Sedimentology and provenance of the Dunnottar and Crawton Groups, Lower Old Red Sandstone, Kincardineshire, Scotland

Summary available: p. [10

Implementation of functional build in the vehicle development and launch process

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2004.Includes bibliographical references.Prior to production of an automotive assembly, the individually fabricated components must be validated or "tuned in" in order to produce an acceptable assembly. This validation or tune in process must be done before the product can be sold, and is generally a major step in the launch process. Mean shifts and variance within normal production processes result in differences between design intent (specifications) and actual parts. These differences are unavoidable in most processes. During launch processes manufacturers must have strategies for dealing with these differences. One traditional strategy to product launch processes is build-to-print methodology. The basic assumption of this methodology is that by working to make individual parts as close as possible to specification, the assemblies of these parts will also be to specification. In others words one can achieve an optimized assembly by focusing on the individual parts. An alternate methodology to build to print is functional build. A functional build methodology involves focusing on the completed assembly rather than the individual parts. The basic idea is to examine if the overall assembly meets customer requirements. If it does not then the launch team can analyze the individual parts to determine the best way to solve the problem. This solution may or may not involve forcing a part to design intent. In the recent past a major American auto manufacturer has used functional build methodology in the tune-in of the body structures. This auto manufacturer is currently implementing a change to vehicle development process called the craftsmanship initiative. A major part of the craftsmanship initiative involves extending the functional build methodology to a higher level of assembly.(cont.) Functional builds will be extended to include not only body structures but also interior and exterior parts typically installed on a typical vehicle assembly line. This thesis will first examine both the technical and corporate reasoning behind this fundamental change to one of the core processes within the auto manufacturer. Second the thesis will study the underlying challenges surrounding implementation of this change and recommend possible solutions to some of these challenges. The major focus of the internship has been participation on the pilot program that is implementing this change. There are three main areas of difficulty facing the pilot program. These are process design issues, organization structure challenges, and development of appropriate metrics to measure the impact of the change.by Peter T. Haughton.S.M.M.B.A

Down-Dip Termination of the Carboniferous Ross Fan System in the Inner Shannon Area, Western Ireland - New Insight from Core and Outcrop

IAS Annual Meeting, 20 - 24 June 2015Scattered outcrops and limited borehole data in the inner Shannon estuary and mid-Clare are critical to constrain the down-dip extension of the Ross system. Previous outcrop studies have described a much thinner Ross section at Inishcorker and Foynes (over 50 km east of the Ross type section on the Loop Head) involving only the youngest Ross cycles in the west. A re-interpretation of the inner Shannon outcrops is now possible given a new GSI 09/04 borehole in the Inishcorker area, a re-analysis of Foynes Island sections and new biostratigraphic dat

Interpreting syndepositional sediment remobilization and deformation beneath submarine gravity flows; a kinematic boundary layer approach

Turbidite sandstones and related deposits commonly contain deformation structures and remobilized sediment that might have resulted from post-depositional modification such as downslope creep (e.g. slumping) or density-driven loading by overlying deposits. However, we consider that deformation can occur during the passage of turbidity currents that exerted shear stress on their substrates (whether entirely pre-existing strata, sediment deposited by earlier parts of the flow itself or some combination of these). Criteria are outlined here, to avoid confusion with products of other mechanisms (e.g. slumping or later tectonics), which establish the synchronicity between the passage of overriding flows and deformation of their substrates. This underpins a new analytical framework for tracking the relationship between deformation, deposition and the transit of the causal turbidity current, through the concept of kinematic boundary layers. Case study examples are drawn from outcrop (Miocene of New Zealand, and Apennines of Italy) and subsurface examples (Britannia Sandstone, Cretaceous, UK Continental Shelf). Example structures include asymmetric flame structures, convolute lamination, some debritic units and injection complexes, together with slurry and mixed slurry facies. These structures may provide insight into the rheology and dynamics of submarine flows and their substrates, and have implications for the development of subsurface turbidite reservoirs

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cavernous Sinus 187

The magnetic resonance (MR) appearance of the cavernous sinus was studied by correlating the MR images of normal volunteers and cryomicrotomic sections from six cadavers. In addition, MR images of patients with parasellar masses were compared with corresponding intravenously enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scans. The MR appearance of the cranial nerves in the cavernous sinuses is demonstrated, as well as MR signs of a parasellar mass, including obliteration of intracavernous venous spaces, displacement of the intracavernous internal carotid artery, and bulging of the lateral wall of the cavernus sinus. MR proved to be more effective than CT in delineating the parts of the cavernous sinus. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has the potential to demonstrate the intracavernous segments of cranial nerves in contrast to the negligible signals of flowing blood. Our article describes the normal MR appearance of the cavernous sinuses and the MR signs of cavernous sinus lesions. Materials and Methods Six fresh frozen cadaver heads were embedded in styrofoam boxes with a solution of carboxymethyl cellulose gel. The orbitomeatal lines and sellae turcicae were identified with fluoroscopy. With a horizontally cutting heavy-duty sledge cryomicrotome (LKB 2250) and serial photography of the surfaces of the specimens (1), anatomic images of the cavernous sinuses were obtained in planes parallel or perpendicular to the orbitomeatal line. In the anatomic images, the intracavernous segments of cranial nerves III-VI and of the internal carotid arteries (ICAs) were identified using published anatomic, computed tomographic (CT), and MR literature (2-6). A group of seven normal volunteers and 15 patients were chosen for MR imaging. The patients included two with pituitary adenomas involving cavernous sinuses and one with a parasellar aneurysm . The diagnoses were verified with conventional clinical, CT , angiographic, and surgical (two cases) findings . The volunteers and patients were studied in prototype 1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 T General Electric MR scanners. Initially , a partial saturation (PS) sagittal image was used to determine locations for axial and coronal PS , inversion recovery (IR ), and spin-echo (SE) imaging . Sections parallel (axial plane) and/or perpendicular (coronal plane) to the orbitomeatal line were obtained

