Multiscale modelling of microstructure formation in polymerc asting

A data bank approach to multi-scale modelling of polymer solidification under flow and holding conditions is presented with applications to injection molding. The latent heat of solidification, which acts as an input parameter for large scale simulations, is determined as a function of different process dependent parameters such as the flow speed, supersaturation and geometric properties including the seed density of emerging spherulitic microstructures. Supersaturation and flow velocities are obtained from the larger scale simulation code as input values as function of which the released latent heat can be obtained from the pre-computed data bank thereby offering a possibility to circumvent the spatial and temporal coarse-graining problem associated with large scale simulations

Aivotoiminnan häiriöiden yhteydessä yleisesti koetut psykososiaaliset vaikeudet : PARADISE24-kyselyn tutkimusperusta

Ihmisen kokonaistilanne on tärkeä ottaa hoidossa ja kuntoutuksessa huomioon. Psychosocial Factors Relevant to Brain Disorders in Europa (PARADISE) -hanke toteutettiin kymmenen instituutin yhteistyössä professori Ciezan johdolla 2010–2013. Tavoitteena oli kehittää tutkimukseen perustuva menetelmä, jonka avulla voidaan kartoittaa psykososiaalisia vaikeuksia eri aivotoiminnan häiriöiden hoidossa, kuntoutuksessa ja tutkimisessa. Hankkeessa oli lähtökohtana oletus psykososiaalisten vaikeuksien horisontaalisesta epidemiologiasta. Hankkeessa tutkittiin yhdeksää aivotoiminnan häiriötä: dementiaa, depressiota, epilepsiaa, migreeniä, MS-tautia, Parkinsonin tautia, skitsofreniaa, aivoverenkiertohäiriötä ja päihderiippuvuutta. Kunkin häiriön osalta toteutettiin systemaattinen kirjallisuuskatsaus ja fokusryhmähaastattelu. Esiin nousseet psykososiaaliset vaikeudet luokiteltiin ja linkitettiin kansainväliseen toimintakykyluokitukseen (ICF). Eri häiriöille yhteisten 64 psykososiaalisen vaikeuden yleisyyttä ja intensiteettiä tutkittiin yksilöhaastatteluissa (n = 722). Tulosten pohjalta muodostettiin yleisiä psykososiaalisia vaikeuksia mahdollisimman laajasti kattava PARADISE24-kysely. Oletus eri häiriöiden yhteisistä psykososiaalisista ongelmista osoittautui todeksi. Kyselyyn valikoitui neljätoista kysymystä ICF:n osa-alueelta b Ruumiin/kehon toiminnot ja kymmenen kysymystä osa-alueelta d Suoritukset ja osallistuminen. Psykososiaalisten vaikeuksien intensiteetissä esiintyi kuitenkin häiriöiden välillä eroja siten, että psykiatristen tai päihdehäiriöiden takia haastatellut käyttivät laaja-alaisesti viisiportaista vastausvaihtoehtojen asteikkoa, mutta neurologisten häiriöiden yhteydessä kaksi- tai kolmeportainen asteikko vaikutti riittävältä. PARADISE24-kysely sisältää olennaiset kysymykset, mutta jatkotutkimusta tarvitaan erityisesti kyselyn toimivuudesta seurantakäytössä. Raportissa esitetään PARADISE24-kyselyn valmistamisen tutkimusperusta horisontaalisten tulosten sekä erikseen päihdehäiriöiden näkökulmasta.36,00 euro

Evaluating complications in below-knee skin cancer surgery after introduction of preoperative appointments : A 2-year retrospective cohort study

Below-knee dermatological surgery has a high risk of complications such as wound infection, bleeding, and necrosis. In this study, we evaluated the impact of preoperative appointments on complication risks. We searched the medical records of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUS) Dermatosurgery unit for all below-knee surgeries during 2016, when no preoperative nurse appointments were carried out, and compared it with 2018, when preoperative appointments for risk patients were introduced. The study included 187 patients in 2016 and 179 patients in 2018, of whom 68 (about one third) attended preoperative appointments. At the appointments, risk factors were evaluated, and compression therapy was introduced when possible. The results show complication rates of 13.4% in 2016 vs 10.1% in 2018 (P = .33), despite significantly higher risks in the 2018 patient group. The odds ratio for complications in appointment attendees vs non-attendees was reduced after adjustments to 0.58; however, this was insignificant (P = .47). The odds of complications for skin grafts were considerably higher: 11.33 vs other surgery techniques (P = .00). In conclusion, the introduction of preoperative appointments appeared to reduce complications in below-knee surgery. For graft reconstructions, complication risk is high, even with carefully planned pre- and postoperative care. Further studies are needed to evaluate preventable risk factors of below-knee graft reconstructions.Peer reviewe

Water disinfection with geopolymer-bentonite composite foam containing silver nanoparticles

Geopolymers resemble conventional ceramics but can be manufactured at near-ambient temperatures. In this work, geopolymer-bentonite composite foam with silver nanoparticles was prepared and applied for water disinfection, inspired by point-of-use ceramic water filters. The inactivation efficiency against Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci bacteria was found to be promising (0.6-2.4 and 0.3-1.4 log(10) reductions, respectively) for similar to 1 d. However, the inactivation efficiency against somatic coliphage viruses was poor (Peer reviewe

