The primary objectives of this study were: (1) to verify the effectiveness of ECAE to induce equal amounts of strain and grain refinement in bars of different cross-sectional areas, (2) to determine the effectiveness of ECAE in breaking down the as-cast macrostructure in CDA 101 Cu and in producing a homogeneous material containing micron-scale grains upon recrystallization, and (3) to determine a thermomechanical processing (TMP) schedule (from the ones examined) that produces the best microstructure in terms of grain size and uniformity. The effects of extrus ion route, levels of strain and intermediate heat treatment were investigated. To achieve the first objective, bars having square cross-sections of three different sizes, 19 mm, 25 mm and 50 mm, were processed up to eight ECAE passes through routes A, B, C and E. To achieve the second and third objectives, bars were processed up to eight ECAE passes with and without intermediate heat treatments through routes Bc, C, E and F. ECAE processing was carried out in a 90o extrusion die with sliding walls at an extrusion speed of 2.5 mm/s. Recrystallization studies were carried out on the processed material to evaluate the recrystallization behavior and thermal stability of the material. The as-worked and recrystallized materials were characterized by Vickers microhardness, optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results indicate that similar hardness values, sub-grain morphology and recrystallized grain size are generated in the three bars having different cross-sectional sizes processed through ECAE. ECAE is shown to induce uniform strain in all three billet sizes. ECAE is therefore shown to be effective in scale-up to a size of at least 50 mm, with larger billets giving better load efficiency. Results from the later parts of this study indicate that eight extrusion passes via route Bc produces the best microstructure in terms of grain size and microstructural uniformity. The routes can be arranged in the sequence Bc> E, F> C for their ability to produce a uniform recrystallized microstructure with small average grain size. Macroscopic shear bands are sometimes generated during extrusion depending upon the initial grain morphology and texture of the material.

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have displayed impressive mechanical properties, but the use and dimensions of material have been limited due to critical cooling rate requirements and low ductility. The application of severe plastic deformation by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) for consolidation of bulk amorphous metals (BAM) and amorphous metal matrix composites (AMMC) is investigated in this dissertation. The objectives of this research are a) to better understand processing parameters which promote bonding between particles and b) to determine by what mechanisms the plasticity is enhanced in bulk amorphous metal matrix composites consolidated by ECAE. To accomplish the objectives BAM and AMMCs were produced via ECAE consolidation of Vitreloy 106a (Zr58.5Nb2.8Cu15.6Ni12.8Al10.3-wt%), ARLloy #1 (Hf71.3Cu16.2Ni7.6Ti2.2Al2.6 -wt%), and both of these amorphous alloys blended with crystalline phases of W, Cu and Ni. Novel instrumented extrusions and a host of postprocessing material characterizations were used to evaluate processing conditions and material properties. The results show that ECAE consolidation at temperatures within the supercooled liquid region gives near fully dense (>99%) and well bonded millimeter scale BAM and AMMCs. The mechanical properties of the ECAE processed BMG are comparable to cast material: σf = 1640 MPa, εf = 2.3%, E = 80 GPa for consolidated Vitreloy 106a as compared to σf = 1800 MPa, εf = 2.5%, E = 85 GPa for cast Vitreloy 106, and σf = 1660 MPa, εf = 2.0%, E = 97 GPa for ARLloy #1 as compared to σf = 2150 MPa, εf < 2.5%, E = 102 GPa for Hf52Cu17.9Ni14.6Ti5Al10. The mechanical properties of AMMCs are substandard compared to those obtained from melt-infiltrated composites due to non-ideal particle bonding conditions such as surface oxides and crystalline phase morphology and chemistry. It is demonstrated that the addition of a dispersed crystalline phase to an amorphous matrix by ECAE powder consolidation increases the plasticity of the amorphous matrix by providing locations for generation and/or arrest of adiabatic shear bands. The ability of ECAE to consolidated BAM and AMMCs with improved plasticity opens the possibility of overcoming the size and plasticity limitations of the monolithic bulk metallic glasses.

No description available.

No description available.

Clinical and consumer recovery efforts continue to advance more successful recovery agendas. Limited research into the effect of the expectation to recover and what strategies are most effective in enhancing recovery impedes coherent recovery programming. What factors are significantly associated with recovery expectancy and recovery strategies is still largely unknown. Thus, this study addresses three key gaps in the field. First, which factors associate with the expectation of recovery and is expectation related to strategy choice? Second, what are common strategies for recovery from mental illness and what factors are associated with each strategy? Third, does recovery expectancy or severity of mental illness mediate or moderate the relationship between clinical, social and service factors and recovery strategies? This study surveyed a sample of 350 randomly chosen participants from a community mental health organization with varying degrees of mental illness in a cross-sectional study utilizing instruments that measured clinical/historical, social, and service factors and recovery. The results were examined in multivariate analysis targeted to address the gaps noted above. The six recovery strategies included: (1) effective illness management, (2) positive future orientation, (3) meaningfulness, personal control, and hope, (4) recognizing support, (5) help seeking, and (6) symptom eradication. Recovery expectancy was not significantly predicted by any of the clinical, social, or service factors. Although 25% of the variance was explained by the full model, factors associated with expectancy differ from recovery strategies and require further investigation. Except for symptom eradication, recovery expectancy was significantly negatively associated with each recovery strategy.Main effects models were significant for all six recovery strategies. The social factor constructs (social support, empowerment, stigma) were most consistently and robustly associated with all recovery strategies. Variance explained in full models ranged from 71% for positive future orientation to 19% for symptom eradication. However, no mediating or moderating effects were detected for recovery expectancy or illness severity. The results of this study further the understanding of recovery and provide information for development of recovery programs.

Η θεραπεία με λεβοθυροξίνη (LT4) έχει στενό θεραπευτικό παράθυρο. Απόκλιση δοσολογίας μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε υπό-θεραπεία ή σε τοξικότητα. Οι δόσεις υποκατάστασης ή καταστολής λεβοθυροξίνης εξαρτώνται τόσο από την απορρόφηση της λεβοθυροξίνης, όσο και από την άλιπη μάζα σώματος. Όσον αφορά τις θέσεις απορρόφησής της από το γαστρεντερικό σωλήνα, οι γνώσεις μας προέρχονται από περιορισμένες μελέτες χορήγησης ραδιοσημασμένης θυροξίνης. Σκοπός της παρούσης εργασίας ήταν να καθορίσει τις φαρμακοκινητικές παραμέτρους της LT4 σε άτομα με νοσογόνο παχυσαρκία, να συγκρίνει αυτές με τις αντίστοιχες νορμοβαρών ατόμων και να μελετήσει τις θέσεις απορρόφησης της λεβοθυροξίνης στο γαστρεντερικό σωλήνα εκμεταλλευόμενοι το πλεονέκτημα των βαριατρικών επεμβάσεων στους ασθενείς με κλινικά σοβαρή παχυσαρκία, στις οποίες αφαιρείται άλλοτε άλλο τμήμα του γαστρεντερικού σωλήνα. Μέθοδος. Μελετήσαμε 62 ευθυρεοειδικά άτομα με αρνητικά αντισώματα κατά της θυρεοειδικής υπεροξειδάσης, 38 ασθενείς με νοσογόνο παχυσαρκία (ομάδα SOS) και 24 υγιείς εθελοντές (ομάδα αναφοράς). Οι 32 ασθενείς από την ομάδα SOS, υπεβλήθησαν σε επιμήκη γαστρεκτομή (10 άτομα), σε γαστρική παράκαμψη κατά Roux-en-Y (7 άτομα) και σε χολοπαγκρεατική εκτροπή με δημιουργία μακρών ελίκων (15 άτομα). Σε όλα τα άτομα χορηγήθηκε από το στόμα διάλυμα 600mcg νατριούχου λεβοθυροξίνης, μετά από ολονύκτια νηστεία, και μετρήθηκαν οι τιμές των Τ4 και T3 του πλάσματος στους χρόνους 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 και 4 ώρες μετά τη χορήγηση του διαλύματος. Η ίδια διαδικασία ακολουθήθηκε και 35 ημέρες μετά το χειρουργείο. Αποτελέσματα. Οι φαρμακοκινητικές παραμέτροι Επιφάνεια Κάτω από την Καμπύλη και Μέγιστη Συγκέντρωση της Τ4 ήταν χαμηλότερες μετά τη χορήγηση του διαλύματος LT4 (p<0,01 και p<0,05), ενώ ο Χρόνος Μέγιστης Συγκέντρωσης της Τ4 μεγαλύτερος στην ομάδα SOS σε σύγκριση με την ομάδα των νορμοβαρών (p<0,01). Μετεγχειρητικά στην ομάδα που υπεβλήθη σε επιμήκη γαστρεκτομή, η ΕΚΚ της Τ4 ήταν μεγαλύτερη (p<0,01), ενώ η ΜΣ και ο ΧΜΣ ήταν παρόμοιοι πριν το χειρουργείο και 35 ημέρες μετά το χειρουργείο. Στην ομάδα που υπεβλήθη σε γαστρική παράκαμψη κατά Roux-en-Y, μετεγχειρητικά η ΕΚΚ, η ΜΣ και ο ΧΜΣ της Τ4 ήταν παρόμοια. Στην ομάδα που υπεβλήθη σε χολοπαγκρεατική εκτροπή και δημιουργία μακρών ελίκων, η ΕΚΚ και η ΜΣ της Τ4 ήταν μεγαλύτερες μετεγχειρητικά (p<0,001), ενώ ο ΧΜΣ ήταν παρόμοιος. Συμπεράσματα. Άτομα με νοσογόνο παχυσαρκία πιθανώς να χρειάζονται μεγαλύτερες δόσεις καταστολής ή υποκατάστασης με LT4 σε σχέση με νορμοβαρή άτομα εξαιτίας, εκτός των άλλων παραγόντων, επηρεασμένων φαρμακοκινητικών παραμέτρων της λεβοθυροξίνης.. Οι φαρμακοκινητικές παράμετροι της απορρόφησης της λεβοθυροξίνης είναι βελτιωμένες μετά από βαριατρική επέμβαση. Η λεβοθυροξίνη απορροφάται κύρια από το απώτερο τμήμα της νήστιδας και από τον ειλεό, ενώ το στομάχι και το δωδεκαδάκτυλο δεν εμπλέκονται άμεσα στην απορρόφηση της λεβοθυροξίνης. / Levothyroxine (LT4) has a narrow therapeutic window so that slightly changes in the treatment dose could have significant clinical consequences. Suppressive or replacement doses of LT4 are affected by the rate and extend of the active ingredient absorbed, as well as by the lean body mass. Concerning the absorption sites of levothyroxine, the data are limited and our knowledge based on studies of radio isotopic thyroxine in intestinal tract. Aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic parameter of LT4 in severely obese individuals, compare them with similar data in lean control subjects, as well as to study the consequences of bariatric surgery on the pharmacokinetic parameters of LT4 and to identify the parts of the gastrointestinal tract implicated in its absorption. Method. We studied 62 euthyroid subjects, who had negative tests for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Thirty eight of these were severely obese but otherwise healthy (SOS-group). Twenty four were healthy controls subjects (control group). Thirty two subjects of the SOS group, underwent sleeve gastrectomy (SG; n=10); Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP;n=7) or biliopancreatic diversion with gastric bypass and long limbs (BPD-LL;n=15). Subjects received 600mcg oral solution of sodium LT4 after an overnight fast. Serum T4 and T3 were measured 0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3 and 4 hours after LT4 administration. The same procedure was repeated 35 days after surgery. Results. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) and the peak plasma Concentration (Cmax) of T4 after LT4 administration were lower; whereas the Time to reach Cmax (Tmax) from the baseline was higher in the SOS than in the control group. Following surgery; in the SG group; the mean AUC was higher (p<0.01); whereas Cmax and Tmax were similar to pre surgery. In the RYGBP group; mean AUC; Cmax und Tmax were similar. In the BPD-LL group; mean AUC and Cmax were higher 35 days after surgery than before (p<0.001); whereas Tmax was similar. Conclusions. Severely obese individuals may need higher LT4 suppressive or replacement doses than normal weight individuals due, among other factors, impaired LT4 pharmacokinetic parameters. The pharmacokinetic parameters of LT4 absorption are improved following bariatric procedures that result in malabsorption.T4 is absorbed primarily from lower part of the jejunum and from the ileum, whereas stomach and duodenum are not involved directly in the absorption of LT4.

