A contact-linguistic view on Finland-Swedish quotatives vara ’be’ and att ’that’

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Wood as a model material for medical biomaterials. In vivo and in vitro studies with bone and Betula pubescens Ehrh

Novel biomaterials are needed to fill the demand of tailored bone substitutes required by an ever‐expanding array of surgical procedures and techniques. Wood, a natural fiber composite, modified with heat treatment to alter its composition, may provide a novel approach to the further development of hierarchically structured biomaterials. The suitability of wood as a model biomaterial as well as the effects of heat treatment on the osteoconductivity of wood was studied by placing untreated and heat‐treated (at 220 C , 200 degrees and 140 degrees for 2 h) birch implants (size 4 x 7mm) into drill cavities in the distal femur of rabbits. The follow‐up period was 4, 8 and 20 weeks in all in vivo experiments. The flexural properties of wood as well as dimensional changes and hydroxyl apatite formation on the surface of wood (untreated, 140 degrees C and 200 degrees C heat‐treated wood) were tested using 3‐point bending and compression tests and immersion in simulated body fluid. The effect of premeasurement grinding and the effect of heat treatment on the surface roughness and contour of wood were tested with contact stylus and non‐contact profilometry. The effects of heat treatment of wood on its interactions with biological fluids was assessed using two different test media and real human blood in liquid penetration tests. The results of the in vivo experiments showed implanted wood to be well tolerated, with no implants rejected due to foreign body reactions. Heat treatment had significant effects on the biocompatibility of wood, allowing host bone to grow into tight contact with the implant, with occasional bone ingrowth into the channels of the wood implant. The results of the liquid immersion experiments showed hydroxyl apatite formation only in the most extensively heat‐treated wood specimens, which supported the results of the in vivo experiments. Parallel conclusions could be drawn based on the results of the liquid penetration test where human blood had the most favorable interaction with the most extensively heat‐treated wood of the compared materials (untreated, 140 degrees C and 200 degrees C heat‐treated wood). The increasing biocompatibility was inferred to result mainly from changes in the chemical composition of wood induced by the heat treatment, namely the altered arrangement and concentrations of functional chemical groups. However, the influence of microscopic changes in the cell walls, surface roughness and contour cannot be totally excluded. The heat treatment was hypothesized to produce a functional change in the liquid distribution within wood, which could have biological relevance. It was concluded that the highly evolved hierarchical anatomy of wood could yield information for the future development of bulk bone substitutes according to the ideology of bioinspiration. Furthermore, the results of the biomechanical tests established that heat treatment alters various biologically relevant mechanical properties of wood, thus expanding the possibilities of wood as a model material, which could include e.g. scaffold applications, bulk bone applications and serving as a tool for both mechanical testing and for further development of synthetic fiber reinforced composites.

CFD Modelling of Direct Contact Condensation in Suppression Pools by Applying Condensation Models of Separated Flow

The condensation rate has to be high in the safety pressure suppression pool systems of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) in order to fulfill their safety function. The phenomena due to such a high direct contact condensation (DCC) rate turn out to be very challenging to be analysed either with experiments or numerical simulations. In this thesis, the suppression pool experiments carried out in the POOLEX facility of Lappeenranta University of Technology were simulated. Two different condensation modes were modelled by using the 2-phase CFD codes NEPTUNE CFD and TransAT. The DCC models applied were the typical ones to be used for separated flows in channels, and their applicability to the rapidly condensing flow in the condensation pool context had not been tested earlier. A low Reynolds number case was the first to be simulated. The POOLEX experiment STB-31 was operated near the conditions between the ’quasi-steady oscillatory interface condensation’ mode and the ’condensation within the blowdown pipe’ mode. The condensation models of Lakehal et al. and Coste & Lavi´eville predicted the condensation rate quite accurately, while the other tested ones overestimated it. It was possible to get the direct phase change solution to settle near to the measured values, but a very high resolution of calculation grid was needed. Secondly, a high Reynolds number case corresponding to the ’chugging’ mode was simulated. The POOLEX experiment STB-28 was chosen, because various standard and highspeed video samples of bubbles were recorded during it. In order to extract numerical information from the video material, a pattern recognition procedure was programmed. The bubble size distributions and the frequencies of chugging were calculated with this procedure. With the statistical data of the bubble sizes and temporal data of the bubble/jet appearance, it was possible to compare the condensation rates between the experiment and the CFD simulations. In the chugging simulations, a spherically curvilinear calculation grid at the blowdown pipe exit improved the convergence and decreased the required cell count. The compressible flow solver with complete steam-tables was beneficial for the numerical success of the simulations. The Hughes-Duffey model and, to some extent, the Coste & Lavi´eville model produced realistic chugging behavior. The initial level of the steam/water interface was an important factor to determine the initiation of the chugging. If the interface was initialized with a water level high enough inside the blowdown pipe, the vigorous penetration of a water plug into the pool created a turbulent wake which invoked the chugging that was self-sustaining. A 3D simulation with a suitable DCC model produced qualitatively very realistic shapes of the chugging bubbles and jets. The comparative FFT analysis of the bubble size data and the pool bottom pressure data gave useful information to distinguish the eigenmodes of chugging, bubbling, and pool structure oscillations.

Mathematical model to estimate of the deterioration of wooden poles in contact with soil used in rural areas

In São Paulo State, mainly in rural areas, the utilization of wooden poles is observed for different purposes. In this context, wood in contact with the ground presents faster deterioration, which is generally associated to environmental factors and, especially to the presence of fungi and insects. With the use of mathematical models, the useful life of wooden structures can be predicted by obtaining "climatic indexes" to indicate, comparatively among the areas studied, which have more or less tendency to fungi and insects attacks. In this work, by using climatological data of several cities at São Paulo State, a simplified mathematical model was obtained to measure the aggressiveness of the wood in contact with the soil.

Wear of rotary plows operating in a tropical clay loam soil

The wear resistance of rotary plows operating in a clay loam soil was studied. The degree of damage caused to the soil and the amount of mass lost by the tools were determined in order to establish correlations between the physical properties of the soil and the wear mechanisms acting on the tribosystem. Field tests were carried out in 12 plots and a randomized experimental design with 4 levels, 3 replicas per level and 2 passes per plot was applied. The levels relate to the tillage implements employed: rotary tiller, rotary power harrow, small motorized rotary tiller and control (unaltered soil). The highest mass losses were measured in rotary tiller and rotary power harrow's tools, while the small motorized rotary tiller's tools showed generally lower levels of damage. It was determined that the effective contact time between tool and soil, the rotating speed and the sudden impact forces are the most significant factors affecting the wear resistance in field operations. Thirty days after tillage operation the soil samples were taken from each plot at a mean depth of 100 mm in order to determine bulk density, gravimetric moisture content and percentage of aggregates smaller than 5 mm. No significant differences among the values of these properties were found in the experiments. The wear mechanisms acting on the tools' surface are complex and include 2-body and 3-body abrasion as well as the presence of sudden impact forces.

Distribution pattern, surface tension and contact angle of herbicides associated to adjuvants on spraying and control of Ipomoea hederifolia under rainfall incidence

ABSTRACTScarlet Morning Glory is considered to be an infesting weed that affects several crops and causes serious damage. The application of chemical herbicides, which is the primary control method, requires a broad knowledge of the various characteristics of the solution and application technology for a more efficient phytosanitary treatment. Therefore this study aimed to characterize the effect of rainfall incidence on the control of Ipomoea hederifolia, considering droplet size, surface tension, contact angle of droplets formed by herbicides liquid on vegetal and artificial surfaces, associated to adjuvants and the volumetric distribution profile of the spray jet. The addition of the adjuvants to the herbicide spraying liquid improved the application quality, as it influenced the angle formed by the spray by broadening the deposition band of the spray nozzle and thus the possible distance between the nozzles on spray boom and due the changes at droplet size, which contribute to a safety application. The rainfall occurrence affected negatively the weed control with the different spraying liquids and also the dry matter weight, suggesting that the phytosanitary product applied was washed off.

Risk Parity: A Modern Tool for Diversification

The purpose of this study is to examine how well risk parity works in terms of risk, return and diversification relative to more traditional minimum variance, 1/N and 60/40 portfolios. Risk parity portfolios were constituted of five risk sources; three common asset classes and two alternative beta investment strategies. The three common asset classes were equities, bonds and commodities, and the alternative beta investment strategies were carry trade and trend following. Risk parity portfolios were constructed using five different risk measures of which four were tail risk measures. The risk measures were standard deviation, Value-at-Risk, Expected Shortfall, modified Value-at-Risk and modified Expected Shortfall. We studied also how sensitive risk parity is to the choice of risk measure. The hypothesis is that risk parity portfolios provide better return with the same amount of risk and are better diversified than the benchmark portfolios. We used two data sets, monthly and weekly data. The monthly data was from the years 1989-2011 and the weekly data was from the years 2000-2011. Empirical studies showed that risk parity portfolios provide better diversification since the diversification is made at the risk level. Risk based portfolios provided superior return compared to the asset based portfolios. Using tail risk measures in risk parity portfolios do not necessarily provide better hedge from tail events than standard deviation.

Ambidextrous leadership in customer contact centre organization

In a modern dynamic environment organizations are facing new requirements for success and competitive advantage. This also sets new requirements for leaders. The term of ambidexterity is used in relation with organizations that are able to manage short-term efficiency and long-term innovation simultaneously. Ambidextrous leaders have the same capability at an individual level. They are able to balance between efficiency and flexibility. This study examined the confrontation of these two competing concepts in the leadership perspective. The aim of the study was to understand this recently arisen concept and its antecedents and examine what is currently known about ambidextrous leadership. This was a case study with data collected through theme interviews in a result orientated customer centre organization that has a cultural change at hand when it comes to leadership and empowerment. Organization wants to be efficient and flexible at the same time (a.k.a. ambidextrous) and that requires new type of leadership. In this study the aim was to describe the capabilities and criteria for ambidextrous leader and examine the leadership roles related to ambidextrous leadership in different hierarchical levels. The case organization had also created systematic means to support this cultural change and the effects of the process related to leadership were studied. This study showed that the area is yet widely unexplored and contradictory views are presented. This study contributes to the deprivation of study of ambidexterity in leadership and individuals. The study presents a description of ambidextrous leadership and describes the capabilities of ambidextrous leader. Ambidextrous leaders are able to make cognitive decisions between their leadership style according to situation that requires either leadership related to efficiency such as transactional leadership or leadership related to flexibility such as transformational leadership. Their leadership style supports both short-term and long-term goals. This study also shows that the role of top management is vital and operational leaders rely on their example.

Internet-based breast cancer patient’s pathway as an empowering patient educational tool

This three-phase study was conducted to examine the effect of the Breast Cancer Patient’s Pathway program (BCPP) on breast cancer patients’ empowering process from the viewpoint of the difference between knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge, knowledge level, quality of life, anxiety and treatment-related side effects during the breast cancer treatment process. The BCPP is an Internet-based patient education tool describing a flow chart of the patient pathway during the breast treatment process, from breast cancer diagnostic tests to the follow-up after treatments. The ultimate goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the BCPP to the breast cancer patient’s empowerment by using the patient pathway as a patient education tool. In phase I, a systematic literature review was carried out to chart the solutions and outcomes of Internet-based educational programs for breast cancer patients. In phase II, a Delphi study was conducted to evaluate the usability of web pages and adequacy of their content. In phase III, the BCPP program was piloted with 10 patients and patients were randomised to an intervention group (n=50) and control group (n=48). According to the results of this study, the Internet is an effective patient education tool for increasing knowledge, and BCPP can be used as a patient education method supporting other education methods. However, breast cancer patients’ perceptions of received knowledge were not fulfilled; their knowledge expectations exceed the perceived amount of received knowledge. Although control group patients’ knowledge expectations were met better with the knowledge they received in hospital compared to the patients in the intervention group, no statistical differences were found between the groups in terms of quality of life, anxiety and treatment-related side effects. However, anxiety decreased faster in the intervention group when looking at internal differences between the groups at different measurement times. In the intervention group the relationship between the difference between knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge correlated significantly with quality of life and anxiety. Their knowledge level was also significant higher than in the control group. These results support the theory that the empowering process requires patient’s awareness of knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge. There is a need to develop patient education to meet patients’ perceptions of received knowledge, including oral and written education and BCPP, to fulfil patient’s knowledge expectations and facilitate the empowering process. Further research is needed on the process of cognitive empowerment with breast cancer patients. There is a need for new patient education methods to increase breast cancer patients’ awareness of knowing.

Implementation of the trauma registry as a tool for quality improvement in trauma care in a brazilian hospital: the first 12 months

ABSTRACTObjective:to analyze the implementation of a trauma registry in a university teaching hospital delivering care under the unified health system (SUS), and its ability to identify points for improvement in the quality of care provided.Methods:the data collection group comprised students from medicine and nursing courses who were holders of FAPESP scholarships (technical training 1) or otherwise, overseen by the coordinators of the project. The itreg (ECO Sistemas-RJ/SBAIT) software was used as the database tool. Several quality "filters" were proposed to select those cases for review in the quality control process.Results:data for 1344 trauma patients were input to the itreg database between March and November 2014. Around 87.0% of cases were blunt trauma patients, 59.6% had RTS>7.0 and 67% ISS<9. Full records were available for 292 cases, which were selected for review in the quality program. The auditing filters most frequently registered were laparotomy four hours after admission and drainage of acute subdural hematomas four hours after admission. Several points for improvement were flagged, such as control of overtriage of patients, the need to reduce the number of negative imaging exams, the development of protocols for achieving central venous access, and management of major TBI.Conclusion: the trauma registry provides a clear picture of the points to be improved in trauma patient care, however, there are specific peculiarities for implementing this tool in the Brazilian milieu.

Construction and validation of a surgical skills assessment tool for general surgery residency program

Objective: To develop and validate an instrument for measuring the acquisition of technical skills in conducting operations of increasing difficulty for use in General Surgery Residency (GSR) programs. Methods: we built a surgical skills assessment tool containing 11 operations in increasing levels of difficulty. For instrument validation we used the face validaity method. Through an electronic survey tool (Survey MonKey(r)) we sent a questionnaire to Full and Emeritus members of the Brazilian College of Surgeons - CBC - all bearers of the CBC Specialist Title. Results: Of the 307 questionnaires sent we received 100 responses. For the analysis of the data collected we used the Cronbach's alpha test. We observed that, in general, the overall alpha presented with values near or greater than 0.70, meaning good consistency to assess their points of interest. Conclusion: The evaluation instrument built was validated and can be used as a method of assessment of technical skill acquisition in the General Surgery Residency programs in Brazil.

Side peaks in Nb and NbTi point-contact spectra

Superconductor – normal metal point contacts were investigated, using different combinations of Cu, brass, Nb and NbTi. The resulting spectra contained side peaks. The currents at which these side peaks appeared, depended on the radii of the contacts. For contacts with Nb this dependence was quadratic, while for contacts with NbTi it was linear. Based on this, we argue that the side peaks in the case of the Nb contacts are due to the critical current density being exceeded. In contrast, side peaks of the NbTi contacts are caused by the self-magnetic field exceeding the lower critical field of NbTi. The NbTi contacts did not show the expected contribution from the vanishing Maxwell resistance of the superconductor, a question which remained open.