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Containers
Kinds of Containers Terms modified by Containers Selected AbstractsRETORTABILITY of THIN-WALLED ALUMINUM CONTAINERS PRESSURIZED WITH ADDED LIQUID NITROGEN (LN2)JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2003G.B. AWUAH ABSTRACT Studies were conducted to investigate the effect of initial container pressure on heat penetration parameters using flexible aluminum containers. A pilot scale liquid nitrogen dispenser, regulated to discharge a fine stream of liquid nitrogen (LN2), provided approximately 10 to 15 psi pressure within the container prior to end-over-end processing in a computer-controlled retort using water immersion with 32 psi over pressure. Thermal process parameters including the heating rate index (fh), lag factor (jh), the cumulative lethality (Fo), cook-value (Co) and the overall heat transfer coefficient (Uo) were examined in relation to retort temperature (241,261F), rpm (0,15 rpm) and product initial temperature (54,121F) using 5% w/w bentonite suspension with or without liquid nitrogen. Generally, containers with added liquid nitrogen had no impact on evaluated data compared to their counterparts without LN2 under similar experimental conditions. Estimated overall heat transfer coefficient (Uo) compared favorably with published data, while the Co/Fo ratio decreased with increasing temperatures as expected. Product cold spot location migrated in either upward or downward direction depending on the mode of heat transfer. Although added LN2 generally had no limiting effect on both heat transfer and heat penetration data, processing aluminum containers with high initial pressure at high retort temperatures could create excessively high internal pressure that could compromise container seam integrity. [source] Inexpensive Liquid Nitrogen ContainerDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 1 2001Raymond T. Kuwahara MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Toward an Allosteric Metallated ContainerEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2009Helga Szelke Abstract Polytopic ligands L1 and L2 in which three 2,2,-bipyridine units are linked to a central tris(pyrid-2-yl)amine (L1) or tris(pyrid-2-yl)methanol (L2) moiety by alkyl spacers were prepared by multistep organic syntheses. The parent tris(pyrid-2-yl)-type ligands were shown to be modest-to-good chelators for Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions in solution, and bi- and tridentate N-coordination was confirmed by crystal structures of CuII and RuII complexes, respectively. FeII and RuII smoothly form stable, cage-like 1:1 complexes with L1 and L2, in which the metal ion is coordinated to the tris(bpy) site of the ligands. The vacant tris(pyrid-2-yl) site of these complexes is, however, a poor donor site for Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions. In addition, FeII modulates the coordination behaviour of the tris(pyrid-2-yl) site toward Zn2+: Whereas tris(5-methylpyrid-2-yl)amine forms a 2:1 complex with Zn2+ in CH2Cl2, [Fe(L1)]2+ forms a 1:1 Zn complex. Spectrophotometric titrations suggest that [Fe(L2)]2+ forms a polynuclear Zn2+ complex in CH2Cl2, possibly involving bridging coordination of the alcohol OH group, which contrasts the smooth formation of a 2:1 complex of the parent tris(pyrid-2-yl)-type ligand with Zn. FeII might therefore be considered as an allosteric effector, which modulates the metal binding properties of the second tris(pyrid-2-yl) site of L1 and L2. Contrary to expectation, Zn2+ and Cu2+ appear to associate weakly with donor atoms directed toward the exterior of the cage-like complexes [Fe(Ln)]2+ and [Ru(L1)]2+, rather than locating in the interior of the container by tripodal coordination to the tris(pyrid-2-yl) site.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Surface-Modified Mesoporous SiO2 Containers for Corrosion ProtectionADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 15 2009Ekaterina V. Skorb Abstract The development of active corrosion protection systems for metallic substrates is an issue of prime importance for many industrial applications. The present work shows a new contribution to the design of a new protective system based on surface modified mesoporous silica containers. Incorporation of silica-based containers into special sol,gel matrix allows for a self-healing effect to be achieved during the corrosion process. The self-healing ability occurs due to release of entrapped corrosion inhibitors in response to pH changes caused by the corrosion process. A silica,zirconia-based hybrid film is used in this work as a coating matrix deposited on AA2024 aluminum alloy. Mesoporous silica nano-particles are covered layer-by-layer with polyelectrolyte layers and loaded with inhibitor [2-(benzothiazol-2-ylsulfanyl)-succinic acid]. The hybrid film with nanocontainers reveals enhanced long-term corrosion protection in comparison with the individual sol,gel films. The scanning vibrating electrode technique also shows an effective healing ability of containers to cure the corrosion defects. This effect is due to the release of the corrosion inhibitor triggered by the corrosion processes started in the cavities. The approach described herein can be used in many applications where active corrosion protection of materials is required. [source] Safety of Polyethylene Terephthalate Food Containers Evaluated by HPLC, Migration Test, and Estimated Daily IntakeJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008H.-J. Park ABSTRACT:, A comparative high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of monomers, terephthalic acid (TPA), isophthalic acid (IPA), and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) food containers was conducted. Monomer linearities and sensitivities were calibrated between established and novel HPLC analyses. Safety of PET containers was evaluated with newly established detection methods for TPA, IPA, and DMT. Migration of the 3 monomers into food simulants (water, 4% acetic acid, 20% alcohol, and n-heptane) from 56 PET containers collected from open markets was monitored. Migrated monomers were not detected over 0.1 ppm of detection limit. The corresponding estimated daily intake was measured to confirm the safety of these publicly available PET containers and to permit comparison to the specific migration limit of the European Union. The estimated daily intake of 3 monomers migrating from PET was 0.0384 mg/kg each. This represented only 0.6% of the European Union's specific migration limit, confirming the safety of the examined containers. [source] Quality Evaluation of Pinto Beans and Green Beans Canned in Two Large Reusable ContainersJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 6 2003W.G. McGlynn ABSTRACT: As an alternative to standard metal cans, 2 large-scale, reusable containers were constructed with volumetric capacities 3.6 to 3.8 times greater and process times 1.36 to 2.05 times longer than a nr 10 can. Effects of increased process time on product quality were measured by conducting objective color and texture evaluations on green beans and pinto beans canned in both containers. Green beans and pinto beans had comparable texture profiles to beans processed conventionally in nr 10 cans. The color of green beans also was comparable; the color of pinto beans was darker, possibly due to contact with the metal container. Color and texture differences were minimal between inner and outer product layers. [source] A New Method for the Treatment of Sperm Samples for Ultrastructural Study Based on the Use of Animal Tissues as Biological ContainersMICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 9 2007Concepción Junquera Abstract The study of the ultrastructure of spematozoa by means of transmission electron microscopy often presents with problems of interpretation according to the method employed, depending on whether samples are either centrifuged previously to the fixation or immersed in viscous gels. The major problems of interpretation are: changes in the location of vesicles originated during the maturation process and modifications in the adsorption of seminal plasma proteins to the sperm membrane surface. The aim of our study is to communicate an original new method for the treatment of spermatozoa for ultrastructural study. Our method is based on the use of animal tissues as biological containers, inside which the spermatic suspensions are included. We developed this method using fresh sperm samples taken from mature Rasa aragonesa rams. As biological container, we used 2.5-cm long segments of the intestine of 1-week-old chickens (Gallus gallus) (diameter around 4 mm). To avoid any influence of digestive enzymes of the mucosa on the sperm surface, we put each intestine fragment inside out by means of microdissection forceps under bifocal optical microscope and cold light. One of the edges was tied with thin suture silk. The sperm suspension was injected in the optimal experimental condition and amount. Finally, the still open edge of the intestine segment was tied with silk in the same way as the other segment edge. By using this technique, we can perform a suitable morphological study at an ultrastructural level. In addition, the functional relationship of the ultrastructural components of the target cells is correctly preserved. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Analysis of a new vehicle scheduling and location problemNAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2001Ebru K. Bish We consider a container terminal discharging containers from a ship and locating them in the terminal yard. Each container has a number of potential locations in the yard where it can be stored. Containers are moved from the ship to the yard using a fleet of vehicles, each of which can carry one container at a time. The problem is to assign each container to a yard location and dispatch vehicles to the containers so as to minimize the time it takes to download all the containers from the ship. We show that the problem is NP-hard and develop a heuristic algorithm based on formulating the problem as an assignment problem. The effectiveness of the heuristic is analyzed from both worst-case and computational points of view. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 48: 363,385, 2001 [source] Moisture and Creep Effects on Paper, Board and ContainersPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009David Shires No abstract is available for this article. [source] Life cycle inventory and analysis of re-usable plastic containers and display-ready corrugated containers used for packaging fresh fruits and vegetablesPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 5 2006S. Paul Singh Abstract Today's demanding distribution challenges require engineers to choose from various types of materials, design and construction methods, to develop containers that can deliver goods with minimal damage. The challenge is even greater when packing and shipping goods which are perishable and sensitive to both physical and climatic changes in environment. In recent years the type of packaging material used to design and construct containers has undergone more scrutiny than ever, due to environmental challenges. This study focuses on two types of containers that have been designed and are being used to pack and ship fresh fruits and vegetables. The study compares the re-usable plastic containers to single-use display-ready paper corrugated trays. Results show that, based on the scope of this study and comparing 10 different produce items, such as apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, onions, tomatoes, strawberries, etc., the re-usable plastic containers require 39% less total energy, produce 95% less total solid waste and generate 29% less total greenhouse gas emissions. This study focused on the North American market. Major European nations have been using a large number of re-usable plastic containers for these types of fresh produce for the past three decades. This study was initiated by the Franklin Associates, an independent consulting firm for allowing an in-depth review of all data and results from a two year study titled: Life Cycle Inventory of Reusable Plastic Containers and Display-Ready Corrugated Containers Used for Fresh Produce Applications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The cask age: the technology and history of wooden barrelsPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 5 2005Diana Twede Abstract This paper explores the use of wooden casks (barrels). It shows the principles of their construction, organization of the cooper industry over time and examples of how barrels facilitated trade and logistical activities throughout the 2000 years in which they were a predominant shipping container form. The paper finds that, although the shape and construction are very different from today's shipping containers, the same design considerations apply. Package shape and weight were designed to promote material handling productivity. The geometry facilitated transport by maximizing cube utilization and tight stowage in ships and wagons. The materials and technology were readily available at low cost. The construction provided protection from handling and transit forces. Trade associations cooperated to set standards for quality control, developed educational programs and worked with governments to regulate standards. Printing identified product and stock keeping units (product and brand). The shelf-life of food products was extended. The closure permitted easy filling and closing, stayed closed during transit, and facilitated opening and emptying. Containers were widely reused or recycled. The reasons for the end of the barrel era relate to changes in technology, logistics, markets and overall economic activity. The industrial revolution created an increase in demand and stimulated mechanization, resulting in lower quality barrels as well as the development of other substitutes. The trend to paper-based substitutes was enabled by the invention of the papermaking machine and the process for pulping wood in the 1800s. Rail transport changed the geometry of transport vehicles and enabled mechanical handling practices that favoured the box shape. These innovations enabled a shift in marketing and retailing, ushering in the consumer packaging revolution. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regulation and voluntarism: A case study of governance in the makingREGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2009Tamar Barkay Abstract In this article I analyze a multi-stakeholder process of environmental regulation. By grounding the article in the literature on regulatory capitalism and governance, I follow the career of a specific legislative process: the enactment of Israel's Deposit Law on Beverage Containers, which aims to delegate the responsibility for recycling to industry. I show that one crucial result of this process was the creation of a non-profit entity licensed to act as a compliance mechanism. This new entity enabled industry to distance itself from the responsibility of recycling, and thereby frustrated the original objective of the legislation, which was to implement the principle of "extended producer responsibility." Furthermore, this entity, owned by commercial companies and yet acting as an environmentally friendly organization, allowed industry to promote an anti-regulatory agenda via a "civic voice." The study moves methodologically from considering governance as an institutional structure to analyzing the process of "governancing," through which authoritative capacities and legal responsibilities are distributed among state and non-state actors. Two key findings are that this process and its outcome (i) are premised on an ideology of civic voluntarism, which ultimately delegates environmental responsibilities to citizens; and (ii) facilitate an anti-regulatory climate that serves commercial interests. [source] Serum Aluminium Levels in Glue-Sniffer Adolescent and in Glue ContainersBASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Cemal Akay Various chemical substances such as toluene and benzene containing glues have been reported to be toxic. It has been demonstrated that some toxic metals such as lead are elevated in the blood of solvent-addicted patients. Whereas aluminium is an element that has toxic effects on neurological, hematopoetic system and bone metabolism. We want to determine the serum levels of aluminium in glue-sniffer adolescents in comparison with healthy subjects. In addition, we compared aluminium levels of different commercial glue preparations (i.e. metal and plastic containers), to determine which type of container is better for less aluminium toxicity. We measured serum levels of aluminium in 37 glue-sniffer and 37 healthy subjects using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average duration of glue-sniffer was 3.8 ± 0.8 years. We also measured aluminium levels of 10 commercial glue preparations that seven of them with metal and three with plastic containers. We found that serum levels of aluminium were 63.29 ± 13.20 ng/ml and 36.7 ± 8.60 ng/ml in glue-sniffer and in control subjects, respectively (P < 0.001). The average aluminium level in the glues was 8.6 ± 3.24 ng/g in the preparations with metal containers, whereas 3.03 ± 0.76 ng/g with plastic containers (P < 0.001). Therefore, to decrease the incidence of aluminium toxicity in glue-sniffers, it may be a good step to market of glue preparations in plastic instead of metal containers. [source] Review and Restore for Case-Base MaintenanceCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2001Thomas Reinartz Case-base maintenance is one of the most important issues for current research in case-based reasoning (CBR). In this article we propose an extended six-step CBR cycle and discuss its two additional steps as part of the maintenance phase of the CBR process. The review step covers assessment and monitoring of the knowledge containers, whereas the restore step actually modifies the contents of the containers according to recommendations resulting from the review step in order to keep the knowledge containers in a usable state. Here we focus our attention on the case base. For the review step, we define several quality measures based on different case and case-base properties that describe specific characteristics of the case base such as correctness, consistency, uniqueness, minimality, and incoherence. Then we use these measures to realize monitoring capabilities for the case-base container that indicate when the restore step is necessary. Finally, we also describe several methods for modifications of the case base in the restore step and their relation to the review step. An initial experimental evaluation shows the appropriateness of the proposed concepts and methods before we conclude the article with a discussion of related work and an outline of future directions to extend these aspects of maintenance in CBR. [source] The Open Grid Computing Environments collaboration: portlets and services for science gatewaysCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 6 2007Jay Alameda Abstract We review the efforts of the Open Grid Computing Environments collaboration. By adopting a general three-tiered architecture based on common standards for portlets and Grid Web services, we can deliver numerous capabilities to science gateways from our diverse constituent efforts. In this paper, we discuss our support for standards-based Grid portlets using the Velocity development environment. Our Grid portlets are based on abstraction layers provided by the Java CoG kit, which hide the differences of different Grid toolkits. Sophisticated services are decoupled from the portal container using Web service strategies. We describe advance information, semantic data, collaboration, and science application services developed by our consortium. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Do great apes use emotional expressions to infer desires?DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009David Buttelmann Although apes understand others' goals and perceptions, little is known about their understanding of others' emotional expressions. We conducted three studies following the general paradigm of Repacholi and colleagues (1997, 1998). In Study 1, a human reacted emotionally to the hidden contents of two boxes, after which the ape was allowed to choose one of the boxes. Apes distinguished between two of the expressed emotions (happiness and disgust) by choosing appropriately. In Studies 2 and 3, a human reacted either positively or negatively to the hidden contents of two containers; then the ape saw him eating something. When given a choice, apes correctly chose the container to which the human had reacted negatively, based on the inference that the human had just eaten the food to which he had reacted positively , and so the other container still had food left in it. These findings suggest that great apes understand both the directedness and the valence of some human emotional expressions, and can use this understanding to infer desires. [source] Searching for food in the wild: a nonhuman rimate's expectations about invisible displacementDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001Marc D. Hauser Five experiments involving invisible displacements were run on a population of semi-free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The goal of these experiments was to assess, without training, the kinds of expectations individuals spontaneously set up when an object has moved out of sight. The first experiment, modeled after studies of human infants and children, involved a table with one box on the top surface and a second box lined up below on the ground. An occluder was placed in front of the table, blocking the subject's view. A piece of food was then dropped behind the occluder, above the top box. The presenter then removed the occluder, walked away, and allowed the subject to approach. Consistently, subjects searched in the incorrect bottom box. This error can be interpreted as a failure to understand solidity, containment, or some other factor. It can also be interpreted as an error guided by a gravity bias, i.e. an expectation that all falling objects fall straight down or to the lowest point. Experiments 2,5 tested these alternative hypotheses. Results show that rhesus monkeys do not have an inherent bottom box bias, are not avoiding the top box, and do recognize that in some contexts boxes can contain or hold food. Thus, for example, when the two boxes are placed on the ground, one in front of the other, and occluded, subjects search in the near box after a piece of food has been rolled behind the occluder (horizontal trajectory). This shows that rhesus can solve an invisible displacement problem that involves solid containers, where one container blocks travel to the other container. We conclude that the rhesus monkey's error in Experiment 1 is guided by an expectation that all falling objects fall straight down or, at least, to the lowest point. This expectation represents a limitation of their knowledge of physical objects and events. [source] Doesn't see, doesn't know: is anticipatory looking really related to understanding or belief?DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001Wendy A. Garnham Clements and Perner (Cognitive Development, 9 (1994), 377,397) reported that children show understanding of a story character's belief in their anticipatory looking responses before they show this in their answers to test questions. According to Clements and Perner the anticipatory looking responses provide evidence of implicit understanding of belief. This paper examines the possibility that the anticipatory looking measure is indicative of (a) children using a seeing = knowing rule, i.e. children linking not seeing with ignorance rather than a sensitivity to belief, or (b) a tendency to associate the protagonist with the left-hand container. Thirty-two children aged between 2 years 11 months and 4 years were told a false belief story similar to that used in Clements and Perner (1994) except that three containers were used instead of two. The protagonist first looks inside the middle box but then puts the object in the left-hand box. In his absence, a second character moves the object unexpectedly to the right-hand box. If children's anticipatory looking was based on sensitivity to belief then they should have looked clearly to the left-hand box. If it was based on an association bias or sensitivity to the character not knowing then they should have looked equally to the left-hand and middle boxes. The results were consistent with the former prediction suggesting that children's anticipatory looking responses may indeed be governed by an implicit sensitivity to belief. [source] Liesegang rings in fine needle aspirate of breast cysts with predominance of apocrine cells: A study of 14 casesDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 10 2008F.I.A.C., Raj K. Gupta M.D. Abstract Fine needle aspirate (FNA) from 14 cases (age range 17,84 years), with Liesegang rings (LR's) in breast cysts seen over a period of 26 years comprised the material of this study from more than 38,000 FNA's of the breast which had been done for a variety of breast lesions. In six of the 14 cases, the aspirate was obtained under ultrasound guidance whereas in the remaining cases it was collected from a palpable lesion. The aspiration was performed using a 22 gauge needle and the syringe and needle contents were washed in a cytology container with 30% ethyl alcohol in physiologic saline. The cytologic preparations from half of the sample were made on a 5 micron Schleicher and Schuell filter and stained by Papanicolaou method whereas from the remainder of the sample a cell block was made and sections cut, stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and used for immunohistochemical study. Filter preparations and cell blocks revealed cyanophilic, spherical, ring-like structures of various sizes and shape mostly with double walls, and striations with amorphous material in the lumen and under polarized light were nonrefractile. Seen also were several apocrine cells and some macrophages and the LR's were found to be negative on immunostains for EMA and CK, and a panel of other special stains (Table I). Since LR's can be mistaken for ova, larvae, or parasites, it is important to be aware of their potential presence in aspirate samples of breast cysts to avoid a misdiagnosis. The exact mechanism of formation of LR's is not fully understood and certain views as proposed are discussed in this presentation. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:701,704. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Injecting risk behaviour and related harm among men who use performance- and image-enhancing drugsDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2008BRIONY LARANCE Abstract Introduction and Aims. Performance- and image-enhancing drugs have the potential to be a significant public health issue. Detailed data on PIEDs injection are difficult to obtain because of the illicit and unsupervised way in which many PIEDs are used, and the hidden nature of the group. Our study examines the patterns of use, risk behaviours and related harm associated with PIEDs injection. We also report the ways in which PIEDs users currently seek injecting equipment and harm-reduction advice. Design and Method. Data were obtained via a structured questionnaire administered in face-to-face interviews with 60 men who used PIEDs (primarily anabolic androgenic steroids) for non-medical purposes. Results. Although the rates of needle sharing were low (5%), the men more frequently reported re-use of needles/equipment, injecting from a shared container (bladders, vials, etc.), injecting other illicit drugs, injecting insulin and targeting small muscle groups. Self-reports of being hepatitis C antibody positive were associated with lifetime use of heroin and injection of other illicit drugs. All HIV positive participants were gay/bisexual men. Participants reported a range of other injection-related injuries and diseases such as fevers, scarring and abscesses. ,Risky' injectors (38% of participants) were more likely to initiate PIEDs use at a younger age, use PIEDs in a larger number of cycles per year and report involvement in a violent/aggressive incident than ,low risk' injectors and report involvement in a violent/aggressive incident than ,low risk' injectors. Participants mainly reported seeking information about PIEDs from internet sites (62%) and friends (55%). Conclusions. An over-reliance on personal networks and internet forums limits this groups' access to objective harm reduction advice and primary care services. Targeted, PIEDs-specific interventions are needed. [source] Oviposition habitat selection for a predator refuge and food source in a mosquitoECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2005J. Guillermo Bond Abstract., 1.,The influence of filamentous algae on oviposition habitat selection by the mosquito Anopheles pseudopunctipennis and the consequences of oviposition decisions on the diet, development, body size, and survival of offspring were examined. 2.,A natural population of An. pseudopunctipennis in Chiapas, Mexico, oviposited almost exclusively in containers with filamentous algae. Algae represented 47% of the gut contents of mosquito larvae sampled from the natural population. Mosquito larvae fed on an exclusive diet of algae developed as quickly and achieved the same adult body size (wing length) as their conspecifics fed on a standard laboratory diet. 3.,Multiple regression of survival of mosquito larvae on percentage surface area cover of algae (0,99%) and the density of predatory fish (zero to four fish per container) was best described by a second-order polynomial model. Increasing fish densities resulted in a reduction in mosquito survival in all algal treatments. The highest incidence of survival was observed at intermediate (66%) algal cover in all treatments. 4.,The presence of fish significantly extended larval development times whereas algal cover had no significant effect. The presence of fish resulted in emergence of smaller adults due to reduced feeding opportunities and predator avoidance behaviour. Algal cover also affected mosquito wing length but differently at each fish density. 5.,Oviposition habitat selection improves survival in the presence of predators and feeding opportunities for An. pseudopunctipennis larvae. [source] Implication of polymer toxicity in a municipal wastewater effluentENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 8 2000Carolyn D. Rowland Abstract The use of cationic polymers as flocculants and coagulant aids to control suspended solid levels in the water and wastewater treatment industry is widespread in most developed countries. Today, the most frequently used clarification polymers, polyacrylamides, are often proprietary, and little information exists on the ecological impacts of these products. Following standard U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) whole effluent toxicity testing (WET) protocols, effluent toxicity can be detected via organism response, yet methods to positively characterize cationic polymers in effluents are not provided in U.S. EPA Phase I toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) protocols. Implication of cationic polymer toxicity in a municipal wastewater effluent was achieved through a series of Ceriodaphnia dubia toxicity testing with toxicant elimination steps that included extensive effluent characterization and effluent manipulation. Key in the identification was a discrepancy in effluent toxicity with respect to the type of container in which the effluents were stored. All effluent toxicity was lost within 48 h of storage in plastic containers, while on the contrary, effluent toxicity persisted in glass-contained samples for up to 4 weeks of 4°C storage. A weight-of-evidence approach suggested that the cationic polyacrilamide polymer, Hyperfloc®, was the primary source of acute toxicity in the effluent. Removal of this polymer significantly reduced effluent toxicity. This study suggests that cationic polymer-related toxicity might not be detected if effluent samples are stored in plastic containers. [source] Toward an Allosteric Metallated ContainerEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2009Helga Szelke Abstract Polytopic ligands L1 and L2 in which three 2,2,-bipyridine units are linked to a central tris(pyrid-2-yl)amine (L1) or tris(pyrid-2-yl)methanol (L2) moiety by alkyl spacers were prepared by multistep organic syntheses. The parent tris(pyrid-2-yl)-type ligands were shown to be modest-to-good chelators for Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions in solution, and bi- and tridentate N-coordination was confirmed by crystal structures of CuII and RuII complexes, respectively. FeII and RuII smoothly form stable, cage-like 1:1 complexes with L1 and L2, in which the metal ion is coordinated to the tris(bpy) site of the ligands. The vacant tris(pyrid-2-yl) site of these complexes is, however, a poor donor site for Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions. In addition, FeII modulates the coordination behaviour of the tris(pyrid-2-yl) site toward Zn2+: Whereas tris(5-methylpyrid-2-yl)amine forms a 2:1 complex with Zn2+ in CH2Cl2, [Fe(L1)]2+ forms a 1:1 Zn complex. Spectrophotometric titrations suggest that [Fe(L2)]2+ forms a polynuclear Zn2+ complex in CH2Cl2, possibly involving bridging coordination of the alcohol OH group, which contrasts the smooth formation of a 2:1 complex of the parent tris(pyrid-2-yl)-type ligand with Zn. FeII might therefore be considered as an allosteric effector, which modulates the metal binding properties of the second tris(pyrid-2-yl) site of L1 and L2. Contrary to expectation, Zn2+ and Cu2+ appear to associate weakly with donor atoms directed toward the exterior of the cage-like complexes [Fe(Ln)]2+ and [Ru(L1)]2+, rather than locating in the interior of the container by tripodal coordination to the tris(pyrid-2-yl) site.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] A Pumpless Methanol Feeding Method for Application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell SystemsFUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2010J. Geng Abstract This paper presents a simple and reliable pumpless methanol feeding (PLMF) method for application in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems. The primary feature and advantage of the PLMF is as follows: it employs an approach that allows the cathode gas pressure to be connected with a fuel container for supplying the methanol fuel into the anode fuel loop, instead of using any feeding pump or other specially designed apparatuses. The PLMF has been used in a portable 25,W DMFC system and realised feeding methanol in real time for meeting the requirements of the system. The PLMF method not only is suitable for the DMFC system, but also can be used in other liquid-feeding fuel cell systems. [source] Ergonomics interventions for wafer-handling task in semiconductor manufacturing industryHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 3 2002Hsiu-Chen Chung This article presents the ergonomic interventions in a semiconductor manufacturing company, with a focus on evaluating the effect of pod (wafer container) type and carrying distance on participants' maximal acceptable weight of lift (MAWL), heart rate (HR), wrist posture, and perceived exertion rating. Sixteen field operators participated in this study. The results indicate using the new pod with power grip handles produced greater MAWL than the old pod with pinch grip handles. On the other hand, the new pod also induced greater radial deviations than the old type. Recommendation for improving pod handle design is provided. Further, the increased carrying distance caused a decrease in MAWL and an increase in HR. Thus, using cart for intrabay pod transfer and minimizing manual carrying is also recommended. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Sloshing analysis of a liquid storage container using level set X-FEMINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2009Toshio Nagashima Abstract The extended finite element method (X-FEM), in conjunction with the level set method, is applied to sloshing analysis of a rigid container filled with liquid. The governing equations for liquid with a free surface based on the potential flow theory are discretized using the framework of level set X-FEM. Once the space domain of a container is modeled by tetrahedral elements, sloshing analysis for arbitrary liquid levels and configurations can be performed without remeshing. Natural frequencies of free surface sloshing motion in rigid containers of various shapes were computed by the proposed method and the results were compared with those obtained by theoretical solutions and experiments. The proposed method was demonstrated to perform sloshing analysis efficiently for rigid containers with various liquid levels and configurations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Volume determination for bulk materials in bunkersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 13 2004S. A. Ahmed Abstract A simple model for the determination of the shape of large granular piles in complicated geometries is discussed. An eikonal formulation of the problem is proposed. Two distinct cases arise. In cylindrical geometries, i.e., if both container and possible obstacles have vertical walls, the problem is equivalent to a two-dimensional travel time problem with obstacles, while in general geometries, this analogy breaks down. In the first case, classical one-sided discretizations are generalized to handle obstacles without loss in accuracy. In the second case, a fast and efficient numerical method is proposed, implemented and tested. The discrete problems are solved through fast marching. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Administration of noradrenaline in the autonomic ganglia modifies the testosterone release from the testis using an ex vivo systemINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 4 2009Zulema Y. Sosa Summary The male gonad receives nerve fibres from the autonomic ganglionic system. These fibres converge on the testis along two pathways, the superior and the inferior spermatic nerves. The superior spermatic nerve runs from the superior mesenteric ganglion alongside the testicular artery, whereas the inferior spermatic nerve originates in inferior mesenteric ganglion, accompanies the vas deferens and penetrates the inferior pole of the testis. The aim of this work was to evaluate androgen release after the addition of noradrenaline or adrenoreceptor antagonists (propranolol or phentolamine) to the ganglionic compartment. An ex vivo system used in a previous work was incubated in two separate containers, one for the testis and the other for the ganglion. Both organs remain interconnected (as in vivo) by the respective spermatic nerve. When noradrenaline was added to the inferior mesenteric ganglion, testosterone release in the gonad container underwent a progressive and significant increment. Propranolol diminishes and phentolamine increases the androgen release. When using the superior mesenteric ganglion, no changes were observed. These results indicate that the ganglionic stimulation of the autonomic system clearly participates in testosterone release from the testis. This effect depends on the ganglion involved. These results make it evident that not only the classical and well-known hypothalamus,hypophysial axis, but also the peripheral nervous system, via the autonomic ganglia, are directly involved in the endocrine control of the testis. [source] Ease of reading of mandatory information on Canadian food product labelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 4 2009Mary Alton Mackey Abstract Food product labels present individual product information, safety, nutrition, electronic inventory, container and environmental information, in various formats, languages and images. Some information is mandatory; much is promotional. The food label is an essential tool for regulators of safe food handling, nutrition policy and fair competition. Mandatory information on food labels in Canada is required to be presented in both English and French, readily discernable, prominently displayed and legible. This study examines the ease of finding and reading of mandatory label components on selected Canadian food products. A validated typographical scoring system assessed the lists of ingredients on a purposive sample of 100 food labels representing foods in all groups in Canada's Food Guide. Seven percent of the ingredient lists were easy to read; 26% were difficult to read and 67% were very difficult to read. Well-educated resourceful readers in consumer focus groups examined food labels for key elements that influence ease of finding and reading information. Focus groups and typographical scoring identified: colour contrast, case, print style, print size, space between the lines, reverse print, organization, justification, type of surface, hyphenation and print reproduction as factors that affect ease of reading. Print that curves around a container, lack of paragraphing or point form organization make reading difficult; text blocks at right angles to each other make comparisons difficult; separation of the nutrition facts table from the list of ingredients makes decision making tedious. Inadequate spacing between lines of print creates problems for readers of English and exacerbates problems for readers of French. Words placed over illustrations, busy backgrounds or watermarks increase reading difficulty. Hazard statements, instructions and storage information imbedded in other information without added space or appropriate heading is difficult to find and read. Canadian consumers echo consumers in 28 European countries who find label information difficult to find and to read and want clear guidelines/regulations on the placement and the typography of mandatory food label components [source] Color simulation method for accurate prediction of resulting dyed hair colorINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007T. Takahashi When choosing hair dyes, it is natural for the user to assume that the final hair color will resemble the color indicated on the product container or color chart. Often, however, the result is quite different. The ability to accurately predict resulting hair color after dyeing is essential, but not easy to attain because hair varies significantly from person to person. In this paper, a new method for predicting the dyed hair state is proposed. Our method is based on a model, where the observed final color consists of contribution from three layers of the hair structure: a melanin-containing layer, a bleached layer and a pigment-colored layer. A method for predicting the final color from responses in each layer is introduced. In this method, response formulae for each layer are derived from the energy balance, and the predicted hair color after dyeing is obtained by calculating the each equation assuming that the hair state before dyeing is solely because of the contribution from the melanin-containing layer. In addition, a small measuring apparatus utilizing this prediction method was developed and the effectiveness of our method demonstrated by data obtained before and after the hair dyeing. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||