Study to determine suitable high temperature, high altitude, total temperature sensors Final report

High temperature, high altitude total temperature sensor development - thermocouple devic

Saari's homographic conjecture for planar equal-mass three-body problem in Newton gravity

Saari's homographic conjecture in N-body problem under the Newton gravity is the following; configurational measure \mu=\sqrt{I}U, which is the product of square root of the moment of inertia I=(\sum m_k)^{-1}\sum m_i m_j r_{ij}^2 and the potential function U=\sum m_i m_j/r_{ij}, is constant if and only if the motion is homographic. Where m_k represents mass of body k and r_{ij} represents distance between bodies i and j. We prove this conjecture for planar equal-mass three-body problem. In this work, we use three sets of shape variables. In the first step, we use \zeta=3q_3/(2(q_2-q_1)) where q_k \in \mathbb{C} represents position of body k. Using r_1=r_{23}/r_{12} and r_2=r_{31}/r_{12} in intermediate step, we finally use \mu itself and \rho=I^{3/2}/(r_{12}r_{23}r_{31}). The shape variables \mu and \rho make our proof simple

Elintarviketeollisuuden yritysvastuuraportoinnin laatu

Tiivistelmä. Yritysvastuuraportoinnin laadun on todettu vaihtelevan paljon, ja varsinkin useamman vuoden takaisiin aineistoihin pohjautuvissa tutkimuksissa yritysvastuuraporttien on havaittu olevan laadultaan enimmäkseen heikkoja. Yritysvastuuraportoinnin normit, kuten GRI-standardit, ovat kuitenkin kehittyneet merkittävästi aivan viime vuosina. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena oli luoda katsaus yritysvastuuraportoinnin laadun nykytilasta tutkimalla kotimaisten elintarviketeollisuusyhtiöiden taloudellisen vastuun, sosiaalisen vastuun ja ympäristövastuun raportoinnin laatua. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin raportoinnin laadun yhtenäisyyttä otoksen yhtiöiden välillä. Tutkimuksen aineistona olivat yhdeksän suurimman suomalaisen elintarviketeollisuuskonsernin vuoden 2018 yritysvastuuraportit. Tutkimuksen menetelmänä on informaatiotyyppien ja aihekategorioiden luokitteluun perustuva sisällönanalyysi. Tutkimuksessa raportoinnin laatua tarkasteltiin raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuuden näkökulmasta. Raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuudella tarkoitetaan kolmen eri informaatiotyypin — arvojen ja tavoitteiden, toimenpiteiden ja tulosten raportointia tietystä yritysvastuun aiheesta. Raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuuden lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin yritysvastuuraporttien laajuutta ja volyymia. Tutkimuksen perusteella saatiin muodostettua hyvä kuva toimialan yritysvastuuraportoinnista. Tutkimus havainnollistaa myös raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuusasteen käyttökelpoisuutta yritysvastuuraportoinnin laadun arvioinnin työkaluna. Tutkimuksen perusteella elintarviketeollisuuden yritysvastuuraportoinnissa on kyse pääasiassa ympäristövastuun ja sosiaalisen vastuun raportoinnista. Taloudellisen vastuun raportointi on kahta muuta osa-aluetta heikompaa niin raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuuden kuin volyymin perusteella. Ympäristövastuun raportointi taas on selvästi kehittynein osa-alue. Vaikka otoksen parhaimpien ja heikoimpien raporttien laadussa olikin suuria eroja, enemmistö raporteista oli verrattain samankaltaisia raportoinnin kokonaisvaltaisuudella ja laajuudella tarkasteltuna. Otoksen pörssiyhtiöiden yritysvastuuraportointi on keskimäärin laadultaan parempaa kuin otoksen yksityisomisteisten osakeyhtiöiden

General quasi-non-spreading linear three-dimensional wave-packets

We introduce a general approach for generation of sets of three-dimensional quasi-non-spreading wavepackets propagating in linear media, also referred to as linear light bullets. The spectrum of rigorously non-spreading wavepackets in media with anomalous group velocity dispersion is localized on the surface of a sphere, thus drastically restricting the possible wavepacket shapes. However, broadening slightly the spectrum affords the generation of a large variety of quasi-non-spreading distributions featuring complex topologies and shapes in space and time that are of interest in different areas, such as biophysics or nanosurgery. Here we discuss the method and show several illustrative examples of its potential.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Optics Letter

Crawling-induced floor dust resuspension affects the microbiota of the infant breathing zone

