Reactive pleuropericarditis following laparoscopic fundoplication

Samples of peripheral blood from 76 different donors were detected for the presence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results showed that HCMVs were present in 39 out of 76 blood donors which reached an infection positive rate of 51.3%. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity on PCR were tested, it also indicated that the sensitivity can reach the level of 5fg.microliter-1. The method is simple, rapid, highly sensitive and specificity. It can be considered as a diagnostic measure in clinical detection of HCMV.     

Bioprocess applications of model-based estimation techniques

The last decade has seen the development of a number of approaches for estimating those variables which are difficult to measure on-line in industrial process situations. Whilst a range of techniques is available, a common element is the use of process knowledge in the form of a system model. In the case of bioprocess systems, although a large range of models has been presented in the literature, their use in estimation schemes on an industrial scale has been limited. A number of reasons can be identified for their low level of utilisation. Of particular significance is the uncertainty which exists in quantifying system performance and the process-model mismatch which inevitably results. The level of ‘pre-defined model’ uncertainty, together with the knowledge gained during the course of the fermentation, serves to dictate estimator structure. The paper considers a range of estimation strategies and contrasts, through industrial applications, their performance characteristics and utility.     

Self-efficacy and work-related performance: The integral role of individual differences.

The present study estimated the unique contribution of self-efficacy to work-related performance controlling for personality (the Big 5 traits), intelligence or general mental ability, and job or task experience. Results, based on a meta-analysis of the relevant literatures, revealed that overall, across all studies and moderator conditions, the contribution of self-efficacy relative to purportedly more distal variables is relatively small. Within moderator categories, there were several cases in which self-efficacy made unique contributions to work-related performance. For example, self-efficacy predicted performance in jobs or tasks of low complexity but not those of medium or high complexity, and self-efficacy predicted performance for task but not job performance. Overall, results suggest that the predictive validity of self-efficacy is attenuated in the presence of individual differences, though this attenuation does depend on the context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary irradiation test results from the Yankee Atomic Electric Company reactor vessel test irradiation program

The Yankee Atomic Electric Company test irradiation program was implemented to characterize the irradiation response of representative Yankee Rowe reactor vessel beltline plate materials and to remove uncertainties in the analysis of existing irradiation data on the Yankee Rowe reactor vessel steel. Plate materials each containing 0·24 w/o copper, but different nickel contents at 0·63 w/o and 0·19 w/o, were heat treated to simulate the Yankee vessel heat treatment (austenitized at 982°C (1800°F)) and to simulate Regulatory Guide 1·99 database materials (austenitized at 871°C (1600°F)). These heat treatments produced different microstructures so the effect of microstructure on irradiation damage sensitivity could be tested. Because the nickel content of the test plates varied and the copper level was constant, the effect of nickel on irradiation embrittlement was also tested. Correlation monitor material, HSST-02, was included in the program to benchmark the Ford Nuclear Reactor (University of Michigan Test Reactor) which had never been used before for this type of irradiation program. Materials taken from plate surface locations (versus 1/4T) were included to test whether or not the improved toughness properties of the plate surface layer, resulting from the rapid quench, are maintained after irradiation. If the improved properties are maintained, pressurized thermal shock calculations could utilize this margin. Finally, for one experiment, irradiations were conducted at two irradiation temperatures (260°C and 288°C) to determine the effect of irradiation temperature on embrittlement. The preliminary results of the irradiation program show an average temperature effect of 38°C for a 28°C difference in irradiation temperature. The results suggest that for nickel bearing steels, the superior toughness of plate surface material is maintained after irradiation and for the copper content tested, nickel has little effect on irradiation response. No apparent microstructure effect on irradiation response was noted and the HSST-02 material's response to irradiation was similar to results from power reactor and other test reactor tests, thus qualifying the Ford Test Reactor for irradiation experiments such as those conducted for the Yankee Atomic program.     

Bestimmung der Abtragungsraten von Zirconium,Tantal und der Legierung Tantal-40Niob in fluoridhaltiger azeotroper Salpetersäure mit Hilfe der Radiotracer-Methode

The radiotracer technique as a means to investigate the corrosion of zirconium, tantalum, and a Ta-40Nb alloy in fluoride containing azeotropic nitric acid Zirconium and tantalum as well as the tantalum 40% niobium alloy are of considerable technical importance due to their high corrosion resistance against numerous corrosive media. With respect to corrosion testing in analytically pure azeotropic nitric acid in the temperature range between 20 and 121°C, corrosion rates were determined for zirconium: 7 · 10^?6 to 5 · 10^?4 mm/y, for tantalum: 10^?8 to 4 · 10^?6 mm/y, and for the Ta-40Nb alloy: 2 · 10^?7 to 8 · 10^?6 mm/y [1]. These corrosion rates will be markedly increased by adding small amounts of fluorides or by fluoride impurities. The radiotracer method after neutron activation was applied to determine the corrosion rates in azeotropic fluoride containing nitric acid. Even minute additions of fluorides strongly affect the corrosion resistance of zirconium. In the range between 0.15 and 10 ppm F^? and at a temperature of 108°C, corrosion rates between 5.3 · 10^?3 and 3.1 mm/y were measured. It was impossible to establish a limit for the fluoride concentration, below which the corrosion rate of zirconium will not be adversely influenced. The corrosion rates of tantalum and the Ta-40Nb alloy are considerably increasing above a fluoride concentration of 10 ppm. The highest corrosion rates measured were between 8.4 · 10^?3 mm/y at 50°C/280 ppm F^? and 1.4 · 10^?2 mm/y at 110°C/320 ppm F^?. Within the range of this investigation, the corrosion resistance of tantalum was higher than that of the Ta-40Nb alloy by one order of magnitude. The corrosion resistance of zirconium and tantalum was not influenced by any treatment of the samples before testing.     

Mortar finite element discretization for the flow in a nonhomogeneous porous medium

Darcy’s equations model the flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a rigid porous medium. One of the parameters of the system depends on the permeability of the medium and, when this medium is not homogeneous, the variations of the parameter could be very high. To handle this phenomenon, we propose a discretization of the model that relies on the mortar finite element method. Indeed, the idea is to construct a decomposition of the domain such that the permeability is constant on each element of the partition and to use independent meshes on the different subdomains. We perform the a priori and a posteriori analysis of this discretization and present some numerical experiments which are in good coherency with the results of the analysis.     

Reliability analysis in wind turbine engineering

Wind turbines are being designed in accordance with deterministic design rules. As wind turbines increase in size and power, these rules may not be adequate to ascertain a safe and well balanced design. Wind turbine industry can take advantage of the safety and reliability practices in e.g. aerospace, nuclear and offshore industry. These practices include System Reliability (such as FMECA, Event Sequence Analysis and Fault Tree Analysis) and Structural Reliability methods. The approach to introduce Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) which incorporates these reliability methods into wind turbine engineering will be described. By means of two recent case studies, the applicability, benefits, and limitations of these methods will be illustrated.     

Thyroid hormones in dairy calves after birth and in the first days of life. Amplitude of variation, maternal-fetal relationships and reaction patterns specific to the individual

Dairy calves and their dams from the dairy herd of the institute were used for this investigation. Calvings were watch carefully and jugular venous blood samples taken immediately after delivery from the cow and the calf and in the calf at 24 hours and at 48 hours of postnatal age as well were analyzed for T4, FT4, T3 and FT3 by luminescence enzyme immunoassay (LEIA). Higher thyroid values in calves than in their dams could be found increasing short after birth and reaching their highest level within 24 hours of postnatal life. The individual thyroid hormone values at birth and at 24 hours and at 48 hours of age are well correlated meaning the changes during the first days are specific for each calf. Strong correlation between the thyroid hormone values of the cows and those of the calves could be found. Mean values of thyroid hormones were significantly higher in female than in male calves all time but not different in the dams of these calves.