Theoretical prediction of ground vibrations from heavy military vehicles

The demand for reliable autonomous systems capable to detect and identify heavy military vehicles becomes an issue of paramount importance in the current complicated and delicate political climate. It is expected that such autonomous systems would alleviate some of the burden placed on UN peace keeping forces, who currently must patrol areas systematically to identify and monitor military activity. A promising method of detection and identification that influenced increasing levels of recent investment is the one using the information extracted from ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, often termed as their seismic signatures. This paper presents the results of the theoretical investigation of ground vibrations generated by heavy military vehicles, such as tanks and armed personnel carriers. Initially, vehicle models of different degrees of complexity are considered - to identify the resulting dynamic forces applied to the ground. Then the obtained analytical expressions for vehicle dynamic forces are used for calculations of generated ground vibrations (primarily Rayleigh surface waves) using Green’s function method. A comparison of the obtained theoretical results with published experimental data shows their good agreement

Calculation of ground vibration spectra from heavy military vehicles

The demand for reliable autonomous systems capable to detect and identify heavy military vehicles becomes an important issue for UN peacekeeping forces in the current delicate political climate. A promising method of detection and identification is the one using the information extracted from ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, often termed as their seismic signatures. This paper presents the results of the theoretical investigation of ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, such as tanks and armed personnel carriers. A simple quarter car model is considered to identify the resulting dynamic forces applied from a vehicle to the ground. Then the obtained analytical expressions for vehicle dynamic forces are used for calculations of generated ground vibrations, predominantly Rayleigh surface waves, using Green’s function method. A comparison of the obtained theoretical results with published experimental data shows that analytical techniques based on the simplified quarter car vehicle model are capable of producing ground vibration spectra of heavy military vehicles that reproduce basic properties of experimental spectra

Women\u2019s human rights when experiencing humanitarian crises and conflicts: the impact of United Nations Security Council Resolutions on women, peace, security, and the CEDAW General Recommendation no. 30.

Violence and insecurity are strictly linked to unequal political, social, and economic power. However, the continuity of violence is obscured by masculinist and patriarchal rules of security within gendered structures, especially inside the division of public/private dimensions and spaces, of production-reproduction activities, and of conflicts of war/peace. Nowadays, there is a general perception of the gendered dimensions of humanitarian emergencies in public policy outcomes and more in general in institutional contexts where the central role of women in security and maintaining peace, at all levels of decision making, both prior to, during, and after the conflict stage, hostilities, and peace-keeping and peace-building stages, as well as in trying to pursue a condition of reconciliation and reconstruction, has been formally recognized at international level. Nevertheless, it is necessary to focus on some problems related to the conceptualization of and legal provision for \u2018gender based security\u2019 and its subsequent effects upon accountability, with particular reference to transitional justice and post-conflict societies. It is important to assess a range of contemporary issues implicated for women and security, such as violence and other forms of harassment in times of post-conflict

Preparation, structural characterisation and antibacterial properties of Ga-doped sol-gel phosphate-based glass

A sol-gel preparation of Ga-doped phosphate-based glass with potential application in antimicrobial devices has been developed. Samples of composition (CaO)(0.30)(Na2O)(0.20-x) (Ga2O3) (x) (P2O5)(0.50) where x = 0 and 0.03 were prepared, and the structure and properties of the gallium-doped sample compared with those of the sample containing no gallium. Analysis of the P-31 MAS NMR data demonstrated that addition of gallium to the sol-gel reaction increases the connectivity of the phosphate network at the expense of hydroxyl groups. This premise is supported by the results of the elemental analysis, which showed that the gallium-free sample contains significantly more hydrogen and by FTIR spectroscopy, which revealed a higher concentration of -OH groups in that sample. Ga K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray absorption near-edge structure data revealed that the gallium ions are coordinated by six oxygen atoms. In agreement with the X-ray absorption data, the high-energy XRD results also suggest that the Ga3+ ions are octahedrally coordinated with respect to oxygen. Antimicrobial studies demonstrated that the sample containing Ga3+ ions had significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus compared to the control

Operationalising FRAM in Healthcare: A critical reflection on practice

Resilience Engineering principles are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare to improve patient safety. FRAM is the best-known Resilience Engineering method with several examples of its application in healthcare available. However, the guidance on how to apply FRAM leaves gaps, and this can be a potential barrier to its adoption and potentially lead to misuse and disappointing results. The article provides a self-reflective analysis of FRAM use cases to provide further methodological guidance for successful application of FRAM to improve patient safety. Five FRAM use cases in a range of healthcare settings are described in a structured way including critical reflection by the original authors of those studies. Individual reflections are synthesised through group discussion to identify lessons for the operationalisation of FRAM in healthcare. Four themes are developed: (1) core characteristics of a FRAM study, (2) flexibility regarding the underlying epistemological paradigm, (3) diversity with respect to the development of interventions, and (4) model complexity. FRAM is a systems analysis method that offers considerable flexibility to accommodate different epistemological positions, ranging from realism to phenomenology. We refer to these as computational FRAM and reflexive FRAM, respectively. Prac-titioners need to be clear about their analysis aims and their analysis position. Further guidance is needed to support practitioners to tell a convincing and meaningful "system story" through the lens of FRAM

External review of the storage plan for the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage Project

This document summarises the findings of an external independent review of the storage plan for the proposed Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage project which aims to store up to 20 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 within the framework of the European Directive on the geological storage of CO2. The Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage Project proposes to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from an existing gas-fired power-station at Peterhead and to store this in geological strata at a depth of around 2600 m beneath the outer Moray Firth. The plan is to store 10 - 15 Mt of CO2 over a ten to fifteen-year period commencing around 2020, but the site is being qualified for 20 Mt to allow for potential extension of the injection period. Storage will utilise the depleted Goldeneye gas condensate field with the Captain Sandstone reservoir as the primary storage container. The Storage Site covers some 70 km2, and comprises the Captain Sandstone and underlying strata of the Cromer Knoll Group, bounded by a polygon some 2 to 3 km outside of the original Goldeneye oil-water contact. The Storage Complex is larger, around 154 km2, bounded some 2 to 7 km outside of the original oil-water contact, and extending upwards to the top of the Dornoch Mudstone at a depth of more than 800 m. The top-seal of the primary container is a proven caprock for natural gas and is formed by the mudstones of the Upper Cromer Knoll Group, the overlying Rødby and Hidra formations and the Plenus Marl. A number of additional seals are present in the overburden within the Storage Complex, as are a number of potential secondary containers which could also serve as monitoring horizons. The geological interpretation of the storage site is based on the comprehensive datasets acquired during the discovery, appraisal and development of the Goldeneye field, and also data from other wells, fields and seismic surveys in the surrounding area. The static geological model of the storage site and adjacent aquifer has been stress tested for the key uncertainties, and it is considered to be robust. The storage capacity of the Goldeneye structure has been calculated using both static (volumetric) methods and dynamic flow modelling together with uncertainty analysis. Total estimated capacity of the structural closure is in the range 25 to 47 Mt and so robustly exceeds the proposed injected amount

Synthesis, characterisation and performance of (TiO2)(0.18)(SiO2)(0.82) xerogel catalysts

The synthesis of high surface area xerogels has been achieved using the sol-gel route. Heptane washing was used during the stages of drying to minimise capillary pressures and hence preserve pore structure and maximise the surface area. SAXS data have identified that heptane washing during drying, in general, results in a preservation of the pore structure and surface areas of up to 450 m(2) g(-1). O-17 NMR showed that Ti is fully mixed into the silica network in all of the samples. XANES data confirm that reversible 4-fold Ti sites are more prevalent in samples with high surface areas, as expected. The calcined xerogels were tested for their catalytic activity using the epoxidation of cyclohexene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as a test reaction, with excellent selectivities and reasonable percentage conversions. FT-IR spectroscopy has revealed that the catalytic activity is correlated with the intensity of the Si-O-Ti signal, after accounting for variations in Si-OH and Si-O-Si. The most effective catalyst was produced with heptane washing, a calcination temperature of 500 degreesC, and a heating rate of 5 degreesC min(-1)

Integrin-mediated traction force enhances paxillin molecular associations and adhesion dynamics that increase the invasiveness of tumor cells into a three-dimensional extracellular matrix.

Metastasis requires tumor cells to navigate through a stiff stroma and squeeze through confined microenvironments. Whether tumors exploit unique biophysical properties to metastasize remains unclear. Data show that invading mammary tumor cells, when cultured in a stiffened three-dimensional extracellular matrix that recapitulates the primary tumor stroma, adopt a basal-like phenotype. Metastatic tumor cells and basal-like tumor cells exert higher integrin-mediated traction forces at the bulk and molecular levels, consistent with a motor-clutch model in which motors and clutches are both increased. Basal-like nonmalignant mammary epithelial cells also display an altered integrin adhesion molecular organization at the nanoscale and recruit a suite of paxillin-associated proteins implicated in invasion and metastasis. Phosphorylation of paxillin by Src family kinases, which regulates adhesion turnover, is similarly enhanced in the metastatic and basal-like tumor cells, fostered by a stiff matrix, and critical for tumor cell invasion in our assays. Bioinformatics reveals an unappreciated relationship between Src kinases, paxillin, and survival of breast cancer patients. Thus adoption of the basal-like adhesion phenotype may favor the recruitment of molecules that facilitate tumor metastasis to integrin-based adhesions. Analysis of the physical properties of tumor cells and integrin adhesion composition in biopsies may be predictive of patient outcome

Acute liver effects, disposition and metabolic fate of [14C]-fenclozic acid following oral administration to normal and bile-cannulated male C57BL/6J Mice

The distribution, metabolism, excretion and hepatic effects of the human hepatotoxin fenclozic acid were investigated following single oral doses of 10 mg/kg to normal and bile-duct cannulated male C57BL/6J mice. Whole body autoradiography showed distribution into all tissues except the brain, with radioactivity still detectable in blood, kidney and liver at 72 h post dose. Mice dosed with [14C]-fenclozic acid showed acute centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis but no other regions of the liver were affected. The majority of the [14C]-fenclozic acid-related material recovered was found in the urine/aqueous cage wash, (49%) whilst a smaller portion (13%) was eliminated via the faeces. Metabolic profiles for urine, bile and faecal extracts, obtained using liquid chromatography and a combination of mass spectrometric and radioactivity detection, revealed extensive metabolism of fenclozic acid in mice that involved biotransformations via both oxidation and conjugation. These profiling studies also revealed the presence of glutathione-derived metabolites providing evidence for the production of reactive species by mice administered fenclozic acid. Covalent binding to proteins from liver, kidney and plasma was also demonstrated, although this binding was relatively low (less than 50 pmol eq./mg protein)

The pp -> pp pi pi pi reaction channels in the threshold region

The cross section for prompt neutral and charged three pion production in pp interactions was measured at excess energies in the range 160 - 217 MeV. That comprises the first measurement of the pp->pp pi0pi0pi0 reaction and the comparison with the pp->pp pi+pi-pi0 reaction, in a very direct way. The experiment was performed above the eta meson production threshold and the cross section normalization was obtained from a concurrent measurement of the reaction pp->pp eta with the eta decaying into 3 pions. Since the same final states are selected, the measurement has a low systematical error. The measured cross section ratio sigma(pp->pp pi+pi-pi0)/sigma(pp->pp pi0\pi0\pi0) is compared to predictions of dominance of different isobars in the intermediate state.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures New discussion on the pp->pp3pi reaction mechanis