No description available.

No description available.

Purging Disorder (PD) is characterized by purging after normal or small amounts of food among individuals who are not underweight. Several studies indicate that PD is associated with distress and impairment, underscoring the need for intervention. However, little is known about factors that trigger and maintain purging in PD. This study examined antecedents and consequences of purging using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a design that involved repeated assessments of current psychological states in participants' natural environments. Women with PD (N = 24) were recruited from the community to make multiple daily ratings of affect, shape/weight concerns, violation of dietary rules, and stomach discomfort using random-, interval-, and event-contingent recordings over a two-week period. Multilevel model analyses were used to examine between-day differences (purge versus non-purge day) and within-day changes in psychological variables relative to purging behavior. Results supported study hypotheses that negative affect and shape/weight concerns would be higher and positive affect would be lower on days when participants purged compared to days they did not purge. In addition, antecedent analyses supported within-day increases in negative affect, shape/weight concerns, and stomach discomfort prior to purging; however, only changes in positive affect and shape/weight concerns on purge days differed from naturally-occurring changes observed on non-purge days. For consequence analyses, negative affect, shape/weight concerns, and stomach discomfort decreased following purging on purge days, and trajectories of change were significantly different from non-purge days. Finally, exploratory analyses suggested that lower levels of impulsivity enhanced associations between antecedent affect and purging. These data are crucial to understand why women with PD purge after consuming normal or small amounts of food and may point to specific targets for the development of effective interventions.

In the welding of more sensitive metals such as stainless steel, titanium and some specific nickel alloys, the presence and application of a protective gas is essential. Without the use of a nonreactive shielding gas, defects occur in or adjacent to the weld joint, which vary from light discoloration of the weld bead to the direct onset and propagation of cracks. The supply of shielding gas is usually via the welding tool. Unfortunately, when it comes to welding pipes, the problem arises when the root bead comes into contact with the oxygen present within the pipe. Since the shielding gas supplied from the welding tool has no possibility of penetrating into the pipe and protecting the melt from the oxygen, the result consequence will be defects in the weld bead. To prevent this from happening, the pipes are sealed before welding and the oxygen in the pipe is purged and replaced with protective gas. Due to the fact that pipe welding operations concern a vast spectrum of pipe dimensions, complications arise for the welding operator as the solutions available have a low degree of adaptability. Thus, the purpose of this project is to investigate the possibility of designing and developing a new method of supplying root gas protection that can be adapted to several pipe diameters. Field studies at welding companies resulted in the clarification of which diameter spans the root gas protection solution should comply with, the pipe diameter span to cater for was identified as 25-100 mm in diameter. Requests were also made regarding the robustness of the product, with expressed desire for the product to withstand the strenuous working environment often encountered during welding operations. Solution proposals were produced which later developed into six separate concepts. From these six concepts, one was selected as the foremost solution and further developed for construction. The concept was sketched out and reproduced using CAD and a model was made using 3D printers. The model showed a need for modifications as it was not of a sufficiently adaptable nature. A modified model was thus developed and manufactured using a 3D printer, this modified model showed better results of adaptation to different pipe diameters. Furthermore, a flow analysis of the gas as it enters via the root gas plug and into the pipe was conducted, to verify total distribution of the gas within the pipe. The material with which to construct the concept with will be silicone infused with additives to make it more heat resistant and more resistant to wear. However, the exact mixture of silicone and additives in question was not available for this project but is something that is intended for future work. The concept meets the specified requirements of being applicable to multiple pipe diameters, more specifically so meeting the wishes of those active within the industry, covering a pipe span of 25- 100 mm. / Vid svetsning av mer känsliga metaller såsom rostfritt stål, titan och vissa specifika nickellegeringar är närvaron och tillämpningen av en skyddsgas väsentligt. Utan nyttjandet av en icke reaktiv skyddsgas uppkommer defekter i eller intill svetsfogen, vilka varierar från lätta missfärgningar av svetssträngen till den direkta uppkomsten och propageringen av sprickor. Tillförseln av skyddsgas sker vanligtvis via svetsverktyget. När det kommer till svetsning av rör uppstår dessvärre problemet att rotsträngen kommer i kontakt med syret som finns på insidan av röret. Eftersom att den skyddsgas som tillförs från svetsverktyget inte har någon möjlighet att tränga sig in i röret och skydda smältan från syret kommer det resultera i en svetssträng med defekter. För att förhindra detta från att ske tätas rören innan svetsning och syret i röret ersätts med skyddsgas. Eftersom att de rör som skall sammanfogas förekommer i flera dimensioner uppstår komplikationer för svetsoperatören ty de lösningar som finns tillgängliga har låg anpassningsgrad. Därmed är syftet med detta projekt att undersöka möjligheten att designa och utveckla ett nytt rotgasskydd som kan anpassas till flera diametrar. Fältstudier hos svetsföretag resulterade i ett tydligt spann för vilka diametrar som bör tillgodoses med sagda rotgasskydd, detta spann av rördiametrar var 25-100 mm. Det uppgavs även önskemål om säkerställning av att produkterna är robusta nog att klara den påfrestande arbetsmiljö som ofta förekommer vid svetsning. Lösningsförslag lades fram vilket senare utvecklades till sex separata koncept. Från dessa sex koncept utsågs en som den främsta lösningen och togs vidare till konstruktion. Konceptet skissades upp i CAD och en modell gjordes i 3D-skrivare. Modellen visade upp behov på modifieringar då den inte var av tillräckligt anpassningsbar karaktär. En modifierad modell togs därmed fram och tillverkades i en 3D-skrivare, denna modifierade modell visade bättre prov på anpassning till olika  rördiametrar. Vidare gjordes en flödesanalys av gasen då den färdas in via rotgaspluggen, vilket visade att gasen fyller röret som önskat. Materialet som konceptet kommer tillverkas i är silikon med tillförda additiv för att göra det mer värmebeständigt och mer resistent mot slitage. Den exakta blandningen av silikon och additiv i fråga var dock inte tillgängliga till detta projekt utan är något som får gå till vidare arbete. Konceptet uppfyller kraven på anpassning till flera rördiametrar och möter mer specifikt även önskemålet från branschaktiva med dess spann på 25-100 mm.

