Effects of training to implement new tools and working methods to reduce knee load in floor layers

The purpose was to measure the effect of a participatory ergonomics implementation strategy consisting of information, education, and facilitation on the use of new tools and working methods in the floor laying trade. Floor layers (n=292) were trained in using new working methods. The effects were evaluated by using questionnaires, interviews, and assessments of quality and productivity. Following the training, 43% had used the new working methods weekly/daily compared to 11% before. There was a reduction in the degree of self-reported pain in the knees among the floor layers using the new working methods weekly or daily compared to those using them never or occasionally. The musculoskeletal complaints did not increase from any other region and the quality and the productivity of the work were not decreased. This indicates that within a 3-months perspective the implementation strategy succeeded.     

Simulation of cardiovascular system diseases by including the autonomic nervous system into a minimal model

Diagnosing cardiovascular system (CVS) diseases from clinically measured data is difficult, due to the complexity of the hemodynamic and autonomic nervous system (ANS) interactions. Physiological models could describe these interactions to enable simulation of a variety of diseases, and could be combined with parameter estimation algorithms to help clinicians diagnose CVS dysfunctions. This paper presents modifications to an existing CVS model to include a minimal physiological model of ANS activation. A minimal model is used so as to minimise the number of parameters required to specify ANS activation, enabling the effects of each parameter on hemodynamics to be easily understood. The combined CVS and ANS model is verified by simulating a variety of CVS diseases, and comparing simulation results with common physiological understanding of ANS function and the characteristic hemodynamics seen in these diseases. The model of ANS activation is required to simulate hemodynamic effects such as increased cardiac output in septic shock, elevated pulmonary artery pressure in left ventricular infarction, and elevated filling pressures in pericardial tamponade. This is the first known example of a minimal CVS model that includes a generic model of ANS activation and is shown to simulate diseases from throughout the CVS.     

Subacute proteome changes following traumatic injury of the developing brain: Implications for a dysregulation of neuronal migration and neurite arborization

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents. To gain insight into developmental events influenced by TBI, we analyzed subacute mouse brain proteome changes in a percussion head trauma model at P7 ipsi- and contralateral to the site of injury. The comparison of brain proteomes of trauma mice and controls revealed reproducible changes in the intensity of 28 proteins (30 protein spots) in response to trauma. The changes detected suggest that TBI leads to apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. These changes were consistent with our results of histological and biochemical evaluation of the brains which revealed widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration, microglia activation, and increased levels of protein carbonyls. Furthermore, we detected changes in proteins involved in neuronal migration as well as axonal and dendritic growth and guidance, suggesting interference of trauma with these developmental events.     

Schnelle Bestimmung von Furfurol und Hydroxymethylfurfurol in alkoholischen Getr?nken mit Hilfe der Umkehrphasen-Chromatographie

Zusammenfassung Furfurol und Hydroxymethylfurfurol können leicht mit Hilfe der Umkehrphasen-Chromatographie in Alkoholika bestimmt werden. Eine Probenvorbereitung ist nicht notwendig. Die beiden Aldehyde werden UV-spektrometrisch erfaßt, die absolute Nachweisgrenze bei Routinearbeiten beträgt 4–7 mg/100 l reinen Alkohol (entsprechend 0,01–0,03 mg/l im Getränk) und kann für Spurenbestimmungen auf 0,002–0,001 mg/l durch Injektion von größeren Probenvolumen erniedrigt werden. Die Peakhöhen der beiden Furfuroie sind im Bereich von 0,25–3 mg/l Getränk linear von der Konzentration abhängig. Die Gesamtanalyse dauert etwa 12 min. Mit der beschriebenen Methode werden brasilianischer Zukkerrohrschnaps (Cachaça) Bowie eine Reihe in Deutschland käuflicher Alkoholika untersucht.

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Rapid determination of furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural in alcoholic beverages by reverse-phase-chromatographyComparative investigations on the content of furfurals in Brazilian Cachaça and other alcoholic liquors

Summary Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural can easily be determined in alcoholic beverages by means of reverse phase chromatography. A special sample preparation is not necessary. The aldehydes are detected by UV-spectrometry, the absolute detection limit in routine work is 4–7 mg/100 liters of pure ethanol (corresponding to 0.016–0.03 mg/l beverage) and can be extended down to 0.002–0.001 mg/l when injecting higher volumes for trace analysis. In the range of 0.25–3 mg/l linear relationship is obtained between peak hight and concentration. The complete assay procedure takes about 12 min. A series of Brazilian Cachaça samples and German commercial liquors were investigated with the here described method.

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Sumário Os autores apresentam um método de determinação de Furfural e Hidroxi-metilfurfural em cachaça e outras bebidas alcoolicas, Cromatografia em alta pressão com colunas de fase reversa (C₈; 5 m; 250 × 4 mm; CH₃CN/H₂O 5/95 como eluente) permite a separação e determinaçã sem pre-tratamento das amostras em 10–12 minutos. A sensibilidade da determinação em UV (254 nm) è 4–7 mg/100 L álcool puro (0.01–0.03 mg/L na bebida respectivamente). Usando um volume maior de injecção, o limite se pode abaixar até 0.002–0.001 mg/L bebida. A altura dos picos é proporçional à concentração entre 0.25–3 mg/L bebida. As cachaças investigadas possuem geralmente um conteúdo de Furfural e de Hidroxi-metilfurfural menor do que suposto e determinato pelo método de anilina recomendado pelo governo (determinação não específica).

     

Chromosome studies in "preleukemia". III. Myelofibrosis

Cytogenetic studies were done on 18 patients with myelofibrosis or the closely related syndrome, undifferentiated myeloproliferative disorder (MPD). Clones of cells with chromosome abnormalities were demonstrated in the blood of eight individuals, including two with a history of radiation therapy and two with "acute myelofibrosis". Trisomy 8 was present in the latter two patients, but otherwise, there was no consistent cytogenetic pattern or correlation with specific hematologic findings. Sixteen of these patients have been followed for more than 1 year or until death; none has progressed to leukemia. The results indicate that chromosome abnormalities are relatively common in this disorder, but as with polycythemia vera, and unlike some other "preleukemic" states, the aberrant clones in myelofibrosis do not appear to indicate that clinical leukemia is imminent.     

ESA-based in-fiber nanocavity for hydrogen-peroxide detection

A fiber-optic sensor sensitive to hydrogen peroxide has been designed based on the electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly method. Prussian blue has been deposited in a polymeric structure formed by Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid). The concentration that can be detected range between 10/sup -6/-10/sup -3/ M, and recovery of the sensor after immersion into a reductive agent was demonstrated. The response of the sensor is independent of the pH for values that range between 4-7.4. Some rules for estimation of the refractive index of the material deposited and the thickness of the bilayers are also presented.     

Migration of DCE applications into CORBA and SOAP environments

Legacy applications based on the Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) are subject to several significant limitations. As the development and support of DCE wanes, object‐oriented development becomes more desirable, and transmission over HTTP is established as the preferred protocol over the Internet, DCE application managers and developers are pressed to find extensions and alternatives to DCE. This paper briefly discusses several alternative targets for migration of DCE systems, then proceeds to detail, compare, and contrast two preferred candidates: CORBA and SOAP. Although we have found that developing a general migration solution for legacy DCE applications to CORBA or SOAP to be a non‐trivial, long‐term project, developing specific solutions that are based on a general architecture is feasible. Given a short list of reasonable premises, many DCE applications may be ported to technologies such as CORBA and SOAP. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generating robust and flexible job shop schedules using genetic algorithms

The problem of finding robust or flexible solutions for scheduling problems is of utmost importance for real-world applications as they operate in dynamic environments. In such environments, it is often necessary to reschedule an existing plan due to failures (e.g., machine breakdowns, sickness of employees, deliveries getting delayed, etc.). Thus, a robust or flexible solution may be more valuable than an optimal solution that does not allow easy modifications. This paper considers the issue of robust and flexible solutions for job shop scheduling problems. A robustness measure is defined and its properties are investigated. Through experiments, it is shown that using a genetic algorithm it is possible to find robust and flexible schedules with a low makespan. These schedules are demonstrated to perform significantly better in rescheduling after a breakdown than ordinary schedules. The rescheduling performance of the schedules generated by minimizing the robustness measure is compared with the performance of another robust scheduling method taken from literature, and found to outperform this method in many cases.