Carbonic acid (H2CO3) has recently been identified as one of the contaminants contributing to stress corrosion cracking of low-pressure turbine disks in addition to being involved in low-pH erosion-corrosion of steam and return lines and corrosion in the air-cooling zone of water­tube condensers. Many attempts to establish the exact amount of H2CO3 in these systems were not totally satisfactory because of a lack of a selective, accurate and sensitive technique to assess low microgram per litre levels. In this work, a new technique based on non-suppressed ion chromatography has been successfully applied for examining the H2CO3 distribution in samples collected at Hydro-Quebec's Gentilly 2 nuclear power plant and Ontario Hydro's Nanticoke fossil plant. Performed for two random conditions, the analyses revealed carbonic acid levels ranging from 5 to 74 μg/L with a specific distribution for each plant and a dependence of the relative volatility on the temperature, pressure and/or chemistry. Finally, the two Canadian plants investigated in the present study have shown comparable H2CO3 levels with a German PWR plant operating under an AVT control based on hydrazine addition.

A survey of Canadian CANDU-PHWR (CANadian Deuterium Uranium - Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) revealed that the natural organic matter found in the raw water used for cooling condensers is mainly in the acidic portion of fulvic acid, whereas in makeup water the neutral portion predominates. So far, few thermolysis experiments have been performed at 260°C and 300°C on the organic matter concentrated from the makeup water of one of these plants. High-performance ion chromatography analysis of the liquid phase revealed the formation of a high level of acetate and propionate, with smaller amounts of formate and glycolate. Chloride was also produced with an estimated contribution in the steam generator of 2-6 ppb at 260°C and up to 9 ppb at 300°C. Gas­chromatography mass-spectrometry analysis indicated the presence of numerous volatile aromatic organics, different phenolic compounds, cyclic and aliphatic ketones, along with other unidentified compounds. Analysis of the gas phase showed the production of a high level of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, along with lower amounts of methane, propane, ethylene, ethane and carbon monoxide.

In recent years, many governments have focused on the development of innovative ways to improve the delivery of public services. There have been several international conferences and forums by world leaders seeking to improve the state of their countries’ public administration. Mauritius is no exception. An improvement of governance and public service delivery will make significant contributions towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. This paper analyses the measures Mauritius can adopt to promote institutional innovation, inclusiveness, and transformation which shall enhance public service delivery. The analysis occurs through a focus on the current state of public service delivery, what is being done, and what the country can do in the future.

To go further in our assessment of methanol for the monitoring of the cellulosic insulation condition in electrical transformers, two of the paper/oil systems [one comprising a standard wood Kraft paper and the other, a thermally-upgraded Kraft paper (TU paper)] discussed in Parts 1 and 2 (Gilbert et al. in Cellulose 16:327–338. doi: 10.1007/s10570-008-9261-1, 2009; Cellulose 17:253–269. doi: 10.1007/s10570-009-9365-2, 2010) were reinvestigated under accelerated ageing conditions (T between 130 and 210 °C). The experimental data were tracked by testing two mathematical models, one that takes into account the inhomogeneous nature of the polymer by decreasing with time a pseudo-zero rate constant by a first-order process and the other, by simultaneously operating a separate first-order law for the three main categories of 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds in the polymer structure. These additional results provide evidence that the degradation proceeds via a random opening of these bonds in both the amorphous and crystalline regions, with the influence of a pyrolysis-like mechanism even at relatively low temperatures. Very good dependence with the temperature (lnk vs 1/T) is noted for the rate constants of the production of chain-end groups and the formation of methanol, confirming the importance of carrying out the ageing tests beyond the LODP of the specimens (leveling-off value of the degree of polymerization). The grouping of some of these data with those published in Part 2 for an identical system reveals that the degradation is governed by a single reaction pattern over 70–210 °C. The Arrhenius law applied to this data grouping shows an activation energy of 95 ± 4 kJ mol−1 with a frequency factor (lnAa) of 22 ± 1 for the depolymerization, while for the formation of CH3OH, the respective values are 122 ± 6 kJ mol−1 and 33 ± 2. Finally, the kinetic parameters obtained under accelerated ageing conditions over 150–210 °C show that the stabilizing substances of the TU-Kraft paper modify the bond opening mechanism by blocking the effect of the acid and water generated by the oil decomposition. When they are present in the fibrous structure, the activation energy of the reaction goes up to 148 ± 14 kJ mol−1 with a frequency factor of 33 ± 4 for the depolymerization and 133 ± 11 kJ mol−1 with a frequency factor of 33 ± 3 for the formation of CH3OH.

