Search results for "CKS"
showing 10 items of 611 documents
Structure analysis of titanate nanorods by automated electron diffraction tomography
2011
A hitherto unknown phase of sodium titanate, NaTi3O6(OH)·2H2O, was identified as the intermediate species in the synthesis of TiO2 nanorods. This new phase, prepared as nanorods, was investigated by electron diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The structure was determined ab initio using electron diffraction data collected by the recently developed automated diffraction tomography technique. NaTi3O6(OH)·2H2O crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m. Corrugated layers of corner- and edge-sharing distorted TiO6 octahedra are intercalated with Na+ and water of crystallization. The nanorods are typically …
Insights into the compositional evolution of crustal magmatic systems from coupled petrological-geodynamical models
2020
Funding was provided by the VAMOS Research Center, University of Mainz (Germany) and by the ERC Consolidator Grant MAGMA (project #771143). The evolution of crustal magmatic systems is incompletely understood, as most studies are limited either by their temporal or spatial resolution. Exposed plutonic rocks represent the final stage of a long-term evolution punctuated by several magmatic events with different chemistry and generated under different mechanical conditions. Although the final state can be easily described, the nature of each magmatic pulse is more difficult to retrieve. This study presents a new method to investigate the compositional evolution of plutonic systems while consid…
Outlier analysis and principal component analysis to detect fatigue cracks in waveguides
2009
Ultrasonic Guided Waves (UGWs) are a useful tool in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications that can benefit from built-in transduction, moderately large inspection ranges and high sensitivity to small flaws. This paper describes a SHM method based on UGWs, discrete wavelet transform (DWT), outlier analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) able to detect and quantify the onset and propagation of fatigue cracks in structural waveguides. The method combines the advantages of guided wave signals processed through the DWT with the outcomes of selecting defectsensitive features to perform a multivariate diagnosis of damage. The framework presented in this paper is applied to the de…
How is the inner circadian clock controlled by interactive clock proteins?
2015
AbstractMost internationally travelled researchers will have encountered jetlag. If not, working odd hours makes most of us feel somehow dysfunctional. How can all this be linked to circadian rhythms and circadian clocks? In this review, we define circadian clocks, their composition and underlying molecular mechanisms. We describe and discuss recent crystal structures of Drosophila and mammalian core clock components and the enormous impact they had on the understanding of circadian clock mechanisms. Finally, we highlight the importance of circadian clocks for the daily regulation of human/mammalian physiology and show connections to overall fitness, health and disease.
Chlorinated hydrocarbons and total mercury in the prey of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla L.) in the quarken straits of the gulf of both…
1976
Samples of the white-tailed eagle population and its prey were collected from the Quarken straits area of the Gulf of Bothnia, Finland, and were analyzed for DDT, DDD, PCBs, aldrin, lindane, and mercury. Mercury, PCB, and DDE were detected in all animals studied. It was concluded that one of the most important reasons for the poor breeding results of the white-tained eagle (especially hatchability) are the combined effects of the studied pollutants originating for the most part from the fish-eating species in its prey (mergansers and great crested grebes). (JTE)
X-ray nanotomography and electron backscatter diffraction demonstrate the crystalline, heterogeneous and impermeable nature of conodont white matter
2021
Conodont elements, microfossil remains of extinct primitive vertebrates, are commonly exploited as mineral archives of ocean chemistry, yielding fundamental insights into the palaeotemperature and chemical composition of past oceans. Geochemical assays have been traditionally focused on the so-called lamellar and white matter crown tissues; however, the porosity and crystallographic nature of the white matter and its inferred permeability are disputed, raising concerns over its suitability as a geochemical archive. Here, we constrain the characteristics of this tissue and address conflicting interpretations using ptychographic X-ray-computed tomography (PXCT), pore network analysis, synchro…
Materials for sustainable architecture in the Mediterranean region
2016
There has been recent increased use of earth for construction of buildings in developed countries, largely because of concerns with the environmental impact and embodied carbon from fired bricks and cement based products. Of all forms of earth construction, the widest impact on modern construction is likely to come from commercially produced unfired earth masonry where large scale production can significantly reduce costs. The use of traditional materials in the Mediterranean area needs to be reassessed with a thought given to environmental sustainability, but also with an eye to the reappropriation of the predominantly massive nature of Mediterranean architecture. This article contemplates…
Challenging fear: chemical alarm signals are not causing morphology changes in crucian carp (Carassius carassius)
2010
Published version of an article in the journal: Environmental Biology of Fishes. Also available at SpringerLink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9707-9 Crucian carp develops a deep body in the presence of chemical cues from predators, which makes the fish less vulnerable to gape-limited predators. The active components originate in conspecifics eaten by predators, and are found in the filtrate of homogenised conspecific skin. Chemical alarm signals, causing fright reactions, have been the suspected inducers of such morphological changes. We improved the extraction procedure of alarm signals by collecting the supernatant after centrifugation of skin homogenates. This removes the minute …
Pathways fostering mobility to higher education for vulnerable immigrants in France, Switzerland and Canada
2016
In this article we wish to clarify not only if, but also how – through which institutional settings – higher education is accessed by students from vulnerable immigrant groups in France, Switzerland and Canada. We are interested in the possible educational mobility that immigrant youths can experience arising from country-specific educational policies designed to increase the enrolment in higher education, particularly the flow from upper-secondary vocational educational tracks to higher education ones. We analyse using panel data in each country the accessibility of different pathways to higher education while taking into account the characteristics of the students. In terms of educational…
Hidden costs of cuts: austerity, civil service management and the motivation of public officials in Central and Eastern Europe after the crisis
2016
The implementation of austerity measures presents a dilemma for governments. While austerity measures such as cutbacks aim to reduce costs and enhance public sector efficiency, the same measures might undermine the motivation of employees and, consequently, the prospects of effectively implementing austerity programmes. Based on a survey of ministerial officials in Poland and Latvia, this article finds that the scale of cutbacks explains a larger decline of staff motivation in Latvia than in Poland. The article further shows that motivation was more likely to decrease after the crisis if austerity measures involved cutbacks such as staff reductions, recruitment freezes, and a reduction of t…