A biaxial weld strength prediction method

Method is given for design of structures which are subjected to multi-axial loading due to internal pressure. The biaxial strength of a structure can be predicted by modifying the uniaxial formula

Local to global policy as a catalyst for change: key messages

Feeding and nourishing a growing and changing global population in the face of rising numbers of chronically hungry people, slow progress on malnutrition, environmental degradation, systemic inequality, and the dire projections of climate change, demands a transformation in global food systems. Policy change at multiple levels is critical for catalysing an inclusive and sustainable transformation in food systems; global and regional policy are transformative only insofar as they are translated into ambitious national action with adequate support, including both public and private investment. Three areas of policy change show potential to be catalytic: 1) reducing emissions and increasing resilience, 2) tackling food loss and waste, and 3) shifting diets to promote nutrition and sustainability. Trade-offs mean a multi-sectoral approach to policymaking is needed, while inequalities in food systems necessitate transparent, inclusive processes and results. Gender inequality, in particular, must be addressed. Transformation demands participation and action from all actors

Cultivating equality: delivering just and sustainable food systems in a changing climate

T oday, the world faces a greater challenge perhaps than ever before: tackling hunger and malnutrition in the face of climate change and increasing natural resource scarcity. Civil society, governments, researchers, donors, and the private sector are simultaneously debating and collaborating to find solutions. But the dialogue is over-emphasizing food production. Improving yields is important, particularly in places where there is not enough food or where food producers live in poverty. But simply producing more is not enough to tackle hunger. Furthermore, acknowledging that lack of food is not the sole cause of hunger is important. Inequality shapes who has access to food and the resources to grow it and buy it. It governs who eats first and who eats worst. Inequality determines who can adapt more readily to a changing climate. Hunger and poverty are not an accident – they are the result of social and economic injustice and inequality at all levels, from household to global. The reality of inequality is no truer for anyone than it is for women – half the world’s population, with far less than their fair share of the world’s resources. If we are to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030, we must address the underlying inequalities in food systems. In a changing climate, agriculture and food systems must be sustainable and productive – but our efforts cannot end there. They must be profitable for those for whom it is a livelihood; they must be equitable, to facilitate a level playing field in the market, to secure rights to resources for food producers, and to ensure access to nutritious food for all; they must be resilient to build the capacity of populations vulnerable to economic shocks, political instability, and increasing, climate-induced natural hazards to recover and still lift themselves out of poverty

Semen levels of spermatid-specific thioredoxin-3 correlate with pregnancy rates in ART couples

Spermatid specific thioredoxin-3 (SPTRX3 or TXNDC8) is a testis/male germ line specific member of thioredoxin family that accumulates in the superfluous cytoplasm of defective human spermatozoa. We hypothesized that semen levels of SPTRX3 are reflective of treatment outcome in assisted reproductive therapy (ART) couples treated by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Relationship between SPTRX3 and treatment outcome was investigated in 239 couples undergoing ART at an infertility clinic. Sperm content of SPTRX3 was evaluated by flow cytometry and epifluorescence microscopy, and correlated with clinical semen analysis parameters, and data on embryo development and pregnancy establishment. High SPTRX3 levels (>15% SPTRX3-positive spermatozoa) were found in 51% of male infertility patients (n¿=¿72), in 20% of men from couples with unexplained, idiopathic infertility (n¿=¿61) and in 14% of men from couples previously diagnosed with female-only infertility (n¿=¿85). Couples with high SPTRX3 produced fewer two-pronuclear zygotes and had a reduced pregnancy rate (19.2% pregnant with >15% SPTRX3-positive spermatozoa vs. 41.2% pregnant with 15% of SPTRX3-positive spermatozoa, a cutoff value established by ROC analysis, had their chance of fathering children by IVF or ICSI reduced by nearly two-thirds. The percentage of SPTRX3-positive spermatozoa had predictive value for pregnancy after ART. Gradient purification and sperm swim-up failed to remove all SPTRX3-positive spermatozoa from semen prepared for ART. In summary, the elevated semen content of SPTRX3 in men from ART couples coincided with reduced incidence of pregnancy by IVF or ICSI, identifying SPTRX3 as a candidate biomarker reflective of ART outcomeThis study was funded by grant number 1R21HD066333-01A1 from the National Institutes of Health, NICHD, grant number CB000414 from the Research Board of the University of Missouri, seed funding from the Food for The 21st Century Program of the University of Missouri and Undergraduate Summer Research Internship, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), University of Missouri.Peer Reviewe