Introduction Nursing professionals are considered as the backbone of the health and social care organizations. It is the responsibility of nursing professionals to deliver the best possible health care to the patients (Ahsan, Abdullah, Fie & Alam, 2009: 121-131). For this purpose, it is very important for the professionals to work in a safe and healthy environment for effective outcomes (Amati, et al, 2010: 31-38). It is also a fact that workplaces should be kept safe and stress free for the employees to work properly. The organizations and its structures are continuously changing according to the technology and innovative hierarchies (Arandelovic & Ilic, 2006: 139-144). Similarly, health care organizations are also getting modified with the help of technologies, theories, hierarchies, and novel ideas (Aycock & Boyle, 2009: 183-191). However, this rapid change within organization is also associated with certain problems and troubles (Chen, Hwu, Kung, Chiu, & Wang, 2008: 288). Various organizational theories have shown that continuous, excessive, or sudden change in the organization will certainly increase the stress and anxiety level of the employees (Chung, Yao & Wan, 2005: 149-156). Stress is a very common neurological issue that is strongly associated with confusion, impaired thinking abilities, increased anxiety level, and increased mental pressure (Urbanetto, et al, 2011: 1122-31). A research based study was conducted by Wirtz, et al, (2006), which described that increased stress level has now become a serious threat for the population. Stress within workplace is a very common concern that has been raised by Abstract

Background: One of the major concerns in intensive care units is caring. There was no universally accepted definition of the phenomenon, instead of decades of research in this field. Purpose: The study presented here was designed to explore the meaning of caring, particularly from the nurses working at a renowned intensive coronary care unit (ICCU). Method: Volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews and the interviews were recorded in a tape. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and the analysis was done using Colliazzi reductive framework. Findings: Being a nurse in the ICCU meant being valuable, professional, and confident. However, in some cases they were also frustrated. The theme that emerged from the meaning of caring include accountability, empathy, competency development and holistic service. Conclusion and Recommendations: An understanding of the meaning of caring can be of great importance in improving the nursing practice. The nature of this investigation was only exploratory; therefore more research is required to bring positive changes. It is essential to examine the patients’ experience of caring in the same setting by the use of a methodology including a large sample.

Mauritius recently ratified the African Charter of Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration. This paper examines how this tool c ontributes to the enhancement of governance in Mauritius. Application of its protocols, highlights on article 20 and 25, recognition and award system s, in key areas as well as performance management are discussed to see how their contributions towards professionalization in the Mauritian context. Overa ll it acts as a catalyst to improved quality of cus tomer services towards excellence. The charter is also an instrument for regional and continental integratio n.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the aspects of smoking cessation in Mauritian users of methadone. A large number of researchers have suggested examining smoking in this population, as high rate of tobacco use has been reported in this population. With regards to the interventions for smoking cessation, very few are formulated to be used in the treatment of methadone. Method: At the stages of Transtheortical model, methadone users are surveyed in a cross sectional study using the Global Adult Tobacco Survey instrument. Data was collected from two groups and compared. One group was treated with the standards protocol of therapy while other with interventions sessions of motivational enhancement therapy. Both inferential and descriptive statistics encompassing non-parametric tests were used to analyze the collected data. Results: At the baseline for survey, the results demonstrated mean of 9.7 with a standard deviation of 5.8 self reported cigarettes per day. Out of which 56% were in state of precontemplation. Literacy levels were generally low in the whole community. At post intervention, patients reported decreasing their smoking by an average of 2%. Till the session of follow-up, 41% participants of the final sample self-reported a 50% decline in smoking while 26% reported no change. Generally, no major differences were observed between the groups concerning education, methadone intake doses, employment, marital status or age. Conclusion: Motivational enhancement therapy that serves as a catalyst for stage movement as well as a barrier for stage regression.

All electrical utilities deal with the task of determining the residual life of their in-service power transformers. Given the difficulties experienced with the use of first and second generations of markers (carbon oxides and 2-furfuraldehyde), several organizations are now considering the use of methanol for this purpose. Hydro-Quebec, which discovered this approach, uses this molecule on a regular basis to evaluate the state of the cellulose insulation of in-service power transformers and applies it to Electricite de France's nuclear power plant transformers. In this paper, some examples of the application of methanol in the field are presented against the information received from the early marker generations.

Recently, the existence of a relation between the rupture of 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds in the cellulose during thermal-ageing of paper/oil systems and the detection of methanol in the oil has been reported for the first time in this journal (Jalbert et al. 2007). The present study addresses the rate constants of the reaction for standard wood kraft papers, two immersed in inhibited naphthenic oil under air (paper/oil weight–volume ratio of 1:18) and one in non-inhibited paraffinic oil under nitrogen (paper/oil weight–volume ratio of 1:30). The isotherms in the range of 60–130 °C show that the initial rate of methanol production markedly increases with temperature and to a lesser extent with the moisture of the specimens (initially between 0.5 and 2.25% (w/w)), similarly to what is noted for the depolymerization through the Ekenstam’s pseudo-zero order model. The Arrhenius expression of the rate constants reveals linear relationships that confirm the dominance of a given mechanism in both cases. A very good agreement is also noted for the activation energy over the entirely paper/oil systems studied (106.9 ± 4.3 and 103.5 ± 3.7 kJ mol−1 for methanol and scissions, respectively). Furthermore, a comparison of the rate constants \( \left( {k_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 3} {\text{OH}}}} /k_{\text{scissions}} } \right) \) shows approximately constant values indicating an apparent yield for the methanol of about one-third molecule per every scission for the tests under air (0.27 ± 0.04 for Clupak HD75 and 0.37 ± 0.14 for Munksjö TH70) and even lower for the ones under N2 (0.12 ± 0.03 for Munksjö E.G.). As expected from a pseudo-zero order model, these values were shown to be consistent with a similar comparison of the amount of CH3OH and chain-end groups produced under specific time–temperature ageing conditions (168 h at 120 °C). Finally, an additional test carried out with unaged cellulose in contact with a fresh solution of methanol in oil (cellulose/oil weight–volume ratio of 1:18) shows that at equilibrium, over 58% of the species is lost from the solution due to penetration into the fibres. Such results reveal the importance of the species partitioning in establishing the true correspondence between the molecules of CH3OH produced and the scissions.

In order to go further in demonstrating that methanol can be used as a universal cellulose degradation indicator in power transformers, the ageing study of standard wood kraft specimens in oil in the range of 60–130 °C (Gilbert et al. in Cellulose 16:327–338, 2009) has been extended to thermally-upgraded (TU) papers. The kinetic model that best tracks the ageing patterns was shown to be a function that can accelerate or decelerate the pseudo-zero kinetics by the adjustment of a free parameter. The results showed a non-negligible contribution of 1,4-β-glycosidic bond breaking in the crystalline regions suggesting that the degradation at this level is not necessary occurring through a quantum mode mechanism. The results also showed a significant error in the determination of the rate constants when obtained from isotherms of varying degree of depolymerization. In the case of TU papers, provided that there is a sufficient amount of stabilizers in the fibrous structure, not only could the self-catalyzing nature of the cellulose ageing process as well as the effect of an external supply of catalysts be lost but the chain-breaking could decrease to nearly zero for an undetermined period well before reaching the levelling-off degree of polymerization. The initial rate constants (k 1o) for the depolymerization and methanol formation of these papers were found to be very near those of standard cellulose (giving about the same activation energy), which indicates that they are obtained from the ageing patterns well before the retardant action has fully taken place. The life extension of TU papers is achieved by a reduction with time of the frequency at which the bonds are ruptured. Moreover, the production of methanol and chain-end groups showed about the same value for the frequency factor, which introduces the possibility that the rate of production of CH3OH from chopped chains is much higher than the rate of depolymerization, so that the latter becomes the rate determining step of the overall reaction. On the other hand, the apparent yield of CH3OH molecules per scission is seen to increase substantially with the amount of stabilizers (from ~0.4 to 0.8 and to 1.4 for a paper containing 0 to 1.15 and to 3.9% (w/w) N2) and to a lesser extent, with the moisture in the specimens. However, these variations could either be attributed to a modification of the CH3OH paper/oil partitioning by the stabilizers and moisture in fibrous structure. Finally, pre-aged systems (130 °C for 168 h) conditioned at 20 °C for variable lengths of time provided further evidence that O2 is not necessarily involved in CH3OH production.

We report on the accelerated ageing of cellulose based insulating paper by means of pulsed UV laser irradiation (λ = 248 nm) under various experimental conditions including paper composition, background gas (He, N2 and air) and moisture content of the paper. The temperature reached by the paper samples during their laser irradiation was monitored by means of real-time IR imaging. It is shown that the equilibrium temperature (T eq) reached by the paper increases from ~30 to ~270 °C when the laser energy density was raised from 15 to 550 mJ cm−2. The laser irradiated samples were systematically characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and degree of polymerization (DPv) measurements. Interestingly, it is found that, for a given moisture content, the degradation level of the cellulose is mainly triggered by the T eq value reached during the laser irradiation. Moreover, their moisture content was found to influence significantly the number of laser produced bond scissions (it doubles when the moisture content is increased from 0.5 to 6%); the paper degradation is apparently not affected by the presence of oxygen as the background gas. These results suggest that the laser induced cellulose degradation occurs through a direct photolysis (i.e. direct breakage of C–C, C–O and C–H bonds), leading to radicals formation, which, in turn, are believed to induce the acid hydrolysis degradation mechanism, the latter being moisture dependent. The activation energy (E a) of each gaseous species collected after the laser degradation was estimated. Their E a values were found to be in good agreement with the one associated to the laser depolymerisation of cellulose (i.e. ~56 kJ mol−1), suggesting thereby a direct correlation between the cellulose degradation and the formation of the detected gaseous species. Finally, the pulsed laser irradiation can be seen as an attractive tool to identify primarily generated molecules, on a very short time scale, that can be used as relevant chemical markers for the monitoring of the ageing of transformers materials with cellulose.

In this study, headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry has been used to assess the volatile by-products generated by the ageing of oil-impregnated paper insulation of power transformers. Sealed-glass ampoules were used to age under oxidative conditions 0.5-g specimens of insulating paper in 9 mL of inhibited mineral oil in a temperature range of 60–120 °C and moisture of 0.5, 1 and 2% (w/w). A linear relationship between one of the oil-soluble degradation by-products, i.e. methanol, and the number of ruptured 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds of cellulose, regardless of the type of paper (ordinary Kraft or thermally-upgraded (TU) Kraft paper), was established for the first time in this field. Ageing at 130 °C of model compounds of the Kraft paper constituents (α-cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and two cellulosic breakdown by-products (D-(+)-glucose and 1,6-anhydro-β-d-glucopyranose) confirmed that the α-cellulose degradation was mostly responsible for the presence of this molecule in the system. Furthermore, additional 130 °C-tests with six different papers and pressboard samples under a tight control of initial moisture indicated that at least one molecule of methanol is formed for each rupture of 1,4-β-glucosidic bond of the molecular chains. Stability tests showed that the ageing indicator is stable under the oxygen and temperature conditions of open-breathing transformers. The presence of methanol was detected in 94% of oil samples collected from over than 900 in-service pieces of equipment, confirming the potential for this application. Lastly, the tests have shown that oil-oxidation by-products and TU-nitrogenous agents modify the methanol partitioning coefficients in the paper/oil/air system, which makes their study essential over a range of field conditions encountered by power transformers. Results are presented and discussed in comparison with 2-furfuraldehyde, which is the current reference in the domain.

