusion imaging with the k-t accelerated sequence resulted in significantly improved image quality, signal and contrast to noise ratios and a reduction in dark rim artefacts compared to the standard sequence. ii. There was good correlation between quantitative myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) derived from CPR and PET. CMR and PET-derived MPR were both comparable and accurate for the detection of CAD. However, absolute perfusion values from both modalities were only weakly correlated. iii. The correlation between the BCIS-1 Jeopardy score and CMR ischaemic burden was good and the score predicted a prognostically important ischaemic threshold of 12% with high specificity. iv. The inter-study reproducibility of quantitative myocardial perfusion and CMR-FT was reasonable and better for global rather than regional measures. There was no detectable variation in perfusion or strain during the day. v. The dual-IR sequence improved scar imaging compared to the IR technique. vi. Combined CMR and interventional coronary procedures were successful and well tolerated. Conclusions: Quantitative analysis of perfusion is an exciting prospect with considerable potential and has demonstrated clinically utility, however, its application remains challenging. Novel scar and strain imaging techniques have also shown promising results. Further method refinement and appropriate clinical studies should allow the full potential of these tools for guiding revascularisation to be realised.
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Richmond, Matthew D. "The biodiversity and biogeography of shallow-water flora and fauna of the Western Indian ocean : with special reference to the Polychaeta, Mollusca and Echinodermata." Thesis, Bangor University, 1998. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-biodiversity-and-biogeography-of-shallowwater-flora-and-fauna-of-the-western-indian-ocean(5b477d4e-2ed5-4549-bfb5-aaafc6df96f0).html.
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The biodiversity and biogeography of the western Indian Ocean shallow-water marine flora and fauna was examined with special emphasis on Polychaeta, Mollusca (excluding Opisthobranchia) and Echinodermata. A collection of predominantly eulittoral polychaetes from Zanzibar and Mafia (Tanzania) revealed a minimum of91 species, of which 29 % are reported to occur across the Indian Ocean to the West Pacific, and 21 % are regarded as 'cosmopolitan'. Taxonomic problems associated with this taxon are discussed. Over 3,200 species of shelled Mollusca have been reported from the region, though the overall diversity of the groups are likely to be less due to the presence of many synonyms within the taxa which remain to be resolved. Of those families which have been taxonomically reviewed, it appears that the western Indian Ocean supports up to 15-20 % endemism, with noticeable differences in species diversity between the mainland of Africa and the western Indian Ocean islands, especially among bivalves. A total of 419 species of echinoderms are now known from this region, with 107 species (25 %) endemic. About 84 % of the nonendemic species are reported from several localities across the Indian Ocean to the West Pacific. Differences in the diversity of this group between mainland Africa-Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean islands are shown and possible reasons discussed. Origins of the marine macro-invertebrate taxa in the western Indian Ocean include the maintenance of ancient Tethyan Sea fauna and larval (or adult) dispersal across the northern Indian Ocean. The possibility of species diversity being a function of coastline length was briefly investigated. The preparation of A Guide to the Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands, describing over 1,600 species, forms part of the work of this thesis and provides a baseline of taxonomic information for macrofauna and flora. From the latter, together with predictions provided by specialists, an estimate of about 10,000 species of shallow-water marine macrofauna and flora are found in this region. It is acknowledged that taxonomic problems affect many invertebrate taxa which require additional attention before estimates can be defined more precisely. Continued taxonomic research and dissemination of biodiversity findings are considered priorities to help stem the degradation and misuse of marine resources of this region resulting from human exploitation which is expected to increase considerably over the coming decades.
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Benassi, Paolo. "Stima della portata di progetto in bacini appenninici non strumentati: approcci regionali a confronto." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/12614/.
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Il presente lavoro di Tesi si propone di confrontare le capacità predittive di due metodi di analisi regionale di frequenza delle piene: il Progetto Speciale Valutazione delle Piene (VA.PI.) e il metodo dell'area d'influenza (Region Of Influence, ROI). Il confronto fra i due metodi è stato condotto facendo riferimento a stazioni con lunghe serie storiche di massimi annuali di portate al colmo di piena, dalle quali sono state tratte le distribuzioni di probabilità teoriche, con cui è stato possibile mettere a confronto i risultati ottenuti dai metodi regionali. L’area di studio a cui si è fatto riferimento coincide con i territori dell’Emilia Romagna e delle Marche, con piccole eccezioni laddove il confine amministrativo non ricalca lo spartiacque appenninico. Le prestazioni dei modelli sono state valutate mediante l’errore relativo commesso sui quantili cinquantennale e centennale e hanno permesso di stilare alcune schematiche linee guida per la scelta della tecnica da impiegare in fase di progettazione.
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Mobasseri, Seyedeh. "Design and development of a nerve guide conduit with novel structural properties for peripheral nerve repair." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/design-and-development-of-a-nerve-guide-conduit-with-novel-structural-properties-for-peripheral-nerve-repair(b7e551b7-80c1-4f65-aaef-955a58623be8).html.
