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The dynamic general nesting spatial econometric model for spatial panels with common factors is the most advanced model currently available. It accounts for local spatial dependence by means of an endogenous spatial lag, exogenous spatial lags, and a spatial lag in the error term. It accounts for dynamic effects by means of the dependent variable lagged in time, and the dependent variable lagged in both space and time. Finally, it accounts for global cross-sectional dependence by means of cross-sectional averages or principal components with heterogeneous coefficients, which generalizes the traditional controls for time-invariant and spatial-invariant variables by unit-specific and time-specific effects. This paper provides an overview of the main arguments in favor of each of these model components, as well as some potential pitfalls.

The lubricating property of mold slag is significant to determine the surface quality of strands. To investigate the friction property of mold slag in the mold, the friction coefficient of the crystalline slag and glassy slag at high temperatures was measured through using a friction and wear testing machine. An edible oil was selected to simulate the lubrication behavior of liquid slag. The results show that during raising temperature from 25 °C, the friction coefficient of slag will increase due to the surface softening. The surface sintering will obviously reduce the friction coefficient of crystalline slag at around 800 °C. The friction coefficient of glassy slag is smaller than that of crystalline slag. The equivalent friction coefficient of liquid slag is below 0.2. The measured friction coefficient can be applied in mathematical models of friction.

Diffusion brazing of SiC ceramic to IN738 using an Ag-Cu-Ti powder-mixture as an interlayer was carried out for the first time. The impact of the bonding time (30 and 45 min) on metallurgical features and shear strength of the joints was assessed. The results revealed that raising the bonding time resulted in expanding of the brazing layer from 46.98 µm to 55.31 µm. Besides, increasing the bonding time also enhanced the shear strength of the SiC/Ag-Cu-Ti/IN738 joints.

Selection for residual feed intake (RFI) allows you to reduce feed costs and increase productivity of beef cattle. An increase in feed productivity by 10% can lead to an increase in profits by 43%, raising livestock with a low RFI can reduce feed intake by 12%, reduce methane emissions by 30%, and manure reduction by 17%. To obtain reliable trial results when determining the RFI, it is necessary to ensure the following conditions: 1) the same age of animals 2) the exchange of pedigree data between users of the system, which makes it possible to compare the EPDs within Vytelle Systems. Objects of research:QazaqAqbas bull calves (n = 46) at the age of 10–12 months in ZhanaBerekeLLP in Akmola region of Kazakhstan. Trial results confirm that residual feed intake in group 1 varied from -0.81 to 1.11, in group 2 - from -0.80 to 1.09. The RFI Rank was higher in group 1 (12.5). RADG in group 1 was at the level of -0.57 ... 0.58, in group 2 - -0.58 ... 1.13. According to the numerical rating of the animal (RADG Rank), the average value in group 1 was 12.5, in group 2 - 11.5. The average live weight at the beginning (START WT.) and end (END WT.) in the first group was 254.16 and 287.62 kg, in the second group 239.99 and 273.09 kg. The ADG in two groups was at the same level - 0.70 and 0.69 kg. The average Dry Matter Intake per day by animals during the trial was higher in the first group - 4.15, in the second group it was 3.65. For the first time in Kazakhstan national QazaqAqbas breed is tested for RFI, RADG, ADG, DMI, Raw F:G, Adj F:G.

The aim of the research was to establish the effectiveness of the use of the feed additive “Lamarin Saldonum.” The feed additive contains Japanese kelp, milk thistle, to increase the milk productivity during the milking period. The studies were conducted on 40 cows of the black-and-white Holstein breed at the age of 2–4 lactation and the amount of milk for the last lactation not less than 7,500 kg. The cows were divided into 4 groups (GE1, GE2, GE3, GC) of 10 heads in each. Cows GE1, GE2, GE3 received 30 days before calving daily feed additive in doses of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 g/kg, respectively, for 60 days. In the GC animals didn’t receive the feed additive (control group). Control milking was performed every 10 days. Using of feed additive in the ration increased milk productivity. In the 1st month of lactation, the average daily amount of milk in GC was 24.00±0.93 kg, which is 7.4%, 19.6% (P < 0.01), 7.4% less than in GE1, GE2 and GE3, respectively. In the 2nd month, the highest average daily amount of milk in GE2 and GE3, which is 13.4% (P < 0.01) and 4.6% more than the GC, respectively. In the 3rd month, the average daily amount of milk in GE1, GE2, and GE3 was 30.22±2.44 kg, 39.57±2.68 kg, 35.11±2.59 kg, respectively, which is 6.8%, 39.9% (P < 0.01), 24.1% more than in GC. The mass fraction of fat in milk in animals GE1, GE2, GE3 was 0.2–0.92%(P < 0.01) higher than in GC. In the second month of lactation, the mass fraction of protein in GE2 was higher by 0.24% (P < 0.01), in GE3–by 0.14 (P < 0.05) relative to GC. At the 3rd month of lactation, the protein content in milk was 0.29% higher in GE2 (P < 0.001) and GE3-by 0.21% (P < 0.001) than in GC.

Polyethylene Glycol 3350 (PEG3350) is a laxative commonly used to treat constipation in children. The Food and Drug Administration has received reports of increased anxiety, aggression, and obsessive--compulsive behaviors in children administered PEG3350. Thus, we assessed whether daily administration of PEG3350 leads to anxiety-like behavior in mice.Outbred CD-1 IGS mice were administered either a high or a low dose of PEG3350 via daily oral gavage for 2 weeks. As a laxative comparison and control, additional mice were given a high or low dose of magnesium citrate or vehicle (water). Weight and stool consistency were assessed after each gavage to determine laxative effectiveness. Anxiety-like behaviors were assessed using light/dark, open field, and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests at baseline, after 2 weeks of daily gavage, and after a 2 week washout in experiment 1, and after 2 weeks of daily gavage in experiment 2. Stool samples were collected for microbiome analysis in experiment 2 at baseline, after 2 weeks of daily gavage, and after 2 weeks washout.PEG3350 and magnesium citrate significantly changed stool consistency, as well as microbiome alpha and beta diversity. Anxiety-like behaviors were not, however, different in mice administered low or high doses of PEG3350 or magnesium citrate.Although changes in stool consistency and the gut microbiome occurred, administration of PEG3350 did not alter anxiety-like behaviors.

Summary:. From early on in the development of plastic surgery, it was quickly realized that utilizing locally adjacent tissue, or “matching like with like,” yielded superior aesthetic reconstructions to those in which the tissue was derived from a distant location. In many cases, the use of a local perforator flap is a simpler procedure with less patient morbidity and a quicker recovery from surgery. The difficulty with local perforator flaps has been locating the supplying perforators, ensuring that the flap has a robust and reliable blood supply, and that sufficient tissue is able to be transferred. The recent reappraisal of our understanding of the blood supply of the integument has allowed, for the first time, the capacity to accurately and inexpensively, without the need for “high tech equipment,” locate perforators, as they emerge from the deep fascia into the overlying integument, and through a better understanding of the interconnecting anastomotic vessels between perforators reliably predict how much tissue can be safely raised on a single perforator, before surgery. Further, through the use of strategic “delay,” it is possible to manipulate the interconnecting vessels between the selected perforator and its surrounding neighbors to design a flap of tissue of any dimension, composed of whatever tissue we require, and safely transfer that tissue locally, or if required, distantly, as a free flap. This article will highlight these advances, explain their relevance in raising reliable local perforator flaps, and will, where possible, call attention to any pearls and pitfalls, and how to avoid complications.

La mezquita Kutubiyya de Marrakech construida por el califa almohade cAbd al-Mu’min entre 1158 y 1163, contó con un sistema móvil para el cierre del recinto de su maqṣūra, ya descrito por las crónicas de la época. Las excavaciones realizadas en 1947 pusieron de manifiesto la infraestructura de este sistema. En el presente artículo se estudia cómo pudo ser el funcionamiento de este artificio en base a las descripciones documentales y a los restos materiales conservados.

Film has been used for education ever since educators recognized its powerful potential for learning. But its educational application has been criticized throughout the decades for underuse of the distinctive potential of film: to raise interest. To understand more fully film’s potential for learning, we propose a dynamic model of viewer interest and its underlying cognitive and emotional mechanisms (film’s interest raising mechanisms or FIRM model). In addition, we present an analysis method for assessing the interestingness of films in learning contexts. Our model marries interest theories from cognitive film theory and educational psychology and captures the dynamics of interestingness across a film as depending on a balance between challenge posed and coping potential provided.

The high-Tc Y1-xNixBa2Cu3O7-δ samples doped by Ni for Y atom, with x=0, 0.002, 0.004, 0.006 and 0.01 were synthesized by the standard solid-state reaction method. The XRD diffraction of samples showed no impurity phase in all samples. Magnetic susceptibility of the samples under two different magnetic fields of 0.8 and 400 A/m was measured. The results showed that by increasing nickel element to an optimum value, the intragranular connection and flux pinning were improved.

In order to improve the machining quality and reduce the dimensional errors of micro high-aspect-ratio straight thin walls, the on-line cutting parameter compensation device has been introduced and corresponding micromilling processes have been investigated. Layered milling strategies for the micromilling of thin walls have been modeled and simulated for thin walls with different thicknesses based on the finite element method. The radial cutting parameters compensation method is adopted to compensate the thin wall deformation by raising the radial cutting parameters since the thin wall deformation make the actual radial cutting parameters smaller than nominal ones. The experimental results show that the dimensional errors of the thin wall have been significantly reduced after the radial cutting parameter compensation. The average relative dimensional error is reduced from 6.9% to 2.0%. Moreover, the fabricated thin walls keep good shape formation. The reduction of the thin wall dimensional error shows that the simulation results are reliable, which has important guiding significance for the improvement of thin wall machining quality, especially the improvement of dimensional accuracy. The experimental results show that the developed device and the machining strategy can effectively improve the micromilling quality of thin walls.

This paper reports the results of a study concerned with use of electroadhesion for investigation of the attraction force of paper (weight of 50 g/m2). For this purpose, a measuring system was developed and built. Next, a dedicated electroadhesive pad coated with copper and copper mesh on the other side was designed. A new supply control algorithm was also developed and a dedicated charger was built for the purpose of this study. The measurements were carried out with a tensiometer to measure the force with which the electroadhesive pad attracted paper. The research was carried out in a series of several experiments and involved shifting the polarity of the pad and depolarizing the entire system.

