Prediction of service life of polymeric sealant compositions for fuel tanks in aerospace structures from measurements of viscoelastic properties Annual report

Prediction of service life of polymeric sealers for fuel tanks from viscoelastic measurement

Internationally trained pharmacists in Great Britain: what do registration data tell us about their recruitment?

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Effects of environmental stressors on the black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri)

This PhD study investigated the effects of selected environmental stressors on aspects of reproductive biology in the native estuarine fish, black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Through a series of laboratory-based experiments, and a field study, the effects of selected environmental stressors have been described and new techniques have been developed. Firstly, in order to distinguish normal development from abnormal development, the different stages of black bream embryo development were described and 20 developmental stages were identified. A series of experiments were then conducted to observe the effects of different environmental conditions on embryo and larval survival. Severe hypoxia (30%S) reduced one day survival by 60%, and caused abnormal embryo development that always resulted in mortality and thus hatch rates of 0%. Exposure to moderate hypoxia (45%S) delayed hatching by 7-8 h, reduced hatch rates by 25% and always produced deformed larvae that died within 24 h of hatching. In addition, other stressors such as altered salinity and temperature regimes were shown to have significant (p < 0.005) interactive effects with dissolved oxygen. When embryos were exposed to altered salinity (hypo salinity or hyper salinity) and temperature in combination with moderate hypoxia, hatch rates were reduced by 5-50% and the rates of deformities increased. Exposure to low temperature (16oC) delayed hatching by 20 h compared to embryos maintained at 20oC whilst exposure to elevated temperature (26oC) resulted in hatching 12 h earlier than embryos maintained at 22oC. Time to hatching was more variable (spread over 1-3 days) in embryos exposed to a combination of stressors, and exposure to hypoxia also reduced survival of newly hatched larvae. A novel chamber system, the Controlled Atmosphere Chamber, was developed to control dissolved oxygen levels to enable the testing of hypoxia scenarios. In order to measure reproductive condition in mature female black bream, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot assay were developed to measure the egg yolk precursor protein vitellogenin (Vtg), which circulates in the blood plasma. The techniques were then validated by measuring Vtg levels in blood plasma of black bream from a range of Victorian estuaries that are subject to different environmental stressors. There was one reference site, two sites in close vicinity to a large sewage treatment plant, and two urban sites subject to both industrial effluents and storm water runoff. The highest concentration of Vtg detected (measured as rainbow trout Vtg equivalent concentrations) was 59.5 mg/ml RT-VtgEq, in a 245 mm, 302 g, 3 year old fish (Stage 5 ovaries) from the Werribee River. The smallest female with detectable levels of Vtg (0.73 mg/ml RT-VtgEq) was a 170 mm, 86 g, 2 year old fish (Stage 3 ovaries) from the Yarra River. Environmental conditions, both manipulated in the laboratory and measured in different field locations were shown to affect both spawning success (early life stage survival) and reproductive condition in black bream. These findings indicate that black bream are sensitive to environmental stressors, and that wild populations are likely to be affected by environmental degradation, pollution and climate change

Analysis of the linearity characteristics, tape recorders and compensation effects in the FM/FM telemetry system

Linearity characteristics, tape recorder effects, and tape speed compensation effects in FM/FM TELEMETRY syste

Contaminant (PAHs, OCs, PCBs and trace metals) concentrations are declining in axial tissue of sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) collected from an urbanised catchment (Port Phillip Bay, Australia)

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. Concentrations of PAHs, OCs, PCBs and trace metals were determined in the white muscle of sand flathead Platycephalus bassensis collected at 6 locations in Port Phillip Bay during 2015. No PAHs, OCs or PCBs were detected in the white muscle of sand flathead at any of the locations, however measurable levels of As, Cu, Hg, Se and Zn were detected at all sites. Only As and Hg exhibited regional difference in white muscle concentrations, with As present only in a non-toxic organic form and Hg measured at levels that are comparable to levels reported in reference sites in other studies. All contaminants detected in the white muscle of sand flathead collected in Port Phillip Bay in 2015 were below Australian Food Standards guideline values, and by world standards, the Port Phillip Bay sand flathead population is considered minimally contaminated. Furthermore, tissue contaminant concentrations appear to be decreasing over time

Development of a behaviour change intervention: a case study on the practical application of theory

BACKGROUND: Use of theory in implementation of complex interventions is widely recommended. A complex trial intervention, to enhance self-management support for people with osteoarthritis (OA) in primary care, needed to be implemented in the Managing Osteoarthritis in Consultations (MOSAICS) trial. One component of the trial intervention was delivery by general practitioners (GPs) of an enhanced consultation for patients with OA. The aim of our case study is to describe the systematic selection and use of theory to develop a behaviour change intervention to implement GP delivery of the enhanced consultation. METHODS: The development of the behaviour change intervention was guided by four theoretical models/frameworks: i) an implementation of change model to guide overall approach, ii) the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify relevant determinants of change, iii) a model for the selection of behaviour change techniques to address identified determinants of behaviour change, and iv) the principles of adult learning. Methods and measures to evaluate impact of the behaviour change intervention were identified. RESULTS: The behaviour change intervention presented the GPs with a well-defined proposal for change; addressed seven of the TDF domains (e.g., knowledge, skills, motivation and goals); incorporated ten behaviour change techniques (e.g., information provision, skills rehearsal, persuasive communication); and was delivered in workshops that valued the expertise and professional values of GPs. The workshops used a mixture of interactive and didactic sessions, were facilitated by opinion leaders, and utilised 'context-bound communication skills training.' Methods and measures selected to evaluate the behaviour change intervention included: appraisal of satisfaction with workshops, GP report of intention to practise and an assessment of video-recorded consultations of GPs with patients with OA. CONCLUSIONS: A stepped approach to the development of a behaviour change intervention, with the utilisation of theoretical frameworks to identify determinants of change matched with behaviour change techniques, has enabled a systematic and theory-driven development of an intervention designed to enhance consultations by GPs for patients with OA. The success of the behaviour change intervention in practice will be evaluated in the context of the MOSAICS trial as a whole, and will inform understanding of practice level and patient outcomes in the trial

A data model of the Climate and Forecast metadata conventions (CF-1.6) with a software implementation (cf-python v2.1)

The CF (Climate and Forecast) metadata conventions are designed to promote the creation, processing, and sharing of climate and forecasting data using Network Common Data Form (netCDF) files and libraries. The CF conventions provide a description of the physical meaning of data and of their spatial and temporal properties, but they depend on the netCDF file encoding which can currently only be fully understood and interpreted by someone familiar with the rules and relationships specified in the conventions documentation. To aid in development of CF-compliant software and to capture with a minimal set of elements all of the information contained in the CF conventions, we propose a formal data model for CF which is independent of netCDF and describes all possible CF-compliant data. Because such data will often be analysed and visualised using software based on other data models, we compare our CF data model with the ISO 19123 coverage model, the Open Geospatial Consortium CF netCDF standard, and the Unidata Common Data Model. To demonstrate that this CF data model can in fact be implemented, we present cf-python, a Python software library that conforms to the model and can manipulate any CF-compliant dataset

Poincar\'e Husimi representation of eigenstates in quantum billiards

For the representation of eigenstates on a Poincar\'e section at the boundary of a billiard different variants have been proposed. We compare these Poincar\'e Husimi functions, discuss their properties and based on this select one particularly suited definition. For the mean behaviour of these Poincar\'e Husimi functions an asymptotic expression is derived, including a uniform approximation. We establish the relation between the Poincar\'e Husimi functions and the Husimi function in phase space from which a direct physical interpretation follows. Using this, a quantum ergodicity theorem for the Poincar\'e Husimi functions in the case of ergodic systems is shown.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Figs. 1,2,5 are included in low resolution only. For a version with better resolution see http://www.physik.tu-dresden.de/~baecker

Geolocator studies on Ruddy Turnstones Arenaria interpres and Greater Sandplovers Charadrius leschenaultii in the East Asian-Australasia Flyway reveal widely different migration strategies

In 2010, following successful trials with geolocators on Ruddy Turnstones in 2009, a total of 105 units, of four different models, were deployed at five locations on Ruddy Turnstones and Greater Sandplovers. Geolocator retrieval rates were 44% on Ruddy Turnstone and 27% on Greater Sandplover. Complete (59%) and partial (15%) technical failure rates on geolocators were high and were mostly the result of wear and saltwater corrosion. All 30 units from the Swiss Ornithological Institute failed. Only half of the Mk10 and Mk12 units from the British Antarctic Survey produced full migration histories. The northward migration of Ruddy Turnstones was on a narrow path with many birds completing an initial non-stop flight of 7,600 km to Taiwan. Later, most made a stopover in the Yellow Sea. Median migration duration was 39.5 days and average migration speed of the first major leg of the journey (assuming the birds followed the great circle route between stopovers) was 63.4 kph. Southward migration paths showed a much wider spread, ranging from Mongolia to the central Pacific. The latter involved the same bird that had been tracked along this route the previous year. It has now been logged on similar 27,000 km round trips in two successive years. The median duration of southward migration (78 days) was nearly twice that of northward migration and data on average migration speed for just two migration legs indicated that it might be lower, 30 and 40 kph being the values recorded. Greater Sandplovers were only tracked on northward migration but seemed to follow a similar migration strategy with a large initial non-stop flight followed by shorter flights and more regular stopovers. Plans are outlined for further analyses and future deployments of geolocators