Stable oxygen isotope ratios, calcium carbonate and opal content in late Pliocene sediments of DSDP Hole 75-532 in the Southeast Atlantic (Table 1)

Site 532 on the Walvis Ridge was sampled at 4000- to 800-year intervals from 2.24 to 2.60 Ma, spanning the three large glacial advances of the late Pliocene. An age model was created by correlating the oxygen isotope record to Site 607 with linear interpolations between tie-lines. The resultant age model differs from that in the site reports by more than 800,000 years, due to misidentification of a magnetic boundary. Sedimentation rates varied by an order of magnitude at this site, with minimum accumulation during glacial events. Interglacial intervals were charactrized by high marine production and high summer precipitation on land, while glacials had very low production and arid continental climate. During the large glacial events (Stages 96-100) conditions of low production and continental aridity reached their greatest intensity, but there is no evidence of a permanent mode shift in either marine or terrestrial records. Calcite concentration has a strong variation at obliquity frequencies, with maxima during interglacials, but occasionally shows a large amplitude at precessional frequencies as well, so that high concentrations occur in a few glacial intervals. As a result, color variation is not a reliable guide to glacial-scale cycles at this site. Composition of the phytoplankton assemblage is diverse and highly variable, and we have not been able to distinguish a clear indicator of upwelling-related production. Spectral analysis reveals obliquity and precessional signals in the pollen data, while several diatom records contain combination tones, indicating that these data represent a complicated response to both local and high-latitude forcing.

Geochemistry, carbon isotope ratio and radiocarbon ages of sediment core GIK1093-2 from Bornholm Basin, Baltic Sea

Concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Fe, and Al203, water content, the amounts of organic carbon, the ratio of 13C/12C and the 14C-activity of the organic fraction were determined with sediment depth from a 34 cm long box-core from the Bornholm Basin (Baltic Sea). The average sedimentation rate was 2.4 mm/yr. The upper portion of the core contained increasing amounts of 14C-inactive organic carbon, and above 3 cm depth, man-made 14C from atomic bomb tests. The concentrations of the heavy metals Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu increase strongly towards the surface, while other metals, as Fe, Ni and Co remain almost unchanged. This phenomenon is attributed to anthropogenic influences. A comparison of the Kieler Bucht, the Bornholm and the Gotland Basins shows that today the anthropogenic addition of Zn is about 100 mg/m**2 yr in all three basins. The beginning of this excess of Zn, however, is delayed by about 20 years in, the Bornholm Basin and by about 40 years in the Gotland Basin. It is suggested that SW-NE transport of these anthropogenically mobilized metals may be related to periodic bottom water renewal in the Baltic Sea sedimentary basins.

Sedimentology and geochemistry of surface sediments from the Pagassitikos Gulf

Volos city and its port are situated in the northern part of Pagassitikos Gulf, a shallow, semi-enclosed marine area in central Greece. A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and pipeline operate in the same area. Muddy sediments with low carbonate contents cover most of the seabed, except for the Volos embayment and the western part of the gulf where sandy carbonates prevail. Bulk organic carbon contents and the organic carbon contents of the clay fractions are high in the vicinity of Volos embayment. High element (Pb, Cu, and Zn) contents and Igeo (geoaccumulation index) values were found for the clay fractions in the northern part of Pagassitikos Gulf. This enrichment is attributed to the discharge of raw domestic and industrial effluents of Volos city and port before the WWTP was installed. The dispersal of pollutants is essentially controlled by diffusion from point sources (city, port and WWTP) and is limited to Volos Bay. Relatively high Mn levels are ascribed to diagenetic formation of manganese carbonates (authigenic phase), whereas Cr and Ni are elevated due to weathering of ultrabasic formations on land.

Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa mass and 210Pb-226Ra chronology, Røst Reef, Norway, 2011

Here we show the use of the 210Pb-226Ra excess method to determine the growth rate of corals from one of the world's largest known cold-water coral reef, the Røst Reef off Norway. Two large branching framework-forming cold-water coral specimens, one Lophelia pertusa and one Madrepora oculata were collected alive at 350 m water depth from the Røst Reef at ~67° N and ~9° E. Pb and Ra isotopes were measured along the major growth axis of both specimens using low level alpha and gamma spectrometry and the corals trace element compositions were studied using ICP-QMS. Due to the different chemical behaviors of Pb and Ra in the marine environment, 210Pb and 226Ra were not incorporated the same way into the aragonite skeleton of those two cold-water corals. Thus to assess of the growth rates of both specimens we have here taken in consideration the exponential decrease of initially incorporated 210Pb as well as the ingrowth of 210Pb from the decay of 226Ra. Moreover a~post-depositional 210Pb incorporation is found in relation to the Mn-Fe coatings that could not be entirely removed from the oldest parts of the skeletons. The 226Ra activities in both corals were fairly constant, then assuming constant uptake of 210Pb through time the 210Pb-226Ra chronology can be applied to calculate linear growth rate. The 45.5 cm long branch of M. oculata reveals an age of 31 yr and a~linear growth rate of 14.4 ± 1.1 mm yr-1, i.e. 2.6 polyps per year. However, a correction regarding a remaining post-depositional Mn-Fe oxide coating is needed for the base of the specimen. The corrected age tend to confirm the radiocarbon derived basal age of 40 yr (using 14C bomb peak) with a mean growth rate of 2 polyps yr-1. This rate is similar to the one obtained in Aquaria experiments under optimal growth conditions. For the 80 cm-long specimen of L. pertusa a remaining contamination of metal-oxides is observed for the middle and basal part of the coral skeleton, inhibiting similar accurate age and growth rate estimates. However, the youngest branch was free of Mn enrichment and this 15 cm section reveals a growth rate of 8 mm yr-1 (~1 polyp every two to three years). However, the 210Pb growth rate estimate is within the lowermost ranges of previous growth rate estimates and may thus reflect that the coral was not developing at optimal growth conditions. Overall, 210Pb-226Ra dating can be successfully applied to determine the age and growth rate of framework-forming cold-water corals, however, removal of post-depositional Mn-Fe oxide deposits is a prerequisite. If successful, large branching M. oculata and L. pertusa coral skeletons provide unique oceanographic archive for studies of intermediate water environmentals with an up to annual time resolution and spanning over many decades.

Encapsulation of phase change materials using rice-husk-char

This paper explored a new approach to prepare phase change microcapsules using carbon-based particles via Pickering emulsions for energy storage applications. Rice-husk-char, a by-product in biofuel production, containing 53.58 wt% of carbon was used as a model carbon-based material to encapsulate hexadecane. As a model phase change material, hexadecane was emulsified in aqueous suspensions of rice-husk-char nanoparticles. Water soluble polymers poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride) and poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) were used to fix the rice-husk-char nanoparticles on the emulsion droplets through layer-by-layer assembly to enhance the structural stability of the microcapsules. The microcapsules formed are composed of a thin shell encompassing a large core consisting of hexadecane. Thermal gravimetrical and differential scanning calorimeter analyses showed the phase change enthalpy of 80.9 kJ kg−1 or 120.0 MJ m−3. Design criteria of phase change microcapsules and preparation considerations were discussed in terms of desired applications. This work demonstrated possible utilisations of biomass-originated carbon-based material for thermal energy recovery and storage applications, which can be a new route of carbon capture and utilisation.

An investigation of routes to cancer diagnosis in 10 international jurisdictions, as part of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership: survey development and implementation

Objectives This paper describes the methods used in the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Module 4 Survey (ICBPM4) which examines time intervals and routes to cancer diagnosis in 10 jurisdictions. We present the study design with defining and measuring time intervals, identifying patients with cancer, questionnaire development, data management and analyses.
Design and setting Recruitment of participants to the ICBPM4 survey is based on cancer registries in each jurisdiction. Questionnaires draw on previous instruments and have been through a process of cognitive testing and piloting in three jurisdictions followed by standardised translation and adaptation. Data analysis focuses on comparing differences in time intervals and routes to diagnosis in the jurisdictions.
Participants Our target is 200 patients with symptomatic breast, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer in each jurisdiction. Patients are approached directly or via their primary care physician (PCP). Patients’ PCPs and cancer treatment specialists (CTSs) are surveyed, and ‘data rules’ are applied to combine and reconcile conflicting information. Where CTS information is unavailable, audit information is sought from treatment records and databases.
Main outcomes Reliability testing of the patient questionnaire showed that agreement was complete (κ=1) in four items and substantial (κ=0.8, 95% CI 0.333 to 1) in one item. The identification of eligible patients is sufficient to meet the targets for breast, lung and colorectal cancer. Initial patient and PCP survey response rates from the UK and Sweden are comparable with similar published surveys. Data collection was completed in early 2016 for all cancer types.
Conclusion An international questionnaire-based survey of patients with cancer, PCPs and CTSs has been developed and launched in 10 jurisdictions. ICBPM4 will help to further understand international differences in cancer survival by comparing time intervals and routes to cancer diagnosis.

Studio dell'effetto di Hump in un motore a solido in piccola scala con metodi di produzione di punzonatura e colaggio

L’oggetto di questo elaborato riguarda lo studio prestazionale di un Solid Rocket Motor mediante l’introduzione del fattore di “Hump”, che va a compensare il discostamento tra il profilo delle pressioni sperimentali e teoriche, cercando di legare tali variazioni a spiegazioni fisiche. In particolare andremo ad investigare, all’interno di due differenti tipologie di colata, quale sia l’effetto predominante all’interno del propellente che genera proprio tali discostamenti della pressione, e quindi della spinta, rispetto alla condizione ideale. Nell’elaborato verranno anzitutto presentate le diverse tipologie di propulsori, i loro singoli componenti, i parametri fondamentali che regolano la meccanica di questa tipologia di motori, le tipologie di grain esistenti e le loro caratteristiche. Successivamente descriveremo le BARIA (Bomb ARIAne), usate per i test del grain nella ditta AVIO s.p.a., e le tipologie di riempimento di questo motore, investigando i fenomeni fisici a cui sarà legato l’effetto di “Hump”. In seguito si descriverà il fattore di “Hump”, evidenziando, per le differenti tipologie di riempimento, i fenomeni fisici a cui sarà legato il discostamento tra le pressioni sperimentali e teoriche. Verranno poi descritti i programmi utilizzati, gli script in Matlab prodotti, al fine di ottenere le mappe relative all’orientazione ed alla concentrazione delle particelle, da introdurre nel simulatore. Infine verranno esposti i risultati ottenuti e confrontati con i dati sperimentali forniti dalla ditta AVIO s.p.a., le conclusioni e gli sviluppi futuri.

Adsorption Calorimetry for Energy Conversion Technologies: Applications in Organic Photovoltaics, Catalysis, and Atomic Layer Deposition

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-07

Lasten vetoomus pysyvän rauhan puolesta. Hiroshimalaisten lasten ja nuorten muistelmat atomipommi-iskun jälkeiseltä ajalta ja iskun vaikutus heidän käsityksiinsä tulevaisuudesta vuonna 1951

Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa perehdyin siihen, miten hiroshimalaiset lapset ja nuoret kuvasivat muistelmissaan Hiroshiman atomipommi-iskun jälkeistä aikaa, ja miten iskun nähtiin vaikuttaneen heidän käsityksiinsä tulevaisuudesta. Lähestyin aihetta muistitietotutkimuksen metodin kautta. Alkuperäisaineistonani käytin Arata Osadan kokoamaan muistelmateosta Children of the A-Bomb: Testament of the Boys and Girls of Hiroshima, joka pitää sisällään 105 lasten ja nuorten kirjoittamaa muistelmaa atomipommi-iskun jälkeisestä ajasta vuonna 1951. Ajallisesti tutkielmani rajautuu lasten kuvaamaan kuuteen vuoteen atomipommi-iskusta kirjoitushetkeen, sekä muistelmissa kuvattuun tulevaisuuteen. Pääpaino on kuitenkin vuodessa 1951. Teos edustaa japanilaista toisen maailmansodan jälkeistä sodan vastaista kirjallisuutta, jonka motiivina on rauhanaatteen edistäminen. Muistelmateoksesta on nähtävissä, kuinka lapset tulkitsevat iskun jälkeistä nykyisyyttä oman selviytymisensä kautta. Monet nuorimmista lapsista kuvasivat kokemaansa kiitollisuuden tunnetta auttajaa kohtaan, kun taas vanhempien lasten muistelmissa kuvataan enemmän itse avunantoa. Vanhemmat lapset olivat useammin poissa kotoa ja vailla vanhempiensa turvaa, joten he joutuivat tekemään itsenäisempiä päätöksiä. Selviytyminen herätti niin kiitollisuutta, mutta myös ahdistusta ja tarvetta perustella omaa selviytymistään. Muistelmista on myös havaittavissa japanilaisen historiantulkinnan murrosvaihe. Sodan jälkeinen miehityspolitiikka opetti japanilaisia syyttämään imperialistista hallitusta sodasta, ja toisaalta kielsi Yhdysvaltojen ja atomipommien käytön kritisoinnin. Kuitenkin sensuurin loputtua myös Yhdysvaltoja kohtaan alkoi esiintymään kritiikkiä. Lasten muistelmissa onkin nähtävissä vaihtelevia tapoja kommentoida atomipommi-iskun syitä ja seurauksia. Menneisyyden ja nykyisyyden tulkinnan ohella muistelmissa on nähtävissä myös lasten ja nuorten käsityksiä tulevaisuudesta. Tulevaisuuden käsityksiin vaikutti erityisesti kylmän sodan epävakaa konteksti, joka nosti esiin uuden sodan pelon. Lisäksi muistelmissa oli myös nähtävissä normaalin arjen pelkoja, kuten kiusaamista. Toisaalta moni koki päässeensä yli menneisyyden traumasta ja pyrki omalla toiminnallaan vaikuttamaan tulevaisuuteen rauhaa edistävästi.

Thermodynamic modeling and microcalorimetry of nanostructured materials for capacitive thermal management of electronics

Transient power dissipation profiles in handheld electronic devices alternate between high and low power states depending on usage. Capacitive thermal management based on phase change materials potentially offers a fan-less thermal management for such transient profiles. However, such capacitive management becomes feasible only if there is a significant enhancement in the enthalpy change per unit volume of the phase change material since existing bulk materials such as paraffin fall short of requirements. In this thesis I propose novel nanostructured thin-film materials that can potentially exhibit significantly enhanced volumetric enthalpy change. Using fundamental thermodynamics of phase transition, calculations regarding the enhancement resulting from superheating in such thin film systems is conducted. Furthermore design of a microfabricated calorimeter to measure such enhancements is explained in detail. This work advances the state-of-art of phase change materials for capacitive cooling of handheld devices.

Conflictos de interés, riesgo y presiones que enfrenta a diario el periodista en La Troncal y sus sectores aledaños

El presente trabajo Riesgos y presiones del Periodista en La Troncales de trascendental importancia en el sentido que en nuestra ciudad, no existe un periodismo de vanguardia. El periodista en La Troncal, tiene un campo de acción que está empezando, está todo por hacerse; sin embargo, no deja de ser menos notorio los riesgos y presiones. Por lo tanto, no deja de ser peligrosa esta actividad para quien la ejerce. Una muestra del riesgo latente, constituye los casos que presentamos aquí en esta tesina. Así por ejemplo, el hecho de Byron Baldeón, fue un suceso que causó conmoción a nivel internacional por la crueldad con la que se actuó. Este asesinato sigue todavía en investigación, pues hasta la vez no se ha llegado a encontrar a los culpables. Así mismo, el caso de Carlos Bejarano Ramos que pasó el susto de su vida y quien estuvo a punto de morir con toda su familia se salvaron por un milagro, la bomba que fue lanzada a su morada no estalló. En conclusión, este tema que presentamos en la tesina es interesante porque el periodista en este sector se desempeña en un ambiente de mucho riesgo y lo que es peor sin apoyo de su patrono y de ninguna asociación, pues laboran algunos hasta sin seguro social lo cual hace más dramática la situación en que se hallan la mayoría de los aficionados y profesionales del periodismo tanto como de La Troncal y El Triunfo.

