Taking lead for sustainability: Environmental managers as institutional entrepreneurs

Over the past two decades, sustainability professionals have entered the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. However, little attention has been given to the actual professionalization processes of these and the leadership conducted by them when shaping the pace and direction for sustainable development. With the aim to explore how the role of sustainability professionals develops, critical events affecting everyday sustainability work practices were identified. Based on a phenomenological study with focus on eight experienced environmental managers’ life stories, and by applying the theoretical lens of institutional entrepreneurship, the study displays a professionalization process in six episodes. Different critical events both enabled and disabled environmental managers’ opportunity to engage in institutional entrepreneurship. The findings indicate how agency is closely interrelated to temporary discourses in society; they either serve to support change and create new institutional practices towards enhanced sustainability or disrupt change when agency to act is temporarily “lost”. To manage a continually changing environment, environmental managers adopt different strategies depending on the situated context and time, such as finding ambassadors and interorganizational allies, mobilizing resources, creating organizational structures, and repositioning themselves

Expansion dynamics of Lennard-Jones systems

The dynamics of the expansion of a Lennard-Jones system, initially confined at high density and subsequently expanding freely in the vacuum, is confronted to an expanding statistical ensemble, derived in the diluted quasi-ideal Boltzmann approximation. The description proves to be fairly accurate at predicting average one-body global observables, but important deviations are observed in the configuration-space structure of the events. Possible implications for finite expanding physical systems are outlined

Manoeuvring simulation on the bridge for predicting motion of real ships and as training tool in ship handling simulators

International sea transport has growing rapidly dur-ing the period of the last decade. Ships became larg-er and wider and its container capacity is still in-creasing to 12.000 TEU and even more. To navigat

Kinetic-energy release in Coulomb explosion of metastable C3H52+

C3H52+, formed by electron impact ionization of propane, undergoes metastable decay into C2H2++CH3+. We have monitored this reaction in a magnetic mass spectrometer of reversed geometry that is equipped with two electric sectors (BEE geometry). Three different techniques were applied to identify the fragment ions and determine the kinetic-energy release (KER) of spontaneous Coulomb explosion of C3H52+ in the second and third field free regions of the mass spectrometer. The KER distribution is very narrow, with a width of about 3% [root-mean square standard deviation]. An average KER of 4.58+/-0.15 eV is derived from the distribution. High level ab initio quantum-chemical calculations of the structure and energetics of C3H52+ are reported. The activation barrier of the reverse reaction, CH3++C2H2+ (vinylidene), is computed. The value closely agrees with the experimental average KER, thus indicating that essentially all energy available in the reaction is partitioned into kinetic energy. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics

Multi-scale X-ray Tomography of Solder Interconnects in Microelectronics

Advanced packaging, including 3D IC integration, is one of the main drivers in packaging and system integration to meet the requirements for miniaturized smart systems with high functionality and high performance. For 3D stacking of wafers or dies, interconnections like micro solder bumps and Cu pillars are used. Figure 1 (left) shows a stack with a TSV interposer structure [1]. 3D-stacked products and advanced packaging challenge materials and process characterization. The control of the micro-bump quality is a particular issue. Special tasks are the characterization of the geometry of the solder bumps to estimate the stress enhancement risks, the nondestructive imaging of micron-size pores and of intermetallic phases as well as the visualization of cracks. Several NDE techniques for metrology and failure analysis are currently under discussion. In this paper, the potential and the limits of micro XCT and nano XCT for NDE of solder interconnects are described. Strategies for nondestructive evaluation of geometry, materials and defects are discussed. It is shown that multi-scale imaging with several resolution ranges is one potential approach. Micro XCT (resolution about 1 m) and nano XCT (resolution about 50 nm) are very useful lab-based techniques with a promising prospect for the future. We demonstrate the capabilities for nondestructive imaging of multi-die stacks with TSVs and micro solder bumps. Figure 1 (middle and right) right demonstrates a micro XCT overview and a nano XCT ROI study of such a multi-die stack with solder interconnects. An analysis of individual solder bumps reveals mismatches in relative positioning, variability in the shape, micron-size pores, and the distribution of intermetallic phases. This information is important to evaluate the respective process steps (process control) and the product reliability (quality control). Since deviations from the targeted geometry and defects are difficult to locate precisely from a two-dimensional image, X-ray computed tomography has to be applied

Microscopic diffusion properties of fixed breast tissue: Preliminary findings

Purpose: To investigate the microscopic diffusion properties of formalin-fixed breast tissue

Eosinophils adhesion assay as a tool for phenotypic drug screening - The pharmacology of 1,3,5 – Triazine and 1H-indole like derivatives against the human histamine H4 receptor

Histamine is a pleiotropic biogenic amine, having affinity towards four distinct histamine receptors. The existing pharmacological studies suggest the usefulness of histamine H4 receptor ligands in the treatment of many inflammatory and immunomodulatory diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, colitis or pruritus. Up to date, several potent histamine H4 receptor ligands were developed, none of which was registered as a drug yet. In this study, a series of potent indole-like and triazine derivatives were tested, in radioligand displacement and functional assays at histamine H4 receptor, as well as in human eosinophils adhesion assay to endothelium. For selected compounds permeability, cytotoxicity, metabolic and in vivo studies were conducted. Adhesion assay differentiated the activity of different groups of compounds with a known affinity towards the histamine H4 receptor. Most of the tested compounds downregulated the number of adherent cells. However, adhesion assay revealed additional properties of tested compounds that had not been detected in radioligand displacement and aequorin-based functional assays. Furthermore, for some tested compounds, these abnormal effects were confirmed during the in vivo studies. In conclusion, eosinophils adhesion assay uncovered pharmacological activity of histamine H4 receptor ligands that has been later confirmed in vivo, underscoring the value of well-suited cell-based phenotypic screening approach in drug discovery

Redesign and initial validation of an instrument to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise: The Brunel Music Rating Inventory-2

In the present study, a measure to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise was redesigned, extending previous research efforts (Karageorghis et al., 1999). The original measure, the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI), had shown limitations in its factor structure and its applicability to non-experts in music selection. Redesign of the BMRI used in-depth interviews with eight participants (mean age 31.9 years, s¼8.9 years) to establish the initial item pool, which was examined using a series of confirmatory factor analyses. A single-factor model provided a good fit across three musical selections with different motivational qualities (comparative fit index, CFI: 0.95 – 0.98; standardized root mean residual, SRMR: 0.03 – 0.05). The single-factor model also demonstrated acceptable fit across two independent samples and both sexes using one piece of music (CFI: 0.86 – 1.00; SRMR: 0.04 – 0.07). The BMRI was designed for experts in selecting music for exercise (e.g. dance aerobic instructors), whereas the BMRI-2 can be used both by exercise instructors and participants. The psychometric properties of the BMRI-2 are stronger than those of the BMRI and it is easier to use. The BMRI-2 provides a valid and internally consistent tool by which music can be selected to accompany a bout of exercise or a training session. Furthermore, the BMRI-2 enables researchers to standardize music in experimental protocols involving exercise-related tasks

Access to Interdental Brushing in Periodontal Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: Interdental diameter space is largely undefined in adults, which compromises the decision support for daily interdental cleaning during routine practice in individual oral prophylaxis. This study assesses the distribution of diameter access of interdental spaces in an 18- to 25-year-old adult population free of periodontal disease. Methods: In March-April 2015, a cross-sectional study using random sampling was performed at the University Lyon 1, France. The interproximal dental spaces of 99 individuals were examined using a colorimetric calibrated probe associated with the corresponding calibrated interdental brush (IDB). Results: Of the 2,408 out of 2,608 sites, the overall accessibility prevalence of any interdental brushing was 92.3%. In total, 80.6% of the sites required interdental brushes with smaller diameters (0.6–0.7 mm). In anterior sites, the diameter of the interdental brushes used was smaller (55.8% of IDB with 0.6 mm) than the diameter of the interdental brushes used in posterior sites (26.1% of IDB with 0.6 mm) (p < 0.01). The adjusted ORs indicate a significant association with the location of the sites (approximately doubling the risk of bleeding, i.e., OR = 1.9, in posterior sites). Conclusions: Most interdental sites can be cleaned using interdental brushes. Even in healthy people, interdental hygiene requirements are very high. Strengthening the oral hygiene capacity by specifically using interdental brushes can have an effect on the health of the entire population. Screening of the accessibility of the interdental space should be a component of a routine examination for all patients.The study was financially supported by Curaden International AG, Kriens, Switzerlan