COD removal from textile industry effluent: pilot plant studies

This work involved the treatment of industrial waste water from a nylon carpet printing plant. As dyeing of nylon is particularly difficult, acid dyes, fixing agents, thickeners, finishing agents, are required for successful colouration and cause major problems with the plant's effluent disposal in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD). Granular activated carbon (GAC) Filtrasorb 400 was used to treat a simulated process plant effluent containing all the pollutants. Equilibrium isotherm experiments were established and experimental data obtained showed good empirical correlation with Langmuir isotherm theory. Column experimental data, in terms of COD were correlated using the bed depth service time (BDST) model. Solid phase loading in the columns were found to approach that in equilibrium studies indicating an efficient use of adsorbent. The results from the BDST model were then used to design a pilot adsorption rig at the plant. The performance of the pilot plant column were accurately predicted by scale-up from the bench scale columns. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.

Maternal age at birth and childhood type 1 diabetes: a pooled analysis of 30 observational studies

OBJECTIVE - The aim if the study was to investigate whether children born to older mothers have an increased risk of type 1 diabetes by performing a pooled analysis of previous studies using individual patient data to adjust for recognized confounders.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Relevant studies published before June 2009 were identified from MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Authors of studies were contacted and asked to provide individual patient data or conduct prespecified analyses. Risk estimates of type 1 diabetes by maternal age were calculated for each study, before and after adjustment for potential confounders. Meta-analysis techniques were used to derive combined odds ratios and to investigate heterogeneity among studies.
RESULTS - Data were available for 5 cohort and 25 case-control studies, including 14,724 cases of type 1 diabetes. Overall, there was, on average, a 5% (95% CI 2-9) increase in childhood type 1 diabetes odds per 5-year increase in maternal age (P = 0.006), but there was heterogeneity among studies (heterogeneity I 2 = 70%). In studies with a low risk of bias, there was a more marked increase in diabetes odds of 10% per 5-year increase in maternal age. Adjustments for potential confounders little altered these estimates. CONCLUSIONS - There was evidence of a weak but significant linear increase in the risk of childhood type 1 diabetes across the range of maternal ages, but the magnitude of association varied between studies. A very small percentage of the increase in the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes in recent years could be explained by increases in maternal age.

Design, synthesis and photodynamic antimicrobial activity of ruthenium trischelate diimine complexes

In this study, we describe, for the first time, the synthesis and photophysical and microbiological investigation of ruthenium trischelate diimine complexes designed so as to possess properties specifically suited for use in Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT). Of the three compounds investigated, one ([Ru(dmob)(3)]Cl-2) has demonstrated considerable promise as a photosensitiser for use in PACT. As a result, this compound is now the subject of comprehensive chemical, toxicological and formulation studies.

An Assessment of Sheltered Housing Design in Belfast, Northern Ireland

This article presents a UK-based research that has studied the existing sheltered or assisted living housing population and its future housing options and preferences. This meets an identified need to know and understand users' needs and requirements in much more detail that outlines what is liked and disliked by older people about sheltered housing, so that those who plan and design such housing can be aware of their views. The study also sought to understand the architects' challenges in designing and adapting this type of housing. The sheltered housing managed by housing associations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was assessed through a series of site visits, structured interviews, and a focus group with stakeholders. Findings revealed older users' keen interest in participating in their housing needs assessment, identified building design concerns and provided recommendations for potential design guidelines. The findings of this research have provided important policy and design guidance to NI housing providers, and also allowed various stakeholders to participate in the debate about the quality of housing provided for the older people. This is a significant research study that generated considerable interest from various housing providers. This is an international peer reviewed journal.

Rhodopsin and the Others: A Historical Perspective on Structural Studies of G Protein-Coupled Receptors

The role of rhodopsin as a structural prototype for the study of the whole superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is reviewed in an historical perspective. Discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, fully sequenced since the early 1980s, and with direct three-dimensional information available since the 1990s, rhodopsin has served as a platform to gather indirect information on the structure of the other superfamily members. Recent breakthroughs have elicited the solution of the structures of additional receptors, namely the beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors and the A(2A) adenosine receptor, now providing an opportunity to gauge the accuracy of homology modeling and molecular docking techniques and to perfect the computational protocol. Notably, in coordination with the solution of the structure of the A(2A) adenosine receptor, the first "critical assessment of GPCR structural modeling and docking" has been organized, the results of which highlighted that the construction of accurate models, although challenging, is certainly achievable. The docking of the ligands and the scoring of the poses clearly emerged as the most difficult components. A further goal in the field is certainly to derive the structure of receptors in their signaling state, possibly in complex with agonists. These advances, coupled with the introduction of more sophisticated modeling algorithms and the increase in computer power, raise the expectation for a substantial boost of the robustness and accuracy of computer-aided drug discovery techniques in the coming years.

Creating Shared Public Space in the Contested City: The Role of Urban Design

This paper examines relevant characteristics of the ‘contested city’ and the concept of ‘public space’ in that problematic context. It offers an appraisal of the historical and contemporary role of urban design in shaping social space and interrogates the feasibility of using urban design to facilitate more integrated cityscapes. It presents detailed case studies of two ‘contested cities’, Nicosia and Belfast, based on content analysis of policy and planning documents, extensive site analyses in both places, interviews and seminar discussions with policy makers, planners, community and civic leaders. The paper comprises four dimensions—conceptual, descriptive, analytical and prescriptive—and in its final section identifies core values and relevant policies for the potential achievement of shared space in contested cities.

QCA Systolic array design

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) technology is a promising potential alternative to CMOS technology. To explore the characteristics of QCA and suitable design methodologies, digital circuit design approaches have been investigated. Due to the inherent wire delay in QCA, pipelined architectures appear to be a particularly suitable design technique. Also, because of the pipeline nature of QCA technology, it is not suitable for complicated control system design. Systolic arrays take advantage of pipelining, parallelism and simple local control. Therefore, an investigation into these architectures in QCA technology is provided in this paper. Two case studies, (a matrix multiplier and a Galois Field multiplier) are designed and analyzed based on both multilayer and coplanar crossings. The performance of these two types of interconnections are compared and it is found that even though coplanar crossings are currently more practical, they tend to occupy a larger design area and incur slightly more delay. A general semi-conductor QCA systolic array design methodology is also proposed. It is found that by applying a systolic array structure in QCA design, significant benefits can be achieved particularly with large systolic arrays, even more so than when applied in CMOS-based technology.

A preliminary structural design procedure for laser beam welded airframe stiffened panels

Initial sizing procedures for aircraft stiffened panels that include the influence of welding fabrication residual process effects are missing. Herein, experimental and Finite Element analyses are coupled to generate knowledge to formulate an accurate and computationally efficient sizing procedure which will enable designers to routinely consider panel fabrication, via welding, accounting for the complex distortions and stresses induced by this manufacturing process. Validating experimental results demonstrate the need to consider welding induced material property degradation, residual stresses and distortions, as these can reduce static strength performance. However, results from fuselage and wing trade-studies, using the validated sizing procedure, establish that these potential reductions in strength performance may be overcome through local geometric tailoring during initial sizing, negating any weight penalty for the majority of design scenarios.

Adverse reactions to drugs: in vitro studies with isolated cells

Objective and design: Drug-induced adverse reactions can be allergic or pseudoallergic in nature, in this study the histamine releasing ability of 4 radiographic contrast media and 2 opioid analgesics was tested on a variety of mast cell containing cell suspensions.

F. E.-assisted design of the eaves bracket of a cold-formed steel portal frame

Non-linear large-displacement elasto-plastic finite element analyses are used to propose design recommendations for the eaves bracket of a cold-formed steel portal frame. Owing to the thinness of the sheet steel used for the brackets, such a structural design problem is not trivial as the brackets need to be designed against failure through buckling; without availability of the finite element method, expensive laboratory testing would therefore be required. In this paper, the finite element method is firstly used to predict the plastic moment capacity of the eaves bracket. Parametric studies are then used to propose design recommendations for the eaves bracket against two potential buckling modes of failure:

Virtual Engineering Centre - Examples of Virtual Prototyping and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

The requirement for the use of Virtual Engineering, encompassing the construction of Virtual Prototypes using Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation, for the development of future aerospace platforms and systems is discussed. Some of the activities at the Virtual Engineering Centre, a University of Liverpool initiative, are described and a number of case studies involving a range of applications of Virtual Engineering illustrated.

An Analytical Study of Surplus Value using a Value Driven Design Methodology

People are now becoming more environmentally aware and as a consequence of this, industries such as the aviation industry are striving to design more environmentally friendly products. To achieve this, the current design methodologies must be modified to ensure these issues are considered from product conception through to disposal. This paper discusses the environmental problems in relation to the aviation industry and highlights some logic for making the change from the traditional Systems Engineering approach to the recent design paradigm known as Value Driven Design. Preliminary studies have been undertaken to aid in the understanding of this methodology and the existing surplus value objective function. The main results from the work demonstrate that surplus value works well bringing disparate issues such as manufacture and green taxes together to aid decision making. Further, to date studies on surplus value have used simple sensitivity analysis, but deeper consideration shows non-linear interactions between some of the variables and further work will be needed to fully account for complex issues such as environmental impact and taxes.

Phosphoramidates of 2'-beta-D-arabinouridine (AraU) as phosphate prodrugs; design, synthesis, in vitro activity and metabolism

2'-Beta-D-arabinouridine (AraU), the uridine analogue of the anticancer agent AraC, was synthesized and evaluated for antiviral activity and cytotoxicity. In addition, a series of AraU monophosphate prodrugs in the form of triester phosphoramidates (ProTides) were also synthesized and tested against a range of viruses, leukaemia and solid tumour cell lines. Unfortunately, neither the parent compound (AraU) nor any of its ProTides showed antiviral activity, nor potent inhibitory activity against any of the cancer cell lines. Therefore, the metabolism of AraU phosphoramidates to release AraU monophosphate was investigated. The results showed carboxypeptidase Y, hog liver esterase and crude CEM tumor cell extracts to hydrolyse the ester motif of phosphoramidates with subsequent loss of the aryl group, while molecular modelling studies suggested that the AraU l-alanine aminoacyl phosphate derivative might not be a good substrate for the phosphoramidase enzyme Hint-1. These findings are in agreement with the observed disappearance of intact prodrug and concomitant appearance of the corresponding phosphoramidate intermediate derivative in CEM cell extracts without measurable formation of araU monophosphate. These findings may explain the poor antiviral/cytostatic potential of the prodrugs.

Breast-feeding and childhood-onset type 1 diabetes:A pooled analysis of individual participant data from 43 observational studies

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if there is a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children breastfed or exclusively breastfed by performing a pooled analysis with adjustment for recognized confounders.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Relevant studies were identified from literature searches using MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Authors of relevant studies were asked to provide individual participant data or conduct prespecified analyses. Meta-analysis techniques were used to combine odds ratios (ORs) and investigate heterogeneity between studies.
RESULTS: Data were available from 43 studies including 9,874 patients with type 1 diabetes. Overall, there was a reduction in the risk of diabetes after exclusive breast-feeding for >2 weeks (20 studies; OR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.88), the association after exclusive breast-feeding for >3 months was weaker (30 studies; OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.75-1.00), and no association was observed after (nonexclusive) breast-feeding for >2 weeks (28 studies; OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.81-1.07) or >3 months (29 studies; OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-1.00). These associations were all subject to marked heterogeneity (I(2) = 58, 76, 54, and 68%, respectively). In studies with lower risk of bias, the reduced risk after exclusive breast-feeding for >2 weeks remained (12 studies; OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.75-0.99), and heterogeneity was reduced (I(2) = 0%). Adjustments for potential confounders altered these estimates very little.
CONCLUSIONS: The pooled analysis suggests weak protective associations between exclusive breast-feeding and type 1 diabetes risk. However, these findings are difficult to interpret because of the marked variation in effect and possible biases (particularly recall bias) inherent in the included studies.

Evolutionary Requirements for Next-Generation Dataflow-Based FPGA System Design

The use of dataflow digital signal processing system modelling
and synthesis techniques has been a fruitful research theme for many years and has yielded many powerful rapid system synthesis and optimisation capabilities. However, recent years have seen the spectrum of languages and techniques splinter in an application specific manner, resulting in an ad-hoc design process which is increasingly dependent on the particular application under development. This poses a major problem for automated toolflows attempting to provide rapid system synthesis for a wide ranges of applications. By analysing a number of dataflow FPGA implementation case studies, this paper shows that despit ethis common traits may be found in current techniques, which fall largely into three classes. Further, it exposes limitations pertaining to their ability to adapt algorith models to implementations for different operating environments and target platforms.