Fire protection durability of intumescent coatings after accelerated aging

The most common method of achieve the required fire resistance is by the use of passive fire protection systems, being intumescent coatings the fire protection material frequently used. These are usually considered thin film coatings as they are applied with a dry film thickness (DFT) between 0.3-3 [mm]. The required DFT is obtained by experimental fire resistance tests performed to assess the contribution of this reactive fire protection material to the steel member fire resistance. This tests are done after dry coating and a short time period of atmospheric conditioning, at constant temperature and humidity. As the coatings formulation is mainly made from polymeric basis compounds, it is expected that the environmental factors, such temperature, humidity and UV radiation (UVA and UVB) significantly affect the intumescent coating fire protection performance and its durability. This work presents a research study about the effects of aging on the fire protection performance of intumescent coatings. A commercial water based coating is submitted to an accelerated aging cycle, using a QUV Accelerated Weathering Tester. This tests aim to simulate 10 years of the coating natural aging. The coating durability is tested comparing the fire protection of small steel samples submitted to a radiant heat flux exposure from a cone calorimeter. In total, 28 tests were performed on intumescent coating protected steel specimens, of which 14 specimens were tested before the hydrothermal aging test and other 14 after accelerated aging. The experimental tests results of the steel temperature evolution shows that increasing the intumescent dry coating film thickness, the fire resistance time increases. After the accelerated aging cycles, the coating lose their ability to expand, resulting in an increase of the steel temperature of approximately 200 [ºC], compared to the samples without aging.

L1 track finding for a time multiplexed trigger

At the HL-LHC, proton bunches will cross each other every 25. ns, producing an average of 140 pp-collisions per bunch crossing. To operate in such an environment, the CMS experiment will need a L1 hardware trigger able to identify interesting events within a latency of 12.5. μs. The future L1 trigger will make use also of data coming from the silicon tracker to control the trigger rate. The architecture that will be used in future to process tracker data is still under discussion. One interesting proposal makes use of the Time Multiplexed Trigger concept, already implemented in the CMS calorimeter trigger for the Phase I trigger upgrade. The proposed track finding algorithm is based on the Hough Transform method. The algorithm has been tested using simulated pp-collision data. Results show a very good tracking efficiency. The algorithm will be demonstrated in hardware in the coming months using the MP7, which is a μTCA board with a powerful FPGA capable of handling data rates approaching 1. Tb/s.

Investigation of capacitive discharge heating of metallic glasses

In recent years, the discovery of bulk metallic glasses with exceptional properties has generated much interest. One of their most intriguing features is their capacity for viscous flow above the glass transition temperature. This characteristic allows metallic glasses to be formed like plastics at modest temperatures. However, crystallization of supercooled metallic liquids in the best bulk metallic glass-formers is much more rapid than in most polymers and silicate glass-forming liquids. The short times to crystallization impairs experimentation on and processing of supercooled glass-forming metallic liquids. A technique to rapidly and uniformly heat metallic glasses at rates of 10⁵ to 10⁶ kelvin per second is presented. A capacitive discharge is used to ohmically heat metallic glasses to temperatures in the super cooled liquid region in millisecond time-scales. By heating samples rapidly, the most time-consuming step in experiments on supercooled metallic liquids is reduced orders of magnitude in length. This allows for experimentation on and processing of metallic liquids in temperature ranges that were previously inaccessible because of crystallization.

A variety of forming techniques, including injection molding and forging, were coupled with capacitive discharge heating to produce near net-shaped metallic glass parts. In addition, a new forming technique, which combines a magnetic field with the heating current to produce a forming force, was developed. Viscosities were measured in previously inaccessible temperature ranges using parallel plate rheometry combined with capacitive discharge heating. Lastly, a rapid pulse calorimeter was developed with this technique to investigate the thermophysical behavior of metallic glasses at these rapid heating rates.