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The CSIRO laboratory-scale assimilation test is carried out by embedding ore particles into a fluxed matrix of known sinter blend composition. Samples are fired in a tube furnace under controlled conditions simulating the actual sintering process. The aim is to isolate and evaluate the nucleus behaviour of an individual blend component. Measured cross-sections of the resulting fired samples provide a semi-quantitative measure of reactivity, while accompanying photomicrographs allow a qualitative assessment of assimilation properties. Nucleus particles were selected from haematite, haematite-goethite and goethite ores and embedded in a simulated plant sinter matrix. Drilled core particles of two sizes were tested at fixed temperatures simulating low temperature (<1300°C) and high temperature (>1300°C) sintering conditions. The resulting assimilation properties are compared and discussed as a function of particle size, temperature and ore/sinter mineralogy. The implications for the contribution of each component in the prediction of blend sinter quality are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Retrospective, narrative accounts of illness experience in chronic fatigue syndrome provide the empirical basis for a preliminary conceptual model of social course in chronic illness. Qualities of distress interact with culturally specific expectations for social life and personal conduct to trigger microsocial processes of marginalization: role constriction, delegitimation, impoverishment, and social isolation. Marginalizing processes are opposed by acts of resistance initiated by ill individuals and directed toward integration in social worlds. Social distance from the perceived centers of CFS sufferers' interpersonal worlds expands and contracts with the changing predominance of marginalizing and resisting influences over time. Social course thus consists of successive, bi-directional movements along a 'continuum of marginality' by persons living lives with chronic illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of iron ore sinter are largely influenced by raw material properties, in particular the bulk ore composition and its associated mineralogy. The levels of Fe, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO and other elements, together with the nature of the minerals in the fine ore and associated sintering conditions play a major role in determining the abundance and type of high-temperature bonding phases that form during sintering. This study using natural ores combines in situ X-ray diffraction experiments in model sinter systems with laboratory-based compact sinter tests to examine the links between iron ore composition and sintering conditions and their effects on sinter strength. Results help to establish the critical compositional and thermal parameters that control the bonding phase chemistry, which in turn influences the strength, a key sinter quality parameter of the sinter matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Understanding HIV-infected patient experiences and perceptions of reproductive counseling in the health care context is critical to inform design of effective pharmaco-behavioral interventions that minimize periconception HIV risk and support HIV-affected couples to realize their fertility goals. Methods. We conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 30 HIVinfected women (with pregnancy in prior year) and 20 HIV-infected men, all reporting serodiscordant partners and accessing care in Durban, South Africa. We investigated patient-reported experiences with safer conception counseling from health care workers (HCWs). Interview transcripts were reviewed and coded using content analysis for conceptual categories and emergent themes. Results. The study findings indicate that HIV-infected patients recognize HCWs as a resource for periconception-related information and are receptive to speaking to a HCW prior to becoming pregnant, but seldom seek or receive conception advice in the clinic setting. HIV nondisclosure and unplanned pregnancy are important intervening factors. When advice is shared, patients reported receiving a range of information. Male participants showed particular interest in accessing safer conception information. Conclusions. HIV-infected men and women with serodiscordant partners are receptive to the idea of safer conception counseling. HCWs need to be supported to routinely initiate accurate safer conception counseling with HIV-infected patients of reproductive age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]