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9%Cr steels have been in use in power generation for over 20 years. Over this time, there have been a number of incidents of failure by Type IV cracking at welds initiating sub-surface, making surface inspection procedures unsuitable for crack detection. Replication to identify creep cavitation damage can potentially give an early warning of imminent cracking, but has proved unsuccessful in high Cr martensitic steels. Electromagnetic (EM) inspection can provide fast inspection of welded components with minimal surface preparation and some increase in inspection depth. This paper shows the results of accelerated creep tests carried out on a P91 pressure vessel, with EM inspections during regular test interruptions. The results show that EM inspection gave indications of damage in the latter stages of creep cavitation. EM is considered to have the potential for quick assessment of component through thickness damage, flagging up locations of potential problems for more detailed investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An automated algorithm is presented which enables the harmonic balance equations for any polynomial type pure or cross-product non-linear differential system to be written down directly in terms of the coefficients of the governing equation and the complex amplitudes of a general harmonic waveform. The system frequency response, in the form of a multi-input, amplitude dependent describing function, is therefore readily computed. The method is illustrated by means of an example, and the results validated against detailed numeric simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic algorithm for generating the polyharmonic balance equations for any system within a broad class of time-delayed differential, or non-linear difference equation models, is presented. The method, which is readily automated, enables the balance equations to be written down directly in terms of the coefficients of the governing equation, and the complex amplitudes of a general harmonic waveform. The system frequency response or amplitude dependent describing function is then readily computed. The method is illustrated by means of examples including both a time-delayed differential system example and a discrete time NARX model application. The results are validated against detailed numeric simulation which confirms the accuracy and efficacy of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of a suitable drug delivery system forms an attractive strategy to overcome the low bioavailability of quercetin. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate–co-N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide), P(HEMA-co-HEAA) copolymer samples, and homopolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (PHEAA) offer potential as quercetin delivery matrices owing to their favorable properties rendered in this study. Free radical polymerization applied under cryogenic conditions produced the polymer gels. The homopolymers and copolymers are noncytotoxic, porous, soft cryogels with surfaces resistant to protein and HCT-116 cancer cell adhesion. In vitro, quercetin release studies from samples reveal swelling-controlled, zero-order drug release at pH = 7.4 and 37 °C with high cumulative release percentages ranging from 92.03% to 94.82%. The durability of the cryogels and limited quercetin release at pH = 2.0 indicate that these cryogels are promising matrices for successfully delivering quercetin to the small intestine, where its primary absorption occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review a program of work articulating the concept of inclusion – and approaches for achieving it – for women working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) organisations. A multi-level framework is described to characterise inclusion in STEM workplaces. This framework is then used to conceptualise a series of empirical studies exploring women's experiences of STEM work cultures. Together, these studies show that identity-based inclusion is the product of institutional policies and practices, interpersonal dynamics, and individuals' beliefs and biases. We then use our multi-level framework to discuss practical insights for creating inclusive cultures in STEM organisations. We offer a series of empirically informed actionable suggestions for spreading and establishing inclusive norms in STEM organisations. Our framework suggests that creating contexts where employees can effectively learn inclusive norms will help organisations construct gender-inclusive work cultures in STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For this comprehensive literature review, we begin by framing our study with a scholarship review of the theorizing of place-based leadership and rural administrators. We then synthesize research on the practice and experiences of district administrators, including superintendents, school boards, and other ancillary leaders. We identify multiple themes that cross this body of work, including the significance of the relationship between rural residents and educational leaders; the challenges in recruiting, retaining, and training rural administrators; and the need for critical, place-conscious leadership. The review concludes with recommendations for future scholarship and how such work can inform and improve rural leadership preparation and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we conduct a systematic review of the literature completed over the past 4 decades pertaining to teacher recruitment, retention, and resultant teacher shortages. We focus on research that examines rural settings, per the National Rural Education Association's identification of the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural schools as a primary research priority. Evidence distilled in this systematic review shows that though this area of scholarship has expanded in recent years, there remains a paucity of policy and program evaluations focused on rural settings, a stark contrast to the depth of urban-focused and location-agnostic scholarship. While research on other geographic settings may provide some level of relevance for rural settings, evidence pertaining to rural schools, particularly that focused on heterogeneous rural contexts, likely would inform rural policy and practice more effectively. We summarize the existing body of research and conclude by considering possibilities for future avenues of actionable scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instead of focusing on "why voters appear to tolerate rather than punish" as most previous literature, this paper advances an alternative explanation: it seeks to explain how voters process information about corruption. Consistent with research on public opinion formation, this paper argues that voters can perceive the same event and make different interpretation about its meaning. Based on an original survey experiment conducted during the 2018 presidential election in Mexico, this study finds that citizens hold partisan attitudes and are motivated to protect these partisan predispositions, which make them interpret common events in different way. In particular, when this study informed voters that an unnamed candidate engaged in corruption, respondents unequivocally considered such actions as corrupt. However, when the name of their co-partisan candidate was explicitly mentioned as engaging in the same activities, voters rejected to qualify them as corrupt. Partisans are not "tolerating" or "condoning" corruption; partisans tend to choose interpretations that rationalize their partisan priors and justify their co-partisans' behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People presumably strive to maximize their own benefit whenever possible, so it is puzzling when they vote for leaders who may not have their best interest at heart. We tested whether support for a political leader is diminished when supporters learn they are financially disadvantaged by the leader's policies. In a two-stage experiment (Time 1 n = 601, Time 2 n = 343) with pre-registered hypotheses, Trump voters predicted their expected tax refund (or payment), and then reported their tax outcome immediately after the filing deadline. Afterwards, we confronted half of the participants with the discrepancy between their actual and predicted tax outcome. Having lower-than-expected tax outcomes was not associated with reduced support for Trump either on its own, or in combination with being reminded of this outcome. However, it led participants who were dissatisfied with their tax outcome to downgrade the importance of lowering taxes, possibly in an effort to reduce dissonance and justify continued support for Trump. Subjective tax outcome satisfaction did predict Trump support, but was dwarfed in magnitude by other variables such as system justification and political orientation. Thus, people may find ways to rationalize information that goes against their self-interest into their partisan world-view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic tomography is a process detection technology based upon the principles of electromagnetic induction. The forward problem model and sensitivity distribution matrix of electromagnetic tomography are introduced as the basis of the inverse problem. The search direction and iterative parameters of the conjugate gradient algorithm are modified to improve the quality and convergence of image reconstruction. A new spectral parameter conjugate gradient algorithm is described to modify the search direction, which is used to control the angle between the old and new search directions. The search direction is determined according to the iteration of each step in order to find the optimal solution. Combining the advantages of the Fletcher-Reeves and Polak-Ribiere-Polyak algorithms in the nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm, they are mixed in a specific proportion to obtain a new hybrid conjugate gradient algorithm. In order to verify the effectiveness of the modified conjugate gradient algorithm, three physical models of electromagnetic tomography system are constructed, and the modified conjugate gradient algorithm is compared with the traditional algorithm. The experimental results show that the reconstructed image quality of the modified spectral conjugate gradient algorithm is higher and has better numerical performance. The hybrid conjugate gradient algorithm highlights the advantages of the Fletcher-Reeves and Polak-Ribiere-Polyaks algorithms. The convergence speed is faster than the Polak-Ribiere-Polyak method, and the imaging quality is higher than the other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching and learning that takes place in clinical settings has a significant influence on the practice of future health professionals. This article describes the use of a logic model and case study methodology to evaluate an online and face-to-face video-club, a novel professional development activity designed with the aim of improving clinical educators' teaching practice. A video-club brings together a small group of clinical educators who have a shared interest in exploring their educator role through collective inquiry, using video-recordings of their authentic teaching practices as stimuli for learning discussions. The article focuses on the extent to which the learning design was both implemented and working as intended and offers an examination of proximal outcomes and an initial examination of distal outcomes. The authors claim that the video-club's core activity – watching and discussing the video-excerpts – was successful in generating the requisite 'teacher talk' necessary to influence clinical educators' teaching practices. The examination of the video-clubs' impact on clinical educators' practice was promising and justifies a larger study to fully investigate the intervention's effectiveness. In order for the video-club to grow and thrive, systemic changes, particularly at the level of policy and 'culture', are likely to be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the U.S. federal government has adopted myriad initiatives mandating collection of citizen evaluations of its services, scant research exists into how prior biases such as those arising from political partisanship affect these performance metrics. In this study, we examine a multi-year sample asking U.S. citizens about their experiences with federal government services (n = 8,341). Guided by motivated reasoning theory, the results show that partisanship affects citizen satisfaction, confidence, and trust in the federal government during both Democratic (2015–2016) and Republican (2017–2018) presidential administrations. However, the results indicate an asymmetric 'president-in-power' effect, complicating efforts to interpret this data dynamically and over time as power changes hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, school districts have relied on unlicensed teachers to fill vacancies in special education, leaving students with disabilities to receive educational services from individuals without the necessary preparation, resulting in inequitable educational opportunities. An emergency certification, granted in numerous states, allows unlicensed teachers to provide students' instruction. We utilized teacher licensure data from a state education agency to examine the preparation pathways of emergency certified special educators in one Midwestern state. Through our descriptive analysis of 798 special educators, 62.5% obtained a full special education teaching license. Traditional educator preparation programs (50.4%) and alternative programs (48.9%) were completed at comparable rates, and special educators worked most frequently on an emergency certification for one year before obtaining full licensure. We provide implications for future research and practice to increase students' access to qualified special educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent reform efforts in developmental education have led to model-development of college literacy instruction without being informed by institution-specific investigations of whether, how, and to what extent new models align with the literacy rigors of next-level courses across pathways. Such work is essential to informing literacy programming at the college level. This manuscript describes a literacy curriculum audit approach that can be employed by faculty. This approach is a systematized method to determine what it means to be college-text ready based on the literacy demands, practices, and expectations in introductory-level general education and career technical education college courses. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1971600. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores Greek lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) social workers' visibility management in the workplace. Findings revealed a pattern of participants going in and out of the closet in different workplaces, as well as making a profitability analysis where they calculated the gain versus the cost of disclosure in each particular context. Participants, influenced by individual and organizational level factors, employed a variety of strategies to manage levels of disclosure across diverse work relationships and situations. The implications of this visibility management for workplace policy and social work practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resume-screening by human raters is vulnerable to hiring discrimination but recruiter training as a way to overcome biased resume-screening is under-researched. The present study addresses this gap. Building on key cognitive processes that steer discriminatory decision-making in resume-screening and insights from diversity literature, we investigated the effectiveness of two cognitive training interventions (i.e., a culture-general assimilator and a structured free recall intervention) for reducing hiring discrimination against ethnic minority job applicants in the resume-screening stage. A pre-test, repeated post-test experimental study showed initial hiring discrimination (i.e., less positive evaluations of minority job applicants than majority ones), which was reduced shortly after both training interventions. Hiring discrimination, however, resurfaced 3 months later for both interventions. The culture-general assimilator also positively affected participants' perceived ability to suppress stereotypes, both short-term and long-term. Findings are considered in the light of a comparison of these training interventions, their programme features, and their compatibility with the resume-screening task. Implications for prejudice reduction initiatives, their potential differential effects, and further research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older employees' knowledge sharing with younger colleagues is pivotal for organizational knowledge retention. We developed a social-cognitive internalization model that explains why older employees' knowledge sharing with younger colleagues is often inhibited. Specifically, we focused on perceived age discrimination at work as a threat to older employees' perceptions of their job-related capabilities (i.e., occupational self-efficacy), which in turn reduces older employees' knowledge sharing with younger colleagues. Study 1, a field study with 100 age-diverse employee dyads provided support for our framework. Older employees who perceived age discrimination showed lower occupational self-efficacy, which predicted less knowledge sharing with younger colleagues. To help organizations address this challenge, we extended our theorizing by considering organizational context and hypothesized supportive effects of the availability of age-specific HR practices (i.e., HR development and HR accommodation activities). We replicated the first study's findings in Study 2 using a three-wave survey with 472 older employees. Additionally, we found that HR accommodation practices strengthened the positive relation between occupational self-efficacy and knowledge sharing. Hence, HR accommodation practices constitute a double-edged sword: They helped older employees with higher occupational self-efficacy but impair knowledge sharing by older employees with lower occupational self-efficacy resulting from perceived age discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which managers use performance information is among the most salient topics in the study of public management. Drawing inspiration from several recent studies on the use of performance information by citizens, we adopt a behavioral approach to understand the influence of reference dependence on the interpretation of performance information by managers. Specifically, we run two experiments in a sample of professional managers, which allows us to test whether social and historical comparisons influence how respondents interpret performance information. The results suggest that framing an objective performance metric as poor relative to peer or competitor organizations leads managers to rate overall organizational performance significantly lower than managers in a control group who received the same metric, but no comparative frame. The results support expectations about the importance of social comparisons, particularly in the case of negative deviations from the reference point. The fact that we find no impact of historical comparisons on the interpretation of performance information deviates from recent work on citizen evaluations and suggests differences in the ways in which elites process such information. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our results for the study of performance management and the behavioral approach to public management more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents determination of the stress state of steel bridges, due to stress redistribution because of corrosion or cracking, as a new important parameter in structural health monitoring for evaluating their condition. For this, eddy current testing is used to investigate the effect of change in stress in a steel plate through three-dimensional numerical simulations carried out in the FE software, COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a. A reflection probe, comprising of an outer exciting coil and an inner detecting coil, is used to characterize the eddy current indices - real, imaginary, and absolute voltages, and phase with respect to the change in relative permeability, which is dependent on stress, lift-off, exciting frequency, and probe size. A new concise method of simultaneously representing the effects of relative permeability and lift-off at an excitation frequency, termed as Phase diagram, is then proposed, which is further used for selection of suitable probe size and excitation frequency for eddy current based stress measurement. It is found that larger probes and lower excitation frequencies are preferable, because of better sensitivity of larger probes to significant lift-offs and uniform trend of change of eddy current indices at lower frequency, requisite of calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of training transfer as something that occurs over time with its own underlying process has been very limited in the training literature to date. This paper argues that we can better understand how transfer unfolds over time, and why it unfolds in any particular way, by considering important theoretical and mathematical concepts from nonlinear dynamics. We draw on nonlinear concepts, such as attractors, to describe how and when training interventions are likely to succeed and how subsequent transfer may unfold in relation to those concepts. We then explicate how taking a dynamic view of transfer forces us to change how our field currently studies transfer methodologically, and then give an extended example of how such an advancement may provide for richer theories regarding the process of transfer by focusing on the effects of supervisor support over time. We close with some practical recommendations informed by our view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents corrosion profile estimation as a method to determine the extent of corrosion in steel members having corroded exterior, with or without protective cover, when the only side accessible to the eddy current probe is highly uneven. A high frequency eddy current method is proposed to estimate the corrosion profile of a steel plate directly from the probe lift-offs regardless of varying plate thickness. The three-dimensional, numerical simulations were carried out in the FEM software, COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a to verify the suitability of this method. A parametric study is conducted to determine the effect of coil height, diameter, their ratio and tilt angle of reflection probe on the estimation accuracy of a triangular notched profile, representative of corrosion, whereby a geometrically optimized probe is obtained. It is then employed to determine the corrosion profile of a corroded steel plate with and without protective cover. The estimated corrosion profiles show good agreement with the actual profile measured by laser displacement meter, confirming the sufficiency of proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the theoretical analysis of the effects of nonlinear viscous damping on vibration isolation using the output frequency response function approach, the output frequency response function approach is employed to investigate the effects of the nonlinear fractional order damping on vibration isolation based on Volterra series in the frequency domain. First, the recursive algorithm which is proposed by Billings et al. is extended to deal with the system with fractional order terms. Then, the analytical relationships are established among the force transmissibility, nonlinear characteristic coefficients and fractional order parameters for the single degree of freedom oscillator. Consequently, the effects of the nonlinear system parameters on the force transmissibility are discussed in detail. The theoretical analysis reveals that the force transmissibility of the