Flexible multibody dynamics (FMD) has found many applications in control, analysis and design of mechanical systems. FMD together with the theory of structural optimization can be used for designing multibody systems with bodies which are lighter, but stronger. Topology optimization of static structures is an active research topic in structural mechanics. However, the extension to the dynamic case

This thesis is focused on the detail process of formation of mesoporous silica materials.Mesoporous silica materials are one type of porous materials with a pore size between 2 and 5 nm (1 nm=0.000 000 001 m). The pore walls consist of silicon dioxide – silica (sand also consists of silica). The mesoporous silica materials are formed by amphiphilic molecules, a kind of molecule with one part that We investigate the formation mechanism responsible for two specific systems of mesoporous silicas formed with the so-called co-structure directing agent (CSDA) route. The synthesis relies on the interactions between silica source (tetraethylorthosilicate, TEOS), surfactants and CSDA. The structures of the mesoporous silica materials were investigated mainly by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD),

This paper uses a method devised by Geary and Stark to estimate regional GDPs for 24 Swedish provinces 1855-2007. In empirical tests, we find that the Swedish estimations yield results of good precision, comparable to those reported in the international literature. From the literature, we generate six expectations concerning the development of regional GDPs in Sweden. Using the GDP estimations, we

Training and exercises programmes are not independent activities, forming part of a larger, risk-based, process of disaster management preparedness. In order to have an impact on an individual's skills knowledge or behaviours, or to influence organizational learning or procedures, the programmes needs a cyclic and holistic approach. It should focus on clearly identified outcomes that are designed

This paper introduces the concept of 'dynamic capability' (DC) in relation to disaster management - in particular to disaster management exercises (DME). Firstly this paper discusses changes and challenges in DME and the concept of dynamic capabilities as one potential approach dealing with the existing challenges in DME. Thereafter it outlines basic contents of developing DC in DME. The paper con

This paper discusses a case study example of testing international disaster response assistance within the European Union during a worst credible flood scenario in the North Sea area. It describes and evaluates the processes of requesting and receiving international assistance and the field operations with responding international teams during an exercise for large scale flooding ('EU FloodEx 2009

Decisions about disaster preparedness are rarely informed by cost-benefit analyses. This paper presents an economic model to address the thorny question, 'how prepared is prepared enough?' Difficulties related to the use of cost-benefit analysis in the field of disaster management concern the tension between the large number of high-probability events that can be handled by a single emergency resp

This research note presents the major findings of the evaluation of a major power outage in the Netherlands in December 2007 concerning citizen preparation and response. Particular attention is paid to people's perception of the event and its handling.

Preparedness is the key to provide an effective response to drowning, whether it is a single person at risk of drowning through unplanned entry into water or a larger number through a disaster such as flooding. Preparedness is achieved by training and exercise. There is increased awareness that water search and rescue response needs to become more effective as worldwide flood risks grow [1]. Teams

1. Opioid- and FMRFamide (FMRFa)-ergic systems are believed to play antagonistic behavioral roles in both higher and lower animals. In our previous experiments on a snail, behavioral choice has been demonstrated to be dependent on a balance between FMRFa and enkephalins [7]. Here, we examined if the disturbance of the balance causes changes in the activity of both systems. Opiate receptor blocker

Three types of tegumental glands of Hutchinsoniella macracantha body, limb, and caudal, are described for the first time. Previously described salivary and cement glands also belong to this category. All have the same fundamental construction. They consist of 1 or 2 secretory cells opening into a short cuticular channel ending in a pore. The channel is Formed by a sheath or canal cell and an inter

Hutchinsoniella macracantha is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. The small, paired ovaries are cephalic. From each, a long oviduct runs posteriorly to the eighteenth trunk segment, where it loops forward and runs toward the sixth trunk segment. The paired, sausage-shaped testes are dorsal to the midgut in the anterior end of the abdomen. A vas deferens runs down from the anterior end of each testis to

Immunocytochemical techniques for double staining were employed to investigate the morphological basis for interactions between enkephalins and other neuroactive compounds in the behavior of the gastropod mollusc Cepaea nemoralis. Coexistence of each of the two enkephalins with FMRFamide, serotonin or GABA-like immunoreactivity was found in certain neurons in cerebral, parietal, and pedal ganglia.

.1. In hot plate experiments, the pulmonate land snail Cepaea nemoralis displays a biphasic passive/active avoidance behaviour composed of retraction and subsequent searching mediated by antagonistic muscular systems. The switch, between the behaviours, is under neuronal control.2.2. Leu- and met-enkephalin, as well as FMRFamide-antiserum, attenuated the retraction response and potentiated the sea