A computer graphics program for general finite element analyses

Documentation for a computer graphics program for displays from general finite element analyses is presented. A general description of display options and detailed user instructions are given. Several plots made in structural, thermal and fluid finite element analyses are included to illustrate program options. Sample data files are given to illustrate use of the program

A note on the expectations hypothesis at the founding of the Fed

One of the most influential tests of the expectations hypothesis is Mankiw and Miron (1986), who found that the spread between the long-term and short-term rates provided predictive power for the short-term rate before the Fed's founding but not after. They suggested that the failure of the expectations hypothesis after the Fed's founding was due to the Fed's practice of smoothing short-term interest rates. We show that their finding that the expectations hypothesis fares better prior to the Fed's founding is due to the fact that the test they employ tends to generate results that are more favorable to the expectations hypothesis during periods when there is extreme volatility in the short-term rate. (Earlier version titled: The expectations theory and the founding of the Fed: another look at the evidence)Interest rates ; Rational expectations (Economic theory) ; Federal Reserve System - History

Effect of aluminium sheet surface conditions on feasibility and quality of resistance spot welding

A study investigating the effect of sheet surface condition on resistance spot welding (RSW) of aluminium has been carried out. This concentrates on two automotive aluminium alloys; AA5754 and AA6111, used for structural and closure applications respectively. The results show the marked effect that surface condition can have on the RSW process. For AA5754 sheet incomplete removal of a ‘disrupted surface layer’ prior to surface pretreatment is shown to have a detrimental effect on the RSW process. The solid wax lubricant used to assist metal forming leads to unpredictable changes in contact resistance, and consequently affects the process stability. For AA6111 closures the final surface topography can influence the RSW process. Standard ‘mill’ and electro-discharge textured (EDT) finish sheet surfaces were examined and preliminary results suggest that both are suitable for welding. The successful application of RSW of aluminium sheet requires careful consideration of the sheet surface condition. This requires close collaboration between material suppliers and automotive manufacturers

Landscape of standing variation for tandem duplications in Drosophila yakuba and Drosophila simulans

We have used whole genome paired-end Illumina sequence data to identify tandem duplications in 20 isofemale lines of D. yakuba, and 20 isofemale lines of D. simulans and performed genome wide validation with PacBio long molecule sequencing. We identify 1,415 tandem duplications that are segregating in D. yakuba as well as 975 duplications in D. simulans, indicating greater variation in D. yakuba. Additionally, we observe high rates of secondary deletions at duplicated sites, with 8% of duplicated sites in D. simulans and 17% of sites in D. yakuba modified with deletions. These secondary deletions are consistent with the action of the large loop mismatch repair system acting to remove polymorphic tandem duplication, resulting in rapid dynamics of gain and loss in duplicated alleles and a richer substrate of genetic novelty than has been previously reported. Most duplications are present in only single strains, suggesting deleterious impacts are common. D. simulans shows larger numbers of whole gene duplications in comparison to larger proportions of gene fragments in D. yakuba. D. simulans displays an excess of high frequency variants on the X chromosome, consistent with adaptive evolution through duplications on the D. simulans X or demographic forces driving duplicates to high frequency. We identify 78 chimeric genes in D. yakuba and 38 chimeric genes in D. simulans, as well as 143 cases of recruited non-coding sequence in D. yakuba and 96 in D. simulans, in agreement with rates of chimeric gene origination in D. melanogaster. Together, these results suggest that tandem duplications often result in complex variation beyond whole gene duplications that offers a rich substrate of standing variation that is likely to contribute both to detrimental phenotypes and disease, as well as to adaptive evolutionary change.Comment: Revised Version- Accepted at Molecular Biology and Evolutio

A comparison of the mechanical behaviour of self-piercing riveted and resistance spot welded aluminium sheets for the automotive industry

The increased application of lightweight materials, such as aluminium has initiated many investigations into new joining techniques for aluminium alloys. The resistance spot welding (RSW) concept for aluminium has always attracted many researchers from different organizations. Self-piercing riveting (SPR) is the major production process used to join aluminium sheet body structures for the automotive industry. The research team at the University of Warwick has investigated these two major joining technologies for aluminium assembly. The paper reported here gives an in depth comparison of the mechanical behaviour for each joint type under different loading conditions. It covers symmetrical and asymmetrical assembly from thin gauge of 1.0 mm to thick gauge of 3.0 mm. The results suggest that generally RSW can provide similar strength performance to SPR with the exception of T-peel; the energy to maximum load needs be considered ‘case to case’ and is dependent largely on loading conditions and the failure mode particularly with respect to SPR. The spread of results for SPR is generally smaller than for RSW, and the performance of SPR joints improves as the thickness increases

Removing Green Scum from Tanks and Reservoirs with Bluestone.

3p

2016 Annual Report of the University of Kansas Health System Poison Control Center

Introduction. This is the 2016 Annual Report of the University ofKansas Health System Poison Control Center (PCC). The PCC is oneof 55 certified poison control centers in the United States and servesthe state of Kansas 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with certified specialistsin poison information and medical toxicologists. The PCCreceives calls from the public, law enforcement, health care professionals,and public health agencies. All calls to the PCC are recordedelectronically in the Toxicall® data management system and uploadedin near real-time to the National Poison Data System (NPDS), whichis the data repository for all poison control centers in the U.S. Methods. All encounters reported to the PCC from January 1, 2016to December 31, 2016 were analyzed. Data recorded for each exposureincludes caller location, age, weight, gender, substance exposedto, nature of exposure, route of exposure, interventions, medicaloutcome, disposition and location of care. Encounters were classifiedfurther as human exposure, animal exposure, confirmed non-exposure,or information call (no exposure reported). Results. The PCC logged 21,965 total encounters in 2016, including20,713 human exposure cases. The PCC received calls from everycounty in Kansas. The majority of human exposure cases (50.4%, n =10,174) were female. Approximately 67% (n = 13,903) of human exposuresinvolved a child (defined as 19 years or less). Most encountersoccurred at a residence (94.0%, n = 19,476) and most calls (72.3%, n= 14,964) originated from a residence. The majority of human exposures(n = 18,233) were acute cases (exposures occurring over eighthours or less). Ingestion was the most common route of exposuredocumented (86.3%, n = 17,882). The most common reported substancein pediatric encounters was cosmetics/personal care products(n = 1,362), followed by household cleaning products (n = 1,301). Foradult encounters, sedatives/hypnotics/antipsychotics (n = 1,130) andanalgesics (n = 1,103) were the most frequently involved substances.Unintentional exposures were the most common reason for exposures(81.3%, n = 16,836). Most encounters (71.1%, n = 14,732) weremanaged in a non-healthcare facility (i.e., a residence). Among humanexposures, 14,679 involved exposures to pharmaceutical agents while10,176 involved exposure to non-pharmaceuticals. Medical outcomeswere 32% (n = 6,582) no effect, 19% (n = 3,911) minor effect, 8% (n =1,623) moderate effect, and 2% (n = 348) major effects. There were 15deaths in 2016 reported to the PCC. Number of exposures, calls fromhealthcare facilities, cases with moderate or major medical outcomes,and deaths all increased in 2016 compared to 2015. Conclusions. The results of the 2016 University of Kansas HealthSystem Poison Control annual report demonstrates that the centerreceives calls from the entire state of Kansas totaling over 20,000human exposures per year. While pediatric exposures remain themost common, there is an increasing number of calls from healthcarefacilities and for cases with serious outcomes. The experience of thePCC is similar to national data. This report supports the continuedvalue of the PCC to both public and acute health care in the state ofKansas. Kans J Med 2018;11(2):24-33

I\u27m Thinking of the Past

[Verse 1]You ask of what I\u27m thinking,You mark my brow o\u27er cast,You long to learn the secret;I\u27m thinking of the past.Bright hours of pure enjoyment,I trusted would remain;Alas! they all are vanish\u27d,No more to come again [Verse 2]You ask of what I\u27m thinking,You mark my brow o\u27ercast,You long to learn the secret;I\u27m thinking of the past.And where is she who met me,and listen\u27d to my song,And hoped for years to cheer me life\u27s rugged path along?Bright hours of pure enjoyment.I trusted, would remain,I trusted would remain.You ask of what I\u27m thinking; I\u27m thinking of the past

Factors influencing utilisation of ‘free-standing’ and ‘alongside’ midwifery units for low-risk births in England: a mixed-methods study

Background Midwifery-led units (MUs) are recommended for ‘low-risk’ births by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence but according to the National Audit Office were not available in one-quarter of trusts in England in 2013 and, when available, were used by only a minority of the low-risk women for whom they should be suitable. This study explores why. Objectives To map the provision of MUs in England and explore barriers to and facilitators of their development and use; and to ascertain stakeholder views of interventions to address these barriers and facilitators. Design Mixed methods – first, MU access and utilisation across England was mapped; second, local media coverage of the closure of free-standing midwifery units (FMUs) were analysed; third, case studies were undertaken in six sites to explore the barriers and facilitators that have an impact on the development of MUs; and, fourth, by convening a stakeholder workshop, interventions to address the barriers and facilitators were discussed. Setting English NHS maternity services. Participants All trusts with maternity services. Interventions Establishing MUs. Main outcome measures Numbers and types of MUs and utilisation of MUs. Results Births in MUs across England have nearly tripled since 2011, to 15% of all births. However, this increase has occurred almost exclusively in alongside units, numbers of which have doubled. Births in FMUs have stayed the same and these units are more susceptible to closure. One-quarter of trusts in England have no MUs; in those that do, nearly all MUs are underutilised. The study findings indicate that most trust managers, senior midwifery managers and obstetricians do not regard their MU provision as being as important as their obstetric-led unit provision and therefore it does not get embedded as an equal and parallel component in the trust’s overall maternity package of care. The analysis illuminates how provision and utilisation are influenced by a complex range of factors, including the medicalisation of childbirth, financial constraints and institutional norms protecting the status quo. Limitations When undertaking the case studies, we were unable to achieve representativeness across social class in the women’s focus groups and struggled to recruit finance directors for individual interviews. This may affect the transferability of our findings. Conclusions Although there has been an increase in the numbers and utilisation of MUs since 2011, significant obstacles remain to MUs reaching their full potential, especially FMUs. This includes the capacity and willingness of providers to address women’s information needs. If these remain unaddressed at commissioner and provider level, childbearing women’s access to MUs will continue to be restricted. Future work Work is needed on optimum approaches to improve decision-makers’ understanding and use of clinical and economic evidence in service design. Increasing women’s access to information about MUs requires further studies of professionals’ understanding and communication of evidence. The role of FMUs in the context of rural populations needs further evaluation to take into account user and community impact. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 12. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information