oscillator is suppressed due to the existence of the fractional order damping, but presents different effects on suppressing the force transmissibility of the oscillator over the frequency region by varying the fractional order parameters. Moreover, the fractional order parameters, which affect the force transmissibility, the bandwidth of the frequency region and the resonance frequency, can be used as designing parameters for vibration isolation systems. At last, numerical studies are presented to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations are more likely to misuse alcohol and other drugs (AOD), compared to the general population. However, LGBT engagement with AOD treatment is often precluded by insensitivity and misunderstanding of LGBT issues. These treatment barriers may be a consequence of either worker attitudes, organizational factors or a combination of both. Few studies have compared service context as an impediment to AOD treatment. Objectives: This pilot study sought to examine and compare staff attitudes, knowledge and awareness of LGBT issues in two state-wide AOD services within Australia. One organization was a government service, whilst the other was faith based. Methods: A cross-sectional study of a convenience sample (N = 130) of workers employed in a state-wide government AOD service (n = 65), and a state-wide non-government service (n = 65) was conducted. Participants self-completed a questionnaire comprising tools previously used to assess staff attitudes, knowledge and awareness of LGBT issues. Results: Few significant differences in attitudes and awareness of LGBT issues between government and non-government respondents were found. Nearly all respondents were supportive of LGBT persons irrespective of organizational context, with a small number of negative views. Although most respondents demonstrated awareness of organizational policies and practices relating to LGBT clients, many were "unsure" or "neutral" of what these might be. Conclusion: It is confirming that the majority of staff report supportive attitudes towards LGBT clients. Findings suggest that organizations need to continue to take leadership to strengthen organizational training and capacity to deliver LGBT friendly AOD treatment practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of Cr(VI) by the metal-reducing bacteriumShewanella oneidensisMR-1 was evaluated, to determine the potential for exploiting Cr(VI) bioreduction as a means of treating chromate conversion coating (CCC) waste streams. Inclusion of Cr(VI) at concentrations ≥1 mM inhibited aerobic growth ofS. oneidensis, but that organism was able to reduce Cr(VI) at a concentration of up to 1 mM under anaerobic, nongrowth conditions.S. oneidensisreduced Cr(VI) in the presence of common CCC constituents, with the exception of ferricyanide, when these CCC constituents were included at concentrations typical of CCC waste streams. Ferricyanide inhibited neither aerobic growth nor metabolism under aerobic, nitrate- or iron-reducing conditions, suggesting that the ferricyanide-depended inhibition of Cr(VI) reduction is not due to broad metabolic inhibition, but is specific to Cr(VI) reduction. Results indicate that under some conditions, the activities of metal-reducing bacteria, such asS. oneidensis, could be exploited for the removal of Cr(VI) from CCC waste streams under appropriate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to help community-based organizations (CBOs) develop interventions that reduce prejudice within the workplace and during service provision can be informed by social psychological prejudice reduction techniques, which tend to be successful in controlled laboratory settings but have limitations that inhibit utility in applied settings. Alternatively, the use of diversity training to reduce prejudice has increased within the for-profit sector, but is rarely applied to CBOs. This article discusses the overlap between the basic and applied literatures, and how community practitioners can use the information gained from both to support CBOs who encounter challenges with diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a new approach for nonlinear and non-stationary (time-varying) system identification based on time-varying nonlinear autoregressive moving average with exogenous variable (TV-NARMAX) models. The challenging model structure selection and parameter tracking problems are solved by combining a multiwavelet basis function expansion of the time-varying parameters with an orthogonal least squares algorithm. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed approach can track rapid time-varying effects in nonlinear systems more accurately than the standard recursive algorithms. Based on the identified time domain model, a new frequency domain analysis approach is introduced based on a time-varying generalised frequency response function (TV-GFRF) concept, which enables the analysis of nonlinear, non-stationary systems in the frequency domain. Features in the TV-GFRFs which depend on the TV-NARMAX model structure and time-varying parameters are investigated. It is shown that the high-dimensional frequency features can be visualised in a low-dimensional time–frequency space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although patients with mental health issues are increasingly turning to emergency departments to receive mental health services, emergency department staff report being ill-equipped to assist this population. The purpose of this study was threefold. First, we wanted to understand how patients with mental health emergencies who are later admitted to psychiatric units perceived their experience in the emergency department, specifically whether they felt that their experience was helpful or harmful (physically or psychologically) and whether they felt like they were treated differently than patients with medical emergencies. Second, we wanted to understand whether these experiences were impacted by patients' perceptions that they were coerced into seeking treatment. Third, we wanted to gain patients' perspectives on how emergency departments could be modified to better accommodate mental health emergencies. We conducted interviews with 49 patients in an inpatient unit at a large general hospital in British Columbia, Canada, shortly after patients were triaged from the emergency department. We found that roughly half of patients endorsed high levels of feeling helped, with the other half endorsing low levels. Additionally, perceptions of having control over coming to the emergency department were predictive of patients' perceptions of being helped and psychologically hurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new parametric frequency response algorithm is introduced to investigate linear and non-linear dynamic systems with time-varying parameters. In the new algorithm the time-varying parameters are regarded as additional inputs of the systems and the non-linear generalised frequency response functions for multi-input-single-output systems are then employed to obtain Zadeh's system functions from a differential equation representation. The parametric frequency response method reveals how the time-varying parameters affect the behaviour of the systems through a time-varying term. The new method can be applied to both linear and non-linear time-varying systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalyst-free multicomponent protocol for the condensation of malononitrile, 2-naphthol/resorcinol, aldehydes, and ammonium acetate in aqueous medium under ultrasound irradiation at 60oC afforded a wide range of valuable dihydroquinolines in high yields (90–97%) with short reaction times (60–90 min). This approach offers vital improvements for the synthesis of target compounds with regard to yield of products, simplicity in operation, utilization of water as solvent, and green aspects by avoiding the catalysts or solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mayer sampling method was used to compute the virial coefficients of high-dimensional hard-sphere fluids. The first 64 virial coefficients for dimensions 12

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a non destructive technique for obtaining the distribution of some physical quantity in a closed pipe by measuring the permittivity distribution. Several conducting plates are fixed around the circumference of the pipe so they do not disturb the flow or movement of materials. The imaging quality of an electrical capacitance tomography system depends upon many co-influential parameters such as number of electrodes, length and width of electrodes, axial guard electrodes, radial guard electrodes, and screen guard. Optimum selection of these variables coupled with advancements in sensing electronics and imaging algorithm provides the best inside view of a closed vessel/pipe. This, in turn, provides better process information for control. This article is intended to summarize such design rules for ECT electrodes and sensors. Numerical simulations were performed using commercially available finite element method (FEM) software to help verify the optimality of the design parameters chosen. Experimental verification was conducted using a fabricated capacitance sensing circuit that could measure capacitance in the range of 1 fF to 7999 femtofarads with a root means square noise level of 0.07 fF. Some parameters such as the thickness of the pipe are chosen as demanded by the process. This article will be useful for researchers to design the ECT Sensors with ease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sera mass spectrometry (MS) peak differences were analyzed from 35 ovarian cancer patients and 16 disease-free individuals. 'Leave one out' cross validation was used to assign '%% cancer peaks' in control and ovarian cancer sera samples. Sera MS discriminated stage I/II and stage III/V ovarian cancer patients versus controls with ROC curve area values of 0.82 and 0.92. Test sensitivities for ovarian cancer stage I/II and III/V were 80%% and 93%% respectively. These results indicate that MS is useful for distinguishing sera from early-stage ovarian cancer patients, and has potential as a test for early detection of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cycle-by-cycle fluctuations in peak pressure of combustion in a CI engine were studied for lower and higher blends of diesel and ester, and water-in-ester emulsions, at four injection timings and three injection pressures using coefficient of variation. The sunflower ester-diesel blends are found to have lower cycle-by-cycle fluctuations than pongemia ester-diesel blends. The fluctuations are found to be higher than that of diesel for higher blend proportions of ester. The water-in-ester emulsion show higher cycle-by-cycle fluctuations than that of ester-diesel blends. In most cases, the Brake specific energy consumption is also found to be higher where the coefficient of variation has higher values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic induction tomography (MIT) attempts to image the passive electromagnetic properties (PEP) of an object by measuring the mutual inductances between pairs of coils placed around its periphery. It has been shown that the MIT data contain information that can be used to reconstruct all PEP parameters. In general PEP includes complex conductivity and permeability. This paper presents an image reconstruction technique in which conductivity and permeability are calculated by an inverse edge finite element scheme. The simultaneous reconstruction presented here will enhance scope of application of MIT technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is focused on quantitative imaging of defects in conductive materials by means of eddy current testing (ECT). By quantitative imaging we mean imaging methods based on numerical models of the interaction between the probe and the defect(s). The imaging methods attempt to provide an image of the defect at variance of commercial instruments that generally detect the defect and may have limited capabilities of extracting its major sizes by means of calibration curves obtained in predefined conditions. In addition, numerical models of the probe-defect interaction play a relevant role for the computer-aided design of the probe. The paper will present methods for the solution of both the forward and the inverse problems. The methods have been developed ad hoc for ECT and have been optimised for accuracy and speed in view of real-time applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated retrospectively the duration of hospital stay of 1,619 women who received general (GA) (n = 582) or neuraxial anaesthesia (combined spinal-epidural [CSEA] (n = 614), epidural [EA] (n = 423)) for caesarean delivery over the years 2002-2005. Hospital stay was also analysed for the different obstetricians involved. Overall duration of hospital stay differed between 2002 and 2005 (p < 0.0001) but not between CSEA and EA (p = 0.460). Overall duration of hospital stay differed between neuraxial and GA group (p < 0.001). Duration of hospital stay of the GA group showed a progressive decrease between 2002 and 2005 (p = 0.002). Duration of hospital stay after neuraxial anaesthesia differed between 2002 and 2005 (p = 0.013) and among different surgeons (p < 0.001). Discharge rates from the hospital were shorter after neuraxial anaesthesia versus GA for the 3rd and 4th postoperative days (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Neuraxial anaesthesia for caesarean section seems to be associated with shorter duration of hospital stay than GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to determine the mechanism by which KIOM-79 induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in rat pancreatic β-cells (RINm5F). A mixture of plant extracts (KIOM-79) was obtained from Magnolia officinalis, Pueraria lobata, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, and Euphorbia pekinensis. HO-1, an antioxidant phase 2 enzyme, was previously reported to possess cytoprotective properties in pancreatic β-cells. KIOM-79 induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression at the mRNA and protein levels, leading to increased HO-1 activity. The transcription factor, NF-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), regulates the antioxidant response element (ARE) of the phase 2 detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes, resulting in modulation of HO-1 expression. KIOM-79 increased nuclear translocation, ARE binding, and transcriptional activity of Nrf2. Furthermore, KIOM-79 also elicited activation of Akt (protein kinase B) and LY294004 (inhibitor of Akt)-suppressed KIOM-79-induced activation of Nrf2, which subsequently decreased HO-1 protein levels. Taken together, these data suggest that KIOM-79 augments the cellular antioxidant defense capacity through induction of HO-1 via the Akt-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, thereby protecting cells from streptozotocin-induced oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four myths that underlie persistent, but ineffective, practices in early literacy education are analyzed in this article. Such analysis is essential because literacy disadvantage ultimately is an issue of equity—a matter of social justice. Research shows that these practices can be refuted and that optimal early literacy outcomes are possible for all students when parents, teachers, and school administrators serve as agents of equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an action research project undertaken in Australia to confront Eurocentrism in our social work curricula. Our aims, action, and reflections are discussed. Further, we explore the legitimacy of non-indigenous teachers taking action to reconcile indigenous knowledges in curricula. The findings have relevance for international social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the nineteenth century, local-scale roads in central Kentucky were built subject to local knowledge and cultural tradition but within the context of legal authority and folk- or science-based engineering precepts. This study demonstrates how legal and engineering standards — though conceived as transcendent and objective — were in fact contingent on the region's physical attributes as well as its cultural traditions and character. Thus local road alignment and construction have been influenced by and contingent on local knowledge, dialogue, and debate since frontier times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple integrable circuit technique for the realization of a wide bandwidth current-mode CMOS true rms-to-dc converter is proposed. The realization scheme is based on the implicit computation method that makes use of the characteristic of a CMOS squaring circuit, where the transistors are biased in their saturation regions. The conversion circuit consumes very low power due to the bias current of the circuit provided by the root-mean-square current I RMS . The performance of the proposed circuit is studied through PSPICE simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of non-linear systems in the frequency domain is studied and a new class of filters, called energy transfer filters, is introduced. While conventional linear filter design procedures are based on the principle of attenuating unwanted effects the new energy transfer filter design concept exploits non-linearity to allow energy to be moved to new frequency locations. The ability to design non-linear filters that can move energy to designed locations in the frequency domain introduces new degrees of freedom into filter design and offers new solution possibilities to many filtering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses cultural and educational meaning of the Grand Tour practice for elite males in 18th century England and its relevance to discourses on language and national identity. Paradox of the Grand Tour concerning the gap between age at which boys were sent abroad and expected achievement of them; Anxiety over effeminacy perspective of the Grand Tour; Language education context of the Grand Tour.