The introduction of modular design in total hip arthroplasty has enabled the use of different materials in one single configuration and the adjustment of the prosthesis to the patient’s body, and facilitated medical revisions. However, modularity leads to the presence of new interfaces created between pieces in contact, raising the issue of degradation. Tribocorrosion phenomena have been identified as the main degradation mechanism due to the mechanical, chemical, and electrochemical conditions acting on the materials. In addition, conditions inside the human body are unclear, regarding electrochemical settings and the interaction between the electrochemical and mechanical action. This work is focused on the degradation of monopolar hip joint implants made from biomedical alloys such as stainless steel, Ti, and CoCr alloys. Three cases are presented and analyzed in terms of the degradation level along the trunnion length. Surface analysis done on a titanium trunnion showed a significant ploughing on the distal part, compared to what was found for stainless steel and cobalt-chromium alloys, which can produce a stuck in this area. Meanwhile, in the proximal part, wear debris is found, which suggests more movement in the internal part. Although few debris particles were identified in CoCr trunnion, a large amount of material inside the contact was observed. This could be related to the ploughing generated in the distal thread pattern, which allowed the material to come inside and outside the contact. RESUMEN : El uso de implantes modulares de cadera ha permitido el uso de diferentes materiales en un solo dispositivo, un mejor ajuste a la anatomía del paciente y, ha facilitado los procedimientos de revisión. Sin embargo, dicha modularidad crea nuevas interfaces que pueden sufrir degradación por mecanismos triboquímicos como fretting – corrosión, por las condiciones mecánicas, químicas y electroquímicas propias del cuerpo. Actualmente, dichas condiciones no son completamente claras, ni la interacción ellas. Este trabajo se centra en el análisis de la degradación de implantes mono-polares de cadera elaborados en aleaciones biomédicas: acero inoxidable (SS), aleaciones de Ti y CoCr, en los que se analiza el nivel de degradación a lo largo de la longitud del cono femoral. El cono femoral de titanio mostró una deformación más significativa de la zona distal que causa un bloqueo entre las partes modulares, comparado con la misma zona de partes fabricadas en SS y aleaciones cobalto-cromo. Por otra parte, partículas de desgaste fueron encontradas en la parte proximal, lo que sugiere que esta es una zona bajo mayor movimiento. En el cono femoral de CoCr pudo observarse una gran cantidad de material orgánico dentro del contacto. Lo anterior pudo ser causado por un ajuste deficiente inferido por la baja deformación en los filetes de la zona distal, lo que probablemente promovió que más material entrara y saliera del contacto. COL0007927

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging advanced health systems, which are dealing with an overwhelming number of patients in need of intensive care for respiratory failure, often requiring intubation. Prone positioning in intubated patients is known to reduce mortality in moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. We aimed to investigate feasibility and effect on gas exchange of prone positioning in awake, non-intubated patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia.In this prospective, feasibility, cohort study, patients aged 18-75 years with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19-related pneumonia receiving supplemental oxygen or non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure were recruited from San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. We collected baseline data on demographics, anthropometrics, arterial blood gas, and ventilation parameters. After baseline data collection, patients were helped into the prone position, which was maintained for a minimum duration of 3 h. Clinical data were re-collected 10 min after prone positioning and 1 h after returning to the supine position. The main study outcome was the variation in oxygenation (partial pressure of oxygen [PaOBetween March 20 and April 9, 2020, we enrolled 56 patients, of whom 44 (79%) were male; the mean age was 57·4 years (SD 7·4) and the mean BMI was 27·5 kg/mProne positioning was feasible and effective in rapidly ameliorating blood oxygenation in awake patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia requiring oxygen supplementation. The effect was maintained after resupination in half of the patients. Further studies are warranted to ascertain the potential benefit of this technique in improving final respiratory and global outcomes.University of Milan-Bicocca.

International audience; The interest in perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) such as CsPbBr$_3$ for quantum applications is rapidly raising, as it has been demonstrated that they can behave as very efficient single photon emitters. The main problem to tackle in this context is their photo-stability under optical excitation. In this article, we present a full analysis of the optical and quantum properties of highly efficient perovskite nanocubes synthesized with an established method, which is used for the first time to produce quantum emitters, and is shown to ensure an increased photostability. These emitters exhibit reduced blinking together with a strong photon antibunching. Remarkably these features are hardly affected by the increase of the excitation intensity well above the emission saturation levels. Finally, we achieve for the first time the coupling of a single perovskite nanocube with a tapered optical nanofiber in order to aim for a compact integrated single photon source for future applications.

Industrial metal spinning depends on costly trial-and-error when introducing new products. However, a recently developed flexible spinning setup allows a new form of process operation similar to raising by hammering: two rollers on either side of the rotating workpiece apply a couple to deform it locally whilst moving towards its edge. This paper presents this configuration for the first time and develops and verifies an upper bound yield-line model to design stable tool-paths that avoid wrinkling. Raising by spinning is shown to be feasible and more stable than conventional spinning, paving the way for automatic production of deep axisymmetric shapes.

