Honeywell (Netherlands)

The Italian endemic genus Salamandrina was recently determined to be polytypic since two species, Salamandrina perspicillata and S. terdigitata, were recognized using both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers. However, data on their range is very scanty and no morphological traits are available to distinguish between these two taxa. A thorough field survey was carried out to detect and to sample new sites in areas in which Salamandrina remained unrecorded and to sample populations expected to occur in the documented range. Specimens were analyzed for variation of three mitochondrial DNA partial sequences of 12S and 16S ribosomal RNAs and cytochrome b genes. Attribution of individuals to either of the two species was therefore made on the basis of their haplotypes. Here we provide relevant information on the distribution of the two species, which were also found in areas where Salamandrina had previously been unrecorded, i.e. in the eastern Basilicata, in the region of Apulia and within the wide area which separated the two species. In the latter zone, a small area of sympatry between the two species was found. Furthermore, we analyzed the dorsal coloration pattern and size‐related characters of the two species using Classification and Regression Tree analysis (CART), the results of which provided the first account of the morphological differences between Salamandrina perspicillata and S. terdigitata. The southern species, S. terdigitata, is smaller in size than S. perspicillata and differs in its coloration, mainly due to the red color on the dorsal surface of its tail.

For invasive medical sensors, silicon sensors have a number of specific advantages: miniaturisation, low cost, high flexibility, high reliability, choice of parameter, packaging and integration of electronics. Specific packaging problems for microtransducer catheters (MTCS) whereby the transducer is a silicon sensor are related to the construction of the transducer housing and choice of materials. The main object is to maintain the sensitivity of the silicon sensor for the specific parameter while designing a proper housing. This is illustrated by describing solutions for pressure- and oxygen-sensitive MTCSs. Two sets of factors which promote the use of MTCS in hospitals are discussed. The first is the quality of signal and the possibility of continuous monitoring of the measured parameter. The second comprises patient comfort, simpler application techniques and economic factors.

While hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) are not considered main air-pollutants in the EU, they have the potential to contribute to acidification. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrofluoro-olefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoro-olefins (HCFOs) are used as refrigerants and for other applications. They break down in the atmosphere to produce HF and HCl (for HCFOs) and some of these fluorocarbons also break down to produce trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). For the emissions of these fluorocarbons in the EU, a worst-case scenario estimates their theoretical potential contribution to acidification and compares it to the acidification potential for the main air pollutants contributing to acidification, which are nitrous oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (mainly SO2), and ammonia (NH3). The Acidification Potential from these fluorocarbons in 2016 is estimated at 2, NOx, NH3, and it can be concluded that this is insignificant in the context of the main acidification air-pollutants. Assuming that the EU targets for emissions of SO2, NOx and NH3 by 2030 are achieved, the Acidification Potential from HFCs, HFOs and HCFOs in 2030 is also estimated at 2, NOx, NH3 and will remain insignificant.

Safety in the process industry is currently playing an increasingly important role. In the European Union the Seveso II directive requires that companies that store certain amounts of dangerous liquids or gases shall take appropriate measures to reduce the potential risks. Concerning safety-related systems, the (draft) IEC 61508 standard is already adopted by many companies to comply with the Seveso II directive. Contrary to the older standards, IEC 61508 does not only cover the classical technical aspects, but also the business processes that are relevant for the entire safety lifecycle. The standard introduces a structure that consists of safety lifecycle models. The overall safety lifecycle describes required activities associated with safety during the entire lifecycle of the equipment, from the concept phase to the decommissioning phase. For a real operating process installation a study has been performed to investigate what steps should be taken in order to implement the IEC 61508 safety standard. This study is based on the overall safety lifecycle model and uses a flowchart approach that addresses all relevant items of the overall safety lifecycle. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

van der Zee, Hoyte T. MD; Faithfull, N. Simon MB, PhD, FFARCS; Kuypers, Martin H.; Dhasmana, Kshetra M. MD; Erdmann, Wilhelm MD, PhD Author Information

This paper describes the development of a real-time simulation model of the European Robot Arm ERA that will be used on the Russian segment of the International Space Station. The simulation model contains a friction model that is not based on the conventional hypothesis that friction is opposite to velocity, but on the new hypothesis that friction tries to stop the system. The conventional hypothesis leads to a strongly non-linear friction model that causes numerical instability. The new hypothesis leads to a new friction model that simulates the effects of the friction accurately in only little computing time.

The methodology is based on a combination of well known and well proven tools for development of multi‐aspect systems, such as

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable cancer type. New therapeutic options are investigated, including targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway using MEK-inhibitors as radiosensitizers. In this study, we investigated whether MEK-inhibition via PD0325901 leads to radiosensitization in experimental in vitro and in vivo models of GBM. In vitro, GBM8 multicellular spheroids were irradiated with 3 fractions of 2 Gy, during 5 consecutive days of incubation with either PD0325901 or MEK-162. Regrowth and viability of spheroids monitored until day 18, showed that both MEK-inhibitors had an in vitro radiosensitizing effect. In vivo, PD0325901 concentrations were relatively constant throughout multiple brain areas. We combined PD0325901 with radiotherapy in the GBM8 orthotopic mouse model. Tumor growth was measured weekly by bioluminescence imaging and overall survival and toxicity were assessed, showing temporal PD0325901-related adverse events such as dermatitis in 4 out of 14 mice (29%). Mice that were treated with radiation alone or combined with PD0325901 had significantly better survival compared to vehicle (both P<0.005), however, no significant interaction between PD0325901 MEK-inhibition and irradiation was observed. The difference between the radiotherapy-enhancing effect of PD0325901 in vitro and in vivo urges further pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic investigation of PD0325901 and possibly other candidate MEK inhibitors.

When the question is asked, whether the operation is safe, several sources of information can be tapped to provide information for a reply. But do we really know? Risk assessment is a possibility to obtain a general picture, but it focuses much on stored quantities and technical aspects and is basically static. Management quality, organizational aspects, and human reliability remain out-of-sight as well as temporal risk effects. In this paper, the notion of ‘risk factor’ will be introduced with effects on the short, middle, and long term. Short term risk factors may be monitored physically by means of the digital control system using fault diagnosis, and if required, additional special purpose sensors. For fault diagnosis, several methods are available, but the method making use of the Blended Hazid approach followed by a reasoning routine looks attractive. For middle and long-term risk factors, it is proposed to use the values of process safety performance indicators as exponents of the safety level. To keep it practical, aggregation of the indicator data may have to be applied first. Because it is expected to have synergy from a holistic approach combining technical and organizational safety information, a universal cause-effect logic infrastructure was sought. Bayesian networks seem to fulfill this demand; they can be instrumental for performance monitoring and therefore can greatly help to improve situational awareness.

Safety in the process industry is currently playing an increasingly important role. In the European Union the Seveso II directive requires that companies that store certain amounts of dangerous liquids or gases shall take appropriate measures to reduce the potential risks. Concerning safety-related systems, the (draft) IEC 61508 standard is already adopted by many companies to comply with the Seveso II directive. Contrary to the older standards, IEC 61508 does not only cover the classical technical aspects, but also the business processes that are relevant for the entire safety lifecycle. The standard introduces a structure that consists of safety lifecycle models. The overall safety lifecycle describes required activities associated with safety during the entire lifecycle of the equipment, from the concept phase to the decommissioning phase. For a real operating process installation a study has been performed to investigate what steps should be taken in order to implement the IEC 61508 safety standard. This study is based on the overall safety lifecycle model and uses a flowchart approach that addresses all relevant items of the overall safety lifecycle. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.