A Study to Investigate the Relationships among Three Tests which Purport to Measure Perceptual Skills in Kindergarten Children

The study was divided into two parts. Part one was concerned with establishing the relationships among the Rutgers Drawing Test, the Metropolitan Readiness Test and the Frostig Test of Visual Perception. Answers were sought to the following questions: 1) How do the tests correlate with one another? 2) What are the shared variances among the tests? Part two of the study related first grade reading achievement as measured by the Primary Reading Profiles (level one) with the Rutgers and Metropolitan scores. Specifically: 1) Does the study support the work of Williams, who found a correlation of .80 between the Rutgers and the Primary Reading Profiles? 2) Is the Rutgers able to predict reading achievement as effectively as the numerical sub-test of the Metropolitan Readiness Test

Ultrastructural Studies of Corneal Scar Tissue

This thesis is concerned with the study of the ultrastructure of corneal scar tissue. The comeal scar tissue studied was produced in rabbits from three different corneal wounds. These were a manual anterior keratectomy, an excimer laser ablation and a full-thickness 2mm button wound. In each case, a number of animals was used which were sacrificed at different time intervals. For the manual keratectomy and laser ablation, electron microscopy, incorporating cuprolinic blue staining, was the main technique used to study the scar tissue arising from these wounds. The full-thickness wounds were examined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction at Daresbury, UK. From low angle and high angle X-ray diffraction patterns, average values were calculated for centre-to-centre collagen fibril separation, the spread of fibril separation, the fibril diameter and the intermolecular spacing within the collagen fibrils. The electron microscope studies showed that the same pattern of healing was observed in both types of wounds. An inflated population of keratocytes was observed under the epithelium at one week of healing. Around these keratocytes were vacuoles in the tissue, which were associated with large numbers of abnormally sized proteoglycan filaments. Up to 2 weeks of healing the population of abnormal filaments increased, as did the vacuoles in the tissue, after which they decreased. However, after nine months of healing the scar tissue is still clearly structurally distinguishable from original stromal tissue. A measure of the collagen fibril density (number per unit area), demonstrated a significant difference between the scar tissue and control. However, it also showed that the number density of fibrils increased with time in the scar tissue. A measure of the range of the collagen fibril diameters in scar tissue up to nine months, indicated that there is a small increase in the range of fibril diameters but the average diameter remained unchanged. Radial distribution functions, from normal corneal stroma and from nine month scar tissue, showed that the short range ordering of the collagen fibrils in the scar tissue was reduced. The results from the X-ray diffraction showed that, the average spacing between collagen fibrils remains slightly above normal. There is a small increase in the average fibril diameter and the intermolecular spacing is slightly lower than normal. The greatest change was in the range of interfibrillar spacing. The ratio of height to width of the distribution gives a quantitative estimate of this spread. After 3 weeks, this ratio was 0.3, increasing to 1.9 after 21 months; this is still significantly lower than the normal controls (6.2). X-ray diffraction of the Morquio syndrome cornea showed that the interfibrillar spacing was reduced 10% compared to normal and that the intermolecular spacing was normal. In the TEM, two populations of fibril diameters were observed, one at 24-30nm (the normal range for human corneal collagen fibrils), and the other at 32-44nm. Cuprolinic blue staining revealed abnormally large proteoglycan filaments scattered throughout the stroma many of which were associated with lacunae in the collagen matrix

Students learning with communities

Students work in groups to research and prepare a short scientific demonstration and hands-on activities for partner primary school children in an initiative called “A Slice of Science”. Each member of the group prepares on section of the lesson plan and the group has time to practice and prepare the lesson on-site before going to the primary school to run the demonstration/workshop. Students are assessed based on the use of online discussion board activities and their participation in class. Further assessment includes the standard of the lesson delivered off site, a reflective essay and a log-book

Context based learning

The students are provided with journal articles or academic papers from which they must design their experimental procedure to produce a target drug (or compound). The student then carries out all the typical duties of an industrial scientist (e.g. health and safety, reagent preparation, reactions, analysis, data recording, data analysis and report writing). Finally, the student must estimate the cost of producing a specific quantity of the target drug based on their method