Sample records for hard ends assessing
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Modeling hard clinical end-point data in economic analyses.
Kansal, Anuraag R; Zheng, Ying; Palencia, Roberto; Ruffolo, Antonio; Hass, Bastian; Sorensen, Sonja V
2013-11-01
The availability of hard clinical end-point data, such as that on cardiovascular (CV) events among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, is increasing, and as a result there is growing interest in using hard end-point data of this type in economic analyses. This study investigated published approaches for modeling hard end-points from clinical trials and evaluated their applicability in health economic models with different disease features. A review of cost-effectiveness models of interventions in clinically significant therapeutic areas (CV diseases, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases) was conducted in PubMed and Embase using a defined search strategy. Only studies integrating hard end-point data from randomized clinical trials were considered. For each study included, clinical input characteristics and modeling approach were summarized and evaluated. A total of 33 articles (23 CV, eight cancer, two respiratory) were accepted for detailed analysis. Decision trees, Markov models, discrete event simulations, and hybrids were used. Event rates were incorporated either as constant rates, time-dependent risks, or risk equations based on patient characteristics. Risks dependent on time and/or patient characteristics were used where major event rates were >1%/year in models with fewer health states (Models of infrequent events or with numerous health states generally preferred constant event rates. The detailed modeling information and terminology varied, sometimes requiring interpretation. Key considerations for cost-effectiveness models incorporating hard end-point data include the frequency and characteristics of the relevant clinical events and how the trial data is reported. When event risk is low, simplification of both the model structure and event rate modeling is recommended. When event risk is common, such as in high risk populations, more detailed modeling approaches, including individual simulations or explicitly time-dependent event rates, are
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Sasaki, Keisuke; Motoyama, Michiyo; Narita, Takumi; Chikuni, Koichi
2013-10-01
Texture and 'tenderness' in particular, is an important sensory characteristic for consumers' satisfaction of beef. Objective and detailed sensory measurements of beef texture have been needed for the evaluation and management of beef quality. This study aimed to apply the sensory scales defined in ISO11036:1994 to evaluate the texture of beef. Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles of three Holstein steers cooked to end-point temperatures of 60°C and 72°C were subjected to sensory analyses by a sensory panel with expertise regarding the ISO11036 scales. For the sensory analysis, standard scales of 'chewiness' (9-points) and 'hardness' (7-points) were presented to the sensory panel with reference materials defined in ISO11036. As a result, both 'chewiness' and 'hardness' assessed according to the ISO11036 scales increased by increasing the cooking end-point temperature, and were different between Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles. The sensory results were in good agreement with instrumental texture measurements. However, both texture ratings in this study were in a narrower range than the full ISO scales. For beef texture, ISO11036 scales for 'chewiness' and 'hardness' are useful for basic studies, but some alterations are needed for practical evaluation of muscle foods.
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Tang, Y.-H.; Lin, C.-J.; Chiang, K.-R.
2017-06-01
We proposed a single-molecule magnetic junction (SMMJ), composed of a dissociated amine-ended benzene sandwiched between two Co tip-like nanowires. To better simulate the break junction technique for real SMMJs, the first-principles calculation associated with the hard-hard coupling between a amine-linker and Co tip-atom is carried out for SMMJs with mechanical strain and under an external bias. We predict an anomalous magnetoresistance (MR) effect, including strain-induced sign reversal and bias-induced enhancement of the MR value, which is in sharp contrast to the normal MR effect in conventional magnetic tunnel junctions. The underlying mechanism is the interplay between four spin-polarized currents in parallel and anti-parallel magnetic configurations, originated from the pronounced spin-up transmission feature in the parallel case and spiky transmission peaks in other three spin-polarized channels. These intriguing findings may open a new arena in which magnetotransport and hard-hard coupling are closely coupled in SMMJs and can be dually controlled either via mechanical strain or by an external bias.
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Is Chronic Dialysis the Right Hard Renal End Point To Evaluate Renoprotective Drug Effects?
Weldegiorgis, Misghina; de Zeeuw, Dick; Dwyer, Jamie P.; Mol, Peter; Heerspink, Hiddo J. L.
2017-01-01
Background and objectives: RRT and doubling of serum creatinine are considered the objective hard end points in nephrology intervention trials. Because both are assumed to reflect changes in the filtration capacity of the kidney, drug effects, if present, are attributed to kidney protection.
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Forecasting noise and radiation hardness of CMOS front-end electronics beyond the 100 nm frontier
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Re, V.; Gaioni, L.; Manghisoni, M.; Ratti, L.; Traversi, G.
2010-01-01
The progress of industrial microelectronic technologies has already overtaken the 130 nm CMOS generation that is currently the focus of IC designers for new front-end chips in LHC upgrades and other detector applications. In a broader time span, sub-100 nm CMOS processes may become appealing for the design of very compact front-end systems with advanced integrated functionalities. This is especially true in the case of pixel detectors, both for monolithic devices (MAPS) and for hybrid implementations where a high resistivity sensor is connected to a CMOS readout chip. Technologies beyond the 100 nm frontier have peculiar features, such as the evolution of the device gate material to reduce tunneling currents through the thin dielectric. These new physical device parameters may impact on functional properties such as noise and radiation hardness. On the basis of experimental data relevant to commercial devices, this work studies potential advantages and challenges associated to the design of low-noise and rad-hard analog circuits in these aggressively scaled technologies.
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Zatoń, Michał; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz; Blom, Henning; Kear, Benjamin P
2016-11-08
The end-Permian mass extinction constituted the most devastating biotic crisis of the Phanerozoic. Its aftermath was characterized by harsh marine conditions incorporating volcanically induced oceanic warming, widespread anoxia and acidification. Bio-productivity accordingly experienced marked fluctuations. In particular, low palaeolatitude hard substrate communities from shallow seas fringing Western Pangaea and the Tethyan Realm were extremely impoverished, being dominated by monogeneric colonies of filter-feeding microconchid tubeworms. Here we present the first equivalent field data for Boreal hard substrate assemblages from the earliest Triassic (Induan) of East Greenland. This region bordered a discrete bio-realm situated at mid-high palaeolatitude (>30°N). Nevertheless, hard substrate biotas were compositionally identical to those from elsewhere, with microconchids encrusting Claraia bivalves and algal buildups on the sea floor. Biostratigraphical correlation further shows that Boreal microconchids underwent progressive tube modification and unique taxic diversification concordant with changing habitats over time. We interpret this as a post-extinction recovery and adaptive radiation sequence that mirrored coeval subequatorial faunas, and thus confirms hard substrate ecosystem depletion as a hallmark of the earliest Triassic interval globally.
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Montorsi, Francesco; Padma-Nathan, Harin; Glina, Sidney
2006-09-01
We aimed to determine whether erectile function (EF) and assessments of erection hardness correlate positively with measures of psychosocial outcomes (ie, emotional well-being, sexual satisfaction, and satisfaction with erectile dysfunction [ED] treatment) in men treated with sildenafil citrate (Viagra; Pfizer Inc, New York, NY). Data were collected from 33 worldwide phase 2, 3, and 4 sildenafil clinical trials, which included almost 10,000 men with ED. Most of these trials were randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled (n = 27) and were undertaken to assess doses of 50 mg adjustable to 25 mg or 100 mg, depending on efficacy and tolerability (n = 32). Doses were taken approximately 1 hour before anticipated sexual activity but not more often than once daily. EF was assessed with use of the EF domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and with assessments of erection hardness (Erection Hardness Grading Scale [EHGS] and IIEF Q2 [the frequency of erections hard enough for penetration]). Change (baseline to end point) in emotional well-being in men treated for ED was assessed with the Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire, which consisted of the Confidence domain (ie, the Self-Esteem subscale and Overall Relationship subscale) and the Sexual Relationship domain. End point treatment satisfaction (overall, speed of onset, and duration of action) was assessed with the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS). The IIEF was used to assess change and end point sexual satisfaction by means of the Intercourse Satisfaction domain, Q7 (frequency of satisfactory sexual intercourse), and the Overall Satisfaction domain (ie, Q13, satisfaction with sex life, and Q14, satisfaction with sexual relationship). In men treated with sildenafil for ED, scores for measures of EF (IIEF EF domain, IIEF Q2) and the percentage of erections graded completely hard and fully rigid (EHGS grade 4) correlated positively with scores for
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Review of intellectual assessment measures for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Reesman, Jennifer H; Day, Lori A; Szymanski, Christen A; Hughes-Wheatland, Roxanne; Witkin, Gregory A; Kalback, Shawn R; Brice, Patrick J
2014-02-01
Intellectual assessment of children who are deaf or hard of hearing presents unique challenges to the clinician charged with attempting to obtain an accurate representation of the child's skills. Selection of appropriate intellectual assessment instruments requires a working knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the measure and what changes in standardized administration might be necessary to accommodate for the needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the case of some available instruments, there is limited guidance and objective research available examining the performance of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This review summarizes available information on widely used and most recent editions of intellectual assessment measures with special attention to guidance on accommodations, score interpretation, subtest selection and other test-specific considerations when assessing children who are deaf or hard of hearing. There is much opportunity for further inquiry in the field of intellectual assessment as it applies to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as many measures have not been closely scrutinized for their appropriate use with this population. Clinicians must recognize inherent difficulties with intellectual assessment measures with children who are deaf or hard of hearing and issues in providing for an accessible and accurate administration of test items. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martin Bohley
2018-03-01
Full Text Available Due to the constant need for better functionalized surfaces or smaller, function integrated components, precise and efficient manufacturing processes have to be established. Micro milling with micro end mills is one of the most promising processes for this task as it combines a high geometric flexibility in a wide range of machinable materials with low set-up costs. A downside of this process is the wear of the micro end mills. Due to size effects and the relatively low cutting speed, the cutting edge is especially subjected to massive abrasive wear. One possibility to minimize this wear is coating of micro end mills. This research paper describes the performance of eight different hard coatings for micro end mills with a diameter <40 µm and discusses some properties for the best performing coating type. With this research, it is therefore possible to boost the possibilities of micro milling for the manufacture of next generation products.
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Wheat kernel texture dictates U.S. wheat market class. Durum wheat has limited demand and culinary end-uses compared to bread wheat because of its extremely hard kernel texture which precludes conventional milling. ‘Soft Svevo’, a new durum cultivar with soft kernel texture comparable to a soft whit...
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End points and assessments in esthetic dental treatment.
Ishida, Yuichi; Fujimoto, Keiko; Higaki, Nobuaki; Goto, Takaharu; Ichikawa, Tetsuo
2015-10-01
There are two key considerations for successful esthetic dental treatments. This article systematically describes the two key considerations: the end points of esthetic dental treatments and assessments of esthetic outcomes, which are also important for acquiring clinical skill in esthetic dental treatments. The end point and assessment of esthetic dental treatment were discussed through literature reviews and clinical practices. Before designing a treatment plan, the end point of dental treatment should be established. The section entitled "End point of esthetic dental treatment" discusses treatments for maxillary anterior teeth and the restoration of facial profile with prostheses. The process of assessing treatment outcomes entitled "Assessments of esthetic dental treatment" discusses objective and subjective evaluation methods. Practitioners should reach an agreement regarding desired end points with patients through medical interviews, and continuing improvements and developments of esthetic assessments are required to raise the therapeutic level of esthetic dental treatments. Copyright © 2015 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Liao, Chung-Min; Ju, Yun-Ru; Chio, Chia-Pin; Chen, Wei-Yu
2010-02-01
The purpose of this article is to provide a risk-based predictive model to assess the impact of false mussel Mytilopsis sallei invasions on hard clam Meretrix lusoria farms in the southwestern region of Taiwan. The actual spread of invasive false mussel was predicted by using analytical models based on advection-diffusion and gravity models. The proportion of hard clam colonized and infestation by false mussel were used to characterize risk estimates. A mortality model was parameterized to assess hard clam mortality risk characterized by false mussel density and infestation intensity. The published data were reanalyzed to parameterize a predictive threshold model described by a cumulative Weibull distribution function that can be used to estimate the exceeding thresholds of proportion of hard clam colonized and infestation. Results indicated that the infestation thresholds were 2-17 ind clam(-1) for adult hard clams, whereas 4 ind clam(-1) for nursery hard clams. The average colonization thresholds were estimated to be 81-89% for cultivated and nursery hard clam farms, respectively. Our results indicated that false mussel density and infestation, which caused 50% hard clam mortality, were estimated to be 2,812 ind m(-2) and 31 ind clam(-1), respectively. This study further indicated that hard clam farms that are close to the coastal area have at least 50% probability for 43% mortality caused by infestation. This study highlighted that a probabilistic risk-based framework characterized by probability distributions and risk curves is an effective representation of scientific assessments for farmed hard clam in response to the nonnative false mussel invasion.
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Inami, Takayuki; Tsujimura, Toru; Shimizu, Takuya; Watanabe, Takemasa; Lau, Wing Yin; Nosaka, Kazunori
2017-05-01
Ultrasound elastography is used to assess muscle hardness or stiffness; however, no previous studies have validated muscle hardness measures using ultrasound strain elastography (SE). This study investigated the relationship between plantar flexor isometric contraction intensity and gastrocnemius hardness assessed by SE. We hypothesised that the muscle would become harder linearly with an increase in the contraction intensity of the plantar flexors. Fifteen young women (20.1 ± 0.8 years) performed isometric contractions of the ankle plantar flexors at four different intensities (25, 50, 75, 100% of maximal voluntary contraction force: MVC) at 0° plantar flexion. Using SE images, the strain ratio (SR) between the muscle and an acoustic coupler (elastic modulus 22.6 kPa) placed over the skin was calculated (muscle/coupler); pennation angle and muscle thickness were measured for the resting and contracting conditions. SR decreased with increasing contraction intensity from rest (1.28 ± 0.20) to 25% (0.99 ± 0.21), 50% (0.61 ± 0.15), 75% (0.34 ± 0.1) and 100% MVC (0.20 ± 0.05). SR decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing MVC from rest to 75% MVC, but levelled off from 75 and 100% MVC. SR was negatively correlated with pennation angle (r = -0.80, P < 0.01) and muscle thickness ( r= -0.78, P< 0.01). SR appears to represent muscle hardness changes in response to contraction intensity changes, in the assumption that the gastrocnemius muscle contraction intensity is proportional to the plantar flexion intensity. We concluded that gastrocnemius muscle hardness changes could be validly assessed by SR, and the force-hardness relationship was not linear.
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Byers, M R; Yeh, Y
1984-01-01
Axonally transported protein labeled many trigeminal nerve endings in subepithelial regions of the anterior hard palate of the rat. Sensory endings were most numerous in the lamina propria near the tips of the palatal rugae where large connective tissue and epithelial papillae interdigitated. Two kinds of sensory ending were found there: "free" endings, and a variety of corpuscular endings. The "free" sensory endings consisted of bundles of unmyelinated axons separated from the connective tissue by relatively unspecialized Schwann cells covering part or all of their surface and a completely continuous basal lamina; they were commonly found running parallel to the epithelium or near corpuscular endings. The corpuscular sensory endings all had a specialized nerve form, specialized Schwann cells, and axonal fingers projecting into the corpuscular basal lamina or connective tissue. There were at least four distinct types of corpuscular ending: Ruffini-like endings were found among dense collagen bundles, and they had a flattened nerve ending with a flattened Schwann lamella on either side. Meissner endings had an ordered stack of flattened nerve terminals with flattened Schwann cells and much basal lamina within and around the corpuscle. Simple corpuscles were single nerve endings surrounded by several layers of concentric lamellar Schwann processes. Glomerular endings were found in lamina propria papillae or encircling epithelial papillae; they were a tangle of varied neural forms each of which had apposed flattened Schwann cells, and a layer of basal lamina of varied thickness. Fibroblasts often formed incomplete partitions around Meissner and simple corpuscles. The axoplasm of all kinds of subepithelial sensory endings contained numerous mitochondria and vesicles, as well as occasional multivesicular bodies and lysosomes; the axoplasm of all endings was pale with few microtubules and neurofilaments. The specialized lamellar Schwann cells had much pinocytotic
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Assessing degradation of composite resin cements during artificial aging by Martens hardness.
Bürgin, Stefan; Rohr, Nadja; Fischer, Jens
2017-05-19
Aim of the study was to verify the efficiency of Martens hardness measurements in detecting the degradation of composite resin cements during artificial aging. Four cements were used: Variolink II (VL2), RelyX Unicem 2 Automix (RUN), PermaFlo DC (PDC), and DuoCem (DCM). Specimens for Martens hardness measurements were light-cured and stored in water at 37 °C for 1 day to allow complete polymerization (baseline). Subsequently the specimens were artificially aged by water storage at 37 °C or thermal cycling (n = 6). Hardness was measured at baseline as well as after 1, 4, 9 and 16 days of aging. Specimens for indirect tensile strength measurements were produced in a similar manner. Indirect tensile strength was measured at baseline and after 16 days of aging (n = 10). The results were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA (α = 0.05). After water storage for 16 days hardness was significantly reduced for VL2, RUN and DCM while hardness of PDC as well as indirect tensile strength of all cements were not significantly affected. Thermal cycling significantly reduced both, hardness and indirect tensile strength for all cements. No general correlation was found between Martens hardness and indirect tensile strength. However, when each material was analyzed separately, relative change of hardness and of indirect tensile strength revealed a strong linear correlation. Martens hardness is a sensible test method to assess aging of resin composite cements during thermal cycling that is easy to perform.
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A delayed transition to the hard state for 4U 1630-47 at the end of its 2010 outburst
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Tomsick, John A. [Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States); Yamaoka, Kazutaka [Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Department of Particles and Astronomy, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601 (Japan); Corbel, Stephane [AIM - Unité Mixte de Recherche CEA - CNRS - Université Paris VII - UMR 7158, CEA-Saclay, Service d' Astrophysique, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Kalemci, Emrah [Sabanci University, Orhanli-Tuzla, Istanbul 34956 (Turkey); Migliari, Simone [Department d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Marti I Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Kaaret, Philip, E-mail: jtomsick@ssl.berkeley.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States)
2014-08-10
Here we report on Swift and Suzaku observations near the end of an outburst from the black hole transient 4U 1630-47 and Chandra observations when the source was in quiescence. 4U 1630-47 made a transition from a soft state to the hard state ∼50 days after the main outburst ended. During this unusual delay, the flux continued to drop, and one Swift measurement found the source with a soft spectrum at a 2-10 keV luminosity of L = 1.07 × 10{sup 35} erg s{sup –1} for an estimated distance of 10 kpc. While such transients usually make a transition to the hard state at L/L{sub Edd} = 0.3%-3%, where L{sub Edd} is the Eddington luminosity, the 4U 1630-47 spectrum remained soft at L/L{sub Edd} = 0.008 M{sub 10}{sup −1}% (as measured in the 2-10 keV band), where M{sub 10} is the mass of the black hole in units of 10 M{sub ☉}. An estimate of the luminosity in the broader 0.5-200 keV bandpass gives L/L{sub Edd} = 0.03 M{sub 10}{sup −1}%, which is still an order of magnitude lower than typical. We also measured an exponential decay of the X-ray flux in the hard state with an e-folding time of 3.39 ± 0.06 days, which is much less than previous measurements of 12-15 days during decays by 4U 1630-47 in the soft state. With the ∼100 ks Suzaku observation, we do not see evidence for a reflection component, and the 90% confidence limits on the equivalent width of a narrow iron Kα emission line are <40 eV for a narrow line and <100 eV for a line of any width, which is consistent with a change of geometry (either a truncated accretion disk or a change in the location of the hard X-ray source) in the hard state. Finally, we report a 0.5-8 keV luminosity upper limit of <2 × 10{sup 32} erg s{sup –1} in quiescence, which is the lowest value measured for 4U 1630-47 to date.
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Assessment of surface hardness of acrylic resins submitted to accelerated artificial aging.
Tornavoi, D C; Agnelli, J A M; Lepri, C P; Mazzetto, M O; Botelho, A L; Soares, R G; Dos Reis, A C
2012-06-01
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of accelerated artificial aging (AAA) on the surface hardness of acrylic resins. The following three commercial brands of acrylic resins were tested: Vipi Flash (autopolymerized resin), Vipi Wave (microwave heat-polymerized resin) and Vipi Cril (conventional heat-polymerized resin). To perform the tests, 21 test specimens (65x10x3 mm) were made, 7 for each resin. Three surface hardness readings were performed for each test specimen, before and after AAA, and the means were submitted to the following tests: Kolmogorov-Smirnov (P>0.05), Levene Statistic, Two-way ANOVA, Tukey Post Hoc (Paging, the autopolymerized acrylic resin Vipi Flash showed lower hardness values when compared with the heat-polymerized resin Vipi Cril (P=0.001). After aging, the 3 materials showed similar performance when compared among them. The Vipi Cril was the only one affected by AAA and showed lower hardness values after this procedure (Pp=0.003). It may be concluded that accelerated artificial aging influenced surface hardness of heat-polymerized acrylic resin Vipi Cril.
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Modeling end-use quality in U. S. soft wheat germplasm
End-use quality in soft wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) can be assessed by a wide array of measurements, generally categorized into grain, milling, and baking characteristics. Samples were obtained from four regional nurseries. Selected parameters included: test weight, kernel hardness, kernel size, ke...
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American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia
2007-01-01
1.1 Conversion Table 1 presents data in the Rockwell C hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.2 Conversion Table 2 presents data in the Rockwell B hardness range on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, Knoop hardness, and Scleroscope hardness of non-austenitic steels including carbon, alloy, and tool steels in the as-forged, annealed, normalized, and quenched and tempered conditions provided that they are homogeneous. 1.3 Conversion Table 3 presents data on the relationship among Brinell hardness, Vickers hardness, Rockwell hardness, Rockwell superficial hardness, and Knoop hardness of nickel and high-nickel alloys (nickel content o...
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Wheat kernel texture dictates U.S. wheat market class. Durum wheat has limited demand and culinary end-uses compared to bread wheat because of its extremely hard kernel texture which preclude conventional milling. ‘Soft Svevo’, a new durum cultivar with soft kernel texture comparable to a soft white...
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Cawthon, Stephanie
2009-01-01
Teachers of students with low-incidence disabilities, such as students who are deaf or hard of hearing, face unique challenges in putting education policy into practice. The present article presents professional development findings from the Third Annual National Survey of Accommodations and Assessment for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Cawthon, Hersh, Kim, & Online Research Lab, in press). A total of 391 participants described professional development they had experienced related to assessment of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Teachers reported greater exposure to topics in school/district sessions and discussion with their colleagues than in their preparation programs. Teaching at a school for the deaf or teaching students in high school were significant predictors of an increased prevalence of professional development opportunities on assessment-related topics for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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The Machining of Hard Mold Steel by Ultrasonic Assisted End Milling
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ming Yi Tsai
2016-11-01
Full Text Available This study describes the use of ultrasonic-assisted end milling to improve the quality of the machined surface of hard Stavax (modified AISI 420 mold steel and to reduce the amount of work involved in the final polishing process. The effects of input voltage, the stretch length and cutter holding force on the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration used were measured. The effect of ultrasonic frequency (25 and 50 kHz and amplitude (0, 2.20 and 3.68 μm as well as the effect of the rake angle (6° and −6° and the cutter helix angle (25°, 35° and 45° on tool wear and quality of the workpiece surface finish were also investigated. It was found that the ultrasonic amplitude increased with cutter stretch length and input voltage, as expected. The amplitude remained constant when the cutter holding force exceeded 15 N. The experimental results showed that the ultrasonic amplitude had an optimum value with respect to surface finish. However, large amplitude ultrasonics did not necessarily improve quality. Furthermore, the cutters used for ultrasonic-assisted milling show less wear than those used for normal milling. It was also found that a positive rake angle and cutters with a large helix angle gave a better surface finish.
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2010-01-01
... REGULATIONS Germination Tests in the Administration of the Act § 201.57 Hard seeds. Seeds which remain hard at the end of the prescribed test because they have not absorbed water, due to an impermeable seed coat... percentage of germination. For flatpea, continue the swollen seed in test for 14 days when germinating at 15...
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Getting Started with Open-Ended Assessment
Leatham, Keith R.; Lawrence, Kathy; Mewborn, Denise S.
2005-01-01
The open-ended assessment item supports students in achieving mathematical understanding that the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) advocates. The items encourage students to demonstrate their understanding in creative and informative ways.
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Registration of 'Prevail' hard red spring wheat
Grower and end-user acceptance of new Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW; Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars is largely contingent upon satisfactory agronomic performance, end-use quality potential, and disease resistance levels. Additional characteristics, such as desirable plant height, can also contribute...
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Radiation hardness on very front-end for SPD
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cano, Xavier; Graciani, Ricardo; Gascon, David; Garrido, Lluis; Bota, Sebastia; Herms, Atila; Comerma, Albert; Riera, Jordi
2005-01-01
The calorimeter front-end electronics of the LHCb experiment will be located in a region, which is not protected from radiation. Therefore, all the electronics must be qualified to stand some defined radiation levels. The procedure, measurements and results of an irradiation test for every component of the very front-end SPD detector, which is part of the LHCb calorimeter are presented here. All the tested components, except a custom made ASIC, are commercially available
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Single event effect hardness for the front-end ASICs in the DAMPE satellite BGO calorimeter
Gao, Shan-Shan; Jiang, Di; Feng, Chang-Qing; Xi, Kai; Liu, Shu-Bin; An, Qi
2016-01-01
The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a Chinese scientific satellite designed for cosmic ray studies with a primary scientific goal of indirect detection of dark matter particles. As a crucial sub-detector, the BGO calorimeter measures the energy spectrum of cosmic rays in the energy range from 5 GeV to 10 TeV. In order to implement high-density front-end electronics (FEE) with the ability to measure 1848 signals from 616 photomultiplier tubes on the strictly constrained satellite platform, two kinds of 32-channel front-end ASICs, VA160 and VATA160, are customized. However, a space mission period of more than 3 years makes single event effects (SEEs) become threats to reliability. In order to evaluate SEE sensitivities of these chips and verify the effectiveness of mitigation methods, a series of laser-induced and heavy ion-induced SEE tests were performed. Benefiting from the single event latch-up (SEL) protection circuit for power supply, the triple module redundancy (TMR) technology for the configuration registers and the optimized sequential design for the data acquisition process, 52 VA160 chips and 32 VATA160 chips have been applied in the flight model of the BGO calorimeter with radiation hardness assurance. Supported by Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA04040202-4) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WK2030040048)
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Pizzo, Lianna; Chilvers, Amanda
2016-01-01
The authors address considerations and promising practices relating to assessment of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners. DMLs' unique culture(s), language(s), and learning needs must be considered when assessments of this population are being planned, conducted, and interpreted. The authors address theory and research on (a) general…
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Ending domestic violence against women: assessment of ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Ending domestic violence against women: assessment of knowledge and ... Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized for this study. ... study documented poor knowledge and perception of DV among the studied population.
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Feinberg, Lee; Bolcar, Matt; Liu, Alice; Guyon, Olivier; Stark,Chris; Arenberg, Jon
2016-01-01
Key challenges of a future large aperture, segmented Ultraviolet Optical Infrared (UVOIR) Telescope capable of performing a spectroscopic survey of hundreds of Exoplanets will be sufficient stability to achieve 10-10 contrast measurements and sufficient throughput and sensitivity for high yield Exo-Earth spectroscopic detection. Our team has collectively assessed an optimized end to end architecture including a high throughput coronagraph capable of working with a segmented telescope, a cost-effective and heritage based stable segmented telescope, a control architecture that minimizes the amount of new technologies, and an Exo-Earth yield assessment to evaluate potential performance.
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Feinberg, Lee; Rioux, Norman; Bolcar, Matthew; Liu, Alice; Guyon, Oliver; Stark, Chris; Arenberg, Jon
2016-01-01
Key challenges of a future large aperture, segmented Ultraviolet Optical Infrared (UVOIR) Telescope capable of performing a spectroscopic survey of hundreds of Exoplanets will be sufficient stability to achieve 10^-10 contrast measurements and sufficient throughput and sensitivity for high yield Exo-Earth spectroscopic detection. Our team has collectively assessed an optimized end to end architecture including a high throughput coronagraph capable of working with a segmented telescope, a cost-effective and heritage based stable segmented telescope, a control architecture that minimizes the amount of new technologies, and an Exo-Earth yield assessment to evaluate potential performance. These efforts are combined through integrated modeling, coronagraph evaluations, and Exo-Earth yield calculations to assess the potential performance of the selected architecture. In addition, we discusses the scalability of this architecture to larger apertures and the technological tall poles to enabling it.
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Alavi, Shiva; Kachuie, Marzie
2017-01-01
This study was conducted to assess the hardness of orthodontic brackets produced by metal injection molding (MIM) and conventional methods and different orthodontic wires (stainless steel, nickel-titanium [Ni-Ti], and beta-titanium alloys) for better clinical results. A total of 15 specimens from each brand of orthodontic brackets and wires were examined. The brackets (Elite Opti-Mim which is produced by MIM process and Ultratrimm which is produced by conventional brazing method) and the wires (stainless steel, Ni-Ti, and beta-titanium) were embedded in epoxy resin, followed by grinding, polishing, and coating. Then, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis was applied to assess their elemental composition. The same specimen surfaces were repolished and used for Vickers microhardness assessment. Hardness was statistically analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Mann-Whitney test at the 0.05 level of significance. The X-ray EDS analysis revealed different ferrous or co-based alloys in each bracket. The maximum mean hardness values of the wires were achieved for stainless steel (SS) (529.85 Vickers hardness [VHN]) versus the minimum values for beta-titanium (334.65 VHN). Among the brackets, Elite Opti-Mim exhibited significantly higher VHN values (262.66 VHN) compared to Ultratrimm (206.59 VHN). VHN values of wire alloys were significantly higher than those of the brackets. MIM orthodontic brackets exhibited hardness values much lower than those of SS orthodontic archwires and were more compatible with NiTi and beta-titanium archwires. A wide range of microhardness values has been reported for conventional orthodontic brackets and it should be considered that the manufacturing method might be only one of the factors affecting the mechanical properties of orthodontic brackets including hardness.
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Testan, Peter R.
1987-04-01
A number of Color Hard Copy (CHC) market drivers are currently indicating strong growth in the use of CHC technologies for the business graphics marketplace. These market drivers relate to product, software, color monitors and color copiers. The use of color in business graphics allows more information to be relayed than is normally the case in a monochrome format. The communicative powers of full-color computer generated output in the business graphics application area will continue to induce end users to desire and require color in their future applications. A number of color hard copy technologies will be utilized in the presentation graphics arena. Thermal transfer, ink jet, photographic and electrophotographic technologies are all expected to be utilized in the business graphics presentation application area in the future. Since the end of 1984, the availability of color application software packages has grown significantly. Sales revenue generated by business graphics software is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of just over 40 percent to 1990. Increased availability of packages to allow the integration of text and graphics is expected. Currently, the latest versions of page description languages such as Postscript, Interpress and DDL all support color output. The use of color monitors will also drive the demand for color hard copy in the business graphics market place. The availability of higher resolution screens is allowing color monitors to be easily used for both text and graphics applications in the office environment. During 1987, the sales of color monitors are expected to surpass the sales of monochrome monitors. Another major color hard copy market driver will be the color copier. In order to take advantage of the communications power of computer generated color output, multiple copies are required for distribution. Product introductions of a new generation of color copiers is now underway with additional introductions expected
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Pizzo, Lianna; Chilvers, Amanda
2016-01-01
The authors address considerations and promising practices relating to assessment of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners. DMLs' unique culture(s), language(s), and learning needs must be considered when assessments of this population are being planned, conducted, and interpreted. The authors address theory and research on (a) general considerations for the overarching assessment process, (b) specific assessment approaches used to assess DMLs, and (c) assessment of language proficiency for diverse language learners. In addition, basic recommendations for the assessment of DMLs are made, including increased availability of assessments in various languages, use of multiple sources of individual and family data, assessment of all languages, and incorporation of a strong assessment component (that includes nondiscrimination practices) into teacher preparation programs.
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Soft- and hard-agglomerate aerosols made at high temperatures.
Tsantilis, Stavros; Pratsinis, Sotiris E
2004-07-06
Criteria for aerosol synthesis of soft-agglomerate, hard-agglomerate, or even nonagglomerate particles are developed on the basis of particle sintering and coalescence. Agglomerate (or aggregate) particles are held together by weak, physical van der Waals forces (soft agglomerates) or by stronger chemical or sintering bonds (hard agglomerates). Accounting for simultaneous gas phase chemical reaction, coagulation, and sintering during the formation and growth of silica (SiO2) nanoparticles by silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) oxidation and neglecting the spread of particle size distribution, the onset of hard-agglomerate formation is identified at the end of full coalescence, while the onset of soft-agglomerate formation is identified at the end of sintering. Process conditions such as the precursor initial volume fraction, maximum temperature, residence time, and cooling rate are explored, identifying regions for the synthesis of particles with a controlled degree of agglomeration (ratio of collision to primary particle diameters).
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Burrows, J.; Johnson, V.; Henckel, D.
2016-01-01
Work Hard / Play Hard was a participatory performance/workshop or CPD experience hosted by interdisciplinary arts atelier WeAreCodeX, in association with AntiUniversity.org. As a socially/economically engaged arts practice, Work Hard / Play Hard challenged employees/players to get playful, or go to work. 'The game changes you, you never change the game'. Employee PLAYER A 'The faster the better.' Employer PLAYER B
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Technology skills assessment for deaf and hard of hearing students in secondary school.
Luft, Pamela; Bonello, Mary; Zirzow, Nichole K
2009-01-01
To BE COMPETITIVE in the workplace, deaf and hard of hearing students must not only possess basic computer literacy but also know how to use and care for personal assistive and listening technology. An instrument was developed and pilot-tested on 45 middle school and high school deaf and hard of hearing students in 5 public school programs, 4 urban and 1 suburban, to assess these students' current technology skills and to prepare them for post-high school expectations. The researchers found that the students' computer skills depended on their access to technology, which was not always present in the schools. Many students also did not know basic care practices or troubleshooting techniques for their own personal hearing aids (if worn), or how to access or use personal assistive technology.
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Hard electronics; Hard electronics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1997-03-01
Hard material technologies were surveyed to establish the hard electronic technology which offers superior characteristics under hard operational or environmental conditions as compared with conventional Si devices. The following technologies were separately surveyed: (1) The device and integration technologies of wide gap hard semiconductors such as SiC, diamond and nitride, (2) The technology of hard semiconductor devices for vacuum micro- electronics technology, and (3) The technology of hard new material devices for oxides. The formation technology of oxide thin films made remarkable progress after discovery of oxide superconductor materials, resulting in development of an atomic layer growth method and mist deposition method. This leading research is expected to solve such issues difficult to be easily realized by current Si technology as high-power, high-frequency and low-loss devices in power electronics, high temperature-proof and radiation-proof devices in ultimate electronics, and high-speed and dense- integrated devices in information electronics. 432 refs., 136 figs., 15 tabs.
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End-use quality of soft kernel durum wheat
Kernel texture is a major determinant of end-use quality of wheat. Durum wheat has very hard kernels. We developed soft kernel durum wheat via Ph1b-mediated homoeologous recombination. The Hardness locus was transferred from Chinese Spring to Svevo durum wheat via back-crossing. ‘Soft Svevo’ had SKC...
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De-Deus, Gustavo; Marins, Juliana; Neves, Aline de Almeida; Reis, Claudia; Fidel, Sandra; Versiani, Marco A; Alves, Haimon; Lopes, Ricardo Tadeu; Paciornik, Sidnei
2014-02-01
The accumulation of debris occurs after root canal preparation procedures specifically in fins, isthmus, irregularities, and ramifications. The aim of this study was to present a step-by-step description of a new method used to longitudinally identify, measure, and 3-dimensionally map the accumulation of hard-tissue debris inside the root canal after biomechanical preparation using free software for image processing and analysis. Three mandibular molars presenting the mesial root with a large isthmus width and a type II Vertucci's canal configuration were selected and scanned. The specimens were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental approaches: (1) 5.25% sodium hypochlorite + 17% EDTA, (2) bidistilled water, and (3) no irrigation. After root canal preparation, high-resolution scans of the teeth were accomplished, and free software packages were used to register and quantify the amount of accumulated hard-tissue debris in either canal space or isthmus areas. Canal preparation without irrigation resulted in 34.6% of its volume filled with hard-tissue debris, whereas the use of bidistilled water or NaOCl followed by EDTA showed a reduction in the percentage volume of debris to 16% and 11.3%, respectively. The closer the distance to the isthmus area was the larger the amount of accumulated debris regardless of the irrigating protocol used. Through the present method, it was possible to calculate the volume of hard-tissue debris in the isthmuses and in the root canal space. Free-software packages used for image reconstruction, registering, and analysis have shown to be promising for end-user application. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liu, Shengdan; Li, Chengbo; Han, Suqi; Deng, Yunlai; Zhang, Xinming
2015-01-01
Highlights: • The quench-induced hardness inhomogeneity in 7055 Al alloy decreases by natural aging. • The reason is discussed based on natural aging effect on microstructural inhomogeneity. • Natural aging decreases the difference of hardening precipitates due to slow quenching. • GPII zones appear in the rapidly-quenched sample after natural aging for 17,280 h. - Abstract: The effect of natural aging on quench-induced inhomogeneity of microstructure and hardness in high strength 7055 aluminum alloy was investigated by means of end quenching technique, transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry thermal analysis. The hardness inhomogeneity in the end-quenched specimens after artificial aging decreases with the increase of natural aging time prior to artificial aging. The quench-induced differences in the amount and size of η′ phase are large in the end-quenched specimen after artificial aging at 120 °C for 24 h, leading to high hardness inhomogeneity. Natural aging for a long time results in a larger amount of stable GPI zones in the slowly-quenched sample, and thus decreases such differences in the end-quenched specimens after subsequent artificial aging, leading to lower hardness inhomogeneity. The hardness inhomogeneity can be reduced from 14% to be 4% by natural aging for 17,280 h prior to artificial aging
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Cawthon, Stephanie W.; Wurtz, Keith A.
2009-01-01
The purpose of this paper is to present findings on alternate assessments for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH). Drawn from the results of the "Second National Survey of Assessments and Accommodations for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing," this study investigated three alternate assessment formats: portfolio, checklists, and…
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Cawthon, Stephanie
2015-01-01
Designing assessments and tests is one of the more challenging aspects of creating an accessible learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), particularly for deaf students with a disability (DWD). Standardized assessments are a key mechanism by which the educational system in the United States measures student…
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Jones, Merryn A; Cornwall, Jon
2018-05-04
People needing kidney transplants in New Zealand can receive organs from deceased donors or from a living kidney donor. This project explored issues surrounding donor recruitment, examining the lived experience of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in order to facilitate improved donor recruitment for ESRD patients. A qualitative study comprising interviews of ESRD patients in Hawke's Bay, focusing on the factors surrounding approaching family and friends for a kidney. Purposeful sampling and thematic analysis of data was utilised. Fifteen participants were interviewed (Five female; mean age 49.8yrs). Most stated it was hard to ask for a kidney; almost half had never approached anyone. For many, approaching potential donors was a barrier. Many Māori had limited recruitment opportunities due to comorbidities within extended whanau, making the decision of who to approach difficult. Other barriers included concern for donor health, poor health literacy and poor self-efficacy. Recipients desired more support to facilitate approaching donors, with cultural differences observed between Māori and non-Māori in recruitment expectations. Tailored support could be enabled with development of a screening tool to assess willingness and motivation to accept donation, cultural needs, self-efficacy, communication skills and health literacy. Psychosocial support could help address barriers such as reciprocity concerns.
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The development of a hard and soft IT governance assessment instrument
Smits, Daniël; Van Hillegersberg, Jos
2017-01-01
Current IT governance research is largely focused on hard governance. Soft governance needs more attention. The MIG model (Maturity IT governance) was designed because an IT governance maturity model covering both the hard and soft parts of governance did not exist. Using the MIG model, this paper
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Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students' Through-the-Air English Skills: A Review of Formal Assessments
Bennett, Jessica G.; Gardner, Ralph, III; Rizzi, Gleides Lopes
2013-01-01
Strong correlations exist between signed and/or spoken English and the literacy skills of deaf and hard of hearing students. Assessments that are both valid and reliable are key for researchers and practitioners investigating the signed and/or spoken English skills of signing populations. The authors conducted a literature review to explore which…
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A hard X-ray laboratory for monochromator characterisation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hamelin, B [Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL), 38 - Grenoble (France)
1997-04-01
Since their installation at ILL during the 1970`s the ILL {gamma}-ray diffractometers have been intensively used in the development of neutron monochromators. However, the ageing of the sources and new developments in hard X-ray diffractometry lead to a decision at the end of 1995 to replace the existing {gamma}-ray laboratory with a hard X-ray laboratory, based on a 420 keV generator, making available in the long term several beam-lines for rapid characterisation of monochromator crystals. The facility is now installed and its characteristics and advantages are outlined. (author). 2 refs.
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Initial assessment of the thermal stresses around a radioactive waste depository in hard rock
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hodgkinson, D.P.; Bourke, P.J.
1980-01-01
The disposal of heat emitting radioactive waste into hard rock should result in temperature rises and thermal gradients over distances of several hundred metres for several centuries. The consequent constrained thermal expansion of the rock would induce stresses which have important implications for possible water-borne leakage of radionuclides and for depository design. These problems are assessed by considering a simplified mathematical model for which analytic solutions to the temperature and stress fields are derived. (author)
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karl W. Kosko
2011-07-01
Full Text Available Quantitative Literacy (QL has been described as the skill set an individual uses when interacting with the world in a quantitative manner. A necessary component of this interaction is communication. To this end, assessments of QL have included open-ended items as a means of including communicative aspects of QL. The present study sought to examine whether such open-ended items typically measured aspects of quantitative communication, as compared to mathematical communication, or mathematical skills. We focused on public-released items and rubrics from four of the most widely referenced assessments: the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-95: the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS; now the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL in 1985 and 1992, the International Adult Literacy Skills (IALS beginning in 1994; and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA beginning in 2000. We found that open-ended item rubrics in these QL assessments showed a strong tendency to assess answer-only responses. Therefore, while some open-ended items may have required certain levels of quantitative reasoning to find a solution, it is the solution rather than the reasoning that was often assessed.
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Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 1993
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1994-06-01
The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is being constructed in preparation for the deep geological repository of spent fuel in Sweden. This Annual Report 1993 for the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory contains an overview of the work conducted. Present work is focused on verification of pre-investigation methods and development of the detailed investigation methodology. Construction of the facility and investigation of the bedrock are carried out in parallel. As of December 1993, 2760 m of the tunnel had been excavated to a depth of 370 m below the surface. An important and integral part of the work is further refinement of conceptual and numerical models for groundwater flow and radionuclide migration. Detailed plans have been prepared for several experiments to be conducted after the end of the construction work. Eight organizations from seven countries are now participating in the work at the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory and are contributing in different ways to the results being achieved
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Development of radiation hard components for remote maintenance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Oka, Kiyoshi; Obara, Kenjiro; Kakudate, Satoshi; Tominaga, Ryuichiro; Akada, Tamio; Morita, Hirosuke.
1997-01-01
In International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), in-vessel remote-handling is inevitably required to assemble and maintain activated in-vessel components due to D-T operation. The components of the in-vessel remote-handling system must have sufficient radiation hardness to allow for operation under an intense gamma-ray radiation of over 30 kGy/h for periods up to more than 1,000 hours. To this end, extensive irradiation tests and quality improvements including the optimization of material composition have been conducted through the ITER R and D program in order to develop radiation hard components which satisfy radiation doses from 10 MGy to 100 MGy at the dose rate of 10 kGy/h. This paper outlines the latest status of the radiation hard component development that has been conducted as the Japan Home Team's contribution to ITER. The remote-handling components tested are categorized into either robotics, viewing systems or common components. The irradiation tests include commercial base products for screening both modified and newly developed products to improve their radiation hardness. (author)
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An end-to-end assessment of range uncertainty in proton therapy using animal tissues
Zheng, Yuanshui; Kang, Yixiu; Zeidan, Omar; Schreuder, Niek
2016-11-01
Accurate assessment of range uncertainty is critical in proton therapy. However, there is a lack of data and consensus on how to evaluate the appropriate amount of uncertainty. The purpose of this study is to quantify the range uncertainty in various treatment conditions in proton therapy, using transmission measurements through various animal tissues. Animal tissues, including a pig head, beef steak, and lamb leg, were used in this study. For each tissue, an end-to-end test closely imitating patient treatments was performed. This included CT scan simulation, treatment planning, image-guided alignment, and beam delivery. Radio-chromic films were placed at various depths in the distal dose falloff region to measure depth dose. Comparisons between measured and calculated doses were used to evaluate range differences. The dose difference at the distal falloff between measurement and calculation depends on tissue type and treatment conditions. The estimated range difference was up to 5, 6 and 4 mm for the pig head, beef steak, and lamb leg irradiation, respectively. Our study shows that the TPS was able to calculate proton range within about 1.5% plus 1.5 mm. Accurate assessment of range uncertainty in treatment planning would allow better optimization of proton beam treatment, thus fully achieving proton beams’ superior dose advantage over conventional photon-based radiation therapy.
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Assessment of empirical formulae for local response of concrete structures to hard projectile impact
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Buzaud, E.; Cazaubon, Ch.; Chauvel, D.
2007-01-01
The outcome of the impact of a hard projectile on a reinforced concrete structure is affected by different parameters such as the configuration of the interaction, the projectile geometry, mass and velocity and the target geometry, reinforcement, and concrete mechanical properties. Those parameters have been investigated experimentally during the last 30 years, hence providing a basis of simplified mathematical models like empirical formulae. The aim of the authors is to assess the relative performances of classical and more recent empirical formulae. (authors)
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The Spatial Assessment of the Current Seismic Hazard State for Hard Rock Underground Mines
Wesseloo, Johan
2018-06-01
Mining-induced seismic hazard assessment is an important component in the management of safety and financial risk in mines. As the seismic hazard is a response to the mining activity, it is non-stationary and variable both in space and time. This paper presents an approach for implementing a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment to assess the current hazard state of a mine. Each of the components of the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment is considered within the context of hard rock underground mines. The focus of this paper is the assessment of the in-mine hazard distribution and does not consider the hazard to nearby public or structures. A rating system and methodologies to present hazard maps, for the purpose of communicating to different stakeholders in the mine, i.e. mine managers, technical personnel and the work force, are developed. The approach allows one to update the assessment with relative ease and within short time periods as new data become available, enabling the monitoring of the spatial and temporal change in the seismic hazard.
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Pixel front-end development in 65 nm CMOS technology
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Havránek, M; Hemperek, T; Kishishita, T; Krüger, H; Wermes, N
2014-01-01
Luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC) imposes severe constraints on the detector tracking systems in terms of radiation hardness and capability to cope with higher hit rates. One possible way of keeping track with increasing luminosity is the usage of more advanced technologies. Ultra deep sub-micron CMOS technologies allow a design of complex and high speed electronics with high integration density. In addition, these technologies are inherently radiation hard. We present a prototype of analog pixel front-end integrated circuit designed in 65 nm CMOS technology with applications oriented towards the ATLAS Pixel Detector upgrade. The aspects of ultra deep sub-micron design and performance of the analog pixel front-end circuits will be discussed
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Correlating particle hardness with powder compaction performance.
Cao, Xiaoping; Morganti, Mikayla; Hancock, Bruno C; Masterson, Victoria M
2010-10-01
Assessing particle mechanical properties of pharmaceutical materials quickly and with little material can be very important to early stages of pharmaceutical research. In this study, a wide range of pharmaceutical materials were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation. A significant amount of particle hardness and elastic modulus data were provided. Moreover, powder compact mechanical properties of these materials were investigated in order to build correlation between the particle hardness and powder compaction performance. It was found that the materials with very low or high particle hardness most likely exhibit poor compaction performance while the materials with medium particle hardness usually have good compaction behavior. Additionally, the results from this study enriched Hiestand's special case concept on particle hardness and powder compaction performance. This study suggests that the use of AFM nanoindentation can help to screen mechanical properties of pharmaceutical materials at early development stages of pharmaceutical research.
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Revisiting the definition of local hardness and hardness kernel.
Polanco-Ramírez, Carlos A; Franco-Pérez, Marco; Carmona-Espíndola, Javier; Gázquez, José L; Ayers, Paul W
2017-05-17
An analysis of the hardness kernel and local hardness is performed to propose new definitions for these quantities that follow a similar pattern to the one that characterizes the quantities associated with softness, that is, we have derived new definitions for which the integral of the hardness kernel over the whole space of one of the variables leads to local hardness, and the integral of local hardness over the whole space leads to global hardness. A basic aspect of the present approach is that global hardness keeps its identity as the second derivative of energy with respect to the number of electrons. Local hardness thus obtained depends on the first and second derivatives of energy and electron density with respect to the number of electrons. When these derivatives are approximated by a smooth quadratic interpolation of energy, the expression for local hardness reduces to the one intuitively proposed by Meneses, Tiznado, Contreras and Fuentealba. However, when one combines the first directional derivatives with smooth second derivatives one finds additional terms that allow one to differentiate local hardness for electrophilic attack from the one for nucleophilic attack. Numerical results related to electrophilic attacks on substituted pyridines, substituted benzenes and substituted ethenes are presented to show the overall performance of the new definition.
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It must be hard to stay so close
Rossi, L
The ATLAS pixel detector should operate for many years at a few centimeters from the LHC collision region. Every part of the detector should then be radiation hard to levels exceeding 500 KGy. This requirement is particularly difficult to meet for the active parts of the detectors, namely the sensors and the electronics. While the pixel sensors have already proven to be rad-hard, the electronics, being more complex, have required a longer development period. It is then with understandable excitement that the pixel collaboration begun to test the first samples of rad-hard electronics developed in Deep Sub Micron (DSM), a technology where the very pure and thin oxides minimize the transistor voltage threshold variation with irradiation. The first DSM 8" wafers have been delivered in January 2002, after a long and intense design activity lead by Kevin Einsweiler. Several laboratories did contribute to the design of the electronics: the Front End chip has been developed by Bonn, CPPM and LBNL, the Module Contro...
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What drives the efficiency of hard coal fuelled electricity generation? : an empirical assessment
Hoffmann, Tim; Voigt, Sebastian
2009-01-01
The efficiency of electricity generation in hard coal fired power plants varies considerably from country to country and over time. These differences occur both between developing and developed countries and between industrialised nations. The econometric analysis presented in this paper tests for the reasons of these discrepancies. In this examination abundance of hard coal and the price of hard coal are the two variables of our major interest. We assume that countries with an abundance of h...
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Hard and soft acids and bases: structure and process.
Reed, James L
2012-07-05
Under investigation is the structure and process that gives rise to hard-soft behavior in simple anionic atomic bases. That for simple atomic bases the chemical hardness is expected to be the only extrinsic component of acid-base strength, has been substantiated in the current study. A thermochemically based operational scale of chemical hardness was used to identify the structure within anionic atomic bases that is responsible for chemical hardness. The base's responding electrons have been identified as the structure, and the relaxation that occurs during charge transfer has been identified as the process giving rise to hard-soft behavior. This is in contrast the commonly accepted explanations that attribute hard-soft behavior to varying degrees of electrostatic and covalent contributions to the acid-base interaction. The ability of the atomic ion's responding electrons to cause hard-soft behavior has been assessed by examining the correlation of the estimated relaxation energies of the responding electrons with the operational chemical hardness. It has been demonstrated that the responding electrons are able to give rise to hard-soft behavior in simple anionic bases.
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CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Schutte, PC
2012-03-01
Full Text Available . 2 METHODOLOGY 2.1 Physiological strain The Physiological Strain Index (PSI) is a useful tool to determine the impact of environmental tem- peratures and physical work on individuals. The PSI is based on core body temperature and heart rate... of heat built up during muscle contraction, while heart rate re- flects demands placed on the circulatory system in How hard do mineworkers work? An assessment of workplace stress as- sociated with routine mining activities P.C. Schutte CSIR...
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Evaluation of hard fossil fuel
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zivkovic, S.; Nuic, J.
1999-01-01
Because of its inexhaustible supplies hard fossil fuel will represent the pillar of the power systems of the 21st century. Only high-calorie fossil fuels have the market value and participate in the world trade. Low-calorie fossil fuels ((brown coal and lignite) are fuels spent on the spot and their value is indirectly expressed through manufactured kWh. For the purpose of determining the real value of a tonne of low-calorie coal, the criteria that help in establishing the value of a tonne of hard coal have to be corrected and thus evaluated and assessed at the market. (author)
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A content validity approach to creating an end-user computer skill assessment tool
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shirley Gibbs
Full Text Available Practical assessment instruments are commonly used in the workplace and educational environments to assess a person\\'s level of digital literacy and end-user computer skill. However, it is often difficult to find statistical evidence of the actual validity of instruments being used. To ensure that the correct factors are being assessed for a particular purpose it is necessary to undertake some type of psychometric testing, and the first step is to study the content relevance of the measure. The purpose of this paper is to report on the rigorous judgment-quantification process using panels of experts in order to establish inter-rater reliability and agreement in the development of end-user instruments developed to measure workplace skills using spreadsheet and word-processing applications.
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Grain characterization and milling behaviour of near-isogenic lines differing by hardness.
Greffeuille, V; Abecassis, J; Rousset, M; Oury, F-X; Faye, A; L'Helgouac'h, C Bar; Lullien-Pellerin, V
2006-12-01
Wheat grain hardness is a major factor affecting the milling behaviour and end-product quality although its exact structural and biochemical basis is still not understood. This study describes the development of new near-isogenic lines selected on hardness. Hard and soft sister lines were characterised by near infrared reflectance (NIR) and particle size index (PSI) hardness index, grain protein content, thousand kernel weight and vitreousness. The milling behaviour of these wheat lines was evaluated on an instrumented micromill which also measures the grinding energy and flour particle size distribution was investigated by laser diffraction. Endosperm mechanical properties were measured using compression tests. Results pointed out the respective effect of hardness and vitreousness on those characteristics. Hardness was shown to influence both the mode of fracture and the mechanical properties of the whole grain and endosperm. Thus, this parameter also acts on milling behaviour. On the other hand, vitreousness was found to mainly play a role on the energy required to break the grain. This study allows us to distinguish between consequences of hardness and vitreousness. Hardness is suggested to influence the adhesion forces between starch granules and protein matrix whereas vitreousness would rather be related to the endosperm microstructure.
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Potential for the adoption of probabilistic risk assessments by end-users and decision-makers
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Frewer, Lynn J.; Fischer, Arnout R. H.; van den Brink, Paul J.
2008-01-01
-user and regulatory uptake has not been, to date, extensive. A case study, utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior, was conducted in order to identify potential determinants of end-user adoption of probabilistic risk assessments associated with the ecotoxicological impact of pesticides. Seventy potential end...
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Commercial equipment loads: End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pratt, R.G.; Williamson, M.A.; Richman, E.E.; Miller, N.E.
1990-07-01
The Office of Energy Resources of the Bonneville Power Administration is generally responsible for the agency's power and conservation resource planning. As associated responsibility which supports a variety of office functions is the analysis of historical trends in and determinants of energy consumption. The Office of Energy Resources' End-Use Research Section operates a comprehensive data collection program to provide pertinent information to support demand-side planning, load forecasting, and demand-side program development and delivery. Part of this on-going program is known as the End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP), an effort designed to collect electricity usage data through direct monitoring of end-use loads in buildings. This program is conducted for Bonneville by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. This report provides detailed information on electricity consumption of miscellaneous equipment from the commercial portion of ELCAP. Miscellaneous equipment includes all commercial end-uses except heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and central lighting systems. Some examples of end-uses covered in this report are office equipment, computers, task lighting, refrigeration, and food preparation. Electricity consumption estimates, in kilowatt-hours per square food per year, are provided for each end-use by building type. The following types of buildings are covered: office, retail, restaurant, grocery, warehouse, school, university, and hotel/motel. 6 refs., 35 figs., 12 tabs.
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Cawthon, Stephanie
2015-01-01
Designing assessments and tests is one of the more challenging aspects of creating an accessible learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), particularly for deaf students with a disability (DWD). Standardized assessments are a key mechanism by which the educational system in the United States measures student progress, teacher effectiveness, and the impact of school reform. The diversity of student characteristics within DHH and DWD populations is only now becoming visible in the research literature relating to standardized assessments and their use in large-scale accountability reforms. The purpose of this article is to explore the theoretical frameworks surrounding assessment policy and practice, current research related to standardized assessment and students who are DHH and DWD, and potential implications for practice within both the assessment and instruction contexts.
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Condition Assessment and End-of-Life Prediction System for Electric Machines and Their Loads
Parlos, Alexander G.; Toliyat, Hamid A.
2005-01-01
An end-of-life prediction system developed for electric machines and their loads could be used in integrated vehicle health monitoring at NASA and in other government agencies. This system will provide on-line, real-time condition assessment and end-of-life prediction of electric machines (e.g., motors, generators) and/or their loads of mechanically coupled machinery (e.g., pumps, fans, compressors, turbines, conveyor belts, magnetic levitation trains, and others). In long-duration space flight, the ability to predict the lifetime of machinery could spell the difference between mission success or failure. Therefore, the system described here may be of inestimable value to the U.S. space program. The system will provide continuous monitoring for on-line condition assessment and end-of-life prediction as opposed to the current off-line diagnoses.
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Hift, Richard J
2014-11-28
Written assessments fall into two classes: constructed-response or open-ended questions, such as the essay and a number of variants of the short-answer question, and selected-response or closed-ended questions; typically in the form of multiple-choice. It is widely believed that constructed response written questions test higher order cognitive processes in a manner that multiple-choice questions cannot, and consequently have higher validity. An extensive review of the literature suggests that in summative assessment neither premise is evidence-based. Well-structured open-ended and multiple-choice questions appear equivalent in their ability to assess higher cognitive functions, and performance in multiple-choice assessments may correlate more highly than the open-ended format with competence demonstrated in clinical practice following graduation. Studies of construct validity suggest that both formats measure essentially the same dimension, at least in mathematics, the physical sciences, biology and medicine. The persistence of the open-ended format in summative assessment may be due to the intuitive appeal of the belief that synthesising an answer to an open-ended question must be both more cognitively taxing and similar to actual experience than is selecting a correct response. I suggest that cognitive-constructivist learning theory would predict that a well-constructed context-rich multiple-choice item represents a complex problem-solving exercise which activates a sequence of cognitive processes which closely parallel those required in clinical practice, hence explaining the high validity of the multiple-choice format. The evidence does not support the proposition that the open-ended assessment format is superior to the multiple-choice format, at least in exit-level summative assessment, in terms of either its ability to test higher-order cognitive functioning or its validity. This is explicable using a theory of mental models, which might predict that the
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Life cycle assessment of central softening of very hard drinking water.
Godskesen, B; Hauschild, M; Rygaard, M; Zambrano, K; Albrechtsen, H-J
2012-08-30
Many consumers prefer softened water due to convenience issues such as avoidance of removing limescale deposits from household appliances and surfaces, and to reduce consumption of cleaning agents and laundry detergents leading to lower household expenses. Even though central softening of drinking water entailed an increased use of energy, sand and chemicals at the waterworks, the distributed and softened drinking water supported a decrease in consumption of energy and chemical agents in the households along with a prolonged service life of household appliances which heat water. This study used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impacts of central softening of drinking water considering both the negative effects at the waterworks and the positive effects imposed by the changed water quality in the households. The LCA modeling considered central softening of drinking water from the initial hardness of the region of study (Copenhagen, Denmark) which is 362 mg/L as CaCO(3) to a final hardness as CaCO(3) of 254 (a softening depth of 108) mg/L or 145 (a softening depth of 217) mg/L. Our study showed that the consumer preference can be met together with reducing the impact on the environment and the resource consumption. Environmental impacts decreased by up to 3 mPET (milli Personal Equivalent Targeted) and the break-even point from where central softening becomes environmentally beneficial was reached at a softening depth of only 22 mg/L as CaCO(3). Both energy-related and chemically related environmental impacts were reduced as well as the consumption of resources. Based on scarcity criteria, nickel was identified as the most problematic non-renewable resource in the system, and savings of up to 8 mPR (milli Person Reserve) were found. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Habib, Komal; Parajuly, Keshav; Wenzel, Henrik
2015-10-20
Recovery of resources, in particular, metals, from waste flows is widely seen as a prioritized option to reduce their potential supply constraints in the future. The current waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment system is more focused on bulk metals, where the recycling rate of specialty metals, such as rare earths, is negligible compared to their increasing use in modern products, such as electronics. This study investigates the challenges in recovering these resources in the existing WEEE treatment system. It is illustrated by following the material flows of resources in a conventional WEEE treatment plant in Denmark. Computer hard disk drives (HDDs) containing neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets were selected as the case product for this experiment. The resulting output fractions were tracked until their final treatment in order to estimate the recovery potential of rare earth elements (REEs) and other resources contained in HDDs. The results further show that out of the 244 kg of HDDs treated, 212 kg comprising mainly of aluminum and steel can be finally recovered from the metallurgic process. The results further demonstrate the complete loss of REEs in the existing shredding-based WEEE treatment processes. Dismantling and separate processing of NdFeB magnets from their end-use products can be a more preferred option over shredding. However, it remains a technological and logistic challenge for the existing system.
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End-preparation assessments and tests for compounded sterile preparations.
McElhiney, Linda F
2013-01-01
Outsourcing has become a necessity to obtain sterile products that are currently on backorder. Because of the expense of outsourcing sterile compounding, pharmacy leadership in health systems are now considering the option of insourcing and batch preparing compounded sterile preparations, which can be a viable option for a health system. It can significantly decrease drug-spending costs, and the pharmacy has a complete record of the compounding process. The key to preparing high-quality, safe, sterile preparations and meeting United States Pharmacopeia standards is end-preparation assessments and tests.
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The Impact of Early Exposure of Eighth Grade Math Standards on End of Grade Assessments
Robertson, Tonjai E.
2016-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the Cumberland County Schools district-wide issue surrounding the disproportional performance of eighth grade Math I students' proficiency scores on standardized end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments. The study focused on the impact of the school district incorporating eighth grade math standards in…
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Assessment and Treatment Considerations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at End of Life.
Glick, Debra M; Cook, Joan M; Moye, Jennifer; Kaiser, Anica Pless
2018-01-01
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may first emerge, reemerge, or worsen as individuals approach end of life and may complicate the dying process. Unfortunately, lack of awareness of the occurrence and/or manifestation of PTSD at end of life can lead to PTSD going unaddressed. Even if PTSD is properly diagnosed, traditional evidence-based trauma-focused treatments may not be feasible or advisable with this group as many patients at end of life often lack the physical and mental stamina to participate in traditional psychotherapy. This article reviews the clinical and empirical literature on PTSD at end of life, as well as discusses assessment and psychotherapy treatment issues with this neglected population. In addition, it expands on the current reviews of this literature 1-3 by extrapolating results from nontraditional treatment approaches with other patient populations. Elements of these approaches with patients sharing similar characteristics and/or comorbidities with patients with PTSD at end of life may provide additional benefits for the latter population. Clinical implications and suggestions for interdisciplinary care providers are provided.
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Can joint sound assess soft and hard endpoints of the Lachman test?: A preliminary study.
Hattori, Koji; Ogawa, Munehiro; Tanaka, Kazunori; Matsuya, Ayako; Uematsu, Kota; Tanaka, Yasuhito
2016-05-12
The Lachman test is considered to be a reliable physical examination for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Patients with a damaged ACL demonstrate a soft endpoint feeling. However, examiners judge the soft and hard endpoints subjectively. The purpose of our study was to confirm objective performance of the Lachman test using joint auscultation. Human and porcine knee joints were examined. Knee joint sound during the Lachman test (Lachman sound) was analyzed by fast Fourier transformation. As quantitative indices of Lachman sound, the peak sound as the maximum relative amplitude (acoustic pressure) and its frequency were used. The mean Lachman peak sound for healthy volunteer knees was 86.9 ± 12.9 Hz in frequency and -40 ± 2.5 dB in acoustic pressure. The mean Lachman peak sound for intact porcine knees was 84.1 ± 9.4 Hz and -40.5 ± 1.7 dB. Porcine knees with ACL deficiency had a soft endpoint feeling during the Lachman test. The Lachman peak sounds of porcine knees with ACL deficiency were dispersed into four distinct groups, with center frequencies of around 40, 160, 450, and 1600. The Lachman peak sound was capable of assessing soft and hard endpoints of the Lachman test objectively.
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Nguyen, Ruby Thuy; Diaz, Luis A.; Imholte, D. Devin; Lister, Tedd E.
2017-09-01
Since the 2011 price spike of rare earth elements (REEs), research on permanent magnet recycling has blossomed globally in an attempt to reduce future REE criticality. Hard disk drives (HDDs) have emerged as one feasible feedstock for recovering valuable REEs such as praseodymium, neodymium, and dysprosium. Nevertheless, current processes for recycling electronic waste only focus on certain metals as a result of feedstock and metal price uncertainties. In addition, there is a perception that recycling REEs is unprofitable. To shed some light on the economic viability of REE recycling from U.S. HDDs, this article combines techno-economic information of an electro-hydrometallurgical process with end-of-life HDD availability in a simulation model. The results showed that adding REE recovery to an HDD base and precious metal recovery process was profitable given current prices. Recovered REEs from U.S. HDDs could meet up to 5.2% rest-of-world (excluding China) neodymium magnet demand. Feedstock, aluminum, and gold prices are key factors to recycling profitability. REEs contributed 13% to the co-recycling profit.
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Control and Interlocking System for Bending Magnet Front-end at Indus-2
Kane, Sanjeev R.; Garg, Chander Kant; Nandedkar, R. V.
2007-01-01
We present control and interlock system developed for Indus-2 bending magnet front-end. The paper describes in detail the control of various signals associated with the front-end and the interlocking scheme implemented for the installed front-end. The number of signals associated with each front-end is ˜ 75. A control system is designed for monitoring temperature, pressure, airflow, water flow and control of vacuum gauges, fast shutter, water cooled shutter, safety shutter, pneumatic gate valves, sputter ion pump power supplies, beam position monitor etc. Two independent signals are generated for critical components that are used for software interlock and hard-wired interlock. The front-end control system is VME based and window 2000/XP workstation as an operator console. The CPU used is Motorola 68000-processor board of the VME bus having OS-9 real time operating system. One VME crate serves a cluster of 2-3 front ends. The communication between the VME and the workstation is linked over RS232 serial communication. The sputter ion power supplies are connected over isolated RS485 network. Critical protection features are implemented so that no single failure can render the system unsafe. This is implemented by providing two independent chains of protection (1) Hard wired in which relay logic is used and (2) Software. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is developed using Lab view Version 7.0.
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Control and Interlocking System for Bending Magnet Front-end at Indus-2
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kane, Sanjeev R.; Garg, Chander Kant; Nandedkar, R. V.
2007-01-01
We present control and interlock system developed for Indus-2 bending magnet front-end. The paper describes in detail the control of various signals associated with the front-end and the interlocking scheme implemented for the installed front-end. The number of signals associated with each front-end is ∼ 75. A control system is designed for monitoring temperature, pressure, airflow, water flow and control of vacuum gauges, fast shutter, water cooled shutter, safety shutter, pneumatic gate valves, sputter ion pump power supplies, beam position monitor etc. Two independent signals are generated for critical components that are used for software interlock and hard-wired interlock. The front-end control system is VME based and window 2000/XP workstation as an operator console. The CPU used is Motorola 68000-processor board of the VME bus having OS-9 real time operating system. One VME crate serves a cluster of 2-3 front ends. The communication between the VME and the workstation is linked over RS232 serial communication. The sputter ion power supplies are connected over isolated RS485 network. Critical protection features are implemented so that no single failure can render the system unsafe. This is implemented by providing two independent chains of protection (1) Hard wired in which relay logic is used and (2) Software. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is developed using Lab view Version 7.0
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LARGE AREA FILTERED ARC DEPOSITION OF CARBON AND BORON BASED HARD COATINGS
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bhattacharya, Rabi S.
2003-12-05
This document is a final report covering work performed under Contract No. DE-FG02-99ER82911 from the Department of Energy under a SBIR Phase II Program. Wear resistant, hard coatings can play a vital role in many engineering applications. The primary goal of this project was to develop coatings containing boron and carbon with hardness greater than 30 GPa and evaluate these coatings for machining applications. UES has developed a number of carbon and boron containing coatings with hardness in the range of 34 to 65 GPa using a combination of filtered cathodic arc and magnetron sputtering. The boron containing coatings were based on TiB2, TiBN, and TiBCN, while the carbon containing coatings ere TiC+C and hydrogen free diamond-like-carbon. Machining tests were performed with single and multilayer coated tools. The turning and milling tests were run at TechSolve Inc., under a subcontract at Ohio State University. Significant increases in tool lives were realized in end milling of H-13 die steel (8X) and titanium alloy (80%) using the TiBN coating. A multilayer TiBN/TiN performed the best in end-milling of highly abrasive Al-Si alloys. A 40% increase in life over the TiAlN benchmark coating was found. Further evaluations of these coatings with commercialization partners are currently in progress.
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Design and performance Assessment of an Airborne Ice Sounding Radar Front-End
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hernández, Carlos Cilla; Krozer, Viktor; Vidkjær, Jens
2008-01-01
The paper describes the design and experimental performance assessment of the RF front-end of an airborne P-band ice sounding radar. The ice sounder design features newly developed components at a centre frequency of 435 MHz, such as, antenna 20% bandwidth at RL ≪ 13 dB, compact high power in...
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Influence of skin hardness on dehydration kinetics of wine grapes.
Rolle, Luca; Caudana, Alberto; Giacosa, Simone; Gerbi, Vincenzo; Río Segade, Susana
2011-02-01
Knowledge of the influence of initial mechanical properties on the evolution of the weight loss of berries through the drying process is scarce. Therefore, the main purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of skin hardness at two different physiological stages of off-vine drying kinetics of grapes. Skin hardness was evaluated as the berry skin-break force parameter, measured by the texture analysis test. The decrease of berry weight as a function of the drying time was linear, indicating that the drying rates were constant within each cultivar studied (Moscato bianco and Erbaluce), and for each ripening stage and berry skin hardness. The drying rates decreased as berry skin hardness increased for the ripest grapes in the cultivars studied. The study allowed the assessment of the correlation between the skin hardness of fresh berries and the weight loss determined for different drying days. 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Too hard to swallow: a secret secondary defence of an aposematic insect.
Wang, Lu-Yi; Huang, Wen-San; Tang, Hsin-Chieh; Huang, Lung-Chun; Lin, Chung-Ping
2018-01-25
Anti-predator strategies are significant components of adaptation in prey species. Aposematic prey are expected to possess effective defences that have evolved simultaneously with their warning colours. This study tested the hypothesis of the defensive function and ecological significance of the hard body in aposematic Pachyrhynchus weevils pioneered by Alfred Russel Wallace nearly 150 years ago. We used predation trials with Japalura tree lizards to assess the survivorship of 'hard' (mature) versus 'soft' (teneral) and 'clawed' (intact) versus 'clawless' (surgically removed) weevils. The ecological significance of the weevil's hard body was evaluated by assessing the hardness of the weevils, the local prey insects, and the bite forces of the lizard populations. The existence of toxins or deterrents in the weevil was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All 'hard' weevils were instantly spat out after being bitten once and survived attacks by the lizards. In contrast, the 'soft' weevils were chewed and subsequently swallowed. The results were the same regardless of the presence or absence of the weevil's tarsal claws. The hardness of 'hard' Pachyrhynchus weevils was significantly higher than the average hardness of other prey insects in the same habitat and the mean bite forces of the local lizards. The four candidate compounds of the weevil identified by GC-MS had no known toxic or repellent functions against vertebrates. These results reveal that the hardness of aposematic prey functions as an effective secondary defence, and they provide a framework for understanding the spatio-temporal interactions between vertebrate predators and aposematic insect prey. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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Bond-orientational analysis of hard-disk and hard-sphere structures.
Senthil Kumar, V; Kumaran, V
2006-05-28
We report the bond-orientational analysis results for the thermodynamic, random, and homogeneously sheared inelastic structures of hard-disks and hard-spheres. The thermodynamic structures show a sharp rise in the order across the freezing transition. The random structures show the absence of crystallization. The homogeneously sheared structures get ordered at a packing fraction higher than the thermodynamic freezing packing fraction, due to the suppression of crystal nucleation. On shear ordering, strings of close-packed hard-disks in two dimensions and close-packed layers of hard-spheres in three dimensions, oriented along the velocity direction, slide past each other. Such a flow creates a considerable amount of fourfold order in two dimensions and body-centered-tetragonal (bct) structure in three dimensions. These transitions are the flow analogs of the martensitic transformations occurring in metals due to the stresses induced by a rapid quench. In hard-disk structures, using the bond-orientational analysis we show the presence of fourfold order. In sheared inelastic hard-sphere structures, even though the global bond-orientational analysis shows that the system is highly ordered, a third-order rotational invariant analysis shows that only about 40% of the spheres have face-centered-cubic (fcc) order, even in the dense and near-elastic limits, clearly indicating the coexistence of multiple crystalline orders. When layers of close-packed spheres slide past each other, in addition to the bct structure, the hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) structure is formed due to the random stacking faults. Using the Honeycutt-Andersen pair analysis and an analysis based on the 14-faceted polyhedra having six quadrilateral and eight hexagonal faces, we show the presence of bct and hcp signatures in shear ordered inelastic hard-spheres. Thus, our analysis shows that the dense sheared inelastic hard-spheres have a mixture of fcc, bct, and hcp structures.
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Photon technology. Hard photon technology; Photon technology. Hard photon gijutsu
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1996-03-01
Research results of hard photon technology have been summarized as a part of novel technology development highly utilizing the quantum nature of photon. Hard photon technology refers to photon beam technologies which use photon in the 0.1 to 200 nm wavelength region. Hard photon has not been used in industry due to the lack of suitable photon sources and optical devices. However, hard photon in this wavelength region is expected to bring about innovations in such areas as ultrafine processing and material synthesis due to its atom selective reaction, inner shell excitation reaction, and spatially high resolution. Then, technological themes and possibility have been surveyed. Although there are principle proposes and their verification of individual technologies for the technologies of hard photon generation, regulation and utilization, they are still far from the practical applications. For the photon source technology, the laser diode pumped driver laser technology, laser plasma photon source technology, synchrotron radiation photon source technology, and vacuum ultraviolet photon source technology are presented. For the optical device technology, the multi-layer film technology for beam mirrors and the non-spherical lens processing technology are introduced. Also are described the reduction lithography technology, hard photon excitation process, and methods of analysis and measurement. 430 refs., 165 figs., 23 tabs.
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MR assessment of end-organ damage in the metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus
Schinkel, Linda Danielle van
2014-01-01
The first part of this thesis focuses on assessing end-organ damage in individuals with the metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (1H-MRS). We performed cross sectional and intervention studies to investigate the contribution of obesity,
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On Kant's idea of humanity as an end in itself
Nyholm, S.R.
2016-01-01
Writers like Christine Korsgaard and Allen Wood understand Kant's idea of rational nature as an end in itself as a commitment to a substantive value. This makes it hard for them to explain the supposed equivalence between the universal law and humanity formulations of the categorical imperative,
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Macias, F. J.; Dahl, F.; Bruland, A.
2016-05-01
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) method has become widely used and is currently an important presence within the tunnelling industry. Large investments and high geological risk are involved using TBMs, and disc cutter consumption has a great influence on performance and cost, especially in hard rock conditions. Furthermore, reliable cutter life assessments facilitate the control of risk as well as avoiding delays and budget overruns. Since abrasive wear is the most common process affecting cutter consumption, good laboratory tests for rock abrasivity assessments are needed. A new abrasivity test method by rolling disc named Rolling Indentation Abrasion Test (RIAT) has been developed. The goal of the new test design and procedure is to reproduce wear behaviour on hard rock tunnel boring in a more realistic way than the traditionally used methods. Wear by rolling contact on intact rock samples is introduced and several rock types, covering a wide rock abrasiveness range, have been tested by RIAT. The RIAT procedure indicates a great ability of the testing method to assess abrasive wear on rolling discs. In addition and to evaluate the newly developed RIAT test method, a comprehensive laboratory testing programme including the most commonly used abrasivity test methods and the mineral composition were carried out. Relationships between the achieved results from conventional testing and RIAT results have been analysed.
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2014-01-01
Comprehensive Hard Materials deals with the production, uses and properties of the carbides, nitrides and borides of these metals and those of titanium, as well as tools of ceramics, the superhard boron nitrides and diamond and related compounds. Articles include the technologies of powder production (including their precursor materials), milling, granulation, cold and hot compaction, sintering, hot isostatic pressing, hot-pressing, injection moulding, as well as on the coating technologies for refractory metals, hard metals and hard materials. The characterization, testing, quality assurance and applications are also covered. Comprehensive Hard Materials provides meaningful insights on materials at the leading edge of technology. It aids continued research and development of these materials and as such it is a critical information resource to academics and industry professionals facing the technological challenges of the future. Hard materials operate at the leading edge of technology, and continued res...
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Water Hardness Level and ItAND#8217;s Health Effects
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Necmettin Kocak
2011-04-01
Full Text Available Water hardness is a term used to define the number of ions contained in the water, especially quantity sulphate, carbonate salts of calcium and magnesium. This characteristis of water is a important quality in it’s use as drinking water, industrial water and service water. The temporary hardness level of water cames from bicarbonate salts of calcium and magnesium whereas chloride, sulphate, nitrate, phosphate, silicate salts of calcium and magnesium. In order to indicate the hardness level of water samples French Hardness Level is used in our country. There is a larger amounth of calcium and magnesium salts in hard water samples. These minerals have very important functions in the human body. In this study, the importance of hard water in terms of human health has been assessed under light of current information. The studies about the preventive role of hard water in cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, stroke and many types of cancer areviewed. These studies Express that higher levels of calcium and magnesium hard water provide a higher reduction in these disease. Water, which must be consumed as 2 liters per dayis very important for human life. Hard water contains a lot of the minerals that must be taker daily, especially calcium and magnesium. It’s advised that water for consumption to have medium hardness. The hardness level of water is an aesthetic quality. Thus, in populations having a taste for soft water, the effort of individuals to softer the network water provided by municipalities using different equipments, in addition to their preference of soft water in plastic or glass bottles for consumption could imply lack of benefit of hard water for population health and also bring out some risks in terms of water hygiene. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2011; 10(2.000: 187-192
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Assessment of end-of-life design in solid-state lighting
Dzombak, Rachel; Padon, Jack; Salsbury, Josh; Dillon, Heather
2017-08-01
Consumers in the US market and across the globe are beginning to widely adopt light emitting diode (LED) lighting products while the technology continues to undergo significant changes. While LED products are evolving to consume less energy, they are also more complex than traditional lighting products with a higher number of parts and a larger number of electronic components. Enthusiasm around the efficiency and long expected life span of LED lighting products is valid, but research to optimize product characteristics and design is needed. This study seeks to address that gap by characterizing LED lighting products' suitability for end of life (EOL) recycling and disposal. The authors disassembled and assessed 17 different lighting products to understand how designs differ between brands and manufacture year. Products were evaluated based on six parameters to quantify the design. The analysis indicates that while the efficiency of LED products has improved dramatically in the recent past, product designers and manufacturers could incorporate design strategies to improve environmental performance of lighting products at end-of-life.
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Ainsworth, Jessica Marie
2016-01-01
Formative assessments have been deemed the key to effectively measuring if students have mastered the understanding of curriculum standards. Thus, allowing teachers to use the results to tailor remediation and use other efforts to support mastery of student learning before the end of the school year has positive effects on student achievement.…
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Machine learning from hard x-ray surveys: applications to magnetic cataclysmic variable studies
Scaringi, Simone
2009-11-01
Within this thesis are discussed two main topics of contemporary astrophysics. The first is that of machine learning algorithms for astronomy whilst the second is that of magnetic cataclysmic variables (mCVs). To begin, an overview is given of ISINA: INTEGRAL Scouce Identifiction Network Algorithm. This machine learning algorithm, using random forests, is applied to the IBIS/ISGRI data set in order to ease the production of unbiased future soft gamma-ray source catalogues. The feature extraction process on an initial candidate list is described together with feature merging. Three trainng and testing sets are created in order to deal with the diverse time-scales encountered when dealing with the gamma-ray sky: one dealing with faint persistent source recognition, one dealing with strong persistent sources and a final one dealing with transients. For the latter, a new transient detection technique is introduced and described: the transient matrix. Finally the performance of the network is assessed and discussed using the testing set and some illustrative source examples. ISINA is also compared to the more conventional approach of visual inspection. Next mCVs are discussed, and in particular the properties arising from a hard X-ray selected sample which has proven remarkably efficient in detecting intermediate polars and asynchronous polars, two of the rarest type of cataclysmic variables (CVs). This thesis focuses particularly on the link between hard X-ray properties and spin/orbital periods. To this end, a new sample of these objects is constructed by cross-corelating candidate sources detected in INTEGRAL/IBIS observations against catalogues of known CVs. Also included in the analysis are hard X-ray Observations from Swift/BAT and SUZAKU/HXD in order to make the study more complete. It is found that most hard X-ray detected mCVs have Pspin/Porb<0.1 above the period gap. In this respect, attention is given to the very low number of detected systems in any ban
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Venkata Subbaiah, K.; Raju, Ch.; Suresh, Ch.
2017-08-01
The present study aims to compare the conventional cutting inserts with wiper cutting inserts during the hard turning of AISI 4340 steel at different workpiece hardness. Type of insert, hardness, cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut are taken as process parameters. Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array was used to conduct the experimental tests. Parametric analysis carried in order to know the influence of each process parameter on the three important Surface Roughness Characteristics (Ra, Rz, and Rt) and Material Removal Rate. Taguchi based Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) used to optimize the process parameters for individual response and multi-response outputs. Additionally, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is also applied to identify the most significant factor.
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Treatment and final disposal of nuclear waste. Aespoe hard rock laboratory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1992-09-01
The scientific investigations within SBK's research programme are a part of the work of designing a deep repository and identifying and investigating a suitable site. A balanced appraisal of the facts, requirements and assessments presented in connection with the preparation of R and D-programme 86 led to the proposal to construct an underground research laboratory. This proposal was presented in the aforementioned research programme and was very positively recived by the reviewing bodies. In the autumn of 1986, SKB initiated the field work for the siting of an underground laboratory, the Aespoe hard rock laboratory, in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. At the end of 1988, SKB arrived at a decision in principle to site the facility on southern Aespoe about 2 km north of the Oskarshamn nuclear power station. After regulatory review, SKB ordered the excavation of the access tunnel to the Aespoe hard rock laboratory to commence in the autumn of 1990. In conjunction with the tunneling work, which has now (September 1992) reached a depth of more than 200 m, a large number of investigations have been carried out. This background report to SKB's RD and D-programme 92 is based on the previous and 89 /2/. The report provides a general background and presents goals, projects results obtained to date and future work. Compared to the previous background reports, more space is devoted here to experiment planning and the future demonstration programme. (au)
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Novel platens to measure the hardness of a pentagonal shaped tablet.
Malladi, Jaya; Sidik, Kurex; Wu, Sutan; McCann, Ryan; Dougherty, Jeffrey; Parab, Prakash; Carragher, Thomas
2017-03-01
Tablet hardness, a measure of the breaking force of a tablet, is based on numerous factors. These include the shape of the tablet and the mode of the application of force. For instance, when a pentagonal-shaped tablet was tested with a traditional hardness tester with flat platens, there was a large variation in hardness measurements. This was due to the propensity of vertices of the tablet to crush, referred to as an "improper break". This article describes a novel approach to measure the hardness of pentagonal-shaped tablets using modified platens. The modified platens have more uniform loading than flat platens. This is because they reduce loading on the vertex of the pentagon and apply forces on tablet edges to generate reproducible tablet fracture. The robustness of modified platens was assessed using a series of studies, which included feasibility and Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility (R&R) studies. A key finding was that improper breaks, generated frequently with a traditional hardness tester using flat platens, were eliminated. The Gauge R&R study revealed that the tablets tested with novel platens generated consistent values in hardness measurements, independent of batch, hardness level, and day of testing, operator and tablet dosage strength.
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Life cycle and nano-products: end-of-life assessment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Asmatulu, Eylem; Twomey, Janet; Overcash, Michael
2012-01-01
Understanding environmental impacts of nanomaterials necessitates analyzing the life cycle profile. The initial emphasis of nanomaterial life cycle studies has been on the environmental and health effects of nanoproducts during the production and usage stages. Analyzing the end-of-life (eol) stage of nanomaterials is also critical because significant impacts or benefits for the environment may arise at that particular stage. In this article, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) Consumer Products Inventory (CPI) model was used, which contains a relatively large and complete nanoproduct list (1,014) as of 2010. The consumer products have wide range of applications, such as clothing, sports goods, personal care products, medicine, as well as contributing to faster cars and planes, more powerful computers and satellites, better micro and nanochips, and long-lasting batteries. In order to understand the eol cycle concept, we allocated 1,014 nanoproducts into the nine end-of-life categories (e.g., recyclability, ingestion, absorption by skin/public sewer, public sewer, burning/landfill, landfill, air release, air release/public sewer, and other) based on probable final destinations of the nanoproducts. This article highlights the results of this preliminary assessment of end-of-life stage of nanoproducts. The largest potential eol fate was found to be recyclability, however little literature appears to have evolved around nanoproduct recycling. At lower frequency is dermal and ingestion human uptake and then landfill. Release to water and air are much lower potential eol fates for current nanoproducts. In addition, an analysis of nano-product categories with the largest number of products listed indicated that clothes, followed by dermal-related products and then sports equipment were the most represented in the PEN CPI (http
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Life cycle and nano-products: end-of-life assessment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Asmatulu, Eylem; Twomey, Janet; Overcash, Michael, E-mail: mrovercash@earthlink.net [Wichita State University, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (United States)
2012-03-15
Understanding environmental impacts of nanomaterials necessitates analyzing the life cycle profile. The initial emphasis of nanomaterial life cycle studies has been on the environmental and health effects of nanoproducts during the production and usage stages. Analyzing the end-of-life (eol) stage of nanomaterials is also critical because significant impacts or benefits for the environment may arise at that particular stage. In this article, the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) Consumer Products Inventory (CPI) model was used, which contains a relatively large and complete nanoproduct list (1,014) as of 2010. The consumer products have wide range of applications, such as clothing, sports goods, personal care products, medicine, as well as contributing to faster cars and planes, more powerful computers and satellites, better micro and nanochips, and long-lasting batteries. In order to understand the eol cycle concept, we allocated 1,014 nanoproducts into the nine end-of-life categories (e.g., recyclability, ingestion, absorption by skin/public sewer, public sewer, burning/landfill, landfill, air release, air release/public sewer, and other) based on probable final destinations of the nanoproducts. This article highlights the results of this preliminary assessment of end-of-life stage of nanoproducts. The largest potential eol fate was found to be recyclability, however little literature appears to have evolved around nanoproduct recycling. At lower frequency is dermal and ingestion human uptake and then landfill. Release to water and air are much lower potential eol fates for current nanoproducts. In addition, an analysis of nano-product categories with the largest number of products listed indicated that clothes, followed by dermal-related products and then sports equipment were the most represented in the PEN CPI (http
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CMS Hadronic EndCap Calorimeter Upgrade R&D Studies
Akgun, Ugur; Onel, Yasar
2012-01-01
Due to an expected increase in radiation damage in LHC, we propose to replace the active material of the CMS Hadronic EndCap calorimeters with radiation hard quartz plate. Quartz is proven to be radiation hard with radiation damage tests using electron, proton, neutron and gamma beams. However, the light produced in quartz is from Cerenkov process, which yields drastically fewer photons than scintillators. To increase the light collection efficiency we pursue two separate methods: First method: use wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers, which have been shown to collect efficiently the Cerenkov light generated in quartz plates. A quartz plate calorimeter prototype with WLS fibers has been constructed and tested at CERN that shows this method is feasible. Second proposed solution is to treat the quartz plates with radiation hard wavelength shifters, p-terphenyl, doped zinc oxide, or doped CdS. Another calorimeter prototype has been constructed with p-terphenyl deposited quartz plates, and showed superior calorimeter...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yanagisawa, O., E-mail: o.yanagisawa@aoni.waseda.jp [Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama (Japan); Niitsu, M. [Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Kurihara, T. [Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga (Japan); Fukubayashi, T. [Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama (Japan)
2011-09-15
Aim: To assess the feasibility of ultrasound real-time tissue elastography (RTE) for measuring exercise-induced changes in muscle hardness and to compare the findings of RTE with those of a tissue hardness meter for semi-quantitative assessment of the hardness of exercised muscles. Materials and methods: Nine male participants performed an arm-curl exercise. RTE measurements were performed by manually applying repetitive compression with the transducer on the scan position before exercise, immediately after exercise, and at 30 min after exercise; strain ratios between muscle and a reference material (hydrogel) were calculated (muscle strain/material strain). A tissue hardness meter was also used to evaluate muscle hardness. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the three repeated measurements at each measurement time were calculated to evaluate the intra-observer reproducibility of each technique. Results: Immediately after exercise, the strain ratio and the value obtained using the tissue hardness meter significantly decreased (from 1.65 to 1.35) and increased (from 51.8 to 54.3), respectively. Both parameters returned to their pre-exercise value 30 min after exercise. The ICCs of the RTE (and the ICCs of the muscle hardness meter) were 0.971 (0.816) before exercise, 0.939 (0.776) immediately after exercise, and 0.959 (0.882) at 30 min after exercise. Conclusion: Similar to the muscle hardness meter, RTE revealed the exercise-induced changes of muscle hardness semi-quantitatively. The intra-observer reproducibility of RTE was very high at each measurement time. These findings suggest that RTE is a clinically useful technique for assessing hardness of specific exercised muscles.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yanagisawa, O.; Niitsu, M.; Kurihara, T.; Fukubayashi, T.
2011-01-01
Aim: To assess the feasibility of ultrasound real-time tissue elastography (RTE) for measuring exercise-induced changes in muscle hardness and to compare the findings of RTE with those of a tissue hardness meter for semi-quantitative assessment of the hardness of exercised muscles. Materials and methods: Nine male participants performed an arm-curl exercise. RTE measurements were performed by manually applying repetitive compression with the transducer on the scan position before exercise, immediately after exercise, and at 30 min after exercise; strain ratios between muscle and a reference material (hydrogel) were calculated (muscle strain/material strain). A tissue hardness meter was also used to evaluate muscle hardness. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the three repeated measurements at each measurement time were calculated to evaluate the intra-observer reproducibility of each technique. Results: Immediately after exercise, the strain ratio and the value obtained using the tissue hardness meter significantly decreased (from 1.65 to 1.35) and increased (from 51.8 to 54.3), respectively. Both parameters returned to their pre-exercise value 30 min after exercise. The ICCs of the RTE (and the ICCs of the muscle hardness meter) were 0.971 (0.816) before exercise, 0.939 (0.776) immediately after exercise, and 0.959 (0.882) at 30 min after exercise. Conclusion: Similar to the muscle hardness meter, RTE revealed the exercise-induced changes of muscle hardness semi-quantitatively. The intra-observer reproducibility of RTE was very high at each measurement time. These findings suggest that RTE is a clinically useful technique for assessing hardness of specific exercised muscles.
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Some aspects of thick, soft nickel plating for end shields of atomic power plants
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Krishnaswamy, R.
1987-01-01
Thick (55 Thou) and soft (160 vickers) hardness number nickel plating over SS for RAPP end shields presented unusual problems as the thickness required was extremely large creating adhesion problems and the extremely stringent hardness conditions. A sulfamate bath with nickel anode was found suitable. The problems in thick, soft plating, the chemical and other procedures adopted to monitor the bath and the plated specimen and the other details are presented. (author). 11 refs
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Siar, Chong Huat; Toh, Chooi Gait; Romanos, Georgios E; Ng, Kok Han
2015-07-01
The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative qualitative and quantitative assessment of the interfacial soft and hard tissues investing implants and natural teeth. The test sample consisted of six adult healthy male Macaca fascicularis with three-unit splinted crowns, each crown supported by an Ankylos screw-shaped titanium implant. These implants were placed in the mandibular premolar-second molar region, one side by an immediate-loading (IL) and the other by delayed-loading (DL) protocol. The animals were sacrificed after 3 months of functional loading. Another two monkeys with natural dentition served as controls. Nondecalcified sections were prepared for assessment of optical intensities (OI) under a confocal laser scanning microscope. In both the test (IL and DL) and control, the soft tissue complexes demonstrated a highly fluorescent keratinized layer and diminished cytoplasmic and enhanced membranous fluorescence in the remaining epithelium. Peri-implant mucosa was further characterized by an intense fluorescence at the junctional epithelium-implant interface and in the stromal mononuclear infiltrate. Connective tissue contact and periodontal ligament were weakly fluorescent. In hard tissues, a high fluorescence was observed in peri-implant woven bone and along the implant-bone interface. Mean OI was significantly higher in peri-implant woven bone than around teeth (P 0.05). Present findings suggest that peri-implant woven bone is highly mineralized, while the peri-implant and gingival mucosa share structural similarities. Optical intensities of interfacial tissues investing implants and teeth are related to their biological properties.
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Remember Hard but Think Softly: Metaphorical Effects of Hardness/Softness on Cognitive Functions
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jiushu Xie
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Previous studies have found that bodily stimulation, such as hardness, biases social judgment and evaluation via metaphorical association; however, it remains unclear whether bodily stimulation also affects cognitive functions, such as memory and creativity. The current study used metaphorical associations between hard and rigid and between soft and flexible in Chinese, to investigate whether the experience of hardness affected cognitive functions requiring either rigidity (memory or flexibility (creativity. In Experiment 1, we found that Chinese-speaking participants performed better at recalling previously memorized words while sitting on a hard-surface stool (the hard condition than a cushioned one (the soft condition. In Experiment 2, participants sitting on a cushioned stool outperformed those sitting on a hard-surface stool on a Chinese riddle task, which required creative/flexible thinking, but not on an analogical reasoning task, which required both rigid and flexible thinking. The results suggest the hardness experience affects cognitive functions that are metaphorically associated with rigidity and flexibility. They support the embodiment proposition that cognitive functions and representations could be grounded via metaphorical association in bodily states.
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Berman, Barbara A.; Guthmann, Debra S.; Crespi, Catherine M.; Liu, Weiqing
2010-01-01
Although school-based programming is an important element of the effort to curb tobacco use among young people, a comprehensive tailored curriculum has not been available for deaf and hard of hearing youth. The authors describe the drafting of such a program by expert educators, and findings from a test of the curriculum using a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design involving four schools for the deaf in three states. Two schools received the curriculum and two served as non-curriculum controls. Survey data were collected from students in grades 7–12 at baseline and at the start and end of three school years, from 511 to 616 students at each time point, to assess tobacco use, exposure to tobacco education, and tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Changes within each school were assessed as the difference between the baseline survey and the average of the last four follow-up surveys. Current (past month) smoking declined significantly at one intervention school (22.7% baseline to 7.9% follow-up, p=.007) and current smokeless tobacco use at the other (7.5% baseline to 2.5% follow-up, p=.03). Exposure to tobacco prevention education, and anti-tobacco attitudes and knowledge each increased significantly at one or both schools. One control school experienced a significant decline in tobacco education exposure (pdeaf and hard of hearing youth. PMID:21449256
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Parikh, Priti P; Brown, Ronald; White, Mary; Markert, Ronald J; Eustace, Rosemary; Tchorz, Kathryn
2015-06-15
Assessment of interpersonal and psychosocial competencies during end-of-life care training is essential. This study reports the relationship between simulation-based end-of-life care Objective Structured Clinical Examination ratings and communication skills, trust, and self-assessed empathy along with the perceptions of students regarding their training experiences. Medical students underwent simulation-based end-of-life care OSCE training that involved standardized patients who evaluated students' communication skills and physician trust with the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist and the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale. Students also completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between OSCE performance grades and communication, trust, and empathy scores. Student comments were analyzed using the constant comparative method of analysis to identify dominant themes. The 389 students (mean age 26.6 ± 2.8 y; 54.5% female) had OSCE grades that were positively correlated with physician trust scores (r = 0.325, P training to be a valuable learning experience and appreciated its placement early in clinical training. We found that simulation-based OSCE training in palliative and end-of-life care can be effectively conducted during a surgery clerkship. Moreover, the standardized patient encounters combined with the formal assessment of communication skills, physician trust, and empathy provide feedback to students at an early phase of their professional life. The positive and appreciative comments of students regarding the opportunity to practice difficult patient conversations suggest that attention to these professional characteristics and skills is a valued element of clinical training and conceivably a step toward better patient outcomes and satisfaction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Modelling assessment of End Pit Lakes meromictic potential
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
2006-11-01
The use of End Pit Lakes have been proposed as a remediation solution for oil sands reclamation and operational waters. This report modelled the main factors controlling the occurrence of stratification in Pit Lakes in order to establish design and management guidelines for the Cumulative Environmental Management Association's End Pit Lake Sub-group. The study focused on End Pit Lake size, depth, starting lake salinity concentrations, inflow rates and inflow salinity flux, and investigated their influence on density gradients. One-dimensional modelling and limited 2-D modelling simulations were conducted to examine meromictic potential for a large range of End Pit Lake configurations and conditions. Modelling results showed that fall is the governing season for determining meromixis. The expelling of salt from saline water upon ice formation and its effect on stratification potential and the effect of fresh water loading on stratification potential during spring melt events were not observed to be dominant factors governing meromictic potential for the scenarios examined in the study. Results suggested that shallow End Pit Lakes showed a high turn-over rate with seasonal heating and cooling cycles. Moderately deep End Pit Lakes demonstrated a meromictic potential that was inversely proportional to lake size and require higher starting salinities. With a 2 or 10 million m 3 /yr inflow rate and a 5 parts per thousand starting salinity, a 50 m deep End Pit Lake achieved meromixis at all 3 size ranges considered in the study. Results also showed that the rate of influent salinity decrease was the least important of the parameters influencing meromixis. It was observed that meromixis was a temporary condition in all of the End Pit Lake scenarios envisioned due to the lack of a constant, positive salt replenishment over the long term. It was concluded that further 3-D modelling is required to represent littoral areas as well as to account for extreme winter conditions. A
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A first-principles approach to total-dose hardness assurance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fleetwood, D.M.
1995-01-01
A first-principles approach to radiation hardness assurance was described that provides the technical background to the present US and European total-dose radiation hardness assurance test methods for MOS technologies, TM 1019.4 and BS 22900. These test methods could not have been developed otherwise, as their existence depends not on a wealth of empirical comparisons of IC data from ground and space testing, but on a fundamental understanding of MOS defect growth and annealing processes. Rebound testing should become less of a problem for advanced MOS small-signal electronics technologies for systems with total dose requirements below 50--100 krad(SiO 2 ) because of trends toward much thinner gate oxides. For older technologies with thicker gate oxides and for power devices, rebound testing is unavoidable without detailed characterization studies to assess the impact of interface traps on devices response in space. The QML approach is promising for future hardened technologies. A sufficient understanding of process effects on radiation hardness has been developed that should be able to reduce testing costs in the future for hardened parts. Finally, it is hoped that the above discussions have demonstrated that the foundation for cost-effective hardness assurance tests is laid with studies of the basic mechanisms of radiation effects. Without a diligent assessment of new radiation effects mechanisms in future technologies, one cannot be assured that the present generation of radiation test standards will continue to apply
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Peer Support for the Hardly Reached: A Systematic Review.
Sokol, Rebeccah; Fisher, Edwin
2016-07-01
Health disparities are aggravated when prevention and care initiatives fail to reach those they are intended to help. Groups can be classified as hardly reached according to a variety of circumstances that fall into 3 domains: individual (e.g., psychological factors), demographic (e.g., socioeconomic status), and cultural-environmental (e.g., social network). Several reports have indicated that peer support is an effective means of reaching hardly reached individuals. However, no review has explored peer support effectiveness in relation to the circumstances associated with being hardly reached or across diverse health problems. To conduct a systematic review assessing the reach and effectiveness of peer support among hardly reached individuals, as well as peer support strategies used. Three systematic searches conducted in PubMed identified studies that evaluated peer support programs among hardly reached individuals. In aggregate, the searches covered articles published from 2000 to 2015. Eligible interventions provided ongoing support for complex health behaviors, including prioritization of hardly reached populations, assistance in applying behavior change plans, and social-emotional support directed toward disease management or quality of life. Studies were excluded if they addressed temporally isolated behaviors, were limited to protocol group classes, included peer support as the dependent variable, did not include statistical tests of significance, or incorporated comparison conditions that provided appreciable social support. We abstracted data regarding the primary health topic, categorizations of hardly reached groups, program reach, outcomes, and strategies employed. We conducted a 2-sample t test to determine whether reported strategies were related to reach. Forty-seven studies met our inclusion criteria, and these studies represented each of the 3 domains of circumstances assessed (individual, demographic, and cultural-environmental). Interventions
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Prediction of hardness for Al-Cu-Zn alloys in as-cast and quenching conditions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Villegas-Cardenas, J. D.; Saucedo-Munoz, M. L.; Lopez-Hirata, V. M.; Dorantes Rosales, H. J.
2014-01-01
This work presents a new experimental and numerical methodology in order to predict the hardness in the as-cast, and solution treated and quenched Al-Cu-Zn alloys. Chemical composition of alloys is located inside two straight lines represented by two equations. Eight different compositions were selected from each line. All the alloys were characterized for light microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Rockwell B hardness test. The equilibrium phases were obtained at different temperatures by Thermo-Calc. The microstructure characterization and regression analysis enabled to determine the phase transformations and two equations of hardness assessment. The combination of hardness equations and composition line equations permitted to estimate the hardness of any alloy composition inside this zone. This was verified by calculating hardness with the information reported in other works, with an error lower than 7% in the estimated hardness. (Author)
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Traumatization in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adult Psychiatric Outpatients.
Øhre, Beate; Uthus, Mette Perly; von Tetzchner, Stephen; Falkum, Erik
2015-07-01
Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons are at risk for experiencing traumatic events and such experiences are associated with symptoms of mental disorder. We investigated the prevalence of traumatic events and subsequent traumatization in adults referred to specialized psychiatric outpatient units for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. Sixty-two patients were diagnosed with mental disorders and assessed for potential traumatic experiences in their preferred language and mode of communication using instruments translated into Norwegian Sign Language. All patients reported traumatic events, with a mean of 6.2 different types; 85% reported subsequent traumatization not significantly associated with either residential school setting or communicative competence of childhood caregivers. Traumatization patterns in both sexes were similar to those in hearing clinical samples. Findings indicate that psychiatric intake interviews should routinely assess potentially traumatic events and their impacts, and that mental health professionals working with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients should be able to treat trauma-related disorders. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Loo, Kai van de; Sitte, Andreas-Peter [Gesamtverband Steinkohle e.V., Herne (Germany)
2013-04-01
The year 2012 benefited from a growth of the consumption of hard coal at the national level as well as at the international level. Worldwide, the hard coal still is the number one energy source for power generation. This leads to an increasing demand for power plant coal. In this year, the conversion of hard coal into electricity also increases in this year. In contrast to this, the demand for coking coal as well as for coke of the steel industry is still declining depending on the market conditions. The enhanced utilization of coal for the domestic power generation is due to the reduction of the nuclear power from a relatively bad year for wind power as well as reduced import prices and low CO{sub 2} prices. Both justify a significant price advantage for coal in comparison to the utilisation of natural gas in power plants. This was mainly due to the price erosion of the inexpensive US coal which partly was replaced by the expansion of shale gas on the domestic market. As a result of this, the inexpensive US coal looked for an outlet for sales in Europe. The domestic hard coal has continued the process of adaptation and phase-out as scheduled. Two further hard coal mines were decommissioned in the year 2012. RAG Aktiengesellschaft (Herne, Federal Republic of Germany) running the hard coal mining in this country begins with the preparations for the activities after the time of mining.
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2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Distinctively colored hard hats, or hard caps... STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Miscellaneous § 75.1720-1 Distinctively colored hard hats, or hard caps; identification for newly employed, inexperienced miners. Hard hats or hard caps distinctively different in color...
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Transcriptome response to copper heavy metal stress in hard-shelled mussel (Mytilus coruscus
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Meiying Xu
2016-03-01
Full Text Available The hard-shelled mussel (Mytilus coruscus has considerably one of the most economically important marine shellfish worldwide and considered as a good invertebrate model for ecotoxicity study for a long time. In the present study, we used Illumina sequencing technology (HiSeq2000 to sequence, assemble and annotate the transcriptome of the hard-shelled mussel which challenged with copper pollution. A total of 21,723,913 paired-end clean reads (NCBI SRA database SRX1411195 were generated from HiSeq2000 sequencer and 96,403 contigs (with N50 = 1118 bp were obtained after de novo assembling with Trinity software. Digital gene expression analysis reveals 1156 unigenes are upregulated and 1681 unigenes are downregulated when challenged with copper. By KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, we found that unigenes in four KEGG pathways (aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, apoptosis, DNA replication and mismatch repair show significant differential expressed between control and copper treated groups. We hope that the gill transcriptome in copper treated hard-shelled mussel can give useful information to understand how mussel handles with heavy metal stress at molecular level. Keywords: Hard-shelled mussel, Heavy metal, Transcriptome, Ecotoxicity
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2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Distinctively colored hard hats or hard caps... Distinctively colored hard hats or hard caps; identification for newly employed, inexperienced miners. Hard hats or hard caps distinctively different in color from those worn by experienced miners shall be worn at...
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Effect of gum hardness on chewing pattern.
Plesh, O; Bishop, B; McCall, W
1986-06-01
Chewing rhythms are set by a putative central pattern generator whose output is influenced by sensory feedback. In this study we assessed how an altered feedback imposed by changing the hardness of a gum bolus modifies the timing of chewing, the maximal gape, and the activity in the masseter muscle on the chewing side. Ten adult subjects with no orofacial dysfunction chewed a standard piece of soft or hard gum for at least 3 min in random order. Vertical jaw movements were recorded with a kinesiograph and activity of the masseter muscle was recorded and integrated from surface EMG electrodes. The subjects sat in a dental chair and viewed a video lecture to distract their attention from chewing; they were instructed to chew on the right molars. Cycle-by-cycle analysis showed that 9 of the 10 subjects chewed the hard gum more slowly than the soft with no significant change in gape. The increases in cycle duration were due to changes in the duration of the opening and occlusal phases. The duration of closing was not significantly changed even though the duration and level of masseter activity were both significantly increased. We conclude that gum hardness by altering proprioceptive feedback modifies the output of the masticatory central pattern generator in such a way that the temporal aspects of chewing and the output of the masseteric motor pool are affected.
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Design and implementation of reliability evaluation of SAS hard disk based on RAID card
Ren, Shaohua; Han, Sen
2015-10-01
Because of the huge advantage of RAID technology in storage, it has been widely used. However, the question associated with this technology is that the hard disk based on the RAID card can not be queried by Operating System. Therefore how to read the self-information and log data of hard disk has been a problem, while this data is necessary for reliability test of hard disk. In traditional way, this information can be read just suitable for SATA hard disk, but not for SAS hard disk. In this paper, we provide a method by using LSI RAID card's Application Program Interface, communicating with RAID card and analyzing the feedback data to solve the problem. Then we will get the necessary information to assess the SAS hard disk.
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An end-to-end assessment of extreme weather impacts on food security
Chavez, Erik; Conway, Gordon; Ghil, Michael; Sadler, Marc
2015-11-01
Both governments and the private sector urgently require better estimates of the likely incidence of extreme weather events, their impacts on food crop production and the potential consequent social and economic losses. Current assessments of climate change impacts on agriculture mostly focus on average crop yield vulnerability to climate and adaptation scenarios. Also, although new-generation climate models have improved and there has been an exponential increase in available data, the uncertainties in their projections over years and decades, and at regional and local scale, have not decreased. We need to understand and quantify the non-stationary, annual and decadal climate impacts using simple and communicable risk metrics that will help public and private stakeholders manage the hazards to food security. Here we present an `end-to-end’ methodological construct based on weather indices and machine learning that integrates current understanding of the various interacting systems of climate, crops and the economy to determine short- to long-term risk estimates of crop production loss, in different climate and adaptation scenarios. For provinces north and south of the Yangtze River in China, we have found that risk profiles for crop yields that translate climate into economic variability follow marked regional patterns, shaped by drivers of continental-scale climate. We conclude that to be cost-effective, region-specific policies have to be tailored to optimally combine different categories of risk management instruments.
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Investigation on Effect of Material Hardness in High Speed CNC End Milling Process
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
N. V. Dhandapani
2015-01-01
Full Text Available This research paper analyzes the effects of material properties on surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear on high speed CNC end milling process with various ferrous and nonferrous materials. The challenge of material specific decision on the process parameters of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, coolant flow rate, cutting tool material, and type of coating for the cutting tool for required quality and quantity of production is addressed. Generally, decision made by the operator on floor is based on suggested values of the tool manufacturer or by trial and error method. This paper describes effect of various parameters on the surface roughness characteristics of the precision machining part. The prediction method suggested is based on various experimental analysis of parameters in different compositions of input conditions which would benefit the industry on standardization of high speed CNC end milling processes. The results show a basis for selection of parameters to get better results of surface roughness values as predicted by the case study results.
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Investigation on Effect of Material Hardness in High Speed CNC End Milling Process.
Dhandapani, N V; Thangarasu, V S; Sureshkannan, G
2015-01-01
This research paper analyzes the effects of material properties on surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear on high speed CNC end milling process with various ferrous and nonferrous materials. The challenge of material specific decision on the process parameters of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, coolant flow rate, cutting tool material, and type of coating for the cutting tool for required quality and quantity of production is addressed. Generally, decision made by the operator on floor is based on suggested values of the tool manufacturer or by trial and error method. This paper describes effect of various parameters on the surface roughness characteristics of the precision machining part. The prediction method suggested is based on various experimental analysis of parameters in different compositions of input conditions which would benefit the industry on standardization of high speed CNC end milling processes. The results show a basis for selection of parameters to get better results of surface roughness values as predicted by the case study results.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Noortgate Nele
2009-12-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevalence and implementation of institutional end-of-life policies has been comprehensively studied in Flanders, Belgium, a country where euthanasia was legalised in 2002. Developing end-of-life policies in hospitals is a first step towards improving the quality of medical decision-making at the end-of-life. Implementation of policies through quality assessments, communication and the training and education of health care providers is equally important in improving actual end-of-life practice. The aim of the present study is to report on the existence and nature of end-of-life policy implementation activities in Flemish acute hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional mail survey was sent to all acute hospitals (67 main campuses in Flanders (Belgium. The questionnaire asked about hospital characteristics, the prevalence of policies on five types of end-of-life decisions: euthanasia, palliative sedation, alleviation of symptoms with possible life-shortening effect, do-not-resuscitate decision, and withdrawing or withholding of treatment, the internal and external communication of these policies, training and education on aspects of end-of-life care, and quality assessments of end-of-life care on patient and family level. Results The response rate was 55%. Results show that in 2007 written policies on most types of end-of-life decisions were widespread in acute hospitals (euthanasia: 97%, do-not-resuscitate decisions: 98%, palliative sedation: 79%. While standard communication of these policies to health care providers was between 71% and 91%, it was much lower to patients and/or family (between 17% and 50%. More than 60% of institutions trained and educated their caregivers in different aspects on end-of-life care. Assessment of the quality of these different aspects at patient and family level occurred in 25% to 61% of these hospitals. Conclusions Most Flemish acute hospitals have developed a policy on end-of-life practices
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D'Haene, Ina; Vander Stichele, Robert H; Pasman, H Roeline W; Noortgate, Nele Van den; Bilsen, Johan; Mortier, Freddy; Deliens, Luc
2009-12-30
The prevalence and implementation of institutional end-of-life policies has been comprehensively studied in Flanders, Belgium, a country where euthanasia was legalised in 2002. Developing end-of-life policies in hospitals is a first step towards improving the quality of medical decision-making at the end-of-life. Implementation of policies through quality assessments, communication and the training and education of health care providers is equally important in improving actual end-of-life practice. The aim of the present study is to report on the existence and nature of end-of-life policy implementation activities in Flemish acute hospitals. A cross-sectional mail survey was sent to all acute hospitals (67 main campuses) in Flanders (Belgium). The questionnaire asked about hospital characteristics, the prevalence of policies on five types of end-of-life decisions: euthanasia, palliative sedation, alleviation of symptoms with possible life-shortening effect, do-not-resuscitate decision, and withdrawing or withholding of treatment, the internal and external communication of these policies, training and education on aspects of end-of-life care, and quality assessments of end-of-life care on patient and family level. The response rate was 55%. Results show that in 2007 written policies on most types of end-of-life decisions were widespread in acute hospitals (euthanasia: 97%, do-not-resuscitate decisions: 98%, palliative sedation: 79%). While standard communication of these policies to health care providers was between 71% and 91%, it was much lower to patients and/or family (between 17% and 50%). More than 60% of institutions trained and educated their caregivers in different aspects on end-of-life care. Assessment of the quality of these different aspects at patient and family level occurred in 25% to 61% of these hospitals. Most Flemish acute hospitals have developed a policy on end-of-life practices. However, communication, training and the education of health care
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End-to-End Neural Optical Music Recognition of Monophonic Scores
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jorge Calvo-Zaragoza
2018-04-01
Full Text Available Optical Music Recognition is a field of research that investigates how to computationally decode music notation from images. Despite the efforts made so far, there are hardly any complete solutions to the problem. In this work, we study the use of neural networks that work in an end-to-end manner. This is achieved by using a neural model that combines the capabilities of convolutional neural networks, which work on the input image, and recurrent neural networks, which deal with the sequential nature of the problem. Thanks to the use of the the so-called Connectionist Temporal Classification loss function, these models can be directly trained from input images accompanied by their corresponding transcripts into music symbol sequences. We also present the Printed Music Scores dataset, containing more than 80,000 monodic single-staff real scores in common western notation, that is used to train and evaluate the neural approach. In our experiments, it is demonstrated that this formulation can be carried out successfully. Additionally, we study several considerations about the codification of the output musical sequences, the convergence and scalability of the neural models, as well as the ability of this approach to locate symbols in the input score.
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Photon technology. Hard photon technology; Photon technology. Hard photon gijutsu
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1997-03-01
For the application of photon to industrial technologies, in particular, a hard photon technology was surveyed which uses photon beams of 0.1-200nm in wavelength. Its features such as selective atom reaction, dense inner shell excitation and spacial high resolution by quantum energy are expected to provide innovative techniques for various field such as fine machining, material synthesis and advanced inspection technology. This wavelength region has been hardly utilized for industrial fields because of poor development of suitable photon sources and optical devices. The developmental meaning, usable time and issue of a hard photon reduction lithography were surveyed as lithography in ultra-fine region below 0.1{mu}m. On hard photon analysis/evaluation technology, the industrial use of analysis, measurement and evaluation technologies by micro-beam was viewed, and optimum photon sources and optical systems were surveyed. Prediction of surface and surface layer modification by inner shell excitation, the future trend of this process and development of a vacuum ultraviolet light source were also surveyed. 383 refs., 153 figs., 17 tabs.
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Thermodynamic perturbation theory for fused hard-sphere and hard-disk chain fluids
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhou, Y.; Hall, C.K.; Stell, G.
1995-01-01
We find that first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT1) which incorporates the reference monomer fluid used in the generalized Flory--AB (GF--AB) theory yields an equation of state for fused hard-sphere (FHS) chain fluids that has accuracy comparable to the GF--AB and GF--dimer--AC theories. The new TPT1 equation of state is significantly more accurate than other extensions of the TPT1 theory to FHS chain fluids. The TPT1 is also extended to two-dimensional fused hard-disk chain fluids. For the fused hard-disk dimer fluid, the extended TPT1 equation of state is found to be more accurate than the Boublik hard-disk dimer equation of state. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics
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Effects of hard mask etch on final topography of advanced phase shift masks
Hortenbach, Olga; Rolff, Haiko; Lajn, Alexander; Baessler, Martin
2017-07-01
Continuous shrinking of the semiconductor device dimensions demands steady improvements of the lithographic resolution on wafer level. These requirements challenge the photomask industry to further improve the mask quality in all relevant printing characteristics. In this paper topography of the Phase Shift Masks (PSM) was investigated. Effects of hard mask etch on phase shift uniformity and mask absorber profile were studied. Design of experiments method (DoE) was used for the process optimization, whereas gas composition, bias power of the hard mask main etch and bias power of the over-etch were varied. In addition, influence of the over-etch time was examined at the end of the experiment. Absorber depth uniformity, sidewall angle (SWA), reactive ion etch lag (RIE lag) and through pitch (TP) dependence were analyzed. Measurements were performed by means of Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) using critical dimension (CD) mode with a boot-shaped tip. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-section images were prepared to verify the profile quality. Finally CD analysis was performed to confirm the optimal etch conditions. Significant dependence of the absorber SWA on hard mask (HM) etch conditions was observed revealing an improvement potential for the mask absorber profile. It was found that hard mask etch can leave a depth footprint in the absorber layer. Thus, the etch depth uniformity of hard mask etch is crucial for achieving a uniform phase shift over the active mask area. The optimized hard mask etch process results in significantly improved mask topography without deterioration of tight CD specifications.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mahmood Robati Anaraki
2015-01-01
Full Text Available There is controversial evidence in relation to the effect of microwave on mechanical properties of stone casts. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of repeated microwave disinfection on surface hardness and dimensional accuracy of dental stone. In this in vitro study, 48 cylindrical stone samples were prepared using two products of type IV stone to assess surface hardness and 48 impressions were taken from a model and poured by these stones to assess the dimensional accuracy. The evaluation of the samples was carried out consequently by a micro-hardness tester and a digital caliper after the stone samples were exposed to 7 consecutive rounds of 900 watts (W microwave irradiation for five minutes each time after cooling. Data were analyzed by t-test and ANOVA. According to the obtained results, multiple disinfections of the stone casts by microwave do not negatively affect their surface hardness and dimensional accuracy. Key words: Dental stone; Dimensional accuracy; Hardness; Microwave
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Hard-on-hard lubrication in the artificial hip under dynamic loading conditions.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert Sonntag
Full Text Available The tribological performance of an artificial hip joint has a particularly strong influence on its success. The principle causes for failure are adverse short- and long-term reactions to wear debris and high frictional torque in the case of poor lubrication that may cause loosening of the implant. Therefore, using experimental and theoretical approaches models have been developed to evaluate lubrication under standardized conditions. A steady-state numerical model has been extended with dynamic experimental data for hard-on-hard bearings used in total hip replacements to verify the tribological relevance of the ISO 14242-1 gait cycle in comparison to experimental data from the Orthoload database and instrumented gait analysis for three additional loading conditions: normal walking, climbing stairs and descending stairs. Ceramic-on-ceramic bearing partners show superior lubrication potential compared to hard-on-hard bearings that work with at least one articulating metal component. Lubrication regimes during the investigated activities are shown to strongly depend on the kinematics and loading conditions. The outcome from the ISO gait is not fully confirmed by the normal walking data and more challenging conditions show evidence of inferior lubrication. These findings may help to explain the differences between the in vitro predictions using the ISO gait cycle and the clinical outcome of some hard-on-hard bearings, e.g., using metal-on-metal.
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Remember Hard But Think Softly: Metaphorical Effects of Hardness/Softness on Cognitive Functions
Xie, Jiushu; Lu, Zhi; Wang, Ruiming; Cai, Zhenguang G.
2016-01-01
Previous studies have found that bodily stimulation, such as hardness biases social judgment and evaluation via metaphorical association; however, it remains unclear whether bodily stimulation also affects cognitive functions, such as memory and creativity. The current study used metaphorical associations between “hard” and “rigid” and between “soft” and “flexible” in Chinese, to investigate whether the experience of hardness affects cognitive functions whose performance depends prospectively on rigidity (memory) and flexibility (creativity). In Experiment 1, we found that Chinese-speaking participants performed better at recalling previously memorized words while sitting on a hard-surface stool (the hard condition) than a cushioned one (the soft condition). In Experiment 2, participants sitting on a cushioned stool outperformed those sitting on a hard-surface stool on a Chinese riddle task, which required creative/flexible thinking, but not on an analogical reasoning task, which required both rigid and flexible thinking. The results suggest the hardness experience affects cognitive functions that are metaphorically associated with rigidity or flexibility. They support the embodiment proposition that cognitive functions and representations can be grounded in bodily states via metaphorical associations. PMID:27672373
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International Space Station End-of-Life Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Duncan, Gary W.
2014-01-01
The International Space Station (ISS) end-of-life (EOL) cycle is currently scheduled for 2020, although there are ongoing efforts to extend ISS life cycle through 2028. The EOL for the ISS will require deorbiting the ISS. This will be the largest manmade object ever to be de-orbited therefore safely deorbiting the station will be a very complex problem. This process is being planned by NASA and its international partners. Numerous factors will need to be considered to accomplish this such as target corridors, orbits, altitude, drag, maneuvering capabilities etc. The ISS EOL Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) will play a part in this process by estimating the reliability of the hardware supplying the maneuvering capabilities. The PRA will model the probability of failure of the systems supplying and controlling the thrust needed to aid in the de-orbit maneuvering.
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Kirk, Karen Iler; Prusick, Lindsay; French, Brian; Gotch, Chad; Eisenberg, Laurie S; Young, Nancy
2012-06-01
Under natural conditions, listeners use both auditory and visual speech cues to extract meaning from speech signals containing many sources of variability. However, traditional clinical tests of spoken word recognition routinely employ isolated words or sentences produced by a single talker in an auditory-only presentation format. The more central cognitive processes used during multimodal integration, perceptual normalization, and lexical discrimination that may contribute to individual variation in spoken word recognition performance are not assessed in conventional tests of this kind. In this article, we review our past and current research activities aimed at developing a series of new assessment tools designed to evaluate spoken word recognition in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. These measures are theoretically motivated by a current model of spoken word recognition and also incorporate "real-world" stimulus variability in the form of multiple talkers and presentation formats. The goal of this research is to enhance our ability to estimate real-world listening skills and to predict benefit from sensory aid use in children with varying degrees of hearing loss. American Academy of Audiology.
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Performance And Radiation Hardness Of The Atlas/sct Detector Module
Eklund, L
2003-01-01
The ATLAS experiment is a general purpose experiment being constructed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at FERN, Geneva. ATLAS is designed to exploit the full physics potential of LHC, in particular to study topics concerning the Higgs mechanism, Super-symmetry and CP violation. The cross sections for the processes under study are extremely small, requiring very high luminosity colliding beams. The Semiconductor Tracker (SCT) is an essential part of the Inner Detector tracking system of ATLAS. The active elements of the SCT is 4088 detector modules, tiled on four barrel cylinders and eighteen endcap disks. As a consequence of the high luminosity, the detector modules will operate in a harsh radiation environment. This thesis describes work concerning radiation hardness, beam test performance and methods for production testing of detector modules. The radiation hardness studies have been focused on the electrical performance of the front-end ASIC and the detector module. The results have identified features ...
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Baking and coking properties of hard coal under high pressure
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Beyer, H.D.
1981-09-01
For a better assessment of the baking and coking properties of hard coal under high pressure as in modern coal beneficiation processes, the determination of the swelling index and the dilatation curve are investigated.
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Spencer, Renée; Basualdo-Delmonico, Antoinette; Walsh, Jill; Drew, Alison L.
2017-01-01
Endings in youth mentoring relationships have received little empirical attention despite the fact that many relationships do end. The present study utilized qualitative interview data collected from participants in a longitudinal study of community-based mentoring relationships to examine how and why the relationships ended and how participants…
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Sriyati, S.; Amelia, D. N.; Soniyana, G. T.
2018-05-01
Student’s science communication ability can be assessed by the Expert-Notice Dialogue (END) method which focusing on verbal explanations using graphs or images as a tool. This study aims to apply the END method to assess students’ science communication ability. The study was conducted in two high schools with each sample of one class at each school (A and B). The number of experts in class A is 8 students and 7 in class B, the number of notice in class A 24 students and 30 in class B. The material chosen for explanation by expert is Ecosystem in class A and plant classification in class B. Research instruments are rubric of science communication ability, observation rubric, notice concept test and notice questionnaire. The implementation recorded with a video camera and then transcribed based on rubric science communication ability. The results showed that the average of science communication ability in class A and B was 60% and 61.8%, respectively, in enough categories. Mastery of the notice concept is in good category with 79.10 averages in class A and 94.64 in class B. Through the questionnaire notice it is known that the END method generally helps notice in understanding the concept.
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Microbiological quality of soft, semi-hard and hard cheeses during the shelf-life
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Josip Vrdoljak
2016-03-01
Full Text Available Cheeses as ready-to-eat food should be considered as a potential source of foodborne pathogens, primarily Listeria monocytogenes. The aim of present study was to determine the microbiological quality of soft, semi-hard and hard cheeses during the shelf-life, with particular reference to L. monocytogenes. Five types of cheeses were sampled at different timepoints during the cold storage and analyzed for presence of Salmonella and L. monocytogenes, as well as lactic acid bacteria, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts, molds, sulfite-reducing clostridia and L. monocytogenes counts. Water activity, pH and NaCl content were monitored in order to evaluate the possibility of L. monocytogenes growth. Challenge test for L. monocytogenes was performed in soft whey cheese, to determine the growth potential of pathogen during the shelf-life of product. All analyzed cheeses were compliant with microbiological criteria during the shelf-life. In soft cheeses, lactic acid bacteria increased in the course of the shelf-life period (1.2-2.6 log increase, while in semi-hard and hard cheeses it decreased (1.6 and 5.2 log decrease, respectively. Soft cheeses support the growth of L. monocytogenes according to determined pH values (5.8-6.5, water activity (0.99-0.94, and NaCl content (0.3-1.2%. Challenge test showed that L. monocytogenes growth potential in selected soft cheese was 0.43 log10 cfu/g during 8 days at 4°C. Water activity in semi-hard and hard cheeses was a limiting factor for Listeria growth during the shelf-life. Soft, semi-hard and hard cheeses were microbiologically stable during their defined shelf-life. Good manufacturing and hygienic practices must be strictly followed in the production of soft cheeses as Listeria-supporting food and be focused on preventing (recontamination.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wei Sun
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Due to the material nonlinearity of hard coating, the coated structure produces the nonlinear dynamical behaviors of variable stiffness and damping, which make the modeling of hard-coating composite structure become a challenging task. In this study, the polynomial was adopted to characterize this material nonlinearity and an analytical modeling method was developed for the hard-coating composite plate. Firstly, to relate the hard-coating material parameters obtained by test and the analytical model, the expression of equivalent strain of composite plate was derived. Then, the analytical model of hard-coating composite plate was created by energy method considering the material nonlinearity of hard coating. Next, using the Newton-Raphson method to solve the vibration response and resonant frequencies of composite plate and a specific calculation procedure was also proposed. Finally, a cantilever plate coated with MgO + Al2O3 hard coating was chosen as study case; the vibration response and resonant frequencies of composite plate were calculated using the proposed method. The calculation results were compared with the experiment and general linear calculation, and the correctness of the created model was verified. The study shows the proposed method can still maintain an acceptable precision when the material nonlinearity of hard coating is stronger.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malik, M.; Alam, S.; Irfan, M.; Hassan, Z.
2006-01-01
PVD based hard coatings have remarkable achievements in order to improve Tribological and surface properties of coating tools and dies. As PVD based hard coatings have a wide range of industrial applications especially in aerospace and automobile parts where they met different chemical attacks and in order to improve industrial performance these coatings must provide an excellent resistance against corrosion, high temperature oxidation and chemical reaction. This paper focuses on study of behaviour of PVD based hard coatings under different corrosive environments like as H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, HCl, NaCl, KCl, NaOH etc. Corrosion rate was calculate under linear sweep voltammetry method where the Tafel extrapolation curves used for continuously monitoring the corrosion rate. The results show that these coatings have an excellent resistance against chemical attack. (author)
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Chemical hardness and density functional theory
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Unknown
RALPH G PEARSON. Chemistry Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. Abstract. The concept of chemical hardness is reviewed from a personal point of view. Keywords. Hardness; softness; hard & soft acids bases (HSAB); principle of maximum hardness. (PMH) density functional theory (DFT) ...
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Hardness variability in commercial technologies
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shaneyfelt, M.R.; Winokur, P.S.; Meisenheimer, T.L.; Sexton, F.W.; Roeske, S.B.; Knoll, M.G.
1994-01-01
The radiation hardness of commercial Floating Gate 256K E 2 PROMs from a single diffusion lot was observed to vary between 5 to 25 krad(Si) when irradiated at a low dose rate of 64 mrad(Si)/s. Additional variations in E 2 PROM hardness were found to depend on bias condition and failure mode (i.e., inability to read or write the memory), as well as the foundry at which the part was manufactured. This variability is related to system requirements, and it is shown that hardness level and variability affect the allowable mode of operation for E 2 PROMs in space applications. The radiation hardness of commercial 1-Mbit CMOS SRAMs from Micron, Hitachi, and Sony irradiated at 147 rad(Si)/s was approximately 12, 13, and 19 krad(Si), respectively. These failure levels appear to be related to increases in leakage current during irradiation. Hardness of SRAMs from each manufacturer varied by less than 20%, but differences between manufacturers are significant. The Qualified Manufacturer's List approach to radiation hardness assurance is suggested as a way to reduce variability and to improve the hardness level of commercial technologies
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Automatic provisioning of end-to-end QoS into the home
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Brewka, Lukasz Jerzy; Skoldström, Pontus; Nelis, Jelle
2011-01-01
Due to a growing number of high bandwidth applications today (such as HDTV), and an increasing amount of network and cloud based applications, service providers need to pay attention to QoS in their networks. We believe there is a need for an end-to-end approach reaching into the home as well....... The Home Gateway (HG) as a key component of the home network is crucial for enabling the end-to-end solutions. UPnP-QoS has been proposed as an inhome solution for resource reservations. In this paper we assess a solution for automatic QoS reservations, on behalf of non-UPnP-QoS aware applications....... Additionally we focus on an integrated end-to-end solution, combining GMPLS-based reservations in e.g., access/metro and UPnP-QoS based reservation in the home network....
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COPD: A stepwise or a hit hard approach?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A.J. Ferreira
2016-07-01
Full Text Available Current guidelines differ slightly on the recommendations for treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD patients, and although there are some undisputed recommendations, there is still debate regarding the management of COPD. One of the hindrances to deciding which therapeutic approach to choose is late diagnosis or misdiagnosis of COPD. After a proper diagnosis is achieved and severity assessed, the choice between a stepwise or âhit hardâ approach has to be made. For GOLD A patients the stepwise approach is recommended, whilst for B, C and D patients this remains debatable. Moreover, in patients for whom inhaled corticosteroids (ICS are recommended, a step-up or âhit hardâ approach with triple therapy will depend on the patient's characteristics and, for patients who are being over-treated with ICS, ICS withdrawal should be performed, in order to optimize therapy and reduce excessive medications.This paper discusses and proposes stepwise, âhit hardâ, step-up and ICS withdrawal therapeutic approaches for COPD patients based on their GOLD group. We conclude that all approaches have benefits, and only a careful patient selection will determine which approach is better, and which patients will benefit the most from each approach. Keywords: COPD, Stepwise, Hit hard, Step-up, ICS withdrawal, Bronchodilators, ICS
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QoS Modeling for End-to-End Performance Evaluation over Networks with Wireless Access
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gómez Gerardo
2010-01-01
Full Text Available This paper presents an end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS model for assessing the performance of data services over networks with wireless access. The proposed model deals with performance degradation across protocol layers using a bottom-up strategy, starting with the physical layer and moving on up to the application layer. This approach makes it possible to analytically assess performance at different layers, thereby facilitating a possible end-to-end optimization process. As a representative case, a scenario where a set of mobile terminals connected to a streaming server through an IP access node has been studied. UDP, TCP, and the new TCP-Friendly Rate Control (TFRC protocols were analyzed at the transport layer. The radio interface consisted of a variable-rate multiuser and multichannel subsystem, including retransmissions and adaptive modulation and coding. The proposed analytical QoS model was validated on a real-time emulator of an end-to-end network with wireless access and proved to be very useful for the purposes of service performance estimation and optimization.
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Communication: a relationship between hardness and flow stress of ordered Zr3Al polycrystals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schulson, E.M.; Roy, J.A.
1977-01-01
The purpose of this note is to describe a relationship between hardness and flow stress for the ordered L1$sub 2$ phase Zr$sub 3$Al, a possible structural material for use in nuclear power reactors. Experimental data obtained with the Zr-8.9% Al alloy lead to the conclusion that the hardness of polycrystalline Zr$sub 3$Al obeys an expression of the Hall-Petch form. When combined with a similar expression for flow stress, established previously, a simple relationship is obtained for flow stress in terms of hardness of well annealed material. Hardness measurements thus provide a rapid and inexpensive assessment of the strength of Zr$sub 3$Al. 8 refs
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Investigation on Effect of Material Hardness in High Speed CNC End Milling Process
Dhandapani, N. V.; Thangarasu, V. S.; Sureshkannan, G.
2015-01-01
This research paper analyzes the effects of material properties on surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear on high speed CNC end milling process with various ferrous and nonferrous materials. The challenge of material specific decision on the process parameters of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, coolant flow rate, cutting tool material, and type of coating for the cutting tool for required quality and quantity of production is addressed. Generally, decision made by the...
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Studying Hardness Meter Spring Strength to Understand Hardness Distribution on Body Surfaces.
Arima, Yoshitaka
2017-10-01
For developing a hardness multipoint measurement system for understanding hardness distribution on biological body surfaces, we investigated the spring strength of the contact portion main axis of a biological tissue hardness meter (product name: PEK). We measured the hardness of three-layered sheets of six types of gel sheets (90 mm × 60 mm × 6 mm) constituting the acupuncture practice pads, with PEK measurements of 1.96 N, 2.94 N, 3.92 N, 4.90 N, 5.88 N, 6.86 N, 7.84 N, 8.82 N, and 9.81 N of the main axis spring strength. We obtained measurements 10 times for the gel sheets and simultaneously measured the load using a digital scale. We measured the hardness distribution of induration embedded and breast cancer palpation models, with a main axis with 1.96 N, 4.90 N, and 9.81 N spring strengths, to create a two-dimensional Contour Fill Chart. Using 4.90 N spring strength, we could obtain measurement loads of ≤3.0 N, and the mean hardness was 5.14 mm. This was close to the median of the total measurement range 0.0-10.0 mm, making the measurement range the largest for this spring strength. We could image the induration of the induration-embedded model regardless of the spring strength. Overall, 4.90 N spring strength was best suited for imaging cancer in the breast cancer palpation model. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mentz, R.M.
1993-01-01
An apparatus for sealing or blocking conduits, such as the primary nozzles of a nuclear steam generator is described. It includes an annular bracket sealingly attached to the open end of the nozzle, the bracket having a plurality of threaded holes therein. Mounted atop the bracket is a generally circular nozzle dam for covering the opening. Interposed between the nozzle dam and the bracket is an extrusion-resistant seal member having a plurality of apertures therethrough for receiving each bolt. The seal member is configured to resist extrusion by having laminated layers of differing hardnesses, so that the seal member will not laterally extrude away from each bolt in a manner that enlarges the aperture surrounding each bolt as the nozzle dam is bolted to the bracket. (author)
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Mining technology development for hard rock excavation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hustrulid, W.; Cudnick, R.; Trent, R.; Holmberg, R.
1980-01-01
A research facility has been established in the granitic gneiss of the CSM Experimental Mine at Idaho Springs, Colorado, for the purpose of evaluating/developing mining, geologic and geotechnical procedures appropriate for use in establishing nuclear waste repositories in hard rock. An experimental room has been excavated using careful blasting procedures. The extent and magnitude of blast damage is being evaluated. Structural geology is being mapped to assess continuity
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A.M. Khalifa
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Damietta harbor was constructed in 1982 as an inland harbor with its 15 m depth navigation channel and two jetties acting like an obstacle to not allow sediment deposition in the harbor. On the other hand, they significantly affect the northern coast shoreline and hinder the sediment circulation in Damietta promontory. Satellite images show that new headlands are being implemented in the coastal shores of As-senaneyah. The proposed project consists of implementation of four headlands with length of 160 m, spacing of 400 m and using 150,000 m3 nourishment in those spacing between the hard structures only once during the construction time. Litpack 1D-model is used to predict shoreline responses to number of different five scenarios considered as combination between hard structures such as headlands and sand nourishment. A total number of 32 profiles were used to assess the shoreline changes along Gamasa, Damietta and Ras El-bar resort from 2010 to 2015. This study prevails a high erosion rate of the eastern and western shorelines of the proposed headlands. Nourishment of 200,000 m3/year is found to be a reasonable solution due to simplicity of being attained from Damietta harborâs annual dredged materials which was reported to be average of 1 million m3/year. Keywords: Numerical modeling, Damietta harbor, Egyptian shoreline changes, Inland harbor
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Risk assessment for truck-transport assuming different concepts of the back-end of the fuel cycle
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tully, A.; Sonnenschein, R.; Haeusler, S.
1983-01-01
The different concepts of the back-end of the fuel cycle existing in the Federal Republic of Germany require that various types of radioactive materials will be transported along different pathways, for various distances and at different frequencies, thus resulting in different risks to the public. In one part of the second phase of the R + D program Projekt Sicherheitsstudien Entsorgung (PSE), the risk during normal and accident conditions will be assessed for each of the concepts of the back-end of the fuel cycle. Within this part of the safety analysis, DORNIER SYSTEM will determine the risks resulting from the transport of radioactive materials by truck, using the probabilistic method of fault tree analysis. This part of the investigation will extend until the end of 1983. 4 references, 5 tables
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In situ studies of nucleation and assembly at soft-hard interfaces
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dutta, Pulak [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
2013-04-01
The overall goal of this project was the exploration of new ways to make organic and hybrid (organic-inorganic) materials for energy-related applications. Towards this end, our research focused on the structure and behavior of molecular monolayers at interfaces (including floating monolayers, transferred Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers, and self-assembled monolayers), as well as the biomimetic nucleation of inorganic crystals at soft-hard interfaces. The project resulted in a number of 'firsts' and other notable achievements, which are described in the report.
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Yun, Young Ho; Kim, Soo-Hyun; Lee, Kyoung-Min; Park, Sang Min; Lee, Chang Geol; Choi, Youn Seon; Lee, Won Sup; Kim, Si-Young; Heo, Dae Seog
2006-09-01
Our goal was to validate an instrument with which terminally ill patients could evaluate the quality of care they receive at the end of life (EOL). Questionnaire development followed a four-phase process: item generation and reduction, construction, pilot testing, and field-testing. Using relevance and priority criteria and pilot testing, we developed a 16-item questionnaire. Factor analyses of data from 235 patients resulted in the Quality Care Questionnaire-End of Life (QCQ-EOL) covering dignity-conserving care, care by health care professionals, individualised care, and family relationships. All subscales and total scores showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range, 0.73-0.89). The ability of total score and selective subscale scores clearly differentiated patients on the basis of clinical situation, sense of dignity, and general rating of care quality. Correlations of scores between patients and caregivers were substantial. The QCQ-EOL can be adopted to assess the quality of care received by terminally ill patients.
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Induced spherococcoid hard wheat
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yanev, Sh.
1981-01-01
A mutant has been obtained - a spheroccocoid line -through irradiation of hard wheat seed with fast neutrons. It is distinguished by semispherical glumes and smaller grain; the plants have low stem with erect leaves but with shorter spikes and with lesser number of spikelets than those of the initial cultivar. Good productive tillering and resistance to lodging contributed to 23.5% higher yield. The line was superior to the standard and the initial cultivars by 14.2% as regards protein content, and by up to 22.8% - as to flour gluten. It has been successfully used in hybridization producing high-yielding hard wheat lines resistant to lodging, with good technological and other indicators. The possibility stated is of obtaining a spherococcoid mutant in tetraploid (hard) wheat out of the D-genome as well as its being suited to hard wheat breeding to enhance protein content, resistance to lodging, etc. (author)
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martin Hitzemann
2003-01-01
Full Text Available In recent years, an increasing number of cervical spine injuries sustained by vehicle occupants in collisions at comparatively low speeds have been reported to insurance companies and in civil litigation. The reported injuries occur in both rear-end and side impact collisions. The paper describes how a detailed assessment of such cases requires interdisciplinary teamwork involving technical, biomechanical and medical experts.
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This particular object was used up until 2012 in the Data Centre. It slots into one of the Disk Server trays. Hard disks were invented in the 1950s. They started as large disks up to 20 inches in diameter holding just a few megabytes (link is external). They were originally called "fixed disks" or "Winchesters" (a code name used for a popular IBM product). They later became known as "hard disks" to distinguish them from "floppy disks (link is external)." Hard disks have a hard platter that holds the magnetic medium, as opposed to the flexible plastic film found in tapes and floppies.
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Janka hardness using nonstandard specimens
David W. Green; Marshall Begel; William Nelson
2006-01-01
Janka hardness determined on 1.5- by 3.5-in. specimens (2Ã4s) was found to be equivalent to that determined using the 2- by 2-in. specimen specified in ASTM D 143. Data are presented on the relationship between Janka hardness and the strength of clear wood. Analysis of historical data determined using standard specimens indicated no difference between side hardness...
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Grinding tool for making hemispherical bores in hard materials
Duran, E.L.
1985-04-03
A grinding tool for forming hemispherical bores in hard materials such as boron carbide. The tool comprises a hemicircular grinding bit, formed of a metal bond diamond matrix, which is mounted transversely on one end of a tubular tool shaft. The bit includes a spherically curved outer edge surface which is the active grinding surface of the tool. Two coolant fluid ports on opposite sides of the bit enable introduction of coolant fluid through the bore of the tool shaft so as to be emitted adjacent the opposite sides of the grinding bit, thereby providing optimum cooling of both the workpiece and the bit.
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Kosmider, Leon; Sobczak, Andrzej; Szołtysek-Bołdys, Izabela; Prokopowicz, Adam; Skórka, Agnieszka; Abdulafeez, Oluyadi; Koszowski, Bartosz
2015-01-01
Global use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; also called electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes) has increased dramatically in recent years. However, due to the limited safety studies and growing concerns on the potential toxicity from long term use of ENDS, many national and international governments have employed regulatory measures to curtail its use. One of the most significant challenges regulators of ENDS encounter is the lack of quality standards to assess ENDS, e-liquid (solution used with ENDS which contain nicotine--a highly toxic and addictive substance), and amount of nicotine delivery to aerosol during ENDS use. Aims of the study were to (1) measure and compare nicotine concentration in e-liquids to values reported by manufacturers on packaging labels; (2) assess the precision of nicotine delivery from tank during aerosol formation. Methods: Nine popular Polish e-liquids (based on the market share data from October 2014) were purchased for the study. The labelled nicotine concentration for the selected e-liquids ranged between 11-25 mg/mL. All e-liquids were aerosolized in the laboratory using a smoking simulation machine (Palaczbot). Each e-liquid was aerosolized in a series of 6 consecutive bouts. A single bout consisted of 15 puffs with the following puff topography: 65 mL puff volume, 2.8 sec. puff duration, and 19 sec. interpuff interval. A total of 90 puffs were generated from each e-liquid. Nicotine content in the e-liquids and the aerosol generated were determined by gas chromatography with thermionic sensitive detection (GC-TSD). For seven of nine analyzed e-liquids, the difference between measured and manufacturer labeled nicotine concentration was less than 10%. Nicotine dose in aerosol per bout ranged between 0.77-1.49 mg (equivalent to one-half the nicotine a smoker inhales from a single combustible cigarette). Our analysis showed the high consistency between the labeled and measured nicotine concentration for popular on the
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Loo, Kai van de; Sitte, Andreas-Peter [Gesamtverband Steinkohle e.V. (GVSt), Herne (Germany)
2015-07-01
International the coal market in 2014 was the first time in a long time in a period of stagnation. In Germany, the coal consumption decreased even significantly, mainly due to the decrease in power generation. Here the national energy transition has now been noticable affected negative for coal use. The political guidances can expect a further significant downward movement for the future. In the present phase-out process of the German hard coal industry with still three active mines there was in 2014 no decommissioning. But the next is at the end of 2015, and the plans for the time after mining have been continued. [German] International war der Markt fuer Steinkohle 2014 erstmals seit langem wieder von einer Stagnation gekennzeichnet. In Deutschland ging der Steinkohlenverbrauch sogar deutlich zurueck, vor allem wegen des Rueckgangs in der Stromerzeugung. Hier hat sich die nationale Energiewende nun spuerbar und fuer die Steinkohlennutzung negativ ausgewirkt. Die politischen Weichenstellungen lassen fuer die Zukunft eine weitere erhebliche Abwaertsbewegung erwarten. Bei dem im Auslaufprozess befindlichen deutschen Steinkohlenbergbau mit noch drei aktiven Bergwerken gab es 2014 keine Stilllegung. Doch die naechste steht zum Jahresende 2015 an, und die Planungen fuer die Zeit nach dem Bergbau sind fortgefuehrt worden.
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Determining the Effect of Material Hardness During the Hard Turning of AISI4340 Steel
Kambagowni, Venkatasubbaiah; Chitla, Raju; Challa, Suresh
2018-05-01
In the present manufacturing industries hardened steels are most widely used in the applications like tool design and mould design. It enhances the application range of hard turning of hardened steels in manufacturing industries. This study discusses the impact of workpiece hardness, feed and depth of cut on Arithmetic mean roughness (Ra), root mean square roughness (Rq), mean depth of roughness (Rz) and total roughness (Rt) during the hard turning. Experiments have been planned according to the Box-Behnken design and conducted on hardened AISI4340 steel at 45, 50 and 55 HRC with wiper ceramic cutting inserts. Cutting speed is kept constant during this study. The analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of the machining parameters. 3-D response surface plots drawn based on RSM were utilized to set up the input-output relationships. The results indicated that the feed rate has the most significant parameter for Ra, Rq and Rz and hardness has the most critical parameter for the Rt. Further, hardness shows its influence over all the surface roughness characteristics.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Herman, P.G.; Kahn, A.; Kallman, C.E.; Rojas, K.A.; Bodenheimer, M.M.
1988-01-01
Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) has been considered a reliable indicator of left ventricular function. The purpose of this study was to correlate the radiologic assessment of congestive heart failure with LVEDP. The population of the study consisted of 85 consecutive cases in four ranges of LVEDP ( 24). The PA chest radiographs obtained 1 day prior to cardiac catherization were assessed for radiological evidence of congestive heart failure and were graded from normal to abnormal (0-3). The results will be summarized in the authors' presentation. The discordance of radiological assessment of congestive heart failure in patients with elevated LVEDP will be discussed in light of recent advances in pathophysiologic understanding of left ventricular function and the impact of new classes of drugs in the management of these patients
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Soft Power and Hard Measures: Large-Scale Assessment, Citizenship and the European Union
Rutkowski, David; Engel, Laura C.
2010-01-01
This article explores the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) with particular emphasis on the European Union's (EU's) involvement in the regional portion. Using the ICCS, the EU actively combines hard measures with soft power, allowing the EU to define and steer cross-national rankings of values of EU citizenship. The…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hamad Al-Khalid
2011-12-01
Full Text Available Hardness homogeneity of the commonly used structural ferrous and nonferrous engineering materials is of vital importance in the design stage, therefore, reliable information regarding material properties homogeneity should be validated and any deviation should be addressed. In the current study the hardness variation, over wide spectrum radial locations of some ferrous and nonferrous structural engineering materials, was investigated. Measurements were performed over both faces (cross-section of each stock bar according to a pre-specified stratified design, ensuring the coverage of the entire area both in radial and circumferential directions. Additionally the credibility of the apparatus and measuring procedures were examined through a statistically based calibration process of the hardness reference block. Statistical and response surface graphical analysis are used to examine the nature, adequacy and significance of the measured hardness values. Calibration of the apparatus reference block proved the reliability of the measuring system, where no strong evidence was found against the stochastic nature of hardness measures over the various stratified locations. Also, outlier elimination procedures were proved to be beneficial only at fewer measured points. Hardness measurements showed a dispersion domain that is within the acceptable confidence interval. For AISI 4140 and AISI 1020 steels, hardness is found to have a slight decrease trend as the diameter is reduced, while an opposite behavior is observed for AA 6082 aluminum alloy. However, no definite significant behavior was noticed regarding the effect of the sector sequence (circumferential direction.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kotowicz, Janusz; Michalski, Sebastian
2014-01-01
The supercritical power plant analyzed in this paper consists of the following elements: a steam turbine, a hard-coal-fired oxy-type pulverized fuel boiler, an air separation unit with a four-end-type high-temperature membrane and a carbon dioxide capture unit. The electrical power of the steam turbine is 600 MW, the live steam thermodynamic parameters are 650°C/30 MPa, and the reheated steam parameters are 670°C/6 MPa. First of all the net efficiency was calculated as functions of the oxygen recovery rate. The net efficiency was lower than the reference efficiency by 9–10.5 pp, and a series of actions were thus proposed to reduce the loss of net efficiency. A change in the boiler structure produced an increase in the boiler efficiency of 2.5–2.74 pp. The range of the optimal air compressor pressure ratio (19–23) due to the net efficiency was also determined. The integration of all installations with the steam turbine produced an increase in the gross electric power by up to 50.5 MW. This operation enabled the replacement of the steam regenerative heat exchangers with gas–water heat exchangers. As a result of these alterations, the net efficiency of the analyzed power plant was improved to 5.5 pp less than the reference efficiency. - Highlights: • Analysis of a power plant with a “four-end” HTM for oxygen production was made. • Reorganization of the flue gas recirculation increased the boiler efficiency. • Optimization of the air compressor pressure ratio decreased the auxiliary power. • Replacement of the regenerative heat exchangers increased the gross electric power. • Comparison of the net efficiency of the analyzed and reference plants were made
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The Influence of Wheel/Rail Contact Conditions on the Microstructure and Hardness of Railway Wheels
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul Molyneux-Berry
2014-01-01
Full Text Available The susceptibility of railway wheels to wear and rolling contact fatigue damage is influenced by the properties of the wheel material. These are influenced by the steel composition, wheel manufacturing process, and thermal and mechanical loading during operation. The in-service properties therefore vary with depth below the surface and with position across the wheel tread. This paper discusses the stress history at the wheel/rail contact (derived from dynamic simulations and observed variations in hardness and microstructure. It is shown that the hardness of an “in-service” wheel rim varies significantly, with three distinct effects. The underlying hardness trend with depth can be related to microstructural changes during manufacturing (proeutectoid ferrite fraction and pearlite lamellae spacing. The near-surface layer exhibits plastic flow and microstructural shear, especially in regions which experience high tangential forces when curving, with consequentially higher hardness values. Between 1 mm and 7 mm depth, the wheel/rail contacts cause stresses exceeding the material yield stress, leading to work hardening, without a macroscopic change in microstructure. These changes in material properties through the depth of the wheel rim would tend to increase the likelihood of crack initiation on wheels toward the end of their life. This correlates with observations from several train fleets.
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Yang, Chun K; Polanco, Thais O; Lantis, John C
2016-04-01
A novel piscine acellular fish-skin graft product has 510k clearance on the US market. This product (Omega3, Kerecis, Isafjordur, Iceland) is to be used similarly to extracellular matrices (ECMs) on the market (eg, bovine and porcine) except that it contains fats, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been associated with anti-inflammatory properties in many studies. While many current ECMs are effective on open wounds, studies have largely excluded application to hard-to-heal ulcers. To test this product in a real-world environment, the authors chose to look specifically at hard-to-heal ulcers based on previously defined wound and patient factors. The primary objective was to assess the percentage of wound closure area from baseline after 5 weekly fish-skin graft applications in 18 patients with at least 1 "hard-to-heal" criteria. Patients underwent application of the fish skin for 5 sequential weeks, followed by 3 weeks of standard of care. Wound area, skin assessments, and pain were assessed weekly. A 40% decrease in wound surface area (P skin graft and secondary dressing (P < 0.05). Complete closure was seen in 3 of 18 patients by the end of the study phase. This fish-skin product appears to provide promise as an effective wound closing adjunctive ECM. This is true when used in this compassionate setting, where many other products fail. This study lacks a control arm and an aggressive application schedule, but the investigators believe it represents real-world practice.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shahereen Chowdhury
2018-02-01
Full Text Available The TiAlCrSiYN-based family of PVD (physical vapor deposition hard coatings was specially designed for extreme conditions involving the dry ultra-performance machining of hardened tool steels. However, there is a strong potential for further advances in the wear performance of the coatings through improvements in their architecture. A few different coating architectures (monolayer, multilayer, bi-multilayer, bi-multilayer with increased number of alternating nano-layers were studied in relation to cutting-tool life. Comprehensive characterization of the structure and properties of the coatings has been performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, micro-mechanical studies and tool-life evaluation. The wear performance was then related to the ability of the coating layer to exhibit minimal surface damage under operation, which is directly associated with the various micro-mechanical characteristics (such as hardness, elastic modulus and related characteristics; nano-impact; scratch test-based characteristics. The results presented exhibited that a substantial increase in tool life as well as improvement of the mechanical properties could be achieved through the architectural development of the coatings.
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Vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Šešum Mia
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Vocational identity development represents the key aspect of identity development and it is one of the most significant issues in the period of adolescence. The persons with strong vocational identity have clearer understanding of their own career goals and they are characterized by greater self-confidence and dedication to their career choices, which is the reason why they decide on their future profession more quickly and more easily than the persons whose vocational identity is weaker. The career development of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents takes place under conditions of auditory deprivation, which may have a negative effect on the stability of their vocational identity and thus on their choice of profession, employment and assimilation into the working environment. This study examines the connection between vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents and the number of completed school years and age, as well as the effect of gender, the level of hearing impairment, primary mode of communication, and general performance at school at the end of a school term on vocational identity. The sample comprised 97 deaf and hard of hearing students attending seventh and eighth grades of primary school as well as all grades of secondary school, who are educated in segregating conditions in the territory of Serbia. 'My Vocational Situation' (MVS, Holland et al., 1980-a was used as the instrument. The results of the study, following the data analysis, point to the connection between vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents and the number of school years completed and age, as well as the effect of gender on vocational identity, while the effect of the level of hearing impairment, primary mode of communication, and general performance at school on vocational identity of the examinees has not been confirmed. Comparing these results with the results of studies conducted on the population of typically developing
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Evaluation of stiffness feedback for hard nodule identification on a phantom silicone model.
Li, Min; Konstantinova, Jelizaveta; Xu, Guanghua; He, Bo; Aminzadeh, Vahid; Xie, Jun; Wurdemann, Helge; Althoefer, Kaspar
2017-01-01
Haptic information in robotic surgery can significantly improve clinical outcomes and help detect hard soft-tissue inclusions that indicate potential abnormalities. Visual representation of tissue stiffness information is a cost-effective technique. Meanwhile, direct force feedback, although considerably more expensive than visual representation, is an intuitive method of conveying information regarding tissue stiffness to surgeons. In this study, real-time visual stiffness feedback by sliding indentation palpation is proposed, validated, and compared with force feedback involving human subjects. In an experimental tele-manipulation environment, a dynamically updated color map depicting the stiffness of probed soft tissue is presented via a graphical interface. The force feedback is provided, aided by a master haptic device. The haptic device uses data acquired from an F/T sensor attached to the end-effector of a tele-manipulated robot. Hard nodule detection performance is evaluated for 2 modes (force feedback and visual stiffness feedback) of stiffness feedback on an artificial organ containing buried stiff nodules. From this artificial organ, a virtual-environment tissue model is generated based on sliding indentation measurements. Employing this virtual-environment tissue model, we compare the performance of human participants in distinguishing differently sized hard nodules by force feedback and visual stiffness feedback. Results indicate that the proposed distributed visual representation of tissue stiffness can be used effectively for hard nodule identification. The representation can also be used as a sufficient substitute for force feedback in tissue palpation.
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Evaluation of stiffness feedback for hard nodule identification on a phantom silicone model.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Min Li
Full Text Available Haptic information in robotic surgery can significantly improve clinical outcomes and help detect hard soft-tissue inclusions that indicate potential abnormalities. Visual representation of tissue stiffness information is a cost-effective technique. Meanwhile, direct force feedback, although considerably more expensive than visual representation, is an intuitive method of conveying information regarding tissue stiffness to surgeons. In this study, real-time visual stiffness feedback by sliding indentation palpation is proposed, validated, and compared with force feedback involving human subjects. In an experimental tele-manipulation environment, a dynamically updated color map depicting the stiffness of probed soft tissue is presented via a graphical interface. The force feedback is provided, aided by a master haptic device. The haptic device uses data acquired from an F/T sensor attached to the end-effector of a tele-manipulated robot. Hard nodule detection performance is evaluated for 2 modes (force feedback and visual stiffness feedback of stiffness feedback on an artificial organ containing buried stiff nodules. From this artificial organ, a virtual-environment tissue model is generated based on sliding indentation measurements. Employing this virtual-environment tissue model, we compare the performance of human participants in distinguishing differently sized hard nodules by force feedback and visual stiffness feedback. Results indicate that the proposed distributed visual representation of tissue stiffness can be used effectively for hard nodule identification. The representation can also be used as a sufficient substitute for force feedback in tissue palpation.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Loechner, S.
2006-07-26
The Beetle chip is a radiation hard, 128 channel pipelined readout chip for silicon strip detectors. The front-end consists of a charge-sensitive preamplifier followed by a CR-RC pulse shaper. The analogue pipeline memory is implemented as a switched capacitor array with a maximum latency of 4us. The 128 analogue channels are multiplexed and transmitted off chip in 900ns via four current output drivers. Beside the pipelined readout path, the Beetle provides a fast discrimination of the front-end pulse. Within this doctoral thesis parts of the radiation hard Beetle readout chip for the LHCb experiment have been developed. The overall chip performances like noise, power consumption, input charge rates have been optimised as well as the elimination of failures so that the Beetle fulfils the requirements of the experiment. Furthermore the characterisation of the chip was a major part of this thesis. Beside the detailed measurement of the chip performance, several irradiation tests and an Single Event Upset (SEU) test were performed. A long-time measurement with a silicon strip detector was also part of this work as well as the development and test of a first mass production test setup. The Beetle chip showed no functional failure and only slight degradation in the analogue performance under irradiation of up to 130Mrad total dose. The Beetle chip fulfils all requirements of the vertex detector (VELO), the trigger tracker (TT) and the inner tracker (IT) and is ready for the start of LHCb end of 2007. (orig.)
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Loechner, S.
2006-01-01
The Beetle chip is a radiation hard, 128 channel pipelined readout chip for silicon strip detectors. The front-end consists of a charge-sensitive preamplifier followed by a CR-RC pulse shaper. The analogue pipeline memory is implemented as a switched capacitor array with a maximum latency of 4us. The 128 analogue channels are multiplexed and transmitted off chip in 900ns via four current output drivers. Beside the pipelined readout path, the Beetle provides a fast discrimination of the front-end pulse. Within this doctoral thesis parts of the radiation hard Beetle readout chip for the LHCb experiment have been developed. The overall chip performances like noise, power consumption, input charge rates have been optimised as well as the elimination of failures so that the Beetle fulfils the requirements of the experiment. Furthermore the characterisation of the chip was a major part of this thesis. Beside the detailed measurement of the chip performance, several irradiation tests and an Single Event Upset (SEU) test were performed. A long-time measurement with a silicon strip detector was also part of this work as well as the development and test of a first mass production test setup. The Beetle chip showed no functional failure and only slight degradation in the analogue performance under irradiation of up to 130Mrad total dose. The Beetle chip fulfils all requirements of the vertex detector (VELO), the trigger tracker (TT) and the inner tracker (IT) and is ready for the start of LHCb end of 2007. (orig.)
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On scale dependence of hardness
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shorshorov, M.Kh.; Alekhin, V.P.; Bulychev, S.I.
1977-01-01
The concept of hardness as a structure-sensitive characteristic of a material is considered. It is shown that in conditions of a decreasing stress field under the inventor the hardness function is determined by the average distance, Lsub(a), between the stops (fixed and sessile dislocations, segregation particles, etc.). In the general case, Lsub(a) depends on the size of the impression and explains the great diversity of hardness functions. The concept of average true deformation rate on depression is introduced
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Micro-hardness of non-irradiated uranium dioxide
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kim, Sung-Sik; Takagi, Osamu; Obata, Naomi; Kirihara, Tomoo.
1983-01-01
In order to obtain the optimum conditions for micro-hardness measurements of sintered UO 2 , two kinds of hardness tests (Vickers and Knoop) were examined with non-irradiated UO 2 of 2.5 and 5 μm in grain size. The hardness values were obtained as a function of the applied load in the load range of 25 -- 1,000 g. In the Vickers test, cracks were generated around the periphery of an indentation even at lower load of 50 g, which means the Vickers hardness is not suitable for UO 2 specimens. In the Knoop test, three stages of load dependence were observed for sintered pellet as well as for a single crystal by Bates. Load dependence of Knoop hardness and crack formation were discussed. In the range of applied load around 70 -- 100 g there were plateau region where hardness values were nearly unchanged and did not contain any cracks in the indentation. The plateau region represents a hardness of a specimen. From a comparison between the hardness values of 2.5 μm and those of 5 μm UO 2 , it was approved that the degree of sintering controls the hardness in the plateau region. (author)
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2003-01-01
CERN will be organizing a special information day on Friday, 27th June, designed to promote the wearing of hard hats and ensure that they are worn correctly. A new prevention campaign will also be launched.The event will take place in the hall of the Main Building from 11.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., when you will be able to come and try on various models of hard hat, including some of the very latest innovative designs, ask questions and pass on any comments and suggestions.
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Environmental impact assessment of different end-of-life LCD management strategies.
Amato, Alessia; Rocchetti, Laura; Beolchini, Francesca
2017-01-01
The strong growth of the electrical and electronic equipment production combined with its short lifespan are causing the production of a significant amount of waste to treat. In particular, the present paper focuses on end-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for their significant content of valuable materials, like plastic, glass and metals that could be recovered after dismantling. In the recent literature, traditional LCD recycling processes are combined with innovative treatments, which allow to recover critical raw materials, such as indium. In this context, we have evaluated the environmental impact of four different strategies of end-of-life LCD management: the disposal in landfilling sites, the incineration, the traditional recycling treatment and an innovative process also addressed to the recovery of indium. The traditional recycling treatment resulted to be the best scenario for the environment. Indeed, a life cycle assessment study gave following environmental burdens (if negative they are credits): 18, 81, -68, -60kg CO 2 -equiv. and 0.08, 0.01, -0.25, -0.18mol H + -equiv., for the four scenarios in the categories of global warming and acidification, respectively. The limit of the variability of LCD composition was overcome including additional literature data in the study. In order to improve the innovative process sustainability, a system of water recirculation was optimized with a consequent impact decrease of 35% in the global warming category. Nevertheless, this action should be combined with an increase of indium concentration in the panel because the low metal content represents the bottleneck of the overall approach. In this regard, a sensitivity analysis showed that an increase of at least five times in indium concentration in the waste is needed to observe an advantage of the innovative vs the traditional recycling process, when the impact category of climate change is considered. As a whole, the life cycle assessment was confirmed as a key
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Huang, Fang; Hudgins, Robert R; Nau, Werner M
2004-12-22
The intrachain fluorescence quenching of the fluorophore 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO) is measured in short peptide fragments, namely the two strands and the turn of the N-terminal beta-hairpin of ubiquitin. The investigated peptides adopt a random-coil conformation in aqueous solution according to CD and NMR experiments. The combination of quenchers with different quenching efficiencies, namely tryptophan and tyrosine, allows the extrapolation of the rate constants for end-to-end collision rates as well as the dissociation of the end-to-end encounter complex. The measured activation energies for fluorescence quenching demonstrate that the end-to-end collision process in peptides is partially controlled by internal friction within the backbone, while measurements in solvents of different viscosities (H2O, D2O, and 7.0 M guanidinium chloride) suggest that solvent friction is an additional important factor in determining the collision rate. The extrapolated end-to-end collision rates, which are only slightly larger than the experimental rates for the DBO/Trp probe/quencher system, provide a measure of the conformational flexibility of the peptide backbone. The chain flexibility is found to be strongly dependent on the type of secondary structure that the peptides represent. The collision rates for peptides derived from the beta-strand motifs (ca. 1 x 10(7) s(-1)) are ca. 4 times slower than that derived from the beta-turn. The results provide further support for the hypothesis that chain flexibility is an important factor in the preorganization of protein fragments during protein folding. Mutations to the beta-turn peptide show that subtle sequence changes strongly affect the flexibility of peptides as well. The protonation and charge status of the peptides, however, are shown to have no significant effect on the flexibility of the investigated peptides. The meaning and definition of end-to-end collision rates in the context of protein folding are critically
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Kumar, T. Jeyavel Raja; Balasubramanian, A.; Kumar, R. S.; Dushiyanthan, C.; Thiruneelakandan, B.; Suresh, R.; Karthikeyan, K.; Davidraju, D.
2016-06-01
Aquifer performance was tested in 24 locations to assess the groundwater potential of the hard rock terrain in the Chittar-Uppodai watershed of the Tambaraparani River basin. Geologically, the area consists of biotite gneiss, charnockite, and quartzite. The aquifer characteristics, such as transmissivity ( T), the storage coefficient, specific capacity, optimum yield, and the recovery rate were calculated. The drawdown transmissivity was determined using Jacob's straight-line method, while the recovery transmissivity was determined by the Theis method. The drawdown transmissivity was low in the western areas, particularly at Kadayanallur, and was higher in the other areas. The recovery transmissivity was high in the western area, and, with the exception of Gangaikondan, was low at other locations. The assessment indicates that there is groundwater potential in the western part of the study area because of favorable results for recovery drawdown, aquifer thickness, and specific capacity.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shiva Alavi
2017-01-01
Conclusion: MIM orthodontic brackets exhibited hardness values much lower than those of SS orthodontic archwires and were more compatible with NiTi and beta-titanium archwires. A wide range of microhardness values has been reported for conventional orthodontic brackets and it should be considered that the manufacturing method might be only one of the factors affecting the mechanical properties of orthodontic brackets including hardness.
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Structural Transformations Versus Hard Particles Motion in the Brass Ingots
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wołczyński W.
2017-12-01
Full Text Available A mathematical method for the forecast of the type of structure in the steel static ingot has been recently developed. Currently, the method has been applied to structural zones prediction in the brass ingots obtained by the continuous casting. Both the temperature field and thermal gradient field have been calculated in order to predict mathematically the existence of some structural zones in the solidifying brass ingot. Particularly, the velocity of the liquidus isotherm movement and thermal gradient behavior versus solidification time have been considered. The analysis of the mentioned velocity allows the conclusion that the brass ingots can evince: chilled columnar grains-, (CC, fine columnar grains-, (FC, columnar grains-, (C, equiaxed grains zone, (E, and even the single crystal, (SC, situated axially. The role of the mentioned morphologies is analyzed to decide whether the hard particles existing in the brass ingots can be swallowed or rejected by the solid / liquid (s/l interface of a given type of the growing grains. It is suggested that the columnar grains push the hard particles to the end of a brass ingot during its continuous casting.
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Standard test methods for rockwell hardness of metallic materials
American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia
2008-01-01
1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the Rockwell hardness and the Rockwell superficial hardness of metallic materials by the Rockwell indentation hardness principle. This standard provides the requirements for Rockwell hardness machines and the procedures for performing Rockwell hardness tests. 1.2 This standard includes additional requirements in annexes: Verification of Rockwell Hardness Testing Machines Annex A1 Rockwell Hardness Standardizing Machines Annex A2 Standardization of Rockwell Indenters Annex A3 Standardization of Rockwell Hardness Test Blocks Annex A4 Guidelines for Determining the Minimum Thickness of a Test Piece Annex A5 Hardness Value Corrections When Testing on Convex Cylindrical Surfaces Annex A6 1.3 This standard includes nonmandatory information in appendixes which relates to the Rockwell hardness test. List of ASTM Standards Giving Hardness Values Corresponding to Tensile Strength Appendix X1 Examples of Procedures for Determining Rockwell Hardness Uncertainty Appendix X...
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Standard test methods for rockwell hardness of metallic materials
American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia
2011-01-01
1.1 These test methods cover the determination of the Rockwell hardness and the Rockwell superficial hardness of metallic materials by the Rockwell indentation hardness principle. This standard provides the requirements for Rockwell hardness machines and the procedures for performing Rockwell hardness tests. 1.2 This standard includes additional requirements in annexes: Verification of Rockwell Hardness Testing Machines Annex A1 Rockwell Hardness Standardizing Machines Annex A2 Standardization of Rockwell Indenters Annex A3 Standardization of Rockwell Hardness Test Blocks Annex A4 Guidelines for Determining the Minimum Thickness of a Test Piece Annex A5 Hardness Value Corrections When Testing on Convex Cylindrical Surfaces Annex A6 1.3 This standard includes nonmandatory information in appendixes which relates to the Rockwell hardness test. List of ASTM Standards Giving Hardness Values Corresponding to Tensile Strength Appendix X1 Examples of Procedures for Determining Rockwell Hardness Uncertainty Appendix X...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
EC Oliveira-Filho
Full Text Available Water hardness is a property depending on the presence of alkaline earth metals, mainly calcium and magnesium. Among the strategies for water quality monitoring, ecotoxicological assays are performed to minimize impacts and classify water bodies. For these laboratory evaluations parameters are previously defined in the guidelines, including water hardness for both cultivation and testing medium. The present work was performed to evaluate the effects of different levels of water hardness on the survival and reproduction of the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata and discuss the influence of natural water hardness on the results of ecotoxicological tests with these environmental samples. Comparing the groups it was possible to observe that those maintained in waters with least hardness had lower reproductive success, while the groups maintained in highest hardness showed better reproduction. These data show that waters with low hardness make the reproduction of the snail B. glabrata unfeasible, and this reveal a problem for ecotoxicity assays using natural water samples.
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A comparative tribological study of chromium coatings with different specific hardness
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Darbeida, A.; Von Stebut, J.; Barthole, M.; Belliard, P.; Lelait, L.
1995-06-01
The wear resistance in dry friction of two electrolytic and two pVD hard chromium coatings deposited on construction steel substrates is studied by means of standard pin on disc multi-pass, unidirectional operation. For both of these friction modes low cycle high load operation with cemented carbide pins leads to essentially coatings hardness controlled, abrasive wear. For these well adhering commercial coatings (both for through thickness cracking and for spalling failure) assessed by standard testing, are inadequate for quality ranking with respect to wear resistance. Steady state friction corresponds to a stabilised third body essentially composed of chromium oxide. (authors). 13 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab
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Optimization of flour yield and quality is important in the milling industry. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of kernel size and mill type on flour yield and end-use quality. A hard red spring wheat composite sample was segregated, based on kernel size, into large, medium, ...
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Beuville, E; Borgeaud, P; Fourches, N T; Rouger, M; Blanc, J P; Bruel, M; Delevoye-Orsier, E; Gautier, J; Du Port de Pontcharra, J; Truche, R; Dupont-Nivet, E; Flament, O; Leray, J L; Martin, J L; Montaron, J; Borel, G; Brice, J M; Chatagnon, P; Terrier, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Delpierre, P A; Habrard, M C; Potheau, R; CERN. Geneva. Detector Research and Development Committee
1992-01-01
The high radiation level expected in the inner regions of the high luminosity LHC detectors (gamma and neutron) will require radiation hardened electronics. A consortium between the CEA (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique) and Thomson TMS (Thomson Composants Militaires et Spatiaux) has been created to push for the development and the industrialization of a nascent technology which looks particularly adapted to the needs of HEP electronics. This technology, currently under development at the LETI(CEA), uses a SIMOX substrate with an epitaxial silicon film. It includes CMOS, JFETs and vertical bipolar transistors with a potential multi-megarad hardness. The CMOS and bipolar transistors constitute a rad-hard BiCMOS which will be useful to design analog and digital high-speed architectures. JFETs, which have intrinsically high hardness behaviour and low noise performances even at low temperature will enable very rad-hard, low noise front end electronics to be designed. Present results, together with the improvemen...