Investigations were carried out to assess biofilm formation within a model warm water distribution system (test rig) under a variety of conditions. Analysis methods included ATP-/ culture-based analysis, SEM and confocal microscopy. Molecular-based community analysis was carried out using PCR/DGGE. High pH (9.53-10.08), induced by the presence of a sacrificial anode within the water heater, had a profound inhibitive effect on the culturability of biofilm bacteria on copper (Cu) pipe within the test rig. Concurrent investigations into the effect of stagnation (varied periods of non-flushing) appeared to contradict the widely held view that stagnation is conducive to biofilm formation, with greater flushing frequencies resulting in increased biofilm. It was concluded that a higher frequency of nutrient-delivering events were largely responsible for this and that in systems where lengthier stagnation periods were employed, factors such as low oxygen and reduced nutrient levels inhibited biofilm formation on previously uncontaminated Cu pipe. Thermal purging (TP) over a 28 day period of 30 second, 12 hourly flushing at 41 °C and three-daily one minute purging with 70 °C water resulted in a 99% reduction in the culturability of biofilm bacteria on both Cu and LLDPE. However, confocal microscopical analysis of bacterial numbers indicated that 25.06% (Cu) and 21.55% (LLDPE) of the initial bacterial population remained viable. A large proportion of non-viable biofilm bacteria were also observed. Further work is therefore required in order to optimize TP within the test rig. Biofilm formation on a range of different materials; Cu, stainless steel, PEX, and EPDM, showed significantly greater biofilm development on EPDM in comparison to the other materials. Preliminary investigations of LLDPE and tap outlet fittings showed that laminar flow outlet fittings may act as reservoirs for the development and subsequent dissemination of biofilm. Molecular bacterial community structural studies of test rig biofilms clearly showed that biofilm community composition was significantly affected by both temporal and environmental factors, and varied at points within the same system. Sequencing did not provide a great insight into the composition of the bacterial communities within the test rig, and further work is required to gain a more complete picture of bacterial community diversity within the test rig. These studies show that biofilm formation within the test rig is greatly influenced by a wide variety of factors. The test rig’s unique design necessitates a cautionary approach when making comparisons with, for example, larger water distribution systems

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Disordered eating, including bingeing, dieting, purging, and clinical and subclinical forms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, is prevalent among college-aged women. To date, few interventions have successfully reduced risk factors related to disordered eating. One promising intervention utilizes principles of cognitive dissonance to reduce thin-ideal internalization among women at risk for eating disorders. Additionally, the benefits of yoga, including increased awareness of bodily processes, offer hope that this practice might reduce disordered eating symptomatology. The current study compared cognitive dissonance and yoga interventions for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that there were no significant differences between the yoga and control groups. However, participants in the dissonance group had significantly lower scores than both other groups on measures of disordered eating symptoms as well as thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, alexithymia, and anxiety. These findings have important implications for potential interventions on college campuses.

To investigate whether there are different patterns of development for binge eating and purging behavior among pre-adolescent and early adolescent girls, I conducted trajectory analyses of those behaviors in 938 girls across eight waves of data from the spring of 5th grade (the last year of elementary school) through the spring of 9th grade (the first year of high school). Analyses revealed four separate developmental trajectories for binge eating behavior (labeled none, increasing, decreasing, and high steady) and three separate developmental trajectories for purging behavior (labeled none, dabble, and increasing). Fifth grade scores on risk factors that were both personality-based (negative affect and negative urgency) and learning-based (expectancies for reinforcement from eating and from thinness) differentiated among the trajectory groups, in some cases before the groups differed in the target behaviors. These findings are the first, to my knowledge, to examine developmental trajectories for eating disorder onset in youth as young as elementary school. Clinical implications are discussed.