MOE and MOR assessment technologies for improving graded recovery of exotic pines in Australia.

This project was designed to provide the structural softwood processing industry with the basis for improved green and dry grading to allow maximise MGP grade yields, consistent product performance and reduced processing costs. To achieve this, advanced statistical techniques were used in conjunction with state-of-the-art property measurement systems. Specifically, the project aimed to make two significant steps forward for the Australian structural softwood industry: • assessment of technologies, both existing and novel, that may lead to selection of a consistent, reliable and accurate device for the log yard and green mill. The purpose is to more accurately identify and reject material that will not make a minimum grade of MGP10 downstream; • improved correlation of grading MOE and MOR parameters in the dry mill using new analytical methods and a combination of devices. The three populations tested were stiffness-limited radiata pine, strength-limited radiata pine and Caribbean pine. Resonance tests were conducted on logs prior to sawmilling, and on boards. Raw data from existing in-line systems were captured for the green and dry boards. The dataset was analysed using classical and advanced statistical tools to provide correlations between data sets and to develop efficient strength and stiffness prediction equations. Stiffness and strength prediction algorithms were developed from raw and combined parameters. Parameters were analysed for comparison of prediction capabilities using in-line parameters, off-line parameters and a combination of in-line and off-line parameters. The results show that acoustic resonance techniques have potential for log assessment, to sort for low stiffness and/or low strength, depending on the resource. From the log measurements, a strong correlation was found between the average static MOE of the dried boards within a log and the predicted value. These results have application in segregating logs into structural and non-structural uses. Some commercial technologies are already available for this application such as Hitman LG640. For green boards it was found that in-line and laboratory acoustic devices can provide a good prediction of dry static MOE and moderate prediction for MOR.There is high potential for segregating boards at this stage of processing. Grading after the log breakdown can improve significantly the effectiveness of the mill. Subsequently, reductions in non-structural volumes can be achieved. Depending on the resource it can be expected that a 5 to 8 % reduction in non structural boards won’t be dried with an associated saving of $70 to 85/m3. For dry boards, vibration and a standard Metriguard CLT/HCLT provided a similar level of prediction on stiffness limited resource. However, Metriguard provides a better strength prediction in strength limited resources (due to this equipment’s ability to measure local characteristics). The combination of grading equipment specifically for stiffness related predictors (Metriguard or vibration) with defect detection systems (optical or X-ray scanner) provides a higher level of prediction, especially for MOR. Several commercial technologies are already available for acoustic grading on board such those from Microtec, Luxscan, Falcon engineering or Dynalyse AB for example. Differing combinations of equipment, and their strategic location within the processing chain, can dramatically improve the efficiency of the mill, the level of which will vary depending of the resource. For example, an initial acoustic sorting on green boards combined with an optical scanner associated with an acoustic system for grading dry board can result in a large reduction of the proportion of low value low non-structural produced. The application of classical MLR on several predictors proved to be effective, in particular for MOR predictions. However, the usage of a modern statistics approach(chemometrics tools) such as PLS proved to be more efficient for improving the level of prediction. Compared to existing technologies, the results of the project indicate a good improvement potential for grading in the green mill, ahead of kiln drying and subsequent cost-adding processes. The next stage is the development and refinement of systems for this purpose.

Routine Measurement of Health-Related Quality of Life in Assessing Cost-Effectiveness in Secondary Health Care