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The present study has developed poly ε-caprolactone (PCL)/ poly lactic acid (PLA) films with specific internal structure suitable to prepare nerve guide conduit for peripheral nerve repair. The film preparation method has been carried out using an environmental chamber to prepare the solvent cast films with the specific surface structure. Different cellular behaviour of neuronal cell cultures was seen on the pitted films with different pits configurations (size and distribution). The consistent surface morphology provided a reliable surface structure for further in vitro and in vivo studies. The effect of a medical grade sterilisation process using gamma radiation at eight doses (0-45kGy) on PCL/PLA films was explored. It has been shown that material properties, including mechanical strength, were significantly affected, while cellular behaviour and responses (NG108-15) were improved. Grooved films with three groove shapes (Sloped, Square, and V shape) were prepared using patterned silicon substrates, photolithography and wet/dry etching. The groove patterns were successfully transferred and good mechanical strength was observed for grooved PCL/ PLA. Oriented growth of NG108-15 cells was observed on the patterned films with an improved alignment and organisation on SL and V shape grooved films. UV-ozone treatment was used to increase hydrophilicity of PCL/PLA films to improve Schwann cells behaviour. No negative effect was observed on cell growth and proliferation on the treated films however the mechanical properties were reduced. Schwann cells expressed typical long spindle-shape morphology with cell-to-cell interaction in longitudinal direction on the treated grooved films. Consistent to in vitro experiment with NG108-15, Schwann cells alignment was also improved on SL and V shape grooves. A three-week in vivo study was carried out to test grooved and non-grooved conduits in a rat sciatic nerve model. The grooved conduits showed better regeneration, with SL-grooved film showing a significant improvement of nerve regeneration. A separate in vivo study evaluated the effect of wall-thickness on nerve regeneration. However, it was shown that the wall thickness had no positive effect, and the conduit with improved mechanical strength adversely affected the nerve regeneration. In conclusion, a nerve guide conduit was developed with the optimised surface structure to support nerve regeneration. The promising in vitro and in vivo studies together with the suitable biomechanical properties and specific surface structure and morphology indicate that the grooved PCL/PLA conduit is a viable treatment for peripheral nerve repair.
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Smith, Pamela. "From history to heritage : using a company's past to guide its future." Thesis, Bangor University, 2013. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/from-history-to-heritage--using-a-companys-past-to-guide-its-future(e56a47d2-f9c3-4636-af93-bb2854ecd7ff).html.
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The journey from history to heritage is explored through the history of the Brunswick Ironworks of Caernarfon Gwynedd which is presented as an ethnographic case study. Brunswick Ironworks are a family business which has been located in the town of Caernarfon for over one hundred years. It has contributed significantly to the visual appearance of the town through its work as art metal blacksmiths. The ethnographic study is based on the history of the Brunswick Ironworks supported by the materials generated from Irish case studies which assisted in the creation of the Brunswick heritage trail (one of the outcomes of the research project). The history of the company was researched from 1906-2010 using documents held by the company charting their development as art metal blacksmiths. The company has worked on key commissions ranging from work in the Royal Palaces of (Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle) to the ironwork for the coffin of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. The heritage debate is discussed by charting the journey from history to heritage as illustrated through the history of the Brunswick Ironworks. The current debate on heritage was discussed revealing that heritage in the case of the Brunswick project was a process developed to suit the requirements of the research project. The project revealed that through the creative use of one specific aspect of the Brunswick Ironworks heritage (the Unknown Warrior) the profile of the company was used to guide its future development through the utilisation of their skills as art metal blacksmiths in the twenty first century. The research project was a journey which revealed new aspects of the heritage of the Brunswick Ironworks as the project developed and evolved. The creation of the six objectives for the Brunswick Ironworks emerged following detailed discussions between the owner Mr Meurig Williams and the researcher. These objectives assisted in the identification of a structure for the project. As the project developed and evolved a transferable model emerged which could be utilised by other researchers providing a template from which to begin their journey. The six objectives identified for the project were ambitious and required the acquisition of new skills for the researcher. These ranged from learning how to catalogue the Brunswick archive to improving and developing photographic skills which were used to record the work of the company resulting in the creation of a photographic archive. The outcomes from the research project indicated that when heritage is viewed as a process it encourages connections to be made which in the case of the Brunswick project were enriched by the active sharing of their heritage. This supported other locations which were able to develop their link with the Unknown Warrior. This in turn raised the profile of the company on a national level which brought their skills as art metal blacksmiths to a wider market illustrating how the past heritage of the company was developed to guide its future development.
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Zhang, Xiao. "Simulation, fabrication and measurement of graphene based passive guided devices." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/simulation-fabrication-and-measurement-of-graphene-based-passive-guided-devices(ddb98bab-5edc-4843-a7e1-9f59802926e8).html.
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Motivated by the few work has done on the performance measurement of graphene passive devices compared to graphene active devices, several different types of passive devices are fabricated and measured. In general, the fabricated devices are divided into two parts: the DC devices and the RF devices, which based on the different electrical properties we measure in Chapter 7. For the DC devices, attention has been given to the resistance of CVD graphene that we later use in all the RF devices. The Dirac point seems only appears in the exfoliated graphene measurement, which is caused by the doping concentration difference between the exfoliated and CVD graphene. Meanwhile, the sheet resistance of graphene is calculated based on the four-point measurement. The sheet resistance of CVD graphene is around 291 Ω/sqFor the RF devices, the measurement is conducted on the two types of graphene passive devices from 0-110 GHz. The first type of graphene devices is the graphene CPW resonator. We measure the input impedances of the graphene resonators on different substrates (Si/SiO2 and GaAs) and with different graphene lengths (440 micro metre, 500 micro metre and 1415 micro metre). For the graphene resonators on Si/SiO2 substrate, the input impedance does show the resonance shift compared to the graphene-removed structure. The frequency position of the resonance that appears is consistent with the theoretical calculation result. Besides, the influence of the external conditions such as temperature on the performance of graphene resonators has been investigated. The input impedance resonance shows the shift when the external temperature varying from 40o C（313K） to 160o C （433K）. This measurement is undertaken with the graphene resonator on GaAs substrate. The second type of graphene devices is the graphene CPW transmission line on Si/SiO2 substrate. The S-parameters measured from VNA reveal that graphene within the transmission line acts as the transmission channel, which is a little lossy at the microwave frequency range. The poor transmission is also partially caused by the mismatching of the parasitic impedance, as well as the substrate loss, which is verified by the comparison result between the graphene transmission line and the graphene-removed transmission line. Similarly, the concern on the signal line coupling is also eliminated by using the graphene-removed structure.