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Effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on diabetic macular edema with hard exudates
Jeon, Sohee; Lee, Won Ki
2014-01-01
Background We evaluated the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab on diabetic macular edema with subfoveal and perifoveal hard exudates. Materials and methods Eleven eyes (11 patients) exhibiting diabetic macular edema with subfoveal and perifoveal hard exudates were included in this prospective, nonrandomized interventional pilot study. All patients were treated with monthly scheduled intravitreal bevacizumab injections for 6 months. Changes in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best corrected visual acuity, amount of hard exudates on fundus photography, and macular edema detected by central subfield thickness on spectral domain optical coherence tomography after six serial injections, were assessed. The amount of hard exudates at each visit was evaluated as pixels in fundus photography, using an Adobe Photoshop program. Results Ten of 11 patients completed follow-up. The mean Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best corrected visual acuity was 59.9±5.7 letters (Snellen equivalent, 20/63) at baseline evaluation. The best corrected visual acuity exhibited no significant difference at month 6 compared with at baseline (57.9±6.0 letters or 20/70 at month 6; P=0.085). At month 6, mean central subfield thickness decreased from 370.4±56.5 to 334.6±65.0 μm (P=0.009). The mean amount of hard exudates increased from 4467.1±2736.1 to 6592.4±2498.3 pixels at month 6 (P=0.022). No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusion Continuous intravitreal bevacizumab was found to have no benefit in visual acuity and amount of hard exudates, despite the improvement of macular edema at 6 months. PMID:25143708
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Thermal spray coatings replace hard chrome
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schroeder, M.; Unger, R.
1997-01-01
Hard chrome plating provides good wear and erosion resistance, as well as good corrosion protection and fine surface finishes. Until a few years ago, it could also be applied at a reasonable cost. However, because of the many environmental and financial sanctions that have been imposed on the process over the past several years, cost has been on a consistent upward trend, and is projected to continue to escalate. Therefore, it is very important to find a coating or a process that offers the same characteristics as hard chrome plating, but without the consequent risks. This article lists the benefits and limitations of hard chrome plating, and describes the performance of two thermal spray coatings (tungsten carbide and chromium carbide) that compared favorably with hard chrome plating in a series of tests. It also lists three criteria to determine whether plasma spray or hard chrome plating should be selected
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Holleck, H.; Thuemmler, F.
1979-07-01
The report contains contributions by various authors to the research project on the production, structure, and physical properties of high-melting compounds and systems (hard metals and hard materials), in particular WC-, TaC-, and MoC-base materials. (GSCH) [de
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McNay, Ian
2015-01-01
This article first reviews the objectives/ends of research quality assessment in several countries to draw lessons for the UK Research Excellence Framework and similar exercises. It then reviews work on performance management as a framework for reviewing the views of participants on the means to the ends--the management of their experience in…
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Al Hazza, Muataz H F; Adesta, Erry Y T
2013-01-01
This research presents the effect of high cutting speed on the surface roughness in the end milling process by using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN). An experimental investigation was conducted to measure the surface roughness for end milling. A set of sparse experimental data for finish end milling on AISI H13 at hardness of 48 HRC have been conducted. The artificial neural network (ANN) was applied to simulate and study the effect of high cutting speed on the surface roughness
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Melting of polydisperse hard disks
Pronk, S.; Frenkel, D.
2004-01-01
The melting of a polydisperse hard-disk system is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations in the semigrand canonical ensemble. This is done in the context of possible continuous melting by a dislocation-unbinding mechanism, as an extension of the two-dimensional hard-disk melting problem. We find
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Vosbergen, Sandra; Laan, Eva K.; Colkesen, Ersen B.; Niessen, Maurice A. J.; Kraaijenhagen, Roderik A.; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Peek, Niels
2012-01-01
Background: Web technology is increasingly being used to provide individuals with health risk assessments (HRAs) with tailored feedback. End-user satisfaction is an important determinant of the potential impact of HRAs, as this influences program attrition and adherence to behavioral advice.
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Health benefits of hard martial arts in adults: a systematic review.
Origua Rios, Sandra; Marks, Jennifer; Estevan, Isaac; Barnett, Lisa M
2018-07-01
Participation in organized sports is promoted as a means of increasing physical activity levels and reducing chronic disease risk in adults. Hard martial arts practice (i.e. using body contact techniques), has gained in popularity over time. This review explores the evidence for health benefits of "hard" martial arts practice within the adult population. A systematic electronic database search was conducted, and quality assessments applied the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria, examining balance, cognitive function, muscular skeletal status, psychological, cardiovascular fitness, and metabolic effects. The majority of studies reported positive effects resulting from hard martial arts practice, showing some improvement and maintenance of balance, cognitive function and psychological health. Benefits may be obtained regardless of the age of practice commencement. However, quality of the evidence is affected by methodological weaknesses across the studies. "Hard" martial arts seem to have potential to improve balance and cognitive functions that decline with age, which can lead to poorer health outcomes among the elderly (e.g. cognitive decline, falls and fractures). Benefits should be further investigated with improved intervention studies, representative samples and longer follow-up periods in order to establish associations with morbidity and mortality in the long term.
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Investigation of characteristics and radiation hardness of the Beetle 1.0 front-end chip
Van Bakel, N; Jans, E; Klous, S; Verkooijen, H
2001-01-01
Noise characteristics of the Beetle 1.0 front-end chip have been investigated as a function of input capacitance. Values for the equivalent noise charge and ballastic deficit have been extracted. Amplification and pulse shape have been studied by varying the bias settings over a wide range. Results are compared with simulations that include realistic impedances at the input and output. The chip has been subjected to 10 Mrad of radiation. Subsequently, its behaviour is measured again and compared to that preceeding the irradiation. Observed radiation damage effects are discussed.
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Prediction of hardness in pieces of quenched and tempered steel
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yanzon, Rodolfo Carlos; Rodriguez, Augusto; Sanchez, Arlington Ricardo
2006-01-01
This presentation describes the first stage of a work plan to obtain a simple software, for predicting properties at certain points of a quenched and tempered piece. In this first stage, this prediction is limited to cylindrical pieces made with steels whose chemical composition is within a certain range. The methodology basically consists of obtaining , from experimental data, a mathematical tool able to predict the hardness value, for Jominy test piece ends made with this type of steel. This meant beginning with the analysis of the usual forms of theoretical calculation of Jominy curves of quenched samples, which resulted in a proposal to modify the Just equation. Two different mathematical methods were then developed, that could predict hardness values in tempered Jominy test pieces. One, based on the determination of polynomic equations, that reproduces the loss of hardness at points along the test piece, base on the quenching value and as a function of the tempering temperature. The other one, which uses the lineal multidimensional interpolation method, because of its ease of application, has been selected as the mathematical tool to use in the software under development. At this stage of the work, the relationship between the points on the piece and those on the Jominy test pieces is carried out by the Lamont method and the representative variable of the temperature/time combination for the tempering process itself, is obtained with software based on the Hollomon and Jaffe expression. Data is needed to define: a) chemical composition and grain size of the steel used, b) diameter of the piece, c) 'H G ' severity of the quenching medium d) temperature and time of the tempering. The work's second stage continued with the addition of hardness values measured in Jominy test pieces made with other steels. The chemical composition and grain size data of each steel introduced are converted by the software into one more variable, using the concept of ideal critical
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Kandpal, Lalit Mohan; Tewari, Jagdish; Gopinathan, Nishanth; Stolee, Jessica; Strong, Rick; Boulas, Pierre; Cho, Byoung-Kwan
2017-09-01
Determination of the content uniformity, assessed by the amount of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and hardness of pharmaceutical materials is important for achieving a high-quality formulation and to ensure the intended therapeutic effects of the end-product. In this work, Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy was used to determine the content uniformity and hardness of a pharmaceutical mini-tablet and standard tablet samples. Tablet samples were scanned using an FT-NIR instrument and tablet spectra were collected at wavelengths of 1000-2500 nm. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to extract the relationship between the FT-NIR spectra and the measured parameters. The results of FT-NIR spectroscopy for API and hardness prediction were as precise as the reference high-performance liquid chromatography and mechanical hardness tests. For the prediction of mini-tablet API content, the highest coefficient of determination for the prediction (R2p) was found to be 0.99 with a standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0.72 mg. Moreover, the standard tablet hardness measurement had a R2p value of 0.91 with an SEP of 0.25 kg. These results suggest that FT-NIR spectroscopy is an alternative and accurate nondestructive measurement tool for the detection of the chemical and physical properties of pharmaceutical samples.
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Uniform phases in fluids of hard isosceles triangles: One-component fluid and binary mixtures
Martínez-Ratón, Yuri; Díaz-De Armas, Ariel; Velasco, Enrique
2018-05-01
We formulate the scaled particle theory for a general mixture of hard isosceles triangles and calculate different phase diagrams for the one-component fluid and for certain binary mixtures. The fluid of hard triangles exhibits a complex phase behavior: (i) the presence of a triatic phase with sixfold symmetry, (ii) the isotropic-uniaxial nematic transition is of first order for certain ranges of aspect ratios, and (iii) the one-component system exhibits nematic-nematic transitions ending in critical points. We found the triatic phase to be stable not only for equilateral triangles but also for triangles of similar aspect ratios. We focus the study of binary mixtures on the case of symmetric mixtures: equal particle areas with aspect ratios (κi) symmetric with respect to the equilateral one, κ1κ2=3 . For these mixtures we found, aside from first-order isotropic-nematic and nematic-nematic transitions (the latter ending in a critical point): (i) a region of triatic phase stability even for mixtures made of particles that do not form this phase at the one-component limit, and (ii) the presence of a Landau point at which two triatic-nematic first-order transitions and a nematic-nematic demixing transition coalesce. This phase behavior is analogous to that of a symmetric three-dimensional mixture of rods and plates.
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Environmental assessment of end-of-life textiles in Denmark
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Koligkioni, Athina; Parajuly, Keshav; Sørensen, Birgitte Lilholt
2018-01-01
The European Union is on its way to a circular economy through eco-design, waste prevention, reuse and recycling of products and materials. This study analyzes the environmental effects of end-of-life textile management in Denmark. First, a Mass Flow Analysis was performed for textile flows from...... sales to consumers to end processes, which revealed that absolute consumption has grown significantly over the last years. Data on generation and management of used textiles indicated that around 40% are discarded with residual waste, another 40% are captured by collection for reuse channels, and around...
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Advances in hard nucleus cataract surgery
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wei Cui
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Security and perfect vision and fewer complications are our goals in cataract surgery, and hard-nucleus cataract surgery is always a difficulty one. Many new studies indicate that micro-incision phacoemulsification in treating hard nucleus cataract is obviously effective. This article reviews the evolution process of hard nuclear cataract surgery, the new progress in the research of artificial intraocular lens for microincision, and analyse advantages and disadvantages of various surgical methods.
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Česká hard a soft power: "evropská" nebo "americká" účast České republiky v Afghánistánu?
Bílý, Prokop
2009-01-01
This bachelor thesis deals with Joseph Nye's hard and soft power concepts and applies them to Czech Republic's participation in Afghanistan. The initial point of this text is represented, besides hard soft power's conceptual discussion, also by the debate on American and European approach to foreign affairs. In Afghanistan, the Czech Republic embarks upon within wider international community and as for the reconstruction process, commenced after fall of the Taliban at the end of 2001, it enga...
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Mathematical model of heat transfer to predict distribution of hardness through the Jominy bar
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lopez, E.; Hernandez, J. B.; Solorio, G.; Vergara, H. J.; Vazquez, O.; Garnica, F.
2013-01-01
The heat transfer coefficient was estimated at the bottom surface at Jominy bar end quench specimen by solution of the heat inverse conduction problem. A mathematical model based on the finite-difference method was developed to predict thermal paths and volume fraction of transformed phases. The mathematical model was codified in the commercial package Microsoft Visual Basic v. 6. The calculated thermal path and final phase distribution were used to evaluate the hardness distribution along the AISI 4140 Jominy bar. (Author)
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Life cycle assessment of the end-of-life phase of a residential building.
Vitale, Pierluca; Arena, Noemi; Di Gregorio, Fabrizio; Arena, Umberto
2017-02-01
The study investigates the potential environmental impacts related to the end-of-life phase of a residential building, identified in a multifamily dwelling of three levels, constructed in the South of Italy by utilizing conventional materials and up-to-date procedures. An attributional life cycle assessment has been utilised to quantify the contributions of each stage of the end-of-life phase, with a particular attention to the management of the demolition waste. The investigation takes into account the selective demolition, preliminary sorting and collection of main components of the building, together with the processes of sorting, recycling and/or disposal of main fractions of the demolition waste. It quantifies the connections between these on-site and off-site processes as well as the main streams of materials sent to recycling, energy recovery, and final disposal. A sensitivity analysis has been eventually carried out by comparing the overall environmental performances of some alternative scenarios, characterised by different criteria for the demolition of the reference building, management of demolition waste and assessment of avoided burdens of the main recycled materials. The results quantify the advantage of an appropriate technique of selective demolition, which could increase the quality and quantity of residues sent to the treatment of resource recovery and safe disposal. They also highlight the contributions to the positive or negative environmental impact of each stage of the investigated waste management system. The recycling of reinforcing steel appears to play a paramount role, accounting for 65% of the total avoided impacts related to respiratory inorganics, 89% of those for global warming and 73% of those for mineral extraction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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End-to-end System Performance Simulation: A Data-Centric Approach
Guillaume, Arnaud; Laffitte de Petit, Jean-Luc; Auberger, Xavier
2013-08-01
In the early times of space industry, the feasibility of Earth observation missions was directly driven by what could be achieved by the satellite. It was clear to everyone that the ground segment would be able to deal with the small amount of data sent by the payload. Over the years, the amounts of data processed by the spacecrafts have been increasing drastically, leading to put more and more constraints on the ground segment performances - and in particular on timeliness. Nowadays, many space systems require high data throughputs and short response times, with information coming from multiple sources and involving complex algorithms. It has become necessary to perform thorough end-to-end analyses of the full system in order to optimise its cost and efficiency, but even sometimes to assess the feasibility of the mission. This paper presents a novel framework developed by Astrium Satellites in order to meet these needs of timeliness evaluation and optimisation. This framework, named ETOS (for “End-to-end Timeliness Optimisation of Space systems”), provides a modelling process with associated tools, models and GUIs. These are integrated thanks to a common data model and suitable adapters, with the aim of building suitable space systems simulators of the full end-to-end chain. A big challenge of such environment is to integrate heterogeneous tools (each one being well-adapted to part of the chain) into a relevant timeliness simulation.
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System tests of radiation hard optical links for the ATLAS semiconductor tracker
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Charlton, D.G.; Dowell, J.D.; Homer, R.J.; Jovanovic, P.; Kenyon, I.R.; Mahout, G.; Shaylor, H.R.; Wilson, J.A.; Rudge, A.; Fopma, J.; Mandic, I.; Nickerson, R.B.; Shield, P.; Wastie, R.; Weidberg, A.R.; Eek, L.-O.; Go, A.; Lund-Jensen, B.; Pearce, M.; Soederqvist, J.; Morrissey, M.; White, D.J.
2000-01-01
A prototype optical data and Timing, Trigger and Control transmission system based on LEDs and PIN-diodes has been constructed. The system would be suitable in terms of radiation hardness and radiation length for use in the ATLAS SemiConductor Tracker. Bit error rate measurements were performed for the data links and for the links distributing the Timing, Trigger and Control data from the counting room to the front-end modules. The effects of cross-talk between the emitters and receivers were investigated. The advantages of using Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) instead of LEDs are discussed
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Initiative hard coal; Initiative Steinkohle
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Leonhardt, J.
2007-08-02
In order to decrease the import dependence of hard coal in the European Union, the author has submitted suggestions to the director of conventional sources of energy (directorate general for energy and transport) of the European community, which found a positive resonance. These suggestions are summarized in an elaboration 'Initiative Hard Coal'. After clarifying the starting situation and defining the target the presupposition for a better use of hard coal deposits as raw material in the European Union are pointed out. On that basis concrete suggestions for measures are made. Apart from the conditions of the deposits it concerns thereby also new mining techniques and mining-economical developments, connected with tasks for the mining-machine industry. (orig.)
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Hard diffraction and rapidity gaps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Brandt, A.
1995-09-01
The field of hard diffraction, which studies events with a rapidity gap and a hard scattering, has expanded dramatically recently. A review of new results from CDF, D OE, H1 and ZEUS will be given. These results include diffractive jet production, deep-inelastic scattering in large rapidity gap events, rapidity gaps between high transverse energy jets, and a search for diffractive W-boson production. The combination of these results gives new insight into the exchanged object, believed to be the pomeron. The results axe consistent with factorization and with a hard pomeron that contains both quarks and gluons. There is also evidence for the exchange of a strongly interacting color singlet in high momentum transfer (36 2 ) events
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Grain hardness is a very important trait in determining wheat market class and also influences milling and baking traits. At the grain Hardness (Ha) locus on chromosome 5DS, there are two primary mutations responsible for conveying a harder kernel texture among U.S. hard red spring wheats: (1) the P...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Geier, J. [Cleanwater Hardrock Consulting, Corvallis, OR (United States); Luukkonen, A.
2012-09-15
This review describes the state-of-the-art in hydrogeological modelling for safety-case studies related to spent-fuel repositories in crystalline hard rock, focusing on issues of relevance for the KBS-3 disposal concept in Nordic environments. The review includes a survey of model capabilities and assumptions regarding groundwater flow processes, geological and excavation-related features, and boundary conditions for temperate, periglacial, and glacial climates. Modelling approaches are compared for research sites including the Stripa mine (Sweden), the Grimsel Test Site (Switzerland), the Whiteshell Underground Research Laboratory (Canada), the Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory and Simpevarp-Laxemar site (Sweden), the Forsmark site (Sweden), the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site (USA), and Olkiluoto (Finland). Current hydrogeological models allow realistic representations, but are limited by availability of data to constrain their properties. Examples of calibrations of stochastic representations of heterogeneity are still scarce. Integrated models that couple flow and non-reactive transport are now well established, particularly those based on continuum representations. Models that include reactive transport are still mainly in the realm of research tools. Thus far, no single software tool allows fully coupled treatment of all relevant thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical transport processes in the bedrock, together with climate-related physical processes at the ground surface, and with explicit treatment of bedrock heterogeneity. Hence practical applications require combinations of models based on different simplifications. Key improvements can be expected in treatment of the unsaturated zone, simulation of heterogeneous infiltration at the surface, and hydromechanical coupling. Significant advances have already been made in the amounts and types of data that can be used in site-scale models, including large datasets to define topography and other surface
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Hard X-ray Microscopic Imaging Of Human Breast Tissues
Park, Sung H.; Kim, Hong T.; Kim, Jong K.; Jheon, Sang H.; Youn, Hwa S.
2007-01-01
X-ray microscopy with synchrotron radiation will be a useful tool for innovation of x-ray imaging in clinical and laboratory settings. It helps us observe detailed internal structure of material samples non-invasively in air. And, it also has the potential to solve some tough problems of conventional breast imaging if it could evaluate various conditions of breast tissue effectively. A new hard x-ray microscope with a spatial resolution better than 100 nm was installed at Pohang Light Source, a third generation synchrotron radiation facility in Pohang, Korea. The x-ray energy was set at 6.95 keV, and the x-ray beam was monochromatized by W/B4C monochromator. Condenser and objective zone plates were used as x-ray lenses. Zernike phase plate next to condenser zone plate was introduced for improved contrast imaging. The image of a sample was magnified 30 times by objective zone plate and 20 times by microscope objective, respectively. After additional 10 times digital magnification, the total magnifying power was up to 6000 times in the end. Phase contrast synchrotron images of 10-μm-thick female breast tissue of the normal, fibroadenoma, fibrocystic change and carcinoma cases were obtained. By phase contrast imaging, hard x-rays enable us to observe many structures of breast tissue without sample preparations such as staining or fixation.
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Hard X-ray Microscopic Imaging Of Human Breast Tissues
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Park, Sung H.; Kim, Hong T.; Kim, Jong K.; Jheon, Sang H.; Youn, Hwa S.
2007-01-01
X-ray microscopy with synchrotron radiation will be a useful tool for innovation of x-ray imaging in clinical and laboratory settings. It helps us observe detailed internal structure of material samples non-invasively in air. And, it also has the potential to solve some tough problems of conventional breast imaging if it could evaluate various conditions of breast tissue effectively. A new hard x-ray microscope with a spatial resolution better than 100 nm was installed at Pohang Light Source, a third generation synchrotron radiation facility in Pohang, Korea. The x-ray energy was set at 6.95 keV, and the x-ray beam was monochromatized by W/B4C monochromator. Condenser and objective zone plates were used as x-ray lenses. Zernike phase plate next to condenser zone plate was introduced for improved contrast imaging. The image of a sample was magnified 30 times by objective zone plate and 20 times by microscope objective, respectively. After additional 10 times digital magnification, the total magnifying power was up to 6000 times in the end. Phase contrast synchrotron images of 10-μm-thick female breast tissue of the normal, fibroadenoma, fibrocystic change and carcinoma cases were obtained. By phase contrast imaging, hard x-rays enable us to observe many structures of breast tissue without sample preparations such as staining or fixation
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Geomechanics in hard rock mining-Lessons from two case histories
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Heuze, F.E.
1982-01-01
This paper summarizes the geomechanics programs conducted in two hard rock underground mining operations in the Western United States, between 1966 and 1981. The two projects were directed towards understanding the behavior of the rock masses, at the scale of the caverns. To this end, the emphasis was put on large scale field measurements, complemented by limited laboratory testing. The results of these observations were used to build realistic finite element models of the underground chambers. In the marble mine, at Crestmore, California, the models were applied to the structural optimization of the room-and-pillar pattern. In the granite mining, at Climax, Nevada Test Site, the models explained some unusual stress changes observed during excavation. Based on the large number of geomechanical techniques employed, specific conclusions and recommendations are offered regarding the quality, applicability, and usefulness of the various methods. The two case histories clearly indicate that numerical models are extremely useful for a detailed understanding of the structural behavior of mine openings. To be realistic, these models must be based first and foremost on large scale field observations. The lessons learned on these two projects also are directly applicable to the design and analysis of nuclear waste repositories in hard rocks such as basalt, granite, and welded tuff
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cottrell, R.Les; Logg, Connie; Chhaparia, Mahesh; /SLAC; Grigoriev, Maxim; /Fermilab; Haro, Felipe; /Chile U., Catolica; Nazir, Fawad; /NUST, Rawalpindi; Sandford, Mark
2006-01-25
End-to-End fault and performance problems detection in wide area production networks is becoming increasingly hard as the complexity of the paths, the diversity of the performance, and dependency on the network increase. Several monitoring infrastructures are built to monitor different network metrics and collect monitoring information from thousands of hosts around the globe. Typically there are hundreds to thousands of time-series plots of network metrics which need to be looked at to identify network performance problems or anomalous variations in the traffic. Furthermore, most commercial products rely on a comparison with user configured static thresholds and often require access to SNMP-MIB information, to which a typical end-user does not usually have access. In our paper we propose new techniques to detect network performance problems proactively in close to realtime and we do not rely on static thresholds and SNMP-MIB information. We describe and compare the use of several different algorithms that we have implemented to detect persistent network problems using anomalous variations analysis in real end-to-end Internet performance measurements. We also provide methods and/or guidance for how to set the user settable parameters. The measurements are based on active probes running on 40 production network paths with bottlenecks varying from 0.5Mbits/s to 1000Mbit/s. For well behaved data (no missed measurements and no very large outliers) with small seasonal changes most algorithms identify similar events. We compare the algorithms' robustness with respect to false positives and missed events especially when there are large seasonal effects in the data. Our proposed techniques cover a wide variety of network paths and traffic patterns. We also discuss the applicability of the algorithms in terms of their intuitiveness, their speed of execution as implemented, and areas of applicability. Our encouraging results compare and evaluate the accuracy of our
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Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory Annual Report 1994
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1995-04-01
The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is being constructed as part of the preparations for the deep geological repository of spent nuclear fuel in Sweden. The annual report 1994 contains an overview of the work conducted. Present work is focused on verification of pre-investigation methods and development of detailed investigation methodology which is applied during tunnel construction. Construction of the facility and detailed characterization of the bedrock are performed in parallel. Excavation of the main access tunnel was completed during 1994 and at the end of the year only minor excavation work remained. The last 400 m of the main tunnel, which has a total length of 3600 m, was excavated by a 5 m diameter boring machine. The tunnel reaches a depth of 450 m below ground. Preparations for the operating phase have started and detailed plans have been prepared for several experiments. Nine organizations, including SKB, from eight countries are now participating in the work at the laboratory. 50 refs, 28 figs
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Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory Annual Report 1994
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1995-04-01
The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is being constructed as part of the preparations for the deep geological repository of spent nuclear fuel in Sweden. The annual report 1994 contains an overview of the work conducted. Present work is focused on verification of pre-investigation methods and development of detailed investigation methodology which is applied during tunnel construction. Construction of the facility and detailed characterization of the bedrock are performed in parallel. Excavation of the main access tunnel was completed during 1994 and at the end of the year only minor excavation work remained. The last 400 m of the main tunnel, which has a total length of 3600 m, was excavated by a 5 m diameter boring machine. The tunnel reaches a depth of 450 m below ground. Preparations for the operating phase have started and detailed plans have been prepared for several experiments. Nine organizations, including SKB, from eight countries are now participating in the work at the laboratory. 50 refs, 28 figs.
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Groen, Kara Mills
2007-01-01
The primary focus of this paper is to describe current trends in pain assessment in end of life care with a secondary focus on music therapy techniques commonly used to address pain for hospice patients. These trends were determined through a survey of 72 board certified music therapists and 92 hospice and palliative nurses. Survey results indicate that most music therapists in the hospice setting incorporate formal pain assessment into their practice; both nursing professionals and music therapists surveyed utilize multiple assessment tools to assess patient pain. Although there are currently a variety of pain assessment tools used, this study indicates that nursing professionals most frequently use the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and FACES scales, and identified them as appropriate for use by nonnursing members of the interdisciplinary hospice team. This paper also describes music therapy techniques most often utilized by music therapists with hospice patients to address acute and chronic pain symptoms.
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Impact of aging on radiation hardness
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shaneyfelt, M.R.; Winokur, P.S.; Fleetwood, D.M.
1997-01-01
Burn-in effects are used to demonstrate the potential impact of thermally activated aging effects on functional and parametric radiation hardness. These results have implications on hardness assurance testing. Techniques for characterizing aging effects are proposed
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So simple, so hard: Taking medication as directed.
Burkholder, Rebecca; Linn, Elaine
Millions of Americans either fail to take the full course of prescribed medication or they take it incorrectly. The problem is particularly serious for people with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes, and for racially and ethnically diverse populations. The (U.S.) National Consumers League through its Script Your Future medication adherence awareness campaign presented the conference "So Simple, So Hard: Taking Medications as Directed", convening health care professionals, community health workers, consumer and patient advocates, researchers, industry representatives, public agencies, and policymakers. This a one-day research symposium aimed to explore challenges and barriers to medication adherence and to highlight tools and strategies to improve adherence and health outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. The conference began with presentations on adherence research and health disparities, and continued with presentations on strategies and tools to improve adherence that could be utilized in health care practices or organizations (including assessing adherence, medication synchronization, and comprehensive medication management). Through group discussions, the conference provided a forum for participants to interact and lay the groundwork to develop partnerships for collaborative initiatives to improve appropriate medication use and adherence. Participants surveyed at the end of the day and 30 days after the conference reported that they found the meeting highly useful (rated 4.6 out of 5), with the vast majority saying they learned about research and tools they can apply in their work and made new connections for potential collaborations. The conference learnings are being shared by participants and disseminated to other interested organizations and individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Qi, Sen; Mitchell, Ross E
2012-01-01
The first large-scale, nationwide academic achievement testing program using Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford) for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the United States started in 1969. Over the past three decades, the Stanford has served as a benchmark in the field of deaf education for assessing student academic achievement. However, the validity and reliability of using the Stanford for this special student population still require extensive scrutiny. Recent shifts in educational policy environment, which require that schools enable all children to achieve proficiency through accountability testing, warrants a close examination of the adequacy and relevance of the current large-scale testing of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. This study has three objectives: (a) it will summarize the historical data over the last three decades to indicate trends in academic achievement for this special population, (b) it will analyze the current federal laws and regulations related to educational testing and special education, thereby identifying gaps between policy and practice in the field, especially identifying the limitations of current testing programs in assessing what deaf and hard-of-hearing students know, and (c) it will offer some insights and suggestions for future testing programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
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Samii, Madjid; Alimohamadi, Maysam; Khouzani, Reza Karimi; Rashid, Masoud Rafizadeh; Gerganov, Venelin
2015-08-01
The hypoglossal facial anastomosis (HFA) is the gold standard for facial reanimation in patients with severe facial nerve palsy. The major drawbacks of the classic HFA technique are lingual morbidities due to hypoglossal nerve transection. The side-to-end HFA is a modification of the classic technique with fewer tongue-related morbidities. In this study we compared the outcome of the classic end-to-end and the direct side-to-end HFA surgeries performed at our center in regards to the facial reanimation success rate and tongue-related morbidities. Twenty-six successive cases of HFA were enrolled. In 9 of them end-to-end anastomoses were performed, and 17 had direct side-to-end anastomoses. The House-Brackmann (HB) and Pitty and Tator (PT) scales were used to document surgical outcome. The hemiglossal atrophy, swallowing, and hypoglossal nerve function were assessed at follow-up. The original pathology was vestibular schwannoma in 15, meningioma in 4, brain stem glioma in 4, and other pathologies in 3. The mean interval between facial palsy and HFA was 18 months (range: 0-60). The median follow-up period was 20 months. The PT grade at follow-up was worse in patients with a longer interval from facial palsy and HFA (P value: 0.041). The lesion type was the only other factor that affected PT grade (the best results in vestibular schwannoma and the worst in the other pathologies group, P value: 0.038). The recovery period for facial tonicity was longer in patients with radiation therapy before HFA (13.5 vs. 8.5 months) and those with a longer than 2-year interval from facial palsy to HFA (13.5 vs. 8.5 months). Although no significant difference between the side-to-end and the end-to-end groups was seen in terms of facial nerve functional recovery, patients from the side-to-end group had a significantly lower rate of lingual morbidities (tongue hemiatrophy: 100% vs. 5.8%, swallowing difficulty: 55% vs. 11.7%, speech disorder 33% vs. 0%). With the side-to-end HFA
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M.F. Holovko
2017-12-01
Full Text Available The scaled particle theory is developed for the description of thermodynamical properties of a mixture of hard spheres and hard spherocylinders. Analytical expressions for free energy, pressure and chemical potentials are derived. From the minimization of free energy, a nonlinear integral equation for the orientational singlet distribution function is formulated. An isotropic-nematic phase transition in this mixture is investigated from the bifurcation analysis of this equation. It is shown that with an increase of concentration of hard spheres, the total packing fraction of a mixture on phase boundaries slightly increases. The obtained results are compared with computer simulations data.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christer Bergsten
2015-08-01
Full Text Available Claw health, an important dairy cow welfare parameter, may be affected by early-life foot/leg stresses. To investigate this, groups of pregnant heifers were allocated to deep straw bedding (Soft or cubicles (Hard, both with scraped concrete feeding alleys. After the grazing season, they were re-housed in cubicle systems, half on slatted concrete (Hard and half on slatted rubber (Soft alleys. Claw measurements, contact area and pressure distribution claw/flooring, claw disorders and leg lesions were recorded at the start and end of each housing season. Locomotion and leg lesions were also scored monthly after calving. Prevalence of sole haemorrhages was higher among pregnant heifers in cubicles than in deep straw. After calving, first-calvers on Hard floors had higher odds for lameness (OR = 3.6; P < 0.01, sole haemorrhages/ulcers (OR = 2.2; P < 0.05, white-line haemorrhages (OR = 2.8; P < 0.01 and leg lesions (OR = 2.6; P < 0.02 than those on Soft floors. Lowest prevalence and severity of sole and white-line haemorrhages (non-significant in first-calvers was found in those on Soft floors and reared on Hard floors and the highest prevalence and severity on those on Hard floors reared on Soft floors. Soft flooring after calving is of most importance for healthy feet and legs.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sukahar Eka Saputra
2014-06-01
Full Text Available DOI: 10.17014/ijog.v5i3.101The application of macrozonation and microzonation on earthquake hazard susceptibility for zoning regulation in the regency and city levels, is one of the activities of joint technical cooperation between the Geological Agency, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR which involved the local government of Ende. Macrozonation of the Ende Regency contains a basic information of seismotectonics which consists of geological conditions (geomorphology, lithology, structural geology, and neotectonics and seismicities (epicenter distribution, focal mechanism, earthquake source zones, and accelerations of hard, intermediate and soft rocks as well as their maximum intensity. On the other sides, it includes administrative boundaries and potential earthquake hazards as well as its collateral hazards when the earthquakes occurred. The research in the city area was a microzonation parameters of amplification, predominant period, and susceptibility index of earthquake hazard and its combinations. These important parameters can be used as spatial planning data for an earthquake risk assessment at each zone based on it own susceptibility degree.
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Hard and soft acids and bases: atoms and atomic ions.
Reed, James L
2008-07-07
The structural origin of hard-soft behavior in atomic acids and bases has been explored using a simple orbital model. The Pearson principle of hard and soft acids and bases has been taken to be the defining statement about hard-soft behavior and as a definition of chemical hardness. There are a number of conditions that are imposed on any candidate structure and associated property by the Pearson principle, which have been exploited. The Pearson principle itself has been used to generate a thermodynamically based scale of relative hardness and softness for acids and bases (operational chemical hardness), and a modified Slater model has been used to discern the electronic origin of hard-soft behavior. Whereas chemical hardness is a chemical property of an acid or base and the operational chemical hardness is an experimental measure of it, the absolute hardness is a physical property of an atom or molecule. A critical examination of chemical hardness, which has been based on a more rigorous application of the Pearson principle and the availability of quantitative measures of chemical hardness, suggests that the origin of hard-soft behavior for both acids and bases resides in the relaxation of the electrons not undergoing transfer during the acid-base interaction. Furthermore, the results suggest that the absolute hardness should not be taken as synonymous with chemical hardness but that the relationship is somewhat more complex. Finally, this work provides additional groundwork for a better understanding of chemical hardness that will inform the understanding of hardness in molecules.
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Predictive Surface Roughness Model for End Milling of Machinable Glass Ceramic
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Reddy, M Mohan; Gorin, Alexander [School of Engineering and Science, Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak (Malaysia); Abou-El-Hossein, K A, E-mail: mohan.m@curtin.edu.my [Mechanical and Aeronautical Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elegebeth, 6031 (South Africa)
2011-02-15
Advanced ceramics of Machinable glass ceramic is attractive material to produce high accuracy miniaturized components for many applications in various industries such as aerospace, electronics, biomedical, automotive and environmental communications due to their wear resistance, high hardness, high compressive strength, good corrosion resistance and excellent high temperature properties. Many research works have been conducted in the last few years to investigate the performance of different machining operations when processing various advanced ceramics. Micro end-milling is one of the machining methods to meet the demand of micro parts. Selecting proper machining parameters are important to obtain good surface finish during machining of Machinable glass ceramic. Therefore, this paper describes the development of predictive model for the surface roughness of Machinable glass ceramic in terms of speed, feed rate by using micro end-milling operation.
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Predictive Surface Roughness Model for End Milling of Machinable Glass Ceramic
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Reddy, M Mohan; Gorin, Alexander; Abou-El-Hossein, K A
2011-01-01
Advanced ceramics of Machinable glass ceramic is attractive material to produce high accuracy miniaturized components for many applications in various industries such as aerospace, electronics, biomedical, automotive and environmental communications due to their wear resistance, high hardness, high compressive strength, good corrosion resistance and excellent high temperature properties. Many research works have been conducted in the last few years to investigate the performance of different machining operations when processing various advanced ceramics. Micro end-milling is one of the machining methods to meet the demand of micro parts. Selecting proper machining parameters are important to obtain good surface finish during machining of Machinable glass ceramic. Therefore, this paper describes the development of predictive model for the surface roughness of Machinable glass ceramic in terms of speed, feed rate by using micro end-milling operation.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nakanishi Koichi
2012-06-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the availability of conventional devices for making single-cell manipulations, determining the hardness of a single cell remains difficult. Here, we consider the cell to be a linear elastic body and apply Young’s modulus (modulus of elasticity, which is defined as the ratio of the repulsive force (stress in response to the applied strain. In this new method, a scanning probe microscope (SPM is operated with a cantilever in the “contact-and-push” mode, and the cantilever is applied to the cell surface over a set distance (applied strain. Results We determined the hardness of the following bacterial cells: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and five Bacillus spp. In log phase, these strains had a similar Young’s modulus, but Bacillus spp. spores were significantly harder than the corresponding vegetative cells. There was a positive, linear correlation between the hardness of bacterial spores and heat or ultraviolet (UV resistance. Conclusions Using this technique, the hardness of a single vegetative bacterial cell or spore could be determined based on Young’s modulus. As an application of this technique, we demonstrated that the hardness of individual bacterial spores was directly proportional to heat and UV resistance, which are the conventional measures of physical durability. This technique allows the rapid and direct determination of spore durability and provides a valuable and innovative method for the evaluation of physical properties in the field of microbiology.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thangarajan, M.; Mayilswami, C.; Kulkarni, P.S.; Singh, V.P.
2012-01-01
Groundwater resources in hard rock regions with limited renewable potential have to be managed judiciously to ensure adequate supplies of dependable quantity and quality. It is a natural resource with economic, strategic and environmental value, which is under stress both due to changing climatic and anthropogenic factors. Therefore the management strategies need to be aimed at sustenance of this limited resource. In India, and also elsewhere in the world major parts of the semi-arid regions are characterized by hard rocks and it is of vital importance to understand the nature of the aquifer systems and its current stress conditions. Though the achievements through scientific development in exploration and exploitation are commendable, it has adversely affected the hard rock aquifer system, both in terms of quantity and quality; which is of major concern today. In order to reverse the situation, better management strategy of groundwater resources needs to be devised for prevention of further degradation of quality and meeting out the future demand of quantity. This necessitates: understanding the flow mechanism, evaluating the potential and evolving optimal utilization schemes, and assessing and monitoring quality in the changing scenario of anthropogenically induced agricultural, urban, industrial and climatic change. The groundwater flow mechanism through fractures in hard rocks is yet to be fully understood in terms of fracture geometry and its relation to groundwater flow. The characterization of flow geometry in basaltic aquifer is yet to be fully explored. Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic factors is very slow process with long-term impacts on carbon cycle and global climatic change on one hand and quality on the other. It is generally recognized that the prevention of groundwater pollution is cheaper than its remedial measures in the long run. Furthermore, because of the nature of groundwater flow and the complexity and management uncertainty of
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dan, J.P.; Boving, H.J.; Hintermann, H.E.
1993-01-01
Hard, wear resistant and low friction coatings are presently produced on a world-wide basis, by different processes such as electrochemical or electroless methods, spray technologies, thermochemical, CVD and PVD. Some of the most advanced processes, especially those dedicated to thin film depositions, basically belong to CVD or PVD technologies, and will be looked at in more detail. The hard coatings mainly consist of oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides or carbon. Over the years, many processes have been developed which are variations and/or combinations of the basic CVD and PVD methods. The main difference between these two families of deposition techniques is that the CVD is an elevated temperature process (≥ 700 C), while the PVD on the contrary, is rather a low temperature process (≤ 500 C); this of course influences the choice of substrates and properties of the coating/substrate systems. Fundamental aspects of the vapor phase deposition techniques and some of their influences on coating properties will be discussed, as well as the very important interactions between deposit and substrate: diffusions, internal stress, etc. Advantages and limitations of CVD and PVD respectively will briefly be reviewed and examples of applications of the layers will be given. Parallel to the development and permanent updating of surface modification technologies, an effort was made to create novel characterisation methods. A close look will be given to the coating adherence control by means of the scratch test, at the coating hardness measurement by means of nanoindentation, at the coating wear resistance by means of a pin-on-disc tribometer, and at the surface quality evaluation by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Finally, main important trends will be highlighted. (orig.)
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Ma, Xiaoling; Sajjad, Muhammad; Wang, Jing; Yang, Wenlong; Sun, Jiazhu; Li, Xin; Zhang, Aimin; Liu, Dongcheng
2017-09-20
Kernel hardness, which has great influence on the end-use properties of common wheat, is mainly controlled by Puroindoline genes, Pina and Pinb. Using EcoTILLING platform, we herein investigated the allelic variations of Pina and Pinb genes and their association with the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) hardness index in a diverse panel of wheat germplasm. The kernel hardness varied from 1.4 to 102.7, displaying a wide range of hardness index. In total, six Pina and nine Pinb alleles resulting in 15 genotypes were detected in 1787 accessions. The most common alleles are the wild type Pina-D1a (90.4%) and Pina-D1b (7.4%) for Pina, and Pinb-D1b (43.6%), Pinb-D1a (41.1%) and Pinb-D1p (12.8%) for Pinb. All the genotypes have hard type kernel hardness of SKCS index (>60.0), except the wild types of Pina and Pinb combination (Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1a). The most frequent genotypes in Chinese and foreign cultivars was Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b (46.3 and 39.0%, respectively) and in Chinese landraces was Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1a (54.2%). The frequencies of hard type accessions are increasing from 35.5% in the region IV, to 40.6 and 61.4% in the regions III and II, and then to 77.0% in the region I, while those of soft type are accordingly decreasing along with the increase of latitude. Varieties released after 2000 in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong and Henan have higher average kernel hardness index than that released before 2000. The kernel hardness in a diverse panel of Chinese wheat germplasm revealed an increasing of kernel hardness generally along with the latitude across China. The wild type Pina-D1a and Pinb-D1a, and one Pinb mutant (Pinb-D1b) are the most common alleles of six Pina and nine Pinb alleles, and a new double null genotype (Pina-D1x/Pinb-D1ah) possessed relatively high SKCS hardness index. More hard type varieties were released in recent years with different prevalence of Pin-D1 combinations in different regions. This work would benefit the understanding of the selection
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Bonnetain, Franck; Bonsing, Bert; Conroy, Thierry; Dousseau, Adelaide; Glimelius, Bengt; Haustermans, Karin; Lacaine, François; Van Laethem, Jean Luc; Aparicio, Thomas; Aust, Daniela; Bassi, Claudio; Berger, Virginie; Chamorey, Emmanuel; Chibaudel, Benoist; Dahan, Laeticia; De Gramont, Aimery; Delpero, Jean Robert; Dervenis, Christos; Ducreux, Michel; Gal, Jocelyn; Gerber, Erich; Ghaneh, Paula; Hammel, Pascal; Hendlisz, Alain; Jooste, Valérie; Labianca, Roberto; Latouche, Aurelien; Lutz, Manfred; Macarulla, Teresa; Malka, David; Mauer, Muriel; Mitry, Emmanuel; Neoptolemos, John; Pessaux, Patrick; Sauvanet, Alain; Tabernero, Josep; Taieb, Julien; van Tienhoven, Geertjan; Gourgou-Bourgade, Sophie; Bellera, Carine; Mathoulin-Pélissier, Simone; Collette, Laurence
2014-11-01
Using potential surrogate end-points for overall survival (OS) such as Disease-Free- (DFS) or Progression-Free Survival (PFS) is increasingly common in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, end-points are too often imprecisely defined which largely contributes to a lack of homogeneity across trials, hampering comparison between them. The aim of the DATECAN (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event End-points in CANcer trials)-Pancreas project is to provide guidelines for standardised definition of time-to-event end-points in RCTs for pancreatic cancer. Time-to-event end-points currently used were identified from a literature review of pancreatic RCT trials (2006-2009). Academic research groups were contacted for participation in order to select clinicians and methodologists to participate in the pilot and scoring groups (>30 experts). A consensus was built after 2 rounds of the modified Delphi formal consensus approach with the Rand scoring methodology (range: 1-9). For pancreatic cancer, 14 time to event end-points and 25 distinct event types applied to two settings (detectable disease and/or no detectable disease) were considered relevant and included in the questionnaire sent to 52 selected experts. Thirty experts answered both scoring rounds. A total of 204 events distributed over the 14 end-points were scored. After the first round, consensus was reached for 25 items; after the second consensus was reached for 156 items; and after the face-to-face meeting for 203 items. The formal consensus approach reached the elaboration of guidelines for standardised definitions of time-to-event end-points allowing cross-comparison of RCTs in pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Assessment of significant psychological distress at the end of pregnancy and associated factors.
Lorén-Guerrero, L; Gascón-Catalán, A; Pasierb, D; Romero-Cardiel, M A
2018-06-01
The aim of this study is to study the prevalence of mental distress at the end of pregnancy and after birth and the impact of selected socio-demographic and obstetric factors. This is a cross-sectional study. The sample is consisted of 351 puerperal women at the age of 18 and over. Sociodemographic, obstetric variables were collected to detect significant psychological distress; the instrument used was General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Logistic multivariable regressions were used to investigate associations. The prevalence of significant mental distress amounted to 81.2%, mostly related to social relationship and anxiety. The women who affirmed having more stress during pregnancy had too significantly increased emotional distress before the birth as well as during early puerperium, increasing somatic symptoms (p Psychological distress at the end of a full-term pregnancy and in the postpartum period occurs frequently and was associated mainly with stress experienced during pregnancy and parity. It is advisable to perform proper assessment of stress and significant psychological distress at the early stage of pregnancy and repeatedly later on until delivery. Information and support from professionals can help to decrease and prevent their negative impact on maternal and fetal health, as observed in the current evidence.
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McCreery, Ryan W.; Walker, Elizabeth A.; Spratford, Meredith; Oleson, Jacob; Bentler, Ruth; Holte, Lenore; Roush, Patricia
2015-01-01
Objectives Progress has been made in recent years in the provision of amplification and early intervention for children who are hard of hearing. However, children who use hearing aids (HA) may have inconsistent access to their auditory environment due to limitations in speech audibility through their HAs or limited HA use. The effects of variability in children’s auditory experience on parent-report auditory skills questionnaires and on speech recognition in quiet and in noise were examined for a large group of children who were followed as part of the Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss study. Design Parent ratings on auditory development questionnaires and children’s speech recognition were assessed for 306 children who are hard of hearing. Children ranged in age from 12 months to 9 years of age. Three questionnaires involving parent ratings of auditory skill development and behavior were used, including the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire, Parents Evaluation of Oral/Aural Performance in Children Rating Scale, and an adaptation of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale. Speech recognition in quiet was assessed using the Open and Closed set task, Early Speech Perception Test, Lexical Neighborhood Test, and Phonetically-balanced Kindergarten word lists. Speech recognition in noise was assessed using the Computer-Assisted Speech Perception Assessment. Children who are hard of hearing were compared to peers with normal hearing matched for age, maternal educational level and nonverbal intelligence. The effects of aided audibility, HA use and language ability on parent responses to auditory development questionnaires and on children’s speech recognition were also examined. Results Children who are hard of hearing had poorer performance than peers with normal hearing on parent ratings of auditory skills and had poorer speech recognition. Significant individual variability among children who are hard of hearing was observed. Children with greater
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Dimitriou, Loukas; Stylianou, Katerina; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed A
2018-03-01
Rear-end crashes are one of the most frequently occurring crash types, especially in urban networks. An understanding of the contributing factors and their significant association with rear-end crashes is of practical importance and will help in the development of effective countermeasures. The objective of this study is to assess rear-end crash potential at a microscopic level in an urban environment, by investigating vehicle-by-vehicle interactions. To do so, several traffic parameters at the individual vehicle level have been taken into consideration, for capturing car-following characteristics and vehicle interactions, and to investigate their effect on potential rear-end crashes. In this study rear-end crash potential was estimated based on stopping distance between two consecutive vehicles, and four rear-end crash potential cases were developed. The results indicated that 66.4% of the observations were estimated as rear-end crash potentials. It was also shown that rear-end crash potential was presented when traffic flow and speed standard deviation were higher. Also, locational characteristics such as lane of travel and location in the network were found to affect drivers' car following decisions and additionally, it was shown that speeds were lower and headways higher when Heavy Goods Vehicles lead. Finally, a model-based behavioral analysis based on Multinomial Logit regression was conducted to systematically identify the statistically significant variables in explaining rear-end risk potential. The modeling results highlighted the significance of the explanatory variables associated with rear-end crash potential, however it was shown that their effect varied among different model configurations. The outcome of the results can be of significant value for several purposes, such as real-time monitoring of risk potential, allocating enforcement units in urban networks and designing targeted proactive safety policies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
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Methane in German hard coal mining
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Martens, P.N.; Den Drijver, J.
1995-01-01
Worldwide, hard coal mining is being carried out at ever increasing depth, and has, therefore, to cope with correspondingly increasing methane emissions are caused by coal mining. Beside carbon dioxide, chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFCs) and nitrogen oxides, methane is one of the most significant 'greenhouse' gases. It is mainly through the release of such trace gases that the greenhouse effect is brought about. Reducing methane emissions is therefore an important problem to be solved by the coal mining industry. This paper begins by highlighting some of the fundamental principles of methane in hard coal mining. The methane problem in German hard coal mining and the industry's efforts to reduce methane emissions are presented. The future development in German hard coal mining is illustrated by an example which shows how large methane volumes can be managed, while still maintaining high outputs at increasing depth. (author). 7 tabs., 10 figs., 20 refs
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Double hard scattering without double counting
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Diehl, Markus [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Gaunt, Jonathan R. [VU Univ. Amsterdam (Netherlands). NIKHEF Theory Group; Schoenwald, Kay [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany)
2017-02-15
Double parton scattering in proton-proton collisions includes kinematic regions in which two partons inside a proton originate from the perturbative splitting of a single parton. This leads to a double counting problem between single and double hard scattering. We present a solution to this problem, which allows for the definition of double parton distributions as operator matrix elements in a proton, and which can be used at higher orders in perturbation theory. We show how the evaluation of double hard scattering in this framework can provide a rough estimate for the size of the higher-order contributions to single hard scattering that are affected by double counting. In a numeric study, we identify situations in which these higher-order contributions must be explicitly calculated and included if one wants to attain an accuracy at which double hard scattering becomes relevant, and other situations where such contributions may be neglected.
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Double hard scattering without double counting
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Diehl, Markus; Gaunt, Jonathan R.
2017-02-01
Double parton scattering in proton-proton collisions includes kinematic regions in which two partons inside a proton originate from the perturbative splitting of a single parton. This leads to a double counting problem between single and double hard scattering. We present a solution to this problem, which allows for the definition of double parton distributions as operator matrix elements in a proton, and which can be used at higher orders in perturbation theory. We show how the evaluation of double hard scattering in this framework can provide a rough estimate for the size of the higher-order contributions to single hard scattering that are affected by double counting. In a numeric study, we identify situations in which these higher-order contributions must be explicitly calculated and included if one wants to attain an accuracy at which double hard scattering becomes relevant, and other situations where such contributions may be neglected.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Monica Lavagna
2014-05-01
Full Text Available Politecnico di Milano University worked for the Italian Ministry of Environment, land and sea on the sustainability assessment of Expo Milan 2015 self-built temporary pavilions. The work has been focused on the improvement of the buildings environmental performances. Given the buildings short durability in place (Expo lasts for 6 months, the strategies for their end of life are of great importance for the carbon footprint reduction. Starting from the specific work on Expo Milan 2015, the Politecnico di Milano working group proceeded with the methodology research about this issue, applicable also to future events. This paper presents the different relevant aspects of mega events temporary buildings end of life management; dealing with methodological, technical and managerial aspects.
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Hard and transparent films formed by nanocellulose-TiO2 nanoparticle hybrids.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christina Schütz
Full Text Available The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young's modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces.
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Hard and Transparent Films Formed by Nanocellulose–TiO2 Nanoparticle Hybrids
Schütz, Christina; Sort, Jordi; Bacsik, Zoltán; Oliynyk, Vitaliy; Pellicer, Eva; Fall, Andreas; Wågberg, Lars; Berglund, Lars; Bergström, Lennart; Salazar-Alvarez, German
2012-01-01
The formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young’s modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces. PMID:23049689
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Analysis of Hard Thin Film Coating
Shen, Dashen
1998-01-01
MSFC is interested in developing hard thin film coating for bearings. The wearing of the bearing is an important problem for space flight engine. Hard thin film coating can drastically improve the surface of the bearing and improve the wear-endurance of the bearing. However, many fundamental problems in surface physics, plasma deposition, etc, need further research. The approach is using electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECRCVD) to deposit hard thin film an stainless steel bearing. The thin films in consideration include SiC, SiN and other materials. An ECRCVD deposition system is being assembled at MSFC.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dawihl, W.; Altmeyer, G.
1977-01-01
Description of a method to determine stress intensity factors on hard metals by lapping in notches of different diameter. Dependence of the values of the stress intensity factors on the size of the notch base diameter. For tungsten carbide hard metals with 6% Co, determination of a final value of 250 Nmm -3 / 2 . Characterisation of the stress intensity factor governed by the surface roughness which is decisive for the assessment of the wear-resistant behaviour. (orig.) [de
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jade: An End-To-End Data Transfer and Catalog Tool
Meade, P.
2017-10-01
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer neutrino telescope located at the Geographic South Pole. IceCube collects 1 TB of data every day. An online filtering farm processes this data in real time and selects 10% to be sent via satellite to the main data center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. IceCube has two year-round on-site operators. New operators are hired every year, due to the hard conditions of wintering at the South Pole. These operators are tasked with the daily operations of running a complex detector in serious isolation conditions. One of the systems they operate is the data archiving and transfer system. Due to these challenging operational conditions, the data archive and transfer system must above all be simple and robust. It must also share the limited resource of satellite bandwidth, and collect and preserve useful metadata. The original data archive and transfer software for IceCube was written in 2005. After running in production for several years, the decision was taken to fully rewrite it, in order to address a number of structural drawbacks. The new data archive and transfer software (JADE2) has been in production for several months providing improved performance and resiliency. One of the main goals for JADE2 is to provide a unified system that handles the IceCube data end-to-end: from collection at the South Pole, all the way to long-term archive and preservation in dedicated repositories at the North. In this contribution, we describe our experiences and lessons learned from developing and operating the data archive and transfer software for a particle physics experiment in extreme operational conditions like IceCube.
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Subgroup report on hard x-ray microprobes
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ice, G.E.; Barbee, T.; Bionta, R.; Howells, M.; Thompson, A.C.; Yun, W.
1994-01-01
The increasing availability of synchrotron x-ray sources has stimulated the development of advanced hard x-ray (E≥5 keV) microprobes. New x-ray optics have been demonstrated which show promise for achieving intense submicron hard x-ray probes. These probes will be used for extraordinary elemental detection by x-ray fluorescence/absorption and for microdiffraction to identify phase and strain. The inherent elemental and crystallographic sensitivity of an x-ray microprobe and its inherently nondestructive and penetrating nature makes the development of an advanced hard x-ray microprobe an important national goal. In this workshop state-of-the-art hard x-ray microprobe optics were described and future directions were discussed. Gene Ice, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), presented an overview of the current status of hard x-ray microprobe optics and described the use of crystal spectrometers to improve minimum detectable limits in fluorescent microprobe experiments. Al Thompson, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL), described work at the Center for X-ray Optics to develop a hard x-ray microprobe based on Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) optics. Al Thompson also showed the results of some experimental measurements with their KB optics. Malcolm Howells presented a method for bending elliptical mirrors and Troy Barbee commented on the use of graded d spacings to achieve highest efficiency in KB multilayer microfocusing. Richard Bionta, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), described the development of the first hard x-ray zone plates and future promise of so called open-quotes jelly rollclose quotes or sputter slice zone plates. Wenbing Yun, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), described characterization of jelly roll and lithographically produced zone plates and described the application of zone plates to focus extremely narrow bandwidths by nuclear resonance. This report summarizes the presentations of the workshop subgroup on hard x-ray microprobes
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Analysis of the development and performance of hard disks
Novak, Davorin
2010-01-01
With the emergence of new technologies in the field of hard drives we can witness a significant increase of surface density and transfer rate of interfaces which, as a result, enables greater performance and reliability of hard disks. The reason for this are increasing needs for higher capacities and data transfer rate to or from the hard disk. This thesis presents the structure of hard drives, features, performance and reliability of hard drives and alternative data storage technologies. Par...
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Radiation-Hard Quartz Cerenkov Calorimeters
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Akgun, U.; Onel, Y.
2006-01-01
New generation hadron colliders are going to reach unprecedented energies and radiation levels. Quartz has been identified as a radiation-hard material that can be used for Cerenkov calorimeters of the future experiments. We report from the radiation hardness tests performed on quartz fibers, as well as the characteristics of the quartz fiber and plate Cerenkov calorimeters that have been built, designed, and proposed for the CMS experiment
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Assessing Dehydration Employing End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide in Children With Vomiting and Diarrhea.
Freedman, Stephen B; Johnson, David W; Nettel-Aguirre, Alberto; Mikrogianakis, Angelo; Williamson-Urquhart, Sarah; Monfries, Nicholas; Cheng, Adam
2017-05-23
Serum bicarbonate reflects dehydration severity in children with gastroenteritis. Previous work in children receiving intravenous rehydration has correlated end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) with serum bicarbonate. We evaluated whether EtCO2 predicts weight change in children with vomiting and/or diarrhea. A prospective cohort study was conducted. Eligible children were 3 months to 10 years old and presented for emergency department (ED) care because of vomiting and/or diarrhea. End-tidal carbon dioxide measurements were performed after triage. The diagnostic standard was weight change determined from serial measurements after symptom resolution. A receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to identify a cut-point to predict 5% or more dehydration. In total, 195 children were enrolled. Among the 169 (87%) with EtCO2 measurements, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) was 30.4 (27.8 to 33.1). One hundred fifty-eight had repeat weights performed at home; the median (IQR) weight change from ED presentation to well weight was +0.06 (-0.14 to +0.30) or +0.72% (-1.2% to +2.1%). Sixteen percent (25/158) had 3% or more and 4% (6/158) had 5% or more weight gain (ie, percent dehydration). One hundred sixteen (60%) completed home follow-up and had acceptable EtCO2 recordings. Receiver operating curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.34 (95% confidence interval, 0.06 to 0.62) for EtCO2 as a predictor of 5% or more dehydration. The limited accuracy of EtCO2 measurement to predict 5% or more dehydration precludes its use as a tool to assess dehydration severity in children. End-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring does not have the ability to identify those children with 5% or more dehydration in a cohort of children with vomiting and/or diarrhea presenting for ED care.
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Patrizi, Alfredo; Pennestrì, Ettore; Valentini, Pier Paolo
2016-01-01
The paper deals with the comparison between a high-end marker-based acquisition system and a low-cost marker-less methodology for the assessment of the human posture during working tasks. The low-cost methodology is based on the use of a single Microsoft Kinect V1 device. The high-end acquisition system is the BTS SMART that requires the use of reflective markers to be placed on the subject's body. Three practical working activities involving object lifting and displacement have been investigated. The operational risk has been evaluated according to the lifting equation proposed by the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The results of the study show that the risk multipliers computed from the two acquisition methodologies are very close for all the analysed activities. In agreement to this outcome, the marker-less methodology based on the Microsoft Kinect V1 device seems very promising to promote the dissemination of computer-aided assessment of ergonomics while maintaining good accuracy and affordable costs. PRACTITIONER’S SUMMARY: The study is motivated by the increasing interest for on-site working ergonomics assessment. We compared a low-cost marker-less methodology with a high-end marker-based system. We tested them on three different working tasks, assessing the working risk of lifting loads. The two methodologies showed comparable precision in all the investigations.
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Investigation of vertebral ''end plate sclerosis''
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, S.W.; Mathie, A.G.; Jackson, J.E.; Hughes, S.P.F.
2001-01-01
To evaluate the association between vertebral ''end plate sclerosis'' and neck pain. A retrospective study was carried out of lateral cervical spine radiographs with a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). Two hundred patients' files were randomly assessed, comprising four equal groups, A to D. The mean ages of the patients were 62±7.4 years, 61±7.5 years, 40±5.6 years and 23±5.6 years respectively. In group A, all patients had symptoms of neck pain and a radiographic diagnosis of ''end plate sclerosis'' of the cervical spine. In groups B to D, asymptomatic patients were recruited and their age groups were 50-69, 30-49 and 10-29 years respectively. Using the PACS, the radiographic density and the sagittal diameter, thickness and area of the end plates at the C5 level were measured. Results and conclusions: No significant differences were found in the radiographic density of the end plates either between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups (groups A and B), or between different age groups (groups B, C and D). A significant increase in end plate area and thickness was found, however, in both group B (P<0.005) and group C (P<0.01) in comparison with group D. This indicates that the extent of end plate sclerosis increases with age. Our results suggest that the radiographic density of cervical vertebral end plates correlates neither with neck pain nor with increasing age. The radiological sign of ''end plate sclerosis'' may be over-reported, further limiting its value in the assessment of patients with cervical spondylosis. (orig.)
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State of the art in hard-on-hard bearings: how did we get here and what have we achieved?
Zywiel, Michael G; Sayeed, Siraj A; Johnson, Aaron J; Schmalzried, Thomas P; Mont, Michael A
2011-03-01
Total hip arthroplasty has shown excellent results in decreasing pain and improving function in patients with degenerative disease of the hip. Improvements in prosthetic materials, designs and implant fixation have now resulted in wear of the bearing surface being the limitation of this technology, and a number of hard-on-hard couples have been introduced to address this concern. The purpose of this article is to review the origins, development, survival rates and potential advantages and disadvantages of the following hard-on-hard bearings for total hip arthroplasty: metal-on-metal standard total hip arthroplasty; metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty, ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasty; and ceramic-on-metal bearings. Improvements in the manufacturing of metal-on-metal bearings over the past 50 years have resulted in implants that provide low wear rates and allow for the use of large femoral heads. However, concerns remain regarding elevated serum metal ion levels, potential teratogenic effects and potentially devastating adverse local tissue reactions, whose incidence and pathogenesis remains unclear. Modern total hip resurfacing has shown excellent outcomes over 10 years in the hands of experienced surgeons. Current ceramic-on-ceramic bearings have demonstrated excellent survival with exceptionally low wear rates and virtually no local adverse effects. Concerns remain for insertional chipping, in vivo fracture and the variable incidence of squeaking. Contemporary ceramic-on-metal interfaces are in the early stages of clinical use, with little data reported to date. Hard-on-hard bearings for total hip arthroplasty have improved dramatically over the past 50 years. As bearing designs continue to improve with new and modified materials and improved manufacturing techniques, it is likely that the use of hard-on-hard bearings will continue to increase, especially in young and active patients.
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Hard processes in hadronic interactions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Satz, H.; Wang, X.N.
1995-01-01
Quantum chromodynamics is today accepted as the fundamental theory of strong interactions, even though most hadronic collisions lead to final states for which quantitative QCD predictions are still lacking. It therefore seems worthwhile to take stock of where we stand today and to what extent the presently available data on hard processes in hadronic collisions can be accounted for in terms of QCD. This is one reason for this work. The second reason - and in fact its original trigger - is the search for the quark-gluon plasma in high energy nuclear collisions. The hard processes to be considered here are the production of prompt photons, Drell-Yan dileptons, open charm, quarkonium states, and hard jets. For each of these, we discuss the present theoretical understanding, compare the resulting predictions to available data, and then show what behaviour it leads to at RHIC and LHC energies. All of these processes have the structure mentioned above: they contain a hard partonic interaction, calculable perturbatively, but also the non-perturbative parton distribution within a hadron. These parton distributions, however, can be studied theoretically in terms of counting rule arguments, and they can be checked independently by measurements of the parton structure functions in deep inelastic lepton-hadron scattering. The present volume is the work of Hard Probe Collaboration, a group of theorists who are interested in the problem and were willing to dedicate a considerable amount of their time and work on it. The necessary preparation, planning and coordination of the project were carried out in two workshops of two weeks' duration each, in February 1994 at CERn in Geneva andin July 1994 at LBL in Berkeley
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Theory of hard diffraction and rapidity gaps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Del Duca, V.
1995-06-01
In this talk we review the models describing the hard diffractive production of jets or more generally high-mass states in presence of rapidity gaps in hadron-hadron and lepton-hadron collisions. By rapidity gaps we mean regions on the lego plot in (pseudo)-rapidity and azimuthal angle where no hadrons are produced, between the jet(s) and an elastically scattered hadron (single hard diffraction) or between two jets (double hard diffraction). (orig.)
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Seismic signals hard clipping overcoming
Olszowa, Paula; Sokolowski, Jakub
2018-01-01
In signal processing the clipping is understand as the phenomenon of limiting the signal beyond certain threshold. It is often related to overloading of a sensor. Two particular types of clipping are being recognized: soft and hard. Beyond the limiting value soft clipping reduces the signal real gain while the hard clipping stiffly sets the signal values at the limit. In both cases certain amount of signal information is lost. Obviously if one possess the model which describes the considered signal and the threshold value (which might be slightly more difficult to obtain in the soft clipping case), the attempt of restoring the signal can be made. Commonly it is assumed that the seismic signals take form of an impulse response of some specific system. This may lead to belief that the sine wave may be the most appropriate to fit in the clipping period. However, this should be tested. In this paper the possibility of overcoming the hard clipping in seismic signals originating from a geoseismic station belonging to an underground mine is considered. A set of raw signals will be hard-clipped manually and then couple different functions will be fitted and compared in terms of least squares. The results will be then analysed.
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Atmel's New Rad-Hard Sparc V8 Processor 200Mhz & Low Power System on Chip
Ganry, Nicolas; Mantelet, Guy; Parkes, Steve; McClements, Chris
2014-08-01
The AT6981 is a new generation of processor designed for critical spaceflight applications, which combines a high-performance SPARC® V8 radiation hard processor, with enough on-chip memory for many aerospace applications and state-of-the-art SpaceWire networking technology from STAR- Dundee. The AT6981 is implemented in Atmel 90nm rad-hard technology, enabling 200 MHz operating speed for the processor with power consumption levels around 1W. This advanced technology allows strong system integration in a SoC with embedded peripherals like CAN, 1553, Ethernet, DDR and embedded memory with 1Mbytes SRAM. The device is ITAR- free and is developed in France by Atmel Aerospace having more than of 30years space experience. This paper describes this new SoC architecture and technical options considered to insure the best performances, the minimum power consumption and high reliability. This device will be available on the market in H2 2014 for evaluation with first flight models targeted end 2015.
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Demertzi, Martha; Dias, Ana Cláudia; Matos, Arlindo; Arroja, Luís Manuel
2015-12-01
An important aspect of sustainable development is the implementation of effective and sustainable waste management strategies. The present study focuses on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to different waste management strategies for natural cork stoppers, namely incineration at a municipal solid waste incinerator, landfilling in a sanitary landfill, and recycling. In the literature, there are no LCA studies analyzing in detail the end-of-life stage of natural cork stoppers as well as other cork products. In addition, cork is usually treated as wood at the end-of-life stage. Thus, the outcome of this study can provide an important insight into this matter. The results showed that different management alternatives, namely incineration and recycling, could be chosen depending on the impact category considered. The former alternative presented the best environmental results in the impact categories of climate change, ozone depletion and acidification, while the latter for photochemical ozone formation and mineral and fossil resource depletion. The landfilling alternative did not present the best environmental performance in any of the impact categories. However, when the biogenic carbon dioxide emission was assessed for the climate change category, the landfilling alternative was found to be the most effective since most of the biogenic carbon would be permanently stored in the cork products and not emitted into the atmosphere. A sensitivity analysis was performed and the results showed that there are various parameters that can significantly influence the results (e.g., carbon content in cork and decay rate of cork in the landfill). Thus, LCA studies should include a detailed description concerning their assumptions when the end-of-life stage is included in the boundaries since they can influence the results, and furthermore, to facilitate the comparison of different end-of-life scenarios. The present study and the obtained results could be useful for the
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Rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix
Yang, Weizhu; Liu, Qingchang; Yue, Zhufeng; Li, Xiaodong; Xu, Baoxing
Soft-hard materials integration is ubiquitous in biological materials and structures in nature and has also attracted growing attention in the bio-inspired design of advanced functional materials, structures and devices. Due to the distinct difference in their mechanical properties, the rotation of hard phases in soft matrixes upon deformation has been acknowledged, yet is lack of theory in mechanics. In this work, we propose a theoretical mechanics framework that can describe the rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix. The rotation of multiple arbitrarily shaped, located and oriented particles with perfectly bonded interfaces in an elastic soft matrix subjected to a far-field tensile loading is established and analytical solutions are derived by using complex potentials and conformal mapping methods. Strong couplings and competitions of the rotation of hard particles among each other are discussed by investigating numbers, relative locations and orientations of particles in the matrix at different loading directions. Extensive finite element analyses are performed to validate theoretical solutions and good agreement of both rotation and stress field between them are achieved. Possible extensions of the present theory to non-rigid particles, viscoelastic matrix and imperfect bonding are also discussed. Finally, by taking advantage of the rotation of hard particles, we exemplify an application in a conceptual design of soft-hard material integrated phononic crystal and demonstrate that phononic band gaps can be successfully tuned with a high accuracy through the mechanical tension-induced rotation of hard particles. The present theory established herein is expected to be of immediate interests to the design of soft-hard materials integration based functional materials, structures and devices with tunable performance via mechanical rotation of hard phases.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Oh, Dirk Joo; Jeong, Chang Joon; Lee, Kang Moon; Suk, Ho Chun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
1998-12-31
Fission product release (FPR) assessment for End Fitting Failure (EFF) in CANDU reactor loaded with CANFLEX-natural uranium (NU) fuel bundles has been performed. The predicted results are compared with those for the reactor loaded with standard 37-element bundles. The total channel I-131 release at the end of transient for EFF accident is calculated to be 380.8 TBq and 602.9 TBq for the CANFLEX bundle and standard bundle channel cases, respectively. They are 4.9% and 7.9% of total inventory, respectively. The lower total releases of the CANFLEX bundle O6 channel are attributed to the lower initial fuel temperatures caused by the lower linear element power of the CANFLEX bundle compared with the standard bundle. 4 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs. (Author)
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Oh, Dirk Joo; Jeong, Chang Joon; Lee, Kang Moon; Suk, Ho Chun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
1997-12-31
Fission product release (FPR) assessment for End Fitting Failure (EFF) in CANDU reactor loaded with CANFLEX-natural uranium (NU) fuel bundles has been performed. The predicted results are compared with those for the reactor loaded with standard 37-element bundles. The total channel I-131 release at the end of transient for EFF accident is calculated to be 380.8 TBq and 602.9 TBq for the CANFLEX bundle and standard bundle channel cases, respectively. They are 4.9% and 7.9% of total inventory, respectively. The lower total releases of the CANFLEX bundle O6 channel are attributed to the lower initial fuel temperatures caused by the lower linear element power of the CANFLEX bundle compared with the standard bundle. 4 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs. (Author)
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Theory of hard diffraction and rapidity gaps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Del Duca, V.
1996-01-01
In this talk we review the models describing the hard diffractive production of jets or more generally high-mass states in presence of rapidity gaps in hadron-hadron and lepton-hadron collisions. By rapidity gaps we mean regions on the lego plot in (pseudo)-rapidity and azimuthal angle where no hadrons are produced, between the jet(s) and an elastically scattered hadron (single hard diffraction) or between two jets (double hard diffraction). copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics
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Hard X-ray studies on the Castor tokamak
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mlynar, J.
1990-04-01
The electron runaway processes in tokamaks are discussed with regard to hard X radiation measurements. The origin and confinement of runaway electrons, their bremsstrahlung spectra and the influence of lower hybrid current drive on the distribution of high-energy electrons are analyzed for the case of the Castor tokamak. The hard X-ray spectrometer designed for the Castor tokamak is also described and preliminary qualitative results of hard X-ray measurements are presented. The first series of integral measurements made it possible to map the azimuthal dependence of the hard X radiation
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Dewulf, K.R.
2010-01-01
Dealing with sustainability in the fuzzy front end of innovation is complex and often hard. There are a number of tools available to guide designers, engineers and managers in the design process after the specifications of the product or service are already set, but methods supporting goal finding
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Salinas Aranda, F; Suarez, V; Arbiser, S; Sansogne, R
2016-01-01
Purpose: To implement an end-to-end QA test of the radiation therapy imaging, planning and delivery process, aimed to assess the dosimetric agreement accuracy between planned and delivered treatment, in order to identify and correct possible sources of deviation. To establish an internal standard for machine commissioning acceptance. Methods: A test involving all steps of the radiation therapy: imaging, planning and delivery process was designed. The test includes analysis of point dose and planar dose distributions agreement between TPS calculated and measured dose. An ad hoc 16 cm diameter PMMA phantom was constructed with one central and four peripheral bores that can accommodate calibrated electron density inserts. Using Varian Eclipse 10.0 and Elekta XiO 4.50 planning systems, IMRT, RapidArc and 3DCRT with hard and dynamic wedges plans were planned on the phantom and tested. An Exradin A1SL chamber is used with a Keithley 35617EBS electrometer for point dose measurements in the phantom. 2D dose distributions were acquired using MapCheck and Varian aS1000 EPID.Gamma analysis was performed for evaluation of 2D dose distribution agreement using MapCheck software and Varian Portal Dosimetry Application.Varian high energy Clinacs Trilogy, 2100C/CD, 2000CR and low energy 6X/EX where tested.TPS-CT# vs. electron density table were checked for CT-scanners used. Results: Calculated point doses were accurate to 0.127% SD: 0.93%, 0.507% SD: 0.82%, 0.246% SD: 1.39% and 0.012% SD: 0.01% for LoX-3DCRT, HiX-3DCRT, IMRT and RapidArc plans respectively. Planar doses pass gamma 3% 3mm in all cases and 2% 2mm for VMAT plans. Conclusion: Implementation of a simple and reliable quality assurance tool was accomplished. The end-to-end proved efficient, showing excellent agreement between planned and delivered dose evidencing strong consistency of the whole process from imaging through planning to delivery. This test can be used as a first step in beam model acceptance for clinical
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gaurao Vasant Mali
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Objectives: To assess and compare the effect of conventional and sugar free pediatric syrup formulations on primary tooth enamel hardness over a period of 14 days. Materials and Methods: An in vitro study was done on 40 noncarious deciduous teeth. 10 teeth in each group were dipped in 4 pediatric medicinal syrups (1 sugarfree and 3 conventional for 1 min thrice daily for 14 days and the enamel surface micro hardness was checked at baseline, 7 th day and 14 th day by Vickers hardness testing machine. The pH, titratable acidity and buffering capacity of the syrups were assessed. Results: The pH of syrups were above critical pH for demineralization of the tooth but tiratable acidity and buffering capacity differed. ANOVA test indicated that the reduction in mean micro hardness was maximum in Group D (Conventional Analgesic syrup and least in Group A (Sugarfree cough syrup on 7 th and 14 th day. On intergroup comparison there was no difference (P > 0.05 in micro hardness between Group B (Conventional Cough syrup and Group C (Conventional Antibiotic. However, highly significant (P < 0.01 difference between the either pair of Group B with Group D, and Group C with Group D on 14 th day. The percentage reduction in micro hardness on 14 th day was maximum for Group D (24.4 ± 2.2 and minimum for Group A (14.0 ± 1.3 which was statistically significant (P < 0.01. Conclusion: Sugar free pediatric medicines can be effective in reducing dental erosion and efforts should be made to incorporate sugar substitutes in formulation of pediatric medicines.
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The method of diagnosis and classification of the gingival line defects of the teeth hard tissues
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Olena Bulbuk
2017-06-01
Full Text Available For solving the problem of diagnosis and treatment of hard tissue defects the significant role belongs to the choice of tactics for dental treatment of hard tissue defects located in the gingival line of any tooth. This work aims to study the problems of diagnosis and classification of gingival line defects of the teeth hard tissues. That will contribute to the objectification of differentiated diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the dental treatment of various clinical variants of these defects localization. The objective of the study – is to develop the anatomical-functional classification for differentiated estimation of hard tissue defects in the gingival part, as the basis for the application of differential diagnostic-therapeutic approaches to the dental treatment of hard tissue defects disposed in the gingival part of any tooth. Materials and methods of investigation: There was conducted the examination of 48 patients with hard tissue defects located in the gingival part of any tooth. To assess the magnitude of gingival line destruction the periodontal probe and X-ray examination were used. Results. The result of the performed research the classification of the gingival line defects of the hard tissues was offered using exponent power. The value of this indicator is equal to an integer number expressed in millimeters of distance from the epithelial attachment to the cavity’s bottom of defect. Conclusions. The proposed classification fills an obvious gap in academic representations about hard tissue defects located in the gingival part of any tooth. Also it offers the prospects of consensus on differentiated diagnostic-therapeutic approaches in different clinical variants of location. This classification builds methodological “bridge of continuity” between therapeutic and prosthetic dentistry in the field of treatment of the gingival line defects of dental hard tissues.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kugler, W.
2007-01-15
Hard exclusive processes in high energy electron proton scattering offer the opportunity to get access to a new generation of parton distributions, the so-called generalized parton distributions (GPDs). This functions provide more detailed informations about the structure of the nucleon than the usual PDFs obtained from DIS. In this work we present a detailed analysis of exclusive processes, especially of hard exclusive meson production. We investigated the influence of exclusive produced mesons on the semi-inclusive production of mesons at fixed target experiments like HERMES. Further we give a detailed analysis of higher order corrections (NLO) for the exclusive production of mesons in a very broad range of kinematics. (orig.)
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Maor, Uri; Tel Aviv Univ.
1995-09-01
The role of s-channel unitarity screening corrections, calculated in the eikonal approximation, is investigated for soft Pomeron exchange responsible for elastic and diffractive hadron scattering in the high energy limit. We examine the differences between our results and those obtained from the supercritical Pomeron-Regge model with no such corrections. It is shown that screening saturation is attained at different scales for different channels. We then proceed to discuss the new HERA data on hard (PQCD) Pomeron diffractive channels and discuss the relationship between the soft and hard Pomerons and the relevance of our analysis to this problem. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs, 1 tab
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Chewing side preference in first and all mastication cycles for hard and soft morsels
Zamanlu, Masumeh; Khamnei, Saeed; SalariLak, Shaker; Oskoee, Siavash Savadi; Shakouri, Seyed Kazem; Houshyar, Yousef; Salekzamani, Yaghoub
2012-01-01
Preferred chewing side is a still controversial matter and various methods used have yielded some inconsistencies. The aim of this study is to compare the preference determined in different conditions. Nineteen healthy subjects were offered hard (walnut) and soft (cake) foods, while the electromyography was recorded from their masseter muscles, in 2009 in the Research Center of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Four occurrences were determined as the side of the first chews/all chews in the two food types, and then analyzed for correlations and agreements. For hard food 73.68% and for soft food 57.89% of the subjects showed preference. The comparison of all chews showed a highly significant preference towards the right side in both food types (p=0.000 & 0.003). There was both correlation and agreement between the first chew preferences in both food types, and an agreement between the first and all chew preferences in the hard food. Therefore, there seems to exist some laterality in mastication, which is more explicit when using hard food and assessing all chews. PMID:22993653
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Soft And Hard Skills of Social Worker
HANTOVÁ, Libuše
2011-01-01
The work deals with soft and hard skills relevant to the profession of social worker. The theoretical part at first evaluates and analyzes important soft and hard skills necessary for people working in the field of social work. Then these skills are compared. The practical part illustrates the use of soft and hard skills in practice by means of model scenes and deals with the preferences in three groups of people ? students of social work, social workers and people outside the sphere, namely ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kentaro Murakami
2010-01-01
Full Text Available Recent evidence suggests that voluntary rhythmic movements such as chewing may increase blood serotonin and subsequently brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. In this observational cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that hardness (difficulty of chewing of the habitual diet (i.e. dietary hardness is associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms. Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Dietary hardness was assessed as an estimate of masticatory muscle activity for the habitual diet (i.e. the difficulty of chewing the food. The consumption of a total of 107 foods was estimated by means of a self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire, and masticatory muscle activity during the ingestion of these foods was estimated according to published equations. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, from which total score and subscale scores (i.e. pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect in the premenstrual phase were calculated and expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase. Dietary hardness was not associated with total score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.48. Further, no association was seen for any subscale score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.18–0.91. In conclusion, this preliminary study failed to substantiate a hypothesized inverse relationship between hardness of the habitual diet and premenstrual symptoms. Considering the plausibility of the putative mechanism, however, further investigation using more relevant measures of chewing and premenstrual symptoms is warranted.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kentaro Murakami
2009-01-01
Full Text Available Recent evidence suggests that voluntary rhythmic movements such as chewing may increase blood serotonin and subsequently brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. In this observational cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that hardness (difficulty of chewing of the habitual diet (i.e. dietary hardness is associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms. Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18-22 years. Dietary hardness was assessed as an estimate of masticatory muscle activity for the habitual diet (i.e. the difficulty of chewing the food. The consumption of a total of 107 foods was estimated by means of a self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire, and masticatory muscle activity during the ingestion of these foods was estimated according to published equations. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, from which total score and subscale scores (i.e. pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect in the premenstrual phase were calculated and expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase. Dietary hardness was not associated with total score in the premenstrual phase ( P for trend = 0.48. Further, no association was seen for any subscale score in the premenstrual phase ( P for trend = 0.18-0.91. In conclusion, this preliminary study failed to substantiate a hypothesized inverse relationship between hardness of the habitual diet and premenstrual symptoms. Considering the plausibility of the putative mechanism, however, further investigation using more relevant measures of chewing and premenstrual symptoms is warranted.
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Automatic detection of end-diastolic and end-systolic frames in 2D echocardiography.
Zolgharni, Massoud; Negoita, Madalina; Dhutia, Niti M; Mielewczik, Michael; Manoharan, Karikaran; Sohaib, S M Afzal; Finegold, Judith A; Sacchi, Stefania; Cole, Graham D; Francis, Darrel P
2017-07-01
Correctly selecting the end-diastolic and end-systolic frames on a 2D echocardiogram is important and challenging, for both human experts and automated algorithms. Manual selection is time-consuming and subject to uncertainty, and may affect the results obtained, especially for advanced measurements such as myocardial strain. We developed and evaluated algorithms which can automatically extract global and regional cardiac velocity, and identify end-diastolic and end-systolic frames. We acquired apical four-chamber 2D echocardiographic video recordings, each at least 10 heartbeats long, acquired twice at frame rates of 52 and 79 frames/s from 19 patients, yielding 38 recordings. Five experienced echocardiographers independently marked end-systolic and end-diastolic frames for the first 10 heartbeats of each recording. The automated algorithm also did this. Using the average of time points identified by five human operators as the reference gold standard, the individual operators had a root mean square difference from that gold standard of 46.5 ms. The algorithm had a root mean square difference from the human gold standard of 40.5 ms (P<.0001). Put another way, the algorithm-identified time point was an outlier in 122/564 heartbeats (21.6%), whereas the average human operator was an outlier in 254/564 heartbeats (45%). An automated algorithm can identify the end-systolic and end-diastolic frames with performance indistinguishable from that of human experts. This saves staff time, which could therefore be invested in assessing more beats, and reduces uncertainty about the reliability of the choice of frame. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Li, Xibing; Wang, Shaofeng; Wang, Shanyong
2018-01-01
High geostress is a prominent condition in deep excavations and affects the cuttability of deep hard rock. This study aims to determine the influence of confining stress on hard rock fragmentation as applied by a conical pick. Using a true triaxial test apparatus, static and coupled static and dynamic loadings from pick forces were applied to end faces of cubic rock specimens to break them under biaxial, uniaxial and stress-free confining stress conditions. The cuttability indices (peak pick force, insertion depth and disturbance duration), failure patterns and fragment sizes were measured and compared to estimate the effects of confining stress. The results show that the rock cuttabilities decreased in order from rock breakages under stress-free conditions to uniaxial confining stress and then to biaxial confining stress. Under biaxial confining stress, only flake-shaped fragments were stripped from the rock surfaces under the requirements of large pick forces or disturbance durations. As the level of uniaxial confining stress increased, the peak pick force and the insertion depth initially increased and then decreased, and the failure patterns varied from splitting to partial splitting and then to rock bursts with decreasing average fragment sizes. Rock bursts will occur under elastic compression via ultra-high uniaxial confining stresses. There are two critical uniaxial confining stress levels, namely stress values at which peak pick forces begin to decrease and improve rock cuttability, and those at which rock bursts initially occur and cutting safety decreases. In particular, hard rock is easiest to split safely and efficiently under stress-free conditions. Moreover, coupled static preloading and dynamic disturbance can increase the efficiency of rock fragmentation with increasing preloading levels and disturbance amplitudes. The concluding remarks confirm hard rock cuttability using conical pick, which can improve the applicability of mechanical excavation in
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Determination of Formula for Vickers Hardness Measurements Uncertainty
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Purba, Asli
2007-01-01
The purpose of formula determination is to obtain the formula of Vickers hardness measurements uncertainty. The approach to determine the formula: influenced parameters identification, creating a cause and effect diagram, determination of sensitivity, determination of standard uncertainty and determination of formula for Vickers hardness measurements uncertainty. The results is a formula for determination of Vickers hardness measurements uncertainty. (author)
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The BFKL Pomeron with running coupling constant: how much of its hard nature survives?
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Haakman, L.P.A.; Kancheli, O.V.; Koch, J.H.
1998-01-01
We discuss the BFKL equation with a running gauge coupling and identify in its solutions the contributions originating from different transverse momentum scales. We show that for a running coupling constant the distribution of the gluons making up the BFKL pomeron shifts to smaller transverse momenta so that the dominant part of pomeron can have a non-perturbative origin. It is demonstrated how this soft physics enters into the BFKL solution through the boundary condition. We consider twokinematical regimes leading to different behaviour of the rapidity andtransverse momentum dependence of the gluon distribution. In the diffusion approximation to the BFKL kernel with running α s , we find a sequence of poles which replaces the cut for fixed α s . The second regime corresponds to the singular part of the kernel, which gives the dominant contribution in the limit of very large transverse momenta. Finally, a simple more general picture is obtained for the QCD pomeron in hard processes: it is of soft, non-perturbative nature, but has hard ends of DGLAP type. (orig.)
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Hard scattering and a diffractive trigger
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Berger, E.L.; Collins, J.C.; Soper, D.E.; Sterman, G.
1986-02-01
Conclusions concerning the properties of hard scattering in diffractively produced systems are summarized. One motivation for studying diffractive hard scattering is to investigate the interface between Regge theory and perturbative QCD. Another is to see whether diffractive triggering can result in an improvement in the signal-to-background ratio of measurements of production of very heavy quarks. 5 refs
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Complex technique for materials hardness measurement
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Krashchenko, V P; Oksametnaya, O B
1984-01-01
A review of existing methods of measurement of material hardness in national and foreign practice has been made. A necessity of improving the technique of material hardness measurement in a wide temperature range and insuring load change with indenting, continuity of imprint application, smooth changing of temperatures along a sample length, and deformation rate control has been noted.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dong, R G [California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
1977-12-01
To augment the present capacity of pools for storing spent nuclear fuel elements, pools larger than those in current use are being planned. These pools may or may not be modularized into cells. Because of the large size of the pools, seismic loads are of significant interest. In particular, the effects of modularization and site hardness are of concern. The study presented in this paper reveals that modularization is generally unfavourable, because it creates the option of leaving one or more cells empty which in turn results in higher structural loads. The wall which separates a filled cell from an empty cell, or the wall which bears against earth on one side and faces an empty cell on the other, becomes very highly stressed. For the particular pool geometries examined, a hard site is generally preferred over an intermediate hard site in terms of structural loads.
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Micro-computer cards for hard industrial environment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Breton, J M
1984-03-15
Approximately 60% of present or future distributed systems have, or will have, operational units installed in hard environments. In these applications, which include canalization and industrial motor control, robotics and process control, systems must be easily applied in environments not made for electronic use. The development of card systems in this hard industrial environment, which is found in petrochemical industry and mines is described. National semiconductor CIM card system CMOS technology allows the real time micro computer application to be efficient and functional in hard industrial environments.
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Transport coefficients and mechanical response in hard-disk colloidal suspensions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang Bo-Kai; Ma Yu-Qiang; Li Jian; Chen Kang; Tian Wen-De
2016-01-01
We investigate the transport properties and mechanical response of glassy hard disks using nonlinear Langevin equation theory. We derive expressions for the elastic shear modulus and viscosity in two dimensions on the basis of thermal-activated barrier-hopping dynamics and mechanically accelerated motion. Dense hard disks exhibit phenomena such as softening elasticity, shear-thinning of viscosity, and yielding upon deformation, which are qualitatively similar to dense hard-sphere colloidal suspensions in three dimensions. These phenomena can be ascribed to stress-induced “landscape tilting”. Quantitative comparisons of these phenomena between hard disks and hard spheres are presented. Interestingly, we find that the density dependence of yield stress in hard disks is much more significant than in hard spheres. Our work provides a foundation for further generalizing the nonlinear Langevin equation theory to address slow dynamics and rheological behavior in binary or polydisperse mixtures of hard or soft disks. (rapid communication)
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End-Users, Front Ends and Librarians.
Bourne, Donna E.
1989-01-01
The increase in end-user searching, the advantages and limitations of front ends, and the role of the librarian in end-user searching are discussed. It is argued that librarians need to recognize that front ends can be of benefit to themselves and patrons, and to assume the role of advisors and educators for end-users. (37 references) (CLB)
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CMOS optimization for radiation hardness
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Derbenwick, G.F.; Fossum, J.G.
1975-01-01
Several approaches to the attainment of radiation-hardened MOS circuits have been investigated in the last few years. These have included implanting the SiO 2 gate insulator with aluminum, using chrome-aluminum layered gate metallization, using Al 2 O 3 as the gate insulator, and optimizing the MOS fabrication process. Earlier process optimization studies were restricted primarily to p-channel devices operating with negative gate biases. Since knowledge of the hardness dependence upon processing and design parameters is essential in producing hardened integrated circuits, a comprehensive investigation of the effects of both process and design optimization on radiation-hardened CMOS integrated circuits was undertaken. The goals are to define and establish a radiation-hardened processing sequence for CMOS integrated circuits and to formulate quantitative relationships between process and design parameters and the radiation hardness. Using these equations, the basic CMOS design can then be optimized for radiation hardness and some understanding of the basic physics responsible for the radiation damage can be gained. Results are presented
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Novel hard compositions and methods of preparation
Sheinberg, H.
1983-08-23
Novel very hard compositions of matter are prepared by using in all embodiments only a minor amount of a particular carbide (or materials which can form the carbide in situ when subjected to heat and pressure); and no strategic cobalt is needed. Under a particular range of conditions, densified compositions of matter of the invention are prepared having hardnesses on the Rockwell A test substantially equal to the hardness of pure tungsten carbide and to two of the hardest commercial cobalt-bonded tungsten carbides. Alternately, other compositions of the invention which have slightly lower hardnesses than those described above in one embodiment also possess the advantage of requiring no tungsten and in another embodiment possess the advantage of having a good fracture toughness value. Photomicrographs show that the shapes of the grains of the alloy mixture with which the minor amount of carbide (or carbide-formers) is mixed are radically altered from large, rounded to small, very angular by the addition of the carbide. Superiority of one of these hard compositions of matter over cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide for ultra-high pressure anvil applications was demonstrated. 3 figs.
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Study of Cu-Al-Zn alloys hardness temperature dependence
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kurmanova, D.T.; Skakov, M.K.; Melikhov, V.D.
2001-01-01
In the paper the results of studies for the Cu-Al-Zn ternary alloys hardness temperature dependence are presented. The method of 'hot hardness' has been used during study of the solid state phase transformations and under determination of the hot stability boundaries. Due to the samples brittleness a hardness temperature dependence definition is possible only from 350-400 deg. C. Sensitivity of the 'hot hardness' method is decreasing within high plasticity range, so the measurements have been carried out only up to 700-800 deg. C. It is shown, that the alloys hardness dependence character from temperature is close to exponential one within the certain structure modification existence domain
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Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Refractory Hard-Metal Borides
Lech, Andrew Thomas
As the limits of what can be achieved with conventional hard compounds, such as tungsten carbide, are nearing reach, super-hard materials are an area of increasing industrial interest. The refractory hard metal borides, such as ReB2 and WB4, offer an increasingly attractive alternative to diamond and cubic boron nitride as a next-generation tool material. In this Thesis, a thorough discussion is made of the progress achieved by our laboratory towards understanding the synthesis, structure, and properties of these extremely hard compounds. Particular emphasis is placed on structural manipulation, solid solution formation, and the unique crystallographic manifestations of what might also be called "super-hard metals".
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Vosbergen, Sandra; Laan, Eva K; Colkesen, Ersen B; Niessen, Maurice A J; Kraaijenhagen, Roderik A; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Peek, Niels
2012-10-30
Web technology is increasingly being used to provide individuals with health risk assessments (HRAs) with tailored feedback. End-user satisfaction is an important determinant of the potential impact of HRAs, as this influences program attrition and adherence to behavioral advice. The aim of this study was to evaluate end-user satisfaction with a web-based HRA with tailored feedback applied in worksite settings, using mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods. Employees of seven companies in the Netherlands participated in a commercial, web-based, HRA with tailored feedback. The HRA consisted of four components: 1) a health and lifestyle assessment questionnaire, 2) a biometric evaluation, 3) a laboratory evaluation, and 4) tailored feedback consisting of a personal health risk profile and lifestyle behavior advice communicated through a web portal. HRA respondents received an evaluation questionnaire after six weeks. Satisfaction with different parts of the HRA was measured on 5-point Likert scales. A free-text field provided the opportunity to make additional comments. In total, 2289 employees participated in the HRA program, of which 637 (27.8%) completed the evaluation questionnaire. Quantitative analysis showed that 85.6% of the respondents evaluated the overall HRA positively. The free-text field was filled in by 29.7 % of the respondents (189 out of 637), who made 315 separate remarks. Qualitative evaluation of these data showed that these respondents made critical remarks. Respondents felt restricted by the answer categories of the health and lifestyle assessment questionnaire, which resulted in the feeling that the corresponding feedback could be inadequate. Some respondents perceived the personal risk profile as unnecessarily alarming or suggested providing more explanations, reference values, and a justification of the behavioral advice given. Respondents also requested the opportunity to discuss the feedback with a health professional. Most people
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Visual inspection technology in the hard disc drive industry
Muneesawang, Paisarn
2015-01-01
A presentation of the use of computer vision systems to control manufacturing processes and product quality in the hard disk drive industry. Visual Inspection Technology in the Hard Disk Drive Industry is an application-oriented book borne out of collaborative research with the world's leading hard disk drive companies. It covers the latest developments and important topics in computer vision technology in hard disk drive manufacturing, as well as offering a glimpse of future technologies.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kelly D. Bradley
2016-07-01
Full Text Available This paper offers a critical assessment of the psychometric properties of a standard higher education end-of-course evaluation. Using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA and Rasch modeling, the authors investigate the (a an overall assessment of dimensionality using EFA, (b a secondary assessment of dimensionality using a principal components analysis (PCA of the residuals when the items are fit to the Rasch model, and (c an assessment of item-level properties using item-level statistics provided when the items are fit to the Rasch model. The results support the usage of the scale as a supplement to high-stakes decision making such as tenure. However, the lack of precise targeting of item difficulty to person ability combined with the low person separation index renders rank-ordering professors according to minuscule differences in overall subscale scores a highly questionable practice.
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Breakup and then makeup: a predictive model of how cilia self-regulate hardness for posture control.
Bandyopadhyay, Promode R; Hansen, Joshua C
2013-01-01
Functioning as sensors and propulsors, cilia are evolutionarily conserved organelles having a highly organized internal structure. How a paramecium's cilium produces off-propulsion-plane curvature during its return stroke for symmetry breaking and drag reduction is not known. We explain these cilium deformations by developing a torsional pendulum model of beat frequency dependence on viscosity and an olivo-cerebellar model of self-regulation of posture control. The phase dependence of cilia torsion is determined, and a bio-physical model of hardness control with predictive features is offered. Crossbridge links between the central microtubule pair harden the cilium during the power stroke; this stroke's end is a critical phase during which ATP molecules soften the crossbridge-microtubule attachment at the cilium inflection point where torsion is at its maximum. A precipitous reduction in hardness ensues, signaling the start of ATP hydrolysis that re-hardens the cilium. The cilium attractor basin could be used as reference for perturbation sensing.
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Pharmacy Students' Attitudes Toward Death and End-of-life Care
Broeseker, Amy E.
2010-01-01
Objectives To assess pharmacy students' attitudes toward death and end-of-life care. Methods Third-year pharmacy students enrolled in the Ethics in Christianity and Health Care course were administered a survey instrument prior to introduction of the topic of end-of-life care. Students' attitudes toward different professions' roles in end-of-life care and their comfort in discussing end-of-life issues were assessed. The survey instrument was readministered to the same students at the end of their fourth year. Results On most survey items, female students responded more favorably toward death and end-of-life care than male students. One exception was the perceived emotional ability to be in the room of a dying patient or loved one. Post-experiential survey responses were generally more favorable toward death and end-of-life care than were pre-discussion responses. Conclusions In general, when surveyed concerning death and end-of-life care, female students responded more favorably than male students, and responses at the end of the fourth year were more favorable than at the beginning of the course. PMID:21045946
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Hardness of basaltic glass-ceramics
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Martin; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup; Estrup, Maja
2009-01-01
The dependence of the hardness of basaltic glass-ceramics on their degree of crystallisation has been explored by means of differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Vickers indentation. Different degrees of crystallisation in the basaltic glasses were achieved...... by varying the temperature of heat treatment. The predominant crystalline phase in the glass was identified as augite. It was found that the hardness of the glass phase decreased slightly with an increase in the degree of crystallisation, while that of the augite phase drastically decreased....
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Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires
Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki; Matsuda, Atsunori
2014-11-01
Metal nanowires (NWs) have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production of composite devices. The resulting NWs are immobilized and spatially arranged, as dictated by the ordered porous structure of the template. This avoids the NWs from aggregating, which is common for NWs prepared with soft templates in solution. Herein, the hard template synthesis of metal NWs is reviewed, and the resulting structures, properties and potential applications are discussed.
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Why Are Drugs So Hard to Quit?
Full Text Available ... Quitting drugs is hard because addiction is a brain disease. Your brain is like a control tower that sends out ... and choices. Addiction changes the signals in your brain and makes it hard to feel OK without ...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anon.
1995-01-01
In the United States, phrases such as ''small-x evolution'', ''the BFKL Pomeron'', ''deep-inelastic rapiditygap events'' and ''hard-diffraction'' do not generate the same intensity of discussion amongst high-energy physicists that they do in Europe. However, for three days in the fall such discussion filled the air at Fermilab. The ''2nd Workshop on Small-x and Diffractive Physics at the Tevatron'' was a review of the rapid theoretical and experimental progress taking place in this field. Although Quantum Chromo-dynamics (QCD) has been established as the theory of strong interactions for twenty years, as yet neither perturbative high-energy calculations nor low-energy non-perturbative techniques have been successfully extended to the mixture of high energy and low transverse momenta which characterize traditional ''soft'' diffractive processes. The simplest soft diffractive process is elastic scattering. In this case it is easiest to accept that there is an exchanged ''pomeron'', which can be pictured as a virtual entity with no electric charge or strong charge (colour), perhaps like an excitation of the vacuum. The same pomeron is expected to appear in all diffractive processes. Understanding the pomeron in QCD is a fundamental theoretical and experimental challenge. In the last two or three years the ''frontier'' in this challenging area of QCD has been pushed back significantly in both theory and experiment. Progress has been achieved by studying the evolution of hard collisions to relatively smaller constituent momenta (small x) and by studying ''hard'' diffractive collisions containing simultaneous signatures of diffraction and hard perturbative processes. The hard processes have included high transverse momentum jet production, deep inelastic lepton scattering, and (most recently) W
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"Work smart, wear your hard hat"
2003-01-01
Falling objects and collisions are frequent occurrences in work sites and hazardous areas. Hard hats can help prevent many types of accident and can even save lives. Just imagine an 800 g spanner falling from a 13 m high scaffold onto the head of someone standing below - a nightmare scenario! The impact to the head is equivalent to that of a 5 kg weight falling from 2 metres. That is just what happened to Gerd Fetchenhauer when he was working on the UA1 experiment. Fortunately, he was wearing a hard hat at the time. "That hat saved my life," he explains. "It punched a hole right through the hat and I was a bit dazed for a couple of hours but otherwise I was OK." Since that day, Gerd Fetchenhauer, now working on CMS, is never seen on a work site without his hard hat on. Work sites have proliferated at CERN with the construction of the LHC and its detectors, and the wearing of hard hats is compulsory (not to mention life-saving). In the underground caverns and experiment halls, where gantry cranes and other h...
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Cobalt allergy in hard metal workers
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Fischer, T; Rystedt, I
1983-03-01
Hard metal contains about 10% cobalt. 853 hard metal workers were examined and patch tested with substances from their environment. Initial patch tests with 1% cobalt chloride showed 62 positive reactions. By means of secondary serial dilution tests, allergic reactions to cobalt were reproduced in 9 men and 30 women. Weak reactions could not normally be reproduced. A history of hand eczema was found in 36 of the 39 individuals with reproducible positive test reactions to cobalt, while 21 of 23 with a positive initial patch test but negative serial dilution test had never had any skin problems. Hand etching and hand grinding, mainly female activities and traumatic to the hands, were found to involve the greatest risk of cobalt sensitization. 24 individuals had an isolated cobalt allergy. They had probably been sensitized by hard metal work, while the individuals, all women, who had simultaneous nickel allergy had probably been sensitized to nickel before their employment and then became sensitized to cobalt by hard metal work. A traumatic occupation, which causes irritant contact dermatitis and/or a previous contact allergy or atopy is probably a prerequisite for the development of cobalt allergy.
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Hard gap in epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor nanowires
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Chang, W.; Albrecht, S. M.; Jespersen, T. S.
2015-01-01
a continuum of subgap states---a situation that nullifies topological protection. Here, we report a hard superconducting gap induced by proximity effect in a semiconductor, using epitaxial Al-InAs superconductor-semiconductor nanowires. The hard gap, along with favorable material properties and gate...
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Hard Distraction and Deep Inelastic Scattering
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
BJORKEN, J.D.
1994-01-01
Since the advent of hard-collision physics, the study of diffractive processes- 'shadow physics' - has been less prominent than before. However, there is now a renewed interest in the subject, especially in that aspect which synthesizes the short-distance, hard-collision phenomena with the classical physics of large rapidity-gaps. This is especially stimulated by the recent data on deep-inelastic scattering from HERA, as well as the theoretical work which relates to it. The word 'diffraction' is sometimes used by high-energy physicists in a loose way. So I here begin by defining what I mean by the term: A diffractive process occurs if and only if there is a large rapidity gap in the produced-particle phase space which is not exponentially suppressed. Here a rapidity gap means essentially no hadrons produced into the rapidity gap (which operates in the 'lego' phase-space of pseudo-rapidity and azimuthal angle). And non-exponential suppression implies that the cross-section for creating a gap with width Δη does not have a power-law decrease with increasing sub energy Δη, but behaves at most like some power of pseudorapidity Δη∼ logs. The term 'hard diffraction' shall simply refer to those diffractive processes which have jets in the final-state phase-space. We may also distinguish, if desired, two subclasses, as suggested by Ingelman i) Diffractive hard processes have jets on only one side of the rapidity gap. ii) Hard diffractive processes have jets on both sides of the rapidity gap
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rohit Kumar
Full Text Available Starch and proteins are major components in the wheat endosperm that affect its end product quality. Between the two textural classes of wheat i.e. hard and soft, starch granules are loosely bound with the lipids and proteins in soft wheat due to higher expression of interfering grain softness proteins. It might have impact on starch granules properties. In this work for the first time the physiochemical and structural properties of different sized starch granules (A-, B- and C-granules were studied to understand the differences in starches with respect to soft and hard wheat. A-, B- and C-type granules were separated with >95% purity. Average number and proportion of A-, B-, and C-type granules was 18%, 56%, 26% and 76%, 19%, 5% respectively. All had symmetrical birefringence pattern with varied intensity. All displayed typical A-type crystallites. A-type granules also showed V-type crystallinity that is indicative of starch complexes with lipids and proteins. Granules differing in gelatinization temperature (ΔH and transition temperature (ΔT, showed different enthalpy changes during heating. Substitution analysis indicated differences in relative substitution pattern of different starch granules. Birefringence, percentage crystallinity, transmittance, gelatinization enthalpy and substitution decreased in order of A>B>C being higher in hard wheat than soft wheat. Amylose content decreased in order of A>B>C being higher in soft wheat than hard wheat. Reconstitution experiment showed that starch properties could be manipulated by changing the composition of starch granules. Addition of A-granules to total starch significantly affected its thermal properties. Effect of A-granule addition was higher than B- and C-granules. Transmittance of the starch granules paste showed that starch granules of hard wheat formed clear paste. These results suggested that in addition to differences in protein concentration, hard and soft wheat lines have
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Goussev, Arseni; Dorfman, J R
2006-07-01
We consider the time evolution of a wave packet representing a quantum particle moving in a geometrically open billiard that consists of a number of fixed hard-disk or hard-sphere scatterers. Using the technique of multiple collision expansions we provide a first-principle analytical calculation of the time-dependent autocorrelation function for the wave packet in the high-energy diffraction regime, in which the particle's de Broglie wavelength, while being small compared to the size of the scatterers, is large enough to prevent the formation of geometric shadow over distances of the order of the particle's free flight path. The hard-disk or hard-sphere scattering system must be sufficiently dilute in order for this high-energy diffraction regime to be achievable. Apart from the overall exponential decay, the autocorrelation function exhibits a generally complicated sequence of relatively strong peaks corresponding to partial revivals of the wave packet. Both the exponential decay (or escape) rate and the revival peak structure are predominantly determined by the underlying classical dynamics. A relation between the escape rate, and the Lyapunov exponents and Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy of the counterpart classical system, previously known for hard-disk billiards, is strengthened by generalization to three spatial dimensions. The results of the quantum mechanical calculation of the time-dependent autocorrelation function agree with predictions of the semiclassical periodic orbit theory.
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LHCb: Test Station for the LHCb Muon Front-End Electronic
Polycarpo, E
2005-01-01
The LHCb Muon Group has developed the CMOS ASIC CARIOCA to readout its Multiwire Proportional Chambers (MWPC) and GEM detectors, using a rad-hard IBM 0.25um process. Each ASIC holds 8 identical current-mode ASDB channels with individual input thresholds. The Muon detector contains around 120000 physical channels, requiring production of 20000 front-end chips, roughly. CARIOCA has been developed to process MWPC cathode and anode signals and two different versions have been implemented to overcome the requirement of MWP and GEM chambers operation. The test station has been devised to accomplish bipolar tests and to measure characteristics of both CARIOCA versions.
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US Agency for International Development — E2 Solutions is a web based end-to-end travel management tool that includes paperless travel authorization and voucher document submissions, document approval...
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Le Page, Aurore; Cox, David N; Georgie Russell, C; Leppard, Phillip I
2005-04-01
Means-end-chain theory seeks to understand how consumers make links between products and self-relevant consequences and values. To date, means-end-chain theory has remained a descriptive process and has not been applied to predicting product choice. Within the context of cooking meat, the main objective of this research was to assess the predictive value of the means-end-chain theory. In a two part study, we first undertook a laddering study (n=58 middle-aged women) focusing on cooking three different meat products, using small group administration and paper-and-pencil responses to elicit mean-end-chains (MEC). In the second part, we considered all the MEC independently and incorporated them into a questionnaire, which was also comprised of psycho-social predictors from a range of behavioural models. Responses were elicited from a sample of middle-aged women (n=247). Although MEC explained little of the variance in self-reported behaviour, they were shown to be an important predictor of attitude. Contrary to expectations, the least abstract levels of the MEC appeared to be the most predictive. A critical examination of the data suggested a need to reconsider the means-end-chain theory since it appears to take the respondents beyond their own awareness of their behaviours.
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Transport coefficients and mechanical response in hard-disk colloidal suspensions
Zhang, Bo-Kai; Li, Jian; Chen, Kang; Tian, Wen-De; Ma, Yu-Qiang
2016-11-01
We investigate the transport properties and mechanical response of glassy hard disks using nonlinear Langevin equation theory. We derive expressions for the elastic shear modulus and viscosity in two dimensions on the basis of thermal-activated barrier-hopping dynamics and mechanically accelerated motion. Dense hard disks exhibit phenomena such as softening elasticity, shear-thinning of viscosity, and yielding upon deformation, which are qualitatively similar to dense hard-sphere colloidal suspensions in three dimensions. These phenomena can be ascribed to stress-induced “landscape tilting”. Quantitative comparisons of these phenomena between hard disks and hard spheres are presented. Interestingly, we find that the density dependence of yield stress in hard disks is much more significant than in hard spheres. Our work provides a foundation for further generalizing the nonlinear Langevin equation theory to address slow dynamics and rheological behavior in binary or polydisperse mixtures of hard or soft disks. Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2012CB821500) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21374073 and, 21574096).
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Driven self-assembly of hard nanoplates on soft elastic shells
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang Yao-Yang; Hua Yun-Feng; Deng Zhen-Yu
2015-01-01
The driven self-assembly behaviors of hard nanoplates on soft elastic shells are investigated by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method, and the driven self-assembly structures of adsorbed hard nanoplates depend on the shape of hard nanoplates and the bending energy of soft elastic shells. Three main structures for adsorbed hard nanoplates, including the ordered aggregation structures of hard nanoplates for elastic shells with a moderate bending energy, the collapsed structures for elastic shells with a low bending energy, and the disordered aggregation structures for hard shells, are observed. The self-assembly process of adsorbed hard nanoplates is driven by the surface tension of the elastic shell, and the shape of driven self-assembly structures is determined on the basis of the minimization of the second moment of mass distribution. Meanwhile, the deformations of elastic shells can be controlled by the number of adsorbed rods as well as the length of adsorbed rods. This investigation can help us understand the complexity of the driven self-assembly of hard nanoplates on elastic shells. (paper)
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Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Go eKawamura
2014-11-01
Full Text Available Metal nanowires (NWs have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production of composite devices. The resulting NWs are immobilized and spatially arranged, as dictated by the ordered porous structure of the template. This avoids the NWs from aggregating, which is common for NWs prepared with soft templates in solution. Herein, the hard template synthesis of metal NWs is reviewed, and the resulting structures, properties and potential applications are discussed.
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Broad-band hard X-ray reflectors
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Joensen, K.D.; Gorenstein, P.; Hoghoj, P.
1997-01-01
Interest in optics for hard X-ray broad-band application is growing. In this paper, we compare the hard X-ray (20-100 keV) reflectivity obtained with an energy-dispersive reflectometer, of a standard commercial gold thin-film with that of a 600 bilayer W/Si X-ray supermirror. The reflectivity...... of the multilayer is found to agree extraordinarily well with theory (assuming an interface roughness of 4.5 Angstrom), while the agreement for the gold film is less, The overall performance of the supermirror is superior to that of gold, extending the band of reflection at least a factor of 2.8 beyond...... that of the gold, Various other design options are discussed, and we conclude that continued interest in the X-ray supermirror for broad-band hard X-ray applications is warranted....
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Thivya, C.; Chidambaram, S.; Rao, M. S.; Thilagavathi, R.; Prasanna, M. V.; Manikandan, S.
2017-05-01
The fluoride contamination in drinking water is already gone to the alarming level and it needs the immediate involvement and attention of all people to solve this problem. Fluoride problem is higher in hard rock terrains in worldwide and Madurai is such type of hard rock region. Totally 54 samples were collected from the Madurai district of Tamilnadu with respect to lithology. The samples collected were analysed for major cations and anions using standard procedures. The higher concentration of fluoride is noted in the Charnockite rock types of northern part of the study area. 20 % of samples are below 0.5 ppm and 6 % of samples are above 1.5 ppm exceeding the permissible limit. The affinity between the pH and fluoride ions in groundwater suggests that dissolution of fluoride bearing minerals in groundwater. The higher concentration of fluoride ions are observed in the lower EC concentration. The isotopic study suggests that fluoride is geogenic in nature. In factor scores, fluoride is noted in association with pH which indicates the dissolution process.
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Effect of insertion method on knoop hardness of high viscous glass ionomer cements
Raggio, D.P.; Bonifácio, C.C.; Bönecker, M.; Imparato, J.C.P.; de Gee, A.J.; van Amerongen, W.E.
2010-01-01
The aim of this study was to assess the Knoop hardness of three high viscous glass ionomer cements: G1 - Ketac Molar; G2 - Ketac Molar Easymix (3M ESPE) and G3 - Magic Glass ART (Vigodent). As a parallel goal, three different methods for insertion of Ketac Molar Easymix were tested: G4 -
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The Effectiveness of Hard Martial Arts in People over Forty: An Attempted Systematic Review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gaby Pons van Dijk
2014-04-01
Full Text Available The objective was to assess the effect of hard martial arts on the physical fitness components such as balance, flexibility, gait, strength, cardiorespiratory function and several mental functions in people over forty. A computerized literature search was carried out. Studies were selected when they had an experimental design, the age of the study population was >40, one of the interventions was a hard martial art, and when at least balance and cardiorespiratory functions were used as an outcome measure. We included four studies, with, in total, 112 participants, aged between 51 and 93 years. The intervention consisted of Taekwondo or Karate. Total training duration varied from 17 to 234 h. All four studies reported beneficial effects, such as improvement in balance, in reaction tests, and in duration of single leg stance. We conclude that because of serious methodological shortcomings in all four studies, currently there is suggestive, but insufficient evidence, that hard martial arts practice improves physical fitness functions in healthy people over 40. However, considering the importance of such effects, and the low costs of the intervention, the potential of beneficial health effects of age-adapted, hard martial arts training, in people over 40, warrants further study.
