The roles of strain and reheating interval in continuous recrystallization during the thermomechanical processing by warm rolling of an Al-Mg alloy

Investigation into the influence of rolling strain and into the variation of properties and structure during reheating intervals between rolling passes in the thermomechanical processing of an Al-9.89Mg-0.09Zr alloy (composition in weight percent) was conducted. Superplastic ductilities up to approximately 1120 percent were achieved by processing to a total strain of 2.5 utilizing a reheating interval of 30 minutes. Conversely, rolling to lesser values of strain with the same reheating interval or rolling to a strain of 2.5 and using a 5 minute reheating interval produced ductilities less than 400 percent. A strong correlation was demonstrated between results achieved and a qualitative model for continuous recrystallization during thermomechanical processing previously proposed.http://archive.org/details/rolesofstrainreh00gorsLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A Study of Alaska's Housing Programs

Prepared for Legislative and Audit Committee Alaska State LegislatureYe

BTS clinical statement for the diagnosis and management of ocular tuberculosis

The BTS clinical statement for the diagnosis and management of ocular tuberculosis (TB) draws on the expertise of both TB and and ophthalmic specialists to outline the current understanding of disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and management in adults. Published literature lacks high-quality evidence to inform clinical practice and there is also a paucity of data from animal models to elucidate mechanisms of disease. However, in order to improve and standardise patient care, this statement provides consensus points with the currently available data and agreed best practice

Holy anorexia: Eating disorders symptomatology and religiosity among Muslim women in the United Arab Emirates

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. There is a substantial body of literature reporting a negative association between religiosity and psychiatric symptoms. In the context of eating disorders, however, this relationship appears to be reversed. The few studies exploring the relationship between religiosity and eating disorders have mostly focused on the Judeo-Christian religious traditions in Western nations. The present study examines this relationship among Muslim college women from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All participants (N = 1069) independently completed the religious commitment inventory (RCI-10) and the eating attitudes test (EAT-26). As hypothesised, there was a positive association between religiosity and eating disorders symptoms. Furthermore, those scoring above the EAT-26 cut-off reported significantly greater levels of religiosity. These findings suggest that heightened religiosity among young Emirati women may represent a vulnerability factor for eating disorders. Preventative initiatives in the UAE should consider focusing on religiosity

A principal factor analysis to characterize agricultural exposures among Nebraska veterans

Agricultural workers are at an increased risk of developing chronic respiratory disorders. Accurate estimation of long-term agricultural exposures based on questionnaires has been used to improve the validity of epidemiologic investigations and subsequent evaluation of the association between agricultural exposures and chronic diseases. Our aim was to use principal factor analysis (PFA) to distill exposure data into essential variables characterizing long-term agricultural exposures. This is a crosssectional study of veterans between the ages of 40 and 80 years and who worked on a farm for ≥ 2 years. Participant characteristics were: 98.1% were white males with a mean age 65 ± 8 (SD) years and 39.8% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The final model included four factors and explained 16.6% of the variance in the exposure data. Factor 1 was a heterogeneous factor; however, Factor 2 was exclusively composed of exposure to livestock such as hogs, dairy and poultry. Factor 3 included exposures from jobs on or off the farm such as wood dust, mineral dust, asbestos and spray paint. Crop exposure loaded exclusively in Factor 4 and included lifetime hours of exposure and maximum number of acres farmed in the participants’ lifetime. The factors in the final model were interpretable and consistent with farming practices

A Comparison of Different Approaches to Unravel the Latent Structure within Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Exploratory factor analysis is a commonly used statistical technique in metabolic syndrome research to uncover latent structure amongst metabolic variables. The application of factor analysis requires methodological decisions that reflect the hypothesis of the metabolic syndrome construct. These decisions often raise the complexity of the interpretation from the output. We propose two alternative techniques developed from cluster analysis which can achieve a clinically relevant structure, whilst maintaining intuitive advantages of clustering methodology. Methods: Two advanced techniques of clustering in the VARCLUS and matroid methods are discussed and implemented on a metabolic syndrome data set to analyze the structure of ten metabolic risk factors. The subjects were selected from the normative aging study based in Boston, Massachusetts. The sample included a total of 847 men aged between 21 and 81 years who provided complete data on selected risk factors during the period 1987 to 1991. Results: Four core components were identified by the clustering methods. These are labelled obesity, lipids, insulin resistance and blood pressure. The exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation suggested an overlap of the loadings identified on the insulin resistance and obesity factors. The VARCLUS and matroid analyses separated these components and were able to demonstrate associations between individual risk factors. Conclusions: An oblique rotation can be selected to reflect the clinical concept of a single underlying syndrome, howeve

Determinants of transnational social capital: opportunity–investment–ability perspective

This study suggests that it is critical for executives todeveloptransnational social capital(TSC), or professionalrelationships and ties that span national borders. We firstprovide a conceptual framework and careful operationaliza-tion of TSC that differentiates between bonding and bridg-ing forms of social capital. We then examine the effect ofthree key determinants—opportunity, investment and abil-ity—on the TSC of executives. Using detailed survey dataon 227 executives, our analysis suggests that internationalexperience, investment in communicating with cross-borderties and cosmopolitan ability have direct effects on overallTSC. We further demonstrate that international experienceand cosmopolitan ability affect both bridging and bonding,but that investment in cross-border communication onlyaffects bridging social capital. The study proposes thatsocial capital is becoming more and more transnational asconnections, interactions and transactions increasingly spannational borders, which has implications for internationalbusiness and human resource management. Given our find-ings, it would make sense for global organizations to paymore attention to these, if they would like their membersto develop this resource. We point out benefits to organiza-tions and individuals

Validation of the Cognitive Assessment of Later Life Status (CALLS) instrument: a computerized telephonic measure

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Brief screening tests have been developed to measure cognitive performance and dementia, yet they measure limited cognitive domains and often lack construct validity. Neuropsychological assessments, while comprehensive, are too costly and time-consuming for epidemiological studies. This study's aim was to develop a psychometrically valid telephone administered test of cognitive function in aging.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a sequential hierarchical strategy, each stage of test development did not proceed until specified criteria were met. The 30 minute Cognitive Assessment of Later Life Status (CALLS) measure and a 2.5 hour in-person neuropsychological assessment were conducted with a randomly selected sample of 211 participants 65 years and older that included equivalent distributions of men and women from ethnically diverse populations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the CALLS test was 0.81. A principal component analysis of the CALLS tests yielded five components. The CALLS total score was significantly correlated with four neuropsychological assessment components. Older age and having a high school education or less was significantly correlated with lower CALLS total scores. Females scored better overall than males. There were no score differences based on race.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The CALLS test is a valid measure that provides a unique opportunity to reliably and efficiently study cognitive function in large populations.</p