Effect of ion irradiation on the rate dependence of plastic deformation of extruded Zr-2.5%Nb

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the properties of Zr-2.5%Nb pressure tube material in the transverse direction. Through testing at room temperature, material properties such as the strain hardening, strain rate sensitivity and apparent activation volume were investigated. The effects of Zr+ ion-implantation occurring at 300°C, simulating irradiation-induced damage, and the strain rate of loading on these properties were also investigated. Two methods of testing were performed: in-situ micro-pillar compressions and nanoindentation testing. Ion-implantation was observed to increase material strength and hardness. However, certain implanted micro-pillars displayed early localized failure that reduced strength. This finding warrants further investigation, particularly as irradiation occurs at high temperatures in reactor conditions. Displacement rate change tests yielded an increase in stress with increased displacement rate, while tests performed at constant indenter displacement rates provided mixed results on the effect of strain rate

Combating Energy Poverty in the Social Housing Stock

The authors of this publication indicate that in the second decade of the 21st century European Union institutions have been aiming at encompassing social housing construction into a common climate and energy policy. It has been shown that the justification of public support for energy investments in the social housing stock is an attempt to counteract climate changes, reduce energy poverty among low-income households as well as to promote local workplaces and economic development in a given area. The cohesion policy of the European Union may actively contribute to strengthening its dynamics and ensure a leverage effect which in turn will lead to the use of other, additional sources of finance. In accordance with the guidelines of the European Commission, the housing stock has been qualified to be subject to support from structural funds in the new financial perspective until 2020, especially in terms of thermomodernisation and promotion of renewable sources of energy, integrated actions aiming at developing urban areas and combating exclusion by providing access to dwellings to marginalised communities and offering high quality, affordable social services.Автори цієї публікації вказують, що в другому десятилітті XXI століття інститути ЄС націлені на енергетичну політику в побуті і її вплив на загальний клімат. Показана виправданість громадської підтримки інвестицій в економію енергії в побуті як спроба нейтралізувати зміни клімату, скоротити бідність серед сімей з низьким рівнем доходу і, щоб просувати місцеві робочі місця і економічний розвиток в цій області. Єдина політика Євросоюзу активно сприяє зміцненню його динаміки і гарантує ефект важеля, який у свою чергу призводитиме до використання інших, додаткових джерел фінансування. Відповідно до директив Єврокомісії, житлова сфера була кваліфікована, як така що підлягає підтримці від структурних фондів в новій фінансовій перспективі до 2020 р., особливо в термінах термомодернізації і просування поновлюваних джерел енергії. Але він доки не об'єднав дії, що націлюють розвиток міст на боротьбу за економію енергоресурсів, забезпечення доступу до житла маргіналізованим суспільствам і пропозицію соціальних послуг високої якості.Авторы этой публикации указывают, что во втором десятилетии XXI столетия институты ЕС нацелены на энергетическую политику в быту и ее влияние на общий климат. Показана оправданность общественной поддержки инвестиций в экономию энергии в быту как попытка нейтрализовать изменения климата, сократить бедность среди семей с низким уровнем дохода и, чтобы продвигать местные рабочие места и экономическое развитие в данной области. Единая политика Евросоюза активно содействует укреплению его динамики и гарантирует эффект рычага, который будет в свою очередь приводить к использованию других, дополнительных источников финансирования. В соответствии с директивами Еврокомиссии, жилищная сфера была квалифицирована, как подлежащая поддержке от структурных фондов в новой финансовой перспективе до 2020 г., особенно в терминах термомодернизации и продвижения возобновляемых источников энергии. Но он пока не объединил действия, нацеливающие развитие городов на борьбу за экономию энергоресурсов, обеспечение доступа к жилью маргинализированным обществам и предложение социальных услуг высокого качества

Texas Show Steer Breed Classification

9 pp.With as many as 16 breeds and breed-cross classes in Texas shows, classifying the breed of a show steer is not always easy. Show steers are sorted into breed classes based on visual characteristics, which is often a matter of judgment. This publication lists the visual characteristics of Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, Red Angus, Shorthorn, American Breeds Cross, Brahman, Brangus, Santa Gertrudis, Simbrah, Charolais, Chianina, Limousin, Maine Anjou and Simmental steers

Symbolic Partial-Order Execution for Testing Multi-Threaded Programs

We describe a technique for systematic testing of multi-threaded programs. We combine Quasi-Optimal Partial-Order Reduction, a state-of-the-art technique that tackles path explosion due to interleaving non-determinism, with symbolic execution to handle data non-determinism. Our technique iteratively and exhaustively finds all executions of the program. It represents program executions using partial orders and finds the next execution using an underlying unfolding semantics. We avoid the exploration of redundant program traces using cutoff events. We implemented our technique as an extension of KLEE and evaluated it on a set of large multi-threaded C programs. Our experiments found several previously undiscovered bugs and undefined behaviors in memcached and GNU sort, showing that the new method is capable of finding bugs in industrial-size benchmarks.Comment: Extended version of a paper presented at CAV'2

Recovery self-efficacy and intention as predictors of running or jogging behavior: a cross-lagged panel analysis over a two-year period

Objectives: The study investigates whether two kinds of self-efficacy and intention predict regular running or jogging behavior over 2 yr. Maintenance self-efficacy refers to beliefs about one's ability to maintain a behavior, whereas recovery self-efficacy pertains to beliefs about one's ability to resume a behavior after a setback. Design and methods: Longitudinal data from runners (N=139, 80% men) were collected twice with a time gap of 2 yr. Results: Cross-lagged panel analysis revealed that recovery self-efficacy and intention jointly predicted running/jogging behavior 2 yr later, whereas running/jogging behavior did not predict recovery self-efficacy and intention. No effects of maintenance self-efficacy were found. The majority of participants (n=120) experienced at least one 2-week period of decline in running or jogging behavior. Among those who experienced lapses, recovery self-efficacy remained the only significant social-cognitive predictor of behavior. Conclusions: Recovery self-efficacy is a crucial predictor of regular running or jogging behavior over 2 yr

Different distribution of CD4 and CD8 T cells in synovial membrane and peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are chronic diseases associated with morphological joint changes. Synovial membrane (SM) involvement was established for RA, but the data for OA are limited, because OA is usually regarded as noninflammatory disease. Changes in immune system in RA are not limited to joints, and the significant role of T cells of peripheral blood (PB) is not disputable. However, there is still an open debate about PB immunological profile in OA. Therefore, we decided to measure the distribution of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, regarding CD28 expression, both in PB and SM of RA and OA patients, on the same day. Altogether, eleven RA patients, 11 OA patients and similar numbers of age-matched healthy controls were included into the study. Flow cytometry was used for T cells subpopulation distinguishing and quantification; monoclonal antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD28 with different fluorochromes were used for stainings. The RA patients had significantly higher percentage of CD3+4+ cells in PB as compared to OA patients and relevant control group. Both within the CD4+ and CD8+ compartments, significantly lower percentages of cells bearing the CD28 marker were found in the PB of OA as compared to RA patients. The proportion of CD3+CD4+ cells in SM was dependent on age of OA patients, older OA patients had significantly higher value of their SM/blood ratio than RA patients. Older OA subjects were also characterized by higher values of the SM/blood ratio of both CD4+CD28+ and CD8+CD28+ subpopulations than RA or younger OA patients. In conclusion, in contrast to the traditional view of OA disease, our results give support to the hypothesis that OA may also (like RA) be a disease with a local immunological involvement

Proton Motive Force-Dependent Hoechst 33342 Transport by the ABC Transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis

The fluorescent compound Hoechst 33342 is a substrate for many multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters and is widely used to characterize their transport activity. We have constructed mutants of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette (ABC)-type MDR transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis that are defective in ATP hydrolysis. These mutants and wild-type LmrA exhibited an atypical behavior in the Hoechst 33342 transport assay. In membrane vesicles, Hoechst 33342 transport was shown to be independent of the ATPase activity of LmrA, and it was not inhibited by orthovanadate but sensitive to uncouplers that collapse the proton gradient and to N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an inhibitor of the F0F1-ATPase. In contrast, transport of Hoechst 33342 by the homologous, heterodimeric MDR transporter LmrCD showed a normal ATP dependence and was insensitive to uncouplers of the proton gradient. With intact cells, expression of LmrA resulted in an increased rate of Hoechst 33342 influx while LmrCD caused a decrease in the rate of Hoechst 33342 influx. Cellular toxicity assays using a triple knockout strain, i.e., L. lactis ΔlmrA ΔlmrCD, demonstrate that expression of LmrCD protects cells against the growth inhibitory effects of Hoechst 33342, while in the presence of LmrA, cells are more susceptible to Hoechst 33342. Our data demonstrate that the LmrA-mediated Hoechst 33342 transport in membrane vesicles is influenced by the transmembrane pH gradient due to a pH-dependent partitioning of Hoechst 33342 into the membrane.

A Basic Framework for the Cryptanalysis of Digital Chaos-Based Cryptography

Chaotic cryptography is based on the properties of chaos as source of entropy. Many different schemes have been proposed to take advantage of those properties and to design new strategies to encrypt information. However, the right and efficient use of chaos in the context of cryptography requires a thorough knowledge about the dynamics of the selected chaotic system. Indeed, if the final encryption system reveals enough information about the underlying chaotic system it could be possible for a cryptanalyst to get the key, part of the key or some information somehow equivalent to the key just analyzing those dynamical properties leaked by the cryptosystem. This paper shows what those dynamical properties are and how a cryptanalyst can use them to prove the inadequacy of an encryption system for the secure exchange of information. This study is performed through the introduction of a series of mathematical tools which should be the basic framework of cryptanalysis in the context of digital chaos-based cryptography.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure