Optimisation of the T-square sampling method to estimate population sizes.

Population size and density estimates are needed to plan resource requirements and plan health related interventions. Sampling frames are not always available necessitating surveys using non-standard household sampling methods. These surveys are time-consuming, difficult to validate, and their implementation could be optimised. Here, we discuss an example of an optimisation procedure for rapid population estimation using T-Square sampling which has been used recently to estimate population sizes in emergencies. A two-stage process was proposed to optimise the T-Square method wherein the first stage optimises the sample size and the second stage optimises the pathway connecting the sampling points. The proposed procedure yields an optimal solution if the distribution of households is described by a spatially homogeneous Poisson process and can be sub-optimal otherwise. This research provides the first step in exploring how optimisation techniques could be applied to survey designs thereby providing more timely and accurate information for planning interventions

Growth and cell proliferation kinetics of a marine plasmacytoma in relation to its environment

Cell proliferation kinetics of plasmacytoma has been assessed in vitro and in vivo. The proliferation of plasmacytoma and other cell cultures in vitro has been assessed in terms of the culture environment, and humoral mediators (UIF) produced by cells of the central and peripheral lymphoid tissues. Foetal calf serum (FCS), has been demonstrated to influence DNA synthesis as assessed in terms of isotope uptake by cell cultures. The amount of radioactivity in the acid soluble and insoluble pools, was reduced as the concentration of FCS in the culture was increased. The relative change in isotope availability in both pools was approximately similar. The reduction of isotope activity in the acid soluble pool may suggest that FCS was interfering with the transport of isotope across the cell membrane; and the reduction of isotope activity in the acid insoluble pool may be a consequence to the effects observed in the acid soluble pool. The inhibition of isotope uptake by FCS may depend on several factors, such as, the batch of FCS, the type of cell culture under investigation, its culture density, culture incubation time and culture incubation sequence. FCS may interact with other substances available in the culture environment, either by increasing or decreasing the relative amount of isotope uptake by the respective cultures. The uptake of isotope by cell cultures that secrete polyamines into their culture environment which contains FCS, will consequently be reduced. The inhibitory effects of some UIF preparations on the uptake of isotope by cell cultures were modulated by FCS, and by the culture incubation sequence. The inhibitory effects of some of the fractions of UIF at some incubation sequences (with FCS), may be regarded as either "false positives" or the inhibition is a transitional one in the sense that it depended on the incubation sequence. Thus the interpretation in the change of radioisotope uptake must be viewed critically. UIF may contain heat sensitive substances, as the inhibitory effect of UIF 56c remained stable in both FCS environments and this may suggest that some factors in UIF which were heat sensitive were reacting with FCS to influence the inhibitory pattern of radioisotope uptake. Similarly the inhibitory effects of polyamines without FCS on the uptake of isotope by cell cultures, were evident when the culture incubation sequence was changed. Supernatants (UIF) produced by cells from the spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow and thymus, were found to inhibit the uptake of isotope by cell cultures. The UIFS, which were obtained from the spleen, have demonstrated that the macrophage was the main source for the production of the inhibitory supernatants. The inhibitory material may contain a variety of substances, apart from thymidine, which may contribute to the regulation of cell proliferation. The growth kinetics of plasmacytoma in vivo, in two different immunological environments have revealed that tumour growth may also be controlled in T-cell deficient environments, as the latency period of tumour growth, was longer in the "nude" mice than in the normal counterparts Balb/c mice. Natural killer cells and macrophages may be some of the contributors to the suppression of tumour cell proliferation in the earlier periods of tumour growth. The growth kinetic studies of plasmacytoma in vivo, have demonstrated that the tumour birth rate was decreasing with increasing tumour age. Cell loss was approximately similar at the different stages of tumour growth, thus the growth fraction and the average intermitotic time may be influencing the cell production rate. The birth rate was assessed in terms of a weighted and unweighted least square regressions, to compare the reductions in error variability associated with the metaphase "Collection Function" curves, and its consequent effects on the standard errors of the respective Tea associated with each birth rate curve. In some birth rate curves the variance was generally proportional to the metaphase index, but in others the variance was not proportional. To reduce the error variability associated with the birth rate curves, other types of transforms may be required apart from the variance weighted transform

Discovering SUSY in the first LHC run

4 páginas, 1 figura.-- Trabajo presentado a la Fifth Conference on Physics at LHC celebrada en Hamburgo (Alemania) del 7 al 12 de junio de 2010.We analyze the potential of the first LHC physics run, assuming 1 fb−1 at ps = 7 TeV, to discover Supersymmetry (SUSY). The results are based on SUSY parameter fits following a frequentist approach. They include the experimental constraints from electroweak precision data, (g − 2)μ, B physics and cosmological data. The two SUSY models under consideration are the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking mass parameters, and a model with common non-universal Higgs mass parameters in the superpotential (NUHM1). We find that large parts of the regions preferred at the 68% C.L. are accessible to early LHC running.Work supported in part by the European Community’s Marie-Curie Research Training Network under contract MRTN-CT-2006-035505 ‘Tools and Precision Calculations for Physics Discoveries at Colliders’ (HEPTOOLS).Peer reviewe

Анализ конструкций, выбор и поверочный расчет котла утилизатора для парогазовой установки мощностью 500МВт

Дипломный проект – 66 страниц, 11 таблиц, 5 рисунков, 11 источников, 2 приложения, 1 графический материал Ключевые слова: котел утилизатор, теплообменник, котельная, парогазовая установка. Объектом исследования является котел утилизатор для парогазовой установки мощностью 500МВт. Целью работы является выбор и поверочный расчет котла утилизатора для парогазовой установки мощностью 500 МВт. Объектом исследования является тепловая схема парогазовой установки. Предметом исследования выступает котел утилизатор паровой турбины. В результате исследования выбран оптимальный вариант котла утилизатора для парогазовой установки мощность 500 МВт.Graduation project - 66 pages, 11 tables and 5 figures, 11 sources, 2 adj. Keywords: waste heat boiler, heat exchanger, boiler room, combined-cycle plant. The object of research is a waste heat boiler for a 500 MW combined cycle gas turbine power. The aim is the selection and checking calculation of the recovery boiler for combined cycle gas turbine capacity of 500 MW. The object of research is the thermal circuit combined-cycle plant. The subject of research is the waste heat boiler of a steam turbine. The study selected the best option for recovery boiler combined cycle gas turbine power of 500 MW

Does genetic anticipation occur in familial Alexander disease?

Alexander Disease (AxD) is a rare leukodystrophy caused by missense mutations of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Primarily seen in infants and juveniles, it can present in adulthood. We report a family with inherited AxD in which the mother presented with symptoms many years after her daughter. We reviewed the age of onset in all published cases of familial AxD and found that 32 of 34 instances of parent–offspring pairs demonstrated an earlier age of onset in offspring compared to the parent. We suggest that genetic anticipation occurs in familial AxD and speculate that genetic mosaicism could explain this phenomenon

Assessment of the effects of the control of grazing system in grazed arid steppic rangelands in Algeria

Face à la dégradation dont souffre la steppe en Algérie, la mise en repos, introduite récemment, représente un moyen efficace de contrôle et de gestion des écosystèmes pâturés des parcours steppiques arides de cette région. Trois sites ont été étudiés en vue d’évaluer dans chacun d’eux les effets de l’exclusion du pâturage suivie d’une gestion en pâturage contrôlé par rapport à un usage libre. La composition et la diversité floristique de la végétation, l’état de surface du sol et la qualité fourragère des espaces contrôlés, montrent une amélioration par rapport aux terrains pâturés librement. La nécessité d’un tel aménagement dans les parcours steppiques arides ainsi que la méthode d’échantillonnage dans ce genre d’évaluation sont discutéesFacing the degradation that the steppe in Algeria suffered, the grazing system using deferred grazing, introduced recently, is an effective means to control and manage the grazed ecosystems of steppic rangelands. Three sites have been studied to assess in each of them, the effects of the managed grazing on ecosystem in comparison to the free grazed ones. The composition and plant species diversity, surface soil conditions and forage quality in controlled areas, showed improvement compared with the freely grazed land. In the present work and usually regarding similar assessment tasks, conditions and sampling design are dictated by a request made much later after the grazing management set-up. The need of such a management in the arid rangelands and the sampling method are discusse

Проект модернизации оборотного водоснабжения ТЭЦ ООО "Юргинский машзавод"

ТЭЦ являются одним из основных загрязнителей атмосферы твёрдыми частицами золы, окислами серы азота, другими веществами, оказывая вредное воздействие на здоровье людей, а также углекислым газом, способствующим возникновению «парникового эффекта». Поэтому предлагается сократить вредные выбросы путем оптимизации водно-химического режима ТЭЦ. Thermoelectric plant is one of the major polluters of the atmosphere solid particles of ash, nitrogen oxides, sulfur, and other substances, exerting harmful effects on human health, as well as carbon dioxide, contributing to the emergence of the "greenhouse effect." It is therefore proposed to reduce emissions through the optimization of water chemistry thermoelectric plant

Анализ работы турбины ПТ-25-90/10 в режиме ухудшенного вакуума

Выпускная квалификационная работа с., 17 рис., 10 табл., ___20______источников, 2 прил. Ключевые слова: тепловая схема турбоустановки ПТ-25-90, реконструкция, ухудшенный вакуум, конденсатор, сетевая вода ____ ____ Объектом исследования является турбоустановка ПТ-25-90_______ Цель работы – реконструкция турбоагрегата ПТ-25-90 с________ переводом на ухудшенный вакуум. ____ В процессе исследования проводились конструкторский и__ поверочный расчет конденсатора, расчет и сравнение принципиальной_ тепловой схемы турбоустановки ПТ-25-90 до реконструкции и после. В результате исследования выявлена возможность реконструкции турбоагрегата с целью перевода на ухудшенный вакуум, а также экономическую целесообразность применения этой реконструкции.ESSAY Final qualifying work with., 17 fig., 10 tab., ___ 20 ______ sources, 2 adj. Keywords: thermal circuit turbine PT-25-90, reconstruction, loss of vacuum, condenser, heating water ____ ____ The object of this study is to turbine PT-25-90 _______ The purpose of the work - the reconstruction of turbine unit PT-25-90 with ________  transfer to the loss of vacuum. ____ The study conducted i__ Design Verification of the condenser, calculation and comparison printsipialnoy_ thermal circuit PT-25-90 turbine before reconstruction and after. The study revealed the possibility of reconstruction of turbine unit with the purpose of transfer to the loss of vacuum, as well as the economic feasibility of this reconstruction. _________________________________________________________ The basic