Modelling the cooling of concrete by piped water

Piped water is used to remove hydration heat from concrete blocks during construction. In this paper we develop an approximate model for this process. The problem reduces to solving a one-dimensional heat equation in the concrete, coupled with a first order differential equation for the water temperature. Numerical results are presented and the effect of varying model parameters shown. An analytical solution is also provided for a steady-state constant heat generationmodel. This helps highlight the dependence on certain parameters and can therefore provide an aid in the design of cooling systems.

Dimensionality of drinking consequences - cross-cultural comparability and stability over time

Despite the long tradition for asking about the negative social and health consequences of alcohol consumption in surveys, little is known about the dimensionality of these consequences. Analysing cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Nordic Taxation Study collected for Sweden, Finland, and Denmark in two waves in 2003 and 2004 by means of an explorative principal component analysis for categorical data (CATPCA), it is tested whether consequences have a single underlying dimension across cultures. It further tests the reliability, replicability, concurrent and predictive validity of the consequence scales. A one-dimensional solution was commonly preferable. Whereas the two-dimensional solution was unable to distinguish clearly between different concepts of consequences, the one-dimensional solution resulted in interpretable, generally very stable scales within countries across different samples and time.

Refined asymptotics for the subcritical Keller-Segel system and related functional inequalities

We analyze the rate of convergence towards self-similarity for the subcritical Keller-Segel system in the radially symmetric two-dimensional case and in the corresponding one-dimensional case for logarithmic interaction. We measure convergence in Wasserstein distance. The rate of convergence towards self-similarity does not degenerate as we approach the critical case. As a byproduct, we obtain a proof of the logarithmic Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev inequality in the one dimensional and radially symmetric two dimensional case based on optimal transport arguments. In addition we prove that the onedimensional equation is a contraction with respect to Fourier distance in the subcritical case.

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This review critically examines the development of malaria vaccine candidates and the results obtained in phase IIa and IIb efficacy evaluations since the first human trial till date. It is restricted only to proteins or protein fragments produced by peptide synthesis or DNA recombinant technology, for the simple reason that these are the only products that could be structurally evaluated. It is meant to make the scientific community aware of the shortcomings of some of these constructs with regard to their 3-dimensional structure and the need for more stringent biological/functional requirements to be met before field evaluations are initiated. Both of these factors are largely responsible for most of the failures witnessed in the past 20 years.

Candidate quality in a Downsian Model with a continuous policy space

This paper characterizes a mixed strategy Nash equilibrium in a one-dimensional Downsian model of two-candidate elections with a continuous policy space, where candidates are office motivated and one candidate enjoys a non-policy advantage over the other candidate. We assume that voters have quadratic preferences over policies and that their ideal points are drawn from a uniform distribution over the unit interval. In our equilibrium the advantaged candidate chooses the expected median voter with probability one and the disadvantaged candidate uses a mixed strategy that is symmetric around it. We show that this equilibrium exists if the number of voters is large enough relative to the size of the advantage.

Numerical simulation of left ventricular assist device implantations: comparing the ascending and the descending aorta cannulations.

In this work we present numerical simulations of continuous flow left ventricle assist device implantation with the aim of comparing difference in flow rates and pressure patterns depending on the location of the anastomosis and the rotational speed of the device. Despite the fact that the descending aorta anastomosis approach is less invasive, since it does not require a sternotomy and a cardiopulmonary bypass, its benefits are still controversial. Moreover, the device rotational speed should be correctly chosen to avoid anomalous flow rates and pressure distribution in specific location of the cardiovascular tree. With the aim of assessing the differences between these two approaches and device rotational speed in terms of flow rate and pressure waveforms, we set up numerical simulations of network of one-dimensional models where we account for the presence of an outflow cannula anastomosed to different locations of the aorta. Then, we use the resulting network to compare the results of the two different cannulations for several stages of heart failure and different rotational speed of the device. The inflow boundary data for the heart and the cannulas are obtained from a lumped parameters model of the entire circulatory system with an assist device, which is validated with clinical data. The results show that ascending and descending aorta cannulations lead to similar waveforms and mean flow rate in all the considered cases. Moreover, regardless of the anastomosis region, the rotational speed of the device has an important impact on wave profiles; this effect is more pronounced at high RPM.

