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Advanced 9–12%Cr martensitic stainless steels to enable extension of steam turbine operating temperatures beyond 565°C have been under development since the 1980s. Steam turbines with operating temperatures approaching 600°C based on the first generation of these improved alloys, which exploited optimised levels of Mo, W, V, Nb and N, entered service in the 1990s. Around the same time a second generation of advanced alloys was developed incorporating additions of Co and B to further enhance creep strength. These alloys have recently been exploited to enable steam turbines with operating temperatures of up to 620°C and this new generation of steam turbines is now beginning to enter service. This paper describes the background to the development of these alloys and the experience gained in their application to the manufacture of high temperature rotor forgings and castings.

LTQ Orbitrap data analyzed with ProteinPilot can be further improved by MaxQuant raw data processing, which utilizes precursor-level high mass accuracy data for peak processing and MGF creation. In particular, ProteinPilot results from MaxQuant-processed peaklists for Orbitrap data sets resulted in improved spectral utilization due to an improved peaklist quality with higher precision and high precursor mass accuracy (HPMA). The output and postsearch analysis tools of both workflows were utilized for previously unexplored features of a three-dimensional fractionated and hexapeptide library (ProteoMiner) treated whole saliva data set comprising 200 fractions. ProteinPilot's ability to simultaneously predict multiple modifications showed an advantage from ProteoMiner treatment for modified peptide identification. We demonstrate that complementary approaches in the analysis pipeline provide comprehensive results for the whole saliva data set acquired on an LTQ Orbitrap. Overall our results establish a workflow for improved protein identification from high mass accuracy data.

The preliminary case study, which is undertaken in an ecological housing development in the UK, forms part of a doctoral research project on the monitoring and assessment of energy and indoor environment of the UK’s domestic buildings. The unique features of the monitoring system in this case study are discussed in the first half the paper, followed by the data presentations reflecting the early stage of the work. The research is a dynamic process related to the development of the monitoring system and the associated analysis methods. Future work will be required on the basis of the current progress to investigate the possibilities of maintaining the residents’ comfort conditions while minimising their energy use.

Previous studies utilising changes in mode shape or curvature to locate damage rely on the fact that the greatest change occurs around the defect. However, in concrete beams this fact is undermined due to the nature of the defect as distributed multi-site cracks. In addition, differences in mode shape and curvature as ways to locate the damage is unstable because of occurrence of modal nodes and inflection points. In this paper, one interesting solution to this problem is being tested by establishing a new non-dimensional expression designated the 'Curvature Difference Ratio (CDR)'. This parameter exploits the ratio of differences in curvature of a specific mode shape for a damaged stage and another reference stage. The expression CDR is reasonably used to locate the damage and estimate the dynamic bending stiffness in a successively loaded 6m concrete beam. Results obtained by the proposed technique are tested and validated with a case study results done by Ren and De Roeck [1] also by Maeck and De Roeck [2]. Another contribution of this work is that relating changes in vibration properties to the design bending moment at beam sections as defined in Eurocode 2 specifications [3]. Linking between a beam section condition and the change in vibration data will help to give a better comprehension on the beam condition than the applied load.

In this chapter mainly tensile textile structures used for the roofing of small, medium and large enclosures are considered, although the principles outlined apply equally to facades, and to textile structures in interior design and art. Commencing with a brief history of the development of modern tensile structures, the general principles (structural efficiency, typical materials, form-finding, patterning, fabrication, installation and pre-stressing) are discussed. Physical and environmental properties and other factors that influence the aesthetic and architectural perception of tensile structures and the spaces they enclose, for example translucency, thermal performance, acoustics and lighting, are also reviewed. Case studies of selected architectural, interior design and art projects are presented to illustrate recent practice. Finally, future trends are identified and a selection of further sources of information and advice is given.

This paper is to discuss the problems associated with adhesion in electroactive composites, and how they relate to the more important question of parameter degradation with moisture uptake. Initial experiments to measure the water diffusion coefficient will be described and the importance of using surface coupling agents, explored. Finally, the adhesion of various electrode materials to composites incorporating different polymer phases is shown.

Conventional methods of sampling groundwater in Chalk aquifers sample the mobile water in the fissures only and not the non-mobile water held in the microporous matrix. However, the microporous matrix can play an important role in modifying groundwater quality by attenuating contaminant migration through diffusion exchange and, in the long term, by acting as a reservoir for contaminant retention. A method for extracting and analysing chalk pore waters for chlorinated solvents has been developed. Chalk pore water-depth profiles at the site of a spillage of tetrachloroethene demonstrated that the immiscible phase of the solvent had migrated to depths of 50 m, producing solvent concentrations in the matrix pore waters of up to 40,000 μg L−1. In addition, the pore water-depth profile indicated that the immiscible phase had ponded upon a less permeable horizon within the Chalk aquifer at shallow depths.

The sensitivity of 0-3 composites based on a modified lead titanate has been investigated. The effects of poling field, poling time and poling temperature will be shown. Based on these variations, optimum poling conditions have been estimated. The problems associated with a resistivity imbalance have been addressed with reversible changes based on moisture content within the sample.

The floor plate is known to be a source of repellent signals for cranial motor axons, preventing them from crossing the midline of the hindbrain. However, it is unknown which molecules mediate this effect in vivo. We show that Slit and Robo proteins are candidate motor axon guidance molecules, as Robo proteins are expressed by cranial motoneurons, and Slit proteins are expressed by the tissues that delimit motor axon trajectories, i.e. the floor plate and the rhombic lip. We present in vitro evidence showing that Slit1 and Slit2 proteins are selective inhibitors and repellents for dorsally projecting, but not for ventrally projecting, cranial motor axons. Analysis of mice deficient in Slit and Robo function shows that cranial motor axons aberrantly enter the midline, while ectopic expression of Slit1 in chick embryos leads to specific motor axon projection errors. Expression of dominant-negative Robo receptors within cranial motoneurons in chick embryos strikingly perturbs their projections, causing some motor axons to enter the midline, and preventing dorsally projecting motor axons from exiting the hindbrain. These data suggest that Slit proteins play a key role in guiding dorsally projecting cranial motoneurons and in facilitating their neural tube exit. \ud \ud Slit-mediated repulsion is a key regulator of motor axon pathfinding in the hindbrain (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7599669_Slit-mediated_repulsion_is_a_key_regulator_of_motor_axon_pathfinding_in_the_hindbrain [accessed Jul 11, 2017].