Academic literature on the topic 'Amounts carried'

To improve load capacity of fabricated single-arm planetary carrier, and enlarge its applied fields, the calculation criterion of load capacity of fabricated single-arm planetary carrier under given interference amount is described according to relevant calculation theories in this paper. Some experiments have been carried out to verify the influence of different interference amounts forced on load capacity, and also the variation of force is confirmed while the planet wheel axle is pressed into the body of planetary carrier with given interference amount. The theoretical basis and reference of fabricated single-arm planetary carrier is ultimately put forward and applied in some relevant engineering practice.

Carried interest is a form of deferred compensation payable to managers of hedge funds organized as investment partnerships. There are two tax components of this compensation that are favorable to the manager. First, income taxes are due only when amounts are received rather than when this interest is granted, and second, this income is eligible for the lower tax rates of capital gains and dividends. Special tax treatment has been criticized by some as being an unfair benefit for income that is essentially compensation for services, while proponents of continuing this special treatment point out policy reasons for continuing it, emphasizing characteristics of carried interest that warrant treatment such special treatment. Legislative changes have been proposed but not enacted into law, and there are different alternatives that warrant consideration for the future.

The spontaneous alcoholic fermentations of Moscato Bianco and Welschriesling must were carried out to retrieve indigenous yeasts. We confirmed that those fermentations, conducted with non-Saccharomyces and indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts, can generate high amounts of aroma compounds in wines. Consequently, two of the S. cerevisiae isolates were randomly chosen and further examined in Welschriesling and Sauvignon Blanc must for their ability and efficiency in performing alcoholic fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation with a commercial yeast strain was carried out for comparison. Indigenous isolates showed acceptable fermentation ability and efficiency. Moreover, Sauvignon Blanc produced with indigenous isolates contained significantly higher amounts of 3-mercaptohexyl acetate, linalool, geraniol and 2-phenylethanol and a significantly lower amount of 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol. Differences in Welschriesling wine were less striking but in this case indigenous isolates produced lower amounts of 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol and α-terpineol. Taken together, our results confirm that a suitable aromatic profile of wine can be produced with indigenous S. cerevisiae strains.

The presence and movement of Bass Strait Water along the continental slope of south-eastern Australia during the Australian Coastal Experiment (ACE) is estimated by evaluating the amount of salt and heat imported from Bass Strait for the five standard hydrographic ACE sections. South of Jervis Bay (35°S), the amounts decrease from September 1983 to February 1984 by a factor of two. North of Jervis Bay, the amounts depend strongly on the position of the East Australian Current and its eddies. It appears that during periods of low eddy activity Bass Strait Water can be carried northward well past Newcastle (33�S).

Ex-situ culture studies of five selected aquatic macrophytes, namely Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f., Enhydra fluctuans Lour., Ipomoea aquatica Forsk., Hygroryza aristata (Retz.) Nees ex Wight & Arn. and Limnocharis flava (L.) Buch. were carried out. Comparing the biochemical composition of the above mentioned five aquatic macrophytes, on an average, Enhydra fluctuans was found to contain highest amounts of proteins (18.20%) and Ipomoea aquatica contains highest amounts of carbohydrate (58.60%). Lowest amounts of proteins (14.35%) were recorded in Hygroryza aristata and Limnocharis flava. On the other hand lowest amounts of carbohydrates were obtained in Nymphaea nouchali. Ipomoea aquatica contained highest amounts of energy (321.23 kcal) and lowest amount was observed in Limnocharis flava. The five aquatic plants were low in fiber, fat and also in ash. Among all the five aquatic macrophytes, highest values of calcium and phosphorus were found to be present in Limnocharis flava and iron was highest in Nymphaea nouchali. Lowest values of calcium and phosphorus were present in Ipomoea aquatica and lowest amount of iron was present in Limnochris flava. The present study demonstrated that, these five aquatic macrophytes are the important sources of carbohydrate, protein and minerals, which are suitable for incorporation in human diet and feed also. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 44(1): 53-60, June 2018

Nowadays, patchouli oil extraction in Indonesia is generally carried out using conventional methods, although such methods require large amounts of energy, solvents in significant amounts, and quite a long time.

Abstract In this paper results of investigations of sorption of hard coal samples collected from the extracted coal seams of Polish coal mines are presented. As sorbate propane was used. Examinations were carried out in the temperature of 298 K by means of volumetric assessment with the use of apparatus ASAP 2010 of Micromeritics. On the basis of conducted examinations it has been found out that the amount of sorbed propane depend on a type of coal, its metamorphism grade, content of oxygen element, moisture and porosity of these coals. The greatest amounts of propane are sorbed by low carbonized, high-porosity coals of high content of oxygen and moisture. Sorption of relatively high amounts of propane by these coals (ca. 10 cm3/g) is a result of the influence of polar surface of coals with molecules of propane and good availability of internal microporous structure of these coals for molecules of examined sorbate. Medium and high carbonized coals sorb insignificant amounts of propane. These coals have compact structure and non-polar character of their surface, their internal porous structure is to a minor degree available for propane molecules in conditions of carried out research. Sorption of propane in this case, takes place mainly in surface pores and on the surface of coals. Moreover, measurements of desorption isotherms of propane showing irreversible character of sorption were made. Desorption isotherms do not come together with sorption isotherms forming open hysteresis loop. Amounts of non-desorbing propane remaining in the coal depend on the type of examined coal.

Investigations of food requirements were carried out to determine the minimum amount of beer yeast needed to produce the best development of Ceratitis capitata. Variations in pupation time, emergence time, pupation percentage, emergence percentage, and ovarian development were directly related to increased amounts of beer yeast in the diet. Results indicate that the appropriate range of beer yeast is about 4.0 to 4.5 g/150 ml of diet.

Researches, which have lasted for two years, were carried out on long-term trial field at Rimski Sancevi, Novi Sad, Serbia. In this trial, the eight fertilization variants of N, P2O5 and K2O increased amounts were studied. Sugar beet root and tops yields were determined, as well as the elements of technological sugar beet root quality. Based on these results, percentage of sugar utilization and refined sugar yield was defined. In the spring, before applying of N fertilizer, amount of nitrate nitrogen in the soil and its influence on yield and quality was determined. The highest root yield in 2002 was produced at the variant N100 P150 K150, and in 2003 at the variant N150 P150 K150. However, in both years, referring to the variant N100 P100 K100, the differences were not statistically significant. Increasing of nitrogen amounts had negative effects on refined sugar yield. Amounts of NO3-N in the soil in spring, before sugar beet sowing, in 2002 had significant influence on root yield and refined sugar yield. In the year 2003, which was highly dry, high correlation ratio were gained between amounts of NO3-N in the soil and root quality parameters, but it wasn't significant between nitrogen amounts and root and refined sugar yield.

Existing and future IMO restrictions on emission of harmful substances contained in exhaust gas have introduced an obligation to implement technical solutions to reduce NOX, SOX and CO2 emissions. Reduction in NOX and SOX emissions has been achieved by systems (i.e. SCR and EGR) ensuring Tier III-compliant exhaust gas composition. SCR and EGR systems have also affected the amount of exhaust gas waste heat. Therefore reduction in CO2 emissions has mostly been dependent on available amount of exhaust gas waste heat to produce electricity using waste heat recovery generator unit instead of medium-speed diesel generating set. Comparative analysis of amounts of exhaust gas waste heat in LNG and MGO modes under ISO ambient conditions has been carried out with particular emphasis on the impact of different variants of SCR and EGR systems. Formulae to estimate the amounts of exhaust gas waste heat have been determined using least squares method.

A comercialização de produtos florestais não madeireiros (PFNMs) popularizou-se como atividade promotora do desenvolvimento socioeconômico de comunidades florestais com baixo impacto ambiental. Há evidências, contudo, de que a exploração possa produzir efeitos ecológicos e socioeconômicos negativos, sugerindo que é necessário monitorar tais iniciativas. A comercialização frequentemente ocorre em áreas remotas e em contextos de pobreza, como é o caso de muitas daquelas da Amazônia brasileira. Desta forma, é necessário que o monitoramento restrinja-se a avaliar os efeitos evidenciados como mais comuns em estudos anteriores. Este estudo revisa e sintetiza as evidências científicas dos efeitos da exploração de PFNMs sobre parâmetros ecológicos e socioeconômicos e, a partir daí, indica aqueles mais relevantes ao monitoramento. O estudo também levanta até que ponto o monitoramento é implementado no contexto da Amazônia brasileira e avalia quais os parâmetros importantes e viáveis de monitoramento neste caso específico. Para isso, foram realizadas revisões sistemáticas da literatura e a consulta a profissionais da área através do método Delphi. Os resultados indicam que efeitos ecológicos negativos são frequentes, principalmente quando se coletam folhas ou cascas. Alterações em órgãos ou processos fisiológicos e a taxa de sobrevivência dos espécimes explorados são parâmetros que devem ser monitorados, em particular quando se coletam frutos e partes vegetativas. Para todos os tipos de PFNMs, o tamanho e a estrutura populacional são parâmetros prioritários ao monitoramento. A riqueza de espécies da comunidade explorada merece atenção, principalmente quando se coletam frutos. Para os aspectos socioeconômicos, efeitos positivos foram mais frequentes que negativos. A contribuição da renda monetária obtida com o comércio na renda total, a regularidade de ingresso desta renda e o papel dos PFNMs como recursos de salvaguarda são parâmetros do capital financeiro prioritários ao monitoramento. Para o capital social, o empoderamento feminino, a coesão de grupo e o acesso aos benefícios gerados pela comercialização devem ser monitorados. Na Amazônia brasileira são poucas as iniciativas de implementação do monitoramento da comercialização de PFNMs. Embora este seja considerado importante, existem dificuldades que derivam principalmente da falta de apoio institucional, políticas de incentivo e de recursos financeiros. Os profissionais participantes do Delphi consideram que os parâmetros ecológicos mais importantes a monitorar neste contexto são o tamanho e a estrutura populacional do recurso explorado, o aumento da taxa de mortalidade, a quantidade total de recurso extraída e a técnica de coleta utilizada. Para os parâmetros econômicos, aspectos do mercado, como o preço pago ao coletor, a demanda e a qualidade do produto, bem como a renda monetária obtida pelos indivíduos são os parâmetros considerados mais importantes. Por fim, para os aspectos sociais, os efeitos na cultura, na qualidade de vida e na organização interna da comunidade foram priorizados. Os profissionais indicam que é viável estabelecer o monitoramento dos parâmetros levantados.
Amazon, non-timber forest products, ecological effects, socioeconomic effects, monitoring.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
電子工程系
99
We have successfully fabricated a high luminance, high efficiency and low driving-voltage white organic light-emitting diode with the structure of single emission layer by solution method. This theme contains several subjects, including: 1. the choice of the most suitable organic material for transport layer; 2. the optimal thickness preparation of the transport layer; 3. the realization of white light emission by precisely adjusting the concentrations of guest materials (blue dopant BCzVB, red dopant DCJTB) doped into host material; 4. the improvement in electroluminescent properties using the incomplete energy transfer between host and guest materials; 5. the enhancement in device performances by employing LiF as the electron injection layer; 6. the achievement on better color purity of the device using CBP as the hole blocking layer. Furthermore, for single-emission-layer white OLEDs which contain hosts and dopants, a common problem faced is the need for very precise control over the concentrations of the dopants. Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problem, the devices were fabricated utilizing vapor deposition with solvent premixed deposition source. Accordingly, a pure white OLED can be easily realized with single-emission-layer; moreover, the fabrication process will be shortened and simplified for device fabrication. Consequently, the run-to-run variability caused by subtle variations in process conditions will be reduced.

The issues of setting goals, planning and forming a system of indicators of the effectiveness and efficiency of the penal system are considered. The criteria for determining the goals-tasks that are adequate to the public goals of the system are justified. Quantitative indicators corresponding to the criteria were developed, based on the contribution of the criminal justice System to reducing the socio-economic losses of society from recidivism. The contribution of the system is determined by changes in the criminal potential of convicted persons during the period of serving a sentence under a court sentence. Criminal potentials are estimated by predictive values of the aggregate of three groups of characteristics of the criminal potential of convicts, determined by the stages of the cycle of recidivism. The practical results of the use of sound methods and developed tools are based on the use of a significant amount of empirical data on the institutions of the criminal justice system and its systematic expert and statistical analysis. The monograph is a generalization and development of the works carried out by the authors during 2012-2017 in the process of preparing masters of Management for the penal system. It is intended for managers and specialists of the bodies and institutions of the Criminal Justice System, researchers, teachers of higher educational institutions who train specialists for law enforcement agencies.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation ((r)TMS) is being studied as an experimental intervention for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. These approaches have been informed by animal studies of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). They show that repeated stimulation of neural circuits could exert effects on synaptic efficacy, for varying amounts of time, beyond the period of stimulation. Few studies using rTMS as a potential clinical intervention for schizophrenia have been carried out. They show promise in terms of advancing the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms and developing alternative interventions. These studies, considered together, suggest that rTMS holds promise as an intervention strategy for patients with schizophrenia. Rigorously designed trials with larger numbers of subjects are indicated in order to take into account nonspecific factors that could add noise to outcome data.

Extended opioid use results in physical dependence and neural adaptation. Opioid dependence treatment can be carried out with opioid receptor agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists. Conventional treatments have low success rates. Methadone and buprenorphine treatments involve substituting long-duration agonists for the opiate of abuse, essentially substituting one opiate for another. Rapid opiate detoxification is a 3-day process involving large amounts of an opiate antagonist. Both treatments have associated problems. Ultrarapid opiate detoxification (UROD) anesthetizes a patient and precipitates withdrawal while unconscious. It shortens withdrawal, avoiding much of the subjective withdrawal discomfort. Clonidine is critical to reduce catecholamine levels and mitigate central nervous system hyperarousal in acute withdrawal. A UROD advantage is that the withdrawal period is markedly shortened to 8 hours or less versus up to several months for conventional treatments. The patient is anesthetized during the acute withdrawal period and does not experience the unpleasant consequences of acute detoxification.

Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by a defect in the carrier-mediated system that normally transports cystine out of lysosomes. As a consequence, tissues accumulate variable amounts of the disulphide amino acid cystine. Three overlapping clinical phenotypes are recognized, varying in severity and age of onset. The most severe, the infantile nephropathic form (MIM 219800), appears in the first year of life. The late-onset form (MIM 219900) is also nephropathic, while ocular, non-nephropathic cystinosis manifests largely with corneal crystal deposition (MIM 219750). Infantile cystinosis is the most common form. Affected children develop renal proximal tubulopathy at 6 to 12 months of age. In the absence of treatment, renal failure occurs, with progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Cystine crystal deposition in the cornea leads to photophobia and continuous widespread cystine accumulation eventually leads to rickets, retinal, endocrinological (hypothyroidism and impaired glucose tolerance), hepatic, gastrointestinal, muscular, and neurological abnormalities.

This is the story of a single pebble. It is just a normal pebble, as you might pick up on holiday - on a beach in Wales, say. Its history, though, carries us into abyssal depths of time, and across the farthest reaches of space. This is a narrative of the Earth's long and dramatic history, as gleaned from a single pebble. It begins as the pebble-particles form amid unimaginable violence in distal realms of the Universe, in the Big Bang and in supernova explosions and continues amid the construction of the Solar System. Jan Zalasiewicz shows the almost incredible complexity present in such a small and apparently mundane object. Many events in the Earth's ancient past can be deciphered from a pebble: volcanic eruptions; the lives and deaths of extinct animals and plants; the alien nature of long-vanished oceans; and transformations deep underground, including the creations of fool's gold and of oil. Zalasiewicz demonstrates how geologists reach deep into the Earth's past by forensic analysis of even the tiniest amounts of mineral matter. Many stories are crammed into each and every pebble around us. It may be small, and ordinary, this pebble - but it is also an eloquent part of our Earth's extraordinary, never-ending story.

In this work magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized through the precipitation method from an aqueous ferrous sulfate solution under ultrasound. A 23 factorial design in duplicate was carried out to determine the best synthesis conditions and to obtain the smallest crystallite sizes. Selected conditions were ultrasound frequency of 593 kHz for 40 min in 1.0 mol L-1 NaOH medium. Average crystallite sizes were of the order of 25 nm. The phase obtained was identified by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) as magnetite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed polydisperse particles with dimensions around 57 nm, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed average particle diameters around 29 nm, in the same order of magnitude of the crystallite size determined with Scherrer’s equation. These magnetic nanoparticles were used to obtain nanocomposites with polyaniline (PAni). The material was prepared under exposure to ultraviolet light (UV) or under heating, from dispersions of the nanoparticles in an acidic solution of aniline. Unlike other synthetic routes reported elsewhere, this new route does not utilize any additional oxidizing agent. XRD analysis showed the appearance of a second crystalline phase in all the PAni-Fe3O4 composites, which was indexed as goethite. Furthermore, the crystallite size decreases nearly 50 % with the increase in the synthesis time. This size decrease suggests that the nanoparticles are consumed during the synthesis. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the amount of polyaniline increases with synthesis time. The nanocomposite electric conductivity was around 10-5 S cm-1, nearly one order of magnitude higher than for pure magnetite. Conductivity varied with the amount of PAni in the system, suggesting that the electric properties of the nanocomposites can be tuned according to their composition. Under an external magnetic field the nanocomposites showed hysteresis behavior at room temperature, characteristic of ferromagnetic materials. Saturation magnetization (MS) for pure magnetite was ~ 74 emu g-1. For the PAni-Fe3O4 nanocomposites, MS ranged from ~ 2 to 70 emu g-1, depending on the synthesis conditions. This suggests that composition can also be used to control the magnetic properties of the material.

This chapter is broken into two main sections: a general description of the principles of ligand receptor interaction and a discussion of the main groups of ‘targets’; and explanation of some common pharmacological interactions in anaesthesia, critical care, and pain management. Agonists bind to and activate receptors while antagonists bind to receptors and block the effects of agonists. Antagonists can be competitive (most common) or non-competitive/irreversible. The main classes of drug target are enzymes, carriers, ion channels, and receptors with examples of anaesthetic relevance interacting with all classes. There are many examples in anaesthesia where multiple interacting drugs are co-administered—polypharmacology. To give an example: neuromuscular blockade. Rocuronium is a non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocker acting as a competitive antagonist at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Rocuronium competes with endogenous acetylcholine to shift the concentration–response curve for contraction to the right. The degree of contractility is less for a given concentration of acetylcholine (agonist) in the presence of rocuronium. Using the same principle, the rightward shift can be compensated by increasing the amount of acetylcholine (as long as the amount of rocuronium presented to the receptor as an antagonist remains unchanged, its action can be overcome by increased agonist). Acetylcholine at the effect site is increased by acetylcholinesterase inhibition with neostigmine. One of the side-effects of neostigmine is that it acts as an indirect parasympathomimetic. In the cardiovascular system this would lead to muscarinic receptor-mediated bradycardia; these effects are routinely reversed by the competitive muscarinic antagonist glycopyrrolate.

Over the past twenty years considerable public attention has been focused on the decline of marine fisheries, the sustainability of world fish production, and the impacts of fishing on marine ecosystems. Many have voiced their concerns about marine conservation, as well as the sustainable and ethical consumption of fish. But are fisheries in danger of collapse? Will we soon need to find ways to replace this food system? Should we be worried that we could be fishing certain species to extinction? Can commercial fishing be carried out in a sustainable way? While overblown prognoses concerning the dire state of fisheries are plentiful, clear scientific explanations of the basic issues surrounding overfishing are less so - and there remains great confusion about the actual amount of overfishing and its ecological impact. Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know will provide a balanced explanation of the broad issues associated with overfishing. Guiding readers through the scientific, political, economic, and ethical issues associated with harvesting fish from the ocean, it will provide answers to questions about which fisheries are sustainably managed and which are not. Ray and Ulrike Hilborn address topics including historical overfishing, high seas fisheries, recreational fisheries, illegal fishing, climate and fisheries, trawling, economic and biological overfishing, and marine protected areas. In order to illustrate the effects of each of these issues, they will incorporate case studies of different species of fish. Overall, the authors present a hopeful view of the future of fisheries. Most of the world's fisheries are not overfished, and many once overfished stocks are now rebuilding. In fact, we can learn from the management failures and successes to ensure that fisheries are sustainable and contribute to national wealth and food security. Concise and clear, this book presents a compelling "big picture " of the state of oceans and the solutions to ending overfishing.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b <1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur > tibia > humerus > 4 metacarpal> 3 metacarpal> 3 metatarsal > 4 metatarsal > rib> fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) <III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) <femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) <III metacarpal (107.2 kg) <femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) <III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) <III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P<0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race> line 990> Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) <III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) <femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P<0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P<0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P <0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P <0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) <III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) <femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P <0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)> line 990 (5.13 mm)> Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) <III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) <femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P<0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P<0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) <III metacarpal bone (33.86) <femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.

AbstractSuccessful implant dentistry mandates implants to be placed in an appropriate three-dimensional manner that supports the prosthesis adequately. Due to the resorption patterns of edentulous jaws, the ideal position of implants required varying amounts of bone augmentation. Commonly carried out bone-augmentation procedures are Guided Bone Regeneration, onlay bone grafting and sinus floor elevation. This chapter discusses the resorption pattern of edentulous jaws, the biology of alveolar bone of relevance to the maxillofacial surgeon, the biomaterials used for augmentation and the commonly carried out augmentation procedures.

The present paper examines substandard Polish constructions in which the quantifiers kupa ‘a lot’, masa ‘mass’ and połowa ‘a half’ in Subject function occur in the Accusative case (plus the referential noun in the Genitive) and take neuter singular verb agreement: Kupę ludzi zebrało się na placu, ‘a lot of people gathered in the square’. Drawing on a large amount of occurrences taken from two corpora a qualitative analysis of the construction is carried out, in order to highlight how the indefinite quantifier semantic characteristics predispose it to the thematic role of Patient.

Abstract This chapter reviews a vast amount of neuroimaging studies of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean in comparison to L2 English, using the neuonral recycling hypothesis (Dehaene, 2009) and the (writing) system accommodation hypothesis (Perfetti & Liu, 2005) as theoretical frameworks. In order to understand the basic brain network associated with reading, the major reading circuits found among typical readers are first reviewed. The findings of neuroimaging studies of reading in alphabetic scripts are reviewed and then moved on to the nonalphabetic Chinese and Japanese scripts, compared to L2 English. Although reviewed studies were not carried out to directly test script relativity, evidence converges on biological unity, script diversity, and cognitive diversity, which points toward script relativity.

AbstractThe chapter in its first part presents changing understanding of leisure time in the past and currently. Major shifts have occurred in the increasing amount of free time and its democratization. The free time or leisure time is understood only just as a supplement or the rest after work; however, it has its intrinsic value, carries potential of freedom, self-realization, fun and relax. The text deals with leisure time functions and its meaning for individuals and complete family. It highlights issues that are connected with spending of leisure time. In the second part of the chapter, there are results of survey, which was mapping of family spending of free time, its amount and fulfilment. In all the surveyed countries, spending of leisure time has proved to be an important perquisite for family life satisfaction. Activities that are the most likely to be undertaken together with family members are watching TV, walks, trips, visits of friends or relatives, visits of cultural actions and social games.

AbstractFarmers in most parts of Africa and Asia still practice subsistence farming which relies minly on seasonal rainfall for Agricultural production. A timely and accurate prediction of the rainfall onset, cessation, expected rainfall amount, and its intra-seasonal variability is very likely to reduce losses and risk of extreme weather as well as maximize agricultural output to ensure food security.Based on this, a study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) numerical Weather Prediction Model and its Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecast to ascertain its usefulness as a climate change adaptation tool over Nigeria. Observed daily and monthly CHIRPS reanalysis precipitation amount and the ECMWF subseasonal weekly precipitation forecast data for the period 1995–2015 was used. The forecast and observed precipitation were analyzed from May to September while El Nino and La Nina years were identified using the Oceanic Nino Index. Skill of the forecast was determined from standard metrics: Bias, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Anomaly Correlation Coefficient (ACC).The Bias, RMSE, and ACC scores reveal that the ECMWF model is capable of predicting precipitation over Southern Nigeria, with the best skill at one week lead time and poorest skills at lead time of 4 weeks. Results also show that the model is more reliable during El Nino years than La-Nina. However, some improvement in the model by ECMWF can give better results and make this tool a more dependable tool for disaster risk preparedness, reduction and prevention of possible damages and losses from extreme rainfall during the wet season, thus enhancing climate change adaptation.

In recent years, advanced information systems have enabled collection of increasingly large amounts of data that are sequential in nature. To analyze huge amounts of sequential data, the interdisciplinary field of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) is very useful. The most important step within the process of KDD is data mining, which is concerned with the extraction of the valid patterns. Recent research focus in data mining includes stream data mining, sequence data mining, web mining, text mining, visual mining, multimedia mining and multi-relational data mining. Sequence data may be discrete or continuous in nature. Most of the research on discrete sequence data concentrated on the discovery of frequently occurring patterns. However, comparatively less amount of work has been carried out in the area of discrete sequence data classification. In this chapter, data taxonomy is introduced with a review of the state of art for sequence data classification. The usefulness of embedding partial subsequence information extracted using sliding window technique into traditional classifier like kNN has been demonstrated. kNN has been tested with various vector based distance/similarity metrics. Further, with the use of S3M similarity metric, the full subsequence information embedded in the data sequences is extracted. The experimental data taken is DARPA’98 IDS benchmark dataset collected from UCIML dataset repository. The chapter closes by pointing out various application areas of sequence data and also the open issues in sequence data classification problem.

Memory performance declines in the course of healthy aging, and this chapter discusses some reasons why this may be so. The author suggests that there is an age-related decline in both processing resources and in cognitive control, and that these deficiencies underlie less efficient encoding and retrieval processes. Age-related memory losses are greater in some tasks than in others, however, and the case is made that losses are relatively slight in situations that involve substantial amounts of environmental support and therefore require small amounts of self-initiated activity. In turn, the inefficiency of self-initiated activities is attributed to age-related deficiencies in frontal lobe functions. Age-related deficits in recall performance (which is heavily reliant on self-initiation) are reduced in a recognition test, which embodies greater environmental support. Deficits were also reduced by the use of pictures as materials, and there were no age differences in the ability to hold high-valued words in working memory. These effects are illustrated by experiments carried out by the author and collaborators.

Probiotic microorganisms are defined as living microorganisms that provide health benefits on the host when administered in adequate amounts. The benefits include improvement of microbial balance immune system and oral health, provision of cholesterol-lowering effect, and antimicrobial activity against a wide variety of bacteria and some fungi. Kefir microbiota contains active living microorganisms. Many researches were carried out that potential probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus kefir, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, or yeasts like microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis, and Kluyveromyces marxianus were isolated from kefir grains. This chapter presents the data both on the probiotic bacteria isolated from kefir grains or kefir and the probiotic properties of kefir produced with these microorganisms.

The present research explores the interactional nature of oral tasks carried out in two types of learner dyads in terms of their likelihood to foster negotiation for meaning during Language Related Episodes (LREs). Quantitative data analyses reveal how learners in same L1 dyads, Spanish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, and in different L1 dyads, Canadian learners of Spanish and Spanish learners of English participating in a virtual exchange, modify their speech using negotiations and clarifications to make it comprehensible to their interlocutors. Eighteen different L1 dyads of university learners doing a virtual exchange (Canada-Spain) and eighteen dyads of Spanish-speakers learning English at the Spanish university carried out three oral communicative tasks online following the same procedures. Data were transcribed, LREs were identified, quantified for each dyad, and analyzed to determine their characteristics in terms of types of triggers, modified output, and type of feedback provided. Initial findings point to substantial differences in meaning negotiation occurring during LREs in each group. Different-L1 dyads exhibit more clarifications, meaning negotiation, and provide more feedback, which leads to higher amounts of comprehensible and modified output than learners in same L1 dyads.

For a number of years, the Navy has been pursuing a means of reducing or eliminating the amount of paper carried onboard ship. In particular, technical manuals consume large amounts of storage space. The paper provides a case study of the development of a gas turbine technical manual into an interactive electronic (computerized) format. Some of the difficulties of the development process, enhancements that have been developed, software selection, graphics complexity, and hardware definition. In addition, a detailed description of a final product will be provided.

This paper describes the effects of surface rolling on the load bearing capacity of sintered metal gears. Sintered metal gears and rollers were surface-rolled under various amounts of rolling. The effects of rolling on the surface properties were examined by measuring the porosities and hardness near the surfaces of the rolled gear teeth and rollers. Bending fatigue tests for the surface-rolled sintered metal gears and contact fatigue tests for the rollers were carried out. The effects of the amount of rolling on the load bearing capacity of sintered metal gears and rollers were determined, and these results were compared with the results for as-sintered and wrought steel gears and rollers.

The paper investigates the effect of nitrogen fertilisers on the amount of photosynthetic pigments in winter wheat leaves. The research was carried out in the period between 2012 and 2013 at the Experimental Station of Aleksandras Stulginskis University in carbonate shallow gleyic leached soil, (Calc(ar)i-Epihypogleyic Luvisol). The object of investigation: winter wheat cultivars ‘Zentos’ and ‘Ada’. Granular superphosphate (P60) and potassium chloride (K60) fertilisers were spread during sowing, while amonium nitrate (N60) was used in tillering time (BBCH 23–25), after the vegetative growth had resumed. Additionally, the plants were treated with foliar fertiliser urea solution: N30, N40 at booting stage (BBCH 34–36) and N15, N30 at milk ripening stage (BBCH 71–74). After the analysis of the data, it was established that additional fertilization with N30 and N40 fertiliser application rates at later stages of plant development stimulated the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and prolonged the period of active photosynthesis. Irrespective of treatment with nitrogen fertilisers, genetic properties of the cultivar also had influence on the accumulation of the pigments. Wheat cultivar ‘Zentos’ tended to accumulate larger amounts of pigments. The highest amounts of pigments were found at the beginning of milk ripening stage before additional treatment with N15, N30 fertiliser application rates.

There are still uncertainties and challenges by using floating platforms as the main oil exploitation mode due to lake of actual drilling experience in South China Sea. In order to ensure the safety of platform operation, large amounts of prototype data are needed for environment and structure analysis. From 2011 till now, a prototype measurement project is carried out on a semisubmersible platform “NanHaiTiaoZhan” FPS. Large amounts of data have been collected including parameters of ocean environmental loading, motions of floater and underwater responses of mooring and risers. In this paper, statistical analysis of floater responses together with marine environmental conditions are carried out for deep understanding of the characteristics of semisubmersible floating platform. In order to study the motion behaviors of floater under harsh storm, the data recorded in a typical typhoon “Nock-ten” are chosen to perform the deep analysis. The measured data, wind, wave, current and floater motions, are analyzed in time-domain and frequency-domain separately. The comparison study of theoretical prediction and prototype measurement result in typhoon weather has been carried out. The data recorded by standalone sensors are processed by program MoorForce. The result of frequency-domain analysis of measured mooring force proves that the significant wave frequency dynamic behavior of mooring line during typhoon weather should be considered in design.

The demand for precise and accurate medical instruments that are also cost-effective drove the design towards the concept of Lab-on-a-Chip. These miniature systems are usually built on a single die and are able to perform multiple test through the manipulation of minimum amounts of analytes and markers. Such chips have significantly changed the way the bio-tests are carried out. However, significant challenges associated with such tests are still to be addressed. The phenomena occurring in the capillary bridges drew the attention of the scientific community from the beginning of the nineteenth century and experiments were extensively carried out.

Various accessories such as buckle arrestors and J-lay collars are needed in some cases to successfully lay and secure an offshore pipeline on the sea bed. For such applications the using of high strength seamless pipes in Grade X70 and X80 with heavy wall are necessary. However, there is only small information regarding the welding procedure for such grades in heavy wall dimensions. In comparison to steels used for lower strength level, the chemistry of high strength steel pipes includes higher amounts of micro-alloying elements as well as requires a more complex heat treatment. Due to the higher carbon equivalent these steel grades react more sensitive on heat input during welding. Consequently, the range of welding parameters which ensure suitable mechanical properties has to be adapted. This article presents the results of weldability trials carried out on seamless API X80 heavy wall (> 50mm) line pipe. The welding trials were performed using different preheating temperatures and heat inputs followed by microstructure investigations and mechanical tests of the multilayer welds. The sour gas resistance has to be demonstrated by SSC-tests because it stays challenging to guarantee values below 250 HV10.

Methods of near dry machining (NDM) are becoming a suitable alternative to reduce costs and eliminate, significantly, high amounts of fluid which would be rejected at the end of its life. This work presents a comparison between conventional fluid application (by gravity and high volume ~ 150 liters/hr) and the method of NDM (applying cutting fluid by spray ~ 60 ml/hr). Considering that investigation was carried out by turning a low machinability material like AISI 316 stainless steels, severe cutting temperatures made possible the evaluation of the efficiency of fluid spray in lubrication. Results suggest that only in a few conditions of severe heating, conventional method presented slightly better tool life and, for most of the investigated conditions, method of NDM showed good lubrication in tool-workpiece interface and enough cooling, determining an excellent performance of tool life and integrity of cutting edge.

The oil consumption and blow-by gas through piston-cylinder-ring crevices have to be minimized. Meanwhile, the friction losses in the piston ring pack need to be reduced in order to improve fuel economy and engine performance. In these two aspects, study on the optimized design of the piston ring pack has to be carried out. The amounts of oil consumption and blow-by gas are important factors to decide whether an engine is operating under good conditions or not during engine development and engine life cycle. The purpose of this study is to develop a computer program predicting engine oil consumption and blow-by gas by calculating the amount of oil flowing into the combustion chamber and gas flow down to the crankcase through the piston ring pack. Using this program, the condition of an engine can be predicted in advance.

A preliminary study on the bioseperation of Carbon-14 was carried out using a mixed-culture of microorganisms obtained from the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company (PBMR). The culture demonstrated the ability to bioaccumulate radiocarbon-14 (C-14) from solution. The experiment consisting of a growth vessel and a biofilter connected in a closed loop. The biofilter was not installed for the purpose of treatment but rather as a method of isolation of microorganisms for further processing. Significant amounts of C-14 were detected in the trapped cells in the biofilter, significantly higher than in controls taken before adding carbon sources containing C-14. The microorganisms were grown under micro-aerobic conditions with graphite carbon and commercially purchased powdered carbon as the predominant supplied carbon sources. Small amounts of sucrose (500 mg/L) were added at 48 hour intervals to promote the growth of heterotrophic microorganisms. Additional work is required to determine the amount of C-14 escaping through gases produced as a product of metabolism (CO2 and CO) and the total carbon metabolized by the microorganisms in order to report with accuracy the degree of separation of C-14 from the C-14/C-12 mixture. A proof of concept study is underway to determine the C-14 mass balance, characterize the microorganisms in the reactor, and establish the presence or absence of processes that might have affected the preliminary observations.

The objective of this study is to not only investigate heat transfer characteristics of natural convection of a one-side heated vertical channel inserting the porous materials with high porosity but also develop the passive cooling system for the Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR). An experiment and analysis was carried out using the one-side heated vertical rectangular channel. From the results obtained in the experiment and analysis, it was found that an amount of removed heat by forced convection using the copper wire (porosity>0.996) was about 15% higher than that without the wire. It was also found that the amount of transferred heat from the heated wall will be increased even if the heat removed by natural convection. Furthermore, the ratio between the amounts of heat removed of the rectangular channel with the porous material and without the porous material increases with increasing temperature of the channel wall. In order to obtain the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of the vertical channel inserting porous material, we have also carried out a numerical analysis using a commercial CFD code. This paper describes thermal performances of the one-side heated vertical rectangular channel inserting copper wire with high porosity. From a view point of economical and safety characteristics, the passive cooling system should be designed for the VHTR as the best way of the system. Therefore, the gas cooling system by natural convection is the one of candidate system.

