Radio Frequency (RF) strain monitor

This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring strain in a structure. In particular, the invention detects strain in parts per million to over ten percent along an entire length (or other dimension) of a structure measuring a few millimeters to several kilometers. By using a propagation path bonded to the structure, the invention is not limited by the signal attenuation characteristics of the structure and thus frequencies in the megahertz to gigahertz range may be used to detect strain in part per million to over ten percent with high precision

Body Weights of Ohio Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

Author Institution: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of WildlifeAverage annual winter (December-February) body weights of Ohio ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) from both the glaciated northeast and the more southern unglaciated hill country ranges showed only small deviations from the 4-year (1974-1977) mean. Hill country grouse were heavier (P < 0.05) than northeastern birds in winter, but not in fall (October-November). Year-around (1969-1982) body weights were obtained only for hill country grouse. Both sexes showed rapid weight gains in the fall; juveniles (4.5-12 months of age) appeared to gain weight faster than adults. Peak weights were achieved in November and held through winter. With the onset of breeding in March, males lost weight rapidly. Lowest weights for males and probably females occurred in late spring and summer and were about 100 g (14 and 17%, respectively) below winter weights. Male grouse were consistently heavier than females; adults were usually heavier than juveniles of the same sex. Wild-trapped grouse chicks showed steady weight gains averaging about 30 g per week from hatching through 16 weeks of age. Male chicks generally averaged 6-14% heavier than female chicks after 10-17 weeks of age. Comparisons among different areas suggested that ruffed grouse from the more southerly latitudes were heavier in winter and spring, but that summer and perhaps fall weights were similar. The results suggest that body weight is not a good index of condition and reproductive success in ruffed grouse

Distribution and Relative Abundance of Ruffed Grouse in Ohio

Author Institution: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of WildlifeThis survey updates the distribution and relative abundance of ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) in Ohio. In 1982, ruffed grouse were reported in 44 counties covering approximately 41,400 km2 in glaciated northeastern and unglaciated eastern and southeastern Ohio. About 74% of the occupied range was rated best-good and 26% fair-marginal. Drumming male densities ranging from 0.7 to 3.7 per 40 ha were recorded on three best-good rated study areas in southeastern Ohio. From 1972 through 1983, grouse populations demonstrated dramatic low to high year changes of 75% for the range wide grouse hunter survey and 150% for drumming male censuses in southeastern range

METHOD FOR MULCHING AN AGRICULTURAL SOIL BED USING A BIODEGRADABLE PROTEIN MATERIAL AND A MULCHED AGRICULTURAL CROP GROWING PLOT PRODUCED THEREBY

A method is provided for mulching an agricultural Soil bed using a biodegradable protein mulch material. The method includes the preparation of a film forming Solution of a film forming protein material. The film forming protein Solution is then sprayed directly onto a Surface of an agricultural Soil bed. The solution dries to form a thin film of protein material on the Surface of the agricultural Soil bed. The protein material may comprise a plant protein, a milk protein, an animal protein, a whey protein, casein, an egg protein or gelatin. Following a harvest, the mulch material, which is biodegradable, may simply be plowed under

An Investigation of the Governance within a Shared Internal Audit Service in Local Government

n 2005/6 circa 20% of English Local Authorities were sharing services (Tomkinson 2007), by 2017 this had risen to 98% (LGA 2017) saving £657m. Macdonald-Wallace (2016 p3) stated “It is likely that from 2017, collaborative working will move from “nice to be doing” to “essential for the survival of our organisation””. A shared service was defined by the Department of Communities and Local Government as, at its widest, “…a shared service arrangement might be defined as one where two or more authorities work together to commission and/or deliver a service or function for the purposes of improving that service or function” (DCLG 2007 p.7). Aldag and Warner (2018) indicate that a longitudinal study of shared services merits research and Johnson (2017) summarised the need to study shared services further, in particular the challenges and the way these challenges can be addressed. Tomkinson (2007 p.2) defines a shared service as: "the shared provision by more than one local council of a specified service in which service aims and objectives are mutually shared and for which local people are the end customers". The specific shared service studied in this research is that of an internal audit service. This service was chosen due to the dual reporting lines required in the internal audit standards (Audit Committee and Senior Management) and the requirement for internal audit to align with the organisation; these two elements were considered to be particularly challenging for a “service model” (Tomkinson 2007) shared service model of delivery. This research has contributed to the knowledge base in this field by studying a shared internal audit partnership over a full year and identified what challenges it encountered and what actions were needed to address these challenges. The methodology is derived from a pragmatist perspective and considered the impact on the shared internal audit service under review. Therefore this research looks to address in part gap in knowledge indicated by Aldag and Warner (2018) and Johnson (2017) through the action research of a shared internal audit service. A series of three action research cycles was undertaken to initially identify the challenges then test actions to remedy them. The data was gathered regarding the challenges and the tools were constructed using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the participants. The Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (2017) was used to assess the effectiveness of the shared internal audit service at the end of each cycle. This provided a check that positive changes were being introduced. A preintervention and post-intervention review was also conducted to initially establish the relevant background information generated by a running records review; then after the cycles to ascertain what had been completed in the longitudinal time frame of 1 year and also assess what elements could potentially be generalised. There were 13 thematic governance challenges identified that required a range of actions to remedy. These challenges also resulted in the governance of the research site evolving to address the move from a two-partner to a six partner shared service. Additionally, further powers were devolved through the governance framework to enable more efficient and effective control. This devolutionary aspect highlighted that although there are a range of models of shared service delivery, there is still opportunity to improve the model. The development of the Collaborative Business Management Framework highlighted that the governance of a shared internal audit service requires wider governance consideration than simple conformance testing of the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards 2017. Other findings came through from the requirement for information flow to be managed more effectively between the dual reporting lines at each partner and the internal audit team, this was identified as the hourglass effect. The pragmatist philosophical position and the action research strategy of this research has resulted in the Collaborative Business Management Framework already making impact in the real world and being used to underpin: An Institute of Leadership and Management (UK) ‘Approved’ professional training programme; also a new Collaborative Accreditation Review scheme supported by the Local Government Association (LGA) UK

Modeling Changes in the In-Migration Patterns of Northern Saskatchewan Communities : a Log-Linear Approach

Les auteurs examinent les changements dans les types historiques de migrations au sein des petites communautés frontières du nord de la Saskatchewan durant les périodes 1927-1960, 1961-1970 et 1971-1976. Des problèmes apparaissent lorsqu'on tente de formuler des modèles d'interaction spatiale dans les régions frontières, ou en voie de développement, en particulier le faible volume de migration et le fait que certains termes agglomérés sont impropres lorsqu'utilisés comme mesures de degré d'attraction et de répulsion des communautés. Comme procédure alternative, on utilise une méthode log-linéaire, laquelle identifie, par une analyse à dimensions multiples d'une matrice de données classifiées, les composantes dans les processus d'interaction spatiale. Les résultats initiaux montrent que le sexe de l'immigrant n'a pas d'effet sur la tendance à immigrer, et que les types spatiaux d'immigration n'ont pas changé d'une période à l'autre.This paper examines changes in the historical pattern of in-migration to small frontier communities in northern Saskatchewan in three time periods: 1927-1960, 1961-1970 and 1971-1976. The problems associated with spatial interaction modeling in a developing or frontier region are noted, particularly the low volume of in-migration and the inappropriateness of mass terms as surrogate measures of nodal attractiveness and propulsiveness. As an alternative, a log-linear approach is adopted, whereby multidimensional contingency-table analysis of categorical data reveals structural components in the spatial-interaction process. Initial results indicate that the gender of the migrant has no effect on the propensity to migrate and that spatial patterns of in-migration have not changed over time

Serological evidence of cross infection in a dialysis unit hepatitis-B epidemic

Serological evidence of cross infection in a dialysis unit hepatitis-B epidemic. This study provides serological as well as epidemiological evidence that a dialysis unit hepatitis-B epidemic was spread by cross contamination. There were 74 patients and staff who developed HB-Ag-positive hepatitis during a 28-month hospital surveillance period. Twenty-six of these cases were intimately related to the dialysis unit (21 dialysis/transplant patients and five hospital staff) and 58 were not. Representative sera from each group of cases were further tested for HB-Ag subtype specificity. Thirteen of 14 dialysis/transplant patients had subtype ay whereas ten of 15 general hospital patients had the alternate phenotype ad. All four staff who had probably acquired their infection from dialysis/transplant patients were ay subtype. Eight of the dialysis/transplant patients had never received blood. Transfusion rate in the infected dialysis patients was one-third that of leukemic patients but the hepatitis rate was higher.Preuve sérologique d'une contamination croisée dans une unité de dialyse par le virus B de l'hépatite. Ce travail apporte les preuves sérologiques et épidémiologiques de la contamination croisée d'une unité d'hémodialyse par le virus B de l'hépatite. Soixante-quatorze malades et membres de l'équipe ont développé une hépatite HB-Ag positive dans les 28 mois de la surveillance de l'hôpital. Vingt-six de ces cas ont été liés étroitement à la dialyse (21 malades de dialyse ou transplantation et 5 membres de l'équipe) et 58 ne l'étaient pas. Dans chaque groupe de cas le sérum a été étudié pour identifier les phénotypes de HB-Ag. Treize des 14 malades de dialyse ou transplantation avaient le phénotype ay alors que 10 parmi 15 des malades de l'hôpital général avaient l'autre phénotype ad. Les quatre membres de l'équipe qui avaient probablement contracté leur infection à partir de malades de transplantation ou de dialyse avaient le phénotype ay. Huit des malades de dialyse ou de transplantation n'avaient jamais reçu de sang. Le débit transfusions chez les malades en dialyse atteints par l'hépatite était le tiers de celui des malades leucémiques mais l'incidence de l'hépatite a été plus grande chez les premiers

Radio frequency strain monitor

A radio frequency strain monitor includes a voltage controlled oscillator for generating an oscillating signal that is input into a propagation path. The propagation path is preferably bonded to the surface of a structure to be monitored and produces a propagated signal. A phase difference between the oscillating and propagated signals is detected and maintained at a substantially constant value which is preferably a multiple of 90.degree. by changing the frequency of the oscillating signal. Any change in frequency of the oscillating signal provides an indication of strain in the structure to which the propagation path is bonded

Emerging threats to equitable implementation of ART in South Africa

The Comprehensive Plan for the expanded treatment of HIV in South Africa was lodged in November 2003. The guiding principles of this plan are “universal access to care and treatment for all, irrespective of race, colour, gender and economic status”, and equitable implementation. However, there are concerns that the provision of antiretroviral treatment will exacerbate existing inequities, thereby undermining the very system that it seeks to build. Using a monitoring framework developed by EQUINET, this contribution seeks to identify the shortfalls in programme implementation and threats to achieving the equity goals that are emerging. Findings highlight ongoing concerns around weak monitoring systems and data collection that enable the development of equity profiles at a sub-national level, while limiting the extent to which progress in meeting the guiding principles may be assessed