Previous work carried out by the author (and many others) has involved the application of formal descriptions techniques to verifying the correctness of xed block railway signalling systems. These systems are referred to as such because the railway is divided into sections of track, which are separated by signals. However, in the future, it will become increasingly the case that interlockings w...

The present study introduces two quantitative parameters to compare the accuracy of ultrasonic C-scan testing and X-ray radiography methods in the damaged area detection under low-velocity impact in polymer-based composites. For this purpose, the hand lay-up technique of composite processing was employed to prepare the composite specimen. A composite specimen consisting of the glass fiber reinf...

Picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) is a broad-spectrum herbicide used to control a wide variety of broadleaf and woody vegetation. It is particularly important in forestry (Norris et al. 1983). For both research and monitoring purposes, soil samples are frequently collected and analyzed to determine the persistence and mobility of picloram in the environment. Management, regulator...

Genetically modified, insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton is cultivated extensively in Pakistan. Past studies, however, have raised concerns about the prevalence of Bt cotton varieties possessing weak or nonperforming insect-resistance traits conferred by the cry gene. We examine this issue using data drawn from a representative sample of cotton-growing households that were surv...

We describe a coherent, eclectic approach to interpreting, representing, and integrating knowledge from different scientific disciplines or communities of practice. The approach, called ECLECTIC, draws from a complementary blend of ethnological methods, the hermeneutic analysis of domains, and ecology. Our description focuses on the conceptual bases of this approach, its value, and uses, partic...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE The risk of food-borne infections in hospitalized patients with compromised immune systems is much higher and can also lead to more serious health consequences than among other population groups. Therefore, food hygiene within the hospital setting, should be handled in an appropriate manner. In 2008, there were 732 hospitals in Poland. It was estimated that 7.2 millio...

The recent thriving development of biobanks and associated high-throughput phenotyping studies requires the elaboration of large-scale approaches for monitoring biological sample quality and compliance with standard protocols. We present a metabolomic investigation of human blood samples that delineates pitfalls and guidelines for the collection, storage and handling procedures for serum and pl...

BACKGROUND Salivary endothelin (ET) concentrations have been shown to correlate with disease severity in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We undertook the present study to evaluate the stability of salivary ET under different handling conditions to assess its suitability as a biochemical marker in screening, diagnosis, and management of CHF. METHODS Saliva samples were collected fro...

Container handling problems at the container terminals are NP-hard problems. In this paper, we propose a new handling operation’s design and simulation of empty containers, taking into account the interrelated activities at the container terminal. This simulation have been built using a doubled trailer. It moves containers from quayside to yard side or the opposite depending on the flow in cont...