Measurement and modeling of thermodynamic properties for the processing of polymers in supercritical fluids

+131hlm.;24c

Metal vapor excimer laser. Quarterly progress report for period February 1, 1978--April 30, 1978

Major effort was expended in the final assembly of the gain experiment apparatus; this phase had been delayed by some magnet and discharge tube problems which have now been solved. The addition of the discharge circuitry, now underway, is the last step before gain and discharge tests. The metal testing oven is complete and preliminary tests are underway which show encouraging results concerning the compatibility of mercury vapor and Inconel and 316 SS. Some initial modeling was done with the Boltzmann/kinetics code which demonstrates CdHg production efficiency as a function of E/N

Alteration of gene expression in mammary gland tissue of dairy cows in response to dietary unsaturated fatty acids

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of supplementing unprotected dietary unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) from different plant oils on gene expression in the mammary gland of grazing dairy cows. A total of 28 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows in mid-lactation were blocked according to parity, days in milk, milk yield and fat percentage. The cows were then randomly assigned to four UFA sources based on rapeseed, soybean, linseed or a mixture of the three oils for 23 days, after which, all 28 cows were switched to a control diet for an additional 28 days. On the last day of both periods, mammary gland biopsies were taken to study genome-wide differences in gene expression on Affymetrix GeneChip® Bovine Genome Arrays (no. 900493) by ServiceXS (Leiden, The Netherlands). Supplementation with UFAs resulted in increased milk yield but decreased milk fat and protein percentages. Furthermore, the proportion of de novo fatty acids (FAs) in the milk was reduced, whereas that of long-chain FAs increased. Applying a statistical cut-off of false discovery rate of q-value

Dietary unsaturated fatty acids affect the mammary gland integrity and health in lactating dairy cows

Background Information about the effects of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) supplementation on the health and integrity of the mammary gland in lactating dairy cows is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of unprotected dietary UFA on the global expression pattern of genes in the mammary gland tissue of grazing dairy cows, and to translate this information into relevant biological knowledge. Methods Twenty-eight Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly assigned to 4 different concentrated UFA-sources for 23 days after which all cows were switched to a non-UFA-supplemented concentrate for an additional 28 days. On the last day of both periods, mammary gland biopsies were taken to study genome-wide differences in gene expression on Bovine Genome Arrays. Results Supplementation with UFA reduced the concentration of short chain fatty acids (FA), C16 FA and saturated FA in the milk, whereas that of trans-FA increased. One major finding was that canonical pathways associated with remodelling and immune functions of the mammary gland were predominantly down-regulated during UFA supplementation and negatively correlated with the concentration of milk trans-FA. Conclusions Supplementing grazing dairy cows with unprotected dietary UFA can affect the remodelling and immune functions of the mammary gland with potential consequences for its integrity and health, as well as milk quality

Efficient measurements, purification, and bounds on the mutual information

When a measurement is made on a quantum system in which classical information is encoded, the measurement reduces the observers average Shannon entropy for the encoding ensemble. This reduction, being the {\em mutual information}, is always non-negative. For efficient measurements the state is also purified; that is, on average, the observers von Neumann entropy for the state of the system is also reduced by a non-negative amount. Here we point out that by re-writing a bound derived by Hall [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 55}, 100 (1997)], which is dual to the Holevo bound, one finds that for efficient measurements, the mutual information is bounded by the reduction in the von Neumann entropy. We also show that this result, which provides a physical interpretation for Hall's bound, may be derived directly from the Schumacher-Westmoreland-Wootters theorem [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 76}, 3452 (1996)]. We discuss these bounds, and their relationship to another bound, valid for efficient measurements on pure state ensembles, which involves the subentropy.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex4. v3: rewritten and reinterpreted somewha

Berry Abscission in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Waltham Cross: Changes in Abscission-related Factors during Berry Development

During the 1999 season, changes in total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acids (TA), pedicel diameter, berry diameter, berry mass and fruit removal force (FRF) were determined at biweekly intervals from 27 until 111 days after full bloom (DAFB) for Waltham Cross table grapes. In addition, at each assessment stage, grape bunches were detached and held in the dark at about 25°C for 80 h. Thereafter, moisture loss, FRF, berry abscission potential as well as percentage berry abscission were determined. During stages I and II of fruit growth (27 to 54 DAFB), TSS did not change significantly, while TA increased. FRF increased significantly during this early stage of berry development, indicating a strengthening of the abscission zone tissue. During stage III (after 54 DAFB), a decline in FRF occurred, which coincided with a perceptible increase in TSS and a decrease in TA.  Berry mass increased significantly from 27 to 111 DAFB. Pedicel diameter only increased significantly for the period 27 to 41 DAFB, while berry diameter increased significantly for the period 27 to 97 DAFB. Grapes sampled at 27 DAFB had a significantly lower FRF and significantly higher levels of berry abscission and moisture loss after the 80-hour period in the dark, compared with grapes sampled at a later stage. At 27 DAFB, the abscission zone developed between the pedicel and the rachis, thereafter it developed between the pedicel and the berry. Although FRF did not change significantly as berries ripened (from 83 to 111 DAFB), abscission potential and percentage berry abscission were significantly higher for grapes harvested at 83 DAFB at a TSS of 12.3°Brix than for grapes harvested more mature, at a higher TSS. Moisture loss correlated significantly (P<0.0001) with berry abscission, with a correlation coefficient of 0.84.  Berry abscission also correlated significantly (P<0.0001) with abscission potential, pedicel and berry diameter, FRF (at sampling), FRF (after 80 h) and berry mass, but not with TSS or TA

The Influence of Storage Duration and Elevation of Storage Temperature on the Development of Berry Split and Berry Abscission in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Thompson Seedless Table Grapes

Thompson Seedless grapes, packed in non-perforated low density polyethylene bags, were cold stored at -0.5°C and RH 83% for 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks. After storage at -0.5°C for these periods, the grapes were stored for another 2 or 5 days at -0.5°C , or the grapes were transferred and stored at 10°C and RH 88% for 2 or 5 days. The polyliners were kept closed during the different storage periods. Fruit quality examinations were conducted after the specified periods at -0.5°C, and after each additional 2 and 5 days at both temperatures. Berry split increased with prolonged storage at -0.5°C. A linear function (y = 0.58x - 1.14; R2 = 0.97) described this increase in berry split over 61 days storage at -0.5°C. Transferring the grapes from -0.5°C to 10°C resulted in a further increase in berry split.  Grapes stored for 0, 1, 2 and 4 weeks at -0.5°C followed by 5 days at 10°C, showed a significant increase in berry split, compared with grapes stored only at -0.5°C for the same period. Although significant differences in berry abscission occurred, no definite trend was observed that could be ascribed to storage period at -0.5°C or to an elevation in storage temperature from -0.5°C to 10°C

Data-driven supply chains, manufacturing capability and customer satisfaction

While recent conceptual research and consultancy white papers have suggested that analysing and interpreting data in the supply chain could potentially lead to the creation of competitive advantage, its exploratory nature demands empirical investigation. Drawing upon the resource-based view, this study empirically investigates the linkages between data-driven supply chains, manufacturing capability and customer satisfaction. The survey data for this study were gathered from China’s manufacturing industry and analysed using structural equation modelling. Results suggest that data-driven supply chains are positively associated with multiple manufacturing capability dimensions (i.e. quality, delivery, flexibility and cost), which in turn, lead to customer satisfaction improvement. While delivery appears to have no significant effect on customer satisfaction, quality, flexibility and cost are significantly and positively associated with customer satisfaction. This study provides insight into the connection between supply chain big data intelligence and both operational and organisational performance improvement

Spin-Orbit-Induced Kondo Size Effect in Thin Films with 5/2-spin Impurities

Recently, for spin $S=5/2$ impurities quite different size dependence of the Kondo contribution to the resistivity was found experimentally than for S=2. Therefore previous calculation about the effect of the spin-orbit-induced magnetic anisotropy on the Kondo amplitude of the resistivity is extended to the case of $S=5/2$ impurity spin which differs from the integer spin case as the ground state is degenerated. In this case the Kondo contribution remains finite when the sample size goes to zero and the thickness dependence in the Kondo resistivity is much weaker for Cu(Mn). The behavior of the Kondo coefficient as a function of the thickness depends on the Kondo temperature, that is somewhat stronger for larger $T_K$. Comparing our results with a recent experiment in thin Cu(Mn) films, we find a good agreement.Comment: 8 pages, ReVTeX + 4 figures (Postscript

Assessing pain in patients with severe cerebral palsy: Development, reliability, and validity of a pain assessment instrument for cerebral palsy

Boldingh, EJ, Jacobs-van der Bruggen MA, Lankhorst GJ, Bouter LM. Assessing pain in patients with severe cerebral palsy: development, reliability, and validity of a pain assessment instrument for cerebral palsy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:758-66. Objectives To develop the Pain Assessment Instrument for Cerebral Palsy (PAICP) and to study its test-retest reproducibility and construct validity. Design Cross-sectional validation study. Setting Homes for severely handicapped. Participants A total of 164 adults with severe cerebral palsy (CP), caregivers, and physiotherapists, and 9 healthy children. Interventions The PAICP contains drawings of situations, some situations of which usually produce pain. Patients rate the pain associated with each activity using a Faces Pain Scale. Reproducibility and construct validity was assessed in a pilot study with CP patients and healthy children. Construct validity and agreement between the pain scores of the patients and proxies was assessed in 160 patients with severe CP. Main outcome measure Pain score on the PAICP. Results The measure showed adequate test-retest reproducibility. A significant difference was found between the mean scores for "painful" and "not painful" situations. We also found moderate agreement between the scores of the patients and proxies for daily activities but only for those activities in which the proxies were personally involved. Conclusions The PAICP has adequate test-retest reproducibility and construct validity. It provides an indication of the pain experienced by patients in situations in which proxies are not personally involved and may also be more valid than proxy measures for other situations. © 2004 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation