Apparatus for positioning modular components on a vertical or overhead surface

An apparatus is disclosed for holding a plurality of modular components against a surface. A fixture prepositions the components and a vacuum develops a uniform pressure which presses and holds the fixture and objects against a surface. The surface may be curved, vertical, or overhead and since local load concentrations are avoided, fragile ceramic tiles may be installed using the apparatus

Use of acrylic sheet molds for elastomeric products

Molds constructed of acrylic sheet are more easily machined than metal, are transparent to ensure complete filling during injection, and have smooth surfaces free of contamination. Technique eliminates flashing on molded parts and mold release agents

Evaluation of equilibrium moisture content in ligno-cellulosic residues of olive culture

The use of ligno-cellulosic residuals from agriculture as means for renewable energy production is well known; nonetheless significant problems still exist on development of bioenergy value chains. Moisture content and hygroscopicity are among these problems. Higher moisture content of the biomass means lower calorific value and higher perishability, hence storage difficulties. For this reason it is important to evaluate how the moisture content of the material varies while it is stored and how the calorific value of the feedstock is affected by it. The purpose of this study is to determine the variation of moisture content and its influence on lower calorific value (LCV) of four types of solid residual biomass: oven dried chipped olive tree trimmings, milled olive pomace; oven dried olive tree trimmings and fresh olive tree trimmings. Moisture content of the samples is calculated by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) according to standard CEN/TS 14774-2:2004, while the LCVs are calculated by means of a calorimeter, following standard UNI EN 14918:2010. All the biomass samples were left to reach equilibrium moisture content (EMC) in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Two different phases were analyzed with respect to moisture uptake rates: 1) fast moisture uptake rate phase (first four hours of exposure) and 2) slow moisture uptake rate, (the days following the first four hours of exposure). Samples experiencing fast moisture uptake rate, during the first four hours of exposure, were kept in a monitored ambient at T=22 \ub1 1oC and RH=59 \ub1 2%, while samples exposed to slow moisture uptake rate were kept in a climatic chamber at three different set of temperature and humidity controlled environment simulating the climatic conditions in different periods of the year in Enna province: 10oC - 80% RH (winter), 15oC - 70% RH (spring/autumn) and 20oC - 55% RH, (summer). The results obtained show that the olive pruning chips (0.425 mm to 1.00 mm and 1.00 mm to 2.00 mm particle size ranges) stored in a heap in a controlled climatic chamber require approximately 20 days to reach EMC. Depending on the particle size range EMCs reach the values of 6.2 and 7.5% by weight in the "summer" condition, 14.3% and 16.9% in "spring/autumn" condition, 24.1% and 28.2% in "winter" condition. Moisture is absorbed gradually over time and results show that in the first four hours, the dry sample exposed to ambient condition (T=22 \ub1 1 oC and RH=59 \ub1 2%) reaches a moisture content between 0.75 and 0.96% of its weight; the LCV at equilibrium is evaluated between 18, 576 J\u2022odg-1 and 18, 793 J\u2022odg-1, the higher value related to the bigger particle size range examined. Pomace heap under the same experimental set up and time period, reaches an equilibrium moisture content of 8.5% and 9.7% (summer conditions), 19.2% and 22.0% (spring/autumn condition) and between 30.9% and 34.1% (winter condition). Olive pomace accumulates moisture relatively faster than olive trimmings as dry sample recovers about 1.61% to 1.97% of moisture in the first four hours of exposure. The LCV at equilibrium is determined between 20, 145 J\u2022odg-1 and 20, 436 J\u2022odg-1. Pruning dried samples reach an EMC equal to 6.1% in approximately 25 days, with a LCV equal to18, 921 J\u2022odg-1 \ub1 1.9%. Heaps of fresh prunings reach an EMC of 8.2% in approximately 20 days; LCV of the feedstock is 19, 356 J\u2022odg-1\ub1 1.6%.\ua92006-2014 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN). All rights reserved

Recovery of metals and valuable chemicals from waste electric and electronic materials: a critical review of existing technologies

The growing development of technology has increased the amount of waste generated by electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) every year. WEEE contains valuable metals and hazardous materials which, if not properly recovered, may drastically contribute to the depletion of natural resources while posing threat to the environment. The recent escalation of geopolitical tensions has fueled a growing spike in commodity and energy prices. In today's world, the recycling technologies have already evolved from primitive methods to more sophisticated techniques such as automatic disassembly, chemical leaching, electrolysis and so on. It is mandatory that researchers will develop novel technologies to tackle the complexity of WEEE treatment and material recovery. This analysis critically reviews the accomplishments in the field of e-waste recycling and further assesses the principles of recycling, separation, and optimized parameters of different technologies. The application of conventional techniques like pyrometallurgy and chemical leaching (non-cyanide, reduced wastewater) results in an active recovery of various materials. Compared to cyanide and strong acid leading, thiourea and thiosulphate have achieved significant advancements in environmental protection. Additionally, novel technologies like bio-metallurgy cryo-milling, siderophores and supercritical extraction technology also resulted in enhanced recovery efficiencies for base and precious metals, along with metal recovery techniques using recyclable lixiviates. However, the application of these technologies is restricted due to the heterogeneous nature of WEEE. Therefore, this review focuses on the deficiencies of each of them and further discusses the interpretation of future urgent developments in the WEEE recycling sector

Open and / or laparoscopic surgical treatment of liver hydatic cysts

Hydatid disease is a severe parasitic disease with a widely ranging distribution. In the human being the liver is the most frequent organ affected. 1 The treatment should be individualized to the morphology, size, number and location of the cysts, that is why a variety of surgical operations have been advocated from complete resection like total pericystectomy or partial hepatectomy to laparoscopy to a minimally invasive procedures like percutaneous aspiration of cysts to conservative drug therapy. 3-4 This study compares laparoscopic versus open management of the hydatid cyst of liver the surgical approach to liver echinococcosis is still a controversial issue and shows our results of surgical treatment of liver hydatid cysts during a 3-years period

No Difference in Stress Level Based on Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Parents of School-Aged Children

Stress levels among children and parents have been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with related changes in school structure. Regular physical activity (PA) represents a way to decrease stress levels and improve overall mood. Thus, regular PA is even more important during this period of prolonged stress as the pandemic continues to affect communities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in stress levels among parents of school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic based upon physical activity patterns. METHODS: Parents (n = 115, 91% female, 91% White) of school-aged children in the United States participated in surveys regarding their stress levels and physical activity. Stress levels were determined by the Perceived Stress Scale and dichotomized into Low Stress or Moderate/High Stress. To determine level of physical activity, participants also completed the Recreational and Sedentary portions of the WHO\u27s Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (7 questions). They were then dichotomized into “met” or “did not meet” World Health Organization’s recommendations for weekly physical activity (150 minutes moderate PA (MPA), 70 minutes of vigorous PA (VPA), or 600 MET*minutes). Perceived stress levels were analyzed using a chi-square test to determine any differences between the two groups based upon each WHO recommendation for physical activity (MPA, VPA, MET*minutes). RESULTS: A total of 47% of parents perceived themselves as having low stress while 53% reported moderate/high stress. A majority of parents did not meet WHO PA recommendations for weekly MPA (63%) nor VPA (64%) but did meet recommendations for weekly MET*min (59%). All chi-square tests were non-significant (MPA: Χ2 = .246, df = 1, p = .620; VPA: Χ2 = 3.422, df = 1, p = .064; MET*min: Χ2 = 1.361, df = 1, p = .243). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that there was no significant difference in perceived stress levels based upon physical activity among parents of school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of intensity of the physical activity. Even with the known positive benefits of PA to decrease stress, PA was not significantly associated with reduced stress levels among parents of school-aged youth. This finding could reflect stress exceeding normal levels due to the novel and unknown nature of the pandemic. It is also possible that PA did have a positive impact on stress levels but was too small to significantly counteract the abnormal increase in perceived stress. However, PA is still important for adults, including parents of school-aged youth, during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the numerous other health benefits it can provide beyond reducing stress levels

Aortic aneurysm: a surgical point of view

Aortic aneurysms are of different types as different ones are the types of treatment available to us. Following the advent of endovascular surgery, perioperative mortality has been significantly reduced, but open surgery remains the first choice under some occurrences. The purpose of this chapter is to try to clarify the dichotomy between open and endovascular aortic aneurysms in the several types of aortic aneurysms, highlighting the indications and complications to guide to the best therapeutic choice

Explanatory Supplement of the ISOGAL-DENIS Point Source Catalogue

We present version 1.0 of the ISOGAL-DENIS Point Source Catalogue (PSC), containing more than 100,000 point sources detected at 7 and/or 15 micron in the ISOGAL survey of the inner Galaxy with the ISOCAM instrument on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). These sources are cross-identified, wherever possible, with near-infrared (0.8-2.2 micron) data from the DENIS survey. The overall surface covered by the ISOGAL survey is about 16 square degrees, mostly (95%) distributed near the Galactic plane (|b| < 1 deg), where the source extraction can become confusion limited and perturbed by the high background emission. Therefore, special care has been taken aimed at limiting the photometric error to ~0.2 magnitude down to a sensitivity limit of typically 10 mJy. The present paper gives a complete description of the entries and the information which can be found in this catalogue, as well as a detailed discussion of the data processing and the quality checks which have been completed. The catalogue is available via the VizieR Service at the Centre de Donn\'ees Astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS, http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR/) and also via the server at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (http://www-isogal.iap.fr/). A more complete version of this paper, including a detailed description of the data processing, is available in electronic form through the ADS service.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures. A&A in press. Full length version with 32 figures and detailed description of the data processing is available here: http://www-isogal.iap.fr/Publications/ExplSupplFull.ps.g

A third red supergiant rich cluster in the Scutum-Crux arm

Aims. We aim to characterise the properties of a third massive, red supergiant dominated galactic cluster. Methods. To accomplish this we utilised a combination of near/mid-IR photometry and spectroscopy to identify and classify the properties of cluster members, and statistical arguments to determine the mass of the cluster. Results. We found a total of 16 strong candidates for cluster membership, for which formal classification of a subset yields spectral types from K3-M4 Ia and luminosities between log(L/L-circle dot) similar to 4.5-4.8 for an adopted distance of 6 +/- 1 kpc. For an age in the range of 16-20 Myr, the implied mass is 2-4 x 10(4) M-circle dot, making it one of the most massive young clusters in the Galaxy. This discovery supports the hypothesis that a significant burst of star formation occurred at the base of Scutum-Crux arm between 10-20 Myr ago, yielding a stellar complex comprising at least similar to 10(5) M-circle dot of stars (noting that since the cluster identification criteria rely on the presence of RSGs, we suspect that the true stellar yield will be significantly higher). We highlight the apparent absence of X-ray binaries within the star formation complex and finally, given the physical association of at least two pulsars with this region, discuss the implications of this finding for stellar evolution and the production and properties of neutron stars