Low-energy d plus d fusion reactions via the Trojan Horse Method

The bare nucleus S(E) factors for the (2)H(d, p)(3)H and (2)H(d.n)(3)He reactions have been measured for the first time via the Trojan Horse Method off the proton in (3)He from 1.5 MeV down to 2 key. This range overlaps with the relevant region for Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as well as with the thermal energies of future fusion reactors and deuterium burning in the Pre-Main-Sequence phase of stellar evolution. This is the first pioneering experiment in quasi free regime where the charged spectator is detected. Both the energy dependence and the absolute value of the S(E) factors deviate by more than 15% from available direct data with new S(0) values of 57.4 +/- 1.8 MeVb for (3)H + p and 60.1 +/- 1.9 MeV b for (3)He + n. None of the existing fitting curves is able to provide the correct slope of the new data in the full range, thus calling for a revision of the theoretical description. This has consequences in the calculation of the reaction rates with more than a 25% increase at the temperatures of future fusion reactors. (C) 2011 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.

Thickness and Annealing Temperature Effects on the Optical Properties and Surface Morphology of Layer-by-Layer Poly(p-phenyline vinylene) plus Dodecylbenzenesulfonate Films

The fabrication of controlled molecular architectures is essential for organic devices, as is the case of emission of polarized light for the information industry. In this study, we show that optimized conditions can be established to allow layer-by-layer (LbL) films of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)+dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) to be obtained with anisotropic properties. Films with five layers and converted at 110 degrees C had a dichroic ratio delta = 2.3 and order parameter r = 34%, as indicated in optical spectroscopy and emission ellipsometry data. This anisotropy was decreased with the number of layers deposited, with delta = 1.0 for a 75-layer LbL PPV + DBS film. The analysis with atomic force microscopy showed the formation of polymer clusters in a random growth process with the normalized height distribution being represented by a Gaussian function. In spite of this randomness in film growth, the self-covariance function pointed to a correlation between clusters, especially for thick films. In summary, the LbL method may be exploited to obtain both anisotropic films with polarized emission and regular, nanostructured surfaces. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 206-213, 2011

On isomorphism classes of C(2(m) circle plus [0, alpha]) spaces

We provide a complete isomorphic classification of the Banach spaces of continuous functions on the compact spaces 2(m) circle plus [0, alpha], the topological sums of Cantor cubes 2(m), with m smaller than the first sequential cardinal, and intervals of ordinal numbers [0, alpha]. In particular, we prove that it is relatively consistent with ZFC that the only isomorphism classes of C(2(m) circle plus [0, alpha]) spaces with m >= N(0) and alpha >= omega(1) are the trivial ones. This result leads to some elementary questions on large cardinals.

Spaces of compact operators on C(2(m) circle plus [0, alpha]) spaces

We classify up to isomorphism the spaces of compact operators K(E, F), where E and F are Banach spaces of all continuous functions defined on the compact spaces 2(m) circle plus [0, alpha], the topological sum of Cantor cubes 2(m) and the intervals of ordinal numbers [0, alpha]. More precisely, we prove that if 2(m) and aleph(gamma) are not real-valued measurable cardinals and n >= aleph(0) is not sequential cardinal, then for every ordinals xi, eta, lambda and mu with xi >= omega(1), eta >= omega(1), lambda = mu < omega or lambda, mu is an element of [omega(gamma), omega(gamma+1)[, the following statements are equivalent: (a) K(C(2(m) circle plus [0, lambda]), C(2(n) circle plus [0, xi])) and K(C(2(m) circle plus [0, mu]), C(2(n) circle plus [0, eta]) are isomorphic. (b) Either C([0, xi]) is isomorphic to C([0, eta] or C([0, xi]) is isomorphic to C([0, alpha p]) and C([0, eta]) is isomorphic to C([0,alpha q]) for some regular cardinal alpha and finite ordinals p not equal q. Thus, it is relatively consistent with ZFC that this result furnishes a complete isomorphic classification of these spaces of compact operators. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Free field realizations of the elliptic affine Lie algebra sl(2, R) circle plus (Omega(R)/dR)

In this paper we construct two free field realizations of the elliptic affine Lie algebra sl(2, R) circle plus Omega(R)/dR where R = C[t. t(-1), u vertical bar u(2) = t(3) - 2bt(2) + t]. The first realization provides an analogue of Wakimoto`s construction for Affine Kac-Moody algebras, but in the setting of the elliptic affine Lie algebra. The second realization gives new types of representations analogous to Imaginary Verma modules in the Affine setting. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Removal of phenol in high salinity media by a hybrid process (activated sludge plus photocatalysis)

The degradation of phenol by a hybrid process (activated sludge + photocatalysis) in a high salinity medium (50 g L-1 of chloride) has been investigated. The sludge used from a municipal wastewater facility was adapted to the high salt concentrations prior to use. The photocatalytic conditions were optimized by means of a factorial experimental design. TiO2 P25 from Degussa was used as the photocatalyst. The initial phenol concentration was approximately 200 mg L-1 and complete removal of phenol and a mineralization degree above 98% were achieved within 25 h of treatment (24 h of biological treatment and I h of photocatalysis). From HPLC analyses, five hydroxylated intermediates formed during oxidation have been identified. The main ones were catechol and hydroquinone, followed by 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 2-hydroxy- 1,4-benzoquinone, and pyrogallol, in this order. No formation of organochlorine compounds was observed. Therefore, the proposed hybrid process showed itself to be suited to treat phenol in the presence of high contents of salt. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regional samverkan specialistsjuksköterskor : Penta Plus

Syftet med föreliggande projekt var att söka flexibla utbildningslösningar isamverkan inom specialistsjuksköterskeutbildningarna vid Karlstads universitet,Högskolan Dalarna, Högskolan i Gävle, Mälardalens högskola ochÖrebro universitet.Frågeställningar1. Hur ser regionens personalförsörjning och behov ut?2. Vilka utbildningsformer och vilken lärarkompetens finns?3. Vilka antagningsvolymer finns?4. Hur kan samordning ske?Projektet baseras på en kartläggning av Penta Plus regionens personalförsörjning,behov och befintligt utbildningsutbud.Preliminärresultatet visar att anställda specialist- och handledarutbildadesjuksköterskor inom distriktssjukvård, vård av äldre och psykiatri ärförhållandevis lågt jämfört med anställda specialist- och handledarutbildadeinom anestesi-, intensiv- och operationssjukvård.Campusförlagd utbildning och distansutbildning på heltid och eller i annan studietaktförekommer vid lärosätena. Tre olika lärplattformar används: Fronter,First Class och två versioner av Blackboard. Lärarkompetensen i form av disputeradeinom respektive specialistutbildning är inte till alla delar kongruent i relationtill lärosätenas utbildningsutbud.Nuvarande antagningsvolymer är relaterade till antalet tillgängliga vfu platser,logistiken inom regionen i relation till lärosätenas kursutbud och kursstarer harmöjligheter till viss expansion inom vissa specialistutbildningar.Samordning där företrädesvis lärosätenas kursstarer, kursinnehåll och valbarakurser logistiskt korrelerar är ett mål för framtida arbete och medveten samverkan.

Projektet W-Dala Plus - metodutveckling i samverkan mellannäringsliv och högskola

Projektet W-dala Plus - metodutveckling i samverkan mellan näringsliv och högskola är en fortsättning på det s.k. W-dalaprojektet (W-Dala – vinnande partnerskap mellan näringsliv och högskola) som startade våren 2005 och som, något försenat, avslutades under våren 2007. Syftet med det inledande projektet var att bygga upp en varaktig och innovativ samverkan mellan regionens näringsliv, den offentliga sektorns organisationer ochden högre utbildningen, för att skapa en ”triple helix-anda”. Sådan samverkan kan ske både formaliserat och genom att informella nätverk byggs upp. Denna samverkan avsågs att ”kunna bli självbärande genom att företagarna själva betalar för sitt behov av fortbildning och uppdragsforskning” (Projektplanen, W-Dala). Syftet var också att det arbete som inleddes skulle kunna öka företagens konkurrenskraft och därmed bidratill regional tillväxt.Syftet med studien är att belysa, tolka och analysera hur W-Dalaprojektet vidareutvecklats genom att projektet W-Dala Plus - metodutveckling i samverkan mellan näringsliv och högskola genomförts samt vilka erfarenheter som är möjliga att dra från detta. Resultatet kan i sin tur ge indikationer mot vilka områden fortsatta insatser kan vara lämpliga att riktas.

A simplified heat pump model for use in solar plus heat pump system simulation studies

Solar plus heat pump systems are often very complex in design, with sometimes special heat pump arrangements and control. Therefore detailed heat pump models can give very slow system simulations and still not so accurate results compared to real heat pump performance in a system. The idea here is to start from a standard measured performance map of test points for a heat pump according to EN 14825 and then determine characteristic parameters for a simplified correlation based model of the heat pump. By plotting heat pump test data in different ways including power input and output form and not only as COP, a simplified relation could be seen. By using the same methodology as in the EN 12975 QDT part in the collector test standard it could be shown that a very simple model could describe the heat pump test data very accurately, by identifying 4 parameters in the correlation equation found. © 2012 The Authors.

WTO-plus commitments on the elimination of export duties: evidence of a two-tier membership?

This descriptive paper examines the prevalence of ‘WTO-plus’ commitments in accession protocols of newly acceded Members, with a focus on commitments on the elimination of export duties. It presents preliminary results of a mapping exercise carried out with respect to these commitments and seeks to answer two questions. First, can any general conclusions be drawn as to the prevalence of these commitments or are they, per definition, country-specific. Second, has the political nature of the WTO accession process allowed for the creation of a two-tier membership. The first question is answered by relying on data gathered as part of the ongoing PhD-research project conducted by the author. The project aims to construct a typology of WTO-plus commitments to allow for a more detailed analysis of the relationship between these commitments and the baseline obligations in the covered agreements. The accession of China to the WTO is commonly considered as the prime example of the inclusion of WTO-plus obligations in accession protocols. The paper tries to answer the question whether this particular accession was truly unique in nature, or whether the inclusion of “Plus” obligations is less exceptional than often assumed. Additionally, the accession protocols of other recently acceded-Members are examined to establish whether the hypothesis holds. In the PhD-research project this comparative methodology will also be applied to map WTO-plus commitments in other areas, such as anti-dumping and transparency. The second question will be answered in two stages. In a preliminary stage, international institutional law will be used to by analyzing the way in which the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body has dealt with this type of WTO-plus commitment in its jurisprudence. The second stage deals with the question of hierarchy: Accession Protocols are negotiated with the WTO Membership, by each country willing to accede to the WTO. This poses questions as to their exact position in the system of WTO law. To establish whether evidence of a two-tier membership is present, one first has to turn back to the question whether Accession Protocols are a separate (or independent) legal instrument or an “integral part” of the WTO system of covered agreements. If newly acceded Members do not benefit from the general exceptions in order to balance their more stringent, WTO-plus, obligations, this may support the conclusion that the membership of the World Trade Organization is becoming, in fact, two-tiered.

Illegitimate identity in the middle of an ideological crisis and tensions in the consumption network: a study on why plus-size fashion brands are illegitimate fashion elements

O presente trabalho explora as causas pelas quais o campo da moda plus size carece de legitimidade com as consumidoras plus size. Eu explorei o assunto em três artigos. No primeiro, eu estudo o processo de legitimação de um novo mercado emergente, o mercado da moda plus size brasileira e os desafios para sua a institucionalização. Eu conduzi dezessete entrevistas com consumidoras plus size, uma netnografia em quatro blogs de moda plus size brasileiros e analisei de maneira semiótica um site que vende roupas de moda plus size. Meus resultados indicam que, apesar de ter atores legítimos que promovem essas marcas de moda plus size, o campo da moda plus size ainda é percebido como uma versão vergonhosa do campo da moda. Defendo aqui que o fato de uma das lógicas de campo da moda plus size ser estigma, acaba afetando os projetos identitários das consumidoras de maneira depreciativa, de forma elas não se envolvem em práticas de capital cultural que ocorrem dentro do campo da moda plus size. No segundo artigo, eu conduzi uma introspecção genealógica em que eu pesquisei questões de identidade. Como uma mulher (que se assume ) plus size, eu imaginei que seria relevante para olhar para dentro de mim mesma, a fim de explorar a forma como a minha identidade liga-se com a rede semiótica-material que me rodeia em termos de moda, alimentos e outros elementos. Meus dados vieram tanto de técnicas de introspecção simultâneas, quanto retrospectivas. Em termos teóricos, eu usei a ideia de ―assemblages‖ e eu foquei minha análise tanto nos aspectos materiais da minha rede de consumo, quanto na estabilidade da rede. As consequências da minha assemblage estão ligadas a uma gestão de qualidade total da minha identidade, tanto online como off-line, refletidas em práticas de consumo que se conectam à ideia de uma lógica de consumo bulímica em que o consumo de alimentos e gestão corpo estão interligadas. Por fim, no meu terceiro artigo, eu explorei o conceito de identidade a partir do consumo da moda feminina plus size. Foram feitas catorze entrevistas fenomenológicas, cujos dados foram analisados a partir de uma perspectiva hermenêutica. Três categorias temáticas emergiram da análise de dados: a construção da identidade por meio da moda, elementos de identidade plus size e estratégias criativas para lidar com a falta de produtos para mulheres plus size no varejo. Entre os principais resultados, destacam-se a forma como o termo plus size atua como estigma, influenciando projetos de identidade das consumidoras, o papel do varejo no processo de estigmatização e a saga épica de compras, que envolve um "mercado negro", com a participação de vendedores. Eu concluo discutindo o papel da identidade na instabilidade do campo da moda plus size.

Digestible methionine plus cystine requirements of ISA Label broilers reared in free-range system

Three assays were carried out to determine the digestible methionine+cystine (Met+Cys) requirement for ISA Label broilers from both sexes. The birds were reared in free range system on starting phase (1 to 28 days), growing phase (28 to 56 days) and finishing phase (56 to 84 days). Four hundred and eighty birds were distributed into 24 pens, each one composed of shelter (3.13 m(2)) and pasture (72.87 m(2)). The experimental design was completely randomized with eight treatments as factorial arrangement (four Met+Cys levels and two sexes) with three replicates of 20 birds. The digestible Met+Cys levels were 0.532; 0.652; 0.772; 0.892% for starting phase; 0.515; 0.635; 0.755; 0.875% for growing phase and 0.469; 0.589; 0.709; 0.829% for finishing phase. The analyzed parameters were performance, carcass yield, body protein and fat deposition, weight and protein concentration in feathers. In the starting phase, the digestible Met+Cys level estimated for males was 0.765 and 0.803% for females, corresponding to 0.252 and 0.268% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME, respectively. For the growing phase, the digestible Met+Cys level estimated was 0.716% for both sexes, corresponding to 0.235% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME. For the finishing phase, the Met+Cys levels were 0.756 and 0.597% for males and females, corresponding to 0.244 and 0.193% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME respectively.

Effects of Different Periods of Clomazone plus Hexazinona Permanence in Soil and Sugarcane Mulch before the Occurrence of Rain on Weed Control Efficacy

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of the formulated mixture clomazone and hexazinone applied in soil or combined with sugarcane mulch, after different periods of permanence without the occurrence of rain. The experiment was carried out in vases under greenhouse conditions in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. The weeds Brachiaria decumbens, Ipomoea grandifolia, Ipomoea hederifolia and Euphorbia heterophylla were sown and covered or not with sugarcane mulch. The experiment was arranged in a complete randomized design with four repetitions. The treatments were displaced in a 3x6 factorial scheme, with the factors being six periods without rain (0, 3, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days) and three modes of herbicide application(on the soil without sugarcane mulch, on and under sugarcane mulch). Control evaluations were carried out at 10, 21, 35 and 42 days after the occurrence of rain. The clomazone + hexazinone mixture promoted an excellent weed control for all the species studied when applied on, under, or without sugarcane mulch. However, the control levels tended to reduce for periods over 60 days without rain.

Longitudinal study of daily variation of rats' behavior in the elevated plus-maze

We conducted a longitudinal study about daily variation of Wistar male rats' behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) evaluated in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 18th months of life. Animals were submitted to the plus-maze in 12 sessions at 2-h intervals (n=72, 6 per time point). Spontaneous rest-activity rhythm of four animals was assessed by observation of 24-h videotape records. Time series were analyzed by Cosinor method. Behavioral rates on the six occasions and in light and dark phases were compared by means of two-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Exploratory behavior in EPM was smaller in the light phase and in older animals. Higher values of open and closed arms exploration were observed in the first and third months of the dark phase, and in the first month of the light phase. Adjustment to the 24-h period was significant at all stages for rest-activity data, number of entries in closed arms, and time on center, and for three to five stages for open-arm exploration. In general, 24 h variability was more pronounced in younger animals compared with older ones. The present study showed that: (1) a significant amount of total variability of the behavioral indexes analyzed could be attributed to 24 h variation, (2) light/dark phases differences in EPM exploration were present at all developmental stages, (3) older Wistar rats explored less the EPM and were less active in their home cage compared with younger ones, and (4) behavioral indexes (EPM) decrease was phase related and partially related to a reorganization of rest-activity rhythm. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.