Flow transformations and mud partitioning across submarine fan fringes

Highly efficient sediment gravity flows can bypass mid-fan channels and lobes and deposit significant volumes of sand, mud, and particulate organic matter in outer-fan and basin-plain settings. The Serpukhovian to Bashkirian fill in the Shannon Basin, western Ireland, includes deep-water fan deposits (Ross Sandstone Fm) that gradationally overlie basin-floor shales (Clare Shale Fm). As part of a broader progradational succession, the upward transition from muddy basin floor to sandy fan preserves the stacked deposits of settings present prior to, and outboard of, mid-fan channels and lobes. Three fully cored boreholes and associated wireline data constrain the facies tracts in an 18-km-long panel oriented oblique to original depositional dip. Two distal successions dominated by hybrid event beds (HEBs) are recognized, separated by a prominent condensed section. The lower Cos-heen system includes m-thick, tabular HEBs with prominent linked debrites that pass down dip into much thinner sandstones overlain by sand-speckled mudstone caps that thicken distally before thinning. The latter are interpreted as secondary mudflows released following reconstitution of more thoroughly mixed sections of the up-dip linked debrites. Significant bypass and accumulation of mud by this mechanism helped heal local topography and maintain a relatively flat sea floor, promoting an overall tabular geometry for the deposits of larger volume hybrid flows reaching the distal sector of the basin. The overlying distal Ross system fringe is characterized by very fine- to fine-grained sandstones and is lateral to compensationally stacked lobes farther to the west. It has a progradational (at least initially) stacking pattern, facies transitions developed over shorter length scales, and includes outsized event beds, but these are thinner than those in the Cosheen system. Common banding and evidence for turbulence suppression by dispersed clay rather than entrained mud clasts indicate that these were transitional flows. In this case, event beds are inferred to taper distally, with significant mud emplaced by plug flow retained as caps to sandy event beds rather than bypassing down-dip. Different flow transformation mechanisms thus impacted how mud was partitioned across the fringe of the two systems, and this influenced bed geometries, larger scale bed stacking patterns, and stratigraphy. Whereas the flow-efficiency concept stresses the ability of flows to carry sand in a basinward direction, it is also imperative to consider the variable efficiency of mud transport given the operation of clay-induced flow transformations. These can either promote bypass or trigger premature fallout of mud, with implications for how systems fill accommodation, bed-scale facies transitions, and the burial and preservation of particulate organic carbon fractionated along with the clay in deep-water system fringes.Science Foundation IrelandGeological Survey Ireland (GSI) Griffith Geoscience AwardEquinor AS

A comparison of three clustering methods for finding subgroups in MRI, SMS or clinical data: SPSS TwoStep Cluster analysis, Latent Gold and SNOB

Background: There are various methodological approaches to identifying clinically important subgroups and one method is to identify clusters of characteristics that differentiate people in cross-sectional and/or longitudinal data using Cluster Analysis (CA) or Latent Class Analysis (LCA). There is a scarcity of head-to-head comparisons that can inform the choice of which clustering method might be suitable for particular clinical datasets and research questions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a head-to-head comparison of three commonly available methods (SPSS TwoStep CA, Latent Gold LCA and SNOB LCA). Methods. The performance of these three methods was compared: (i) quantitatively using the number of subgroups detected, the classification probability of individuals into subgroups, the reproducibility of results, and (ii) qualitatively using subjective judgments about each program's ease of use and interpretability of the presentation of results.We analysed five real datasets of varying complexity in a secondary analysis of data from other research projects. Three datasets contained only MRI findings (n = 2,060 to 20,810 vertebral disc levels), one dataset contained only pain intensity data collected for 52 weeks by text (SMS) messaging (n = 1,121 people), and the last dataset contained a range of clinical variables measured in low back pain patients (n = 543 people). Four artificial datasets (n = 1,000 each) containing subgroups of varying complexity were also analysed testing the ability of these clustering methods to detect subgroups and correctly classify individuals when subgroup membership was known. Results: The results from the real clinical datasets indicated that the number of subgroups detected varied, the certainty of classifying individuals into those subgroups varied, the findings had perfect reproducibility, some programs were easier to use and the interpretability of the presentation of their findings also varied. The results from the artificial datasets indicated that all three clustering methods showed a near-perfect ability to detect known subgroups and correctly classify individuals into those subgroups. Conclusions: Our subjective judgement was that Latent Gold offered the best balance of sensitivity to subgroups, ease of use and presentation of results with these datasets but we recognise that different clustering methods may suit other types of data and clinical research questions

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.