Arrested kinetic Li isotope fractionation at the margin of the llimaussaq complex, South Greenland: Evidence for open-system processes during final cooling of peralkaline igneous rocks

Li contents [Li] and isotopic composition (delta Li-7) of mafic minerals (mainly amphibole and clinopyroxene) from the alkaline to peralkaline Ilimaussaq plutonic complex, South Greenland, track the behavior of Li and its isotopes during magmatic differentiation and final cooling of an alkaline igneous system. [Li] in amphibole increase from < 10 ppm in Caamphiboles of the least differentiated unit to >3000 ppm in Na-amphiboles of the highly evolved units. In contrast, [Li] in clinopyroxene are comparatively low (<85 ppm) and do not vary systematically with differentiation. The distribution of Li between amphibole and pyroxene is controlled by the major element composition of the minerals (Ca-rich and Na-rich, respectively) and changes in oxygen fugacity (due to Li incorporation via coupled substitution with ferric iron) during magmatic differentiation. delta(7) Li values of all minerals span a wide range from + 17 to - 8 parts per thousand, with the different intrusive units of the complex having distinct Li isotopic systematics. Amphiboles, which dominate the Li budget of whole-rocks from the inner part of the complex, have constant delta Li-7 of + 1.8 +/- 2.2 parts per thousand (2 sigma, n = 15). This value reflects a homogeneous melt reservoir and is consistent with their mantle derivation, in agreement with published O and Nd isotopic data. Clinopyroxenes of these samples are consistently lighter, with Delta Li-7(amph-cpx). as large as 8 parts per thousand and are thus not in Li isotope equilibrium. These low values probably reflect late-stage diffusion of Li into clinopyroxene during final cooling of the rocks, thus enriching the clinopyroxene in 6 Li. At the margin of the complex delta(7) Li in the syenites increases systematically, from +2 to high values of + 14 parts per thousand. This, coupled with the observed Li isotope systematics of the granitic country rocks, reflects post-magmatic open-system processes occurring during final cooling of the intrusion. Although the shape and magnitude of the Li isotope and elemental profiles through syenite and country rock are suggestive of diffusion-driven isotope fractionation, they cannot be modeled by one-dimensional diffusive transport and point to circulation of a fluid having a high 67 Li value (possibly seawater) along the chilled contact. In all, this study demonstrates that Li isotopes can be used to identify complex fluid- and diffusion-governed processes taking place during the final cooling of such rocks. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Schistosoma mansoni major egg antigen Smp40: molecular modeling and potential immunoreactivity for anti-pathology vaccine development

The pathogenesis of Schistosoma mansoni infection is largely determined by host T-cell mediated immune responses such as the granulomatous response to tissue deposited eggs and subsequent fibrosis. The major egg antigens have a valuable role in desensitizing the CD4+ Th cells that mediate granuloma formation, which may prevent or ameliorate clinical signs of schistosomiasis.S. mansoni major egg antigen Smp40 was expressed and completely purified. It was found that the expressed Smp40 reacts specifically with anti-Smp40 monoclonal antibody in Western blotting. Three-dimensional structure was elucidated based on the similarity of Smp40 with the small heat shock protein coded in the protein database as 1SHS as a template in the molecular modeling. It was figured out that the C-terminal of the Smp40 protein (residues 130 onward) contains two alpha crystallin domains. The fold consists of eight beta strands sandwiched in two sheets forming Greek key. The purified Smp40 was used for in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients infected with S. mansoni using phytohemagglutinin mitogen as a positive control. The obtained results showed that there is no statistical difference in interferon-g, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 levels obtained with Smp40 stimulation compared with the control group (P > 0.05 for each). On the other hand, there were significant differences after Smp40 stimulation in IL-5 (P = 0.006) and IL-10 levels (P < 0.001) compared with the control group. Gaining the knowledge by reviewing the literature, it was found that the overall pattern of cytokine profile obtained with Smp40 stimulation is reported to be associated with reduced collagen deposition, decreased fibrosis, and granuloma formation inhibition. This may reflect its future prospect as a leading anti-pathology schistosomal vaccine candidate.

A continuous strain-space model of viral evolution within a host

Viruses rapidly evolve, and HIV in particular is known to be one of the fastest evolving human viruses. It is now commonly accepted that viral evolution is the cause of the intriguing dynamics exhibited during HIV infections and the ultimate success of the virus in its struggle with the immune system. To study viral evolution, we use a simple mathematical model of the within-host dynamics of HIV which incorporates random mutations. In this model, we assume a continuous distribution of viral strains in a one-dimensional phenotype space where random mutations are modelled by di ffusion. Numerical simulations show that random mutations combined with competition result in evolution towards higher Darwinian fitness: a stable traveling wave of evolution, moving towards higher levels of fi tness, is formed in the phenoty space.

Runaway Greenhouse Effect in a Semigray Radiative-Convective Model

The effects of the nongray absorption (i.e., atmospheric opacity varying with wavelength) on the possible upper bound of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) emitted by a planetary atmosphere have been examined. This analysis is based on the semigray approach, which appears to be a reasonable compromise between the complexity of nongray models and the simplicity of the gray assumption (i.e., atmospheric absorption independent of wavelength). Atmospheric gases in semigray atmospheres make use of constant absorption coefficients in finite-width spectral bands. Here, such a semigray absorption is introduced in a one-dimensional (1D) radiative– convective model with a stratosphere in radiative equilibrium and a troposphere fully saturated with water vapor, which is the semigray gas. A single atmospheric window in the infrared spectrum has been assumed. In contrast to the single absolute limit of OLR found in gray atmospheres, semigray ones may also show a relative limit. This means that both finite and infinite runaway effects may arise in some semigray cases. Of particular importance is the finding of an entirely new branch of stable steady states that does not appear in gray atmospheres. This new multiple equilibrium is a consequence of the nongray absorption only. It is suspected that this new set of stable solutions has not been previously revealed in analyses of radiative–convective models since it does not appear for an atmosphere with nongray parameters similar to those for the earth’s current state

Greenhouse gases and climatic states of minimum entropy production

The hypothesis of minimum entropy production is applied to a simple one-dimensional energy balance model and is analysed for different values of the radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases. The extremum principle is used to determine the planetary “conductivity” and to avoid the “diffusive” approximation, which is commonly assumed in this type of model. For present conditions the result at minimum radiative entropy production is similar to that obtained by applying the classical model. Other climatic scenarios show visible differences, with better behaviour for the extremal case

Qualités psychométriques du Consumer satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-8) et du Helping alliance questionnaire (HAQ) [Psychometric properties of the Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) and the Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ)].

BACKGROUND: This study was based on data from a quality of care assessment survey conducted in 2011 in outpatient polyclinics of the Vaud Canton in Switzerland, comprising questionnaires completed by 568 children over the age often and 672 parents of children of all ages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the eight-item French versions for children of the Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) to allow formal validation and clinical application of these tools in the context of French-speaking child psychiatry. METHODOLOGY: Responses from children over the age often to the HAQ and CSQ-8 questionnaires were submitted to confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) for ordinal data to verify their good fit with the original long versions. Construct validity (correspondence between scores on the scales and other external criteria considered to evaluate similar concepts) of the child questionnaires was tested by Spearman's correlation with the parents' responses and their feeling of being reassured or in agreement with respect to the first visit, and with the perception of the help provided by individual and family interviews. RESULTS: CFA showed an acceptable fit with the one-dimensional model of the original scales, both for the HAQ and the CSQ-8. Significant positive correlations of the scales with the parents' responses and with other convergent external criteria confirmed the good construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: These psychometric analyses provide a basis for the validation and clinical application of the abridged French versions of the HAQ and CSQ-8 in quality of care assessment in child psychiatry.

Intertwined cultural demands of immigrants and minority nations

Since at least the last two decades of the 20th century, the normative debate on multiculturalism has been one-dimensional. It has deployed arguments related to cultural demands either linked to feminism and sub-cultural identities, immigration or national minorities. Little attention has been given to the relations between these dimensions, and how they effect each other in putting forward demands to the nation-state. The purpose of this article is to analyse the interaction between cultural demands of immigrants and minority nations. The basic objective of this paper is to give an overview of different reflections coming from three basic contributors: J. Carens, W. Kymlicka and R. Bauböck.

Regulation of the immune response by macrophage migration inhibitory factor: biological and structural features.

The classical T cell cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has reemerged recently as a critical mediator of the host immune and stress response. MIF has been found to be a mediator of several diseases including gram-negative septic shock and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. Its immunological functions include the modulation of the host macrophage and T and B cell response. In contrast to other known cytokines, MIF production is induced rather than suppressed by glucocorticoids, and MIF has been found to override the immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids. Recently, elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of MIF revealed that MIF has a novel, unique cytokine structure. Here the biological role of MIF is reviewed in view of its distinct immunological and structural properties.

Biased representation of homothetic preferences on homogeneous sets

In the homogeneous case of one-dimensional objects, we show that any preference relation that is positive and homothetic can be represented by a quantitative utility function and unique bias. This bias may favor or disfavor the preference for an object. In the first case, preferences are complete but not transitive and an object may be preferred even when its utility is lower. In the second case, preferences are asymmetric and transitive but not negatively transitive and it may not be sufficient for an object to have a greater utility for be preferred. In this manner, the bias reflects the extent to which preferences depart from the maximization of a utility function.