Aims: The aims of this study were 1) to identify and describe health economic studies that have used quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) based on actual measurements of patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL); 2) to test the feasibility of routine collection of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data as an indicator of effectiveness of secondary health care; and 3) to establish and compare the cost-utility of three large-volume surgical procedures in a real-world setting in the Helsinki University Central Hospital, a large referral hospital providing secondary and tertiary health-care services for a population of approximately 1.4 million. Patients and methods: So as to identify studies that have used QALYs as an outcome measure, a systematic search of the literature was performed using the Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SCI and Cochrane Library electronic databases. Initial screening of the identified articles involved two reviewers independently reading the abstracts; the full-text articles were also evaluated independently by two reviewers, with a third reviewer used in cases where the two reviewers could not agree a consensus on which articles should be included. The feasibility of routinely evaluating the cost-effectiveness of secondary health care was tested by setting up a system for collecting HRQoL data on approximately 4 900 patients' HRQoL before and after operative treatments performed in the hospital. The HRQoL data used as an indicator of treatment effectiveness was combined with diagnostic and financial indicators routinely collected in the hospital. To compare the cost-effectiveness of three surgical interventions, 712 patients admitted for routine operative treatment completed the 15D HRQoL questionnaire before and also 3-12 months after the operation. QALYs were calculated using the obtained utility data and expected remaining life years of the patients. Direct hospital costs were obtained from the clinical patient administration database of the hospital and a cost-utility analysis was performed from the perspective of the provider of secondary health care services. Main results: The systematic review (Study I) showed that although QALYs gained are considered an important measure of the effectiveness of health care, the number of studies in which QALYs are based on actual measurements of patients' HRQoL is still fairly limited. Of the reviewed full-text articles, only 70 reported QALYs based on actual before after measurements using a valid HRQoL instrument. Collection of simple cost-effectiveness data in secondary health care is feasible and could easily be expanded and performed on a routine basis (Study II). It allows meaningful comparisons between various treatments and provides a means for allocating limited health care resources. The cost per QALY gained was 2 770 for cervical operations and 1 740 for lumbar operations. In cases where surgery was delayed the cost per QALY was doubled (Study III). The cost per QALY ranges between subgroups in cataract surgery (Study IV). The cost per QALY gained was 5 130 for patients having both eyes operated on and 8 210 for patients with only one eye operated on during the 6-month follow-up. In patients whose first eye had been operated on previous to the study period, the mean HRQoL deteriorated after surgery, thus precluding the establishment of the cost per QALY. In arthroplasty patients (Study V) the mean cost per QALY gained in a one-year period was 6 710 for primary hip replacement, 52 270 for revision hip replacement, and 14 000 for primary knee replacement. Conclusions: Although the importance of cost-utility analyses has during recent years been stressed, there are only a limited number of studies in which the evaluation is based on patients own assessment of the treatment effectiveness. Most of the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses are based on modeling that employs expert opinion regarding the outcome of treatment, not on patient-derived assessments. Routine collection of effectiveness information from patients entering treatment in secondary health care turned out to be easy enough and did not, for instance, require additional personnel on the wards in which the study was executed. The mean patient response rate was more than 70 %, suggesting that patients were happy to participate and appreciated the fact that the hospital showed an interest in their well-being even after the actual treatment episode had ended. Spinal surgery leads to a statistically significant and clinically important improvement in HRQoL. The cost per QALY gained was reasonable, at less than half of that observed for instance for hip replacement surgery. However, prolonged waiting for an operation approximately doubled the cost per QALY gained from the surgical intervention. The mean utility gain following routine cataract surgery in a real world setting was relatively small and confined mostly to patients who had had both eyes operated on. The cost of cataract surgery per QALY gained was higher than previously reported and was associated with considerable degree of uncertainty. Hip and knee replacement both improve HRQoL. The cost per QALY gained from knee replacement is two-fold compared to hip replacement. Cost-utility results from the three studied specialties showed that there is great variation in the cost-utility of surgical interventions performed in a real-world setting even when only common, widely accepted interventions are considered. However, the cost per QALY of all the studied interventions, except for revision hip arthroplasty, was well below 50 000, this figure being sometimes cited in the literature as a threshold level for the cost-effectiveness of an intervention. Based on the present study it may be concluded that routine evaluation of the cost-utility of secondary health care is feasible and produces information essential for a rational and balanced allocation of scarce health care resources.

Influence of heat-treatment on the strength and fracture-behavior of fe-12cr-6al ferritic stainless-steel

The changes in the tensile properties and fracture mode brought about by heat treatment of Fe-12Cr-6Al ferritic stainless steel have been studied. A favourable combination of high strength and good ductility is obtained by heating the material at 1370 K for 2 h followed by a water quench. The high-temperature treatment results in carbide dissolution as well as an increase in the grain size. The mechanism of strengthening has been evaluated from the apparent activation energy (28 kJ mol–1) and is identified to be the unpinning of dislocations from the atmosphere of carbon atoms. As the heat-treatment temperature is increased, the fracture behaviour changes from ductile to brittle mode and this is related to the changes in grain size and friction stress.

Dosage Compensation And Sex Determination In Drosophila - Mechanism Of Measurement Of The X/A Ratio

We propose a molecular mechanism for the intra-cellular measurement of the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to the number of sets of autosomes, a process central to both sex determination and dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster. In addition to the two loci, da and Sxl, which have been shown by Cline (Genetics, 90, 683, 1978)and others to be involved in these processes, we postulate two other loci, one autosomal (ω) and the other, X-linked (π). The product of the autosomal locus da stimulates ω and initiates synthesis of a limited quantity of repressor. Sxl and π ,both of which are X-linked, compete for this repressor as well as for RNA polymerase. It is assumed that Sxl has lower affinity than π for repressor as well as polymerase and that the binding of polymerase to one of these sites modulates the binding affinity of the other site for the enzyme. It can be shown that as a result of these postulated interactions transcription from the Sxl site is proportional to the X/A ratio such that the levels of Sxl+ product are low in males, high in females and intermediate in the intersexes. If, as proposed by Cline, the Sxl- product is an inhibitor of X chromosome activity, this would result in dosage compensation. The model leads to the conclusion that high levels of Sxl+ product promote a female phenotype and low levels, a male phenotype. One interesting consequence of the assumptions on which the model is based is that the level of Sxl+ product in the cell, when examined as a function of increasing repressor concentration, first goes up and then decreases, yielding a bell-shaped curve. This feature of the model provides an explanation for some of the remarkable interactions among mutants at the Sxl, da and mle loci and leads to several predictions. The proposed mechanism may also have relevance to certain other problems, such as size regulation during development, which seem to involve measurement of ratios at the cellular level.

Analyzing hysteresis behavior of capacitance-voltage characteristics of IZO/C₆₀/pentacene/Au diodes with a hole-transport electron-blocking polyterpenol layer by electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation measurement

By using electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurement, we analyzed hysteresis behavior of capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of IZO/polyterpenol (PT)/C₆₀/pentacene/Au diodes, where PT layer is actively working as a hole-transport electron-blocking layer. The EFISHG measurement verified the presence of interface accumulated charges in the diodes, and showed that a space charge electric field from accumulated excess electrons (holes) that remain at the PT/C₆₀ (C₆₀/pentacene) interface is responsible for the hysteresis loop observed in the C-V characteristics.

Measurement of resistivity and dielectric constant of beach-sand minerals

Resistivity and dielectric constant are important parameters which influence the separation of particles in a drum-type electrostatic separator. The paper provides details of the measurement of the parameters and data on the magnitude of resistivity and dielectric constant of the minerals of beach sand.

Automatic Lameness Detection in a Milking Robot : Instrumentation, measurement software, algorithms for data analysis and a neural network model

The aim of this thesis is to develop a fully automatic lameness detection system that operates in a milking robot. The instrumentation, measurement software, algorithms for data analysis and a neural network model for lameness detection were developed. Automatic milking has become a common practice in dairy husbandry, and in the year 2006 about 4000 farms worldwide used over 6000 milking robots. There is a worldwide movement with the objective of fully automating every process from feeding to milking. Increase in automation is a consequence of increasing farm sizes, the demand for more efficient production and the growth of labour costs. As the level of automation increases, the time that the cattle keeper uses for monitoring animals often decreases. This has created a need for systems for automatically monitoring the health of farm animals. The popularity of milking robots also offers a new and unique possibility to monitor animals in a single confined space up to four times daily. Lameness is a crucial welfare issue in the modern dairy industry. Limb disorders cause serious welfare, health and economic problems especially in loose housing of cattle. Lameness causes losses in milk production and leads to early culling of animals. These costs could be reduced with early identification and treatment. At present, only a few methods for automatically detecting lameness have been developed, and the most common methods used for lameness detection and assessment are various visual locomotion scoring systems. The problem with locomotion scoring is that it needs experience to be conducted properly, it is labour intensive as an on-farm method and the results are subjective. A four balance system for measuring the leg load distribution of dairy cows during milking in order to detect lameness was developed and set up in the University of Helsinki Research farm Suitia. The leg weights of 73 cows were successfully recorded during almost 10,000 robotic milkings over a period of 5 months. The cows were locomotion scored weekly, and the lame cows were inspected clinically for hoof lesions. Unsuccessful measurements, caused by cows standing outside the balances, were removed from the data with a special algorithm, and the mean leg loads and the number of kicks during milking was calculated. In order to develop an expert system to automatically detect lameness cases, a model was needed. A probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier model was chosen for the task. The data was divided in two parts and 5,074 measurements from 37 cows were used to train the model. The operation of the model was evaluated for its ability to detect lameness in the validating dataset, which had 4,868 measurements from 36 cows. The model was able to classify 96% of the measurements correctly as sound or lame cows, and 100% of the lameness cases in the validation data were identified. The number of measurements causing false alarms was 1.1%. The developed model has the potential to be used for on-farm decision support and can be used in a real-time lameness monitoring system.

