This paper deals with the evaluation of the uncertainty in the equilibrium value of the eutectic temperature of the eutectic systems Fe-C and Co-C in their pure state. The first step towards this is ...deriving the equilibrium value of the liquidus temperature of the actual impure system and its associated uncertainty, the second estimating the uncertainty in the correction for the effect of impurities. The derivation of liquidus temperature and its uncertainty from the observed melting behaviour forms the core of this study. It involves the extrapolation of the measured melting plateaus, obtained at finite growth rates of the preceding freezes, towards the plateau related to zero growth rate, i.e. to the state of structural thermodynamic equilibrium. The uncertainty in the correction for the effect of impurities will be evaluated by means of 'the sum of individual estimates' and 'the overall maximum estimate', earlier shown to be applicable to eutectic systems. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
We report two cases of Ross River virus (RRV) infection in Dutch travellers who visited Australia during February to April 2015. These cases coincided with the largest recorded outbreak of RRV ...disease in Australia since 1996. This report serves to create awareness among physicians to consider travel-related RRV disease in differential diagnosis of patients with fever, arthralgia and/or rash returning from the South Pacific area, and to promote awareness among professionals advising travellers to this region.
Below the freezing point of silver, radiation thermometers are generally calibrated by implementing the multi-point interpolation method using blackbody measurements at three or more calibration ...points, rather than the ITS-90 extrapolation technique. The interpolation method eliminates the need to measure the spectral responsivity and provides greater accuracy at the longer wavelengths required below the silver point. This article identifies all the sources of uncertainty associated with the interpolation method, in particular, those related to the reference blackbody temperatures (either variable-temperature or fixed-point blackbodies) and to the measured thermometer signals at these points. Estimates are given of the ‘normal’ and ‘best’ uncertainties currently achievable. A model of the thermometer response is used to propagate all the uncertainties at the reference points and provide a total uncertainty at any temperature within the calibration range. The multi-point method has the effect of constraining the total uncertainty over this range, unlike the ITS-90 technique for which the uncertainties propagate as
T
2
. This article is a joint effort of the working group on radiation thermometry of the Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT), summarizing the knowledge and experience of all experts in this field.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
We evaluated the changes in antibiotic resistance from 1998 to 2009 of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from the intensive care units (ICUs) and urology services of 14 Dutch hospitals and the ...consequences for empirical therapy.
Quantitative antibiotic susceptibility testing of K. pneumoniae was performed in a central laboratory using a microbroth dilution method. Breakpoints were as defined by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing isolates was determined.
A significant increase in resistance among ICU isolates was observed for ceftazidime (4.2%-10.8%), ciprofloxacin (5.8%-18.5%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (11.9%-23.1%), and for cefuroxime (2.8%-7.9%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (13.5%-27.8%) among urology isolates. Among ICU isolates the prevalence of ESBLs increased significantly from 2% to 8%. Carbapenemase production was not demonstrated. Among ICU isolates the prevalence of multidrug resistance increased and has been ≥12% since 2004. Among urology isolates multidrug resistance was highest in 2009 at 7.4%. Overall, resistance was significantly higher among ICU isolates.
We observed an increase in resistance among ICU and urology isolates and an increased prevalence of ESBLs among ICU isolates. Carbapenemase production was not demonstrated. A regular update of empirical treatment protocols based on actual surveillance data is justified.
For high-purity metal fixed points the sum of individual estimates (SIE) and the overall maximum estimate (OME) have been introduced as tools to estimate the uncertainty in the correction for the ...effect of impurities. In this paper we investigate the feasibility of applying these tools to metal-carbon (M-C) eutectics as well on the basis of material collected for the eutectics Fe-C and Co-C. This would be of interest since it would obviate the need for modelling the full freezing or melting curve, which requires detailed knowledge of the material properties involved. For SIE we need only the liquidus slopes pertinent to the detected impurities, whereas for OME under certain conditions detailed knowledge of the impurity parameters would not be needed at all. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
The melting behavior of the eutectic Fe–C fixed point was investigated as a function of the thermal history prior to melting using degassed and non-degassed Fe–C cells. The liquidus temperature and ...the melting range depend on the preceding growth rate: slower freezing entails a higher liquidus temperature and a smaller melting range. Annealing at temperatures just below the eutectic temperature has similar effects. The inflection point of the melting plateau and the maximum temperature of the freezing plateau showed a linear variation with the square root of the growth rate during the (preceding) freeze and this variation is approximately five times smaller for the melt than for the freeze. No clear evidence of the effect of gaseous impurities could be detected on the shape of the melting plateau obtained in conjunction with the lowest growth rate. However, both the inflection point of the melting plateau and the maximum temperature of the freezing plateau showed a larger dependence on the growth rate for the degassed cell.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The stability of the Co–C and Pt–C eutectic fixed points is investigated in this article. Six cells were employed for the testing. Two existing cells, a Co–C cell with a C/C sheet incorporated and a ...Pt–C cell equipped with a graphite sleeve that had been previously aged, were studied to determine the presence of anomalous drifts or degrading robustness that may possibly appear when the testing period is extended. The stability of four cells of a new design, a Co–C cell and three Pt–C cells, which were constructed in a hybrid manner, to include a sleeve, foil lining, and two of them with a cavity support, were likewise tested. Results show that different designs of Pt–C cells can exhibit good stability. However, for Co–C cells, the cavity rift remains a problem. The possible reasons for this rift and methods for increasing cell life are discussed.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Shortening the turnaround time of microbiological procedures was associated with an improved clinical outcome in two studies performed in the USA. To study the clinical impact of a shortened ...turnaround time in a northwest European setting in which an automated system was used for bacterial identification and susceptibility testing, a single-blind, prospective, randomised controlled trial was conducted in a hospital in the Netherlands. All hospitalised patients with a bacterial infection confirmed by culture were randomly assigned to a control (conventional) group or an intervention (rapid) group. Overnight methods were used for identification and susceptibility testing in the control group, while the Vitek 2 system (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) was used in the rapid group. In each of three consecutive study periods, accelerating factors were added progressively to the laboratory workflow of the rapid group to increase same-day reporting, whereas methods remained identical in the conventional group. The turnaround time of the microbiological cycle using the Vitek 2 system as compared to conventional methods was studied and the clinical impact of a shortened turnaround time assessed in terms of mortality, morbidity, and cost. For the rapid groups, the turnaround time was significantly shorter for oral reporting of final susceptibility results in all three study periods and for reporting on paper in the third study period. There was no significant difference between groups in any of the clinical impact variables. Vitek 2 results were available for reporting significantly earlier as compared to conventional testing. For the overall patient group in our hospital setting, however, this had no clinical impact.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In this article, calculations of the spectral and total cavity emissivity of a high-temperature fixed-point radiator by means of the Monte–Carlo technique in conjunction with calculations of the ...temperature drop across its back wall using the finite-element approach are presented. The temperature drop across the back wall of a fixed-point cavity radiator is influenced by the heat exchange within the cavity and between the cavity and the front end of the associated furnace. The special effects of these influences were virtually neglected in earlier estimates of the temperature drop for high-temperature fixed-point radiators, resulting in an overestimation of the value of this parameter. These same effects have a non-negligible influence on the cavity emissivity. Even though the heat exchange between the furnace and cavity enhances the temperature uniformity within the cavity, it appears that the cavity cannot be assumed to be isothermal for the case considered, as is usually taken for granted when dealing with fixed-point cavity radiators. Since the temperature drop and total emissivity are affected by the same thermophysical processes, there exists a correlation between these parameters, which might find practical application. To provide experimental evidence to the findings inferred from the calculations, results of measurements of the cavity radiance-temperature of two high-temperature fixed-point cells are presented, enclosing an ingot of eutectic Re-C, for which the cavities are provided with different apertures. For λ = 650 nm, the measured differences in cavity radiance-temperature are shown to be compatible with the differences in radiance temperature calculated for these cavities.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Filter radiometric measurements of high-temperature fixed points will provide a means of realizing and disseminating the thermodynamic temperature for temperatures above the silver point, with ...uncertainties that are competitive with the defined ITS-90. This paper presents the analysis method proposed for determining the thermodynamic temperature of the melting transitions of Re–C, Pt–C, and Co–C eutectic fixed points by combining filter radiometer measurements by nine laboratories to obtain a single temperature for each fixed point. It discusses the key sources of error, the corrections applied for known systematic effects, and the uncertainties. These sources of error introduce correlation between the measured values; the paper describes how data can be combined in a way that accounts for that correlation.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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