Animal Welfare and Major Food Retailers

This paper offers an exploratory review of how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed animal welfare. The findings reveal that six interlinked themes, namely, strategic corporate commitment, animal welfare as good business policy, a focus on supply chains, policies on specific categories of animals and animal products, antibiotics, and auditing, illustrated the food retailers’ approach to animal welfare. The authors raise a range of issues about the retailers’ approach to animal welfare, including the aspirational nature of their commitments, the emphasis on regular audits, the role of external assurance in the reporting process, pressure from animal welfare campaigns, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper offers an accessible review how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed the issue of animal welfare. Keywords: animal welfare, animal welfare statements, food retailers, supply chain, audit, external assurance

Statistical Method of Deducting Activation Energies for the Steam Methane Reforming Reactions

In this paper, a method of deducting activation energies for heterogeneous reactions of steam methane reforming is presented. The essence of the method lies in iterative evaluation of kinetic parameters, namely activation energies of reactions, for a given reactor. The novelty of the method lies in utilizing a statistical approach to reduce computational effort of numerical simulation. The method produces multivariable correlations between activation energies and operational parameters of the process: pressure, temperature, steam-to-methane ratio, residence time, and catalyst properties. These correlations can be used for numerical simulations of steam methane reforming to yield methane conversion rate, spatial and temporal distribution of reaction products, temperature and pressure within the reactor. An average computational effort is equal to a batch of 18 ([Formula: see text]) simulations for [Formula: see text] variables. The method was demonstrated by evaluating two-variable correlations of activation energies with pressure and temperature. The developed numerical model was validated against adopted experimental data.

Selectively dry etched of p-GaN/InAlN heterostructures using BCI3-based plasma for normally-off HEMT technology

In this paper, an alternative selective dry etching of p-GaN over InAlN was studied as a function of the ICP source powers, RF chuck powers and process pressure by using inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP RIE) system. A recipe using only BCI3-based plasma with a resulting selectivity 13.5 for p-GaN in respect to InAlN was demonstrated. Surface roughness measurements depending on the etching time was performed by atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement and showed that a smooth etched surface with the root-mean-square roughness of 0.45 nm for p-GaN and 0.37 nm for InAlN were achieved. Normally-off p-GaN/InAlN HEMT device was fabricated and tested by using the BCI3-based plasma we developed.

The Politics of Education: a Study of Attitudes Pressures and Relations in the New Zealand Education System

<p>Political science is a discipline which purports to study power as a process, a distinct but inseparable part of the social process. It is the general aim of this study to shed light on the inner workings and operating norms of a democratic system. More specifically, the study hopes to offer an empirical examination of the pressures, attitudes, and relationships which constitute one sector of democratic government in New Zealand, the administration of public education. The philosophic starting point for the study is in part pluralistic, in that education 'politics' is seen to be a 'system' of components which can be described and examined and which is itself a component of a more embracing 'system' called New Zealand politics. Briefly stated, it is believed that by studying one sector of governmental activity - that is, one 'system' - in some detail, one may arrive at conclusions which could be applied to wider settings. An alternative method of approach would have been to look at a particular facet of the governmental process - pressure group activity for example - over a wider area. Both methods have drawbacks, but for a complete picture to emerge eventually, both types of study will be needed.</p>

The Politics of Education: a Study of Attitudes Pressures and Relations in the New Zealand Education System

<p>Political science is a discipline which purports to study power as a process, a distinct but inseparable part of the social process. It is the general aim of this study to shed light on the inner workings and operating norms of a democratic system. More specifically, the study hopes to offer an empirical examination of the pressures, attitudes, and relationships which constitute one sector of democratic government in New Zealand, the administration of public education. The philosophic starting point for the study is in part pluralistic, in that education 'politics' is seen to be a 'system' of components which can be described and examined and which is itself a component of a more embracing 'system' called New Zealand politics. Briefly stated, it is believed that by studying one sector of governmental activity - that is, one 'system' - in some detail, one may arrive at conclusions which could be applied to wider settings. An alternative method of approach would have been to look at a particular facet of the governmental process - pressure group activity for example - over a wider area. Both methods have drawbacks, but for a complete picture to emerge eventually, both types of study will be needed.</p>

On stability boundary of the flow of an acid solution through a chemically active porous medium

It is known that during the flow, if the displacing fluid can chemically react with the components of porous medium and with the release of a gas phase, then such a flow regime can be unstable. During this process, pressure fluctuations can be observed, and the displacing fluid will move in “waves”. In the course of our research, a simple mathematical model was proposed that provides a qualitative explanation of the reasons for the emergence of such a phenomenon; laboratory modeling was carried out, and the criterion of the “waves” formation was found, depending on the concentration of chemically active components. The proposed model can predict the emergence of the wave instabilities in a laboratory experiment, which will allow to carry out a future experiment on a larger scale.

Fabrication of Highly Porous and Pure Zinc Oxide Films Using Modified DC Magnetron Sputtering and Post-Oxidation

Porous films of metals and metal oxides exhibit larger surface areas and higher reactivities than those of dense films. Therefore, they have gained growing attention as potential materials for use in various applications. This study reports the use of a modified direct current magnetron sputtering method to form porous Zn-ZnO composite films, wherein a subsequent wet post-oxidation process is employed to fabricate pure porous ZnO films. The porous Zn-ZnO composite films were initially formed in clusters, and evaluation of their resulting properties allowed the optimal conditions to be determined. An oxygen ratio of 0.3% in the argon gas flow resulted in the best porosity, while a process pressure of 14 mTorr was optimal. Following deposition, porous ZnO films were obtained through rapid thermal annealing in the presence of water vapor, and the properties and porosities of the obtained films were analyzed. An oxidation temperature of 500 °C was optimal, with an oxidation time of 5 min giving a pure ZnO film with 26% porosity. Due to the fact that the films produced using this method are highly reliable, they could be employed in applications that require large specific surface areas, such as sensors, supercapacitors, and batteries.

Effect of volume flows on the viability of MSCs during injection through a cannula

Introduction: Clinical trials currently evaluate the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of non-union bone fractures. The stem cells are injected directly into the non-union area of a bone via a cannula. During this injection process, pressure and shear forces affect the MSCs which could influence the viability of the cells. One parameter that influences the level of the shear forces is the volume flow. The aim of this study is to show whether the injection process with two different volume flows influences the cell viability. Methods: MSCs were isolated from bone tissue, harvested during arthroplasty. Afterwards, they were diluted to a concentration of 1 million cells/mL and 1 mL of this suspension was injected through a cannula with 200 mm length and 2 mm diameter (14 G) with volume flows of 38 and 100 mL/min. The evaluation was performed by detecting living, apoptotic, and dead cells using flow cytometry. The statistical analysis was performed with a Kruskal-Wallis-test to identify significant differences and with a TOST procedure for significant equivalence. The significance level was set to 5 % and the equivalence margin to 20 %. Results: The cell population of healthy cells was in the control group 85.88±2.98 %. After an injection with 38 mL/min the population of healthy cells was 86.04±2.53 % and with 100 ml/min 85.48±1.64 %. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between these groups (p = 0.99), but a significant equivalence between the control group and the two volume flows (38 mL/min: p = 0.002, 100 mL/min: p = 0.001). In addition the results show no increase of apoptotic and dead cells in the population after injection. Conclusion: The results indicate that the injection process through the cannula with these volume flows has no effect on the viability of the MSCs.

CATALYTIC CRACKING OF HEAVY OIL OF ALIF FIELD – MARIB- YEMEN

The study presents the results of the catalytic cracking process of heavy oil of the Alif – Marib field in Yemen. The best conditions of the process, pressure, temperature, and using zeolite HZSM-5 as catalyst were selected. Based on the characteristics of the heavy oil, the analyses were done using a gas chromatography technique and catalytic cracking unit designed in the laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Petrochemical faculty at Al-Baath University- Syria., refining process was done in Refining Company- Homs. The results of simple distillation of the cracking products at different range of temperature were (Gasoline= 19.5%; Kerosene=15%; Light gas oil= 36%; Distillate residue= 29.5%) and gases (CH4= 67.55 %; C2H4= 14.66 %; C2H6= 7.48 %; H3H8= 9.24%; C4H10=1.06 %). Extraction by sulfuric acid was done. An 84.044% oil-free aromatic has been gotten. In order to remove total paraffins from the oily cut that has a high pour point, different solvents were used. The properties of the oily cut from which the paraffin wax was removed gave encouraging results.

Bending strength of ceramic compounds bonded with silicate-based glass solder

In the field of dental technology, the length of ceramic pontics is limited to avoid mechanical failure. To reduce thermal-induced residual stress within the ceramic, using smaller subcomponents and subsequent bonding with silicate-based glass solder may be a favorable approach. Thus, the bending strength of zirconia compounds bonded with different silicate-based glass solders was investigated. For this purpose, rectangular specimens made of zirconia were bonded by glass solder. Parameters such as the scarf angle (45° and 90°), two different glass solders, as well as the soldering process (pressure and surface treatment) were varied. All specimens were subjected to quasi-static four-point bending tests according to DIN EN ISO 843-1. Additionally, the quality of the glass solder connection was evaluated using μCT and fractography. In the present study, zirconia compounds were sucessful bonded of zirconia compounds using silicate-based glass solder was. No significant differences in terms of bending strength were observed with respect to the different bonding parameters analyzed. The highest bending strength of 130.6 ± 50.5 MPa was achieved with a 90° scarf angle combined with ethanol treatment of the specimens before soldering and an additional application of a pressure of 2 bars in a dental pressure pot before subsequent soldering. Nevertheless, the bending strengths were highly decreased when compared to monolithic zirconia specimens (993.4 ± 125.5 MPa).