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Panayiotou, Maria. "Motion gating for X-ray guided interventional electrophysiology procedures." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2015. http://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/motion-gating-for-xray-guided-interventional-electrophysiology-procedures(70729d75-40ba-4886-b333-f5b1c5bf3556).html.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common supraventricular arrhythmia, characterized by irregular and uncoordinated contraction of the atrium. Although AF itself is not lethal, it accounts for secondary diseases and morbidity and mortality. The minimally-invasive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure is a commonly performed treatment option for AF, guided by Xray fluoroscopy. While it provides high temporal and spatial resolution, X-ray fluoroscopy has poor soft-tissue contrast. In order to enhance image guidance, volumetric roadmaps overlaid on live X-ray fluoroscopy may be used. However, these roadmaps are often static and do not reflect cardiorespiratorymotion. Real-time roadmap update is important to compensate for this motion and maintain the accuracy of the guidance information, thereby allowing accurate determination of catheter-based ablation treatment sites. Motion gating is crucial for achieving this accuracy. Four novel and clinically applicable robust-to-noise motion gating techniques are developed and presented in this thesis. The first proposed technique, Tracked-principal component analysis (PCA), is based on the formation of a novel statistical model of the motion of a coronary sinus (CS) catheter using PCA of tracked electrode locations from monoplane X-ray fluoroscopy images. Motion gating was later further extended to be applicable to more types of minimally invasive procedures, such as Cardiac resynchronisation therapy, where the CS catheter is not present in the X-ray images. This is achieved by the development of two robust to varying image-content techniques, the hierarchical manifold learning based and the Masked-PCA techniques. To avoid the limitation of the requirement to build a separate model for each X-ray view, an X-ray system View-angle independent technique was developed based on learning CS catheter motion using PCA and then applying the derived motion model to unseen images taken at arbitrary projections. Applications of the motion gating techniques spanning from basic research to clinical tasks are demonstrated. These include catheter reconstruction in 3D from catheter tracking in gated sequential biplane X-ray images that can effectively achieve 2D/3D registration of 3D cardiac data (CT or MRI) to X-ray fluoroscopy; motion gating of 3D rotational X-ray angiography sequences where the angulation of the scanner is changed between frames; and motion compensation on unseen images taken at any arbitrary projection, by integrating cardiorespiratory motion into MRI-derived roadmaps fused with live X-ray fluoroscopy. This thesis is devoted to the development of robust-to-noise motion gating techniques and their use for improved procedure guidance while at the same time minimising patient and staff exposure to radiation, by allowing the use of lower-dose fluoroscopy. Results indicate that, within the constraints of acceptable accuracy, the achievable dose reduction factor is 1/25 for the HML-based and Masked-PCA techniques, indicating a dose reduction of more than 25 times, between 1/10 and 1/25 for the Tracked-PCA technique and around 1/10 for the View-angle independent technique.
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Tzifa, Aphrodite. "MRI-guided or assisted interventions for congenital heart disease." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2013. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/mriguided-or-assisted-interventions-for-congenital-heart-disease(24bf0db5-6737-4bcd-94d7-ec3bb9704fda).html.
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Congenital heart disease occurs in 0.8-1% of children. A proportion of these patients will require interventional treatment in the form of cardiac catheterisation or surgery, whilst some will only require medical therapy. Echocardiography is the investigation of choice for diagnosis and follow-up of these patients, whilst magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now increasingly used in most centres to assess complex congenital cases and to answer specific questions, not possible to address with echocardiography. The ability to obtain anatomical together with quantitative physiological information, such as cardiac function and flows in one examination has led to more detailed assessment and analysis of congenital heart defects and continues to improve our understanding about congenital heart disease and its treatment options. Cardiac MRI scans have now mostly replaced cardiac catheterisation procedures, routinely performed up to a few years ago to aid diagnosis. In parallel, a new form of hybrid catheterisation has emerged by combining MRI with simultaneous pressure measurement in different cardiac chambers and vascular structures. The combination of X-Ray and MRI guided (XMR) catheterisations can address clinical questions, such as estimation of pulmonary vascular resistance and cardiac output response to stress accurately, without the limitation of haemodynamic assumptions during calculations. Further to more accurate physiological information, XMR catheterisation can also offer detailed anatomical information of structures not well seen on echocardiography or MRI alone, and most importantly limit or eliminate the radiation exposure to patient that have been repetitively exposed to X-Ray radiation. The purpose of the research work presented was two-fold: a. to extend the potentials of XMR-guided cardiac catheterisations, particularly in the area of pre-operative and post-interventional evaluation of congenital heart disease and b. to advance our already established programme of solely MR-guided diagnostic cardiac catheterisations in order to materialise the first-in-man solely MR-guided therapeutic cardiac catheterisations. In this way, transcatheter interventional procedures were aimed to be performed in the MR scanner in a similar fashion and with similar equipment to the ones used in the traditional catheterisation suite, without the exposure to ionising radiation. The work towards materialisation of this idea and the world-first clinical trial on solely MRI-guided cardiac interventions for congenital heart disease are being presented in this thesis.
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Parks, Kate. "Using a spatial model of geodiversity to guide conservation within mountains at the pan-tropical-scale." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2012. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/using-a-spatial-model-of-geodiversity-to-guide-conservation-within-mountains-at-the-pantropicalscale(ee648643-8644-4771-93ac-77dc16ba43ed).html.
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Literature review and past empirical work suggests that a resource based model of geodiversity may be a useful proxy for biodiversity within tropical mountains and could provide a valuable conservation planning tool. Here, geodiversity is defined as variation in overall resource availability, along with spatial and temporal (seasonal) variation in resource availability. Using freely available pan-tropical datasets at a 1 km resolution, a spatial model of geodiversity that is informed by an understanding of ecological processes was developed and tested before being used to address three research questions: 1. Is there a quantifiable relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity? 2. Do areas included in multiple conservation prioritisation schemes include a higher proportion of geodiversity than would be expected by chance? 3. What are the likely impacts of climate change on the spatial distribution of current geodiversity classes and what might be the implications of this with respect to the suitability of current protected area configuration in tropical mountains to protect geodiversity and thus biodiversity into the future? Some support for a relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity was found across a range of spatial aggregations and a variety of taxa, however a full validation of this relationship was not possible due to a lack of suitable validation data. It was found that areas rated as valuable on a greater number of conservation prioritisation schemes do not conserve a greater proportion of geodiversity or biodiversity than would be expected by coverage alone or from a random selection. The impacts of climate change on geodiversity were evaluated in terms of change from current conditions under three SRES scenarios and based on projected temperature and precipitation as a mean of five GCM. It was found that there will be significant changes to the current state of geodiversity by the period 2040-2060 and 2080-2100, with the most severe changes occurring by the 2040-2060 period. The implications of these findings are considered in detail for protected areas within Colombia and suggestions for climate change stable conservation strategies are made. It is concluded that the model of geodiversity proposed in this thesis has potential to become a useful conservation tool when considering the effectiveness of current protected areas, and changes in geodiversity due to climate change.
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Green, Richard. "Quantitative assessment of bone quality using image guided failure analysis." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/quantitative-assessment-of-bone-quality-using-image-guided-failure-analysis(7aefbd56-4f20-4fb3-97be-7e350ddd5526).html.
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Bone quality influences bone strength with important consequences for osteoporosis, fracture risk and dental implant success. Whilst imaging that is capable of capturing bone structure in 3D is becoming more common, quantitative clinical measures of bone quality rely on bone quantity, not structure. If bone quality could be more accurately measured, and the influence of bone architecture better understood, strength may be better predicted. This thesis presents methods for making structural comparisons between successive micro-CT images of loaded bone and explores the limitations of these. I present a novel method to detect where damage occurs in loaded rat vertebrae based on multiscale rigid registration and difference measures. Together these methods represent a quantitative approach to image guided failure analysis. Time-lapsed micro-CT images of 14 successively loaded rat vertebrae were acquired and damaged regions found using these. Using a random forest classifier I tested whether the damaged regions could be predicted by several commonly used structural measures (bone area and volume), three-dimensional texture measures (co-occurrence matrices and fractal dimension) and a more novel type of architectural measure (based on the structure tensor). A combination of parameters was able to predict damage regions with specificities in the range 70-90% and sensitivities of 60-70%.Using ovariectomised rats as a model of osteoporosis I have performed a pilot experiment to investigate how changes in bone quality might effect our results. The wider applicability of my methods are demonstrated by applying them to dental cone beam images of healthy and osteoporotic patients.
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Chan, See Kay Carolyn. "Ultrasound-instantiated statistical shape models for image-guided hip replacement surgery." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2006. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/ultrasoundinstantiated-statistical-shape-models-for-imageguided-hip-replacement-surgery(2c3d9e9d-8dee-4c00-8285-074d277669df).html.
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Chaplin, Eddie. "Is guided self-help a treatment option for people with intellectual disability?" Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2014. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/is-guided-selfhelp-a-treatment-option-for-people-with-intellectual-disability(7a3467a8-8a57-4a0a-b298-7ea9be1243bc).html.
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Introduction: There is little evidence of the use of guided self-help as an intervention for people with intellectual disability. The Self-Assessment and INTervention, is a guided self-help tool designed specifically for this group. There are three linked studies within this thesis that aim to; [1] develop a guided self help intervention [2] test its reliability and validity and [3] pilot it in practice using a single case experimental design. Method: The SAINT was developed using Delphi methodology and focus groups and has demonstrated good reliability and validity. The pilot was conducted in two parts; part 1 had 15 recruits to test the intervention, whilst part 2 (which aimed to replicate the findings over an extended period) had three recruits, including two from part 1. A Nurse visited each participant weekly to facilitate the intervention. Results: Reliability testing was completed on 59 participants. The SAINT showed significant correlation at the p <0.001 levels, (2-tailed) with the GDS-LD (r = 0.619), GAS-ID (Worries) (r = 0.496), with test-retest correlation (N=25), 0.881 at the p < 0.01 level (2-tailed) and a Cronbach Alpha score of = 0.828 suggesting good internal consistency and reliability. From part 1 twelve out of fifteen people completed the intervention, of these nine (75%) demonstrated a decreased symptom scores in both, of the intervention phases for depression and three (25%) for anxiety. In part 2, both participants from part one replicated positive results; as did the new participant. For all cases anxiety improved in both intervention phases N=3 (100%), as did depression in n=2, (66.6%). Those with a history of affective disorders (n=8) showed the most consistent improvement. Summary: The SAINT has shown itself as a potentially viable and valid treatment option. It has shown a decrease in mean symptom scores for the majority of participants; which more importantly were replicated over an extended period in part 2 of the pilot for two participants.
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Papen, Uta. "Tour guides, textbooks and TV's : uses and meanings of literacy in Namibia." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2002. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/tour-guides-textbooks-and-tvs--uses-and-meanings-of-literacy-in-namibia(fade0753-f924-4bbe-848b-5902b7fae59c).html.
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Penney, Graeme. "Registration of tomographic images to X-ray projections for use in image guided interventions." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2000. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/registration-of-tomographic-images-to-xray-projections-for-use-in-image-guided-interventions(79e28525-ae06-4843-bd75-e1fab126e434).html.
