Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Compact Discs'

A new technique, based on current compact disc technology, to image the transparent surface of a compact disc, or additionally the reflective information layer, has been designed, implemented and evaluated. This technique (image capture technique) has been tested and successfully applied to the detection of mechanically introduced compact disc watermarks and biometrical information with a resolution of 1.6um x l4um. Software has been written which, when used with the image capture technique, recognises a compact disc based on its error distribution. The software detects digital watermarks which cause either laser signal distortions or decoding error events. Watermarks serve as secure media identifiers. The complete channel coding of a Compact Disc Audio system including EFM modulation, error-correction and interleaving have been implemented in software. The performance of the error correction system of the compact disc has been assessed using this simulation model. An embedded data channel holding watermark data has been investigated. The covert channel is implemented by means of the error-correction ability of the Compact Disc system and was realised by aforementioned techniques like engraving the reflective layer or the polysubstrate layer. Computer simulations show that watermarking schemes, composed of regularly distributed single errors, impose a minimum effect on the error correction system. Error rates increase by a factor of ten if regular single-symbol errors per frame are introduced - all other patterns further increase the overall error rates. Results show that background signal noise has to be reduced by a factor of 60% to account for the additional burden of this optimal watermark pattern. Two decoding strategies, usually employed in modern CD decoders, have been examined. Simulations take emulated bursty background noise as it appears in user-handled discs into account. Variations in output error rates, depending on the decoder and the type of background noise became apparant. At low error rates {r < 0.003) the output symbol error rate for a bursty background differs by 20% depending on the decoder. Differences between a typical burst error distribution caused by user-handling and a non-burst error distribution has been found to be approximately 1% with the higher performing decoder. Simulation results show that the drop of the error-correction rates due to the presence of a watermark pattern quantitatively depends on the characteristic type of the background noise. A four times smaller change to the overall error rate was observed when adding a regular watermark pattern to a characteristic background noise, as caused by user-handling, compared to a non-bursty background.

This thesis presents a sociological investigation of the everyday relationship between Generation Y individuals and music through the mobilization of music technologies. First, it aims to reinscribe the digital age of music reception within a historical, cultural and material context, in order to provide an understanding of the multiple uses of music technologies (vinyl discs, CDs, magnetic cassette tapes, MP3 files). Rather than constituting a ‘revolution’, the digital age of music technologies is characterized by the coexistence of various artefacts. In looking at how recorded music has evolved from the advent of the phonograph to the latest digital technologies, I argue that the contemporary state of music can’t be separated from previous eras. Hence the evolution of music technologies, coupled with economic, demographic and cultural variables, points towards an increasing multiplication and fragmentation of music audiences. In this account of contemporary listening practices, I focus on Generation Y individuals (those born between the late 1970s and the early 1990s) who have been exposed to different music technologies throughout their lives. Born at the time of the magnetic cassette tapes and during the golden age of the CD, Generation Y listeners were also introduced to digital music files (MP3s) at a young age, and were among the first to illegally download music from the internet. Their uses of music technologies are differentiated by how they reflexively need music. Their practices correspond to a ‘circuit of practices’ (Maggauda 2011) between different music technologies that are utilized by listeners, and that help them create and manage different listening practices in their everyday lives. A key argument in this thesis is that the successive music technologies do not replace, but rather complement one another. Thus, in focusing on their characteristics, or ‘affordances’ (Gibson 1979; Hutchby 2001a; Bloomfield, Latham and Vurdubakis 2010), it is clear that mobilizing different music technologies enables listeners to create and manage an everyday ‘sound environment’ (Martin 1995). In fact, the ‘affordances’ of music technologies are contextualized within ‘pragmatic interactions’ (Dant 2008). Thus the meaning of music is contingent on the situation of the music listening practice. The sound environment is defined by a number of variables (place, time, music technology, music content, listener’s state of mind and so on) that interact within the timeframe of everyday life.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Humanities
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text

L’émission X associée à l’accrétion sur un objet compact présenter une important variabilit photométrique et spectroscopique. Quand l’accréteur est en orbite autour d’une étoile Supergéante, il capture une fraction du vent stellaire supersonique qui forme des chocs dans son voisinage. L’amplitude et la stabilité de cette focalisation gravitationnelle conditionnent le taux d’accrétion de masse responsable, in fine, de la luminosité X des Binaires X Supergéantes (SgXB). La capacité de ce flot à faible moment angulaire à former un disque susceptible de présenter des instabilités est en jeu.Grâce à des setups numériques sophistiqués, nous caractérisons la structure du flot de Bondi- Hoyle-Lyttleton sur un objet compact, depuis le choc jusqu’au voisinage de l’accréteur, typiquement 5 ordres de grandeur plus petit. L’évolution du choc détaché qui se forme autour de l’accréteur (structure transverse, angle d’ouverture, stabilité, profil de température) avec le nombre de Mach est détaillé. La fiabilité de ces simulations basées sur le code hautes performances MPI-AMRVAC est étayée par la topologie de la surface sonique, en accord avec le attentes théoriques.Nous développons un modèle synthétique de transfert de masse dans les SgXB qui couple le lancement du vent, les paramètres stellaires, l’évolution orbital du flot et l’accrétion. Nous montrons que la forme du flot est entièrement détermimée par les facteur de remplissage et d’Eddington, le rapport de masse et le multiplieur de force alpha. Avec les paramètres d’échelle, nous pouvons en déduire, eg, la luminosité X, le processus d’accrétion et le cisaillement du flot
X-ray emission associated to accretion onto compact objects displays important levels of photometric and spectroscopic time-variability. When the accretor orbits a Supergiant star, it captures a fraction of the supersonic radiatively-driven wind which forms shocks in its vicinity. The amplitude and stability of this gravitational beaming of the flow conditions the mass accretion rate responsible, in fine, for the X-ray luminosity of those Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SgXB). The capacity of this low angular momentum inflow to form a disc susceptible to be the stage of instabilities remains at stake.Using state-of-the-art numerical setups, we characterize the structure of a Bondi-Hoyle- Lyttleton flow onto a compact object, from the shock down to the vicinity of the accretor, typically five orders of magnitude smaller. The evolution of the bow shock which forms around the accretor (transverse structure, opening angle, stability, temperature profile...) with the Mach number of the flow is detailed. The robustness of those simulations based on the High Performance Computing MPI-AMRVAC code is supported by the topology of the inner sonic surface, consistent with theoretical expectations.We develop a synthetic model of mass transfer in SgXB which couples the launching of the wind the stellar parameters, the orbital evolution of the streamlines and the accretion process. We show that the shape of the permanent flow is entirely determined by the filling and Eddington factor, the mass ratio and the alpha force multiplier. Provided scales are known, we can trace back, eg, the X-ray luminosity, the accretion mechanism (stream or wind-dominated) and the shearing of the inflow

Thesis (Master of Engineering in Ocean Engineering)--University of California at Berkeley, 2004.
"January 2005." Description based on title screen as viewed on May 25, 2010. DTIC Descriptor(s): Fluid Dynamics, Lagrangian Functions, Equations Of Motion, Acceleration, Formulations, Grids, Continuum Mechanics, Gaussian Quadrature, Derivatives (Mathematics), Compact Disks, Boundary Value Problems, Polynomials, Interpolation, Pressure, Operators (Mathematics). DTIC Identifier(s): Multimedia (CD-Rom), Moving Grids, Meshless Discretization, Lifs (Lagrange Implicit Fraction Step), Lagrangian Dynamics, Meshless Operators, Mlip (Multidimensional Lagrange Interpolating Polynomials), Flux Boundary Conditions, Radial Basis Functions Includes bibliographical references (58-59).

From the mid 20th century into the 21st, artists and musicians manipulated, cracked and broke audio media technologies to produce novel, unique and indeterminate sounds and performances. Artists such as John Cage, Nam June Paik, Milian Kn��k, Christian Marclay, Yasunao Tone, Oval and Otomo Yoshihide pulled apart the technologies of music playback, both the playback devices � phonographs and CD players � and the recorded media � vinyl records and Compact Discs. Based in the sound expansion of the 20th century musical avant garde, this practice connects the interdisciplinary Fluxus movement with late 20th century sound art and experimental electronic music. Cracked and broken media techniques play a significant role in 20th century music and sound, and continue to be productive into the 21st. The primary contribution of this thesis is to provide a novel and detailed historical account of these practices. In addition it considers theoretical approaches to this work. After considering approaches through critiques of recording media, and concepts of noise, this thesis proposes novel theorisations focusing on materiality and the everyday. Ultimately it proposes that these practices can be read as precursors to contemporary new media, as music and sound art cracked open the fixed structures of �old media� technologies for their own creative purposes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-149).
(cont.) to the XPS in SNR RCW 103. The multiple IR band measurements of 1E 1048.1-5937 provide marginal evidence for spectral flattening, and cannot rule out an accretion disk scenario for AXPs.
In this thesis, I present multiwavelength studies of phenomena related to accretion disks around compact objects. The observations were made mainly with ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope. I observed several known and candidate ultracompact low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and found that their optical spectra all show a lack of hydrogen emission lines, supporting the theoretical prediction that mass donors in ultracompact LMXBs must be H-depleted. Time-resolved photometry of the candidate source 4U 1543-624 revealed an 18 minute orbital periodicity, verifying the ultracompact nature of this binary. These studies strongly support the identification of several candidate systems with similar X-ray spectral features as ultracompact binaries. In the ultracompact binary 4U 1820-30, which has the shortest orbital period (685 s) among the known LMXBs, I discovered a 692-s periodicity from its far-ultraviolet (FUV) time series data. I interpret this longer-period FUV signal as a superhump oscillation, arising from a tidal resonance in the accretion disk of an extreme-mass-ratio binary. I also present multiband imaging of the fields surrounding five newly discovered X-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in an effort to identify and study their optical/IR counterparts. For the MSP SAX J1808.4-3658, the optical light curve taken during its 1998 X-ray outburst shows an exponential decay in intensity, roughly following the X-ray light curve early in the outburst. An optical counterpart of XTE J1814-338 was also detected. Finally, optical/IR observations of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and X-ray point sources (XPSs) in young supernova remnants (SNRs) identified the IR counterpart to the AXP 1E 1048.1-5937 and a likely IR counterpart
by Zhongxiang Wang.
Ph.D.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1995 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Telemetry Data Distribution System (TDDS) solves the need to record, archive, and distribute sounding rocket and satellite data on a compact, user-friendly medium, such as CD-Recordable discs. The TDDS also archives telemetry data on floppy disks, nine-track tapes, and magneto-optical disc cartridges. The PC-based, semi-automated, TDDS digitizes, time stamps, formats, and archives frequency modulated (FM) or pulse code modulated (PCM) telemetry data. An analog tape or a real-time signal may provide the telemetry data source. The TDDS accepts IRIG A, B, G, H, and NASA 36 analog code sources for time stamp data. The output time tag includes time, frame, and subframe status information. Telemetry data may be time stamped based upon a user-specified number of frames, subframes, or words. Once recorded, the TDDS performs data quality testing, formatting, and validation and logs the results automatically. Telemetry data is quality checked to ensure a good analog source track was selected. Raw telemetry data is formatted by dividing the data into records and appending header information. The formatted telemetry data is validated by checking consecutive time tags and subframe identification counter values (if applicable) to identify data drop-outs. After validation, the TDDS archives the formatted data to any of the following media types: CD-Recordable (CD-R) Disc (650 megabytes capacity); nine track tape (180 megabytes capacity); and erasable optical disc (499 megabytes capacity). Additionally, previously archived science data may be re-formatted and archived to a different output media.

The error-handling capability of the Compact Disc Error Correction Code (ECC) is influenced by the statistical distribution of the errors that contaminate the recorded data. Error measurement hardware and software are developed to examine the recorded data on Compact Discs and report the locations of the erroneous data with single-byte resolution. A sample population of 8 read-only and 8 write-once Compact Discs are subjected to error measurement and the recovered error statistics are compared for the two types of media. A novel Markov state machine is developed to quantitatively characterize the measured errors and produce block-error probability rates at the input of the ECC decoder. These probability rates are used to obtain reliability estimates for the recovered data bytes at the output of the ECC decoder. The capability of the Compact Disc's ECC decoder to detect and subsequently correct the erroneous data bytes is greatly influenced by the particular decoding strategy used by the ECC decoder. The performance of seven different ECC decoding strategies that are applied to the recovered data from read-only and write-once Compact Discs are evaluated. In addition, the ECC decoder performance of a newly proposed Compact Disc recording format known as the Compact Disc-Direct Access Storage Disc (CD-DASD) is investigated. Reliability estimates for the data occurring at the output of the CD-DASD ECC decoder is compared to that of conventional CD-ROM's Cross-Interleaved Reed-Solomon Code decoder.

We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array 1.3, 3.6, and 6 cm continuum maps of compact radio sources in the Orion Nebular Cluster (ONC). We mosaicked 34 arcmin(2) at 1.3 cm, 70 arcmin(2) at 3.6 cm and 109 arcmin(2) at 6 cm, containing 778 near-infrared detected young stellar objects and 190 Hubble Space Telescope-identified proplyds (with significant overlap between those characterizations). We detected radio emission from 175 compact radio sources in the ONC, including 26 sources that were detected for the first time at these wavelengths. For each detected source, we fitted a simple free-free and dust emission model to characterize the radio emission. We extrapolate the free-free emission spectrum model for each source to ALMA bands to illustrate how these measurements could be used to correctly measure protoplanetary disk dust masses from submillimeter flux measurements. Finally, we compare the fluxes measured in this survey with previously measured fluxes for our targets, as well as four separate epochs of 1.3 cm data, to search for and quantify the variability of our sources.

Les disques optiques numériques sont utilisés par de nombreux organismes, publics ou privés, pour l’archivage de données. Malgré les espoirs fondés dans l’utilisation de ces supports, des pertes d’information ont été observées, parfois après seulement quelques années d’archivage. Cette évolution a été attribuée au vieillissement des disques, sans préjuger des constituants impliqués. Ce travail de thèse visait à identifier les modifications chimiques et physiques résultant de l’application de différentes contraintes (photochimique, thermique ethydrolytique) sur des constituants de disques optiques : substrats de CD-R en polycarbonate, couches enregistrables de types « phtalocyanine » et « azoïque » et vernis de protection. L’étude de ce dernier constituant a permis d’élargir les recherches au cas du Blu-ray Disc. Ces évolutions physico-chimiques ont ensuite été corrélées à des variations des paramètres analogiques et numériques de disques soumis aux mêmes contraintes. L’objectif ultime de ce travail était de mettre en place une méthodologie générale permettant de comprendre l’origine de la perte d’information de disques optiques numériques exposés à des contraintes
Optical discs are often used by many private or public organizations to archive essential data. For a long time these media were supposed to be reliable. However, a loss of the stored data was highlighted, sometimes only after a few years of storage. This degradation was attributed to the discs ageing, without any identification of the materials involved in this ageing. This work aimed to determine the chemical and physical modifications resulting from the application of different stresses (photochemical, thermal and hydrolytic) on the materials used in optical discs : the CD-R polycarbonate substrates, the recording layers based on phthalocyanines and azo compounds, and the protective layers. The study of this last component allowed us to extend the researches to the case of the Blu-ray Disc. These physico-chemical modifications were then correlated to variations in digital and analog parameters of discs submitted to the same stresses. The ultimate objective of this work was to propose a general method that could help to understand the origin of the loss of information of optical discs submitted to stresses

Tröger’s base was discovered in 1887 by J. Tröger and has a V-shaped structure with C2 symmetry containing a chiral, hydrophobic cleft creating an angle of 90˚. For many years its chiral cleft has been utilised for the stationary phase of chiral HPLC columns, a chiral resolving agent and as a chiral catalyst. Over the past 30 years it has been reported that this interesting molecule can intercalate DNA, inhibit enzyme activity and behave as a synthetic receptor. The biological activity of the analogues of Tröger’s base has only been narrowly investigated. This investigation has generated a plethora of biologically interesting Tröger’s base derivatives via utilisation of ‘click’ chemistry on a novel bis-azido Töger’s base scaffold. The detection of proteins quickly, efficiently and cheaply is a huge challenge and this project aims to use cheap, readily available gold compact discs as a novel platform for the portable detection and sensing of biological interactions on the gold CD surface. The use of a gold compact disc and its ability to bind self assembled monolayers will be investigated and the detection of these biological interactions via MALDI-TOF spectrometry will be probed. The (+)-biotin / streptavidin interaction will be used as a model study for these purposes with the ambition to develop this further with humanitarian and military applications. The V-shape and 90˚ angle of Tröger’s base will be exploited to investigate its use as a scaffold for binding to gold compact discs for the development of surface based biological assays and proteomics. The incorporation of stable isotopes into organic molecules will also be investigated and we report a new protocol for the mild and efficient deuteration of terminal alkynes and their subsequent use in organic chemistry.

