78 research outputs found
Does innovation lead to job creation?:a longitudinal study on innovative behaviour and its effect on employment in South African firms
No full textRiccardia innovans Pagan
No full text<i>Riccardia innovans</i> (Steph.) Pagán (Figs 2 -4) <p> <i>The Bryologist</i> 45: 80 (1942). <i>—</i> Basionym: <i>Aneura innovans</i> Steph., in Urban, <i>Symbolae Antillarum</i> 2: 470 (1901). — Type: Guadeloupe, Savane-à-Mulets, «Sur les arbrisseaux », 1901, <i>Duss</i></p> <p> <i>484,</i> ex hb. Urban (lecto-, designated here, G[G00066662!], <i>c</i>. gyn.; isolecto-, NY n.v., fide Pagán 1942).</p> <i>Description</i> <p> The outstanding characters of <i>R. innovans</i> are the very delicate, 2-pinnate plants with a very narrow (150-250 µm in diameter), biconvex, almost wingless axis and numerous long and narrow, linear to subulate branches. The branches are only little narrower than the axis, plano-convex, obliquely to widely spreading, usually tapering to narrow tips, and narrowly winged by 1-2 cell wide wings. The presence of small scales on the calyptra, made up of large cells, may be a further characteristic of the species. The plants are dioicous; gemmae have not been observed.</p> <i>Remarks</i> <p> <i>Riccardia innovans</i> approaches <i>R. regnellii</i> (Ångstr.) K.G.Hell, but the latter is a larger plant with a flat axis (not biconvex) and with broader, frequently tongue-shaped branches. In the type material, some <i>R. regnellii</i> plants are growing mixed in the dense mat of <i>R. innovans</i> and are immediately recognized by their much larger size. <i>Riccardia innovans</i> is thus far only</p> <p> known from the type. A field search by the second author in the type locality and elsewhere has not revealed further populations of the species. The taxonomic relationships of the species will be dealt with in a comprehensive study on the genus <i>Riccardia</i> in Guadeloupe (Lavocat Bernard & Reeb in prep.).</p>Published as part of <i>Gradstein, S. Robbert & Bernard, Elisabeth Lavocat, 2020, An evaluation of the endemic bryophyte flora of Guadeloupe, pp. 205-214 in Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (15)</i> on pages 206-207, DOI: 10.5252/cryptogamie-bryologie2020v41a15, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7822144">http://zenodo.org/record/7822144</a>
Evaluation of a zinc chelate on clinical swine dysentery under field conditions
No full textBackground Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is the primary cause of swine dysentery, characterized by bloody to mucoid diarrhea due to mucohaemorhagic colitis in pigs and primarily affects pigs during the grow/finishing stage. Control and prevention of B. hyodysenteriae consists of administration of antimicrobial drugs, besides management and adapted feeding strategies. A worldwide re-emergence of the disease has recently been reported with an increasing number of isolates demonstrating decreased susceptibility to several crucially important antimicrobials in the control of swine dysentery. A novel non-antibiotic zinc chelate has been reported to demonstrate positive effects on fecal quality and consistency, general clinical signs, average daily weight gain and B. hyodysenteriae excretion during and after a 6-day oral treatment. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the zinc chelate (Intra Dysovinol(R) 499 mg/ml (ID); Elanco) on naturally occurring swine dysentery due to B. hyodysenteriae under field conditions in the Netherlands. Results Oral administration of zinc chelate resulted in improvement of general clinical signs from 3 days onwards in the ID-treated group combined with a significantly better total fecal score at 14 days post-treatment. Overall, average daily weight gain was better in the ID-treated group over the entire study period (0-14 days) and during the 8 days following the end of ID-treatment. A significant reduction (4.48 vs. 0.63 log(10) cfu/g feces; ID-treated vs. control) in B. hyodysenteriae excretion was observed during the 6-day treatment period with a high percentage of animals (58.3 vs. 12.3%; ID-treated vs. control) with no excretion of B. hyodysenteriae from their feces. No additional antimicrobial treatment was needed in the ID-treated group, whereas 35% of the pigs in the control group were treated with an antibiotic at least once. No mortality occurred in both groups. No adverse events were reported during and following the ID-treatment. Conclusions Zinc chelate - administered as a Zn-Na-2-EDTA complex - is a non-antibiotic treatment for swine dysentery that reduces B. hyodysenteriae shedding with 4.48 log(10) cfu/g feces within its 6-day treatment while improving general clinical signs (90.0 vs. 73.6% animals with normal score) and total fecal score within 2-4 days following administration in naturally infected pigs. The positive effects of ID treatment remain for at least 8 days after cessation of oral ID therapy. Pigs remaining in a highly contaminated environment may be re-infected following the end of ID treatment, however, this is not different to standard antimicrobial therapy. Therefore, control of swine dysentery should combine an efficacious treatment with additional management practices to reduce the environmental infection pressure in order to limit re-infection as much as possible. The ID treatment resulted in a higher growth rate and improved general health, whereas no mortality was observed and no additional therapeutic treatments were necessary in contrast to the control pigs.The study was funded by Elanco Animal Health, which facilitated the conduct of the field trial.Vangroenweghe, F (reprint author), Elanco, BU Food Anim, Plantijn Moretuslei 1-3rd Floor, B-2018 Antwerp, Belgium.