Background: Floor dust is commonly used for microbial determinations in epidemiological studies to estimate early-life indoor microbial exposures. Resuspension of floor dust and its impact on infant microbial exposure is, however, little explored. The aim of our study was to investigate how floor dust resuspension induced by an infant's crawling motion and an adult walking affects infant inhalation exposure to microbes. Results: We conducted controlled chamber experiments with a simplified mechanical crawling infant robot and an adult volunteer walking over carpeted flooring. We applied bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR to monitor the infant breathing zone microbial content and compared that to the adult breathing zone and the carpet dust as the source. During crawling, fungal and bacterial levels were, on average, 8- to 21-fold higher in the infant breathing zone compared to measurements from the adult breathing zone. During walking experiments, the increase in microbial levels in the infant breathing zone was far less pronounced. The correlation in rank orders of microbial levels in the carpet dust and the corresponding infant breathing zone sample varied between different microbial groups but was mostly moderate. The relative abundance of bacterial taxa was characteristically distinct in carpet dust and infant and adult breathing zones during the infant crawling experiments. Bacterial diversity in carpet dust and the infant breathing zone did not correlate significantly. Conclusions: The microbiota in the infant breathing zone differ in absolute quantitative and compositional terms from that of the adult breathing zone and of floor dust. Crawling induces resuspension of floor dust from carpeted flooring, creating a concentrated and localized cloud of microbial content around the infant. Thus, the microbial exposure of infants following dust resuspension is difficult to predict based on common house dust or bulk air measurements. Improved approaches for the assessment of infant microbial exposure, such as sampling at the infant breathing zone level, are needed.Peer reviewe

An assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe

Over the last 50 years, conventional fossil-based plastics have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Apart from their low production costs, this is due to a number of their unique properties, including durability, strength, lightness, electrical and thermal insulation, resistance to chemicals and corrosion. The production of plastics has increased from 1.5 million metric tons in 1950 to 359 million metric tons in 2018. Of this total, 61.8 million metric tons were produced in Europe. There are various problems associated with plastic use and disposal that pose a serious threat to both the physical environment and human health. Since public behaviour plays a key role when it comes to the use of plastic, this paper reports on a study that focused on an assessment of attitudes towards plastics and bioplastics in Europe. The results showed that packaging is the most frequent modality of plastic used among participants. In addition, majority of participants are aware that plastic waste can affect environment and human health and therefore segregate and properly dispose plastics. Also, even though most respondents were aware of the environmental problems related to plastic use and showed a positive inclination towards using bioplastic materials, their limited availability and lack of relevant information about bioplastics pose a problem for wider use. Departing from the assumption that the public attitude is a determining factor in the consumption of plastics as a whole and bioplastics in particular, this paper also sheds some light on the current situation, identifying some trends and information gaps which should be addressed in order to encourage a more rational use of plastics in Europe

Alternative respiratory chain enzymes: Therapeutic potential and possible pitfalls

The alternative respiratory chain (aRC), comprising the alternative NADH dehydrogenases (NDX) and quinone oxidases (AOX), is found in microbes, fungi and plants, where it buffers stresses arising from restrictions on electron flow in the oxidative phosphorylation system. The aRC enzymes are also found in species belonging to most metazoan phyla, including some chordates and arthropods species, although not in vertebrates or in Drosophila. We postulated that the aRC enzymes might be deployed to alleviate pathological stresses arising from mitochondrial dysfunction in a wide variety of disease states. However, before such therapies can be contemplated, it is essential to understand the effects of aRC enzymes on cell metabolism and organismal physiology. Here we report and discuss new findings that shed light on the functions of the aRC enzymes in animals, and the unexpected benefits and detriments that they confer on model organisms. In Ciona intestinalis, the aRC is induced by hypoxia and by sulfide, but is unresponsive to other environmental stressors. When expressed in Drosophila, AOX results in impaired survival under restricted nutrition, in addition to the previously reported male reproductive anomalies. In contrast, it confers cold resistance to developing and adult flies, and counteracts cell signaling defects that underlie developmental dysmorphologies. The aRC enzymes may also influence lifespan and stress resistance more generally, by eliciting or interfering with hormetic mechanisms. In sum, their judicious use may lead to major benefits in medicine, but this will require a thorough characterization of their properties and physiological effects.Peer reviewe

An overview of the problems posed by plastic products and the role of extended producer responsibility in Europe

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Plastic products are easy and convenient for our everyday use, but their negative impacts on human health and the environment cannot be overlooked. The negative impacts and effects of plastic waste are now widely known and have been subject of much recent media coverage, both in Europe and on a global level. Faced with increasing amounts of plastic waste, the European Union as a whole and many European governments in particular, are currently revising the policy options available to cope with the problem. One of the tools which may be deployed with a view to reducing the pressures posed by plastic waste, is the Extended Producer Responsibility principle. It is considered to be one of the major waste management policy instruments that support the implementation of the European waste hierarchy. Its application may assist in fostering the collection and recycling of waste streams that contain plastic. This paper presents an overview of the problems posed by plastic waste, and outlines their environmental dimensions. It discusses the role of the Extended Producer Responsibility principle and provides some recommendations that may be useful in enhancing extended producer responsibility