Les novæ naines permettent, depuis presque 50 ans maintenant, de tester les modèles d’accrétion. Ces systèmes montrent des éruptions en optique d’une durée de l’ordre de la semaine avec des temps de récurrence de l’ordre du mois. Ces éruptions sont communément attribuées à une instabilité thermo-visqueuse au sein du disque d’accrétion entourant la naine blanche. Les temps caractéristiques de ces éruptions posent de fortes contraintes sur les mécanismes de transport de moment cinétique pilotant l’accrétion dans le disque, mécanismes qui constituent l’objet de cette thèse. Il est souvent admis que l’instabilité magnéto-rotationnelle (MRI) est responsable du transport de moment cinétique via la turbulence qu’elle produit. Cependant, je montre ici, à l’aide de simulations locales de disque d’accrétion avec transfert radiatif, que le transport turbulent produit par la MRI ne permet pas de reproduire les courbes de lumière. En quiescence, où le disque est peu ionisé, il est même peu probable que de la turbulence MRI puisse survivre. Un des résultats majeurs de cette thèse est d’avoir mis en lumière que la MRI ne participe pas qu’au transport turbulent mais peut également lancer des vents magnéto-hydrodynamiques (MHD) qui transportent également du moment cinétique, voire dominent le transport dans l’état quiescent. Ces vents MHD induisent un couple magnétique de surface sur le disque et ne peuvent être réduits à une turbulence effective, en partie car ceux-ci ne déposent pas d’énergie thermique localement mais en emportent contrairement au transport turbulent. Nous avons inclus le transport de moment cinétique dû au couple du vent MHD dans un modèle d’instabilité de disque, modèle classiquement utilisé pour reproduire les éruptions de novæ naines. Avec ce nouveau modèle, nous avons montré qu’il est possible de reproduire les courbes de lumière des éruptions de novæ naines, en utilisant un champ magnétique à la surface de la naine blanche compatible avec ce qui est attendu. C’est la première fois que les éruptions de novæ naines sont modélisées avec succès en utilisant des prescriptions pour le transport de moment cinétique basées sur des simulations MHD et non sur les observations
Dwarf novæ have been used for almost 50 years now as a test for the theory of accretion. These systems exhibit eruptions in optical light lasting approximately a week with a recurrence time scale of a month. Eruptions are thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk surrounding the white dwarf. This model has long been known to put constraints on the mechanisms transporting angular momentum in the disk, which will be the subject of this thesis. Traditionally, transport is presumed to be turbulent where turbulence is due to the magneto-rotational instability (MRI). However, I show here, using local simulations of accretion disks with radiative transfer that there exists a discrepancy between observations and light curves obtained with MRI turbulence only. In quiescence, where the disk is poorly ionised, it is very unlikely that MRI can even survive. One of the key results of this thesis is that MRI do not participate to turbulent angular momentum transport only, but is also able to drive MHD outflows which extract angular momentum very efficiently, especially in quiescence. Wind-driven transport is, by nature, very different from turbulent transport, it induces a surface-torque on the disk and do not deposit thermal energy locally but extract energy from the disk instead. We included MHD wind-driven angular momentum transport in a disk instability model, model which is usually used to reproduce light curves of dwarf novæ. Using this new model, we were able to retrieve light curves looking alike observations, with a magnetic field consistent with what is expected from the dipolar magnetic field of a white dwarf. It is the first time that eruptions of dwarf novæ are modeled with success using prescriptions for angular momentum transport derived from first principles instead of ad hoc parameters

Seminario para optar al título de Ingeniero Comercial, Mención Administración
Mediante la investigación se pretende justificar tanto la actual decadencia del principal soporte físico de música grabada de los últimos tiempos conocido como el compact disc o CD, como la rápida desaparición del antiguo modelo de negocio que ha liderado en la industria discográfica. El causa principal está dada por el surgimiento de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. La globalización y la aparición de Internet han revolucionado la interacción entre los intermediarios de la industria. Con esto se han visto amenazados los derechos de autor y el copyright de las obras, se han quebrado las barreras de entrada al negocio de la música grabada y se han corregido las fallas de mercado debidas a la concentración del mismo. El soporte físico ha quedado de lado en el mercado masivo y se ha dado paso a un incremento de las ventas de música grabada en su formato digital. Aún así las ventas digitales no han compensado la caída de los CDs. Se espera que el negocio físico del retail pasará a concentrarse en nichos especializados. El formato que renace gracias a su calidad como producto es el vinilo. Con esto, algunos intermediarios en la cadena productiva han perdido su esencia, otros disminuirán sus rentabilidades y otros quedarán obsoletos. El futuro del negocio para la industria está en las representaciones en vivo. Destaca el rol de los sellos independientes en la labor de aportar valor cultural y servir como guías en un panorama virtual con miles de talentos emergentes. Se espera que en el futuro existan varios modelos de negocio y múltiples formatos para la difusión y venta de la música. Finalmente, será el consumidor quien elija el soporte, pasando a ser lo más relevante su contenido en esencia: la música.

Characterization of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of therapeutic proteins is very important during the bioprocess development to maintain desired product quality and during the submission process to regulatory authorities for product approval. Monitoring glycosylation in pharmacokinetic studies can be useful to evaluate the dependence of clearance rates on different glycoforms. The cost and efficiency of characterization affect the speed to market of biopharmaceutical proteins. A reduction in the number of manual processing steps, cost of reagents and consumption of sample, as well as the time required for chemical analysis, is therefore necessary. The research presented in this thesis is focused on the potential of using microfluidic discs for automated, miniaturized, parallel and rapid sample preparation for PTM characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Paper I describes the method development for N-linked glycosylation profiling. Several sample preparation steps have been performed in an integrated process in the microfluidic compact disc (CD). Paper II demonstrates the use of the method presented in paper I in combination with multivariate statistics for discrimination of glycosylation profiles of different therapeutic antibodies and simulation of a real case of quality control. Paper III is focused on a method for monitoring changes in glycosylation profiles of therapeutic antibodies in serum over time by incubation with an exoglycosidase enzyme. Paper IV describes the method for peptide mapping of therapeutic antibodies. In addition, recent work (unpublished results) assesses the potential of this method for methionine oxidation detection. The developed methods were fast, robust with low sample/reagent consumption. Generation of glycosylation profile data for one sample was established in approximately 2 h. The amount of samples and antigens loaded into the CD platform for one replicate was less than 0.3 μg and approximately 0.06 μg, respectively. Furthermore, considering the parallel function of the CD, conducting the analysis for 54 samples can be completed within a day.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript.

The proliferation of the Internet and the convergence of telecommunication, computing, compact disc, and media technologies have paved the infrastructure for new interactive music environments. It is essential for those in the field of new media to be aware of the ramifications of these developments. Furthermore, there has been a growing interest among new media developers to provide the tools necessary to allow an end-user to take an active role in the outcome of an interactive multimedia presentation. This concept introduces the notion of end-user as artist and collaborator. This concept introduces the notion of end-user as artist and collaborator. This thesis investigates the diverse applications and technologies that have emerged through cross-disciplinary collaboration and how they may be used to specify and design innovative musical environments.

[ES] En esta tesis se ha abordado el desarrollo de biosensores ópticos label-free, basados en tecnología de disco compacto, permitiendo así abaratar y simplificar su fabricación. El trabajo llevado a cabo ha consistido en estudiar diferentes propiedades físico-químicas desarrolladas por diversos materiales. Ello ha permitido obtener sistemas compactos y accesibles, capaces de sensar con buenas prestaciones analíticas en diferentes escenarios. En el capítulo 1 se presenta un estudio de inhibición enzimática sobre discos Blu-ray como plataforma de ensayo para el cribado de fármacos. Para ello, se inmoviliza orientadamente una glicoenzima, de la familia de las peroxidasas sobre la superficie del disco, cuya actividad se relaciona con los compuestos a cribar. Después de ensayar cada compuesto, se determina el grado de inhibición enzimática mediante la adición de un sustrato. La cantidad de producto obtenido, inversamente proporcional al potencial inhibitorio del compuesto en estudio, es cuantificado con un lector de discos que registra las variaciones en la intensidad del haz laser reflejado debidas al producto enzimático. Ello permite realizar más de 1700 ensayos simultáneos en un único disco Blu-ray lo que muestra su potencial en análisis masivo de alto rendimiento. Además, se plantea una estrategia basada en hipersuperficies para el análisis de la elevada cantidad de datos que se generan en las etapas del proceso de descubrimiento de fármacos. En el capítulo 2 se aborda el estudio de una metodología para reducir el ruido generado en la lectura de resultados obtenidos con biosensores ópticos, mejorando así su sensibilidad. Para ello, se plantea la estructuración del ensayo en forma de franjas en lugar del tradicional microarray, generando una señal periódica sinusoidal al ser escaneadas. Al analizar dicha señal en dominio de frecuencias, ésta se concentra en un pico a la frecuencia del ensayo, mientras que la mayor parte del ruido aparece a frecuencias mucho más altas. Inicialmente se quería reducir al máximo el ruido, para diferenciar las interacciones moleculares en formato label free. Sin embargo, los ensayos realizados con discos DVD no generaron suficiente señal, teniendo que recurrir en esta ocasión al marcaje para la cuantificación de inmunoglobulinas G y de caseína. Pese a ello, la metodología desarrollada también se puede aplicar en biosensores tipo label-free, reduciendo el ruido y mejorando su sensibilidad. El capítulo 3 se centra en el desarrollo de sustratos interferométricos multicapa que varían la intensidad de la luz reflejada al realizar un ensayo analítico en su superficie. Los sustratos fueron fabricados utilizando los materiales que componen los DVD-RW, depositados en capas de espesor controlado con el fin de obtener la máxima respuesta. A su vez, se diseñaron de tal forma que uno de ellos disminuya la intensidad del haz reflejado como respuesta a las interacciones moleculares, mientras que el otro la aumenta. El trabajo incluye la utilización de principios y materiales de la tecnología de disco compacto para el desarrollo del sistema de detección. Para ello, se emplea el cabezal de un lector de DVD, ya que dispone de un láser y de todos los elementos ópticos necesarios para el escaneado vertical. Con este sistema se cuantifican con éxito y sin marcaje inmunoglobulinas G y sulfasalazina, una macromolécula y un fármaco de masa molecular reducida. El capítulo 4 consiste en la fabricación de un cristal fotónico utilizando la estructura de los discos compactos cubiertos con una película de óxido de titanio. Se han estudiado las propiedades físico-químicas de estos sustratos y se han caracterizado sus propiedades fotónicas. Todo ello está en concordancia con los resultados obtenido mediante simulaciones. Para interrogar los cristales fotónicos fueron necesarios una fuente de luz blanca y un espectrofotómetro, además de los elementos ópticos necesarios
[CAT] En aquesta tesi s'ha abordat el desenvolupament de biosensors òptics label-free, basats en tecnologia de disc compacte, permetent així abaratir i simplificar la seua fabricació. El treball dut a terme ha consistit en estudiar diferents propietats fisicoquímiques desenvolupades per diversos materials. Això ha permès obtenir sistemes compactes i accessibles, capaços de sensar, amb bones prestacions analítiques, en diferents escenaris. En el capítol 1 es presenta un estudi d'inhibició enzimàtica sobre discos Blu-ray com a plataforma d'assaig per al cribratge de fàrmacs. Per a això, s'immobilitza de manera orientada una glicoenzima de la família de les peroxidases sobre la superfície del disc, i la seua activitat es relaciona amb els compostos a garbellar. Després d'assajar cada compost, es determina el grau d'inhibició enzimàtica mitjançant l'addició d'un substrat. La quantitat de producte obtingut, inversament proporcional al potencial inhibitori del compost en estudi, és quantificat amb un lector de discos que registra les variacions en la intensitat del làser reflectit degudes al producte enzimàtic. Això permet realitzar més de 1700 assajos simultanis en un únic disc Blu-ray el que mostra el seu potencial en anàlisi massiva d'alt rendiment. A més, es planteja una estratègia basada en hipersuperficies per a l'anàlisi de l'elevada quantitat de dades que es generen en les etapes del procés de descobriment de fàrmacs. En el capítol 2 s'aborda l'estudi d'una metodologia per reduir el soroll generat en la lectura de resultats obtinguts amb biosensors òptics, millorant així la seua sensibilitat. Per a això, es planteja l'estructuració de l'assaig en forma de franges en lloc del tradicional microarray, generant un senyal periòdic sinusoïdal en ser escanejades. En analitzar aquest senyal en domini de freqüències, aquesta es concentra en un pic a la freqüència de l'assaig, mentre que la major part del soroll apareix a freqüències molt més altes. Inicialment es volia reduir al màxim el soroll, per diferenciar les interaccions moleculars en format label-free. No obstant això, els assajos realitzats amb discos DVD no van generar prou senyal, havent de recórrer en aquesta ocasió al marcatge per a la quantificació d'immunoglobulines G i de caseïna. Malgrat això, la metodologia desenvolupada també es pot aplicar en biosensors tipus label-free, reduint el soroll i millorant la seua sensibilitat. El capítol 3 es centra en el desenvolupament de substrats interferometrics multicapa que varien la intensitat de la llum reflectida en realitzar un assaig analític en la seua superfície. Els substrats van ser fabricats utilitzant els materials que componen els DVD-RW, dipositats en capes de gruix controlat per tal d'obtenir la màxima resposta. Al seu torn, es van dissenyar de tal manera que un d'ells disminueixi la intensitat del feix reflectit com a resposta a les interaccions moleculars, mentre que l'altre l'augmenta. El treball inclou la utilització de principis i materials de la tecnologia de disc compacte per al desenvolupament del sistema de detecció. Per a això, es va utilitzar el capçal d'un lector de DVD, ja que disposa d'un làser i de tots els elements òptics necessaris per a l'escanejat vertical. Amb aquest sistema es quantifiquen amb èxit i sense marcatge immunoglobulines G i sulfasalazina, un macromolècula i un fàrmac de massa molecular reduïda. El capítol 4 consisteix en la fabricació d'un cristall fotònic utilitzant l'estructura dels discos compactes coberts amb una pel·lícula d'òxid de titani. S'han estudiat les propietats fisicoquímiques d'aquests substrats i s'han caracteritzat les propietats fotòniques. Tot això està en concordança amb els resultats obtingut mitjançant simulacions. Per interrogar els cristalls fotònics van ser necessaris una font de llum blanca i un espectrofotòmetre, a més dels elements òptics necessaris per guiar la llum.
[EN] In this thesis the development of label-free optical biosensors, based on compact disc technology, has been approached, thus making their manufacture cheaper and simpler. The work carried out has consisted of studying different physical-chemical properties manifested with several materials. This has allowed to obtain compact and accessible systems, capable of sensing with a great analytical performance in different scenarios. Chapter 1 presents an enzymatic inhibition study on Blu-ray discs as a test platform for drug screening. For this purpose, a glycoenzyme of the peroxidase family is immobilized on the surface of the disc whose activity is related to the compounds to be screened. After testing each compound, the degree of enzymatic inhibition is determined by adding the enzymatic substrate. The amount of product obtained is inversely proportional to the inhibitory potential of the compound, and is quantified with a disk reader that records the variations in the intensity of the reflected laser beam due to the enzymatic product. In addition, more than 1700 tests are performed on a single Blu-ray disc as proof of concept for application in high performance analysis and a hypersurface based strategy is proposed for the analysis of the large amount of data generated in the stages of the drug discovery process. Chapter 2 deals with the study of a methodology to reduce noise generated in the reading of results obtained with optical biosensors, hence improving their sensitivity. For this purpose, the structure of the test is proposed in the form of stripes instead of the traditional microarray, generating a sinusoidal periodic signal when they are scanned. When analysing this signal in frequency domain, it is concentrated in a peak at the frequency of the test, while most of the noise appears at much higher frequencies. Initially, the aim was to reduce noise as much as possible in order to differentiate molecular interactions in a label-free format. However, the tests carried out on a DVD did not generate enough signal, having to resort to labelling on this occasion for the quantification of immunoglobulins G and casein. Nevertheless, the methodology developed can be applied to label-free biosensors, reducing noise and improving sensitivity. Chapter 3 focuses on the development of multilayer interferometric substrates that vary the intensity of reflected light when performing an analytical test on their surface. The substrates were manufactured using the materials that make up the DVD-RW, deposited in layers of controlled thickness in order to obtain maximum response. At the same time, they were designed in such a way that one of them decreased the intensity of the reflected beam as a response to molecular interactions, while the other increased it. The work includes the use of principles and materials from compact disc technology for the development of the detection system. For this, the head of a DVD reader is used, as it has a laser and all the optical elements necessary for vertical scanning. With this system, immunoglobulins G and sulfasalazine, a macromolecule and a drug with reduced molecular mass are successfully quantified without labelling. Chapter 4 consists of the fabrication of a photonic crystal using the structure of the compact discs covered with a titanium oxide layer. The physical-chemical properties of these substrates have been studied and their photonic properties have been characterized. All this is in accordance with the results obtained through simulations. To interrogate the photonic crystals, a white light source and a spectrophotometer were needed, as well as the optical elements necessary to guide the light.
Sancho Fornés, G. (2019). Integración de diferentes fenómenos fotónicos en tecnología de disco compacto para el desarrollo de biosensores label-free [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/124819
TESIS

[EN] Food security is guaranteed when there is sufficient, safe and nutritious food. This assurance must be satisfied throughout the entire production process, which is known as "safety from farm to fork". This results in a new way of addressing the problem with a global and comprehensive approach. To address this challenge, molecular techniques based on the use of nucleic acids are used in the analysis of certain food threatens, such as allergens, microorganisms, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or food authentication. However, some of the described methods still have limitations, since they are expensive, complicated, and require specialized staff and equipment. Alternatively, biosensor technology provides reliable results in a simpler and faster way and with and added capabilities such as portability and automation, allowing to perform the analysis directly at points-of-control (POC). This thesis has focused on developing a biosensor system, based on compact disc technology, for the detection of nucleic acids in food safety applications and adaptable to POC needs. The carried out investigations have yielded new insights into gene technology, making interesting methodological contributions characterized by miniaturization, integration and automation. The first part of the research deals with the simplification of the amplification step, eluding the thermocycling by using alternatives to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To this end, two isothermal amplification techniques have been studied: the recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and the multiple displacement amplification (MDA). The detection was performed by hybridization assays with DNA probes immobilized in microarray format on the polycarbonate surface of a DVD. Furthermore, RPA amplification has been combined with detection by an immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) for the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes. In another approach, amplification and hybridization have been integrated in a single step, further simplifying the analytical process. For that, the isothermal RPA amplification is performed in solid phase on the surface of the disc in different formats: drop, microfluidic chambers or micro-reactors. In the first two formats, the reactions take place at the surface of the DVD and the measurement is performed by recording the intensity of the reflected laser. In the third case the reaction is carried out in micro-wells embedded in the DVD substrate and the measurement is performed by measuring the intensity of the transmitted signal. Finally, a method to real time monitoring DNA synthesis has been developed, integrating the amplification and quantification steps. To this end, the isothermal loop mediated isothermal amplification reaction (LAMP) has been used. The monitoring of the reaction progress is performed by sequentially measuring colorimetric or turbidimetric changes in the reaction mixture. Thus each profile is related to the number of copies of each target gene, allowing their quantitation. The analytical properties (have been established for each methodology and the obtained results have been validated by comparison with reference techniques and by using certified samples. As proof of concept, the different developments have been applied to the detection and determination of the presence of allergens (hazelnut, peanut, soybean, tomato and maize), genetically modified organisms (p35S, tNOS and Bt-11), pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp., Cronobacter spp. and Campylobacter spp.), fungi (Fusarium spp.), as well as meat authentication.
[ES] La seguridad alimentaria está garantizada cuando se dispone de alimentos suficientes, nutritivos e inocuos. Esta garantía, además, ha de cumplirse a lo largo de todo el proceso productivo, lo que se conoce como "seguridad de la granja a la mesa". Nace así una nueva forma de abordar el problema, con un enfoque global y un tratamiento integral. Para afrontar este reto, las técnicas moleculares basadas en el empleo de ácidos nucleicos son, actualmente, utilizadas en la detección de amenazas alimentarias, como por ejemplo, alérgenos, microorganismos, organismos genéticamente modificados (OGM), o la autentificación de especies. Sin embargo, muchos de los métodos en uso presentan limitaciones, ya que son costosos, complicados, y requieren personal y equipamiento especializado. La tecnología de biosensores es una aproximación adecuada, ya que proporciona resultados fiables de manera sencilla y rápida, y con capacidades añadidas como portabilidad y automatización para llevar a cabo los ensayos directamente en puntos de control (POC). Esta tesis se ha centrado en el desarrollo de un sistema biosensor, basado en la tecnología de disco compacto, para la detección de ácidos nucleicos en aplicaciones de seguridad alimentaria adaptable a POC. Las investigaciones llevadas a cabo han permitido obtener nuevos conocimientos en tecnologías génicas, pudiendo efectuar aportaciones metodológicas de interés caracterizadas por su miniaturización, integración y automatización. En este sentido, una parte de la investigación aborda la simplificación de la etapa de amplificación del ADN diana, eludiendo el termociclado mediante el empleo de técnicas alternativas a la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR). Para ello, se han estudiado dos técnicas de amplificación isoterma, la amplificación por recombinasa polimerasa (RPA) y la amplificación por desplazamiento múltiple (MDA). La detección se lleva a cabo mediante ensayos de hibridación con sondas de ADN inmovilizadas en formato micromatriz sobre la superficie de policarbonato de un DVD. Además, la amplificación por RPA se ha combinado con la detección mediante inmunoensayo ezimático (ELISA) para la determinación simultánea de múltiples analitos. En otra aproximación, se han integrado las fases de amplificación e hibridación en una única etapa, simplificando aún más el proceso analítico. Para ello, la amplificación isoterma por RPA se realiza en fase sólida sobre la superficie del disco en diferentes formatos: gota, cámaras microfluídicas o microreactores. En los dos primeros formatos, las reacciones tienen lugar en la superficie del DVD y la medición se realiza registrando la intensidad del haz láser del lector reflejado, mientras que en el tercer caso la reacción se lleva a cabo en micropocillos integrados en la estructura del DVD y la lectura se realiza midiendo la intensidad de la señal transmitida. Finalmente, se ha desarrollado una metodología para monitorizar la síntesis de ADN en tiempo real, integrando así las etapas de amplificación y cuantificación. Para ello, se emplea la reacción de amplificación isoterma mediada por bucle (LAMP), registrando secuencialmente el avance de la reacción mediante cambios turbidimétricos o colorimétricos en el medio de reacción. De este modo, se relaciona el perfil de cada ensayo con el número de copias de cada gen diana, permitiendo así su cuantificación. Para cada metodología se han establecido las propiedades analíticas, y los resultados obtenidos han sido validados por comparación con técnicas de referencia y mediante el empleo de muestras certificadas. Como prueba de concepto, los diferentes desarrollos se han aplicado a la detección y determinación de la presencia de alérgenos (avellana, cacahuete, soja, tomate y maíz), organismos modificados genéticamente (p35S, tNOS y Bt-11), bacterias patógenas (Salmonella spp., Cronobacter spp. y Campylobacter spp.) y hongos (Fusariu
[CAT] La seguretat alimentària està garantida quan es disposa d'aliments suficients, nutritius i innocus. Esta garantia, a més, ha de complir-se al llarg de tot el procés productiu, el que es coneix com a "seguretat de la granja a la taula". Naix així una nova forma d'abordar el problema, amb un enfocament global i un tractament integral. Per a afrontar este repte, les tècniques moleculars basades en la utilització d'àcids nucleics són, actualment, usades en l'anàlisi de certes amenaces alimentàries, com per exemple, la detecció d'al·lèrgens, microorganismes, organismes genèticament modificats (OGM), o l'autentificació de determinades espècies. No obstant això, molts dels mètodes en ús presenten limitacions, ja que són costosos, complicats, i requerixen personal i equipament especialitzat. La tecnologia de biosensors és una aproximació adequada, ja que proporciona resultats fiables de manera senzilla i ràpida, i amb capacitats afegides com portabilitat i automatització per a dur a terme els assajos directament en punts de control (POC). Esta tesi s'ha centrat en el desenvolupament d'un sistema biosensor, basat en la tecnologia de disc compacte, per a la detecció d'àcids nucleics en aplicacions de seguretat alimentària adaptable a POC. Les investigacions dutes a terme han permés obtindre nous coneixements en tecnologies gèniques, podent efectuar aportacions metodològiques d'interés caracteritzades per la seua miniaturització, integració i automatització. En este sentit, una part de la investigació aborda la simplificació de l'etapa d'amplificació de l'ADN diana, eludint el termociclat per mitjà de l'utilització de tècniques alternatives a la reacció en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR). Per a això, s'han estudiat dos tècniques d'amplificació isoterma, l'amplificació per recombinasa polimerasa (RPA) i l'amplificació per desplaçament múltiple (MDA). La detecció es du a terme per mitjà d'assajos d'hibridació amb sondes d'ADN immobilitzades en format micromatriu sobre la superfície de policarbonat d'un DVD. A més, l'amplificació per RPA s'ha combinat amb la detecció per mitjà d'inmunoassaig ezimátic (ELISA) per a la determinació simultània de múltiples anàlits. En una altra aproximació, s'han integrat les fases d'amplificació i hibridació en una única etapa, simplificant encara més el procés analític. Per a això, l'amplificació isoterma per RPA es realitza en fase sòlida sobre la superfície del disc en diferents formats: gota, cambres microfluídicas o microreactors. En els dos primers formats, les reaccions tenen lloc en la superfície del DVD i el mesurament es realitza registrant la intensitat del feix làser del lector reflectit, mentres que en el tercer cas la reacció es du a terme en micropouets integrats en l'estructura del DVD i la lectura es realitza mesurant la intensitat del senyal transmesa. Finalment, s'ha desenvolupat una metodologia per a monitoritzar la síntesi d'ADN en temps real, integrant així les etapes d'amplificació i quantificació. Per a això, s'utilitza la reacció d'amplificació isoterma mitjançada per bucle (LAMP), registrant sequencialment l'avanç de la reacció per mitjà de canvis turbidimétrics o colorimétrics en la reacció. D'esta manera, es relaciona el perfil de cada assaig amb el nombre de còpies de cada gen diana, permetent així la seua quantificació. Per a cada metodologia s'han establit les propietats analítiques i els resultats obtinguts han sigut validats per comparació amb tècniques de referència i per mitjà de l'utilització de mostres certificades. Com a prova de concepte, els diferents desenvolupaments s'han aplicat a la detección i determinació de la presència de al¿lèrgens (avellana, cacauet, soja, tomata i dacsa), organismes modificats genèticament (p35S, tNOS i Bt-11), bacteris patògens (Salmonella spp., Cronobacter spp. i Campylobacter spp.), fongs (Fusarium spp.), així com en la identific
Santiago Felipe, S. (2015). Integración de técnicas basadas en ADN para el desarrollo de biosensores aplicados en seguridad alimentaria [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/56464
TESIS
Premiado

Los antibióticos son ampliamente utilizados en veterinaria, produciendo beneficios inmensos, pero también conllevan riesgos medioambientales debidos a la aparición de residuos "incontrolados" que pueden desencadenar resistencias bacterianas, reacciones alérgicas y otros inconvenientes importantes. En esta tesis se han desarrollado varios sistemas inmunoquímicos para la determinación de residuos de distintos tipos de antibióticos, tanto mediante el formato tradicional en placa ELISA, como mediante el uso de microarrays utilizando CDs como plataformas analíticas. En primer lugar, se han desarrollado inmunoensayos en placa ELISA para sulfonamidas y tetraciclinas. Se han puesto a punto dos inmunoensayos genéricos para la determinación de seis sulfonamidas, con elevada sensibilidad (IC50 entre 1,32 y 12,82 ng mL-1) e inmunoensayos específicos para la determinación de SSZ y SMX con valores de IC50 de 0,51 y 0,16 ng mL-1, respectivamente. Asimismo, se ha puesto a punto un inmunoensayo específico para la determinación de CTC, con un valor de IC50 de 36,40 ng mL-1. Estos ELISAs se han aplicado con éxito a la cuantificación de residuos de sulfonamidas en alimentos (miel), aguas de depuradora y plasma humano. En otro apartado se presentan los resultados de las investigaciones sobre el desarrollo de microinmunoensayos utilizando la tecnología de discos compactos. Este soporte presenta gran área analítica donde depositar miles de biomoléculas sonda y la posibilidad de integrar tanto información numérica como bioquímica (identificando cada punto de cada matriz y almacenando los resultados del ensayo en la misma plataforma física en la que se desarrolla el análisis); por último, su fabricación a gran escala permite obtener productos de alta calidad a muy bajo precio. Además, los resultados analíticos son leídos y cuantificados por un lector comercial de CDs integrado en un ordenador personal convencional.
Gallego Iglesias, E. (2012). Desarrollo de inmunoensayos para antibióticos en microplaca y en disco compacto aplicados a la determinación multirresiduo de contaminantes [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/14720
Palancia

O presente trabalho descreve uma forma inédita e simples de construção de eletrodos de ouro (CDtrodos) a partir de discos compactos graváveis (CD-Rs). Os CD-Rs possuem em sua constituição uma película de ouro com uma espessura entre 50 e 100 nm e com área aproximada de 100 cm2. Esta superfície de ouro pode ser facilmente utilizada para construção de eletrodos convencionais usados em células estacionárias ou em células em fluxo. Além disso, a espessura nanométrica do filme de ouro também pode ser utilizada para construção de microeletrodos de banda com áreas inferiores a 10-6 cm2. Devido ao fato do CD-R ser produzido em escala comercial, o custo do mesmo é muito baixo, tornando possível sua utilização na forma de eletrodos descartáveis. Para comprovar a viabilidade da utilização destes filmes na confecção de eletrodos, seu desempenho foi comparado com o de eletrodo de ouro comercial, sendo observado um comportamento análogo. Diferentes maneiras de utilização do disco compacto gravável foram testadas, tanto em amostras sintéticas, como também, em amostras reais. Utilizando o método de redissolução potenciométrica à corrente constante (CCPSA), foram analisadas amostras de mercúrio em água potável e em água do mar, adaptando o CD-R a uma célula de injeção em fluxo. Nestes estudos, o limite de detecção de mercúrio situou-se em 250 ng L-1, utilizando-se tempo de deposição de 300 segundos. Estudos preliminares em células estacionárias levaram a limites de detecção inferiores. Em célula estacionária, foram realizadas análises de cobre em aguardente e em água potável. Em alguns casos, os resultados obtidos com as amostras reais foram comparados com outra técnica (E.A.A.), onde os resultados obtidos foram muito próximos a àqueles obtidos com os eletrodos de ouro. Análises em água de abastecimento, mostraram que em células estacionárias o limite de detecção para cobre situa-se em 30 ng L-1, para tempos de deposição de 600 segundos.
This work describes an original and novel form of construction of gold electrodes (CDtrodes) from recordable CDs (CD-Rs). The CD-Rs contain in its constitution a fine gold layer with a thickness from 50 to 100 nm and an approx. 100 cm2 of area. This surface can be easily used for construction of conventional electrodes for stationary or flow electrochemical cells. Moreover, the nanometer thickness of the gold film can be employed for the construction of microelectrodes with areas smaller than 10-6 cm2. Due to the fact that CD-Rs are produced on commercial scale, the cost of each unit is very low, a feature that enables the use of these electrodes in disposable form. To prove the suitability of these films to make gold electrodes, their performance was compared with the response of a commercial electrode, and a similar behavior was observed. Different applications of recordable compact disk were tested either with synthetic or real samples. Using the Constant-Current Potentiometric Stripping Analysis (CCPSA) method, mercury was analyzed in seawater and drinking water samples, fitting the CD-R to flow injection analysis cell. In these studies, the detection limit for mercury was found to be 250 ng L-1, with a deposition time of 300 seconds. Preliminary studies involving stationary cells allowed lower detection limits for mercury to be attained. With a stationary cell, the analyses of copper in sugar cane spirits and drinking water were carried out. In some instances, comparisons were made between this and another analytical technique (namely A.A.S.) where the results were very close with the ones obtained with the gold electrodes. Analysis of drinking water showed that for stationary cells the detection limit for copper is 30 ng L-1, with a deposition time of 600 s.

The project to design a CD transport (CD player) in conjunction with Perreaux Industries came about from the need for a source component in their Silhouette series of products. This project describes the design a high quality CD player, at a low price, to compliment Perreaux's Silhouette series. A CD drive is selected over a proprietary optical pickup due to the former's low cost and the standardisation of the interface. The control circuitry includes a micro controller and discrete logic to provide the correct data and clock signals to the SPDIF transmitter and DAC circuits. These two circuits provided a high quality analogue output, and facilitate an upgrade path by connecting the SPDIF output to an external DAC. After three board iterations, a final production ready revision was achieved. The design includes a high quality toroidal transformer, low jitter crystal oscillator, and a very high quality SPDIF pulse transformer output. The design also allows a remote input to control the player, and an optional digital cable via an RJ45 connector to provide synchronisation with a future design of the SXD2 DAC module, or to transmit SPDIF to a remote location. The specifications of the final design were higher than expectations. The digital output boasts equal or superior performance to competitive products in the same price range, with the analogue output attaining exceptionally high performance.

Les disques optiques numériques sont utilisés par de nombreux organismes, publics ou privés, pour l'archivage de données. Malgré les espoirs fondés dans l'utilisation de ces supports, des pertes d'information ont été observées, parfois après seulement quelques années d'archivage. Cette évolution a été attribuée au vieillissement des disques, sans préjuger des constituants impliqués. Ce travail de thèse visait à identifier les modifications chimiques et physiques résultant de l'application de différentes contraintes (photochimique, thermique ethydrolytique) sur des constituants de disques optiques : substrats de CD-R en polycarbonate, couches enregistrables de types " phtalocyanine " et " azoïque " et vernis de protection. L'étude de ce dernier constituant a permis d'élargir les recherches au cas du Blu-ray Disc. Ces évolutions physico-chimiques ont ensuite été corrélées à des variations des paramètres analogiques et numériques de disques soumis aux mêmes contraintes. L'objectif ultime de ce travail était de mettre en place une méthodologie générale permettant de comprendre l'origine de la perte d'information de disques optiques numériques exposés à des contraintes.

Studies of binding reactions are of highest importance in a vast number of areas of biomedicine and biotechnology. A demand for fast and accurate small-volume measurements grows stronger, partly due to the development of therapeutic antibodies. In this report, a novel method for studies of binding reactions of antibodies is described. The use of a microfluidic platform shows promising results in determination of affinity binding constants.

Affinities between 1E-09 and 1E-11 M have been determined for four TSH antibodies. Reproducibility tests give a CV below 10%, using different Gyrolab instruments and microfluidic CD:s. The method carries the advantages of using solution-based measurements of unmodified molecules. Also an initial proof-of-concept for measurement of binding reaction rate constants shows further usage of the method. The kinetic association rate constant has been determined to 2E+06 M-1s-1 for one antibody. The possibility of using this method for screening of antibody libraries is also discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:18:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Cardoso Maciel Escalhao.pdf: 1608128 bytes, checksum: 01f09a8983a40cd816cd9636e45cfaef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-01-28
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a highly incapacitating neurological syndrome in both humans and dogs. In dogs, intervertebral disc disease is the main cause of spinal cord injury and has been estimated to account for 1-2% of all cases admitted in veterinary hospitals worldwide. Despite all the advances in the treatment of this condition, compressive lesions such as intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), usually result in permanent sequel. In order to minimize this effect, it is of paramount importance the utilization of techniques for the accurate functional evaluation of post-lesion treatment. The objective of this study is to compare the applicability of functional scales such as Frankel (original and modified), Olby and Texas, in dogs with compressive lesions of the spinal cord resulting from disc herniations with severe, mild to moderate symptoms. To that end, ten dogs with symptoms and radiological confirmation of IVDD by myelography exam were independently evaluated in the Frankel original, modified, Olby and Texas scale before and after hemilaminectomy surgery. These scales proved to be very useful tools in the determination of both the choice of treatment and prognosis in dogs with thoracolumbar SCI from disc herniations. The Olby and Texas scales were the most sensitive in the detection of alterations in the functional progression in those animals.
A les?o da medula espinhal ? uma s?ndrome neurol?gica altamente incapacitante que afeta tanto o homem como animais. Em c?es, a principal causa de les?es medulares s?o as compress?es medulares decorrentes das doen?as do disco intervertebral, que representam de 1 a 2% de todos os casos admitidos em hospitais veterin?rios. Apesar dos esfor?os no tratamento, as les?es compressivas por h?rnia de disco frequentemente causam sequelas permanentes. Assim se faz necess?rio o desenvolvimento de estudos cl?nicos que possam avaliar a efic?cia de novas terapias para les?es compressivas da medula espinhal. Neste sentido, ? fundamental a utiliza??o de t?cnicas de avalia??o precisas da progress?o funcional p?s les?o. O presente estudo tem como objetivo de comparar a aplicabilidade das escalas de Frankel (original e modificada), Olby e Texas em c?es com compress?es medulares provocadas por hernia??es de disco intervertebral com sinais severos e leves a moderados. Para isso dez c?es com sinais e confirma??o mielogr?fica de hernia??es de disco foram avaliados independentemente segundo as escalas de Frankel (original e modificada), Olby e Texas antes e ap?s cirurgia de hemilaminectomia. As escalas de Frankel original, Olby e Texas se mostraram ferramentas ?teis na determina??o do progn?stico e na escolha do tratamento de c?es com les?es medulares compressivas toracolombares produzidas por hernia??es de disco. Sendo escalas de Olby e Texas as mais sens?veis na detec??o de altera??es na progress?o funcional nestes animais.

The aim of the thesis is to create business plan which is focused on “revitalization” of disco club in Libina village, work up analysis of present condition, make a proposal changes that provides improvement of competition standing of company. In the end find out whether this business plan including proposal of changes will be profitable or not to aplicate.

The aim of my thesis is the design of centrifugal brakes to prevent twisting of the combustion engine with pneumatic compactor. In the first part of my thesis I deal with existing and similar systems that prevent over speeding. In the second part I deal with the design of its own centrifugal brake. This includes basic functional, strength, thermal calculation, design of components and fabrication drawings according to the assignment.

by Li Chong, Victor Kun Wa.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-101).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
ABSTRACT --- p.i
摘要 --- p.iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.v
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.vii
LIST OF FIGURES --- p.x
LIST OF TABLES --- p.xv
Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter 1.1 --- CD Manufacturing Technology --- p.1
Chapter 1.1.1 --- Electroforming --- p.2
Chapter 1.1.2 --- Computer Numerical Control (CNC) --- p.2
Chapter 1.1.3 --- Photolithography --- p.4
Chapter 1.1.4 --- Laser --- p.5
Chapter 1.2 --- Research Objective --- p.6
Chapter 1.3 --- Thesis Outline --- p.6
Chapter 2 --- Conversion Software (AutoGEN) --- p.9
Chapter 2.1 --- Computer-Aided Design --- p.9
Chapter 2.2 --- AutoCAD Programming --- p.10
Chapter 2.3 --- AutoCAD Development System (ADS) --- p.11
Chapter 2.4 --- AutoCAD Runtime Extension (ARX) --- p.12
Chapter 2.5 --- AutoLISP Programming --- p.12
Chapter 2.5.1 --- Advantages of AutoLISP --- p.13
Chapter 2.6 --- Caltech Intermediate Format (CIF) --- p.14
Chapter 2.6.1 --- Structure of CIF Format --- p.15
Chapter 2.7 --- Architecture of Conversion Software --- p.15
Chapter 2.7.1 --- Stage 1 - AutoGEN (DLTM) Module --- p.16
Chapter 2.7.2 --- Stage 2 - AutoGEN (DCRM) Module --- p.17
Chapter 2.8 --- DLTM Input Screen --- p.17
Chapter 2.9 --- DCRM Data Screen --- p.18
Chapter 2.10 --- Conversion from 2D to 3D --- p.18
Chapter 2.11 --- AutoGEN - Geometric Primitive --- p.19
Chapter 2.12 --- AutoGEN - Geometric Transformation --- p.19
Chapter 2.13 --- Conversion of Simplified and Complex Drawings --- p.22
Chapter 3 --- Manufacturing Process --- p.24
Chapter 3.1 --- Stamper Manufacturing --- p.25
Chapter 3.2 --- CD Manufacturing --- p.30
Chapter 3.3 --- Internal Stress of Deposit in Electroforming --- p.34
Chapter 4 --- CNC Approach --- p.37
Chapter 4.1 --- Computer-Aided Manufacturing --- p.37
Chapter 4.2 --- CNC Machining --- p.37
Chapter 4.2.1 --- Experiment --- p.39
Chapter 4.3 --- Advantages of CNC Approach --- p.42
Chapter 4.4 --- Limitations of CNC Approach --- p.42
Chapter 4.5 --- CNC and Effects of Heat Generated --- p.43
Chapter 5 --- Photolithography Approach --- p.45
Chapter 5.1 --- Experiment --- p.47
Chapter 5.2 --- Channel Analysis --- p.49
Chapter 6 --- Laser Approach --- p.53
Chapter 6.1 --- Dual Beam Laser Machine --- p.53
Chapter 6.2 --- Creation of Pits and Lands --- p.54
Chapter 6.2.1 --- Experiment --- p.54
Chapter 6.3 --- Creation of Continuous Channel --- p.56
Chapter 6.4 --- Procedure of Channel Creation (NA set at a fixed constant) --- p.57
Chapter 6.4.1 --- Experiment 1 --- p.59
Chapter 6.4.2 --- Experiment 2 --- p.60
Chapter 6.4.3 --- Experiment 3 --- p.61
Chapter 6.5 --- Procedure of Channel Creation (ILV set at a fixed constant) --- p.62
Chapter 6.5.1 --- Experiment 1 --- p.63
Chapter 6.5.2 --- Experiment 2 --- p.64
Chapter 6.5.3 --- Experiment 3 --- p.66
Chapter 7 --- Photolithography Approach (Enhancement) --- p.68
Chapter 7.1 --- Creation of High-Aspect-Ratio Channel --- p.68
Chapter 7.1.1 --- Experiment 1 --- p.76
Chapter 7.1.2 --- Experiment 2 --- p.80
Chapter 8 --- Conclusion and Future Proposal --- p.83
Chapter 8.1 --- Conclusion --- p.83
Chapter 8.2 --- Future Proposal --- p.86
APPENDIX --- p.89
Chapter A.1 --- Additional Information on CNC Approach --- p.88
Chapter A.2 --- Channel Dimension of Design Mask --- p.89
Chapter A.3 --- Additional Information on Photolithography Approach --- p.94
Chapter A.4 --- Additional Information on Laser Approach --- p.95
BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.98

by Yau Ka Pui, Lea [and] Yeung Sze Man.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-112).
ABSTRACT --- p.II
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.IV
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.VI
LIST OF TABLES --- p.VII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.IX
CHAPTER
Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1
Global Trend --- p.2
Music Industry in a Global Perspective --- p.2
Growth of Mass Retailing IndusTRy in Hong Kong --- p.5
Marketing Situation of the Small Music Retailers in Hong Kong --- p.7
Product --- p.7
Price --- p.8
Place the Stores --- p.8
Promotion --- p.9
Emergence of CD Chain Stores in HK Music Retailing in Early 1990's --- p.10
HMV CD Retailing Chain Stores --- p.10
HMV as a Store Differentiator --- p.11
HMV's unique Store Atmosphere: --- p.13
Carefuliy Designed Entertainment Facilities in HMV --- p.14
HMV's Role as an Information Provider --- p.15
Market Reality --- p.19
CHAPTER CONCLUSION --- p.20
Chapter II. --- RESEARCH OBJECTIVES --- p.22
Chapter III. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.24
Data Collection --- p.25
Sampling Plan --- p.25
Terminology --- p.26
Chapter IV. --- DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS --- p.29
Causeway Bay Store --- p.29
Profile of Existing Shoppers --- p.29
"Profile of HMV Buyers and "" Mere Shoppers""" --- p.35
Profile of Buyers with regard to their Purchase Volume --- p.39
Shatin Store --- p.43
Profile of Existing Shoppers --- p.43
"Profile of HMV Buyers and “Mere Shoppers""" --- p.47
Profile of Buyers with regard to their Purchase Volume --- p.49
Summary of Analysis and Results --- p.51
Chapter V. --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.54
The Marketing Model --- p.55
The Market Segmentation for HMV Customers --- p.56
Target Group Analysis --- p.58
Generic Marketing Objectives --- p.59
Enlarge the Market --- p.60
Increase Market Share --- p.60
Improve Profitability --- p.60
Specific Objectives for HMV --- p.61
Analysis of Mere Shoppers --- p.62
The Marketing Tactics for Mere Shoppers --- p.62
Free CD Trial in Neighbouring Retail Stores --- p.63
Coupons --- p.63
Set a Time Slot for CD on Sales --- p.64
Men's Day --- p.64
Analysis of the Light Buyers --- p.66
Feasible Marketing Tactics for the Light Buyers --- p.66
HMV Club --- p.67
Chance of Getting an Autographed CD --- p.68
Chance of Getting an Autographed Poster or Photograph --- p.68
Dedication Service --- p.69
"Modification on the Current ""Members Card""" --- p.69
Analysis of the Medium Buyers --- p.72
Marketing Tactics for the Medium Buyers --- p.72
Starting from the Existing Pool of Information --- p.72
Store Image --- p.73
The Real Meaning of Quality Service --- p.75
A Private Listening Area --- p.76
Analysis of the Heavy Buyers --- p.76
Marketing Tactics for Heavy Buyers --- p.77
Customer Retention Program --- p.77
HMV Credit Card --- p.77
Direct Mailing Service --- p.78
Quality Service --- p.78
A Private Listening Booth --- p.78
Long-term Marketing Strategy --- p.79
The Significance of a Customer Database --- p.80
Blueprint for Customer Segmentation --- p.81
Quality Data for precise Target Segments --- p.81
Basis for Relationship Marketing --- p.82
Customer Databases as a Survey Research Complement --- p.82
Customer Survey as a Monitoring Means --- p.83
Chapter Conclusion --- p.85
Chapter VI. --- CONLUSION --- p.86
Project Limitation --- p.86
Objectives achieved in this HMV Project --- p.87
Marketing Implications for Other Organisations --- p.88
APPENDIX --- p.90
BIBLOGRAPHY --- p.108

by Tsai Yee-Ah, Eva.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997.
Incldues bibliographical references (leaves 108-112).
ABSTRACT --- p.iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.vii
LIST OF TABLES --- p.ix
LIST OF FIGURES --- p.x
CHAPTER
Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1
Objectives --- p.2
Chapter II. --- MARKET ANALYSIS --- p.4
Overview of the Music Industry in Hong Kong --- p.4
Hong Kong Classical Music Market and the Trends --- p.6
Definition of Classical Music --- p.6
Classical Music Becomes More Popular --- p.8
More Record Stores in Hong Kong Selling Classical CDs --- p.10
New Ways of Promoting Classical Music --- p.13
New Classical Music Repertoires and the Trends --- p.15
More Young Classical Performers --- p.16
Major Classical Companies in Hong Kong --- p.17
Bertelsmann Group --- p.17
EMI --- p.19
HNH Internationa] Ltd --- p.22
PolyGram --- p.25
Sony --- p.28
Warner --- p.32
Chapter III. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.37
Secondary Data --- p.37
Primary Data --- p.38
Experience Survey --- p.38
Sample Survey --- p.38
Limitations of the Research --- p.42
Research Design --- p.42
Data Collection --- p.43
Data Analysis --- p.44
Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS --- p.48
Response Rate --- p.48
Outcome of Self-Administered Questionnaire Survey --- p.48
Data Analysis --- p.49
Editing --- p.49
Coding --- p.50
RESEARCH FINDINGS --- p.50
Demographic Information of 200 Successful Respondents --- p.50
Respondents' Opinions of HMV --- p.53
Respondents' Usage Patterns of Classical CDs --- p.55
Brand Name of the Record Company --- p.55
Price --- p.60
Selection Criteria in Buying Classical CDs --- p.61
places for Buying Classical CDs --- p.72
Reasons for Buying Classical CDs --- p.74
Opinions of Sony's Classical CDs --- p.77
Preferred Promotional Methods --- p.81
Information Channels in Receiving Information about Classical CDs --- p.84
Maximum Price Willing to Pay --- p.88
Preferred Tangible Changes or Improvements --- p.89
Conclusion --- p.91
Competitive Profile --- p.91
Market Profile --- p.92
Customer Profile --- p.93
Product Profile --- p.94
Company Profile --- p.95
Chapter V. --- "MARKETING PLAN FOR SONY'S CLASSICAL DIVISION, 1997-1998" --- p.97
Target Markets --- p.97
Marketing Objectives --- p.98
Product Objectives --- p.98
Pricing Objectives --- p.99
Communication Objectives --- p.100
Distribution Objectives --- p.105
Monitoring System --- p.107
Conclusion --- p.108
APPENDIX --- p.110
BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.133

M.A.
CD-ROM products provide access to information by means of different modes of interaction, often on the same database. Although command language is still widely recognized as the interaction mode which retrieves the most relevant references, it is regarded as difficult to use because of its complex structure. More user friendly modes, for example, menu and direct manipulation are viewed as being more accessible to the up-and-coming end-user. The purpose of this study was to determine by means of an empirical study whether the retrieval effectiveness between two modes of interaction on the same database differed significantly. A literature survey pointed out the unique characteristics of existing modes. It was also established that the traditional measures of retrieval effectiveness through relevance and precision could not be applied in this research. A method was devised in which the results of the two modes were compared. The empirical study was done on the command and form fill-in modes of Wilson Business Abstracts. Total results retrieved through each mode were compared, as well as the ease of entering the search by means of appropriate search facilities for each mode. The results of the research revealed that the presence of unique search facilities in a mode results in better retrieval effectiveness. Searches in both modes also require specific ways of input for optimum quality retrieval and thus has implications for intensive training in search methods.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
材料科學與工程學研究所
90
Optical recording medium have been well developed in the past decade. The requirement for creative compact discs is at very level. Presently, Al-Cr alloy is used for the target material of reflective layer of erasable/rewritable compact discs. To lower the cost of discs, compact discs manufacturer tries to develop sputtering targets of each deposited layer in discs. Reflective layer target is one of the developed products. This research was to use vacuum induction melting method to make Al-Cr alloy for reflective layer target, which may obtain high purity and fine grain structure. Experimental results show that increased chromium content will reduce the secondary phase size in the target, and consequently improve the uniformity of deposited films on the discs, because of affecting the morphology and the distribution of the secondary phase the topography of deposited film deeply. Reflectivity and thermal conductivity of deposited film decrease with increasing chromium content, but the reduced thermal conductivity and reflectivity still meet the specification. Environmental test reveals the improved optical properties of film can increase the lifetime of discs. It is concluded that the Al-Cr cast alloy target is suitable to meet the requirements of the reflective layer of CD-RW.

archives@tulane.edu
The Hackberry Ramblers are best known as an historic southwest Louisiana band that pioneered the synthesis of Cajun music with various English-language genres, especially country music, and also as a group which pioneered the performance of this blend via the then-new technology of electronic amplification. These innovations had profound effects upon the evolution of Cajun music, and exerted a significant degree of influence on country music, too. But closer consideration of the Hackberry Ramblers’ entire oeuvre reveals that the band’s eclecticism far surpassed the presumed limits of its Cajun/country dual identity. During the Ramblers’ seventy-five years in existence, much of the group’s repertoire did consist of Cajun material, both archaic and contemporary, along with old-time country music, the country-jazz hybrid known as western swing, and mid-century honky-tonk country. In addition, however, at various times, the Hackberry Ramblers delved into traditional jazz; nineteenth-century parlor music; popular songs and vaudeville material; blues; rhythm & blues (henceforth referred to here as R&B;) swamp-pop; the occasional zydeco song; 1950s rock à la Chuck Berry, and 1950s rockabilly à la Jerry Lee Lewis; and more. Such considerable variety achieved seamless unification due to the band’s dedicated raison d'être of keeping happy couples out on full dancefloors. In addition, at the behest of the RCA-Bluebird record label, to which the Hackberry Ramblers were signed in the 1930s, the band recorded some unlikely and incongruous songs that were not dance-oriented. This thesis examines the Hackberry Ramblers’ recordings, from 1935 through 2004, and how these recordings established the band’s lasting legacy in both Cajun music, and country; the cultural/socio-economic changes that shaped the Ramblers’ continually evolving sound; and the broader musical contexts of the years during which they were active. This writer played with, managed, and produced the band, beginning in 1987, and thus there will be some discussion, both analytical and anecdotal, of those hands-on roles in the band’s late-career phase, and my de facto function as a participant-observer.
1
Ben Sandmel

No
A novel conical beam patch antenna design, suitable for local area network applications, uses a central cylindrical connection from the disc to ground to achieve a large reduction in resonant size. Results on efficiency, bandwidth, and pattern are reported for several prototypes.

碩士
大葉大學
電信工程學系碩士班
96
In this thesis, a low-profile disc-slit monopole antenna with a meander-line feed is proposed. The proposed antenna has a dual-band property that is applicable to Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) module along with a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) function. In the beginning of this thesis, we give a brief introduction of WLAN and WIMAX, and use electromagnetic software to simulate the effects of disk-slit and meander-line feed of this antenna. Then, we design two correlative antennas, which are compact in size, provides sufficient impedance-matching bandwidths, possess nearly dipole-like antenna patterns, and shows insensitivity to size variations in its feed ground. Also, the prototypes of these antennas are realized. Measured and simulated results were obtained to demonstrate the promising performance required for practical uses.