Architectural Paint Tank Cleaning

Architectural paint is highly susceptible to bacterial contamination, so material preservative ingredients are added during production to prevent bacterial contamination which can lead to wet-state spoilage of paint. In recent years however, paint formulations have reduced or eliminated volatile organic compounds (VOC) and regulations on the use of material preservative ingredients have been increased, reducing the use of traditional material preservatives. As a result, the coating industry must focus on improving microbial control through manufacturing hygiene programs including process tank cleaning and sanitization. While requirements for tank cleaning are clearly outlined in standard operating procedures (SOPs) and internal standards, there is currently no recommendation or procedure for the best way to clean a tank. Tank washing methods vary, but the most common method is a time consuming, manual activity carried out by operators. This project will identify current cleaning process focused on thin down and let down tanks, fill heads, tubs and bowls for architectural sites and determine good/better/best methods based on current state. Outside products and vendors will then be evaluated to determine the best method between current and future state options. Important variables that will be considered will include time, cost, manual labor, cleanliness, water use, and tank configuration

Odd linking and bifurcation in gaps: the weakly indefinite case

In this paper, we consider nonlinear Schrödinger equations of the following type: −Δu(x)+ V(x)u(x) − q(x)|u(x)| σ u(x) = λu(x), x ∈ ℝ N , u ∈ H 1(ℝ N )\{0}, where N ≥ 2 and σ > 0. We concentrate on situations where the potential function V appearing in the linear part of the equation is of Coulomb type; by this we mean potentials where the spectrum of the linear operator −Δ + V consists of an increasing sequence of eigenvalues λ1, λ2, followed by an interval belonging to the essential spectrum. We study, for λ kept fixed inside a spectral gap or below λ1, the existence of multiple solution pairs, as well as the bifurcation behaviour of these solutions when λ approaches a point of the spectrum from the left-hand side. Our method proceeds by an analysis of critical points of the corresponding energy functional. To this end, we derive a new variational characterization of critical levels c 0 (λ) ≤ c 1(λ) ≤ c 2(λ) ≤ ⋯ corresponding to an infinite set of critical points. We derive such a multiplicity result even if some of the critical values cn (λ) coincide; this seems to be a major advantage of our approach. Moreover, the characterization of these values cn (λ) is suitable for an analysis of the bifurcation behaviour of the corresponding generalized solutions. The approach presented here is generic; for instance, it can be applied when V and q are periodic functions. Such generalizations are briefly described in this paper and will be the object of a forthcoming articl

Conicting nonlinearities and spectral lacunae bounded on one side by eigenvalues

This paper deals with eigenvalue problems of the form where 0 λ1 when λ is in a spectral lacuna. The existence of solutions depends on the weight of μ > 0. Moreover, when λ increases (while μ is kept fixed), some solutions are lost when crossing eigenvalues. The above results are derived with the help of an abstract approach based on variational techniques for multiple solutions. This approach can even be applied to a wider class of problems, the one presented herein being only a model proble

The existence of infinitely many bifurcating branches

We consider the non-linear problem −Δu(x)−f(x, u(x)) = λu(x) for x ∈ℝN and u ∈ W1,2(ℝN). We show that, under suitable conditions on f, there exist infinitely many branches all bifurcating from the lowest point of the continuous spectrum λ = 0. The method used in the proof is based on a theorem of Ljusternik-Schnirelman type for the free cas

Methanation de H2 renouvelable avec CO2

L’introduction massive de sources d’énergies renouvelables fluctuantes dans le réseau électrique implique des périodes durant lesquelles la production dépasse la demande. Dans le cadre de la transition énergétique, de nouveaux challenges surviennent pour le système énergétique. En effet, au lieu de débrancher du réseau des centrales solaires, éoliennes ou hydroélectriques en cas d’offre excédentaire de courant, l’électricité peut être transformée en gaz naturel synthétique avec l’aide du procédé « Power to Gas ». La transformation d’hydrogène en méthane devient un vecteur intéressant pour le stockage d’énergie

Prävention von sexueller Gewalt in Institutionen für Menschen mit einerkognitiven Beeinträchtigung: wie setzen Institutionen für Menschen mit einer kognitiven Beeinträchtigung Prävention anhand der "Charta zur Prävention von sexueller Ausbeutung, Missbrauch und anderen Grenzverletzungen" um?

Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit widmet sich der Umsetzung der Prävention von sexueller Ausbeutung, Missbrauch und anderen Grenzverletzungen in zwei Institutionen für Menschen mit einer kognitiven Beeinträchtigung. Im Jahr 2011 wurde in Bern von 12 Verbänden, Organisationen und Institutionen des Behindertenbereichs eine „Charta zur Prävention von sexueller Ausbeutung, Missbrauch und anderen Grenzverletzungen“ unterschrieben. In der Zwischenzeit wird diese Charta zunehmend in den Institutionen der Behindertenhilfe in der Schweiz eingeführt. Diese Bachelorarbeit untersucht anhand einer Befragung in 2 Institutionen diesen Umsetzungsprozess, indem der folgenden Forschungsfrage nachgegangen wird: Wie setzen Institutionen für Menschen mit einer kognitiven Beeinträchtigung Prävention anhand der „Charta zur Prävention von sexueller Ausbeutung, Missbrauch und anderen Grenzverletzungen“ um

Is Penicillin Plus Gentamicin Synergistic Against Sessile Group B Streptococcal Isolates? An In Vivo Study With An Experimental Model Of Foreign-body Infection

The rate of invasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections is steadily increasing, particularly in older persons and in adults with diabetes and other comorbidities. This population includes persons with a foreign body (e.g., who have undergone arthroplasty). In a rat tissue cage model, we evaluated the efficacy of adjunctive gentamicin (GEN) administered systemically (5 mg/kg body weight) every 24 h, or locally (12.5 mg/L tissue cage concentration) every 24 or 72 h, in combination with penicillin (PEN) administered systemically (250,000 IU/kg body weight three times per day). The efficacy was evaluated on two different sessile forms of GBS: transition (i.e., in between planktonic and biofilm) and biofilm. After 3 days of treatment, the mean bacterial load reduction of transition-form GBS was greater in all PEN-GEN combination groups than in the PEN monotherapy group (P <= 0.03). The 6-day regimen decreased the bacterial load significantly in comparison to the 3-day regimen, irrespective of growth form and adjunctive GEN (P < 0.01). After 6 days of treatment, the mean reduction in transition-form GBS was greater with PEN plus GEN administered locally every 24 h than with PEN monotherapy (P = 0.03). These results were not confirmed with biofilm GBS. The difference in mean bacterial load reduction between all PEN-GEN and PEN monotherapy groups was <100 CFU/mL. Hence, synergy criteria were not fulfilled. Adjunctive systemic GEN consists of potential side effects and showed poor efficacy in this study. Combining systemic PEN and local GEN has a potential application in the treatment of streptococcal implant-associated infections