Using auxiliary data to rationalize smartphone-based pre-harvest forest mensuration

Accurate mensuration of forest stands for pre-harvest planning will pose high costs if carried out by a professional forester as an on-site evaluation. The costs could be reduced if a person with limited mensuration expertise could collect the required data using a smartphone-based system such as TRESTIMA (R) Forest Inventory System. Without prior information, the field sample with sufficient number of measurement points over the whole stand should be selected, so that the entire variation will be covered. We present and test a rational framework based on selecting the sampling locations according to auxiliary data. As auxiliary variables, we use various spatial data sources indicating forests' structural or spectral variation, as well as previously predicted inventory variables. We construct two variants of sampling schemes based on the local pivotal method, weighted by the auxiliary data, and compare the results to simple random sampling (SRS) with corresponding sample sizes. According to our findings, the benefits of auxiliary data depend on the considered stand, species and timber assortment. The use of auxiliary data leads generally to improved results and up to three times higher efficiency (i.e. lower variance) as compared with SRS. We conclude that the framework of applying auxiliary data has high capabilities in rationalizing the sampling efforts with little drawbacks, consequently providing potential to improve the results with similar sample size and possibility to use of non-specialists for the pre-harvest inventory.Peer reviewe

NFI plots as complementary reference data in forest inventory based on airborne laser scanning and aerial photography in Finland

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EISCAT and Cluster observations in the vicinity of the dynamical polar cap boundary

The dynamics of the polar cap boundary and auroral oval in the nightside ionosphere are studied during late expansion and recovery of a substorm from the region between Tromsø (66.6° cgmLat) and Longyearbyen (75.2° cgmLat) on 27 February 2004 by using the coordinated EISCAT incoherent scatter radar, MIRACLE magnetometer and Cluster satellite measurements. During the late substorm expansion/early recovery phase, the polar cap boundary (PCB) made zig-zag-type motion with amplitude of 2.5° cgmLat and period of about 30 min near magnetic midnight. We suggest that the poleward motions of the PCB were produced by bursts of enhanced reconnection at the near-Earth neutral line (NENL). The subsequent equatorward motions of the PCB would then represent the recovery of the merging line towards the equilibrium state (Cowley and Lockwood, 1992). The observed bursts of enhanced westward electrojet just equatorward of the polar cap boundary during poleward expansions were produced plausibly by particles accelerated in the vicinity of the neutral line and thus lend evidence to the Cowley-Lockwood paradigm. <br><br> During the substorm recovery phase, the footpoints of the Cluster satellites at a geocentric distance of 4.4 <I>R<sub>E</sub></I> mapped in the vicinity of EISCAT measurements. Cluster data indicate that outflow of H<sup>+</sup> and O<sup>+</sup> ions took place within the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) as noted in some earlier studies as well. We show that in this case the PSBL corresponded to a region of enhanced electron temperature in the ionospheric F region. It is suggested that the ion outflow originates from the F region as a result of increased ambipolar diffusion. At higher altitudes, the ions could be further energized by waves, which at Cluster altitudes were observed as BBELF (broad band extra low frequency) fluctuations. <br><br> The four-satellite configuration of Cluster revealed a sudden poleward expansion of the PSBL by 2° during ~5 min. The beginning of the poleward motion of the PCB was associated with an intensification of the downward FAC at the boundary. We suggest that the downward FAC sheet at the PCB is the high-altitude counterpart of the Earthward flowing FAC produced in the vicinity of the magnetotail neutral line by the Hall effect (Sonnerup, 1979) during a short-lived reconnection pulse

Comparison of Finnish meat inspection records and average daily gain for cattle herds differing in Mycoplasma bovis test-status

Detecting Mycoplasma bovis on cattle farms represents a challenge in the absence of an outbreak or cases of M. bovis mastitis, yet identification of an infection is essential to control the spread of the disease successfully. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine whether meat inspection records can aid identification of cattle farms supporting M. bovis infection, and (2) to compare the average daily weight gain estimated from carcass weight for cattle originating from farms differing in M. bovis test-status. Meat inspection records were collected from two abattoirs in 2015; 80 677 animals in total. All the dairy and mixed breed cows and bulls used for meat production were categorized according to known M. bovis infection status of the farms from which the cattle were derived; positive, contact or control farms. The associations between animals from different M. bovis categories and lung lesions of bulls and cows (pneumonia and pleuritis), identified during meat inspection, and estimated average daily gain (ADG) of bulls, were investigated. The odds ratios for lung lesions, especially pleuritis, were higher in M. bovis test-positive or contact farms compared with control farms. Additionally, odds ratios for pleuritis were higher among animals from M. bovis test-positive farms and animals from contact slaughtering farms originating from M. bovis-free rearing farms. Bulls originating from M. bovis test-positive farms had higher estimated average daily gain than cattle from control farms. Meat inspection records can be used alongside other methods to detect M. bovis-positive farms where M. bovis causes lung lesions. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe