Testing colour fading of cotton fabrics by activated oxygen bleach-ontaining detergent an interlaboratory trial

A single diagnostic wash test to identify coloured cotton fabrics susceptible to activated oxygen bleach was subjected to an interlaboratory trial (ring test). The results from the trial are described and a procedure developed for use as a British Standard is outlined.     

Interacting with proactive public displays

In this paper we describe the design and architecture of an adaptive proactive environment in which information, which reflects the communal interests of current inhabitants, is proactively displayed on large-scale public displays. Adaptation is achieved through implicit communication between the environment and personal sensor devices worn by users. These devices, called Pendle, serve two purposes: they store and make available to the environment user preferences, and they allow users to override the environment's proactive behavior by means of simple gestures. The result is a smooth integration of environment-controlled interaction (experienced by the user as implicit interaction, triggered by their presence) and user-controlled explicit interaction. Initial results show that user-controlled adaptation leads to an engaging user experience that is unobtrusive and not distracting.     

Modeling of SCC initiation and propagation mechanisms in BWR environments

During operation of mainly BWRs’ (Boiling Water Reactors) excursions from recommended water chemistries may provide favorite conditions for stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Maximum levels for chloride and sulfate ion contents for avoiding local corrosion are therefore given in respective water specifications. In a previously published deterministic 288 °C – corrosion model for Nickel as a main alloying element of BWR components it was demonstrated that, as a theoretically worst case, bulk water chloride levels as low as 30 ppb provide local chloride ion accumulation, dissolution of passivating nickel oxide and precipitation of nickel chlorides followed by subsequent local acidification. In an extension of the above model to SCC the following work shows that, in a first step, local anodic path corrosion with subsequent oxide breakdown, chloride salt formation and acidification at 288 °C would establish local cathodic reduction of accumulated hydrogen ions inside the crack tip fluid. In a second step, local hydrogen reduction charges and increasing local crack tip strains from increasing crack lengths at given global stresses are time stepwise calculated and related to experimentally determined crack critical cathodic hydrogen charges and fracture strains taken from small scale SSRT tensile tests pieces. As a result, at local hydrogen equilibrium potentials higher than those of nickel in the crack tip solution, hydrogen ion reduction initiates hydrogen crack propagation that is enhanced with increasing global stresses. In accordance with respective experimental literature data it is shown that decreasing chloride and increasing pH levels of the primary bulk water at 288 °C reduce the total crack propagation rates including anodic path corrosion as well as hydrogen cracking. It is also demonstrated that crack propagation rates can be significantly suppressed by hydrogen water chemistry (HWC) that leads to reduction of bulk surface corrosion potentials. As a conclusion the extended SSC-model for nickel supplies quantitative insight into the frequently controversially discussed high temperature SCC mechanisms of a basic alloying element of BWR components.     

The adaptation dynamics of chronic functional impairment: What we can learn from older adults with vision loss.

This study used vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration to learn about adaptation processes related to chronic functional impairment, focusing on Horowitz and Reinhardt's (1998) concept of Adaptation to Age-related Vision Loss (AVL) as the outcome. We hypothesized that impacts of visual acuity on AVL are mediated by perceived functional vision losses and functional abilities, and tested for “adaptive” weakening of this impact with ongoing loss. Longitudinal data covering a one-year interval from samples with age-related macular degeneration gathered in New York (N = 361) and Heidelberg (Germany, N = 90) were used. We analyzed the hypothesized causal structure by modeling latent change scores, and checked if those with low, medium, and high levels of vision loss at baseline differ in the relations between one-year change scores. Results confirmed that impacts of vision loss on AVL are mediated by decline in functional ability. However, under the most severe levels of vision loss at baseline, functional decline showed only a minor impact on AVL change not explained by a lack of further decline in vision. Findings confirm the effectiveness of adaptation in terms of reduced reactivity to functional losses across increasing level of chronic impairment. Thus, adaptation, weakening the impact of chronic functional impairment on psychological outcomes over time with disease progression, deserves consideration in the study of psychological consequences of chronic physical health conditions in old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

All my online-friends are better than me – three studies about ability-based comparative social media use,self-esteem,and depressive tendencies

ABSTRACT

We conducted three studies to assess short-term and long-term effects of social comparative SNS use on self-esteem and depressive tendencies. In Study 1 (N?=?75) we found in an exposure experiment including two experimental groups and one control group that social comparative internet use decreased participants’ performance-oriented state self-esteem as a short-term effect. In Study 2 and 3 (Ns?=?809, 145) results of the serial multiple mediator model indicated that passive Facebook use is associated with higher depressive tendencies mediated by a higher ability-related social comparison orientation and lower self-esteem as long-term effect. To obtain more generalisable findings, we transferred the serial multiple mediator model successfully from private to professional SNS use (Study 3).     

Development of Novel Fe-Based Coating Systems for Internal Combustion Engines

Nowadays, combustion engines are the most common way to power vehicles. Thereby, losses occur due to cooling, exhaust gas and friction. With regard to frictional losses, highest potentials for optimization can be found in the tribological system of the inner surface of combustion chamber and piston ring. Besides friction, corrosive stress increases, e.g., due to utilization of exhaust gas recovery. In order to save energy, reduce emissions and enhance the life span of combustion engines, the demand for innovative coating material systems, especially for the inner surface of combustion chamber, increases. This study focuses on the development of innovative iron-based coating materials for the combustion chamber. As a first step, the plasma transferred wire arc and rotating single wire arc (RSW) technologies were compared using 0.8% C-steel as a reference. Subsequently, RSW was used for coating deposition using an innovative iron-based feedstock material. In order to improve wear and corrosion resistance, boron and chromium were added to the feedstock material. After deposition, different honing topographies were manufactured and compared under tribological load. Furthermore, electrochemical corrosion tests were conducted using an electrolyte simulating the exhaust gas concentrate. Especially with regard to corrosion, the novel coating system FeCrBMn showed promising results.     

Bone marrow transplantation for children less than 2 years of age with acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome

We analyzed results of 40 infants less than 2 years of age who received bone marrow transplants (BMT) between May 1974 and January 1995 for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML; N = 34) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; N = 6) to determine outcome and survival performance. Among the AML patients, 13 were in first remission, 9 were in untreated first relapse or second remission, and 12 were in refractory relapse. Patients were conditioned with cyclophosphamide in combination with either total body irradiation (TBI; N = 29) or busulfan (N = 11). Source of stem cells included 6 autologous donors, 15 HLA genotypically identical siblings, 14 haploidentical family members, and 5 unrelated donors. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was methotrexate (MTX) for 17, MTX plus cyclosporine (CSP) for 14, or CSP plus prednisone for 3. Incidence of severe (grade 3-4) regimen-related toxicity was 10% and transplant-related mortality was 10%. Acute GVHD (grades II-III) occurred in 39% of allogeneic patients, and chronic GVHD developed in 40%. Relapse, the most significant problem for patients in this study, occurred in 1 MDS patient and 23 AML patients and was the cause of death for 19 patients. The 2-year probabilities of relapse are 46%, 67%, and 92%, respectively, for patients transplanted in first remission, untreated first relapse or second remission, and relapse. One MDS and 8 AML patients received second marrow transplants for treatment of relapse, and 5 of these survive disease-free for more than 1.5 years. All 6 MDS patients and 11 of 34 AML patients survive more than 1.5 years later. The 5-year probabilities of survival and disease-free survival are 54% and 38% for patients transplanted in first remission and 33% and 22% for untreated first relapse or second remission. None of the patients transplanted with refractory relapse survive disease-free. Outcome was significantly associated with phase of disease at transplantation and pretransplant diagnosis of extramedullary disease. Long-term sequelae included growth failure and hormonal deficiencies. Survival performance was a median of 100% (80% to 100%) and neurologic development for all survivors was appropriate for age. This study indicates that infants with AML have similar outcome after BMT compared with older children and that BMT should be performed in first remission whenever possible. In addition, allogeneic BMT provides effective therapy for the majority of infants with MDS.     

Computer-aided breast cancer detection and diagnosis of massesusing difference of Gaussians and derivative-based feature saliency

A new model-based vision (MBV) algorithm is developed to find regions of interest (ROI's) corresponding to masses in digitized mammograms and to classify the masses as malignant/benign. The MBV algorithm is comprised of 5 modules to structurally identify suspicious ROI's, eliminate false positives, and classify the remaining as malignant or benign. The focus of attention module uses a difference of Gaussians (DoG) filter to highlight suspicious regions in the mammogram. The index module uses tests to reduce the number of nonmalignant regions from 8.39 to 2.36 per full breast image. Size, shape, contrast, and Laws texture features are used to develop the prediction module's mass models. Derivative-based feature saliency techniques are used to determine the best features for classification. Nine features are chosen to define the malignant/benign models. The feature extraction module obtains these features from all suspicious ROI's. The matching module classifies the regions using a multilayer perceptron neural network architecture to obtain an overall classification accuracy of 100% for the segmented malignant masses with a false-positive rate of 1.8 per full breast image. This system has a sensitivity of 92% for locating malignant ROI's. The database contains 272 images (12 b, 100 μm) with 36 malignant and 53 benign mass images. The results demonstrate that the MBV approach provides a structured order of integrating complex stages into a system for radiologists     

Dichroic dyes,and liquid crystalline side chain polymers

Functional guest molecules incorporated into LC-side-chain polymers lead to polymeric materials which combine the physical and optical anisotropic properties of liquid crystals with the special functions of the guest components. This contribution focused on dichroic dyes, but the results are transferable to other guest moieties. The covalent fixation of the dye to the polymer backbone affords several advantages. Liquid crystalline materials with high dye concentrations were obtained opening the way to the preparation of highly ordered, optical uniaxial films with adjustable thickness and optical density. Thin well aligned LC-polymer films can in principle be used as an active medium for reversible optical information storage and mixtures of dye-containing copolymers in low molar mass liquid crystals can be used in displays. Current developments in the area of ferroelectric chiral smectic-C side-chain polymers will further enhance interest in this area.