Stress path effects on the strength behaviour of a layered soil

An experimental investigation dealing with the influence of stress path on the shear behaviour of a layered soil prepared in the laboratory is described. Specimens trimmed in vertical and horizontal directions have been sheared under three different stress paths in compression and extension tests. Either in compression or extension, the stress–strain behaviour of the specimens with both orientations was apparently the same, although the volume change behaviour was different. The effective stress parameters C′ and ′ were found to be unique and independent of the stress path and two principal orientations. However, the values of ′ in extension tests were 6–7° higher than those in compression tests.

On the propagation of a multi-dimensional shock of arbitrary strength

In this paper the kinematics of a curved shock of arbitrary strength has been discussed using the theory of generalised functions. This is the extension of Moslov’s work where he has considered isentropic flow even across the shock. The condition for a nontrivial jump in the flow variables gives the shock manifold equation (sme). An equation for the rate of change of shock strength along the shock rays (defined as the characteristics of the sme) has been obtained. This exact result is then compared with the approximate result of shock dynamics derived by Whitham. The comparison shows that the approximate equations of shock dynamics deviate considerably from the exact equations derived here. In the last section we have derived the conservation form of our shock dynamic equations. These conservation forms would be very useful in numerical computations as it would allow us to derive difference schemes for which it would not be necessary to fit the shock-shock explicitly.

Applicability of the van der Pauw-Hall measurement technique to implanted samples

The application of the van der Pauw-Hall measurement technique to implanted samples in which the mobility varies with depth has still not been fully justified. A proof that the technique is in fact applicable in this situation is given. Journal of Applied Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics.

Refractive index measurement by the moire technique

A simple moire method for the direct measurement of refractive indices is presented. The change of magnification and/or distortion of the image of a linear grating when viewed through a refractive index field is amplified by means of moire fringes and is measured directly. Relations between the index of refraction and fringe spacing are derived and have been verified experimentally.

Design of laterally loaded piles in clays based on cone penetration test data: a reliability-based approach

The behaviour of laterally loaded piles is considerably influenced by the uncertainties in soil properties. Hence probabilistic models for assessment of allowable lateral load are necessary. Cone penetration test (CPT) data are often used to determine soil strength parameters, whereby the allowable lateral load of the pile is computed. In the present study, the maximum lateral displacement and moment of the pile are obtained based on the coefficient of subgrade reaction approach, considering the nonlinear soil behaviour in undrained clay. The coefficient of subgrade reaction is related to the undrained shear strength of soil, which can be obtained from CPT data. The soil medium is modelled as a one-dimensional random field along the depth, and it is described by the standard deviation and scale of fluctuation of the undrained shear strength of soil. Inherent soil variability, measurement uncertainty and transformation uncertainty are taken into consideration. The statistics of maximum lateral deflection and moment are obtained using the first-order, second-moment technique. Hasofer-Lind reliability indices for component and system failure criteria, based on the allowable lateral displacement and moment capacity of the pile section, are evaluated. The geotechnical database from the Konaseema site in India is used as a case example. It is shown that the reliability-based design approach for pile foundations, considering the spatial variability of soil, permits a rational choice of allowable lateral loads.