[email protected]
Advanced instrumentation for gravitational-wave research
No full textThe first part of chapter 2 briefly introduces a few relevant aspects of Eintein’s theory of general relativity and the generation of gravitational waves. The second part deals with the interferometric detection principles, in particular focusing on the sensitivity limitations, and ends with an outlook on the future landscape of this field of research. Chapter 3 contains a detailed description of a laboratory-scale test setup of a laser interferometer that includes suspended optics. This small size instrument mimicks the fundamental building blocks of a laser interferometer, like those of the kilometerscale gravitational-wave detectors LIGO and Virgo. This test setup has been used to develop and demonstrate novel methods for fast recovery from large misalignments. In particular the last section is dedicated to a proof of concept of using beam camera images for automated pre-alignment of optical cavities, even when they are far outside their linear response region. Chapter 4 presents an overview of Nikhef’s contribution to the Advanced Virgo Plus filter cavity realization and commissioning. This is part of the detector upgrade in preparation of the O4 observation run. It focuses on the activities by the author on the preparation and installation of the filter cavity mirror suspension systems and the optimization of the local controls. Chapter 5 is dedicated to one of the most demanding elements in the seismic attenuation systems: the maraging steel blade springs. These mechanical components, designed to operate at a high level of stress while maintaining low creep, are subject to sporadic failures that have a large impact on the duty cycle of a gravitational-wave detector. The most common cause of failure is hydrogen embrittlement of the blade material. This chapter starts with an introduction about the properties of the material, followed by theoretical considerations of hydrogen embrittlement. An overview of recorded blade failure events in gravitational-wave detectors is presented. Results of the study on the hydrogen contamination levels and on the binding energies of the trapping sites inside the material are discussed. Finally, the results of a comparative study, in which the resistance of different materials to stress corrosion cracking was investigated, are presented. Chapter 6 covers the characterization of a novel instrument to measure gradients of the gravitational field. The chapter starts with theoretical considerations of geophysical aspects. Then the concept of a ribbon gravity gradiometer is illustrated, followed by a description and the characterization of the individual subsystems. A dedicated gravity-gradient source, a spinning rotor, has been developed to test the instrument and its capabilities to resolve fluctuations in the gravitational field for various rotor spinning frequencies and stand-off distances. The results reveal the potential of the instrument for future application in both third generation gravitational-wave observatories and in geophysical applications. The thesis ends with a summary and outlook
Fuelling the hydrogen economy: Scale-up of an integrated formic acid-to-power system
No full textTransitioning from fossil fuels to sustainable and green energy sources in mobile applications is a difficult challenge and demands sustained and highly multidisciplinary efforts in R&D. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) offer several advantages over more conventional energy storage solutions, but have not been yet demonstrated at scale. Herein we describe the development of an integrated and compact 25 kW formic acid-to-power system by a team of BSc and MSc students. We highlight a number of key engineering challenges encountered during scale-up of the technology and discuss several aspects commonly overlooked by academic researchers. Conclusively, we provide a critical outlook and suggest a number of developmental areas currently inhibiting further implementation of the technology.ChemE/Inorganic Systems EngineeringChemE/Algemee
Cardiotocography plus ST analysis of fetal electrocardiogram compared with cardiotocography only for intrapartum monitoring: a randomized controlled trial
No full textOBJECTIVE: To estimate the effectiveness of intrapartum fetal monitoring by cardiotocography plus ST analysis using a strict protocol for performance of fetal blood sampling. METHODS: We performed a multicenter randomized trial among laboring women with a high-risk singleton pregnancy in cephalic presentation beyond 36 weeks of gestation. Participants were assigned to monitoring by cardiotocography with ST analysis (index) or cardiotocography only (control). Primary outcome was metabolic acidosis, defined as an umbilical cord artery pH below 7.05 combined with a base deficit calculated in the extracellular fluid compartment above 12 mmol/L. Secondary outcomes were metabolic acidosis in blood, operative deliveries, Apgar scores, neonatal admissions, and hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy. RESULTS: We randomly assigned 5,681 women to the two groups (2,832 index, 2,849 control). The fetal blood sampling rate was 10.6% in the index compared with 20.4% in the control group (relative risk 0.52; 95% [CI] 0.46–0.59). The primary outcome