Under the current IDBG Corporate Results Framework (CRF) 2020-2023 (https://crf.iadb.org/en), the IDB committed to reach 30% of the total amount approved (including all lending operations) of climate finance during this period. In 2020, the IDB Group - composed of the IDB, IDB Lab (formerly the Multilateral Investment Fund) and IDB Invest - approved US$3.9 billion in climate finance as per the MDB climate finance tracking methodology. This resource is aimed at development activities carried out by the public and private sectors that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus mitigate climate change, and/or that reduce vulnerability to climate change and contribute to an adaptation process. This amount represented 19.5% of the IDB Groups total approved amount for 2020. The IDB only climate finance in 2020 was 15%, equivalent to US$ 2 billion. If the COVID-19 related investments are excluded, the IDB climate finance reached 30%. Changes in demand from countries to respond to the pandemic affected the overall climate finance results by shifting the priority to social and fiscal sectors and to projects that could provide faster liquidity.

This issue of Frontiers of CLTS explores current thinking and practice on the topic of tackling slippage of open defecation free (ODF) status. It looks at how slippage is defined and identified, and at different patterns of slippage that are seen after ODF is declared. Although a considerable amount has been written on how to establish strong Community-Led Total sanitation (CLTS) programmes that prevent slippage from happening, this issue looks at how to reverse slippage that has already taken place. Note however, that at a certain level, strategies used to reverse slippage and those used in advance to set a programme up for success to prevent slippage occurring overlap. From the literature, there is little documented evidence on how slippage can be reversed; evidence and guidance tend to focus on prevention. This review begins to address this gap. Implementers are encouraged to use the proposed patterns of slippage framework and slippage factors section to understand the type and extent of slippage experienced, then use the examples in the section on tackling slippage to identify potential slippage responses. In addition to a review of current literature,1 in depth interviews were carried out with key informants at global, regional and country level. Key informants were selected purposively to identify experiences and innovations in tackling slippage from across the sector.

This research sought to understand the impact of probation inspection on probation policy, practice and practitioners. This important but neglected area of study has significant ramifications because the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has considerable power to influence policy through its inspection regime and research activities. The study utilised a mixed methodological approach comprising observations of inspections and interviews with people who work in probation, the Inspectorate and external stakeholders. In total, 77 people were interviewed or took part in focus groups. Probation practitioners, managers and leaders were interviewed in the weeks after an inspection to find out how they experienced the process of inspection. Staff at HMI Probation were interviewed to understand what inspection is for and how it works. External stakeholders representing people from the voluntary sector, politics and other non-departmental bodies were interviewed to find out how they used the work of inspection in their own roles. Finally, leaders within the National Probation Service and Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service were interviewed to see how inspection impacts on policy more broadly. The data were analysed thematically with five key themes being identified. Overall, participants were positive about the way inspection is carried out in the field of probation. The main findings are: 1. Inspection places a burden on practitioners and organisations. Practitioners talked about the anxiety that a looming inspection created and how management teams created additional pressures which were hard to cope with on top of already high workloads. Staff responsible for managing the inspection and with leadership positions talked about the amount of time the process of inspection took up. Importantly, inspection was seen to take people away from their day jobs and meant other priorities were side-lined, even if temporarily. However, the case interviews that practitioners take part in were seen as incredibly valuable exercises which gave staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice and receive positive feedback and validation for their work. 2. Providers said that the findings and conclusions from inspections were often accurate and, to some extent, unsurprising. However, they sometimes find it difficult to implement recommendations due to reports failing to take context into account. Negative reports have a serious impact on staff morale, especially for CRCs and there was concern about the impact of negative findings on a provider’s reputation. 3. External stakeholders value the work of the Inspectorate. The Inspectorate is seen to generate highly valid and meaningful data which stakeholders can use in their own roles. This can include pushing for policy reform or holding government to account from different perspectives. In particular, thematic inspections were seen to be useful here. 4. The regulatory landscape in probation is complex with an array of actors working to hold providers to account. When compared to other forms of regulation such as audit or contract management the Inspectorate was perceived positively due to its methodological approach as well as the way it reflects the values of probation itself. 5. Overall, the inspectorate appears to garner considerable legitimacy from those it inspects. This should, in theory, support the way it can impact on policy and practice. There are some areas for development here though such as more engagement with service users. While recognising that the Inspectorate has made a concerted effort to do this in the last two years participants all felt that more needs to be done to increase that trust between the inspectorate and service users. Overall, the Inspectorate was seen to be independent and 3 impartial although this belief was less prevalent amongst people in CRCs who argued that the Inspectorate has been biased towards supporting its own arguments around reversing the now failed policy of Transforming Rehabilitation. There was some debate amongst participants about how the Inspectorate could, or should, enforce compliance with its recommendations although most people were happy with the primarily relational way of encouraging compliance with sanctions for non-compliance being considered relatively unnecessary. To conclude, the work of the Inspectorate has a significant impact on probation policy, practice and practitioners. The majority of participants were positive about the process of inspection and the Inspectorate more broadly, notwithstanding some of the issues raised in the findings. There are some developments which the Inspectorate could consider to reduce the burden inspection places on providers and practitioners and enhance its impact such as amending the frequency of inspection, improving the feedback given to practitioners and providing more localised feedback, and working to reduce or limit perceptions of bias amongst people in CRCs. The Inspectorate could also do more to capture the impact it has on providers and practitioners – both positive and negative - through existing procedures that are in place such as post-case interview surveys and tracking the implementation of recommendations.