This paper considers a study of the thermo-elastic behaviour of a disc brake during heavy braking. The work is concerned with working towards developing design advice that provides uniform heating of the disc, and equally important, even dissipation of heat from the disc blade. The material presented emanates from a combination of modeling, on-vehicle testing but mainly laboratory observations and subsequent investigations. The experimental work makes use of a purpose built high speed brake dynamometer which incorporates the full vehicle suspension for controlled simulation of the brake and vehicle operating conditions. Advanced instrumentation allows dynamic measurement of brake pressure fluctuations, disc surface temperature and discrete vibration measurements. Disc run-out measurements using non-contacting displacement transducers show the disc taking up varying orders of deformation ranging from first to third order during high speed testing. This surface interrogation during braking identifies disc deformation including disc warping, 'ripple' and the effects of 'hot spotting'. The mechanical measurements are complemented by thermal imaging of the brake, these images showing the vane and vent patterns on the surface of the disc. The results also include static surface scanning, or geometry analysis, of the disc which is carried out at appropriate stages during testing. The work includes stress relieving of finished discs and subsequent dynamometer testing. This identifies that in-service stress relieving, due to high heat input during braking, is a strong possibility for the cause of disc 'warping'. It is also seen that an elastic wave is established during a braking event, the wave disappearing on release of the brake.

No / Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling plays a key role in the control of skin development and postnatal remodeling by regulating keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. To study the role of BMPs in wound-induced epidermal repair, we used transgenic mice overexpressing the BMP downstream component Smad1 under the control of a K14 promoter as an in vivo model, as well as ex vivo and in vitro assays. K14-caSmad1 (transgenic mice overexpressing a constitutively active form of Smad1 under K14 promoter) mice exhibited retarded wound healing associated with significant inhibition of proliferation and increased apoptosis in healing wound epithelium. Furthermore, microarray and quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed decreased expression of a number of cytoskeletal/cell motility-associated genes including wound-associated keratins (Krt16, Krt17) and Myosin VA (Myo5a), in the epidermis of K14-caSmad1 mice versus wild-type (WT) controls during wound healing. BMP treatment significantly inhibited keratinocyte migration ex vivo, and primary keratinocytes of K14-caSmad1 mice showed retarded migration compared with WT controls. Finally, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of BMPR-1B in primary mouse keratinocytes accelerated cell migration and was associated with increased expression of Krt16, Krt17, and Myo5a compared with controls. Thus, this study demonstrates that BMPs inhibit keratinocyte proliferation, cytoskeletal organization, and migration in regenerating skin epithelium during wound healing, and raises a possibility for using BMP antagonists for the management of chronic wounds.

No / The growing demand for high-quality middle distillates is increasing worldwide, whereas the demand for low-value oil products, such as heavy oils and residues, is decreasing. Thus, maximizing the production of more liquid distillates of very high quality is of immediate interest to refiners. At the same time, environmental legislation has led to more strict specifications of petroleum derivatives. Hydrotreatment (HDT) of crude oil is one of the most challenging tasks in the petroleum refining industry, which has not been reported widely in the literature. In this work, crude oil was hydrotreated upon a commercial cobalt¿molybdenum on alumina (Co¿Mo/¿-Al2O3) catalyst presulfided at specified conditions. Detailed pilot-plant experiments were conducted in a continuous-flow isothermal trickle-bed reactor (TBR), and the main hydrotreating reactions were hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), hydrodeasphaltenization (HDAs), and hydrodemetallization (HDM), which includes hydrodevanadization (HDV) and hydrodenickelation (HDNi). The reaction temperature (T), the hydrogen pressure (P), and the liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) were varied with certain ranges, with constant hydrogen to oil (H2/Oil) ratio. The effects of T, P, and LHSV on the conversion of sulfur, nitrogen, vanadium, nickel, and asphaltene were studied. The results showed that high T and P and low LHSV in HDS, HDN, HDV, HDNi, and HDAs of crude oil improve the sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), metals [vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni)], and asphaltene (Asph) conversion. The hydrotreated crude oil has been distilled into the following fractions: light naphtha (LN), heavy naphtha (HN), heavy kerosene (HK), light gas oil (LGO), and reduced crude residue (RCR), to compare the yield of these fractions produced by distillation after the HDT process to those produced by conventional methods (i.e., HDT of each fraction separately after the distillation). The yield of the middle distillate showed greater yield compared to the middle distillate produced by conventional methods. The properties of RCR produced using both methods are also discussed.

No description available.

No / The notion of the creative sector/class has been very much put on the map by the recent writings of Richard Florida. The most distinctive feature of the creative class literature is that it seems to minimize the importance of conflict and exploitation which have been the hallmark of the original uses of the concept of class in social analysis. Inevitably, debate must also rage as to who is to be included in the definition of a creative class which, under Florida's broadest definition, has controversially expanded to include psychiatrists amongst others.

No / Market structure affects the informational and real frictions faced by traders in equity markets. Using bid-ask spreads, we present evidence which suggests that while real frictions associated with the costs of supplying immediacy are less in order-driven systems, informational frictions resulting from increased adverse selection risk are considerably higher in these markets. Firm value, transaction size and order location are all major determinants of the trading costs borne by investors. Consistent with the stealth trading hypothesis of Barclay and Warner (1993), we report that informational frictions are at their highest for medium size trades that go through the order book. Finally, while there is no doubt that the total costs of trading on order-driven systems are lower for very liquid securities, the inherent informational inefficiencies of the trading format should not be ignored. This is particularly true for the vast majority of small to mid-size stocks that experience infrequent trading and low transaction volume.

No / Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of visible body piercings (VBP) in explaining the extent of self‐reported workplace sexual orientation discrimination. Design/methodology/approach – Using the 2002 wave of the UK Gay Mens’ Sex Survey, OLS and logit equations are estimated to analyse the extent of self‐reported denial of job opportunities. Findings – The possession of visible body piercings is shown to increase the level of discriminatory activity. There is evidence that tongue piercings are the major contributory type of body decoration. The overall effect is seemingly ameliorated for those gay men who engage in more extensive concealment effort with regard to their sexual orientation. Research limitations/implications – The sample is to some extent self‐selecting, which may affect the results. Further studies using alternative methodologies would be required to explore this issue. Practical implications – This paper sheds light on the importance, or otherwise, of presumed visual clues such as body piercing in triggering discriminatory behaviour towards gay men. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the self‐reported experience of post‐entry discrimination by gay men using a major national survey comprising over 15,000 observations.

No / The enactment of a third statutory union recognition procedure in Britain in 2000 led to a sharp rise and then fall in the number of new, largely voluntary, union recognition agreements being signed. This article examines and explains this trajectory, finding that the interaction of a weak procedure with its wider environment has led to a situation where the outcome of a reflexive law is heavily determined by the external balance of power in employment relations.

No / We propose a fuller synthesis between two relatively disjointed literatures to create synergy. Union commitment research has a long tradition and a relatively rigorous orientation grounded in industrial psychology. Recently, it has been eclipsed by emerging research on union renewal, and specifically that on union organizing. Renewal research has largely ignored union commitment research even though union renewal literature stresses the importance of activism, and this concept is strongly linked to commitment. A critical synthesis of these literatures yields progress in terms of addressing key qualitative and quantitative aspects of the contemporary crisis of labour unionism. A tentative framework is constructed that stipulates the main components and variables, and offers guidance for future research.

No / This article examines whether the downward trajectory in strike activity in nine Western European economies has continued over recent years. In doing so, it considers the nature of the dominant forms of extant strike activity and how these relate to systems of collective bargaining and political exchange. The main findings are three-fold. First, while there has been a general decline in aggregate strike activity, this has often been punctuated by sharp peaks. Second, the dominant nature of the strike activity, especially the sharp peaks, has become increasingly concerned with mounting demonstrative collective mobilizations in the political, rather than industrial, arena. Consequently, much strike activity is increasingly being deployed as a tool of political leverage with governments rather than as a tool of industrial leverage with (private sector) employers. Third, official data on strikes are becoming increasingly unreliable as they contain ever more significant exclusions, raising not so much the prospect of an end to quiescence but an over-estimation of the extent of decline.