Tape Placement Head for Applying Thermoplastic Tape to an Object

A tape placement head for applying thermoplastic tape to an object includes a heated feeder which guides the tape/tow to a heated zone. The heated zone has a line compactor having a single row of at least one movable heated member. An area compactor is located in the heated zone downstream from the line compactor. The area compactor includes a plurality of rows of movable feet which are extendable toward the tape/tow different distances with respect to each other to conform to the shape of the object. A shim is located between the heated compactors and the tape/tow. A chilled compactor is in a chilled zone downstream from the heated zone. The chilled zone includes a line chilled compactor and an area chilled compactor. A chilled shim is mounted between the chilled compactor and the tape/tow

Search for the K(L) --> PI0 PI0 E+ E- Decay in the KTeV Experiment

The recent discovery of a large CP violating asymmetry in K(L) --> PI+ PI- E+ E- mode has prompted us to seach for the associated K(L) --> PI0 PI0 E+ E- decay mode in the KTeV-E799 experiment at Fermilab. In 2.7E+11 K(L) decays, one candidate event has been observed with an expected background of 0.3 event, resulting in an upper limit for the K(L) --> PI0 PI0 E+ E- branching ratio of 6.6E-09 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Constraints on s→dγs\to d \gamma from Radiative Hyperon and Kaon Decays

The quark-level process $b \to s \gamma$ has been used extensively to place constraints on new interactions. These same interactions can be further constrained from the enhancement they induce in the quark-level $s \to d \gamma$ transition, to the extent that the short distance contributions can be separated from the long distance contributions. We parameterize what is known about the long distance amplitudes and subtract it from the data in radiative hyperon and kaon decays to constrain new interactions.Comment: Latex 11 page

The standard model at low energies

The hadronic sector of the standard model at low energies is described by a non--decoupling effective field theory, chiral perturbation theory. An introduction is given to the construction of effective chiral Lagrangians, both in the purely mesonic sector and with inclusion of baryons. The connection between the relativistic formulation and the heavy baryon approach to chiral perturbation theory with baryons is reviewed.Comment: Lectures given at the 6th Indian-Summer School on Intermediate Energy Physics, Prague, Aug. 1993, Latex, 26 pages (with a4.sty), UWThPh-1993-3

Willingness to pay for multifunctional megaprojects: A stated preference analysis among firms in the Amsterdam Zuidas area

http://hdl.handle.net/1871/1621

Using Color in Machine Vision Systems for Wood Processing

Color information, already shown to be valuable in distinguishing wood surface features, should prove especially useful for future applications of machine vision in the wood products industry. This review provides investigators interested in such applications with the information necessary for understanding the benefits-and associated difficulties-of using color. Various standard color-measurement systems ("color spaces") are discussed. No one system has been completely successful, at least partly because simple physical measurements are difficult to correlate with a human observer's complex perception of color. Color video camera systems, designed with human viewers in mind, have the potential for machine vision applications, but certain system "features" (white balance, gamma or contour correction) could cause problems. Future applications, including detecting and classifying hard-to-identify defects and matching colors of wood components, will require careful choice of lighting geometry and source, camera system, and color space for the purpose at hand

Understanding the mechanisms underlying biological control of Fusarium diseases in cereals

Many Fusarium species cause serious diseases for cereal cultivation. These include Fusarium head blight and crown rot on wheat and bakanae disease on rice. These represent a major concern both in terms of food security and food safety. The latter is connected with the risk of mycotoxin contamination of grains. Biological control has proven its potential for controlling head blight and crown rot diseases of cereals caused by Fusarium species in a number of studies, and indeed several commercial products are under development. We review current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying biological control with a focus on fungal biocontrol agents, and also include challenges related to co-occurrence of Fusarium species. Several of the established biological control mechanisms (antibiosis, competition, hyperparasitism and induced resistance) can act simultaneously, thus resulting in disease control and, consequently, reduction of mycotoxin contamination. We also review the biological roles of some of the many mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species, and the mechanisms by which they are detoxified by cereal enzymes or by other fungi and how biological control agents (BCAs) can stimulate their degradation. Finally, the effect of biocontrol agents on the resident microbiota, as well as the effect of the resident microbiota on the performances of BCAs, are discussed. New perspectives on the use of biocontrol agents for the management of Fusarium diseases on cereals

Basic science of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent, disabling disorder of the joints that affects a large population worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure. This review provides critical insights into the basic knowledge on OA that may lead to innovative end efficient new therapeutic regimens. While degradation of the articular cartilage is the hallmark of OA, with altered interactions between chondrocytes and compounds of the extracellular matrix, the subchondral bone has been also described as a key component of the disease, involving specific pathomechanisms controlling its initiation and progression. The identification of such events (and thus of possible targets for therapy) has been made possible by the availability of a number of animal models that aim at reproducing the human pathology, in particular large models of high tibial osteotomy (HTO). From a therapeutic point of view, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising option for the treatment of OA and may be used concomitantly with functional substitutes integrating scaffolds and drugs/growth factors in tissue engineering setups. Altogether, these advances in the fundamental and experimental knowledge on OA may allow for the generation of improved, adapted therapeutic regimens to treat human OA.(undefined