Machining of ceramics and ecological steels using a mill-turn centre equipped with an ultrasonic assisted tooling system

Abstract Today, there is a large demand for the machining of simple and/or complex shaped components made of difficult to cut materials such as ceramics. Recently, there is also a demand to machine new type of steels, having restrictions in chemical composition (e.g. lead and sulphur free) in order to comply with recent governmental EU regulations. This paper first describes on-going and planned research activities on the machining (turning) of these advanced materials. For the machining of various ceramic materials, an ultrasonic assisted tooling system has been designed, manufactured and integrated within the available Mori Seiki NL2000Y/500 mill-turn centre. The developed system has been tested through initial machining experiments on aluminium and ZrO 2 . Second, this paper also briefly describes other on-going and planned research and education activities in which the Mori Seiki NL2000Y/500 is involved. It includes advanced NCprogramming of multi-axis machine tools, energy efficient machining of ecological steels and the development of training programs for 3 rd years mechanical engineering students

ECVAM retrospective validation of in vitro micronucleus test (MNT)

In the past decade several studies comparing the in vitro chromosome aberration test (CAT) and the in vitro micronucleus test (MNT) were performed. A high correlation was observed in each of the studies (>85%); however, no formal validation for the micronucleus in vitro assay had been carried out. Therefore, a working group was established by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) to perform a retrospective validation of the existing data, in order to evaluate the validity of the in vitro MNT on the basis of the modular validation approach. The primary focus of this retrospective validation was on the evaluation of the potential of the in vitro MNT as alternative to the standard in vitro CAT. The working group evaluated, in a first step, the available published data and came to the conclusion that two studies [German ring trial, von der Hude, W., Kalweit, S., Engelhardt, G. et al. (2000) In-vitro micronucleus assay with Chinese hamster V79 cells: results of a collaborative study with 26 chemicals. Mutat. Res., 468, 137–163, and SFTG International Collaborative Study, Lorge, E., Thybaud, V., Aardema, M., Oliver, J., Wataka, A., Lorenzon, G. and Marzin, D. (2006) SFTG International Collaborative Study on in-vitro micronucleus test I. General conditions and overall conclusions of the study. Mutat. Res., 607, 13–36] met the criteria for a retrospective validation according to the criteria previously defined by the working group. These two studies were evaluated in depth (including the reanalysis of raw data) and provided the information required for assessing the reliability (reproducibility) of the test. For the assessment of the concordance between the in vitro MNT and the in vitro CAT, additional published data were considered. Based on this retrospective validation, the ECVAM Validation Management Team concluded that the in vitro MNT is reliable and relevant and can therefore be used as an alternative method to the in vitro CAT. Following peer review, these conclusions were formally endorsed by the ECVAM Scientific Advisory Committee

Food for pollinators: quantifying the nectar and pollen resources of urban flower meadows

Planted meadows are increasingly used to improve the biodiversity and aesthetic amenity value of urban areas. Although many ‘pollinator-friendly’ seed mixes are available, the floral resources these provide to flower-visiting insects, and how these change through time, are largely unknown. Such data are necessary to compare the resources provided by alternative meadow seed mixes to each other and to other flowering habitats. We used quantitative surveys of over 2 million flowers to estimate the nectar and pollen resources offered by two exemplar commercial seed mixes (one annual, one perennial) and associated weeds grown as 300m2 meadows across four UK cities, sampled at six time points between May and September 2013. Nectar sugar and pollen rewards per flower varied widely across 65 species surveyed, with native British weed species (including dandelion, Taraxacum agg.) contributing the top five nectar producers and two of the top ten pollen producers. Seed mix species yielding the highest rewards per flower included Leontodon hispidus, Centaurea cyanus and C. nigra for nectar, and Papaver rhoeas, Eschscholzia californica and Malva moschata for pollen. Perennial meadows produced up to 20x more nectar and up to 6x more pollen than annual meadows, which in turn produced far more than amenity grassland controls. Perennial meadows produced resources earlier in the year than annual meadows, but both seed mixes delivered very low resource levels early in the year and these were provided almost entirely by native weeds. Pollen volume per flower is well predicted statistically by floral morphology, and nectar sugar mass and pollen volume per unit area are correlated with flower counts, raising the possibility that resource levels can be estimated for species or habitats where they cannot be measured directly. Our approach does not incorporate resource quality information (for example, pollen protein or essential amino acid content), but can easily do so when suitable data exist. Our approach should inform the design of new seed mixes to ensure continuity in floral resource availability throughout the year, and to identify suitable species to fill resource gaps in established mixes

Wes Anderson\u27s Cinematic Universe

Jesse Vanparys 2-04-2017 Film History II Wes Anderson’s Cinematic Universe Throughout this essay, I will attempt to observe the directorial catalog of the modern American Independent filmmaker Wes Anderson. Through extensive research, I will seek the common themes that run throughout his movies, such as style, characters, dialogue, dysfunctional families, and music. In my opinion, all of these elements are crucial and present in every movie in Wes Anderson’s canon. To further understand these elements, I will also look at the wide variety of other films and filmmakers that inspire or influence Wes Anderson. According to Raymond’s essay “Too Smart, Too Soon,” The Graduate (Nichols, 1967) and The King of Comedy (Scorsese, 1983) among many others. In short, I hope to study his entire filmography with a focus on finding common themes among them in terms of style, (using Oregon’s “La Camera-Crayola”) story, and influence. To achieve my previously stated goal, I will also need to consider the industrial/economic environment surrounding these films and any political or social messages found within the films. For instance, I will need to put forth some thought and effort into ascertaining which overall category or movement his films, and perhaps the films that influenced him, fall under or belong to. Although I have learned a little bit about Wes Anderson in my own personal time through interviews and commentaries, I look forward to approaching this subject with a more academic lense. Sources: Raymond, Marc. “Too Smart, Too Soon: ‘The King of Comedy’ and American Independent Cinema.” Film Criticism, vol. 34, no. 1, 2009, pp. 17–35. www.jstor.org/stable/24777404. This essay was useful because it focuses on Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and its influence. Rushmore is cited as an example of a film inspired by The King of Comedy. It also reveals information about the time period behind The King of Comedy. Orgeron, Devin. “La Camera-Crayola: Authorship Comes of Age in the Cinema of Wes Anderson.” Cinema Journal, vol. 46, no. 2, 2007, pp. 40–65. www.jstor.org/stable/4137181. Focuses on the position of filmmakers as auteurs/authorial figures. Also adds an emphasis on the DVD commentary culture that Wes seems to take advantage of. Also adds context to the films that inspire him and their respective backgrounds

Soil Degradation of Metazachlor in Agronomic and Vegetable Crop Fields

Metazachlor degradation in soil was studied in fields of spring barley, turnips, brussels sprouts, and leeks. Metazachlor in soil was transformed into 2-hydroxy-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl methyl)-acetamide (compound 2), 2-chloro-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-acetamide (compound 3), and 4,4'-methylenebis-(2,6-dimethylbenzenamine) (compound 4). Soil concentrations of compound 4 were always lower than 0.1 ppm. The half-life of metazachlor in the 0- to 10-cm soil layer was 1 to 3 mo. Metazachlor and compounds 2, 3, and 4 were not detected in the 10- to 20- and 20- to 30-cm soil layers. Metazachlor and metabolites (compounds) 2, 3, and 4 were not detected in barley grain or in the edible part of the vegetables. The sensitivity limit for these compounds was 0.02 ppm. Nomenclature: Metazachlor, 2-chloro-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(1H-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-acetamide; spring barley, Hordeum vulgare L., subsp. hexastichon 'Apex'; turnip, Brassica napus L., subsp. napus 'Leielander'; brussels sprouts, Brassica oleracea L., subsp. Gemmifera, 'Acropolis'; leeks, Allium porum L., subsp. 'Alberta'; lettuce, Lactuca sativa L., 'Hilde'; cabbage, Brassica oleracea L., subsp. Bullata, 'Savoy King'

Mutagenicity evaluation of azaperone in the Salmonella/microsome test.

Azaperone was evaluated for its mutagenic potential by the Salmonella/microsome test. No mutagenic activity towards six S. typhimurium strains could be evidenced with azaperone at doses up to 2,000 micrograms/plate, either without or with metabolic activation at usual test conditions. Higher concentrations of liver post-mitochondrial fraction from Aroclor 1254 (ARO)-pretreated rats did not reveal any increase in the number of revertants towards S. typhimurium strains TA1537, TA1538 and TA98. Moreover, a plate-incorporation test with liver post-mitochondrial fractions from mice pretreated with phenobarbital (PB) and a liquid preincubation test with liver post-mitochondrial fractions from rats pretreated with ARO also failed to reveal any mutagenic action of azaperone towards S. typhimurium strain TA98. Thus, none of the tests used provided any indication of azaperone having a mutagenic action