No description available.

In an attempt to illustrate that the developed world has obligations to alleviate severe poverty, Thomas Pogge created a theory driven by human rights to focus on negative rights and duties of the avoidance of harm. His theory of global justice is developed on a minimalist account of what it means to harm. For him, the violation of the negative duty not to harm constitutes an injustice. This injustice is enacted against the citizens of developing nations by the global institutional order. Citizens of the developed world are perpetuating injustice by harming individuals through the imposition of a global order that avoidably causes human rights deficits without due compensation or reform to policies. Many critics take issue with his definition of harm as focused on negative rights, as well as find his theory of causation troublesome. His critics largely object to his assertion that the developed world causally contributes to severe poverty. Critiques of Pogge attempt to demonstrate that it is not the case that the developed world is causally responsible for severe poverty. In doing so, some make reference to domestic factors within developing nations, which they claim Pogge largely neglects. Others argue that the current global institutional order benefits developing nations. Furthermore, some of his critics engage with the normative demands that follow from his argument. They claim he has a minimal definition of harm and injustice that leads to unmanageable maximal obligations. Conversely, there are claims his argument leads to normative demands that are insufficient in redressing injustices. I argue that Pogge’s theory of global justice has developed the foundation necessary to motivate affluent nations to establish a minimally just global institutional order that avoids the perpetuation of avoidable human rights violations. This foundation elucidates and establishes, through the global institutional order, an overarching causal relationship between the world’s affluent nations and the severely poor. This relationship, despite critiques, is essential in order to illustrate that developed world citizens do indeed contribute to severe poverty and so must take action to establish a minimally just institutional order. / Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2009-02-02 16:07:34.355

During the case of a hypothetical severe accident in a light water reactor, core damage may occur and molten fuel may interact with water resulting in explosive interactions. A Fuel-Coolant Interactions (FCI) consists of many complex phenomena whose characteristics determine the energetics of the interactions. The fuel melt initially undergoes fragmentation after contact with the coolant which subsequently increases the melt surface area exposed to coolant and causes rapid heat transfer. A substantial amount of research has been done to understand the phenomenology of FCI, still there are gaps to be filled in terms of the uncertainties in describing the processes such as breakup/fragmentation of melt and droplets. The objective of the present work is to substantiate the understanding in the premixing phase of the FCI process by studying the deformation/pre-fragmentation of melt droplets and also the mechanism of melt jet breakup. The focus of the work is to study the effect of various influential parameters during the premixing phase that determine the intensity of the energetics in terms of steam explosion. The study is based on numerical analysis starting from smaller scale and going to the large scale FCI. Efforts are also taken to evaluate the uncertainties in estimating the steam explosion loads on the reactor scale. The fragmented core is expected to form a porous debris bed. A part of the present work also deals with experimental investigations on the coolability of prototypical debris bed. Initially, the phenomenology of FCI and debris bed coolability is introduced. A review of the state of the art based on previous experimental and theoretical developments is also presented. The study starts with numerical investigation of molten droplet hydrodynamics in a water pool, carried out using the Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method in the CFD code ANSYS FLUENT. This fundamental study is related to single droplets in a preconditioning phase, i.e. deformation/pre-fragmentation prior to steam explosion. The droplet deformation is studied extensively also including the effect of the pressure pulse on its deformation behavior. The effect of material physical properties such as density, surface tension and viscosity are investigated. The work is then extended to 3D analysis as a part of high fidelity simulations, in order to overcome the possible limitations of 2D simulations. The investigation on FCI processes is then continued to the analysis on melt jet fragmentation in a water pool, since this is the crucial phenomenon which creates the melt-coolant pre-mixture, an initial condition for steam explosion. The calculations are carried out assuming non-boiling conditions and the properties of Wood’s metal. The jet fragmentation and breakup pattern are carefully observed at various Weber numbers. Moreover, the effect of physical and material properties such as diameter, velocity, density, surface tension and viscosity on jet breakup length, are investigated. After the fundamental studies, the work was extended to reactor scale FCI energetics. It is mainly oriented on the evaluation of uncertainties in estimating the explosion impact loads on the surrounding structures. The uncertainties include the influential parameters in the FCI process and also the code uncertainties in calculations. The FCI code MC3D is used for the simulations and the PIE (propagation of input errors) method is used for the uncertainty analysis. The last part of the work is about experimental investigations of debris coolability carried out using the POMECO-HT facility at KTH. The focus is on the determination of the effect of the bed’s prototypical characteristics on its coolability, in terms of inhomogeneity with heap like (triangular shape) bed and the radial stratified bed, and also the effect of its multi-dimensionality. For this purpose, four particle beds were constructed: two homogeneous, one with radial stratification and one with triangular shape, respectively. The effectiveness of coolability-enhanced measures such as bottom injection of water and a downcomer (used for natural circulation driven coolability, NCDC) was also investigated. The final chapter includes the summary of the whole work. / Under ett svårt haveri i en kärnkraftsreaktor kan en härdsmälta bildas och smältan växelverka på ett explosivt sätt med kylvattnet. En sådan FCI (Fuel-Coolant-Interaction) inbegriper flera fysikaliska processer vilkas förlopp bestämmer hur stor den frigjorda energin blir. Vid kontakt med vattnet fragmenteras först härdsmältan vilket i sin tur leder till att en större yta exponeras för kylvattnet och att värmeöverföringen från smältan snabbt ökar. Mycket forskning har ägnats åt att förstå vad som sker under en FCI men det finns fortfarande luckor att fylla vad beträffar t ex osäkerheter i beskrivningen av fragmentering av såväl smälta som enskilda droppar av smält material. Syftet med detta arbete är främst att underbygga en bättre förståelse av den inledande delen av en FCI genom att studera dels hur enskilda droppar av smält material deformeras och splittras och dels hur en stråle av smält material fragmenteras. Vi studerar särskilt vilka parametrar som mest påverkar den energi som frigörs vid ångexplosionen. Problemet studeras med numerisk analys med början i liten skala och sedan i full skala. Vi söker också uppskatta de laster som explosionen utsätter reaktorns komponenter för. En annan viktig fråga gäller kylbarheten hos den slaggansamling som bildas under reaktorhärden efter en FCI. Slagghögen förväntas ha en porös struktur och en del av avhandlingen redogör för experimentella försök som genomförts för att utvärdera kylbarheten i olika prototypiska slaggformationer. I avhandlingens inledning beskrivs de fysikaliska processerna under en FCI och kylningen av en slaggansamling. Det aktuella kunskapsläget på dessa områden presenteras också utgående från tidigare experimentella och teoretiska studier. Studierna i avhandlingen inleds med numerisk analys av hydrodynamiken för en enskild droppe smälta i en vattentank där VOF-metoden i CFD-programmet ANSYS FLUENT används. Denna grundläggande studie rör en enskild droppe under förstadiet till fragmentering och ångexplosion då droppen deformeras alltmer. Deformationen studeras ingående också med hänsyn tagen till inverkan av en tryckpuls. Inverkan av olika egenskaper hos materialet, som densitet, ytspänning och viskositet studeras också. Arbetet utvidgas sedan till en beskrivning i 3D för att undvika de begränsningar som finns i en 2D-simulering. Studierna av FCI utvidgas sedan till en analys av fragmentering av en stråle smälta i vatten. Detta är en kritisk del av förloppet då smälta och vatten blandas för att ge utgångstillståndet för ångexplosionen. Beräkningarna genomförs under antagande att kokning inte sker och med materialegenskaper som för Wood´s metall. Mönstret för fragmentering och uppsplittring studeras ingående för olika Weber-tal. Dessutom studeras effekten på strålens uppsplittringslängd av parametrar som diameter och hastighet för strålen samt densitet, ytspänning och viskositet hos materialet. Efter dessa grundläggande studier utvidgas arbetet till FCI-energier i reaktorskala. Här ligger tonvikten på utvärdering av osäkerheter i bestämningen av den inverkan explosionen har på omgivande konstruktioner och komponenter. Osäkerheterna inkluderar eventuell bristande noggrannhet hos såväl de viktiga parametrarna i FCI-processen som i själva beräkningarna. Den sista delen av arbetet handlar om experimentella undersökningar av slaggformationens kylbarhet som genomförts i uppställningen POMECO-HT vid avdelningen för kärnkraftsäkerhet på KTH. Vi vill bestämma effekten av formationens prototypiska egenskaper på kylbarheten. För detta ändamål konstruerades fyra olika formationer: två homogena, en med radiell variation i partikelstorlek och en med triangulär variation. Vi undersökte också hur förbättrad kylning kan uppnås genom att tillföra kylvatten underifrån respektive via ett fallrör (kylning genom naturlig cirkulation). I det avslutande kapitlet ges en sammanfattning av hela arbetet. / <p>QC 20150507</p>

Background: Touching exists in different forms and can be experienced through the skin. By touching oxytocin is released like a relaxing hormone which counteracts anxiety and depression. Therapeutic contact and healing touch are methods nurses’ uses to give positive feeling of serenity, warmth and wellbeing for the patients. Touching can be a method for communication and happiness when word is not enough. By touching can nurses notice if a patient is, for example, anxious. The hands of the nurse are important caring of the patient such as adequate touching calms and sooths anxiety and pain. Aim:  To describe the significance to give touch in nursing. Method: A literary summary of scientific articles published between 1995 until 2012, where seven of them have qualitative approach and three have quantitative and all of them found via the databases CINAHL and MEDLINE. Result: Nurses were describing how touching had positive significance for the patients. The nurses could by touching reduce the patient’s pain, anxiety and worries. Different sorts of touching was mentioned like massage. A general theme was touching by non-verbal communication which gave a sense of security to the patients. The nurses’ attitude to touch became a problem since the nurses only touched the patients when necessary, for example when caring by hygiene without respecting the patients’ integrity. Discussion: In the result discussion it was described how the limited knowledge by the nurses of touching. By training (and education) they could carry though touching with help of different types of touching, massage, tactile touching, therapeutic touch etc. It relieved the state of pain, anxiety, and it also created security, closeness, better sleep and well-being of the patient. The touch adapted to the patients’ needs was described as positive and meaningful. To build an interpersonal relationship was essential and fundamental before the nurse approached the patient.