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Crosstalk in an FDM Laboratory Setup and the Athena X-IFU End-to-End Simulator
den Hartog, R.; Kirsch, C.; de Vries, C.; Akamatsu, H.; Dauser, T.; Peille, P.; Cucchetti, E.; Jackson, B.; Bandler, S.; Smith, S.; Wilms, J.
2018-04-01
The impact of various crosstalk mechanisms on the performance of the Athena X-IFU instrument has been assessed with detailed end-to-end simulations. For the crosstalk in the electrical circuit, a detailed model has been developed. In this contribution, we test this model against measurements made with an FDM laboratory setup and discuss the assumption of deterministic crosstalk in the context of the weak link effect in the detectors. We conclude that crosstalk levels predicted by the model are conservative with respect to the observed levels.
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Muller, M.
2007-01-01
Aircraft jet engines have to be able to withstand infernal conditions. Extreme heat and bitter cold tax coatings to the limit. Materials expert Dr Ir. Wim Sloof fits atoms together to develop rock-hard coatings. The latest invention in this field is known as ceramic matrix composites. Sloof has
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Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR): Summary description
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gertman, D.I.; Gilmore, W.E.; Galyean, W.J.; Groh, M.R.; Gentillon, C.D.; Gilbert, B.G.; Reece, W.J.
1990-05-01
The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automate data base management system for storing and processing human error probability and hardware component failure rate data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal microcomputer. NUCLARR can be accessed by the end user to furnish data suitable for input in human and/or hardware reliability analysis to support a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented in a five-volume series of reports. This document Volume 1, of this series is the Summary Description, which presents an overview of the data management system, including a description of data collection, data qualification, data structure, and taxonomies. Programming activities, procedures for processing data, a user's guide, and hard copy data manual are presented in Volumes 2 through 5, NUREG/CR-4639
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Factorization and non-factorization in diffractive hard scattering
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Berera, Arjun
1997-01-01
Factorization, in the sense defined for inclusive hard scattering, is discussed for diffractive hard scattering. A factorization theorem similar to its inclusive counterpart is presented for diffractive DIS. For hadron-hadron diffractive hard scattering, in contrast to its inclusive counterpart, the expected breakdown of factorization is discussed. Cross section estimates are given from a simple field theory model for non-factorizing double-pomeron-exchange (DPE) dijet production with and without account for Sudakov suppression
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End-to-side and end-to-end anastomoses give similar results in cervical oesophagogastrostomy.
Pierie, J P; De Graaf, P W; Poen, H; Van Der Tweel, I; Obertop, H
1995-12-01
To find out if there were any differences in healing between end-to-end and end-to-side anastomoses for oesophagogastrostomy. Open study with historical controls. University hospital, The Netherlands. 28 patients with end-to-end and 90 patients with end-to-side anastomoses after transhiatal oesophagectomy and partial gastrectomy for cancer of the oesophagus or oesophagogastric junction, with gastric tube reconstruction and cervical anastomosis. Leak and stricture rates, and the number of dilatations needed to relieve dysphagia. There were no significant differences in leak rates (end-to-end 4/28, 14%, and end-to-side 13/90, 14%) or anastomotic strictures (end-to-end 9/28, 32%, and end-to-side 26/90, 29%). The median number of dilatations needed to relieve dysphagia was 7 (1-33) after end-to-end and 9 (1-113) after end-to-side oesophagogastrostomy. There were no differences between the two methods of suture of cervical oesophagogastrostomy when leakage, stricture, and number of dilatations were used as criteria of good healing.
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Weinberger, Linda E; Sreenivasan, Shoba; Garrick, Thomas
2014-01-01
In recent years, assisted suicide has been legalized in four states for those who are terminally ill and wish to end their lives with the assistance of lethal doses of medications prescribed by a physician. The ethics-related and legal questions raised by end-of-life suicide and decisional capacity to refuse treatment assessments are complex. In treating patients with end-stage medical conditions or disorders that severely affect the future quality of their lives, clinicians tend to engage in suicide prevention at all costs. Overriding the patient's expressed desire to die conflicts with another value, however, that of the individual's right to autonomy. We provide a framework for understanding these difficult decisions, by providing a review of the epidemiology of suicide in later life; reviewing findings from a unique dataset of suicides among the elderly obtained from the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, as well as data from states with legalized assisted suicide; presenting a discussion of the two frameworks of suicidal ideation as a pathological versus an existential reaction; and giving a case example that highlights the dilemmas faced by clinicians addressing decisional capacity to refuse treatment in an elderly, medically ill patient who has expressed the wish to die. © 2014 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
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Hard template synthesis of metal nanowires
Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki; Matsuda, Atsunori
2014-01-01
Metal nanowires (NWs) have attracted much attention because of their high electron conductivity, optical transmittance, and tunable magnetic properties. Metal NWs have been synthesized using soft templates such as surface stabilizing molecules and polymers, and hard templates such as anodic aluminum oxide, mesoporous oxide, carbon nanotubes. NWs prepared from hard templates are composites of metals and the oxide/carbon matrix. Thus, selecting appropriate elements can simplify the production o...
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Hybrid disassembly system for cellular telephone end-of-life treatment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kniebel, M.; Basdere, B.; Seliger, G. [Technical Univ. Berlin, Inst. for Machine Tools and Factory Management, Dept. of Assembly Technology and Factory Management, Berlin (Germany)
2004-07-01
Concern over the negative environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life (EOL) of cellular telephones is particularly high due to large production volumes and characteristically short time scales of technological and stylistic obsolescence. Landfilled or incinerated cellular telephones create the potential for release of toxic substances. The European legislation has passed the directive on Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) to regulate their collection and appropriate end-of-life treatment. Manufacturers must conduct material recycling or remanufacturing processes to recover resources. While recovery rates can hardly be met economically by material recycling, remanufacturing and reusing cellular phones is developing into a reasonable alternative. Both end-of-life options require disassembly processes for WEEE compliant treatment. Due to the high number of different cell phone variants and their typical design that fits components into tight enclosing spaces, cellular phone disassembly becomes a challenging task. These challenges and the expected high numbers of phones to be returned in the course of the WEEE urges for automated disassembly. A hybrid disassembly system has been developed to ensure the mass-treatment of obsolete cellular phones. It has been integrated into a prototypical remanufacturing factory for cellular phones that has been planned based on market data. (orig.)
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Bard, P. Y.; Laurendeau, A.; Hollender, F.; Perron, V.; Hernandez, B.; Foundotos, L.
2016-12-01
Assessment of local seismic hazard on hard rock sites (1000 processing of the Japanese KiK-net recordings from stiff sites (500 deep, within-motion to outcropping motion, or on a deconvolution of surface recordings using the velocity profile and 1D simulation, which has been performed both in the response spectrum and Fourier domains. Each of these virtual "outcropping hard-rock motion" data sets has then been used to derive GMPEs with simple functional forms, using as site condition proxy the S-wave velocity at depth (VSDH), ranging from 1000 to 3000 m/s. Both sets provide very similar predictions, which are much smaller at high frequencies (f > 10 Hz) than those estimated with the traditional HTTA technique - by a factor up to 3-4,. These differences decrease for decreasing frequency, and become negligible at low frequency (f shallow, moderate velocity layers. Not only this resonant amplification is not correctly accounted for by the quarter-wavelength approach used in the traditional HTTA adjustment techniques, but it may also significantly impact and bias the κ measurements, and the (VS30- κ0) relationships implicitly used in HTTA techniques.
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ERRATUM: Work smart, wear your hard hat
2003-01-01
An error appeared in the article «Work smart, wear your hard hat» published in Weekly Bulletin 27/2003, page 5. The impact which pierced a hole in the hard hat worn by Gerd Fetchenhauer was the equivalent of a box weighing 5 kg and not 50 kg.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anwar, R.; Kaleem, M.; Baig, AM.; Jamal, M.
2015-01-01
To determine the micro hardness of novel Pakistani manufactured osteosynthetic titanium bone mini plates (MPP) and imported osteosynthetic titanium bone mini plates (MPG) in body like conditions. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at School of Chemical and Material Engineering, NUST from March to May 2013. Material and Methods: Microvicker hardness tester was used for assessment of micro hardness of two types of plates. The hardness was checked before conditioning and after conditioning at (six different places) on interval of 1, 7,14,21,28 and 40 days in modified simulated body fluid with ph 7.4 and temperature 37 degree C. Results: Result showed that hardness of MPG was higher than MPP and after conditioning in simulated body fluid at all time periods, hardness of both types of plates was increased. Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that micro hardness of imported plates is more than local plates so recommendations should be sent to manufacturers of local industry of Pakistan to improve the hardness of local plates so that they can meet international standards. (author)
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Reading characteristics of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karić Jasmina
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Background/Aim. Speech motor mechanisms play a crucial role in the process of demutization, due to the fact that they cover all the elements of the successive development of spech production movements leading to speech formation (socalled kinesthesia in speach. The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of perceptual motor actions on the cognitive process of reading in 130 students in regular schools and schools for the deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the Republic of Serbia. Methods. Kostić and Vladisavljević test consisted of the ten levels weight was used for the assessment of reading speed. To assess understanding of text read by verbal responses, we used three-dimensional adapted reading test of Helene Sax. Results. The triage-articulation test for assessing reading speed (Kostić and Vladisavljević’s test according to the weight of ten levels, revealed that students in regular schools statistically significantly faster read texts as compared to the deaf students. The results of the threedimensional adapted reading test of Helena Sax, show that the words learned by deaf children exist in isolation in their mind, ie, if there is no standard of acoustic performance for graphic image, in deaf child every word, printed or written, is just the sum of letters without meaning. Conclusion. There is a significant difference in text reading speed and its understanding among the children who hear and the deaf and hard of-hearing children. It is essential that in deaf and heard-of hearing children education, apart from the development of speech, parallelly use the concept of semantic processing in order to get each word by the fullness of its content and the possibility of expanding its meaning in a variety of assets.
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[Reading characteristics of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils].
Karić, Jasmina; Ristić, Sinisa; Medenica, Snezana; Tadić, Vaska; Slavnić, Svetlana
2012-10-01
Speech motor mechanisms play a crucial role in the process of demutization, due to the fact that they cover all the elements of the successive development of spech production movements leading to speech formation (so-called kinesthesia in speach). The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of perceptual motor actions on the cognitive process of reading in 130 students in regular schools and schools for the deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the Republic of Serbia. Kostić and Vladisavljević test consisted of the ten levels weight was used for the assessment of reading speed. To assess understanding of text read by verbal responses, we used three-dimensional adapted reading test of Helene Sax. The triage-articulation test for assessing reading speed (Kostié and Vladisavljević's test according to the weight of ten levels, revealed that students in regular schools statistically significantly faster read texts as compared to the deaf students. The results of the three-dimensional adapted reading test of Helena Sax, show that the words learned by deaf children exist in isolation in their mind, i.e., if there is no standard of acoustic performance for graphic image, in deaf child every word, printed or written, is just the sum of letters without meaning. There is a significant difference in text reading speed and its understanding among the children who hear and the deaf and hard-of-hearing children. It is essential that in deaf and heard-of-hearing children education, apart from the development of speech, parallelly use the concept of semantic processing in order to get each word by the fullness of its content and the possibility of expanding its meaning in a variety of assets.
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Flour quality and kernel hardness connection in winter wheat
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Szabó B. P.
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Kernel hardness is controlled by friabilin protein and it depends on the relation between protein matrix and starch granules. Friabilin is present in high concentration in soft grain varieties and in low concentration in hard grain varieties. The high gluten, hard wheat our generally contains about 12.0–13.0% crude protein under Mid-European conditions. The relationship between wheat protein content and kernel texture is usually positive and kernel texture influences the power consumption during milling. Hard-textured wheat grains require more grinding energy than soft-textured grains.
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Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Hardness of Clustering. Both k-means and k-medians intractable (when n and d are both inputs even for k =2). The best known deterministic algorithms. are based on Voronoi partitioning that. takes about time. Need for approximation – “close” to optimal.
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The Ku70/80 ring in Non-Homologous End-Joining: easy to slip on, hard to remove.
Kragelund, Birthe B; Weterings, Eric; Hartmann-Petersen, Rasmus; Keijzers, Guido
2016-01-01
Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is an essential DNA double strand break repair pathway during all cell cycle stages. Deficiency in NHEJ factors can lead to accumulation of unrepaired DNA breaks or faulty DNA repair, which may ultimately result in cell death, senescence or carcinogenesis. The Ku70/80 heterodimer is a key-player in the NHEJ pathway and binds to DNA termini with high affinity, where it helps to protect DNA ends from degradation and to recruit other NHEJ factors required for repair. The mechanism of Ku70/80 detachment from the DNA helix after completion of DNA repair is incompletely understood. Some data suggest that certain DNA repair factors are ubiquitylated and targeted for proteasomal degradation after repair. Recent studies suggest that Ku80 is conjugated to lysine48-linked ubiquitin chains by the Skp1-Cullin-F-box (SCF) complex and/or the RING finger protein 8 (RNF8) ubiquitin-protein ligases, followed by rapid proteasomal degradation. In this review we address the structure and function of the Ku70/80 heterodimer and how ubiquitylation may affect the release of Ku70/80 from chromatin and its subsequent degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system.
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Schrider, Daniel R; Mendes, Fábio K; Hahn, Matthew W; Kern, Andrew D
2015-05-01
Characterizing the nature of the adaptive process at the genetic level is a central goal for population genetics. In particular, we know little about the sources of adaptive substitution or about the number of adaptive variants currently segregating in nature. Historically, population geneticists have focused attention on the hard-sweep model of adaptation in which a de novo beneficial mutation arises and rapidly fixes in a population. Recently more attention has been given to soft-sweep models, in which alleles that were previously neutral, or nearly so, drift until such a time as the environment shifts and their selection coefficient changes to become beneficial. It remains an active and difficult problem, however, to tease apart the telltale signatures of hard vs. soft sweeps in genomic polymorphism data. Through extensive simulations of hard- and soft-sweep models, here we show that indeed the two might not be separable through the use of simple summary statistics. In particular, it seems that recombination in regions linked to, but distant from, sites of hard sweeps can create patterns of polymorphism that closely mirror what is expected to be found near soft sweeps. We find that a very similar situation arises when using haplotype-based statistics that are aimed at detecting partial or ongoing selective sweeps, such that it is difficult to distinguish the shoulder of a hard sweep from the center of a partial sweep. While knowing the location of the selected site mitigates this problem slightly, we show that stochasticity in signatures of natural selection will frequently cause the signal to reach its zenith far from this site and that this effect is more severe for soft sweeps; thus inferences of the target as well as the mode of positive selection may be inaccurate. In addition, both the time since a sweep ends and biologically realistic levels of allelic gene conversion lead to errors in the classification and identification of selective sweeps. This
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Vosbergen, Sandra; Mahieu, Guy R; Laan, Eva K; Kraaijenhagen, Roderik A; Jaspers, Monique Wm; Peek, Niels
2014-01-02
Increasingly, Web-based health applications are developed for the prevention and management of chronic diseases. However, their reach and utilization is often disappointing. Qualitative evaluations post-implementation can be used to inform the optimization process and ultimately enhance their adoption. In current practice, such evaluations are mainly performed with end-user surveys. However, a review approach by experts in a focus group may be easier to administer and might provide similar results. The aim of this study was to assess whether industrial design engineers in a focus group would address the same issues as end users in a Web-based survey when evaluating a commercial Web-based health risk assessment (HRA) with tailored feedback. Seven Dutch companies used the HRA as part of their corporate health management strategy. Employees using the HRA (N=2289) and 10 independent industrial designers were invited to participate in the study. The HRA consisted of four components: (1) an electronic health questionnaire, (2) biometric measurements, (3) laboratory evaluation, and (4) individually tailored feedback generated by decision support software. After participating in the HRA as end users, both end users and designers evaluated the program. End users completed an evaluation questionnaire that included a free-text field. Designers participated in a focus group discussion. Constructs from user satisfaction and technology acceptance theories were used to categorize and compare the remarks from both evaluations. We assessed and qualitatively analyzed 294 remarks of 189 end users and 337 remarks of 6 industrial designers, pertaining to 295 issues in total. Of those, 137 issues were addressed in the end-user survey and 148 issues in the designer focus group. Only 7.3% (10/137) of the issues addressed in the survey were also addressed in the focus group. End users made more remarks about the usefulness of the HRA and prior expectations that were not met. Designers made
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Calorimeter triggers for hard collisions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landshoff, P.V.; Polkinghorne, J.C.
1978-01-01
We discuss the use of a forward calorimeter to trigger on hard hadron-hadron collisions. We give a derivation in the covariant parton model of the Ochs-Stodolsky scaling law for single-hard-scattering processes, and investigate the conditions when instead a multiple- scattering mechanism might dominate. With a proton beam, this mechanism results in six transverse jets, with a total average multiplicity about twice that seen in ordinary events. We estimate that its cross section is likely to be experimentally accessible at avalues of the beam energy in the region of 100 GeV/c
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Hardness of ion implanted ceramics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Oliver, W.C.; McHargue, C.J.; Farlow, G.C.; White, C.W.
1985-01-01
It has been established that the wear behavior of ceramic materials can be modified through ion implantation. Studies have been done to characterize the effect of implantation on the structure and composition of ceramic surfaces. To understand how these changes affect the wear properties of the ceramic, other mechanical properties must be measured. To accomplish this, a commercially available ultra low load hardness tester has been used to characterize Al 2 O 3 with different implanted species and doses. The hardness of the base material is compared with the highly damaged crystalline state as well as the amorphous material
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Hardness of enamel exposed to Coca-Cola and artificial saliva.
Devlin, H; Bassiouny, M A; Boston, D
2006-01-01
The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of change in indentation hardness of enamel in permanent teeth exposed to Coca-Cola. In a further experiment, the ability of a commercially available artificial saliva to remineralize enamel treated with Coca-Cola was tested. Ten enamel specimens were randomly chosen to be treated with Coca-Cola (experimental groups) and seven with water (control group). The fluids were applied for 1, 2, 3 h and overnight (15 h), washed off with a few drops of water and the moist enamel indentation hardness tested after each interval. With Coca-Cola treatment, the mean enamel hardness was 92.6% (s.d. = 7.9) of the original baseline hardness after 1 h, 93.25% (s.d. = 10.15) after 2 h, 85.7% (s.d. = 12.03) after 3 h and 80.3% after 15 h. The mean indentation hardness of control specimens treated with water was 108.7% (s.d. = 16.09) of the original hardness after 1 h, 99.09% (s.d. = 18.98) after 2 h, 98.97% (s.d. =11.24) after 3 h and 98.42% (s.d. = 22.78) after 15 h. In a separate experiment, the hardness of 9 enamel specimens was tested, as previously described, before and after treatment with Coca-Cola overnight and again after application of artificial saliva for 3 min. Coca-Cola reduced the mean indentation hardness of enamel in the teeth, but the hardness was partially restored with artificial saliva (Salivart) and increased by 18% from the demineralized enamel hardness.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
2014-01-01
After having recalled the implementation of the additional safety assessments (ECS) on the French nuclear reactors after the Fukushima accident, and that, after these assessments, ASN asked EDF to implement a 'hard core of robust material and organisational measures' which aim at preventing an accident with a core fusion or at limiting its progress, at limiting massive radioactive releases, and at enabling the operator to perform his required missions in crisis management, this report indicates the objectives of this hard core, and discusses the material measures proposed by EDF. These measures concern the exploited reactors and the EPR Flamanville 3, the pools present in the fuel and reactor buildings. It also discusses the requirements associated with these material measures, notably with respect to earthquake, flooding or other extreme events
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Brown, P. Margaret; Byrnes, Linda J.
2014-01-01
This study investigated the Individual Learning Plans of eighty-eight students who were deaf and hard of hearing attending facilities and schools for the deaf in Victoria Australia. The students' assessment and planning portfolios were scrutinised for evidence of formal and informal assessment used to generate goals for the Individual Learning…
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Hot hardness studies on zircaloy 2 pressure tube along three orientations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kutty, T.R.G.; Ravi, K.; Jarvis, T.; Sengupta, A.K.; Majumdar, S.; Tewari, R.; Shrivastava, D.; Dey, G.K.
2002-01-01
Zirconium based alloys are the natural choice for both the fuel element cans and in-core structural components in water cooled nuclear reactors. In this paper, the hot hardness behaviour of zircaloy 2 pressure tubes has been examined from room temperature to 400 degC using a hot hardness tester. For the purpose of comparison, the hardness of the as cast and room temperature rolled specimens has also been carried out. For this, the samples were cut along three orientations and hardness was measured in each of these directions using Vickers diamond pyramid indenter. The variation in hardness of the pressure tube samples show that the hardness was highest along circumferential direction and least along the axial direction. The room temperature rolled samples showed highest hardness along the rolling planes. These variations in hardness could be explained in terms of development of texture during working on the material. (author)
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2006-01-01
"The second international conference on hard and electromagnetic probes of high-energy nuclear collisions was held June 9 to 16, 2006 at the Asilomar Conference grounds in Pacific Grove, California" (photo and 1/2 page)
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Study of adsorption states for lubricant molecule using hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ikenaga, E.; Kobata, M.; Kim, J.J.; Wakabayashi, A.; Nishino, Y.; Tamasaku, K.; Sakane, Y.; Ishikawa, T.; Komiya, S.; Kobayashi, K.
2007-01-01
The adsorption states for lubricant molecules have been investigated using hard X-ray (hν = 7.95 keV) photoemission spectroscopy (HX-PES). This method has the advantage for the organic molecules to be able to measure damage few. Being aware of the fact that P atoms exist only in cyclotriphosphazene base, we measured the take-off angle dependence of the P1s spectra. Each spectrum consists from two peaks, that is, substrate NiP peak and cyclotriphosphazene P peak. The cyclotriphosphazene P peak rapidly disappears with increasing take-off angle. We have also measured C1s spectra. Combining these experimental results, we have found that the adsorption state of cyclotriphosphazene end group is undergoing
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Give the people what they want: studying end-user needs for enhancing the web
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tak Yeon Lee
2016-11-01
Full Text Available End-user programming (EUP is a common approach for helping ordinary people create small programs for their professional or daily tasks. Since end-users may not have programming skills or strong motivation for learning them, tools should provide what end-users want with minimal costs of learning –i.e., they must decrease the barriers to entry. However, it is often hard to address these needs, especially for fast-evolving domains such as the Web. To better understand these existing and ongoing challenges, we conducted two formative studies with Web users –a semi-structured interview study, and a Wizard-of-Oz study. The interview study identifies challenges that participants have with their daily experiences on the Web. The Wizard-of-Oz study investigates how participants would naturally explain three computational tasks to an interviewer acting as a hypothetical computer agent. These studies demonstrate a disconnect between what end-users want and what existing EUP systems support, and thus open the door for a path towards better support for end user needs. In particular, our findings include: (1 analysis of challenges that end-users experience on the Web with solutions; (2 seven core functionalities of EUP for addressing these challenges; (3 characteristics of non-programmers describing three common computation tasks; (4 design implications for future EUP systems.
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Jones, LeRoy A; Klimberg, Ira W; McMurray, James G; Padula, Rebecca; Tseng, Li-Jung; Stecher, Vera J
2008-08-01
The Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEX-Q) enables quick and easy assessment of functional, emotional, and satisfaction-related aspects of the sexual experience in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). To assess correlations between improvement on the SEX-Q and outcomes on other validated questionnaires. METHODS. Men with ED (score Questionnaire (QEQ), Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) Questionnaire, Erection Hardness Score (EHS), successful intercourse attempts (SIAs), Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS), and global efficacy questions (GEQs). Compared with the placebo group (N = 105), the sildenafil group (N = 104) at DBPC end of treatment (EOT) had significantly more improvement (P SIAs and EHS 3 (hard enough for penetration but not completely hard) or EHS 4 (completely hard) erections (odds ratio [OR], 2.52 and 3.46, respectively), EHS 4 erections four times as often (OR, 6.41), more men satisfied with treatment (EDITS; OR, 2.6), approximately twice as many men with improved erections (GEQ1; OR, 5.8) and ability to have sexual intercourse (GEQ2; OR, 5.4), and GEQ3 scores that indicated better sex (P 60% (and approximately half were > or =80%) of the maximum positive result. SEX-Q change scores correlate with several other functional, emotional, and satisfaction-related outcomes in men treated with sildenafil for ED, allowing a simple and focused evaluation of the sexual experience.
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Brorson, Hanna; Plymoth, Henrietta; Örmon, Karin; Bolmsjö, Ingrid
2014-03-01
Patients with dementia receive suboptimal palliative care, and this patient group is at risk to have pain at the end of life. Because communicative impairments are common in this patient group, nurses play an important caregiver role in identifying, assessing, and relieving patients' pain. This study aimed to describe nurses' experiences regarding end-of-life pain relief in patients with dementia. This descriptive exploratory qualitative study was based on seven semistructured interviews. Burnard's content analysis inspired the data analysis. Two main categories were identified: (1) nurses' experience of difficulties concerning pain relief and (2) nurses' experience of resources concerning pain relief. Nurses experienced difficulties, such as feeling of powerlessness because of difficulties in obtaining adequate prescriptions for analgesics, ethical dilemmas, feeling of inadequacy because analgesia did not have the desired effect, and a feeling of not being able to connect with the patient. Factors, including knowledge about the patient, professional experience, utilization of pain assessment tools, interpersonal relationships, and interprofessional cooperation, served as resources and enabled end-of-life pain relief. The results of this study highlight the complexity of pain relief in patients with dementia at the end of life from a nursing perspective. The inability of patients with dementia to verbally communicate their pain makes them a vulnerable patient group, dependent on their caregivers. Knowing the life story of the patient, professional experience, teamwork based on good communication, and use of a pain assessment tool were reported by the nurses to improve pain relief at the end of life for patients with dementia. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gilbert, B.G.; Reece, W.J.; Gertman, D.I.; Gilmore, W.E.; Galyean, W.J.
1990-12-01
The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automated data base management system for processing and storing human error probability and hardware component failure data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal computer. NUCLARR can furnish the end user with data inputs for both human and hardware reliability analysis in support of a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented in a five-volume series of reports. Volume 5: Data Manual provides a hard-copy representation of all data and related information available within the NUCLARR system software. This document is organized in three sections. Part 1 is the summary description, which presents an overview of the NUCLARR system and data processing procedures. Part 2 contains all data and information relevant to the human error probability (HEP) data side of NUCLARR. Data and information for the hardware component failure data (HCFD) side are presented in Part 3. 7 refs
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Analysis of surface hardness of artificially aged resin composites
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Denise Cremonezzi Tornavoi
2012-02-01
Full Text Available This study evaluated the effect of artificially accelerated aging (AAA on the surface hardness of eight composite resins: Filtek Z250, Filtek Supreme, 4 Seasons, Herculite, P60, Tetric Ceram, Charisma, and Filtek Z100. Sixteen specimens were made from the test piece of each material, using an 8.0 × 2.0 mm teflon matrix. After 24 hours, eight specimens from each material were submitted to three surface hardness readings using a Shimadzu Microhardness Tester for 5 seconds at a load of 50 gf. The other eight specimens remained in the artificially accelerated aging machine for 382 hours and were submitted to the same surface hardness analysis. The means of each test specimen were submitted to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p > 0.05, ANOVA and Tukey test (p < 0.05. With regard to hardness (F = 86.74, p < 0.0001 the analysis showed significant differences among the resin composite brands. But aging did not influence the hardness of any of the resin composites (F = 0.39, p = 0.53. In this study, there was interaction between the resin composite brand and the aging factors (F = 4.51, p < 0.0002. It was concluded that notwithstanding the type of resin, AAA did not influence surface hardness. However, with regard to hardness there was a significant difference among the resin brands.
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Dental hard tissue characterization using laser-based ultrasonics
Blodgett, David W.; Massey, Ward L.
2003-07-01
Dental health care and research workers require a means of imaging the structures within teeth in vivo. One critical need is the detection of tooth decay in its early stages. If decay can be detected early enough, the process can be monitored and interventional procedures, such as fluoride washes and controlled diet, can be initiated to help re-mineralize the tooth. Currently employed x-ray imaging is limited in its ability to visualize interfaces and incapable of detecting decay at a stage early enough to avoid invasive cavity preparation followed by a restoration. To this end, non-destructive and non-contact in vitro measurements on extracted human molars using laser-based ultrasonics are presented. Broadband ultrasonic waves are excited in the extracted sections by using a pulsed carbon-dioxide (CO2) laser operating in a region of high optical absorption in the dental hard tissues. Optical interferometric detection of the ultrasonic wave surface displacements in accomplished with a path-stabilized Michelson-type interferometer. Results for bulk and surface in-vitro characterization of caries are presented on extracted molars with pre-existing caries.
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Outcome of end-to-end urethroplasty in post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra.
Hussain, Akbar; Pansota, Mudassar Saeed; Rasool, Mumtaz; Tabassum, Shafqat Ali; Ahmad, Iftikhar; Saleem, Muhammad Shahzad
2013-04-01
To determine the outcome of delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty in blind post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra at our setup. Case series. Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College/Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, from January 2009 to June 2011. Adult patients with completely obliterated post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra ≤ 2 cm were included in the study. Patients with post-prostatectomy (TUR-P, TVP) stricture, stricture more than 2 cm in size or patients of stricture with neurogenic bladder and patients with any perineal disease were excluded from the study. Retrograde urethrogram and voiding cysto-urethrogram was done in every patient to assess stricture length and location. Stricture excision and delayed end-to-end anastomosis of urethra with spatulation was performed in every patient. Minimum followup period was 6 months and maximum 18 months. There were 26 cases with road traffic accident (indirect) and 14 had history of fall/direct trauma to perineum or urethra. Majority of the patients (57.5%) were between 16 to 30 years of age. Twelve (30.0%) patients developed complications postoperatively. Early complications of wound infection occurred in 01 (2.5%) patient. Late complications were seen in 11 (27.5%) patients i.e. stricture recurrence in 7 (17.5%), erectile dysfunction in 2 (5.0%), urethrocutaneous fistula and urinary incontinence in one patient (2.5%) each. Success rate was 70.0% initially and 87.5% overall. Delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty is an effective procedure for traumatic posterior urethral strictures with success rate of about 87.5%.
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Soft is hard and hard is easy: learning technologies and social media
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jon Dron
2013-03-01
Full Text Available Questo articolo riguarda principalmente la natura delle tecnologie per apprendere, con una particolare attenzione ai social media. Muovendo dalla definizione fornita da W. Brian Arthur delle tecnologie come un insieme di fenomeni orchestrati per un qualche uso, l’articolo amplia la teoria di Arthur ridefinendo e allargando la distinzione comunemente accettata tra tecnologie soft e hard, laddove le tecnologie soft sono intese come quelle che richiedono l’orchestrazione di fenomeni da parte degli esseri umani, mentre le tecnologie hard sono quelle per le quali l’orchestrazione è predeterminata o incorporata. Le tecnologie per apprendere sono quelle in cui le pedagogie (anch’esse tecnologie sono parte dell’insieme. Le conseguenze di questa prospettiva vengono esplorate nel quadro di diversi modelli pedagogici e in relazione agli approcci basati sul social learning in una varietà di contesti, dai corsi per corrispondenza ai MOOC.
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Standardizing an End-to-end Accounting Service
Greenberg, Edward; Kazz, Greg
2006-01-01
Currently there are no space system standards available for space agencies to accomplish end-to-end accounting. Such a standard does not exist for spacecraft operations nor for tracing the relationship between the mission planning activities, the command sequences designed to perform those activities, the commands formulated to initiate those activities and the mission data and specifically the mission data products created by those activities. In order for space agencies to cross-support one another for data accountability/data tracing and for inter agency spacecraft to interoperate with each other, an international CCSDS standard for end-to-end data accountability/tracing needs to be developed. We will first describe the end-to-end accounting service model and functionality that supports the service. This model will describe how science plans that are ultimately transformed into commands can be associated with the telemetry products generated as a result of their execution. Moreover, the interaction between end-to-end accounting and service management will be explored. Finally, we will show how the standard end-to-end accounting service can be applied to a real life flight project i.e., the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter project.
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Dependence of Hardness of Silicate Glasses on Composition and Thermal History
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Martin; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup; Yue, Yuanzheng
composition on hardness of silicate glasses. E-glasses of different compositions are subjected to various degrees of annealing to obtain various fictive temperatures in the glasses. It is found that hardness decreases with the fictive temperature. Addition of Na2O to a SiO2-Al2O3-Na2O glass system causes......The prediction of hardness is possible for crystalline materials, but so far not possible for glasses. In this work, several important factors that should be used for predicting the hardness of glasses are discussed. To do so, we have studied the influences of thermal history and chemical...... a decrease in hardness. However, hardness cannot solely be determined from the degree of polymerisation of the glass network. It is also determined by the effect of ionic radius on hardness. However, this effect has opposite trend for alkali and alkaline earth ions. The hardness increases with ionic radius...
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Razali, Muzafar Mohd; Kliewer, Wendy
2015-11-01
This study investigated risk and protective factors for recreational and hard drug use in Malaysian adolescents and young adults. Participants (n = 859; M age = 17.24 years, SD = 2.75 years, range = 13-25 years; 59% male) were recruited from secondary schools, technical colleges, a juvenile detention center and a national training center in Malaysia. A version of the Communities That Care survey validated for use in Malaysia (Razali & Kliewer, 2015) was used to assess study constructs. One in 6 adolescents and 1 in 3 young adults reported lifetime recreational and hard drug use, with greater use reported by males across all drug categories. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the strongest risk and protective factors for recreational and hard drug use. The overall pattern of findings was similar for recreational and hard drug use. Shared risk factors for lifetime recreational and hard drug use included early initiation of antisocial behavior, peer antisocial behavior, and peer reinforcement for engaging in antisocial behavior; shared protective factors included religious practices and opportunities for prosocial school involvement. Multiple group analyses comparing adolescents and young adults indicated that patterns of risk and protective factors predicting drug use differed across these age groups. There were fewer significant predictors of either recreational or hard drug use for young adults relative to adolescents. Results suggest that interventions should target multiple microsystems (e.g., peer groups, family systems, school environments) and be tailored to the developmental stage of the individual. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Playing Moderately Hard to Get
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stephen Reysen
2013-12-01
Full Text Available In two studies, we examined the effect of different degrees of attraction reciprocation on ratings of attraction toward a potential romantic partner. Undergraduate college student participants imagined a potential romantic partner who reciprocated a low (reciprocating attraction one day a week, moderate (reciprocating attraction three days a week, high (reciprocating attraction five days a week, or unspecified degree of attraction (no mention of reciprocation. Participants then rated their degree of attraction toward the potential partner. The results of Study 1 provided only partial support for Brehm’s emotion intensity theory. However, after revising the high reciprocation condition vignette in Study 2, supporting Brehm’s emotion intensity theory, results show that a potential partners’ display of reciprocation of attraction acted as a deterrent to participants’ intensity of experienced attraction to the potential partner. The results support the notion that playing moderately hard to get elicits more intense feelings of attraction from potential suitors than playing too easy or too hard to get. Discussion of previous research examining playing hard to get is also re-examined through an emotion intensity theory theoretical lens.
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Obtention of high hardness multilayer systems by laser ablation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mejia T, I.S.
2007-01-01
In this thesis work the synthesis of thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon nitride (CN x ) amorphous carbon (a-C) and Ti/TiN/CNx multilayers and Ti/TiN/a-C by means of the laser ablation technique, with the objective of obtaining films of high hardness is studied, as well as to produce multilayer coatings with superior properties to the individual layers. The effect that has the laser fluence used for ablationing the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited of TiN was investigated. It was found that the hardness is increased in lineal way approximately with the fluence increment up to 19 J/cm 2 . Thin films of a-C with hardness of the order of 12 GPa. likewise CN x films with high hardness (18.4 GPa) were obtained. The hardness of the deposited films was analyzed and it was related with its microstructure and deposit conditions. It was concluded that the Ti/TiN/CNx and Ti/TiN/a-C systems presented bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)
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Sampling from a polytope and hard-disk Monte Carlo
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kapfer, Sebastian C; Krauth, Werner
2013-01-01
The hard-disk problem, the statics and the dynamics of equal two-dimensional hard spheres in a periodic box, has had a profound influence on statistical and computational physics. Markov-chain Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics were first discussed for this model. Here we reformulate hard-disk Monte Carlo algorithms in terms of another classic problem, namely the sampling from a polytope. Local Markov-chain Monte Carlo, as proposed by Metropolis et al. in 1953, appears as a sequence of random walks in high-dimensional polytopes, while the moves of the more powerful event-chain algorithm correspond to molecular dynamics evolution. We determine the convergence properties of Monte Carlo methods in a special invariant polytope associated with hard-disk configurations, and the implications for convergence of hard-disk sampling. Finally, we discuss parallelization strategies for event-chain Monte Carlo and present results for a multicore implementation
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Challenges in end-of-life communication.
Galushko, Maren; Romotzky, Vanessa; Voltz, Raymond
2012-09-01
The purpose of this review is to give an overview of challenges that have been addressed in recent research in end-of-life communication. Diversity of difficulties that may occur in communication about end-of-life issues has been showed. The emotional quality of this communication requires special skills from professionals involved. Studies showed that physicians and medical students are often overstrained and avoid end-of-life discussions. Health professionals and patients are often ambivalent about end-of-life discussions. Nevertheless, professionals are expected to initiate these in an honest, needs-oriented way. Patient preferences are difficult to infer and have to be assessed explicitly and regularly. Studies showed that the emotional impact of end-of-life discussions can lead to a high burden or avoidance of professionals. Interdisciplinary, multi-professional work can support health professionals in end-of-life care but often structural barriers obstruct possible benefits. Health professionals need to initiate end-of-life communication in a sensitive way. Specific demands for health professionals in end-of-life communication are to differentiate own emotions and life events from those of patients and to deal with both adequately. Moreover, structural aspects can lead to difficulties between different specialties, professions and sectors, which can have a negative impact on adequate care for patient and relatives. Special efforts for improvement are needed.
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The over-the-limb hard X-ray events
Hudson, H. S.
Over-the-limb hard X-ray events offer a uniquely direct view of the hard X-ray emission from the solar corona during a major flare. Limb occultation at angles greater than about 10 deg (an arbitrary definition of this class of events) excludes any confusion with brighter chromospheric sources. Published observations of seven over-the-limb events, beginning with the prototype flare of March 30, 1969, are reviewed. The hard X-ray spectra appear to fall into two classes: hard events, with power-law index of about 2.0; and soft events, with power-law index about 5.4. This tendency towards bimodality is only significant at the 90-percent confidence level due to the smallness of the number of events observed to date. If borne out by future data, the bimodality would suggest the existence of two different acceleration mechanisms.
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Constraint satisfaction problems with isolated solutions are hard
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zdeborová, Lenka; Mézard, Marc
2008-01-01
We study the phase diagram and the algorithmic hardness of the random 'locked' constraint satisfaction problems, and compare them to the commonly studied 'non-locked' problems like satisfiability of Boolean formulae or graph coloring. The special property of the locked problems is that clusters of solutions are isolated points. This simplifies significantly the determination of the phase diagram, which makes the locked problems particularly appealing from the mathematical point of view. On the other hand, we show empirically that the clustered phase of these problems is extremely hard from the algorithmic point of view: the best known algorithms all fail to find solutions. Our results suggest that the easy/hard transition (for currently known algorithms) in the locked problems coincides with the clustering transition. These should thus be regarded as new benchmarks of really hard constraint satisfaction problems
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Excavation Technology for Hard Rock - Problems and Prospects
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gillani, S.T.A.; Butt, N.
2009-01-01
Civil engineering projects have greatly benefited from the mechanical excavation of hard rock technology. Mining industry, on the other hand, is still searching for major breakthroughs to mechanize and then automate the winning of ore and drivage of access tunnels in its metalliferous sector. The aim of this study is to extend the scope of drag bits for road headers in hard rock cutting. Various factors that can impose limitations on the potential applications of drag bits in hard rock mining are investigated and discussed along with alternative technology options. (author)
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Performance ratio hardness characteristics polystyrene-metal composite materials
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Klepikov, V.F.; Prokhorenko, E.M.; Lytvynenko, V.V.; Zakharchenko, A.A.; Hazhmuradov, M.A.
2015-01-01
The methods of measuring the hardness of layered polystyrene-metallic composite materials. It is proposed to use powder-like tungsten and powder-like steel as radiation-protective layer. A measurement of the hardness of composites of different composition, and given its dependence on the particle size and their form. The possibility of increasing the hardness of the composites reinforced with metallic additives. Radiation-protective characteristics were calculated for the studied species of composite materials. Influence of the quantitative composition of the metal components is studied on the change of the absorbed dose of gamma radiation
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3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering
Wang, Xiaohong; Ao, Qiang; Tian, Xiaohong; Fan, Jun; Wei, Yujun; Hou, Weijian; Tong, Hao; Bai, Shuling
2016-01-01
Hard tissues and organs, including the bones, teeth and cartilage, are the most extensively exploited and rapidly developed areas in regenerative medicine field. One prominent character of hard tissues and organs is that their extracellular matrices mineralize to withstand weight and pressure. Over the last two decades, a wide variety of 3D printing technologies have been adapted to hard tissue and organ engineering. These 3D printing technologies have been defined as 3D bioprinting. Especially for hard organ regeneration, a series of new theories, strategies and protocols have been proposed. Some of the technologies have been applied in medical therapies with some successes. Each of the technologies has pros and cons in hard tissue and organ engineering. In this review, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the historical available innovative 3D bioprinting technologies for used as special tools for hard tissue and organ engineering. PMID:28773924
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3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiaohong Wang
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Hard tissues and organs, including the bones, teeth and cartilage, are the most extensively exploited and rapidly developed areas in regenerative medicine field. One prominent character of hard tissues and organs is that their extracellular matrices mineralize to withstand weight and pressure. Over the last two decades, a wide variety of 3D printing technologies have been adapted to hard tissue and organ engineering. These 3D printing technologies have been defined as 3D bioprinting. Especially for hard organ regeneration, a series of new theories, strategies and protocols have been proposed. Some of the technologies have been applied in medical therapies with some successes. Each of the technologies has pros and cons in hard tissue and organ engineering. In this review, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the historical available innovative 3D bioprinting technologies for used as special tools for hard tissue and organ engineering.
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3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering.
Wang, Xiaohong; Ao, Qiang; Tian, Xiaohong; Fan, Jun; Wei, Yujun; Hou, Weijian; Tong, Hao; Bai, Shuling
2016-09-27
Hard tissues and organs, including the bones, teeth and cartilage, are the most extensively exploited and rapidly developed areas in regenerative medicine field. One prominent character of hard tissues and organs is that their extracellular matrices mineralize to withstand weight and pressure. Over the last two decades, a wide variety of 3D printing technologies have been adapted to hard tissue and organ engineering. These 3D printing technologies have been defined as 3D bioprinting. Especially for hard organ regeneration, a series of new theories, strategies and protocols have been proposed. Some of the technologies have been applied in medical therapies with some successes. Each of the technologies has pros and cons in hard tissue and organ engineering. In this review, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the historical available innovative 3D bioprinting technologies for used as special tools for hard tissue and organ engineering.
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Unified Research on Network-Based Hard/Soft Information Fusion
2016-02-02
3.2.1 Hard +Soft Data Association Data gathered during various Counterinsurgency (or COIN) operations is in different formats . For example, the...characteristic, observation time, and related data. Figure 45: Sample snapshot frame from hard sensor data TML formats were developed and...160 Figure 54: Penn State components of overall hard and soft fusion process Summary of Year 1 Accomplishments • Team formation • Initial
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Parenting Styles of Mothers with Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Children and Hearing Siblings
Antonopoulou, Katerina; Hadjikakou, Kika; Stampoltzis, Aglaia; Nicolaou, Nicoletta
2012-01-01
The present study aims to determine whether rearing a deaf or hard-of-hearing (d/hh) child would differentiate the parenting and disciplinary preference of parents between the d/hh and the hearing child. The parenting styles of 30 hearing mothers from Cyprus were assessed using the Greek version of the Parenting Styles & Dimensions…
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Hard scattering and gauge/string duality
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Polchinski, Joseph; Strassler, Matthew J.
2002-01-01
We consider high-energy fixed-angle scattering of glueballs in confining gauge theories that have supergravity duals. Although the effective description is in terms of the scattering of strings, we find that the amplitudes are hard (power law). This is a consequence of the warped geometry of the dual theory, which has the effect that in an inertial frame the string process is never in the soft regime. At small angle we find hard and Regge behaviors in different kinematic regions
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Radiation hardness of undoped BGO crystals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sahu, S.K.; Peng, K.C.; Huang, H.C.; Wang, C.H.; Chang, Y.H.; Hou, W.S.; Ueno, K.; Chou, F.I.; Wei, Y.Y.
1997-01-01
We measured the radiation hardness of undoped BGO crystals from two different manufacturers. Such crystals are proposed to be used in a small-angle calorimeter of the BELLE detector of the KEK B-factory. Transparency and scintillation light output of the crystals were monitored to see the effect of radiation damage. The crystals show considerable radiation hardness up to 10.2 Mrad equivalent dose, which is much higher than the maximum expected dosage of 500 krad per year of running at BELLE. (orig.)
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Diffusion corrections to the hard pomeron
Ciafaloni, Marcello; Müller, A H; Ciafaloni, Marcello; Taiuti, Martina
2001-01-01
The high-energy behaviour of two-scale hard processes is investigated in the framework of small-x models with running coupling, having the Airy diffusion model as prototype. We show that, in some intermediate high-energy regime, the perturbative hard Pomeron exponent determines the energy dependence, and we prove that diffusion corrections have the form hinted at before in particular cases. We also discuss the breakdown of such regime at very large energies, and the onset of the non-perturbative Pomeron behaviour.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tomasz Czech
2014-10-01
Full Text Available Production of electric power in Poland bases on burning brown and hard coal. Currently over 90 % of electricity originates from this source. Generating electric power, like many other human activities, inevitably involves production of wastes. Considering the previous trends of these waste materials utilisation, one should analyse also potential use of biogenic components which they contain as fertilizers. The main objective of conducted investigations was an assessment of potential application of selected waste materials, i.e. fly ashes from production, fly ashes from the landfill site and slag sand from “KRAKÓW S.A.” heat and power plant for agricultural and environmental purposes. The assessment was made on the basis of analyses of the following physical and chemical properties of studied materials: pH, granulometric composition determined by Bouyoucose-Casagrande method in Prószyński’s modification, total alkalinity, total nitrogen content assessed by means of Kjeldahl’s method, organic carbon by Tiurin’s method, total contents of trace elements and the content of available forms of trace elements soluble in 1 mol · dm-3 HCl solution. On the basis of conducted laboratory analyses it should be stated that the amounts of heavy metals determined in the studied materials did not exceed the content allowable for waste materials designed for soil liming. The analysed materials reveal physical and chemical properties which do not exclude their potential application for soil liming. In this respect, fly ash from production seems the best. However, it contains about twice lower amounts of CaO in comparison with other calcium fertilizers available on the market.
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Particle production at large transverse momentum and hard collision models
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ranft, G.; Ranft, J.
1977-04-01
The majority of the presently available experimental data is consistent with hard scattering models. Therefore the hard scattering model seems to be well established. There is good evidence for jets in large transverse momentum reactions as predicted by these models. The overall picture is however not yet well enough understood. We mention only the empirical hard scattering cross section introduced in most of the models, the lack of a deep theoretical understanding of the interplay between quark confinement and jet production, and the fact that we are not yet able to discriminate conclusively between the many proposed hard scattering models. The status of different hard collision models discussed in this paper is summarized. (author)
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Soulsby, C.; Petry, J.; Brewer, M. J.; Dunn, S. M.; Ott, B.; Malcolm, I. A.
2003-04-01
A hydrograph separation based upon end member mixing was carried out to assess the relative importance of the hydrological pathways providing the main sources of runoff during five storm events in a 14.5 km 2 agricultural catchment in north east Scotland. The method utilised event specific end member chemistries to differentiate three catchment-scale hydrological pathways on the basis of observed Si and NO 3-N concentrations in sampled source waters. These were overland flow (OF) (low Si and intermediate NO 3-N); subsurface storm flow (high Si and high NO 3-N) and groundwater flow (high Si and intermediate NO 3-N). The hydrograph separation explicitly accounted for uncertainty in the spatial and temporal variation in end member chemistry using Bayesian statistical methods which assumed that each end member arose from a bivariate normal distribution whose mean vectors and co-variance matrices could be estimated. Markov Chain-Monte Carlo methods were used to model the average and 95 percentile maximum and minimum contributions that each end member made to stream water samples during storm events. Although there is large uncertainty over the contributions of each end member to specific events, the analysis produced hydrograph separations that were broadly believable on the basis of hydrometric observations in the catchment. Moreover, by using event specific end member compositions, the method appeared sensitive to the unique combination of event characteristics, antecedent conditions and seasonality in terms of producing feasible separations for very different events. It is concluded that OF generally dominates the storm peak and provides the main flow path by which P is transferred to stream channels during storm events, whilst subsurface storm flows usually dominate the storm hydrograph volumetrically and route NO 3-rich soil water into streams. Consequently, nutrient enrichment in such streams is largely mediated by event-based hydrological flow paths, a finding
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malayoglu, Ugur; Tekin, Kadir C.; Malayoglu, Ufuk; Shrestha, Suman
2011-01-01
Highlights: → Mechanical properties of PEO and anodised coatings were studied using ultra-micro hardness tester. → Elastic modulus and hardness of the PEO coating were found much higher than those of the anodised coating. → Improved sliding wear of PEO coating is due to presence of hard α and γ-Al 2 O 3 phases. - Abstract: A ceramic coating on AA6082 aluminum alloy prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) has been studied and compared against a sulphuric acid hard-anodized coating on the same alloy. Surface morphology and microstructures of the coatings have been examined by scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction is used to determine the phase composition of the coatings. The adhesion strength of the coatings has been evaluated using a scratch test method. The coating's mechanical properties such elastic modulus and hardness data have been generated using a dynamic ultra-microhardness tester. Sliding wear tests with different loading rates are performed on the coatings in order to assess their wear resistance. Test results show that the PEO treated samples exhibit significantly better mechanical properties compared to hard anodized samples. The elastic modulus and hardness of the PEO coating are 2-3 times greater than of the hard anodized coating and subsequently, an improved wear resistance of the PEO coating has been achieved. The mechanical properties of the coatings and their relations to their tribological performance are discussed.
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2011-06-16
... Request; NINR End-of-Life and Palliative Care Science Needs Assessment: Funding Source Questionnaire... Collection: Title: NINR End-of-Life and Palliative Care Science Needs Assessment: Funding Source... Collection: The NINR End-of-Life Science Palliative Care (EOL PC) Needs Assessment: Funding Source...
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Hard-Boiled for Hard Times in Leonardo Padura Fuentes's Detective Fiction
Song, H. Rosi
2009-01-01
Focusing on Leonardo Padura Fuentes's hard-boiled fiction, this essay traces the origin and evolution of the genre in Cuba. Padura Fuentes has challenged the officially sanctioned socialist "literatura policial" that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s. creating a new model of criticism that is not afraid to confront the island's socio-economic…
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Challenges in Risk Assessment: Quantitative Risk Assessment
Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Uyttendaele, Mieke; De Meulenaer, Bruno
2016-01-01
The process of risk analysis consists out of three components, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. These components are internationally well spread by Codex Alimentarius Commission as being the basis for setting science based standards, criteria on food safety hazards, e.g. setting maximum limits of mycotoxins in foodstuffs. However, the technical component risk assessment is hard to elaborate and to understand. Key in a risk assessment is the translation of biological or...
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CdTe Based Hard X-ray Imager Technology For Space Borne Missions
Limousin, Olivier; Delagnes, E.; Laurent, P.; Lugiez, F.; Gevin, O.; Meuris, A.
2009-01-01
CEA Saclay has recently developed an innovative technology for CdTe based Pixelated Hard X-Ray Imagers with high spectral performance and high timing resolution for efficient background rejection when the camera is coupled to an active veto shield. This development has been done in a R&D program supported by CNES (French National Space Agency) and has been optimized towards the Simbol-X mission requirements. In the latter telescope, the hard X-Ray imager is 64 cm² and is equipped with 625µm pitch pixels (16384 independent channels) operating at -40°C in the range of 4 to 80 keV. The camera we demonstrate in this paper consists of a mosaic of 64 independent cameras, divided in 8 independent sectors. Each elementary detection unit, called Caliste, is the hybridization of a 256-pixel Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) detector with full custom front-end electronics into a unique 1 cm² component, juxtaposable on its four sides. Recently, promising results have been obtained from the first micro-camera prototypes called Caliste 64 and will be presented to illustrate the capabilities of the device as well as the expected performance of an instrument based on it. The modular design of Caliste enables to consider extended developments toward IXO type mission, according to its specific scientific requirements.
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Katyal, Mehak; Singh, Narpinder; Virdi, Amardeep Singh; Kaur, Amritpal; Chopra, Nidhi; Ahlawat, Arvind Kumar; Singh, Anju Mahendru
2017-10-01
Hard wheat (HW), medium-hard wheat (MHW) and extraordinarily soft wheat (Ex-SW) varieties with grain hardness index (GHI) of 83 to 95, 72 to 80, 17 to 29 were evaluated for pasting, protein molecular weight (MW) distribution, dough rheology and baking properties. Flours from varieties with higher GHI had more protein content, ash content and paste viscosities. Ex-SW had more glutenins proportion as compared to HW and MHW. Flours from Ex-SW varieties showed lower NaSRC, WA and mixographic parameters as compared to HW and MHW. Dough from flours milled from Ex-SW had higher Intermolecular-β-sheets (IM-β-sheets) than those from MHW and HW. Muffins volume increased with decrease in GHI, Ex-SW varieties had more muffin volume and less air space. The accumulation of polypeptides (PPs) varied significantly in different varieties. Ex-SW variety (QBP12-10) showed accumulation of 98, 90, 81 and 79kDa PPs, which was unique and was different from other varieties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Tribological performance of hard carbon coatings on 440C bearing steel
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kustas, F M; Misra, M S; Shepard, D F; Froechtenigt, J F [Martin Marietta Astronautics Group, Denver, CO (United States)
1991-11-01
Hard carbon coatings such as amorphous carbon, diamond and diamond-like carbon have received considerable attention for tribological applications owing to their high hardness, high modulus and desirable surface properties. Unfortunately, most of the deposition techniques induce high substrate temperatures that would temper traditional bearing steels and reduce the substrate load-carrying capability. Therefore, to effectively use these desirable coatings, a lower temperature deposition technique is required. Ion beam deposition can provide essentially ambient temperature conditions, accurate control of process parameters and good coating-substrate adhesion. To use these attributes, a test program was initiated to deposit mass-analyzed, high purity C{sup +} and CH{sub 4}{sup +} ions on molybdenum and 440C bearing steel for subsequent characterization by Raman spectroscopy and friction-wear tests. Results for a coating deposited from a carbon monoxide source showed an amorphous carbon-microcrystalline graphtie structure which exhibited very high microhardness and a three fold reduction in coefficient of friction for unlubricated tests compared to untreated 440C steel. In addition, incrementally increasing the applied load (by up to a factor of 5) resulted in progressively lower coefficients of friction, which conforms to solid lubrication theory. End-of-travel wear debris and some limited coating delamination were observed within thinner areas of the coating. Therefore an amorphous carbon-graphite coating applied to 440C steel at ambient temperature exhibits solid lubricating film characteristics with high load-carrying capability. (orig.).
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Trzaska J.
2016-09-01
Full Text Available In this paper, the equations applied for the purpose of the calculations of the hardness of continuously cooled structural steels upon the basis of the temperature of austenitizing. The independent variables of the hardness model were: the mass concentrations of elements, the austenitizing temperature and the cooling rate. The equations were developed with the application of the following methods: multiple regression and logistic regression. In this paper, attention was paid to preparing data for the purpose of calculations, to the methodology of the calculations, and also to the assessment of the quality of developed formulas. The collection of empirical data was prepared upon the basis of more than 500 CCT diagrams.
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Muller, M.
2007-01-01
Aircraft jet engines have to be able to withstand infernal conditions. Extreme heat and bitter cold tax coatings to the limit. Materials expert Dr Ir. Wim Sloof fits atoms together to develop rock-hard coatings. The latest invention in this field is known as ceramic matrix composites. Sloof has signed an agreement with a number of parties to investigate this material further.
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Hard Electromagnetic Processes
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Richard, F.
1987-09-01
Among hard electromagnetic processes, I will use the most recent data and focus on quantitative test of QCD. More specifically, I will retain two items: - hadroproduction of direct photons, - Drell-Yan. In addition, I will briefly discuss a recent analysis of ISR data obtained with AFS (Axial Field Spectrometer) which sheds a new light on the e/π puzzle at low P T
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Outcome of end-to-end urethroplasty in post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hussain, A.; Pansota, M. S.; Rasool, M.; Tabassum, S. A.; Ahmad, I.; Saleem, M. S.
2013-01-01
Objective: To determine the outcome of delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty in blind post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra at our setup. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College/ Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, from January 2009 to June 2011. Methodology: Adult patients with completely obliterated post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra 2 cm/sup 2/ were included in the study. Patients with post-prostatectomy (TUR-P, TVP) stricture, stricture more than 2 cm in size or patients of stricture with neurogenic bladder and patients with any perineal disease were excluded from the study. Retrograde urethrogram and voiding cysto-urethrogram was done in every patient to assess stricture length and location. Stricture excision and delayed end-to-end anastomosis of urethra with spatulation was performed in every patient. Minimum followup period was 6 months and maximum 18 months. Results: There were 26 cases with road traffic accident (indirect) and 14 had history of fall/direct trauma to perineum or urethra. Majority of the patients (57.5%) were between 16 to 30 years of age. Twelve (30.0%) patients developed complications postoperatively. Early complications of wound infection occurred in 01 (2.5%) patient. Late complications were seen in 11 (27.5%) patients i.e. stricture recurrence in 7 (17.5%), erectile dysfunction in 2 (5.0%), urethrocutaneous fistula and urinary incontinence in one patient (2.5%) each. Success rate was 70.0% initially and 87.5% overall. Conclusion: Delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty is an effective procedure for traumatic posterior urethral strictures with success rate of about 87.5%. (author)
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Outcome of end-to-end urethroplasty in post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hussain, A.; Pansota, M. S.; Rasool, M.; Tabassum, S. A.; Ahmad, I.; Saleem, M. S. [Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur (Pakistan). Dept. of Urology
2013-04-15
Objective: To determine the outcome of delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty in blind post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra at our setup. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College/ Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, from January 2009 to June 2011. Methodology: Adult patients with completely obliterated post-traumatic stricture of posterior urethra 2 cm/sup 2/ were included in the study. Patients with post-prostatectomy (TUR-P, TVP) stricture, stricture more than 2 cm in size or patients of stricture with neurogenic bladder and patients with any perineal disease were excluded from the study. Retrograde urethrogram and voiding cysto-urethrogram was done in every patient to assess stricture length and location. Stricture excision and delayed end-to-end anastomosis of urethra with spatulation was performed in every patient. Minimum followup period was 6 months and maximum 18 months. Results: There were 26 cases with road traffic accident (indirect) and 14 had history of fall/direct trauma to perineum or urethra. Majority of the patients (57.5%) were between 16 to 30 years of age. Twelve (30.0%) patients developed complications postoperatively. Early complications of wound infection occurred in 01 (2.5%) patient. Late complications were seen in 11 (27.5%) patients i.e. stricture recurrence in 7 (17.5%), erectile dysfunction in 2 (5.0%), urethrocutaneous fistula and urinary incontinence in one patient (2.5%) each. Success rate was 70.0% initially and 87.5% overall. Conclusion: Delayed end-to-end anastomotic urethroplasty is an effective procedure for traumatic posterior urethral strictures with success rate of about 87.5%. (author)
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Induction surface hardening of hard coated steels
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pantleon, K.; Kessler, O.; Hoffann, F.; Mayr, P. [Stiftung Inst. fuer Werkstofftechnik, Bremen (Germany)
1999-11-01
The properties of hard coatings deposited using CVD processes are usually excellent. However, high deposition temperatures negatively influence the substrate properties, especially in the case of low alloyed steels. Therefore, a subsequent heat treatment is necessary to restore the properties of steel substrates. Here, induction surface hardening is used as a method of heat treatment after the deposition of TiN hard coatings on AISI 4140 (DIN42CrMo4) substrates. The influences of the heat treatment on both the coating and the substrate properties are discussed in relation to the parameters of induction heating. Thereby, the heating time, heating atmosphere and the power input into the coating-substrate compounds are varied. As a result of induction surface hardening, the properties of the substrates are improved without losing good coating properties. High hardness values in the substrate near the interface allow the AISI 4140 substrates to support TiN hard coatings very well. Consequently, higher critical loads are measured in scratch tests after the heat treatment. Also, compressive residual stresses in the substrate are generated. In addition, only a very low distortion appears. (orig.)
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Indonesia in the South China Sea Dispute: Humble-Hard Power
Robertua, Verdinand; Sinaga, Obsatar
2018-01-01
This research discussed the opportunities for Indonesia to act as humble-hard power in South China Sea dispute. Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision in July 2016 to give South China Sea based on UNCLOS’s regulation has provoked China’s objection. This research question is on how to understand the conception of humble-hard power and the possibility for Indonesia to be humble-hard power in the South China Sea dispute? This article borrowed the concept of humble-hard power from Adam Nieves ...
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Co-electrodeposition of hard Ni-W/diamond nanocomposite coatings
Zhang, Xinyu; Qin, Jiaqian; Das, Malay Kumar; Hao, Ruru; Zhong, Hua; Thueploy, Adisak; Limpanart, Sarintorn; Boonyongmaneerat, Yuttanant; Ma, Mingzhen; Liu, Riping
2016-02-01
Electroplated hard chrome coating is widely used as a wear resistant coating to prolong the life of mechanical components. However, the electroplating process generates hexavalent chromium ion which is known carcinogen. Hence, there is a major effort throughout the electroplating industry to replace hard chrome coating. Composite coating has been identified as suitable materials for replacement of hard chrome coating, while deposition coating prepared using traditional co-deposition techniques have relatively low particles content, but the content of particles incorporated into a coating may fundamentally affect its properties. In the present work, Ni-W/diamond composite coatings were prepared by sediment co-electrodeposition from Ni-W plating bath, containing suspended diamond particles. This study indicates that higher diamond contents could be successfully co-deposited and uniformly distributed in the Ni-W alloy matrix. The maximum hardness of Ni-W/diamond composite coatings is found to be 2249 ± 23 Hv due to the highest diamond content of 64 wt.%. The hardness could be further enhanced up to 2647 ± 25 Hv with heat treatment at 873 K for 1 h in Ar gas, which is comparable to hard chrome coatings. Moreover, the addition of diamond particles could significantly enhance the wear resistance of the coatings.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Grunwald, Markus
2012-10-02
The prices of silicon and solar wafers keep dropping. According to market research specialist IMS research, this is the result of weak traditional solar markets and global overcapacities. While many manufacturers are facing hard times, big producers of silicon are continuing to expand.
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Elasticity of Hard-Spheres-And-Tether Systems
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Farago, O.; Kantor, Y.
1999-01-01
Physical properties of a large class of systems ranging from noble gases to polymers and rubber are primarily determined by entropy, while the internal energy plays a minor role. Such systems can be conveniently modeled and numerically studied using ''hard' (i.e., ''infinity-or-zero'') potentials, such as hard sphere repulsive interactions, or inextensible (''tether'') bonds which limit the distance between the bonded monomers, but have zero energy at all permitted distances. The knowledge of elastic constants is very important for understanding the behavior of entropy-dominated systems. Computational methods for determination of the elastic constants in such systems are broadly classified into ''strain'' methods and (fluctuation methods. In the former, the elastic constants are extracted from stress-strain relations, while in the latter they are determined from measurements of stress fluctuations. The fluctuation technique usually enables more accurate and well-controlled determination of the elastic constants since in this method the elastic constants are computed directly from simulations of the un strained system with no need to deform the simulation cell and perform numerical differentiations. For central forces systems, the original ''fluctuation'' formalism can be applied provided the pair potential is twice differentiable. We have extended this formalism to apply to hard-spheres-and-tether models in which this requirement is not fulfilled. We found that for such models the components of the tensor of elastic constants can be related to (two-, three- and four-point) probability densities of contacts between hard spheres and stretched bonds. We have tested our formalism on simple (phantom networks and three-dimensional hard spheres systems
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Characteristics of hard X-ray double sources in impulsive solar flares
Sakao, T.; Kosugi, T.; Masuda, S.; Yaji, K.; Inda-Koide, M.; Makishima, K.
1996-01-01
Imaging observations of solar flare hard X-ray sources with the Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) aboard the Yohkoh satellite have revealed that hard X-ray emissions (greater than 30 ke V) originate most frequently from double sources. The double sources are located on both sides of the magnetic neutral line, suggesting that the bulk of hard X-rays is emitted from footpoints of flaring magnetic loops. We also found that hard X-rays from the double sources are emitted simultaneously within a fraction of second and that the weaker source tends to be located in the stronger magnetic field region, showing a softer spectrum. Physcial implications on the observed characteristics of the hard X-ray double sources are discussed.
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Soft skills, hard skills, and individual innovativeness
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hendarman, Achmad Fajar; Cantner, Uwe
2018-01-01
of Indonesian firms from different industries are used from an online survey on manager and worker perceptions related to individual innovation performance on the one hand and individual skills on the other hand. The results show that soft skills and hard skills are significantly and positively associated...... with individual level innovativeness. However, no complementarity (positive interaction effect) is found between soft skills and hard skills....
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OISI dynamic end-to-end modeling tool
Kersten, Michael; Weidler, Alexander; Wilhelm, Rainer; Johann, Ulrich A.; Szerdahelyi, Laszlo
2000-07-01
The OISI Dynamic end-to-end modeling tool is tailored to end-to-end modeling and dynamic simulation of Earth- and space-based actively controlled optical instruments such as e.g. optical stellar interferometers. `End-to-end modeling' is meant to denote the feature that the overall model comprises besides optical sub-models also structural, sensor, actuator, controller and disturbance sub-models influencing the optical transmission, so that the system- level instrument performance due to disturbances and active optics can be simulated. This tool has been developed to support performance analysis and prediction as well as control loop design and fine-tuning for OISI, Germany's preparatory program for optical/infrared spaceborne interferometry initiated in 1994 by Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH in Friedrichshafen.
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Reliability modeling of a hard real-time system using the path-space approach
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kim, Hagbae
2000-01-01
A hard real-time system, such as a fly-by-wire system, fails catastrophically (e.g. losing stability) if its control inputs are not updated by its digital controller computer within a certain timing constraint called the hard deadline. To assess and validate those systems' reliabilities by using a semi-Markov model that explicitly contains the deadline information, we propose a path-space approach deriving the upper and lower bounds of the probability of system failure. These bounds are derived by using only simple parameters, and they are especially suitable for highly reliable systems which should recover quickly. Analytical bounds are derived for both exponential and Wobble failure distributions encountered commonly, which have proven effective through numerical examples, while considering three repair strategies: repair-as-good-as-new, repair-as-good-as-old, and repair-better-than-old
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Hardness of carbides, nitrides, and borides
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schroeter, W.
1981-01-01
Intermetallic compounds of metals with non-metals such as C, N, and B show different hardness. Wagner's interaction parameter characterizes manner and extent of the interaction between the atoms of the substance dissolved and the additional elements in metallic mixed phases. An attempt has been made to correlate the hardness of carbides, nitrides, and borides (data taken from literature) with certain interaction parameters and associated thermodynamic quantities (ΔH, ΔG). For some metals of periods 4, 5, and 6 corresponding relations were found between microhardness, interaction parameters, heat of formation, and atomic number
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Braun, Andreas; Krillke, Raphael Franz; Frentzen, Matthias; Bourauel, Christoph; Stark, Helmut; Schelle, Florian
2015-02-01
Heat generation during the removal of dental hard tissues may lead to a temperature increase and cause painful sensations or damage dental tissues. The aim of this study was to assess heat generation in dental hard tissues following laser ablation using an ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) system. A total of 85 specimens of dental hard tissues were used, comprising 45 specimens of human dentine evaluating a thickness of 1, 2, and 3 mm (15 samples each) and 40 specimens of human enamel with a thickness of 1 and 2 mm (20 samples each). Ablation was performed with an Nd:YVO4 laser at 1,064 nm, a pulse duration of 9 ps, and a repetition rate of 500 kHz with an average output power of 6 W. Specimens were irradiated for 0.8 s. Employing a scanner system, rectangular cavities of 1-mm edge length were generated. A temperature sensor was placed at the back of the specimens, recording the temperature during the ablation process. All measurements were made employing a heat-conductive paste without any additional cooling or spray. Heat generation during laser ablation depended on the dental hard tissue (enamel or dentine) and the thickness of the respective tissue (p dental hard tissues, heat generation has to be considered. Especially during laser ablation next to pulpal tissues, painful sensations and potential thermal injury of pulp tissue might occur.
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High performance sinter-HIP for hard metals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hongxia Chen; Deming Zhang; Yang Li; Jingping Chen
2001-01-01
The horizontal sinter-HIP equipment with great charge capacity and high performance, developed and manufactured by Central Iron and Steel Research Institute(CISRI), is mainly used for sintering and condensation of hard metals. This equipment is characterized by large hot zone, high heating speed, good temperature uniformity and fast cooling system. The equipment can provide uniform hot zone with temperature difference less than 6 o C at 1500-1600 o C and 6-10 MPa by controlling temperature, pressure and circulation of gas precisely. Using large scale horizontal sinter-HIP equipment to produce hard matals have many advantages such as stable quality, high efficiency of production, high rate of finished products and low production cost, so this equipment is a good choice for manufacturer of hard metals. (author)
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Luft, Pamela
2018-01-01
This manuscript reviews 28 studies of reading research on deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students published since 2000 that used correlational analyses. The examination focused on assessment issues affecting measurement and analysis of relationships between early phonological or orthographic skills and reading comprehension. Mixed outcomes…
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Chen, Yan-Kwang; Tsai, Pei-Shan; Chiu, Fei-Rung
2015-01-01
In the highly competitive market, it is increasingly hard for ice cream stores to develop creative marketing strategies to retain existing customers and attract new ones. This study applies the means?end chain approach to identify the customer value, consequences, and attributes of ice cream and to suggest useful information for ice cream sellers to develop differential marketing strategies across various consumption situations (i.e. on a date, gathering with friends, craving for ice cream). ...
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Microstructure and Hardness Distribution of Resistance Welded Advanced High Strength Steels
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pedersen, Kim Richardt; Harthøj, Anders; Friis, Kasper Leth
2008-01-01
In this work a low carbon steel and two high strength steels (DP600 and TRIP700) have been resistance lap welded and the hardness profiles were measured by micro hardness indentation of cross sections of the joint. The resulting microstructure of the weld zone of the DP-DP and TRIP-TRIP joints were...... found to consist of a martensitic structure with a significant increase in hardness. Joints of dissimilar materials mixed completely in the melted region forming a new alloy with a hardness profile lying in between the hardness measured in joints of the similar materials. Furthermore the joints were...
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Hard Times as Bodie: the allegorical functionality in E.L. Doctorow’s Welcome to Hard Times (1960
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
P. van der Merwe
2007-07-01
Full Text Available “Welcome to Hard Times” (1960, E.L. Doctorow’s first novel, differs from the rest of his oeuvre because it is not set in a metropolitan context like New York. References to historical events that contain an apparent “mixture” of “factual” and fictional elements that are typical of Doctorow’s oeuvre are less prominent than in his other fiction, though definitely not absent. An analysis of the pioneer setting, the town Hard Times, reveals that other settings (including metropolitan ones like New York are not merely representations of specific contexts, but portrayals with allegorical elements. Criticism of Doctorow’s fiction does not sufficiently point out the rationale of Doctorow’s fiction in relation to his first novel: it is not just the basic level that contains the true topicality but also the underlying causal and thematic relationships. This article sets out to explore “Welcome to Hard Times” as a case in point. The objective of this article is therefore also to show that an analysis of this novel provides a valuable basis for understanding the allegorical character of his fiction. Angus Fletcher’s theoretical analysis, “Allegory: the theory of a symbolic mode” (1964, serves as a useful starting point for the analysis of the allegorical value of space and the town Hard Times as a microcosmic or symbolic society, as well as the “daemonic agents” in the town and the role of causality.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pham, Vuong-Hung [WCU Hybrid Materials Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (AIST), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), No 1, Dai Co Viet Road, Ha Noi (Viet Nam); Lee, Seung-Hee; Li, Yuanlong; Kim, Hyoun-Ee [WCU Hybrid Materials Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Kwan-Ha [Department of Dental Laboratory Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-703 (Korea, Republic of); Koh, Young-Hag, E-mail: kohyh@korea.ac.kr [Department of Dental Laboratory Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-703 (Korea, Republic of)
2013-06-01
This study reports the utility of tantalum (Ta) coating for improving the surface hardness, in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility of Co–Cr implants. The use of direct current sputtering allowed for the deposition of a dense and uniform Ta film onto a Co–Cr substrate, which was composed of β-phase Ta grains. This hard Ta coating significantly improved the surface hardness of the Co–Cr by a factor of > 2.3. In addition, the Ta-deposited Co–Cr substrate showed a vigorous precipitation of apatite crystals on its surface after 4 weeks of immersion in simulated body fluid, suggesting its excellent in vitro bioactivity. This bioactive Ta coating led to a considerable improvement in the in vitro biocompatibility of the Co–Cr, which was assessed in terms of the attachment, proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). - Highlights: • Dense and uniform Ta film was deposited onto a Co–Cr substrate using DC sputtering. • The Ta coating significantly enhanced the surface hardness of the Co–Cr. • The in vitro biocompatibility of the Co–Cr was also significantly improved.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pham, Vuong-Hung; Lee, Seung-Hee; Li, Yuanlong; Kim, Hyoun-Ee; Shin, Kwan-Ha; Koh, Young-Hag
2013-01-01
This study reports the utility of tantalum (Ta) coating for improving the surface hardness, in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility of Co–Cr implants. The use of direct current sputtering allowed for the deposition of a dense and uniform Ta film onto a Co–Cr substrate, which was composed of β-phase Ta grains. This hard Ta coating significantly improved the surface hardness of the Co–Cr by a factor of > 2.3. In addition, the Ta-deposited Co–Cr substrate showed a vigorous precipitation of apatite crystals on its surface after 4 weeks of immersion in simulated body fluid, suggesting its excellent in vitro bioactivity. This bioactive Ta coating led to a considerable improvement in the in vitro biocompatibility of the Co–Cr, which was assessed in terms of the attachment, proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). - Highlights: • Dense and uniform Ta film was deposited onto a Co–Cr substrate using DC sputtering. • The Ta coating significantly enhanced the surface hardness of the Co–Cr. • The in vitro biocompatibility of the Co–Cr was also significantly improved
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Assessing End-Of-Supply Risk of Spare Parts Using the Proportional Hazard Model
X. Li (Xishu); R. Dekker (Rommert); C. Heij (Christiaan); M. Hekimoğlu (Mustafa)
2016-01-01
textabstractOperators of long field-life systems like airplanes are faced with hazards in the supply of spare parts. If the original manufacturers or suppliers of parts end their supply, this may have large impacts on operating costs of firms needing these parts. Existing end-of-supply evaluation
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wang Xiguang; Guo Guanghua; Zhang Guangfu
2011-01-01
The demagnetization processes of antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled hard/soft/hard trilayer structures have been studied based on the discrete one-dimensional atomic chain model and the linear partial domain-wall model. It is found that, when the magnetic anisotropy of soft layer is taken into account, the changes of the soft layer thickness and the interfacial exchange coupling strength may lead a transition of demagnetization process in soft layer from the reversible to the irreversible magnetic exchange-spring process. For the trilayer structures with very thin soft layer, the demagnetization process exhibits typical reversible exchange-spring behavior. However, as the thickness of soft layer is increased, there is a crossover point t c , after which the process becomes irreversible. Similarly, there is also a critical interfacial exchange coupling constant A sh c , above which the exchange-spring process is reversible. When A sh sh c , the irreversible exchange-spring process is achieved. The phase diagram of reversible and irreversible exchange-spring processes is mapped in the plane of the interfacial exchange coupling A sh and soft layer thickness N s . - Research highlights: → A differing magnetic exchange-spring process is found in antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled hard/soft/hard trilayers if the magnetic anisotropy of the soft layers is taken into account. → The change of the soft layer thickness may lead to a transition of demagnetization process in soft layer from the reversible to the irreversible exchange-spring process. → The change of the soft-hard interfacial exchange coupling strength may lead a transition of demagnetization process in soft layer from the reversible to the irreversible exchange-spring process. → The phase diagram of reversible and irreversible exchange-spring processes is mapped in the plane of the interfacial exchange coupling and soft layer thickness.
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Mongoose: Creation of a Rad-Hard MIPS R3000
Lincoln, Dan; Smith, Brian
1993-01-01
This paper describes the development of a 32 Bit, full MIPS R3000 code-compatible Rad-Hard CPU, code named Mongoose. Mongoose progressed from contract award, through the design cycle, to operational silicon in 12 months to meet a space mission for NASA. The goal was the creation of a fully static device capable of operation to the maximum Mil-883 derated speed, worst-case post-rad exposure with full operational integrity. This included consideration of features for functional enhancements relating to mission compatibility and removal of commercial practices not supported by Rad-Hard technology. 'Mongoose' developed from an evolution of LSI Logic's MIPS-I embedded processor, LR33000, code named Cobra, to its Rad-Hard 'equivalent', Mongoose. The term 'equivalent' is used to infer that the core of the processor is functionally identical, allowing the same use and optimizations of the MIPS-I Instruction Set software tool suite for compilation, software program trace, etc. This activity was started in September of 1991 under a contract from NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)-Flight Data Systems. The approach affected a teaming of NASA-GSFC for program development, LSI Logic for system and ASIC design coupled with the Rad-Hard process technology, and Harris (GASD) for Rad-Hard microprocessor design expertise. The program culminated with the generation of Rad-Hard Mongoose prototypes one year later.
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How to estimate hardness of crystals on a pocket calculator
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Simunek, Antonin
2007-01-01
A generalization of the semiempirical microscopic model of hardness is presented and applied to currently studied borides, carbides, and nitrides of heavy transition metals. The hardness of OsB, OsC, OsN, PtN, RuC, RuB 2 , ReB 2 , OsB 2 , IrN 2 , PtN 2 , and OsN 2 crystals in various structural phases is predicted. It is found that none of the transition metal crystals is superhard, i.e., with hardness greater than 40 GPa. The presented method provides materials researchers with a practical tool in the search for new hard materials
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Hard Break-Up of Two-Nucleons and QCD Dynamics of NN Interaction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sargsian, Misak
2008-01-01
We discus recent developments in theory of high energy two-body break-up of few-nucleon systems. The characteristics of these reactions are such that the hard two-body quasielastic subprocess can be clearly separated from the accompanying soft subprocesses. We discuss in details the hard rescattering model (HRM) in which hard photodisintegration develops in two stages. At first, photon knocks-out an energetic quark which rescatters subsequently with a quark of the other nucleon. The latter provides a mechanism of sharing the initial high momentum of the photon between two outgoing nucleons. This final state hard rescattering can be expressed through the hard NN scattering amplitude. Within HRM we discuss hard break-up reactions involving D and 3 He targets and demonstrate how these reactions are sensitive to the dynamics of hard pn and pp interaction. Another development of HRM is the prediction of new helicity selection mechanism for hard two-body reactions, which was apparently confirmed in the recent JLab experiment.
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Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Bioplastics Production Systems and End-of-Life Options
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kunnika Changwichan
2018-03-01
Full Text Available Bioplastics demand has been increased globally due to concerns regarding environmentally friendly consumption and production. Polylactic acid (PLA, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs, and polybutylene succinate (PBS are promising bioplastics with bio-based feedstocks and property of biodegradability. They are produced by bacterial fermentation of sugars from carbohydrate sources. With flexibility in their properties, PLA, PHAs, and PBS can potentially substitute conventional plastics such as polypropylene (PP, polyethylene terephthalate (PET, and polystyrene (PS. This study aims at evaluating the environmental and economic sustainability of bioplastics production together with end-of-life (EOL options. The combination of environmental and economic indicators, eco-efficiency (E/E, was selected to investigate the performance of PLA, PHAs, and PBS from sugarcane and cassava in comparison with PP. The environmental impacts were determined using life cycle assessment. The product cost was used to represent the economic value. The E/E results showed that the environmental and economic sustainability could be enhanced with 100% mechanical recycling of all kinds of studied plastics. It is also important to highlight that mechanical recycling showed a better performance in terms of E/E than composting of bioplastics.
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Application of hard coatings for blanking and piercing tools
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Podgornik, B.; Zajec, B.; Bay, Niels
2011-01-01
The aim of the present investigation was to examine the possibility of reducing lubrication and replacing expensive tungsten carbide material in blanking/piercing through introduction of hard tool coatings. Results show that hard PVD coatings can be successfully used in blanking/piercing...... critical value under dry friction conditions and leads to tool failure. Therefore, at present oxidation and temperature resistant hard coatings can give improved wear resistance of stamping tools, but elimination of lubricants in blanking and piercing processes is still not feasible....
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Erosion testing of hard materials and coatings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hawk, Jeffrey A.
2005-04-29
Erosion is the process by which unconstrained particles, usually hard, impact a surface, creating damage that leads to material removal and component failure. These particles are usually very small and entrained in fluid of some type, typically air. The damage that occurs as a result of erosion depends on the size of the particles, their physical characteristics, the velocity of the particle/fluid stream, and their angle of impact on the surface of interest. This talk will discuss the basics of jet erosion testing of hard materials, composites and coatings. The standard test methods will be discussed as well as alternative approaches to determining the erosion rate of materials. The damage that occurs will be characterized in genera1 terms, and examples will be presented for the erosion behavior of hard materials and coatings (both thick and thin).
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45 Gb/s low complexity optical front-end for soft-decision LDPC decoders.
Sakib, Meer Nazmus; Moayedi, Monireh; Gross, Warren J; Liboiron-Ladouceur, Odile
2012-07-30
In this paper a low complexity and energy efficient 45 Gb/s soft-decision optical front-end to be used with soft-decision low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoders is demonstrated. The results show that the optical front-end exhibits a net coding gain of 7.06 and 9.62 dB for post forward error correction bit error rate of 10(-7) and 10(-12) for long block length LDPC(32768,26803) code. The performance over a hard decision front-end is 1.9 dB for this code. It is shown that the soft-decision circuit can also be used as a 2-bit flash type analog-to-digital converter (ADC), in conjunction with equalization schemes. At bit rate of 15 Gb/s using RS(255,239), LDPC(672,336), (672, 504), (672, 588), and (1440, 1344) used with a 6-tap finite impulse response (FIR) equalizer will result in optical power savings of 3, 5, 7, 9.5 and 10.5 dB, respectively. The 2-bit flash ADC consumes only 2.71 W at 32 GSamples/s. At 45 GSamples/s the power consumption is estimated to be 4.95 W.
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Magnetic hyperthermia with hard-magnetic nanoparticles
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kashevsky, Bronislav E., E-mail: bekas@itmo.by [A.V Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute, Belarus Academy of Sciences, P. Brovka str. 15, Minsk 220072 (Belarus); Kashevsky, Sergey B.; Korenkov, Victor S. [A.V Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute, Belarus Academy of Sciences, P. Brovka str. 15, Minsk 220072 (Belarus); Istomin, Yuri P. [N. N. Alexandrov National Cancer Center of Belarus, Lesnoy-2, Minsk 223040 (Belarus); Terpinskaya, Tatyana I.; Ulashchik, Vladimir S. [Institute of Physiology, Belarus Academy of Sciences, Akademicheskaya str. 28, Minsk 220072 (Belarus)
2015-04-15
Recent clinical trials of magnetic hyperthermia have proved, and even hardened, the Ankinson-Brezovich restriction as upon magnetic field conditions applicable to any site of human body. Subject to this restriction, which is harshly violated in numerous laboratory and small animal studies, magnetic hyperthermia can relay on rather moderate heat source, so that optimization of the whole hyperthermia system remains, after all, the basic problem predetermining its clinical perspectives. We present short account of our complex (theoretical, laboratory and small animal) studies to demonstrate that such perspectives should be related with the hyperthermia system based on hard-magnetic (Stoner–Wohlfarth type) nanoparticles and strong low-frequency fields rather than with superparamagnetic (Brownian or Neél) nanoparticles and weak high-frequency fields. This conclusion is backed by an analytical evaluation of the maximum absorption rates possible under the field restriction in the ideal hard-magnetic (Stoner–Wohlarth) and the ideal superparamagnetic (single relaxation time) systems, by theoretical and experimental studies of the dynamic magnetic hysteresis in suspensions of movable hard-magnetic particles, by producing nanoparticles with adjusted coercivity and suspensions of such particles capable of effective energy absorption and intratumoral penetration, and finally, by successful treatment of a mice model tumor under field conditions acceptable for whole human body. - Highlights: • Hard-magnetic nanoparticles are shown superior for hyperthetmia to superparamagnetic. • Optimal system parameters are found from magnetic reversal model in movable particle. • Penetrating suspension of HM particles with aggregation-independent SAR is developed. • For the first time, mice with tumors are healed in AC field acceptable for human body.
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PENGEMBANGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN SOFT SKILLS DAN HARD SKILLS UNTUK SISWA SMK
Widarto Noto Widodo, Pardjono
2013-01-01
Abstrak: Pengembangan Model Pembelajaran Soft Skills dan Hard Skills untuk Siswa SMK. Era global menuntut sumber daya manusia yang memiliki daya saing, adaptif dan antisipatif, mampu belajar, terampil, mudah beradaptasi dengan teknologi baru. Profil tenaga kerja yang dibutuhkan pasar adalah yang kuat pada aspek soft skills dan hard skills. Ada tiga alternatif model pendidikan yang memadukan hard skills dan soft skills, yaitu (1) aspek soft skills dan hard skills dilaksanakan di sekolah; (2) a...
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SPoRT - An End-to-End R2O Activity
Jedlovec, Gary J.
2009-01-01
Established in 2002 to demonstrate the weather and forecasting application of real-time EOS measurements, the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) program has grown to be an end-to-end research to operations activity focused on the use of advanced NASA modeling and data assimilation approaches, nowcasting techniques, and unique high-resolution multispectral observational data applications from EOS satellites to improve short-term weather forecasts on a regional and local scale. SPoRT currently partners with several universities and other government agencies for access to real-time data and products, and works collaboratively with them and operational end users at 13 WFOs to develop and test the new products and capabilities in a "test-bed" mode. The test-bed simulates key aspects of the operational environment without putting constraints on the forecaster workload. Products and capabilities which show utility in the test-bed environment are then transitioned experimentally into the operational environment for further evaluation and assessment. SPoRT focuses on a suite of data and products from MODIS, AMSR-E, and AIRS on the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites, and total lightning measurements from ground-based networks. Some of the observations are assimilated into or used with various versions of the WRF model to provide supplemental forecast guidance to operational end users. SPoRT is enhancing partnerships with NOAA / NESDIS for new product development and data access to exploit the remote sensing capabilities of instruments on the NPOESS satellites to address short term weather forecasting problems. The VIIRS and CrIS instruments on the NPP and follow-on NPOESS satellites provide similar observing capabilities to the MODIS and AIRS instruments on Terra and Aqua. SPoRT will be transitioning existing and new capabilities into the AWIIPS II environment to continue the continuity of its activities.
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Miarka, Bianca; Brito, Ciro J; Moreira, Danilo G; Amtmann, John
2018-02-01
Miarka, B, Brito, CJ, Moreira, DG, and Amtmann, J. Differences by ending rounds and other rounds in time-motion analysis of mixed martial arts: implications for assessment and training. J Strength Cond Res 32(2): 534-544, 2018-This study aimed to support training program development through the comparison of performance analysis of professionals mixed martial art (MMA) athletes in the bouts that were not finished by points. Using digital recordings of each bout, we analyzed 1,564 rounds (678 bouts) which were separated by ending and other rounds. Our results indicated that knockout/technical knockout is the main outcome that defines the ending round (≈60%); however, there is a higher frequency of ending by submission on the first and second rounds (>30%). Bouts ending during the first or second rounds had shorter total time and standing combat with low intensity than ending in the third round (91.5 ± 71.4, 93.4 ± 67.5, and 143.2 ± 87.4; for low intensity in the first, second, and third rounds, respectively; p ≤ 0.05), whereas standing combat time with high intensity was longer in the last round in comparison to bouts that finished in the first or second rounds (7.4 ± 9.2, 9.7 ± 18.0, and 17.7 ± 29.1 for high intensity in the first, second, and third rounds, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). The lower time dedicated to low-intensity stand-up combat actions, regardless of round, and forcefulness of the actions in groundwork in the first and second rounds seem to be elements that increase the probability of success in professional MMA bouts; these factors have essential implications related to training program design.
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Rad Hard Active Media For Calorimeters
Norbeck, E; Möller, A; Onel, Y
2006-01-01
Zero-degree calorimeters have limited space and extreme levels of radiation. A simple, low cost, radiation hard design uses tungstenmetal as the absorber and a suitable liquid as the ˇCerenkov radiator. In other applications a PPAC (Parallel Plate Avalanche Counter) operatingwith a suitable atmosphericpressure gas is an attractive active material for a calorimeter. It can be made radiation hard and has sufficient gain in the gas that no electronic components are needed near the detector. It works well even with the highest concentration of shower particles. For this pressure range, R134A (used in auto air conditioners) has many desirable features.
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Effects of explosions in hard rocks
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Heuze, F.E.; Walton, O.R.; Maddix, D.M.; Shaffer, R.J.; Butkovich, T.R.
1993-01-01
This work relates to explosions in hard rocks (ex: basalt, granite, limestone...). Hard rock masses typically have a blocky structure created by the existence of geologic discontinuities such as bedding contacts, faults, and joints. At very high pressure - hundreds of kilobars and above - these discontinuities do not act separately, and the rock appears to be an equivalent continuous medium. At stress of a few tens of kilobars and below, the geologic discontinuities control the kinematics of the rock masses. Hence, the simulation of rock dynamics, anywhere but in the very-near source region, should account for those kinematics
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Low-Temperature Crystal Structures of the Hard Core Square Shoulder Model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alexander Gabriëlse
2017-11-01
Full Text Available In many cases, the stability of complex structures in colloidal systems is enhanced by a competition between different length scales. Inspired by recent experiments on nanoparticles coated with polymers, we use Monte Carlo simulations to explore the types of crystal structures that can form in a simple hard-core square shoulder model that explicitly incorporates two favored distances between the particles. To this end, we combine Monte Carlo-based crystal structure finding algorithms with free energies obtained using a mean-field cell theory approach, and draw phase diagrams for two different values of the square shoulder width as a function of the density and temperature. Moreover, we map out the zero-temperature phase diagram for a broad range of shoulder widths. Our results show the stability of a rich variety of crystal phases, such as body-centered orthogonal (BCO lattices not previously considered for the square shoulder model.
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Hard facings used in welded joints. Industrial applications
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Delair, J.
1998-01-01
In this article, two industrial application cases of special hard facings used in offshore and nuclear fabrications are described into details. These hard facings concern more particularly 1)the heterogeneous joints of a martensitic steel on an ordinary carbon steel 2)the homogeneous joints of a high resistive low alloy carbon steel. (O.M.)
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Kaminetsky, Jed C; Depko, Andrzej J; Ströberg, Peter; Buvat, Jacques; Tseng, Li-Jung; Stecher, Vera J
2009-03-01
The validated Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ) evaluates satisfaction with erection quality. To collate QEQ data, including correlations between QEQ outcomes and outcomes assessing emotional well-being, treatment satisfaction, and erection hardness after sildenafil citrate treatment. In four trials, men older than 18 years and with erectile dysfunction, a stable sexual partner, and no recent phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use were randomized to double-blind flexible-dose sildenafil or placebo (1:1 ratio) for 6 or 10 weeks (two trials), fixed-dose 50 mg, 100 mg, and placebo (1:1:1 ratio) for 8 weeks (one trial), and 50 mg and 100 mg (1:1 ratio) for 4 weeks after 4 weeks of single-blind sildenafil 50 mg. Exclusion criteria included recent significant cardiovascular disease, use of nitrates, nitric oxide donors, cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors, or other erectile dysfunction treatment, and sildenafil hypersensitivity or previous severe or serious treatment-related adverse event. Scores on the QEQ, QEQ Question 5 (satisfaction with erection hardness), the Self-Esteem and Relationship Questionnaire, and the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction; the percentage of occasions with Erection Hardness Score 3 (EHS 3, hard enough for penetration but not completely hard) and/or EHS 4 (completely hard and fully rigid); and Pearson correlation coefficients. 1,296 men (18-80 years) were randomized. Except for the percentage of occasions with EHS 3, all outcomes improved in men treated with sildenafil and correlated positively with the change in QEQ scores in all trials. Satisfaction with the quality of erections, which is easily monitored with the QEQ, correlated positively with measures of emotional well-being and treatment satisfaction and with the change in percentage of erections that were completely hard and fully rigid, but not with the change in percentage of erections that were hard enough for penetration but not completely hard.
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A linear programming algorithm to test for jamming in hard-sphere packings
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Donev, Aleksandar; Torquato, Salvatore.; Stillinger, Frank H.; Connelly, Robert
2004-01-01
Jamming in hard-particle packings has been the subject of considerable interest in recent years. In a paper by Torquato and Stillinger [J. Phys. Chem. B 105 (2001)], a classification scheme of jammed packings into hierarchical categories of locally, collectively and strictly jammed configurations has been proposed. They suggest that these jamming categories can be tested using numerical algorithms that analyze an equivalent contact network of the packing under applied displacements, but leave the design of such algorithms as a future task. In this work, we present a rigorous and practical algorithm to assess whether an ideal hard-sphere packing in two or three dimensions is jammed according to the aforementioned categories. The algorithm is based on linear programming and is applicable to regular as well as random packings of finite size with hard-wall and periodic boundary conditions. If the packing is not jammed, the algorithm yields representative multi-particle unjamming motions. Furthermore, we extend the jamming categories and the testing algorithm to packings with significant interparticle gaps. We describe in detail two variants of the proposed randomized linear programming approach to test for jamming in hard-sphere packings. The first algorithm treats ideal packings in which particles form perfect contacts. Another algorithm treats the case of jamming in packings with significant interparticle gaps. This extended algorithm allows one to explore more fully the nature of the feasible particle displacements. We have implemented the algorithms and applied them to ordered as well as random packings of circular disks and spheres with periodic boundary conditions. Some representative results for large disordered disk and sphere packings are given, but more robust and efficient implementations as well as further applications (e.g., non-spherical particles) are anticipated for the future
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Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR): Data manual
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gilbert, B.G.; Reece, W.J.; Gertman, D.I.; Gilmore, W.E.; Galyean, W.J.
1990-12-01
The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automated data base management system for processing and storing human error probability and hardware component failure data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal computer. NUCLARR can furnish the end user with data inputs for both human and hardware reliability analysis in support of a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented is a five-volume series of reports. Volume V: Data Manual provides a hard-copy representation of all data and related information available within the NUCLARR system software. This document is organized in three sections. Part 1 is the summary description, which presents an overview of the NUCLARR system and data processing procedures. Part 2 contains all data and information relevant to the human error probability (HEP) data side of NUCLARR. Data and information for the hardware component failure data (HCFD) side are presented in Part 3. 7 refs
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Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR): Data manual
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gilbert, B.G.; Reece, W.J.; Gertman, D.I.; Gilmore, W.E.; Galyean, W.J.
1990-12-01
The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automated data base management system for processing and storing human error probability and hardware component failure data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal computer. NUCLARR can furnish the end user with data inputs for both human and hardware reliability analysis in support of a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented in a five-volume series of reports. Volume V: Data Manual provides a hard-copy representation of all data and related information available within the NUCLARR system software. This document is organized in three sections. Part 1 is the summary description, which presents an overview of the NUCLARR system and data processing procedures. Part 2 contains all data and information relevant to the human error probability (HEP) side of NUCLARR. Data and information for the hardware component failure data (HCFD) side are presented in Part 3. 7 refs., 1 fig
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A new, bright and hard aluminum surface produced by anodization
Hou, Fengyan; Hu, Bo; Tay, See Leng; Wang, Yuxin; Xiong, Chao; Gao, Wei
2017-07-01
Anodized aluminum (Al) and Al alloys have a wide range of applications. However, certain anodized finishings have relatively low hardness, dull appearance and/or poor corrosion resistance, which limited their applications. In this research, Al was first electropolished in a phosphoric acid-based solution, then anodized in a sulfuric acid-based solution under controlled processing parameters. The anodized specimen was then sealed by two-step sealing method. A systematic study including microstructure, surface morphology, hardness and corrosion resistance of these anodized films has been conducted. Results show that the hardness of this new anodized film was increased by a factor of 10 compared with the pure Al metal. Salt spray corrosion testing also demonstrated the greatly improved corrosion resistance. Unlike the traditional hard anodized Al which presents a dull-colored surface, this newly developed anodized Al alloy possesses a very bright and shiny surface with good hardness and corrosion resistance.
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Square pulse current wave’s effect on electroplated nickel hardness
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bibian Alonso Hoyos
2006-09-01
Full Text Available The effects of frequency, average current density and duty cycle on the hardness of electroplated nickel were studied in Watts and sulphamate solutions by means of direct and square pulse current. The results in Watts’ solutions revealed greater hardness at low duty cycle, high average current density and high square pulse current frequency. There was little variation in hardness in nickel sulphamate solutions to changes in duty cycle and wave frequency. Hardness values obtained in the Watts’ bath with square pulse current were higher than those achieved with direct current at the same average current density; such difference was not significant in sulphamate bath treatment.
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Signature Schemes Secure against Hard-to-Invert Leakage
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Faust, Sebastian; Hazay, Carmit; Nielsen, Jesper Buus
2012-01-01
of the secret key. As a second contribution, we construct a signature scheme that achieves security for random messages assuming that the adversary is given a polynomial-time hard to invert function. Here, polynomial-hardness is required even when given the entire public-key – so called weak auxiliary input......-theoretically reveal the entire secret key. In this work, we propose the first constructions of digital signature schemes that are secure in the auxiliary input model. Our main contribution is a digital signature scheme that is secure against chosen message attacks when given an exponentially hard-to-invert function...... security. We show that such signature schemes readily give us auxiliary input secure identification schemes...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Villegas-Cardenas, J. D.; Saucedo-Munoz, M. L.; Lopez-Hirata, V. M.; Dorantes Rosales, H. J.
2014-10-01
This work presents a new experimental and numerical methodology in order to predict the hardness in the as-cast, and solution treated and quenched Al-Cu-Zn alloys. Chemical composition of alloys is located inside two straight lines represented by two equations. Eight different compositions were selected from each line. All the alloys were characterized for light microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Rockwell B hardness test. The equilibrium phases were obtained at different temperatures by Thermo-Calc. The microstructure characterization and regression analysis enabled to determine the phase transformations and two equations of hardness assessment. The combination of hardness equations and composition line equations permitted to estimate the hardness of any alloy composition inside this zone. This was verified by calculating hardness with the information reported in other works, with an error lower than 7% in the estimated hardness. (Author)
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Hardness and Microstructure of Binary and Ternary Nitinol Compounds
Stanford, Malcolm K.
2016-01-01
The hardness and microstructure of twenty-six binary and ternary Nitinol (nickel titanium, nickel titanium hafnium, nickel titanium zirconium and nickel titanium tantalum) compounds were studied. A small (50g) ingot of each compound was produced by vacuum arc remelting. Each ingot was homogenized in vacuum for 48 hr followed by furnace cooling. Specimens from the ingots were then heat treated at 800, 900, 1000 or 1100 degree C for 2 hr followed by water quenching. The hardness and microstructure of each specimen was compared to the baseline material (55-Nitinol, 55 at.% nickel - 45 at.% titanium, after heat treatment at 900 degC). The results show that eleven of the studied compounds had higher hardness values than the baseline material. Moreover, twelve of the studied compounds had measured hardness values greater 600HV at heat treatments from 800 to 900 degree C.
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Radiation hard memory cell and array thereof
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gunckel, T.L. II; Rovell, A.; Nielsen, R.L.
1978-01-01
A memory cell configuration that is implemented to be relatively hard to the adverse effects of a nuclear event is discussed. The presently disclosed memory cell can be interconnected with other like memory cells to form a high speed radiation hard register file. Information is selectively written into and read out of a memory cell comprising the register file, which memory cell preserves previously stored data without alteration in the event of exposure to high levels of nuclear radiation
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Hard X-ray Photoelectric Polarimeter
National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Our objective is to determine the gas mixtures and pressures that would enable a sensitive, hard X-ray polarimeter using existing flight components with the goal of...
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Car sequencing is NP-hard: a short proof
B Estellon; F Gardi
2013-01-01
In this note, a new proof is given that the car sequencing (CS) problem is NP-hard. Established from the Hamiltonian Path problem, the reduction is direct while closing some gaps remaining in the previous NP-hardness results. Since CS is studied in many operational research courses, this result and its proof are particularly interesting for teaching purposes.
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Decision feedback equalization for radiation hard data link at 5 Gbps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wallängen, V.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.
2017-01-01
The increased particle collision rate following the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to an increased luminosity requires an increased readout data speed, especially for the ATLAS pixel detector, located closest to the particle interaction point. For this reason, during the Phase-II upgrade of the ATLAS experiment the output data speed of the pixel front-end chips will be increased from 160 Mbps to 5 Gbps. The increased radiation levels will require a radiation hard data transmission link to be designed to carry this data from the pixel front-end to the off-detector system where it will undergo optical conversion. We propose a receiver utilizing the concept of Decision Feedback Equalization (DFE) to be used in this link, where the number of filter taps can be determined from simulations using S-parameter data from measurements of various customized cable prototypes under characterization as candidates to function as transmission medium between the on-chip data driver and the receiver of the link. A dedicated framework has been set up in Matlab to analyze the S-parameter characteristics for the various cable prototypes and investigate the possibilities for signal recovery and maintained signal integrity using DFE, as well as pre-emphasis and different encoding schemes. The simulation results indicate that DFE could be an excellent choice for expanding the system bandwidth to reach required data speeds with minimal signal distortion.
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Hard X-ray imaging with a slat collimated telescope
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lu Zhuguo; Kotov, Yu.D.; Suslov, A.Yu.
1995-01-01
Imaging experiments with a slat collimated hard X-ray telescope are described in this paper demonstrating the feasibility of the direct demodulation imaging method used in hard X-ray scanning modulation experiments. On 25 September 1993 an X-ray raster scan observation of Cyg X-1 was performed in a balloon flight with the hard X-ray telescope HAPI-4. An experiment to image radioactive X-ray sources was performed in the laboratory before. In both experiments the expected X-ray images were obtained, confirming the imaging capability of this method. (orig.)
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Year-End Clinic Handoffs: A National Survey of Academic Internal Medicine Programs.
Phillips, Erica; Harris, Christina; Lee, Wei Wei; Pincavage, Amber T; Ouchida, Karin; Miller, Rachel K; Chaudhry, Saima; Arora, Vineet M
2017-06-01
While there has been increasing emphasis and innovation nationwide in training residents in inpatient handoffs, very little is known about the practice and preparation for year-end clinic handoffs of residency outpatient continuity practices. Thus, the latter remains an identified, yet nationally unaddressed, patient safety concern. The 2014 annual Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) survey included seven items for assessing the current year-end clinic handoff practices of internal medicine residency programs throughout the country. Nationwide survey. All internal medicine program directors registered with APDIM. Descriptive statistics of programs and tools used to formulate a year-end handoff in the ambulatory setting, methods for evaluating the process, patient safety and quality measures incorporated within the process, and barriers to conducting year-end handoffs. Of the 361 APDIM member programs, 214 (59%) completed the Transitions of Care Year-End Clinic Handoffs section of the survey. Only 34% of respondent programs reported having a year-end ambulatory handoff system, and 4% reported assessing residents for competency in this area. The top three barriers to developing a year-end handoff system were insufficient overlap between graduating and incoming residents, inability to schedule patients with new residents in advance, and time constraints for residents, attendings, and support staff. Most internal medicine programs do not have a year-end clinic handoff system in place. Greater attention to clinic handoffs and resident assessment of this care transition is needed.
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1985-09-24
health increased in 1981 and 1982 but dropped in 1983 due to econmic problems, particularly inflation. In 1982 and 1983 the percentage of the central...hard, but no Lector of the econoimy seemed immune. By the end of the year, the Ministry of Labor estimated that only 37 percent of the econmically active...from Labor Ministry and other sources is that only. 6 percent of the 8-10 percent of the econmically a.tive population is under contract, i.e., same
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INSPIRE-00030110
2013-01-01
The expected increase of total integrated luminosity by a factor ten at the HL-LHC compared to the design goals for LHC essentially eliminates the safety factor for radiation hardness realized at the current cold amplifiers of the ATLAS Hadronic End-cap Calorimeter (HEC). New more radiation hard technologies have been studied: SiGe bipolar, Si CMOS FET and GaAs FET transistors have been irradiated with neutrons up to an integrated fluence of 2.2 x 10^{16} n/cm^2 and with 200 MeV protons up to an integrated fluence of 2.6 x 10^{14} p/cm^2. Comparisons of transistor parameters such as the gain for both types of irradiations are presented.
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Nanoindentation hardness of hot-pressed boron suboxide
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Machaka, Ronald; Derry, Trevor E.; Sigalas, Iakovos
2011-01-01
Highlights: → The load-displacement indentation response of hot-pressed B 6 O is measured and analysed. → The nanoindentation hardness of hot-pressed boron suboxide is reported. → An approach is developed to simulate multi-cycling loading load-displacement curves. → A comprehensive model inter-comparison study of the ISE in hot-pressed B 6 O is also presented. → The fractal dimension is a better measure of ISE than the Meyer's index. - Abstract: The existence of the indentation size effect implies the absence of a single hardness value for the material under investigation especially at low applied loads. In this paper we present an investigation of the indentation size dependence behaviour of nanoindentation hardness in boron suboxide ceramic compacts prepared by uniaxial hot-pressing. Berkovich nanohardness indentations were conducted and analyzed accordingly. In addition to the ordinary Oliver and Pharr method of nanoindentation data analysis, a quantitative approach for the loading curve analysis is proposed. Using the proposed approach, the description and characterization of the observed indentation size effect through the application of the Meyer's law, and the classical and the modified proportional specimen resistance models as well as the multi-fractal scaling law was conducted and is reported. The load-independent hardness values deduced from our quantitative approach are comparable to the results calculated with conventional methods, especially with the multi-fractal scaling law.
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Zhou, Xiaoying
The purpose of this study is to integrate the quantitative environmental performance assessment tools and the theory of multi-objective optimization within the boundary of electronic product systems to support the selection among design alternatives in terms of environmental impact, technical criteria, and economic feasibility. To meet with the requirements that result from emerging environmental legislation targeting electronics products, the research addresses an important analytical methodological approach to facilitate environmentally conscious design and end-of-life management with a life cycle viewpoint. A synthesis of diverse assessment tools is applied on a set of case studies: lead-free solder materials selection, cellular phone design, and desktop display technology assessment. In the first part of this work, an in-depth industrial survey of the status and concerns of the U.S. electronics industry on the elimination of lead (Pb) in solders is described. The results show that the trade-offs among environmental consequences, technology challenges, business risks, legislative compliance and stakeholders' preferences must be explicitly, simultaneously, and systematically addressed in the decision-making process used to guide multi-faceted planning of environmental solutions. In the second part of this work, the convergent optimization of the technical cycle, economic cycle and environmental cycle is addressed in a coherent and systematic way using the application of environmentally conscious design of cellular phones. The technical understanding of product structure, components analysis, and materials flow facilitates the development of "Design for Disassembly" guidelines. A bottom-up disassembly analysis on a "bill of materials" based structure at a micro-operational level is utilized to select optimal end-of-life strategies on the basis of economic feasibility. A macro-operational level life cycle model is used to investigate the environmental consequences
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Qi, Sen; Mitchell, Ross E.
2012-01-01
The first large-scale, nationwide academic achievement testing program using Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford) for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the United States started in 1969. Over the past three decades, the Stanford has served as a benchmark in the field of deaf education for assessing student academic achievement. However, the…
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Improving hardness and toughness of boride composites based on aluminum magnesium boride
Peters, Justin Steven
high activity, and Fe from wear debris acts as a sintering aid. Mechanical alloying improves the sinterability of the composite material, it has the same effect on pure TiB2. TiB 2 processed by high-energy milling has been found to achieve 99% theoretical density at 1400°C with the addition of ˜1 wt% Fe. Both the AlMgB14--TiB2 composites and pure TiB2 produced from these methods have enhanced mechanical properties due to their fine microstructures. These materials show exceptional promise in the field of wear resistance. This includes cutting tools, erosion resistant coatings, and low-friction sliding contacts to name a few. Under certain wear conditions, the composite material can show performance on par with that of current high-end cBN and WC materials tailored for wear resistance. The composite material also exhibits low reactivity with Ti alloys, a pre-requisite for effective machining of these alloys, a trait that few hard materials possess.
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Novel Aspects of Hard Diffraction in QCD
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Brodsky, Stanley J.
2005-01-01
Initial- and final-state interactions from gluon-exchange, normally neglected in the parton model have a profound effect in QCD hard-scattering reactions, leading to leading-twist single-spin asymmetries, diffractive deep inelastic scattering, diffractive hard hadronic reactions, and nuclear shadowing and antishadowing--leading-twist physics not incorporated in the light-front wavefunctions of the target computed in isolation. I also discuss the use of diffraction to materialize the Fock states of a hadronic projectile and test QCD color transparency
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Comparative study of carp otolith hardness: lapillus and asteriscus.
Ren, Dongni; Meyers, Marc André; Zhou, Bo; Feng, Qingling
2013-05-01
Otoliths are calcium carbonate biominerals in the inner ear of vertebrates; they play a role in balance, movement, and sound perception. Two types of otoliths in freshwater carp are investigated using nano- and micro-indentation: asteriscus and lapillus. The hardness, modulus, and creep of asteriscus (vaterite crystals) and lapillus (aragonite crystals) are compared. The hardness and modulus of lapillus are higher than those of asteriscus both in nano- and micro-testing, which is attributed to the different crystal polymorphs. Both materials exhibit a certain degree of creep, which indicates some time dependence of the mechanical behavior and is attributed to the organic components. The nano-indentation hardnesses are higher than micro-hardnesses for both otoliths, a direct result of the scale dependence of strength; fewer flaws are encountered by the nano than by the microindenter. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Flank wear analysing of high speed end milling for hardened steel D2 using Taguchi Method
Hazza Faizi Al-Hazza, Muataz; Ibrahim, Nur Asmawiyah bt; Adesta, Erry T. Y.; Khan, Ahsan Ali; Abdullah Sidek, Atiah Bt.
2017-03-01
One of the main challenges for any manufacturer is how to decrease the machining cost without affecting the final quality of the product. One of the new advanced machining processes in industry is the high speed hard end milling process that merges three advanced machining processes: high speed milling, hard milling and dry milling. However, one of the most important challenges in this process is to control the flank wear rate. Therefore a analyzing the flank wear rate during machining should be investigated in order to determine the best cutting levels that will not affect the final quality of the product. In this research Taguchi method has been used to investigate the effect of cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut and determine the best level s to minimize the flank wear rate up to total length of 0.3mm based on the ISO standard to maintain the finishing requirements.
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Hardness and excitation energy
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
It is shown that the first excitation energy can be given by the Kohn-Sham hardness (i.e. the energy difference of the ground-state lowest unoccupied and highest occupied levels) plus an extra term coming from the partial derivative of the ensemble exchange-correlation energy with respect to the weighting factor in the ...
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Improvement of the tool life of a micro-end mill using nano-sized SiC/Ni electroplating method.
Park, Shinyoung; Kim, Kwang-Su; Roh, Ji Young; Jang, Gyu-Beom; Ahn, Sung-Hoon; Lee, Caroline Sunyong
2012-04-01
High mechanical properties of a tungsten carbide micro-end-mill tool was achieved by extending its tool life by electroplating nano-sized SiC particles (electroplating method on the surface of the micro-end-mill tool was applied using SiC particles and Ni particles. Organic additives (saccharin and ammonium chloride) were added in a Watts bath to improve the nickel matrix density in the electroplating bath and to smooth the surface of the co-electroplating. The morphology of the coated nano-sized SiC particles and the composition were measured using Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer. As the Ni/SiC co-electroplating layer was applied, the hardness and friction coefficient improved by 50%. Nano-sized SiC particles with 7 wt% were deposited on the surface of the micro-end mill while the Ni matrix was smoothed by adding organic additives. The tool life of the Ni/SiC co-electroplating coating on the micro-end mill was at least 25% longer than that of the existing micro-end mills without Ni/SiC co-electroplating. Thus, nano-sized SiC/Ni coating by electroplating significantly improves the mechanical properties of tungsten carbide micro-end mills.
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On a possible test of the hard-Pomeron theory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ioffe, B.L.
1992-01-01
In the last few years there have been discussions of the fact that the Pomeron-the Regge pole responsible for high-energy scattering-has in reality a double role: a soft Pomeron built of multiperipheral hadron exchange and a hard Pomeron described by gluon exchanges in QCD. Recently, Bjorken emphasized the need to distinguish these two forms of the Pomeron. The question arises of whether it is possible to distinguish the hard and soft Pomeron experimentally. According to the hard-Pomeron concept, the hadron-hadron total cross section is determined by the imaginary part of the forward scattering amplitude corresponding to two-gluon exchange with ladder corrections. This mechanism dominates in the case of scattering of particles built from heavy quarks (a good example is γγ scattering) and also in the case of virtual-particle scattering (for example, virtual photons, where quark pairs must also be included in the ladder). These processes are hard (γ virt γ virt scattering) or impossible (γγ scattering) to observe experimentally. Bjorken suggested another process whose cross section is determined by hard-Pomeron exchange - double diffractional hadron-hadron (e.g., pp) scattering at high energies with jet production in the projectile and target fragmentation regions. If the momentum transfer from the projectile to the target is in the intermediate region, |t|∼1 GeV, and events are selected with a rapidity gap in the rapidity distribution of produced particles between the two fragmentation regions, then, according to Bjorken, a process determined by the hard Pomeron will be observed. The author addresses this proposal
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
S. G. Sandomirskii
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The analysis of ranges of possible change of temporary resistance of sB of castings from ductile and gray cast iron is carried out. The analytical description of ranges of change of sВ depending on casting BH hardness is developed. It is shown that the range of change of sВ of pig-iron castings, wider in comparison with steel, with the measured hardness of BH is caused variations of forms and the amount of graphite inclusions at the considered classes of cast iron and influence of thickness of a wall of casting from gray cast iron on dependence of sВ (HB. The result is intended for determination of the guaranteed casting size sВ without her destruction, when there is no information on sВ of check test pieces.
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Hard-tip, soft-spring lithography.
Shim, Wooyoung; Braunschweig, Adam B; Liao, Xing; Chai, Jinan; Lim, Jong Kuk; Zheng, Gengfeng; Mirkin, Chad A
2011-01-27
Nanofabrication strategies are becoming increasingly expensive and equipment-intensive, and consequently less accessible to researchers. As an alternative, scanning probe lithography has become a popular means of preparing nanoscale structures, in part owing to its relatively low cost and high resolution, and a registration accuracy that exceeds most existing technologies. However, increasing the throughput of cantilever-based scanning probe systems while maintaining their resolution and registration advantages has from the outset been a significant challenge. Even with impressive recent advances in cantilever array design, such arrays tend to be highly specialized for a given application, expensive, and often difficult to implement. It is therefore difficult to imagine commercially viable production methods based on scanning probe systems that rely on conventional cantilevers. Here we describe a low-cost and scalable cantilever-free tip-based nanopatterning method that uses an array of hard silicon tips mounted onto an elastomeric backing. This method-which we term hard-tip, soft-spring lithography-overcomes the throughput problems of cantilever-based scanning probe systems and the resolution limits imposed by the use of elastomeric stamps and tips: it is capable of delivering materials or energy to a surface to create arbitrary patterns of features with sub-50-nm resolution over centimetre-scale areas. We argue that hard-tip, soft-spring lithography is a versatile nanolithography strategy that should be widely adopted by academic and industrial researchers for rapid prototyping applications.
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INFLUENCE OF ANNEALING ON HARDNESS OF Cr-Mn-Ni CAST IRONS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
V. V. Netrebko
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The necessary level of material’s hardness is determined by the exploitation conditions and presence of technological operations during manufacturing of articles. Mechanical edge cutting machining of wear resistant materials is impeded because of their high hardness. It is recommended to apply annealing in order to decrease hardness and improve machinability. The purpose of the work consisted in obtaining of regression dependences of cast iron’s macrohardness on its chemical content after annealing at 730 °С. With the use of mathematical experimental design the regression dependences of cast iron’s macrohardness and structural components’ microhardness on С, Cr, Mn, Ni content have been established. The minimal hardness of 27,6 HRC after annealing at 730 °С is obtained in the cast iron containing: 3,9% С; 11,4% Cr; 0,6% Mn; 0,2% Ni. The maximal hardness of 70,4 HRC is obtained when the content is as follows: 1,1% С; 25,6% Cr; 5,4% Mn; 3,0% Ni. Annealing at 730 °С decreases the cast irons’ hardness containing the minimal amount of Cr, Mn and Ni. Annealing at 730 °С is recommended for cast irons alloyed by Mn and Ni for increasing of hardness.
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From Hard Times to Better Times: College Majors, Unemployment, and Earnings
Carnevale, Anthony P.; Cheah, Ban
2015-01-01
This third installment of "Hard Times" updates the previous analyses of college majors, unemployment, and earnings over the Great Recession. While there is wide variation by college majors, hard times have become better times for most college graduates, but the recovery is far from complete. Hard times are becoming better times for most…
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An overview on polynomial approximation of NP-hard problems
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paschos Vangelis Th.
2009-01-01
Full Text Available The fact that polynomial time algorithm is very unlikely to be devised for an optimal solving of the NP-hard problems strongly motivates both the researchers and the practitioners to try to solve such problems heuristically, by making a trade-off between computational time and solution's quality. In other words, heuristic computation consists of trying to find not the best solution but one solution which is 'close to' the optimal one in reasonable time. Among the classes of heuristic methods for NP-hard problems, the polynomial approximation algorithms aim at solving a given NP-hard problem in poly-nomial time by computing feasible solutions that are, under some predefined criterion, as near to the optimal ones as possible. The polynomial approximation theory deals with the study of such algorithms. This survey first presents and analyzes time approximation algorithms for some classical examples of NP-hard problems. Secondly, it shows how classical notions and tools of complexity theory, such as polynomial reductions, can be matched with polynomial approximation in order to devise structural results for NP-hard optimization problems. Finally, it presents a quick description of what is commonly called inapproximability results. Such results provide limits on the approximability of the problems tackled.
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Computational search for rare-earth free hard-magnetic materials
Flores Livas, José A.; Sharma, Sangeeta; Dewhurst, John Kay; Gross, Eberhard; MagMat Team
2015-03-01
It is difficult to over state the importance of hard magnets for human life in modern times; they enter every walk of our life from medical equipments (NMR) to transport (trains, planes, cars, etc) to electronic appliances (for house hold use to computers). All the known hard magnets in use today contain rare-earth elements, extraction of which is expensive and environmentally harmful. Rare-earths are also instrumental in tipping the balance of world economy as most of them are mined in limited specific parts of the world. Hence it would be ideal to have similar characteristics as a hard magnet but without or at least with reduced amount of rare-earths. This is the main goal of our work: search for rare-earth-free magnets. To do so we employ a combination of density functional theory and crystal prediction methods. The quantities which define a hard magnet are magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and saturation magnetization (Ms), which are the quantities we maximize in search for an ideal magnet. In my talk I will present details of the computation search algorithm together with some potential newly discovered rare-earth free hard magnet. J.A.F.L. acknowledge financial support from EU's 7th Framework Marie-Curie scholarship program within the ``ExMaMa'' Project (329386).
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Multi-spacecraft observations of solar hard X-ray bursts
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kane, S.R.
1981-01-01
The role of multi-spacecraft observations in solar flare research is examined from the point of view of solar hard X-ray bursts and their implications with respect to models of the impulsive phase. Multi-spacecraft measurements provide a stereoscopic view of the flare region, and hence represent the only direct method of measuring directivity of X-rays. In absence of hard X-ray imaging instruments with high spatial and temporal resolution, multi-spacecraft measurements provide the only means of determining the radial (vertical) structure of the hard X-ray source. This potential of the multi-spacecraft observations is illustrated with an analysis of the presently available observations of solar hard X-ray bursts made simultaneously by two or more of the following spacecraft: International Sun Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3), Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO), Helios-B and High Energy Astrophysical Observatory-A (HEAO-A). In particular, some conclusions have been drawn about the spatial structure and directivity of 50-100 keV X-rays from impulsive flares. Desirable features of future multi-spacecraft missions are briefly discussed followed by a short description of the hard X-ray experiment on the International Solar Polar Mission which has been planned specifically for multi-spacecraft observations of the Sun. (orig.)
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hard and soft seafloor substrate map, derived from integrating two existing map products: hard and soft seafloor substrate map derived from an unsupervised...
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The significance of avoiding household food waste - A means-end-chain approach.
Richter, Beate; Bokelmann, Wolfgang
2018-04-01
Many humans suffer from hunger, while edible food is discarded. This study aims at showing the importance of avoiding food waste in households and its causes by applying the means-end-chain analysis. Additional the means-end-chain approach should be examined in how far the method is suitable to get insights towards this topic. Consumer backgrounds in terms of feelings and attitudes regarding food waste should be shown, with the particular question why food waste personally is important. The data collection occurred utilizing the hard laddering method within a quantitative online survey. The results indicate that avoiding food waste is important for the greater part of consumers, as many claim to have a bad conscience, seeing it as morally wrong and reprehensible to waste food. A sample breakdown of gender, age and income points differences among these groups in regards to psychological consequences and value systems. Financial and environmental aspects have a lesser impact on attitudes and feelings regarding food waste in households. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Vapour-liquid equilibria of the hard core Yukawa fluid
Smit, B.; Frenkel, D.
1991-01-01
Techniques which extend the range of applicability of the Gibbs ensemble technique for particles which interact with a hard core potential are described. The power of the new technique is demonstrated in a numerical study of the vapour-liquid coexistence curve of the hard core Yukawa fluid.
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Thermodynamics and vibrational modes of hard sphere colloidal systems
Zargar, R.
2014-01-01
The central question that we address in this thesis is the thermodynamics of colloidal glasses. The thermodynamics of colloidal hard sphere glasses are directly related to the entropy of the system, since the phase behavior of hard sphere systems is dictated only by entropic contributions, and also
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kakhki, M Eshraghi; Kermanpur, A; Golozar, M A
2009-01-01
In this work, a numerical model was developed to simulate the continuous cooling of a low alloy steel. In order to simulate the kinetics of diffusional phase transformations, the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) equation and additivity rule were employed, while a new model was applied for martensitic transformation. In addition, a novel approach was applied for computing the actual phase fractions in the multiphase steel. Effects of latent heat release during phase transformations, temperature and phase fractions on the variation of thermo-physical properties were considered. The developed numerical model was applied to simulate the cooling process during the Jominy end quench test as well as the quenching of a steel gear in water and oil. In this respect, precise models were used to simulate the complex boundary conditions in the Jominy test and a stainless steel probe was used for determining the heat transfer coefficients of quenching media by an inverse method. The present model was validated against cooling curve measurements, metallographic analysis and hardness tests. Good agreement was found between the experimental and simulation results. This model is able to simulate the continuous cooling and kinetics of phase transformation and to predict the final distribution of microstructures and hardness in low alloy steels
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hard and soft seafloor substrate map, derived from integrating two existing map products: hard and soft substrate maps derived from an unsupervised classification of...
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LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
Jansen, Bannin De Witt
2017-01-19
Pain assessment and management are key aspects in the care of people with dementia approaching the end of life but become challenging when patient self-report is impaired or unavailable. Best practice recommends the use of observational pain assessments for these patients; however, difficulties have been documented with health professionals\\' use of these tools in the absence of additional collateral patient knowledge. No studies have explored the role, perspectives and experiences of healthcare assistants in pain assessment and management in dementia; this study provides insight into this important area.
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Prepulse dependence in hard x-ray generation from microdroplets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anand, M.; Kahaly, S.; Kumar, G. Ravindra; Sandhu, A. S.; Gibbon, P.; Krishnamurthy, M.
2006-01-01
We report on experiments which show that liquid microdroplets are very efficient in hard x-ray generation. We make a comparative study of hard x-ray emission from 15 μm methanol microdroplets and a plain slab target of similar atomic composition at similar laser intensities. The hard X-ray yield from droplet plasmas is about 35 times more than that obtained from solid plasmas. A prepulse that is about 10ns and at least 2% in intensity of the main pulse is essential for hard x-ray generation from the droplets at about 1015 W cm-2. A hot electron temperature of 36 keV is measured from the droplets at 8 x 1014 W cm-2; three times higher intensity is needed to obtain similar hot electron temperature from solid plasmas that have similar atomic composition. We use 1D-PIC simulation to obtain qualitative correlation to the experimental observations
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Development of radiation hardness components for ITER remote maintenance
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Obara, Kenjiro; Kakudate, Satoshi; Oka, Kiyoshi; Ito, Akira [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Yagi, Toshiaki; Morita, Yousuke
1998-04-01
In the ITER, in-vessel remote handling is required to assemble and maintain in-vessel components in DT operations. Since in-vessel remote handling systems must operate under intense gamma ray radiation exceeding 30 kGy/h, their components must have sufficiently high radiation hardness to allow maintenance long enough in ITER in-vessel environments. Thus, extensive radiation tests and quality improvement, including optimization of material compositions, have been conducted through the ITER R and D program to develop radiation hardness components that meet radiation doses from 10 to 100 MGy at 10 kGy/h. This paper presents the latest on radiation hardness component development conducted by the Japan Home Team as a contribution to the ITER. The remote handling components tested are categorized for use in robotic or viewing systems, or as common components. Radiation tests have been conducted on commercially available products for screening, on modified products, and on new products to improve the radiation hardness. (author)
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Development of radiation hardness components for ITER remote maintenance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Obara, Kenjiro; Kakudate, Satoshi; Oka, Kiyoshi; Ito, Akira; Yagi, Toshiaki; Morita, Yousuke
1998-01-01
In the ITER, in-vessel remote handling is required to assemble and maintain in-vessel components in DT operations. Since in-vessel remote handling systems must operate under intense gamma ray radiation exceeding 30 kGy/h, their components must have sufficiently high radiation hardness to allow maintenance long enough in ITER in-vessel environments. Thus, extensive radiation tests and quality improvement, including optimization of material compositions, have been conducted through the ITER R and D program to develop radiation hardness components that meet radiation doses from 10 to 100 MGy at 10 kGy/h. This paper presents the latest on radiation hardness component development conducted by the Japan Home Team as a contribution to the ITER. The remote handling components tested are categorized for use in robotic or viewing systems, or as common components. Radiation tests have been conducted on commercially available products for screening, on modified products, and on new products to improve the radiation hardness. (author)
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Kaplan, Isaac C.; Horne, Peter J.; Levin, Phillip S.
2012-09-01
value. However, this cost was minimal when local conservation actions were part of a concerted coast-wide plan. The simulations demonstrate the utility of using the Atlantis end-to-end ecosystem model within NOAA’s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, by illustrating an end-to-end modeling tool that allows consideration of multiple management alternatives that are relevant to numerous state, federal and private interests.
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Comparison of time-dependent changes in the surface hardness of different composite resins
Ozcan, Suat; Yikilgan, Ihsan; Uctasli, Mine Betul; Bala, Oya; Kurklu, Zeliha Gonca Bek
2013-01-01
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surface hardness of silorane-based composite resin (Filtek Silorane) in time and compare the results with the surface hardness of two methacrylate-based resins (Filtek Supreme and Majesty Posterior). Materials and Methods: From each composite material, 18 wheel-shaped samples (5-mm diameter and 2-mm depth) were prepared. Top and bottom surface hardness of these samples was measured using a Vicker's hardness tester. The samples were then stored at 37°C and 100% humidity. After 24 h and 7, 30 and 90 days, the top and bottom surface hardness of the samples was measured. In each measurement, the rate between the hardness of the top and bottom surfaces were recorded as the hardness rate. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance, multiple comparisons by Tukey's test and binary comparisons by t-test with a significance level of P = 0.05. Results: The highest hardness values were obtained from each two surfaces of Majesty Posterior and the lowest from Filtek Silorane. Both the top and bottom surface hardness of the methacrylate based composite resins was high and there was a statistically significant difference between the top and bottom hardness values of only the silorane-based composite, Filtek Silorane (P composite resin Filtek Silorane showed adequate hardness ratio, the use of incremental technic during application is more important than methacrylate based composites. PMID:24966724
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Development of Composite Grinding Wheels for Hard and Soft Metals
Pruti, Faruk
2012-01-01
This research investigates the performance of grinding wheel in terms of its internal granular particles and their effect on the surface finish for both soft and hard metals subjected to both dry and wet conditions of use. The study considers the properties of materials of construction including hardness of the granular particles and their size and distributions that affects the grinding wheel efficiency in abrading of soft and hard metal surfaces. Furthermore, in order to improve grinding pe...
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3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering
Wang, Xiaohong; Ao, Qiang; Tian, Xiaohong; Fan, Jun; Wei, Yujun; Hou, Weijian; Tong, Hao; Bai, Shuling
2016-01-01
Hard tissues and organs, including the bones, teeth and cartilage, are the most extensively exploited and rapidly developed areas in regenerative medicine field. One prominent character of hard tissues and organs is that their extracellular matrices mineralize to withstand weight and pressure. Over the last two decades, a wide variety of 3D printing technologies have been adapted to hard tissue and organ engineering. These 3D printing technologies have been defined as 3D bioprinting. Especial...
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A new test method for the assessment of neck injuries in rear-end collisions
Cappon, H.J.; Philippens, M.M.G.M.; Wismans, J.S.H.M.
2001-01-01
Whiplash injuries due to rear-end car collisions is one of the most aggravating traffic safety problems with serious implications for the European society. Yearly more than a million European citizens suffer neck injuries from rear-end car collisions, implying tremendous societal costs. Therefore
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Estimating Janka hardness from specific gravity for tropical and temperate species
Michael C. Wiemann; David W. Green
2007-01-01
Using mean values for basic (green) specific gravity and Janka side hardness for individual species obtained from the world literature, regression equations were developed to predict side hardness from specific gravity. Statistical and graphical methods showed that the hardnessâspecific gravity relationship is the same for tropical and temperate hardwoods, but that the...
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Nanoindentation hardness of hot-pressed boron suboxide
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Machaka, Ronald, E-mail: Ronald.Machaka@wits.ac.za [DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials, University of the Witwatersrand, P. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg (South Africa); School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa); Derry, Trevor E. [DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials, University of the Witwatersrand, P. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg (South Africa); School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa); Sigalas, Iakovos [DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials, University of the Witwatersrand, P. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg (South Africa); School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa)
2011-07-15
Highlights: {yields} The load-displacement indentation response of hot-pressed B{sub 6}O is measured and analysed. {yields} The nanoindentation hardness of hot-pressed boron suboxide is reported. {yields} An approach is developed to simulate multi-cycling loading load-displacement curves. {yields} A comprehensive model inter-comparison study of the ISE in hot-pressed B{sub 6}O is also presented. {yields} The fractal dimension is a better measure of ISE than the Meyer's index. - Abstract: The existence of the indentation size effect implies the absence of a single hardness value for the material under investigation especially at low applied loads. In this paper we present an investigation of the indentation size dependence behaviour of nanoindentation hardness in boron suboxide ceramic compacts prepared by uniaxial hot-pressing. Berkovich nanohardness indentations were conducted and analyzed accordingly. In addition to the ordinary Oliver and Pharr method of nanoindentation data analysis, a quantitative approach for the loading curve analysis is proposed. Using the proposed approach, the description and characterization of the observed indentation size effect through the application of the Meyer's law, and the classical and the modified proportional specimen resistance models as well as the multi-fractal scaling law was conducted and is reported. The load-independent hardness values deduced from our quantitative approach are comparable to the results calculated with conventional methods, especially with the multi-fractal scaling law.
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Wieland, M; Virkler, P D; Borkowski, A H; Älveby, N; Wood, P; Nydam, D V
2018-06-21
Mechanical forces during machine milking induce changes in teat condition which can be differentiated into short-term and long-term changes. Machine milking-induced short-term changes in teat condition (STC) are defined as tissue responses to a single milking and have been associated with the risk of new intramammary infection. Albeit, their association with teat characteristics, such as teat-end shape, has not been investigated by rigorous methods. The primary objective was to determine the association of STC, as measured by ultrasonography, with teat-end shape. The second objective was to describe possible differences in the recovery time of teat tissue after machine milking among teats with different teat-end shapes. Holstein cows (n=128) were enrolled in an observational study, housed in free-stall pens with sand bedding and milked three times a day. Ultrasonography of the left front and right hind teat was performed after teat preparation before milking (t-1), immediately after milking (t 0) and 1, 3, 5 and 7 h after milking (t 1, t 3, t 5, t 7). The teat tissue parameters measured from ultrasound scans were teat canal length, teat-end diameter, teat-end diameter at the midpoint between the distal and proximal end of the teat canal, teat wall thickness, and teat cistern width. Teat-end shape was assessed visually and classified into three categories: pointed, flat and round. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed differences in the relative change of teat tissue parameters (compared with t-1) at t 0 among teats with different teat-end shapes, with most parameters showing the largest change for round teats. The premilking values were reached (recovery time) after 7 h in teats with a pointed teat-end shape, whereas recovery time was greater than 7 h in teats with flat and round teat-end shapes. Under the same liner and milking machine conditions, teats with a round teat-end shape had the most severe short-term changes. The results of this observational
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mori, Kaya; Hailey, Charles J.; Krivonos, Roman
2015-01-01
We present the first sub-arcminute images of the Galactic Center above 10 keV, obtained with NuSTAR. NuSTAR resolves the hard X-ray source IGR J17456-2901 into non-thermal X-ray filaments, molecular clouds, point sources, and a previously unknown central component of hard X-ray emission (CHXE). Nu...
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Gloss evaluation from soft and hard metrologies.
Wang, Zihao; Xu, Lihao; Hu, Yu; Mirjalili, Fereshteh; Luo, Ming Ronnier
2017-09-01
Recent advances in bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) acquisitions have provided a novel approach for appearance measurement and analysis. In particular, since gloss appearance is dependent on the directional reflective properties of surfaces, it is reasonable to leverage the BRDF for gloss evaluation. In this paper, we investigate gloss appearance from both soft metrology and hard metrology. A psychophysical experiment was conducted for the gloss assessment of 47 neutral-color samples. In the evaluation of gloss perception from gloss meter measurements, we report several ambiguous correspondences in the medium gloss range. In order to analyze and explain this phenomenon, the BRDF was acquired and examined using a commercial BRDF measuring device. With an improved correlation-to-visual perception, we propose a two-dimensional gloss model by combining a parameter, the standard deviation of the specular lobe, from Ward's BRDF model with measured gloss values.
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Developing very hard nanostructured bainitic steel
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Amel-Farzad, H., E-mail: hh_amel@yahoo.com [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faridi, H.R., E-mail: faridihr@yahoo.com [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Hamedan University of Technology, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rajabpour, F.; Abolhasani, A.; Kazemi, Sh.; Khaledzadeh, Y. [Department of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
2013-01-01
Novel nanostructured high carbon high silicon, carbide-free bainitic steels with very high strength and good ductility have been developed in the recent decade. In this work, an alloy with a high carbon content and no manganese was designed and cast. The prepared samples were heat treated through an austempering process in the range 200-350 Degree-Sign C. Optical and scanning electron microscopes and XRD were used to analyze the microstructures precisely. Bainitic ferrite plates of just a few tens of nanometer thickness were obtained with the hardness of 697{+-}6 HV. It is reasonable to say that the unprecedented hardness values obtained in this work are mostly caused by the extraordinary carbon content of the alloy.
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Effects of an Er, Cr:YSGG laser on canine oral hard tissues
Rizoiu, Ioana-Mihaela; Kimmel, Andrew I.; Eversole, Lewis R.
1996-12-01
Beagle dogs were utilized to assess the biologic effects of an Er, Cr:YSGG hard tissue cutting laser and results were compared with conventional mechanical preparations of enamel and dentin. Intraoperative pulpal temperature fluctuations were recorded with thermocouples. The laser cuts failed to induce inflammation in the pulps except in teeth with intentional pulp exposures for both methods. No increase in temperature was detected with the laser. It is concluded that this laser system may be safely employed for tooth preparations without causing adverse pulpal effects.
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Induction surface hardening of hard coated steels
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pantleon, Karen; Kessler, Olaf; Hoffmann, Franz
1999-01-01
The deposition of hard coatings with CVD-processes is commonly used to improve the wear resistance e.g. of tool steels in forming. The advantages of CVD are undisputed (high deposition rates with simple equipment, excellent coating properties). Nevertheless, the disadvantage of the CVD-process is......The deposition of hard coatings with CVD-processes is commonly used to improve the wear resistance e.g. of tool steels in forming. The advantages of CVD are undisputed (high deposition rates with simple equipment, excellent coating properties). Nevertheless, the disadvantage of the CVD...
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Vouillarmet, Julien; Maucort-Boulch, Delphine; Michon, Paul; Thivolet, Charles
2013-07-01
Accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) may contribute to diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). Our goal was to determine whether AGEs measurement by skin autofluorescence (SAF) would be an additional marker for DFU management. We performed SAF analysis in 66 patients with a history of DFU prospectively included and compared the results with those of 84 control patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy without DFU. We then assessed the prognostic value of SAF levels on the healing rate in the DFU group. Mean SAF value was significantly higher in the DFU group in comparison with the control group, even after adjustment for other diabetes complications (3.2±0.6 arbitrary units vs. 2.9±0.6 arbitrary units; P=0.001). In the DFU group, 58 (88%) patients had an active wound at inclusion. The mean DFU duration was 14±13 weeks. The healing rate was 47% after 2 months of appropriate foot care. A trend for a correlation between SAF levels and healing time in DFU subjects was observed but was not statistically significant (P=0.06). Increased SAF levels are associated with neuropathic foot complications in diabetes. Use of SAF measurement to assess foot vulnerability and to predict DFU events in high-risk patients appears to be promising.
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Functional analysis of the stem-loop structures at the 5' end of the Aichi virus genome
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nagashima, Shigeo; Sasaki, Jun; Taniguchi, Koki
2003-01-01
Aichi virus is a member of the family Picornaviridae. Computer-assisted secondary structure prediction suggested the formation of three stem-loop structures (SL-A, SL-B, and SL-C from the 5' end) within the 5'-end 120 nucleotides of the genome. We have already shown that the most 5'-end stem-loop, SL-A, is critical for viral RNA replication. Here, using an infectious cDNA clone and a replicon harboring a luciferase gene, we revealed that formation of SL-B and SL-C on the positive strand is essential for viral RNA replication. In addition, the specific nucleotide sequence of the loop segment of SL-B was also shown to be critical for viral RNA replication. Mutations of the upper and lower stems of SL-C that do not disrupt the base-pairings hardly affected RNA replication, but decreased the yields of viable viruses significantly compared with for the wild-type. This suggests that SL-C plays a role at some step besides RNA replication during virus infection
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Effect of sintering atmosphere on the hardness of ThO_2
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Baena, Angela; Cardinaels, Thomas; Van Eyken, Jelle; Puzzolante, Jean Louis; Binnemans, Koen; Verwerft, Marc
2016-01-01
The hardness and toughness of ThO_2 sintered under reducing and oxidizing conditions has been investigated and, quite unexpectedly, a significant difference in hardness was observed for the entire range of porosities studied. Reducing conditions systematically yielded higher hardness values than oxidizing conditions. Extrapolated to zero porosity, the hardness for ThO_2 is H_0 = 10.5 ± 0.3 GPa for oxidizing conditions and H_0 = 12.4 ± 0.7 GPa for reducing conditions. Toughness values have been derived from Vickers indentations; differences in toughness were insignificant and only a single value is proposed: K_I_C = 0.97 ± 0.12 MPa √m. The difference in hardness is attributed to the presence of point defects, also acting as color centers and causing grey coloration of ThO_2 sintered under reducing conditions. Furthermore, and of interest for nuclear fuel production, is the finding that ThO_2 sintered under reducing conditions is significantly easier to grind compared to material sintered under oxidizing conditions. - Highlights: • Reducing sintering conditions increase the hardness of polycrystalline ThO_2. • Systematic series of hardness versus porosity of ThO_2 were obtained. • Reducing sintering conditions improve grinding of ThO_2.
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Hardness and microstructure analysis of damaged gear caused by adhesive wear
Mahendra, Rizky Budi; Nugroho, Sri; Ismail, Rifky
2018-03-01
This study was a result from research on repairing project of damaged elevator gear box. The objective of this research is to analyze the failure part on elevator gearbox at flourmill factory. The equipment was damaged after one year installed and running on factory. Severe wear was occurred on high speed helical gear. These helical gear was one of main part of elevator gearbox in flour mill manufacture. Visually, plastic deformation didn't occurred and not visible on the failure helical gear shaft. Some test would be performed to check the chemical composition, microstructure and hardness of failure helical gear. The material of failure helical gear shaft was a medium carbon steel alloy. The microstructure was showed a martensitic phase formed on the surface to the center area of gear shaft. Otherwise, the depth of hardness layer slight formed on surface and lack depth of hardness layer was a main trigger of severe wear. It was not enough to resist wear due to friction caused by rolling and sliding on surface between high speed gear and low speed gear. Enhancement of hardness layer on surface and depth of hardness layer will make the component has more long life time. Furthermore, to perform next research is needed to analyze the reliability of enhanced hardness on layer and depth of hardness layer on helical gear shaft.
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Deciphering groundwater potential zones in hard rock terrain using geospatial technology.
Dar, Imran A; Sankar, K; Dar, Mithas A
2011-02-01
Remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) has become one of the leading tools in the field of groundwater research, which helps in assessing, monitoring, and conserving groundwater resources. This paper mainly deals with the integrated approach of remote sensing and GIS to delineate groundwater potential zones in hard rock terrain. Digitized vector maps pertaining to chosen parameters, viz. geomorphology, geology, land use/land cover, lineament, relief, and drainage, were converted to raster data using 23 m×23 m grid cell size. Moreover, curvature of the study area was also considered while manipulating the spatial data. The raster maps of these parameters were assigned to their respective theme weight and class weights. The individual theme weight was multiplied by its respective class weight and then all the raster thematic layers were aggregated in a linear combination equation in Arc Map GIS Raster Calculator module. Moreover, the weighted layers were statistically modeled to get the areal extent of groundwater prospects with respect to each thematic layer. The final result depicts the favorable prospective zones in the study area and can be helpful in better planning and management of groundwater resources especially in hard rock terrains.
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Hard diffraction and deep inelastic scattering
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bjorken, J.D.
1994-04-01
Since the advent of hard-collision physics, the study of diffractive processes - shadow physics - has been less prominent than before. However, there is now a renewed interest in the subject, especially in that aspect which synthesizes the short-distance, hard-collision phenomena with the classical physics of large rapidity-gaps. This is especially stimulated by the recent data on deep-inelastic scattering from HERA, as well as the theoretical work which relates to it. The word diffraction is sometimes used by high-energy physicists in a loose way. The author defines this term to mean: A diffractive process occurs if and only if there is a large rapidity gap in the produced-particle phase space which is not exponentially suppressed. Here a rapidity gap means essentially no hadrons produced into the rapidity gap (which operates in the open-quotes legoclose quotes phase-space of pseudo-rapidity and azimuthal angle). And non-exponential suppression implies that the cross-section for creating a gap with width Δη does not have a power-law decrease with increasing subenergy s=e Δη , but behaves at most like some power of pseudorapidity Δη∼log(s). The term hard diffraction shall simply refer to those diffractive process which have jets in the final-state phase-space
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Michaelis, Rune; Mielck, Finn; Papenmeier, Svenja; Sander, Lasse; Hass, H. Christian
2017-04-01
Accumulations of cobble- to boulder-sized material provide important habitat functions for many plant and animal species in the marine environment. These include nursery for fish, anchor point for sessile marine species and feeding ground for many different organisms. Detailed knowledge of such reef habitats and their properties is thus crucial for the determination of marine protected areas and consequently also for the management of the North Sea. As stones and boulders usually cannot be recovered from the seafloor to be investigated in the lab most analyses have to rely on non-invasive methods like e.g. underwater video- and diver-observation data. Due to these limitations these habitats are not well understood with regard to their spatial distribution, temporal development and ecology. Furthermore, there is no standardized way to assess the structure and cover of biological communities on such hard-substrates, which discourages comparison of data between different regions. We here present a standardized workflow to analyse underwater videos of hard-substrate habitats recorded in different areas of the North Sea. The idea is to combine these detailed information with an area-wide habitat classification based on sidescan sonar data. For image-based evaluation, the videos are transformed into single frames, extracted every five seconds of video running time and imported into a self-developed image analysis script. This script allows the user to select and count different descriptors in numerical categories. These include amongst others the different size classes of stones, the areal coverage of sessile marine organisms, the surrounding sediment properties or the presence of grazers. These semi-quantitative data are subsequently statistically analysed to produce a set of standardized characteristics of the hard-substrate habitats and the controlling factors of their current state and development. Preliminary results show that boulders in sandy environments are
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SURFACES OF HARD-SPHERE SYSTEMS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dietrich Stoyan
2014-07-01
Full Text Available In various situations surfaces appear that are formed by systems of hard spheres. Examples are porous layers as surfaces of sand heaps and biofilms or fracture surfaces of concrete. The present paper considers models where a statistically homogeneous system of hard spheres with random radii is intersected by a plane and the surface is formed by the spheres with centers close to this plane. Formulae are derived for various characteristics of such surfaces: for the porosity profile, i.e. the local porosity in dependence on the distance from the section plane and for the geometry of the sphere caps that look above the section plane.It turns out that these characteristics only depend on the first-order characteristics of the sphere system, its sphere density and the sphere radius distribution.Comparison with empirically studied biofilms shows that the model is realistic.
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Liz’s Bali Journey Ends In Love In Elizabeth Gilbert’s Novel “Eat Pray Love”
Simanjuntak, Lenni
2011-01-01
This paper entitled "Liz's Bali Love Ends with Love in Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love". There are three main characters in the novel, namely: Elizabeth Gilbert, Felipe and Ketut Liyer. Elizabeth Gilbert is 31-year-old who is a widow and worked as a writer in New York. Liz experienced hard times after having broken up several times and felt could never find a man who is match for her. All this makes her to search her true identity. Liz traveled alone across in the three countries. Although ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Panagiota Foka
2016-11-01
Full Text Available The first collisions of lead nuclei, delivered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC at the end of 2010, at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN= 2.76 TeV, marked the beginning of a new era in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. The study of the properties of the produced hot and dense strongly-interacting matter at these unprecedented energies is currently experimentally pursued by all four big LHC experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. The more than a factor 10 increase of collision energy at LHC, relative to the previously achieved maximal energy at other collider facilities, results in an increase of production rates of hard probes. This review presents selected experimental results focusing on observables probing hard processes in heavy-ion collisions delivered during the first three years of the LHC operation. It also presents the first results from Run 2 heavy-ion data at the highest energy, as well as from the studies of the reference pp and p–Pb systems, which are an integral part of the heavy-ion programme. Keywords: Large Hadron Collider, Heavy-ion collisions, High energy physics
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Towards the end of the technical stop
CERN Bulletin
2010-01-01
After several weeks of hard work, the short technical stop of the LHC accelerator is coming to an end. Following a very intense campaign to repair and retest many thousand high voltage connectors, the upgraded magnet protection system is being commissioned. During this period, the current in the main dipole and quadrupole magnets is carefully increased up to 6kA, required to collide protons at 7TeV centre-of-mass energy. This has been achieved for most of the sectors. The parameters of the upgraded magnet protection system are accurately calibrated. This operation is needed in order for the magnet protection system to be triggered only when a real problem occurs. The system is now able to detect a transition from superconducting to normal conducting state of the superconducting cable joints between magnets, a necessary condition to operate the magnet system above 2kA. Highly accurate measurements of the joint resistances have been performed by stepping up the current to 5kA. The magnets and the...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Tendulkar, Shriharsh P.; Bachetti, Matteo; Tomsick, J.
2014-01-01
frequencies. The Lorentzian has a width of 2 Hz and a fractional rms of 25+/-3%. The hard power-law index, the high energy of the cutoff, and the level of variability all are consistent with properties expected for an accreting black hole in the hard state. While we cannot completely rule out the possibility...... of a low magnetic field neutron star, a black hole is more likely....
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Hard Diffraction - from Blois 1985 to 2005
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gunnar, Ingelman [Uppsala Univ., High Energy Physics (Sweden)
2005-07-01
The idea of diffractive processes with a hard scale involved, to resolve the underlying parton dynamics, was presented at the first Blois conference in 1985 and experimentally verified a few years later. Today hard diffraction is an attractive research field with high-quality data and new theoretical models. The trend from Regge-based pomeron models to QCD-based parton level models has given insights on QCD dynamics involving perturbative gluon exchange mechanisms. In the new QCD-based models, the pomeron is not part of the proton wave function, but diffraction is an effect of the scattering process. Models based on interactions with a colour background field provide an interesting approach which avoids conceptual problems of pomeron-based models, such as the pomeron flux, and provide a basis for common theoretical framework for all final states, diffractive gap events as well as non-diffractive events. Finally, the new process of gaps between jets provides strong evidence for the BFKL dynamics as predicted since long by QCD, but so far hard to establish experimentally.
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Neodymium as the main feature of permanent magnets from hard disk drives (HDDs).
München, Daniel Dotto; Veit, Hugo Marcelo
2017-03-01
As a way to manage neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets wasted in end-of-life hard disk drives (HDDs), a waste characterization is needed prior to a recycling process. Due to their magnetic properties, NdFeB magnets are essential in technological applications nowadays, thus causing an increase in the industrial demand for rare earth metals. However, these metals have a short supply, since they are difficult to obtain from ores, creating a critical market. In this work, a study of the characterization of sintered neodymium-iron-boron magnets was undertaken by qualitatively and quantitatively uncovering the neodymium recovery potential from this type of electronic waste. From the collection and disassembly of hard disk drives, in which the magnet represents less than 3% of the total weight, an efficient demagnetization process was proceeded at 320°C. Then, the magnet was ground and screened for an X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, which showed the Nd 2 Fe 14 B tetragonal phase as the dominant constituent of the sample. An analysis was also carried out in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), where the magnet composition showed 21.5wt% of neodymium and 65.1wt% of iron, among other chemicals. This Nd content is higher than the one found in Nd ores, enhancing the recyclability and the importance of waste management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Hard Real-Time Performances in Multiprocessor-Embedded Systems Using ASMP-Linux
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel Pierre Bovet
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Multiprocessor systems, especially those based on multicore or multithreaded processors, and new operating system architectures can satisfy the ever increasing computational requirements of embedded systems. ASMP-LINUX is a modified, high responsiveness, open-source hard real-time operating system for multiprocessor systems capable of providing high real-time performance while maintaining the code simple and not impacting on the performances of the rest of the system. Moreover, ASMP-LINUX does not require code changing or application recompiling/relinking. In order to assess the performances of ASMP-LINUX, benchmarks have been performed on several hardware platforms and configurations.
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Hard Real-Time Performances in Multiprocessor-Embedded Systems Using ASMP-Linux
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Betti Emiliano
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Multiprocessor systems, especially those based on multicore or multithreaded processors, and new operating system architectures can satisfy the ever increasing computational requirements of embedded systems. ASMP-LINUX is a modified, high responsiveness, open-source hard real-time operating system for multiprocessor systems capable of providing high real-time performance while maintaining the code simple and not impacting on the performances of the rest of the system. Moreover, ASMP-LINUX does not require code changing or application recompiling/relinking. In order to assess the performances of ASMP-LINUX, benchmarks have been performed on several hardware platforms and configurations.
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TRACING THE REVERBERATION LAG IN THE HARD STATE OF BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARIES
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
De Marco, B.; Ponti, G.; Nandra, K.; Muñoz-Darias, T.
2015-01-01
We report results obtained from a systematic analysis of X-ray lags in a sample of black hole X-ray binaries, with the aim of assessing the presence of reverberation lags and studying their evolution during outburst. We used XMM-Newton and simultaneous Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations to obtain broadband energy coverage of both the disk and the hard X-ray Comptonization components. In most cases the detection of reverberation lags is hampered by low levels of variability-power signal-to-noise ratio (typically when the source is in a soft state) and/or short exposure times. The most detailed study was possible for GX 339-4 in the hard state, which allowed us to characterize the evolution of X-ray lags as a function of luminosity in a single source. Over all the sampled frequencies (∼0.05–9 Hz), we observe the hard lags intrinsic to the power-law component, already well known from previous RXTE studies. The XMM-Newton soft X-ray response allows us to detail the disk variability. At low frequencies (long timescales) the disk component always leads the power-law component. On the other hand, a soft reverberation lag (ascribable to thermal reprocessing) is always detected at high frequencies (short timescales). The intrinsic amplitude of the reverberation lag decreases as the source luminosity and the disk fraction increase. This suggests that the distance between the X-ray source and the region of the optically thick disk where reprocessing occurs gradually decreases as GX 339-4 rises in luminosity through the hard state, possibly as a consequence of reduced disk truncation
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End-of-life decisions in the intensive care unit
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Hanne Irene
2012-01-01
be interdisciplinary, but the literature shows that this is not always the case. Research on end-of-life issues in Danish ICUs is limited. Aim The aims of this thesis were to • Examine Danish practices regarding end-of-life decisions in the ICU. • Examine the opinions of nurses and physicians who work in Danish ICUs...... and decision-making. Hypotheses • Nurses, intensivists, and primary physicians have different experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration regarding end-of-life decision-making in the ICU. • Specific interventions targeting end-of-life decision-making in the ICU, such as interdisciplinary audits......Background When making end-of-life decisions in intensive care units, the different staff groups have different roles in the decision-making process and may not always assess the situation identically. Practice recommendations for withholding or withdrawing therapy state that decisions should...
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The Hard X-ray Sky: Recent Observational Progress
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gehrels, Neil; Cannizzo, John K.
2009-01-01
The last fifty years have witnessed the birth, development, and maturation to full potential of hard X-ray astrophysics. The primary force driving the history of the field has been the development of space-based instrumentation optimized for getting the maximum science out of observations of high-energy photons from astrophysical sources. Hard X-ray telescopes are leading research in areas such as galactic diffuse emission, galactic transients, and active galactic nuclei.
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A Forging Hardness Dispersion Effect on the Energy Consumption of Machining
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
L. D. Mal'kova
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The aim of the work is to evaluate a hardness dispersion of forgings to be further machined, and analyse the impact of this dispersion on the resulting power consumption when cutting.The paper studies the hardness values of three kinds of parts for automotive manufacturing. Sample of each part was n = 100 pieces. Analysis of measurements showed that 46% - 93% of parts meet requirements for a range defined by the work-piece working drawing. It was found that hardness of one batch of forgings is under dispersion, which distribution is governed by the normal law.The work provides calculations for machining the external cylindrical surfaces of the considered parts. In the context of calculating are adopted parameters of the enterprise-processing rate. It is found that power consumption of machining because of the dispersion values of the work-piece hardness is a function of the random BH variable and it itself is a random variable. Two types of samples are considered, namely: the full sample and that of the values that meet requirements for hardness. The coefficient of variation for samples that meet the technical requirements for hardness is lower than for the full samples, so their average value is more reliable characteristic of a set. It was also found that to ensure a reliable prediction of power consumption in designing the manufacturing processes it is necessary to reduce a tolerance range of workpiece hardness to the limit.The work gives a comparative evaluation of electric power consumption per unit cylindrical surface of the parts under consideration. A relative change in the electric power consumed at the minimum and maximum levels of the hardness value was introduced as an evaluation criterion. It is found that with changing hardness of machined work-pieces within the tolerance, the change in power consumption in machining the unit surface reaches 16% while in the case its being out of the specified range it does 47%.
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A study on hardness behavior of geopolymer paste in different condition
Zainal, Farah Farhana; Hussin, Kamarudin; Rahmat, Azmi; Abdullah, Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri; Shamsudin, Shaiful Rizam
2016-07-01
This study has been conducted to understand the hardness behavior of geopolymer paste in different conditions; with and without being immersed in water. Geopolymer paste has been used nowadays as an alternative way to reduce global warming pollution by carbon dioxide (CO2) released to the air caused from the production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Geopolymer has many advantages such as high compressive strength, lower water absorption and lower porosity. Geopolymer paste in this study was made from a mixture of fly ash and alkaline activators. The alkaline activators that have been used were sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution. Then the mixture was allowed to harden for 24hrs at ambient temperature and then placed in the oven for 24hrs with 60°C for the curing process. The hardness testing was conducted after a few months when the samples already achieved the optimum design. The samples were divided to two conditions; without immersion which was placed at ambient temperature (S1) and immersed in water for one week (S2). The samples then are divided into two at the center and testing was conducted into 4 parts which are part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. Various methods of non-destructively testing concrete and mortar have been in use for many years such as Vickers hardness test, Rockwell hardness test, Brinell hardness test and many more. The Rockwell hardness test method as defined in ASTM E-18 is the most commonly used hardness test method which is also used in this study. From the results, S1 has higher hardness value than S2 for all parts with the maximum value of S1 is 118.6 and the minimum value is 71.8. The maximum value of S2 is 114.4 and the minimum value is 0. The central part of the geopolymer paste also showed greater hardness values than the edge area of the samples.
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Studies of the Hard X-ray Emission from the Filippov Type Plasma Focus Device, Dena
Tafreshi, M. A.; Saeedzadeh, E.
2006-12-01
This article is about the characteristics of the hard X-ray (HXR) emission from the Filippov type plasma focus (PF) device, Dena. The article begins with a brief presentation of Dena, and the mechanism of the HXR production in PF devices. Then using the differential absorption spectrometry, the energy resolved spectrum of the HXR emission from a 37 kJ discharge in Dena, is estimated. The energy flux density and the energy fluence of this emission have also been calculated to be 1.9 kJ cm-2 s-1 and 9.4 × 10-5 J cm-2. In the end, after presentation of radiography of sheep bones and calf ribs, the medical application of the PF devices has been discussed.
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Side effects assessment in glicolyc acid peelings in patients with acne type I
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sanja Perić
2011-02-01
Full Text Available Chemical peeling implies the application of a chemical agent to the skin, which causes controlled destruction of a part or the entire epidermis, with or without the dermis, leading to exfoliation and removal of superficial lesions, followed by regeneration of new epidermal and dermal tissues. The present study was directed toward safety concerns associated with superficial chemical peeling with glycolic acid (GA in different concentrations at patients with acne tip I. A sample of 90 patients of either sex, aged between 17 to 21 years, were included in the study and submitted to superficial chemical peeling for acne vulgaris. The study lasted eight weeks and peeling sessions were carried out in each patient. Tolerance to the procedure and any undesirable effects noted during these sessions were recorded. For data statistical analysis and interpretation of results, software program “SPSS version 13” was used. Results were expressed through the descriptive statistics, as simple frequencies and percentages, while for establishing of statistically significant differences, in use was Friedman’s test of significance. Almost all the patients tolerated the procedure well. Of totally 90 patients, only six, at the end of therapy experienced hard erythema, only ten, at the end of therapy experienced hard desquamation and only eleven, at the end of therapy experienced hard sensation of pulling of facial skin. Chemical peeling with glycolic acid is a well tolerated and safe treatment modality in acne type I.
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Validation of a quality-of-life measure for deaf or hard of hearing youth.
Patrick, Donald L; Edwards, Todd C; Skalicky, Anne M; Schick, Brenda; Topolski, Tari D; Kushalnagar, Poorna; Leng, Mei; O'Neill-Kemp, Aprille M; Sie, Kathleen Sie
2011-07-01
Quality-of-life (QOL) measures targeting youth with hearing loss are useful in population needs assessment, educational placement, and program design and evaluation. This study assesses the cross-sectional validity of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Deaf and Hard of Hearing Module (YQOL-DHH). STUDY DESIGN. Instrument development and cross-sectional survey. Recruitment through schools, professional organizations, clinics, and programs for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Thirty-five candidate items were administered to 230 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years: 49% female, 61% white, 11% mild hearing loss, 20% moderate/moderate-severe, 41% severe/profound, and 28% with cochlear implants. Participants completed individual or group-administered questionnaires by paper and pencil (58%), Web-based English (29%), American Sign Language (ASL) or Pidgin Signed English (PSE) (9%) on DVD, or interviewer-supervised ASL or PSE DVD (4%). The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI-S) was also completed. Factor structure, reliability, construct validity, and respondent burden were assessed. Thirty-two items were retained in the final instrument covering 3 domains: self-acceptance/advocacy (14 items, Cronbach α = 0.84), perceived stigma (8 items, Cronbach α = 0.85), and participation (10 items, Cronbach α = 0.86). QOL was not significantly associated with hearing level. One-week test-retest coefficients were acceptable: self-acceptance/ advocacy (0.70), perceived stigma (0.78), and participation 0.92). As predicted, the total CDI-S score was associated in the appropriate direction (P < .0001) with all YQOL-DHH domains. Time to complete the paper-and-pencil version was 12 minutes. The YQOL-DHH shows good reliability and validity for assessing hearing-specific QOL in adolescents.
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The material co-construction of hard science fiction and physics
Hasse, Cathrine
2015-12-01
This article explores the relationship between hard science fiction and physics and a gendered culture of science. Empirical studies indicate that science fiction references might spur some students' interest in physics and help develop this interest throughout school, into a university education and even further later inspire the practice of doing science. There are many kinds of fiction within the science fiction genre. In the presented empirical exploration physics students seem particularly fond of what is called `hard science fiction': a particular type of science fiction dealing with technological developments (Hartwell and Cramer in The hard SF renaissance, Orb/TOR, New York, 2002). Especially hard science fiction as a motivating fantasy may, however, also come with a gender bias. The locally materialized techno-fantasies spurring dreams of the terraforming of planets like Mars and travels in time and space may not be shared by all physics students. Especially female students express a need for other concerns in science. The entanglement of physics with hard science fiction may thus help develop some students' interest in learning school physics and help create an interest for studying physics at university level. But research indicates that especially female students are not captured by the hard techno-fantasies to the same extent as some of their male colleagues. Other visions (e.g. inspired by soft science fiction) are not materialized as a resource in the local educational culture. It calls for an argument of how teaching science is also teaching cultural values, ethics and concerns, which may be gendered. Teaching materials, like the use of hard science fiction in education, may not just be (yet another) gender bias in science education but also carrier of particular visions for scientific endeavours.
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Classification of soft and hard impacts-Application to aircraft crash
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Koechlin, Pierre; Potapov, Serguei
2009-01-01
Before modeling an aircraft crash on a shield building of a nuclear power plant, it is very important to understand the physical phenomena and the structural behavior associated with this kind of impact. In the scientific literature, aircraft crash is classified as a soft impact, or as an impact of deformable missile. Nevertheless the existing classifications are not precise enough to be able to predict 'a priori' the structural response mode. The aim of this paper is to characterize very precisely what is a soft and a hard impact in the frame of aircraft crash on nuclear power plant. First the existing qualitative definition of soft and hard impact is quickly reviewed in order to introduce a new criterion to make a quantitative distinction between soft and hard impact. Then the experimental tests carried out during the last thirty years in the research field of aircraft crash are presented in the light of the new classification. The authors show that this characterization of soft and hard impacts has a real physical interest because it is linked to the failure mode for perforation: for soft impacts, perforation is the consequence of a shear plug breaking away and for hard impact it comes from local failure and projectile penetration. Moreover the boundary between soft and hard impact is the limit for the use of an impact force in an uncoupled computation of the impact
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Pain and symptom management in palliative care and at end of life.
Wilkie, Diana J; Ezenwa, Miriam O
2012-01-01
The purpose of this review is to provide a literature update of the research published since 2004 on pain and symptom management in palliative care and at end of life. Findings suggest that pain and symptoms are inadequately assessed and managed, even at the end of life. Although not pervasive, there is evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in symptom management in palliative care and at end of life. There is a need for a broader conceptualization and measurement of pain and symptom management as multidimensional experiences. There is insufficient evidence about mechanisms underlying pain at end of life. Although there are advances in the knowledge of pain as a multidimensional experience and the many symptoms that occur sometimes with pain, gaps remain. One approach to addressing the gaps will involve assessment and management of pain and symptoms as multidimensional experiences in people receiving palliative care and at end of life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Gourgou-Bourgade, S; Cameron, D; Poortmans, P; Asselain, B; Azria, D; Cardoso, F; A'Hern, R; Bliss, J; Bogaerts, J; Bonnefoi, H; Brain, E; Cardoso, M J; Chibaudel, B; Coleman, R; Cufer, T; Dal Lago, L; Dalenc, F; De Azambuja, E; Debled, M; Delaloge, S; Filleron, T; Gligorov, J; Gutowski, M; Jacot, W; Kirkove, C; MacGrogan, G; Michiels, S; Negreiros, I; Offersen, B V; Penault Llorca, F; Pruneri, G; Roche, H; Russell, N S; Schmitt, F; Servent, V; Thürlimann, B; Untch, M; van der Hage, J A; van Tienhoven, G; Wildiers, H; Yarnold, J; Bonnetain, F; Mathoulin-Pélissier, S; Bellera, C; Dabakuyo-Yonli, T S
2015-05-01
Using surrogate end points for overall survival, such as disease-free survival, is increasingly common in randomized controlled trials. However, the definitions of several of these time-to-event (TTE) end points are imprecisely which limits interpretation and cross-trial comparisons. The estimation of treatment effects may be directly affected by the definitions of end points. The DATECAN initiative (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event Endpoints in CANcer trials) aims to provide recommendations for definitions of TTE end points. We report guidelines for randomized cancer clinical trials (RCTs) in breast cancer. A literature review was carried out to identify TTE end points (primary or secondary) reported in publications of randomized trials or guidelines. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts proposed recommendations for the definitions of these end points based on a validated consensus method that formalize the degree of agreement among experts. Recommended guidelines for the definitions of TTE end points commonly used in RCTs for breast cancer are provided for non-metastatic and metastatic settings. The use of standardized definitions should facilitate comparisons of trial results and improve the quality of trial design and reporting. These guidelines could be of particular interest to those involved in the design, conducting, reporting, or assessment of RCT. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Loughery, Brian; Knill, Cory; Silverstein, Evan; Zakjevskii, Viatcheslav; Masi, Kathryn; Covington, Elizabeth; Snyder, Karen; Song, Kwang; Snyder, Michael
2018-03-20
We conducted a multi-institutional assessment of a recently developed end-to-end monthly quality assurance (QA) protocol for external beam radiation therapy treatment chains. This protocol validates the entire treatment chain against a baseline to detect the presence of complex errors not easily found in standard component-based QA methods. Participating physicists from 3 institutions ran the end-to-end protocol on treatment chains that include Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC)-credentialed linacs. Results were analyzed in the form of American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group (TG)-119 so that they may be referenced by future test participants. Optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter (OSLD), EBT3 radiochromic film, and A1SL ion chamber readings were accumulated across 10 test runs. Confidence limits were calculated to determine where 95% of measurements should fall. From calculated confidence limits, 95% of measurements should be within 5% error for OSLDs, 4% error for ionization chambers, and 4% error for (96% relative gamma pass rate) radiochromic film at 3% agreement/3 mm distance to agreement. Data were separated by institution, model of linac, and treatment protocol (intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT] vs volumetric modulated arc therapy [VMAT]). A total of 97% of OSLDs, 98% of ion chambers, and 93% of films were within the confidence limits; measurements were found outside these limits by a maximum of 4%, consistent despite institutional differences in OSLD reading equipment and radiochromic film calibration techniques. Results from this test may be used by clinics for data comparison. Areas of improvement were identified in the end-to-end protocol that can be implemented in an updated version. The consistency of our data demonstrates the reproducibility and ease-of-use of such tests and suggests a potential role for their use in broad end-to-end QA initiatives. Copyright © 2018 American Association of Medical
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Elasticity and hardness of nano-polycrystalline boron nitrides: The apparent Hall-Petch effect
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nagakubo, A.; Ogi, H.; Hirao, M.; Sumiya, H.
2014-01-01
Nano-polycrystalline boron nitride (BN) is expected to replace diamond as a superhard and superstiff material. Although its hardening was reported, its elasticity remains unclear and the as-measured hardness could be significantly different from the true value due to the elastic recovery. In this study, we measured the longitudinal-wave elastic constant of nano-polycrystalline BNs using picosecond ultrasound spectroscopy and confirmed the elastic softening for small-grain BNs. We also measured Vickers and Knoop hardness for the same specimens and clarified the relationship between hardness and stiffness. The Vickers hardness significantly increased as the grain size decreased, while the Knoop hardness remained nearly unchanged. We attribute the apparent increase in Vickers hardness to the elastic recovery and propose a model to support this insight.
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Dispersion representations for hard exclusive processes. Beyond the born approximation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Diehl, M.; Ivanov, D.Yu.
2007-07-01
Several hard exclusive scattering processes admit a description in terms of generalized parton distributions and perturbative hard-scattering kernels. Both the physical amplitude and the hard-scattering kernels fulfill dispersion relations. We give a detailed investigation of their consistency at all orders in perturbation theory. The results shed light on the information about generalized parton distributions that can be extracted from the real and imaginary parts of exclusive amplitudes. They also provide a practical consistency check for models of these distributions in which Lorentz invariance is not exactly satisfied. (orig.)
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Investigation of vertebral ''end plate sclerosis''
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lee, S.W. [Dept. of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hung Hom (Hong Kong); Mathie, A.G.; Jackson, J.E. [Diagnostic Radiology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Hughes, S.P.F. [Div. of Surgery, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, London (United Kingdom)
2001-08-01
To evaluate the association between vertebral ''end plate sclerosis'' and neck pain. A retrospective study was carried out of lateral cervical spine radiographs with a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS). Two hundred patients' files were randomly assessed, comprising four equal groups, A to D. The mean ages of the patients were 62{+-}7.4 years, 61{+-}7.5 years, 40{+-}5.6 years and 23{+-}5.6 years respectively. In group A, all patients had symptoms of neck pain and a radiographic diagnosis of ''end plate sclerosis'' of the cervical spine. In groups B to D, asymptomatic patients were recruited and their age groups were 50-69, 30-49 and 10-29 years respectively. Using the PACS, the radiographic density and the sagittal diameter, thickness and area of the end plates at the C5 level were measured. Results and conclusions: No significant differences were found in the radiographic density of the end plates either between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups (groups A and B), or between different age groups (groups B, C and D). A significant increase in end plate area and thickness was found, however, in both group B (P<0.005) and group C (P<0.01) in comparison with group D. This indicates that the extent of end plate sclerosis increases with age. Our results suggest that the radiographic density of cervical vertebral end plates correlates neither with neck pain nor with increasing age. The radiological sign of ''end plate sclerosis'' may be over-reported, further limiting its value in the assessment of patients with cervical spondylosis. (orig.)