This paper presents an investigation of diffusion welding of aluminum and nickel at the atomic scale by utilizing molecular dynamics simulation. By employing several temperature and pressure values, the significant influence of the two could be obtained and thus the optimum parameter values could be obtained. The results showed that the bonding mechanism is mostly promoted by Al, in which the deformation and defects are involved. The results on both the mechanical properties and the evolution of the diffusion configuration showed that temperature has more impact compared to pressure. It was indicated that by raising the temperature to 700 K with the lowest pressure (50 MPa), both the mechanical properties and the evolution of the diffusion configuration showed a relatively significant difference. On the one hand, the deformation that occurs during welding, which is mostly caused by raising the temperature, obviously promotes joining and therefore more joining depth can be achieved, although it results in a curved diffusion zone at the interface. On the other hand, it also leads to a lower ultimate tensile strength. During the tensile test, raising the temperature also led to focusing the deformation in the diffusion zone, while a lower temperature resulted in a wider area of deformation.

Walking on different grades becomes challenging on energetic and muscular levels compared to level walking. While it is not possible to eliminate the cost of raising or lowering the centre of mass (COM), it could be possible to minimize the cost of distal joints with shoes that offset downhill or uphill grades. We investigated the effects of shoe outsole geometry in 10 participants walking at 1 m s −1 on downhill, level and uphill grades. Level shoes minimized metabolic rate during level walking ( P second-order effect < 0.001). However, shoes that entirely offset the (overall) treadmill grade did not minimize the metabolic rate of walking on grades: shoes with a +3° (upward) inclination minimized metabolic rate during downhill walking on a −6° grade, and shoes with a −3° (downward) inclination minimized metabolic rate during uphill walking on a +6° grade ( P interaction effect = 0.023). Shoe inclination influenced (distal) ankle joint parameters, including soleus muscle activity, ankle moment and work rate, whereas treadmill grade influenced (whole-body) ground reaction force and COM work rate as well as (distal) ankle joint parameters including tibialis anterior and plantarflexor muscle activity, ankle moment and work rate. Similar modular footwear could be used to minimize joint loads or assist with walking on rolling terrain.

The paper presents a numerical study of the operation of photovoltaic panels integrated in ventilated facades of the buildings. In these circumstances, the position of the panels is fixed all the time and the possibility of the raising of the conversion efficiency is analysed from the point of view of the operating temperature of the photovoltaic cells. The model and the functioning parameters are obtained using TRNSYS software. The solution proposed for cooling the panels consistsin using waterheat exchangers attached to the backside of the photovoltaic panel.

The Maldives (land elevation approximately 1 m above mean sea level) is often associated with the threat of rising sea levels. Land scarcity due to population pressure is also a major issue. In the late 1990s a new 1.9km2 1.8 m high artificial island, Hulhumalé was created for urban expansion, including an allowance for sea‐level rise. This paper assesses flood exposure through an extreme water level scenario on Hulhumalé taking into account sea‐level rise and analyses potential adaptation options to extend island life. Results indicate that overtopping is likely to occur with 0.6 ± 0.2 m of sea‐level rise, with more severe, widespread flooding with 0.9 ± 0.2 m of sea‐level rise. If the Paris Agreement goals are met, flooding is not anticipated this century. However, under a non‐mitigation scenario, flooding could occur by the 2090s. Building seawalls 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m high could delay flooding for 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m of sea‐level rise, respectively. Land raising has been successful in Hulhumalé in reducing flood risk simultaneous to addressing development needs. Whilst new land claim and raising can be cost‐effective, raising developed land provides greater challenges, such as timeliness with respect to infrastructure design lives or financial costs. Thus the transferability and long‐term benefits of land raising requires further consideration.

Flying-ash erosion is the prime reason of the tube failure, involving the economy and safety of coal-fired power plants. To address this issue, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is applied to this paper, which is coupled with the erosion profile calculation based on the dynamic mesh. The tube profile is analyzed under the flying-ash erosion, and the heat transfer process is further taken into account. The results indicate that as time goes on, the impact frequency and the incident angle decrease at the lower angle and increase at the higher angle. With time going on, the peak value becomes smaller at the saddle-shaped erosion rate curve, and the position of the peak value moves towards the higher angle. Meanwhile, both sides of the saddle-shaped curve expand towards the higher angle. That is, the erosion rate and the erosion loss become higher. The Nusselt number grows slightly and the trend grows faster as time goes on. The erosion profile leads to raising the temperature gradient at the angle of 0°, which induces the tube to rupture ultimately.

International audience; The increased number of daily flights in the last decades has led to the densification of major airports and the proliferation of air traffic delays. The approach phase is inherently complex and labor extensive for flight crews, whose mission is to follow a stabilized approach. Current flight management systems do not provide much help in situations of high energy, where crews apply challenging energy management techniques to land in the destination runway. Go-around procedures shall be initiated as soon as the aircraft is not at the correct energy condition at the stabilization gate, despite the increase of workload this type of operation induces for crews and air traffic controllers. The continuation of a nonstabilized approach may put at peril the safety of flight. This paper presents an algorithm that computes the trajectory that stabilizes the aircraft in the minimum distance, which is also known as the high-energy-limit trajectory. The provision of this trajectory contributes to raising flight crew awareness of the aircraft energy state, and it informs that stabilization is not possible by giving the minimum distance to follow a stabilized approach. Flight simulator results helped to assess the operational concept and improve the representativeness of real flight operations. The calculation of the trajectory on a real-time basis provides flight crews with useful information of the aircraft energy condition, which improves flight safety and may ultimately reduce the number of nonstabilized approaches and go-around procedures.

In Armenia the mountainous natural hayfields are the best fodder base for cattle breeding. However they are covered with superficial and slim stones, straw, bushes, located on curve surfaces and in that conditions the operational results of feed harvest machines are low. In mountainous hayfields based on КС-2.1 grass mowing machine statistical data results were created their uninterrupted work duration probability density's statistical diagram, reliability's, statistical and probable function's modification graphs. The durability's dispersal hysteresis of eliminating failures, statistical and theoretical functions' modification graphs. The analysis result of researches shows that the operational reliability of grass mowing machine is very low. The results are shown in table. The failures' reasons are clarified. The goal is to raise the grass mowing machine operational reliability with two ways simultaneously – to improve the landscape surface areas and make durability calculation for finger and finger beam and process rational methods of repairing them for raising their firmness. Keywords: Maintenance, Recovery, Reliability, Exploitation, Machine, Firmness

An analysis of improving efficiency of aircraft engine turbines by means of improvement of composition of sealing coatings used in labyrinth seals was made. It was established that a number of contradictory requirements to properties of such coatings are imposed at the initial stage of engine running-in and during further operation. Main types of damage of above coatings used in the design of labyrinth seals during operation of gas turbine engines were shown. In connection with the necessity of raising temperature of gases in turbines of aircraft engines, it was proposed to additionally dope the serial nickel-based coatings with yttrium-containing master alloys. The results of study of influence of doping of the wearing-in sealing coatings on operating properties in conditions of action of a high-temperature gas flow were presented. It was found that doping of the KNA-82 serial coating with a multicomponent Co-Ni-Cr-Al-Y master alloy is the most rational solution. It was established that the use of the developed coating in a temperature range of 1,100...1,200 °C makes it possible to reduce specific consumption of fuel by aircraft engines by improving turbine efficiency and prevent wear of the end faces of ridges of the rotor labyrinth seal. Based on simulation of flow in the labyrinth seal clearance by numerical method, it was shown that the use of the developed coating materials in seals of the compressor turbine and the free turbine makes it possible to reduce amount of cooling air leakage into the turbine air-gas channel by reducing wear of tops of the labyrinth rotor seal ridge

Present article is a study of stagnation point flow over Riga plate with erratic thickness. Riga plate is an electromagnetic surface in which electrodes are assembled alternatively. This arrangement generates electromagnetic hydrodynamic behavior in the fluid flow. This is an attempt to investigate influence of melting heat, thermal radiation and viscous dissipation effects on Riga plate. A traversal electric and magnetic fields are produced by Riga plate. It causes Lorentz force parallel to wall which contributes in directing flow pattern. Physical problem is modeled and reduced nonlinear system is solved numerically. Comparative analysis is carried out between solutions obtained by Keller Box Method and shooting technique with Runge-Kutta Fehlberg method of order 5. It is noted that melting heat transfer reduces temperature distribution whereas radiation parameter upsurge it. Velocity is accelerated by modified Hartman number and Eckert number contributes in raising temperature. Keywords: Keller Box method, Computational design, Melting heat transfer, Stagnation point, Viscous dissipation, Thermal radiation

In addition to the three special issue papers, issue 15.1 contains two papers on input-output analysis. The first paper provides a thorough analysis of the cross entropy (CE) method to build input-output tables at sub-territorial levels or to update them in time. The second paper proposes a spatial input-output location quotient accounting for the co-location of related industries within the same area and for spatial spillovers of concentration into neighboring areas.

This study is focused on the monitoring of 3D interlock weaving, which is a process used for structural composite reinforcements. As high-density weaving leads to significant damage on warp tows, the standard execution of the process is impacted. To increase the production rate, tow-to-tow interactions need to be clearly understood, which is the aim of in-situ measurements on a sequential weaving loom. Tension and contact force between tows were measured using specific sensors. Great differences in tension and contact force were highlighted as a function of the type of crossing during the weaving cycle. Specific tow crossings generate very high peaks of tension and contact force. A significant difference has been noticed between the impact of the raising and lowering of tows during shedding motion on the tension and force values. A spectral analysis of the tension signal has shown an interesting potential for indirect tow damage monitoring and detection.

The current study aims to evaluate the possibilities to increase part strength by optimizing the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process parameters. Five different CAD models of parts with the same coupling dimensions but of different shape inherited from a recent study were converted into test samples with Ultimaker 2 3D printer. The main measure of success was the sample strength, defined as the load at which the first crack in the stressed area of the part appeared. Three different modifications to the FFF process with verified positive effect on interlayer bonding were applied. The first modification included raising the extrusion temperature and disabling printed part cooling. The second modification consisted of reduction in the layer thickness. The third modification combined the effects of the first and the second ones. For four out of five shapes tested the applied process modifications resulted in significant strengthening of the part. The shape that exhibited the best results was subject to further research by creating special printing mode. The mode included fine-tuning of three technological parameters on different stages of the part fabrication. As a result it was possible to increase the part strength by 108% only by tuning printing parameters of the best shape designed with increasing its weight by 8%.

It has been shown that wood particleboards bonded with sour cassava starch can display low density combined with good physico-mechanical performance, thanks to starch being able to produce a strong foam that fills the interparticular space. Here we optimize the pressing conditions for the production of these panels. The procedure involved hot-plate pressing in two stages: (1) lowering the top platen to a specified thickness for a duration designated as pressing time, followed by (2) raising the top platen to allow panel expansion for a duration designated as hold time. The parameters studied were the pressing time (10 to 150 s), the hold time (290 to 890 s), and the top platen temperature (80 to 190 &deg, C). The hold time and pressing time showed to be crucial parameters. The best operating conditions corresponded to 600 s of press cycle time, comprising 60 s of pressing time and 540 s of hold time. The top platen temperature used was 190 &deg, C. The particleboards produced had a density of 405 kg&middot, m&minus, 3, an internal bond strength of 0.44 N&middot, mm&minus, 2, and a thickness swelling of 13.2%. This can be considered as very good performance, taking into account the panels&rsquo, low density.

Gas species recognition through fully optical devices is currently a raising trend over the wellestablishedconductometric approach [...]

Solar water heating is a technology of capturing the energy from the sun's radiation for the purpose of raising the temperature of water from water supply temperature to the desired higher temperature depending on the use. There are many views and discussions on the questions of thermal efficiency of solar water heaters and their associated cost, especially different customers/users want to replace their existing conventional water heating energy by solar water heating systems. In this present paper, a deep investigation has been accomplished to determine thermal efficiency and cost analysis of solar water heater made in Rwanda. During manufacturing of solar water heater, the collector was the main part to emphasize on. The high efficiency of the system was achieved by replacing galvanized iron sheet by aluminum sheet slotted and black painted as an absorber plate. The ambient temperature and average solar radiation of the three sites where solar water heaters are installed were investigated. The used materials, specifications and sizing were discussed in this paper.

The impaction force required to assemble the head and stem components of hip implants is proven to play a major role in the mechanics of the taper junction. However, it is not clear if the assembly force could have an effect on fretting wear, which normally occurs at the junction. In this study, an adaptive finite element model was developed for a CoCr/CoCr head-neck junction with an angular mismatch of 0.01&deg, in order to simulate the fretting wear process and predict the material loss under various assembly forces and over a high number of gait cycles. The junction was assembled with 2, 3, 4, and 5 kN and then subjected to 1,025,000 cycles of normal walking gait loading. The findings showed that material removal due to fretting wear increased when raising the assembly force. High assembly forces induced greater contact pressures over larger contact regions at the interface, which, in turn, resulted in more material loss and wear damage to the surface when compared to lower assembly forces. Although a high assembly force (greater than 4 kN) can further improve the initial strength and stability of the taper junction, it appears that it also increases the degree of fretting wear. Further studies are needed to investigate the assembly force in the other taper designs, angular mismatches, and material combinations.

Power management of digital circuits is raising of importance in a broad spectrum of computing domains. High-performance computing systems as the effect of the stop of Dennard's scaling have become power and thermal limited. In this manuscript, we evaluate the feasibility of using an open-source RISC-V based power controller for the high-performance computing market.

Background: Fluid responsiveness can be predicted by the effect of passive leg raising on cardiac output. Objectives: This research aimed to compare the changes in cardiac output and the peak systolic velocity values of Tricuspid annulus velocity at the free wall (S’) before and after passive leg raising in healthy volunteers. Methods: The study was approved by ethical commission. The desired sample size was 28, and 57 volunteers were included after they signed informed consent. The first measurements, including vital signs, S’, and cardiac output, were taken with the participants lying supine and were performed in the morning after 12 h fast. The participants were then asked to lie in a semirecumbent position for 3 min. After 3 min, the head of the bed was lowered to the supine position and the participants’ legs were elevated at 45°. Secondary measurements were repeated in this position. The differences between vital signs, cardiac output, and S’ measurements before and after passive leg raising were statistically compared. The level of significance was set as p < 0.05. Results: The mean values of cardiac output and S’ before passive leg raising was 9.59 L/min and 11.57 cm/s, respectively; however, those increased to 11.44 L/min and 13.72 cm/s after passive leg raising. The average increases were 16.17% for cardiac output and 15.67% for S’. The changes of cardiac output and S’ were statistically significant. The changes of vital signs before and after passive leg raising were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the concordance of rise in cardiac output with S’ change by passive leg raising in healthy subjects. Further studies are needed to validate the use of S’ values in critically ill subjects.

Commercially-housed dairy goats are typically fed from ground level, but their natural feeding behaviour includes foraging from variable heights. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feed intake and behaviour of dairy goats when offered different feeding heights in a competitive feeding environment. Thirteen group-housed, non-lactating goats were exposed to 3 feeder heights: floor-level (head lowered), head-level, and elevated-level (head angled upwards). One feeder height was provided daily for 12 d, resulting in 4 presentations of each height. Each feeder contained ad libitum alfalfa haylage and a corn-based supplement (230 g), refreshed twice daily. Feeding space was restricted to 13.5 cm/goat. Goats ate more from the elevated- compared to the floor- and head-level feeders (0.77 ± 0.06 vs 0.92 ± 0.06 kg vs 0.99 ± 0.06 kg DM/d, for floor-, head- and elevated-level feeders, respectively; P=0.03). Feeding time was generally highest at head-level, but lowest at floor-level during morning feeding and lowest at elevated-level during afternoon feeding feeding (morning: 15.9 ± 1.8 vs 25.3 ± 1.9 vs 20.0 ± 1.9 min/d; P

A mechanical ball milling method for ultrafast synthesis of a nickel-based metal organic framework (Ni-MOF) has been proposed. The Ni-MOF was successfully synthesized in merely one minute without any solvent, additives, or preliminary preparation. The effect of milling time, mechano-frequency, type of assistant liquid, and amount of assistant water were systematically explored. It was found that the product can be obtained even only at a mechano-frequency of 10 Hz within one minute without any external solvent-assist, which indicated that the crystal water present in the nickel precursor was sufficient to promote MOF formation. Increasing the milling time, raising the mechano-frequency, and the addition of assistant solvent could promote the reaction and increase the yield. The method is rapid, highly efficient, eco-friendly, and has great scalability. The product generated within merely one minute even exhibited high capacitance.

Human resources are the most important part of the operation in an enterprise. Based on this logic, companies must continuously invest in increasing the performance of internal capacity through the creation of their strategies which will define clear developing objectives. Enterprises, be it large or small companies, private or public, especially companies with energy profiles such as power plants or district heating, to offer their services, an internal organization of a high level is needed. This arrangement inevitably must include human resources. In our case, we have analysed the functioning of District Heating “Termokos” in Pristina, which for a year now operates with a new system of providing thermal energy - cogeneration project. Of course this also requires changes in the functioning of the enterprise reorganization, since we are dealing with the creation of new departments which require qualified and professional framework. During the analysis, we will focus on current data that we have from District Heating. To process the data we are using recognized statistical methods and similar models through which we will give our recommendations, for better functioning of the enterprise.

It has been proved by many researchers that increasing the temperature in warm deep-drawing process of single layer sheets decreases the forming load, however, this phenomenon is not necessarily the case in warm deep-drawing process of laminate sheet. The objective of the present paper is to carry out a comprehensive investigation on warm deep-drawing process on laminated sheets experimentally. Based on the results of this study, it can be observed that by raising the temperature, variation of forming load more depends on blank holder force (BHF). In this study, thinning and wrinkling in Al 1050/St 304 and Al 5052/St 304 samples for each layer in warm deep-drawing process are evaluated individually. In addition, the effects of various grain sizes, blank temperatures and sequence layer on forming load are investigated. In order to carry out a comprehensive survey of warm deep-drawing; three blank temperatures namely, 25 °C, 100 °C and 160 °C are examined. Furthermore, to achieve various grain sizes, the aluminum sheets are annealed at 350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C for 1 h. Finally, several tests are conducted to obtain the influences of grain size on some material characteristics such as stress, elongation and friction coefficient. Keywords: Warm deep-drawing, Laminated sheet, Load–displacement curve, Grain size, Blank holder force

This study was aimed to assess the status of waste treatment for cow raising at small farm households in Can Tho, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, and Hau Giang. The interview of 120 cow farmer households indicated that local farmers normally treat their waste by sun-drying, storing in ponds, discharging directly into rivers, or applying to anaerobic biogas. The farmers select ways to treat cow excrement according to seasons of the year: in the dry season cow waste is mostly sun-dried for sale (76.7%); stored for use (10%), untreated (7.5%) or applied to biogas plants (5.8%); however, in the rainy season most of the farmers leave the waste untreated (94.2%), except for those owning biogas tanks. Biogas treatment is applied mainly by dairy cow-raising households, accounting for 85.7% of biogas users. The cow farmer households have limited knowledge about biogas application; 23.3% of the interviewed farmers knew about biogas technology; 47.5% had little knowledge about this technology, however, 29.2% of the selected persons had no idea about biogas technology. Based on the quantity of beef cattle herds in the surveyed areas, it is estimated that CH4 gas emissions account for around 252.3 tons, 61.4 tons, 8.2 tons, and 2.5 tons in Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, and Hau Giang, respectively. Nghiên cứu này nhằm đánh giá hiện trạng xử lý chất thải tại các hộ chăn nuôi bò ở thành phố Cần Thơ và các tỉnh Trà Vinh, Sóc Trăng, Hậu Giang. Tổng số 120 hộ chăn nuôi đã được phỏng vấn cho thấy có 4 phương pháp xử lý chính để xử lý chất thải chăn nuôi phát sinh: ủ yếm khí (biogas), phơi khô và bán, trữ lại trong ao để sử dụng, và không xử lý. Tùy theo thời điểm trong năm người dân sẽ thay đổi cách thức xử lý chất thải chăn nuôi bò: vào mùa khô có nhiều nắng chủ yếu người dân phơi khô để bán (76,7%), để lại và sử dụng (10%), dùng để ủ biogas (5,8%), và không xử lý (7,5%); tuy nhiên vào mùa mưa hầu hết các hộ dân không xử lý chất thải chăn nuôi (94,2%), chỉ trừ những hộ dân đã có hầm ủ biogas để xử lý. Xử lý chất thải chăn nuôi bằng công nghệ biogas được áp dụng phổ biến ở các hộ nuôi bò sữa, chiếm 85,7% số hộ có hầm ủ biogas. Sự hiểu biết về công nghệ biogas của các hộ chăn nuôi còn khá giới hạn, chỉ 23,3% hộ dân được phỏng vấn biết về công nghệ biogas, 47,5% hộ biết ít về công nghệ này, trong khi 29,2% hộ dân hoàn toàn không biết. Dựa trên số lượng đàn bò thịt trong vùng khảo sát, có thể tính được lượng CH4 phát thải hàng năm từ chất thải chăn nuôi là 252,3 tấn, 61,4 tấn, 8,2 tấn và 2,5 tấn từ các địa phương Sóc Trăng, Trà Vinh, Cần Thơ, và Hậu Giang., Journal of Vietnamese Environment, Vol 10 No 1 (2018)

High-speed machining (HSM) is used in industry to improve the productivity and quality of the cutting operations. In this investigation, pure alumina ceramics with the addition of ZrO2, and mixed alumina (Al2O3 + TiC) tools were used in the dry hard turning of AISI 4340 (52 HRC) at different high cutting speeds of 150, 250, 700 and 1000 m/min. It was observed that at cutting speeds of 150 and 250 m/min, pure alumina ceramic tools had better wear resistance than mixed alumina ones. However, upon increasing the cutting speed from 700 to 1000 m/min, mixed alumina ceramic tools outperformed pure ceramic ones. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the worn cutting edges and analyze the obtained results. It was found that the tribo-films formed at the cutting zone during machining affected the wear resistances of the tools and influenced the coefficient of friction at the tool-chip interface. These observations were confirmed by the chip compression ratio results at different cutting conditions. Raising cutting speed to 1000 m/min corresponded to a remarkable decrease in cutting force components in the dry hard turning of AISI 4340 steel.

International audience; The application of water-based finishes to wood surfaces is known to increase surface roughness by raising the grain. This phenomenon is detrimental in the appearance of the finished wood surface. To eliminate it, light denibbing is needed prior to applying the second coat of finish. The objective of this study is to optimize wood machining to minimize raised grain caused by water-based coatings and to avoid, or at least, to minimize the sanding operation between each coat of finish. Experiments were done on beech samples. Complete experimental design was defined to generate several surface qualities from \textquotedblleftsmooth\textquotedblright to \textquotedblleftrough\textquotedblright which are linked to the average thickness of the removed chips. The planing parameters were the cutting mode, cutting direction, feed speed, and rotation speed. To compare with existing practices in joinery industries, specimens were also sanded. Two layers of water based coating were applied. Half of the samples were sanded after the first coat and the other half were not. Following each coat, surface roughness was measured and raised grain was evaluated through tactile tests. Results show that sanding operation is responsible for more raised grain than planing. Whereas for planing, high chip removal thickness gives more raised grain after coating application. The effects of the other parameters on raised grain occurence are not found to be statistically significant. The average roughness (Sa), quadratic mean roughness (Sq), reduced peak height (Spk) and the material volume of the peak section (Vmp) are the roughness parameters best correlated with tactile evaluation of grain raising, but the correlations are weak.

The hot pressure deformation tests were carried out by using Gleeble-2000 simulator at the temperature of 950°C ~ 1150 °C and strain rate of 0.001s-1 ~ 1s-1 for a kind of high strength construction steel 34CrNiMo6 for Crankshafts and the curve of its flow stress were obtained. By studied the data, the flow stress constitutive equation, hot deforming active energy and the Z parameter were obtained. The curve of flow stress of 34CrNiMo6 steel indicated that the flow stress was increased with the decrease of temperature or increase of the strain rate. During the deformation, temperature and strain rate take important effect on dynamic recrystallization and dynamic recovery. It was propitious to dynamic recrystallization with raising temperature or reducing strain rate, and also made for the refinement of grain.

Influence of gas distribution uniformity in the channels of air-gas paths on efficiency and quality of metals cutting is noted for plasmatrons of various updating. It is shown, that application of gas-dynamic filters promotes efficiency and quality of plasmatrons with the one-line scheme of air-gas pathswork. The technique for estimation of gas distribution uniformity in the channels of metal-cutting plasmatron is presented. © 2018 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Temporary supports, consisting of a stack of wooden elements and a hydraulic jack, are used in the process of removing deflections in buildings with one to three aboveground floors in mining areas. During uneven raising, the supports are loaded monotonically, unloaded and loaded cyclically. Laboratory tests were designed for the supports. For the investigated range of loads of 0 to 400 kN, under a growing load, a linear relationship exists between a load and the change in the stack length, which signifies that the deformations of wooden elements and displacements related to their mutual interactions increase proportionally. A seemingly higher stack stiffness is seen at the beginning of the unloading process and for cyclical loads, meaning that in this phase of loading, the material deformation of the wooden elements and the jack is responsible for changing the jack length in this load phase, with a negligible presence of mutual displacements of wooden elements. The support, after being unloaded, returns to the initial position and its permanent deformations are not observed. The stiffness of a temporary support decreases as the height of the stack of wooden elements increases.

The latissimus dorsi flap is popular due to the versatile nature of its applications. When used as a pedicled flap it provides a robust solution when soft tissue coverage is required following breast, thoracic and head and neck surgery. Its utilization as a free flap is extensive due to the muscle's size, constant anatomy, large caliber of the pedicle and the fact it can be used for functional muscle transfers. In facial palsy it provides the surgeon with a long neurovascular pedicle that is invaluable in situations where commonly used facial vessels are not available, in congenital cases or where previous free functional muscle transfers have been attempted, or patients where a one-stage procedure is indicated and a long nerve is required to reach the contra-lateral side. Although some facial palsy surgeons use the trans-axillary approach, an operative guide of raising the flap by this method has not been provided. A clear guide of raising the flap with the patient in the supine position is described in detail and offers the benefits of reducing the risk of potential brachial plexus injury and allows two surgical teams to work synchronously to reduce operative time.