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This thesis contributes to knowledge by describing a new method to allow information from a pre-operative 3D modality to be used during an intervention which is guided using 2D fluoroscopy images. An algorithm has been designed to obtain the pose of a CT volume with respect to a single fluoroscopy image. The registration algorithm is based on the production of digitally reconstructed radiographs from the CT volume, which are compared to the fluoroscopy image using a similarity measure. The novelty of the work described in this thesis is in both the design of the registration algorithm and also in investigating the specific requirements placed upon a similarity measure when attempting to register a pre-operative CT volume to an interventional fluoroscopy image. Seven similarity measures were investigated. Experiments were carried out to calculate the accuracy and robustness of the registration algorithm using each similarity measure. Initially fluoroscopy and CT images of a lumbar spine phantom were used. The accuracy of the registration algorithm was calculated by comparing the final registration positions with a ``gold-standard'' registration calculated using fiducial markers. More realistic datasets were simulated using the phantom fluoroscopy image with clinical image features overlaid. Results show that the introduction of soft-tissue structures and interventional instruments into the phantom image can have a large effect on the performance of some similarity measures previously applied to 2D-3D image registration. The similarity measures were also tested on clinical data from aortic stenting procedures, where k-fold cross validation was used to obtain an estimate of the registration accuracy. The results from these experiments showed that two measures were able to register accurately (RMS rotational error of 0.76 degrees and RMS in-plane translational error of 0.85mm) and robustly (10% failure rate) even when soft-tissue structures and interventional instruments were present as differences between the images. These two measures were pattern intensity and gradient difference. Finally the thesis describes a novel combination of the 2D-3D registration algorithm with a deformation algorithm. The registration algorithm was used to obtain information on the relative movement of the vertebrae between the pre-operative CT image and interventional fluoroscopy image. This information was then used to warp the pre-operative modality so that it more accurately represented the intra-operative scene.
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Gubbins, James. "Engineering theranostic liposomes for image guided drug delivery as a novel nanomedicine for cancer therapy." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/engineering-theranostic-liposomes-forimage-guided-drug-delivery-as-a-novelnanomedicine-for-cancer-therapy(ce8381bb-84ee-4b9a-a96c-d09b21956c73).html.
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Cancer mortality is progression-dependent thus its treatment relies on effective therapy and monitoring of responses. Nanoparticles have long been used to improve the therapeutic index of drugs by facilitating their transit to the target site at higher concentrations than free drugs, whilst protecting healthy tissues from an often potent and cytotoxic payload. Through the EPR (enhanced permeability and retention) effect, injected, PEGylated nanoparticles preferentially accumulate in tumour tissue deeming them eminently suitable for cancer intervention for delivery of both therapeutic and contrast agents The development of theranostic liposomal systems comprising both imaging and therapeutic capabilities exploits the facets of liposomes, and forms an elegant strategy to address major problems which hinder effective cancer therapy. Liposomes can be tailored to be thermosensitive in a low hyperthermic range of ~42°C, above physiological temperature but below that which can induce tissue damage. This allows the use of heating as an external triggering modality to induce targeted drug release. Throughout the course of this work, the photoacoustic contrast agent ICG was successfully incorporated into PEGylated doxorubicin-encapsulating liposomes, marrying two FDA approved entities. The project commenced with the development of the basic liposomal-DOX. Differing lipid compositions of varying fluidities were tested against those which have been previously established. These compositions carried a range of phase transition temperatures, above which the liposomes release the encapsulated DOX. This study concluded with the generation of a library of liposomes with differing release kinetics at 42°C in simulated physiological conditions. The second section of the project investigated the methodology behind the incorporation of ICG into the liposomal bilayers. The lipid composition used for the study was based on the DOXIL® formulation, due to its robust structure and establishment in the field of cancer therapy. The protocols used varied on the basis of chronology in regards to the liposome preparation protocol. The film insertion method incorporated the ICG in initial lipid film generation. The freeze fracture protocol introduced the ICG during lipid film hydration. The post insertion protocol introduced ICG in the final stages of DOX loading. The downsizing protocol was also varied between extrusion and sonication. Through varying of the protocols and downsizing methodology, it was possible to incorporate differing ICG concentrations and attain differing levels of structural stability. The most successful liposome was then tested for its imaging potential in vivo through a photoacoustic imaging modality namely multispectral optoacoustic tomography. This validated accumulation of the liposomes at the tumour site along with co-localisation of both drug and dye. The project culminated in the combination of the two studies, producing a thermosensitive theranostic ICG labelled liposomal doxorubicin system. The system showed improved blood stability than the current clinical systems, and demonstrated imaging potential through IVIS based fluorescence imaging. Through exploitation of the photothermal effects of ICG within a thermosensitive lipid vesicle, it was also possible to induce drug release through irradiation with a non-thermal near-infrared laser. This shows promise for future therapy, allowing simultaneous imaging, optimum release induction and monitoring response to therapy, in a cheap, effective and time-efficient manner.
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Chabot, Vincent. "Plates-formes de microscopie et fluorescence par résonance de plasmons de surface appliquées à l'imagerie cellulaire." Thèse, Université de Sherbrooke, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11143/6632.
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L'élaboration de nouveaux médicaments repose sur les études pharmacologiques, dont le rôle est d'identifier de nouveaux composés actifs ou de nouvelles cibles pharmacologiques agissant entre autres au niveau cellulaire. Récemment, la détection basée sur la résonance des plasmons de surface (SPR) a été appliquée à l'étude de réponses cellulaires. Cette méthode de détection, permettant d'observer des variations d'indice de réfraction associés à de faibles changements de masse à la surface d'un métal, a l'avantage de permettre l'étude d'une population de cellules vivantes en temps réel, sans nécessiter l'introduction d'agents de marquage. Pour effectuer la détection au niveau de cellules individuelles, on peut employer la microscopie SPR, qui consiste à localiser spatialement la détection par un système d'imagerie. Cependant, la détection basée sur la SPR est une mesure sans marquage et les signaux mesurés sont attribués à une réponse moyennée des différentes sources cellulaires. Afin de mieux comprendre et identifier les composantes cellulaires générant le signal mesuré en SPR, il est pertinent de combiner la microscopie SPR avec une modalité complémentaire, soit l'imagerie de fluorescence. C'est dans cette problématique que s'insère ce projet de thèse, consistant à concevoir deux plates-formes distinctes de microscopie SPR et de fluorescence optimisées pour l'étude cellulaire, de sorte à évaluer les possibilités d'intégration de ces deux modalités en un seul système. Des substrats adaptés pour chaque plate-forme ont été conçus et réalisés. Ces substrats employaient une couche d'argent passivée par l'ajout d'une mince couche d'or. La stabilité et la biocompatibilité des substrats ont été validées pour l'étude cellulaire. Deux configurations permettant d'améliorer la sensibilité en sondant les cellules plus profondément ont été évaluées, soit l'emploi de plasmons de surface à longue portée et de guides d'onde à gaine métallique. La sensibilité accrue de ces configurations a aussi été démontrée pour un usage en biodétection cellulaire. Une plate-forme permettant de mesurer la spectroscopie SPR simultanément avec l'acquisition d'images de fluorescence a été réalisée. Cette plate-forme a ensuite été validée par l'étude de réponses cellulaires suite à une stimulation pharmacologique. Puis, un système basé sur la microscopie SPR a été conçu et caractérisé. Son emploi pour l'étude de réponses au niveau de cellules individuelles a été démontré. Finalement, les forces et faiblesses des substrats et des plates-formes réalisées au cours de la thèse ont été évaluées. Des possibilités d'amélioration sont mises de l'avant et l'intégration des modalités de microscopie SPR et de fluorescence suite aux travaux de la thèse est discutée. Les réalisations au cours de cette étude ont donc permis d'identifier les composantes cellulaires impliquées dans la génération du signal mesuré en biodétection SPR.
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Menon, Navya. "Kinetics and structure-guided characterisation and engineering of aldehyde deformylating oxygenase (ADO) for a renewable microbial biofuel platform." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/kinetics-and-structureguided-characterisation-and-engineering-of-aldehyde-deformylating-oxygenase-ado-for-a-renewable-microbial-biofuel-platform(a1475b84-ae69-4488-bcc4-c840d662af4a).html.
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The increased demand for an alternative form of fuel has raised a great interest towards exploring various metabolic pathways and enzymes in several microbial species for hydrocarbon production. In recent years, cyanobacteria have emerged as an attractive microbial host and cyanobacterial metabolic pathways were targeted for engineering to produce "drop in" fuels such as propane and butane. Whilst appealing, practicalities for producing biofuels in cyanobacteria remain challenging, requiring the identification and engineering of natural biocatalysts and their integration into metabolic processes. Cyanobacterial hydrocarbon biosynthesis arises from fatty acid metabolism involving a potential enzyme, aldehyde deformylating oxygenase (ADO), which catalyses the decarbonylation of long-chain fatty aldehydes to alkanes, mainly in the conversion of octadecanal (C17H35CHO) to heptadecane (C17H36) and formate. The substrate specificity and preferences for long-chain aldehyde by ADO necessitates a detailed kinetic and structural characterisation in order to optimise/engineer this enzyme for future biotechnological applications. Thus, the main objective was to identify a potential ADO enzyme that can be optimised for shorter chain alkane production. By studying the substrate specificity and reaction kinetics of different ADO enzymes, it was found that ADO from Prochlorococcus marinus MIT 9313 (PmADO) is a potential target for short chain alkane production. The crystal structural of PmADO was solved and further GC-MS analysis was carried out to identify the chemical origin of a mixture of long-chain fatty acid in the active site, originated from E. coli cells during recombinant over-expression and purification. It was suggested that the structure-guided protein engineering for short-chain alkane production should be carried out along with the removal of this adventitious ligand from the active site in order to increase the alkane production. Four important residues present at the entrance of the ligand-binding cavity were targeted and saturated mutagenesis was performed on PmADO to identify variants that excluded the long fatty acid ligands from the active site but have specificity and higher conversion rates for shorter chain aldehydes. This identified two variants, V41Y and A134F, with the A134F variant that not only exhibiting an improved activity and turnover value of PmADO by four-fold but also improved binding affinity for butyraldehyde by 2 times. Finally the improved variants were incorporated in a host organism (E. coli) and the possibilities for the development of a microbial platform for renewable propane synthesis based on a fermentative clostridial butanol pathway were explored. Four pathways were designed namely atoB-adhE2, atoB-TPC7, nphT7-adhE2 and nphT7-TPC7 routes, which utilise CoA intermediates selected to incorporate ADO as the terminal enzyme. When PmADO was co-expressed with these pathways, the engineered E. coli host produced propane. The atoB-TPC7-ADO pathway was the most effective in producing propane (220 ± 3 μg/L). By (i) deleting competing pathways, (ii) including a previously designed A134F variant ofPmADO with an enhanced specificity towards short-chain substrates, and (iii) including a ferredoxin-based electron supply system, the propane titre was increased up to 3.40 ± 0.19 mg/L. It was also shown that the best propane producing pathways are scalable in a 250 mL flask and in a large-scale (up to 30 L) fermentor setup. This thesis focuses on the detailed kinetics and structure-guided characterisation and engineering studies on the ADO enzyme for the development of a renewable microbial biofuel platform.
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Vidal, Franck P. "Simulation of image guided needle puncture : contribution to real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopic rendering, and volume haptic rendering." Thesis, Bangor University, 2008. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/simulation-of-image-guided-needle-puncture-contribution-to-realtime-ultrasound-and-fluoroscopic-rendering-and-volume-haptic-rendering(6b916772-c962-44c5-aea7-158ae948ff2a).html.