occurred 0.7% in the index compared with 1.1% in the control group (relative risk 0.70; 95% CI 0.38–1.28; number needed to treat 252). Using metabolic acidosis calculated in blood, these rates were 1.6% and 2.6%, respectively (relative risk 0.63; 95% CI 0.42–0.94; number needed to treat 100). The number of operative deliveries, low Apgar scores, neonatal admissions, and newborns with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy was comparable in both groups. CONCLUSION: Intrapartum monitoring by cardiotocography combined with ST analysis does not significantly reduce the incidence of metabolic acidosis calculated in the extracellular fluid compartment. It does reduce the incidence of metabolic acidosis calculated in blood and the need for fetal blood sampling without affecting the Apgar score, neonatal admissions, hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy, or operative deliveries. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Register, www.isrctn.org, ISRCTN95732366. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IMichelle E. M. H. Westerhuis, Gerard H. A. Visser, Karel G. M. Moons, Erik van Beek, Manon J. Benders, Saskia M. Bijvoet, Hendrikus J. H. M. van Dessel, Addy P. Drogtrop, Herman P. van Geijn, Giuseppe C. Graziosi, Floris Groenendaal, Jan M. M. van Lith, Jan G. Nijhuis, S. Guid Oei, Herman P. Oosterbaan, Martina M. Porath, Robbert J. P. Rijnders, Nico W. E. Schuitemaker, Louisa M. Sopacua, Ingeborg van der Tweel, Lia D. E. Wijnberger, Christine Willekes, Nicolaas P. A. Zuithoff, Ben Willem J. Mol, and Anneke Kwe
On Ruckle's Conjecture on Accumulation Games
No full textIn an accumulation game, the Hider secretly distributes his given total wealth among locations, while the Searcher picks locations and confiscates the material placed there. The Hider wins if what is left at the remaining locations is at least 1; otherwise the Searcher wins. Ruckle's conjecture says that an optimal Hider strategy is to put an equal amount at randomly chosen locations for some . We extend the work of Kikuta and Ruckle by proving the conjecture for several cases, e.g., or ; ; ; and . The last result uses the Erd?s–Ko–Rado theorem. We establish a connection between Ruckle's conjecture and the Hoeffding problem of bounding tail probabilities of sums of random variables.Delft Institute of Applied MathematicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Effect of recycling agents on rheological properties of epoxy bitumen
No full textThe rejuvenation of epoxy modified bituminous binders is a topic of much debate because such binders may not be able to melt at high temperatures and restore their properties using recycling agents. This paper presents the results of an experimental program developed to evaluate the re-usability of an epoxy modified bitumen, or epoxy bitumen, by using three recycling agents: an aromatic-based agent, an aliphatic-based agent, and a soft binder. The impact of these agents on the response of aged binders was assessed by performing analyses in a Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy and a Dynamic Shear Rheometer. Results indicated that diluting the epoxy binder with a base bitumen can be a feasible method for producing aging resistant binders of long curing time lengths. The most severely oxidized samples were blended with the recycling agents, and the aromatic agent has been proved as the most effective to recover the rheology of aged binders. Significant potential to recover the relaxation characteristics of epoxy bitumen has been demonstrated by using the soft binder. As a result, the epoxy bitumen has shown a similar ‘rejuvenation’ attribute with that of a conventional bitumen, and thus, it might be re-utilized through the standard asphalt recycling processes.Pavement Engineerin
The 2021 IAEA software intercomparison for k<sub>0</sub>-INAA
No full textIn order to establish the variation between results in mass fractions due to software implementation, as measured by the k0-method for INAA, the IAEA has organized a software intercomparison. A complete set of test spectra and associated information was assembled. Efficiency curves, neutron spectrum parameters, correction factors and mass fractions were calculated with the participating programs (k0-IPEN, k0-INRIM, k0-DALAT, k0-IAEA and KayWin) using identical peak areas. In this paper, we report on the observed discrepancies, causes, remedies and future software developments. The test data, as well as intermediate results and observed mass fractions of the certified reference material BCR-320R “channel sediment” are available through the IAEA on request. The variations in concentrations attributed to differences between the programs were initially found to be 5.6 and 7.9%, for certified and uncertified concentrations, respectively. After the certified concentrations had been made available to the participants and they had been allowed to improve their programs, the variations found were 2.7 and 3.4%, respectively. The main identified remaining causes of variation are differences in the procedures used for detector efficiency characterisation and neutron spectrum parameter determination.</p
Compositional Non-Interference for Fine-Grained Concurrent Programs
No full textContains fulltext :
230712.pdf (Author’s version preprint ) (Closed access)SP202
- …
