Synthesis and characterization of Li- and Na-ion battery materials

This report contains description of my first half of PhD research along with a short introduction to the field of research and a brief description about the research plan for the remainder of my PhD studies. The report presents in situ results from hydrothermal synthesis of spinel type LiMn2O4 and various structural phases of MnO2. The hydrothermal synthesis of spinel type LiMn2O4 was studied using in situ powder X-ray diffraction to see the effect of reaction time, temperature, LiOH concentration and different reducing agent on the crystalline products of the synthesis. Hydrothermal formation of α-, β-, γ- and δ-MnO2 were studied using in situ powder X-ray diffraction and in situ pair distribution function to understand reaction mechanisms leading to the various MnO2 phases

Discrete-Event Simulations of Construction Related Production System

The construction industry both in Sweden and abroad suffers from low productivity and quality related issues. This work investigates how discrete-event simulation can be used in planning of construction related productions systems. The purpose of this work is to develop a model which simulates on-site construction activities in terms of time, cost and resource usage. A model was developed which simulates on-site construction activities considering uncertainty factors such as prevailing weather conditions. The model was tested in a real project with promising results. Five different scenarios were simulated to demonstrate the possibilities of the model

Offitumeðferð á Reykjalundi

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenÁ Íslandi líkt og á flestum vesturlöndum er offita hratt vaxandi heilbrigðisvandamál. Fari sem horfir verður offita stærsta heilbrigðisvandamál þessara landa á fyrri hluta 21. aldar. Hér á landi má ætla að offita (líkamsþyngdarstuðull, LÞS>30) meðal fullorðinna hafi tvöfaldast á síðustu 20–25 árum og sé nú orðin nálægt 20%. Virðist sem ekki sé lát á þeirri aukningu. Þessu til viðbótar má ætla að önnur 35% séu yfir æskilegri þyngd (LÞS 25–30). Þróunin meðal barna og unglinga er enn alvarlegri. Rannsóknir á 9 ára börnum sýna að á 50 árum hefur ofþyngd meðal stúlkna þrefaldast og meðal drengja nær tífaldast. Offita hefur á 25 árum fimmfaldast hjá stúlkum og þrefaldast hjá drengjum. Þannig voru 5,5% 9 ára barna í Reykjavík haustið 2002 með offitu

Accommodating energy price volatility in life cycle cost analysis of asphalt pavements

Energy price is related to more than half of the total life cycle cost of asphalt pavements. Furthermore, the fluctuation related to price of energy has been much higher than the general inflation and interest rate. This makes the energy price inflation an important variable that should be addressed when performing life cycle cost (LCC) studies re- garding asphalt pavements. The present value of future costs is highly sensitive to the selected discount rate. Therefore, the choice of the discount rate is the most critical element in LCC analysis during the life time of a project. The objective of the paper is to present a discount rate for asphalt pavement projects as a function of interest rate, general inflation and energy price inflation. The discount rate is defined based on the portion of the energy related costs during the life time of the pavement. Consequently, it can reflect the financial risks related to the energy price in asphalt pavement projects. It is suggested that a discount rate sensitivity analysis for asphalt pavements in Sweden should range between –20 and 30%

Reliability-based design procedure for fatigue cracking in asphalt pavements

The need to account for the effect of design input variabilities on predicted performance has led to many design procedures that address reliability for pavement applications. The Florida cracking model uses empirically derived reliability for fatigue cracking design of asphalt pavements. A reliability approach, which is based on probabilistic uncertainty quantification, is necessary to account properly and effectively for the contribution of the variability in each parameter to the overall variance. This paper presents a load and resistance factor design (LRFD) procedure for the Florida cracking model. By delivering designs of uniform reliability, LRFD provides the basis for developing quality control and quality assurance standards. A first-order reliability method that incorporates a surrogate model based on central composite design was used to compute the reliability and formulate the partial safety factors. The reliability calibration was based on field pavement sections that had a wide range of design inputs and target reliability. Illustrative designs based on the developed LRFD procedure show the effectiveness of the partial safety factors and further confirm the credibility of the reliability analysis methodology

The effect of pregnancy on the survival of women diagnosed with breast cancer

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: To answer the question whether the prognosis of women with breast cancer is affected by pregnancy after diagnosis. Material and methods: We used information from the Icelandic Cancer Registry, the Birth Registry and the Genetic Committee. We identified all women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the years 1927-1992 and who later became pregnant. Controls were women without a history of childbirth after diagnosis of breast cancer. They were matched on tumour size, axillary lymph node status and years of birth and diagnosis, with four year deviation. Results: In the years 1927-1992, 838 women at ages below 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in Iceland. Of those, 29 gave birth to a child after the diagnosis. Fourteen cases and 33 matched controls fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the study. Survival was better in the group of women who became pregnant after diagnosis, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.06). Discussion: Our results do not indicate that the prognosis of women who become pregnant after the diagnosis of breast cancer is worse than of those who do not become pregnant. The group was too small to make definite conclusions. However, the results are in concordance with results from other studies.Tilgangur: Að leita svara við þeirri spurningu hvort horfur kvenna með brjóstakrabbamein versni við að eignast börn eftir greiningu. Efniviður og aðferðir: Notaðar voru upplýsingar frá Krabbameinsskrá, Fæðingaskráningu og Erfðafræðinefnd. Í rannsóknarhópnum voru konur sem greindust yngri en 50 ára með brjóstakrabbamein á árunum 1927-1992 og eignuðust síðar börn. Fundin voru viðmið sem einnig höfðu greinst með brjóstakrabbamein en höfðu ekki eignast börn eftir greiningu. Þessi viðmið voru sambærileg við sjúklingana varðandi stærð æxlis og eitlaíferð auk greiningar- og fæðingarára með fjögurra ára fráviki. Niðurstöður: Á árunum 1927-1992 greindust 838 konur yngri en 50 ára með brjóstakrabbamein, þar af eignuðust 29 konur börn í kjölfarið. Fjórtán þessara kvenna uppfylltu aðgangsskilyrði rannsóknarinnar. Fyrir þær fundust 33 viðmið. Lífshorfur reyndust vera betri í hópi þeirra kvenna sem áttu börn eftir greiningu brjóstakrabbameinsins, en munurinn var ekki tölfræðilega marktækur (P=0,06). Umræður: Niðurstöður okkar gefa ekki til kynna að barnsfæðing í kjölfar greiningar brjóstakrabbameins hafi slæm áhrif á horfur. Hópurinn er of lítill til þess að draga megi almennar ályktanir á grundvelli hans, en niðurstöðurnar eru í samræmi við erlendar rannsóknir

Interpretation of the Superpave IDT strength test using a viscoelastic-damage constitutive model

This paper presents a new interpretation for the Superpave IDT strength test based on a viscoelastic-damage framework. The framework is based on continuum damage mechanics and the thermodynamics of irreversible processes with an anisotropic damage representation. The new approach introduces considerations for the viscoelastic effects and the damage accumulation that accompanies the fracture process in the interpretation of the Superpave IDT strength test for the identification of the Dissipated Creep Strain Energy (DCSE) limit from the test result. The viscoelastic model is implemented in a Finite Element Method (FEM) program for the simulation of the Superpave IDT strength test. The DCSE values obtained using the new approach is compared with the values obtained using the conventional approach to evaluate the validity of the assumptions made in the conventional interpretation of the test results. The result shows that the conventional approach over-estimates the DCSE value with increasing estimation error at higher deformation rates

Payment mechanisms for winter road maintenance services

In countries with severe winters a major part of the annual budget for road maintenance is allocated on performance of winter road maintenance tasks. Finding appropriate remuneration forms to compensate entrepreneurs for performed road measures during winter is not an easy task in order to minimise or eliminate disputes and satisfy both client organisations and contractors. On the other hand improper reimbursement models lead either to the client’s annual budget imbalance due to unnecessary cost overruns or affect contractor’s cash-flow. Such cases in turn affect just-in-time winter road maintenance and then traffic safety. To solve such problems, a number of countries in cold regions like Sweden have developed different remuneration models based more on weather data called Weather Index. Therefore the objective of this paper is to investigate and evaluate the payment models applied in Sweden. The study uses a number of approaches namely; domestic questionnaire survey, analysis of a number of contract documents, a series of meetings with the project managers and an international benchmarking. The study recognised four remuneration models for winter maintenance service of which one based on weather data statistics. The study reveals the payment model based on weather data statistics is only applied for the roads with higher traffic flow and the model generates most uncertainty

Антипсихотические лекарственные средства. Риск развития экстрапирамидных нарушений и/или абстинентного синдрома у новорожденных, матери которых принимали вышеуказанные лекарственные средства в течение третьего триместра беременности

ЛЕКАРСТВАТРАНКВИЛИЗАТОРЫ БОЛЬШИ

Kingella kingae ostemyelitis and septic arthritis in paediatric patients. Six cases from the Department of Pediatrics, National University Hospital of Iceland

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenKingella kingae (K. kingae) is a gram negative rod most often associated with septic arthritis and osteomyelitis in children. Infections caused by K. kingae had not been reported in Iceland when six cases were diagnosed at the Pediatric Department at the National University Hospital of Iceland. In this report we describe those cases and review the literature.Bakterían Kingella kingae (K. kingae) er gram neikvæður stafur sem getur valdið liða- og beinasýkingum í börnum. Árið 1995 greindist fyrsta sýkingin af völdum K. kingae hér á landi og í kjölfarið greindust fimm tilfelli á rúmu einu ári og eitt tilfelli fjórum árum síðar. Öll tilfellin greindust á Barnaspítala Hringsins. Í þessari grein munum við lýsa tilfellunum og gera grein fyrir sýkingavaldinum