As part of a program designed to elucidate the excited state properties of key eumelanin building blocks, we report herein a study of 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) in phosphate buffer at pH 3 and pH 7 using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The transient absorption changes following excitation at 266 nm were used to directly monitor relaxation of the excited states. It was found that the

This text deals with a problem concerning processes of the productive power of knowledge. We draw on so called poststructural theories challenging the classical image of thought – as hinged upon a representational logic identifying entities in a rigid sense – when formulating a problem concerning the gap between knowledge and the object of knowledge. More specifically we are looking at this proble

Background: Dental caries is unevenly distributed within populations with a higher burden in low socio-economy groups. Several attempts have been made to allocate resources to those that need them the most; there is a need for convenient approaches to population-based monitoring of caries risk over time. The aim of this study was to develop the geo-map concept, addressing time trends in caries ris

Context Software quality issues are commonly reported when offshoring software development. Value-based software engineering addresses this by ensuring key stakeholders have a common understanding of quality. Objective This work seeks to understand the levels of alignment between key stakeholder groups within a company on the priority given to aspects of software quality developed as part of an

The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of anti-infectious agent antibodies and autoantibodies in a unique non-Westernized population from Kitava, Papua New Guinea (PNG), compared to Western populations. We matched 120 serum samples from Kitavans with 437 samples from four healthy control groups. Sera were tested for the presence of anti-infectious agent antibodies (treponema, t

Using advanced QM/MM methods, the surprisingly negligible shift of the lowest-lying bright electronic excitation of the deprotonated p-coumaric acid (pCA(-)) within the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) is shown to stem from a subtle balance between hypsochromic and bathochromic effects. More specifically, it is found that the change in the excitation energy as a consequence of the disruption of th

Purpose: People with acquired brain injury (ABI) have difficulties using everyday technology (ET) in daily tasks at home and in society. To support them in managing the demands imposed by using ET, knowledge is needed concerning their response actions to the difficulties. The aim of this study was to explore and describe what characterizes response actions to difficulties using ET, their condition

We present a modulated gradient spin-echo method, which uses a train of sinusoidally shaped gradient pulses separated by 180 degrees radio-frequency (RF) pulses. The RF pulses efficiently refocus chemical shifts and de-phasing due to susceptibility differences, resulting in undistorted, high-resolution diffusion weighted spectra. This allows for the simultaneous spectral characterization of the di

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an extruded muesli product based on -glucan-rich oat bran on postprandial glycaemia and insulinaemia. Subject/Design: The study is divided in two series. Blood glucose and serum insulin responses were studied after subjects consuming test meals including a serving of muesli with 3 g (series 1) and 4 g (series 2) of -glucans, respectively. The muesli was a comp

This article concerns the impact of educational reforms on young people in Bolivian society as they transition into adulthood, against the backdrop of globalisation and far-reaching structural changes. Ethnicity and cultural capital are linked in complex ways with social stratification in Bolivia. In a pluricultural society, the language of instruction and curricular content are among the most fun

We present a dielectric continuum model that, at a semiquantitative level, explains why ion pair formation in water is favored by like-sized ions over unlike-sized pairs. Using both classical and ab initio continuum approaches, we show that the now well-established empirical rule, the so-called “law of matching water affinities”, can be rationalized in terms of ion solvation. Namely, pairing of di

SUMMARY The aim of the project was to find out if cracks in concrete exposed to water can heal so that chloride ingress in the crack is effectively obstructed. If this is the case it might be possible to accept wider cracks in concrete than is allowed today. 18 concrete specimens with induced cracks, 0.2 and 0.4 mm wide, were exposed to sea water, brackish water and tap water for 1 year. For most

In a master thesis on food waste the importance of culturally defined behaviour is addressed. By constructing a "Food Waste Game", experimental ethnographer Xinyi Jiang show how definitions of what can be considered as food waste change. The Food Waste Game give evidence to sorting by association, meaning that packaging of different materials is considered to be food waste.

System cost reductions and development of standardised plug-and-function systems are some of the most important goals for solar heating technology development. Retrofitting hot water boilers in single-family houses when installing solar collectors has the potential to significantly reduce both material and installation costs. In this study, the TRNSYS simulation models of the retrofitting solar th