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The potential for the use of computer graphics in medicine has been well established. An important emerging area is the provision of training tools for interventional radiology (IR) procedures. These are minimally invasive, targeted treatments performed using imaging for guidance. Training of the skills required in IR is an apprenticeship which still consists of close supervision using the model i) see one, ii) do one and iii) teach one. Simulations of guidewire and catheter insertion for IR are already commercially available. However, training of needle guidance using ultrasound (US), fluoroscopic or computed tomography (CT) images - the first step in approximately half of all IR procedures - has been largely overlooked and we have developed a simulator, called BIGNePSi, to provide training for this commonly performed procedure. This thesis is devoted to the development of novel techniques to provide an integrated visual-haptic system for the simulation of US guided needle puncture using patient specific data with 3D textures and volume haptics. The result is the realization of a cost effective training tool, using off-the-shelf components (visual displays, haptic devices and working stations), that delivers a high fidelity training experience. We demonstrate that the proxy-based haptic rendering method can be extended to use volumetric data so that the trainee can feel underlying structures, such as ribs and bones, whilst scanning the surface of the body with a virtual US transducer. A volume haptic model is also proposed that implements an effective model of needle puncture that can be modulated by using actual force measurements. A method of approximating US-like images from CT data sets is also described. We also demonstrate how to exploit today's graphics cards to achieve physically-based simulation of x-ray images using GPU programming and 3D texture hardware. We also demonstrate how to use GPU programming to modify, at interactive framerates, the content of 3D textures to include the needle shaft and also to artificially add a tissue lesion into the dataset of a specific patient. This enables the clinician to provide students with a wide variety of training scenarios. Validation of the simulator is critical to its eventual uptake in a training curriculum and a project such as this cannot be undertaken without close co-operation with the domain experts. Hence this project has been undertaken within a multi-disciplinary collaboration involving practising interventional radiologists and computer scientists of the Collaborators in Radiological Interventional Virtual Environments (CRaIVE) consortium. The cognitive task analysis (CTA) for freehand US guided biopsy performed by our psychologist partners has been extensively used to guide the design of the simulator. In addition, to ensure that the fidelity of the simulator is at an acceptable level, clinical validation of the system's content has been carried out at each development stage. In further, objective evaluations, questionnaires were developed to evaluate the features and the performances of the simulator. These were distributed to trainees and experts at different workshops. Many suggestions for improvements were collected and subsequently integrated into the simulator.
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Hanzal, Jiří. "Návrh malé modelářské CNC frézky s pevným stolem." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta strojního inženýrství, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-433604.
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The topic of this work is the design of a small model CNC milling machine with a fixed table for machining wood, plastic, or light alloys (Al, Zn, etc.). It also includes a calculation report and drawing documentation of selected nodes. The beginning of this work consists of an introduction to the issue of milling machines, their distribution and subsequent market analysis. Subsequently, the input parameters are designed on the basis of market analysis and in the last part there is a calculation report, the design of the milling machine itself and a short economic evaluation.
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Gorsedene, Christa. "A heuristic and HSSI exploration of experiencing interplay between spiritual guidance and synchronicity within person-centred encounters." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2018. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/a-heuristic-and-hssi-exploration-of-experiencing-interplay-between-spiritual-guidance-and-synchronicity-within-personcentred-encounters(3a4e4301-d034-4d71-8b40-5f4b8b5779c8).html.
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This research has been a study in amazement. Initially an agnostic physics graduate, the researcher undertook training in the person-centred approach (pca) to self-development and counselling, during which she came to experience strange personal experiences which she could neither gainsay nor fit into her then worldview. Sketching these briefly, exceptional human experiences (EHEs) and synchronicities increasingly happened until (shockingly) they declared a seeming spirit guide (Mungo) to her, also juxtaposed in time with her first-ever chance encounter with dowsing. Thereafter these phenomena, combined with randomisable image-cards, tutored her into a physically observable method of 'discussion' with them (alone or with another) conducted with pca values. This PhD involved researching that phenomenon-complex through 'discussions' with 35 participants. The methodology used was heuristics and its heuristic self-search inquiry specialism (HSSI) whose attention to personal experiencing, indwelling to contact tacit knowledge, and incubatory rest phases to foster illuminatory new 'ahaa!' apprehensions suited this nascent mysterious subject. Both participants and researcher experienced coincidences weaving the 'discussions' and their wider lives together. Thus synchronicity became equal-partner research-topic, being studied as it occurred and, through affecting certain choices, becoming part of the methodology itself. The phenomenon-complex was experienced as fostering ethical living, creativity, personal development and science-spirituality interconnection in ways wellpitched and paced for each experiencer. The phenomena were also experienced as synergizing with each other, and as fostering integration within and between persons. After work on the participant sessions was completed, the writings of further thesis chapters were 'butted into' by in-the-moment relevant synchronicities, not just singly but in flows and patterns in which the researcher found herself discerning overarching meanings. Given this exceptional opportunity the researcher (in effect doing a bonus research-section) tracked her experiencing of these synchronistic flows and her responses thereto wherever they led, using Sela-Smith's first-person heuristic self-search inquiry (HSSI) methodology. Each synchronistically-influenced chapter was experienced as exploring certain themes, with themes building as the thesis progressed. Heuristics and HSSI are usually transformative. This researcher was transformed from the ground up from agnosticism to credence in 'something more' through her experiencings (both alone and inter-relationally with participants). Their 'package deal' presented personal shadow-work alongside help in life difficulties, and great fascination but darker times too. In total she came to feel part of an interconnected, spiritually-intelligent and compassionate cosmic domain, and existentially happier.
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Amadi, Cecilia Nwadiuto. "Biochemical and drug targeting studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cholesterol oxidase P450 enzymes." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/biochemical-and-drug-targeting-studies-of-mycobacterium-tuberculosis-cholesterol-oxidase-p450-enzymes(16cbca7a-b8b2-4ec4-bbd7-977785ed65b9).html.
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a deadly pathogen, has scourged mankind for many centuries and has remained a major threat to global world health. Tuberculosis, the disease caused by this bacterium, is a major cause of death in developing nations and there is potential for its re-emergence in developed countries. An alarming rise in cases of multidrug-resistant and extremely-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB and XDR-TB) that do not respond to the customary first-line antibiotics necessitates the urgent need for development of new anti-TB drugs. Mtb becomes engulfed in human macrophages post infection of the host, but persists in the harsh environment of the human lungs by utilization of host cholesterol as a carbon source. The P450s CYP125A1, CYP142A1 and CYP124A1 are responsible for catalysing the side-chain degradation of cholesterol, which is critical for cholesterol to be used in the Mtb β-oxidation pathway for energy production. This PhD thesis focuses on understanding the structure/mechanism of the Mtb cholesterol 27-oxidases with the aim of facilitating the development of novel inhibitors of these P450s, which are crucial for Mtb to infect the host and to sustain infection. CYP142A1 and CYP124A1 were purified through three chromatographic steps with contaminating proteins successfully removed to give highly pure forms of these enzymes following the final purification step. Spectrophotometric titrations indicate that CYP142A1 and CYP124A1 bind tightly to cholesterol and cholestenone (and also to branched-chain methyl lipids for CYP124A1), highlighting their physiological roles in sterol and fatty acid metabolism, respectively. Binding analyses with a range of azole antibiotics revealed tight binding to bifonazole, clotrimazole, miconazole and econazole, and weak binding to fluconazole. Studies with compounds from a fragment screening library revealed weak binding to fragment hits for the cholesterol oxidases, but much tighter binding to these enzymes was found for ‘elaborated’ hits from a previous fragment screen on the Mtb cyclodipeptide oxidase CYP121A1, indicative of improved ligand potency achieved via ‘fragment merging’ strategies, and of structural similarities between these diverse Mtb P450s. Light scattering data indicate that CYP142A1 exists in dimeric form in solution, but becomes monomeric when treated with DTT; while CYP124A1 is completely monomeric. Crystal structures of CYP142A1 and CYP124A1 in complex with cholestenone, econazole and fragment library hits were determined. CYP142A1 crystal structures with econazole and fragment hits revealed heme coordination via the heterocyclic nitrogen in an azole group, and provide important data towards design of superior inhibitor drugs. The binding of cholestenone within the active site channels of CYP124A1 and CYP142A1 revealed an alignment favourable for C27 hydroxylation of the cholestenone side chain, which supports the physiological roles of CYP142A1 and CYP124A1 (as well as CYP125A1) in host cholesterol catabolism.
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Santiago, Fabian. "The Fellowship of the Throne in John's Apocalypse : a theo-political inquiry into (divine) authority and liturgical sociality, as redefined by the exalted Jesus, guided by and in critical interaction with Oliver O'Donovan's political theology." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2014. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-fellowship-of-the-throne-in-johns-apocalypse(4cb9be07-92bb-4b40-b68b-469507e9e0ed).html.
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From amongst modern inquiries into what constitutes the political, and within the current environment of hostility towards what the field of theology can offer to its study, Oliver O’Donovan emerges with his unique brand of political theology. His method of inquiry, resourced by Scripture and Christian tradition, and predicated on Christology, offers a construal of authority distilled from the Bible’s own account of God’s kingly rule as understood within the biblical narrative of salvation history, with momentous implications for the realm of the political, in particular as relates to the categories of authority and society and their interplay. Given O’Donovan’s manifest interest in the Book of Revelation and the centrality within the book’s narrative of themes intrinsic to O’Donovan’s political theology, the Apocalypse, we argue, offers the ultimate ground for a discussion about the political in the terms suggested by O’Donovan. In undertaking this exercise we find that the Apocalypse’s own construal of authority is in fact about divine authority conceived around the throne of God, the seat of divine power, which has undergone a Christological shift brought about by the exalted Jesus. We then go on to argue that throughout the Apocalypse a correlation gradually becomes apparent between the divine authority and a liturgical sociality defined by the presence of the exalted Jesus. This correlation of divine authority and liturgical sociality which is mediated by the very same exalted Jesus we have called the Fellowship of the Throne. And it is this Fellowship of Throne, we argue, which must now become the ultimate horizon of the political.
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Kvasnička, Karel. "Mobilní zdroje elektrické energie." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-413211.
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Chen, Yuan-Po, and 陳元柏. "A Study of Portal Image Enhancement for Image Guided Radiation Therapy." Thesis, 2010. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/13617112871666109652.
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碩士義守大學
資訊工程學系碩士班
98
Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is one of the advanced radiation therapy techniques. Verification images are used to align patient''s position with simulation images to achieve high precision therapy. Portal images are acquired by electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) with megavoltage (MV) x-ray, and they are inherently poor in terms of contrast due to Compton Effect . To compare with diagnostic x-ray images, portal image are usually lack of detail information for human vision. Thus, effective enhancement techniques should be developed to address this problem. In this thesis, we proposed a new approach which combines GLG (Gray Level Grouping) and Retinex theory by regional enhancement and pseudo-data filling, to effectively improve the visual quality of portal image. Results of this study demonstrate that the proposed method could sketch more details of bony structures than traditional image enhancement techniques and beneficial for IGRT.
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Bonneau, Patrick. "Automatic detection of fiducial markers from electronic portal images of prostate radiotherapy." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3424.
Full textAbstract:
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer afflicting Canadian men. Image-guided external radiation therapy of prostate cancer requires the accurate positioning of the patient in the treatment field. The alignment process is done using three fiducial markers implanted in the prostate. The current clinical practice involves the manual localization of these markers on pre-treatment, low-resolution electronic portal images (EPI). We propose an algorithm for the automatic detection of these markers. Our approach first enhances the quality of the EPI images using a fully automatic image enhancement approach. Next, fiducial markers are detected using template matching and a novel way of integrating information across multiple views. Experimental results show a significant improvement in the detection of fiducial markers in the left lateral view with respect to state-of-the-art results in related work. One should note that the left lateral view is the most challenging view due to the low resolution and the presence of occluding bony structures.Graduate
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Malienko, Anton. "Modèle attentionnel à deux étapes de la planification des mouvements de portée du bras et des saccades." Thèse, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/1866/22875.
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