We report on the successful use of a KrF excimer laser as a highly promising tool to investigate the accelerated ageing of wood Kraft papers used as insulating components in high-voltage power transformers. The effects of varying both the laser repetition rate (5 to 180 Hz) and the laser energy density (0.02 to 0.11 J cm-2) on the degradation of wood Kraft paper in air were systematically investigated. During the laser irradiation experiments, the temperature of the paper samples was real-time measured by means of an IR camera. It is shown that the ageing temperature of the paper can be controlled very precisely by simply adjusting the laser parameters. Indeed, levelling-off temperatures in the 25–320 °C range can be reached after only 3 s of laser exposure, by either varying the repetition rate at a fixed energy density or changing the laser fluence at a given pulse rate. By performing both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and measurements of the degree of polymerization (DPv) of the laser irradiated paper samples, we were able to demonstrate that the laser irradiation induces a very rapid degradation of the paper samples (typical laser exposure times are around 35 s to be compared with ∼10 days for standard dynamic heating based ageing tests). Both the DPv of the irradiated paper samples and the average width of the corresponding cellulose fibers as measured from SEM micrographs, are shown to reduce by about 50% following their laser heating at ∼320 °C for 35 s of exposure time. It is pointed out that the observed laser-induced degradation is predominantly a photothermal process. Finally, by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), we were able to show that low molecular weight compounds such as acetaldehyde, methyl formate, acetone, and methanol are produced not only by the laser ageing process but also in real on-field transformers that underwent a severe short-circuit.

The dependence with time of the permeated gases in the cavity of a probe equipped with a membrane made of a plurality of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillary tubes was studied under a gas/membrane/gas configuration by performing tests at predetermined intervals of time in a range of 0–40 °C. The tests carried out at atmospheric pressure on both sides of the tubes with a multicomponent gas in the shell side of very low H2, O2, N2, CO, CH4, CO2, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6 and C3H8 partial pressures in argon were used to establish the permeability coefficients (Pi), the permeation apparent activation energies (Ep) and the time required by each species to reach 99% of the equilibrium concentration (t99). At room temperature, the permeability coefficients computed from the slope of the steady-state transmission rate portion of the exponential growth function fitting the experimental data points showed the highest value for H2 (12.1 Barrer) and the lowest value for C3H8 (0.27 Barrer), with the other species inserted in between in the following order: PH2>PCO2>PO2>PN2>PCO>PC2H2>PCH4>PC2H4>PC2H6>PC3H8. These coefficients were shown to respond to an activated process (Arrhenius relation) and to be related to the molecular parameters of the penetrants (σLJ), except for CO2, where transport seems to be strongly influenced by some intermolecular interactions with the membrane material. The presence of such interactions is confirmed by the low Ep obtained for this molecule (4.93 kcal mol−1), and is supported by data reported in the literature for other membrane materials. Finally, the values obtained for t99 showed that at least 40 h is required to get a representative sample (excluding C3H8) in the probe cavity when maintained at 40 °C. This time lag was shown to double for a device submerged in oil due to the occurrence of concentration polarization phenomena at the oil/membrane interface.

A novel dual-band reconfigurable aperture (RECAP) design is introduced for operation over a two-octave bandwidth. The proposed RECAP consists of interleaved crossed-slot elements for dual-polarized and broad-band array operation without grating lobes. The dimensions of the array elements can be reconfigured by using radio-frequency switches such as microelectromechanical systems or PIN diodes. The array elements along with the switches are integrated into the top layer of a multilayered composite structure consisting of passive, resistively loaded frequency selective surface (FSS) elements that form a broad-band ground plane system. Excitation is provided through a broad-band balanced/matched feed, and reconfiguration allows for broad-band operation using the same FSS substrate. Besides the FSS substrate, shorting pins can be employed within the cavity to enhance gain performance. Significant analysis and understanding of the FSS/slot array configuration is presented along with measurements that should serve as a reference in future developments of these layered arrays.

The efficiency of azeotropic techniques for trace determination of water in oils has recently been questioned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), on the basis of measurements of the residual water found after the extraction step. The results were obtained by volumetric Karl Fischer (KF) titration in a medium containing a large excess of chloroform (greater than or equal to65%), a proposed prerequisite to ensure complete release of water from the oil matrix. In this work, the extent of this residual water was studied by means of a direct zero-current potentiometric technique using a KF medium containing more than 80% chloroform, which is well above the concentration recommended by NIST. A procedure is described that makes it possible to correct the results for dilution errors as well as for chemical interference effects caused by the oil matrix. The corrected values were found to be in the range of 0.6-1.5 ppm, which should be compared with the 12-34 ppm (uncorrected values) reported by NIST for the same oils. From this, it is concluded that the volumetric KF method used by NIST gives results that are much too high.