Impact of Gaps on Resource Efficiency in Heavy Welding Industry.

This paper describes a study investigating the current situation concerning plate gaps in welding operations at a company producing welded products. A varying gap between the plates has been identified as a root cause for quality issues and unnecessary costly welds, hence affecting resource efficiency. The result showed signs of vast variations of gaps, both concerning the size of gaps and presence of an extra weld. The investigation indicates a large potential, possible to achieve without heavy investments

“Medical Adversity Insurance”—Has Its Time Come?

Idag finns det många alternativ för uppvärmning av fastigheter, till exempel oljebrännare, elpanna och fjärrvärme. Det som har blivit populärt på senare tid är de energieffektiva värmepumparna, framförallt bergvärmepumpar. En bergvärmepump tar till vara på värmen som finns lagrad i berget som sedan används till husets värmesystem. I de flesta fall fungerar ett sådant system felfritt, men när allt fler fastighetsägare i tätbebyggda områden installerar bergvärmepumpar finns det risk att berget inte hinner återhämta sig under sommarhalvåret. Följderna blir att medeltemperaturen i berget sjunker och sänker prestandan på bergvärmepumpen och i värsta fall orsakar driftstopp. Projektets syfte är att ta reda på om det är ekonomiskt och energimässigt försvarbart att återladda bergvärmepumpens borrhål med en uteluftkonvektor vid varma perioder under året då effektuttaget är lågt. Uteluftkonvektorn sitter på köldbärarslingan och värmer upp köldbärarvätskan innan den återförs ner i berget. Studien inriktar sig på en normalvilla med en värmeförbrukning på ca 19 000 kWh/år exklusive 5000 kWh/år i tappvarmvatten och som har ett befintligt borrhål som är 100 meter djupt.  Systemet arbetar enligt fyra olika driftfall: Då utomhustemperaturen är högre än returtemperaturen från berget, och uteluftdelen spetsar borrhålskretsen. Då utomhustemperaturen är tillräckligt hög för enbart drift av uteluftdelen. Då utomhustemperaturen är låg, endast borrhålet används. Då utomhustemperaturen är hög och borrhålet kan återladdas med energi Projektmålet är att skapa en fungerande modell för en jämförelsestudie. Den ska baseras på de fyra driftfallen och ge ett resultat på hur ett referenshål påverkas av återladdning eller inte. Modellen ska också se hur ett borrhålskluster i Bromma påverkas av återladdning eller inte. Problemet angrips med en modell som använder superpositionering för beräkning av temperaturförändringen i borrhålet. Resultatet visar att borrhålets medeltemperatur kan sjunka till -10°C vilket påverkar värmepumpens driftsäkerhet och effektivitet. När uteluftkonvektorn är inkopplad och arbetar enligt de fyra driftfallen understiger borrhålstemperaturen inte 0°C. Att återladda ett enskilt borrhål med en uteluftskonvektor är inte energimässigt och ekonomiskt försvarbart. Om borrhålet däremot har sex kringliggande borrhål med lika stort effektuttag så är det både energimässigt och ekonomiskt försvarbart att installera en uteluftskonvektor.Today there are many options for building heating, for example distric heating and oil burners. What has become popular in these days is the energy-efficient heat pumps, particularly ground source heat pumps. A ground source heat pump uses the heat stored in the ground which is then used in the heating system of the house. In most cases, these systems operates flawlessly, but as more and more property owners are installing geothermal heat pumps, there is a risk that the ground does not have time to recover during the summer months. The consequences are that the average temperature in the ground decreases and lowers the performance of the heat pump and at worst causes a downtime. The project aims to find out whether it is economically and energetically feasible to recharge the ground source heat pump boreholes with a outdoor air convector the warm periods during the year when the power output is low. The outdoor air convector is coneccted on the brine circuit and heating the brine before it is returned into the ground. The study focuses on a normal house with a heat consumption of around 19 000 kWh/year, excluding 5000 kWh/year in hot water and have an existing borehole that is 100 meters deep. The system operates according to four different operating modes: When the outdoor temperature is higher than the return temperature from the borehole, and the outdoor convector boost the borehole circuit. When the outdoor temperature is high enough, only the outdoor convector is used. When the outdoor temperature is low, only the borehole is used. When the outdoor temperature is high and the borehole can be recharged with energy The project goal is to create a working model for a comparison study. It will be based on the four modes of operation and give a result of how a reference hole is affected if it recharges or not. The model will also see how borehole clusters in Bromma is affected if it recharges or not. The problem is solved with a model that uses superposition to calculate the temperature change in the borehole. The result shows that the borehole average temperature may drop to -10°C, which affects the heat pump reliability and efficiency. When the outdoor air convector is connected and working according to the four modes of operation below, the borehole temperature is over 0°C. To recharge a single borehole with a outdoor air convector is not energetically and economically feasible. If the borehole, however, has six surrounding boreholes with equal power output, it is both energetically and economically feasible to install a outdoor air convector

Une arme miracle contre le chômage ?:Une nouvelle évaluation des effets des allègements de charges sociales sur les bas salaires

La revue Économie et Statistique vient de faire paraître un article de Bruno Crépon et Rozenn Desplatz qui propose une nouvelle évaluation des effets des allègements de charges sociales sur les bas salaires. Selon cette étude, ceux-ci auraient provoqué, de 1994 à 1997, une augmentation de 460 000 du nombre d’emplois dans l’économie française. Ce chiffre est nettement supérieur aux estimations antérieures 1. Il est maintenant évoqué dans le débat public pour justifier la poursuite de la politique de baisse des charges sociales, comme axe central de la politique de l’emploi. Compte tenu de la complexité de l’article, la plupart des commentateurs se contentent de citer le chiffre tel quel : « Les experts ont parlé ». Mais quelle est la fiabilité de ce résultat ? Par quels mécanismes, ces emplois ont-ils été créés ? La réduction des cotisations sociales est-elle une arme miracle contre le chômage ? [Premier paragraphe]Bruno Crépon et Rozenn Deslpatz, Une nouvelle évaluation des effets des allègements de charges sociales sur les bas salaires, Economie et Statistique, n°348, 2001, 0336-145

A phenomenological theory of nonphotochemical laser induced nucleation

Our analysis of the experimental data related to nonphotochemical laser induced nucleation in solutions leads to the inevitable conclusion that the phase transformation is initiated by particles that are metallic in nature. This conclusion appears paradoxical because the final products are dielectric crystals. We show that the experimental results are well accounted for by the theory of electric field induced nucleation of metallic particles that are elongated in the direction of the field. However, new physical and chemical insights are required to understand the structure of the metallic precursor particles and the kinetics of subsequent dielectric crystallization.Comment: 5 pages 4 figure

Development of W–SiO2 and Nb–TiO2 solar absorber coatings for combined heat and power systems at intermediate operation temperatures

Two new absorber coatings for mid-temperature operation (300–350 1C) in collectors for solar thermal electricity plants are presented in this study. The absorbers consist of two cermet layers of either W–SiO2 or Nb–TiO2, deposited on a molybdenum infrared reflector and coated with an antireflection layer of silicon oxide. The optimization of the optical performance was made in two steps. First, the layer structure was optimized in model calculations. The optical constants used in this modelling were derived directly from sputtered films of the cermet constituents using reflectance and transmittance measure- ments. The absorber coatings were then sputter-deposited using parameters from the modelling. The results show good agreement between modelled and sputtered optical performance evaluated as solar absorptance and thermal emittance at 350 1C. The optimal values reached for W–SiO2 was 0.91 in combination with 0.08 and 0.93 in combination with 0.09 for Nb–TiO2. The materials characterization from XRD, AES and TEM shows that the composite coatings contain nano-metal inclusions, meaning that they are cermet coatings. Scratch tests show that the coatings adhere well to the substrate of stainless steel. Temperature testing at 350 1C in vacuum for up to 1500 h shows that both coatings are stable under such conditions. Only a slight change occurs during the first 72 h that decreases the emittance but does not change the solar absorptance. ERDA confirms that there is no detectable level of ion migration between layers, only a small decrease in hydrogen content was observed, which indicates outgassing.Digespo projec

Probiotic lactobacilli inhibit early stages of Candida albicans biofilm development by reducing their growth, cell adhesion, and filamentation

We evaluated the inhibitory effects of the probiotic Lactobacillus species on different phases of Candida albicans biofilm development. Quantification of biofilm growth and ultrastructural analyses were performed on C. albicans biofilms treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus acidophilus planktonic cell suspensions as well as their supernatants. Planktonic lactobacilli induced a significant reduction (p\ua0\ua00.05), but significantly reduced the early stages of Candida biofilm formation (p\ua

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat