On the prediction of the curvature of cross roll straightened bars

A recently proposed procedure for the simulation of cross roll straightening allows to predict successfully the residual stress distribution in straightened bars as well as their yield stress. Although the procedure allows also to make predictions about the curvature of straightened bars, large discrepancies appear between predictions and exper- iments. The present study aims at understanding the causes of these deviations. The standard experimental setup for the measurement of curvature provides values on the assumption of a constant in-plane curvature. Using a modified procedure for the predic- tion of the curvature, this study shows that, according to the model, the curvature of straightened bars is not constant and not in-plane. The reason for the deviation observed between predictions and measurements is then obvious

Modelling of Dynamic Strain Aging with a Dislocation-Based Isotropic Hardening Model and Investigation of Orthogonal Loading

Based on experimental results, a dislocation material model describing the dynamic strain aging\ud effect at different temperatures is presented. One and two stage loading tests were performed in\ud order to investigate the influence of the loading direction as well as the temperature influence due\ud to the hardening mechanism. Bergström’s theory of work hardening was used as a basis for the\ud model development regarding the thermal isotropic behavior as well as the Chaboche model to\ud describe the kinematic hardening. Both models were implemented in an in-house FE-Code in\ud order to simulate the real processes. The present paper discusses two hardening mechanisms,\ud where the first part deals with the pure isotropic hardening including dynamic strain aging and the\ud second part involves the influence of the loading direction regarding combined (isotropic and\ud kinematic) hardening behavior

The Importance of Being Diverse: The Idiosyncratic Ethnobotany of the Reka Albanian Diaspora in North Macedonia

Cultural diversity and biodiversity are strongly intertwined through the ways in which local human communities have understood, categorized, perceived, and used nature and species for centuries. Folk nomenclature and uses of wild plants in particular are strongly linked to specific ethno-diversities and have often been considered as cultural markers. In the current study, through thirty-one interviews with elderly villagers, the ethnobotany of five Albanian villages in North Macedonia was recorded, as these villages are inhabited by descendants of Reka Albanians, whose peculiar dialect and customs have been the subject in the past of some linguistic, historical, and ethnographic works. A few folk names and utilizations of commonly used species (such as Rumex, Urtica, Tilia, Crocus, and Hypericum spp.), as well as the traditional customs of collecting tree cambium during the spring and ritually adorning home doors with Cornus mas and Salix spp. branches on St. George’s Day, partially overlap Macedonian/Bulgarian folklore, and, to a minor extent, data previously collected in NE Albania and South Kosovo. Nevertheless, some archaic uses (such as the consumption of Crocus corms) remain very idiosyncratic. While the origin of the Reka Albanians and the exact historical reasons for their peculiar ethnobotany practices cannot be exactly established, the data showed that this cultural group living at the cultural edge between the Albanian and South Balkan Slavic realms has maintained its diversity until the present. Its uniqueness should be valorized and celebrated

The European performance indicators of broiler chickens as influenced by stocking density and sex

ArticleThe aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different stocking densities on the growth performance of Ross 308 broiler chickens up to six weeks of age. A to tal of 216 one - day broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three treatment groups based on the stocking density: Low (LSD) = 14 chickens m - 2 , Medium (MSD) = 18 chickens per m 2 and High (HSD) = 22 chickens m - 2 , with four replications. Higher body weight gain (TWG) was observed for the low (2,043.89 g) and medium (2 , 008.03 g) compared to the high (1,901.51 g) density. The study revealed that chickens of the LSD treatment consumed significantly ( P < 0.01) more fe ed compared to the HSD chickens. High stocking density (22 m - 2 ) tended to improve feed conversion ratio compared to medium (18 m - 2 ) and low (14 m - 2 ) stocking density, but the differences were not significant ( P > 0.05). From the results of this study it can be concluded that broiler chicks can be stocked up to 22 chickens m 2 , as far as required standards are assured

Interventions and instruments to promote sustainable land use in Europe

Since the first examples of human settlements, land has been subject to transformations. With the industrial revolution and in particular after the Second World War, land transformation has become more intense in terms of overexploitation of natural resources. Only recently, however, have policy and decision makers acknowledged the importance of land as a finite resource. Sustainable development has increasingly become the subject of many studies and a reason for debate, leading to different lines of thought among the various disciplines. This has led to the design and implementation of a great number of sustainable land use practices in many European cities and regions. In fact, it seems that sustainability of land use depends both on the socio-economic processes that trigger spatial development and the effectiveness of the instruments that regulate these processes (Solly et al., 2020). The need for a more sustainable and eco-compatible approach, and the European objective to achieve zero net land take 2050 (Science for Environment Policy, 2016), have been one of the reasons why ESPON launched the pan-European research project SUPER – Sustainable Urbanization and land-use in the European Regions. The project examines, on the one hand, the nature and the structure of urbanization processes and, on the other, it seeks to analyze the degree of success of interventions and instruments aiming at a more sustainable use of land. This contribution presents the results of the project by focusing especially on the content of the SUPER “Guide to Sustainable Urbanisation and Land Use” (Cotella et al., 2020). Thanks to the exploration of more than two hundred examples of urbanization interventions gathered all over Europe, the guide suggests a set of policy recommendations for policy and decision makers in order to address land use in a more sustainable perspective. According to the different objectives and contextual needs, policy and decision makers should focus more on: (i) which intervention (i.e. densification, regeneration, containment, governance and sectoral policies) and (ii) which instrument, should be used (i.e. visions and strategies, rules and legal devices, land use regulations, programmes and projects)

ESPON SUPER – Sustainable Urbanisation and land-use Practices in European Regions. A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION AND LAND-USE

Guides help you do things. You turn to them when you need to find out how to solve a problem. They are a form of knowledge transfer, written by experts in a way that is accessible and helpful to a wide audience. This guide was written by the researchers engaged in the ESPON 2020 applied research project on Sustainable Urbanisation and Land-Use Practices in European Regions (SUPER). It aims to help people and institutions engaged with land-use management at various levels across Europe to promote sustainable urbanisation in their territories. Overall, the guide offers information, ideas and perspectives to help decision-makers and policymakers to proactively contribute to more equal, balanced, and sustainable territorial development. The decision to convert land to a different use influences our quality of life and that of future generations, and, as this Guide shows, a large toolbox of interventions exists that can help alter prevailing land-use practices. Choosing among them is a tough decision, and implementation may require strong political commitment and bold leadership. We hope that this Guide provides the inspiration to accept this challenge

Comparative study of inhibitory efficacy of methionine and its derivatives in acidic medium by mild steel

Corrosion inhibition effect of L-Methionine (MT1), L-Methionine sulfoxide (MT2) and L-Methionine sulfone (MT3) on mild steel corrosion in 1M HCl solution was studied by using weight loss, electrochemical polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The experimental results showed that the inhibitory efficiency of the three aminoacids improves with the increase of concentration to reach the maximum value of 95.20% for MT1, 94.14% for MT2 and 88.92% for MT3 for a concentration of 10-3M, which translates that the surface covered by the inhibitor increases with the concentration. The effect of temperature on the corrosion rate was investigated and some thermodynamic parameters were calculated. Polarization studies show that three studied inhibitors suggested that three inhibitors control the anodic as well as cathodic reactions and act as mixed type in nature. The results show that MT1, MT2 and MT3 are good inhibitors, and the adsorption of each inhibitor on mild steel surface obeys Flory-Huggins and Langmuir, with a better fit of the Langmuir isotherm through mixed adsorption (physisorption as well as chemisorption) process. In addition, the quantum approach based on density functional theory (DFT), monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations was confirmed the reactivity of the studied compound towards the corrosion process

Cryptic diversity within the major trypanosomiasis vector Glossina fuscipes revealed by molecular markers

Background: The tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes s.l. is responsible for the transmission of approximately 90% of cases of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness. Three G. fuscipes subspecies have been described, primarily based upon subtle differences in the morphology of their genitalia. Here we describe a study conducted across the range of this important vector to determine whether molecular evidence generated from nuclear DNA (microsatellites and gene sequence information), mitochondrial DNA and symbiont DNA support the existence of these taxa as discrete taxonomic units. Principal Findings: The nuclear ribosomal Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) provided support for the three subspecies. However nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data did not support the monophyly of the morphological subspecies G. f.fuscipes or G. f. quanzensis. Instead, the most strongly supported monophyletic group was comprised of flies sampled fromEthiopia. Maternally inherited loci (mtDNA and symbiont) also suggested monophyly of a group from Lake Victoria basin and Tanzania, but this group was not supported by nuclear loci, suggesting different histories of these markers. Microsatellite data confirmed strong structuring across the range of G. fuscipes s.l., and was useful for deriving the interrelationship of closely related populations. Conclusion/Significance: We propose that the morphological classification alone is not used to classify populations of G. fuscipes for control purposes. The Ethiopian population, which is scheduled to be the target of a sterile insect release (SIT) programme, was notably discrete. From a programmatic perspective this may be both positive, given that it may reflect limited migration into the area or negative if the high levels of differentiation are also reflected in reproductive isolation between this population and the flies to be used in the release programme

Toxoplasmosis in Kosovo pregnant women

This study presents the initial results of a collaborative project aimed at the evaluation of Toxoplasma seroprevalence in a population of Kosovar pregnant women. The serum samples of 334 pregnant women were tested to detect IgG, IgM, IgG avidity for toxoplasmosis. Data regarding age, occupation, area of origin and education were also obtained for the pregnant women examined; 97/334 (29.4%) resulted positive for IgG antibodies, four of whom (4.1%) were also positive for IgM, (1.2% of the total population examined). All four IgM-positive pregnant women also demonstrated low avidity tests. The rate of IgG seroprevalence found in our study was lower than that observed in various European countries, especially those of western Europe. Conversely, the percentage of recent infections was higher than expected. The higher rate of infections could be the result of a recent toxoplasmosis epidemic in Kosovo, most likely due to the altered hygienic conditions caused by the forced transfer of the ethnic-Albanian population from an area of low (Serbia) to high (Kosovo) toxoplasmosis prevalence