20,042 research outputs found
Innovative approach in the stabilisation of coastal slopes
Coastal slope instability poses a risk to life and material properties and is of great concern in times of climate change, posing challenges as communities seek to adapt and ensure resilience. This paper presents two case studies of coastal slope stabilisation efforts from Scotland and reflects the growing difficultly faced by coastal communities who value intervention but are limited by uncertain ownership, funding and access to expertise. In both cases, the slopes are owned by private charities with no power of authorisation or means of procuring stabilisation works to protect the adjacent communities. The engineering solutions included an innovative eco-engineering component where vegetation was used to perform an engineering function. Based on the experience with these projects, the authors advocate this sustainable technique supported by the evidence from monitoring and testing. The case studies emphasise the importance of engaging with the community as a means of achieving acceptance of a workable solution as well as participation in its long-term development. Another significant observation was the contribution played by establishment of a learning culture that is supported through inter- and intraproject knowledge transfer deemed necessary to promote the necessary double-loop learning evident in these projects. </jats:p
Potentiation of the antiproliferative activity of brequinar sodium for murine lymphocytes by exogenous cytidine.
On the Rate-dependent Plasticity Modelling of Unidirectional Fibre-reinforced Polymeric Matrix Composites
Three different approaches to plasticity are investigated to model the experimentally-observed non-linear behaviour of unidirectional fibre-reinforced polymeric matrix materials. The first and simplest approach consists on assuming independent one-dimensional rate-dependent plasticity on in-plane (12) and through-thickness longitudinal (13) shear components of the Cauchy stress tensor. The second, employs a 3D extension of the plane stress Hill'48 anisotropic plastic surface. The third and the last is formulated as a quadratic yield function inspired by Puck's fracture initiation criterion. It searches for a plastic localisation plane in which a certain combination of normal and shear stresses is maximum. Numerical simulations are conducted to analyse the off-axis compression behaviour of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite under varying loading rates. The afore-mentioned three different approaches are explored with an aim to predict the experimentally-observed non-linear response of such composites. The model parameters are determined using a deterministic inverse modelling strategy employing an iterative domain reduction optimisation technique. As far as the experiments are concerned, the quasi-static and medium rate tests were carried out in universal testing machines, while the experiments at high rate were conducted in a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar system. The effectiveness in terms of accuracy and robustness of the three approaches are discussed
Cytokine gene expression in murine lymphocytes activated in the presence of FK 506, bredinin, mycophenolic acid, or brequinar sodium
Universal features of Thermopower in High Tc systems and Quantum Criticality
In high Tc superconductors a wide ranging connection between the doping
dependence of the transition temperature Tc and the room temperature
thermopower Q has been observed. A "universal correlation" between these two
quantities exists with the thermopower vanishing at optimum doping as noted by
OCTHH (Obertelli, Cooper, Tallon, Honma and Hor). In this work we provide an
interpretation of this OCTHH universality in terms of a possible underlying
quantum critical point (QCP) at Tc. Central to our viewpoint is the recently
noted Kelvin formula relating the thermopower to the density derivative of the
entropy. Perspective on this formula is gained through a model calculation of
the various Kubo formulas in an exactly solved 1-dimensional model with various
limiting procedures of wave vector and frequency.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Development of eco-engineering sector specific routines and curricula for the Mediterranean region
A direct optical method for the study of grain boundary melting
The structure and evolution of grain boundaries underlies the nature of
polycrystalline materials. Here we describe an experimental apparatus and light
reflection technique for measuring disorder at grain boundaries in optically
clear material, in thermodynamic equilibrium. The approach is demonstrated on
ice bicrystals. Crystallographic orientation is measured for each ice sample.
The type and concentration of impurity in the liquid can be controlled and the
temperature can be continuously recorded and controlled over a range near the
melting point. The general methodology is appropriate for a wide variety of
materials.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, updated with minor changes made to published
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Utilising family-based designs for detecting rare variant disease associations.
Rare genetic variants are thought to be important components in the causality of many diseases but discovering these associations is challenging. We demonstrate how best to use family-based designs to improve the power to detect rare variant disease associations. We show that using genetic data from enriched families (those pedigrees with greater than one affected member) increases the power and sensitivity of existing case-control rare variant tests. However, we show that transmission- (or within-family-) based tests do not benefit from this enrichment. This means that, in studies where a limited amount of genotyping is available, choosing a single case from each of many pedigrees has greater power than selecting multiple cases from fewer pedigrees. Finally, we show how a pseudo-case-control design allows a greater range of statistical tests to be applied to family data
Interstellar medium disruption in the Centaurus A group
We present the results of a 21 cm neutral hydrogen (HI) line detection
experiment in the direction of 18 low luminosity dwarf galaxies of the
Centaurus A group, using the Australia Telescope National Facility 64m Parkes
Radio Telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Five dwarfs have HI
masses between M_HI=4x10^5 to M_HI=2.1x10^7 Msol and 0.04<M_HI/L_B<1.81 Msol
L_{sol, B}^-1. The other 13 have upper-limits between M_HI<5x10^5 and
M_HI<4x10^6 Msol (M_HI}/L_B<0.24 Msol L_{sol, B}^-1). Two of the
mixed-morphology dwarfs remain undetected in HI, a situation that is in
contrast to that of similar Local Group and Sculptor group objects where all
contain significant amounts of neutral gas. There is a discontinuity in the HI
properties of Centaurus A group low luminosity dwarfs that is unobserved
amongst Sculptor group dwarfs. All objects fainter than M_B=-13 have either
M_HI>10^7 Msol or M_HI<10^6 Msol. This gap may be explained by the ram pressure
stripping mechanism at work in this dense environment where all galaxies with
M_HI<10^7 Msol have been stripped of their gas. The required intergalactic
medium density to achieve this is ~10^-3 cm^-3.Comment: 7 figures, 2 table
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